Music

I've been looking through my music collection a lot lately and although it is pretty sparse I feel like it's mad up of a lot of really good music. I guess you could say it's a quality over quantity type of collection... anyway, I decided I would share 10 albums that I just never seem to get tired of, ones that I can listen to over and over again, many of which I've had for years and are still counted as being favorites despite getting newer music. They aren't in any particular order...

1. Rock N Roll by Ryan Adams
Just what it sounds like. Straight up classic-style rock n roll. I tend to listen to this if I need to get motivated to do something or I'm cleaning. 

2. Funeral by Arcade Fire
I bought this album when it first came out having never heard the band, it was simply that Amazon had suggested I might like it. And I do, it's a hard one to live up to and I have to say I just don't think that Arcade Fire has been able to. Their last two albums have been pretty big disappointments to me, possibly only because I am comparing them to this one.

3. August and Everything After by Counting Crows
If you really need me to say anything about this you haven't heard it. It somehow embodies every emotion possible in a mere 50 minutes, or at least that's what it is to me. 

4. Illuminare by Umbrellas
I don't know what it is about this album, but it is just so amazing to me. I think it's something similar to the last one, it goes through so many different emotions in such a short time and so well it just ends up being amazing. Somehow this band has stayed pretty low on the radar, as far as I know, and that just seems like a huge shame. 

5. Origin of Symmetry by Muse
This is an amazing show of what this band can do. I almost ended up putting more than one Muse album on this list but then realized that this is the one that I really tend to come back to time and time again. The piano on this is unbelievable.

6. Boxer by The National
When I first heard The National, my immediate reaction was that I didn't like them. Slowly they grew on me, the one thing that I think deterred me at first was Matt Berninger's voice. It gives the songs an incredibly unique quality, not that they need it, they shine already and I constantly find myself finding new lyrics to relate to.

7. Building Nothing Out of Something by Modest Mouse
Ok, I'll admit it, I'm one of those people that had no idea Modest Mouse existed until Good News For People Who Love Bad News came out. I can firmly say, years later though, that after getting my hands on their older stuff, well their most recent work is dull in comparison. The lyrics and the music in this album are just right for me, especially when the weather in Portland is at it's dreariest.

8. Final Straw by Snow Patrol
Strangely, I bought this album at the same time as Arcade Fire's Funeral. For me it's perfect if I want something a little on the sappy side. And despite what someone once told me about Snow Patrol's music writing abilities being non-existent, I actually enjoy the simplicity in combination with the lyrics, it just works for my ears.

9. Elephant Shell by Tokyo Police Club
This album is pretty short, but what it lacks in length it makes up for in fun music with great lyrics (I especially appreciate that they have a song in which the name of a hominin appears... but that's me being nerdy and I still loved it before I realized that's what they're saying).

10. Something About Airplanes by Death Cab For Cutie
Soooo the same someone that criticized Snow Patrol once told me that 'everyone' knows this is Death Cab's worst album... yeah, they're kind of a music snob. Something about this album lets me listen to it on repeat for hours, so it can't be that bad, right? There some quality to it that just really appeals to me. 




And that's it. To finish this off I made a playlist that you can listen to here with one song from each album, I hope you enjoy!

The Zoo

Sorry I've been away for so long, I've been moving, spending time with Shawn, and just generally enjoying the last few days before school starts. Unfortunately, I've also been on the sick side the last couple of days, but I'm feeling better today, so at least I won't have to worry about being sick and going to classes. While I was gone from here I went to the zoo, all the animals seemed very happy to see us. I actually was sitting face to face with the male orangutan at one point, but I was too stunned to take a picture, darn it. I also saw Modest Mouse in concert, it was a great concert, even if they took a while to get on stage (I'm sure they had their reasons). The last couple of days though, like I already said, I haven't been feeling all that great, so I've spent most of my time moping around my room, trying to feel better.

Tomorrow is my last day before classes start again. I cannot wait! Yep, I'm one of those nerdy people that get overly-excited for school to start again. Now if my textbooks would just get here already... why can't mail be delivered on Sundays? Oh well, I'll just have to wait.

Last Days

Well, the time has come, there are only two more days left until I head back up north (that is an over-statement, Portland is north of Bend, but not by much on world distance standards). I've had random people ask me to do things before I leave and when I get up there, but my plans are pretty well set (at least for me they seem to be, I don't really plan). I move on Saturday, spend Sunday with my family, get settled in on Monday, possibly spend Tuesday at the zoo, then on Wednesday... GO TO SEE MODEST MOUSE!

I think I may get overly-excited about these things.

Anyway, I have lots to get done tomorrow (when I say that I mean Thursday) and Friday, but I can't seem to get to sleep tonight, even though I am actually pretty tired. It seems that sleep has been eluding me more and more this summer, I don't know how I am going to survive with that 8am class this fall... lots and lots of coffee and chai, that's for sure.

Here are a few things I have been meaning to share with everyone for the past week or so:

These are the deer that live near Shawn's house. I think it's a little bit funny how excited he and his parents get about them, but that's because when I was younger herds of 10-20 deer roamed my neighborhood and attacked my mother's flower gardens, so I think of them as flower-destroyers, not the cute little things they really are, especially the fawns.

This is the first of my breakfasts a couple of days ago. It was a failure though, we were out of milk, so no cereal for me (wait until you hear about the rest of it).

This was attempt number two at breakfast, looks like some yummy sourdough toast, right? Nope, that is GARLIC sourdough bread, no thanks, not with my orange juice.

This is what I finally ended up trying to actually eat for breakfast that day. However, I forgot: I don't really like peanut butter very much.

This is the peanut butter I eat, I love it, as much as I can love peanut butter (I can't). In fact, I think I am going to switch to almond butter, it's so much more delicious.

So those are some silly, random things that have been going on, this just makes me look like a really boring person.

I apologize to anyone that I just put to sleep, hopefully you don't drool too much and ruin your computers.