JUST BREATHE!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSx_TFKi4Ek

 

I first heard the song “Breathe” by Anna Nalick while watching the Grey’s Anatomy episode where Meredith Grey is holding an undetonated bomb steady in someones chest cavity. Naturally, I downloaded the song, learned the words, and mentally played it anytime I’m holding or carrying anything fragile. After hearing it a few million times, I finally decided to really listen to the words. My conclusion? PANIC. This song is panic inducing. I mean, let me break down some of the lyrics for you:

“Life’s like an hourglass glued to the table. No one can find the rewind button, girl.” OH.MY.GOSH. I haven’t felt this much anxiety from a song since “100 Years” by Five for Fighting. I get the mental image of Princess Jasmine getting drowned in the hourglass in Aladdin. STOP IT! I just want to listen to music. I’m not trying to think deeply about my mortality and time on this earth. And DUH the song is called “Breathe” because she knew when she wrote it that it was gonna make people like me anxious, so she had to write in a reminder to keep breathing. But then I think, maybe Ms. Nalick was ahead of her time. Maybe this is just an early version of YOLO. “Hey guys, time’s running out in your life’s hourglass. You better YOLO it up!”

You win, Anna Nalick. You win. When I calm down, stop hyperventilating, and crawl out of fetal position I will go live it up. But never fear, because in the back of my mind I will now always be thinking about my lifes hourglass dripping away as my time here on earth quickly runs out.

I think I need a therapist now.



*source*

 

Call Me, Maybe

So a few days ago I was introduced to the song "Call Me, Maybe" by Carly Rae Jepsen. I got on Youtube to find the video, and found a cover of the video that had Selena Gomez, Justin Bieber, and Ashley Tisdale in it. Now, it's no secret that I love Selena Gomez and kind of wish I could be her, so obviously I watched the video. It was such a fun and simple video. Just a bunch of teenagers hanging out, being goofy, and having fun. So after talking to some of our friends from New Jersey, me and my roommate decided we were going to make a video as well!

Here's the original video:

And here's the moment you've all been waiting for. The WORLD premier of OUR very own version of the video. We had a blast making it, and it was fun that we got to do it with our friends from a whole different state!

These are a few of my favorite things...

There are few things I love more than a good book, a great song, or an inspiring quote. And if I were Oprah, this would totally be my "Favorite Things" episode and I would toss out freebies left and right. You get a book and you get a free download and you get some inspiration! But I'm not Oprah, so instead I decided to write a post about my CURRENT top 5 favorite books, songs, and quotes.  These things change on the daily, but for now these are my thoughts:

Books:
-The Hunger Games trilogy (Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mockingjay) by Suzanne Collins (I absolutely couldn’t put them down!)
-They Cage the Animals at Night by Jennings Michael Burch (A really sad, true story about the foster care system)
-The Orphan Sister by Gwendolen Gross (A light read about 3 sisters)
-Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult (One of my favorite Jodi books)
-The Things We Do For Love by Kristin Hannah (An emotional and exciting book about family dynamics)

Music:
-Cry by Alexx Calise
-Reckless One by Sunday Lane
-What I Love About Your Love by Jana Kramer
-Home by Edward Sharpe
-We Are Young by Fun

Quotes:
-“Beginning today, treat everyone you meet as if they were going to be dead by midnight. Extend them all the care, kindness and understanding you can muster. Your life will never be the same again.” - Og Mandino
-“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” -Martin Luther King Jr.

-“Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson

-“Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. While some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.” -Apple Inc.

-“You know what music is? God's little reminder that there's something else besides us in this universe, a harmonic connection between all living beings, every where, even the stars.” -August Rush

ENJOY!
*You can get any of these books off Amazon and buy any of the songs off iTunes.

Rediscovering Old Music

Ya know what one of the best things ever is? Rediscovering old music that has been hidden away on your iTunes. Like a nerd, I’ve spent my whole Friday night revisiting old songs and falling in love all over again. I can’t keep these gems to myself, so I thought I’d share a few must have songs.

1. The Edge of the Ocean by Ivy (literally one of my favorite songs of all time)
2. Vienna by Billy Joel
3. This Boy by James Morrison
4. Mother We Can’t Get Enough by The New Radicals
5. Wait by Get Set Go
6. Scratch by Kendall Payne
7. Pictures of You by The Cure
8. Jackson by Johnny Cash
9. Aint Nothin Wrong With That by Robert Randolph
10. Unlike Me AND Grace by Kate Havnevik
11. Maybe Tomorrow by Stereophonics
12. Age Six Racer by Dashboard Confessionals
13. Beautiful by India Aire
14. Be Yourself by Audioslave
15. Breathe Me by Sia
16. Find My Way by The Gabe Dixon Band
17. Joey by Concrete Blonde
18. Breakable by Ingrid Michaelson
19. Mountain Man by Crash Kings
20. Coffee Shop by Landon Pigg

What are some of your favorite songs/bands right now?





　

What I'm Listening To...

So, as I have mentioned before, I have an extreme love for music. I love discovering new artists and music and rediscover old music. So, I decided to share some of my favorites of right now:
In no particular order:
-anything by Florence and the Machine...girl can sing
- "I Won't Give Up" by Jana Kramer. You don't have to be a One Tree Hill fan to appreciate this artist and her amazing talent!
- pretty much anything by Carole King, although right now I'm loving "It's Too Late" and "I Feel the Earth Move"
- seriously anything by Ray LaMontagne. I think the man could literally recite the dictionary and it would be magical.
- throwback to Carly Simon. reminds me of my dad, plus the girl has some awesome songs
- "Super Bass" by Nicki Minaj. seriously, this is completely not my personality, but the song is so dang catchy.
- "Unlike Me" by Kate Havnevik. or pretty much anything by her.
- "Lovefool" by the Cardigans. I used to love this song. After Jana Kramer got it stuck in my head for about a week, I remembered how much I loved it.
- "Born This Way" by Lady GaGa. great message. plus, she's pretty much a genius.
- "I Do" by Susie Suh. Her voice gives me goosebumps.
- anything by Adele. If her and Ray LaMontagne got together and had babies, they would potentially be angels. for real.

So, that's what's on my current playlist. Well, that and about 50 other songs. Let me know if you have any suggestions! I am always looking for new music.

Brooke

Music & Memories

So, I was in the bathroom putting on makeup and getting ready for the day, and my computer was in my room playing music. I had my iTunes on shuffle and had been enjoying the random assortment of songs that had been playing. And then it happened. The one song that I have not been able to listen to in 3 years came on and I can honestly say I don’t think I have ever sprinted that fast. I knocked over my whole makeup bag and ran into a wall trying to get to my computer to change the song.
So why is it that songs can evoke such strong memories and emotions? And will these songs be associated with a memory or feeling forever? I’m sure if I wanted to I could make new memories, better memories, and associate them with the song. But for some reason I like having that one song that I can’t listen to. On days when I’m sad, I will tease myself by playing the first few seconds of it. It’s kind of like emotional cutting. [I in no way endorse any kind of physical cutting, P.S.]. So, I’m pretty sure as long as time goes on most Spice Girls songs will remind me of Sarah, S Club will remind me of Paige, Love Shack (Muskrat Love, Billie Jean, I Think We’re Alone, Ice Ice Baby, I Believe in a Thing Called Love) will remind me of Lindsey, and that one song will remind me of that one time in my life that I can’t think about. Hmmm…

“You know what music is? God's little reminder that there's something else besides us in this universe, a harmonic connection between all living beings, every where, even the stars.”