A friend posted this video the other night. It had the unusual effect of actually lifting my spirits (which until then, I hadn’t realized needing lifting ~ although, considering the past few weeks of planning a funeral and being consumed with worry over the Colorado fires where I have family smack dab in the line of Mother Nature’s wild ride, plus a dear friend moving away, along with the usual work/life/home/bills/meals/laundry/parenting, I suppose it wouldn’t take a rocket scientist to see that, well, maybe I did).

Watching these musicians, all of them great, stirring up this great big crowd with the simplest of songs ~ the energy was palpable, even on a computer. It had me smiling. Ah, yes. “All we need is love”…. from time to time I truly believe that.

But sometimes we also need an entertainment break. You know, to give the overactive mind a rest and put a temporary halt to the to-do’s. I try, I really try. Trouble is, I’d usually rather be doing something creative, even in my downtime ~but, next to a good book, I do love a good movie. The kind that captivates, takes you away, where there’s no room for remembering the dirty dishes in the sink.

So just the other night a movie was decided upon. (Not always an easy task itself.) Then we discover that it’s not “on demand”; so we try “redbox”. It’s not there either. So I finally bite the bullet and register for Netflix, which I’ve wanted to do for a long time anyway. I’m excited now, not being a “watch TV” kind of person, knowing the relatively teeny investment will be well-spent on entertainment I might actually use.

Then comes the realization: I still have an old-fashioned TV. A step or two up from the rabbit-eared kind. Which means I can’t access my new-found entertainment unless I’m on the computer. I don’t want to watch a movie on a computer. I want to get away from my computers.

So I call the Netflix people. Turns out there’s a way I still can watch on my antiquated set, because we have a Wii! Oh boy! “Is it complicated?” I ask. “Oh, no! It’s easy, I can talk you through it!” says the very cheerful voice from Netflix. (Really cheerful – he must be from the midwest.) Unfortunately wires and I don’t get along (which reminds me, I am so happy to be living in a time period where ‘wireless’ exists!) so I enlist the help of my daughter, who became frustrated almost immediately, and I tell the guy I’ll call him back. Oh, he can email me the instructions? “Even better”, I say, “how nice!”

By this time, though, I’ve had my fill of spontaneous adventure, and retreat to a book. But I’m still unsettled. So the next day I throw caution to the wind and decide to fully join the 21st century by getting an HD (High Definition) TV, because I remember the prices have gone way down from a few years ago. And then I can watch movies from Netflix.

Of course I’m now faced with the Plasma, LCD, LED dilemma. (Not even considering the 3D road.) This brand, that brand. Everybody has an opinion. Good grief already. And, of course, an old cable-tv box will need to be traded in for a new HD one, and there’s a fancy new cable – but it’s so much easier and better! And, you know, I’m sure it will be when all is said and done.

It’s just that, please, all I wanted to do was watch a good movie. If I’d have lived in another time, I’d have walked over to hear the storyteller. It shouldn’t be so complicated. (But it is. Like travel. Don’t get me started on that one…)

And so I remind myself, all you need is love.

And Netflix.

And maybe a garden, and chocolate, and pencils and paper and paints, and a villa in Tuscany. (I have to sell a lot more books for that to happen, though I’m sure you would agree that Tuscany would suit me well, yes?) And time. But of course “time” is an illusion..  

Wow. I need a vacation. Guess I’ll settle for a movie. Watched, lovingly, on my old tv (for now).

The post All You Need is Love (and Netflix) appeared first on saxtonstudio blog.

The post Capturing Happiness appeared first on saxtonstudio blog.

Part of the tragedy of Whitney Houston’s early death is that we could have easily imagined it working out so much differently. We could imagine her growing older, becoming a grandmother, and a laughing, wise and dignified grande dame to a next generation of talented singers and actresses with dreams as bright as Whitney was in life.

We’re in shock, not just because she was so young, but because it just seems all wrong somehow. As if she took a left turn and got utterly lost, unable to find her way back. And now she’s gone back to the very beginning, by reaching the very end, too soon for the rest of us to fathom.

I’m not so sure it’s anything other than that, although we could philosophize all day that her passing reflects the downside of the spotlight, a fall from grace, the perils of super-stardom… because, there is no doubt, Whitney was a superstar.

She was a bigger-than-life star simply because her gifts were powerful and so completely pure. No bells and whistles, no shock-value accessories, nothing but a voice that was heaven-sent and an ability to make each tone matter, each word touch ground or circle the sun, and the physical poise and beauty to carry it off.  It is the rarest of individuals who reach that level of fame and adoration with no embellishment needed. She was not just another starlet ~ she was a class act, with talent as real as it comes.

I sometimes think that certain God-given gifts are born into souls too tender for this world. That very sensitivity allows them to share their gifts purely ~ as surely Whitney Houston did ~ but their humanity, their frailty, takes a beating. A wrong turn too many and in the end, there is mourning.

Rest in Peace, Whitney Houston. The world was a better place for your having been here.

The post Whitney Houston ~ Rest in Peace appeared first on saxtonstudio blog.

The post Leo Kottke's "Watermelon" appeared first on saxtonstudio blog.

The post Joyful Creativity ♫ appeared first on saxtonstudio blog.

For anytime:

For the holidays:

The post Excellent Pickin' for the Holidays appeared first on saxtonstudio blog.

The post David Saxton / Leo Kottke appeared first on saxtonstudio blog.

The post Another Saxton Musical Interlude appeared first on saxtonstudio blog.