Love Me Do

It was 50 years ago today that "Love Me Do" was released.  Of course, Liverpool is going to go crazy over this and there are gigs all over the city and everyone needs to do all of it.  I am not. But I did participate in an  attempt to break the world record for most people singing in a "Love Me Do"  in a choir-like style.  Dann and I debated whether or not to go because we have been sick and both slept terribly last night. In the end we decided to go.  Called the cab, sat in traffic, go to the scene of the event only to be told that we were too late!  Dann, in his best man tone, cried out to the lady 'She's come all the way from America for this!"  The woman, "You can ask the gatekeeper (Ghostbusters!),"  and pointed to this guy. Mr. Guy just opened the gate and told us to hurry because we need to be counted.  So we got in anyway.  I was hard not to smirk and the lady.

I honestly wasn't sure how they were going to pull this off.  They had about eight "conductors"  scattered among the crowd and many "officials" from the Guinness World Record office board.  I wondered how the heck do you get the job with GWR?  But whateves.  We had a quick practice and then before you knew it (and before it was scheduled) we were all singing along to the happy little tune.  Thank goodness that it's a short song!

We did the first attempt and the GWR professionals and the conductors all got together and checked the video and audio to see if we were sufficient enough to break the record.  Let me tell you,  there were 1,631 folks singing that happy harmonica filled song and we broke that record!  BAM!


So here is the link.  Autumn's debut on the BBC . We are in the beginning, you can find us at the end of the line in the opening. Dann has a green frog hat on, Esmee is on the closer side and I am the one furthest away, and the shorter one. :)


Have a great day.

Don't Let Me Down...

You know it's very hard to have a suitable Beatles song as a title for each post.  I've already repeated one (unknowingly) and when I go to actually post something, the rare times that I do, the hardest bit is trying to come up with a title.


So, anyway, I am back in Liverpool.   Of course, it's been a whirlwind three days.  I lost a whole day just because of the need to sleep. I missed a show I wanted to see Saturday night (actually I've missed every show I wanted to see this year).  But I made it to the Beatles Convention yesterday where I was able to see some old friends.  It's funny the people at the convention are beginning to recognize me.  Maybe I am a bit crazy.  Maybe I have a reason to come back to Liverpool every year?!  But the convention was great.  I saw Charles and Renee which is always a happy time.  I also had the chance to catch up with Julia briefly.  Dann said that she looked genuinely happy to see me so that always makes me smile.

Liverpool is treating me kindly, for the most part.  I have a feeling I've made a huge mistake with my flat. I am looking to get out of the contract. But we will see. In other, big, HUGE, potentially awesome news, I have an interview tomorrow at the Beatles Story.  Goodness how I am hoping that I get it.  An income!  A FREAKING INCOME! The thoughts of having a job (and one that I enjoy) is so exciting it's like someone else has taken over my body and is changing my ideas about life!    I am nervous though because we are going to Greece Sept 10-19 and I'll probably have to start Sept 14!  And I really want to go home for Christmas.  If you saw my mama's eyes when I was getting on the plane Friday you would want to go home too.  And I also need to go home for Christmas because the baby will be arriving mid December!   Oh boy what a year.

And also, this Thursday I hear from Teach of America on whether or not I will get an interview.   It's just first rounds and I am already so nervous I am going to be sick.   It's amazing a year ago I couldn't care any less about having a job and now that's it one of the things I want the most (coming in first is my friend's and family's health).  Do I want to settle down?!?!?!       JEEEEEZE  when did I get old?


So please send good juju out to the universe for me!

There's a Place

So today was particularly interesting in the Beatles side of my life.  It's been so long since I have been excited about anything Beatles related that I have almost forgotten what it felt like. But this evening, after I got home from work, I had a flash of excitement go through me when someone wanted to talk to me about Liverpool and what to do there.  I guess it has been so long since I was able to tell someone what to see while they were there and the gentleman I was speaking to was so stinkin' excited it made me excited all over again.  I actually felt a little silly talking about the places as if it they were any different than any other part of the world.  I acted like it wasn't a big deal that I spent a whole day in Lennon's house "shadowing" and was left unattended. But it is a big deal!  And when I heard that someone was excited for me to be doing this, I got excited all over again! 

It was nice to know I was helping someone, well two someones, that needed some guidance around Liverpool.  Although most people in Liverpool would be more than happy to help them, I was able to tell them where to go and what companies to go with (you know Cavern City Tours over any other Beatles tour etc).  It actually got me a bit excited to get my butt back over there and start all over again looking for jobs and getting turned down and trying all over again but being surrounded by the Beatles.  Jeeze, I can almost smell the Cavern Club's stinky smell. 

This possible has made my dissertation a bit more exciting! 

Nowhere You Can Be That Isn't Where You're Meant To Be...

I know that I was awful at keeping everyone updated with this blog. I should have done it once a week like I did with my other blog.  But I guess in many ways that blog is easier, albeit more creative. The last one I posted was about a dream about Lennon that I had... in December!  Wow.  Talk about a bad promise maker.    So I suppose I'll begin at the beginning and work my way towards now.  I'll try not to bore you with the silly small stuff, you can ask if you really want to know the deets.

So I came home for Christmas, much to Jacob's surprise.  And much to my surprise I had my very own Romeo by then. So I guess that is the first thing I should talk about even though it's not very Beatle related but very Liverpool related. Romeo is also known as Dann. You know, the guy who told me to shut my window in the last post? He's the reason why I will be returning to stay in Liverpool from August to March.  So I suppose that is the most important thing I should share with you.  Autumn Rose found love.  Just like everyone told her she would.

Anyway, I was in America until January 9th-ish. Then made the journey back to Liverpool to what would be a whirlwind of time flying by. By the end of March I found myself boarding a bus outside of the Adelphi hotel (where it all started) to get to London and actually get inside of Abbey Road Studios!  How flipping cool is that?!?  It isn't something that is often open to the public and definitely isn't something that is as cheap as we got it for. It was kind of surreal to be there.  I am not a sentimental person so I imagine that there could be a few other people who would do a stellar job of writing this but it was cool to be in Studio Two. In the corners and the doorways that I recognized from so many photos of the Beatles. Two Americans (and I swear one was younger than me [what am I doing wrong]) presented us with their research and discussed the history and development of Abbey Road as a studio. My patience was growing thin until they reached the 1960s and I grabbed my attention.  Believe it or not, I learned things that I've never known about the Beatles. At this point, that's becoming a rare thing. Not to toot my own horn or anything (beeeeeeeeeeeeep).
It was a great day!  Oh and there is a cafeteria in there! We had a snack inside and then, somehow, a knife and fork from Abbey Road fell into my purse and made it's way back to Liverpool with me!  Remarkable.

Then one day in early March I had a message in inbox on Facebook from Ms. Julia Baird.  She has been such a wonderful help to me in the last few months.  I cannot express my gratitude towards her enough for helping me wrap my head around the local phenomenon of the Beatles. The point of view that she has given me has definitely opened my eyes up to a more realistic and personal idea of the Beatles rather than this super group that no one could touch. I admit that there is a lot that I will not tell anyone, never mind put it on the internet, but my time spent with Julia was most definitely eyeopening and wonderful. Sometimes the Universe just works itself out for you.  I'm reminded of that each time Dann grabs a hold of my hand and I was reminded of that each time I met with Julia.

And then there was spending an extensive amount of time in John's childhood home.  Thanks to my dissertation topic, I have be allowed to do things (for free) that most people get to do for a charge and have less time with.  I have  been in John's house before but I was there as a fan not as a fly on the wall and what a difference that change is. But it was also amazingly wonderful to be in the house alone and take time to read things that I didn't have time to do before.  I was able to speak with the groundskeeper, Colin, for quite a while and get his point of view on Beatles Tourism in Liverpool. The opportunities that have been given to me in this lifetime are opportunities that I will forever be thankful for.

And to close...
Before I left for the summer, I saw New Kids on the Block and Backstreet Boys in concert. BAM!

It's a good life.