StoneRose Valley My Thoughts, Expressions, and Passions

I had a lot to say; rather like venting I suppose. Not so much anymore…guess that’s what time gives you.

I’ve been thinking of a movie quote quite a lot today.
I watched “Breach” with my brothers earlier this week. It’s based on a true story, so this characters words may have been spoken by a real, genuine, person back in 2001. At one point in the film, Eric O’Neill, mentioning a discussion he’d had with his wife in which she asked him why his boss was such a pain to be around, tells Hanssen “I had all these answers for her. ‘He’s misunderstood.’ ‘He’s trying to fix the bureau and no one will listen.’ ‘He was born in the wrong century.’ ‘His father’s a jerk.’ I got a whole list.
But you know something Sir, at the end of the day it’s all cr-p. You ARE who you are. The why doesn’t mean a thing does it?”

Yeah, we all have these excuses for why we act as we do. Or to rationalize away why someone we love can just make us feel like dirt all the time. Often we try to rationalize that because we don’t want to face the truth and hurt that that someone, when it comes right down to it, really doesn’t care enough to make a change.

Hey, but leave off everyone else here. Forget about those people who you can’t explain. Think about yourself. Do you have excuses for your behavior? Do others make excuses for you?

“It is not what we say or feel that makes us who we are. It is what we do; or fail to do.”
Marianne Dashwood, in Andrew Davies adaption of Sense & Sensibility

I can’t help feeling that there is something more, that I have a chance for something greater. To rise above the petty why. Not to allow myself to define myself; to make excuses for why I do what I do. Not by my feelings, my words, my status in life. Not by what others around me say or do, and why they do it.  No, but defined by what I choose to do, or that which I fail in.

Because, in the end, the why doesn’t mean a thing, does it?

Posted under Life Thoughts, Living, Polls, Quotes, Uncategorized

“It turns out that an eerie type of chaos can lurk just behind a facade of order-and yet, deep inside the chaos lurks an even eerier type of order.”
Douglas Hostadter

“Not chaos-like together crushed and bruised, but as the world, harmoniously confused, where order in variety we see, and where, though all things differ, all agree.”
Alexander Pope

“Randomness is not totally haphazard, as it is consistent in it’s chaos; it has negative consistency and so is predictable.”
Unknown

Posted under Quotes

Need a little humor in your day? No problem; Jane’s got you covered! From her early works; I almost feel as though she were speaking of myself! Haha! No, indeed, if only I could but jest so, and not have to find empathy with Jane’s sometimes morbid sense of humor.

“Alas! How altered now! Tho’ indeed my own Misfortunes do not make less impression on me than they ever did, yet now I never feel for those of an other. My accomplishments too, begin to fade–I can neither sing so well nor dance so gracefully as I once did–and I have entirely forgot the Minuet Dela Cour.”

Laura to Marrianne
Jane Austen

Posted under Jane Austen, Quotes

“To be able to find joy in anothers’ joy,
that is the secret of happiness.”
unknown

“The Lord has filled my heart with joy; I feel very strong in the Lord…I am glad because You have helped me!” ~~I Samuel 2:1

Choices….life is full of them. So many different choices to lead you in so many different directions. One decision could lead you down a path of misery, or give you a life lived full with joy. Life is all about choices. We’ve gotta choose, and choose well.

This song of John Waller’s seems to sum up what I want to convey to you. What I am trying to learn…it seems, over and over again.

Sometimes, you have to press on through what you know to be true and right. Press on despite the turmoil of feelings raging inside. There is that choice to be made. And in that choice, there can be found joy.
It’s true what they say about small steps; small steps, just one at a time, lead you to where you should go just as surely as the large and hurried ones. The difference is, you are actually aware of your surroundings and the effects your actions cause. Take time to smell the roses, and all that jazz. I guess, as I hinted earlier, Autumn makes me think of these things.

Sometimes, all you need to do is choose to Cling to the Call. Let the rest follow.

Posted under Life Thoughts, Music, Quotes, Video's

“Today a new sun rises for me; everything lives,
everything is animated, everything seems to speak to me
of my passion, everything invites me to cherish it.”
Anne De Lenclos

I don’t know what it is about Autumn, October especially, that inspires me so. To me, this season is what the first of January is to many–a time to start over again, a time of refreshment and hope for the future. I’m inspired–nay, I am filled with an eager need–to write on my blog…to clean and cook….Autumn inspires me mentally, physically, spiritually, and creatively…it inspires me to improve my life in the ways that I am able. If only this season could last all the year long that I might be so inspired for it’s entirety!

Alas, it is not to be so. I must make the best of the time I have been given.

I was reading late last night, just trying to get sleepy enough to dive into bed, from Captivating. This particular section stood out to me like a cannon-ball.

“‘Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life’ (Proverbs 4:23). Above all else. Why? Because God knows that our hear is core to who we are. It is the source of all our creativity, our courage, and our convictions. It is the fountainhead of our faith, our hope, and of course, our love. This ‘wellspring of life’ within us is the very essence of our existence, the center of our being. Your heart as a woman is the most important thing about you…God created you as a woman…You are a woman to your soul, to the very core of your being.”
Stasi Eldredge

I want to rejoice in being a woman. All this trash about ‘a woman can do anything a man can do’ and ‘there’s no real difference between a man and a woman’ is ridiculous!  I’m so tired of it; there is a difference, a big one! The heart of a woman is something special, I would even go so far as to say something sacred, because it was created by God for a special purpose. As a woman, I see things differently than men; my capabilities, in my own areas, are much vaster than any that men possess. That is why I am a woman. A man can do a million things that a woman cannot, and better than she could ever hope; in his individual way. Because he is a man; created to be so. We each have individual purposes and capabilities based on our gender; we were created so.
But lest I confuse you by too many differences, I will say that there are ways that we are similar.  Going back to hearts, I was reminded of the following,

“The fullness of our heart is expressed in our eyes,
in our touch, in what we write, in what we say,
in the way we walk, the way we receive,
the way we need.”
Mother Teresa

In this we, both man and woman, are similar. We express our hearts, who we are, through these different ways. And so, also, for men and women,

“Love makes burdens lighter,
because you divide them.
It makes joys more intense,
because you share them.
It makes you stronger,
so that you can reach out
and become involved with life
in ways you dared not risk alone.

‘Oh, no!’ you may be thinking, ‘Another one of those ’single-girl’ rampages’….not so.  At least, I hope not. Our culture confuses us so much with all the back and forth about the places of men and women….the similarities…the way in which we are not alike in any way… What are we supposed to really think and believe?! I just want to be a woman…to be happy as such…and to ignore all the nonsense everyone has to say about it.
Love doesn’t always have to be of the romantic nature…take the love between two sisters, or best friends, for instance. I think this is the type of love referenced in the above quote.  Someone close, who cares for you unconditionally, spurring you on to do–to be, more. Because you no longer have that fear of ‘being alone’ to stand in your way. My sisters do this for me; my friends as well. Christ does this for me. And I can say that I am happily, as a woman, moving through life as one lived through love. At the end of all things, that is one of the things that I want to be able to say. That I lived my life with love. Love for my family, for friends, for strangers I meet casually on the street…love for my Lord and Savior directing my actions.

“And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has
been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”
Romans 5:5

“May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the steadfastness of Christ”.
II Thessalonians 3:5

Posted under Life Thoughts, Quotes, Sisters, Verses

Neat article about Danny Gokey…or more appropriately, what he reveals about ourselves.

“Perhaps Danny Gokey is proof that we hate without reason. That we are given to jealousy. That we dislike those who are naturally gifted (and dare to acknowledge that fact).” By James Montgomery

I also want to encourage you to check out Danny’s blog at the website for Sophia’s Heart Foundation. I especially enjoyed his post about “‘Letting Go’: Necessary Steps in Moving Forward”, found in ‘Danny’s Blog’ under ‘Danny & Sophia’. Make sure you check it out.

Posted under American Idol, Entertainment, Life Thoughts, Links, Music, Polls, Quotes, Verses, Video's

Over 88 million votes were cast we are told….that’s a lot of votes.

Love the dogs on the Ford Music Video; Break My Stride.
Alecia Keyes introduces Noah from Africa…missed where. This kid is so cute, and has a lot of energy.

We are promised a glimpse of the hometown visits after the break.
We will also see Jordin Sparks and Katy Perry tonight.

Danny got to hang out with his friend, Jamar Rogers, when he visited his hometown. He got quite a reception. We are reminded that Simon called one of his performances a “vocal masterclass”. Very impressive.

Kris gets free cheese dip for life…that’s the first time I’ve heard that one. Watching Kris’ homecoming…this guy really is the winner in this competition as far as I’m concerned. The depth, the growth this young man has exhibited during this competition is incredible.

Next, Jordin Sparks and the results.

Who is leaving tonight? I think it will be Danny, unfortunately. He did have the best song of the show last night; maybe just not enough at this point.

Back to Jordin Sparks, singing her new single, “Battlefield”. She looks a lot older, not too surprising since she’s about 19 now, versus the 17 we saw her win season seven. Like the song…but not such a fan of how she looks. Lost a lot of her sweetness, it seems. Just like Kellie Pickler.

Adam Lambert…his visit home was to San Diego. They visited his childhood theatre group; I’m sure he is an inspiration to those children. The judges thought Adam deserves a spot in the finale.

We have to sit through Katy Perry before we can hear the results…she’s doing her latest single; I actually couldn’t stand to watch it.

Kris Allen is competing next week; he made it into the finale! Yeah!
Adam Lambert is also in the finale. I am so very sorry to see Danny go; extremely talented man. We get to hear “You Are So Beautiful” again…he has a really pretty falsetto!

Simon said we might have a big “ding-dong” next week with Kris in the competition. We’ll see.

Posted under American Idol, Entertainment, Life Thoughts, Music, Quotes, Video's

Well, here we are again. Another results show. Who’s leaving? I’m going to say either Lil or Matt….I hope it’s not Matt.

The top seven performed ‘She’s A Maniac’ by Hall and Oates. I have to say I LOVED this group number. Especially Kris, Anoop, and Matt’s parts. Have to say I wasn’t a fan of Adam, Danny, or Allison on this one…

I missed the Ford Music Video this week…my TV completely lost the signal. If you missed it like me, catch it here.

Read More…

Posted under American Idol, Entertainment, Life Thoughts, Links, Music, Quotes

Well, wanted to let ya’ll know that I will not be blogging live tonight during the results show. I have been so overwhelmed by what is going on in my life (mostly finishing up this semester of school) that the idea of having to keep up with the live posts is exhausting. I’m also in the process of determining whether the live posts are even worth it. I don’t really get to think about the show and share all my thoughts and expressions about it when posting live…so I’m thinking about returning to last years no-live-blog, at least on the results show. I’d love to hear any feedback you have on this choice! If I don’t hear anything, I’ll assume you don’t care (likely!) and will lean on my own better (hehe) judgement.

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Now, after the results show; here are my thoughts.
Frankie’s appearance was pretty hilarious!

The top eight performed…whatever it was. I didn’t like Matt’s part in the song; but loved Allison. Excepting her, overall, honestly, it was forgettable.
Loved the behind the scenes of the ford Magic Show video. Especially Scott’s imitation of Simon.  The video, featuring the song “Circus” turned out quite well….I’m just getting bored with the whole magic show theme that they come up with every season.

Based on performance, I would have put Scott, Lil, Kris in the bottom three. I expected to see Scott, Kris, and Anoop instead. I was wrong there. Was rather surprised–no, very surprised to see Kris safe.
I could just about slap Ryan for being so mean to Matt. And although I thought deserved, I was surprised to see Lil in the bottom three. Maybe it will be a wake up call for her; she just really needs to make wiser song choices.
I think Scott, based on the performances last night, should have gone, so I can’t say I’m upset. But he is an amazing young man. He mentioned in his farewell video that he hopes he “can be an inspiration to a lot of people”, and I think he has. Paula called him, and I totally agree, “an inspiration to the entire world through his commitment and talent, and one classy gentleman”. And his quick sense of humor each week will be missed.

As far as the guest artists went…

Not a fan of Flo Rida; never been a fan of rap, punk, or hip-hop. Also didn’t like the suggestive dancing. So no surprise that my TV found itself changing the channel during his performance.
Cute and bizarre Kellie Pickler made her way back to the A-I stage. But as I watched, I was quite sorrowful; it didn’t look or sound like Kellie. She reminded me greatly of Dolly Parton. I think the old Kellie I knew and loved is gone. Probably for good.
So nothing remarkable about this week. Except for the fact that the judges very nearly used their save on Scott. Unfortunately for him, nearly wasn’t enough. But maybe he can be comforted by the fact that he came further than anyone else so far.

Posted under American Idol, Entertainment, Expressions, Life Thoughts, Links, Music, Polls, Quotes, Uncategorized, Verses, Video's

Polls are at the end of this post.

Danny Gokey starts the night out with Micky Gilley’s version of “Stand by Me”. Not Danny’s best, but a solid performance nonetheless. His voice is carrying him straight through this part of the contest.

Randy told Danny “You…came out with the gospel/jazz, r&b chords. Even though I didn’t love the arrangement you made me love the song”.
Kara was thinking “what kind of arrangement is this?” but said Danny “killed it…turned it on it’s head; really unique!”
Paula said he “opened the show, and set the bar so high, everyone’s going to have to run to catch up”; also loving his “creative liberties, and the chord subsidies”.
Simon called the beginning good, the middle lazy, and the end terrific; saying that overall it was “great!”

Kris Allen chose “All She Wants To Do Is Dance”. Kris also chose to sing in the pit, playing his guitar; this gave off a very relaxed atmosphere during his song. I didn’t think this was Kris’ best either, but it was also a solid performance. Nothing stood out greatly to me, unfortunately.

Kara said it “felt like jazz/funk homework. It kinda lost a lot of it’s youth”.
Paula called it “heartfelt and genuine”; also calling Kris “one of the most likable contestants we’ve ever had”.
Simon agreed that Kris is likable, but called the performance “indulgent, boring, and forgettable. You came over as a guitarist who wanted to sing instead of a singer playing guitar”.
Randy agreed with Simon that the “arrangement was a little self indulgent”. He said that Kris got lost; reminding him “You’re the singer; you’re in the competition, not the song”.

“What’s Love Got To Do With It” was the song Lil Rounds chose this week. Personally, I’m not a fan of her stylist; I feel like the personality of Lil has been lost in her ‘new style’. But as regards her voice and performance: I think the girl is finally getting back to picking the right songs! The note at the end broke, but other than that, one of Lil’s best performances; certainly better than the last couple of weeks.

Paula called Lil a “brilliant vocalist, but that only gets you so far”. Paula felt that Lil didn’t make the song her own.
Simon said “we’re not looking for a second or third rate Tina Turner…other than some nice parts at the end, it was literally like we’ve lost you”.
Randy said Lil has “mad, mad talent”, but said she just was “not clicking right now”.
Kara said this competition is “about making that leap from a singer to an artist’, and didn’t think Lil has made that leap.

Anoop Desai is singing “True Colors”; I think this was a really wise choice for him. I thought his transitions from chest to head voice went very smoothly overall. Very nice vocal tonight from Anoop.

Randy thought the vocal “very nice…very controlled” and told Anoop “you can actually sing!”
Kara said that Anoop showed that he “can take a pop song and interpret it with soul!”
Paula thought the “choice of song: flawless. Phrasing: beautiful. You showed your true colors”.
Simon called him “a singing yo-yo. Last week was [terrible]; this week was very good. Take a song and make it your version. Wasn’t fantastic though”.

Scott MacIntyre went with “The Search Is Over”, also playing guitar. I have to say I love seeing a new side to Scott; he’s keeping things interesting. And I enjoyed his vocal.

Kara said he “took on a very difficult song; it had some good moments but also had some off moments. Not your best; there were parts I liked and parts that were too ambitious for you”.
Paula gave him credit for stepping away from the comfort zone of the piano. When she commented on the guitar, Scott remarked that it was his “punk side coming out”; Paula laughed and said he had a “wonderful sense of humor”. She thought some of the high notes came out a “little bit screeching, but overall good”.
Simon recommended he “go back to the piano”, calling the song “atrocious. The guitar and song didn’t go together…the choice was wrong”.
Randy said it was all just “OK. The song, vocals…Didn’t show you as a star. I want to see you leap off the stage vocally”.
I totally had to disagree with Simon here….

“I Can’t Make You Love Me”, to me at first thought a strange choice for Allison Iraheta, I have to change my mind. I think she put her own touch on the song. Good vocal, great interpretation! Also, the outfit was 10 x’s better than last week!

Paula said the “great thing about having you in this competition is you just hear one note and it’s undeniably Allison. You gave all of your heart in this song. This was the same arrangement as the original, but you made it our own”.
Simon thinks “you’re really good, I really do. We need to sort you out and make you more likable though. I still don’t know much about you”.
Randy said Allison “remind[s] me so much of a contestant from season one; she can sing her face off and so can you”!
Kara said that “to take adult content like that song and make it believable and young; that’s talent”.

Matt Giraud is singing Stevie Wonder’s “Part Time Lovers”.
Not as good as ‘So Small’ or “Who’s Loving You’, so not Matt’s best, but better than most of what we’ve seen tonight…

Randy said that it was “vocally one of the best of the night”.
Kara called Matt “incredibly talented”.
Paula gave Matt a “standing O”.
Simon had two words; “well done”.

Adam Lambert is singing “Mad World” by Tears for Fears; this is honestly his best vocal EVER! This performance, for the first time, made me think that Adam really could make it in the music industry. This was amazing!

Simon said “the bad news is we’re running out of time. Good news is I’m the only one who is going to say anything. Words aren’t necesarry but I’m going to give you a standing ovation”, and he proceeded to do so.
Totally deserved!

Best of the night: Adam. Usually, I think he’s so overrated with all the talk of “in a league of his own”…but tonight, he truly was.
Other standouts: Matt Giraud, Danny Gokey, and Allison Iraheta.
People in Trouble: Lil Rounds, Scott MacIntyre, and Kris Allen. I’m worried about Kris, not that he did badly tonight…but it was forgettable. He has put so much in the past weeks, rising head and shoulders above the rest; I just hope people remember the past couple of weeks, “Ain’t No Sunshine”, “How Sweet It Is“, and “To Make You Feel My Love” while they’re voting.

Note to self: I wonder how much Adam’s standing ovation from Simon had to do with the fact that they cheated him on the time and had to end the show instead of letting al of the judges comment…? Think about it, would Simon still have given him a standing O? I really don’t think so…I think Adam did deserve an ovation, possibly by Paula or Kara, maybe even Randy…but hardcore Simon? I think that was just to keep people happy. What do you think?

Posted under American Idol, Entertainment, Links, Music, Polls, Quotes, Verses, Video's