Tuesday, July 3, 2018

Msg #11: Welcome To July

There is a list of useful links at the base of this email.

July Means We Are About Halfway

About half of our learning period is done.  If you are more than halfway, congratulations!  If you are less than halfway, it is far from too late to catch up.

July Means International

For those of you at International - you can find plenty of people who know the core 8 songs.  Use them to make some new friends, and to have a good time.

Enjoy EVERYTHING in Orlando.

July Means Harmony University

There is a Harmony Platoon for the Core 8 songs at Harmony University.  If you think you're ready, see if you can still sign up.

July Means Different Songs

Now that we are in July, it's time to start practicing songs 9-12.  This doesn't mean that you are necessarily word and note perfect in the first 8, but it does mean that you should feel very good about how few mistakes you have left. :-)

This is also the time of year when people start to feel as if they are falling behind - even if they are not.  If you have any doubts at all about being ready in time, now is a great time to talk to your sponsor, or me, or your music team, or anyone who can help.  Chances are you are doing fine.

There is only one mistake which will keep you from enjoying the Rally properly - and that is waiting to get help.  We are here for you, and we will help.  But if you don't ask, you can't have it.  One of my work-maxims is that you can succeed any time, but if you are going to fail, fail early - while you can still fix things with help.

When She Loved Me

Oh, do I love this song.  Toy Story was the first film directed by John Lasseter at Pixar Studios.  Now, of course, he is famous for his string of successful films (Toy Story 1-4, The Incredibles 1 and 2, A Bug's Life, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Finding Nemo, Cars 1-3, WALL-E, Frozen....).  Many of the influential animated films you know and love are his.

Toy Story 2 is where this song comes.  Randy Newman, of course (in another Oscar nomination). In the film this is a gut-wrenching story where a long-discarded toy doll (Jessie) explains to the main character Woody what it is like to be a cast-off toy, no longer loved.  (You really have to watch that scene to get it.)  Sarah McLachlan totally delivers (as she usually does).   For me, the miracle of the song is the lyrics - the doll who sings never does anything, nor does she feel anything but love.  For the arrangement, the chord on "love" in the Interlude (m30), when the doll thinks there might be a chance for reunion, breaks my heart.

That is not a story we can relate to: we are not dolls.  The most common alternative meaning is a broken romance, with a moment of hope.  I didn't find that terribly meaningful, because most of us are not such passive helpless people.

So, this is my story - free free to use it.
I am utterly helpless and passive, watching an older loved one failing from something like Alzheimer's or Parkinson's Disease. There is nothing I can do - I just love them, as I have always loved them, but I can't reach them. Sometimes they have a good moment - and they smile and remember me and we love each other.  But that's always temporary.
If we sing this together and there's a tear in my eye - now you know why.

Video Links


Useful Links

No comments:

Post a Comment