Celtic Music Expanded

(I know I could have just commented about this in the comment section but, who cares.)

I've been mostly listening to the USA based Celtic group Gaelic Storm. I first heard them at a Celtic Festival in Ohio. The festival had approximately 4-5 tents set up for different Celtic music (bands, groups, you get the idea). There was a huge crowd at the main tent and without really caring about it, my friend and I just walked on. Then the music started and it became standing room only. A good fiesty beat, lyrics I couldn't quite understand, but I couldn't help being surprised that I liked it. Bought their latest CD - How are We Getting Home (next time I'll wait to buy it at a cheaper cost, festival prices are just too high). The first song is titled, "I Miss My Home," which speaks to me whenever homesickness hits me.

Come to find out, this is the group playing in the party scene of the movie Titanic. I had no clue who was playing that scene. Didn't realize that scene seemed to jump them into popularity. I listen to their other CD's but it's this particular one that I enjoy the most.

Enya, well, I do have one of her CD's obtained a few years back but I don't listen to it. It must have been over a year or more. While working at the library I did have the urge to listen to her new CD. Figured she would be cataloged with the other Irish groups, but no, she's listed with the New Age groups. I'm no cataloger, but that was odd. I'm assuming she's not considered Irish in the USA. At least not by library catalogers. (She is Irish. Isn't she?)

I own the CD Water from the Well by The Chieftains. I don't listen to often, but I have it just in case. Also, Crossing the Bridge by Eileen Ivers. Another CD that I haven't listened to in a while, but it's in my collection just in case.

A couple years ago, my friend "provided" me with several Celtic and Scottish CDs. All I have are the titles. I couldn't tell you the authors.

A group that seems to have hit the USA in the past year or so is Celtic Woman. They may have been around longer, but I've just heard about them (yes I know this group consists of more than one singer). I find them very soothing.

That's about all I can tell you. Occassionally I'll grab and Irish CD from the library's music collection and listen, not paying attention to who the group or singer is. Just trying something new.

As for a side note: Occassionally I'll listen to some Irish tunes and can not help but get the feeling I'm back in Kentucky. The traditional music in Kentucky is Bluegrass music. Not to be mistaken as Country music. They are two different styles. Bluegrass incorporates the fiddle, banjos, the harmonica, and homemake musical instruments like the spoons (I'd love to play the spoons correctly). It's only sometimes.

It must be the weather...

Actually, I know it's not the weather, but I'm not going to go into all the details.

So, I'm driving in the car (or I could be sitting down on my couch - does it really make a difference where I am) and I'm wondering, is this how I handle profound stress? Or is it that I'm completely bored with myself and my likes and dislikes are changing? Where is this attitude coming from, and do I really like it.

I am pretty much a plain Jane type of gal. Very low-key. I stay home quite a bit. Stick to the norm. A Southern girl who listens to Country music. Sticks to the bestsellers for the most part. I lean to the Right when it comes to politics. (I'll become an Independent before I ever change political party affliliation to the Democrats.) I don't rock the boat. I'm a pleasant person, and attempt to maintain pleasantries with people around me. My patience level is very high. Very high.

Well, in the past two weeks, I've been kinda high strung. Maybe "on edge" is the best term. Sometimes on the verge of tears. Sometimes pissed off. Whatever it is, there's subtle changes I've noticed. Here's my list...

1. I'm either listening to Talk Radio or Celtic music when I decide to turn on the radio/CD player.
2. Though you would think my mood would benefit the cords and ballads of Country music, I've turned the radio dial to talk radio (and a little of NPR - National Public Radio). It's most strange that I listen to NPR because most of the issues are of the Left political minds. Listening gives me the chance to listen to what they say and I get to call them "assholes." Then I can listen to a radio station with a more Conservative view and have the chance to say, "no wonder the Republican Right is hated. Damn good thing I'm thinking of going Independent."
3. The Celtic music I don't get. I mean, Celtic music, Ireland, Land of the Faries. (Sorry Festi, I'm in the mood. (And this gives you the chance to correct me and give me your two cents on the matter. (Hell, you may not even be bothered by that remark.))) It's not that I don't like Celtic music. I wouldn't be listening to it if I didn't. In the past couple of weeks it's brought nothing but a sense of comfort. If you told me a year ago that I would be listening to Celtic music to relax, I would have laughed at you.
4. I'm not a girly-girl. You know what I mean by "girly-girl." I don't always put on make-up. I'm more comfortable in jeans and a sweatshirt. It's a great day if I don't have do to much to my hair. (It's natural curly, therefore, natrually frizzy). My best friend has wanted to curl and color my hair for ages. I tell her no, and to forget it. What did I do this weekend, I bought hair curlers. And I curled my hair last night, for the first time since I was 13 years of age. (At least around that time.) It did look good, and not frizzy. I may have to do it again.
5. My best friend has also attempted to force Yoga on me. I just wanted to laugh. I'm now the owner of a DVD titled, "Yoga for Inflexible People" and a yoga mat. What was I thinking.
6. I'm now becoming more curt with people at work. The amount of other people's bullshit and insensitivity is reaching a very high level in my book. Don't get me wrong, I'm still nice and pleasant to people. There are plenty of people in this world who are kind and considerate, those who aren't just seem to make their way to the library where I work. Last week at work I looked at my boss and co-worker and asked, "Why didn't I get the mean gene?" Sometimes I want to be mean. Or at least not so nice, because I would probably feel bad if I was mean. So often I want that "mean gene."

I think my chatter here has been pretty aimless, so I'll stop for now.

(I didn't proofread)

Happy New Year!!

Until I have the chance to post something new....

Have a wonderful New Year everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't understand her... and I shouldn't even care.

For the first time tonight, my disappointment and anger at my cousin erupted so to the point that I called her a "bitch." Not to her face ofcourse. It was said to my sister. "Stephanie is such a bitch." (Notice that it is in lower case letters. Not as strong if it was all caps. So there is still some love there.) I'm not going to spend my night trying to understand what my mom, dad, sister, and I did to make her dislike us. Well, I can understand why she doesn't like my sister. One comment made many many many moons ago about the abundance of make-up my cousin likes to cake on her face and my sister is marked for life. To this day, my sister will not retract the comment and my cousin's make-up is about the same.

I haven't seen my cousin in years. Earlier this week I came across a photograph taken 10 years ago with my Memaw, my aunt, my cousin, my mom, my sister and me. That was the last time all of us has been together. Not even when my Pepaw died were we together.

I don't even know where to begin when attempting to put into words the difference between my cousin and aunt, with my mom, sister and I. The two families are night and day. My mom and aunt are night and day. My sister and I were raised in a middle class family who lived within our financial means. We didn't spend extravagantly. We had what we needed and maybe a little more. We didn't have the name brand outfits or the latest styles in fashion or electronics. My aunt and cousin on the other hand were different. Flashy, perfect, and costly. That's the only way I can describe it. Money seems to be the goal in that family. Which I find it ironic (maybe that's not the word) that their money comes from the coal mining industry. A very hard working and demanding job in which my uncle is now paying the price for with his health. I will give them credit for investing their money wisely, but I sure didn't want to be at their house when all their stocks went down along with Silicon Valley. (The Dot.Com business.)

My cousin was married for the second time last evening. So technically, she's had two husbands in one year. She was first married in October 2004. Divorced him a couple months later. (I've been told that he was "hard" with her. Possible domesitic violence so I'm very happy she left that marriage). A couple months after the divorce, my aunt was very worried about my cousin. She said she would look at Stephanie and all she saw was death on her face. It seemed my cousin was depressed due to a lack of husband and a child. Not that I have any experience with marriage, but just because you are married and/or with a child, does not guarantee happiness.

I had no desire to go to the wedding. I did my best to evade the question from my Memaw as to why I didn't want to go. It wouldn't have been nice to say, "Why whould I?" My excuse was that I was staying home to look after my Memaw. She can't stay too long by herself any more, and since I'm home I thought I would stay. My parents went though, and my cousin ignored them. There were only 50 people at the wedding. You would have to make an effort to really ignore someone in a crowd of 50. Stephanie introduced her new husband to people not five steps away from my parents, and then proceeded to walk away. Mom and dad looked at each other and left.

I knew at a young age that my cousin didn't like me too much. I didn't enjoy her company too much either. So, I'm not going to mind if she ignores me. I do mind if she does something to my mom, dad and/or Memaw. My sister can take care of herself. I'm not worried about her, and I think she (my sister) could care less.

I wish I could give better detail of the family dynamics. Location of the families play a great deal too. I know that might sound strange. We are both Kentucky families, but one is more Eastern Kentucky than the other. One location is more isolated and distrusting of outside help than the other. No matter if the help comes from your family or not. If you know anything about the Appalachian culture, you know that many people living in that area stick together and rarely accept outside help. They fix their own problems. Though I grew up in the Appalachian area, it was mostly on the outskirts. My cousin grew up more in the culture. They aren't poor Appalachia, but they have the personality traits of area.

I have a problem with my cousin when she choses to ignore her aunt and uncle (my parents) for no good reason. I have a problem with her when she choses to not call or visit our Memaw who lived only 2 minutes away. She had the most pathetic excuse I had ever heard. This excuse came before she was ever married. Stephanie hated that Memaw always asked her if she had a boyfriend. That must have been a very sore spot for Stephanie if should couldn't talk with her Memaw just because of a question like that. (I admit, I became tired of that question too. So I turned it back on Memaw. I looked at her one day and said, "Memaw, if you want me to have a boyfriend, why don't you pray for one for me." So now each time she asks I look at her and ask in return, "Memaw, have you been praying?" She smiles and gives me a kiss. It's now become our own little running joke.) I have a problem with my cousin when she walks past my sister at college and acts as if she didn't exist.

The only thing that I can guess as to why she doesn't associate with us, in any form or fashion, is that she may be embarassed by us. I guess we don't live up to her standards. And you know what, I honestly don't care. She's not a standard I would want to live up to.

My bad side is coming out.

(My bad side is going to come out in this blog - at least some of it.)

I went to the neighborhood grocery store to buy a couple of things for my mom. There was a sense of relief when I pay for the items and I'm safely back in my car. No one stopped me to talk with them. My quick turn around the grocery aisle stopped me from coming face to face with Bernice. Safely diverted from a possible lengthy conversation.

I'm in my car, turn on the ignition and I see what I knew was coming... a former classmate. Every time I come home I see someone from school. Always. I can't get away from it. I never want to stop and chat. I don't care how rude that sounds.

It was Erin S. this time. Her last name has changed, but she'll always be Erin S. to me. Her mother was once my Kindergarten teacher. How such a nice person could raise such a brat is beyond me. Technically I wasn't around her too much in high school, other than being active in three sports, I was pretty much a hermit. I played volleyball with this girl. She wasn't bad. It's only her personality that's bad.

She seemed to usually have a sour look on her face, and would pretty much ignore you if you weren't in her circle of friends. Actually, if you weren't up to her standards. Whatever her standards were. She talked with me basically because I was on the same volleyball team with her.

So, I saw her pass my car as I was turning on the ignition. She's walking briskly just like high school, with her 10 year old son trying to keep up with her. When I told my dad I saw Erin S. at the grocery store, he sounded all happy with a... "O really, How is she?" I replied with a resounding, "I don't know dad, I didn't talk to her."

For some reason, I do not like running into my former classmates. I can think of maybe one or two that I wouldn't mind seeing. Since graduating high school, going away to college and then moving to Ohio, I come back to hometown and see this town in a whole new light. Some people never left this area, which is perfectly fine if this is where they feel home. But don't look down on us who left and never returned (except to spend time with our families). That's the feeling I get from some of the people here. Then the "let's compare our lives" game comes into play. My graduating class didn't have a 10 year class reunion. I wouldn't have gone anyways.