Playing for Change

     I got an email with a link to this group - Playing for Change.  I think it's a neat idea and a good cause so I thought I'd share.  They are trying to bring the world together and solve some global issues through music - but in a new way.  They get musicians from all over the world to play together - the trick is each musician is playing in their home town.  So this "band" has players singing and playing various instruments all over Italy, Netherlands, Venezuela=), Russia, Spain, Africa, The Congo, Israel, the US (including an Indian Tribe from New Mexico) and more.  The song below starts with one musician singing on the streets of Santa Monica and slowly more players are added until you have a global symphony.

Bill Moyers Journal wrote an article on them - here's an excerpt: 

     ...blues singers in a waterlogged New Orleans, chamber groups in Moscow, a South African choir — to collaborate on songs familiar and new, in the effort to foster a new, greater understanding of our commonality.

     Johnson traveled around the globe and recorded tracks for such classics as "Stand By Me" and Bob Marley's "One World" — creating a new mix in which essentially the performers are all performing together — worlds apart. Often recording with just battery-powered equipment, Johnson found musicians on street corners or in small clubs and they would in turn gather their friends and colleagues — in all, they recorded over 100 musicians from Tibet to Zimbabwe.

     The Playing For Change Foundation provides resources (facilities, supplies, educational programs, etc) to musicians and communities around the world. The foundation is working with South African poet Lesego Rampolokenga to build the Mehlo Arts Center in Johannesburg, South Africa and building and supporting the Ntonga Music School in the South African township of Guguletu. In addition, Playing For Change is working to enhance and rebuild Tibetan refugee centers in Dharamasala, India and Kathmandu, Nepal.

Roomie Reunion

The Prim and Proper Us...

Karen, Becca, and I got together last weekend for a roomie reunion in Charlottesville, VA.  We had so much fun remembering four years worth of antics, pranks, and hanging out.  I think Karen said it best - it was like stepping back in time 10 years.  It's crazy to think that we all went our separate ways 10 years ago after having our lives completely intertwined for those four years (Remember our plan to all live on the same street and have our own little school bus to pick up all our kids that we would home school ourselves?=)).  I owe a lot to my college roommates and friends - it was a pivital time in my life that really helped me to get my life on track and moving in the right direction. 

Some of my favorite college memories (Excuse me while I indulge...) 

Dance parties, driving up to Salt Lake to eat at Spaghetti factory, Playing Remember When, our East Coast Trip, Karen's Quote List, Becca A bleaching her legs, living in Helaman Halls, doing laundry at the Laundromat, getting packages in the mail, staying the night with Karen's aunt and uncle in Bountiful, Becca C interrogating my uncle on the habits of prostitutes in Las Vegas, living in the Brown House, Amanda, Will, trying to get out of FHE, Christmas at the Brown House, Julie's Friday cleaning routine, driving to Salt Lake for nursing clinicals, making lumpia, racing to Springville against Deven, Pizza Hunt answering machine, T-Rex, boys curfew, getting ready Sunday morning and singing "Will He Ever Come?" at the top of our lungs, "Which Rebecca?", Karen's Racy Red Pants - "Go Pants, Do Your Thing," Bon Fires at Nun's Park, "That Thing You Do," football games freshman year, BYU men's volleyball games, painting Julie's apartment, driving Matt up to Ricks, Building fires in the garage, working in the same office park as Becky over the summer, super steals of a deal at Home Express, D.C. on 4th of July, thinking caller ID was the coolest thing freshman year, chasing Becca and Jeff in the car after their reception, BMG, Becky and I getting married within 3 days of each other, Becky and Joe meeting up with Tom and I on our honeymoons in San Diego, Rahul trying to surprise us with tickets home for our first Thanksgiving away from home because he knew how miserable we were - then actually being excited to go back to BYU after Thanksgiving because we finally stopped hiding in our room, "My Parents don't allow bi-sexual sleepovers," "Nice to meet you Grandma," pre-med study group, Tom stealing his aunt's civic so Becky could drive one, riding to Food for Less with Karen on her friend's scooter, not being able to leave our door open freshman year for fear that someone else would come in uninvited and stay forever, that one lazy Saturday morning, getting in line at 6am at the Wilk for edited movie tickets, King's Dominion, Burger King Runs, spying on the kissing tree from our all seeing dorm window, Pizza Pipeline Breadsticks, Becca's bread, dying hair parties, naps everyday freshman year, the two Acuras, Tom's Granny car, visiting my Grandparents in Southern Utah, Los Hermanos (Brisas), Mark's parents house in Midway, meeting everyone's parents over the years and seeing where they get their quirks, Movies 8, Karen coming out to San Fran after freshman year, Becca's GoodWill Super Finds, Shop-Ko, sharing mushroom pizza with Becca, traveling all over BYU on Sundays to get Chicken Cordon Bleu, racing through Provo Canyon, Skipbo Wars, Kate's baking, Mel having us check the mail several times a day for her mission call, our secret mission to deliver a picture frame to Mel at the MTC the day she left for Montana, Mr. Snip-It, seeing Karen at the airport on her way to Argentina, scrapbooking, listening to Conference on the lawn at Temple Square the first time they showed a movie during conference, Becca A always stressing out over everything, Becca A always willing to edit my papers, school always getting in the way of fun time, Becca C always coming in our freshman dorm and pretending to pass out on the bed because of the drama in her life, picnic at the Brown House at the beginning of the school year, weekly baptisms at the Provo Temple, walks with Karen (weren't those the best pancakes?=)), driving to Arizona/ASU with Becky, San Diego, Mel's Farewell, Karen's party in a box for my birthday over the summer, visiting my sister in LA and always stopping in the Vegas buffets on the way, Becky and I starting our teaching/nursing programs at the same time, driving back and forth from Provo to the Bay Area with Becky every fall and summer, Tom coming out to visit us in California, Andrea's shoe parking, Testing Center, Becca A transcribing, Missionary Prep class with Brother Bott, Tetris Wars, Karen's Jesus picture falling off the wall in the middle of her telling a huge whopper of a lie...

I could go on and on we had so much fun - but I think the best times we had were all the times we spent just hanging out and playing around at home (especially when we were supposed to be studying).  Love you guys!!!  

 

The Real Us...

Congratulations if you made it this far through the post!!!  What are some of your favorite college memories?  Or what are some of your favorite memories of Tom or I?