John Lennon ghost wants me to keep the internet and you don't argue with John Lennon ghost.

Pop Quiz!

What do you get when the most disorganized person in the world tries to take on PTA fundraising responsibilities, run an etsy shop, agrees to attempt to write a comic strip, agrees to attempt to write a book, and tries to write jokes in her kid's lunch box everyday because she saw it on Pinterest?

Me. You get me, the disorganized fool spending the rest of the day slagging off all of everything, watching the kids play outside for hours and sipping on wine.

And now as I type this, feet kicked up in defiance of THE MAN, very much Ferris Bueller to be honest, I'm listening to my kids kill each other in the other room and I'm going to have to go investigate this, aren't I? 

Oh, nevermind, here they come yelling at me.  Apparently there's been an attempted murder by "slapping and a cardboard brick to the eye and even the nose!"

This is why I feel like I'm opting out today. Because I feel like I'm on the verge of drowning and so, going gently into that goodnight, I just stop swimming. 

(I have dreams like this, by the way. Where I'm holding on the outside edge of a hot air balloon, certain death below me and I start questioning if it is just easier to let go.) 

I should disclaim here that I am not suicidal. That's also the second time I've felt the need to write that down in my life so that people know that- yo, murdered.  The other time was when I was 12 and I wrote in my sparkly journal, I wrote "if I ever die, I was murdered because I would never kill myself. I am not suicidal" and then I wrote something about how cute Johnny Depp is. So, similar if not exact to how I feel today. 

Also, when I was 5 I made a deal with the devil or whoever that I was never going to die so, suck it, haters. And murderer.

 

Anyway, back to my story of when I was outside ignoring everyone digital and just watching the boys play, I realized how very little I take time to do this anymore. I'm always answering emails and facebooks and tweets and looking at Pinterest and not just watching the boys play in the dirt which used to be mud but, drought. 

This makes me think that we need to break up, internet.

I feel the worst for my husband in all of this because, first off, the kids don't care. They really don't, Every Other Mommy Blog I've Read this Week. Here's the thing; they know that I love them, that I put the phone or computer down whenever they have question or speak in my direction, I have two sets of ears, the mom ears directed at only them 90% of the day, and the boys are pretty much ignoring me anyway and somehow, despite ALL my screw-ups, they are the most polite, loving, well-adjusted kids I could hope for. So whatever. Raise your kids how you do. 

But back to the husband, "Ward" as we call him. I think he has to hate me by now. Because when I put myself into his shoes, I'm the worst as wife. He does all the dishes, grocery shopping, money making (mostly unless you want to buy my stuff from my etsy shop??????) and in general, I probably look like Peggy Bundy. He would never say that to me but, this is how it looks from outside my skin. 

So, I've made up my mind. I'm going to kill a few birds with the Amy vs America's Housekeeping stone that I have been not throwing for many months. It begins tomorrow. I don't care how busy I get, I'm back on the ball. I will schedule time to do it. And sewing. 

I just don't know how this applies to my interneting. I think I have to take a bre- OH MY GOD IMAGINE JUST CAME ON THE TV JOHN LENNON DOES NOT APPROVE OF OUR BREAKUP, INTERNET. 

Alright, it's settled. 

Last night I was incepted into meeting John Lennon. And picking pillows up off the streets. And running like a Tony Little.

Story time with Amy! 

I was riding in the car with my mom (I think she was driving) and we were on city streets, streets I can't say I've ever been on before, but dirty trucks, buildings, alleyways, that sort of thing. We were behind a truck that had boxes piled up in the back of it. Every time the truck hit a bump, the boxes would shift and pillows would fall out, one at a time into the street and we would run over them. Brand new pillows! And I was telling my mom that I should grab a few of them because they were expensive, good pillows. I knew because of all the slaving away (telling people what to do) I did at Linens -N- Things for all those years. 

(We had cake fights)(And flabby upper arms)

The truck stopped and so did we. A blonde woman got out of the truck and my mom told her she was losing expensive pillows out the back of the truck. Dirty Do-gooder! So I offered to go retrieve some of them, hoping that I could hide one of those real good memory foam/gel ones for myself. Those things are like 100 bucks! So I was running REALLY FAST! Like I was a gazelle or something! Or on a Gazelle.

But it didn't seem too fast at the time. Anyway, I found a bunch of greasy foam bits but no pillows. I kept running and then I was like AHA! I remember! and I kept running, brushed off a dude selling something at a cart by telling him "Not now. I'm on a mission",

I was very serious-like. I ran into Hot Topic. It was more calm and chill in there than your typical Hot Topic. It was like a Warm Topic. Anyway, I thought, "Ooh, screw the pillows, I'm gonna chill out here for a little while and pick me up some tunes" and then I stopped with thought. "John Lennon runs this joint, I should just walk up to him and say hi like @ElnorYann from the twitters said she did. I could meet a real honest Beatle" thought I. So I turned around and there he was, full on denim suit, denim hat

(Classy) 

and there was Yoko just doing paperwork, never looking up. John was standing on something that made him VERY tall. I looked at him from crotch level, through the papers he was holding and I cleared my throat.

"Hey, um, can I shake your hand? I admire you a whole lot and-"

"Uh, oh yeah, yeah. There you go."

"Thanks"

Then he went back to his papers. So I grabbed my guts and my iPhone complete with pink rubber cover.

"Will you take a picture with me?"

He looked at Yoko who shook her head at him.

"Yeah sure, let's go over here I guess" he mumbled. I think I was bothering him but he was still polite. I asked a lady to take our picture and I was trying to set up the camera on the phone and I couldn't find the camera app. PANIC! John made some snarky comment that I can't remember now because my brain is clearly against me and would rather remember pillows than a conversation with a Beatle. And so I put my head against his chest/shoulder and nervously laughing said "I'll find it, I'll find it! Please don't leave me John. I'll fin-" and then I woke up.

Awesome.

Reporter: George, what do you miss most about John Lennon? George: John Lennon.

December 8, 1980-  my parents 7th Anniversary. A 4 and a half year old me and an even smaller 3 and a half year old sister, after whooping it up at our grandparents house where we were either eating anniversary dinner or more likely now that I think of it, were being babysat so our parents could have date night, quickly fell asleep in the back of the car on the freezing ride home, sounds of the radio floating in and out of my ears. It was nearing 10pm Denver time and we hadn't been in the car long when it happened. SCREAMING! WAILING! My dad pulling over and my mom in full on hysterics. I was terrified, I thought someone had died.

This is the first time I remember hearing the name John Lennon. This is also the first concrete memory I have. I remember the exact part of the exact street we were on and could drive you there to this day, that's how dramatic it was.  

I shared this Earth with John Lennon for 4 and a half years. I don't remember any of it. That's not to say I don't understand the impact his abrupt passing has had on this world. 

I had so many amazing things I wanted to say about John and now, as I'm here to say it, the things won't come. It's okay though. You know what I mean. 

Yoko Ono wrote something about him, his passing and how we should use his passing to help and inspire others. It's really great, actually. Read it here. 

And this video, which I've posted before...

Please check out this CNN article by Bob Greene. It's a very touching look at The Dakota, Lennon's murder and how the events that unfolded on that December day still manage to haunt Central Park West. It's very touching and beautifully written.  


Oh and this friggin' thing, Christmas song #6. What better than Happy Xmas (War is Over)?

"If everyone who had a gun just shot themselves, there wouldn't be a problem." - George Harrison

George Harrison. =(

George Harrison.-- 
Feb. 25, 1943 - Nov. 29, 2001.
I have a problem with my dead Beatles. I love and respect them even more than the living ones and much more than I could ever put into words, or into a pointless blog. I love them for their beauty, their wit, their want to change the world. They both played a major role in sculpting the future of all things music and within a week and a half, the world has to mourn them both (albeit one will get a lot more attention than the other). A lot of people know December 8, 1980 as the date that a friggin' idiot, madman lunatic gunned down the outspoken John Lennon. Very few people realize that November 29, 2001 "The Quiet Beatle" George Harrison quietly slipped away to lung cancer in Los Angeles with his loved ones by his side, Paul McCartney holding his hand and laughing at his jokes. So Johnny, I'm going to deal with you next week. Georgie deserves his moment. But first...



George was, by far, funniest Beatle. That's definitely my favorite part about him. So let's get the biography stuff out of the way and start laughing (and then I'll probably start crying, 'cause I'm insane and even though I don't know him, I feel like I do. And he makes me cry.)

George was born. He met a chubby schoolboy named Paul McCartney on the bus when he was like 13 or so and then after Paul met a drunk John Lennon, Paul introduced John and George.

They formed some little band, fought a whole bunch, and then broke up. George then did some producing, he allegedly told BFF Eric Clapton to leave Cream 'cause they were holding him back. He made Ravi Shankar famous. He had a concert for Bangladesh to help the peeps there. He produced a couple movies like Monty Python's Life of Brian and that Sean Penn/ Madonna piece of crap Shanghai Surprise.

George got all into racecar-ing and in doing so, he met and became really tight with the main dude for Cirque du Soleil and developed the idea that would later become THE GREATEST CIRQUE SHOW THIS WORLD HAS EVER SEEN! Or that I've seen, anyway. Love.

FYI- If you've not see this show than you should really make it a priority in your life. AMAZING!!!! Sad part about all of that is, George died in 2001,  Love didn't become a reality until 2006.

So, if you want a good dousing of cry, go check out the Larry King interview clips on YouTube about the show's premiere.

Okay, one more sad from our man Ringo and then laughing, because high notes are way better to go out on.

That one with Olivia Harrison looking down on her late husband gets me EVERY TIME! And lastly receiving his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

I love you George Harrison. Hare Krishna.

And Your Bird Can Sing?

Okay. I know. I am STILL not done with Here, There and Everywhere- hot and awesome Beatle book by Geoff Emerick (and Howard Massey). But this has been tickling my brain for quite some many years and yesterday I saw something that turned my casual intrigue into obsessive need to blog about it. About what, you ask?

Lennon, McCartney and birds.

Those Len/Macca boys wrote a couple songs about birds. One of my faves happens to be the Anthology  version of And Your Bird Can Sing because, let's face it, John and Paul laughing is the cutest thing EVER.

The thing that started me on this whole business in the first place comes from Anthology. Rumor has it that Paul, while recording Free as a Bird (bird?) saw John Lennon's ghost in the form of a white peacock.

Okay, let me back up and explain, if you aren't crazy and don't know the background. John Lennon told people that if he ever died, he would send a white feather to show that he was around or something. Julian Lennon even started the White Feather Foundation in the spirit of this to save the planet.

Dad once said to me that should he pass away, if there was some way of letting me know he was going to be ok - that we were all going to be ok - the message would come to me in the form a white feather. Then something happened to me about ten years ago when I was on tour in Australia. I was presented with a white feather by an Aboriginal tribal elder, which definitely took my breath away. One thing for sure is that the white feather has always represented peace to me.

Julian Lennon, 2009

So hearing all of this, I started noticing that there was a lot of birdness surrounding the Beatle boys. I also noticed that John tended to dress in white a lot and Yoko in black, yin and yang like. Guess what I also noticed.... so did John and Paul.

So in this theory, if John were a white bird wouldn't that make Paul a black bird? Singing in the dead of night? Perhaps?

ANYWAY, Paul's song "This One" from the album Flowers in the Dirt came across my YouTube stalking ways yesterday. And Lo and Friggin' Behold.....



Now, another thing strikes me about this video... the reference to India.

Then there's the whole eye thing that I'm not even going to get into, nor that Flowers in the Dirt seems to reference Sgt. Pepper because that'll just make me look crazy like I look too far into things *nervous laugh*... And if we are to assume that MAYBE Paul might have been referencing to John, then the lyrics... well...

THIS ONE Written and composed by Paul McCartney

THIS ONE, THIS ONE, THIS ONE, THIS ONE.

DID I EVER TAKE YOU IN MY ARMS,
LOOK YOU IN THE EYE, TELL YOU THAT I DO?
DID I EVER OPEN UP MY HEART,
LET YOU LOOK INSIDE?

IF I NEVER DID IT, I WAS ONLY WAITING
FOR A BETTER MOMENT THAT DIDN'T COME.
THERE NEVER COULD BE A BETTER MOMENT
THAN THIS ONE, THIS ONE.

THE SWAN IS GLIDING ABOVE THE OCEAN,
A GOD IS RIDING UPON HIS BACK.
HOW CALM THE WATER AND BRIGHT THE RAINBOW
FADE THIS ONE TO BLACK.

DID I EVER TOUCH YOU ON THE CHEEK,
SAY THAT YOU WERE MINE, THANK YOU FOR THE SMILE?
DID I EVER KNOCK UPON YOUR DOOR
AND TRY TO GET INSIDE?

IF I NEVER DID IT, I WAS ONLY WAITING
FOR A BETTER MOMENT THAT DIDN'T COME.
THERE NEVER COULD BE A BETTER MOMENT
THAN THIS ONE, THIS ONE.

THE SWAN IS GLIDING ABOVE THE OCEAN,
A GOD IS RIDING UPON HIS BACK.
HOW CALM THE WATER AND BRIGHT THE RAINBOW
FADE THIS SWAN TO BLACK.

WHAT OPPORTUNITIES DID WE ALLOW TO FLOW BY
FEELING LIKE THE TIMING WASN'T QUITE RIGHT?
WHAT KIND OF MAGIC MIGHT HAVE WORKED IF WE HAD STAYED CALM,
COULDN'T I HAVE GIVEN YOU A BETTER LIFE?

DID YOU EVER TAKE ME IN YOUR ARMS,
LOOK ME IN THE EYE, TELL ME THAT YOU DO?
DID I EVER OPEN UP MY HEART,
LET YOU LOOK INSIDE?

IF I NEVER DID IT, I WAS ONLY WAITING
FOR A BETTER MOMENT THAT DIDN'T COME.
THERE NEVER COULD BE A BETTER MOMENT
THAN THIS ONE, THIS ONE.

THE SWAN IS GLIDING (is gliding)
ABOVE THE OCEAN, (above the ocean)
A GOD IS RIDING (a god is riding
UPON HIS BACK. (on his back)
HOW CALM THE WATER (calm the water)
AND BRIGHT THE RAINBOW (bright the rainbow
FADE THIS SWAN TO BLACK.

THE SWAN IS GLIDING, OOH -
A GOD IS RIDING, OOH -
HOW CALM THE WATER,
BRIGHT, BRIGHT THE RAINBOW, OOH -.

Maybe he was only waiting for this moment to be free? As a bird? So who knows. Alls I'm saying is that John and Paul might've had a bird thing....

Now if I could only remember the name of that band that Paul started after The Beatles....

Sam Taylor-Wood

Sam Taylor-Wood caught my eye recently. She's directed a film called Nowhere Boy which chronicles the beginnings of John Lennon. 

It premiered at Cannes in May 2009 and it will close the London Film Festival the 29th of October, I believe. No word on when it will show in the States, but when it does, I am SO there. Here's the trailer.



It really looks interesting. It was based on Julia Baird's (John Lennon's half-sister) memoirs or something and I've heard that Paul McCartney has seen it and said that it didn't really happen exactly like that. Although, he seems to say that about everything... And Julia Baird, she didn't really grow up with John and so she wouldn't have known some of this stuff. Regardless, it looks like something I must see. And it looks visually enticing. Truth be told, it also doesn't bother me that Lennon's eyes weren't blue or that McCartney was a bit chubbier than portrayed - things that seem to be bothering Beatle-buffs. It looks to be a more artistic film to the likes of Control anyway, ya know?

It stars:

Aaron Johnson as John Lennon

Thomas Sangster as Paul McCartney

Kristin Scott Thomas as Mimi Smith

and Anne-Marie Duff as Julia Lennon

So YAY!!! On that.

Who knows why I do what it is that I do, but I began obsessively trying to learn more about Sam Taylor-Wood, Director of this film. I found out that she's kind of awesome. I also found out, according to this article in the Telegraph.co.uk, she's also a cancer survivor. Dude, I hate cancer!

Sam is an artist, a conceptual one and she reminds me a lot of Yoko Ono. And she sings! ... That's really true. She's all BFFy with the Pet Shop Boys and sings on "Je t'aime... moi non plus" and "Love To Love You Baby". She also directed that Elton John video with Robert Downey Jr. lip syncing, you know the one.

Here's one of her photos. It's called Bram Stoker's Chair II. Check out more of her work at the White Cube website here and I've also linked to it below.

Sam Taylor-Wood also has some films happening on the YouTubes.

This one is called Breach.



And this is David Beckham Sleeping. (Read the BBC article on it here. Way interesting.)



Oh, you want to see some Pet Shop Boys and singing?.. Okay.



I think I totally want to be her.

Links for you. You're welcome. I accept tips.

Wiki article
White Cube

Good Day Son-Shine!

Oh boy. Even I see the absurdity about to bust through my brain. I'm not going to question why I allow it to continue, though. I'll merely document the insanity to make it easier for the therapists later on.

So I see this today from The Sun.

The article goes on to say that Mr. James McCartney put on a secret, debut gig with his band 'Light'. He's apparently very good. *tee hees*. I don't know why and I've never really thought much about him before, but seeing James up there with his little guitar, I kinda feel a crush coming on.

Which brings me to this. It's POSSIBLE I heart Beatle boys.

Okay, I'll yell it! I'm in love with Beatle offspring! I've already made it quite clear my Sean Lennon Obsession. He is a total crush. Sean Lennon supersedes the "Beatle son" criteria. He's pretty.

Sean Lennon (Oct 9, 1975)

Then there's Dhani Harrison. He's adorbale!

Dhani Harrison (August 1, 1978)

And even Zak Starkey isn't looking too shabby.

Zak Starkey (Sept 13, 1965)

And now James McCartney <3 (who is DEF second fiddle to Sean in the Beatle Son race)

James McCartney (Sept 12, 1977)

And, because I'm giving into the crazy, here we go. Beatles from Oldest to youngest.

Ringo Starr

John Lennon

Paul McCartney

George Harrison

Beatle sons from oldest to youngest (yeah)

Zak Starkey

Sean Lennon

James McCartney

Dhani Harrison

Weird.  Next up on the crazy train, pictures of them together. (Sean and James... I'm very disappointed in you boys. Meet up, and bring a photographer.)

Dhani- good work on picture hogging. Okay here's what they're up to, Zak, he was with Oasis, I don't know what he's doing now, whatevs.

Oh, and lols Zak!



Dhani is my hero. If it weren't for Dhani, Beatle friggin' Rockband wouldn't exist. AND he's in a band called thenewno2

Seany-poo is doing Ghost Of A Sabor Toothed Tiger. And just being hot, in general.

And James, he's doing the 'Light' thing finally.

All feels right in my world.

Pattie Boyd

INTERVIEWER: "Pattie, how does it feel to be the one girl that all the others envy because she’s got George?"
GEORGE: "Why don’t you ask me what it feels like to be the fellow that all the others envy because he’s got Pattie?"

Pattie Boyd.
My fave of the Beatle wives at Beatle time, though now my favorite Beatle wife is Olivia which means, George had good taste in the ladies.

A recap for anyone who doesn't know, George met Pattie on the set of A Hard Day's Night. They were smitten.

And though they were cute then, a couple years later, they were ADORABLE!!

But, All Things Must Pass.

George it's said got too into the LSD and Hinduism and Pattie, having given up a modeling career for George began feeling very alone. A rumored, or not so rumored as Pattie spoke of it in her book, affair between her and John Lennon took place and she began spending a LOT of time with George's BFF, Eric Clapton. Clapton fell head over heels and wrote a song for her. In being the good friend that he was though, he didn't want George to think he was writing songs for Mrs. Harrison, he called that little ditty "Layla". Pattie fell for Eric, divorced George who then fell in love with an American girl who worked the front desk at his production company. She called herself, Olivia and they had a son Dhani. Pattie married Eric in 1979 at which, George was the best man. I told you BFFs.

And then Pattie divorced Eric in '89 I think 'cause he was drinking and druggin'. So let's take a listen, yes? to some of the coolest songs evs written to one person. Lucky.

And, I don't know what is is with those Boyd women, but in India, Donovan became smitten with Pattie's sis, Jenny.

And he penned a little number, himself.