gender bias in the bands

Is it just me or are bands always made up of men? Rock bands, I mean (although marching bands have similar stats, it seems). Woman singing, men back her up. Man sings, men back HIM up. Seriously, when is the last time you saw a professional group with a girl drummer? What is up with that? At least girls have gotten over the guitar glass ceiling, and they often play piano as well. But usually, they do that if they're the ones singing. They're not so likely to do it as backup. What do we need to do to change this? Enroll your daughter in music lessons today... drums, guitar, bass, piano, doesn't matter. We need musically literate women to do something other than sing.

NaBloPoMo

It's National Blog Posting Month and just because the first letters of NBPM are my initials, I've decided to participate. So plan on hearing from me a lot this month... hopefully every day, something small but thoughtful is my goal. Thought for the day: costume pics after Halloween make up what percent of Facebook posts? That's right, 98.99999999 percent...

Remembering the Saints

Jack: you helped raise me, just like everyone in DLC's choir did. You were a role model, singing every Sunday and supporting Mary in her work and everything she did. You were someone to look up to, a good person to model my own life after. We miss you very much.

Don: you were taken from this world far too young. We will never forget your crazy skillz on the guitar, the bass, the harmonica... Whenever I sing "God of Wonders" or "Better is One Day" or "Shifting Sand" I remember you. You were kind and funny and helpful, and we miss you very much.

Readers: Don and Jack both died this year, joining the hosts of saints that have gone before us. Who do you remember this All Saints' Day?

The Ghost of Halloweens Past?

When I think about Halloween, I think about costumes and people. I think about what I've been and who I've shared it with.

I think about homemade costumes that were perfect (the big fat mouse, thx Mom, and the angel) and some that were not (Polychrome, daughter of the Rainbow who turned out to look more like a bag lady than anything else) (sorry, Mom). Then there was the year I was Pippi Longstocking with help from friends and a wire hanger that yes, I strung through my hair. And how many times I've been a black cat (3 or 4, I can't remember now).

But more than the costumes, I remember the people I spent those Halloweens with. How we toured each of each others' neighborhoods, how we traded candies at the end of the night so we each got what we really wanted, how I tried to leapfrog over a bike divider pole and ate asphalt near my friends's house. How I am so close to those memories-- physically, only two blocks away-- and yet so far, in time and in location both (that friend is moving back to the Bay very soon). Of course, I'm making new memories every year, and I'm enjoying new friends and their costumes and friendship just as I have celebrated every year with older ones. I just hope this Halloween will be one I can look back on and be happy with, another memory on the totem pole of life. That's all.

Murphy I curse you!

One pair of white pants.
Two coffee stains.
One spring roll tofu stain.
Three small stains on the pants, one great step for Murphy's Law.

churchy times

Church was nice tonight. I'm not happy with my life yet but it's certainly getting there. I went expecting to play the piano but since E was there I ended up singing a song instead. I now love Be Thou My Vision in a new way... yay for jazzed up piano accompaniments. And friendly people. The music was good, the message was interesting, I met two new people and enjoyed some homemade cookies. All in all, a good week at Crossings.

living life and trying to love it

I have to admit, although I've been thru some rough times recently, I am really enjoying how my life is going right now: things are gelling, goals seem closer and happiness seems like it's just a carrot-on-a-stick length away from me. Old friends, new friends, music, school, classmates, professors, music, activities, music, and music are all agreeing with me. Even my house, which normally feels like a disaster zone, is liveable and, dare I say, neat?

I have not blogged on here for awhile because I have been busy blogging for school credit at femlegaltheory.blogspot.com, which is a pretty awesome website where those of us in the class share thoughts, insights and weblinks about exciting and interesting feminist philosophies. And of course, school and friends and family takes up the rest of my life. I'll try to be more present on here though if anyone is actually reading it.

Despite not being where I wanted to be in life by this point in time in life, I have to say that I have had an excellent week and a half. Game nights and weddings and yogurt, oh my. Hanging out and movies and lunches, oh my. And so on and so forth. Sure, there are parts of my life that I would still trade away with any of my friends'... but if I traded my whole life away I'd miss out on some truly amazing friendships and a very supportive family. So what if I don't have *everything* I think will make me happy? I have a lot, and I am not working for McDonald's or a mine in Minnesota (we just watched Fast Food Women and North Country in Fem Legal Theory). So life? Not all that bad.

I think every day is a new adventure, and one of the things I've been doing recently is trying to record which adventures make me happiest. I discovered this summer that swing dancing makes me happy, so I've been trying to go once a week since the discovery. Taboo (a game) makes me happy too. So does drawing funny looking cartoon people. Hanging out with friends at Yoloberry. Eating Ethiopian food. Writing songs and singing them. Listening to live standup comedy. It's all good, and I'm trying to repeat the stuff that makes me glad to be alive. Everything else, I put into the background, and just do what is absolutely necessary to be done. We don't have long to live on this earth, and I want to use that short time to do stuff that makes for good memories in the long run. Stuff that makes me happy, stuff that makes me proud of myself, nothing I would change if I went back into the past. It's not easy, but it's my goal. What about you, readers? What makes you happy? I'd love to hear it.