A 1st Birthday to Remember
In absolute brilliance, the American public does not disappoint. With grateful hearts and overflowing bellies filled with Grandmas Cakes, Mom's pies, Turkey and all of the dressings, America departs from the table of Thanksgiving....and goes shopping.
Oh, don't worry - it's "selfless" shopping: For others! Looking for the best deals on the best items, Americans kiss the family good bye, and wait for the sun to rise on their nomadic fortress built outside of shopping malls and in plazas (ps..not too long ago, people were trying to kick the homeless out for sleeping outside of buildings, but I guess its ok if you are waiting on a sale - #justsaying)
But then...something happens and Americans loose their minds! I think of the Christmas trees on the December 25th. Underneath them are not only the presents neatly wrapped with a bow, but inside the gift lies a secret:
- This gift was taken out of the hands of a pregnant mother.
- The gift beside it used to belong to a grandmother who was too weak to fight off the thief who cleverly snatched it from her car, wrapped it and gave it to his son.
- The gift on top has the dent in the box from where the lady smashed the head of the retail employee whom she thought was aggressive towards her, but just wanted to let her know that there was an open register on aisle two.
- The gift under the other side of the tree took a journey in the jacket of the Uncle who thought it would be better to just steal the present than to wait in the treacherous line which wrapped around the store like you were awaiting a ride at Disney Land.
But it doesn't matter. They were a deal and now the children have things to open on Christmas and all is right with the world. !!?
I will spare us all the understood story of this all not being ok. I will spare us all the explanation for the original reasons for the seasons to be thankful and to give. I will spare us all my further opinion of the learning lesson that we teach others, not to mention our children regarding behavior and priorities.
There is a song made popular by Lee Greenwood, and one of the most powerful and repeated lyrics in the song says, "...And I'm proud to be an American...." It seems that the stability of those lyrics seem now to be fading.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rM_tDB8OZok
If you are looking to really make a difference this year, join a non-profit which helps people find freedom from addiction. It seeks to provide each student with one Christmas Present this year. Share Hope. Redeem the Holidays. (Click Image Below)
Some think that it's not a big deal. "What is the little pedal for anyway?" Maybe you are asking yourself the same question. When you see a singer or a keyboardist playing the piano and their foot continuously taps away underneath the keyboard on a pedal - What in the heck are they doing?
Well. Let me clue you in on a lil something about that little pedal. It's like driving an old jeep wrangler VS a new Mercedes. One is rough and choppy, the other smooth and simply beautiful. The sustain pedal when pressed allows the keys to be held for a longer duration giving the chord or note the ability to transition seamlessly to the next. When the pedal is not pressed, the notes are only held as long as the fingers are pressing them down. (Tonka toy verses Orchestral Celebration).
For a more thorough definition of a sustain pedal, my friends at ask.com have provided some brilliant relief. CLICK HERE
I was given the opportunity to be featured at Pillars of Faith Tabernacle in Queens, New York as a guest worship vocalist. What a tremendous blessing. "Me, You & the Piano" is a songwriting series that I developed of new music performed on piano. So there I was, in the middle of my set, worshiping with no distractions: just Me, You & the Piano, when BAM! The sustain pedal just stops working. (Insert panic heartbeat sound here.)
"What in the world do I do?" - I ask myself. "Does anyone notice? Of course they notice! But wait...the remaining songs are slow...this is gonna sounds like a children's concert (tink, clang, tink, clang)! OH NO! Am I distracted? Wait...what am I playing? What song is this? Where am I? SECURITY!" So what did I do...? I prayed really hard, took a deep breath and said..."Here goes nothing!" LOL
Here is a video of right when the pedal went out. The video is about a year old, but oh so relevant to today. I tried to keep cool and keep it moving, but OH MAN! What a task! :-) To all of the keyboardists out there...Hi-Five. I know you will smile. :-) Has something similar ever happened to you? If so, tell me about it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieQZLeaFDto
What is the hardest thing to say in the English language? Not phonetically. Not grammatically. Not in a speech-pathology way. Not in ebonix. Not in suburbian. Not in…(Ok. You get it!) In every day, HUMAN language.
So what is it? The hardest thing to say…..is……Super-cali---LOL No-not that either. The most difficult and the hardest thing to say is, “I was wrong.” Are you surprised that it is not the words “I’m sorry?” Let’s examine. How easy is it to use the common cliché of an apology to admit that something that you said or did was not right? With the turn of the head (some turn so hard that it almost breaks), to the sigh that precedes the o-so-seemingly-difficult heartfelt moment. Then there it is…”I’m sorry.” There is a scramble in the brain like a bad football play, that leaves you mildly retarded and stubborn and inside you are scream.
“I’m not saying it, and you can’t make me!”
The recipient is left with a formality to heal a wound that may or may not be fatal, but a wound none the less. And the cure is a flimsy Band-Aid of an exclamation that culture has popularized to be the holy-grail of solutions.
NOPE! That was not difficult to say at all. But why? Simple. It took no thought. We are programmed to respond like robots. “I broke your vase. I’m sorry.” “I’m late. I’m sorry.” “I punched you in the face. I’m sorry.” “I ruined your life. I’m sorry.” –You see. It’s all the same. But something is missing.
I’d like to draw your attention to the left side of your chest. There is this thing inside of you that often is left out of apologies. It is totally absent from the foundation of resolve in most cases. I’m speaking of the heart.
The next time that you want to apologize…REALLY apologize – STOP. Think. Now, instead of murmuring the first line of the script that we have been issued to recite time and time again, place your hand on the left side of your chest, take a deep breath and say, “I was wrong!”
Ok…your turn. Try it out and let me know if you live through it. By your response I will take that as a yes!
To help jump-start your heart muscles, meet MICK! When it's time to say those ever so hard words, let the story of this triumphant pup be your inspiration.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-KYUAHTwTo
To see how Mick is doing now, visit The Mia Foundation
Point | shoot | click
No more need to wait for the Cinema to bring you brilliance. No more need to wait for the DVD to bring the drama and excitement: The HUGENESS OF THE BIG-SCREEN! Welcome to the streets of New York City - Cinema House to almost every major motion picture. Take a walk down the street, Point|Shoot|Click and make cinematic masterpieces with your own camera. Journey to the building of King Kong. Walk to the Alien Tower of Men in Black. Tour the streets that were covered in snow and ice with a floating Statue of Liberty head in The Day After Tomorrow.
Tour guide un-needed. Just you. The Camera. And...Well, that's it.
Make movies in your mind in the LARGEST MOVIE SET IN THE WORLD: NEW YORK CITY!
You may like: Not Without My Camera
It's rare that the acknowledgement of shortcomings hits so soft yet has such a lasting impact. Great post which demands an internal response.
There was a time when travels were un-noted. There was a time when photo's were something that took time to develop and memories were delayed for KODAK to "figure it out!" But not anymore! Welcome to Bryant Park, the pseudo fashion capital of the East. Beyond the mecca of fabric and lattes is the snap of cameras and the click of bloggers capturing every moment that happens for the next BIG THING to pop up on a blog somewhere.
What is the BIG BANG that everyone is waiting for? What is that moment that everyone knows all too well deep inside their soul when IT happens, you drop the curly fries and scramble to press the CAMERA button on your cell phone.
Gone are the days of the credit cards slogan "Never Leave Home Without It." Intro the conversation, "Are you ready to go?" "Yes," you reply. "But wait," you frantically look through every pocket until you locate the rectangular gem, "...but, not without my camera!"
So this begs the now current question...iPhone, Android, Windows, etc... WHO HAS THE BEST CAMERA? Avid insta-fessionals want to know. (Insta-fessionals: Professional Insta-Gram Portraiteers) :-) Why not, right!
Give us your vote!