Sandyville ( People, Places, Things, and Ideas)

                                                                      Music Is More!
I have a relationship with music. I looked up relationship in the dictionary and I chose this definition. (a romantic or passionate attachment ) .My relationship with music is romantic ( : marked by the imaginative or emotional appeal of what is heroic, adventurous, remote, mysterious, or idealized ) and passionate (capable of, affected by, or expressing intense feeling). I thrive on music. It's on my phone, my ipod, my computers, and in my head.  It's in my head that determines my mood for the day. I have eclectic tastes. My first memory is a tape of me singing "A You're Adorable". This led to singing in the chorus of my elementary, middle school, and high school.  I was given piano lessons. I learned every scale ever written and in my sophomore year of high school,I accompanied the boy's chorus. Now that I'm an adult I can be heard singing along with Adele, Brad Paisley, Daughtry, and Motley Crue. Of course, those are only a few. The first concert I ever went to was at the Hollywood Bowl.  The singer was Eddie Fisher and my girlfriend and I sat behind Debbie Reynolds. While I was UC Berkeley Joan Baez and Bob Dylan appeared at the Greek Theater. Evenings at the Fillmore filled when my time when I wasn't at work or attending grad school. I introduced my children to the concert scene with an outdoor appearance of Rick Springfield at the outdoor amphitheater at Fresno State. Over the past few years, my concert going career has led me to places I would never have thought I'd have gone. In 1991 there I was with over 35,000 fans at the Madison Square Garden of the CLASH OF THE TITIANS.  It was a thrash metal performance of ANTHRAX, MEGADEATH, SLAYER, ALICE IN CHAINS, AND PUBLIC ENEMY. The event that I remember most about the concert was Tom Araya of Slayer announcing the group would walk off the stage if the fans didn't stop their disruptive behavior.  I was in awe and impressed. I don't remember his exact words,but he made his point. I've been a fan of SLAYER ever since.  I'm not an everyday listener to their music, but I'm a fan. Another impressive musician is Trent Reznor of NINE INCH NAILS.  I attended their concert in Indiananappolis.  I was sitting in the balcony of the Conseco Fieldhouse in the midst of teenagers discussing the talents of Trent Reznor. Much has been written about the talented Reznor, and his awards for the musical score of SOCIAL NETWORK is testimony to his versatility as a musician. Next on my list is MOTLEY CRUE.  I'm saving them for their own blog as I will be attending their concert on August 16th at the SAVEMART CENTER in Fresno.  I read this morning that I can blog about anything.  I haven't gotten a new puppy to blog about, but now and again I can blog about music.

http://www.myspace.com/slayer
http://ww.nin.com/

Sandyville ( Places, People, Things, and Ideas)

                                                       Walk!  Walk!  Walk!
When the exercise fairy sprinkled dust on all of those with a passion for fitness and exercise, I was out of the room.  While powerwalking is not my style, I do like to walk. When I lived in San Francisco, walking was a means of transportation.  I didn't have a car. I rode  busses, cable cars, or walked. I remember thinking on one particular rainy day, walking would never again be a way to get from one place to the next but a leisure-time activity. Walking became my favorite forms of exercise when I became pregnant with my first child.  My late husband and I would walk in the early evening and talk about the events of the day. It was a time to put away everything and just walk and talk.  As soon as our two children were old enough to be left alone, we could walk in the early morning hours before we went to work.  The truth is he jogged and I strolled.  He would stop every once in awhile so I could catch up.  We would exchange a few words,  then he would be off again. I was left to enjoy at my leisure the sounds, scents, colors,  and textures of the early morning. Over the past few years, walking was left out of my daily routine. The early morning hours were spent getting ready to facilitate the learning  of my Beginning Literacy ESL students. Recently, a friend and I have been meeting early in the morning at a park dedicated to the disabled. My return to walking for exercise and enjoyment is now one of the ways I'm looking at the world. I'm looking at the textures, colors, scents, and sounds of an early morning walk.

http://www.bcf-engr.com/projects/flood-control/sloan-johnson-oso-de-oro-park/.