The Soundtrack of My Life III

In college, I LOVED Dave Matthews Band…for awhile.  Then I HATED them for awhile.  I am back to loving their older music and thinking that they’re finally done creating great music.  I mean, their last…maybe two albums haven’t been all that good.  What happened to songs like “Crush” and “Rapunzel” and even “Crash?”  Those were great songs and it seems that the newer stuff is a little lacking…or maybe I’m getting old.  Shhh.  Don’t tell anyone.  One of my favorite Dave songs is below:

So Much To Say by Dave Matthews Band

I say my hell is the closet I’m stuck inside
Can’t see the light
And my Heaven is a nice house in the sky
Got central heating and I’m alright
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Can’t see the light
Keep it locked up inside
Don’t talk about it
T-t-talk about the weatherYeah, yeah, yeah
Can’t see the light
Open up my head and let me out, little baby
‘Cause here we have been standing for a long, long time
Treading trodden trails for a long, long time

I say my hell is the closet I’m stuck inside
Can’t see the light
And my Heaven is a nice house in the sky
Got central heating and I’m alright
‘Cause here we have been standing for a long, long time
Treading trodden trails for a long, long time
Time, time, time, time, time, time

I find sometimes it’s easy to be myself
Sometimes I find it’s better to be somebody else

I see you young and soft, oh little baby
Little feet, little hands, little feet, little feet, little baby
One year of cryin’ and the words creep up inside
Creep into your mind, yeah

So much to say, so much to say, so much to say, so much to say
So much to say, so much to say, so much to say, so much to say

‘Cause here we have been standing for a long, long time
Treading trodden trails for a long, long time
Time, time, time, time, time, time

I find sometimes it’s easy to be myself
Sometimes I find it’s better to be somebody else

So much to say, so much to say, so much to say, so much to say
So much to say, so much to say, so much to say, so much to say
So much to say, so much to say, so much to say, so much to say
So much to say, so much to say, so much to say, so much to say

Open up my head and let me out, little baby

Now, I’m sure there are a MILLION different interpretations and meanings of this song.  I feel like it’s great for describing human nature in general.  We all have so much to say, but instead of choosing subjects that have substance, we talk about the weather.  Why do we do this?  There are so many interesting things to talk about and we continue to say the same meaningless things over and over again (treading trodden trails).  I’m sure all of you will find (or have found) a different meaning.  I do have to point out the paradox that the song creates…the song is titled, “So Much To Say” and there are very few lyrics in the song that aren’t repeated again and again.  What a wonderful song.  Open up my head and let me out, little baby!

This made my day better…

Not all of you will get this, but it’s sooo very worth it for the select few who will.  It takes a *special* kind of person to appreciate Monty Python…

see more crazy cat pics

The Soundtrack of My Life II

So, this was originally going to be an entry called “Observations from the Outside.”  Why, you ask?  Because there are some strange goings-on that I am not directly a part of…and, while I try and keep my big shnoz to myself (unless I’m asked otherwise), I just can’t help but think that if the people involved in said goings-on would just sit down and rationally think things through that the world would not be such a shitty place…for them, not the rest of us. (How’s that for a run-on sentence??)

Anyhoodle, I’ve recalled 2 songs that (sort of) recently helped me through some rather difficult goings-on and thought that my audience would read it and make 2+2=4.  Hopefully you are all good at math.  (And if you even THINK that I’m talking about you, then actually READ the whole post.)

As I recalled one of these songs, I wondered how many times the Foo Fighters would end up on the soundtrack list.  I like every song they’ve ever made and they all have meaning to me.  Damn that awesome god-like Dave Grohl!

Best of You by the Foo Fighters

I’ve got another confession to make
I’m your fool
Everyone’s got their chains to break
Holdin’ you

Were you born to resist or be abused?
Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?
Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?
Are you gone and onto someone new?

I needed somewhere to hang my head
Without your noose
You gave me something that I didn’t have
But had no use
I was too weak to give in
Too strong to lose
My heart is under arrest again
But I break loose
My head is giving me life or death
But I can’t choose
I swear I’ll never give in
I refuse

Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?
Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?
Has someone taken your faith?
Its real, the pain you feel
You trust, you must confess
Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?
Oh…

Oh…Oh…Oh…Oh…

Has someone taken your faith?
Its real, the pain you feel
The life, the love
You die to heal
The hope that starts
The broken hearts
You trust, you must confess

Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?
Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?

I’ve got another confession my friend
I’m no fool
I’m getting tired of starting again
Somewhere new

Were you born to resist or be abused?
I swear I’ll never give in
I refuse

Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?
Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?
Has someone taken your faith?
Its real, the pain you feel
You trust, you must
Confess
Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?
Oh…

And why does this song mean so much to me?  It’s about learning that there IS a way to break away from someone/something that has a negative hold on you.  I have a difficult time with that.  And, although the breaking away may be painful and difficult, it’s so rewarding and healthy.

Song 2 has almost the same message…

Better Than by John Butler Trio

All you want is
What you can’t have
And if you just look around man
You see you got magic
So just sit back relax
Enjoy it while you still have it
Don’t look back on life man and only see tragicBecause you could be better than that
Don’t let it get the better of you
What could be better than that
Life’s not about what’s better than
You can be better than that
Don’t let it get the better of you
What could be better than that
Life’s not about what’s better

All the time while you’re looking away
There are things you can do man
There’s things you can say
To the the ones you’re with
With whom you’re spending your day
Get your gaze off tomorrow
And let come what may

Because you could be better than that
Don’t let it get the better of you
What could be better than that
Life’s not about what’s better than
You can be better than that
Don’t let it get the better of you
What could be better than that
Life’s not about what’s better

All I know is sometimes things can be hard
But you should know by now
They come and they go
So why, oh why
Do I look to the other side
‘Cause I know the grass is greener but
Just as hard to mow

Life’s not about what’s better than.

All you want is
What you can’t have
And if you just look around man
You see you got magic
So just sit back relax
Enjoy it while you still have it
Don’t look back on life man and only see tragic

Because you could be better than that
Don’t let it get the better of you
What could be better than that
Life’s not about what’s better than
You can be better than that
Don’t let it get the better of you
What could be better than that
Life’s not about what’s better
A little different, but a little the same.  “The grass is greener, but JUST AS HARD TO MOW.”  What a wonderful song lyric!!  I don’t have to be better than others.  I don’t need things that are better than what others have.  All I can do is live my life to make me the best ME that I can BE and realize that my life is WONERFUL!!  You only live one time…and YOU make that life what it is.  If you were He-Man, I’d say “You have the power!!”  (with some sort of reverb/echo effect).  Make the most of it while you’re here.

New Reading Material

For those of you who check the links in my sidebar, please notice a new site under “Reading Material” called I Has A Hotdog.  This is like the cats on I Can Has Cheezburger, but it’s dogs.  Funny Stuff!!

The Soundtrack of My Life

Music means sooo much to me.  There are so many songs that I’ve attached to so many times or events in my life.  These songs aren’t always what was “popular” at those times in my life; they are just songs that very vividly remind me of my life.

I don’t post much on this blog anymore because of the pregnancy blog.  It seems that my life has been consumed by pregnancy…and understandably so!  It is really a lifechanging event.  Pregnancy has sort of forced me to think of other times in my life…almost as if my life is flashing before my eyes.  I can’t decide if I like this or not.  I do love to reminisce, but it’s a little scary at times.  And in this reminiscing, almost every memory has a song attached to it.

 I’ve decided that I will post, once a week, a song and the lyrics that have special meaning to me.  They will be in no certain order…except for the first one.  Please feel free to comment or let me know if these songs hold any special meaning for you.

I was once asked what the theme song of my life would be if I had to pick just one.  After much deliberation, I made my final decision…

All I Really Want by Alanis Morissette

Do I stress you out
My sweater is on backwards and inside out
And you say how appropriate
I don’t want to dissect everything today
I don’t mean to pick you apart you see
But I can’t help it
There I go jumping before the gunshot has gone off
Slap me with a splintered ruler
And it would knock me to the floor if I wasn’t there already
If only I could hunt the hunter

And all I really want is some patience
A way to calm the angry voice
And all I really want is deliverance
Do I wear you out
You must wonder why I’m so relentless and all strung out
I’m consumed by the chill of solitary
I’m like Estella
I like to reel it in and then spit it out
I’m frustrated by your apathy
And I am frightened by the corrupted ways of this land
If only I could meet the Maker

And I am fascinated by the spiritual man
I am humbled by his humble nature
What I wouldn’t give to find a soulmate
Someone else to catch this drift
And what I wouldn’t give to meet a kindred
Enough about me, let’s talk about you for a minute
Enough about you, let’s talk about life for a while
The conflicts, the craziness and the sound of pretenses
Falling all around…all around
Why are you so petrified of silence
Here can you handle this?

Did you think about your bills, your ex, your deadlines
Or when you think you’re gonna die
Or did you long for the next distraction
And all I need know is intellectual intercourse
A soul to dig the hole much deeper
And I have no concept of time other than it is flying
If only I could kill the killer

All I really want is some peace man
a place to find a common ground
And all I really want is a wavelength
All I really want is some comfort
A way to get my hands untied
And all I really want is some justice…

Is it ironic that my theme song is by a very intense and sometimes angry female?  Maybe…but those who know me know that this really describes my personality.  I (almost unconsciously) look down on humanity…not necessarily thinking that I am better than others, just that we could do better as a whole.  I may or may not have a superiority complex when it comes to certain things.  In general, I don’t like people.  But I know that healthy human relationships are so very important if not only for the learning experience.  I look for deeper meaning in EVERYTHING that is.  A cigar is never just a cigar.  And I really just can’t help it…or I don’t want to help it.  BUT…underneath all of this, I have hope and faith that things will be okay…eventually.

Seriously, folks…

IT’S JUST GARBAGE!!!  Just take it and put it in the effin’ truck!!  What’s the problem?

What brought on this rant, you ask?  Well, today is trash day and husband put the garbage out on time.  We had quite a bit of “dog waste” from when our backyard was a swamp and the trashcan was HEAVY.  We put it out last week and they did not take it.  When I tried to lift it to bring it back up to the house, I couldn’t.  So, there was one strike against us in the eyes of the garbage men.  Husband separated all of that into 3 bags.  I could lift them.  They were not heavy, messy or broken.  Just plain, tied, black trash bags.  They did stink a little.  But…do I need to point out that it’s dog poop?  Our other two trashcans were also light enough that I could lift them.  I’m a girl and almost 4 months pregnant.  What is the issue??  We’ve been putting our garbage out the same way for 3.5 years and have NEVER had a problem.

I called DPW.  The guy was an ass.  I assume he was an ass because (and no disrespect to ALL garbage-related employees) he works for the state of where I live and directly under our jackass Governor.  AND…he works around garbage all day.  Wouldn’t YOU be an ass?  He asked me 5 gajillion questions such as…and my responses follow:

1.   Him:  “Was all of your garbage bagged?”  Me:  “There was a 2-liter bottle and an empty heavy-duty aluminum foil roll that is too big for my kitchen trashcan on top of one of the trashcans that were not bagged.”

 2.  Him: “Were the containers too heavy?”  Me: “No, the containers could be lifted by a 4-months pregnant female. Are our garbage men more pregnant than me, hence not allowing them to lift the trashcans? If so, then they should go on maternity leave. Oh, and then they should take off their high heels and quit being sallies.”

3. Him: “Were your trashcans overflowing?”  Me: “The trashcans were heaping, but not overflowing. You could see the bags on the top, but nothing was falling out…hence not OVERflowing.”

4. Him:  “Were you trying to get yard waste picked up?”  Me: “I was trying to get dog poop picked up which, according to the website, is allowable as long as it’s not too heavy, bagged and not messy. Is the website wrong? If so, update the damn thing.”

5. Him:  “Did you put out any containers of gasoline for pick up?”  Me:  ”Why the F#@*K would I put GASOLINE out for pick up when it’s 80 effin’ dollars a gallon, you dumbass?”

And, yes, those WERE my exact words.  And this time I’m actually NOT proud of that this time.

I was promptly hung up on.  And I know I deserved it.  But what kind of question is that?  Why would I throw away gas?  And no, he didn’t say “empty” gasoline container.  I’m pretty sure that if I put out containers of gasoline, SOMEONE, like ANYONE with an effin’ brain, would have come by before the garbage men got here and stolen them to, you know, PUT IT IN THE GAS TANK OF SOMETHING THAT RUNS ON GAS.  And it didn’t even take a genius to figure that one out.

So, where does this leave me?  Um, exactly where I started.  What can I do really?  I’m at the will of the garbage men.  I could continue to put out my garbage the way I always have and they will continue to not take it.  Or I can conform to all the dumbass garbage rules and maybe get my garbage picked up with the garbage men get their panties out of a bunch…which isn’t bloody likely.

You never know how much power a garbage man has until you piss him off by having “heaping” garbage cans, too much dog shit and an empty aluminum foil roll that’s too big for your kitchen trashcan.  I guess I’ll get a bigger kitchen trash can.  Atleast that solves one of my problems.

Pregnancy has made me a REAL peach to talk to…especially when it’s over some as effing stupid as garbage.  Why are people so gee-darn stupid??  It’s just garbage.  Just put it in the truck.

And I’d like to introduce…

MixedUpLizard.  She is my aunt who just began blogging a few days ago.  Cut her some slack as she gets the hang of things.  I’m sure once she catches on, she’ll have LOTS and LOTS to post about. You can get to her blog from the “I Stalk…” category in my sidebar. 

Winter BLAH!!!

I HATE WINTER!!!  I especially hate it at about this time every year…you know, when it’s sooo close to getting warm and the sun is beginning to come up sooner.  It should be warmer by now!!  I can’t take many more snowy, rainy, 30 degree days.  Last Saturday, the temp. got up to 67 degrees and it was absolutely beautiful!!  I spent the day cleaning up after the dogs in the backyard, but it was okay because I was in the WONDERFUL weather!  I felt so much better that day…and I KNOW it was partly because of the weather.

The good news is that I found out that one of my very favorite people is coming here for a concert!!  Jack Johnson will be here in June!!  I’m so very excited to go even though I’ll be VERY pregnant by that time and it will be hot.  The rest of the good news is that we will be accompanied by my very good friend Colleen and her husband and daughter!!  I may be just as excited about that part as I am the concert.  I haven’t seen Colleen in 5 years!

Now that I have something to look forward to in the summer, maybe these cold, nasty, dark winter days will pass by more quickly!  Hurry, spring, hurry!!  I need every bit of sanity that I have left.

A Different Direction

On Wednesday, I had an idea for a REALLY interesting post about what should and should not be joked about.  I have a pretty broad sense of humor, so there aren’t too many things that are safe in my mind, but there are a few. 

Well, on Wednesday night, the event that sparked the post in the first place sort of dissipated.  So, now I am not going to write the post.  What I want to write about is jumping the gun.

We all have a tendency when it comes to one thing or another to get the cart in front of the horse.  We assume too much about a situation that we know little about.  I am usually pretty good about NOT doing this, but some things just can’t be jokes to me.

The situation in question ended up not even being a situation…even though I had formulated a whole TERRIBLE scenario in my head.  I must admit that my imagination got the best of me.  When I told a friend the whole story, she laughed at me and, in so many words, told me that I was crazy…which I now agree with.

Why am I even writing this?  As a reminder…mostly to myself.  Think before I assume.  Think about what people are and are not capable of…and think of the repercussions of my actions as I formulate these almost implausible situations.  Just. Think. About. It.

The road to ruin is long and windy.

The English language sure is stupid.  In that title, I mean that the road is long and windy…as in twisty and turny.  NOT as in breezy or with air blowing around.  I always thought those two words should be spelled differently.  But who am I??  Just a language critic, I guess.  Homonyms are just another way for “the man” to confuse people.  Imagine the confusion if you were unaware of who The Beatles are and you saw the song title The Long and Winding Road.  You may or may not think that the road was long and breezy.  Right?  Okay, probably not.  I personally think that the song should be called The Long-Winded Road.  Or, as husband and I say, The Long and Boring Song.  Husband is a Beatles fanatic, but even he thinks that song blows…you know, like the WIND blows.  Perverts.

But I digress.

I wonder what it’s like being on a road to ruin and not even really knowing it.  It must be tormenting…or not, because I wouldn’t know I was on the road…as I said in that sentence. (c’mon, lady…get it together.  you’re losing them).  I personally don’t feel that the road I am on leads to ruin.  I *try* to lead a healthy, happy, fairly stress-free life.  I *try* and treat people the way I’d like to be treated.  I feel like I do what I’m expected to do *most* of the time.  I do screw up…I am a stupid human, you know.  I just can’t imagine living my life in a manner that pretty much guarantees the severity of my ultimate demise…and a very lengthy and painful demise.

I also wonder if the road to ruin is like an evildoer’s descent into hell.  Said evildoer must have had some idea that he would NOT be going to heaven or whatever is the opposite of the fiery depths of hell.  Didn’t he?  Did he have a moment of epiphany when he realized that he was descending instead of ascending?  Did he think that despite all of the horrible things he did, how he treated people that he called family and friends, how he presented himself to complete strangers…did he think that despite all of that…um…JACKASSNESS…that things would just be forgiven and all would be well?  Yikes.  I’d hate to be in that situation.  THAT much forgiveness is just so much to ask of so many people.

Maybe we all really do have only one judge.  And hopefully all of those people that said evildoer screwed over the years don’t end up on the jury.  In that case, I only have one cliche to offer:  Payback’s a bitch.