This is a song from the Musically Challenged group this week. It's the first and the only song that I listened to so far this week. It truly spoke to me. The ocean always calms me and gives me a sense of peace...it's where I belong and it's where I long to be. The song reminds me of the slow, back and forth, of the ocean when diving. It's a gorgeous and peaceful song.

This month is a tough one for me. 12 years ago, last week was the last time I saw my mother. I told her that if she didn't stop smoking she was going to die. 3 weeks later she passed from a massive heart attack. The anticipation of this anniversary gives me major anxiety. We had such a complicated relationship and I experience so many feelings of guilt over my negative thoughts about her.

Then there is the fact that she died the day before my birthday. Every year I think about how to let go of the grief and celebrate my birthday. Usually this anticipation of a horrible day is far worse than the anniversary day itself. But my birthday, well, to be blunt, sucks every year. I've been trying to figure out how to separate the days. If anyone has any suggestions, I am very open to them.

I'm trying to make plans for my Bday. I've been thinking about having a Birthday BBQ and I've been thinking about organizing it around a good, old fashioned game of kick ball. Something so kids and parents could play and have fun together.

Under the Waves

By Maria Mena

I walk barefoot where the water drowns the sand...

With you no longer here to hold my hand,

I let go,

I let go.

The ocean makes my swollen heart feel small.

With the sounds it makes, you won't hear it if I call..

I let go,

I let go.

There's a breeze in the air,

There's a boat anchored out here,

There's a calm under the waves..

As I choose to sink.

Your skin protected me from sunbeams,

Your hands made sure I'd stay intact,

I let go,

I let go.

You were always there to walk me home,

With you not here, the streets I roam.

I let go,

I let go.

There's a breeze in the air,

There's a boat anchored out here,

There's a calm under the waves..

As I choose to sink.

With your voice in my head,

I could float here instead,

But there's a calm under the waves..

So I choose to sink.

I'm tired now, I'll see you when I wake up.

I've heard it's pretty where you are.

I let go,

I let go.

The txalaparta is a unique music ensemble of stones, woods and pipes and two players who beat out a rhythm that is musically a tour de force of co ordination.

It is an old form of music much in vogue in the Basque region of Spain but has suffered terminal neglect and as a result not much of it is known to the people. The genre of music originated as a mode of communication in the hilly regions of the Basque foothills from one village to another to announce funerals, making of cider etc etc.

There has been a steady resurgence of the music form over the last 15-20 years.

Maika and Sara Gomez are twin sisters from the Basque region who are one of the leading proponents of the txalaparta. They go by the name of "Ttukunak".

They make a fine sight while they play the exotic music and the sound of course to use the cliched term is -"awesome"

You can see a slideshow of photographs on the band's website ttukunak.ning.com/

You can hear some samples of the music here

You can hear some samples of the music here

For more on jazz and upcoming events while in Goa, you must visit www.heritagejazz.com the brain child of Armando Gonsalves.

For more on txalaparta

_DSC5439 copy blue down tfm

Make-up shot for 256.365 and my week hosting Musically Challenged. Haha..

The day I had planned on taking it, Amy Winehouse passed away. And I'm the kind of person that doesn't like to do things that appear to be as if I'm looking or asking for attention; because I'm just not purposely trying to do that. So, I waited b/c I didn't want it to necessarily be a tribute to Amy, in lieu of her death, but rather b/c I like the song. And I love Stella Artois - but not from a can.

Meet you downstairs in the bar and hurt,

Your rolled up sleeves in your skull t-shirt,

You say "what did you do with him today?",

And sniffed me out like I was Tanqueray,

'Cause you're my fella, my guy,

Hand me your stella and fly,

By the time I'm out the door,

You tear men down like Roger Moore,

You know that I'm no good

Elveeta Presley, being the great-granddaughter of Elvis' unknown but musically ingenious sister Elvette, decided to dedicate her life to music.

"I know that Elvis casts a long shadow; he is The King. But I'm not trying to fool anybody into thinking I'm a female Elvis, even if I am wearing this 'Chicks Rule' T-shirt," Elveeta recently told Rolling Stone magazine before performing at a small music venue. "I'm just being myself, entertaining people by doing what I love."

An up-and-coming singer, Elveeta, unlike Elvis, wrote most of the music she performed. Yet, she loved to pay homage to the early days of Rock by singing such songs as Fats Domino's "I'm Gonna Be a Wheel Someday," one of her favorites.

"I love that song because it's about feeling that you're important even if someone breaks up with you or doesn't like you; you can move past a situation where you were rejected.

"Plus, to me, the song's also about how you can't let someone else make you feel inferior; you're still valuable as a person and we're all trying to progress in life--well, most of us," Elveeta explained.

"I'm gonna be a wheel someday

I'm gonna be somebody

I'm gonna be a real gone cat

Then I won't want you

Everything's gonna go my way

And I won't need nobody

I'm gonna be a real gone cat

Then I won't want you

You can cry, you can sigh

You'll be wonderin' why I don't look at you

When I go strollin' by

I'm gonna be a wheel someday

I'm gonna be somebody

I'm gonna be a real gone cat

Then I won't want you..."

--"I'm Gonna Be a Wheel Someday" by Fats Domino

and it's a long way down

it's a long way down

it's a long way down to the place

where we started from.

- Sarah McLachlan

I know I will probably take some crap for this, but I am jumping out of my skin at the prospect of Lillith Fair 2010. Every time something reminds me of the fact that it's back this summer, I get all hyper excited. I don't know what it is about that tour, but I just associate such amazing memories with those shows from when I was in college. I can't wait to go spend a day listening to amazing female artists again.

This picture has nothing to do with Lillith Fair. But the song quoted (part of this week's awesome new picks in Musically Challenged) will forever be burned into my brain in the form of the live performance of it that I saw Sarah do at the first Lillith Fair. Magical. That's a crowd sing-along. Good times.

Musically Challenged: Ice Cream - Sarah McLachlan

Musically dope, fire and smoke.

via Instagram ift.tt/24PuhWj

that never goes out - The Smiths

for Musically Challenged. Love this song, love Musically Challenged. I haven't played in a while, and I miss it.

226/365

Better Large

Photographer: Fred H. Politinsky

Subject: Outside the Box Photography

View my photographs on the following websites:

www.flickriver.com/photos/jackpot999

www.fluidr.com/photos/jackpot999

www.flickr.com/photos/jackpot999

GOOGLE at NPR JAZZ PHOTOGRAPHY POOL - FLICKRIVER (Look for photographs by Bebop18.)

ALL OF MY PHOTOGRAPHS ARE COPYRIGHTED. ALL RIGHTS ARE RESERVED. DO NOT USE, EDIT OR COPY ANY OF MY PHOTOGRAPHS WITHOUT MY PERMISSION.

Musically Inspired

SOOC (apart from square crop)

Her name was Lola, she was a showgirl

With yellow feathers in her hair and a dress cut down to there

She would merengue and do the cha-cha

And while she tried to be a star, Tony always tended bar

Across a crowded floor, they worked from 8 till 4

They were young and they had each other

Who could ask for more?

At the Copa (CO!), Copacabana (Copacabana)

The hottest spot north of Havana (here)

At the Copa (CO!), Copacabana

Music and passion were always the fashion

At the Copa....they fell in love

(Copa Copacabana)

His name was Rico, he wore a diamond

He was escorted to his chair, he saw Lola dancin' there

And when she finished, he called her over

But Rico went a bit too far, Tony sailed across the bar

And then the punches flew and chairs were smashed in two

There was blood and a single gun shot

But just who shot who?

At the Copa (CO!), Copacabana (Copacabana)

The hottest spot north of Havana (here)

At the Copa (CO!), Copacabana

Music and passion were always the fashion

At the Copa....she lost her love

Her name is Lola, she was a showgirl

But that was 30 years ago, when they used to have a show

Now it's a disco, but not for Lola

Still in the dress she used to wear, faded feathers in her hair

She sits there so refined, and drinks herself half-blind

She lost her youth and she lost her Tony

Now she's lost her mind!

At the Copa (CO!), Copacabana (Copacabana)

The hottest spot north of Havana (here)

At the Copa (CO!), Copacabana

Music and passion were always the fashion

At the Copa....don't fall in love

----------

3 months in, and I really struggled with this week. I knew I wanted to do something with feathers, thanks to the amazing Emily Christine and of course the marvellous Little Miss Kimmyshine's Musically Inspired group...it wasn't exactly what I wanted to do (will post some of the other outtakes) but I still like how it came out!

Explore #495 March 29th 2009 - Thank you :)

baby you can start again

laughing in the open air; have yourself another dream

tonight

maybe we can start again

- Brandon Flowers, Only the Young

I had to check a groundhog trap today to see if there was a dead groundhog in it. I cannot even begin to tell you how much I do not want to find a dead groundhog. Seriously. It makes my insides hurt to even think about it.

Musically Challenged: Brandon Flowers - Only the Young

You know, I'm not sure if my engagement ring is magic or what, but ever since Andy slipped this baby on my finger, it's become increasingly difficult to get under my skin. It's like a stress defuser. And I needed one. I'm not saying my life is all roses and daffodils now. I'm just doing a better job of letting the small stuff roll right off my back. I wonder how long that will last.

Soccer tonight. I might have missed Monday's game, but with tonight and the tournament I'm playing in this weekend, I will probably wind up having played in five games this week. Hello exercise! Hopefully that'll keep my weightloss chugging along. Only eight-ish months until the wedding. Gotta go full steam ahead! :)

365 Days (self portraits): Day 338

52 Weeks of Feeling Fit: Week 9

Musically Challenged: Let it Be - Nick Cave

Inspired by Alvaro.. :)

Dedicado a Alvaro & Irene ;)

Lyrics by David Summers - Diciembre

~ The one who paints my black-and-white days is you.

View large

So I was invited into this group, "52 Weeks Musically Inspired". I thought I'd give it a try, and this is my first. I've had the idea for a while and never knew how to do it, so I painted this pic and made it b/w, looked for a nice coloured, happy dress, and this one was the only one I could find. Thanks to my sister for "lending" it to me ;)

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

Soundtrack:

UNDER MY UMBRELLA by INCUBUS

www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5n9vfEumbw

“When I close my eyes

I remember why I smile

under my umbrella

I've Accomplished Exile”

sono completamente isolato”

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""Under my umbrella"" è un’altra delle mie preferite…fav, fav, fav…quante stelline si possono mettere? L’inizio musicalmente è spettacolare, mi hanno sempre fatto impazzire le bacchette della batteria di Josè che battono il tempo e danno inizio alle schitarrate potenti di Mike…un incipit che spesso ho ascoltato in loop fino alla nausea! Il testo parla della divergenza di pensiero che ci può essere tra due persone, di quando una delle due decide anche per l’altro senza interpellarlo affatto. Ne consegue una lite, un caos a cui si sfugge solo isolandosi sotto ad un immaginario ombrello che ci permette di vedere lontano e che ci rassicura.

(ENGLISH VERSION)

"Under My Umbrella" is another of my favorites ... fav, fav, fav ... how many starlets can I put? The beginning of the song is musically spectacular, I always went crazy for the chopsticks battery of Josè that mark time and start the strums of Mike... a powerful opening that I heard often in loop ad nauseum! The text speaks of the divergence of thought that there may be between two people, when one decides for others without asking at all. It follows a dispute, a chaos in which only escapes isolation under an imaginary umbrella that allows us to see far and that reassures us.

Musically Challenged

Queen - Show Must Go On

18" of Powder, gonna go play! Have a sweet day everyone :-)