Not something one hears everyday

This is the exact phone conversation between me and Sweet Bruhver earlier this evening.

SB: Hello Sweetheart
AZ: Hey Hunny Bunny
SB: Listen, I can't really talk just now because we are about to be inducted into the Classical Music Hall of Fame.
AZ: laughter Oh, okay. Later, then.

If I was a rich girl. Na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na

See I'd have all the money in the world
If I was a wealthy girl

I got my first paycheck and I paid the house payment all by my very own self.

Love. Angel. Money. Baby.

It don't mean a thing if it aint got that bling

I like bling. Sequins, lace, crystals, beads, embroidery, 4 inch heels and red lipstick. I keep a compact and two extra lipsticks in my desk.

My work look makes me feel sexy. Today I wore a ruffled top with wide leg tan slacks, ginormous silver hoop earrings and my hair in a up do. This particular top is the only one I have that I can wear my hair in an up do, because it has a ruffle that goes up the back of my neck that covers up my tat.

You know what I do while I get ready for work? I crank up my CD player to the point that the kids close themselves off in their rooms and the dog hides under the bed, and I sing my little heart out. This morning it was Air Supply.

If You're Interested

The local newspaper did an article on Sweet Bruhver and his upcoming adventure. I can't post a link, because you have to be a subscriber to read it, but I can email the article to you. Contact me at nimbus1108 at yahoo dot com.

Ooh, Fun Stuff! Or, a link filled post, and you'd better click on every one of them so you can get an ear picture!

Today, I had my first rehearsal with a big wig in the local Music Club, for which I am doing a joint fund raiser/performance in late September, with quite the baritone and quite the flautist. I am doing Gershwin's "I Loves You Porgy". Also, Andrew Lloyd Webber's version of Pie Jesu with a flautist doing the boy soprano part. I'm going to play my harp and do Simon and Garfunkel's "For Emily, Whenever I Find Her", my very favorite song of theirs. Also, I will play the harp and sing "Evenstar" from "The Fellowship of the Rings"and Bridal Ballad from The Merchant of Venice with the flute.

I get to do a couple of duets with a guy that is supposed to be a first rate singer, though I've never met him. We're doing "The Prayer". Normally, I will only sing Celine Dion while I'm pretending to be a drag queen, but it was a request from the Big Wig, so, girl will do what girl needs to do to raise money for charity.

A Veritable Smörgåsbord.

I Kiss my Children with This Mouth

I HATE changing harp strings. It's insane. It takes me at least an hour per string, and I have to contort my body in crazy ways. By the time I am done, sweat is pouring off of me and I have said words that would make anyone's ears bleed. It cracks Chris up. He thinks it's fascinating to watch this harpist, who sings and plays so softly and sweetly turn into a sweating, swearing, evil woman, all because of a broken string.

My 4th octave F string is frayed. It will break any moment. I'm so nervous when I play Morganna (my harp) because when a string pops, someone (namely me) could lose an eye. It's like a Jack in the Box. You know the scary clown is going to jump out, but you just don't know when.

Over the Moon

I'm so proud of my Sweet Bruhver. He has officially made it big! I won't type the name of the group he is soon to be a part of, because of the Google Spiders, but I will give you a hint. The group shares the name of the rooster in Chaucer's Canturbury Tales, specifically The Nun's Priest's Tale.

Go visit his blog Here and let him tell you about it, but with his own wonderful drama queenliness. Start with his Leaving on a Jet Plane post.

Today's Post is Brought to you by the Letter "S" and the number 13

One of my favorite things to do is stitch while I listen to my iPod. Yesterday evening, I randomly twirled my thumb around on "songs" and let the chips fall where they may. Oddly, it landed on the letter "S",
specifically on the word "she". Turns out, I have 13 songs that begin with the word "she". Here they are:

She-Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians
She-Elvis Costello
She's Always a Woman to Me-Billy Joel
She's Gone-Hall and Oates
She's Got a Way-Billy Joel
She's so High-Tal Bachman
She's Sexy and 17-Stray Cats
She Belongs to Me-Harry Connick Jr.
She Blinded Me With Science-Thomas Dolby
She Is His Only Need-Wynonna
She Moved Through the Faire-Loreena McKennitt
She Moved Through the Faire-Celtic Woman
She Thinks I Still Care-James Taylor's version

Theme Songs

Sweet Bruhver did a post sort of like this and I thought it would be fun to do the same. He used actual sound files for his, but I don't know how to do that and am too lazy to learn right now.

The point is to reflect on different stages of one's life and come up with a soundtrack of that time frame. Here's mine:

Early Years: Little Rascals, Batman and Wonder Woman TV themes. I've always been easily lost in a story, and these three were my earliest loves.
Me and Little Andy by Dolly Parton. I sang it everywhere; talent show, Kindergarten graduation, ball fields, etc...

Middle Years: Duran Duran, Michael Jackson, Wham! and Menudo were my homies. The Reflex, She's Out of My life, Last Christmas,and Parke del Oeste.

High School: Little River Band (Lady), The Monkees (Daydream Believer) and Sandi Patty(Majesty)

Age 21 Tori Amos (Silent All These Years,Thank You), Indigo Girls (Everything they recorded up until that point)

Age 25-30 I had teenie weenie babies, so Cuddle Up a Little Closer,everything Pooh and Disney, Barney, Teletubbies related

Age 27 Harry Potter theme. This is when I discovered the books and thought of nothing else. When I wasn't reading them I was listening to them on CD. Again and again and again. When I wasn't doing that, I was writing my own Harry Potter fan fiction.

Age 32 Welcome Back Kotter theme(I started back to school),Loreena McKennitt, Lisa Lynn, New Age

Now? All of the above, but with some trash rap and metal thrown in there

Trapped in the Closet

First of all, I realize I am showing that I am at least 10 years out of touch with everything by posting this, but I have just now discovered R. Kelly's "Trapped in the Closet". I will show even more what a mess I am because the way I discovered this was through Weird Al Yankovic's "Trapped in the Drive Thru". My kids are mad for Weird Al, so they search him out on YouTube all the time. Perfect mom that I am, I was listening to what they were doing on the computer, and became so chuckly that I had to go and watch this for myself. I am also a fan of Weird Al, in fact, it is I who introduced my children to him.

Anyhoo, after watching Al's version, I needed to know the original, as his parodies are often su-pah genius. So, I found it on YouTube (all 40 minutes of it so far) and I have laughed until my stomach muscles are sore! I am also singing every nuance in my daily life, just like R.Kelly does. I have decided that I am going to do this henceforth. I'm going to hiphop/ghetto/sing everything that I do.

Dolly Parton, Sir Mix a Lot,and Black Eyed Peas

Due to my dear friend TDB's constant references to the movie 9 to 5, and my lack of definitive recognition of his references, I decided to rent this movie. It is camp-a-licious.

Let it be known, henceforth, that the word campalicious has been coined by AZ.

In addition, I also have to mention how rockin' Dolly's body is. The ultimate in hourglass. Were I a man ( or a lesbian), if I needed something warm and soft in the middle of the night, her physique is exactly what I would choose. It's not just the tits, mind you, though, I have to say, wow! Girl has got the curves goin' on!

Naturally I thought of Sir Mix a Lot in "Baby Got Back" (since Jane Fonda and her skinny self was right there in my face in this movie)

"Fonda ain't got a motor in the back of her Honda.
My anaconda don't want none unless you got buns, hun"

Which then led me to the Black Eyed Peas:
"What you gonna do with all that junk, all that junk inside your trunk?"

Just to show you how my mind works...

my music

Everyone has his/her musical era. Now don't get me wrong, I have an eclectic musical repertoire. I love it all. But nothing can comfort me faster than late 60s and 70s music. It drives Chris insane, and I can't listen to it when he is around, unless it's on my iPod.

I remember when I was bar tending at the Radisson Hotel in downtown Birmingham, AL,a guy at the bar gave me some money to go to the juke box and play whatever I wanted to play. After he spent some time nursing his drink and listening to the music I had chosen, he asked me why I listened to my daddy's music. Well, my daddy was only 19 years old when I was born, and I was raised with this music, so it is my music too.

Give me Neil Diamond, Chicago, Bread, Crosby Stills Nash and Young, Joni Mitchell, Jesus Christ Superstar, Simon and Garfunkel, Carly Simon, James Taylor, Elton John. I can't even tell you how many times I have won mid day music trivia at the local radio station due to my love of late 60s and 70s style music. Here are a few of my winning answers.

DJ: Who are the men named in Paul Simon's 50 ways to leave your lover?
AZ: (slip out the back)Jack, (make a new plan)Stan, (you don't need to be coy)Roy, (hop on the bus)Gus,(just drop off the key)Lee

DJ: Name the song and the artist: "She was a lady and I was a dreamer"
AZ: Neil Diamond, Longfellow Serenade

DJ: Complete this phrase: There ain't no good guy, there ain't no bad guy...
AZ: There's only you and me and we just disagree.

DJ: Who was "the one she's waited for" in the Bread hit "Diary"?
AZ: Someone else, not me. Wouldn't you know it? She didn't show it.

Jesus Christ Superstar - Superstar

This is my all time favorite musical EVER. I know every word and note from start to finish. I've seen it live twice, with Ted Neely as Jesus and Carl Anderson as Judas.

A sick shild, school and a harp gig

Huck has caught another bug. His temp is about 102 today and, he says, "the cords that hold in my eyes are twisted up. I need to put soft pillows on them." Bless his heart. The flu is going around his school and from all the reports, these are the first symptoms of this strain. He hadn't been sick from age 2 to 7, but I suddenly can't keep him well!

So, I have an on campus clinical lab day that I am missing today, because a sick boy wants his mom. Fortunately, I earned some brownie points last semester with my teacher by volunteering to put in a week with the cancer registry of Alabama, so my grade will be fine.

I got a call from a local big wig asking me to do a performance on the 25th. Very short notice, but still, it's always nice to be called for something like this. I'm to do two songs with my harp and one just my voice with piano accompaniment, and 2 as a duet with a guy I've never met, with songs I don't know. I must squeeze in some practice time.

I can relate...

Know what is completely fabulous, yet a little twisted? My favorite aunt wants to donate her body to the Body Farm. She has aleady talked to her children about this, and, as they know and understand her, are cool with it. My aunt, BTW is the older one in the pic. My mom is the younger one.

Anyhoo, I know exactly how I want my body to be treated once my soul leaves this mortal coil. My eyes, as I am very close to legally blind, will be of no use to anyone. Because of my affection for chardonnay, my liver likely will not either. But everything else is to be donated to folks who need it. Just think of the glorious wig that can be made from my mahogany curls! My skin could be used for burn victims. My heart is strong. My lungs are the lungs of a singer! Therefore, stronger than the lungs of the average bear.

Whatever is leftover can be incinerated. The ashes can then be scattered. And Annie Lenox (Into the West) , Libera ( Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep) and Kansas (well, obviously, Dust in the Wind)can sing while all those whom I loved and love me to eat, drink and be merry.

Drunk Rich People

Drunk Rich People are officially my favorite audience now. I swear, I just plucked and played and did whatever and they thought I was brilliant. I even did my harp warm up exercises at one point, when I had played through everything I had not once but twice! Know why? I was musical wallpaper in the truest sense of the word. I was there to lend the place atmosphere while these drunk rich people bought art.

And Chris and I got free wine and food, which is always nice.

Ave Maria

My favorite EVER song about the BVM (Blessed Virgin Mary)

Chanticleer
Just close your eyes and listen. There are no pictures on this clip. Just. Listen.