Blogophilia 5.16: Notice Me

This is Week 5 in Year 16 of Blogophilia! August is almost here. Is it just me, or is this summer flying by? Before long, it’ll be time to break out everything Pumpkin Spice, ha!! Do you like being noticed? Or do you prefer to stay under the radar in life and NOT be noticed? Everyone is different, and that’s what makes the world go round. Let’s hear your take on the subject and share your writes. Join us at Blogophilia, the place for blogging fun and friendship for over sixteen years!

Blogophilia group on Facebook Over Here

Blog topic parameters & how it works HERE

You can do a blog on a site, do a post in the group, or do it as a comment under Marvin Martian’s blog topic parameters. You might not think you can blog, but you can. I have faith in you.

Hard Bonus: Incorporate Lollapalooza

Easy Bonus: Mention accountability

Too ritzy for me…

Growing up, I really didn’t want to be noticed… I never raised my hand, stood back in activities, and hated doing group projects because I had to participate. I just wanted to do my part & that’s it, but usually got stuck putting everyone’s pieces together for the whole. One teacher who was very observant Noticed Me & my work, and wondered if I did the whole project myself. No, just that I did mine & the rest gave me theirs, so I just figured out a way to put it together, but I guess it was my writing style…

It probably seems weird that as a musician, I’m comfortable on stage yet don’t like to be the center of attention. I’m actually glad that other people are in place to take the solos. In college, I’d get picked out as a leader, and I’m not sure why… Here comes the public speaking events, petitions, letter writing campaigns, talks with legislators, heading committees, and yes, the rare but occasional solos… It’s not as bad as what I’m making it sound like, though. It’s cool to be heard, in more ways than one. I used to get letters back from D.C. before I got home… So, say I talked to them Friday, and made the trip home after that, the letter is already in my mailbox or desk when I’d get home on Saturday.

Considering how many groups made it to the mainstream by attending Lollapalooza, but I’m not sure I’d be able to do that in the first place, much less be able to keep it up. Plus, what am I going to do? Recruit a bunch of reed players to cover baselines, harmonies, & play lead clarinet reggae or something? I’d still need bongo players & other percussionists to fill in the drumbeats… I don’t think I’m up for that kind of accountability at this stage in my life. It’s just that what’s nuts, is this idea would be more embraced now than had I suggested this 30 years ago. At least I’m playing in a few groups now, and get paid a little bit. Stay tuned…

Kenosha Pops Concert Band

• Final summer show at the Pennoyer Park Bandshell on Wednesday, July 31, 2024 at 7pm.
• Christmas & other concerts at other sites will happen during the off season, including with area high schools.
• All summer concerts are on Wednesdays at 7 at Pennoyer Park & free.

Racine Concert Band

• Concert tonight, at 7:30pm at the Racine Zoo!
• Sunday, August 4 at 7pm
• Final summer show August 11 at 7pm
• All summer concerts are at the Racine Zoo, free. Please enter on Main St. at Walton Ave. entrance or on the north end of the building.
• There will be 4 off season concerts featuring our high school bands – Park, Waldon, Horlick & Case.

Parkside Wind Ensemble & Community Band

• 4 concerts throughout the year – October, December, March & May
• One of the best community based groups.
• All concerts are at the Rita Tallent Picken Regional Center for Arts & Humanities
• Cost based on status – student, senior, general

Stay safe, healthy & happy! I’m scheduled for surgery on fully torn tendons in the rotator cuff at the end of August. I’m hoping that being able to play in the October concerts will be possible. At least my job is light enough that I don’t have to take time off. I’ve traded some hours so that I will have about 2 weeks – without losing any hours. Just remember, the arts = culture. Support your local painter, music, theater, crafter, etc.

Blogophilia 4.16: Cover Me in Sunshine

Blogophilia group on Facebook HERE

Marvin Martian’s blog topic parameters Right Here

How Blogophilia works, Over Here

Hard Bonus: Incorporate your favorite Beatles lyric

Easy Bonus: Include the smell of fresh-cut grass

Bridge Over Smooth Waters

The weather is weird. Somedays the sun doesn’t shine & it rains all day. I’m just glad it’s not snow. It’s been warm, but I’ll take it so the sky can Cover Me In Sunshine! The smell of fresh cut grass is still a fav, since childhood. That & outdoor concerts at dusk makes me want to sing Ob-la-di ob-la-da life goes on bra, La-la how their life goes on!

Kenosha Pops Concert Band has 2 more concerts on Wednesdays, July 24th & 31st at 7 pm at Pennoyer Park bandshell, 7th Avenue & Kennedy Dr. in Kenosha. Don’t forget to support local music to keep bringing fun, professional & free music to the community!

Racine Concert Band has 3 more concerts coming up at the Racine Zoo. Sunday, July 28th at 7:30, Sunday, August 4th & 11th at 7pm. There are trivia questions & prize packs.

Blogophilia 3.16: Moving Day

Blogophilia group on Facebook HERE

Blog topic parameters & how it works HERE

Hard Bonus: Use a Steven Tyler lyric or quote

Easy Bonus: Incorporate a favorite pair of shoes

A couple boxheads

It feels like it’s always Moving Day even if we’re not moving to a different place… We’re always rearranging, and got behind on unpacking due to the squatter who refused to help out… We’re hoping to have successful yard sales so we can recover some funds then make our bills. On the flip side, our neighbors are planning a block party so that should be fun.

Life gets crazy, frustrating, maddening, etc. My shoulder is still bothering me, and spent 30 minutes in an MRI machine, which made it hurt bad… so maybe it’s a good thing I’m not slotted for tonight’s concert. All of this is just nuts… “Seems like the light at the end of the tunnel may be you.”
― Steven Tyler, Does the Noise in My Head Bother You? 

Hmm, this makes sense… we can have our supporters who are all great, but, we have to bring ourselves to the next checkpoint, finish line, etc.

I’ve had different shoes that I have loved over the years, like the cute denim shoes or moccasins or the Reeboks I had for almost 10 years… but at the end of the day, my favorite is NONE. I like bare feet. It’s the way I used to dance with my son when he was a baby, and sing to him. I seem to remember Steven Tyler saying something in an interview after The Voice or American Idol about ‘never tell someone they should never sing, because they might get too self conscious, and what about when they have children? There’s nothing more beautiful than a mother singing to her child’ – I couldn’t find it, but wanted to share this one. I just loved when my boy started singing with me.

Blogophilia 2.16: Blame it on the Rain

Blogophilia group on Facebook Over Here

Blog topic parameters & how it works HERE

Hard Bonus: Incorporate a song title or lyric from The Mamas and The Papas

Easy Bonus: Include a water tower

The Sky is Falling!

Granted, today has been a LONG day… It started at 6:45AM, worked until 2, came home, got my riceballs done for a picnic dinner… My son made the rice. I put seasoned mushrooms, pickle & canned salmon, we went to get my husband, and then went to the zoo… that’s where the concerts are that I play in on Sundays so we ate there. We finally got home about 9:30, and I feel like I got run over by a truck. I’ll Blame It on the Rain. Maybe I should have gone & got a free shower, but I like hot water. Speaking of which, I live near a water tower so I have good water pressure. I don’t normally sing in the shower, it’s my Own Kind of Music and it’s silly… I crack myself up.

Blogophilia 1.16: True Patriots

Blogophilia group on Facebook Over Here

Blog topic parameters & how it works HERE

Hard Bonus: Incorporate a historical event

Easy Bonus: Properly use “then” and “than” in your blog

Raise the Flag!

I’ve often pondered what it means to be a True Patriot. There seems to be a variety of definitions, and here are a few:

1. one who loves his/her country so much great they are willing to criticize it when it’s wrong.
2. To vote, volunteer, serve, listen, learn, empathize, circulate power rather than hoard it.
3.  One who loves and supports his or her country.
4. A belief in constitutional civil liberties, combined with the right of self-governance of the United States.

There are more, basically a variation of these, in various forms… maybe it’s a good thing that being a woman of my age, I will not be drafted, even if something huge opened up. But if this were the Civil War, I’d be part of the fief & drum corps, I guess. Being part of the morale is just as good than fighting, then I’m patriotic. But then again, I’m more like the Civil Rights Movement & Protests of 1968 with my social causes.

This has been a very busy few days… In the last 2 weeks, I’ve picked up an extra 4 or 5 shifts at work, plus I’ve played in the Kenosha Pops Concert Band for the first time, two concerts and the parade so far, and hopefully more in the future as I’m able. I love the fact that each week has a theme. The very first one was Marches, then Space, then Dance (as in classical type stuff), and it’s really cool.

Of course, I’ve been back with the Racine Concert Band since 2019, and we had our very first concert Sunday, 06/30/2024 (after playing in the Kenosha parade earlier in the day), and I am grateful. I wasn’t able to keep up with the demands of being a new wife & mother plus working and staying in any band, so I’d left there & the Parkside Community Band. When any of the bands play the Armed Forces Medley, and RCB does every year, and we encourage anyone serving as well as veterans to stand when their portion of the piece starts playing. There’s this certain gentleman who tends to come to most concerts, and every time this Army veteran stands up, I get teary eyed. I don’t think I even met him, but, that’s the effect he has. My 1st stepfather was a Marine, and that kind of tugs at me a bit, too. The 1812 Overture was part of our repertoire last night (this isn’t us, but I’m putting it in because it’s a wind band version that we played, like this one, not a symphony).

My friend Barb let me know about a Parkside alumni concert, so I was able to play, and my old conductor from college at Parkside who is now conducting the Racine band, and the new professor at the university both accepted me. I’m sincerely & forever grateful to Laura Rexroth with her never ending encouragement, support, and the way she brings out the beauty of musicianship from each individual as well as the group as a unit. Her style is very graceful, like a ballerina. I’m also wholeheartedly thankful & indebted to Mark Eichner – who I met right after high school, as a young college student… I was meek but not weak, shy but not afraid, etc. I truly believe that having me play in the band regularly (the few times I didn’t sign up, he’d talk me into it) and take various parts really helped draw me out as a person. The skills I used to keep my nerves calm for a major performance is what helped me speak in front of legislators, public settings, and other situations to where I’d have letters from elected officials and other decision makers sitting in my mailbox before I even got home. As a teacher & conductor, he’s more like a figure skater turned speed skater. I can’t possibly be as elegant, yet I’m satisfied with where I am now. The last few years have had setbacks – the pinched nerve in 2020 that almost made my left arm from the shoulder to my fingers useless; late in 2021 diagnosed with autoimmune disorders; early 2024 dislocated my right shoulder, which still isn’t properly in working order yet… But since the pinched nerve, I had 2 major goals – to cook my healthy, tasty, & international meals again, and to play my clarinet again. My immune deficiencies may take me out sooner than I’d like, but for now, I’m at least playing. I still need help with the food aspect, but getting more independent. Music is culture, and definitely doing what I can to keep up.

Mark Eichner & Laura Rexroth

chicken fajitas

My fajitas were pretty good, seasoned but not spicey & very savory (yes, I added soy sauce, so it was fusion food in a sense, and used golden sriracha sauce to give it a warm kick). We will see what the MRI says in a couple of weeks, then follow up with the orthopedic doctor. Physical therapy has been slow on my right shoulder, which is odd, because the nerve was crushed, on the verge of severed… that’s at about 85-90% good on my best days, and I’ll take it. Now if the right shoulder could be the same, I’d be in business…

Happy 4th of July to all of my American friends!!!