Music

Briana Speaking: I was reading this girl's blog and she had some list, I think it was the 30 day challenge or something. I don't think I'll do that but it did give me some Ideas for a post. I'm not sure if it gave me entertaining post ideas but post ideas none-the-less. One that stuck out to me was first 10 songs on your iPod on shuffle. Here we go:

1-Like a prayer by Modonna. I can't even remember the last time I listened to this song but it reminds me of the movie Never Been Kissed when Billy throws eggs at her.

2-We Thank Thee, O God, For A Prophet by After Glow. I remember my mom always listening to this CD on Sundays while she got ready. Now I listen to this CD when I get ready for church. Not all the time but ya know...

3-Wish On The Moon by Chuck Ragan. I've recently come to love this CD thanks to my older brother (almost all my music comes from him). Its a good one! I highly recommend it.

4-I Think We're Alone Now by Tiffany. I just love this song. Good 80's stuff!

5-The Go Getter by The Black Keys. I disliked The Black Keys when I first heard them (I don't know why!) but after a very long trip to Arizona, in which The Black Keys is what played the majority of the trip, I loved them!

6-Wanted (Just Aint the Same) by Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley. I Love this song. the Very first words or sounds he makes in this song remind me of my nephew.

7-Moving Away by Ken Boothe.  I don't know what to say about this song. It's pretty awesome and I love it!

8-Hold On by Tim Armstrong. I just love it!

9-Don't Slip & Fall by TROJANS. I just love it!

10-Political Fiction by Half Pint. It's been a while since I've listened to these guys but I love this song

I just clicked to see what the next 10 songs were and they were even better than the first 10 I've shown above. I got to tell you, I listen to some delightful music! Lately I have been listening to Matisyahu's latest CD Spark Seeker. All of his songs are so pretty and catchy! Darcy and I get to go to his concert just a couple days before Darcy's Birthday! We are so excited!! I've only been to one concert in my life: Enrique. I was pretty young but we were on the 8th row. The last show Darcy went to was the Aggrolites. I wasn't able to go because it was at a bar and I'm not yet 21. 

The following Video is from the CD spark seeker. This is Matisyahu. Sunshine!

Listening to Matisyahu makes me happy! His songs are just amazing. I don't understand how people can listen to radio music or just crappy music when there is such good music out there! when this kind of music is out there! I have a Challenge for you dear reader. I want you to listen to the entire spark seeker CD. This guy sings some pretty fantastic songs and from what I see on his facebook he's a pretty great guy too! I dare you not to be happy whilst listening to these songs.

For more of the music I listen to, go to my personal Blog @ http://barryana.blogspot.com/

I wrote a whole post about music and what's on my iPod. Of course I've gotten more music since then but go read it. the post is titled: Lumber Jacks, Music and School...Mostly Music.

Hope You've enjoyed this post have an extraordinary day!

I hate the smell of Coffee.

Briana here!
It's been a while since I've written. I can't even remember the last time I wrote and what I wrote about. I guess I could easily go back and read my last post but I don't want to. So sorry if I repeat myself. A lot has happened in the last little while. Darcy and I moved out only to move back home a week later due to (this is all my opinion) a crazy roommate that I was not about to live with for a year. I think living at home and  commuting will be cheaper anyway. I haven't told anyone I know that I moved out let alone moved back in. I think people may have figured out I moved back in but I don't talk to anyone so... Anyway, I was also able to get a temporary job where Darcy works and it's been great then the other day I got a call saying that my job is no longer temporary but permanent. Then not even an hour later I get another call for a job interview at a different establishment. I wanted to cry because with me starting school I wouldn't be able to have two jobs. So I went to the job interview today. Since the store isn't open yet they held the interview at a Starbucks. The smell of coffee...The smell of coffee is one of the worst smells ever. My mother thinks that I could be alergic to it. I'm a member of the LDS/Mormon religion so I don't drink coffee so it works out unless you're asked to come interview in a Starbucks. I didn't do as well as I normally could because I had the worst headache (I NEVER get headaches) so I was trying not to dry heave during the interview and ended up not being bubbly and loud like the sorority girl and the other girl. they gave long elaborate answers and I was kinda quiet and woozy. But I think I did well enough. The interviewers were nice and I'm having an even harder time deciding where I should work. I'm leaning more toward the job I have just because it's sure. Who's to say I'll even get the job I interviewed for today...I still smell like coffee... I need to do what my brother suggested: get skinny, get married and have my husband take care of me. That would be the life. ha ha until next time! have a nice day!

Good Day

Darcy Speaking;

A good day is defined as me not going to work, me not worrying about my cell phone (like I worry about it anyways, when you don't have friends or a boyfriend it is just a brick that I carry around), not worrying about anything really. That is what a good day is and I don't have very many (well I do but this was a really good day.)

I went to Bear Lake yesterday and the Golden Spike Rodeo. We woke up after getting to sleep in, well actually I didn't sleep in really. I woke up at 3:30 not feeling well so I took some excedrin and while I finally felt better I was wide awake and laid in my bed till about 5:45. I then bought my Matisyahu tickets for September 10!!!!! I am so so so excited! I love him so much! I mean just listen to his awesome music! I don't usually listen to all of an artists music because I don't usually like all of their songs. If you look at my ipod I usually only have like one or two songs for every artist on their. I only have like five different bands/artists that I listen to all of their music, they are: Matisyahu, Josh Groban, Enya, Backstreet boys and I am pretty sure I lied and it is only 4.

So anyways after buying tickets and sitting on the internet for like an hour I finally felt tired enough to sleep so I did. So then we packed up the car, made sandwiches and headed for the mountains for the lake. The drive up was somewhat pretty. I remembered it being prettier. It is funny because on the way back it was gorgeous. It must have had something to do with the sun and clouds. But the lake itself was super beautiful. I have always loved Bear Lake because it is super blue! I don't think that I can even describe how pretty it looked! We finally found a little bit of beach and Briana and I blew up our floaties and headed for the water. It was so cold! Luckily when I finally got out deep enough I laid on my floatie and still had the water on me but the sun was warming me up.

We love to push ourselves out super far then just sit for awhile before heading back in and then just do it again. I got sunburned too! I loved it! We even sat on the beach and had our picnic while the sun warmed my skin. A seagull was being a creep though and just watched us the whole time like a dog. At one point he even started doing his gull cry to get other gulls to join him. Boy was he surprised and silenced when I came back and did my gull cry. Needless to say no other gulls joined him. After swimming for little bit longer we decided to head back home. The drive was super pretty and everything was green and gorgeous.

Once we got home we had just enough time to get dressed and fix our hair so we could head on over to the rodeo. I love rodeos! They are so much fun. The only part that I dislike is the steer wrestling and the barrel racing. I absolutely love the bareback, bronco riding and bull riding. So much fun. It looks like it kills the cowboys neck though. Yikes, talk about injuries for the rest of your life. I was so tired by towards the end though because of my lack of sleep. Once home I parked myself on the couch for a couple hours of Smallville watching.

That is what a good good day is. Not having to worry about anything and doing fun things!

A good review

Darcy Speaking:

Gosh I love a good book! What I hate about reading a good book is when the book has a sequel or even a third book and I either have to wait for them to be written or wait for them in a huge line at the library! I don't like to buy books unless I have read them and stewed over them a few times. And I don't want to buy this series yet until I have read the ending to the third book... which isn't written yet.

What books am I talking about? Divergent. Insurgent. And whatever the third book will be called. I know I am probably behind on even talking about this book since the first one came out in 2010 but I like to not read books until the whole series is out because I hate having to wait! I already did that with the Elixir series and now I won't get to read the third book until March or May of next year. So you can see how it is a dilemma. But I have been needing to read a book and this one looked promising because of its cover.

I am here to report that yes books usually with a dumb cover will be a dumb book. I know that is not always true because I mean look at Twilight (which I am still missing my first book and want to cry over it... just kidding I have never read that series in my life.....) Anyways!

So Divergent. It takes place in the future and yes it is a dystopian novel. I don't know if you like those or not. I like them. I read Hunger games and it was a very good book, the first one was anyways, but that is another discussion all on its own. So this book instead of having districts they have factions. They live in the city of Chicago but are divided up into five factions. Dauntless, Candor, Amity, Abnegation and Erudite. The story kind of reminds me of an amish community for a split second just because when they turn sixteen they can either stay or leave. The same is true in the book. They can stay in the faction they grew up in or they can go to a different faction. The story is about Beatrice Prior and her decisions, friends and journey. I don't want to give too much away.

I finished it a couple days ago and am now still thinking about! I love when a book can do that. I thought I hate the ending of this book but after mulling it over I have decided that it was good and had to be done. Now I am on an incredibly long waiting list for the second book and the third book won't be released till next year in November. Yuck o.

So now that I have gotten you all excited about it go out and read it. 

Just a couple reasons

Darcy Speaking:

I have been reading all of my life. I can't even begin to tell you how many books I have read in my short existence. I will read anything interesting from romance to science fiction. One little problem though.I have a love hate relationship with books. I love books and reading more than anything on this green earth. If I had to pick one activity to do the rest of my born days that would be it. Reading. (Although I might be a little sad because movies come in very close second) I want to give you a couple reasons as to why this relationship is love and hate.

Reason #1.

Endings. I hate endings. I don't even know how to describe the feeling I have towards endings. The first reason I hate endings; When I go to open up my book to read after I have been reading awhile I hate when I have read more than what I have finished. I love when I have more to read then what I've read. Get it?
I also hate when I am reading a book and it is so good! Like I am seriously enjoying it but then it starts getting near the end and the ending is starting to suck. Like it is horrible. I want to throw the book across the room because it is so upsetting to me that the author put so much time and effort into the beginning and middle of the book but it starts to feel rushed and crappy and they start doing things to characters that feel sloppy to me.

I am not even kidding you about this ending thing. Sometimes I don't want to be disappointed so I won't finish the book. I enjoy the beginning and middle but refuse to finish it because it will possibly ruin my life.

Reason #2.

Characters. Characters have to be developed. I will give one very good example of an underdeveloped character. Bella Swan. Yes. The author didn't even describe her at all. I am telling the truth. Don't believe me? Go read it. I swear on my life it says something to the effect of: She was plain and looked like her mom. Wow?!!!!!!!!! I hate not knowing what a character looks like, and people can preach to me all they want saying that you are supposed to imagine yourself as the main  character. I will still do that anyways but I want to read the book with the image that the author has given me. I will never get over it.

Reason #3.

Here is a love side of books. I love when the author tells me what the characters are eating. I have no idea why. I can't even remember what book it was now but the author seriously went into serious details of the meal every time the character ate breakfast, lunch and dinner. It drives me insane when the author simply says "and they ate." Wow.

Reason #4.

Amateur writing. There is nothing I hate more than amateur writing. I hate opening a book and it is so little on the details and the story line is barely there. Why even bother. I mean I don't read fancy smancy novels (well I do sometimes) but I won't read something amateur (wait I will if it has a little bit of a good idea to it.)

Reason #5.

Opening chapters. If you want your book read by me you better have something that is going to suck me in. I dislike when people are recommending books and they say "It takes awhile to get into, but it is good." Um if a book is good it shouldn't take awhile to get into. A reader should be taken in by the first page.

Reason #6.

Smiling and laughing. I love nothing more than sitting in a crowd of people at work or school and start laughing or smiling at something I am reading. If it can make me smile just by the dialogue it is a good book.

Well I could go on for fifty years on my relationship with books. Maybe I will start discussing a book a week with the world wide web.

Would that bore you?

Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. -Benjamin Franklin

Darcy Speaking:

Okay so I am going to school right now and I am a creative writing major. Yes I know it sounds super dumb and incredible weird. I can tell you right now that I know that I won't get a job in writing. And yes people tell me that college isn't worth it. But I love writing classes. I have loved English classes since forever because, well, they are easy! That and they are fun.

Oh and did I happen to mention that I am good at them?

 I don't know what it is about writing an essay or a 10-15 page paper about anything that really comes to mind but I love struggling to get the words out onto the paper. I love struggling to tie my thoughts and ideas together. But most of all, and yes you will think I am insane, I love turning the paper in then receiving criticism. I am not joking. Sometimes I won't read the comments the professors and teachers have made for a couple days because I have to build up to reading it so that I can take it. When I read those comments whether good or bad I love taking them and proving to them that I can make the paper better, that I can exceed their expectations.

I have gotten papers back with a big fat C on them and turned around and turned it into a B or sometimes an A-. It is an amazing high. Nerdy right?? Right.

So since I am a "writer" (I don't know if I am allowed to call myself that...) one question that people always ask me, "Do you want to write books?" Well if everyone must know, yes, yes I do. In fact I am in the middle      (or really the beginning of it) of writing a book. I won't tell anyone what it is about because it is top secret stuff (well not really) but I still won't divulge much information about it. I will tell you that it is a non-fiction book.

The thing about writing a book is, that it is extremely difficult. Anyone who tells you other wise is a big fat liar. I mean I sometimes get excited about writing and I think "Oh man I will have this bad boy written up in a couple hours!" Thirty minutes have passed and you realize all your ideas fit on 3 pages. What a rip.

So yes it is a work in progress and I can definitely say that there is one element in my life that has to happen before I can even finish the book so I can't even put a time on when it will be done (well I am going to give myself a goal as to when the majority of it must be finished though!)

So there they are, all the dirty details of the inner workings of a nerdy person who chooses a life path of writing. 

The almost unsettling truth

Darcy Speaking:

WARNING: THIS POST MAY CAUSE SOME EMBARRASSMENT, FOR NOT ONLY THE WRITER BUT FOR THE READER TOWARDS THE WRITER. READER BE WARNED. (stupid blogs, I just know one day I will read this and think, what in the heck was I thinking??! Enjoy!)

There is only one disadvantage to growing up in the Mormon culture... Learning that if you aren't married between the ripe old ages of 18-20 then you might as well be an old maid. Well here I sit at the old haggard age of 21, and yes I am single.

It is also Friday night, and I didn't do anything but sit on my bed with my laptop open and my headphones in with a movie playing in front of my eyes. Yup, definitely an old woman.

So I now want to talk about my most favorite person in the world of sports, drum roll please....

COLE HAMELS!

That is right folks good old Cole. Now you might be wondering "Why in the heck did she go from talking about single people to Cole Hamels. Well my friends that is the question I will now answer.

Crushes.

Yes, that word might sound super immature but I have to say that it happens. Now ever since I became a baseball fan or a Hamels fan (because let us face it, sometimes it is the same thing) I have developed a crush on Mr. Hamels.

Now we must discern the differences between healthy and unhealthy crushes. Healthy crushes are when you like someone but it doesn't interfere with day to day activities and doesn't pain you to think about it or make you jealous. Unhealthy crushes on the other hand well the word unhealthy says it all. They cause you fits of jealous rage, cause you to forget about the things that need to be done and cause you to have an unhealthy amount of daydreams about the crush (maybe even making yourself out be a damsel in distress, yes unhealthy crushes tend to mess with the noggin.)

Cole Hamels falls under the "healthy" crush. Why? Well for starters he is married and has kids. Second he is not only an amazing pitcher but he also is very generous about his money. He has a charity foundation that helps underprivileged children. Talk about a big win when having a crush on someone. This is also a healthy crush because I know that nothing will ever come of this crush (not that it would matter either way because A. He is older than me, B. He is a famous MLB player and yeah that is all that occurs to me as to why we aren't together. I think it was a good thing that he was already married when this crush developed.

Colbert Michael "Cole" Hamels

Now let us move onto my "unhealthy" crush. Yes sad to say it, but it does exist. Even I am not strong enough to withstand the evils of it.

GORDON HAYWARD.

Yes I realize that both of my crushes stem from the world of sports. Now just because I say that weird things can come from unhealthy crushes (i.e. heavy doses of daydreams, jealous rage (in my defense it only happened for like 10 mins. tops!) and so on and so forth) doesn't mean that they will all appear. Let us just say that I hope Gordon Hayward marries soon for my sake and the sake of my sanity, yes my sanity is in danger. Remember that one time I met Gordon Hayward? Oh and when my sister gave him my phone number? Oh or when all my hopes and dreams were dashed when my cousin Patti said that lots of girls were after Hayward?? Yeah I feel a fit of jealous rage coming on...

But really, why anyone doesn't go into a jealous rage over that cute face is beyond me

Crushes can be a good thing, I will probably always have a healthy crush on Hamels (but for my future husbands sake I won't let him know when we are married) and one day I hope that I can have a healthy crush on Hayward (therefore cutting off all the nasty roots of what the fake relationship is now... boy it is bad!!)

Ha. Now that I am done with this post and this embarrassing reveal....

Who do you have a crush on?