Not One Day Wasted

shadowofthereal asked: Hi, who are you?

Hi back! My name is Katie. :)

July 7, 2010: The Weight by Thrice

So I have a confession to make: this is not so random of a start. In honor of the Thrice show this Sunday, I am proclaiming this “Thrice Week.”

The Weight is the only romantic song I have ever truly loved. The music is classic Thrice, complete with intriguing time signatures and interesting instrumentals in the background. The words (and of course Dustin Kensrue’s oh-so-sexy voice and passion) are really what seal the deal. The song talks about the fact that “true love is a choice you must make.” It is the only song I’ve ever heard which truly deals with the reality of deciding to spend your life with one person and the mindset that decision requires. His wife is one lucky lady.

Come what may I won’t abandon you or leave you behind
Because love is a loyalty sworn not a burning for a moment
Come what may I will be standing right here by your side
I won’t run away though the storm’s getting worse
And there’s no end in sight 

donttoewsmebro:

shessostupid:

sidneypatrickcrosby:

tazermy5holewithurlongkane:

1. You can’t even put ice in your drink without day dreaming .
2. You screamed for joy when you first heard of the movie Face Off but then locked yourself in your room & cried for three days when you found out that it had absolutely nothing to do with hockey .
3. Every time you hear the name Stanley , you fall to your knees & beg for mercy.
4. Whenever someone starts a sentence with ” How many … ” , before the can finish , you loudly exclaim ” 102 days and 52 until training camp ! ” . 
5. You put on a jersey , get your beer & chips , pack your behind in front of the TV , switch on the channel TSN & mumble continuously , ” it WILL come on … it WILL come on … it WILL come on … “
6. Watch SportSCenter & complain , ” they NEVER have NHL coverage on this show ! I’m writing the editor ! “
7. You stand on top of the Empire State building , & insist that Mark Messier come & save you or you’ll jump .

Sooooo true.

June 29, 2010: Rosetta Stoned by Tool

As I’ve previously stated, I love Maynard’s projects. Tool was my first exposure to his genius. This song has a lot of the typical elements: instrumentals and emotion that build over the course of the song, oddly whispered lyrics, discontent with popular culture and society. The difference is the level of passion throughout the song. Its like a roller coaster that starts off with an 80 foot vertical drop then never quits.

I wish I had a ticket to their show at red rocks tonight, but sadly no luck. I’ll have to settle for blasting their discography on my own.

June 23, 2010: The Outsiders by A Perfect Circle

APC is one of Maynard James Keenan’s many musical projects, including Tool and Puscifer. Since I love pretty much everything this man touches, I have very few complaints about this song. In fact, it’s a great one. The opening guitar riff is deceptively simple and rapidly turns dark and somewhat twisty. The drums are inventive and perfectly accentuate the emotion of the song. The bass is ever-present in the background, like an anchor to the self-destructive nature of the person to whom the lyrics are directed. Keenan’s voice, tone, and inflection are flawless. Finally the lyrics are unsurprisingly direct, as Keenan tries to convince “precious” to stop whining about how much life sucks and either snap out of being a “suicidal imbecile” or, “if you choose to pull the trigger…do it somewhere far away from here.”

I couldn’t resist the opportunity to post this. I’m not going to say anything about the music or why each song means so much to me, I’m counting on Random Starts and my occasional ramblings to take care of that curiosity. Suffice it to say if I was to be stuck on a desert island and could only have 15 songs on my iPod, these are the songs I would choose. (Yes, yes, I know iPods hold many more songs than this…it was a friend’s way of forcing me to pick my favorites. I literally had to think about it for 7 months to figure it out. Hopefully I’m not stranded on a desert island any time soon!)

In no particular order:

• Show Me How To Live by Audioslave
• Drinkin’ Me Lonely by Chris Young
• When the World Ends by Dave Matthews Band (Bonus points for this video because it was shot at Red Rocks, one of the best venues ever.)
• Indestructible by Disturbed
• Thursday by Elision***
• 11:00AM (Daydreamer) by 10 Years
• Pickin’ Wildflowers by Keith Anderson
• Capricorn by 30 Seconds to Mars
• In Exile by Thrice
• Forty Six and Two by Tool
• Something Beautiful by Needtobreathe
• Closer by Kings of Leon
• Push by Matchbox Twenty
• Redneck by Lamb of God (although really what I like is the intro music…excellently done. The lyrics I don’t so much like.)
• What I Would Give to Be Australian by Jonny Craig

***Shameless plug! Elision was the band of a friend of mine (the guitarist, Andrew). The video is not of Thursday but the song Esperanza. They aren’t together anymore, and never played Thursday live. They were a great band with a great sound, however. If you like Thrice and 10 Years you should give these guys a try, Elision opened for both bands. Click here for their iTunes link.

June 20, 2010: Thru the Eyes of Ruby by Smashing Pumpkins

Honestly, I hadn’t heard this song in YEARS. Upon re-listening, I like it. The song is pretty typical Pumpkins fare; there are some decent riffs, but the guitars pretty much just chill during the singing. Distinctive sound as far as how the guitars and drums come together, with the bass pretty toned-down (which never ceases to sadden me). Billy Corgan’s voice is one-of-a-kind and always worth hearing. He has an interesting voice, which I view as a compliment.

My favorite lyrics: 

Wrap me up in always and drag me in with maybes

That’s how every relationship starts. Two attracted people make promises they can’t keep and plans they don’t even want to honor, and keep pulling on each other using the words “maybe” and “tomorrow” and “some day.” 

Today is my 29th birthday. Birthdays have never meant a great deal to me; while I like presents and getting to pick the food, I really dislike being the center of attention. I am overjoyed to remain on Earth, but feel a bit odd inviting people to celebrate my awesomeness in a fit of self-aggrandizement. So in general I hide, talk to a few close friends, and celebrate with my family.

It is impossible to reach milestones without taking stock of life. It seems inevitable to compare my current status with my expectations: am I where I thought I would be? The answer is, just as inevitably, no. Life, like best laid plans, tends to blow up in my face more often than it goes as intended. Sometimes the explosion is a good thing in retrospect. Many of the roads I had intended to take would have been huge mistakes. Some paths that I began to walk down turned out to be quicksand and I’m lucky to have gotten free. But none of this changes the fact that it’s disappointing to take measure of your life and find it significantly wanting.

No one’s life is perfect. Everyone can point to areas they wish to alter. I understand that I am not alone in feeling empty, uninspired, and adrift. I know I cannot continue to glide passively through life with my eyes half-open hoping for an acceptable ending any more than I would set sail in a ship and cease navigating halfway through while still expecting to wash ashore in the Bahamas. So while it seems part of the human condition to question one’s current path, what sets us apart is how we continue from that point. Once discomfort with the status quo sets in there are two choices: continue to drift with the tide, or turn on the motor and select a destination.

This morning I woke up, wallowed for a bit in the indecision and discomfort of it all, and went to take a shower. I opened up iTunes and was pleasantly surprised to hear one of my favorite songs, 11:00am (Daydreamer) by 10 years. The lyrics to this song have always meant a lot to me, and today I found myself thinking about how they apply to my life right now. 

The song is essentially a wake up call to a guy stuck in a box of normalcy. Yes, the “routine is nice,” but staying in your comfort zone will eventually drain all color from your life. In order to have a fulfilling existence it is necessary to take risks. They won’t all turn out as planned, but some of them will turn out even better. Once you’ve swallowed the blue pill (so to speak) and you’re looking for a way out, you have to reassess what’s gotten you this far: if it isn’t working, it’s probably not going to start working now. 

Every major wake up call should be accompanied by a game plan. At least that’s the rule in my sports-addled brain. And it’s not ok to just know there’s something wrong with my game plan, I have to fix it. So here is my new game plan: get off my butt and start doing the every day things that will get me to where I want to be. Pray real prayers every day. Read my Bible. Play piano at least 4 times a week. Sing whenever I can. Work out at least 5 days a week. Eat better, maybe even learn how to cook a little. Spend my time with the people who make me smile and have traits that I admire. And do everything to the best of my ability, with excellence. While I’m working on becoming the person I was created to be and want to be, hopefully the people that are supposed to be in my life will stick around to be part of the adventure.

Brace yourself and give into the moment
You’ve got nothing to lose, so what is your excuse?
Save yourself you’re dying in slow motion
You’ve got nothing to lose, so what’s your excuse?

- 11:00am (Daydreamer) by 10 Years 

June 19, 2010: 11:00am (Daydreamer) by 10 Years

This is my favorite song by my (at this point in time) favorite band. I love their sound, the heavy guitars and excellent drums paired with a sweet but strong voice. They are tremendous live, one of the highest quality shows I’ve seen to date, and they don’t have any songs that I hate. This song makes the list of “15 Songs I Cannot Live Without.” (Maybe I’ll share the others sometime.) Every one of my favorite songs is such partially because of the lyrics, and this one is no different. Great sound + great words = favorite song.