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Saturday, September 28, 2013

Summer is over?

Really?  Where did it go?  As is typical, I made plans...and by that, I mean tons and tons of plans for this summer.  Beach trips, amusement parks, concerts, bike rides, and more.  I think we accomplished about 10% of what was planned.

Life just gets in the way.  I'm not so sure that's a bad thing.  Would I like to have a summer that I can go where I want, see what I want, do what I want, without worrying about work, money, time.... Of course I would.  But that just isn't practical.  While I love these adventures and I love being busy with fun stuff, I believe that who we are is more formed by our every day life.  We are more influenced by those that we see every day, by what we do day in and day out, by what we experience all the time, yet may appear new, than we are by those times when we are out of our element. 

When we are in a new situation, with new people, it is pretty easy to be good.  To give the best side of yourself for a night or a day, that isn't tough.  The people that we are with every day, are the ones who see who we really are.  They see us without a facade.  They know us for the good and the bad, the days when we are able to show the side that we want the world to see, the side that we want to be the true us, and then there are the days when we are the worst version of ourself, no matter how hard we try.

But once in a while, we do need to indulge.  We need to have those adventures.  We need to experience new things, new people, new places...and of course, new music!

Summer may be over, but that doesn't mean that I am going to stop planning.  I'm not going to stop overplanning, either.  I don't think I would be me, if I did that. 

Yet, in honor of summer, what almost feels like a lost summer, check out this song.  "Last Hurrah" by Scott Porter.  He was a find on Twitter, and I love his music.

I hope you enjoy!


Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Thanks for the Memories

Memories.  It's something that I talk quite a bit about.  I'm sure you've also noticed that I love to have pictures and videos of everything.  These two items are very related.  I tend to have a terrible memory.  I mean it, it is awful.  Day to day is just fine, but ask me about past birthdays, events, etc, and I will have no clue.  Therefore, I like pictures and videos.  They allow me to trigger those buried memories.

I hope to never lose the memories that I have of these concerts I have been going to.  I am rarely happier than when I am at wonderful live music, so why would I want to forget it?  I'm sure seeing these pictures don't excite you as they do me, so thanks for putting up with it.

So...back to the concert.

I told you that I would talk about the lovely women who photobombed us.  Not sure how to say this politely.  Let's go with...they were....rude.  They were the kind of people who do not stop talking, ever.  They didn't even stop talking during most of the music.  They were louder than twenty one pilots.  And that takes some effort.  But nonetheless, they are part of the memories.  It reminds me why I tend to prefer smaller venues.  When it is a smaller venue, people are less likely to scream throughout a show.

Fall Out Boy was amazing.  Really, they were.  The energy, the quality, the show.  It was awesome.  I have loved their music for quite some time, but until seeing them live, I didn't truly understand how amazing of musicians that they are.  Many rock and punk bands hide behind loud music and bright lights.  Not Fall Out Boy.  They have quality musicians.  Just watch the show, watch their guitar and drum work.  And especially, watch the acoustic video.  I'm sure you will agree.

So, enjoy my memories.  Enjoy the pictures, enjoy the videos, enjoy a glimpse into an amazing night.





A Little Less Sixteen Candles, A Little More "Touch Me"




 
Alone Together


 
Before they would perform the next song, they insisted that the whole stadium do "The Wave", then came the classic....Sugar, We're Going Down!!!




Check out the giant balloons!!!

 With the FOB logo on them






Brendon from Panic! joined FOB on stage

 
I'm Like a Lawyer with the Way I'm Always Trying to Get You Off - Acoustic Version...who knew they rocked as acoustic?!?!?

 The acoustic stage was set up in the middle of the pit


 
Dance, Dance 




 
Save Rock and Roll...gotta love the encore! 


So...my song for this day is Thanks for the Memories by Fall Out Boy.  This was performed at the show, but I didn't catch any video of it.  So here is a video of Patrick with an acoustic version.
 

Monday, September 16, 2013

Close the Door?

"Haven't you people ever heard of closing the goddamn door?"

That would be a lyric from one of my favorite songs of all time.  "I Write Sins not Tragedies" by Panic! At the Disco.

This song came out in 2005.  I was in college and/or grad school at the time.  It was radio popular, it was a little outside the realm of what I normally listened to, and it was darn catchy.

There is quite the truth within that song.  It talks of deceit, honesty, and how to deal with these things.  In a sticky situation, there are only so many options of how to deal with things.  You can be honest, meaning brutally honest, you can find a strange middle ground with no actual truths, or you can shut your mouth.  I'm not sure that there is an actual right answer as it usually depends on the situation.  I am also willing to bet that everyone else, like me, has chosen all of these options at one point in time or another.

My mind got to thinking about these things as I remembered the first two acts at the concert I went to on Saturday.  Twenty One Pilots opened, followed by Panic! At the Disco.  It was, simply put, a darn good show.  I wish our seats had been closer, but next time they will be!

So now I sit here, on a Monday night, contemplating life, truth, and how we all get into ugly situations, despite our best efforts.  Tonight...I have no answers.  I have no great revelations.  So please, enjoy the limited picks and the awesome videos.

And if you get the chance, check out the music by these artists, and even better, get out and see them in concert.  It is well worth your time.

Stories about the lovely ladies behind us are still to come

View without zoom


twenty one pilots on stage

  
Guns for Hands


Almost time for Panic! (I waited years to see them!)

I hate the blurriness when zooming in far...but not too many options


The Ballad of Mona Lisa


Nine in the Afternoon


I Write Sins Not Tragedies

Sunday, September 15, 2013

Home Again?

This weekend was another one for the memories.  Saturday was darn close to perfect.  But I will talk more about that in my next post.

I was driving home last night, after a long but wonderful day.  And I was listening to music by some of my favorite artists.

And low and behold, a song came on that made me think. (I know you're shocked!)

"Long Way Home" by Dan Godlin.

If you haven't heard of him, check him out.  Trust me, well worth your time!

But back to my point.  We can never go home again.  We are unable to go back to what life was like.  We cannot take back what has happened in the past.  But I'm not sure this is a bad thing.

Our mistakes and our pasts make us who we are.  Without them, we wouldn't learn the valuable lessons that they teach us. 

I'm not saying that these mistakes aren't painful.  I'm not saying that we can't have regrets.  I'm not saying that we can't remember things longingly at times.  What I'm saying is that we can't go back and shouldn't wish we could.  I know that there are times in my life that I wish I had done things differently.  There are times that I should have made a different choice.

But here I am.  I am the person those decisions have formed, good or bad.  So I keep taking a step forward.  Every day I try to do a little bit better.   I look back on my past with both smiles and tears.  I look back in order to try and see the future more clearly.  I dream of what tomorrow may bring, and then, with all my might, I try to live in today.  We can dwell in the past, we can live for tomorrow.  But the past is dead and gone - the future is not a guarantee - so why do anything besides put most of our focus on today.  I'm not someone who says we shouln't plan for tomorrow, just as I don't say to never look backwards.  I'm just saying that we need to remember that today is here.  Let's enjoy it.

Maybe Dan Godlin is right.  It is such a long way home from here.  But the question is.  What is your "home"?  Is it a place of peace with your family and friends, is it a promotion at work, is it finding fulfillment where you never expected it?  Whatever it is, it may appear to be a long way off.  But remember, each day, you can find your home just where you are.  You can strive for contentment with what and who you have, or you can strive to make a change.  As I said.  We can't go backwards, we can't change the past.  So please, don't make your home your past.  Make it your now and your future.  For it is all we have.

Now I give you "Long Way Home" by Dan Godlin






These are the lyrics to Dan's song (at least I hope I got them all correct!).  Enjoy the music.

I wish you could read my mind
Cause I can’t mastermind the breakout
I’ve been locked inside of life
Scared to roll the dice on you
I’m the stranger in the crowd
No one like me around to talk to
No entry on the side
No exit I can find
For me
Are we leaving our best behind?
I’ll never know, but I gotta go
Leaving to redesign
The story to be told
It’s such a long way home from here
Walking the miles we lost last year
Counting the promises and tears
It’s such a long way home
It’s a long way from here
I wish I could lift the weight of the choices that I made about us
All the voices in my head, the echo in the things you said
There’s no credible defense from the emptiness that rents this heartache
Just a groom without a bride
A train without a track to ride
Are we leaving our best behind?
I’ll never know, but I gotta go
Leaving to redesign
The story to be told
It’s such a long way home, from here
Walking the miles we lost last year
Counting the promises and tears
It’s such a long way home, it’s a long way from here
It’s a fire that won’t burn out
It’s a time you can’t turn around
We can never go back, we can never go back again
It’s a princess without a crown
It’s an army of soldiers in a no war town
We can never go back, we can never go back again
It’s such a long way home from here
Walking the miles we lost last year
Counting the promises and tears
It’s such a long way home, it’s a long way from here
It’s such a long way home, it’s a long way from here

Saturday, September 7, 2013

Decisions, Decisions

I started this blog to talk about dreams and music.  For me, most of the time, these two items are intertwined.

This past week has been a very stressful time.  Work has been a challenge, construction (as ever) is continuing at my home, and I have some very large decisions to make.  As this is a public forum, I prefer not to share too many details, so just know that the decisions are kind of a big deal.

In my life, stress leads to dreams.  Dreams lead to songs being stuck in my head.  Except this week.  I have had zero music running through my brain.  I cannot begin to tell you how much I hate that.  Music and lyrics have meaning for me, so the lack of these is pretty bizarre.

So after several days of stress, tears, debates, and getting opinions from anyone I could...I was on my drive home last night.  I put in the newest cd from Matt Wertz (ok, honestly, it has been on repeat in my car since I got it) and lost myself in the beautiful music.

And then THE song came on.  The one that spoke to me.  The one that brought me peace.  Is there a better feeling than that?



"What I Know Right Now" by Matt Wertz
Looking back, I was so naive / To think the world was spinning round me / I kept on pushin' but it didn't budge / Kept on tryin' but it never was / I thought that I could pave my way / But the truth had something else to say
Climbing high, falling low / Hanging on, letting go / Sometimes it takes a crooked road to figure out / Oh, I wish I'd known what I know right now
There's something working out there / That's bigger than us / It's hard to see and it's hard to trust / It's leading us home, sending us signs / Putting back the pieces of paradise

Don't misunderstand now, but please know that I am not letting music make my life decisions for me.  I am simply using music to clear my head, to allow me to relax, to provide a new insight.

And once again, it worked for me.  So let me leave you with this thought.  Hard decisions will come in our lives, there is no avoiding that.  What matters is how we handle those hard decisions.  I won't say I'm great at it, but the key is to find what gets you through them.  To find the people, the music, the bible verses - whatever it is that helps you during tough times.  Find those things, cling to them, listen to them, and open your mind.  For you never know when a different point of view will appear, you never know when a stroke of genius will hit, you never know what may be sitting in front of you, waiting for you to open your eyes.

I'm sure it's obvious, but my song of the day is "What I Know Right Now" by Matt Wertz

And today, I add a bible verse - John 14:27 - Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
 
 
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