Nothing Much

Nothing much has happened in the past few days. At night, Mom and I have been working our way through watching the extended Lord of the Rings trilogy. Last night, it was "Two Towers," and tonight it'll be "Return of the King." Watching the trilogy is always good to get the story-writing juices flowing, and it makes me want to go back and re-read the trilogy again, as it's been a while since I last read it. But first, I'm finishing this book on ancient Ireland. I've also begun my second cross-stitching project. It's quite a project, as it's much different and more complicated than the apron, but I'm enjoying it nonetheless.

My ringworm is getting a bit fainter, and I think it's getting better. Yesterday while at Nutrition Depot (the place where we get our vitamins and natural remedies), Mom and I asked the lady behind the counter what she recommended (the tea tree oil is fine, but it's taking a while). She opened a book and went on about some of the remedies. An interesting one was putting honey over the infected areas, cutting open garlic and laying it over the honey, then binding it all over with gauze. I might have to try it one day. Another recommendation was oil of oregano (the stuff works... really), so when I got home, I realized a little providence. In Houston, I had to buy soft gel oil of oregano capsules because they were the only thing the store had, which meant taking three on Sundays to get the full dosage. So now I have a whole bunch of softgel oil of oregano with no real use for it... until yesterday. I cut open the soft gels and let the liquid fall over the infected areas. Boy, did it tingle, which is a good sign that it's killing something. But then, if oil of oregano can purify sewage water, I think it can kill a fungus. I applied it twice yesterday, and I believe that it is helping. However, I can't explain it, but it only tingles on my left arm. On my right arm and my chin, it does not tingle or does it very faintly and not for very long. Anyway, I'm going to use the oregano pills as long as it takes to kill this infection.

Oh, yesterday I got my hair done. It has been permed and lost a little length, but it's cute. I haven't taken any pictures yet, but I'll try to get a couple.

The Weekend

My, what a busy weekend. And quite a busy week ahead too. I posted a rant on my ramblings of a geek, and I might post another one soon too.

The party on Friday was very nice. We had the Price brothers, Christopher, Ben, Noah, Gabe, Sunny, and Noah and Gabe's friend Bobby. We enjoyed burgers and hot dogs along with some chips, fruit salad, pizza dip (which was a quickly devoured appetizer), and fried potatoes. After dinner, some of us sat down and talked while the others went outside to play wiffle ball in the street. When it started getting dark, everyone went inside, and the general consensus was to watch "School of Rock." After the movie, the party was over. All in all, it was a wonderful time to get together with friends and peers. I only took a few pictures, and none of them are spectucular or anything like that, so I doubt I'll post them.

On Saturday, I relaxed most of the day and read some more of my Irish book. I found it fascinating that the nobles in the early days lived in houses on artifical islands, and the possibility that the Irish aren't Celtic in blood but only in culture was very interesting and begs the question: then who are they? Sounds like another geek-out session in the making. On Saturday afternoon, we girls went to Kohls to use some gift cards that came in the mail. Mandy bought a few things, but I couldn't find anything that fit. It reminds me why I hate clothes shopping even though I like buying new clothes. I'm trying to think of ways to lose weight; my goal would be what I was before I started college, before I suddenly gained a bunch of weight last year.

On Sunday, it was lovely to be back among the church body again. Several people welcomed me back, and I received some suggestions on how to battle my ringworm from Mrs. Doster (now if I could only find the hydrogen perioxide). It was even better because potluck was after the service, so I had more time to talk to my new friend Esther Bowman. I discovered that she might be going to Christ College in the fall; we probably won't be in the same classes, but it'll be nice to have another female schoolmate because all the students currently are male. Another Christ College student told me he was looking forward to me coming in the fall, which made me more excited about it. To tell you the truth, I never felt really attached to GGC. While I made friends there, it never felt like a college that I could say "I'm going here, and I'm proud of it." I guess I was always looking forward to going to Christ College and thus never saw GGC as my home college.

Anyway, we've got a fairly busy week up ahead. Mandy is going to the oral surgeon today I guess to get the stitches removed and to get a general check-up on her mouth. Tomorrow, I'm getting my hair layered and permed. Wednesday, I might or might not go bowling. Then Friday the cousins are coming over to spend the night as a "last hurrah" before school starts.

More Busy-ness (Is that even a word?)

Sorry, no time to sat and chat. Tonight is the party, and I am busy with the laundry, cleaning, and shortly some of the cooking. Mom and Mims are out at lunch and Homeschool Hangout, so it's just me and Seth. I need to call and ask about the brownies for dessert and if I should start making them or if they'll be made later.

Well, my brief break is up. Time to get busy again with the laundry. I'll be sure to take pics and post them soon. I may be too busy tomorrow because we'll be cleaning the church and Mom is taking Mandy and me to Kohls sometime as well. But, we'll have to see.

Well, back to singing around the house (I don't think Seth minds).

Busy Day

What a hectic day! I woke up around 10, and when Mom got home, we went shopping at Costco, as today was grocery shopping day, and Bed Bath and Beyond. At Costco we got some lunch of pizza then drove to the church to drop off and fill some boxes. It was quite the "comedy of errors" with me dropping boxes and knocking over a chair; Mom and I laughed while Mandy cleaned out her lockers. After that, we drove home to put the groceries away. My boxes from UPS had arrived, so I opened them to discover that everything was in there. They did a good job on the packing, though I was disappointed that the packing bent some of the pages of my Bible. After that, we went to Wal-mart for more shopping. I used my own debit card to buy some facial cleaner, some wipes to wipe down some things in the house, and a new purse. My old one was nice, but I didn't like the fact that it doesn't close fully. My new one is made of denim jean material and can hang on my shoulder. I'm looking forward to using it. I also bought Mandy a new wallet, as she wanted one, so now she has a Georgia bulldogs one. Then I took the cart out to the car to load up the trunk while Mom and Mandy waited for some french fries from McDonalds. When we arrived in our neighborhood, I drove to the house and pulled into the driveway. I did good and went much slower than Speed Demon Mandy who earlier had sped around a few corners. So, I was feeling very pleased with myself afterwards.

All in all, a good day. Now I've got other stuff to do like wiping down those surfaces with those lovely wipes, reading this book on ancient Ireland that Dad got at the library (I think I'm a complete Irish geek), and perhaps tidying up some other stuff. Oh, and I think this tea tree oil is helping my rash or whatever is on my skin. The oil's purpose is to dry the skin (we've used it for poison ivy before, and it works), which it certainly has done. However, the brown scab in the center of the biggest part of my rash is shrinking quickly, and all in all, it's looking better. I've been applying it roughly three times a day, once in the morning, once in the afternoon, and once at night. And I'm going to keep doing it until the red spots are completely gone.

I'm Back!

Yes, I am back from Houston. From now on, all my music reviews/ critiques/ rants will be on ramblings of a geek while this blog will serve to detail the interesting and uninteresting events of life in Georgia, not only for myself but for the rest of the Cunningham family.

Yesterday, Uncle Cal drove me to the airport and dropped me off right before I got on the train to my terminal. It took me a little while to get my bearings, but I made my way to security. After passing the TSA with no problems, I decided to get a late lunch/ early dinner at McDonalds. After eating, I went to the gate to wait. About 4 PM, I noticed that my gate was claimed by another plane, so I asked a woman about it. She informed me that they indeed had changed gates, so I walked to my new one. The plane, however, would not leave until 5:50, which meant it had been delayed for whatever reason. The plane was the smallest one I'd ever seen. It was about six feet wide, but I didn't mind. That meant fewer passengers. In fact, I think there were probably only 20 people onboard total. It was nice to have the quiet and not to hear screaming, whining brats nearby like last time I flew. Well, about 6 PM, we pulled out of the gate and went to the runway, where we suddenly stopped. The pilot informed us that all planes headed towards Atlanta had been grounded and that we had to wait until 6:45 for more news. I checked the weather on my phone and discovered that there was severe weather over Atlanta. After a while, the pilot told us that we had to wait some more until 7:30. I was so impatient waiting to go, but I reminded myself that it was better to wait then go through a storm. Finally, we took off. It's quite a thrilling feeling, leaning back in your chair as you feel the plane pick up the speed and then realizing that you're in the air.

The flight itself was uneventful. I was glad I chose the window seat because I got to see some amazing sights. It was so cool watching the plane get higher and going over the city. Going over the clouds was amazing. It was like something out of a fantasy story. The clouds were like mashed potatoes or cotton balls (take your pick), and they were like mountains and hills, sloping into valleys and into the sea (where no clouds were it was just blue). It all looked like something out of an Arctic landscape, and it was just beautiful. The sun began to go down, and the clouds turned red and then sort of a dark gray/ blue, fading into the dark sky. As it was getting dark, the plane went around a massive anvil cloud that was probably the top of a cumulonimbus cloud. It was amazing to see the size of it as well as the dark gray top heading straight into the atmosphere. If I had my camera, I would have wanted to take pictures, but my camera is currently on-route to Atlanta and should be here tomorrow.

Anyway, it was around 10 PM Atlanta time when we landed. It lightly rained up in the air, but on the ground there were signs it had rained. I left my gate then took the train to the baggage claim to be claimed by my waiting family. I walked off the escalator, carrying my laptop in its lovely new bag (many thanks to Aunt Susie for it), when I spotted Dad in the crowd, and Seth, Mandy, and Mom made themselves known. There were hugs all around, then we fetched my luggage. We talked in the car on the way home, and I learned that on Friday there is sort of a "welcome back" party being held in my honor, as suggested by John Price. We're still confirming the guests, and I'm hoping my camera gets here before then so I can snap more pics like always :)

When we got home, I applied some tea tree oil to my red circles to see what happens. So far, it has made them look extremely dry, but I'm willing to try and see if this natural remedy works. I then began the long process of unpacking most of my stuff. I finished this morning, but I feel like I need to re-organize everything to make it neater. I also loved on my kitties, and I discovered that Oatmeal may be claiming me as his owner like Trouble did for Mandy. He followed me around this morning, and he took a nap on my bed afterwards. I didn't get to bed until 1 AM, and I woke up at 11 AM. I know I'm a slacker, but I'm going to do better.

Today is more or less my "recovery day." I finished unpacking my suitcases, I helped come up with a dinner menu for the rest of the week and part of next week, I cleaned the microwave (though I need to ask Mom if we have something stronger to clean it with), and I decided that my computer is out of commission until further notice i.e. until I decide if I want to buy a new laptop or just a new cord. It does frustrate me though because my finance sheet that keeps track of my money is on my computer, and now I can't access it to mark down what I bought yesterday.

Tomorrow, I may go apply for a job at a vet's office on Lawrenceville- Suwanee, less than five minutes from the house but too far to walk. Pray for me that I might find a new job nearby because I do want to get one so I can pay for Christ College, for a car in the future, and for a new laptop in time.

Well, I think that's the end of this post. I might snag the computer from Mandy and continue downloading some new songs (my list grew while in Houston)... if I can find them :P

My Last Post

This will be my last blogpost on this blog. There's a lot I want to say about Memorial Day and the graduation ceremony on Friday, but I'm not sure how much I want to write because I'm in a story writing mood and because I'm not sure if I should post it here or on my other blog.

I haven't uploaded the pictures of Memorial Day, as I didn't have time Monday night and only got on the computer today. I will say that it was a wonderful day with a game of tag football for the guys (and Mrs. Sheehan) who got roasted in the hot sun, excellent food, some drizzle and then the sun came out finally, and other sports. I'll try to upload the pictures as soon as I can, but I'm not in the mood to go upstairs and get my camera.

We safely made it to Houston on Tuesday night. We left the house at 6:52 AM and arrived in Houston around 9 PM. It was a long trip, and we mostly did it without our laptops thanks to the fuse for the AC converter blowing while charging up Seth's monstrous laptop while he played Celtic Kings. It was a long ride, but we made it with little traffic (and little road construction). We went through a lot of rain, and I never realized how much of the South is actually marshland.

Well, Mandy's dragging me into a game of bananagrams (like individual scrabble), so I better join in. I'll post about my job interview on my new blog after the game is over.

Ireland Sells Its Soul on PBS

Edit: I finished my other musical rant earlier than expected, and it likewise deals with Celtic Woman. Check it out here: http://ashley-ramblingsofageek.blogspot.com/


Here is a musical rant I've slowly been working on for the past few weeks, and today I have finished it. This deals with how Ireland is promoting itself in the music industry in regards to PBS specials such as Celtic Woman and its rival Celtic Thunder.


It appears that there are several ways for a musical group to get started. For Clannad, it was playing in their father/ brother-in-law’s pub. For Colbie Caillat, it was posting her songs on myspace and shooting to overnight fame. For Hayley Westenra, it was busking with her sister in New Zealand when she was a child. For Feist, it was starting as a Canadian indie pop artist and then shooting to fame when iPod used her song “ 1 2 3 4” for a commerical. It seems we love success stories, stories of those underdogs who strive to be famous and then unexpectedly become household names, remembered for years to come. Perhaps we love them because we often have the same aspirations and these humble beginnings tell us that it could happen to us. But what is that magic ingredient that shoots a person to fame? I say, there is none. Sometimes some groups pop up out of nowhere unexpectedly and take us by a storm, and then when other groups try to do the same thing they fail. This is currently happening to Irish shows that are trying to make a dent in the US by following the example of Celtic Woman’s fame.
As said elsewhere earlier, Irish show Celtic Woman (I refer to it as a show because of the lights, costumes, backgrounds, etc… that are not present for a normal musical group) shot to fame thanks to PBS using their original DVD performance for pledge drives back in 2005. Ever since then, PBS has solely promoted Celtic Woman, their CDs and DVDs, and then their live shows on their tours. Now Celtic Woman is quite a money-bringer for PBS, has they’ve worked with them for over four years and has no intention so far of letting them go. Because of PBS’s promotion, Celtic Woman’s CDs and DVDs have sold very well, placing number 1 on the US Billboard World charts on a few occasions though now they’re facing some competition from rival show Celtic Thunder. Needless to say, Celtic Woman has won a huge fanbase in the United States though not as much in Europe or Asia, thanks largely to the success of PBS. However, now that Ireland has such talent touring all over the world, other groups are eager for their piece of the pie of wealth and fame, and it is because of Celtic Woman that there is a trend occuring lately with PBS and Celtic music that has been growing and has me wondering what will come next.
Sometime in 2007, roughly around the same time, I learned that Celtic Woman was getting two male spin-offs, one of which was run by Celtic Woman’s original founder Sharon Browne and the other run by Celtic Woman’s manager Dave Kavanagh. The one run by Sharon Browne is Celtic Thunder, a “pop-ified” male version of Celtic Woman that sings mostly American pop music (which makes me wonder why it has the “Celtic” label though I could ask the same about Celtic Woman most of the time). Kavanagh’s show is called The High Kings, a group of four men singing traditional Irish ballads and using traditional instruments; High Kings has grown in popularity in Ireland thanks to its less “pop-ified” nature than Celtic Woman or Celtic Thunder, which I imagine sits better with the Irish than over here in America. Both of these spin-offs have been sponsered by PBS, and both have released their first recorded shows on CDs and DVDs, much like Celtic Woman has done. I believe Celtic Thunder is currently holding the #1 position on Billboard World Charts, which makes it a force to be reckoned with by Celtic Woman. While at first glance, it doesn’t seem surprising that the management of Celtic Woman is doing a few spin-offs to bring in more money, but what happens next was a bit surprising as non-Celtic Woman- affiliated parties are seeking their own fame via PBS.
Around the same time that Celtic Thunder and The High Kings were announced as PBS’ new moneymaking machines, Irish choral group Anuna announced that they were giving PBS a shot. In fall of 2007, they recorded a live show (I’m pretty sure it’s live, as the voices sound real and not fake like Celtic Woman, Celtic Thunder, and the High Kings) in Cleveland, Ohio and released their CD “Celtic Origins” and accompanying DVD, except Anuna took a different route. For one thing, Anuna is not a show and so they don’t need to promote themselves and go into a big theater and perform. On the contrary, probably also due to their partnership with Boarders (who almost exclusively sells their CDs and DVDs), they set dates for a few Boarders locations and send about four or so members to perform there. However, also because Anuna is not a show, it can still work independently of PBS and Boarders to release albums and DVDs. Their next CD “Sanctus” is due out soon hopefully, as is their DVD “Invocations of Ireland,” neither of which so far have been promoted by PBS or Boarders.
There are two other solo artists that are also using PBS to gain a foothold in America but not to the extent that the Celtic franchise has. Clannad singer Moya Brennan announced a few months ago she was doing the soundtrack for some upcoming PBS show about US foreign policy. She has never had much fame in the US, and this would be a good marketing way for her to set a foothold in the US. Former Celtic Woman Orla Fallon next year is recording a DVD with Jim Brickman which is (surprise, surprise) being done by PBS.
Not only are the Irish using PBS to gain audiences in the US, but apparently so are the Scots as well. A month ago, I learned that there is a new show being promoted on PBS called Highland Heartbeat. Basically, it is a Scottish version of Celtic Woman, though I’d consider it closer to Celtic Thunder music-wise. I watched a promotion for it recently and had to shake my head afterwards. I know very little about Scottish music, since I can’t stand the shrill sound of bagpipes and also because it is not as common as Irish music, but I was disappointed. It is basically singing a few pop songs by Scottish artists and then also giving traditional songs a pop-makeover. Then there were the lights, the horrendous costumes (and I thought Celtic Woman’s costume designer was bad), and then the general show atmosphere. It didn’t appeal at all to me, and I turned the video off before it was done.
You might be asking “why is Ireland selling its soul on PBS?” This is the reason. Irish, and now Scottish as well, music is seeking to gain audiences in the US and thus a big market of promotion, is following the example of Celtic Woman in an attempt to become famous as well. So, instead of focusing on remaining true to its musical roots, Ireland is focusing more on “what is marketable in the US? How can we twist it around to be more appealing to Americans?” As a result, the music has become fairly watered down and more pop-ish, with the shows being about lights, costumes, and choreographed movements that seem cliché after a while. Instead of quality, it has become more about quantity and how much money it can bring in. I read a blogpost by Anuna founding member Michael McGlynn who talked about something similar concerning Riverdance (I hate Riverdance, but that’s beside the point). He said he was proud to have been part of Riverdance back in the mid 90’s but also said that he does not like what it has turned into: something marketable, like plastic shamrocks, as he puts it. That is what Irish music is becoming: something to be watered-down and sold. Granted, not everyone wants to hear music like The Chieftains or Solas, but there is a way to market one’s music without giving up one’s soul. Anuna, I believe, has done it the best, trying new things but still maintaining the quality and beauty of their music. I cannot say the same for other Irish shows that are converging on the US. While I enjoy listening to them, I cannot help but think of the showiness of it all and be grieved that Ireland has decided to go the show business way to promote itself instead of relying on its excellent raw talent to go far.


I am currently working on another rant dealing with raw talent, so expect that one soon either here or on my other blog (see a few blog posts below for the link for my new blog).