First, my friend David just completed AIDS/LifeCycle 9, raising over $5,000 for HIV/AIDS research and awareness while cycling 545 miles from San Francisco to L.A. "to make a world of difference in the lives of people living with HIV and AIDS." I wish I could give David a high-5, a hug and sit with him for hours hearing all about his adventures. Sadly, he lives in L.A. and I live in upstate NY. Hopefully we will connect via cell soon. Knowing David, he must be giddy with excitement and eager to share lots of stories about all of the cute boys he met!
Isn't he cute? :)
To prepare for his journey, David got a new bike, learned how to ride with pedal clips and trained last year. He completed this 7-day journey a few days ago. To say I'm proud of him is an understatement. He has so inspired me to re-evaluate my own interest in biking and philanthropy so much so that I started researching what kind of bike I'll need and plotting out whether I can train to join him next year. Instead of getting freaked out, I was totally energized by the thought of accomplishing something so awesome in a place so beautiful that is so near and dear to my heart with a friend who I love. I was up until midnight scouring websites looking for the answers.
Please check out David's story here.
I'm hoping to snag some of his notes and photos to post here once he settles in and shares them, so please check back!
The other source of inspiration is probably of no surprise... MUSIC! Unlike my previous blogs which are filled with references to Dave Matthews and Jason Mraz, who are surely my greatest sources of musical inspiration, I can't get away from this new Christina Aguilera song, "You Lost Me". She co-wrote it with one of my favorite sing-songwriters, Australian-born Sia. If you're unfamiliar with Sia, please check out this video featuring her song, "Breathe Me":
I think this video in and of itself is inspiring but that's a whole other blog post! Perhaps you've already watched Six Feet Under and have seen this to know what I mean!
So back to the Christina-Sia collaboration... the song, "You Lost Me" is absolutely riveting, to me. I can't stop listening to it and looking for good live versions online. She recently performed it on the finale of American Idol and it stood out among the sea of mediocrity. I hadn't heard the song before at that point and was instantly glued to my TV and in tears by the end. Last night, I caught another performance as part of VH1 Storytellers so check your OnDemand directory or local listing to find it. Even if you're not a Christina or pop/top 40 fan, I think this song is worth a listen. The blue notes are just gut-wrenching.
What's amazing to me is that even though the lyrics aren't exactly positive, there is something about the melody and harmony that makes me feel good. The emotion is so raw, she is so revealed. There is something comforting about that.
Hoping one or both of these examples has inspired you in some way.
-mandy
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