Snow falls all around
I get older, this house gets smaller
The sights and sounds are the same but none are familiar
Am I changing so much the world has stopped?
The cell is decorated with lights and angels, but there is no escape.
The words fill my head but miss the page
A shaky train will take me where I belong how long must I wait?

It's not the end that i fear with each breath, it's life that scares me to death

So, I've done next to nothing to day. Now normally I like days like this. Now I just feel useless. There are so many life changes I want to make but I am not doing anything to do any of it. I mean, yes I moved to Chicago, but since being there, I am not doing anything. I stay in mostly. One of the greatest multicultural centers of the country and I see the same ten blocks everyday.

There's a light on in Chicago...

So, who's missed me? I've missed me, that is for sure.

So I have successfully survived my first semester at Collumbia (in chicago, not in NY). I have lived three months and a half in Chicago without getting mugged or raped. And I am home for six weeks for break. So much has happened that I think six weeks might drive me crazy.

My crazy time in Chicago thus far goes something like this. Moved in that first week and did a lot of exploring with people. Started to go to local shows. Turned 21 at AK (that was amazing.) Hit up some more shows (loving the local scene.) Started making friends, wish I was better at it, but still the friends I've made have been great so far. Then I found out my grandma was really sick and that was a shock we weren't expecting, but things happen for a reason, and as sad as it is to say, I don't think anything else would have brought all the family together. She's not doing well now, and we can only pray that she makes it through the holidays. Thank you to everyone who has been supportive and understood when I didn't want to be around people. I spent a week with family, and came back to school a little less motivated to spend as much time out as I had, but I did manage to attend some fabulous shows and have a great time. I went back to BV for halloween which was fun, and then I was thrust into the last part fo the semester. Projects right and left, it seems I had forgot how close Chicago was. Though it did start to get cold, and I lost all motivation to go outside. I manged to hang out with practically no one before everyone went home, and that sucks, but I've got some new babysitting gigs which is awesome yay cash. So all in all I am winding down 2008. Look forward to new posts on a much more regular basis.

And today's Song of the Moment (as selected by iPod shuffle feature)... drumroll please...

The one, the only, the mildly appropriate - Summer Skin - Death Cab for Cutie

Lyrics:
Squeaky swings and tall grass
The longest shadows ever cast
The water's warm and children swim
And we frolicked about in our summer skin

I don't recall a single care
Just greenery and humid air
Then Labor day came and went
And we shed what was left of our summer skin

On the night you left I came over
And we peeled the freckles from our shoulders
Our brand new coats so flushed and pink
And I knew your heart I couldn't win
Cause the season's change was a conduit
And we'd left our love in our summer skin

I don't really have much to say about this right now. Everything changes with time, the seasons, our feelings, who we think we are, who we thought we'd been. Nothing stays the same, get used to it.

Love, peace and homemade egg nog,
Anna

::ps I apologize for the lack of smexy formatting, I'll get on that later soon (it's a relative soon Like feb-ish I'll have my own computer again and the ability to format much easier. Love me.)

Both a Beginning and an End

You do not define the First Amendment. It defines you. And it is bigger than you. That's how freedom works.

-Charlton Heston

So I have a treat for you all. I wrote this a couple days ago after struck with inspiration. It is very rough, but there is so much more to this story that i would love to tell you over time. Just give me your patience and it will all piece together over time. I do feel morally inclined to inform you though that this isn't strictly a creation of my imagination, but actually a growth of a relationship between characters that were not all of my conception. I only wish i was creative enough to have spawned the fellow you are about to meet. - Anna

“Do you love him?” The question rolled smooth and cool from behind a familiar smirk.

“Of course,” she pouted. She resented that he would even be so audacious to ask.

“Do you really?” He pressed further, not because he necessarily doubted the girl’s devotion (the fact that he did had nothing to do with his asking,) but because she got so flustered so easy. His arms crossed over his chest as he relaxed languidly against the painted cinder block wall of the hallway. He noted the unusual fact that they were alone but didn’t take his eyes off the pink flush that was rising in her cheeks with her irritation.

“Yes,” she toned forcefully. She knew she should just walk away. She shouldn’t take the bait, that’s all this was. He liked to get her worked up. He was just setting her up for his sick amusement. He wanted her to yell at him, to call him names and make a scene in front of their classmates. That’s what he did as long as she’d known him. That resolved it. She would walk away. He wasn’t saying anything anyway. Just looking at her with those dark calculating eyes, who knew what he was thinking anyway? She sure as hell didn’t. She met his eyes in one more hopeless attempt to better understand him before adjusting the strap on her shoulder.

“Are you sure?” He’d waited until she’d turned away. So close to making that grand exit. He held up one long finger to silence her as she rounded back on him, the tension rising with a breath that was meant to fuel one of her most precious tirades. “Before you raise your voice, I would advise you against it. Not because I’m not rather fond of the vocal range of you rage, I actually am, but I think you should look around first.”

She looked down each length of the hallway under his advice though still rather perturbed that he continued to question her on how she felt about anyone at anytime. She wasn’t sure what she was looking for among the alternating blue and orange lockers, but she was certain she didn’t find it. There was nothing to be seen. She glared back at him but caught the volume of her voice. “And…?”

“Who did you see?” He asked an amused look dancing in his eyes.

She glared back at him. She hated him for enjoying her this way. Why couldn’t he just leave her alone? “No one.”

“Precisely. There is no one out here to hear us speak, to eavesdrop, to assume more is going on than there really is. Nothing more than a civil conversation between peers, right?” The smirk that curled on his lips spoke more than his words, but she said nothing. “You start screaming at me, each and everyone of those doors is going to open up. Not only will you be disturbing all of these young minds hard at work learning, you’ll have to explain why you aren’t present in your French class right now, won’t you?”
She stopped and let this process for a moment while looking down the hallway again. It was true that he had caught her at a time that most were in class, but it was unusually still for it being a school day. Where were the other skippers? And the students sneaking off to the bathrooms for a cigarette?

“I suppose you don’t want to get caught out of class either, do you?” She smirked up at him feeling triumphant to have caught him in a moment of desperation as well. “Maybe I’ll yell anyway. Get us both caught. I have nothing better to do than detention. How ‘bout you? Make you late for your father? He wouldn’t like that would he?”

Her triumphant glow was amusing enough that he let out a bark of a distant laugh. “I told you, I would prefer it if you were screaming, yelling, and trying to berate me. You are much more creative than the other girls when it comes to insulting me. I enjoy it. And if you want to yell, by all means, go ahead, but I won’t be joining you in detention.” He unfolded his arms to cross them the other way and smile at her.

“Why not?” She eyed him suspiciously. “You have a valid reason to be cutting class and tormenting poor, defensless girls in the hall way?”

“You are anything but defenseless,” he shook his head as if the very idea was rediculous and he was dismissing it. “And is speaking with me so bothersome that you consider it torment?”

Look Like a Lush, Talk Like A Tease

"You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, "I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along." ... You must do the thing you think you cannot do."

- Eleanor Roosevelt

I’ve been living in Chicago for just under a month now. There have been plenty of times where I have felt like sitting down and writing. To work through my emotions, to fill a boredom, to expand creativity. I wanted to share my wisdom of the moment with all of you, but alas it certainly appeared that whenever I felt like writing for you I was out of an element that would allow my to leave my thoughts for your pondering. There were moments that I did go so far as to hand write in my journals. Now many feel that handwriting is a dying art, and it is. I HATE it. If you had to stare at my penmanship that long, you would too. Typing is so much neater, and easier to fix. I was almost to the point that I would have enjoyed a typewriter. (Actually, I frequently prefer typewriters to word processors. Your mistakes are never gone without some amount of evidence.) Hopefully soon, I will be in possession of a shiny new macbook. Then I am sure you will be hearing from me much more.

Now the reason I cannot grace you with my wisdom of yore, is because my opinions are quickly shifting. For a while I was caught up on a song lyric from The Maine that had me thinking for a while at how many misconceptions there are between genders.

“Girls do what they want, boys do what they can.” – ‘Girls Do What They Want’ - The Maine

This idea has also been reinforced to me by more than one of the male gender of our species telling me that girls have it so easy. I am assuming I missed that day in “How to be a girl” school. You know, they day they taught us that you can apparently flirt your way to anything you want because you have boobies. Even the way you supposedly don’t even need to flirt, just be there and I have heard I am supposed to have it so much easier than any guy in there. Now this has also been reinforced by the fact that one of my closest friends here has been on a mission to flirt her way to a discount in a comic book store. Now I don’t doubt that she will be near successful in this endeavor, and maybe I’ll just need to watch closely and pick up some pointers. I don’t know what it is that I must be doing wrong, because every time I’ve walked into a bar, a store, a club, a party, anywhere, I have needed to go way out of my comfort zone to even get people to talk to me. And, unlike a very small percentage of girls I know, I cannot walk into a bar and walk out with a phone number and a potential date. So, unless I am doing something wrong and my observations are entirely off, I think it is this small percentage of sirens giving everyone the wrong impression on how hard it is to put yourself out there.

My advice to all of you, don’t be afraid to approach someone, the worst they can do is reject you before they know you, and in that case are they worth getting to know anyway? I truly believe that so many times, we are all too afraid to approach, so sometimes it is facing those fears and stepping out there you never know what might happen.

And here I was not going discuss this with you all. I guess it was still much more on my mind than I realized. Now onto a point I was intending to make today.

Something I have noticed lately is how much attitude can make a difference. Now only my attitude is in my grasp. I can dictate how I feel, and that is it. If you are going to be in a bad mood, there is little I can do to change that if you don’t want it changed. But I do think that there is a communicable property of a smile. And I bet there is evidence somewhere to proving that even making the effort to smile actually does make you feel better. So I am issuing a challenge. Smile at strangers. Now do so with discretion. Not that everyone doesn’t deserve a smile; it is just the interpretation that might be problematic. Don’t go smiling at the shady looking folk lurking at night. Don’t be afraid to smile at the people you are passing on the street, or the ones waiting for the train with you. It will make them feel better, and in response, you’ll feel better. It’s crazy how that works. Who knows, you may even be the highlight of their day.

See if you can’t make three people smile today, and make it five tomorrow. You’ll feel better, they’ll feel better, and maybe it will spread even farther.

Song of the moment: No News Is Good News - New Found Glory [lyrics]
[I really get the feel from this song that sometimes, in a world and society that is flooding us with everything that is turning out wrong in the world, we should take the time to step away and live our own lives, because ultimately, that is all we can do if we want anything to happen.]

Take my chances with truck stops and state lines

So my three day weekend road trip adventure has come to an end. It had it's ups and it's downs. Planning wasn't entirely the best and as much as I love the company I had to death, there really is something to be staked in the saying 'the more the merrier' who ever said it was probably referring to spending lots of time together non-stop. I had an absolutely great time, we didn't get rained on once, I have a nasty sunburn (second degree) only on my nose. I have way too many new t-shirts way too many new cd's (is there such a thing?) Not enough pictures, but memories that will last a life time. Bruises that will fade in a week, aches and pains to be gone even sooner and one pair of totally rad heart shaped glasses. Once I figure out how to get pictures from camera to mac, I will grace you all will so sweet ass shots.

Love, Peace, and Rock and Roll,
Anna Louise

Explain to me this conspiracy against me

Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something.

-Plato 

I count myself with the fools tonight/this morning. I doubt that anything I have to say is worth reading, I'm not even sure if it is worth writing at this point. I regularly have these issues of identity that I struggle deeply with. I would like to hope that this is unique to me as I would not wish upon anyone else this confusion, turmoil, or insomnia. I do, however, know that this is not true and that most all of us question ourselves at some point, and there are many of us who are constantly questioning or position in life, pondering the proverbial whys. I suppose that right now I feel as if I have very little of an outlet, no place to put my questions, no place to find answers. 

There is a fly buzzing around that is quickly distracting me and irritating me. 

I have been doubting myself lately. I am not sure what I like, where my passion is. I'm not sure I even like theater, yet I want to put my life there? Am I even as passionate about music as claim to be? Do I even know what good music is? Do I have the patience or the dedication necessary to do anything in my life? I think things like this and wonder if I need to start seeing someone again about depression I'm not even entirely sure that is what this is. I just know that at some point I hit a wall that made me realize that not everyone is destined to do great things, to live their dreams. I don't eve know what my dreams are right now beyond having actual friends, and actual circle of people who I am closer to than my own family. I don't even like my family all that much beyond my mother and my brother. I am sick of the person that I could be tormenting the person that I am. This is why I think there is something honestly wrong, something honestly treatable to take care of. Half the time I feel fine, happy with who I am, happy with who I am becoming. The other half of the time I am doubting everything that is. 

I was watching tv earlier today and there was a commercial for some depression treatment medication (Cymbalta maybe?) and the first image was of a woman sitting in the dark by herself, and my initial reaction was very strong. I'm not necessarily sure why though. I just felt that that wasn't fair to anyone who's been in that position. Then I realized what they were advertising, but it still didn't set right with me. I just don't know anymore. I guess part of me hates my own weakness, and maybe that is how I am feeling now, but there are so many wonderful things in my life that I am not facing. I have two amazing friends that are new to my life, that I have hundreds and hundreds of miles away from me right now. I'm not sure when I will see either of them. The friends I have here... I don't even know what to say about the friends I have here. I don't know them anymore, which is fair, and it's valid that things work that way. People grow apart, but I also wonder if I ever honestly was part of them. So many people don't know what I was going through in high school, what I was dealing with, what I was stuck in. It was my goal they didn't know, but now I feel like I don't know them... and I feel guilty because I don't know that I want to know them... I guess I am just stuck in a spot where social anxiety is combining with general apathy to leave him in a situation where i don't care to care anymore and it is an ugly disgusting feeling.

The fly is still buzzing around being a nuisance. I swatted at it earlier and hit it, but clearly not hard enough. 

Um, as I am doubting myself in many ways I am not going to part you with any words of wisdom because I am certain my words are far from wise.  

Love (and I do mean it, Love is hard to come by sometimes.),

Anna

I Don't Ever Want to Stay the Same

Liberty, taking the word in its concrete sense, consists in the ability to choose.

-Simone Weil

So folkies and loyal followers. You know, all of you out there that love me, and I love you. This is a short blog today, I don't really have anything constructive to say, or any pretty pictures for you. I think I am dangerously close to a breakdown of some sort. But don't worry, this is rather normal and I am due for one. I had a mini one after work (well sort of on shift too. YIKES!) But there are those of you who are brilliant and make my life better, as well as bravo reality game shows. I guess in the long run I don't actually have much to tell you all. I should entirely be sleeping, BUT I do not work tomorrow so I can sleep all day then, right? Is that how that works? I really really don't like self entitled people. I do not like people who think they are on a higher planet or a better place than I am for whatever reason they decided, especially when it all comes down to a matter of circumstance. I love you all. Have a good night/morning/day.

Song of the moment: Bring It - Cobra Starship, While the City Sleeps We Rule the Streets. [Do i need to explain?]

TAI song of the moment: About a Girl [Duh! It's the new single, what else would be my song of the moment? It is great though, and really quickly gets stuck in the head. =D]

Album of the moment: Green - The New Diet <click to purchase> [Really worth the check outage, and I know personally that they will love you for it. Almost naked hand springs worth it. If only I could get the footage from the camera to the computer i could show you, and then you would be required by moral obligation to purchase it.]

Love, Peace, and Sweet Tea,
Anna

Flavor of the Week

"If you were all alone in the universe with no one to talk to, no one with which to share the beauty of the stars, to laugh with, to touch, what would be your purpose in life? It is other life, it is love, which gives your life meaning. This is harmony. We must discover the joy of each other, the joy of challenge, the joy of growth."

-Mitsugi Saotome

So, it has been a long time... I guess two or three posts wouldn't get me a devout following. So, all four of you who've read in the past, I am very sorry for delaying this for you. I have so much I want to impose on you, but I am going to try and limit this slightly. There are two or three big things I want to cover. Oh, Hush! Boys, and Starting Over. So who is ready for some awesome blogging?

So, I want to start by pointing out this kinda totally rad group I know fondly as Oh, Hush! I first found OH when they added me as a friend on MySpace (a place for friends/music/movies/your mom). Now it isn't that uncommon that I get friended by random unknown bands from who knows where. I listened to the music that was up on the player and I REALLY liked the sound (very dance friendly, catchy in a good way, feel good) and thought it was very well produced for being one of the unknowns that usually finds me. And it just happened to be a plus that they had The Academy Is..., Cobra Starship, and Butch Walker in their very toppest friends. Well I left them a comment like I usually do to thank the people who add me when I like their music. I got commented back, which I always think is pretty flippin' sweet, and a good way to keep people interested. And then I started noticing that they had quite a loyal following, another good sign. I would go to their MySpace page to listen to the player (as far as I am aware that is the only way to listen), I would read their bulletins. Every now and then I would leave a comment and then generally *POOF* the next day or so there was a comment waiting for me. I loved it. Now, I clearly wasn't paying too much attention, because it wasn't until I read their Yes/No/Hell No We Won't Tell You blog (quite funny if you want to be amused take a couple of days to read it) that I not only realized that I didn't have any idea who made up the group. There is quite the mystery behind it all, and after reading 60+ pages of questions and responses, I came to a conclusion... I didn't care. As long as they were going to keep making fun music I was going to keep listening. Now what i think you need to do is take a moment to go ahead and check them out. I am sure that you'll love it, and they'd appreciate it too! (Click the Banner ^)




On to point two. I am two years single and for the most part I am perfectly happy with it. I know that a large part of self discovery happened in the time I have been single. I love who I am right now, and I am very proud of the direction I am headed. All of this said though, I still catch myself thinking how amazing it would be to have someone pull me close tell me how pretty I am in my pajamas. And I know I'm not the only one. I can talk to people day in day out about how much anyone of my friends wants exactly the same thing I think I do. Now I am certain there isn't anything wrong with anyone of us. I know this because I have amazing taste in friends and they are amazing people that anyone would be lucky to have. As for myself, I am trying to make myself a better person, I am trying to take care of the faults I know I have, the things I do that bother me that are certain to bother other people. The one thing I know for sure is that nobody, none of my friends or anyone else not my self needs to, nor should they try to change the fundamental things that make them who they are for someone else, it isn't worth it. Also in that same vein, you can't remain so stubborn in your ways and tastes. Be willing to be flexible, listen to their music (just don't quit listening to yours!), take turns when picking the movies you see. There is no chance you are going to find someone who likes everything the exact same you do, so be willing to bend a little. Don't entirely rule someone because they like Hannah Montana or gruesome, gory, horror flicks. That is only a part of who they are. And my last bit of advice, that I keep hearing over and over again; quit trying so hard. I've heard it over and over again, the moment you quit looking is the moment you find someone. Now this is clearly trickier said than done, because a person says 'I am done looking!' but then of course is checking over their shoulder at ever possible moment. Eventually one might get frustrated, but eventually we all find someone one. Just be patient. Good things comes to those who wait, right? I sure hope so.

Two things I want to remind you all of. If you are single, enjoy it while you can. There is so much to be learned about yourself that you can only do when you are a 'me' not a 'we.' And the more you know yourself and love yourself, the more attractive you become. And for those of you in relationships, enjoy them, take care of them, but don't rely on them. Don't stay in something that isn't good for you just because you are more worried about being alone.




And now I impart you with a few more words of my brilliant wisdom. So as my summer has officially began with my move and settle back home, I would like to begin by congratulating all the members of the class of 2008. Whether you are graduating high school, college, graduate school, or kindergarten, be proud of yourself. You have gained an experience of a lifetime in these past years. Never forget it. But please, don't dwell on it either. It is a big scary world out there, and I am no less scared than the rest of you.

I am planning on taking on Chicago in the fall, and I couldn't be more terrified. I recently was informed of my official acceptance and that was a weight off my shoulders. Only to be replaced by the prospect that I can only hope to get housing. Now to top of all this happy news, as most everyone I have spoken to can testify to, classes start the same day as my twenty-first birthday. So not only does this mean I will be in a strange city with a bunch of strangers, I will have class the day after I turn 21 and will have to wait almost an entire week to relish that lack of sobriety.

I love the friends I have made in my life time, each and everyone of you has meant something special to me whether we are still friends or not, close or we've grown apart, you have all made an impression and in impact, and I don't mean that lightly. I know there are plenty more people to meet and plenty more friends to make, but I just need to know that those of you that I have made especially at BV as I am cutting out time together short, you are very dear to me.

Chicago also presents me with the ability to reintroduce myself to the world. At home, I have lived here as long as i can remember, I grew up around the same kids, I graduated with kids I'd known since I was three. At BV I went in with a lot of baggage and I made the adjustment to not being home anymore. I made huge strides in personal growth and I thank every person who helped me along the way. Now that I feel like I am secure in who I am (or at least well on that way) and I hope that I can use the confidence I have developed as motivation to be less socially awkward and to put myself out there to the world. There are six billion people on this planet, and we all have something to offer. You just need to hold your head high, and be proud of who you are.

As a final point I would like to bring up the Iowa Flood of 2008. My family, our possessions, and myself are in no threat of danger that I am at all aware of. I cannot go to work until we are reopened, and there is no chance my mother will be working again for the next week. Though we are safe, I would like to take a moment to ask anyone out there reading to keep those who have yet to know the extent of the damage on their homes, properties, and business in your thoughts and prayers if you are the praying sort. If you are able to help I know they are never turning away hands. It is times like this that the strength of community is apparent and awe inspiring.

Peace, Love, and Sandbags,
Anna

Song of the Moment: A Fond Farewell - Elliot Smith, From a Basement on the Hill [song][lyrics]
[I'm not sure what it is exactly about this song that I absolutely love. It's beautifully depressing and well worth a listen]

TAI Song of the Moment: Slow Down - Almost Here [song and video][lyrics]
[quite possibly the first TAI song I saw the video for. Also when I realized the extreme prettiness front man william beckett possessed. I love the energy in this song. LOVE IT! Enjoy!]

Album of the moment: Narrow Stairs - Death Cab for Cutie 2008

[now I haven't gotten a great chance to absolutely absorb this album, but it is amazing. What less is there to expect from Death Cab? Narrow Stairs keeps in the traditions of great use of lyrics and amazing storytelling, with a sound that I find to be slightly eerier than their previous works. I do expect to fall in love with it even more when the time comes that I repeatedly listen to it. Check it out! Love it!]

I can dish it 'cause I know how to take it

I never know what to title my blogs. Generally, don't expect the title to have too much to do with what is in the actual entry, because by the time I have finished deliberating over the title, it is most likely that I have changed my mind on the subject. Ok, so now that that whole title thing is out of the way, who is ready for the wisdom that is that of Anna?

So consensus has rang that I shall blog on how I will single handedly bring back the term "rad." Now I say single handedly, but that isn't honestly possible. Language spreads through use. I say something you like the sounds of, you say it to someone else who likes the sounds of it, and that person says it to someone else who likes the sounds of it, and that person says it to someone else who likes the sounds of it, and... well, you get the picture, and then someday it makes it to the global scale... well, English speaking people scale. So though I may use the term rad multiple times a day, I will need you to start using it as well. If I could meet every English speaking person to convince them why rad is the most rad thing you could say, then I would need your help so desperately.

I, however, am hoping that you all are not willing to follow me blindly in this endeavor. I am a firm supporter of free thinking Please take some time and allow me to help you understand the deeper meaning behind the word rad and the meanings and usage.

We shall first turn to the definitions wizards Merriam and Webster [as found here] to see their thoughts on the subject.

Now this is very informative to someone who isn't quite as cool as me. But it is interesting to learn that 1982 is the generalized date of its birth as an actually word with this usage into the English language. However, we must delve deeper. By following what the nice internet folk at the Merriam-Websters website have set up we come to the conclusion that when used in slang, "radical" is a synonym for "cool" or "excellent". Now by following the trail created by looking up the definition of "cool" we are directed towards "excellent," "All right," and "Fashionably Hip." I can agree with all of this to some degree.

As I have explored [Urban Dictionary] for you I am more pleased with their definitions as they are more suited to my tastes. It is general agreement that rad is meant to be higher praise than "cool," "sweet," "awesome," etc... I tend to agree.

My favorite point is in the second definition found at urban dictionary.

"Being rad is like being cool without having to work for it. It's like a natural coolness."

So now my mission for you is to use rad at least once a day. Just get in the habit of using it and then more and more people will as well. The more it gets worked back into the English language the better. So go for it. Try it. You would pretty much make my day!

Song of the moment: Only Hope - Switchfoot, New Way to be Human [lyrics]
[Now this song is played at the end of A Walk to Remember. It is also very popular as a Mandy Moore song, in my oppinion Switchfoor is ten times better. The song is very touching, a hint sad, and I feel like pretty is too vague and adjective to use, but it is also very suiting. So, enjoy.]

TAI Song of the Moment: Sleeping With Giants (Lifetime) - Santi [video] [lyrics]
[Off their sophomore album, The Academy Is... gives us this one. I love the progression of feeling through this song. And as with most all TAI, lyrically you are left thinking. It is very easy for me to relate to what is being said in almost all TAI. So I hope you enjoy it as much as I do, cause it is totally rad.]

All righty kids! That's all I got for you tonight!
Peace, Love, and Cherry Coke
Anna

HOMEWORK: Let me know your answer to this question and I'll get back to you with mine next time!

If you were a vegetable, what sort of animal would you want to be eaten by?

"Too many people are thinking of security instead of opportunity. They seem to be more afraid of life than death"

-James F. Bymes

So I am going to have to keep this entry short and I hate it, because really, I wanted to have something brilliant for you, and I don't. I did have about a million ideas of what to blog about as my day progressed. Sadly, I will not be blogging about any of them right now for I am in so much need of sleep. BUT you will get a list and you can vote on which blog you want first, AND you still get your song of the moment and all that jazz. Now, behold...

THE LIST
Proper Behavior in Public (considering what you are saying to who)
Life Changing Descisions
Making New Friends
The Skill of being awake much more than you should
East Coast Girls
Bringing back "rad"

So it is a much shorter list than I thought it would be. I am starting to loose it now anyway. I even lied about your song of the moment. I will give you two tomorrow. And they will blow you away. Do please take a moment to consider the quote I put at the top. I think this is something we all need to consider where the security crosses from one to the other. I'm making no sense in my head right now which is a sure sign to be ready to go. Much love, point tour, bring it on!

Night,
Anna

Testing the Waters

Hello All!

So, I have decided to start a blog. About twelve years after the rest of the world. This isn't true entirely. I've had blogs in the past, i just wasn't very good at using them. And no one would ever want to read them anyway.

Let me tell you a little bit about me right now in my life.

The Stats:
Name: Anna Louise [last name to remain undisclosed at this point]
Birth date: September 2
Current Age: 20
Favorite Color: Pink. I know that sounds cliché and all but honestly I am a huge fan of all colors. Pink just makes me feel good. Yay psychology!
Hometown: Marion, Iowa
Current Local: Buena Vista University in the currently not-so-sunny hamlet of Storm Lake, Iowa
Favorite Music: I would like to think I am pretty eclectic in my music tastes. I like a lot of different types of music. But it is the passion that a band or person puts into their music that makes it really appealing to me. I know that everyone tends to be passionate about what they do, the next step is reaching me with it. I do tend to like things a little more melodic as opposed to rap and stuff. Not that I am entirely opposed to rap, so long as I can connect.
Hobbies: Reading, Writing, Listening to Music, Watching and Critiquing Movies, Sleeping
Guilty Pleasures: Rivendale [ask about it if you want], Gossiping, YouTube, TAI TV, Food, Harry Potter, Twilight, Photo Shoping, Napping


Song of the Moment: Born to Run - Bruce Springsteen,Born to Run [lyrics and a sample here]
[if you don't know this song already I seriously recommend it. Born to Run is the album that really put Springsteen out there as the rock genius that he is. I could probably go on forever about this song. Just check it out.]

TAI Song of the Moment: Checkmarks - Almost Here [see video here] [lyrics here]
[Off of Almost Here, Checkmarks is weighted with hostility. It still has some of that unique TAI sound that I love and adore, but it is a bitter harder than most of their other stuff. Now I have no problem with this, and I enjoy the song immensely. You should too, check it out yo!]

Album of the moment: Viva la Cobra - Cobra Starship

[I became the proud owner of ¡Viva La Cobra! tonight, and I couldn't be more excited to fall in love with all of it. You can't help but want to dance to this music, and here's the fact: I don't dance. But these folks make me want to dance. So you know what you need to do? If you haven't already, Check it out!]

Now that I have imposed my music opinions on you (a limited amount of everything I have to say you'll get more in the future of course.) I haven't made exact decisions on where I want this whole blog thing to head. I just know I have a lot of thoughts that run through my head and never make it out. So here is my outlet. I can't wait to share more with you!

Real quick, ways to get a hold of me:

MSN: nanners2006@hotmail.com
AIM: amgirl1987
MySpace: myspace.com/thenoiseinmyhead
email: anna.lafontant@gmail.com

Just let me know you found me here. I love making new friends. So bookmark me here and I look forward to amazing you with the brilliance (or psychotics) that is my happy little head.

And I depart tonight with a picture of the totally rad shoes I bought tonight! How cute are they?!?


Love, Peace, and Rock and Roll,
Anna