thrums | my life, with needles and thread » video

beautiful Norway

Lori — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 13:33:59 +0000

I don’t know why I love time lapse photography so very much, but I do; I love seeing time, and I love remembering that we’re really just tiny bits of life on a large planet, whirling around in a larger galaxy, in a larger-still universe. Instead of making me feel small, it makes me feel large, and infinite.

And doesn’t it feel good to be back in the groove of everyday life? To be back in a routine, to be busy again? To be just getting it done, rather than thinking back/looking ahead? I’m immersed in my day’s work, but saw this video and wanted to post it here so I don’t lose it…..and if you enjoy it too, that makes me so happy!

“he came for the glory”

Lori — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 13:36:35 +0000

I think that’s the lyric — anyway, this little singer gave me a big smile and I hope she does you, too. Give this a chance; once all the little singers assemble and the song gets underway, you’ll see what I mean.

Merry Christmas Eve, y’all!

A.W.E.

Lori — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 22:58:33 +0000

In the truest meaning of that overused word, this gave me a feeling of awe. Chills. I felt transported, moved, shifted, elevated, awed. (The guy gets a little heavy-handed, literally, at the beginning but straightens up very quickly…)

Yeah? You too? Don’t you imagine that’s how Tchaikovsky heard it in his head when he was writing it?

i am in LOVE with him

Lori — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 14:41:47 +0000

I want to be his friend — I want to be him. If this doesn’t make you grin like an idiot, get up right now and go slap yourself in the face. Seriously. Lighten up.

the Nostalgia Series

Lori — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 10:42:23 +0000

On his facebook wall, my son recently posted something he called “The Nostalgia Series.” That led me to think there would be at least one more post like it, but so far I’m still waiting. What he posted, though, filled me with nostalgia. Have you ever seen The Point, an animated movie from 1971? (Not available streaming, but on DVD on Netflix). It’s about a little boy named Oblio, born with a round head in a village where everyone’s heads are pointed, the houses are pointed, everything is pointed. Has a point. Oblio is different, and odd (but loved by his pointy-headed family), and eventually he’s cast out and has a bunch of adventures in the wider world. It’s brilliantly-colored, like a Peter Max print, but the best part is that Harry Nilsson wrote and performed the soundtrack. My kids loved it and so did I; we may have watched it hundreds of times over the years of their childhood, and when I hear even a whiff of a lyric or melody, I’m transported back, in that way beloved music can do.

Here’s a clip, with one very beautiful song (music starts at 30secs):

Nilsson said, “I was on acid and I looked at the trees and I realized that they all came to points, and the little branches came to points, and the houses came to point. I thought, ‘Oh! Everything has a point, and if it doesn’t, then there’s a point to it.’” That’s so him. Here’s another one of my favorites. Sigh.

Thanks Will, for starting the nostalgia series. I can take it from here. (Here’s the clip he originally posted — it’s so funny, such a relic of its times. I can dig it.)

blue skies

Lori — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 15:26:47 +0000

I was taking a walk with someone a day or two ago who looked up at the beautiful cloudless sky and said “the sky looked exactly like this on September 11.” This time of year, in this city, perfect days with cloudless blue skies call that to mind, I guess. That kind of juxtaposition is often associated with tragedy, and I guess it just magnifies everything so much…..there we were, just having a good time, when out of the blue….

Anyway. It’s another gorgeous day, with cloudless blue skies, and I’m so grateful for it. My nasty-ass summer cold is finally starting to ebb, after a solid week, so good things seem even brighter. The sun is out, the sky is blue, it’s beautiful, and so are you, even if your name isn’t Prudence. In honor of the beautiful day, I offer you two versions of musical blue skies. One version, Willie Nelson’s cover of Blue Skies, is a bluesy melancholy-tinged version and the other, ELO’s Mr. Blue Sky is right up your alley if you’re feeling sunny and happy. I aim to please, no matter where you may be emotionally!

Also! One sleeve down, and I’m super-motivated to knock the second sleeve out as fast as I can because I’ve got my Vodka Gimlet yarn coming, and I want to wear this sweet little cardigan while I can:

He’s coming! He’s very cute!

Lori — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 14:10:58 +0000

Last week, on my trip downtown, this stern-looking black guy wearing a suit and carrying a briefcase got on the train. I wouldn’t have noticed him, but he started shouting (I had to get out my little notebook to write this down….I couldn’t make this up!):

Jesus Christ is coming soon!
I met him at Lincoln Center.
He was wearing jeans.
He was very cute.

He went on to address our expected concerns about his message, saying he knows we’re wondering why Jesus Christ would’ve met him there — him, a black guy. Of all the concerns I may have had, that actually wasn’t on my list.

And if you’ve read this blog for a long time, you may remember a couple times I’ve mentioned this woman who comes into the train wheeling a little boombox and speaker, and sings that old disco Donna Summer song, “On the Radio.” Well I just love that song anyway, but she does such a wonderful job I’m always happy when she appears. (And that’s pretty rare; most of the time it’s horrible…the other exception is the roaming mariachi band I adore.) This time I pulled out my phone and shot a little video, so you can hear her voice. It’s amazing. Although I do wonder if she has any other song in her repertoire; I’ve been listening to her sing this for years, and this is all she ever sings. It’s only 56 seconds, so wait for the end, when she gets to the belting-it-out part. She came on at one stop, and I had to get off at the next. Bummer. (And sorry for not knowing how to rotate the video .)

going on my happy page

Lori — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 17:02:59 +0000

This is definitely going on my happy page, but I was afraid you’d miss it and it’s just too wonderful. Thanks to Pamela for posting it on fb!

awe.

Lori — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 19:30:14 +0000

Are you like me? Do you love time-lapse photography of the sky? Yeah? Here:

From the photographer: This was filmed between 4th and 11th April 2011. I had the pleasure of visiting El Teide. Spain´s highest mountain @(3718m) is one of the best places in the world to photograph the stars and is also the location of Teide Observatories, considered to be one of the world´s best observatories.

The goal was to capture the beautiful Milky Way galaxy along with one of the most amazing mountains I know El Teide. I have to say this was one of the most exhausting trips I have done. A large sandstorm hit the Sahara Desert on the 9th April and at approx 3am in the night the sandstorm hit me, making it nearly impossible to see the sky with my own eyes.

Interestingly enough my camera was set for a 5 hour sequence of the milky way during this time and I was sure my whole scene was ruined. To my surprise, my camera had managed to capture the sandstorm which was backlit by Grand Canary Island making it look like golden clouds. The Milky Way was shining through the clouds, making the stars sparkle in an interesting way. So if you ever wondered how the Milky Way would look through a Sahara sandstorm, look at 00:32.

Music by my friend: Ludovico Einaudi – “Nuvole bianche” with permission.

chocolate jesus

Lori — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 19:01:03 +0000

Just in time for the upcoming Christian holiday:

And don’t think he made this up — this page shows you all kinds of chocolate Jesus confections, if you want to get some for the kids this Easter! Chocolate Last Suppers, chocolate crucifixes, crucifix lollipops, something for everyone. Me, I love Peeps.

Tom Waits LOVE. I love this one too — the line “come on down off the cross, we could use the wood” — is just so great.

The world is not my home, I’m just a-passin through, that line in the song is from an old hymn my great-grandmother sang for the last dozen years of her life.

And this one reminds me of a specific day with my friend Sherlock.