Music

Music is absolutely essential to my daily survival. I can't stand silence it's just so...what's the word I'm searching for...LOUD! I need music even if it's only background noise. Most of the the time I don't even care what it is. I love everything from classical to alternative. Except country. I must admit that is one music genera I just can't bring myself to like. Anyway, since I have been pretty much attached to my ear buds I thought I would post my top 20 most played songs.

So, here they are my top 20 songs most played:

1) Fake it- Seether
2) Joker and the thief- Wolfmother
3) Movin' Out- Billy Joel
4) Denial Twist- White Stripes
5) Champagne Supernova- Oasis
6) Positively 4th Street- Bob Dylan
7) No Rain- Blind Melon
8) Psycho- Puddle of Mudd
9) Something in your mouth- Nickleback
10) Love you madly- Cake
11) Live your life - T.I. and Rhianna
12) Gives you hell - All-American Rejects
13) I'm yours- Jason Mraz
14) Paralyzer- Finger Eleven
15) Short skirt long jacket- Cake
16) Uprising- Muse
17) Young folks- Peter, Bjorn and John
18) If you only knew- Shinedown
19) If your wondering if I want you to I want you to- Weezer
20) Last resort- Papa Roach

New Years Resolutions:

So, I have a small confession to make. I have never truly made a New Year's resolution. Every year when my family starts to proclaim they are starting a strict diet starting January 2nd I mumble something intelligible, and pray to god nobody asks me when I am starting my strict diet. I try to be honest, but I feel that every year I have to lie when it comes to my New Year's resolutions. I have never felt that I needed to make any drastic changes to my life. Key word drastic. Until recently, I have always thought of New Year's resolutions as having to be some unrealistic, drastic, life-changing goal. I always thought what is the point of striving for a goal that is unfeasible, and will be given up in 2 weeks time when eating salad for every meal has finally lost its charm.

I am all for making improvements to quality of life, but I think some goals are just too big. So, this got me thinking why can't I make goals that I have a decent chance of actually attaining. So, for the first time in my life I have decided to make some New Year's resolutions. I think that if I keep my goals within reason I have a shot of not only attaining them, but improving my life in some way. I may not drastically change my life in 2010, but I do plan on improving it. I'd like to think of 2010 as a work in progress, and I hope that this works, and that it will inspire me not to shy away from making further New Year's resolutions out of fear of unrealistic goals.

So, here it is my New Year's resolutions:

1) Write more often: I think this is one goal that I really want to work on the most. I love to write, and I have about 20 projects half written, or half planned. I think this is the year that I should focus not on finishing them, but at least working on them.

2) Blog more often: I have found over the past few years that I really like blogging. I think that it is nice to have a written record of my life. In a few years, I can look back on past posts and re-live all of the fantastic events that have affected my life both significantly and insignificantly. I hope I will keep it up.

3)Expand my book reading horizon: I find that I always end up reading the same types of books, and I would like to use to 2010 to expand my horizon's, and read books from other genera's that I may not have even considered. I read a lot, and by a lot I mean at minimum 2 -3 books a week. Even If I make one of those books a biography, textbook, mystery, thriller, or a even a classic I will be happy, and feel that I have achieved something.

4) Stop swearing!: I'll be the first to admit it I have to mouth of a sailor, and my French is quite fluent. This is a goal I have been working on for a while. I have made some progress with this, but I still find that when I am angry, flustered, or upset I still use those four letter words. I hope this is something I will be able to make some progress with in 2010.

5) Find a new job: Yes, I said it...I need a new job! I can't take mine anymore, and I really just need something that pays better. I am hoping that I will find one sometime early this year, and hopefully it will be in Florida, so I can be closer to my parents and family.

6) Be more prepared/punctual: I want to get in the habit of forcing myself to get up earlier, so I don't feel so rushed in the morning to get to work on time. I really need to stop hitting the snooze button.

7) Take more risks: I am not much of a risk taker, and I think that I hold myself back a lot in life. I want to take more risks this year even if they are only small ones.

8) Appearance: I want to wake up earlier, so I have a chance of looking decent for work. I also want to spend a little more time this year maintaining my appearance even if it's something small like getting more haircuts, or doing my nails, ect...

9) Use my Wii more often: I haven't touched my Wii in months, and I want to use it more.

10) Stay organized: I have spent all weekend devising a organizational system for my room, and I want to keep it up, so I will actually know where things are when I need them.

So there it is internet my 10 New Year's resolutions. Some goals are small, and some will take more effort, but in the end I hope achieve some of them, and improve my life in some small way. So, here's to 2010 a year of improvements!

Here are a couple of picture of me from a  New Years Eve Party a few years ago:

The holidays, faith and humanity:

(Written 12/28/2009...Sorry it has taken me so long to post this.)

   So, about those empty promises I made about updating this more often…yeah, well that sure hit the fan mighty quickly didn’t it?  Sorry, about that. I’ve been very busy as of late. Not only is it the holiday season, which as you know causes more and more chaos with each passing year, but I have also been busy studying for finals, and my parents have been visiting for the past two weeks. There has rarely been a dull moment or even a spare moment for that matter over the past few weeks.

   When I wasn’t spreading cheer this holiday season I was trying desperately to survive the department store blood shed that seems to have engulfed the mall this past month. Normally, I am pretty optimistic about the future of humanity, but the West Farms mall has seriously tested my faith in the future of the human race. I was brought up with the belief that people are inherently good. I don’t mean to say everyone is a good person, but I think that everyone has the potential to be a good person. I think that it takes more effort to be a bad person than it takes to be a good person. You have to work to be bad. You have to ignore your conscience and instincts in order to do something that you know is wrong or unethical. I think that is when we end up with the Ebenezer Scrooge’s of this world, and believe me they were holding a convention at the malls across America this month.

   I’ve witnessed all types of madness this holiday season. I’ve bared witness to everything  from a kid being stuffed in a trash can because she was crying, to a five year old boy pushing his father down an escalator because he couldn’t get some toy that he wanted. I even saw a woman slap a sales clerk at Macy’s because her coach bag didn’t ring up on sale. It was unbelievable! I have never seen so many random acts of weirdness, cruelty, and lack of sheer self-control. I mean I know that the holiday season is stressful, but we are not savages. I’d like to think that the human race has evolved somewhat over the past couple of thousand years, but maybe I am just being too optimistic. Maybe I have set the bar too high when it comes to humanity, and I should learn not to expect anything less than animalistic behavior. I mean when you attempt to kill the man who gave you life in order to achieve some trivial impulsive want, I think you have just set the human race back a couple thousand years.

   Usually, I really love Christmas time, but this year was different.  This year I stopped to take a look around me, and I really did not like what I saw. People are not decent anymore, and that is a very sad realization to make...especially at Christmas time. While this holiday season has made a cynic out of me I still have some small hope that there are still some decent people out there.

   I know that the bulk of this post has been angled to focus on the negative aspect of my holiday season experience, so now I think it is only fair that I focus on something positive.  First and foremost, I feel that I should point out that besides my holiday shopping experiences I really did have a lovely Christmas. It was full of  cheer, laughs, food, and most importantly family. I love the whole atmosphere that only Christmas time in New England can bring about. A New England Christmas is different from Christmas time anywhere else in the world. It's full of wonderful familiars. There is nothing better than Hood egg nog, crazy New England weather, snow...lot's and lot's of snow, huge light displays on every block, even bigger tree displays, bright  nights, wreaths on every door, and carolers. It's the best! It is not anything you will ever experience in Miami, Dallas, Chicago, L.A. or even Japan. It's something that is specific to New England and only New England. Sort of like the phrase wicked, or the complete excommunication of the letter "r" when pronouncing words where the pronunciation of the letter r is essential.

   Anyway, I think the point I am trying to make is that I had a lovely Christmas in my favorite place despite the Ebenezer Scrooge's of the world testing my faith in the human race. While I still have my cynical moments I try not to let them dominate my outlook on life. I am hoping that the optimist in me still lives on, even if my experiences these past few months have proved otherwise.

   Anyway, I hope everyone had a lovely time this holiday season, and as always stay tuned.:)

 

 

I'm Alive...I promise.

I am alive...I promise! I haven't forgot about you internet. I am working on some posts, and hopefully I will have them updated this week for your reading pleasure. So stay tuned. Until then here are some recent family pictures...