The Crab Chronicles

A Colorful New Voice

A recent writing assignment brought me in contact with a singer I like a lot, Rajdulari. Below is my interview with her. Her album Honeywine is terrific. Raj was kind enough to send me a copy of her album and if you'll leave a comment here, I will draw a winner of the free CD on Saturday, February 18th.

 

 

A journey to the Grammys doesn’t always begin with a lot of cash and an entourage. Sometimes it begins simply with a huge talent, a lot of perseverance, and a dream.

Rajdulari (she doesn’t use her last name professionally) is a lady who has made it her mission to dream big. She just released her debut solo CD Honeywine and Raj knows it’s her best shot at making that Grammy dream a reality.

Life hasn’t always been a smooth ride. “Raj” as her friends call her, was born in Baltimore, raised by a single mom and spent much of her childhood in Michigan. Although her name is a Hindi word meaning “daughter of a king,” there wasn’t always much money when she was growing up, but there was plenty of music. “My mom always listened to jazz when I was younger.”

“I left home at 17 and worked for ten years before going back to school at age 26.” She was accepted at the very prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston. On Berklee: “I was really intimidated at first, thinking all these people sang better than I did, but after I went for a while I started to find my own voice. Being around all those musicians actually helped me to be more myself.”

Raj isn’t a tiny lady. She is all about curves, and she’s proud of her body. “Who I am is part and parcel of my music. It’s important for young women to see they can be whoever they are. I embrace my curves! Thank goodness mainstream media is finally starting to promote curvy women – look at Toccara Jones, Queen Latifah, Jill Scott.”

Just like the singers who inspire her, Raj isn’t about easy labels. “I love Diane Reeves and Bobby McFerrin, Jill Scott, Chaka Khan. Those are some of the folks I listen to for inspiration.”

Raj has no aspirations to be a pop singer. She is a jazz vocalist.

Raj recently moved to New York City, completely unfamiliar with the city and knowing only a few friends. It was a huge leap of faith. She knew however that if she answered the call to follow her dream, she would have an “enriched life.” She quickly found her way, and let her voice be heard. She now works in an office during the day, but loves to sing after hours. She’s been appearing a lot at a little club called Billie’s Black.

Her CD was a labor of love. Raj’s musician friends helped her record it, but it’s a polished effort. She wasn’t going to sit around and wait to be “discovered,” either. “I don’t need anybody to hand me anything. This music is my baby. I need to share it with people.”

If you listen to “Honeywine” you will quickly learn that Raj has an amazing voice, and she paints music with a broad palette. “When I decided to branch out, I knew I wanted to do fusion. Music is a language with a lot of colors.”

Raj wrote most of the songs on “Honeywine,” and she is justifiably proud of her accomplishment. Every song has particular meaning for her.  “My favorite song on the album is “Purpose.” It really outlines my mission. It’s important for any dream that you CLAIM it. When I listen to “Purpose” it reminds me of who I am and what I want!”

“America” is a love song for America. What beauty we have here. There is even beauty in our differences. Despite all the problems in the country, we need each other.  We need to celebrate each other.”

Why should someone buy Honeywine? “It’s not something you’ve heard before. I really want people to feel like I’m giving them jewels from my heart and to be as excited about the music as I am.”

The title of her album was a very deliberate choice for Raj.

“Honeywine is actually an Ethiopian wine, very sweet, almost like a desert wine. You take a sip and think, "ok that’s nice", but then you want more and more. I want people to listen to my songs like that, to hear them over and over until the message in the songs sneaks up on them, just like the honeywine.”

Rajdulari may not be an easy name to pronounce, but it’s worth the effort. Some Grammy presenter will have a fun time with it one day. Take a taste of Honeywine – you’ll want more and more, I predict.

 

 

photo credit: Kevin P. Tyson


 Photo credit Kevin P. Tyson

Angels Among Us

These weirdly long holiday weekends this year are nice, but they leave me feeling somewhat discombobulated. I don't know what to do with myself with so much time off.

Bruce took Michael to the new Mission Impossible movie yesterday, and did I get anything done? No, not really. Did some reading. Wrapped some things to mail. Cleaned the kitchen.

We de-Christmasized the house yesterday, in record time. Now our family room looks 50% bigger, but somehow empty without the big tree.Michael was very helpful during the process but I know he's a bit down. He loves Christmas. That's one reason I suggested he and Bruce go to the movie. A good distraction.

I've gotten where in recent years I leave out some of the collection of angels, more and more, because it does my heart good to see them. I believe in angels.

I have spoken to Alesia several times over the holidays. She sounds good, and says she is fine and not to worry. Of course, I worry still. However, she is articulating [without me asking] that she needs to finish school and get some job skills, which is great. She also promised to send me an address where I can send her things. That's a good start.

I finally finished reading There is No Hope Here, the book about my friend Julie Holland and her work with the impoverished folks in Appalachia. I was amazed at how skillfully Richard Biggs wrote the book, capturing feelings and painting vivid scenes. He's not a writer by trade. I admire his ability to tell the story.

Julie sent me an autographed copy of the book to give away, and if you'd like it, leave me a comment or shoot me an email. First come, first served.

The Latest Winners

Well, I've drawn the winners and they are Linda [natashalinda] and Mary! Thanks so much for entering to win, y'all! Email me your snail mail addresses and I will get your books in the mail asap!

I saw this article yesterday on Facebook about the writing of the book. It's a great story.

***********************************

I left work early to take Mike to the doctor about his face, and spent the entire afternoon in the car, in the pouring rain, running errands! Aaaargh!

It was better than yesterday, though...

Don't know why Mike had his eyes closed here... it was such a formal shot... cough cough

There Is No Hope Here

When you see extreme poverty up close, it changes you. You either recoil and try to put it out of your mind, or you resolve to help.

I'll never forget one time my dad taking me inside the hovel where our maid lived when I was a small child. We drove her home every day. She lived in a shack with a dirt floor. I was stunned into silence and clung to Daddy's leg. I was no more than about 3 or 4 but that image has stayed with me.

I will never forget reading depositions when I was a very young paralegal, in Knoxville, and being in total shock. The firm where I worked represented coal companies in lawsuits for black lung. The miners usually lived back in the mountains, in remote areas, and had many children, no education, and often no electricity or running water. They lived without hope, without enough food, or warm clothes in winter, often illiterate, and they were less than 2 hours' drive from Knoxville.

When I saw the tiny shacks in Russia in 2003, with dirt floors and outhouses in the back, I remember thinking to myself, these remind me of the places I used to read about, tiny places where poverty is an everyday ugliness. It doesn't matter the language or the customs. Poverty is universal.

I had no idea I would spend a significant amount of money and time giving two children a decent life, away from that misery. I think of my son, homeless until age 8, and of my daughter, living in just such a shack until age 6, and I want to help other kids like them. I just can't adopt them all.

 

I went to high school with a pretty girl named Julie Burnette. She was a majorette. She was very pretty and very sweet. We didn't "hang out" but we were aware of each other. I was socially awkward and sort of a geeky kid, so we ran in different circles, but my impression was always that she was a good person. She wasn't snobby, like some of the really pretty girls at my school.

I had no idea until we connected on Facebook that Julie has lived an amazing life in the last thirty years.

While I was living the yuppy life, drinking lattes and going to the gym and writing screenplays in the early to mid 90's, Julie Holland (her married name) was reaching out to people in real poverty in Eastern Kentucky.

Borrowing from Amazon, this is the product description for a new book about Julie, There is No Hope Here.

"When, in 1994, Julie Holland heard God’s whispers, she turned to her step-father for help. John Boggs was a wealthy businessman who had escaped the poverty of Appalachia eastern Kentucky by attending a settlement school where he received comfort and an education. Growing up in poverty, he understood how a lack of hope sapped your soul. “Listen to your heart,” he told her. “Your heart will guide you.” She did and her heart led her to travel from Knoxville, Tennessee to minister to the families in those rugged mountains. THERE IS NO HOPE HERE is a true story, marked by humor and sadness, as a glimpse is offered into the eyes and souls of Appalachian poverty. It’s the story of how her love inspired others to follow and led to the start of the Mission of Hope, one of the most respected Christian charitable organizations in the southeast. It’s the story of Julie’s walk with God as He upholds her through the darkness of discouragement and a life-threatening illness. It’s an inspirational story set in one of the most challenging and beautiful places in America."

I am reading the book very quickly and yet slowly. It's so powerful that I often find tears in my eyes and I have to put it down.

Not only did Julie start her own charity, she did it while suffering from Lupus.

I am giving away 2 copies of the book. Leave me a comment or shoot me a Facebook message or email and I will enter your name in a drawing. I will draw the names of the winners December 21 [Wed.].

Thanks to Julie and others Mission of Hope is a thriving organization that helps people who really need it, right here in America. If you have any extra funds and want to donate to a very worthwhile cause, please donate to Mission of Hope.

The Christmas Book Giveaway!

ATTENTION BLOG READERS -- YOU HAVE UNTIL MONDAY DECEMBER 5TH AT 6:00 P.M. EST TO LEAVE A COMMENT AND POSSIBLY WIN A BOOK!

Dee

I have been informed by she who must be obeyed /her majesty the queen Mother that people [particularly regular blog readers] are irritated that the book post is staying at the top of the blog, AND that I am asking too much of people to post on Facebook or send an email, just to win a book. So in the spirit of Christmas, I am making this much simpler.

Perhaps she's right. I've not had a great response. SO...

IF you want one of the books, leave a comment on here and tell me which book you'd like. I will draw winners on Monday and email you.

Dee

I am a big believer in passing around good books, not letting them just sit on the shelf. So I am giving away FREE books here on the Crab Chronicles - just in time for Christmas!

I have a personal association with all these books.

HOW TO WIN

I have read them all, and can say with conviction, they are excellent books. If you're stuck for a gift and want to win one of these books, here's how you do it:

1) Link to my blog on your Facebook page. Send me an email with a link to your Facebook post. If you're not a friend of mine on Facebook, Friend me! [Scroll down and to the right to see a link to my FB page]

2) If you don't have a Facebook page, send an email to at least 10 friends with a link to this blog, and copy me. You can say something like "Here's Dee's blog and she's giving away free books!" or "Look what this crazy woman is making me do, just for a chance to win a used book!" - or whatever strikes your fancy as long as it's in good taste and it positively mentions The Crab Chronicles and links to the blog.

3) If you're a blogger, put a link to my blog in a post, and send me a link by email.

4) VERY IMPORTANT - when you send me you email entry, tell me WHICH book or books you want to win!

[thompsondee@bellsouth.net is my email, BTW]

On December 5th I will draw the winners of the free books, and mail them off to the winners. That should give them plenty of time to get the book, wrap it, and mail it off to someone else if it's a gift.

OK, here are the books you can WIN! [Note: all are hardbacks except where I note otherwise.]

You love her on Glee. Now read her fascinating and funny life story - Happy Accidents by Jane Lynch.

Do you like thrillers? Third Degree is one of Greg Iles' best books, a real page turner. If you like suspenseful books, or someone on your gift list does, this is an excellent choice. I think I read it in 2 days?!

One of my favorite TV cooks is Paula Deen. We're also sort of related - her third cousin is married to my second cousin! Her memoir, It Ain't All About the Cooking is a fascinating glimpse into her life. She has overcome a lot of obstacles to get where she is, and she tells her story in her typical unaffected, honest way. It also has lots of excellent recipes. It's hard to part with this one but I want to spread the love.

Another Southern lady I love to read is Mary Kay Andrews, who used to write mysteries under the name Kathy Trocheck. Those are all fun books, particularly if you are familiar with Atlanta. Savannah Breeze is particularly fun because it's set in Savannah and it's about a lady opening an inn on Tybee Island right near Savannah. I loved this book but I'm happy to share it because if you like "chick lit" or books about the south you will love it.

Next up is an another book connected to food - sensing a pattern here?!?
Heat: An Amateur's Adventures as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany
[by Bill Buford] As much as I love to cook, this book made me shudder, at times. I could never cook professionally. It's a fascinating read, though, if you're a "foodie" or if you just like memoirs.I also stumbled across the info that it has been optioned to be a movie and it might star Philip Seymour Hoffman, one of my very favorite actors. So read the book first, then you can trash the movie and say it's not as good! LOL

Michael and I read every night, just about, and we recently read a great thriller for kids called Point Blank, by Anthony Horowitz. [This one is a trade paperback, not hardcover.]  It's set in England and Switzerland. If you have a tween who likes James Bond style adventure books, Horowitz is a prolific writer and his books are fun.

 

LAGNIAPPE [that's a french word meaning "little present", not a book title, y'all] Giving away 2 copies of this one, first come, first served [email me]

I recently met a lady online named Melanie Jongsma, who sent me copies of a lovely memoir called Cancer Freedom, by Beatrice Hofman Hoek. Here's what Melanie said about this book:

"Cancer Freedom was my first book. It was actually published several years ago by Baker Book House, under the title Surrender or Fight: One Woman's Victory Over Cancer. After it went out of print, I had the rights reverted back to me and my co-author, so I could update it and re-release it as Cancer Freedom. It's my co-author's story — she has survived breast cancer for 25 years now."

I lost my dad to cancer in 1996, so this was hard to read, but it's a lovely book. (The book's author is a lady of strong Christian faith, BTW.) If you or someone you know is battling cancer, let me know and I will send it to you, or to them. First come, first served.

 

SO THERE YOU HAVE IT!

Help me promote The Crab Chronicles and you may win a free book!

 

Friday Update and WINNERS Announced

It's been a crazy day, between getting the kids to school and myself to work, and trying to get everything lined up for the tennis match tomorrow. I spent half my lunch hour on the phone dealing with tennis match issues. I am the co-captain of Mike's team.

Work was work, is all I can say. I am in a fairly large corner office with a view and there are two other paralegals in there with me. I can't violate confidentiality by talking about lawsuits in progress. What I'm doing is basically reviewing millions of pages of documents to retrieve those documents which may be relevant to the issues at stake in the lawsuits. It's actually pretty interesting.

The building where I am working has a lovely garden area on the middle with two fountains, a grassy area, flowers, trees, etc. I like to go down there at lunch and just sit and feel the sun on my head. When you're stuck inside a building all day you miss that.

On the way home I stopped and picked up dinner at Bambinelli's. Usually on Friday nights we just get sandwiches but I decided to splurge, since I am gainfully employed! They have the best lasagne and tiramisu ever.

Tomorrow is an incredibly busy day and it starts early, with Mike's tennis team going down to McDonough [about 45 minutes away] to play their final match of the spring season starting at 10 a.m. I wanted everyone to go in as few cars as possible, which entailed a lot of maneuvering. Thanks to my friend Melanie for braving the drive down there. I have to do some work paperwork and get it faxed in tomorrow morning so I can get paid next week.

Tomorrow afternoon, Michael has a baseball game and Alesia has to be at work by 2. Mike must be on the ballfield at 2. Which means we must leave no later than 1:30.

Sunday afternoon I have to try and get the bird out of my garage, buy groceries, and attend the end of season tennis party. Mike is going to the Braves game with friends. Alesia works 4-11.

I decided to go ahead and draw the winners of this week's giveaway items.

Congratulations Fran, you won the pottery bowl!! Email me your snail mail asap!!

Congratulations Lindsey! You won the book! Email me asap!

Thanks for reading, everyone!! And huge thanks to the artists and business folks who donated prizes in April!

Two More Days to Win

Only two more days to leave me a comment and be entered to win an autographed book [By the Light of the Foxfire] or the lovely pottery below!

 

The Final April Giveaway!

OK, so this is my last giveaway week for April 2011, although I hope to have more giveaways in the future. This week I have two prizes which I am delighted to offer, as they reflect on my roots growing up in the south.

My grandfather [Papaw] was from the mountains of North Georgia, where many Scottish and Irish settled in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. I feel a sense of peace when I go to the mountains that is indescribable. When we moved to Knoxville in 1971, I loved the proximity to the mountains. We went for Sunday drives a lot, to the Smoky Mountains. I spent a lot of time at Cades Cove, which is a beautiful place, part of the Smoky Mountains National Park. Two places I would love to take my kids are Cades Cove and the Museum of Appalachia.

It was with great delight that I came across this book, By the Light of the Foxfire, by Emory Rhea Raxter. We have a mutual Facebook friend. Emory is a native of Asheville, North Carolina and lives in Maryville, Tennessee, which is a stones' throw from Knoxville. The book is a suspenseful thriller but it's set in the Smoky Mountains. Emory was kind enough to send me an autographed copy to give away, and a copy for me to read. I have read it and I can report it's hard to put down.

My second prize is a beautiful handmade bowl from my friend Julia over at Brainella's Pottery. I love Julia's pieces because they are beautiful and functional, most of them, but she also uses whimsy, as in her owl vases. Even though Julia isn't a native southerner, you find a lot of hand thrown pottery all over East Tennessee in nice shops, and I associate it with the mountains. Pottery is a mountain craft. I am so delighted to give away one of Julia's beautiful pieces. Y'all check out her shop, too, for great gift ideas.

To win one of these awesome prizes, leave a comment and tell me about your experiences of the mountains, or of pottery. If those are totally foreign to you that's OK, too, just tell me you'd like to win!

Two Days Left to Win!

It just occurred to me that it's Wednesday and there are only two more days for you to leave a comment and be eligible to win a fabulous prize! Leave a comment before 7 p.m. Friday - one entry per person, please!

Andree over at The Silver Workshop creates jewelry that is truly unique, and would make an awesome gift. I love hearing artists talk about their work, and she was kind enough to tell me more about her process:

"I used to work with polymer clay making small sculptures. Because I enjoyed sculpting in small scale, I thought I'd make a few pendants. They went over pretty well so I kept making them. I then learned of fine silver clay. The idea of a durable medium like silver really appealed to me so I decided to give it a try. I enjoyed it so much, I ordered myself a kiln and started making small silver sculptures for pendants, a little like charms. That was about five years ago.

I then decided to broaden my horizons and started taking a local silver jewellery class. Through it I  learned how to solder, make ring shanks, set stones and give silver pieces different finishes. From there, I continued learning through books and by taking more classes."


What sorts of things inspire you to create?

"For figurative work, I think books, especially science fiction and fantasy really inspire me. I used to sculpt small figurines and I especially enjoyed sculpting gargoyles. I like to make up characters and determine what kind of personalities they'll have. From there, I'll make a figurative piece. It might have lots of details or it might have smooth contours with only a suggestion of features. Whatever style it has, I like to think that its personality can shine through."

SUCKLEBUSTERS!!                    

As I've mentioned before, I am so excited to be giving away Salsa Fixins and fantastic barbeque sauce. I am so intrigued with these tasty products. If you have a husband, dad, brother, or boyfriend who likes to barbeque, try one of these gift combinations. Your guy will thank you once he tastes the amazing products.

Sucklebusters products are all natural, not a pile of chemicals. They are also award-winning - here's more on their story:

"In the early 2000's we became more health conscious and searched for healthier foods. We noticed that all the seasoning we found had; MSG, artificial fillers, dyes, preservatives or ingredients with names you can't pronounce and this was in the healthy foods section! We decided then and there to produce high quality seasonings that taste great and are healthy too! So in 2006 SuckleBusters Inc. was born. 

SuckleBusters means Bustin' with Flavor. It's the WOW factor when you first taste our products. We use simple recipes with few ingredients to make the best products we can make, each and every time with the best All-Natural ingredients we can find. There are no chemicals, preservatives or artificial ingredients in our products. We focus on wholesome products with a keen eye on quality. One lesson we learned early on is that when you use the best ingredients - he products are better for you, they taste better too! Look for our No Bad Stuff! logo on every bottle.

SuckleBusters philosophy is a proven winner! Much to our delight, our products immediately began winning contests and we have never looked back. We have been blessed with recognition from major contests all across the country; Scovie Awards, the Fiery Food Challenge, the National BBQ Association, the Best of the Best BBQ Sauce Contest and the Hot Pepper Awards. Additionally, SuckleBusters products are used at BBQ Cookoffs and Chile Contests every weekend. Not only do these contestants use our products, but they also help test and develop our award winning recipes."    

 SO LEAVE A COMMENT AND WIN THE BEAUTIFUL NECKLACE

AND/OR

THE SAVORY SUCKLEBUSTERS PRODUCTS!!

Tell me in your comment what you want to win. I will draw a prizewinner [for each prize] Friday night, so get your entries in by 7 p.m. Friday, EST!

Giveaways: Week Three!

I am so excited about this week's prize giveaways, because we have two fantastic prizes to give away!

As I have already mentioned, the Sucklebusters family of products is just amazing. I have already tried their Hog Waller Por and Rib Rub and it has transformed my pork roasts into delectable entrees my kids LOVE. Seriously, it's THE easiest meat ever - rub it onto a pork loin roast and put it in a 250 degree oven for about 8 hours, and you have a fantastic dinner underway. I'm also loving their Spicy Peach BBQ Sauce - wow, is all I can say. If you are unsure how to use all the products, Sucklebusters has a recipe page that has some terrific-sounding recipes.

Leave a comment related to BBQ and you will be registered to win the Sucklebusters prize package! [It consists of several bottles of BBQ sauce and salsa fixins!

My second item is a gorgeous handmade necklace by Andree over at The Silver Workshop. The Turquoise and Silver Acorn Necklace is so beautifully made, I wish I could keep it! Andree started off as a sculptor and her pieces show such artistry and imagination.

Leave me a comment telling me about your taste in jewelry and you will be registered to win this beautiful pendant necklace!