Living In Rhythm

Every so often, I'll hear someone - usually a musician - say something during an interview that absolutely floors me. Speaks to me, and explains how I feel in terms close to how I would explain the same thing. It's the same, but different, and it makes me happy and thrilled, and lets me think that I'm not the only person who thinks a certain way.

This one is just the most simple concept, but it's absolutely the most honest and the truest thing I've heard in ages.

"You need to live life to be inspired by music." - Maxwell

I can't tell you how much I love this.

So, every summer since I've been a full time employee (this is my fourth. God, that makes me feel old) I have had what I affectionately call Hip Hop Fridays.

Fairly self-explanatory, but basically, on myTunes, I click the 'hip hop', 'r&b', and 'rap' genres, hit 'random', and let myTunes carry me through my Friday. A little Kanye, a little Aaliyah (Yes!), a little Estelle, etc., etc.

Today, however, has felt like a damn year. I went to Starbucks this morning, got back, and it was still only 10:00. I almost cried.

So after a while, even John Legend and The Roots weren't helping me.

I called in an old friend from back in the day. A boy who used to have a full head of blonde curls, geeky glasses, and bad clothes.

Justin Timberlake.

The thing about Justin is, he's fucking amazing. I'd try to be more eloquent, but let's be honest, the eff word totally needs to be thrown in there. It's the only thing that gets the point across.

Listening to Like I Love You and Senorita for the first time in a long time feels a lot like hearing it for the very first time, where you stop what you're doing (today, for me, that was admittedly very little) and you listen. I listened to all of the Justified album (twice) and was like - Oh, hell yes. This is what I need today!

And do yourself a favour, if you can, and listen to Losing My Way (off FutureSex/LoveSound) on headphones real loud. If you don't get chills when the choir comes in, there's something wrong with you.

And...If you (or hell, I) need a little help getting through Saturday and Sunday, too, this might do the trick...

OK, maybe not so much technology as the things that technology allows us to do.

When Facebook first got big, I was like, "This is the coolest! Now I can keep in touch with all those people who live so far away from me. Brilliant!"

And now, every single day, I contemplate deleting my account. Sure, Facebook has changed over the few years I've been using it, but it's also a matter of who I am 'friends' with. 200-some-odd people? Really? I have maybe, maybe 50 friends. Real friends who I talk to on a regular basis and actually communicate with. The rest of them, well, I wish the best, but don't need a status update about it every 3 hours.

And now there's Twitter. And the thing is, I kind of like going on there and checking out what other people are saying. Basically, Twitter is just a string of status updates. But they can be funny. I can check and see what Tyler Hilton is doing at this very moment (well, a moment close to it).

I'm reluctant to open an account though, because I feel like I'll end up feeling about Twitter like I do about Facebook. But I feel like I'm clever enough for Twitter, you know? Like I could put out some funny 'tweets' (I also think that term is ridiculous).

I don't know. Every day, I get a little bit closer to creating an account.

Every so often, I catch wind that a new album by a favourite artist is coming out "soon".

And then I wait and wait and wait, and try not to watch the calendar, and hope that the release doesn't get pushed back.

Maxwell has a new album coming out in July that has been delayed so many times it's almost painful! This is one of those artists who can just do no wrong, if you ask me. He's brilliant. That said, I was a little worried that the new Maxwell album would not be the same Maxwell I know and love from the mid-90's.

Then I heard THIS - Pretty Wings.

Oh my. It is so incredibly beautiful that I am a little bit in awe, and anticipating the release of his record even more.

He now sits on the list of most anticipated releases with John Mayer and D'Angelo.

I have been listening to this one song non stop all morning. Pretty sure I'm going to be plugged into it for the rest of the day. It's just so moving. I adore it.

Wow, that title sounds a lot more exciting than it probably is. Unless I meet someone at this wedding on the weekend, that title will not mean what it could be interpreted to mean. I'd put a winky face here if I was more of a geek. What am I saying? I'm a total geek.

;-)

One of my best friends of all time - a great girl who I adore and who has helped me grow more in the three years since I've known her than anyone else - is getting married to another friend of mine. It's going to be wonderful. I get to spend time on Vancouver Island, ride the ferry (OK, that's not really so fun, but whatever!) and the weather is supposed to be amazing, to top it all off.

I'm traveling more and more these days, and while I'm quite the homebody, generally speaking, I love to see things. I love to see new places, or places I've been to countless times before and just adore.

The only downside to this weekend is that I have SO much stuff I should be working on. Way too much to write and do, but I know that my time will be limited. I'm not bringing my computer with me (would just be a pain, and I won't have a chance to use it anyway).

But I've got all of Sunday evening, and all of Monday to hopefully get some things done.

That is, if I'm not wiping tears all of Sunday after the wedding. I'm a crier. I cry.

How much this group is making a chill run up my spine. In a good way. In a - that is fucking good music - way. It's rare.

I have been geeking out in my office, smiling like a nerd and dissecting harmonies for the better part of an hour and a half. It's really good that I work in a really cool environment.

Don't Stop Believin' - A Capella

Do yourself a favour and put on headphones for this.

Courtesy Austin Nichols:

"Humid as all get-out. Curly hair. Incredibly gracious people.
Almost as nice as Canadians. God I love Canadians."

Well, Austin, Canadians love you, too. I'm not ashamed to admit it.

This little excerpt from an adorable little blog made me smile. And that little smile made me come to a big realization.

You need to take the smiles as they come. That probably sounds ridiculous and/or obvious, but it's true. This is a crazy world. Really crazy. Every day, we encounter things that make us upset, angry, irritated, hurt...The list of the negative goes on and on.

So let's focus on the positive, shall we?

Simple little things that make one smile can be the best parts of one's day.

One perfect line in a song that makes you close your eyes and really listen. Realizing it's your parents' 30th wedding anniversary. Zoodles for lunch. Good tea with a good friend. Silence. Sounds. A second glance from a complete stranger. Rain. Sun. Being 10 minutes late for work because you caught 10 extra minutes of sleep (and not apologizing for it!).

Sure, I could go into a huge list of all the things from my day that made me frown, but why dwell on them? Why revisit the negative, when I can focus on the positives? It's such a silly thing to even say - it should be a given - but I have a tendency to live in the negative moments and completely gloss over the good ones.

So the person in the office next to mine is continually dialing out on speakerphone (one of my biggest pet peeves!)? Well, that's OK. I've got Sara Bareilles singing about Vegas and Fairytales and Gravity in my ears.

Lyric of the day: But you're a lovely creation and I like to think that I am too / But my friend said I look better without you.

Well, I'm back from Saskatoon (will post pics later!) and still not incredibly inspired.

I shouldn't say that.

I'm not as inspired as I want to be. I have motivation to finish some things I'm working on, and definitely am having fun doing that. New ideas still aren't coming to me, but I think that's just the universe's way of telling me to slow down, finish what I've got started, and then start new things. I actually really believe that.

One thing I realized over the weekend is that I really want to write a novel. I really want to do it (someone else just told me that I should, without me saying I wanted to...nice encouragement!).

It would be hard. It would be hard, and it would take a long time, and I would have to focus on creating characters and building believable plotlines, and trying to write from a place solely within myself, with no preconceived notions or ideals set in place.

And that's really exciting.