tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81269452791292149012024-03-14T02:16:39.740-04:00Into the Heaven Knows What Have You...CP Warnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536523200461430763noreply@blogger.comBlogger134125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8126945279129214901.post-92096422785186052862019-07-12T16:04:00.003-04:002019-07-12T16:04:42.368-04:00Poem - Book Sale<br />
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I trusted you with a part of
me<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I have never shared lightly<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Or easily<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I thought you cared<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">That you were my friend<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You wanted to read my words<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You said<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And fool that I am<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I believed you<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Handed over my soul<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Soap opera you said<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And dismissed it all<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Years of my thoughts<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Conscientiously crafted<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A share in all I ever had<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In all I have ever been<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If depth of heart and feeling<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Produce soap opera plots<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I am guilty as charged<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I prefer to describe it in
other terms<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Celebrating diversity<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Striving to bring about
understanding<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Offering kind compassion<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Rising to spiritual planes<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Planting the roots<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Of broken human characters<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And urging them to grow and
learn<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Perhaps I grow and learn<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Along with my people<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Writing was never<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">First and foremost<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">About making a buck<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(Though if I am honest<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I must confess<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Making a buck would be nice)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I bought my own words<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">With factory-earned money<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">From a seller of books<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And sent them to you<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As gifts<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You said you wanted them<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And I believed<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Now those very copies<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Are being sold<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Used<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Through your paltry claim in<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">That vast vendor’s<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Empire<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In quest of financial<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>gain<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My heart and soul<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Mere clutter<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In your shallow existence<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Of money and<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Empty possessions<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You were never worthy<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I wish I had known this<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Or no<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Believed this sooner<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(Knowing and believing<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Are two separate states)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Yet<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Better to learn late<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Than never<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Goodbye<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">CP Warner</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">12 July 2019</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
CP Warnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536523200461430763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8126945279129214901.post-44109303035146614652016-03-14T23:34:00.002-04:002018-12-05T14:26:56.701-05:00Keith Emerson<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="text-align: left;">I'm still in shock.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="text-align: left;">I keep searching for information and commentary from people who knew him well, and what they say isn't pretty.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="text-align: left;">Ultimately, this incredibly gifted man ended up being a victim of that beast so many of us struggle with.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="text-align: left;"><br />Depression.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="text-align: left;">Apparently, he had fought it for a long, long time, and was perhaps more sensitive to criticism than anyone knew.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="text-align: left;">Until it was too late.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="text-align: left;">This one really hurts. I pray for the repose of his soul.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
CP Warnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536523200461430763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8126945279129214901.post-64354445517078083912016-02-02T15:55:00.001-05:002016-02-02T15:55:18.638-05:00Are You A Kindle Reader?This just in!<br />
<br />
If you enjoy reading e-books on a Kindle, author Jehan St. Marc has a deal for you!<br />
<br />
New, lower price on Kindle editions of "O Fortuna" and "Grievous Unto Us."<br />
<br />
Only $4.99 per title! Follow the links to purchase.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fortuna-Like-Leaves-Touch-Book-ebook/dp/B00NYC55DS/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1454445737&sr=1-3&keywords=jehan+st+marc" target="_blank">Like Leaves, We Touch, Book 1: O Fortuna</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Grievous-Unto-Like-Leaves-Touch-ebook/dp/B00SU5YUTY/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1454445737&sr=1-1&keywords=jehan+st+marc" target="_blank">Like Leaves, We Touch, Book 2: Grievous Unto Us</a>CP Warnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536523200461430763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8126945279129214901.post-19276776733282065332016-01-31T13:33:00.001-05:002016-01-31T13:33:53.768-05:00Book Giveaway from author Jehan st. Marc!This just in from my old friend, Jehan St. Marc!<br />
<br />
"Hello!<br />
<br />
"I am giving away one paperback copy of 'Like Leaves, We Touch, Book 1: O Fortuna.'<br />
<br />
"Sadly, I goofed on my greeting message and cannot go back to edit it. Next time I'll know better, and will not repeat the mistake!<br />
<br />
"To clarify:<br />
<br />
"You DO NOT have to make a purchase in order to enter. Just follow the link below and enter for a chance to win if you wish.<br />
<br />
"One winner will be randomly chosen from the first 25 entries.<br />
<br />
"Good luck, and happy reading!"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://giveaway.amazon.com/p/090ae25cf64f9236?ref_=pe_1771210_134854370#ln-fo" target="_blank">O Fortuna Giveaway</a><br />
<br />CP Warnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536523200461430763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8126945279129214901.post-74791466195824993102015-01-04T10:31:00.000-05:002015-01-04T10:34:19.618-05:00Haunted...<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">These are strange times. So many times in the past, I have felt that my mother was near the end. This has dragged on from the moment a little over 31 years ago, when my father died. Now we really ARE near the end. She is in hospice, and has already lived longer than they expected. When I signed the papers admitting her to the hospice program on Christmas Eve, she had not eaten or taken any drink in couple of days, had dropped to 84 lbs, and the hospice nurse told me she could not go on more than a week like that.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It has been more than a week. Ma has been eating a few bites here and there, and taking the occasional sip of ginger ale, but this is not enough to sustain a person, and she has lost a bit more weight. I have been visiting briefly, almost daily, and each day she looks more and more waxy, as if an undertaker has already been working on her. She is usually asleep when I arrive, and only wakes when my husband calls to her.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">When I call her name, she continues to sleep.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">She admitted on Christmas Day, cheerfully and with a little chuckle, that she does not know who we are. Surprisingly, this does not bother me. If she is cheerful and chuckling and not knowing me, I would prefer that to angry and bitter, judgmental and critical, as she was before this dementia stole away her memories and personality. She was never an easy person, even before Dad died, and I carry a lot of scars from the cruel things she has said and done to me over the years. I work at not placing blame, and try to figure out just why she was as busted as she was, even though I know that's a pointless exercise. We will never know, and does that really matter in the end?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">There is only this failing body with the face of my mother, and the mind of a child. As the chaplain suggested, maybe this is the pure soul that was my mother before life buried it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So, I answer her, no matter how many times she repeats the same questions. I point to the pictures of my children and tell her who they are, though two minutes later she will have forgotten, and will ask me again. I bring my cat in to visit, because somewhere in the back of her mind, she does remember that she always loved cats, and when she asks me if the cat is mine, and where we found him, and remarks that he is a "big one" five times in fifteen minutes, I answer as if it's the first time I've ever heard any of those questions/remarks.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It's hard to remember, now, that she could be as awful as she was, back when she was still in her "right" mind.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But can one say she ever was in her right mind? Depression is a monster. Unmanaged, or improperly managed, the person who suffers from it will try to drag everyone down with him/her. A child who in complete innocence trusts its parent falls quickly. Some have the ability to fight. Some don't. I was one of those who didn't, and here I am, almost fifty-three years old, still having a hard time believing that I really am any good at anything, though my list of accomplishments tells me (and others) that this is far from the truth.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">All I see in my own blindness is that I work in a factory. I could have been better than that. I could have reached for the stars, only...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Ma didn't believe I had the right or the talent to do so, and neither did Dad. And like a trusting child, I believed them, and I lowered all my expectations, and here I am now, trying to raise the bar and reach higher, and accept that I do not, in fact, suck in every possible respect. I am not second best.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And then there is the little voice inside that pipes up with, "Oh, yeah? Who do you think you are? Think you're pretty smart, don't you? Just wait, you'll find out."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">With God's help, someday I may manage to kill that little voice for once and for all.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">In the meantime, I watch and wait, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yUN6CsuVPw" target="_blank">this song</a> haunts me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">"Through the door a harvest feast is lit by candle light at the bottom of a staircase that spirals out of sight."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And I think about that room, and that feast, and that Ma is drawing closer to the foot of that staircase, and the long journey upward.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
CP Warnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536523200461430763noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8126945279129214901.post-17983557986813126392014-09-11T23:34:00.000-04:002014-09-11T23:34:01.959-04:00A poem<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 24.0pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Celestial
Haven<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">So
many years hence, I recall<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">My
first shy ventures<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Up
these endless stairs<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">And
the echoes of our footsteps<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">As
we climbed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">“Does
he live in the sky?” I wondered,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Breathing
hard, unable to speak,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">While
he ascended so easily.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">In
time, it became familiar:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">A
safe haven above the noise of the city<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">And
the clatter of my life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Grandfather
clocks solemnly ticking,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Candlelight,
and fine brew<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Served
by a generous hand,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">And
once, on a magical winter’s night,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The
Lark Ascending:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Sweet
perfection of Vaughan Williams<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">On
the stereo at midnight.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Such
were the finest of times with my friend.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">As
I sit in this space by day,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Bare
walls before me,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Empty
rooms and book shelves,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">And
the stamp of his presence being carried away,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Piece
by piece, and box by box,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I
remember those nights,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">And
deep in my heart, I long for just one more.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">He
may be going from this place,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">But
he, himself, still lives and breathes<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">And
looks to the future.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">All
will be well with my friend in time:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">“the
ever-rolling stream, bears all its sons away.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">But
nothing can strip the memories<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Of
those sacred nights from me:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Not
the candles, nor the music,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Nor
the drink, nor the talk,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Nor
the image of my beloved friend,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">A
precious diamond glittering<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">In
his setting of finest gold.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">C.P.
Warner<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">11
September 2014<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>CP Warnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536523200461430763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8126945279129214901.post-1005939151172385762013-12-28T15:14:00.002-05:002013-12-28T15:20:46.392-05:00End of the Year Wrap-upAmazing how much being back at work full-time eats into my free time, and how little I feel I have to say as a result! The last couple of months have been quiet, with the usual knitting, spinning, working, and music-making. Nothing out of the ordinary to report, really. Christmas seemed to arrive more quickly, and passed like a whirlwind while I struggled to recover from a bout of winter bronchitis that struck earlier in the season than usual.<br />
<br />
Before I got sick, I agreed to my first coffee house gig, obligingly arranged by my dear friend, <a href="http://www.malcolmtent.net/" target="_blank">Malcolm Tent</a>, and began to practice extra hard, and even learned some new songs. Good thing I put in all that extra practice time when I could, because the bronchitis made it impossible for close to a week. I was beginning to be afraid I would have to cancel, and miss my debut completely. Without a timely course of steroids, I would not have been able to perform at all, and I would probably still be in bed, deathly sick.<br />
<br />
As it turned out, I did recover enough to perform, and really enjoyed it, though I was not at the very best I could have been. And that's just the way it goes sometimes. People are not machines, and one learns to work with whatever system that happens to be up and running on any given day. C'est la vie. Malcolm was satisfied, and so was I, overall. The small, select audience dug it, too.<br />
<br />
Here are some pictures.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhuqSUtmwnavwjI0_RoeT8JqFY8ixMjfeDVCSVmGgXp525kArVNJomE2TJBqONcWUTpj_k-WWkeakdhogFsswqiPb4zCXBM9-Xz-Y-37zMBQIshyu_teP3UcD-eWdH7_Anl9UW8NH7Jt8/s1600/mad_angel_sings_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhuqSUtmwnavwjI0_RoeT8JqFY8ixMjfeDVCSVmGgXp525kArVNJomE2TJBqONcWUTpj_k-WWkeakdhogFsswqiPb4zCXBM9-Xz-Y-37zMBQIshyu_teP3UcD-eWdH7_Anl9UW8NH7Jt8/s320/mad_angel_sings_1.jpg" width="303" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Our good friends, Chris, Cheryl, and Steffi drove over two hours to come and see me play for 45 minutes.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvQnp1_QJISwuF7VC3GX622vyRTxsTbb9R2PeeKTVcHAsLVUGiFis6ccFyYM8Ynaznvh77utfXpeLajY1OREMR-8YJxpscy5lL8u989afSvGATeVWl_JFDVyETcTkN50sBOTf-9G4txZw/s1600/mad_angel_sings_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvQnp1_QJISwuF7VC3GX622vyRTxsTbb9R2PeeKTVcHAsLVUGiFis6ccFyYM8Ynaznvh77utfXpeLajY1OREMR-8YJxpscy5lL8u989afSvGATeVWl_JFDVyETcTkN50sBOTf-9G4txZw/s320/mad_angel_sings_2.jpg" width="281" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
"Mad Angel" singing loud and proud.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMpQ_6-3nj-yLrWg6IClhpQqQ4S9ESRUrj4KGP_TuCp95oGLAQw355jiipmdDEeLot13YufKToIllxNCqDy_hE3kI7ib6dz9aLMRczEfS79LRDap6AZHAXWzQWVXpnJsuhnGmzBBGVqxc/s1600/mal_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMpQ_6-3nj-yLrWg6IClhpQqQ4S9ESRUrj4KGP_TuCp95oGLAQw355jiipmdDEeLot13YufKToIllxNCqDy_hE3kI7ib6dz9aLMRczEfS79LRDap6AZHAXWzQWVXpnJsuhnGmzBBGVqxc/s320/mal_1.jpg" width="306" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Then excellent Palomine Malcolm Tent took over.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9kkHf8LN-gfGDpghLWVJz4taKZ7QgZfNBKv0aft4xXzE2tuHFd_xfrJlAT1nbSqG58LWR6kbnTKV1AYGgBTw8XV7IcZJKk3_IaP8STBxoFWN3mqA78i5iqSjxjFT-MsX-ZZHqRaNu8QE/s1600/mal_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9kkHf8LN-gfGDpghLWVJz4taKZ7QgZfNBKv0aft4xXzE2tuHFd_xfrJlAT1nbSqG58LWR6kbnTKV1AYGgBTw8XV7IcZJKk3_IaP8STBxoFWN3mqA78i5iqSjxjFT-MsX-ZZHqRaNu8QE/s320/mal_2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Mal spins an amusing yarn regarding, if I recall correctly, a song originally by Anti-Seen, "Animals - Eat Them!"</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
This is especially funny coming from a man who has been a vegan for YEARS.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj11ZiLcE8UVZCcirCrp34AMxwhLQu9-HbVwiVyKd4Sb3Xm2izE5Ah_-GUb6odG655Fy8ZvexMvzp6wV0ju4XCsw2wa9P-5I7IPTSYaLLaxgKZGFjw3EnywjELSqcepqX_D6gRRE-0cLUE/s1600/mal_and_pal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj11ZiLcE8UVZCcirCrp34AMxwhLQu9-HbVwiVyKd4Sb3Xm2izE5Ah_-GUb6odG655Fy8ZvexMvzp6wV0ju4XCsw2wa9P-5I7IPTSYaLLaxgKZGFjw3EnywjELSqcepqX_D6gRRE-0cLUE/s320/mal_and_pal.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
After the show, me and my pal. Without his vote of confidence, it would have taken me a lot longer to get to this point.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Will I do this again? I think so. Now that the ice is broken, it should be easier the next time around.<br />
<br />
Want to see some of what happened? I'll be updating my <a href="http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGTxcNnDM0dMqweeHw9gMqWZscieTxHo1" target="_blank">video playlist from the gig </a>on You Tube as time permits.</div>
CP Warnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536523200461430763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8126945279129214901.post-61625922398835785802013-08-24T15:25:00.002-04:002013-08-24T15:26:47.677-04:00Review/Synopsis for Grant Hart's "The Argument"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioU4_eQmMU9PSbWFMDUtfvctV9dW-KydKGwOXXmqbHfLdKZRnPQEriPVXQ6QkdM8XqQtXOUi-pNOOFovA6Vdlsj3X05T07QLu0yOHy9gIFGfAIMsUr5_zu2l3e-HNlf79udOOzIEeKs38/s1600/9241074312_266bde6d38_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioU4_eQmMU9PSbWFMDUtfvctV9dW-KydKGwOXXmqbHfLdKZRnPQEriPVXQ6QkdM8XqQtXOUi-pNOOFovA6Vdlsj3X05T07QLu0yOHy9gIFGfAIMsUr5_zu2l3e-HNlf79udOOzIEeKs38/s320/9241074312_266bde6d38_o.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">This is Grant Hart, and since this image has been appearing all over the web, as well as on the back of the album cover, I hope it's OK to share it here, even though I do not personally own it, or the rights to it. I'll switch it out in favor of one I do own, if anyone happens to insist.</span></div>
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Grant's album, "The Argument," is finally out, and it is splendid. My review/synopsis may be found <a href="http://jstmarc.blogspot.com/2013/08/out-of-chaos-reflections-on-grant-harts.html" target="_blank">here</a>, on my official writing blog. It's published under my <i>nom de plume</i>, but do not be fooled. It's still me.</div>
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It is my hope that my article may pique further interest in this wonderful work of art -- for yes, it is that. A work of art. A masterpiece. Please get it if you're inclined. It's truly amazing, what this man has accomplished in a mere four years' time.</div>
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I stand in awe.</div>
CP Warnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536523200461430763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8126945279129214901.post-12803215418050925392013-07-15T17:09:00.001-04:002013-07-15T17:09:14.469-04:00An Incredible Gift!Today, I learned that Grant Hart's new album is being streamed live.<br />
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I am not due to receive my CD until next Tuesday.<br />
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I couldn't wait. I listened to the live stream over and over and over again today.<br />
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Grant has outdone himself.<br />
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Please, listen to <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/musicblog/2013/jul/15/grant-hart-the-argument-album-stream" target="_blank">The Argument</a>, and buy a copy of the CD, and give this brilliant man the recognition he deserves!<br />
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Please be sure to leave a comment on the site, if you feel so inclined.<br />
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Honestly, I really can't believe just how good this one is. I mean, I knew it would be good, but it has exceeded my expectations, which I admit were really high.<br />
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I can't decide which song is my favorite...CP Warnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536523200461430763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8126945279129214901.post-19810108519059655002013-07-14T14:13:00.002-04:002013-07-14T14:13:45.031-04:00On a Roll!The ideas just keep coming, and it feels so good to be writing again! What I had for a "finished" product was sort of like someone who doesn't eat enough: all there, but not quite enough meat on the bones. I read through things and find places where a little more detail or some anecdote would improve the story, and then the new material comes to mind, and off I go.<br />
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I wrote <a href="http://www.madangel47.com/jehan/LorinsTattoo.html" target="_blank">Lorin's Tattoo</a> this morning.<br />
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I still can't quite believe that this whole ball started rolling as a result of hearing what may or may not have been a bassoon in one of Grant Hart's new songs. (Pre-order the album <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Argument-Grant-Hart/dp/B00CU8OYMK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1373824206&sr=8-1&keywords=grant+hart" target="_blank">here</a>.)<br />
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It has been a little over two months since I first heard "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Huv2hCsoNZA" target="_blank">Is the Sky the Limit</a>." Maybe I make too big a fuss over Grant, maybe not. But it wasn't long after hearing the song for the first time that I started going back in time and listening to a lot of the music I was listening to while first working on "O Fortuna" in the mid-1980s. There was classical music, popular music, choral music, and French organ music. I had regrets over parts of the book I had been unable to flesh out due to a lack of research sources. There were parts of the book that suited me fine 12 years ago, but do not now. I have an opportunity to make all that better, and I feel like I have no choice about seizing that opportunity. The Muse is back!<br />
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The older I got, the more I disliked my books' titles. O Fortuna. To Walk in Newness of Life. Worldes Blis. While I like the reasons I chose those titles, I hate how pompous they sound to me now. Better I should just come up with a series name, and call the books I, II, and III.<br />
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So, I have been thinking about titles, and on Thursday at work, listening to an old, forgotten favorite, some words leapt out at me, and had me scrambling for pen and post-it notes, so I would not forget.<br />
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"Like leaves, we touch, we dance, we will know the story as we both remember all those many years ago..."<br />
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So, at the moment, the working title for the whole darn saga is "Like Leaves, We Touch."<br />
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Hubby says I don't need to explain myself and my reasons to anyone, but I think I need to put it down somewhere, if for no other reason than my own benefit.<br />
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In the face of eternity, people are like leaves. There are many of us. We are blown together over the courses of our lifetimes, and we touch, and we wither, and die, and fall. Though our lives seem to be going on forever, especially in difficult times, we really are so much like the leaves. Our time is brief compared to all that has come before, and all that will come after. We strive to leave a lasting impression, in hopes of not being forgotten when we are gone. We will dance, and we will know our stories as our lives progress.<br />
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Well, that's what I'm thinking about the title at the moment. Other ideas may cross my mind as I sit at work this week, who knows?<br />
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"Like Leaves, We Touch."<br />
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Any constructive thoughts you'd like to share, please feel free to leave a message. :-)CP Warnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536523200461430763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8126945279129214901.post-21493702672313753942013-07-10T18:08:00.001-04:002015-01-13T20:55:46.483-05:00Greetings from the Novelist's Front LinesSo, yeah, I've been absent again, for quite awhile. Most everything I have to say has been going into a rewrite of "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fortuna-Like-Leaves-Touch-Book-ebook/dp/B00NYC55DS/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1421200466&sr=1-1&keywords=like+leaves+we+touch+o+fortuna&pebp=1421200501321&peasin=B00NYC55DS" target="_blank">O Fortuna</a>."<br />
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Yes, I know I have just shamelessly linked to the book's page on Amazon, even though a) I am no longer happy with the final version of the book, and b) apparently my publisher has decided to release it in Kindle format without my knowledge or consent. I would not mind, but it is replete with formatting errors. What's a writer to do?<br />
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Well, re-vamp the whole damn thing, of course. Make it better than it was, kind of like the Six Million Dollar Man?<br />
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I have three volumes in a series, with seeds planted for a fourth. I need to name the series, and I may wish to rename the books within it. The jury is still out on that, but when I come up with something good, readers here will be the first to know.<br />
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I have come to the conclusion that I must identify the time period in which the books are set. I mean, when was the last time anyone dialed a rotary phone? Played a vinyl album on a turntable? (Apologies to my fellow Vintage Vinyl friends who do this very thing on a regular basis.) Typed a thesis on an IBM Selectric? Did not have a computer or a cell phone?<br />
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My "mood music" for the first book goes back to the late 1970s, so if I intend to refer to it, I really need to place the story in its time.<br />
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Billy Joel's wonderful song, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9ZBd0-IEvQ" target="_blank">Vienna</a>, has been Lorin's theme song for a long time now. It captures him almost perfectly, and seems sort of prophetic, in a way.<br />
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And though Lorin is a classical musician/composer, he listens to a wide variety of music, and some of the music that got played on the airwaves in those days was damn good, and Lorin likes it. Consider <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lz1TlJGLzqs" target="_blank">this one</a> by Dire Straits. for some reason, it always made me think of Lorin, and of him walking places in the city with Neal. When I hear the song, I can almost see the two of them. A foggy night. Perhaps they even steal a kiss or two in a darkened doorway...<br />
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I think in all my books, music IS a feature character. It asserts itself all over the stories. Not just these, but my other novels not in this series. (Yes, Virginia, CP/Jehan has many pots simmering on back burners.) I guess that <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urdqAeRjel4" target="_blank">shouldn't surprise me at all</a>, given that music is a prominent character in my own life.<br />
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Which reminds me, I can't say enough good things about that first Dire Straits album, or Billy Joel's "The Nylon Curtain." Both of those albums have been in heavy rotation on my iPod lately. Between those two and Durufle's Requiem, I have been immersing myself in a particular atmosphere, and trying to recapture what I felt when I was actively working towards publication of the first book. And I am recapturing it, and feeling new things about it as well, as demonstrated in this <a href="http://www.madangel47.com/jehan/OFortunaChristmas1980.html" target="_blank">New Excerpt</a>.<br />
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Hope you enjoy it.<br />
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Thanks for reading.CP Warnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536523200461430763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8126945279129214901.post-22576496457882187022013-06-10T19:29:00.004-04:002013-06-10T19:33:34.784-04:00DeliusI don't remember exactly when my sister happened to mention that Ken Russell had done a documentary about Frederick Delius a number of years ago. I'm reasonably certain it was within the last six months, and I kept meaning to look it up and see if I could perhaps buy a copy.<br />
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Somewhere during that initial conversation, though, as my sister described some scenes from the film, I remembered something: Kate Bush did a song about Delius, which she called "Song of Summer," and this, coincidentally, is also the name of the film. Knowing the song, and recognizing some of the dialogue my sister described, I realized that Kate must have seen this film, too, and more than once.<br />
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As I have worked at the rewrite of my first novel, it has occurred to me that Delius' music might have some significance to my oboist, Neal. This weekend I decided to hunt down some of the music and found that Delius made great use of the oboe in his compositions. As I listened, I realized the music would suit Neal as well as Vaughan-Williams always has.<br />
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In one of the newly-composed scenes I have added, as Neal is home and recovering from surgery, he is reading the book the Delius film was based upon: "Delius as I Knew Him," by Eric Fenby. I had downloaded a copy to my Kindle, because I liked what I read in the first preview pages. Most likely, Neal's reading of the Fenby book has something to do with research for his thesis, but since I never plan to go into any great detail in describing the Herculean task Neal has set for himself, I suppose that's sort of pointless to say here. But suffice it to say, I can well imagine Neal loving Fenby's account, because I love it so far, myself. It has great appeal to me as a musician and as a Catholic. (Fenby was a devout Catholic, which seemingly annoyed the hell out of Delius, who seems to have been an atheist.)<br />
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Fenby voices, in far more eloquent terms than I will use here, that it is difficult to reconcile how so much beauty (the music) could spring forth from such a hard person. And a hard person Delius certainly was -- a cruel philanderer who ultimately died of tertiary syphilis, and suffered terribly before death finally released him.<br />
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Beauty can spring from some very odd vessels indeed. A person can be capable of creating things -- music, art, poetry, etc. -- of extraordinary beauty, and yet still be an absolutely wretched personality, either outright mean, or clueless, or egotistical, or -- ?????<br />
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You name it; no doubt we have all encountered this sort of thing in one way or another. The exquisite creation one so loves in no way jives with its creator. What a conundrum!<br />
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Neal's partner in the first book is a musical prodigy. A genius. Extremely talented. He performs and creates music of great beauty, and yet...caught up by his Muse, he can be an incredible a-hole. This often leaves Neal puzzling over the same thing Fenby ponders in regard to Delius. How can someone be so hard in life and their dealings with other people, yet have another side so sensitive and passionate?<br />
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The world may never know the answer, just as the world may never know just how many licks it takes to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop...<br />
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P.S. -- If curious, look up the film on You Tube. It's there, in five parts, and I just watched it. I couldn't help crying at the end.CP Warnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536523200461430763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8126945279129214901.post-18367469420539929622013-05-21T09:42:00.001-04:002013-05-21T09:42:23.805-04:00Oops!In writing my entry yesterday, I should have specified that the student Tamlin seduces is a 32 year old adult, not some attractive teen he takes advantage of. Tamlin is NOT that type!CP Warnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536523200461430763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8126945279129214901.post-55000068499012262762013-05-20T20:28:00.002-04:002013-05-21T17:21:44.256-04:00Fading to Black...or not...I face a quandary many authors have faced at one time or another. Does one follow one's characters to the bedroom / back seat of the car / living room floor / beach / jacuzzi etc., or leave it totally to the reader's imagination?<br />
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I have struggled with this for as many years as I have been writing fiction, and have come to the conclusion that sex is part of life, and if we are looking in on the lives of various characters, there ought to be no shame in looking in on this part of their lives as well.<br />
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One editor puzzled me. Heterosexual lovemaking, described in what I fervently hoped were artful, sensitive terms, was considered "gratuitous." Better I should simply "fade to black." However, to this same person (a straight woman), descriptions of sexual relations between two men were an entirely different matter. There was never any objection to those scenes. Hmmmmm...<br />
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Admittedly, one of my gay male characters has been declared "hot" by folks from all walks of life: young and old, male and female, gay and straight. More than once, someone has been known to remark, "Man, I wish he was real!"<br />
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He -- Tamlin Marbeck -- is a strange combination of many diverse, possibly contradictory elements. He is a Scot with an incredible accent; tall, dark, and rugged; a bit dangerous; a rugby player; a bass viola da gamba virtuoso. Basically, he's a heady, intoxicating, overwhelming force of nature.<br />
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His partner, Neal Bryan, crippled all his life by a birth defect left too long untreated, is every bit as intense, albeit for different reasons. He certainly looks the part of the sensitive musician, but looks are deceptive. In his own way, he may be even tougher than Tamlin.<br />
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Neal is the character who has been with me longest, born one Spring morning in 1977, in the carels outside my Algebra classroom. I was supposed to be studying Algebra, but my mind wandered in a different direction. I loved my Algebra teacher, but I hated Algebra. What can I say? And what a coincidence! Neal also hated Algebra and managed to avoid it completely by being an independently wealthy, orphaned musical prodigy, studying at Juilliard at age 15.<br />
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He's changed a bit since those days. Yes, he did end up being a prodigy, though not an orphan, and attended music school in New York City (Juilliard is implied, but never stated), and commuted from Long Island with his father every day, until he was old enough to move into his own (funded by his parents) apartment. Eventually, he found a life partner, moved in with him, struggled through some really hideous corrective surgery on his bad leg, and established his career. (Teaching, and oboe performance).<br />
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His messed-up leg and the way his parents dealt with it ended up being a metaphor for my own asthma, in a visible form, and the way my parents dealt with that. Overprotection was the rule of the day. For both Neal and myself, being as closely guarded as we were, it was a wonder we ever became able to function in the real world.<br />
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Since Neal was that brother / alter ego I could look up to, if he succeeded in my fiction, then I could succeed in real life, too. This little charm never worked quite as well as I would have liked, but it was always there as a touchstone and did help to some degree, especially once the stories began to lose the unrealistic idealism of youth.<br />
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I find myself once again considering sex in literature, specifically MY literature.<br />
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In some scenes, it's just good old honest sex. It's detailed enough to be pleasant, but doesn't take up a whole lot of space.<br />
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Then, there's Epic Sex. Every book I have written has at least two Epic Sex scenes that I can think of. Sean and Mary's First Time in "The Balladeer's Tale" will always be a favorite. It's NICE Epic Sex.<br />
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One of my other personal favorites is not so nice, and involves Tamlin seducing one of Neal's (consenting adult male) students. Of course, that sort of thing wouldn't have happened at all, if the student had not always had the hots for Tamlin, or if Neal were well and not dying by slow degrees. It's a bad combination of factors, and both parties are sorry for it afterwards.<br />
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Epic Sex scenes go on for several pages, not just a few paragraphs. There is the setting of the scene, the establishment of the general atmosphere, and a progression of events leading to the inevitable conclusion. Some say I write this sort of thing well. Some, as noted above, say it's gratuitous.<br />
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Do I still feel squeamish sometimes, after writing sex, be it ordinary or Epic? You betcha! But squeamish enough to leave those parts out of my stories and "fade to black?" Hell no! It's part of life, and if I am to be an honest writer, I must embrace it.CP Warnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536523200461430763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8126945279129214901.post-27951343393557569922013-05-18T12:12:00.004-04:002013-05-18T12:14:47.920-04:00Revisit, RewriteStarting around 6th grade, I discovered I enjoyed creative writing, and was perpetually trying to make up characters and write short stories or long stories about them, and I would also pretend to BE these various people. What would it be like for this or that person to walk down the street, play in the field behind our house, or sit at a desk for an entire school day?<br />
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Sometime in 9th grade, one of my people became a sort of brother/alter-ego. He was a better musician than I was, and I could aspire to reach the same goals -- or exceed them. It didn't quite happen for me, and when I realized I would have to think about doing Something Else, this character was still with me, and he wanted me to tell his story.<br />
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I spent my late teens/early twenties struggling to do so, but no matter how hard I tried, I could never come up with a convincing female character to go with him. In the Fall of 1984, as I walked beside Minnehaha Creek (in Minneapolis) one fine evening, I suddenly knew what was wrong with everything I had written up to that point. The character made it known to me, that night, that he was not interested in women. He was gay, and as I scuffed through the leaves, I had a lovely mental vision of him with the man who would become his partner.<br />
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This led me down some pretty uncomfortable paths as I worked intermittently on my first novel over the course of 16 years. Finally, in the year 2000, I had all the pieces in an order that pleased me, and I self-published the novel under a <i>nom de plume</i>. It had a small, select (mostly gay male) following for a time, as did its sequel. Occasionally, I still get a nice piece of fan e-mail.<br />
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Not being a good self-promoter at all, the books are out there, but have not sold many copies. It has been a number of years since I last perused the pages of either one, but over the last few days, I began to wonder about those stories again. Kindle readers have become very popular -- heck, I even have one, myself, finally, after resisting for a number of years -- and Amazon makes it pretty easy for an author to share their work.<br />
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I thought print-on-demand was a good way to go back in Y2K, but it's a rare person who wants to pay 20 bucks or more for a paperback, no matter how well-written the story. Since both novels clock in at almost 400 pages, the cover prices were $18.95 and $20.95, respectively. They are nice editions, not cheap grocery store trade novels that fall apart after one reading, but still, they are paperbacks.<br />
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Kindle books are a lot cheaper, and they take up less space.<br />
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Re-reading novel number one, I have found, much to my relief, that it isn't bad at all. Very much a first novel, yes, but I still like my characters, and I still like the way they go about things. I find I want to revisit them and tweak the manuscript, with the intent to make it available as a Kindle book in the not-too-distant future.<br />
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It took me awhile to find my submission copies in my computer archives, but I finally did find them, and I'm excited about whipping them into shape. Maybe once I've done that, I can finally begin to work seriously on the third book in the series, which has been complete from point A to point B for a few years now, but I needed more life experience before I felt I could handle the topics of aging and approaching demise in a convincing manner. At age 51, I think I'm there.<br />
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Will I still use my <i>nom de plume</i>? Probably. It still resonates. I'm still very much attached to "him." Plus, living in a small town and having a relatively ordinary existence, I'm too chickensh*t to publish any of this under my real name. At least for the time being. We'll see what the future holds.CP Warnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536523200461430763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8126945279129214901.post-74211352450193864512013-05-17T16:50:00.001-04:002013-05-17T16:51:58.686-04:00Bassoonery<div style="text-align: center;">
Say hello to the Badass Barefoot Leather Babe and her Really Nice Bassoon!</div>
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I have not played in years, but after thinking I heard a bassoon in the bass line of "Is the Sky the Limit," I suddenly wanted to play again. This is not the first time a brush with Grant Hart's music has prompted me to dust off an instrument I haven't played in awhile, so I figure I'll go with it and see what happens. I've gotten as far as ordering some new reeds, so as soon as they arrive, I'll give it a whirl. It's going to take a bit of time to build up my chops again, but it will be worth it if I end up being able to, say, use the bassoon for simple bass lines in my own recordings.</div>
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Grant, predictably, will not tell me if I really heard a bassoon or not, but what he did say leads me to believe I'm right.</div>
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"It might not be a bassoon, but if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck..."</div>
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So, I do think we have a bassoon line in the song. That warm, reedy timbre cannot be faked or synthesized. Now, what I want to know is if Grant played it himself, or called someone else in to do the job. Since he seems able to play every instrument he puts his hand to, I'm guessing he also played the bassoon line. Hopefully, the credits on the album will reveal the truth!</div>
<br />CP Warnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536523200461430763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8126945279129214901.post-67517487887645067922013-05-08T17:21:00.000-04:002013-05-19T18:41:58.464-04:00Witnessing a BirthWell, that's what it felt like at noon when I received a very interesting e-mail from a Grant Hart fan.<br />
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People, we have a release date for "The Argument." I think I will be counting the minutes to July 22nd!<br />
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Not only do we have a release date, we have a <a href="http://www.dominorecordco.com/uk/news/08-05-13/grant-hart---the-argument/" target="_blank">publicity page</a>.<br />
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And if you scroll down past the charming publicity photo and very well written article, you will find Soundcloud links to two (non-downloadable) preview tracks: Is the Sky the Limit, and Letting Me Out.<br />
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The latter track rips along at a fantastic pace, sounding a lot like Buddy Holly, but listen to the wry humor in the lyrics. This is the part where Satan is bargaining with Sin and Death to let him out of hell to wreak havoc upon the earth, and thus begin sending along lots of unfortunate souls to keep the two evil ones' appetites satisfied. Heavy subject matter, but a really danceable tune. Whoa!<br />
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This brings me to Is the Sky the Limit. Oh. My. God. I listened to it for the first time, via headphones and iPhone, while attempting to eat my lunch in the cafeteria at work. I ended up trying not to weep over my sandwich. I have loved the song since I first started hearing Grant play it live, just himself and his guitar. But this -- the full band arrangement -- finally hearing what Grant intended, completely -- words fail.<br />
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I know how hard he has worked. I know how many challenges and roadblocks he had while trying to bring the project to completion. To use a childbirth metaphor, it was probably the longest transition stage on record. Want to push...need to push...but it's not time yet.<br />
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Finally, he DID get to push, and hearing Is the Sky the Limit for the first time was like watching a newborn burst forth into the world. Grant did not simply work on a project. No. He grew it, he shaped it, and now, triumphantly, he has BIRTHED it.<br />
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Now, to have the patience to wait for the release so I can hear every single bit of it! That's not going to be easy...CP Warnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536523200461430763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8126945279129214901.post-30208040177948885632013-04-30T18:33:00.001-04:002013-05-01T19:06:14.334-04:00On Quaffing the Kool-Aid<div style="text-align: left;">
OK, for years I resisted getting an iPod and having anything to do with iTunes. I spent those years struggling with Creative Labs products and Rhapsody -- both quite possibly the buggiest and most frustrating media by which to obtain and play mp3s. If I knew then what I know now...</div>
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Enter the iPhone, last October. I finally caved in and upgraded my stupid phone to an older model smart phone. I hated it for about a week, and after that -- how did I live without it?</div>
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First quaffing of the Kool-Aid.</div>
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Then I discovered the phone had a built-in iPod, and decided to give it a whirl, mainly because I could not seem to get ANY new content on to my Creative Zen anymore unless it was a direct burn from a physical CD. I downloaded iTunes, expecting all sorts of trouble with learning curves and buggy programs.</div>
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What I could not do at all via Rhapsody and Creative happened in a matter of error-free minutes via iTunes.</div>
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Another helping of Kool-Aid, anyone?</div>
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I have not looked back, and rather than burn up phone battery, I purchased a reconditioned 16 GB iPod Nano IV. Easy as pie! And iTunes has all my beloved old Beatles albums available, albeit in British format, so I will have to create my own Meet the Beatles, Beatles Second Album, Something New, and Beatles VI playlists. No biggie. I found the original tracklists. Now all I have to do is set down and create the lists on my player.</div>
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Having downloaded all this early Beatles material prompted iTunes to offer a list of "you might also like" suggestions. One of these was a band I had nearly forgotten, The Move.</div>
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Backtracking a bit, in high school I was a big ELO fan. It's what this classical musician opted for to convince the parental units that I wasn't into ordinary, noisy rock 'n roll. I was into classy stuff. ELO. Prog Rock of various types. The Moody Blues. Renaissance. Emerson, Lake, & Palmer.</div>
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Sadly, I failed to convince them. If it was music, and the sound was coming from my room, it was shit, plain and simple. I might just as well have been cranking, say, The Sex Pistols. No matter what, if Paula liked it, it was worthy of derision. Interestingly enough, this also encompassed Glenn Miller, and my father was a fan of that sort of music! I was flabbergasted the day he hollered at me to "turn that Goddamn noise down," and it was a Miller album! I guess no one ever paid attention to exactly what the music was. All it had to do was be faintly melodic and audible through my closed bedroom door.</div>
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Also, my mother hated music and had no use for it, but that's another gripe for another day.</div>
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I do not understand people who have no use for music. It truly boggles my mind. But I digress.</div>
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Back to ELO.</div>
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Being the good music geek I always was, I was curious about the band's roots. Where had they begun? And I had that very exciting first ELO album, "No Answer." It was primitive. It was raucous. Roy Wood, God bless him, made a valuable document of how NEVER to play most musical instruments known to man. But I was a bassoonist, and here was a record with bassoon used on a couple of tracks! And oboe! And cello! And the range of musical styles was mind-boggling. I loved it, and it remains one of my favorite albums of all time.</div>
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Before this came a band called The Move. I found a greatest hits compilation from their early years at Mr. Lofgren's store in Cranston, RI. Lofgren's was a very cool place, which sadly burned down a number of years back. Mr. Lofgren, who was VERY old at the time, died from smoke inhalation. He really loved music and knew it inside-out. Losing him and the shop was a great tragedy for local music lovers.</div>
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Later, the same year I found my Move compilation, my friend Jorie found a newer one called "Split Ends." There were some fascinatingly experimental tracks on that album. "Words of Aaron." "It Wasn't My Idea to Dance." "No Time."</div>
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Back to present day -- this very morning, in fact -- iTunes suggested I might like to download The Move's "Message from the Country." The three songs mentioned above were on it, along with a bunch of other stuff, including the original version of ELO's song, "Do Ya."</div>
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Twist my arm, iTunes. But they didn't have to twist very hard, or very long, and this afternoon at work, I played the album twice in a row. What a FUN record, and every bit as exciting as that first ELO album.</div>
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Jeff Lynne's "No Time," in particular, proved especially moving. Sad. Poignant. Below is a You Tube link to the audio. No moving images (no pun intended), just a shot of the album cover. But the music is what matters. Check this one out, and see if it resonates with you, too.</div>
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I have decided that quaffing the Kool-Aid was not a bad thing at all. Oh, the places I'll go....musically speaking!</div>
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CP Warnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536523200461430763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8126945279129214901.post-86973769687585781972013-04-17T22:09:00.001-04:002013-04-17T22:10:57.370-04:00Remember Me?Yes, I've been gone awhile. Not a whole hell of a lot to say, it seems. I'm finally back at work again after a lengthier layoff than anyone anticipated, so "free time" is rather scant.<br />
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Today, getting ready for a memorial service in a few days, I started practicing. I'm doing an old folk hymn, accompanying myself on guitar, as a prelude. I'll be playing guitar in public for the first time in years, and I am planning on using my "Crossroads Guitar," aka the Steel Beast. It looks like this, only mine has been "well loved" and is a bit tarnished. I need to get some pictures of me with mine.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZMhMhGVlgkP4D5acszrDuKT3T7JjQe-7iZoLf_wn-nMOrX3YsqwrpWdYr-bZPzYWZQRR3qafhiaMArpJvbzud9ntvdN6cPGdFQDSOyLCLlox2rcUd_FNoBeZdKq9leccIYEl-23Ol-VY/s1600/resonator.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZMhMhGVlgkP4D5acszrDuKT3T7JjQe-7iZoLf_wn-nMOrX3YsqwrpWdYr-bZPzYWZQRR3qafhiaMArpJvbzud9ntvdN6cPGdFQDSOyLCLlox2rcUd_FNoBeZdKq9leccIYEl-23Ol-VY/s320/resonator.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
I may have started out having a practice session this afternoon, but ended up having a recording session instead, and <a href="https://soundcloud.com/paula-warner/parting-friends" target="_blank">Parting Friends</a> is the result of that. At the memorial service, it will be just me and my guitar, but on the recording I have done three vocal lines and two guitar parts. Overall, I'm really pleased with how it came out.<br />
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If you decide to have a listen, I hope you enjoy it.<br />
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Now I'm exhausted and heading for slumberland!CP Warnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536523200461430763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8126945279129214901.post-20374233849686399042013-01-25T17:58:00.003-05:002013-01-25T17:59:04.999-05:00SoundcloudSo, I opened this <a href="https://soundcloud.com/paula-warner" target="_blank">Soundcloud account</a> awhile back, mainly so I could follow what my friend, Tim Holehouse, is up to. It never occurred to me until fairly recently that I could post my own stuff and share it. For a long time, I had just one song, <a href="https://soundcloud.com/paula-warner/seasons" target="_blank">Seasons</a>, which is an original song I wrote back in October.<br />
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Today, I made up for lost time and recorded a bunch of stuff, covers AND originals, just for a lark.<br />
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One of these, <a href="https://soundcloud.com/paula-warner/the-improbable-medley" target="_blank">The Improbable Medley</a>, would have been the centerpiece of my set at Pizzeria Uno, if it had ever materialized. The guy who invited me to come and play doesn't even work there anymore, so it's doubtful that I will have a public performance any time soon. This does not stop me from wanting to play and sing, and my various Tascam units are ready, willing, and able to assist me in getting my recordings done and out there for friends to enjoy.<br />
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I still have a couple of songs to edit and finalize, but I think I've done enough listening to myself for today.<br />
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If you decide to listen to any or all of it, thanks, and I hope you dig it.CP Warnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536523200461430763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8126945279129214901.post-20809463272941265962012-12-19T14:41:00.002-05:002012-12-19T20:55:38.896-05:00Fa-la-la-la-BLAH!!!!In Worry Christmas/Crappy New Year Grand Tradition, my employer's business has ground to a nearly complete standstill, and since it is not going to pick up in MY department before sometime in January, here I am at home again. Laid off. Going 'round the house in circles because I had already gotten accustomed to the rhythm of the work week even though I had been back at it only about a month. I suppose I wouldn't mind taking the time off if it came with a paycheck, but since it doesn't, it's a bummer. Big time.<br />
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Well, it's not like there isn't anything to do here at home. I have been dyeing silk to replenish the shop, and just finished and photographed my latest design: Mad Angel Creations Climbing Bamboo Cowl. I proofread the pattern over again, set it up as a PDF file, and uploaded it to my Ravelry store. Hopefully people will find it irresistible and buy many copies before the week is out.<br />
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Work peeps who may be reading this -- yes, this is the thing you last saw me knitting in the cafeteria at lunch. I finished it this morning. Please excuse the fact that I am having not just a bad hair day, but a HIDEOUS hair day. Oh, and I do not, in fact, have one blue eye and one brown eye. Something weird happened with the camera flash, is all I can figure. What a bizarre effect!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqsID8ydYM5HHFaVxGTqqbEOqsc2E9AQGZM9MO4TsJRoeLn7Rg1toGzrU2vYCC54z_pmalvIBL-PGvW0yiVpFNGIpwecdRm_KSVa6wKw_8yI8xkdQ-mDrqmCFGBmwcnkygphkN7C3zXt4/s1600/cb_cowl_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqsID8ydYM5HHFaVxGTqqbEOqsc2E9AQGZM9MO4TsJRoeLn7Rg1toGzrU2vYCC54z_pmalvIBL-PGvW0yiVpFNGIpwecdRm_KSVa6wKw_8yI8xkdQ-mDrqmCFGBmwcnkygphkN7C3zXt4/s320/cb_cowl_1.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Now here's the cowl all by itself.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIwDanIflHNFtMZO_ePM8chFmtOF97pKFiYQnqUaHcQXyv3uvSB2BHZ_4qGASBwhrbk-k-yIBoLOLjI0zio0XMi34y4CJoH_EBTp7Lxcs36HobQcff4Xy7MyCgp_wuoWuaENiHpHDgwr4/s1600/cb_cowl_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIwDanIflHNFtMZO_ePM8chFmtOF97pKFiYQnqUaHcQXyv3uvSB2BHZ_4qGASBwhrbk-k-yIBoLOLjI0zio0XMi34y4CJoH_EBTp7Lxcs36HobQcff4Xy7MyCgp_wuoWuaENiHpHDgwr4/s320/cb_cowl_2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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And a close-up of the utterly fabulous stitch pattern, and my equally fabulous hand spun yarn in a Merino/Seacell blend.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuvkx3sFY6_li-aHwgxSUc8UdNgDOvR96Z8ErzebqhvpGjfI2u5RDO03A4xCh0rxP0JcBrZWvHgB1KQzQF9SW75kOfKE-Wt3SXJNjsi6GnX_K94uT13iJCEAaK4O4FBz4bVC_Z8ofGwOI/s1600/cb_cowl_stitch_close-up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuvkx3sFY6_li-aHwgxSUc8UdNgDOvR96Z8ErzebqhvpGjfI2u5RDO03A4xCh0rxP0JcBrZWvHgB1KQzQF9SW75kOfKE-Wt3SXJNjsi6GnX_K94uT13iJCEAaK4O4FBz4bVC_Z8ofGwOI/s320/cb_cowl_stitch_close-up.jpg" width="317" /></a></div>
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So, I AM finding stuff to do during the down time, but seriously hoping the down time does not go on past mid-January...CP Warnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536523200461430763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8126945279129214901.post-20225678746952780672012-11-05T07:44:00.004-05:002012-11-08T11:16:35.483-05:00Hurricane ReliefFrom now through Friday, November 30th, <a href="http://www.madangelcreations.etsy.com/" target="_blank">Mad Angel Creations</a> will donate 20% of all sales to the American Red Cross for hurricane relief.<br />
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The shop is well-stocked, and there are a lot of nice things from which to choose.<br />
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So, treat yourself to some lovely yarn and/or fiber, and help someone in need at the same time.<br />
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Here's a peek at some new stuff, just listed!<br />
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Thanks for looking!<br />
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<br />CP Warnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536523200461430763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8126945279129214901.post-58736776046038471352012-10-31T08:45:00.002-04:002012-10-31T08:47:36.399-04:00Happy Halloween!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://www.madangelcreations.etsy.com/" target="_blank">Mad Angel Creations celebrates with a sale!</a></div>
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Use coupon code HAPPYHALLOWEEN</div>
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and receive 15 % off your entire order,</div>
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now through midnight on Sunday, Nov. 4th!</div>
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Thanks for looking!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFtVY9SgFQa63ZA0yyhLLK_CgjdzW1zjzuljVPR05q30I2YoB6QryQGRX6FT_V-PA9p_-BB9Zqk8iyMeqH4IfQQ8O2A8fx9SfRPe9pEctgP3rwApXGIGGc1abHp3SdiYkfBSUGfxUawW4/s1600/Ravelry_Halloween_Banner_2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="49" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFtVY9SgFQa63ZA0yyhLLK_CgjdzW1zjzuljVPR05q30I2YoB6QryQGRX6FT_V-PA9p_-BB9Zqk8iyMeqH4IfQQ8O2A8fx9SfRPe9pEctgP3rwApXGIGGc1abHp3SdiYkfBSUGfxUawW4/s400/Ravelry_Halloween_Banner_2012.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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CP Warnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536523200461430763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8126945279129214901.post-70405807349119980732012-10-30T12:06:00.001-04:002012-10-30T12:06:11.332-04:00Sayonara, Sandy!Well, it appears we are safely past the crisis with Hurricane Sandy. Schools are still closed, but hubby's work place has re-opened, and life is beginning to go back to normal.<br />
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I did a lot of cooking early in the day, anticipating a power outage, so we would at least have one good meal and some treats before being left in the dark.<br />
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For the third time, I made a batch of my <a href="http://intotheheavenknowswhathaveyou.blogspot.com/2011/08/hurricane-treats.html" target="_blank">Storm Cookies</a>. The first two times I made these in the face of a major storm (one Nor'easter and one Hurricane), we did not lose power, though many folks around us did. I hardly dared hope that this might work a third time, but it did. I now believe quite firmly in Storm Cookie Mojo.<br />
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I shared the blog page with the recipe among a group of friends on Ravelry, and am utterly gobsmacked at how many hits this blog got as a result! Not only that, a bunch of people also made them yesterday, in hopes of spreading more good mojo around to others caught in the storm's path.<br />
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Here's all we have left of mine.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGUAo2YbgbcIbmh4pnQX2OwibhRM9CMg78Nvn0MUJPBy_DWHdZAqjFq8R9YU4N6T4AxQu2Z7iV-WwHIIUlCSNHG2AeIlrCoPZVaNCkSbql-HHlaoqSHbpYbnXLR8e7PM86bahXFBMPwww/s1600/storm_cookies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGUAo2YbgbcIbmh4pnQX2OwibhRM9CMg78Nvn0MUJPBy_DWHdZAqjFq8R9YU4N6T4AxQu2Z7iV-WwHIIUlCSNHG2AeIlrCoPZVaNCkSbql-HHlaoqSHbpYbnXLR8e7PM86bahXFBMPwww/s320/storm_cookies.jpg" width="193" /></a></div>
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Also, since we never lost power, I got a bunch of knitting done, and this morning I put the finishing touches on my second Westknits Rockefeller Shawl.<br />
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With the first one (pictured below) I ran short on my chosen yarns, as did a lot of other folks who made this when it was a Mystery Knit-Along. Even though I loved what I ended up doing to salvage the first one, I was determined that such a thing would not happen again, and so dyed more than enough of my own yarn for the project. (Onyx kettle-dyed, and Borealis hand-painted).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3bsEQs34ESXxYQKV3D1koM_E6jK_gcQTUbbnEazfRVluThjPKQEI3cdsPMQ_FsFQnX19lCXC052cDv8jvTm9iyKMQsxKyi4xzsVIfMCoXqtsKdanAPYoo9qXr89QqxlSU6kF9KnSq1iI/s1600/rockefeller_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3bsEQs34ESXxYQKV3D1koM_E6jK_gcQTUbbnEazfRVluThjPKQEI3cdsPMQ_FsFQnX19lCXC052cDv8jvTm9iyKMQsxKyi4xzsVIfMCoXqtsKdanAPYoo9qXr89QqxlSU6kF9KnSq1iI/s320/rockefeller_4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I have a dress that goes well with the first one, and also a black turtleneck dress that will be perfect to wear with the new shawl.<br />
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Now, I am officially suffering from post-project let-down, and need to find either something new and exciting to make, or finish one of my many works-in-progress...CP Warnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536523200461430763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8126945279129214901.post-24883316722839458432012-10-25T16:10:00.003-04:002012-10-25T16:25:05.096-04:00Seasons - a new songWe've all had them. You know, those relationships and/or friendships that seem so fresh and vital while we're in the midst of them, and then one day, for no apparent reason, that oh-so-important person just -- disappears. Your phone messages go unreturned, and your e-mails and letters unanswered, and soon it feels like the thing never happened in the first place.<br />
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You think to yourself, was I crazy? Was I dreaming? Or worse still, I must have done something wrong.<br />
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You re-examine every written word that ever passed between you and that special person, and you find -- nothing. Or at least, nothing that would offend YOU, if you were that person.<br />
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Sometimes, one has to simply walk away, but me being me, I can never do that completely with anyone. Just like Motel 6, I'll leave the light on, and when the bulb burns out, I'll replace it as many times as necessary.<br />
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Whatever, whenever, I'm still here. Until...<br />
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<a href="http://www.madangel47.com/music/Seasons_final_10-25-2012.mp3" target="_blank">Seasons</a></div>
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Seasons come and seasons go;</div>
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Oh, how I wish it were mine to know</div>
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If we'd have years of seasons, or only a few</div>
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Passing in the blink of an eye.</div>
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What has become of you, my friend?</div>
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You've disappeared; will you return again?</div>
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Or are there one too many links</div>
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With the sorrowful past,</div>
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And in this world is anything ever</div>
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Destined to last?</div>
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Seasons come and seasons go;</div>
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Oh, how I wish it were mine to know</div>
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If we'd have years of seasons, or only a few</div>
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Passing in the blink of an eye.</div>
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The silence is deafening...</div>
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Threatening...</div>
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Menacing...</div>
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And I can't help feeling that this bodes ill,</div>
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And I'll wait for some word from you, until...</div>
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Seasons come and seasons go;</div>
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Oh, how I wish it were mine to know</div>
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If we'd have years of seasons, or only a few</div>
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Passing in the blink of an eye.</div>
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Time to journey on; maybe we'll meet again,</div>
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Or maybe this is really the end.</div>
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I'll pretend I'm tough enough to say goodbye,</div>
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Then I'll hide away alone and cry.</div>
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Seasons come and seasons go;</div>
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Oh, how I wish it were mine to know</div>
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If we'd have years of seasons, or only a few</div>
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Passing in the blink of an eye.</div>
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CP Warner</div>
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25 October 2012</div>
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CP Warnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536523200461430763noreply@blogger.com0