Forgive me if this post is out of sorts, I’m not a morning person (that’s an understatement), but I’m trying to write this before I leave the house in a little bit.  So, just be patient.

Ophelia is Natalie Merchant’s second solo album after leaving 10,000 Maniacs.  It was released in 1998, but is still sounds fresh and unlike a lot of music going on in the late ’90’s.  Rolling Stone said she has a”corduroy voice” and I don’t know what the hell that means, but she’s one of my favorites.  Merchant’s lyrics are always thoughtful, sometimes haunting, and the melodies range from dark to angelic on this album.  If I was a reviewer, I’d say this album is a study in dark and light.  The top performer on the album is “Kind and Generous” which peaked at 12 on the Billboard Charts.  It’s a gorgeous song and Natalie belts it out, just lovely.  The other two songs released from Ophelia, “Break Your Heart” and “Life is Sweet” both went to 38 on Billboard.  “Break Your Heart” is a soothing song, she sings “I know that it will hurt/I know that it will break your heart/The way things are/And the way they’ve been” and then gives advice the way I’d give to one of my daughters as they mature, “Don’t spread the discontent/Don’t spread the lies/Don’t make the same mistakes with your own life/And don’t disrespect yourself/Don’t lose your pride/And don’t think everybody’s going to choose your side.”  Nice.

“Life is Sweet” also gives advice to a son or daughter, with “For they told you life is hard/Misery from the start/It’s dull/It’s slow/It’s painful/But, I’ll tell you life is sweet/Inspite of the misery/There’s so much more to be grateful.”  In this song, she references the father as a war machine and the mother, the bitter bride and tells the child that there’s more to life.

Ophelia is a hopeful album, sometimes dark, sometimes a little mysterious.  The last song, “When they Ring Them Golden Bells” is a hymn and it’s just beautiful.   I like my music just like this, a kind of mirror to life —  a little dark, a little fun, sweet, sad, and hopeful.  Love this album and count it as one of my favorites.  So, go get Ophelia off Amazon for $10.99 or download from iTunes, maybe it will be one of your favorites, too.

Oh, I forgot, in case you don’t know who Ophelia is she’s a character in Hamlet by my boy, William Shakespeare.  Ophelia went mad after her father was killed and who fell out of a tree and drowned.  Yikes.  She’s one of the great tragic characters in literature, and my guess is Natalie Merchant pays tribute to her with this album.

My favorite holiday has arrived, the first day of school.

When I was a kid, my favorite thing in the world was shopping for school supplies.  I’m a pen addict, I buy pens all the time, still — the new Sharpie pen rocks.  I began my back-to-school shopping at Wal-Mart.  Picked up the Kindergarten and 1st grade supply lists, started shopping only to find out they didn’t have half the items on the list.  Why do they need an 8 pack of Crayons and a 16 pack?  Can I just buy a 24 pack?

On to Target.  Children in tow.  We picked out the Jansport backpacks — after a 20 minute discussion on why we weren’t purchasing the cheap Hello Kitty or Tinkerbell backpacks because they don’t hold up.  And a 5 minute discussion on what “hold up” means with Katie and a 10 minute discussion on why Molly couldn’t get a messenger bag (because it was too big for her petite frame, which led to an explanation on the word petite means).   Target was out of colored construction paper, white construction paper, manuscript paper, and 8 count crayons.

On to the teacher supply store with Megan.  Got the rest of the supplies from the over zealous owner of the store.  Left the store to find somone had scratched/dented the passenger-side sliding door on my van, leaving white paint behind.  White on silver.  Fab.  Why can’t someone just slam into the van and total it?  Don’t just make a dent all along the side of the van.  If I wasn’t already aggravated by the whole school supply shopping experience, I was now.  From now on I’m buying the supply kit they offer at the end of the year.  I give up.

My uniform skirt hunt for Katie was pure misery.  I bought skirts for her at the Gymboree outlet, of course I didn’t make her try them on, because as you know, I am an idiot.  Madisonville changed the uniform rules and the girls can no longer wear jumpers and Katie pretty much only wears dresses, so we’re screwed.  After buying the wrong sizes, I thought a smart person would measure the child, so I did.  I compared her waist measurement to the Gap Kids online and ordered her the plus-sized skirts ’cause the girl is just a solid 5 year-old.  They came in and we tried them on, of course they came down past her knees.   Scott told me to get them altered, so I did.  Meanwhile, I went all over town trying to find her a khaki skirt or pair of shorts in Khaki in case the skirts weren’t ready in time.  No one in Covington/Mandeville/Madisonville has plus skirts or shorts.  Old Navy had a plus size 8 that would be way too big, JC Penney had zip, the school uniform place had nada, Target had nothing.  I picked up the 4 skirts and 2 pairs of pants from the cleaners yesterday and guess how much the alterations were.  Just guess.  $96 American dollaroonies.  That’s how much the uniforms cost in the first place.  In case you’re keeping score, we’re out a bunch of money and capitalism is king.

That was all before the first day of school.  Molly has already started 1st grade, Katie’s first day is tomorrow.  I’m sure something crazy will happen.  She’s already informed me she wants to wear the stretchy headband I wear when I wash my face or put in my hair when I’m cleaning house.  She’s worn one of three hats all summer — everyday, no lie — she’s making me crazy.  Crazier than usual, anyway.  Oh, and she cut a couple inches of the right side of her hair Friday.  Thank goodness it’s curly and it blends into the rest.  She tried to tell me the curly hair on the floor was Andrew’s.  Liar, liar pants on fire.  She thinks I’m stupid.  Already.  And no, I don’t leave scissors out for the kids, they have kid scissors that I keep in a pencil box with crayons & stuff labeled KIDS.  There’s no stopping that kid.  I could have the cabinets with child-proof cabinet locks,  padlocked, booby trapped, with barbed wire wrapped around it and she’d find a way in.  It’s like Mission Impossible with her, she could get into Fort Knox.  Me, I can’t get the front door unlocked with a key half the time, that’s why I use the garage.  It’s a good thing  Katie’s cute, otherwise I would have sold her to the circus by now. 

Went scrapbooking & shopping yesterday.  Totally unproductive.  I will have layouts up this week.  Until then, here’s a picture of my new Brighton Aubrey bag.  It’s beautiful brown with embroidered flowers.  It looks like me, y’all know what I’m talking about.  Love the new bag.   Good purchase, made me happy.  More later.  Be good.

migraines really suck

like being hit with a brick

even my hair hurts