If this doesn't brighten your day, you might be a heartless grinch.
Happy Friday! :)
~Lis
Showing posts with label John Mayer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label John Mayer. Show all posts
Friday, January 30, 2009
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
the heart of life
Oh, man, is this a rainy day for the books! I love thunderstorms, and this morning is Grade A as far as they are concerned. This is "unplug your laptop and lay on the couch under a blanket and blog while you watch the lightning through the window" weather! I love it!
I'll let my thoughts rumble and tumble out of my head and onto the screen like the thunder rolling outside...
I'm so excited about going to the Lake. As much as I had tried every year of my life not to take my time up there for granted, there was no way I could truly appreciate it until last summer when I didn't get to go for the first time in the almost-23 years of my life.
Going up there is the epitomy of what a vacation, a Sabbath, a refuge should be. I always feel closer to God when I'm up there. He is impossible to ignore in that place. First of all, there is no TV, no Internet, and no cell phone reception, so most of life's daily distractions are removed from your life while you're there. Plus, the Northwoods of Minnesota are at their finest, as that area is lightly inhabited and barely cultivated by people, leaving plenty of room for all of God's creation to be on its best display, from the clear lakes to the beautiful, thick forests of birches and pines, to the frequently spotted eagles, loons, deer, moose, and even bears living among our little cabins. And I think that atmosphere lends itself to a sense of clarity we all get from spending time at the lake. We all get time away from our problems and get a chance to weigh them in an environment that makes us question what is really necessary and what is not worth worrying about. We sit on the dock at night and look at the big glass bowl of sky over the lake and watch it fill with stars and Northern Lights, and we realize how small we are and how insignificant some of our problems are. Marla and I always laugh because she always seemed to end up going home and breaking up with her boyfriends after we went ot the lake back in high school...but the truth is, she just had time away to evaluate her relationships and decide whether or not they were really worth her time and energy.
I have felt an overwhelming sense of clarity increasing in my life in the past year and especially in the past six months or so, and I can only imagine how much clearer things will be when I get to the Lake. I always love that Bible passage that goes something like, "Now we see in a mirror dimly, but then we will see face to face..." I always equated that to what it will be like to get to Heaven, and I always thought it would be that feeling of being at the Lake times like infinity. You know, because right now I have this dim, smudgy look at my life and everything in it, but at the Lake it's so beautiful and awesome that it puts everything else into perspective so clearly. So I think Heaven will be like the Lake, only much, much better.
Anyway, there are a few John Mayer songs striking some major chords (no pun intended, seriously) with me lately. One, of course, is "Clarity" from his album "The Heavier Things" (that is a GREAT album, by the way). The song says a lot about how I'm feeling these days and especially how it feels at the Lake...
This morning, there's a calm I can't explain
Rock candy's melted, only diamonds now remain...
By the time I recognize this moment
This moment will be gone
But I will bend the light, pretend that it somehow lingered on...
And I will wait to find
If this will last forever
And I will pay no mind
When I won't and it won't cause it can't
It just can't
It's not supposed to
Besides the obvious theme of clarity, I just love how it's about trying to hang on to the moments as long as you can even though you know it's going to be over at some point. That's how it is at the Lake; you take in every sight and sound ans smell from the minute you start driving down the lane to the cabin and get your first glimpse at the Lake, to the last second you're driving away, looking behind you to keep the mailbox row in view as long as you can and knowing it will be another year or more until you can come back again.
And speaking of that sad trip home from the lake, this is another JM song that has been speaking to me on multiple levels, because it's about growing up, but one part is just totally the Lake:
Once in a while when it's good
It'll feel like it should
And they're all still around
And you're still safe and sound
And you don't miss a thing
'til you cry when you're driving away in the dark...
Singing stop this train, I want to get off and go home again
I can't take this speed it's moving in
I know I can't
Cause now I see I'll never stop this train
Firstly, that part about it feeling like it should and everyone being around and feeling safe. That's so what it's like; Mamaw and Papaw, sometimes aunts and uncles, and always a few very old, very good friends are around, and you're safe from the pressures of the life you put on hold while you went on vacation, and you drink in every moment of it. And then the part about crying while you drive away in the dark...that is SPOT ON what happens when you leave the Lake. It's always dark because it's early-early in the morning. And you always cry, you can't help it, because you don't want to leave this little paradise; you don't want to go back and face reality again. And you feel like that little red cabin is home...you're just going back to the world to get by until you can come home to the little cabin again. (Again, a lot like Heaven!) So anyway, that's pretty much that.
Finally, I am loving this song and I think a lot of the people who check in on my blog from time to time might like it too, because a lot of us are living in what is so far the hardest and most challenging time of our lives right now. And this song is just a great little anthem for those of us trying to stay afloat in the big world...so I'm gonna post the whole song and the video so you all can have a listen. This one's for you!
"The Heart Of Life"
I hate to see you cry
Lying there in that position
There's things you need to hear
So turn off your tears
And listen
Pain throws your heart to the ground
Love turns the whole thing around
No it won't all go the way it should
But I know the heart of life is good
You know, it's nothing new
Bad news never had good timing
But, then your circle of friends
Will defend the silver lining
Pain throws your heart to the ground
Love turns the whole thing around
No it won't all go the way it should
But I know the heart of life is good
Pain throws your heart to the ground
Love turns the whole thing around
Fear is a friend who's misunderstood
But I know the heart of life is good
I know it's good
Love!
Lis
I'll let my thoughts rumble and tumble out of my head and onto the screen like the thunder rolling outside...
I'm so excited about going to the Lake. As much as I had tried every year of my life not to take my time up there for granted, there was no way I could truly appreciate it until last summer when I didn't get to go for the first time in the almost-23 years of my life.
Going up there is the epitomy of what a vacation, a Sabbath, a refuge should be. I always feel closer to God when I'm up there. He is impossible to ignore in that place. First of all, there is no TV, no Internet, and no cell phone reception, so most of life's daily distractions are removed from your life while you're there. Plus, the Northwoods of Minnesota are at their finest, as that area is lightly inhabited and barely cultivated by people, leaving plenty of room for all of God's creation to be on its best display, from the clear lakes to the beautiful, thick forests of birches and pines, to the frequently spotted eagles, loons, deer, moose, and even bears living among our little cabins. And I think that atmosphere lends itself to a sense of clarity we all get from spending time at the lake. We all get time away from our problems and get a chance to weigh them in an environment that makes us question what is really necessary and what is not worth worrying about. We sit on the dock at night and look at the big glass bowl of sky over the lake and watch it fill with stars and Northern Lights, and we realize how small we are and how insignificant some of our problems are. Marla and I always laugh because she always seemed to end up going home and breaking up with her boyfriends after we went ot the lake back in high school...but the truth is, she just had time away to evaluate her relationships and decide whether or not they were really worth her time and energy.
I have felt an overwhelming sense of clarity increasing in my life in the past year and especially in the past six months or so, and I can only imagine how much clearer things will be when I get to the Lake. I always love that Bible passage that goes something like, "Now we see in a mirror dimly, but then we will see face to face..." I always equated that to what it will be like to get to Heaven, and I always thought it would be that feeling of being at the Lake times like infinity. You know, because right now I have this dim, smudgy look at my life and everything in it, but at the Lake it's so beautiful and awesome that it puts everything else into perspective so clearly. So I think Heaven will be like the Lake, only much, much better.
Anyway, there are a few John Mayer songs striking some major chords (no pun intended, seriously) with me lately. One, of course, is "Clarity" from his album "The Heavier Things" (that is a GREAT album, by the way). The song says a lot about how I'm feeling these days and especially how it feels at the Lake...
This morning, there's a calm I can't explain
Rock candy's melted, only diamonds now remain...
By the time I recognize this moment
This moment will be gone
But I will bend the light, pretend that it somehow lingered on...
And I will wait to find
If this will last forever
And I will pay no mind
When I won't and it won't cause it can't
It just can't
It's not supposed to
Besides the obvious theme of clarity, I just love how it's about trying to hang on to the moments as long as you can even though you know it's going to be over at some point. That's how it is at the Lake; you take in every sight and sound ans smell from the minute you start driving down the lane to the cabin and get your first glimpse at the Lake, to the last second you're driving away, looking behind you to keep the mailbox row in view as long as you can and knowing it will be another year or more until you can come back again.
And speaking of that sad trip home from the lake, this is another JM song that has been speaking to me on multiple levels, because it's about growing up, but one part is just totally the Lake:
Once in a while when it's good
It'll feel like it should
And they're all still around
And you're still safe and sound
And you don't miss a thing
'til you cry when you're driving away in the dark...
Singing stop this train, I want to get off and go home again
I can't take this speed it's moving in
I know I can't
Cause now I see I'll never stop this train
Firstly, that part about it feeling like it should and everyone being around and feeling safe. That's so what it's like; Mamaw and Papaw, sometimes aunts and uncles, and always a few very old, very good friends are around, and you're safe from the pressures of the life you put on hold while you went on vacation, and you drink in every moment of it. And then the part about crying while you drive away in the dark...that is SPOT ON what happens when you leave the Lake. It's always dark because it's early-early in the morning. And you always cry, you can't help it, because you don't want to leave this little paradise; you don't want to go back and face reality again. And you feel like that little red cabin is home...you're just going back to the world to get by until you can come home to the little cabin again. (Again, a lot like Heaven!) So anyway, that's pretty much that.
Finally, I am loving this song and I think a lot of the people who check in on my blog from time to time might like it too, because a lot of us are living in what is so far the hardest and most challenging time of our lives right now. And this song is just a great little anthem for those of us trying to stay afloat in the big world...so I'm gonna post the whole song and the video so you all can have a listen. This one's for you!
"The Heart Of Life"
I hate to see you cry
Lying there in that position
There's things you need to hear
So turn off your tears
And listen
Pain throws your heart to the ground
Love turns the whole thing around
No it won't all go the way it should
But I know the heart of life is good
You know, it's nothing new
Bad news never had good timing
But, then your circle of friends
Will defend the silver lining
Pain throws your heart to the ground
Love turns the whole thing around
No it won't all go the way it should
But I know the heart of life is good
Pain throws your heart to the ground
Love turns the whole thing around
Fear is a friend who's misunderstood
But I know the heart of life is good
I know it's good
Love!
Lis
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Apartments, the F-Word, and the Black Cauldron
My mom came into town Friday to help me do my last bit of apartment hunting. I had narrowed it down to three places, and it was really helpful to have her second opinion as I made a final choice. I decided on an apartment complex just a few minutes from downtown and the campus area, which is great for both of my jobs. I'm so excited to move in, which is good because I start moving in less than two weeks! It's crazy how fast it's all happening; after almost 2 months of searching for a place to live, I called, toured, and signed an apartment in a matter of less than 24 hours. And here's the best part: signing for this apartment is the first thing I've really done on my own. No co-signers, like I've had for my car and my bank accounts and everything else in my life so far. It makes me a little nervous, but also excited and proud of myself. I just know that I'm going to have to watch my finances, which sounds really un-fun but that's just part of growing up. Mom and Dad said they're proud of me for being able to do this, which really makes me feel good too.
Listen to all the cool stuff about this apartment! It's got one bedroom, a living room, a kitchen and a decently sized bathroom (definitely bigger than the one I have now!). The complex has laundry (which costs about 2 bucks a load...I'm gonna miss the noisy washer and dryer at my place!), an outdoor pool, an indoor hot tub (eeee!!!), a little workout center (with ellipticals!), a one-mile wooded walking trail, and places to picnic and grill out. I'm so pumped about the outdoor space as well as the indoor workout room, a huge incentive for me to get in shape! I'm so excited to decorate; Ryan has a great eye for this sort of thing, so he's going to help me out, and I know that's gonna be a lot of fun. There's also a great security system in the building, so I'll definitely feel safe. Now I have to start getting organized and packed, while figuring out how to transition out of where I live now, and to be honest, I'm actually sad about moving out of the Loft. It's been my home for the last two years, and it's kinda weird to be moving out. It's funny; I didn't expect to feel any emotion but excitement about moving, but I guess when any place becomes home to you, you're bound to feel a little sad moving out. It's definitely metaphorical; I'll be turning my old home over to girls I know from college, which is nice. I'll still have that connection, but I'm moving on to a new home for a new chapter in my life (pardon the cliche).
On to a totally different and completely un-sentimental subject, I've noticed while working as a waitress that people in the restaurant business seem to use the F-word a lot. I don't really understand why, but I remember Ryan making this observation last summer when he was waiting tables as well. Other common trends among people who work in restaurants are making sex-related comments or jokes, and going out to get drunk about every night. And I'm not just talking about the servers; it's also the bartenders, kitchen crew, and managers, and even corporate-level people. It's like a bunch of people who never quit living the typical college life. And here's the thing--a lot of these people are, in fact, college students, but what sort of surprised me is the people in their late 20s and 30s who act this way. It's kind of bizarre. It's a stressful job, so maybe people who have this job like to relieve stress by going out and getting wasted so they have something to talk about the next day during lunch shift, and maybe another way to relieve stress when they are at work and can't drink is to use the F-word? I dunno. Maybe it just started out that way and an atmosphere of that developed and now we've just gotten into the habit of that being the norm. All I can say is, it's almost like people will and do find every way possible to use the f-word. I actually heard someone say last night that we had a "f***load of laundry" in the basement. What does that even mean?
Entertainment recommendations of the night:
Ryan and I went to see "Transformers." It is awesome, even if you're like me and didn't watch the cartoons growing up. I totally fell in love with Bumblebee, and I wish my car turned into a robot-alien who protected me and played a soundtrack to my life on his radio. Next, I am totally addicted to the CBS summer reality series "Pirate Master." I am soooo rooting against the Triad and hoping Louie and the girls will rally and knock those guys on their butts. Although, I have to say, they are definitly playing a smart game. I'm pulling for mutiny, but it would have to take a lot to break up the officers and the captain. If you don't know what I'm talking about, go to CBS.com and watch all the Pirate episodes online. You will get hooked. No pun intended. Well, maybe a little bit intended. Musically I haven't gotten into anything new lately, but I am wondering what happened to my John Mayer CD because apparantly I never ripped it onto my computer, and now I don't have his albums anywhere. I do need to go find myself a copy of the soundtrack to "Legally Blonde the Musical" because I think that comes out in the next few days, and I'll let you know what I think about it!
One final note on movies: I borrowed Disney's animated film "The Black Cauldron" from the library this week because I don't recall ever watching it as a kid. It's one of those obscure ones from (I think) the 80s, when the Disney company was considering shutting down the animation department altogether, and they didn't have much of a budget. You can tell the animation is a lot less finished than the typical Disney animated movie, and it's uncharacteristically dark for a film of this brand. I have read that Tim Burton was at that time working as an animator at Disney and assisted on this film, but I didn't see his name in the credits, although I can see how they'd assign him to that project. It's not long, only 80 minutes, so if you're curious like me, you can watch it and not feel like you wasted your life or anything. I also borrowed Disney's animated version of "Peter Pan" and it's got some pretty neat choral sections in the score that I think would be really neat for Glee Club and Purduettes together; it has a very Fred Waring sound to it, true to the time period when that film was done. Also, that Tinkerbell is really funny, and like most Disney movies, there is humor there that I didn't pick up on as a kid. Tink has that luxury of being the only girl among the "guys" (Lost Boys) and holding special regard with Peter, so when Wendy shows up and unseats Tink, the portrayal of her jealousy is so classic and funny, because all of us girls know how much we hate to see our "guys" give their attention to another girl! If you haven't watched this in awhile, give it another look.
Ok, that's it for me. Much more to come!
Listen to all the cool stuff about this apartment! It's got one bedroom, a living room, a kitchen and a decently sized bathroom (definitely bigger than the one I have now!). The complex has laundry (which costs about 2 bucks a load...I'm gonna miss the noisy washer and dryer at my place!), an outdoor pool, an indoor hot tub (eeee!!!), a little workout center (with ellipticals!), a one-mile wooded walking trail, and places to picnic and grill out. I'm so pumped about the outdoor space as well as the indoor workout room, a huge incentive for me to get in shape! I'm so excited to decorate; Ryan has a great eye for this sort of thing, so he's going to help me out, and I know that's gonna be a lot of fun. There's also a great security system in the building, so I'll definitely feel safe. Now I have to start getting organized and packed, while figuring out how to transition out of where I live now, and to be honest, I'm actually sad about moving out of the Loft. It's been my home for the last two years, and it's kinda weird to be moving out. It's funny; I didn't expect to feel any emotion but excitement about moving, but I guess when any place becomes home to you, you're bound to feel a little sad moving out. It's definitely metaphorical; I'll be turning my old home over to girls I know from college, which is nice. I'll still have that connection, but I'm moving on to a new home for a new chapter in my life (pardon the cliche).
On to a totally different and completely un-sentimental subject, I've noticed while working as a waitress that people in the restaurant business seem to use the F-word a lot. I don't really understand why, but I remember Ryan making this observation last summer when he was waiting tables as well. Other common trends among people who work in restaurants are making sex-related comments or jokes, and going out to get drunk about every night. And I'm not just talking about the servers; it's also the bartenders, kitchen crew, and managers, and even corporate-level people. It's like a bunch of people who never quit living the typical college life. And here's the thing--a lot of these people are, in fact, college students, but what sort of surprised me is the people in their late 20s and 30s who act this way. It's kind of bizarre. It's a stressful job, so maybe people who have this job like to relieve stress by going out and getting wasted so they have something to talk about the next day during lunch shift, and maybe another way to relieve stress when they are at work and can't drink is to use the F-word? I dunno. Maybe it just started out that way and an atmosphere of that developed and now we've just gotten into the habit of that being the norm. All I can say is, it's almost like people will and do find every way possible to use the f-word. I actually heard someone say last night that we had a "f***load of laundry" in the basement. What does that even mean?
Entertainment recommendations of the night:
Ryan and I went to see "Transformers." It is awesome, even if you're like me and didn't watch the cartoons growing up. I totally fell in love with Bumblebee, and I wish my car turned into a robot-alien who protected me and played a soundtrack to my life on his radio. Next, I am totally addicted to the CBS summer reality series "Pirate Master." I am soooo rooting against the Triad and hoping Louie and the girls will rally and knock those guys on their butts. Although, I have to say, they are definitly playing a smart game. I'm pulling for mutiny, but it would have to take a lot to break up the officers and the captain. If you don't know what I'm talking about, go to CBS.com and watch all the Pirate episodes online. You will get hooked. No pun intended. Well, maybe a little bit intended. Musically I haven't gotten into anything new lately, but I am wondering what happened to my John Mayer CD because apparantly I never ripped it onto my computer, and now I don't have his albums anywhere. I do need to go find myself a copy of the soundtrack to "Legally Blonde the Musical" because I think that comes out in the next few days, and I'll let you know what I think about it!
One final note on movies: I borrowed Disney's animated film "The Black Cauldron" from the library this week because I don't recall ever watching it as a kid. It's one of those obscure ones from (I think) the 80s, when the Disney company was considering shutting down the animation department altogether, and they didn't have much of a budget. You can tell the animation is a lot less finished than the typical Disney animated movie, and it's uncharacteristically dark for a film of this brand. I have read that Tim Burton was at that time working as an animator at Disney and assisted on this film, but I didn't see his name in the credits, although I can see how they'd assign him to that project. It's not long, only 80 minutes, so if you're curious like me, you can watch it and not feel like you wasted your life or anything. I also borrowed Disney's animated version of "Peter Pan" and it's got some pretty neat choral sections in the score that I think would be really neat for Glee Club and Purduettes together; it has a very Fred Waring sound to it, true to the time period when that film was done. Also, that Tinkerbell is really funny, and like most Disney movies, there is humor there that I didn't pick up on as a kid. Tink has that luxury of being the only girl among the "guys" (Lost Boys) and holding special regard with Peter, so when Wendy shows up and unseats Tink, the portrayal of her jealousy is so classic and funny, because all of us girls know how much we hate to see our "guys" give their attention to another girl! If you haven't watched this in awhile, give it another look.
Ok, that's it for me. Much more to come!
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