Tunes, dudes.

Yesterday I was visiting Cooper's blog and started listening a bit to his playlist. I've played around with my own playlist this morning (get your minds back up here, people) and, ta-da!! There it is, upper right-hand of my blog.

I noticed after I put this together that I've mostly used what are now being termed "oldies". Seriously. This is stuff I listened to in college and grad school, kids. Mostly from the 1990's, although some older. Now I'm feeling a midlife crisis coming on. I didn't think my music was old, until I realized a lot of what I listen to is from over ten years ago. Yeah, whatever. This is what we listened to back in my day, when people respected their elders ...

I don't know if having this on my blog will slow down access to it, or if it's horribly annoying to anyone that I have it here, so go ahead and give me your feedback. I think it's kinda cool to hear what different bloggers like to listen to, but I do aim to please my audience ...

Off soon to the garden show!

UPDATE: I've changed the settings so that my playlist doesn't play automatically when you come to Matterdays - feel free to listen if you like. I've also moved it to the bottom of the page since it was mostly cut off before.

Is it Spring yet? Huh? Huh? Is it, is it is it????

Looks like it in our front yard, kids.

I Won!!!!!

My blog buddy Joe sponsored a One World, One Heart contest recently ... what a very cool idea. I have to think of some cool way to "pay it forward" in a year. Any suggestions?

Anyway - I. WON. My prize was to have Joe post a reading on his blog of whatever poem I chose, which is quite an honor. He has quite the easy-on-the-ears voice, and gives such exquisite interpretations. I was honored to get to pick a poem for him to interpret. And, he's quite a nice guy, too.

See and hear his interpretation here. The poem I chose:



since feeling is first
who pays any attention
to the syntax of things
will never wholly kiss you;
wholly to be a fool
while Spring is in the world

my blood approves,
and kisses are a better fate
than wisdom
lady i swear by all flowers. Don't cry
— the best gesture of my brain is less than
your eyelids' flutter which says

we are for each other: then
laugh, leaning back in my arms
for life's not a paragraph

And death i think is no parenthesis



e.e. cummings


I love the lightness Joe put into this poem ... I've always read e.e. cummings with a darkness beneath it all, and he's made me look at his writings from a different side. I love that. This is was I was hoping for, and Joe didn't disappoint.

Thanks, Joe. I'm honored.

From my Dear Cousin Jo

From: "Matt's Cousin Jo"
Sent: Saturday, February 16, 2008 10:58 AM
To: Matt
Subject: *crying*


Dear Matt,

I was reading a local newspaper and they ran a story about a "church" group coming to protest at the funerals of the Northern Illinois students who were killed. Matt, I have never seen so much hate filled people saying that God is with them. This is their website (careful, it's nasty!):

http://www.godhatesfags.com/

and this is their flier for the funeral protest:

http://www.godhatesfags.com/written/fliers/20080215_niu-carnage.pdf

I know that my God does not back anything these people are doing. Look at their protest schedule on their web site. Matt, I can't believe the amount of hate they have and the fact that they claim that God is with them. It makes me cry to think that this is the kind of thing that you have to face on a daily basis.

I commented on the newspaper website, directing people to the website for the flier so that people know exactly what kind of people are coming. These children who were killed and their families should NOT be subjected to this kind of hate at this time. This isn't God punishing anybody, it is the result of a boy who was emotionally ill. I am so sick by all of this, and it saddens me to see that this is what you actually have to face in everyday life.

I guess I just wanted to say that I love you, and I know the God I worship loves you, too.

Jo

From Matterdays:



Dear Jo,

Thank you for such a sweet and thoughtful e-mail. But please – don’t waste your time on these people. I’m very familiar with the “God Hates Fags”/Westboro Baptist Church/Phelps clan. They are a small group of inbred idiots who have garnered a huge amount of attention based solely on their ignorance and hate. They picket all kinds of funerals – from soldiers killed in Iraq to victims of random violence such as this. Yes, I face this on a daily basis, but not to this extent. This clan used to really upset me, but honestly these days I just roll my eyes and laugh at them. I choose not to have time for people like this.

I truly don’t believe that God punishes anyone for anything. Why would God create all things (as He supposedly has), and then hate and smite those who act on something He has created? The point of life is that God has created EVERYTHING for us to use, even if it’s something that can be used against others. I truly believe that we grow and learn and understand, possibly through many lives, that we are all a part of God and that he is experiencing every possible emotion and action through us. When we learn to use everything that we’ve been given for love rather than fear, then we are rejoined with God to know the experience of love. There are a lot of ideas that agree with this – even look at astrology, where different signs of the zodiac are “newer” or “older” than others. Scott has taught me about that – he is a younger sign, I am an older sign. Maybe I have gone through more lives than he has. He has more energy, I have more quietness. Not that either is better or worse, just different parts of the journey. And not that I am a patient zen-like being – quite the opposite; but we balance each other. No matter how long we are together here on earth, we’ll be part of the same thing again when we’re both through our journeys. We all will. Perhaps the person who shot all of these people, like others who have taken lives, is simply on a different part of the path and hasn’t realized the love and potential that life gives yet. Perhaps the ones who were killed also have other paths to follow for now. Even “evil” touches us and teaches us things. If things like this didn’t happen, we wouldn’t know the opposite. Life is more than what we are experiencing now.

Let the Phelps clan, like many others around the world, spew their hate. They think they are right. We think they are wrong. We’re all on some part of some journey and will get there at some point. And when we’re all part of Us again, we can laugh at the weird ways we found our paths. Everything we endure in the meantime will eventually become immaterial.

Well, that’s what I hope. But not a bad though, eh?

All my love,

Matt

Happy Valentine's Day

I love you, too.

We're at our best when we're silly.

Off to Dulces.

February 12 of 12

I really prefer 12 of 12 to be on a day off ... especially during our end-of-fiscal-year couple of months. Didn't I say that last month?? I almost didn't play this month, but I had to ...

Anyway - my pictures start after getting home from work:

My Outlook reminder for 12 of 12 - yikes!!!

I'm supposed to be in one of the pictures. right? Gee this is flattering:

We have TWO cats?????

Almost 6:00 PM and still some light - cool:

Scott's home!!!!

Why did the cashier at Safeway say "Wow - that's gonna be an interesting dinner ... "?

The Democratic Donkey that Scott bought me before the caucus:

They may LOOK like Cyndi Lauper and Cher at the Grammys - but it's just another night at home, dressed for dinner for us:

Hunter loves to be near us - he thinks he's a dog:

Our first nursery trip of 2008 - bulbs!!! And the Northwest Garden Show is in a couple of weeks!!

Making dinner and listening to the Schumann Marchenerzalungen for Clarinet, Viola and Piano ...

I love watching old reruns of M*A*S*H* ... reminds me of my Dad:

Happy 12 of 12!!!!

Yes. We. Can. Or not.

I'm still not sworn to undeniable allegiance with any one Presidential candidate ... yeah, I'm a Libra, I'm indecisive. I see huge wonderful things with both Clinton and Obama.

You've probably seen (or should see) this video:

But I know who I will not be voting for:

Oh, what a Caucus!

Scott and I just got back from our caucus - amazing! There is so much energy and excitement going into this election, it surpassed everything we were expecting. Turnout at all of the Democratic caucuses today is absolutely phenomenal; so many people turned up at ours that they were asking people to leave once they had signed in if they weren't planning on changing their vote, since the number of people pushing into the school was over the fire safety limits. (We live in the most Democratic-voting district in Washington State).

Approaching the Madrona School:

People just kept streaming in - it was so exciting to see so many people getting involved!

We're both torn, but we're leaning heavily toward Hillary Clinton right now - here's Scott with the signs he snagged:

Lots o' people crammed into this elementary school gym (and there were many other precincts caucusing in other parts of the school):

Members of our precinct voting for delegates - like most precincts, ours was about 77% for Barack Obama:

Scott and I in the midst of it all:

(NOTE: That thing hanging from my zipper - uhh, the one on my fleece - is a Democratic Donkey Pez dispenser that Scott bought me the day before the caucus).

I was actually a little surprised at how heavily Seattle is supporting Obama - I expected him to come out in front, but not by the numbers he has. But I'm excited and energized with both Clinton and Obama, and by the fervor and hope being displayed by everyone. I will gladly vote for whichever Democratic candidate is nominated with no hesitancy whatsoever - and what a great feeling that is!!!

Here We Come A-Caucusing ...

It's tomorrow.

I'm famous, bitches.

My Debut Album. Y'all have been breathless, I know.

I've seen this on a few blogs, but thanks to jasontt for the links:

**You are in a band. Your band is about to release their first CD. Click on the links below to design your debut album.



1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:RandomThe first article title on the page is the name of your band.
2. http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3The tail (last three or four words) of the very last quote is the title of your album.
3. http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days/The third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.
4. Use the graphics program of your choice to put them together into your first CD release. (I just used Microsoft Photo Editor).



My CD:

Get Here If You Can.

I'm not intending to become a video blog ... but, since I'm incapable of writing meaningful thoughts these days, I'm posting videos instead.

Scott and I saw Oleta Adams at Jazz Alley a few years ago ... wow. A powerhouse at probably five feet tall including the four inch heels. Silky, silky depth of a voice. It must come from underground, somewhere way below her, something she draws from a place that's way before she was born. I think I was just shaking my head the whole time we saw her (from the front freakin' row), thinking "that sound CAN NOT be coming from that body". But Oh Yeah baby, it was ...

A cheesy video, but this is her showcase song. I am in awe of this woman. And she once lived on our street here in Seattle.

LOVED. THIS. SONG. (Still do).

I was more than a bit of a geek growing up. I was never into popular music - I got into my Dad's classical and jazz records more than anything current. I got hooked on Big Band, then Chuck Mangione, Grover Washington Jr., other non-cool musicians.

After my Mom died - 1982 - somehow I started getting into more "alternative" music. Remember MTV, when they showed music videos? Suddenly I was watching bands from Europe - who knew they existed (to me, at least)? I was hooked. Yaz, Tears for Fears, early U2, The Sugarcubes, Nik Kershaw, Paul Young, New Order, the P-Furs, The Smiths ... I suddenly got so, so into their music. In my own geeky-suburban way, I bleached my long bangs, had the 80's mullet, wore baggy grey wool pants (with the pegged cuffs) and skinny ties, and wore angst on my sleeve. Yeah - we ARE the 80's. Or, at least, I was.

Anyway - I still remember the first time I saw this video on MTV - I was home for a weekend from college, and saw this late at night by myself. Something about the rhythm, the heavy-handed downbeat, and the fact that some popular but weird yellow-eye-shadowed American girl was making an impact in England (Motherland of all cool music) just struck me. I've always loved this song.