February's Homework Assignment

Oh nosss! I almost forgot to do this month's homework assignment from Professor Z! This month has been  honestly way too chaotic so my apologies about that; hopefully March will be more merciful. In any case, here's the prompt:

I'd like for you to blog about the most beautiful piece of music that you've ever heard. Keep in mind this isn't about a piece of music that influenced you or is part of the soundtrack of your life. Rather, it's music that aesthetically moves you. Please tell us what the piece of music is, who composed/wrote it, why you love it, and how it moves you. And if you want to be visual, show us images that you associate with this music.

Man, this is such a fabulous topic! There are so many moving, touching pieces of music out there but one specifically jumps out to me when I read this prompt. And that one is: "I"ll Fall With Your Knife" by Peter Murphy.

Here's a link to the song in case anyone wants to listen to it:

I'm not sure what it is about this song --perhaps the surreal opening, the soulful highs and lows of Peter's voice, or the poetic beauty of the lyrics-- but it just touches me to the core. I'm pretty sure Peter Murphy wrote the lyrics along with singing it and that just makes it all the more meaningful to me. This was one of first songs I heard from Peter (the first was Instant Karma) and I was (still am) honestly mesmerized by his voice. It's unbelievable what he can do with it and how absolutely phenomenal he sounds, really. Before I heard this song, I didn't believe it was humanly possible but his voice proved otherwise.  "I'll Fall With Your Knife" really captured that unique aura of his voice and I like how seamlessly it transitions from one distinct sound to another (they introduce like 3 different elements/instruments and it's done so well you don't even realize it until you give it another listen).

Whenever I hear this song, it's like I get swept away. It just washes over me. Everything else in the world suddenly disappears and loses meaning, I'm fully absorbed in the song. It transports me out of this realm to another place, somewhere ethereal, otherworldly, and preternatural, beyond this world. And when the background singers start chanting, it's hard not to get carried away to that place, somewhere more marvelous than this one. I have no idea how to describe it and I know I sound like a mystic right now but, it's just downright magical. I've got no other way to define how this song makes me feel. Every single line speaks to me astutely, I couldn't even start picking one apart to show you. The metaphors are so intertwined and so poetic, you just have to hear the whole. I've always read it as a beautiful demonstration of love, as a declaration of love to someone and that just makes it all the more touching. Isn't a love that's willing to fall with your knife the best love you could ever find? And that's why I love this song so much. It moves me so profoundly.

I remember being completely obsessed with it when when I first found it. It was the only thing I'd listen to for weeks. I'd force my friends to listen to it, I'd play it on repeat at home, I even inscribed part of the lyrics in my signature on an online forum (lol back when that was cool). In fact, this song was how I found one of the best friends I've ever had. We bonded over this song, Peter Murphy, and other stuff. That was back in high school (which was a long time ago now) and we've drifted since but this song still reminds me of how rewarding being true to yourself is. When you're genuinely yourself, the people you find are the ones worth keeping. I'd never have learned that if it wasn't for this song. This song was also the start of my induction into Goth, the flowering of my love for Peter Murphy, and many other things. For that reason, it holds such a special place in my heart. It brings out such a powerful emotion and sensation for me. It like wrenches my heart (in a good way) and I always end up crying (or getting very teary-eyed) when I hear it. And that's not just because of the memories, but because of the beauty of the words and sounds all put together. It truly is a beautiful sound.

Alright, well this is getting mighty long so I'll just leave it at that. But yeah, this song is one of my favorite and I'm glad I was able to share it with you all. Let me know what your favorite songs are below and please please please give this one a listen to and tell me what you think.
Cheers!

P.S. There was this one very specific fan-made music video for this song that I always think of when I hear this song but I can't seem to find it anywhere. If I do, I"ll post it here but if not, I just thought I'd explain why I don't have any visual aspect to this entry. (Update: found the image thumbnail of the video but unfortunately it seems the video itself was taken down by youtube b/c of copyright things sad face :(

 

Blogmopolitan Quiz: Part 2

Hey Everyone!
Sooo I found a cute little linkup hosted by the gorgeous Erin and I just could've resist doing one myself. It's for Valentine's Day and I know I'm pretty late but I figured it'd be fun anyways.

Click to enlarge (it makes reading easier)

If you really want to know what I did this Valentine's Day, I was actually very productive. I volunteered to supervise one event at the Science Olympiad and it was really fun and exciting but took up most of the day. I also did a little work but nothing too exciting. Now enough about me, what did you all do? Anyone have some lovey-dovey stuff with their special someone? Let me know in the comments below! :)

January's Homework Assignment

Oh, wow, January has been a whirlwind of busy, frenzied chaos and trouble. It's just been such a nightmare, too much havoc for my taste. I've had the experience of realizing why taking 20 units isn't such a good idea. That's largely the reason I haven't posted anything. It's just been too crazy. Hopefully next month will be better. However, before I kiss this month goodbye (for good), I thought it'd be fun to partake in the customary monthly blog, hosted by the ever so fabulous (and recently crowned Dr.) Curious Professor Z!

So, without any further ado, here is the prompt:

Show your crafting/art/sewing/knitting/crochet works in progress and the projects that you want to tackle in the next few months. What's on your cutting table? What's in your knitting basket? Did you just buy four new skeins of yarn for that shawl you've been meaning to make? Is there a canvas in the corner of your room just begging for some paint? Show us what you've been up to and what you are planning. 

Ok, before I start, can I just say how much I love love love love this prompt!! It's like the Professor read my mind! I am oh so guilty of crafting (and the half finished or not even started projects that entails) along with hoarding (don’t forget the hoarding!). In fact, I have an entire corner I have affectionately dubbed the "crafting corner"; one because that's an alliteration and I love those and two because I really don't know how else to refer to the growing glob of projects I’m accumulating. Just this month, I actually got myself a small table that way I could keep all the crafts I'm working on in one place. Here’s a nice pic of it:

I know, I know not that glamorous and a bit messy but it's a new addition
I'm still getting used to it :)

Now, in regards to my projects, I actually have a bit of a system so let me give you a quick run. Basically, I have two big (completely full) boxes of projects (kinda like an inventory). I’ve cataloged what is in each one here and here (there's also one more box but shh, I like to tell myself there are only two). But those are like my master checklists; they have all my crafty/creative stuff in one place. I like having them for reference; they make me feel organized (and sane). Plus they’re good blackmail; I have recently put an embargo on myself that I won’t buy any more fabric or crafty stuff until one (or some) of these box projects have been taken care of. So far this plan has been working. The crafting and buying is on hold for now (thanks a lot physics!). Usually it’s just one (and I think you all know which one that is ;). Honestly, I like having the boxes and checklists because they give me a nice system. I have a good idea of what’s going on: what I already own, what’s in progress, what needs repair, what I should be working on, etc.

Left: The 2 boxes making their first appearance. 
Top Right: Current Projects
Bottom Right: A glimpse into Box 3

So that’s what I’ve got planned (future-wise) but in terms of what in IP (in progress) as of right now, that’s in this other box (are you starting to see a trend here? I like boxing things). I keep that box on my crafting table and take projects out as I go. Currently, I have two skirts I’m trying to make. One is from this cloth I found thrifting and the other is this very cheap but too big dress I bought in Kohls. I’m hoping to finish those up really soon though and then hopefully start on some jewelry making (my pliers recently broke so I’m waiting on some new ones). Soo yeah, that’s what I’ve got going. How about you? Do any of you have a system to keep things in check or do you just do projects on a whim? What are you all working on?




P.S.  Hope you enjoyed the photos! They're not that great but I'm working on it! Haha you  may have noticed I don't normally have lots of photos (camera, quality, time, etc. issues) but I'm trying to incorporate them more this year. We'll see how it goes! :)

September's Homework Assignment

Good morning, everyone! I hope you're all excited for Autumn and all the coming adventures that entails (the colors, Halloween, holidays, etc.). So right on schedule, here's this month's Homework Assignment hosted courtesy the most gracious Curious Professor Z. For this month, the prompt was a bit more open-ended which was really fun and I had a great time coming up with my own interpretation. The assignment was:

To interpret the following poem through fashion, makeup, art, photography, etc.:

October gave a party;
The leaves by hundreds came,—

The Ashes, Oaks, and Maples,

And leaves of every name.

The sunshine spread a carpet,

And every thing was grand;

Miss Weather led the dancing;

Professor Wind, the band....

The sight was like a rainbow

New-fallen from the sky....

~George Cooper, "October’s Party"

 
I went ahead and read the whole poem which has such a sweet, sweet ending and the parts that stuck out to me were the great descriptions of the leaves: just how beautiful they were and how they come together into this mesmerizing sight of a party. I especially loved the detail of "The party closed at sundown/ And everybody stayed." That line just really spoke to me because if you've ever thrown/gone to a party and people actually want to stay after it's all over that clearly means they really really enjoyed it and kinda don't want it to end. I've had parties like that and it's just really warming and flattering to know your guests had such a good time; it means that the party was a job well done. Random aside, but I'm actually going to be planning a Halloween party this October for work!  What a funny coincidence, right?! It'll be the first Halloween I host a party! How exciting!! Squee~

Ahem anyways, back to to the poem & assignment. I wanted to find a way to combine those parts of the poem I really liked and came up with this great idea for a drawing. Art just felt like the immediate perfect fit for this assignment; it was my first choice and I'm really glad I stuck with it because it came out quite nicely. It's been a while since I've drawn so it might be a little rough but I hope it's fine nonetheless. I do all my pieces in pencil on regular paper because I'm on a budget. Plus I chose to stick with two dimensional leaves because a) 3D is hard for me and b) it gave me a lot more surface area to work with in terms of design. If I'd gone with 3D, I'd spend more of my time trying to learn how to warp patterns than getting to draw them. While it is originally in color, my scanner only does black & white so I hope that's alright. In any case, here's my work:

I call it "Lingering Leaves"
You can click on it to zoom in if you'd like.

And because I was bored and the scanner didn't do a good job the first time, I even put together a little gif of the piece (in a bad scan, good scan fashion haha):

So there you have it! That's my take on October's Party. What do you think? How would you celebrate the festivities that await in October? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below! :)

August's Homework Assignment

Why hello there, everyone!

With August practically extinguished, I thought I'd make one last post before September starts. And what better way to do that then with another fun little linkup for Professor Z's August Homework Assignment! So here's the prompt: 

For August's Homework Assignment, you are tasked to show us how songs or music inspire your dress, mood, art, writing, etc. Make that correlation between the song and the product of your inspiration; or, tell us what kind of music you listen to before you go out for the evening, or before work or school, or while you are relaxing at home. Remember, your post doesn't need to be fashion related. Get inspired! Think outside the box! HAVE FUN!!!

First off, I just gotta say how much I just really love the prompt. I'm very musically inclined (meaning I'd be listening to something 24/7 if I could) so I can't wait to share what's been on my playlist lately. 

1. To start, a lot of this month for me has been sitting around and waiting for my ankle to heal. As such, a song that's been constantly playing in my head as a nice summary of my situation is Regina Spektor's "Somedays". It's a cute little melody about how we all have days that just sortof slip through our fingers and how at times, they don't even feel days from our lives, like our days, at all. Anyways, it's a pleasant gem esp. when you feel like brooding.

2. Other music this month included a lot of the Sweeney Todd soundtrack. After watching the movie, I couldn't get any of these songs out of my head! I'd wake up humming "There's no place like London" and eventually I wound up finding the soundtrack online. This resulted in me playing the entire album on repeat continuously. I really couldn't get over how great some of the songs and just how well they went together. They're witty and lyrical with great attention to score details. I like how the tone can be cynical and dark but hopeful all in the same song. It's quite a feat. Most of the songs were modified to fit the film version but I feel like that didn't detract from their quality at all. In fact, they make quite a few songs more enjoyable & manageable. Plus, the choice of actors was superb; their singing fit their parts so perfectly. I was really impressed both Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter carried themselves quite nicely and Ed Sander's (Toby) charming childish voice was a sweet surprise. Jayne Wisener (played Johanna)'s voice was just perfection. 

A couple of my favorites include: "Not While I'm Around", "Pretty Women", "Worst Pies in London", "Green Finch & Linnet Bird"*, "Johanna", "A little Priest", "By the Sea", "God That's Good". "Wait" and "Poor Thing" were pretty good, too. Basically, I loved the whole thing. 

Here's a great playlist if you'd like to listen to the playlist.

3. So those are the songs I've been obsessed with and have been gobbling up in my relax/free time. When it comes to school or work, I tend to gravitate towards instrumental pieces to get me into the mood. I stay away from songs with words because I get distracted by them waaaay too easily and end up spending more time pondering the lyrics than actually getting any work done.  So the artist I've been listening to lately for work is Bob Acri. He mostly does piano pieces and my favorite from him is "Sleep Away". The reprise for that one is fabulous as well. But yeah, you get the easy listening vibe I have for work-related music.

4. A random song I've been jamming to is the Mystery Jet's The Ballad of Emmerson Lonestar. I have a cousin's wedding to go to in Texas next month and this has been my way of getting ready: listening to British guys sing about the "Radlands". Yuuup. That's probably not the smartest way to prepare but oh wells. It's a good song.

5. OH I've also been getting back into Bastille. I fell in love with this band a little over a year ago but had let it sit on the back burner when our radio stations decided to overplay Pompeii but gosh darn, Dan's voice is like British red velvet and listening to their stuff reminds me how much I adore it. Also, those eyes and that hair, man. Gooood stuff. 

Alright, well that's about it.. Perhaps in the future I'll do another post on my favorite artists and my music tastes but that's it for now. Thanks for reading and linkup yourself so I can know what you're listening to! :)

Surprise Post!

Alright, I'll be honest: I didn't really plan on writing another post in July seeing as how I'm still struggling with that broken ankle but the fabulous Professor Z has this wonderful linkup going on called The Professor's Monthly Homework Assignment and I just couldn't resist.

It's about summer and it's hosted by one of my favorite art historians on the internet! How could I say no?! Besides, it's a homework assignment!! Those things are serious business to this student. You can't pass those up. Mom would not approve! Haha anywho, the prompt is: how do you survive the dog days of summer?

Well, that's a really good question. As a kid, I used to waste away my summer being the epitome of laziness and sloth. Stuck at home, I'd just sleep in until noon, eat junk food, sit around with books (later the internet), and watch TV. But that never really felt good or fulfilling. I always looked back at those summers and thought "Gosh what did I do?! I was so unproductive and boring! I didn't even make any good memories!"

So a few summers ago, I decided to change that up and took a class over summer. And OMG. I loved it! I felt like I was doing something worthwhile with my time plus I had an excuse to learn! It was great! (Classes in summer are also cool because it’s easier to make friends and the teacher can help you more) But I don't think the solution is simply “taking class”, I think it’s easier than that. To me, the real key is finding a fun way to keep yourself busy. Be that in whatever way you wish. I knew a girl who’d spend all summer going to music concerts and finding new bands or my coworker who likes to take road trips with her best friend in summer (“mini-adventures” as she calls them). It's totally up to you how you spend your time but if you're caught up in something good, you won't even notice the time go by!

Like, classes hasn't always been my thing. That just happens to be what I’m focusing on this summer. Past summers I've done stuff like volunteer, help with research projects, participate in religious traditions (fasts, holidays, etc.), at weddings, party planning, travelling, etc. The list goes on. I think the secret is to just get really absorbed in something else and then summer will be over before you know it ‘cause you’re enjoying yourself! Or you can break your ankle and get crutches. That makes the time go by as well. But I wouldn’t recommend that. Trust me, that one’s not fun.

Here are some photos from my class this summer in case you're interested.



Well anyhow, that’s how I make it through the dog days of summer. What about you? Do you have any good tips for beating those tough summer days (besides air-conditioning)? Let me know in the comments below! :) Have a fabulous day!

For Funzies: The Blogmopolitan Quiz

Hello Everyone!
Here's a spur-of-the-moment surprise Friday post!
I just stumbled upon the fabulous Erin's blog (special thanks to Jordyn for that! :) and she's got this great little link up going it. It's called The Blogmopolitan Quiz. It looked really cool and fun so I decide to give it a shot myself. Heck, why not! Let's live a little! So I filled one out of my own and I'm sharing it below. I hope you like it and if you're really in the mood,  please do one on your own and share, too! :) Have a happy wonderful weekend and  until next time, totes!