Music Education

I was sitting at the computer today with my daughter browsing through iTunes listening to some old music from my high school days and came across Home Sweet Home by Motley Crue. When I played a sample of it my daughter looked at me disgusted and said, "That's Carrie Underwood's song!" Now, I like Carrie Underwood just fine but this made me groan a bit. Give credit where credit is due. I had to educate her on 80s hair bands. Her response: "Mom, is that a girl or a boy singing?" with her nose wrinkled in disapproval. I could only shake my head. Those of us who grew up in the 80s are a breed of our own...no one else will ever understand.

Later, I overheard her singing, "One...twenty one guns..." Greenday? How does my daughter know Greenday? Then, "...It's gonna be a good night..." Black-Eyed Peas? OK she's seven! I don't play her this stuff! Are other 2nd graders really in to these bands? Its when she was singing, "...Apple-bottom jeans..." That's one we can't let slide.

I think I need to play her more "Bullfrogs and Butterflies."

Point to Ponder

"Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent." -Eleanor Roosevelt

What a great quote. Thanks Becca for putting this in your status update on Facebook. It sort of struck me. I for one have great difficulty with this. I'm always feeling like I don't quite measure up to those around me and I think that its this feeling that holds me back from living the life that God wants me to live. Good attitude to have.

Seeing Myself in Julie

Tonight I had a very rare and wonderful opportunity to go to a movie on my own and see whatever I wanted. I had no one with me to influence my decision of what I would fill my mind with over the next couple of hours...it was my choice entirely. I chose to see the very inspirational "Julie and Julia," a film about two true stories. Story #1: The early days of Julia Child and how she went to a French cooking school in Paris when she could barely boil an egg, and learned to be a French Cuisine master; and later use her knowlege to publish a classic cookbook. She grew to be the authority on cooking to every American cook. Story #2: Julia Powell who, having a love of cooking, decided to cook her way through Mastering the Art of French Cooking (the said classic cookbook of Julia Child) and write about it on a blog. Her blog and inspiration from Julia Child became the catalysts of her finding purpose in her own life and this project catapolted her writing career.

I loved the movie. Meryl Streep played Julia Child, and her performance was absolutely Oscar-worthy. But the film effected me more than what I was anticipating. I saw parallels to my own endevors that were spooky...they were so similar. Julie was looking for something important to do. She wanted more than anything to be a writer. So do I. She had written a novel. I have started two. She was a blogger. Well, I'm working on that... She not only loved to cook, but she found it comforting, a way of taking stuff off her mind. Me? The same. Its what I do to feel like I know about something...like I can do something. I, like Julie, have a sense of satisfaction in knowing that I can put some chicken in some flour and then into hot oil and it turns golden brown and delicious. I take absolute joy in serving a perfect peach cobbler or spectacular chocolate cake. It's something that I can do that not everybody can. (Or at least I think I can...)

So, this Julie decided one day to write about her cooking and her life changed. Well, I'm not really expecting that, but I found it reassuring to know that someone besides me feels this way about the craft and art of food; and that big spectacular things come from very simple ideas, and simple people. That's how God works.

I think I'm going to go out tomorrow and buy Julia Child's cookbook. Maybe I'll be famous too.