Birthday Outing (& Shape-up Shoe Review)

Today my mom took me out for an early birthday treat. It was so nice to have an excuse to get out of my daily t-shirt & sweats combo and actually put on an outfit and do my makeup and style my hair for a change, and to get out of the house and just be girly for a few hours. And of course to be doted on by my mommy.

First she took me to Kohl's, where she bought me this purse (in deep metallic plumb) and a pair of Ked's shape-up Mary Janes that I can't find on the site but are very similar to these, except beige with light pink accents. I know they were on the web site, because I picked them out online before we went and was so determined to get them that when I couldn't find them on my own in the store I tracked down a salesperson to come help me find them...who then quickly found them in a spot I'd walked right past at least five times. Hi, I'm a salesperson-bothering dumb-dumb. But at least I got my shoes!

I admit that I was skeptical about them when I tried them on. I expected them to be harder to balance on, but they were actually pretty easy to walk in. I decided to get them anyway, and kept them on for the rest of the day. We did more shopping at Kohl's and then stopped at three more stores after we grabbed lunch, and by the time we were leaving store #2, my inner thighs were starting to burn a little, so the shoes were definitely doing something. I also noticed myself standing up straighter in them. So I guess they don't throw off your balance enough to be really noticeable, but just enough to make you unconsciously work to stay upright. I don't expect them to replace my regular workouts, but I think they'll give my overall fitness routine a little boost, especially if I wear them on days I don't have time to work out (and don't sit at my desk all day).

Mom also made me cry by giving me a star sapphire necklace that my grandmother had originally gotten her and that she's worn all my life. She has jewelry that she's designated for me and each of my sisters that she'd been planning to leave to each of us in her will, but she decided she'd rather enjoy seeing us enjoy them while she's still with us. So we're getting them for our birthdays this year (pretend you didn't read this part if you're my sister, okay?). Of course I have mixed feelings about this. I've loved this necklace since I was a little girl and it means a lot to me to have it in my possession, but I also don't like to go anywhere near the subject of my mom not being here someday. So I almost refused to take it, pointing out that she's still got plenty of years left to enjoy wearing it herself. But she said at this point she'd get more enjoyment out of me wearing it, so... I guess it's mine now.

I got her back by showing her my song, which made her cry... which, wow. My mom hardly ever cries at anything.

So all in all it was a perfectly lovely day out, which I really needed. It almost makes me not mind getting older.

Almost.

About that song, part 2

Here's the melody, with caveats:

1. I had to play it on my bass, because my acoustic is out of tune and needs strings. Imagine it about an octave higher.

2. I'm still learning said bass, so I had to slow down the tempo. Imagine it a little faster.

3. I didn't have a mic or an amplifier, so I had to put my laptop's built-in mic right up to the fretboard, and pluck really hard to get the recorder to pick it up. So... imagine it sounds less weird and totally amateurish.

But anyway, I think this will help you get the gist of how the song goes. And if you missed it, the lyrics are in the post right before this one.

Oh, and also I left out the second verse. So the tune here goes verse one, chorus, bridge, chorus.

Here you go.

So about that song...

I done went and wrote it.

It's been percolating in my head ever since I got the notion to write one, and when I finally sat down this morning to get started on it, the whole thing came to me. Lyrics, melody and all. I waited all day to post it to step back and make sure it doesn't suck. I don't think it does. I mean, it's definitely not the best song ever. It's full of song cliches, yes, but it would be hard to convey the fairy-tale imagery I was going for without those cliches. And it's still a little rough, even though I've been tweaking and polishing it all day. At any rate, it says what I feel, and that's what important. It's also the first purely creative writing I've done since NaNoWriMo, and that sure felt nice.

I came thisclose to also posting an MP3 of me singing it, just so you'd get the melody, even though I can't sing, but the last thing I need right now is haters coming here to make fun of me and tell me I can't sing, LIKE I DON'T KNOW ALREADY, so I chickened out. But the next step, if Matt doesn't think it sucks (he's not up to reading it yet; I think this has been a tough day for him), to get him to help me compose a guitar arrangement for it. And maybe in another day or two I can pick out the melody on my old acoustic guitar so you'll get a better idea of how it goes.

Anyway, here it is. Remember: ROUGH DRAFT

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UNTOUCHABLE
by Jean Marie Bauhaus
© 2011


Tower of glass
(unbreakable)

Atop the highest mountain
(unscalable)

Across the deepest chasm
(unreachable)

Behind the tallest fortress
(unbreachable)


Where you sleep
Where you dream
Where you wait to feel my touch

(CHORUS)
And I would climb the highest mountain
I would swim the deepest sea
I would slay the fiercest dragon
To have you here with me

I would raise the mightiest army
To knock down Heaven's door
I would gladly lay my life down
If it could give you yours

Just to touch you...

But you're untouchable.

Cradle of wood
(unfillable)

A room that's still a guest room
(unlivable)

A dream that's lost forever
(unbearable)

Two hearts go on without you
(so breakable)

I can't sleep
But I dream
And I long to feel your touch

REPEAT CHORUS

One kiss upon your sweet brow
to wake you from your slumber
One caress of your tiny hand
falls through my grip like sand

REPEAT CHORUS 2X

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There you have it. If nothing else, writing it was very therapeutic.