30 Day Song Challenge Day Four

I really should get consistent with my subject titles, ah well.

And so we reach the Song that Makes You Sad. It wasn't until I had to choose I realised I don't really have any that make me sad. So, after much thinking and surfing through songs I came to one that the memory and association brings about a melancholic state and if done right, tears can occur.

My sister (who is a trained soprano) sang this in honour of my Nana at her funeral a few years ago. I've always found this song soul reaching but, now if sung by a female it is sure to throw me back to the day of the funeral.

I've chosen Celine Dion from the choices available on You Tube.....I'd much prefer to give you my sister's voice, but she hasn't gotten around to uploading stuff on the interwebz much.

Regardless of where it is in this challenge songlist, I think Ave Maria is a beautiful song and when done right, by instrumental, male or female vocal can move the soul.  As a friend of mine also doing the challenge via facebook, has shown by her choosing Ave Maria as song that makes her happy (we are astrologically flip sides of the same coin so it makes sense....I think).

30 Day Song Challenge

Today it's about making one happy. I noticed that happy comes up again later in the month.

One thing I've realised is a number of songs I enjoy, serve many masters so it's been interesting to work out which one I want to place where. Today is a good example. I could think of a few songs that land in the world of "make you happy" but I want to use them more elsewhere.

Whether I remember this as the days move by is a completely different thing.....

So....without further ado...Monty Python's Always Look on the Bright Side of Life.

There are a number of Python songs I could use here. A close and tied second would be The Lumberjack song and The Philosopher's song.....

2011 30 Day Song Challenge - Day Two

Today is Least Favourite Song.

I'm fairly tolerant of a lot of styles but it was a close call between these two songs. I'm only going to inflict one here - to spare brain cells and earworms.

Chain Reaction by Diana Ross & She Drives Me Crazy by Fine Young Cannibals are the unfortunate winners of this category. Both of them still to this day have me mute or change the channel on tv or radio.

The fact that both of these songs come from my teen years and I still to this day I switch them off says possibly as much about radio/tv overkill on playing them as much as the songs themselves.

Enjoy isn't the word to use. Tomorrow should be something better......

30 Day Song Challenge

So. I've finally succumbed to a music meme. It was bound to happen. I've played music since primary school & I suspect if I'd been able to talk myself into the idea of a touring and itinerant lifestyle I would've pursued music as a career choice.

Music was one of those crossroad major decisions one makes in life. Thanks to the school system at 15 I had to choose between music and ancient history. Ancient history won as I was able to continue instrumental music until I finished school.

Given I ended up with a double major in ancient civilisations for my first degree it was the right way to go. Not least as I never did convince myself of a wanting musician lifestyle - and to this day I see a live production of something I always want to be down in the pit with the musos (not on stage with the performers).

So, without further ado - here is day 1 of the  meme.

Your favourite song. I went with the Elvis version of Suspicious Minds. I also enjoy the Pet Shop Boys version (& suspect if I heard, or more importantly, remembered others I'd like them too).

2011 Reading Challenges

After the toe-dabbling in 2010 with reading challenges, I’ve decided to once again take some up.

However, this year I want to take up some new and shiny challenges. I’m a reading omnivore, there isn’t much I won’t at least try to read. Finishing may be another question (I’m looking at you Russian authors and Jane Austen) but committing to starting. Well, that would be a good resolution to put out in the interwebs.

The first one is Stephen King. I have ‘On Writing ‘somewhere handy most of the time but other than an occasional novella, I’ve never really delved. As a result I'm taking the option to read six in a year. 

Associated with Stephen King, would be the Horror & Urban Fantasy challenge. It's an interesting one this as both terms can create wide variations of what is defined as Horror or Urban Fantasy. I'll be surprised if I don't make the twenty-four reads. 

The final challenge I’m taking is one that will force me to double-check the genre I’m reading. I already read in mystery and suspense topic, but again they tend to have the paranormal, speculative fiction bent. I’m hoping by having this number to achieve I’ll expand my author list (plus I think I can now sneak in my J.D. Robb glomming I've been undertaking too). Twelve is most definitely a manageable number too.

Of course keeping a list is also a handy way of looking back in a year’s time and see that I haven’t been faffing around the house too much.