hurry, hurry

Is it worth it? Hurrying, to fit more in?

Air Traffic Controller has put out a good rendition of this paradox. I recently stumbled upon this band (I know, I'm not all that cultured) and they've immediately begun to replenish a sort of upbeatness void that's needed filling lately. The funny thing is that their album I've had on repeat (the cleverly named Nordo) came out just after the time things started getting obscured in my life. Wonder if things woulda been diff. if I uncovered the album then? Or maybe the late find allows for more enlightenment?

lyrical poetry. or poetic lyrics? or something like that.

Life...It just keeps movin' right along.


On another note: Dunno if it's coincidence or if I'm going through some sort of phase, but I've noticed a whole lot of suuupa lyrical music coming out of my speakers lately. Two examples that have been cycling through as of late are Passenger [a Brit] and Frontier Ruckus [very American, but I saw them in Ox just a few weeks ago!]


Passenger's songs are full of plays-on-words (a phrase I hate to pluralize almost as much as passersby), rhymes, and quips much more insightful/philosophical than first meets the eye ear.

Take this snippet from Things That Stop You Dreaming, for example:

the beauty of music

Even in cloudy ol' England, burdened by the lived-up reputation of cold dreariness, live music provides a reason to get out and about. A friend and I made one such venture last weekend, and I could not have been more pleased with the result.

[Okay, that's actually a lie. I would have preferred to come out the experience with at least partial function of my vocal cords, but alas, ya can't win all the time.]

In any case, my recent trip to Birmingham was quite pleasant. I made the journey with a friend on Saturday, tickets in hand and excitement overflowing for that night's Lumineers show. To pass the day, we trekked around the old industrial town, popping in and out of various coffee shops, museums, and vintage shops. We rested our feet for a while at a free "Sax in the City" gig at Symphony Hall, which was lovely, but basically served to get us only more excited for live music a bit above the volunteer-community-band skill level (uhh, no offense?). We even stumbled across some rannnndom street art:

The reason for this intricate mosaik's presence on this Birmingham, UK side street, I know not.

Upon my brother's recommendation, we grabbed some Balti food for dinner. [[Because of the whole colonization thing, Indian food as many people know it was actually developed within UK borders, and Balti dishes apparently developed their popularity in Birmingham. Or something like that.]].

it tasted better than it looks...

With full stomachs and happy hearts, we made our way to the venue.

Mindful Monday x29

I don't know why, but this Monday, as I struggle strive to write on an unfortunately philosophical/theoretical prompt for my grad program, this song is playin on repeat (in between the Ronald Jenkees tunes that keep me intensely diligent. obvi.). I don't have enough mind juices left to decipher its meaning, so I'll just leave it here for you to mull over.



Happy [mindful] Monday!
-M

so long.

countdown to Oxford: 29 days.

Thereforely, I present you with this song. It is old. It is a tad bit emo (what with Dashboard Confessional doing the steering and all). And it is wholly accurate.

So long sweet summer.


-M

There's No Leaving Now (MM #23?)

A fave musician of mine, The Tallest Man On Earth, just dropped a new album [must have fallen a long way! punny!] and I can honestly say that I have no regrets about my waste-no-time purchase after hearing of the release from NPR.

My preferred source of all musicky insight has this to say about the album:

"These 10 songs, like those before them, dazzle and shimmy and sulk, as Matsson continues to conjure images of a young Dylan projecting his voice through a megaphone."

So far, I've enjoyed every minute of listening to the album's finger-picking goodness [that is, the guitar kind, not the nose kind]. I don't know that I have a favorite track yet, but here's one that warmed up to me a couple of evenings ago-- it's called "Criminals". I like it:

I don't know how, exactly, I had planned to shape this music-sharing into a Mindful Monday post, but let's start with the album title, "There's No Leaving Now." It's easy to look at that and recognize its parallelism (?) with my present life-- I just got a job with a completely uncertain schedule, and while my adventurous side wants to get back out on the road and see the world, my exhausted side is happy to just stay put for a while. So I think that's just what I'll do. There's no leaving now.

Happy Monday.
-M

Strange. Built to Spill.

Some days were made to play oddly harmonious songs like this on repeat. Today's gray-sky-no-ambition 'tude makes it fit the bill. Start yer playin'.

Big thanks to Beca, who not only reminded me of the number, but also added it to my library circa '02 [by means of a mixed CD gifted to my bro]. She probably thinks I'm creepy for all the attention I've paid her twitter feed lately, but, well, did I mention what kind of day it is?

More like a mindless [rather than mindful] Monday, but hey, summer was made for that, right?
Enjoy it, y'all.

-M

music to my ears: Freiburg, day 2b

Disclaimer: There are videos in this post, but...they're not of the highest quality. 
My bad, folks, my bad.

(Also, please just ignore my talking...Thanks)

Maybe my perspective was biased by my happening to live with a music student and then meeting a bunch of his friends, but Freiburg seemed to be full of music.

The town is populated by a large selection of music students, street musicians, symphonies, and local bands. I wish I took more videos, but alas, I am a pansy, so here we are.

Paradise- Katie Herzig

Just a little something for your Saturday afternoon. Enjoy it.

(I meant the afternoon, but I guess feel free to enjoy the song, too...)  
When you come looking for me, baby, you will find me in my paradise...
-M

mambo italiano

Sorry, no time for a real post today. I'm busy trying to learn the beautiful language of Italian...

I'm kind of still on the basics...

Tomorrow I leave Z by his lonesome and head to Central Florida for a bachelorette party (Yeeeehaw!), so don't hold your breath for another post. (...Unless Z feels like jotting something down.......yeah, don't hold your breath for that either.)

Happy almost-weekend!
-M

Sunday Funday

Nothing too exciting going on these days, so, taking inspiration from the blog of The Dardys [[a band that Z and I...er...grew close to(?) in Brooklyn last summer]], I'll conserve what mind juices I have left (not even one month out of school and I feel a bit dumber already) and simply post some muuuuusica to this here blog. It's never a bad thing. Especially when it's a sweet Jarle Bernhoft jig that my newly-24-year-old brother included on the annual Year of Music playlist that he gifted to us this year. Siblings. Gotta love em.



~M

a very mindful monday (#8)

My new mantra:

easier said than done...

As many of you might know, I was in Birmingham this past weekend for a chance at a Rhodes Scholarship. I failed at achieving this goal, and it was a little harder to take than I was expecting. Ultimately, I must simply look ahead to the great adventures that I know God has planned for me, but yesterday at least, it just felt better to sit down and cry, if only for a second. This Monday, I'm mindful of this experience, naturally, and how grateful I am for the sea of support that envelops me every single day. How appropriate for this holiday season!

Encouragement is what I'm most thankful for today, because it is the very thing enabling me to overcome this disappointment that I didn't anticipate feeling. Whether from my home priest (this week's sermon, so I hear, was a great one about being thankful), friends, family, professors, signs in a store, church marquis about Thanksgiving, or Mr. John Mayer himself, I've been bombarded by uplifting thoughts. Hopefully they'll sink in soon ; )  <--that's supposed to look like a winky face, but it kind of just looks like a cross-eyed smiley face, haha

This song came on when I was driving home from the airport, right when I realized I had run out of quarters and cash on the turnpike. The lyrics were spot on, more than you know. It was like John was singing directly to me (yes, we're on a first name basis); there may or may not have been tears. Ima let you guess.

When I was looking through pictures I had taken while exploring Birmingham before the interviews, I found this one. In light of the blessings I have (like having been accepted to med school), it couldn't be more perfect.

In hindsight, I really wish I had bought a few of these cute pieces!

So be encouraged this Thanksgiving season. You are loved, you are blessed, and you are a beautiful gift from God in my life. Thank you!

questions.

there were so many fewer questions when stars were still just the holes to heaven.


Jack, you are always right.

i wouldn't be a man...

this song was stuck in my head all day. every time i went to sing the chorus aloud, however, i realized i probably shouldn't. hah.

PS- is this the cheesiest video or what? but i <3 josh turner so it's okay. i forgive him.

I've recently rediscovered my supply of Regina Spektor musica, and I think I'm likin' it. Granted, some of her songs are a little too odd for me, but her latest CD ain't. too. shabby.

I've been listening to her song "Laughing With" a bit recently (especially during this most recent personal-statement-writing-session), and it's made me realize that I really need to plug back into my faith. I wouldn't go as far to say that I lost it by any means, but I certainly have not been as in touch with God as I should (and want to) be. I welcome any and all prayers for my path to getting back into His arms : )