StoneRose Valley My Thoughts, Expressions, and Passions

“I think I may boast myself to be, with all possible vanity, the most unlearned and uninformed female who ever dared to be an authoress.” Jane Austen, to a clergyman who wanted her to write the history of a German royal house.

Who wouldn’t love to claim the words of the famous Jane Austen? Except for perhaps those words. But I *flatter* myself that there are occasions (sometimes quite frequently) that I can quite definitely claim those words for myself. That’s the only good thing I can say about it; that the words first came from Miss Austen. After that, there really is no pride to be had in the matter. I am often a very unlearned and uninformed female (who also dares to be an authoress).

Though, I must say, I have discovered some benefits to being ignorant. But not overly so; I would never wish to be a “blond”. But who wants to be around someone who always knows everything? Not me. It can get very tiring, very fast. I’m learning to say, ”I don’t know” and ”can you tell me what this is?”. It’s a very humbling experience, but very freeing. If you’ve met me, you probably know I’m one of those people who think they should know the answer to everything, and somehow feel they’ve failed if they don’t. Not neccesarily the truth. Jane Austen has some wonderful insights for those who wish to find them. Many of us could learn by her example.

Posted under Jane Austen, Life Thoughts, Quotes

I can’t believe this; but I missed some of the show last night! I taped most of it, but when I went to play it found that the picture was fuzzy, and every now and then there’d be a loud, ringing sound that drowned out the singers! AGH! I need one of those new TV’s with the box thing….. I’ll tell you now; I totally missed the theme, but I’m guessing that the contestants had to choose a song from the year they were born….? Anyone who knows and wants to set me straight, go for it!
I missed Ramiele Malubay’s performance; so I don’t have anything to say about it. I think she has a great voice, but she hasn’t been picking the best songs for her lately; I hope she did well enough to stay in another week.

Jason Castro sang “Fragile”. I thought it was well-suited to his voice, and I loved that he sang something (even if it was only half) in Spanish; seeing as he’s from the great state of Texas (yes; I’m prejudiced!), and most know some of the Spanish language down there. It seemed to show off some of who he is. None of the judges especially liked Jason’s performance, and here’s why (aside from their thinking it was too laid back and boring): Jason isn’t using proper technique. His voice is lovely, but he needs to support more, learn the correct timing to breathe, etc….As such, he’s not able to project well, sustain….That being said, I think his voice is VERY unique, something definitely needed in this competition. Here’s hoping he gets someone to teach him proper vocal technique, and then he’ll be soaring towards the finals!

Syesha Mercado did very well with “If I Were Your Woman”; all I could think was “Wow! Syesha is SERIOUS! Two weeks running; LOVELY! Randy called it her “best ever! Unbelievable!” Paula said Syesha ”flipped it” and had ”fantastic, upper and lower registers, pitch perfect.” But Simon said that ”there is a limit on your vocals, and that song stretched it”, saying that the end ”wasn’t as good”. Job very well done, Syesha! She’s in here seriously!

Chikezie might have some trouble tonight; he sang “If Only For One Night”. His vocals were good, no complaint there. He used the song to display his high and lower registers well. But it was boring; it sounded like it could have been released, all those years ago, just the way he sang it. Paula was the only one that liked it, saying Chikezie is “a throwback” but in a good way. Simon admitted that the vocals were good, but that Chikezie had ”to show originality” and that he missed his personality.

Brooke White, singing “Every Breathe You Take”, did an OK performance. I loved her back on the piano! Her first few notes were off; she started over and did well. Her recovery was good for the first half, but by the last she wasn’t doing so well; I agree with the judges, the band accompaniment seemed out of place, she could have done better by herself. Paula called her ”unique” and ”consistent”. Simon said it was ”good enough to keep you in”. I’m growing fonder of Brooke each week; I truly think she could be around by the top five or six now.

Michael Johns blew everyone away with ”We Will Rock You” and “We Are The Champions”. I LOVED his vocals in the middle, very well done. Randy called it ”the best”, and Micheal showed off his ”big ole’ voice”. Paula said he ”picked the right song”, and that it was ”your shining moment”. Simon said he saw ‘’star potential. You just got it right”, and it was ”the only memorable performance” so far that night. This is what I’ve been waiting to see from Michael; I’m so excited for him!

Carly Smithson was a little tight on “Total Eclipse Of The Heart”; but I don’t think she did as badly as the judges. I really liked her lower register, beautiful tone and depth there. Carly reminds me seriously of Celine Dion, she has the same beautiful big voice. The chorus was a bit scratchy to me, though. Randy noted the ’sharp note at the end”, while Paula didn’t hear it, she ”loved what you did at the end”? How did they come up with those totally different opinions? Simon thought ’something didn’t work there” and that Carly needs to ”lighten up a bit”.

David Archuletta sang “You’re The Voice”; His runs were very nice, and high notes were beautiful. His beginning was a little rough to me, but he definitely has power in those vocals! Randy ”didn’t like the song” but said ”David could sing anything”, Paula agreed with him there. Simon said David ‘’sang it well in parts” but that it was ”reminiscent of a theme park performance”. I actually liked his song choice; David does wonderful on the ballads, but it was good to see him do something a bit younger and more energetic.

Kristy Lee Cook sang “God Bless The USA”. Her vocals were good; I didn’t like the arrangement, but excellent song choice on her part. Randy said it was ”a little pitchy” but ”very poignant”; Paula mentioned how much stronger Kristy’s vocals were tonight, but also mentioned the pitchiness. Simon declared Kristy “safe” this week, and that she had the ”most clever song choice in years”.

David Cook sang “Billy Jean”, as usual, he took some big risks, and they really paid off. This guy is awesome! He’s got the element back! And I loved the emotion that showed through his voice. Randy said it was the ”most original, bold performance ever had! Might be the one to win the whole lot!” and it was ”blazing hot!” WOW! If that isn’t the biggest! Paula couldn’t ‘’sit down”, she called him ‘’smart, brave, willing to stretch the boundaries right to the edge without going over. Brilliant.” Simon said David could ”either be insane or amazing. That was amazing!” David, you’re going all the way!

Next week, Dolly Parton!

Posted under American Idol, Entertainment, Quotes

I just wanted to share that my sister-site, Handmaidens For Him, is now open! If you want to know more about my spiritual life, Handmaidens is where I’m generally going to be posting it.

Hope to see you there!

Posted under Life Thoughts, Links, Quotes, Verses

Well, another performance night has passed for those singing on American Idol. Here’s my recap.

I have to say the first two performances passed over my head a little, as in, I didn’t give them my full attention due to other things that were requiring my it; so in all fairness, I can’t really say much about them.

Amanda Overmeyer; I think she sang “USSR”. Not one I’d ever heard before, so forgive me if I got the title wrong.  I thought it was pitchy. But she was bringing who she is to the stage; I guess you gotta hand that to her. I can’t remember what any of the judges said about her.

Kristy Lee Cook sang “You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away”; it was so much better than last week. Not very strong, but still enjoyable. I don’t think she has a powerful voice, so if you’re trying to measure her by that, it won’t add up. But I’m starting to enjoy her voice. Don’t remember what the judges said, but I really liked her this week.

David Archuleta: kid, you gave it to them! Singing “The Long & Winding Road”, David recovered quite well from last week. Randy said “the hotness was back; but remember to take those liberties” his voice is good for it. Paula said he “Came back strong” and that that ”revealed his character”. Simon said it was “Amazing. But sell your song, remember the performance.” Great job, David!

Micheal Johns sang “A Day In The Life”. A very hard song; Randy said it ‘wasn’t your best’. Simon said it was a mess; and even Paula had some tough comments; saying there were “no excuses; Phenomenal voice, you gotta raise the bar”. I agree. Micheal is one of the best vocalists in this competition; but he’s gotta’ keep doing better and better each week, or he’ll be out-shined.

Brooke White. She just grows on you each week. “Here Comes The Sun” wasn’t her best, but still nice; I thought it was well-suited to her voice. Randy said it seemed ”akward” to him, that he ”never connected” with it. Paula said it showed her ”good low-tone. But it could have been more challenging.” Simon said it was ”a terrible performance. It comes down to song choice”. But Brooke had a beautiful attitude through the critic.

David Cook sang “Day Tripper”; very cool, and good vocals; I like the use of the voice box, or whatever the term was. :) Randy said he was ”keeping it interesting. Another sold!” Paula said there was ”not much else to say”; and Simon….well, Simon said it was “not as good. Lost the element of surprise.” and he ”didn’t like the voicing”.

Carly Smithson blew me away with her “Blackbird”. I thought her vocals were both good and strong, it was steady and purposeful, and she really pulled you into the song. Randy called it ”very emotive”; Paula said the ”arrangement was Fantastic”; and Simon thought it was….”indulgent”? For once I disagree with Simon. Carly did an outstanding job.

Jason Castro sang ”Michelle” and it suited him extremely well. It was fun, entertaining, good vocals, and I thought his French was pretty good. Randy said it was ”a good choice” but that he ”didn’t know” he was ”not really connected”. Paula said Jason has ”a distinct charm” but ”wierd”. Simon said it’s ”getting a bit strange. You’re very charming, not obnoxious” and ”your goofiness makes it work.” Simon also mentioned how he thought it was a mistake to do Beatles…way too close to Lennon/McCartney.

Syesha Mercado sang “Yesterday”, and I have to say hers was the top performance of the night. It was gripping, very sweet and compelling, and her vocals were great! Randy said it was a ”Very, very, very good performance”; Paula said she loved that Syesha seemed ”vulnerable”; and Simon said it was ”probably her best performance. Not incredible, but you chose the best song for you. That song and performance will keep you in”. Great job, Syesha! Thumbs up to you!

Chikezie; “I just Seen A Face” was OK. Randy said it had it’s “Good and bad parts”; Paula didn’t agree with him, saying Chikezie had done ”it again!” Simon said the ”harmonica was atrocious. It turns into achy-breaky heart. Not as good as last week”, he also called it “gimmicky”.

Ramiele Malubay was the last to perform, with “I Should Have Known Better” she did much better than last week. I still think she needs to start moving about the stage more to capture the audience’s attention. Randy said she’d shown ”confidence” again, it was ”alright, you did your thing”; Paula said it was ”definitely better than last week”; and Simon said she ”chose a mediocre song” and that she was fully capable of more.

All things considered, I think it’ll be Amanda, Chikezie, and Kristy Lee in the bottom three tonight. As far as which one will go….I really couldn’t say. But we’ll see in about twenty minutes! Enjoy the show tonight!

Posted under American Idol, Entertainment

Well, I’m not going to go over everything, just the highlights, low-lights, and my personal favorites. (Does that about cover it all?)
 Even though I don’t care for his voice, I have to say that Chikezie was great last night. He showed what he was capable of, and really nailed it, singing “She’s The Woman”. It was fun, entertaining, and most of all, good vocals!

Ramiele Malubay. I love this girl; she has a great voice. And while I think she was good, vocally, it was pretty boring. “In My Life” is a great song, but I personally wanted to see her change it up a bit.

Jason Castro. Who doesn’t like this kid? He sang “If I Fell”; I loved seeing him with the guitar again, and I thought his vocals were nice. But I guess I have to say that it was just OK.

Carly Smithson! Wow! “Come Together” was a hit for her; Girl, you chose the right song this week! The judges had nothing but praise for her; and let’s not forget what Simon said, it reminded him ‘of Kelly Clarkson, this same week, first season’!

OK, my favorite; David Cook, singing “Eleanor Rigby”. I’d never heard this one before. He started off kinda’ rough, but by the end it was ‘brilliant’, as Simon called it. I really love this guys’ voice!

Brooke White sang “Let it Be”, and it was really nice. Slightly boring, I wanted to see her leave the piano midway or towards the end; but she did very well. I think she’s going to be in this a lot longer than people first thought.

In my personal opinion, David Hernandez might be the one leaving tonight. But what do I know? He sang “I Saw Her Standing There”; the judges said it was ‘overdone’, ‘a little lost’, and Simon, as he often is, was pretty rude with his comments, saying it was ‘corny, verging on desperate’. That made me feel sorry for David, as it wasn’t that bad.

Micheal Johns: There’s something to the guy with the Australian accent. “Across the Universe” wasn’t his best performance, but it was solid. I just want to see him do better and better, ’cause I know we haven’t seen everything he’s capable of.

Kristy Lee Cook, with “Eight Days A Week”, is my other choice for the bottom 12 this week. I thought her voice sounded too restrained. Randy said he was ‘torn’; Paula ‘didn’t get it’; and Simon….well, he didn’t like it at all. He did say Kristy Lee was brave, though.

And David Archuleta. “We Can Work It Out” didn’t turn out very well for him. The poor kid forgot his lyrics, and I was horrified. I really think this kid is talented; he has an amazing voice. But I think he’ll be around for another week; he’s already proved he can out-sing most any other performer on the show this season…and I think he’ll get the chance to prove it again.

I didn’t mention Syesha or Amanda….they both did OK, but nothing remarkable to me. I don’t think either of them will be leaving us tonight.

Any comments are welcome…but I do reserve the right to delete if inappropriate.

Posted under American Idol, Entertainment

I wanted to post a link to a site I’ve found, and really enjoy. If you’re an A-I fan like myself, I know you’re going to enjoy this place: http://masterclasslady.com/

I’ve enjoyed recapping the past few weeks of A-I with MasterClassLady, and let me also say that this woman knows what she’s talking about! Go check it out for yourselves!

Posted under American Idol, Entertainment, Links

I just found this song on Sonific and had to add it, even though it isn’t sung by David (or anyone for that matter). It was the best I could do.
I absolutely LOVE David Cook singing that song. The funny thing is, I wasn’t a fan of his at all before Tuesday night. But he was incredible; and totally deserves to be recognized for his talent. I was sitting there through his performance, at war with myself. My mind was saying that, on one hand, I was a fan of Micheal Johns, Jason Castro, and David Archuleta; that was enough for me. No, no, no. David Cook is at the top for me now. I can’t wait till Tuesday to see him perform again. And, as soon as I have cash, I’m going to be buying his performance from I-Tunes.

I just hope all this doesn’t make him into one of those unbearable celebrities. But for now, he’s going to be getting my votes.

Posted under American Idol, Entertainment

“I will not say that your mulberry trees are dead, but I am afraid they are not alive.” Jane Austen, in a letter to her sister, Cassandra

I love reading the, albeit meager, correspondence between Jane and Cassandra. It reminds me of the relationship between my own sisters and me. This is exactly one of the many sarcastic, dry attempts at humour that come out of one of the four of us!

What a great blessing it is to have sisters! And twice the blessing to be best friends! I have met many girls who cannot stand their sisters; and it always makes me sad. What wonderful happiness they are missing out on! They do not enjoy the companionship of sisters trekking through pastures and woods, streams and meadows. Of shopping together, being as goofy as possible, trying on a million different outfits (or in some cases, forcing a sister to try them on with you!). Of lying awake into the early hours of the morning, either laughing, or expounding on beliefs and theories; ‘philosophying’ as sis’ Christi and I like to call it.
I have been separated from my own sisters for more than a week now; and I miss them terribly. I cannot wait to get back to them; share all our ups and downs of the past week; our joys and sorrows; our successes, and our laughable failures!

My sisters, my best friends; I love and miss you. I look forward to the time we can once more do all these things together!

Posted under Jane Austen, Life Thoughts, Quotes, Sisters

“No one can think more highly of the understanding of women than I do…nature has given them so much, that they never find it necessary to use more than half.” Henry Tilney, Northanger Abbey

No, I am not reading Northanger Abbey at this time; I have a book of quotes taken from Jane Austen’s works, and am putting it to good use. Henry Tilney is quickly becoming one of my favorite male characters from Miss Austen’s masterpieces; and he has easily made it into my top quoted.

I love the above quote; and can just see his smiling face as Henry teases Catherine.

Posted under Jane Austen, Quotes

So, how do we find that strength? What is, essentially, the strength of fragility?

I am enthralled by the very thought of strength found in weakness. It captures my attention and holds me there, transfixed, eager to learn more. One of my favorite books that touches on the subject of fragile strength is John and Stasi Eldredge’s ’Captivating’.

Women are described, in I Peter 3:7, as ‘’someone weaker, since she is a woman…”. Now I don’t think that Peter is saying women are weak, but weaker. And I don’t think anyone can say that women do not contain strength. Think of Mother Teressa, Joan of Arc, Moses’ mother, Ruth, Esther, and one of my personal favorites: Mary the mother of Jesus.

What made each of these women strong? I believe it was their fragility. Christ said; “My grace is sufficient for you, for power (or strength) is perfected in weakness.”

Paul went on to say “Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. I am well content with (my) weaknesses…”. II Cor. 12:9, 10.

Weakness, just like fear (a subject I will touch upon at a later date), is not something to be ashamed of. You cannot be strong, unless you are first weak.

“For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God. But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.”  I Cor. 1:26-31                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

Posted under Life Thoughts, Verses