Day 59, 100 Happy Days: Guinness and Blood On The Tracks

Tonight I discovered that some wonderful person had left me a Guinness in my studio fridge!
So I took a break from putting my studio back together (after the big wall and floor painting project), put my feet up, and had an ice cold can of Guinness.

On the stereo was one of my favorite Bob Dylan albums: Blood on the Tracks.

Happiness.
 
Here is one of my favorite songs from that album...

Day 15, 100 Happy Days: Painting!

Current works in progress.

I spent six glorious hours in my studio tonight. Six hours in my studio is not that much when I'm teaching, but to have six hours to myself is very unusual. And wonderful!

Sure there were approximately ten thousand other things that I needed to do, but I also needed to paint. Even though my business is painting, painting my own work (as opposed to painting for classes) still gets pushed to the back burner sometimes. I spend a lot of time putting out fires, trying to get the word out about my classes, or crunching numbers, and painting for myself can seem like a novelty in the face of all that. Paying bills becomes priority, and painting a distant memory.

But I forget that painting is necessary for my peace of mind. It is necessary for my happiness, for my self preservation, for balance in my life, and it's necessary for me to paint in order to be whole.

Tonight was bliss. I have several pieces that I'm working on (you really have to when you paint in oils), and I worked on a few of them. Right now I'm a bit obsessed with the night and the early morning skies.  I'm enjoying having many paintings in progress with the same theme; it allows me to explore different approaches to similar images.

I listen to a lot of music while painting. My favorite cd's of the evening were Joshua Bell's Red Violin Concerto, and Dexter Gordon's Our Man in Paris and One Flight Up. Sometimes it's good to paint to music without lyrics.

Here is Dexter Gordon's Tanya. Brilliance.

Joni Mitchell Both Sides Now, Nowadays

Joni Mitchell is my hero. Or my shero, as the case may be. She is an incredibly creative person, and considers herself a painter before a singer or a songwriter. And of course that's something that I can really appreciate.
I think that part of the reason I love her songs so much is that they are so visual lyrically. They are rich, vibrant and emotive. I can see them playing out in my head when she sings.

"Moons and Junes and ferris wheels
the dizzy dancing way you feel
as every fairytale comes real..."

Those words put me right there in the song.

This version of Both Sides Now is just incredible. She recorded it years after the original and her voice is much richer, and you really beleive that she knows what she's talking about more than ever.

I was reminded of the revisited version of Both Sides Now when I watched a tribute concert from 2000, today. There were some pretty good performances of other artists covering Joni's songs, but she stole the show when she closed it with this poignant version of Both Sides Now. Incredible. Just another example of how we only get deeper and fuller and richer as we get older.

Happiness Project Day 89: Money in the Mail

I got a letter today from "card services" and thought oh no - am I over limit?? Good news rarely comes from such an address. But lo and behold they said they made a mistake and failed to reduce my APR in 2011, and are adjusting my account for the difference.

Say what?! Do you mean to tell me that my credit card company is giving me money? I checked my account and it's true! So, while this is not actual spending money in the bank, it's money I don't have to pay back. Hooray!

Heck yeah that makes me happy - to the tune of seventy some-odd dollars!

$70 isn't always that easy to come by. I work hard for the money!

Happiness Project Day 86: Crazy Karaoke

So, I'm writing my post-First Friday happiness blog from the VooDoo Comedy Playhouse in lovely downtown Denver. That's right folks; I'm live, on location. And it is absolute karaoke madness here. Complete with big lumberjack looking dudes singing Miley Cyrus. And... he just did a cartwheel onstage. Yes, this is fun.

I know karaoke I not for everyone, and frankly I used to be a snob about it myself. But you know what? This is fun. 

In another mood it wouldn't be the same, but right now I'm happy. :)

Oh- and now a rousing rendition of Sweet Caroline (bah-da-da). 

Soon, Lynne and I will sing Lady Marmalade. 

Bottom line: these people are every bit as cheesy as I am. I love it. 

Yes. Good times never seemed so good. 

Happiness Project Day 79: Finding My Mom's Only Pinterst Pin, and Settling In

My mom's only pin, complete with her picture and a description that I hope was written by her. I'm sure the first sentence was "Incredible colors!" was a very Linda phrase.

I've got an email blast waiting to be created, sign-in sheets that need to be entered into my database, and a website that needs overhauled. But instead, I've decided to take the evening off and do something for me: work on my environment.

My apartment has been pretty much a wreck since I moved here in September. It was a really fast move after my mother's passing. I had to get rid of five tons of stuff, and consolidate what I was keeping, which included a lot of my mom's stuff that needed to be sorted through. Mostly papers. Boxes and boxes of papers. And, of course, her online presence needs to be sorted through and dealt with, too. She didn't have a whole lot going on in cyberspace, and I could probably let it go and not close her accounts. But... I like to tie up loose ends, and you never know when you're going to find something interesting.

I just came across her Pinterest login. I had completely forgotten she was even on Pinterest. And, she barely was. She followed two people (including me), and had four followers. And one sole pin. It made me happy to find it, and to think of how much her that pin is. She loved colorful, psychedelic patterns (old hippie that she was!).

So, I'm happy to find something new from my mom, and happy to spend an evening not only clearing things that have been sitting around for ages, but also happy to be making my place nicer. I'm not usually one to use the word "nesting" but, it feels like I'm nesting. I'm finally settling in. Oh - and happy to be ready to deal with my mom's stuff. That's huge!

I'm listening to Alanis Morissette's Under Rug Swept album as I go. It's gotten me through a lot of rough times, and always makes me feel better.

Happiness Project Day 77: Clean Clothes!

Stack o' Laundry

I really must say that although I was hardly unhappy today at all, I find myself having to look back on the day and see where the happy spots were. Some days it's easy to pick out a happy thing to write about - especially if it was a bad day overall - then the happy part really stands out. Then there are other days that have many things that make me happy and it's hard to choose just one to write about.

Today was just a solid day. Neither good nor bad. Hung around the house, did some cleaning and... I did three loads of laundry! Yes, that does make me happy. And this is not just clothes that I did. I also did the stuff that usually waits awhile (especially when one has to leave their residence and pay to do laundry). Things like sheets and towels got washed.

And on the topic of leaving one's residence... The last place I lived, I had to walk down a long hallway, into an elevator, across a lobby, and down another hallway to get to the laundry room. And then sometimes all of the washers would be taken!! Oh I would get so mad! My current apartment? Right next door to the laundry room. So I really can't complain - and it costs about .75 less per load than the last place too. Yes, remembering all of that makes me happy too! 

This was some old-school good-vibe music to do laundry to...

Happiness Project Day 64: Happy Hour at The Keg

Well the title says it all, doesn't it? It's a hour (at least) of happiness. Except the place we went to had a "cocktail hour" instead of a happy hour.  Indeed.

It was great to check out a new place. We went to The Keg in LoDo. Contrary to it's name, it did not have peanut shells on the floor and frat boys guzzling cheap draft beer. It was quite nice, actually.

The food was delicious - we had an assortment of appetizers from the cocktail hour menu: crab cakes, prime rib sliders (amazing), some cheesy garlicky shrimp deliciousness. Also red wine. Oh - and fresh baked bread and housemade potato chips. And then, dessert! I'm not even a dessert person, but... wow. Three little samples of yumminess: a butter tart with vanilla ice cream, a fudge brownie with vanilla ice cream, caramel, hot fudge and whipped cream, and a mango "what-the-hell-is-happening-in-my-mouth" brulee.

I'm sorry that I only thought to take a picture after the the meal was done. It's not the most appetizing picture, but it sure does represent a meal enjoyed.

And speaking of caramel...

Happiness Project Day 62: Blue Skies in My Studio with Ella

Oh, what a gorgeous day it was in Denver today! Nearly seventy degrees and sunshiny.  A lovely day to be outdoors, and also a lovely day in my studio. I opened the windows, turned on some Ella, and squeezed in a bit of painting time.

The perfect song for today: Blue Skies

Speaking of Ella... here is a painting I did of her several years ago. The original has been sold, but prints are available on your choice of paper, canvas or acrylic or metal print.

Click here for more information.

"Ella" ©Tabetha Hastings

Happiness Project Day 59: A Fresh Start and Diana Krall

Another First Friday has come and gone, and today my studio is mine, once again. I pulled out the work tables and put fresh paper on them. I don't know what it is about having fresh paper on those tables that makes me happy, but it does feel like a fresh start. I suppose it's like a blank canvas: it represents pure potential. I'm excited to think about who will be in my studio this month creating things that haven't even been dreamed up yet. And creating paintings that start out as copies of mine, but end up their own creations.
And of course me. What will I create this month??  I can't wait to see.


 As I was putting my studio back together today, my happy music was Diana Krall...

Happiness Project Day 55: Discovering New Music - Raghu Dixit

One reason I like being on Facebook - and online in general - is because it gives us opportunities to share in ways that we otherwise would not. Sure, I like taking ridiculous quizzes to find out what Peanut's character I am, and I like seeing what people looked like 20 years ago on throwback Thursday. But I also like that I can be exposed to new ideas, and - as was the case today - new music. A Facebook friend shared this video, and it me happy. Music is so powerful.

The singer is Raghu Dixit and his voice sends me to another place. The mixture of eastern and western instruments is fantastic, and then when he switched from singing in his native language to English... just beautiful. I love the way he just leans back and lets the song flow out. And so joyfully. I'm totally going to buy the album.
(Also, check out Mavis Staples swaying to the music around the 1:40 mark. Love it.)

      

Heart's Stairway to Heaven Tribute to Led Zeppelin

I wonder how many times I've heard Stairway to Heaven in my lifetime. It's a part of my soundtrack, and Led Zeppelin was a part of the culture. I just looked it up and found that the song was released in late 1971, when I was five years old. And yet I still feel like it was going strong when I was in high school in the eighties.

Whatever the case, I don't think I ever got really tired of it. (Except perhaps when I worked at Swallow Hill Music and so many kids - and grown ups - with guitars would sit in the lobby and practice that opening riff.)

I just saw the tribute to Led Zeppelin at the Kennedy Center from 2012. I've seen it before, and I find it just as moving each time I watch it. Ann and Nancy Wilson from Heart and Jason Bonham (Son of  Zeppelin drummer John Bonham) played Stairway to Heaven, while the surviving members of Led Zeppelin watch and enjoyed the performance.

It starts out beautifully, with Ann Wilson singing in her still so amazing voice. Robert Plant looks thoughtful, while Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones are clearly just enjoying the show. They build the song with a choir, some guitars and violins. Then a horn section, guitar solo, and the wham! Ann Wilson belts "...and as we wind on down the road..." and ANOTHER choir comes in behind her - all wearing bowlers in honor of John Bonham (as is Jason, of course). So powerful!

Then the band drops out for the final line of the song, and there is Robert Plant wiping tears from his eyes. (And me with chills. Every time.)

It's still rock-and-roll. It's still relevant. It's still transformative. And it still ROCKS!

If you've got 7 minutes, watch Stairway to Heaven below. But if you have 22 minutes, I recommend you scroll down for the full tribute that also includes Jack Black, Foo Fighters, Kid Rock and Lenny Kravitz. (Love the brief view of Bonnie Raitt rocking out to Lenny Kravitz!)

My Happiness Project Day 40: Love and Happiness

"Big Love" ©Tabetha Hastings

Evolution. 
I've heard that it happens in an instant. I know this to be true with my own personal evolution. I can be exposed to ideas and mull them over for a long time. I can understand them on an intellectual level, but when I really get that idea, to believe and embody it... personal change can happen in an instant. It can be a small change within me (or you), or as big as to call it an awakening, or a rebirth.

Mine is big, folks. It's a big love awakening.
And here it is: Today, I am in love.

No no... it's not with another person, or even with myself. Or maybe you could say that I'm in love with all people including myself. Yes, I know this sounds hippy-dippy new-agey and I really don't care. (How could I care, when I'm in love?)

Prior to my new way of thinking, if I felt like this, I would have said that I'm in love with life. But what I realized this morning is that "in love" is not something you feel for another person or thing (like life) outside of yourself. "In love" is a state of being. It may or may not be activated by another person or thing, but in the end, it's all you, baby.

Since being in love is a state, one can "fall" in or out at any time. But falling is so dramatic, isn't it? We don't "fall" into happiness. We get happy. We find things to "make us" happy, but really we find things to activate the happiness within us. It's always there, just like love. We have only to tap into it. Which is what I've been doing with this happiness project; changing my focus to find things that will cause me to tap into that happiness stream. And now I know that I can also change my focus to tap into the "in love" stream too. And really, love and happiness is the same vibration, right?

My Happiness Project Day 39: A Glass of Red, A Bottle of Red

It's been a weekend of work, but also of dinner and/or appetizers and/or drinks with friends, new and old. A lovely weekend, really. And now I'm happy to wind down with a nice glass of red. Tonight's red is a nice Chilean Carmenere.

Day 39 Bonus:
I wanted to post a video with a song about wine here, but I thought UB40's Red Red Wine was a bit too obvious. So I decided instead to post Billy Joel's Scenes from an Italian Restaurant. I went searching YouTube, and what I found was this funny video of him singing the song and interrupting himself to talk about how he wrote it.

My Happiness Project Day 37: Perfect Timing

I met some friends from high school for happy hour today. We've recently started meeting every month to hang out and catch up without letting too much time go past. The restaurant that was picked for today's outing just happened to be across the street from our high school (and I believe that it used to be the Burger King where we would hang out and dip our french fries into our vanilla shakes).

On the way there, I was sitting at a stoplight and looking at the school, thinking back to our high school days in the early 80s. Just then, at that very minute, Oh Mickey came on the radio, and blew my mind.

It was a really perfect moment.

My Happiness Project Day 23: Coffee!!

The perfect cup of coffee. (That's nutmeg in there, not grounds!)

This morning I  sat up in bed and thought; I could have coffee!! 

Now, I know for some people this is a no-brainer - coffee is, after all, a lifestyle. And even a necessity. But not for me. Since I'm able to set my own hours I rarely have to get up and get moving right away. So, coffee is more of an occasional thing; something to be savored slowly and enjoyed thoroughly.
I get on coffee kicks and will have it every day for awhile, then not touch it for weeks.
But once I realized that I currently have all the fixings for a really good cup of coffee - I was happy (and I hadn't even gotten out of bed yet!

Immediately Pharrell's "Happy" song jumped into my head, but instead of happy, I was singing coffee.

'Cause I want coffeeeeee.... clap along if coffee tastes good to you.... cause I want coffeeeee... clap along if coffiness is the truth; coffeeee coffeeee coffeeee cooffeee...

(You get the point.)

Anyway, I'm off to a great start!

And by the way, for my perfect cup of coffee, I prefer French Roast, organic half and half, agave nectar or honey, and some sort of spice like turmeric, cinnamon or nutmeg. Yummy!

My Happiness Project Day 22: Oven Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Yum!! Easy, delicious and healthy. Can't beat that!

I cut up a sweet potato, tossed it in olive oil and a mixture of chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, and salt (equal amounts of each). I baked it at 425 for about a half hour and voila! Yumminess.

Another thing that made me happy today was finding the washing machine in my building empty. And of course the satisfaction of having done laundry (which you may think you're familiar with, but you're bound to be less familiar with if you don't have to actually leave your home to do laundry).



 
Day 21 Bonus happy: "Gimme" by Jill Scott. I love Jill Scott thought I was familiar with most of her music, but somehow I missed this one. Great video too.

My Happiness Project Day 20: Salt-n-Pepa

I was working away on my computer today and listening to Pandora; my TLC channel (that's TLC aas in T-Boz, Left Eye and Chilli, NOT The Learning Channel). They were playing some good tunes from back in the day, but I had to take a groove break when Whatta Man came on.
Salt-n-Peppa AND En Vougue? Oh yeah, happy. This song is a classic.



Bonus Day 20 happy: THIS guy on Humans of New York. So wonderful!  Also, I just love HONY generally. Good stuff.

My Happiness Project Day 18: James Corden Getting His Boogie On

James Corden is adorable, and is not about to let crummy news ruin his day. So, he cranks up his tunes and boogies through the 'hood. Along the way he steals a candy bar, dances with kids and cops and lays down the rhythm with some old ladies on a park bench. All while lip syncing to "Free" by Estelle.
In my mind, this is the way the world should be: singing and dancing in the streets.

My Happiness Project Day 17: Studio Time

Eclectic Women Getting Creative

You'd think that I'd spend a lot of time in my studio, being a working artist and all. Unfortunately, I don't spend nearly enough time there. Between marketing my classes, updating my various websites and pages, posting my work on ebay (and shipping), and generally trying to make a buck (all while doing the other stuff running a business entails) I don't have a whole lot of time to do what I love and really should be doing: painting.

Today was one of those lovely days when I was able to share my space with others, and get some studio time for myself. The best of both worlds.
First up was an abstract painting class with my Eclectic Woman's Fun Club (a great group of women who have meetups several times a week and do all kinds of great stuff - it's always nice to see them). Then later I was able to get a few hours of painting alone, and started on a new tree bark painting. I've been chomping at the bit to start another one!

I like to paint to music, and these days I'm listening to my collection album by album. Tonight was Bonnie Raitt, Carly Simon, and Chaka Khan (all "Best Of" albums - which makes sense as I'm listening to my music in alphabetical order by album name).

Day 17 Bonus: Chaka Khan. Enjoy.