You know one unfortunate thing about being a blogger is that when your internet sucks, it becomes very hard to do what you want. Unfortunately, it is not an uncommon occurrence for me, right around the same time many nights my internet gets a bit sketchy, then comes back without a problem. This gets very old very fast. I don't usually loose the connection completely, but the speed starts reminding me of dial up...remember that stuff? Geeze...look how far we have come! I mean seriously! It's a bit crazy if you think about it. When I look at how much we rely on the internet, it's kind of shocking don't you think? I'm not sure what you think, but we really use the internet for just about everything in the modern days, everything from talking to one another to reading to doing homework or giving homework, I even sign in online for work. It's almost like we would rather interact with computers rather than actual people, sure we interact with other people through the internet, but it's not the same is it? Now I sound like my grandmother, talk to people rather than text...I won't deny that I am a victim of this technology, and I will admit to sometimes preferring interaction with other humans via interwebs rather than face-to-face. What does this say about how we feel about each other? Do we dislike each other or do we simply not want to have to get dressed in order to appear decent around others (since we realize many of us are not in college, therefore can no longer pull this look off)? I think it might be something worth thinking about.
Listen to this song and let me know what you think! I wanted to share with you a song today by a band that I've enjoyed for years. I first heard them on Pandora probably six years ago or so. I hope you enjoy "Magnetic North" by Jess Than Jake.
I had a really shitty day. I mean I just feel like a boatload of crap and don't even want to go to bed because it means I will have to get up and try to do things right in the morning. But this is the adult life, so it's about time to get used to it and instead of complaining, try and do something to change it.
One of my favorite things to do when I feel this way is to read or watch a movie and there is one movie right now that I would really like to watch but don't have :( That movie is Treasure Planet. If any of you have not seen it then you need to go watch it....now. Seriously....go...it's awesome! It's one of my favorite movies and just to add to it, has a magnificent soundtrack, composed by the amazing James Newton Howard.
For those of you who haven't heard of James Newton Howard, you actually probably have. He is the composer for the soundtracks for other movies such as I Am Legend, The Hunger Games, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, King Kong, and, most recently, Maleficent. I have to say that Treasure Planet is still probably one of my favorite soundtracks of all time and can always put me in a better mood when I listen to it. So, today I will be featuring this wonderful soundtrack and I hope that you enjoy it!
The following is my favorite instrumental and my favorite lyric pieces from the soundtrack, enjoy!
Now, I don't exactly have a lot of links for you this weekend because it's been one hell of a week and I've come home exhausted everyday wanting to do nothing but sleep, eat, and read. Seriously, I've gotten like 3 books read just this week and I have 5 more sitting on my desk taking up room because I don't have room anywhere else in my bedroom...whoops! I've been doing a bunch of reading this week (if you can't tell) and due to that I apologize for not posting....like at all....I didn't even make dinner once this week...it was sad! But, there is a silver lining, and that silver lining is that I have been reading articles and have been spending time online as well as in the real world :P which is always something good to do!
I stumbled across this article on daydreaming and I think it bears a good thing to read!
Going along with that, an article about things my generation does that are worth thinking about and I happen to agree with 100% of them!
There's the saying that a picture can take a place of 1000 words, and for this millennium, these pictures do it all justice, the good and the bad.
I believe that this dumpster house is a unique idea and the start of something but would get tough when you wanted to cook...unless you're going all raw, which another thing all in itself!
These posters are also really quite awesome and I'm thinking of getting one or two for my bedroom which is looking very blank on the wall decoration aspect....
What types of things did you guys discover this week??
Today I am going to bring up a music video that I feel is very interesting. It is rather unusual when I take hours looking into a music video, but this special gem has captured my attention. It is called La La La by Naughty Boy. Before discussing this song/video, I urge you to watch it if you haven't already - as first impressions will carve out your initial thoughts. If you are ahead of the gang and have seen this already, skip down after the video :P
So I am going to break this down into what I feel are the 3 easiest ways to do so.
Number 1:
This seems the be the straightforward approach to interpret this song, and that is by the lyrics themselves. I can see applying this to perhaps a relationship, a rocky one at best. A relationship that is very damaged and resulting in one of the members not being able to stand the other at all. But even if you change the lyrics or see them a bit differently, it only seems to tell part of the story.
Number 2:
The wizard of Oz. Yup - you probably guessed it by the heart. But starting from the beginning, the kid leaves his home as Dorthy did, heading into the unknown with his dog. He meets the tin man, who seems to have false happiness in the gym. So the child buys him a heart and shows true love, adventuring forward. Next the scarecrow joins the team to find oz. They travel long and far and eventually find the spot with oz - the tin man leaving knowing love and the scarecrow leaving with calmness in his mind. This leads to the boy talking with oz and going home. Alright -It is a stretch. But it has some resemblance, but still is rather shaky in the comparison at best. Leaving us with option 3.
Number 3:
This is the actual basis for the song, and lines up easily the best with both the lyrics and the video. A Bolivian legend from the from the 19th century. It is about a deaf boy who fled from his abusive household (as seen in the beginning of the video) and finds a stray dog. He lives on the streets and discovers he has a special talent of perceiving people's troubles. These troubles can be healed by screaming.(la la la in the song) His screaming is said to be as loud as an earthquake and a tornado.
Eventually the boy finds a man who is being stoned by villagers while being taunted and ridiculed.(the radio man) By screaming, the boy resolves the situation and revives the old man's heart (the boy buys a new heart for him).
Together, they meet a disfigured man who was abused, and is considered a leper by society. The disfigured man reveals that he is a prophet who was cursed by the demon El Tio - because he didn't worship him. So he left like any sane person would :P
El Tio is considered as the lord of the underworld, to whom mortal people offer gifts to him in order to be protected by him or to ease his anger. The prophet says anybody who could hear the demon will fall under his control. The disfigured man explained that the demon could be found in desert remains.
This place was once a town in which people worshiped the El Tio - he cursed them to kill themselves. So they trudge through the desert to find a mine where the demon is located. The trick is anybody who enters and could be cursed after hearing the demon speak. So the boy alone goes into the mine to meet the demon and over voice him with his scream to stop him from cursing others. WHEW!
Interesting Right??? So in all, I don't think there is a right or wrong way to interpret this song or music in general. The legend certainly made the most sense to me, but that may not be the same for you. But I do find it fun trying to figure out the meaning behind some of these interesting artistic pieces and if you stuck through all the way til here - I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments!!
As always, thanks for reading!
Have a wonderful day!!!
Aka: basic things to know how to cook when you move out of your parents' house. I had this urge this past weekend to make cookies, so we did! Just like I used to with my mom and sister :)
Ingredients:
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
1 large egg
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp warm water
1 bag (12-oz) semisweet chocolate chips
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugars.
3. Add vanilla and eggs and mix until combined.
4. Stir in flour, a little bit at a time, then baking soda, and salt. If you need some extra liquid, add no more than a Tbsp of warm water.
5. Using a wooden spoon, slowly add in the chocolate chips to your batter.
6. Using a table spoon, scoop dough onto a non-stick or sprayed cookie sheet and pop into the oven. Cook for 8-10 minutes, until the edges are browned and the center remains slightly soft.
Summer is always a hectic time, and no matter what it is you do during these few months, there always seems to be a million and one things that need to get done. My summer has been no different, filled with adventures, cooking, eating, good music, and wonderful memories. This past weekend, I attended the wedding of one of my cousins. It was a short but beautiful service followed by a fun and upbeat reception hosted by a BBQ grill (translation: delicious food that even a mostly-vegetarian like me can enjoy!)! The place settings were beautiful and I attempted to take pictures with my phone but was eventually unhappy with nearly all except the following.
There was great food, music, and lots of dancing as is expected at any wedding reception. The couple was quite a fan of country music and it made me laugh at how many country songs I now know. Before moving in with my current apartment mate, I was not a big country fan. Sure I knew Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swift, and such artists, however, at this wedding several other songs were played and Matt was shocked at how many I knew the lyrics too. Honestly, this shocked me as well, so I thank my apartment mate for expanding my experience and knowledge of music in a completely different direction. If any of you have any interest in country music or listen to country music, this song was one that I remember being a big hit at the wedding. This is 'American Kids' by Kenny Chesney.
I warn that there are spoilers in my review today!!!! You have been warned!
I hesitated to choose this book when I first saw it on the website, and only picked it after consulting with my roommate that if I didn't like it, she would want to read it as well. However, throughout my experience reading this enthralling novel, I was struck with two competing thoughts: this really isn't my taste, I'm not sure I want to finish and I can't stop reading this deatiled novel. It became harder and harder to put this book down as time continued and ended up completing my reading journey in two days.
Rosie is a unique middle aged woman who is still trying to find her place in this world, finding out she is pregnant is just the cherry on top of the sundae of her complicated life of deciding between tea cup-obsessed Jonathan and separated father Tony, alongside taking care of her stubborn grandmother. While at points I had the desire to reach into the story and smack her or cover her mouth from saying something stupid, I came to realize that this was what made the story seem so real. Each scene was detailed to the extent that I could easily picture what the author was getting at and where her characters were.
Maddie Dawson did an amazing job bringing her characters to life and sucking me into her world. While it did take me a while to get into this book, this book is full of quirky moments as well as scenes that bring you close to tears. Well-written and descriptive, it is a perfect cloudy day read.
What have you all been reading lately? I would love to hear!
Love,
Sara :) I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review.
Rosie is a unique middle aged woman who is still trying to find her place in this world, finding out she is pregnant is just the cherry on top of the sundae of her complicated life of deciding between tea cup-obsessed Jonathan and separated father Tony, alongside taking care of her stubborn grandmother. While at points I had the desire to reach into the story and smack her or cover her mouth from saying something stupid, I came to realize that this was what made the story seem so real. Each scene was detailed to the extent that I could easily picture what the author was getting at and where her characters were.