Sun, 05 Jul 2026 07:11:02 -0700WeeblySat, 04 Jul 2026 15:52:20 GMThttp://melbasvoice.com/vo-vagabond/250-yearsBut I don’t feel like celebrating, which is a shame. I was a kid at the US Bicentennial, and it was kind of glorious. Massive celebrations all around, tear-filled talk of “the beginning”, the Founding Fathers, Betsy Ross and all that jazz. I remember collecting commemorative stickers from the bread loaves. There were beautiful T-Shirts that we couldn’t afford, big fireworks celebrations scheduled (every little town didn’t do them every year back then, because we’d only been friendly with the Chinese for about 4 years by that time) and community picnics galore. TV was rife with special readings of The Declaration of Independence, and the original run of 1776 was probably still on Broadway, spilling its way out into the travelling cast, regional and community theater world.

The Bicentennial was celebratory, yet noble…a frenzy of “we made it without another ‘civil’ war!” It was a thing to behold. With the gore of Viet Nam, the shame of Watergate and the near-miss glory of the Apollo missions just behind us, we were grateful to still be alive and kicking.

But today, 50 years later, it doesn’t seem like a birthday – more like a vigil. It seems like our nation is teetering on the razor’s edge of demise with little hope of recovery: we have wars and rumors of wars from frenetic leaders, a globalization of US military might that is so embedded with foreign nations we may never be able to extricate and a presidential party frontrunner singing the praises of mass surveillance and fascism from a party that used to be against both.

And we’re all dumber, more self-centered and helpless than ever. I include myself in this, so don’t get mad. More government reliance means more government control. Government is us? No, government is “god” – which makes sense, since with fallen man, we are our own “god”. Our nation’s VP just indicated that laissez-faire economics can’t be trusted because we aren’t all constrained by Christian guardrails. Fair enough, but he seems to think that all us dumb heathens can be trusted to vote the right way for the proper overlords to do the “good works” of the elite. Now the men who risked their lives to declare independence didn't really seem to intentionally create a new government, but they did, because that's what people do -- always organizing to elect a  "savior". But here's the real rub: many of that time in Colonial America didn't even know they needed a new government "savior". They were just working hard, trying to put food on the table, loving their families, involved in their churches  and communities. Same as  today. I mean, I'm glad I didn't grow up as a subject to the Queen, though she seemed like a nice enough lady. But have we really been "freed" from tyranny lo these 250 years later?


This isn’t a political screed; it’s a religious one. How dare craven political monsters use the name of God – any god – to claw their way into power. But that’s how it’s always been. Even from the beginning. No, not all the founders were Christian – probably less than a third, when examined by orthodoxy – but they did promote a religion of sorts. The new thought of personal liberty (which I LOVE) would finally free us from the tyranny of kings. Problem is, the tyranny of kings will always prevail, because there’s always somebody wanting to be THE GOD of all.

Didn’t know where I was going when I started this essay. But I’m glad it went where my heart is: there is only one true God, and government ain’t it. My allegiance isn’t to a people, a process or a place of this earth, but to my Savior who sits enthroned in His everlasting kingdom. Anytime He gets ready for me, I hope to be ready for Him. Now THAT will be a day of celebration!
]]>Thu, 02 Jul 2026 07:00:00 GMThttp://melbasvoice.com/vo-vagabond/just-a-crummy-adA single line. Her name, plus the date of death and her age at the time. The mortuary, crematorium and cemetery name took up more characters than the official declaration of her life’s end.

Nothing personal about accomplishments or adventures during her 68 years of life. The 4 expressions of condolence below that solitary declaration were from those who knew her from her last 25 years or so as a remote freelancer. Three of the four missives indicated never having met her in person.

Is this it? Is this the culmination of a singular life? A woman alone, but not focused on loneliness; a busy, strong, positive soul striving to look outward? A fiery, independent, confident journeywoman expressive and opinionated, yet adored?

After our rocky inauguration two decades ago, we became conciliatory, followed by a tenderness I’m not sure she ever really noticed. Every two years or so, one of us would start a message or email thread that would go on for days, even weeks. She helped me with branding and career encouragement; I offered her assurance when her personal life would sometimes take an unexpected turn.

Admittedly, I never met her in person. I was nearby once but didn’t want to bother her. Now I wish I had. I’m sure she would have graciously entertained, and I would have gotten to see the vibrant smile up close, hear that lovely voice, feel the sweeping draw of her attentive gaze – overwhelming, even in photos online. I could always tell that she would be one of those few whose presence was so enveloping that it would seem almost smothering. I don’t mean that in a bad way – what I mean is this: when her attention was on you, it would be as if you were the only person in the room. This is what I imagined, anyway. And the prospect of that can be overwhelming.

That’s why I’m feeling so bereft at the lack of personal address at her end. Those of us in the industry at this level – individuals working mostly from a home studio – knew her online persona as lively, ferocious and loving. Nothing done halfway. Every day either the most fabulous or the most frustrating, her expression the most Zen, the most exuberant or the most furious.

I know her family and IRL friends have a right to privacy, but those of us far away, who knew just a slice of her life, are perhaps wanting more. Even the one notice I found that was more than a single line was boilerplate, not at all personal, clearly “written” by AI. She would’ve hated that.

I would like to think that her death wasn’t alone, and the lead up not as spare and lifeless as the thudding single line announcing it. I do hope someone held her hand as she slipped away. I hope, wherever she is now or will be, is a place of peace and contentment.
 


]]>Fri, 06 Jan 2017 15:53:12 GMThttp://melbasvoice.com/vo-vagabond/year-end-evaluation-boy-i-might-just-get-fired-this-timeThough I always tested well in school, I was terrified by work evaluations. Mostly because I never really had them. Once I graduated from college and entered Career Land, I had not a single evaluation that wasn’t actually just me getting called on the carpet for something so egregious that I was on the verge of being fired, but probably wasn’t because my boss was merciful…or didn’t want to be troubled to replace me just then.

But for the past several years, I’ve been Schedule C-ing, primarily as a voice over. And since I’m thinking I either need to fire myself or get my butt in gear, I decided I was long overdue for an evaluation – to determine what I am doing right, what I am doing wrong and what I have to do differently in order to be kept around.

Here’s how it went:

Boss Me: Well, Melba, so glad you made it. 2016 was the best of times and the worst of times, as they say. Due to travel, you were “off work” a lot, so your revenue dipped precipitously. However, the “off” time was spent travelling with hubby…a wonderful series of adventures: Yellowstone in January and Death Valley in June. But even when you weren’t on the road and able to work, your productivity…(well…how shall I put this so as not to be reported to HR?)  Erm…sucked. Too much non-work media time, perhaps?

Worker Me: Since my son graduated and I married, my available work time has shifted and I have not caught up. Getting up earlier is always a good start on establishing routine and sticking to a schedule. I also have to recognize that, although I can work around others’ work schedules, mine really shouldn’t be as fluid as I’ve let it become. Just because most of my work is from home doesn’t make it less important than others’ in the household.

Boss Me: Good, good. So, Melba, set a schedule and stick to it, giving your work from home the same priority as when you get in the car and go talk someplace else.

Okay, they say alternate criticisms with compliments so: I am really proud that this year you won an Audie Award!

Worker Me: Yep! That’s sort of like the Oscars of Audio Book Narration. I decided to use that as a stepping stone out of the royalty share trap I’d gotten into on ACX….

Boss Me: Oh yes! Amazon has overrun its banks and flooded Audible with murky sub-par literature you really shouldn’t drink. (snicker)

Worker Me: (stares blankly) Uh, yeah. So ANYWAY when I was queried by the author/publisher of a series for which I have produced 5 royalty share titles regarding my willingness for book #6, I informed her that I was willing and available, but only at my per-finished-hour rate.

Boss Me: So a series into which you had poured talent and way too much time, that had garnered very little money….went away?

Worker Me: Yes, because the self-published author finally did the math I should have done 3 years ago, and determined paying me to do the sixth book just wasn’t a good financial investment. Now I see that I must stop investing my time and talent into places and projects that don’t pay – just as if I was shelling out the dough myself.

Boss Me: Right! Because time is money and your talent is worth money, you literally are! So, Melba, let’s try this: no more royalty share, start weaning off pay to play casting sites, and no more beating yourself up for not shaving “just another $50” off that bid.

Okay, one last thing you’re about to get fired for, and then we’re done: your audio quality was not what it should have been this year…in fact it really never has been what it should be. Moving to a new home in the rurally suburbs has helped. Not quite as many sirens. Virtually no “thunk in the trunk” music. But lawn tractors…lots of them. So not being sound-proofed or as close as you can get to it has been a real time-killer this year.

Worker Me: Ack! I know! Not only has my recording opportunity been limited to when I think my neighbors will be resting with a cool beverage, but even far away whirs have required more time in post.

Boss Me: This must change if I’m to keep you on, working in my home studio. Much to my delight, hubby brought this up and has offered to help with room within room within room construction if YOU do the research!

Worker Me: So more learning curves. Hooray. But seriously, what a dream come true! But then I guess I better become more productive and more profitable….

Boss Me: Or I will have to fire you, er…me…maybe even sue us for breach of contract or something.

Worker Me: (carefree laughter) But what a great opportunity. What a blessing to own up to failures, to delight in successes, to reach for a higher level of professionalism. It’s time.

Boss Me: I’m glad to see we agree! Besides, I haven’t paid into the government unemployment insurance fund. So I can’t really afford to fire us.

So that’s how it went. I’ve still got a job! For now.

]]>Fri, 16 Dec 2016 05:48:22 GMThttp://melbasvoice.com/vo-vagabond/hapless-haphazard-and-happySo much on our collective minds in my household – juggling and coordinating schedules for holiday plans, church events, shopping, cooking – interspersed with long work hours and a flurry of dental and medical appointments – getting in under the wire before deductibles reset.

So I guess that explains why we’ve done some classically silly things this week.

Earlier in the week my husband, son and I sat down for a nice Christmas movie night – The Revenant. Or as I like to call it, Dances With Bears in A Winter Wonderland. And as we’re basking in the glow of Tom Hardy’s demise (oops…SPOILER ALERT) hubby notices the brilliant moonlight streaming in the front door window. He pops his head out and “ahs” at the moon, encouraging my son and myself to step out. It was cold, so I put on shoes and coat. Son just threw a fleece blanket around his shoulders, and shoes on his feet – otherwise in sleep/loungewear. After we stepped out onto the front walk, sock-footed hubby followed…closing the easy-to-lock-yourself-out front door behind him. We ooh-ed and ahh-ed and turned back to the house. And that’s when hubby realized he’d locked us all out. Three adults, locking themselves out of the house. All at the same time. Epic.

Every door was locked. Every car was locked. Every car key was in the locked house. Oh, with all our cell phones. The garage was locked. Fortunately, hubby DID get us a way to open the garage door via keypad we could access (he's actually quite a clever man), and he had coats and shoes for himself in there along with a spare key to his fun car. He drove that to his daughter’s, who has a spare key to the house. While he was gone, boy man and myself ate all the mini-Oreos from hubby’s work van. Serves him right.

But I had an episode of mental pause myself today: So I'm looking for my cell phone today...not in my purse. Not in the car seat. Went back in the doctor's office, scanning the sidewalk and parking area on the way. Looked in the doctor's office. Poor office manager must have rung my phone 12 times...and we could hear it! Very faintly ringing...searched my purse again, my coat pockets...where is that ringing? Walked all over the office. Bumfuzzled, I put my hands on my hips...and that's when I felt it...my cellphone in my back pocket, chiming tones muffled only by my huge coat...and my huge butt. Ain’t life grand?

Tis the season to be frazzled! But what a way to go – hapless, haphazard and happy! Merry Christmas, friend!

]]>Sat, 26 Nov 2016 20:14:01 GMThttp://melbasvoice.com/vo-vagabond/excess-and-regretThanksgiving. This uniquely American celebration of bounty – or maybe excess..definitely regret. Even my yoga pants are feeling a little tight. Oy. 

That one day a year we show gratitude for our blessings by being kind of lazy brats: eating, shopping, watching other people do physical activities. And some of us do it to the point that we’re really close to ticking the boxes on at least half of the mortal sins. 

Sounds bad. But is it? Oh, I mean, I KNOW we shouldn’t overeat, overspend and be lazy. Because, really, isn’t that the total opposite of those Pilgrims who first set stakes in the swampy backwash of Cape Cod?

Hmm.. maybe not entirely. We are brought up with the morality lessons we hear of two disparate groups making peace after a hard year and putting all their goods into a collectivist basket and sharing with each other.

But it wasn’t until the collectivist experiment was discontinued, breaking the lazy from their complacency, and the disgruntled from their irritation with the lazy, that the farm bounty prevailed. (See this fascinating post from Fee.org about Thanksgiving being about the triumph of capitalism.)  And peace probably wasn’t what the Pequots were thinking about as they were being burned alive 15 years or so later at Mystic.

So what is the truth about our American history? And how does the American experiment fit in and compare to WORLD history? Wouldn’t it be nice to have an excess of truth and knowledge for a change? The answer is YES, by the way, and here’s how you can get TONS of it:

Log on to Liberty Classroom and for a very good price right now, you can get the education you missed. It’s never too late. Also makes a great gift for anyone who is hard to buy for with a thirst for knowledge and an internet connection. Or bless a homeschooling family or a history educator with this – makes a great supplemental resource for those folks.

This is the best value for accessing hundreds of lectures from some of the top English-speaking history professors and writers alive today. Check it out, for an excess of education and enlightenment and NO regrets. 

]]>Tue, 08 Nov 2016 23:20:52 GMThttp://melbasvoice.com/vo-vagabond/of-love-and-electionsFirst blog post. First writing session in at least a year – and that was a letter I didn’t end up sending. And it’s Nov. 8, 2016. Election Day. Clinton or Trump. (Or, hopefully…neither receiving the desired 270 electoral votes and the presidential election being thrown to the US House…not holding my breath)

Not quite time to start dinner. Laundry done. Gum stitched, so not working for another day or two since it hurts to talk too much or too animatedly.

Passing the time by listening to Taleed Brown of FEE.org on The Tom Woods Show (episode 778), playing Tetris on my phone (ooo, I just won!) and constantly hitting refresh at http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2016/president/2016_elections_electoral_college_map.html

And. I. Am. Nervous. And feeling a little despair. No matter what happens, we’re screwed. 

Or are we?

In my unending quest of trying to look on the bright side I submit to you, that we aren’t screwed:

Scenario A: Clinton wins. It’s the devil you at least know. And who knows? She could always be impeached! (See? Bright side to everything!)

Scenario B: Trump wins. It’s the devil you don’t know. But he seems easily bored. I think we could distract him with late night twitter fights (the new millennium’s bitch slap battle). We can take turns trolling him. Could be fun.

Scenario C: Neither reaches the required 270 electoral votes, throwing the contest to the US House. ‘Cause if you bring a dog home, you have to clean up after it, got it?

Scenario D: One of the “third party” candidates wins. Okay, you can stop laughing now.

But you know what? It doesn’t really matter so much in the long run. Oh, I mean, I understand about SCOTUS nominations and foreign entanglements and stupid fed policy and how that affects not just me now, but potentially my grandchildren. Got it.

But truthfully, no matter who is president and no matter what shenanigans those who crave power want to pull, I go about my business, largely unscathed by their loathsomeness. Sure, I lose money, time and peace-of-mind to taxation, regulation and threat of confiscation. But look at this way: the money is fiat, I can bitch on facebook about the lost time, thereby wasting more of it, and the vexation is soothed when I consider what and who really matters -- that which is never affected by the outcome of elections:

First of all – family! Even if we disagree, it doesn’t matter. Blood is thicker than a ballot. The oath of a man to elected office is fleeting, but the vows of marriage are before God.

Secondly – friends, associates, colleagues, clients, brothers/sisters in Christ. One of my closest friends is as different from me as can be, politically-speaking; but it doesn’t really matter, since neither Bernie nor Gary are ever ever EVER gonna be our boyfriends.

Lastly -- my country, America -- the beautiful land and its many peoples; resilient and charming – these are the folks I have met in my travels.

You see, all of these are my "neighbor". I am called by my Savior to serve my neighbor, to love my neighbor as myself. I fail spectacularly every day in every way, but my desire and striving to do so, will not cease, with God’s help. This is the Law that I must obey. This is the Law that is often at odds with “the state”. But it supersedes “the state”. Governments rise and fall. But God is above all, before all and will continue to be, when all is done. 

]]>Wed, 14 Sep 2016 01:57:14 GMThttp://melbasvoice.com/vo-vagabond/coming-in-the-not-too-distant-future...little morsels about love, laughter and liberty later in life!]]>