Friday, April 13, 2018
Wednesday, April 11, 2018
Tuesday, April 10, 2018
James Blunt - No Bravery [OFFICIAL VIDEO]
James Blunt served in Kosovo, 1999. Through this song, he shares the excruciating pain and sadness he felt, especially for the children there. It is deeply moving.........its memory is clearly on James' face as he sings this....and remembers.
Thank you, James, for your service.......and for bringing your TRUTH to us......
Ed Sheeran - Dive [Official Audio]
Ed Sheeran – Dive Lyrics
[Verse 1]
Maybe I came on too strong,
Maybe I waited too long,
Maybe I played my cards wrong,
Oh just a little bit wrong,
Baby, I apologize for it.
[Pre-Chorus]
I could fall or I could fly,
Here in your aeroplane.
I could live, I could die
Hanging on the words you say.
I've been known to give my all,
And jumping in harder than
10,000 rocks on the lake.
[Chorus]
So don't call me baby
Unless you mean it.
Don't tell me you need me
If you don't believe it,
So let me know the truth
Before I dive right into you.
[Verse 2]
You're a mystery.
I have travelled the world,
And there's no other girl like you, no one.
What's your history?
Do you have a tendency to lead some people on?
'Cause I heard you do.
[Pre-Chorus]
I could fall or I could fly,
Here in your aeroplane.
I could live, I could die,
Hanging on the words you say.
I've been known to give my all,
And lie awake, every day.
Don't know how much I can take.
[Chorus]
So don't call me baby
Unless you mean it.
Don't tell me you need me
If you don't believe it,
So let me know the truth
Before I dive right into you.
[Bridge]
I could fall or I could fly,
Here in your aeroplane.
I could live, I could die,
Hanging on the words you say.
I've been known to give my all
Sitting back, looking at
Every mess that I made.
[Chorus]
So don't call me baby
Unless you mean it.
Don't tell me you need me
If you don't believe it,
So let me know the truth
Before I dive right into you,
Before I dive right into you,
Before I dive right into you.
Maybe I came on too strong,
Maybe I waited too long,
Maybe I played my cards wrong,
Oh just a little bit wrong,
Baby, I apologize for it.
[Pre-Chorus]
I could fall or I could fly,
Here in your aeroplane.
I could live, I could die
Hanging on the words you say.
I've been known to give my all,
And jumping in harder than
10,000 rocks on the lake.
[Chorus]
So don't call me baby
Unless you mean it.
Don't tell me you need me
If you don't believe it,
So let me know the truth
Before I dive right into you.
[Verse 2]
You're a mystery.
I have travelled the world,
And there's no other girl like you, no one.
What's your history?
Do you have a tendency to lead some people on?
'Cause I heard you do.
[Pre-Chorus]
I could fall or I could fly,
Here in your aeroplane.
I could live, I could die,
Hanging on the words you say.
I've been known to give my all,
And lie awake, every day.
Don't know how much I can take.
[Chorus]
So don't call me baby
Unless you mean it.
Don't tell me you need me
If you don't believe it,
So let me know the truth
Before I dive right into you.
[Bridge]
I could fall or I could fly,
Here in your aeroplane.
I could live, I could die,
Hanging on the words you say.
I've been known to give my all
Sitting back, looking at
Every mess that I made.
[Chorus]
So don't call me baby
Unless you mean it.
Don't tell me you need me
If you don't believe it,
So let me know the truth
Before I dive right into you,
Before I dive right into you,
Before I dive right into you.
Friday, March 23, 2018
Ed Sheeran - Photograph (Official Music Video)
How precious are these pictures of Ed Sheeran? One learns much about his spirit by watching this.
Tuesday, March 20, 2018
Ed Sheeran / James Blunt "Sacrifice" (Elton John) (2017)
It's a human sign
When things go wrong
When the scent of her lingers
And temptation's strong
When things go wrong
When the scent of her lingers
And temptation's strong
Into the boundary
Of each married man
Sweet deceit comes calling
And negativity lands
Of each married man
Sweet deceit comes calling
And negativity lands
Cold, cold heart
Hard done by you
Some things look better, baby
Just passing through
Hard done by you
Some things look better, baby
Just passing through
And it's no sacrifice
Just a simple word
It's two hearts living
In two separate worlds
But it's no sacrifice
No sacrifice
It's no sacrifice at all
Just a simple word
It's two hearts living
In two separate worlds
But it's no sacrifice
No sacrifice
It's no sacrifice at all
Mutual misunderstanding
After the fact
Sensitivity builds a prison
In the final act
After the fact
Sensitivity builds a prison
In the final act
We lose direction
No stone unturned
No tears to damn you
When jealousy burns
No stone unturned
No tears to damn you
When jealousy burns
Cold, cold heart
Hard done by you
Some things look better, baby
Just passing through
Hard done by you
Some things look better, baby
Just passing through
And it's no sacrifice
Just a simple word
It's two hearts living
In two separate worlds
But it's no sacrifice
No sacrifice…
Just a simple word
It's two hearts living
In two separate worlds
But it's no sacrifice
No sacrifice…
(Note! Ed Sheeran and Adele are now rated the top singers in the world. Amazing!)
Friday, March 9, 2018
Monday, March 5, 2018
Ed Sheeran and his hard-working path to success......
Ed Sheeran may be the quintessential pop star of the 2010s: a singer/songwriter who seems to acknowledge no boundaries between styles or eras, creating a sound that's idiosyncratic and personal. Sheeran borrows from any style that crosses his path -- elements of folk, hip-hop, pop, dance, soul, and rock can be heard in his big hits "The A Team," "Sing," "Thinking Out Loud," and "Shape of You" -- which gives him a broad appeal among different demographics, helping to elevate him to international stardom not long after the release of his 2011 debut, +.
When Ed Sheeran released +, he just had turned 20. He had been playing music since he was a child in Framlingham, Suffolk -- he was born in Halifax, West Yorkshire but his family moved when he was young -- enthralled by the classic rock he heard around the house. Sheeran started writing music in his early teens, recording a self-made album called Spinning Man when he was 13 in 2004. In addition to making music at home -- he put out an EP titled The Orange Room in 2005 -- he'd busk on the streets and play whatever stage he could find. When he was 16, he dropped out of school and moved to London so he could make a go of a professional career, landing work as a guitar tech for Nizlopi, gigging whenever he could, and auditioning unsuccessfully for the ITV series Britannia High. The self-released EP You Need Me arrived in 2009 -- it followed 2006's eponymous EP and 2007's Want Some? -- but his momentum started to build in 2010 thanks to the EPs Loose Change and Songs I Wrote with Amy and, especially, performance videos he posted to YouTube. Sheeran started to generate considerable buzz -- Jamie Foxx invited him to appear on his Sirius/XM radio show -- and he landed a deal with Asylum Records in late 2010. After a final independent EP, No. 5 Collaborations, arrived in January 2011, he signed a contract with Elton John 's management team.
All of this laid the groundwork for a busy 2011. Sheeran entered the studio with Jake Gosling to record his major-label debut. Its first single, "The A Team," arrived in June 2011, entering the charts at number three. August brought "You Need Me, I Don't Need You," setting the stage for the September release of +. Assisted by the success of November's single "Lego House," the record became a huge hit in the U.K., a fact underscored by his win of British Breakthrough in the 2012 Brit Awards. Sheeran's success soon spread to Australia, Europe, Canada, and then the United States. He received a boost in the U.S. by opening for Snow Patrol in 2012, but that paled in comparison to the exposure he received opening for Taylor Swift on her Red tour in 2013. His endorsement from Swift , combined with his landing of the closing credits song "I See Fire" for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, set Sheeran up for an eventful 2014.
Along with reuniting with Jake Gosling, Sheeran worked with Rick Rubin and Pharrell for X, the sophomore set that arrived in June 2014. X debuted at number one on both sides of the Atlantic and generated the huge hits "Thinking Out Loud" and "Sing," success that helped Sheeran secure a win for Album of the Year in the 2015 Brit Awards, along with the trophy for Best Male Solo Artist. His success wasn't limited to Britain. X was the second biggest-selling album in the world in 2015, coming in behind Adele 's 25, and "Thinking Out Loud" took home the Grammys for Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance in 2016.
Sheeran spent the majority of 2016 recuperating and recording his third album with executive producer Benny Blanco. Early in 2017, he released two singles, "Castle on the Hill" and "Shape of You," with the latter reaching number one on the charts throughout the world. Their parent album, ÷, appeared in March. ÷ topped the pop charts in over 20 territories, including the U.K. and U.S., and it generated another international hit in "Galway Girl." Ed Sheeran's massive popularity was confirmed in June 2017, when he was awarded an MBE on the occasion of the Queen's Birthday Honours. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
When Ed Sheeran released +, he just had turned 20. He had been playing music since he was a child in Framlingham, Suffolk -- he was born in Halifax, West Yorkshire but his family moved when he was young -- enthralled by the classic rock he heard around the house. Sheeran started writing music in his early teens, recording a self-made album called Spinning Man when he was 13 in 2004. In addition to making music at home -- he put out an EP titled The Orange Room in 2005 -- he'd busk on the streets and play whatever stage he could find. When he was 16, he dropped out of school and moved to London so he could make a go of a professional career, landing work as a guitar tech for Nizlopi, gigging whenever he could, and auditioning unsuccessfully for the ITV series Britannia High. The self-released EP You Need Me arrived in 2009 -- it followed 2006's eponymous EP and 2007's Want Some? -- but his momentum started to build in 2010 thanks to the EPs Loose Change and Songs I Wrote with Amy and, especially, performance videos he posted to YouTube. Sheeran started to generate considerable buzz -- Jamie Foxx invited him to appear on his Sirius/XM radio show -- and he landed a deal with Asylum Records in late 2010. After a final independent EP, No. 5 Collaborations, arrived in January 2011, he signed a contract with Elton John 's management team.
All of this laid the groundwork for a busy 2011. Sheeran entered the studio with Jake Gosling to record his major-label debut. Its first single, "The A Team," arrived in June 2011, entering the charts at number three. August brought "You Need Me, I Don't Need You," setting the stage for the September release of +. Assisted by the success of November's single "Lego House," the record became a huge hit in the U.K., a fact underscored by his win of British Breakthrough in the 2012 Brit Awards. Sheeran's success soon spread to Australia, Europe, Canada, and then the United States. He received a boost in the U.S. by opening for Snow Patrol in 2012, but that paled in comparison to the exposure he received opening for Taylor Swift on her Red tour in 2013. His endorsement from Swift , combined with his landing of the closing credits song "I See Fire" for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, set Sheeran up for an eventful 2014.
Along with reuniting with Jake Gosling, Sheeran worked with Rick Rubin and Pharrell for X, the sophomore set that arrived in June 2014. X debuted at number one on both sides of the Atlantic and generated the huge hits "Thinking Out Loud" and "Sing," success that helped Sheeran secure a win for Album of the Year in the 2015 Brit Awards, along with the trophy for Best Male Solo Artist. His success wasn't limited to Britain. X was the second biggest-selling album in the world in 2015, coming in behind Adele 's 25, and "Thinking Out Loud" took home the Grammys for Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance in 2016.
Sheeran spent the majority of 2016 recuperating and recording his third album with executive producer Benny Blanco. Early in 2017, he released two singles, "Castle on the Hill" and "Shape of You," with the latter reaching number one on the charts throughout the world. Their parent album, ÷, appeared in March. ÷ topped the pop charts in over 20 territories, including the U.K. and U.S., and it generated another international hit in "Galway Girl." Ed Sheeran's massive popularity was confirmed in June 2017, when he was awarded an MBE on the occasion of the Queen's Birthday Honours. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
"There Are Men Too Gentle To Live Among Wolves"
When I was in the throes of practice, I used to work with men a lot. I had no idea what brought me there but in that present, and with hindsight ...... it was just so right. During those times, I had read a poetic piece by James Kavanaugh which was geared to men. Since than, I see that it has been adjusted to include women.
When it was a good time, and I would give a copy to my clients to read, I could see a swallow. Usually by the end, they would have tears in their eyes. In my humble opinion, Kavanaugh had pierced a certain type of armor ... that armor which girds our essence from Truth.
"I am one of the searchers. There are, I believe, millions of us. We are not unhappy, but neither are we really content. We continue to explore life, hoping to consider its ultimate secret. We continue to explore ourselves, hoping to understand. We like to walk along the beach, we are drawn by the ocean, taken by its power, its unceasing motion, its mystery, and unspeakable beauty. We like forests and mountains, deserts and hidden rivers, and the lonely cities as well. Our sadness is as much a part of our lives as is our laughter. To share our sadness with one we love is perhaps as great a joy we can know - unless it be to share our laughter.
We searchers are ambitious only for life itself, for everything beautiful it can provide. Most of all we love and want to be loved. We want to live in a relationship that will not impede our wandering, nor prevent our search, nor lock us in prison walls; that will take us for what little we have to give. We do not want to prove ourselves to another or compete for love.
For wanderers, dreamers, and lovers, for lonely men and women who dare to ask of life everything good and beautiful.
It is for those who are too gentle to live among wolves."
When it was a good time, and I would give a copy to my clients to read, I could see a swallow. Usually by the end, they would have tears in their eyes. In my humble opinion, Kavanaugh had pierced a certain type of armor ... that armor which girds our essence from Truth.
"I am one of the searchers. There are, I believe, millions of us. We are not unhappy, but neither are we really content. We continue to explore life, hoping to consider its ultimate secret. We continue to explore ourselves, hoping to understand. We like to walk along the beach, we are drawn by the ocean, taken by its power, its unceasing motion, its mystery, and unspeakable beauty. We like forests and mountains, deserts and hidden rivers, and the lonely cities as well. Our sadness is as much a part of our lives as is our laughter. To share our sadness with one we love is perhaps as great a joy we can know - unless it be to share our laughter.
We searchers are ambitious only for life itself, for everything beautiful it can provide. Most of all we love and want to be loved. We want to live in a relationship that will not impede our wandering, nor prevent our search, nor lock us in prison walls; that will take us for what little we have to give. We do not want to prove ourselves to another or compete for love.
For wanderers, dreamers, and lovers, for lonely men and women who dare to ask of life everything good and beautiful.
It is for those who are too gentle to live among wolves."
Monday, February 26, 2018
Just posting this again at request:
Good morning! I want to express my thanks to my readers, and even more, for your input. As you may have surmised, narcissism is unfortunately becoming more and more "mainstream" in this culture. While we know that everyone has to have some healthy narcissism, or one could not even effectively and confidently apply for a position, there is an abundance of malignant narcissism today. Theorists posit that our culture is now largely narcissistic. Their contentions are logical, and I happen to agree based on the criteria they present.
Good morning! I want to express my thanks to my readers, and even more, for your input. As you may have surmised, narcissism is unfortunately becoming more and more "mainstream" in this culture. While we know that everyone has to have some healthy narcissism, or one could not even effectively and confidently apply for a position, there is an abundance of malignant narcissism today. Theorists posit that our culture is now largely narcissistic. Their contentions are logical, and I happen to agree based on the criteria they present.
Mostly evident in males, and with greater and greater appearance in mid and late teens (even though technically it cannot be diagnosed until 18), many readers are concerned that this disorder is becoming the "new normal". No studies regarding narcissism disprove that belief. However, I leave you all to your own research.
What is more important is that we all learn how to recognize this condition, because while it initially may present in a person as a thoroughly desirable personality, it is one in which the individual is extremely cunning, cruel, and exploitative. While they can appear completely repentant as life with that person rolls along, the fact is that it is always about them. If they appear to be devoted to your wishes, it is because that facade is designed to get them what they want. Thus, it is still, and always, about them.
You readers have suggested some readings about the Stockholm Syndrome, almost always suffered by spouses and children of the narcissist. This is appreciated input. Yet that leaves me with an ambivalence. Ambivalence as to whether I "go with the flow" of my readers, in this particular case. I do not, in any case, wish to be a blog solely about narcissism. However, I am deeply convinced that most people "cannot see it coming", i.e. it is a complex personality disorder.
That leads to the danger of centering on narcissists, and their incredibly toxic presence in anyone's life. (Their ultimate dream scenario!) Yet, more information all around this personality certainly cannot hurt. We all have some of these traits, or we would not even begin to successfully apply for a job, or confidently give presentations in our field. However, there is a line in the sand where narcissistic people cross over into the realm where they are absolutely "dangerous to your health". If one adds to that diagnosis traits of sadism, the damage to those people (spouses, friends, children) around the narcissist may be extreme. One might compare it to swimming in a peaceful, but putrescent pool.
So, bear with me readers. I will post articles I hope will give some depth to more understanding of this toxic and dangerously virulent disorder.
I hope all of you are enjoying the last throes of pre-holiday celebration. Breathe, relax and enjoy. Gratitude is in order!
Madelaine
I hope all of you are enjoying the last throes of pre-holiday celebration. Breathe, relax and enjoy. Gratitude is in order!
Madelaine
Saturday, February 17, 2018
Brief respite...
To my readers....
I will not be posting for the following week or so. The events, i.e., the slaughter of 17 children in Florida, as well as the disappointment that we have a president as we do ... well, I want more time for introspection. I am tweaking my volunteer work since never before have I felt that the health of our United States, and subsequently the world, depends on anything we can do to help with feeling....... with love and respect for one another.......
It can be as simple as a letter expressing how we feel as citizens, or to confront the dishonesty in many places.
An image which remains in my mind is of the two girls, dead, who were found holding hands. Stay with that for a minute. Stay with it........
The shred of comfort in that image is that each did not die alone.
The pain and anger of the survivors calls to us to, somehow, join with them to support them in any concrete way that we can......
Madelaine
I will not be posting for the following week or so. The events, i.e., the slaughter of 17 children in Florida, as well as the disappointment that we have a president as we do ... well, I want more time for introspection. I am tweaking my volunteer work since never before have I felt that the health of our United States, and subsequently the world, depends on anything we can do to help with feeling....... with love and respect for one another.......
It can be as simple as a letter expressing how we feel as citizens, or to confront the dishonesty in many places.
An image which remains in my mind is of the two girls, dead, who were found holding hands. Stay with that for a minute. Stay with it........
The shred of comfort in that image is that each did not die alone.
The pain and anger of the survivors calls to us to, somehow, join with them to support them in any concrete way that we can......
Madelaine
Wednesday, February 14, 2018
Ed Sheeran - Thinking Out Loud [Official Video]
Eros is free in this provocative, sensual dance.......
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"there were no words, but images flooded every cell in her being ...4 and a half decades!"
