Let it go

(The only way to listen to this song is with your eyes closed and breathing slowly)

Daisy, give yourself away,
Look up at the rain
The beautiful display,
of power and surrender
Giving us today,
when she gives herself away

Rain, another rainy day,
It comes up from the ocean
To give herself away,
She comes down easy
Oh rich and debt, the same,
When she gives herself away,

Let it go,
Daisy let it go
Open up your fists
This fallen world,
Doesn't hold your interest,
Doesn't hold your soul,
Daisy let it go

Pain, give yourself a name,
Call yourself contrition,
Avarice or blame
Giving isn't easy,
And neither is the rain,
when she gives herself away

Daisy, why another day?
Why another sunrise?
Who will take the blame,
For all redemptive motion?
And every rainy day,
when he gives himself away

Let it go,
Daisy let it go,
Open your fists
This fallen world,
Doesn't hold your interest,
Doesn't doesn't hold your soul,
Daisy let it go

Let it go (ooh...)

Let it go.
Let it go.
And you let it (Go, go!)
Let it go, Go! Let it go! Let it go! Go!
Let it go!
Let it go.

Christmas Music

Tonight at work, I transcribed the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert featuring Natalie Cole and David McCullough (airing Sunday on KBYU for anyone interested). And for some reason tonight, while I was listening to the music, I got emotional. When the big songs would get to the end and the choir and orchestra would swell, I would almost start to cry because I was so moved by it (and I do not often cry).

I have always had a special place in my heart for Christmas music. I. Love. Christmas. Music. Nothing can uplift me more or cheer me up more or make me more happy or more peaceful or comfort me more, etc. I grew up listening to a variety of Christmas music, and having to exercise all of my self-control to last until the day after Thanksgiving when it was officially "okay" for us to break out the Christmas music. But beginning with the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas music was ever-playing in our house and in my mind and in my heart.

Words cannot adequately express what I feel for Christmas music and the place that it holds in my life. There is no way that I could ever sufficiently explain to people the effect that Christmas music has on me. Suffice it to say, that there really isn't anything besides family, friends, and Koolaid that I love more.

Anyway, I got home and decided to make a playlist of some of my favorite Christmas songs, and the best versions of those songs (at least the best versions in my opinion, which, I must admit, I consider almost professional given the crazy amount of Christmas music I've listened to, anyway...) for anyone who may not feel like they know Christmas music very well or already love it and enjoy it from everywhere like me. For those of you reading this with Spotify, I've attached a link to the playlist so that you can enjoy it if you want to. For those of you without Spotify, you should get Spotify because it's magical.

The playlist is by no means all-encompassing; I tried not to double artists and pick one version that I thought was best (although not all of my favorite versions were on Spotify - notably missing is "Oh Come, Oh Come Emmanuel" or the Eagles' version of "Please Come Home for Christmas") but I consider it a pretty good list. Most of these I grew up listening to at home, but some are newer, some aren't really really Christmas music, and some I just discovered, so that's fun. Also, there are two versions of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" because that is my absolute favorite Christmas song and both versions are beyond amazing.


Christmas


Also, another side note, I added David Archuleta's version of "Silent Night", but his live version with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir is better than his cd version, so I have included a video here for your viewing pleasure. :)





Have a merry, merry Christmas, everyone. I love you.

Ipods, 1979, and Other Magical Things

My iPod is my life.

I have had an iPod since I was in sixth grade, which means I've had an iPod for about 7 years now, which is close to half of my life. Not really, but still.

When I was in sixth grade, a friend of my dad's gave me his iPod because he was getting a new one. It was the second generation 10GB iPod and it looked a lot like this:


It was huge. And, you'll notice, the menu, skip, and play buttons were separate from the scroll wheel. When he gave it to me, it already had a lot of music on it, so I was introduced to some pretty random things, but I had all my own music on there, and I believe this may have been the impetus for my music collecting habits. Anyway, it was pretty amazing, and it lasted me a couple years, but eventually it died. And then I threw it away (why I would do something so ridiculous, I have no idea) and I got a new one for Christmas.

Later, I ended up trading that one with my dad's iPod, but then I lost that one, so I tutored for money and helped buy a refurbished iPod classic that I dubbed "el ipodio coolio" because I'm cool like that. el ipodio coolio served me faithfully for four years (seriously, I could work that thing blindfolded, upside down, and backwards in my sleep). The reason I bring all this up is because my iPod started dying on me a couple of weeks ago, and I can't survive without portable music, so I bought a new iPod.

Meet Rey:


This is the first iPod that I have paid for completely with my own money, so it's kind of a special moment for me. It's also my first iPod touch, so that's kind of fun. I was quite excited when it came in Monday because I wasn't expecting it until today. You can ask Erika, I told her about it twice. Anyway, I finally have a completely working iPod again, and I am a very happy person.

Also, random tip of the day, I was reading reviews of iPod skins online and someone suggested applying a skin using a credit card to put it on so that it goes on evenly. What a genius idea! I wish I would've thought of that or knew about it before now. Anyway...


In other news, I set up a wireless router for our apartment last night. I thought it was going to be way harder than it was. Oh well. You'll be happy to know, our apartment network's name is "Number 4 Privet Drive." (This is when you laugh and say, "You would.")

Also, I watched the most exciting basketball game I've ever seen yesterday . . . and it happened in 1979 between the BYU Cougars and the La Salle Explorers. Yay for ridiculous short basketball shorts, biceps, triple overtime, and four guys fouling out. I love my job.

Work

I love my job, so so much. I love the people I work with, I like what I do, I just love my job.

This might sound weird, but I also absolutely love the building I work in. It's very new and very pretty. Besides being pretty, though, it is also amusing. I hear some interesting sounds while I work and I thought I'd dedicate a blog post to them, just because they amuse me so much.

- currently BYU is working on construction near where the BYU Broadcasting building is. Because of this, at random times in the morning while I work, the building will shake. It will literally rumble in our building. They had to send out an e-mail to everyone to explain it and to assuage concerns. :)

- there is a phone in the big room where I work that does not have a normal ring, instead of a traditional ring or even the BYU cougar noise, it makes an owl hoot. Random? Yes. Entertaining? Yes.

- this fall I work in the mornings and every morning I hear this noise; I'm not quite sure what the noise is, it may be a ringtone or a machine or something else, but it sounds like someone is whistling for a dog. What it really sounds like is Johnny Depp whistling to try and get the dog to bring him the keys when he is locked up, and every morning I turn to see who's whistling and then have to turn back when I realize that no one is actually whistling.

- finally, across from where the captioners work, these two guys work on archiving stuff. At least, I think that's what they're working on. Either way, their work involves this really old machine that works with reels, and this machine makes a very distinctive noise. The best way I can describe it is that it sounds like little, tiny people are pod racing in the ceiling. It makes me smile every time I hear it. :)

Mad Libs

So, I was cleaning out my room the other day to make more space for Ellen's stuff, and I found all kinds of wonderful things. Old schoolwork, old artwork, silly journal entries, terrible examples of my writing from when I was younger, etc. One particularly amusing thing that I found was an old Mad Libs that my friends and I had done at a laurel activity like forever ago. It's from my Napoleon Dynamite Mad Libs book and I thought I would share it with the world. I'm italicizing the words we picked. It's not completely politically correct, but don't judge us.

People were always saying I could be a Melissa model, but I didn't know a thing about fashion or critiquing. So in order bring out my inner toenail clipper, I made an appointment with Glamour Shots by Deb. What a stupid experience! She picked out clothing for my different looks: carefree, serious, and retarded. After dressing me in a queer tube top and placing an adjective in my hair, we went to the set. She placed my arm under my pelvic bone and told me to imagine myself in the Sarah surrounded by nounly sea horses. "Let me hear..." she said. "Are you sure you've never done this before? You're an absolute Erika!" Once my Sandy's are developed, I'm planning to submit them to several barreling agencies, and Napoleon's uncle Rico said he'd love to be my manager! Hollywood barrettes, here I come!

Day 17 - a song that you hear often on the radio

If I was really being honest about this, I would post "Edge of Glory" by Lady Gaga. I hardly ever listen to the radio, in fact the only time I listen to the radio is when I'm in my roommate's car., but every time I've been in her car this summer, this song has played. However, I'm not a huge fan of this song, so I'm posting another song that I love that I did actually hear on the radio the other day. :)

Do you ever...

listen to your music and suddenly think,

"Holy Hannibal Lecter, I have absolutely FANTASTIC taste in music"?







That pretty much describes how I've been feeling all day.

Day 16 - a song that you used to love but now hate

The first time I heard this song I thought it was adorable and awesome, but by the third time I'd listened to it, I began to hate it, and now I can't stand it. Who knows why, but I can't.

Pioneer Day

Today is Pioneer Day, which really doesn't matter a whole lot anywhere in the world except for Utah. I guess it matters somewhat to LDS people around the world, but as Parker described in his talk today, celebration really only involves the primary kids singing a few fun primary songs, and then it passes.

However, it is huge in Utah, and one can never really realize how huge it is until one is actually in Utah for Pioneer Day. Heck, it's even an official holiday, meaning lots of people get a day off work for this holiday (including me, but I need the money so I'm going in anyway).

I've never really celebrated this holiday or paid a whole lot of attention to it before, but after transcribing a show on the Willie and Martin Handcart companies last week and the amazing sacrament meeting and Relief Society lesson we had today that centered around pioneers, it really has been a great holiday.

I mean, I've been on trek, and I've heard lots of stories about the pioneers before and I've always appreciated what they did and really been in awe of the things they accomplished and the sacrifices they made, but there's just been something especially sacred today as we've talked about the amazing feats the pioneers accomplished, and as we've talked not only about the traditional pioneers but pioneers in our own families who have converted to the church and the ways that we in this day and age are pioneers, and how all of it centers around hope - hope in Christ and hope for ourselves.

I am grateful for the pioneers, for their example and faith, and I am especially grateful to be in Utah today.

Day 15 - a song that describes you

Visiting Teaching

So...my companion and I visit teach these two girls, who also happen to be our visiting teachers. SO, we decided to all go out for dinner together. The end result was one of the best meals I have ever had, ever.

We went to this place called Gloria's Little Italy, and the place did look really Italian. We felt like all it needed was some birds in cages tweeting and it would be perfect. Anyway, K-ro and I shared this amazing tortellini with their Rosata sauce, which is basically a red sauce with some cream added in, and it was DELICIOUS. Like, we both kind of stared at each other after the first bite and almost purred it was so good. When I had my last bite, I was really sad. To top it off I had some tiramisu gelato that was also, amazing.

In short, I will definitely be going there again and dragging my friends with me :)

Day 14 - a song no one would expect you to love

So, for this day, I've been debating between picking a hispanic song I love or a hip hop song I love, because I'm pretty sure my friends don't know how much I love both styles. In the end I decided it was more surprising that I would be so obsessed with Spanish music, so I picked "Cielito Lindo" which is a Mexican Mariachi song that I was introduced to by a very good movie I saw recently. This is my favorite version. :)

I'M SO FREAKING EXCITED!!!

Enchanted Serenity of Period Films: Austenland (2012): "Shannon Hale 's novel Austenland is to be made into a movie with filming to begin this week. Keri Russell, JJ Feild and Bret McKenzie w..."


First of all, I am soooooooo glad that they're finally making this into a movie.

Second of all, they got a very very attractive actor to play the main guy which makes me very very happy.

Third, they got Jennifer Coolidge to play Miss Charming, which is probably one of the most perfect castings ever done, ever!

Can you tell I'm excited?

Day 13 - a song that is a guilty pleasure

Don't judge me.

Day 12 - a song from a band you hate

So, really, there isn't a band I hate, I pretty much like everything, and even if I didn't like something I would never hate a band or a song (with the exception of "The Ketchup Song" which has already been discussed). So, I decided to pick "Such Great Heights" by The Postal Service because I don't really like The Postal Service but my friends do, so here it is. This is also otherwise known as the Wall-E song, just for future reference. :)




Although, I have to admit, although I don't like The Postal Service, I love Iron & Wine's cover of this song, included here for your benefit. :)

The Wisdom of Linkin Park

I've been on a Linkin Park kick lately (their first two albums), and I was surprised at how many of their lyrics I remembered. Anyway, I think some of their lyrics are downright beautiful and awesome and some of them even appropriate. So, here is some of the magic.

Tension is building inside steadily
Everyone feels so far away from me
Heavy thoughts forcing their way out of me
Trying not to break but I'm so tired of this deceit
Every time I try to make myself get back up on my feet
All I ever think about is this
All the tiring time between
And how trying to put my trust in you just takes so much out of me

Memories consume
Like opening the wound
I'm picking me apart again
You all assume
I'm safe here in my room
Unless I try to start again
I don't want to be the one
The battles always choose
'Cause inside I realize
That I'm the one confused
I don't know what's worth fighting for
Or why I have to scream.
I don't know why I instigate
And say what I don't mean.
I don't know how I got this way
I know it's not alright.
So I'm breaking the habit,
I'm breaking the habit
Tonight

Just washing it aside
All of the helplessness inside
Pretending I don't feel misplaced
It's so much simpler than change
It's easier to run
Replacing this pain with something numb
It's so much easier to go
Than face all this pain here all alone

One minute you're on top
The next you're not watch it drop
Making your heart stop
Just before you hit the floor
One minute you're on top
Next you're not missed your shot
Making your heart stop
You think you've won
And then it’s all gone

And I've got nothing to say
I can't believe I didn't fall right down on my face
I was confused
Looking everywhere only to find
That it's not the way I had imagined it all in my mind
So what am I
What do I have but negativity
'Cause I can't justify the way, everyone is looking at me
Nothing to lose
Nothing to gain, hollow and alone
And the fault is my own, and the fault is my own
I wanna heal, I wanna feel what I thought was never real
I wanna let go of the pain I've felt so long
Erase all the pain till it's gone
I wanna heal, I wanna feel like I'm close to something real
I wanna find something I've wanted all along
Somewhere I belong
I will never know myself until I do this on my own
And I will never feel anything else, until my wounds are healed
I will never be anything till I break away from me
I will break away, I'll find myself today

In the memory you'll find me
Eyes burning up
The darkness holding me tightly
Until the sun rises up

What do I do to ignore them behind me?
Do I follow my instincts blindly?
Do I hide my pride from these bad dreams?
And give in to sad thoughts that are maddening?
Do I sit here and try to stand it?
Or do I try to catch them red-handed?
Do I trust some and get fooled by phoniness,
Or do I trust nobody and live in loneliness?
Because I can't hold on when I'm stretched so thin
I make the right moves but I'm lost within
I put on my daily facade but then
I just end up getting hurt again
By myself

So even though you're so close to me
You're still so distant
And I can't bring you back
It's true the way I feel
Was promised by your face
The sound of your voice
Painted on my memories
Even if you're not with me
I'm with you

The sun goes down
I feel the light betray me