STRANGER, new album of mostly new music, to be released soon.

During my visit to the Old Country in May, I was given the opportunity to play for two congregations: Independent Bible Baptist Church in Nuneaton and Kingsmeade Baptist Church in Cannock Chase. Since that time, I have had several requests for CDs. So …

… due to popular demand, I have self-produced a new album, STRANGER.

All of the songs, except 6, 7, and 10, are complete works of my own, from writing to recording, the songwriting spanning much of the last eight years.

Track listing:

1. Blackburn’s Orchard
2. Jesus Came To My House
3. In The Way
4. Living water
5. On My Way
6. Amazing Grace*
7. Door+
8. You Found Me
9. Here Am I; Send Me
10. Wayfaring Stranger**
11. Blackburn’s Orchard (Reprise)

* words by John Newton; music Traditional (House Of The Rising Sun)
+ words by Amanda Heindel; music by Roxanne L. Martin
** words and music Traditional

Music pages have been created both on Facebook and MySpace . If you are interested in getting a copy, you can contact me via those websites or through this blog.

Thanks!

Roxanne

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Battlestar Galactica Epiphany/Theory

Before I dive-in, I have to say that, generally speaking, I'm not a theory-troller. I let fans make their speculations and leave them alone, rarely reading them. Of course, there are blogs/journals/what-have-you that I follow and they do crop up. The following was not found on any websites, but instead was an "OMG-What-If?!"-moment I had whilst driving around with my father earlier.

I was explaining to him the little bit that I understand about the upcoming BSG-prequel series, "Caprica". (Admittedly, not a whole lot.) What I interpret from the trailers and what I've read online, there is a suicide bombing and amongst the victims are Zoe Graystone (daughter of Daniel Graystone, a computer engineer) and Evelyn and Tamera Adama (wife and daughter, respectively, of Joseph Adama, a civil liberties lawyer). Political rivals prior to the bombing, the two bond and Graystone, using breakthrough technology in artificial intelligence, downloads the personalities of both his and Adama's daughters into robotic recreations. (The details of this are fuzzy from the trailers, but I've read a little that they uploaded their personalities into an online social-networking avatar ...?).

So, whatever with all that. That's what I was telling my father. I got into a bit of a heated monologue as I started rattling off things like:

"How is this supposed to be possible, since we know that the Final Five were on Kobol 2,000+ years ago?"

"And the thirteenth tribe was all cylon ... again, 2,000+ years ago, so how is this stuff that Graystone puts together 'early Cylon' technology'?"

Then, I remembered something. In the last episodes of Season 4 of Battlestar, we were informed by two of the final five that they created eight human models. This was a big "WTF"-moment for fans seeing as the creators had dangled the "fifth" in front of us for over a year just to reveal her and then drop the bomb that there was another one out there - number seven.

Oh, but wait. They're not out there because someone tainted the ooze that they incubate in, or whatever (bear with me and my poor descriptions - it's been a couple months since I saw the episode), and all of them were 'killed'. What did they call him?

Daniel.

So ... I suppose my theory is this. Could Daniel Graystone be a cylon? Sleeper agent, perhaps, whose mission was to introduce cylon technology to this later generation of the human race? Furthermore, to, ultimately, bring about the Fall of the Twleve Colonies? You know all that, "This has all happened before and will happen again" mumbly jumbly.

I don't know, but there it is. I kind of whooped and started tapping out text messages to people who probably couldn't care less. Just like this blog.

Famous Last Words

Last summer, prior to the release of the seventh and final installment of the frighteningly popular Harry Potter book series, the Kansas City Star was one of countless newsmedia outlets to run a "Deathly Hallows' Famous Last Words" contest. The author of the books, J.K. Rowling had revealed in an interview (several years ago now) that she already had the last chapter of the last book written and tucked away in a notebook somewhere and that the last word was, "scar". This created a huge opportunity for those meganerds who always wanted to write their own ending (or more ...) to finally have their brilliance displayed for the world. Or at least their community. The rules were simple. Each entry must consist of only one sentence ending in the word "scar"; run-ons allowed, but good grammar and literary presence encouraged.

I must make a confession. My name is Roxanne, and I am a meganerd. Don't be hatin'.

That said, I drafted six -- yes, six -- entries to this very contest and happened to find them stowed away in a personal folder at work. I thought I would use this blog entry to share them with you, and make comments as I see fit. If you care and have been living under a rock with no knowledge of the end of the seventh book, I will tell you now that spoilers exist in my comments. You have been warned.

1) It had been months since the final battle that had claimed the lives of not only his nemesis Voldemort, but those also of some of his closest friends, and now, Harry Potter - the Boy-Who-Lived - had awoken with a searing pain in his famous, lightning bolt-shaped scar.

The ultimate dun dun DUN, I say. Anyone who's even only sort of familiar with the premise should know that throughout the books, pain in Harry's scar was always due to some sort of link he had with Voldemort, and never did it mean anything good. This line reminds me of a fortune I once received in a fortune-cookie and wrote about in a previous entry: "You laugh now. Wait till you get home."

2) Pocketing his wand and striking a formidable pose, the young, but battle-hardened Harry Potter spat at the crumpled figure at his feet and said, "And that's for giving me this scar."

Ah, karma is a bitch. You can't mar the youthful visage of the savior of Wizarding and Muggle peoples alike without encountering some payback. Stupid Dark Overlords. Who the f**k do you think you are?

3) Returning to the side of his faithful snake, Lord Voldemort conjured up and collapsed into a plush recliner and sneered, "This time, Nagini, I gave that meddling boy much more than a scar!"

Oh, Voldemort, you evil mirthless b*stard. How I loathe your very existence and all your filthy-hearted followers. Still, even I understand that you have to "let the bad guy win every once in awhile" (Billie Preston, Will It Go Round In Circles).

4) Neville Longbottom wore a lopsided grin as he took in his surroundings and thought to himself that his old friend would have probably hated "Harry Potter Day" with all its fanfare, round-spectacles and children with foreheads charmed to display a famous jagged scar.

Neville Longbottom is my hero. I laugh at myself, because I'm actually going to confess that I used to host a random website/blog/whatever called "Rather Longbottom" and the tagline was, "Because at the end of the day ... wouldn't you?" ... That's quality.

5) All the seventh-year students pulled out their textbooks and quills when Professor Binns drifted through the blackboard at the head of the classroom and indicated that class had begun by saying, "Ultimately, the eventual demise of Voldemort began on October 31, 1980 when Harry Potter was on the receiving-end of an Unforgivable curse-gone-wrong and was branded with his now infamous scar."

Binns was a ghost that taught History of Magic, if you didn't know. And this line, for being a one-off born from an idea that Harry Potter had to be a fixture in their worlds' history, was actually rather prophetic in regards to Voldemort's destruction.

6) It was the first glimpse the new students got of their Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and, despite his age, his vibrant green eyes shone with delight at this new group of prospects who gasped and began whispering when he ran a hand through his grey hair and displayed the faded lightning bolt-shaped scar.

Harry did go on to do great things for Magical Law Enforcement with regards to sniffing- and snuffing-out Dark Arts after Voldemort, but he never actually taught this class, that I remember from anything Rowling ever said. I still entertain the thought that, if he didn't teach it regularly, he at least would conduct seminars and things from time-to-time. I mean, really. He's Harry-effing-Potter.

One of them actually made the final cut-list, but I couldn't tell you which one now. I didn't win, but I really thought mine had much more potential than the line that won. My cohorts and I firmly believe I was robbed by a bunch of sniveling Harry-haters. You'd have picked me, right?

After all was said and done and all the paper had their fun, Rowling divulged that once she actually set about writing the final chapter, the idea of "scar" being the last word was discarded and it was now something painfully ambiguous that no one would ever want to have contests about.

What is the last word, you ask? "Well".

Merry Christmas!

Just wanted to take a moment and wish you all a very Merry Christmas. Let us be thankful this season for our families, our friends and, ultimately, the God Who gave us His Son as a baby in a manger over 2,000 years ago. No, today is not Jesus' birthday, really, but let us take this time of year and celebrate the love and grace that has called us and washed us and empowered us to become the children of God. Without the birth, there would have been no Calvary, and without Calvary, there would be no salvation.

Take the time to find yourself a real Bible and read the account of the birth of Christ in Matthew 1-2 and Luke 2.

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." -Isaiah 9:6

"And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." -Luke 2:8-14