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Cheated-on-45

I grew up without the Beatles. We lived in Elvis Country. I assumed that meant one or the other, we had Elvis til he died. Literally. His last concert was in South Dakota. We also had Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton. Not to mention Hee-Haw every Saturday night without fail.
I don't think the Beatles ever made it to Souf'akota; I don't think they'da been welcome.
I remember the titillation of hearing a certain record hit the airwaves, "Stars on 45" ~ oh yeah, snippets of the Beatles ♥ I ran right out and purchased my own vinyl copy! I had their entire (forbidden) anthology in 15 minutes!
Elvis who?
hey, I think I left that record at Danette's house in 8th grade! Can I have it back?

Fast forward 25ish years Scotty and I are sharing one of 10hundred-kabillion shared childhood memories, this record in particular. First thing, we hit YouTube ♥ and nope, that can't be it. Keep looking Beatles Stars on 45... we keep landing on this bizarre Dutch cover group who are impersonating the Beatles. We want the real thing, like when we were kids.

Oh. Fuck.



We were tricked.



Big Time.



I fell in love with the Beatles, much to the chagrin of my Dutch grandfather, an Elvis lover.
Who's chagrin would have been lessened if he'd known it was a Dutch Trick.
He'da been proud of his countrymen. He probably would have let me play the 45 at his house.
He probably woulda let me play regular guitar, instead of slide guitar all the time.


I'm a bit chagrined right here, now, myself. Tricked. For 25 27 years. Whoa.
It wasn't even the Beatles. Not even good Beatles wigs.
I don't know if I'll ever get over this discovery.
I feel "Milli-Vanilli-ed"
I need a bath.



That said, they also do a pretty cool Stevie Wonder medley :) It's on my phone.

Life is short, Memory isn't

...because there are just never enough reminders.

I'm speaking at the OHEN Conference, at the end of this month. My talk is entitled, "Life Uncommon, Love Uncommon" and will be a fun-filled tour of my mind and the human connections in my Life, especially as provided by Unschooling. Another amazing opportunity to ponder what I've learned in these 40 years as diana, in the big relationships and in the smaller ones; how exactly to communicate what I mean, as I speak from a moving train of relationship evolution*...
I am compelled to share Lisa Heyman with this crowd. To impress upon them the only neural pathways that matter are the ones carrying the signals of Comfort, Safety, Love and Joy from the humans to whom we matter most in the World.
A calculator can replace the times table, nothing in the world can replace mama times. I hear Lisa's message ringing in my heart, it's one of Love and Beauty, of the Here and Now, of Urgency and Abundance... this I am meant to share. Thank you Lisa, for your story I can weave into the quilt of my history, to surround my soul and feel your warmth, still.
As these stories tumble and roll, through my mind, arranged and tossed about, my talk takes shape... still sounding like diana, in a far more cohesive form than usual ;)
Another adventure takes my breath away, stretches my heart and strengthens my resolve...
River drowned in the ocean.
River was a new friend of ours. His mama is married to Scotty's good friend, Jack Lazer. Dustin, Sarah and Miles moved here to be nearer River. The past 6 months were joyous as bonds were made and relationships forged. He was a happy, happy boy.
They're one sad family right now.
This is as hard to witness as it is to experience.
It's way too soon. It's just the right time.
It's totally fucked up. All is as it should be.
Whatever. Amen.

*okay, honestly I'm doing this prep for *me* and my own realizations, most everyone is gonna be hanging out with Mary Griffin ~ I would be too! Now I know how Broc felt, having his funshop scheduled at the same time as my sex talk...

Thursday 13, Song Covers

Thanks Ronnie for having 13 other things to talk about today ♥
♥ and makin' this one easy for me! 13 of my all time favorite Covers:

1. Hallelujah
(Rufus Wainwright for Shrek/Leonard Cohen)
2. I'm a Believer
(Eddie Murphy for Shrek/The Monkees)
3. You Belong to Me
(Jason Wade for yep, Shrek/Sue Thompson)
4. Sweet Jane
(Cowboy Junkies/Lou Reed)
5. Pinball Wizard
(Elton John/The Who)
6. Nothing Compares 2 U
(Sinead O'Connor/Prince)
7. Hurt
(Johnny Cash/NIN)
8. Hit Me Baby One More Time
(Bowling for Soup/Britney)
9. I Ran (so far away)
(BfS/Flock of Seagulls)
10. I Will Always Love You
(Whitney/Dolly Parton)
after careful consideration, I like Dolly's better afterall!
10. Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
(Elton John/The Beatles)
11. Open Arms
(Low/Journey)
12. Land of Confusion
(Disturbed/Genesis)
13. Mad World
(Traaseth Family at L&L/Gary Jules for Donnie Darko/Tears for Fears)

Feelings, nothing more than Feelings....

Ah! Life without feeling anything has been a welcome relief this past week or so...

or so I thought...
After investing lots of time and energy into an emotional trainwreck, I've withdrawn myself into the eye of the storm. So Chaos still reigns, though I've stopped the Rain of Chaos ♥ First, all of my feelings were vying for time in my head, where they stuffed my nose, throat, ears and chest, when they couldn't have my attention. As a good human, I stuffed even deeper still, so now my misery lives in my guts -- not a fun day!

With Lisa's transition just the day after Hannah's anniversary, I've not let myself feel what it is my soul is begging me to feel after losing my good friend. I simultaneously want to pull my still-living friends close to me and protect them from the boogie man called Death *and* I want to push them away so the pain is not so acute when they leave.
We spent Sunday afternoon with a local hs group and I met lots of really cool folk... and the inner commentary was filled with you're fine for lunch and meeting at the park, I don't think I want to invest any deeper here -- and NOT because I couldn't find 1,001 commonalities, because the pain of having dear friends and then *not* having dear friends is too too too much for my mind... (though obviously not for my heart and soul or destiny, it seems)
Y'all are gonna die and I don't like it, not one bit. Just so ya know.

Life is a Blessing

No Accident

For Lisa's Last Day:
February 25, 2008
Spreading Appreciation
Gemini Daily Horoscope from Daily OM

You may feel thankful today for the many blessings you have received. The gratitude you feel may be coupled with a clear understanding of the fact that many people have not been similarly blessed in their lives. You may long to be of service to others, perhaps within your social circle, workplace, or community. You will likely take great pride in the work you are able to do on other people’s behalf and feel good about their appreciation. Be on the lookout for opportunities to assist the people you encounter throughout your day, as even a small gesture of kindness could mean a lot to its recipient. If you wish to do good but are nervous about meeting those in need today, consider asking friends and family members to join you in your endeavors.

One of the best ways you can express gratitude for the blessings you’ve been given is to bring similar blessings into the life of someone less fortunate. Serving others can remind you of the vastly different circumstances people must face over the course of their lives and help you understand the magnitude of your blessings. As you lift people’s spirits, you’ll likely ruminate on your life and be thankful. You will feel a singular joy today at being afforded the opportunity to touch the lives of those people who need your assistance the most.

Interdependent Web of Existence

Mama spider came by last night. Another holy messenger, she paused on her travails for a quick hello and some meditation.
She landed on the prayer flags; the flags the wind ripples as our prayers are carried across the universe. Prayers for a peaceful existence for all sentient creatures, now and forever, Amen. A spider on any other landing would but be easy to squash. The karmic cost is blatant here.

The metaphor is not lost on this mere mortal.

Because this is far from the first Word to come blowing on the wind,
right to my feet.

Yesterday, in my newest copy of UU World, I find the word Communitarian as a movement towards democratic community, a search for balance between "I" and "We." The message awaiting my hungry heart was this:
Look deeply into community and you see individual selves each with inherent worth and dignity.
Reading further, I found more questions (most of them not mine), no real answers... my thoughts drifted to the 7th Principle: Respect for the interconnected web of existence of which we are all a part.
You see, this spider came by just at the right time to add some visual to the thoughts swirling 'round this skull o'mine. She knew this delivery would be a safe two-fold bet for her. She somehow knew I'd ponder the deep effects of her death. That I'd take to heart the outcome of casting her from my circle. She knew I'd honor her right to motherhood above the prayer flags (can't you see Seven Years in Tibet playing in your mind?). I've already begun thanking her children for the future crittery pests they'll consume, saving me from their bother.
So, we're all part of this interconnected web... and sometimes, the strings get **twanged** and the effort of hanging on becomes just a bit too much. Never mind that it just may be the 1,974 things you're juggling at the moment that are impeding your ability to get a grip on your corner of the web, by all means speak out at the most recent twanging. It's human to make that one **twang** The Twang but it isn't. It's a twang, for real. A valid twang. One that should be looked at and examined and done away with. Not The Twang requiring reptile brained immediate action, more like thoughtful consideration. Hell, maybe even a prayer or 42.
Instead I find myself feeling much like Frodo in the cave, wondering
just when the hell is Samwise gonna get here and cut me loose?

Alternating with Charlotte's attitude of This is the way the world works...

Today's Sign

...a friendly reminder from the gods-disguised-as-thugs ♥ coalition
(you'd think they'd have a better acronym)

Point taken.

Thanks.

In good company...