I searched the Creative Commons site for images of “Japan” because it is my favorite country and many images from there are my favorites. I saw a lot of interesting images with stories to be told, but this was the most beautiful. It’s just so amazing in a sort of grand, otherworldly way. Then I searched CCmixture for some music. Initially I searched for “japan” again, to get a feel for what was out there but none of it felt quite right. Then I refined my search to “koto” because I knew I wanted some traditional instrumentation to go with the very traditional image. But I also wanted something with a more modern feel to enhance the experience of the image. I listened to a number of audio-files, several by this same user, but this was the one that spoke to me the most. I think that the dreamy meditative quality of the music fits well with the dreamy feeling of the image. But the addition of a glockenspiel adds a bit of a twist to the image, suggesting a more international flavor to a thoroughly Japanese image.
You probably think you know everything there is to goats. Who doesn’t? We all know that goats are the greatest of all time (GOAT) when it comes to animals.
But did you know that goats have been known to perform opera? Probably not.
But I promise you they are.
I’ve been to a goat opera. It was in Hell, though, where goats typically feel most at home. In Hell, goats are some the realm’s best musicians. The goat featured in the photo above is one of Hell’s most famous. His name is “Pretty Baby-waby.” Pretty Baby-waby (PBW) has won the majority of the vocal performance awards in Hell. The photo above is a snapshot of PBW after his first performance. The guy next to him is his agent, I.M. Herderson. I have no doubt that this sounds all weird but if you listen to following recording below, you’ll hear PBW’s glorious and soothing voice.
Indeed, one wonders how this might even be possible. The answer is simple. Goats have an uncanny ability to emulate humans when they are singing. You wouldn’t know this if you’ve never heard a goat sing. Like I said, goats are most comfortable in Hell. They are also most comfortable singing in the Netherworld, too. PBW not only has won the majority of vocal performance awards but also has teaches performance at the Hadean Institute of Fine Arts and Automobile Repair. PBW also runs a day spa on the side for extra cash. It was at the day spa where I met this fine goat named PBW. I was getting a massage when he started singing to me. I’d never been so enamored by music before. After an amazing massage her gave me an autographed version of the picture above and I bought a boxed set of his most famous performances from Amazon. Now that you know, I hope PBW brings you as much joy as he brings me.
As some of you may know I am a certified scuba diver, and this image above represents one of many beautiful animals or creatures that a scuba diver may encounter while traveling under water. Most animals in the ocean have predators and one way for the sea turtles to avoid predators is diving in deep depths. The further you go down into the ocean, light dissipates ranging from 200 meters to 1000 meters and below depending on the ocean layout and other circumstances. Most sea turtles can dive approximately 290 meters which translates around 960 feet and some species of sea turtles can dive to 1000 meters approximately (3000 ft).
I picked the song Black Silk because it describes the color black in a different light than maybe most of the world sees the color black. People often miss represent colors with different feelings like red being angry or green and feeling sick. The color black has often been described as dangerous, unsafe, evil, and despair.
As a twist, the color black can actually be represented as strength, authority, and power. For some animals like this sea turtle it represents safety away from predators. It also represents comfort being able to get cooler temperatures, and helps keep the sea turtles safer, avoiding predators while searching fro prey. In a world that puts labels on everything or often sees things from one lens we hurt ourselves by not seeing or understanding the different perspectives of others. Black is beautiful.
One of the very first memories I have of bonding with my mother was over the Los Angelos Lakers and the man they called Magic Ervin Johnson. She told me she played in middle school but I never saw her play. I only saw her shoot around playing, let’s just say she must have been a great defender. But come Sunday ABC would have the game of the week and we would watch the Lakers play. Her love of the lakers was infectious or should I say of Magic Johnson. She was so in love with Magic that she married a man who I believe is looked and acted like Magic. He played basketball, he is 6’9, loved working with the youth, and helped out his community. It was a running joke that she only married him because he looked like and acted like Magic. Before she passed she admitted it to him, jokingly of course that it was true. The thing she loved about Magic was his personality and how passionate he was about motivating others, even after he was diagnosed with AIDS and no longer played basketball. But I would be remiss if I did not mention that smile, it would light up a room and make everyone feel good. When first came to the Civic Center and spoke, I yelled out I love you Magic and he said I love you too. I was on cloud 9.
Go Time by rohas_hussein (c) copyright 2012 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/rohas_hussein/38168
I chose this audio track called Go Time by Rohas Hussein because it talks about basketball and being in a baller mindset. I think I am going to use the track to hype my 5-year-old nephew who is learning basketball now.
The image Vienna – Rathus Christmas Market by charley1965 reminds me of how Christmas time feels like the most happiest time of year. I believe the best memories come from window shopping at Christmas Markets. Looking at all the different booths that are selling cute little trinkets and trying to eat all the different food stalls. The first time I attended a Christmas Market was in New York City in 2011. There were many colorful Christmas ornaments and souvenirs as far as the eye can see. Looking at this image made me think how I missed out on Germany’s Christmas Market last December.
When pairing the music Memories of Better Times by gurdonark with the image, it makes it seem like I want to slow down and relax. Enjoying the moment. Usually, around the holidays, it feels very rushed, fast paced, and busy. The calm piano playing is a nice touch to make it seem like I am actually at a real Christmas Market and this music is playing in the background while window shopping. Even though the image looks like a lot is going on and so many things to look at, I feel like the calm music helps balance it out. Also, it is a coincidence the song title Memories of Better Times fits perfectly with what I want to feel when I am listening to this music and while looking at the picture. Remembering the happier times in life.
This whimsical picture reminded me why I loved reading “Love in the Night”, a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, earlier this week. The story completely ferried me to the southern coast of France in the spring of 1916, a year before the Russian Revolution. With Fitzgerald’s vivid imagery, it is hard not to be transported into another world. “Love in the Night” basks in all the romantic heart-string pulling and discovery of “First Love.” I would describe it as “Young Love” where everything feels perfect for one brief moment, resulting the desire to recapture that feeling again and again.
I read reviews calling Fitzgerald’s love story “cheesy” and “unrealistic”. Admittedly, I am a romantic, but I don’t devour Harlem Romance novels or “live” for the next Hallmark movie. So, why did this love story touch me? It is as the whimsical song represented above says, “I hope for the best”. I chose to see the world through rose-colored glasses. As children, we are born believing in the rosy view of life. Little kids see the wonder all around, waking up each day to happily embrace new possibilities. But over time, we start to remove our rose-colored glasses for periods of time. And eventually some of us begin forgetting to pick them up from the nightstand in the morning. Some might argue that “society is broken” and putting on those glasses blinds you to happenings in the real world. But, rose-colored glasses aren’t blindfolds. They don’t prevent you from seeing sadness or pain. Choosing to wear the glasses isn’t an act of denial, but a deep belief in hope.
In Fitzgerald’s story, a moment of true happiness was created by the couple’s love. And reflecting that they once knew happiness, inspired them to want to feel that love again. It was hope that crossed their paths again several years later. Perhaps ironically, Fitzgerald’s life was darkened by alcoholism, money problems, and the mental illness of his wife. But I think that when Fitzgerald wrote this story, he willingly slipped on colored glasses. Like me, he chose to see the world through rose-colored glasses deciding to hope for the best.
Sunrise – the arriving light marks the beginning of a new day full of mystery. Is it promising or foreboding?
Sunset – the departing light shares a burst of color or fades from gray to black. Does the mysterious darkness bring rest, fear or loneliness?
This photo caught my eye for a few reasons. The curving angle of the clouds and hillside, the contrast of the sky and the silhouetted trees, and because I am unceasingly enthralled by the endless variety and beauty of sunrises and sunsets.
The audio file adds to the mystery of the dark spaces in the photo, the awe of the beautiful colors, and the quiet peacefulness of the sunrise/set moment.
For the photo I chose “Bailey Covered Bridge” by Algorithms Riven the photo was an interesting combination of gray scale and the bright yellows, blues, and purple hues. Something seems slightly ominous with the photo but the colors are so bright that it seems too pretty to be dangerous. The composition was off kilter and one that you can’t help but look around the photo even though your eyes get drawn back into the middle.
I chose the song “Herat 7” by ERH because it was slightly eerie but also beautiful and serene. Though you can tell something isn’t quite normal, I found that it added to the composition. I named it “Wonderland?” since the verdict is still out whether it is dangerous or not. Afterall Wonderland was both magical AND dangerous.
When do you feel most the most calm? During the winter months, I often enjoy gazing up at the big open sky. The first constellation I usually spot is Orion, recognizable by its three stars which make up the hunter’s “belt.” Over the years I have associated this vast constellation of stars with the cooling down of the weather and early sunsets, as it is visible from November to February.
The sight of Orion in the darkening sky imbues a sense of tranquility and wonder at the start of each new year.
The image Orion by Shawn Wrightson is a perfect example of the calming effect the beauty of nature can have. I thought pairing the image with the ambient elements found in the song Concentration by Kevin MacLeod created a serene mental environment where one can feel the cool air and hear a light brushing of the leaves in the winter wind. The stars shine down from above, almost masked by the thinning clouds, and provide a focal point for meditative introspection.
