Amos Lee and Rainy Tuesdays

Today has been one of those wet, dreary, rainy days that just goes on forever. The rain seems eternal...it didn't have a beginning and it doesn't seem to have an end. It's the kind of rain that makes you feel like it's been pouring down for days. You wake up and close to your eyes to the same pitter-pattering sound. 

These days are usually good days to sleep in. However, today was the last day of class and I didn't have that option. So i wore my raincoat and braved the elements. Now it's 6:20, it's still ultra-gross outside (and only getting colder) and I just got home. I kicked off my shoes and put on some Amos Lee to unwind for the night. Just another rainy day Tuesday.


I found out late last night that I will have the opportunity to take a final exam for my Clinical Phonetics class from last fall in which I have an Incomplete. I got the stomach virus last December and missed the final and wasn't allowed to make it up. Upon some thinking and encouragement from Lacey Jean, I decided to try and get my professor to let me take it this semester before my I grew some extra parts and became a F. I hadn't heard anything from my teacher for a few weeks and thought it was a lost cause. Now I have an extra final to take on Friday. That's great news...and also kinda scary. I had no idea what was going on in Clinical Phonetics last semester and now it's a year later. So I will be studying my rear off for the next 3 days. I've just gotta pass and get credit for ASP 305 (which would mean I will only have to take 18 hours [not 21] next semester if I pass this class). 


Also, my dad called me a few minutes ago and asked if I'd heard about my grandparents. I said no. He told me that this morning someone broke into my grandparents' house. My eyes welled with tears. They weren't there, but someone went through their stuff, stole a few items and the idea that my grandparents could have been hurt by some thug makes me so upset. Apparently some guy came over on Saturday and tried to scam my grandfather and later my grandfather realized what was going on and stopped the check. I guess this guy decided he was still going to get his money and broke in after my grandparents left for the grocery store. I know it could have been worse and people get vandalized all the time (this is Memphis after all...) but I can't stand people who seek to hurt old people. That just breaks my heart. I cried on the way home from babysitting just thinking about how mean people are. And it's times like these that make me wish I did live closer. I know I can't protect my Granny and Papaw, but I don't like the feeling of being too far away to just be there. Say a prayer that the criminals don't return and for my grandparents' safekeeping.


So let's move on to Music Week: Day 2 shall we?


Going with the theme of 'mellowing out' I'm going to list my top 10 mellow albums. The go-tos for a bad day, long day, or a rainy day (like today). The following have helped me through plenty of days and nights when I lay on the floor and daydream or stare aimlessly out the window watching the drizzle. Add in some hot cocoa and white Christmas lights and you have yourself the perfect mellow evening.

Amos Lee--Amos Lee

Coldplay--Parachutes

Ray LaMontagne--Til the Sun Turns Black

David Gray--White Ladder

Damien Rice--O

Jewel--Spirit

 Iron & Wine--In the Reins

Sarah McLachlan--Surfacing

 Jack Johnson--Sleep Through the Static

Ray LaMontagne--Gossip in the Grain (yes, he's so mellow he's on here twice)

O Christmas Tree...O Christmas Tree...

Tonight I needed to look at Research Analysis Methods. 

I finally moved and decorated my tree instead. I think I needed that more.

In 2004, I was getting ready to spend my first Christmas out on my own at the house on Marion Avenue. The week after Thanksgiving, my boss, at the time, Susan, said they were throwing away an old Christmas tree and asked if I wanted it. Being that I was 22 and had no Christmas decorations I jumped on it. I'm still not sure how we fit that big box into the backseat of my now-deceased 1994 Altima. 

That next night I held an impromptu Christmas Tree decoration dinner night and a beloved tradition was started. Mattie Poo, J. Fred, Kari Bruce and I grilled out while listening to the Vince Guaraldi Trio and putting up the tree. We ended up watching Elf afterwards and I remember being so content in that moment. That tradition lasted for 2 more years, and we added new faces (J. Phil and Ames). I cannot put into words how much those nights meant to me, and how big I smile when I think about them. No matter what, we always came together, and we always relished in the simplicity of spending a night living out an age-old tradition as family. 

So needless to say, I've missed that tradition the past 2 years when I've hauled my huge tree out, lighted it myself, and quietly put ornaments on while listening to the same Vince Guaraldi Trio playing 'O Tannebaum.'

I meant to start a new tradition this year with Cousin Hannah and Lacey but with everybody's schedule so crazy and limited time, I failed to do so. So tonight, when driving home from my Gran's house in the rain, I decided to enjoy my annual Tree Lighting Ceremony on my own. It was nice and pleasant and a little lonely. But it was good for my soul. And looking at the ornaments I've acquired over the years and remembering holidays from long ago made me feel blessed. Not to mention, I figured out that my first Christmas ornament as a baby (a 1982 Christmas Bell) was actually from Hallmark. I think this proves that I was predestined to have an infinite love for all things Hallmark from birth.

I took pictures of some of my favorite ornaments to share (not to mention, show off how many Starbucks ornaments I've collected). Enjoy!

Music Week: Day 1

So I have been spending alot of time of NPR's music blog and came across this article. It basically opens up the age-old question of 'If you were stranded on a deserted island (with electricity and a rockin' boombox, naturally), what 5 essential albums would you choose to have with you?' Reading through the comments that followed I began to question my musical credibility. Most everyone who commented with their own 'Island Five' list named albums from the likes of Bob Dylan and The Beatles to Neil Young and Radiohead. I would not put any of those artists on my top 5. And most likely, they wouldn't even be in top 50 (granted Radiohead might crack the top 75). So I came to the following conclusions:

a. People who read the NPR music blog are posers.

b. They're all over the age of 45. 

c. I am not a conformist..I'm ok with the fact that my choices may not be critically--acclaimed.

d. I am going to have to make my own list. 

So, let's do music week, shall we? 

My 5 albums (in no particular order):

'Illinoise'--Sufjan Stevens (for daydreaming)

'A Rush of Blood to the Head'--Coldplay (for life reflections)

'Live at Stubb's'--Matisyahu (for days when I want to jam)

'Listener Supported'--Dave Matthews Band (do love the double live albums!)

'Guster on Ice: Live from Portland, Maine'--Guster (for when I'm happy-go-lucky)

Runner-up: 'Continuum' by John Mayer (in case I'm stranded with a handsome boy)

Honorable Mention:

'Letters'--Butch Walker

'Antifogmatic'--Punch Brothers

'808s & Heartbreak'--Kanye West

'Solid Gold Hits'--Beastie Boys

'34th & 8th'--O.A.R.

Now, I never claimed to be a music critic...and some of my choices may seem too obvious if you know me, but I do love these albums. And I have a hard time loving a whole album, so my choices were somewhat limited. And if you don't care for my choices, well, then I hope you find your own island to be stranded on :). 

What's your top 5 albums?

Later this week I'll be revealing my top 5 Christmas albums. Tis' the season...

I just don't know about this.

It's 12:40 am. Am I up late because I'm exciting? Or pondering life? 

Nope.

Felt the need to check ESPN.COM for the latest final scores on the last regular season weekend of college football. Take a moment of silence and mourn that until Fall of 2011 there will be more full Saturdays of back to back to back games and analysis and commentary and highlights. Blame my dad for this obsession...I was the closest thing to a son that he got. Every Saturday we trade a high number of phone calls and texts as I update him on scores and the shock-and-awe plays. But I digress...

So, somewhere along the way of mindless clicking on internet sites (namely fbook, I admit)...I came across the list of the Most Wanted Fugitives in Memphis. It has really proved to be rather stimulating reading material, and the pictures don't hurt. They're actually not as amusing as the ones I read about earlier in the summer, but either way, reading about others' misfortunes and criminal acts has wasted about 30 minutes of my life.

And then I sat here and laughed out loud. In a moment of clarity, I realized how weird it was to sit here and be enthralled by the criminal activity in Memphis. I'm supposed to be wrapped up in my down comforter, with my feet predictably sticking out from the foot of the bed, eyes closed, drifting into dreamland. 

Yet here I sit. And lastly, I also blame this late night post on one named Sam Smith. He said I needed a new blog post. And I need to start working on the 'writing every day' vow. So here you go, Samuel Ford. 

So secret's out: my late night addictions include stalking criminals in Memphis and football scores. 

I'm really a rather complex girl, don't you think?

And on that note, how does one get charged with false imprisonment?

Goodnight friends. Enjoy your Lord's Day.

p.s. Here's my throwback picture of the day...all the way from 2006...I miss the girl who wore peach crop pants and an endless smile. I think she stayed up late with better reasons than what I've professed in this blog post. Hmm..I guess I'll have to step up my game for next time.

A Very Merry Christmas, I mean Thanksgiving.

6 Days of Thanksgiving: DAY 6--Thanksgiving!

Today I'm especially thankful for...

• Waking up to a quiet apartment and being content with that.
• Washing a kitchen-full of dishes after a delicious and abundant meal with some of my favorite family members.
• Having a Christmas tree that takes up more room than I remember (Cousin Hannah asked...'Where are you going to put that?' as I proceeded to put it up exactly where I planned to leave it...this made me self-conscious about my choice of location...I think I'm going to have to rearrange).
• Letting go and finding God's blessing in heartache
• Smiling at the name of a friend
• Spending today with family and friends and myself
• Taking a break from reality
• Amelia's post on Facebook about creating a monster in relation to her dad wanting me to rub his feet (sounds weirder typed than it is in reality)

The Fantasy of Trees

Hannah LOVES the Fantasy of Trees

 

 

6 Days of Thanksgiving: DAY 5

Today I'm thankful for:

• Sleeping late
• Forgetting about worries and drama and pettiness
• Going to the 'Fantasy of Trees' for the first time in over 10 years
• Eating Mellow Mushroom and remembering the last time I ate it I was with J. Crowe and Amelia on the Franklin town square this summer (this made me smile)
• Washing machines...I decided to hand-wash a load of laundry in my bathtub this afternoon...45 minutes later my wrists hurt from wringing clothes and my back hurt from bending over. I have a new-found appreciation for the pioneer women.
• Laughing at myself and Cousin Hannah as we recreated Elf on the escalators at 'Fantasy of Trees.' I'm also thankful I didn't pull any leg muscles...it's harder to do than it looks.
• Credit from the trade-in store on Amazon.com=new perfume for free!
• Real friends and the quiet calm of Thanksgiving Eve
• Papaw turning 83 today (Nov. 24)...and his ability to overlook the fact that I wrote '82nd' all over his card and envelope (I just thought he was younger!)

NEEDTOBREATHE: Just breathe.

6 Days of Thanksgiving: Day 4

Today I'm thankful for:

• Finishing my classes for the week
• Pulling an all-nighter and feeling rather successful about it
• A trip to the Tennessee Theater to see NEEDTOBREATHE and The Daylights
• NEEDTOBREATHE closing out their regular set with my favorite song of theirs...'We Could Run Away' and better yet, covering the Smashing Pumpkins' 'Today' while doing it. (Video to come!)
• Hearing and liking MORE new music, this time from The Daylights. I like them. They're pretty mellow and nice and have dreamy harmonies. 
• Sitting next to Lacey Jean through it all. And convincing me to stay after and meet band members. That's just the kind of girl I am...the one that meets the band. 
• Lacey's camera capturing all the proof that will be evidenced in the next post (or via Fbook).

Tim Tebow speaks my love language

6 Days of Thanksgiving: Day 3

Today I'm thankful for...

• Relaxing music on NPR
• Free Chick-Fil-A, thanks to coupons I have hoarded over the past few years.
• The fact that after my test tomorrow morning, I'm officially done with school for the Holiday week.
• Talking to homes (Amy Elliott) on fbook chat tonight...and seeing my precious J. Phil's name on chat every time I logged in today (you know I love you).
• An afternoon nap on my couch which will aid in an all-nighter of studying for a test in which I'm not sure what is going on.
• Cousin Hannah's sweet concern
• Waking up this morning after a wonderfully real (and glorious) dream about the ever-popular Tim Tebow (yes, I have a crush).However, upon waking up, I quickly turned back over and tried to go back to dreamland...which proved to be unsuccessful. Until next time Tebow, next time.

in my veins [andrew belle]

6 Days of Thanksgiving: Day 2

Today I'm thankful for...

• New music that makes me lay in my floor and look at my white Christmas lights and daydream.
• Dawson's Creek, Season 4, Disc 4 from Netflix
• The fact that I have two sectional couches in my living room...and that they compliment each other in color
• A new friend who celebrates his 22nd birthday in Russia today/tomorrow (depending on what time zone you're in). Happy 22nd on the 22nd Samuel! It's your magic birthday!
• For the kindness of others who fed me and welcomed me into their home on a Sunday afternoon. We single people like that!
• The celebration of my best friends' 7th anniversary. Congratulations Cortezy and Amelia Bedelia, you two crazy kids!
• Sipping hot cocoa while laughing with a friend. It's definitely the holidays!

I want you to see all of the lights [kanye west]

I'm sitting in my ultra-clean apartment with the sun shining in and listening to Kanye West's new song 'All of the Lights.' 

I dig it.

Last night I went to see Harry Potter No. 7 with Tristan and Lacey. We had a nice night out. I hadn't been to the movies in at least 3 months. And I don't think I'd been 'out-out' on a Friday night in a long time (shhh...don't tell anybody, I don't want them to know I'm such a homebody). I sold my first-born for a bucket of popcorn but it was buttery and salty and all the things it's supposed to be.

Today should be a study day. I'm saying it's a study day. I just have yet to do any studying. Oops.

I do feel better today, not so congested as much as coughy. I would like to attribute my quick recovery to an unprecedented amount of brownies and red beans and rice. So chocolate and carbs...a girl's best friend indeed.

So in honor of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday week (one of my favorites by the way), I've decided to celebrate by counting down to Turkey Day. I give you, The 6 Days of Thanksgiving! (note: 6 does not have any special meaning...it just happens to be how many days are left until the holiday. Original, I know).

6 DAYS OF THANKSGIVING: DAY1

Today I'm thankful for...

• The wisdom I received this past Thursday from a best friend, who knows me inside and out.
• The blessing of a highly anticipated and much-wished-for Baby Crowe, a child who is going to be blessed to have two of the most wonderful parents around. 
• Feeling like somebody who deserves better.

This is the song where you speak up

It's 12:26 a.m. and I've got a chesty cough. 

Nights like this can fall under the 'downfalls of being single' file: there's no one around to take care of you when you're sick except for yourself. And now that I live on my own, there's not even the possibility of the occasional check-in by a roommate. I give props to cousin Hannah who declared on Monday night she'd take care of me if I fell ill, however, I'll let tonight slide since it's after midnight and she's fast asleep in Maryville.

I just re-read my list from November 1. The only thing that I haven't lived up to is writing everyday. It's hard. Sometimes I don't want to delve that deep. Sometimes I'm just simply too busy. Other times I'm completely uninspired. These aren't excuses...they're just the truth.

On the 'recent revelations I've come to' list I've added the following:

Somewhere along the way I stopped being opinionated, or sure of myself even. I aim to appease and please.

I have zero passion recently. [Oh, I don't like admitting that out loud (or on a computer screen).]

I need more discipline in my life.

I am not a risk taker. This shouldn't be news to the girl who hates flying...but I can't think of anything risky I've done in the past 2 years other than move to Knoxville. 

I told Cousin Hannah the most exciting piece of conversation I've had to discuss lately is remembering to take my acid reflux medicine on time and working the system at Bath and Body Works for the ultimate discount. 

Really. When did I become such a bore? I don't think at this point that PBS would even take me. 

I know I've got to live a better story (thanks Don Miller) and I've been trying to get that in order, but somewhere along the way I just falter and stumble and find myself on a new course. One that involves my couch, Dawson's Creek DVDs, and staring out the window thinking about what I want to do instead of doing it. 

I've determined it's a disease. The 'I am a lazy butt and doing just enough to get by' syndrome. Maybe I should have paid more attention in Child Psych last semester and I'm sure I could translate that into a medical term. Ahh, but I was too busy doing 'just enough to get by' in that class, hence, I don't remember much from it. 

Maybe somewhere in my childhood I learned to settle. Maybe I realized it was safe and comfortable and less noticeable. I was the shy, chubby kid after all...I didn't like attention (hard to believe, but I think we've been through this story before). Maybe just getting by sounded like music to my ears when I was 8. Maybe it's because it meant more free time to watch Gumby, Fraggle Rock, and Transformers. And after all these years, I still haven't learned better. Same song, different verse.

This is where 'Operation: Take a Risk: Fall Flat on Face: Risk it Again' comes into play. 

Hmm. Let's try that again.

This is where 'Operation: Take a Risk: Fail: Eat Ben and Jerry's for encouragement: Take Risk Again' happens.

Not working. One more.

This is where 'Operation: TAKE A RISK: FAIL AND GIVE UP' goes into action.

Ok, Ok, that doesn't work either. How about the obvious:

'Operation: Take a Risk'

Just a Step 1. I can worry about Step 2 when I get there. I'm pretty sure Step 1 will be the hardest obstacle to conquer anyways.

I think I'm well on my way with my schedule for next semester. So due to some misinterpretations from my advisor, I have to take 21 hours in order to graduate in May. (Have we discussed this fun activity yet?) I only have to take one more Psych course (thank you UT) and 2 Gen Eds, and the rest just have to be 300 level courses in whatever topic I choose. Well, I've always wanted to be a writer. And I've never taken a writing course. Can you see where I'm going with this? Yours truly will be taking 4 300-level English courses that revolve around writing. 

'Writing Fiction'

'Writing Creative Non-Fiction'

'Film and American Culture' (yes, it's an English and Writing Intensive Course which just so happens to fulfill one of my Gen Ed requirements)

'Writers of the Appalachian Culture' 

And after taking all of these, I'll have a minor in English. How about that? Gettin' it done at the end?

No, I haven't gone crazy, and I haven't forgotten that I can barely hack 12 hours, let alone 21. I have a lot to gain and little to lose. I also KNOW I can do it if I want to. The latter part is what I'm working on...the 'want to.'

So there's Step 1 in taking a risk and writing a better story. I'm not going to have any time to hang out (sorry Sam) because I'll be up to my eyeballs in writing papers and stories and life. 

Yes, it scares me. But it's about time something did.

It's now 1:32 a.m. and I think the medicine is taking full-effect. The lull of the Punch Brothers album, combined with dim lighting and heavy alcohol-based cough syrup is increasing my need for sleep.

And my alarm is set for 5 am; 5:15am; and 5:30am (just to be on the safe side) in the hopes that I'll hit the gym prior to my 8am class. Ok, pick yourself up off the floor and stop scoffing! I've become more of a morning person than you give me credit for. But I'll let you know how that one goes.This cough medicine ain't no joke yo!

I also promise to give you a happy post soon...it's long overdue.

p.s. Look at my cute new shoes I've been rockin'.
They are my current faves.
Shock and Awe--they're not sandals!

November 1st, 2010.

• I've worn tennis shoes for the past 7 days. That's right, no flip-flops.
• Watering my plants every morning has turned into a highlight of my day. I think if I start talking to them they might grow faster.
• I work out at the gym by myself now. And those big, buff boys don't intimidate me anymore. Neither does that mirrored wall I'm usually standing in front of when I exercise.
• 'Nightmare on Elm Street' isn't as scary now as it was in the 80s. And watching cheesy scary movies by candlelight with friends on Halloween is underrated.
• I had a confrontational situation last week and I didn't crawl in a hole afterward. I've got my game face on instead.
• I walked my first 5k this past Saturday and realized I haven't given my body enough credit for what it is capable of. 
• I'm making November 'no-excuses November' (as opposed to the ever-popular 'no-shave November'). 
• Donald Miller and Stephen King say that you should write everyday. Well, advice heeded. Whether it's my blog, or my journal, I'm making it a goal to write something every single day. No promises that it will be good.
•  I'm slowly becoming a morning person. I miss late nights but I do love being up before the world wakes up.
• I realized it's been a long time since I believed in my own self-worth...and I realized I'm the only one standing in the way of that. So I'm taking measures to change that.