Sunday 31 March 2013

Concert Review: Josh Ritter

I've gone to see Josh Ritter twice now in concert. And I think everyone should go see him given the chance.

They don't play him on any radio stations that I know of. Sometimes they'll play his songs in Starbucks, but outside of that I haven't ever heard his music.
His new album!
What prompted me to listen to his songs? I don't know what started it. Mostly what I love about his music is that he's a poet. He's a writer that can sing and play guitar.

His lyrics are magical and tell a story. His live concerts are those stories magnified and amplified by 100%.

I've been to a fair amount of concerts where the songs sound identical to the ones on the album. You can sing the notes as you know them and you can't go wrong. Not so at a Josh Ritter show. He'll speed things up. He'll slow things down. He'll turn off all the lights and play with no amps, no drums, not even the mic is turned on.

Then he'll come out with trumpets and a cello and blow your socks off. Plus he is adorable. He cannot stop smiling.
That smile...
He appreciates a crowd, and shows it. I'm sick of jaded rock stars that never say thank you, that flip off the crowd, that don't smile.

Josh has a smiling disorder. He cannot stop jumping, giggling, laughing, smiling, playing, writing. I hope he never stops.

The show was (once again) amazing. I am grateful that his shows never cost too much money (the standard $60 for a concert is pricey when you see 4-5 shows a year). Hopefully whenever his next album comes out I'll be loaded and able to buy tickets for myself and my friends!

Saturday 30 March 2013

Lyrics of the Day

Supposedly it was a wise wise man who said it’s better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all, never to have loved.
How many times does the truth that you take to be true is just truth falling apart at the same speed as you... Until it all comes away in a million degrees and you’re just a few pieces of falling debris.

And she’s hopeful. Hopeful. For me.
I’m coming out of the dark clouds.

She went away and she packed all her loving.
I could not believe it how little there was.
I stood in the cold kitchen with nothing to say... Who’d keep the whole world spinning when she went away?

She kept telling me about the good things I deserve, that I wanted somebody I’d mistaken for her.
But one look in my eyes and she’d know she was wrong so she wouldn’t look back at me until she was gone.

How many times did you give all your love and find out it was so far from far from enough?
I followed her out into the street in the rain and the whole world stopped spinning and just went up in flames.

And she’s hopeful. Hopeful. For me.
I’m coming out of the dark clouds.
She’s hopeful. Hopeful, for me.
She says it to me often

The sunlight corroded and the days started to fail.
The rocks in the road sharpened shadows to nails.
The fencepost were empty and so were the trees.
Had the bluebird of use on its last tune for me.

I’ve seen her around now with someone new I don’t know,
She likes greed-eyed boys who are haloed in hope... But I know the look in his eyes and I know all the old signs.
Just a couple more curves before his own road unwinds.

These days I’m feeling better about the man that I am.
There’s some things I can change and there’s others I can’t.
I met someone new now I know I deserve, I never met someone who loves the world more than her.

She has been through her own share of hard times as well, and she has learned how to tear out the heaven from hell.
Most nights I’m alright still all rocks roll down hill... but she says I’ll get better, she knows that I will.

And she’s hopeful. Hopeful, for me.
I’m coming out of the dark clouds.
She’s hopeful. Hopeful, for me.
Coming out of the dark clouds, Coming out of the dark clouds .

The world is as the world is.
Everybody’s gonna hurt like hell some times.
The world is as the world is.
Everybody’s gonna hurt like hell some times some times.

Josh Ritter: Hopeful

Friday 29 March 2013

Poetry of the Day

I like your ultra violent streak.
Your thousand dollar right hook.
Reeled me in.

I could be anybody,
he's the city champion.

Nothing more gorgeous than the spit flying across the room.
Posters on the wall featuring our conflicts of interest.

You only have to be the come back king once.

He understands upselling.
I sell my old clothes. Trying to fit into something.

I like your ultra violent swing.
Is there that big of a difference between black and blue?

Wednesday 27 March 2013

App Review: Happy Street

I can't stop playing!


It's kind of like Tiny Tower. You get a street and you build shops and houses. You stock these stores and get people to buy product. You restock these stores and level up.


And I'm addicted. Again.

For whatever reason I seem to be drawn to games wherein I need to fulfill a business plan. In this case, I want to make lots of money because I know in real life I can't.


I'm living vicariously through Happy Street.
It helps that they have super cute characters and the wait times to fulfill quests isn't too long.

It's free! Check it out!

Monday 25 March 2013

Poetry of the Day

For every end there's a new beginning,
or so they say.
They say these other things,
like how happy they are for them, and so on.

It feels like falling behind, is what it feels like.
Every joyful congratulations is a twitch at my brow,
a tic in my side.

I look for you in magazines.
To check your wedding ring.
Is it hanging on too tight?

Hanging on to our pasts is so deceitful. But so tempting.
My call. Do I follow the link, click through?

Thursday 21 March 2013

Lyrics of the Day

She was a working girl, North of England way.
Now she's hit the big time in the U.S.A.
And if she could only hear me, this is what I'd say...

Honey pie you are making me crazy
I'm in love but I'm lazy, so won't you please come home?
Oh honey pie,  my position is tragic, come and show me the magic of your Hollywood song.

You became a legend of the silver screen and now the thought of meeting you makes me weak in the knee.
Oh honey pie you are driving me frantic,
Sail across the Atlantic to be where you belong.
Will the wind that blew her boat across the sea kindly send her sailing back to me?

Honey pie you are making me crazy
I'm in love but I'm lazy so won't you please come home?

The Beatles: Honey Pie

Wednesday 20 March 2013

Thought of the Day

It's always sunny somewhere. Isn't that crazy? That there's a billion other places on this one planet and even if it's pouring and miserable and ugly, somewhere out there it's gorgeous and beautiful.

I feel down sometimes. I think it's impossible not to feel bummed once in a while. But honestly just knowing that summer is coming is often enough to snap me out of my mood. Isn't it incredible that my mood is so dependent on where I am?

I'd feel so much better if it were warm and lovely outside. Such a simple and small thing, but it feels like it really affects my disposition. So I play those games in my head. I picture sunny places, I think about my vacation in July to Hawaii.

Know what? Just doing that is enough. It works. And I can't believe it works because it seems so silly, but there it is...

Tuesday 19 March 2013

Quote of the Day

"Most people will spend their lives doing jobs that they don't particularly enjoy, and will eventually save up enough money to stop doing those jobs just in time to start dying instead. Don't be one of those people. There's a difference between living, and just surviving. Do something that you love, and find someone to love who loves that you love what you do.
It really is that simple.
And that hard.”

John Connolly: The Infernals

Monday 18 March 2013

Lyrics of the Day

Peter said to Paul you know all those words we wrote?
Are just the rules of the game and the rules are the first to go.
But now talking to God is Laurel begging Hardy for a gun... I got a girl in the war, man I wonder what it is we done...

Paul said to Peter you got to rock yourself a little harder, pretend the dove from above is a dragon and your feet are on fire.
But I got a girl in the war Paul, the only thing I know to do is turn up the music and pray that she makes it through.

Because the keys to the kingdom got locked inside the kingdom and the angels fly around in there but we can't see them.
I got a girl in the war Paul I know that they can hear me yell...
If they can't find a way to help her they can go to hell
If they can't find a way to help her they can go to hell

Paul said to Peter you got to rock yourself a little harder, pretend the dove from above is a dragon and your feet are on fire.
But I got a girl in the war Paul her eyes are like champagne...
They sparkle bubble over and in the morning all you got is rain
They sparkle bubble over and in the morning all you got is rain
They sparkle bubble over and in the morning all you got is rain

Josh Ritter: Girl in the War

Sunday 17 March 2013

Poetry of the Day

We protest with our half smirks and glances anywhere but in your direction.
Wave you off with a casual flick.
Our shoulders shrug, we gossip and slander you all over every social networking site we can find.

But with the lights, the glare, the buzz, the beeping and the whining all turned down, we cry ourselves to sleep at night.

Saturday 16 March 2013

Lyrics of the Day

I, I always believed in futures, I hope for better in November.
I try the same losing lucky numbers.

It could be a cold night for a lifetime
Hey now, you can't keeping saying endlessly
"My darling, how long until this affects me?"

Say hello to good times, trade up for the fast ride.
We close our eyes while the nickel and dime take the streets completely.

I, I always could count on futures, that things would look up, and they look up.
Why is it so hard to find balance between living decent and the cold and real?

Hey now, what is it you think you see?
My darling, now's the time to disagree.

Say hello to good times, trade up for the fast ride.
We close our eyes while the nickel and dime take the streets completely.
Hey now, the past is told by those who win...
My darling, what matters is what hasn't been.

Hey now, we're wide awake and we're thinking, my darling, believe your voice can mean something.

Say hello to good times, trade up for the fast ride.
We close our eyes while the nickel and dime take the streets completely.
We close our eyes while the nickel and dime take the streets completely.

Jimmy Eat World: Futures

Friday 15 March 2013

Pet Peeve of the Day

Microsoft Word.

Everything about it. How it formats things like headings and headers... to the impossibility of page numbers that work.

Please, people who are responsible for Microsoft Word... make it easier. Make it intuitive. Make it user-friendly. Make it understand what I'm trying to do with callouts. Callouts are maybe the most frustrating thing about Word.

Make it better. Or better yet just admit that there are so many flaws and we can then move onto something improved. Because God help me if I need to make another callout...

Wednesday 13 March 2013

Quote of the Day

"A cat can climb down from a tree without the assistance of the fire department or any other emergency service. The proof is that no one has ever seen a cat skeleton up a tree."

Stuart McLean

Tuesday 12 March 2013

Thought of the Day

Haircuts are a ripoff. Completely.

I haven't had someone else cut my hair for about 5-6 years. This isn't because I'm cheap (I am though), but mainly because I don't think I should pay someone else to do something I can do myself.


I'm not saying I can do a fantastic job that's comparable to a 'stylist,' but I can do well enough that my hair looks good (if not great) and I've saved myself $100.

That's what bugs me. How ridiculously expensive and overpriced haircuts are. I've been to a few expensive salons to check out their prices and most of them quote about $75-100 for my long hair.

They're cutting it off, not giving me new hair... I don't understand what costs so much.

I don't mean to undermine the effort and time these stylists go through... plus the years of school and training. But honestly some stylists are awful. They never listen, they make mistakes, and they overcharge.

Once time I asked my friend (who also works at a salon) to cut my hair. She charged me about $20. That I am absolutely a fan of. Way to go for that deal. I would never actually go into her salon when she's working and pay 300% or more for the same haircut.

So why is it that people still convince themselves they have to spend that much on something that just grows out anyway? What's the worst that can happen if I cut my own hair? I mess up and it'll grow back.

Everyone buy a pair of great haircutting scissors. They're affordable and will last you forever. My pair were made in Italy and have lasted my mother and me over 30 years. And know what? My hair is still here. Still going strong.


I will say if you're too lazy to cut your own hair and enjoy the experience of having someone else wash and massage your head, then power to you too!

Sunday 10 March 2013

Quote of the Day

"A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools."

Douglas Adams: Mostly Harmless

Saturday 9 March 2013

Lyrics of the Day

Keep the noise low, she doesn't wanna blow it.
Shaking head to toe while your left hand does the "show me around."
Quickens your heartbeat, it beats me straight into the ground.

You don't recover from a night like this.
A victim, still lying in bed, completely motionless.
A hand moves in the dark to a zipper.
Hear a boy bracing tight against sheets... barely whisper, "this is so messed up."

Upon arrival the guests had all stared.
Dripping wet and clearly depressed, he'd headed straight for the stairs.
No longer cool, but a boy in a stitch, unprepared for a life full of lies and failing relationships.

Up the stairs: the station where the act becomes the art of growing up.

He keeps his hands low.
He doesn't wanna blow it.
He's wet from head to toe and his eyes give her the up and the down.
His stomach turns and he thinks of throwing up.
But the body on the bed beckons forward and he starts growing up.

The fever, the focus.
The reasons that I had to believe you weren't too hard to sell.
Die young and save yourself.
The tickle, the taste of... It used to be the reason I breathed but now it's choking me up.
Die young and save yourself.

She hits the lights.
This doesn't seem quite fair.
Despite everything he learned from his friends, he doesn't feel so prepared.
She's breathing quiet and smooth.
He's gasping for air.
"This is the first and last time," he says.
She fakes a smile and presses her hips into his.
He keeps his hands pinned down at his sides.
He's holding back from telling her exactly what it really feels like (life).

He is the lamb, she is the slaughter.
She's moving way too fast and all he wanted was to hold her.
Nothing that he tells her is really having an effect.
He whispers that he loves her, but she's probably only looking for se...

Up the stairs: the station where the act becomes the art of growing up.

So much more than he could ever give.
A life free of lies and a meaningful relationship.
He keeps his hands pinned down at his sides.
He waits for it to end and for the aching in his guts to subside.

The fever, the focus.
The reasons that I had to believe you weren't too hard to sell.
Die young and save yourself.
The tickle, the taste of... It used to be the reason I breathed but now it's choking me up.
Die young and save yourself.

Up the stairs: the station where the act becomes the art of growing up.

Brand New: Sic Transit Gloria... Gloria Fades

Friday 8 March 2013

Quote of the Day

"Isn't it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of it too?"

Douglas Adams

Wednesday 6 March 2013

It's my Birthday!

It's my birthday! It really snuck up on me this year. It isn't that I'm overly busy or anything, it's just that February was so short that the beginning of March just ran up to me, poked me in the butt, and said Hello.

Friendlier than last year when I had time to plan something but still didn't. That's more like a gentle slap.

So here I am, another year older. I'm not sure what exactly that means, as I still don't act or look my age. The only thing is that I FEEL older. I exercise less, I'm lazier. I think in more 'big-picture' terms. I make plans for the year instead of just the weekend.


And thinking ahead, I know that life is too short to be spent worrying so much. This doesn't mean I'll stop worrying, but at least I'll worry with a bit more self awareness.

So no, I'm not doing anything celebratory for my birthday. Maybe I'll get a cake and some gifts, but I've never been a fan of big parties with lots of people, loud noises, and drunken shenanigans. Guess that's the biggest proof I'm getting older.