Entries categorized 'Tyler' ↓

This past Sunday I was lucky enough to participate in the “Out of the Darkness”, an event at Alton Baker Park focused on promoting suicide and depression awareness. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I was headed there, but when I arrived I was engulfed in a warm atmosphere. The sun was shining, the smiles were welcoming and the emotion was strong. There were hundreds of friends, family members and community members, all of which had been affected by suicide in some way. It was spiritual, the pain and the suffering, the happiness and the redemption, the heartache and fulfillment, all to compose a beautiful juxtaposition where every emotion, high and low, was felt and expressed to create a point of healing.

At the ceremonies opening, a women referred to us all as “suicide survivors”. Whether that means being the mother or father of a suicide victim, or at one time being depressed yourself, or even simply knowing someone who had dealt with depression and suicide; we are all survivors. I definitely take this title to heart and have come to realize that in my ability to live, I have been given the opportunity to help those who may be walking in darkness, to appreciate the time and the happiness that I am given, to realize that life isn’t perfect and that we all deal with these imperfections differently.

After a few speeches and readings were finished we began the walk. We went along the river from Alton Baker to the Autzen Stadium footbridge, crossed the river and headed back along the opposite side. The walk was amazing. There were hundreds of us moving together, progressing as a unified movement with a common struggle and a common willingness to heal and help the cause. I think crossing over the river was beautiful moment for many people, not only physically but emotionally. It was a crossing over of place and time, a crossing of intimate turmoil to come out on the other side, not letting the waters flush away the history, but allowing a new view of that history to arise.

If you’re interested in learning more about Out of the Darkness, I would encourage you to check out their website.

Photos by Tyler Woodke

After this week of freezing weather and watching Kris’s “Let it Snow” video from last week’s post, I decided it might be helpful to share 8 winter driving tips.

1) Traction: Snow tires or chains where the ground is continually covered in snow can help prevent a loss of traction.

2) Vision: Make sure your car windows are defrosted or scraped of ice before you start driving. Driving with blind spots can be more dangerous than the bad weather itself.

3)  Lights: Check the headlights and taillights of your car. Fog and cloud cover may require that you keep your lights on more frequently.

4) Know the roads: I know that ice always accumulates on certain corners in my neighborhood. Know your roads and try to avoid bad areas when conditions aren’t good.

5) Check Weather Forecasts: Preparation can usually lead to prevention. Make sure you know if road conditions are going to be bad.

6) Don’t Over-Steer: “If a slick section in a turn causes your front tires to lose grip, the common — but incorrect — reaction is to continue turning the steering wheel. That's like writing checks on an overdrawn account: It won't improve the situation and may make things worse” (Edmunds.com). Always try to keep your tires pointed straight down the road or in the direction you wish to be going.

7) Stay hydrated: Many people don’t see the likelihood of dehydration during winter and therefore don’t pay attention to their water consumption. Dehydration, which can lead to fatigue and lack of alertness, can become extremely dangerous especially in poor weather conditions.

8) Safety Kit: Carry a winter safety kit in your car. It’s bad enough to find yourself on the side of the road in a snow storm, but being unprepared when it does happen is even worse.

Winter is a great time of year, but it can also be a dangerous one. Stay safe!

Safety tips found at Edmunds.com and MSNBC

      Let me dance like a prodigy, with leg kicks and supernatural twirls, flamboyant upon my interpretational instincts, a kid of 10 and a man of 40 who reshapes the less than rigid boundaries of cultural exploitations. Perhaps I shall sing with a tone no one has heard and a lyrically dignified intonation that makes my songs explode with furry and remain decades forth. I shall wear what I please, conceivably taking a thousand stars from the sky and pressing them onto a single white glove that shall flash with greatness as does my performance. Upon my death shall be redemption, a remembrance of provision instead of controversy, a return to wholeness of music.

Photos from here, here and here at Google images.

The pop king now rests but his music continues and that is a very clear representation of musical fluidity. Even if you’re not a Michael Jackson fan you have to appreciate the fact that music never stops, it is an omnipresent beat.

     On a much happier note, I managed to make it to the Oregon Country Fair Sunday, July 12th. The fair is always seen as a time to “connect” with our mother earth, and lets say the pouring rain, thunder and lightning definitely connected my physical awareness with the nature. The spectra of music at the fair ranges so vastly and that’s what I love about it. I walked along the muddy paths and from corner to corner was able to enter into sounds of different backgrounds and developmental foundations. Music is a story on many different levels. The lyrical suggestions generally provide a very clear interpretation, but a lot of music is wordless or is in a different language whereas in this case the words provide melodic structure rather than literal definitions. Almost all of the music I experienced at the fair was wordless or in different languages, yet I was still able to grasp a very clear interpretation of the artists presentation. I feel that the tone of music provides the most powerful story line. What I mean is that no matter what words are used or not used, the tones in which the songs are played provide the powerful connection between what the artist is feeling and what the listeners attain as they hear the music.
   

      At one corner of the fair were 4 young kids, each seemingly unskilled as musicians. One held a guitar and plucked a few notes, another banged two drum sticks against the guitar case with a lack of rhythmic finesse, one held and randomly played a harmonica while another tapped a glass jar. Even though the sounds provided no real structure, it still provided a sequential musical tone that created an atmosphere in that one space and time. You could feel their love for music, so much in fact that they were willing to sit in the rain and make due with what they had.  Their story was heard and carried.

     Other music that I heard and loved was the Umbrella Piano Man, the UFO drummer, the Zimbabwe band, the Rainy Day Tuba player, and the Hopeful singers. I don’t know any of their real names, but the stories I got from their music allowed a self-entitled name disclosure. The UFO drummer had this crazy medal drum (that looked like a flying saucer) and played for a small crowd under a sheltering tree. I had never heard anything like it, but I know I’ll be looking around for a drum like that.The Umbrella Piano Man had his piano practically set up in a mud swamp, had a large umbrella outstretched over his beautiful wood piano and played jazzy tunes even in the torrential down pours.  The Zimbabwe band played on the main stage. They were awesome and everyone couldn’t help but dance. They had a number of hand drums, some authentic wooden vibes and an acoustic guitar. Their lyrics weren’t in English and I felt that added to the rhythmic dialect and cultural experience. The Rainy Day tuba player and the Hopeful singers were seen on the side of the path on my way out. They of course were playing and singing, “you are my sunshine, my only sunshine…” as the thunder roared on. Overall the fair was another great musical experience and definitely got me dancing in the rain a few times.

(Final 3 Photos by Tyler Woodke)