Villagers



Another trip to The Granada last night did not disappoint.  What drew us there this time was Ra Ra Riot, who were fantastic!  But the big revelation for me was the opener, the Villagers, who is the remarkably gifted Conor O'Brien from Dublin.  So much talent compressed into such a compact frame, he was mesmerizing from the moment he walked out.

I thought I had never heard of them before until they performed “Becoming a Jackal” which is the title track on their debut cd.    I may have only heard this song once (I cannot for the life of me figure out where – probably KXT 91.7 – my public radio station) and I had most of the lyrics memorized – to my astonishment!  I think that’s what happens when I hear great writing – it gets burned onto my brain and I replay it as background music to my dreams while I’m sleeping.  Does this happen to you?  This has not happened to me in a long time.  Take a listen:

In case you haven't hear enough, here's a really good World Cafe Interview.  Could this be where I heard them?  Here's their official website where you can find links to their Facebook and MySpace pages or buy cds or tshirts.  Conor does all the artwork, btw.  LOVE that.  You can also download the album on iTunes.  But I bought a CD because I wanted to have the words.  Oh, the beautiful words.  The cd as a whole is a cohesive collection of slighty dark, deeply passionate, beautifully spun personal glimpses into a human experience.  And, lookie:  they even signed it for me!

If you still want more, here's a Tiny Desk Concert from NPR.   Happy Listening.

A Light Just Went On

"What if loneliness was simply a feeling of impatience, telepathically sent to you by friends you've yet to meet, urging you to go out more, do more, and get involved, so that life's serendipities could bring you together... Would you still feel alone?

What if illness was just the signal a healthy body sent to urge clarification of your thoughts, feelings, and dreams... Would you still, at times, think of yours as diseased?

What if feelings of uncertainty and confusion were only reminders that you have options, that there's no hurry, and that everything is as it should be... Would you still feel disadvantaged?

What if mistakes and failures only ever happened when your life was about to get better than it's ever been before... Would you still call them mistakes and failures?

And what if poverty and lack were simply demonstrations of your manifesting prowess, as "difficult" to acquire as wealth and abundance... Would they still cause you to feel powerless?

Well, whatever you feel, I still consider you my only begotten, my champion, and my equal.

Are we close, or what?"

- The Universe

This is from a daily email I just subscribed to called "Notes from the Universe" by Mike Dooley.  I've had some pretty stinky thinking going on lately and this was just what I needed to hear.  You can subscribe to the "Notes" here and learn more about Mike Dooley here and find his website here.

Monday Inspiration

The Layers

by Stanley Kunitz

I have walked through many lives,

some of them my own, and I am not who I was,

though some principle of being

abides, from which I struggle

not to stray.

When I look behind,

as I am compelled to look

before I can gather strength

to proceed on my journey,

I see the milestones dwindling

toward the horizon

and the slow fires trailing

from the abandoned camp-sites,

over which scavenger angels

wheel on heavy wings.

Oh, I have made myself a tribe

out of my true affections,

and my tribe is scattered!

How shall the heart be reconciled

to its feast of losses?

In a rising wind

the manic dust of my friends,

those who fell along the way,

bitterly stings my face.

Yet I turn, I turn,

exulting somewhat,

with my will intact to go

wherever I need to go,

and every stone on the road

precious to me.

In my darkest night,

when the moon was covered

and I roamed through wreckage,

a nimbus-clouded voice

directed me:

"Live in the layers,

not on the litter."

Though I lack the art

to decipher it,

no doubt the next chapter

in my book of transformations

is already written.

I am not done with my changes.

Yes! Fun!!

Some good stuff here.

Happy Monday!

Shared Happiness

Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle,

and the life of the candle will not be shortened.

Happiness never decreases by being shared.

~Buddha

There's a new print in my shop called Shared Happiness. Happy Tuesday!

Treasure

Feeling so grateful for my husband, holding our newborn son 6 years ago, who has a gentle heart, an old soul and the most beautiful hands I've ever seen.

When we recognize the divine presence everywhere,

then we know that It responds to us and that there is

a law of good, a law of love, forever giving itself to us.
- Earnest Holmes

**This isn't the best photo in the world, but I just couldn't resist sharing it.

Abandon

Feeling grateful today for art and freedom.

There is no must in art. Art is free.

- Wassily Kandinsky

Visitor

Today I am grateful for all those who have come to visit.

The golden moments in the stream of life rush past us and we see nothing but sand;

the angels come to visit us, and we only know them when they are gone.

George Elliot

Tiny Bits of Silence

Today I am grateful for those tiny bits of silence that occur in my day - a time to take a deep breath and remember that all is as it should be.

There is no need to go to India or anywhere else to find peace. You will find that deep place of silence right in your room, your garden or even your bathtub.

Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

Play

Today I am grateful that I was reminded to play.

Play is the beginning of knowledge.
George Dorsey

Birth

The beginning is always today.

Mary Wollstonecraft

All this month I am participating in a Flickr pool named 30 Days of Gratitude. Hop on over to see some beautiful photographs that just may give you inspiration to list all you are grateful for. FYI, the Shutter Sisters One Word Project's word for the month of November is Gratitude. Check out their pool here.

Emanation

Daylight, full of small dancing particles and the one great turning,

our souls are dancing with you, without feet, they dance.

Rumi

All this month I am participating in a Flickr pool named 30 Days of Gratitude. Hop on over to see some beautiful photographs that just may give you inspiration to list all you are grateful for. FYI, the Shutter Sisters One Word Project's word for the month of November is Gratitude. Check out their pool here.

Reverence

...my cup runneth over.

Psalm 23:5

All this month I am participating in a Flickr pool named 30 Days of Gratitude. Hop on over to see some beautiful photographs that just may give you inspiration to list all you are grateful for. FYI, the Shutter Sisters One Word Project's word for the month of November is Gratitude. Check out their pool here.

Grace

No duty is more urgent than that of returning thanks.

Saint Ambrose

All this month I am participating in a Flickr pool named 30 Days of Gratitude. Hop on over to see some beautiful photographs that just may give you inspiration to list all you are grateful for.

Miracles

There are only two ways to live your life.

One is as though nothing is a miracle.

The other is as though everything is a miracle.

-Albert Einstein

On Inspiration

If the Angel deigns to come

it will be because you

have convinced

her, not by tears but by your

humble

resolve to be always beginning;

to be a beginner.

- Rainer Maria Rilke

Inner Voice

If you want the truth,

I'll tell you the truth;

Listen to the secret sound, the real sound,

which is inside you.

KABIR

Some Perspective Today

After Years

Today, from a distance, I saw you

walking away, and without a sound

the glittering face of a glacier

slid into the sea. An ancient oak

fell in the Cumberlands, holding only

a handful of leaves, and an old woman

scattering corn to her chickens looked up

for an instant. At the other side

of the galaxy, a star thirty-five times

the size of our own sun exploded

and vanished, leaving a small green spot

on the astronomer's retina

as he stood in the great open dome

of my heart with no one to tell.

Ted Kooser, from his book of poetry called "Delights & Shadows" which won the Pulitzer Prize. He is the 13th Poet Laureate of the United States.

Happy Tuesday.

Hello, It's Me...

Yes, I'm back. Back from a break from the computer, my desk but not from my camera. I just had to take some time to live in the moment and see things for what they really are, go for walks, do nothing - find some PERSPECTIVE. And I did.

I promise not to go away again without explanation. Promise. ;)

While away, I read the most fantastic, amazing, beautiful book: "The Story of Edgar Sawtelle" by David Wroblewski. This writer has made me fall in love with words and stories again. Yes, I did plow through those Sookie Stackhouse books, one after another, like a big bag of Snickers. But this book has so much depth and such beautiful writing.... it was like savoring nice piece of very fine dark chocolate. When I finished the book, I was completely satisfied. Though, the next day I dearly missed the characters. I hear he's writing a prequel, and I'm waiting.

During my break, I also made a trip to vintage car/rusty heap heaven: CTC Auto Ranch in Denton, Texas.

These are a few of the shots I got that day. I still haven't processed all of them. If you want to see more, check my "Auto Ranch" set on my Flickr.

Okay, time for a little perspective:

Now, don't you feel better? I do.

Good Words

"We need a renaissance of wonder. We need to renew, in our hearts and in our souls, the deathless dream, the eternal poetry, the perennial sense that life is miracle and magic."
E. Merrill Root