The Road Less Traveled

Finally… I own an I-Pod. Sure, it’s an I-Pop Mini and it’s a girly blend of pink and purple, but it’s mine. Thanks to an unbelievably generous student (who was already in my book as one of the nicest kids I’ve ever known) I now have an I-Pod filled with 300+ of my favorite songs.

I decided to share it, so if you were to check my artists, you would come across Fergie, Gwen Stefani, Kellie Pickler, and a dozen or so more that are far from what I enjoy listening to. You would also find a Playlist titled “Disney.” Not hard to guess who that’s for.

I’m just so excited. I’ve spent hours already, syncing it up to my I-Tunes and getting as many of my songs as I can on there. I was really pleased o know that Nine Inch Nails is offering their new album The Slip for free online. Of course I downloaded it. It’s not as good as other albums of theirs, but hey, free music. You can get it by entering your e-mail here:

    The Slip

I was also happy to find that Smashing Pumpkins (who were one of the first rock bands to offer an entire album online) still had Machina II available online. You can get it here:

     Machina II

I think maybe I’m obsessed. I already have 433 songs on there and I still have more to go. I’m ripping some MP3s from CDs I have and putting them on, also. The CDs are just taking up space in my car.

If anyone knows of some other artists who offer MP3s of their music online, just let me know. I know Josh Ritter, an amazing songwriter comparable to Bob Dylan, has a few free MP3s on his homepage, as well:

    Josh Ritter Music

Until later — “There’s no turning back now that you opened up to your mind.”

DISCLAIMER:  The following playlist contains language that may be offensive to some listeners.

This one was actually not the result of boredom.  I was made after a creative whim.  I was thinking of how cool it would be to make a playlist inspired by the Beat Movement.  The playlist has a mix of jazz and blues that are true to the Beat Movement time period as well as some more modern poetic songs that I feel are true to the messages and views of the Beat poets.  And, my favorite part, there are some poetry readings by famous figures of the Beat Movement. 

If you’re not familiar with the Beats, check out this Wikipedia article:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beat_Movement

Right now, my favorite Beat writer is Jack Kerouac.  I’m currently working my way through On the Road and I just recently bought The Dharma Bums (which I heard is more enjoyable than On the Road, but not as important).  I just love the idea of traveling across the country just to feel free.  My brother and I are planning to hike into the woods this summer with sleeping bags, food, and anything else we think we need, walking until we get tired, rolling out our sleeping bags, and spending the night wherever we are in the woods.

Hope you enjoy.  You should try this some time, create a playlist inspired by your favorite book, movie, video game, or whatever you want.

I created this playlist at http://www.playlist.com. I call it “The Coffee Shop.” It is a collection of artsy rock songs, easy listening, and some stuff that’s just really good. You should check out the site. It is really entertaining. I made another playlist called “Songs of Memory” and filled it with a bunch of songs that bring back some great (and a few not so great) memories. Maybe I’ll post it here later.

Let me give this code a try:

Hope it works. Enjoy.

Until later– “There’s no turning back now that you open up to your mind.”

Want to tap into some forgotten part of yourself? I’ve perfected this more than I should be proud of. I have even managed to break myself down into tears trying this out. Heed this warning, though: Trying any of the following might just put you on an emotional roller-coaster that is undeniably out of your control.

1. Listen to a song from your past: This is more successful if you choose a song from a very significant time in your life and if you haven’t heard the song for a long time. The other day, I heard “Freshman” by the Verve Pipe and I was transported to trying to scrunch into the back seat of a Chevy Cavalier with three friends on our way to the mall. Most of those faces are strangers to me now but hearing this song brought all of them flowing back. “For the life of me, I cannot remember what made us think that we were wise and we’d never compromise…We’ve tried to wash our hands of all of this. We never talk of our lack in relationships and how we’re guilt stricken sobbin’ with our heads on the floor. We fell through the ice when we tried not to slip…” Man, that was some good stuff.

2. Watch a movie: This is also more effective if you haven’t seen the film for a while and if you once watched it with someone close to you. I rummaged through my VHS tapes and found my copies of Casino and Goodfellas. Once again, memories of propping my feet up on the arm of my friend’s basement couch with the rest of the group sprawled out on the floor, in lounge chairs, staying up until 4 a.m. for our Mobster Movie Marathon. Other films of this famous insomnia inducer included Godfather I and II (we cursed III), Scarface, and Heat.

3. Read one of your favorite children’s books: This is a sad one. This summer, one of my fellow CWVWP participants taught a grammar lesson in which she passed out copies of Amelia Bedelia books to us. I spotted the one I wanted right away. Amelia Bedelia Goes Camping. Just seeing that book brought a wave of memories that nearly sent me out of the room in tears. And I had to fight them back again as I read the book aloud. My grandfather took me to the Cross Lanes library when I was about five or six and this was one of the books I chose. He read it to me in his gruff smoker’s voice, his country accent adding to the humor. Six years later, he died of a stroke on Christmas Eve. Seeing that book… man… it was like looking right into his face again. Moments like that can sweep you off of your feet before you know it.

So, that’s my adventure into the old vault. Heed my warning, though. Objects in the rear-view mirror are closer than they appear.

Until later– “There’s no turning back now that you opened up to your mind.”

As much as I have enjoyed the Summer Institute, man it feels great to be home. I’m about to go upstairs and take a nap. Well, at least until 5:30 when I have to take my youngest daughter to dance class.

Oh, that reminds me. Look for me to be posting my experiences with couples dancing in the fall. Not only am I taking a class, I’m going to be in a recital. The instructor said I’d better put on my dancing shoes because we’re doing something with disco. It should be fun.

Random time! Here’s a video from Shinedown. This is my first time embedding a video on this blog, so I hope it works. It’s their version of “Simple Man.” They cut a lot out for the video, but I still love it. This is one of may favorite songs of all time. I love the Skynrd version, but this guy’s voice is just amazing.

Until later, remember: “There’s no turning back now that you’ve opened up to your mind.”