Four Enjoyable Ways to Make the Earth Happy

This Earth Day I know we'll hear about changing out light bulbs and turning out lights which are, of course, very important.  However, I think there are some ways to make the Earth happy that also are, dare I say it, fun!  And isn't that the best?

Amanda Claire's photo "Open Window to Tuscany" available here

Open Your Windows

I know, I know, your view is possibly not the same as the above photo's view of Tuscany, but the majority of pollutants in your house are actually from inside your house!  So if you open your window, not only are you lowering your electricity bills, but you are cleaning the air in your home.  And this is the perfect time of year to enjoy the sound of birds singing, breezes stirring leaves and children laughing on the way home from school.

Host a Clothing Swap

Odds are you have a bunch of clothes (or even jewelry and decor!) you don't really wear anymore (not that you ever wore decor, but I think you know what I mean).  So rather than toss them out or let them soak up dust in the recesses of your closet, host a swap with friends!  It's the perfect time of year for a party (it's been forever since all the holiday ones!) and everyone could end up some great new-to-them clothes - no plastic bags or shipping necessary.

Go to Bed Early

I was reading through an article one day and read that some countries impose a lighting curfew so that people don't use so much electricity at night.  Now, as a die-hard night owl, the idea of having to go to bed early seems like a terrible idea but that doesn't mean that you can't take a night or two a week and just go to bed an hour earlier!  Think of the fun of reeeeeeaaally stretching out in your bed and daydreaming a little rather than conking off in two seconds because you're so exhausted.  Sounds kind of dreamy, doesn't it?

Wildflower Seed Bombs from Terrain

Plant flowers!  

They make bees happy and butterflies happy and people happy too!  These clay/compost/seed balls are so fun - just throw them in an abandoned field or dusty median or even your own yard to make wildflowers grow.  But really any packet of wildflowers or herbs will do - just pick out some hardy ones, sprinkle and wait for the magic to happen.



Any ones I've missed that you can think of?  Do tell!

It's A New Dawn, It's A New Day...

For the start of your first full week in March, here is some music to help you feel good.

Three Things I'd Like to Have

There are, as you can imagine, a great deal more than three things I'd like to have but these are the three I'm thinking of right now.

Doesn't she kind of look like Donna?

1.  Warby Parker glasses.  
I love companies that make it a part of their business to make the world a better place.  And Warby Parker is one of those treasures; they donate a pair of glasses for every pair purchased.  They have a delicious selection of frames AND they send out some for you to try on at home before you make a decision.

2.  An upright piano
I'll confess it here: I have a keyboard.  A Yamaha P-80 that I've had since 2002.  That I absolutely and completely adore.  But, I'd really, truly love to have an old upright piano for my 2-year-old and me to bang around on.  I know grand pianos are so much fancier but I love that kind of jangly, warm upright piano sound.

3.  This hair clip
Although I have yet to be up in a hot air balloon, I find them so completely appealing.  And whenever I see them I think of it being a sign for something great.  "Oh, there's an ad for such-and-such with a HOT AIR BALLOON!  It's a sign."  And this hair clip from Square Peg Meg is oh-so-nice and I think whenever I wear it, I'd have a lucky day.

What are three things you'd like to have?

How to Be Mozart

This is a guest post I did for the fabulous Michelle Ward a couple of months back.

I used to teach piano/voice/songwriting at a music studio.  At one point, I had over seventy students on my schedule.  Most of them, as you could guess, were children, but I did have a pretty sizable amount of adults.

Every time I had that first lesson with an adult, it was the same thing: they’d come in, kind of embarrassed, almost like they were apologizing for not being 20 or 50 years younger.  But here’s the thing: while Mozart gets all the press, I had several adult students that progressed and learned faster than most children.  Adults do have advantages, you know, they have stronger, bigger fingers, they understand that one-eighth plus one-eighth equals one quarter and they don’t have to sing the alphabet song to figure out what comes after ‘C.’

But there are two big things that stand in the way of adult students.  One is the whole time/scheduling thing, of course.  Kids are used to having homework and practicing and they don’t have to worry about getting dinner on the table or taking care of sick relatives or anything like that.

But even putting that to the side, here’s the biggest thing: adults feel self-conscious about learning.  It’s true!  Kids make excuses about not practicing, sure, but they don’t apologize.  If children make a mistake or play a song wrong, I can just show them where they messed up and they will correct it.  An adult will actually say, “sorry” and then probably follow up with a reason why they made the mistake.  If a beginning adult was waiting to start their lesson while an advanced kid was finishing up theirs, the adult would always feel so sheepish, even if the child had been taking lessons for three years and the adult only three months.  And, while I have never had a child cancel a lesson because they didn’t think the song was ready and therefore “didn’t want to waste my time,” I think almost every adult student did at least once.

And I understand!  I feel shy when trying to pronounce a tricky word in a new language and get frustrated when trying to understand HTML coding.  “I should know this!” I think.  But WHY should we?  Even for the most accomplished person in the world, there are infinitely more things they don’t know than they do.

So here’s a challenge – embrace not knowing!  Embrace not knowing how to use Tumblr, or sketch a face, or diaper a newborn or start your business!  Learn like a kid – no apologies, no embarrassment.  If not knowing something is holding you back from doing something you want or living a life you love, think of it – Mozart would have no idea how to use a toaster oven.

But he could learn…

Amelie

Sometimes I wish I could watch this movie for the first time again.  It really, truly changed my life. I watched it nine times in this little arthouse theater in Seattle.  I remember trudging through the puddles from the bus stop in my long brown plaid coat, buying my ticket from the little window and then walking on that silent, thick, burgundy carpet to my seat with such joy at the prospect of spending my afternoon in dreamy, Parisian bliss.  

WARNING: this little video is filled with spoilers so if you haven't seen it yet, please close this window, open up your movie-viewing-mode of choice and watch it.

And, by the way, one of the very best things in the whole world of knowing how to play the piano is being able to play all the songs from this soundtrack.

The Sneezy Sneak Rag Song Sketch

Here is me lying in the grass defying all allergies. HA!

I know it's not very sexy or glamorous but I fear that I have allergies.  And when I have an allergy attack, I tend to sneeze.  A lot. Like four in a row.  Fortunately, I can keep my allergies at bay by incorporating local honey into my diet (it really works, guys, it just takes a couple months to work but it DOES).  But I know the agony (maybe too strong of a word) of trying to sneak into the bedroom without waking up my baby and then...  ah ah ah CHOO!  

Anyway, I wrote and recorded this little ragtime piano piece with that image in mind.  Download, enjoy and eat local honey.

You're All The Things I've Got to Remember

Judging by the rapid response on my thoughtful late-night post on my Facebook wall, the idea of doing an 80s-inspired record might not be as crazy as it originally seemed...  

Anyways, I've been listening to a lot of 80s pop music lately - for some reason, it seems to have such a spirit of optimism in it.  Maybe because I didn't really start listening to 80s pop music until I was in my 20s (in my childhood which did take place in the 80s, I was listening to jazz, classical and hymns. True story)... 

But this song (and the video!) are a perfect example of the 80s sound that's been in my head lately.  And, HOW GREAT IS THIS VIDEO?! (Yes, it needed all caps.)