What is your favorite song of all-time?
"Jessica" by The Allman Brothers Band
Monday, August 29, 2011
Values Game: Prologue
At Orientation over the summer, the Peer Mentors played a "game" called the Values Game. It was our last full day of training before our final day off before Orientation, and it was already late at night when we started. I had heard great things about the values game, and remembered enjoying playing it when I was a freshman at my own Orientation. It really made me think about what I believe, and what's instinctively rooted in my mind and heart. But my favorite thing is that it makes you appreciate. You appreciate your own life and the culmination of the moments you have, and you appreciate everyone else around you, for their hardships and their successes and beliefs. There are no judgments, or anything like that. Just silence after each person answers, as everyone lets it sink in. No follow-up questions, no discussions, just the next person answering. Some of the questions are fun to answer, while others bring people to tears (with no exceptions). So what I thought would be worth doing is periodically asking a Values Game question for all of you. Think about the question, and give yourself time to answer. Really think about what that answer means for you, because it can help you see who you are and what the world means to you.
Leave a comment with your story or answer if you wish on each post. Or better yet, maybe start your own blog and talk about your own values. Under each question, I'll share my answer, because this game is about being open with people and making connections with them. Share these connecitons and conversations with people you know, because it will strengthen and create bonds, as well as bring a sense of silent understanding between everyone you share it with.
Leave a comment with your story or answer if you wish on each post. Or better yet, maybe start your own blog and talk about your own values. Under each question, I'll share my answer, because this game is about being open with people and making connections with them. Share these connecitons and conversations with people you know, because it will strengthen and create bonds, as well as bring a sense of silent understanding between everyone you share it with.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
first pOst from StOnehill
What's ALSO a ton of fun (rhyme!) is that we get to play board/video/card games and watch movies with everyone in various residence halls today, and we only have like 1 or 2 things we have to do post-dinner. That is, if the hurricane doesn't change anything. Which it won't. Because the hurricane sucks. Game, set, match. Point Stonehill. Game over. End of game.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Jam Band #1
 | |
| Eric Clapton |
capo 1st fret
e ---0---0---0---0-----
B ---0---0---0---0-----
G ---0---4---2---1-----
D ---7---5---3---2-----
A ---7---5---3---2-----
E ---5---3---1---0-----
a G F E
It's a pretty standard chord progression, but with a little change on the top two strings, obviously both open. For the record, you can play this with the capo anywhere, including off your strings - the fingerings are movable. Give it a whack and let me know what you think of it!
Saturday, August 20, 2011
A different way to play the "What If?" game
UPDATES!
Yes, that's right, my blog has a couple updates:
Ever since about the spring of my senior year of high school, I've been considerably less of a thinker about scenarios than I used to be. I would always play out situations in my mind, thinking about how they could go, instead of just letting them come to me - sometimes, it's better to react than to act and try and get a head start on things, especially things that aren't easy to do. Many times, things don't always work out the way they want for us, and a lot of people have regrets about those things. Regrets are common among people, but that doesn't mean that it has to be common for you. The first/best/only example I can think of to explain this is fantasy baseball. Take this example - I picked up Randy Wolf, a pitcher, to pitch one game for me (today) and try and help my team lower its ERA and WHIP (Earned Run Average and Walks/Hits per Inning Pitched, respectively). He did the complete opposite. He gave up 5 earned runs in 6.1 IP, which equates to a 7.11 ERA. My team ERA for the playoff matchup is currently an even 5.00, which isn't good by any means. I wish I didn't pick up Wolf, because it would mean that my ERA would be lower than it is right now, and I'd have a better shot at winning the matchup (which ends a week from tomorrow, so there's still plenty of time, but I need all the help I can get right now).
So, yeah, Randy Wolf sucked today. BUT. That doesn't mean there were no bright spots for my pitchers, either. Matt Garza also pitched today, and he's been a pitcher that I've been on the fence with dropping for essentially the entire second half of the season. Especially at the beginning of this week, because he hasn't been pitching so well as of late. I decided to keep him on my team (either that, or it was me making a decision by deferring to make a decision) and he pitched very well today - 7 innings, 0 earned runs, 8 strikeouts, and a win. I'm really glad I kept Garza, because my ERA would be a lot higher than the 5.00 it is right now (5.625, to be exact). So it's also important to make note of the good moves you make, instead of harping on the bad ones.
Granted that fantasy baseball doesn't completely generalize to everything, but hopefully this is a good enough example of what I'm trying to say. Try and follow this example to highlight the good decisions you make in addition to, or even instead of regretting the bad ones.
Yes, that's right, my blog has a couple updates:
- You can now share my blog with all of your friends on Facebook and Twitter! Granted, this might happen once ever, but hey - it's once more than it'd happen if I didn't have it.
- You can feed 5 fish now too! Just click anywhere in the water and food will appear for the fish to eat. Trust me, it's more exciting than you think.
Ever since about the spring of my senior year of high school, I've been considerably less of a thinker about scenarios than I used to be. I would always play out situations in my mind, thinking about how they could go, instead of just letting them come to me - sometimes, it's better to react than to act and try and get a head start on things, especially things that aren't easy to do. Many times, things don't always work out the way they want for us, and a lot of people have regrets about those things. Regrets are common among people, but that doesn't mean that it has to be common for you. The first/best/only example I can think of to explain this is fantasy baseball. Take this example - I picked up Randy Wolf, a pitcher, to pitch one game for me (today) and try and help my team lower its ERA and WHIP (Earned Run Average and Walks/Hits per Inning Pitched, respectively). He did the complete opposite. He gave up 5 earned runs in 6.1 IP, which equates to a 7.11 ERA. My team ERA for the playoff matchup is currently an even 5.00, which isn't good by any means. I wish I didn't pick up Wolf, because it would mean that my ERA would be lower than it is right now, and I'd have a better shot at winning the matchup (which ends a week from tomorrow, so there's still plenty of time, but I need all the help I can get right now).
So, yeah, Randy Wolf sucked today. BUT. That doesn't mean there were no bright spots for my pitchers, either. Matt Garza also pitched today, and he's been a pitcher that I've been on the fence with dropping for essentially the entire second half of the season. Especially at the beginning of this week, because he hasn't been pitching so well as of late. I decided to keep him on my team (either that, or it was me making a decision by deferring to make a decision) and he pitched very well today - 7 innings, 0 earned runs, 8 strikeouts, and a win. I'm really glad I kept Garza, because my ERA would be a lot higher than the 5.00 it is right now (5.625, to be exact). So it's also important to make note of the good moves you make, instead of harping on the bad ones.
Granted that fantasy baseball doesn't completely generalize to everything, but hopefully this is a good enough example of what I'm trying to say. Try and follow this example to highlight the good decisions you make in addition to, or even instead of regretting the bad ones.
The Room of Requirement
I guess what happens after six days without blogging is that I get a bunch of ideas and thoughts in my head that I should have blogged about some time in the previous week. So, like the Room of Requirement, think of this blog post as whatever I need it to be - a CF of miscellany. (To find out what a CF is, urbandictionary it. I created the phrase "CF of miscellany" last night and think it would be a tremendous name for a band. Or maybe a Pandora station.)
First off, I'd like to tell everyone who said I would love Dexter that they're right. It took me 23 episodes to deem it unbelievably awesome, but it finally happened. I finished the penultimate episode of the second season today on the Internet, and I can tell that it's going to be one of my favorite episodes of the series. It's just awesome to watch the show through a combination of third-person Dexter with first-person Dexter's thoughts. Not to mention that some of the music is absolutely amazing.
When I was thinking about how I was going to write this post, I concluded that it would emulate the style of my Twitter (kind of) posts, but with more words. And I was totally okay with the lack of fluidity in the end product of what would be this blog post. And I'm still okay with it, if I've gotten this far.
I'm excited about going back to school. It will feel like a fresh start, just like it did last year, except now, I have a lot of new people in my life, and experiences that I'm bringing with me after one year of college. Not to mention that this will be my first fall semester with more than zero floor space.
I just remembered the next-to-last blog post before I left school for the year, and how it was an unexpected-yet-I-think-I'm-supposed-to-feel-this-way melancholy that I had. I kinda have that same feeling now, even though I'm listening to my new favorite song, "Walk" by Foo Fighters. I'm leaving for school in approximately 72 hours, where I'll probably be there until Columbus Day weekend. And I'm totally okay with that, even if it means I'll be away from my friends and everything in Watertown again.
Speaking of which...this summer went by really fast. Even though it also seemed to drag on like hell at times - I don't know how there are still eleven days left in August. I guess this is what they mean when they say that August days are the dog days of the MLB season - that applies to everything else, apparently, too. But luckily, college will break me out of that. It's definitely because Stonehill just seems bright. When it's sunny, it's like REALLY sunny or something like that. And even when it's gloomy it still feels good to be outside and stuff, instead of having a lazy day inside.
Camp ended yesterday (there was something I forgot until now), and this was overall a good summer. The kids this year were a little harder to deal with than in other years, but I've been doing this long enough where I'm used to it, so I handled that well. This was also the first summer where I didn't take a full week off...maybe that's why this summer seemed to take longer than usual. On the plus side, I did make more money this summer than I have at any point in my life, and I still had a ton of fun at camp. Things like Color Wars and the Stanely Cup were a lot more exciting and fun than they have been in previous years, and I'm looking forward to them again next year, as well as a lot of stuff about camp.
The last thing on my mind is that this is my 100th blog post. My theory is that I held off on blogging for 6 days because it was going to be a milestone for my blog, even if in and of itself, my 100th blog post should be no different from any other blog post - multiples of 5 and 10 are cool and all, but I'm still curious why they're milestone-ish. Granted we count in base 10, so that's probably why. Anyway, it doesn't feel like I've had 100 blog posts. Some of them have been really short, others really long, some mundane, some really interesting and exciting (at least I think so), and others completely arbitrary. I'm glad that my blog has no real theme, but rather a bunch of general whatever-I-feel-like-talking-about posts. A CF of miscellany, if you will. Told you it was a cool phrase.
When I was thinking about how I was going to write this post, I concluded that it would emulate the style of my Twitter (kind of) posts, but with more words. And I was totally okay with the lack of fluidity in the end product of what would be this blog post. And I'm still okay with it, if I've gotten this far.
I'm excited about going back to school. It will feel like a fresh start, just like it did last year, except now, I have a lot of new people in my life, and experiences that I'm bringing with me after one year of college. Not to mention that this will be my first fall semester with more than zero floor space.
I just remembered the next-to-last blog post before I left school for the year, and how it was an unexpected-yet-I-think-I'm-supposed-to-feel-this-way melancholy that I had. I kinda have that same feeling now, even though I'm listening to my new favorite song, "Walk" by Foo Fighters. I'm leaving for school in approximately 72 hours, where I'll probably be there until Columbus Day weekend. And I'm totally okay with that, even if it means I'll be away from my friends and everything in Watertown again.
Speaking of which...this summer went by really fast. Even though it also seemed to drag on like hell at times - I don't know how there are still eleven days left in August. I guess this is what they mean when they say that August days are the dog days of the MLB season - that applies to everything else, apparently, too. But luckily, college will break me out of that. It's definitely because Stonehill just seems bright. When it's sunny, it's like REALLY sunny or something like that. And even when it's gloomy it still feels good to be outside and stuff, instead of having a lazy day inside.
Camp ended yesterday (there was something I forgot until now), and this was overall a good summer. The kids this year were a little harder to deal with than in other years, but I've been doing this long enough where I'm used to it, so I handled that well. This was also the first summer where I didn't take a full week off...maybe that's why this summer seemed to take longer than usual. On the plus side, I did make more money this summer than I have at any point in my life, and I still had a ton of fun at camp. Things like Color Wars and the Stanely Cup were a lot more exciting and fun than they have been in previous years, and I'm looking forward to them again next year, as well as a lot of stuff about camp.
The last thing on my mind is that this is my 100th blog post. My theory is that I held off on blogging for 6 days because it was going to be a milestone for my blog, even if in and of itself, my 100th blog post should be no different from any other blog post - multiples of 5 and 10 are cool and all, but I'm still curious why they're milestone-ish. Granted we count in base 10, so that's probably why. Anyway, it doesn't feel like I've had 100 blog posts. Some of them have been really short, others really long, some mundane, some really interesting and exciting (at least I think so), and others completely arbitrary. I'm glad that my blog has no real theme, but rather a bunch of general whatever-I-feel-like-talking-about posts. A CF of miscellany, if you will. Told you it was a cool phrase.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Excerpts from "This I Believe," part 5
Well, I have about 95 pages left of This I Believe, and it's taken me a lot longer to read the book than I would have expected. Nonetheless, I'm still looking forward to finishing it before I return to school, so here goes.
(Allison, Jay, and Dan Gediman. This I Believe: The Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women. New York: This I Believe, 2006. Print.)
- "When I write a poem, I process experience. I take what's inside me - the raw, chaotic material of feeling or memory - and translate it into words and then shape those words into the rhythmical language we call a poem. This process brings me a kind of wild joy. Before, I was powerless and passive in the face of my confusion, but now I am active: the powerful shaper of my experience. I am transforming it into a lucid meaning."
Well, I think I found my favorite essay. I write the occasional poem, and it usually comes out of spontaneity. And it's the same process as described above - I take some raw emotion or feeling and do my best to describe it using words as my craft. The first sentence of the essay reads "I believe in poetry as a way of surviving the emotional chaos, spiritual confusions, and traumatic events that come with being alive." I absolutely love that idea that poems are a means of survival. That way, the thoughts and feelings and emotions are no longer inside of you, but down on paper. You put a lucid meaning to your thoughts and emotions and can carry that with you through your travels, keeping it in your pocket for when you need it the most. You can read this essay here, as well as browse around the rest of the website to discover whatever you come across.
- "I soon understood that all succeeding good things merely offset the bad. Worse than normal wouldn't last long. I am owed and savor the halcyon times. They reinvigorate me for the next nasty surprise and offer assurance that I can thrive."
This essay talks about the 50-percent theory, which states that half of the things in life will be better than normal, and half of them will be worse. Of course, it takes some time to figure out exactly what "normal" is, but everything will balance itself out in the end. It's a sort of karma that I also believe in, where if something's troubling you at the moment, time will take care of it eventually and work it out so that it returns to equilibrium.
This sitting of reading the book has probably been the best one so far - a lot of the essays were thought-provoking and made me think about my own life and the connection I share with some of these poems. Hopefully the end of the book is just as promising and interesting to me.
(Allison, Jay, and Dan Gediman. This I Believe: The Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women. New York: This I Believe, 2006. Print.)
- "When I write a poem, I process experience. I take what's inside me - the raw, chaotic material of feeling or memory - and translate it into words and then shape those words into the rhythmical language we call a poem. This process brings me a kind of wild joy. Before, I was powerless and passive in the face of my confusion, but now I am active: the powerful shaper of my experience. I am transforming it into a lucid meaning."
Well, I think I found my favorite essay. I write the occasional poem, and it usually comes out of spontaneity. And it's the same process as described above - I take some raw emotion or feeling and do my best to describe it using words as my craft. The first sentence of the essay reads "I believe in poetry as a way of surviving the emotional chaos, spiritual confusions, and traumatic events that come with being alive." I absolutely love that idea that poems are a means of survival. That way, the thoughts and feelings and emotions are no longer inside of you, but down on paper. You put a lucid meaning to your thoughts and emotions and can carry that with you through your travels, keeping it in your pocket for when you need it the most. You can read this essay here, as well as browse around the rest of the website to discover whatever you come across.
- "I soon understood that all succeeding good things merely offset the bad. Worse than normal wouldn't last long. I am owed and savor the halcyon times. They reinvigorate me for the next nasty surprise and offer assurance that I can thrive."
This essay talks about the 50-percent theory, which states that half of the things in life will be better than normal, and half of them will be worse. Of course, it takes some time to figure out exactly what "normal" is, but everything will balance itself out in the end. It's a sort of karma that I also believe in, where if something's troubling you at the moment, time will take care of it eventually and work it out so that it returns to equilibrium.
This sitting of reading the book has probably been the best one so far - a lot of the essays were thought-provoking and made me think about my own life and the connection I share with some of these poems. Hopefully the end of the book is just as promising and interesting to me.
My 5 favorite Pokemon
Anyone who knows what a Game Boy is has played Pokemon at some point during their childhood. And/or at the end of their senior year of high school (guilty). When Raffi told me I should do a Pokemon desktop background post instead of sports, I decided to add on to that and talk about my 5 favorite Pokemon. And these are only the Red/Blue/Yellow Pokemon. None of this 500 Pokemon nonsense. So, in no particular order...
1. Articuno. Not only is this the best of the legendary birds, it also helped me beat the Elite Four, as well as destroy it in every subsequent challenge (with the help of Mewtwo from the second time on, of course). There's nothing like Ice Beaming someone and putting them out of commission before they can even get an attack off. And on top of that, it can fly. Anything that can use Fly is automatically boosted in the rankings. Even though these aren't rankings. But whatever.
2. Ninetales. I know that I set my profile picture as Rapidash for Favorite Pokemon Profile Picture Month, but I have to give the nod to Ninetales for this one. Despite the low HP, Ninetales could learn seemingly every move, so I ended up using it against every type of Pokemon when I was playing Silver on my laptop during first semester. (Seriously, I enjoyed Pokemon this much.) And I always thought Vulpix was cooler than Ponyta, so that was probably taken into subconscious consideration.
3. Hypno. A lot of these Pokemon have similar counterparts (see: Ninetales), and Hypno's doppelganger is Alakazam. Well, maybe not doppelganger, since the two look nothing alike, but when you think of Psychic Pokemon, those two are near the top of your list. I also had Hypno on my team, and it was just a monster. As in, it was literally the only thing I could use to easily defeat Ghost Pokemon. Not to mention that it had a gazillion HP. And could learn Dream Eater. Take that, Alakazam.
4. Dragonite. Maybe it's because Dragonite is one of the hardest Pokemon to get in the game, and definitely the hardest to achieve via evolution, but even independent of that, it's an awesome Pokemon. You're lying if you tell me you weren't secretly jumping for joy when you caught a Dratini, planning on leveling up to 30 for Dragonair, and 55 for Dragonite. But it was always worth it, especially when Hyper Beam came along. And what's great is that Dragon on Dragon is super-effective, so you could finally take down Lance with ease. And it's Pokemon #149, which means it's essentially the greatest thing not named...
5. Mewtwo. It almost had to be Mewtwo at the end of this list. Here's how it went after you defeated the Elite Four and Gary. You were Pokemon Champion, but you knew that you still had one last final task (that is, if you weren't planning on catching all 150 Pokemon). Fly to Cerulean City and enter Cerulean Cave, where that man was no longer guarding the entrance. You had your Master Ball in hand, ready to use it on the first turn. It was actually an easy task given that you could use it right away. But that didn't mean your heart didn't skip a beat with the battle music came on, anyway. Mewtwo, once you caught it, was easily the best Pokemon. It was already level 70 to begin with, was Psychic, and could learn a ton of different moves. You didn't "beat the game" until you caught Mewtwo. Didn't matter how many times you beat the Elite Four.
So there you have it. Five of the best and favorite Pokemon of not only my opinion, but maybe some of yours, too. Leave some comments if you agree or disagree. And please do - no one leaves comments and it makes me sad. But besides that, who doesn't love to talk about Pokemon?
So there you have it. Five of the best and favorite Pokemon of not only my opinion, but maybe some of yours, too. Leave some comments if you agree or disagree. And please do - no one leaves comments and it makes me sad. But besides that, who doesn't love to talk about Pokemon?
Saturday, August 13, 2011
10 days, 1 hour, 39 minutes
^ That's when I can move back into Stonehill for the year. Or at least it was when I started this post. I'm considerably far less packed than I was at this point last year...I don't even know where to start/how I even did it last year. I suppose what would be a good start is to rid my room of any clothing that I know I'll never wear, and then separate what's left into school/home clothing. And then bring my sweatpants, of course, my lone pair of jeans, and anything else I can think of. Next would be knickknacks (Editor's Note: No way should there be that many k's in "knickknacks."), which I could probably start this weekend, because I won't be using any of them in my room, since they're purely for swagification. The big stuff like bedding and....whatever else constitutes as big stuff, I'll prolong until probably next weekend. I've already got some sweet posters for the room, too.
And by posters, I mean stuff I got at Game 6 of the Stanley Cup, and a sweet poster of Kevin Youkilis that Vicki and I stole...borrowed from the T one time. Which reminds me - I'll also be bringing my xBox, so me and James can play NHL11 four times a day. Which will be good, because I've used my xBox probably six times since I graduated high school.
But if realizing that there aren't a lot of days left until I'm at school for the year, then meeting up with Vicki at school last night definitely did it. I can also safely say that I can get to and from school sans GPS now (granted, it's all highway and all I have to do is remember where to get off two exits), and that I'm mega pumped to be living at Villa this year. Especially when I can walk 20 feet to the study room, look out the window, and see Corr and New Hall and how majestic those buildings are. (Disclaimer: majestic really isn't the first word I would use to describe those res halls. I just can't think of anything, so I revert to sarcasm.) And with people I know in Corr and New Hall, I'm sure I'll be getting to see the majesty of it from the inside, too. (Second Disclaimer: I'm starting to not like "majestic" as a description. Oh well.)
But for now, I must wait. 10 days, 1 hour, 27 minutes.
And by posters, I mean stuff I got at Game 6 of the Stanley Cup, and a sweet poster of Kevin Youkilis that Vicki and I stole...borrowed from the T one time. Which reminds me - I'll also be bringing my xBox, so me and James can play NHL11 four times a day. Which will be good, because I've used my xBox probably six times since I graduated high school.But if realizing that there aren't a lot of days left until I'm at school for the year, then meeting up with Vicki at school last night definitely did it. I can also safely say that I can get to and from school sans GPS now (granted, it's all highway and all I have to do is remember where to get off two exits), and that I'm mega pumped to be living at Villa this year. Especially when I can walk 20 feet to the study room, look out the window, and see Corr and New Hall and how majestic those buildings are. (Disclaimer: majestic really isn't the first word I would use to describe those res halls. I just can't think of anything, so I revert to sarcasm.) And with people I know in Corr and New Hall, I'm sure I'll be getting to see the majesty of it from the inside, too. (Second Disclaimer: I'm starting to not like "majestic" as a description. Oh well.)
But for now, I must wait. 10 days, 1 hour, 27 minutes.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
What our lives are
"And who we get stuck in those rooms with adds up to what our lives are."
Allow me to take this quote a little further. It's not only who is in our rooms, but what we're doing in them, and how it's being done, and all of the other components of being in a room. Take that for all it is. What do you want that to be? How do you want that to affect your life? If our life is the sum of who we get stuck in those rooms with, then how do you want your life to be? Think about it. Think about whether or not you want certain rooms to be a part of your life. Rooms you've been in in the past can't be left. Regrets, arguments, whatever it is, can't be erased. But you can stop yourself before you enter one of those rooms in the future. If you foresee trouble in a room, then don't go in. Try and find a better place to be.
Think about what you want your life to be. Don't try and arrange your rooms so that it aligns with your mental blueprint - instead, be consciously aware of your surroundings before you enter a room. We are all faced with difficult choices and challenges in life. But to make the most of it, you just have to be in the right room.
Allow me to take this quote a little further. It's not only who is in our rooms, but what we're doing in them, and how it's being done, and all of the other components of being in a room. Take that for all it is. What do you want that to be? How do you want that to affect your life? If our life is the sum of who we get stuck in those rooms with, then how do you want your life to be? Think about it. Think about whether or not you want certain rooms to be a part of your life. Rooms you've been in in the past can't be left. Regrets, arguments, whatever it is, can't be erased. But you can stop yourself before you enter one of those rooms in the future. If you foresee trouble in a room, then don't go in. Try and find a better place to be.
Think about what you want your life to be. Don't try and arrange your rooms so that it aligns with your mental blueprint - instead, be consciously aware of your surroundings before you enter a room. We are all faced with difficult choices and challenges in life. But to make the most of it, you just have to be in the right room.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Ocean
It's not the best video quality ever, but it's not about that. It's about the song and the chilling energy it drives inside you. 6:45 to 8:20.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Color Wars
Fact: Color Wars rules.
Every 6th week of the summer at camp, we have Color Wars, which pits four (five in previous years) teams against each other in a week-long...I dunno...we just do games and stuff against each other all week. I can't really put a noun to what Color Wars is. It's just Color Wars. This is my fourth (if I am correct) year doing Color Wars, out of my 6 at camp, and I've yet to win the whole thing. There's a giant banner that we hang in the cafeteria during the week to see each year's team winner, and all of the staff and campers that won (they get to write their names on the banner too). Some of the events we do include field events (wheelbarrow races, sprints, potato sack races), trivia, musical chairs, counselor dress-up, pie-eating contests, obstacle courses, and tug of war. I lied when I said that Color Wars runs all week - the last day is always Thursday, because usually the camp sleepover is that night, and everyone would be exhausted on Friday. But Color Wars gets real Wednesday afternoon.
Wednesday afternoon is when musical chairs and scooter races happen. It's the turning point between "there's still time" and "we need to win NOW" in Color Wars. And it's always the counselor musical chairs game that sets the tone. Everyone gets extremely into it, everyone looks on with deep intensity, and it's always louder as the game progresses. The obstacle course is always a nail-biter, as well, but the main event is and always will be tug of war.
Thankfully in years past I haven't been relied on to do tug of war, because...you know...I suck at it. But I think that will have to change this year, but hey - I'll do what it takes to bring home a Color Wars title.
Oh another thing - all of the counselors get to wear their team color instead of the usual staff shirts. So of course I got my entire wardrobe settled for this week - I'm on blue, so of course I had to break out the Nolan Smith jersey today. And there are of course the beads, bandanas, hats, and anything else blue you can find. I think our team is faring pretty well so far, but tomorrow's obviously the biggest day of the week. This sounds like a really choppy blog post, but whatever - there isn't one good way to explain what Color Wars is - you just have to experience it for yourself.
Every 6th week of the summer at camp, we have Color Wars, which pits four (five in previous years) teams against each other in a week-long...I dunno...we just do games and stuff against each other all week. I can't really put a noun to what Color Wars is. It's just Color Wars. This is my fourth (if I am correct) year doing Color Wars, out of my 6 at camp, and I've yet to win the whole thing. There's a giant banner that we hang in the cafeteria during the week to see each year's team winner, and all of the staff and campers that won (they get to write their names on the banner too). Some of the events we do include field events (wheelbarrow races, sprints, potato sack races), trivia, musical chairs, counselor dress-up, pie-eating contests, obstacle courses, and tug of war. I lied when I said that Color Wars runs all week - the last day is always Thursday, because usually the camp sleepover is that night, and everyone would be exhausted on Friday. But Color Wars gets real Wednesday afternoon.
Wednesday afternoon is when musical chairs and scooter races happen. It's the turning point between "there's still time" and "we need to win NOW" in Color Wars. And it's always the counselor musical chairs game that sets the tone. Everyone gets extremely into it, everyone looks on with deep intensity, and it's always louder as the game progresses. The obstacle course is always a nail-biter, as well, but the main event is and always will be tug of war.
Thankfully in years past I haven't been relied on to do tug of war, because...you know...I suck at it. But I think that will have to change this year, but hey - I'll do what it takes to bring home a Color Wars title.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Sigh No More: The Mumford and Sons album
I've wanted to talk about this fantastic music for a while now, so I'm going to post the song for each of the twelve songs on the Mumford and Sons album, Sigh No More. I'll talk about it for a couple sentences and divulge my favorite part. Everyone needs to hear this music, so make sure you do. And tell your friends. And then tell the people you don't like.
1. Sigh No More. What I first noticed about the album is that there was one harmony verse that I thought appeared in four songs, this one belonging to that group. It's an overall good song with an awesome yelling part near the end (a huge theme in this album).
Favorite part: In the second half of the song, it's easy to see the guitar riff repeated, but my favorite time it happens is from 2:17 to 2:23.
2. The Cave. One of their most popular songs, "The Cave" is another epicly built-up song, with more yelling at the end. (Seriously, the loud endings are a huge theme in the album. It's awesome.) And it's also mega fun to play on the guitar.
Favorite part: The second part of the second verse from 1:31 to 1:44. I just love the clashing of the cymbals and the pounding beat of the drums.
3. Winter Winds. This is another super-catchy tune, and it's definitely due to the mandolin throughout the song. What's interesting is that the music video (not posted here (it wasn't 100% accurate to the version I wanted)) has absolutely nothing to do with the meaning of the song. Either way...still a great tune.
Favorite part: It has to be the pickup at 2:43, when everything goes silent except for the brass, until that crash and coming together of the rest of the instruments.
4. Roll Away Your Stone. I've been calling it for weeks that this song is going to be their next single (after Little Lion Man, The Cave, and Awake My Soul), and I still think I'll be right. This is even more catchier than Winter Winds, AND it has a Macbeth reference! What more could I ask for?!
Favorite part: The part leading up to the bridge, where the song goes into a cross-beat from 2:53 to 3:04. That's just so much fun to play on the drums-slash-steering-wheel while driving.
5. White Blank Page. This is the second song where I thought about the harmony verse, but it isn't this song either. Although this song does have a great harmony verse, from 1:27 to 1:50. The rest of the verse goes on, but I like that part in particular. (And for those paying attention to the lyrics, it's not "sent you to the grave." It should be "brink.")
Favorite part: Nothing beats loud harmony. Nothing. 3:01 to 3:35. And for the record, the hard-to-keep-count-with 6/8 time is also awesome. This whole song is just awesome. This whole band is just awesome.
6. I Gave You All. This song is dreary and haunting, which makes it so powerful and awesome. (You'll see throughout this post that there is literally nothing I find wrong with any song on this album.) The guitar always plays an important role in each song, and in I Gave You All, it keeps time through the verses, and pretty much the whole song, actually. I love hearing the slide of fingers on the steel strings, too.
Favorite part: It's actually not the loudest part this time - instead, it's from 3:11 to 3:46 where the bass drum pounds again. I love how Marcus (the lead singer) sings "now you've won" both times, and how it fades into that quiet chorus again.
7. Little Lion Man. It's good to actually see a music video, so you can see how into it these guys get. Little Lion Man is no exception, because these guys just bash away at their instruments. And let's get real...what's better than harmonizing the word "fucked?" Harmonizing entire bridges, that's what.
Favorite part: Yep, the best part is the bridge from 2:49 to 3:32. The real favorite part is that one measure of pure a capella at 3:30, right before the headbanging chorus that leads to another chorus of a capella.
8. Timshel. This is the actual song that has the harmony verse, and it comes in the first few seconds of this song. If there's ever a song that I record all of the parts to, it will be this one. Unfortunately, that will probably never happen. Yet again, the car will have to suffice. Timshel is also one of the two songs on the album that doesn't have an epic loud part, but I kinda like it more than some others because of that.
Favorite part: It's hard to find a favorite part when there's no loudness, but if there's any in this song, it comes at the guitar crescendo at 2:24.
9. Thistle and Weeds. This is secretly one of my favorite songs on the album - I say secretly because it has the best favorite part out of any song, I think. The lyrics in the chorus are also wonderfully spun into metaphorical advice, and the absolute most favorite thing I love to do in this song is yell "I will hold on" pretending like I'm in some Western movie where guys are chasing each other on horses and everything is in black and white. No, seriously.
Favorite part: While the beginning of the awesomeness starts at 2:17, picks up at 2:29, and keeps going at 2:45, you can probably figure out that the best part is from 3:06 to 3:29.
10. Awake My Soul. This is simply a beautiful song with amazing lyrics and perfect harmonies and an overall great sound. I love the repetition of the guitar in the background. One part I want to highlight is the first chorus from 1:06 to 1:27. Those harmonies happen only once during the song, and it's awesome that it comes in the beginning, so every part of the song has a great part. One of the things I've noticed about the lyrics in this album is that they face death straight up - "In these bodies we will live, in these bodies we will die." There's no beating around the bush there - it's gonna happen, so you might as well make the most of it, and awake your soul.
Favorite part: When Marcus's voice gets louder in the last chorus from 3:35 to the end of the song. What's strange about this is that it's clearly louder, but you don't hear that break of sound - it slurs perfectly from what he was singing before, which is something that I've almost never heard done, especially not flawlessly.
11. Dust Bowl Dance. This sounds a little like Thistle and Weeds; or at least has the same feeling about it, that Western feeling. Then again, that's where they had the giant Dust Bowl storm or something like that. The beat of the chorus is really awesome, and this is another pretty haunting song.
Favorite part: It's easily the crash of the cymbals from 3:07 to 3:22, the one-two of the drums from 3:22 to 3:30, the pounding percussion from 3:30 to 3:38, and then of course the cymbals again from 3:38 to 4:10. It's a minute of pure amazing.
12. After the Storm. This is quietly one of the most beautiful songs on the album (no pun intended, because this is the other song with no loud parts). The lyrics are simply amazing, and the accordion/organ/i-think-it's-an-accordion fades perfectly into and around the song. It's a great last song of the night to listen to, I think. It leaves a contented feeling left over once the song's done.
Favorite part: There's a crescendo during the transition between choruses at the end, right from 3:20 to 3:23.
So there you have it - all twelve songs on the album. Hopefully a few stuck out to you, and it was enough for you to download a handful, if not the entire album. If you have your own thoughts on any songs, feel free to leave a comment! Expectations are low, so if you feel like pleasantly surprising me, now is your opportunity.
1. Sigh No More. What I first noticed about the album is that there was one harmony verse that I thought appeared in four songs, this one belonging to that group. It's an overall good song with an awesome yelling part near the end (a huge theme in this album).
Favorite part: In the second half of the song, it's easy to see the guitar riff repeated, but my favorite time it happens is from 2:17 to 2:23.
2. The Cave. One of their most popular songs, "The Cave" is another epicly built-up song, with more yelling at the end. (Seriously, the loud endings are a huge theme in the album. It's awesome.) And it's also mega fun to play on the guitar.
Favorite part: The second part of the second verse from 1:31 to 1:44. I just love the clashing of the cymbals and the pounding beat of the drums.
3. Winter Winds. This is another super-catchy tune, and it's definitely due to the mandolin throughout the song. What's interesting is that the music video (not posted here (it wasn't 100% accurate to the version I wanted)) has absolutely nothing to do with the meaning of the song. Either way...still a great tune.
Favorite part: It has to be the pickup at 2:43, when everything goes silent except for the brass, until that crash and coming together of the rest of the instruments.
4. Roll Away Your Stone. I've been calling it for weeks that this song is going to be their next single (after Little Lion Man, The Cave, and Awake My Soul), and I still think I'll be right. This is even more catchier than Winter Winds, AND it has a Macbeth reference! What more could I ask for?!
Favorite part: The part leading up to the bridge, where the song goes into a cross-beat from 2:53 to 3:04. That's just so much fun to play on the drums-slash-steering-wheel while driving.
5. White Blank Page. This is the second song where I thought about the harmony verse, but it isn't this song either. Although this song does have a great harmony verse, from 1:27 to 1:50. The rest of the verse goes on, but I like that part in particular. (And for those paying attention to the lyrics, it's not "sent you to the grave." It should be "brink.")
Favorite part: Nothing beats loud harmony. Nothing. 3:01 to 3:35. And for the record, the hard-to-keep-count-with 6/8 time is also awesome. This whole song is just awesome. This whole band is just awesome.
6. I Gave You All. This song is dreary and haunting, which makes it so powerful and awesome. (You'll see throughout this post that there is literally nothing I find wrong with any song on this album.) The guitar always plays an important role in each song, and in I Gave You All, it keeps time through the verses, and pretty much the whole song, actually. I love hearing the slide of fingers on the steel strings, too.
Favorite part: It's actually not the loudest part this time - instead, it's from 3:11 to 3:46 where the bass drum pounds again. I love how Marcus (the lead singer) sings "now you've won" both times, and how it fades into that quiet chorus again.
7. Little Lion Man. It's good to actually see a music video, so you can see how into it these guys get. Little Lion Man is no exception, because these guys just bash away at their instruments. And let's get real...what's better than harmonizing the word "fucked?" Harmonizing entire bridges, that's what.
Favorite part: Yep, the best part is the bridge from 2:49 to 3:32. The real favorite part is that one measure of pure a capella at 3:30, right before the headbanging chorus that leads to another chorus of a capella.
8. Timshel. This is the actual song that has the harmony verse, and it comes in the first few seconds of this song. If there's ever a song that I record all of the parts to, it will be this one. Unfortunately, that will probably never happen. Yet again, the car will have to suffice. Timshel is also one of the two songs on the album that doesn't have an epic loud part, but I kinda like it more than some others because of that.
Favorite part: It's hard to find a favorite part when there's no loudness, but if there's any in this song, it comes at the guitar crescendo at 2:24.
9. Thistle and Weeds. This is secretly one of my favorite songs on the album - I say secretly because it has the best favorite part out of any song, I think. The lyrics in the chorus are also wonderfully spun into metaphorical advice, and the absolute most favorite thing I love to do in this song is yell "I will hold on" pretending like I'm in some Western movie where guys are chasing each other on horses and everything is in black and white. No, seriously.
Favorite part: While the beginning of the awesomeness starts at 2:17, picks up at 2:29, and keeps going at 2:45, you can probably figure out that the best part is from 3:06 to 3:29.
10. Awake My Soul. This is simply a beautiful song with amazing lyrics and perfect harmonies and an overall great sound. I love the repetition of the guitar in the background. One part I want to highlight is the first chorus from 1:06 to 1:27. Those harmonies happen only once during the song, and it's awesome that it comes in the beginning, so every part of the song has a great part. One of the things I've noticed about the lyrics in this album is that they face death straight up - "In these bodies we will live, in these bodies we will die." There's no beating around the bush there - it's gonna happen, so you might as well make the most of it, and awake your soul.
Favorite part: When Marcus's voice gets louder in the last chorus from 3:35 to the end of the song. What's strange about this is that it's clearly louder, but you don't hear that break of sound - it slurs perfectly from what he was singing before, which is something that I've almost never heard done, especially not flawlessly.
11. Dust Bowl Dance. This sounds a little like Thistle and Weeds; or at least has the same feeling about it, that Western feeling. Then again, that's where they had the giant Dust Bowl storm or something like that. The beat of the chorus is really awesome, and this is another pretty haunting song.
Favorite part: It's easily the crash of the cymbals from 3:07 to 3:22, the one-two of the drums from 3:22 to 3:30, the pounding percussion from 3:30 to 3:38, and then of course the cymbals again from 3:38 to 4:10. It's a minute of pure amazing.
12. After the Storm. This is quietly one of the most beautiful songs on the album (no pun intended, because this is the other song with no loud parts). The lyrics are simply amazing, and the accordion/organ/i-think-it's-an-accordion fades perfectly into and around the song. It's a great last song of the night to listen to, I think. It leaves a contented feeling left over once the song's done.
Favorite part: There's a crescendo during the transition between choruses at the end, right from 3:20 to 3:23.
So there you have it - all twelve songs on the album. Hopefully a few stuck out to you, and it was enough for you to download a handful, if not the entire album. If you have your own thoughts on any songs, feel free to leave a comment! Expectations are low, so if you feel like pleasantly surprising me, now is your opportunity.
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