Musical Tour of 20th Century Exhibition

1940s
Take the A Train (1938, Billy Strayhorn)

You must fight the Germans

And host 100,000 (a hundred thousand) other soldiers

1,400 (Fourteen hundred) women

Will pack up and depart with their new husbands

But your kids can go to Health Camps

Maintain teeth that shine like headlamps

Alas! What of the Treaty?

One hundred years from signing we’re reminded

Of the promises made then.


1950s
Hound Dog (1952, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller)

I wouldn’t want to be a Springbok in 1956

I wouldn’t wanna be a Springbok in 1956

When the All Blacks win at Eden and they send them home with nix

But back another 3 years, that is quite a time

Jump back another 3 years; that is quite a time

There’s a visit from Elizabeth and Edmund’s famous climb!


1960s
Hello Dolly (1963, Jerry Herman)

Goodbye, railways

Yes, so long, assets

We enjoyed the opportunities for wealth

These User Pays changes challenge all ranges

After medical and Uni bills

We’re left with … health

At least the pub’s serving

All the deserving

And the pill allows for family planning, too

Hey, brave UK people

Pack up and head our way, people

NZ may never grow this way, again.


1970s
Sing a Song (1972, Joe Raposo)

March, march along

Claim our ground

Show we’re strong

Speak for ancestors gone

Let their stories live on

Hey! Women, too.

We’ve been stifled and now it’s time we flew

Some worry while others act in ways to rectify what was wrong

We march, march along.


1980s
Thriller (1983, Rod Temperton)

It’s close to midnight and something evil’s lurking in the dark

Under the moonlight they feel a jolt that almost stops their heart

They spring to life

Their sinking ship is not imagination

Their only crime was stepping up to controversial lines

(There were no signs)

On this the terror, terror night

The secret agents bomb the Greenpeace ship without a fight

This is a terror, terror night

And France’s flat denial only serves to heighten the slight.


1990s
You’ve Got a Friend in Me (1995, Randy Newman)

They’ve got some land for me

They’ve got some land for me

Thanks, Waitangi, help them see

Uphold the Treaty and its bold decree

With the Tribunal settle 2 and 3

Return stolen land to me

Won’t you please?

Give back my land to me

(Bridge)
Some folks might be a bit more conservative

Naïve and frightened, too

But with the new Human Rights Act

We’re free to be ourselves with glee

And as the years go by

These issues could fade and die

If we work towards unity

Fair treatment sea to sea

It’s our plea

Same opportunities

Let it be

Grant what is right to me!

Nose to the ground

Looking down until you're better

Your mirror lets you see the view

It's a temporary fetter

Determination gets you through

A week or two to be cared for

Is certainly not a big deal

Is there a soul who has shared more?

Give your cells what they need to heal

Knowing you, you'll gain great insights

I surely hope that you will share

Some unforeseeable delights

You find through stillness and a chair

Fun times await you through the year

You're tough to have fit them all in

Continue on with your career

I'm honored that I am your kin.

Tribute (good memories of March)

As promised in the previous post:

You improve my best reflection with you pallette of correction
And I wear a bronze complexion; I glow.  Let me know...

Are you all wizards or are you magicians?
If you're magicians, you are wizzes of magicians!
You make up powers I can't comprehend and my wig reflects the extra time you spend.

You detonate my eyes to magnify their size;
It's such a cool disguise.  For those who knew me: SURPRISE!

I'm a girl who feels like a goddess
Thanks to you artists with your aerosol and iso.
You fix my mind by fixing my make-up.
Imagination fills your overflowing cup!

Now won't you use your stipple sponge
Reload me up with sooty grunge?
Dragons make a mess; wigs redress.

I look smokin' when I'm dying
Oh, burning to the ground!
Thank you make-up gurus, haristyle masters,
My artists and my friends!
Dale in 2012, to the end. <3

Good Times Ahead

26 January 2012
  I have started meditating.  Apparently, my new hobby has the potential to make me smarter and shrink my worry and fear centre.  Time will tell, I suppose.  In the meantime I enjoy the clarity I have found and the bit of space between thoughts.
  Finally the start date for Philosophy Part 2 has nearly arrived.  I hear this section will focus on happiness.  I'm guessing it might not be so much about the pursuit, though.  I think that pursuing things (sometimes, in certain ways) could be the best way to avoid them.

3 April 2012 (here in New Zealand, anyway)
  Maybe I should go ahead and post this before too much more time passes.
  What a year it's been, so far!  I LOVE my Philosophy class; this term is nearly finished, now.  I remember the few days I managed to meditate with fondness.  How quickly I fell off of that wagon.  Perhaps I can get back on at some point.
  I had an incredible opportunity to work on a movie for 4 fun-filled days.  I had to sign more than one confidentiality agreement; so I'll wait until December (at least) to talk about it further.  I might post the lyrics to the parody of "Man or Muppet" I wrote to thank the lovely and patient make-up artists working with us, though...
  I am very grateful for the chance I've had to teach a preschool music class one day a week as part of my normal shift.  There are so many talented Kiwi artists producing terrific material suitable for starting young children off on the right foot for appreciating the wonderful language/world of music.
  "I like life.  Life likes me.  Life and I very fully agree.  Life is fine; life is good—especially mine, which is just as it should be..."

The School of Practical Philosophy

I've just finished up my first ten-session class in the beautiful mansion on the hill in Aro Valley, Wellington.  I participated in weekly two-and-a-half hour discussions on contemplating ways a wise person would approach decision making, finding moments to pause and tune in to the senses, knowing thyself, considering levels of awareness, being present, balancing the different sources of energy in life, acting justly, using reason, considering beauty, exploring unity and seeking truth.  I learned something every time and established a foundation on which to build a more solid (and, I hope, more fun to be around) Anna.  I can't believe I have to wait nearly two months to start the next class!  With the hours I'll have free I guess I could get inspired to find some supportive material at the library in the meantime or begin the long journey back into physical shape.

Sending thoughts of love and peace across cyberspace to you.

No More Shortcuts

I've burned a few bridges on this leg
And have eaten the humblest pie
I've tasted my toes and masqued with egg
Climbing down from my horse so high

It seems that my britches may have shrunk
Coinciding with "Banquet Self"
The poppy-mowing landscaper punk
Knew my pride belongs on the shelf

At last reality's fully checked
Any ruffled feathers were plucked
I'll start at the bottom, EARN respect
And embrace the system I bucked.

PSA for the EQC

Can be sung over the tune of "Special" from Avenue Q.

So, the woman you ALL will want to hear
The Newtown Community Centre is proud to present
Fresh from her world tour, headlining in
Haiti, Japan and Christchurch, New Zealand.
Please give a warm hand to
The star of Mother Nature Fights Back, Quake Safe Your Home and Survive a Tsunami
Lizzie the Safety Officer!


I can help you feel certain
That you’d know what to do
I can help you get ready
For a 7.2

The risks that we face just repeat each day
Think and know when you’d go and where you’d stay
And maybe you feel like, “It won’t hit here.”
But all the same, it’s good to prep some gear.


[Spoken: Yeah, they’re real (while showing the earthquake risk map).]


In other places the earth holds still
And seawater stays in the sea
But you might move to let down your guard
And get fires or flooding in your backyard

Some will accelerando but you can ritard with me
With me…
Others panic and speed up but you can stay calm and ritard with me.