Oh The Irony Of It All

First and foremost: a hearty thank you to those who served their country whether or not they agreed with politics or war.  Happy Veteran's Day.

Second... I had something shipped from a distant library to my library because I need it desperately and immediately.  I got an email from my library this morning saying that it was in and I could come pick it up when I liked.  So, I drove to the library today, was delighted because the parking meters were free (Veteran's Day) and then completely flummoxed that the library was closed (Veteran's Day).  My urgent request will have to wait until tomorrow. 

Everything I Sing To

There's a fun new project on the web. Project Playlist. Create a free account, and you are off. Search through their files for any music you want and put it on a 'playlist'. You can put 75 songs on each list, and then you begin a new list. This is a good thing because I just finished my 4th list. If I spent more time on this site I could make 75 lists of 75 songs.

Depending on what I'm in the mood for, I'll pick a list, hit play and go about whatever it is I am doing, singing along with some of my favorite songs while I clean the house, relax on the deck, write, paint, dance, websurf... there's always music for it... always a song to sing in the background.

I don't get commercials... dj's... weather and traffic reports... I don't have to come back to it to change cd's or skip songs I didn't want to hear... I LOVE IT.

Please step into my parlor and taste any of the 75 flavors that suite you.... I think there's something for just about everyone... but I am not done making my lists yet, not even close. Cick on any of the links below. They will take you to the first page, if you click on 'View Playlists' under my picture, you can listen to any of them. There is a tiny white scrollbar on the right side of the lists, if you want to move down the list to see the whole thing.


Wanderlust Scarlett's Playlist: Andrea Bocelli, UB40, Simply Red, Maroon 5, The Police, Spandau Ballet, Matthew Wilder, Mike & the Mechanics, Madonna, Crowded House, Chicago and Peter Cetera, Rod Stewart, Prince, Pet Shop Boys, Tears for Fears, Pat Benatar... much more.

Scarlett's Lost in the 80's: Poison, Def Leppard, Guns n Roses, Aerosmith, Scorpions, Van Halen, The Cars, Rick Springfield, Foreigner, Huey Lewis & the News, Naked Eyes, Men at Work, Thompson Twins, Mr. Mister, Aha, Cindy Lauper, Bruce Hornsby, Berlin, Tracy Chapman, Steve Winwood... and more.

Scarlett's Old Jazz: Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Prima, The Ink Spots, Bing Crosby, The Andrews Sisters, Billie Holiday, and probably one of the best gems on the list... Miss Celie's Blues (from The Color Purple).

Scarlett's New Jazz: Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Van Morrison, Norah Jones, Madeleine Peyroux, Harry Connick Jr., Etta James, Bette Midler, Ray Charles, Billy Joel, Sade, Nat King Cole & Natalie Cole, & Jack Johnson... just to name a few.


Hope you enjoy, and if you make your own list, let me know! I'd love to come by your place and sing a while!


Scarlett & Viaggiatore

My theme song - Born to be WILD!

Ally at Crazy dust in my coffee has a new game up:

I'm Born to be wild! Who knew? ...anyone who knows me!

Thanks Ally!

Your Theme Song is Born to Be Wild

by Steppenwolf

"I like smoke and lightning Heavy metal thunder Racin' with the wind And the feelin' that I'm under" A total independent spirit, you can't be held down or fenced in. You crave the feeling of wind on your face... and total freedom.

What's Your Theme Song?

Viaggiatore's Song:

Your Theme Song is Beautiful Day by U2

"Sky falls, you feel like It's a beautiful day Don't let it get away" You see the beauty in life, especially in ordinary everyday moments.And if you're feeling down, even that seems a little beautiful too.

What's Your Theme Song?

The Dragon Boat Festival of Denver

Midway through summer, for the seventh consecutive year, Denver has enjoyed it's annual Dragon Boat Fesitval. This is a wonderful celebration of unity in diverse culture. I for one, never miss it! Come with me, and I will give you the grand tour...

We begin with the Asian marketplace in the park

Philosophical Advice


The outdoor food court. Yes folks... those are Monkeyballs. Yours truly wasn't quite up to trying something that exotic... but that booth did have the longest line, and all the guys in the line kept yelling... "MONKEYBALLS!!!"

Buddha was there

Rice paper parasols with painted dragons...

Lucky golden pig

A lady with an elephant parasol

Proper head gear

Dancers...

Drummers...

Dragon Boats and drums... all lined up and ready to race!

And they're off!

Racing to the shore

The end of the day

Singing & Dancing in the Rain

This evening was wonderfully special and full of fleeting delights. Colorado Symphony Orchestra (well, a smaller group of them) performed in the park for the public to enjoy.

There was a large crowd; easily 300 people, sitting and laying on the grass enjoying the talent of some of Colorado's finest musicians. It was hot today, topping off at 99, so the dark clouds and cooler air were a welcome relief for this idyllic indulgence.

It started out a casual but reserved affair. Everyone quietly enjoying and relaxing.



And then afternoon showers came gently, and the grown-ups began to panic a bit... pack things up and hurry around. And they forgot about the music, and the fading day, and the loveliness of enjoying all of it out of doors. They popped up like gophers across the grassy knoll and snatched up their necessities. It seemed for every drop of rain there was one less person to be seen.


But the Colorado Symphony Orchestra played on... like the famed quartet on the Titanic, who played while it sank. They had purpose.


The symphony played, and suddenly children appeared where there had been none before, like little pixies at twilight, dancing with rapture and bliss to every note filling the air from the instruments above them. The sounds of the symphony drew them forward like a pied piper.

They frolicked and twirled and wove around in a single file chain in front of the stage, hand in hand. Their laughter spun lambent across the music that had enchanted them. The magic of the moment was not lost on them, they were instead lost in it... giving in to the glorious sounds, holding hands with new found friends, singing with purely joyous laughter, and dancing in the soft warm summer rain.

Let not this lesson be lost on you... live in every moment, to its fullest, and find happiness where you did not imagine it to be.

Scarlett & Viaggiatore

Dream maker

Sometimes following our dreams takes more bravery than we think we can muster, but once in a blue moon we find ourselves face to face with the opportunity to reach that far off neverland, where the fantasy becomes reality. It takes a very special and true kind of courage to step up to fate, close your eyes, and step off the ledge to discover that you can indeed fly.

Paul Potts is a cell phone salesman in the UK. He is a humble and shy man. He admits that he is trying to improve his low self esteem. Not unlike many of us. But unlike most of us, this man has a dream that is so dear to him that he decided to go after it, to take that chance and reach for what he wants so badly.

He auditioned for "Britain's Got Talent" (the UK's version of American Idol; hosted of course by none other than Simon Cowell who is notorious for his cruel dream killing). David meets Goliath when Paul walks quietly up to the microphone and the panel of judges asks why he is there. He humbly states that he wants to sing opera. The judges visibly cringe and roll their eyes. Paul is still and silent. The music begins... it is the well known and powerful aria Nessun Dorma, from Puccini's opera Turandot. This is no small task. The music of the orchestra swells and he looks up, with eyes wide... and changes his life.

When the under dog, the last one picked for the team, the wall flower in the corner, shows true greatness not only by grabbing hold of the chance of his lifetime, but more than that by swallowing his fears and demonstrating real bravery along with stunning talent, he becomes the hero that everyone else can believe in, and maybe he can begin to believe in himself too.

I dare you to watch this and not shed a tear... not find that you are rooting for the last man anyone would have chosen for anything. Watch this video and see the tides turn, in favor of the humblest bravery I've seen in a long, long time.

Paul Potts on Youtube




This is his audition. If you search for him on youtube, you will find two more of his performances, one in which he sings, "Time to say goodbye" and the second version of "Nessun Dorma". Both are well worth watching.


Live your dreams.


Scarlett & Viaggiatore



**********UPDATE************
Paul Potts won the competition, his prizes include £100,000 and he'll be singing for the Queen of England in December. Congratulations Paul... this is where more than dreams begin.

Soundtrack of my life

If you could put your life to music... what songs would define you and your life? The Single City Chick posted a blog that inspired me to ask this question, and find out the answers!!
Leave a comment with your list, or a link to your blog with your list... what are your songs?

Here are Scarlett's...

1. Beethoven's 5th symphony (I. Allegro con brio) - I am born... it is a sketchy beginning but I make it and become very strong

2. Disney's Cinderella, A dream is a wish your heart makes - I am one of those little girls who stares into the sky with my chin in my hands and a daydream on my mind... oh wait. I still do that.

3. Patsy Cline, Sweet Dreams - ahhh the angst of adolescence and young love/crushes

4. Great White, The Angel Song - I long to escape my teen years

5. Peter Cetera, The Glory of Love - I believe myself to be rescued by the prince of my romantic dreams

6. Peter Illyich Tchaikovsky, Swan Lake & the Nutcracker - My romantic ideals take definite shape

6.5 John Lennon, Imagine - My political ideals also take shape

7. Tina Turner, Better be good to me - Reality sets in, my prince is a frog

7.5 Tchaikovsky, 1812 Overture - I win some battles & lose some battles

8. R. Kelly, I believe I can fly - I find my own strength and my life takes wings

8.5 Gene Kelly, Singing in the rain - I learn that I love raindrops and lemonade, but you can't have them without storms and lemons

9. Temptations, My girl - there is no blessing like all the many little girls in my life

10. Louis Armstrong, What a wonderful world & La Vie en Rose - aside from occasional thorns, my life is idyllic because I choose to make it/see it that way


There you are, top 10 and then some... I left out a lot, but where's the room for all of it?
If I did it again, I'd choose different songs for different reasons.

And you? What does the soundtrack of your life look like? Post it here in comments! I would love to see.

Scarlett

To Bee or not to Bee... and the Boy

Some friends and I were discussing the dynamics of bumble bees this week. All the laws of physics prove that it is impossible for the bumble bee to fly. But no one told the bee that, so he just keeps right on doing his thing. Bee-ing himself. Going along without a single thought to physics or gravity or the laws of the universe, according to man. He disregards all of them completely.

I love that.

It reminds me of Kevin Max's "Be" (be yourself, don't let the losers tell you what to do... and be no one else, because if you don't, then who is going to?) Kevin is one of my all time favorites.

I was recently graced with the joy of being in the company of another little one who cares not what the world may think. He also goes about his own way and blissfully does his own thing; within the boundaries of permission, but just barely, and it's a charming quality in him.
This boy played his own version of 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star"... very much in the style of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, in more ways than one.

Follow your dreams, and do what you love, as long as it doesn't hurt others... let nothing hold you back. Especially the voice of someone else telling you that you can't. Bee-cause...

Of course you can!

Scarlett

The song has not remained the same....

I am appalled. I am also disgusted and angered, hence this blog. CNN.com has posted an article regarding overweight or less than glamorous singers. It is titled, "If you're a female singer, you'd better be sexy". It discusses the latest trend in the world of music for an up and coming artist. If you want to be a star... you must look the part or you'll get nowhere.


This is an outrage. I realize that sex sells. Unfortunately. But there is more to a song than the cover girl singing it. I have recently posted a blog about the sexual objectification of women that could only be termed a diatribe on this subject. Music producers are no longer marketing talent. They are no longer unveiling the hidden gifts of unknown wonders whose work often changes the face of music. Rather, they are changing the faces of those who make the music.


Oftentimes it isn't even really music that's made... it's computerized garbage. Put a hot sexy chick on the stage in shocking and revealing attire, hand her a microphone and turn the computers on. This is music now. And you can't play if you don't look like a Bratz doll or a Barbie.


Many of the performers today are hugely lacking in talent, morals and worse than this... common sense. Need I mention (with a disgusted groan) Britney Spears or Jessica Simpson. I also hate that most of 'their' songs are not written by them and are mostly about sex. Get over it already. Sing about something other than how hot you are, or how you could turn his world inside out if he sleeps with you. You're worth more than that. I think. I may be wrong about that with the two names mentioned above.


But I digress. Music means so much to us because it defines those moments in our lives that are significant (quick... song from your first dance, song that was yours/your first loves, song that you played a hundred times and you still aren't sick of it, song that you got married to, song you sing to your kids/mom sang to you... ) and the list goes on. Music is the voice of our souls... of our lives. It reaches into our hearts and clarifies that which we do not understand, or sometimes expresses those sentiments or thoughts that we cannot get across, or that we want to revel in. I love many kinds of music. But none of it is the computer generated trash being sold to me by a tawdry tramp who doesn't have the capability to draw an audience unless she is flaunting all of her goods to them.


No thank you. So Shakira's hips don't lie... I could care less what her hips are doing, and I was sick of the song the first time I heard it. Do I gather from the song or her lackluster video that she's got talent? That she is conveying emotion? (Stay with me here guys, I'm not talking about physical urges... I'm talking about emotion... two feet higher... ) What about respect? How is any of that supposed to play in when music is being mass marketed to hormones instead of hearts and minds?


The promotional fools and music hustlers... excuse me, producers, who try to make us believe that this is what we want, what is hot, and what is good... are all waaaaaaaaaaaaaay off in the dark corner of left field. It's a quick buck. A flash in the pan.


That is not what makes a legend, nor is it what legends are each made of. It takes so much more than that. Want to know what a real legend is? Want to know what real talent is? Check this out...

Real Legends:

Miss Aretha Franklin

photo courtesy of Palacetheatrect.org

Miss Ella Fitzgerald

photo courtesy of msnbcmedia.msn.com


Miss Judy Garland

















photo courtesy of musicals101.com


Miss Patsy Cline















photo courtesy of heavens-gates.com


Miss Barbara Streisand















photo courtesy of facade.com


Miss Bette Midler









photo courtesy of mtv.com
The following site has an important message from Miss Midler about the tragedies going on in Darfur right now, and as I feel very strongly about the horrors happening there, I would ask that you visit the site and support the efforts to stop those waking nightmares.


Back to it...


The women shown are legends. Real, talented, amazing legends who have changed music history with their work... and some of them have gone beyond the music arena to display incredible talents in other works. They did not allow themselves to be portrayed as worthless sex objects only to be forgotten when the next hot chick stepped up to the stage.


The women shown have not cheapened themselves to further their careers... they have not been a poor role model for all the young girls idolizing them and aspiring to be like them someday. Do you want your daughter looking up at the TV with adoring eyes that are focused solely on Ashlee Simpson and sighing reverently... "I want to be just like her when I grow up!"


Don't get me wrong, beauty is great. Most everyone likes beauty. But it does NOT define a person, nor does it determine the greatness of their talent, or the future of their success. Beauty does not equal quality by a long shot. Not by a long Nevada highway mile. Neither does age... one of the most stunning talents of our time is little Holly Stell... you might remember her having sung a duet with Andrea Bocelli.


I say to those producers who believe that normal looking young talent won't make it because they don't fit into your perfect little molds of silicone and botox... get a clue. You want to produce a legend? Look deep. Look further down than skin deep. Make a difference in the history of music. Take the likes of Melinda Doolittle and LaKisha Jones and change the way we look at the world.


Scarlett