As you may know, we are in the middle of another move.  This one is happening at a leisurely pace which makes it so much more pleasant. The living room is half moved, the upstairs will be empty tonight & all that is left in the basement is the washer & dryer.  Our bedroom, the kitchen & the bathroom are still completely untouched but we will move most of that this coming weekend.  This past weekend we moved some things including our books & book shelves.  Here’s a quick peek at that little piece of the move.

Yes all those boxes are full of books…no we can’t put all of them on the shelves we have.  Not to mention that I seem unable to keep myself from adding to the collection on a regular basis.  Still the shelves will look very nice in my new sitting room.

One of my favorite bands is going on tour.  Of course life being what it is I’m unable to attend any of the tour appearances.  The tour preview is on the East Coast this coming weekend.  (Too bad I don’t have a sack of money lying around…Magnus would enjoy the concert as much I me.)  The official tour starts October 3–in the Netherlands.  Ah well, some day I will be at a Shadow Gallery concert with my little rocker in tow. (Magnus has been listening to SG since he was in the womb & he loves it.)

Follow this link to listen to Shadow Gallery on their ReverbNation page.

If you are in Europe this fall check out one or more of the shows listed below.

Last week was the regional fair.  There were a lot of musical acts performing & we decided to check out the Friday night concert.  Lifehouse was the main act with The Spill Canvas as the opening act.

The Spill Canvas is a local band that I was just introduced to a couple weeks before the concert.  After listening to their new album I was very excited to see them live.  I’ve been aware of Lifehouse for several years & so we decided that this would be a great time to take Magnus to his first concert.  (Okay his first concert since he was born.  We attended RockFest 2010 in Kansas City, MO this past May.  He bumped & grooved in my belly throughout that event.)

Anyway here are some photos of us in the grandstand before the concert. Enjoy!

A couple months ago I wrote my first ever album review for Shadow Gallery’s “Digital Ghosts”.  It is an album I truly enjoy listening to & it seems I discover something new every time I listen.  Going to see SG in concert would be a great thing…too bad they don’t perform live.  Well that is until this past week when Shadow Gallery announced their first ever concert coming in the spring of 2010.

This concert is HUGE news.  For such a great band (with 6 rocking albums) they have never toured etc.  Of course like everything else about Shadow Gallery their debut is going to be done with style!  They are going to be among the groups performing on the first ever Triton Power Cruise.  Without elaborating too much (go check out Shadow Gallery’s website etc for all the juicy details) the band is going to perform on a cruise to the Bahamas.  Now that is debuting with a bang!

By now of course you are all wondering what I’m on about…great, some band she likes is giving a concert in the Bahamas.  Well hearing that little bit of news sent me on a flight of fancy.  Since I’m currently unemployed (and have no real plans to get a job after the move…I’m burned out from my last job & with being pregnant won’t work that long anyway) I have the time to go on this cruise.  Living in the nice “warm” section of the country that I do a nice vacation to the tropics sounds like a great way to kick off my spring/summer.  Not to mention that I dream of traveling & writing so this would certainly give me the opportunity to do both.  Of course I don’t really have the resources to head off on a fabulous musical cruise (*hums* I am the very model of a modern major general….) so that puts me at a distinct disadvantage.  However, I have a plan that could solve this little snag.

If just one (or several) groups got together to pay my way I’d happily write an article on the cruise line, cruise ship, concerts, activities and anything else pertinent to the trip.  All I’d need is round trip airfare (for two…can’t go without Hubby to help me.  I mean after all I’d be almost 7 months pregnant), hotel in Miami for 2 nights, the cost of the cruise (this includes all my meals & the concerts) and that’s it.  I’d of course pay for any souvenirs etc.

Then after spending a few days soaking up the sun & music I’d write a review of the Shadow Gallery concert (and all the other concerts too if necessary), along with any other articles/reviews that I owed my benefactors for the trip.  Sounds like a good plan right?  I mean it’s a win/win situation.  They get a great article/review on the topic of their choice & I get a sun-drenched vacation to help me relax before the baby arrives.  Now if only I could find the party(ies) willing to pony up the dough.  (Any good suggestions on how I can accomplish this may be entertained.)  It could be just what I need to get a new career/job off & running.

The very first note of this album will capture you completely & won’t let go–from the lofty harmonies through the driving beats & furious guitar solos to the exquisite finish, “Digital Ghosts, the new album from Shadow Gallery, is a revelation.

I’m a huge fan of music.  I have a decent & ever-growing collection of music…listening to shuffle on my playlist can make you feel a little crazy.  However, there’s a paucity of progressive rock in that collection of classical, rock, pop, blues & even a zydeco CD.  I’ve listened to some Rush & know a couple songs but not many.  I’ve heard of Yes & Dream Theater but couldn’t tell you anything about them.  So how do I come to be reviewing “Digital Ghosts” a week before the North American debut?  Hold on before you go get your pitchforks & torches (yes, I can hear the SG faithful rustling & murmuring).  The truth is I’m a major fan!  In fact, after really giving a listen I talked to the friend who had turned me on to Shadow Gallery & asked, “How did I go this long without listening to this”?

I first picked up on the buzz on Twitter (follow Shadow Gallery @shadowgallerymu) & decided I needed to find out what all the chatter was about.  So being the curious girl I am I fired up my Google & off I went.  Long story short I hit up their website www.shadowgallery.com & read some of  the background etc. (ok I read the whole site) and I went to Youtube &  searched out anything they had (you can subscribe to Shadow Gallery’s channel at www.youtube.com/shadowgallerymusic).  Finally, I went to Grooveshark & created a playlist of every SG song available…and put it on repeat.  After two days of non-stop SG at work I was hooked.  Since then I’ve kept up with every announcement, video teaser & mp3 clip.

So on to the album!

“Digital Ghosts” is nothing short of perfection.  The vocals are rich & layered with harmony throughout.  Brian Ashland’s voice lends itself effortlessly to the soaring heights of the music.  He’s an excellent choice to provide the lead vocals going forward.  The music is everything you’d expect from these guys.  There’s not one false moment throughout the entire album.  Not only have Gary Werhkamp, Carl Cadden-James, Brendt Allman & Brian Ashland lived up to the expectations & hype; they have surpassed it.  These guys have taken progressive/symphonic rock/metal & flown to the stratosphere.

“With Honor” kicks off this powerful, emotional ride with anthemic music & lush harmony.  Setting the tone “…foreign lands of sinking sands so strange & unfamiliar…holding to the code of honor we vowed to defend….with honor we will not walk away….” this song reaches out & shakes you awake.   It is a non-stop ride into “Venom”, a classic guitar-fueled metal song with the gritty vocals of Clay Barton (Suspyre) & Carl Cadden-James.  It growls “I am the bringer of the rain and the foreteller of the pain, the end of days is near at hand/when God returns your just reward gets paid in metal”.  Then proving that any expectations are there to be shattered, SG starts “Pain” with a quiet, ballad-style guitar & stripped down vocals before adding in thudding drums & a truly excellent melt-your-face guitar solo.  Here Shadow Gallery digs deep into the sense of loss & pain to which we can all relate.  ”Clinging on so tight/I bled my hands/I draw the shades & hang my head…love’s the air I need to breathe…on the battlefield you were never there beside me…”  From there “Gold Dust” swells with synthesized keyboards and hope.  It’s filled with the promise of reuniting across time & space with a loved one–”You & I lie awake for hours separated by the world/well I can’t see you ~ you can’t see me but somehow I can feel you stand inside my soul”.  Creating a feeling of flight in spirit “moonbeams on my ways & always in my skies…you float/you’re a dream/you take my hand and we roam/we run, we rock ‘cuz you are the one” Shadow Gallery takes us on a cosmic trip.

The second half of the album opens “Strong”– which is a good old-fashioned rock song.  Exploding with all of Shadow Gallery’s musical strength “young & proud/hard & loud/ on the wing/everything/what gives you strength/what gives you courage for tomorrow…concrete running through our veins…in the dark/from the heart”.  When the chorus of “One for all, All for One” starts up it’s impossible not to raise a fist & make the vow.  In the title track, “Digital Ghost”, the band evokes hope in the face of grief.  The opening cadence creates the feeling of a drum line…Shadow Gallery is marching forward & we are privileged to be invited along. The band expresses vividly the idea that there is more out there than what we can see.   “I believe in the afterlife…through Heaven’s hallowed hall…charismatic countenance upon a distant fading sky”.  ”Ashes to ashes they say, then dust to dust…the circle remains here my friend, guarded with trust…we will suffer no last goodbye” reaffirms the sense that those we have lost (like Mike Baker) are still with us in mighty spirit.  Closing out this powerhouse album is “Haunted”.  Another song that starts slowly with a lone piano & simple vocals “who waits for me/who waits so long/and shall I wait for dawn…or shall I sink into myself…”  Looking for answers among all the questions that haunt the quiet dark nights yet “Maybe in time I’ll fly away & trade these wings in for a life/a life where I am stronger and a place where there’s no sleepless nights…”.  The lyrics are filled with longing that is compounded as the song fades out.

Each song is a testament to the true genius of these guys–a showcase for their mighty talents and yet you are never left with a sense that any of them are “showing off”.  The lyrics are powerful & stirring.  Although the overall tone of the album is somewhat dark & deals with “loss” as a general theme it is also a steadfast statement for moving forward in the face of loss.  I defy you to listen, truly listen & not walk away feeling stronger & better for it.  The music & lyrics combine to form a sublime experience that will live inside listeners long after they turn the CD off.  In the words of Shadow Gallery it is indeed filled with “enduring anthems crossing time & crossing minds”.

*Author’s Note* all lyrics are used with permission of Shadow Gallery © 2009

Right now I am sitting in my brother-in-law Greg’s house relaxing.  Hubby & I came down to attend RockFest 2009 in Kansas City with Greg & his wife Lisa.  It’s been great to see them & I wish we could do it a lot more often.  Yesterday Hubby, Greg & I attended RockFest (Lisa was feeling quite ill with a migraine & was unable to come with us).

We arrived in time to see the bands we cared to see…or rather listen to as we weren’t about to push through the mass of people to actually get near the main stage.  With two stages, bands alternating every 30 minutes the wave of humanity ebbed & flowed past us multiple times.  We guarded our blanket island as best we could against the onslaught of drunken, high & mostly naked people.  For the most part people weren’t too rude…although they were pretty oblivious to my white body laying under the beating sun & unblemished sky.  I did apply two layers of SPF 3000 sunscreen (ok SPF 60) so that I got some nice color without needing skin grafts afterwards.  We lounged on a hillside between the 2 stages, listening to the good, the bad & Ron Jeremy (yes this is the “celebrity” brought in to introduce the various bands)….I was just hoping I didn’t actually have to see him as I’m afraid of that would do to my eyes.

We enjoyed some very good bands (Shinedown, Theory of a Deadman) and did our best to just people watch during some of the lesser bands.  People watching is an art when there are 50,000 milling around.  Of course being blinded by some of the attire or rather lack thereof was a feat in and of itself. Seriously people–this is NOT a nude beach! I have nothing against bare skin….I just think that there’s a time & place to show all your private bits off & a concert where I may have to see it is not that place.  I guess I don’t get out enough anymore but I’ve never really considered walking around with my butt crack partially exposed…not even when I was a much younger, smaller girl.  I guess that proves I’m getting old.  I’ve officially reached an age where I judged younger people based solely on their attire, public behaviour & tattoo placement.

Of course in direct contrast to the large number of wanna be nudists there were nearly equal numbers of people who took the 90+ degree weather as a challenge to see how many layers of black clothing they could wear without actually melting like the Wicked Witch of the West.  I guess all I can say about that is embrace it & let your freak flag fly.  If the enormously pregnant lady can walk around mostly topless, smoking a cigarette then you should be able to wear all black with combat boots & neon green wool tights.

I did have to make a decision on whether or not I should work on getting a contact high.  There was a nice breeze blowing & I’m sure if I tried I could have inhaled enough to become fairly happy.  Of course there was also the smell of beer, sunscreen & food cooking.

I spent a lot of my time stretched out on my back watching the poplar seeds float past as the music infiltrated my brain.  It was glorious to feel the sun bake into my muscles relaxing them to a state of near jelly.  I didn’t sleep (very hard to actually reach a state of sleep when the bass is vibrating the ground underneath you) but did find a very restful state where much of the stress of the last months melted into the earth.  It was nice to feel that at peace & stress free.  Definitely something I need to feel more of in my life.  While I can’t escape from home very often I am sure that when I get back home I’ll need to find a nice spot in my yard, plop down on a blanket with my headphones and just stare through my sunglasses at the sky until I’m one with my surroundings and I can face the world.

Since summer is “officially” here with the passing of Memorial Day weekend I thought I’d post a list of books that make great summer (or really any time) reads. Some of them I will be looking to read myself in the very near future.

I truly enjoy reading anything by Jenn Lancaster. Her humor & honesty give the reader a look into the rise & fall of life without asking for your sympathy.  She has a new book out which sure to be an excellent read as well & it’s on my list for the next time I’m near a bookstore. (Note to self: you will be near several this weekend be sure to stop.)

One that I read last year “Driving Sideways” by Jess Riley is a funny & touching story.  I found my copy of it again & am thinking about re-reading it again some lazy summer day (Yes, it will only take me one day if I concentrate, don’t write & don’t Twitter.)

Hmmm I guess I don’t have a lot of other recommendations I feel like giving out right now.  Maybe because I’m giving my shout-outs to authors who don’t even know I exist.  Seems since I’m a writer maybe I should put read ME as your #1 recommendation.  Of course that means I’d actually have to write & we all know what a difficult time I’ve been having with that one.

Memorial Day weekend is an important anniversary for me.  I completely & totally lost part of me — and I’m so blessed because of that– to Hubby.  But let me fill in some background for my readers who may not know the origins of our little life together.

I was living in the Minneapolis area circa 2001.  I was working, playing & generally pretty ok with living the single life.  My girls & I hung out, partied and just generally enjoyed life.  I wasn’t searching too hard for Mr. Right & we all had fun chatting with tons of people around the world on our computers.  Well one day I was in a chat room on Yahoo & met Hubby.  We chatted, exchanged pics and chatted some more.  In fact we talked quite a lot & decided after a few days that we should meet IRL (in real life).  So I gave him my phone number & address (a big no-no) and he picked me up (he opened the doors for me–including at the car, waited ’til I was in & then closed it before getting in himself–I swooned a bit) then we went downtown to the Rock Bottom Brewery.  After our first “date” which ended with a polite good night nod we saw each other on a very casual & not at all romantic basis. (Ok so I was totally freaked out that Abe “liked me like that” while I felt more on the order of spending time with one of my brothers’ friends.)

A few months passed (Jan-May) with various meals, movies, hanging out with friends and other fairly regular activities.  I really enjoyed hanging out with Abe all the while wondering if he was interested in me or if the whole “does he, doesn’t he” was in my imagnination.

Then along came Memorial Day weekend.  I spent the bulk of the weekend with a girl friend.  We watched movies, played video games & who knows what else (there may have been drinking involved).  Monday afternoon rolled around & I was not ready to let my weekend come to a close so I did the natural thing: called Abe to see if he was busy.  As fate would have it he was not busy & so I headed across the metro area to where he was living.  We discussed various things but decided a movie was in order.  Specifically a drive-in movie….(Yes I know some of you readers are nodding knowingly to yourselves, certain of where this will lead.  You sit there all smug thinking I’m either a fool or so painfully naive that you want to chuckle.  Well go ahead…finished? Good…now let ME tell the story & save your knowing looks for another time.) which neither of us had been to in many years.

We saw “A Knight’s Tale” & “The Mummy Returns” both of which we enjoyed.  It was very late as we drove back to Abe’s house & I had a terrible time staying awake.  We tried to talk but I’d nod off in the middle of a word–it was like having a terrible case of narcolepsy.  By the time we got to Abe’s house it was obvious I was not going to be able to make the 45 minute drive back to my apartment.  With much reluctance I agreed to sleep at his house.  Laying there with my back to Abe, tense as a coiled spring & wearing 2 layers of clothes I was petrified & now wide awake.  My mind was racing & I had decided that if he was ever going to make a move it would have to be now.  Of course I could feel him lying tensely just a few feet away…and I could almost hear him debating whether or not he should touch me.

Finally he did make a move & tapped me on the shoulder.  After I jumped (I think I had to peel myself off the ceiling) I turned toward him to answer.  I think we may have talked for a few seconds but I can’t be absolutely sure….that was the first time Abe erased portions of my memory with a simple kiss.

I’ve been looking around my house lately & wondering what a stranger would learn about me from what I keep around my house. I wonder how long it would take for someone to mention the unusually large number of items with some depiction of Betty Boop. In fact I have many things that I don’t even think about any more and they are spread throughout the place.  I don’t even really notice them in a conscious manner.

I can’t pinpoint a specific moment when my love for all things Betty began. I do know that in high school my nickname was Betty (my English teacher bestowed that upon me after a particular incident involving me locked in a closet & the pitch of my voice as I demanded release). I also had a very Betty type figure once upon a time.  While I’d adore being able to have the cute hair-do alas it will never be.

Slowly I started collecting items and by college I had a few little things.  When I ran across the full VHS set of cartoons it was a must have if only for the way it was created. Each spine in order creates a great black & white picture of the boop-oop-a-doop girl. I have spent many cold, rainy or snowy days watching those cartoons.  My favorite ones are the pre-Hays code cartoons. (The Hays code ushered in decency standards) Betty was quite the naughty girl back then. She appeared as a hula dancer in a grass skirt & lei which left little to the imagination.  There was everything from disappearing clothes to phantom sex romps in those heady days before the censors took over. Of course there are some great musical cartoons too. Such musicians as Cab Calloway, Louis Armstrong, Ethel Merman & Rudy Vallee made appearances as both themselves & as cartoons. (I could go on and on about Betty’s cartoons as they are amazing pieces of celluloid.  Max Fleischer was a genius with a rotoscope & did amazing work.)

After college my collection exploded (the advent of eBay was a big part of that) & I came to own many different things.  I have lunch boxes, picture frames, figurines, a suicide knob, stamps from around the world and more stuff than I can even think to name. Whenever I have a birthday or someone gives me a gift it very often contains Betty Boop in some form. She always makes me smile.  And just try singing “I Wanna Be Loved By You” in that breath-y, squeaky voice to your partner & see what happens…(Let me tell you it can be quite exciting). Betty Boop is a sex kitten extraordinarie and one hell of a broad.   While I love my collection of  Boopabelia there is one Betty Boop item I cherish above all others.

This item is a small but permanent part of me.  I have a head shot tattoo of Ms. Boop on my left shoulder. It took me a long time to work up the courage to get it done.  I’m deathly afraid of needles but finally decided that I did want this piece as a reminder two things.

It is primarily a reminder that while pain occurs in life often times beauty is left behind. (This is something I need reminding of when life is looking like only pain & suffering)

The other reminder is to try to have the spirit of Betty…watch any cartoon and you’ll see that nothing keeps her down for long.  I strive to find that spirit in myself many times.  With her own guts, brains and body she goes out & gets what she wants.  There are times Betty is down, crying, in trouble or angry but she gets through it with herself intact. Her friends are there to help & support her. (This is actually something that I’ve forgotten at times but am working on very hard.)

After writing this & thinking about Betty Boop I hope that when someone who has never been to my house before sees my collection they take another look at who has welcomed them in.  I hope that they see a woman who has survived both good and bad times with wit & charm.  A woman who is gracious & caring without having lost her edge. I want this person (or people) to see a woman who has been knocked around by life a bit but can still smile and laugh.

On Friday 4/10 I placed an order with Amazon.com for a book I’ve been lusting after for a short if passionate time.  I was all set to receive my copy of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales (Penguin classics edition) today.  It was not to be however.  With a combination of incredible incompetence, ignorance & bad policies Amazon & City Hall have managed to deny be the ecstasy of a new book. (Yes I said ecstasy! There are few things I love better than the smell of ink on paper, the smooth texture of unread pages sliding past my fingers tips…truly bliss to me).

A year ago our little slice of heaven was annexed by the city.  We received notification that our address was changed effective immediately.  However we’ve continued to use the old address as that’s what the bank knows, the post office recognizes it etc.  Recently we were told we should start using the new address. Being someone who occasionally follows the rules (Ok, I try to follow the rules. My life tends to run much smoother when someone else is running it.) I decided that using the new address would be prudent since I was so desperate for this new book.

Fast-forward through the weekend to this morning. After getting to work I took a quick moment to log in to my Amazon account and track my package.  All systems appeared to be go and UPS had sent it out for delivery today.  Certain that nothing could go wrong I eased into my day & left thoughts of the book to flit in and out.  Such momentary thoughts made me smile & look forward even more to lunch when I could take the first opportunity to look for the delivery.  Lunch flew past as it always does & back at my desk I checked for a tracking update.  Much to my surprise it showed the package had been delivered at 11:59:00 to my front door.  Odd I thought as I had been home at 11:59:00 and there was no large brown truck that visited me (I was in the shower but the dogs would have barked) nor was there a package anywhere near my front door.

Of course I could not let this stand.  My book had been delivered to someone entirely undeserving of such a gift. (Besides they’ll probably not appreciate the book).  With all the CDO (yes OCD to you “normal” people) I abandoned any pretense of work to devote myself to the capture of my wayward parcel.  After much searching, several phone calls home (to order for more phone calls to the post office, the neighbors, & UPS), & a visit from my husband; the following was concluded.  Wherever the package is we can’t find it.  UPS was very helpful–to a point–and said normally they would do an auto-trace, speak with the driver & fully investigate where the package had landed.  However, being hamstrung by Amazon policy I must contact Amazon directly.  Off I flew, fingers a blur as I entered my account information to send an email to Amazon.  I politely (get more flies with honey…) explained the situation & asked for a replacement at no cost ASAP.  I was rewarded with the notice that someone may or may not respond within 12 hours.

In a bid to find out why nobody but the city recognizes the new address (not UPS, USPS, Google Earth or any other “authority” we could think of gives us acknowledgement that the address is valid), Husband stops at city hall.  Of course in keeping with the completely backwater appearance they try so hard to maintain the office is closed–FOR. THE. DAY.  Yes that’s right…our city hall is open for the convenient hours of 9-Noon Monday thru Friday.  No wonder nobody knows about our new address…city hall hasn’t been open long enough to make the appropriate notifications.

As it stands now I am hoping my good friend at the local winery will be able to flag down the local UPS driver and detain him until Husband arrives with the bare light bulb & rubber hose.  I’m going to get answers I don’t care if I have to go all Gitmo on somebody!  Moral of this little tale is two-fold. One don’t listen to a damn thing city hall says, EVER. Two, don’t screw with me over books because it will not end well for you friend.

Codicil: As of 4 pm the package was located. Due to the brilliance inefficiency of city hall there is no sign marking the new address (even though they’ve had a year to do it).  Our UPS driver who is amazing & was not subject to Gitmo type treatment accidentally marked the package as delivered.  He was unable to rectify the error from his little delivery confirmation thingy.  My friend at the winery obtained the package for me & held it until I was done with work. I am now in possession of my new book & quite content with the final outcome.  I will however be speaking to city hall….if I can get an appointment within the next year.