12 Days of Christmas Music // Day 8

Go, Tell It on the Mountain // BarlowGirl

12 Days of Christmas Music // Day 7

Feliz Navidad // David Crowder Band

12 Days of Christmas Music // Day 6

Panis Angelicus // BarlowGirl

12 Days of Christmas Music // Day 5

Angels We Have Heard on High // Relient K

an update on me

While I have been scheduling songs to be posted every day, I thought that maybe it was time for an update on me.

I finished my college classes for this quarter. Yay for finals...though I will definitely admit to having it much easier to those actually away at college, who are most definitely taking more classes than I am. 

My current favorite album, i.e the one I've been listening to the most, is Megalithic Symphony by AWOLNATION. Which I've had blasting out of my newly acquired headphones since I purchased the album ($5 from Amazon!) about a week and a half ago. 

I've been biding my time with the ever so terrible, old stock iPod headphones. 
You know the ones, lousy, uncomfortable, poor sound quality oh and yeah, painful. 
I realized I had SkullCandy credit from returning a product forever ago. So I used it to get some new over-ear headphones. 
I think I've lost some hearing, I've been using them so much.

College classes start back up in early January. I'm excited for my photoshop class. Not so excited about English 102, but who is? 

I got new glasses at the beginning of the month. 
Sight is good. 
It took me a while to get used to my new prescription, but it's vastly better than the one from my previous doctor. 
I actually have gained depth perception. 
Anyone that has spent any amount of time around me probably knows that I'm a klutz. In part there's some depth perception issues that cause some of it....only some of it. I really am very klutzy...

I increasingly have an addiction to nail polish. 
I really rather enjoy painting my nails...and getting nail polish at fantastical prices helps.
Which leads to the fact that I bought some new nail polish just in the last 24 hours. So I'm really excited about that. I like getting things in the mail.

I'm either getting sick or my allergies are crazy terrible...or I'm just not getting enough sleep.
Though I'm going to say all three. 

My penchant for ellipses has not died...

One of my very, very, best friends has finished her novel. The first book in what is going to be an epic trilogy. Click here for the facebook fan page.
In celebration I whipped up a cover:

{credits}

It's only an early conceptual cover really. But it's a start. I enjoyed figuring out how to make it in Photoshop.

I've been reading it as of late. (SO GOOD)
Along with Anna Karenina, and Divergent which I just started last night.
I've become such a slow reader...

And that's just about it...that comes to mind, in this moment, in this post anyways.

don't miss today's Christmas music!

hope you're all well

12 Days of Christmas Music // Day 4

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year // BarlowGirl

12 Days of Christmas Music // Day 3

Carol of the Bells // August Burns Red

12 Days of Christmas Music // Day 2

Carol of the Bells - Sing We Now of Christmas // BarlowGirl

12 Days of Christmas Music // Day 1

12 Days of Christmas // Relient K

Posting Everyday!

Going to be doing something special this year.

Every day, for 12 days leading up to Christmas I'm going to be posting a Christmas song from my personal 'Christmas' playlist!

Posts will publish every day, at midnight.

Don't miss the festivities!

12 Days of Christmas kicks off tomorrow!

have a laugh

It's Friday!!

Which for those of you who don't have a final anthropology paper due on Monday hopefully means a nice relaxing weekend.

Unless you're also in college classes and it's finals week.

I feel for you.

So, whatever this Friday means for you, take a minute and a half to have a laugh.

intense geekery // into darkness

Please allow for the following moments of intense geekery as the teaser trailer for Star Trek: Into Darkness has launched.

And since I'm so great I'm going to share it with all of you.

Including the Japanese version, which, for those of you who care, has approximately 5 more seconds of footage.

Here we go.

reading: anna karenina by leo tolstoy --- listening: home for Christmas by barlowgirl

have a listen // fire fire

almost thought we made it home
but we don't know this place at all
that's enough now dry your tears
it's been a long eleven years

FIRE FIRE FIRE
fire from the tongues of liars

you're ashamed of where you're from
crying 'cause your father's drunk
"we can't die because we're young"
at least that's what we heard in a song

FIRE FIRE FIRE
fire from the tongues of liars
FIRE FIRE FIRE
fire from the tongues of liars

you're ashamed of what you've done
crying 'cause your father's wrong
trying to be something new
you feel that you had something to prove

what you confuse for glory's fire
is fire from the tongues of liars
what you confuse for glory's fire
is fire from the tongues of liars
oh send your rain

FIRE FIRE FIRE
fire from the tongues of liars
(oh send your rain)
FIRE FIRE FIRE
fire from the tongues of liars
(oh send your rain)

FIRE FIRE FIRE
fire from the tongues of liars
(oh send your rain)
FIRE FIRE FIRE
fire from the tongues of liars

you're afraid of who you are
(you're ashamed of where you're from)
crying 'cause your father's gone
(fire from the tongues of liars)
dreaming 'til you hit the truth
(we can't die because we're young)
you'll find that you've nothing to lose
(fire from the tongues of liars)
you'll find that you've nothing to prove

music and lyrics copyright Flyleaf

all the new bits

NEW DESIGN!

Yes, again. But since the last big update was at the beginning of this year, with a slight header refresh for the summer I thought it was time.
I had really wanted to have a special one for fall, but alas, it wasn't meant to be.

p.s. You may notice that I have links to both my Flickr and YouTube accounts above the header. My flickr currently only features a handful of instagram pictures and I don't have but one public video on my YouTube. However I'm hoping both will have more to offer in the coming months.

boots are fantastical

frye women's engineer 8r boots pictured with an assortment of random socks

I like boots. I'm a boots type of girl. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely adore my TOMS, especially in the summer. And my Converse are all around great. However, I'm not one to pass up a good pair of boots.
But I am pretty crazy picky.
Some girls have a checklist for what they require in a guy. Me? I have a checklist for boots. It includes things like no zippers and real leather. That they need to actually be able to fit me i.e. wide enough for my feet, preferably with a large enough shaft circumference/short enough to allow for thick socks and/or leg warmers. Decent soles. Realistically and diversely wearable. Also good craftsmanship. That type of thing. Also, made in the USA is always a plus.
Honestly? I didn't think they existed. That is, until I discovered the oldest manufacturer of shoes in the United States. Frye has been around since 1863, family owned until the late 1940's and is still around and making quality footwear today. And they make a boot that I think is the closest thing to boot perfection. As in they boot pretty much fulfills all of my criteria. I mean look at them ------->

<-----THIS makes me happy in inexplicably geeky ways

I have something of an avid love for soundtracks and probably at the top of my favorite soundtracks is the Lord of the Rings.
For the longest time I was wondering why the version of the soundtrack for Fellowship (and Two Towers) that I had was rather (though in the case of Fellowship: completely) different from that which I knew in the films.
The other night I discovered that the reason is because in the extended editions (which is what we have on DVD) they completely re-recorded and expanded the score to completely polish the "deleted" scenes so it was like they were never deleted. (*squee of intense geekery*)
Which lead me to the discover that I have the complete score for Return of the King but I most definitely need the complete recordings for Two Towers and Fellowship of the Ring!

The Hobbit

WHO ELSE IS CRAZY EXCITED FOR THE HOBBIT?!!!!

Also, did you guys know that there's extra bits on YouTube via Peter Jacksons channel?
I found out the other day and ended up watching several of them.
Because I love extras.

new photography

Up on my deviantART is some new photography. So check out my profile and browse the gallery!
There's a picture I just took a couple days ago as well as some from August and September, with more to come!

new glasses

I finally got new glasses with my updated prescription.
As a by-product, I can actually see in the dark again and it doesn't look like the ground is on the same level as my chest. Lack of depth perception is not fun my friends. It's side effects include walking into all manner of objects and people as well as a heightening one's power of klutziness.

school

I'm rather happy that here in less than two weeks the current college quarter is going to be over, followed by a nice and long winter break.
And then, winter quarter classes start at the beginning of January.

{available for prints here}
For me this means that I'm getting to take a course I have much anticipated, on Photoshop usage in web design!

New Horizons

Flyleaf's final album, New Horizons is utterly fantastic.
From beginning to end it's packed with songs that I have already committed to my lyrical memory library. I am still saddened by the fact that it is going to be the last album featuring Lacey, but the album is nonetheless fantastic.
Long time fans of Flyleaf will love it, but I think as one of them I also see that it's very different from past albums. Maybe it's just because of the bittersweet knowledge that Flyleaf will never be the same, but after the harder more edgy rock of their debut album and Memento Mori, and the softer tones of Remember to Live, New Horizons seems to be an amalgamation of these two points in Flyleaf's growth as well as something completely different.

For me the album still holds as much meaning as any of the previous, but at the same time it seems like there isn't as much of the Flyleaf feeling that I know so well in the writings of the songs. I think that maybe it has something to do with the fact that Lacey wasn't as involved in the making of the album, only traveling to the studio to record vocals.

While the album for those of us who know this music so well is different and maybe even lacking it is nonetheless fantastic in the sound and meaning despite the bittersweet tinge. From the rocking opening and attention call of Fire Fire, to the heart wrenching way I desire to belt out the Saving Grace and the highly anticipated new rendition of Broken Wings this album is truly sending the Lacey era of Flyleaf out with a bang.

Pitch Perfect

My friend Amanda, my mom, and I went to the movies a couple weeks ago to see Pitch Perfect. We laughed a lot. Though Supernatural fans who kind of almost cry whenever they hear Carry On My Wayward Son, be warned, it comes up in the first few minutes of the movie. It caught me off guard...I was awkwardly laugh crying. hahaha (Sarah, I blame you.)

The Big Bang Theory

My grandma convinced us to watch Big Bang Theory, after years of various people telling me I should watch it...and lots of my confusion at being compared to Sheldon (it happens more than you would think...and I'm still not sure whether or not to be flattered or insulted haha).
OH MY GOSH THIS SHOW IS SO GREAT.

My whole entire family loves it and we eagerly await every time the next DVD in a season comes...and when it does we usually end up sitting and watching the whole thing so we can send it back the next day to get another faster!
All of us enjoying it though is quite a feat, there's very few shows we can all watch and laugh at together.

So, as the holidays are nearing and as this is one of my favorite scenes thus far in the series, here's a clip...it's not the best definition but it's pretty great.

and that is where I shall take my leave

I do believe I have thrown enough media, words and rambling at you all for now.
Until my next post, hope you're all doing well! blessings and prayers

reading: anna karenina by leo tolstoy --- watching: lord of the rings trilogy extended editions

photography print available

Hey everyone! Hope you're all doing well!

Just wanted to let everyone know that a photography print of mine is up for sale in my Etsy shoppe, with hopefully more to follow.
If you like it please make sure to purchase one (for every single member of your family!) as I would appreciate it greatly and it goes to support me in my education. Because that stuff is expensive.

the last bits of summer

I do believe autumn has fallen to winter.
At least, judging by the several inches of snow I woke to this morning.

So here's the last pictures I took of this summer's flowers.

reading: anna karenina by leo tolstoy --- listening: new horizons (album) by flyleaf --- watching: the big bang theory

have a laugh

In which I share some of my YouTube favorites.

**disclaimer: some videos may contain some cussing and/or content some may deem inappropriate. those wary of such have been hereby warned.**

First off, this is exactly how I pack a suitcase, as many, many, (many...) people can attest.

This pretty much sums up the election for me...

Welcome to an apt representation of my insomnia...

This is actually a video I took. It's from camp and it's hilarious.
Watch the whole thing, you'll thank me.

The accuracy of this is startling.
Especially considering I watched it just a few days after pretty much this exact thing happening.

This is just hilarious. If you're looking for some good content, follow BlimeyCow on YouTube.

And finally...a video which I have watched more times than I can count.

read a book you've read before

Just yesterday I found myself with the inclination to read a book that I've read twice before, a book that I own.
I didn't really know just how much I wanted to read, to become enveloped in a story, in a quest, in a journey, until I realized that it was almost 2am and I was practically halfway through the book.

It made me remember the time when I read the book, who I suggested the book to, and how much I truly enjoyed the book; because I had forgotten.

So, as the autumn days turn colder, the nights longer and everything begins to freeze; curl up with a book you've read before, a book you haven't considered reading, a book you've overlooked for a while. And pick it up, and read it again until you can remember why it was you decided to bring that book home with you and adopt it into your heart.

read a book you've read before
with pages old and overlooked
read a book you've read before
remember why you hold it close

Because maybe, just maybe, you need it more than you know.

why I'm frustrated with young adult literature

As someone who was once an avid reader, I no longer feel compelled to call myself thus.

And it really makes me sad.

You see, there was once a time when the best punishment my mother could, well, punish me with was to take away my reading books.

Nowadays it's rare that I'm actually reading a book.

No, I haven't given up reading all together. There will forever be books that I hold dear.

But with the state of "literature" in this day and age is kind of depressing.

A good example is a series that I just finished. The Tigers Curse series by Colleen Houck.
While I would have to say that the series is a favorite it still falls prey to being much like the majority of other young adult books.

Originally I started the series with the first book of the same title, Tigers Curse. It intrigued me for a few reasons. At the time, it was extremely hard to find a newer book that didn't involve vampires and werewolves. While such is still true the plot took a more original twist.

It's about two Indian princes who are cursed to live immortally as tigers.
And of course the seemingly normal girl who, while working her new summer job, finds herself caught up in the adventure of a lifetime to break the curse binding them in tiger-form.
I mean, she's from Oregon, I'm from Oregon.
I could connect right off with that.

Sounds kind of awesome, right?

Well the first book really was. I enjoyed it immensely.

Basically Kelsey (the main character) gets a summer job working for the circus that is in town for those few, warmer months. It's manual labor, cleaning things, selling tickets, helping feed animals; all that fun stuff.
But along the way she befriends the circus' white tiger. And during her breaks spends her time reading out loud in the solace of the tent that holds the cage of the white tiger.
This white tiger, of course, is one of the aforementioned Indian princes.

While I would warn of spoilers, trust me, all this becomes rather apparent a short ways into the book...most of it can be found in the description on the book anyway.

Kelsey of course is more special than she knows because there is something about her that sets in motion the breaking of the curse. And the tiger she knows as Ren is able - for the first time in hundreds of years - to change back into a man.

But only for an hour.

And so the story begins.
As you would imagine, he is incredibly handsome and thank goodness, Kelsey doesn't really trust that and there's a lot of pretty good arguments and banter along the way.
But we all know where it's headed. Destiny and them being meant to be together...all that jazz.

So it was pretty cool.

But then...along the way (at this point it may be book two, though I could very well be mistaken) they have to find Ren's brother; Kishan to help in the quest to break the curse.

Kishan of course is something of Ren's opposite, literally a black tiger to his elder brothers white, however also incredibly handsome.

Then it kind of get's cliche in this awkward, heart wrenching, love triangle kind of way.

Over the course of the next three books (there are four total in the series) there's all this "which brother do I choose" and "who am I meant to be with" and "there's these two gorgeous, perfect guys who both love me" stuff going on.

And it's kind of sickening.
And it kind of made me hate Kelsey a lot.
A lot.

I really liked her in the first book.
Then...it kind of went downhill.

The basis of the stories is really cool. The writing isn't half bad. Sure there's some false Hindi gods and legends stuff going on but it's a really interesting plot line in the light of current franchises *cough*Twilight*cough*.

But I just was having serious difficulty stomaching this girl who has two guys completely in love with her and all this "coincidence" and asdfghjkl.sdfghjkl;

Yes, I just died on my keyboard. Because it frustrates me. Love triangles, while a common occurrence and a valid part of writing, are so used and abused that I just want a good quest story that maybe doesn't involve so much romantical blah.

I know I sound like some spinster or something, and I know that it's just fiction, I just hate when characters (especially main-girl-potentially-awesome-powerful-heroine characters) are just crazy stupid.
I know the insecurities and guy issues are a real thing, but the portrayal of how all this stuff works in next to every book I lay my hands is starting to frustrate me to the point of...well, to the point of writing this post.

I feel like I should have a disclaimer at this point. I did finish the series. I cried several times during the course of all the books. Especially at the ending of the final one. I'll probably end up reading them again at some point. In fact there's a good chance that I'd recommend it as a whole.

It's just that this series frustrated me and it's on the better end of the spectrum of young adult literature.

Why aren't there any awesome books (that I haven't already read) that...well...don't involve a girl who has completely invested her life into the lives (if they can be called lives) of guys that may-or-may-not be hundreds of years old and/or even worth it.

It seems to be a theme these days.

Guys get movies and stories about epic adventures where it's just a buddy thang.
Why don't girls get those?

While this post probably doesn't make much sense, hopefully to someone, it will.
Anybody?

goodbye October

oh October, where have you gone?

My favorite month is almost gone in a flash of brilliant orange and the freeze of the mountains above.

Fall is my favorite season you see.

And October is the epitome of autumn.

Seated between the end-of-summer September and the holiday-beginnings of November, October is the very-fall-fall-ness of autumn.

Like I said more eloquently, it's the epitome of fall.

It's writing and magic and changing.

The 2013 Fine Art's theme is "Finished".

Fall is a time of finishing. It's an ending.
But endings are just beginnings wrapped in strange packages.

Fall is like a phoenix, going out in a blaze of brilliant orange and leaves the shades of fire. And from this "death" comes the rebirth of spring after the time of freeze.

Autumn is the time of birth, for me, beyond my philosophical ramblings.
October first marks my birth.

I love temperate, chilly weather.
I'm not a tropical, hot weather type of person.
Sure, I like summer, but it's far from my favorite.

I'm sad to see the passing of October. It's ending coming on Wednesday.
But such ending breaks way for the beginning of winter.
Snow boots and frozen earth. Snow and frosty trees.

So here's to October, raise a glass of tea with me.
I'm going to drink it, wearing my Avengers t-shirt and my Elmo pajama pants; in celebration and toast to the wonderfulness of this ever passing October.