For Sale: Lee Majors (6 Million Dollar Man) – $50

Soooo…the title of this post has nothing whatsoever to do with the content but I’m allowed to do that every now and again.  At this very moment I am working on my cover letter, eating some chili and wondering what happened to my version of “life-after-college.”  And in a few moments I’ll go and do the dishes, straighten my hair, leave to get groceries and pick up mi madre…but I’ll still be wondering what happened to my version of “life-after-college.”  Tonight I’ll probably submit a few job applications maybe even look for a place to live, do my nails, watch whatever shows the parentals normally watch on Thursday nights…and wonder what happened to my version of “life-after-college.”  And tomorrow I’ll get up, excercise, do my makeup, submit some more job applications and wonder, wonder, wonder what happened to my version of “life-after-college”?

Are you noticing a theme?  You are??  I’m shocked.

You see I had this picture in my head of what my life would look like post-graduation.  And it was only a tad-bit realistic.  I figured it would take a little while to get a job (that’s the realistic portion) but I figured in the meantime I would have some fun.  I thought that as soon as I was done with school that all the stories that have been pushed into the back of my mind to make room for my academic papers would come pouring out and I’d have tons of energy to submit applications and write stories and go out with friends and catch up on all my blog friends and, and, and, so on and so forth.

Somehow I underestimated a few things.  Such as the fear I was suddenly filled with at the thought of getting a job.  It sounds silly but it felt different to me.  It wasn’t just a job to get me through school, it was a job.  A job as an adult not a college kid.  I was scared, terrified actually.  So I procrastinated and hemmed and hawed around and probably lost a few jobs by not applying to them…stupid really.  And now I’m fighting to get back into the game.

I also underestimated how utterly exhausted I was after graduation.  And how boring my life suddenly seemed to become.  I really didn’t understand how being a college kid gave me a readily available topic.  Uneventful week?  Well I can just talk about what movie we watched in class this week, or what we discussed, or what author we read, or, or, or, or…any number of things.  And now?  What am I supposed to talk about?  Well I got up this morning, ate some breakfast, excercised, put on some makeup, submitted five applications, haven’t heard back from any of the others yet, did the dishes, watched x hours of TV, hung out with the parents x hours, it’s cloudy today.  Admit it that sounds boring…I’m not complaining, I love hanging out with my parents and the other stuff…eh, it’s alright…except for the dishes, blech! ;).  But it makes it difficult to find something to talk about when you feel like you aren’t going anywhere or really doing anything. 

Why does it always feel like everyone else has the perfect life??  Like you are the only one who is bored, broken, alone, tired, etc.

God, I hate it when I do that, when I compare myself to other people.  Don’t you?  I mean you look hard enough and there will always be someone whose life is better than yours…but there will also be someone who is in a worse position.

I just need to learn to deal with my situation without adding the burden of trying to make my life like someone else’s.

And now…a song.

Courage by Orianthi (featuring Lacey of Flyleaf).

And some randomness to make you smile, ’cause everyone needs to smile at least once a day right?

1. I am a picture whore.  Lol!  Sorry about that I just had to say it; what I mean is I’m the type of person who trolls the internet looking for interesting pictures of celebrities, objects, whatever grabs my attention.  I use them to practice my sketching or so my mental picture of a character from one of my stories has life or just to look at and think “how pretty/cool/breathtaking/beautiful/etc.”  Yup, picture whore.  :D
2. I have a playlist on my windows media player titled “songs that make me smile.”  It has OneRepublic, Train, Yellowcard, that Orianthi (ft. Lacey) song that’s right ^ up there, The Afters, Anna Nalick, The Calling, Francesca Battistelli, Good Charlotte, Hyland, Pink AND Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez & The Scene, Miranda Cosgrove, Kelly Clarkson, Aly&AJ (aka 78Violet), Hilary Duff, Katy Perry and Avril Lavigne.  Yes, I listen to pop music, it makes me…smile :D .  Feel free to take your shots, I can handle it and I really don’t mind (after all I never said you had to listen to it)  ;).
3. So during my last semester of college (all of what two months ago??) I developed a new guilty pleasure (that’s pretty much gone now since moving in with the parentals).  I started watching WWE Raw *cringe.*  I know, I know but I found it hilarious…and fascinating.  And really good mindless TV for when your brain hurts from trying to understand Jung or Percy Bysshe Shelley.
4. Via my twitter feed from GC’s Benji Madden — “Westboro baptist Church=WBC=Weally Bad Christians lol.”  Call me terrible but that cracked me up!
5. And an exchange via my twitter feed between Trevor, lead singer of TFK and the TFK tour manager starting with the TFK tour manager — “Let’s recap. Bought an ipod, 2 weeks later ipod touch comes out. Buy an ipad, 4 weeks later ipad 2 comes out. What the heck!!” — followed by Trevor’s response — “@tfktourmgr i’m gonna start buying stuff 2 weeks later than u.”  ROFL!!
6. via my twitter feed, Chester Bennington lead singer of LP — “I’m watching Cops and some naked guy was shooting at a person he was robbing and it took 5 cops to take him down. Cops don’t get paid enough”
7. And Tam (Hodge, aka inprogress) also from Twitter — “RT @pinkbirdi i don’t understand jogging skirts. // I dont understand jogging.”  Lol!!  :D
8. And finally via my twitter feed, Joe Rickard drummer for RED — “God is good.”  — makes me smile every time :)

week in a flash (week 8)

1. Nothing much during the week, just the internship – which is always fun

2. I’ve been having a hard time with the whole not-having-a-job and no-steady-income and you know it’s ironic, considering I’ve been studying the book Plan B by Pete Wilson but the one thing I find myself saying about my self-inflicted jobless situation is “it wasn’t the plan.”  Because although I knew I wouldn’t have a job come school-time, it wasn’t supposed to be until August.  Not part of the “plan.”  Huh, guess I should’ve seen that coming.

3. But enough of that!  I had an AWESOME weekend!!  And lucky you guys, you get a complete rundown!

4. Ok so this weekend was a free Christian music festival and I went, I got burned even though I put on sunscreen, thanks Irish blood and fair skin and sweating!

5. So…saw some great new bands and a few awesome ‘old’ ones and I thought I’d give you a play-by-play starting with the new bands I saw

6. Reilly – they played on the main stage, they were really good, really, really, really good and I will tell you why – dueling violins – that’s right dueling violins.  Two of their members play violin and at various points during their set the duo (husband and wife) would come out into the center of the stage and play back and forth and then at one point they dueled the guitarist and bassist.  It was soo coooool!!!!!!!!!!  And I got their autographs!!  They have three; count them, three full length albums available through their website.  P.S. dueling violins, need I say more?

7. Hyland – their second EP was produced by Ben Kasica of Skillet (Skillet!!) and after seeing two of their sets I know why, because they rock!!  They played a worship set on Sunday and then a full set of their original music later in the afternoon both on the secondary stage.  I went to the worship set and after that I made a point of coming back to see their later set even though I originally hadn’t planned to.  (There’s that word again, planned, when will I learn? Lol).  They just signed with Tooth & Nail records for their first CD – I will let you know when it comes out because you all have to get it!  Did I mention they were awesome?

8. Children 18:3 – they were also on the secondary stage.  They were really punk-rock, not usually my taste but the girl, who is the bassist/backup vocalist in the band, tore it up!!  She head-banged and jumped and ran around the stage and was electrifying!!  As was the drummer and guitarist/vocalist, her brothers (that’s right, siblings).  It was so infectious the lead singer of Hyland even got in on the act jumping up on stage at one point, grabbing a bell-thingy off the drummer’s kit and a drumstick and banging on it then coming to the crowd and handing it around for them to bang on it for a little while.  I don’t know if it was planned or not but it was cool!  (And no, sadly I did not get to bang on the bell).  They are also with Tooth & Nail records and have one or two albums out, I’m not quite sure on that one, you can find out for yourself here.

9. Desperation Band – these guys are from my home state of CO, specifically CO Springs, holla!!  (yes I said holla, get over it :P).  They did a worship set on the main stage Sunday and it was beautiful!  If there is one thing I miss from not going to church it’s a good worship service where the people are just pouring their hearts out to God through the music and there is no pretense and there is no posturing there is simply worship.  Let’s face it though, you can worship Him anytime, anywhere as long as you don’t care about what you look like or what people think of you because I’ve sat out in front of my house in my Jeep during a particularly good song on the radio and closed my eyes and worshipped Him right there because I needed it.   And man, did I need it this Sunday.  And it was good!  You could just tell these guys loved what they did, they loved God and they were so full of joy it was infectious.

10. And that leads into the great ‘old’ bands (by old, I mean I knew of them and had heard them extensively before I went) – Phillips Craig & Dean – technically this should be “new band” because I didn’t recognize them by name but I knew a lot of their songs.  They played on the main stage on “Retro night.”  It was the same sort of situation as Desperation Band, absolutely beautiful worship of God, people pouring their hearts out.  I thoroughly enjoyed it but what really got me was when they played the song “Mercy came running,” I didn’t recognize until they got to the chorus and when they did it hit me like a ton of bricks and I couldn’t, and didn’t want to, hold back the tears.  I let go of my pretense and my self.  It was, well, it was AWESOME!!!  Lol!!

11. Sanctus Real – I love these guys, have ever since I heard their song “I’m not alright” which, at the time, was a real hit in the gut for me and I’ve been hooked since.  They played on the main stage and even though I left halfway through their set what I saw was rockin’ awesome!  They were really, really good.  I also was able to hear their song “Whatever You’re Doing” which is another one of those ‘hit in the gut’ songs for me…you should check it out!

12. And now, drum roll please, ladies and gentlemen I had the distinct pleasure of seeing a band that has been broken up for Five years and reunited just to play at “Retro night” (I guarantee you’ll recognize the name) – PETRA – that’s right I said Petra, how cool is that?!?  Sadly I didn’t make their whole set because I had a job application to submit but I was there for at least five or six songs so I was graced with a bit of their awesomeness.  And they are awesome!  Even for old folks…:D

13. PILLAR – I have followed these guys since they started and it just keeps getting better!  I was front and center, well front and left for their set and even though I went half-deaf from it I wouldn’t have missed it!  In fact they are the reason I left Sanctus Real’s set halfway through ‘cause there was no way I was going to miss Pillar.  And it was so worth it!  During one of their songs they actually invited two kids up on stage to sing…ok so all the kids sang was “whooaa, whoaa, yeeaah, yeah” but it was still cool that they did that.  I felt kind of bad though because I don’t think a lot of the kids there knew that many Pillar songs and it was difficult to hear Rob’s voice clearly.  At least for me, a lot of his singing was drowned out in the guitar, bass and drums so I lost a lot of what was being sung and couldn’t really follow it.  But…I did get their autograph so it’s all good!!  In fact it’s better than good, it’s awesome!!  Because, as I mentioned I GOT THEIR AUTOGRAPH!!!  Lol!!  Yes, I’m a dork and a major fan of theirs, like I said I’ve been following them since they formed with only a few years of defection for reasons that were stupid at the time and remain stupid (thank God (I mean it) I re-discovered them).  Their music has meant a lot to me, they are one of my all-time favorite bands and I am so grateful to them for making music and, as weird as it sounds, I am grateful to God for giving them the heart to do this not to mention giving them the music.  (Speaking of which, their new album Confessions, which I’ve mentioned before is absolutely beautiful and, even though I was doubtful at first, I have totally fallen in love with the music).

14. And (to be totally cliché) last but definitely, without a doubt, not least – THOUSAND FOOT KRUTCH – these guys brought the house down, they are the reason I wound up seeing Children 18:3 because I had a sweet spot right in front of the stage for Hyland’s set and it became apparent that if I left I would be relegated to the back so I stayed and caught Children 18:3’s show and then the main event.  TFK!!!  They were so, so, so cool!  And I could hear Trevor’s voice perfectly, again I don’t know if it was the sound tech or where I was standing since I was a little more center for TFK than I was for Pillar but I don’t care because I was there, front row and it rocked!!  TFK is another one of those bands, like Pillar, I have followed them since they formed and their music has meant so much to me and has reached me when I needed it and has allowed me to say things that otherwise I couldn’t say.  In fact…I got to tell them that.  Well I got to tell Trevor (lead singer) that (though I’m pretty certain that he shared it with Steve (drummer) and Joel (bassist)).  When I went through the line to get their autograph I told Trevor that their music has meant a lot to me and how I’ve followed them since they started.  And do you know what he did?  He looked me right in the eyes and said thank you and asked my name and said he hoped to see me at another show (call it promoting if you want, I don’t care because it didn’t feel like it to me).  On their website it says something like “otherwise introverted listeners have felt surprisingly comfortable pouring their hearts out to (Trevor) McNevan, Steve Augustine and Joel Bruyere,” after that I think I know why.  There is a sweetness and gentleness to these hard rockers who tear up the stage (and man did they tear up the stage!! So cool!) & they really listen.  I’m just some random girl from SoDak but in that moment, I felt connected and valued as a human being, not just some random fan.  Someone who can do that would inspire trust and a willingness to share, a whole band that can do that would get people pouring their hearts out, people who don’t normally open up.  Don’t believe me?  Just ask purpledragonlady (a.k.a. mom), she has that same touch, that same gift and people see it, they know and they respond to it, they can’t help themselves.  I love it!  Oh and by the way you may have noticed how I slipped it in up there about getting their autograph…you didn’t?  Oh.  Well…I GOT THEIR AUTOGRAPH!!!!!  Lol!!!  And much like Pillar, I am grateful to these guys for making music and I am grateful to God for giving them the music and the hearts for what they do.  (They just released a new CD Welcome to the Masquerade, check it out, you won’t regret it).

15. And that was my week/weekend.  I’m temporarily deaf in one ear, I’m probably still a little dehydrated, my legs are sore from jumping around and wearing crappy shoes that offered no arch support, I’m sun-burnt and my neck is sore from head-banging…but I had soooooooo much fun and I so needed it!!

16. Also I have pictures from this weekend I just have to download them from my phone and my camera and then I will post them for you guys to see.

17. And yes, I have shamelessly plugged all of the new bands (and a few of the ‘old’ ones) because they were good and I figure everybody’s got to start somewhere so I make it a point to support the up-and-comers like Hyland, Children 18:3, Reilly, and (a band I’ve seen two times as an opening act for Skillet, no they didn’t play this weekend but that means nothing to me ;D) The Letter Black.  Yes, shamelessly plugging all of them.  Deal with it.

18. And I shamelessly plug the ‘old’ bands for selfish reasons, I like them and I want them to stick around and they can’t do that if people don’t listen to them.  So I shamelessly plug them.  Like I said, deal with it.

19. Speaking of music, do you want a quick, dirty rundown of my top ten favorite bands?  You do?  Good, ‘cause you are going to get it:

        1. Skillet (big shocker there ;D)

        2. Pillar

        3. Linkin Park (that’s right, secular music *gasp* lol)

        4. TFK (they have worked their way slowly up the list, I wouldn’t be surprised if they displaced LP or Pillar one day)

        5. Flyleaf (have yet to see them live, someday…)

        6. TobyMac (he has also slowly worked his way up the list, the best thing so far has been his duet with John Cooper from Skillet off of his latest album Tonight, btw can you tell I like Skillet?)

        7. Good Charlotte (they have fallen, they used to be like number two or three but I’ve kind of lost interest, maybe their next album due out sometime soon will revive interest in them, we’ll see)

        8. RED (“discovered” them at a Skillet concert, had heard them on the radio beforehand and I wasn’t sold but their live show was the best I had ever seen so I gave them a second chance and they are awesome!  Also have their autographs…)

        9. Yellowcard (they used to be up by LP and GC, I adored them because they were a rock band with a violin as a major part of their songs, but they broke up so it saddens me to listen to them knowing I’ll never see them live or get another album and as a consequence they have fallen and someday will fall off the list I’m sure…sad)

        10. The Letter Black (yes, the new band I mentioned, opened for Skillet at two of the shows I went to and they are awesome, awesome, awesome.  I am so looking forward to seeing where these guys go).

        11. *Honorable mentions* Tenth Avenue North, Reilly, Hyland, Children 18:3, Story of the Year, Petra, Papa Roach, Paramore, Nightwish, Tarja Turunen, Newsboys, Natasha Bedingfield, Lostprophets, Lily Allen, Incubus, Hawk Nelson, Group 1 Crew, Sanctus Real, Fireflight, Fort Minor (side project for Mike of LP), FM Static (side project for TFK), & DC Talk.

20. I have several deep topics swirling in my brain, maybe when I get some breathing room I’ll write them up and post them for you guys…it might be a while for that though so don’t hold your breath, k?  :D  & yes, I know I’m late on my ‘week’ it’s because of my summer class and various other things, don’t worry I’ll keep posting and I’ll try to catch up on all my blog buddies (though the catching up probably won’t happen until the end of the month when my class ends, sorry).