Violently Happy

Last night I was listening to some music in the shower.

I always listen to music in the shower.

 Ever since I lived with Heather and she taught me what a delight it is.

And I was so sore from running.

Sometimes I get carried away when I am running. 

After 3 miles it just starts feeling so good that I don't stop and then the next day I regret having run for an hour and half. 

But the shower is so hot.

And the water pressure is just right.

And with a great soundtrack?

Bliss.

But I digress.

Last night I was listening to Florence and the Machine.

And there is this one song, 

The Dog Days Are Over

that always makes me stop and think.

"Happiness hit her like a bullet in the back."

I love that.

I love the violence of the metaphor.

A bullet is so quick, so sudden, so devastating, and has such a profound impact, not just physically, but on one's entire life.

You don't get hit by a bullet and the next day go back to never having been hit by a bullet.

No.

It hits you and you feel it in your entire body.

And the result is lasting.

Now think about it in terms of happiness.

To be hit by happiness so suddenly, so violently, so consumingly.

And in the back?

So unexpectedly. 

I like to think that there are a few moments like this in life.

When you find the love of your life.

When you have a baby.

When you look at someone you love with your whole heart.

When you catch a glimpse into eternity and understand who you are and why you are here.

Bird Watching

Thanks to Tiffany, I am completely obsessed.

It's a problem.

Andrew Bird.

He's all I've been listening to for the past week.

There is something about him and his violin,

something about his whistling,

something about his lyrics that captures me completely.

Love.

Love.

Love.

Love.

I recommend these songs:

A Nervous Tic Motion of the Head

Oh No

Tables and Chairs

Scythian Empires

You should also read his blog post on Measure for Measure,

Words Will Tell

Some Good Links

1. I must have these books.

2. There are a lot of strange places in the world... I must see them all!

3. Guess what? You can make your own handwriting a font. Thank goodness. I've been waiting for that one.

4. My uncle wrote a book. And my mom helped edit it. (Seriously, crazy amounts of time spent with that book.) And now it's finally available on Barnes and Noble. Check it out!

5. Speaking of books, I ordered this one last week. Stunning.

6. I've been listening to a lot of Bach lately. Particularly this song.

7. I desperately want this lipstick.

8. General Conference is this weekend. I really recommend it.

That's all.

Anchor

I am loving this video and this song.

My New Obsession

If it's wrong, I don't want to be right.

Summer Soundtrack

Here's some songs for you to enjoy.

{All of them very different...}

A Nervous Tic Motion of the Head to the Left ~Andrew Bird

Everything Trying ~Damien Jurado

All Over Me ~Josh Turner

If I Die Young ~The Band Perry

Water ~Brad Paisley

Developing Some More Musical Skills

The last Boy played guitar
(and sang and wrote songs and performed at local venues and it was lovely...but I digress)
and for the first time ever I wanted to be able to play guitar.
So I'm determined that when I go home in two weeks for the rest of the summer that I'm going to learn.
Because Matthew (remember him?) is going to teach me. He doesn't know this.

And then I saw this case today and was inspired by the vision of myself carrying my guitar on my back as I walk around town.
One day, when I can spend £115 on a guitar case, I will be awesome.

I Can Hear Music

Favorite songs this week include

I Give It All by He is We

Pistol by Dustin Kensrue

Birds by Kate Nash

and Wagon Wheel by Old Crow Medicine Show

Enjoy!

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Monday Playlist

1. Boys With Girlfriends Meiko

2. Skinny Love Bon Iver (and Ingrid Michaelson's cover of it!)

3. Song for the Angels Great Lake Swimmers

4. Happier A Fine Frenzy

5. Electric Twist A Fine Frenzy

I thought that I'd start sharing some of the songs that have been occupying my time. So here are five that I've thoroughly played to death this past week. Lurve.

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In Which I Discover the Thrill of Vinyl and Vintage Cowboy Boots

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This past Saturday was adventurous. Someone Nice took me to the cool places in Salt Lake City. And I immediately fell in love with a record store. My mom has always has tons of vinyl, but nothing to play them on for a while now. But she still made sure that I was familiar with the good music (you know, The Grass Roots, Skeeter Davis, Pat Benatar, etc.) and so walking into that second record store and seeing all those records was amazing! Then, just imagine that She & Him, Regina Spektor, Andrew Bird, and Bon Iver all have their albums on vinyl, too! I thought I had died and gone to heaven. There is just something amazing about records.
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Moving on to Decades. The most amazing vintage store where I picked up the cutest pair of cowboy boots. Just my size. Already worn in and deliciously scuffed up. I'm obsessed with them. I've worn them everyday since and I just keep staring at my feet and walking on wood floors as much as possible. Bliss.
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After Decades, we went to the library. 5 floors of perfection. Glass elevators. A book sale as big as the library back home. And a roof garden. Now don't get me wrong, Provo library is still my favorite (because I'm a sucker for an old building) but the Salt Lake Library is pretty darn awesome.

So Salt Lake won me over. Fanks, Landon.

In the Sun

You already know I can't get enough of this girl. Can you see why? I think I'm going to cut my bangs again.

2772

That's how many songs are on my ipod.

Today I decided to listen to the whole thing. Because I never have. In fact, I haven't even heard half of the songs on there.

I'm on 165, Cry by Kelly Clarkson. This is gonna be fun.


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Can I Be Her Tomorrow?

First, I am crazy about A Fine Frenzy (recommended songs: Ashes and Wine, Rangers, Near to You).

Then, they go and make an awesome, magical, completely wonderful stop motion?






Perfect. So perfect.

Wonderful Wednesdays

1. The Picture of Dorian Gray
2. $15 running shoes at Target
3. sharing Green Apple Airheads
4. these two songs

Cartoons and Forever Plans - M...

God Help The Girl - God Help T...

5. Honey Bunches of Oats with Almonds
6. watching H-face run the track barefoot
7. mustard yellow skinny pants
8. plaid shirts on cute boys
9. the invincible feeling you get when leaving the gym
10. thought provoking statements by New Testament professors
11. the promise of tomorrow

Brand New Day

Waking up in the morning has never been so easy. Thanks, Santa, for my lovely new ihome alarm clock.

Brand New Day - Joshua Radin

V: Violins

Three more days in 2009! I better finish this up...

I have always wanted to play the violin, but I have never done anything about it. Except enjoy the music that others produce for me. Here are two of my favorites, Lucia Micarelli and Mairead Nesbitt.

Ten Things I Like About Tuesday

Me and Dawna doing what we do best

1. I got a letter from Dawna. For those of you who don't know, Dawna was one of my first roommates here at college. It took us about a week to discover that we were each other's missing half. And then she left me to serve a mission in Scotland. Nice for her, bad for me. Her letters are the highlight of my life right now.

2. My World Religions class is UH-MAZING! Seriously. Take Alonzo Gaskill. The 8:00 am hour is so worth it. I am constantly amazed at how much he knows and how much I have learned about the beautiful religions in our world. It also helps that he is very funny.

3. Tuesday is Taco Night at Del Taco. 3 for a dollar. And way better than Taco Bell.

4. Jessica made pumpkin cookies. I think she is trying to make me fat. Curse her.

5. I finally checked the mail (first time in a week) and we all know how much I love getting the mail. That little box was chock full of goodness. It was amazing.

6. I got to take the kiddies I watch to the park. Discovery Park in Pleasant Grove is amazing! Why didn't we have something like that back home when I was a kid? Why do we still not have something like that?

7. This book I'm reading, about the Salem witch trials, is fascinating. I'm almost done.

8. I listened to Lisa Mitchell's Wonder album at least 4 times. Not an exaggeration, thank you very much.

9. Bishop Burton gave a wonderful devotional that I only got to listen to half of because I 1. didn't realize he was coming today and B. had to work.

10. I found out about Llama Caroling this weekend. Each group of carolers gets a llama and a shopping cart to fill with food for the needy. Don't ask me how I found out about this. Just embrace the awesomeness that is BYU.

The llamas in my Biology class last year

Countdowns

Ten things you want for Christmas:


1 an ipod dock
2 a cute winter coat (like Taza's maybe)
3 lots of sheet music
4 books
5 college completely paid for
6 the sun to go down around 8:00 instead of 5:00
7 my little brothers to stop growing up
8 Talana to move out here and be my roommate
9 a boyfriend
10 a spaceship

Nine musicians/bands you love:


1 Sugarland
2 She & Him
3 Lady Antebellum
4 Ingrid Michaelson
5 Regina Spektor
6 Lisa Mitchell
7 Miranda Lambert
8 Couer de Pirate
9 Zee Avi

Eight things you do everyday:


1 wake up a half hour before the alarm clock
2 check my email
3 read my Book of Mormon
4 drink 3 liters of water
5 talk to Michee on the phone
6 take a nap
7 read the New York Times
8 listen to lotsa music

Seven things you enjoy:


1 sweets
2 books
3 my family
4 making people/me laugh
5 dressing up
6 swimming in the ocean
7 friendlies

Six things that will always win your heart:


1 laughter
2 silliness/spontaneity
3 getting my car door and other gentlemanly behavior
4 smiles
5 great hair
6 thinking that I'm funny

Five favorites:

1 Candy: anything chocolatey, really.
2 Fast food: urgh, gross.
3 Snack: today it is clementines. yesterday it was cold cereal.
4 Movie: Support Your Local Sheriff
5 Place: home, temple, ocean

Four smells you enjoy:

1 the ocean
2 cucumber/melon baby lotion
3 bakeries
4 fresh rain

Three places you want to go:

1 AUSTRALIA!
2 Europe (don't make me pick a country. I want it all.)
3 South Pacific

Two holidays you love:

1 Christmas
2 Halloween

One person you'd marry on the spot:

S: She & Him

When it comes to {S} there is nothing I love more than She & Him. I think that they win the Artist of the Year award from me. Not a day goes by that I don't listen to them.

Clean White Love

Remember how I love her? I love her. A lot.