"I'm the squire in Caroline's quest for attention. "

1. When you go home, prepare to listen to msnbc 24/7.

2. Feed your mental hamster

3. Dianna Agron was in Burlesque?!

4. Crank it up.

Hellooo, Megan here and I am relaxing in a la-z-boy, as all my friends in town (and former teachers) are enjoying the snow day that my district has finally decided to allow as soon as I leave. :P

The title is a quotation from one of my favorite movies, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, which I really need to watch again.  Ever notice how the perfect playlist can do anything?  My friend drove Melissa, Sally, and I home on her way to MPLS and ultimately, Wisconsin, and she prepared an 11 hour playlist for her drive.  It had everything from Led Zepplin to Rent, to Glee and Owl City.  I thoroughly enjoyed the ride.

Playlists are like that.  They can be a mix of everything to get you through a road trip, powerful enough to get you through that long awaited hour-long workout, sad enough to make you cry, happy enough to make you forget a rough day, calm enough to lull you to sleep when you're worried about something, and just plain awesome enough to make a night with friends epic.  I'm listening to an Owl City playlist at the moment.  No regrets.

I always seem to have music going, just to give my life a soundtrack or drown out the silence, and when I'm in a car with friends that music gets turned up a little bit, just because it's us.  And honestly, when it's 10 pm and you're timing the lights just so you can speed over the bumps in a new intersection, who says you shouldn't be rocking out to Domino by Jessie J or Stereo Hearts by Gym Class Heroes?  No one, that's who.

Music plays into our lives in ways that are hard to describe and explain whether we perform it or just listen to it, and a whole bunch of wise and famous people have commented on this notion.  My favorite quotations are "Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life."  -Berthold Auerbach and "Take a music bath once or twice a week for a few seasons.  You will find it is to the soul what a water bath is to the body."  -Oliver Wendell Holmes  

So go listen to something that either fits, or changes your mood.  Have fun with it and have a ridiculously fabulous week!

-Megan 
P.S. I am having so many issues formatting this thing to fit the other posts! Nicole, fix it. :P

Chords

1. Nutella is a great night time snack.
2. Don't slip on snow.
3. Keep the heat on in your room.
4. A single chord can bring so much.

This was my week.

My schedule looks insane right now. Purple is class, green is volunteering/work, brown is play practice, blue is campus events, and red is other. It seems as time goes along, I add more and more events and more colors - it's almost looking like an art project. I love being busy, so I'm ok with it. But the downside is I am missing out on the crazy shenanigans my friends are doing. It's weird not going to dinner with them or spending a few hours each night doing homework or jamming out while Sally plays guitar. It's almost secluding.

Tonight I went to Preston Pugmire's concert. In order for you to know what I'm talking about, check out one of his songs below.

Epic, huh? A few songs into his set, he starts to record/play a few different things...then he played the bass line. A few notes into it, instantly everyone knew he was playing "I Want You Back" by The Jackson 5. I found it absolutely crazy how one or two chords could indicate what song it was. Tons of songs have similar chords, but somehow that specific progression makes it unique.

These past few days of having a secluded feeling has taken a bit of a toll on me. My doubts get the best of me when I'm away from my friends; I think they will suddenly not want me anymore or I missed too much to know what's going on. But as soon as I enter their presence - a first chord, if you will - I know it's all ok.

My time away from my usual group of friends has also brought a few new first chords. I just had the first practice for a play I'm in (The Vagina Monologues) and I already know it's going to be a blast being around a cast of all females. Plus, spending time away from my friends allows me to appreciate the next chord with them that much more.

But sometimes that first chord isn't what you wanted or needed to hear. But even so, the song keeps on going and chords change and the key may even change. It all turns out and it resolves. The song eventually ends and another one starts.

So the next time a song starts or your schedule looks like mine, remember to listen for the first chord and anticipate the rest of the song.

Peace!

-Nicole