So there is this little-known thing that you can do with iTunes, which is to create an iMix. An iMix is like a mixed-tape of old – you compile all the songs that you think are great, based around a theme (if you want), and then if you share them, other people can download them, listen, vote on them, etc.

So I decided to make an iMix with one of Cara’s songs. Mostly for marketing purposes, if I’m being honest.

So I make a mix called “Forgiveness sucks” – because I’m trying to be a bit edgy, appeal to the iTunes crowd. I submit the song list, and kind of forget about it.

Until it appeared on iTunes with Cara’s CD! I was so excited, until I realized that they don’t let you use the word “Sucks” in an iMix. So they changed it to S***s.

So now it looks like I was just swearing.

Lovely.

These are the shoes pictured here.

— Job 40:4

Yesterday I mentioned one of Cara’s songs – Who Else – and one of the lyrics: “I’ll shut my mouth now.” If you haven’t heard the song yet, you can listen to a clip on iTunes or CDBaby.

The reason that I like this song so much is that the lyrics for that line come from a verse in the Bible in the book of Job. The verse comes at the very end of the book, after Job has already lost everything he has, and he is bitter, angry and complaining. And then God shows up. And Job realizes that all his complaints and whining are nothing when he is confronted with God.

This is a good reminder to me – I so often want to complain or moan (even sometimes it may be for a good reason!) But it’s helpful at those times for me to remember that God is real and He is looking out for my best. And to remind myself to just shut my mouth.

So the reason that I like this particular doodle so much is for the following reasons:

1) There is a giant X on Cara’s mouth, which reminds me of her song “Who Else.” In that song, there is a quote that says “I’ll shut my mouth now,” which is one of my favorite lines on her album. (More on that tomorrow.)

2) In the self-portrait, you’ll notice that she has on a long sleeve t-shirt with a short-sleeve t-shirt on over the top. That is a signature Cara Austin look. I love the detail.

3) The shoes. That is the funniest part of the entire picture. Because Cara LOVES her Keen shoes - she calls them “clown shoes” but she loves those things. (I have previously mentioned her obsession with shoes.)

Today I went with Cara to watch someone speak, and Cara brought a notebook with her. She has a number of notebooks scattered throughout her apartment – not surprising for someone creative, right? You would think a songwriter would always be jotting down notes and thoughts. But her notebooks are, shall we say, complex. They are not in chronological order, they don’t contain one type of entry (they are a mixture of song lyrics, journal entries, phone numbers and notes to help her remember things). Not only that, but some of the entries are written backwards, some are upside down, and they are a mixture of right- and left-hand writing (Cara is only right-handed, but practices writing with her left hand on occassion). Also, there are great doodles and pictures that are in there sometimes. I got a peak into her notebook today because she was showing me something, and I got her to let me take some pictures. I’ll post them up here periodically, but today I want to post my favorite picture….

This is a Beef Patty that I had when I was actually IN Jamaica this past January. It was tasty, but not as good as the one from Bermuda.