I have decided that it's that time again, I compose a list of music that I'm in love with, and that gets me through. I did this before, a while ago. Times have changed.
Fleet Foxes to me are nearly as nescessary as water. This is one of the bands that I listen to on a daily basis, and one of the bands that can actually lull me to sleep. They have this weird sort of meloncholic, melodic value to them that instantly puts me at ease. Blue Ridge Mountains is my favourite song by them.
Rural Alberta Advantage is a band I happened upon this year, I fell in love with them instatly. Don't Haunt This Place is one of my all time favourite songs. I love the words, and the way the song is sung. I can honestly listen to their album at anytime and love it.
Great Lake Swimmers... where do I even begin? This is band makes me want to live my life. I had a hard time choosing a song by them to post. Put There by The Land just happens to be the one I last listened to.
Embedding was disabled for this video, so click here.
Bon Iver. You know, it's funny... I hated Bon Iver the first time I heard him. Seriously (some of my really close friends right now are going "WHAT!?"). I thought it was the most annoying music I had ever heard. But then, one night I was trying to fall asleep... it was during a particularily horrible bout of insomnia, and Bon Iver came on my shuffle. I have many favourite bands, but I had never felt the way Bon Iver made me feel when I was listening to his music. It's just like every thought or worry I had got lost in the melodies and his strange, strange voice. It actually made my heart beat all wonky. After this, Bon Iver just became my band (I know, he's not a band he's just Justin Vernon). I cant fully describe what this means, but I can just listen to Bon Iver at anytime, and it's like magic. I am calm, or I am happy, or I am sleeping, or whatever. I can just get lost. I love it.
Some more Bon Iver... just because.
***
***
This is all you really need to know, to know me.
Peace, love, and music,
Sam.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Absolute Peace
You know, it's strange where peace can be found: concerts, meditation, yoga, storms, nature, ect. Personally, I never have a set place where I find peace; it kind of just hits me. Now, I'm not talking about some kind of enlightened state; just the feeling that everything in your life is balanced, and your mind is quiet. My mind is rarely quiet, and those who know me, know that I usually talk a mile a minute, and jump from topic to topic quite frequently. But, tonight I found absolute peace.
I was driving home from my friends house, she lives in the country, and it was raining and lightening. I drove with my window down, so I could hear and smell the rain. Everything was a deep indigo colour; the most beautiful blue. I was listening to Fleet Foxes, a staple band for me, one that I listen to quite often to calm my mind. Just the coolness of the air, the smell of the rain, the lightening, to melodic quality of the music, and the openess of the empty road, I was at peace: utter, absolute peace. I was just being: breathing in and out. Nothing mattered, just complete calm.
I cherish these moments in my life, where everything just seems to fall into place, everything works together in a symbiotic orchestra: nothing out of tune or beat.
This moment to me is a great end to my summer, essentially. In a weeks time, my friends are starting to move, I only have two weeks left in Dawson before I move. It's time to accept that my life is changing and everything that is happening and has been happening for the past ten months, is real. It's time to start packing and saying my goodbyes (Until December!). It doesn't matter if I'm not ready anymore, life is moving on with or without me.
I was driving home from my friends house, she lives in the country, and it was raining and lightening. I drove with my window down, so I could hear and smell the rain. Everything was a deep indigo colour; the most beautiful blue. I was listening to Fleet Foxes, a staple band for me, one that I listen to quite often to calm my mind. Just the coolness of the air, the smell of the rain, the lightening, to melodic quality of the music, and the openess of the empty road, I was at peace: utter, absolute peace. I was just being: breathing in and out. Nothing mattered, just complete calm.
I cherish these moments in my life, where everything just seems to fall into place, everything works together in a symbiotic orchestra: nothing out of tune or beat.
This moment to me is a great end to my summer, essentially. In a weeks time, my friends are starting to move, I only have two weeks left in Dawson before I move. It's time to accept that my life is changing and everything that is happening and has been happening for the past ten months, is real. It's time to start packing and saying my goodbyes (Until December!). It doesn't matter if I'm not ready anymore, life is moving on with or without me.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Monday
I am sure that today was one of the longest mondays I have ever endured.
Firstly, Mondays are usually my day off. I often do my banking and other errands I can't do on Sunday because everything is closed. Oh yes, and on Sunday nights I usually goto bed late, because I get to sleep in on Mondays. Not today! Today, I got a call from my manager asking me to come in today, becasue she was feeling ill and needed another girl on staff. I mean, this is fine, life goes on. Yadda, yadda, yadda. I get to work, all is fine, the day is passing with out issue, then It happens. It is some unknown Monday poltergeist that decided to bestow unlimited bad luck upon the employees of the Pet Store. First, it started with some kind of mysterious Ebola plague killing the gold fish. I think atleast seventy died today. Know how gross that is? It's nasty. Then, It struck again and for the last three hours of work, the internet went down, rendering the debit machines useless. Now, you'd think people could read the bright neon signs that said the debit was down and that we're accepting cash only, but nope.
All in all, today was... interesting and exhausting.
Love, peace, and the bubonic fish plague,
Sam.
Firstly, Mondays are usually my day off. I often do my banking and other errands I can't do on Sunday because everything is closed. Oh yes, and on Sunday nights I usually goto bed late, because I get to sleep in on Mondays. Not today! Today, I got a call from my manager asking me to come in today, becasue she was feeling ill and needed another girl on staff. I mean, this is fine, life goes on. Yadda, yadda, yadda. I get to work, all is fine, the day is passing with out issue, then It happens. It is some unknown Monday poltergeist that decided to bestow unlimited bad luck upon the employees of the Pet Store. First, it started with some kind of mysterious Ebola plague killing the gold fish. I think atleast seventy died today. Know how gross that is? It's nasty. Then, It struck again and for the last three hours of work, the internet went down, rendering the debit machines useless. Now, you'd think people could read the bright neon signs that said the debit was down and that we're accepting cash only, but nope.
All in all, today was... interesting and exhausting.
Love, peace, and the bubonic fish plague,
Sam.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Eat, Pray, Love
So, I have decided to embark upon the task to read Eat, Pray, Love (by Elizabeth Gilbert). I want to see what all this hoopalah is about! I hope it's as good as everyone says it is!
Peace, Love and Lazy Sunday Afternoons,
Sam.
Peace, Love and Lazy Sunday Afternoons,
Sam.
Where are you, my dear friend?
Today was a hard day. Today was my great-aunties funeral, and I still worked a full day on top of that. I had a bit of a meltdown at the funeral. It wasn't really the fact that she was gone, I mean, atleast she isn't suffering anymore, it was more the fact that my grandpa was really tourn about it, and my grandma. They're two people I really don't want to see sad. Not to mention, it kind of gave me a reality check about the mortality of them. You never think about when someone is going to die... why would you? To me, my gradparents are invisible, or were... but today seeing Bev's granddaughters deliver her eulogy, it hit to close to somewhere I don't want to call home. I love my grandparent's a lot, both sets, and I don't want these reminders of a human's life, and how it eventually all has to end. Not everyone lives forever.
This all leaves me sitting here, alone in my room in the dark, listening to music wishing I had someone to talk to. It's 3am and there really isn't anyone online, not that I would really spill most of my thoughts right now to someone who just happened to be online. I know I wont be sleeping tonight.
This is where I miss my iPod. I know, it sounds so silly, it's just a electronic device... but really it's more than that.
I am a chronic insomniac sometimes. I have a tendency to over think things; it's tiring. I tend to do this abundance of thinking usually in the wee hours in the morning. All this thinking severely inhibits my sleep... to nearly nothing.
You see, music helps this. With music (and amazing noise cancelling headphones!) I can drown out my own thoughts. I can lose myself in the lyrics and the beat, or in pleasent memory that is attached to a particular song. I can concentrate on something that isn't happening in my head, I can concentrate on someone else... someone else's thoughts. One could suggest I can just put a CD on in my stereo and call it good... but that wont work. I wish it would. I don't know how to explain this... but with headphone, especially the kind I have, it's like the music I am lisiting to, is my thoughts. The words, the beats and how they all work together take over my brain, they cancel out every ounce of what ever was troubling it and replaces it with a song. With a stereo, it's just background music, it's there, but I can still hear my thoughts over it... when the music is right in my ears, in my head, in my brain, it's not background music... it's me, it's apart of me. This is really the reason I am so picky about my music. I'm not being some pretentious ass, who wants to flaunt indie music genious... it's because the music I chose to listen to, I am letting be apart of me. Music, for the most part, is there for me than most people are. Now, this isn't a poor me, poor me thing, I know I have people in my life that care for me and that I could call at anytime and they'd listen to me and be there for me, but just not in the same way. I could sit there for hours and try to articulte to someone else my thoughts and how I was feeling, but it wouldn't stop the thought, it would just make it grow, even after the conversation stopped. I do talk to people when I need too, but for a lot of the time, I just don't want to talk about it.
Basically, I miss my iPod and I miss a thoughtless sleep. I miss sleep period. I miss my auntie Bev and I miss some friends I don't talk to nearly enough anymore.
Peace, love and thoughtless nights,
Sam.
PS.
A happier post is coming soon, I swear.
This all leaves me sitting here, alone in my room in the dark, listening to music wishing I had someone to talk to. It's 3am and there really isn't anyone online, not that I would really spill most of my thoughts right now to someone who just happened to be online. I know I wont be sleeping tonight.
This is where I miss my iPod. I know, it sounds so silly, it's just a electronic device... but really it's more than that.
I am a chronic insomniac sometimes. I have a tendency to over think things; it's tiring. I tend to do this abundance of thinking usually in the wee hours in the morning. All this thinking severely inhibits my sleep... to nearly nothing.
You see, music helps this. With music (and amazing noise cancelling headphones!) I can drown out my own thoughts. I can lose myself in the lyrics and the beat, or in pleasent memory that is attached to a particular song. I can concentrate on something that isn't happening in my head, I can concentrate on someone else... someone else's thoughts. One could suggest I can just put a CD on in my stereo and call it good... but that wont work. I wish it would. I don't know how to explain this... but with headphone, especially the kind I have, it's like the music I am lisiting to, is my thoughts. The words, the beats and how they all work together take over my brain, they cancel out every ounce of what ever was troubling it and replaces it with a song. With a stereo, it's just background music, it's there, but I can still hear my thoughts over it... when the music is right in my ears, in my head, in my brain, it's not background music... it's me, it's apart of me. This is really the reason I am so picky about my music. I'm not being some pretentious ass, who wants to flaunt indie music genious... it's because the music I chose to listen to, I am letting be apart of me. Music, for the most part, is there for me than most people are. Now, this isn't a poor me, poor me thing, I know I have people in my life that care for me and that I could call at anytime and they'd listen to me and be there for me, but just not in the same way. I could sit there for hours and try to articulte to someone else my thoughts and how I was feeling, but it wouldn't stop the thought, it would just make it grow, even after the conversation stopped. I do talk to people when I need too, but for a lot of the time, I just don't want to talk about it.
Basically, I miss my iPod and I miss a thoughtless sleep. I miss sleep period. I miss my auntie Bev and I miss some friends I don't talk to nearly enough anymore.
Peace, love and thoughtless nights,
Sam.
PS.
A happier post is coming soon, I swear.
Friday, August 6, 2010
UBC;Yoga;28 Days&No Sheets
Lately, I have had a thought. This thought consists of me not going to UBC nor living in Vancouver, and working at the Pet Store as a lifer. I mean, why not? The girls I work with are amazingly nice, and I have found a great friend in a co-worker, so really, why not stay?
I am only thinking hypothetically of course, I don't want to stay here for the rest of my life, I couldn't handle myself.
UBC and Vancouer are my dreams, and I don't know what good karma I have built up (saving a puppy from a burning building? that never happened. Jokes) But I am getting both my dreams. I really WANT them, but I don't know if I am ready; I am scared shitless (for lack of a better colloquialism). I just don't know what to expect, it all doesn't feel very real right now. It wont feel real until my second week in, I betcha.
It seems like all the friends that are going down to Vancouver too, are confident and ready. They just seem like they've got it, yanno? I don't feel confident at all. I feel like I am running around in the dark, grasping for some bit of reality to make me feel grounded, like this is all really happening in my life. Reflecting back, my highschool life, I just floated through. This happened, that happened, but I just kept going on, and then graduation happened, I floated through that (did grad even happen? jury is still out...) and now here is university on my doorstep and I don't have any twin XL sheets for my matress pad. Where on Earth, am I supposed to find twin XL sheets?
I leave for Vancouver in 28 days and I have no sheets, nor an iPod. Yes, I am missing my iPod... without sounding like a pretention ass, I miss my iPod like I miss friends. I am so attached to it. Simply buying a new one just isn't the same.
But I digress... I suppose it's time to put on my big girl shoes and start packing my bags... Vancouver and my life are happening, and I'd like to be present for it this time.
Love, peace, and packing lists,
Sam.
I am only thinking hypothetically of course, I don't want to stay here for the rest of my life, I couldn't handle myself.
UBC and Vancouer are my dreams, and I don't know what good karma I have built up (saving a puppy from a burning building? that never happened. Jokes) But I am getting both my dreams. I really WANT them, but I don't know if I am ready; I am scared shitless (for lack of a better colloquialism). I just don't know what to expect, it all doesn't feel very real right now. It wont feel real until my second week in, I betcha.
It seems like all the friends that are going down to Vancouver too, are confident and ready. They just seem like they've got it, yanno? I don't feel confident at all. I feel like I am running around in the dark, grasping for some bit of reality to make me feel grounded, like this is all really happening in my life. Reflecting back, my highschool life, I just floated through. This happened, that happened, but I just kept going on, and then graduation happened, I floated through that (did grad even happen? jury is still out...) and now here is university on my doorstep and I don't have any twin XL sheets for my matress pad. Where on Earth, am I supposed to find twin XL sheets?
I leave for Vancouver in 28 days and I have no sheets, nor an iPod. Yes, I am missing my iPod... without sounding like a pretention ass, I miss my iPod like I miss friends. I am so attached to it. Simply buying a new one just isn't the same.
But I digress... I suppose it's time to put on my big girl shoes and start packing my bags... Vancouver and my life are happening, and I'd like to be present for it this time.
Love, peace, and packing lists,
Sam.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Body Image & Folk Music
This blog is going to come to you in two parts! Part one, being body image, and the second being folk music... and it's sweet sweet twangy goodness.
Part One:
Sometimes, I need to sit back and take a deep breathe. And never, ever read a magazine again. I know it's common knowledge, but our society is obsessed whole heartily with body image. Magazines tell women which food will make them shed pounds the quickest, while tabloids call the next slim star anorexic. In a society of celebrity worship, when the stars are too thin, what is just right? I know, in a perfect world, we'd all be healthy, happy, and accepting of another and what every single one of us looks like. But this isn't a perfect world, lets be honest here. This hatred is personified through thousands upon thousands of facebook groups hating on those who are overweight. "Hey Fatty, don't you just look lovely in those leggings" "leggings and skinny jeans should have a weight limit" are just two examples of the hate that goes around the 'net. It gets even worse, with comments saying "I'd rather throw myself out of a window than have a yucky body like that" or "fat chicks should be put on a separate island." The hate also reaches the other end of the spectrum, with "skinny people" hate. Now, I don't want to make excuses for either side, hate is hate. Basically, I am just frustrated: facebook groups, magazines, TV, everything... how is a person supposed to know what they're supposed to look like... Well here's the thing... you're not. You're supposed to look like you. Now go, get up and go look in the mirror. Take a good look. You see the eyes staring back you? The shape of the nose? The Curve of the mouth? Perhaps the indent of your hips, the curves of you stomach (or lack of), how much your ears stick out... this is all you and this is what you're supposed to look like. No like Lohan, Hilton, Spears or who ever else is in the tabloids. You are supposed to look like you. You only have on body, one vessel to live in while you're on Earth. This body you are given, should be treated with respect and dignity. Feed it well, exercise it, love and cherish it. Most of all, love those around you. Not for their weight, but for them. They have bodies and minds too, that need to be cherished, just like yours. Remember, especially women who can be so cruel to themselves and others, an attack on one, is an attack on all. Just because someone's nasty comment isn't directed directly at you, it doesn't mean it doesn't include you. Hate is hate. So basically, be happy, be healthy, be loved and spread love. Life is too short to be hating on everything!
Part Two:
Folk music, oh how I love thee.
'nuff said.
Peace, love and banjos,
Sam.
Part One:
Sometimes, I need to sit back and take a deep breathe. And never, ever read a magazine again. I know it's common knowledge, but our society is obsessed whole heartily with body image. Magazines tell women which food will make them shed pounds the quickest, while tabloids call the next slim star anorexic. In a society of celebrity worship, when the stars are too thin, what is just right? I know, in a perfect world, we'd all be healthy, happy, and accepting of another and what every single one of us looks like. But this isn't a perfect world, lets be honest here. This hatred is personified through thousands upon thousands of facebook groups hating on those who are overweight. "Hey Fatty, don't you just look lovely in those leggings" "leggings and skinny jeans should have a weight limit" are just two examples of the hate that goes around the 'net. It gets even worse, with comments saying "I'd rather throw myself out of a window than have a yucky body like that" or "fat chicks should be put on a separate island." The hate also reaches the other end of the spectrum, with "skinny people" hate. Now, I don't want to make excuses for either side, hate is hate. Basically, I am just frustrated: facebook groups, magazines, TV, everything... how is a person supposed to know what they're supposed to look like... Well here's the thing... you're not. You're supposed to look like you. Now go, get up and go look in the mirror. Take a good look. You see the eyes staring back you? The shape of the nose? The Curve of the mouth? Perhaps the indent of your hips, the curves of you stomach (or lack of), how much your ears stick out... this is all you and this is what you're supposed to look like. No like Lohan, Hilton, Spears or who ever else is in the tabloids. You are supposed to look like you. You only have on body, one vessel to live in while you're on Earth. This body you are given, should be treated with respect and dignity. Feed it well, exercise it, love and cherish it. Most of all, love those around you. Not for their weight, but for them. They have bodies and minds too, that need to be cherished, just like yours. Remember, especially women who can be so cruel to themselves and others, an attack on one, is an attack on all. Just because someone's nasty comment isn't directed directly at you, it doesn't mean it doesn't include you. Hate is hate. So basically, be happy, be healthy, be loved and spread love. Life is too short to be hating on everything!
Part Two:
Folk music, oh how I love thee.
'nuff said.
Peace, love and banjos,
Sam.
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