So, a few others of you have jumped on the bandwagon. (Well, except for Tam. I kinda snatched her up with me.)
One thing we all have in common, we want to push ourselves to be better. Do better. Create better. For the right-brained artsy types, discipline does not come easy. I’ve found this week that public humiliation and fear of failure are both GREAT motivators!
Me: 100 songs this year, that’s 2ish songs/week.
Tam: 2 chapters/month
Russ: 1 song/week - you wanna be an official part of this list?
I know a few others who have some goals… Poets, photographers, designers, crafters, etc… CREATE IT & POST IT!!! Who else wants to be added to this list of madness?
See? This is how the creative process goes. Write. Then rewrite…
I present a new melody, guitar riff, and slightly modified lyric:
I ain’t got no paycheck
Well ain’t that a crime.
Ain’t got no shoes on my feet
to stop on a dime.
Ain’t got no penny to pinch
& I cain’t even buy time.
I owe the man my right arm.
But he be comin’ for my life.
Went to the bankhouse
and stood in line
Tried take out a loan
But all I got was “declined”
They said my credit line was dotted
& I need someone to cosign
Now I still owe the man my right arm.
But he be comin’ for my life.
Then I was tryin’ to find some dinner
later that night.
He said he pulled me over
for a busted tail light.
Gotta pay the cop and the car man.
Now I done lost my appetite.
‘Cause I still owe the man my right arm
and he be comin’ for my life.
Before we get started:
1) I’m ambitiously aiming for 100 in 2009.
2) While on vacation, Drew was gracious enough to sit through a blues concert with me.
3) We just reviewed our budget last night. Mercy!
4) I don’t wanna get into debt - see Dave Ramsey for more.
5) Where I come from, “Cain’t” = Can’t
6) The melody needs some variance and the strum pattern as well, both sound a lot like other songs I wrote, and there might be room for a bridge or something. Am I the only one who thinks the “sound” is kinda boring??
I ain’t got no paycheck
Ain’t that a crime.
Ain’t got no shoes on my feet
to stop on a dime.
Ain’t got no penny to pinch
Cain’t even buy time.
I owe the man my right arm.
But he be comin’ for my life.
Went to the bankhouse
and stood in line
Tried take out a loan
But all I got was “declined”
They said my credit line was dotted
& I need someone to cosign
Now I still owe the man my right arm.
But he be comin’ for my life.
That night, in my mirror
I got flashing blue lights.
He said he pulled me over
for a busted tail light.
Gotta pay the cop and the car man
and I done lost my appetite.
‘Cause I still owe the man my right arm
and he be comin’ for my life.
Copyright Mandy Thompson, ASCAP, 2009
So, conversation starter for the day: How do you stay out (and/or get out) of debt? What do you think is the right Biblical perspective of debt?
Or, to lighten things up: Do you like blues songs?
Lately, lots of conversations between my husband and me have centered around my songwriting passion. A LOT a lot. (Bless his heart and ears.)
During vacation he got all impassioned about this passion of mine. Of course, being THE-MOST-DISCIPLINED-PERSON-I-KNOW, his mind headed straight for the practical. He talked about how Hemingway wrote for 2 hours. Standing up. Every day. Whether he wanted to or not. He talked about how those who really make masterpieces have tons and tons of failed attempts in their trash bins. He talked about honing the “skills” of songwriting, so they’ll be effortlessly employed when true inspiration hits.
Then he told me that he really thought I could write 100 this year.
And a lot of them would be bad.
And some of them would be great.
And I could post them for y’all here.
I looked at him like he was crazy.
Then he looked at me in a deep and deliberate way - like he could see things in me that I’m completely unaware of.
If you’re reading this, I’m STILL at a top secret location with my husband - I’ve been hiding out with him for DAYS now.
It’s just the two of us. Well, maybe. Or maybe we’re staying with friends. Or maybe with family. But, if we’re not with you, then you won’t know where we are.
And, um, I don’t know when we’ll be back. So this little blog might go dead for a day or two. ‘Cause, well, the “best of” series has come to an end and I got nuthin’ ’til I get back.
Anyway - Do you have a New Year’s Resolution, or are you protesting the thought?
I think most of you long-time readers will agree that this was the BEST POST of the year.
It’s easy for me to say that, because the post itself wasn’t noteworthy at all. What made this spectacular was the long string of comments that followed… I’ve never forgotten what you added to this discussion.
I’m putting the post here, but if you want in on the real action, click HERE for the comments from that day.
every once in a while something will happen at the seminary, and we’ll say “it’s a miracle!” we had a couple of incidents earlier this week ~ just crazy stories that seem to only be explained by God’s hand. i’m especially hearing stories now that i work in the housing office, as we have personal connections with so many of our residents:
families miraculously getting Visa’s to come stay while dad studies.
HUGE checks coming in the mail at just-the-right-time.
lots of little checks coming at just-the-right-time
sick kids that are within minutes of some of the world’s best hospitals.
crazy gifts that are needed but not affordable, like cars or furniture or plane tickets.
Y’all have no idea how many people out there do a search for the many variations of “wet my pants.” That is, hands down, the single-most googled phrase that brings people to this little corner of the blogosphere…
ok, so i had a near-wetting episode last night. i piled on the couch with two GREAT friends and we watched this over and over and over again until we cried:
LOL - my sides BURN from laughing so hard!!! Phoebe Buffet is my all-time favorite!
and if that’s not funny enough, here’s the blooper reel for that joke:
ok ok… i’ll tell the truth. i actually have laughed so hard that i wet my pants once. it was last thanksgiving - with drew’s family (who is the WITTIEST bunch of people i’ve ever met!)… we were playing pictionary and i’d had a glass of wine. (ok ok ok! i’ll confess again: TWO glasses of wine. but that’s my LIMIT. don’t let myself have more than that!) whew. anyway, we laughed and laughed and laughed… then i finally went upstairs to get ready for bed and realized: holy toledo, i’ve wet my pants!!! then i laughed some more!
alright, your turn to confess, have you ever laughed so hard you wet your pants?
holy toledo, i’ve wet my pants!!! then i laughed some more!
