Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Tuesday Tunes - 09/30/14

A good lyric is like a great book...
Sounds of SilenceSimon and Garfunkle, Artist
Paul Simon, Writer


Hello darkness, my old friend
I've come to talk with you again
Because a vision softly creeping
Left its seeds while I was sleeping
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains
Within the sound of silence

In restless dreams I walked alone
Narrow streets of cobblestone
'Neath the halo of a street lamp
I turned my collar to the cold and damp
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light
That split the night
And touched the sound of silence

And in the naked light I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more
People talking without speaking
People hearing without listening
People writing songs that voices never share
And no one dared
Disturb the sound of silence

"Fools", said I, "You do not know
Silence like a cancer grows
Hear my words that I might teach you
Take my arms that I might reach you"
But my words, like silent raindrops fell
And echoed
In the wells of silence

And the people bowed and prayed
To the neon god they made
And the sign flashed out its warning
In the words that it was forming
And the sign said, "The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls
And tenement halls"
And whispered in the sounds of silence

Monday, September 29, 2014

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Tuesday Tunes - 09//23/14

A good lyric is like a great book...

Stairway to Heaven
Let Zeppelin, Artist
Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, Writers



There's a lady who's sure all that glitters is gold
And she's buying a stairway to heaven
When she gets there she knows, if the stores are all closed
With a word she can get what she came for
Ooh, ooh, and she's buying a stairway to heaven

There's a sign on the wall but she wants to be sure
'Cause you know sometimes words have two meanings
In a tree by the brook, there's a songbird who sings
Sometimes all of our thoughts are misgiven
Ooh, it makes me wonder
Ooh, it makes me wonder

There's a feeling I get when I look to the west
And my spirit is crying for leaving
In my thoughts I have seen rings of smoke through the trees
And the voices of those who stand looking
Ooh, it makes me wonder
Ooh, it really makes me wonder

And it's whispered that soon if we all call the tune
Then the piper will lead us to reason
And a new day will dawn for those who stand long
And the forests will echo with laughter

If there's a bustle in your hedgerow, don't be alarmed now
It's just a spring clean for the May queen
Yes, there are two paths you can go by, but in the long run
There's still time to change the road you're on
And it makes me wonder

Your head is humming and it won't go, in case you don't know
The piper's calling you to join him
Dear lady, can you hear the wind blow and did you know
Your stairway lies on the whispering wind?

And as we wind on down the road
Our shadows taller than our soul
There walks a lady we all know
Who shines white light and wants to show
How everything still turns to gold

And if you listen very hard
The tune will come to you at last
When all are one and one is all, yeah
To be a rock and not to roll

And she's buying a stairway to heaven

Sunday, September 21, 2014

Sunday Salon - 09/21/14




If you are interested in other Salon posts, visit the Facebook page to get links.


Life:

Hello all,

Apologies for blogging so little... The first month or so of school is always crazy busy...any time at work where I can usually sneak in a bit of blogging is rare and by the time I get home I'm fully spent.  I interviewed this past week and await a response on the job situation. It's stressful not knowing what to expect, I'm a planner!  But all I can do is wait to see what happens.

Hubby and I have started working on some music. We are very different people when it comes to performing.  He likes to rehearse and repeat, repeat until he gets something. I'm more a fly by the seat of my pants, learn it as I go performer.  So we are taking it slow and trying to find a mix that allows him learning time, but enables me to not get bored.  It's weird, developing a totally new working relationship with someone you already love and care for...you can't exactly go home and bitch about him/her to your spouse, you know!?! Ha!

Purely Vocals had our last official gig this past weekend...very sad. But we are solidifying our plans to record in October which will be fun.

Today is two months since our kitty passed. Every day is a struggle, but what are you going to do, right? We keep pushing through.

Blogging

I've fallen behind on my reviews. I'm reading though, so I hope to catch up soon and return this baby to a book blog and not a  Shannon whines blog.

Hope it's a great week of everyone!



Saturday, September 20, 2014

Saturday Savings - 9/20/14

After taking a while off, I'm finally getting back into the swing a bit with the couponing. I'm trying out a new system for organizing my coupons. Not surprisingly, cutting all those coupons was beginning to wear on me.  So now I am trying the method I mentioned where you just cut what you need. I'm also using post it notes to ensure I don't miss great coupons from that week...and maintaining my binder categories for peelies, printed, and "found" coupons.

Not sure how this will all work... But as always it's a work in progress!


**DEAL/S OF THE WEEK** 


2 packs for FREE!

Regular price $0.99
Stacked with two coupons for $1.00 off each

=

FREE




Sale price $1.83
Stacked with $0.50 coupons for each

=

$1.33 for each




Don't forget rain checks! This past week's Arm and Hammer deal was good, but with coupons it was great.  But, both local Stop 'n Shops were out. Hmmphhh!  But, they were willing to rain check the deal. So when more comes in I am ready to stock up my shelves.

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Tuesday Tunes - 09/16/14

 

A good lyric is like a great book...
Let That Pony Run
Pam Tillis, Artist
Gretchen Peters, Writer


Mary was married with children
Had the perfect suburban life
Til her husband came clean with the help of Jim Beam
And confessed all his sins in one night
Said he'd fallen in love with a barmaid
Said she made him feel reckless and young
And when he got through, what else could she do
She just let that pony run

You do what you gotta do
You know what you know
You hang on til you can't hang on
And then you learn to let go
You get what you want sometimes
But when it's all said and done
You do what you gotta do
And then you let that pony run

Mary moved to West Virginia
After the shock wore off
She got a divorce and a chestnut horse
And a barn with an old hayloft
And sometimes she rides by the river
Says it makes her feel reckless and young
She closes her eyes and she holds on tight
And she lets that pony run
You do what you gotta do
You know what you know
You hang on til you can't hang on
And then you learn to let go
You get what you want sometimes
But when it's all said and done
You do what you gotta do
And then you let that pony run.

Let that pony run.

Oh, oh, oh....


Tuesday, September 09, 2014

Tuesday Tunes - 09/9/14


A good lyric is like a great book...
Secret Gardens 
Judy Collins, Artist & Writer



My grandmother's house is still there
But it isn't the same
A plain wooden cottage
A patch of brown lawn
And a fence that hangs standing
And sighing in the Seattle rain.

I drive by with strangers
And wish they could see what I see
A tangle of summer birds
Flying in sunlight
A forest of lillies
An orchard of apricot trees.

Secret Gardens of the heart
Where the flowers bloom forever
I see you shining through the night
In the ice and snow of winter.

Great grandfather's farm is still there
But it isn't the same
The barn is torn down
And the fences are gone
The Idaho wind blos
The topsoil away every Spring.

I still see the ghosts
Of the people I knew long ago
Inside the old kitchen
They bend and sigh
My life passed them up
And the world passed them by.

Secret Gardens of the heart
Where the old stay young forever
I see you shining through the night
In the ice and snow of winter.

But most of all
It is me that has changed
And yet I'm still the same
That's me at the weddings
That's me at the graves.
Dressed like the people
Who once looked so grown-up and brave.

I look in the mirror
Through the eyes of the child that was me
I see willows bending
The season is Spring
And the silver blue sailing birds
Fly with the sun on their wings.

Secret Gardens of the heart
Where dreams live on forever
I see you shining through the night
In the ice and snow of winter.

Sunday, September 07, 2014

Sunday Salon - 09/7/14




If you are interested in other Salon posts, visit the Facebook page to get links.


Life:

Another busy (hmm, Mr. iPad said "bust") week! Students are back and the days are flying by. 

I await a response to my resume, which I sent. I've been hunting for songs that might interest an audience in a piano-bar-like setting for hubby and I to learn (suggestions, anyone?!? Bueller? Bueller?). And PV is wrapping up a few final performances this month, before hopefully recording in October.

Hubby and I have almost finished painting the house. It looks really nice. In fact, two neighbors have commented about the color already. We are hoping to finish up next weekend, well before the cold weather. There are of course many other jobs around the house which I hope to accomplish too!

I had my first couponing trip in quite a while this week, since ou loss... Success!  Check Saturday to see what came home and what it cost me!


Blogging

Doing pretty good reading too...well for me. I powered through Jeff Bauman's memoir, Stronger, about losing his legs in the Boston Marathon bombing. And, I've picked up an "oldie" (it's not that old..but it's not new either), but goodie that I had yet to read. Check tomorrow's Monday post to see what it is!




Thursday, September 04, 2014

August 2014 ReCap....



AUGUST 2014


This month I read: 
Total Read: 2
YTD: 18
Adult: 2
YA/children's: 0
Abandoned: 0


Including:
Leaving Time (Jodi Picoult)
To Selena, With Love (Chris Perez)

Abandoned: 

None


Favorite Book(s) of the Month:

Leaving Time

Challenges Update: 
Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge = 18 of 58
A-Z Book Challenge = 16 of 26
Library Reading Challenge = 2 of 36
E-Book Reading Challenge = 13 of 25
What's in a Name 6 Challenge =  2 of 6

Year of ReReading Challenge - 0 of 1-4

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Tuesday, September 02, 2014

Tuesday Tunes - 09/2/14

A good lyric is like a great book...

Don't Laugh At Me

Mark Wills, Artist
Allen Shamblin and Steve Seskin, Writers


I'm a little boy with glasses
The one they call the geek
A little girl who never smiles
'Cause I've got braces on my teeth
And I know how it feels
To cry myself to sleep

I'm that kid on every playground
Who's always chosen last
A single teenage mother
Tryin' to overcome my past
You don't have to be my friend
But is it too much to ask

Don't laugh at me
Don't call me names
Don't get your pleasure from my pain
In God's eyes we're all the same
Someday we'll all have perfect wings
Don't laugh at me

I'm the cripple on the corner
You've passed me on the street
And I wouldn't be out here beggin'
If I had enough to eat
And don't think I don't notice
That our eyes never meet

I lost my wife and little boy when
Someone cross that yellow line
The day we laid them in the ground
Is the day I lost my mind
And right now I'm down to holdin'
This little cardboard sign...so

Don't laugh at me
Don't call me names
Don't get your pleasure from my pain
In God's eyes we're all the same
Someday we'll all have perfect wings
Don't laugh at me

I'm fat, I'm thin, I'm short, I'm tall
I'm deaf, I'm blind, hey, aren't we all

Don't laugh at me
Don't call me names
Don't get your pleasure from my pain
In God's eyes we're all the same
Someday we'll all have perfect wings
Don't laugh at m

Monday, September 01, 2014

Sunday Salon - 08/31/14




If you are interested in other Salon posts, visit the Facebook page to get links.


Life:

Hello friends!

It's been a while (and this post is late...), but here I am. It's a start. So, much has been going on since my last post...

It's been just over a month since my kitty died. Hubby and I are still struggling, but surviving. It's the best we can offer. We have chatted about getting another kitten or two, but not quite yet.

Work is gearing up for the students' return tomorrow. I'm prepared work-wise, but honestly exhausted from life. Not sure how the fall will go...hoping for the best. They have finally posted the position that will essentially split my job in two. I now have to decide whether to apply or to sit back and wait it out, having no idea what the rest of my job will look like after upcoming major changes (move to a new building, combining of admin staff from various departments). Both options are stressful and scary, though not unexpected. Though I knew it was coming, it doesn't make the changes any easier. 

After ten amazing, wonderful years, my singing group Purely Vocals has decided to, for the most part, disband. We are still close friends, and nothing bad occurred. It's just life changes. One of the women is retiring in the fall and she travels quite a bit. Rehearsals are impossible with her overseas. So, though we may sing a few small gigs next summer, for the most part we are done. I'm sad; it's been an awesome experience...singing with my "diva-sisters". I'm open to the changes that are coming for all of us though...

Before we go, PV hopes to record a CD...for memories sake, if nothing more.  Also, Hubby and I are now talking about putting something together. Have I mentioned hubby is a fantastic musician?! I am a good singer, good voice and all. But he is a true musician...guitar, keyboards, etc, etc. We are hoping to put together a duo and start gigging locally next summer. Wish us luck!

This holiday weekend, I traveled to my childhood home of Reading, PA for a wedding. It was a lovely event and a terrific weekend (though hubby stayed home). I stayed in a hotel that allowed me a gorgeous view of the city and the Pagoda.  It was really nice, nostalgic. But I was glad to get home last night.

Spending my holiday reading, cleaning and preparing for the weeks to come.

Blogging

Getting going again, though I am still doubting I will accomplish my annual reading goals. So, the pressure is off and I can just enjoy the books, right?