Hiatus: A pause or gap in a sequence, series, or process.
What a great word. That's what we'll call my recent disappearance from the bloggersphere. A hiatus. Because it sounds about ten times better than one of my usual excuses, which usually revolve around "I haven't felt like posting" or "I've been too busy" or "I've been too lazy" or a combination of all of the above. But let's put this excuse a little bit more delicately. Hiatus.
So there you have it! Your average vocabulary lesson from your friendly neighborhood Clumsy, as well as an eloquently put excuse.
So a quick recap of my life over the past two months. I've been studying my booty off for a class that isn't even required for my major, watching entirely too much Gossip Girl, eating a lot of tangerines, and writing more poetry than I ever thought myself capable of. And it isn't all horrible.
And I've been loving Mississippi State. Like... loving it. More than I ever expected to. I find myself smiling while walking to class instead of dragging my feet. Occasionally I use the word "yonder," and not ironically. I even wear oversized tshirts and nike shorts every now and then. But, unlike every other sorority girl in the SEC, I don't wear my chacos, because I've lost them.
But I'm still clumsy. In fact, I fell off of my bed a matter of minutes ago. Go figure.
But all of my happiness, all of my joy, all of my poetry and southern lingo is continually dampened by the fact that I have absolutely no idea what I want to do with my life.
By which I mean... No. Idea.
I mean, I have options. My major is broader than most, so my life could go in several different directions after graduation, which is a good thing, to a certain extent. But part of me wishes that I could just know, for once, the path that my life is going to follow. I don't consider myself to be a control freak by any stretch of the imagination; I'm not much of a planner, and I fly from one life plan to the next in the blink of an eye. But, the thing is that I really thought that by the end of freshman year I would have a slight clue as to the next step to take. But, alas, that is not the case. I'm as blind to my future now as I was a year ago.
So there's that.
And then there's this:
"Whether you turn to the right or to the left, you will hear a voice in your ear saying, 'This is the way; walk in it." Isaiah 30:21
I am such a mess. And God is so so so not. And that's the only reason I am able to enjoy life so much.
Well, here it is, once again. Valentine's day. In preparation for this post, I read my V-Day post from last year, and was slightly appalled at my shoddy blogging skills. Hopefully they've improved over the past year.
Anyway, since my V-day post last year was more of a poorly-disguised pity party than anything else, I thought this year I'd put together a little mix tape for my friends that are, in fact, in love.
Remember how I said I was an expert on sappy graduation songs? I'm equally good, if not better, at creating sappy love mixes. Great for my friends who are actually in relationships, but sorta kinda bad and wallow-y for me.
*Disclaimer* I realize that the phrase "mix tape" is a little outdated, but there's something so vintage and Perks of Being a Wallflower - esque about the term that I couldn't help but use it. Eat your hearts out, lovers.
1. The Obvious Choice That Your Typical Hipster Couple Can't Resist
Songs: First Day of My Life by Bright Eyes
I chose this song because it is just so wonderfully typical. Any mix tape that is lacking in Bright Eyes is not a true mix tape.
2. The Slow Dance Style Cover of a Classic Elvis Tune
Songs: Love Me Tender by Norah Jones
I had a little trouble deciding between this one and Can't Help (Falling in Love) by Ingrid Michaelson, but I figured that since I just dedicated an entire blog post to Ingrid, I'd give this coveted title to Norah. Love Me Tender just so happens to be one of my favorite Elvis songs, so props to you, Norah. This is gorgeous.
3. The Upbeat Cheesy Pop Song
Song: You Make My Dreams by Hall & Oates
The video really says it all.
4. The One From The OC
Song: Wonderwall (Cover) by Ryan Adams
Don't hate on the cheese. Lyrically, Wonderwall is a great song, and the Ryan Adams cover is a great one. And you know that if it's on the OC, you'll find a clip of it here. Disregard Marisa's bad haircut and Bambi eyes, and just focus on Ryan's flitting eyes and bulging arms. This scene was post-Oliver, so things are going slightly awry in Orange County.
5. The Animated Film Love Ballad
Song: Far Longer than Forever from The Swan Princess
Now, the obvious choice here would be A Whole New World from Aladdin or Can You Feel the Love Tonight? from The Lion King, but my sister and I recently went on a Swan Princess bent and watched all three of them. If you haven't watched the "Swan Princess Trilogy" recently (which I doubt you have) or if you, heaven forbid, have never witnessed Odette and Derek's love affair, I beseech you do so now.
6. The Awkward High School Final Slow Dance Where Balloons Fall From A Fishnet In The Ceiling Song
Songs: Fix You by Coldplay and Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls
Now don't be too impressed by the creativity of this category title, because, believe it or not, this actually happened at my school. Or it was supposed to happen. I don't know if the balloons were too flat or the fishnet was too small, but there was some sort of malfunction in the engineering of this project, and the result was a few measly gold balloons fluttering pitifully to the ground. But the song did play. They alternated Fix You and Iris as the closers of all of my homecoming and Sadie Hawkins dances at my high school. Idyllic, right?
7. The Now-Popular Guilty Pleasure Windows Down Song
Song: Teenage Dream by Katy Perry
This was the obvious choice here. I don't care what your bone to pick with Katy Perry is, there is no denying that Teenage Dream is one of the catchiest songs ever written. And, it alludes to Valentine's day in the lyrics. I mean, come on, guys.
8. A Frank Sinatra Song - What's Valentine's day without a little bit o' good ol' Frank? Cue Ryan Gossling and Rachel McAdams dancing in the street... Now.
Songs: The Way You Look Tonight, You Make Me Feel So Young, I'll Be Seeing You... Take your pick. The possibilities are endless.
9. The Sunshine Song - For lack of a better category title, The Sunshine Song is, I believe, the type of song that would be played during a 500 Days of Summer - y montage of the girl riding her bike, the boy strumming the guitar dreamily, both smiling goofily. The obvious choice here would of course be a perky Zooey Deschanel tune (which I have included), but I also think that When I'm With You by Best Coast is appropriate here too. When I'm with you, I have fun.
Songs: I Was Made For You by She & Him and When I'm With You by Best Coast.
10. A Song With "I Love You" In The Title
This song is just so catchy and sweet and true. A catchy, sweet, and true song is a must for the ideal V-day mix tape.
11. A Sara Bareilles Song - Honestly, did you seriously think I would ever leave this one out? It is a little difficult to find a Sara love song granted that 90% of her songs are power ballads about singularity and heartache, but this is the one song of hers that speaks of true love. With Sara's its poetic description of her lover and sliding melody, My Love sounds like it came straight out of Song of Solomon. If there was an SSV version of the Bible... Singer/songwriter version, duh.
Song: My Love by Sara Bareilles
12. A Song That You and Your Significant Other Can Belt Out and Dance Along With
Song: I Wanna Dance With Somebody - Whitney Houston
I think that I honestly would have included this one regardless of Whitney's death, but allow me to take this opportunity to say what an incredible influence Whitney's music has had on my life. There's just nothing like a good Whitney song, and I Wanna Dance With Somebody is no exception. RIP, Whit.
13. The Final Clincher
Song: At Last - Etta James
This one is the obvious choice, but there are all sorts of power ballads that are applicable in its place. Take your pick from the greats: Aretha, Celine, Barbra, etc.
Honorable Mentions - These are songs that don't exactly fit into any specific category, but are lovely love songs nonetheless. These are to fill the space on your mix tape after you have satisfied your categorical cravings. Fill that mix tape to it's maximum, exhaust it, because odds are, the lyrics on this impeccable mix tape express your feelings better than you ever possibly could.
Love Song - Brandi Carlile
Love Me Like the World is Ending - Ben Lee
Home - Edward Shape and the Magnetic Zeros
Such Great Heights - Iron and Wine
I Will Follow You Into the Dark - Death Cab for Cutie
No One's Gonna Love You Like I Do - Band of Horses
Let's Just Fall in Love Again - Jason Castro
C'est La Vie - The Civil Wars
The Luckiest - Ben Folds
And there you have it! The greatest Valentine's day mix ever created (in my opinion)! If you're in a relationship, then you're welcome, because I just provided you with the happiest, sappiest playlist ever. And if you're not... well, if you're not, remember these wise words of Carrie Bradshaw:
This morning, I woke up for an 8:00 class, took a test, and went to Starbucks for my tri-weekly coffee break between my 9:00 and 11:00. Upon arrival, I received an email informing me that my 11:00 clas was cancelled (ah, the beauty of irresponsible professors!). So, even though it is uncharacteristically warm outside for February, I decided to go back to my room and pretend like it was justtoocold. I succumbed to my inner grandmother and put on my Christmas bathrobe, made myself a cup of coffee, lit some candles, and cleaned my room, Julie and Julia playing in the background. This is the college life, folks. I must say, Meryll Streep never ceases to amaze me. Whatever she does, she does it well, whether it's playing a carefree mother, an uptight designer, or an aspiring chef. And Amy Adams... a discouraged, middle-aged woman working in a cubicle was never so adorable.
So there's my morning. And here's my week: Wednesday I'm going home for a dentist appointment, Thursday night the band that I'm singing with now has an out-of-town gig, Friday I have to come back to school for a test (even though I was planning to attend a Brandi Carlile concert back in the ham), and then Saturday I have another out-of-town gig. So even though my Monday has been strangely idyllic, the rest of my week is going to be filled with a lot of time in the car.
And you probably didn't care to know all of that. But it all goes to say that my new policy of optimism is going great. Even though I have to do a few things that I don't particularly want to do this week (I hate the dentist more than anything, and I don't exactly love driving for extended periods of time), I had a lovely weekend at home with my family, and my Monday has been just gorgeous. And I really love Mississippi State. I love the early spring; I love swinging with my new friends. I love going to parties where I actually know people, and the people there are happy to see me because they have missed me since I've been home over the weekend. And I have actually missed them too!
But I do miss my friends from home. You know who you are. The title of this post goes out to you, because even though I love my life here, every fun thing I do is slightly dampened by your absence. As the moon hung proud and bright, you would have loved it here tonight.
I recently read that Charles Darwin proposed our physical appearance (smiling or frowning) heavily influences our mental attitude. Now, while I'm not exactly a strong proponent of Darwin's teaching, I definitely think he was onto something with that. You're never fully dressed without a smile!
So put a smile on. Because the song below is beautiful.
I like to think that I have some amount of depth to me, and I like to think that I have some amount of opinionated authority when it comes to things that I love.
Like music, for example.
I like to think that what I think about the latest Ingrid Michaelson album carries some weight on the successfulness of the album. And dear Ingrid had better think so too, because it were up to me, Human Again would be one of the top albums of all time. Second only to Sara Bareilles's Kaleidoscope Heart.
Like Sara Bareilles and Jon McLaughlin, to whom I alluded in my last blog post (if you haven't listened to that song yet, do so now), I count Ingrid Michaelson as one of the major influences on my music taste. I believe I was a sophomore, maybe a freshman, in high school when her music first came on my radar. Her melancholy tunes fed my misery during second semester of sophomore year, and her perky songs about running away and ideal lifestyles taught me to dream.
If nothing else, you've probably heard Ingrid's song "The Way I Am" aka "The Sweater Song," which was featured in an Old Navy commercial circa 2008. Her music has also been featured on various TV shows like Grey's Anatomy (on which you can always count to hear great music), and several movies. My personal favorite soundtrack tune is her cover of Elvis Presley's I Can't Help (Falling In Love), featured in the trailer of the lovely film Like Crazy.
Anyway, this all goes to say that Ingrid's music is not as obscure as one might think.
But I love Ingrid. She has a pure, airy tone to her voice that she'll forever have and I'll forever love, but she has recently come out with a little more of a powerhouse sound. It's obvious that she has more of a voice than she lets on from her performance in a few of her older songs like Turn to Stone. And it was obvious to her true-blue listener (like I like to think I am --- I like to think I'm a lot of things that I'm probably not), that this album was going to be a little more powerful than her older ones on that first listening of Ghost, the brilliant, brilliant, brilliant, single from the new album. When the drumbeat kicks in on that power chorus... Tears, friends. Tears.
“I think I was really singing out, physically, on this album,” she says. “Usually that’s set aside for divas, and the rest of us kind of have to whisper and be precious. I figured, ‘Why don’t I just put that out on at least one record in my career—let it all hang out?’
Anyway, this album is just a snapshot of the beauty of Ingrid Michaelson's music. If you like this album, you'll love the older ones. It's cool to listen to her music from start to finish to see how a person's music can change so much over the years, and yet still stay so true to the artist's voice.
And now, because I know you care, I will provide you with a list of my all-time favorite old-school Ingrid tunes. You should all purchase these, as well as the new album, as soon as possible!!
1. Oh, What A Day - Be OK 2. Keep Breathing - Be OK 3. Are We There Yet? - Everybody 4. Sort Of - Everybody 5. The Chain - Everybody 6. Maybe - Everybody 7. Highway - Girls and Boys 8. Far Away - Girls and Boys 9. Breakable - Girls and Boys 10. Overboard - Girls and Boys 12. Turn to Stone - Single
My family and I sort of have this running joke regarding this video. Well, it isn't so much a running joke as much as it is a reference to this optimistic little girl every time we happen to mention something that we like. Not only is this a verbal reference, but it also includes the physical choreography of the arm thrusting motion that Jessica exerts.
I thought that since I reference Jessica so much, I should make my own daily affirmation. Optimism is a great policy for the new year, and I have a theory that if I start my days with this much enthusiasm and confidence, the margin for discouragement and failure is significantly less looming.
I like my school!
I like my major!
I like my room!
I like my roommate!
I like my hair! (which is somewhat blonder now that I have finally submitted to my mom's plea for highlights)
I like my book!
I like my blog!
I like my Gossip Girl!
I like my moms!
I like my dads!
I like my Darbys! (my sister)
I like my Connors! (my brother)
I like my schedule!
I like my coffee!
I like my knitting!
I like my exercise!
I like my sorority!
I like my friends!
I like my music!
I like my auditions!
I like my Jesus!
I like my whole LIFE! My whole life is great, I can do anything good, better than anyone. Better than anyone. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Try that in the mirror every morning. And then try telling me you're not excited about your day.
What do you like? What are you excited about? It's a New Year, the perfect time to get excited about your life!
Alright, I know that statement was somewhat Joel Osteen-esque, but you catch my drift.
Happy second semester, friends!
"One of the things I learned the hard way was that it doesn' t pay to get discouraged. Keeping busy and making optimism a way of life can restore your faith in yourself." Lucille Ball
"Optimist: day-dreamer more elegantly spelled." Mark Twain
She wears a diamond ring upon her finger, but regards it as a promise, not as a trinket. She does not flaunt it to her friends; it is not for them. It is for her. She does not lose it, not because it was expensive, but because it is priceless. A symbol of love, of faithfulness.
She is worth far more than rubies.
Her husband has full confidence in her.
Love and peace are her garments. She put off envy and spite; they are not fitting for a woman of her stature. She tossed them into the wind, and they were caught by jealous children, children that were hungry for layers of sin.
She is clothed with strength and dignity.
When did she become so wise? At what point does a girl become a woman; at what point does she suddenly become learned in the ways of buying and selling, of cooking and cleaning, of counseling and listening?
She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar. She makes coverings for her bed. She watches over the affairs of her household.
She wakes up when the sun is low in the sky, preparing not only for the day that lies ahead of her, but the day that lies ahead of her sons, her daughters, her husband. She is their constant calendar, making lists and writing things down. Without her guidance, their lives would fall apart, like so many pieces of broken glass.
She gets up while it is still dark.
She does not sleep until her children are safe in their beds.
Her lamp does not go out at night.
However, she does not only satisfy those in relation to her. She provides for the ones that she does not know as well. The ones that are cold, she gives them clothes. The ones that are hungry, she gives them sustenance.
She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.
Although the weather foretells of cloudy days ahead, she believes that the sun will rise again, sooner or later. She is always right. The sun does always come up.
She can laugh at the days to come.
The words of her mouth are always uplifting, negativity does not escape her lips. For, if she were pessimistic, what would the others do? They depend on her good graces to cancel out their own harsh words.
She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
She works, but not in a self-glorifying way, in a way that tells others, "I worked for what I have received, and I am teaching others the beauty of give and take."
She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.
She is well-admired, and well-loved. By her children.
Her children arise, and call her blessed.
But, she is especially adored by the man who put that diamond ring on her finger, the one who promised himself to her, the one who is learning that a strong boy is nothing without a gentle girl beside him. He appreciates the gift God has given him. He praises her.
"Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all," he tells her.
She is beautiful. The sight of her gives pleasure to her husband, and her children are proud of her appearance. But she knows that this, too, is fleeting. One day her skin will become wrinkled, and her hair will lighten. A result of the worry that she so often wears in accessory to love and peace. And when her skin is no longer velvet and her hair is no longer silk, she will still be beautiful. Because she began to store up her beauty in other vaults long ago.
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
She sees. She knows. She lives. She loves. She helps. She does.
She will be rewarded.
Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate. Give her the reward she has earned. Praise at the city gate. Praise at the city gate.
