Music Monday: Classical Music Flash Mobs

I have been on a strong classical music kick lately. I am not sure why but I like it. Anyway, since I've been having a crummy day today (long story short: I am getting treated poorly for no reason) I've been watching classical music flash mobs... just because 1) I love flash mobs and 2) I love classical music. I know some of y'all are also having crummy days (especially with the terrible cold temperatures across most of the country) so here are some of my favorites to (hopefully) cheer y'all up. :)





The first song is one of my favorite songs so I was stoked to see it in a flash mob:




Not technically classical but I love this song. This one is to get your blood pumping. Go ahead and dance like no one's watching. ;)


This isn't classical either but... hello, Star Wars!


Opera. At a mall. Enough said.


Okay, fine, this is swing music but this is one of my favorite songs.


I hope these flash mobs have brightened up your day a little bit. :D

And that's it for now. Yes, that's it. Just wanted to spread a little joy to others. :)

I hope y'all have a wonderful week!

As always, thanks for reading and God bless! :D

Music Monday: The Great Music Purge

It only took me a year and a half but it's done. The Great Music Purge of 2013 is in the history books. If you haven't read my blog enough (nor want to click the link), I will explain why I did this.

Basically, I wasn't comfortable listening to a lot of songs that I had acquired over the years (including prior to my reversion). I used to pay attention to the melody and some of the words but when I stopped and actually listened to the lyrics I was surprised. A lot of songs had those double entendres that I hadn't picked up but, when I did, I was disturbed. My mind is still very innocent in that way. What the heck was I listening to at 12? I was listening to WHAT just a few weeks ago? *shudder*

Since it was Lent (and I had been putting off for far too long), I thought it was a good idea to just get it done. I started off with 2000+ songs and I ended up with (as you can see the screencap) 770 songs. That doesn't include songs on physical CDs or songs on my laptop that belong to my mom or were my dad's. That means that I wasted a ton of money on songs (since I legally paid for all my music). Once I took out songs I wasn't particularly interested in listening to these days (like Christmas music) and songs that I can't listen to because of "Alleluia" or "Hallelujah" (which should be avoided during Lent), I ended up with 310 songs.

Even though I had to give up a lot of songs I "loved" (I got rid of anything that had a negative message as well; i.e. "I will seek revenge on you for xyz..." or "if this person doesn't come back to me, I will plunge into a deep depressive hole..."), I knew it was for the best. Call me a prude and/or call me a puritan for getting rid of certain songs but I felt like I needed to do it for myself. In my experience, if you surround yourself with negativity and/or sinful thoughts and things, you'll most likely get acclimated to it and the easier it'll be for you to accept them... which can lead you astray more easily. You may disagree (and that's fine) but I would rather not risk it. Trust me, I had to go into the confessional a couple of times and confess some thoughts and words that were a result of singing along or thinking about certain songs. Yeah, not going back for that. For being an impatient snark when I'm driving, maybe, but not for that! lol.

I wish someone had curved my iTunes addiction between 2004 and 2008 (when I went a little crazy, ahem) but what's done is done. All of this has actually made me even more aware of my spending (not just on physical and virtual items but also with my time). There's been a lot of wasted money and time that I won't get back. However, I can make sure I don't make the same mistake twice. Not that I will now with the uber frugal budget I've given myself but, you know, better to take precautions. ;)

FYI, No, all the songs are not Perry Como. lol. It's a mix of classical, jazz/swing/big band, country, pop, classic rock, etc etc. My tastes vary and I have a soundtrack for everything. Everything. Music nerd, party of one. ;)

Anyway, just wanted to write this quick update because I know some of you were wondering about it... or some wanted to know what I'm currently listening to because I seem to have music on almost 24/7 (yes, I even have it on while I sleep some nights). My last.fm account will show y'all more if you're interested... but remember that I have a lot of pre-reversion music on it. ;)

Since today is my day off (I give myself Sundays and Mondays off), I'm going to try to relax before I go back to work on my novel and whatever assignments I can find (work is unfortunately nonexistent these days).

I hope you all had a great weekend and a have a fantastic week. :D

As always, thanks for reading and God bless. :D

Suddenly Very Grateful For My Reversion

I was originally planning on writing about the huge music overhaul I've been doing but I am not done with yet. Seriously, I'm still stuck with the "E"s and I'm going by alphabetical order. This is what happens when you're a mega music nerd and you buy music (mp3s, vinyl records, CDs...) like crazy. Or used to. Yes, my addiction to iTunes has been curved by the discovery of Spotify. I don't really indulge myself in it as much (okay, buying guitar strings for my acoustic guitar does not count) but I still have years worth of "damage" to sort through. In the mean time, you're going to get this...

I am suddenly very grateful for my reversion. This is connected to the original Music Monday post (which I hope to have up next month), too. See, I was going through the songs and I came across the song "Night and Day" sung by Ella Fitzgerald. This song has a special place in my heart because it was the first song a young man ever dedicated to me. We were 16-17 years old at the time (yes, we were into this kind of music even that far back). Technically, he dedicated the Frank Sinatra version but the song itself reminded me of him. Long story short, the world is small and I ended up finding out that we're still somehow connected. That led to a couple of hours of catching up on how he's been doing... and a realization that I am completely blessed to have reverted back to the Faith a couple of years ago.

Now, this isn't me saying that the guy is horrible or anything like that. He's still the same guy goofy guy I remember from our teenage years. The memories I have of him still bring a smile to my face. While it's doubtful that we'll ever have the friendship we had a decade ago (I'm happy to use the phrase "too religious" to describe myself in this case), it's nice to stroll down memory lane. He was a solid friend (especially when my boyfriend at the time wasn't the nicest) and I thank him for that. However, I remembered what path my life was going in those years and I cringe. Again, nothing to do with my old friend but everything to do with me and my choices and actions in those years.

I can't beat myself up too much over dumb decisions I made as a teenager. If I hadn't committed those mistakes, I wouldn't have learned or grown up. Yes, I cringe and I wish I could erase that part of my past but I can't. Instead, I become aware of where I was and where I am now. I can give thanks to God for not giving up on me and for helping me get my life back on track. Things weren't as bad as they sound. The worst thing I did was probably lie in order to fit in (which itself is horrible; I now I detest lying with every fiber of my being) but I am still disappointed in teenage Emmy. However, teenage Emmy turned into adult (with an inner goofball kid) Emmy and she is happy about how things have turned out.

Would I trade my anxiety and my current stomach problems for my life pre-reversion, when I almost never got sick? Never. It's times like this that I am reminded of how lucky I am (sick or not) and how would never trade my life then for my life now. I may not be exactly sure of what God wants me to do (still sort of in post graduation limbo despite my freelance work) but I know that I trust Him to guide me down the path He wants me to take.

Anyway, just random blog post. I'm sure I've written another one like this before but it's been a while and I just wanted to reiterate my love for and gratefulness to God.

And now, I'm going to go listen to the Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons songs I have and see if any of them need to be purged. ;)

As always, thanks for reading and God bless. :D

Music Monday: Please, No Christmas Music!

Okay, I totally not a Scrooge (I LOVE Christmas) but I just can't get into Christmas music just yet. Hallmark Movies? Yes. It's one of my guilty pleasures but I can't get into anything else that has to do with Christmas. To me (as well as my many fellow Catholics), the Christmas season doesn't start until the start of Advent... and we're still days away from that. Here in L.A, both 94.7 The Wave and Coast 103.5 have their 24/7 Christmas music on. Sorry, I just can't.

Since most of us are in the same boat, I thought that it would be a good idea to create a playlist of songs that have nothing to do with Christmas but remind me of autumn and winter.

For the record, these songs are really up my old fashioned gal alley so I don't expect you all to like them. In fact, I don't think many of you will. lol. I adore the era of the 1940s through early 1950s so don't be surprised to see so many songs from that era. ;) For those of you who do enjoy these kinds of songs, you are more than happy to bookmark this post and listen to the songs until the start of Advent.



And this is my contribution to the "Save Christmas" campaign. ;)

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have work. No rest for the wicked. lol.

I hope y'all have a great week! Let me know if you have any prayer requests. :D

As always, thanks for reading and God Bless! :D

The Dreams in Which I Fight Evil; Music Monday

I have nothing productive to write so I'll share the dreams I've been having... because they involve an ongoing fight with the evil one.

I've been having these dreams quite often (they are now averaging twice a week) and it's always the same struggle -- I am fighting with the evil one and the darkness that surrounds him. The person who is with me (or whose prayer helps me) varies but it's mostly St. Benedict of Nursia followed by St. Michael Archangel and the Blessed Virgin Mary. While the dreams are usually different, the basics are always the same: I see a literal darkness wherever I am, I always end up with some kind of light in my hands (this can range from blessed candles, candles in general, or a ray of light that I am holding in my hand), and I fearlessly (dream Emmy is a fighter) go forth and into battle. Sometimes I have a saint's physical presence there with me. In past dreams I've even had the Infant of Prague smile at me, encouraging me to go on, before I tackle whatever it is that I'm fighting. Sometimes it's St. Benedict standing next to me and sometimes it's just a prayer of a saint (like reciting the "Ave Maria") that helps me.

While these dreams aren't strange for me (I've been having saint dreams since my reversion -- many of which you can find on this blog), the frequency hasn't been typical. It's only been over the past month or so that they've been coming with frequency. I don't do anything out of the ordinary. I mean, I pray the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary before bed but I've prayed before bed before. I'm not going to say that there is a supernatural significance to them but I think it's something. Whether that something is my subconscious wrestling with my anxiety, whether it's because I feel like I currently have no clue as to what God wants me to do (call it a post-grad slump), or whether it's actually something I should look into as a sign from God, I don't know. All I know is that I have these dreams... and I often wake up tired from them.

I've been thinking that I need to step up my studying of the faith. I feel like there is still so much I haven't learned or properly explored yet. I was so poorly Catechized that I need to educate myself before I can help other. Maybe that is the reason why I'm having these kinds of dreams; maybe I need to arm myself with knowledge so I can help fight the religious apathy that has a grip on my generation. God knows His plans for me and I welcome them with open arms and an open heart. Anyway, just rambling on for a bit while my anxiety was going loco.

Oh! Since it's Monday, I'll share a song that's really hit close to home lately. I'm still trying to get into Catholic artists (don't shoot me, I'm getting there; hey, at least Hunter Hayes is Catholic and I've been a fan of his for a year now :-P) and Audrey Assad is the first one I've really loved. Her song, "The House You're Building" is one that, I feel, really represents where I am in my life right now... and one that I am sure a lot of young Catholics can relate to. The part that I love is "I'm a broken stone / So lay me down in the house you're building..."



If you want to watch Audrey explaining the inspiration behind the song, watch this video:


Alright, I really should get those two book reviews done. I wish I could say that I had all four but I cannot get The Hobbit done. It's because I've gotten busy with other things... and I am not completely invested in the story so it feels like a chore to read it. In fact, I haven't read it in days... almost a week.

I hope you all have a fantastic week. If you have any prayer requests, please let me know. :D

As always, thanks for reading and God bless. :D

Positivity Week; Music Monday: Britt Nicole's "Gold"

Welcome to this week's themed blog posts. Yes, there will be a theme throughout the week and, yes, I do plan on writing something (even if it's a paragraph or two) every day this week. I am kicking off the post-a-thon with Britt Nicole's "Gold" because it goes perfectly with this week's theme... and I am always looking for an excuse to post music on this blog. ;)

"So what is the theme?" you may be asking yourself. Well, a lyric from the song I've chosen describes it best: "whatever you've been told, you're worth more than gold."

On Twitter and Facebook I've seen so many pointless arguments in which we (I am including myself in it even though I don't partake in them) sling mud back and forth. I've also seen really depressing posts and tweets in which people who have been hurt and trampled on begin to believe the horrible lies others have said about them. For example: "you're worthless," "you're ugly," "you're fat," "you're stupid," etc results in "I guess they were right." No, they weren't.

In an effort to combat all the negativity, I've decided to write a week full of positive posts. It hurts me to see so many friends and acquaintances suffering and this is the only thing I feel I can do (besides praying for them and talking to them individually). And I'm not doing it lightly. I'm going to be writing about issues which I am sure some of you would've never thought I would dare write about... but I am. I won't single anyone out. I will put my own personal touch to it, as well as bring in some guest bloggers for some of them, so that no one feels like I'm talking about them specifically. Just read and I hope that it helps you if the topic particularly touches you. :D

Anyway, just a heads up. :) I'm still trying to limit my time alone so I'm going to go clean my room now that I have stocked up on cleaning supplies. Yes, I get my kicks cleaning. Judge me if you want. ;)

I hope you all have a great week this week. :) If you have any prayer requests, let me know. :)

As always, thanks for reading and God bless! :D

Oh Snap, It's Finally Happened...

Yes, Eleventh Doctor, I'll get to it as soon as I'm done with this post. ;)

A few things have finally happened and it's making me both nervous and excited. 

First: it FINALLY hit me that I'm basically done with my undergrad career. It wasn't until my Harlem Renaissance professor reminded us that this week is our last week of classes (next week is finals week) that it really hit me. I'm done. I'm done? I'm done! Of course I still have finals to do and a couple more assignments that are due this week but I don't have other major things to do. I'm going to miss homework and learning... but not the school. As I'm writing this post, I am simultaneously chatting with friends on Facebook about how unhappy my time at this school has been.

Of course, I don't have to tell y'all that; you've all read more than enough posts about my experience at the CINO school. I will miss some professors (like my Harlem Renaissance and College Algebra professors) who actually believed in and encouraged me. Come to think of it... besides the aforementioned professors and my Western Literature/Norse Mythology professor, I didn't have much support from the others. And to sum up my experience with two current issues: two weeks later and I have NOT heard from my Thesis adviser about any changes to my Thesis before the deadline... and the semester ends next week. Prior to that I tried to contact her for a month and a half but she claimed to have not received any of my emails. Also, my mother attended a school concert with me last week (as it was mandatory and she wanted out of the house for a couple of hours)... and she personally witnessed how poorly I am treated by professors. One of them gave me the stink eye and was overall not nice. At least now I have witnesses to rudeness I experience.

Second: Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati, St. Therese of Lisieux, and St. Jude Thaddeus -- just a general shout out to my heavenly buddies who helped me make it through my two year journey at that school. Without their intercessions, I don't think I would've come out relatively sane. I've had friends drop out and/or transfer out because of the mistreatment we receive if we aren't in agreement with their beliefs... which are mostly against Church teachings too. Of course. If this isn't proof that prayer and hard work pays off, I don't know what does.

Third: I just realized that I am finally getting thrown out into "the real world." That is a bit scary, especially being aware of how scarce jobs are. There are a few jobs within the L.A. Archdiocese that I am going to apply for but most of them ask for either a Master's degree or extra experience which I don't have. However, I am a fast learner and I am passionate about my faith so I'm sure that God will open the right door for me. My biggest anxiety inducer is the uncertainty of it all. I don't know how soon I'll be able to start working or if I'll have to look elsewhere. And, of course I will be going for my Master's degree in a year but still it's completely odd for me not to be in school taking at least one class.

Fourth: (my, I do love making lists, don't I? lol) Despite all my venting, I have come to the conclusion that I am grateful for everything that's happened. Yes, I'm even grateful for all the humiliation, crying, and panic attacks I experienced this semester from my music professors. I truly believe that every negative thing is a character builder and thus I am glad that I experienced them. I feel like I'm coming out of this experience a lot more confident than when I went in. I also feel stronger in my faith and beliefs. The passion I felt about sharing my faith with younger members of this generation (children to those starting college) had gone out for a while shortly after my father died but it has reignited... and Lord help the person who dares talk smack about my beloved God, Pope Benedict XVI or Roman Catholic Church because I have no qualms about sticking up for any of them.

Anyway, just wanted to write all of this out before I get busy with schoolwork. I have a chance to get all but one of my finals completed by Sunday of this week so I am going to definitely attempt to do it. :D OH! And if any of you have prayer intentions, let me know so I can offer up the next two weeks for them. Doesn't matter what the prayer intention is nor do you have to tell me what it is, just let me know that you have one and I'll write it down in my notebook so that I can get everyone's intentions in. :D

And since it is Monday here's a song that I wanted to share. It's called "Pray about Everything" by Luke Bryan. Yes, it's a country song. Raise your hand if you did not see that coming. lol.

 

Alright, I'm off to do homework. I hope y'all have a great week!

As always, thanks for reading and God Bless! :D

 

Music Monday: He Said What?!

This is just a quick post on something that seriously disturbed me recently.

Now, as many of you know, I'm a pretty hardcore Anglophile/Hibernophile. I like a lot of the entertainment (music, films, tv shows) that come out of England and Ireland. If you follow me on twitter than you know my love of Downton Abbey and Liverpool FC as well as the Ireland national rugby union team. Because of my love for the culture, I like to stay on top of trends which includes music. I will give most music a try. When I heard of one particular boy band that had taken the UK (and apparently the rest of the world) by storm, I was curious. I listened to their music and, despite being kind of a music snob, I liked it. It was fun, upbeat... it's a boyband. I'm not a crazy fanatic but I like listening to the songs in the background when I have things to do.

A few weeks ago I stumbled across a blurb a fan posted from an interview the boys did. I thought "well, I have a minute to spare and I wonder how these boys present themselves" so I went ahead of read it. It started off innocent enough until I came across a blurb in which two of the young men basically sang the joy of watching pornography. My reaction was "he said WHAT?!" While two of the other band members told them to be quiet and how pornography was degrading towards women, these other two agreed... but then said that it was "fun" to watch and made it seem like it was not a big deal. This worries me for several reasons.

We all know the dangers of pornography and how damaging it is to one's soul. The Knights of Columbus posted a great article on their website late last year regarding this. It's worth a read if you already haven't. Anyway, these young men (who were 17 and, I believe, 19 at the time of the interview) made it seem like it was okay despite the two other young men trying to quiet them down. We all know that this is a horrible pandemic and we know that my generation (so-called Generation Y) and the next generation are more prone to fall for this soul destroying virus as more and more young men and women are falling away from God (I will share my findings with y'all once I'm done with my Thesis -- it's not pretty). What I never expected was to see someone so young being so vocal about it. From what I've seen, they are insanely popular so you know that millions of young women who obsess (also not healthy) over this band will read these interviews and think that it's okay. Btw, I also saw another blurb in which one the young men also talks about being caught with a girl in bed by a parent. I'm very serious.

All of this got me thinking: "what is life going to be for my future children?" "Will they be exposed to this?" "Will it get worse?" "What can we do to make it better?" I am not so old that I don't remember what being a teenager was like. I'm 26 so I do... vividly. I know that as teenagers, we didn't like hearing adults tell us what to do and what not to do. I also know that most of us did the opposite of our parents told us (even if it was only once) because we didn't like being told what to do. But as I get older and think about my future children, I feel more determined to educate and prepare myself to help them. If the world gets uglier (and it just might by the looks of things), I feel like we need to arm the younger generations to stay strong to combat these issues (as well as the pro-abortion cult) and to not lose Faith in the process.

I could get into it more but I'm cutting it short on time. I have to read for tomorrow's courses (and I have to finish the first act of Hamlet for my Lit course by Thursday morning) and work on my Thesis some more. I just wanted to share these thoughts I've been having since I read these interview blurbs.

Before I go, I have one more question: if you knew the things that (some of) these young men do/think/watch/say were sinful and if you enjoy their music (but not their personal lives)... would you just stop listening to the music or would you listen to the music but ignore their comments? I'm interested to see what y'all think.

Anyway, I hope y'all had a great weekend and have a great week. Hope all your Lent preparations are in place as it starts in two days. :)

As always, thanks for reading and God Bless.

Major Music Overhaul Monday: Part One.

1) I have about 150+ pages to read by tomorrow (oh, how I wish I was kidding) so I'll only post only a portion of what I want to share.

2) Yes, that's an actual screen cap of (part of) my iTunes library.

I've been alluding to the fact that I've been doing some major changes in my life lately. I have. I'll eventually get into the details of the other things I've changed and will change (such as a sort of experiment in which this "jeans and a t-shirt" gal will wear only skirts and dresses for a year) but for now I am going to share one of the hardest for me.

As some of you know, I'm a massive music nerd. I took some Jazz Studies courses my freshman year of college and was set to do that before I had a change of heart. I often help friends out (both guys and gals) with picking out music for playlists for their significant others, road trips, or weddings. You need a song for a specific occasion, I'm your girl. My first love was music and the love affair has stayed with me my entire life thus far. When I was a toddler I used to pluck a string on my mom's guitar and then run away, laughing my little tush off. When I got older, I started singing in school choir. I eventually learned how to play some Beethoven at the end of elementary school and I fulfilled my dream of learning to play the guitar when I was in my late teens. Music is almost always playing, whether it's on the way to or from somewhere or in the background while I'm home. Basically, St. Cecilia (the patroness of music and my confirmation saint) would be proud... yet maybe not entirely.

The reason why I am doing a major music library overhaul is because I've noticed a distinct change in me in the last couple of months that is more obvious now that I've acknowledged it: I am no longer comfortable listening to everything I grew up with. I will be the first to admit that I tend to focus on the melody and not so much the lyrics until a couple of plays. It may be because I usually favor music that is mainly instrumental. Either way, as I've been paying attention to the lyrics of the songs I own I've begun to feel uncomfortable listening to them. An example of a song is like the ones highlighted in the post picture. This particular part of my iTunes library that shows that I have two versions of the same song by two of my favorite jazz vocalists. I LOVE Ella Fitzgerald and June Christy. Their songs are the ones I like to sing when I'm alone at home and can belt out a few without feeling self-conscience. There are a couple of parts that I don't feel happy singing but it's mostly the lyric "thank God I can be over-sexed again." I just can't sing that and the more I listen to the song, the less comfortable I am even hearing it. This is part of why I'm doing the changes.

I may be criticized for possibly being too puritanical in my ways of thinking but I need to do this for me. Consider "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered" deleted from my music library. These are just some of the examples I'm going to be sharing as I embark on this quite hard journey (for me, as a music lover, at least) to rid myself of these songs.

That's all I'm going to share for tonight. I still have a lot of things to do in preparation for a very probable test I may have in my Christology course tomorrow so that's it for now. I'll maybe take every Monday this month to finish posting on this or maybe I'll be able to finish it next Monday. It'll all depend on how much free time I actually have during the week. So much reading/studying and not so much free time. :) Anyway, it's "Only the Beginning of the Adventure." (Quick, someone figure out where that song is from. ;D)

I hope y'all had a great long weekend and have a fantastic week. :D

As always, thanks for reading and God bless. :D

Jesus, Take the Wheel

A week ago today I got my driver's license. I often get asked why it took me so long to get it and the answer is simple: anxiety. Yesterday was St. Dymphna's feast day but I'm taking Sundays as a day of rest from everything (including blogging) so I didn't write anything. Needless to say, I believe that is through her intercession and, really, God's grace that I have been able to get progressively better just in the last year alone. I haven't had a full blown attack in months (I believe that not since before the New Year) and it's been both very freeing and a bit of a challenge.

I always thought of my anxiety as more of a gift than a burden. Somehow I felt closer to God when I was going through my panic attacks. I used to offer up the very worst ones for whatever or whomever needed them. Now that I don't really have them anymore, I have a sort of challenge of finding myself again because anxiety and the panic attacks had been so much a part of me for the past decade.

Halfway through my behind-the-wheel test, while I was nervously trying to focus on the examiner's directions, this song title came to mind: Jesus, Take the Wheel. I took a deep breath and inwardly said "Okay, God, if I don't pass this driving exam it's because I'm not supposed to yet. If I'm going to hurt someone or myself, then I accept not passing." I immediately relaxed. A few minutes later I pulled into DMV parking lot and the examiner congratulated me on having passed my exam. I was beamed and I thanked God. (side note: I actually drove to church later in the day and knelt before the tabernacle and thanked God, as well as kept my promise to the Infant of Prague.)

I've found myself having a lot of these "Jesus, Take the Wheel" moments in the past couple of months which may explain why the anxiety has also lessened. Though I still stress about things, I eventually let them go and say "Your will be done, Lord." It's hard not to have anxiety (strange but true) but it gets easier remembering that if you put your trust in God, everything will work out. I've always said that I believed that everything happened for a reason but it was never truer for me.

Anyway, I thought it would be fitting to include Carrie Underwood's song in this post since it was this song that's been sticking in my head for a while now and because it's Monday and I like to have Music Mondays when I can. :) And, I will admit, I cried while watching the video... especially the part with the older gentleman and his wife because I did the same thing the gentleman did but only in my case it was my father and I so it brought back those memories.



Anyway, I am not feeling 100% so I'm going to try to take it easy today. :) I hope y'all have a great start of the week. :D

As always, thanks for reading and God bless. :D

Music Monday: The Catholic Pickup Lines Song

Apparently I'm late listening this great song, but I'm glad I finally heard it. Big thanks to Stephanie who posted the link on her FB and blog. (side note: I've heard some of these pickup lines before. lol.)



My favorite line is:
♪ "... And I'll be the answer to your novena if you'll be the answer to mine, too..." ♪

As someone who does novenas on a regular basis (I have two going at the moment), this was especially funny to me. This video makes me want to compile a list of other pickup lines other Catholic girlfriends and I have heard... which we don't know whether to find endearing, funny, or so wrong. lol. :D I may do that in the near future...

Anyway, though I have the day off from school, I have to work on presentation I have due tomorrow as well as another midterm I'll have this week. It's easy peasy lemon squeezy and all but I want to get it done early. Just one more week until Spring Break... just one more week. lol. And, hey, Lent is coming up too for which I am terribly excited for! :D

I guess that's it for me. Oh, and by the way, if any of you guys (or gals) have used these or other pickup lines, let me know. I am serious about making the list. lol. :D

'Til next time, thanks for reading and God bless. :D

Music Monday: Bruno Mars' "Marry You"

Is it just me or does this following song make anyone else sad and just a little offended? Just listen to the lyrics and you may see what I mean.



I don't know about anyone else but I'd feel slightly insulted if a guy sang this song to me. Really, you're "looking for something dumb to do" so you want to marry me? Would you like my 5 older brothers to hunt you down in the process? They'll gladly do that too. lol. Anyway, this song is just a precursor/hint to a review that's going up tomorrow (around lunchtime, God willing) of a book that ended up being so much more helpful than I imagined it would be.

Alright, I blogged so whoever threatened to take my guitar away can just simmer down for now. lol. I also have a couple other posts ready to publish... as soon as I finish them. Blame school for my lack of time. :D

I hope everyone had a great weekend. Someone feel free to kidnap my guitar if nothing is up tomorrow night. That may be the only way I actually post. lol. ;)

Until tomorrow... thanks for reading and God Bless. :D

Music Monday: Lee Brice's "Love Like Crazy"

Since my math class got cancelled (and the test got postponed a week, squee!!!), I have about an hour and a half to kill before I get picked up... which means time to update the blog. I won't go into how horrible my day was up until about 3 hours ago (or the disses towards the Pope and priests I heard this morning in class, oy) because it would turn into this massive rant... and I already vented via twitter and Facebook. lol. Anyway, I want to keep Music Monday going and I found this video just in time. :)

Most of the songs we hear on the radio now are either very pessimistic or a fantasy about what love is supposed to be. That's what I found refreshing about this song: it's real. It talks about real love and the lyrics are, well, you'll have to listen to it. I found it very inspirational, especially since everyone around me is so jaded when it comes to love. What I loved most is that the relationship that is supposedly (and I say this because I don't know if Lee wrote it from experience) the inspiration for this song mentions praying and alludes to having God in your relationship. How many songs do that? I fell in love with this song from the first time I heard it and I couldn't wait until I had a Monday free to post it. :D

And now, without further ado, here is "Love Like Crazy" by Lee Brice.



*EDIT: 9/14 - I just found out through a reader that Lee didn't write the song (Doug Johnson and Tim James did) so I wanted to add that. And, also, thanks to Lee who actually linked this blog post on his FB page. :D)*

I probably won't blog again until I am caught up with all my readings (I have one day to read the first 200 pages of The Odyssey... and, no, that is not a typo). I have about three back posts that I want to get up so check by the end of the day for those since I will try to post as many as I can in the next hour. :D

Anyway, I really hope you enjoyed the song.

As always, thanks for reading and God Bless. :D

Music Monday: I Pray For You

This will be a short post as I am running around getting all my health forms signed and immunization records mailed for the upcoming school year.

Anyhoo, I don't know about y'all but I like to pray for whoever God has in store for me. I may not know who he is yet but I still pray that he is well and that the Lord is ever-present in his heart and mind. I also pray for those who have been special in my life because they've made me who I am today. I, however, don't pray quite like the lyrics of this particular suggest.

I first heard this song, and saw the video, on CMT one morning as I was getting ready to leave my home. It's called "I Pray For You" by Jaron and the Long Road to Love. It sounded promising until it got further into the lyrics... and those lyrics were played out in the video. My first thought was "Wow, I hope no one ever prays for me in this way!" You'll just have to play the video to know what I'm talking about (if you already don't).



I didn't post either the original video or the sequel because I found them a little... eesh. In the original video Jaime Pressly did and wore things that I would not want seen on this blog so I nixed that video from making it on here. The second video dealt with voodoo done on a satirical level but I wasn't comfortable displaying it either so I chose a fan made video with the lyrics. If you want to watch the videos, well, you've been warned and you should have that in mind if you wander over to youtube to watch 'em.

That's all for now. I hope everyone had a great weekend. :D

As always, thanks for reading and God Bless!

Where Should I Start?; Music Monday

Where should I start? I've had so much going on with me in the past 2 weeks that I haven't had time to sit down and write a proper blog entry. I guess I should start from the beginning and work my way forward.

The good news is that, while I am still recovering from some of the lingering whiplash that one gets in "girl world", I have managed to get myself out of it pretty unscathed. I think the young lady that sucked me into the drama saw that I would not go along with it so she's left me alone. Of course a couple of my friendships have begun to end in the process but I feel like it's for the best. I noticed that these friends, who are self-described 'hardcore Catholics', weren't acting very Catholic and that I was struggling with my faith due to my friendships with them. It wasn't until I stepped back and reflected on this (and on my vocation which I will get into in a minute) that I realized just how bad these friendships were for me -- and especially for my spiritual health. There is no ill will on my part (nor will I argue with them on their ways) and all I will do is pray for them. :)

I also had the realization (while talking to a good friend of mine about vocation discernments) that I really and truly meant to be a married woman and a mommy some day. I'd known for a while but I had an epiphany while talking to my friend about this that really left absolutely no doubt in my mind. Furthermore, I think I'm finally at a place in my life where I'm ready for someone to come whenever God sends him to me. I wasn't before (ready, that is) but I think I finally am and it's incredibly exciting. :D I'm giving credit to St. Therese of Lisieux and Sr. Tracey Dugas for this too.

What else? Oh! I celebrated the one year anniversary of my father's reversion on the 29th and I turned 25 years-old on the 30th! (side note: Thank you, Delaney, for that uber sweet birthday message on your blog.) My birthday was the best birthday I've ever had, surrounded by amazing, loving people. :) I am thankful that my track record of horrible birthdays came to an end.

Two other things I was/am thankful for: 1) I aced my finals and got a 4.0 for the semester and 2( I found out that my tuition and health insurance when I transfer schools next semester will be covered by a huge scholarship and two grants. Last year I asked Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati for his intercession -- to help me find a way to pay for the tuition without going into major debt -- and this year I got my prayers answered. I literally yelled "Thank you, God!!!" in the financial aid office and I nearly cried when I was told. The good thing is that my new college is Catholic so doing such a thing wasn't a problem. lol. Now I am going to keep my end of the promise (yes, I make promises to do something if my prayers get answered) but I don't mind because it'll be for the good of the community. :D Also, I have signed up for my classes and I can tell you that I will almost completely immersed in Catholicism next semester. Only two of my five courses are not Religious Studies related (although in my Western Lit class I will get to read Dante's "Divine Comedy" as well as some Greek Mythology and the Bible so I guess it kind of counts). I don't start until late August but I'm already really stoked. :D

If you're following me on Twitter I know you keep getting World Cup updates. Sorry about that but Futbol soccer is a passion of mine. In honor of the WC, I have an entry that combines the sport with Catholicism. I'd already done one a few years ago (when I started this blog) but I am going to another and expand on it. :D BTW, go U.S., Mexico, Spain, and England! :D

There is more I'd like to write but I'll save them for future entries. :D All I want to say is that I've been incredibly blessed and I don't know what I did to deserve all my luck but I wholeheartedly thank God for everything He's blessed me with... especially considering that I've been struggling with my faith lately (though I now know the source and have made plans to avoid it.)

Oh, before I go... Music Monday! Today's pick is Nikki Yankofsky's version of "God Bless the Child" (originally sung by Billie Holiday). I've known about Nikki for a while but her CD was just released in the States last month (which I highly recommend if you're a jazz/jazz vocal fan like me.) She's amazing... and only 16 years old!


Alright, I am going to go hang out and work on the novel (since I had to take a break during finals.) I hope y'all have a great week. :D

As always, thanks for reading and God Bless. :D

Quick Thought: Friendship and Jealousy

It's interesting to see just how much jealousy can damage friendships. It seems like no one has been immune to it this past week too. While it definitely hit me (though not directly because God's blessed me enough with a bit of common sense; I'm a bit too Elinor Dashwood in that sense), it seems that it hit others worse. It got me thinking: is being overcome with the emotion actually worth it? For me the answer is NO! I'm the kind of person that is able to stay levelheaded during these type of situations. God's blessed me with the ability to look at the picture clearly and without making rash decisions. I came to the conclusion that if something is meant to be it will be... and that includes friendships. If friendships are destined to end it's because it'll be best for both parties involved in the end. I've learned that very well and thank God for it. If friendships are destined to stay friendships, then they will. If friendships are meant to develop into something more, they will once both people are ready for that kind of relationship and commitment. What's so wrong with leaving it all up to God in the meantime? And why allow yourselves to get all worked up if things don't go the way you want them to? I've wanted many things (i.e. going to school abroad) but they haven't happened for many reasons and I've accepted it. Why not apply the same mentality when it comes to friendships and relationships? It would make things much easier and life a little better.

As for the jealousy one can feel because certain friends have things you don't, well... that's for another post. :)

While I am sad that a couple of my friendships are in the process of ending (as well as others being in the process of strengthening), I am eternally grateful to God for what I've been able to get from them. I feel no ill will towards them and I'm terribly sorry I couldn't offer them anything more. I will admit that for a minute or two I felt sick about the thought of it (and nearly cried) but, like I said, I remembered that I've given myself to God so whatever His will is for me I wholeheartedly accept.

And so that we don't end this on a negative note here's a song that came to my mind while this was going on. (It's a little silly but we all need it at times like this. :D)


Remember: Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened. :D

'Til next time, thanks for reading and God Bless. :D

Music Monday: Chris Young - The Man I Want to Be

I am stuck in bed (sick; slept about 14 hours today) so I won't write a long post. Instead, I am keeping up my Music Monday tradition (which I haven't done in a while). Anyway, this song is called The Man I Want to Be by Chris Young. I saw it on CMT one morning, including an interview with Chris, and I fell in love with the lyrics. We often don't hear a man singing to God, and this is just what Chris has done. If more men thought this way, we young ladies would be very lucky. I am warning you: this is a country video/song. So, I like country music. Sue me. lol. Anyway, I'd encourage you to at least 'sit through' it at least once to just listen to the lyrics.



Alright, I am going to try and take it easy until I end up falling asleep again. :D I hope y'all have a better Monday than I did. :D

As always, thanks for reading and God Bless.

Music Monday: Novel Playlist

As I get ready to send my novel off to proofreading (yes, the time has finally come... and just a month away from the deadline), I thought I'd share with y'all a short novel playlist. Some of the songs were mentioned in the novel, others helped put me in the right state of mind when writing for each character or for specific chapters. The first one, "Bad Sun" by the Bravery is what has become known (amongst my group of friends) as Will and Lina's theme song.

The songs are not in a particular order, really, except The Bravery and Grizzly Bear are the first two artists because I listened to them (moreso Grizzly Bear than any other artist) during the last couple of weeks of writing. I just added them as I remembered which artists I listened/listen to. As you will see, the songs are all over the musical spectrum because the two characters aren't alike. It'll be interesting if y'all can guess which songs belong to Will and which belong to Lina's portion of the novel (it's split into two; Will is the main focus of the first half, Lina of the second). If you know what the novel is about, it'll be easier for you. :D

And for the record, I still don't have a title for the novel; it's still currently titled "Will and Lina" though that may change at any moment. :D Alright, without further ado, the novel playlist.

The songs are clues... but none about the ending. ;) They don't ever offer clues about the relationship (if there is one) between Will and Lina. :D Be my guest and take a guess at which songs are about who/what. :D

Alright, I am going to enjoy my first day of Spring Break.

As always, thanks for reading and God Bless. :D

Celebrating Dad's Birthday; Music Monday

This is the last picture I took of my dad, about a year ago this month. It's really hard to believe that this was taken on one of our last road trips together (if you've read this blog long enough, you'd know that he and I use to take them quite often.) It's harder to believe that it's been 8 months since he passed away, 4 months to the day that Fr. Leo passed away as well. It's been a hard day for those two reasons... but mainly because today would have been his 67th birthday.

We went to the cemetery in the afternoon to leave some flowers (including red roses since his favorite color was red). Our neighbor, with whom he was friends with, took us. I fought really hard to keep the tears in the entire time we were there. I wish I could say the same thing for the rest of the day. I am lucky that I had cognitive-behavioral therapy (since I don't take medication for the anxiety, I opted for this) because I was able to let out everything I was feeling today.

I remember that at this time last year, I was mad at dad for not celebrating his birthday with us -- first time he hadn't. I understood that he wanted to be with his family (not knowing it would be for the last time) but I didn't like that mom and I were left behind because of school and work. Of course I was happy when he was back and had surprised me with a chapel veil that I have planned not to wear until my wedding day. (Btw, if you can't find the post with the chapel veil on here, and if you're on my Facebook list, you can see the pictures there.)

After thinking about everything, I am content that I did everything that I could for my dad in his final days... but I am also still missing him. It's still too soon for that to really go away. I'm still in mourning (and my therapist even believes that's what's causing my slight decline in grades.) I don't think I would've done much different, other than telling him that I loved him every single day.

It's really easy for us as children (because we will always be children to our parents) to hold grudges and rebel against what our parents want... even easier when what they want isn't best for us. I did my fair share of that with my dad (especially as a teenager), but I look back at everything and I'm overall happy with everything. I made an effort to get to know him better, though it was really hard, and I finally did before he passed away. Maybe I can a really forgiving person or maybe my love for him was/is just too great, but I can actually celebrate his birthday without having an ill feelings about him.

And in honor of his birthday, I want to share a song that remind me of him. It's called "This is Not the End" by The Bravery. I listen to The Bravery often when I am working on my novel and this song always reminds me of what I feel about my dad and his passing.



I am emotionally exhausted from the day (crying will take a lot out of you) so I am going to end this entry. Before I do, I just want to say... hug your parents. If you're not a big physical family, just thank them for everything they've done for you. It's really hard losing a parent and I don't want any of you to regret not ever saying anything in appreciation to them. If anything, thank God that they brought you into this world. :)

I hope everyone had a painless Monday (I know how hard this day is for a majority of us.)

As always, thanks for reading and God Bless.

Music Monday: Ave Maria (Schubert)

Hey guys! I'm still feeling a bit under the weather so this will be a relatively short post. Since it's Music Monday, I have the perfect excuse to keep it short and sweet yet still offer something pretty good (I hope.)

Anyway, for today's Music Monday I've chosen Andrea Bocelli's rendition of Schubert's "Ave Maria." It is own my favorite songs that I never tire of hearing... or singing.



Isn't that such a beautiful song? I love Andrea's voice for this particular version of Ave Maria. Anyone else have another favorite?

Alright, I need to go get some rest (I'm extremely fatigued and a bit dizzy). I hope everyone had a great weekend. :)

As always, thanks for reading and God Bless. :D