old music loves

I knew a girl in high school who was a very talented musician. I even bought a cd she made. Last night I was in the mood to hear more of her music so I found her website and played the song Tree that she had up there. Needless to say I loved it and also her other stuff I hadn't heard before including her music from when she was in a quartet which is available for free download. She has such a lyrical quality to her voice and her lyrics are also awesome.

Tree-olive green Anna from olive green anna on Vimeo.

Way to go Anna!

if a body catch a body comin thro' the rye

I just finished rereading The catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger. It is one of my favorite books by one of my favorite authors. Anyway, I love the passage in the book where he explains what would make him happy. For those who don't know the entire book is very pessimistic the the first person narrator Holden Caulfield has a bleak outlook on life. Practically everything depresses him. But the redemptive passage is when his sister asks him what would make him happy. It's so beautiful I think it makes sense that it would be the title of the book. I've included it here:

Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody's around - nobody big, I mean - except me. And I'm standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff - I mean if they're running and they don't look where they're going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That's all I do all day. I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all. I know it's crazy, but that's the only thing I'd really like to be.

The reference is from a poem by Robert Burns. It is also quite a beautiful poem.

Comin Thro' The Rye

O, Jenny's a' weet, poor body,
Jenny's seldom dry:
She draigl't a' her petticoatie,
Comin thro' the rye!

Comin thro' the rye, poor body,
Comin thro' the rye,
She draigl't a' her petticoatie,
Comin thro' the rye!

Gin a body meet a body
Comin thro' the rye,
Gin a body kiss a body,
Need a body cry?

Gin a body meet a body
Comin thro' the glen,
Gin a body kiss a body,
Need the warl' ken?

Gin a body meet a body
Comin thro' the grain;
Gin a body kiss a body,
The thing's a body's ain.

Gin a body kiss a body
Comin' thro' the grain
Need a body grudge a body
What's a body's ain

Every lassie has her laddie
Nane, they say, ha'e I
yet a' the lads they smile at me
When comin' thro' the Rye

Amang the train, there is a swain
I dearly lo'e mysel'
But whaur his hame, or what his name
I dinna care to tell

I'm working on an art piece for this novel, but it's not at a place where I have much to show right now.

black swan

Recently saw the movie Black Swan with natalie portman. It's up for best picture at the Oscars this year. It was a beautiful window into a dancer's life and how there's more to it than meets the eye of the audience. Of course, it's dramatized for film, but I think the themes are beautiful. Here are some sketches I made after wards.