Weekly Inspiration: Music

Amazingly, with all my posts on inspiration and joy, it looks like I haven't really written much yet about music.

Music is a great source of joy for me and provides a great pick-me-up when I am feeling down. Like most people, I have certain songs I turn to that never fail to lift my spirits. I grew up in the 70's and 80's, so most of my favorite songs are pop and rock, from then to now. Some work for me because of the lyrics, some have beautiful, uplifting melodies, and some cheer me up just because they are great to sing along with. It's hard to feel down when you are belting out "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen!

Here are a couple I have been listening to this week:

Believer by American Authors - When this song was first released in 2014, my oldest son posted it on my Facebook wall and wrote, "I know you will love this new song, Mom!" He was right - he knows me well, and he and I have a special connection from all those years of sick days spent together. This is a wonderfully uplifting song, with a great combination of upbeat, optimistic lyrics and a peppy tune. Here's a version of the song with the lyrics shown:



Though you should also check out the band's original video because it is really cute and clever (though it has nothing at all to do with chronic illness):



The other song that's been in my head all week was thanks to the Netflix show Sense8, which we've been watching with our son (review coming up next week!). This show is all about a strange, psychic connection between 8 people all over the world. At the end of episode 4 (I think), all 8 people - each in a different part of the world - start singing the same song: What's Up by 4 Non Blondes. I'd never heard of the song before, nor the band, but it's a very catchy song that really gotten into my head. It's another song that wasn't written about illness but feels applicable and lifts my spirits:



I have a playlist on my iTunes called Cheer Up Music, that includes a wide range of spirit-lifting songs, like:

• The River of Dreams by Billy Joel
• Best Day of My Life by American Authors 
• Breathe In, Breathe Out by Mat Kearny (from Volume 3 of the Grey's Anatomy soundtrack)
• Days Go By by Keith Urban
• Happy by Pharrell Williams (a trite choice but I love it!)
• Never Let Your Fire Go Out by The Radators (a favorite band from New Orleans)
• Sing by the Glee cast
• Such Great Heights by The Postal Service (love their whole album)
• Sunshine on My Shoulders by John Denver
• I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor

I have about 100 songs on the list, so this is just a sampling, but you can see it's a wide variety - simply the songs that make me feel good!

If you're on Spotify, check out the Happier 911 playlist, put together by the listeners of the Happier podcast. There are a few strange choices there, but it's all songs that podcast listeners said lift their spirits.

How about you? Do you listen to music when you are feeling down?

Which songs lift your spirits and cheer you up?

Movie Monday: Sing Street

My husband and I enjoyed a quiet night at home on New Year's Eve, while our sons went to parties. We were having trouble choosing a movie and looking mostly at thrillers (my husband's favorite) when I spotted Sing Street on Netflix. I'd heard great things about this movie, and my husband said he'd rather watch something light and uplifting than something dark and disturbing to start the new year. This one hit the mark! Sing Street is a wonderful drama/comedy about teen boys starting a band in Ireland in the 1980's.

Life at home is hard and getting harder for Conor, a fifteen-year old boy in Dublin in 1985. His parents are constantly yelling at each other, his older brother dropped out of college and stays in his room most of the time, and now his parents have told him he needs to switch schools for financial reasons. He starts at Synge Street school, a public school run by priests, and runs into trouble the very first day, first with a priest who insists that black shoes are required with the school uniform and later with a bully. The only bright spot is that he meets a new friend, Darren.

Walking home, Conor meets the beautiful Raphina, a mysterious girl who says she is a model. Since music videos are all the rage, and Conor has been watching them with his older brother, he tells Raphina he is making a music video with his band and says they need a model to appear in it. With a little encouragement, Raphina agrees. Now all Conor needs is a band.

Conor and Darren post a notice at school and round up three other boys with some musical talent for their band, which they call Sing Street. Conor plays the guitar and sings. At first, they try imitating popular bands, but Conor's brother encourages him to try creating their own unique style. Conor and another band member, Eamon, work together to write songs, and the band practices. They film their first music video on the street after school one day, starring Raphina, and using styles and methods picked up from watching music videos on TV (to great amusement for the audience!). As they practice, both their music and their videos get better and better. Meanwhile, Conor is falling in love with Raphina, though she seems to have an older boyfriend.

This movie is a lot of fun, with some laughs and some serious moments, too. The music is great, with hits by Duran Duran, The Clash, The Cure, and other top groups of the mid-80's, as well as some excellent songs by Sing Street, who are surprisingly talented once they get going. I plan to listen to the soundtrack! The actors are all very good (though we occasionally had a bit of trouble with the Irish accents). It was just what we wanted on New Year's Eve - fun, upbeat, funny, and even moving. You'll root for Conor and his band to succeed on all fronts.

Sing Street is currently available for free on Roku and Pluto, or for $1.99 on Amazon Prime (click on "other options" to see the $1.99 option) and for pay on other services as well.

Movie Monday 11/10

My husband and I enjoyed a rare quiet, relaxing weekend! Our son was out of town, and we ignored the never-ending to-do lists and just took it easy for a change. We took a walk together on a lovely fall day, started a jigsaw puzzle (it's been years since we've done that!), read good books, met friends for dinner, and enjoyed a really good movie:

Nothing quirky this week - we went for a mainstream hit that got great reviews: Begin Again, starring Mark Ruffalo, Keira Knightley, and Adam Levine, in a musical romantic drama/comedy that doesn't fit the usual genres. Ruffalo plays Dan, a music executive who used to be on top but is now struggling (and often drunk). One night, Dan hears Gretta (played by Knightley) singing in a bar and is blown away by her original song and her voice. He convinces Gretta to embark on an ambitious project with him. Gretta is still getting over a betrayal by her boyfriend Dave (played by Levine) who is now off making a name for himself as a singer/songwriter, in what Gretta had assumed would be a partnership. The project that Dan and Gretta take on gives them both a fresh start (hence the title). The plot description alone doesn't do this movie justice because its magic is in the actors and music (and the script is great, too). Ken and I both really enjoyed the film; it's uplifting and full of hope and will leave you tapping your feet and singing along...and believing in second chances.

I enjoyed the music so much that I listened to some of the songs on YouTube today, like this one sung by Keira Knightley (she really did her own singing in the movie and is surprisingly good!):



The video includes scenes from the movie. I liked the music so much that I plan to buy the soundtrack.

Have you seen any good movies lately?

Today's the Day I'm Not Doing Anything

Don't you just love Bruno Mars' The Lazy Song?  It could be an anthem for ME/CFS (without "lazy" in the name of course), and it perfectly describes how I am feeling today:



It has been another loooong, difficult week.  Craig is still in bad shape, trying to recover from his knee surgery two weeks ago, but in a lot of pain still and pretty exhausted.  He hasn't been to school in two weeks.  We saw the surgeon yesterday who said this is all normal.  He said,"I drilled holes in his knee - it should still hurt!"  He said the recovery will be similar to if he fractured a bone.  So, two more weeks (at least) with the immobilizer and crutches.  Craig asked for ibuprofen this morning instead of Percocet, so I am hoping that is a good sign.

As for me, that trip to Washington, DC, on Wednesday really did me in!  I was only in the meeting for 3 hours and slept/rested on the bus there and back, but by the time I got home at 6 pm, I was totally wiped out - severe aches all over, sore throat, and killer headache.  Yesterday was my husband's birthday and Craig's follow-up doctor's appointment, so I spent the day running around and cooking (but, man, those lemon bars were amazing!).  I am still exhausted this morning and so very glad it is Friday and we don't have to be anywhere.  Hence, the decision not to do anything today....it can all wait until Monday, right?

I am even considering ordering pizza for dinner - damn the gluten-free/dairy-free diet!

P.S. I have NO idea why there are guys in monkey masks in this music video!

Raising Awareness of ME/CFS Through Music

I thought Friday afternoon would be a good time to tell you about a wonderful acoustic duo who are helping to build awareness of ME/CFS through their music.

The group is called Cinder Bridge and is made up of Susan Wenger and Ron Amistadi.  You can check our their blog - and their music - at their Cinder Bridge blog (several sample songs can be heard in the upper right corner of the blog).

So, what do they have to do with ME/CFS?  Someone close to them has ME/CFS, and one of their songs, "Everybody Knows About Me", was inspired by him.  The song is intended to emphasize how serious and debilitating ME/CFS is and to help dispel common misconceptions about it.  Here's a really awesome YouTube video someone put together using their song.

Their blog even includes an FAQ page that talks about their efforts to build awareness of ME/CFS, plus a link to this great Fact Sheet they created about ME/CFS to educate their listeners.  When they play "Everybody Knows About Me" at a public appearance, they explain what ME/CFS is and why they wrote the song.

As you can tell, I've been very impressed by their efforts...and I like their music, too!  If you're a fan, too, you can purchase their first CD here (though it doesn't include "Everybody Knows About Me" - they're currently at work on that one).  I hope you enjoy exploring their music as much as I have!