Welcome To My Cloud

Time for a blogvation. Be back shortly.

Homer is in charge while I'm gone. Send all comments to him.

I'll try to stay out of trouble.

Or not.

Monday Mimisms: Mr. Dreamy and The Birdman

"Miss Pencil Skirt, you will sing the Mozart."
"I will sing the Mozart what? "
"You will sing First Lady in the Mozart....

"The Magic Flute First Lady?"

"But I didn't audition for the First Lady, Second Lady or even Third!! "

"But..

"Miss Pencil Skirt, you will sing the First Lady in the Magic Flute."

Alrighty then.

While I've previously told the beginnings of this tale in other blog posts, I never led you down the most embarrassing rabbit hole. Sure I got stuck in the ladies room while socialites eating Chicken Cordon Bleu waited on the soprano-that-never-was. Sure I nearly caused the conductor to have a stroke right then and there in his black and white choker thing. Sure I slid out of a pick-up truck in a black puffy evening gown in downtown metropolis just in the nick of time to arrive for the downbeat (oops, no I never told that one)....and all because of the Magic Flute and my propensity for coloratura.
And more ditz than any soprano ought be born with.

It's a gift.
"But ne'er did I tell - until today - of the day I led the first act of Mozart's masterpiece down an I-Love-Lucy trail of comedy that wasn't in the score.
This time I heard, "Miss Pencil Skirt, the Flute quintet will be the guinea pigs for the new opera director's audition master class on Tuesday. He would like to get a position at this school. Just follow his direction. You will sing First Lady."

Here we go again.

I never knew in these instances if he truly chose the best singers, someone chose the short straw, or if he knew my participation in said master class audition would present the candidate with sufficient "challenges" ....shall we say. Trial by fire? Send Pencil Skirt.

Today I would be singing a coloratura role with my usual shades of ever-changing lyric soprano - with an F above high C thank you very much - for the poor soul who had to direct me and my crew. And his job depended on my ability to follow his direction and his ability to figure out how he was going to best dole it out. He needed to impress. I needed to pay attention.
And it didn't help my pencil brain any that Mr. Opera Candidate was drop-dead gorgeous and dripping with charisma. I was a tad distracted you might say.

(He looked a bit like Belgian director Nicholas Lens seen here but I digress.)

Where was I?

You see, it is the God-given duty of the First Lady to present the "magic flute" to the Prince. Not the Duke, not the Earl, Not the Duchess, Not even the Queen of the Night. She gets to sing "The Vengeance Of Hell Boils In My Heart" (doesn't that sound divine??!) while hanging in the air in all her glory. See?


I so hated her.

I didn't get to do the fun stuff like that.
I just had to pass the flute to Prince Tamino. That was my job. It was bad enough that Mozart named his characters nearly identically and some were females portraying males and some were males portraying birds (!) There was Pamina. Pamino. Tamina. Tamino. Filipino. Filipina. And Palamino (I just made those last 3 up.)

How was I supposed to keep all that straight??! But we all knew who had the most important part, don't we?
That's right. Moi.

And I took it seriously. I had the sole responsibility of forwarding the storyline by ceremoniously presenting the subject of the entire opera (the magic flute that can change men's hearts) to the Prince - who stood on my left.

And that's exactly what I intended to do.

After about fourteen changes in direction and a couple of winks from Director Dreamy I finally held the flute in my hand. I sang my part. I flourished. I climbed the scale. I skipped scales altogether. I made up scales. I relished. I embellished. I tripped tra-la-las. I sang. I smiled. And then I turned.

To the right.

And what do I see? Papageno The Birdman - who is in a cage covered from head to toe with bird feathers on his hands and knees with a large padlock glued to his mouth for telling a lie. You'd think I'd get a clue but nooooo.....So I presented the marvelous magic flute to The Birdman "Papageno" who cannot accept it because he's a little busy with the padlock and chains.

I am not in the clip below. This is UCONN's 2007 Magic Flute Quintet. At about marker 1:30 I made my blunder except she was going in the wrong - or right -direction, depending on her level of common sense.

Where was I? (which is a question I should have long ago asked...)
Picture this: He had no hands with which to receive said flute. The poor baritone on his knees could only grunt and motion with his eyes and head for me to turn around. I thought he was acting very strangely indeed.

Oh. But I did not care.

I sang. I flourished. I scaled. I climbed. I soared. I was full of myself I was.

Oh. Did I tell you that the entire music faculty looked upon this spectacle of brilliance? Not one of my professors, not two, not three, not four....but all of them.

And The Dean.

Can someone say bye-bye music scholarship?

Well, after about 30 seconds of disgust and and amazement from the doomed director and the singer who somehow managed not to swallow the prop in his mouth, the accompanist stopped playing and the entire room broke into laughter. It was a moment.

And one I never want to live again.
Baritone bird had a word of prayer with me right then and there . "Didn't it give you a clue, Miss Pencil Skirt, that I was on my knees in a cage? Do I look like a Prince to you??!" ....

He did have a point.

By then the entire cast lost focus and nearly fell in the floor laughing - including me. Who knew there was comedy in the middle of Act I?

And to think that I am still looking for my Prince.

Some things never change.

Hot Off The Bloggingham Stove: Fighting for peace is like blogging for virginity

Sunday Stealing: The ABC Meme (Round 2)

A – An advantage you have – I'm a Queen.

B – Blue or brown eyes – Brown

C – Chore you hate – I don't do chores. I told you I'm a Queen.

D – Dad’s name – He-Who-Fathered-Queen (it's Cherokee)

E – Essential start of your day – It's always a good day when I wake up.


F – Favorite color – Moonlight

G – Greatest thing you’ve ever done that made you feel really good – This question requires a highly developed sense of narcissism and self-importance to even answer it. Where would such a person be found?

H – Habit you have – From the opera Suor Angelica in the year 2525 way back in the day when I wore such things. Somewhere there's a pic wearing the French maid costume for another such occasion. But you didn't ask that question. Too bad.

I – Issue you hate that the world tries to make you pursue – Giving out personal information in public. Isn't it enough that I tell them I'm a Queen. But no. They want identification, dates, addresses, tattoos I so don't have one . But if I did, it would say

Does this come off?

J – Job title – Ruler of The Universe. Just your average BlogQueen.

K – Kohls or Target – Why? Are we going?

L – Living arrangements – To live as long as possible if that can be arranged.

M – Music you like – Mimi's music in the sidebar. Can't you hear it? Now playing "Chopsticks On a Windy Day" by Rachmaninoff.

N - Nicknames – O-She-Who-Forgets-To-Turn-Off-The-Stove (it's Cherokee)

O – Overnight hospital stay – Depends on the room service. There are overnight hospitals? Who knew??! Do they have a pool?

P – Pet Peeve – Hospitals with no swimming pools


Q – Quote that you like most – "Fighting for peace is like blogging for virginity." No. No. That's not right. "Blogging for peace is like fighting for virginity."

That's it. Isn't it?



R – Right or left handed – You put your right hand in, you put your right out, you put your right hand in and you shake it all about.



S– Siblings – Rivalry.
Password! Your turn.

T – Time you wake up – After I go to bed

U – Underwear – "Virgins for peace is like fighting for war."
Are we back to that again?

V – Vegetable you dislike – Chex Mix. It looks nothing like the box when you cook it. That is false advertising if you ask me.





W – What makes you run late –
Sale signs at the mall

X – X-rays you’ve had –
It would be easier to list x-rays I haven't had.
None.

Y – Yummy food you make – Behold pic above taken two hours ago when I started this meme.

True story: I love it when a plan comes together. Hot off the Bloggingham stove. I am sitting at the kitchen table finishing this meme. I get to Y.

I smell something. Something weird. I see a wisp of smoke in the direction of the stove where I am happily creating a disaster snack. These were supposed to be homemade Chex Mix thingies with garlic and butter and stuff. I made the recipe up myself. I set the oven for 10 minutes at something higher than I should and voila! a meme answer appeared.

I hear charcoal is good for the digestive tract.

Want some?

Z – Zoo animal – Polar bears.

I'm hungry.

And It Cuts Like A Knife ~ Michael Jackson (1958 - 2009)

When his voice was young and pure and his life not so tortured, I remember this emotion packed performance. I suppose his passing seems all the more tragic because we watched him grow up before our eyes - from a boy to a man and back to child it seemed.

Eccentric, he was. Electric, he was.

Ever ever evolving, he was.

But then again, aren't we all.

My favorite Michael Jackson song is "You Are Not Alone" shown below. In the short video clip from the Copenhagen History Tour in 1997, Jackson gives an a cappella improvised ending for his fans.

The lyrics remind me that love can cross miles and distance

and even bittersweet goodbyes


Rest in peace.

The questions for tomorrow's Samantha's Saturday 9 are about those entertainers the world lost this week. Stop by and play.

Mimi In A Minute #16 ~ Digital Smigital

These things keep me up at night.They give me a headache.I just need sixty seconds of your time to unclog my pencil brain so that I can get some sleep. Do you mind?

I have a few things to say.

This is Mimi unplugged.
Hide your children.

Did you make the switch?: Don't you know it's really the government placing an embedded chip in our collective living rooms to watch us?

Didn't you read Toffler's Future Shock in high school?

('cept it backfired. I now have less channels than before)











Even the President can't figure it out. See??

To the bunny with the glasses: Tell me it wasn't the nuclear code.

To the Iranian vote counters:

All 40 million votes count.

Mark Sanford, Republican governor of South Carolina went missing this week.
All they had to do was ask Homer.

Even Homer knows you can't get to Argentina by way of the Appalachian Trail in the Atlanta airport

To the Powers-That-Be: The world is watching for possible missile throwing by North Korea this week. This is serious business.
If I don't get my TV on soon I won't know that the sky is falling.

I'm so sorry I put myself on the Do Not Call list.

Will one of you please call me??!

To the South Carolina newspaper who "obtained" correspondence between the Governor and his mistress: Shame on you. I do not believe that private emails should be thrown on the altar of public fodder. (And besides, this should greatly strain relations with Argentina. We're in a boatload of trouble as it is. If they can't trust us with their mail, then how in the world can they trust us with their sugarcane crop!)

Please. Think of the poptarts.



To the boat carrying the suspicious materials from North Korea:

Turn around.

We're back to Governor Sanford well really it's all about me big surprise I am tired of hearing about your love life and it's only been 12 hours. If I can't have a secret rendezvous love life, nobody can!! And besides, if your wife sues you for alienation of affection we might never balance the federal budget. Politics and love are related ya know. Or so I've heard...

To now-very tired-of hearing-from-me-Governor-Sanford:

The entire world does not need to hear the details.
Really. Go.Find.A.Priest.

And while I'm at it!! Why is your infidelity apologizable to the masses?

Oh.

Digital Smigital!!!! I still have no TV. And it is interfering with my Internet connection.

I vote we reinstate the trusty smoke signals. At least I could watch The Lone Ranger.

Whew! I feel better. Thanks for listening. Sixty seconds flew by.
I think my blogsomnia is cured.
Lights out.

Images: Public Domain

"Finding Peace In a Rage-Filled World" with Guest Blogger Lee

Today's post was titled and written by Lee, who writes the popular blog Tarheel Ramblings. Ever heard of the meme Sunday Scenery? That's Lee's brainchild. I found his thoughts to be inspiring and honest. I think you will too. Thank you, Lee, for graciously allowing me to reprint your article.

Finding Peace In A Rage-Filled World

As I skimmed the news this morning, I was struck by amount of turmoil that is wracking our world. In Tehran, Iran, the Supreme Leader is railing against the “lies” that he blames for the massive protests taking place there. In North Korea, it appears there are plans being made for further missal tests. And in Somalia, the government is under attack from Islamic extremists. Not to mention the continuing violence in Afghanistan and Iraq that looks to be endless.

Blogblast For Peace is about five months away, and at that time bloggers around the world will be posting their continued hope that peace can somehow become a reality in this world. Yet, I wonder how that can ever happen with the current state of affairs. Sometimes, it seems to me that there is too much dividing humanity to ever be able to find common ground. The Conservatives can’t stand the Liberals, Islamic extreemists will settle for nothing less than anhialation of “infadels,” white supremicists will tolerate no concessions to those they consider inferior, and it goes on and on. With attitudes of intolerance and hate, how can the world ever know peace? And how are these feelings overcome?

My Perspective

Since my background is Christian, I tend to view the world situation through that filter. If I look at what my faith has taught me, the answer comes through LOVE. In other words, peace will be found when humanity puts a higher priority on the welfare of others first. As a child I was taught that you win over other people by “killing them with kindness” which brings about a change of heart. It’s difficult to hate someone who puts your interests above their own. And sometimes that means conceding a point even when you feel you’re right, or giving up the need to be heard in the interest of hearing someone else.

I’m not an expert on world religions, but these same Christian principles are not unique to followers of Christ. The little bit I do know of other faiths is that concern for those less fortunate is a common theme in every religious philosophy that I am aware of. At least the most common ones. If the world could agree to focus on common ground, rather than differences, I believe that there could be progress toward peace.

Knowing what I know about the nature of human beings, though, I know that such a change of attitude is not going to happen quickly or easily. My Christian background tells me that everything I experience in this life is preparation for what will come in the next life. And more and more, the main lesson I glean from my experience is that I can accomplish very little on my own accord. It is only through the grace and love of a higher power, that I call God, that I am able to grow and become a better person.

I know there are many that will deny the existance of God, or any Intelligent Creator. In their estimation, when this life is over, it’s over. They will tell you that human nature is what it is, and the planet is ultimately doomed to the excesses that come from that nature. I flatly refuse to accept that pessimistic approach. I have seen and experienced too much that convinces me that there is a force at work that is much bigger than I am, and it doesn’t occur by accident.

I will never be so arrogant as to assume that the Christian faith is the source of all truth. Or even that my particular brand of Christian theology has all the right answers. To do so would put me in the company of those who feel that their answers are the only answers. Maybe that is the secret of finding common ground. Because to assume that one has all the answers when it comes to God is to put oneself on the same level with God. I know two things with a fair amount of certainty: 1. There is a god, and 2. I’m not God.

Join Blogblast For Peace

On November 5th, I will be joining other bloggers around the world in posting my Peace Globe, and writing a post expressing my hope and desire for peace. I hope you will join with us in your own posts and expressions of hope. By doing so, you will help me and the rest of the blogosphere reflect on what peace means and take a step toward realizing that goal. You can visit the Blogblast for Peace website here to get more information on participating and creating your Peace Globe.

Lee's November 2008 peace globe in honor of his granddaughter, Lilly. Click the globe to read his beautiful tribute to her.

Image: Cromacom

Guess Who's Coming To Dinner?

Why do I need a lawn mower when I have these guys?
There were four of them. Right at dinnertime tonight.

Eating dandelions.


I tried the zoom lens through the kitchen screen without making a sound. Come on, guys!
Turn around.

They were magnificent!



I had to go outside.
I needed to get closer.

I know I should have asked this question before I went outside but none of you left me your phone numbers...

Deer won't charge and attack, will they?

Round the corner of the deck I sloooowwwwlllly moved and there she was!

The best shot EVER. I was so excited!!
This is what happens when Mimi can't focus the camera.

I said a very unQueenly thing.

It is apparent that I don't know how to zoom.

Hey! What 'cha doin' Lady?

And then they ran away

Whew. At least I didn't have to run.

Monday Mimisms: Doing The Alphabet With My Feet

I never knew my toes could be so educational. It stirred my cranium to new heights of cerebral gymnastics.
I thought I'd share the wealth.

Have you ever wondered.....

If ants are tired of the racially-charged ant farm stereotype and would really love to move to ant condos?

What happens when blogs die?

If you dream that you eat an entire chocolate cake, will you weigh more in the morning?

Why do all the light bulbs burn out in one room at the same time?

and Who WHOOOO created apostrophes?!!

With all this time on my hands, my mind is turning and churning - brilliantly, I might add - like buttermilk on a lamp post. (Eureka! That was brilliant!) It'll take me all day to research the answers to these - and more - burning questions.

So I went for a walk to rest my cranium.

These fell down in the rain (better them than me)
Waiting to be picked. Or not.


That's enough walking for today.


Back to the alphabet.

A...

B...

C...

Wait a minute.

I wonder if it's better for your "sole" to do the alphabet in Spanish?

I'd better call my doctor.

uno... dos.. tres..cuatro...

I told you I was brilliant.

The Finish The Sentence Meme

Intrigue! Intrigue! Oh, who cares?

Who really needs to know about the closet anyway...

1. I've come to realize that my last kiss....... was a complete surprise. Who knew it would be the last??! (I'm talking to you guitar-player)

2. I am listening to........the love gods laughing at the answer to #1

3. I talk.........in my sleep

4. I love........without expectations (how's that working for me? Don't ask.)

5. My best friend.......and I will be sharing a girl's night out together soon. Somebody send bail money.

6. My first real kiss......was in a closet playing Spin The Bottle. That's really pathetic now that I think about it.


7. Love is.......always in my rear view mirror.

8. Marriage is......over. Amen.

9. Somewhere, someone is thinking.....how did Mimi get so jaded in just 8 questions?

10. I'll always.....be grateful for divorce.

11. The last time I really cried was because...... I couldn't think how to pencil skirt this question without out-and-out lying so I read the love and marriage answers and cried to have an answer. What I won't do for a meme.

12. My cell phone.....is demon possessed. The alarm won't go off even when the phone is off. I so need an exorcist.


13. When I wake up in the morning......I am very grumpy

14. Before I go to bed......I wonder if by this time next year I'll still be going to bed alone.

15. Right now I am thinking about.......unbloggable bedtime things (and how I got even more jaded in 14 questions)

16. Babies are.....Men under 35. The rest are fair game depending on the age appropriateness of the game. (bwaahahaaa) And since I'm already jaded why not lower the age.

strong>17. I get on Myspace.......LOL.

18. Today I........stayed up waaaay too late and realized I'm jaded!

19. Tomorrow I will be...very sleepy and even grumpier.

20. I really want to be.......fully engaged in unbloggable activities (#15) with someone I care about

without the jade

And that's the truth.

Two Blue Eyes and A Table

So I'm searching through the archives trying to re-post something for my weekend readers because I'm coming up empty in the blog post department when suddenly I look across the table and see two blue eyes in a chair. And magic. Oh yeah. Magic.

Happened right here in the castle.

"How old are you?" I asked

"Five."

Right.

'Cause I swear he has some aged old wise man hiding behind the blue with a wrinkle of secrets and mystery that only I can see

and I wonder if he sees the pool of love welling up in my eyes and sliding down my face and praying praying praying that he lives long and hard and beautifully wild enough to look at someone else this way across an unsuspecting table and see what I see and gather into himself what I breathe into my heart when I look at him 'cause I'm here to tell you that it stops me in my tracks and I can't help myself nor do I want to from allowing every bit of sacred innocence when I see that face and I wanna say go back go back go back for just one day 'cause there's power in that place

and I know you can't see it

but I do

Time With An Old Friend

Just me and

88
keys

We had a lovely day.