that disease called perfectionism

I used to suffer from that dreaded disease called Perfectionism. It was awful. It sucked all the fun out of far too many experiences. It brought on unneeded stress and anxiety, and on more than several occasions it caused me to have situational life paralysis. It was much too heavy a burden to carry. I know where I picked up the dreaded virus but that's another story altogether. The important thing is that I eventually recognized it, but that awareness was only realized after a major "slap upside my head" (not literally) and many months of guided introspection and discovery.

Perfectionism is certainly not all it's cracked up to be. It has a really cruddy underbelly. The cure was painful indeed but extremely freeing. The perfectionism virus still rears its ugly head from time to time, but now I recognize it right away and defeat it before it can take hold. There's a big difference between working hard to do your best and striving for perfect as the only acceptable outcome. Shooting for perfect and not attaining it will crush your happiness, cause you to miss the experience of a job well done, kill your drive to try again and keep you from success.

Let's be honest, there is no such thing as the perfect person, a perfect wedding, a perfect live performance, the perfect relationship, a perfect home, a perfect job or the perfect anything else for that matter. We're all flawed but we're all worth knowing, worth loving despite our foibles. So don't let perfectionism rob you of a great experience or stop you from shooting for your dream. Don't let it steal your happiness. Give yourself a break. Lay down the burden of perfectionism and enjoy your life.

corner view: experiment

Corner View is a weekly appointment - each Wednesday - created by Jane (Spain) and curated by Francesca (Italy), where bloggers from all corners of the world share their view on a pre-arranged theme.  The theme this week is "experiment", and comes from Anna (Netherlands).

When I saw the theme for this week my mind immediately went to the photography experiments I've taken a stab at. I probably should clarify that these are photo experiments that worked because in trying new things and working to capture particular shots there certainly have been a lot of experiments that didn't turn out like the picture I had in my head. The limitation I set for myself was that the shots had to come from just my eye and my camera...no post processing, no flash and no other digital tricks. It really has been a lot of fun and there certainly is a lot of satisfaction that comes from uploading the photos and discovering something that worked.

This one takes a little explanation. I stood outside the house and captured the reflection of the trees behind me in the window in front of me, focused on the lamp and bottle inside the house, and shot straight through the far window
to the trees out back.

A gorgeous morning fog, captured in one moment and gone in the next...

...and the strangest nighttime fog bathing everything in a warm yellow glow.

Sunlight shining through a large stack of pvc pipe that was stacked behind a manufacturing company.

Busy street shot through a windshield during a sudden downpour.

The challenge here was to get a photo of the gibbon without also capturing the wire fencing that was between us. Took some time to get the focus just right!

Twilight silhouettes. Look at everything that's going on here! Completely magical. 

Bokeh twinkle lights. Sometimes, out of focus and glowy is exactly the thing you're looking for!

tunes on tuesday 2-27: nickel creek, carolina chocolate drops, simon & garfunkel, pierre bensusan, joe walsh with daryl hall

Tunes on Tuesday is a fun new project. Each week I'll try to bring you five videos or audio files, each one focusing on a song, group or collaboration that just might pique your interest! If you have someone for possible spotlight then shoot me a private e-mail and we'll give it a listen. Hope you enjoy Tunes on Tuesday! 


NOTE: All videos may be expanded to full screen. Hit play then click on the icon at lower right.


NEWER RELEASE

Due to be released on April 1st: the much anticipated new album A Dotted Line from Nickel Creek! Chris Thile, and siblings Sara and Sean Watkins reunite after a 7 year hiatus to bring us more of their musical magic. Playing together since they were youngsters, this album and supporting tour mark their 25th anniversary.

Two songs from the new album: here is Chris featured on Love of Mine...






...and Sara featured on Destination.












NEW ARTIST / REGIONAL / UP & COMER

The Carolina Chocolate Drops are a string band from Durham, NC that came together in 2005 after attending a Black Banjo Gathering in Boone, NC. They earned a Grammy in 2010 in the American Folk Album category and just added to their busy touring schedule, a slot at this year's Bonnaroo Festival.

It was hard to decide which Carolina Chocolate Drops song to share. There are so many good ones and the styles vary so, but Rhiannon Giddens voice just soars in this favorite of mine, so here is Leaving Eden, from an appearance at the Grand Ole Opry last year.

Learn more and hear more at www.carolinachocolatedrops.com.


CLASSIC

Recorded and released in 1966, Simon & Garfunkel's Hazy Shade of Winter reached the #13 spot on Billboard's Hot 100 list. This is one of S&G's harder hitting songs and one that is still being covered today. The Bangles recorded a harder, edited version in 1987 and since then punk-pop, thrash metal, psyche-rock, darkwave covers have been released by other bands around the world. To me, the original folk-rock version from 1966 hits home.

 






WORLD MUSIC

Pierre Bensusan is a French Algerian guitarist you'll definitely want to look into. I first heard Pierre's amazing guitar back in 1979 when I discovered his album, Près de Paris. He released this album, the first of eleven, when he was just 18 years old. It's hard to classify his style, because you can hear celtic, jazz, world, new-age and folk influences throughout. His creative use of DADGAD tunings and his amazing talent will carry you away! You can learn a whole lot more about Pierre at pierrebensusan.com.



INTERESTING COLLABORATION OR COVER

Joe Walsh with Daryl Hall doing Rocky Mountain Way. Need I say more? I just dare you to stay still during this amazing jam!










"Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use." PROMO ONLY, Nonprofit, No Copyright Infringement Intended, All Copyrights Belongs to the Owner.

be fearless!

To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best day and night to make you everybody else, means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight, and never stop fighting.       ~ e.e. Cummings

 

corner view: bygones

Corner View is a weekly appointment - each Wednesday - created by Jane (Spain) and curated by Francesca (Italy), where bloggers from all corners of the world share their view on a pre-arranged theme.  The theme this week is "bygones", and comes from Nicki (Netherlands).

 I am a big fan of old buildings and love to see them restored and repurposed.

 They might not all have amazing craftsmanship like the one pictured above....

...but all too often I'm passing by scenes like this one.

It is my hope that we as a community can really see the value in our older structures

and up our efforts to preserve them....

...before we no longer have that option.

tunes on tuesday 2-18: david crosby, seth walker, the turtles, cinemacinco, plant & kraus

Tunes on Tuesday is a fun new project. Each week I'll try to bring you five videos or audio files, each one focusing on a song, group or collaboration that just might pique your interest! If you have someone for possible spotlight then shoot me a private e-mail and we'll give it a listen. Hope you enjoy Tunes on Tuesday! 


NOTE: All videos may be expanded to full screen. Hit play then click on the icon at lower right.


NEWER RELEASE

Releasing his first solo album in 20 years, David Crosby is gifting us with 11 new original songs. "Croz" is co-produced by his son, James Raymond, who also performs on the album, as does Mark Knopfler, Leland Sklar and Wynton Marsalis.











NEW ARTIST / REGIONAL / UP & COMER


Seth Walker is a North Carolina native and part of a very musical family He moved to Austin, Texas in his 20's and has been writing, performing and recording ever since. Seth has an amazing bluesy style that you're going to love. Find out more about Seth and hear lots more music at sethwalker.com.







CLASSIC

The Turtles biggest and best known hit is "Happy Together", released in 1967. The song reached #1 status on Billboard's Top Ten list and stayed there for 3 weeks, knocking The Beatles "Penny Lane" off of that spot.












WORLD MUSIC

Cinemacinco is a contemporary Columbian Folk band that came to the US to perform at the 2013 SXSW Festival. You gotta love their smooth harmonies!


 







INTERESTING COLLABORATION OR COVER

Two very different musical worlds collided when Robert Plant and Alison Kraus decided to join forces. They recorded a mixture of songs from each of them, with the other providing harmonies that surprised us with their wonderful fit. Here's one from Alison with Robert doing harmony...


 (HT to Donna for suggesting this song)

...and here is one of Robert's with Alison joining in.














"Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use." PROMO ONLY, Nonprofit, No Copyright Infringement Intended, All Copyrights Belongs to the Owner.

u-turn

As soon as we were able, we turned the car around and headed back to the field we’d just zoomed past. It was a bit of a trick because there were so many cars traveling on the road with us. We pulled up onto the soft shoulder and I stepped out of the car and walked through the knee-high brown grasses to the fence. Getting my camera ready, it suddenly got very quiet. The steady stream of cars had disappeared.

There was a moment where we connected. Two beautiful chestnuts lifted their heads and in unison they stopped still, looking at me as if to read my intentions. I found myself trying to breathe quietly and stay still. We looked each other in the eyes. I steadied my camera, lightly clicked the shutter button and exhaled. The horses lowered their heads and went back to their slow grazing.

Cars started appearing over the hill, whizzing past behind my back, I took a few more shots and the moment was gone.

on being stuck

Sometimes I get stuck...I mean really, really stuck. It usually happens when I'm faced with too many options, which ought to be a good problem to have! What I've realized is that I get stuck because I'm afraid of making the wrong choice, making a mistake that I can't undo. Well, the fact is that mistakes are good for you!

Every mistake holds an important lesson. You've learned something in making a choice, any choice. The only real mistake is when you do not make a decision at all, you don't take a leap, you hesitate to the point that you've done nothing.  If you don't act then you have a guaranteed outcome: you don't move forward and you miss out on an opportunity. If you make the decision and take the chance, then even if it doesn't work out the way you'd hoped or it turned out that you took the wrong road...you still win because you've learned something, you've taken action, you've moved closer to where you want to be.

So don't overthink, don't doubt yourself, don't get stuck. Take chances, make chances. Go for it!

This photo was a mistake. Turns out...I kind of like it!

corner view: slow

Corner View is a weekly appointment - each Wednesday - created by Jane (Spain) and curated by Francesca (Italy), where bloggers from all corners of the world share their view on a pre-arranged theme.  The theme this week is "slow", and comes from Anna (Netherlands).

I am drawn to turtles and tortoises like a magnet. Ever since I was a small child I had a love for these guys, both big and small. While in the car I will always stop and race into the road to move these slow crossers out of harm's way.

This adorable old man resides at a science center in Greensboro, where they have an active conservation and husbandry program for a number of animal species. He's an Aldabra tortoise, the 2nd largest breed in the world. They weight 350-500 pounds and live to be over 100 years old, outliving the scientists that study them. The oldest Aldabra tortoise on record is 152 years old! Though they move slowly they are pretty agile and are able to stand on their hind legs in order to reach leaves off of low hanging branches. No low hanging branches? They're strong enough that they will use their great strength to knock over a tree in order to bring the branches down to them. Their natural habitat is on an island in the Indian Ocean, just off the coast of Africa and they are a protected species because they were nearly extinct by 1900 due to over-hunting. Happily, their numbers are increasing and this protected status remains.

I just love this face!

tunes on tuesday 2-11: McCartney, Driftwood, Seu Jorge, Fleetwood Mac, Martin & Brickell

Tunes on Tuesday is a fun new project. Each week I'll try to bring you five videos or audio files, each one focusing on a song, group or collaboration that just might pique your interest! If you have someone for possible spotlight then shoot me a private e-mail and we'll give it a listen. Hope you enjoy Tunes on Tuesday! 


NOTE: All videos may be expanded to full screen. Hit play then click on the icon at lower right.


NEWER RELEASE

From Paul McCartney's album "New" released at the end of 2013. Early Days is touching,heartfelt and sung with great emotion. If you're a Lennon/McCartney fan then you need to give this song a listen.












NEW ARTIST / REGIONAL / UP & COMER

Out of Binghamton, NY, Driftwood is a band you need to catch as they drift through your area. This super friendly and talented group of musicians recently premiered their video The Sun's Going Down on CMT. 


Learn more about them at their website  http://driftwoodtheband.com/




CLASSIC

Go Your Own Way from the 1977 Fleetwood Mac album "Rumors". The album stayed at #1 on Billboard's chart for 31 weeks and produced 4 Top Ten singles, including this one.












WORLD MUSIC

So this could go under the cover section of this post but it's so great I'm going to put it in World Music just so I can share it with you this week. Seu Jorge is a Brazilian guitarist who is probably best known in this country for his performances on the "Life Aquatic" soundtrack. This video is from the recording session of Bowie's Life on Mars for that movie.








INTERESTING COLLABORATION OR COVER

Steve Martin and Edie Brickell earned a Grammy this month in the American Roots Song category for their song Love Has Come For You, originally released in April of 2013 on an album by the same name. Steve is an accomplished banjo player, often performing with the Steep Canyon Rangers, a band formed at UNC-Chapel Hill in the 1990's. Edie, famously fronted the New Bohemians in the 1980's and is married to Paul Simon. Both Steve and Edie have several recorded albums to their credit. 




"Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use." PROMO ONLY, Nonprofit, No Copyright Infringement Intended, All Copyrights Belongs to the Owner.

treasure huntin'

We had a lot of fun antiquing/thrifting/junkin' this weekend.

Treasures everywhere and something for everyone!

Pretty ladies trying on fancy hats.

Kitchen implements galore! Some were kind of a mystery.

My goodness...look at all the shiny baubles!

Like a moth to a flame...

Oooh....



"He used antlers in all of his decorating..." (now I'll have the song stuck in my head all day)

Beatles behind glass, of course.

Love seeing that some of these old players are still around.

So sweet! Better than an expression of love from Ninja Turtles, any day!

Kind of toasted, but look at the workmanship! It's a work of art.

Now if I only had a camel!

Some small child once loved this a lot. Rusty gold!

the kinks, andy warhol, bill gates...and you

I’ve been privy to a couple of conversations recently, creative people that are trying to get noticed, crafters seeking success on their Etsy page, musicians yearning for an invite to the big summer festival. Right now, at the table next to me, two discouraged ministers are lamenting the downward direction their congregations are taking. Nearby, a couple of businesspeople are stressing because profits weren’t what they were expecting this past year and competition in their area is tough. The crafters are ready to shut down their on-line shop and the musicians, well they’re really discouraged.

Frankly, often times the difference between the successful person and the one that will never make it is this: the successful person just never gave up. They toughed out the hard times, stretched beyond their comfort zone and they worked really hard. It most cases, it has little to do with the quality of the product. It has to do with putting in the work, maintaining the psychological edge and having a lot of determination.



The others? As soon as the level of effort required increased, the commitment needed to be made, a new social media website needed to be conquered or a new skill learned… they gave up. That band will never make it out of the living room, that artist will never reach the audience he desires and that entrepreneur will never see her business grow.

Do you see yourself in one of these scenarios? If you’re frustrated, struggling and ready to give up on your dream…don’t. Take some time to really think about, dream about the success that you seek. Really picture it in your mind. Feel it, hear it, smell it, really dive deep into that vision. Think about mistakes you’ve made. What can you learn from them? Well take that lesson, dust yourself off and try another way. Making mistakes is how you learn and how you move forward! Talk to other people in your field as well as people in other areas. Networking allows you the opportunity to learn from people who are living the dream and it gives you the opportunity to help someone else along on their own journey. Relax, work hard, continue to learn new material and new techniques. Learn the rules and then learn how to break them. Breaking the rules, pushing the limits, getting dirty and making a mess, stepping out of your comfort zone and working hard, that’s how you’re going to make it happen for you. Don’t give up!

corner view: vision

Corner View is a weekly appointment - each Wednesday - created by Jane (Spain) and curated by Francesca (Italy), where bloggers from all corners of the world share their view on a pre-arranged theme.  The theme this week is "vision", and comes from Anna (Netherlands).

The one thing that you have that nobody else has is you. Your voice, your mind, your story, your vision. So write and draw and build and play and dance and live as only you can.

Neil Gaiman

weaver family cemetery

Sitting quietly in the midst of a residential neighborhood within the village of Carrboro is an old cemetery. I’ve written about burial grounds before. I enjoy visiting old cemeteries, seeing the beautiful craftsmanship in the old stones and markers, seeing the dates from long, long ago and maybe getting a bit of the story about those buried there from the words chiseled into the headstones.  Some cemeteries are especially remarkable, such as the old Trinity Church burying ground in New York City, the Magnolia Cemetery in Charleston, SC, the Old Burying Ground in Beaufort, NC, just to name a few that I’ve visited.  Hiding in plain sight in this residential neighborhood is a resting place unlike any other I’ve visited. It’s a visible reminder of what life was like here centuries ago.

The oldest engraved markers in the Weaver Family Cemetery are that of a Baptist Minister, Reverend Thomas Weaver (1785-1843) and his wife Sarah Jane Brewer (1787-1850). The Weaver family lived on a plantation near the burying ground and their son and grandson were owners of vast acreage in Orange and Chatham Counties. As you would expect in a graveyard of this era, there are tombstones for children who passed away within days, months or just a few years of their birth. The sight of them is just heartbreaking, even today.

The small area is enclosed by a simple wire fence and within are 42 visible graves, 28 of which have inscribed markers and 14 unmarked graves. It’s a collection of elaborate granite sculpture, simple engraved markers, rough fieldstones and sunken graves without any marker at all. Because the family was so significant to the settlement and development of the area, the townspeople erected a memorial stone just opposite the entrance gate.

What stopped me in my tracks though, is the realization that immediately outside the fenced burying ground, just a few feet away, is another, smaller area where the family slaves and freedmen are buried. Rough fieldstones serve as markers for these graves as well as 7 small polished but uninscribed blocks of granite.  You’ll also find sunken graves in that smaller area and it appears that other crude fieldstone markers are being discovered as the area is explored more closely.

In 1994, at the request of the Weaver heirs who could no longer maintain the family site, the town took over the care and upkeep of the cemetery in order to preserve this historically significant piece of property, maintain it in its natural state and to protect it from any threat of future encroachment by developers.

In 1995, a group of local citizens placed a large, polished granite monument outside of the fenced area in memory of the slaves and freedmen buried there, those persons who helped in the development of the town. The stone is engraved with some of the names of those who were buried there, next to but separated from the white family, and with the words “May we honor these souls always……”