What's so Fun about Music?

To the Muse Euterpe

Those of you following me on Twitter or Facebook will have noticed that I have been on a treadmill regime.  The Muse of Euterpe is the Muse of Song.  I'm going to list the songs in my playlist that keep me motivated and give you some thoughts about each as to why I selected it.

The Playlist on my Cloud Player is called "Move it Move it":

1.  Funkytown by Lipps, Inc.  (For some reason this is on every Just Dance game we have at home for the Wii and it has just the right sound to keep me going.) 

2.  Moves Like Jagger by Maroon 5.  (Ok, just more motivational dance-like music here.)

3.  Mambo No. 5 by Lou Bega (I know it sounds like a strange choice, but it's like Swing music to me and I adore Swing music.  Has nothing to do with the sexism. Nada.)

4.  Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F) by Katy Perry (Don't be so surprised.  This one cracks me up.  You'll find a lot of Katy Perry in this list.)

5.  Firework by Katy Perry (See!  I told you!  This was another one I took from our Wii Just Dance game.)

6.  Brick House by Commodores (It's from the Muppets, and I adore the Muppets.  Specifically its from "Muppets in Space".  "She's mighty, mighty; letting it all hang out" says it all.)

7.  Hot N Cold by Katy Perry (I imagine she's talking to a guy in this one, which makes me think I would love to say this to a few men in my past too; plus another steal from Wii game.)

8.  Play that Funky Music by Wild Cherry (I am!  Can't you tell by my list so far?)

9.  Dynamite by Taio Cruz (I'm celebrating my life by working off my butt on the treadmill, duh!)

10.  Closer by Nine Inch Nails (Ok, it's just  raw and sexy as hell, ok?  Wild, passionate, crazy and I love to slow my pace to it.)

11.  I Like to Move It from Madagascar (I picture that goofy lemur dancing around, that's why!  I try channeling the crazy creature into my limbs to keep moving, moving.)

12.  Pump up the Jam by Technotronic ("Make my day, make my day!"  Good music to walk to. ~shrug~  I know, nothing funny about that.)

13.  Eye of the Tiger by Survivor (This happens to be one of my twin's favorite from the Wii.  It also makes me feel like the sweat is worth it.  If you check out my profile here, you'll see I adore tigers, especially white ones.)

14.  Hips Don't Lie by Shakira (Because by the time this one begins playing my hips are screaming!)

15.  Baby Boy by Beyonce (To go with the yummy photo on the left that I have printed and sitting on my treadmill to remind me of a good reason to keep going.) 

16.  I'm Too Sexy by Right Said Fred (Ok, this sounds crazy, but I like this one because I am imagining Vin Diesel strutting his stuff down a catwalk to this song.  Love yah, Vin!  ~wolf whistles~  Shake that boo-tay!)

17.  American Idiot by Green Day (Good angry music.  Sometimes it takes getting anger or laughter to keep you moving.  Ok, to keep me moving!  Picky, picky PC language.  ~huff~)

18.  Enter Sandman by Metallica (Because every workout playlist should have Metallica?)

19.  Jump in Line by The Hit Crew (I've been crazy about this one since hearing it on Beetlejuice.  But, it would totally freak me out if I just rose up in the air like Winona Ryder while listening to it.)

20.  Rock your Body by Justin Timberlake (~facepalm~  You would think I wouldn't want a reminder of the 2004 Super Bowl, but I try to think about how I am rocking my body so it will look good enough for pasties?  ~blinks~  Did I just type that?  That is so not me.  Who was typing that?  Cat! Don't act so innocent in that bag.  I know what you were doing when I was putting the laundry in the dryer.)

Happy Reading!

Musing on Muses - Melpomene

A Tragedy: Ode to Melpomene and her sisters the Moirae

I had a problem and took it to the Fates.

Clotho, the spinner, I addressed first.  “I wish to change my life,” I said.

Clotho, the youngest, smiled at me and said, "Go to my sister, Lachesis.  I weave your life into being, but she picks your lot in life."

I turned to Lachesis, the middle-aged, to request, "I wish to change my lot in life."

"Your lot is now set and entangled with the lives you affect.”

So, I turned to her sister, Atropos, the eldest and asked, "Can you change my life?"

She turned her rheumy eyes toward mine and croaked, "The change I bring will end your life and you are young, yet. Disentangle your life and live it."

I turned to leave them, unhappy. But, Clotho spoke again. "Why do you wish for this?"

I turned and watched her spin.  "I suffer."

Lachesis laughed.  She plucked up a beautiful string and held it out to me.  The colors of the ocean made up the strand, but the weave was broken and entangled with colors that did not match it.  "You sought colors that didn't suit yours. It is no wonder."

"I thought you controlled my lot," I said.

"No, the gods decreed your free will," she answered. "I choose how much string you shall have."

I lifted the string to my face and studied its twists and breaks.  Suddenly, I saw the design it should have.  I saw my own mistakes.

Then a greater design had lain over my sight and it showed me a beautiful tapestry.  I saw what I should have done and what I should have been.

"She sees," croaked old Atropos as she readied her sharp shears.  Snick went the shears as they sliced through the string.

Down I went, my face stained with tears.  The tears flowed into the wrinkles that had marked my face with age. I had waited too long to turn the page.

Musings on Muses - Terpsichore

Warning: Photo below is not for viewers under the age of 17.

When I think of Terpsichore I think of my children's favorite past time: dancing with their little pink Wii remotes to the game Just Dance for Kids. It was one of the best investments I ever made, and I even enjoy joining in once in awhile. It's a healthy past time and I love that they sleep so good at night because their little bodies have been moving for an hour or more during the day to the music.

There are so many forms of dance, all suited to the genres of accompanying music. Ballet is best done to classical music. Sensual dance is best done to music that will illicit thoughts of love or sex. Head-banging almost always is associated with heavy metal. Each form supports and expands the music into a physical manifestation of the rhythm. The beats are a staccato of non-movement, separating out the flow of the rhythmic movements. The body interprets the dots on the paper from which the music is played in its own unique way.

I recall my first time at a dance club. Everyone anticipated feeling the music course through their veins to increase their heart rate. They wanted to feel excited to be there and ready to move their bodies. I remember the feel of the vibrations within the music pounding in my ears, chest, and feet. It was exhilarating. I felt like my body was expanding to absorb the music in order to fully realize its potential to interpret it.

It is this power I am getting at. Music has the power to open up your physical bodies to move in a new way, to recreate the music with your limbs, torso, and head. To become music incarnate. As a writer, I know it also opens up the mind. It pushes new paths through formerly unknown territory. It's a mathematical equation as both the mystery and the solution. It asks: "What if?" It says: "You can." It can be dark. It can be light. It can be universal. It can be finite. Whatever it inspires in you, will be.

And I will leave you with those thoughts. Happy reading!

Distracted all Week

Well, like this ancient Egyptian boat, my head has been in the clouds all week. Not only have I been trying to finish up some books I started with the read-a-thon, but I was also working long hours, going places with my twins and their father, and generally getting adjusted to a new addiction. Did you know you can download a Kindle app on your computer for free and download free books from Amazon? Well, neither did I until earlier this week. So, not only have I been reading books physically, I've also been doing so virtually.

The above photo was taken at the Air Zoo in Kalamazoo, MI within a little alcove for children. That was yesterday's outing with the twins. They enjoyed themselves immensely, especially on all the rides. I, however, found myself wishing I could have gone by myself, or with older people, to enjoy the flight simulators as well as read the interesting plaques about the older vehicles and airplanes displayed and maybe even visited some of the museum alcoves.

A week ago, on August 27th, we went to the Binder Park Zoo in Battle Creek, Michigan. Here's an interesting sight from there:

I have never seen a white peacock before and this one was nearly within touching distance. We almost had ourselves a peacock chase as one of the twins decided following the peacocks was more interesting than listening to her parents.

I know I also promised a posting on the muse, Terpsichore, but I read what I wrote about her and feel like I'm just brainstorming at this point and have nothing conclusive to post.

I also watched a very interesting and funny little video on YouTube. Click here for a taste of what I was watching.

So, readers, please be a bit more patient with me as I work out the kinks in the muse postings and enjoy the video and photos I have posted here today. For my American followers, I hope you have a great Labor Day weekend. My family is grilling out tomorrow afternoon, which will be fun for us. The grandparents came back from Florida early to escape the oncoming hurricane and decided to host a family get-together. But, it will also be a work day as I need to get the house straightened up a bit in preparation of a home visit by my children's preschool teacher anticipated for a week from Monday.

Happy Reading!

Read-A-Thon Overview

Well, here is the tally: 1 full book (Dark Taste of Rapture); the end of "Awaken Me Darkly"; two chapters of "The Word and the Void"; and two chapters of the Sookie Stackhouse book #1.

All things considered, I'm not disappointed. I am a single mother of twins and have a full-time job, so there wasn't much time to spend on books regardless. And I took the twins to the zoo on Saturday which sucked up 3.5 hours at the zoo and 3 hours just driving to and from the zoo.

Now I can settle back and take my time with the rest of the books I have stacked around the house awaiting my attention.

And, I can get back to writing. In a couple of days I will share my thoughts of the muse Terpsichore, the Muse of Dance. I may put in some time on my historical romance rewrite or get back to the intimate scene in my paranormal investigator novel. Only time will tell what I feel like digging into.

I do know my physical activity level for awhile will be low. I currently have a severe case of tennis elbow. I must have just been overdoing the lifting at work and at home, so now I am paying the piper. This is a first for me, so if I'm whining a little too much, don't worry, the next time I get it my comments on it will be abbreviated to a byline.

Happy Monday, Readers!

Day 4 of Read-A-Thon

Day 4 of the Read-A-Thon: I gave up on the behemoth. Sorry, Mr. Brooks. I love your Landover series and could polish those off without chewing, but your "The Word and the Void" book takes a lot more chewing than I'm willing to put into a Read-a-Thon.

So, I purchased "Dark Taste of Rapture" on my way home from a seminar yesterday. I'm already on page 195. This is the third day it has been available to the public and I'm loving every word.

I just got the Sookie book from a friend at work. That book will be after my current obsession.

Summary: 1.5 books read

After the Read-A-Thon, I will be posting on the Muse, Terpsichore. She is the muse of Dance.

Happy reading!

Musings about Muses - Polyhymnia

I sat in church today, mulling over an article about music during writing as a topic, mostly reviewing my research about the muses. In Greek mythology, Polyhymnia was (or is) the muse of hymns. I sing hymns every Sunday morning when I attend church. I wondered about the Christian church and how it would view a Greek demigoddess as the source of their music. Then, I realized, she would be the source of all religious music regardless of religion because that was what a hymn was - the musical embodiment of faith.

Imagine. A Greek demigoddess just embodied a concept that crosses ancient belief structures that have been in contention for nearly as long as they existed. Well, mainly among a few, anyway. Every church, synagogue, temple, mosque, etc. that has any music of any form would have the spirit of Polyhymnia within their walls. I know Muslims don't necessarily have singing in their mosques, but I have heard the Call to Prayer before. The way it is intoned it vibrates similarly to song. Hindu, Native American, Pagan, and other religious faiths have some form of music involved in their worship. "Hymn" does not strictly apply to a book of songs one finds in a church. It is wherever musical vibrations are used to gain closeness, acceptance, even the attention of one's own chosen deity.