Zing! went the strings of my heart

Things have been pretty quiet the past few days, hence the lack of updates. I have spent a great deal of time working in my garden (tomatoes, Mexican sunflowers, sedum, basil, pole beans, edamame, gerbera daisies, and sweet alyssum are all in the ground; I still need to plant salad greens, chives, onions and pumpkins, among other things), and I find it highly meditative. I finished the novel The Ruins, which I quite enjoyed, and I'm looking forward to seeing the movie when it opens this coming weekend. I can't vouch for the film, of course, but the book is a good, old-fashioned horror story, quite gruesome and filled with genuine suspense; I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a solid terror-filled tale. On Saturday, Sean, Norman, my sister Karen and I went to see Teddy Thompson at The Troubadour. I suppose his style -- sometimes singer/songwriter, sometimes traditional country -- isn't for everyone, but I've been a fan for several years and thought he put on a fantastic performance. If you click on the "music" link on his website, you should be able to hear the song "Change of Heart," one of my favorites. Most of Teddy's songs are downers; with titles like "I Wish It Was Over" and lyrics like "Walking away, I feel ashamed/Thinking on what I've done/She was naive and I was a sleaze/Some things can't be undone," fans know they aren't in for a rousing good time. And yet his show was energetic and funny, angry and sad. As Norman pointed out while we were walking back to the car, Teddy has issues. He seems like one of those tragically big-eyed boys who needs a hot meal and a sympathetic ear.