MJ

Last night, My Little Family watched "This Is It", the Michael Jackson final video. 

I stepped away from it rather haunted, to be honest. 

I've really been ruminating about the epic phenomenon that is Michael Jackson.  Truly, he is amazing...  and polarizing.

When the world received the announcement of Michael's death, I was at work.  My initial reaction:  Good.  He's out of his misery.

I mean that from a place of love.  Truly, I do.

What a tragic life this man has lived, that which we've seen in the media. 

I'm in the minority when I say I truly don't think Michael Jackson is a child molester.  I understand that most people view him as that, but not me.  My theory is that he never grew up.  He was an adult body with a young mind, frozen in time, in his awkward childhood.  So, in the spirit of charity and a deep desire to be understood, accepted and loved, to mingle with boys -- young  boys -- was where he was most comfortable.  Do I think he maliciously sought out young children and touched them for his own sexual perverted kinky pleasure?  No, I don't.  I don't think Michael possessed a well-calibrated adult social compass, which ultimately led to a compromised integrity -- at least in the context of appearances as the media told the stories.  In other words, he didn't know better.  He didn't realize that he should not talk about those things to "minors".  In his mind, they weren't "minors"; they were "friends" - friends his own age.

Then again, maybe it's the NaïveJackie just choosing to look at the good in Michael. By focusing on the good is not a claim that I support his alleged misbehavior.  It means I think Michael Jackson, despite his trials and tribulations, was a good, GOOD soul.  Though so much of his life was tragic, he had a right and meaningful destiny:  LOVE.

Anyway, going back to watching the video, I was reminded of his raw, immense, broad and pure talent.  My mind remains blown away at him.  At the age of fifty, he could sing, dance like nobody's business, choreograph, feel each tempo, note, chord in such a raw and fluid way.  He absorbed every being, every vibration, assigning and executing each movement seen and unseen a purpose.  He was limber and methodical.  He appreciated talent.  He offered kind words in feedback sessions.  I was most impressed.

The other observation of the video is seeing him live life with child's eyes.  Despite his age, there was a very sweet innocence about him.  God tells us to view people with the eyes of a child so that we remain in a position of wonder, awe, curiosity and unconditional love, unhindered by life experience to cause us to be judgemental and fearful.  Somehow, Michael seems to be trying to reconcile the inhumanity of human-kind with his child-like love.  He GETS it.  He UNDERSTANDS what GOD'S love is, and he wants EVERYONE to feel it, too.  Nothin' wrong with that, and he used his fame and talent to try to pull others into that same child-like posture.

So, watching his body move, and the way in which he interacted with various players in the pending production, it appeared that when he danced, it wasn't just an artful expression, it was a release.  I imagine that he was in such pain and agony and angst his whole distorted life.  He was sucked dry.  He was almost lifeless -- just a shell of a person -- UNTIL he was on stage.  Then, his music transcended his body, raised up into the atmosphere and intoxicated generations of people, impacting multitudes of lives. And it gave him peace-at least for just a few moments.

He sang about political topics, but, I suppose, because his build and voice were so slight, he wasn't taken seriously.  Additionally, because his politics came from a place of L~O~V~E instead of from a place of strategy and selfish propagation of an unclear agenda, he wasn't received as a politically polarizing individual.  His songs Heal The World, Man In The Mirror, Black or White and others are good examples of caring for the Earth and Our Brethern.  I included these songs on my playlist.

I've added those and some of my other favorite MJ songs to the playlist.  You'll surely know them all.  If you don't, you're bitten by the bug now. 

Now get on witchyo bad self and D A N C E!

The Story Of Life

We're watching Planet 51 this morning, eating leftover cold pizza and drinking sortaflat soda for breakfast. 

My Little One:  Mom.  Why, in the movieeee, are all the evil peopllllle trying to hurt the good peoplllllle?
Me:  That's the story of life, love.
MLO:  Oh.

The end.

Grasping For Straws

Hoping for a Perfect Day in spite of the way I feel today.

View From My Back Patio

This is how Summertime Mondays in Texas are from my back patio....

Blowin' bubbles & hula hoopin'.

If My Life Was A Movie, Here's The Soundtrack

SO IF YOUR LIFE WAS A MOVIE, WHAT WOULD THE SOUNDTRACK BE?




So, here's how it works:

1.) Open your library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, etc)

2.) Put it on shuffle

3.) Press play

4.) For every question, type the song that's playing

5.) When you go to a new question, press the next button

6.) Don't lie!

7) Sit back and reflect...!

8) Add your own comments/insights to the entries( in Parentheses)



Here's mine.....



Opening Credits: "I Love This Bar" by Toby Keith



Waking Up: "Promises in the Dark" by Pat Benetar



First Day of School: "Say It Right" by Nelly Furtado



Falling in Love: "Skin Divers" by Duran Duran (oh the irony....)



Fight Song: "Horse Pills" by The Dandy Warhols



Break- Up Song: "I'll Keep Your Memory Vague" by Finger Eleven



Prom: "Forever Young" by Rod Stewart



Mental Breakdown: "Supermassive Black Hole" by Muse



Flashback: "Fields of Gold" by Sting



Wedding: "Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong


Birth of Child: "Wonder" by Natalie Merchant


Final Battle: "One Way or Another" by Blondie



Death Scene: "Too Late Marlene" by Duran Duran



Greet Death: "Break Me" by Jewel


Funeral Song: "Help, I'm Alive" by Metric



End Credits : "Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol

Salt

"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt lose its savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is good for nothing any more but to be cast out, and to be trodden on by men."  ~Matthew 5:13

+++++++++

Properties & usages of salt:  bonding, cohesion, flavorings, preservation, cleansing....

In olden times, salt was valued, therefore bartered or used as payment.  I learned that the word "salary" comes from that practice.  

I also learned that exchanging grains of salt from one's pouch with another's sealed a covenant. with one another.  The only way the covenant could be broken is if each tiny grain of salt was removed from the pouch in which it was placed.  (Yeah -- like that's possible!)

++++++++

This last week, I've had a crazycraving for salty things:  sodas, cashews, peanuts, popcorn, bacon, the whole nine yards.....  And I've partaken in it, too!  This has caused incredible thirst on my part, as you can imagine.  So yeah, I've been downing water something fierce.

Thursday night rolls around, and I attend a meeting at church.  I am among sisters, ladies with whom I share a special bond.  These are new friends to me.  We've all participated in a special spiritual retreat.  I was blessed to be invited to be on the team for the next go-round.  Without divulging too much of what I experienced on Thursday, I just had to document how awesome it was to find out WHY I was having such intense cravings for salt over the course of the last few days leading up to Thursday's kick-off meeting.  

My thirst for God's word....

Being salt is....

.....being bonded.

.....being cleansed.

.....being healed.

.....being preserved.

.....being flavored.

I like that I am called in such a special way.  I'm humbled by it.  I pray to do it justice.

Email me if you're interested in attending the September retreat.  

~Whoosh

Music Minute: What's YOUR Favorite Summer Song?

Man!  I've got summer fever in a badbad way.  I don't want to be at work at all!  I just wanna play.  I want to be at the pool. I want to sink my hands into God's earth and nurture it by bringing forth flowers and other life.  I want to ride horses, go to the library, sleep in a hammock, dig my toes in the sand, lick the salty ocean water off my lips, go for a sail, snorkel, drink alcohol out of pineapple husks or coconut shells, eat fresh pineapple, see a flip-flop tan line on my feet, take long afternoon naps, stay up late, dance with my hair thrashing and my skin glistening, read a good book or seven, laugh till it hurts, rest my head on the bare chest of the Man I Love, and hear some good music while doing it all!

California Gurls - Katy Perry (<~~~ makes me wish I could wear daisy dukes & a bikini on top and not get laughed at)
Santa Monica - Everclear
Summertime - DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
Fire - Pointer Sisters (<~~ this makes me want to make out with a guy)
Soak Up The Sun - Sheryl Crow (<~~~ makes me ache for a convertible)
Good Times - Chic
Hot Child In The City - Nick Gilder
In Your Room - Bangles (<~~ reminds me of a high school crush that flourished during a summer)
Saturday Night - Bay City Rollers (Yep.  I did.  Sure did.  You read it right.  So THERE!) 
I Can't Stop Loving You - Elvis Presley
Rio - Duran Duran (the video kinda sets the stage, doesn't it?)


On that note, I created my new music list on the page with these songs.  We can pretend to be on vacation together..... 

What are some of your favorite summer songs?

Weekend Reprieve

Things I did not miss this weekend:

1.  Wonder Pets, Suite Life On Deck, Barbie Pegasus and generally speaking, ALL children's programming,
2.  Refereeing,
3.  Waking up before I wanted to,
4.  Evening routines,
5.  Shuttling and shuffling back and forth here and there,
6.  Running behind or late, save for my own fault (what can I say?  I'm not known for being punctual....)
7.  Pushing, coaxing, tricking, urging, firmly encouraging,
8.  Constant "gravity pull":  picking up toys, books, trinkets, crayons, shoes, clothes, towels, costume jewelry, etc. from the floor of the car and/or house,
9.  Consta-control-freakishness,
10.  Antagonizing.

What I *loved* about this weekend:

1.  The generosity of my SIL, the teacher, who offered to keep My Kids,
2.  Much needed and wanted time alone with My Husband,
3.  Accomplishing some long over-due tasks and chores,
4.  Going out with a group of friends on Saturday night, then continuing the party at my house till 1 a.m.,
5.  Taking two uninterrupted naps,
6.  Snuggling up on the couch with My Husband,
7.  Sitting alone, hearing Mass in its entirety - even though the visiting Nigerian priest might've been celebrating his first Mass (poor guy),
8.  Making fewer decisions than usual,
9.  Watching Mr. Grenada dance "Le Freak" on Wii "Just Dance", then sing "Man, I Feel Like A Woman!" on karaoke.  Awesome!
10.  Working on the back yard more (someday we'll be done with the gardening project....)

What I missed most this weekend:

MY KIDS!

+++++++

Looking forward to interruptions, picking up stuff, refereeing, not napping, and all the life those Little Girls give me!

Thanks to my Teacher SIL who, I trust, received lots of good girlie auntie-niece time this weekend.  Love you!

Public Service Announcement: Straws

RR and I have a 'thing' about straws.  I believe KBD, does, too. 

Some straws suck (pun?).  Some don't.

Ohhhh, you *know* what I'm talkin' 'bout. 

Some straws are flimsy.  Some are more round than others.  Some are bendy (bendie?).  Some swirl and twirl and curl.  Those coffee "straws" and mixed drink "straws" don't count as a straw at all.  They have no sucking purpose whatsoever.  And, of course, we can't straw post and neglect the very "Idiocracy" straw:  the cereal straw.

My straw awareness came late in life....  I wasn't always like this.

My appreciation for a good, round, solid straw has grown (insert sexual innuendo).  I'll spare you and I both the rest of the details, thereby robbing this Public Service Announcement of its full intent.  I'll cap it off by saying this:  Just trust me on this.

So....*drum roll*

Here's the first three of My Favorite Straws:

1.  Twisted Root - clear, sturdy, long, wide - a true straw among straws (yet another fine reason to go to the Best Burger Joint On The Face Of The Planet)  OH! And did I mention that the straws are eco-friendly?  They're made from plant materials. 
2.  Chick-Fil-A - also clear, less sturdy, not as along, average size hole - a contender
3.  McDonalds* - (no comment beyond this for protest reasons)

If you've never paid attention to this finite detail of life, try it.  You'll notice that not all straws are the same.

I will keep you abreast of any updates as needed.

Go forth and suck.

*I abhor that Mickey D's is on my list, but I can't deny the Awesomestraw. 

Brown Goes Green

So proud of My Eldest!
Bridging from Brownie to Junior Girl Scout ~ June 2010