Friday, December 12, 2003

AHHHHHHH

It's Friday. Blessed Friday. Last day of finals Friday. Good-bye students. Hello town! I feel like I should go outside and toss my hat into the sky ala Mary Tyler Moore. Except I don't wear a hat. Ever.



Meanwhile, I am sitting in my office that is overflowing with potential projects to fill my day. My personal patron saint of retail, St. UPS delivered my two Limeliter's CDs on Wednesday. So while I surround myself with books on musical aesthetics and scores of 14th century music, I'm secretly being five years old again. It's good to be able to multi-task. Or have multiple personalities.



Whereas music prompts vivids recollections of people, places and events (not fictional accounts ala TinyTuna's sock) , as I look back over parts of my childhood, it seems as if several chapters fell out of my memory book. Take for example, my pathetic recollections of elementary school.



Kindergarten. Yawn. They did not teach me how to read, as had been parentally promised. My memories are limited to coloring and painting. Somehow my clothes became paint magnets which always got me into trouble. And coloring was boring and hurt my arm. The teacher demanded that we always color in the same direction (All up-and-down or all side-to-side). I was too dumb to figure out I could turn the paper the other way, to give my arm a rest. Why did we have to color all the same way? It stifled my creativity.



First Grade. I hated it. We had a mean teacher who put tape on your mouth if you talked too much. I was finally taught how to read, which made it a little better. Everyone had his or her name on a reading chart and a gold star for each book read. Being an angry child, I had a reading wall. Yes, I rebelled by reading books. It was my way of lashing out. Oh, and I learned that tape yanked off your face really hurts. Mean, mean teacher. She stifled my verbal contributions to the class.



Second Grade. I have very little memories of second grade. I don't remember the teacher and I don't remember the kids. I do remember being bored (big surprise) and not being allowed to use the older kid's library. On picture day I got in a fight with a girl at the bus stop. I have no earthly recollection of why or how (or even doing it), but in my school picture, my hair is all messed up. It doesn't rank as one of those heart-warming memories, lovingly passed on from generation to generation. But it is, in my family, one of those wonderfully embarassing stories that gets told over and over again in gloriously embellished detail.



I sure wish I could rerun the movies of my childhood. I feel like I went out for popcorn and didn't return until the third grade. But music (and books) help me to fill in the holes.



GramTuna just walked into my office and started to laugh and shake her head. She knows a five year old when she sees one.



She pulled away on the rolling sea, over the waters blue [May we hear it now?!]

HELP! HELP! She could hear the cry of the shipwrecked crew.

But Grace had an English heart, and she knew how to handle an oar! [Again!]

HELP! HELP! Came the desperate yelp from the wreck offshore,

HELP! HELP! Came the desperate yelp from the wreck offshore.




She asked if she should go home and bring me my Snoopy. Awww, my Snoopy!



She pulled away on the rolling sea, over the waters blue [May we hear it now?!]

HELP! HELP! She could hear the cry of the shipwrecked crew.

But Grace had an English heart, and she knew how to handle a boat! [Come on, loud!]

HELP! HELP! Came the desperate yelp, they were still afloat.

HELP! HELP! Came the desperate yelp, they were still afloat.




Wait. She's just taunting me. Snoopy can't visit. His head fell off.



She pulled away on the rolling sea, over the waters blue [Now!]

HELP! HELP! She could hear the cry of the shipwrecked crew.

But Grace had an English heart, and the raging storm she braved [Now we hear it!]

HELP! HELP! [That was beautiful, again!]

HELP! HELP! [I think you're really drowning!]

HELP! HELP! [For England, again!]

HELP! HELP! She pulled away mid the dashing spray and the crew she saved!




I love this song. I wish I had a couch to jump on so I could do it right.

(Grace Darling. Amadeo Music. The Limeliters "Through Children's Eyes")

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