Barnsey’s love of Cheap Wine and Three Day Growth

Some Australians already know of Barnsey who is a legend vocalist of the band Cold Chisel but did you know that I have created his alter-ego on the MMRPG of World of Warcraft? Actually, one of my toons (characters) lovingly named her bear after Jimmy Barnes because he too loves cheap wine and 3 day growth. The character, Whiloe, who is a  night elf huntress on the realm(server) of Silver Hand can tame many animals but the one she holds dearest to her heart is Barnsey. She did have a Barney but she decided to give him up when she discovered Barnsey near Everlook.

Whiloe with Barnsey about to enter the world!

Better look at Whiloe, Barnsey is shaking his head so you don’t get a clear look at him.  His excuse is all the cheap wine making his vision blurry.

I had never heard of Jimmy Barnes or the band Cold Chisel until I moved from the land of my birth. I do enjoy their music though. It’s considered to be pub rock.  I never heard that term until I came to Australia but now I get it totally. They have been around quite a while, something like over 20 years. Jimmy Barnes and Ian Moss are headlining a tour soon in my area. I should have bought tickets. Sorry about my digressing from the subject of Barnsey but I thought I would let you into my thoughts about my Barnsey and his love of Cheap Wine! Ian Moss shouldn’t feel left out. I have a Draenei huntress named Neches who tamed a ravager called Mossy in the realm of Lightbringer.

I do love writing fun random posts so I thought this could be a cool subject to do! I leave you with the song that inspired Whiloe with the naming of her Barnsey.

Paul Mac: Song writer, producer, musician

When I moved to Australia back in 2002, I had no idea who Paul Mac was. I am hoping with this blog to expose you to some of my happy discoveries which I really treasure. Paul Mac is just a musical genius in my opinion. He has a wonderful ear as well as poetic style which I fell in love with when I heard “Just The Thing” from his album 3000 Feet High. I loved it so much, I bought the album. As I listened to it, I loved every song which he had written. It really spoke to me.

His next album, Panic Room, was really great too. The first song released was Sunshine Eyes which reminded me of Adam except it wasn’t Adam’s eyes I thought about it was Adam’s smile. Again, every song on that album was just terrific.

He has worked on many projects which I think are enhanced because of his ear. There is something very special about Paul Mac. I love the way he selects different singers for different songs. It’s just magical. I just discovered soundcloud and am thinking of maybe doing an audio blog with it. The idea is definitely appealing.
Missy Higgins does a collaboration with Paul Mac that he has posted there from a movie of a classic song by a band called Sherbet. The song is Howzat! It was a really different take which I liked. I liked the original but the version they did was pretty cool. I have added the two songs below so you can have a listen!

Paul Mac, if you ever want a back up singer or lyrist please look me up! HEE HEE! A girl can dream!

Wishlist Of Sorts Fulfilled In Australia

When I was growing up in Louisiana, I always wanted to go see certain acts but circumstances always seemed to get in the way. A lot of the time it was due to finances, my age and transport. It also didn’t help that I lived about 3 hours from Houston, Texas which is where a lot of the concerts that I wanted to attend were at. Lafayette and Baton Rouge were also a distance away from where I was. Lafayette was 3 hours away; Baton Rouge 4 hours away. Lake Charles was an 1 1/2 hour drive as well. It really broke my heart when The Police was playing in Houston back in the day or Duran Duran. Those two bands were my favorites. I understood the reason why I couldn’t go but it still sucked.

It wasn’t long after I moved to Australia permanently that Duran Duran reformed with all 5 original members and they announced they were going to come to Sydney. I was so excited! I couldn’t believe my luck! A friend asked if I would like to go with her, her sister, and her daughter. In December 2002, I got to see the original members of Duran Duran in my new country! I also got to see Robbie Williams. I wasn’t as excited about that. I do have to say that Robbie Williams really blew me away. When I turned around after Duran Duran left the stage, I wasn’t sure how in the world we’d get out if something horrible happened. I had never been surrounded by such a huge crowd. It sort of spooked me but thankfully, nothing happened except Robbie Williams gave us a fantastic show!

In 2007, The Police reunited. The year before Sting was suppose to be coming to Australia to promote something. He only went to Perth. I was so disappointed because I lived in Sydney. There was no way I was going to be able to go. I love Sting. Anybody who really knows me realize that I have had a crush on him since I heard Roxanne. If I have repeated myself, sorry, I can’t help it. I seriously have a thing for Sting. I think I always will. Sting’s son’s band was the opening act. They were amazing. Fergie was also another opening act, I wasn’t so pleased with her. I cheered her off the stage chanting “I want the Police! Bring on the Police!” I was a happy camper to say the least. Sting also did a concert the same year at the Sydney Opera House playing the lute. Fantastic! Adam went with me to that one. Normally, I end up going with friends but he went with me for this concert. A few years before that we also saw Branford Marsailles playing at the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall. I also saw the farewell concert that Powderfinger and Silverchair had done in 2007, the Across The Great Divide Tour I think it was. I was so happy to see Paul Mac playing with Silverchair. If you have never heard of Paul Mac, he’s just an amazing song writer that I can’t get enough of. I will do a blog just on him one day but today I am focusing on concert wish lists that have been fulfilled in Australia which I never dreamed would ever happen.

Martin Short came out to Australia. I never dreamt I would get to see him live but he came out. Adam enjoyed him as well. We saw him at the State Theatre. I never dreamed I would see plays at the Sydney Opera House. I have seen several Shakespearean Plays for my birthday there. Adam and I have enjoyed seeing Rolf Harris at the Opera House.

If I want to see a show now since we moved from Sydney to the Coffs Coast, it will end up being a drive to Brisbane. I don’t mind this because it’s a great excuse to see friends who live up there. Santana and The Steve Miller Band are coming out. I love them too but have decided not to go.

The two bands that I loved as a teenager ended up coming to the country I now call home. I can’t believe how fortunate I was to be at the right place at the right time. Every time I think something isn’t going to happen for me or doubt something will happen for me; I get the sweetest surprise.

Dreams can come true. Maybe it may not be exactly what you wanted or how you expected it to happen or when you want it to happen but it can happen. It just takes a little faith as well as hope. My wish list is being fulfilled in the land down under. How blessed am I?

All That Jazz But The Smooth Makes Me Groove

There are so many things that I love but the thing I love most is my hubby which of course is why I married him. Adam has introduced me to many fine things but the one thing I have to thank him for the most is my love of Smooth Jazz. I love music of most variety but when I hear Smooth Jazz, I automatically think about Adam because he is the one who really helped me listen to it and appreciate it due to his enthusiasm for it.

When he came over to the states after challenging me to challenge him back in April of 2001, he had brought his mp3s over so that I could hear what he enjoyed listening to. I kept most of those songs for the exception of two. It wasn’t through his mp3s that I learned about Smooth Jazz. We would listen to radio stations online as well. We found Smooth Jazz.com because he was telling me about his love of Smooth Jazz. Leesville didn’t have any stations with that sort of genre so we of course had to look online.

I have heard Jazz before but it was more like New Orleans Jazz the brassy bluesy stuff but the jazz Adam was talking about was not like the stuff I was used to. It was softer. It was really an eye opener for me. After Adam returned to Australia, I found myself listening to it more than I ever did before and this one song really made me think of Adam. It still does to this day. Adam loves instrumentals the most and this song I think just fits him to a tea. It could also do with the fact that I would have visions of him at night as a child being my dance partner too. I will leave the conclusions up to you.

Some of my fave smooth jazz artists are Boney James, Pieces of A Dream, Candy Dufler, Chris Botti, Will Downing especially this song:

Incognito, man the list just goes on and on! There is just so much variety I can barely scratch the surface.

I am going to leave you with Get Into My Groove by Incognito! I have this one my mp3s but not the live version. I just love her voice!

It’s amazing the things you can discover if you just open up your mind or broaden your horizons. Great things can happen especially through the power of music!

 

My Heritage: A Hodge Podge Of Cultural Melting Pot

Today’s blog is going to be a bit all over the place but I hope to make my connections in the end which you may understand and if you don’t please leave a comment and I will try to clarify for you if I can.

I’ve been wanting to share this story for a while now but wasn’t sure how to do it. My story is not really that unique but for me, it does form me into who I am. I am quite proud of my heritage but at times, I  feel as if I have missed out on a few things. I can’t compare it to  the stolen generation of Aboriginal Australia but when I hear the stories that they share. I can feel a kinship to it because in some  ways, I have lost parts of my own heritage though I wasn’t ripped from my family in the way they were. The Aboriginal language is said to be  dying and I can say that the Cajun French my father spoke growing up is sort of dying as well. The University of Louisiana Lafayette is  teaching Cajun French now. I never took the course but to me Cajun French is a living language. The aborigines of Australia have a rich  oral history but because the stolen generation was stripped from their  families they have lost quite a bit of it. It’s hard to write down a history when it has been robbed from you or denied to you since it was deemed not worthy of knowing. When my father was growing up, he was  not allowed to speak the language of his birth in school. He spoke it when visiting his family but he didn’t teach it to his children.

I know more about my father’s side of my family mostly due to the fact  that is where they decided to settle once he retired from the Army. Both of my mother’s parents were deceased by
the time I was born. My  father’s parents were still living in Louisiana when he was stationed  at Ft Polk or at least my Paw Paw was. I think Me Maw died right before or right after we moved to Louisiana. I was only about 3 when  she died. I do know a little bit about my mom’s father and mother. Her father immigrated from Naples, Italy when he was 9. My mom’s mother  was born from Irish American stock. My mom spoke very little of her upbringing.

Dad’s sister, Dolly would come up and help us slaughter pigs or we  would drive down to visit PaPa and Aunt Dolly who lived about an  hour’s drive south-west of us near Hathaway.
We might go down for a  cousin’s wedding. Oh, the fun we’d have watching our parents dance or dancing with each other.

One of my dad’s favorite recording artists was Doug Kershaw. My father  said that Doug was a cousin. I am not sure if this is actual fact but  one of my fondest memories of my dad is him singing “Louisiana Saturday Night” or “Jole Blon” or “Louisiana Man”. Jole Blon was  definitely Dad’s all time favorite.

Certain things bring back memories to me. Just as the Boab tree in Western Australia moves me. Looking at Bald Cypress trees in the Atchafalaya Basin can move me especially if a great white egret is perched on or near it. I am not sure why but I have always loved Southwestern Louisiana. I know it’s partly to do with my father’s heritage. I know when we would drive down to Lafayette my heart would always skip a beat when I spotted the spanish moss strewn cypress trees. I am really thankful that we got to take a swamp tour with Judy and Margaret back in 2006. I am not sure if it holds good memories for them but it sure did bring up some nice ones for me.
I took Adam down to look at Vermillionville when he came to meet me  for something to do as well as try to let him get an idea about my heritage on my father’s side. I learned more myself with that visit.  If you are ever in Lafayette, Louisiana, I highly recommend spending  some time exploring the venue. I know if I get to return back to  Louisiana, I would go again if I can fit it into my schedule.
http://www.bayouvermiliondistrict.org/index.cfm?active=1

It sort of baffles me how humanity can keep making the same mistakes when it comes to prejudices. I have come across bigotry and prejudices while growing up on my father’s side of the family. I look also how people who believe in God can look down on other believers because  they don’t use the same rituals to praise Him. I am not sure why some  people believe they are better than some one else because of skin  colour or religious belief. I have seen it occur in films which were  made all over the world. It occured in my own ancestory. It has happened in Australia with natives being taken away from their  families for the greater good. Children who should have been with  their families were taken to be taught how to serve or be educated to  be better. These people survived thousands of years before white men  came along and decided that they were the savages. When I look at it,  I can see who the real savages were.

It’s not just the white people though who have this twisted sense of  righteousness. I know of people who look down at their fellow countrymen because of their religious belief or because they were not born on the right side of the track. Lies can be told a thousand  different ways but the truth can be only told only one way. In my heart, I feel as if we are suppose to live with tolerance. I strive to  honour our differences and learn to respect others beliefs even if they aren’t my own. Money doesn’t make you a better person or  education can not make you a better person if you can’t discern the  truth from what you are being taught. Blind acceptance of things will  not protect you but shedding light on situations will help you find  the truth of what is being told.

The pieces of information I get from my heritage have helped form me.  I walk with the knowledge of where I come from in hope of spreading  love and tolerance to others that I touch in my lifetime.

A Family Affair

Last night I was watching tele as I normally do as well as goofing off with my mobile phone sort of reading word press on commercials when I read something that my good friend, prayingforoneday, posted about. It brought up a lot of old memories for me. It had to do with hate. I can honestly say that I can only think of one person in my life that I have hated. I keep praying to God to take the hurt from me. I know I have to let it go so that it doesn’t eat me alive. I thought I had done that but nope, I haven’t. I could tell it hadn’t by the way I expressed myself to prayingforoneday in an email.

He was speaking of hate on a global scale but for me, I looked at it on a more personal term because I can’t change the world globally but I can change my own world by my actions and deeds with others.

I want to be a better person. I want to be able to say that I love that person who hurt me so. I guess he had his reasons but he also had a choice. It can not be undone. I can not say that I love him. I suppose in some ways I do but mostly when I think about him I think relief that he is gone. I am happy that he won’t be able to do what he did to me to any other person. He won’t be able to infect another child with his perversion.

I suppose what gets me the most is that it was someone I was supposed to trust and love unconditionally. For some reason, it’s been placed on my heart to share this story. I like to think I am a better person because I try not to dwell on it. I think I have moved on but now I am questioning if I have truly moved on. I am struggling with letting go. There is nothing he can do to me now. He’s long gone.

I guess my message is this: if you have been touched in a manner that you aren’t comfortable with speak up. Do not let it take control of you. My sister and I spoke to our mother about what happened. She suggested we were never to be alone with him. She also suggested that we weren’t to tell our father because we wanted to protect him from what was going on. Looking back now on things, I wonder if he too had been touched inappropriately but I can’t go back. I can only move forward.

These events happened ages ago. It almost feels like 2 lifetimes. I don’t have children. In some ways, I find this a blessing because I don’t want to have to raise a child in a world where they can not be safe. They won’t be exposed to the perversion that can occur.

I will leave you with this song which I meant to dedicate to prayingforoneday and  Firsttimefreedom but I went on my own tangent. This song came out before or around the time prayingforoneday was born and ages before Firsttimefreedom was born but I want to dedicate it to them. They both inspire me a lot.

Thanks for reading and God bless you!

Happy Joy Joy Crap crap crap!

Today I just don’t really know what to blog about. I know I should finish up the Kimberley, Western Australia trip. I have way too many thoughts and trying to pinpoint something in particular is like trying to keep my dogs still when they want to go play even while they are stitched up.

I try to write interesting things when I blog but sometimes I just think it’s total crap so I don’t post. I want to be witty and funny but these past two days I haven’t been feeling that way at all. It’s hard to be witty and funny all the time. There are days when you just want to do that but you feel totally inept. I am in one of those moods today.
I spoke with a fellow blogger and he has helped me feel a bit better. He has really bad days but he’s a fighter. I may not have all the huge challenges that some people have but I try to deal with my own little crisis to the best of my ability.

When I was younger, I loved the Police.  (I still do love the Police). In fact, my favorite song that I love to listen to when I get in one of these moods just happens to be “Too Much Information”. Adam even bought me “Ghosts In The Machine” a few Christmas’ ago because I was telling him that was the first album I ever got. All the tracks are superb but “Too Much Information” is a real standout, especially when I get in one of my funky moods. I always turn to that song when I am worked up.

I know I shouldn’t expect to always write upbeat stuff but the world can be full of bitterness. I don’t want to add to the crap yet the fact remains I can’t always be in a happy joy joy state. There will be times when I feel like crap. I know God is there with me. I don’t feel like quoting scriptures. I am totally blessed. The fact remains that there are days when I struggle with staying in a happy joy joy state. It’s only natural so I better cut myself some slack and keep listening to “Too Much Information” to help my crap crap mood.

Prayingforoneday thanks for all the moral support. You are much appreciated! I love ya mate! I’ll keep on keeping on like you do! Another great Aussie saying will work for me too.  “She’ll be alright mate!” This shelia most certainly will! Peace and thanks for reading!

Walking In My Shoes

Depeche Mode is in my top 10 of groups that I love. This song is a great reminder to me not to cast stones or be too judgemental. I have been wanting to do this post on this song for a while now. I suppose the catalyst that made me do this was finding out about one of my aunts dying yesterday.

Aunt Dolly had lived a long life. She would have been 92. She grew up and stayed in Acadiana for her entire life. Acadiana is  a region in southwestern Louisiana. She was a loving mother and sister. She was from a large family herself and had a large family.

Her childhood wasn’t easy which is why I think she had such a tough exterior. Inside though she was very kind. She was an awesome cook. If she knew I was coming to visit, she would always have a pot of chicken and sausage gumbo ready because she knew it was my fave thing that she made.

My husband listens to lots of podcasts. This morning he shared this link with me about Marlon Noble. His story is only one that is often repeated in Australia and perhaps even through out the world. He was jailed for something that he did not do for 10 years. He has an intellectual disability and was released last year but he is still under supervision.

I know that these two people aren’t similar but just think what the world would be like if we tried walking in other’s shoes. There could be a lot more understanding and tolerance. I wanted to use this song to not only help myself but to raise awareness of others. I can act hastily about others but if I were to walk in someone else’s shoes, I’d probably stumble or not be able to accomplish what they have accomplished.

My poetry/songs

Lots of times when I am writing poetry, they are actually lyrics.  It’s a very rare occasion when I write a poem and that is all that it is. I find myself singing when I am bored, inspired or meditating/praying. I have done this as a child keeping the tradition going as I grow older. I find I do it in spurts too. I have bits of paper or old notebooks with ideas scrawled in them.

A fellow blogger, dreamingforbetter, had reminded me of a song I had written for someone ages ago. It’s a long convoluted story which I don’t really want to share with the entire WordPress community but I wanted to share the song because it has deep meaning to me and might help others who can’t quite express themselves the way they would like to.  We all come across people who help build us up and love comes in many forms. God bless you!

 

From The Bottom Of My Soul (Love Angel) by Dianna Morris

 There’s so much I need to show you.

There’s so much to share.

Time has never been a friend of mine

So I never dare.

You have given me so much

Never asking for a thing

Except a chance to love me unconditionally.

I’m not really certain how long this will last

But I know for sure that this is better than my past.

I just want to love you.

Someone special, someone pure

And if I’m gonna lose you

I just want you to know

I will love you from the bottom of my soul.

I will hold you in my heart and I’ll never let you go.

Cause you have helped me

Like no one before.

You’ve helped me spread my wings.

I’m gonna fly to the sun.

So if you go before me,

Please watch me from above.

Give me a nudge when I hesitate

Enfold me in your wings before I wait until it’s too late.

You’ve given me a taste of paradise here on Earth.

You’ve shown me so much…you saw my self-worth.

I will love you from the bottom of my soul.

I will hold you in my heart.

I will never let you go.

Service

There are times in life when you feel as if you are a failure. An absolute total epic failure. I know there have been quite a few of those moments in my own life. It’s in these moments that I think what am I suppose to do?

Instead of looking at these moments as failures, maybe I should look at these moments as opportunities. I know at times I may really succeed with things that I strive for but I will more than likely fail but in that failure there maybe a chance to be helpful to someone else. I will learn from my mistake or speak of my failure which might guide someone from making the same mistake that I have made.

Instead of beating myself up, maybe I should look back on what happened and reflect on the strength that I gained through my failure. In a way, I am doing myself a service by sharing my story with others. I don’t think it’s an ego thing. I am trying to help others in their journey too.