04/52

'A portrait a week of my children, once a week, every week, in 2015'

I am so late in getting this up!  05 will be up tomorrow.  The year is already speeding by! 

This was Soren's focused face.  He was working diligently on fixing his Native American vest from school.  The fish lips were too much to handle.  Had to grab the camera.  Working on 05 after this.  See you soon!

Soren Says...

I know I owe a portrait right now, but I couldn't help but share this from yesterday.

Every age is pretty amazing.  They have their challenges, but my goodness - the victories and priceless moments are a-plenty!

Four has been especially sentimentally tearful for me.  Soren started school right before his fourth Birthday and has grown exponentially since (he LOVES it, as I have mentioned several times on the blog).  I don't know if it's the age or school but the concepts he puts together now and the conversations we have blow my mind.

I was explaining this to someone just the other day, and they kept responding with a witty, rhetorical 'why? why? why?' but with Soren, it isn't like that.  It's been:

Soren - 'Momma, snakes don't move like caterpillars.'

Me - 'No bud, they don't'

Soren - 'Caterpillars move in peristaltic motion.  Like our intestines'

Me - 'Yep, Soren - they do.'

Soren - 'Then how do snakes move? They move side to side not up and down (motioning with his hands)'

Me - 'Well (me frantically looking this up on my phone), buddy - they move in Lateral Undulation'

Soren - 'So snakes move in lateral undulation and caterpillars in peristaltic motion.  There were beetles on the sarcophagus at the museum.  The mummies are very very old.  Isn't that amazing momma?!'

And so on.  You get the picture.  Just conversations.  So - the point of this post.  Yesterday the wee man comes into the bathroom while I am cleaning and says - 

Soren - 'Sooooo, Mom, I work in Cincinnati.'

Me - 'Yeah buddy - what do you do?'

Soren - 'I'm a recording engineer.' (ok.  sort of an obvious line since it's what his father and I do but wait...)

Me - 'Ok, what kind of music do you record'

Soren - 'Jazz.  No.  Classical.'

Me - 'Oh! Like me - you're my competition in town.  Do you play music?'

Soren - 'Yes.  I play the flute!' And then proceeds to play a beautiful tune on his slide whistle.

Me - 'Oh! That's beautiful.  You are very good at that.  I am sure you are a wonderful engineer.'

Soren - 'Yes.  I am.  I sing too.'  And then sings me his own melody.  It made my heart melt.

Motherhood could not be more amazing.  The greatest gift Soren P.  Thank you.

03/52

'A portrait a week of my children, once a week, every week, in 2015'

To-Ge-Ther!  This is Soren's 'TH' face.  For the longest time he would pronounce together 'To-THe-Ger'.  And now - he says - 'look at my face.  This is the 'the' sound.  To-Ge-Ther'.  And there you have it.  Way to go bubs.

PS - yes, Soren has the best hat hair ever.  So much style.

Music Elitist

Someone called me this the other day and it just about broke my heart.

This is a depiction of chromesthesia "the sound to cloud synesthesia, which is a type of synesthesia in which heard sounds automatically and involuntarily evoke an experience of color" I believe Pharrell Williams has the opposite form of this.  To hear/see music in this way - wow!  Borrowed from Noisey - Music by Vice

I can't even begin to describe it.  Music has always been a part of my life - since I can remember.  I started out on the piano at 4 and have played since.  My profession is even completely surrounded by this one thing - music.

But all music.  Just because I primarily record in one industry doesn't mean my Spotify playlists aren't flooded with everything from Sonic Youth to Bob Marley; U2 and Toto to B.B. King; Tchaikovsky and Monteverdi to Walk the Moon.  I mean - I'm a recording engineer and not even a fidelity snob!  Elitist?  Brutal.  

So I get really pumped about music.  It moves me in a way I can't quite explain.  A friend of mine once said when he walks around he hears music - almost always.  Like he has his own personal sound track all the time.  Hearing music when the weather changes.  I absolutely connected with that.

Now, I know not everyone connects with music like this.  I get it.  Just like there are artists that connect with strokes of a brush that I struggle to feel.  BUT, that doesn't mean I want them to contain their energy - enthusiasm for something that brings them such great emotion.  I know what that feels like and would never begrudge them the opportunity to reveal that connection to me.

There are so many great things about the culture of music and how it effects societies - creates communities, that I can't help but crave introducing people to the art.  I want them to have a great experience - hear though my ears - feel it like I do or even better - create their own experience!

I guess, if that makes me an elitist.  So be it.  My apologies for my enthusiasm.  I'd contain it, but I simply can't.