Top 10 of 2008

I was reading in a magazine a short article about New Year's resolutions. While I will probably still do my typical list of my goals for the upcoming year, I thought I'd also follow this article's advice to instead list some of your accomplishments from the past year.

So here is my personally selected Top 10 memories or experiences of 2008:

10. My one-year mark of graduation from BYU

That's right, it's been one full year since I finished my career on that dear campus in Provo. I've never planned to go one to more schooling, but I really miss school! Haha, but I'm a nerd like that. I have actually looked for any programs that I'd like to go into but have found nothing that really sparks my interest. I just might have to keep my envy of those who are still in school and who can continue enjoying textbooks, papers, and (my favorite) finals week.

9. Buying my first car

This was quite an experience for me as I know nothing about cars. Plus I had a pressing deadline on which I would lose the family Subaru and need a replacement. But, with the help of lots of people, specifically Ruthie and Jeremy, I ended up with a 2004 Hyundai Elantra.

8. Moving 4 times (twice across the country)

Really, I hate moving. But this is how things worked out. First, a couple weeks after I started my Church internship, I moved from Provo to Salt Lake City. (Not to mention I had already moved out of that apartment in December and was living out of a suitcase.) Second, in May, I took a leap of faith and moved back to Virginia where I hoped to find a job and move into D.C. But a month later, (third) I accepted a job back in Utah and moved back. I had about a week's notice and quickly found a temporary apartment. (And I didn't count the change between apartments after two days) Two month's later I moved (fourth) into my current apartment in Orem.

7. Interviewing for jobs

This is really my favorite part of a job search. Really, I think interviews are quite fun. I mean, come on, you get to dress up all cute and professional, bring samples of all your best accomplishments, and sit down and talk about yourself! Haha when do you ever get to do that? OK plus it's really fun to see different work environments, analyze how you might fit into them and, hopefully get offered the job. So this May I got to go to several interviews, update my portfolio and my portfolio Web site, and just enjoy the experience. Although, I admit, I was getting tired of not having a job after a month. So when the job offer I accepted came along WITHOUT an interview, I was slightly disappointed but accepted anyways.

6. Breaking from my reliance on some close friends

This was really hard, but this year I found myself in a situation where the couple people I really depended on or turned to either weren't around or didn't seem to want to be in my life. I'd find myself breaking down without them or even resulting to my humorous but somewhat drastic measures to make contact or bring them back to me. This was really sad, but I've come to terms with things and I guess that's fine.

5. Feeling increased gratitude for my life, trials and blessings

This pretty much speaks for itself, but I've been loving life lately and I'm grateful for everything and everyone in my life.

4. 2008 Summer Songs

I've posted about this a bunch. This was a great experience this year and I've loved keeping this little personal tradition alive.

3. Florida trip

When I was 10 years old, I moved away from Tallahassee, Florida. And for several years after that whenever I had a wish to make (birthdays, wishing wells, shooting stars, etc.), I wished to go to Florida with all my friends and a million bucks. Yea, it was one big wish. But this June I kinda had that elementary-aged wish come true. Except for the million bucks part. My childhood friend from Tallahassee who also later began a college roommate—Jenna Rhames—got married in Orlando this June and most of our friends all traveled to Florida for the event. We had a blast hanging out, swimming, going to Disneyworld and, of course at the wedding!

2. My first full-time job

I've had mixed thoughts about moving back to Utah Valley but am happy to say that I have really enjoyed my job and that it is treating me well. I love a set 40-hour week, paid time off and of course holiday bonuses.

1. Internship with the Church magazines

This was something I wasn't sure about when I first went it, but it ended up being an awesome experience. I got to spend some time on the staff of a very professional magazine with an international audience. I got to write all kinds of articles, get experience with Web writing and publishing and edit talks from—who?—General Authorities. I got to help put out the conference issue, attend conference in the press room and even interview General Authorities. Plus I got to run into famous Mormon people all over the place.

Christmas Spudnuts

Christy and I carried on our family tradition this year by embarking on the adventure of making sputnuts....all by ourselves.

I don't think either of us had ever made the dough before....or even watched the dough be made. So that was definitely an experience as neither of us had any idea what we were doing as we mashed potatoes, mixed in flour and hoped it worked out.

We had lots of fun and got a little inventive in making it work. The best part was using a piece of a lamp (we think) that we found in a drawer to make the center hole. Oh, and picking out chunks of potato from the dough...we didn't anticipate that.

But the outcome was fantastic! Check out Christy's blog post for pictures. Part 1 and Part 2

P.S. my sisters and I also have a tradition of linking to each other's blogs for stories that concern us all....Ruthie tends to do it best as the usual (self-acclaimed) last one to post by sending readers on a three-way link.

great marriage advice....

I’m sitting here at work listening to a conversation a coworker is having with my direct supervisor.

Now this supervisor is kinda, just kinda, anti-marriage. I think he’s been divorced twice and is now living the bachelor life.

Over the break this coworker got married. Congrats right? Well at first, this supervisor offers congratulations….but then goes on to say:

“So do you have any regrets yet?”

awkwardly responds “Haha….nope”

“Come on, you are just being nice—you guys have probably had the divorce talk”

“Naw. Well did it snow a lot down here?”... trying to change the subject

“Oh yea. Well listen, you’ve got to prepare for that doomsday. Start a separate bank account that she doesn’t know about. And…and don’t tell her about…. Oh and you can tell her you are sterile, but really go get your tubes tied, and then you don’t have to worry about kids. And somehow you should try to divorce her right before you die, and she’ll think you are still married for eternity but you’ll be free….hmm what other good advice do I have for you…”

silence

“Uh yea, the snow was crazy huh”

my poor poor favorite Susie

These pics are Susie's face...if you couldn't tell. Christmas day brought her a ton of joy when some stupid bums of human beings cut her off in their shiny red car about a block from her house. One guy stepped out, swung at her face, grapped her purse and they took off.

Luckily she wasn't hurt worse. But still, sad crappy ending of the day for Susie. And she still hasn't gotten my Christmas package!!

The main things in her purse were her digital camera, with all her Cmas pics, her glasses and her running shoes.

Summer Songs 2008

Summer Songs 2008 is here. I am officially announcing the finished products: The Songs in my Head, The Lyrics of my Life.

I am especially proud of these compilations. From the music to the artists and from the selection process to the finished "artwork," everything that has gone into these this year has almost definitely been above and beyond years past. I believe the songs that made the final cut weren't even half of the songs nominated. :) I love using words like "nominated" for this very important and official project. Each year in Summer Songs' history has shown vast improvement and further excellence from the previous years. (And for those still waiting for 2006 and 2007, keep in mind that I am judging this by an overall process from the first step to the latest step...not the various missteps in the middle. lol) And that's not to say the first year wasn't amazing either...because it was! I loved the first year (2004) and birth of Summer Songs. And I'm extremely happy that it is still continuing today. This is almost five years later.

And with that, here's a listing of the songs on each cd:


I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed putting them together. There are a lot of really cool artists on here that I know you will hear about in the future. And there are a few who you might not otherwise hear about, but who are probably greater than the others.

My starting plan for this site is to establish set publishing days on which I will feature a different artists from these track listings. While there were a couple artists or groups who got a track on each cd, there were many others who had song great songs that I had difficultly choosing from. (And that's on top of the artists that got cut altogether.) So that's for starters.

Since I found these songs and artists in various ways in the past summer (and a bit before), I have heard a few of the lesser known ones played on the radio, albeit very seldomly. But that's probably going to continue to grow. To date, I've heard, Paramore's "That's What you Get," The Hint's, "Remember (No One Said It Would Be Easy)," Thriving Ivory's "Angels on the Moon," Eric Hutchinson's "Rock and Roll," and a few others.

Using this site, I hope I can help others find some great new artists to listen to. Thanks!

So Contagious

Marisa and I did this a little while ago and she just sent me my results that she had written down. Some of them are pretty funny; I highlighted my favorites.

1. Put your iPod (or music player) on shuffle
2. For each question, press the next button to get the answer
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY OR SICK IT SOUNDS

---
1.IF SOMEONE SAYS, "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY?
“It’s a Complicated Mess” Debra Arlyn

2.WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
"You Belong With Me” Taylor Swift

[This says nothing about my stalker tendencies...nothing]

3.WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
"I’m Still Here” Vertical Horizon

4.WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
"Hard Livin’” Railroad Earth

5.WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
“Take It Like A Man” from Legally Blonde

6.WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
"Roses and Butterflies” Making April

7.WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
“Suppose” Secondhand Serenade

8.WHAT IS 2+2?
"The Old Apartment” Barenaked Ladies

9.WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
"Way Back Into Love” from Music and Lyrics

10.WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
"Umbrella” Marie Digby

11.WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
"Don’t Know Why” Norah Jones

12.WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
"It’s Your Love” Tim McGraw

13.WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
"You’ve Got A Way” Shania Twain

14.WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
"Don’t Give Up On Me” Daniel Powter

15.WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
"Softer To Me” RelientK

16.WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
"Almost Perfect” Ingram Hill

17.WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
"I Am Not For Me” Fire By Night

18.WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
"Can’t Fight The Moonlight” LeAnn Rimes

19.WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
"So Close” Jon McLaughlin

20.WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
"Love Came Down At Christmas” Jars of Clay

21.HOW WILL YOU DIE?
"Dreaming Under The Same Moon” Julianne Hough

22.WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
"Candle (Sick and Tired)” The White Tie Affair

23.WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
"Brothers and Sisters” Dave Barnes

24.WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
"Play” Matt White

25.WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?
"When You Say Nothing At All” Ronan Keating

26.WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?
"Legally Blonde Remix” from Legally Blonde

27.DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?
"All We Are” OneRepublic

28.IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
"The Way I Feel” Matt Wertz

29.WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
"Love of A Lifetime” Lifehouse

30.WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
“So Contagious” Acceptance

[It IS so contagious...just try it, you'll see...hehe]

my work is an interesting place :)

The following is an email from the VP of the company I work for:
---
Subject: A strange, yet intriguing opportunity

On next Tuesday, the destruction of the old Xerox printer will take place. The verdict reached was that the printer was guilty of dereliction of duty, the penalty for this crime is death by firing squad. You are hereby summoned to participate as a member of said firing squad. Some weapons will be provided, but if you would like to supply your own 12 gauge shotgun, ammo will be provided. We would request that you leave your weapon in your car when you come to work. Thank you for your willingness to fulfill your civic duty.

-The Management

--

I thought that was all, but no, it goes on with a response from the president of the company:

--

This will be a formal firing squad ceremony. The proceedings will be video taped for documentation purposes and posted on YouTube. Please write a fitting execution summary and the defendant's crimes and the justification for the high penalty.

This summary will be read aloud before the condemned is executed.

Thanks,



P.S. I need two volunteers with mini DV format camcorders to tape the event.

Summary of Charges:

• The printer was purchased for $7000 in February 2004
• It had a 24 month warranty
• In March of 2006 the Xerox representative said that it would cost more to fix than to replace
• We spend $26500 on toner during that time
• Although it printed high quality images most of the time it was generally cheeky to work with
• It has been awaited execution on death row now for nearly three years and the time has come

Work Christmas Party

I meant to post this in one of my other posts…hehe. But, seeing as it was late, I seemed to forget.

It’s just a slightly funny, tiny story. So at the end of our party, which was in SLC at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building in the Harmony Room with a perfect view of the temple out the window, my boss got up to make the final announcements. He thanked the performers (he’s in the bishopric of a BYU ward and one of the members of Laugh Out Loud is in his ward, so they came to perform for us but under the name of HD Comedy, their non-byusa name) and proceeded to thank us all for a great year and whatnot.

Then he starts handing out our Christmas bonuses. He has a stack of envelopes and is facing the approximate 50 employees and family members in the room. So it’s not really that big. But he’s a funny guy and not your normal “professional” so he natural just starts chucking the envelopes at the intended recipient in the room. So envelopes are flying.

He comes to my name. “Karianne.” I raise my head so he can see where I am and fully expect that green envelope to start flying my way.

He looks over, sees me and proceeds to walk across the room to personally deliver that envelope directly to my hand. No small tosses or anything. As he walked towards me, he says “Oh Karianne's sweet, so I won’t throw it.”

I was the only one who got that treatment in the entire room, even with people who were really close. I kinda thought it was funny. Hehe

But my favorite part was inside the card (and no, I’m not talking about the gift card.)

Inside the card read:

Karianne—
You are so sweet! Thanks for all the editing.
We could float this boat without you.

Merry Christmas


And no, that’s not a typo :)

my posting spree

If you haven't noticed, I kinda went on a posting spree tonight. Really, it's been building up for the past couple weeks and I've half written blogs but never had then time to finish or actually publish. Actually, a few of the thoughts haven't stumbled further than my poor little brain where they originated. So you might say I've been going crazy with random blog thoughts occupying all of the brain space needed for a relaxed mind.

So tonight I sat down on my bouncy ball used as a chair at my desk and dedicated my evening to updating my blog, concluding my thoughts and breaking free from the measely December (1) posting that rested above the only blog I had posted this month. I'm telling you, I have big plans coming up....but not enough time to nurture them.

P.S. Add a chair for my room to my Christmas list.

But it's 1:30 and I work in the morning so I'm going to force myself to sign off.

tatas

If I had a thousand dollars...

sung to the tune of Barenaked Ladies, "If I Had a Million Dollars"

Well, I've been pretty excited since last night and here's the reason why: I received my Christmas bonus (in the form of a Walmart gift card to avoid pulling taxes out of it) for, WHAT, 1,000 dollars!

Seriously that's like 10 times more than the highest I expected. Talk about a pleasant surprise. Since this is a Walmart gift card, my options are slightly limited. After all, as my Dear Santa post illustrates, I would LOVE to buy a brand new Mac book...but unless someone has a quick way to turn Walmart money into Apple money, I may have to pursue other options. I even thought about completely paying off the mere remainder of my student loans, but hey, I can't cuz it's a gift card. Too bad.

Yes, I could use that card to buy my groceries and household needs for who knows how long, but how fun is that. I have NEVER had this much money at my free disposal before (it kinda freaks me out) and I really want to just splurge and get myself something that I probably would never get otherwise.

My top option right now: A flat screen t.v.

Second choice: A nice SLR camera that I can use to really deepen my photographic interest...this is one skill I would love to have...but I don't know if having the equipment would be enough to provide the skill, although I'd also love to take reaall photography classes or what not.

Ideally, I want to use this money in the best way and to cover as many options as possible. Right now I'm considering maybe using $500 for a t.v., $200 for a normal (but nicer than what I have) digital camera, and the remaining $300 for odds and ends (see Santa letter) and other things that I've been wanting but never got around to buying.

I've already asked one friend who's quite well-versed in t.v. language and she might help me make a decision in that regard. What do you think? What are my best options? Any ideas of instead getting a macbook? Input welcome, I'm not good at spending this much money. AH!

American Crafts Warehouse Sale

OK I have mentioned this to a few people, but if you haven't heard about this amazing sale and are any bit of a scrapbooker or crafter...THIS IS A MUST ATTEND. It goes through THIS friday, Dec. 20

American Crafts is a scrapbooking product company that is typically only sold wholesale to businesses. But, for the first time in about 10 years, the company is opening up their warehouse to everyone for an AMAZING sale for all. And when I say amazing, I mean this is the best crafty sale I have ever been to or heard about.

Some of my personal favorite items include
12x12 cardstock packs (60 sheets, heavy weight) = $6, retails about 20+
8x8 cardstock packs (and smaller) = $3
12x12 patterned paper theme pages (6o sheets, medium weight) = $3 retails about 20+
12x12 double sided patterned paper (100 sheets) = $3 retails 40+

There are tons of albums all priced under $8, the price for 12x12. This is awesome. Plus they offer the ring binding instead of the post binding which drives me crazy.

I also picked up 8x8 protector sheet packs of 10 for only 25 cents. AWESOME! And I don't usually use much ribbon. But they have TONS of ribbon on sale for 2 for $1 plus better deals if you buy more. This didn't seem like that great of a deal to me, but I did get a couple my first round in, and let me tell you, this ribbon is NICE. You won't find this value for this price ever.

I also wound up with some of their "Thickers" which are their alphabet sticker letters. Again, I don't usually use these (they are typically pretty expensive and I'm fine just cutting letters out of paper myself ;)) But this deal I couldn't turn down. I got a package of 10, and I repeat 10, letter sticks for what? $5 That's 5o cents each compared to appx 4.50 each.

And here's the best part. I am definitely getting my moneys worth. You see, I went to this sale for the first time I think last friday when it open. I spent about $20 bucks and got tons of awesome stuff. Plus, I had received $5 off because they are promoting the sale through word of mouth so if you call three people and tell them about it and show the clerk your call log, they will give you the discount. AND THEN!!!...then, they give you a $5 off coupon (no requirements) that you can use throughout the remainder of the sale.

Did I mention that this place is RIGHT by my house. Like literally one minute away...plus I drive past it on my way home from work. So what do I do? I stop by every day after work and pick out about $6 of the incredible price-slashed products, check out, present my bounce back coupon, pay about $1.07, and then hear the cashier say, as he or she hands my back my folded and crickled coupon, "And I'll just give this back to you so you can keep coming back and use it."

Yes that's right. The coupon is re-usable. And since I live so close, I'm definitely able to do so. Haha I've chatted about this with a couple of their workers and they support it so I don't feel like I'm cheating.

Anyways, there's tons of stuff—way more than I've mentioned...it just depends on what you are interested in. Plus, I've seen a variety of different stuff each of the many times I've stopped by so far. (Three days left, whup whup). Today is when I found the 100 pack of double sided paper for 3 bucks. Saturday I got a couple packs of paper for only 25 cents. Seriously I'm gonna be stocked up on my crafty goods for a while.

Maybe this will help me start one of my ideas for an etsy.com shop.

Maybe not.

Stop by this sale before Friday.

Shamrock 19 premiers!!!

So I just chatted with my little bro, oh how I love that kid, and I found out some super exciting details.

Mckay is a drummer in the band Shamrock 19. Myspace link with posted songs (This name comes from the initial practice location being at our house off of Shamrock Road and the fact that the band, being made up of LDS guys, would have to break up when they all turned 19 and went to serve missions for the LDS church.

(sorry this picture's color is distorted, I don't know why...but you get the idea. McKay is front and center)

When I was home this May, I got to see them perform quite a bit at different events. So the most exciting thing is that Mckay told me that the band was found on Myspace and invited to perform at the 9:30 Club on February 5th!!!!!!!

ISN'T THAT FREAKING AWESOME.

The 9:30 Club! I mean, this is pretty well known in D.C. I went there after my high school graduation (although I admit, I wasn't as into it then...sorry guys) And pretty much anyone from that area knows it. In fact, as I was looking at the listing of performances I saw The Fray, Jimmy Eat World, Katy Perry, 3 Doors Down, Switchfoot and others.

And well, then I stumbled onto the performace listing for February and there on the date of FEb. 5, the day McKay said they are performing, is who? JAMES MORRISON

You might not know him, but I've been listening to his latest album for a couple months now and the guys good. How random that I know the guy that Mckay's basically opening for....if that's how it's all worked out, I don't know.

So check out James Morrison; I like the "You Make it Real" track.

And so....I'm seriously thinking about flying out to D.C. for all this in Feb. Plus Susie will be back from Spain and maybe I can play with her for a few days before she leaves for her mission. I checked out tickets and they are only about $200 so I guess we shall see. Anyways, exciting stuff...go Mckay and Shamrock 19. facebook group

Rock and Roll

This week you can download Eric Hutchinson's music video for his single "Rock and Roll" FREE from iTunes.

And yes that link goes directly to the video.

This was the first song that got me interested in this artist. While my favorite song of his is now "Oh!" (as released on Summer Songs 2008: The Lyrics of My Life), "Rock and Roll" and "OK, It's Alright With Me," were my original favorites. Yep, they were even featured on my handy-dandy sidebar that it STILL up. Yea I need to update that.

So I just thought I'd share!

Dear Santa,

Dear Santa,

Well, it's officially beginning to look a lot like Christmas. And that's the true. We've just had a bunch of snow dumped on us (conveniently the one day someone steals my covered parking spot and I don't have the nerve to call the towing people to have them move it). Plus my room is covered with Christmas wrapping paper and remains from the various art projects I've started and completed. (Yay for Christmas crafty presents). Well this year has been an exciting and interesting year. And yes, I think I've been very good this year. I've been wanting to write this letter for a while, but somehow other things seem to get in the way.

I don't expect much this Christmas but there are a few things I'm hoping might come my way. Whether, in reality or even just in my dreams for the future. So Santa, remember these aren't things I expect to receive for my long year of always remaining on the "Good List" (right??). They are just suggestions, ideas or merely information about the kinds of things that interest me.

1. A Macbook...I know, I know, I already have a computer and a nice one at that. But hey, as cool as iMacs are...macbooks are pretty cool too. This would be nice. Although I'd feel guilty and probably want to sell my desktop. And, well, my desktop is oh so pretty. Maybe you can throw in some better internet service with this. :)

2. Recipe books. Seriously, I need them. One that interest me is "Hungry Girl: Recipes and Survival Strategies for Guilt-Free Eating in the Real World." I subscribe to this blog and get daily emails about different recipes and products. It would be nice to have a handy dandy book that holds everything.

3. A white dresser with lots of drawers or storage space. I've been looking for one of these for ever. But they haven't stumbled my way. I don't want one that I have to put together, because, well...that seems hard. But I have tons of stuff and want to better organize it. Seriously, I am soo a clean person stuck in a messy person's body. If that makes sense.

4. A ceramic and really nice straigtener. This is something I've had on my list for a while. But it has kinda lost importance as I do my hair less and less. But maybe this will change that.

5. A flat griddle...for cooking pancakes and such! Haha, so I came really close to having one of these. I bought one on Black Friday but in the end, it was much smaller than the box made it seem. So I returned it and am still in search of the perfect griddle.

6. Magazine Subscriptions - given that I want to go into the magazine world, I think it's smart and a good justification to subscribe to a few magazines. I'm currently subscribed to Self but would love some random subscriptions (or normal ones) to things like NextStep, a publication for high school students preparing to graduate and for, well, their next step in life, or Eliza, a magazine based out of L.A. that boasts a "modest but modern fashion" tagline. So it's not one of those skanky "worldly" magazines. hehe.

7. A love sac. Oh, that would just be fun. lol

Santa, I am really stretching for ideas here. I honestly am in a good place in life where I can usually manage to get the things I really want for myself. Of course, a girl always loves lotions, chapstick, socks! haha, movies and other such items. But I'm grateful for where I am, that I have loved family and friends and that I am continually being blessed beyond my deservance.

Santa, bless those in need...hopefully everyone can feel as overwhelmed with "gifts" and love as I have felt.

Summer Songs complete

Summer Songs 2008 is here. I am officially announcing the finished products: The Songs in my Head, The Lyrics of my Life. (See Cover Art)

I am especially proud of these compilations. From the music to the artists and from the selection process to the finished "artwork," everything that has gone into these this year has almost definitely been above and beyond years past. I believe the songs that made the final cut weren't even half of the songs nominated. :) I love using words like "nominated" for this very important and official project. Each year in Summer Songs' history has shown vast improvement and further excellence from the previous years. (And for those still waiting for 2006 and 2007, keep in mind that I am judging this by an overall process from the first step to the latest step...not the various missteps in the middle. lol) And that's not to say the first year wasn't amazing either...because it was! I loved the first year (2004) and birth of Summer Songs. And I'm extremely happy that it is still continuing today. This is almost five years later.

And with that, here's a listing of the songs on each cd:

I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed putting them together. There are a lot of really cool artists on here that I know you will hear about in the future. And there are a few who you might not otherwise hear about, but who are probably greater than the others.

For those you don't already know, I'm planning to start a music blog of sorts where I can use my more journalistic writing skills and such. My starting plan for this site is to establish set publishing days on which I will feature a different artists from these track listings. While there were a couple artists or groups who got a track on each cd, there were many others who had several great songs that I had difficultly choosing from. (And that's on top of the artists that got cut altogether.) So that's for starters. I did hope to have my music blog ready to launch around the same time I officially released the Summer Songs cds this year...although several of you have already been exposed to the final product. (And that's why it's taken so long to put this up. They've been done for a while, I promise.) But because my internet access has been lacking, I haven't quite had the time or the resources to get everything up and going like I would like. So my new plan is the beginning of 2009. Whup whup baby.

Since I found these songs and artists in various ways in the past summer (and a bit before), I have heard a few of the lesser known ones played on the radio, albeit very seldomly. But that's probably going to continue to grow. To date, I've heard, Paramore's "That's What you Get," The Hint's, "Remember (No One Said It Would Be Easy)," Thriving Ivory's "Angels on the Moon," Eric Hutchinson's "Rock and Roll," and a few others. And I'm proud to say I started listening to those songs months, and I mean months, before word really started getting around. So yay! Let me know if you want any more info in the meantime. Enjoy.

imeem

Wow, it's already December! That jumped up on me...crazy. I've had so much I've wanted to post in the past week or so, but haven't. So that's too bad for you I suppose. Or maybe you are grateful. :)

But the reason I am taking this short break during work today (and it will be short I promise) is to try to petition more friends on imeem.

For those who don't know, imeem is a music playlist site where you can basically search for any song, oftentimes whole cds, and stream the music online. It's pretty cool, especially if you want to check out a particular artist's music or preview a cd you are interested in. Plus you can make your own playlists of music to listen to at any time. PLUS you can make friends and also listen to THEIR playlists.

Which is why I am here. For some reason instead of listening to my ever-growing library of music on this computer (I'm at work), I often just open this site and listen to my playlists...or the playlists of my friends--well, make that friend.

That's right...I only have one friend on imeem!!! And since I like listening to my friend's playlists, this is kinda limited. Sooooo, if you do have an imeem profile, please add me! Remember, you also get the advantage of listening to my spectacular taste in music, haha...uuuuhhh.

If you don't have a profile, you can easily make one and then go to this Find Friends site on imeem and search for friends via their email address. By the way, my profile is off of the email address summersonging@gmail.com (Uh, I'll hopefully explain that later).

So let's be friends! If you don't use imeem, you should check it out, especially if you spend as much time at a computer as I do...or not! If you already use it, add me please...Really.

To offer just an example, here's a playlist I made yesterday when I was in the mood for some broadway tunes. It includes the Wicked and Hairspray soundtrack, some tracks from Rent and Moulin Rouge, plus the Legally Blonde the Musical soundtrack. (I admit, I was surprised that I liked it...and yes, I first heard it on someone else's playlist.)



OK that's it. Back to work!

forgetfulness

OK so this is random. I've had a couple thoughts about pet peeves for a while now. I just never get around to posting about them. I can't remember what some of the past ones have been. (But no worries, when they happen, I'm sure I will remember.) But I do have a recent one.

Now I know this happens to us all, but my pet peeve of the moment is people who are typically ALWAYS very forgetful. Like you can't really depend on them or expect them to follow through on things because, well, they forgot.

Is it really that hard...like, I mean on a daily basis to remember things from the day before. To remember an event coming up that you talk about every day. I mean, I'm not upset about this type of thing or anything...it's more of an amusing, "I'm perplexed by you" type of thing.

And no, :), I'm not gonna text or call you to remind you about certain things that you should remember on your own. Well, maybe I'll give you a couple days notice. But not every day, not every hour. Step it up. Get some memory.

another concert

OK OK here are some pics from my most recent concert...Ingram Hill. Me and my friend Gabe went and it was fun! When we got there, the group of girls in front of us actually ended up being the girls that Grace currently lives with. So that was kinda random but kinda fun having other people we knew there. The venue was Kilby Court (same place as the Eric Hutchinson and Marie Digby concert) so, yes, it was really small. There were two opening acts beforehand. One girl...whose name I forgot...who I touring with Ingram and who has a pretty voice. Just nothing memorable for me, uh, obviously. The second guy was actually a local kid who was getting ready to go on his mission. Like this would be the last concert he would do before he took off to serve in good old North Carolina. He was good, kinda quirky, and kinda sad because he was sick and felt all sorry about his performance cuz he couldn't hit high or low notes. There were actually WAY more people there for him than how many stayed for the main event...I just don't understand why they didn't stay. The performer guy did.

But then it was time for Ingram Hill. Most people don't know them. They had a couple bigger hits like in 2004 or 2005. Remember Almost Perfect or Will I Ever Make it Home?? Their album Cold in California came out in 2007 and apparently they are working on another to come out in 2009. The band is from Tennessee and they had a good ol southern accent to show for it. The lead singer, Justin, was pretty funny and it was very fun watching him perform. Yes he's married and not my typical type of attractive but with his goofy smile, slightly tight white shirt and obvious muscles, how could a girl like myself not somewhat swoon?? ;) JKJK....

Oh..I wish I remember some other things he said but once he was like, "So I called over Dave (or some other name for the reaalllly attractive guitar tech ;)) and went to whisper in his ear and everyone else got quiet like I was whispering in THEIR ear, so I had to even more quiet and was basically just whispering. I don't even know if he got what I said.".....all in his Southern accent.

Fearless

the call

So Susie received her mission call! I was one of the first people she told so she asked me not to tell anyone else...so that she could tell them first. So I held off for a while, meaning that I only told people who wouldn't hear from her directly anyways. Plus, I informed them I wasn't supposed to tell anyone.

I think she must have made most of her calls. My sister Christianne posted about Susie's call. So you can see it there.


I'm very excited for her. But I am sad that she won't be in the Provo MTC at all. :(

even more random

I’m wanting to write a post but I absolutely have no idea what to write about. Really, my mind is blank. I start a topic, get a sentence, and then have nothing more. There are no words.

Today is Tuesday. Yay. I’m gonna meet up with Grace for dinner and such and then I think we are either going to a gym class or doing plyometrics with Willie and a friend. I’ve never done a full plyometrics workout…just certain elements in other things…so I’m not sure how that will turn out. But it’s fun hanging out with them either way. Grace and I were chatting yesterday about we wish we still lived together. Oh the good times. Yes, I miss Grace as a roommate. Especially when I think the replacement is slightly weird. Haha.

Yesterday was Monday. Random day. My friend Marisa randomly ended up meeting my old friend Klark. She was telling me this story and just so happened to mention that one guy’s name was Klark. Yes, she spelled it with a K and that kinda set me off. Not many guys start their names with a K. I inquired further and his last name ended matching up! Randomness. He and I went to private school together for 6th to 8th grade and then continued hanging out periodically until I moved to Virginia after 10th grade. We still kept in touch via e-mails and letters all through high school. He even sent me all of his senior pictures!! Lol. He then went on his mission, I went off to school, and we lost touch. I actually ran into him at a UVSC dance like a year and a half ago and we chatted for like 5…but that’s been the extent of our contact. Now she’s started hanging out with him.

Random thoughts: I used to call him Klarkypoo…I don’t think he enjoyed it much; We kinda randomly held hands probably just once, He always made fun of me for reading the Rachel Ann Nunes, Love on the Run series. Oh, once my class (made up of a total of like 12 of us) did our skit for the Christmas devotional thingy. We performed “The 12 Days After Christmas.” I’m pretty sure this kid dressed up either as a maid-a-milking complete with frilly apron or as a lady dancing with pink flowy tutu.

I think maybe I should post some old school pictures…like plaid uniform, knee-highs and just amazingly fun middle school/private school stuff. I’ll have to scan some but that could be interesting. : )

Speaking of random old friends, I just started texting a friend from VA. We might end up doing something sometime this week…

I’m trying to get people to go to a concert for Ingram Hill this Saturday. We will see if that will happen. Even if other people don’t want to come with me (very possible) I probably still would want to go…I don’t know if I would though. Yea, I wouldn’t.

I actually have recently had a weird desire to go see a movie at a theater by myself sometime. This is something that I normally have no desire to do and that I would ask, “uh, why would someone do that?” But I know a few people who have done it and for some random reason it just started to seem really appealing. Even if it’s just because I can say I’ve done it.

OK these really are some random thoughts. I’m having a hard time with words lately. Maybe it’s because of the ridiculously annoying teacher writers whose work I’ve been editing everyday. Sometimes I question their ability to be teaching the children of our country. Seriously.

the call

Hey so this isn’t about me…but Susie’s mission call is on the way. The call has been made, but she just doesn’t know what it is yet. I guess the mission office called Virginia to make sure that they really were supposed to send the call to Spain. So Susie should receive it in the next week or so. Susie made some comment on her blog that she might not open it for a little while when she gets it…I don’t think she could really go through with that, but I have been doing what I can to make her anxious and excited enough and that has to open it immediately and then call me, no matter the time in good ‘ol Utah. For the past week, every time I talk to her I ask, “So have you got your call yet?” even though I know it’s not possible…but I just want her to be thinking about it so she doesn’t hesitate to tell me! It’s kinda mean, I know.

Susie didn’t want to do one of those “lame” Guess-where-I’m-going-on-my-mission facebook groups…but if you have a guess, leave it here! I’m excited to see where she will be going.

sometimes

Quote of the Day:

Susie: oo no idotlatly goet

Karianne: totally forgot?

Susie is known for not having the best typing skills...or at least not caring about typing correctly. I admit, I'm following her example more and more. Especially when I'm chatting at work and feel guilty putting tons of effort into it and correcting errors that mostly come from the darn keyboard where the space bar and a couple other buttons keep sticking!! Anyways...this exchange happened today and I must say I was pretty impressed with myself for knowing Susie well enough to correctly interpret her meaning.

---

I have a couple blog post drafts that I haven't gotten around to publishing. So I imagine a couple will be way past relevant but I will probably still put them up in the next couple days...just a warning.

This is gonna be my most random post in a while.

Sometimes life just gets the best of me. Things are going good and all of the sudden I just break down. It's hard to explain how this happens because there's not usually a warning or any particular reason that pulls me away from a somewhat-positive outlook. But it's in these moments that I feel weak and vulnerable. It's in these moments where I don't feel adequate, where I wish I could be stronger, I wish I could be different. It's hard to embrace because most of the time I truly am positive and happy about life. But then I let my faults take over. I see weakness and let it take control. I blame myself and these weaknesses for the things going wrong, for the things I can't do and the things I can't accomplish.

One explanation is that I get frustrated of who I am and the bounds of my comfort zone that I want to burst through. I see what I want to be but also see the hurdles and opposition in my way. I wish things were different, I wish I could change, I wish that I could just overcome the boundaries that hold me back from who I really want to be.

At FHE tonight, the lesson giver shared this quote. I don't think it matches my thoughts at all but was a nice reminder that it really is only myself who is holding me back...still, I wish I could break free.

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light not our darkness which frightens us. "

--
Sometimes I hate feeling like I have to defend or stand up for my life, to make it seem worthwhile to those around me. To feel like I have to convince people that I'm happy and content. Or when they are dying to break through my exterior attitude to find what they are sure is underneath. I hate feeling that people are judging me because maybe the things that are currently making me happy aren't things they personally care about. Or that the things that make them happy aren't as prominent in my life. Does that make sense at all? Maybe I'm too sensitive. Oh, I also hate worrying about saying something that maybe is not so positive...because sometimes people think you are breaking down and your whole life is crumbling because of that one expression of negativity. We all have moments of weakness don't we? That doesn't mean we dwell on them.

--
Sometimes I hate the idea of making new friends. Again this probably turns back to the breaking out of comfort zones thing but these days I've found that I can be so comfortable continuing to deepen relationships between old friends...while I can struggle to reach out to new ones. Sometimes it's hard, at least for me. Some people don't seem to have that problem. Some people can completely let loose and truly be who they are after only first meeting people. I'm discovering my own shyness more and more. I've always been quiet...at least when people first know me. But I've always interpreted that to be, well I'm quiet but I'm not shy...meaning that I'm not uncomfortable in situations but simply don't always want to release the loud part of me just yet. But these days, I think the shyness factor is contributing more and more. And sometimes people don't care to learn more.

--
Sometimes I disappoint myself when I'm more into something or more exciting about things that the others around me. I start to think that for some reason I have to care more than they do. I have to put more effort because more is at stake for me.

--

ugh, this has been surprisingly a downer of a post. Sorry about that. It really wasn't planned like that. Lol, maybe tomorrow I'll post more positively...although I actually have a few of those saved ones to put up.

Songs of the Hour: Debra Arlyn, Fine and Let it Go
(I love this singer!)

a few weeks lata

***Hehe, this post is kinda old...I found it in my drafts and thought I'd better publish. Sorry it's seemingly outdated and redundant of many other thoughts I also read.

I am looking forward to the next few years. We are in an exciting time. Historic things are happening and we all get to be a part of that for better or worse.

America is a great country; we all believe that regardless of our political relationships. And perhaps we can look to the examples of such men from even our country's founding who fought and debated and finally accepted and supported the outcome...they set the character that has become part of the American way.

There has almost always been a party system in our country and with that come elections where candidate are forced to work against one another. In the end however, these great men and women have most always displayed such virtuous character in this regard. They put their country first and with that put their support with the elected representatives of our country. We the people, by the people, for the people. Ones personal aspirations do not compare with the country's aspirations, as determined by the democratic process.

I enjoyed McCain's closing speech. He, like the leaders before him, showed dignity and grace, and reflected the importance of once again joining together as a country——all under the leadership of our new to be president.

At first I was shocked at some of the immediate backlash towards the result of the election. Perhaps it was upsetting that the race wasn't nearly as close as some expected. (I heard one comment that said we probably wouldn't know the results for 2 days because it'd be so close....uh, 9 p.m. baby!) Perhaps that's what I should have expected here in Utah.

But let me go back...I was shocked. Maybe I'm naive. Maybe I'm not passionate enough. But I have to just sit back, breathe in, force a chuckle, and remind myself of some of my own thoughts from a couple posts back. Everyone is entitled to their opinion...they all have come to their personal opinions for good, personal reasons. And that's what I have to tell myself.

At the same time, I am a little disappointed in the lack of faith some are showing for our country. The notion that there won't be a country worth waking up to. That we have doomed ourselves. That we should move to Canada or even work on an immediate impeachment. Yes, I recognize that much of this is hyperbole stemming from high emotions and somewhat meaningless comments.

But we are here today in the world and the America that we have created for ourselves. While this has been quite a historic election from start to end, this election follows the example established before us. Every four years holds an opportunity for some serious upheaval and dissatisfaction with an elections results. And while things may not be perfect, has the history of past elected presidents, where much of the country may not have initially supported that person, really turned America into a place with a future as horrible as some make it out to be?

I am rambling here...and I know there are faults and holes in my statements that I should have looked more thoroughly into. But I hope some of my thoughts have been adequately expressed. I am proud to be living in America today. I have proud to have participated in this election and exercised my right to vote. I'm proud that I took the opportunity to look into the character and research the political histories of each person I voted for. And I'm proud that I didn't let any party sway my vote. (I'm pretty sure I ended up covering democrat, republican, libertarian, constitution...) I'm proud that people are excited about politics and the country...and I hope that sticks around.

In response to Susie's comments, I too do not think we are headed for 4 years of doom and destruction. While I can't predict what will happen, I am confident that if we each do our part, we can all help be a part of the progress to come.

I look forward to the years of growth, unity and an increasing positive attitude.

elections-student style

Election week is here. But the day before we get the real results, students across the nation are going to the polls, or more accurately their computer labs, to cast a vote in a student election for the next president of the United States.

This election is taking part through the company I work for, Studies Weekly (under American Legacy Publishing) and is the largest student election of any sort to ever take place. Millions of students across the country will be participating. (The goal is 4 million) And yes, Guinness may be getting involved. With that said, it may be interesting to visit this site sometime today to see how things are turning out. While the numbers won't be significant to really show accurate stats, these students are highly likely to vote for the same candidate their parents are supporting.

Studies Weekly Election Results

P.S. Purple means the state is tied, gray means no one in that state has voted yet.

**UPDATE**P.P.S. Well it looks like there were some errors in the voting yesterday. Only 800,000 votes were recorded but based on page views apparently we should have counted about 6 million. That is more in line with the company expectations so they are continuing to allow the students to vote today--the real election day.

the politics of life

I am officially sick of politics. Luckily most of the drama will be over shortly…well, for now. I read a lot about the issues and different people’s opinions, and frankly I’m frustrated. I hate the judgments. I hate the generalizations. I hate that people turn against one another.

Everyone has their own reasons to support whomever they want to support. Some are more openly passionate than others, but that in no way means someone makes a decision lightly, uneducated, or without much thought. Granted, yes there are some people who may do this but ultimately something, somewhere, at some point in their life has shaped what their decision is. Whether that decision changes based on circumstances, whether they are open to re-evaluating…well that’s their decision and criticizing, name calling, and any type of demeaning them and their decision is low and unnecessary. Make your own decisions, support it when you can, answer questions, and be open to nonjudgmental, educational and civilized types of conversation and discussion. If someone cannot accept that others don’t completely agree with him or her, how can they not be described as egotistical, closed-minded, or even prehistoric?

Cultivating new ideas is how we improve and how advancement in our society comes. I’m not saying new ideas are always the best thing, but if we don’t learn to think outside the box and encourage exploration of thought, we would never get anywhere. Don’t disrespect ideas. In my life I’ve found that the best educational opportunities are those where you can sit down and try to understand a different point of view and likewise help someone else try to understand yours. Whether for religion, politics, or even relationships, both sides will likely come out better. You don’t have to agree with each other, but I think respect is essential.

I’m frustrated that people will automatically make assumptions about someone’s decision without recognizing that that person has probably personally weighed the pros and cons and decided based on the things they personally deem most important. Maybe I’m stretching here, but I don’t think its unreasonable in the political world to assume people recognize that things might not be 100 percent perfect, or that a candidate might not have 100 percent of the “perfect” political history and beliefs. Even when people share the same beliefs and values, they may rank importance and evaluate outcomes differently. We live in an imperfect world—take it or leave it.

In the LDS context, oh how sick I am of people saying you can’t be a good member of the church if you support this candidate or that candidate. How sick I am of the degrading comments that someone “knows nothing about anything,” that the young people are jumping on a trendy bandwagon they will later regret, that one decision will ultimately lead to 4 years of doom and destruction.

Make a decision for the right reasons for you personally. Respect that others may agree or disagree.

costumes costumes costumes

It's Halloween Eve and I'm scrambling...I have no costume and am facing some awkward peer pressure to dress up at work tomorrow. I haven't really thought about a costume at all because I didn't even think about dressing up this year. But alas, here it is the night before and I shoould have something but I don't.

So I'm sitting on the floor in front of my closet. Hoping that if I stare long enough, something will pop out at me and I will know what to wear tomorrow. So far nothings happened.

In the meantime, I think of some of my costumes from past years...maybe I can pull a repeat right? Unfortunately anything simple and easy isn't coming. Anything I might have been able to pull off a while ago requires some prominent article of clothing that I no longer have.

I do remember some of my favorite costumes and ideas. Interestingly enough, those costumes were never for me!! Somehow...who knows...I always got pulled into creating the perfect costume for my little sister. So I'd spend weeks on end (ok ok it was probably just a couple days) mastering the perfect costume....only to see it on my sister on the night of nights.

The best one probably has to be the wizard. This is simply because I was able to use it a few times in the next couple years. So my hard work eventually paid of for myself. This costume was made entirely out of purple felt. I made this cool, jaggedy skirt, an awesome cape with a bit of silver lining and glued (or somehow stuck) shiny starts all over it, and I ashioned a tall pointy hat and also covered it with the purple felt and silver stars. We found some great tights for her to wear and Susie was set that year. I made good use of the costume for a Halloween or two plus it was great to use for spirit week at Riverton High School (purple, black and silver baby!!)

The next best was the skunk! I don't think I ever repeated this myself but it was a great costume for Susie. We dressed her all in black. I got some white fuzzy fabric and created a stripe down her back. Then I used a bunch of black material (this also had a white stripe down it) to create a tube-like tail which we stuffed with old newspapers so it was sticking out. It really is unfortunate that I don't still have boxes full of unused fabric at my disposal.

OK...I'm back to staring at my closet.

a little too early...

I know, I know…it is way too early to be listening to Christmas music. And it doesn’t make it any better that I started listening at the beginning of this month. HALLOWEEN was still a month away. ACK!

I don’t usually do this, but I just randomly started craving some Christmas tunes. In fact, right now I’m listening to The Christmas Song by Michael Buble. For some reason I’m just really excited for the holidays this year. I’m not sure why though…everything is gonna be completely different this year but that’s OK. I’m really excited for what it will be. Right now I’m not planning on going back to Virginia but will probably go to Christy’s in Ogden. So I will get to play with my nephews! And holidays are so much more fun for little kids so that will be exciting.

Anyways, my one justification (the only one I can possibly have) for my early music listening, is to find the BEST Christmas music so that when the time comes that I can more regularly and more openly listen to it, I will have the best selection around! I also will probably send Susie a Christmas mix since she will be in Spain all by herself. So I need to get that ready relatively soon.

So let me know if you have any great holiday music suggestions. There are so many out there sung by so many different people. I’m also trying to find some holiday stuff by unknown artists so that’d be cool too.

The songs I’ve been listening to:
(These have players so you can listen if you wish!)

Taylor Swift’s Sounds of the Season
My ABSOLUTE favorite is her version of Silent Night. I actually don’t like the regular version of this song much. I think the melody is boring and you are forced to sing it way too often. So this song mixes it up a little and makes this probably my current No. 1 Christmas song.



Michael Buble’s Let it Snow
I’m only just starting listening to this, but it’s Michael Buble—the perfect voice for some of our classic Christmas songs.



N’Sync’s Home for Christmas
For years, I’ve always heard how great their Christmas CD is. There are a few good ones but I’m realizing that I’m actually not entirely impressed.



Jars of Clay: Drummer Boy
Barenaked Ladies: Jingle Bells
Death Cab for Cutie: Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)
Mariah Carey: All I Want For Christmas is You
Matt Wertz: What Child Is This
Hem: Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

My Heroes Post...

"Who would have thought little **(name) would grow up to change the world? When he was a kid, his dad gave him a pocket watch. ** liked the watch, but he didn't use it to learn about telling time—he used it to learn about how watches work inside. Soon, ** was taking watches apart left and right. Friends and neighbors gave him their watches to take apart and put back together and soon ** had a fair reputation as a watch repairman."

If you are a Heroes watcher and thought that paragraph was talking about Sylar, the show's villian, well, you'd be wrong. But I definitely recognized the connection the first time I read it. Instead, the paragraph is actually about Henry Ford. I thought that was interesting.... (And yes, this is me bringing my work into my blog with me.) Who knows, had Sylar not become evil with all his powers and what not, maybe he would in all actuality be the next Henry Ford...except this time with flying cars and other ideas and processes that dramatically influence the generations to come. Or maybe that's where the writer's are heading...

After all, anyone who's watching the current season was probably baffled when the writer's started spinning Sylar as a good guy. Can he ever really leave his history of the past two seasons behind? But maybe they are really just trying to create some room for Sylar to "grow up to change the world" but in a good, not villian, type of way.

Speaking of random thing's going on in Heroes...well this season has kinda been disappointing. Some friends and I get together every Monday evening, after recording the show, to watch. And until last week, I have to say I was kinda hating the show and secretly counting down the days until Lost comes back on. Now that would be worth my time!

But last week did make me like it some more. But still, the show is having problems. I read this article today, "Heroes Need Help," by Scott D. Pierce at the Deseret News. He talks about the season too and notes some major flaws.

"I'm hesitant to nitpick. But specific problems with Season 3 speak to larger issues.

Hiro and Ando have become buffoons. Mohinder's transformation into a spider-like man is dumb. Parkman's vision quest — and his turtle — are booooooring.

Trying to turn Sylar from villain into hero can't work. The guy killed dozens of people in horrific fashion. It's like bad soap-opera writing to redeem him.

Speaking of bad soap-opera writing, keeping Ali Larter on the show by having her portray a twin (triplet, actually) of her original character is something right out of "General Hospital."

And how about the twist that has Sylar turning out to be Nathan and Peter's brother? Maybe that came from "Days of Our Lives."

All of the time-jumping and alternate futures are confusing, and viewers can never be sure that what they're seeing is real. And if it is real, they're not sure if it will change or not."

--

I love the references to the soap operas because my friends and I use that all the time to explain the show. It really is crazy all the connections, relationships and things that are going on. Hiro is a complete idiot. Parkman, one of my usual favorite characters, has had no point this season. Peter's halfway evil all the time, and Mohinder is crazy and obsessed. At least I'm kinda starting to like Sylar ;). And it really is annoying how you never know if anything has actually happened, was supposed to happen in the future, or what each episode accomplished. I'm pretty sure there was one episode a couple weeks ago that was entirely a dream and none of the things really happened....arg. Anyways, last week did slightly restore my hope in the show. So tonight we will see what the newest episode brings. Otherwise, I'm back to my Lost countdown.

time

Sometimes I think back in time and wish I were back at a certain place or that I could even change how I acted. I'm not talking about big regrets here...just little things like how you feel about life.

*I just started writing this blog just to write one and didn't really have much of a direction for it. But after I typed that first paragraph, a song popped into my mind. This song is by one of my recent finds, and by far one of my favorites. I actually really relate to a lot of her songs and it really surprises me how many similarities I see in me and my life to the stories and lyrics of her songs. One of the things I've come to love is those connections--finding somethings that you can personally relate to, all in someone else's creative work. So I love finding those songs. I found one a while ago that really reminded me of the situation of one of my friends. I shared it but I don't think that friend appreciated it much. lol. But one thing I also take for granted when I find these "connection songs" is that not everything has to be perfectly compatible. For me to love a song in that way, I don't have to think that every line relates to me. Really, one line can do the job. Also I can relate one line to one situation or experience, the next line to a different thing, and so on. I think why I'm explaining this is because I don't want people to think they know exactly what I'm relating to or that sharing a song I connect to reveals some inner thoughts or meaning. It's not typically always like that..haha. But I do connect to this song for several reasons and it reminded me of some of the thoughts that my intro paragraph led me to. *I actually was able to post the song...yay!



Lyrics from Debra Arlyn's "The Letter"

Today I found one of your letters
You used to write the nicest things to me
Like how you thought I was an independent woman
And you couldn't tear your eyes away when I speak

And words reminded me how goods things were
But things were good, and I only focused on what wasn't right
Now and then I kick myself for not doing what I knew I should
Three years ago that night,
Should've never let you outta my sight

And it's too late to call you this evening
And it's too late to ask if you miss me
And it's too late to tell you I'm sorry
But I know that I'm to blame for making you wait
And now it's too late

I won't deny that we had problems near the end
But I couldn't let you go, as my friend
Oh, and I know you met someone
And you finally moved on
And you're living happily and you hold nothing against me
But everyone deserves closure
Especially when your first real love is over

And it's too late to call you this evening
And it's too late to ask if you miss me
And it's too late to tell you I'm sorry
But I know that I'm to blame for making you wait
And now it's too late

You were so sad for such a long time
And I just moved on with my life
I was so blind, so blind to your feelings
But now I'm missing you tonight
And I can't turn back the hands of time

And it's too late to call you this evening
And it's too late to ask if you miss me
And it's too late to tell you I'm sorry
But I know that I'm to blame for making you wait
And now it's too late

Today I found one of your letters
You used to write the nicest things to me
---

I think now I might find some old letters. Not to live in the past, but to appreciate where I came from, the experiences I've had, and everything I have to look forward to.