Music - Our gift to Sudie

When my sisters and I were asked to sing at Sudie's memorial, we all wanted to do our best to honor her, but we were nervous that we hadn't sung together in many years and that you can't sing properly if you're crying. Fortunately, our previous singing came back to us, and we were able to keep the tears at bay long enough for the two songs, one at the church service and one at the gravesite. I asked my dad to record them if he could do so unobtrusively.

If you'd like to hear the songs, you can find them on my dad's blog. (Sorry, I'm too tired to figure out how to embed them here and must pack for a trip tomorrow.)

"All I want is to be happy being who I am..."

A couple weeks ago, I watched an incredible movie. I've always been moved by music, and this foreign film's plot revolves around the role music can play in our lives. It's a Swedish film called "As It is in Heaven" and the climactic song is "Gabriella's Song." I've been singing the English translation to the music and wish I could record it for the English-speaking world. Here are the translated lyrics, but I encourage you to watch the clip of the film on YouTube, linked below:

It is now that my life is mine.
I've got this short time on earth
And my longing has brought me here
All I lacked and all I gained
And yet it's the way that I chose
My trust was far beyond words
That has shown me a little glimpse
Of the heaven I've never found.

I want to feel I'm alive
All my living days
I will live as I desire
I want to feel I'm alive
Knowing I was good enough

I have never lost who I was
I have only left it sleeping
Maybe I never had a choice
Just the will to stay alive

All I want is to be happy
Being who I am
To be strong and to be free
To see day arise from night
I am here and my life is only mine
And the heaven I thought was there
I'll discover it here somewhere
I want to feel that I've lived my life!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxmgkxRrpZE

An Amazing Musical Night

I know, I've been bad about posting. (Thanks, Lindsey, for the encouraging comment!) And in years past I've done NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month), where you commit to posting every day in November. No way that's happening this month.

Part of my lack of posting is due to being way too busy. And part of it is because I've had to become very careful about what I say because of who has found and is reading the blog. I've gotten several text messages referring negatively to my blog from a couple guys who were previously in the picture. I've been debating about moving my blog to another platform which will allow me to password-protect certain posts, like fellow blogger Catherinette does. But that takes time, which I am currently short of.

But I HAVE to share what I did last night. A coworker sent around an invite to a talk at NYU featuring Clive Davis, the legendary recording producer who has launched the careers of Janis Joplin, Aerosmith, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Chicago, Santana, Whitney Houston, Alicia Keys, and many many others. It was amazing to hear him speak about his career and hear his passion for what he does.

The after party was at the B.B. King Blues Club in Times Square and was a fundraiser for Bob Woodruff's Foundation to support wounded veterans. (Bob Woodruff is the journalist who was wounded by a roadside bomb in Iraq.) He spoke briefly, as did Wilmer Valderrama, who is adorable but seems very down-to-earth. And they introduced The Fray, who sang several songs. My friend and I were standing 10 feet from the stage, and it was incredible. They are so talented and passionate about the music. The lead singer, Isaac Slade, looked directly at me twice while he was singing. And when he came out on stage, he brought his Apple laptop and announced to the crowd that the Yankees had won the World Series. He set the laptop facing the audience on the piano so we could all see the live feed of the Yankees hugging and celebrating. The crowd cheered and watched the celebrations while The Fray sang their first song. The whole thing was fantastic. And although I didn't get to bed until 2 a.m., I feel like these are the kind of opportunities that I have to take advantage of in NYC.

Update: Adding a few pictures taken from my iPhone. The first is Wilmer Valderrama and Bob Woodruff. The others are The Fray.

When It Rains...

Yesterday we had an incredible storm here in NYC. Massive thunder, drenching rain and spectacular lightning starting mid-afternoon. Walking home at the end of the day, my bare arms and legs got wet and I found myself sliding around in my sandals, but I kinda liked feeling the rain on me.

Aloha Guy is still around. He came into town a few weeks ago, and I really enjoyed his company. But, he's too smart and investigative and found the blog. Wasn't too happy with what I've written versus what I haven't written. So I find myself censoring my writing more than usual. However, I must say he continues to show his interest in me, which is flattering, and has a penchant for giving me gifts, which I'll admit I love. Yesterday, I received chocolates at work -- two big boxes which made me very popular with my colleagues.

I was anticipating going out with a vendor last night for dinner, but it got cancelled at the last minute. My attempts to make other plans were fruitless, so I decided to head to the gym. At the gym, my iPhone rang (which I was using as an iPod, so I answered). A new character to tell you about...

A few weeks ago, out on the town with a girlfriend, we went to a Cuban restaurant for dinner. In addition to fabulous mojitos, they had live music, and the singer/bassist was absolutely fantastic. On their break, I went over to compliment him, and his speaking voice was every bit as resonant and musical as his singing voice. He said they were playing later at another club that I wasn't familiar with, and I gave him my number to text me the info while not committing that we would show up.

We did show up and had a fabulous time. Cuban Musician was happy to see us and made a point of speaking to me on the breaks, even though most of the crowd were long-time fans and everyone wanted to talk to him. He's very cute...

And I've been out to see him perform a couple other times at different places around the city. He's a good kisser, but I haven't thought about it too seriously. He's fun, and very effusive in his compliments. He keeps telling me how much he likes me, but I guess I'm playing aloof. Our lives are so different, but I like hearing about his passion for music and how he composes, his travels and his contagious zest for life.

And then, last night, Cuban Musician called to ask if he could cook for me. I accepted and was entertained with his antics in the kitchen while he boasted repeatedly how good he was at cooking. I just laughed at him...until we sat down and ate. It was fantastic. He didn't follow a recipe and said this was a dish he'd created himself. And even if I told you the different ingredients -- including orange juice, rosemary, butter, onions, chicken -- it wouldn't begin to describe the savory goodness, and I don't think I could replicate it. As we finished the wine I brought, he sang for me. A very nice evening.

Music to Soothe the Soul

A little over a year ago, I mentioned the idea of a choir to the minister at my church and we started one. Our organist is our leader, and his talent and encouragement have made us into a pretty decent group.

Yesterday we performed our most ambitious music to date: a Latin cantata by Buxtehude and a women's-only piece titled Snow. Both were accompanied by violins.

The cantata was a bit of a struggle, but we got through the 8 minute piece without anyone in the congregation knowing where we missed an entrance or added an extra harmony note. But the Snow...! It was incredible. We had five women, two altos and three sopranos, and we were so in tuned with each other. The unison parts sounded like one voice, and then we would break into harmony in perfect rhythm. The song is very haunting, going from a minor key to major then ending back in the minor. The violins added complexity, and at times it sounded to me like part of a movie soundtrack. When we ended, the sound floated down to a hushed audience, and I found I was shaking. It was so good, and it was so great to be a part of it!

I corralled everyone into taking a picture after our mid-winter potluck lunch, but two people had already left. The gentleman in the middle is Earl, our director and accompanist.