My Life

...has been totally insane for the past few weeks, so I apologize for disappearing. How has everyone been doing? I feel like I haven't been here in ages. The days and weeks blur by so fast that I'm not even sure where my time is going. There's so much pressure to be with everybody else that I feel like I can't find any time for myself, even though I spend most of my time alone. School is finally winding down, but it seems like there's more work than ever. I just want to slow down for minute and the summer isn't getting here fast enough. 

Lately, I've been trying to slow down a little bit more, and look into where my time has gone. For me, the best way to do this is through music. My tastes have changed and involved so much since I was young, and yeah, there are things that I'd be embarrassed to sing in public, but there's nothing that I'm ashamed of having enjoyed. 

Heart was always a staple, and five year old me's ability to belt out every word in 'What About Love' was a source of much pride to older me. At family functions, I could also be counted on to perform a heart wrenching rendition of almost any John Denver song you could throw at me. 

Boston, however, is my favorite band of all time. I've seen them in concert multiple times, I mourned the death of Brad Delp with a  burning passion, I know every word to almost every song, and this year one of my amazing friends got me a record of their Don't Look Back album.  

Which of course prompted me to nurse a sudden and persistent need to own a pair of sparkly Converse. 

And also prompted me to dig up a record player from my basement, and raid my grandmother's record collection.

Highlights of my search included: 

My favorite musical!  Eliza Doolittle is a flower seller after my own heart, and I love to hate every word that comes out of the professor's mouth. 'On the Street Where You Live' is, in my humble opinion, the most beautiful yet slightly creepy love song I've ever heard.

This beauty, which honestly I didn't even listen to, but grabbed because I instantly fell in love with his pearly whites and provocatively undone shirt, along with the expression that communicates quite clearly his woe at becoming the next Hulk.

This lovely lady. I swear, Nancy Wilson's voice is so smooth, I could listen to her crooning every time I fell asleep and never be bored.

Basically, if I ever achieve my dream of becoming a mysterious cat lady, I want this to be my life soundtrack. A little bit folky, a little teensy bit southern, I think her cover of 'Will You Love Me Tomorrow' is probably the most interesting that I've heard.

And the big find of the day!

It is absolutely, 100%, the beautiful hippie vampire album of your wildest dreams.

I swear, the first song is even called 'God is alive, magic is afoot'.  

Nothing is more perfect than this. The cover is giving off major Morticia Addams/Pocahontas vibes. The back reminds me of that one scene in Forrest Gump. It's just as angsty sounding as I feel. 

Finding and listening to each of these make me feel like I was uncovering hidden treasure. It makes me feel like I'm going back and rediscovering what I love about music and it's diversity, and how it changes over time.

It also makes me realize how much I have changed. I'm no longer happy just listening to the music of my parents, or  the music of my friends. I'm finding more motivation within myself to go out there and discover what I like. There are so many different styles and genres and I've barely scratched the surface.

The whole idea of it makes me feel a little small, aside from the fact that I've been feeling small anyway lately. But it also makes me feel powerful, and I think that is what music is supposed to do. Knowing that I have all this history and passion at my fingertips makes me feel like I can handle anything. 

And it's true, I can handle anything. But it takes a little while to realize that.