“Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time"

     The Law of Constant Change states that everything in our life is in constant change, constantly in the process of becoming something else. Nothing stays exactly as it is. Nothing. Movement and change constitute the reality of our being.
     I am changing, my taste in life is changing. I have always questioned and challenged most of what I have been told. I love to read lyrics and set my own ideas about what the song really means, I love to look at a painting and wonder what the artist was thinking while painting, I love people with passion. I have discovered the people with the most passion are the craziest, disorderly, and interesting in this world. These people are the painters, the writers, the musicians, the architects, the designers, and etc. These intriguing people are not the ones who fit in with the rest of society........because they are too busy creating it. These people see color, not just black and white. These people don't care if what they think is the popular choice, they just know it's the right one. I hope if I don't fit into this category already, one day I just might!

Here are some paintings I'm obsessed with at the moment! This one is Claude Monet

The next are Van Gogh paintings, I just ordered Starry Night Over the Rhone. I already have the other 2

and last but not least here is Gustav Klimt, Tree of Life. 

 Yes, I just ordered this one as well! And I have 3 records coming my way as well. Talking Heads, Little Creatures, Elton John Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, and Simon and Garfunkel Greatest hits. THANK YOU MOM, you're the best!!!!

Takin it Easy

                                                                                The Eagles


     I have always been a fan of "The Eagles" My parents have always been fans, I can remember riding in the car as a kid with my Mom as she would groove to the sounds.
    There was a time between Ole Miss and Alabama where I was talking to a boy that I went to High School with and played tennis with. He got a tennis scholarship to Austin Peay in Tennessee, I actually rode with his mother once to see him play and drove up there a couple of times to spend the weekend with him. My love for the Eagles grew a lot during this time because he was a huge fan of them and of Bob Marley. Our song was "Taking it easy." I literally know every word to that song and can sing it without any help. When I babysit my bosses daughter, I always sing this song to her when she cries and after a few lines, she calms down. I literally cannot hear this song and not think of him and the awesome times we shared. I laughed so much around this particular boy and we had so much in common. In the end,  it didn't really work out between us because he soon got a job being a tennis pro at a country club in Miami and I have a.......lets say a STRONG personality! We still randomly talk to each other, we always call each other when something in life reminds us of the other person or just a silly moment we remembered about each other. He has been a great friend over the years and I will always thank him for really finding my passion for The Eagles.
     




I also had a time when I first got to Alabama and a boy that I met and dated for quite a while was really into The Eagles and he would play "Peaceful, Easy, Feeling" to me. We shared a really rocky relationship but it was educational. I have said in the past that I can hear certain songs and memories flash before me, this is no different but In this particular case I'm happy to say those memories are still there but not the feelings I once felt when I heard this song.



I now am thinking back to all my favorite artists and realizing it was mainly guys that introduced me to them and guys I rarely talk to anymore. In a way, the quote is true, "Some people enter our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime."

The Eagles have won many awards, world renown, and an overall epic sensation, needless to say I don't care what awards they have received, I do care about the way I feel when I hear one of their songs. This is one of my personal favorites!



I also love this one, When I was a PI PHI, I helped design a t-shirt for a fraternity swap, the theme was Angels and Devils. PI PHI is associated with Angels so clearly we dressed up as angels and the boys were devils. The t-shirt had lyrics from The Eagle's song "One of these nights."

I've been searching for the daughter
Of the devil himself
I've been searching for an angel in white
I've been waiting for a woman who's a little
Of both
And I can feel her but she's nowhere
In sight

I have so much history with this band, it's astounding!

On another note, I'm sooooo happy with life right now! I am so blessed for the friends I have and the people I am meeting and spending time with right now. I have had the best time over the past couple of weeks!

A Man, A Legend, The Immortal

Where do I even begin to describe this man's talent? Eric Clapton has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame THREE times, his style is blues with rock and every other kind of genre that makes music not just good but jaw dropping incredible. This man is nothing less than a legend in all of the books! I love him for his creativity and humble approach to who he is. Clapton doesn't have to brag because he lets his playing do all the talking.

Clapton has been apart of The Yard birds, Cream, and has played solo. There are only a few solo artists that I can say don't need a band because their talent over shadows the rest

Here is the ULTIMATE song Layla



If you don't just love Layla, you need to seriously need to get yourself checked out, its beautifully written and performed. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, just don't express your dislikes for the man in front of me! He has gone through many, many relationships and lost a child, he found out later in life that his older sister was actually his mother and whom he thought were his parents were actually his grandparents.......Needless to say this man has a LOT to write about.

Here is another of my favorites Sunshine of your Love



This particular song was written the same night Clapton attended a Jimi Hendrix concert. Yep, it's fascinating how much music knowledge I know.

I have decided in life there should always be background music, somehow God needs to create that, everyone would walk around and you wouldn't even have to ask how their day is, you could just tell by the music that is playing......how AWESOME would that be?

Anyway hope everyone is having a fabulous day, I certainly am now after my nap, I was up past my bedtime last night.....I have a good excuse though! I bet your wondering how the date went......I will tell you in time my lovelies! I'm still working on the apartment but I absolutely cannot wait to post some pictures soon!

What's been going on!

Okay, Okay for the past two weeks I have been a little M.I.A! I really had forgotten how emotionally, physically, and  mentally tiring moving is! For the most part the new place is complete I just have to put up curtains, some wall decor, and etc. So now on to my daily thoughts and what is going on with me!


ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL??


I can't believe football season starts in about 25 days! How crazy is that? I love football season but living in a college town and going to a school that just won a BCS this past year is a little ridiculous! I love football season for many reasons, dressing up for the games, hosting wonderful friends for a weekend that live in other places, Shakers,Tailgating, bonding with old friends and making new ones! I sometimes stress myself out over the whole thing as well! I usually start on Wednesday before a home game cleaning my apartment, washing sheets, figuring out what I need from the store to prepare snacks and make sure my guests have everything they need! I'm such a "Mom Hostess" when it comes to that kind of stuff, I actually get some high by running around like a mad woman! Every week I stress out about what to wear out the Friday night before a home game and what dress to wear for game day (it's pretty important here in the south to look your best) because I never know who I am going to see from the past, and dang it, I have to look good!
Which brings me to dieting! I believe I work harder to stay in shape the months of August through December because I hate running into someone I don't see very often or someone I haven't seen in years and look bad! So as of last week I have been on a lower carb diet, and trying to work in working out despite the move and total chaos that has been going on! I know this sounds crazy but I'm looking forward to classes starting again so I can get on a routine about the situation........Hello Again, Mr. Personal Trainer!

Football season also calls for a larger budget, I have to think about outfits to go out in, tanning beds and lotions to look good in those gorgeous sundresses, more money for gas to run errands, and more money for food and drinks for my guests and myself ; ) more money for entertainment for after the games, hence Yellow hammers and Michelob Ultra  but every Sunday when everyone is leaving and I'm cleaning up, I think back to the laughter, the cheering, the memories and it all seems worth it!

Looks like fun, huh?


On another note, just got the Eagles and some Rolling stones on Vinyl in the past week! YAY! Now if I could only luck up on some dresses, we would be good! I'm only freaking out because while I was moving I gave away so many of my clothes and shoes! I don't know why I'm stressing out so bad about it......it's not like I wore the dresses I gave away, I guess it's because my closet seems empty! and even more depressing I went through my fall and winter collection and it seems baron.......I hope I can recover from my loss!

I also have gotten really into Mad Men this season, I absolutely love it!
















And guess who is going on a date tomorrow night? oh, this pretty cookie, that's who!! were going to this place called Chuck's (amazing sushi) and then to a movie.  I hope it goes well, we seem to have a lot in common, especially music, but he isn't the biggest fan of baseball.......I mean no one is perfect! ; ) ..........what to wear? what to wear?

I also have one of my very bestest friends "Sum" up for a week, oh it's like undergrad all over again! we laugh, we talk about serious stuff over bottles of wine, we play on facebook, we chat about boys and clothes and we have the best time!

I also have a new project! my big brother/big sister program fell through! my 2 girls moved to Florida! I was kind of sad about it, but I think it was what was best for them......anyway I talked with the program director and they are going to pair me with someone soon. In the mean time I have wanted to do something with this charity for a while and I think it was fate when I turned on the t.v. and this was on within the first seconds.......

As we know, I look up to Jimmy Carter, he is such a great humanitarian and I don't care what a majority of people say, he really was a great president in an awful time in our society. Anyway, Jimmy Carter is coming to Birmingham October 4 for National Service Day and will dedicate a few of the houses that are being built for the organization! How Cool? So I look at it as a blessing and i just finished up my registration form and sent it in, I will keep you updated on how things progress!

Moving, Breakdowns, and Total Anarchy!

This past Tuesday I had a record breaking breakdown while moving apartments. I really hate to even go into details about how hellish the mishap was, but I will share a little. I hired a company to move me, on the phone the owner told me they were professionals......When I answered the door on Tuesday morning, I did not see two professionals, I saw 2 small High School boys. Two and half hours passed by and the only things the boys had moved was the Large furniture and washer and dryer from my old apartment to their moving truck. When the boys pulled up to my new apartment (20 feet away) I told them I'm not paying for more than 3 hours and to just unload everything out of their truck because this was RIDICULOUS!!!!! (keep in mind when the boys first arrived I gave them drinks and told them I wanted to move as much as I could in under two hours. I also said, only move the things that I couldn't fit into a car) I told them just to unload everything on the sidewalk to my new place, and they had 30 minutes to do so because I wasn't paying a penny over $288 (they are $96 an hour) . Wow, that got the boys attention, I don't think Speedy Gonzalas has moved that fast before!

While they were moving like the road runner, my friend "Sum" showed up from supervising rush practice. I explained to "Sum" what had been going on......she was speechless (also keep in mind, I had moving boxes, clothes, and other small things into my apartment since Sunday) I pay the boys, and they go on their way, I look at the sidewalk and grass to the front of my new apartment and it looked like the Clampett's were moving. My furniture was spread out all over!! I immediately called my mom complaining and crying. My landlord just so happened to be walking by, we explained her the situation. She told us to hold on and she would try to get us some help and also call the company. Then the worst thing happened.........THUNDER.

In the mean time my friend "Sum" and I start moving headboards, mattresses, desks, my oversized chair all by ourselves!!  Do you know that when I first started moving in to the new place I got all excited because I just moved into the building with ALL the boys!! I thought to myself, if I ever needed help this is going to be IDEAL..........boy was I wrong!! These boys would walk by seeing two smaller type girls struggle moving all of this heavy stuff, and say nothing......I will say one boy (a former football player here at Bama) walked by and did give us a tip on how we needed an appliance dolly to move the washer and dryer. Not, one guy offered to help, "Sum" and I asked 3 boys in an apartment to help us, and they said they were leaving to get something to eat. I promise, If I ever have a son and he did something like that, I would slap him silly! The only person to offer help, was a girl! This girl was walking out of her door, saw what was going on and offered to call a guy friend to help. (she would have helped, but she was late for rush practice)

My landlord in the meantime called the company, chewed them out, told the owner what his "professionals" had done.

I started calling every guy I know, most were working, but I had 2 boys that were at work or on their way to class and  they called their roommates to come help.

While waiting on the boys to arrive "Sum" and I were trying to move everything into the breezeway so it won't get soaked by the rain. I then was yelled at by some mean man for blocking the breezeway with my couch. I started apologizing and something just snapped in me. Yes, waterworks went into overdrive. I was crying, terribly hot and sweaty, dizzy from moving stuff up a flight of stairs that doubled my body weight, and then realizing I had not had one thing to eat since lunch the previous day.....I had been so busy packing and moving and organizing, I never took a break to eat ANYTHING!! I sat down on a step, put my sweaty face in my hands and tried to "regroup." Then something miraculous happened.

My landlord and "Sum" come walking back with a phone and said the company wants to talk to you. After telling the company what happened, they sent 2 MANAGERS to me to move the rest and reimburse me a hundred dollars. Two minutes later the boys roommates showed up and I told them they could go back home. I got back on the phone with my mom to tell her what was going on. A few minutes later, 2 MEN showed up and moved all my stuff in less than 30 minutes. Yes, the 2 men finished what 2 boys couldn't. I now understand "MAN" in "Managers." These 2 men were extremely apologetic, concerned about me, and straight up gentlemen. These men were strong and educated, total opposite of Tweedledee and Tweedledum  from earlier. "Bro" got me a sandwich, my blood sugar was slowly reaching back up.

By that night, "Bro" had gotten "Sum" and I dinner, we called a guy friend to come over and tell him the horrible mishap, he sympathized . He actually helped me unpack some stuff, and the Terrible, no good, very bad day was OVER!!!



I also have bruises ALL over my body! I am actually embarrassed by my legs, in no way shape or form am I exaggerating! I look like I have been beaten, but I guess that is what moving will do to you! My mom is coming in town tonight and then I have a Semi- DATE Saturday night!! with a guy that can play guitar and also loves the Talking Heads!! we have our official date set for next Wednesday!!

I promise to post pictures soon of the new place! I hope everyone has a careful and fun weekend! love y'all!!

Packing up and Throwing out!

    It's official, "Bro" and I will be moving into a 3 bedroom apartment August 3rd and 4th......well the dates might change a little, but we're definitely moving! The wild and crazy adventures of Apartment 109 are drawing near an end. Can you believe for the past 7 years everyone that has lived in this apartment has been from my hometown? The dynasty is now over and in a way it's a little sad!! Do you know I can still remember helping out my two best friends 7 years ago move into this same place.....little did I know, I would transfer schools and end up living here myself, life really is funny sometimes. I love the quote: "If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans." 
    
I have been so busy today, thank goodness for my momma! We stopped by the ABC store to get boxes twice. We also made a stop at the Tuscaloosa news to get the end rolls that is leftover from printing the newspapers. Last we made stops for lunch, Big Lots, Wal-Mart and the bank. We also managed to pack about half my kitchen and some of my living room and dining room. I have come to the conclusion nobody needs as much stuff as I do.......It's a little ridiculous! I am so spoiled!

I have also come up with another reason why girls need boyfriends.....MOVING!!! I have said before boys come in handy during football season to help buy your drinks, escort you to the game, be your entertainment, tell you how pretty you are in a sundress and costa's. Now I'm saying we need them for the heavy lifting! I think this moving thing would be so much better with boys help. okay okay, a lot of things would be easier with boys......getting my car serviced is another to add to that list and also grilling out......I am a chick....I don't mess with charcoal

If anyone has any moving tips or suggestions I would appreciate it, the last time I moved I had a boyfriend and his fraternity brother's and a really really good best friend who was here to help me.



   

Moving on up!

Boy do I have news!!!! I might be moving........to another apartment!! lol! my landlord made me an offer I can't refuse.
The problem would be again Bro will not let me have the master bedroom, that has the master BATHROOM, that I DESPERATELY need. Another problem is finding boys to help, BRO is not especially keen on moving, even though it would be to a 3 bedroom.
We would have to find some boys to help move us, since he couldn't move a washer nor couch by himself. Since most of the guys I know are not living here at the moment and it seems all I do is piss off the male population of Tuscaloosa, I'm not sure who to ask. If you are a boy and reading this, would you like to help out a damsel in distress?

I can't wait to move! We would have a whole extra bedroom, which would come in handy during football season, of course I would have to find a bed to put in the room. You do know what this means though? I get two closets! Hallelujah, Amen!

Anyway here are just a couple a pictures from Father Walter's. My friend "Sum" started a charity where these kids who are very special paint different things, then we scan them on to cards for Christmas, Easter, 4th of July.....pretty much all occasions and the when sell them to local businesses and all proceeds go to Father's Walter's children. How awesome is this? I'm so proud to say that I helped be a small part of this, and it was amazing to see how these kids just want to be loved.

This was the boy I worked with for the most part and he loved 'High Five's."   Hope everyone is enjoying the work week, and hoping it's also speedy! love ya'll!