The draft

When I turned 18, I didn't have to register for the draft. I didn't even know that people still registered for the draft.

Then Tall One turned 18 this year. Apparently Uncle Sam hunted him down (I think Tall One got a letter, though he didn't clarify how he was "hunted down") to get him to register.

First of all, we don't do the draft these days, and don't have plans to reinstate it, so why do people have to register?

Second of all, how come Tall One had to register but not me? Because I'm a girl! That's sexism that doesn't belong in this century, if you ask me.

Thirdly, Tall One was diagnosed ADD, and last time I checked the military doesn't accept people who are ADHD/ADD. So, why the heck did Tall One have to register???

I don't like the idea of drafting people into the military anyways, and these points just add to my irritation on the issue.

I love my country, but that doesn't mean I like everything that my government does.

Puff the Magic Dragon

It's Peter Paul and Mary in this video. I love them. If you've been reading my music journals you may remember that I listened to one of their CDs recently, which had the effect of reminding me of old favorites. This is one of those old favorites. Though perhaps I shouldn't be using the term "old favorites" when I'm only 20 years old! LOL

When I did a search for it on YouTube I was simply looking for one that had them singing it like on the CD. I was quite surprised to find this recording of it, and immediately fell in love with it. I was surprised to find them end it by singing in present tense -- that's not how it is on their CD, and I don't remember anyone other than myself sing any part of it in present tense before!

I loved this song from the very first time I heard it, even though it took a while for me to understand the meaning behind the song. And no, I'm not saying that it's really a song about drugs! lol I never thought that.

It's a coming of age story. Puff represents childhood and innocence. Of course, as Jackie grows up he moves into the adult world, and leaves that behind. The song sounds sad, but that's life.

There's another verse that Peter Paul and Mary don't sing, but which I do. I don't know when this final verse was added on, but I am fairly certain that it was not part of the original lyrics.

One fine day it happened:
Puff woke from a dream,
he thought he heard a familiar voice
and Jackie's laugh it seemed.

He looked around his cavern
and over by the door,
he saw a little boy with a smile
that he'd seen before.

"Hello my name is Billy
my dad told me your name.
He said I'd find you in the cave
along the cherry lane."

So Puff that mighty dragon
he smiled in his joy.
A childhood friend was here again
For this was Jackie's boy!

Ok, so that looks like more than one verse when it's written out like that, but oh well. lol (I'm laughing a lot today, aren't I?)

I like this ending better not because it ends on a happier tone (though that's certainly a plus), but because it brings the story full circle. It also changes the song, though -- rather than being a coming of age song, it's a circle of life song.

On the other hand, singing the very last chorus in present tense, as Peter Paul and Mary did in the recording, has a similar effect. And yes, I said that I've sung it in present tense before, but I sang the whole song -- not just the last chorus -- in present tense, which is a different matter entirely.

What do you think? Do you like it better as a coming of age or as a circle of life song? Or do you like them both equally? And what do you think of past tense vs. past tense?

More on the music journal

You know, there's something I've come to realize thanks to keeping a music journal. There some days that I don't listen to much music. Then there are other days, that I do.

And you know what? It's really cool having a brother who plays the highland pipes. :)

November 6th, 2009


What: Singing, rattles, and drumming

When: About a half hour in the afternoon

Why: Spiritual

Effect: It was a very spiritual experience



What: Live highland bagpipe

When: About an hour in the evening

Why: My brother was practicing in his room

Effect: I was very happy to be living with a bagpiper. I also was very happy that unlike with the piano he is unable to use headphones when he practices, guaranteeing that I can always hear the pipes if I'm home when he is practicing.



What: Random things on YouTube

When: About 15 minutes, late evening

Why: Because I felt like it

Effect: I was bored with some of the songs and didn't finish listening to them. Others I enjoyed, and made me happy.



What: A few Christmas songs

When: Late evening

Why: I felt like it

Effect: It made me happy


What: A few more semi-random things on YouTube

When: Even later in the evening

Why: I felt like it

Effect: Happy

Music Journal

I have barely been on the computer today and yesterday, and haven't even read the blogs I follow yet today. I don't feel like saying much, so I'll share my music journal and leave it at that.

I would just like to comment -- my choir at school is singing Christmas songs, so I'm already in the frame of mind "Let's sing Christmas songs!!!" Oh, and one of our songs is actually a Hanukkah song, which I am in love with. But it's not quite that season yet, so I'll restrain myself from sharing the songs! lol

And if you're thinking "A Pagan, into Christmas music? What's up with that?" I'll try to explain that briefly. I was raised on Christmas music, and even though I disagree with some of the theology behind many of the songs, I do absolutely love Jesus. And even though many of the songs I wouldn't be willing to perform as a solo piece (because of disagreement over theology), I have no problem performing them with a choir.

Maybe that's not much of an explanation. It says some, but leaves out things such as the why behind why I'm happy to sing songs whose theology I disagree with in a choir but not as a solo piece. But that's for another post, if anyone is interested. And if no one expresses interest I just might post about it anyways.

Now, on to what I've been listening to the last couple of days!

November 4th, 2009


What: Three Christmas songs

When: Evening

Why: Because I felt like it

Effect: It made me happy


November 5th, 2009


What: Students practicing piano

When: Briefly in the early morning

Why: I was practicing piano, and someone else was practicing in the next room over

Effect: I was happy to be a music major



What: Students practicing piano, vocal, and violin

When: About an hour in the afternoon

Why: I was talking with other students, and we happened to be right where we could hear people practicing

Effect: I didn't pay much attention to it, but I liked it



What: The entire CD of The Best of Peter Paul and Mary

When: Late afternoon/early evening

Why: Because I felt like it

Effect: It made me happy, and because I haven't listened to the CD in a while it reminded me of old favorites



What: A couple Christmas songs

When: Evening

Why: Because I felt like it

Effect: It energized me and made me happy

Music Journal

November 3rd, 2009


What: Alternating flute and piano music

When: Early morning

Why: I was in a piano room, and someone else was practicing in the next room over

Effect: It made me delight in the fact that I am a music major



What: Fellow students playing piano

When: Early morning

Why: I was in piano class

Effect: More joy at being a music major



What: Men singing

When: About ten minutes in the afternoon

Why: In choir there is a song that only the men sing, which meant that I (and the other women) wound up just sitting and listening for that part of rehearsal.

Effect: I was having trouble understanding the words, so I was slightly frustrated.



What: Other students practicing piano, voice, and maybe other instruments.

When: For about an hour in the afternoon

Why: I was talking to another student, and we happened to be in a place where we could hear fellow students practicing.

Effect: I liked hearing the music, even though I was not focusing on it.

What music have you been listening to lately?

Music journal

I'm sharing day two of my music journal. For those of you who are new here this is a school assignment that I think is neat and decided to share.

But first, guess what happened this morning? I was going to school, and noticed that the sun was coming up an hour early. After a few minutes of puzzling over it I remembered -- daylight savings! *rolls eyes* I can be so clueless at times.

January 2nd 2009

What: My brother playing his practice chanter (a practice chanter is used by bagpipers who want to practice fingering and stuff without having to deal with the bag part of the bagpipe)

When: Afternoon, on and off for a couple hours

Why: Because he needed to practice

Effect: It made me happy



What: My brother playing his practice chanter

When: Early evening, for about a half hour or forty five minutes

Why: Because he felt like playing some more

Effect: It made me feel happy, and reminded me that I still needed to practice piano



What: A YouTube playlist I made that is designed to help me focus on schoolwork -- after this it will be called YouTube Playlist "Soothing for homework"

When: Evening, about twenty minutes

Why: From the mood I was in I suspected that my I would have trouble focusing on schoolwork unless I did something to help my focus

Effect: I was able to focus quite well on schoolwork

Saving kittens

Today I was walking to the library with a friend of mine when I happened to notice a kitten on a leash. I'm a cat person so of course I was interested -- and anyways it's not every day you see someone walking their cat -- so I paused to get a better look at the kitten.

I petted the kitten a little when she wandered over to me, and the person on the other end of the leash told my friend and me "We found her and some of her litter mates in a box. She was the only one alive. She's four weeks old, and I took her in to get her shots today."

When I heard the kitten's story I felt a couple of emotions. One of the emotions was sadness. How can people treat animals like that? Would it be so much trouble to just drop them off at an animal shelter? Or what about a pet store? Either one would have been better than just dumping the kittens on the street in a box.

The other emotion I felt was joy that there are people who will look after animals in need. I expect he saved that kitten's life when he took her home.



(By the way, yes, I know that it's not good for cats to play with yarn balls. My family used to have a cat who had to have some removed from his intestines, and it was not a pleasant experience for the cat. But kitties with yarn make nice pictures, so that's why I'm using it.) (Wait a minute, am I actually writing a disclaimer for a picture I'm using...?)