Thursday, March 20, 2008

I Love Spring Break!

I believe I am safe in assuming you all feel the same way.  My to-do list isn't nearly as complete as I had hoped it would be, but I have still been pretty productive.  So far I have run Cades Cove (11 miles), made cupcakes with my two neices Audrey and Madelyn, cleaned out and organized closets, washed and waxed my car, among many other minor tasks.  I am enjoying a book by Joyce Carol Oates called We Were the Mulvaneys.  I hope to finish it over the next few days.

Me and Mrs. KP after 11 miles!

Audrey and Madelyn sneaking a taste of the batter.  They can get away with almost anything with me!

My organized closet.  In case you are wondering, I organize shirts first by sleeve length, then by material (lightest to heaviest), then by color.  I know you all think I am crazy, but it sure makes it easier to figure out what to wear.  Try it...Let me know if it works for you!  

What have you all been up to over the break.  Please tell me you have done something other than sleep!  Make me feel good about not giving you homework!  Enjoy the holiday weekend with your families!

Monday, March 3, 2008

Mrs. McAffry is a Dork!


Maybe you weren't surprised at that realization, but I was! After listening to your Soundtrack Autobiography presentations, I realized that I am pretty out of touch with some of the music you all listen to. I tend to buy a CD every couple of weeks and wear it out until I get sick of it, so I never really listen to the radio. My husband and I decided that we would try to listen to the radio more often in an effort to hear a wider variety of music.


I will share with you one of my new favorite artists. He is Dave Barnes. "The power of his songs, equal parts depth and hooks, both thought-provoking and dance-inspiring" is unique (even if they don't actually inspire me to dance!). It is impossible to assign him to one genre; he fits in with folk, reggae, R&B, and I could continue. "I always want my songs to be served individually," Barnes says. "As we approach production, what I'm always the most conscious of is, 'is this song sounding like it needs to sound?' I do want the record to sound good, but I'm a lot more concerned with an individual song. That's all that anybody's listening to at one point anyway." So, apparantly he doesn't want to be stereotyped to any one style, and that is precisely why I enjoy his music. Every song on his record sounds distinct, individual. I encourage you to sample some of his music on iTunes. I think some of you would enjoy him. And if you really like him, he will be performing at the Bijou Theater on April 11!


Tell me about one of your favorite artists. Why do you enjoy him/her/them? Be specific in describing their genre or style since it is likely I might not know who they are. There is a catch this time; everyone must mention someone different.