Oscar Bound

"THIS YEAR" 365 days of Music

I've been trying to decide for over a year now why I keep this blog going since I haven't been diligent about writing. Finally it dawned on me that the reason I hadn't been writing was because I wasn't feeling INSPIRED to blog.

There are reasons for this...first & foremost,  because I've been busy with writing lots of other things (screenplays, a book proposal & sample chapters, website text, lesson plans for my kids, etc), so my writing energy had been displaced a bit.

Secondly, and probably more importantly, a blog to me feels like something you should be passionate about and I wasn't feeling super passionate about any topic enough to rant, rave, espouse or pontificate :) Sure there are some things that annoy me....but being a person who believes that focusing on those things only attracts more of what I don't want, I consciously decided that wasn't what I wanted to do. Conversely, there were some great things that happened last year but I'm still not at liberty to talk about some of them until the "ink is dry" as they say.

However, as some part of me knows I still have something to say, I kept waiting for it to show up.  Well...(drumroll)...it finally hit me this week that the thing I am most passionate about (aside from my kids & my work) is MUSIC.  I LOVE MUSIC! And if I could, I would listen to music and sing loudly 24/7 (or at least while driving, cleaning, cooking and exercising...all things I hate to do but which are made infinitely more tolerable by great music!) . So, I've decided to devote a year's worth of blogging to focusing on my favorite music...as it applies to my life on any given day. And furthermore, to make it a challenge, I'm committing to post a blog & song every day this year.

Some of the posts may be short & sweet, but I'm looking forward to it and know I'm on to something cuz the thought of writing about this energizes me and doesn't feel like a burden. I'm also looking at it as a way to flex my music muscles and explore some tunes I might not ordinarily be drawn to that just "fit" the day. Even better, if I can help promote some careers along the way, that would be fab....so I'm inviting all of you singer/songwriters out there to feel free to send me your best tunes and if it strikes a chord with me at some point during the year, I'll happily promote it for you.

To kick off 2010, I've chosen "This Year" by Canadian singer/songwriter Chantal Kreviazuk. As you can see,  the lyrics are pretty self-explanatory, but it sums up how I feel about the year ahead...I really do feel as if it's going to be a big year for me in many ways (see my last post.."Top 10 Reasons I'm Psyched about 2010").  

Hope you enjoy it and that it also sets the tone for YOUR year! Happy New Year everyone!!  Let's set the intention to have some FUN!

Top 10 Reasons I'm Psyched about 2010!

I'm psyched that:

1. I've kept my recent weight loss off (and have even lost another 2 lbs during the holidays--39 lbs & counting!)....AND for the first time in my adult life, I don't have losing weight on my list of New Year's resolutions!! Not that I'm skinny...but feel great and would be happy if I maintained where I am the rest of my life. 

2. The film I co-wrote (ALGONA) will be filming in Iowa & L.A. in June/July and I will have the opportunity to be on set and see how a big budget feature is made. Also a great networking opportunity...love meeting new people! (by the way...stay tuned for big casting news on this project).

3. My writing partner, Liz, & I were hired by the producer of ALGONA to write his next film...HOHOKAM (which also has a deal in place already....we are in the middle of writing this now and really having fun with it).

4. Eff. Jan. 1st, we will begin sharing office space with our camera/editing crew in Red Bank, NJ...looking forward to a fun/collaborative working environment...and feel strangely "official" now :)

5. On January 18th, my new internet radio show, The Nitty Gritty Cafe, will launch...this has been in the works for over a year now and it's exciting to see it finally coming to life. Join me and my various co-hosts as we conduct in-depth interviews with intriguing people from all walks of life...think audio biographies...or audiographies :) More to follow on this in the next few weeks...

6. We have two reality shows and several other scripts in the works...all are fun and interesting to work on...which is my pre-requisite for anything I do these days. 

7. Just sent out proposals for The BlueBelles book concept...feeling good about it and psyched to see what develops...one way or another we will be published authors by the end of 2010 (a life-long goal of mine).

8. I'm approaching the 5,000 limit on Facebook...and have actually met some REALLY great people (you know who you are)!  I truly love meeting interesting & genuine people!

9. Planning a trip to Ireland for early fall with one of my best friends...also looking forward to meeting up with some of my UK friends while there. 

10. Just genuinely in a good place in life and welcoming whatever opportunities continue to come my way!!  I LOVE being surprised by life's twists & turns...even the challenges.

As the Black Eyed Peas sing, "I've Gotta Feeling...." it's gonna be a good year!