A music streaming site I've been listening to on shuffle for 70s singers started playing Melissa Manchester's "Don't Cry Out Loud" and I got a little bit giddy.

I've always loved Manchester's voice and the lyrics to the song:


Baby cried the day the circus came to town
'cause she didn't want parades just passin' by her
So she painted on a smile and took up with some clown
While she danced without a net upon the wire
I know a lot about 'er 'cause, you see
Baby is an awful lot like me
Don't cry out loud
Just keep it inside, learn how to hide your feelings
Fly high and proud
And if you should fall, remember you almost had it all
Baby saw that when they pulled that big top down
They left behind her dreams among the litter
The different kind of love she thought she'd found
There was nothin' left but sawdust and some glitter
But baby can't be broken 'cause you see
She had the finest teacher-that was me-I told 'er
Don't cry out loud
Just keep it inside and learn how to hide your feelings
Fly high and proud
And if you should fall, remember you almost had it all
Don't cry out loud
Just keep it inside and learn how to hide your feelings
Fly high and proud
And if you should fall, remember you almost made it
Don't cry out loud
Just keep it inside and learn how to hide your feelings
Fly high and proud
And if you should fall, remember you almost had it all


I've always been more emotional than I'd like to be, even in public. I would love to have what one  of my friends said is commonly called a "brf" (bitchy resting face.)

I'm not a big fan of the "b" word. I don't like curse words unless I'm by myself and even then only if I'm angry, but I especially don't like "*itch" because it's so often used to put women down.

This time, though, I'd like to own the word because whenever I think of women I admire there are the ones that manage to keep their lives together no matter what may be going on privately. And I've gotten to the point where I'd rather risk being seen as aloof and unapproachable than someone who can't even make it through the day without losing her @#$%...well you probably know word I mean.

You can find Mog here: listen to a terrific music streaming site with lots of full-length albums! :)

Mog (a terrific music sharing website) + snow day + Maiden's No Mythologies To Follow = nice day! :)  Listen here: click on

Another great album (more like an EP) is this one:

You can listen to Chloe here:

click for Chloe

She reminds me of Kate Nash or Lily Allen. (Beware of her use of the "f" word a few times, though.)

And <<<this is a relaxing listen for a quiet, nostalgic afternoon!: listen>>> go back to the 80s.

Baking and Go West

Growing up, my sister and I were a lot closer than we are now, mostly because we both loved music with the same intensity, if not the same tastes. She'd be too proud to admit she wanted to borrow my Wham albums, but I knew she secretly wanted to listen. Me? I was never too afraid or embarrassed to ask for her Go West album. I especially liked their song "Call Me."

Sometimes, I don't think a Sunday can't get any cozier than if you bake in the kitchen while listening to music. I haven't seen my sister's copy of Go West's first album in decades, but I do have the song on my iPhone and it still sounds as good as ever while the smells of fresh baked scones spread through my apartment.

I'm not sure which is more shocking: that "Call Me" doesn't sound dated at all or that I successfully made a batch of scones. Either way, it's a nice Sunday! :)

Watch the catchy little video and try not to cringe too much at how much more its showing its age than the actual song does :) :

here

Things that never happened...

I think I love music almost more than I've ever loved any human (almost). At its very very best, music can make us think of all the wonderful things the world has to offer and it can gently plop our souls in places our bodies may never find while living here on Earth.

One of those things, for me at least, is love, specifically: romantic love.

I'm pretty sure I've never been in love before, at least not with someone who loved me back. I used to smile when well-meaning people (saying it based on nothing more than my single status, thinking it would be encouraging and kind) would exclaim: 'Your day will come.'

Maybe I even believed them at one time, mostly because I wanted to, with that silly part of me who watched way more than her share of romantic comedies and because music, while an incredibly sincere and touching art form, is quite capable of making you believe things that just aren't true. I still smile, but I no longer believe, not in any way that counts.

The older you get, the more experience and reality show you otherwise, you can feel a bit at odds with yourself when what you want and what you actually have are two different things and you realize your life plan is way, way off track.

I love cooking and will do it for just me, if for no other reason than it's healthier than going take-out or the frozen way. But I always wanted to find someone with whom to grow old and dote on in all the ways you do for someone you love. Even before I could have ever dreamed I'd live in a world where gay marriage was more than a fantasy I knew I would be willing to overcome whatever it took to find Miss Right.

Bad dates, scary dates, could-have-been-wild-dates I wanted no part of have made me start to think that being old-fashioned and gay is not very popular in the lesbian community. If it isn't, if I never find someone, I know I'll be okay...because of other things that can fill your soul like love can and give everyday things beautiful color: friends, books and music.





Just a picture of an incredibly fun group to listen to, especially on days you need a pick-me-up from the big bad world outside :)

And their video for "Safe and Sound" is even more fun and, well, just really nice and safe to watch, too!:

video for "Safe and Sound"

Chills, and that feeling you get when you hear a new song you just know is going to become one of your favorites, are running through me as I listen to Coldplay's new song "Magic." It's the kind of track that makes you feel like you're outside of your body, like all you have is your soul and nothing else to tie you down to earthly constraints.

I can't wait until May when their new album, Ghost Stories, drops.