Good, Good Day

I've been blogging on a regular basis for about 6 years. In that time I've referred often to my Happy List. I've had a difficult time dealing with some emotions over the past few weeks and in an effort to change all that, I did what I know works best. I got up, got out and did things which make me happy.

Today, quite by accident my friend and I stumbled upon a place beyond what I could have ever imagined. A place with tons and tons of glass. The place looked a bit run down but not deserted, so we parked, walked into the yard and the amazement started to settle upon us.

We wandered around the front yard looking at beds and beds of glass "rocks" of various colors and any size imaginable. I felt like a kid in a candy store!


We explored the many wonders the front lawn had to offer before we reached the front door and still, no workers were in sight. There were signs about camera surveillance, but I didn't see anything which could have been used to record anything today, let alone 20 years ago.

Once inside, we wandered around for a good 15 minutes before we heard the sounds of someone coming in from the back. That's when we met Frankie, the son of the owner. Frankie is retired but still works for his dad. We assumed he would ask us if we were interested in buying anything but instead he started to tell us the history of the place we had happened upon.

Frankie was a delightful man who makes interesting noises of which he is totally unaware. Little grunts and groans punctuated his monologue and just made it more interesting. As his verbal history drew to a close he asked if we wanted to see the "back".

"Yes!!!"

So, off we traipsed, following a total stranger into a dark warehouse without any qualms. The first stop was a short aside to show us how some of the glass looks under a black light and then we entered the workshop. By-in-large, the space was fairly empty; used for storage over the years since the custom chopper parts shop quit renting the space. As we neared the back, we could see Frank's 87 year old dad, soaked to the skin in sweat, hoisting a huge steel tub filled with glass he had melted together. We walked along the row of kilns used to liquefy and combine the bits of glass into a solid chunk at 1,900 degrees.

Beyond the shop doors we could see the mountains of glass from which they would gather the pieces to be melted into the unique rocks we had seen at the front.













The glass they use comes from glass plants in the United States, but sadly, the last of those have closed and once the glass they have on hand has been utilized, this 35 year old family business will cease to exist. Take a moment to look at their Facebook page and the beautiful and amazing ways glass can be used in landscaping and architecture.

A Virtual Mix Tape for You- Volume Two

Before I start in with my music selections, let me give a quick update to the job situation.......OH, there's nothing to update......not really. That's the main reason I haven't posted anything. I'm just afraid everything I write will sound too down in the dumps, so I've chosen to refrain from posting. I have several blogs in the works, but until I can really focus, they will remain on the "to be edited" shelf.

Volume Two of the virtual mix tape is my way of utilzing one of the things on my Happy List.
And, if you missed it, you can see Volume One here.

Click on the title to link to the song on YouTube.

Falling Slowly - Glen Hanserd and Marketa Irglova...from the movie Once. I love this movie and the words of this song really speak to me. Listen to the song and watch the movie!

Seeing Red - Unwritten Law...I first heard this in 2001 when it came out as a single. That year was another trying time not unlike what I'm experiencing now. Also, this song makes me want to bounce around!

Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps - Doris Day....there are so many versions of this traditional spanish song (Quizas, Quizas, Quizas) but this is my favorite. Cake's version is a close second. This version is used in the movie Strictly Ballroom and I love that movie!

Tear In Your Hand - Tori Amos....this is from the Little Earthquakes cd which, in my opinion, is the best Tori cd of all time. I'm a book geek and I love that she mentions her friend and author, Neil Gaiman, in this song.....plus, I love the lyrics!

Hide and Seek - Imogen Heap.....this is from Speak for Yourself and I loved it the moment I heard it.....who puts the word "sewing machine" in a song?!? I was destined to love her and the entire cd. Not only that, she recorded the whole cd in her flat!

Kayleigh - Marillion.....this is a song from the 80's and you can tell by the video it was recorded while the Cold War was still a very real thing. I don't know much about the band, but I loved this song when I was in the 7th or 8th grade.

Sara - Bob Dylan....one of the best love songs ever written. I'd love to have a song this beautiful written about me. Say what you want about Bob's voice, but he'll always be a master with lyrics!

Candy - Iggy Pop and Kate Pierson....one of the best collaborations of all time!

To This We've Come - Eileen Farrell....one of the most beautiful and moving arias ever written. It is from The Cosul, written by Gian Carlo Menotti and is often called the Papers Aria or Magda's Aria. It's an 8 minute aria, but it's in English so I hope you'll listen to it even if you don't like opera.......it's so worth it!

Useless Desires - Patty Griffin...one of the greatest songwriters of all time! This is the first song I really fell in love with and it's still one of my favorites! This is a pretty poor live recording, but it's the best I could find so it will have to do.

Everytime You Cry - The Outfield.....classic 80's rock ballad. This takes me back to the summer of '86. Such good memories. I still have the concert t-shirt from this tour.

My Happy List

This is an old blog I pulled from my myspace blog archive....in an effort to stay upbeat despite my unemployed status, I've been reading through the series of blogs I wrote about my life philosophy. For some it will be a repeat, and for that I apologize, but I need to keep this fresh in my mind. And, I have made a few changes to the original post, so some of it's new!

The Eternal Optimist?

I've been accused many times in my life of being silly or frivolous and maybe there have been times when it was true, but more often than not, it was unbridled optimism and enthusiasm that was mistaken for frivolity.

I don't know if I was born optimistic or if it was a trait my incredibly wise mother gradually instilled in me. Most likely it was a mixture of both....the old heredity vs. environment debate. One day I'll write a blog about my mom and her incredible wisdom, but today I'm writing about happiness and finding it when you need it most.

Despite the trouble I've had with my home over the past year and a half, my home is my place of peace and refuge for me. When I need to get away from the stress of the world, that's where I want to be. But, on those rare occasions where my mood turns dark, I pick myself up and get out of the house........I don't want to have bad feelings associated with my time at home, but in turn, I think getting out of the house and finding something to do helps improve my mood so it's a win/win situation!

Once I'm out the door, wondering where to go, this is how I determine what I'll do. I ask myself, "What makes me happy?" And then I do those things. What amazes me, is when I ask other people what makes them happy.....many don't know how to respond. How can that be? (See, even now I'm dumbfounded) Life is what you make it and you can't always wait for happiness to knock on your door......you have to go where you (hopefully) already know it can be found. Here are some of the things that make me happy and some of the places you might find me when I need a little more happiness than usual.

My Happy List

-Glass.....something about the transparency, I think. I'm lucky to live in a city with the largest permanent collection of Dale Chihuly glass. A trip to the OKC Museum will quickly put a smile on my face.

-Roller Skating- I keep my skates in the trunk of my car because I never know when I'll need to roll!

-Books/reading- I might end up at a park with a blanket and a book or at B&N where I can read and have coffee.....either does the trick.

-Family- All of my family is special to me but specifically my nieces and nephews. Nothing cheers me up like talking to them.....and hearing them say "I love you" makes everything right with the world.

-Friends- many's the time I've spent long days hangin' with Jess and her family (which is almost like being with family). Anytime spent with a good friend is a good time and I'm blessed to have some incredible friends who always make me happy!

-Singing/Music- whether I sing at the top of my lungs to music in my car or I go for some karaoke, music always sooths my soul.

-Stars- sometimes I'll drive out, away from the city at night just to see the stars. Having grown up in a rural area, I miss the clarity of the stars away from the city lights. Also, since I collect stars, I've started a new project with my camera......it's too involved to mention here, but it makes me happy too.

-College football- in the fall, this will always do the trick!

-Baking- I love to create new recipes!

-Lips- okay, I know this one seems strange and quite possibly shallow, but I love a nice, full bottom lip on a man. Looking at a picture of Christian Bale (who has many more fine traits besides a killer bottom lip) or Ralph Finnes can always make me smile.

-Writing- whether it's a poem, a blog or just an e-mail to a friend, writing helps clear my mind and restores balance and happiness.

-Breathing- I'm not being funny. Taking time to really slow down and breathe can do wonders! I firmly believe that all the years of proper breathing I learned while singing in all manner of choirs has helped me in so many ways. Breathing calms me, helps me manage stress and pain. I think everyone would feel better if they would slow down and really breathe occasionally.


So, am I an eternal optimist because I feel nothing is so bad I can't find something to shake it off? Maybe. Probably. I'm happy with either. (See, I can't help it!)