Random Ramblings: All Belinda Edition!

Looking Forward: What a horrible rough week. One that I am so glad to see come to an end. Almost every thing has become a major disappointment. Last week I had such high hopes and this week saw all of them come crashing down. I guess I shouldn't complain but this is my blog and I'll complain if I want too! I am looking forward to next week already. It can't possibly get worse right?

*knocks on wood*

Committing: I have not blogged as much as I thought I would when I completed my 365 Challenge. It has been a lot more difficult than I have anticipated, I am easily distracted and have had issues coming up with ideas. Combine that with the bigger problem of being plain lazy and it is crystal clear why I am not blogging as much. So I am trying a new approach, I am going to try to blog every other day. If that happens to land on a Sunday, I can call an audible and blog if only I have something I can blog about. We'll see how this goes.

Listening: Belinda Carlisle's A Place on Earth. I bought this CD on eBay a few years ago. It is a set of her greatest hits along with a bonus disc of remixes. This CD is not available here in the States which is why I resorted to eBay and it was worth every penny.

Reading: A few days ago, I was stressing that I have not read a book yet this quarter. I finally broke open my copy of Belinda Carlisle's autobiography that I picked up months ago and dug in. And I can now check that goal off my checklist! Lips Unsealed was not was I was expecting. It was a very detailed look at her life and her battle with cocaine addiction. Now I knew that she partied while with the Go-Go's but I had no clue that she was coked up for many years after and that it was just recently that she finally conquered those demons. It was hard to read about someone you admire go through such hell. Aside from the drugs, it was a neat peek behind the scenes behind her music. Some things that I learned that I didn't know was that she didn't think she could sing. Beatle George Harrison also played on one of her songs because he loved her voice. When she was younger she snuck into a hotel to try to meet Freddie Mercury and those events led to her forming the Go-Go's. Quite interesting stuff and it makes me appreciate her music even more since she definitely came off very humble and human. Great stuff!

Plucking: My fingers are sore from playing the bass. I have been trying to learn some new songs by yup, you guessed it. Belinda Carlisle. Some songs have been easy to pick out but my favorite song, Summer Rain has been elusive.

Laughing: Sometimes the internet comes up with something that for some reason just gets me. I found this cat video at work the other day and I can't stop watching it. Both my dad and I must have watched this for ten minutes straight laughing our heads off. Oh man, my side hurts again.

Resolutions Halftime

It has been six months since I made my 2011 New Year's Resolutions and even though I don't want to, I guess I should take a look at how I have done. I will rate myself using the Mountain Dew Rating System with 5 Dews being the best (meaning I totally nailed the goal) and 0 Dews meaning I totally flopped.

Resolution #1
"Take Time to Write More"
I did complete another ScriptFrenzy round but aside from that I have not taken the time to write anything else. I do have that children's book that I want to work on. And I really should complete my other novels and take some time to plot my new novel that I will be writing in November.

Resolution #2
"Read More"
The year started out really good. I read a couple of books during the first quarter and I read the Ensign every month for the first quarter. Unfortunately I am struggling this 2nd quarter. I am a little over halfway through my book (Mick Foley's Have A Nice Day) and I think I can finish it off before the end of the month. I have fallen off the wagon when it comes to the Ensign reading. I missed one month and I am behind this month. I have got a lot of reading to do these last couple of days!



Resolution #3
"Be Healthy"
I said I would exercise 5 days a week and I think I have been very close to doing that. I might have missed a day or two here but I can honestly say that I have been exercising a couple times a week. I have played racquetball, I have been riding my bike to work, I have been walking with Randy and I recently have been hitting the Total Gym. I can also honestly say that I have been careful in what I eat. I am definitely eating more healthier foods (more fruits and veggies) even though I still eat my share of treats. I have cut down my soda consumption as well. I still have time to train for my 5K and hopefully my knee will keep up. I think I hit this goal outta the park!

Resolution #4
"Pick up a Pen and Draw!"
Sadly I have not done as much with a pen as I would have liked. I have taken some time to do some doodling but that is about it. I still am interested in doing some art based on the songs of Queen but I have not done anything yet. Looks like I know what I need to do for the rest of the year.

Resolution #5
"Play the Bass"
I still have not learned how to read music but I still manage to pluck my bass a few times a week. Some of the songs I thought were difficult at first are now pretty easy. And some of the songs I am able to sing along with while playing which is way more difficult than you would think. My voice wants to follow the bass and the timing is off and most songs. I am also active in my choir.

I was thinking that I had not done so well with my resolutions but after looking and thinking about them, I think I have done a pretty good job (averaging about 3 Dew per goal). There are things that I definitely need to improve on and now I am feeling a bit motivated to work on them.

30 Day Song Challenge: Part II

The last few days of my blog have been a little heavy so I wanted to do something fun today. I still have 25 days to go to complete the 30 Day Song Challenge so I thought I could crank a couple of them out.

Day 7 - A Song That Reminds You Of A Certain Event

Are You Gonna Go My Way - Lenny Kravitz

This was the last CD that I bought before going on my 2-year LDS Mission and I must have listened to this song thousands of times. Now many years later, I am taken back to those special last days before I left whenever this song comes up on the radio or iPod or iTunes. It takes me back to cruising around in my mom's red Laser with some friends and going out and visiting other friends. It especially takes me back to the time my cousin Jeremy and I went cruising the day before my mission farewell.

Day 8 - A Song That You Know All The Words To

Handle With Care - Traveling Wilburys

I have always loved this song but I really never knew the words so much. This is one of the first songs that I wanted to learn on the bass guitar and now I am at the point to where I can sing it while playing. And I guess I didn't know the words as well as I thought. After repeated sessions, I can now say that I know all the words to this song.

Day 9 - A Song That You Can Dance To

One Night in Bangkok - Chess

Many years ago I took a part in a musical called Chess. It is my favorite Broadway musical, I highly recommend that you check out the music. Back in the 80's there was this quirky song that would come on the radio and I loved it then. I had no idea that it was from a musical until much later in life. Now this is the radio version, the one that I think most people are familiar with. But the American version from Broadway is a lot faster and more upbeat. And then reason I dance to this song is because I still remember my dance moves that I had to learn and master for when I starred in the musical. I played one of the guys at a bar drinking away. Even though this is a slower version, I still dance to it.

Day 10 - A Song That Makes You Fall Asleep

The Revolution - Brian Tyler

This peaceful instrumental song comes from the Children of Dune soundtrack. My friend Zack turned me on to this awesome soundtrack and I would listen to it over and over again. Some nights when I couldn't sleep, I would play this on my iPod and I usually would fall asleep just a few minutes into the album. If you like classical music and soundtracks, I highly recommend this one.

Day 11 - A Song From Your Favorite Band

Tie Your Mother Down - Queen

I have to admit that this song has grown on my quite a lot over the years. It was not a huge favorite of mine really until recently especially since I am trying to learn this on the bass. Logan really likes this song too.

Last Days of September

Day 343

This is it. I did my final Matt at Work column just a few days ago and now this will be my last Last Days column!

But that isn't entirely true. I still have two months before my New Year's Resolutions are up and I cannot quit now. So the blog and this column will continue for at least a little bit longer. We are entering the home stretch, I gotta gird up the ol' loins and take it to the end.

WRITING:

No set writing yet but I have been jotting down notes in preparation of next month's National Novel Writing Month. I have an idea for a story involving vampires (I know, I know... so overdone) that I thought about six years ago. It is a horror story (sorry ladies, no lovey-dovey vampires here) set back during the Old West titled Blood Mine. I know how the story ends and I know how the main character gets there but I have no idea where to begin. I am hoping NaNoWriMo gets the creative juices flowing.

READING:

I am currently reading two books this month. I finally received The Extraordinary Works of Alan Moore and I am about halfway through that book and I am a few chapters in Driven: An Autobiography by Utah businessman Larry H. Miller.

Both books have already proved to be well worth reading. I'll have some reviews of them when I complete them sometime this month.

EXERCISE AND EATING RIGHT:

Same old song and dance. I don't think I eat what I should and I think I eat way too much. But I am eating better than I was a year ago. I am still exercising, I am trying to run every other day (except Sundays) and I work out on my Total Gym the other days. I feel better and I think I look better. This is definitely the longest I have been exercising, I don't think I have done something like this since high school. I am going to run the Top of Utah 5K next year so I am some motivation of working out during the winter.

OTHER STUFF:

I am still playing the bass guitar almost daily and I am really starting to pick it up. I don't know how to read music and I don't know what notes I am hitting on the bass but my ear is picking up the notes and telling my fingers what I should hit on the bass. Recently I have learned Queen's Under Pressure and I can almost do it without looking. I am probably up to about twenty to twenty-five songs.

So it was not a bad month at all. I only have two months before I hit the one-year mark and I am looking forward to seeing how far I have gone.