Take the country out of the girl?

Since downloading some much needed new music onto my iPod over Easter weekend, I've been thinking about my recent 'listening habits'. What I mean is, I've been thinking about the overall style of the songs I choose to listen to while waiting for my classes to start, or even walking to class - which I don't like to do very often because now that it's spring (and it's finally warmed up!) I love to listen to the robins, cardinals and other birds that flitter from tree to tree and warble their mellifluous songs around campus.

But anyway, so what are my recent listening habits concerning my iPod you ask? Well, let me first fill you in on what type of music I downloaded last weekend. I now have two Fleetwood Mac songs, and my first three Stevie Nicks songs! Also joining the meager crowd of music on my iPod are Peter Cetera, Apocalyptica, Bad Company, 38. Special and I'm completely drawing a break, so I'll stop there! But I guess my point is that I mostly downloaded 80's rock songs, and that's basically what I've been selecting with my thumb every time I turn my iPod on.

So what happened to my iPod's humble origins? Where it started out with country? Well, granted Shania Twain isn't very country, but soon enough I realized the folly of 'poptry' and moved into the territory of Patty Loveless, Brooks & Dunn and other more traditional country artists, and I was content with a 80's and 90's rock song here and there. But now? Like I mentioned above, the 80's to 90's era of rock has taken over my iPod and now I find myself gravitating towards it, and completely avoiding the country songs on my iPod. Why?

It's not like I've stopped loving Patty Loveless' music, albeit I have discovered I have a quite obvious impatience to listen to her slow songs. But hell, I've always been that way. I love fast songs, always have. And although over the years I've tried to force myself to listen to slow songs, I haven't been very successful. Big surprise right? Of course, in general I don't have much patience to begin with so maybe that's a root cause of it? Well, whatever the reason, when I do listen to Patty Loveless I find myself gravitating towards...her more 'pop-oriented' songs!

Yes, I know, I'm confused about it too. After all, didn't I just a few paragraphs before condemn today's - and yesterday's - 'poptry'? And just now confessed to gravitating towards it? Who knew a simple pondering on my current music listening habits could become so confusing? But then again, is every question so simple to answer? I mean everything has some events or occurrences leading up to it. I sense a string of some long questions coming on, or maybe a plethora of metaphors and similes, so I'll just stop right here.

On one hand, I love the 80's and 90's rock I've downloaded onto my iPod. Why? Because it's fast, has lots of electric guitars and I love that era of music in a lot of genres. Did I ever mention my love for the electric guitar? I'm a sucker for squealing guitar solo's, but I don't like a rock song to be too 'hard', if you know what I mean. Which is why I balk at my brother's choice in rock music, which is what currently graces today's radio stations. Radio is a whole other beast though, isn't it? I rarely listen to it anymore, except for occasionally tuning into a local rock station in Green Bay. Usually I'm not disappointed. The country station in Sheboygan? Now that's a different story. Damn, I'm doing it again, aren't I?

Maybe my lack of patience both in life and for slow songs and my apparently growing love for rock music have combined to snuff out the once boldly burning candle of my passion for country music and all that's left is a crackling tendril of smoke like a dying tornado twisting out upon the countryside, desperate to leave a mark because it has realized too late that it hasn't made any mark, but it has simply spun atop the Earth's surface like a collective summer breeze. Oh dear, and I was trying to avoid the rambling metaphors. Oh well, I can't help myself!

If my iPod could talk I wonder what it would say? Would it retaliate against me? Would it scold me? Or just ask a million questions as to why I have abandoned the country music on my iPod? Why have I left it like elegant furniture behind several closed doors at the end of a long addition on a mansion? Why have I left each piece of furniture and beautifully crafted chair rail, fireplace mantle and plaster ceiling medallion to collect dust like time itself solidifying on their surfaces? Why have I chosen to only occasionally walk down that narrow hallway, open the doors, perhaps inch only one foot over the threshold or maybe step all the way in, but not letting the door close behind me, letting the room know I am staying only temporarily, and that they shouldn't shake off the dust but let it remain.

The truth is, I feel guilty for bypassing - I've been trying to think of that word this whole time! Don't you hate that? - all the country music on my iPod. Songs like "Blame It On Your Heart" by Patty Loveless and "Someone Else's Dream" by Faith Hill I used to love! And was so excited to finally have on my iPod. What is it about songs like "No Smoke Without A Fire" by Bad Company or "Seven Wonders" by Fleetwood Mac that is so intensely appealing I would forget about the origins of music that urged me to get an iPod to begin with? Or like today's pop music icons like Katy Perry and Lady Gaga, is this obsession - can I call it that? - just a 'fad' that I am going through musically? Or is another 'stage' perhaps like the one that led me from Jump5 to poptry and poptry to traditional country music and finally traditional country to 80's and 90's rock? But that still doesn't explain why even when I do listen to the country music on my iPod it's modern artists like Whitney Duncan and SheDaisy. Well okay, SheDaisy isn't as modern as Duncan is, but if you know their music it's still relatively like what's on the radio these days. But yet the fact that I listen to it and not the poptry on the radio says something else doesn't it? I mean, look at Sugarland! I'm honestly surprised at how low they've stooped within the past few years. Jennifer Nettles used to know how to sing, now she's let the pop music go to her head like an overdose of drugs...and perhaps there's no coming back to "Settlin'" or "Something More" because her brain and vocal cords are permanently infected.

Okay, that was a little harsh. But seriously? Have you seen her video for "Stuck Like Glue"? It was disturbing to me as a Lady Gaga music video. All right, all right. I don't want to nitpick on Lady Gaga, although obviously you've probably come to the conclusion that I don't much care for her. Oops, too late I've realized I've begun a mini-rant on today's pop music and it's infiltration into country music. But perhaps within today's mess of pop and country radio's alike lies the answer to my own 'music-identity crisis'. It's weird how I just come up with terms like that, isn't it? I wasn't aware I had a 'music-identity-crisis' until I typed it just now.

Whatever the answer, perhaps I will restrain myself from listening to Phil Collins, Peter Cetera and the like for a while and turn back to Patty Loveless, Suzy Bogguss and Lorrie Morgan for a while. Perhaps I'll even be able to sit through a slow song or two without squirming, crossing and uncrossing my legs or playing with a pen and eventually succumbing to doodling. that's another problem I have, sitting still. But, maybe that doesn't surprise you. :)

I Heart Wearable Art

Picture copyright belongs to asraistyle.com)

So, while perusing Google for a picture of chandelier earrings I came across this beautiful pair. Why do I like them you ask? Because they're big, because they're noticable, because they're decorative and hint with more than just a tentative whisper at Side B of me.

Yes folks, there's the whole Side B reference again. But, you have to admit, the other side of the tape needs its fair share of playing also doesn't it? Even if it's only shaking the walls of my bedroom while the rest of the house stands empty, whispering to the hollow rooms of what could possibly be going on, and who's that girl who walked into her bedroom looking the same like she always does and came out with chandeleir's swinging from her ears and high heels on?

You see, just as I have always dreamed of wearing red lipstick, buying a waist-high pencil skirt and donning a pair of high heels so have I longed for a pair of huge earrings. Why huge? Because people will notice them! Now that I have shoulder-length hair I don't want little tiny earrings hiding there beneath the shifting screen of my hair. I want them to brush against my shoulders, I want to feel their weight, I want them to clink when I walk, to glint against the summer sun. Now I'm not saying I want to walk to work or even be at work and turn everyone's head. I simply want wear huge earrings and still be like every other flower unfurling, fading and peeling away from the wallpaper of the world.

Isn't that an oxymoron though you ask? Perhaps, yes. And when I think about it, it kind of makes me laugh. After all, isn't that the opposite of Side B of me? If I wanted to switch that tape over and blast it full volume yet still want to mold into the centuries-old flowers on the wallpaper of the world, then the name might as well be changed to Side A, who is the person who sits before her computer now and types this blog post. But then again, such an irony aside, I know I live out Side B of me through the myriad characters of my novellas, and that gives me some satisfaction. I could sit here all day and talk about the idyosyncracies of my characters and how similar yet completely different they all are from me. I think every author either consciously or inadvertently translates their own 'Side B's' into their characters and I think that a good reason why we feel such a deep connection with not only them, but the worlds they live in.

Digressing alert! Red lights are flashing in my head. Time to shove the literary train back on its intended track. I was talking about my obsession with chandelier earrings right? Just as I absolutely love the pair in today's blog post, so I have I found many other oversized earrings in various stores around Sheboygan. Mostly Maurices and Target, which are two stores that have amazing jewelry! So many colors, shapes and sizes. What is it about jewelry that attracts me to it so? Everytime my birthday or Christmas rolls around and my family asks me what I want I always say "jewerly is a no-fail", I'll take jewerly any time, any holiday! And like I said in the title of today's post, jewelry is 'wearable art'! It's a small - or maybe not so small considering chandelier earrings! - way for a person to express themselves, a way to add flair and interest to an outfit.

I know for myself I love selecting an outfit in the morning and then matching jewerly with it. I feel more complete that way, especially when I wear tank tops I feel like my neck and shoulders are naked so I have to wear a necklace. Since the weather has warmed up - finally! - I've been able to ditch my scarves - another obsession :) - and replace them with necklaces. Now that I think about, I guess I'm obsessive about always having something around my neck. Which sounds weird when I type that here, but it's true! Just as I always have to wear earrings. Even when I go on trips to the U.P with my family to visit relatives I have to take my jewelry along. I guess my collection has become as indispensible to me as my iPod, or my books!

And perhaps I also use jewerly as a way to compensate for my lack of enthusiasm to put on make-up. Yes, I know, it just doesn't make sense right? I have a two hour rule where I wake up two hours before I have to be somewhere, blown-dry/straighten my hair for an hour, spend about three minutes picking out an outfit, then another three poundering which earrings/necklace I should wear with said outfit yet...I feel like putting on make-up takes too much time and is unnecessary. Of course, I think make-up in general is rather useless for myself, I prefer the natural look even if my skin isn't the clearest thing in the world. But, admittedly, I do like the way I look with it on, it's just that I feel slightly different when I apply it. And perhaps that's a bit of Side B coming out in me, but then again when I picture Side B of me make-up isn't at the top of the list. But clearer skin is for sure!

So, to end today's blog post I ask you fellow readers...what is your favorite jewerly obsession? Is it chandelier earrings? Or maybe it's wooden bangles, or handmade earrings (which I love!) or perhaps it's delicate bracelets or huge rings. I'd like to hear about it! And as always, happy shopping. :)

As a side note I've always admired those Tiffany stained-glass lamps and also the antique original one's that hang in Victorian and Craftsman bungalow homes. I have this weird dream where I make those same lamp covers into earrings where they hang from your earlobes with three chains. Tell me, would you buy something like that? Or are you sitting there laughing while you picture lamp shades swinging from my ears? ;)

I Spy Something...Red???

Yes, that is a photo of my closet here on campus. And also, yes those are my winter clothes fighting for space and privilege among my spring and summer clothes even though it's April already. Such is life in Wisconsin. and the ironic thing is, is that I have more summer clothes in abundance than winter clothes. But anyway, my wardrobe ironies are for another time. On to the title of today's blog post. Which leads me to pose one question..."do you spy something red???" And no, I don't mean my robe and that short-sleeved sweater thing I wear when I wear tank tops because I have this weird phobia of bare-shoulders in public, I'm talking about regular t-shirts and even hoodies and sweaters - which are clogging up a good portion of my closet on the righthand side there. Why do I pose such a question? Well because all my life red has been my favorite color and lately I've been noticing how blatantly derived my life is of it. Take for instance my essential dorm room supplies that all college kid has: backpack, laundry basket, ottoman - doubling as a step stool for my height-challenged self :) - waste basket, iPod and iPod speaker. What do all these things have in common? They're pink! Now granted I don't hate pink all together, most of the pink stuff in my room is dark pink, but I wouldn't consider it my favorite color. Again, that honor belongs to red. So why am I surrounded by pink? and when I go to sleep at night it's dark purple, white and guess what? More pink! Now purple is a different story. I don't mind dark purple but I draw the line at purple clothes, at least I think I do. Now I'm wondering if I have a purple shirt in there somewhere. But you see what I mean? All of these colors that are in that insidious, constantly shifting middle ground of kinda-like-it-but-not-crazy-about way, and yet they repeatedly fill up my closets both at college and in my bedroom. Why? Is it because they happened to be on clearance? Or I liked the style of the tank top and looked past the color? Is it because I always go shopping with my mom and she picks out something I like? Which got me thinking...what if all of the clothes I wear aren't all my style but rather something she picked out for me? And let me tell you, that's a terrifying thought. ;) Not that I have a personal style, per se. I mean I like to dress up more than a pair of sweats and last night's hoodie but the most trouble I go through each day is to throw on jewelry and think for a few seconds about which sweater/hoodie will go with my shirt and which shoes will look the best. Also, because my mom reads my blog posts - which I appreciate! just like I appreciate the rest of my fellow blog readers - I want to clarify that I do love all of the clothes she's picked out for me, and while sometimes she can pick out some awful colors - like pastels! - she knows what I like and therefore I like shopping with her. But even still the question of "why no red?" goes unanswered. So this summer I have made a decision to hunt down at least one red tank top or t-shirt or hoodie or skirt or even a pair of damn shoes! this summer and put my closet into a state of shock. You know I'll bet all of my articles of clothes think I must have an identity crisis or something because I have all the colors of the rainbow in there. Then again, isn't it good for one to have many colors in their closets? I mean, don't get me wrong. I love my peach, green and teal blue t-shirts, and blue/gray and light pink polka dot tank top and all the other patterns and colors jammed together in there. But when I look at my roommates wardrobes I see prominent displays of purples and pinks - both colors which they are crazy for. And then switch to my own wardrobe and side of the room, and it's every color but red! Why??!! I think what is the most vexing is that I can't come up with a good enough reason as to the "why??!!!" and to add further to the irony whenever I fantasize about my future sprawling Victorian Second Empire home I'll some day own and think about all of the crazy-printed wallpaper I'll put up...only a few times out of the million fantasies do I envision entire rooms whose walls are sheathed in the crimson, silky red I love so much. Most othertimes it's oversized flowers blooming wildly atop a black canvas - courtesy of the print on my wallet :) - a rich cream and satin print - now that's surprising seeing as how usually I balk at any display of non-bright colors but considering my wardrobe, anything can happen right? Well, I don't think I've actually devoted an entire blog post to color before, have I? It feels good to blog about color, since I love it so much. So while this summer I go on the hunt to infuse a little red into my wardrobe, may you reflect upon the colors within your own closet and think "is my favorite color mysteriously devoid from my life?" And if it is, perhaps you should do a little hunting of your own. After all, like chocolate and thunderstorms, one should not be deprived of the things they love. :) And next week come back to read about an obsession of mine concerning jewelry, that like the color red, I have been deprived of but this summer intend to make a change!