Archive | February, 2011

Play the Bamboo Flute

By on February 21, 2011 in Music & Wellness

The bamboo flute has been my best $3 investment in the past five years. I happened to find one in a bamboo store in Oceanside, CA a few years ago. This bamboo flute in particular is from Indonesia. I use the flute to facilitate drum circles, to share with music-making groups, and for my own wellness and self-care! Check out the demonstration in the video below:

Best part about having a $3 flute in your inventory: If it flies out the car window, you’re only out THREE BUCKS! If there is not a local store that sells bamboo flutes, then you can also buy one online. I couldn’t find one online as inexpensive as I found in the store, but shop around, and you never know! And . . . keep me posted on your inexpensive bamboo flute adventures ;) ~

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Online ZEN 4: Rhythm of Life Online, The Cloud Cluster Approach

By on February 15, 2011 in Online ZEN

I’ve been throwing stuff into the Cloud (Internet) only for a year. Online ZEN is just a little bit about how I’m using the Cloud more efficiently to make my life in the physical realm easier. Thanks for joining me in unveiling my rhythm in the Cloud! =)

Sometimes I’m asked how I have time to do what I do here in the Cloud. I’m sure people wonder whether I actually have a life offline as well. Here’s the great news: I do have a fun social life, I go to parties, I exercise, I cook, I even paint (sort of! See ←). And I do not document all of my activities online. I could, but I choose not to. But I do see the Cloud as an excellent tool for connection, both personally and professionally. 3 ways to be more efficient online follow.

Kat's Latest Painting, Still in Progress

Here’s the Cluster Approach and how I have time for Cloud-jumping and online-businessing:

1. Save a little cluster of time every day or every other day for Cloud-jumping (or Internet-swimming, or whatever you’d like to call it). The time cluster can be 30 minutes, an hour, or five hours. Your choice. Just understand that 30 minutes per day will reap very slow results, and that’s ok. If you go with five hours, you become more likely to lose focus and perform less efficiently. Just be aware. Anything you choose is ok.

Also, make sure that the cluster is a tight, well thought out, efficient, focused chunk of time.

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6 Slices Of Boomwhacker Heaven For Your Enjoyment

By on February 11, 2011 in Boomwhackers®, Kids

I recently had the good fortune of rescuing a poor little scared, lost boomwhacker from under my couch. I posted a photo of the yellow E boomwhacker recently on Facebook. I assume it cut loose from the mobster pack after the last Great Boomwhacker Escape. After posting the photo, I received this:

Then I realized: “There are some people who don’t know what a boomwhacker is!” I had a hard time wrapping my head around that idea, but . . .

Actually, my friend Geoffrey Thornton Chew is into yoga and all things holistic, so I bet he would really dig boomwhackers. Here’s your answer, Geoff!

Boomwhackers are:

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Love is in the air! Heartbeat + Affirmations

By on February 7, 2011 in Drumming, Music & Wellness

On Saturday after a music therapy session with a group of Alzheimer’s residents, I could feel the love in the air~ As I drove home, I caught myself combining a heartbeat with affirmations.

Affirmations are statements made in the present tense that describe something positive about your self. When you use them in simple repetition over a simple rhythm, they become mantras in active meditation. It’s great for quieting your mind, enhancing your mood, and transforming your spirit.
Hope you can feel the self-care and love in the air, too =) Enjoy!

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3 Reasons that Choosing a Musical Instrument to Master is Like Choosing a Good, Long-Term Bank

By on February 4, 2011 in Music & Wellness

I’m switching banks from Chase to a local credit union because my relationship with Chase has run it’s course. Chase changed their branch’s interior to look more like a lock-down prison. Or at least, that’s how I perceive it. Plus they’re charging ridiculous fees. Chase just doesn’t feel like me.

Growing up, my parents always kept the money I earned from cleaning my dad’s office ($4 per week) in a tiny little local bank. I’m returning to a little bank because that’s where I feel more comfortable.

Changing banks makes me feel like I’m in middle school, trying to find that perfect band instrument that connects to my personality and preferences. I took piano lessons starting at age 8. I’ve always loved the piano, but when I was in 5th grade, I tried the clarinet. When I was a junior in high school I tried out classical guitar. All the while I kept up piano.

Then in college, I really didn’t want to be in the choir, so I took up the double bass to fulfill my “large ensemble” requirement with orchestra. I also played clarinet for a semester in the university band. In grad school, I more seriously took up guitar, mostly for simple chording and pop songs. But I always returned to the piano, and that’s my Bachelor’s degree: piano performance (and music theory).

All throughout my life thus far, I continue to return to the piano as my trusty companion and escape from the real world. The piano has always felt like me. Here’s how choosing a good bank is like choosing a great instrument to master:

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