green

Green. It's many shades comprise my longest-time favorite color. (Okay, there have been others, but green always makes a comeback and right now it's going strong.) Green is the title of two of my favorite songs. The first is by Joni Mitchell and is absolutely brilliant for many reasons. This one, featured below, by Edie Brickell is also brilliant in its own way. The lyrics are clever and the theme, universal. Edie sings a smooth enjambment over the lines that convey appreciation and jealousy as two sides of a green coin.

The grass is greener for others, right? And sometimes, we are more than certain that our grass is way greener than someone else's. Sometimes we can even envy different points in our own lives. When we wish away the present, we think the grass of our past was, or future will most certainly be, greener. Whenever I remember the wisdom and beauty of this song, I try to kick it back to the old "we'll see" parable. At least for this morning, I am trying to tune into this present moment.

Yesterday afternoon and evening we celebrated the life of a friend who recently lost her battle with cancer. She touched many people's lives. Today we are off to a wedding held at a church service followed by a reception. Sorrows and joys on a cloudy weekend. Trying to appreciate all of life's offerings. WJPP out, wishing you a good day.

in your eyes - another take

Someday, I would like to go to Toronto and join in with Choir! Choir! Choir! Enjoy one of the most beautiful songs ever. Sung with many voices: simple, beautiful, and chant like, Peter Gabriel's In Your Eyes.

crystal river

I have been enjoying Mudcrutch lately. This is of course Tom Petty singing with some friends of his... and a mildly Grateful Dead groove like thing going on. I like the idea that "nothing can touch me here on Crystal River." Today is my first day of some much needed time off. It is sunny and warm and I couldn't be happier than I am in this moment. Enjoy this day.

hungry no more

It's request hour here at WJPP and Tom picked this: Hungry No More by Mudcrutch. Yes, you do know these guys. You do. We have 2 Mudcrutch albums and they are both terrific. Thanks YouTube for doing what you do. (And as a P.S., if *only* I were hungry no more. Off I go to have a little snack.) And by the way, my honorable mention, perhaps my pick, would have been Beautiful Blue.

high hopes

Friends, having trouble blogging poetry or positive thoughts lately. Words are on my finger tips. I am seeking wisdom and comfort in the words and voices of others right now. The state of the world is depressing. I can't bring myself to blog about the RNC or Donald Trump or race relations and the violence that is going on between certain lives and certain other lives because I get seriously nauseated (and/or numb).

Even with all the privilege I have allowing me at times to bury my head in the sand, everyday life can be challenging in its own ways. Living moment to moment is good - and I am finding wonderful distractions, however temporary they may be. This is a melancholy selection. It is a beautiful selection.

Enjoy this track off Pink Floyd's 1994 Division Bell called High Hopes. I posted another version of this song back in 2012, but the video has been taken down. It is worthy of repeating.

Pasted below is a selection from one of my favorite writers Anne Lamott who recently provided some powerful inspiration. She is a bit too "born again" for me at times*, but I adore her writing and her fierce, loving voice, wit, and intelligence. (*Don't get me wrong, I have faith and seek to experience the divinity of the universe . . . I just don't have the specific faith beliefs she ascribes to. Her progressive and liberal activism is admirable. When she asks WWJJD? She really looks into what that means!)

"Life has always been this scary here, and we have always been as vulnerable as kittens. Plagues and Visigoths, snakes and schizophrenia; Cain is still killing Abel and nature means that everyone dies. I hate this. It's too horrible for words. When my son was seven and found out that he and I would not die at the exact same second, he said, crying, "If I had known this, I wouldn't have agreed to be born." Don't you feel like that sometime?

My father's mother lost a small child in the 1918 flu pandemic. Someone in the family is having a nervous breakdown. A yoga teacher was shot down the road last year by some druggies, while walking on a foot path. A yoga teacher! And then in recent weeks, Orlando, police shooting innocent people, and innocent police officers being shot, and now Nice.

How on Earth do we respond, when we are stunned and scared and overwhelmed, to the point of almost disbelieving?

I wish there was an 800 number we could call to find out, so I could pass this along to my worried Sunday School kids.But no. Yet in the meantime, I know that we MUST respond We must respond with a show of force equal to the violence and tragedies, with love force. Mercy force. Un-negotiated compassion force. Crazy care-giving to the poor and suffering, including ourselves. Patience with a deeply irritating provocative mother. Two dollar bills to the extremely annoying guy at the intersection who you think maybe could be working, or is going to spend your money on beer. Jesus didn't ask the blind man what he was going to look at after He restored the man's sight. He just gave hope and sight; He just healed. To whom can you give hope and sight today. What about to me, and disappointing old you? Radical self-care: healthy food, patience and a friendly tone of voice, lotions on the jiggly things, forgiving pants, lots of sunscreen and snacks. Maybe the random magazine.
Do you have your last computer on the shelf, that you really don't have time or effort to take to the after-school program in your town--but you are going to do today? Go flirt with the oldest people at the market--tell them you are glad to see them. Voila: Hope and sight.

Remember the guys in the Bible whose friend was paralyzed, but couldn't get in close to see Jesus preach and heal, so they carried him on a cot, climbed the roof, and lowered him down for the healing? Can a few of you band together--just for today--and carry someone to the healing? To the zen-do? To a meeting? Help a neighbor who is going under, maybe band together to haul their junk to the dump? Shop for sales for a canned food drive at the local temple or mosque? How about three anonymous good deeds?

There is no healing in pretending this bizarre violent stuff is not going on, and that there is some cute bumper sticker silver lining. (It is fine if you believe this, but for the love of God, PLEASE keep it to yourself. it will just tense us all up.) What is true is that the world has always been this way, people have always been this way, grace always bats last, it just does--and finally, when all is said and done, and the dust settles, which it does, Love is sovereign here."  Anne Lamott

hearts and bones

I've been listening to some old Paul Simon lately after falling in love with his current album. This song, going back to 1983, is such a standout. The lyrics contain some of my favorite lyric snippets of all time. So, I appreciated finding this video with the lyrics flashing across the screen (something I ordinarily find a bit annoying). Savor the music and the words. (My suggestion if you have time is to listen to a version without the words visible after reading through the words once to experience the listening only version.) Nicely done, Paul. Thanks, YouTube. WJPP here wishing you a good day.

the werewolf

I have had the distinct and indulgent pleasure of getting to listen to the new Paul Simon CD, Stranger to Stranger, in full last night and then this afternoon. From the interesting mosaic artwork on the packaging to the body-moving listening experience to studying the lyrics, this album is a treat. It is on my recommend list for sure.  Here is the first song on the album, called The Werewolf. Rolling Stone has this to say about the lyrics: "[they are about] about a mythical werewolf as an angel of death alongside imagery of capitalism at its worst. 'The fact is most obits are mixed reviews/Life is a lottery/A lot of people lose/And the grinners, the winners with money-colored eyes/Eat all the nuggets and order extra fries/The werewolf is coming,'"

reap what you sow

Heard someone talking about the fractious Republican party that has produced Donald Trump. "They have reaped what they've sown." And so then that one phrase reminded me of this song. Dogs, which has some of my favorite lyrics ever (Pink Floyd Animals -- in my top three Pink Floyd favorite albums). The more I listened to the lyrics, the more I realized this song fits in thinking about Donald Trump... Dog. I keep waiting for him to implode. I am pretty sure he will. Democracy - we have got to be better than this. 

"You have to be trusted by the people that you lie to

So that when they turn their backs on you

You'll get the chance to put the knife in."

....

"And when you lose control, you'll reap the harvest you have sown

And as the fear grows, the bad blood slows and turns to stone

And it's too late to lose the weight you used to need to throw around

So have a good drown, as you go down, all alone

Dragged down by the stone."

mother and child reunion

Last night we listened to the Paul Simon's Greatest Hits album while cooking up and enjoying a Friday night dinner. I hadn't taken out this CD in years and I had forgotten just how good it is. This song, Mother and Child Reunion, makes me feel lighter after hearing it. It gives voice to sadness and hope in just a few phrases. I woke up singing it, and so there you have it... blog post #3 of this Saturday. Cheers.

nobody dies anymore

WJPP here. I love this song off the great Tweedy album Sukierae. This is Nobody Dies Anymore. I could listen to this album over and over again. Actually, I do.

Long week here. How about there? I am not really crazy about Halloween. Well, except for the cute kids and the candy part. This is the first year that Matt and I didn't carve pumpkins together. He and his girlfriend carved one pumpkin a couple of weeks ago. He left one pumpkin uncarved with the well-intended promise, "Mom, you and I will carve the other one soon." (He does like his traditions.) Soon hasn't happened, and I suspect we will have one lone uncarved pumpkin on the porch for Halloween. (The early-carved pumpkin rotted early and had to be discarded.)

So far, I haven't gotten into the candy. So there's that. Cheers.

let it be

I took this silly quiz today, and as it turns out, and according to this very scientific quiz, The Beatles song that best describes my life is Let It Be. Wow. Love this song and not a bad pick if you ask me. The best thing about this quiz is at the end, my song played :-) Here ye be. From 2015, this is WJPP.

in your eyes

In your eyes 

The light the heat 

In your eyes 

I am complete 

Simply one of the best songs ever written. In Your Eyes by Peter Gabriel. Only someone deeply in love could write this song. It is a passion that reaches inside the listener and comforts just by its presence in the world. Beautiful. This video is a live performance with some special guests, extended version with great solos for more than 10 minutes of listening and watching pleasure if you can make the time. You will find the lyrics on the YouTube link.

The original video is here... a younger Peter. And a wonderful acoustic cover, by Jeffrey Gaines, is here.

WJPP - over and out.

this is how i feel

WJPP with you on a windy, cool October evening. I am pleased to bring you a recent Kutiman upload. This guy is such a talent, and the musicians he samples and combines from all over bring us good feeling grooves. Mmmm. Hmmm. (Click on the preceding hyperlink to play all six tracks on Thru You Too. I like all of them very much. Wow.) For more Kutiman, use the search bar in the upper left hand corner of the blog.

nothing's going to change my world

WJPP here on a nice Tuesday morning. Here is Rufus Wainwright's cover of Across the Universe... just because I felt like playing this today. I am pretty sure I have posted this before, but I never promised no repeats. Peace.

the truth about money

www.storypeople.com

I saw this StoryPeople post today, and it reminded me of a song. (And who doesn't love the lyric, "Why does anyone do anything? I don't know. I was really drunk at the time." ?)

We know truth when we see it (or hear it), but it is so hard to remember sometimes. The times we are happiest are when we don't even try.  (Which reminds me of a lyric from a great Joni Mitchell song....)

The sun is shining and it is crisp here in CNY. I look forward to fully heading out into this Sunday - full of fun options and just a modicum of work. But first, maybe just one poem....

is that all there is?

Good morning from WJPP. I felt like playing an oldie with a twist this morning. Some people think of Peggy Lee when they think of this song, "Is That All There Is?" Yes, she made it famous and was terrific. But someone more contemporary does it even better . . . and this is not even so new any more. Back in 1998, the Walden Woods Project put together a tribute album of jazz standards sung by contemporary singers... with a crescendo leading up to Joni Mitchell's set closer Stormy Weather, (also the album title name). Larry Klein had a hand in this project. It is an amazing collection of songs; this live performance CD was never released. It was the best marketing "giveaway" I have ever received.

I hope you had a great weekend. It was a lovely, busy, lovely weekend. It's Monday. I am thinking... is that all there is to a weekend? Enjoy!

all i want

I am on a lonely road and I am traveling 

Traveling, traveling, traveling 

Looking for something, what can it be

Off first thing tomorrow on a long road trip for work... with plans to drive all day, have a day-long conference Monday, and drive all day Tuesday home. The fun part of the trip will be Monday night when friends are driving a couple of hours to meet me where I'll be for dinner at a famous restaurant ... some foodie fun. I will tell you all about it when I get back.

Anyway, I wanted to leave the blog with a traveling song. This is one of my favorites. This is Joni Mitchell's All I Want (lyrics, here). This is off the Blue album.

futile devices

WJPP here playing a favorite piece by Sufjan Stevens called Futile Devices. I have posted this before... but it has been awhile. It's too good to not share again. And to go one step further, you will find a live sound check video, here.

TGIF. I am on call for a couple of days but am looking forward to seeing my good friends Susan and Steve on Sunday when they pass through town after dropping their son and then daughter off at college. 

waiting

I was introduced to The Devlins and this song on the 2002 Six Feet Under Soundtrack album. It first appeared on The Devlins' 1997 album, Waiting. This alternative rock band is out of Dublin Ireland. This song really stays with me. You are listening to WJPP. Peace out and have a great weekend.

sweetness follows

To paraphrase Dickens, these are the happiest of days and they are the saddest of days. On the heels of Matt's 16th birthday comes the sad realization that our family is soon to lose a special member. Tom's brother Charlie was placed into hospice care on Friday night. We have all been processing all that this involves. This beautiful REM song, Sweetness Follows, has been humming through my head for obvious reasons. I especially like this live performance and the slow tempo that Michael Stipe takes here. Perfect.

Charlie always had a smile on his face, and was a loving, kind, fun person. His family members, and especially his twin brother and best friend Paul, will forever miss him. We know that his death is imminent. We are all preparing ourselves as best as we can. And in the days that follow, we will take solace in many happy memories and in photos from throughout the years. What I hope will never leave me is that I can actually conjure up a sense of his voice and his laugh inside my head. I can't explain how exactly, but if I heard his voice right this moment, I would say "hey - it's Charlie!" For now, we turn to helping Matt cope with his first "close" loss of favorite uncle Chaz. They had a special bond - and I think each of Charlie's nieces and nephews feel the same way.

Charlie was a frequent visitor to this blog and he often told me which musical selections he especially liked. (He loved music as much as I do and we shared a love of Pink Floyd and The Beatles and more.) I think he would like this pick -- and for Charlie, I wish nothing but sweetness. Here are a couple of photos from several years ago. I love these photos.