We tried to have a little fun to make the chore less of a bore:
This song will go down as one of my favorites of the year. Right up there with 40 More Falls and a few others. That’s ok to say, isn’t it? I mean, I’m not saying it’s a good song. I’m just saying I think it’s one of my not-so-bad ones. Let’s try again: This song isn’t nearly as crappy as most of the songs I’ve written this year. It sits on the “less-crappy list” right up there with 40 More Falls and a few others.
There. That’s better.
The song surprised me. It became more than I thought it would. I’ve wanted to write a song like this for a while – a song about the depravity of man – about the general brokenness of our souls – about how we’re all messed up in some way. All of us. Undeniably. It’s darker than I thought it would be, but dark enough to get the point across. Maybe this is an Ash Wednesday song. Maybe.
If I had time, I’d bring in a few other elements of sound to amp the pre-bridge section. Maybe I’ll put that on the to-do list for 2010.
Love to hear your thoughts:
(And if any of you are wondering: No, I haven’t finished a single song this week. I’ve been fighting a head cold that has left me stranded on the couch watching an entire season of Survivor. And I think that’s ok. My mind is resting, and I expect to bury these last 5 very soon. VERY soon.)
(This has been one of those weeks where Monday felt like Tuesday. TODAY feels like Tuesday. But Tuesday did NOT feel like Tuesday. Go figure.)
Hi.
I don’t think there was an ending question last week.
So… I’ll just give the rules and we’ll get this party started – fashionably late! Answer the last, ask the next. Come back as often as you like.
Let’s start with this one: What did you think of Adam Lambert’s performance at the AMA’s?
Last night I went to my final “worship committee” meeting to plan Sunday’s service at our church. It’s the last one where I’ll lead worship.
We’ve already seen our last beautiful colorful breath-taking fall up here.
I’ve *probably* already attended my last Wives’ Small Group meeting – which started in my own 500 sq ft apartment 3 years ago.
When I went to the grocery store, I thought “I may not have to buy this again before we move.”
I hung out with one of my closest seminary friends on Saturday night – and I told myself that would NOT be the last time we hang out.
I know when my last day of work will be.
My last Tuesday of leading worship at our Seminary Chapel service will happen next week.
We’ve already got plans to spend a bit of time with a few of our favorite seminary couples. My calendar shows our last dinner date with them… Ugh.
And, then, there’s the going-away party, which we can’t skip………
The “lasts” are upon us.
So. Help me here. How do you handle moving and packing and stressing and goodbyes? What can I do to get through this?
I knew this day was coming, but I didn’t think it’d happen so soon.
In fact, I’ve done a number of things to prepare for it. And now, even though I’m way ahead of schedule. Even though I have a handful of half-written songs that I could pull from right now. And even though I have some song ideas in the back of my mind that I really believe in.
Even with all that, I’ve hit that place in 2009 where the mere thought of writing (what will likely be a really crappy song) makes me want to cry.
(And, let’s just be honest, everything makes me want to cry right now.)
My heart pounds at the thought of typing this: I don’t want to write.
I don’t want to. I don’t don’t don’t don’t don’t.
I think it’s the swirling spinning stormy combination of all the excitement in my life. blah blah I’m not complaining. I genuinely AM excited about life and what’s before us. I just need a nap. A nap that’ll last about 4 days, because, well, there’s a lot going on. (This is the part where I remind myself that “negative stress affects us in the same way that positive stress does.”)
I’ve got 5 songs staring me in the face. FIVE. And the 95 behind me are doing nothing to contribute to any creative momentum I once had…
The pen feels heavy.
My brain moves like molasses.
These 5 feel as impossible as the 100 I started with.
5 to go.
Piece of cake, right?
I had a dream the other night. The kind of dream that sticks with you.
I was hanging out in a city. Urban. Cars. Sidewalks. Big buildings. Noise.
My friends were having a street concert. There were about 50 people gathered to listen. The concert was like an all-day music event. Slightly Christian, but not “preachy.” Just hanging out with good people, good culture, and good music.
A heckler in the crowd picked up on the fact that the musicians were Christian. And he started asking loud and not-so-nice questions. One of the musicians lost his cool and joined in the “debate” with this guy.
I knew things were going to get bad.
Shortly after that, a woman and a few “men-in-black” came on the scene. She and her boys were trying to stop the concert, shake up the crowd, and get the musicians to shut up. They started grabbing musicians by the arms.
That’s when I jumped in. I told her that she couldn’t do that. She couldn’t just take them away for playing music.
She said she could. She was taking them to the police. She was some sort of politician or something. I told her to bring the police to us. “Where’s the police? Go get the police.”
Pushing and shoving us backwards, she and her boys were in our faces. We couldn’t stop them from moving us along. She was close enough for me to talk to her. I said we had a right to be there just like anybody else. She said we can’t proclaim our faith like that in the public square. She said we are in violation of others’ rights when we push our faith out like that.
I noticed her “we’s” and “our’s” were different. Like she was including herself in the “we.”
I asked if she was a Christian. “I can’t say that I am. Not in public like this.”
There was a flash of fear in her eyes. She’d been silenced by the Government.
Now, we were being silenced as well.
That’s when I woke up. And I couldn’t help but think that we aren’t far from that becoming a reality in our country. So I had to ask myself what would I do if that was a reality?
I don’t know the answer yet. I hope I would stand firm like I did in that dream.
What would you do?
[insert WW logo here - but I don't have time to go finding the link & all]
How can November be half over?
(Ignore that question. Just general randomandyness.)
I think I skipped a WW last week. Sorry. Blame it on the house madness.
Last time’s question. Hmm… Let’s see. It was from the beautiful and funny and talented and married (sorry guys) JR:
Q: do you burp silently or out loud like a big snarly bear-man?
A: no 
Ok. Now, let’s get started with THIS week! How do we play? well, you answer the last question and ask the next question, then the person after you answers your question and asks another question, and you can return again and again and again. And don’t be afraid of the chaos that sometimes ensues. It’s normal (for us).
Starting question: How can November be half over?
Go.
I sat in small group last night and remembered when we started one, over three years ago, in my apartment. Now, 3 apartments and 3 years later, it’s still going.
I wondered if last night would be the last time I go to small group here. I thought about how much I’d miss the friends in that group – the friends that were once a part of the group – and the friends from seminary that never even made it to the group. So many faces…
Then I remembered the friends we’d return to back in Georgia. And the new friends I’ve already made in the process. And the friends I’ve yet to meet.
And then I thought about how many seminary friends we’ve already invited to come down and take a vacation on the warm Georgia coast… And how I really do want these people to see my Georgia world. And how much I want my Georgia world to see these people. And I thought about the ones who probably WILL see my southern life. And how excited that makes me.
And then I thought about packing. And the house (or lack thereof). And the drive down. And Christmas AND New Year’s between our move and our first day of work. And whether or not we’ll have to time to paint. And how I’m going to decorate my office at the church. And if it’s going to make me crazy to see my husband all-the-time-every-day-working-in-the-same-place. And whether or not it’s safe to put a plant beside a computer. And if Drew and I will be so busy that we’ll miss each other. And if we’ll miss this quiet seminary season where there seems to be time. And if I’ll be able to remember all the hard lessons I’ve learned while at seminary.
And if I could just focus on one thing at a time. Like, paying attention in small group and listening to my friends, instead of wandering off into thoughts about a different world.
And if I will be able to really really enjoy these last few weeks that I have here.
And if I can make the time to really spend time with all the friends that I have to say goodbye to… really soon.
Too soon.
Well, y’all.
It’s been a while since I’ve posted a song on here. Believe it or not, I’m up to 93 now.
Here’s #92 – submitted to NPR in response to their weekend songwriting challenge… The song had to be original, written this weekend, and use at least one of the following words: Japan, firecracker, dog, lampshade, NPR. I’m one of the nuts who actually jumped at the chance – grabbing headlines and ideas from the NPR.org website.
Some of the others’ entries are fantastic. But, who knows? Maybe this’ll end up on the radio!
For all you songwriting geeks: I’m trying to grow in writing “story songs.” From what I hear, they are very … captivating. I’m also making an effort to use more descriptive words and very specific details. They say that detail draws the listener in and makes the song more believable. (“They” being the writers of all these songwriting books, articles, and blogs I’ve been ingesting as of late.) (“Ingesting” being a more descriptive and interesting word than reading. See? “They” would be proud! 
)
For all you music geeks: This is the first time I’ve employed the trick of playing a bass lick on the acoustic, then churning the tone down 12 notches to get a bass guitar feel out of it. I don’t know if it’s convincing – but I’m all about experimenting as I go.
ON NPR
~mandy thompson
I ran into his shop just the other day
crying for a cut&color or else I’d pull a lampshade
over this maddening mop of messy hair
A bombastic fog of fashion error
he started telling me about insurance for his dog
grab a green apple to get the whole Beatles catalog
David Archuleta is like the green bay packers
And all the chemicals packed in fire crackers
I had to stop … and ask him where he got
all this & he said
On NPR on NPR
It’s the kind of thing you hear about on NPR
between Keillor telling stories about Guy Noir
Edelstein reviewing Where The Wild Things Are
Scott Simon interviews Kareem Abdul Jabbar
It’s the kind of thing you hear about on NPR
& he styled & talked about Renee Montagne
and Earth and Sky and Day to Day
Echoes and Talking Plants and Lost and Found Sound
and Hearing Voices and Future Tense and Here and Now
And the American Battalion in Afghanistan
and Obama’s alliance announced in Japan
& when he finally finished with my hair
I thanked him & tipped & climbed out of his chair
& when I started my car I spun my dial to NPR
CHORUS
Three business days after we put a contract on “the” house, the bank foreclosed.
We no longer have a contract on the house, but are returning to negotiations with the bank… A lot of people say this could be to our financial advantage. I’m hoping this is true. I’m expecting this to be true.
But I won’t know for sure until I know for sure.
Ya know?
This week, while we were down there attending a wedding and being introduced to our new church family, we also picked out paint colors – looked into furnishings – talked about fireplace mantles – and even dreamed of a mural in the dining room.
While feverishly checking the news about the home-buyers’ rebate being extended, scurrying to find out who the new listing agent is, and asking if the bank was going to put it back on the market.
5 weeks.
We have 5 weeks.
