The Soundtrack to
Ms. Hailey’s Life
(Condensed Version)
“Always Look on the Bright Side of Life”
- Original Cast Recording, Spamalot
For life is quite absurd
And death's the final word
You must always face the curtain with a bow.
Forget about your sin - give the audience a grin
Enjoy it - it's your last chance anyhow.
I have a rather dark and twisted sense of humor. It is not mean, but it definitely has an edge. My sarcasm and love of satire and dark comedy can be seen in the inclusion of Heathers, Better Off Dead and Gross Pointe Blank in my movie collection. Everyone knows I have a zippy one-liner at the tip of my tongue on most occasions, am an excellent eye roller, despise political correctness run amok, and tend to notice and appreciate life’s little ironies.
This song is dedicated to my brother, Scott, who introduced me to Monty Python’s Flying Circus at such a young age, I have never liked Spam, looked for the Ministry of Silly Walks while touring Washington, DC and always fear being surprised by a Spanish Inquisition.
Visuals appropriate for this:
“Freewill”
- Permanent Waves, Rush
A planet of playthings,
We dance on the strings
Of powers we cannot perceive
"The stars aren't aligned,
Or the gods are malign..."
Blame is better to give than receive.
Fate? Phooey!
I do not believe that anything of life is the product of fate, destiny or cosmic forces. Fate is what we create from our decisions, choices, and actions. My annoyance factor goes off the charts when I hear someone shrug and say, “I guess it wasn’t meant to be” when they fail to achieve a goal, get a job or have a relationship work out. This has always struck me as a taking the wimpy way out by using an unsupportable excuse for not being willing to fully go after what they want or accepting that they simply were not the person chosen. If we truly want to improve ourselves, we need to be willing to put in extra time and effort and understand that if we do not get what we want, we need to figure out why in order to move on and, hopefully, achieve our goals in the future.
This song is dedicated to my mother, who started college in 1948, majoring in Chemistry. She was the only woman in many of her classes, but knew what she wanted and went after it. Oddly, I’m not one of those math/science people, but her being one, and a female, of her generation, taught me the importance of making my own dreams come true.
Visuals appropriate for this page:
“Hedwig’s Theme”
-Original Motion Picture Soundtrack – Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, John Williams (composer)
I am a reader. Maybe it is because I’m such a realist in my normal life that I love to lose myself in a fictional world. Often staying up all night finish the book that I’m reading, I appreciate (and am a bit jealous of) those writers that are able to create the type of completely immersive world that exists in the Harry Potter series, or any other great book. While movies are entertaining, books allow me to live completely within my imagination, rather than seeing someone else’s vision of the story. I am not a person that normally shows a great deal of emotion in front of others, but will cry all over a book without a second thought or moment of embarrassment.
This song is dedicated to my father who introduced me to the library and became the first person that I shared books with.
Visuals appropriate for this:
“Don’t Stop Believin’”
- Escape, Journey
Working hard to get my fill
Everybody wants a thrill
Paying anything to roll the dice
Just one more time
Some will win, some will lose
Some were born to sing the blues
Oh the movie never ends
It goes on and on and on and on
Dedication. Motivation. Hard work.
The lyrics are not why this song is important to me; it is the relationship to my pre-teen and teenage years that give it a place on my list. During those years, I was a competitive swimmer - one of the crazy ones that swam year round. It takes a very specific, and possibly worrisome, personality type to be able to stare at a black line on the bottom of a pool for three hours a day. It takes a type of dedication that has carried into the rest of my life. In many ways, I am not a “joiner” – I don’t participate in activities simply because someone invites me to, but when I do join something, I do not do so half-heartedly.
This song has a two part dedication:
- To Grandma Strouse, who taught me to never do something halfway.
- To Ann Marie, who I met at swim practice in sixth grade has been a dedicated friend to me ever since.
Visuals appropriate for this:
“Boat Drinks”
Songs You Know By Heart, Jimmy Buffet
Lately, newspaper mentioned cheap air fare
I gotta to fly to saint somewhere
Im close to bodily harm
Twenty degrees and the hockey games on
Nobody cares they are way too far gone
Screamin boat drinks, something to keep em all warm
This mornin, I shot six holes in my freezer
I think I got cabin fever
Somebody sound the alarm
Id like to go where the pace of life slows
Could you beam me somewhere Mr. Scott?
This song is included for my self-diagnosed Seasonal Affective Disorder!
I hate winter. I love summer. Sand not snow. Surf not ski.
I want to go where it’s warm.
Growing up, we went to Florida for two weeks, twice a year and I then lived there for three years. My love of sun, surf and sand was firmly engrained during that time. During the winter, especially that awful stretch when I arrive at school in the dark and get back home when it is dark, I get cranky.
February break has a big fan in me, at least during the years that I travel to the warmth over that week.
I come back reenergized and ready to face the remainder of the winter and March, that worst month of the school year. It is hard to believe that four or five days in the sun and warmth can change ones attitude so much.
This song is dedicated to my BFF, Heather, a fellow Manatee High Alum, who I met in eleventh grade Psychology class and has been my personal “psychologist” ever since. My annual visits to her, in sunny Florida, keep us close and renew my spirit.