7 Thoughts On Getting Home - Christine Kane

1 – I drove nine hours from Lafayette, Indiana to Asheville yesterday. Straight through. By the time I got home, my body was vibrating. My dog made such a scene on my front porch, I thought the neighbors would accuse me of abusing her. I always have to sit with her until she calms down and sighs that big final trembly dog sigh that says, “Oh, I’m just SO glad you aren’t gone forever.”

2 – Atticus, my cat, is very glad to have me home, too. Today, he shows this by standing at the front door until I let him out. Then he walks around to the back of the house, and stands at the back door until I let him in again. Then he stands at the front door until I let him out again. He seems to be thinking, “It’s good that these doors are repaired. This past week they didn’t work at all.”

3 – There was a pop song in the 70’s that went “Do you wanna make love or do you just wanna fool around?” That’s what I woke up with in my head. I’m hearing it over and over, even as I write this.

4 – Do you ever do this — do you ever have a long list of important things to do, and you do something completely stupid instead? I have a bunch of things I need to do now that I’m home. And what’s the first thing I do? I vacuum the dead bug carcasses that fell into the window ledge over the summer. As I’m vacuuming, I keep thinking to myself, “What am I DOING?” This is normal behavior for me when I return from a tour.

5 – Have you ever left a banana in your car for a day or two, and then opened your car and thought, “Oh crap. Where’s that damn banana?”

6 – Traveling (as in “Thanks for traveling!”) seems like it should have two L’s. And buses (as in “Parking for trucks and buses”) seems like it should have two S’s. These are the kinds of things I think about as I drive.

7 – Thanks to everyone who came to the shows over this past week! I met lots of my blog readers – which was great fun! I spent so much time driving this week that I didn’t have time to write blogs – but I’ll post again tomorrow…

20 COMMENTS ADD A COMMENT
  • Julie

    Dear Christine,

    Please post your tour schedule for January and forward! We are eagerly trying to get to you in the northeast (NY/NJ/PA).

    I was introduced to your music by my beloved who quoted “the one thing I know” in his match.com profile (how’s that for crazy modern!) and it went straight to my gut. For a while now I just have wanted to write to you and say: thank you, thank you, thank you.

  • TWM

    Thanks again for a great show in Chicago Sunday — the Old Town School has some video on their website:

    http://www.oldtownschool.org/video/2007/10/09/christine-kane-and-utah-carol/

    TWM

  • Caren

    In a breakfast of eggs & ham, the chicken was involved, the pig was committed. This analogy usually comes up in various seminars, etc. so I thought you might have come across it before – used to illustrate the question, “Are you *involved* in this project? Or are you *committed* to this project?” I tried to find a site to link to it when I posted, but I didn’t like any of the ones I came across.

    Personally, from that angle, I think involved is the much better way to go, but that’s not usually the point people are making with it.

    And, yeah, sometimes songs are just songs… for some reason, the message ones “feel” different when I hear them, like someone keeps tapping me on the shoulder – “Hear that? This is for you! Hello…”

  • seventh sister

    Haven’t I heard Jimmy Landry say that your astral body travels at 40mph? If he is right, yours my still be about 5 hours away from you. No wonder you are vacuuming bugs. I drove 12 hours straight last week from Santa Fe to Austin. I got home on Friday evening and I don’t think my astral body caught up with me for about 3 days. 🙂

  • Christine Kane

    tim & joy – i hope you found the bananas… and here, i thought I was the only one who did this!

    nancy – thanks for coming all the way from albany, ny to chicago! 🙂

    thanks tim, it was great to meet you live and in person!

    marie – if you’re on my mailing list, i’ll let you know when more workshops happen.

    caren – well, i wake up with all kinds of weird songs in my head – broadway tunes, 70’s tunes, 90’s tunes — and truly, i don’t tend to think that they always have a message for me. (especially, “i am sixteen going on seventeen.” 🙂 ) but i’ll take your thoughts into consideration. and i’m not sure i get the pig/chicken thing…? i’m a vegan – does that count for anything??

    elaine – thanks for your thoughts – of course your kitten missed you!

  • Elaine

    Hi Christine! Welcome home!

    It’s great to hear that your 4-legged family are so pleased to have you home…mine are just the same – the cats have various tactics to get the best position on the sofa next to me!! I can end up will all of them together!

    Bless your dog!! it must be sooo exciting for her when you return (did you visit any interesting Dog Bakeries on this trip??!!).

    I’ve been ‘on tour’ (Sunday to Wed pm)this week and am returning from Paris to the UK late tonight… This is the first time I’ve been away from my kitten…so I wonder if she’s noticed my absence yet?!!

    See you next week! 🙂

  • Caren

    I’ve been waking up with cheesy 70s songs in my head lately. I’ve taken them for messages from the universe. i.e. – “Precious love, I give to you, blue as the sky, and deep in
    the eyes of a love, so true….You can count on me, count on my love…” or, the other day, Billy Joel’s “Just the Way You Are”, which, if you haven’t read they lyrics as if they’re a message from God/the Universe/Mary/Gaia, you might want to try it. Guess I’ve been needing to hear I’m loved lately, ’cause these songs, I swear, they come from seemingly nowhere, with me having not thought of them in years and years, then they’re singing themselves to me when I wake up.

    So, Christine – do you wanna make love? Or do you just wanna fool around? I mean – are you ready to *love*, big love? Or are you just here putzin’ around, getting yours? Are you a pig or a chicken? …Then again, maybe you were just missing your husband. 😉

  • Marie

    My husband and I heard you in Columbus and we were really impressed. Had such a good time. (I still can’t believe you can talk and tune that guitar at the same time!) I’d love to take a songwriting workshop from you someday. I teach public school music and would like to understand your process. I’ll be playing your CDs on the way to school this morning!! Keep up the great work!

  • Tim

    Christine:

    Thanks for a great show in Chicago–it was one of the most enjoyable shows I’ve seen in a long time. You are an incredible songwriter and guitar player! I enjoyed meeting you and getting your latest studio CD signed. I didn’t have enough money for the “stalker pack” but I’m sure I will be buying your new live CD soon. Your music (especially “Right Outta Nowhere”) hits me at a time when I need to take a “leap” career-wise. I always seem to look for the net before I leap, but I’m learning that the net can only be visible after I leap. Anyhow, thank you for your great music and your ideas on this Blog.

    Tim in Chicago

  • NancyCz

    Thanks for an awesome show in Chicago and making me feel like rock star! Also, thank you for the comment on the banana… I think you may have just given me a clue to the mystery smell in Kris’ car. Oy.

  • Joy

    have you ever gone on a 10-day trip to california to hear your favorite singer-songwriter in the whole world perform and left your banana and almond butter in the car for those ten days only to return and then open the car door and think, “oh crap, There’s that damn banana?”

  • Tim Graham

    Have you ever left a banana in your car for a day or two, and then opened your car and thought, “Oh crap. Where’s that damn banana?”

    It happened to me last night !!!

  • Christine Kane

    hi kathy – small chunks of time! go work for one hour. then go play some computer solitaire! and be nice to yourself!

  • Kathy

    Hmmmm ….. a long list of important things to do … like packing up all our earthly belongings for the movers that will be showing up on Thursday? Instead of packing, I find myself writing cards to people that I’ve been meaning to write for ages, commenting to blogs, playing with my new blackberry. Yes, I think I’ve been there!!!

  • Christine Kane

    thanks meg!

    kelsey – it was good to meet you too! and it didn’t dawn on me until later that harper is the one in the picture you sent to me! everything clicked after you left!

    mk – congrats on doing the reading! it sounds like it was quite a night. see you at the retreat!

    stephen – i fixed vacuum. thank you! (and i’ve already gotten several emails about the alternative spellings of traveling and buses. i’m glad to know that SOMEWHERE people are spelling them correctly!) you guys are also lucky in that you get to say “learnt.”

  • Stephen

    Great news! “Travelling” is correct in British English and “busses” is acceptable as an alternative spelling (you’re clearly being influenced by your international blog readers). Plus, I love your alternative spelling for “vacuum”! The animals’ reactions were terrific. When I got home recently after two months away, our cat made it clear that he hadn’t noticed I’d been gone. Time to get a dog.

  • MK

    oh my! I have been so in this same place since my reading Thursday night. It went so well and was so affirming that I’m doing the right thing that I’m still not quite back to the ground yet. Yours sounds like exhaustion – mine is giddiness but the symptoms (that looks funny – did I spell it right – see how goofy i am?) seem similar.

    Soooo excited to see you next week and to share stories!

    xo, mka

  • Kelsey

    I typed show in Chicago, when I meant show in Columbus — how strange of me.

    I also always think buses should have a double s.

  • Kelsey

    I enjoyed meeting you! Over breakfast the next morning my friend and I were lusting over a trip to Asheville. . . we even had the atlas out. Thanks for a great show in Chicago. Watch the mail, as I will be sending the haiku I was inspired to write later that evening.

    Ooh, and did you go to the Laura Ingalls Wilder house?

  • Meg

    Welcome back!