January 2017 ~ Shannon's Book Bag

A diva kitty's love is irreplaceable!
Love is...a good book and a sleeping kitty!
Reading keeps me up at night!

Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Tuesday Tunes - 01/31/17

A good lyric is like a great book...

Haven't Met You Yet
Michael Buble, Artist
Alan Chang, Amy Foster, Amy Foster-Gillies, Amy Skylark Foster, and
Michael Steven Buble , Writers

I'm not surprised
Not everything lasts
I've broken my heart so many times,
I stopped keepin' track.
Talk myself in
I talk myself out
I get all worked up
Then I let myself down.

I tried so very hard not to lose it
I came up with a million excuses
I thought, I thought of every possibility

And I know someday that it'll all turn out
You'll make me work so we can work to work it out
And I promise you kid, that I'll give so much more than I get
I just haven't met you yet

Mmm mmm mmm mmm mmm

I might have to wait
I'll never give up
I guess it's half timing
And the other half's luck
Wherever you are
Whenever it's right
You come out of nowhere and into my life

And I know that we can be so amazing
And baby your love is gonna change me
And now I can see every possibility

Mmm

But somehow I know that will all turn out
And you'll make me work so we can work to work it out
And I promise you kid, I'll give so much more than I get
I just haven't met you yet

They say all's fair
In love and war
But I won't need to fight it
We'll get it right
And we'll be united

And I know that we can be so amazing
And being in your life is gonna change me
And now I can see every single possibility

Mmm

And someday I know it'll all turn out
And I'll work, to work it out
Promise you kid, I'll give more than I get
Than I get, than I get, than I get

Oh you know it will all turn out
And you'll make me work, so we can work, to work it out
And I promise you kid, to give so much more than I get
Yeah I just haven't met you yet

I just haven't met you yet
Oh promise you kid
To give so much more than I get

I said love, love, love, love, love, love, love
I just haven't met you yet
Love, love, love, love, love, love
I just haven't met you yet

Tuesday Tunes - 01/24/17

By Shannon 7:00 AM // 1 comment

A good lyric is like a great book...

The Longest Time
Indigo Girls, Artist
Amy Elizabeth Ray, Emily Ann Saliers, Writers

I'm tryin' to tell you somethin' 'bout my life.
Maybe give me insight between black and white.
And the best thing you've ever done for me
is to help me take my life less seriously.
It's only life after all.

Well darkness has a hunger that's insatiable,
and lightness has a call that's hard to hear.
I wrap my fear around me like a blanket.
I sailed my ship of safety till I sank it.
I'm crawling on your shores.

I went to the doctor, I went to the mountains
I looked to the children, I drank from the fountain.
There's more than one answer to these questions
pointing me in a crooked line.
And the less I seek my source for some definitive,
the closer I am to fine. The closer I am to fine.

I went to see the Doctor of Philosophy
with a poster of Rasputin and a beard down to his knee.
He never did marry or see a B-Grade movie.
He graded my performance, he said he could see through me.
I spent four years prostrate to the higher mind,
got my paper and I was free.

I stopped by the bar at three A.M.
to seek solace in a bottle, or possibly a friend.
I woke up with a headache like my head against a board,
twice as cloudy as I'd been the night before.
And I went in seeking clarity.

I woke up with a headache like my head against a board,
twice as cloudy as I'd been the night before.
And I went in seeking clarity.
I go to the doctor, we go to the mountains.
We look to the children, we drink from the fountain.
We go to the Bible, we go through the work out.
We read up on revival, we stand up for the lookout.
There's more than one answer to these questions
pointing me in a crooked line.
And the less I seek my source, the closer I am to fine.

Our new world...

By Shannon 12:00 AM // No comments

“Let us go forth with fear and courage and rage to save the world.”

~ Grace Paley

Thank you Katieleigh, Cakes, Tea and Dreams

Tuesday Tunes - 01/17/17

By Shannon 7:00 AM // No comments

A good lyric is like a great book...

The Longest Time
Billy Joel, Artist/Writer

Oh, oh, oh
For the longest time
Oh, oh, oh
For the longest
If you said goodbye to me tonight
There would still be music left to write
What else could I do
I'm so inspired by you
That hasn't happened for the longest time

Once I thought my innocence was gone
Now I know that happiness goes on
That's where you found me
When you put your arms around me
I haven't been there for the longest time

Oh, oh, oh
For the longest time
Oh, oh, oh
For the longest
I'm that voice you're hearing in the hall
And the greatest miracle of all
Is how I need you
And how you needed me too
That hasn't happened for the longest time

Maybe this won't last very long
But you feel so right
And I could be wrong
Maybe I've been hoping too hard
But I've gone this far
And it's more than I hoped for

Who knows how much further we'll go on
Maybe I'll be sorry when you're gone
I'll take my chances
I forgot how nice romance is
I haven't been there for the longest time

I had second thoughts at the start
I said to myself
Hold on to your heart
Now I know the woman that you are
You're wonderful so far
And it's more than I hoped for

I don't care what consequence it brings
I have been a fool for lesser things
I want you so bad
I think you ought to know that
I intend to hold you for the longest time

Tuesday Tunes - 01/10/17

By Shannon 7:00 AM // No comments

A good lyric is like a great book...

Blasphemous Rumours
Depeche Mode, Artist
Martin Gore, Writer

Girl of sixteen, whole life ahead of her
Slashed her wrists, bored with life
Didn't succeed, thank the Lord
For small mercies
Fighting back the tears, mother reads the note again
Sixteen candles burn in her mind
She takes the blame, it's always the same
She goes down on her knees and prays
I don't want to start any blasphemous rumours
But I think that God's got a sick sense of humor
And when I die I expect to find Him laughing
Girl of eighteen, fell in love with everything
Found new life in Jesus Christ
Hit by a car, ended up
On a life support machine
Summer's day, as she passed away
Birds were singing in the summer sky
Then came the rain, and once again
A tear fell from her mother's eye
I don't want to start any blasphemous rumours
But I think that God's got a sick sense of humor
And when I die I expect to find Him laughing

Random Thought -12/29/16

By Shannon 6:00 AM // No comments

I have thoughts. Sometimes they are worth sharing. Other times, not so much. Oh well...

I recently read Mara Wilson's memoir, Where Am I Now? If you don't know who Mara is, she is the actress who played Matilda and the little girl in Mrs. Doubtfire. Her memoir was pretty good. I enjoyed it.

I read a lot of memoirs, particularly celebrity memoirs.

I am usually an entertaining person, outgoing and funny, and have considered writing my own memoir. But, here's my question... What do I have to offer?

What in my life has been interesting or entertaining enough to hold a reader's attention? That one time when we moved out of our apartment for a weekend because we had to bug-bomb it for roaches, and the fact that I will forever remember that apartment for that smell? Or the time I spent an hour making some friends laugh with the blow-by-blow of my annual gynecological check up? Or maybe the time that I was chosen with a group of my college choir buddies to sing with Mariah Carey when she performed at our school, only to be told that Mariah choose to fly in a gospel choir and how most of us turned down the free tickets we were offered? Or maybe...

In 2016 I…

By Shannon 12:00 AM // No comments

(Idea borrowed from Katieleigh @ Cakes, Tea and Dreams)

In 2016 I…

Survived (hey, we all get credit for that)!
Stuck through a worrisome company merger with a positive outlook.
Produced a successful and safe summer program season for the Boston Conservatory, giving several hundred children an amazing and irreplaceable arts experience.
Read 38 books, not quite meeting my goals but remaining happy with my efforts.
Managed to maintain my enjoyment of and my desire to continue blogging, despite a stressful, busy year and limited energy and time to do so.
Lived through the most embarrassing, stressful, and heartbreaking election in (my) history and managed to do so without losing all hope for our country. Don't get me wrong, there is still fear...much fear. But there is also expectation (impeachment) and much hope that it will happen in time for our wonderful country will be able to bounce back. Oh alright...and also the hope that our president elect will offer something positive to our beautiful country during his term, however long that may be.
Spent Thanksgiving in an hospital ER (while simultaneously hosting Thanksgiving dinner), but started what I hope is a journey toward healing for life-long intestinal issues.
Managed to keep my mother-in-law's 30-year old plant alive after it came to live with us, despite a very rocky few months (seriously stressful).
Performed multiple times over the summer with my divas, continuing a decade plus long love affair with a Capella music and the sisterhood of Purely Vocals.
Continued efforts to expand my knowledge and experience of photography skills.
Continued to love and care for two active, adorable kitties who continue to light up the world.

Tuesday Tunes - 01/3/17

By Shannon 6:00 AM // No comments

A good lyric is like a great book...

Fifteen
Taylor Swift, Artist/Writer

You take a deep breath
And you walk through the doors
It's the morning of your very first day
You say hi to your friends you ain't seen in awhile
Try and stay out of everybody's way

It's your freshman year
And you're gonna be here for the next four years
In this town
Hoping one of those senior boys
Will wink at you and say, "you know I haven't seen you around, before"

'Cause when you're fifteen,
Somebody tells you they love you
You're gonna believe them
And when you're fifteen

Feeling like there's nothing to figure out

Count to ten
Take it in
This is life before you know who you're gonna be
At fifteen

You sit in class next to a red-head named Abigail
And soon enough you're best friends
Laughing at the other girls
Who they think they're so cool
We'll be out of here as soon as we can

And then you're on your very first date
And he's got a car
And you're feeling like flying
And you're mama's waiting up
And you're thinking he's the one
And you're dancing around the room when the night ends
When the night ends

'Cause when you're fifteen,
Somebody tells you they love you
You're gonna believe them
And when you're fifteen

And your first kiss makes your head spin around

But in your life you'll do things
Greater than dating the boy on the football team
But I didn't know it at fifteen

When all you wanted
Was to be wanted
Wish you could go back
And tell yourself what you know now

Back then I swore I was gonna marry him someday
But I realized some bigger dreams of mine
And Abigail gave everything she had
To a boy who changed his mind
And we both cried

'Cause when you're fifteen,
Somebody tells you they love you
You're gonna believe them
And when you're fifteen

Don't forget to look before you fall

I've found time can heal most anything
And you just might find who you're supposed to be
I didn't know who I was supposed to be
At fifteen

La la la la la
Your very first day
Take a deep breath girl
And take a deep breath as you walk through the doors

Bout of Books Read-a-thon 18

By Shannon 12:00 AM // 2 comments

Host: Bout of Books

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda Shofner and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, January 2nd and runs through Sunday, January 8th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 18 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog.

Despite the return to work week, count me in!!

I'm all a Bout of Books, Bout of Books, no movies...