[..] to get a richer experience listening to music, focus on listening to the bass (not the treble).
via Listening to the Bass in Street Photography (*) by Eric Kim (*).
One of the highlights from last years trip to Europe (*) was meeting up with Uwe (*) again. It was pleasure to watch and hear him play this challenging bass sequence.
I have always heard and felt the bass (*) in music. Maybe I see it in my photography as Eric points out in his post (*)? Also hope to one day learn how to play the bass, but only a 4 string for me. Uwe has already given me a few tips to get started.
Today I heard this song for the first time in at least 2 years. The above is a video and the lyrics are below.
It is swelting in Sydney as I write this, at the end of hot summers day and I am covered in sweat. Spent this lovely Saturday afternoon on Sydney Harbour paddling in an OC6 from Glebe to Middle Harbour and back. Very windy, very hot and tough conditions. Still a great session and it makes you realise how lucky we are to have this beautiful city, it's harbour, the experiences we make for ourselves and the friendships we have with each other.
Pacific Dragons OC6 Mixed Crew - Paul, Jenny, Geoff, Marie, Liz, and Leslie - Ettalong / Central Coast - Jan 2007 (picasa)
Anwyay, on the way back to Alexandria from the session, in Wilson Street / Newtown [Note: 1], I had my radio on and heard this song.
Instantly, I became quite emotional (actually started crying uncontrollably - yes I'll admit it) and had to pull over. It was the song I had been trying to find for the last 19 months, since Jenny left us. I did not know it's title or any of the lyrics. All I knew was the tune. As a result, this made it difficult to track down. Apart from the tune, I also felt it was a Matchbox Twenty song.
Jenny had talked about it on it's release, when someone in her Cancer Support Group played the song at one the weekly Tuesday meetings. It seemed to mean a lot to Jenny and all her colleagues at the Group.
I had tried to find the song many times since Jenny's passing, and I now know I was looking in the wrong place, as it is Rob Thomas song, not a Matchbox Twenty song (I had even bought a few Matchbox Twenty CD's to try and find the song, obviously to no avail).
While listening to the song in the car this afternoon, all I tried to do was remember (my memory is not that flash) a line from the chorus so that I could search for it as soon as I got back to Alexandria. The line I remembered was:
A quick search found the above video and I then realised the song was from a Disney Animation Movie Meet The Robinsons, which I know little about (I am sure it is very good - actually have half a feeling that Jenny and Jo may have sneaked it in one Tuesday afternoon at the Movies. Will check with Jo). So I have no idea of the meaning of the song in the context of the Movie. Though with every song I think we are allowed to bring our own experiences and interpretations to it, even if we mishear the lyrics (I am reassured that this is OK :-).
Over the years, when Jenny was with us, I would often force myself to stay awake at night, so that I could hear her breathing (we were both good sleepers and it was often a race to see who would nod off first). The sound of her breath, and the silhouette of the rise and fall of the sheets covering her chest, gave me some reassurance. I could not comprehend that one day the cancer might extingusish the breath of this amazing person (where do I start to explain) and take this beautiful woman from us.
I think of those nights and the small hours where I would lay awake watching and listening to her breath - I would often tell Jenny that it was like music to my ears.
Anyway, I will leave it that. I will buy the CD and put the song on my iPhone. I need to listen to it some more and try to make the connection to the song that Jenny and her friends at the Sutherland Shire Cancer Support Group made to it. I suspect for me it might mean something completely different to Jenny as I can already see some things that I have felt since Jenny left us.
A bit of ramble but it is nice to capture these fragments of my memory here.
Needless to say, very excited to have found this song
Maybe the The hardest part is over?
I know in writing this: These small hours - Still remain
As we said to each other every night (and I still do) as we lay in bed before nodding off to sleep:
Good Night, Sweet Dreams, God Bless, Love You.
With love and fond memories .. Geoff
[Note 1]: I love Wilson Street ( Newtown) - so many little things have happened there recently and over the years (at least in my own mind). Maybe these are some of These little wonders the song refers. I know these little things have helped me a lot over the last 19 months as I move through the grieving process [see Quote: Half a Life - NYT Book Review (12 Sep 2010) (17 Oct 2010) - in some ways that post was a real turning point for me when I look back at it now].
Let it go Let it roll right off your shoulder Don't you know The hardest part is over Let it in Let your clarity define you In the end We will only just remember how it feels
Our lives are made In these small hours These little wonders These twists and turns of fate Time falls away, But these small hours These small hours Still remain
Let it slide Let your troubles fall behind you Let it shine, Till you feel it all around you And I don't mind If it's me you need to turn to We'll get by It's the heart that really matters in the end
Our lives are made In these small hours These little wonders These twists and turns of fate Time falls away But these small hours These small hours Still remain
All of my regret Will wash away somehow But I cannot forget the way I feel right now
In these small hours These little wonders These twists and turns of fate Yeah, these twisted turns of fate Time falls away Yeah, but these small hours, These small hours Still remain
Yeah, oh they still remain These little wonders All these twists and turns of fate Time falls away But these small hours These little wonders Still remain
Tree - London Fields / Hackney / London (Sat 13 Sep 2014)
Stephen Gill (*) writes Editing (*) and Overexposure (*):
I’m aware that you can look at things too much and you can kill them, like listening to your favourite record too much or eating your favourite food. We can absolutely kill the things we love by too much exposure to them.
via Studio Visit: Stephen Gill (*) by James Brown (*) via photographs on the brain (*).
Someone send a runner Through the weather that I'm under For the feeling that I lost today Someone send a runner For the feeling that I lost today
Someone send a runner Through the weather that I'm under For the feeling that I lost today Someone send a runner For the feeling that I lost today
You must be somewhere in London You must be loving your life in the rain You must be somewhere in London Walking Abbey Lane
I don't even think to make I don't even think to make I don't even think to make corrections
Famous angels never come through England England gets the ones you never need I'm in a Los Angeles cathedral Minor singing airheads sing for me
Put an ocean and a river Between everybody else, Between everything, yourself, and home Put an ocean and a river Between everything, yourself, and home
You must be somewhere in London You must be loving your life in the rain You must be somewhere in London Walking Abbey Lane
I don't even think to make I don't even think to make I don't even think to make corrections
Famous angels never come through England England gets the ones you never need I'm in a Los Angeles cathedral Minor singing airheads sing for me
Afraid of the house, stay the night with the sinners Afraid of the house, stay the night with the sinners Afraid of the house, 'cause they're desperate to entertain
[ Thanks to LottieP yet again for a recent Facebook Entry and National Velvet (11 Jun 2010).
Nice to find some new music. After listening and watching some Youtube videos, bought National Violet and Boxer and now have them on my iPhone. Brilliant Band.
I will try to write what this song means to me at some stage. Particularly the line You must be somewhere in London. In some ways I have already started.]
Why Letterman was so good. In all the zaniness, there were incredibly touching, revealing interviews and live performances, this being just one ..
There are plenty of moments in life and most we move through as we should. Some we miss and let it pass us by. And there are those where we can get stuck. Inspired and written about the sad and tragic loss of a good friend ..
Saw this on the TV when I was in New York. It was shown in a repeat episode while the show was on a summer break. Thought to myself at the time I would put it here when I get back. Here it is. The music starts at around the 2m:20s mark. The interview before this is worth listening to BTW.
Stuck in a Moment Lyrics
I'm not afraid Of anything in this world There's nothing you can throw at me That I haven't already heard I'm just trying to find A decent melody A song that I can sing In my own company
I never thought you were a fool But darling, look at you. Ooh. You gotta stand up straight, carry your own weight 'Cause tears are going nowhere baby
You've got to get yourself together You've got stuck in a moment And now you can't get out of it Don't say that later will be better Now you're stuck in a moment And you can't get out of it
I will not forsake The colors that you bring The nights you filled with fireworks They left you with nothing I am still enchanted By the light you brought to me I listen through your ears Through your eyes I can see
You are such a fool To worry like you do.. Oh I know it's tough And you can never get enough Of what you don't really need now My, oh my
You've got to get yourself together You've got stuck in a moment And you can't get out of it Oh love, look at you now You've got yourself stuck in a moment And you can't get out of it Oh lord look at you now You've got yourself stuck in a moment And you cant get out of it
I was unconscious, half asleep The water is warm 'til you discover how deep I wasn't jumping, for me it was a fall It's a long way down to nothing at all
You've got to get yourself together You've got stuck in a moment And you can't get out of it Don't say that later will be better Now you're stuck in a moment And you can't get out of it
And if the night runs over And if the day won't last And if your way should falter Along this stony pass
It's the terror of knowing
What this world is about
Watching some good friends
Screaming let me out
Pray tomorrow - gets me higher
Pressure on people - people on streets
Today is the 7th of March and this is the day we take as the passing of my younger brother Tim on Mon 7th March 2005.
Sadly, Tim found himself in a position (Under Pressure I guess) where he considered the best option was to take his own life in a lonely spot by the side of Lake Burley Griffin, less than a couple of km's from the centre of Canberra's Parlimentary Circle (and where we will shortly participate for our State and Club at the 2011 AusDBF National Dragon Boat Championships). A remarkably powerful statement to make about how he felt about life.
His sudden death and it's nature had a hugh impact on his Family and his close Friends.
There will be always the question Why?, but that is not really important now. We should look to remembering the time we had with Tim and as well as the relationship we had with him. Remember the good times.
It is important also to acknowledge his silent suffering and the nature of his death (part of the reason for writing this post). Anger and Regrets are futile emotions. For me, the most important thing is understanding and forgiveness, something I asked all to embrace from the very first moments. This is far more productive, particularly when combined with a sense of persistence, determination, courage to live our lives to the full, no matter the circumstances.
How we respond to life's twists and turns shapes who we become. Choose to live life to the full, learn (don't be afraid to make mistakes - lots of them actually - you will learn more that way), and become stronger, wiser and more resilent.
Was planning to write more, but finding it a little difficult to express myself clearly. So what I do in these circumstances, is hand it over to the photos and the memories they contain. Don't have too many actually (he avoided camera's for some reason), but here they are ..
Cheers - Jo, Tim, Geoff, Jenny, David, Jenny - Darook Park / Cronulla (Sun 30 Apr 2000)
Tim and Grace - Coffs Harbour (25 Dec 2000)
Geoff, Jenny, Tim and Jo - Alexandria (18 Nov 2001)
One year later I would place the Ashes of Tim and my Father at Canberra's Norwood Crematorium. I had my Father's Ashes moved from Wagga Wagga (another story in itself). Jenny, Jo, Lynn and Erica were there also. Tim travelled a lot and my Aunt always said that he was searching for his Father. After all his searching I could now say to her that they were together again.
Tim and Tom - Norwood Park / Canberra (Fri 10 Mar 2006)
Jenny, Geoff, Jo and Lynn - Norwood Park / Canberra (Fri 10 Mar 2006)
Jenny, Geoff and Joanne - Norwood Park / Canberra (Fri 10 Mar 2006)
Tim and Tom - Norwood Park / Canberra (Fri 10 Mar 2006)
-->
A tree overlooking them .. - Norwood Park / Canberra (Fri 10 Mar 2006)
Saw this on the TV when I was in New York. It was shown in a repeat episode while the show was on a summer break. Thought to myself at the time I would put it here when I get back. Here it is. The music starts at around the 2m:20s mark. The interview before this is worth listening to BTW.
Stuck in a Moment Lyrics
I'm not afraid Of anything in this world There's nothing you can throw at me That I haven't already heard I'm just trying to find A decent melody A song that I can sing In my own company
I never thought you were a fool But darling, look at you. Ooh. You gotta stand up straight, carry your own weight 'Cause tears are going nowhere baby
You've got to get yourself together You've got stuck in a moment And now you can't get out of it Don't say that later will be better Now you're stuck in a moment And you can't get out of it
I will not forsake The colors that you bring The nights you filled with fireworks They left you with nothing I am still enchanted By the light you brought to me I listen through your ears Through your eyes I can see
You are such a fool To worry like you do.. Oh I know it's tough And you can never get enough Of what you don't really need now My, oh my
You've got to get yourself together You've got stuck in a moment And you can't get out of it Oh love, look at you now You've got yourself stuck in a moment And you can't get out of it Oh lord look at you now You've got yourself stuck in a moment And you cant get out of it
I was unconscious, half asleep The water is warm 'til you discover how deep I wasn't jumping, for me it was a fall It's a long way down to nothing at all
You've got to get yourself together You've got stuck in a moment And you can't get out of it Don't say that later will be better Now you're stuck in a moment And you can't get out of it
And if the night runs over And if the day won't last And if your way should falter Along this stony pass
Just another random music video which I stumbled across just now, after following a Jeremy Rolleston Blog post (BTW, take a look, it is a great post). For me I liked the music, water theme of the video and some of the comments:
This song really makes me think of my past, the past memories, locked away in my brain.
You could float away listening to this song. Utterly peacful and tranquil in everyway.
Quite moved by this and I know that Jenny would have loved this for sure as it reminds me of a lot of the music she played as she meditated.
Today I started work this morning at 05:00 hrs so I could finish at 13:00 hrs, which would give me the opportunity to go for a paddle and an extra session on N'been lake, as part of my weekly training goals.
I hit the water at 14:00 hrs after a five minute warm up I strapped on the bungy cord around the hull, plugged into my music ear pieces listening to Classic Rock FM 95.3, and off I went at a steady 50 strokes per minute with 80% effort.
My starting point was just outside the Pro Kayaks shop, I headed out under the bridge to the top most pin at the northern tip of the lake, turned the pin and headed back with a slight head wind and the music pumping through my veins, working the legs and nailing the catch inhaling on the return & exhaling deep with every power phase aaahhhh...... beats work anytime, perfect way to spend an afternoon ..... back to my start position in 21'43" first lap. Six minutes of rest and recovery level one paddle, drink.
Removed the bungy cord, set the stop watch ........ off we go at a steady 60 spm.
Under the bridge, straight up the lake, grinding on, turn the pin and........ holey smoke where did those clouds come from ? The sky behind me had turned an ugly black, guess it must be only 14:40hrs, next thing..... the heavens open. For about what would have only been six minutes the rain came down, torrential, like needles stinging my body, it was so intense my vision was blurred . Battling on - the stroke rate starts to creep up and panic sets in ...... but i'm not going anywhere , the rains hitting my craft and the water's boiling with the spray, the wind churns up ...... holding my nerve I drop the rate, put the hammer down, but wait ...... what's that just emerging from the blackness up above and to the left? Why - its a Rainbow.... and within a few seconds, literally, the rains gone . A glint of sun to my right, and I can see Jenny smiling down ...... back to the finish line in 24' flat, 24....?!! But that's slower than the first lap ..... and I can hear her laugh......
Warm down, de rig, load up, laugh to myself, life...... don't you love it!!
Drew Ginn (*) asks Energy - What gives you energy? (*). His response:
Doing Stuff Alone, Doing Things With Others, Taking Initiative, Being Lead, Being Coached, Being Challenged, Setting Goals, Achieving Goals, Doing, Learning, Crowds, Challenge, Winning, Risk, Achieving, Making Mistakes, Being Centre Of Attention, Being Quiet, Reflecting, Thinking, Focusing, Performing, Following, Being Praised Being Pushed, Being Left To Work It Out, Seeing Other Do Well, Doing Well, Trying Stuff, Working Stuff Out, Knowing Whats Expected, Knowing Whats Required, Listening, Having Clear Goals, Seeing Improvement, Time Pressures, Making Decisions, Taking Having Choices, Making Choices, Saying No, Stepping Up, Thinking About New Ideas, Making People Laugh, Hurting, Feeling Pain, Getting Taken Care Of, Being Looked Up To, Being Included, Having Autonomy, Being Creative, Being Good, Being Bad, Influencing Others, Surprising People, Getting Something For Nothing, Working Hard For Something, Deserving Something, Being Helped, Taking Control, Having Control, Letting Go, Resting, Sleeping, Pushing Boundaries, Challenging Others, Doing A Good Job, Doing Whats Expected, Making People Happy, Beating Others, Stuffing Up, Following A Plan, Setting The Pace, Catching Something, Being In Front, Being Vulnerable, Being Uncomfortable, Finding A Way, Showing Others, Proving Yourself, Showing Others, Being Better, Being The Best, Being Capable Doing The Opposite, Doing Things Differently, Sticking To A Plan, Changing, Standing Out, Flying Under The Radar, Being Loud, Doing Things You Know, Having A Routine, Impressing Others, Telling Stories, Knowing Facts, Having Knowledge, Knowing Things Others Don't, Having Power, Having Authority, Leading, Being Unique, Showing Care, Taking Care, Being Careful, Having Discipline, Feeling Guilty, Being Passionate, Setting The Standard, Getting Out Of Control, Let Things Happen
Drew then asks:
What takes it [energy] away?
This is an amazing collection of thoughts gained from a life long rowing career. Each one strikes a chord and it is the culmination of everything you have experienced and learnt. Thanks Drew.
Congratulations on an amazing rowing career and all the best for new position as National Rowing Coach Integration. I can see you a going to challenge and mix things up. Good luck.
Missed this performance of 'My Island Home' at last years Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony. Just popped up randomly after listening to an Artificial Intelligence Lecture - thanks YouTube, a machine learning recommendation system algorithm hard at work. The original and the various versions I have heard always give me goose bumps.
Moving around a few times from one end of the state to the other and back somewhere else at the other end, in my youth, I don't really feel I have a home town. Not in the sense that many feel. Somehow 'My Island Home' reminds me, and gives me an identity along with a relationship to the place I feel fortunate to call home - the place I live, share and experience life.
A song, its music and words give it meaning, emotion and feeling. Additionally we have the various performances, be it live, on TV, online or from a playlist on your phone. Again, just like a photo, a performance gives you a sense of time and place (memories I guess) ..
I remember seeing Christine and her partner play 'My Island Home' as buskers in the Pitt Street Mall in the lead up to the Sydney 2000 Olympics. An unforgettable and mesmerising performance by Christine on top of a huge silver globe during the Closing Ceremony of the Sydney Olympics. At the last minute I included a beautiful acoustic version at Jenny's Funeral as the song to mark the end of the service. I will never forget the first notes of the guitar, you could hear a pin drop and there was a clarity of feeling I have never felt before or after - in that moment it marked an end and a difficult but sure beginning. I felt it somehow expressed our new separate physical paths, Jenny's journey giving her a new path and home, as well as Jo and my own first steps in our new journey in life without her. Always brings a small tear to my eye when I think about it for more than a little bit. There was also a sense and clarity that we have to live fulfilling and meaningful lives and not to be burdened by sadness. We owe this to them all and it is a responsibility we all share ..
'My Island Home' gives me the same feelings I experience when flying in over Botany Bay in the rising sun light from the numerous long overseas trips over the last 30 years. You look out and you see the blue of the sky, and down, you see the beautiful blue of the Botany Bay water contrasted with the sand around its edges, the rippled banks and gutters underneath. You are reminded of the clarity of light and colour we take for granted here - you have not seen it anything near it while you were away and somehow it is forgotten until just then looking out the window. With it comes another clarity, the clarity of the feeling that this is my home, a home so far from the rest of the world and my ancestors. In those moments I look down and I wonder how did this place I am looking at become my home. I think of my ancestors, particularly those that made that first 6 month journey here in a leaky boat (another song for another day :-)) in the mid-1800's. I always wonder what made them come here and what they felt when first sighting the Sydney Heads, the gateway to Sydney and a new life. I was lucky enough to paddle around this very point, the entrance to their new home, this morning. We saw the sun rise with a clarity most of us had not seen before and as I paddled I heard various chatter between my friends as we paddled - I knew what they were talking about without hearing the exact words - we all saw and felt it. And in this rising sun I was reminded with clarity of how lucky I am to be living this life, in this time, in this place with my family and friends - 'Our Island Home' ..
[ After 4 years, just bought a new phone. This version of 'My Island Home' (love the hip-hop bit from Mau Power) is the first song on it :-) ]
