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.

Family Dinner, Birthday Cake, Gotye and Answers

Hey everyone!

So, Monday was my 21st Birthday. I didn't spend it partying or bar-hopping. I began my birthday at midnight reading A Storm of Swords and almost fell asleep in the bathtub. I went to Olive Garden with my mom and my fiance (my dad is working out-of-state and won't be back until Saturday) for dinner Monday night. Nothing really exciting there, apart from their amazing bread sticks and my fiance surprising me by ordering an awesome chocolate cake. (Oh, and that Strawberry Pomegranate Mojito...yum.)

The night before, my fiance and I went to his parents' house for the usual Sunday family dinner. He has four siblings (two sisters and two brothers), and it's always an interesting, often scary time over at the house. His older sister as a baby boy that just fell in love with the birthday hat they made me wear. His youngest brother is a fan of Sci Show (he obviously never forgets to be awesome!). His youngest sister is my age... and then there's his brother who is in high school. That boy repeatedly shout-sang these two lines from Gotye's "Somebody That I Used To Know": 

1. "But you didn't have to cut me off!"
2. "Now you're just somebody that I used to know..."

He didn't know any of the chorus lyrics in between those lines, which are the first and last. It made for some interesting moments, and he often parodied those lines as well. So, I naturally mentioned Hank Green's brilliant Subway parody.

I wasn't expecting much of a birthday celebration from his family. Over the years, there had been so much drama between all of them and us. But, as I am helping his younger sister light all the candles on the ice cream cake, I see two gigantic gift bags out of the corner of my eye. Attached to my chair were a whole bunch of balloons and then the ice cream cake. I mean, I expected a cake, but all those gifts? It really made me feel welcome; it's the most comfortable I've felt around his family in the three years we've been together. When I opened the gifts, one of the cards hadn't been signed. They snatched it away and quickly passed it around to be signed by the whole family. When I got it back, I found money in the card! Gifts and money!? I think they may have gone overboard, a bit. Also in the card was the line, "Now you're just somebody that I used to know..." We all know where that came from. =P His oldest sister (whom I've had a hard time getting along with for many reasons) even gave me a card. I feel even more part of their family now, and I'm happy that I can finally say that.

Now on to Craig's question:  "What movies were your favorites as a kid that you probably shouldn't have been watching?"

This is a good question... When I was 8-9, I was obsessed with Titanic... So much so that I watched it multiple times a week (for the record, I was homeschooled, so I had all the time in the world to do that). But, I suppose that's not all that bad unless you bring up the nude scene... Other than that, the only movies I can think of are some random horror films (I went to see Saw with my mom when it first came out... I was 13), and then Grease and Grease II. It might seem weird to list those two films, but if you watch the videos below, you'll understand why I shouldn't have been singing along with these songs, let alone watching the films.

• Greased Lightning - from Grease
• Reproduction - from Grease II

I think those are the only films I shouldn't have been watching when I was younger... not all that bad, really...  Or maybe I'm just trying to make myself feel better. haha. Well, I can't wait to see what films all of you mention... Hopefully they won't be as awkward as mine. 

See you next Tuesday,

DFTBA 

~ Shelby