The last week has been very momentous in my life. That's right, readers. You are feasting your eyes upon my first blog post as a college graduate. (Please, hold the applause. It really isn't that big of a deal.) Let's keep some order while I outline the craziness that this last week (and really, this last semester) has been in the life on me, myself, and I.
1. Student teaching has come and gone. What a crazy experience (and I mean crazy in a good sense.) I posted the night before my first day at my first placement about jumping into this unknown experience and seeing what it had to offer. I was so scared that I was going to fail, but I was also cognoscente (I just really like that word) of all the help and support that I had surrounding me while on this roller coaster called student teaching. I'm going to be straight-up with you guys here: my first few weeks of student teaching were really hard. I cried a lot, I felt terrible about my preparation as a teacher, and I wanted to quit. The worst part wasn't that I thought I was bad at teaching, it was that I was so afraid that the career I had wanted to do for the greater majority of my life wasn't going to work out. I remember a conversation with a friend where he casually asked me how student teaching was going, thinking he was going to get a casual "Oh, it's fine" answer. Instead he got LONNG snaps about how terrible I felt about it, how much I hated it, and how much I wanted to quit. That friend told me to remember how big of an adjustment I was making- going from student to teacher. And that friend also told me that he knew I could do it, and that quitting would be a huge mistake. The most important thing I remember from that conversation is him saying "it's going to get better." Well, he was right. It did get better. I slowly became more and more comfortable in the role of teacher, I got to know my students, and I really began having a ton of fun. It's crazy to think how close I grew with the other teachers and students at each of my placements in just 8 short weeks. I sobbed the entire way home last Thursday after my last day at Spencer Middle School because I was just going to miss those kids so much. If I can bond that much with students in 8 weeks, I'm pretty sure I'm going to be a crazy wreck when I have to say goodbye to my own students. Student teaching taught me a lot about myself- not just about myself as an educator, but myself as a person. I'm not going to share a lot of that because frankly you guys probably don't care and I would like to move onto the next point. If you're really invested and want to know *ALL* the things I learned about myself throughout my student teaching process, that's a conversation we can have (maybe, depending on who you are.)
2. I am happy to say that I am gainfully employed for the 2016-2017 school year! This didn't happen in the last week, but since I haven't put that bit of information out on this blog for all 6 of you guys to read, I'll put it on here now. I actually got a job in the district where I did my first student teaching placement, which I'm really excited about. I LOVED the other music teachers, and the administration impressed me from the start, which made taking the job really easy when it was offered to me. I will be a K-6 general music teacher. Yes, you read that right. Not a band director. General music teacher. I'm equal parts super excited and super terrified for this endeavor, mainly because I still feel like I have absolutely no freaking CLUE what I am doing. I've got lots of good ideas bouncing around in my head, and once I get them organized I think I'll feel a lot more confident about the whole thing, but right now I'm just overwhelmed and chaotic. But it will be alright.
3. Saturday, I walked across the stage in Siebens Fieldhouse, shook Fred Moore's hand, and officially graduated from Buena Vista University. Everyone's been congratulating me and stuff, but it doesn't feel real yet. I don't know what it is. I know I will start to feel real when I get my actual diploma, when my teaching license is issued, when I find out how much those monthly student loan payments are going to be, and definitely once the school year gets closer. But for now I just feel like I'm floating around aimlessly- no longer a student, but I don't feel like a teacher necessarily either. I don't know. I wasn't really that sad on graduation day until I saw my underclassmen friends at the Baccalaureate service, then I got sad. I don't want to leave them. I'm only going to be 30 minutes away, but still. That brings me to the next point.
4. Everything is about to change with my friends. I know it's going to happen, I don't think I can stop it, and it sucks. It already has changed. My friends have gone home for the summer, where they have their own lives, friends, etc, etc, etc. We won't see each other for months, we don't talk as much as we used to, and it's just got me feeling very lonely. Everything else in my life has gone all fruit basket upset on me, and those relationships are things I don't want to change. I know I'll make new friends in my colleagues and when I move to another town. But too much is changing all at once and it's just very overwhelming. I've yet to find a good way to deal with it (and if anybody out there has any ideas, let me know.)
That's about all the thoughts in my head for right now. Last week was long and full of happenings, so this week I'm hoping to chill out a bit and take it easy before my long summer of curriculum planning and French horn playing begins. Sigh.
Monday, May 23, 2016
Sunday, April 10, 2016
Did everybody say what a good day that it was??
Guys, it finally happened. After months of anticipation, excitement, and waiting, I FINALLY got to see Jukebox the Ghost live in concert. February 20, 2016 is going to be a day that I'm not going to forget (mainly because I'm blogging about it and it will be on the internet forever, so if the day comes where I do forget, I can just read about it on the internet.) You are about to get a [mostly] full play by play of the events once we left Storm Lake and journeyed to the north part of Omaha for the concert. Get excited kids, because this blog is gonna be a good one.
So, as I've mentioned in previous posts, Kam was going to be attending this concert with me. This was great because I wouldn't even know JtG existed if it wasn't for him, and it's really hard in our busy schedules for find time to hang out with me student teaching and what not, so I was really looking forward to getting to spend some time with him along with seeing this amazing band that changed my life. Kam's friend Alejandra ended up getting a ticket to the concert and came along with us as well. The more the merrier, right? We left SL a little after 3:00 and began making our way towards the big city (in comparison to other cities, Omaha really isn't that big, but I'm from SL, so to me, it's a big city. Back to the story ---->) My bargain with Kam is that I would pay for his ticket to the concert if he drove, because this small-town girl does NOT do interstate driving or city driving (although I should probably get over that fear and get some practice doing both of those things.) The trip got off to an....adventurous start when Kam got pulled over for speeding by the Ida County sheriff. Luckily, that charming son of a gun managed to get away with a written warning. He was VERY careful to drive the speed limit the rest of the way there and home, however ;) ;) So we eventually made it to Omaha, got to "North Omaha" and found a place to park. As we were walking from the truck towards the venue, the Waiting Room Lounge, we could actually hear JtG doing their sound check. Soooo naturally we ran over there, looked through the window, and there they were. JtG, in all their glorious perfection, doing the sound check. It was at this point that I got VERY excited for what the night had in store for me. Food was the first priority before the concert, so we started roaming looking for some place to acquire nourishment. There was this pizza place that smelled seriously amazing, but we weren't willing to commit to the 30 minute wait, so that didn't happen. Another restaurant in our price range was also very busy, so we ended up eating at Subway. (I know what you are all thinking, you guys were in OMAHA and you ate at Subway. Yes, we did. Move on already.)
After the foods, we made our way back down to the venue for the LONG wait for the doors to open at 8:00 PM. It got very cold, and my biggest complaint was that I didn't make the wisest choice when it came to footwear and my feet were literally frozen. Kam assured me that it would all be worth it because we were at the front of the line and that meant we'd get AH-MAZING seats for the concert itself. As more and more people showed up, and the line grew longer and longer, I had to admit to myself that he was right (although, I'd never actually admit that to him. Lawlz.) The coolest part of the whole standing in line thing was that we ACTUALLY SAW JtG walking across the street from this super fancy and classy restaurant to get into the venue. It actually wasn't nearly as cool as I'm making it out to be right now, but #details. 8:00 finally arrived, the doors opened, and we were that much closer to the concert. I'm convinced one of the greatest parts of being 21, besides you know, legally being able to buy and consume alcohol, is the fact that when you go to any sort of event at a bar/club, you get a nifty little bracelet that screams "I'm 21 or over, huzzah!" whereas all the young ones, such as Kam and Alejandra, got GIANT, and I mean GIANT, black X's on each of their hands that scream "I'm young!" Being that we were like the fourth people in line, we bee-lined for the front, and we were literally standing right on the edge of the stage. We decided (and when I say we, I mostly mean Kam decided) that we would buy the majority of our merchandise before the show even started, because that would avoid the whole long-lines thing after the show, and then we would be well-prepared to get everything signed by the band when the concert was finito. So, we did that whole "here take all of my money and my first born child for all this concert merchandise" thing, and then it was just....a matter of time before the concert started. (See what I did there.. because JtG has a song called "A Matter of Time...." get it? get it?) Anyways...
FINALLY. 9;00 had arrived, and the opening band came out on stage. Allow me to share with you the first observations I was making in my head as the opener (there a band called Mainland btdubs) came onto the stage:
1. Holy toledo, that is one attractive bass player.
2. This lead guitar guy looks like he walked out of the 1950s.
3. But seriously, that bass player.
So, if you can't tell, the bass player was my favorite part of Mainland, and I took a bunch of pictures of him and pretty much just fangirl stared at him the whole time. To be completely honest, I wasn't expecting much from the opening band, because a) I didn't pay or travel 3 hours to see them and b) see reason A. But these guys were really good. Really good. They finished their set, I stole the set list off the stage after they left, and then it was.... ONLY A MATTER OF TIME before JtG would hit the stage. (That was a punny reference to a JtG song. Maybe I thought it was punny, you probably thought it was lame, but this is my blog so I do what I want.)
Finally, they came onto the stage. Jukebox the Ghost. They were getting all their equipment and cords and other rockstar things that you have to prepare ready before they started their set. Like the total fangirl I am, I had my camera at the ready, snapping pictures left and right of them getting ready to do the whole rockstar thing. Tommy Siegel (he's a guy in the band, duh) saw me with my camera snapping shots, AND ACTUALLY STOPPED WHAT HE WAS DOING TO POSE FOR MY PICTURE. Yes, that actually happened. It was magical. And, I was about 3 feet away from Ben Thornewill, the most attractive member of JtG. The girl standing behind-ish me was like "Hi Ben, how are you?" And, he must have thought it was me asking...BECAUSE HE LOOKED RIGHT INTO MY EYES AND WAS LIKE "HOW ARE YOU?" WE MADE SERIOUS EYE CONTACT IN THAT MOMENT, AND IT WAS MAGICAL. Okay, so they got all their stuff set up, and then it was time. They came out and started their set. I was so ready.
I'm not going to go into a lot of details about the concert because I'm pretty sure we all know how a concert works: I fangirl like crazy, the band sings songs, I sing along very loudly and take lots of pictures, and then they finish. That's pretty much how the concert went. I will mention one song specifically just because it was cool. In one of my earlier posts about JtG, I specifically mentioned the song "The Great Unknown" because it just like punched me in the feels a lot. Apparently, this is not a song that they guys sing at live shows very often. But, wait for it, THEY SANG IT AT THE OMAHA SHOW. I repeat, THEY SANG IT AT THE OMAHA SHOW. Of course, I video-taped the entire thing, sang along, and cried throughout the entire thing. I lucked out, that's for sure. The coolest thing about this concert is that I was seeing this band that had such a profound impact on me from the first time I listened to them, and I made direct eye contact with each member of the band at least 20 times during the set. It's hard for me to describe what seeing these guys live meant to me, but it was amazing, and I'm just going to leave it at that.
After the show was over, we made another run to the merch table, mainly to buy some stuff from Mainland (they were the opener, remember?) We got to talk to those guys and they were super chill. I'm really into their music and I hope to see them again sometime soon. But, I was mostly excited to meet the members of JtG. I got to have a mini, sort of "hey the show was awesome" conversation with each of them, get some of my merch signed, and get a picture taken with each member of the band. A perfect ending to my first indie-band concert experience.
Now, I'm going to be honest. The drive home sucked. We didn't leave Omaha until after midnight, and it's a 3 hour drive back to Storm Lake. I was on a student-teaching schedule, which meant that I was used to going to bed at about 9:00 pm, and I didn't even get into my house until 4 AM. I woke up the next morning extremely fatigued, sore beyond repair from the car ride, and I sounded like I smoked two packs a day. But, it was more than worth it. Because I got to see my second favorite band with my first favorite person (that's you Kam.) I can't wait until I get the opportunity to see them again, and hopefully it will be SOON!!
Top Left: Ben Thornewill (he plays piano and sings. He's also my future husband but he doesn't know that yet.)
Top Right: Jesse Kristin (drums)
Bottom Left: Tommy Siegel (much more attractive in person, I promise.)
So, as I've mentioned in previous posts, Kam was going to be attending this concert with me. This was great because I wouldn't even know JtG existed if it wasn't for him, and it's really hard in our busy schedules for find time to hang out with me student teaching and what not, so I was really looking forward to getting to spend some time with him along with seeing this amazing band that changed my life. Kam's friend Alejandra ended up getting a ticket to the concert and came along with us as well. The more the merrier, right? We left SL a little after 3:00 and began making our way towards the big city (in comparison to other cities, Omaha really isn't that big, but I'm from SL, so to me, it's a big city. Back to the story ---->) My bargain with Kam is that I would pay for his ticket to the concert if he drove, because this small-town girl does NOT do interstate driving or city driving (although I should probably get over that fear and get some practice doing both of those things.) The trip got off to an....adventurous start when Kam got pulled over for speeding by the Ida County sheriff. Luckily, that charming son of a gun managed to get away with a written warning. He was VERY careful to drive the speed limit the rest of the way there and home, however ;) ;) So we eventually made it to Omaha, got to "North Omaha" and found a place to park. As we were walking from the truck towards the venue, the Waiting Room Lounge, we could actually hear JtG doing their sound check. Soooo naturally we ran over there, looked through the window, and there they were. JtG, in all their glorious perfection, doing the sound check. It was at this point that I got VERY excited for what the night had in store for me. Food was the first priority before the concert, so we started roaming looking for some place to acquire nourishment. There was this pizza place that smelled seriously amazing, but we weren't willing to commit to the 30 minute wait, so that didn't happen. Another restaurant in our price range was also very busy, so we ended up eating at Subway. (I know what you are all thinking, you guys were in OMAHA and you ate at Subway. Yes, we did. Move on already.)
After the foods, we made our way back down to the venue for the LONG wait for the doors to open at 8:00 PM. It got very cold, and my biggest complaint was that I didn't make the wisest choice when it came to footwear and my feet were literally frozen. Kam assured me that it would all be worth it because we were at the front of the line and that meant we'd get AH-MAZING seats for the concert itself. As more and more people showed up, and the line grew longer and longer, I had to admit to myself that he was right (although, I'd never actually admit that to him. Lawlz.) The coolest part of the whole standing in line thing was that we ACTUALLY SAW JtG walking across the street from this super fancy and classy restaurant to get into the venue. It actually wasn't nearly as cool as I'm making it out to be right now, but #details. 8:00 finally arrived, the doors opened, and we were that much closer to the concert. I'm convinced one of the greatest parts of being 21, besides you know, legally being able to buy and consume alcohol, is the fact that when you go to any sort of event at a bar/club, you get a nifty little bracelet that screams "I'm 21 or over, huzzah!" whereas all the young ones, such as Kam and Alejandra, got GIANT, and I mean GIANT, black X's on each of their hands that scream "I'm young!" Being that we were like the fourth people in line, we bee-lined for the front, and we were literally standing right on the edge of the stage. We decided (and when I say we, I mostly mean Kam decided) that we would buy the majority of our merchandise before the show even started, because that would avoid the whole long-lines thing after the show, and then we would be well-prepared to get everything signed by the band when the concert was finito. So, we did that whole "here take all of my money and my first born child for all this concert merchandise" thing, and then it was just....a matter of time before the concert started. (See what I did there.. because JtG has a song called "A Matter of Time...." get it? get it?) Anyways...
FINALLY. 9;00 had arrived, and the opening band came out on stage. Allow me to share with you the first observations I was making in my head as the opener (there a band called Mainland btdubs) came onto the stage:
1. Holy toledo, that is one attractive bass player.
2. This lead guitar guy looks like he walked out of the 1950s.
3. But seriously, that bass player.
So, if you can't tell, the bass player was my favorite part of Mainland, and I took a bunch of pictures of him and pretty much just fangirl stared at him the whole time. To be completely honest, I wasn't expecting much from the opening band, because a) I didn't pay or travel 3 hours to see them and b) see reason A. But these guys were really good. Really good. They finished their set, I stole the set list off the stage after they left, and then it was.... ONLY A MATTER OF TIME before JtG would hit the stage. (That was a punny reference to a JtG song. Maybe I thought it was punny, you probably thought it was lame, but this is my blog so I do what I want.)
Finally, they came onto the stage. Jukebox the Ghost. They were getting all their equipment and cords and other rockstar things that you have to prepare ready before they started their set. Like the total fangirl I am, I had my camera at the ready, snapping pictures left and right of them getting ready to do the whole rockstar thing. Tommy Siegel (he's a guy in the band, duh) saw me with my camera snapping shots, AND ACTUALLY STOPPED WHAT HE WAS DOING TO POSE FOR MY PICTURE. Yes, that actually happened. It was magical. And, I was about 3 feet away from Ben Thornewill, the most attractive member of JtG. The girl standing behind-ish me was like "Hi Ben, how are you?" And, he must have thought it was me asking...BECAUSE HE LOOKED RIGHT INTO MY EYES AND WAS LIKE "HOW ARE YOU?" WE MADE SERIOUS EYE CONTACT IN THAT MOMENT, AND IT WAS MAGICAL. Okay, so they got all their stuff set up, and then it was time. They came out and started their set. I was so ready.
I'm not going to go into a lot of details about the concert because I'm pretty sure we all know how a concert works: I fangirl like crazy, the band sings songs, I sing along very loudly and take lots of pictures, and then they finish. That's pretty much how the concert went. I will mention one song specifically just because it was cool. In one of my earlier posts about JtG, I specifically mentioned the song "The Great Unknown" because it just like punched me in the feels a lot. Apparently, this is not a song that they guys sing at live shows very often. But, wait for it, THEY SANG IT AT THE OMAHA SHOW. I repeat, THEY SANG IT AT THE OMAHA SHOW. Of course, I video-taped the entire thing, sang along, and cried throughout the entire thing. I lucked out, that's for sure. The coolest thing about this concert is that I was seeing this band that had such a profound impact on me from the first time I listened to them, and I made direct eye contact with each member of the band at least 20 times during the set. It's hard for me to describe what seeing these guys live meant to me, but it was amazing, and I'm just going to leave it at that.
After the show was over, we made another run to the merch table, mainly to buy some stuff from Mainland (they were the opener, remember?) We got to talk to those guys and they were super chill. I'm really into their music and I hope to see them again sometime soon. But, I was mostly excited to meet the members of JtG. I got to have a mini, sort of "hey the show was awesome" conversation with each of them, get some of my merch signed, and get a picture taken with each member of the band. A perfect ending to my first indie-band concert experience.
Now, I'm going to be honest. The drive home sucked. We didn't leave Omaha until after midnight, and it's a 3 hour drive back to Storm Lake. I was on a student-teaching schedule, which meant that I was used to going to bed at about 9:00 pm, and I didn't even get into my house until 4 AM. I woke up the next morning extremely fatigued, sore beyond repair from the car ride, and I sounded like I smoked two packs a day. But, it was more than worth it. Because I got to see my second favorite band with my first favorite person (that's you Kam.) I can't wait until I get the opportunity to see them again, and hopefully it will be SOON!!
Top Left: Ben Thornewill (he plays piano and sings. He's also my future husband but he doesn't know that yet.)
Top Right: Jesse Kristin (drums)
Bottom Left: Tommy Siegel (much more attractive in person, I promise.)
Friday, February 5, 2016
Life Tips from Criminal Minds
I'm pretty sure there's an unwritten rule somewhere that when you are a college student, and you are on a long winter break, you have to binge watch as much Netflix as you possibly can. I know the vast majority of my friends watched a TON of Netflix over break, and I too spent most of my days laying in bed wrapped in blankets, absentmindedly clicking the "next episode" button every 44 minutes or so. This winter break, my binge show of choice was the sometimes creepy, slightly humorous crime drama Criminal Minds. I had seen several episodes of the show before I decided to watch the entire series up to this point on Netflix, and that's only because A and E used to show marathons of the show every Friday night, and I've got like 2 friends and no life so I spend a lot of Friday nights by myself in my bedroom. Whatevs. Another big drawing point for me to watch all of Criminal Minds is the fact that I've got a ridiculously ridiculous crush on Shemar Moore, who plays the super sexy Special Agent Derek Morgan. That guy is seriously yummy. Okay, that just got weird, moving on....
As I spent hours a day watching episode after episode of the show, I began to notice patterns of how the events unfolded in several of the episodes. Based on those patterns, I began to come up with a completely ridiculous list of life rules that people should abide by, all inspired by the things I saw on various episodes of Criminal Minds. Please keep in mind that this list is not to be taken seriously, and it entirely farce. If you've never seen the show, there's a good chance that none of these will make sense to you, and you will think I'm weirder than you probably already thought I was, and that I've got way too much time on my hands to come up with this. But for those of you who have seen and can appreciate the show, it should make you chuckle at least once. So here we go!
Life Tips from Criminal Minds
1. If he's an attractive male, there's a 75% chance that he's a psychopathic serial killer.
- For real though, there's a fair number of bad guys on this show that are pretty easy on the eyes, and thus you are beyond shocked that they are super crazy killer guys. So, be alert around any attractive guys you encounter, cause they could really just be psychopathic creeps. Or they could be really nice guys. It's hard telling.
2. Just don't EVER go into the woods.
- On this show, the woods are never good. Not every plot line involves the woods, but good things NEVER HAPPEN in the woods. So just avoid them at all costs. You'll be safer this way.
3. Avoid the Russian mob at all costs.
- These guys don't mess around. You do NOT want to get on their bad side, and two episodes jump to mind that will illustrate WHY you don't want to get on their bad side. So if you can just stay away from them, that'd be best. (And, chances are, many of you reading this reside in the lovely state where the tall corn grows, aka IOWA, so you should be alright.)
4. Ask yourself only one question: what would Aaron Hotchner do?
- This guy is a legit bada**. For real. The team looks up to him to give them instruction, make the hard calls, and have their back whenever they are coming up against some super crazy creepy creep. I'm not trying to compare him to Jesus or anything like that, but if you are ever in a situation and you are trying to expand your horizons by thinking about what someone other than Jesus would do, just think about the man, the myth, the legend: Aaron "Hotch" Hotchner.
5. You will never be as cool as Penelope Garcia, so don't even try.
- Aside from the beautiful Shemar Moore/Derek Morgan, Penelope Garcia is my *hands down* FAVE character on this show. She dresses amazingly, she has this crazy awesome sense of humor, and the chemistry between her and Derek Morgan fulfills the romantic, flirty crap that I need in my life since I don't get any of it in real life (but I'm not bitter... ANYWAY.) P.G. is also super crazy smart, which adds to her cool. No matter how cool you think you are, or how much you try to be cool, you'll never be on Garcia's level.
6. Always have a go bag packed, because wheels are up in 30.
- "Wheels up in 30." AKA Hotch is saying "get your stuff and get to our super fancy nice jet because we have a creep to catch." We could all benefit from having a bag-o-stuff ready to go a moment's notice, because life sometimes throws curveballs, and having a bag packed with some clothes, personal hygiene items, etc. would save time in a real crisis. It would also make spontaneous road trips more organized, which kind of takes away from the spontaneity now that I think about it, but I digress.
7. A lot of these crazy guys like brunettes, so dye your hair if necessary.
- This is just fact. Lots of the killers on the show like the brown-haired girls. If that creeps you out, consult your hair stylist and pick a new color.
8. We refer to them as the "unsub," not the killer.
- UNKNOWN SUBJECT. Don't call them a killer, and by all freaking MEANS, do NOT give them a nickname that is based upon the location of their kills or their method of killing. This makes the team mad, especially Rossi and JJ.
9. Never stay a roadside motel.
- I feel like this is kind of common sensical, because I've yet to see a roadside motel that doesn't look sketchy as heck. But maybe that's just me.
10. Never, ever, EVER make Derek Morgan mad.
- He will make you regret making him mad. Plenty of episodes can attest to this fact.
So there you have it. Some life tips gleaned from watching 10 seasons of Criminal Minds in about 7 weeks. You can choose to follow all, some, or none of these life tips, but whatever you decide, I hope you found this post as enjoyable as I did coming up with the idea.
Toodles :)
As I spent hours a day watching episode after episode of the show, I began to notice patterns of how the events unfolded in several of the episodes. Based on those patterns, I began to come up with a completely ridiculous list of life rules that people should abide by, all inspired by the things I saw on various episodes of Criminal Minds. Please keep in mind that this list is not to be taken seriously, and it entirely farce. If you've never seen the show, there's a good chance that none of these will make sense to you, and you will think I'm weirder than you probably already thought I was, and that I've got way too much time on my hands to come up with this. But for those of you who have seen and can appreciate the show, it should make you chuckle at least once. So here we go!
Life Tips from Criminal Minds
1. If he's an attractive male, there's a 75% chance that he's a psychopathic serial killer.
- For real though, there's a fair number of bad guys on this show that are pretty easy on the eyes, and thus you are beyond shocked that they are super crazy killer guys. So, be alert around any attractive guys you encounter, cause they could really just be psychopathic creeps. Or they could be really nice guys. It's hard telling.
2. Just don't EVER go into the woods.
- On this show, the woods are never good. Not every plot line involves the woods, but good things NEVER HAPPEN in the woods. So just avoid them at all costs. You'll be safer this way.
3. Avoid the Russian mob at all costs.
- These guys don't mess around. You do NOT want to get on their bad side, and two episodes jump to mind that will illustrate WHY you don't want to get on their bad side. So if you can just stay away from them, that'd be best. (And, chances are, many of you reading this reside in the lovely state where the tall corn grows, aka IOWA, so you should be alright.)
4. Ask yourself only one question: what would Aaron Hotchner do?
- This guy is a legit bada**. For real. The team looks up to him to give them instruction, make the hard calls, and have their back whenever they are coming up against some super crazy creepy creep. I'm not trying to compare him to Jesus or anything like that, but if you are ever in a situation and you are trying to expand your horizons by thinking about what someone other than Jesus would do, just think about the man, the myth, the legend: Aaron "Hotch" Hotchner.
5. You will never be as cool as Penelope Garcia, so don't even try.
- Aside from the beautiful Shemar Moore/Derek Morgan, Penelope Garcia is my *hands down* FAVE character on this show. She dresses amazingly, she has this crazy awesome sense of humor, and the chemistry between her and Derek Morgan fulfills the romantic, flirty crap that I need in my life since I don't get any of it in real life (but I'm not bitter... ANYWAY.) P.G. is also super crazy smart, which adds to her cool. No matter how cool you think you are, or how much you try to be cool, you'll never be on Garcia's level.
6. Always have a go bag packed, because wheels are up in 30.
- "Wheels up in 30." AKA Hotch is saying "get your stuff and get to our super fancy nice jet because we have a creep to catch." We could all benefit from having a bag-o-stuff ready to go a moment's notice, because life sometimes throws curveballs, and having a bag packed with some clothes, personal hygiene items, etc. would save time in a real crisis. It would also make spontaneous road trips more organized, which kind of takes away from the spontaneity now that I think about it, but I digress.
7. A lot of these crazy guys like brunettes, so dye your hair if necessary.
- This is just fact. Lots of the killers on the show like the brown-haired girls. If that creeps you out, consult your hair stylist and pick a new color.
8. We refer to them as the "unsub," not the killer.
- UNKNOWN SUBJECT. Don't call them a killer, and by all freaking MEANS, do NOT give them a nickname that is based upon the location of their kills or their method of killing. This makes the team mad, especially Rossi and JJ.
9. Never stay a roadside motel.
- I feel like this is kind of common sensical, because I've yet to see a roadside motel that doesn't look sketchy as heck. But maybe that's just me.
10. Never, ever, EVER make Derek Morgan mad.
- He will make you regret making him mad. Plenty of episodes can attest to this fact.
So there you have it. Some life tips gleaned from watching 10 seasons of Criminal Minds in about 7 weeks. You can choose to follow all, some, or none of these life tips, but whatever you decide, I hope you found this post as enjoyable as I did coming up with the idea.
Toodles :)
Monday, January 25, 2016
Jump into that water and see for yourself....
Being a teacher is what I've wanted to be "when I grow up" as far back as I remember, and tomorrow, I embark on my first day of my first student teaching placement. I've basically spent the last month bouncing back and forth between really excited, really nervous, really scared, and really not-sure-if-I-can-handle-this-whole-being-a-teacher-thing. I know a lot of the nerves is just me being me, and I've had plenty of people tell me that they would be more concerned about me if I wasn't nervous before taking this giant step that is *literally* the beginning of the staircase to my future. I don't feel like I'm under-prepared: I've had excellent professors at BV that have helped me expand the knowledge I already had, and given me new knowledge, and I don't feel like I have no business trying to pass some of that knowledge onto students: I've had more than one person tell me that they think I'm going to be a good teacher and that I've got great skills and knowledge to offer my students. The biggest problem is, once again, I am my own worst enemy. I can have every person that I lean on when I need support tell me that I'm awesome, and that I'm smart, and talented, and that I'm going to be just fine student teaching, but it's all no good if I don't believe it myself. A man that I respect a lot told me that everyday, I've got to remind myself that I can do this, and I don't have to face it alone.
I love a good metaphor every now and then, and a few weeks ago I was conversing with a close friend, and I came up with what I think is a really good one for the beginning of this next stage of my life. When I was 4 years old, I took swimming lessons at BV during the summer. Now, I hated going underwater, and refused to go underwater every time they asked us to. A lifeguard literally had to hold me while every other kid was going underwater because I refused to do it. Move it to a few weeks later ---- > we get to swimming lessons, and we find out that we are going to be thrown off the diving board into the 13 foot deep end of the pool. I had no choice in the matter, they were going to throw me off that diving board whether I liked it or not. Imagine my panic: I'm a little 4 year old who had never been under the water up to that point, and now they were going to throw me off the freaking diving board?!?!? Not cool, first of all, but nonetheless it happened. Naturally I made a huge deal of this whole thing because I'm Kelsey and I tend to make big deals out of things, but it's not like they were throwing me down there to die. There was another lifeguard waiting down in the water to help us swim to the side of the pool once we hit the water. So, I got to the end of that diving board, lifeguard #1 threw me to my doom (but not really,) and lifeguard #2 helped me paddle my way to the edge of the pool after I hit the water. Student teaching is A LOT like that situation. Tomorrow morning when I get to East Sac County High School in Lake View bright and early at 7 AM for jazz band, I am (metaphorically speaking) getting thrown off that diving board all over again. The difference is, I've got more than one lifeguard in the pool to help make sure that I don't drown. I've got my cooperating teacher, my advisor at BV all the teachers I've done previous field experiences with, my high school band director, my private lesson teacher, the music faculty at BV, my family, and my friends. That's a lot of bodies making sure that I keep my head above the water and make it to the edge of the pool safely at the end of this 8 week experience. There's another difference too. Little Kelsey was terrified of being under the water. 21 year old Kelsey has gotten over that fear, and doesn't mind going beneath the surface for a little bit to explore what's down there.
I've always been a person who likes to play it safe. Taking risks is not something that I do very often, and I don't like being in situations where I don't feel like I'm in control. That's part of the reason I hated going underwater as a kid- Lord knows what could happen down there (again, little Kelsey may have been overdramatic but just go with it.) One of the biggest things I've learned as I've grown up is that it's okay to want to be in control and play it safe, but it's impossible to control every single thing, and you shouldn't try to. It's okay to take a risk every now and then, and step outside the box that I've gotten very comfortable living inside. No matter how much I want to or try to, I cannot plan for every single obstacle or experience I'm going to have during my student teaching NOR can I control every single thing that's going to happen- it's impossible, because students are students, and every day is going to be different, and present new challenges to work around. The best thing that I can do is be confident in the knowledge and skills that I have, be flexible in my plans, remember all the people that are in the pool to make sure that I'm not going to drown, and go underneath that water and see what happens.
I want to be a teacher because I love my content- no matter what else was going on in my life, band, and my band director, were always there for me. I want to be for my students what my band director was for me: someone who I knew believed in me, and was always there for me when I needed him, and I want to pass on the INSANE love and passion I have for music. I've spent the last 3 and 1/2 years learning and experiencing things to prepare for this moment, and, as Jukebox the Ghost said, it's time to jump into that water and see for myself what the rest of my life is going to look like.
I love a good metaphor every now and then, and a few weeks ago I was conversing with a close friend, and I came up with what I think is a really good one for the beginning of this next stage of my life. When I was 4 years old, I took swimming lessons at BV during the summer. Now, I hated going underwater, and refused to go underwater every time they asked us to. A lifeguard literally had to hold me while every other kid was going underwater because I refused to do it. Move it to a few weeks later ---- > we get to swimming lessons, and we find out that we are going to be thrown off the diving board into the 13 foot deep end of the pool. I had no choice in the matter, they were going to throw me off that diving board whether I liked it or not. Imagine my panic: I'm a little 4 year old who had never been under the water up to that point, and now they were going to throw me off the freaking diving board?!?!? Not cool, first of all, but nonetheless it happened. Naturally I made a huge deal of this whole thing because I'm Kelsey and I tend to make big deals out of things, but it's not like they were throwing me down there to die. There was another lifeguard waiting down in the water to help us swim to the side of the pool once we hit the water. So, I got to the end of that diving board, lifeguard #1 threw me to my doom (but not really,) and lifeguard #2 helped me paddle my way to the edge of the pool after I hit the water. Student teaching is A LOT like that situation. Tomorrow morning when I get to East Sac County High School in Lake View bright and early at 7 AM for jazz band, I am (metaphorically speaking) getting thrown off that diving board all over again. The difference is, I've got more than one lifeguard in the pool to help make sure that I don't drown. I've got my cooperating teacher, my advisor at BV all the teachers I've done previous field experiences with, my high school band director, my private lesson teacher, the music faculty at BV, my family, and my friends. That's a lot of bodies making sure that I keep my head above the water and make it to the edge of the pool safely at the end of this 8 week experience. There's another difference too. Little Kelsey was terrified of being under the water. 21 year old Kelsey has gotten over that fear, and doesn't mind going beneath the surface for a little bit to explore what's down there.
I've always been a person who likes to play it safe. Taking risks is not something that I do very often, and I don't like being in situations where I don't feel like I'm in control. That's part of the reason I hated going underwater as a kid- Lord knows what could happen down there (again, little Kelsey may have been overdramatic but just go with it.) One of the biggest things I've learned as I've grown up is that it's okay to want to be in control and play it safe, but it's impossible to control every single thing, and you shouldn't try to. It's okay to take a risk every now and then, and step outside the box that I've gotten very comfortable living inside. No matter how much I want to or try to, I cannot plan for every single obstacle or experience I'm going to have during my student teaching NOR can I control every single thing that's going to happen- it's impossible, because students are students, and every day is going to be different, and present new challenges to work around. The best thing that I can do is be confident in the knowledge and skills that I have, be flexible in my plans, remember all the people that are in the pool to make sure that I'm not going to drown, and go underneath that water and see what happens.
I want to be a teacher because I love my content- no matter what else was going on in my life, band, and my band director, were always there for me. I want to be for my students what my band director was for me: someone who I knew believed in me, and was always there for me when I needed him, and I want to pass on the INSANE love and passion I have for music. I've spent the last 3 and 1/2 years learning and experiencing things to prepare for this moment, and, as Jukebox the Ghost said, it's time to jump into that water and see for myself what the rest of my life is going to look like.
Saturday, January 23, 2016
Let me tell ya about (one of) my BEST FRIENDSSS
Blog readers, meet Amy Jo:
This girl and I have been best friends for almost 17 YEARS. Crazy! We met on our first day of kindergarten on the South School playground in 1999. Me being the outspoken, mostly friendly child, walked right up to her, introduced myself, and asked if she wanted to be friends. She said yes, and thus our friendship was born. People don't always believe me when I say that's how we became best friends, but that's literally how it happened. Now, when we were younger, Ames and I couldn't have been more opposite. She was a huge tomboy, who hated wearing dresses, playing with Barbies, or playing house. I was a major girlie-girl who had a Barbie village in her basement and wore dresses as often as I could. It always struck me as odd that her and I could be such good friends despite the fact that we had NOTHING in common for a long time. As we've aged, she has become a bit more "girly" for lack of a better term, and we've discovered mutual love for some things that fuel the majority of our conversations (mainly Harry Potter.) We were in the same class from kindergarten to 4th grade, and even though we had different teachers in 4th grade, we still got to see each other at recess and eat lunch together. We made a huge deal of the fact that we were not together every single minute of the day, but we were just being overdramatic, as per usual. The transition to middle school was terrifying, because we knew we wouldn't be in every single class together, and we might only get to see each other once or twice a day. High school was a bit better, since we knew we would at least have two classes together (band and choir.) Having to say goodbye to Amy as she left Storm Lake for college while I was staying home and going to BV was really freaking hard. I was going from seeing my best friend every day since KINDERGARTEN, to maybe getting to talk a few times a week. There were lots of times that I missed having my best friend close, especially when I needed her advice, or needed her to make me laugh and get my mind off of something. As hard as it was and has been, I know it's definitely taught me to cherish the time that we do get to hang out together and be hooligans, and I would be willing to bet Ames will say the exact same thing.
In 17 years of friendship, I can only remember one BIG fight where Amy and I claimed we were "never going to be friends again." It lasted about a week. We were in middle school, it was all over something really stupid, it was really overdramatic, it happened. I'm glad it only took us a week to realize that we were both acting like idiots, and that throwing away our friendship over some stupid seventh-grade squabble would inevitably be a HUGE mistake. Even though we don't get to see each other as often as we would like, or get to talk as often as we like, I know that Amy will always be there for me, and she knows that I'm always going to be there for her. I'm really glad that kindergarten Kelsey walked up to her on the playground that first day of school, because 21 year old Kelsey has no idea what she would do without her. I can't wait to see where life takes both of us, and the crazy adventures that we are going to get into next!
In 17 years of friendship, I can only remember one BIG fight where Amy and I claimed we were "never going to be friends again." It lasted about a week. We were in middle school, it was all over something really stupid, it was really overdramatic, it happened. I'm glad it only took us a week to realize that we were both acting like idiots, and that throwing away our friendship over some stupid seventh-grade squabble would inevitably be a HUGE mistake. Even though we don't get to see each other as often as we would like, or get to talk as often as we like, I know that Amy will always be there for me, and she knows that I'm always going to be there for her. I'm really glad that kindergarten Kelsey walked up to her on the playground that first day of school, because 21 year old Kelsey has no idea what she would do without her. I can't wait to see where life takes both of us, and the crazy adventures that we are going to get into next!
Friday, January 8, 2016
20 Facts about...moi!!!
Hello my lovely readers. Boy, are you in for a treat today, because this post is going to be nothing but facts about ME! Some of you may already know some of these, or most of these, and some of you may learn a thing or two about the magical mystery tour that is Kelsey Monica Struck. To start things off, here's a collage of Kelsey selfies that I made just because.
1. I have an extreme love/hate relationship with my hair. I've got this insanely naturally wavy, super thick hair. I used to have really long hair when I was a kid, but after I cut off 10 inches between 3rd and 4th grade, it hasn't ever really grown past my shoulders since then. When it's long, it takes me roughly an hour to straighten it decently, and it really depends on the day whether or not it's going to look good or not. I was trying to grow it longer, but last fall I just got sick of it and had my stylist Sherrie cut 7 inches off on a Friday morning. It now only takes about 20 minutes to straighten decently. My only complaint about my short hair now is that I can't get it all in a ponytail when I'm lazy, and when I do pin-curls to get it wavy (like in the second picture of the top row,) the back of my hair looks like a really bad afro.
2. I am almost 22 years old, and I have NEVER driven on an interstate. We don't go very many places that require the use of the interstate, because we are poor and my mom hates travelling, and I don't go places by myself, like ever, because who wants to go on a road trip by THEMSELVES? Not me, that's for sure. I've made it a priority this semester to drive on an interstate at least once, so we'll see who the lucky people that get to witness me freaking out over absolutely nothing while driving on said interstate.
3. I have never seen the original Star Wars movies. If some of you need to stop reading at this point because you are so sickened by me now, go ahead. I understand. It's not that I'm opposed to watching them, I've just never taken it upon myself to watch them, and none of my friends have ever been like "hey let's watch Star Wars." So again, if anyone out there wants to be with me when I experience "the Force" for the first time, let me know alright?
4. I've had two surgeries in my life: I had my tonsils and adenoids removed when I was 10 years old, and I got my wisdom teeth removed my freshman year of college. On Election day, if you cared. And my tonsils got taken out on New Year's Even, if you care about that too.
5. I've never had a boyfriend. There, I said it, and it's on the internet for ever. I'm only like 50% bitter/ashamed about it. I've had one relationship that didn't end up manifesting into a boyfriend/girlfriend thing (see "So, I just got friend-zoned" if you want to read more about that.) That being said, that one relationship did give me my first date ever, and it was a really good one, so any potential suitors out there have their work cut out for them.
6. I am borderline obsessed with tacos. I could eat a taco every single day and be completely fine with it. Tacos are bae, tacos are life.
7. I can pretty much quote the entire movie "Mean Girls." Back when movie rental places other than Redbox were a thing, we would always rent movies on Friday nights, and there was a good 3 month period where I rented Mean Girls every single time, and would watch it three times a weekend. My family pretty much refuses to watch it with me because I just sit and say every single line along with the movie.
8. I've been accused of having a large ego and being "over-confident" in my abilities, both in regards to music and academics, but it's all a front. I actually have very low self-esteem in my academics, music, how I look, my friendships, all of that. I don't want people to perceive me as being weak or sense that I have low-self esteem about pretty much every aspect of my life, so I overcompensate with the so-called "big ego." There are very few people in this world (before I put this on the internet, of course) that knew how low my self'-esteem really was. But now you all know it. Huzzah.
9. The only jewelry I really wear are earrings and a watch. I have lots of bracelets and necklaces, but when I wear them, I usually take them off because they bug me. I also can't stand wearing rings, mainly because I have super awkward fingers and even after I get them re-sized, they never fit and fall off my fingers. That might change once it's a nice diamond on my left finger (you know, provided I find someone that finds me appealing and I'm not forever alone with books and cats.)
10. It doesn't matter if it's 50 degrees below zero outside, if I have the option of eating ice cream, I'm going to eat the ice cream. Blue Bunny ice cream. Preferably Peanut Butter Panic, Super Chunky Cookie Dough, Birthday Cake, or Super Fudge Brownie. In fact, I'm going to go get a bowl of ice cream right now.
11. I love to read, and I always have. I used to go to the public library at least 3 times a week every summer, and I would read an average of 150-200 books just during the summertime. I used to say that I didn't need friends as long as my mom kept buying me books and the public library never closed. I don't have nearly as much time to read now that I'm an adult with actual responsibilities, but I still have a vast collection of books that is ever growing, and I read whenever I get the chance.
12. My biggest fears in life are failing at my chosen career, being a disappointment to my parents, my mentors, and anyone whose ever believed in me and my goal of being a band director, and never finding love.
13. I constantly worry that I'm a burden to my friends, or that they find me super annoying and only talk to me in the hopes that I'll go away. Particularly one friend who I love to talk to more than almost anything. Sigh.
14. Sometimes I like to dance around my bedroom to Britney Spears, NSYNC, Backstreet Boys, and NKOTB. I also sing into my hairbrush while I'm dancing around my bedroom. And I'm not ashamed of it at all.
15. I got a sewing machine for Christmas when I was in 3rd or 4th grade and I still don't know how to use it. I should have my mom teach me before I move out and become a real adult.
16. I worked as a waitress the summer after I graduated high school, and it was the hardest job I've ever had in my life. Because of that experience, I always try to leave decent tips, provided the waiter/waitress we had was not sucky.
17. I can crack my toes basically whenever I feel like it, and it apparently grosses people out really bad (therefore, I do it more often because I'm obnoxious.)
18. My worst habit is most definitely biting my nails. I've done it all my life, and even when I try super hard not to bite them, I can go maybe like 4 days before I give in. It's worse when I'm stressed out or nervous about something. If I paint my fingernails, I don't bite them, but I'm too lazy to paint them so that strategy never really works.
19. I would love to have a weekend where some of my friends and I just get in the car, and go somewhere completely random, jamming to awesome music in the car, having good conversation, and just being young. Hint hint to any friends that read this blog that think that would be cool.
AND FINALLY, the last fact.
20. The hardest question you could ever ask me is "What is your favorite band?" When this question is asked of me, I have to give you like a list of 6 bands because I can't make up my mind. Here's that list, the order doesn't necessarily matter after the first two because they all their amazing points that make me consider them one of my favorite bands:
- The Beatles
- Jukebox the Ghost
- Sweet
- LHC (Liberty Hall Collective aka Kam's band)
- KISS
- The Eagles
So there you have it. 20 facts that barely scratch the surface of everything that is ME. Maybe you learned something new about me, maybe you are reading these closing remarks thinking "Kels, I already knew that stuff. Be original for God's sake," or maybe you don't actually care at all about the facts that make up my life (which is probably a lie because if you are reading this far into the post, you care at least a little bit, even if you don't want to admit it.) I'm pretty impressed with myself that I was able to come up with 20 facts in about an hour, because I thought this post was going to take through all of Jimmy Fallon, and HE HASN'T EVEN STARTED YET. Huzzah!!!!!
Wednesday, December 30, 2015
30 songs in.... however long it takes me to write this post
One of the many blog post ideas I found on Pinterest is something called "30 songs in 30 days." It's intention is for users to follow the prompts and post the videos on Facebook or whatever. But since I've got this blog and I can never think of things to blog about, I'm going to do my version of this challenge on here. I've linked to YouTube videos of all the songs I've mentioned in case there's one you've never heard before, or you just want to listen to them, or whatever. Also it makes me feel like a more official blogger, but details. So, without further ado, I present to you, the 30 songs challenge thing!
1. A song from your childhood- She Thinks my Tractor's Sexy by Kenny Chesney
- I used to sing this song a lot when I was a kid. Sorry Mom.
2. A song that reminds you of one/both of your parents- Little Willy by Sweet
- My dad used to sing this song ALL THE TIME when I was a kid, and it helped me develop a liking for this band (who doesn't need a little British Glitter Rock in their lives every now and then???)
3. A song that calms you down- Man in the Moon by Jukebox the Ghost
- I can't even describe the calming effect of this song, both the recording and when someone is playing it on the piano and singing it to you.
4. A song that reminds you of a best friend- Aaron's Party by Aaron Carter AND Oh Darling by The Beatles
- Aaron Carter first: Amy Jo and I have been friends for 16 years now, and we were obsessed with Aaron Carter when we first became friends as little kids. We used to sing his songs at recess, and even handed out Aaron Carter valentines in first grade (because we were super cool, obviously.)
- The Beatles: Kam is also someone I consider to be one of my best friends, and as I've mentioned before we both love the Beatles. There is a group of guys in Cherokee who do Beatles cover concerts every now and then, and Kam and I have been to two of them. There's this guy named Brooks who always sings this song, and I just stand there and fangirl so hard because damn, he's good (both with the whole singing thing and just good looking in general.) *swoon* AND THIS IS ACTUALLY A VIDEO OF BROOKS SINGING FROM ONE OF THE SHOWS KAM AND I WENT TO!!!!
5. A song that reminds you of last summer- Uma Thurman by Fall Out Boy
- This song was HUGE in the summer of 2015, and after I heard it for the first time, I loved it immediately. It was super catchy and just got stuck in your head. I worked in the financial aid office at my college during the summer, and all I listened to from the hours of 9:00-5:00 was the local radio station, and one day, this song was played 4 times on the same station in that time period. I also took a road trip with my bestie Amy Jo to see Kamron's band play in Des Moines, and we listened to this song probably 15 times.
6. Favorite musician or band that you have met- Abracadabra by The Steve Miller Band
- So I haven't actually MET the Steve Miller Band, but I did see them in concert last May, and it was pretty fantastic. This is my favorite song by them, closely followed by Fly like an Eagle.
7. A song you like with a color in the title- Crimson and Clover by Tommy James and the Shondells
- I've always liked older music, and I have no idea what this song is supposed to be about or what it means, but it's great none the less.
8. A song by your favorite band- Here Comes the Sun by The Beatles
- I have lots of favorite bands, but my number band by far is The Beatles. They are just fantastic. There are so many of their songs that I love, so I'm just going to randomly select one of those now.
9. A song on the soundtrack of your favorite movie- Tara's Theme~ Gone with the Wind
- I don't know if a soundtrack was ever released for Gone with the Wind, but this is the main theme of the entire movie, named after the O'Hara plantation.
10. The last song you heard- We're Painting the Roses Red ~ Alice in Wonderland
- I'm watching this movie as I write this post, and this was the last one they sang :)
11. A song that is often stuck in your head- Do Your Hear The People Sing~ Les Miserables
- I played in a pit orchestra for Les Mis a few summer ago, and the entire show has pretty much been in my head ever since then, and the earworms still come back and every now and then. This is usually the one that revisits my head most often.
12. A song you love singing along to- Total Eclipse of the Heart by Bonnie Tyler
- This song. This freaking song. No matter where I am at when I hear this song, I belt my little heart out when it comes on. And, I have been known to stare longingly out the car window and act like I'm in a music video while singing along.
13. A song that has made you cry- How Great Thou Art
- My cousin Tyler sang this song at my Grandma's funeral, and there was not a dry eye in the church. He has an awesome voice and managed to hold it together without breaking down in the song, which is something I could not have done at all. Carrie Underwood does a good job too ;)
14. A song that makes you want to dance- The Twist by Chubby Checker
- I mean, the whole point of the song was to get you to dance, and it fulfills its purpose.
15. A song you love but rarely listen to- I Will Always Love You by Whitney Houston
- This song is awesome, and is another great one for when you just want to belt out a song really loud but I don't own it, therefore I hardly ever listen to it.
16. The first song alphabetically on your iPod- A Movie Script Ending by Death Cab for Cutie
- Another band that Kam introduced me to. I haven't listened to all their stuff he gave me, but everything that I have listened to (mind you, that's maybe like 5 songs tops) doesn't suck so I'm optimistic that I'll enjoy the rest of it when I get around to it.
17. The last song alphabetically on your iPod- 1997 by Saint Motel
- And, AGAIN, another band I would know nothing about if it weren't for Kam. These guys are awesome. This song is good. Enjoy.
18. A song that you could listen to all day without getting tired of it- The Great Unknown by Jukebox the Ghost
- See the post entitled "The band that changed my life" for explanation
19. Your favorite song- Let It Be by the Beatles
- Although I have LOTS of favorite songs because I have LOTS of favorite bands, this is one of the top ones. Plus I love me some Paul McCartney.
20. Favorite St. Patrick's Day/Irish song- My Wild Irish Rose and When Irish Eyes are Smiling
- My Grandma Struck came from a HUGE Irish Catholic family, and when we would go to my dad's family reunions as a kid, these songs always got sang. When my grandma passed away in August, my aunt and great-uncle led us in these songs at the cemetery right before we all left. These always make me think of my family and the great times we had singing these songs when I was younger.
21. A song that needs to be played LOUD- Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen
- Do I really even need to explain this one??? It's gotta be LOUD so you can still hear Queen singing above me belting out every part, including the instrumental riffs.
22. Favorite Christmas song- Do You Hear What I Hear by Idina Menzel
- It's so hard to find Christmas albums with this song on them, and it's one of my favorites. Idina does an awesome job in my humble opinion.
23. When you think of classical music, what is the first piece that comes to mind- Eine kleine Nachtmusik by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
- Mozart is my favorite composer by far, and he's actually a classical composer so this song is actually classical music. Huzzah!
24. What is your favorite version of Pachelbel's Canon?- Pachelbel Rant by Rob Paravonian
- My friend Andreya showed me this video of a comedian ranting about how a bunch of songs have the same chord progressions as Pachelbel's Canon in D, and it's hilarious!
25. First song or album that you bought- I Want You Back by NSYNC (NSYNC)
- I didn't buy this CD myself, it was a gift from my aunt, but it was the first CD that was actually MINE. And here's a song off that album for your enjoyment.
26. Band/artist you would like to meet, but never have- Jukebox the Ghost
- BUT HOPEFULLY I GET TO MEET THEM IN FEBRUARY. Again, see the post entitled "The band that changed my life" for more information. Here's another good song I haven't mentioned before by them:
27. Favorite Album- Rumours by Fleetwood Mac
- It's just a good album with awesome songs. Here's one of my faves
28. A song you listen to to cheer you up- Hey Jude by the Beatles
- How can you be in a bad mood after listening to this song, and by listening I mean singing every single word and going crazy with the "na na na's" at the end???
29. A song you would want played at your wedding- God Must Have Spent A Little More Time on You by NSYNC
- I've loved NSYNC for my entire life, and as long as I can remember I've proclaimed that this will be the song my future husband and I dance our first dance to at our wedding. So hopefully the guy I marry can tolerate NSYNC or we might have an issue...
30. A song that you know every single word to- Friends in Low Places by Garth Brooks
- Garth is the man, and this song is one of my favorites by him.
So, there you have it. Another look into some of the songs that define my life. This post was long, so if you made it this far, good job and thanks for reading!!!
:)
1. A song from your childhood- She Thinks my Tractor's Sexy by Kenny Chesney
- I used to sing this song a lot when I was a kid. Sorry Mom.
2. A song that reminds you of one/both of your parents- Little Willy by Sweet
- My dad used to sing this song ALL THE TIME when I was a kid, and it helped me develop a liking for this band (who doesn't need a little British Glitter Rock in their lives every now and then???)
3. A song that calms you down- Man in the Moon by Jukebox the Ghost
- I can't even describe the calming effect of this song, both the recording and when someone is playing it on the piano and singing it to you.
4. A song that reminds you of a best friend- Aaron's Party by Aaron Carter AND Oh Darling by The Beatles
- Aaron Carter first: Amy Jo and I have been friends for 16 years now, and we were obsessed with Aaron Carter when we first became friends as little kids. We used to sing his songs at recess, and even handed out Aaron Carter valentines in first grade (because we were super cool, obviously.)
5. A song that reminds you of last summer- Uma Thurman by Fall Out Boy
- This song was HUGE in the summer of 2015, and after I heard it for the first time, I loved it immediately. It was super catchy and just got stuck in your head. I worked in the financial aid office at my college during the summer, and all I listened to from the hours of 9:00-5:00 was the local radio station, and one day, this song was played 4 times on the same station in that time period. I also took a road trip with my bestie Amy Jo to see Kamron's band play in Des Moines, and we listened to this song probably 15 times.
6. Favorite musician or band that you have met- Abracadabra by The Steve Miller Band
- So I haven't actually MET the Steve Miller Band, but I did see them in concert last May, and it was pretty fantastic. This is my favorite song by them, closely followed by Fly like an Eagle.
7. A song you like with a color in the title- Crimson and Clover by Tommy James and the Shondells
- I've always liked older music, and I have no idea what this song is supposed to be about or what it means, but it's great none the less.
8. A song by your favorite band- Here Comes the Sun by The Beatles
- I have lots of favorite bands, but my number band by far is The Beatles. They are just fantastic. There are so many of their songs that I love, so I'm just going to randomly select one of those now.
9. A song on the soundtrack of your favorite movie- Tara's Theme~ Gone with the Wind
- I don't know if a soundtrack was ever released for Gone with the Wind, but this is the main theme of the entire movie, named after the O'Hara plantation.
10. The last song you heard- We're Painting the Roses Red ~ Alice in Wonderland
- I'm watching this movie as I write this post, and this was the last one they sang :)
11. A song that is often stuck in your head- Do Your Hear The People Sing~ Les Miserables
- I played in a pit orchestra for Les Mis a few summer ago, and the entire show has pretty much been in my head ever since then, and the earworms still come back and every now and then. This is usually the one that revisits my head most often.
12. A song you love singing along to- Total Eclipse of the Heart by Bonnie Tyler
- This song. This freaking song. No matter where I am at when I hear this song, I belt my little heart out when it comes on. And, I have been known to stare longingly out the car window and act like I'm in a music video while singing along.
13. A song that has made you cry- How Great Thou Art
- My cousin Tyler sang this song at my Grandma's funeral, and there was not a dry eye in the church. He has an awesome voice and managed to hold it together without breaking down in the song, which is something I could not have done at all. Carrie Underwood does a good job too ;)
14. A song that makes you want to dance- The Twist by Chubby Checker
- I mean, the whole point of the song was to get you to dance, and it fulfills its purpose.
15. A song you love but rarely listen to- I Will Always Love You by Whitney Houston
- This song is awesome, and is another great one for when you just want to belt out a song really loud but I don't own it, therefore I hardly ever listen to it.
16. The first song alphabetically on your iPod- A Movie Script Ending by Death Cab for Cutie
- Another band that Kam introduced me to. I haven't listened to all their stuff he gave me, but everything that I have listened to (mind you, that's maybe like 5 songs tops) doesn't suck so I'm optimistic that I'll enjoy the rest of it when I get around to it.
17. The last song alphabetically on your iPod- 1997 by Saint Motel
- And, AGAIN, another band I would know nothing about if it weren't for Kam. These guys are awesome. This song is good. Enjoy.
18. A song that you could listen to all day without getting tired of it- The Great Unknown by Jukebox the Ghost
- See the post entitled "The band that changed my life" for explanation
19. Your favorite song- Let It Be by the Beatles
- Although I have LOTS of favorite songs because I have LOTS of favorite bands, this is one of the top ones. Plus I love me some Paul McCartney.
20. Favorite St. Patrick's Day/Irish song- My Wild Irish Rose and When Irish Eyes are Smiling
- My Grandma Struck came from a HUGE Irish Catholic family, and when we would go to my dad's family reunions as a kid, these songs always got sang. When my grandma passed away in August, my aunt and great-uncle led us in these songs at the cemetery right before we all left. These always make me think of my family and the great times we had singing these songs when I was younger.
21. A song that needs to be played LOUD- Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen
- Do I really even need to explain this one??? It's gotta be LOUD so you can still hear Queen singing above me belting out every part, including the instrumental riffs.
22. Favorite Christmas song- Do You Hear What I Hear by Idina Menzel
- It's so hard to find Christmas albums with this song on them, and it's one of my favorites. Idina does an awesome job in my humble opinion.
23. When you think of classical music, what is the first piece that comes to mind- Eine kleine Nachtmusik by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
- Mozart is my favorite composer by far, and he's actually a classical composer so this song is actually classical music. Huzzah!
24. What is your favorite version of Pachelbel's Canon?- Pachelbel Rant by Rob Paravonian
- My friend Andreya showed me this video of a comedian ranting about how a bunch of songs have the same chord progressions as Pachelbel's Canon in D, and it's hilarious!
25. First song or album that you bought- I Want You Back by NSYNC (NSYNC)
- I didn't buy this CD myself, it was a gift from my aunt, but it was the first CD that was actually MINE. And here's a song off that album for your enjoyment.
26. Band/artist you would like to meet, but never have- Jukebox the Ghost
- BUT HOPEFULLY I GET TO MEET THEM IN FEBRUARY. Again, see the post entitled "The band that changed my life" for more information. Here's another good song I haven't mentioned before by them:
27. Favorite Album- Rumours by Fleetwood Mac
- It's just a good album with awesome songs. Here's one of my faves
28. A song you listen to to cheer you up- Hey Jude by the Beatles
- How can you be in a bad mood after listening to this song, and by listening I mean singing every single word and going crazy with the "na na na's" at the end???
29. A song you would want played at your wedding- God Must Have Spent A Little More Time on You by NSYNC
- I've loved NSYNC for my entire life, and as long as I can remember I've proclaimed that this will be the song my future husband and I dance our first dance to at our wedding. So hopefully the guy I marry can tolerate NSYNC or we might have an issue...
30. A song that you know every single word to- Friends in Low Places by Garth Brooks
- Garth is the man, and this song is one of my favorites by him.
So, there you have it. Another look into some of the songs that define my life. This post was long, so if you made it this far, good job and thanks for reading!!!
:)
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