Kocur.net Blog

Update on my life

Written by jamie on July 14th, 2010

I am in need of a new post, and was trying to brainstorm a concise topic for today. I couldn’t think of one. So instead of a long-winded post on one possibly meaningless theme, welcome to what my journal looks like… snippets of whatever is on my brain at that moment.

My week started out sad. I heard of the Uganda bombings in Kampala, and immediately felt intense sadness for this country so near and dear to my heart. Luckily, before I ever saw the headline, a dear friend from Kampala posted a Facebook status update that they were all fine (all meaning my sweet kids from tour and dear aunties and uncles) so my mind could be at ease. However, I still felt mopey all day. I hate the fact that bad stuff keeps happening to them, and the fact that so many people I love so much are constantly in danger. I hate feeling helpless so many thousands of miles away. Plus, I received news later that day that an American was killed. I didn’t know him, but he had a Tallahassee connection, and I know his girlfriend’s sister, who is now in Uganda on a mission trip. It made it hit even closer. Lord, please protect and watch over Uganda.

I’m continuing to work through the book, The Creative Call. It’s been a good book to work through, and has encouraged me to continue to seek out the creative person that I know is nestled inside me. With exercises like writing your favorite words, or your favorite anything (people, places, or things), it’s really helped to get my mind moving and thinking about creative things. I’m at the point in the book where she encourages you to start practicing your art. Luckily, I do have the chance to use my music in my job, but I’ve realized how much I have slacked on practicing it. As a result, I think my range has suffered, as well as technical stuff like breath support. So yesterday, I came home and fired up our free keyboard to do a little vocalizing. I even tuned up my guitar and played through a song while I sang. It did feel good to use my talent and refine it. Now if I can just keep up with it.

I am proud of myself in that I continue to do yoga every morning. Some days I push myself more than others; some days I just get up and get a good stretch. Today I pushed myself and did one more sun salutation. I have definitely seen some improvements, one of which being the refined muscles in my arms. The other night I tried a new video on the Yogatic website, called Somatics. It was a slow sequence, focusing on breathing and relaxation. They’re aimed at helping you release tension throughout your body and relieve pain. It worked! I had a slight pain in my back when I started and by the time I was done, it was all gone. Too cool.

I want to plant a flower bed in front of my house where there is currently a rock garden. I don’t know where to start, or if I even have enough money to buy flowers. Hopefully soon…

Drew is heading out this weekend for a business trip. I wish I could go with him. He assures me he will be working the whole time and there would be no time for fun. But getting away always sounds fun, even if it just might be hanging out at the hotel reading a book.

Posted in Jamie | 1 Response »
Tags: Journaling, Random

I might stay old school on some things…

Written by jamie on July 10th, 2010

It’s a lazy Saturday morning, and I’m sipping coffee and surfing my favorite blogs, with Dirty Jobs in the background. The catchy little jingle for the Amazon Kindle caught my attention, and I found myself singing along. I looked up to see the backs of a relaxed couple in beach chairs, happily holding their Amazon Kindles. The fancy little gadget boasts “books in 60 seconds” and the peppy little commercial states that it can be easily read, even in direct sunlight.

I wrote recently about technology and the way I sometimes struggle with it. I love my iPod, especially the way you can store thousands of songs on it. I wish I had had it when I was on tour with the African Children’s Choir, rather than having to tote around 20 or more CDs. I might have saved my back a bit. In the same way, the Kindle seems cool in that rather than having books taking up space, you can store them on a nifty little electronic device. But there are things about MP3s and electronic books that just don’t possess the same allure as a CD or a real book. Before iTunes and MP3s online, we were forced to go to a music store and purchase an actual CD. (How did we live???) I would carefully choose my CD, carry it home, and anxiously rip the cellophane off. I’d put the CD in and listen to it on repeat for days, all while looking through the insert, reading lyrics and admiring the funky band pictures and album covers. Now instead of admiring the band’s creative work in the insert, I google for lyrics.

In the same way, if I ever get a Kindle, I think I will miss going to the bookstore. There is something magical about bookstores, especially used bookstores. Browsing through book spines and choosing that perfect book… relaxing on the couch while lazily flipping pages… it’s a wonderful experience. There is something wonderful about a physical book and the sound of rustling paper. But the idea of not having piles of books lying around taking up space is quite appealing. I have many books that I’ve read and may never read again, but for some reason, feel compelled to keep them on my bookshelf. Or in a box in my garage.

On one of my new favorite blogs, the writer expressed his love of fountain pens and how magical the experience is of using that fountain pen on physical paper. Although I’m not as particular in my writing utensils (after reading his blog, I kind of want to be), I can relate to loving the act of actual writing by hand. As cool as blogging is, and as much as I enjoy the outlet, I still often prefer my spiral bound journal filled with my mindless ramblings. The act of putting pen to paper has been therapy for years. The clicking of the keyboard isn’t quite the same.

My mother in law asked me the other day if I had tried digital scrapbooking. She was considering trying it, as she was growing tired of spreading paper all over and making such a large mess of things. I told her I hadn’t tried it yet, as I preferred the physical act of cutting paper and pasting it down. Sure, it’s a mess, but sometimes that’s half the fun.

I will continue to embrace technology, but I hope to hold onto some of the simpler pleasures in life as well.

Posted in Jamie | 3 Responses »
Tags: Journaling, Technology

Droopy Branches

Written by jamie on July 6th, 2010

On one of the pages of our blog (I think the second, if you keep scrolling down and continue reading older entries), there will be a beautiful picture of water, mountains, and boats. That is Bellingham Bay, probably one of my favorite places in the world. I took that shot a few years ago when attending a friend’s wedding. It’s not just the bay I’m in love with. It’s all of Bellingham. I fell in love with Bellingham and Washington State and the Pacific Northwest in general. It possesses an allure that just draws you in.

My good friend who lives there saw the picture and commented on it. I told her how lucky she was to live in a beautiful place. I thought of how if I lived there, I’d be up at 5 a.m. every morning, taking walks down by the bay, and admiring the mountain range in the distance.

Right.

That same Pacific Northwest friend visited me years ago in my humble little hometown of Tallahassee. I took her to the few tourist-y attractions we can boast of; the Junior Museum, Maclay Gardens, and the top of the capital. I figured she’d be unimpressed with our flat landscape. But she wasn’t unimpressed. While we cruised about town, I took her down some of our prettier canopy roads. I have always loved the big oak trees that are all over Tallahassee, and I especially love the way they envelop some of our roads. I didn’t think she’d be so impressed with them though. As we journeyed down the road with our Phil Wickham soundtrack, she gazed out the open window and took in what she lovingly refers to as “droopy branches.”

I often forget about the beauty that surrounds me everyday. Since I love mountains so much, it’s easy to dwell only on the fact that there are none around me. But if I take a walk through some of our beautiful parks here in Tallahassee, I rediscover some of our beauty every time.

When I toured through the country, I was blessed with the opportunity to see some beautiful places in our country. I especially loved Alaska. We spent six weeks, bouncing from town to town. I loved the majestic mountains that were on every side of us. We eventually traveled into Canada, and slowly made our way back to the states. The mountains eventually faded into the background, and we found ourselves in the flatlands of Montana and North Dakota. I was depressed, and longed for the majestic mountains once more.

One night, I took a walk through the farmlands that surrounded the host family I was staying with. I looked up, and noticed how big the sky was. Since the land was flat as far as I could see, and there were no hills surrounding me, there was nothing but sky all around me. The sunset and clouds were more visible. It was beautiful.

I have to remind myself that there is beauty in everything. I just have to look close enough. Sure, I could dream about living on Bellingham Bay, but then I’d miss the droopy branches.

Posted in Jamie | 1 Response »
Tags: Ponderings

I could (maybe) get used to this

Written by jamie on July 1st, 2010

Drew and I enjoyed our anniversary weekend last weekend. It was exactly the weekend I had been hoping for. Relaxing with my hubby in a nice hotel room, with a little bit of fun (racing around in our rented convertible)…

I think the picture's foggy from the humidity

…and some dressing up for nice dinners. The weekend showed me a glimpse of a lifestyle I am unaccustomed to.

We walked into the big beautiful lobby of Hotel Duval, with chandeliers dangling over the front desk. With the check in girl kissing up to us (“Anything else you need, Mr. Kocur?”) we were soon checked in. We pulled around to the mandatory valet parking, and were met by an over zealous bellhop. We walked into our trendy room on the 4th floor. There was a nice window with a good view.

It even doubles as a window seat!

Oh, and with Starbucks in the room. Who can ask for more?

Even my very own Starbucks cups. Oh, the luxury...

At dinner in the fancy steakhouse, we were yet again greeted by name (“Good evening Mr. Kocur!”) and when they brought Drew’s steak to the table, they shined a little flashlight onto it to make sure it was cooked to his liking. Wow.

When we went to breakfast one morning, I received jam for my whole wheat toast. I didn’t just get the little plastic single serving of jam. Oh no. I got my very own mini jar.

Isn't it cute???

I soon discovered how “out of our league” I felt. At first, when Drew said he had rented a Mustang convertible for the weekend, I thought it was kind of frivolous, since we weren’t going out of town. However, with the mandatory valet parking, it all of a sudden seemed like a great idea. Rather than pulling up in one of our clunker vehicles, the valet zoomed around the corner in our Mustang. “Why yes,” I’d seem to say as I strutted toward the vehicle. “That is my car. And oh yes, you can get the door for me.”

Once, as we were pulling in, a valet walked toward my door to open it for me. Now, I am totally capable of opening the door myself, but I was starting to get used to this treatment, so I thought, “Sure, I’ll let him get the door for me!” I sat back and relaxed. He tugged on the handle, but the door was still locked. Drew was already halfway out of the car, so I went to unlock the door. I hit the window instead, and the window shot up and down while I fumbled with the buttons. Feeling like an idiot, I finally discovered the unlock button. The valet was very nice as he smiled kindly, and said, “You found the window!” I laughed nervously and said, “It’s a rental!” totally giving away the fact that I was a faker. Drew asked me as we walked inside, “Did you get his number?” to which I muttered, “Shut up.”

So maybe I’m not quite used to the rich lifestyle, but that’s okay. Drew commented, “You can take the girl out of the trailer park, but you can’t take the trailer park out of the girl!” That’s a bit of an exaggeration, but I did tell Drew I often feel like a country hick when I’m in big fancy hotels. I showed proof of that when we went up to the top floor for drinks one afternoon. I got the bartender’s new invention: The Raspberry Smash. It was fruity and yummy, great for a hot afternoon.