Video of the Week

Okay, here's how this is going to work. It's not necessary, but before watching the actual Video of the Week, you need to first watch at least a little bit of each of the preceeding videos. Okay, you don't have to watch.......that is, if you are already a Nickel Creek fan!!!! :D






Okay, now for the feature film... ;)

I Feel Rejuvenated!!

So yesterday I went to Wake Tech for my British Literature class. Most of you should know that I have a lot of fun in that class, so you can imagine my great and terrible disappointment when we (Elizabeth B. and me, that is) walked around the corner and there was nobody waiting in front of the classroom. A couple friends walking from the door of the classroom informed Elizabeth and me that the class was cancelled, but to sign the role on the door before leaving. With a great reluctance that only Elizabeth seemed to understand, I drearily signed my name and then stared off into the distance, wondering what to do for the next hour and a half. I was still in quite a slump that I had gotten into Monday morning (the same one that caused me to slackishly skip the morning and then the evening Masters swim practices), so by this time I had officially concluded it was not a Monday thing, but just a "thing" brought upon by some unknown source which cause un-productivity and feelings of meaningless and slight depression...as well as a lack of motivation. I can hear you all going, "Oh...that kind of slump...is 'slump' even the right word?"


Yes, that kind...and I don't know. That's why I'm hearing you all asking whether slump is the right word.


Suddenly it occurred to me as I looked out into the Tobacco-haze that there was a McDonald's up the street and that they had coffee. Good coffee. I suggested this to Elizabeth and she said that perhaps we should go to this other place instead...which has a name that I cannot remember, but it's very like Starbucks. And, preferring the coffee-shop environment to the very plastic-feeling environment at McDonald's, I agreed.


While we were there we got to talking (okay, we were already talking, but once we sat down we started talking about something else) about slumps. Apparently she had been in one, too. So we talked, and decided that the best way to get out of it was to actually do something (a little altering of advice from a couple of Bible studies, the book of Revelations, and Dr. Laura played a little part). So we got our school stuff and made a decision to work on it. So we started discussing Beowulf, and then a friend from Elizabeth's sculpture class came in and we talked a while with her...and then we had to go. But when we got up, everything was different. All that talking about slumps and making official decisions to DO something and not be in them anymore.........made all the difference. We felt great!!!

That morning I had driven with a straight face, staring straight ahead, with the windows cracked and the music on, but not very high. I was bored, and wanted nothing better than to be rid of my brain so I could just stop thinking altogether. After the coffee shop, I rolled the windows all the way down, blasted my music (Nickel Creek, for the record), and completely rocked out. I had to set cruise control so I wouldn't go too fast.....

The rest of my day was spent relatively well. Instead of being in a fog I was Claritin Clear, in a great big bubble of happiness, bouncing around, smiling and singing and feeling so amazingly joyful that I couldn't imagine going back to being in such a funk. Lesse...I wrote a blog for the Quotes Only blog, looked up squash recipes, decided to make up my own recipe instead, went squash-shopping, picked up Marck, Hannah, and Noah from swim (in the mean time speaking for a brief moment to the rest of my homies), came home, experimented with the squash, ate said experiments, decided they were good, but to not put so much sugar on them next time, made a video with Marck, worked on my Beowulf composition (it's sounding better since I'm out of that darned mood and can actually think straight), sat around outside with no point whatsoever but didn't mind, and cleaned up the kitchen. I feel absolutely fantastic.

And there's water polo tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes, I do believe there's such a thing as over-use of exclaimation points. What are you trying to say?

Testing Using Toxic...

Don't worry...it's just Nickel Creek. AGAIN!!! But I'm going to put a video on here if it's the last thing I do! And Chris Thile is just too funny in this video...

Cute...I like them...

Now, I've never posted a video before. If this doesn't work in the next ten minutes, I'll just post a link to it. Be prepared for a lot of banging around as I attempt to figure this all out:

Okay, you can officially forget it. I hate computers. Um...if somebody who already knows how to put youtube videos on a blog post could ever-so-nicely explain it to me, I'd be much obliged and forever in your debt. In the mean time, watch these two girls in this funny little film:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apaxo6WJm-g

Oh, and while I'm at it...here's a couple Rhett and Link videos of the two songs they played at Bible study that aren't on their albums...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCu5ojNlpi0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqmJ4pZkXlQ

And there's no need to forget my obsession with Nickel Creek...EVER!!! Here's another video, this time with their song "Young":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PM5NF5UAhag

Have fun, and don't forget my video-from-the-internet posting lesson! :D

The Ocean-Side Holiday, Part One

Yes, yes, yes...I am attempting to come up with a more creative title than Lizzie again. I'll just admit that right off so I don't get any accusations.

So we're here on Emerald Isle at the beach until Monday. Yesterday, we got on the road late as usual (so perhaps we could just call it "right on time" by now, since we've been doing this annually for the past six years). Our first stop was a thrift shop called "Second Fling", where we always end up stopping on the way here. Our grandparents and aunt were there as well (they come with us to the beach). It's a big store, and they always have the biggest selection of used purses I've ever seen. As we all know, money likes to just slip through my fingers, but at least I make quick decisions. I bought two purses, one for a dollar and one for four dollars. The one for four dollars is the cream-colored twin of my brown purse I've had for a couple years now...I was very excited to find it, but my dad declared in a very prissy fashion that I couldn't carry it till after Easter. :P The other one is casual, has no compartments, and barely fits everything. But I like it anyways. It's just one of those ADD things...I need to change purses often.

Next we stopped at McCall's and got the buffet lunch. I ate a lot, of course. We had a few memories of March 2007 when we took a special trip to the Atlantis, a hotel on this same island that allows dogs, and we brought Nancy. We went to McCall's but we couldn't go in and eat because of the dog, so my dad let Nancy out to do her business in the grass next to the building, and my mom walked through the drive through.......um, anyways, after McCall's we drove the rest of the way to the beach, listening to "Bridge to Terabithia" on CD (I'm actually liking it). We got to the beach, celebrated, unloaded, got very hot, adjusted the air conditioner and turned on all the fans, and put on some shorts. Eventful, huh?

I watched Marck and Robert tumble about in the ocean for a while, before we all came in, and I started reading "Twilight." For a while I refused to read them...but after going into Harry Potter deprivation this summer, I thought it might be good for my soul to find a replacement series. Anne of Green Gables is a good series, but it's not close genre-wise to Harry Potter. And after a lot of "You should SO TOTALLY read the Twilight books...they're friggen AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!", I decided to investigate, asking some real people what they thought. Okay, everybody is a real person, but seriously...I asked people who gave me real advice, if you understand what I mean. Most either gave me a description, but one just told me flat-out what I wanted to know, and that was about the core elements. I'm on chapter six and I'm liking it so far, but I think it's definitely a girl book. But I think I'm liking it a lot better than what I was originally planning to read at the beach, "The Truth About Forever" by Sarah Dessen.

So I woke up this morning, and I thought we were having pancakes, but then we weren't. So we "just ate cereal and stared out the window......." that's a rephrasing from "Jefferson Aeroplane" by Relient K, if you didn't know. I like that song, it makes me happy. After breakfast I made a to-do list. Do you know how awful it is to have to make a to-do list for the beach? It's terrible. And you know why it is? I have to incorporate writing my rough draft for Brit Lit...on Beowulf. Whoopie. Can't you just see the enthusiasm on my face and hear the elated-ness in my voice? If you can't...you're not deaf or blind...I wouldn't mind doing it half as much if I didn't have to do it instead of doing beach things.

After making my mild depression-and-anxiety-inducing list, we got on our suits and sunscreen and headed for the water, where we again tumbled about for a couple hours. Of course, we got hungry again, so we came in and ate...I searched Beowulf for descriptions of Grendel...and then we started watching "Charlie and Lola." We have...an odd fascination with the show. We're not sure if it's healthy. Last year we spent all our time watching "Shaun the Sheep." Ah...good times, good times.

I went to Best Buy Wednesday night (running into Elayna in the process...um, not literally), and got the other two Nickel Creek CDs, "This Side" and "Why Should the Fire Die?" I can't decide which one I like better, but my favorite from "This Side" is a song called, "Green and Gray." Immediately after that song is the album-title song that I really like too.

Well, that's what's been happening these days. I love the beach. But now I've got to go out to the pool and teach Robert breastroke so he can make swim team next week...wish me luck!

Until I hail again from the beach,
Jessica

Sometimes other people say it better...

Incase you were wondering how I feel right now…it’s weird. This entry is long, but not because of me. I just put the lyrics to three songs on here…links so you can listen. I love these songs right now, and “Viva la Vida.” I didn’t put that on here, figuring that at this moment it’s popular enough…

SUDDENLY I SEE - -KT TUNSTALL
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-At6avvY_4

Her face is a map of the world
Is a map of the world
You can see she's a beautiful girl
She's a beautiful girl

And everything around her is a silver pool of light
The people who surround her feel the benefit of it
It makes you calm
She holds you captivated in her palm

Suddenly I see (Suddenly I see)
This is what I wanna be
Suddenly I see (Suddenly I see)
Why the hell it means so much to me

I feel like walking the world
Like walking the world
You can hear she's a beautiful girl
She's a beautiful girl

She fills up every corner like she's born in black and white
Makes you feel warmer when you're trying to remember
What you heard
She likes to leave you hanging on her word

Suddenly I see (Suddenly I see)
This is what I wanna be
Suddenly I see (Suddenly I see)
Why the hell it means so much to me

And she's taller than most
And she's looking at me
I can see her eyes looking from a page in a magazine
Oh she makes me feel like I could be a tower
A big strong tower
She got the power to be
The power to give
The power to see

Suddenly I see (Suddenly I see)
This is what I wanna be
Suddenly I see (Suddenly I see)
Why the hell it means so much to me


STILL FIGHTING IT - - BEN FOLDS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOI1HAq4XcU

Good morning, son.
I am a bird
Wearing a brown polyester shirt
You want a coke?
Maybe some fries?
The roast beef combos only $9.95
Its okay, you don’t have to pay
I’ve got all the change

Everybody knows
It hurts to grow up
And everybody does
Its so weird to be back here
Let me tell you what
The years go on and
We’re still fighting it, we’re still fighting it
And you’re so much like me
I’m sorry

Good morning, son
In twenty years from now
Maybe we’ll both sit down and have a few beers
And I can tell you ‘bout today
And how I picked you up and everything changed
It was pain
Sunny days and rain
I knew you’d feel the same things

Everybody knows
It sucks to grow up
And everybody does
It’s so weird to be back here.
Let me tell you what
The years go on and
We’re still fighting it, we’re still fighting it
You’ll try and try and one day you’ll fly
Away from me

Good morning, son
I am a bird
It was pain
Sunny days and rain
I knew you’d feel the same things

Everybody knows
It hurts to grow up
And everybody does
Its so weird to be back here.
Let me tell you what
The years go on and
Were still fighting it, were still fighting it
Oh, were still fighting it, were still fighting it
And you’re so much like me
I’m sorry


WHEN YOU COME BACK DOWN - - NICKEL CREEK
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNtxQ3CQhhA – live performance…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGXt8TLxmM0&feature=related – Normal recording, with LotR Images…(just look away and listen...it's cheesy and ruins the whole song)

You got to leave me now, you got to go alone
You got to chase a dream, one that's all your own
Before it slips away

When you're flyin' high, take my heart along
I'll be the harmony to every lonely song
That you learn to play

When you're soarin' through the air
I'll be your solid ground
Take every chance you dare
I'll still be there
When you come back down
When you come back down

I'll keep lookin' up, awaitin' your return
My greatest fear will be that you will crash and burn
And I won't feel your fire

I'll be the other hand that always holds the line
Connectin' in between your sweet heart and mine
I'm strung out on that wire

And I'll be on the other end
To hear you when you call
Angel, you were born to fly
If you get too high, I'll catch you when you fall
I'll catch you when you fall

Your memory's the sunshine every new day brings
I know the sky is calling
Angel, let me help you with your wings

When you're soarin' through the air
I'll be your solid ground
Take every chance you dare
I'll still be there
When you come back down
Take every chance you dare
I'll still be there
When you come back down
When you come back down


Aren’t those great songs…? *sigh*

Lazy/Boredom Blogging Once Again

5 Facts
1. Middle name: Claire
2. Astrological sign: Leo
3. Eye color: Blue
4. Birth date (Monday, Tuesday...): This year it’s Monday…
5. Home state: North Carolina

5 Favorites
6. Fave movie: Anne of Green Gables movies and Sweeny Todd
7. Fave book: Harry Potter and To Kill a Mocking Bird
8. Fave candy: Snickers
9. Fave makeup: the kind I wear
10. Fave magazine: Psychology

5 People
11. Newest friend: Becca
12. Childhood nemesis: Zach
13. Longest-lasting crush: hmm…not answering that question
14. Role model: Jesus
15. Kindergarten teacher: mom

5 Things
16. My mantra is: “Tomorrow is a Long Time” (Nickel Creek or Bob Dylan version)
17. I can’t find my: nail clippers
18. My friends say that I’m: PERFECTLY NORMAL
19. My parents were going to name me: Caroline, or Marck if I was a boy
20. I would never eat: another human

5 Moments
21. I read my first book when: I guess I was four or five
22. The first time I lost a friend was when: ??? I had a lot of friends when I was little who I don’t know anymore
23. I had a really good laugh when: It’s on the tip of my brain…something really funny happened some time…but it happens a lot
24. I was so proud of myself when: Whenever I say or write something that sounds really profound…
25. If I could, I would go back to: the olden days when times were simpler

5 Places
26. My first kiss happened (or should happen) at: an altar…but let’s not talk about that…
27. I spend most of my time at: the pool
28. I used to hide my diary: between my mattress and the box springs
29. My favorite place to unwind is: my room or outside
30. I'd hate to live in: an apartment complex

5 Either/Ors
31. Morning or night: Do I have to decide?
32. Cats or dogs: dogs
33. Computer or cell phone: computer
34. Pop or soda: soda…duh
35. Vegetables or fruit: fruit by themselves, vegetables in a salad (or superfood!)

5 Ifs
36. If I could move anywhere, it would be: Australia
37. If I were an animal, I would be: A seal…like I said
38. If I could change one thing, it would be: the government
39. If I had one superpower, it would be: again…flying…but now that I think about it, it would be the ability to give myself more superpowers.
40. If I had a million dollars to spend, I would: buy a car, put some aside for insurance, pay for my stuff this year and put the rest in a mutual fund for a while

5 Pasts
41. My first word was: dad or something like that
42. When I played make-believe, I: usually did really dramatic stuff, like running away and getting kidnapped, being forced by my kidnappers to do slave work, then getting out, getting rescued, and escaping narrowly from my pursuing kidnappers back to my safe home…
43. I used to watch, on continual repeat: donut man
44. I can’t believe I worried so much about: guys
45. I was so afraid of: people dressed up as cartoon characters (Mickey Mouse, Chuck E Cheese, etc.)

5 Futures
46. When I grow up, I want to be a: (again) writer, mom, and something musical
47. Before I die, I hope to: go sailing for real (that is, on a larger scale for a longer amount of time)
48. I'll be friends with: my friends I have now
49. I'll live: in a nice older home in an older neighborhood with lots of trees and enough of a yard for my kids to run around in
50. I'll make a difference by: helping people understand other people…

40 Secrets About Yourself

Lazy blogging once again...all the stuff you never knew about me...

One. Have you ever been asked out? Yes, unfortunately.

Two. Where was your default picture taken? Candler Swim Club

Three. What is your middle name? Claire

Four. Your current relationship status? In a mango with an awesome guy named Jesus, thank you very much

Five. Does your crush like you back? Oh, pshaw...I'm second-best, pretty sure...

Six. What is your current mood? Apathetic

Seven. What color pants are you wearing? Camo

Eight. What color shirt are you wearing? Off-white...canvasy-kinda-color

Nine. What is your favorite thing to do? Ooh, very hard. Hm...either swim, write, play piano, read, or do improv. Hard decision.

Ten. If you could go back in time and change something, would you? Plenty of things. My life would probably end up drastically different in the long run, though, and I'm not sure I really want that to happen.

Eleven. If you must be an animal for one day, what would you be? A seal.

Twelve. Ever had a near death experience? Yeah...that sort of stuff happens to people like me.

Thirteen. Something you do a lot? Sit down at the piano and bang around randomly.

Fourteen. What do you want to be when you get older? A writer, a mom, and something involving music

Fifteen. Who did you copy and paste this from? The Allison Archives

Sixteen. Name someone with the same birthday as you? Uhhhhh......the first woman born in the US, whatever her name was........

Seventeen. When was the last time you cried? Sunday afternoon........

Eighteen: What do you consider your theme song? Oh, I have no idea. How about..."Love Grows (Where my Rosemary Grows)"? I like it a lot, and it's true. I don't got no money, my clothes are kinda funny, my hair is wild and free...I talk kinda lazy, people say I'm crazy...but I'm not so sure if my life is really a mystery (it is to the people who don't know me)

Nineteen. If you could have one super power what would it be? Flying

Twenty. What's the first thing you notice about the opposite/same sex? Yeah...height, eyes, hair (preferably swishy), the way they move/walk

Twenty-one. What do you usually order from starbucks? Iced caramel latte

Twenty-two. What's your biggest secret? I have two big toes...

Twenty-three. Favorite color? Green, blue and black

Twenty-five. Do you still watch kiddy movies or tv shows? Duh...I secretly like them, and have younger siblings

Twenty-six. What are you eating or drinking at the moment? Cantaloupe

What's your favorite smell? Books, gardenias

Twenty-nine. Describe your life in one word, what would it be? Cool.

What is your secret obsession: Giftwrap tape (the really shiny kind)

Thirty-one. Have you ever kissed in the rain? Alas, no, though it's on the top-ten things to do on my honeymoon.

Thirty-two. What are you thinking about right now? How interesting it is that Nickel Creek covered Britney Speares' "Toxic" on their tour...

Thirty-three. What should you be doing right now? Getting ready to go to the pool

Thirty-four. Who was the last person that made you upset/angry? Everybody!!!!!

Thirty-five. Why are you doing this? Because I am narcissistic and like wasting time while being so

Thirty-six. Do you like working in the yard? No, except gardening occasionally

Thirty-seven. If you could have any last name in the world, what would it be? Um...I'm not going to say. Because, though it is actually very innocent, some people might assume some things (and they would be right, too, though it's still innocent and has nothing to do with what they would assume)

Thirty-eight. Do you act differently around the person you like? No, everything is part of my personality and I just act like...me...

Thirty-nine. What is your natural hair color? Brunette

Forty. What did you think about this survey? Very time-consuming.

~JCB

This song remains the same

I love music. I love playing it, singing it, listening to it, and learning about it. Everyone in my family knows my guitar is an extension of my body, and that lately I’ve become rather interested in teaching myself how to play the piano as well. Last night I dreamed of the prettiest piece of music. I was thinking in the dream that I should wake up and write it down or record the tune or something, but then I thought, “No, I’ll remember it when I wake up.” And went right on dreaming. You see, it was a quartet between a piano, a guitar, an oboe and a pan flute. AND IT WAS SO PRETTY AND I CAN’T REMEMBER IT!!!!! As you can tell, I woke up quite enraged.

Today I’ve been in one of those moods again. The mood where I just want to sit alone in my room and listen to music, and only music that makes me sigh or cry because it’s exactly how I feel about…B-O-Y-S. *gasp* What did I just say? Yes, I have officially admitted to the entire population that I like a certain guy just as much as any other girl likes any other certain guy. So there.

The only difference is that my “Having Fallen in Love” soundtrack is probably much different from the average teenage girl’s. Seriously, I would love to quote all the lyrics from all the songs here, but that would take forever, plus I’d rather you just go look them up yourselves, whether you just look at the lyrics, listen to a preview or download the whole thing. Or all three. I recommend the latter.

“Scar Tissue” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers…it’s pretty, and I’m listening to it right now. It’s just a sweet song, but I’m not sure it really conveys what I’m going through right now.

“Somewhere Only We Know” by Keane. I love the piano and the guy’s voice. And it’s sweet. I keep saying that. I just hope that someday I have a somewhere only we know with someone special.

“Dreams” by Van Hagar…Halen. Whatever. Being by Van Halen, I absolutely love it. Gives me a happy feeling.

“You’re My Best Friend” by Queen. Makes me think of sunshine and daisies and makes me sigh wishfully a lot.

“Green Eyes” by Coldplay. I love bright green eyes. I want to marry someone with green eyes. And I want all my children to have green eyes that one can see from a mile away.

“This Side” by Nickelcreek. This song actually is applicable to my “’love’ situation”.

“Over Thinking” by Relient K. This song is even more relative. It conveys EXACTLY what is going through my head about things of these sorts.

“Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac. This is an extension of the Relient K song, and makes me want to cry.

“Mirrors and Smoke” by Jars of Clay. Just an extension of an extension. It’s a duet I feel I should sing with the guy I am hopelessly and against my will falling for.

UGHNESS!!!!

I seriously really must stop. I don’t need to be bothering myself with these feelings at this stage in my life. I mean, it’s not like I care about him so much that he’s secretly controlling my life and all the decisions in it. I am still very much an independent person, but somehow my affections have stretched way beyond their natural capacity for this guy, which really isn’t fair. He’s not my husband, and there is a high probability that he won’t be. My actual husband would be horrified to find that I like this boy so much. So for my future husband’s sake, I should stop. But it’s so hard!

“Why Can’t This Be Love” by Van Halen/Hagar/Whatever. Yeah. See?

“Wet Sand” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. *eyes narrow* See see? No, I am not speaking Espanola or whatever.

“Ten Years Gone” by Led Zeppelin. I love Led Zeppelin, and this song makes me emotional for some stupid reason.

“All My Love” by Led Zeppelin. Again, same reasons as the above song.

This entry has been rather inconclusive and I apologize for that. But…Oh, I don’t know. I just can’t seem to get my thoughts together right now. Just go listen to those songs, and I’ll write back later.

Bye!
~Jessica