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You guys know this if you have read me for awhile. I had a groovy mother. A musician, a writer, a friend…

She was cool.

My mom died nearly ten years ago. November 8th was her birthday. If you love someone, you keep their name on the wind, no matter how long they have been gone. It’s quite appropriate to celebrate a life that meant the world to you.

She studied music in college, played classical piano, did quite well in the Mid-South Fair, sang with The Everly Brothers as a prize, but loved Beethoven better so much more than the Paul Ankas of the day, although she told me once she thought ole’ Paul was a cutie.

My mom thought rock music, in 1958, might save the world. In 1965, was pretty damned sure that it would. She would weep when “Eleanor Rigby” would play on the AM radio because she thought it had more weight than people gave it credit for. I agree.

Years later “Eleanor Rigby” tears me up too.

Yeah…. my mom was groovy.

And with this said, one of the last songs we loved together before she died was this one:

Pontiac

The saddest song ever, in our opinion, in recent history. Lyle Lovett, you are lovely and … yet this one pained us. It aches. It’s bitterness was real, yet frightening. They (the man of corporate whatever that we call “The Man”) disabled this one on You Tube, which make sense, but you can still listen to it if you are so inclined.

It wears me out. Damn, if it isn’t painful.

And this was another of our favorites since I was a little girl. I was to know the difference between Beethoven and Mozart by my mother, who used to haul a bass around the house while she was in college. (also a banjo, a Dobro, a violin and a cello (THE BEST).

She wanted us to know the differences about music. It was important. (did I mention I can’t play crap). I can carry a harmony. You will never know unless I’m drunk and on acid. It ain’t gonna happen.

However, third movement of “Moonlight Sonata,” how you slay me. How exquisite and lovely, how… right.

I wasn’t very good in our childhood lessons as I listened to her to determine the differences that she so wanted us to know. At ten-years-old, you don’t think of the teacher gone, you know.

But, I learned a little.

“Moonlight Sonato” was the best followed by “Clair De Lune“. Listen. and just remember that life is sorrow and yet joy:

[youtube=[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQVeaIHWWck&rel=1]

Moonlight is compelling and somewhat wonderful. It, as “Pontiac” does centuries later, makes us ache and yearn.

But, as much as I love the songs above, the composition that means the most to me is this although I have put it on this silly blog before. That’s how much I love it.

[youtube=[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pXWKwUYGKg&rel=1]

Happy Birthday to the woman who taught me to laugh and enjoy the beauty of life.

Yeah, I miss her. A lot.

Let music embrace you and tie your soul up, no matter what inspires you. Occasionally, I need a bit of The Sex Pistols or Rufus Wainwright. Doesn’t matter….

Music. Just feel it. You know you want to.

Have a lovely weekend.

Me: “So, you were born under Reagan.”
Her: “Yep.”
Me: “Have you ever heard of Kennedy?”
Her: “I think I read about him in an Ancient History book.”

Ouch!

From Jim Reams over at FBI Memos 

Daylights Savings Time, for those of us who are early birds, has created this lovely, little new development for me of waking up at 4 a.m. as wide-awake as a person can be. I’ve had lovely little adventures of wandering about the house and falling over one of the “little dogs” as Homer calls them, catching up on some blog reading (sorry, I’ve been so bad at that lately) and holding on to the joy of knowing I am now reduced to less coffee than I used to drink so I make it last.

You do what you have to do.

With that said, I’ve been reading more about politics as I occasionally take a break from it all when my eyes start bleeding or I go into overload by reading the SOS over and over again. I compared the Tennessee Republicans’ Website this morning to the Tennessee Democrats’ site.

Gary Gray Sasser, I’m talking to you dude.

A suggestion to my democrat party friends in Nashville: Work on your website. It’s very 2004. I shouldn’t be that way and we can talk on (yada, yada, yada) about it’s substance over style (yada, yada, yada) but the site needs a major overhaul. The GOP’s efforts look pretty good. There are free sites out their that look a heck of a lot better than our site, Mr. Sasser.

Now, I’m not meaning to be grouchy as I know my little old free blog here looks like a hot mess and I have the technical ability of a three-day old rabbit, but the Republicans site is filled with pictures, has some interactive qualities that are user friendly and is constantly being uploaded with pictures.

The Democrats’ site, not so much.

As we head into a new election year that will be historic in the big picture, I’m thinking that those individuals who are in the know need to work on a redesign pronto. And, you know, Fred Thompson, Tennessean, running for president?

Did I mention that he’s a Republican? And that a bland Website just isn’t going to cut it.

You guys know I lean left. Heck, call the folks over at TennViews or something and they may be able to help you. We are in this together. And I’m not meaning to be critical (see comment above. Hot mess here) but competition during our upcoming election year is going to be in a variety of areas including the Internet.

Let’s not forget that Ron Paul raised more than $4 million dollars on Monday.

On the Internet. I’m talking about campaign fund-raising and communication here as a collective, unified effort. I’m not talking about his value as a viable candidate.

And just for good measure, we will throw in The Libertarian Party of Tennessee’s website in the mix as well so you guys, if you are so inclined, can take a gander at that one as well.

Now I realize that the fund-raising coup was a grassroots effort by supporters for Paul, but with the addition of fund-raising tools on social networking systems like MySpace and Facebook, I’d say that these innertubes should be given another some serious consideration. I know that is happening, but, Mr. Sasser, but the site just doesn’t look good.

Just saying and trying to be helpful.