The mixed tape. I used to spend hours upon hours making mixed tapes.
See that? That is me, aged somewhere between 16-18, making one of probably hundreds of mixed tapes on my parent’s stereo.
Mixing songs into a specific order for someone is a special thing. It takes time and patience. Dedication for not just whoever the mix is for but also to the music. And everyone has a different tactic for it. I know many people who strongly believe that mixes for others should contain music that they might not know about yet.
Me…I choose to make things from the heart. Some songs, or even all, will probably be known to the listener. But just to know that I think of that song and them….that is the message. It’s like a letter or a card. But in music.
So when I came across The Shifted Librarian’s blog about Muxtape, I was just really pleased. While not as personal, time consuming or really as heartfelt as a mixed tape/CD, this new website rocks socks.
Seriously…you should play around with it. You just upload songs, organize them, and then play them. So, fair readers, here is my Spring Mix to you.
My sincerest apologies for my severe lack of posting in the past week or two. I know that excuses are no excuse, but what can I say? My to do list is catching up with me.
This week alone I have one presentation on Hoover’s, another for Humanities class on Scientology, a paper on privacy for my Info Policy class, one phone interview for a job, and one second interview for a different job.
Oy vey!
So, you might wonder, what am I doing to keep completely sane?
Oh Nintendo DS Lite! Your accessibly simple, yet educational gaming saves my sanity every time!The Nintendo DS has oodles of educational games that you can pick up, play for 30 minutes or so, and then go back to whatever things you really should be doing atm. My current favorite is My French Coach.
Through a series of games and quizzes and an excellent “coach”, I can refresh my memory of all those lovely high school french classes with Mdm. Roselle.
So next time someone tells you that video games rot your brain, tell them to bugger off in french. (Va t’en! Tu es tres stupide!) Or your could tell them to read up on theirJenny Levine. She’ll tell them what’s up.
So again, my apologies fair readers. If you need something to do, I recommend gaming. It’s good for your brain.
It made me think about Wes Anderson and how much happiness his movies have brought me over the years.
I will never forget the first time I watched one of his films. Rushmore. As soon as the credits rolled, I stopped the movie, rewound, and watched the movie all over again. This is still the only film I have ever done that with.
There are certain traits to a Wes Anderson film that make me love them so incredibly much. The first, and arguably one of the most important, is the soundtrack. Wes Anderson knows how to soundtrack a movie. It’s perfection. In fact, it is scenes like this
and this
that might be the whole reason why I fell in love with his films in the first place. Those slow motion scenes…perfect for whichever song he chooses…emotional and sad. Makes you think about the times in your life when things do seem to be slowing down. Never ending.
Never has slowmotion been so perfect.
And then there are those lines that he writes. The lines that manage to be just as sad as they are humorous. You cannot help but giggle and also realize how heartbreaking the whole moment is.
I once read somewhere that he actually makes movies with specific actors in mind. Like The Royal Tenenbaums was specifically written for Gene Hackman to play the character of Royal.
Of course, I do not know if this is really true. But I like to think that it is.
SO I guess what I’m trying to say here is that Wes Anderson is brilliant in so many ways. But most important is the way he makes his movies. And I thank him for that.
Have a lovely weekend fair readers. I suggest seeing The Darjeeling Limited. You will enjoy it.
Noticing a theme here? I guess I’m just feeling lovey and happy. Recently I’ve been discovering things that make me really really happy. Here are a few:
Planet Earth
This program is amazing. I makes me cry and cringe and laugh. It’s amazing to watch not only the breath taking animals and environments here on Earth but the feats the production crews went through to create this work of art.
I actually use Hillary Rodham Clinton’s recipe for cookies. Last night I made them and realized as I started that I didn’t have any vanilla. I substituted a bit more sugar and upped the amount of chocolate chips. And let me tell you….they are yummy.
I think it’s just leaps and bounds better than Myspace for several reasons. Less advertising is probably the biggest. Also it’s more private. And not owned by News Corp. On that same note, I have finally deleted my myspace page. So if you thought I defriended you or something of that nature, that is not what happened. I’m actually kind of proud of myself. You all can do it too. It’s not the most straight forward process in the world (as in you must click through to about 8 million pages deep, then confirm, check your email, log in again and again confirm) but once it’s done you can then start a blog here or here and join this better social networking site.
Yes. I know. It’s not here yet. But it should be, damn it! I demand cooler, milder weather and I demand it now! Summer. Your time is over. Let’s give the other lovely seasons a turn to shine. And be less muggy.
My pets
Isn’t it great how completely weird and wonderful pets can be? Not that they have been doing any extremely odd in particular. I just think their personalities are really strange and adorable.
