February 26, 2009

MxPx - Life In General

This is the first music edition of the blog.

So even though some people may think I am a complete music snob...I did not get into music until later in life. By late I mean high school. Maybe that is not 'later in life' for a lot of people but I know of friends who grew up listening to old rock and roll albums their entire lives with their parents; therefore being influenced early on in life my music. Even though my first love of music that was not completely influenced by my parents was The Beatles (thanks to my good buddy Rene Cano). Anyway...enough back story for now...on with the show...

This album by MxPx was probably the first full length album that I absolutely loved to listen to in it's entirety. And that is a big deal for me because there are not a lot of album where I like the entire album from beginning to finish as a whole.

This was when punk music was introduced to me. Thanks to my friend Beth's little brother Andy did I start listening to them. He let me borrow the CD and at first I was a little weary of the fast tempos, the consistent snare hits on just about every song, and the non-stop energy of the music. But it grew on me fast and it was a roller coaster ride since.

A specific memory I have is I spent about 2 weeks building a puzzle and this was the album I listened to non-stop when I was working on this puzzle in my room. I don't know if you remember the old 3D puzzles they came out with, but I had gotten the 3D puzzle of the Cathedral of Notre Dame. Since it was pretty much a small replica of the church in 3D it took me awhile but I finally did complete it...all to the soundtrack of Life In General played a countless number of times.

One of the most popular songs was on this album was "Chick Magnet." Everyone would also learn the intro bass line to this song and play it everywhere. It's a great song.
In high school in our government class, our teacher Mr. McDaniel would give the opportunity for someone in class to sing a song or a diddy before a quiz for 10 extra bonus points. If you got picked you had to sing so it really wasn't an opportunity...because if you didn't sing everyone would be losing 10 extra point on the quiz! So not a position where one would decline to sing. When I was chosen, I sang Chick Magnet with the finger snaps and all. Needless to say...it was a hit. So much of a hit that Mr. McDaniel told my English teacher and she of course "had to hear it."

So I found myself pressured to sing it a few weeks later in front of my stinkin' English class and for NO bonus points! Well anyway...every one got a good kick out of it and got a few classmates to take a listen to MxPx.
They should share some royalties with me since I probably helped them sell a few extra albums.

February 24, 2009

My iTunes Library








inspired by Will Leitch's post, who was inspired by this post.

Number of Songs: 5114
Number of Albums: 526
Most Recently Played Song: "My Old Man Had A Pistol" - The New Amsterdams
Most Played Song: "Either Way" - Wilco
Most Recently Added Album: Come On Feel the Illinoise , Sufjan Stevens

First Song Alphabetically: "A-OK" - Motion City Soundtrack
Last Song Alphabetically: "Zooropa" - U2
Smallest Song Numerically: "#2" - Pat Green
Largest song Numerically: "10,000 x 10,000" - The Myriad
Shortest Song: "One Last 'Woo-hoo!' For the Pullman" - Sufjan Stevens
Longest Song: "Goodbye Sky Harbor" - Jimmy Eat World

First Album Alphabetically: A.M. - Wilco
Last Album Alphabetically: Zooropa - U2
First Band Alphabetically: The Afters
Last Band Alphabetically: Young MC

First Ten Songs That Pop Up on Shuffle:
"The Only Living Boy In New York" - Simon & Garfunkel
"Build A Bridge" - The Redwalls
"Carve Your Heart" - Dashboard Confessional
"Bittersweet Symphony" - The Verve
"Burn" - Ray LaMontagne
"Worry All The Time" - Denison Witmer
"I Will Remain" - Old 97's
"I Might Be Wrong" - Radiohead
"I Am Trying To Break Your Heart" - Wilco
"So Alive" - Ryan Adams

February 20, 2009

This is a Call


I believe that my voice pretty manlike. Manly. Not feminine.

Yet why am I always called "ma'am" when speaking to clients on the phone at work? I don't get it?

I have told some friends here that I get that a lot and then I kindly have to correct the person on the phone. Actually it's always ladies that mistake me for a lady. They always say sorry and carry on the conversation yet still slip in the occasional "ma'am" in there.

dang it! why!??!!!

Well today was the worst case phone scenario! Here's the conversation and I am NOT making this up!

Me: This is Isaac, how can I help you?
Lady: Hi, my supervisor wanted to know how our taxes are calculated.
Me: OK, let me look up your account and...
Lady: What was your name again?
Me: Isaac
Lady: Oh OK, My supervisor told me to call Isaac so I assumed it would be a man I was calling.
Me: I am...
Lady: ...Excuse me?
Me: I am a man.
Lady: (pause)...Oh dear...oh!...well I sure did walk myself into that hole...huh...i'm sorry.


And then my masculinity gave me a wedgie and ran off into the shadows.

And...Don't try calling me to listen to my voice!

February 15, 2009

Valentine's Day

Amy and I did not do something big for Valentine's Day yesterday and we did not get each other anything either. We planned on taking it easy. Since it fell on a Saturday this year we decided to go out for lunch somewhere then go catch a flick.

But I did surprise her yesterday morning with a little classic gift. A gift all of us guys did back in school when we liked a girl. I made her a mixtape.

I labeled it "Amy's V-day MixTape." Of course we are not using actual tapes any more...since that time has been long gone for a few years now. So all week in my free time I would think of songs that reminded me of Amy, silly songs we would like, or songs simply about love. I would take note of them then get on my iTunes and add it to the playlist. Yesterday before we headed out for the day I grabbed her iPod and loaded the list onto it and we listened to it all day until we got home.

She loved it! Mainly b/c I had not made her a list since we were dating back in college and she liked it then too. So it was nostalgic for both of us. And we got to sing along and enjoy the tunes together.

Here is the 'Mixtape'
Track One: I Believe In A Thing Called Love by The Darkness
"...just listen to the rhythm of my heart." This song is such a jam...I always love listening to it and singing out loud. And we did just that yesterday in the car. This was one of the silly song choices and it had to be the first track. lyrics. video.

Track Two: Will You Return by The Avett Brothers.
"A pretty little girl with pretty little curls. leans to the side, leans on my mind." Those curls is a trademark look on Amy...something that made me notice her when we were at school. My other favorite lyric to this song is the bridge that says, "I wish you'd see yourself as beautiful as I see you. Why can't you see yourself as beautiful as I see you?" Every lady needs the reassurance that they are beautiful and I hope I always tell her that she is beautiful to me. lyrics. video.

Track Three: God Only Knows by The Beach Boys.
"...what good would living do me." A classic song which speaks volumes for my dependence on Amy. I could not imagine my life without her...so God only knows what it would be like. I don't know that I would ever like to know. lyrics. video.

Track Four: Valentine by Derek Webb & Sandra McCracken.
I picked this song b/c of the title, the music is great, and we love Derek and Sandra. I believe this might have been written for their kid...maybe? But we both really like it and I thought I'd add it to the list. lyrics. listen.

Track Five: Love Never Fails by Brandon Heath.
Just a song about love as quoted from Corinthians 13:8. It is a great song and we could always use the reminder of God's love for us and the love we should all share with each other. B/c it never does fail and it will survive long after any of us. lyrics. listen.

Track Six: Please, Before I Go by Derek Webb.
"like an addict to his fix, so am I to your sweet lips. the wife of my youth, my drug of choice." Those words speak so much about Amy to me and they ring ever so true. We do everything together. I know some people can't spend all the time with your spouse before they kill each other, but we do a lot together, we always have fun, and she love each other's company. Also doesn't hurt that I love the music to this song...especially the way it starts off with the horns that remind me of Johnny Cash's Ring of Fire. lyrics. listen.

Track Seven: The One I Love by David Gray.
This is a song that we both enjoy by David Gray. The lyrics are a little out there like "tell the repo man...that you're the one I love" but we really like the music and the lyrics are just there to help us along the way. lyrics. video.

Track Eight: Daring Daylight Escape by Caedmon's Call.
Another track written by Derek Webb which we both really like. If any of your know the story of Amy and I while we were dating, you know she made me jump through a lot of hoops. And I like how in the lyrics to this song he says he's going to have to leave town if she won't say yes to being with him. And I could totally see where those lyrics came from...but fortunately for me...Amy finally came around and we've been on this adventure since 2001. lyrics.

Track Nine: I'm Yours by Jason Mraz.
A newer, current track that I'm pretty sure anyone who has turned on the radio has heard. We are big fans of Jason Mraz ever since his debut album. When this new album came out we got it and enjoyed it right off the bat. Amy listens to lyrics first as where I listen to music first with new music...she said that this song should be ours b/c of one little lyric in the middle of the song that says..."Scooch on over closer, dear. And I will nibble your ear." That is a quirk of mine. I always play with her ears and if we are close enough, I nibble on it too. May be a little too much info for some of you...but it's like "our thing." hee. lyrics. video.

Track Ten: Question by Old 97's.
A simple love song about a guy asking his girl THE question. This is a classic Old 97's song that will always be a favorite for both of us. Our engagement was not a huge extravagant event and this song is one that tells us they don't all have to be. Because as long as the outcome is a 'yes' ...it's still the same question without throwing down a bunch of money (on the event, that is. The ring however, is what you will throw down a bunch of money for). lyrics. listen (you'll have launch the audio player and to skip to the song).


There you have it folks...I hope you can listen to the songs if you want to. My first blogged playlist and I hope to follow up with qite a few more. If you know me, you know I am a huge Beatles fan and I realize that there are no Beatles songs chosen...but I wanted to choose outside of the Beatles since so many of their songs are love songs and ballads.

I hope you enjoyed your Valentine's Day b/c we did and we enjoyed listening to this list a few times through. Until next time...

February 07, 2009

The 1st week of February



...has been out of control crazy busy!

-Started last Sat. when it was my birthday, or as I like to call it "Birfday", and I bought new running shoes with the money I received from family. I bought them around 12:30 then at 2:30 I was running. I ran 4.5 miles. 2 hours after my run, I could not put any weight on my right foot. It hurt really bad. I was limping hard going to my birthday dinner and it was not a pretty sight. My good friend Jason Martin checked me out and said the shoes I got are good for my stabilization since I pronate a lot...but they made the outsides of my feet work like they never have. Which lead to soreness and irritation. So sure enough as the days went by this past week the soreness has lessened. Today I managed 1 mile before my foot started hurting today so I walked so that I wouldn't limp around for the next 3 days.

-Work is where the really busy stuff came onto my plate as we are closing the month of January and doing preliminary work for the auditors which get here this upcoming week. So I have a busy time at work everyday and it looks like this next week is holding more of the same for me. Being busy makes the time go by faster but then you also don't feel like you don't have enough time to finish the work! It's like a catch 22.

-I started geocaching as of my birthday weekend. My friend Jason Davis has been geocaching for awhile and he told me there was now a geocaching application for the iPhone. So I checked it out and Sunday afternoon Josh and I were out in the woods trying to find one. We attempted 3 that day and only found 1 of them...it is a lot tough than I thought it would be. But I have been wanting to go out everyday and find some out...it's kind of addicting.

-I have been really enjoying good company lately. I feel really blessed to have some really good friends come into my life lately. After Greg and Josh left town I was really sad b/c those guys I met with weekly to talk and hang out. But I knew I would find new company, and I have, but I have also spent more time with friends I have had and it has been great times. I hope I am seen and accepted as a good friend to those I feel are great friends to me.

-I have been listening to some new music so i will have to post about it soon. I also thought I would make up some playlists on here for different moods or occasions just so that you all can get some ideas or even discover some artists that you haven't heard about before. I also thought of the idea of picking out some songs that always bring back certain memories when I listen to them. We all have those songs...so i'll be posting about that soon.


I started this post on Sat. night but before I could finish my great friend Justin wanted to hang out so I left it unosted until today. Hanging out with a guy like Justin is way rewarding. And yes...work is crazy busy...still.