Take a seat...

Just for a moment.

Music to move you

May I present Emin - not to be confused with Eminem, the white (wannabe black) rapper who sings about hate, killing, drugs...all that loveliness.  Oh no.  Emin has nothing in common with Eminem, other than he is male.  But Emin actually sings (good classy songs).  He's not bad to look at, either.

From Azerbaijan (not that I could find it on a map), this singer croons with a tone reminiscent of Chris Isaak and/or Elvis, depending on the song.  Of course it's the international versions of Chris Isaak and Elvis...would you expect anything less than world music from me?  But hey, give it a shot, click on the videos...He's singing in English, I promise!

Here we have my current favorite:  Don't Go.  It's not a true music video, just pictures...but the song is pretty.

It makes me sad that iTunes does not carry his music in the US store.  I mean, they have it in the UK store, but I'm not fully convinced I can switch stores just to buy the music.  Maybe I can?  Do you know a way?

I'd buy this song, too:  Wonder.  (Okay, okay, I'd buy them all.)

Top photo courtesy of the Official Emin site.  Go learn more about him!

Learning something new

The sun is outside to play, clouds are sulking around the corner, and the day sparkles with adventure.  Brilliant blue beckons at the soul to come out and play.

After a late, lazy morning, filled with huckleberries and pancakes, one can only hope to partake in the something new that twinkles on the horizon.  The air is warm and softly teases pink cheeks as the sun laughs down.

It's a lovely day to be alive, to breathe in the scent of pine as you manage yard work.  Today is warmer than the past few, more lively, and happy to see you.  Fall is on it's way, but summer has yet to bid it's final farewell.  Once again you can leave the house clad in shorts.  Tonight will be warm enough to enjoy a picnic in the serenity of the backyard with the company of friends or a good book.

And so today, before the evening warmth comes, it is time to meander along the river and let peace flow over you.  Of course, if you should happen to wander off the Centennial Trail and climb on the rocks along the shore, new items will delight you.

Grasshoppers jump hurriedly away from you...bugs swirl on top of the water...mini waterfalls spread around you as water cascades between rocks...and if you look over toward your companion, you might happen to notice a reddish tint in the water.  Peering a little closer from your perch on top of a boulder, you notice it looks a bit like a lobster.  Curiously (yet gently) poking at it with a stick to 1) see what it really is and 2) show your friend where you're looking, it darts down.

It is a lobster!

Okay, well, technically a crawdad/crayfish/crawfish.  It's surprising how red his body is, as he stumbles along the murky rocks.  After a few minutes he disappears from your view on your vantage point.  Who knew there were crawfish in the Spokane River?  Kind of neat, actually, although surprising, given how contaminated the Spokane River is.

They do say you learn something new every day.

There's Machu Picchu, now turning...turning...

Image:  Arvind Balaraman/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Just kidding!  I haven't been to Machu Picchu...

Yet.

The travel section is, was, and always will be where you can find me in a book store.  Walking into Barnes and Noble, I instinctually know where my books are, as if the wild aroma of adventure wafts over to me from the small section marked travel essays.

With a quick wave to my companion, I veer off in the direction of my books.  If the manfriend is lucky, I'll order a drink before disappearing into the books.

God's Middle Finger:  Into the Lawless Heart of the Sierra Madre.  I'm going to have to read more of that, but let's see what else.  Too Much Tuscan Sun.  Hmmm...maybe.  Into Thin Air.  I dunno.  I'll Never Be French.  That's for sure.  Turn Right at Machu Picchu.  What's this?  Machu Picchu? The book brazenly demands of you before it is even opened.  I...just...might...  I glance at the back.  Alright, I will turn at Machu Pichhu.  That is, if I ever get there.

I stride back to the table reserved by the manfriend and remaining "half" of a tiramisu parfait, my eyes too busy scanning the first pages of the text to notice the missing part of my dessert.  The  next hour escapes my notice as Mark Adams guides me through his background.

Manfriend:  Ready to go?

Me:  blank stare

Manfriend:  Ready?

Me:  You're buying me this book?

Manfriend:  Can't you get it from PaperBack Swap*?

Me: Not available... You're buying me this book?

Manfriend:  How much?

Me:  (glancing around) Uhhh, $27?

Manfriend:  Isn't it cheaper online?

Me:  You're buying me this book now, or I'm buying it online.  Today.

Manfriend:  How much online?

Me: $17.

Manfriend:  pointed look

Me:  Fiiiiiiine.

I don't know that he believed me, but by the time we walked through the front door, the book was bought and paid for online.  It's addicting, both funny and interesting.  Mr. Adams manages to wind his story of adventure traipsing around in the Amazon with that of the Inca and how Machu Picchu came to be discovered after so many years by Hiram Bingham.

The Amazon.  The Inca.  Rainforest.  The Andes.  Discovery.  History.  Latin America.  It reminds me of all that time I spent in Ecuador, yet with my favorite learning thrown in.  When will this book get here?

I pace around the house, count the days.  Hellooooo, universe, (or Amazon), I'm waiting!

Finally!  Finally.  At long last, it's here!

I might be MIA for the next few days as I get lost in the world of books, but it'll be worth it.  Feel free to entertain yourself in this lull by buying your own copy of the book here.

All anyone's going to see of me in the next few days

*PaperBackSwap is a free online book trading community that mails requested books between members, which is a great way to recycle books and make them more affordable.  Go check it out!

This is not a serious post by any means

"Prince Ali, mighty is he, Ali Ababwa!  Strong as ten regular men, definitely..." resounded through my bathroom this morning while I soaped up my hair.

Just kidding!  I don't sing in the shower.  Well, not typically.  Sometimes I do, but it's more like this:



But without that fantastic voice.  Picture a teenage male hitting puberty.  It's more like that, but slow and in Spanish, like this guy.  (Yes, I am female...so what if I have a rather masculine singing voice?)

However, today was different.  I was singing in English.  That infernal song, Sky Mall Kitties, was stuck in my head in the shower this morning.  Thank you, Aunt Becky.



PS.  Yes, I do randomly break out into the songs from Aladdin.  Often.  Just ask anyone who knows me.  Most of the time people just roll their eyes and walk away.  It hits me at the most random times.  But I have never had that song pop into my mind while scrubbing myself clean.

PPS.  Did you know that they make toilets that can play your music?  I think I need one!  And then I'd put in the Tarzan song by Aqua...Can't you just picture it?  Check it out:



My life would finally be complete.  What do you think?  Could you live without a toilet that sang to you?

Relaxing

Sometimes you just need to take a break from cleaning, cooking, working...and just do nothing:  a good book, some sun, maybe some music.  Today is a good day.  I hope you're enjoying your day just as much as I am.