hopefully one finds many happy little bubbles in their life.

The Gold Is Gone

Check out my friend Jared Salvatore in this YouTube video.


The song is one of the many beautiful songs my talented friends have written recently.


the gold is gone- Jared

“Quit pondering on your problems for faith and courage will be your medicine.”

my great aunt jean died yesterday.

i've only met her maybe a dozen times in my life, but she always struck me as a genuinely wonderful person.

once, when i was maybe five or six, my sister needed an MRI so my parent's took me to stay with my aunt jean and aunt eleanor for the day. i sat in their living room in the dark for hours watching tv. i was so scared of them, i have no idea why.

late in the afternoon my aunt jean brought me into the kitchen, and taught me how to make sponge cake. we sat there for the rest of the afternoon eating cake and strawberries. it's my favorite memory of her.

every time i saw her, she would always say what a beautiful girl i was... and it makes me wonder, what makes someone beautiful to someone old? it has to be different than the way that men, my friends, even my parents think of me, right?

is it easy to see beauty in people when you've been around for a long time? Or does it make you feel like the world isn't such a beautiful place? maybe it's all in the person's outlook. i'm not sure. is it faith in people?

my mom sent me a stumble upon link to "divine caroline" today, and it was a excerpt about Faith.

the last line read...

“If you believe and faith comes and helps you, you will not suffer any longer. If it doesn’t work for you, you will be right back where you started. You have nothing to lose when you believe"

Amen to that.

summer time

So the first two weeks of summer have gone splendidly (I really like that word).

Still no job besides the writing center, but I am loving life more than I have in a long time. Having a great group of summer friends, a pool at my apartment complex, and nothing to do all day or night, has made time go slow for the first time in a long time.

Although I'm looking, I'm in no hurry to find a job right now. I have just enough money to get me through summer without starving. If I don't find a job, well, I'll live. Last summer I worked 40 hours a week for the whole summer. This summer, after such a stressful and not-fun year, I am really enjoying just finally having some time to myself.

Right now I'm tutoring, although tutees are few and far between for summer I am finding out. It's still good to get on campus and out of my apartment twice a week. I'm becoming increasingly afraid of turning into a recluse.

Ha.

here is the scene where you save the day

it's a beautiful day in central pennsylvania.

check out stars. really good. i love bands with female leads.

bluebird don't fly too far, i won't know where you are

check out paper rival, i'm really digging them.

www.myspace.com/paperrival

100 Guitars

My mom and I went to 100 Guitars tonight, it was a concert put on my by the Collective, my old music school. It was outrageous. Dave Brambaugh is a genius. I really miss the Collective, and especially him, a lot. He was the greatest teacher I ever had. He really taught me discipline and respect for the art of playing music, and playing it well. I remember distinctly the night my senior year of high school when he made me cry... I was working at a bar, taking three dance classes, running my church's youth group, and playing in "Pocketbook Assault" Uptown's only girl band. He told me that if I wasn't going to practice to just leave and not come back. He said I shouldn't waste his time. No one had ever told me that I was wasting there time before.. I was so upset, it taught me a really valuable lesson about managing my time. It was one of many, many great things Dave taught me that didn't even relate to music.

Looking at Dave up on stage tonight, with a 100 of the many hundreds of students that have come through his doors the last eight years, and it's amazing that he has changed so many lives..I remember my senior year of high school getting a certificate from Catholic Relief Services after I did the Tsunami dinner at Annunciation, and they sent me a certificate that said "I had changed the world." I was so excited at the time to think that something that I did had made a difference in other people's lives, but somewhere between school, my own life, and my own selfish wants and desires, I have lost sight of helping other people...

I need to do that. Figure out what I can do to change lives I mean. Like my dad has always said to me, "look outside of your three foot circle and pay attention to whats around you."

Say Cheri Cheri

I went to Barrel 135 with Gina and Josh tonight to see Mallory play. I guess the place is new, who knew Williamsport had a wine bar? Mal was outrageously good as always, a lot of people from home were there too which was nice.

One of the songs Mallory played was 32 Flavors by Ani DiFranco, and, to me, it has always been one of those songs I forget about for a while, but then come back to later. I forgot how amazing it was. God, I love that song.

It also reminded me of the beginning of my love for playing guitar. I remember going to Rockstation and picking up my first Ani album. I used to have a poster of her in my room, too. What a bad ass woman. My all girl rock band, I had a great childhood.

Mal also played Martin Sexton, a bunch of Counting Crows, some Traci Chapman... it was a great show, good atmosphere, and good friends.

Bed time!!

Home...

I know, I know... it's been forever... too too long. It's summer though, so I'm back for good!!

I came to a strange realization tonight, it was the first time I felt like since I came to college... I got incredibly heart sick for home. I actually had an ache in my heart. A commercial for the Who! came on, and made me flashback to all these childhood memories, times in the car... listen to Clapton, the Who!, Mott the Hoople, Blue Oyster Cult. I love those memories...

It makes me think of the Garden State quote,

"You know that point in your life when you realize that the house that you grew up in isn't really your home anymore? All of the sudden even though you have some place where you can put your stuff that idea of home is gone. You'll see when you move out it just sort of happens one day one day and it's just gone. And you can never get it back. It's like you get homesick for a place that doesn't exist. I mean it's like this rite of passage, you know. You won't have this feeling again until you create a new idea of home for yourself, you know, for your kids, for the family you start, it's like a cycle or something. I miss the idea of it. Maybe that's all family really is. A group of people who miss the same imaginary place."

Outrageous.

A Bittersweet Symphony

A Bittersweet Symphony

His quiet confidence and hint of dangerousness make him immediately intriguing. Tall, dark, and handsome, he has that charm New England boys all seem to possess. He is rough and rugged, confident, with a strong pride in where he came from—he is a product of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. He is the rebel in a family of over-achievers. The succession of two brothers graduating with honors from Princeton and Penn State, and the older brother to a sister, a seventeen-year-old lacrosse star. Trading his education for a shot at fame, he quit college at eighteen to move to New York City and play guitar, but that was just the beginning. Now, after a series of downward spirals, twenty-two-year old Brian Alexander (more commonly known by his stage name Nodd Morris) has ended up here again to give Penn State— and a sober life— one last shot. A rolling stone, it’s still anyone’s guess how long he will stay this time.

A rebellious character with good intentions, Nodd’s nervous habits and tired eyes prove immediately that he isn’t an average college student. Almost immediately after meeting Nodd, you are struck by a sense of familiarity. As you process what he says, his expressions, his look, it hits you— he is a modern day James Dean. With his disheveled, dark hair and strong bone structure, you’re instantly struck by his attractiveness, especially when he is on stage. He has the ability to engage every girl in the room with one chord progression. His wardrobe is predictable— a combination of thermal shirts and worn-out jeans. He plays only in Wolverine work boots or a well-worn pair of loafers.

Aside from his good looks and charm, Nodd has other characteristics similar to Dean. He speaks openly and profoundly about death. Many times he mentions the possibility of dying from his addictions, living life in the fast lane, and burning out before his time. “I believe that music is a form of self-medication for me. Without it, all of my ideas and feelings would well up in my chest until I died of a heart attack. Music is his only salvation.”

His story is the sordid tale of the addiction and struggle of State College’s “guitar boy”—the boy who claims to always have symphonies of music playing in his head; “Because I always have music in my head, I came up with the stage name Nodd. I am always nodding my head to the music playing inside of it. When you search for Brian Alexander on Google, thousands of hits pop up. How many people do you know named “Nodd?” It’s a good name for a performer.”

Nodd is best known in State College for his gigs at Café 210 West, where he plays guitar every Tuesday night. Café 210 is an intimate spot on a week night; Nodd’s audience usually only includes a few people, mostly employees, serving the few Tuesday nighters half-price pitchers and drafts. The room is dark and smoky; it smells of cigarettes and beer. It strikes you as the last place a recovering addict should be. Nodd interacts with the audience often making jokes about himself and his addictions, telling stories, and taking unusual requests. He is a favorite among the Tuesday night crowd because he is not afraid of embarrassing himself on stage. Nodd, at least in this atmosphere, is an open book. He is in his element. While most are intoxicated by their pitchers of beer, Nodd is punch-drunk on his own lyrics. He expresses that being on stage is the only high he still receives.

Nodd is talented— more so than many of the amateur musicians seen strumming away at coffee and frat houses at Penn State. He is talented enough that he's currently signed with A&R Select, the premier indie A&R label in Hollywood, which produced his first album appropriately titled Burning Bridges. His producer, Jimmy Parr, recently produced Carly Simon’s new album, Into White.

Nodd describes his style as “indie pop rock.” He identifies Paul McCartney as his biggest influence, always referring to him as “Paul,” as if the two have been friends for years. As well as writing his own music, Nodd covers a wide range of genres at his shows at Café 210. His extensive cover list includes Britney Spears’ “Hit Me Baby, One More Time” and the select stylings of G. Love and the Special Sauce. He plays classic rock like The Beatles and The Doors frequently. Led Zeppelin and CCR are also among his favorites. On a good night, you can catch him playing his “special medley”— an intriguing mix of melodies spanning all genres.

There is one song, however, that Nodd will not play. He does not “do Freebird,” as he puts it, and, by the inflection in his voice, you can tell he is serious. As a few unlucky patrons have learned, if you ask for Freebird, Nodd will embarrass you. One night, a very intoxicated man screamed “Freebirddddddddd” during a song change. Nodd quickly responded, “Dude, for a second there you almost seemed cool. You never scream out ‘Freebird,’ dude, never.”

Sitting in his one room apartment on East Beaver Avenue, it was immediately apparent that I had picked a bad day to talk to a Boston sports fan— it was the Celtics pre-season opener. With plenty of time to browse his surroundings, I found that Nodd fit the quintessential “starving artist” stereotype. His apartment is smaller than the average dorm room. No light shines through the small window above his bed. With cracked walls and little lighting, his apartment looks like a luxury prison cell. Amongst the piles of clothes and clutter there is only a bed and small set of kitchen appliances, a guitar in the corner. The room is unlivable, even by most college student’s standards. He jokes, however, that after being in jail, his apartment is “quite spacious.” As you get to know Nodd better, you wouldn’t expect his apartment to look any other way.

“Fuck! That was a sick shot! Did you just see that?” Nodd yells, staring intently at the game on TV. Sitting on a chair next to his bed, it’s impossible to get more than a word from him before his voice trails off and he starts rambling obscenities at the muted television screen; flecks of potato chip and turkey sandwich catapulting from his mouth. Nodd Morris has a lovely mouth. During a break in the game, he looks over intently and asks the same question that he asked a dozen times over that last half hour, “Sorry what did you say?” even when nothing has been said. Finally, half way through the game, he begins to tell his story.

In the length of the Celtics halftime, Nodd describes almost a decade of addiction and struggle. From growing up with hopes of becoming a basketball star, to selling those dreams to drugs and alcohol, Nodd spins an incredible tale. He dropped out of Penn State at eighteen, entered in rehab in Minnesota at twenty, and relapsed a few weeks after finishing the program. He fondly recalls being the group leader at the Hazleton Rehabilitation Center. When asked about his experience there he explains, “It was awesome— I ran the fucking place.” The stint in rehab had little effect on Nodd’s sobriety. “I wasn’t going to the rehab center to get clean. I was facing up to twelve years in prison for selling drugs. All I wanted to do was stay the fuck out of jail.” Proving that Nodd’s power of persuasion, he once even convinced a friend to help him buy an RV decorated with Penn State paraphernalia, in which they sold marijuana to make money, and played music to pass the time.

After rehab, he spent six months in Centre County Prison, and then moved back to Martha’s Vineyard to be an electrician. After a few months of working, he realized that he needed a change. Nodd decided it was time to try to graduate from college one last time. His first semester back, he made Dean’s List, an impressive feat after he had been temporarily expelled after earning a 1.44 GPA in his first attempt at Penn State. Nodd is currently a sophomore studying business. He hopes that with his degree he will some day be able to produce artists like himself.

His road to recovery, however, has already had its bumps. Nodd recently suffered a minor heart attack from his drugs and alcohol addiction. He’ll tell you proudly that for the first time in years he is not “on something.” He has stopped smoking cigarettes and drinking coffee. Every time you see him, he has a water bottle in hand to fight the temptation to drink. If you smoke around him, he will crack jokes about how unhealthy it is, but when you look into his dark eyes, you can see how desperately he is trying to keep from asking to bum a cigarette.

“I’m a masochist.” He takes a long sip of water. “A masochist as well as an addict— I like the pain of getting tattoos. It’s an addiction just like everything else in my life.” It’s a commercial break during the Celtics game and Nodd pulls up his shirt sleeve to display the Alcoholics Creed tattooed on his left shoulder. In the shape of a cross it displays the Creed’s motto: “serenity, courage, wisdom.” He then shows the treble and bass clef that he has tattooed on his ribs. “This one hurt like a bitch,” he explains as he pulls up his shirt. “When I first told my dad I was getting a tattoo he said, ‘No, absolutely not,’ but when he started thinking of all the other shit I’ve done— well let’s just say the tattoo wasn’t such a big deal anymore.” He pauses and reflects. “He’s real conservative. He wants me to be what I’m not. I don’t know, I guess that’s why I get along with my mom. She’s a little more liberal. She tries to understand what I do.”

He is most proud of grandfather’s World War II dog tags, which he wears around his neck. “These keep me sober,” he says. “I’m not really sure why I drink. I have an addictive personality, I guess. My grandfather did too. He helps me stay clean.” As he tucks the tags back under his thermal shirt, he explains that his thermal is unique. He is right. When you look at the tag on the back, it reads: “Property of Centre County Prison.”

At a month sober, Nodd is sitting in my apartment. Some time over the last few weeks, Nodd and I have become friends. He is excited about his recovery. He looks over at me and says, “Being sober now, it’s amazing. You name it I’ve done it, Speed, Coke, all of it. I decided to give up everything. All I wanted was to do drugs and be a rock star, but I had to stop. How many twenty-two-year olds do you know that have had a heart attack?” He gets quiet, contemplative. He relaxes again and taps his water bottle on the table, presumably to the music playing in his head. He still gets panic attacks. He still has urges to drink. He’s still a long way from clean and sober.

His addiction has turned from drugs and alcohol to music. He is facing his demons. Nodd Morris is ready to stay clean, but Brian Alexander may be a different story. Nodd sits at the bar every Tuesday night with his water, looking out at everyone with a beer in their hand and a cigarette pursed between their lips, yet the temptation doesn’t break him, or at least it hasn’t yet. I look up at him playing, sweetly singing Neil Young’s “Heart of Gold,” I am reminded of something Nodd said the first time we met. “I’m not saying it’s not hard. It’s hard. It’s fucking hard, but I’m doing it, I have to.” He paused, concentrated hard on his words, and then finished his thought: “I like thinking the way that I do now— musically, I mean. It’s the only thing that’s going to keep me alive.”

***

We sit down six months later over coffee. As he walks over to the table, water bottle still in hand, I’m surprised by how happy I am to see him. We catch up for a while; about his new girlfriend, his music projects, his academics. Having just finished recording his second album, Love Wall, Nodd says he is “worn out, but happy.” He smiles and takes off his aviator sunglasses.

He explains that his life now is a house of cards. Everything is beautiful, but he is waiting for it to all come crashing down. When asked about his sobriety, he explains that he is still sober, but it’s a daily struggle. “My sobriety is like doggy paddling; I feel like I could do it forever, but I’m always afraid of getting too far from shore.”

Musically, however, Nodd is at his best. “I’m trying to gear Love Wall towards a more intellectual crowd. I’m getting tired of the bar scene.” He explains that there has been “a lot of growth” since Burning Bridges (an album he says was inspired by jail, drugs, and his addiction.) He believes that Love Wall captures his essence as an artist. Nodd is finally discovering his identity as a musician. “I want people to listen to the new album and know that my favorite color is red. If I can figure out my sound, who I really am, well then I guess everything else will come.”

new blog title?

I'm thinking about changing my blog name to don't undress the mannequin... a la the brilliant Charles Bukowski... it fits the purpose of my blog... my love of all things literature and my passion for fashion. i was hoping to have a title that i would never want to change, but maybe it is time.

Thoughts?

slacker

i know, i know. i'm slacking.

finals this week and next week.

can't wait for summer.

got an email from rolling stone about being an editorial intern for their website tonight. outrageous, right? i have to email them writing samples by wednesday.

this just pretty much illustrates the fact that i'm pretty damn bad ass.

tegan and sara are awesome. download nineteen.

cheers...

Mecca

This is where I want to be....

Taken by fashion photographer Eugenio Recuenso


Check him out at
http://www.mdolla.com/2008/04/fashion-photographer-eugenio-recuenso.html

I know, I know I'm a nerd...

I just found this site, which is a compilation of the 100 best first lines in novels.

It's great.

Yes. This is what I do when I don't go out on my Saturday night.

http://americanbookreview.org/100BestLines.asp

carpe diem?

Today was not a good day by any means. Luckily, I got a lot done.

I finally got my clothes all washed, I re-organized my closet, cleaned the whole apartment...

I should have been at the Blue and White game, but due to this new divorced parents bullshit, well, it fucks up lots of aspects of your life.

I needed to get things done though, so I'm glad I took the day to do all the things that I did.

I also got a fortune cookie tonight that I think says something really important to all I was just complaining about..

"The stars appear every night in the sky. All is well."

This is true, I needed to see that.

I walked outside tonight to take out the garbage and it was so beautiful out. Warm and breezy. Hopefully this weather will help me remember that all is well. God damn it, all I want to do is live my own life. Is that is that so hard to ask. When was it decided that I had to be the parents to my parents?

I'm watching Iron Chef which I love. That brings me a little bit of pleasure. It's the coffee episode. I like this one.

So, while watching, I am also Stumbling Upon to see what I can find. I found this...

http://www.needles-pens.com/plrdkiddartsale.html

I am jealous of two things. The documentary photographer himself, because that would be the most brilliant job in the world..

Anddd, for some strange reason, the railroad kids.

What would life be like if I didn't need money, or talk to my childish parents, or finish school?

What if I could just see the world. Do whatever the hell I feel like doing.

I think about MK who is Thailand. Her and a backpack. No parents, no school, no bullshit.

I know I would miss home, and my family, and my friends...

But at the same time I know I would miss them eventually.

Fuck. I just want to give up my phone, my internet (only using my laptop for writing I can upload later)

I want adventure. Or at least something different. I want to breathe, I want to grow. I want to just say fuck you to Penn State, to my school loans, to grades, and tests and stupid politico bullshit in the organizations I am in.

I want to leave and have people follow my travels through this.

I'm just so sheltered, and suffocated, all of these things I don't think about all the time but when I do, they hit hard.

I am so much more independent that I have ever been.

I want to live in a shack, eat pomegranates, listen to good music. I want to drink only tea and grow my own vegetables. I want to read for as many hours a day as my eyes can stand, I want it to be a constant 72 degrees.

I know I'm saying I want a lot right now, but I need the change.

I may be independent enough, but I'm not sure if I'm brave enough just yet.

Blogging for OTR

It's official, I'm now a Penn State blogger for www.collegeotr.com.


My handle is kmm5o83 so check out all the insightful things I have to say about life at Penn State!!

eight days

I found this the other day and thought I would put it on here. It was the voice mail/piano song that my ex-boyfriend Chris made after our break up when I went to college. It's intense, and the piano part is beautiful. Check it out.

If you open the link, it should open with whatever music player you use.

http://h1.ripway.com/kmm5083/01EightDays.m4a

Oh, and the voicemail is about me accidentally calling him another ex-boyfriend when I was drunk.. haha, oops.

honest to blog...

JUNO comes out todayyy. Yes. That girl is amazing. She is also the only other person I know who has a pet named Banana.

new poetry!!

And if I could.
I would.
Say it in a second.
In a word.
Or two.
Or three.
Who am I kidding?
When I talk--
I talk for hours.
About nothing.
About everything.
All at the same time.
It’s how I am.
And how you are.
Which is why
If I could.
I would.
Say it in a second.
In a heartbeat.
In a synapse.
In one syllable.
It would be the perfect word.
Or two.
Or three.
That’s who I am.
The keeper of perfect words.
If only I knew,
When to spill them out.

This is Hollywood Baby, What's Your Dream?

I really want to watch Pretty Woman after talking about The Pirates of Penzance last night.

I love that movie. Richard Gere is so sexy.

I'm exhausted and don't have much to say. I am going to work on putting up some new writing samples up this week.

I also think I am going to get my burning heart tattoo this week. I'm so excited.

I've been thinking about London a lot again. I have to go soon.

Okay, it's nap time.

high school kids, macs, and michael moore

As I was coming into the library to work on my paper, I saw a group of high school seniors taking their college tour of Penn State. I feel so weird when I see them, because I remember looking at kids like me going into the library when I looking at schools... and now, I only have two semesters left. Those kids looked so old, and now that kid is me.

Life goes by so fast.

On another note, I really want to get a Mac. Since I'm an art kid, I guess I probably should.

Now, I have to write my paper about how empirical evidence shows watching Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 affected public opinion in the 2004 election. Blahhhh.

Back to Life in Separate Towns

Since coming home yesterday afternoon I have been itching to write on my blog about the road trip this weekend that was, to put it in no uncertain terms, fucking awesome. So here it is.. creatively written in letter form to our favorite musicians...


Dear Lucas et al.,

I was getting coffee at Panera this afternoon, waiting for my bus to come back to the apartment, and as I was standing there pouring my raw sugar in my styrofoam cup, I was so sad... realizing I wasn't taking it back to the table with all of you... listening to whoever is playing, singing along with the table...taking pictures of the most ridiculous things... "

"Alicia, you know that has caffeine in it, right?"

Oh no, I was taking the stupid Cata bus to my apartment so I can work on all the work I didn't do this weekend.

It didn't help that in class today, I just thought about our badass Huntin' hats (which is sitting right next to me) they really are sexy...

And it didn't help when I was on the bus that I saw a Lucas Carpenter look alike walking down Beaver....

Or that I was listening to Shotgun Wedding on my iPod...

Or that I was anticipating more picture comments from all of you on Facebook...

I don't know how we all fit together like we did. It was a strange thing. We were all a part of this random anomaly that none of us expected.. it was a perfect combination of personalties.
Which reminds me of a quote from one of my favorite movies, Stranger Than Fiction, and even though this reference is a little heavy, bear with me, I know you'll all know exactly what I mean. At the end Will Ferrell's voice says,

"And we must remember that all these things, the nuances, the anomalies, the subtleties, which we assume only accessorize our days, are effective for a much larger and nobler cause. They are here to save our lives."

I have had that on my Facebook for a long time, and even though I liked it, it never quite fit with my life, and now it does. All three of us girls have had a rough year; bad break-ups, parent's
divorcing, losing a sibling... and for the last few days, we were all just happy. Alicia and I haven't been like we were yesterday... driving down 15 in the sun, singing and laughing and being silly.... in so long.

And Julie felt the same, I knew this when she said, almost spitting out a mouth full of $4.50 carrot cake from laughing, when she said to me..."where have you been all my life?"

it was my brilliant assertion, "it doesn't matter what we do, we're across state lines..."

To put it simply, we're glad to have met you.

It was a random chance that we have all said has been pretty awesome. I had no idea that when I went into Sozo's by myself Wednesday, so mad at all the girls for being late and making me sit there by myself, would have turned into a road trip to Rochester...

You guys are amazing, and I think for the first time in a long time, the coolest girls I know (us, obviously) got to finally see what it's like to be around guys that aren't douchebags. Like Alicia said, guys we can be friends with...

Guys you can discuss the size of Dawson's head with at 4 am in a Motel 6, three to a bed with the best blanket I haver seen in my life...

So, I guess what I'm saying here, is thanks. You all keep thanking us for coming to the shows, but thanks, for being fun and talented enough to make us want to keep coming to see you.

If you ever need tambourine, triangle, or kazoo players... you know we will drop everything and hit the road...

'Til the next adventure don't be too sad to not see our faces in the crowd....

Love,

Katie and the Band-Aids

Bat your eyes girl, be otherwordly, count your blessings, seduce a stranger...

So I just got selected to be a "chief contributor" at Penn State to CollegeOTR.com.

Pretty awesome. The site is cool, check it out. I am so excited to be working on this since it's blog based. With all of this blogging, I'm thinking maybe online magazine is the way to go... at least to start my career off.

I scheduled my classes for next semester the other day. 11 credits to graduate. 11!! I can't believe it. Where has college gone?!

Today is so busy. I got up showered, ate ramen noodles, submitted a sample blog to OTR, went to class (no group project meeting after... woo!), at the lib now for a few more mins, meeting with Nodd at 445 to talk about his music career so I can update my bad-ass-soon-to-be-published essay about him, Lucas Carpenter show at 730 (i'm missing Anne Coulter which I actually really wanted to see what she had to say, but oh well), and then VALLEY magazine release party at Cell Block til 2.

What a crazy day. This is how most of April is going to go I think. Hopefully I can stay on top of everything.

I have had Warning stuck in my head today too. I love that song.

Kudos to those who can see through the sickness--
(kudos squared if you knew that was the song)

Merci Beaucoup, To you. -Tim Reynolds

I went to see Tim Reynolds with Gina on Saturday night at the State Theatre. Tim, who is most widely known for his collaboration with Dave Matthews, was absolutely out of this world (I am not speaking completely figuratively either, he literally put on "alien antennas" and acted like an extra-terrestrial). His guitar skills were second to none.


Mind you, this comment comes from the girl who when asked in third grade to name a classical musician (i.e. Beethoven, Mozart) raised her hand and said Eric Clapton.

There are no words to explain how excellent that show was. I think Joe said it best when he said "Dude, that melted my face off."

Not only was he talented, he played for three hours. The show (which was only $18 to begin with) started at 8, and he played until almost 10, then took an intermission. When he started playing again around 10 30, we thought he'd play a few more songs. We were wrong. Tim played for another hour. He played til 11 30 (making up for the intermission even).

I was impressed, thrilled, moved. Wow. That show was incredible.

Tim Reynolds really makes you think, Dave who?


Tim Reynolds is a Guitar Hero.


GO SEE HIM!!

Multi-Modal Project is Up!!

Today I presented my multi-modal identity project to my English 250 class.

There is a link on the right hand side of this blog, or click here:

katemcdmm.blogspot.com

I got really great feedback, and most importantly, I was really proud of it. My class seemed really receptive to the contents, and a lot of people told me how impressive it looked.

I really love it. It turned out much better than I expected.

Hope you enjoy it..

Katie says: "Barack Obama is Not My Hero. " *gasps and looks of digust from all Penn State students*

"Those who stand for nothing fall for anything."
-- Alexander Hamilton

So many love Obama, but do they know anything about him?

We all need hope but are we looking in the right places?

Are my peers jumping on the Obama wagon because it's cool?

Don't we need to look at ourselves, our values, our own individuality before we have a stranger tell us what we need?

Do we need what Barack Obama tells us we need?

What is this "change" Obama is promising?

Is it this??
www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-galesburg_obama_webfeb01,1,6024020.story

Maybe This??
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/03/us/politics/03exelon.html

Do some research on Obama's response to infanticide taking place in his home state of Illinois.

Is this what he believes is effective health care?

Check out this article written by Rick Santorum.

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/opinion/16066877.html

I am not an uber-conservative; I don't hate people that have abortions. There is a big difference though, between abortions within the first trimester, and abortions happening to an almost full term baby. When a Senator shows no mercy for something that is obviously a living, breathing BABY that could live outside the womb, he shows no compassion for human life. Do you know what they do during a partial birth abortion?? Maybe he should be for the war instead of against it.

I would like to see a change in the world as much as the next person...

But Barack Obama is not my hero.

everyday she writes words and more words...

Far Far is now the song on my blog. This song is exactly what I was trying to say in the last post. This is a song by Yael Naim, who's song New Soul is that catchy little ditty on the new Macbook commercial. She is awesome. She also does a haunting rendition of Britney Spear's Toxic. Check it out.


Far Far- Yael Naim

Far far, there's this little girl
she was praying for something to happen to her
everyday she writes words and more words
just to speak out the thoughts that keep floating inside
and she's strong when the dreams come cos' they
take her, cover her, they are all over
the reality looks far now, but don't go

how can you stay outside?
there's a beautiful mess inside
how can you stay outside?
there's a beautiful mess inside
oh oh oh oh

far far, there's this little girl
she was praying for something good to happen to her
from time to time there are colors and shapes
dazzling her eyes, tickling her hands
they invent her a new world with
oil skies and aqualung rivers
but don't you run away already
please don't go oh oh

how can you stay outside?
there's a beautiful mess inside
how an you stay outside?
there's a beautiful mess inside


take a deep breath and dive
there's a beautiful mess inside
how can you stay outside?
There's a beautiful mess
beautiful mess inside

oh beautiful, beautiful

far far there's this little girl
she was praying for something big to happen to her
every night she ears beautiful strange music
it's everywhere there's nowhere to hide
but if it fades she begs
"oh lord don't take it from me, don't take it yourselves"

i guess i'll have to give it birth
to give it birth
i guess, i guess, i guess i have to give it birth
i guess i have to, have to give it birth
there's a beautiful mess inside and it's everywhere

so shake it yourself now deep inside
deeper than you ever dared
deeper than you ever dared
there's a beautiful mess inside
beautiful mess inside

It's a Strange Condition...

I haven't written a personal entry in a while, so I figured it was about time. The entry below this one is for a multi-modal English project I am working on. The idea of the project is to define your identity as a writer in some other way that just words. My blog seemed to be the perfect fit.

I have been working hard on it lately. It was neglected for so long. School is tough this year, home is tougher. I'm not sure where to begin, or even if I want to. Let's just say, growing up isn't easy. I thought that I was grown up before now, but this year has taught me, like everything, growing up is a process. There isn't one day where BAM! I'm an adult now. This year has taught me that. So many things have just knocked me down, luckily, my faith and good friends have helped me back on my feet.

I am looking forward to this summer and next year. I am hoping to hear back from some of the places I have applied for internships soon. My future is so bright, and I know that. I think that's another thing that keeps me going.

I can see myself growing as a writer this year. That is the most beautiful thing to me. I have learned to take criticism and it's been very helpful in advancing my writing abilities. I always heard that if you give a little you get a lot. This is so true. The little that I have given has really helped me grow as a writer, and as a person.

All I want to do is write. Forever and ever. I want to be a great story teller. I want to be like Joan Didion, who I think is absolutely brilliant. I know I keep saying this, but for some reason I am realizing this today. I am so blessed. There are so many good things on the horizon, and although sometimes I feel like I'll never get there, I will just keep moving. But what else can I really do?

It felt good to write this. Really good.


<3

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