end 'o year.

a week off work to wrap up a long looong year.

congratulations on making it.

thoughts coming soon....

The Animal Odd Couple

In this latest installment of CBS News Assignment America, Steve Hartman visits an animal sanctuary where a dog and an elephant have formed a very lasting, and unusual, friendship

cherish your friends, no matter the differences.

much love.

-k.

time stands still.

just wanted to post a few tunes that no matter where i am, or what im doing when i hear them, time stands still. puts me in a place thats calm, safe and full of laugher if only for a minute. xx

(and yes rock the planet, i know i just lost my lifetime metal membership)

faith of the heart - russell watson

walking in memphis - marc cohn

just to see you smile - tim mcgraw

the wonder of you - elvis presley

i'll stand by you - the pretenders

just one

one game changes everything.

heard frequently throughout world cup. its really so true for the game of life - where each moment, each opportunity, is part of the game. one right decision, you're flying high. one not-so-right decision and you're in a canyon. the fun ones are the surprise decisions -- the unsure -- the new and different. you've also got those i-know-better-than-this decisions... but you look over each shoulder and jump anyway.

what do you do when you've jumped with a 50/50 chance of favorable outcome and your parachute doesn't work? the whole way down - images and audio playing in your head - but scrambled - so they dont so much go together. you're falling rapidly and yet, so slowly. the anticipation of meeting the ground overwhelms you to the point that you cant even shut your eyes and hang on... you're there - deer in a headlights stare - waiting.

you know not what to do. they say life is yours to live, but is that really the case? those same people tell you life isn't fair. theres those things you want so much out of life that your soul aches for them and those that with all your being you hope you never experience in your life.

while sitting, staring - waiting - aching and experiencing, it occurs to you how insignificant the fact that your parachute didn't open is because there is someone else, someone close to you - or the stranger you rode the elevator with today, who has less that a 50/50 chance of a favorable outcome in their game of life.

so your soul aches and you've got a large bag that you never wanted sitting by your feet. you made the i-know-better-than-this decision and it changed the game. it changed everything. you have to look at what you have. you have your soul, a bag - large one at that, and feet. you're already doing better than someone you had contact with today.

breathe. loosen grip. blink. hang on for the ride cos its about to get crazy.

songs along the way...

everyone has those songs... the songs that remind you of a certain time, place, person and even opened up new world of music to you. here are a few of those songs for me. if the links dont work for you for whatever reason, take a looksy somehow.

-k.

morricone - ecstasy of gold
from the first time i saw cool laid back blonde to the opening of my seventieth metallica show this song has taken me so many places. every time i hear it the heart rate rises, memories rush, adrenaline kicks in...
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neil diamond - i am i said
i grew up dancing around the family room with my mom spinning vinyl that rung out from speakers that were taller than me. every genre you could think of. neil was a staple in our house and as i got older, this song always stood out to me. no matter what i wanted - once i got it... i was was always looking for something else to else.

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kenny rogers - makin' music for money
what a classic album. like neil, we about wore this album out. two songs were dropped on many times over - the hoodooin' of miss fanny dooberry and makin' music for money. i would stand on the ottoman and pretend i was on stage - ponytails a flyin' around.
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metallica - disposable heros
knees on the seat in front of me, headphones in, slouched down, yella fella heading east towards olio i would listen to master of puppets again and again and again. there was something about this song... im not sure if it was the rebellious teen i tried to be, where i saw myself amongst others or my outlook on the world... but as i get older, my feelings for this song are still strong.
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bobby freeman - do you want to dance
homemade saddle shoes, a felt poodle pinned on a skirt and really really bad hair... a school fifties dance. captivated as i stood gigging with friends on the dark half of the gym. as much as i loved this song, you would think i -at some point - would have learned to dance.
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mike post - the renegade
im a theme song junkie and a child of the eighties... i can't remember a time when mike post didnt have a theme or music on teevee. from rockford files a-team to magnum to hill street blues and then there was renegade. as much cheese as it was there was something about the bike, the outlaw, the hair, the mystique...
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larry williams - bony maronie
layin on my sisters shag carpet listening to her portable tape player... we're not talkin' boom box.. we're taking bottom of the line black, flat, simple in/out cassette player. she had some compilation tape that had this song on it. we would sing and laugh and repeat. it opened me up to a new sound, an new era - and i couldn't get enough.
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bob seger - like a rock
i know its a commercial song now... but back then ... late eighties... i didnt care. every summer, for a week, the family and some friends would spend as much time as we could on kentucky lake. many beers in im sure combined with the sun, and the driver of the boat would turn up like a rock as we were all takin' a swim. not a care in the world at that point. i can still see the slight dance moves in my head. amazing how just a few notes can take you back to a simpler time.
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the truth.

its a funny thing - truth.

theres levels of it and ways to side step and twist it.

have enough respect to be honest about it all.
the pain of the truth is far less than compounded lies.

-k.

the journey.

sometimes theres a curve ball in life. things we didnt see coming. things that weren't planned. but they happen. i've always thought that if you try hard enough to forget them or even think you've done well trying to fight them.. some things just dont go away. they just dont.

thats where your friends come into play. hopefully they're real about it. they flat out say deal with it - and move on. usually you're not comin' out of it without some battle scars. sometimes tomorrow scares the hell out of you. your rocks will see your weakness, your fears and your tears - but hopefully one day after the scars and the darkness you realize that life is worth living - its worth fighting for - and you stand strong and tall with those who love you enough to have pushed you through the ugly.

don't let the world and its curves control you. dont be be rolled by the unknown. control your own. drawn strengths from those around you. take the journey. dont just survive - be victorious.

-k.

earcanal

so, im in a rut with music right now and welcome any suggestions of new stuff or old stuff that deserves a new listen. life is pushing extremes from nelson ta polly right now and would love some new tunes. so whatchya got?

with four days off - in a row, gave me a lot of time to think. was awesome. but with thinking comes a whole 'nother wave of everything. many things in a different perspective. its good. much thanks to everyone in my life - you guys are amazing.

is been damn near a month and the cup is winding down. sad really. ive worked some crazy hours, seen some crazy calls, made some crazy friends and we're down to four teams - two games. man-o-man. it was nice to see more people curious, interested... not sure what the word is really.

oh! my hours have switched, so if you're looking for me - look earlier b/c im sleepin' much earlier these days.

time is a crazy thing. what happens in a split second, a day, two weeks, a year... its not about the time. its about what happens in that segment that really matters.

-k.

all in

im in love with a sound.
a carefree laugh that comes alive
that makes a bad day better,
a good day the top of the world
it plays in my head every day
it fills my dreams at night.

i'm in love with a strength.
a strength to none ive ever known
one to let in, to trust, to stand.
it pulls me up when i have fallen
makes me face whats gone past
and makes me tall for tomorrow

I'm in love with a heart.
a heart as big as the heavens
one torn in pain, and beats in joy
the world it should have in return
mine it will have forever
beating strong as song

im in love with a voice.
a voice ive never met
yet is more real than anything
words that challenge, words that sing
ones that weigh heavy on the past
and and are unsure of the future

im in love with a you.
a you that has brought me magic
a you that carries the world
a you that told me it was okay
a you that deserves the most
a you that i smile at in thanks



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for a friend.
-k.lang.