…. because I’ve been itching to do this for a long time.

…. and it’s funny and you’re going to love it. So. Tell everyone you know.

Enjoy!

 Grande Chai Lattes and worn hardback classics,

Cool colored contacts and not needing glasses,

Eagles that soar so high above the trees,

These are a few of my favorite things.

 

Finding solutions to hard complications,

Knowing the answers to Jeopardy questions,

Slender white aspens with quivering leaves,

These are a few of my favorite things.

 

Small beaded lamps and sweet smelling candles,

Fancy new car doors- no window crank handles,

Tall wildflowers that dance in the breeze,

These are a few of my favorite things.

 

When the car breaks, when a friend leaves, when I’m really mad,

I simply remember my favorite things,

And then I don’t feel… as bad.

 

Red Easy Buttons and long happy phone calls,

Joking with cashiers in grocery store isles,

Speaking with confidence, no knocking knees,

These are a few of my favorite things.

 

Singing and writing and just being lazy,

Blue cloudless skies and clear midnight stargazing,

Words that have letters with Q, X, and Z,

These are a few of my favorite things.

 

Waltzs and sambas and celebrity voting,

Laughing with friends and comedian quoting,

Fun inside jokes where no one knows what they mean,

These are a few of my favorite things.

 

When the chair breaks, when I headdesk, when I scream a tad,

I simply remember my favorite things,

And then I don’t feel… as bad.

And because this would not be complete without musical accompainment….

Hope you liked it!

 

“You may be deceived if you trust too much, but you will live in torment if you don’t trust enough.”

Muahahaha, we’re gonna have to start a game. “Guess the content of this post by picking the keyword in this quote.”

… and yes, I’m so sorry for not writing a post sooner. As my other 505 blog-writing friends can attest, every time I get ready to post, the topic I’m working on kinda dissipates. Not cause it’s a bad topic, but cause I haven’t thought it through enough.

But God has been teaching me a lot about this one.

Of course, like always, I don’t claim to be an expert on the subject, but I do claim to be an expert on how it applies to my life at the moment.

I think we underestimate the power trusting God affords. My friends, my family, my talents, my dreams, none of them are as trustworthy as He is.  We trust our friends to always be there, and to always do the right thing for our hearts, when at times, they don’t know any better than we do when it comes to this whole ‘life’ thing. Family, although more experienced, is also the same. They’re not perfect. They will make mistakes. Eventually, they’ll hurt you in some way. It’s part of being in the world we live in. Talents are imperfect, and sometimes they will fail. And dreams… sometimes dreams don’t come from the right place. They don’t come from the holy calling in our hearts as redeemed children of God.  They come from our own wants, our flesh, which as Christians we’re supposed to put to death daily.

Yet we still trust them.

I’m not trying to say that we shouldn’t trust those things,  I’m saying they don’t deserve our ultimate trust.   Or underestimate how hard it is when it really comes down to it. We can say “Oh yes, I trust easily.” And usually we’re only referring to things like trusting someone to get to an appointment on time. Or trusting someone to drive us from point A to point B without killing everyone. (And of course we all know those people who we really shouldn’t trust for that )

But when it comes down to it, when it really matters,  do we trust? When it comes to that one particular subject, that one line we won’t cross, the one wound we refuse to acknowledge,  will we trust the Almighty God, the Healer? I know I don’t, not nearly enough.  It’s easy to say in your head that you trust, but sometimes we don’t even recognize our hearts saying the exact opposite.

What does it mean to trust? Well, in some cases, I think that trust and courage are intertwined, maybe one in the same. Courage is looking at a situation, seeing the possibility that you might lose and fall flat on your face, and choosing to do it anyway. It takes courage to trust God like that, doesn’t it? “Alright, God. I know I can’t handle this whole ‘living’ thing. I know that without Your help, I can’t walk the walk You call me to. I know that there will be times in this life where I will fall flat on my face. I know I’ll get hurt, my heart will shatter, and it will hurt like no other to pick up the pieces. But I know You’re in control, and that You work all things for good. And I trust you to carry me through.”

I’m one of those people that when it comes to very important things, I have to check, and double check, and triple check that I have all the information I can possibly have about the situation, before I choose to do something. And even then, I second guess myself. So to trust, to really trust, is really asking a lot. To walk through life without knowing every single detail about it so I can pull it off correctly the first time is huge to me. Are you like that?

So…. yeah. Another blog post. Again, I’m so sorry it’s taken so dang long. I shall wholeheartedly endeavor to post more in the future. Which I think will be easier, seeing as I have my own laptop now. Hehehehe…. }:)

And now, because I like poetry, another one to tide you over while I work on my next blog post. Muahahaha.

　

Annabel Lee.

It was many and many a year ago,

In a kingdom by the sea,

That a maiden there lived whom you may know,

By the name of Annabel Lee;

And this maiden she lived with no thought

Than to love and be loved by me.

I was a child she was a child,

In this kingdom by the sea;

And we loved with a love that was more than love,

I and my Annabel Lee;

With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven

Coveted her and me.

And this was the reason that, long ago,

In this kingdom by the sea,

a wind blew out of a cloud, chilling

My beautiful Annabel Lee;

So that her high-born kinsman came

And bore her away from me,

To shut her up in a sepulcher

In this kingdom by the sea.

The angels, not half so happy in heaven,

Went envying her and me.

Yes, that was the reason- as all men know,

In this kingdom by the sea-

That the wind came out of the cloud by night,

Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.

But our love it was stronger far than the love

Of those that were older than we,

Of many far wiser than we.

And neither the angels in heaven above,

Nor the demons down under the sea,

Can ever dissever my soul from the soul

Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;

For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams

Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;

And the stars never rise but I feel the bright eyes

Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;

And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side

Of my darling, my darling, my life, and my bride,

In the sepulcher there by the sea,

In her tomb by the sounding sea.

Ttyl.

“Patience is waiting. Not passively waiting. That is laziness. But to keep going when the going is hard and slow – that is patience.”

… I really love that quote!! <goes to scribble it onto an index card and tape to my bathroom window>

Anyway…

It feels like an eternity has passed since I last posted. I apologize for such a delay. Life got a lot busier than I expected it to (the nerve). Not to mention that Facebook has this annoying habit of sucking people’s lives away.

If you’ve been reading my blog for awhile, then you know that when I’m gonna post something, usually I’ve thought about it for awhile. Alas and alack, I’m still in the ruminating stage of my blog-posting process. But! Know this, dear readers, more to come! Hopefully within a couple days, I’ll be able to coherently articulate everything that’s been swirling around in this chaotic brain of mine.

While all of you, in your benevolent patience, wait for me to get my butt in gear, here’s an amazing poem. I hope it can assuage your bored consciences.

… and that’s probably the most intelligent sounding post I’ve written in awhile. If ever. =P

Anyway! Without Further Ado.

Invictus, by William Ernest Henley. (Those of you who know me well can see one big reason why I like this poet)

OUT of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

Every time I read it, it gives me chills. Thus it’s amazing. Not many poems can do that.

… and! Because you know me oh-so-well, a song. For your listening pleasure.

Ttys.

Wow. O.o I haven’t posted a video in awhile. That needs to change. ;)

I discovered the amazingness of Red (I know what y’all are thinking: where have you been all this time? ) and felt the need to share it with thee. =P

Without further ado…

Already Over.

Ttfn.

“My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.”

The past couple weeks for me have been… rather interesting, and reading this psalm has helped. A lot. It’s quickly becoming my favorite.

Psalm 37.

Of David.

 ¹  Do not fret because of evil men
       or be envious of those who do wrong;

 ² for like the grass they will soon wither,
       like green plants they will soon die away.

 ³ Trust in the LORD and do good;
       dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

 ⁴ Delight yourself in the LORD
       and he will give you the desires of your heart.

 ⁵ Commit your way to the LORD;
       trust in him and he will do this:

 ⁶ He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,
       the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

 ⁷ Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
       do not fret when men succeed in their ways,
       when they carry out their wicked schemes.

 ⁸ Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
       do not fret—it leads only to evil.

 ⁹ For evil men will be cut off,
       but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.

 ¹⁰ A little while, and the wicked will be no more;
       though you look for them, they will not be found.

 ¹¹ But the meek will inherit the land
       and enjoy great peace.

 ¹² The wicked plot against the righteous
       and gnash their teeth at them;

 ¹³ but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
       for he knows their day is coming.

 ¹⁴ The wicked draw the sword
       and bend the bow
       to bring down the poor and needy,
       to slay those whose ways are upright.

 ¹⁵ But their swords will pierce their own hearts,
       and their bows will be broken.

 ¹⁶ Better the little that the righteous have
       than the wealth of many wicked;

 ¹⁷ for the power of the wicked will be broken,
       but the LORD upholds the righteous.

 ¹⁸ The days of the blameless are known to the LORD,
       and their inheritance will endure forever.

 ¹⁹ In times of disaster they will not wither;
       in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.

 ²⁰ But the wicked will perish:
       The LORD’s enemies will be like the beauty of the fields,
       they will vanish—vanish like smoke.

 ²¹ The wicked borrow and do not repay,
       but the righteous give generously;

 ²² those the LORD blesses will inherit the land,
       but those he curses will be cut off.

 ²³ If the LORD delights in a man’s way,
       he makes his steps firm;

 ²⁴ though he stumble, he will not fall,
       for the LORD upholds him with his hand.

 ²⁵ I was young and now I am old,
       yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken
       or their children begging bread.

 ²⁶ They are always generous and lend freely;
       their children will be blessed.

 ²⁷ Turn from evil and do good;
       then you will dwell in the land forever.

 ²⁸ For the LORD loves the just
       and will not forsake his faithful ones.
       They will be protected forever,
       but the offspring of the wicked will be cut off;

 ²⁹ the righteous will inherit the land
       and dwell in it forever.

 ³⁰ The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom,
       and his tongue speaks what is just.

 ³¹ The law of his God is in his heart;
       his feet do not slip.

 ³² The wicked lie in wait for the righteous,
       seeking their very lives;

 ³³ but the LORD will not leave them in their power
       or let them be condemned when brought to trial.

 ³⁴ Wait for the LORD
       and keep his way.
       He will exalt you to inherit the land;
       when the wicked are cut off, you will see it.

 ³⁵ I have seen a wicked and ruthless man
       flourishing like a green tree in its native soil,

 ³⁶ but he soon passed away and was no more;
       though I looked for him, he could not be found.

 ³⁷ Consider the blameless, observe the upright;
       there is a future for the man of peace.

 ³⁸ But all sinners will be destroyed;
       the future of the wicked will be cut off.

 ³⁹ The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD;
       he is their stronghold in time of trouble.

 ⁴⁰ The LORD helps them and delivers them;
       he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
       because they take refuge in him.

I hope this helps you today as much as it’s helped me.

Ttfn.

Wow. More blog tag. Raise your hand if you’re totally surprised…

Heeheehee. If you’re like me, and you actually WERE surprised (tsk tsk), you would’ve raised you hand, even though you know nobody can see you.  =P Then again, if you were like me, you would’ve raised your hand anyway, even if you weren’t surprised. Cause you’re just awesome like that.

*pauses frantic typing at the sound of the wind whistling through the trees outside my open window. The soft breeze brushes across my still fingers. The windchime sings in the distance…*

Wow. You have no idea how calming that is after the day I’ve just had…

….right! Blog tag.

1).  The phone rings. Who do you want it to be?

First, it would totally make my day if the phone actually WAS for me. If it were, then I would be super jazzed if it was one of my friends. Just calling to say hi.

2). When shopping at a grocery store, do you return your cart?

Ha! When I go to a grocery store, I head straight for the book section. Any shopping I do only requires two hands. Thus I don’t need a cart.

3). In a social setting, are you the talker, or the listener?

Depends on the situation. If I’m with people I don’t know, I’m the listener. If it’s with people I’m comfortable with, then I’m the talker. Maybe too much of a talker.

4).  Do you take compliments well?

I get better every day.

5).  Do you play Sudoku?

Whenever I feel like it, yeah.

6). Do you like riding horses?

Yes. My aunt has a horse, so whenever I visit her, I get to ride. It’s lots of fun.

7). Did you ever go camping as a kid?

Depends on your definition of ‘camping’.

8). What was your favorite game as a kid?

*tilts head* I’m not sure. Maybe Mancala. I was a Mancala genius in 2nd grade.

9). If a good looking person was courting you, but you knew that he/she was married, would you play along?

*scoff* No! Probably a total loser. Speaks a lot to their perception of commitement. O.o

10). Could you date someone with different religious beliefs than you?

No.

11). Do any songs make you cry?

Depends on the song. And the mood I’m in when listening to said song.

12). Are you continuing your education?

Isn’t everyone? Everybody learns something new every day.

13). Do you know how to shoot a gun?

Yes. Not as well as I would like, but that’s what practice is for.

14). If your house was on fire, what was the first thing you would grab?

Umm, my family? O.o

15).  How often do you read books?

All ze time.

16). Do you think more about the past, present, or future?

Depends on what I’m thinking about, doesn’t it? O.o

17). What was your favorite childrens book?

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (I’m so excited about the movie! ) and The Island of the Blue Dolphins.

18). What color are you eyes?

Brown.

19). How tall are you?

Not as tall as I would like to be.

20). Where is your dream house located?

Maui. Or somewhere in Colorado.

21). Do you have a secret fetish?

Depends on what you mean by ‘fetish’.

22). Have you ever tried sushi?

Yep. That stuff ain’t too bad.

23). Have you ever taken pictures in a photo booth?

Uh huh. I just wish the picture had come out better.

24). When was the last time when you were in an olive grove?

I’ve never been to an olive grove.  *sigh*

25). When was the last time you were in church?

Sunday.

26). Where was the furthest place you traveled today?

Hmm…. probably the distance between my room and the office. Almost 50 feet. Wow…. =P

27). What was the job you loved most?

I’ll let you know when I figure it out.

28). Do you like mustard?

You could say that. =P

29). Do you prefer to eat or sleep?

Sleep!

30). Do you look like your mom or dad?

People on my mom’s side say I look like her but people on my dad’s side say I look like him, so I’m thinking I look like me. =P

31). How long do you like to take a shower?

For as long as there’s hot water.

32). Can you do the splits?

Almost!

33). What movie do you want to see right now?

New Moon. }:)

34). Would you fast forward your life if you could?

If you could fast forward your life, what would be the point of living?

35). What did you do for New Year’s Eve?

Read a book and watched a 3 Doors Down concert.

36). Do you eat fries with a fork?

No? Seriously, who does that? O.o

37). Can you identify with any of the characters in ‘Mean Girls?’

No. And I hope nobody else identifies me with one of the characters either…

38). Do you own a camera phone?

Yep yep. My phone embodies schweetness.

39). Do you have an ‘ex box’ with pictures or letters from your former partners?

No…? What a weird question.

40). Was your mom a cheerleader?

No. She probably wanted to be though. I think she tried out for the drill team or something. *shrugs*

41). What’s the last letter of your middle name?

E.

42). Do you like your middle name?

Oh yesh. My parents are excellent name pickers… or whatever you call that particular skill.

42). How many hours of sleep do you get a night?

Depends on the night.

43). Do you like Care Bears?

Care Bears are demonic. So no. But Beanie Babies are cool. =P

44). What do you buy at the movies?

Raisinets. Or Reese’s Pieces. *thinks of Dane Cook*

45). Do you know how to play poker?

Yes. Not as well as I would like. =P

46). Do you wear your seatbelt?

Yes. O.o

47). What do you wear to sleep?

A Mickey Mouse Tshirt and the most comfortable sweatpants ever! They have pockets, no less.

50). Anything big ever happen in your hometown?

Besides the fact that I was born there?

51). How many meals do you eat a day?

Depends on the day. I’m more of a snack person.

52). Do you have a tongue piercing?

No. Heck, my ears aren’t even pierced!

53). Do you like funny people or serious people?

Funny, of course! Is this a rhetorical question?

54). Ever been to L.A?

Yep. Disneyland, hello?

55). Did you eat a cookie today?

No, but I had a ridiculously strong craving for one this morning. But alas, I didn’t have one. The option was to actually make the cookies (le gasp) or go without. Baking is something my lazy nature won’t allow. So I had an apple.

56). Do you steal or pay for your music downloads?

What kind of question is that?? Of course I pay for my music downloads. O.o

57). Do you hate chocolate?

O.O *scoff* NO! Do you even know me??

58). What do you and your parents fight most about?

Not sure. I don’t liking fighting with anyone.

59). Are you a gullible person?

Depends. I might be a little, but not compared to some…

60).  When was the last time you cried?

Idk, probably a month or so ago.

61). If you could have any job you want, what would it be?

A museum curator. Bet you didn’t see that one coming.

62). Are you easy to get along with?

I like to think so.  Shouldn’t you ask my friends that question?

63). What’s your favorite time of day?

Between 9 p.m and midnight.

Now go forth and post these on your blog!

Ttfn.

P.S: Exactly one month from today is my birthday. Muahahaha!!

“All human wisdom is summed up in two words – wait and hope”

So! Guess what I’ve been thinking about lately? Yep, that’s right. Patience.

I’ll just cut to the chase. What exactly is patience? From my limited experience, I’ve found that there might be 2 kinds of ‘patience’: ‘people’ patience, and ‘things’ patience.

People patience can be described best in my father. You know the saying “He has the patience of Job?” Yep. My dad embodies that saying. (Although I don’t understand the etymology of that phrase. Why on earth do people say Job was patient? Has anybody actually read Job? He wasn’t that patient. At all. But I digress.)

You know what people patience is. Patience when you tell someone for the 47th time to take out the trash. Patience with someone when, no matter how hard they’re trying, they just can’t seem to get what the heck polynomials are. Being patient with someone *coughcoughMEcoughcough* is complaining about what so-and-so did last week that wasn’t so sensitive…

For some, people patience is easier for them than others. Those who know me well might say I have good people patience. Ha. They don’t hear all the mental ranting I do. But I’m still thankful for their comments.

Anyway! Then there’s ‘things’ patience. Patience while you’re waiting in line at the grocery store. While you’re waiting for you sister to get of the stupid phone that she’s been yaking on for OVER AN HOUR. Patience while you’re waiting for the new, absolutely-amazing-awesome-beyond-words, Skillet CD to FINALLY grace the Best Buy shelves…. *innocent look*

Things patience constitute as patience while you wait for something to happen. Like the microwave to beep. Or the Baby Ruth bar to fall ever so slowly from the metal clutches of the vending machine. Or, if you’re like me, waiting in agony for, I don’t know, 26 seconds, as you wait for your crush to respond to one of your texts… *nervous chuckle*

It’s waiting for Christmas. Birthdays. The weekend. When Mom can get out of the shower. You get what I mean.

Bless my father, although he has good people patience, he has horrible things patience. A great example of this can be seen when we’re watching a DVD, for I have control of the DVD remote!! Muahahaha!!

Picture this: Dad and I are in the den, Dad sitting in his chair, and I sitting on the green leather sofa. A lamp and endtable is between said pieces of furniture. The TV is blinking as the DVD loads. The FBI warning label is filling the screen.

Dad: *as he waves his hands dramatically* “Can you make this go faster?”

Me: *sigh* “No, Dad, I can’t make it go faster. You’re gonna have to (insert gasp) sit through this part.”

Dad: “But I thought you figured out how to make it go faster!”

Me: “Just because I can make it go faster doesn’t mean I should make it go faster. We’re learning patience, remember?”

The anti-piracy label fills the screen.

Dad: “But we’ve already seen this! We don’t need to see it again.”

Me: “So? It’s only for 30 seconds! Look, the menu is already coming up.”

I press the Play button. Then press the Captions button. Scroll through to English captions. The opening credits fill the screen.

Dad: “Make the credits go away! Let’s get to the action!”

Me: *while staring incredulously at Dad* “But I want to see who’s stars in this movie!”

Opening music plays in the background

Dad:  “You already know who stars in this movie! You’re you, remember?”

Dad’s eyebrows rise. Music gets louder

Me: *tilts head* “… true. But we had to sit through this at the theater, so we can sit through it here.

Dad: “But nothing happens here! This doesn’t add to the story! Get to the action!”

Me: *shakes head at guy logic* “You don’t know that! Something could happen in the opening credits. Remember True Lies? Or The Score? Or Deja Vu?

Dad: “But…”

You can see where this is going. By the time we get to the end of this discussion (aka, Dad has ‘conceded’ to the fact that, yes, he needs to learn patience, by getting quiet), the credits are already over and the action has begun.

There. You can see that Dad has no things patience. While I apparently do. At least when it comes to movies. (I personally don’t believe I have things patience. I get all antsy and annoyed if someone doesn’t respond to my IMs within 30 seconds…)

So. If those are two kinds of patience (remember, this is just the definition I’m working with. I can be wrong), then how does God expect us to be patient? Which patience are we talking about? While searching for the answer, I came across references like this:

“I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry.” ~ Psalm 40:1.

“A man’s wisdom gives him patience; it is his glory to overlook an offense.” ~ Proverbs 19:11.

“I waited patiently till dawn, but like a lion he broke all my bones; day and night you made an end of me.” ~ Isaiah 38:13.

“The servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ ” ~ Matthew 18:26.

“What if God, choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath-prepared for destruction?” ~ Romans 9:22.

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.” ~ 1 Cor. 13:4.

… I could go on and on. What I’ve gathered from those references is that 1). People patience is tied in with love. If the 2nd greatest command is to love your neighbor as yourself, would you want someone else to be patient with you? Of course. So being patient with others is, in a way, loving others.

2). Having ‘things’ patience, as in waiting for something to happen, is a form of submission and trust in God’s sovereignty. If you’re like me, waiting patiently for ‘The One’ *insert ominious voice* is a battle of patience every single day. I have to step back and go “Okay, God. I know You have this under control. I am going to be patient. Pining for this to happen is not gonna make it come any sooner.”

This philosophy of course applies to smaller things, like waiting for the Skillet CD to come out, or for Christmas to finally arrive. Complaining every day for it to come faster will not make it come faster. In fact, it only exaserbates the problem.  Complaining about something is just a waste of your time and is annoying for anyone you’re complaining about it to. And that’s not loving, is it? *glares*

And 3). We need both of these. I can’t use this as an excuse anymore. “Well, I’m sorta patient with people, so I don’t have to be patient about graduation, right?” Or “Well, I didn’t say a word about that new book coming out. So I’m not that bad if I blow up at so-and-so. Right?” No.

So, where does that leave us? Well, the question that I’ve been asking myself is this: How long?

Isn’t that the question we all ask? “You have to wait for your birthday to come for that.” We then immediately calculate, to the day, how long it is till the birthday. Or “You have to babysit your brother” We then think about how many minutes exactly it’ll be till the parents get home. So we can answer the question of how long?

Then, of course, you have the biggie question. How long are you willing to wait for ‘The One’?

When you ask those question, what is your response? You might find that the answers aren’t as pretty as you would like.

Ttfn.

P.S. I make a new blogging law! If you’ve read up to this point in the post, you are now, and forevermore, under both the social and moral obligation to REPLY to this and subsequent posts. I really like knowing that someone is actually reading this stuff. I don’t care if I don’t know you from Adam. Say whatever the heck is on your mind! Posting=discussion. Even if you’re thinking “I like cheese”, comment! *glares at Max.* Seriously. If you did post something like that, I’ll laugh. And that’ll make my day.

“Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.” ~ Psalm 37:7.

OMG!!! ;)

Behold!! Awake and Alive from Skillet’s new album Awake.

IT’S ABSOLUTELY AWESOME!!!

Even better than Hero and Monster.

Art completes what nature cannot bring to finish ~ Aristotle

I knew I had to use an Aristotle quote, or else I would’ve failed the entire classical community.

Art. Poetry. Storytelling. Music. Creativity. Color. All of these concepts have been swirling around in my head for a couple days. I’ve been trying to figure out what exactly it means to be an ‘artsy’ person. How much of the ‘artsy’ stuff do you have to love to be considered an ‘artsy’ person? Do you just really have to disdain math? *coughcough* And how good do you have to be at said ‘artsy’ stuff before people will consider you an ‘artsy’ person? Is storytelling art, or just an art? And of course, last, but not least, am I an artsy person?  

All of these thoughts eventually came to fruition (aka, ended up on the blog) after I finished watching something on the news. Apparently there’s a whole division of the FBI devoted to Art Crime. Their job is to hunt and arrest people who steal, well, art. According to FOX, over $6,000,000,000 worth of art is stolen EVERY YEAR!

Something I cannot understand is why a canvas with various paint strewn across it can cost so much more than the cost of the canvas and the bottles of paint. And what is the big fuss about Picasso? His stuff was kinda creepy…

I guess I can’t answer the above questions until I answer one question. What is art? I’m not sure about Aristotle’s answer. When people see the word ‘art’, they think paintings. They think DaVinci. They think Van Gogh. They think Michangelo. But is painting and sculpture all that art is? Doesn’t art encompass a lot of different things? If it does, what is the common denominator between them?

A wise man once told me that poetry is ‘a glimpse’ or a ‘snapshot’ of a thought or idea. So I guess I can work with that definition for now.  If you think about it, that’s exactly what poetry is. A glimpse of something that’s on the poet’s heart. With poetry, you get a 30 second peek into another realm. For 30 seconds, you’re whisked away to this world, thinking about this new idea that you never would’ve thought before. And you can see the glimpse trickle away as you near the end of the page.  Words have an intoxicating strength. Reading poetry can change you in ways that hours of debating, and sometimes screaming, could never do. And because of it’s brevity, it’s sweetness is slow to fade as compared to a longer glimpse, or story.

I like to think that poetry is a type of art. So then, art could have something to do with a glimpse. So… if poetry is a glimpse, then what is music?

I like to think that music is a glimpse too. It might be a slightly longer glimpse, depending on how fast you read poetry, but it is a glimpse. For 3 minutes instead of 30 seconds, another story is told to you. And the amazing beautiful paradox of it all is that music is universal. No matter what country you’re from, what color your skin is, or what language you speak, music can still speak to you. And what’s even more amazing about that is not only can it speak to you, it speaks to you in a way that is unique only to you. No one can listen to music and appreciate it the exact same way you do.

So then, if poetry is a glimpse, and music is a glimpse, could that mean they’re both the same thing? I don’t think so, but I believe they’re part of the same thing. The same family. For me, some pieces of music, piano especially, are like poetry to the part of the heart that doesn’t speak with words. “Music is well said to be the speech of angels.” -Thomas Carlyle.

To me, music is poetry with notes.

Now, I know there is some really bad music out there. And there’s also some rather scary poetry out there too. But regardless of how mediocre we might think it is, it’s still an expression of something, right?  You don’t condemn the entirety of the canine race just because a single dog bit your hand, right? So that means, we shouldn’t yell and scream and throw hissy fits when someone doesn’t agree with our taste in music. Even if they like screamo…. *shudders*

You might be thinking, “Well, if you love poetry and music so much, then why do you not like painting?” And my answer is this: I’m not an artist. I cannot paint or draw to save my life. Thus I don’t appreciate it as much as music, seeing as I am a musician. Or am aspiring to be a musician eventually.

I think another reason I don’t appreciate it as much is because painting can be too abstract. I know artists pour their heart and soul into painting. And the unfortunate truth is, no matter how long you stare at a painting, no matter how long you take in all the color and vibrancy,(or lack thereof) you’ll only see but a drop of the artist’s soul. You can’t grasp what the exact thoughts of the artist are. What exactly the artist is trying to tell you. The human brain doesn’t work that way. We can’t comprehend thoughts and concepts and ideas without words formed in a linear sequence. Even now, you can’t understand what I’m trying to say in this post without words. You think if I posted some pretty picture, you’ll understand everything this 13oo word post is trying to convey? With poetry, you can see the poet’s soul. You might not be able to see every single drop of emotion that went into the poem, but you can see a lot of it. I do realize that this concept is not the same with music. But in a way, it is. Just a little. You can hear very stacatto notes in the minor key, and you can feel in your soul that you should be afraid. And you can hear soothing arpeggios crawling up a piano and know you should relax. I don’t know about you, but I would have to stare at a pastel blue for hours on end before I felt that same kind of relaxation. But that’s just me.

Now, I do NOT mean to convey that I don’t like paintings. I do. I wish I understood them better. I wish I could draw and paint as well as some of my friends. And I live an hour away from the art capital of the world, for gosh sake! What I do mean to say is that even though a painting can be incredibly amazing, I don’t understand why you have to pay a bloody fortune for something that doesn’t speak to your soul as well as other things can. Other things you don’t have to pay so much money for.

That brings me to storytelling. If music and poetry are art, and art is a glimpse, then if storytelling is NOT a glimpse, does that mean it’s not art? For me, it depends on the story. A novel, for example, to me, is not a glimpse. A glimpse is like what I said earlier: it’s like a snapshot. Coming from a writer, I know that a novel is not a snapshot. It’s a whole complex world with different factors that mold and change it. You have to get into the story and stay there for awhile to understand it. That’s not the case with poetry or music. But you can have short stories that give you small peek into another world. Does that mean that short stories are art and not novels?

If you feel differently about painting, if you feel that paintings DO speak to the soul as well as music and poetry does, or if you think novels and storytelling ARE an art, then please speak up!! Help me revive a dying blog.  

Sigh. Now that I have such a long rant out of my system, I can go to sleep now.

Ttfn.

P.S…. PLEASE COMMENT!!

“Every good painter paints what he is.” ~Jackson Pollock

Someday, I wish to be able to paint a story with words as well as Norah Jones sings this song.

Ttfn.