30-day writing challenge: Day 7

08 Monday Jun 2015

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challenge, College, Detroit, fun, inspiration, Lana Del Rey, Music, nirvana, PJ Harvey, Placebo, songs, summer, writing

Day 7: List 10 songs that you’re loving right now

I really wish it could be twenty because frankly music is all but

Nirvana

1. School – Nirvana
I’ve talked about how I always return to Nirvana in a previous post and due to “Montage of Heck” I was reintroduced to some of my old favorites.

2. Red Right Hand – PJ Harvey
Unfortunately, I can’t find where to download this song so I must listen to it on YouTube. I first heard this song when watching the first trailer for Guillermo del Toro’s “Crimson Peak” and when I went on a search to find the track title I found out PJ Harvey had done a cover of Nick Cave’s “Red Right Hand” for the show “Peaky Blinders.”

3. Shut Up and Dance – WALK THE MOON
WALK THE MOON has a soft spot on my heart because I used their song “Anna Sun” when putting together photos and video of my nephew for his third birthday. This band is one of the few upbeat bands that I like.

4. Hold My Hand – UNKLE
This was one of those things where you find a song you like then creep through the band’s iTunes page. I found this song after hearing “The Dog Is Black” and wondering if UNKLE had any other weirdly catchy songs. Because this song was only available with the album, I bought the whole thing with no regrets. That’s how much I love this song.

Lana Del Rey

5. Ultraviolence – Lana Del Rey
One of my friends introduced me to Lana Del Rey a few years back and I’ve loved her voice since. When her newest album came out, I couldn’t stop listening to the title track.

6. Cling – Modern Chemistry
I absolutely love the feeling of walking into a concert a fan of the headliner and walking away a fan of the supporting act. When frnkiero andthe cellabration came to Detroit with Modern Chemistry and The Homeless Gospel Choir as supporting acts I didn’t bother to look up the two bands I hadn’t heard before because I figured I would let the live show be my introduction. Both were great but Modern Chemistry stood out and I listen to this song almost every day.

7. Wasp – Motionless In White
Motionless in White I discovered a few years ago and have been following them in anticipation of new releases. When Reincarnate came out, “Wasp” was an instant favorite.

8. Spooky Action At A Distance – SQÜRL
As a student in the College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts at Wayne State University and as a student in Midtown, Detroit, I had heard of the indie movie “Only Lovers Left Alive” and was attracted to the premise of a vampire hiding out in Detroit while making music. Director Jim Jarmusch and his band SQÜRL was responsible for the soundtrack and it’s mostly void of vocals and a blend of sounds but it works so amazingly well together and I can’t stop listening to this song.

Placebo

9. Pure Morning – Placebo
Many of the bands I love will post on there Twitter or Instagram photos of seeing Placebo live or the Placebo albums they are listening to so I decided to check them out. This is by far my favorite.

10. Make it Home – thenewno2
First heard the remix to this song while watching “Beautiful Creatures” and loved it so much I bought the remix and the original version.

30-day writing challenge: Day 6

07 Sunday Jun 2015

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acceptance, animals, beautiful, challenge, College, fun, inspiration, love, nerd, rescue, summer, writing

Day 6: Five ways to win your heart

Seeing as I love to find loopholes in anything given to me these will be the five things to win my heart in any sort of situation be it co-workers, friends, family members, relationships, etc.

My rescue Jules and I in an outtake from my senior photos.

Animals
Who doesn’t love a cuddly little creature? I was raised in a very pet friendly home and, to me, a home isn’t a home unless there is a four-legged family member roaming around. People that are cruel or neglect animals are some of the lowest individuals and any person that cannot see the joy animals bring isn’t someone I would spend time with.

Having a beautiful soul
I don’t mean open yourself up and give your soul a facelift. There are people in this world who have the most amazing outlooks, experiences and actions and this one’s for them. The people who you call and will always give a lending hand, will always have a fun story to tell and will always see the best in a situation instead of the worst.

Be funny
I have a degree in sarcasm and dry senses of humor. People who are too serious need to take a chill pill and realize we aren’t getting out of this alive so you might as well make the most of it and have fun while you can.

Be open-minded
If there is one thing I hate is someone who cannot be open-minded to the things going on around them. I always keep other peoples beliefs in mind when trying to organize my words and I would hope any other person has the same courtesy.

My Jack Skellington onesie.

Be nerdy
I can’t be the only person that would rather read classic literature while in my Jack Skellington onesie as “Game of Thrones” is playing in the background. I’m nerdy in the history/literature way and not so much in the gamer way but there is a place for every nerd and to suppress it is to suppress yourself.

I don’t think I’m asking for too much.

30-day writing challenge: Day 5

06 Saturday Jun 2015

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beautiful, challenge, England, fun, history, Ireland, Italy, London, New England, Paris, travel, writing

Day 5: List five places you want to visit

As stated in a previous blog, I love to travel and the desire is never pacified. There are many places I would like to visit but seeing as I need to exercise self control and abide by the title of this day asking for five places, I’ve listed my top five places.

London
I’ve always wanted to visit London and I don’t know if I can pinpoint the origin of that desire. Most of the television shows I love are British, I obsess over the history of the United Kingdom because it’s fascinating and I love the architecture. London in particular has so much to offer for a tourist that I feel if I were to spend a week there I still wouldn’t see everything I wanted.

Paris
The draw here is mostly architecture and history. I spent two full years in high school and three semesters in college in a French language course and a huge part of it is learning about the culture and history. As with many old European cities, I think this is one of those places that would never have a dull moment and I could fill seven 32 GB memory cards within a week.

The Cliffs of Moher in Ireland taken in July 2013 by my mother.

Ireland
Ireland is not only beautiful but also a huge part of my ancestry. My parents took a tour a couple of years ago and the pictures and stories they came back with made me want to get up and go so I could see and experience the Emerald Isle for myself. I even looked into studying abroad at Trinity College Dublin.

New England
I think the draw to New England stems from history, again, and how it seems like the ideal place to live in the United States. I love the look of many of the old New England homes and how green it is, especially seeing as it was part of the original 13 colonies yet it doesn’t have the feel of a place that has been populated since the dawn of the country.

Italy
No surprise this is based in architecture and history but also food. I love Italian food and I don’t just mean American Italian but actual old-country style Italian. Another big draw to Italy is the beautiful countryside and the beautiful language.

I know these seem stereotypical but when you’re a young college student who has already seen a good portion of the country she lives in you’d want to branch into the stereotypical tree for some fun and great experiences abroad.