#i have the same birthday as george's last freaking album

[argeriant18]

So . . . weird realization today. ME AND GEORGE HARRISON'S BRAINWASHED ALBUM TURN 20 TODAY

[gayenerd]

This interview was the cover story for the 17th issue of Jaded In Chicago. It was conducted in September of 2004, several weeks prior to the release of American Idiot. It was a fitting end to the fanzine that was named after the band, as “Jaded In Chicago” references Green Day’s 1994 MTV concert special. To come full circle by interviewing the band that inspired the zine’s moniker was somewhat surreal.

With the release of American Idiot, Green Day has transcended punk rock. By crafting the first punk rock opera and fashioning what is likely the first tasteful concept album of the new millennium, they’ve provided pop punk bands everywhere with a blueprint for how to mature gracefully. Additionally, as much as American Idiot is about innovation, it’s also a return to the fundamentals of punk rock. The album sears with dissent, takes aim between the eyes of the Bush administration and contains a dangerous sense of unpredictability. It’s been ten years since Green Day was the most popular band in the world and with any luck American Idiot will allow them to recapture that title in no time. (Interview with drummer Tré Cool).

Bill – Before we talk about American Idiot, I wanted to discuss the infamous “lost” album first. About a year and a half ago, you guys recorded what was to be the follow-up to Warning, but reportedly the master tapes were stolen. What can you tell me about what happened?

Tré – We just knew that if it ever came out, we couldn’t do any of those same songs on the actual record. If somebody puts it out, like crappier versions of the songs, it’s going to totally ruin it. Plus, it happened right around the same time that Billie wrote the song “American Idiot” and most of “Holiday.” We were in the middle of working on those songs, so we just decided not to look back and we kept going forward.

Bill – I’ve read that you feel American Idiot is “maximum Green Day.” Why exactly do you feel this way?

Tré – Well, because we’re firing on all cylinders, ya know? Everything about even just being in the band now feels so right. Everything from the recording process to the live shows to our ambitions. This might sound kind of dumb, but even the clothes we’re wearing during photo shoots. It’s more together like a band.

Bill – People are certainly expecting this record to be political, but I think they’re going to be surprised when they hear how you really go for the throat with some of the lyrics. Examples of this would of course be the title track and also the breakdown section of “Holiday.” What are some of the main reasons why you’re so pissed off with this country?

Tré – It’s more like confused and jaded, if you will, (laughs). The bombardment of bullshit, fake news, like Fox News and CNN. All the reality-based shit that’s on television, stuff like Fear Factor that the government is using to keep everybody like good little sheep and not asking too many questions. It’s like how if a cop hears you use the word “terror” it basically means he can take any normal American citizen’s rights away from them. A cop can do that at his or her discretion if they think you might be a terrorist or whatnot. The whole Patriot Act. It’s like do we actually have any rights after all? We don’t have the right to a proper election, we already found that out. The fabric of our government right now is basically just made out of one hundred dollar bills that are drenched in oil. As far as this upcoming election goes, I know that John Kerry is extremely conservative and he’s nowhere near the liberal we need in the White House to clean up the mess. However, he’s not George Bush. Kerry’s money is in ketchup. Bush’s money is in oil and blood. I’d choose ketchup over that, (laughs).

Bill – How do you hope people react to these songs?

Tré – I hope they can look past the strong language and go into the meaning of it. I hope they realize there’s a bit of sarcasm. I hope they don’t feel that we’re telling them what to do. We’re just sort of pointing the fingers at ourselves, saying like “I don’t want to be an American idiot or I don’t want to be a part of this bullshit.”

Bill – Talk about the character called “Jesus of Suburbia.” What sort of journey does he embark on throughout these songs and what made you choose this type of format for your songwriting?

Tré – The album is sort of like a timeline of his life. Depending on where you’re at with your life, you probably fit somewhere on that timeline yourself. Whether it’s the “Holiday” party stage, or the “Give Me Novacaine” drug stage or the “Extraordinary Girl” being in love stage; all these different stages in life show that what paths you choose will inevitably lead you somewhere. It’s not necessarily the happiest ending in the world, but it’s pretty realistic.

Bill – Are you at all worried about some of your fans possibly being alienated by the two nine-minute rock operas found on the album?

Tré – I don’t think they’ll even notice they’re nine-minute songs. They’ll think they’re a bunch of short songs put together. It’s definitely short attention span theater. It’s not like Wilco, where they have a ten-minute song with the same drumbeat and the same chord progression. Not saying anything bad about Wilco, they’re a fine band. They’re great to relax to and drink iced tea to, (laughs). I think we’d get bored doing that. We just sort of get to the point, say what we want to say and move on to the next part of the song. The way the energy flows in the songs is sort of like the way America is now too, just so scattered. There’s a big misrepresentation of how we feel in this bullshit climate right now.

Bill – One of the most important topics you address on this record is the American media. Specifically, how it perpetuates fear amongst the public and does little to question the President’s follow-through on his promises. Do you think the average American is aware of how the wool is being pulled over their eyes?

Tré – No, not at all. Say you see some guy driving down the street with a Bush/Cheney sticker on his Chevy S-10, beat-up truck with a pair of flip-flops hanging off the back. I want to ask him, “Why the fuck are you a Republican? What’s in it for you, dude?” Bush isn’t doing a thing for those people. He’s not helping them get a better truck or put food on the table. He’s not going to give them a tax break. Republicans don’t care about you. They’re not going to try and help you in any way. They just want to use you and get your dead peasants insurance once you’re gone.

Bill – Tell me about the upcoming club dates that you have scheduled where you plan to perform American Idiot in its entirety. Who came up with the idea and what are you looking forward to most about it?

Tré – I’d credit Pete Townshend with the idea. We’ve always admired The Who and their lack of inhibition as far as going for whatever crazy idea they had. As crazy as something like Tommy was when it was just a small idea, compared to what it’s become now, it’s pretty insane. They did A Quick One, where they played that live. That was a quick one, but ours is an hour. Basically, we just want to kick The Who’s ass. I listened to Who’s Next yesterday, which a lot of people are comparing American Idiot to. We totally got them beat. I’ve always aspired to be as good of a drummer as Keith Moon and I think I’ve fuckin’ passed by him on this record.

Bill – Roughly ten years ago, Dookie was released and went on to sell over ten million copies and become one of the most notable albums of the ‘90s. A decade later, I think you’ve constructed in American Idiot what is arguably your strongest record yet. Is there anything specific that you hope American Idiot accomplishes?

Tré – Yeah, I think it’s about time that people think of Green Day in a different light. We’re not snot-nosed kids anymore, we’re men now. I want people to think of us more as one of the mainstay supergroups of today. I’m not asking for too much, (laughs). We’re superheroes in our own minds. We think we’re really cool, why doesn’t everybody else?

Bill – What was the weirdest thing about being the biggest band in America in 1994?

Tré – I don’t think we really had time to enjoy it when it was happening. We were just trying to pay our rent and be able to make records for the rest of our lives. We didn’t know anything like that was ever going to happen. It sort of freaked us out a bit, but at the same time I was kind of busy just moving and doing it. We didn’t have time to look back since we were doing so much. By the time we had taken a break to make Insomniac it was like, “Do you guys know what you just did?” We were like, “Oh…shit.”

Bill – Earlier this year, Thick Records released the Out of Focus DVD, which featured live Green Day footage circa 1992. What are some of your favorite memories from playing at McGregor’s in Elmhurst, Illinois?

Tré – Demetri. Demetri was this male stripper that came onstage for some girl’s birthday at McGregor’s one night. They had her sit in this chair and the stripper did his thing for her. It was fuckin’ hilarious. In the middle of our show too. We took a timeout and let her get her strip on. I think that was the last time we played McGregor’s actually. I remember seeing State Street and I remember taking acid in Chicago. I remember going to the lake and wondering why all the fish were dead. I was inside Buckingham Fountain too. It was real hot out and I got in there during the Blues Fest. There were like a million people down there, but just one in the fountain. Of course this cop was like, “Get the fuck out of there! What are you thinking?” I was like, “I don’t know. I’m fried, dude.”

Bill – Do you have any comments regarding the rumors connecting members of Green Day to the mysterious band known as The Network?

Tré – The only connection is that their record was on Adeline, which is a label run by Billie Joe’s wife. That’s a few degrees of separation if you ask me. I think they’re getting a lot of mileage out of telling people they’re Green Day or pretending to be Green Day. The Network is not Green Day. Bastards.

Bill – Growing up I know that bands like the Ramones and The Who were very influential for you. What’s it like to now be one of the biggest influences on an entire generation of punk bands?

Tré – It’s kind of wild. Especially when younger bands meet you and they’re all nervous and stuff. You sort of get a little paternal with it, like “Ah…my children.” I feel like Michael Landon from Little House on the Prairie.

Bill – What has been the hardest part about achieving all the success you’ve attained?

Tré – I think you can pretty much choose what you want to deal with. You can choose for it to be difficult or you can enjoy it. It’s kind of up to the person.

Bill – After seven albums, what aspects of punk rock are still fresh and exciting to you?

Tré – I like seeing new bands. Bands that aren’t carbon-copied pop punk bands. Bands like Dillinger Four fuckin’ excite me. I think the Rock Against Bush compilation is a pretty damn good CD. There are some older bands on there that are still going strong and some younger bands that are real fresh and exciting too.

Bill – What does the future hold for Green Day?

Tré – I think whatever we put out next has got to be really fuckin’ good. After American Idiot we set the bar so high. It’s kind of like, “Now what are we going to do?”

[imbellarosa]

1989 things that keep me up at night

Or, that one Taylor Swift album that I ADORE while it confuses the fuck out of me. I’m doing the thing that I listen to the album as I write this, because I have so much to say and want to get it all right. This isn’t a cold read, I’ve heard it before, and I love it, but I did want to do a deeper analysis. If you want to read the last one that I did, it’s here. It’s about an accidental love song and it was tons of fun to do. The rest of this analysis is under the cut, because it might be the longest one yet. I’m a big fan of hers. 

As always, I’m going to go back to posting more political content in the morning, but I am very happy that all four officers in the murder of George Floyd have been charged with murder, and that Derek Chauvin in particular is being charged with second degree murder. If you’re looking for next steps: consider participating in activism on Breonna Taylor’s birthday (June 5th) or donating to Tony McDade’s memorial fund. 

So, on to the album! There are a few stand out songs, for me, in the album, including “I Wish You Would”, “Clean”, “This Love”, “Out of the Woods”, and “You Are In Love”. I don’t know if any of these were singles - the album is older at this point and I could go check but, eh. I don’t really think it matters anymore? I think if I stretch my memory to 2014, it was “Bad Blood”, “Blank Space”, “Style”, “Out of the Woods”, and “Shake it Off” that were singles. I don’t know if there were more, but I do remember those. Something that I find interesting is that the only crossover between the singles (that I remember) and my favorites is “Out of the Woods”, but that’s a phenomenal song. 

I think the first question I have to address is why this album confuses me. And the more I think of it, the more I realize that this album more sounds like two albums, telling two stories. The first story is that of a whirlwind romance in the public eye, filled with late night hook ups, seeing other people (publicly), and a superficial connection that will invariably go down in flames. This story features dramatic fall outs with contemporary artists, wild parties, and whispering voices. The second story is about a harder love, and a deeper one: it’s a story of fighting and fixing things, and letting go and coming together. It’s sweet, and beautiful, and tragic, and worth it. And these stories are fundamentally incompatible, at first glance. Your relationship is not simultaneously ephemeral and ethereal, and if you think it is, it’s time to reevaluate how honest you are being with yourself and what you want in your partner. (Spoiler alert: the song “Style” isn’t it. And neither is “Wildest Dreams”. No offense to either song or the people they were written about.)

The more I thought about it, the more this bugged me - until I dug deeper into her discography, and I noticed something interesting: Taylor Swift is a storyteller. She primarily tells her own stories, especially in Lover and Reputation, but that wasn’t always the case: “Mary’s Song” is sung in first person, and is about her neighbors’ love story. “Starlight” was written about someone in the Kennedy family's relationship with her husband Bobby (Bobby’s name is in the song). It is also sung in first person. “Ronan” is a song she wrote for charity, about a little boy who lost his battle to cancer, from the perspective of his mother. I always cry when I hear it, but it is, also, written in first person. I think those are enough for now, but I definitely can keep going.

Anyways, my point is this - I realized very quickly there were two ways I could read the album. The first is completely autobiographically: she is publicly one person and privately another. Her public persona is (at the time of 1989′s release) someone who parties, dates many people on and off, and fights with artists loudly. The private story she is offering is of someone who is deeply in love with one person, who wants to be successful, who wants to be themselves and safe with themselves and their partner, and is afraid of showing this side of themselves to the industry and the world. “Out of the Woods” highlights that anxiety well, as does “I Know Places”, and so does the line “you two are in a snow globe spinning round and round” (in “You Are In Love”), but that’s because I always imagine a snow globe like a sort of transparent show that is being obscured by the flurries, you know? Like everyone is watching, but if you move, the truth gets harder to see. 

The second way to read this - and I think the way I’m leaning - is that these are two different stories. The first one is still about that media image, and she’s playing off of her media image - one that has been proven to be demonstrably false at this point, and that she has admitted was almost forced on her at a really young age (and we’re gonna have a whole ass conversation about how the media treats children one of these days, you just watch). And the second story is still a love story: it’s just not hers. To me, this makes the most sense because of her switch between first and second person pronouns in these softer, gentler songs, as she gently steps in and out of the role of narrator. The other thing is that I don’t know a whole lot of her dating history? I never really cared. But I don’t remember her being in a really serious long term relationship at this point. I remember a lot of stories of short relationships with famous people, but nothing concrete or long lasting, in the way the song “I Wish You Would” or “This Love” or “You’re In Love” suggests. 

This perspective is fortified by “I Know Places”, in which she is literally talking about a secret relationship. She’s describing something that is hiding in plain sight, but can’t be honest, because “something happens when everybody finds out/ love’s a fragile little flame/it can burn out...”. So they (the people involved) go hide in these secret places (look, let’s be real. every celebrity has a secret place). What I think is interesting is that this isn’t the first time in the album that she talks about sneaking around and hiding. The first time this comes up is in “Style”, where she mentions that the dude comes searching for her with “no headlights”. She is clearly referencing herself in that song, as she describes her “red lips” and her “good girl thing/in a tight little skirt”. But the context is super different. She describes “Style” as a song that calls out trends - how people never get tired of listening about this kind of relationship. It’s always in style, so to speak. When she talks about “I Know Places”, she says its “about...everybody’s like trying to get in to it and ruin a love or whatever and it’s like...whatever. You know....” and then she goes on to keep talking about what she wants it to sound like. I got this from her voice memo in the preliminary conversation with her producer. 

She also describes I know places as “dark”, and she wanted that to carry over into the bridge, and it definitely does. However, I can definitively tell you that this story (and relationship) is different than the one in “Style”, because of the end. By the end of the song, she says: “They take their shots, but we're bulletproof (I know places)/And you know for me, it's always you (I know places)/In the dead of night, your eyes so green (I know places)/And I know for you, it's always me (I know places)”.  (Look I usually remove the hyperlinks for the lyrics but I really need y’all to click that because it freaked me out when I saw it. Very uncomfy). In Style, her bridge says “Take me home”, or some variation of that, and she doesn’t have an outro for the song, she repeats her chorus again, which reads: “Oh, you got that James Dean daydream look in your eye/And I got that red lip classic thing that you like/And when we go crashing down (And when we go)/We come back every time/'Cause we never go out of style, we never go out of style”. So rather than being something private, this is something that everyone will be talking about for a while. 

SIDE NOTE: If you like “Style”, I think you’d really like the song “Sun Queen” by Gerry Cinnamon . It’s also about the expectation of the industry and how the art affects the artist. The difference in this song is that the relationship is the real part of his life, and his art is what he feels is fake. 

ANYWAYS. I think she did a really clever thing by playing on her image. She kind of “became” the person they wanted her to be, while making it very clear that there was something else she wanted: the kind of love - the kind of life - she’s singing about. My favorite song on the album is “I Wish You Would”, which is about “remembering what we’re fighting for” in a relationship, and it’s also a song which she mentions is written about “two people”, and not herself (voice memo, delux album). I think that’s probably true. I think it is probably the case that she was not in the middle of a Great Love Story at this point in her life, and so she was borrowing material. The same thing happens in “You are in Love” - there, she can’t be any clearer - that it’s about someone that is not her. (It’s actually about her co-producer and writer Jack Antonoff’s relationship. Btw, he is a brilliant lyricist in his own right and his music is *chef’s kiss*).

The song that I think happens to be the crossover song between the real story and the carefully presented narrative is “Out Of The Woods”. She’s said that this song was about a relationship she had where the primary feeling was anxiety, and it makes sense (at least with the lyrics)! But at the end of the song, the relationship is stronger than ever: “...I walked out, I said, ‘I’m setting you free’/ But the monsters turned out to be just trees/ And when the sun came up/ You were looking at me”. And then she repeats her chorus again, where she seems to be relieved to finally be “out of the woods”. 

So here’s where I get stuck: I stand by my theory that her gentle love songs on this album aren’t about her own romances. But I don’t think she’s lying. I think this song is about something that was anxiety inducing to her. However, I don’t think that this means that she is the narrator of the song. And I know that the question then is: what is her role in the situation? I don’t know. A close friendship with someone who’s going through it, maybe? That can be really rough, and I know that I’ve gotten sucked into people’s drama. But I think that it’s someone else’s perspective, especially because this fits into the “hard, worth fighting for, intense and long term” category, rather than something like “Blank Space”, in which she literally does not know who she is talking about ( “I’ve got a blank space/ And I’ll write your name”). 

And there is SO MUCH MORE I can say, but that was really my main point: I think she’s telling two different stories, and that it creates an environment that you don’t really know what’s going on or where to turn to understand the story. I listened to the full album a bunch of times before I came up with this read of it. Do I know who the other people I think she’s talking about are? Nope. And I don’t super think it matters. The songs and words are hers, and they’re gorgeous. Do I know what people think this album is about? Yup. Does it change my read of it? Not at all. I think my analysis stands, even - and especially - in context. 

So I still love this album. And I’m beyond thrilled that she has the kind of love she’s always been singing about. And I really hope that the other people she was hanging out with/dating/writing about are all doing amazing as well, particularly the human(s) in “I Know Places” and “I Wish You Would”.  I hope that they are still fighting for each other, and that they still feel like it’s “Always You” (/Always me but that sounds more narcissistic haha). If they are different relationships (like, if rather than her just focusing on one couple, she’s talking about many), I hope that they are all happy, successful, and in love. I hope that they don’t hang out in “Wonderland” anymore (although I think that song’s about a fake relationship, I’m just saying). I hope that they have long nights with fairy lights and soft songs. I hope she does, too. 

[evannalily]

Gold Frame Earrings from Newlook

Good Afternoon everyone and a very Happy New Year to you all! I hope you all had a wonderful night full of fun, joy and surrounded by family and friends to ring in the new year! I myself was laid up in bed with the flu for most of it so mine could have been that little bit better but otherwise I was just thankful to actually be out of bed and able to eat on actual new years night so it could have also have been worse but Im on the mend now! Todays post is the first post of 2019 and one I haven’t done in a while which is on one of my own looks that I had for a night out in December and if I’m being really honest that night was the first in a long time that I actually 100% happy with how I looked on a night out and felt really confident in myself which I think is a feeling I will be bringing with me in 2019!

My 2018 ended with a good few memories as I had a pretty sociable December . Including myself and Éimear going to the INEC in Killarney to go see Hozier and Gavin James who were unreal! For anyone who doesn’t know who Hozier is he’s an Irish singer/songwriter from Wicklow and I would definitely recommend going to see him because he is just amazing live! I always love going to see singers live and have them sound the exact same as they do in audio instead of them sounding a bit different because the voices are enhanced on the audio to sound better. Definitely check out his music because he is genuinely just so good! Gavin James is also an Irish singer from Galway who is also really good to go and see!

Myself and Éimear also went on our glam girls night out where we also met up with Himself and a couple of his work buddies and it was this night that I am honestly so happy with my look.

Look of The Night

  https://www.newlook.com/row/womens/clothing/tops/black-one-hundred-percent-slogan-t-shirt-/p/616789201

https://www.newlook.com/row/womens/clothing/skirts/black-cotton-mix-mini-tube-skirt-/p/506885901?comp=Search

https://www.newlook.com/row/womens/accessories/jewellery/gold-textured-rectangle-earrings-/p/614185393?comp=Browse

https://www.prettylittlething.com/black-pu-pointed-ankle-sock-boots.html

https://www.newlook.com/row/womens/accessories/belts/black-leather-look-circle-buckle-hip-belt/p/591190501?comp=Browse

The look its self was pretty simple and was my classic all black colour scheme (another thing I’m going to start changing in 2019) and was just perfect. I love when you just throw something on last minute and it ends up being you’re favourite look of all time. The t-shirt is pretty basic and you can find slogan t-shirts in virtually any high street store at the moment as they are really trendy still and it was also long enough on me that I kind of created another layer under the skirt which is always handy just incase like me you have a little fear of things being a bit transparent. The skirt is actually another one that I had at home but I have included a link to a similar one here for you but its just a basic black tube skirt as I like my skirts to be a bit higher around the waist as I just feel they suit me better. You can’t see the boots in this photo but I do have a picture of them up on my Instagram and they are literally the exact type I was searching for for ages! I have another suede high stiletto pair that I have had for years and they are starting to get on a bit now and have seen a fair share of nights out so it was time to start getting their replacement ready and these are amazing. They literally tick every box height (which is scary high to look at but I love the height without a platform sole) , style, colour, comfort and of course are pointed toe. The earrings are again really trendy at the minute and are relatively easy to find but it does depend on the size you like. Usually these square frames are on the larger side but these ones are actually a mini version available from Newlook as well as the bigger size too. They are lightweight as well which is always a bonus as heavy earrings are a curse on your ears after a while. I just finished this look with a plain black leather jacket (more black I know) and thats it. A simple look for nights out without the fuss.

  2018 : A Year In Pictures

As we are now in the new year 2019 I have decided to share some of my photos month by month from last year 2018 on some of my highlights from the year gone by. I definitely had a year filled with ups and downs, changes and trips but these photos are a reflection of all the good times from last year and if you can I would make an album on your phone or in a scrap book that you can look back on in years to come so that you can remind yourself when you’re feeling a bit low or in a sticky situation that life hasn’t been all bad and that you have had some great times in your life even if it is something as simple as just watching movies with friends. Heres a breakdown of my 2018!

February – Éimear and I travelled up to Dublin to go see Dermot Kennedy in the Olympia Theatre and I will honestly never forget it. It was the best concert I have ever been to because his music is so emotional, touching, beautiful and mesmerising. We are going to see him this year as well which I cannot wait to do again!

April – Himself and I went on our kind of annual holiday to Portugal to Albufiera where we have been before but this time we did do a few new things one of which I have definitely never done before and that was a Fish Pedicure. If you don’t know what that is its basically these tiny little fish that eat away at dead skin cells so you soak your feet in the water with them and they basically just clean your dead skin cells away. Don’t worry they are tiny fish so you don’t actually feel anything except maybe a slight tickle which is more of a funny sensation than scary (unless your Kim Kardashian West in that clip where she completely freaks out at the tickle feeling of a fish pedicure).

June – Himself and I went over to England for just under two weeks to mind my aunties house for her and as he had never been to London before I was excited to show him all the touristy things like Buckingham Palace, The London Eye and the Natural History Museum. We did one thing I had never done before (that I can recall anyway as I may have gone as a very small child) and that was go to the London Aquarium. It was really cool in there and they do have really interesting things to see so I would recommend going there if you are in London! On our way to the Natural History Museum we did see a few lamborghinis being driven around for demonstrations too which he was only delighted to see.

September – In September Himself and I attended a wedding in Tralee which was a civil ceremony as they didn’t want a church wedding and it was honestly one of the nicest wedding I have been to. As much as I respect peoples religious choices of a church wedding it was just really nice to not have the same prayers and routines and to see them have their children involved, have their own readings and quotes spoken and it was just a really nice romantic wedding. I did however end up spending two days getting broken glass out of my hands from an unfortunate table breakage but we won’t talk too much about that!

December – The whole month of December was one of my highlights to be honest. I started with our annual staff party which was really fun as we went for dinner and then just made a night out of it. Next up was my birthday which I didn’t actually do anything for it but Himself did have roses delivered to me at work for it which was a nice surprise even though I had a feeling he was going to do that as he was being a bit sneaky in town the day before and he did the same for my 21st birthday a couple years ago but it was still a lovely surprise! After that came came the Hozier show which was amazing as he just has such a great voice and is amazing to see live. Then literally two days after that myself and Éimear went out for our glam girls night and met up with himself and couple of his friends as they were on a staff night out too. Then obviously there was Christmas which was our usual family tradition of dinner with my grandparents, lots of food and a movie. Then a few days after Christmas myself and Éimear headed out to the INEC again to go see Gavin James perform and literally about two days after this I ended up in bed ill for nearly two days and was only just up an about on new years eve and able to eat so I literally have not one photo from the night but I did discover my 88 year old granddad is a fan of George Ezra’s Shotgun and my nan is in love with Michael Bublé

February – Dermot Kennedy Olympia Theatre Dublin

March – Myself and Eimear on St. Patricks Night

March – Snowy house bound days with Cookie

April – Albufeira, Portugal with himself

April – Albufeira, Portugal with himself

May – Finally bought a new car

June – England with Himself

June – England with Himself

August – Got my first set of the prettiest Ombre gels at NailsbyErika

August – Was reunited with an old school friend at a wedding

September – At wedding with himself

October – Halloween Costume Party in The Grand with Gillian

December – Christmas Staff Party

December – Himself had flowers delivered to me at work for my birthday

December – Hozier with Eimear

December – Hozier with Eimear

December – Out on the town with Eimear

December – Holly waiting for her gifts from Santa on Christmas morning

Decemeber – Gavin James with Eimear

Well thats my 2018 summed up so lets see what 2019 brings! Speak to you soon!

Ever yours

Lily

xx

December Roundup : Last Look At 2018 Good Afternoon everyone and a very Happy New Year to you all! I hope you all had a wonderful night full of fun, joy and surrounded by family and friends to ring in the new year!

[readingraebow]

It Section Two

Derry: The First Interlude - Chapter 6

1. What does Mike learn as he researches Derry? What happened to the original Derry colonists? He discovers that the terror returns every twenty-seven years, sometimes a little bit sooner. Derry is also a hotbed for crime, murders and disappearances. Especially those involving children. During 1958, the year after Georgie was killed, a hundred and twenty-seven children were reported missing in Derry. And there are tons of other statistics like that one. There are even stories of people in town hearing dead or missing people in the drains. And the original Derry colonists just disappeared. It was basically a Roanoke situation??? There were three hundred and forty colonists and they all just disappeared without a trace. The entire village was just deserted. It was eventually thought to be an Indian attack but the bodies were never found and the only evidence to support this theory was the one home that was burned and that could've just been an accident??? And the weirdest thing about this disappearance is no one really knows about it. Everyone has heard of Roanoke but the Derry colonist disappearance has been virtually unreported, especially in Derry.

2. Henry Bowers asks Ben to let him copy during their finals and Ben refuses. Did anyone ever ask you to let them copy during a test? Did you let them? Or did you ever ask anyone to let you copy? I never asked anyone to let me copy. I always tried to be a ~good kid. But I remember my friend Jenny asked me to let her copy sometime in middle school. But she was sitting behind me so I don't know how that was even supposed to work???? I think I said yes and either leaned to the side or tried to sit down in my seat or something but I doubt she could even see anything to copy, ahaha. Other than that, I don't think anyone ever really asked me. Or if they did, I said no.

3. What is the curfew and why was it imposed? The curfew is set for 7pm and it was imposed by the Derry Police Department after several murders happened. Officially there are four though some believe that George Denbrough should be the fifth. But his death some consider to be just some bizarre freak accident? The others, though, are definitely murders. Betty Ripsom, thirteen, was the first. Then Cheryl Lamonica, sixteen. Then three year old Matthew Clements. After that one, the curfew was imposed because the chief had had enough. But, then, two weeks later, Veronica Grogan, buried on what would've been her tenth birthday, was found in a storm drain. So the curfew was imposed in hopes of keeping kids safe. They all had to be indoors or home by seven and in the company of a qualified adult. And the following rules were set: don't talk to strangers, don't accept rides from people unless you know them well, always remember that The Policeman Is Your Friend ... and obey the curfew.

4. What happened to Ben in January? It was the first day back after Christmas break and his teacher asked for a volunteer to stay after school and help count the books that had been turned in before the break. Ben volunteered. But the days were shorter and it was already super cold that day and it took longer to count the books than his teacher had thought and it started getting dark by the time they finished. She said she would've taken him home if she drove but she didn't so she said he could wait until her husband came to pick her up and get a ride then. But Ben said it's only a mile and he'd be fine walking. So he went on his way home. Well, when he passed the Canal, he looked off the bridge and he saw a man in a clown suit holding balloons. And the clown was calling his name and moving toward him over the frozen water. And the clown looks super rough??? He honestly looks dead and Ben literally thinks he's a mummy except those are only in movies??? So while he's basically ~entranced, the clown makes it to the bridge and to Ben and grabs his shoe and that's when Ben snaps out of it and runs away. But, for a second, he wanted a balloon because they were floating toward him, into the wind, and the clown was saying that they'll all float. But Ben escaped and when he turned around, after he'd crossed the bridge, the street was empty. And he realized the clown lived there, under the bridge.

5. How do Ben, Bill and Eddie become friends? So when Henry and company were looking for Ben, they found Bill and Eddie building a dam. They asked if the pair had seen Ben and, according to Bill, Eddie decided to "run his mouth" and the punched him in the nose. So Eddie starts having an asthma attack but his inhaler is empty. Bill is afraid to leave him though so when Ben appears, Bill asks if Ben will wait with Eddie while he runs to the drug store to get another inhaler. Ben does and when Bill returns with Eddie's inhaler, they all start talking and ~getting along. And then Bill asks if Ben wants to come back the next day. They were building a dam but the said it wasn't working so well so they might try something else but then Ben explains how to build the dam. So Bill tells him to come back the next day and help. And that's how they all became friends.

6. What does Bill see in George's photo album? Bill looked through George's photo album back in December and saw something weird. So that's what made him look through it again. He wanted to see if the same thing happened. And it did. The very last picture in the album was George's school photo and it was taken about ten days before he died. In the picture, George's eyes roll and meet Bill's. His smile turned into a leer and then photo George winked at Bill. That's when Bill threw the album across the room and it opened back to that page and blood started pouring out of it.

7. What happened to Eddie Corcoran? What happened to his step-father? So Eddie disappeared and it was a little less than a year after his little brother had died. His little brother's death had been ~strange. It was first ruled an accident and when the parents said Dorsey, the little brother, had fallen off a ladder. But when Eddie was still missing and didn't show up, they exhumed Dorsey's body and discovered his injuries were inconsistent with a fall. So the step-father was arrested and eventually ended up admitting to murdering Dorsey. Authorities believed that the step-father might have also had a hand in Eddie's disappearance. But the step-father said he didn't know anything about that and Eddie was never found. So the step-father went to prison. Three years after he got out, he committed suicide and his note said "I saw Eddie last night. He was dead." And Eddie was dead. He actually died the day they reported him missing. He was killed by Pennywise who was in another form besides the clown. But Eddie was near the Canal and tried to get away but ended up tripping over a park bench and Pennywise grabbed him and, um, ate him.

8. What happened to Mike in the Spring? Mike grew up on a farm and sometimes his dad would leave him notes for chores or, sometimes, he would let him have the day off from farm work and would leave a note saying he should go see some abandoned something because Mike and his father were both interested in the history of Derry. So his father left one of these notes and told him to go see the abandoned Kitchener Ironworks and to get himself a souvenir. So Mike goes there and his dad had told him not to look down this hole but, of course, Mike was curious and does. So there's this giant bird that ends up attacking him. But Mike hides in this old smokestack and the bird tries to squeeze in after him but Mike starts throwing pieces of tile at it. He ends up injuring the bird and eventually it decides it can't get him there and flies away.

  Section Two Reading Journal

Okay wow. So there were a lot of interesting things in this section. I particularly enjoyed the Derry interlude chapter and all the info about the original colonists and all of the children Pennywise has been killing over the years. That’s absolutely fascinating???? This has been going on forever and why has no one stopped him before??? How horrifying?

I’m glad we finally got to the kids in this section though I’m honestly not a fan of how SK is taking a billion years just to set up the freaking story. In this hundred and thirty page section, we got the backstories of three kids (and kind of met three of the others) and that’s it???? We don’t need every single detail about the lives of these kids. Can we get to the Losers Club and the story already??

Honestly, there were parts of this section that I felt really dragged and got a little bored in some places. But when the story ~finally really picks up, I think I’ll like this a lot. There were definitely some really interesting bits in this section. I just think SK is a little too wordy and is doing a little ~too much setup.

But I’m excited to read the next section and see the formation of the Losers Club!!! Can’t wait!!!

[themondayphilosopherandmore-blog]

Travel Memories and more

I have traveled quite extensively for a 20-year-old, and I wanted to post about my personal travel memories here. This may seem like a strange subject for an inaugural post, but I want every post to be very specific.

Everyone loves to have great experiences while traveling. That is why there are so many guides written for people to do that. Memoirs about travel experiences have turned into bestsellers. Heck, the main selling point of the (overrated) film Before Sunrise (as well as many others, but that’s the only one I have seen) is that it was based on an experience that two people had while traveling.

I have no travel plans in the immediate future, so let’s look back at past travels and the great experiences I had. I used to want to be a travel writer for exactly these reasons. Now that’s just one part of what I want to do.

However, let’s get to the stories!

The Most Incredible Summer

Let’s take us back to when I was thirteen. My dad decided it was a good idea to take his three children to New Mexico for over a week. We had a great time, and I could go through all the highlights (and lowlights), but let me just say this: for a trip to be great and memorable, good and bad things must happen. There must be highlights and lowlights. If a trip is just smooth sailing, it is not as memorable as one where some rough seas are hit. I am not saying that everything or even the majority of things should go wrong. My first of seven family reunions in Hawaii was like that back in the summer of 2007. And I didn’t like that one bit.

Rather, I am saying that there needs to be ups and downs, just like any story.

A Long, Grueling Flight

Sometimes great things happen when you least expect them to. Take for instance December 20, 2014. I boarded a flight from Miami to San Francisco, on my way back from Brazil, where I was living at the time, to visit family.

The flight took over six hours, and I thought we were farther along than we were the whole way, which was cruel as I thought landing was imminent even though we were still over an hour away. The rainbow I saw over the Bay Area out my window was a small consolation for what I had gone through.

Especially the turbulence. For the final two and a half hours, we were rocked. I was sitting in front of two older ladies who were freaking out. And just when it had stopped for long enough to think it was over, it started up again.

I thought I was never going to make it through that flight. It was so hard to deal with. But it was still a beautiful experience. You know why that was?

Because of the person sitting next to me, who I have never seen again. We talked for the entire flight. Just sat and talked.

Only Have Time For a Few Sentences

1. I am taking a hiatus from writing due to finals (this week) and spring break (next week). You know, I just want to relax.

2. So many people are prisoners to their own mindsets regarding how life should be lived. There is no single formula for what to do and when to do it. I believe in moral absolutes, yes, but within that, there are many ways to live life. If there weren’t, life would be boring, and yet so many people don’t think that way.

3. Another of my favorite travel memories is the so-called “Miracle on Ice Water.” The details are too sensitive to share here, but if you want, look up the short story “The Hours that Lasted Forever” on my Wattpad profile for a fictionalization (with all the irresponsible stuff taken out).

4. “Something to Talk About” by Bonnie Raitt is the single best soft rock song sung by a woman. Ever. I just discovered it about a year ago, and I can’t think of any song with those qualifications that comes close.

5. I watched this video on someone’s Facebook profile that ridicules the film Me Before You. I thought the quotes from that were awful, and the makers of the video agreed, as they decided to use those quotes in real life. Imagine telling a girl you know that she is the only thing that makes you want to get up in the morning!

6. This section was only included because I wanted to fully describe each, but it’s late at night and I have to get this in while it’s still Monday.

Props to Sundance and Emma

I had one of the best solo meals of my life on Saturday night, with my mom away to visit a friend and my sister away to visit a friend as well.

Sundance the Steakhouse, in my hometown of Palo Alto, is surprisingly cheap when you don’t order steak. Even more so when the kind staff gives you a free drink and a free appetizer because you’re a poor college kid. I think Emma had something to do with that.

Emma, you see, is an old friend of my other sister’s. She was really nice to me at the restaurant (she works there as a hostess). And I’m very thankful I got to share the evening with her, even though  I talked to her very little.

Important Quotes

1

“And since you called her out so fast, maybe you need to [work on your impulse control] too.” -Me, arguing with both my sisters.

2

“Aleph numbers are easy.”

-My middle-school age sister Daisy.

3

“Rock and roll never forgets!”

-My acquaintance Alyssa, on Chuck Berry’s passing.

4

“Someone will have to deal with this tomorrow.”

-My tired mom on our dining room.

5

“I’m not saying that’s what I think. I’m saying that could be what she thinks I think.”

-Me, on the subject of my acquaintance Julia.

Significant Figures

1

588. That’s how many days an old relationship lasted (active and in my mind), which inspired some things I want to write and self-publish in 2018 and beyond.

2

18. That’s how many days I will take to write my debut novella, called Always Found.

Things That Only Interest Me

1

Last year, we had “The Games of the Thirty-first Olympiad.” In reality, we have only had twenty-eight modern Olympic Games. For some reason, the IOC counts the Games we missed due to the world wars.

2

People say that “liberalism” is inefficient at fighting terrorism, but the deadliest terror attack in American history came under the leadership of George W. Bush, who is our most recent conservative President.

3

I think that the opening sequence of Richard Strauss’s Also Sprach Zarathustra would make great music to walk into a room with.

Throwback

I want to discuss the two days in my lifetime today (March 27) has fallen on Easter: 2005 and 2016. On March 27, 2005, I was in Mato Grosso, Brazil, on a hike to a cave in a national park. It was a great hike marred by an inefficient guide and bad weather. On March 27, 2016, I had just been baptized for Easter and celebrated my mom’s birthday at my grandmother’s house (tonight she came to our house).

Favorite Social Media Moments

1

The debate about which TV character you would call if you were kidnapped.

2

Reacting to the “white nationalist” ideology that has regrettably gained steam in the past 5 years or so.

3

Posting my thoughts on a certain Biblical teaching.

Announcements

I have no spring break plans as of now. I was going to write a 630-page novel, but pushed that back. I would go to Colorado to see a friend, but I don’t have the money.

I am expecting to ace my finals. I have taken one, with another yet to be taken.

The new quarter will be another great learning experience with two more prep classes (writing and advanced algebra).

Important Points of the Week

1. Happy birthday to Mom (today) and my dear friend Nathania (Sunday), who have their birthdays in the same week, a rarity as they are six days apart. I love both of you very much. Mom, you have always been there for me when I needed you to be, even when we were a long way apart. Nathania, I love being your friend and our conversations are amazing. You may be one of my favorite people in the world. Scratch that. You are one of my favorite people in the world. And I miss you very much.

2. I’m glad that the Raiders will move out of the Bay Area. Now the 49ers will be the only team here, so all those pesky Raiders fans can move to Vegas or be irrelevant. It’s their call.

3. I get really emotional when it comes to political matters, but especially when it is late at night and I am sleep deprived. Then I’m just a no-filter loose cannon who will offend anyone in his path. Hey, at least I know myself.

4. I can just feel Easter getting closer and closer. Thank You, Jesus, for your unending mercy and grace.

5. Speaking of Jesus, have you ever stopped to think about how absurd it is that certain people think that people who are not Christians should get the full extent of their religious freedom, but Christians should be restricted in it so as not to impose their religion on others? It’s a double standard.

6. Ed Sheeran’s new studio album, ÷, is the definition of top-heavy. It has two good songs, but the rest is just so boring.

7. Palo Alto, California is so overpriced. Where else can you get an iced tea with lemonade from a coffee shop for nearly four dollars?

8. I think this has been the best edition of March Madness in several years, pending the Final Four.

9. The end of the fifteen-year-old film The Others will blow your mind.

10. Recent random thoughts:

a. Too many people have too many friends, if the statistic that you can only stay connected to 150 people over a certain period of time is legitimate. Or at least that’s what I think with regards to Facebook.

b. Still, anyone can make up statistics. 2 out of 3 people know that.

c. See what I did there?

d. Way more people like me than I like to think.

e. I probably could get married by the end of 2018 if I set my mind to it, but I have bigger fish to fry.

f. People talk too much about things that don’t matter.

g. That is because things that matter seem to offend everyone.

h. I hope I did well on finals, but I won’t know until the end of next week.

i. The above was not a random thought. I don’t care, because I couldn’t fit it in anywhere else.

j. I have never been lost in the wilderness, even though it seems kind of fun.

k. If I make it out, that is.

l. The weather this spring is supposed to be warm and wet in California. That’s my least favorite type of weather.

m. I don’t like spring weather in general. In the summer, we have warm days. In the winter, we have cool days. In the fall, we have in-between days. But in the spring, we can have any of the three.

n. I love reading.

o. I have way too many books to read.

p. I love writing.

q. I have even more projects I want to write.

r. As I write this, I have a final to go to, but I can’t tear myself away.

s. If I fail that math class, you are reading what is to blame.

t. I still have over an hour to get there.

u. Other people are hard to figure out.

v. Especially people older than 40.

w. I really have to go.

The Final Question

What is your favorite travel memory of all time?

Sign Off

That’s it for the week of March 27, 2017. I hope you enjoyed reading The Monday Philosopher.

With love,

William