More From Life
June 16, 2004
enjoying people giving their all while we give them supportive feedback.
So, how did I get the chocolate body scrub? Well, the show has sponsors...part of what the sponsors do is strut their stuff with me enjoying it! Fun job! I also got to go pick out clothes to wear on the show from the Garden Room, a suh-weet clothing store over near the original Kirbey Lane restaurant. "Gimme the Mic" will show clips from my massage and clothing run during the shows. They will be aired starting in June...
I found out that "Food 911", the show I taped with Tyler Florence, chef extraordinaire, will be airing on Sept 21...Can't wait to see it...we had a MAD HATTER Tea Party.
Went to dinner after the scrub last night with my old pal, Marty, who said he has never been to my blog, so I figured I better write about what a genius he is before he gets here! (And, really! He is a genius, as you know if you have heard the music for "Pillowman!" ) Actually, he had a HILARIOUS idea for a short film last night, so that is my new project...to create a short film with Marty (and, of course, see if Gene will edit). I would tell you about it but then you would know about it and then why bother making it because the joke would be over. It is going to be a mockumentary. That is all I can divulge at this moment.
I have a library gig today...those are really fun.
This is a lame entry because I don't have a lot of time to really submit anything intriguing or fun. But I always find myself wanting to write in here...gosh! It is such a magnet for my mind, to have a place to write!
So, I'll just say that this is what is up:
I won't be doing Austin City Limits Festival this year because I have chosen to be with family for a wedding in Arkansas. I was excited to be invited back for ACL, and I'll miss the joy of that festival, but nothing can compare to being with my family. I love all my cousins and aunts and uncles and watching my kids play with THEIR cousins...I can not describe the bliss of watching life unfold like this. And it's a wedding! Come on! The start of a new journey for two people coming together...You know I'll have a box of Kleenex RIGHT THERE next to me the whole time!!!
Speaking of family, we are off to Houston to pick up my nephew from the airport, and we are thrilled he is coming to visit (from Colorado).
My cats are ready for their summer shaving. Texas is hot AND humid right now.
io wants to join Cirque du Soliel. That is all she talks about. She can balance like no body's business on a cylindrical object.
Lily has started a comic book that floors me. Her talent is advanced, comical, insightful and truly one of a kind.
Lance is working hard and enjoying being in the world of big people again.
I am in love with my husband and girls. What more could a 41 year old woman ask for.
posted by Sara Hickman at 11:36 am
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Wednesday
June 09, 2004
Today...today it has been raining...and there has been a flood. And it looks like it is still raining, right now!
We walked in our galoshes with Nana in the rain. I rode my bike. It is pink.
I rode FAST.
My lips were blue this morning. The pool was SO COLD. Because swim class...I went to swim. Nana dried me off with a towel. (NOTE: Here io is gnashing her teeth to show me how cold it was.)
I am wearing my hat backwards so I can go to putt-putt. Putt Putt Peter Pan!
There's gonna be a party!!! A pirate party!
Yesterday, mom and I danced in the rain! We were laughing! We were wet!
I danced like a noodle!
Dad and Lily. What do they do? He got in the rain when he was back home.
Lily got with her dad and they are going out, I mean, they are driving. And then...they are gonna get out...and then they are going to RUN towards the door!
A song: Rain, rain go away
Come and go another day
Ring around the rosie...pocket full of posies
We all fall down...!
Ta-ta-ta-ta! DA DA DA DA DA!
ALL FALL DOWNNNNNN!!!
posted by Sara Hickman at 05:34 pm
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Universal Living Wage Benefit
May 08, 2004
The Universal Living Wage explains how businesses thrive when their employees receive a living wage...and that wage is on a sliding scale so that someone in Denver pays a different wage than someone in Austin or NYC.
The wage allows someone to afford housing, and with housing comes stability,
and with stability comes happiness for the employee and the employer. These are my simple words, not Richard's. If you want to learn more about how it works, visit the http://www.universallivingwage.org site. Learn how you can get involved and make a difference. How homelessness affects all of us, just not those on the streets, struggling to survive. At the going rate of $5.15 an hour, no one is thriving or making ends meet.
The sweetest moment for me, of the evening, was when Colleen's painting went for $750 dollars...she is Richard's 13 year old daughter, and the painting was of a gypsyesque woman praying in her long black robes, covered in beautiful jewels and bracelets. Watching Colleen's face was precious...she was so proud to be helping her dad help others.
Jason volunteered his culinary expertise, so the hor-deurves were excellent.
David and Sue volunteered their gorgeous home on the hill...so we had a comfortable, open house to gather in.
My friends who donated so much of their time...Thank you to: Cat Reynolds, for gathering 3/4 of all the signatures on my purple electric guitar...which brought in $3000!
Rafe Foreman, who came all the way from Dallas, was our live auctioneer. Hilarious! And he can do that, "Do I hear four hundred dol-five five fiddy going for five now I hear sixdo I hear six fiddy" reaaaaaally fast.
Peter Bay, conductor of the Austin Symphony...for allowing himself to be auctioned off for a dinner date!
Eddy Hobizal...for coming and providing piano music...
Gene Cowan for making a 10 minute video piece on the ULW and Richard that we could show to everyone attending...and that Richard can use to further the ULW campaign. Thank you, Gene!
I feel so blessed to have friends that step up to the plate when I ask them to participate in something so important. They really made the night. Thank you.
posted by Sara Hickman at 09:58 am
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What I Know
Yesterday's speaking engagement had its ups and downs. I get obsessed with the downs. I think, "If only I had said..." or "Why didn't I...?" because I want to be able to give 175%. I was prepared, and yet I froze. I was excited, and yet
I was unsure. I was behind a podium, so I couldn't move, or literally walk about and touch the audience.
I realized this morning I need that. I need to be able to give that to the people I have come to see: I need to be able to MOVE.
A podium for me was like a cage for a tiger. I like the unknown, I like the jungle. I like the call of the wild and the occassional heckler. Those things bring out who I am...moving and laughing and laughing with my audience brings out my confidence, my experience. I don't know how to stand behind a podium without it being deadweight.
I'm reminded of when I made the "I Couldn't Help Myself" video. The director, Matt Mahurin, wanted me to sit on a stool and be PERFECTLY STILL. I stuttered, "Um, that's not who I am...I like to flow..." but he was very insistent that I only use my eyes, my mouth..not my hands or my body. I think he had a point, that
the viewer would be drawn to my emotion through my face. (I don't give my face much credit to what people gather from and about me...I think of my face as a sort of gnome in the woods that came with the property! Ha ha.)
However, I think I had a point, too. I wonder what would have changed if I had said, "No, I gotta dance! I have to run around like a child!" How would that one instance of me saying, "Nope" changed all the other times I wanted to say "Nope"?
This is where wisdom steps in and gathers the facts of the past. It' s how I"ve learned to say "no" more often. (Especially with ice cream!)
Well, I hope I brought something to that conference yesterday. I did get the men to sing like pirates. That was cool.
posted by Sara Hickman at 09:39 am
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Gardenias
I discovered it when my husband and I removed undergrowth, weeds, dirt and ant piles about two and a half years ago. It was small and gangly, from lack of exposure to the sun, and I wasn't quite sure what it was, but I left it because it looked like a healthy bush wanting to stay and grow in its seclusive spot.
Last year, it bloomed. I was tending to some grape hyacinths and tulips, when I noticed a beautiful, light fragrance in the air. To my surprise, it was the bush
I had left to grow. The scent was coming from one, lone flower, proudly bursting forth; whiter than white, smooth and clean and pure. Not one freckle blemishing its petals. I couldn't believe one little flower could make so much noise! I leaned in to the flower and took a huge breath and instantly I felt such peace! I felt like I had landed in a little bit of home. A secret garden, just for me.
Since then, I have had a kinship with that bush. I love it so much. I tend to its limbs when they get too scraggly, trimming the pieces that stick out like stray hairs on a child. I work the dirt, and pull the weeds, and thank my magnolia for staying strong when it was neglected and forgotten.
I have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of at least forty buds this year, so my happiness exploded when I raised the blinds this morning and saw the first
flower had opened.
You know where I'll be as soon as I finish typing this. I'll deliver a fond
hello on your behalf, and I'll celebrate the crisp smell of the gardenias
by just sitting still.
posted by Sara Hickman at 09:24 am
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Why I Am Behind on My Blog
May 07, 2004
Wake up at 6 a.m....go for a run. Not quite sunrise, and the street lamps are stirring their yellow hue in with the dusky blue of the sky.
6:45 load laundry
6:50 make breakfast for all (scrambled eggs, sausages, waiting to make toast,
smoothies...strawberries, frozen bananas and blackberries, whole yogurt, protein powder, apple and orange juice....mmmm! frosty cold YUM!)
7:00 Lance is up, getting ready for his work day as a photographer at a new job!
7:15 Lily is up and at the art table
7:30 Lance eats breakfast with me, quick kiss, he's out the door
7:45 Try to wake up io
7:48 Try to get Lily to break her play-doh bakery focus so she can get dressed and ready for school. She has made a lovely pie, complete with criss-cross
top.
8:00 Still no io up...open curtains, kiss her feet..."C'mon, lovebug..morning!"
She rolls over and pretends to snore.
8:01 Sit down to breakfast with Lily. Dressed but no shoes. Yet.
8:15 io walks in. Sits with us for breakfast, but I announce it is time to take Lily to school. We put io's breakfast in a bowl. Head for the door.
8:30 This is the mystery zone, where we always walk out the door on time to get to school on time, and then everything gets hazy...Generally, because the cats need to be fed, so Lily feeds them, we all pile back in the car; Lily now has shoes on. io is munching on breakfast.
8:42 Drop Lily off at school. Kisses all around.
8:45 Need gas. Drive through and fill tank
9:00 Run in to get office mail
9:15 Clean kitchen
9:30 Take shower (io is now at the art table, making a play-doh spaghetti plate, complete with meatballs)
9:40 Dry hair, get dressed.
9:50-10:30 Play with io. We create a world of play-doh food, and decide to decorate Dad's place setting. io pours his favorite bowl of cereal, and places a tiny spoon and fork on a miniature napkin next to it. She then decrees he will be thirsty when he gets home, so she pours him a little glass of water. He will need a banana. That goes on the other side of the plate. "Hey!," she says. "He will need milk for the cereal!" I say that is for tonight or his cereal will get soggy.
Next, we go outside with her purple umbrella and two chairs. The umbrella goes over our heads not to protect us from rain, but from bird poop. io says it could happen! We watch the birds come eat the seed io has scattered all over the driveway. She yells "SCAT!" at the cats and with hands on her hips says to me, "How was THAT!?" I nod, "Good!" except that now our birds have all flown away, as well. We don't care! We laugh and throw more seed. Then, we get the hose and she says, "Make it RAIN!", holding her umbrella over her head, and I squirt the water high in the air. Pum-pum-pum-pum! As it hits the purple plastic, giggles escaping from underneath.
10:42 Realize my mom is coming at 11 so we can go hear Anna Quinlan speak for the Austin Children's Museum luncheon. Dress quickly. Throw on some make-up
11:00 My mom arrives. Dawn arrives (to play with io while we are gone...hooray for the mermaid!!!) My mom looks great---she's got such a way with clothes and design! More kisses goodbye, as I toss lunch ideas out for Dawn and io, and off we go.
11:30 We reach the Renaissance Hotel. We are guests of the museum, so we are grateful to be in the midst of so many interesting people. I see Anne Elizabeth Wynn, the mayor's wife, who just purchased my decorated ceramic pot at the Umlauf Sculpture Garden party. We hug and kiss, and I introduce my mom. I thank Ms. Wynn for buying my art! She says it is in her kitchen and we have to come over to play with the kids.
11:45 Seated at the table. Little golden boxes wrapped with pretty purple ribbons. Gifts! Inside are tiny mirrors decorated with beads. OOH! We drink our waters and gab with the nice ladies (and one gentleman, a professor from St. Edwards who has taught their 44 years!)
12:00 The program starts. Two little Korean girls, 3 and 7, perform a traditional dance. A sportscaster from KEYE gets up to start introductions. Anna Quinlan speaks. (Not sure if I am spelling her name correctly!) She is fabulous. She uses notes. That was some good info, as I have to speak tomorrow (which is now today) and I am always wanting to have my programs memorized.
She is funny, direct and poignant. We applaud. We ask questions.
1:30 On our way home to see io
1:45 Get home. My mom leaves. Change clothes. Dawn stays for a bit so we can catch up on office items.
2:30 io and i have snacks. We play until almost three, when we go pick Lily up from school
3:00 Pick up Lily, decide we want girl time at Half Price Books. We go and have tea, sit in a big, purple chair and read about electrons and how electricity works. Another book is about Rescue Helicopters and the teams that run them.
I have some cinnamon hazelnut coffee...io has her traditional apple cinnamon tea, and Lily has Darjeeling.
4:30 Walk over to Walgreens and buy ice creams, a Blue's Clues notebook (io) and skinny balloons (like the clowns use) for Lily.
4:50 Walk back to car, drive home
5:00 Play with skinny balloons. Lily twists them into swords and hats.
5:30 I am making dinner for the girls. Nana (my mom) is coming over to play with them so Lance and I can go to the Universal Living Wage benefit.
6:00 Lance is home, I am getting dressed for the event, the girls are jausting with their swords, my mom is here, now wearing a clown hat.
6:30 Lance and I take seperate cars to the event. He has to be back by nine to relieve my mom. She has to drive back out to her RV before 9:30 or she will be too sleepy (and worn-out!)
6:45 Reach the event at David and Sue's house. See Cat (who looks fantastic in red...helping with the silent auction items)
7:00 People are starting to trickle in. Eddy Hobizal is there to play piano. I sing
"The Lady Is A Tramp" with him. That was fun!
The event lasts until around 11. We had a marvelous time and raised money for a very worthy cause (another blog). I auctioned off my purple electric guitar. Cat and I had garnered signatures from Shawn Colvin, Keb Mo, Little Feat, me, Taj Mahal, etc. The guitar goes for $3000 (plus a private lesson from me!) Cat did such a good job getting so many musicians to sign. Three cheers for Cat!!!
Peter Bay (conductor for the Austin Symphony) graciously allowed himself to be auctioned off for a dinner date, and my new friend, Rafe Foreman, drove all the way from the Dallas area to be our live auctioneer....and he is FUN-NEEE! So grateful to all my friends for pitching in to help on a stunning night of good food, comaraderie and love.
10:30 Get home, Lance is waiting up for me. We have ice cream. Lance's mom calls. His dad is in ICU. We take the phone to bed with us. I can't sleep at all.
2:45 Lance's mom calls. Not sure what is happening, but Lance's dad now has 103 fever. They think it might be pneumonia. Please keep him in your prayers.
8:45 a.m. out the door to Houston for my speaking engagement...
posted by Sara Hickman at 08:40 am
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How The Music Industry Works
April 18, 2004
I have people ask me over and over how it works, how much money I make,
how many cds I sell, how does distribution work, and so on...I"ve talked about this industry before as a panelist and in my newsletter, but I decided I'd take a moment and jot it all down so anyone who is curious, perhaps a musician or even parents of a musician!, can just visit my blog and say..."Oh...wow..."
I will start with what I am doing as a small business person now, and then I'll describe indie/major labels for those of you who are curious. This is, at least, my understanding of how it goes.
BEING INDEPENDENT
As an independent artist, I pay for everything. There is no backer or bank I visit to get financial support, although for the album "Faithful Heart", I took out my first bank loan, ever, to pay for a cd. For example, I projected that cd would cost $25,000 to create, and I came in just under that amount.
To create a cd, generally one needs to consider these costs:
Studio costs
Engineering costs
Mixing
Musicians Fees
Mastering
Duplication costs
Artwork/design for cd booklet, posters and any other art related materials
Producer fee (will there be points involved, as well? Points are explained later on.)
Licensing fees (if any music NOT created by the artist will be utilized on the recording)
Publicist
Independent Radio Promoter
STUDIO COSTS
This has changed rapidly in the industry due to home recording studios and digital recording. Artists can save TONS of money by doing a homemade recording, whether out on the street, in their home, or in their garage. However, I still go the old fashioned route, as I have no home recording studio and rely heavily on my dear friend and long time engineer, Marty. We have worked together for 14 years, so our ability to work quickly, effeciently and with a great deal of fun is a relationship I'd hate to lose. I feel blessed that I've witnessed so much change in recording technology---from actually splicing 2 inch tape for edits in 1989, to having it done in a nano-second on Pro-Tools in a computer since 1990 (?) or so.
With that said, however, a studio cost depends on location and the studio itself.
For example, a studio in NYC is going to cost a lot more than a studio in Austin.
A typical studio will have a "lock-out" rate, whether you want to have the studio
for your project for an 8 hour block, a full day, or weeks upon end. That rate generally includes an engineer in the price, although some studios add that as an extra cost. Will you be having an assistant engineer, as well? That can come in as a cost, although most studios have interns, so you won't be having to pay for them---they come with the studio.
What does a studio cost? A sample rate would be the studios here in Austin---a lockout rate can be about $650 a day, with engineer.
ENGINEERS
Most engineers are anywhere between $35-100 hour, depending on the engineer. (I'm sure if you're working with the big guns, it would be a lot, lot more.) My experience with engineers is that they work harder than ANYONE ELSE on the project. They have to deal with the producers, the musicians, the artist, the labels, and everyone breathing down their neck, asking for changes, usually last minute changes. Great engineers are willing to offer advice because they have a lot of knowlege in sounds/sonic quality, mixing, and are usually eager to be involved as a creative element. However, they also tend to be wise in keeping this advice to themselves unless you ask. Engineers, to me, are as important as the producer, if not more so: the engineer is what makes a record
sonically sound high caliber/quality or average, and you are going to spend 100% of your time in the studio with them. They are there day in and day out til the project is completed (in the studio). So, be nice to engineers!
MIXING
After recording all the songs and vocals (if any), an album will be "mixed". "Mixing" is the final act of turning the songs into finished pieces. Sometimes mixing takes place at the same studio the songs were laid down, or recorded. This makes things easy, as the engineer already knows the instrumentation and effects utilized. However, I have, occassionally, taken my recordings to a different studio to mix. Why?
Well, it can be more cost effective to stay at the same studio, especially if you have prepped well and follow your production schedule to the tee. However, a fresh set of ears can also be beneficial, not only for the artist, but the producer and the engineer, who at the first studio, might be burnt out on the songs. It all depends on who you are working with, availability (a studio may only have so much time, so you are forced to continue working at another venue), and what you, or the producer, are trying to achieve artistically. Different studios have different vibes, different layouts, different cutting and mixing rooms, different technology (boards (if you are recording on tape), monitors, effects, microphones, etc) and these can all effect your recording.
For example, Arlyn studio has a myriad of rooms,
like a castle, so I could choose to cut a vocal in a large, empty room for a natural reverb (or bring in seperating walls to damp the sound), or I might choose to record in a tight little booth. Cedar Creek has a warmer, smaller room. So does Congress House or Flashpoint. I recorded "Faithful Heart" at Arlyn with songs cut "live", meaning the band performed at once, and then I mixed the recording at Congress House because I was comfortable with Mark Hallman, having worked with him over all these years on numerous projects.
I knew he would bring an intimacy to all the hard work Marty and I had
created at Arlyn.
MUSICIANS FEES
Again, this depends, generally, on what part of the country (or world!) you are in. Musicians ask from $50 to $350, sometimes per hour, sometimes per song. If you are using a musician for every cut on a recording, you can also ask them if they have a day rate so you can block them out for the day or week or month or whatever and save yourself some money. If your state is union, you will have to find out what the going rate is...for example, in California, which is unionized, I've had musicians tell me they are "double" or "triple" rate per song. So, if the going rate is, say, $150 a song and a drummer says to me "triple", I will be paying him $450 a song. (You can see why money dries up quickly in the studio and you have to be on top of your costs and time!)
The cool part of this industry is when people offer to trade out. I've gone in and sung on other people's recordings because they did the same for me (or played mandolin, etc.)
MASTERING
After mixing, and before taking a recording in to be duplicated and sold to, hopefully, everyone you know and beyond!, there is mastering. Mastering is
the final tweaking of the mixed songs. It is also the time when the order of the songs is finalized, tiny mistakes are erased (a squeak on a guitar, a strange rattle hidden deep in the mix, an errant breath, etc), more "oomph" is brought to the lows, and mid-ranges and trebles are all dealt with, as well. Mastering is a lot of fun, and only takes around 7 or 8 hours, depending on the project. It is generally $75 an hour.
I"LL WRITE MORE....I have to go make DINNER for my family!
PRODUCERS
As a producer myself, I save a lot of money right off the bat. Producers can cost anywhere from $50 an hour to a flat fee of thousands and thousands of dollars, depending on their time, committment and whether or not "points" are involved. Points are when a label commits to a producer that the producer will receive future financial payments from the sales of the cd (or "product", as it is referred to in the industry.)
posted by Sara Hickman at 05:00 pm
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How To Build A Small Volcano
April 12, 2004
Next, you'll need:
Scraps of paper
Play-doh
Red food coloring
Toilet paper tube
Baking soda
Vinegar
Funnel
Take the toilet paper tube and wad up pieces of scrap paper to build a mound around the tube. With the play-doh pre-rolled out into flat, large pieces, lay the play-doh over the scraps and form a mountain, with the base of the volcano stuck to the cookie sheet. We added miniature play-doh people, a la Pompei.
With a miniature funnel, put baking soda half-way inside the toilet paper tube.
Next, mix a small amount of vinegar and red food coloring together in a small pitcher (like the kind you get at a restaurant supply store for the table, to hold melted butter). Pour this concoction into the tube with the baking soda.
Yea! Here comes the lava!
posted by Sara Hickman at 09:14 pm
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And now a word from the Easter Bunny
April 11, 2004
This is dvd-meister Gene, with a special message from a certain large fuzzy mammal. He popped by this morning to remind me that he promised a special surprise today, buried down under all that green plastic grass in our Easter baskets. Actually, its 20 surprises!
If you've got your copy of "I Am Going On a Journey" and have been puzzling out where and how you can find those 20 Easter Eggs, the Bunny has answered your anguished cries. Read on to learn the super-secret ways to see the DVD extras... and hoppy Easter!
posted by Sara Hickman at 08:53 am
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Hanging Paintings
April 10, 2004
The painting opening was glorious! The New Braunfels Museum of Art is hosting an exhibit called, "Musicians Who Make Art", and I was happily selected to be included! Terri Lord, Bob Schneider, Bale and Terri Allen, Ethan Ezarian, Kimmie Rhodes, and a whole bunch of others...
My paintings were hung on the second floor, straight across a wall, so when you exit the elevator---first thing you see are my little (!) creations!
So many friends came out. Even Wayne and Judi came from Corpus...I about fell over! They magically pulled up next to our car as we were all piling out.
Margaret and James Michael surprised me, too, which was too much because there was also Steve Pietszch and Dianna A. and her friends and kids and Marty and his new friend, Andrew; Dawn and Unknown Art... and, well, I just felt enchantment everywhere. I felt like Cinderella!
The best part was everyone walking up, seeing Lance, looking up to the second floor, and exclaiming, "Hey, is that YOU?!" That was hilarious---Lance living and Lance on canvas.
posted by Sara Hickman at 08:50 am
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Banging My Head on a Walnut But Catching A Turtle In the Process
April 09, 2004
had that never ending clarity, where it seemed like it had always been daytime and night would never fall. People were in a great mood; strangers were laughing and smiling and greeting one another like old acquaintances. Kites were flying, and Barton Springs and Town Lake were dotted with canoes and kayaks. One kayak even had a dog (with life preserver!), a smallish golden retriever, standing tall and proud, kayaking with her owner. The Zilker Zephyr was jam packed with riders, horn blaring, "Here we come!": kids on the playground waving while the train chugged by and a clown named Zippy in giant polka-dotted shoes made balloon animals, aliens and ladybugs from under the canopy of a large old tree. I swear, the day was embracing us all with such good cheer.
The girls and I went down to catch a turtle. We took a cardboard box,thus prepared when I grabbed one from the lake as our canoe sailed by. I've never taken the girls canoing by myself; usually, Lance and I share the rowing, but this time it was just me and one big paddle. The water was clear and cool and green. Giant old trees looked like whales as we floated over the tops of them, silent in their watery graveyards covered in slime and water weeds. The turtles were out in masse---covering branches and limbs, concrete slabs at the side of the waters, old stones...they were nature's freckles, dotting the day. We had also brought bread, so the geese were coming up to our seven foot silver bullet of a boat, taking the bread directly from our hands.
I canoed for an hour. Let me say: I am now a master of turning a boat into a narrow wedge to reach for a turtle. I can make a canoe go backwards. A straight line? Ha. I could row one on my coffee break with my big toe! I
enjoyed the feel of braking with the paddle and feeling the water force the boat left or right. I'm hooked on canoes, although I'd really still like to have my own kayak.
Eventually, with the girls and I thinking a turtle wasn't going to be caught, we decided to give it one more try...so, I shimmied the boat in between some low hanging branches, the girls holding their breath...about sixteen turtles, sunning, groggily and warily aware of my encroaching presence. All but two plopped into the water, some gracefully, some quite sloppy and in a hurry to escape. The two who were left were just the size we needed for our box. I allowed the paddle to skim the surface, turning the boat slowly, right up next to the exact limb I needed. I kept waiting for the two remaining turtles to exit the scene, but the larger of the two (we'll call him "Gramps"...he was pretty ancient looking), well...he just stared at me with a "Go Ahead And Try" look, so I blew him off and reached for the smaller one. Holding the canoe in line, I just reached down and picked him up. Instantly, he was flailing his long claws at me, and as I was only holding on with my left hand (the paddle encased in my right), I was sure I'd drop him...but I didn't! and the girls (in their life jackets) hollering, "Turtle! We caught a turtle! Get the box! The box!" and my youngest passing the box back to me and Speedy (the turtle's new name thanks to my oldest's quick thinking) found himself in a box.
He was quite angry about it, too, pulling into his shell immediately. I noticed Io had filled the box with bread bits at some point, so he didn't stay angry too long.
We paddled back, parked the canoe, paid our fee and the lady at the attendance table says, "What's in the box?" I gulped, "A turtle..."
So, we had to leave the turtle behind. Sad, but true. Not sad for the turtle, of course.
posted by Sara Hickman at 10:31 pm
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Life Makes Absolutely No Sense Whatsoever, But Still I Choose to Enjoy It All
April 06, 2004
YOU SAID IT, SISTER!
My dear friend, Judi Slingerland, and I had an idea. We decided to combine our talents to make a super sister weekend. Fun how when friends are motivated, things unfold and blossom into something glorious!
The weekend ended up in Salado with about 80 women. Our sweet friend, Sharie, helped set up the business end of the shindig, Judi was in charge of
"Move Over Martha," and I was in charge of entertainment and a Super Sara
Spiritual Sendoff, scheduled for the last morning, Sunday.
Friday night---women arrived from all over. We gathered in the main conference room of the Stagecoach Inn. What a fun place Salado is! The hotel is convenient to sassy little shops---you just walk out of your room, past the bean shaped swimming pool and cafe, through some trees and voila! Shopping!
Antiques, specialty gifts, baby items, and even a very unusual Thai gift shop that had wood carved creatures, gourd scuptures, old photographs (love old photographs of families and places from long ago...I can sit there for hours and entertain myself with made up stories), candles and fantastic handmade jewelry from around the world. The shop owner was very knowledgeable about the artists, and that lead to interesting conversation. She also had a dog that I mistook for a rug, he was THAT still.
So, Friday night, I sang and joked and told stories and got the ladies to hug. Then, we did some crazy Salvador Dali stuff. I brought construction paper and pens and had all the women draw blind contour drawings of each other. Following, I taped them all to a wall so we could admire each others' work.
I LOVE having people release their fears about making art! It is such a joy to watch them laugh and get to know one another, too.
Then we did what is known as automatic writing. I broke everyone up into groups and each group wrote a "story", which I then read dramatically (in a variety of crazy voices) to the room.
By then it was late, and we headed off to our rooms, happy to be new sisters on a journey together.
Saturday---After a yummy breakfast at the cafe, we headed over to the conference room where Judi delivered a hilarious and informative workshop
a la Martha Stewart, only without helmet hair or a low, stoic voice. I got to be Judi's jester whenever there was dead air, and that was fun, too. Judi taught us how to make baby cakes wrapped in chocolate, flower cakes; how to create a new calligraphy style, decorate tables, create invites, use fabric for a variety of purposes...gosh! It was stellar. We all had an excellent time taking notes on the cool notepads included in our groovy YOU SAID IT, SISTER! hot, neon pink goodie bags. (Which, I'm sorry to tell you---I can't tell you all the secret ingredients in the bags. You'll have to come next year to see all the FREE STUFF you get to keep! Yowza!)
Then, we all had lunch together. Mmm. (My only faux pax was in pouring peach cobbler onto my chicken because I thought it was a gravy. I invented a new taste sensation that will be described in next year's weekend getaway!)
Then, back to more fun with Judi...shopping...and when nighttime arrived, we all crowded into Sara (yes, I'm talking about myself) and Judi's hotel room for a sing-a-long with Christy, Judi's dear pal from Nashville. Wow! Christy has such a throaty voice. She was clever and brought along her guitar AND a songbook, so we did covers by the Indigo Girls, John Denver, and an assortment of other singalongables. Then Christy sang a song she wrote when she was 7 about liking herself and everyone was boo-hooing...it was so sweet and mature for someone to have written at seven. It was an excellent ending to a happy day.
Sunday---Got up and put on a turquoise dress and silver slippers I had bought when visiting Judi in Corpus Christi. (I even had on PANTY HOSE. Yes, you heard me right.)
Then I gave my spiritual sendoff...we laughed, we cried, we hugged each other with love and went off into the world knowing we were better people for taking the time to just be...just be ourselves and be ourselves together.
OVERALL RATING on the joy meter: 15 (10 being the highest)
posted by Sara Hickman at 10:54 am
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You Said It, Sister!
April 01, 2004
Until then, here ye, here ye:
my three year old is now a harmonica player.
my seven year old wrote a book of poetry.
my husband is making honey smoked bacon and scrambled eggs for breakfast.
i am headed to victoria to perform for families today.
our lawn is mowed, and i slept almost all night last night. a good start for an excellent day ahead.
posted by Sara Hickman at 07:42 am
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Tiny Hot Dog Buns
March 24, 2004
posted by Sara Hickman at 07:24 am
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The Forty-First Year
I was going to drive to Corpus Christi with my dear, dear Nina. There was no way I was letting those folks at the Burning Bush down! Onward!
Nina and I had the best time laughing in the car. Nothing is better than a trip
with a friend. No phones (ok, we did have cell phones), no t.v. (that's the truth), lots of snacking, yelling at cows ("Hi, Girls!"), screaming with delight when we first saw the ocean.
The show was fun. I sounded like Kojak when I was talking (or Cannon...or Mannix...or Barney Miller...I sounded like a gruff, seventies tv police personality, is what I think I am alluding to!)...but my singing was pretty ok...I hit some clunkers, but the audience didn't throw anything...and they could have! There was a big sheet cake they surprised me with, complete with candles! GOD BLESS CORPUS CHRISTI!
We stayed with Judi and Wayne. If you have never stayed with Judi and Wayne, well, you have never stayed with Judi and Wayne, and I am sorry for that.
I feel like their home sweet home is a cross between Frodo's friendly
domed home and the ultimate B & B. Warm, inviting, interesting, and a bundle of love. Judi always has some surprises waiting...my name (it would be your name if you were telling this story) hand written on a beautiful card to signify where my towels hang in the bathroom; my name, again handwritten in beautiful calligraphy, on a tray with a pencil, matching writing pad and vase full of lovely flowers, all nestled on the top of my bed. Little chairs in a window sill, each one dedicated to a past guest, their name attached with tiny string and tiny cards to signify who the chair represents. My chair has a red heart!
And, of course, there is FOOD! Yumola! Nina and I had cake (because she had somehow sneaked four chocolate cupcakes in the car, unseen by me, Snack Queen), with Wayne and Judi...and we had more food. Food, food, food. It is a
time to enjoy friendship around the table and tell stories and try a nibble of this and a dip of that. Judi even topped it off with a cake made completely of
carnations! No, we didn't eat that.
Happy Birthday! Someone out there is turning 41, too, and I say: this is our year! Go team 41!!!
posted by Sara Hickman at 07:07 am
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St. Thomas, Virgin Islands Trip
"I want to be a sailor."
They threw her a good bye party, she sold her car, she broke up with her fiance, and then she moved to the Virgin Islands. She worked down on the docks, where she became tan and lean and enjoyed the ocean. After much hard work, she became a Captain, and her main line of work, today, is sailing the Lady Lindsey for the Ritz Carlton.
Isn't that a cool story? If anything inspires someone to follow their dream, I'd say this story should!
How did I meet Alice? I met her in college, at East Texas State University in Commerce, Texas, back in the fall of 1981. I was very shy then (stop laughing), but I would take my guitar into the empty women's restroom of our dorm. It was a cavernous, tiled room, and I would pretend I was singing a sold out show in some gorgeous hall. I also enjoyed singing in there because a little black cricket lived in a drain in the middle of the floor, and he would pop his head out, wiggle his antannae and listen to me sing. He got a lot of free concerts. I got to pretend that I was Snow White singing to crickets in Carnagie Hall.
So, one day, I'm in the bathroom, singing my happy heart out, when Alice pops her head around the open door and says, "That you?" I think I nodded my head, "Yes." She said, "Well, why don't you come up and sing to me while I'm in my studio?" And that is how we became friends, all those years ago.
And let me say this: Alice is the dearest kind of friend you could wish for.
Loyal and true. We've been pals for almost 25 years! Isn't that something? To have a friend that long? I am stunned by the consistency of our comittment
to be in each other's lives, and I am stunned that we have been in each other's lives for more than half of them. Thank you, Alice. (And to all my other "old" friends: Leah Tuffly; my other dear Alice (Loper) and Mike Schulz, all from junior high!!!)
I tell you about Alice because we just got back from a trip to St. Thomas, where Alice lives on a mountaintop, overlooking the sea. A good fellow, Doug Lewis, plays my music on his radio show there on the island, and one day, I had an idea after he kindly sent me his playlist.
I emailed Mr. Lewis and asked him if he knew of a charity in St. Thomas that would benefit from a benefit? He was very excited. KIDSCOPE! He worked closely with them because he is a lawyer who works on behalf of abused/neglected children on the islands. The path was set.
Last week, we arrived in St. Thomas and had the benefit on Saturday night.
It was a grand event. Even Senator Christianson, a lovely woman with a warm smile, attended the show. There was food by the hilariously friendly Chef Mouton (he called every woman "mammy"...love that!) , and I met a nice man named George who volunteered to hold the cue cards for the performance of "iolana". He even wiggled during the instrumental section. Dilsa, the woman who founded KIDSCOPE, was an angelic presence. I met her when we did FACE TO FACE, a tv show with Addie Ottley, a classy man with a deep voice in a nice suit.
All in all, KIDSCOPE had a successful event, with more financial pledges of allegiance for the next five years from some major sponsors. And they have already asked if I would return next year to perform again! You know it!
Around the performance, we filled every day with delights. We went sailing with Alice on the Lady Lindsey, which included snorkeling: I saw stingrays and a trunkfish and my first wild moray eel, brown with white, sliding out of coral and meandering across the ocean floor; visited St. John, Caneel Bay (where I paddled my first paddle boat with my youngest...ay yi yi...my tender calves!),
visited Coral World, played at Hull Bay and Skinny Beach (thanks to our new friends, the Fosters, absolutely cool folks!); I went KAYAKING!!!, found sea shells, made giant sand castles complete with fan coral flags...ate waaaaay too much good food.
We also had an outdoor shower while staying with Alice in her lovely home.
Let me just say that a week of showering outdoors made me want to rip the walls out of my bathroom when we got home yesterday. Who needs walls when you have the sun shining through leaves overhead, the wind caressing your body as rain occassionally also falls, mixing in with the warm water of the showerhead?! Life as nature intended!
Lastly...iolana went fishing for the first time! She caught a puffer fish, thanks to the help of Howard, and then she pulled in a BARRACUDA!!! A little one and a half foot fish, but, boy oh boy, were his teeth SHARP! Don't worry...we threw them back into the sea, so they could swim...happy and free.
posted by Sara Hickman at 06:43 am
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But wait! You also get…
February 21, 2004
Because today..I also found out I have ten paintings that are going to be in a museum exhibit with Terry Allen, Joe Ely, Ethan Ezarian, Bale Allen, Bob Schneider...it's called MUSICANS MAKING ART.
I was sooooo nervous all week. The curator from the New Braunfels Museum of Art was coming today. I cleaned. I prepped the paintings (which means I kept moving them around the house and staring at them.) I put on mascara.
The doorbell rang. There he was. I was a mess! I offered coffee, tea, water, soy, juice, blueberries, fruitcake...I couldn't stop. He just stood in the doorway as I finished with, "Oh! Come in, please come right on in! Anything to drink?"
Thank God he was accustomed to NUTCASES like ME.
Anyway, after a wonderful hour or more of talking about art, paintings, his life, my life, kids, he chose ten of my works. I hugged him. He asked, "Were you doubting I would take some of your work?" I said, "I had no idea! I don't have a studio or tons of paintings...or I didn't know if they would be up to everyone else's level..." He just smiled again. Then he handed me some prozac and said everything was lovely!!! And then I was smiling, too!!!
Ah.
I also talked about my dad, who is an AMAZING painter, and he knew who my dad was and he said he thinks my dad would be great for a show in the fall so as soon as he walks out the door I am on the phone yapping excitedly to my dad about HIS SHOW HE WILL HAVE and I am a puppy I tell you jumping up and down in my kitchen and just ALIVE with JOY!!!
whew.
april 8 is the opening. come on out and see texas musicians and their art. terry allen (and his son, bale) are both fantastic. i am so honored to be in their company! and ethan is humorous, bright, whimsical...very colorful art. bob is prolific and very, very awesome...i haven't seen it in person, but i can't wait...
and joe ely will have his prison drawings...these are cool, computer generated photo collages with funny thoughts/comments.
charlie, the curator, and i talked about having more women artists. i told him about terri lord (great drummer...plays with Lord Douglas Phillips...super nice person, too) and arlene polite (i don't think she's a musician, but, gosh! her stuff is astounding....)
oh. and then we talked about what music to have at the opening so I said, "Oh, you 've got to have Brave Combo or Will Taylor/Strings Attached" and gave him their numbers...this is going to be such a party!
posted by Sara Hickman at 05:18 am
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Radiation Man #1
I remember my old friend, Jeff Wicker, who once said, "That song will be a hit on the radio...!" And he is in commercial radio! That blew my mind!!! I need to send him a free trip to Bali with a free snorkel for his enthusiasm!!! Jeff! The guru!
How did he know? Now, of course, the trick would be to get RM on commercial
radio...that would be funny:
"That was J-Lo followed by the odd little hit, "Radiation Man"...next up, Justin Timberlake's new single, "Nipple Star"...
RADIATION MAN has been number 1 for two weeks in a row! And it has been on the charts for fourteen weeks...how can this be? ! Pinch me! No. Wait. Stop.
Now my dream is that Lily's song, LOOK AT ME, moves up to number one. Could you imagine? Over pancakes?
"Lily..." I say.
"Yes, mom?" she responds.
"Well, you know that song you sang, "Look at me"?" as I pour the syrup onto her chocolate chip pansnakes.
"Uh-huh..." she answers with a mouth full of said pancakes.
"Well, honey...Your song is #1 on the radio...all over the country!" I burst into tears. Tears of joy and pride, mind you!
"Oh, cool," she says as she devours a side of bacon, slurping on her juice.
"Isn't it cool?! It IS cool!" I blather as I take empty dishes from the table to the sink. "I'm so proud of you..."
"Mom?" she asks.
"Yes, honey?" I respond.
"I love you," she says. "Can I have more syrup, please?"
"Yes, " I say, "But....I loved you first, " I smile.
"No, I loved YOU first..." she smiles back.
Big hug. Life goes on. My seven year old picks up her back pack and we head to school. Later, she talks about a song on the playground, everyone says "Cool" because no one really understands what it means and then they break into "Let's play bakery" or "Who wants to swing?" and Lily is a happy child in the midst of
childhood.
Except that her mom is at home with her heart the size of Wisconsin...beaming
with love. Happy that good things can come to those who wait.
THANKYOUIAMHUGGINGTHEWORLDWITHGRATITUDE!!!!
posted by Sara Hickman at 05:06 am
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Thrilled Beyond Words
February 18, 2004
I'm starting to understand the enormity of growing old. It's not just about
creaking joints or regrets. It's about friendship, memories, understanding more about how life ticks, better orgasms, laughing in church when the spirit moves you (even if the spirit is only moving you), collecting leaves on a walk just BECAUSE THEY ARE THERE, leaves everywhere, lying in the road, all these fabulous colors and damn it! They deserve to be laminated, turned into postcards and mailed out to old lovers.
posted by Sara Hickman at 04:18 pm
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Then They Woke Up To The Fact That Every Choice We Make Affects Someone On This Planet
February 10, 2004
The phone rang. Nicole's assistant informed her who was calling, and Nicole said she'd take the call.
"Nicole?" asked the voice.
"Angelina?" asked Nicole.
"Listen, I know you're on set, but I want you to check out an address that's close by. I think you should go today, if possible," said the fellow actor.
Nicole, her assistant and two crew members flagged down a taxi, and headed east, towards the river. It was a muggy, overcast day. Even in the gray, Thailand was busy: streets crowded with vendors, scraggly dogs and barefoot children. The car edged along, occassionally honking, the driver yelling out his window for someone to move.
When they reached the warehouse, a stranger approached. He could speak Thai and English. He had been patiently awaiting Nicole's arrival. Sensing her apprehension, he informed her they would be safe, but what they would see might be upsetting. They needed to go in now, before the manager returned.
Inside, it was hot and crowded. Women of all ages, some young girls, were hunched over small machines, steam rising. Dusty, dirty children were playing
at their feet; some had scraps of cloth, or dishpans, and they were quietly playing games while the women worked away. The windows were filthy, and what little light could seep in was choked by coughing and swirling steam.
"How long will they be here?" Nicole asked the stranger.
"All their lives, miss," said the man. "But as for today, they come in at 5:30 in the morning. Then they walk home at night."
The four heard about the long hours, the little pay (some women received only fifty cents a day); the long walks in the dark, alone, while carrying sleeping children on an empty stomach, or, if they were lucky, a bowl of rice. And the oppression of slavery, day after day, that lead to depression, sickness and, ultimately, a lonely death.
Children in other countries would play with their Happy Meal toys, or wear a
two piece outfit from Wal-Mart. They would never know that these items were
mass-produced at the expense of human lives.
"It is time to go, miss..."
Nicole took one last look around. None of the women raised their heads to look at the newcomers. None of the children were smiling. She felt completely sick and overwhelmed.
It was three months later, in a New York townhome, where the group of women met. Angelina was there with Nicole, Julianne, Susan and Scarlet. They talked about what they had experienced in various parts of the world, and Susan
was angry. She was angry at what little was being done. She was angry
with herself and with others, even others who, like herself, had been speaking out on behalf of human rights for year after year. An idea was born out of sheer frustration and hope.
The idea was to take acting jobs that would pay ridiculous sums of money. And the women would pool their money. And they would take that money and invest it in people. Their plan was to turn around the thinking of the ultra-elite: why buy a $565,000 Porsche when you could save a village of children in the Sudan?
Why waste $8 million on a haute couture dress and diamonds, when a school could be built in Iraq? Or Alabama, for that matter...
Before long, this small idea had grown into a well-spring of compassion. George and Brad and others who were making millions upon millions of dollars were
digging wells and tearing down shacks alongside crews they had hired. Oprah was spear-heading medical facitlites and working with researchers on how to end
diseases that here-to-for had been ignored. Beck was teaching songwriting to
children in South America who had never seen a pencil before. Blind children in Romania were soothed and comforted with music from Jewel and Bono.
It became the norm on Wall Street to hear someone celebrate the turnaround of the percentage of still-births in Croatia. "Great job, Ted, on helping those women in Brazil fight domestic violence!" People formerly afraid of poverty were rising up to do something to end it. People's hands were getting dirty with
love.
Then they woke up to the fact that every choice we make affects someone on this planet. No us and them. No rich or poor. No less or more. Each face deserved a name; each man, woman and child an essential part of a plan we can never truly understand. Each person a part of a global family.
You may say I'm a dreamer. But I'm not the only one.
It just takes one voice to start the choir. One. If you take my hand, I can hear the singing.
PS...Nicole went back to that factory. She bought it with cash. She tore down the site and built a new brick building, complete with restrooms and water fountains, air conditioning and great, big beautiful picture windows. There was a clinic, with a staff, and the women and children could have lunch in the landscaped courtyard, which they had planted themselves. There were herbs, and flowers, and picnic tables.
In the middle of the courtyard was a tree that smelled of honey-suckle year round. The women ran the factory, and Nicole wore their clothes, joyfully, every where she went.
posted by Sara Hickman at 12:58 am
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Perfectly Perfect Food Day
February 07, 2004
Sara's appearance on "Food 911" will be broadcast on the Food Network, September 21 at 3:00pm ET and September 25 at 7:30am. See you there!
At 8:15 a.m., the lighting guy, John, arrives. We are in the midst of french toast and gathering homework, lunches, the day. John asks, "Am I the first one?" Yep, I say, yep, you are. Come on it. Coffee? No, thanks, he says. He's holding a cup in his hand. I'm a wee bit excited, the kids are curious, stay at the table, I say. Finish your breakfast, sweetie. Are you part of the show, asks Lily. Lance is washing dishes. Yes, says John. I do the lights.
Kids are being driven off to school. When I get back home, there is a house full of wires, cameras, lights, light stands, monitors, twenty people. Everyone is on a tiny cell phone or their lap top. A low buzz of communication is filling every nook and cranny. Coats are piled high. Trucks full of food, props, dishes, who knows what have invaded our driveway.
Annie and Tim, the director and producer:
Annie is a tall, lovely 28ish (maybe younger?) soft spoken brunette with a slight flip at the end of her thick, shoulder length hair. She has a cream colored
Mohair sweater. It makes me trust her instantly. She looks like a cup of cream. How do people have skin like that? Ooh, it's pretty.
Tim is wearing a "Wonka Factory" tee shirt. I call him Willy. I tell him he doesn't look anything like he does in the movie. He is 5' 5", my height, glasses, dark curly hair, olive skin. Everyone calls him PIEMAN. Inside joke. We had spoken on the phone, months back. He, too, is very friendly, laid back.
ABBEY:
She is the prop stylist. As far as I'm concerned, she has the dream job. She has
her own portable collection of E-Bay. Antique cookwear, fabrics, photographs, tiny toys, plates, teapots, platters, you name it: and she is digging around, looking through all my cabinets, finding things I forgot I had that, suddenly, when she places it in JUST THE RIGHT SPOT, I think, "Hey, that's cool! I like that thing!"
My kitchen is transformed into a quaint, funky spot. It has a "new" counter top...They create one out of a wood block and imagination.
KIRSTIE:
She is the food prop stylist. My kitchen counter becomes the Garden of Eden.
Everything is suddenly living green stuff. There are mounds of dill, bowls of parsley, chevral, basil...A water bottle appears every thirty seconds: splish, splish..everything is constantly kept wet so as not to dry out under the lights.
There are twenty six thousand different kinds of bread---cocktail breads, rye breads, supper breads, italian and wheat. Baby carrots with their fine spray of
greenery next to strawberries the size of fists and clumps of radishes and
fresh salmon, turkey, wheels of Brie and Camembert; grapes and onions and tons of fresh, uncut garlic...even an uncut stalk of brussel sprouts, the stalk thick as your wrist, buds of sprouts up and down the entire thing.
She is constantly arranging colorful bowls of salt, moving the pepper mill,
placing a array of kitchen implements here, a bowl of thick butter there.
Prepping what Tyler, the chef, will need, just within his reach.
TYLER
In walks the boy. I say "boy" only because he reminds me of a man that will always be freshly-scrubbed, just in from a night of drinking, happy go lucky,
chooses a red cotton jacket that says "CUBA" over a dinner jacket or
Ivy League vest. He comes in with no fanfare, just part of the clan. There are
twenty people strewn on sofas, prepping food, finding the right camera angle, and Tyler flows through out to the patio, chatting quietly on his cell phone.
He never puts on any tv makeup. In my 16 years of television experience, this is a first. He's so cool! Just down to earth, doing his job, loving every minute of the
creation. Excited about the food: the smells, the mixtures, the folding of the dough. He wants to get started but is never too eager. Asks after every shot,
"How'd that look? Did it look good? Was the food good looking?" It 's as if every
food item is a child he's determined to celebrate. He really cares about how the food is presented, how it tastes, are we happy? You happy? Did you like it?
Are you having a good time? He asks me over and over. Very nice man.
ME
Well, here it is...the big day of adventure. And I have this sinus infection. I sound
like Bullwinkle. I keep running to the bathroom, blowing my nose, shooting warm salt water up into my swollen membranes. Sometimes this helps. Sometimes my face just gets wet. But, I'm having an EXCELLENT time. No one is bothered by my nose. We are laughing. We are making yummy things to eat. We are prepping for a MAD HATTER tea party!
Suddenly, I think, "WASABI!!!" I ask Kirstie if she has any. She has a powder. We mix it with water. I shove a giant spoonful in my mouth. WHAMMO! My head hits the ceiling, my eyes explode, but YES! My nose is clear. Every ten minutes, I am hitting the wasabi.
THE SHOW
It's time. I'm asked if I have a blue shirt. I find one, and get approval. The girls are in school. I think maybe I should have let them stay home to see all this exciting stuff. I know in my mind I did the right thing, keeping their routine, keeping them out of the tangle of people and cords, but you know...it's exciting!
I'm worried about my breath. With the sinus infection comes bad breath. I tell Tyler IHAVEBADBREATHIAMSORRYWORKINGONTHIS pop in a breath mint. He shrugs it off---no biggie. He's my brother. This is gonna rock!
Tyler gets so into what he is doing. He knows his food. I am told I will need to jump in/interrrupt/no problem or Tyler will forget to let me in. So, I jump in. I ask dumb questions. I mix and stir and flip and butter and joke around about flaming the baba cakes. We are swinging! It was such an easy day. We're done?
Get out! You're kidding? We never do re-takes. Maybe four, at the most. The crew likes the spontaneity of our flow. There is laughter, one more shot of me placing the Baba Cakes in the oven.
THE TEA PARTY
The girls are both home from school. Lance has picked them up; they get out at different times. They want the tea party. Almost, I say. What do you want to dress up as? Lily becomes a Pink Silk Chinese Princess with star sparkles by her eyes. io is a blue fairy is a miniature ball gown. Lance is SERPICO, baby, YEA!
I am exchanging my 'day" clothes for a giant sea green with tulle southern belle
gown. I wear my grandmother's flowered hat and crystal necklace. Todd and his Mickey are dressed as 70's funksters, and the Mermaid has arrived. I place a flower in her hair. Tyler puts on 70's SHAFT style sunglasses and a cowboy hat. He is still wearing his five star Cuban jacket, jeans and a cowboy shirt.
Abbey has transformed my orange office into a play to relax for tea. A bowl of limes are behind me on a side table. We have baba cakes, three different kids of open face sandwiches (complete with brie, turkey, pears, salmon, special spreads)...Tea is served! I spill tea from my Astro Boy teapot all over my lap.
We are laughing some more, the camera is rolling, we all start to sing as I play
Lily's toy guitar.
It's a perfect day. Perfectly perfect. Thank you, Food 911. It was a wrap!
posted by Sara Hickman at 09:19 am
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Booties, Surfing, Ruminations
I just finished surfing, looking at other people's websites. I hardly get to do that,
and it's a surreal way to find out what other musicians/friends/heroes are doing.
Stina Nordenstam is such an unknown singer, which is sad... she is
a rare voice in a noisy world. Her site is like getting to visit the voice in her brain...a quiet entry, slow flashes of memory and color.
I thought I'd peek in on Terri Hendrix, Trish Murphy, Nanci Griffith (not a lot of thought put into the one I saw), Lucinda Williams, Eels, Bjork, Billy Bragg and Jana Stanfield. I also tried to go to visit Bob Schneider...what came up was either a list of odds and ends Bob endorses, or a real estate site. Not sure what that was.
My site is about to undergo some changes. Sort of like rearranging the house, you might say. It must be because I'm turning 41. And I keep cleaning out the closets. Cleaning out the clothes. Throwing out/recycling/re-gifting things that once seemed so important. Moving away from this and leaning towards that. Whittling away at what doesn't fit my soul to finding what feels comfy and real, loose and soft.
I've never really been big into birthdays, but this year I feel a tad melancholy about being closer to 50. Not like I'm dreading it, mind you. 50 sounds fine.
I'm sure when I look down at my hands at 50 I'll like them more than I do now, they'll just be even more wrinkly, beat up, historical documents of what I've been choosing to do with my time.
It's just...where did the time go? At 13, I remember I this big, chunky metal necklace on a disco-like gold chain that was yelling, "1-3-!" The numbers were
HUGE! with yellow enamel paint. I don't think I actually ever wore this ridiculous gift except at the moment it was placed around my neck (with someone smiling down at me as if to say, "Aren't I clever?") I will never forget the feeling of actually FEELING the weight of 13 because of that moment. The weight of it all.
The world seemed vast and unexplored. My ship was something I hadn't gotten a ticket to, yet. Maybe time stopped for me and I'm really still 13, only now I'm out to sea, commanding the mateys and swabbing the poop deck, seeing shore in sight, just not wanting to end the slapping of the waves, the smell of the salt, the
joy of adventure.
My God, what's going to happen next?! I need some Visine. My eyes are all dried up.
posted by Sara Hickman at 08:40 am
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Food 911
February 02, 2004
posted by Sara Hickman at 02:00 pm
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What a Week
The week was busy, busy, busy. Let's see..after playgroup with the girls on Tuesday, I had volunteer training with Interfaith Care Alliance, a group that brings Care Teams to people living and dying with HIV/AIDs, cancer, or any serious incapacitating illness. Care Teams run errands, clean house, walk pets, give spouses time to rejuvenate or simply just listen to the Care Partner. It's a one year committment with a required one hour a week visit per Care Team volunteer. So, a group of us will be hand selected and matched up with a person with specific needs that our group can meet.
I've decided the amount of time I've volunteered over the last 14 years will be slowing down from benefit concerts to personal one on one time. I grew up with two grandmothers that volunteered, so it must be an integral part of my DNA. But, now with children and family and career and church, I'm finding I miss the part of volunteering that was hands on, and I'd like my personal time to be spiritually rewarding, nourishing and quieter. I also know that spending time with people who are dying is astounding. It brings gifts that no one can really talk about; gifts for the dying and the living.
Wednesday night---got on the Asleep at the Wheel Tour bus with a buncha folks from NARAS (National Association of Recording Arts and Sciences...you know, the Grammy people)...we drove to San Antonio to be a part of the public's voice
in conjunction with the FCC's panel. Ray Benson was a guest panelist, and spoke convincingly about the FCC's recent ruling, in which they will be allowing greater acquisition by large corporations of radio/tv/newspapers. Scary stuff. In other words, it used to be a newspaper was owned by one company (or individual), a tv station by another, radio stations by others still. Nowadays, groups like Belo (in Dallas) or Clear Channel are buying up newspapers/radio/tv and owning
all three outlets in one city. The end result is that your news/programming/music/entertainment can all be owned by one group, so there is no local diversity...no diversity whatsoever. You are being spoonfed as to what to like/believe without the choice of adversity/varying opinions and facts.
My question was: Why is the U.S. fighting oppression in other countries when our liberties here at home are being threatened in the same manner? Sadly, I didn't get to ask that question, nor did any other audience member. Folks were given two minutes to voice their concerns, and there were hundreds and hundreds of people who had lined up at 4 a.m. that morning to speak their minds. It was astounding.
Afterwards, we were all in a variety of moods...got back on the bus and headed home to Austin. The festivities were in the back of the bus, were Reuben Ramos, Ray, me, Matt the Electrician, Deb & Bo Yeager and I were singing away.
Thursday: Girl Scouts! We went to Central Market for a tour of how a grocery store runs. Best part: Watching girls poke their fingers into bread dough until the bread looked like a flattened, lifeless martian from outer space. No. They didn't cook it and no...we didn't eat it. But we did get to make candy badges and stick them on a chocolate cake sash...which we gobbled down with fresh, cold milk.
Mmm.
Then on to more volunteer training. We have a Care Partner come and speak about what having a Care Team has meant for him. We have someone speak on drug/alcohol addiction, and what it is like for people in recovery. We role play, to learn more of what we, as volunteers, would do in different scenarios. The evening comes to a close. We are all bonded. We are excited to get started; ready to serve.
Friday a.m.: While the girls are in school, I have a rehearsal with Austin, a young pianist I will be doing a duet with in church on Sunday. Then, a meeting at my office with a yoga instructor who has just released her first cd and needs advice.
Friday afternoon: Lily and I head over to Pauline's after school. Pauline has lived in Clarksville (Austin) all her life; she says it used to be prarie, and her parents would drive her down 6th street in their Model T Ford. She is a gospel singer,
and we are practicing for Margaret's birthday party...
Friday night: Took the family to the DIFFA (Design Industries Foundation for AIDS) jacket viewing here in Austin. The Dallas headquarters had called and asked if I would mind performing at the satellite function...I also got to play auctioneer and auction off one of the hand made jackets. DIFFA has different designers/celebrities from around the world decorate blue jean jackets, and they auction them off at a huge gala once a year. Proceeds go towards AIDS research.
I think I've created a jacket every year but maybe three over the last 14 years.
Anyhoo, so it came down to auction time, so I was silly, I was fun, I was trying to get the small group of wealthy, dressed up folks to pay attention to the tulle and the lace and the silk of the jacket by Jocelyn White, when I got fed up. The bid was only at $350 (which was, by my account, really ridiculously low)...so, I stood up on top of a chair, mic in hand, and said, "Hey. Put your drinks down. Listen to me. Just for a moment." And I proceeded to talk about AIDS. I proceeded to talk about the death of my friend, David Drane, and how alone he was at the end of his life. How the stigma of AIDS still causes people to suffer emotionally because of the fears and prejudice within our society. I got choked up. I talked about how this jacket wasn't just fabric and thread, but that it represented someone's life.
How each jacket was a chance to raise more money for more research to find a cure. What if your friend or your daughter or your lover caught this disease? I asked. Would this jacket mean more to you? I demanded $1000 for the jacket.
I warned everyone that by the time I reached 30, someone had please please
donated the money. I closed my eyes. I was weepy and tired and I wanted people to realize that this function wasn't just about free wine and fancy food.
All the schmoozing, popping of camera bulbs, loud talking...what were my children seeing? I knew that at least they would see that speaking up is something we should all do...even when our voice is shaking.
Well, the jacket went for $1000 at number 28. I opened my eyes. I had specifically told all the DIFFA volunteers it could NOT be one of them...and, yet,
Gretchen, who is on the DIFFA staff, had bought the jacket. I was bummed.
The jacket had also included a free night's stay at the Adolphus in Dallas, and two free tickets (worth $500) to the DIFFA show. I was so sure someone would buy this lovely one-of-a-kind jacket...and someone had. But not a new face to DIFFA, an Austin face.
Friday night---later---Aunt Kevina comes to stay, and we play KERPLUNK with the girls!!
Saturday a.m.---I get up to make homemade waffles for all. Walnuts, bananas, strawberries, whip cream, melted butter and syrup...cherry noses and chocolate chip eyes on the girls', sausage for all.
Saturday night----My friend, Margaret, is turning 62. My oldest daughter has made her a seashell necklace and sweet lace card. We head to Margaret's peaceful domain; candles light the path. I am singing in honor of Margaret, and also performing with her friend, Pauline...We sing "Just a Closer Walk With Thee"
and Pauline's lilting voice brings the room to a hush. We also do "This Little Light of Mine" and "Thank You, Lord". Then, I am singing...and surprise! Lily joins in...on "Look At It This Way", she is singing the chorus with me! And mouthing all the words to the other songs...now she is hand signing and swaying, and Margaret's friends are smiling and nodding their heads to her movements. I am saddened in that Lily is seated behind me on a giant, thronelike chair, so I miss all of her additions to the music. Afterwards, everyone is telling me how wonderful both my children are...and I can only agree. They surprise me with their sweetness and their intelligence beyond anything I could ever have dreamed.
Sunday: Sing in church, sinus infection is starting to set in. I just go for those high notes and hang on!
Sunday afternoon: Hang out with my mother-in-law and sister-in-law. We go to see "Mystic River", but the film's sound is not working, so we go to the Cheesecake Factory and have fine conversation instead. Then, home to
be with my baby girl while her dad goes out for the evening.
Create a hand-decorated flower pot for the annual Umlauf Sculpture Garden Party. While io is glueing things on her tiny pot, I, too, cram a zillion beads, ornaments, coins, toys, plastic frogs, tiny unicorns, broken bits of mosaic,
stickers, lace, and antique dance cards I took from a deserted, and haunted!, house I once visited. I glue everything down and laugh at my creation. I almost don't want to turn it in...it's so fantastically fun. It's great to be able to make art/music and know that I don't know where it will end up. That it is all temporary and the letting go is the best part. It gets easier and easier with age...or is that just my sinus infection talking?
posted by Sara Hickman at 01:59 pm
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