Tag Archives: music

Chester Bennington

26 Saturday Aug 2017

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listening back now

seems so hard to miss

that deep felt desire

for life more than this

 

so how did we not

see that darkness filling

what light was left

as hope went spilling

 

radio plays nonstop

an endless tribute stream

what now seems proof

in that musical scream

 

let us not forget

the reality of those songs

as hopelessness expresses

it feels it belongs

 

success matters not

when the mind does miss

a light, a hope, a faith

to make life worth this

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Flashback Friday: “Closer” by Ne-Yo

19 Friday Dec 2014

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Ne-Yo’s upbeat song “Closer” reminds us of the basic need for human interaction. Not only do people crave love on a deep level, but they seek simple connection. Even the music video shows that the singer can’t spend all his time alone. A wonderful link, or even a lack thereof, can trigger drug like responses in the brain.

It seems common knowledge that falling in love has its euphoric side effects. Ordinary conversation can produce similar reactions. As Ne-Yo describes the draw of the woman he sees at some public establishment, “I just can’t pull myself away.” Neither can anyone from society. A quick exchange at the grocery store reminds the customer and clerk that they live in a world where they serve each other. Talking to a trusted friend delves deeper to give each the opportunity to let their thoughts flow freely. Without sharing, people only crave interaction, leading to potential stir crazy actions. Yet most would share Ne-Yo’s sentiment that “I just can’t pull myself away/under a spell I can’t break/I just can’t stop” as they can’t last long without seeking out another person.

This song in particular captures the positively addictive powers of love, but it hits the basic need for human interaction as well. The more one gets, the more one wants, as they discover it “shines just like a star.” Like the shining woman, interaction owns the world.

Your Love Is A Band-Aid

29 Monday Sep 2014

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I’ve got a heart that beats

But it’s making a mess

A red pool growing bigger in time

It’s the beat of our song

 

That love pours forth

Red drips on the page

Our story forever alive

Part of our hearts and in the books

 

You patch me up

I wait to heal

Your love is a band-aid

A mere temporary seal

 

Love stabs, love wounds

But the blood keeps pumping

Through my body and through that hole

Yet I’m still alive

 

These words make scabs

Flesh covering flesh again

To keep myself whole

Where a scar remains

 

Love scars, never gone

For once united, always a part

A dead X marks the spot

Of a buried seed, growing inward

 

You patch me up

I wait to heal

Your love is a band-aid

A mere temporary seal

 

Love stabs, love wounds

But the blood keeps pumping

Through my body and through that hole

Yet I’m still alive

 

Cage behind heartstrings

Our love stays captive

Two hearts together

Separated in new reality

 

Arms outstretched we see

A new embrace outside

That hugs the free

And the chamber stays deep

 

You patch me up

I wait to heal

Your love is a band-aid

A mere temporary seal

 

Love stabs, love wounds

But the blood keeps pumping

Through my body and through that hole

Yet I’m still alive

(Alone) In A One Man Army

27 Saturday Sep 2014

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Pushing away my last line

I’m left truly alone

Past my last defense

It’s a one man army

 

Attacked from the outside

The beats are caged

Not allowed to leave

Only spill their remnants

 

Triggered from outside

The holes flow both ways

Pain going in, emptiness prevails

No permanent visitor but lonesome blues

 

The melodies roll in

The words a kind rhythm

To pull me through

Cleansing drops emerge through gray

 

But when the songs end

And I lay down my pen

I sit on an empty couch

In selected solitude, alone again

Melodic Remedy

11 Thursday Sep 2014

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They try to knock it

The beauty in the pain

That the music shares

Better than I explain

 

But I’m not the first

To feel so low

And won’t be the last

To survive the blow

 

So I listen widely

To the company in melody

A kindred melancholy

Part of the remedy

 

Then my words pour out

An alternate perspective

That I let go knowing

My view has my directive

Middle Of The Moment

05 Saturday Apr 2014

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I should be listening to live music at Middle Of The Map festival right now. I could bask in the wonder that accompanies a concert, spend quality time with a friend who loves the experience as much as I do, and take advantage of the music scene and writing inspiration offered by this city life. Yet here I sit at home. Alone (unless the dog counts).

Capturing the opportunities here rests solely in me. The designated people have already arranged and agreed to this festival. I am missing the music as I write. I have chosen this city as my new home for the potential it holds for the goals I have. Easing into it makes sense considering how long it has taken me to simply peek from my shell and how I have given myself considerable more change and adjustment. No excuse remains to keep me from joining the communities here though.

It’s time I find the times and places bands play, church groups meet, friends hang out, and more so I can build my home here. Those aspects accompany the physical act of maintaining my personal dwelling. At those events, I get to capture the memories that line my walls. I keep myself surrounded by what has significance to me.

Now I just have to get out there and keep building and maintaining my home, both literally and figuratively. The time has come. Nothing should hold me back.

 

From what are you hiding right now? What moments and opportunities can you seize from the world around you?

Flashback Friday: “Bigger Than My Body” Above The Pavement

04 Friday Apr 2014

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We all want to soar when it comes to life to dreams to love. In “Bigger Than My Body,” John Mayer declares, “Someday I’ll fly/Someday I’ll soar/Someday I’ll be/So damn much more/’Cause I’m bigger than my body/Gives me credit for.” Let us not forget that we have the ability to soar and that others possess this potential as well. Keeping this bigger picture in mind helps us reach our goals and encourage others as well.

Often times we hold ourselves back because, simply, it’s easier to accept the status quo. Most people understand that the rock stars we hear on the radio, the anchors we see on TV, the best-selling authors we read exemplify rare cases. Yet the poets who share their pieces with writing communities online also find success. They take the first step toward flight. Maybe it leads to a full-blown writing career. Then again, it might never lead to any published work. Emerging from their shell, no matter how slowly, marks the path to success.

Mayer points out the possibility that “Maybe I’ll tangle in the power lines.” Lifting ourselves from our foundation involves more risk. Obstacles surround us overhead, and the solid pavement remains below. It provides stable ground, but it also hurts as a landing spot after a tumble. The firm aspect serves as the core or the heart of the quest, the “more to learn.” We can always stand on this soil.

Then we can “shed this skin I’ve been tripping in/never to quite return.” For we continually change as we grow into our new found successes, even if that entails healing from scrapes or bruises along the way. Let’s stretch our wings as they allow to see how we soar. Remember there is always more than what meets the eye as we don’t see one’s full reach in one glance.

Flashback Friday: Beautiful Day Every Day

28 Friday Mar 2014

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I remember when I first heard this song. It’s on the Now 6 CD I bought over ten years ago. The U2 hit still rings true as ever as encouragement to not let the good in each day get away.

This seems like a good reminder for this season as we welcome the return of the green trees, pink and red flowers, golden sun. The days become more aesthetically beautiful, which makes it easier to embrace the beauty of life. We accept the change.

Yet that doesn’t mean the fresh growth is always easy. Sometimes we have to let go of people we love. Other times we have to tackle situations we didn’t expect. We can’t always predict how the seeds we plant might grow.

I have found myself in a new beginning in every aspect of my life, some planned others not quite anticipated. Sometimes it gets discouraging not knowing where my next home will be as I wait for a couple details to unfold. I still have my family, friends, and journal. What makes my house a home travels with me and will settle with me again.

No matter what, it’s a beautiful day. Some sort of flower always blooms. Take notice of the good and don’t let another day in your life get away unnoticed for its beauty.

Liebster Award

24 Friday Jan 2014

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The lovely Ginger Loves Makeup has nominated me for the Liebster Award! This gives me the opportunity to share a little more about myself and to encourage other bloggers with my own nominations.

Here are the rules I’m following for this Liebster post:

  1. thank the person who nominated you, and post a link to their blog on your blog.
    2. display the award on your blog — by including it in your post and/or displaying it using a “widget” or a “gadget”.
    (Note that the best way to do this is to save the image to your own computer and then upload it to your blog post.)
    3. answer 11 questions about yourself, which will be provided to you by the person who nominated you.
    4. provide 11 random facts about yourself.
    5. nominate 5 – 11 blogs that you feel deserve the award, who have less than 1000 followers.
    (Note that you can always ask the blog owner this since not all blogs display a widget that lets the readers know this
    information!)
    6. create a list of questions for the blogger to answer.
    7. list these rules in your post. (You can copy and paste them from here.)
    Once you have written your post, and published it, you then have to:
    8. Inform the people/blogs that you nominated that they have been nominated for the Liebster award
    and provide a link for them to your post so that they can learn about it (they might not have ever heard of it!)
    I would like to add that you can nominate someone who already has been given this award, as long as
    they have less than 1000 followers/subscribers. The idea behind this award is to recognize new bloggers and
    help promote them! The benefit is that you get from doing this is that you get some promotion, too!

 

Here are my answers to Ginger’s 11 questions:

  1. What is your favorite time of year?

 

Fall is my favorite season, and I enjoy the following holiday season

 
2.What’s your favorite type of nail polish?
OPI, especially red shades

 
3. What are your favorite TV show and movie of all time?
My absolute favorite TV show is One Tree Hill, and my all-time favorite movie is a tie between Finding Neverland and Stranger Than Fiction.

 
4. Who or what inspires you the most?
Typically, music inspires me most.

 
5. In your free time, what is your favorite thing to do?
I like to journal and write.

 
6. What is your favorite color to wear year-round?
Green. Just green.

 
7. How often do you normally change your nail polish?
I religiously paint my nails every Sunday night.

 
8. What’s your favorite thing to eat?
Ice cream.

 
9. Name three things in your purse right now.
my wallet, sunglasses, my new Swiss card knife.

 
10. What is one beauty product you cannot live without?
nail polish

 
11. And lastly, what made you start your blog?
I’m not quite sure. It was a new venue for writing to try, and it slowly lured me into sharing more of my thoughts.

 

 

 

My 11 facts about myself are:

  1. I have finally given Grease 2 (it came with Grease when I bought it a couple years ago), and I find it surprisingly entertaining.
  2. Mark Wahlberg may be my Fantasy Celebrity Valentine Day Date Draft pick for this year; it’s an inside joke since my boyfriend likes Mark Wahlberg movies so much. Mila Kunis may be a funny choice for him too since she was the romantic lead in a Mark Wahlberg and a Justin Timberlake movie.
  3. Valentine’s Day has always been my favorite holiday even though I’ve only had a Valentine once. I like the new idea around thinking of it as GALentine’s Day.
  4. I’m honored to share that my cousin asked me to be her Maid Of Honor at her upcoming wedding. I get to attend to beautiful weddings this spring!
  5. My dad’s had a Harley my whole life, and I’ve never ridden on a motorcycle. I refuse to ride one.
  6. My coffee mug today has a British flag on it; my dad and I have matching mugs from England.
  7. This year marks the 10th anniversary of my first real concert, Hanson (after seeing Avril Lavigne do a small mall show before releasing her second album that spring).
  8. I love Rock Of Ages and want to see it on stage in New York. The time period in that story is where I would go if I could time travel.

 

My 11 questions for my nominees are:

  1. What is your favorite musical?
  2. What movie is your favorite book to screen adaptation?
  3. If you could go to any concert this year, which artist would you see?
  4. What is your favorite pick up line?
  5. How did you choose your topic for your blog?
  6. How will you likely spend your Valentine’s Day this year?
  7. When was your last vacation and where did you go?
  8. If you were to host a party this upcoming weekend, what would be your ideal theme?
  9. What’s the biggest risk you have taken for potential gain or success?

10. Who has given you the greatest encouragement on your writing?

11. What movie or book character would you fancy for a Valentine’s Day date?

My nominations are:

There’s So Much To Smile About

Roamin4Happiness

Flux & Flow

 

Flashback Friday: Taylor Swift’s “Teardrops On My Guitar”

13 Friday Dec 2013

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While we’re exploring new regular topic ideas, let’s start a Flashback Friday series reminiscing on “old” songs and movies to celebrate their entertainment and appreciate their value in thought or message.

We can begin with a peek at Taylor Swift’s song “Teardrops On My Guitar” in honor of Taylor’s 24th birthday today. This tune launched Taylor’s career, building her platform for a nonstop series of hits that preliminary capture the ups and downs of young love.

“Teardrops” shares the pain of unknown, unrequited love. Yet she holds onto the idea of a shared love as it’s “the only thing that keeps me wishing on a star.” Sometimes we have those crushes just to keep up hope for true love. The ultimate goal for the soul mate takes us on an unknown journey. Knowing the standards for what we want helps us seize the most potential options and directions.

Taylor has maintained this in her musical direction as well as her romantic life. She quickly found her niche that continues to make her records bestselling. Her chart toppers range from the highs of love in “Today Was A Fairytale” where she spends a day with her prince to “I Knew You Were Trouble” where she finds herself reflecting on a flame that didn’t suit her. Fully ranging the spectrum, she shows us the journey involves mistakes. Yet maintaining the standard helped her eventually recognize the subpar potential.

We too will make mistakes as we venture into the uncertain paths to our goals, whether career or romantic aspirations. Currently, I face a fork in my personal life with my location and career. Determining the “right” choice seems impossible, especially considering my weakness for making decisions. I can only focus on the goal and hold my standards against my options. “Trouble” moments have an inevitability, but hopefully I’ll ultimately get my “Fairytale.” Either story makes a moment worth sharing. Just listen to Taylor’s albums to remember we’re not alone in the struggle.

Happy birthday Taylor!

I’m aching to live in a city again, and I’m holding the hope of reunification as the teardrops fall on my guitar. I’m exploring the options to get me there.

What’s the reason for the teardrops on your guitar right now?