// POSITIVE VIBES :: GOOD NEWS :: LAUGH, THINK, BE MOVED //
I've had a soft spot in my heart for Michael Buble ever since my wife and I saw him years ago in concert. At that time, he was an up-and-coming artist and not everyone knew exactly who he was, and most in the audience that night seemed to only know he was a throwback artist in the tradition of Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby or Tony Bennett. The venue was filled with a lot of older folks expecting a young crooner to come out and sing the old standards in a traditional show. That's not really what happened.
A horn-trio group opened the show and midway through their act, a silver-haired member of the audience sitting directly in front of us, leaned in and asked the lady sitting next to her, "Is anyone ever going to sing?" To which her friend slowly and thoughtfully replied, "I think this is what they call...jazz."
Midway though Buble's set he talked about how he gets asked all the time why he chose to be a crooner and sing the standards with a big band swing vibe. He said that question always frustrates him because you don't choose the genre...the genre chooses you. It's whatever music speaks to you. And he said he hated the question because it infers he can only perform one type of music. He said he doesn't want to get pigeon-holed into one genre of music because he is a multi-talented performer who can do any genre of music he wishes to do. And that's when he broke into a pretty impressive, bass driven rap medley and shouted at the aging crowd, "Where my bitches at?!!!"
There was an audible gasp from the crowd, but it was at that moment that Buble had won over at least two fans. He's as charming as he is talented and eventually the majority of the crowd were fans before they left as well. Buble has recently been enduring some troubling times with his young son diagnosed with cancer late last year. "He is progressing well," Buble stated last week. Sending good thoughts his way.
We kick off this Grind Feel Good Edition with Buble's latest song and a tear-jerker of a video:
- Take Your Parents To Work Day is an emerging fad. Proponents say it's an excellent way for parents to see their kids in a new light. (And it's a great way for coworkers to see you in a different way too; especially when the parents share embarrassing childhood stories and break out the naked baby photos.)
- You may have seen the viral video of hospice nurse, Emma Young singing Adele's "To make You Feel My Love" already, but readers of Ventipop keep sending me a link to it so I'm going to share it anyway. Enjoy:
“When I do good, I feel good; when I do bad, I feel bad, and that is my religion.”— Abraham Lincoln
- After 14 years of service, Airman Noela Scala was about to be rewarded one of the highest promotions the Air Force can give, Master Sergeant. However, her Texan parents and Air Force veterans couldn't make the journey to the pinning ceremony due to a series of health problems. Here's the story of how some wonderful hospital personnel and Air Force officials made Master Sergeant Scala's promotion a happy occasion.
- Do not underestimate the power of yoga or the human spirit or one disabled veteran Arthur Boorman:
“To be happy, we must not be too concerned with others.”— Albert Camus
- "I’ve struggled with “bad thoughts” my whole life — and while I can’t stop my son from having them too, I can show him how to live fully." ~ An excerpt from Kevin Wilson's article titled "Trying to Protect My Son From The Anxiety I've Passed On To Him."
- "In 1896 the Italian opera composer, Giuseppe Verdi founded Capa di Riposo per Musicisti, a retirement home for musicians and opera singers “who find themselves penniless in their sunset years"...Fast forward to 1981, Swiss photographer Eric Bachmann and journalist Christian Kammerling traveled to Italy to document the elderly musicians still practicing together inside the remarkable retirement home." Thankfully, Casa Verdi has recently republished these images.
- Psychologists, parents and Musicians including recording artist Imogen Heap worked together to create the perfect song to make babies happy. From the look of the video, their work paid off:
- Good advice for everyone: "Embrace Your Inner Weirdo".
- One Act of Kindness changed this homeless man's life.
- Even out-of-shape muggles can complete the Alastor “Mad-Eye” Moody Constant Vigilance 5k.
- Don't let winter suck the life out of you. Here are 5 tips to endure the dark and cold of winter.
- Country Star Miranda Lambert loves adopting rescue dogs.
- Do you work in a castle? Does your boss give you free breakfasts, free beer, huge bonuses and all-expenses paid holidays? If not, then you obviously don't work for the best boss in Britain.
...The Last Drop
Grind #88 :: The Feel Good Edition ~ Fin.
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