Song of the Day - True Love - P!nk

Well, here we are then.  The long dreaded day has finally arrived and I am still alive, lol.  I'm posting this one so late in the day because my friends took me out to the city  last night to celebrate.  I want to personally thank my pals Kyle, Rich, Bobby, Eric, Al, Gary and Christopher, Manny and Ozzie for such a good time.  I love you all!

  

I Don't Like Being "El Diablo!"

This is a chalkboard drawing one of my students made in my classroom this morning.  It was at the beginning of the day, and a good start to the day at that.  When I first noticed it, I laughed at the accuracy of it because the kid got it spot on, but then I began to think...

...I left the drawing on the board during my free period, the next one, so that I could show it to the other students who would be coming in the following class.  They all got it as well...

In case you might not get it, let me break down the meaning of the drawing for you:

- In the morning, Mr. Myers has got a smile on his face.  He's happy and his usual self.

- By mid-morning, the smile starts to fade as the stresses of the day seep into his psyche.

- And by the time the last period of the day rolls around, Mr. M. is "el diablo," yelling and screaming at the kids at an almost constant rate for the last 45 minutes of the day.

I don't like being "el diablo!"

I began to think that my life, or at least my mind, seems to have hit rock bottom right now, and my job has a lot to do with it.  For the sake of privacy and not getting myself into trouble I'll spare you the details, but this school year is much tougher than the one before, which was pretty bad, and even though I saw the stress coming, there was...there is...nothing I can do to stop it.  I feel helpless!

My days at school start early and finish late...every day.  And it doesn't stop there.  Work comes home with me nightly and on the weekends, too, and I'm lucky if I get one or two hours to relax daily and maybe a three r four per day over the weekend.  I always thought that teaching was supposed to get easier over time, but not for me.  I know a lot of it has to do with the particular teaching vocation I chose, which if you didn't know already was English as a Second Language, or ESL.

You see, my students don't speak English, and they come with a whole host of other issues, many of which are related to the cultures from which they come.  They look to me for just about everything, help with their science or math homework, or personal problems at home or at school, and though I do love working with them, the recent influx of immigrants to this country has upped my load by about 33% so far.  That equation amounts to an exponential set of problems to deal with.  Other than the ten minutes I leave my classroom to go out to my car for a breather, I am literally swamped every single moment of the day.  It's no wonder I feel like I'm going off the deep end!

I remember when I used to write about those "Ziggy" periods, and I always said that I knew they were temporary, but I think pessimism has taken over my mind as I've aged and I don't foresee anything getting any better.  And when things aren't going well in one area of your life, everything else in your life seems to follow suit.  My personal relationships are suffering, my lack of sleep has increased, the laundry piles up right along with the dishes, I'm not eating well, not getting my regular exercise, and any hope for a personal life, much less a relationship, seems pretty glum.  

I want to live again, and for all of my life, not just summers and school vacations, but at nights and on weekends, too.  Is that too much to ask for?  And I don't want to be "el diablo" at school anymore. I took on this career to make a difference, and being a stressed out grump with my students doesn't really do much good to that end.

It's a good thing I will be getting help soon at work in the form of an assistant, and November and December are full of holidays, so perhaps the relief of these two things will help drag me out of this cloud.  One can only hope...    

...Or maybe I need to stop hoping and start doing!  Again, Ugh!  

I don't want to be precious
I don't want to feel stress
Life is for the living, but not a living hell

-P!nk

Song of the Day - Break the Cycle - You + Me

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After a seemingly long wait now for P!nk's newest project with Canadian crooner Dallas Greene, You + Me's Rose Ave. has finally hit the shelves as of yesterday.  Break the Cycle is the album's second single and is sort of a "love song" for P!nk's mom, done in a very similar accoustic to the duo's first single, You + Me.  Check it out....  

Song of the Day - You + Me - You + Me, Feat. P!nk and Dallas Green

Here's something that I've wanted to talk about for a couple of weeks now. Almost three weeks ago now, P!nk announced that she'd been working on a new project, You + Me, with Canadian musician Dallas Green (Nope, I've never heard of him either!), and simultaneously released the first single, also titled You + Me.  

Though there's not so so much out there about Rose Ave., the project's first album being released on October 14th, but word is it's a folk album.  This should not be surprising to P!nk fans, who's contributed many great songs that could be considered to belong in that genre (When We're Through, The One That Got Away...).  

Anyway, I, like probably many other P!nk fans out there, scratched my head as to why she'd follow up the awesome Truth About Love album with something so obscure as this.  It's a big risk, no doubt, but I am a bona fide P!nk fan and I believe she's simply doing it out of love for music and she's got enough respect that she can.  It did take me a little while to get this one, but get it I did, and if you haven't heard it yet, give it a chance.  I promise after a listen or two, you'll get it too!  It's really a beautiful song.  I am sure the rest of Rose Ave. is gonna be awesome!  Check out You + Me...

Song of the Day - Raise Your Glass - Happy Birthday P!nk!

Happy Birthday P!nk!  You rock!

Song of the Day - Walk of Shame - Pink

One step, two steps,
Counting tiles on the floor.
Three steps, four steps,
Guess this means that I'm a whore.
Oh oh, hell no,
How long till I reach the door?
F-ck me, my feet are sore

That's me last night at Cherry's on Fire Island.  After a day-long deluge brought on by Hurricane Arthur, the skies eventually cleared up and a few of us made our way to the Grove (and the Pines!) for a lil 4th of July fun.  The night was fun, that is, until I woke up this morning realizing I'd done a walk of shame after a few too many Long Beach Iced Teas.  I found this out from my good friend Blanche, who posted a picture of me on Facebook in all my drunken glory.  There's no way I'm going to show that here, and if she doesn't take that down soon, all I can say is revenge will be sweet my friend...

Here's a little known video I made once upon a time to this very fun song.  It's not nearly as good as my True Love, but it's aight.

A Song of the Day, for Dad - Beam Me Up - P!nk

There's a whole nother conversation going on

In a parallel universe

Where nothing breaks and nothing hurts

There's a waltz playing frozen in time

Blades of grass on tiny bare feet

I look at you and you're looking at me

Five years ago today, my dad left this world.  He'd had a sudden heart attack a few days earlier and had gone without oxygen for more than twenty minutes between the house and the hospital.  He really died that night, May 2nd, but machines kept his lifeless body breathing for four days until my mom, myself and my siblings decided to put him to rest. It was the 6th of May.

Could you beam me up

Give me a minute

I don't know what I'd say in it

I'd probably just stare

Happy just to be there

Holding your face

It's hard to believe that five years have passed since that day.  Though none of us realized it at the time, dad's passing caused an unexpectedly monumental change in all of us, and we've all felt the gap this quiet, gentle man left within our family.  Quite a thing, death is.  It makes you think about a person in a whole new light sometimes, in a way you'd wish you had before.  We all had our issues with our father over the years.  I went several years as a young man not really speaking with him.

No one's perfect, that's for sure, but in the end we all saw him, and still do, as someone who deep down loved us and was proud of us no matter what, and like many parents, he learned as he went.  So yeah dad, I'd love for you to beam me up, even just for a minute, just so I can give you a hug and tell you I love you and that I am proud to be your son.

Song of the Day _ True Love - P!nk (n me!)

Happy Easter to all who celebrate it, and even if you don't, it's a beautiful day to celebrate anyway. Gorgeous spring weather!  I love this time of year.  Anyway, I went to a party at my friend Sean's house last night and it was a nice night for getting a little of that mojo back.    I had such a good time I feel like singing....um, lip synching this morning...

 

P!nk: Flawless at the Oscars

I am probably one of the only gay people in the world who did not watch the Academy Awards last night. Movies, and movie stars, have never really sparked my inner fire, and though I would like to start seeing more movies, I didn't really know or care about any of it really.  But there were two things that I would have watched it for, and luckily in today's state of insta-everything, I got to check it out on my pc.

It all started on Friday, when I saw on my Facebook feed that P!nk was going to be performing at the show, though there wasn't a hint anywhere of what she was going to be singing.  That was one thing.  The other, not as important, but watch-worthy nonetheless, was a 75th Anniversary tribute to one of my favorite movies of all time, The Wizard of Oz.  Little did I know that the twain would meet.

Yes, my gal did her part in the homage by crooning that most iconic of songs from the film, Somewhere Over the Rainbow, and she looked gorgeous and sang flawlessly.  I hope that the next time she performs at the show, it'll be for a song that she does for a movie.  I'm sure she'd be great for that!  Anyway, check out her performance on her own P!nk's Page.

Three Grammy Performances That Had Me Watching

Well, I am already getting mixed signals from people on whether or not they enjoyed the Grammy Awards last night.  I've heard complaints and praise from friends, and I'm going to put myself in the yay category.  I will say thank God for DVR's, though, because I got to watch the whole three and a half hour show in less than two hours, and I got to miss all of the stuff I wasn't really interested in, making the rest gravy.  What I did watch, I liked.  Well most of it anyway...

P!nk

Oh, one of my favorite ladies of music was both a nominee and a performer last night, but I was just a little...a wee bit, disappointed, in the performance.  I had thought she was only going to be doing the Grammy nominated Just Give Me a Reason, but in a nicely surprising twist she did a mini, two-song set ending with that duet and beginning with Try.

zap2it

Being given the opportunity to do two songs shows just how highly regarded P!nk has become, but in the years that I've followed her, I guess I was waiting for something a little newer and fresher.  Not that her performance wasn't great, but it was a little too reminiscent of her famed appearance in the 2010 show, especially the acrobatics during Try.  She sang the opener perched high on a trapeze above the stage, showing off her physical prowess, grace and vocal range all at the same time before hitting the actual stage to replicate the beautifully choreographed dance sequence from the video.

Nate Ruess then came onto the scene to begin his part of the duet as P!nk went off stage to change her costume.  This killed it a little for me, as the song is so beautifully written from beginning to end that missing that first verse left a void in the performance.  All in all, I would guess that a lot of people loved the performance, and it was good, but being the avid P!nk fan that I am, perhaps I'm being a little too critical. Anyway, check out P!nk's performance.

Macklemore, Lewis, Mary Lambert, and Madonna

One of the moments I looked forward to the most was Madonna's appearance with Macklemore and Lewis, who won four Grammy's (Best New Artist, Best Rap Album, Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song for Thrift Shop.)  The duo had performed the song at the MTV Awards in August, with Jennifer Hudson joining Lambert on vocals to the chorus, and I assumed that's what we were going to get with Madge last night, but oh no, we got something bigger...much bigger.

thegloss

First of all, I was NOT crazy about Madonna's look.  It was a little ghetto, a little pimp, a little like her character from the Music video, only not nearly as good.  She carried a cane which, I dunno, was a little strange.  She came in towards the end of the performance and started out singing a much underrated universal love song, Open Your Heart, to the music of Same Love, which I did enjoy.  That's just about when all of the craziness happened.

Queen Latifah, who had introduced the segment, announced that 33 couples, both gay and straight, would be joining hands in holy matrimony right then and there.  As you can imagine, the scene was pandemonium and a spectacle, and the stunt also received lots of press, from both sides of the aisle.  Overall, I didn't enjoy the bulk of it, maybe again because I'm such a Madonna devotee and I can be overtly critical when it comes to her.  Check it out on Billboard if you haven't seen it already and decide for yourself.   

Dark Horse

By far my favorite performance of the evening was Katy Perry's Dark Horse.  Any of you who follow me know that I've loved, loved, loved this song since the very first time I heard it, and judging from its success, so have many other fans.  The unintentional smash was given a nicely choreographed (way better than her appearance under the Brooklyn Bridge, also at the MTV Awards, doing Roar) number that was very dark, very Covenish.  Check this one out right here.

clikhear

Of course there were plenty of other performances that people may have enjoyed.  Beyonce and Jay Z opened up the show with a rousingly sexual performance of Drunk In Love and big winner Lorde delivered an intense version of her Grammy-winning Royals.  If other performances of the night, such as Nine Inch Nails or Ringo Starr or Paul McCartney are more your style, I highly suggest you check out Billboards Grammy page for a whole lot of coverage.

Tonight's Grammys Is Gonna Be Good!

As I mentioned earlier, today is going to be a TV day for me, which is something I rarely ever say.  First, this afternoon is the big outdoor hockey game at Yankee Stadium featuring the NY Rangers and the New Jersey Devils, and then tonight is one of the biggest nights of the year in the music industry: The Grammys. This year's show is going to be extra exciting for me, as two of my favorite singers will be performing amidst all of the hoopla and craziness that usually accompanies these kinds of shows.


Who can forget this classic performance by 
Ms. P!nk during the 2010 Grammy Awards show?

The Performances

Among the many musical performances of the evening, which include Daft Punk, John Legend, Lorde, Katy Perry, and Robin Thicke, just to name a few, are two of my very favorite ladies of song: Madonna and P!nk.  First up, P!nk will be performing her Grammy-nominated duet with Nate Reuss, Just Give Me a Reason, and then Madonna comes out of her hiatus to perform with Macklemore and Lewis, with Mary Lambert, on Same Love.  This should be good!

And the nominees are...

Record of the Year
Get Lucky - Daft Punk ft. Pharrell Williams & Nile Rodgers
Royals - Lorde
Locked Out Of Heaven - Bruno Mars
Blurred Lines - Robin Thicke ft. T.I. & Pharrell
Radioactive -Imagine Dragons 

The biggest award of the night features some pretty stiff competition.  All are great tunes, and I'd love to see Lorde take it, though the winner is anyone's guess.

Album of the Year 
The Blessed Unrest - Sara Bareilles 
Random Access Memories - Daft Punk
Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City - Kendrick Lamar
Red - Taylor Swift
The Heist - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

Since I'm not too familiar with most of these albums (tsk, tsk!), I hesitate to make a prediction here, but somehow Taylor Swift always seems to win big, so....  I'm rooting for Macklemore and Lewis!

Song of the Year
Just Give Me a Reason - P!nk
Locked Out of Heaven - Bruno Mars
Roar - Katy Perry
Royals - Lorde
Same Love - Macklemore and Lewis

Ooh, lots of good choices here, and you probably already know who my favorite is!  (I also think this one's going to win.)

Best New Artist Nominees: 
James Blake
Kendrick Lamar
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis 
Kacey Musgraves 
Ed Sheeran

Macklemore & Lewis!  Rock on!

Best Dance Recording
Need U - Duke Dumont
Sweet Nothing - Calvin Harris, featuring Florence Welch
Atmosphere - Kaskade
This Is What It Feels Like - Armin Van Buuren
Clarity - Zedd

This one probably won't be shown on the telly, but since my focus is almost always on dance music, I felt I should include it here.  My pick in this category would be Calvin Harris, but since Clarity was played so much throughout the year, I'm predicting a Grammy for Zedd.

So yeah, tonight's Grammy show should be a good one to watch, even better than usual.  So tune in tonight at 8 on CBS, and stay tuned here for more commentary after the show.

Song of the Day - Slut Like You - P!nk

I'm not s slut I just love love...



Undeniably catchy!  Woo hoo!

 
[Vietsub] Slut like you - P!nk from Shine Entertainment on Vimeo.

P!nk Rocks!

Last March, I posted Basking in a P!nk Afterglow, a short piece reflecting all of the oogeyness I was feeling after watching P!nk's The Truth About Love Tour for the first time.  For those of you who don't know her music well enough, the title of that post refers to a little-known, but awesome song off The Truth called Where Did the Beat Go?  Check it out f you like by clicking the link...believe me, there are so many great P!nk songs out there that I'm sure you don't know.  Any-who, I am feeling no less glee this morning after watching our heroine's show for the third time, and seven months later.

Last night's show was at the Barclay's Center in Brooklyn.  It was my first trip there and it was a nice arena, though the seating was a little steep (we were a little high, lol).  This night's group consisted of myself, my friends Sean, Kyle and Al, and Sean's two friends Wendy and Danielle.  Sean always has the nicest of friends and these two were so much fun, I think I've made two new friends out of the deal.

 

Danielle and Wendy

The show itself was awesome, just like the other two times I saw it.  It was a little different this time, as I would have expected, but not much for the better.  She adding the beautiful The Great Escape to showcase her newly-learned piano playing, but that was about all that was new.  Admittedly, I was disappointed that mah song True Love wasn't added, especially since it became a hit single since the last time I saw her, and she dropped two songs from the set list, as well...the fun How Come You're Not Here and the spectacular finale to Glitter in the Air.  The removal of the last one was a stunner, as I knowingly waited on it after the So What spectacle.  It wasn't meant to be, I guess, but still the concert was awesome!

As I watched her performance of Sober, I couldn't help but be in awe of all that P!nk is.  To me, she is one of the top talents out there today and I don't think she gets enough recognition for all that she is.  She's as artistic and expressive as Lady Gaga, but she doesn't have to say so, and she's so much more talented than Brittney and more well-rounded than Christina.  Where those three revel in attention, P!nk is not full of herself... a virtuosity not found in many singers these days.

The performance of Sober showcases all that P!nk is: a masterful songwriter, a physically talented and aesthetically beautiful performer, and a visionary.  And to top it off, she is one of the most humble of stars, interacting with her fans in meaningful and genuine ways, signing autographs and showing genuine appreciation for the bounty of gifts fans brought for her.

Yes, I still love Madonna, but I've got room for two icons in my repertoire.  P!nk is a whole other object of my admiration altogether!  She rocks!

Pink - Sober (Funhouse Tour Live In Australia) by Henrietta-Aime-Fumer_Tv

Song of the Day - U n Ur Hand - P!nk

Yeah, high five n talkin' sh** 
But you're going home alone, aren't ya? 



After reveling in all that is P!nk again last night at Barclay's Center in Brooklyn, I couldn't help but post another great P!nk song.  Now, quit spillin' your drinks on me!


pink - U + Ur hand by richardcdf