Monday, April 13, 2009

14 of 25

Song 14: Ramble On/Somewhere Over the Rainbow (Lisa Tingle, Hidden Track on Live at the Lucky Lounge)

Somewhere Over the Rainbow reminds me of the Wizard of Oz, which I was obsessed with as a little girl. I don't know if it was those wonderful red sparkly shoes, or the Good Fairy, or what, but I thought it was magical. My junior high school did a production of the play in theatre arts class, and I played Glenda. . .the part of Dorothy went to a gal who could actually sing. My mom made my costume, which was pink and fluffy and shimmery, and more than made up for the fact that I didn't get to wear ruby red slippers.
But the first thing I think about when I think about the Wizard of Oz is my imaginary dog. When I was 5 or 6, I wanted a dog just like Toto. So I pretended to have a dog named Toto. Until one day, when I came home from school, and there was a real live Toto dog in my backyard. (Toto was a stray who ran over to my mom in the grocery store parking lot, and she decided to bring him home until our family could decide what to do with him.) I was always a pretty happy kid, but the day I came home to find my imaginary dog come to life? Best. Day. Ever!

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

13 of 25

Song 13: Elephant Tears (Ian Moore, Got the Green Grass)

When I first started dating K, he had nearly shoulder-length hair. His favorite hobbies (obsessions, really) were and still are singing, songwriting and guitar-playing.

My BFF's little brother started calling K "Ian Moore" when they first met, and the nickname stuck in that group of friends. K cut his hair short not long after we got engaged--the first time I'd ever seen him in person with shorter than chin-length hair. Through the years, he would grow it out and shave it off to donate. The last time he went short will also be the last time I cut his hair: I cut and trimmed him near our fourth anniversary. (We'd done the same thing on our third anniversary.) In February of this year, a few weeks after he told me he wanted a divorce, he shaved his own head.

Elephant tears tracking
softly down his face
All the pain he couldn't place
someone had to take the fall
Didn't look close enough to see
that this elephant was me

Looks like Ian Moore is keeping his hair short these days, too. He and K look even more alike now that they have nearly the same haircut. Although K doesn't have dimples.

Monday, April 6, 2009

12 of 25

Almost halfway done, hooray! I'm really dragging this out, eh?

Song 12: Coast of Malabar (Chieftans, The Long Black Veil)

My dad loves the Chieftans. I don't know if it's his interest in string instruments, folksy music, or all things Ireland, but the Chieftans are at the top of his list. I've gone to see them with him twice, and both times they put on a great show. I always enjoy their guest artists, too--especially the tap dancers. Now, I'm not talking about the kids who do irish dancing, or any Lord of The Dance business. I've seen some superb tap dancers on their tour, and thinking about them has definitely inspired me to consider dusting off my (ancient, rusty) tap skills and take a class. Maybe this is my year!