Allison Tebo's Blog, page 21

My Favorite Xmas Music Of All Time

Okay, confession time.  I have hardly listened to any Xmas music this year.   'ducks from the ensuing bombardment of rotten fruit' 

But just because I am going through a Grinch-y phase, doesn't mean that I don't have my all time favorite Xmas music just like the rest of you merry elves! 

And so....let the list begin!
This is the CD we always turn on when we open our presents on Christmas Day.  It's the perfect Xmas ambiance and it never drowns out our conversations or completely overwhelms our video camera's mic.   A wonderful, soft, choice for Christmas dinner or small gatherings. 
This is the music we always turn on when we're decorating our tree.  A perfect combination of a marching band and full orchestra.  A lovely, 'standard' for every Christmas collection. 
Because....it's ELVIS!!!   'twirls and jumps up and down'.   What is NOT to like about this voice?  I's still remarkable after all these years.  His voice is the perfect 'wrapping paper' for Xmas songs.   His voice is gold! 
Though some of the Josh Groban phenomena seems to have faded...I will never grow tired of listening to his amazing voice.  In my humble opinion, his version of 'O Holy Night' is the best vocal cover I have ever heard of this song.  'O Holy Night' is probably my favorite Xmas song, the lyrics are full of truth and power....and Josh Groban's voice delivers it perfectly. 
Anne Murray has such an unusual quality to her voice, I love the husky, throaty elements of her singing.  Her album also covers less known Xmas songs (and some of my favorites) such as 'Sweet Little Jesus Boy', 'No Room At The Inn' and 'Mary's Boy Child'.  I especially like the heavy dose of black gospel in these songs! 
I'm surprised my family hasn't worn this CD out by now!  I will never tire of hearing Nat King Cole smooth, soothing voice.  He took songs that we've all heard a million times and makes them into something special.  Had a long, tiring day of Christmas Prep?  What better way to unwind than with Nat!
And just to shake the selection up a bit....  I'm kidding, I really do like this CD.  Amazing, epic versions of our favorite Xmas songs...that sometimes sound more like the theme song of some sci-fi adventure show than Xmas songs.  If you're in the mood for a Star Wars or Star Trek Christmas - Mannheim Streamrollers is the CD to play.  They also have some more Renaissance style recordings of songs such as 'Wassail, Wassail' and 'Bring a Torch Jeanette Isabella', that I absolutely love. 
Last, But Not Least -
Favorite Stand Alone Singles.

'The Drifters White Christmas':  I think everyone who has seen my recent posts has already read just how much I loved the Drifters version of this song...and what a blast it was to record it!

'Carol of the Bells' by Celtic Woman:  A stirring, enchanting version.  I love this song, but for years I could never find a version I liked....until I found this!

'All I Want For Christmas Is You':  Its a toss up for me which cover I love the most - Mariah Carey's version or Vince Vance and the Valiants.  They are both so different, but both of them are fantastic. 

'What Christmas Means To Me' by Paul Young:   Anybody who has heard this doesn't need any explanation for why this song is so great.  Makes me want to dance every single time. 

'Marshmallow World' by Dean Martin:   Are the lyrics light and silly?  Absolutely.  Does it have anything to do with the real meaning of Xmas?  Eh...no!  But its still a fun song and every time I hear it, it makes me think of a child skipping through a powdery snowscape. 

I recently recorded a cover of this song and I am looking forward to sharing it with you guys later this month!

What are YOUR favorite Christmas albums, songs and singers?  I would love to hear in the comments!

9 Things I Want For Xmas...But Probably Won't Get.

     The title is pretty self-explanatory.  Oh, I wanted more run-of-the-mill things for Christmas….books, music...that kind of thing.  But I have these deep longings for something else for Christmas….things that very likely won’t come to pass…but are still lots of fun to think about.  Thus, I have compiled a list; starting at the most plausible and ending with the impossible. 

1.  A Free Standing Kick Boxing Unit:  I’m one of those aggressive D type personalities that you might have heard about (and trembled in the hearing).  I’m a bundle of nerves, energy and will power and sometimes those impulses just don’t know where to go and I desperately, urgently need to hit something. 
Of course, I would never actually hit a person (unless I had to) but I could really get into punching a bag.  They say lack of exercise is one of main attributing factors to stress in women and kickboxing is also a great way to lose or maintain weight…plus, it’s a lot more epic or heroic looking than any other form of exercise.
Why This Might Not Happen :   1. My hands.  I draw, paint and write with these hands.  I type at work.  I brush my teeth and my hair with these hands.   I need these hands.  I’m afraid that if I start pounding on a bag on a daily basis (even with gloves on) that my hands will be in bad shape.  I only get one pair of these useful items and I need to take good care of them so it’s definitely something that I will have to consider before buying a kick boxing unit.  2.  Even if I don’t use my hands on the kick boxing unit and just my feet….what if I break one of my toes?  They work better when they’re not broken.

2.  Paintball War.  Just once in my life, I would like to participate in a paintball war.  But I don’t want to play just any old paintball war….I don’t want to play by the rules…that wouldn’t be any fun at all.  One chance to nail somebody and then when I get shot I have to declare ‘hit’ and leave the field.  That’s no fun!  I would be disqualified instantly as I’m not good at stalking (subtlety was never my strong point) and I can’t run to save my life (a toddler could beat me in a sprint).  I would be disqualified within the first five minutes and would have to sit on the sidelines.  What’s the point of donning that cool looking helmet and getting a gun if I don’t get to turn into a crazed warrior?  I want to just walk up to one of my siblings and empty my paint clip into them….and of course pose for lots of heroic looking photographs.
Why This Might Not Happen :  1.  Scheduling, we’re very, very busy.  2.  I’m not sure we could convince the people that run the paintball course to let us have free rein, even if we rented the field just for our family.  They probably have to stick to the rules…unfortunately.

3.  Bonzai Pipeline Waterslide:  A local water park possesses one of these thrill rides.  You are sealed into a pod that bares a strong resemblance to a stasis tube and then the ‘floor’ literally drops out from underneath you and you begin a six story drop, hurtling downwards at approximately 40 miles an hour. 
Why This Might Not Happen :   1.  Anybody who reads the news will have read some of the terrible stories involving slide accidents and that discourages me in trying it myself.  2.  The Water Park is very, very expensive.  3.  Water Parks are the breeding ground for everything from the common cold to the Bubonic Plague.  4.  It's too cold in December. 

 4.   Moonlight Zip Line Tour:   I recently discovered that a local lake has a moonlight tour package.  During full moons, participants zip line for three hours through tree tops and across lakes.   When I saw this, I almost fell over with excitement.  This is exactly like something out of a story!  It would be as close to reenacting Jill’s ride on GlimFeather the owl as I could get.  In an instant, I saw myself sailing silently (you do NOT do your Tarzan yell on moonlight zip line tours, I’m sure that would be considered very tacky) through the air, a long black cloak trailing behind me, my face partially hidden by a mask.   I drop gracefully and heroically onto a platform, draw my sword and dispatch any villains that wait there.  I’m getting chills just thinking about it.  This would be a Christmas present to end all Christmas presents.
Why This Might Not Happen :  1.  Safety – I’ve zip lined in the daylight before but I imagine that zip lining at night – even with a full moon – would be a whole different ball game – plus, I don’t know this area or who works there…are the people safe to be around?  Especially at night when it’s more difficult to see what’s going on.  2.  On my first (and only) zip line venture, I could barely move the next morning.  After holding up my legs in that curled zip-lining position, I was discovering all kinds of new muscles, and that was only after a 60 to 90 minute tour…I can’t imagine the state I would be in after three hours   3 (the most important reason!).  They won’t let you wear a cape.

5.  The Library in Beauty and the Beast:  If you looked up happiness in the dictionary you would find a picture of that library.  I could happily spend the rest of my days in that place.
Why This Might Not Happen :  1.  Books are getting more expensive…I'm guessing there was supposed to be....50,000 books in that library...at the very least.   But even if it takes me the rest of my life, I will accumulate as many books as possible to make this dream come true.  2.  I will never be rich enough to afford an architectural wonder, like that room.  I suppose I could...but its unlikely.

6.   A Dozen Adorable Puppies:   Yup, I want 12 sniffly, wiggly, silky, smelly, adorable, puppies!  I have always been an absolute sap for that ‘Puppy under the Tree’ idea, and I’ve always envisioned a legion of beautiful puppies in red bows surrounding our own tree.   I would like a poodle, a golden doodle, a boxer, a west highland terrier, a German shepherd, a golden retriever, a Newfoundland, a Doberman Pincher, a dachshund, a bloodhound, a Shiba Inu and a Norwegian Elkhound.  Oh my, I could even tell you what each of their names would be.  ‘dances around, just thinking about all this furry happiness’.


Look at that face!  This is about as close as you can get to having a Wookie friend! 
Why This Might Not Happen :  1.  I couldn’t afford to feed 12 dogs, let alone take care of vet bills.  2.  I would just barely have the time to play and walk with one dog, but not twelve.  3.  I'm not sure I could pick only twelve puppies.  How on earth could I narrow down the cutest to a mere twelve ?

7.  Being able to meet my online friends and host a party for them:  I would absolutely love to meet my new online friends.  I have met so many wonderful, funny people in these last few months….it would be wonderful to actually meet all of you!  I would have a tea party in your honor (for anybody that thinks I’m a tomboy for wanting to participate in a paintball war – I LOVE tea parties) but with plenty of activities and food that would appeal to the guys too.  Perhaps a combination tea party and Viking feast.  We could wear Viking helmets (party favors?) while we drink from tea cups…or something…  I’m not clear on the details but I would think up a party to end all parties (I’m a party queen)
Why this might not happen :  1.  My friends live not only all over the United States, but in Canada, Australia, Belgium, South Africa…  So I think this is reason enough why this idea will never work.

8.  An Ewok:    Okay, the secret is out – I love, love, LOVE Ewoks and I cannot understand why anybody would not like them, I think they are the cutest, sweetest, coolest thing that ever trotted out of somebody’s imagination.  Aside from Return of the Jedi, I am crazy about the Ewok movies and watch them on a regular basis.  If I could have anything for Christmas, I would definitely like an Ewok companion like Wicket.  Wicket and his trusty spear would be a great bodyguard, plus we could run errands together, he could help me edit my stories, I could take him to the park and we could take turns pushing one another on the swings.  I can’t imagine anything that would not be more fun if I was doing it with an Ewok.
Why This Might Not Happen .  1.  Ewoks don’t really exist.  ‘Heartbroken sobbing’

9.   More Time!  Who wouldn’t give their eye teeth to have more time? 
    When I think of all the things I have to get done this month (and without the aid of a personal assistant)….I get kind of a panicked feeling.
Why This WON'T Happen :  1.  Because....it can’t.  But at least nobody else can get more time either…ha!
  
     So what impossible dreams do you harbor this Christmas?  I’d love to hear in the comments! 

How I Survived NaNoWriMo

     NaNoWriMo is officially over and I clocked in at approximately 74,000 words!  I’m feeling prêt-ty good right now!
     I’m also very, very, VERY tired.
     Anyway, the entire experience was a blast.  It’s funny that I can say that now because when I first signed up for it, I was convinced I was going to die.  I thought I had lost my mind, I thought it was one of the worst decisions I ever made in my life. 
      I only got one out of three right, (I did lose my mind) but I didn’t die and it wasn’t a bad decision – it was a GREAT decision.  I’m doing it again next year!
     NaNoWrimo has taught me so much about myself and about writing.  And next year I will not only be a veteran, I will make sure that I do a lot more outline and prep work before I start writing…hopefully creating a smoother experience. 
 
     Looking back over this last month, I kind of wonder how I did it….and so, I assembled this list of reasons.
     God’s Grace:  My twin and I prayed throughout NaNoWriMo, asking for God’s blessing and inspiration for ourselves and one another.  The rest of my family prayed as they always did, that God would grant us success and wisdom in all we do.  And best of all…Jesus has been interceding for me.  It is mind boggling to think that He actually cares whether or not I write this dumb story.  Why should the ruler of the universe, the salvation of the world, give a bent pin about me…let alone my comparatively pathetic attempts at creativity (a story can’t compare to creating the world)…and yet he does!  I confess, I felt presumptuous about asking him for help on my projects, almost embarrassed.  I am speechless at the thought that he stooped down to help me through this little project of mine.  God deserves all the glory and praise.  Because of Him I have a quick and sound mind, an imagination, a gift for storytelling, hands to type it out my stories…the wherewithal to afford a laptop, electricity....everything I needed to complete the task He gave me.  It is my prayer that more and more of my ideas in the future will stem directly from his voice.  He has been truly gracious to me through this whole endeavor and I am so grateful. 

     My Twin:  My twin is the one that got me started on NaNoWriMo.  When she told me last year that she was participating in NaNoWriMo I thought she was dedicated, brave, amazing and completely crazy.  I don’t think I doubted that she would be able do it…I just wasn’t sure what mental state she would be in at the end of November.  Well, she was not only a NaNoWriMo winner, she was her same, sane self and she upped the anti by doing an unofficial NaNoWriMo in January, churning out yet another 50,000 word novel. 
     I think ‘shame’ is the right word to describe my feelings at this point.  Here I was staring at my laptop trying to decide what my main character’s favorite color is and whether so-in-so and so-in-so should really end up together, while my twin was whipping out first drafts. 
     I did do a lot of writing from January to April…putting in a huge amount of work on my novel…but I wasn’t finishing it fast enough and I wanted a goal that would put my head on the chopping block so that I would be forced to actually finish a story…or else. 
     My twin has and always will be a source of inspiration to me.  Plus, she was the veteran, the one I went running to in a panic when I got in trouble and unless I was bugging her when she was trying to write, she was usually prepared with a few words of wisdom or encouragement for this NaNoWriMo neophyte.  Plus, just the fact that I had somebody else in the house participating in this wild ride with me made it so much easier.  Just knowing she was in the next room typing gave me incentive to keep going.  Thank you ‘Surely’ for everything! 
     My Writing Club:   I would like to thank The Second Inkling’s Club – my family.  Without my club’s weekly brainstorming sessions I would have been in serious trouble.  Any disaster that can befall a writer, my club has got it covered in one brilliant meeting.   It is really amazing to watch these writing minds in action.  How do I get this character from Point A to Point B?   Man eating plants, alien invasions!   Why don’t you use vegetables as weapons?  You could use giant peas instead of boulders in their catapults!
 
     My Online Writing Buddies:  Oh, my writing buddies, you are the people that kept me going.  Knowing that there were thousands of people out there, all in same boat as me, made me feel less lonely, less crazy.  I had the privilege of officially buddy-ing up with some of you and it has been an absolute joy and privilege getting to know you guys.  My fellow writers, you are not only noble Jedi knights, you are great writers and wonderful friends.  Thank you so much for everything!
   
     Word Sprints:  I would not have survived NaNoWrimo without word sprints.  When I first started NaNoWriMo I was really girly about it ‘Oh no, I don’t want to compete, I don’t want to turn this into a race, or hurt anybody’s feelings’….cut to several days later to a wild eyed NaNo Viking madly thumping out words on her laptop.  “Check the word count.  Haha!  I WON!  I LOVE competing on NaNoWriMo – I LOVE winning!  MUHAHWAHAHHHAAAAA!”
     In all seriousness, there were many days where I thought I’d sooner trace the design on our living room carpet, or search for earthworms on our driveway than write, but by committing myself to word sprints, I was making myself answerable to someone else.  I had told so and so that I would do a word sprint…and I couldn’t go back on my word.  The idea that I was actually helping other writers write, made it more fun.  And then as an added relish, someone—I think it was my pal, Malachi—came up with the idea that the losing members of a word sprint had to submit excerpts of their stories to the winner.  Talk about fueling up the tank again.  I was wild to see my fellow authors’ writings and this kind of challenge was all the incentive I needed to churn out even more words.  It’s amazing what kind of inspiration comes to you when you set a deadline on yourself.  I experienced more than one out of body experience, marveling at the way the human mind could work under the imaginary gun.  
 
     Chocolate:  I confess, I ate more chocolate in November than I probably have in the last six months….perhaps a year.  I initially started out with good intentions and the vague idea that I could only have a certain amount every day, but as the tension rose I soon exceeded my limits.  Chocolate helped, a lot—but next year, I have vowed not to go quite so crazy.  Just a little crazy…
Music Playlist:  Everybody needs a music playlist to get them through these moments and so I compiled a list of my favorites that really kept my energy up and put a smile on my face.  
Adventure Is A Wonderful Thing: This ought to be NaNoWriMo’s official theme song.  Right before I started NaNoWriMo I kept hearing Owl's final line over and over in my head.  “I salute you-and to those who do not return I salute you twice!” 
Rocky:  I dare anybody to watch/listen to this and not be pumped to do anything - from writing a 50,000 word novel to clocking some guy right in the face. 
Danger Zone:  Because novelists are just as cool as pilots.  We navigate those skies of imagination with all the chutzpah and skill they have (and twice on Word Sprints!). 
How Far I’ll Go:  Something about the yearning and forward movement of this song just fills you with excitement and hope. 
I Work Alone / Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now from the Adventures of Clutch Powers:  These songs are just so fun and completely self explanatory.  I especially love the last song, which if I could, I would dedicate to my writing buddies!
Undefeated:  When things got tough, I just got up from my desk and danced....when in doubt or panic, writers…always, always, do your happy dance! 
Star Wars Jedi Theme:  Well, obviously!  I am just going to assume that I do not have to explain how appropriate this theme is for writers. 
The Mask of Zorro – The Ride:  Because nothing is more cool than Zorro (Darth Vader is close, but he’s a bad guy) and imagining yourself in a cape could really aid the writing process.  Zorro never fails to accomplish his acts of heroism, he could lick this NaNo thing in no time…and if he couldn’t, he would just scratch a big Z on the screen and move on. 
Try Everything – Zootopia:  The runner up theme song for NaNoWriMo…there’s no harm in just trying NaNo.  I was terrified of failure…but if I had failed…so what?  The point is, I tried…and next time, I’ll try even harder. What NaNoWriMo has taught me: 
1.  I can write 5,000 words in one day…what remains to be seen is how many days running I can keep that up and I plan to find this out in January. 
 
2.  There are no writing police, except for the storm troopers that live in my head and perform daily raids, trying to spray retardant on everything I do and squelch any tentative feelings of victory.  I have to deal with these guys on a daily – sometimes hourly basis.      Side note....there are ways to deal with these mental storm troopers....don't let them get away with bullying you!
    But physically, no—there are no writing police.  Nobody is going to show up and shred my story, I don’t even have to show it to anyone if I don’t want to. 
 
3.  I am more of a Plotter and an Outliner than a Pantser.  I was definitely happiest in my writing game when I was working off of detailed notes.  I could never be as much of a purist Outliner as say, the wonderful K.M Weiland – since I usually outline and then my characters have a tendency to mess everything up once I actually starting writing them – but I am definitely leaning more towards being a planner.  When I just write spontaneously, I have a tendency to write more fluff. 
 
4.  I write and think laterally.  That’s right.  After spitting out a substantial amount of words, writing the scenes that I know and am inspired to work on, I like to go back and ‘write from the top’ filling in the holes as I go.  The majority of my story, I like to write from the beginning to end.  Each story is different of course, but speaking in generalities….I am a lateral writer. 
 
5.  You can survive on only an average of 5 hours of sleep (tops) every night for 30 days….yeah, let’s not even delve into that….’face hits keyboard…snores loudly.’
 
In closing; I learned a lot with NaNoWriMo and the learning process is just beginning!  So away I go to try and finish up the mess commonly know as my novel.  No rest for me…I am pressing forward at full throttle, wildly racing towards my goal of being a published author…and I would like to thank NaNoWriMo for being a step up as I make a leap for the sky.  I could come up with nothing but a handful of clouds, but no matter what, I’ll keep aiming for the stars.
     And again.....Congratulations to all my fellow NaNoWriMo Winners!  It's been a great adventure!

Book Sale BlitzKrieg

     An alarm buzzes in my ear and my eyes snap open.  The strange butterfly of anticipation in my stomach that lingered all day yesterday has multiplied in the night into a swarm.  All my senses are on high alert.  Years of training begin to kick in. 
     I dress quickly – comfortable, combat clothes and shoes are essential.  I eat just enough, but not too much – a soldier’s ration. 
     My dad and sister join me in my preparation, a strange light in our eyes as we review our plan and prepare our equipment.  Everyone knows where they have to go and what they have to do.  The clock is ticking down. 
     The book sale is about to begin. 
     We get there at least thirty minutes early, but the line has already begun.  Cars whip aggressively through the parking lot, coming dangerously close to the lines, but no one moves.  Everyone has established their place in line and no one is budging. 
     There’s some small talk here and there, but overall a tense silence grips the crowd as we wait, staring at the huge doors and willing them to open. 
     My local library book sale is huge, with donations from over twelve libraries.  A lady behind me informed someone else that she and her husband had been driving for two days to attend it. 
     There are thousands of books on the other side of those doors, row upon row of glorious words, reams of paper, shiny dust jackets, battered and well loved volumes…stories waiting for me to claim them. 
     The clock ticks down.  The line grows but the door will not open until the exact second. 
     Complaints and heckling begin to filter through the line but still we wait. 
     A huge flock of birds flutters silently above us.  At the moment, I don’t care what they are as long as they aren’t vultures…things can get dirty at these book sales. 
     I check my watch for the hundredth time.  Thirty seconds.  We hear stirring from within.
     Ten seconds…zero. 
     The door opens.  The dam breaks and the book sale begins.  
      I cross the threshold and stretched out before me is an Aladdin’s Cave, table upon table of boxes running the entire length of two metal warehouses.  They’re not just on the table, but under the tables, in stacks against the wall—a veritable city built of books.  A city that I plan to take by storm. 
     I only have an instant to steep in the wonder of my aesthetic surroundings.  This is a battle ground, not a tourist spot.  I have trained for this like a solider and its time to due my duty. 
     I paw frantically through books, the way a marooned traveler might dig at sand for life giving water.  Other book seekers stampede past me, burrowing through stacks of books with a crazed look in their eye that I instantly recognize.  One would think that we are searching for buried treasure and in a way, we are. 
     We’re in the trenches, an out and out no man’s land, where people swoop in like dive bombers and books drop into boxes in a constant rhythm that is more frightening than any artillery—someone is taking books that should rightfully belong to me . 
     The wonderful thing about book sales is that you don’t have to be skilled, you only have to be thorough, lucky and just plain tough. 
     I have been handled, pushed, shoved, stepped on, stepped over and even verbally harassed at book sales.  I have knelt, sat and stood on cement floors for hours, crawled under tables, over other people’s boxes, even over people.  This is serious business and to play the game one has to get down in the dirt and fight dirty. 
     My gym is a book sale.  I’m discovering muscles I didn’t know I had at these sales as I lift and eventually drag three book bags easily weighing sixty pounds total (though it feels like a hundred) while working out my toes and calves by pushing a loaded box with my feet.     
     But these things can be tolerated, these are worthy battle scars. 
     Every so often you’ll actually be surprised by friendliness at one of these sales.  These people are either rookies, aren’t really serious about being here, or simply have far more strength of character than I.  I’m just kidding, of course.  I’ve said the nice word or cast a smile here and there, but overall I am wholly focused on what I am doing.  Some crazed animal instinct rises inside of me, barely under control, as I surge through the crowds in search of the perfect find.   There is always some kind of gem buried among these piles and I cannot quit until I find it. 
     This last sale was like any other, I walked away sneezing, exhausted, hungry but utterly happy with the nearly 70 books that I procured, not to mention a selection of VHS tapes and Audio CDS. 
     The next battle?  How to get all these new books in my already overcrowded bookcase. 
     It is one of the few challenges in my life that I met head on and with a smile.