A New Season, A New Home
(Note: this post details my move to a new journal service. My new journal can be found here: http://swmorey.blogspirit.com. As this post mentions, I will continue updating this journal along with the new one, but some features and links will not be available here. For the full experience I beg you check out my new journal, bookmark the site, and visit often. Thanks and enjoy.)
Well, I'm trying something new. After almost a year of using LiveJournal, I've made a decision to migrate here, the beautiful land of BlogSpirit! My decision to move was based on the amount of new features offered by BlogSpirit, not because of any problems with LiveJournal. In fact, I plan to continue updating my LiveJournal, but I urge my readers to visit this journal if at all possible. I say (or type) this because I will be offering a lot of content from this journal exclusively. For example, each week I will be posting an .mp3 for your listening pleasure. Songs will be available for only seven days and then will no longer be available for download. Most of these .mp3's will be tracks from the album of the month (see left panel) and are for sampling purposes only (see disclaimer). I encourage you to purchase the album if you like what you hear. Moving on...
I haven't written in quite some time because I have been amazingly busy. As usual, the end of the semester means crunch time. Everything is due, no more procrastinating. I'm handling it all the best that I can, though some days the beautiful weather makes it quite difficult. In other news, last Saturday I attended the Bright Ideas conference at Michigan State University. The conference was put on by the Michigan Conference for Teachers of English (the name says it all) and was quite enjoyable in a geeky sort of way. I had the honor of being a student host for a couple of professors from Grand Valley State University. Their presentation was about the use of blogs and digital story telling in education, something that I am very interested about. The keynote speaker was a poet named Sara Holbrook who wrote several books of young adult poetry and a guide to teaching poetry in school. Her stuff was quite good and she performed her pieces very well. Here is a link to her website, and here is a sample of her poetry:
NOTHING'S THE END OF THE WORLD
by Sarah Holbrook
Mother Nature is my mentor,
She tells me I'll be back,
even when my brain gets bruised
and my heart takes forty whacks.
That when I kick up storms
and my wind and hail bring pain,
She shows me sun can shine
after hostile hurricanes.
That breathless, cliff-clinging highs
and pelican-plunging lows
crest and fall like waves
and I can surf in this natural flow.
That every stage
seems reasonable,
if I look at life as seasonal.
That what slips and goes deep
finally rises.
That what's dull
hop-toads with surprises.
That even strip mine wounds
can heal,
and the promise of spring
is real.
That sand in an oyster
may pearl,
and that NOTHING'S
the end of the world
Spring is here. The ground is turning green and the leaves are starting to come out (I've always loved that expression). As the season changes, I find my music listening changes as well. No longer will I listen to the "sad bastard" music that has gotten me through winter. Spring music is more hopeful, more springy. When it came time to select the album of the month, I drew inspiration from the past and selected Poi Dog Pondering's _Wishing Like a Mountain and Thinking Like the Sea_. My first exposure to this band and this album came when I was about fifteen years old, driving around with my friend Lindsey on a bright spring day after school. I fell in love with the sound as we cruised along the beautiful Northwest Michigan backroads and listening to the album today brings me back to that place and time. Time travel is possible, if only in the mind. I have posted a link for the first track from this album, "Bury Me Deep", at the bottom of this page. Please read the disclaimer before downloading and if you like what you hear, consider buying the album. More tracks from Wishing Like a Mountain and Thinking Like the Sea will be posted in the coming weeks. You can purchase the album by clicking on the album of the month link in left panel.
Poi Dog Pondering - Bury Me Deep
Hope you enjoy! Good luck to everyone in busy season. Check back soon for more posts and music. Goodnight and goodbye!
Well, I'm trying something new. After almost a year of using LiveJournal, I've made a decision to migrate here, the beautiful land of BlogSpirit! My decision to move was based on the amount of new features offered by BlogSpirit, not because of any problems with LiveJournal. In fact, I plan to continue updating my LiveJournal, but I urge my readers to visit this journal if at all possible. I say (or type) this because I will be offering a lot of content from this journal exclusively. For example, each week I will be posting an .mp3 for your listening pleasure. Songs will be available for only seven days and then will no longer be available for download. Most of these .mp3's will be tracks from the album of the month (see left panel) and are for sampling purposes only (see disclaimer). I encourage you to purchase the album if you like what you hear. Moving on...
I haven't written in quite some time because I have been amazingly busy. As usual, the end of the semester means crunch time. Everything is due, no more procrastinating. I'm handling it all the best that I can, though some days the beautiful weather makes it quite difficult. In other news, last Saturday I attended the Bright Ideas conference at Michigan State University. The conference was put on by the Michigan Conference for Teachers of English (the name says it all) and was quite enjoyable in a geeky sort of way. I had the honor of being a student host for a couple of professors from Grand Valley State University. Their presentation was about the use of blogs and digital story telling in education, something that I am very interested about. The keynote speaker was a poet named Sara Holbrook who wrote several books of young adult poetry and a guide to teaching poetry in school. Her stuff was quite good and she performed her pieces very well. Here is a link to her website, and here is a sample of her poetry:
NOTHING'S THE END OF THE WORLD
by Sarah Holbrook
Mother Nature is my mentor,
She tells me I'll be back,
even when my brain gets bruised
and my heart takes forty whacks.
That when I kick up storms
and my wind and hail bring pain,
She shows me sun can shine
after hostile hurricanes.
That breathless, cliff-clinging highs
and pelican-plunging lows
crest and fall like waves
and I can surf in this natural flow.
That every stage
seems reasonable,
if I look at life as seasonal.
That what slips and goes deep
finally rises.
That what's dull
hop-toads with surprises.
That even strip mine wounds
can heal,
and the promise of spring
is real.
That sand in an oyster
may pearl,
and that NOTHING'S
the end of the world
Spring is here. The ground is turning green and the leaves are starting to come out (I've always loved that expression). As the season changes, I find my music listening changes as well. No longer will I listen to the "sad bastard" music that has gotten me through winter. Spring music is more hopeful, more springy. When it came time to select the album of the month, I drew inspiration from the past and selected Poi Dog Pondering's _Wishing Like a Mountain and Thinking Like the Sea_. My first exposure to this band and this album came when I was about fifteen years old, driving around with my friend Lindsey on a bright spring day after school. I fell in love with the sound as we cruised along the beautiful Northwest Michigan backroads and listening to the album today brings me back to that place and time. Time travel is possible, if only in the mind. I have posted a link for the first track from this album, "Bury Me Deep", at the bottom of this page. Please read the disclaimer before downloading and if you like what you hear, consider buying the album. More tracks from Wishing Like a Mountain and Thinking Like the Sea will be posted in the coming weeks. You can purchase the album by clicking on the album of the month link in left panel.
Poi Dog Pondering - Bury Me Deep
Hope you enjoy! Good luck to everyone in busy season. Check back soon for more posts and music. Goodnight and goodbye!