Edumusication

Death Cab For Cutie ~ I Will Follow You into the Dark

2011-09-14T19:06:00.000-06:00

Meiko - Reasons to love you

2011-09-13T23:58:00.000-06:00

My year of music is nearly complete! I know, I know, I've missed over a hundred days. It seems not quite fair for me to end it without 365 new songs for you, but alas, there are only 24 hours to every day. I'm using as many of them as I can lately!

And I've also been inspired to write about the great journey I've been on in the last twelve months. Shortly, I hope, I will be able to post an ode to this last year, and discovering great music, like Meiko, will be a part of it!

Until then, I'm just thinking back about how much I've learned about life and love, something that Meiko sings so much about. Tonight, I wrote about the latest epiphany I've been realizing. When it comes down to it, I guess somebody will one day provide me with a Reason to Love Him/Her....until then, I'll just love you all!

B*Witched - C'est La Vie

2011-09-12T22:00:00.000-06:00

It's been years since I've heard these ladies. Then, suddenly, I finished my espresso, turned up my ears and began tapping my toes along to these familiar vocals...oh, such a great exciting vibe!

Cat Power ~ Lived In Bars

2011-09-11T00:42:00.000-06:00

"we know your house so very well
and we will wake you once we've walked up
all your stairs"

Cat Power is H-O-T!

This song is under-rated...

"we know your house so very well
and we will bust down your door if you're not there

"we've lived in bars
and danced on tables
hotels trains and ships that sail
we swim with sharks
and fly with aeroplanes out of here
out of here "

Hey Ocean! - "Alleyways"

2011-09-10T00:36:00.000-06:00

I’ll take the alleyway today
No need for streets they just compete with other people
Walking side by side on sidewalks
With their clocks all ticking simultaneously
...
There is a way
Another way to go and I’ll take it
A secret way
Some people know about but know one ever sees
...
Fast or slow
Take the shortcuts inside roads
Pay no mind to the signs or highway lines
Will get there our way
...
And though we more than deserved it long ago
it doesn't hurt to notice I'm free

(Fast or slow
Take the shortcuts inside roads
Pay no mind to the signs or highway lines
Will get there our way)

Jeremy Fisher ~ High School

2011-09-09T00:44:00.001-06:00

Oh....high school.

I love Jeremy Fisher.

Just saying.

He's in Edmonton September 23.

Just saying.

Hey Ocean! - Big Blue Wave (acoustic)

2011-09-08T07:48:00.000-06:00

This is such a sad sweet song...made me depressed... :-(

But I still love these guys! :-D

So happy to have discovered them...and this feeling...in this year. What a Great Year!

Ingrid Michaelson ~ Maybe

2011-09-07T00:55:00.004-06:00

It's time.

I'm going through everything I've gone through this year.

I'm cleaning out my mental closet, and donating those things I no longer need to good will.

With the subtle hints to and clinging onto my catalyst for the amazing journey I've had this year... well, this song is only fitting.

I don't believe it, though. I'll admit, I think about that moment when we do meet on some city street somewhere. His face ingrained in my mind, I'll have this vague feeling of familiarity with an otherwise stranger. And I doubt he'll recognize this beautiful soul he opened up for the world.

Perhaps that is a shame. Wouldn't life be better if we knew EXACTLY how we improved the lives of the people we touched?

But, in the end, knowing I'll have an affect on people doesn't inspire me to keep trying to do just that. The best mystery of life is that we'll never actually know what we did or how we did it, but yet we always do change the course of life for so many people that we come across. I enjoy the mystery and hope that it's always for the better...At least that's why I try to always leave with gratitude...and if not, look back on those devils as lessons learned...

Marina and the Diamonds ~ I am NOT a (L.A.) Robot

2011-09-06T18:04:00.000-06:00

Months ago, my friend recommended Marina and the Diamonds to me. I have forgotten about her this summer....until he brought her up again last night. I am grateful for that friendship for more than just discovering this lovely and hilariously wonderful music...but today, it's for the music! ;-)

Regina Spektor - "Dance Anthem of the 80's"

2011-09-04T10:07:00.001-06:00

And I am one of your people, but the cars don't stop...
It's been a long time since before I've been touched and now I'm getting touched all the time...and it's only a matter of time...and it's only a matter of when....

As a child of the 80's, I have a definite admiration for the music from that time.

As a child of the 80's, I have many friends born in that time.

Today is one of those friend (since babyhood)'s birthdays.

Happy Happy Day Day!

Kim Mitchell ~ Patio Lanterns

2011-09-03T11:27:00.000-06:00

The 80s really were some great years....

Frankie Goes To Hollywood ~ Relax (Don't Do It)

2011-09-02T08:48:00.000-06:00

I'm feeling in an 80s kind of mood this week. There's nothing wrong with that.

Coitus interruptus, however, is not a recommended form of birth control nor a preventitive measure against STI's, STD's, and the epidemic that shook the 80s: AIDS.

Maybe Frankie should have stayed at home...

Nena ~ 99 Luftballons

2011-09-01T08:37:00.000-06:00

September is the beginning of my year, every year, student or not.

This song is not only a memory of times past, but a celebration of what is to come - hope for the future. As such, it is only fitting for this day...

Joel Plaskett ~ A Million Dollars

2011-08-31T09:46:00.001-06:00

Ode to more great Canadians...

This is a beautiful anthem. I love it, like I love many things about this day.

Madonna ~ Hung Up

2011-08-30T13:38:00.000-06:00

Oh, dang! This song takes me back to Vancouver...circa 2006...

Memories....

Jay Z ~ "On To The Next One" (viewer discretion advised)

2011-08-29T06:00:00.000-06:00

As I hinted at in my other blog the other night, life grows new opportunities where problems used to exist!

This song embodies that...and is my mantra for this, my last week of working for a large corporation. Now that's something to celebrate! =-D

Florence + The Machine - Dog Days Are Over (2010 Version)

2011-08-26T06:46:00.000-06:00

This song embodies my appreciation for art, let alone music...

How was it that I only discovered Florence and the Machine this summer? A Miss Ashley Bailer is how! I love knowing fellow music aficionados.

For so many reasons, this song is appropriate for today. I do prefer to put happy-go-lucky songs on to a Friday, but that's why there are so many elements to a song. The lyrics are melancholic and a reminder of how precious life is. The rest is alive in celebration of what has happened, whether it is the passing of a loved one (or, in the case of this week, a strong political leader), or the ending of the summer. We should not mourn the moments that were, but celebrate the fact that they happened!

Happy Friday!

Lost Things - a stop-motion film featuring music by A Fine Frenzy

2011-08-25T22:39:00.000-06:00

I apologize for my lengthy delay....

I've had some troubles this summer, but they're fading with the Dog Days (a post that's soon to come)

Shared by a friend on the good ol' Facebook, this is a great metaphor for my return to the blogosphere.

Also, it's an amazing piece of art. Share it with all that you know!

Christina Perri - The Lonely

2011-07-21T11:21:00.000-06:00

Okay, nothing is perfect...myself included!

So, sadly, I was on hiatus this summer. This is posted days after the day I say it posted, but this song is most appropriate for that time in my life.

Somedays, you just need to be a little bit sad....this was one of those days....

Aimee Mann - Wise Up

2011-07-01T15:50:00.000-06:00

The beauty of music is that it says so much more than I would ever be able to...

This song says so much...

This is posted after the date it actually says it was. I apologise. I'm filling in the missing days, slowly but surely.

At one point this summer, I made a significant decision to "wise up," so to say. Like many things I've learned this year, learning to decide to do something good for myself was a big step. It happened shortly after July 1st, and although the decision has been tough, rigorously tested, and almost broken, I think it's the healthiest thing I've done in quite a long time...and I've been on a health kick for the last year.

So, here's to my decision. Here's to every one's best decision. It's tough, often sad as it reveals our weaknesses, but in the end so worthwhile!

Lenka - We Will Not Grow Old

2011-06-18T08:29:00.000-06:00

This song I dedicate to my friend, Eric, who is the only 20-something I know who hates the thought of living to twice his current age.

I owe him, and other new friends, for making this the Summer of Being Inappropriate. They have reminded me to embrace my youth, enjoy this life, and still do things that our healthy....like eat Goji berries, because they are the secret to never aging...

Lenka - Roll With The Punches

2011-05-15T10:28:00.000-06:00

So appropriate for me to hear right now...I've been kinda "grouchy" lately...

As a coworker said last night, "I miss Sunny, Happy Jodi. Bring her back!" I totally agree...

Sorry, mates! Will try better...

However, there is no try. Only do or do not.

Ingrid Michaelson - You and I

2011-05-14T22:06:00.000-06:00

As entertaining as my spring has been, I like the idealism of this song, and still believe in falling in love...

....if only love could actually pay the bills!

"well you might be a bit confused
and you might be a little bit bruised
but baby how we spoon like no one else
so I will help you read those books
if you will soothe my worried looks
and we will put the lonesome on the shelf"

And then, when that happens, love will produce more wealth than necessary. So:

let's get rich and give everybody nice sweaters

then, with the stamping feet, clapping hands and lack of strings:

"oh, lets get rich and buy our parents homes in the south of France
let's get rich and give everybody nice sweaters
and teach them how to dance
let's get rich and build our house on a mountain
making everybody look like ants
from way up there you and I, you and I, you and I"

This is a sweet song...by a sweet songstress. I like it! :-D

Christina Perri - Arms

2011-05-13T23:19:00.000-06:00

A friend posted this song on YouTube today...and it was exactly what I needed to hear at exactly the right moment... Be-U-Tee-Ful!

"I hope you see right through my walls..."
"...You put your arms around me and I'm home...

I love it when a new song not only makes you cry, but heals your wounds with hope all in the same three and a half minutes.

Angus and Julia Stone - Mango Tree

2011-05-12T22:57:00.001-06:00

I've been feeling lately like I'm not doing a good job of this "grown-up" thing. On paper, I am basically failing: consumer debt keeps growing, making just above minimum wage, still no assets, no relationship, no children, no clear career path, only an undergrad, etc., etc. Of course, there are many my age even further behind, and many younger further ahead...

The truth of the matter is that it's less about being a "grown-up" on paper and more about just being comfortable with the choices you make everyday. At times, I feel like I'm going in circles rather than actually getting anywhere. However, as a cyclist, I know that the wheels have to turn just as much when coasting on a level path as they do when one is climbing up a mountain. It's when we're on the mountain that we feel least productive, but the view from the top is always worth it.

This song is a mark of remembering who I am. I lost myself in the work I want to be doing for my career today. It's something I find myself circling aorund again and again as I climb the mountain of my life. In my zen place, there was no music blaring from the radio, no podcast trying to educate me on some social aspect of our world...and I just focused.

This is what this song means to me: focus.

It's great...