Welcome to the world

I have a new nephew!!! He was born last night - 21in 6lbs and 12oz. I'll be traveling to see him this Christmas so, yeah, my gig calendar is kind of empty right now. No worries though. If you are in town (SA) you can catch me this evening at Candlelight and I'll be back at Casa Chiapas on First Friday in January. Also, more gigs to come. For now, I want to spread the word about something so, if you could help me out, I'd really appreciate it. Here goes:



This holiday season I ask you to help me give to a cause that is close to my heart.

When you purchase my song 'Last of the Ones' from Noisetrade.com, I will give %100 of my earnings to the Advent Conspiracy that is making leaps toward solving the water crisis in impoverished nations.
You can listen to the song on the widget below and pay any amount from $1 to $25 to contribute OR send it to some friends who might enjoy it and get the MP3 download for free. This year, I want to make a difference and help meet the needs of people who are literally dying for fresh water.

Every year, 1.8 million people die in 3rd world countries from drinking contaminated water when the crisis is one that can be resolved. It takes as little as $10 to give a child clean water for life and we can do that.

The Advent Conspiracy:



The Advent Conspiracy is not affiliated
with any ads at the end of the clip.




Please post, re-post or whatever you can do. And, if you buy the single, let me know! I'm making a special thank you page and I want to include you.

Your help in spreading the word or supporting the cause would be greatly appreciated. All my love - Laura Marie

Subscribe to Laura Marie: Notes by Email

Love Colored Glasses

I have a confession: I watch the news

It sucks because you know what sells: Corruption, greed, fear, etc. And I allow myself to be bombarded with it all and risk forgetting that I am surrounded by love.

I look at my life and know that I see what I want to see, that whatever I am looking for I'm going to find. So, I can look for things to justify my fears or look for proof of love. It's my choice. One will hold me down and the other will set me free.

So, here is what I choose to see:

My family - I am loved and supported. I have an endless supply of hugs, kisses and I am never alone. I know where I belong.

My music - I have something to give. I have a way to share my deepest feelings and a way to connect with people I may never get to meet.

My home - I am so incredibly comfortable. I have a place to share the warmth.

My comfy winter pajama bottoms- seriously

My friends - Holy crap. I have people to share with, laugh with, cry with and argue with. Yes, argue with. So I can better understand who I am and what I believe in.

My past - I've learned so much and it has brought me so far.

My bank account - I can buy what I need to keep going. I have something to build on.

My love - I have someone to share it with and I can explore the depths of it.

My faith - I found it. And, best of all, it negates no one else's and is not threatened by another's.

My life - I am happy.

My health - I have a body that heals and can do wonderful things. Check it out here ;)



Laura Marie running for S.A. music at Rock 'n' Roll Marathon

(Update on the marathon: A week before the marathon I fell ill with a virus I'd rather not describe. I ran the half marathon instead and did very well, thank you. In fact, I did so well on the half that I'll be running the Austin half in a few months too! )


So, when you are sitting across the table from the beautiful, wonderful people attached to your life, you can see what you want to see. I want to see the love so I'm going to look for it and I'm stubborn so, I know I'll find it.

Have a great Thanksgiving (belated for my Canadian friends)

- LM

With gratitude for the part of my musical life
touched by Manny and heartfelt condolences to his family and friends.

Listen to the man's music and know he is now one with love.

Soldier's Heart

Wow, so much has happened since my last blog. We have a new president elect :) and I'll admit that I've been completely lost in politics for the last couple of months and need to get back on track. Though there are still issues that I feel strongly about and will continue to follow.

As I've said before, as far as my friend's go, I try not to discriminate. You don't have to believe what I believe to be a friend. I just may not share my incredibly liberal attitude with you (unless you ask) because I don't feel it's my place to change your mind. You are who you are and that is wonderful. That said, let's talk about war.

Ok, not so much about war and why we are in one or how to get out of one but, what we can do to heal the inevitable wounds. For those of you unfamiliar with PTSD, let me explain.

PTSD is Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

We know that the effects of any significant trauma can be long lasting and difficult to overcome not just for the traumatized person but for everyone around them. When our troops come home many are still fighting a battle in their heads and they need our help.

I've spoken openly about my struggle with depression and having to overcome PTSD from sexual abuse. Mental wounds can be the hardest to heal but I know they can be healed. One thing we can do is help remove the stigma of mental illness that prevents people from reaching out.

If you are so inclined, please visit my new myspace friend Soldier's Heart and share their message with someone who may be affected. Their official website has a wealth of resources for those suffering from PTSD.

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More on the music front to come. For now, love and be loved:






- LM

Standing on a soapbox

will only make me a few inches taller. So, I'm not going to do it.

It wouldn't take you long to find out where I stand on the political front but I have no interest in trying to change your mind if you've already made it up. Nope. I have the ultimate respect for you having your own opinions, ideas, beliefs and agendas. They are yours. You are free to have them as I am free to have mine. I have friends and family on both sides of each issue and, when they care to share their opinions in a reasonable manner, I am open to hearing them. But then, I'm likely to share my own.

What disheartens me is when people come to me spouting "facts" that were passed to them via email. "Facts" with no credible sources (I'm sorry, I don't believe Google is a credible source nor your cousin's next-door-neighbor's sister-in-law who sent the email in the first place)

Just to be clear, let's look at the definitions:

Fact: a concept whose truth can be proved

Opinion: a personal belief or judgment that is not founded on proof or certainty

For example:

Stating someone is 72 years old is a fact. A look at public records will prove it with a high level of certainty.

Stating someone is unqualified for presidential office on the basis of age, ethnicity, sex or religious affiliation is an opinion. There are many factors that may determine fitness for presidency but they would also be a matter of opinion.

See, call me arrogant but, I do believe I know the difference. I mean, I have to live with it everyday. I depend on a favorable opinion to keep my career going.

For example:

Fact: Laura released a CD.

Opinion: Laura's CD is amazingly wonderful. You must buy it!!!

Or this recent opinion about my music that came with some handy advice:

"Just try to write actual music and forget lyrics, because they are a prop for folks who are only have partial musical ability"

Um...opinion. :)



So, back to soap box I'm not supposed to be standing on. I just want to say this - If you are not already registered, you have less than a week to register to vote . And, you have about a month to make an informed decision based on facts.

How?

Why, I'm glad you asked.


First off, if you aren't sure if you are registered, visit the website of your Secretary of State's office. This is where Google comes in handy. Just search for "Secretary of State in (whatever your state is)" or type in "Am I registered to vote in (whatever your state is)" All types of links will pop up. Your best bet is to choose one that ends in ".gov". The Secretary of State office websites will have contact information and registration links.


Or, Click here:


and you can do it via myspace!

Or



It's easy

Remember, you only have until this Saturday, Oct. 4th to register!


So, what about the facts?

Take everything you read or watch with a grain of salt and consider the source if you can find it. If you can't find the source, ignore it. To be sure, the issues are complicated and very few news organizations are helpful in sorting out fact from opinion. So, look for sources that weigh both sides of the issue. But, either way you are going to have to...dare I say it...think for yourself. Here is one source I find helpful:

FactCheck.org


They name their sources and point out where both sides have stretched the truth or flat out lied. In the end, I hope you feel good about your decision. Your vote counts! But that's just my opinion.


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Please join me on Thursday, Oct. 2nd at Luna on San Pedro, San Antonio, Texas




I will be joining Chris on stage for a songwriter extravaganza
featuring music from both of us crazy musician types!!!





Much love, LM