Song of the Day: Outloud

Dispatch first sang this sound acoustically at a Hurricane Katrina benefit several years ago and when you listen to it with that in mind, it's beautiful and not just a little bit sad.

 

Get out the vote

I've been declining to comment on politics on any social networking for the upcoming national election.  As a reasonably loud-mouthed person by nature, this hasn't always been particularly easy because people from both political parties are pretty riled up over this one. Sometimes I understand it.  Other times, I don't understand at all. 

It just seems that balanced, rational, calm discussion is completely out of the realm of possibility for most people, at least the one's doing most of the talking. It's all sound bites, bald accusations and exaggerations, and misconstructions of truths that weren't black and white to begin with. It's Fox News vs. "the liberal media." It's far slung interest groups calling for a moderators resignation from her private industry job for correcting a blatantly wrong statement. It's all catch phrases like as "Save Big Bird!", "Binders Full of Women" memes and the resurrection of the insidiously racist Birther movement. It's getting harder and harder to find facts on what laws actually say, who supports them and what each candidates actual plans for governing are.

It's infuriating, frustrating and it honestly makes me head-on-desk sad that this is what political discussion in this country has come down to.  

So when I saw this video, I just had to share. Not on Facebook (since I'm positive one of my wacko friends would ruin it with some nasty comment) but here, in my own little corner of the Interwebz.  There's no name calling.  There's no hatred.  Just women standing up and saying "I matter and I will vote."

More moosica

One week into the Summer A session of Anatomy and Physiology and the writing is on the wall: blogging is going to fall by the wayside.  As much as I love my little, almost entirely inconsequential corner or the interwebz, I love getting A's more.  I'm just that kind of nerd and writing for fun has already taken a backseat to less enjoyable but still necessary studying.  I'm still taking my pictures of the day but I'm guessing that it will be about 5 weeks before I have the time to sort through them much less post them.

More studying has resulted in less writing also in A LOT MORE Pandora listening and finding (if not new, new to me) songs that I love and more candidates for Song of the Day.  My study channel of preference at the moment is Sarah Bareilles Radio so the genre will be rather skewed but...meh. 

If I'm crying now, don't listen to it

It's only my heart

It's only my heart

Shake it Out - Take 2

I loved this song when Florence and the Machine came out with it and I posted it here as my song of the day.  I know it's not exactly creative to post a song twice but when I heard the Glee version I fell in love all over again.  

Same song.  New Voices. Still love it.

It's always darkest before the dawn.

Somebody that I used to know

I'm not sure what's up with my sudden need to post all these song's of the day.  I'm about 99% sure that nobody actually ends up listening to them, a suspicion that is born of my own reluctance to watch videos posted on the blogs that I follow. However if this blog only existed to reach the masses, it wouldn't exist so why would I start only posting for mass-appeal now? Exactly.

I heard this song the other morning on MTV while I was getting ready and it made me stop mid-tooth brushing, one sock on to watch.  It hit a certain cord with me that I couldn't quite peg until I read the lyrics and I realized that the very odd man was singing about one of the most heartrending almost-inevitability's of breakups.  The part that coils into a snake of fear in my stomach every time I realize that a relationship of mine is about to end.  It's always amazed me in a sad way when relationships end in bitterness and borderline hatred.  Do we just lose sight of the fact that this was someone we once loved, valued and protected?  Or is it just too hard to remember that so we focus on the now, on the hurt and on the bad?



You can get addicted to a certain kind of sadness

Like resignation to the end, always the end

So when we found that we could not make sense

Well you said that we would still be friends

But I'll admit that I was glad that it was over

But you didn't have to cut me off

Make out like it never happened and now we were nothing

And I don't even need your love

But you treat me like a stranger and I feel so rough

SOTD: You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go

I've always loved Bob Dylan's music but the love is much more for the poetry of his lyrics than the actual music.  As much as this may cause my Papa to think about disowning me, I continually find myself drawn to covers of his songs. Point in case,  I love his song "It Ain't Me Babe" but I prefer Johnny Cash's cover of it.  "Blowin' in the Wind" is a beautiful song but when I Grooveshark it...it's for the Joan Baez cover.  The only real exception to this trend is "Mr. Tambourine Man", to me Dylan just does it best. 

Generally I'm alright with preferring another performer - I mean, Johnny Cash is pretty legit but my love of Dylan covers has struck again and this time, the performer isn't quite as, shall we say impressive. This is actually difficult for me to type but...Miley Cyrus has a cover of "You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go" and I like it.  I like it a lot and no amount of listening to Dylan's version is curing me of it.

So, here it is, my song of the day: Miley Cyrus singing Bob Dylan. (Please let me stay in the fam Papa!)

Favorite Lyrics:

Flowers on the hillside, bloomin’ crazy
Crickets talkin’ back and forth in rhyme
Blue river runnin’ slow and lazy
I could stay with you forever and never realize the time

Shake it out

Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh whoa
Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh whoa
And it's hard to dance with a devil on your back
So shake him off, oh whoa

I am done with my graceless heart
So tonight I'm gonna cut it out and then restart
'Cause I like to keep my issues strong
It's always darkest before the dawn

And if I find, how much will I find

And being caught in between all you wish for and all you seen
And trying to find anything you can feel that you can believe in

May God's love be with you
Always

C2C - F-U-Y-A

Sometimes I'm SO JEALOUS of the creativity that people have all but pouring out of their eye balls.  People like Bridget Kearney, my brothers-from-another-mother Sami and Sharif and whoever made this video:

C2C - F·U·Y·A from On and On on Vimeo.

Not sure why I love it so much, just do.

Hey Gurl! (That's a wig bitch)

Just when you thought that Disney movies couldn't get any better, the Honey Badger Narrator Guy (I think his name is Randall?) took a swing at it:




Seriously though, who has this much time?

Song of the Day: Adele - Someone Like You

I have fallen truly head over heels in love with Adele.  I know, me and about 20 million other people.  Historically, I'm not an educated judge of music but I think her voice is stunning and every time I hear an interview with her I find myself so impressed and falling in love with her just a little bit more.

"sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead

nothing compares no worries 
or cares
regrets and mistake they're 
memories made
who would have know how
bittersweet this would taste"

Song of the Day: Be Okay

Ingrid Michaelson - Be Ok

Song of the Day: Keep Your Head Up

Only rainbows after rain
The sun will always come again.
It's a circle, circling,
Around again, it comes around again.
I say only rainbows after rain
The sun will always come again.
It's a circle, circling,
Around again, it comes around

But you gotta keep your head up, oh,
And you can let your hair down, eh.
You gotta keep your head up, oh,
And you can let your hair down, eh.
I know it's hard, know it's hard,
To remember sometimes,
But you gotta keep your head up, oh,
And you can let your hair down, eh.

Song of the Day: Dixie Edition

So....this song is a little bit random, and titch bit more gospel-y than I generally roll on in for, but the chorus, well it just plain speaks to me right now.  So take it for what the song was meant to mean or take it for whatever you want, that's what I do.

I hope, for more love, more joy and laughter
I hope, we'll have more than we'll ever need
I hope, we'll have more happy ever after
I hope, we can all live more fearlessly
And we can lose all the pain and misery
I hope, I hope

Song of the Day: minor overshare / broken hearted addition

The details in my fabric are currently that the oft written of Wondieful Boyfriend has moved out.  He is still wondieful in oh so many ways, just no longer mine. We decided on this together and yet it is is a thing that makes me panic as I look around my life and think, "now what?"  My heart hurts in a way I didn't know was possible, nobody ever told me that a mutual split is just as painful.


Please forgive me for the sadness that may appear here in the coming weeks.

"Details In The Fabric"
(feat. James Morrison)

Calm down
Deep breaths
And get yourself dressed instead
Of running around
And pulling on your threads
And breaking yourself up

If it's a broken part, replace it
If it's a broken arm, then brace it
If it's a broken heart, then face it

And hold your own
Know your name
And go your own way
Hold your own
Know your name
And go your own way

And everything will be fine

Hang on
Help is on the way
And stay strong
I'm doing everything

Hold your own
Know your name
And go your own way
Hold your own
Know your name
And go your own way

And everything, everything will be fine
Everything

Are the details in the fabric
Are the things that make you panic
Are your thoughts results of static cling?

Are the things that make you blow
Hell, no reason, go on and scream
If you're shocked it's just the fault
Of faulty manufacturing.

Everything will be fine
Everything in no time at all
Everything

Hold your own
And know your name
And go your own way

Are the details in the fabric (Hold your own, know your name)
Are the things that make you panic
Are your thoughts results of static cling? (Go your own way)

Are the details in the fabric (Hold your own, know your name)
Are the things that make you panic (Go your own way)
Is it Mother Nature's sewing machine?

Are the things that make you blow (Hold your own, know your name)
Hell no reason go on and scream
If you're shocked it's just the fault (Go your own way)
Of faulty manufacturing

Everything will be fine
Everything in no time at all
Hearts will hold

Doing it like the adults do

I've been on a bit music kick lately and when it comes to music, I'm a giant goober who likes to find personal meaning in the lyrics.  As embarassing as that fact is to admit to, I am proud to say that the songs that I've been finding meaning in are of a much more impressive caliber than those that I found meaning in when I was 18, no Britney this time.  So rather than simply post some songs with a smiley face and a SOTD tag, I thought (since I've now outted myelf)  I might as well share my gooberishness and try to explain why I love these songs to much.

I've been feeling rather adult-y lately, a feeling that's good yet unwelcome all at the same time.   Yep, this life is mine and in the immortal and wise words of Hyperbole and a Half  "I'm really not comfortable with the fact that I'm responsible for all the decisions." 

All the decisions (and there's literally dozens needing to be made each and every day,) the good and the bad, they come back to me and then I have to live with the results.   It's all beer and skittles when decisions turn out well but what about when those decisions take a sharp left hand turn to Bad-Choice-ville?  Bring on the self flagellation and Popsicles to say the least.  There is distinct comfort however in knowing that in my relative solitude, the amount of damage that I can wreak is limited to a small, very intimate, radius of...well...me (and sometimes wondieful boyfriend.) I guess you could say it's been a very introspective year.

Then, this past Sunday I was watching the Superhero Marathon on USA and a line in Spiderman, of all movies, resonated.  "With great power comes great responsibility."  Well...really it's more meaningful for me in the reverse: with great responsibility comes great power.  My life is mine and that means that if someone crosses a line and I want to kick them out of it?  I can.  If someone gives me advice that I don't want, don't like or don't agree with?  I get to ignore it!  Or, in the far more eloquent (and succinct) words of Sarah Bareilles:

You've got opinions, man

We're all entitled to 'em

But I never asked

So let me thank you for time

And try to not waste any more of mine

Get out of here fast

I hate to break it to you babe
But I'm not drowning

There's no one here to save

Who cares if you disagree

You are not me



We're young enough to say...this could really be a good life

Song of the Month:

Sometimes there's airplanes that I can't jump out of

Sometimes there's bullshit that don't work now 

We are God of stories, but please tell me

What's there to complain about? 

When you're happy like a fool, let it take over you

When everything is out you gotta take it in

....

We're young enough to say

Oh, this has gotta be the good life

This has gotta be the good life 

This could really be a good life, good life. 

Country Roads

"That line, 'almost heaven, West Virgina', I'd never actually been to West Virginia.  I'm from Massachusetts and that would have fit, but I didn't really like Massachusetts and who writes a song about Massachusetts?  How not cool that would have been."

-- Bill Danoff

A Concert Series

I've decided that its time for me to come clean.  It's time to stop cowering behind the information that I surreptitiously glean from conversations and car rides with Wes.  It's time to own up: I have abysmal taste in music.

The best one can say about my taste in music is that it is eclectic if inequitable.  I love Tom Waits, Bob Dylan and Fleetwood Mac, but I also loooove Britney, Taio Cruz and Katy Perry.  It may seem wrong and deplorable but they are like children: different (VERY different) but equally loved and appreciated despite the disparity in their technical skill sets. 

Given this information, one would not anticipate what I am about to talk about.  It's one of those unlikely pairings like Othello and Desdemona, or maple syrup and pickles.  There's something about good live music that makes me want to shake my rrrump, smile, close my eyes and sway all at the same time. Just like there's nothing like a good thumping base (and some vodka) to make me shake my money maker, there's nothing like a concert to make me want to smile.

In July, Wes and I saw Dave Matthews Band in West Palm.  For those of you just tuning in, West Palm Beach is synonymous with amazing because it means I get to see Club Fun for a night.  Since the Universe was feeling kind said reunion occurred over an outstanding coconut shrimp sushi role. Thank you oh holiest of Universes for Hog Snappers all things akin to a coconut shrimp sushi roll.

Back to my point: DMB.  I have to admit that even though I've seen them live the last three out of four years, I don't love, love, LOVE DMB.  I like Dave Matthews Band but my like is pretty well limited to their songs with words.  What can I say, I like to sing along.  DMB live though is a lot of jamming, I'm sure it's a lot of fun for the band but I have to admit it doesn't exactly make my nipples fly off.  Regardless, while I sat on the lawn in the West Palm Amphitheater and I realized that I was just plain, uncomplicated happy.   Maybe it was the gigantic beers after a day at the pool, or maybe it was the relief of not getting caught in a South Florida summer rainstorm. Maybe it was being asked: "hey, will you stand in front of me so that strangers won't see me pee into this empty beer cup." I don't really know but I do know that I was just really...content. It was this amazing weekend that I haven't blogged about it because I just didn't know how to explain this contentedness with getting all gooey, mundane and cliche. I'm okay with gooey but there's nothing worse than mundane and cliche.

This past weekend we went to see O.A.R at the St. Augustine Amphitheater and I got it.  Somewhere amidst the pot smoke and saxophone playing I got it.  I love concerts because they are giant assemblage of happy people.  Everyone at a concert is happy.  People dance like arm flailing is going out of style and nobody's watching so the just go for it. Watching the other concert-goers this past weekend there was a freedom, a pure, unadulterated sense of glee and the need to move one's body in accordance. That is what I love about live music.

and we're caught between the crossfire of heaven and hell

Brandon Flowers - Crossfire 

Tell the devil he can go back from where he came 

his fiery arrows drew their bead in vain 

and when the hardest part is over

we'll be here 

and our dreams will break the boundaries of our fears.