Tag Archives: music

Parades, Toy Drives & More Lights

23 Sunday Nov 2025

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It’s been a busy 24 hours and I feel exhausted! Yesterday we went over and covered the boat with tarps. Didn’t take that long and then we drove to the beach where I actually got out stood in the sunshine and took some pics! Also found two stones.

Then last evening we went off to the Courthouse for the lighting of the town lights followed by the Santa Claus parade!

Today I’ve done laundry (which I have to go get from the dryer and fold, thanks for the reminder), gone outside for pics of the toy drive and handed over my donations and I’ve finished my submissions to the Goderich Sun. Then we went out and hung more lights outside. Is there EVER too many lights? NO!!

Now we’re sitting listening to music even though someone said he was going to watch football! Hmmmm… no worries. I’m turning on Frosty the Snowman soon. For those in Canada, it’s starting at 3:30 and going for three and a half hours running Santa Claus is Coming to Town and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. They’re all running on CBC.

Okay, let’s get to the prompts for today.

Being Present is Vivid and beautiful memories that you associate with certain songs… usually they tend to be associated with things like first dances and people. Open Arms was the first dance at my wedding and I don’t associate that anymore, I just always loved that song. Firecracker is Larry’s song for me but This is Our Dance by Elvis is OUR song. There’s tons and I could go on all day! That’s a good prompt!

Dark Nights is What’s been unexpectedly good about the year… this isn’t the first time I’ve had one similar is it? I think I’ve shared that enough! I think getting the opportunity to actually see what I could do with time off and writing was one of the bigger things really. Among other things, of course, but that was pretty huge!

Okay, Frosty is starting… why don’t I remember this opening… because I don’t think it’s the one from when I was a child… it’s not. But I think the last two are so I think I’ll turn on a regular Christmas movie and then watch the other two starting at 5:00.

Until tomorrow!

Songwriting

06 Wednesday May 2020

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So in the midst of Corona and nine months into a new relationship I have been finding it really difficult to write.  Not find time to write, that’s coming by the bucket load right now but finding it just hard in general to write.

I’m not motivated to write.  I’m fine with editing.  I can edit my current work and get it changed in the Word document and I’m excited that I have finished a few projects but I’m struggling with most things that are new… except, it seems, songs!

My brother wrote a song about his faith and God being there and it inspired me!  I have now written three.  Except that I don’t write music.  I don’t know HOW to write music!  So I have lyrics and I have it all worked out but I haven’t a clue about how to the write the melody for it!  I don’t play an instrument though I sing so I understand music but I have always read it.  I have never written it!

From what I have read it’s like talking… well kind of!  So I have done my best with my most recent lyrics because this tune kind of bounced into my head… for ONE line.  But that has taken me through to the other lines.

The second issue is WHERE can I write it?  Sure I can print pages with musical bars on it and sure I can write out the musical notations (I believe that’s what they’re called) but other than the melody I can’t do more than that!  I can’t find any software that will allow me to add guitar and rhythm.  Everything I’ve recorded the melody on runs out of space so it only allows me to record so much.

I feel like my hands are tied.  My mom has an electronic keyboard but I don’t know the first thing about recording from it!

Anyway, something I had no idea I had an inkling towards and now I have THREE! I’m excited but I’m not accustomed to not finishing something.

If you know of any websites or if anyone is willing to help me out it would be appreciated!

Music…

18 Sunday Aug 2019

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About a year ago I ended up with a smart TV.  The only thing I did was log it onto the Wifi and logged onto Netflix.  That’s it… and most of the time I watch Netflix through my TV provider or on my iPad.

Not too long ago I hit the HOME button on the remote and ended up seeing YouTube on there… of course I wanted that!  I logged into my account and I can now listen to my playlists through my TV!  I tend to forget that though!

I love listening to music, especially when it’s my favourites!  Music has always been such a part of my life between church and my parents’ enjoyment of it, and their record collection!  I find it’s very soothing… I think most people do but then some people hate it I’m sure… just like any other activity.

Today I’m exhausted and I decided to just turn on my play list… just a collection of songs… many from my past and before my past and some from just a couple of months ago like a song or two from The Launch.  And, of course, many from the 80’s and 90’s… Whitney Houston for example.

Some days we just need to pass on doing much else.  Today was one of those days.  It’s a day that has been threatening rain but is hot, hot, hot out there.  I went for a swim which felt good and I’m glad I did that.  Now it’s cloudy again.

I’m battling a lot of feelings today as I listen to the words of the songs.  I wish I had someone here with me… in so many ways I’m tired of spending so much time alone, though sometimes, I need that time alone… my writing would never get done and I would probably end up going crazy not having ME time but I think that’s just communication and give and take.

So take a break and go listen to some music!  Now all I need is the beach!

I’m Just Not Happy…

28 Sunday Oct 2018

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I have been busy, yes, too busy to even come up with a blog post.  Too busy and too overwhelmed to come up with a blog post.

And incredibly disappointed.  In myself, in the new job, and, in some ways, the world in general.

I should write about it!

As anyone who has been following this blog knows, I was incredibly unhappy at the old job.  And I actually have NO regrets whatsoever in leaving.  I miss it because it was my home for more than 12 years but I don’t miss the stuff!

I knew going out that the new job was likely not to be my final stop but I didn’t think that a month in I’d be as disillusioned as I am already.  And maybe it’s completely related to being told on day 2 that the entire office needs to be packed up for painting and then not being given enough time to unpack it and doing training on top of it all which meant less time to unpack and organize.  Out of only 15 shifts I have had a trainee with me for 7! I never really got the chance to settle in… oh, and now we’re getting new furniture which means that at some point in the very near future, everything has to be packed up, again!  I also haven’t adapted to the new schedule yet either.

So I’m starting to open my job post emails again though I haven’t applied for anything, yet.  I really thought I could just coast through the rest of the year at least before I ramped up the search.  I have to admit, I do miss the challenges of family practice.  In whatever I do, I also need to make sure I have free time and hours to offer the wellness studio.

So starting Thursday is NaNoWriMo!  Let’s see if I can not only get off my butt and write every day but that I can find, deep in the recesses of my brain, a story to tell!  There’s not much there right now!

The other awesome, exciting thing is that Christmas movies start on Thursday on W Channel here in Canada… tonight on Hallmark in the US.  Just in case anyone needed to know that!  So this Thursday, since it’s one of my days off, my intention is to have W on all day and just bask in the movies and the messages they send.  I am going to miss that this year… it was one of the upsides of my surgery last year even though it didn’t happen until the 16th of November.

I am so excited about the movies starting this year because it has made me realize that despite my surgery last year and the circumstances around that, it was a very special Christmas.  Being off (yes, post-surgical pain and the subsequent repercussions included), allowed me to bask in the season… my favourite season.  I had visitors, I was surrounded by my Christmas decorations.  I could listen to my Christmas music and watch the movies.

I recorded about a dozen of them and I have been watching them… they have been grounding me almost… and with the endings, yes, as predictable as they are, I am usually in tears… that’s how much the messages are getting to me.

It has been a long, tough year, almost 2 years and I’m seeing things in much different light than I did… hopefully that’s as much a part of maturing as it is growth.  Spiritual growth even though the waist is growing a bit too.  I can feel the change and, when I’m at peace, I’m enjoying it immensely.

Phantom of the Opera

01 Saturday Oct 2016

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Last week I talked about the symphony of Skating’s Greatest Hits.  One of the pieces they placed was Phantom of the Opera.  I have never spoken of my passion over this devastating love story before but listening to that last week got me onto my Phantom kick again!  I have listened to the soundtrack almost endlessly and I watched the movie last weekend as well.

I love the music and the story is so sad.  It’s one of those that has an unhappy ending.  The Phantom has done everything for this young woman.  He has taught her to sing because he wanted her to be a star.  In doing so, he fell in love with her.  Enter Raoul, who I don’t particularly like, and, because they knew each other as kids, he falls in love with her all over again and, obviously, she liked him too.

There’s a little war within the Opera House and, in the end, the Phantom lets her go.  He doesn’t want to be caught by all those who are about to enter his lair.  I feel for him.  He’s devoted years, he’s fallen in love and, even she had feelings for him too.  But is that how they would have lived?  Would he have made her live in his lair or would he have moved out of there and into a real home with Christine?  Would that have changed how he felt about himself?  Because she loved him and married him his status would change?  He would be accepted?

I also fell in love with the music to the point that, when I was taking singing lessons, I learned a number of the pieces… I sang All I Ask of You, Think of Me, Music of the Night and Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again.

It’s incredible how Andrew Lloyd Webber came up with this way to tell a story that is that old.  It was written in 1910… 106 years ago!  The Phantom’s name was Erik but we don’t learn that in the musical.

What do we learn from this story?  That all stories don’t have to have a happy ending but it’s definitely the preference for most of us.  We feel uplifted when there is a happy ending because life doesn’t always work that way.  We read to escape, therefore we want to see something work out happy.

How might you change the ending of one of your books to make it an unhappy ending?  What do you think your readers would think?

Interesting to think further about that!

Music in my heart!

24 Saturday Sep 2016

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One of the first things I teach is Writer’s Block and ways to try and get out of that block.  Of course many ideas come to mind, as always and sometimes it has to be as drastic as walking away from a project!  My students often don’t understand this concept because they would think you would just sit there and have at it until the words start to flow again.

As writers, our brains are already cued up.  They know what to do.  Even when we hit a wall whether it’s not being able to start a project or we’re in the middle of editing and we’re trying to do rewrites, or we’re halfway through and we can’t go on… we’ve painted ourselves into a corner.  Our brains sometimes just need us to walk away for a bit.

When you walk away, it could be something as simple as cleaning out the fridge or walking the dog.  It could be as drastic as taking a week-long vacation (of course there’s no way I could go on a week long vacation and not take writing with me).  Either way, your subconscious just keeps working and eventually you will see the light bulb come on and shine through the darkness.

I haven’t been working on much these past couple of weeks.  Part of it is that I’m still adjusting to my daughter’s new schedule and we’re fighting over her homework.  The other part is my going back to work after a week’s vacation and working on my own for the week.  Then, finally, playing catch-up this past week.  Stress levels are pretty high although I did good on Friday getting things done and faxed off.  My desk is, once again, much cleaner than it was!  It’s unfortunate that the subconscious won’t clean that up for me!

Other times, all you need to do is listen to some great music.  I am a K-W Symphony subscriber and last night was the first concert of the season.  It was Skating’s Greatest Hits hosted by our very own Kurt Browning.  He did a fantastic job!  As did the guest conductor.

They played music that had been used by skaters in figure skating competitions.  Much of it I recognized, especially the Phantom of the Opera medley that was done.  I haven’t heard that music live since I saw the performance at Pantages Theatre back in the 90s.  My heart soared when those sounds resounded throughout the Centre in the Square and I sat there and cried it was that powerful, and if you haven’t already guessed, it’s my absolute favourite!!

So go listen to your favourite music.  Let it lift up your soul.  Sing along, whether good or bad, and perhaps that will jostle that subconscious of yours to let out that story!

 

Third Edit Complete!

17 Sunday May 2015

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I just finished entering the third round edits!  I somehow managed to follow all my arrows and directions.  I cut and paste and sometimes just cut but somehow managed to finish it!

I had a few bumps along the way where I had made a note to go to some other page but when I re-read what I had there, it didn’t make any sense to me.  It was in those moments that I walked away for a bit.  In the wee hours of the morning I would realize that what I had done wasn’t going to work and that it would have to be skipped.

That’s why I now look to merely print it and edit it for spelling, grammar and flow.  I have no intentions of changing anything further!  As long as the flow is there and I don’t find some enormous issue, this is it!

The Trinket Box will be done!  And by done I mean PUBLISHED!!!  And I can’t wait!  From the starting notes of early last July to the closing bars starting to play, my latest opus is coming to a close!  What music would I put it to?  Despite my wide knowledge of music, I don’t know.  Will I ever know?

As authors, can we ever compare our work to another art form?

I am afraid, however, that this will be my first novella.  It has fallen just shy of 40,000 words.  Apparently that seems to be the in thing for ebooks right now so perhaps this is a good thing!

It is a long weekend here as we celebrate Queen Victoria’s birthday and I have another day remaining!  By bedtime tomorrow I could easily have this up and published… or, I may need yet another weekend to put the finishing touches on it.

I think I will print this new copy of my manuscript then sit outside with my new copy of The Writer and see if there is anything new I can learn!

Happy long weekend to those who have it this weekend and the same to those of you who will have the joyous experience next weekend!

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