My Mind Is Blank...

Hey all... Today is Tuesday, and I've got nothing. My mind is blank. I think it's okay to mention that I don't want to write about the Aurora shooting. We've discussed it in the comments on Craig's post, and I'm sure we've kept ourselves updated with all the constant coverage of the tragedy. In the end, I don't feel it's necessary to give this shooter the satisfaction of discussing it further. 

But with this opinion comes an overwhelming lack of things to write about. My life is quite boring... Waiting for the building for the thrift store my mom and I are going to run to be built means no job to keep me occupied. I've decided to take the Fall semester off in order to evaluate my transfer options, which means no hours spent picking courses to take.  My writing is at a total standstill... *sigh* I wish I could come up with a creative way to motivate myself to write, but I don't have any ideas. Any of you got ideas? Have you been writing regularly, or am I not alone in my writer's block? 

Along with the lack of eventfulness in my life, my fiance has been unable to get a phlebotomy job. No hospitals are hiring, and the company he externed with hasn't offered him a job (even though people are still asking to get appointments with him because he did such a good job and all the people he worked with want him to work there). If any of you could include my fiance's search for a job in your prayers, it'd be much appreciated. If you don't pray, send good vibes his way or something. :P I don't like seeing him discouraged, and he definitely deserves his dream job.

I really enjoyed seeing the music y'all listen to... It's interesting to see the differences and similarities between all of us when it comes to music genres.  

Well, I don't think there's much else to say...

See ya next Tuesday! 
DFTBA!

Shelby W.

Lullaby's for the exhausted

I'm beyond tired today guys, so this post is going to be short.

You can do no wrong with Mr. Billy Corgan, it's virtually impossible.

This song may be familiar to some of you, if not I'll tell everyone what new movie trailer it was in.

This is by far one of my favorite songs/music videos in the Foo Fighters whole discography. 

Have a great weekend everyone! 

DFTBA

Nicole 

A Tuesday of Music!

Hey everyone! It's Tuesday and we're discussing music, as I requested last week. Craig... your post was full of Doctor Who awesomeness, which was just so entertaining. Unfortunately, I don't have any such songs to post, but I appreciate the song about Captain Jack Harkness you posted. I recently began watching Torchwood mainly to see Captain Jack <3.

Well, now I suppose I should start discussing my favorite music. As a quick background, I grew up surrounded by all sorts of music and was taught to give all genres a try. My parents both were in band during high school, and my mom has been singing forever. I got a talent for singing from her, which comes with an appreciation for meaningful lyrics. So, most of the songs I'll post have lyrics that really mean something in some way. 

First up... some country/folk that I've fallen in love with. 

Poison & Wine by The Civil Wars is tragically beautiful in so many ways. It doesn't showcase their folk style as much as their other songs (My Father's Father, Barton Hallow, 20 Year etc.), but the lyrics to this song were remarkable. Joy Williams, the woman of the duo, expressed that this song speaks of the dichotomy of love... that love is dangerous and beautiful all at the same time.

Next up, I can't pick a favorite rock song, so I'm giving a band for y'all to look up because they're brilliant. Anberlin. I've seen them twice in concert and I've never been disappointed by their performances. They aren't my favorite band, but they have a sound that is easy to get addicted to. Impossible is a great song to listen to in order to get acquainted to the band... so, enjoy! Please note, the lyrics in some of their older songs are AMAZING (I just couldn't pick a song to post in order to give an example).

So, one of my favorite animated films when I was a kid was Anastasia. Yeah, I know it isn't accurate and that it isn't Disney, but it was a remarkable film. The song that plays during the credits has remained one of my favorite songs throughout the years... But it does bring on a little sadness because I used to watch this movie all the time over at my grandma's house, and I'd never let her turn the movie off until I got to listen to this song. She passed away when I was 7...

Ever since NBC's The Voice, I've become a bigger fan of Blake Shelton. At this point, he's like country music royalty... he can definitely say the wrong things at times, but he's awesome. And while I adore Honey Bee, I think I'll have to put Who Are You When I'm Not Looking up instead. It's such a beautiful song.

I hope I didn't post too many songs. There were tons of other ones I wanted to include, but I decided against them. Can't wait to see what the rest of you enjoy listening to! 

See ya next Tuesday!

DFTBA,

Shelby W.

MUSIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIC!



Thats what my post will be about today as per Shelby's request.

I listen to all sorts of music just as long as I find it good. Mostly rock though but

I go from Emo rock like

To popish i guess like

 just because I am awesome DOCTOR FREAKING NOISE!

I do all that I can to listen to what I can. There is also another example of my music tastes but there are no videos of it on youtube :( It's my uncle's band and they are pretty good. It's a bit country/humor/rock ish. not sure how to designate it to be honest.

It was good seeing and reading about the pictures you all posted. You all have such fantastic lives XD


Have fun, be safe, be happy, and DFTBA
Craig

American culture?

Linnea brought up an interesting topic on Friday... Basically: Does America have its own culture? 

After some thought, I've come to the conclusion that America never had its own culture due to the way it was founded. In the end, America was developed through many different countries with different languages, religions, cuisines and norms. These countries founded settlements in many separate regions, giving each section of America a distinct sub-culture that soon spread to every part of the country. Southern home-cooking can be found in every section of the country, not just the southern states. Lobster can be eaten in pretty much every state, despite its overall fame in Maine. Country music isn't just a backwoods, Appalachian tradition anymore, but a popular industry that has been able to meet all other genres with respect and great collaboration. Most larger cities have sections reflective of different areas of the world, featuring amazing nightlife and culinary opportunities. I'm sure we've all been to some form of "China Town" or been to supermarkets that cater specifically to a particular region's culinary delicacies. 

America doesn't have its own culture, but embraces the cultures of the world, creating the melting pot we've all grown to love. But, with such a melting pot comes grievances and issues that are hard to resolve. World views are challenged and belittled. The "American" side of the equation isn't very tolerant... I guess most citizens have forgotten what led their founding fathers to the new world: intolerance, persecution and a longing for freedom. We need to learn to accept people of all cultures, including religion... Without doing this, our country will remain divided. And frankly, I like the melting pot we have. I like knowing that I can go to a restaurant and order foreign cuisine as well as southern country cooking. I like being able to hear all sorts of genres on the radio. I like knowing that every state has a particular background based on the country that settled in that territory centuries before. Without this, America wouldn't be America anymore. 

Well, on that note, I hope everyone has a spectacular Fourth of July. Also, for those of you on vacations: have loads of fun!

DFTBA!  

-Shelby W.

(I just realized how much I mentioned food in this post... wow!)