More bits & pieces....

I'll start off with a little more about music. Try this. Find an older cd. One that's like 10 or so years old. And get one of your new cds. Something a year or so old. Put them both in the cd player, listen to the new one first. Notice the constant volume on the cd. All the songs are played at the same volume. No variation for quiet, low-key songs versus upbeat, loud & obnoxious songs. All played at the same volume. Now play that older cd. Notice how the songs vary in their volume. Notice how there are quiet moments in songs, and louder moments. I forget the musical terms for when the music takes a softer tone, but you'll notice when you decide to listen to one cd after the other. It's the truth. And it can be very annoying when you recognize that in real life these songs would not be at one constant, steady, LOUD volume. The way the music is written, you'll hear highs & lows in each songs. But, NOT in our modern cds. Maybe that's why we still find people who prefer their old records. The records weren't technologically modulated to shout out all the songs at one eardrum-shattering volume. The records actually allow for the softness of a soft, quiet song, versus the harshness of a pop song.

I noticed how true this is while I was listening to my old Simon & Garfunkle's Greatest cd last night. I could hear the swelling and the die-back in "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and "Scarborough Faire". That's not something I hear in my Josh Groban cd's. As much as I do like Josh Groban, I wish I could hear the music he makes as it was intended. Unfortunately the music manufacturers don't seem to understand or appreciate this important aspect of music.

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A bit of synconicity:

This occured between myself and one of the children's librarians a couple of weeks ago. *Sue* is her name. Nice lady. She's a casual employee, so I haven't seen her very much this summer, as she usually works Sundays in winter. It was a Monday night & she was filling in for another librarian who had the night off. I was just starting on making my end-of-the-night pick-up (the books) rounds.

Some woman had called with a very vague question about what books she should be having her second-grade daughter read, and were the books the child was being given in school grade appropriate. Now, never having met the woman or the woman's daughter, Sue didn't have a clue what to tell the woman. And the woman was adamant that her daughter needed easy chapter books, but NOT beginner books. Beyond that, no help from the woman as to her daughter's likes or dislikes. *shrug* Sue was at a loss.

After hearing Sue's frustration over this, I off hand mentioned that some favorite books of mine at that approximate level & difficulty are Cynthia Rylant's "Cobble Street Cousins" books. They're a little tougher than the "Henry & Mudge" and "Mister Putter & Tabby" series, but are still very short, easy chapter books. And they're about 3 little 8 year old girl cousins who have all sorts of sweet, fun, girly adventures. They're quite descriptive, and they feature fabulous illustrations by Wendy Halperin. I strongly suggested Sue check them out, so that she'd have a knowledge of this set of books if she ever needed to make such a suggestion again.

Sue promptly went to find these books, and at the same time found other books by Cynthia Rylant that she'd never heard of, but decided to pick up to read. One of the other books by C.R. that Sue picked up was titled "The VanGogh Cafe". It's a thicker chapter book, and a fabulous read, according to Sue. Sue was glad I directed her to the "Cobble Street Cousins" books (which she ended up purchasing for her niece for an upcoming birthday), because she then found this other fabulous book on the shelf right there with the CSC books.

Sue came in the next week and told me that not only had she enjoyed the books, but she found out they're having a guest speaker at her church who would that weekend be giving a message titled..... The VanGogh Cafe, after his favorite children's book.

She said that for a couple of weeks she'd known about this guest speaker, and had seen the title of the message he was going to be given, but she had no idea what it'd be about. And even directly upon finding the book, the match wasn't made in her mind, about the book and the message having the same title. It wasn't till she was done reading the book & digesting IT'S message, that she went back and was looking over her church's schedual & was reminded that this was also the title of the message she'd be hearing the following weekend. The fact that I pointed her in the direction of Cynthia Rylant's books allowed her to find _The VanGogh Cafe_ in time to read it before hearing the message this speaker would be giving.

If that isn't a touch of syncronicity, I don't know what else to call it.

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DH & DD went to the annual Hockey Night at Play-It-Again Sports. DD needed new hockey regular hockey shorts, and a new regular chest protector. She also needed BOTH new goalie skates and new regular skates. (She'll be playing goalie AND "out" this year, so she's got to have complete set-ups for both.) It was well over $200, DH said. If anybody ever wonders why we live pay-check to pay-check..... That's it! And, this was even with the %20 off everything deal the store had going on for their annuah hockey night. And with trade-ins on DD's "old" skates & pads. (Her "old" regular skates had only been worn about 3 times, right at the end of last season, and they were brand new when purchased for her, but over the summer, her feet have grown 3 sizes. *shaking head*) We've also got to come up with $125 before she can get on the ice for her next practice, on Monday. DH is going to ask FIL if he can help out with that, till our dividend checks come in, at the beginning of Oct. Then we'll pay him back for that and all the other $$ he's lent us over the last year. *shaking head*

I DO enjoy watching DD play hockey, as does DH. And I know DD loves hockey. If it weren't for the fact that all 3 of us so appreciate her hockey, I think I'd be seriously pissed about giving up so much of our money for a sport. And occasionally I do think what we could do with that money (I'd have a new car, for example). But on the other hand, I know that DD's got real talent, when it comes to hockey. There are times I look at her, out there on-ice, in her gear, and think that this is just where she needs to be, what she was built for (literally, her build suits playing hockey precisely). And she's such an athletic child I could never take it away from her.

Though I wish she & DH understood more the importance of using one's brain, I believe DD would feel just as lost without hockey, as I would without books. *sigh*

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So, I'll be trying something new, again, for supper tomorrow night. One of DH's bosses loves hunting & fishing (and is actually an experienced, liscensed hunting & fishing guide, when he's not running the company, and even got to do some guiding for Rick Schroeder this summer, and has pics to prove it) and got some duck earlier this week. So, hearing that DH (and, DH presumed, myself) had never tried duck, Ed gave DH 3 of the ducks for me to make. Ok. I've got no problem with that. DH didn't realize that I've had duck, and liked it greatly. (And he was rather disappointed to find out that he wasn't going to get to suprise me with a new food.) So, now I get to come up with a recipe for making them tomorrow night. I'm leaning towards Duck L'Orange. But, first I've got to find that required recipe. I'll let y'all know how it goes.

Have a Blessed Day!