Japan feeling the earthquake!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12710020

This is truly a horror for Japan and the rest of the world.  I can't imagine the devastation.

My prayers are with you.

The 50s Version of American Idol - and my Quest

My sister Margaretann was the female lead singer in the 50s of the group called "The Markeeds".  As many of you know, these groups were "the thing" back then.  Margaret (or Marg as I called her) had a great voice and had a basically low-key type of personality in her normal life.  However, when she sang, she sang with confidence.  Our cousin Frank (to the left of Margaret), the "father" person mentioned in the caption, also offered his vocals and played the piano for the group on occasion.  They played in various clubs throughout New Jersey. 

They won several talent contests with Margaret as the lead singer, and one in particular landed them a guest spot on "The Original Ted Mack Amateur Hour" show.  This show was the 50s equivalent of today's "American Idol."  I can't imagine her excitement back then, and then the adventure of shopping for something to wear!
I craved some sort of remembrance of those days, at least vocally.  I knew they recorded several songs.  Since her early demise in 2006, nobody could come up with any of the tapes/reels from back in the day.  Sad, isn't it?  It took me several months of research and emailing back and forth with a man associated with the archives of the show.  Between Frank, myself and the archive specialist, and much to my great joy, we managed to locate the video of that particular show.  This is what I received:

The caption read:  "My Father at 18 years old on the Ted Mack Amateur Hour 08-23-1958 The Markeeds"



You might ask why I am bringing this out at this point in time.  It's not a special anniversary or anything.  I am, myself, a singer and heading to competition with my chorus in Philadelphia the end of March.  I get misty when I think of how happy and proud she was to hear I had been voted in as a member of Hickory Tree Chorus back in 1994.  There's a special song in our repertoire called "It's Your Song".  Every time I sing it, she is in my thoughts.  I must admit, the first 100 times I sang the song, it was difficult to get through.  But I am proud to follow in her footsteps.  A little side note:  every year HTC returns home with a medal...for the past 17 years that I have been a member. 

hickorytreechorus.org

With a loving heart, great pride, and missing my sister....

Ginny G. De Mario

Another Quote - may be heard from anyone's own lips

"Everyone is special in his or her own way."  - Every One, Every Person, Every Single Human Being, Ginny De Mario

Photography, Nature

Beautiful bird on the beach
captured drinking from a shell

Blizzard Aftermath

People!  Please be careful out there.  I know we all need to work, make money, pay bills, but this blizzard is stronger and more stealthy than any of us.  People are stuck in cars, trains, and buses - some with infants, some with extreme medical conditions - for hours and hours.  It's well below the point of freezing so walking for refuge isn't even an option if you get stuck on the road.  And, if you're stuck on the road for hours and hours, keep your tailpipe clear so the carbon monoxide doesn't build up inside your vehicle.  You won't even be aware of it, and it could kill you!

If you're not in a job that actually saves lifes or gives medical assistance to others, STAY HOME.

That's my public service announcement for the day.  :)

Be safe,
Ginny

Caroling in Chester, NJ 12/19/2010




L-R:  Ginny D, Janene D, Dolly P, Patti S
Caroling in the quant and beautiful town of Chester, NJ
We are all members of the Hickory Tree Chorus Chapter
of Sweet Adelines International, based in New Providence, NJ * 570 Central Avenue.
We meet on Wednesday evenings at 7:30pm (except for 12/22 & 12/29/10).
Photos:  kgdesignllc.com 

 

This photo was taken in front of the town fire house.  We sang for the folks
who were waiting for the horse-drawn carriage ~ a beautiful day for a ride!





We also sang inside the many shoppes along Main Street.



Here we're serenading the birds...or was it vice-versa...?
At any rate, we ALL had fun! 



Caroling in Perth Amboy, NJ 12/18/2010

Members of Hickory Tree Chorus posing with Santa
Saturday, December 18, 2010

Prayers for Elizabeth Edwards - R.I.P. Dec. 7, 2010

Cancer cannot destroy peace, suppress memories, silence courage, conquer the spirit, kill friendship, corrode faith, or cripple love. - Prayers for Elizabeth Edwards

I am so deeply saddened by this news today. I thought she was a thoroughly beautiful and inspirational person inside and out.  My prayers are with the family she left behind.



“The days of our lives, for all of us, are numbered. We know that. And, yes, there are certainly times when we aren't able to muster as much strength and patience as we would like. It’s called being human. But I have found that in the simple act of living with hope, and in the daily effort to have a positive impact in the world, the days I do have are made all the more meaningful and precious. And for that I am grateful.


“It isn’t possible to put into words the love and gratitude I feel to everyone who has and continues to support and inspire me every day. To you I simply say: you know.



“With love, Elizabeth.”

The Truth is Profound

"..that the truth always wins.  Doing right is never wrong.  Being honest and trustworthy is the way to live.  Perhaps a slight twist of the facts might bring a short term gain.  A little misrepresentation might bring some short term satisfaction.  But in the end truth always wins, so live like a winner."  --Posted by a friend on FB



This quote is profound on so many levels, I just had to post and share it with the sole intention of inspiring people.  I know we are all "only human" and we may slip up from time to time when events or people hurt us, intentional or otherwise. 

"When people close to you are caught up in a "control issue" you have to remember that you did the right things for the right reasons....and this fits the whole issue perfectly."  -- Posted by a friend on FB

Utterly Profound (for a Leo)

"Connect with the person sitting next to you on the bus, Leo, or the one behind you in line at the store. He or she may have a piece of wisdom to share that will change your life forever. Know that you, too, could be that person who changes someone else's life with a single thought or piece of wisdom. Communication is the key to expanding your world in many ways."  - author unknown

This is one part of me that is longing to come out.  Hence the Social Networking, the blog, the website that is in the process of being updated.

http://www.kgdesignllc.com/

Happy Monday everyone!

Ginny G. DeMario

Upcoming Engagements

Today/Sunday, December 5th:  Caroling with Hickory Tree members in Summit, NJ  3:30-5:30PM

Friday, December 10th: Singing engagement-  Barnes & Noble, Livingston, NJ  8pm

A Breath of Fresh Air for Chileans!

Yes, the world has been following this event and it's a glorious day - finally - to see them being rescued...albeit slowly.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/14/world/americas/14chile.html?th&emc=th

Blessings to all and I hope their health issues are minimal.

I Fought For You By The Sound Tank

Sound On

Today...September 1, 2010...on Oprah

"To be able to keep yourself grounded, to treat other people well around you is so important." - Oprah

"You stay here during commercials, you talk to people. You make everybody feel important, and that's a great lesson for people..." - David Foster about Oprah


Amen.

DaleDiva - A Video you MUST watch!

This is what Sweet Adelines is all about!  Women of all ages singing, dancing, and having a ball!

You GO DaleDiva! 

Check out "Don't Stop Believing" too.  :)

GirlPower!

My thought for today...

I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life.  

I don't know who first said this, but I share the sentiment 100%.  Boy - do I miss my parents.  August was always a very special month in my life.  That is, until a few years ago. 

My elder sister, Margaretann, was born on August 2nd, my brother, Anthony, was born on August 3rd, and I was born on August 4th - also my parents' anniversary!  My father's youngest sister was born on August 5th.  All different years.  All are now gone. 

Indeed, I miss all of them and think about them on a daily basis.  The great comfort and biggest joy now is I know they're watching over me.

I'm reading James Van Praagh's Talking to Heaven. Here's a quote that rings to my core.

So many experiences had led me to that moment. I simply had to have the courage and self-confidence to take the next step.

Amen.

Updates, Highlights

I‘m back. It’s been a very busy month and I have many updates. Probably the one thing that has and will affect me most is I’ve been able to resign from my weekend job. I now have a weekday job that I am getting acclimated to. As a result, I have had very little access to the internet for about a month especially during the day. Still, given the current economy, I am grateful for this new daily opportunity.

As for the artistic side of my life, I was totally psyched to be able to contribute to the Paterson Art Walk again this year held in Paterson, NJ (of course) on June 12th. The exhibit was, once again, amazing. My little part of it, however, was a bit disappointing, turns out, to the end of location. I had a prime spot (lobby!) in an air conditioned building on Spruce Street on the edge of town right off the elevator. In addition to the lobby painting I was able to hang, I had set up my photography pieces and additional paintings on tables in the main room under the perfect lighting of a skylight. I showcased my Paterson Falls painting on an easel for easy viewing as you entered the spacious room. Trouble is I had few visitors. Someone wrote in my book that my location and the floor I was on, wasn’t advertised. But that was not the case. I rechecked and found it *had* been printed on the flyer. Such is life. At least I had the chance to reconnect with some college friends I don’t get to visit with so often. I learned a lot and that is very important to me.

As usual, I am glued to the news. For the first time in a long time I heard that the economy is picking up somewhat. Whether or not this is true is yet to be seen and felt. I know this is good news for all of us. We need more jobs, we need more people working!

Don’t get me started on the oil spill. Forgive BP? Give me one good reason why we should. I cannot fathom what the spill is doing to our environment and it pains me to even think about it. It made me laugh when I heard that private owners of BP gas stations are being adversely affected by this and that it’s not their fault. It may not be their fault, but it is still BP gas. If BP execs had the will and foresight to embark on such an endeavor 5,000 feet under our precious sea, it is my strong opinion that they should have had a Plan B, Plan C, and even a Plan D in the works in case of such an incident. The whole mind set and situation is deplorable. Greed will kill you. I feel for all the workers who lost their lives because someone didn’t give a damn about the safety of the facility and its workers. I also feel for the people whose livelihoods were destroyed by this event.

LeBron James(sp?). Enough is enough. The media is way too focused on this event.

Real Housewives of New York and New Jersey. I usually don’t get too involved in reality shows. In fact, this is probably my first. I can’t relate to most of them and I have enough going on in my own life that I view them as tiring. Don’t ask me why, but I got involved in the New York version and really was entertained by it. I found myself getting to “know” the women of New York, how they lived and how different their lifestyles were from mine. Having exhibited my artwork there in the last few years, I was enjoying becoming more familiar with the city via this show. When the New Jersey area came out, I found that even more interesting. These are places I know, I’ve traveled, and some I am familiar with. One thing I have found sort of comforting is that among a group of four or five women, there is always one who is set apart from the rest by her erratic behavior. In New York it’s Kelly. In New Jersey it’s Danielle. I find that both enlightening and amusing. Human behavior in various situations has been of interest to me for many years. The way different personalities interact with each other and how any given situation may be construed as casual and non-threatening to one and blown out of proportion to another has always intrigued me. By the way, my favorite person is Caroline from New Jersey. She’s not only very attractive, but she seems to have a pretty good head on her shoulders. I like the manner in which she handles most any situation. A little note here: While watching the marriage portion of “Bethany Gets Married” (Housewives of New York), much to my surprise, I bawled through the whole thing. The woman’s had a rough beginning, a tough family life, she’s strong, successful, and beautiful, and she’s waited a long time for “Mr. Right” to come along. Mazel tov.

Next Great Artist on Bravo. By my estimation, there’s some pretty interesting artistic work and ideas going on there. It’s like being in class again, only now I get to watch others work. The critiques are always the most useful. The artists tend to let their egos emerge but I guess that’s just good TV and, I suppose, sleep deprivation. It reinforces the fact that I’m glad I commuted to college rather than living in a dorm.

American Idol

Last night's American Idol was a mix of talent and emotions for me. I thought Janet Jackson rocked! Her talent is vast and her choreography Rocked! She made me miss Michael even more. I didn't care for Christina's choice of songs, but her voice is very good and she looked presentable - sexy but not ridiculous. Gotta give the "Pants on the Ground" fellow (name not on the tip of my tongue) credit, too. I really like the song. It speaks to my strong dislike of the underwear-hanging-out-of-the-pants fad - and the guy's in good physical shape. Personally, I thought Paula's tribute to Simon was too long with too many wide gaps in between. Made me uncomfortable for her. That was embarrassing. I'm finding the comments on Facebook pretty interesting. I enjoyed Chicago then and now, Joe Cocker, too. Hall and Oates could've chosen better songs from their repertoire, but they were still good. That's it for now.

Congrats to Lee! I still LOVE Crystal Bowersox!! She rocks, too! I particularly love the Janis Joplin flavor she brings. I loved JJ, too.

Opportunity! and Education

The purpose of this blog is quadruple-fold. It is meant to be therapeutic, informational, educational, and to help others in the same or similar situation. My goal is to expand my knowledge of online marketing, website development, and management.  I have created, developed, and maintained two websites since 2002: http://ginnyza10r.tripod.com/, and http://stanhopepresbyterian.org/.  Also of interest to me are Search Engine Optimization, Social Marketing and Networking, and today's technology in general.

I love technology!


Background
In 2001, after many years in Corporate America, the last several working in large, high-tech companies, and with the aid of my husband, I felt the timing was right for embarking on furthering my education. I first went to county college and did so well (Honor Student, Dean's List) that my husband and I decided it would be best for me to attend university. I never could have anticipated the great joys or the deep sorrows that were about to happen in my life during my college years. I will expand on this a bit later.  Note:  Please refer to "A Little Background."

This is a brief account of what I have done in between my decades in the workforce, college, and back into the workforce. I have been employed as a temporary, updated my websites, taken many photographs of my travels, reworked/edited HTML code for my websites, taken on opportunities as a freelance artist, and organized my work in preparation for exhibits (the list may be viewed on my website, Ginnyza10r (link above)).  My work includes all phases of graphic design, i.e. drawing, painting, brochures, business cards, posters, print work, et al.

I follow Tory Johnson, Deepak Chopra, Dr. Oz, Oprah, and others on twitter.com; www.twitter.com/GinzArt1000.


My ultimate goal during my short existence here on this planet is to help improve the lives of others with whatever gifts may have been bestowed upon me in this body in this lifetime.  This is just the very TIP of the iceburg for my blogging "career", as I would like to communicate by any means with others on a professional level. So please stay tuned...