Sunday, May 30, 2010

50 Things To Make You Smile

If you are ever in a poopy mood, and come on lets face it everyone gets there sometimes, here is a list of things that you can find to make you feel better. They are in no specific order excluding number #1 because everyone knows hugs are one of the best things in the world. So whenever the grey skies cloud over and you need a pick me up give some of these a whirl.

1) Hugs- Find someone, ask for a hug, embrace, feel better.
2)Watch the end of the world http://www.endofworld.net/ (if you can't laugh at that then you should be sad because you don't have a sense of humor).
3)Read Oh, The Places You'll Go by Dr. Suess.
4)Watch Elf.
5)Make someone else smile. Why? 'Cause they're as contagious as yawns.
6)Do things that Bob Marley would do while you listen to his music.
7)Play a game of touch football.
8)If it's winter time, go snowshoeing.
9)Play with a puppy.
10)Call your best friend and talk it out, thats what they are their for among many other reasons.
11)Do something kind for someone else.
12)Listen to Van Morrison's (Straight to Your Heart) Like a Cannonball (This is more geared for Jen Cox, Mary, and Jon, but feel free to give it a try yourself).
13)Buy a canvas, some brushes, paint, and paint yourself a picture.
14)Take a walk.
15)Read some Shel Silverstein.
16)Think about why you are poopy, figure out how you are going to change your poopyness, and do it.
17)Do something that you have never done before.
18)Find your "Happy Place"... it worked for Happy, and then...
19) Watch Happy Gilmour.
20)Read All But My Life by Gerda Weissmann Klein. This is a very sad book but it will sure make you feel fortunate for everything you have in your life.
21)Listen to Louis Armstrong.
22)Watch Stormy Weather.
23)Check out what's going on at your local Art Museum.
24)Think of your favorite childhood memory.
25)Look through an old scrapbook.
26)Think of how you felt when KU won the NCAA Men's Basketball championship in 2008.
27)Play your favorite game.
28)Watch a Mel Brooks Film.
29)If you know how to play an instrument, play it.
30)Plan a trip for yourself and figure out when and how you are going to get there.
31)Go for a swim.
32)Turn some music on really loud and dance your heart out.
33)Go hang out with your favorite stuffed animal. If you don't have one buy one, and then hang out with it.
35)Go for a bike ride.
36)Take pictures of pretty things in nature.
37)Take pictures of architecture you find pretty.
38)Think of when KU won the Orange Bowl.
39)Think of the proudest moment in your life.
40)Smoke a fine cigar, and drink a fine scotch.
41)If you are lucky enough to be poopy when it's about to storm, watch the storm come in.
42)Write down you goals, and how you are going to achieve them.
43)Make a funny face.
44)Make yourself a nice dinner.
45)Get a massage.
46)Write.
47)Give someone a kiss, not make-out session, but just a nice kiss.
48)Learn something new.
49)Watch this music video on youtube and learn the dance moves http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2c4L4CPfQY8 .
50)Just smile- it takes more effort to frown anyways.



Thursday, May 20, 2010

Music 101

I have been working on a couple posts, but can't seem to come up with a coherent though on anything. It being so long since I have made a post, I thought it would be good to just get something up on here. I had two idea's for a quick and easy post. First, was stealing an idea from my friend Erica's blog. She does a great series in her blog called "My Dearies". It is basically just letting people in her life know how important they are to her. I am sure that I will get to that at some point because believe you me, I've got some things to say about some people. However, I thought I would try to do something somewhat original, and thus I came up with 2) Music 101.

Music is one of the things that I love in life. I know that my first CD was either Dave Matthews Band: Under the Table and Dreaming or Blues Traveler: Hook. Before that I was busy listening to my dads music and thus have acquired, what many call an, "old soul" in music. He had me listening to The Cure, Neil Young, Billy Joel, and Santana among many others. One of my favorite songs to play on the guitar is Neil Young's "Needle and the Damage Done" because it was a song my dad always played. Given this love of music I have come over some pretty amazing things that a lot of people haven't heard about. In Music 101, I am going to do my darnedest to share what I have found with everyone who wants to listen. If anyone cares to share back with me, feel free because I always love listening to something new. On a side note I haven't quite figured out whether this is going to be an artist or album class yet, so bear with the inconsistency as it progresses.

To start out I'm going to inform everyone about The Ryan Montbleau Band. They are out of Boston and it is a mixture of a couple different styles. They would fall under the category of singer/songwriter but includes a lot of acoustics with influence of blues and jazz. Ryan Montbleau is a great guitarist with a great finger picking style.

I found out about them one night when I was doing very little in Lawrence, KS. A friend of mine told me to come see them play down at The Bottleneck because I would like them. Tickets were only 5 bucks so I said why not. It turned out to be one of the best shows I have seen. There were about 25 people there which made a very intimate setting. After I bought the CD's at the show everything kept growing on me. A few of the songs really hit me and helped me out with some rough times I had back then. Particularly the song "75 and sunny" of the album Patience on Friday. "Stretch" off of One Fine Color is another favorite.

"75 and sunny"

here is the link to the website