Listen With Your Ears On

Want some music suggestions from a practically pro?

http://bonsairecords.blogspot.com/

I Know I Will Hear What I've Heard Before

"Is it wrong, wanting to be at home with your record collection? It's not like collecting records is like collecting stamps, or beermats, or antique thimbles. There's a whole world in here, a nicer, dirtier, more violent, more peaceful, more colorful, sleazier, more dangerous, more loving world than the world I live in; there is history, and geography, and poetry, and countless other things I should have studied at school, including music." 

— Nick Hornby (High Fidelity)

We Built This World Of Our Own

One of the things that I love about music is that it makes you feel. It sets your whole body in motion; you can literally feel it. It's a world within itself and every song, every sound tells a story. And makes you feel like no one gets the main character of that story better than you do.

Here are some of my favorites of the last few months.
It's a variety, lemme tell ya now.

1. Thirteen. Ben Kweller.

2. History of Lovers. Calexico & Iron & Wine.

3. Airplanes. Local Natives.

4. Janglin. Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes.

5. Creature Fear. Bon Iver.

6. Hummingbird Heartbeat. Katy Perry (UH Duh.).

7. Fire Escape. Fanfarlo.

8. 3 Rounds and a Sound. Blind Pilot.

9. White Knuckles. OK Go.

10. Dancing On My Own. Robyn.

  

Ain't it grand? I'm obsessed with this album cover.

Noise

Everlasting Light by The Black Keys.

Look it up. This song, I mean, owns.

Tangent!
Check out this album cover. I point this out with Molly in mind, she's a loon for album covers, (and a loon in general) because she often posts album covers with her music posts. I post this AC for kicks. What is this genius?!

Flip Side of Empty

I'm in the mood to make a list. A list without a title might I add because, let's be honest, this list will reflect the current state of my mind, filled to the brim with a whole lot of Random. I suppose I should give it some sort of theme though, no? How about this?

Thoughts of a Hot Mess with A.D.D. (Thanks, Harty. haha)

1. What is with mainstream music being so catchy lately? I can't get enough of "Teenage Dream" by Katy Perry. Okay well to be honest I've always loved Katy Perry but this song is addictive.

2. Yearbook is actually going well. We had our 2347982735th editor meeting today and we've finally settled on a cover and a few other things that you wouldn't really care about. Our staff seems to be a good one and I really can't wait for this year to take off. Not that it hasn't... it's just, I want everyone to reach that point of comfort and routine that makes yearbook so fun. Ah well, "wanting it to take off" is a great problem to have.

3. Why does Houston weather blow so much? Today, Molly asked me if I ever go swimming in my pool and I thought to myself, "Why do I need to get in the pool? The humidity makes everyday a swim through the freaking OCEAN." NEVER MIND the 400 degree air temperature that makes everyone LOOK like they swam with the dolphins because we're all sweating so much.

4. Where is Sara Khan? I never see this girl anymore and it saddens me.

If you see this girl, let me know and tell her I miss her.

5. Being a senior is a wonderful thing. I walk around and see people in my grade and feel like I can say hi or stop and talk to about 90 percent of them. That's so special. My Econ teacher (who I'm sure is secretly Yoda because he's pretty dang wise) said something really interesting on the first day of school. He goes, "There's nothing like being in a classroom with the people you grew up with." And that's so true. There is comfort and fun and familiarity and security in that and I'm really enjoying the last year of it so far.

6. I see burnt orange in my future. More on that later. 

I'll be updating this as the night goes on... 

Mumford, SALT and Danika

Three things are on my mind today. I'm going to go over each one briefly (as briefly as I can that is) so I don't overwhelm you with 3 feet of copy to read. I'll consider myself thanked.

1) Earlier in the month, I mentioned a song called The Cave by Mumford & Sons. Well, recently I really looked at the lyrics and Music did that thing where it says, "Hey. I get it. I get it. Here's something to remind you that other's have been through this before."Oh, these lyrics. I often fall madly in love with songs and it's happened again. Here are some of my favorite sections of the lyrics-

"The sun, it rises slowly as you walk
Away from all the fears
And all the faults you've left behind."

"I'll know my name as it's called again."

"I know my call despite my faults
And despite my growing fears."

"And see the world hanging upside down."

"Cause I need freedom now
And I need to know how
To live my life as it's meant to be."

"Cause I have other things to fill my time
You take what is yours and I'll take mine
Now let me at the truth
Which will refresh my broken mind."

2) Now that I'm a senior, I get to (yes, I consider it a privilege!) be a SALT leader at MDUMC. SALT is basically the senior leadership group at MDUMC. While at first this was no big deal to me, I've gotten really excited about it in the past week. We had a meeting on Tuesday night that coincidently came at a time when I really needed to hear about the stability, security and refuge that being a SALT leader would provide. The high school staff was very persistent about letting us know that SALT isn't a job or something that will cause us stress by putting pressure on us  with expectations and mandatory activities. It exists to remind us that "it's going to be alright" while we're stressing and freaking out next year as "big and bad" but, in reality, scared and overwhelmed seniors. It really hit me (although I've known this all along) that they genuinely love us and want to make our lives easier and more peaceful and when I realized that, I got so excited and I felt so much better about my year. They know me so well over there so I won't have any trouble walking in on days when I'm doing really great or especially on days when I'm doing really bad. I just hope that every senior next year has what I have, a place to go where I will always be welcome and a place that provides an escape from my to-be hectic life.


Shoot. That wasn't brief... My bad.

3) Danika! Let's just talk about my friend, Danika. (Or Dani as normal people call her.) I bring up Dani because she just made a really cool blog that shows off her great designing skills. Did I mention she's Design Editor? We'll be taking next year by storm (I hope.) and have been talking about this year's book for ages now. No really, since July 2009. It's kind of embarrassing. Anyway, I've been friends with Danika for a long time now and known her for even longer and I'm excited to be finishing this part of my life with her by my side.

Oh! Here's the link to her blog. Danika's blog!

Musical Snacks

Here's some songs I've found out about recently... And some that I've known forever!


We all need unfamiliar noise every now and then, huh?


Enjoy!


1. Nobody Knows Me At All by The Weepies


2. Hallelujah by Kate Voegele OR Jeff Buckley- The lyrics, man. They're beautiful.


3. In My Haze feat. Jane Tyrrell by Horrowshow- Again, these lyrics! 


Let me highlight my three favorite verses...


"But I'ma spark up a thought
off every surface in this room
and just sit back and watch it all ablaze"

and...

"If these walls could talk

They might explain the wear and tear
But it's the same now as before
There's nothing left of what happened here"

AAANNNNDDDD

"Some say too much of a good thing
But to me there's no such thing
I just, just have to let this thing be good to me."

4. The Story I Heard by Blind Pilot


5. Cue the Sun by Daphne Loves Derby

"Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light." — J.K. Rowling

So, I was looking at my latest posts and realized that I've been sounding like someone had taken a beating to my heart or like I was about to jump off a cliff. However depressing what I've been saying may be, I am not feeling down or sad at all! So, I'm going to take this time to reflect on some of the beautiful, wonderful or extraordinary things in (my) life.

First off, there are friends.

I chose this picture because these are the girls I will be spending a heck of a lot of time with next year while making a book of wisdom, insight and alternative-ness; it will be awesome, it will be intense and it will be a learning experience. I look forward to it all.

Also, as you probably can't tell... We are in New York! I got to go to New York with Newspaper and Yearbook for the greatest trip I've been on in a long time in which we saw a lot, did a lot and ate not a lot. Besides the food, the trip was fantastic and New York is definitely a Wonderful in life.

Next, I'd have to say good weather is something to rejoice over. Nothing beats spending time outside with people you love and getting some Vitamin D. It's relaxing and, as someone who's been in HOSA for two years would say, is very good for you. I now realize that I complain about Houston weather too much. Although the summers are unbearably hot, I tend to forget how gorgeous the fall and spring are. The pretty days are just as wonderful as the rainy/humid/hot days are bad.

Of course, there is Expression; expression in the form of literature, music and art (paintings, drawings, architecture, etc.) These are three things that will always battle loneliness for you, will connect you

in the most intimate of ways with people who you may have never met or never will know, and inspires you to make things that you never expected to be capable of. I think that everything each of us creates is original and yet none of it is original at the same time; we are each other in the sense that we mold each other, help each other grow and feed off of each other. While we are all capable of independence, we still all exist as one human race,

fighting, loving, existing

together.

To address the music aspect of the last bit, I want to do something that sweet Molly does often and list some random music that I love...

-The Lime Tree by Trevor Hall

-Cosmic Love by Florence + The Machine

-Beach Baby by Bon Iver

-California by Joni Mitchell

-Home by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes

-Welcome Home by Radical Face

Curling up with a blanket and a good book would definitely would be high up on the list of things that make my life fantastic. I'd have to say the best book that I've read this year has been "Eat, Pray, Love" and I will admit... now, I want to follow in Gilbert's footsteps. But in addition to that book, "The Sweet Hereafter" was a great perspective-giving book and the Chelsea Handler books definitely entertained me.

The picture I included to the left is to represent movies because I, like most sensible people, absolutely love movies. Mostly I like romantic comedies (what wonderful insight on Love they can give!) and movies that make me laugh or even just relax but, thanks to my friend Chris, I have found my favorite "Great Story" movie, V for Vendetta. That movie is wonderful and I would recommend it to anyone who loves a good story or likes to think.

I'd have to say those are most if not all of my favorite things in life- loved ones, nature (but not in a "SAVE THE EARTH" way. Sorry.), Expression, music, books and movies.

Don't worry, be happy. You are loved.

-Lana