Show and Tell

I've been going through a bit of a musical dry spell lately, and now I think it's time to share what I've recently found to be great. Sequoyah Prep School (who now goes by Sequoyah) just came out with a new CD at the beginning of this month called "Spells." Very different from their older stuff, I believe it to be a change in a good direction. Neither is better, just different. The band has gotten in touch with their Rock n' Roll side and just made a CD out of it. A few nights ago they came to Nashville and I got the opportunity to go see them, which was amazing. To be honest when you listen to their new album after you watch the very same songs performed live, it's a bit of a let down. They are just that good live.

When the show finished, there were a few fans that had driven about three hours to see them. The venue was very upclose and personal,  which made it more than easy to converse with the bands. These fans had not had enough of Sequoyah (neither had anyone else, but we all just didn't have the guts to say anything about it), so they asked the lead guy to sing some more songs outside. He complied. Walking out, there was a group of about ten people gathered around him and his guitar just singing and pulling out their phones to record it. We got our own private session! It was awesome.

During the last song, we had a bit of an issue with two sketchy, homeless looking guys asking to play his guitar. Now you can imagine how nice and expensive it must have been, and if he had even let one of these guys touch it they would have run off with it in a heartbeat. Now reminder: this was DURING the song that the guy kept asking. So we're all just sitting there watching and singing and this weirdo comes up and won't stop talking and asking, so we're all getting annoyed and rather creeped out. When no one is answering, the guy turns to this girl and gets in her face asking her to let his friend play the guitar (?!?) while she is trying not to even acknowledge him. Suddenly, Justin (the lead singer) stops the song and tells the guy to stop bothering the "little lady" because she is only here to have a good time. Since he still won't let up, Justin says, "Okay, let me finish this song and we'll talk about it." So we finished and of course, the man was still waiting. His friend had already walked all the way down the street and sat down against a building (he obviously wasn't too interested in playing). This was a very awkward situation, and things were getting a little heated, so Justin told him to go get his friend, and when the man started walking that way, we told him he'd better get inside and go change his clothes, so we said thank you and goodnight, and that was the end of a great night. When we passed the venue, the man and his friend were standing outside waiting. I wonder how long they stood there...

Anyways, check them out!

In the Swing of Things

When I got back to school I jumped back in the hang of things and although things aren't quite as busy as before the break, they're still pretty hectic. 

One thing I have thoroughly enjoyed is the weather. 80 degrees almost every day. It's perfect. A group of friends and I went to the park this past weekend and enjoyed hammocks, frisbee and tennis. Four years on the tennis team in high school just went down the drain for me! I am terrible now, it had been over a year since I'd played so I guess that's my fault. All to say, it was a great day and fun weekend full of beautiful, sunny weather!

Today I finished perhaps one of the hardest workouts I have ever done in my life. I went to a spin class with one of my friends (which I had never done before) and it kicked my butt! If that doesn't keep me in shape then I don't know what will. I have to admit I felt pretty good afterwards, so I'm going to try to keep it going. The hour consisted of changing resistances from a "light jog" to a full speed sprint. Then to change things up a little, our instructor would have us get off the bike at the end of each song and do 10 push ups. This doesn't sound hard, but when you're out of breath and can feel your heart beating out of your chest it's like you've got a 200 pound man sitting on your back. We were not allowed to give ourselves any rest in the transitions from the push ups and the bike. The last 15 minutes or so were used to strengthen the core, so we did a few exercises for that. Our instructor was fun, which added a good bit for me. I like to have someone encouraging me when I'm giving it all I've got and just want to give up. All in all, it was an insane work out. One that I will be doing again. I feel like I can do anything now!

Thoughts In The Gloom

Unfortunately, I come home and it's all rainy and gloomy outside. Today has just been chaos! I went shopping for a little bit (and of course, traffic is terrible), and I am now about to get ready to go out for a birthday dinner at California Dreaming. Then for me it will be a nice night in watching movies and such.

But today I remembered a concept that is very important and sometimes people tend to make it less of a priority than it should be. That thing is family. The people around you, your family, are very important. They should be the people that get you through day to day- the people that know you inside and out, perhaps even better than you know yourself. We all have a tendency to take the things and people we constantly have around us for granted. I guess that's only natural. All I can say is... try not to. They're one of a kind and in most cases, would do anything for you. To have a loving family is an absolute treasure and not one to be forgotten.

That's just something that's been weighing on me lately, and if you know me then you know why I feel that it's so important. I've got to finish getting ready, I'm a rainy mess! Have a great night, I hope it looks better than mine!

Time For A Break

So I'm definitely a bit perkier now than I was in my last post. Sometimes you just gotta vent, I guess.

Spring break is next week and couldn't come fast enough. These last two weeks I have been completely overwhelmed with schoolwork, its ridiculous. I feel as though there's never a downtime in my schedule without a feeling of guilt for not working on some assignment, even as I'm writing this. This week alone I have a midterm to study for, 63 question reading guide due, revisions to a paper, another paper due, and a response paper to a play I was required to watch over the weekend (luckily I've already got that done).

On another note, tonight I biked 10 miles full speed! That was a huge feat for me. And the best part- I wasn't even tired afterward! It felt good. I need to keep this up over the break and not lose momentum. Also, as weird as this is, for the past 2 days I've been eating like a vegetarian without even trying to. I guess it's just the terrible food at our dining halls. I think I might try to complete a week like this to see if it has any affect on the way I feel. I can't wait for August when I have an apartment to make my own food in my own way. I'm a nerd and I enjoy looking up recipes in my free time to find out ways to make good, nutritious food. It's fun for me. And moving out of the house has given me a new love for cooking. It's one of my favorite things to do now.

For example, I might try to make a delicious meal like this...

Garlic Paprika Shrimp w/ Sautéed Green Beans and Brown Rice

Or maybe...

Vegetarian Taco Salad
(It still looks fantastic even without the meat!)

Unfortunately, it is time for me to get back to my homework. Goodnight all!

...

Lately for me the days have been flying by. I wake up, go to class, eat, do homework, make a trip to the gym (if I'm lucky), and go to sleep just to wake up and do it all again. I've been feeling very smug and discouraged.

Maybe I need a change. All I want to do in my free time is lay around and relax, and that is not like me. I have lost the motivation I had to use my energy. To use it to better myself, to do something productive, to help someone else. I just need that extra pep in my step- to find something that I really enjoy and dedicate myself and my time to it, and invest in it.

I've also realized how much I miss my dogs lately, as insignificant as that might sound. Animals have always had a special place in my heart, and it's terrible being so far away from mine. No matter how I'm feeling, they always bring me some kind of joy and companionship. I wouldn't trade them for the world.

Getting Started

I've decided I'm going to give blogging a try. I found myself making a Tumblr, then realized that it's not exactly what I'm looking for in a blog, so here I am. I enjoy writing and I'd like to call myself a good writer, but that's up to you. Hopefully this will become a regular habit of mine, and I can't wait to get started. For now, I'm going to try to figure out how to work my way around this site.