Who Am I?

So today our work had to go to this Insights Training about our Personality and how we work with others. We learned about our Strenghts and Limitations (the facilitator did not like to call them Weaknesses). After 5 hours of reading about yourself, analyzing, discussing.....my head hurts a lot. I mean, I have done this before in groups but do you ever feel like God might have made a mistake when He put you together? Cause that is how I felt by the end of the session. More on this later, I will share part of the test with you all.

I am tired and I have rehearsal in one hour.

**As a side note, whatever you do in your life, pray...meditate.....talk at the Universe....positive thoughts....my friend Angie Davis at the age of 34 had a masectomy a few days ago. The pathology test came back with pretty bad results. She has 3 small children and it having a difficult time. Her family could use lot's of love right now. They have a long road of treatment ahead of them.

Until later.

I don't work anymore

for those of you that might be wondering....I don't work anymore.

Songs to go to Bed with....

After my list of songs to wake up to....I thought to myself..."Self, what do you like when it is time for bed?" Here's my list! (The other reason...music is on my brain a lot these days. I have an exciting month coming up....Spoon on the 13th, ACL festival 14-16, Brandi Carlile 19th.....I might explode!!!)

1. Peter Pan, Patty Griffin- Really anything of hers would suit me just fine. I love her stuff in a lady crush kind of way. She lives in Austin. Maybe we will become best friends. This song just gets me.


2. Lover, You Should’ve Come Over, Jeff Buckley- “She’s the tear that hangs inside my soul forever” Nuff Said.


3. Grace, Kate Melankton- If you don’t know her, you should be slapped right now. She is my newest find from SXSW festival. Her voice-haunting. Her lyrics-engaging. This song done with upright bass, a little piano and her voice. Can you see me with my woobie…off to bed I go.


4. Nice Dream, Radiohead- off one of my favorite albums The Bends. (and to think after Pablo Honey I didn’t want to give them a chance, I would have missed out. I have Andy Simonds to thank for this) This song is hypnotizing which is why I don’t listen to it when I am driving.


5. Night Time Is (The Right Time), Ray Charles- first memory is watching The Cosby show like every other family did in the 80s…waiting to see what the Huxtables would do next. Other than that memory, this song makes me want to sleep…..not alone though. Sigh.


6. 1963, Rachel Yamagata- Her sound is retro, her guitar licks are delish. You go to bed with a smile. “I feel like I’m loving you in 1963.” That has to mean something good.


7. Hai Luli, Cecelia Bartoli (singer) Pauline Garcia (composer)- Bartoli is my favorite Italian Operatic singer. A seductive treatment of a song asking, “where can my love be?” Funny, I ask myself that a lot.


8. Letting You Go, Lauren Kennedy (singer) Jason Robert Brown (songwriter)- I couldn’t do this list without one true shout out to some show tunes. If you aren’t a fan of showtunes, Jason Robert Brown will change your mind. Just go buy The Last Five Years (and then thank me later) JRB is genius on the piano and everything about his writing is tasteful. Always a story…and not a cheesy, put on your tap shoes kind of story.


9. Most of the Time, Bob Dylan- Most of the time I'm halfway content, Most of the time I know exactly where I went. Most of the time. I couldn't say it any better. God Bless Dylan.


10. Come Pick Me Up, Ryan Adams- Harmonica, Harmonica, Harmonica. I wish you would. This was my first Ryan Adams song….not my last.


11. Feelin’ Love, Paula Cole- I don’t think I want to explain this song. If you know it….you get it. Plus anyone that can work damn skippy baby into a song deserves a lot of play time.

Radio Retro Band....Austin Tri....Come on out!!!

MONDAY – SEPTEMBER 3, 2007 – Radio Retro will be performing this coming Monday, Labor Day, September 3rd at Auditorium Shores on the Finish Line Stage for the Austin Triathlon. Come out and support the band and all the amazing athletes on the shores of Lake Ladybird. The band will start at 10am and play until 12pm to entertain the projected crowd of over 3000. Yours truly will be racing this event AND then will jump up on stage and give you some Journey, Blondie, Eurythmics....good sounds of the 80s!!!

Here’s some info on the event:

The Austin Triathlon will be a premier international distance triathlon event held in downtown Austin. The Austin Triathlon is an International Distance event: 1500m Swim, 40kM bike, 10 kM run. This will prove to be an event you definitely don't want to miss. Event features include:

• Live music on the bike and run course and a special featured performance by Austin 80’s band, RADIO RETRO, on the main Finish Line Stage.
• Post race massage and ART for racers.
• Post race food, drinks, beer, and ice cream.
• Don T. Bonk.
• Squirt guns on the run course.
• Multi-sport expo.
• Finish Line Carnival with games and over $4000 in free stuff!
  

More info and registration for racers - http://www.texastriseries.com/events/austintri/info.asp - http://www.jackandadams.com

Flugtag- what the?

My Saturday night consisted of going to Town Lake and watching the Red Bull Flugtag (pronounced floog-tag) USA. Yes, it's a competition of sorts and my stomach was hurting from so much laughter. It is what you call an Extraordinary Flying Contest. And extraordinary it was....this competition did not disappoint. Teams are judged on three criteria: distance, creativity and showmanship. What constitutes a craft is purely up to the imagination of the participating teams. And well, I learned on Saturday night that imagination is truly relative....Past Red Bull Flugtag entries have included a pregnant cow, a diaper-delivering stork, a pimped-out Cadillac, a giant Oompa Loompa, and yes folks -- a lobster named Larry. ALL being launched off a 30 foot flight deck.

The event in Austin was the first time that flugtag had gone nighttime in Northamerica. Yeah, Texas is always looking for ways to go bigger and better! (and maybe this is why they say everything is bigger in Texas?) Local team Skate and Destroy took home first place and soared into Red Bull Flugtag history on an enormous skateboard as they climbed their ultimate ramp and performed tricks off of the 30-foot flight deck before splashing into the waters below. At this point, those of you in Orlando are like....."what? Where the heck have you moved? It's not too late Colleen. Come back!!!"

All those involved in launching themselves off of this deck deserve an award of some sort. I wish you all could have seen this. You should checkout the website: http://www.redbullflugtagusa.com/Default.aspx

be prepared...flugtag may be coming to a city near you, get your flying machine ready!!!

Mr. Roosevelt

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat." Theodore Roosevelt

I came across this quote in an old journal, copied it and put it on my mirror in my bathroom. I think Mr. Roosevelt knew what he was talking about. I guess that is why I do the things I do. I know my move to Austin did not make sense to a lot of people after 9 years in Orlando, I know that leaving the world of Mickey Mouse & full time entertainment to go work for a non-profit certainly didn't make sense to a lot of people. I know that cycling 100 miles on a given weekend, racing 70.3 on another seems absolutely crazy. But i do it because when my time is done on earth I want to know I lived it.....that I am entering the grave totally worn out!! (as my other favorite quote says)

I guess we all have our ways of doing that. I have friends that dwell on what they don't have and it makes me sad (for them). The world at time can tell us that in order to have some kind of significance we have to have a spouse, 2 cars, the house, the kids and a savings account by a certain age. hmmmm....I am really sick of what the world says. It is said that many good things come to those who wait....but in my life the best things have come when I have seized the moment and made it my own!!!

In truth there are times when I have doubted in HUGE ways that God doesn't know what He is doing with me. And there has been disappointment....but today I learn to anticipate. I wish, I wish that I could know the places I have yet to go, the ways I will change and the things I will get to do! (and in that all the good music I will add to my collection!)

Crazy that looking back to those words I read as a child ...... teach me more today:

"The more things that you read, the more things you will know. The more things that you learn, the more places you'll go." Dr. Seuss

Word of the Day-thanks Maggie!

SUPERFLUOUS- su·per·flu·ous Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[soo-pur-floo-uhs]
–adjective
1. being more than is sufficient or required; excessive.

2. unnecessary or needless.

3. Obsolete. possessing or spending more than enough or necessary; extravagant.


Examples:
And it's hard to realize economies of scale without shedding superfluous jobs.

Everything superfluous is more noticeable in him [Hemmingway] than in other writers.

An authority which makes all further argument or illustration superfluous.

There is even a website. http://www.superfluous.com At this site, pictures are posted that were found on the sidewalk, in the park, or on the street. GENIUS!! Good use of the word.

ok....I better watch it or I am going to have a superfluous blog....YIKES!!

Any good uses...please share.

And thanks Maggie for bringing this word to my vocab. You are a good friend.