wrap up

~ way cool Beatles lamps at Amoeba Records ~

Hey all! The last few days have been nutsy cuckoo with busy stuff, fun stuff, boring stuff, usual stuff, friend stuff (yay!), driving everywhere stuff, and the Mouse's last volleyball game for the season (yes, they won - go Hart!). I always try to get my blog posts done early in the morning, but I've hit the floor running all week (I love that term because it's such a great visual - lol) and the last few days I just couldn't squeeze anything in. It's all good though, because I've had some stray photos and some new ones that I'm going to put together for a little pre-weekend post :)


First off, several weeks ago we went to our mecca, Amoeba Records, and I forgot to post these pics. We have been redoing the Mouse's room a la British Invasion (sneak peek below), and he had seen these cool Beatles lamps there. I told him the next time we went he could pick one out - I didn't remember there were so many great ones to choose from!

This is the lamp that Mouse chose, which I really love. It's their various album covers.

~ sneaky peek ~

And here's the sneak peek of Mouse's room... from left to right: the Welsh flag, the Scottish flag, and the United Kingdom Union Jack flag. Cool, eh? That's the only peek you're gonna get. We still have more to do, but it's looking really awesome already. And of course I'll blog about the "before" and "after" when it's finished!

~ Cheryl's amazing tee shirt ~

 Okay, does this not win the prize for the GROOVIEST tie dye shirt EVER?!?! I will answer for you: YES. Yes, it does. My wonderful friend Cheryl Elm went back east and among other things, visited the extremely unique town of  Northampton, MA. And when she came upon this wild little store, what did she think of? Nope, not Jerry Garcia. Not Wavy Gravy. Not even Ben & Jerry's. She thought of ME :) And she brought me home this AMAZING shirt! Oh Cheryl, I love you xoxo

~ Jamie's beautiful Gerbera daisies ~

 Jamie is one of my dearest friends, and has been for years. But the two of us trying to get together or even just talk on the phone is beyond ridiculous. Our lives are just crazily running parallel to each other but rarely crossing. It's always been that way. So when we DO get together, it's an absolute JOY. We go to the same place, we eat the same thing, we talk as fast as we can, we have the most wonderful time, and it's over before we know it. It's just our ritual. Well when I got sick after the holidays and fell off the face of the earth, it not only practically took an act of God to get us together again, but I had missed Jamie's birthday :( Well would you believe, when we saw each other this week, I wasn't the only one with a gift to give. There was Jamie with a gorgeous vase full of one of my favorite flowers, Gerbera daisies. That's my Jamie xoxo

~ the little things are the BIG things! ~

And last but certainly not least... ta-daaa! You didn't think I'd get a pedicure this week and not SHARE it, did you?! This turned out SO CUTE, you may actually have to click on the pic and see it close-up! Because my rhinestone polka dots are just too adorable :) I went with my friend and pedicure buddy Diana. My precious Diana whom I've also known for years and years. My life and my kids' lives would not be the same without Diana. She is out of town so often, and does so much for others, and is busy loving her sweet grandbabies, our special time to see each other is when she's finally here and we both need pedicures. We sit next to each other and catch up on everything, and then we go get Subway sandwiches. Another happy little ritual that means a LOT to me xoxo

And that's my wrap up for now! 

how it all started + I meant to do that

So many of you have commented on and off the blog, on Facebook, in e-mails, in person, etc. (thank you mucho for all your delightful and very fun comments) that I decided to do this follow-up post. Lots of you asked questions about how I got the idea in the first place. Those of you who know me well, know that A) I rarely go with anything normal, and B) my brain overfloweth with quirky ideas 24/7 whether I want it to or not. An off switch would be nice. So as stated in my original post, the album cover Meet The Beatles! was the inspiration for these photos. 

These photos were taken by a photographer friend about 10 years ago, when the boys were about 4, 9, and 14. These aren't the photos that ended up on our wall, but they give you an idea of how they turned out. And how she didn't quite get my vision. Even though the album cover was right in front of her. Luckily, the ones on our wall (too big for my scanner) showed some great personality and I do love them. But I always wanted to give it another go, so I figured before my boys split up yet again, destined for far away places all over the globe, now was the time.

Our entryway used to be covered with our favorite albums, and the Mouse was really entranced with it. Which is probably why he's also entranced with the Beatles and Crosby Stills & Nash. This is kind of an odd photo but I thought it was cool to take a photo of him taking a photo. If you've never seen the original Meet The Beatles! album, look right above his head and to the left. Now you finally know the inspiration behind the boys' photos :)

So did you miss my American Idol recap this week? Were you on the edge of your seat waiting with baited breath? Did you knock your teeth out when you fell asleep and rolled out of your chair and your face hit the floor? Yeah, that's what I thought. Well, to be completely honest, I TOTALLY FORGOT MEANT TO DO THAT. I watched the show of course, and then decided to let you guys make your own decision about the final 3 contestant's songs. I mean seriously, I'm tired of carrying you along. It's time you made up your own mind. 

All right, all RIGHT. Tuesday night was NUTS over here in Walkerville. I did watch the show much later that night. I was not overly impressed by anyone, even Lee and Crystal who have been my favorites from the beginning. I thought they gave GREAT performances - don't get me wrong - but not their best performances overall. I do think that at one point they were favoring Crystal as the frontrunner - in fact, for most of the competition. But in the last few weeks things seem to have changed. Though it's clear they genuinely like both Crystal and Lee - as well they should, since they are both extremely talented - I think they are gearing Lee up to be the winner. I would be happy for either one, and would buy a CD from both no matter. What do you think? I guess we'll find out next week! 

number 9

Well, today is 09/09/09. From what I read while perusing the online news while I was half asleep last night, this phenomenon of numbers will not occur again for at least another century (or something like that). Which is actually pretty cool I guess. So I put on my thinking cap and tried to come up with a great post for today but promptly fell asleep. After my diet Coke kicked in this morning I remembered one of my paintings has a loop in it that I call 'number 9' since that's what it resembles. I figured what the heck - I could start by posting that. And then I remembered today is remastered Beatles day too! It's way too much of a stretch to try to relate the two in any way, so I won't embarrass myself by making a lame attempt ("number nine... number nine... number nine..."). But I do have a great CNN review you might enjoy reading. You may also want to stop by the Beatles Store at Amazon - they have some fun things going on there. Happy 09/09/09!
Review: Remastered Beatles Are Delicious Ear Candy
by John Lorinc

CNN

The newly remastered Beatles boxed sets are a treat for the casual fan and a dream come true for the die-hards.

The mono set may be revelatory for some, but even the box of stereo albums -- the best-known versions and the primary sales focus -- is a step up from the 22-year-old original CD releases.

Need proof?

Check out "Lovely Rita," from 1967's "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band."

The shimmering guitar intro, followed by Paul McCartney's soaring "Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh," the bouncy bass line and John Lennon and George Harrison's smirky backing vocals, offers delicious ear candy that doesn't rot your teeth.

Many other audible delights emerge to the surface more often than they did in the prehistoric days of vinyl and cassette because of the remastering.

Harrison's surprisingly cheerful-sounding sitar that mimics Lennon's melody in "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)," from 1965's "Rubber Soul," is much crisper.

Ringo Starr's rat-tat-tat drumming muscle on "Rain," from 1966, sounds brand new. The multitracked harmonies of "Because," from 1969's "Abbey Road," shimmer.

The remastering work likewise subtly expands the band's sound from its earlier days, a time when overdubs and studio tricks were kept to a minimum.

Listening to the band's debut album, 1963's "Please Please Me" (mostly recorded in a one-day session), it all but feels like being in the musty studio watching them perform these songs.

Lennon's sore-throated screaming (literally and figuratively) on the album's finale, "Twist and Shout," has never sounded more sandpapery -- and that's meant as a compliment.

Other full-throttle rockers, like the whoop-it-up Motown cover "Money (That's What I Want)" (from 1963's "With the Beatles") and Sir Paul's one-take vocal explosion on Little Richard's "Long Tall Sally" (1964), also shake the walls.

If you want to know what it was like to see the Beatles perform in the Cavern Club during their pre-fame days, play these songs at a very high volume. Just make sure your neighbors don't mind.

But it's perhaps on 1966's "Revolver," once crowned the greatest recording of all time by Rolling Stone magazine, where the magical mystery work of Abbey Road recording engineer Guy Massey and the many others involved is most apparent.

The horns on McCartney's sassy-brassy "Got to Get You Into My Life" sound like explosions, while his too-tender-to-touch ballad, "Here, There and Everywhere," peacefully floats through the air. George Harrison's three compositions (especially "I Want to Tell You" and the biting opening track, "Taxman") are all more impressive thanks to the new paint job.

The chiming guitars on "And Your Bird Can Sing" bring Lennon's lucid lyrics a Technicolor shine. "Revolver's" closing track, John's "Tomorrow Never Knows," full of tape loops and wizardry from the mixing board, is a trip. (No surprise, given its drug-assisted origins.)

The material of the Beatles will continue to impress as long as human beings need to listen to music. These new box sets, along with the Rock Band video game, will certainly introduce the group's catalog to yet another younger generation.

The new listeners will likely jump in instinctively: I took my 5-year-old son to see McCartney in concert last month, and when "Drive My Car" opened the show, he was air-guitaring along with his grown-up peers.

For fans who have been bombarded with these songs countless times, there's something new as well.

A splendid time is guaranteed for all.