How's your January? Interesting info about the VH1 contest

Do you feel like this is the time of year when you are just floundering for some direction? Making some new plans or goals? I always do alot of thinking in January. I just wonder what I can get done this year. I am wanting to take some more college courses. So far I am still thinking about that. I am sure I will get that figured out one of these days.

So did anyone catch the comments on the Musicandlyrics.com website under my video? I have a video in the contest called ONE TRUE LOVE (live). It is just me singing at the piano. It is nothing fancy like when people shoot a real video. I thought the judges were basing it on the song anyway. Well I had been looking at other videos and leaving nice comments. I came across one video that looked interesting so I began watching it. It started out with beautiful scenery of mountains and things and had piano playing going in the background. Suddenly the video change into a familiar song that I know from a well know artist named Loreena McKinnett. I own her CD "the book of secrets". The lady that had sent in this video had swiped her song and began doing an erotic striptease behind a sheer piece of fabric. The song Marco Polo has a very Arab feel. Sulty, you name it. This woman was whispering sexy comments about self love and other things over the track. She was even trying to sing in a foreign language. The whole point was the fact that she swiped another artists song. I called her on it. I told her nicely that you can't take someone else's song and do a video with it and enter it in a original songwriting contest. She became angry after her video was removed in the contest. She began leaving really rude and nasty comments under my video. She even had an icon picture of herself naked in a tub with red cowboy boots on. I was shocked by the picture and rudeness, she called me a fat Nazi cow, a liar, and many other things I won't mention. It was unbeliable. I tried for 2 days to get her comments removed off my site by the company. I was beginning to wonder if they wanted to leave them on there for controversy. Thank goodness there is still goodness in this world. Her comments and pictures where finally removed.

The lesson I learned from all this is if you need to tell on someone in a situation like this, I guess it is not best to go to them directly. It is best to go above so you can remain anonymous. I didn't realize how bad the retaliation could be here online.

Silence.....is golden :) bask in it!

Okay...today is the day I came closest to loooooosing my mind. I was a teachers aid sub today. Just when I thought things could never get worse. They did. The class only had about 5 kids in it. You would think things would be fairly harmless. All the kids were quiet and well behaved except one. I shall call her....hmmmmm Chelsea.

That is not her real name though. I am telling you. She screamed, made noises, threw her body around non stop for 4 and a half hours. I am suprised she had a voice left at the end of the day. She scared the living daylights out of me. She hit her other teachers, threw things at them, kicked them and even hit herself in the head. I wasn't about to let her hit me upside the head. She is a small 11 year old but has a violent swing and even a grown man may go running.

I told the teachers that I was NOT trained for this kind of thing. I honestly don't think I could go back to that room. My ears are ringing from the insanity of it all. All of her strange foreign language babble...still ring in my ears. The ticks she had and the many other odd things she did still weighing down my mind. I did not go to school for this nor am I trained. I just wanted to help out and of course make some extra money on my down time. How much is your sanity worth? I am sitting here basking in the silence. I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!! Boy do I love it. I do feel sorry for those children and their parents. It only makes me count my blessings even more.

An update on my Songdoor contest. The winners were announced today. I was not one of them. I did however make the top five in two different catagories. That is an honor and I do appreciate it. Take care everyone...

How about the new season of American Idol?

Did anyone see the new auditions for American Idol? Wow was that an experience. I am not sure what to think. It seems there isn't as much talent as previous years yet there are some new things we have to look forward to, like the brother and sister from India. They are cute and have great voices. I am not sure how I feel about the others that really shouldn't be trying out have been exploited and made fun of. Some of the comments made by Randy and Simon are really uncalled for. I think it could scar some of these people bad. But like I heard on a from a radio DJ today someone should have told them along the way to get some vocal lessons or let them know that they could not sing. I heard they were screened before the big audition and really bad ones were picked out ahead of time to be exploited. What kind of monsters are we? Gee. I guess the pubic wants it. I just don't think they should make fun of peoples looks. Like their eyes, hair, face, weight, all of that. They are such personal matters. It will be interesting to see what happens.

I did finish my Christmas song today! Hurrah! Sadly I am not in the mood to sing Christmas music this time of the year but now it's done for next Christmas! :)

I NEED YOUR VOTE!!! Please :) For a songwriting contest! Deadline Jan. 20

HI there everyone!! I need your vote please! I have entered a songwriting contest for the new movie with Drew Barrymore and Hugh Grant called "Music and lyrics". They are looking for an original song and everyone with an original love song is encouraged to send one in. In sent in my song ONE TRUE LOVE. If you log into: Musicandlyrics.com then you will go under VH1 contest and sign up to vote. Look under my name or my song ONE TRUE LOVE. You may vote 1 to 5 stars and leave a comment. I really, really, appreciate it!! The winner gets a trip to Hollywood for the screening of the movie and gets a professional recording. I will keep you posted! It is fun seeing everyones videos. Log on and have some fun! THANKS SO MUCH!!

Never a dull moment

I found myself working out at the highschool again as a sub hall moniter. Today was interesting. I had the worst fish sandwich ever for lunch. It was not a REAL fish sandwich. It was more like a blended up mixture of something with a fish flavor. Ugh! That was bad. No wonder the kids were in line for ala cart today and not hot lunch. haha! (We made up for that tonight and went out with friends to Outback Steakhouse for a great dinner!) I had to break up a fight where two boys were going at it and one took his knee into the other ones private area and brought him to his knees. I had to call for backup on that one. I had to direct traffic after school and it was a mere 19 degrees outside today. Can you imagine? I can't even count how many cars and busses leave the parking lot each day. I just pray I don't get hit by a teenage driver. They are even on their cell phones as they are leaving the school parking lot. Well I am still here. I did manage to complete the lyrics to my song I have been working on forever. That was a happy point. Man, I am tired. Have a great weekend!

Songdoor Songwriting Contest Finalist!!

I just found out that I am in the finals with two of my songs in the Songdoor songwriting contest out of Nashville. If you log onto Songdoor.com you will see my songs listed on there. One is under the Christian catagory. "Just a Little Time" is in the top five, and under the pop catagory my new song "One True Love" made the top five. I am real excited to just be nominated!! The catagory and over all winners will be announced on Jan. 22nd. The winner gets to do a demo in Nashville. I am just thrilled to make the top five. Just want you all to know.

Finishing a new song

I am finishing up a Christmas song that has been on my mind since last year. I tried hard to get it finished before Christmas this year and that didn't happen. I have found some new inspiration. I have found an arranger near by to me that is willing to work together. I need him for arrangements and he needs me for original songs. What a great match. I am so thrilled about this. I just needed a little push. It gets so hard for me working all alone all the time on my songs. We are going to present some songs to the school choirs around here. I hear he is really great with choral arrangements. I really do think it is best to work with other people. You find inspiration from each other. I have always believed that iron sharpens iron. Anyone looking for a church or choir choral piece contact me on the site here. As soon as we get this done we should have it in sheet music form. You will have 10 or 11 months to work on it until next Christmas! :)

Into January

Here we are into the first week of January. I can't believe how the time has flown. 2007. I remember when we were waiting to roll into the year 2000. Now 7 years have gone by. I am still convinced that we have global warming going on. Still no snow on the ground here in Iowa. It's just not normal. I am not complaining, I just think it is odd. Not much news around here. I am kind of bored. I am thinking of some new goals for this year. Anyone else doing that? It is always good to find some new direction.