Depression has messed up my last two weeks. I haven't done any writing. Well, I haven't done much of
anything except read tweets, monitor Facebook, and sleep. Yes, I did celebrate Thanksgiving, but I think the only reason I did was because my stepdaughter was with us. Depression has just knocked me down, and it's different this time. In the past, when I've had a depressive episode, it lasts a few days, and I'm usually crying. I don't really cry, get angry or become frustrated anymore. I just feel numb. I feel like there really isn't a point to anything anymore. And I don't have any energy or motivation to do anything about it, which if you think about it is a good thing!

I'm reminded of one of my goals of 2013 - to work through the "to accept the things I cannot change" line of

the Serenity Prayer. Nope, I didn't really do that. And, the more I think about where I am whether due to my own actions, the actions of others, or actions beyond my control, I'm in a position I hate. I'm in a position where I think, what's the point? I need to move past this point, and some days I do. I listen to my music. I play a game with my husband or my stepdaughter. I write. I smile. I know that people say that I have a cute smile, and they love my laugh. I just wish sometimes it was more genuine than it feels. Thankfully, I have a husband who is a tremendous support and who understands that depression isn't just sadness but is actually a disease.

So for now, I'm still seeking solutions. In the last five years, I've been on seven different antidepressants
plus the over the counter Wellbutrin. I seem to develop a tolerance to every single one. Today, my doctor increased the dosage of my current one. We're going to give it another month before we discuss another change. My lovely insurance, which I thought would improve once I moved from state insurance to federal insurance (from medicaid to medicare), now creates a hardship for me to go to counseling. I haven't seen my counselor since September because first medicaid cut my insurance and then, once I became eligible for medicare, I need to pay a copay - a copay I can't afford. It's frustrating. I know there has to be alternatives... such as this afternoon.

I received a lovely massage from a graduate of the school where I once worked. It was excellent, so

fantastically thorough, and it left me feeling lighter than I've felt in a long time. The firm touch made me feel less numb, if that makes sense. This massage was a gift, which explains why I was able to get it! If I want to return for another massage, it will cost me $60/session. In my opinion, that massage was better than three weeks worth of counseling. I'm not exactly sure when the feeling will wear off, but I'd certainly like to be able to return for a massage once it does until my brain can figure out how to regulate its own hormones.

Sigh, well, this blog should be about writing, so let me conclude with telling you about my participation in NaNoWriMo and the New York Midnight Flash Fiction Challenge.

First, with NaNoWriMo or National Novel Writing Month, in November, I only succeeded with writing 9,000 words. I'm pretty disappointed. I hoped to get more written toward the end of the month, but the depression just wouldn't allow it. I'm still working on the novel, though. I won't give it up till it's finished; I just don't know exactly when I'll finish it!



I entered the New York Midnight Flash Fiction Challenge in August. My first

submission in September earned zero points. My second submission in October earned one point. The goal was to get near fifteen points with each submission, so I was eliminated. Still, with my one point, I finished in 17th place for my group! I'm content with that. The next competition is a short story contest, so I'm thinking about entering that as well!

I can't guarantee there will be a blog tomorrow, but let's hope so!

I'm giddy! Tomorrow night, I get to see one of my favorite Seattle groups perform, and it's the first time I'll see them perform since I first heard about them 3 years ago.

A little background? I was writing for examiner.com as their Tacoma Hip Hop writer back in 2009 and decided to do a weekly "What's happening in the Puget Sound". Upon some research, I discovered a group called Black Stax was performing with a French duo called Les Nubians in 2010. I figured as they were performing at the Showbox - a pretty notable place in Seattle, they must be well-known in the area; so, I did a write-up about the show. Little did I know then that I would fall in love with their music.

I followed their shows but was never able to attend because of my health, finances, or transportation. I was determined that I would see a show this month, so I asked them last month where they would be performing next. As it turns out, they're performing at a benefit show in south Seattle tomorrow, November 12, and I will be there!

The show is called Soul Crank, benefiting Bike Works and hosted by Seattle's Royal Room on Rainier Avenue South, and will feature Black Stax, of course, along with Camila Recchio, Danelle Hayes, Darrius Willrich, J. Charles, Rocky Sandoval, DJ Fresh1, and a special guest host. I'd never heard of these other artists, so of course, I did some research. Now I'm even more excited to see this hip hop, jazz, and soul-infused show!

Bike Works, as one might suspect, is an organization that supports cycling. Specifically, though, the company promotes healthy living and a cleaner environment by helping both children and adults learn more about bicycles and collaborating on events that support the activity.

Singer, songwriter, and Seattle native, Camila Recchio has been involved in music her entire life. As a youth, she participated in Seattle's Total Experience Gospel Choir and easily found mentors who taught her everything she could possibly need to know about the music industry. Her influences include black gospel music and hip hop, and you can listen to and purchase her recent album, released in 2012, Acoustic Originals, at Bandcamp. Aside from her passion for music, she has a passion for child development and early childhood education.

In my opinion, I'm glad Danelle Hayes didn't force the issue to compete on American Idol. As another one of my favorite artist sings, "You can bring the house down and get a million calls, standing ovation round of applause, and all they can talk about is how you look". Since her audition on American Idol, this Puget Sounder has worked to get her voice heard throughout Washington, Nevada, California, Arizona Montana, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. Her sweet soul and rock sounding voice has also been featured on KJR's Bob Rivers Show. She certainly exceeded the fifteen minutes of fame with which most American Idol contestants leave the show. Like Camila, Danelle is also passionate about education. Fifty percent of the proceeds from downloads of her song "I Need You to Hate Me" are donated to Camp Southern Ground, an organization that works with children who have neurodevelopmental disorders including autism and Asperger syndrome.

Darrius Willrich doesn't just perform jazz. He also teaches it at local Seattle Central Community College. AND, he received his degree in jazz piano. That should be enough to describe this jazz and soul musician, but there's more! UK group So Soulful's newest album features Darrius' song, Say All the Things. As of November 10, the So Soulful Collection is ranked at number 15 on the UK Soul Chart Top 30. So Soulful Collection is available through links on their website. Darrius' most recent album, "Can't Get Enough", is available at Amazon, iTunes, and CDBaby.

J. Charles, like Camila, is a singer and songwriter within the soul genre. He performs with his voice and keyboards as part of the group, Solstarr, and they have been featured frequently throughout the Puget Sound. You can listen to his music at Reverbnation.

Rocky Sandoval, like Danelle, was another one who narrowly avoided American Idol fame; though he also competed on Making the Band and The Score. His skills did not go unnoticed, and even though reality shows ignored his talent, major player, R&B artist Ginuwine, didn't, and Rocky has since opened for Ginuwine, Bel Biv Devoe, Dru Hill, and other artists. After he released his debut self-titled album in 2009, Sandoval has released several mixtapes. His sophomore album, or better labeled "first full-length album", comes out later this year. Fans can hear some of the music from the album at Tacoma's Tap Room Underground on Friday, November 29th. Tickets are $5.

Aside from his Seattle Hip Hop DJing career, DJ Fresh1, AKA Cameron Sparks, is a sports aficionado. He is founder, CEO, and columnist at Fantasy Football Life, a website that boasts over 250 members with questions and discussions about fantasy football. Though a Seattle native, his favorite team is the Arizona Cardinals. You can listen to two of his mixes at SoundCloud.

NaNoWriMo is here! I had almost forgotten until I started getting Facebook status updates from the group.

Yes, it started at midnight this morning, which for me was just about fourteen hours ago. Unfortunately, I haven't done any writing on my novel just yet. My original goal was to pick up on a story I started earlier this year, but after some thinking, I've decided I'm going to use the story idea with a lot of tweaks! So, today, has been about research, and hopefully, tonight will be about writing.

Wikimedia.org

To give you a taste, let me tell you a bit about my story. (Some of you already know the concept!) My novel tells the story of two young boys who float up the Truckee River from Lake Tahoe to Pyramid Lake in the late 1850s. I've decided to eliminate the backstory of how the family arrived in Lake Tahoe and instead pick up the story when they arrive. That will eliminate half of what I've already written. I've also decided that instead of the boys becoming lost, they are accomplishing a mission. One of my fellow writers on the NaNoWriMo website suggested I make the trip a tribute to the boys' father who dies shortly after the family arrives in Lake Tahoe. I'm thinking that out. It could work; although, my boys are still very young - so it would take a lot of convincing for the mom to let them go just because it was something their dad would have done.

Anyway, I'll update with my wordcount tomorrow. For now, I want to remind my readers that I'm writing

this month for Jace Poncio. As I wrote in last Friday's blog, Jace is the 2 year-old son of my dear friends Tisha and Jason. The doctors diagnosed Jace with Leukemia in January of this year, and he has been in and out of the hospital for the last ten months. As a way of supporting me, I'm asking that you donate to Jace's medical fund to help his family with the cost of his treatments. You may donate in any way you are able and feel willing. As a suggestion, perhaps you could donate $5 for every 5,000 words I write? You can mail your donation to -
Jace Poncio Medical Fund
PO Box 6
Celina, Tx 75009

If you would like to donate via paypal instead, please contact me by clicking the link at the right.

Thank you! And, now, back to writing!

I was supposed to start my first neuroscience class today, associated with EdX; however, the website that's hosting the class isn't ready yet! Funny, as the course is offered by Harvard, but I suppose I can be patient. I'm really looking forward to finally thoroughly understanding how neurons work throughout the body and especially in the central nervous system. I anticipate that the knowledge gained in this course will make me more eager to read the scientific papers published on neuroscience.

Comicvine.com

So leaving my own studies behind, I wanted to reflect on a recent article a friend tweeted: advances in neurological helps and neuroenhancement. I wrote in an earlier blog about a woman who used neurotransmitters attached to her tongue to re-regulate her brain. Well, that is one definition of neuroenhancement. Basically, neuroscientists have developed ways to help those with neurological disorders. Great, right? Well, it's only great in so far as the neuroenhancement is only used for neurological disorders. I can see how neuroenhancement could take a further step and be used for anyone who wants to improve his brain function and become a super human. Yes, I'm referring to a slippery slope argument, but it can happen.

The article in question cites that there are 700,000 neuro-stimulation devices used worldwide. Similar to the woman who was helped with the tongue device, these neuro-stimulators have helped with pain management, and tremors. Further research hopes to see these neuro-transmitters aid with hearing and Parkinson's disease. It all sounds wonderful, but I hope that the neuroenhancement will stop with healing brain damage or injury.

Startrek.com

This article reminds me of Dr. Julian Bashir (portrayed by Alexander Siddig) from Star TrekDeepSpace Nine. For those of you who never watched the show, Dr. Bashir's parents sent their son for genetic engineering because he experienced some developmental delays. As a result of this neuroenhancement, he became highly intelligent and skilled. As a doctor, his skills were extremely valuable; however, he nearly lost his credentials when the federation discovered he had been genetically enhanced.

We've already seen many of these futuristic star trek issues become reality. Now that neuro-stimulators are a reality, will opportunities available to the fictional Dr. Bashir become immediate, even if they're illegal?

Today marks the 5-year anniversary of my last miscarriage. We didn't name the first two babies, but with this last one, we decided to give the baby the name I always wanted for a girl - Emalea Erzsebet. I only realized after my miscarriages that Emalea was not a name I made up, but rather a type of butterly. I suppose that's fitting, as the butterfly is the symbol for miscarriages and infant loss.

So, what does this have to do with music? Music is my go-to source for happiness, solace, encouragement,

etc. I have music I rely on to help me cope during the sad moments of my life. And, I immersed myself in music immediately after my miscarriages by attending concerts that helped me avoid the pain that was unbearable. I wasn't even going to blog today because I just wanted to curl up under the covers, but instead, I put in my earbuds and hit shuffle.

Some of my favorite songs that help me when I think about my babies are Pink's Don't Let Me Get Me, Chayanne's Hasta Que El Alma Resista, Danny Wood's Let it Go, Whitney Houston's Didn't We Almost Have It All, Cee Lo Green's Forget You, Avril Lavigne's Slipped Away, Eminem's No Love, Lee Ann Womack's I Hope You Dance, and Demi Lovato's Give Your Heart a Break. It's quite an eclectic collection, but my musical taste is eclectic.

Avril Levigne's Slipped Away is the best song I've found to describe my miscarriage. There are other
songs that talk about wanting one more opportunity to see one's baby, but I'm stuck in that moment that Avril sings of so clearly that very moment when the heart stops beating. It's that moment that the name, "Mom" was stolen from me, and nothing can change it - not one more chance to see my baby. It's funny that Avril wasn't writing about a miscarriage when she wrote the song. She was writing about her grandfather who died when she was on tour, but so many women and couples have claimed the song as a testament to their feelings about losing their babies. I know I'm not the only one that can't stop thinking about that moment when her baby died.

So, now I'll return to under the covers and my music, and leave you with this thought. What songs help you deal with the most painful moments in your life?

A week from today, I start NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). I'll be working on a middle-grade fiction - aimed at adolescents. I started it back in July, but it stalled because it became boring. Now that NaNoWriMo is here, I'm determined to finish the book! The story is about two brothers who travel up the Truckee River in the 1860s, their adventures with pioneers and Native Americans, and their participation in the Pyramid Lake battle where a tribe of Native Americans lost most of their land.

So, here's where I ask you for help. I have 30 days to write 50,000 words. I'd love your emails, 
tweets, facebook posts of encouragement. But, if you'd like to go one step further, you can "sponsor" my writing by helping a friend.

Yes, NaNoWriMo does have its own fundraiser, but to me, it looks like selling girl scout cookies - the person who raises the most money wins a prize. The only prize I want to win is the one for meeting my goal. So, instead, I'm asking if you would be willing to sponsor me by helping Jace and his family.

Jace is the 2 year-old son of my friends, Tisha and Jason Poncio. In January 2013, the doctors diagnosed

him with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. He's had his ups and downs, and unfortunately, he has spent too much time in the hospital, which is a 45-minute drive from his home. Tisha and Jason have two other daughters who are elementary school-age. They miss their brother terribly and are grateful for those few bright moments when their brother is healthy enough to be home and can share some special moments with them.

Tisha works as a high school teacher, and Jason is a graphic designer. They have both missed several days of work due to Jace's illness.

So, my request is this - if you are able, would you be willing to help Jason and Tisha financially as I write? You can help as little or as much as you are able, but I was thinking maybe $5 per every 5,000 words I write?

You can send your donations to
Jace Poncio Medical Fund
PO Box 6
Celina, Tx 75009

If you would like to send your donation via paypal, let me know, and I can get you that information.

Thank you! And, let the writing begin!

If I ever wanted to find a site to suggest further research on the positive correlations for music education, I think this article might be the place. The National Association for Music Education (NAfME) recently tweeted the link, but the article dates to 2007. Obviously, I would need to find more recent links, but this is a great start!

First, NAfME provides links to useful positively-biased music education organizations such as Support Music, Music Friends, The Sounds of Learning Project, and others. Then it provides the stats.

Music benefits society: Those who participate in the communal music activities such as choir, band, and orchestra learn how to communicate with others, work with others to produce a successful result, and see the talents in others. I'll have to check with some of my music friends, but I think that it is the students in collaboration with their teacher who choose the leaders of their organization; therefore, they also know what it takes to be a leader and respect for that leader. NAfME also cites that students who participate in music activities are more likely to be financially successful as they require skill development far beyond any typical English, science, or math class. Perhaps the best summary about the benefit to society is this: "These include the ability to think critically, to transcend local loyalties and to approach international problems as a 'citizen of the world'."

Music benefits school and learning: Students who participate in school are more likely to graduate and less likely to participate in criminal activities. In previous blogs, I've discussed how music participation has a positive correlation to improved study skills, communication, higher standardized test scores, and improved academic performance. Using the statistics provided by NAfME, the National Association of Music Merchants adds that music majors represent the highest amount of accepted students in medical school. This is based on a 1994 study, but I have to assume that the trend has continued.

Upon reading these statistics on how music enhances school performance, I'm reminded of a book I read recently about hip-hop culture in college. The most striking information in this book was that of sampling. Sampling in hip hop music relates to using previous music in newer music: Think of Sean Combs, aka P. Diddy, aka Puff Daddy, who sampled the Police's Every Breath You Take in his I'll Be Missing You. A student, considered a hip hop collegian, similarly samples information and critically examines the information. Petchauer, who wrote Hip Hop Culture in Students' Lives, describes these students as information seekers. I qualify this as a benefit to learning; though Petchauer doesn't specifically speak about those who have participated in music activities but rather those who have a greater degree of music appreciation than others.

Music benefits intelligence: Similar to school enhancement, music also contributes to increased brain activity, perhaps even neuroplasticity. I wrote in a recent blog how Sting's extended immersion in music appreciation including vocal and instrument learning, contributed to cross-hemisphere activity. Those with little to no music experience showed only mono-hemisphere activity. Other research shows that music activity has a high correlation to memory, sensitivity to sound, and general communication.

Finally, music benefits life: NAfME shares that music correlates to the development of new ideas, a quality even greater than any academic skills. Music active individuals are often more likely to adapt to changing situations. NAfME also talks about earlier life satisfaction, which makes me think of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's Theory of Flow where an individual will perform best in an area that most balances interest and challenge. If a child experiences both interest and challenge at an early age, in which music does, perhaps this will lead the individual to continue to seek those areas that offer the same balance, and perhaps this individual will be more likely to develop a concrete career earlier than others.


Perhaps you could substitute sports or another activity for music which could show the same results. What do you think?

There were two "chats" this week in this Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) I'm taking this month, and they definitely caused me to think more about PLNs, specifically what are they and how I can improve them.

In last week's blog about PLNs, I shared my mindmap which showed which social networks I belong to and who belonged to that social network. But, I need to rethink that. One thing I learned this week is that it's not about the network, but about the networking.

It doesn't matter if I use Facebook, Google Plus, Twitter, etc. So, does everyone else! I need to start viewing these networking tools as subscriptions. Yes, Facebook, Google Plus, twitter, etc. are free tools. Anyone can sign up, but when you're actually using them with an intended purpose, you are subscribing, and that "fee" is engagement.

So, moving forward, I need to differentiate between a Personal Learning Network (PLN) and a Personal Learning Environment (PLE). The best way to characterize them is by the level of engagement. If I am only reading about what a person does, I'm learning, but I'm not interacting. I know that learning doesn't have to involve interacting, but it certainly helps! Learning without interacting, to me, is the Personal Learning Environment. It's very necessary and sometimes the only way of learning from a particular individual; however, the moment I choose to interact with the person instead of just his "stuff", this person has moved from an "environment" into a "network".

The moderator of our  most recent PLN chat asked us to create a definition of a personal learning network in one tweet, so here is mine: "A Personal Learning Network is an opportunity to move from simply learning to actually engaging with those who share a common interest."

Keeping in mind my new definition, I need to spell out for myself what this looks like. I'll first assign three categories for my PLN which were present on my last blog: Writing, Neuro & Education, and Music. These groups are important to me because it tells me what I can learn from individuals in those groups. Then, I need to choose who should be in each group, keeping in mind that adding or removing an individual from these groups is always a possibility. Third, I need to find where I can find the individuals in each group. And, finally, I need to narrow those locations to those where I can actually engage with the individual.

As an example, three people I feel best belong in my PLN are realtor and all-around amazing person, Shauna Zamarripa; musician, psychologist, neuroscientist, writer, and esteemed educator Daniel Levitin; and music director, musician, and mentor extraordinaire, L*A*W.

I have no interest in realty or sales, but Shauna, whom I've known for over twenty years, is also an excellent writer. So, for the purposes of my PLN, Shauna fits in my writing group. Step three? Where can I find Shauna? She's on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Blogger. She  shares professional nuggets of wisdom as
well as personal moments of her life on Facebook. She writes blogs and articles on multiple subjects, and she tweets about real estate , money management, and writing.  One might think that twitter would be an appropriate venue for engaging with Shauna, but that is not the case. This is not to say that Shauna and I would never have a twitter conversation, but she uses her twitter feed primarily to retweet and advertise/promote herself.

Here's another lesson about PLNs - check a person's twitter feed. Does he interact with others on twitter? Would he interact with you on twitter? Answering those two questions can determine through which network is best to engage. For Shauna, the best medium of communication is through Facebook. I can comment on her posts where she will quickly respond or send her messages, which she also promptly answers. So, following my steps, Shauna is a writer with whom I can interact on facebook.

One of my classmates classified a PLN as being one where there is an individual you would most like to meet. For me, that person is Daniel Levitin. I first learned about the field of music cognition from Dr. Levitin through his book This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession, and I've tried to keep up with what he is doing through watching videos and reading his books and research studies. There will be an opportunity to meet Dr. Levitin next year at the research conference offered by the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) next April, and I hope I'm able to attend. While Dr. Levitin could easily fit into either music or neuro and education, for the purposes of my PLN, he is part of my neuro and education group.

So, where I can I find Dr. Levitin? He has a personal website, a laboratory site through his university, an Amazon page, a Facebook page, and a Twitter account. Like Shauna, Dr. Levitin retweets relevant links. He also asks questions and provides an article to promote discussion about an issue. Does he interact with others? Yes. I've found that Dr. Levitin will interact with others to thank them for compliments. He'll also occasionally respond to questions. I asked him in August when his personal website's calendar will be updated with 2014 events, and he responded: "Look for a book tour in Seattle fall 2014". His response told me two things. First, of course, he answered the question. Second, he took the time to look at my profile which showed my location. While his interaction is somewhat limited, I feel the best form of engagement is twitter. Therefore, Daniel Levitin is a neuroscientist and educator with whom I can interact on twitter.

Finally, there is L*A*W. I discovered him through Twitter about three years ago, and have found him to be wonderful source of learning ever since. As a musician, L*A*W easily fits in my music group. He shares his music through Youtube and DatPiff. He sells his music through all the music websites. He shares his words of wisdom on twitter, Facebook, and Youtube blogs. In any of these areas, I can learn a lot about the music business and how to distinguish a bad artist from a good artist or a good artist from an amazing artist. L*A*W has also introduced me to other artists that I can choose to follow or not. While I can leave comments on his Youtube page or on various sales sites, neither offers me the opportunity to engage with L*A*W. If I want L*A*W to be a part of my PLN and not just part of my PLE, I need to engage with him on Twitter, where fortunately, he is eager to interact and tweets on a regular basis. Again, following the steps I gave myself, L*A*W is a musician with whom I can engage on Twitter.

My PLN MOOC's most recent chat also asked at which level of interaction would you consider an individual or organization a PLN. Because I mentioned twitter with each of the three individuals I listed, I think "levels of interaction" could be a discussion in determining PLNs, but I don't think there should be a qualifying level of interaction to declare an individual a member of one's PLN. As you will see, Shauna, Daniel, and L*A*W use Twitter. Shauna's interactions on twitter are significantly limited, Daniel interacts occasionally, and L*A*W interacts daily. If I were to look at levels or even a "beginning level" as defined by Twitter, I might rule out both Daniel and Shauna. But, I would prefer to look at levels as either zero or one. Is there engagement? If not, do I want to find engagement? If not, then the individual remains a part of my PLE. Further, I can't limit my networks to simply Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus, etc. Just because a person might not interact much on one network does not mean that he won't interact on others.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on my latest reflections on PLNs. You can comment here or contact me through Twitter or Google Plus. By the way, if you want to add me to your PLN, I most engage with others on Twitter!

It's amazing how I continue to meet Puget Sound hip hop artists two years after I stopped writing for examiner.com. It only demonstrates how one contact can lead to so many others! Never neglect the power of networking!

The newest local hip hop artist is actually new to the Puget Sound. Chris Blount, aka The Butcher and formerly known as Cutta, recently moved here from New Orleans by way of Chicago and Dallas. He brings his own flavor to hip hop, using more than just beats and samples.

In his newest album, I Win, Chris Blount combines clever rhymes with choruses and hooks sometimes sung by him and sometimes sung by others. He references his religious upbringing, important sports figures, and political figures. And, like most hip hop artists I've met, he talks about his hometown.




As he's just moved to the area, he's working toward becoming familiar with the area and getting his family settled, but hopefully, local hip hop lovers can find him performing before the end of the year.

Here are my thoughts on selected tracks from I Win.

If "Intro" was an introduction for "Bittersweet Success", I'd say it was spot on. Who else would use the words of the head of the Nation of Islam, Honorable Reverend Louis Farrakhan? But, this is Chris' introduction to his album. He combines identifiable journeys in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam in one line to tell his listeners this is his autobiographical journey through religion and his identity as a hip-hop artist. Like many religious leaders, is the job of the hip-hop artist to dispel ignorance? Two of my favorite lines from this track?
//"If I'm not the hottest rapper, I apologize. // 'Bitches, chains, and coke!' //There! Are you satisfied?"//
//"And many came, but the fact still remains //that I'm on a different 'plain' //while they're stuck in baggage claim".//
But is Chris making too powerful of a statement? This track ends with Farrakhan saying, "By the help of Almighty God, I'm gon' be your worst nightmare". No doubt, Chris is talented. No doubt, he knows how to put style on hip hop music. No doubt, he's struggled and succeeded. But he's definitely leaving no room for questioning. Let Chris do as he says: //"Why gloat with the crow? //Let the grind speak"//.

"Naked Before My Captors".... not a title you would associate with carnival music, but that is exactly what you hear when Chris collaborates with Chicago's Northpilot on this song. And, when this song starts, you wouldn't even guess it is hip hop. Maybe a little jazz, a bit of top 40. The song sounds a bit familiar, and just when you're trying to recall where you first heard the lyrics, Chris enters in spitting with the chorus? No, Northpilot already covered that. Chris is here to reiterate his win, waking up to a sun shining affirming he is on the right path. It's short, and if you've taken the chance to blink, Northpilot is back.
Chris takes over again after another verse and chorus, long after you thought he would, with a wake up call. The carnival music? It's still running, and I now see clowns shouting at you rather than trying to make you laugh. So who's naked? And, who are the captors?  The captors are the ones you're struggling against when you're trying to make your way, when you're pushing for success when no one wants you to achieve. Chris, as a rapper, is naked because he refuses to follow the path of the typical hip hop artist. His music is "raw" as he remembers the lessons his family taught.  A new twist on the tired phrase, wearing your heart on your sleeve, Chris tells us, //"My artery beats exactly where my shoulder should lean".// The song's format and the message reminds me of Eminem's track with Jessica Simpson, "We Made You". True, Chris's words are more abstract where Eminem is specific, but still I'm willing to make a very mild comparison. It's funny: I didn't choose this track as my favorite when I first listened to the album, again showing why you should never listen to a song less than five times if you want to know if it's good or bad.

A slow guitar and a mournful male harmony starts "Bittersweet Success". Again, Chris speaks about the struggle of being a rapper, specifically the need to be real, the possibility of offending, and the reality of dying //"over something you said on track six"//. His first line brings that message with a powerful jolt:
 //"Success is bittersweet //like the disappointing fact //that Katrina made you recognize my city's on the map".// Chris brings to light how violence is the beginning, middle, and end of street rap. Even the best protection puts a rapper in danger. The male harmony dissolves into a single female voice as Chris describes the inevitable death of an artist in the wrong place at the wrong time. He talks of New Oreleans' artists, VL Mike and Soulja Slim whose gunman was released and then found dead. The music ends before Chris does, an aural representation of an artist's end of life or his career. Chris finishes the track with his shout outs over dead-air: //"I'd like to thank to God for bringing me here 'cause a lot of brothers didn't make it out this year"//. So is it worth it? Are the money and the fans enough? It's a heavy decision to choose to make your opinions public and to choose rap as the medium for how you feel.

There's a rhythm in "Respect My Come Up" that demands listeners hear Chris' story. Like all the other songs on the album, this track has its score that starts with a type of fighter introduction. The backing melody is a jazz tune that rises and falls as Chris talks again about how he won because he learned the lessons required to be a winner. One of my favorite lines in this album is quite simple, but it follows with the footfalls that make you want to put the song on repeat: //"First, they love you. //Then they hate you. //Then they love you again. //Then they hate you. //Then they love you. //Back to hatred again."

Finally, Chris leaves his Wu-Tang Clan-inspired name behind when he steps out in title track, "I Win" - //"Say goodbye to the Cut. //Say hello to Christopher"//. He brags of his success as an artist. He boasts of how he pushed through despite push-back and how others wouldn't have succeeded in what he has learned.  And women? Chris says he has the ability to seduce any woman who would just look at him or see his skills. Does he specify his different skills? No. Instead, he lets lispy Mike Tyson speak his succinct message:  "I'm the best. I'm the best. I'm not a textbook fighter or a jab right-hander. I fight to win. I do everything to win. My objective is to win". Does Chris I-W-I-N? You'll have to listen to the rest of the tracks to make that decision for yourself.

Chris Blount's album, I Win, is a collaboration with his friends who call themselves, The Gentlemen of Leisure, self-described as an unofficial "musical collective of like-minded individuals spanning across varying genres of music that have to come together with a purpose".  The primary players are guitarist and songwriter, Lawrence "Sphinx Akashaa" Duncan, keyboardist and songwriter, PAWL, emcee and album editor, Keeynote, and producer Ian F, who worked on a previous Chris Blount album. Further, along with Northpilot, this album also features Omekka from Famsquad.

The album, I Win, is available for download at Bandcamp.

Do you want to learn more about Chris Blount like I do? Follow him on Twitter. Like him on Facebook. He'll definitely let you know where to find him in the Puget Sound

New Year's Goals & Resolutions

I know I'm not the first person who has had this thought, but why not set new year's resolutions for the day after your birthday? This is the first time I'm doing it, but I hope to continue to do so in the coming years. My birthday is at the end of this month, so I set goals to meet by my birthday and resolutions I want to continue through my birthday and forward.

My goal was to be walking with a cane rather than with a walker. I've been doing that for a week now, and today, I took my first walk outside by myself. It was a wobbly walk, but also a freeing walk. I know I will be less wobbly by October 27th.

My resolution is to do more writing. I know, I've continued to state this goal without being able to follow through, but I'm attempting another creative effort. I've decided to use twitter hashtags to motivate my writing, and in doing so, intend to write five days a week.

As an example, Monday's tweets often include #MusicMondays, used to promote favorite artists' twitter accounts. I already write about artists in my blogs, though, not on a usual basis. Perhaps, if I set aside Monday as my #MusicMonday, I can write about an artist and/or album once a week.

The remaining days of the week I've based off of #MusicMonday in that they follow alliteration and reflect my current interests:
#TeachingTuesday will be blogs about education, either an article I've read or current events in early childhood education.
#WritingWednesday will be blogs about writing. I'm sure that sounds redundant, but right now I'm taking an online class that has an optional requirement of blogging about my reflections. Next month, I'll participate in NaNoWriMo. While I won't be sharing my story online, I can talk about how many words I've completed, what inspirations I used in my story, and my word goal for the following week.
#ThoughtfulThursday will be for blogs related to neuroscience, music cogntion, or neuropsychology. Yes, I'm using a word that typically relates to emotions to focus on the keyword, "thought" which of course begins in the brain.
Finally, Friday will be my catch-all day. Twitter has #FollowFridays which is similar to #MusicMonday but is a catch-all for any twitter account that a tweeter has found valuable. I will have #FavoritesFriday and it will offer me the ability to write a second blog in any of the week's categories or something completely unrelated - such as my improvements in walking!

I'd love to hear your thoughts as I start my next blog for #MusicMonday!

To start off this MOOC called Exploring PLNs (personal learning networks), I chose to do a mind map, using the Simple Mind software on both my Android and laptop. My initial goal was to get a better, more detailed look at what my networks are. After completing the mindmap, though, I realized how much overlap there is. I also realized how some opportunities for networking aren't being met.

But, first here's the mind map, first as a whole and then in sections because as you'll see, my mindmap is quite large:

So, I see my existing PLNs as blogs, twitter, google plus, facebook, internet favorites, subscriptions, linkedin, and other. When I made this mindmap, I provided more detail on my facebook, twitter, and linkedin than anywhere else.

Starting from the top and going clockwise, you'll see my current blog following is quite small! So, perhaps lesson two is, add more blogs! I could make LinkedIn more useful for me if I actually utilized it! I receive notifications daily of my endorsements, and I've built a substantial network through my 1st, 2nd, and 3rd degree connections. I also found useful groups which update me about weekly with different discussion topics. Again, I need to make more use of LinkedIn.

I hadn't initially thought of subscriptions as networks, but I do learn through these subscriptions. As I've mentioned most recently in my blogs, open access peer review journals are amazing. So, I've subscribed to both PLOS and MDPI. While, I'm new to Google Plus, I have seen its advantages. Of course, I have to thank my blog connection - Learning Snippets for bringing me to the Google Plus connection of the MOOC, but before finding out about MOOCs, I found out about the communities, and I enjoy reading the posts.

I'm not sure if anyone else would classify internet favorites as networks, but it was after I realized that some of the people I'd most like to network with aren't active in networks. As an example, the associations I find closest to my intended field of work tend to provide more information on their website than on twitter. Likewise, Judy Willis's webpage "RADteach" gives me more information about her background and cummulative research than she provides on her twitter account.

 Yes, I typically use Facebook for games, but I've also found the groups function as very useful. I didn't include it, but I belong to two different genealogy groups on FB which help in my hobby of searching my lineage, and people post there all the time! I especially like when groups post events because they're easy to find on facebook. Unless I write down an event tweeted on twitter, I won't be able to find that date unless I remember who tweeted it or I scroll through thousands of tweets!

Speaking of twitter... Aside from the events issue, I find twitter to be my most valuable network, specifically for its list function. Everyone I follow is in at least one list, and most are in two. I follow almost 200 tweeters, divided initially into friends, acquaintances, and mentors.  From there, I have music/entertainment, neuro/education, and news. Because lists are a priority for me, I struggled to find a decent Android twitter app. Right now, I'm using Carbon, and it works really well. Finally, my others section are areas that I haven't quite decided as networks. I do use all of them currently except for reddit, but are they truly learning networks.