Mexico!

I went to see my sister Meredith in Puebla, Mexico from October 22nd-26th! It was amazing to see where she's living and what she does every day! It's a total different life down there and it was completely different then anywhere I've been. I got to stay with her host family so that saved me some money plus it was just neat to see everything!

As always, I took videos!

Part 1:


Friday Night, Our Date With Fernando:


Part 2:


This last one is a video of her opening a care package that her friends/family from home sent her.

Texas Tour

So thanks to Sarah I've seen pretty much all of the big cities in Texas! Funny enough I haven't explored a lot of Houston though..I can tell you where Wal*Mart is though! Here are my videos from these little awesome road trips, even though you've probably watched them on Sarah's blog already. My favorite place was probably San Antonio, though they all had something awesome about them!

Lyrics to "Chemanda"

I wrote this song for my friend Amanda and her new love...Chedda Boy.


Her life wasn't fair
This single girl
Wanting to be happy
But the man brought her down

His life wasn't fair
This one armed man
wanting to make a living
but the man brought him down

There was magic everywhere
In that New York City air
Millions of people around
In the heart of Times Square

They both needed a break
They'd get more then that
When they took the train
To the city that night

There was magic everywhere
In that New York City air
Millions of people around
In the heart of Times Square

Two girls walking
Just enjoying the night
One man standing
Avoiding a fight

He saw her walking by
Placed his one hand on hers
He asked her to stay
And she stayed forever!

There was magic everywhere
In that New York City air
Millions of people around
In the heart of Times Square
Only two people mattered that night

Here's the song:

New York City!

I haven't posted in a while, because I've been posting video blogs on my Youtube Channel instead. I thought I should start posting some of the videos here, so you/I don't have to navigate through my channel in order to watch certain videos in order.

This post is really long, but it's mostly for me so I don't forget my awesome trip!

I went to New York City from August 11th-August17th! I had been planning a trip there ever since I moved back to Redding in 2006. It was absolutely wonderful to go back, and it still feels like home!

Day 1:
The flight, the taxi, and the check-in all went smoothly! I'd never checked into a hotel as an individual so I was nervous, but I didn't need to be. I stayed at the Wellington Hotel, which wasn't exactly full of amenities, but the location was AMAZING. If you had a window facing the street (I didn't but my friend Amanda did), you could see Times Square to your left, and Central Park to your right. I couldn't have asked for a better location! I would stay there again for that reason.

Speaking of my friend Amanda! She lives in NJ but booked a room in the Wellington for a few days so we could hang out. It was really awesome of her to come, I had way more fun with somebody to run around with! We spent a long time looking for the brand new Jcpenney in Manhattan but I realized I didn't know the address, so we ended up just wandering around. I was pretty tired but we went out to dinner and wandered Times Square (it's WAY MORE FUN there if you don't live there..you're more willing to put up with annoying stuff). I was super happy to be back!





Day 2:
Amanda and I went to Kew Gardens, where I used to live when I was 18. It was so awesome to see it and all the same people worked at the same stores and everything! We went and saw (500) Days of Summer and it was super charming and cute! We went to a cheap store to get an umbrella since it started raining, and I bought that and a really weird version of Guess Who. We went to a diner for lunch and played while we waited for our food. We then went to Forrest Hills Park and did some reading before we took off to Sam Ash Music Store. I had too much fun there! I used to spend a lot of time there when I was 18! Amanda was extremely patient with me as I banged around on the drums, and pulled guitar after guitar off of the walls. We ended the day with Dinner at Austin Street Steak House! It was a really cool and nostalgic day, and it was fun to have somebody there to take pictures of me in front of stuff!



Day 3:
Amanda was still in the city for the first half of the day, so we had lunch at Planet Hollywood and just enjoyed each other's company for the last little while she was there. I started feeling really sick when she was getting ready to leave so I felt pretty bad about that! I tried to walk it off a little bit before I saw The Little Mermaid on Broadway. It was a nice show, but it didn't live up to the expectations you have when you go to see a Disney show. Honestly, you expect magic. It had some really cool moments and the performers were talented, but it's not one I would recommend, and apparently I'm not the only one who thought so! It closed at the end of August, but I'm glad I got to see a show that not a lot of people got to see! Then a musician friend of mine met up with me in The Village, so it was really cool to see her...even though it was really really late at night.



Day 4:
My amazing friend Dominica came from upstate to visit me! I knew she was coming, but she pranked me a little by texting me to "come to the lobby" and then she was AT MY DOOR when I opened it. She's sneaky!! It was so wonderful to see her! We saw "The Proposal", took a limo back to the hotel, and ordered some rockin hamburgers through room service! The day went by way too fast, but it was an awesome one!! After she left I found the brand new JcPenneys and drooled!



Day 5:
I still wasn't feeling all that great, but I went for a nice walk in Central Park that morning. I then walked around the area where my church's temple is, and I went to the Barnes and Noble that was right next to it. I got a smoothie there and relaxed while looking out the window of the 4 story B&N. Then I got ready to go see 9 to 5 the musical. I was REALLY looking forward to it because it featured Allison Janney, Stephanie J. Block, and Megan Hilty. I had high expectations of THEM but not so much of the show. It really shocked me how much I just LOVED the show! It had so much energy, and the talent was just ridiculous! I had amazing seats and it was just one of the greatest show-going experiences of my life! I don't understand why it's closing, everybody there was cracking up and loving it. I'm so happy I went to see it before it closed.



Day 6 (Final Day!)
I went to a little bit of church, then I went for one last Central Park walk! I wish I was feeling better because I really miss venturing into the nearly 850 acre park! I spent quite a bit of time there. At one point I just laid in the grass, relaxed, and absorbed the feeling of being there, because I knew it was almost over! I went to a book stand where they had SO many books, but they weren't as cheap as I was hoping so I ditched them. I really wanted to make sure I got around a bit before I left, so I took one of those cheesy tour buses. It was okay, not something I'd want to do again...but it got me all around town and I got to rest my feet. I walked around Rockefeller Plaza for a little while. I wanted my last dinner to be a nice one, even though I didn't have a friend to go with me. I went to the village on the search for a nice, relaxed, restaurant with outdoor seating. It really took a long time to find the perfect place, but I found a place called Garage that was nice (even though it took FOREVER to have dinner there). I just enjoyed my last moments, hoping I'd make time for a trip like this again. I think I will!

My Music Store!

I am making my studio-recorded songs available for purchase!  They're $.99 a song, so it's not a lot if you want to put these on  your ipod or if you want to put them on a CD.  Enjoy!

Don't panic if it's says songs are currently unavailable, I literally JUST created this so it will be a few days before they show up!

No Time For Books

Sometimes I think I'd be better off if I didn't have access to a computer, an ipod, a Wii, a television, and a cell phone all day.

Don't get me wrong, I adore all of those things, I'm blessed with my possessions! I just realized I have this stack of books I keep saying I'm going to read, and I never read them. I'll start reading them and then I hear my cell phone buzz with a text message, so I answer it and go back and forth for a few minutes. Then I usually forget about the book and sign online. Maybe I'll carry it around on me in hopes that I'll read it on my lunch break or that I'll take it out when I go on a drive. I usually don't! I usually listen to my ipod or text during this time. Then the book ends up laying in my car, on my desk, or on my shelf..only having partially been read. They then represent failure, and I resent them. I fear starting books sometimes because I hate the feeling of not finishing it. I think reading is such an important part of life so having this short attention span and this sea of distractions is truly troubling to me.

Then my friend showed me a vlogger on Youtube named Merry who does vlogs about just silly stuff, her own music, but most importantly, book reviews. She has a goal of reading one book a week from the Time Magazine Top 100 English Language Novels and reviewing it on Youtube. Now..I'm not proposing that I do the same thing, because that would just be copying! It did put a spark of interest back in the whole reading thing.

I finished my first book of the year (I'm embarrassed to state that since it's already March) after seeing her videos. I loved it! I love the feeling after you hold a book in your hand that you've completed. Knowing that you read all of the pages of that book is just kind of a cool thing. I feel more intelligent when I read regularly, even if it's just a silly fiction novel. Why have I not done this more often? Oh right..I've been busy IMing and texting and Wii-ing! Not that those are bad things, but I just realize I need to take more time out to spend with books.

I'm setting a goal to read at least 25 books this year. It doesn't seem like a lot but I'm pretty sure it's more then I read last year. I have unread books in my possession already, and I'm hoping to complete them this year.

- The Thirteenth Tale
- Lovely Bones
- The Catcher in the Rye
- If You Could See Me Now
- Me & Emma
- The Moviegoer
- The Ultimate Guitar Book
- A Complete Idiots Guide to Music Theory
- Peace Like A River
- Twilight (maybe....)
- The Kindness of Strangers

I'm sweating just looking at that short list of 10 books!! I'm admitting to being a pathetic non-reader here..but I'm going to try and be better.

I just finished "To Catch a Predator" by Chris Hansen from the Dateline NBC show of the same title. It was disturbing to a very high degree, but it's the kind of disturbing you know you should probably read if you want to truly be aware of the dangers kids can face. The language is extremely explicit, but it's 100% reality, it's real life stories that just happen to be traumatic. It's an important and surprisingly unbiased publication.

I'm not really going to try and review this book or any of the books I read, because I don't have that great of a memory, so It would take me forever to write a full page review. I can do a quick blurb on them though (see above blurb)! I'm not sure why I decided to blog about this, I was just thinking about it a lot lately.

Let's all put down our gadgets and try to read more, shall we??!!

Melody Gardot

I was visiting Ramiy Rosendufts blog (I don't know her, she's just a bottomless fountain of awesome musicians and cool information) yesterday or so and found a gemstone. Though I always enjoy the bands or musicians she's recommended, I've never been so INSTANTLY smitten by somebody's music as I have by Melody Gardot's.
I'm not kidding when I say, from the very first NOTE I was mesmorized. It's beautiful, soulful jazz music that just enchants me. Her voice is like velvet, and it's paired perfectly with the skilled and sexy instrumentals. What is even more impressive then her music is her story.

When she was 19 years old, she was hit by a car while riding her bike. She suffered body and brain injuries. Her doctor was concered about her cognative impairment caused by the accident, so he reccomended that she had music therapy to help rebuild her mind. Through this music therapy, she not only rebuilt her congnative ability, but she discovered a hidden talent for music in the process. She made bedside recordings, and released an EP entitled "Some Lessons - The Bedroom Sessions." She has severe photosensitivity, so she always wears sunglasses when performing. She also walks with a cane and wears earplugs a lot of the time. I love how she went from being nearly braindead to being a brilliant jazz musician. It's an extremely inspiring story, proving that we can overcome our challenges and come out of them with something beautiful.




After visiting her myspace page, I immediate purchased her album "Worrisome Heart" on itunes. It's the type of music you put on just to kick back and relax to. It's very romantic, very soothing, and very entrancing. She has a new album coming out April 28th called "My One and Only Thrill," released by Verve Records (Norah Jones). I really hope she gets more reconition, because I can't get enough of her voice and the music!

Valentines Day = Klepto Day?

Yesterday was Valentines day, robbery is apparently the new way to spend the day of love. Maybe they figured since the day is considered so commercial, they should "stick it to the man" and rip a bunch of major stores off? Today there was a couple who hit about 8 stores in the mall. Mall security had their eye on them the entire day. Once they ended up in our store, they apprehended them and they were arrested. Justice is served, hooray! One heart-breaking downside; they had a one year old child. How pathetic must a person (not to mention TWO people!) be to use their own innocent child as a distraction while they commit a crime? How bad are things really, where you need to rob THAT many stores in order to get by? How can you justify this? If you're broke, get a job, get on unemployment...there are WAYS to keep yourself afloat without committing a crime, and without having to send a crying one-year-old home with his ashamed and embarrassed grandmother. Based on the fact that they were robbing game stores and cheap jewelry stores, I'm pretty sure this isn't the sort of case where you may feel sorry for the criminal..because they were just so desperate to have clothes on their back that they made a poor choice and faced the consequences. No, these were shop lifters, nothing more. It's a shame they happened to be parents too.

SO many things are wrong with this picture! I could go off on so many tangents, I don't even know where to begin!

I think shop lifting is pathetic. I know people personally who have bragged to me about shop lifting and I wasn't sure why exactly they were bragging. Are you bragging because you can't afford to pay for your own stuff? Are you bragging because you're dishonest? Are you bragging because you are willing to break the law? I don't get it. A good friend of mine once said (paraphrased quote from Amanda Purdie), "If you want stuff, get a job! If you want an awesome story to tell, do something awesome!" Seriously people, grow up and take care of yourself. Don't rip people off, there's no excuse for it.

I think putting your children in a spot like that is unforgivable. Doing something you could be locked up for when you have a young child at home? Really? Even worse, you have a child right NEXT to you! This child is too young to have a very vivid memory of his parents being cuffed and driven away in a police car, thankfully. Does that make it any less disgusting? I'm tired of parents KNOWINGLY putting their children into a bad situation. What mind set do people have where they think having what they want is more important then their child's comfort and safety? By the sound of it, they stole quite a bit of merchandise, meaning they may actually serve some time. It's just STUPID. It reminded me of a much more extreme example of this behavior. On the Dateline NBC show "To Catch a Predator", one potential predator brought his young son to the home where he was hoping to meet a young teenager. Seeing that put an intensely ill feeling in my stomach, and I know I wasn't alone. How dare a parent be selfish enough to put their own selfish desires in front of their child's well-being. It's my personal opinion that if you bring a child into this world, you have to stop being horrible in some ways. Maybe that's easy for me to say since I don't have kids! I don't know, I think most parents would agree that you just don't put your children in certain situations, and you don't do stupid stuff that could screw up their life or their mentality.

What lessons have we learned today? Stealing is pathetic, and some people just SHOULDN'T be parents.

Article on why shoplifting has increased.

Charging is Lessening

There isn't a lot of GOOD coming out of this economic slump. For the most part it is causing unemployment, it's causing stores to shut down, and it's made the word debt even more terrifying then it already was. I've worked at a retail store for over 2 years, and I've noticed a big change in the spending behavior and attitude of our customers.

I've noticed a lot of people canceling their store credit cards lately. I figured that had something to do with the fact that along with money being tight in general, our interest rate has increased, our finance charges have increased, and billing dates now rotate instead of being the same day every month. Not a bright move when you're trying to keep customers coming through the door and using our credit card.

I then realized that overall, people are charging their purchases a lot less. More and more people are paying with cash, checks, and ATM then before. People are doing a great deal to AVOID debt right now, and I think that's one positive thing that's coming from this recession. Many of us are spending what we HAVE instead of spending money we don't have and paying for it little by little down the road...while paying the interest that accumulates on top of that.

It has always frightened me when I see a balance on somebody's STORE CREDIT CARD that's over $1,000. My store doesn't sell much more then clothing and bedding, and those aren't things that one should be charging to that degree. I understand that when it's necessities, but I don't think all $2,643 of their balance was a necessity..just a hunch!

So I would like to applaud those of you who are now choosing to PAY for what you buy, it's not always easy to do when you're offered 10% off for applying for a store credit card that has a 22% interest rate...but you're doing it! Way to go!