Year 4, Day 313

Hey guys. Today I give you Stay A Little Longer by Brothers Osbourne.

I know it's technically New Years but it's another fake holiday so I'm not going to choose any special song for it. That being said it is nice to have a set day where you say "okay, time to get my shit together." So in honor of that tradition let's all share a resolution that we want. Twist though: it can't be a typical one like losing weight, eating better, or being better when it comes to procrastination. Make it something ridiculous and totally obtainable so you can get one done out of the gate. My New Year's resolution is to put together a list of the DC timeline for television much like what Marvel did. Or make it something super hard and personal that you'll absolutely hate doing, but probably should handle anyway. My New Year's resolution is to get rid of my debt and tell my dad that we're no longer tethered to each other so get the fuck out of my life. Or make a resolution to pay it forward, however small a gesture. My New Year's resolution is to pay for everyone's coffee at Tim's and create a conga line of (literally) paying it forward in drive thru. Leave yours in the comments, I'm anxious to read them.

Peace.

Year 4, Day 312

Hi. So today's song is If It Makes You Happy by Sheryl Crow.

Sheryl Crow used to be my mom's thing. The amount of times we listened to this CD in the car is astounding and I still know all the words to all the songs. It's one piece of my childhood that I can still look back on with fond memories that hasn't been tainted by the sheer ludicrousy that are my parents. This song is my choice to showcase simply because I like being able to belt out the chorus. It's a good outlet for emotions, much like the nightly screamfest a college in Sweden has. So just in case you guys have some feelings about this year you need to expel, try belting along to Sheryl Crow.

Peace.

Year 4, Day 311

Morning. So today's song is Before He Cheats by Carrie Underwood.

I've been listening to a Carrie Underwood song a lot lately (not this one) and it affected me enough to want to include her in the list. This song was one of the first that got really big and introduced me to her. The songs of hers that I've listened to (and I'm sorry that doesn't include a lot) all seem pretty... empowered I guess is the word I'm looking for. When it deals with the betrayal or destruction caused by another person the way she sings the story makes her not seem victimized which I like. Too much woe is me is not so good. For music I mean, actual victimizing for real crimes is a different story just in case you try and read something into my words that isn't there. I'm off the rails today so I'm just going to end it here.

Peace.

Year 4, Day 310

Hello everyone. So today's song is Teardrops On My Guitar by Taylor Swift.

I know, I know. It's time for the obligatory Taylor Swift song. This is an old one from when she was still considered a country star and it's crazy to look back and see her like this knowing where she is now. It's nice to have artists around long enough that you track the noticeable differences in their career. Taylor is one, but I also look at Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, McFly, and Simple Plan to name a few. The fact that there is progression is fantastic, regardless of your opinion on the changes. I almost can't stand to listen to this song anymore, but considering this whole year has been old music I listened to, it seemed appropriate if only to tick it off the list.

Peace.

Year 4, Day 309

What's Up. Today's song is This Kiss by Faith Hill.

I've decided to drop in some country. Usually I would time it out correctly so that the mass country grouping comes in the summer when the Stampede is going on, but I honestly couldn't get it together this year at all, so instead of summer we're going to probably cross over into the new year with this genre. I'm starting off with the ladies and from there I can move on and up, but let's just see how it goes for now.

Peace.

Year 4, Day 308

Hi Guys. So today's song is Hello World by Lady Antebellum.

After being laid out for a few days I'm finally beginning to feel better. I mean I'm still coughing like crazy and now my eye is watering, but I think my nose is starting to quit, which means I can try to to heal it. From wiping my nose so much is ridiculously red and irritated. My grandpa took the opportunity to sing Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer at me so I'm motivated to get it back to normal asap. I deem it the best way to burn through Boxing Day since I avoid outside like the plague when this day rolls around. Once my cold has fully subsided these posts should be more interesting. Sorry I'm so one track mind right now.

Peace.

Year 4, Day 307

Merry Christmas! Today's song is the Santa Rap by Eclipse 6.

Okay not going to say a lot because I'm in the middle of our family Christmas still, but wanted to get this out for you. So we always have an impromptu Christmas at my grandma's house so we had lunch and now we're playing cards. Will owns a game called Killer Bunnies and he got two expansion packs for it for Christmas so we've put those in and are playing a master game. I of course am still sickly so I've been playing with one hand with a glove on so I don't infect all the cards. Let me say though that despite being good at the expansion packed game, it's taking forever. We've been playing two hours now and are still on the first game. It's going to be a long day. Anyway Happy Holidays and I hope you enjoy this concert of Christmasized songs.

Peace.

Year 4, Day 306

Hey. So today's song is Christmas Tree by Lady Gaga.

Oh the good times just keep on rolling. I've caught a cold. The thing is that I barely ever get sick, so when I do get hit with the bug, it hits hard. I at least haven't been nauseous and pukey this time, just a bad runny nose and sore throat among other things. I'm sure I got it from my grandpa. My grandma is now the only one in the house who isn't suck and that simple fact is unbelievable, her immune system must be a beast. So sorry there's not much to say today, I'm lucky I'm even slightly horizontal at this point. But please enjoy the obligatory holiday music with a twist.

Peace.

Year 4, Day 305

Morning. So today's song is Body Parts by Plain White T's.

Awhile ago I made a post that was incredibly vague saying I was excited about something, but I couldn't say what that something is. Well now I can. So the thing that happened is that my sister is engaged! I knew because her fiance (whoa) told me before anyone else and used me as a confidant in his excitement. Of course that meant I wasn't allowed to say anything for obvious reasons.

Near the end there it was all a bunch of confusion. The two of them headed up to the place where my uncle got married immediately after our Christmas celebration and I discreetly asked him if he was bringing the ring on the trip. He told me that he wasn't going to do it and that she said no...which was insane since she herself had told me days ago that she wanted a ring. I guess because I questioned him he brought it and popped the question at the top of Sulphur Mountain. When they got back I found out that she didn't say no she was just aware of his plans and told him not to feel obligated to rush it. Long story short they're engaged now and everyone is super happy especially the two of them. It'll be a really long wait until an actual wedding I'm sure, but this is amazing news enough for the holidays!

Peace.

Year 4, Day 304

Hey everyone. So today's song is Chills by Down With Webster.

I just got to the end of another book. I may have talked about it before because I have read this one previously, but I love when authors associate songs with what they've written. I mean it's one thing to create these characters and let them loose to develop differently in everyone's imagination, but when you add music to it you can start to see the molding that the writer did. Almost like giving you a glimmer of what they saw when they created the character. I'm sure the songs are very different from what I've featured lately , but I wanted to include them for you anyway. The book I read was Along For The Ride by Sarah Dessen and one the last page at the back she listed ten songs that make up the soundtrack of the book. First off we've got the song about the book in general which include Love Me Like The World Is Ending (which I've featured before) and Whatever It Is both by Ben Lee. Also included in the broad section is Breakable by Ingrid Michaelson. Some go into the more specific themes of the book, like As Cool As I Am by Dar Williams associated with the loner aspect of the main character, I See Monsters by Ryan Adams for the insomniacs, and No Sunlight by Death Cab For Cutie about the perfect time of day. The book is set in summer so on the list she added Stolen by Dashboard Confessional, and since writing can take a toll the list also featured Let It Rain by Tracey Chapman (not on YouTube) and No One by Alicia Keyes. The last song is character specific and I gotta say it was so not something that I would associate with my imagined version of this guy, but was intrigued that it did for her original incarnation of him. That song would be People Who Died by Jim Carroll Band. Oddly enough the feeling of Down With Webster is what I associate with the same character (the singing parts anyway), which is obviously very different. I know most of you probably wont read the book (young adult novels are my jam because I'm a romantic at heart) but even so, you can check out this playlist and at least get something from the story. If you are interested in the book though you can read the whole thing here. I mean you should buy it but usually when I want to read and get books stores aren't open so we improvise. If you do the online read though just recognize that the dividers of days and situations are absent.

Peace.

Year 4, Day 303

Hi. Today isn't on song, but rather a 42 Song Pop Punk Mashup.

The ultimate song for my emo heart to implode on. I've listening to this compilation so much that sometimes I hear this now instead of the regular songs. If you keep the annotation on on the video each lists each song as it comes up, but I'm m all here in order just so you have them. So while I've made you wait for songs for a few days I'm making up with it now (kind of) with 42 of them minus the doubles all at once. Hope it's good enough! It goes: Welcome to the Black Parade by My Chemical Romance, Good Riddance by Green Day, I Write Sins Not Tragedies by Panic! at the Disco, What's My Age Again? by blink-182, The Middle by Jimmy Eat World, Check Yes Juliet by We The Kings, Graduate by Third Eye Blind, Weightless by All Time Low, Dear Maria Count Me In by All Time Low, Meant to Live by Switchfoot, I'm Not Okay (I Promise) by My Chemical Romance, Thunder by Boys Like Girls, Kings and Queens by 30 Seconds to Mars, Ocean Avenue by Yellowcard, Be My Escape by Relient K, Sadie Hawkins Dance by Relient K, I'd Do Anything by Simple Plan, Misery Business by Paramore, Savior by Rise Against, Fat Lip by Sum 41, Teenagers by My Chemical Romance, Stacy's Mom by Fountains of Wayne, Gives You Hell by All American Rejects, Feeling This by blink-182, My Own Worst Enemy by Lit, In Too Deep by Sum 41, One of THOSE Nights by The Cab, High of 75 by Relient K, I Miss You by blink-182, That's What You Get by Paramore, Miss Murder by AFI, Dance Floor Anthem by Good Charlotte, Curse of Curves by Cute Is What We Aim For, Closer to the Edge by 30 Seconds to Mars, All I Want by A Day to Remember, Jamie All Over by Mayday Parade, Thnks Fr Th Mmrs by Fall Out Boy, Say Anything (Else) by Cartel, MakeDamnSure by Taking Back Sunday, Audience of One by Rise Against, and Sugar We're Going Down by Fall Out Boy.

Year 4, Day 302

Hey guys. Today's song is Emperor's New Clothes by Panic! at the Disco.

Today was my family's Christmas celebration. A week early so it didn't feel very festive, but there's eleven of us so scheduling is hard. We made it though, and it was surprisingly not as bad as I thought it was going to be. We had Christmas at my mom's new place (she moves practically every six months) so she went all out with the decorating. You would think it would be cozy to see all the decoration accumulated and on display throughout your life, but really it just made me uncomfortable. Like a living embodiment of Christmas past that reminds you of how innocent you'll never be again. I'm cynical this is how I view things. My uncle was of course commenting on things that he had no business commenting on, but less so than previous years. And he wouldn't parent his own child which meant I became parent #1 for five hours, then my sister got the job for the next five hours when she arrived. It only further cemented that I never want kids. Mu other uncle got there after work and made of point of sitting with me (as he seems to be his tradition at every family gathering nowadays) because he knows that I will not volunteer confessions about my life unless someone is in close proximity. Everyone liked their gifts now that we went back to the typical secret santa set up, and my mom seemed happy rather than her constant state of trying not to cry. My grandma made her signature stuffing which is not actually signature except for the fact that the family wont eat stuffing unless she's the one who makes it, and my uncle (the latter one) made her cheesecake this year which is always a favorite. All in all not too bad. My grandparents left early because my grandpa caught the flu a couple days ago so I had to get a ride home with Will and Sammy who were going out of town immediately after so now I'm sitting in their house surrounded by cats, lizards and fish. Will forgot that I needed to actually go home before pet sitting, but they were late and he was scatterbrained so I'll just trek home tomorrow for my stuff. Personally I'm glad my Christmas is over with so I can relax for the rest of the week while the mass population still stresses. It's....euphoric to be over that hump.

Peace.

Year 4, Day 301

Hiya. Today I give you Whipped Cream by Ludo.

This is a new song and new band this year, although I think I put one of their other songs earlier in the year. Regardless this is the first song by them that I'd heard and I love it. I think it might be one of my favorite new songs this year that I've found, and I've found a lot (not that I've shown them yet.) This song is one that most people who know me would be confused with my fascination with it. They all associate me with bubblegum power pop forever, which I don't think this classifies as. Although Anna is technically the expert (she coined the phrase) so if she's still awake I'll ask her what genre this song goes under. While I wait for a response can I also just point out that the concept of band wearing matching suits excites me? Maybe it's my OCD, maybe it's the psychology of finding patterns, but the uniformity looks so well put together. Even with the thrusting in the video they still look dapper. Good job boys. Okay I waited an hour and Anna has a response. She says it's still of the pop variety but born more from the pop punk grouping. So I'm going to go ahead and classify this song as pop punk lite. Agree?

Peace.

Year 4, Day 300

Good Morning. Today's song is I Wonder by Diffuser.

Alright I guess it's about time to explain what's up. So...I have issues with my dad. Huge issues that I've mentioned in previous years, but for the last three we haven't been in contact. Except for when my loan comes due and he feels the need to remind me that his name is on it. But Christmas does weird things to people and not only has he emailed and called me, but emailed and called my sister, and even called my grandparents. It's unnerving to free yourself of such a harmful influence only to have them force themselves back in so easily. The gist of it is he wants back in our lives and doesn't understand why neither my sister or I ever want to associate with him again. Which is insane. Our problems are obvious and for him to not get that means he is either a legitimate psychopath like I've been saying for years or got some serious brain injury that made him forget how he is. Either way I'm holding my breath for the holidays now waiting for the fallout that will surely come when Christmas passes and we still have responded to his attempts to reconcile. Side note: this song is weirdly good for my current situation. If you take the romantic undertones out of it, it's kind of like a conversation with my dad. A conversation that will never happen in real life.

Peace.

Year 4, Day 299

Hey! Here's No One's Gonna Find Her In The Dark by Fall Out Boy and Panic! at the Disco.

If you couldn't already tell this song is a mashup. To make up for my lack of posting I'm shoving as much music down your throat as I can. So the mashup is using Miss Jackson by Panic! At The Disco and My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark by Fall Out Boy. There was actually a different one I wanted to show you which was a Fall Out Boy song looped a couple times that sounded incredible, but I only found it on tumblr which means I have officially lost it again. But that's fine because as far as mashups go I like this one. You guys tell me though. Is it good or would something else be better.

Peace.

Year 4, Day 298

Hello. So today's song is Me Against the World by Simple Plan.

I've read three books in three days. I'm so tired you guys have no idea. I know you're all thinking I'm insane about now because despite being tired I refuse to sleep. Someone I didn't want reached out to me and I've been doing my best to cope with it, but stress fuels my dreams so if I don't sleep, the nightmares can't destroy my brain. I know my sister has already had one because of this so I'm going to go until I can at least dead sleep and not think about my issues. So on to more books for me!

Peace.

Year 4, Day 297

Hi. Today's song is Dear Maria, Count Me In by All Time Low.

I suck, I'm behind on these again. Sorry there's a lot that's been happening. I'll tell you all about it eventually once I find the words. So for now it just happens that my crap week coincides with all the songs that I've been saving until the end because they're my favorite. Starting with All Time Low. I've featured them before and probably will again. What can I say, the semi-emo phase I went through internally will never really die. Enjoy.

Peace.

Year 4, Day 296

Hey Guys. So today's song is All The Small Things by Blink-182.

So I decided to watch Fantastic Beasts today despite the fact that I never actually finished watching the Harry Potter series. And before you ask no I have not read the books. It's either one or the other for me and I remember being in school when the first book came out and it wasn't my cup of tea. I mean my class even used to go behind the fat lady portrait one teacher created to read together as a class and that didn't do it for me. So feel free to tell me I'm not a puritan in the comments. Anyway back to Fantastic Beasts. How do I put this.... it was interesting more than entertaining? I mean I liked it sure, but I found myself viewing it less for its movie merits and more for what kinds of creature they would feature. I mean the story line was good, characters were lovable and Eddie was cast perfectly, but all I wanted was to see the beasts. I was not disappointed on that front either. I don't want to give anything away so I'm keeping it vague. And now that I've seen it I'm totally on board for creating more wizarding stories that exist in the same fictional realm that stand alone from the other stories. Give me movies about Ilvermorny, give me a study on Obscurials, give me a time jump to wizards picking up the pieces in this time period. The Harry Potter story wasn't something I related to, but one of the other ones might be so J.K Rowling I hope you get creating.

Peace.

Year 4, Day 295

Morning. Today's song is Pork and Beans by Weezer.

So I'm heading back home now finally. My uncle had a little duel with mother nature and they ended up stuck on their vacation for another day. It sounds like it would be nice to have an extra day in Hawaii, but not when you aren't prepared for it... especially when you have a three year old in tow. Their plane landed two hours ago thankfully (I've been refreshing the airport page all night) and they just waked in the door looking haggard. I guess there was a rain storm which led to a rock slide which meant the flight crew couldn't get to the plane. And the airport kicked the passengers out because it's technically illegal to camp out in the terminal so they had to got to the only hotel open. Let's just say my aunt was pissed when she got home. My uncle though was pretty pleased because the day delay meant he was off the hook about going to site for work. Instead he gets an extra three days off on top of the two weeks he's already going to get. One more hour until rush hour dies down and I can finally get a little sleep in my own bed. Celebrate with me, today is a great day.

Peace.

Year 4, Day 294

Hello. Today I give you Turn The Lights On by Big Sugar.

I'm switching it up today with a little Canadian reggae from the past... well I guess that's an inaccurate description nor that the band is active again, but semantics. They technically formed in 1988 as a support band for a singer named Molly Johnson. When she made it big with her own band, she helped these guys get into the music business as well. Eventually the lineup changed in the band, and things got awesome when they finally clicked with a popular reggae bassist named Gary Lowe who had moved to Toronto from Jamaica. They got really big at first mostly through word of mouth and eventually got so popular that they were asked to play at Woodstock in 1999. They all ended up going their separate way in 2004 to work on solo projects, but reunited in 2010. So the fun thing is you get to compare their new and old stuff. You can start with this one, which is an oldie of theirs, but a goodie.

Peace.

Year 4, Day 293

Hiya. So today's song is Lay It All On Me by Rudimental featuring Ed Sheeran.

I mentioned Rudimental earlier, said I'd feature them and today I'm delivering on that promise. Ed Sheeran is just a bonus. Rudimental is a drum and bass band from England made up of four members. I always assumed it was one person so bit of a shock for me when I started to look them up. The band name came about thanks to a music teacher and a forgotten book. One of the members has called himself Rudiments as a DJ, and when they decided to become a band, they adjusted the name for the group. Throughout their career they've won multiple awards and worked with a lot of influential artists, creating some amazing tracks for you to check out. This one is only the icing on the cake, so keep looking them up if you like it.

Peace.

Year 4, Day 292

Hey everyone. So today's song is A Day To Feel Alive by Jake Reese.

Alright I can't 100% confirm that this is the correct guy I'm looking for, but the voice sounds right so I'm going to go with yes. This guy is Dutch and I think he's the first one that I've featured so give it up for the Netherlands! All of us only English speakers know him as Jake Reese, but you're more likely to find him if you go by his legit name which is Jaap Reesema. He won the Dutch X Factor which guaranteed him a record deal, and he's released a few songs, but other than that his professional jacket is a little thin. You can check out his other songs on his YouTube channel. Hope you like it.

Peace.

Year 4, Day 291

Hello. So today's song is Behind Blue Eyes by Limp Bizkit.

This is an older group that formed in 1994. I could spout a lot of facts about these guys at you, but I think you get all the information about them that you need from the quote about their band name. "The name is there to turn people's heads away. A lot of people pick up the disc and go, 'Limp Bizkit. Oh, they must suck.' Those are the people that we don't even want listening to our music." It was the 90's so I guess I should be admiring them sticking it to the man, but seriously? If you want to turn people off that badly then why even make music. Don't be snobbish about your own fans because it kind of makes me hate you.

Peace.

Year 4, Day 290

Hi guys. So today's song is Runnin' by Naughty Boy featuring Beyonce and Arrow Benjamin.

I've obviously already showed off Beyonce's music, and I believe I also featured Naughty Boy before, but Arrow Benjamin is new, so I'm going to focus on him. He's an English singer songwriter who seems to still be pretty new to big name music, with this song being his most notable piece. He has also written his own single recently and worked with Beyonce on a song from her Lemonade album. I'm guessing that's probably how the two of them ended up on this single together. He's worked with some other famous DJ's as well including Major Lazer and Rudimental (who will be featured in a few days.) I expect that he's going to do some pretty great things so keep your eye out.

Peace.

Year 4, Day 289

Hey. Today I give you Vogue by Madonna.

So I'm writing this from the future, because I was doing a little clean up and realized that the song I originally had for today was actually used before. That's my bad from before I actually started keeping track because I never expected to be going for this long doing a blog. So instead I'm going to give you a song that doesn't really require any input from me, because I'm sure most people already know it. Madonna is kind of an iconic singer and one that I've featured and will feature a lot, so for now you get this one, then we'll see what else comes down the pike.

Peace.

Year 4, Day 288

Morning. So today's song is Say Goodbye by S Club 7.

Okay here's a topic for ya: Christmas trees. Do you or don't you? If you do, real or fake? Ribbons, garland or popcorn? How do you put them on? Personal or impersonal ornaments? Color coded or not? Angel or star on top? I ask because right now I'm sitting in the living room staring at my uncle's tree and it's weird by my standards. They have ribbon in their tree, but the pieces go from top to bottom rather than around the tree. They also have a set of ornaments that they bought, which are all red, that cover the tree with no personal ones. I find that odd considering they have a kid. My family has always had a fake Christmas tree with tinsel and a crazy mish mash of ornaments that came from... well, everywhere. This year my mom is hosting our celebration and bought a real tree to switch it up, but I wanna know what the norm is. And apologies to the people who are celebrating Hanukkah or Kwanzaa or another type of holiday. Christmas is what my family does and it's all I know so that's why I write about it, but if you do celebrate a different holiday, tell me what you guys do. I'd love to know.

Peace.

Year 4, Day 287

Hi. Today's song is My Immortal by Evanescence.

Fuck it's cold. This weeks it's going to consistently be -25 degrees Celsius and that's not including the windchill. I'm going to try not to complain though because this is literally the first week that actually feels like winter and the fact that we waited this long for it is a miracle in itself. Plus there has only been one huge dump of snow which means there still isn't enough snow for my car to get stuck, but there is enough to make it look like a winter wonderland. I will say this about the cold: it's giving me an excuse to comment on all the posts I see about Americans complaining that 20 degrees Fahrenheit is cold. And I will continue to do it until someone from the Yukon comes down here to beat me up haha. Moral of the story cold is relative, we all like to complain and gloat simultaneously. No matter what your weather is like stay safe out there!

Peace.

Year 4, Day 286

Hello. So today's song is Beautiful by Christina Aguilera.

Today is Anna's birthday (Happy Birthday loser if you ever read my blog again) and rather than pick a song specific to our friendship, I figured I'd use this day to tell you guys about my new favorite artist courtesy of Tumblr. Now when I say artist I legitimately mean an artist. As in a painter. There are a few inaccuracies in the post I found so I'll just post some bits and pieces, but I hope you guys will be inclined to look her up more. So my favorite is Artemisia Gentileschi. She became an artist in a time when women were viewed as objects rather than people, mostly thanks to the influencing that her father (also an artist) did on the art community. His position meant that she got professional training and tutoring in the craft. She was pretty famously known for depicting great women from works of literature. You could fill a book with a study on how she draws them compared to how men draw them.

An example being her work "Judith Slaying Holofernes. "It's about a bible story where Holofernes, an Assyrian general, led troops to invade and destroy Bethulia, the home of Judith. Judith fixes this by effecting seducing him to get his guard down and drunk enough that he passed out, After he did, Judith and her handmaiden took his sword and cut his head off.  Now if you look at this scene when comparing Artemisia's art to a man's depiction, like Carivaggio: "Artists usually went out of their way to show Judith committing the act while trying to detach her from the actual violence of it. In this way, they could avoid her losing the morality of her character and also avoid showing a woman committing such aggression. So here we see a young, rather delicate looking Judith in a pure white dress. She is daintily holding down this massive man and looks rather disgusted and upset at having to do this."

Artemisia's version is very different than the standard. "Holofernes looks less like he’s simply surprised by the goings ons and more like a man choking on his own blood and struggling fruitlessly against his captors. The blood is less of a bright red than in Carrivaggio’s but is somehow more sickening. It feels more real, and gushes in a much less stylized way than Carrivaggio’s. Not to mention, Judith here is far from removed from the violence. She is putting her physical weight into this act. Her hands (much stronger looking than most depictions of women’s hands in early artwork) are working hard. Her face, as well, is completely different. She doesn’t look upset, necessarily, but more determined." Artemisia's work also including the handmaiden in the action rather than standing idly by which is noteworthy considering the hardships Artemisia went through herself. I'm not going to talk about those hardships because it normally overshadows her work, so if you really want to know, you'll have to look it up too. And I hope you will.

Peace.

Year 4, Day 285

Hi everyone. Today's song is Goodbye by Glenn Morrison featuring Islove.

It isn't until you're house sitting for someone else that you realize the things about your own home that you miss. My family always tries to make it seem like they're doing me a favour by getting me out of my tiny room, but I've realized I like it small. I don't need a giant spacious house (although they are nice), I just need it to be homely. My other uncle came by to pick up his TV that got delivered here and he said something about this uncle's house that I never realized was true until now. This house is sterile. It feels fake homely the same way a hotel does. You know there's places to sit, lights everywhere and even Christmas decorations, but no matter what you do you can't fully let your guard down. It's exactly how I felt when my family went to Lake Louise in November a few years ago. What is the number one thing you guys miss about you're home when you aren't there? Think about it.

Peace.

Year 4, Day 284

Hey. So today's song is Jaded by Disclosure.

This is a duo from Surrey, so snaps to England today. These brothers grew up around music and learned to play at a very early age, since both their parents are in the industry in different ways. When they went to college, they studied music and music technology so put that with the long list of genre's they like and it's no surprise they make the music they do. I'm sure everyone knows who they are now, as they've grown and grown to the top of the music industry. This is proven in their nomination for a Grammy this year and the fact that they've released songs with Lorde and Sam Smith to name a few. This song is from their most recent album, and the music videos from it actually interconnect into a story. It's a concept I've always liked so if you're interested you should check out all the songs in the sequence.

Peace.

Year 4, Day 283

Hi. Today's song is Reflections by MisterWives.

We've moved on to an indie pop band. They actually formed because the lead singer was looking for an 80's cover band for her party. I mean if that isn't a great way to form I don't know what is. They were signed right after their very first gig as a (non 80's cover) band. Since then they've toured with some other really great bands including American Authors which I've featured before. And if you're wondering yes I know why this band name. MisterWives is a play on the term sister wives. I assume it's because there's just the one girl and a bunch of dudes. It's clever, I like it. They've play at lots of festivals so you may already know them, but if not I hope you enjoy.

Peace.

Year 4, Day 282

Hey guys. Today I give you Paradise Waiting by Vacationer.

These guys are from Philly, and are basically the brainchild of the singer Kenny Vasoli. He was inspired after going to Bonnaroo in Tennessee and wanted to create an electronic project. Technically it's classified as electro-dream pop which is a term I've never heard... accurate though. The band say the sound is nu-hula. "It’s just a humorous way of saying that we are the in the new wave of tropical music." I'm sure I'm late to the party, but I feel like we should all start referring to this type of music as nu-hula because that's just perfect. I'd recommend checking out their other stuff too if you're in an islandy mellow mood. Not that I should talk really because I'm jamming to them while sitting by a window covered in snow, letting the -16 degree weather seep in. Whatever, it works.

Peace.

Year 4, Day 281

Morning. So today's song is Tough Love by Suzie McNeil.

I don't think I've featured Suzie before so let's do a quick bio on her. She is another Canadian artist, from Ontario because for some reason every famous Canadian is from there. She got her start on Rock Star: INXS which was basically American Idol, but for rock musicians. She didn't win, but came in fourth place and that was enough to jumpstart her career. Throughout her ten year spotlight in the music industry she has worked with lots of artists including Pink and Matt Nathanson; and has had songs featured in lots of TV shows and campaigns. I feel kind of bad because every time this song plays on my ipod my initial reaction is that it's Katy Perry. The voices sound so similar at the beginning. And it's horrible because I think Suzie has been around longer than Katy, but Katy is the bigger star. Do you guys hear it too or am I just insane?

Peace.

Year 4, Day 280

Hi. So today's song is Revolution by Above Envy.

So a question has been plaguing my mind today. We all know what a phobia is, but is the opposite of a phobia another phobia of the opposite thing, or is it a preference for that phobia? For example claustrophobia. Is the opposite of claustrophobia agoraphobia or is it claustrophilia? Because by definition they technically are both the opposite just based on different classifications of opposite. So what is the standard classification. I don't know why this is a thought I had today, it's really random... even for me. Maybe it's because I've barely slept in three days, regardless it's been bugging me so I needed to put it out there.

Peace.

Year 4, Day 279

Morning. Today's song is Turn It All Around by Atticus Mitchell.

I've mentioned having to house sit for my uncle before, but now it's even more horrible than I thought. He got a new security system complete with a camera on the doorbell and specific codes for each person. Oh did I mention that he can also access all of these fancy features with his phone while he's out of the country. It's creepy, makes me staying there irrelevant and yet they're still expecting me to because of their packages. I'm all for security systems but this one seems excessive. So let's start the debate: security system yay or nay and how much security is past the line. My plan is just to live in a secure building with a buzzer to get through the front door let alone to my apartment and then go from there. Thoughts?

Peace.

Year 4, Day 278

Hello. Today's song is One Last Night by Jesse Labelle featuring Nixon.

I have never had a more annoying pain than this one. I think I pulled a muscle in the armpit, but I can't be sure because it's also affecting my boob. The pain doesn't come frequently enough to pinpoint it (not even frequently enough that I should be concerned) but it's annoying as hell regardless. Just curious if anyone else has ever done this or something similar. Well all of you can laugh at my pain, I'm just going to sit as still as I can, listen to music, and hope it goes away soon.

Peace.

Year 4, Day 277

What's up guys. Today's song is Odds Are by the Barenaked Ladies.

I'm watching Charmed again and the episode featured this band. It wasn't this song obviously since it's newer, but the one they did play has been stuck in my head all morning. It's aggravating considering it's the song that no one knows the lyrics to. If you've heard this band before you'll probably know which one I'm referring to. The old songs have the ability to make me happy even if I can't understand them and this song continued that tradition. Although thankfully with this one there is a lyric video. Enjoy!

Peace.

Year 4, Day 276

Hey everyone. So today's song is Love Me by The 1975.

The debate about lowering the age in my grandparent's building has sparked another grievance raised about millennials. It's so annoying, excuse me for being born into a time because of the actions of the generations who bitch about us. It's a touchy subject for me, but recently this guy named Cenk Uygur was able to articulate perfectly what my view on the whole situation is. "Nothing is wrong with millennials, they just don't agree with you." I can't speak for everyone who identifies as millennials (because a lot of them are awful) but for me I can say that I at least don't become volatile when faced with a differing viewpoint. I don't even have to look farther than my family to find one. "My main contention is they left you with a bad market which is why you're getting 20% less, they don't know as much as you guys do and they're mainly jealous. Here is the video, and all I can say is it's about time someone used the J word when talking about this world order.

Peace.

Year 4, Day 275

Hello. So today I give you Starstruck by 3OH!3 featuring Katy Perry.

I'm really sorry you guys I am just not on top of this blog at all lately. Okay so what's new. I've got my grandma's Christmas present all ready for the gift exchange thanks to my sister. All my grandma wanted was books and Sammy goes to the bookstore practically every week so I got her to pick them up while she was there. She went the extra mile and put it in a fancy bag too. Black bag with is not very festive but it has blood red Christmas trees so hooray haha. I would rather wrap things because I'm relatively good at making them look nice, but my sister prescribes to the tissue paper and done routine. I'm curious what you guys do. Do you have a preference in how to present gifts? And I wonder if the way I wrap says something about me as a person... who knows.

Peace.

Year 4, Day 274

Hi. Today's song is Toxic by Britney Spears.

They changed blogger and it's weird!!! I don't like it. I don't like change in general, but when I use so much of the internet all the time and then the format changes it freaks me out. So that's what I'm dealing with today. Also the complete and utter urge to not do the things I need to including writing this blog post so I'm sorry it's so scatterbrained and uninteresting. At least there's a post so you have a song.

Peace.

Year 4, Day 273

Hey. So today's song is Wanna Be On Glee by Todrick Hall.

I assume I've shown you guys Todrick before. Maybe not on his own, but with someone for sure. I love him, I think he's perfect. And an exciting thing is that he's on Broadway now!! Say hello to a member of Kinky Boots. I haven't seen that show, but it's on the list. Anyway this song is an older one from when Glee was still on television. They held a my space competition to find new talent, and rather than  do that, Todrick did this. He may not have been on Glee but he did get his own show on Much for awhile so suck it Mr. Murphy.

Peace.

Year 4, Day 272

Morning guys. So today's song is My Love by Justin Timberlake.

I have news! I can't tell you guys though just on the off chance that a certain someone looks at this and ruins her own surprise. I can't hold it in anymore though because I'm so fucking excited. Basically without giving you any details something is in the works that I've been bugging about for years. I was the first one who found out it was on and now that I'm like in cahoots about this thing me and the accomplice seem like we've lost our minds. I'm really not good at secrets. Hopefully in about a month I will be able to actually tell you what this thing is, but for now can you just send good vibes this way? It needs to go well.

Peace.

Year 4, Day 271

Hi guys. So today's song is Say My Name by Destiny's Child.

This song technically goes into the category of old music that I've been doing the last couple days, but I feel like it will never lose its charm. I also can't help but do the movements every time I hear this song. I'm talking about the stop and go thing they do at the beginning. It's ingrained into me the same way the bye bye bye gestures are. I guess that's the gift of this era of music: little mannerisms with each song.

Peace.

Year 4, Day 270

What's Up. Today's song is I'm Like A Bird by Nelly Furtado.

I've recently been watching Leverage again. Leverage is a show about a team of thieves giving comeuppance to the rich. It's a pretty good show, despite being moderately unrealistic. My favorite character is Parker, mostly because she is super crazy, and throughout the show they let her become a little more normal as she gets a family. If you've never seen it watch the first episode then decide if it's worth checking out or not. Also if you have any ideas for shows that I should watch tell me because I'm clearly running out of things.

Peace.