Musical Discoveries

There is music that you like, music you love and music you hate. Some of the music you hate is either from personal experience, second hand knowledge or pre-conceived notions.

I have been expanding my music taste. I call this my musical education, which started early this year. I've looked through my CDs and am amazed at how much my music taste has morphed. I still like the same music as before, it's just that I am more open to other artists and genres than before.

My CD wallet can carry up to 230 CDs (I think). I know I have, at least, about 150 CDs.

Among those CDs are the usual country CDs (Reba McIntire, Kenny Chesney, Clay Walker, Garth Brooks, Keith Anderson, Taylor Swift, Big & Rich, Billy Currington, Dierks Bentley, Conway Twitty, George Strait, Deana Carter, Chris Cagle, Michael Peterson, Keith Urban, Jack Ingram, Josh Turner, Gary Allan, Mark Chestnutt, Little Texas, Little Big Town, Martina McBride, Patty Loveless, Phil Vassar, Rascal Flatts, Shania Twain, Sara Evans, Tim McGraw, Tracy Lawrence, The Wreckers, and Rooftop Cigar).

Then there are my Christian Contemporary CDs (Aaron Shust, Casting Crowns, dc Talk, Celtic Hymns, David Crowder Band, Jeremy Camp, Jars of Clay, Kutless, Kirk Franklin, Kindred, Melissa Russel, Mariachi San Pablo and two Worship Together CDs).

I have some CDs that fall under the punk genre, I think (Relient K, Blink 182, Sum 41).

Then there are my Christmas/Instrumental CDs (Acoustic Guitar, Golden Classics, Romantic Love songs, Spanish Guitar, quiet Christmas, Christmas Around the World, Michael English, Josh Groban, and Yanni).

Following that are the Soundtrack CDs (Avenue Q, Chocolat, The Hours, Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, and Scrubs).

Then I have my "can't figure out the genre" CDs (Billy Joel, Michael Buble, and Joni Mitchell).

Followed by that is the Latin genre (Celia Cruz, Salsa Music, Buena Vista Social Club, Elvis Crespo and Shakira).

Then there is my new music discoveries CDs (Nickelback, Tom Petty, The Fray, Dido, Toto, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Santana, The Beatles, Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals, Be'la Fleck and the Flecktones, Al DiMeola, Stanley Clarke, Jean Luc Ponty, the Eagles, Elvis Presley, Frank Zappa, Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix, Keller Williams, Lenny Kravitz, Michael Hedges, Miles Davis, Tom Ware, Robert Earl Keen Jr., Pink Floyd, Phish, Collin Hay, Cake, G Love and Special Sauce, 3 Doors Down, Led Zepplin, Pearl, Blue Rodeo and Poison).

Why am I listing all my CDs? Because I am inviting you to continue my education by suggesting your favorite artists, albums, songs. I have no idea where to look next. I am actually looking into Lionel Richie but I thought that I may seek outside help with this music education of mine.

I thank you for your suggestions ahead of time.

Corner Gas

This is one of my favorite dialogues between Brent Leroy and Wanda Dollard, two of the characters from the Canadian hit sitcom, Corner Gas

Brent: Hey Wanda, does the milk delivery come today or tomorrow?
Wanda: How about you get off my back for two seconds?
Brent: Sorry to harrang you like that. Didn't mean to bring up work here at work.
Wanda: I might not even be coming to work for awhile.
Brent: What? For how long?
Wanda: Depends...on whether I get charged with manslaughter or murder...I mean, if I walk up to my neighbor -while he's mowing his lawn at 5AM -and say "Hey, it's five AM you inconsiderate sack of crap" and jab a screwdriver into his neck...that would look premeditative, right?
Brent: Well, I'm no lawyer -
Wanda: Or if I rig his lawnmower...so when he starts it up, the blade comes rolling off the thing and guts him like a salmon -hard to prove anybody did anything.
Brent: I see you've thought this through.
Wanda: No, no, no, no...I haven't given...any premeditation to this at all...it just happened.
Brent: I see...I mean, I didn't see anything.
Wanda: Well of course you didn't. You were fast asleep. It was 5AM. Everyone should be. Not up running a gas powered hedge clipper under my window and singing Pat Boone songs at the top of their lungs.
Brent: Well, have you talked to him about -
Wanda: Actually, premeditation is hard to prove, most coaborration involves hearsay, which is often disallowed in court.
Brent: I was just gonna say that.
Wanda: Ah, but if the screwdriver hits his carodoid artery, that would definitely look intentional. Although...an argument could be made as to motivation...you know, state of mind...emotional duress...you know what I'm talking about.
Brent: I know who Pat Boone is.
Wanda: Maybe I'll rig his lawnmower to explode -the mafia gets away with it all the time...
Brent: ...
Wanda: Are you saying I'm not as smart as some mafia thugh? Uh?
Brent: No...I'm not...I'm not saying...Look, just settle down.
Wanda: I know, I know...it's just talk...I'm not gonna kill anybody...but a pellet gun to the cheek might get the point across.
Brent: And now you're being reasonable.
Wanda: Tomorrow.
Brent: Look, don't shoot the guy with a pellet gun.
Wanda: No...tomorrow's milk delivery.
Brent: Oh...well...don't shoot him either.

I love this dialogue because it makes me think of the many conversations I have had with Becca concerning the many plots I have for the many situations that could possibly occur in the future. Well, hope you enjoyed it...I sure did. Oh yeah, get the series...I have all four seasons.

FRIENDS-Season One

THE ORIGINAL SONGS OF PHOEBE BUFFAY AS SEEN ON SEASON ONE

Season One, Episode One, "The Pilot"

Love is sweet as summer showers

Love's a wondrous work of art

But your love oh your love

Your love...is like a giant pigeon...

Crapping on my heart

Season One, Episode Seven, "The One with the Blackout"

New York City has no power

And the milk is going sour

But to me it is not scary

'Cause I stay away from dairy

Season One, Episode Ten, "The One with the Monkey"

I made a man with eyes of coal

And a smile so bewitching

How was I suppose to know

My mother was dead in the kitchen?

La la la la la la la...

My mother's ashes

Even her eyelashes

Are resting in a little, yellow jar

And sometimes when it's breezy

I get a little sneezy

And now -

Season One, Episode Eleven, "The One with Mrs. Bing"

You don't have to be awake

To be my man

As long as you have brainwaves

I'll be there to hold your hand

So we just met the other day

There's something I have got to say...

Season One, Episode Twenty-Two, "The One with the Birth"

They're tiny and chubby

And so sweet to touch

Soon they'll grow up

And resent you so much

Now they're yolling at you

And you don't know why

You cry and you cry and you cry

You cry and you cry and you cry

____________

They found their bodies the very next day

They found their bodies the very next day

La la la la la la.....

~*~

As promised, here is something that I enjoy...the songs of Phoebe Buffay from FRIENDS.

I still have more songs but those are from the next season. I think the next sitcom blog will be one of my favorite dialogues from Corner Gas, a Canadian sitcom that I discovered when in Tulsa.

So I guess you are wondering how I am doing...at least, I am assuming you are. I wouldn't know since there are no comments on the previous post. I am doing alright. I took my car to get the dent taken care of and sometime next week, my blinker should be taken care of. I am also looking into replacing all of the bulbs in my headlights.

The reason my passenger door won't open is because the front side of the car is shoved up against the door. They will straighten that out before they put in my new blinker. They will also attempt to pop out the dent without the bumper coming loose. At the moment, the dent is no longer a problem to my tire, which is a good thing. Hopefully, sometime next week, I'll take my car to get an oil change (it needs it!) and to get my water pump fixed (it dumped all my coolant this morning when I got back from the car collision place).

Well, what else is knew with me? I am enjoying my Poison CD and I am doing my best not to lose hope. I think that things start looking up for me but I don't want to get too complacent...the last thing I want is to think that things may just start working out (car fixed, bills payed, and a possible full time steady job) and then have it all fall on me again.

I have been thinking of heading back to El Paso at the end of this year but that is still to be seen. I would get an apartment of my own and a job when there, as well as enjoy the joy of living near family and close friends. This is something that I used to dread but now I am actually feeling okay with the idea of moving back to where I grew up. I think it's because I feel like a failure at the whole grown independent woman attempt. Stephen, if this happens, are you willing to drive up here to help me move back home? I don't want to make the drive by myself and I will need another vehicle for my stuff (which means your truck) unless I want to hire a moving truck (yuck).

Of course, if I get a steady job that will not wig out on me before the end of this year, I'll go ahead and stay in Waco. I like Waco and I especially love the fact that I am close to Austin, which I love.

I just pray that God shows me what He wants and that I am willing to follow anywhere He leads.

Rock Bottom?

Or do I still have fifty feet of crap to go through?

I was going to write a entertaining story about how I am planning on blowing up the train tracks. This story was inspired by the blowing horn of the train at five in the morning today, which made it difficult for me to go back to sleep.

Instead, I get to share a real life story...this is the story of my first car wreck, my first citation and generally my first rock bottom (well, second, if you count my spiritual rock bottom back in high school).

I left work at 4:40PM and was at the stop sign of Wycoan and Texas Central Parkway. I looked both ways and since no one was coming, I turned left to get onto Texas Central Parkway. Blind spot kicked my behind here, though. I turned into the outside lane (this is what got me the citation and a potential fine) and then all hell broke loose.

I hit a Chevrolet truck, which did more damage to me than I to it. I was able to keep calm as I got onto the left lane and stopped, putting my emergency lights on. The guy pulled up infront of me on the left lane and we both met outside and he asked if I was okay and vice versa. Everything was all good. We got out of the lane and into the Wardlaw Claim Services parking lot (which is where I am working temporarily) and waited for the Waco police to show up. About an hour later, Officer Vela showed up, took down our information and our account of the accident and wrote up a case.

This led to him letting me know that it was my fault and then writing up a citation and giving me information about calling the judge and such. This, of course, was not good news for me and he could tell that was the case. He then said something to me that made me smile:

"I'm going to say something to you that's been said to me before. Once you hit rock bottom, there is nowhere else to go but up."

I thanked him and he made sure my car could drive before he let me go and took off himself. As a side note, he was Hispanic and I think he is unbelieveably cute...which is strange because I never thing Hispanic men are cute or handsome or even attractive...I am thinking it was the uniform.

So I talked to my supervisor, told her what was going on. I'm not going into work tomorrow, instead I'll be calling my insurance, find out what will happen with that, then start looking for auto repair places in Waco that won't bust my credit limit so I can get my right front blinker fixed...it still blinks...it just doesn't have the covering over it...oh yeah, I am also missing my right side mirror, my side front bumper is seriously dented (the point of first collision), my front passenger door won't open, and my back passenger door is dented as well.

I have to get the blinker fixed, the front side bumper dent popped out so my tire won't blow out from rubbing against it, and maybe even my side mirror, even though Officer Vela told me I don't have to worry about that as much as about the blinker (which could get me a ticket...just what I would need at this point).

I am praying that I can continue to drive my car (I believe I will also have to get the alignment fixed again along with an oil change) so I can continue to go to work, so I can continue to make money so I can continue to pay bills, which not only include rent and three credit card bills (one of those credit cards pays for my electricity and phone bill) but for upcoming school loans in November/December and a possible citation fine...may the judge be merciful.

I am feeling a little sore, probably from whiplash but I've been there before from a previous car accident. I just pray that this doesn't cause me to lose hope about living on my own...independence is a bunch of bull, I am coming to realize.

Well, your prayers will be appreciated. I can definitely use them. I know that God is watching over everything.

As I told my mom, "God is in His kingdom and all is good with the world."

Desperate But Not Hopeless

Last night, I stayed awake wondering what to do. I have rent due in a week and I don't have the money to pay it or the job to make the money. I lasted at least an hour just tossing and turning, wondering why my life is the way it is. Before I drifted off to sleep, I decided to look into a waitress position at the Texas Oakley Bar. It may still happen.

This morning, I got a call from Lacey and was able to head to Wardlaw Claims Service and do an eight hour shift for nine dollars an hour. Unfortunately, I have to wait until tomorrow morning to see if they need me to come in tomorrow for another eight hours. If I can work at least three days total this week, eight hours a day, I can make enough money to pay rent for next month but not enough to pay all my bills.

My phone bill came a little higher than usual this month, and it feels like I am paying credit card bills every other week. It really sucks being an adult in the real world, living on your own and making your own way. Especially when you have this feeling of expectation, of waiting, of being on hold...I hate that.

I've pretty much decided that by the end of this year, I am moving back home if I have a way to do it. Then again, I am looking into moving a little further west...in other words, I am looking into Abiline. If I can get a job there and an affordable apartment, then maybe I can try this whole living on my own thing again.

Well, Columbia didn't happen for me but I managed to deal with that in a way that was totally healthy...Becca was with me, so that was a good thing. We ended up heading to Wal-Mart on Wednesday night and buying a six pack of Jack Daniels' Home Down Punch and I had two (my usual) while we read a partial draft of Midnight Sun, Stephenie Meyer's project in which she was rewriting Twilight from Edward's point of view. Of course, one of the people she trusted with a partial draft with wasn't as solicitous as should have been and the partial draft got out on the internet, which means Stephenie has put the book on hold...indefinitely.

This really pisses me off because that means the completed book may not come out at all and after reading the partial draft, which is available on Stephenie Meyer's website, I am more than anxious to read the complete story and not just what she put up. It didn't even get to my favorite chapter from the Twilight book.

Well, since I don't have much of a life, I decided to start putting up things about one of my favorite past-times...sitcoms! This means I will be posting the best dialogues and monologues from the different sitcoms that I love and own (FRIENDS, SCRUBS, REBA, Corner Gas). This will take some time, and I will make sure and title the blog according to the sitcom that I am referring to.

Prayers are very much appreciated. Thank you for them...don't worry about my emotional or mental stability, no matter how dark my comments and such may be...I am feeling desperate but not hopeless...God has my back and I have hope.

Dreams

You know how everybody has dreams for their future? Certain dreams become goals because you know that there is a definitely possibility that they will come true...such as going to college and getting a Bachelor's degree, getting a Master's in Counseling and Theology, a law degree, and other such things.

Then there are those dreams that you have but know there is very little chance of them actually happening...like my dream car...a Corvette Convertible...a blue one...I found a picture and thought I'd share it with y'all...who knows, you may decide to start a Luz's Car Dream Fund after this (another one of those dreams I have that are not likely to happen)

What do you think? If I could, I'd get it in maroon instead of blue, but blue is one of the two choices of what color I would want my Corvette to be...

All It Takes Is A Song

Music is such a deeply imbedded part of life...anyone's life. Have you come across that song or songs that seem to be written especially with you in mind? Here are some of the many songs that make me think of my life...

Most of these songs are somewhat sappy and most of them are of the country nature but you may be surprised by some of the other ones. I am only putting up parts of the songs, such as a hard hitting lyric, or a heart twisting chorus...

~*~

“…I’ve talked to friends, talked to myself, I’ve talked to God, I prayed like hell but I still miss you. I’ve tried sober, I’ve tried drinkin’, I’ve been strong and I’ve been weak and I still miss you. I’ve done everything to move on like I’m supposed to but I’d give anything for one more minute with you…I still miss you…”

Keith Anderson

~*~

“…A million words can’t express just how I feel…a million years from now you’ll know, I’ll be loving you still…nights alone and the days are so sad…I just keep thinking about the life that we had…I’m missing you and nobody knows it but me…”

Kevin Sharp

~*~

“…Next thing I knew, I locked up my heart and I grew cold as ice. Frigid as a November wind, I knew you would never come back again, so I hung my head and I cried…”

Rooftop Cigar

~*~

“…So hold me when I’m here right me when I’m wrong, hold me when I’m scared and love me when I’m gone, everything I am and everything in me, wants to be the one you wanted me to be, I’ll never let you down even if I could, I’d give up everything if only for your good, so hold me when I’m here right me when I’m wrong, you can hold me when I’m scared but you won’t always be there, so love me when I’m gone, love me when I’m gone…”

3 Doors Down

~*~

“…Softly now, you owe it to yourself and don’t think that you will be left on a shelf ‘cause there’s someone for you and there’s someone for me. Like me you’ll meet them eventually. Here’s to your lover and here’s to my wife, here’s to your children and here’s to you having a good life from me…Loudly now, you’ve lost all your pain. You’re married with children and happy again. Now I’m regretting the move that I made, fatal mistakes I so easily made…enough of my problems, they only cause fights. Forget that I rang you I promise you’ll have such a beautifully happy and painlessly romantic good life…”

Francis Dunnery

~*~

“…It’s been a few years and I miss you…still…got your picture on my windowsill…been thinking of ways I’ve got days to fill…I don’t think I ever will…hold on to things you can’t explain, hold on to dancing in the rain, hold on to kisses on the lips, savor every sweet moment ‘cause maybe this is it…”

Jack Ingram

~*~

“…Still this emptiness persists…perhaps this is as good as it gets…when you’ve given up the drink and those nasty cigarettes…now leave the party early, at least with no regrets…and watch the sun as it comes up and watch it as it sets…this is as good as it gets…”

Colin Hay

~*~

“…I just wanted you to know sometimes driving home at night, I let your memory take control and you’re sitting by my side. I turn up the radio, cruise down old route fifty-nine…girl, its solid gold. Well, I’ll let you go…I just wanted you to know…”

Mark Chestnutt

~*~

“…And still, the world stood still…I couldn’t move and all I could feel was this ache in my heart, saying I loved him still…”

Reba McIntyre

~*~

“…he’s the reason for the teardrops in my guitar, the only thing that keeps me wishing on a wishing star, he’s the song in the car I keep singing…don’t know why I do…”

Taylor Swift

There are many more songs, but I can't put them all up. I have several that I like but I didn't know who sang them or wrote them, so I didn't put those up. Anyway, just thought I would share these few songs.