Punk'd just came on TV... I didn't even know they aired that show anymore. I guess staying up way later than I should is totally worth it.
Songs That Make Me Happy Right Now:
1. Carousel- Blink 182
2. Let My Love Open the Door- Pete Townsend
3. Holiday Road- Lindsay Buckingham
4. Dance Music- Mountain Goats
5. Got Your Money- ODB
6. All For Swinging You Around- New Pornographers
7. Angelina- The Roman Candles
8. Get Me Away From Here- Belle and Sebastian
9.Oh Yoko!- John Lennon
10. The Clapping Song- Shirley Ellis
11. Happiness Writes White- Harvey Danger
12. Think I'd Rather Die- Someone Still Loves You Boris
13. You and Me and the Moon- The Magnetic Fields
14. The Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth- Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
15. High and Dry- Radio Head
16. Wild Pack of Family Dogs- Modest Mouse
17. Semi Charmed Life- Third Eye Blind
18. True Blue- Bright Eyes
19. Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk- Rufus Wainwright
20. Yakety Yak- The Coasters
21. How Bizarre- OMC
Also, THIS:
Remember, you can click on any colored link and it will take you to that song...
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Through the Looking Glass.
Last night I had the strangest dream I have had in a very long time.....
I was a contestant on a game show that was a lot like Hollywood Squares and Jeopardy combined. The object of the game was to pick a certain amount of squares that were somehow connected to each other. If you guessed three in a row then you won a date with someone that you wouldn't like. For some reason, I was really excited about the thought of this and so I was trying with all of my tic-tac-toe might to guess the right boxes. I ended up not winning the awful date but instead received a runner-up ticket to a theme park for kids. The game show host kept telling me that it was a new kind of place and that nobody in the audience had ever been there before. He promised me that I would absolutely love it.
When I first arrived at the address he had given me I was surprised to see an old house with tons of awkwardly built buildings attached to it. The inside was old and musty, kind of like an old movie theater or a crappy bowling alley. It was really dark and there were cats and kids everywhere (surprised that my dream had cats in it?!) I couldn't figure out the purpose of the place, there were a bunch of kids running around screaming and crying. I checked a couple closets for some rides or carnival games and found nothing.
I ended up running into someone I knew and it was really awkward so I lied and told him that I had to go to the bathroom. The restrooms were even more crowded than the rest of the house and people kept cutting me in line. At this point I really did have to go to the bathroom and I was getting really mad that people were pushing me around taking the available bathrooms. Just as I thought I was going to punch someone, an old man came out of the wall and said, "Come with me...there is a bathroom that no one knows about..."
He led me into a room that was full of sleeping babies and beds from wall to wall. Each baby had a mother singing lullabies and there were cats with huge eyes starring at me from every direction. The old man was gone and the lights were getting darker. One of the mothers told me that it was the center's designated quiet time. The owner of the park had created this quiet time so that mothers with newborns could come to the theme park to hang out as well. I guess they were feeling a little left out. I climbed over 20 or so beds filled with babies and singing moms and made my way back out into the rest of the house. Since I had left, the main area had been filled with people dressed up as different kid's characters and they all yelled, "SHUT THE DOOR!! IT'S QUIET TIME!!" and as soon as I shut the door they continued to be loud and play music and pick kids up and dance with them. There was a man dressed up as Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean, someone dressed like the Statue of Liberty, and a women dressed up as a giant Dora the Explorer. I wasn't really weirded out by it at all until my friend Huck came over to me dressed up as Harry Potter. He told me that because of the way the economy has been lately, it was the only job he could find but ensured me that he was quite happy because they had been teaching him actual magic tricks and he could have all of the popcorn he wanted.
I ran into a kid I knew, who turned into a cat wearing a dress the minute I said her name. I asked her where her little sister was and she just meowed and then jumped into the arms of this nerdy looking kid who just stared at me until I turned away. I realized that I had lost my "friend" after the whole trip to the bathroom experience and figured that it was probably for the best anyway and that maybe he was having fun in one of the connected buildings that I had seen from the outside.
I finally woke up after I had been searching for the door to leave the theme park and was unable to find it. As strange as this dream sounds, it was actually kind of creepy. I felt claustrophopic, lost and confused the entire time. Kind of Alice in Wonderland meets Requiem for a Dream.
Anyone want to interpret this dream for me? I'm too afraid.
I was a contestant on a game show that was a lot like Hollywood Squares and Jeopardy combined. The object of the game was to pick a certain amount of squares that were somehow connected to each other. If you guessed three in a row then you won a date with someone that you wouldn't like. For some reason, I was really excited about the thought of this and so I was trying with all of my tic-tac-toe might to guess the right boxes. I ended up not winning the awful date but instead received a runner-up ticket to a theme park for kids. The game show host kept telling me that it was a new kind of place and that nobody in the audience had ever been there before. He promised me that I would absolutely love it.
When I first arrived at the address he had given me I was surprised to see an old house with tons of awkwardly built buildings attached to it. The inside was old and musty, kind of like an old movie theater or a crappy bowling alley. It was really dark and there were cats and kids everywhere (surprised that my dream had cats in it?!) I couldn't figure out the purpose of the place, there were a bunch of kids running around screaming and crying. I checked a couple closets for some rides or carnival games and found nothing.
I ended up running into someone I knew and it was really awkward so I lied and told him that I had to go to the bathroom. The restrooms were even more crowded than the rest of the house and people kept cutting me in line. At this point I really did have to go to the bathroom and I was getting really mad that people were pushing me around taking the available bathrooms. Just as I thought I was going to punch someone, an old man came out of the wall and said, "Come with me...there is a bathroom that no one knows about..."
He led me into a room that was full of sleeping babies and beds from wall to wall. Each baby had a mother singing lullabies and there were cats with huge eyes starring at me from every direction. The old man was gone and the lights were getting darker. One of the mothers told me that it was the center's designated quiet time. The owner of the park had created this quiet time so that mothers with newborns could come to the theme park to hang out as well. I guess they were feeling a little left out. I climbed over 20 or so beds filled with babies and singing moms and made my way back out into the rest of the house. Since I had left, the main area had been filled with people dressed up as different kid's characters and they all yelled, "SHUT THE DOOR!! IT'S QUIET TIME!!" and as soon as I shut the door they continued to be loud and play music and pick kids up and dance with them. There was a man dressed up as Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean, someone dressed like the Statue of Liberty, and a women dressed up as a giant Dora the Explorer. I wasn't really weirded out by it at all until my friend Huck came over to me dressed up as Harry Potter. He told me that because of the way the economy has been lately, it was the only job he could find but ensured me that he was quite happy because they had been teaching him actual magic tricks and he could have all of the popcorn he wanted.
I ran into a kid I knew, who turned into a cat wearing a dress the minute I said her name. I asked her where her little sister was and she just meowed and then jumped into the arms of this nerdy looking kid who just stared at me until I turned away. I realized that I had lost my "friend" after the whole trip to the bathroom experience and figured that it was probably for the best anyway and that maybe he was having fun in one of the connected buildings that I had seen from the outside.
I finally woke up after I had been searching for the door to leave the theme park and was unable to find it. As strange as this dream sounds, it was actually kind of creepy. I felt claustrophopic, lost and confused the entire time. Kind of Alice in Wonderland meets Requiem for a Dream.
Anyone want to interpret this dream for me? I'm too afraid.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
Four-Leaf Clover.
As I mentioned before, G's band Slim Dixon has been recording their second album over the past two weekends and I have been going and hanging around for the past few sessions. Yesterday after getting only three or so hours of real sleep we woke up at 8 am and got everything ready for the trip north. I was so tired and grumpy that all I could think was, "Why am I doing this? I go there to do nothing but sit around for 14 hours, eat horribly, and watch too much TV that I can't even hear over the music," and "It's not like I am actually contributing anything to the album". I honestly couldn't figure out why I kept going back every weekend. It wasn't until the end of the night when we were all driving back home at 12:30 in the morning that it hit me: I keep going because I really like these guys. Of course I've always liked them, they're fun and interesting people to hang out with. I think it was then that I realized for the first time how lucky we are to have made friends with everyone out here.
All of my friendships and relationships in the past are made up of a serious of coincidences and this group of friends out here is not any different. Is this the same for everyone or am I just overthinking this like I do everything else?
On the cold drive home I kept thinking about all of the people I have met and the ways I came to get to know them. Almost every friendship could be traced back four or five people. Our friends here are connected to people we knew in Bellingham, and those friendships can be traced back to people I met through my first college job at Papa Murphy's. You would think that moving across the country would automatically disconnect you from people you have previously met. As we passed the other tired drivers on the freeway I was wondering how long I will know or be in contact with the people I have met in my life. When we move away from here I can honestly say that I am going to miss all of these people so much. With a newly realized feeling of love I watched the lights zooming past outside, breathed in the crisp air from an open window, and we all sang along to "Let My Love Open the Door".
Pictures From Recording and Practices!!
All of my friendships and relationships in the past are made up of a serious of coincidences and this group of friends out here is not any different. Is this the same for everyone or am I just overthinking this like I do everything else?
On the cold drive home I kept thinking about all of the people I have met and the ways I came to get to know them. Almost every friendship could be traced back four or five people. Our friends here are connected to people we knew in Bellingham, and those friendships can be traced back to people I met through my first college job at Papa Murphy's. You would think that moving across the country would automatically disconnect you from people you have previously met. As we passed the other tired drivers on the freeway I was wondering how long I will know or be in contact with the people I have met in my life. When we move away from here I can honestly say that I am going to miss all of these people so much. With a newly realized feeling of love I watched the lights zooming past outside, breathed in the crisp air from an open window, and we all sang along to "Let My Love Open the Door".
Pictures From Recording and Practices!!
Friday, February 20, 2009
Relieved.
I can finally relax because...I PASSED MY ENTRANCE TEST FOR SCHOOLS!!! I can't even begin to tell you how nervous I was (all day) about checking the scores for this stupid thing. I wasn't even planning on checking for myself I was so scared. Maybe it's a little bad-movie/sitcom-ish of me but I was honestly going to open my e-mail from the testing agency, get my registration code, enter it into the score report site and then have Garrison break the news to me. I got home from a long day at work, having prepared myself for the worst the whole walk back and signed into my Yahoo account. I opened the e-mail and scrolled down for the registration code and instead read: PASS. First of all, how devastating would it have been unknowingly to open that same e-mail and read: FAIL. Second, how awesome am I right now? I passed that test with a cold, at seven in the morning, on two hours of sleep. And I didn't just barely pass...I really passed. Because of these scores I don't have to take another stupid entrance test for ten more years and all of my applications that I have spent the last three months perfecting actually have a shot at counting towards something.
This winter has put me in a good music mood and I have been listening to albums I practically forgot existed until now. Artists I can't get enough of right now: Mountain Goats (have you heard No Children?!), Neil Diamond, Neko Case, Blink-182 (Carousel), Procol Harum (Whiter Shade of Pale), and Hall and Oates particularly "You Make My Dreams Come True"...Who knew those guys had so many hits?
I just found out today that Megan and Lindsey are coming to stay with us during the last week of March. I am so excited to show them around Chicago and finally get to spend more than three days at a time with them. I think I'll probably drag them to the remainder of Chicago tourist spots that I have yet to see. A few days ago G and I were talking about how funny it is that the only time we get out and take advantage of everything the city has to offer is whenever we have people staying with us. If it wasn't for visitors, we would probably never eat deep dish pizza, spend any amount of time at Navy Pier, or visit the sky deck of the Sear's Tower. You'd think living in such a big city we would have made it our priority to see all of the tourist-y things...I think that everything happens in good time and with lots of extra money :-)
Speaking of extra money...Elton John and Billy Joel are playing in July at Wrigley Field. Already sold out, but what a show that would be.
This winter has put me in a good music mood and I have been listening to albums I practically forgot existed until now. Artists I can't get enough of right now: Mountain Goats (have you heard No Children?!), Neil Diamond, Neko Case, Blink-182 (Carousel), Procol Harum (Whiter Shade of Pale), and Hall and Oates particularly "You Make My Dreams Come True"...Who knew those guys had so many hits?
I just found out today that Megan and Lindsey are coming to stay with us during the last week of March. I am so excited to show them around Chicago and finally get to spend more than three days at a time with them. I think I'll probably drag them to the remainder of Chicago tourist spots that I have yet to see. A few days ago G and I were talking about how funny it is that the only time we get out and take advantage of everything the city has to offer is whenever we have people staying with us. If it wasn't for visitors, we would probably never eat deep dish pizza, spend any amount of time at Navy Pier, or visit the sky deck of the Sear's Tower. You'd think living in such a big city we would have made it our priority to see all of the tourist-y things...I think that everything happens in good time and with lots of extra money :-)
Speaking of extra money...Elton John and Billy Joel are playing in July at Wrigley Field. Already sold out, but what a show that would be.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Chicago
While I'm still on this list-kick...here's another one for you:
Things Chicago Has Taught Me:
1. To appreciate how beautiful and green Washington state is.
2. Ways to handle below 0 winters
3. Don't keep filling your apartment with new things, especially when your whole apartment is
smaller than your kitchen and living room in college.
4. How to be better at using my phone to call family
5. Cherish the moments you get to spend with family
6. How to be more outgoing and care less about what others think
7. Some homeless people aren't as innocent as they look
8. Don't look up when a car honks, it's most likely a taxi trying to get you to hop in
9. Taxi drivers will rip you off AND they hate it when you pay with credit cards
10. How to find good deals on really good food
11. Whole Foods sucks
12. To keep windows shut if you live up high and have cats
13. How to ride a bike again
14. How to get around without having to use a car (yay!)
15. How to use public transportation such as trains and buses
16. Nothing is as beautiful as west coast beaches and mountains
17. To take chances and risks
18. Jimmy John's sandwiches are so good
19. How to be productive and pursue my dreams
20. That I am right more than I give myself credit for
21. Chicago libraries charge $2.00 a day for overdue movies
22. Red Box movie booths are the best way to rent movies
23. The police on our neighborhood are lazy and love 7-11
24. People love sports in our neighborhood (Lincoln Park)
25. The best bars to get cheap dinners
26. How to fix bike brakes
27. Where the three most beautiful spots in Chicago are
Last night I was watching Friends as I was trying to fall asleep and it occurred to me that the intro to that show is really annoying. It's not the song, surprisingly after hearing it so much in the 90s I still kind of like it. What it is is the way they fit the video to the song. I don't know if I can quite explain it, but I'll try. Have you ever watched movie previews that try to fit a quote from the movie into the announcers script? Like the announcer says, "BLANK movie is the best movie you will see in 2009..." and then they show a clip from the movie where one of the characters is saying, "Awesome!" (Although, in the actual movie they think something totally not related is "awesome!") For some reason this has always bugged me a lot. Friends does this same exact thing, except much worse because they try to cram about seven of these into a 40 second intro. The best example of this annoyance happens during a part of the song that sounds like a drum machine hitting five beats in a row. During those beats Chandler is hitting Monica on the head with drum sticks. So cheesy, what's the point?!
Things to notice in the video below:
1.The timing of opening their umbrellas
2.The CLAPPING that fits in perfectly with drum beats around the 8 second mark
3.What Monica and Chandler are doing during "It's like your always stuck in second gear" (notice the Phoebe's train whistle move)
4.Joey pointing to himself when the song says, "I'll be here for you..."
5.Placement of clip where Rachel's working her job at the coffee shop
There are just so many. Yuck. I Hope this starts bugging you too.
Things Chicago Has Taught Me:
1. To appreciate how beautiful and green Washington state is.
2. Ways to handle below 0 winters
3. Don't keep filling your apartment with new things, especially when your whole apartment is
smaller than your kitchen and living room in college.
4. How to be better at using my phone to call family
5. Cherish the moments you get to spend with family
6. How to be more outgoing and care less about what others think
7. Some homeless people aren't as innocent as they look
8. Don't look up when a car honks, it's most likely a taxi trying to get you to hop in
9. Taxi drivers will rip you off AND they hate it when you pay with credit cards
10. How to find good deals on really good food
11. Whole Foods sucks
12. To keep windows shut if you live up high and have cats
13. How to ride a bike again
14. How to get around without having to use a car (yay!)
15. How to use public transportation such as trains and buses
16. Nothing is as beautiful as west coast beaches and mountains
17. To take chances and risks
18. Jimmy John's sandwiches are so good
19. How to be productive and pursue my dreams
20. That I am right more than I give myself credit for
21. Chicago libraries charge $2.00 a day for overdue movies
22. Red Box movie booths are the best way to rent movies
23. The police on our neighborhood are lazy and love 7-11
24. People love sports in our neighborhood (Lincoln Park)
25. The best bars to get cheap dinners
26. How to fix bike brakes
27. Where the three most beautiful spots in Chicago are
Last night I was watching Friends as I was trying to fall asleep and it occurred to me that the intro to that show is really annoying. It's not the song, surprisingly after hearing it so much in the 90s I still kind of like it. What it is is the way they fit the video to the song. I don't know if I can quite explain it, but I'll try. Have you ever watched movie previews that try to fit a quote from the movie into the announcers script? Like the announcer says, "BLANK movie is the best movie you will see in 2009..." and then they show a clip from the movie where one of the characters is saying, "Awesome!" (Although, in the actual movie they think something totally not related is "awesome!") For some reason this has always bugged me a lot. Friends does this same exact thing, except much worse because they try to cram about seven of these into a 40 second intro. The best example of this annoyance happens during a part of the song that sounds like a drum machine hitting five beats in a row. During those beats Chandler is hitting Monica on the head with drum sticks. So cheesy, what's the point?!
Things to notice in the video below:
1.The timing of opening their umbrellas
2.The CLAPPING that fits in perfectly with drum beats around the 8 second mark
3.What Monica and Chandler are doing during "It's like your always stuck in second gear" (notice the Phoebe's train whistle move)
4.Joey pointing to himself when the song says, "I'll be here for you..."
5.Placement of clip where Rachel's working her job at the coffee shop
There are just so many. Yuck. I Hope this starts bugging you too.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Sleeping Lessons.
I am reading a new book, South of the Border, West of the Sun by Haruki Murakami. Just recently I went through some huge Murakami phase and must have read three or four of his books and a few of his short stories. Although he is an amazing writer, as with all authors not all of his books are blow-your-mind-great...the majority of the ones I picked up were so metaphorical and science fiction-y that it was hard for me to get into them. After pushing my way through a few average novels I determined that it was probably a good time to give Murakmi a rest for a long while. G's band (Slim Dixon) was recording this weekend an hour north of Chicago and on the way out the door I grabbed a few books to pass the time (they were recording all day). I finished reading Thirteen Reasons Why, the book that I had mentioned before. Then I started reading Love in the Time of Cholera and got a little distracted so I figured,
I'll give one more Murakami book a shot". Turns out, South of the Border, West of the Sun might just be the best book I have read in a LONG time. When Murakami writes about relationships and people interacting with other people he tends to blow my mind. This story of a confused man focuses primarily on just how easily we can hurt the people closest to us. The way Murakami focuses on the power of memories from the past and the bittersweetness of love has placed me back into one of my states of nostalgia. This book has made me realize two things: One, even when you think you have everything figured out, you don't. And two, you should always be honest to everyone, especially those who are willing to lay their feelings out in the open in return for your love. I think that the closer you get to someone, the easier it is to take their feelings for granted. You start to forget that their feelings matter just as much, if not more and that you aren't the only person who matters. I admit I have come a long way. I am incredibly lucky to be where I am right now. But to get here I have hurt a lot of people in the process and that doesn't feel so good. If you're reading this, I am sure you know who you are. I just want to say that I am so sorry. I know that doesn't change the past or anything I've done or said for that matter, but for what it's worth my concious still clouds my thoughts and occasionally I replay over and over memories so haunting that they keep me up at night. Someone so lucky to be loved by caring people has no right to act so selfish, and in the past I was the QUEEN of selfishness. If you have the chance, you should read South of the Border, West of the Sun and maybe you'll feel a little bit of what I'm feeling right now. If you don't feel like reading, you could just listen to The Beatles "All My Loving", and any Carissa's Wierd, Rouge Wave, Shins, or early Band of Horses.
I'll give one more Murakami book a shot". Turns out, South of the Border, West of the Sun might just be the best book I have read in a LONG time. When Murakami writes about relationships and people interacting with other people he tends to blow my mind. This story of a confused man focuses primarily on just how easily we can hurt the people closest to us. The way Murakami focuses on the power of memories from the past and the bittersweetness of love has placed me back into one of my states of nostalgia. This book has made me realize two things: One, even when you think you have everything figured out, you don't. And two, you should always be honest to everyone, especially those who are willing to lay their feelings out in the open in return for your love. I think that the closer you get to someone, the easier it is to take their feelings for granted. You start to forget that their feelings matter just as much, if not more and that you aren't the only person who matters. I admit I have come a long way. I am incredibly lucky to be where I am right now. But to get here I have hurt a lot of people in the process and that doesn't feel so good. If you're reading this, I am sure you know who you are. I just want to say that I am so sorry. I know that doesn't change the past or anything I've done or said for that matter, but for what it's worth my concious still clouds my thoughts and occasionally I replay over and over memories so haunting that they keep me up at night. Someone so lucky to be loved by caring people has no right to act so selfish, and in the past I was the QUEEN of selfishness. If you have the chance, you should read South of the Border, West of the Sun and maybe you'll feel a little bit of what I'm feeling right now. If you don't feel like reading, you could just listen to The Beatles "All My Loving", and any Carissa's Wierd, Rouge Wave, Shins, or early Band of Horses.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Come On Get Happy!
11 things that are seriously making me so happy right now:
1. I don't have to work until Tuesday.
2. I did not catch little C's cough OR Z's strep.
3. One school application done, only three to go.
4. A (somewhat) clean house.
5. Eating valentine's conversation hearts.
6. My computer is working for now.
7. It is so sunny and pretty warm outside (45?)
8. Having the time to listen to a bunch of old vinyl.
9. I am almost finished with a good book.
10. Finally realizing that spring is only a few months away.
11. Red Hen Bread veggie sandwiches (crispy bread, red peppers, lettuce, granny
smith apples, and walnut goat cheese)
1. I don't have to work until Tuesday.
2. I did not catch little C's cough OR Z's strep.
3. One school application done, only three to go.
4. A (somewhat) clean house.
5. Eating valentine's conversation hearts.
6. My computer is working for now.
7. It is so sunny and pretty warm outside (45?)
8. Having the time to listen to a bunch of old vinyl.
9. I am almost finished with a good book.
10. Finally realizing that spring is only a few months away.
11. Red Hen Bread veggie sandwiches (crispy bread, red peppers, lettuce, granny
smith apples, and walnut goat cheese)
Friday, February 6, 2009
Young Folks.
Just as my mom predicted, my computer is up and running once again (they apparently had the same problem with their Dell a few months back). I feel lucky, being able to use the internet and finally type up an update into this blog. Unfortunately, also according to my mom my computer should shut down again sometime soon...and this time for serious. So, a few days ago I went to a computer center store I found near by and purchased a 4 GB thumb drive to save all of my important information on (songs, pictures, documents). When I was talking to my mom, she said, "Just get a 4 GB stick, it will be waaay more than you need" and I told her, "Well, I have A LOT of stuff, so maybe I'll buy two 4 GB sticks". Now that I have begun the tedious process of copying over all of my documents, I realize just how little I know about file sizes. HA, I believe with all of my pictures, music, and documents combined I will have much less than 4 gigabytes.
Last Sunday, my good friend Melissa and her wonderful boyfriend Andrew came into town for his birthday. Melissa and Andrew (her boyfriend) go to a Transcendental Meditation school in Fairfield, Iowa. Fairfield is about a five hour drive from Chicago, so they are useually out here once every couple two months. That's the good part about living in a huge city, people you know are more likely to be stopping in now and then for a visit. Melissa's visits are sometimes out of the blue, which is always a nice surprise. We'd like to get out to Iowa soon, it's so hard when you don't have a car.
For Andrew's birthday, he wanted to spend time in a sensory deprivation tank. Basically, it is dark container full of 800 pounds of salt water dissolved in 10 inches of luke warm water. You drink tea in a relaxing room before you are taken to your own private room. You then shower off and climb into the container. I told Melissa I would do it as well, not really knowing what to expect. I had read a bit about it and was pretty excited about trying it, because according to everyone who had written a review on the place (I did my research, ha ha) it was supposed to be a totally rejuvenating experience...one that would clear you mind, relax your body, and allow you to explore natural thoughts that are most often crowded by the everyday business of life. So what do you have to do to achieve this nirvana?! Simply climb inside a pitch black, sound proof container the size of a refrigerator tipped on its side and float for an hour in water so dense from salt that you float effortlessly. I have to admit, I was just a little freaked out about the whole experience. First of all, I have this weird fear of water that I have never been able to fully understand. I can't even put my face under a stream of shower water without feeling like I can't breathe. I am not the biggest fan of deep lakes and certainly not someone who feels comfortable swimming at night. As I slipped into the deep chamber, I was honestly wishing I had not watched so many horror movies that involved girls being pulled under by some haunting sea/bathtub creature and also that I had not spent so much time convincing my mom to let me watch Titanic when I was in middle school. However, once I slipped into the water everything changed.
For those who know me and my deep fear of almost anything water related would be surprised and proud to know that I actually conquered my fears and climbed inside. It ended up being completely worth it. Not only did I conquer a huge fear of mine but I also felt the most level headed and relaxed that I have felt in a LONG time. It was like every single muscle in my body was the most relaxed that they have ever been and for once I fell asleep faster than ever before. My mind was wondering like crazy and I kept drifting in and out and little naps. When I came out, I couldn't really believe I had been in there for a whole hour. My body felt totally relaxed. Also, that night I slept SO GOOD.
While I was super proud of myself for not letting my fears get the best of me this time, I was a little disappointed to realize that I have become more of a chicken over the past few years. I think while I was in college I would have easily slipped into the sensory deprivation tank without a care in the world. And now, just two years later I had to convince myself and tell myself that everything would be OK. It's just weird how fast we change...I guess that I have changed in a good way, maybe I am less likely to place myself in dangerous situations or something. Still, it is never a great feeling to realize that you are a big scardy cat all of a sudden.
On Monday Garrison and I saw Slumdog Millionaire. It was SO GOOD. If you like suspenseful movies you would really love it. If you like movies that are romantic and not cheesy romantic, you would love it. If you like M.I.A. you would love it. If you like beautiful/creative cinematography, you would love it. If you get the chance, you should go see it. It is one of the best movies I have seen in a very long time.
Wow, it is late. Since my computer working for the time being, I will most likely write more tomorrow or Sunday. Tomorrow it is supposed to be 50 degrees....so warm for Chicago! I think G and I are going to ride bikes to the band practice space.
Have a great Saturday!!
Last Sunday, my good friend Melissa and her wonderful boyfriend Andrew came into town for his birthday. Melissa and Andrew (her boyfriend) go to a Transcendental Meditation school in Fairfield, Iowa. Fairfield is about a five hour drive from Chicago, so they are useually out here once every couple two months. That's the good part about living in a huge city, people you know are more likely to be stopping in now and then for a visit. Melissa's visits are sometimes out of the blue, which is always a nice surprise. We'd like to get out to Iowa soon, it's so hard when you don't have a car.
For Andrew's birthday, he wanted to spend time in a sensory deprivation tank. Basically, it is dark container full of 800 pounds of salt water dissolved in 10 inches of luke warm water. You drink tea in a relaxing room before you are taken to your own private room. You then shower off and climb into the container. I told Melissa I would do it as well, not really knowing what to expect. I had read a bit about it and was pretty excited about trying it, because according to everyone who had written a review on the place (I did my research, ha ha) it was supposed to be a totally rejuvenating experience...one that would clear you mind, relax your body, and allow you to explore natural thoughts that are most often crowded by the everyday business of life. So what do you have to do to achieve this nirvana?! Simply climb inside a pitch black, sound proof container the size of a refrigerator tipped on its side and float for an hour in water so dense from salt that you float effortlessly. I have to admit, I was just a little freaked out about the whole experience. First of all, I have this weird fear of water that I have never been able to fully understand. I can't even put my face under a stream of shower water without feeling like I can't breathe. I am not the biggest fan of deep lakes and certainly not someone who feels comfortable swimming at night. As I slipped into the deep chamber, I was honestly wishing I had not watched so many horror movies that involved girls being pulled under by some haunting sea/bathtub creature and also that I had not spent so much time convincing my mom to let me watch Titanic when I was in middle school. However, once I slipped into the water everything changed.
For those who know me and my deep fear of almost anything water related would be surprised and proud to know that I actually conquered my fears and climbed inside. It ended up being completely worth it. Not only did I conquer a huge fear of mine but I also felt the most level headed and relaxed that I have felt in a LONG time. It was like every single muscle in my body was the most relaxed that they have ever been and for once I fell asleep faster than ever before. My mind was wondering like crazy and I kept drifting in and out and little naps. When I came out, I couldn't really believe I had been in there for a whole hour. My body felt totally relaxed. Also, that night I slept SO GOOD.
While I was super proud of myself for not letting my fears get the best of me this time, I was a little disappointed to realize that I have become more of a chicken over the past few years. I think while I was in college I would have easily slipped into the sensory deprivation tank without a care in the world. And now, just two years later I had to convince myself and tell myself that everything would be OK. It's just weird how fast we change...I guess that I have changed in a good way, maybe I am less likely to place myself in dangerous situations or something. Still, it is never a great feeling to realize that you are a big scardy cat all of a sudden.
On Monday Garrison and I saw Slumdog Millionaire. It was SO GOOD. If you like suspenseful movies you would really love it. If you like movies that are romantic and not cheesy romantic, you would love it. If you like M.I.A. you would love it. If you like beautiful/creative cinematography, you would love it. If you get the chance, you should go see it. It is one of the best movies I have seen in a very long time.
Wow, it is late. Since my computer working for the time being, I will most likely write more tomorrow or Sunday. Tomorrow it is supposed to be 50 degrees....so warm for Chicago! I think G and I are going to ride bikes to the band practice space.
Have a great Saturday!!
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