For Michael

Michael Jackson was my childhood. I don't remember a moment I wasn't excited when a music video of his was on T.V., and I still listen to his Thriller album (best selling album of all time), his Off The Wall album, his Blood on the Dance Floor album, his History albums i and ii, his Essential album... My dream was to see him live in concert. I'd gladly give up every concert I've ever seen to have seen him once.

People have a lot of love and I'm so amazed at how much the whole country was brought together by the passing of such a human icon. He wasn't just an American icon, but a WORLD icon. In his passing, all of us lost a part of our childhood and for some of us, a part of our soul.

Besides being a musical and celebrity icon, he was also a humanitarian icon. Michael Jackson did not take his duties as a citizen of the work lightly. He released popular music that dealt with real issues: starving children, racism, the environment, issues of privacy, etc. He felt that his music could do more than just make people smile and dance, he felt he could literally "heal the world." I feel that in his passing he did just that. Not to the level where everything is better and everyone is happy and there is no more war, but to the level where people are being brought together through a common love and appreciation.

Do not preach to me about love, peace or understanding and refuse to acknowledge the passing of a human icon. While the focus in the news may be drifting from celebrity deaths like Ed McMahon and Farrah Fawcett (both of which are also incredibly sad deaths), it is not because they are not as important or special... It is because they simply didn't reach as far as Michael did. He was listed in the 2000 Guinness Book of World Records as the pop artist who supported the most charities in his career, he was awarded a humanitarian award in Washington D.C. for his work fighting AIDS in Africa, he donated all the money he recieved doing a Pepsi commercial to the Michael Jackson Burn Center for Children, he and 44 other artists recorded a song he and Lionel Richie wrote called "We are the World" and all the money from the record when to a charity for starving people in Africa... the list literally goes on and on and on and on and on. (He also visited every President in the course of his life! You can google to find out just how much he really did during his career for charity.)

I know that a lot of people will still believe we are paying too much attention to Michael Jackson's passing. I know that, even worse, people will continue to make jokes about his death. But know that you are witnessing a death which, in my opinion, is even bigger than the death of Elvis Presley. You will never forget where you were when you heard he died and you will probably tell your children about it one day. You can't pay too much attention to the death of a person who affected so many people's lives in such a positive way. You just can't.

Post Secret Favorite #3

I know I'm doing a horrible job of updating my life, but now that I'm out of a job yet again I will have much more time for my limited readers! ;) Here we go:



I always wonder about this. Is it really that obvious? And even if it is, are people strong enought to admit it, especially after so long?

Interesting...

And there is a thunderstorm going on at my house right now. I am so happy! :D

Post Secret Favorite #2

I really enjoy this card. I think it's because I feel like a lot of people have this thought, especially during very difficult times:



I'm not sure how many people realize that they're secret they are posting is easily someone else's as well.

Post Secret Favorite #1

Each week I would like to post my favorite post card from the Post Secret blog. Here we go with week #1:



It was a tough week for me to choose one because it wasn't exactly my favorite week... I did really like the response someone made to this person though,

"I have faith in our generation because of you. Because if you and I are doing the same thing and have the same concerns and hope for more from our generation, then others do too. And that helps me sleep at night."

I keep getting closer and closer to actually sending one in... but then I chicken out. After the summer, my goal is to send one out.

But honestly, can anybody stop this train?

I received a post card in the mail today with a picture of a sailboat out on the ocean during sunrise that said, "A checkup with your hygienist is like a ray of sunshine!" ...No it is not. First of all, I hate the dentist. Period. Everything about the dentist scares me and makes me want to cry. I don't like them poking and prodding around my mouth, I hate the suction tube that makes my mouth all dry and makes me want to swallow way too much, and I can't STAND the fluoride treatments! They now have the option to have this sticky stuff "painted" on your teeth instead of having the do the gag-inducing, messy, foamy fluoride tray, but it has to stay on all day and you can't brush your teeth and it makes them look yellow! (Although, I do the second option usually anyway just to avoid that horrible rabies feeling... Anyway, I have to make a freaking appointment so I might as well do it soon and get it over with... that's just my little rant about the dentist. Moving on...

Work at Victoria's Secret Sales Support has been going really well. I work Sunday and Monday from 6:00 pm to 2:30 am! Those shifts take the life out of me, but I live for them because it's lots of hours and lots of work (the time really does fly by towards the end). It's the first 3 hours or so of the shift that suck. After that the time goes by faster and faster. Anyway, I already got a free cotton panty for doing a self-study! :) (The trouble is... I left it there when I got it and now have no idea where it is because I waited to long to tell them! I don't want to sound stupid!) My birthday party dinner was going to be Sunday, but now I had to move it because of work... oh well.

Birthday. Weird. I will be 20. No more teenage years. No more excuses it seems. I'm a little nervous about growing up. John Mayer says,

"So scared of getting older,
I'm only good at being young." - Stop This Train

And in a sense I completely understand what he's trying to say. I want to stay in my twenties forever, but I guess that's not possible.

I'm starting to ramble and really need to do something about my nails (AKA: get a fill). I'll catch up more with you later! <3

Live It Out

Isn't it funny how quickly our lives go by each day? I'm realizing the older I get, the more I look at the date and think, "Wow, when did life happen?" I can't believe that I'm going to be 20 in a week, and pretty soon I'm sure I won't believe it when I'm turning 30. (Okay... I suppose by pretty soon I mean in 10 years...) I recently went to see Metric live at the Showbox @ the Market in Seattle. While it was deemed (according to 107.7) the best concert of the year, it was the best concert of my life. I've always loved the band, but only in seeing them live do I truly understand what they are all about. Emily Haines, the lead singer, is a goddess of music and connects to her fans on what feels like an intimate level. If there is truly a celebrity that cares for their audience, it is Emily. Her life experiences and lessons learned are shared through her band, Metric, and her solo project, Emily Haines and the Soft Skeleton. I encourage everyone to listen to what she has to say.

"Did they tell you, you should grow up
When you wanted to dream?
Did they warn you, better shape up
If you want to succeed?
I don't know about you, who are they talking to?
They're not talking to me" -Metric: [Twilight Galaxy]

That being said and my rave being done, I will move on! Life has taken a dramatic turn for me in the last 4 months or so. I'm now a Psychology major and have completed my Music minor at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, WA. I want everyone to know that even though my major has changed, my love and appreciation for music and music education has not. My life has taken a turn in a different direction, but I still plan on running my piano studio again after college. I also will continue performing and writing for the rest of my life (as it permits).

Amongst my change in my major, I have a new job! I work for Victoria's Secret at the South Hill Mall for Sales Support. (Although, a mistake allowed me to work the floor the other day and I LOVED it. I'm hoping to eventually move up to Sales Associate!) It seems like an absolutely great company to work for so far and I love the atmosphere there. Every day is about improvement and positive feedback. :)

Finally and most importantly, it is amazing to me how people enter and exit our lives. You never know who will truly be there for you 10 years from now. I've had a pretty incredible year both positively and negatively, but one thing is for sure: all of it has set me up for growth that never could have happened without the changes. Change can be completely unexpected, but in my opinion and experience the unexpected change is truly the most life altering and positive.

That's all for now! I'm going to try to actually keep this thing up!

Life 101

"There's 24 hours in a day
I used to spilt it 8, 8, 8
8 work
8 sleep
8 for play
Now I give it all it takes"