It's Been Awhile, NYC, and more!

So I know I haven't posted on here in a long time, but I want to try to reverse that. I must constantly be writing something, if not thinking of something to write, or else my mind feels like it is getting cluttered up with emotion and thought. I recently got into several disagreements with my mother, and realized that writing is the only way for me to effectively communicate certain feelings and thoughts that I have been having. I don't know who is going to read this, but I do know that whatever I say in here, I wouldn't like it shared with my mother (yes, that means you nosy church people). I don't think even those closest to me know how I feel. It's just an area that I'm not able to talk about with ease. Anyways, aside from all of that, I got to go to New York City and spend the day with my cousin. I have missed this girl SO much and it was really nice to see her again for a change. The last time I saw her was back in 2009 for my dad's funeral, and I have missed her so much since then. My family is on vacation right now, and my mom and brother and I drove to Montclair, New Jersey, so I could take the bus into the city. The people in the city were really crazy and rude, but I'm used to crazy and rude people from California. My cousin and I did tons of sightseeing though! Way too much for one day. We walked around the Times Square area, went through Rockefeller Plaza/Center, went inside this awesome Lego store, went inside and rested for awhile in St. Patrick's Cathedral (which was amazing!), ate inside of the Whole Foods at Columbus Circle, and walked through Central Park/viewed the MET. I think I really enjoyed myself minus the fact that it was hotter than hell itself in the subway and my legs and back are still hurting now (and we are going back tomorrow so it will be double the pain by this time tomorrow (yay!). This post is really short, since I am falling asleep right now and am messed up with the whole West to East coast time difference and jet lag and all. I promise I will update more later though! Ta ta for now!

-Laurel

Tumblr Troubles

So, I make a tumblr so people might actually read what I post, but no. What happens instead? I end up reblogging the heck out of all cute, food, Immi, and book-related things, instead of just writing what happened to me some random day like I do on here. The only problem is that no one reads my blog on here, and I have some really good stuff, and take the time to put up really nice pictures and everything, and on Tumblr, all you do is click re-blog, and you can have whichever nice picture you want on your blog. That's the really annoying thing. But I guess I will still put the link for this blog around. Maybe someone will want to read what I have to say, and have some say so in it. Well, to whoever is reading this, have a great day/night!

Laurel
xx

I feel bookish...

Wow I haven't posted something up here in quite awhile. I was going to post something on here the other day because everytime I speak my mind on Facebook about something that is irritating to me, people seem to react negatively, which is the complete opposite of what I had intented, so I will just post on here where I know only like 3 people will be reading. I am just SO in the mood for some Jane Austen right now and I don't even know why!! I just want to stay in my room all night and miss laser tag at the gym, just so I can read Jane Austen and listen to Zoe Keating, Bjork, and Imogen Heap [Frou Frou]!! I have all of my stuff [my sketch book, HB pencil and case, eraser, Mighty Mango flavored Naked, my Emma book] all sprawled out across my desk as I write this and listen to the Pride and Prejudice soundtrack that was so beautifully put together by Dario Marianelli,and so beautifully performed by Jean Yves-Thibaudet. I just wish I had all of my Austen movies here, so I could escape away into bookish, literary land, so I can feel at ease again. I also wish there was a good library here, like the ones in the pictures I am about to post[or as in they aren't all just college reasearch stuff, but more like a library where people go just to read, and find good books, old and new]. [Now changing subject] I can't wait till I'm a music/art therapist and I can help people heal by letting them listen to the Pride and Prejudice soundtrack, and artists like Imogen Heap, Zoe Keating, and Enya. It's going to be great! I get to do what I love, and share the music I love with others and have it benefit them! :-) Anyways, back to the bookish stuff...I just feel the literary prowess [well it may not seem like that to others, but I like to think of it that way] flowing from me, and there is nothing that I can do about it except draw while listening to good music, and read Emma!! Enjoy the pictures!

I always have something to write down, but half of the time, I never do it...that's not good for a bookish artsy person like me



Gorgeous library in Bristol in the UK. I really wish I could travel here to visit it! Maybe one day...



A bit of the things running through my mind right now..




Inside the Shakespeare and Co. bookstore. I am SO going to have a room in my house like this when I get my own place!!



A beautiful library in Suzzallo. Look at that beautiful Gothic work all through the indside!



Musical geniuses Bjork and Imogen Heap

The Best Weekend Ever-The Imogen Experience

So, this past weekend I had the best fun. My week actually started with a "bang" this time. On Sunday, my friend and myself went to Humphrey's in San Diego to go listen to my favorite artist of all time, Imogen Heap. Now this was my first concert[yes, I know I don't get out much] that I have ever been to, and what better way to start ones concert experience than with the brilliant Imogen Heap? So anyways, we got there early, and we saw the tour busses outside, and at that moment, I had a thought that maybe after the concert we could wait by the bus for Immi to come out [I will get back to that later]. We waited outside for about 30 minutes, and while we were waiting, we could hear Imogen doing a sound check, which made me so antsy and jittery to see her! She sounded wonderful [as always], and I was so excited for the concert to start. When we were waiting outside, there were only about 30 people waiting with us, so when the curtains finally opened to let us in the venue, we made our way to the merchandise table with ease. Now I have wanted to get Imogen's t-shirt [the purple one with butterflies and her name on it] for quite some time, but I didn't want to pay shipping and handling, since I would have to buy it online, so when I saw that I could get it right at the concert w/o the S&H expenses, I was like "Right on!!" so I did. Also, Geese and Ben Christophers were selling their EP's, but I hadn't heard them prior to the day, so I left those there. So, my friend and I headed to our seats, and the ticket guy accidentaly placed us in row 11 when our tickets said row 12, so the usher lady was giving us a bit of fever when some other people came along with the same seat [different row] as my friend. It was only one row though, so no one was really upset or anything. Then we looked at the drink menu on the back of the chairs, because there was only one teensy weensy section on the back for non-alcoholic drinks, and the whole rest of the menu was alcoholic drinks, and I was like "hmmn that's funny," and then people started buying drinks[to stay warm I guess, because it was getting quite nippy by then]. The concert area is called Humphrey's By The Sea and it is literally, by the sea. When you enter the area where you are to be seated, the whole left side of the outdoor area is a bay filled[when I say filled, I mean packed to the max!] with sailboats and boats. All I could see was a field of the little poles that stick up off the top of boats. When it said "by the sea," they weren't lying! So we waited for the concert to start, and these girls named Airika and Carrie started to play at the beginning. They were the winners of the "Earth" contest that Imogen had set up, so that fans could audition via-Youtube to sing[or beatbox] this song with her in their city that she would be performing in. On the last leg of her tour, it was the cello part for her song "Aha!" which is also a really brillant peice of music. Anyways, Airika and Carrie sang [well Carrie beatboxed] and Airika had the cutest song about being a ladybug. We were sitting there getting cold, and we noticed off to the right by the hotel fountain, there was a little duckling following the mother duck. It was the cutest thing ever! It was funny because when I got home and read Imogen's tweets from Humphrey's, she had a twitpic of the duck and the duckling backstage! When she came back out later before Geese did, she said how when she went backstage afer Ben, she saw everyone kneeling down/squatting with their cameras and she was like "what?" and then she saw the ducks and made a joke saying "are ducks going to go up next or are Geese going to?" which was funny, because Geese was the name of one of the acts opening up for her. Anyways, Ben Christophers and Geese were very good. I loved their sound. It was very unique and beautiful. So after the opening acts, we waited semi-patiently for Imogen, and she comes out swinging this white plastic tube around, and it sounded so cool, and she went right into "The Walk" which is a cool song off of "Speak For Yourself." Then of course she chatted for a bit in-between. My favorite parts where when she had little jokes in-between the singing. She is really a funny person. The best joke came when she was talking about the charity that the proceeds from the improv would be donated to, and she chose the San Diego Zoo, specifically the California Condor. Now, when Immi does an improv, she has the audience choose a key, rhythmn, and words or phrase that she will improvise on. After the first two were chosen, the word of choice was "Bom Chicka Wah Wah" and Imogen was like "huh? Are you sure? That's strange...but ok" and then after she set up a few things, she went "Poor condors! They aren't going to get anything!" and I almost died laughing, becuase her wit just kept the audience alive so much! Haha not saying that if she hadn't said anything, we would be dead. We [mainly me, I can't say for everyone else, even though it seemed like it] were in a trance-like state though, because Imogen is just amazing live. She sounds just like she doesn on the CD. She hits every run and high note perfectly! Or should I say "spot on!", as Imogen and the Brits like to say :-) And I was so glad that she played some of my favorite songs, such as "Come Here Boy", "Goodnight and Go", "Headlock", "Hide and Seek", "Breathe In", "Let Go", and "Little Bird". Imogen was so friendly and entertaining, and the best part was the ending! When she said she was singing her last song, I looked at my friend and made the fastest and best decision I have ever made in my life and said "do you want to go up to the stage?" and I barely waited for her to reply cause I was just like "I'M GOING!!" cause half of the die-hards like me were running up to the stage as she sang "Tidal". So when I went up there, I got the best pics , and even better ones when I turned the flash on [but the security guard look pissed like I am not even playing] and took like 6 pictures cause the security guy looked scary :-P Imogen busted out her keytar and had a rad solo at the end and it was OH so much fun! After much audience prodding, we got her to sing "Hide and Seek" as the last song [she had to be out by 10:30] and that was beautiful, as always. And then at the end, she came by and sort of shook all of our hands from the stage [I made sure she got mine!!] and then she went back stage and it was over [sniff sniff tear]. My friend and I went back to the merchandise table and bought Ben Christophers and Geese's EP's, since they said it isn't sold anywhere else, and they did a stupendous job. We went to the bathroom and then looked for my mother, and when we were driving by the tour buses to leave, I was like "mom let's go stalk to tour bus like those people are doing! I bet they are going to meet her!" and she was like no, cause my brother had summer school the next day, and my mom had to work [dislike]. Remember how I said I had thought about that when we first arrived...and then only later when I get home I find out[well an hour later after the tweet was sent] that Imogen went out and signed the stuff for those fans standing outside of the tour bus. I was like "DANGIT!" but I [sadly, still am trying to] let it go, because I could have been sitting at home like my other friends, and who knows when an opportunity like this will come up again?? I had great great fun though, at the concert. Imogen's audience involvement was so much fun too! She had us split into 3 parts [which was very convenient, because the seating was split up into 3 parts] on "Just For Now" and had us each sing a variation of the "Just For Now" that you hear in 3 part harmony at the beginning of the song. She also had us sing a bit on "Hide and Seek" which was the "ransom notes keep falling out your mouth, mid sweet talk newspaper word cut outs". I had so much fun at this concert, and I will never forget this for the rest of my life! Imogen is amazing, and I hope that all her fans can have the chance to see her in person one day, because it will make them like her even more, and have a greater experience when they listen to her music! Now for some pictures!! :-)











Anyways, if you haven't listened to Imogen Heap before, you must! She is an amazing artist and person, and you can find a song of hers [spanning 3 solo albums, and Frou Frou's album] that matches your current state of emotion. It is wonderful! Anyways, time to go do something with my life!

xxxxLaurel

M.I.A. "I'm A Singer(Haters)" Review

Well this morning I just recently listened to a few of M.I.A.'s new songs on the Neet Recordings blog. One was "Steppin' Up," and the other was "I'm A Singer(Haters)" You can listen to both of the songs at this link here:

http://neetrecordings.com/blog/

When I first heard "Steppin' Up" I was like ok this is cool, but then I scrolled down and saw a more alarming sight. I saw snippets from like a newspaper article, and it said that all these Sri Lankans were being killed, and M.I.A. had bits and peices of an interview saying how nobody did anything about it. I was kinda shocked [even though I already knew that these things went down in Sri Lanka, ever since I became interested in M.I.A.]. So then I go and listen to this song "I'm A Singer(Haters)," and the lyrics are so amazing! The first verse is the one that spoke to me the most. When I heard the beginning, I was like "OMG people have to hear this! It's so true!" I also thought M.I.A. was singing on the song, until I heard that it was a cover of another song[it seemed to slip my memory that M.I.A. takes songs with good beats or a great intro line and makes them into something amazing]. I also thought she was saying "I'm A Sinner," even though the song is called "I'm A Singer." That was just my untrained ear being all confused like listening to her awesome British accent. Anyways, I think that the song is great, and even though it is no exactly for children under the age of 13 [well I wouldn't know where to put the age limit, because minus the language, there are quite some controversial topics that are dealt with, and it all depends on the individuals level of understaing and maturity], it should still be listened to by all who can. Hopefully they can get the message out of it.

And I leave you with some pictures of the wonderful Maya Arulpragasam [M.I.A.]

What I Learned Today- Time line of postmortem insect activity

BODY IN OPEN AIR - INSECT ACTIVITY

10 minutes- Blowflies arrive and lay thousands of eggs in the eyes, nose, and mouth of the corpse.

12 hours- Fly eggs hatch maggots. They feed on bodily tissues.

24-36 hours- Beetles arrive. They feed of dry skin.

48 hours- Spiders, millipedes, and mites arrive. They feed on bugs already on the body.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I also learned the history of the word Forensics.

-Comes from the Latin word forensis
-Forensis means "of the forum"
-The forum was where legal proceedings took place in Ancient Rome
-Forensic (adj.) came to mean "connected with or pertaining to courts of law"

cool.

Maybe I will make a post about the "CSI Effect" and what it does to jurors...after I read the book

I thought I might add this for a good laugh

Part 2 of "Sick and Tired..."

I just decided to make a whole new note to add this instead of just adding it inside the middle somewhere because no one would be able to find it. Another thing that I am sick and tired of is unrequited attraction [making up new terms here, just bear with me]. I hate the fact that all of the guys that you could say I greatly esteem, don't give a rat's a** about me. They just smile and keep going when they see me [unless I tackle them down for a hug...JK can't say that cause I already know everyone thinks I'm like super crazy weird lol]. I feel like my time and emotions are wasted [though we can't help who we are attracted to] because I am wasting my time admiring people who obviously don't care about me. And another thing that really gets my blood boiling is the fact that I don't attract what I want to be attracting. Sure, I shouldn't be thinking about "attractions" between the opposite sex and stuff when I have college to worry about but I AM 17 which is prime teenage pubescent[think I mispelled that which is so annoying as I am a big stickler for mispelt things] stage. If they make a re-make of the movie "Never Been Kissed," I could so be Drew Barrymore, just the black version. And now I just revealed too much information so I am ending this.