anthropology

So I have officially started school and I am really liking it. On a scale of 1-10, I'd rate school an 8.5. (Math and the bus are the reasons for the deductions) I wanted to talk about anthropology though a bit; I'll discuss math and the bus and all the other joys of college later.
My Professor, Dr. Hanson raised an interesting point. "We, as humans, don't really care about where we were before we were born. We don't care where we were in 1850. We do care, Christians at least, where we go after we die. Why is this?" I am still mulling this over, but I think this is really interesting and not something I had ever thought of before. Anyone with any thoughts on this is welcome to comment.

Two thoughts

1. The french diet will be a good way to maintain my weight. Not working so much for me getting to my ideal weight.... I am going to keep the general principles in mind however, but make some big changes.

2. It is my opinion that Kid Rock is the John Mellencamp of the 2000s. I love both of them. Kid Rock does swear quite a bit, I'll admit, but I still like him. Pink Houses and All Summer Long are two great songs!

Isreal vs. Israel

Sorry I made a typeo and misspelled Israel!

Family Guy Reference

I am going to use a Family Guy reference...Things that "Grind My Gears":

1. I've noticed lately, a lot of motorcyclists riding down the street with their helmets attached to their bikes, not their heads. If you spent the money to buy a helmet WEAR IT! You should be wearing one anyways!!!

2. Iran testing missles in the middle east...that causes the price of gas to jump back up to $4.06 for me, sitting here in Kansas. We get it Iran, you're a bad-ass, now stop bugging Isreal and the rest of the world.

3. So few bike lanes in Olathe, Overland Park, Lenexa and Leawood. It's like the trails are my only option for biking. What if I want to just bike across town?! Unless I drive my bike to a trail I can't get my bike there.

...that really grinds my gears Tom, Diane, back to you at the news desk....

Yaaaah!

Yesterday I met one of my summer goals. I biked from my house to my parents house. It was a 28 mile round trip. I thought the hills would be the worst part and that I would get super tired. That wasn't the case at all. Actually my legs started cramping up around the 21st mile, so stopping became the worst part. If I keep working at it though I should be able to bike further without the pain.

On a side note, last night Brian and I went to watch fireworks at Leawood City Park and I got hit with some firework debris in my arm. It was a 1/2-3/4 ball of chared debris. I've got a pretty good welt on my arm and I saved the debris. I will post a picture of the debris later this afternoon.

Happy fourth of July and long weekend to everyone!

oh Yeah

In D&D I did get to level up! I'm a 17th level cleric. My newest abilities are energy drain, implosion, miricle, true resurrecting and storm of vengence. I can make it rain acid, lightning and hail! Oh and I am a bit better at listen and spot checks; always good talents to have!

Things are going well

I took my PPST test last weekend and have my math and reading scores back...180 and 182 respectively. Now I just have to wait on my writing and essay scores. I am feeling a bit of relief that so far my scores have been pretty good. I am still very excited for school to start. It's hard to believe it is only a month and a half away.

I am SO excited that this is a four-day work week for Independence Day. Sebastian (and his parents) are coming Thursday and I can't wait! I have a special treat for Seba when he gets here. He really is growing up fast. He'll be 2 on July 10. I remember the day he was born and it doesn't seem like it was all that long ago.

The french diet is doing better. I am snacking a lot less between meals. My biggest weakness still is soda. I drink waaaay too much. Eating fresh quality foods has been difficult for me and I will keep working on that.

Hmmm what else is going on in my little world.....

I've been doing some writing, but nothing too major or notable. I have pictures from Colorado, and I would like to maybe take more pictures this weekend. I do have a new music interest...rap. I've always like Will Smith, and I have listened to some other stuff, but it wasn't until recently that some of it struck a chord with me. I wouldn't go as far to say I like certain artists, but there are some songs that I definitely like. I like 2Pac's song Changes. I even quoted some of it on my Facebook page. There is a 50 Cent song I like the beat to. I found I liked that one after watching a Vitamin Water ad. I also sort of like Nelly's song EI. I heard that one a lot in college when it first came out, but I recently found it again and realized it too has a good beat.

Not too much else going on right now. Have a good week!

I suck at this!

Sorry that it has been sooo long since I blogged. I have been very busy since April...still, no excuse. I will do better. So here is what is new:
The french way of eating has slipped considerably and I can totally feel it. One weekend I was in Omaha visiting an old friend from elementary school. It was so much fun and I miss Omaha a lot. I will be going back July 12 though! The following weekend I was in Mankato visiting the cutest toddler in the world. The next weekend I don't even remember. Three weekends ago I was doing a car wash fund raiser, the following weekend I was in Creede, Colorado as a sponsor for my church's youth group mission trip. It was pretty cool and I will post some pictures eventually. Last weekend I was in a college/sorority sister's wedding, congrats to Melissa and Dave! This upcoming weekend we're playing D&D and the next weekend I will take the PPST test to get into KU's school of education and I am going to the Wizards game and then it is 4th of July weekend and Seba, my sister and brother-in-law are coming to town, then Omaha, THEN I can rest.
Summer starts this upcoming weekend so here are the summer goals:
1. Bike to my parent's place and back
2. Get back to eating right
3. blog more often!
4. Try to lose 10 pounds
5. On the D&D note....finally level up to level 17!!!!
6. Get people the pictures and music I promised.

We'll see how successful I am! Talk to you all again soon!

I made quiche!

I made a quiche tonight and I am quite proud of myself. It turned out great. The crust is golden brown, it set up well and it is loaded with yummy veggies. Now I can't wait for breakfast tomorrow!! Making the quiche was really easy (and sort of fun). Basically I beat some eggs and milk together, threw in some roughly chopped fresh mushrooms and some red bell peppers for color and then salt, pepper, nutmeg and cheese. Sorry to Julia Child, but I am making my quiche the American way! Europeans typically don't add cheese to their quiches. So after mixing everything up, I poured it into the crust. The recipe made WAY too much filling so I microwaved the rest for a little snack. Then I baked it for about 40 minutes and now it is cooling. I had considered adding other veggies and some meat. Now I am glad that I didn't because that would have been way way too much. However next time I can try some different ingredients. This quiche thing is part of the French diet. As long as I watch my portion size, I love eating the French way!

Randomness for a random day

Yesterday and Monday, eating the french way went pretty well. Today, not so well. I can definitely tell that boredom leads me to snacking. Recognizing this is important in preventing random snacking. I really need to be watching portions. That is a big deal with this change in diet. Monday and Tuesday dinner portions were a bit big. Every other meal portion size has been pretty reasonable.

On the music topic; things have changed a bit. My interest in the Backstreet Boys is diminishing, much to the pleasure I am sure, of my husband and rock loving sister! I still like them, but I don't think I would classify them as one of my top ten favorite groups. Maybe I am just getting older, maybe the group's dynamics have changed too much with one of the members leaving the group, who knows. The Eagles are probably my number one favorite right now. I am searching, with little success, for the live version of Hotel California on Amazon MP3 downloads. I'll take suggestions from anyone who knows where I might be able to buy it. The truly live version starts out with a Spanish(?) trumpet solo that is sooo cool.

On the writing topic-I am about to make mass revisions to a story I am writing. It'll be interesting and a challenge because I am basically recasting 90% of the story. Why? well the original characters are not working very well. I am running into problems and honestly, I don't like a few of them! In the end, this change will give me more flexibility, but the next week or so will be a bit of a challenge as I am still developing the replacement cast. The original cast was five friends who were living in Kansas and Florida over a two year period with some flashbacks. It will be the same story line for the most part with five new people. Part of me is tempted to drop the number down to four to make things simpler. We'll see if that happens. Another challenge and something I feel is bad form is creating characters to fit a situation that is already written. I will probably have to make some plot revisions as well so that my characters can develop their own personalities. I guess I'll just have to see what happens.

The French Diet Day 1.5

I posted a picture of a leek----scroll down the page to see it!

The French Diet Day 1

I went shopping last night and bought more produce than I think I've ever bought before. I am really looking forward to trying it all. The newest vegetable of everything I bought was a leek. They hardly even fit in those annoying plastic bags they give you to put produce in. So for the first two days of this change in diet, I am supposed to make a soup of these leeks and drink the broth. Easy enough. I cook the leeks according to direction, but I must say they aren't as flavorful as I expected. They sort of smelled like an artichoke (yummy with melted butter) looked like over sized blades of grass or something and didn't have much of a taste to them. The broth that I am supposed to drink didn't look like anything more than heated water with a PALE greenish tinge. I was not overly impressed. I understand the purpose of these first two days is to retrain my taste buds so I am going to make some slight improvisations. The leeks went into a veggie soup I am cooking for my lunch this upcoming week. The broth went down the drain and I am sticking with just some bland veggies like carrots and celery. Tomorrow will be a little tough, but Monday will be nice. I have planed to make some oatmeal with a little maple syrup on top, some cantaloupe and water. That is something encouraged on this diet change is to drink more water. We surprisingly lose a lot of water while we sleep and need something when we first wake up. Many people however reach for juice for a nice shot of sugar first thing in the morning. Water is hydrating, refreshing and brightens your complexion. Lunch will be 1 cup of my veggie soup, half a turkey and swiss sandwich with a little bit of pesto and either pineapple or something citrisy (I don't think that's word, but whatever!). Dinner is going to be pasta primavera and a small salad and a bit more fruit. All in all, that may sound like a lot of food, but honestly I will have had 3 servings of fruit, 3 servings of veggies, 1 serving of protein and 2 carbs. Very few fats and sugars which will come from the bit of syrup at breakfast and the dressing at dinner. I'll probably end dinner with a small bit of chocolate. I have some fancy dark chocolates that are at least 60% cacao based. YUM! So far on a scale of one to ten, I'd give today a five. I have had good intentions, but haven't done too well due to plain leeks just suck! Tomorrow will be much much better!

Been A While

I have a lot to talk about at least! I'll start with the latest.

Today I enrolled in classes at KU. I am taking 15 hours which is a bit of a let down to me. I was hoping for 18-21 hours. I know 15 hours is still a full load, but I know that I can manage more, especially since most of the classes are gen eds. I am taking, anthropology, geography, math (ick), Intro to Drama (reading plays, not acting!) and intro to teaching. It's a pretty good schedule and that will wipe out all my gen eds and get me started on my English and education courses. The reason why I can't take more classes is because of that intro to drama. They say I have to finish that class before I can enroll in any other English classes. So, waiting for future semesters are: Shakespeare, Early American Lit, British Literature after 1800, Native American Literature, Fiction Writing, Rhetoric and Writing, Writing Nonfiction and Fiction Writing. I know that sounds like a lot, but I am really looking forward to it all (except the British lit--so complex)

Another thing on my mind lately is diets. I know this sounds very critical of me but these are my thoughts and this is my blog!
Going on a diet is dumb!!!! I know that I am not in the best shape and I am no dietitian, but I think I know enough that when I hear that someone is going "on a diet" that something is off. Going on a diet sounds like it is something you will eventually go off of. I've been doing a bit of reading and researching and I don't believe it is possible for anyone to "go on a diet". Everyone has a diet. It's what we eat; whether our diets are good or bad is another story. I think what people mean to say is that they are going to change their diet-for better or worse. What do I mean by for better or worse? Well, the grapefruit diet for example is definitely a diet change for the worse. All grapefruit, all the time?? Or the Atkins diet, no carbs (including a ban on some veggies and most fruit) and all the meat you want. Sure there is some success with these diets initially, but the results don't tend to stick and people tend to gain the weight back and then some when they end the "diet". On these sorts of diets, people tend to feel deprived of the things they enjoy and if they do indulge in their no-no foods, they feel guilty and often times binge thinking 'well, I've already screwed up'. I don't understand the logic behind these "diets".
In addition to the crazy diets is the crazy exercise routines that some people punish themselves with. (Running on the treadmill for 2 hours, followed by an hour on the StairMaster) I am currently reading a book called "French Women Don't Get Fat" and the book discusses that French women (and many European women) are amazed at what American women(and men) do to their bodies. Here are 10 key points of the French "Diet":

1. Eat a variety of foods
2. Occasionally indulge in the things you enjoy
3. Eat until you are satisfied, not full
4. Watch portion sizes
5. Measure your success by how clothes fit and how you feel, not by the number on the scale
6. Focus on your food-not tv, not work, not driving down the highway
7. Get 30-45 minutes of activity daily
8. Try eating in courses
9. When you feel hungry...EAT!
10. Drink lots of water

This is what I have learned about changing a diet for the better so far. I looked at how I am currently eating. Decided what changes need to be made, what portions I am eating, etc. When I look at what I eat, I realize I consume too much sugar and preprocessed foods and super sized portions. I enjoy doughnuts though so cutting those out of my diet would not make me happy. According to the French style of eating I can keep doughnuts in my diet, but limit it to a special treat,only have one and maybe have some fresh fruit or yogurt with that doughnut. Another option is, maybe I'll have the doughnut and then pass on the mojitos at happy hour.

The French and European style of dining is also based on eating in courses, taking your time and focusing on what you're eating. Typically, my lunch is a PB and J sandwich, a cup of applesauce, and a fruit rollup in front of the computer. As I am working to improve that lunch I will eat int he break room with coworkers, trade the PB&J for half of a whole grain chicken sandwich with lettuce, tomato and a little mustard (watching the serving size 2-3 oz. of meat is all that is needed), trade the applesauce in for a medium apple (the read deal!), add in some yogurt and the fruit roll up? I like it, so it stays, but no sugary afternoon snacks. I will also pay attention to the taste of my food and how I am feeling. If I am satisfied (not full) after the sandwich and apple, no need to go ahead and keep eating.

As for exercise, most Europeans walk A LOT more than most Americans, but 30-45 minutes of daily activity is recommended, whether you walk, bike, play some sport or whatever, just move!

I think the French are really on to something here. So while my coworkers are complaining about how hungry they are since their current diet is limited to coffee and celery, or as they try to count points and figure out which foods best match their blood type, I'll give my European influenced change in diet a try and enjoy eating! We'll see how it works.

No new news in writing, but some of the songs on repeat on my Sansa include: Freebird (Lynard Skynard, The Wind Cried Mary (Hendrix), Give Me The Simple Life (Steve Tyrell), What'd I Say Part 1 &2 (Ray Charles) and Rocket (Def Leppard).

crazy tv spin offs

I have never been much of a fan of spin offs of tv shows. My thought is, if there is more story, keep the original series going, otherwise, let the show end. Some of the worst spin offs of all time:
10. Joey
9. Road Rules (and all the junk that has since followed since the flood gates were opened)
8. Saved By The Bell: The New Class (and the college years)
7. Joanie Loves Chachi
6. LVU, CSI... and all that followed the classic Law & Order
5. AfterM*A*S*H*
4. A Different World
3. Muppet Babies/Flintstones Kids/Scooby Doo and Scrappy Doo
2. Archie Bunker's Place
1. The Brady Brides

Well anyways, today I read of a supposed spin off of Beverly Hills 90210. PLEASE say it isn't so! That show could have ended after graduation from high school and been just fine. This spin off apparently is copying the original story line of Midwesterners moving to West Beverly with a daughter and adopted son. Rumor that one of the characters is the son of David and Donna Silver. Seriously, I am all for Hollywood writers getting their dues and I know they work hard, but lets get some new writers in there. Stop rehashing all these old plots. This is one spin off that will surely make a top ten list in the future for worst spin offs.

Oh yeah, I also just read about a Family Guy spin off where Cleveland has his own show. What the....!?!? What's he gonna do? He is such a minor character on Family guy anyways. How about a spin off on Quagmire or something.

What is up with tv these days? So what do you think is a successful spin off? A mistake of a spin off?

Too much?

It's been a while since I've blogged, sorry. I know it would probably be best if I stuck with one topic, but there is so much to say! First of all, my exciting news. I have been accepted at KU. Yah! I will start this fall and hopefully by spring semester I will be applying for the school of education. That one will be a challenge from what I hear, but I plan to work hard and I am sure I will be fine. I am just going to focus on this school stuff one step at a time. I don't really have any other interesting news. I've been watching the big 12 tournament somewhat. Missouri was out in the first round. They didn't play well at all and didn't deserve to go on, but I am still disappointed. I do still love Mizzou, even though I am a Jayhawk now. I actually though OSU would come in and win it all, but they didn't. I am happy to see KU is still in it against Texas. It'll be a good game. Apparently, it has been the same match up for the last three years, Texas winning every time. Well, not THIS time! KU will hopefully win this time.

Last time I posted, I presented a story idea. That and pretty much all my other writing has gone to the back burner if not fallen behind the stove. I hope this spring and summer to try to wrap up at least ONE of my stories.

My interest in the political race is fading. I have really lost support for Hillary ever since she bashed Obama, then when things weren't going well for her, she and Bill asked Obama to run with her as her VP. I support her as senator of New York, I support her as a woman for choice, but her current campaign tactics are less than impressive. I question Ralph Nader and what he thinks he is doing, jumping into the race now. I don't blame him for Gore losing in 2000. That is just ridiculous. Still, I don't know anything about him even though I have heard interviews with him and been to his site. All I know is that he is supposedly offering things that Hillary, Obama and McCain aren't. Well....isn't that what every politician would say?? Moving on to McCain, you know, I don't really like the guy. He is too conservative for my tastes. I wish there was a liberal republican running. That'll be the day I guess! I actually do believe in a lot of what the republican party is supposed to be about. Some how though, throughout the years, the party has lost sight of that and now it seems as though most republicans and conservative religious types -not all republicans, but a lot of them. As for Obama. I'll probably vote for him. I have high hopes in him. I hope he won't let me down. All I care about are the following: end the war in Iraq, improve international relations, lets focus on improving the environment and finding alternative fuel sources ASAP, up hold Roe v. Wade in its original form, revoke the No Child Left Behind act, improve the education system in ways other than mandatory testing and fining schools, raise the minimum wage, reduce if not eliminate the national debt and last but not least get us out of this recession. It's no short list, I know, but there are millions of people in America, why can't we get some of this accomplished? I didn't mention health care or social security. Those are both big issues I know, but I honestly have no ideas or answers for either of them. I guess that is enough political talk anyways!

I have a few new songs that I've really taken a liking to. Mainly Freebird by Lynard Skynard. I love the guitar in the last half of the song. I am not a huge fan of Lynard Skynard, but I do love a few of their songs. I also have taken a liking to Happiness Is A Warm Gun, mainly because that song is all over the place. It starts out soft, then gets weird, then gets really upbeat. That's the Beatles for you I guess! I also recently bought 1000 Julys by Third Eye Blind. I was really into them in 2004, and played my CD of 1000 Julys so many times it wore out, but now i have it on MP3 so it'll last longer! I am still looking to get the actual LIVE version of Hotel California. I've tried downloading it, but it never is the right one with the guitar intro. That is the bad thing about Amazon downloads with this song, the song sample plays the popular part of the song so I can never tell which version I am getting. (there is more than one live version) As you can tell I am into 70s rock right now. It's fun!

I guess I'll wrap this up for now. It is well after midnight so Happy Palm Sunday to all and I promise to blog again soon!!

High School

A friend and I went to a pancake feed this weekend at one of the local high schools and I had a blast. Mark is a fun guy and I enjoyed hearing about what high school was like for him. It was sort of nice to get sentimental over high school. It will be eight years this summer since I have graduated. At times it feels like forever ago, but other times it seems like only yesterday.
High school is a weird thing. After growing up watching Bayside High school, West Beverly High school and Shermer High school in Shermer, Illinois (Brat pack fans know this one!). I had high hopes for high school. Out of those three, the closest to reality was Shermer High school - with its ups and downs. I wanted to share something I wrote, shortly before graduating college. The night I wrote this I remember my roommate and I discussing our very different high school experiences on our respective sides of Kansas. I realized that I never really expressed any gratitude to my high school teachers who, for most, gave their all to their passion of teaching. Mr. Smajda, Frau, Doc, Mrs. Radio and all the other great people of BVN thank you!



It’s been said that you can’t truly appreciate something until it is gone. This is true in many aspects. I never truly appreciated being able to eat anything I wanted whenever I wanted, being able to see a consecutive sunset then sunrise without sleeping, and the opportunities I had as a young adult in Leawood, Kansas. As I prepare to graduate from college this spring, I’ve stepped back to look at how I have gotten to this point in my life. As a freshman at Blue Valley North High School, I had the world at my feet and a compass in my hand. In four years, my mind expanded as did my horizons.
I learned that early mornings, militant upperclassmen and a mild case of frostbite were just small prices to pay for a successful marching band season. My eyes aren’t what they once were and I can’t take a picture if anyone is posing, but yearbook day is still just as exciting as Christmas. It took a while but I finally figured out polynomials and how to diagram a sentence. The confidence gained from acing a math test is more incredible than having the best dress at homecoming. You learn that history and life are all around you when you're going through hell week in military school style to bring literature to life and developing a deeper appreciation of the Beatles thanks to history class. You’ll have to forgive me, but I am hopeless when it comes to chemistry. I will never forget the joy of placing my order correctly at a restaurant for the first time in Germany. None of these things would have been possible without the help and guidance of the teachers who helped my fellow classmates and me.
Thank you to my teachers who never lost faith in me, even when my homework was half-finished and I could only do half a pull-up in gym. Thank you to my teachers who made lessons interesting. Play-doh figures of Caesar and Brutus brought Shakespeare to life. The Bolshevik infomercials will not be forgotten. Thank you to the teachers who kept us students at the edge of our seats during the state championship basketball seasons and first hour check-in…Fitz! While the world was ever-changing outside the walls of Blue Valley North, there was warm familiarity inside. Between the tragedy in Columbine, the threat of Y2K and conflicts over seas, we students kept our heads up and our eyes bright with the knowledge that we held the future in the palms of our hands.
In high school, these blessings seemed an annoyance, a burden, but when I came to college, I saw that not everyone knew these wonderful experiences. That is when I truly saw the value of everything that I had known. As I prepare to jump off the diving board, into the deep-end, I feel excited. Though there is some apprehension as to what the “real world” will hold for me, I just remember back to my freshman year as I walked up to the doors of Blue Valley North and a kind woman’s smile (Dr. Sanders!) eased all my fears. So even though those days are only recently gone, I do appreciate the wonderful memories they’ve left behind. As I take the next step of my life I know there is nothing that I can’t handle and my compass will forever be pointing North.

Sick of Winter

Okay, so I know that we are all sick of winter. Here are ten good things about winter:

10. Winter, an easy, inexpensive way to test which of your pairs of shoes don’t have good traction.

9. There are no mosquitoes

8. No breaking the piggy bank to buy gas for the lawn mower

7. Clothes hide extra weight from the holidays

6. Citrus fruit is in season...nothing like a tart grapefruit to wake you up

5. All the mold is frozen so allergies are a bit better

4. Not having the sun in your eyes during rush hour traffic...it's dark when you go in and dark when you go home.

3. It's all sports-all the time. football and basketball are on almost 24/7

2. It's okay to be pasty white, everyone is. It is easy to tell who has been fake baking in February in Kansas.

1. Need to chill your drink, but you're out of ice? Just set it outside for a few minutes.


We just have a few more weeks to get through; spring is just around the corner.

New Story Idea

I know I mentioned I was working on three other stories, but have another new idea. Besides, one of those ideas, I haven't looked at in months. I was listening to Something To Believe In by Poison on my way home tonight and it made me think of a story idea that I've been mulling over for the past few months. Basically, I am making a story out of what I hear the song being about.....I'd like some feed back on it. Let me know if it sounds dumb or like something that's been overdone. Basically it is about two guys that are best friends growing up. They both love baseball, rock and roll and dream of being police officers or fire fighters. Basically, all-american boys of the late 50s and early 60s. Then the 1960s strike and one goes the way of hippies and drugs and the other is drafted to Vietnam. They come back together after the war, but both are such different people that they have a hard time reconecting. The one who went to war wants his friend to turn his life around, the hippie guy wants his friend to loosen up and get off his case. They fight and barely talk for the next decade. The 1980s finally roll around and the hippie guy's life is a total mess. He is a druggie with little to no money and no family. His friend has become a divorced semi-successful business man who tries to use religion to deal with his post tramatic stress. The hippie finds out his friend died and he takes a look at when his own life has led him and tries to remember back to their friendship from the beginning to now. Some parts he can't even remember due to the drugs. He knows he needs to turn his life around and decides to do so for his friend's sake and becomes a police officer.

So let me know what you think!!!

Photography part 2

I am still new at this blogging thing, you'll have to scroll down to the bottom to see the pictures I posted!

Photography

I was looking at some of my pictures Saturday night. I would never call myself a photographer, but I am sort of proud of a few of the pictures. I sort of surprised myself, but then I got to thinking, maybe it is just luck that a few of these turned out good. Or maybe it is just my opinion that they are good and other people think they suck. Still I enjoy taking pictures and I can't wait for it to warm up so I can go outside an take more pictures!! I'll put a few on here just to see what anyone thinks of them. Some of these I shot with a friend. One night we decided to drive around and take pictures. Others are ones I just took at random times.

My first blog

I am going to give blogging a try again. I have so many different things running through my head; I figured I might as well try writing them down! For those who don't know me, my name is Meghan and I enjoy the usual stuff: movies, hanging out with friends, writing, music, and throwing parties. Sometimes, I might post some of a story I am working on, just to see what people think. Right now I am working on three stories with varying degrees of success. My biggest challenge is walking the fine line between drama and melodrama.

I mentioned that I enjoy music. I guess I should say, it is a passion of mine and the main subject of this first blog.

Music really is an inspiration to a lot of what I write. Sometimes, I'll hear a song and it makes me feel things that I could never express in any other way. I also just love singing along with the radio (not well, I might add). My music tastes really are all over the place. Brian commented today that the CD in my car was "freaky". Maybe so, but I am the type of person who can listen to Ray Charles, followed by Ice Cube, followed by The Backstreet Boys followed by Aerosmith. I am sure I have a playlist somewhere in my computer that has Beethoven and Eminem in it. Sure, it is off the wall, but in my opinion, it is all the same; artists just saying/writing/playing what they feel to different rhythms and tempos. Take the theme of friendship. How many songs are there about friendship? A Google search says there are 9.3 million topics about songs about friends. James Taylor wrote about it, The Beatles, Natalie Merchant, Christina Aguilera, Queen, Tim McGraw, and many more.

Music all started from the same point. Religious and secular songs date back to prehistoric times. Chant music with its haunting melodies, the grandness of Bach and baroque music, the joy and freshness of classical, the emotions and science of Bhrams, Beethoven and Wagner, during the 1850s and 1860s, slaves could be heard singing songs that gave hope and direction with the Underground Railroad ("Wade In the Water") which lead to the development of blues and jazz, during happy progressive times, there was happy progressive music (ragtime), religious music brought about soul music, soul brought out the first sounds of rock and roll, The Beatles were reportedly inspired by Elvis. During war times, patriotic and political music was written (Holiday, Fortunate Son, The Star Spangled Banner, Tie a Yellow Ribbon). No matter where we go and what we do, there will always be music. Like Pete Seeger said "I always believed that the right song at the right moment could change history".
So is there any point to my rambling? Maybe not, but I will leave you with the following thought on music. "I have my own particular sorrows, loves, delights; and you have yours. But sorrow, gladness, yearning, hope, love, belong to all of us, in all times and in all places. Music is the only means whereby we feel these emotions in their universality." -H.A. Overstreet