Belated Happy New Year!

           As I said in the title of this blog,
"Happy New Year!"
I hope you, as in everyone, are having a great year so far.

I've been very busy that past few weeks creating a new series of 'Rain Paintings'.
They look beautiful, and I am having pictures taken of them on Sunday.
I will be sharing soon!

My throat is finally healing from the endoscopy procedure I had last fall.
They found numerous ulcers and diverticulitis.  It was debilitatingly painful.  I'm glad to be healing from all symptoms, so I can get back to finishing my new CD, 'Listen People'.
I posted on YouTube the inspiring, 'Listen People' song.

Have a nice day!
Laurie

Walking on My Hands

Hi Everyone, boy, okay, I won't say it - I'm so _____. I'm looking forward to Sunday night when I get a little break. I finished my third gig tonight with Brainstorm at the Timberline in Granite Falls, and I only have one more to go tomorrow/Sat. however you look at the earlier morning time which is still Friday to me since I haven't gone to sleep yet. I'm happy my son is home from college. Yahooey! I do have to wake up early tomorrow - later this morning - to teach all day till I leave for my gig, so I'll make this quick! Thanks for reading and looking at my blog. Nighty night! xxoo

Walking On My Hands
Walking on my hands
I take a different stand
Recognizing from horses eyes
Another’s silly disguise
To hide a truth
Deep within their roots
Compassion I feel
But first
My own open wounds
I must heal
Copyright 2010 - LAM

Creative Harmony

Hi Everyone! I hope you are all well? My sleep pattern has been thrown way off lately, and I think it is due to my cold medicine. I've been falling asleep around 4, 5, or 6 am, and then I only sleep for a couple of hours before I wake up. My cold is getting better. I just have that wonderful nagging cough left. I taught a ton of piano and one violin lesson today, thus is my inspiration for my blog posting tonight. Hopefully I can read a little bit before passing out tonight. My friend Carol gave me the 'Eat, Pray, Love' book by Elizabeth Gilbert over two years ago, and I've been stuck in India, which is the middle of the book,
for sometime now. I really want to finish reading the book before the movie version, staring Julia Roberts, premieres.
Nighty night. xxoo

Creative Harmony
Creative harmony with intention
Lay your ego aside
Return to your melody
Reorganize your leading tones
Make sure they are compatible
With their corresponding chord tones
Listen carefully
Again and again
To see if this is the sound
You want to send
Into the universe
Listen to the music
Forward and reverse
Edit your tune carefully
Shifting a measure or two
Add in a 6th, 7th, 9th or 13th
Be at peace with the harmony
You created today
Copyright 2010 - LAM

Koala, Koala

Hi Everyone. I fell asleep before posting last night. Cold medicine with antihistamine hits me fast. I watched the movie 'Impromptu' the other night. The movie illustrates the affair of George Sand and Chopin plus it depicts how artist of the 19th Century lived. I find the movie very inspiring to my artistic soul. My blog posting for last night/this morning (I'm allowing a little cross over time period) is inspired once again by my paint wipings. Another Rorschach test if you please. When I was looking at my smudges of discarded paint, I couldn't get the image of a koala out of my mind. Besides teaching everyday, and then gigs four nights this week coming up, I'm focusing on getting my larger artistic goals in three different areas of the arts (music, painting, writing) organized and implemented. Off to my busy day. xxoo

Koala, Koala
Koala, Koala
Sitting in a tree
What are you up to?
Eating Eucalyptus leaves?
Koala, koala,
We have so much in common
You are a solitary fellow
And I wish I lived in Australia
You sleep during the day
And then you
Chew, chew, chew
Your nights away
We both have slow metabolic rates
And we rarely go out on dates
We both were hunted
Almost to extinction
But now we are
Healing and returning
To full function
Copyright 2010 - LAM

The Green Puppy Hero

Hi Everyone!!! This early morning posting was inspired by my watercolor paint discards. The illustration was derived from my own self imposed Rorschach test which I stared at until I saw the image of a flying green puppy. The Rorschach inkblot is a psychological test in which subjects' perceptions of inkblots are recorded using psychological interpretation. I'm feeling a little better today, but I've been moving slow and I had to scrape myself out of bed to finish my posting. Nighty night. xxoo

The Green Puppy Hero
The green puppy hero
Zooming through the air
At the speed of light
From Paris to Tokyo
From Anchorage to Mazatlan
From here to there
From on and on
Removing negativity
Disguised as little red bunnies
Spotting them with x-ray eyes
And attracting them with honey
It is a sticky, sticky, sticky mess
But the green puppy hero is
A clever hunter
With the fluid movements
Of a Tai kwon-do master
She extracts her prey
Upwards and onwards
The green puppy hero
Removes red bunnies
At least 10,000 per day
Copyright 2010 - LAM

Just a Fwogie

Hi Everyone. Still sicker than a dog with this cold, and I'm really glad I don't have gigs this weekend so that I can rest. I only taught a few lessons today, and for the first time in awhile I was able to play the piano. It felt wonderful! My inspiration for today/tonight's blog posting is the frog. My friend Susan informed me that it is national frog month, so I'm revisiting the frog topic. My other writer friend Susan shared an article about frogs with me, and here are some of the highlights: frogs represent transformation through water and sound, and frogs have been linked to abundance and fertility, magic, rain, the control of weather, and the moon. My drawing is also inspired, a wee bit, by Project Runway. Project Runway is whittled down to the final three designers, and the final Bryant Park showing is next week. My poem is lyrics from my 'Just a Frog' song - CDbaby link:
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/lauriemiller2dd
and my youtube link to my video: http://www.youtube.com/lauriemillerband#p/u/4/dxsjav852qE Nighty night. xxoo

Just a Frog

I should have never jumped
in your pond
Even tried waving
my magic wand
You changed a little for a week or four
but you went back to drinking even more

Hop, hop, hop, hop, hop, ho
Hop, hop, hop, hop, hop, ho

Bye and bey our journey
got worse
Lies were croaking
from lips that cursed
One plastic lily on
valentines
No diamond ring
no, not this time

Oh scooby do and la, la, la
Hippity hop if I fall off your log
Croaky crow
and ha, ha, ha
it doesn't matter
You're still just a frog

I kissed a frog wishing he'd be my prince
A frog he stayed now I just wince

I guess we were wrong all along
Time to leap this frog
to my new pond

Oh scooby do and la, la, la
Hippity hop if I fall off your log
Croaky crow
and ha, ha, ha
it doesn't matter
You're still just a frog

Copyright 2010 Laurie Miller

Sniffing Around

Alrighty, I fell asleep early this morning while I was reading, therefore my late blog posting. I've got to get on with my day, and since Tuesdays are my longest teaching days....So long farewell, auf wiedersehen, goodbye... See you later this evening.


Sniffing Around
Sniffing around
Like a silly clown
I’m taking out
Rotting trash
From the crevices of my life
Removing the enlarged speck
From my eye
Seeing clearly
Which horse I will ride
Into a warm sunset
Or along
An ocean tide
Copyright 2010 - LAM

Two Bald Eagles

Hi Everyone. I taught lessons earlier today after acquiring two hours of sleep, so, yeah you guessed it, I'm feeling very exhausted.
My son and I went for a walk this afternoon after teaching my lessons, and much to our amazement we spotted two bald eagles flying in our neighborhood. We have never seen them in our area before. One of the blessings of living in the beautiful northwest is the wonderful wildlife, and I personally love the abundance of evergreen trees. The bald eagle is the United States national bird symbol, but the birds almost became extinct due to the pesticides which collect in fish. Fortunately the bald eagles are rebounding due to saving wildlife programs, and they have since been upgraded from the endangered to the threatened list. The life expectancy of wild eagles is 30 years, and the are believed to mate for life. I might actually get to sleep before 3 am, so nighty night. xxoo

Two Bald Eagles
Two bald eagles
Gliding, soaring
Riding the gentle breeze
Majestic and powerful
Looking for
Prey to eat
Circling, searching
Side by side
Two bald eagles
Beautifying the sky
Copyright 2010 - LAM

First Tulips of Spring

Hola! Well, it is 1:30 am. Yeah, this is the earliest I'll be getting to sleep in quite a while. Can't wait, so, yeah, another super duper quicky. I taught some piano and bass lessons today, and I noticed my first tulip in my front yard. Thus, my creative inspiration for my blog tonight. Nighty night. xxoo

First Tulips of Spring
First tulips of spring
Performing a
Coming out dance once again
Flapping
Petals in the
Gentle breeze
Completing their duet
With professional ease
Coloring our world
With visual pleasure
For one and all to see
Copyright 2010 - LAM

Snake in a Petri Dish

Hola. Okay, it is about 2:30 am while I'm posting my blog. I had my long day of teaching, and then I was absorbed with my new studio set up. I actually recorded my first midi piece of music with this set up - yeah. Now I need to figure out how to upload it to my blog. Probably by next week, since I have a couple 20 hour work days coming up. This blog is inspired by my son's pet snake, Silas. It is a corn snake which is a North American species of rat snake. Corn snakes use constriction to subdue their prey. Silas is about 4 feet in length. Need to finish some projects tomorrow, so nighty night. xxoo

Snake in a Petri Dish
Snake in a petri dish
Slithering up an experiment
Head weaving side to side
What kind of mouse
Will be contrived
Patiently waiting to strike the bait
Anticipating lunch
And an oscillating new mate
Copyright 2010 - LAM

Unga Woomga Zooba

Hi. Okay, I know I was going to write my blog posting dedicated to my parents today, but I'm too tired after my gig right now at 3 am. Therefore, here is a little diddie I created inspired by a name I heard on 94.9 Seattle Public Radio as I was driving home.
Happy Easter!. Nighty night. xxoo

Unga Woomga Zooba
Unga Woomga Zooba
Surging through my veins
Unga Woomga Zooba
Driving me insane
Unga Woomga Zooba
Raging hormones
Singing their song
Unga Woomga Zooba
Playing a rhythmic beat
All night long
Unga, Unga, Unga
Woomga, Woomga, Woomga,
Zooba, Doobey, DA
Copyright 2010 - LAM

Nibble, Nibble, Nibble

Hi Everybody. I didn't post my blog last night due to illness. I've been fighting a terrible stomach flu. I still feel 'out of it' and hope to get some rest after this posting. I don't have a gig till tomorrow night. I did create my illustration last night while watching a recorded version of Project Runway from Thursday April 1st. My posting is also inspired by Alexander McQueen who committed suicide at the age of 40 on Feb. 11th, 2010. Alexander, or 'Lee' as known by his friends, had a thing for the dramatic and the macabre. I think Alexander would have enjoyed my Termite dress. Tomorrow I shall create a posting dedicated to my parents. Till tomorrow. xxoo.

Nibble, Nibble, Nibble
Nibble, nibble, nibble
Termites chewing on me
I’m experiencing
Holes in my seams
Nibble, nibble, nibble
Crawling all over me
I’m creating
A horrible scary scene
Nibble, nibble, nibble
I’m flying away
Hoping I’m heading in a
Safe direction
To escape harms way
Copyright 2010 - LAM

What's Next?

Hola! Arriving home from my Thursday gig with Tim Turner and Billy Spaulding at the Redline in West Seattle, I'm feeling a little tired. I have to get up early tomorrow too, so super duper double whoppey quicky. Saturday I'm planning on dedicating my blog posting to my mother and father who both passed away during the first week of April but in different years. My mother passed away on April 1st, and my father passed away on April 4th. Alrighty, here's the quicky. Nighty night. xxoo

What’s Next?
What’s next?
What package
Will the future bring?
What color will the ribbons be?
Will the contents
Be as big as a tree?
Can I take a peak?
What’s next?
What will the future bring?
Copyright 2010 - LAM

Focus Your Energy

Hi. It is about 2:30 am while I'm creating my posting. I had a terrible stomach ache earlier this evening, so I had to rest a bit before I could complete my blog post. I had a very strange dream early this morning which is my inspiration for my posting. I remember being outdoors surrounded by people and hearing beautiful music. The poem is the chanting that I heard in my dream. I remember trying really hard to focus my energy while all of these people (I think they were people) were focusing their positive energy toward me. They all wanted me to levitate and fly. After much effort I finally lifted vertically into the sky. A group of people also rose through the air with me. All the while a repetitious chant and melody filled the atmosphere. Okay. I think I need to get back to my dreaming so that I can see what happens next. Nighty night.

Focus Your Energy
Focus your energy
Summon the light
Hope in your heart
Fly to the stars

Focus your energy
Summon the light
Hope in your heart
Fly to the stars

Focus your energy
Summon the light
Hope in your heart
Fly to the stars


Copyright 2010 - LAM

Glass Love

>Hi Everyone. I am feeling better after a nap even though my left arm is still numb and tingly. It is 2 am right now while I am posting, but the truth is I'm a vampire. Hopefully I'll get the music portion of my blog going in April. The engineers I contacted to help me get set up were busy with recording projects, so I'll try again tomorrow. I'm adding my CDbaby link to my instrumental easy listening songs.
Nighty night. http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/lauriemiller3

Glass Love
Glass love
Transparent and fragile
Sent to me
On the wings of an angel
Gentle and kind
Filled with true empathy
Glass love
I’m looking to see
Whose face
Will be
On the other side
Whose lips will I kiss
But still remain wise
Whose arms will hold me
Never to let go
Glass love
Transparent and fragile
When will I see
Maybe tomorrow
Copyright 2010 - LAM

Dead Tired

Hi! Alrighty, I'm feeling tired, and I have a migraine headache. My son went back to school today and I miss him already. Hopefully I'll get more than three hours of sleep tonight and feel better tomorrow. Nighty night.

Dead Tired
Dead tired
Needing a break
Focusing my mind
On what it would take
Tears of exhaustion
Sliding down my face
Hoping
My life can
Evolve to a better place
Copyright 2010 - LAM

Blink of an Eye

Hi. Well, yet another long day of teaching, and then my son & I had our last dinner together before he heads back to college. Michael made Dean's list last semester. He is majoring in Finance. I will miss his wonderful energy. Here is the link to Michael's blog: NorthWestPhotoMan
The posting tonight is inspired by the movie 'Titanic' which was featured on TV this evening. I'm going to try and get more than three to four hours of sleep tonight, so nighty night.

Blink of An Eye
Blink of an eye
Everything changes in
A blink of an eye
Subtle changes
Teeth coming in
Hair falling out
Bones growing longer
Color fading to gray
Then there are
The blatant changes
Birth and death
Having health
Living with disease
All changes performing
On different stages
In front of a variety of audiences
Spread throughout
Diverse countries
In a blink of an eye
Everything changes
Everything dies
Copyright 2010 - LAM

Growing a Sense of Humor

Hi. Sometimes in the music business you can hear a lot of ignorant uneducated things. It is hard not to take things personally, but my son reminded me not to take things so seriously. I am blessed to have a wonderful, smart, wise son.
My arm is getting worse, so my son & I are going to try to get into the clinic early tomorrow. If I can't be seen there, then we are going to the emergency room since I can't get a doctor appointment till April.

Growing a Sense of Humor
Growing a sense of humor
Starts as a seed
Similar to a tiny gurgle
Deep in your knees
It crawls up your body
Like out of control weeds
Tickling you silly
As a laugh starts to weave
You hear a cry deep from within
Don’t take yourself so seriously
That’s the only way you can win
Wear a smile instead of a frown
Laugh at all the tiny pink clowns
Growing a sense of humor
Is the best work you can achieve
Growing a sense a humor
Begins with tickling your feet
Copyright 2010 - LAM

Dancing Cat

Hi. I'm pretty tired and I'm still having physical problems. My left arm is getting worse with the numbness and tingling,
but the first appointment I can get with my doctor is April 5th. I may go to the emergency room tomorrow. Tonight's blog posting is inspired by my cat, Poe (named after Edgar Allan Poe even though my cat is female). My cat now suffers from gender confusion problems. I can imagine the psychiatrist bill. Nighty Night!

Dancing Cat
Dancing cat
Cute and fat
Wearing green boots
Whopping it up
With hollers and hoots
Dancing cat
You know
Where happiness is
Living in the moment
Enjoying hocus pocus
Dancing cat
In the know
Chattering it up
Going with the flow
Dancing cat
Dancing cat
Dancing the jig
At every gig
Copyright 2010 - LAM

New York, New York - Part 2

Hi! Rather than posting a poem tonight I shall write about my New York adventure and post a new illustration I created instead. I just finished researching the year I went to New York, and I am amazed that it was so long ago - 2003. It seems like yesterday. I went to New York to participate in The Global Entertainment and Media Summit created by Steve Zuckerman.
It was located at the famous Le Bar Bat bar - now closed after much controversy. It took place at the beginning of March and I remember it was very cold and there was a lot of snow on the streets. The drummer from Hall & Oates, Mike Braun, hooked me up to stay at his old apartment in the Upper West side which was still unoccupied since his move to Seattle.
The owner of the apartment, a music composer, and his wife, a concert pianist, were incredibly kind to me during my stay.

I started my adventure every afternoon/evening by going to the conference. At the conference bar I usually met someone unique within an hour, and then we would go on an adventure.
The first night I met a couple from Staten Island. The man actually owned the club where the Wu-Tang Clan first began in Staten Island. I stayed with them at their house in Staten Island. He had a studio in his basement, and he introduced me to a drummer who had played with David Bowie and Lou Reed.
The next evening I sang karaoke at Winnie's in Chinatown with a lady who looked like Gilda Radner. It was very humorous. We were the only two caucasian people in the bar, and we were the only two singing karaoke. She would sing a Barbara Streisand song and then I would get up and sing a Joan Jett or Blondie song.
We played an authentic chinese dice game with the patrons and then my friend left and I hung out with the owners till I took a taxi home. Taking a taxi is how you get around in New York.
The following night I met a guy who at the time was Lou Reed's bass tech. We went to a bar in Hell's Kitchen. It was very scary. Very large polish mafia men hung out at the bar. Kindof like being in a club with the Hells Angels surrounding you. I was dressed in a sexy revealing dress. Did I say I was nervous? Yeah, I was. We then went to his place and listened to Primus. Okay, my very kind and generous apartment landlords gave me a lecture about calling them if I wasn't coming home that night. Alright already.
The next evening I went with a really cool reggae guy - huge 6'7" 300 lbs. all muscle, to an underground hip hop club. Okay, another scary scenario. I was the only white girl in a black club, and I'm not even sure what part of New York city I was in. The club was huge with a modern design. No one checked IDs or patted you down. Scary. Ganja smoke permeated the air. Heads of gangs with their crews would sit at a table and then whip out $500.00 for a bottle of Grey Goose. I remember them sharing their vodka with us. Sean Paul like music dominated the airwaves. I remember it was a strange scene because the guys were so cool they would just stand and move to the beat. I made it home alive, but I was a little concerned. Angels must have been watching out for me.
The following night I met a great couple who I'm still friends with, Johnny Young and his wife Michelle. Johnny was performing at the conference. It was the first time I hung at the conference for more than an hour. Johnny is a great guitar player, keyboardist, composer, and singer. He is also blind. Johnny has played with many notable artist. We went to Johnny's apartment studio in Brooklyn (I think?), and had a great jam. We recorded some funny song that we made up on the spot. Their apartment was a little dirty, and I spotted a trophy looking thing on a shelf. What is that I asked Johnny? Oh that is an Emmy. He had won an Emmy for music he composed for one of those soap operas? Guiding Light? One Life to Live? Oh, you get the point.
Since the conference was ending, I had made arrangements online before coming to New York to meet a music promoter with whom I had scheduled a gig with. We met at the famous Hogs & Heifers Saloon - bras hang from the ceiling. They were having a jam night there. I sat in and played the bass. They loved me and five people wanted me to join their bands (long commute from Seattle.) Anyway, the music promoter was young, cool, famous father, and good looking. Did I tell you that the bars stay open till 6 am. Okay, I was seriously suffering from alcohol poisoning at this point in my New York journey. We went to about three or four bars and then he drove me to his house (I don't know where? - I remember him pointing out that Bjork lived over there.) There was about four feet of snow on the ground and when we got to his house I lay down in it and I made snow angels. He had the most awesome Lou Reed collection so we blasted it on his stereo and jammed awhile to it. I remember playing an acoustic gig somewhere near New York city the next day. Not sure where I was? Lost in New York. I think I stayed another day till I flew home to Seattle. Made it home in one piece. I'm still alive to tell my tale. I thought the people of New York were incredibly kind, generous, and hospitable.
New York, New York.