My thoughts were too loud

I sort of love this song.

Verses Out of Rhythm, Couplets Out of Rhyme.

I'm a lot like both of my parents. I have my mom's love of all things British, her absurdly thick hair, and I have the unnerving ability to "suck all of the air" out of a car if the person driving almost gets in an accident. Or so I've been told.

I have my dad's quick sarcasm, stubborn disposition (in all of the right ways), and his love for music. My dad introduced me to The Beatles and all of my favorite musicals like South Pacific, Singing in the Rain, The King and I, and Oklahoma. One of my favorite things to do when I'm home is to look at my dad's record collection and put on an Rubber Soul or another old Beatles' record. Everything sounds much more beautiful on a record. My dad has hundreds of CDs of every genre and band. He has everything from Michael Jackson to Gordon Lightfoot, from No Doubt to The Cars.

Last Christmas break, my Dad and I spent hours picking out dozens of CDs to burn onto my computer. Father-daughter bonding at its best. One of my favorite bands he gave me that I have grown to love is Simon & Garfunkel. I love the way their songs tell real stories of life and human experience. Their songs really speak to me.


Here's one of my favorite songs right now. Read the lyrics. Is there anyone who can't relate to this song? Simply lovely.

(Really corny images but good quality of the song. Don't judge.)

Dangling Conversation

It's a still life water color,
Of a now late afternoon,
As the sun shines through the curtained lace
And shadows wash the room.
And we sit and drink our coffee
Couched in our indifference,
Like shells upon the shore
You can hear the ocean roar
In the dangling conversation
And the superficial sighs,
The borders of our lives.

And you read your Emily Dickinson,
And I my Robert Frost,
And we note our place with bookmarkers
That measure what we've lost.
Like a poem poorly written
We are verses out of rhythm,
Couplets out of rhyme,
In syncopated time
Lost in the dangling conversation
And in the superficial sighs,
Are the borders of our lives.

Yes, we speak of things that matter,
With words that must be said,
"Can analysis be worthwhile?"
"Is the theater really dead?"
And how the room is softly faded
And I only kiss your shadow,
I cannot feel your hand,
You're a stranger now unto me
Lost in the dangling conversation.
And the superficial sighs,
In the borders of our lives.

That's an Irish Lullaby

I love rain. I love wearing my boots, finally getting to wear my cute crocheted hat, and walking around campus with my bright striped umbrella. I love wearing sweaters, coming home from school and diving under my comforter, and finally being able to drink hot chocolate without turning down the air conditioning.

I love Bing Crosby's voice. I love listening to his voice while I walk to work in the morning even if I do walk more slowly and I am filled with an overwhelming desire to start waltzing down the street.

I love the feeling of being busy without exploding. I love the knowledge that everything will be done in time and if I focus on one day at a time, I can make it through. I love working hard and accomplishing my goals. I love moving forward. I love the feeling that amidst my hectic life, there are moments of peace and clarity.

I love walking through the rain with my umbrella and not getting wet.

Say we'll be together every day

No, no, no. Don't be silly. That was definitely not me blasting this song and jamming all the way home from work last night at 11:15 PM. You must have me confused with someone else.

And the award of the night goes to...Igor!

Working in the restaurant business is a funny thing. You learn the ins and outs of food preparation and if you're like most people in the world, you start to understand how many employees you have annoyed in the past, whether you were aware of it or not.

For instance, calling 5 minutes before the restaurant is closing to order 3 complicated pizzas that will further complicate the efforts of the employee trying to close down the pie station by himself might just be the smartest thing you've ever done!

Calling 10 minutes before closing and starting out by screaming obscure things into the phone might be the most intelligent way to get the person taking your order, who's also in charge of making your food, on your good side!

Sticking around in a restaurant 35 minutes after it closes (sensing a theme here?) is also considered to be good manners. If you notice the employees staring at you oddly, turning off the music and the lights in selected parts of the restaurant, don't sweat it! It just means they like you! Keep talking and sipping the dregs of your old iced tea you've been enjoying for 2 hours. No really! Leave whenever you're ready to go.

After a long shift of working (spent working with wonderful coworkers and mainly incredible customers like the guy with a Kindle and the sweet old lady taking care of her two mentally challenged children), I came home and began to unwind to the incredible playing of Igor Presnyakov. You haven't heard of him? Neither had I until today. Here are some of my favorite videos. Sit back. Relax.
Snow (Hey Oh)
Sweet Child O' Mine
Pirates Of The Caribbean Theme
Hallelujah

At the end of the day, I have to stop and give thanks to the numerous customers who come to my job everyday because they are the reason I have my job in the first place. So let's all stop and give a nice round of applause to the wonderful customers who are blissfully unaware of how the employees really feel about them. You know who you are. Oh wait, you probably don't.

The Fab Four

Alright. Those of you who really know me are fully aware of my love for The Beatles. I've grown up hearing their music most of my life as my dad has most of their original records. My dad grew up in that generation of hysterical girls screaming their lungs out at their concerts, their premiere into the US on the Ed Sullivan Show, and experienced each album when it was just released. How I wish I had grown up in that generation.

When I was about 15 or 16, something shifted. All of a sudden, it was like I was hearing The Beatles for the first time. I was really listening to the lyrics and harmonies and it's like my axis shifted, a light had turned on. I was in love. 

As my brother-in-law Doug said, "They were like the Einstein of music. They were revolutionary and changed everything about music." Those people who think The Beatles are cliche and out of style are probably the people who have only listened to "I Want To Hold Your Hand" and "Hey Jude" over and over again on the oldies stations. In order to appreciate them, you have to go deeper than that. The older I get, the more I appreciate their later albums like  Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club and Let it Be. To get in an idea, try this one on for size. It's one of my favorites: A Day In the Life.

My favorite Beatle is absolutely and positively George Harrison. Aside from being the most attractive one in the band, he is one of the greatest guitar players in history. At least to me.

I am not naive enough to think that The Beatles were pure and innocent. They definitely had their faults and vices but I choose not to dwell on that part. There's something intangible about them that draws you in and secures your affection. Their wit and easiness in front of journalists, their music that takes you deeper into the human psyche than most music I know, and their devotion to their music which did not end with The Beatles. Each song I listen to is like greeting an old friend; its presence is familiar and comfortable. I love how they continue to charm new audiences every generation; I can't wait for my future kids to "discover" The Beatles just as I did. Even though John and George are dead, Ringo has gone off the deep end, and Paul is playing concerts for Obama in his spare time, I'll always have them in my mind as they were at the peak of their career: young, full of life, and untainted by the fame that would be their demise.

I've Got a Feeling that All You Need Is Love and to Think For Yourself about The Beatles. As for me, I choose to Let it Be, travel Across the Universe, and Follow the Sun all the way to Strawberry Fields Forever.

Wouldn't Wanna Change A Thing

My favorite channel on Pandora is the John Williams channel. I listen to it constantly while I do homework and the highlight of my homework session is always when a Harry Potter soundtrack comes on because I always imagine myself at Hogwarts. It's makes even the most unendurable subjects, like Geology, become almost bearable. I swear my intelligence level actually raises a notch or two.

Movie soundtracks are supposed to manipulate your emotions and accentuate the plot line, of course. They make me actually care that Thor might not beat the bad guy for once. That's pretty powerful stuff.

I fantasize a lot about how cool it would be to have a soundtrack of my life.

The Jaws theme would play when someone I dislike was approaching.
       The Indiana Jones song would play on my way to take a test at the Testing            Center.
              Braveheart would play any day when I need to regain my confidence on my down days.

This song would be the soundtrack of my day today: Strawberry Swing by Coldplay.

This song is washing cars on the driveway and getting more water on you than the car. It's stopping to pet the two adorable pugs you pass by in the neighborhood on your daily jog. It's trying to tell a close friend a Brian Regan skit and both of you crying with laughter the entire time. It's cooking s'mores in the oven late at night with friends and getting sticky fingers.

It's like taking a deep breath for the first time in months. Try it. You feel that? That's summer.

The summer night is like a perfection of thought. -Wallace Stevens