Sunday, January 31, 2010

Castles in the Air

To view the blog in the published website
or any pictures or attachments you might not be able to see,
please follow this link:


Tuesday, January 12, 2010


Migraine morning, AUCH!!! Though, I have to say, this is my first one in more than three months…

I had to drive to Morrow early afternoon. On my way back, since I was literally next door, I stopped at David’s Bridal. They are having their $99.00 wedding gown sale so I though I would see what they had.

I usually get the core dresses for Voices and Zaphyra there. When I say core I mean I use them as the basis for something I end up altering and adding to.

Anyway, the sale ends next Monday, so I made an appointment for Sunday at 4:30 pm. Grace and Gaby will be coming with me and we will also look at Made of Honor dresses for Gabs.

PS Matt says I am overboard with sparkly, fiery things in my brain tonight!...

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Well, I am pretty upset…I will not get into any details as I do not want to hurt anybody’s feelings as mine have been hurt. Second bump in the wedding planning road, but I guess that’s life…

I will just say again, I am pretty pissed!!!


Thursday, January 14, 2010


I had my first coaching in to months today. It was one of my best sessions to date. I love my sessions with Kathryn. But don’t be fooled, she works me to the bone! ;-) We worked on Rusalka’s Song to the Moon, which I will be singing in this year’s Voices concert, Mist of Night and Moon, and Porgi amor, which I will probably won’t do ‘till next year’s season which there is a big chance will be “All Love Can Be.”

So, after a major vocal workout, I decided to go to Ikea and peek around. I love my new Garmin navi. It comes in so handy especially for such a disoriented one like me…

At Ikea I indulged and had a cinnamon bun. Those things are so yummy! (and brought one home for my honey, of course!) I walked around the whole place, and got a couple of nice ideas for wedding favors. Then, had to make it back home for lessons.

I have to say that Camille gives me some great surprises every now and then. She takes what I teach her and runs ten miles down the road with it; talent and passion, what a great combination!

Later in the evening, I was reading the calendar that Jeanne gave me for Christmas, “Believing in Ourselves.” Each day has a wonderful thought to ponder on. Today’s was:

“Don’t punish yourself for what others have done to you.
You’re better than them. You’re better than you think.”
(Mia Tyler, Model and Writer)

The calendar has an additional thought in the back of the previous day’s page. This one was:

“If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost.
That is where they should be. Now put foundations under them.”
(Henry David Thoreau)

This made me think of a song a knew when I lived in Peru called “Castles in the Air” (http://popup.lala.com/popup/576742248792768015) -- OK, it just came to me, another Voices concert themed around this concept. And I just added a new playlist to my iPod… -- anyway, back on the subject…The chorus, translated from Spanish, is:

And he built castles in the air
In the sun, with cotton clouds
In a place where no one can go
Using reason.

And he built fabulous windows
Filled with light, magic and color
And he summoned the elf of things
That has much to do with love.


This is just a ruff translation and certainly not a poetic one, but I think it conveys the message. As an artist, sometimes I think about the creative process or, really, about creating, plain and simple. Much of it has to do with just letting go. Letting go of preconceptions, of that we have been taught should be, letting go of being able to physically grasp, and being open to the intuitive and listening with our eyes and seeing with our ears. 

No, I didn’t make a mistake. You have to be willing to go further and beyond, to be open to the possibilities and to the fact that those possibilities might not be agreeable to all those out there. Matt told me there other day that I am an idealist. He is probably right. He is too even though he is more pragmatic than I am. And I hope we both hold on to that part of ourselves beyond our deaths. Because I believe that in being so we chose to focus on the best that live has to offer. We choose to face challenges with hope and we chose to share how wonderful life can be.

We all know life is not easy. What would we really learn if it were a steady line? – which, if you think about it, would look very much like a flat line… Once in a while, we all probably need a crash cart stat and a jump start. And those are not pleasant, but they get the heart beating again. But knowing that we all will get our share of rough patches, why would anyone chose to make them an every day life event?

In old Greek civilization, people would study and try to embody an archetype, the conceptual idealization of a concept in perfection. They studied these archetypes and tried to learn from them and used them as guides for everyday life. As a result, they would open themselves to higher levels of inspiration and creativity.

Without access to that exalted state of vision we would all still be throwing stones and freezing in the night because we wouldn’t have discovered fire yet. Without it, Haiti would have no hope and would irrevocably drown in desperation and desolation. Without it, Matt and I might not have recognized The Gift that we have been given and would not have been willing to keep on looking for The Perfect Blossom.

So I choose to be an idealist, to build castles in the air -- even though sometimes I might feel they are made out of bubbles -- and to add the foundations they need to last for a very, very long time…

2 comments:

  1. the thoreau quote - build castles in the air first then put the foundation under them: yes. yes. yes. (thank goodness matt knows how to soften his brain around concepts like this, otherwise it would drive his construction self crazy!) love the idea of a voices concert themed around castles in the air. that's a resounding yes, too. xo

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Jeanne! Miss ya! Lunch is so due! Guess what, I just discovered how to view posted comments on the blog! I'll buzz you tomorrow!

    Love ya!
    Pia

    ReplyDelete