Madison Square Garden

My son and his college friends went to Madison Square Garden to watch Syracuse University play in the Big East Tournament yesterday. Having never been there, it was an impromptu adventure where things fell miraculously into place for them as they arrived for The National Anthem. Oh, to be in your early thirties at a wonderful event with great friends!!! Two such memories immediately jump out for me.
The first was a Moody Blues Concert. On the way to an early morning college class, we heard an announcement on the radio that the tickets were going on sale at 10 AM in NYC. Damn! No way we could get there. And then Janet said the incredible words,

"I'll call my mother and ask her if she would go and pick up tickets for us."

"What? Are you kidding me? She would even entertain the notion to do that?"

I was NOT a believer in even an outside chance that this would possibly happen.

Well it did. Her mom [my adopted mom] went to the city and got those precious tickets. As we sat in our seats among thousands of fans, the lights dimmed and favorite song after favorite song resonated throughout the massive arena. It was absolutely the best!!

The other 'frozen in time' event in Madison Square Garden was also at a concert where many artists were featured. After Peter, Paul, and Mary concluded their part, Neil Young hopped up on stage and began his featured set. As he finished a song, a man went up to the edge of the stage and called Neil Young over to him to give him a message. Neil came back to the microphone and said,

"Hey people...the war is over. It has finally ended."

The entire audience stood up and applauded for 20 minutes. And as you looked around the arena, out of the relative darkness, came light one by one as people held a flame in the air [from a lighter]. It was an amazing experience. Can't really put it into words effectively.

And here it is 35+ years later, and my son says,

"Hey Mom...You've been to Madison Square Garden, haven't you?"

"Oh yeah! On more than one occasion."

Memories of a former life for me...in my twenties...in the 70's...in the 'Garden'.

My birthday celebration...and 'All That Jazz'

Shuffled off to Buffalo for a day with my sun...ok.. I know it's son!

For my birthdays and Christmas, I have asked for entertainment tickets to something that the two of us could enjoy together. In the past, we have enjoyed magnificent performances of the Lion King, Wicked, Rent, and yesterday we attended the musical 'Chicago'. It was singing and dancing with energy that I can't even imagine sustaining on a daily basis! A good time, for sure!

My day started at 730 AM with a 2 hour + Thruway ride to spend the day in Buffalo. I shared some sunflowers and 'glads' to go with the new windows on his house and I brought a huge rawhide bone for my grandpup Hank. Was he ever happy about that! Joy!

After carrying it around in his mouth like a prized possession, we went for a visit to the 'dog park', one of my requests for the day. It is a free to the public, open 24/7, fenced in area where dogs run around and play[hopefully]. There is a small dog area and a large dog area. Hank had to be among about 25 average to large dogs communing together along with one highly spirited and in no way intimidated 'small dog' running with the big dogs. What a hoot! Plus, Hank and I got to go for a ride in my son's new car ...Hank had the back seat all to himself. The new car doesn't look a year old, and has features that I didn't even know existed. Not only a keyless entry, but also a keyless start! There are other amazing features besides being a dynamite looking car...it's pretty smart. Modern technology...mind boggling!

We had brunch at a restaurant that was 2 blocks from the theater. We shared a crock of chicken pot pie soup[ we laughed about it being a first...sharing soup!! and both agreed that we wouldn't necessarily do that with anyone else!!] and then roast beef au jus on salted kimmelwick rolls . Ummm delicious!

Our seats were in the second balcony in the center of the theater. And imagine my surprise when I was told that, "No, we don't have an elevator!" So up the stairs ...slowly..one at a time... with my 'newly physically -therapied legs'. And it was ok. I guess people in wheel chairs must be sure to get tickets on the main floor, or miss out on the entertainment altogether.Back to the house, and I had to leave since it was the same 2+ hour thruway trip and I was hoping to not spend too much time driving in the dark. It rained the entire way home, and traffic came to a screeching halt at one point because of an accident. Motorcycle and a couple of cars. And deer grazing not far from the road. When I pulled into my garage, there was a silent 'Thank ya Jesus' followed by an ecstatic Flo [Mom] who would then relax because I was home.

It was a great time and I look forward to the next outing. I'm hoping for tickets for, ' In the Heights' which I googled and it looks very interesting. But the best part is the one-to-one with my sun. [I know... it's son!]

Make someone happy...

Happy Birthday to 'Good Night Sweet Jesus' !! That is Flo's nickname for the music teacher where I used to teach. I have two friends with the same first name and so when listening to a story, Flo will ask, "Which one are you talking about?" and I will sing the answer, "Good Night Sweet Jesus." The story behind that?? The short version:

One of my mom's favorite songs is 'Let There Be Peace On Earth', and whenever she went to church, she would always be hoping that they would sing that song. The organist met me at church and she played it and I taped it onto a cassette for Flo to listen to whenever she wanted to hear it. Since the tape had 3 hours, I started filling it with her other favorites that I was aware of, and nonchalontally asked her if I missed any.

She said, "Good Night Sweet Jesus' is a long ago favorite, but you I haven't heard it in years." I tracked down a copy of the music, and as we went for communion, the organist started playing it. She poked me in the back and said, "That's Good Night Sweet Jesus!!!" Great fun!!

So, I added it to her tape via my very talented music teacher BFF with the trained and beautiful voice! And that is how she was renamed 'GNSJ!!'

O Happy Day, Birthday Girl!

And this is why I sing!

I sing because...I sing. It is an involuntary thing [like your heart beating] and all I need to hear is a word of a song that I know, and I want to burst into song. My soul smiles while in song. My talent would not sell out Madison Square Garden, but it is fun for me! And I could no more stop singing than stop breathing.
For years in my classroom, I tried to get kids to try things that they were not good at...even if they were not as successful as the person sitting next to them. At some point in time, it became more important to be the best at something, or else forget about it. I will admit that if you have someone sitting right next to you telling you how easy something is when you are having major trouble getting it going...it is very annoying. I signed up for an in -service computer class on 'drawing' and the person to my right was from another district talking how easy this was going to be!. As the directions were given, I listened intently and watched the room's monitor. By the time I was able to get smoke coming out of the chimney on my house, she had gone ahead and put a welcome mat before her front door with words and flowers! It certainly was disheartening and to those bragging type of killjoys, I say, Boo! Hiss! And your boasting stinks!....

I understand that sometimes it is necessary to cast people in roles based upon their talent[ Broadway musicals, surgeons, architects, etc.] but for the most part, people are missing out on many things.

It's kind of sad that our 'society' seems to have the power to dictate what is good, right, pretty, fashionable, valuable, important, etc. and as a result, many passionate and talented people are overlooked and unknown.
So, the moral of the story is...'Be true to yourself' and if yodeling makes you happy...yodel on!

Kids...education...cuts...my personal opinion.

Today I traveled back to the school where I taught because it was time for their annual musical. This year, it was 'Music Man [Junior]' and I was told that 80 kids were a part of the singing and dancing. The music teachers are wizards when it comes to this. Many, many successful productions have preceded this one, and now they perform at the high school because there was a renovation project which included a brand new auditorium. It is always fun to see the transformation from , for example, annoying kid in your math class who doesn't do his homework often enough...to a singing and dancing marvel whose lines are all memorized and the performance was 'well done, too!!'

Well, today I realized that when you don't know the kids, it's certainly not as much fun. I have been retired for 4 years and since the building is grades 4-6,they were all unfamiliar faces. It was still great to see kids get to show a different side.... other than their 'I must pass the state test ' persona...which by the way has already taken its toll on the 'cut, paste, and make it yours' types of activities. Those minutes now go to 'that which is tested, with the results compared to every district in the county published in the newspaper, and monitored by the state. Don't think for a second that I don't understand the value and importance of reading, math, soc st, science, etc. And that priorities and guidelines needed to be addressed.

My personal opinion is when kids eat healthy food, get sufficient sleep, spend fewer hours in front of a screen [ tv, play station, computer, cell phone], and have someone who helps them keep school a top priority...when that happens you will see the scores go right off the charts. Part of the roll of "Be a Parent" not a friend.

What worries me is that with the current economic climate, the discussions will begin about what to cut. Will it be staff? We have already seen the library staff take a hit. Will it be the arts? Music, Art, and Phys Ed, develop special skills as well as people skills. Will it be extra programs? Sports? Clubs?

The bottom line seems to always come down to money and property taxes. I'm not rich, I pay school taxes, and I don't have any kids in school [now]. But I can see the bigger picture and our future depends on the next generation of thinking, capable, and productive citizens with people skills. And that is an investment of time and money. Pay for it now...or pay for it later.

Be a part of the solution...whether you are a taxpayer, a parent, a concerned person, or a future senior citizen.

Oh yeah...the musical today...to all who were involved...Bravo!!

I know that a lot of time and effort went into it, and the smiles on the kids' faces at the curtain call were priceless. I hope there are many more to come.

Encore...encore!!! Care to join me?

Inside of me is not the skinny person trying to get out, it is the musical part of me that actually does get out when possible. I have joked with my mom that if she had spent the money [what money??] on music lessons when I was a kid, she would be living with me in a house by the ocean!!!
I have music in my head that merely a word will summon up a song to sing. I was known to burst into song in the classroom, often using 'The Brady Bunch' melody or another recognizable tune while changing the words to what their homework was for that day. I'm a believer that to sing, you need a voice...not a Barbra Streisand voice...a voice!

I was an honorary member of the school's band, popping in to listen [to my students]and occasionally would begin to conduct when the band director[a good friend] was tending to some interruption. The kids humored me, and it was fun. I marched with them in the Memorial Day Parade one year. I still wear the shirt!


Sometimes I would pop into their band rehearsal, and I would ask,
"Anything that I could join in with...tamborine...triangle?" And then one day when I walked in when they were practicing for the spring concert, one of my kids was playing the cymbals and I jokingly said, "I can do that!!"
"Get her a pair of cymbals!"

I jumped up on the stage, stood next to Martin, and picked up my pair of cymbals. {By the way, do you have any idea how heavy those cymbals are??} Well, I was surprised, and with my hands[ somewhat challenged], it was a bit of an adjustment. However, no problem!! And then Steve said that I could play those cymbals not only in the dress rehearsal for the school, but why not also in the actual concert for the parents and guests!!
"Are you kidding?? "I was kind of nervous, but what the hell...I mean heck![Kids present].

When it was time for the last song of the program,"You're a Grand Old Flag", Steve announced that we had a guest musician[haha], and explained that I would be joining the band to accompany them on the cymbals. Wahoo! I took my place [in the back..whew!] next to Martin, hoisted those 50 pound cymbals[ slight exaggeration], and the song began.


The golden moment for me was in the last verse when I was most 'in sync' with my buddy Martin. As the song built up to the finale, we looked at each other and smiled as we crashed those cymbals in unison. Fun! Fun! Fun!

So what made me think of this again?
While watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, a large band marched into the picture and they were all middle-aged people in uniform having a blast belting out a song!! They were the "Awesome Original Second Time Arounders" and the criteria for joining isn't too difficult. There were also letter carriers spelling out the name of the band who played no instruments. I could do that!! I even have experience at that!![I was the banner carrier for my high school band.]
I googled the organization, signed up, and they have sent me an email verifying my membership!! So, I may get to join the band again. Watch for me. Hey...stranger things have happened! It's true. Really!!