Schindler’s List – Anne’s Earworms Episode 17

The movie Schindler’s List is about Oskar Schindler, a Nazi. The movie has a fascinating story that makes it worth watching, but I knew the soundtrack even before I saw the film.

The Schindler’s List soundtrack is a masterful exploration of sorrow and hope. The first time I heard it, I cried because of the beauty contained in the main theme. The whole soundtrack is worth listening through, but if you only have a few minutes, I recommend the theme.

 

Positively Negative

This is a weird subject for me to write about, because it is something I fail in a lot: staying positive. I tend to get bogged down in my dark thoughts and anxiety. I’m writing this post to inspire myself, and maybe even help you. I think the best way to do this is to use a real- life example.

Last Saturday I was far behind on my math. I had been spending a lot of time with my sister who was in town for a week (which was amazing), and I had a lot of other school to tackle, because finals are coming up soon. So, on Saturday, along with my blog post, some other school, and music practice, I had more math than I could tackle in a day. I was struggling with one of the concepts, and it was taking me much longer than I thought it should. I did not have a good attitude. All I could think about was that I would never get it down in a day, and that I would have to do it on Sunday, and that I wouldn’t get my blog post done, again, and that I would fail the class and be shamed by all of my engineering school friends (my thoughts are crazy sometimes). I was in this loop most of the morning, and I made very little progress on anything, because my brain wasn’t focused. This is a sadly typical negative response that I have to hard things, especially being behind schedule.

At around 3, I realized that I wasn’t getting anything done, because I was too busy worrying and hating myself. I had a decision to make. I could continue my negative feedback loop, and continue to do nothing. Or, I could try changing my attitude. I decided to change my attitude. Instead of focusing on what I wasn’t getting down, I decided to focus on what I could get done, and let go of the rest. I focused on getting done the math that I could, and not everything else I wasn’t doing. Even though my attitude was better, I still didn’t get everything done. I didn’t write a blog post. I didn’t finish all of my math, so I had to finish it on Sunday. My attitude didn’t change all of the circumstances, but it did change how I handled it. I was free to focus, and free to relax and enjoy the learning process.

So this week, I want to focus on staying positive. This doesn’t mean that I’m going to pretend that everything is perfect, or even force myself to not feel sad. I just will move on from the stress and sadness, rather than stay stuck in the muck of my own attitude. I need a lot of practice, and I’m choosing to start now.

How do you fight negative thinking? I would love to hear your ideas in the comments section!

Dream Songs – Anne’s Earworms Episode 15

Dream a Little Dream of Me

This song’s melody is haunting, but the music is smooth and jazzy. The combination makes the song trance-like. Plus, it’s Ella Fitzgerald [Insert fangirling].

Träumerei

Träumerei means “Daydream” or “Reverie.” I love listening to it on rainy days.

 

All I Do is Dream of You

 

 

I heard this Michael Bublé song for the first time a few weeks ago. It’s cute and upbeat.

 

Who Would Have Dreamed

This song by Sovereign Grace music has beautiful lyrics, and a melody to match. It’s an advent/Christmas song, but I like listening to it year round.

 

What dream songs do you like? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments section!

Bonus song: I just found Lindsey Stirlings “Boulevard of Broken Dreams.” You can find it here.

Three Tea Activities

In my March Goals post, I mentioned reading the book The Essential Tea Companion, from Heart books. This book inspired me to try some different tea-centered activities. Here are three of them:

 

A tea party with friends

Our cake from Cakes for Adoption

We had 9 ladies over, including Mom and me, and we had a great time.

We made two different types of tea (Almond Cookies and Paris in a Teacup, both from Sisters Tea Parlor). We made a couple snacks, and ordered a cake from a friend’s company Cake’s for Adoption. My mom had the great idea of asking each lady to share a favorite Spring memory and something they were looking forward to this Summer. This gave everyone a topic to discuss and helped the conversation get rolling. The party was a lot of fun, and even though we didn’t spend tons of time on prep, we got to have fun with some friends. Here’s my Mom’s post about our tea party.

 

 

 

 

A math themed tea.

A daily teatime

My mom mentioned this idea to me (she’s my tea buddy) and I decided to try it. Every day at around 3, I make tea. Sometimes I make a snack, sometimes I don’t bother. I let whoever wants to join me. I haven’t had tea alone yet. This is a great opportunity to check in with my family. Sometimes I have to drink tea while working on math, but when I’m not working, I can ask my family about their days. This helps me connect with them outside of dinner time.

My younger siblings (mostly Daniel and Rebecca right now) had a chance to practice manners in a fun environment. We’ve practiced not slurping (which made for lots of laughs), properly setting tables, and speaking kindly.

 

 

 

Making sun tea

A picnic tea

I packed a snack, a book, and a jar to make sun tea. I went for a walk in the woods behind our house, and then read while I waited for my sun tea to finish. To make the sun tea, I put several tea bags and water into a jar (I used about 3 tea bags per pint of water), and left it in the sun for a couple of hours. I like to put sugar in it and then ice it when I’m done. I learned this from the Essential Tea Companion. I liked planning the solo outing, and I got to enjoy tea and nature.

What are some of your favorite ways to enjoy tea? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section!

 

 

 

 

Kyle Bielfield – Anne’s Earworms Episode 14

I found Kyle Beilfield when I was looking for a song written from the lyrics of Robert Frost’s poem “Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening.” I loved Kyle’s version of the song, so I looked him up and discovered his album Stopping By.

 

I found his cover of the song “Change Partners” (written by Irving Berlin). The lyrics are clever and fun, and Kyle’s singing reflects that attitude well. It sounds loose and relaxed, without being sloppy.

 

 

My favorite song of his that I’ve heard is “Dream with Me.” His voices comes together nicely with the piano and the cello, making the song bittersweet and lovely.

 

 

I like Kyle’s voice because his singing is smooth and pleasant, but also reflects the emotion in the songs he sings. He sounds “right” singing “Dream with Me,” which is sad and soaring, but he sounds just as good singing “Change Partners,” which is upbeat.

If you want to hear more from Kyle Bielfield, I recommend “Snake.