Put on your war paint!

Everyone heard about Paula Deen right?  If you haven't.... the queen of butter herself hosted a party with a plantation theme.  It was dressed to the t, complete with real black people dressed up as slaves.  It is said that she also proceeded to use the n-word.  Now she is in a civil trial for racism.  She went on tv to talk about it and pulled (out of her ass) one friend she has that is black and made it a point to say that she can't possibly be racist because she has this black friend.  That is so ridiculous.  You are not innocent by association.  That's like saying it's ok to call your friend an ugly bitch because you are friends (newsflash: after saying that, I bet your relationship will go a bit downhill). If Paula Deen was really someone who had nothing to worry about, then she shouldn't have to explain herself like this, it would just be common knowledge.  Ever since this she has been going out of her way to make sure her one black friend (I'm not intending to be rude by calling him black by the way, it's just a fact of the story) is in all her screenshots.

On racism? On not being racist?  I think that it's ok to be different, in fact it is a wonderfully beautiful thing, but the problem is that we all think we are right and try to "fix" everyone else and this causes conflict.  When really we should learn about others and their differences and allow them to be who they want to be and just be grateful that the world is so interesting.  Why would we want everything to be the same?  Should we all be white, land owning men? Well there goes the whole human population and talk about boring! Oh, and if that were the case the number of homosexuals would increase tenfold and they would all be trapped right inside their little bigoted mindset of discrimination all over again.

Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke featuring Pharrell and T.I.
I think they want you to hashtag Thicke haha. I love this video, it's so fun.  The funky beat just makes me wanna groove.

I'm diggin this funky thing that music is getting back into.  Puts a bump in my step and makes me want to dance around.  Some stuff is kind of throw back.  There is a new Mariah Carey out there in the form of Ariana Grande. When I first heard this song, I thought that Mariah had made a new song, but the little scroller on my radio said it was this Grande person.  had to look it up.  This is the only song she has out.  Flash in the pan material.

My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light Em Up) by Fall Out Boy
Not only does this song rock, but Fall Out Boy made all their videos line up to form a story that goes along with the songs on the album.  The videos can be found on YouTube (of course) and I have provided the first one here.  There are 11 videos all together. So definitely go and check them out, great way to spend an hour (or more if you wander off into other FOB amazingness).  Such as I've Got All This Ringing In My Ears And None On My Fingers.  The chorus of this song makes me wet it's so hot.  I could listen to this song over and over just to listen to that one sliding note Patrick Stump sings. Listen and you will know what I mean.  This is the kind of thing that separates artists that become nothing and do it for the money and artists that do it for the love of the creation of awesome music.

Bleeding Out by Imagine Dragons
These guys kind of just popped out of nowhere and were amazing.  This is one of my favorite songs of theirs.  What I love about them is how they span all types of music.  I hear them on every station.  I'm sure almost everyone has heard their song "Radioactive".  It's their most famous, but "It's Time" is bouncing around out there too.  Give them a listen, check out their other stuff.  Enjoy.

Music is bliss and the background of life.


Wanderingly,
Mav

"As if you could kill time without injuring eternity."

PS: I got a new tattoo!!

PPS: I know that I've been putting up a lot of songs lately and less thoughts.  Don't worry, my mom's wedding is this weekend so I'm sure I will have plenty to say.  I will take notes the whole time and relay all the gritty details afterwards.  It's sure to be interesting. 

How did we get to be so cool?

This post is mainly to share some music.

Also, there are window washers outside and they are banging all over the place and yelling at each other. lol They work fast though.  I guess it's something you get used to doing really quickly.  I'd like looking in everyone's window, just being a creeper.  I bet they don't get paid shit.

Let's get to it:

Fireworks by The Whitest Boy Alive
I'm not sure if this is actual "official" video.  If there even is one, but I think it's better than looking at an album cover. I've debated making this the song of the day for a while now, but I never went and relistened to it.  I heard it today and realized that it was better than I remembered and decided I had to give it proper recognition.  So this is my number one song of the day today. Enjoy.

Gimme Shelter by The Stones
(The Rolling Stones for all you nincompoops out there.) I wont lie to you and say that I am a huge Stones fan. But every now and then a song of theirs really strikes my fancy (like Paint It Black which I believe is a former song of the day).  No live video or music video.  No biggie, got this cool little 60's montage of everything this song is talking about.  The idea of the hippie has gotten really misconstrued.  Sure the drugs are there, but it's not about the drugs, it's a mindset.  These people in this time were fighting against oppression and hatred and senseless killing during the height of the Vietnam War.  Now a hippie is anyone who takes a morning toke and it nonviolent.  Those people would have been scoffed at when this song was made.  What are they doing to further the cause? Nothing.  Perhaps I am rambling a bit.  I've been called a hippie before, I don't pretend to be what those people were/are though.  I'd rather not be labeled at all, but this is earth and I live in reality so that's never going to happen.  I guess what I am trying to say is people use words too frivolously.  Words are strong, do not toss them around.

Moves Like Jagger by Maroon 5
Speaking of the Stones....Love this song.  Maroon 5 has really developed and grown as a band.  I like the little bit in the beginning where they have Mick saying he was surprised the band had lasted 2 years and they have become the longest running band ever? Haha. Some of the people are pretty good at doing a good Jagger and I like the actually Mick Jagger video dispersed throughout.  This song is just fun! Let it move and groove you and get up and dance!

Like a Stone by Audioslave
The song jams.  It has this great simple beat that really brings out Chris Cornell's painful, growly voice that is just beautiful.  This song is really great to drive to down long roads with no stop signs or traffic lights and just let it get into your body and let yourself get out of your head.  Tom Commerford's shoulder tats look sexy under his shirt as well.  I won't lie, they all have nice arms.

Black Hole Sun by Soundgarden
I guess it's like a you say double play going on.  The lead of this band you may recognize as the lead in the other vid I posted of Audioslave.  That's right, it's Chris Cornell.  Love this song.  I don't have a lot to say about it, it's just damn good.  Cornell's voice bring out some inner passionate strain or something.  Lol and personally I think he look like he is a little fucked up in this live video.  Yes it's live, but the quality is pretty good, there isn't too much audience interference and there wasn't an actual video.  I think he sings everything he says.

Fortune Days by The Glitch Mob
I was hoping there would be an actual video for this.  It is such a great song to not have any decent videos with it.  There were some mediocre fan made things on there.  Along side a few hilarious people dancing in costume to part of the song.  I almost posted the vid with all the movie scenes in it, but the scenes didn't go together in any type of form that really did any justice to the song.  It was more distracting to have that video playing.  So I have posted a simple album cover so that you may fully appreciate the song itself.  I also think this song would be cool to play over some snowboarding clips.  Haha, just saying.  But this whole album is amazing.  Definitely give it some quality time.  Maybe take it on a little trip ;) I know I have.

I'm really surprised I haven't featured any of these artists before.

You're tuned in to,
Mav


"And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music."

find my soul falling with stars

I'm starting with the movie of the week which is Lost in Translation.  Maybe it's just fitting for me right now.  I feel like I am lost in translation.  I'm in this inbetween of chapters, lives, identities.  I am myself and I always will be but I am constantly in flux.  Even though I am happy with who I am I continue to change.  Maybe it's that I am happy that I am still changing.  I find comfort in the fact that I am not stagnant.  That I do not form into a mold and forever am trapped in this single idea.  If I had to pick a goal that would be mine it would be to expand myself into every possibly aspect.

I am the world.  The world is me.  How do we always forget that?  We constantly make separations and divisions between ourselves and the world and life.  Then we bitch and moan that there is no world peace.  How can we even start to accept each other if we are always pointing out how we are different.  Honestly, differences aren't a bad thing, but generally they are accompanied by negative stereotypes and connotations.

All these different things out there. The 1%, the 2%, I even made one called the 95% to promote weed legalization and awareness.  But it's all so stupid.  We are 100%.  We are all people, human, fallible, emotional, confused, lost and searching.  Isn't the number one question, "Who am I?"

I'm going to make my second movie of the week Rango. I know it's unheard of having two movies of the week, but they are both important.  Rango is a much lighter version of lost in translation.  Maybe you wont appreciate these movies, but you should.

I wrote some notes or something this week that I was going to blog about, but it all seems so frivolous now.  Isn't that how it is?  At the time, things seem so important and huge and metaphysical but an hour or five later it just doesn't seem to have ever mattered at all.  Why did we care so much in the first place?

I am the world.  We are all the world.  The world is us.  We are nature and beauty and love and pain and strangeness and conformity and individuality.  We are all of it.  These are here for and because of us.  We are them.  Without us they cease to exist.  Without them who are we?  Without labels we cannot be unlabeled.  Without restrictions we can't be unrestricted.

Where the hell am I even going with this? There is no answer.  No way to say it correctly.  No way to put it into a neat little bowed package.  It just is.  It's humanity.  It's flawed and fucked up and weird.  It's beautiful because it's real.  Because it's you and me.  Because it's happening.

Don't ask me to repeat it.

astringently,
Mav

Get Lucky by Daft Punk (feat. Pharrell Williams)

you couldn't find yourself in the mirror

I saw this bumper sticker when I was coming home after giving the government some of my pee as a gift.  It said, "What if Mary and Joseph believed in abortion?"

It made me mad.

First off, I just want to put out there that I am pro-choice, but I have no qualms against people who are pro-life.  I am not mad that this bumper sticker is pro-life.  The religious implications irk me.  Why do people constantly place God into this teeny tiny box?  Has everyone forgotten that thing about him being all powerful and stuff.  No we trap him like a genie (PHENOMENAL COSMIC POWER! itty bitty living space), content to call upon him when we want something and leave him in a shoebox in the closet when we think we don't need him.  I understand that this sticker is meant to jar people into thinking.  To make them say, "Shit, we could've been Christless," but seriously, anyone with half a brain sees past the futile attempt.  Do you really think Mary was God's only option?  He's a pretty smart guy, and he created the saying, "Don't put all your eggs in one basket."  For all we know, there were countless women who turned down the gift.  But seeing as God is all knowing and whatnot, it's pretty safe to assume he knew who to ask and didn't need to waste his time.
Which boils down to the abortion issue in question.  God KNOWS people! You think that God can create billions of children and not be vested in that?  A mother and father know their child better than anyone else.  They watched them grow up.  They can guess what they are going to say before they open their mouths, and that's without the omniscient power.  Ever heard of predeterminism or fate or destiny or any other synonym?  A lot of religious people believe in it (not just Christians).  It means that God (gods in some religious cases) already knows the path you are going to take.  I'm not trying to say that he does or doesn't take control in that and that we don't have free will or that it doesn't matter what we do because it'll all come back around anyway or whatever.  I'm merely saying, that he knows what we are going to choose.  I may sound religiously bigoted, or one sided or blinded by demons or something equally ridiculous, but seriously he wouldn't have wasted his time.  The sticker also has some sort of implication that Mary didn't know she was having God’s baby.  She was very aware, she accepted his mission (if you will).  So it’s a moot point!  Also, just because people are pro-choice does not mean they do not want to ever have babies.  It’s the desire to have the option to take control of their life.  So Mary and Joseph could very well have believed in it, but Mary decided she wanted to have a baby, so she did.

Also, let’s not forget that Joseph and Mary wouldn't have even known what the hell an abortion was because of the times they were living in.  It wouldn't have even been a concept.  You didn't get rid of babies, you had to have them and bring shame upon your entire family.  Haha.  That was how it was.  

Basically, get your narrow-minded head out of your ass and realize that, though you should stand behind your views on abortion, you don’t need to do it in a way that just makes you look like a dumbass.  If you are going to put a bumper sticker on your car, make sure you really think about what other people are going to see when they look at it. 

Sweet Talk by Kito (featuring Reija Lee)

This isn't an actual music video or anything, but I like looking at it more than just an album cover. It's recorded quality.

Eyes on Fire (Zeds Dead Remix) by Blue Foundation

Mav

PS:  Shout out to by bestie!  Look forward to seeing you this weekend!


"Love your loves while they're here,
love the memories of them when they're gone."

Acid Bomb Harassers

People need to learn to difference between disrespect and humor.  I’ll admit sometimes they intertwine, which should prompt the listener to consider context.  I got on Facebook at work today and there was a picture on the Modern Warfare 3 page.  Some of you may have seen it.  It’s the super iconic picture of the soldiers raising the flag on Iwo Jima. (Check it!) And it had been doctored to include the Call of Duty symbols for securing position. (whaaaaa) I thought it was funny.  People were commenting and getting super upset that it was disrespectful.  One marine commented and he thought it was funny too.  Most of these people have never seen real war (not that I am any expert on it), much less a bar fight and they are simply using misplaced patriotism to argue with people about a picture.  I think the picture is legit.  As in, it is representing, in a very real and tangible way to today’s youth, what these soldiers were doing.  Maybe I just sound like a horrible person, but why do we have to look at something like that and think it’s mocking it?  I think it’s a clever mix of new and old and it doesn't take away from the picture.  Anyone who has played CoD knows that playing hardpoint or any game mode where you have to secure anything can be a huge mother fucking bitch.  We also are not idiots.  We are able to separate reality and fantasy (usually, excluding people who have mental illnesses (not a joke)).  We know that when you die you don’t actually respawn (unless you are in the middle of some Romero movie).  But that doesn't mean we can’t see the connections between the game and real life.  We see these men in this picture and they are capturing and securing a position, and if you have played a war game, the doctored photo should make you swell with pride.  These men did something that we can only deign to understand and we know it!  We know that the game isn't as dangerous or honorable as the real thing, but when we look at a picture like this maybe instead of thinking, “What the hell, how disrespectful,” we should think, “damn fucking right they secured the position! Aroo!!”  And then beat on your chest or something haha.  Let pride be pride and anger dissipate.

This is a short post mostly. 

Funny story.  I was texting my friend in Australia.  And I was waiting for a reply when my phone locked and went black.  I got a text and opened it and it was my friend asking me if I would do his physical fitness test tomorrow.  I got really confused.  I asked why he had to do it and he said we have to every year.  So I am panicking thinking that when I go to Australia I'm going to have to pass a fitness test.  My biggest worry was the pull ups he said he had to do.  I can run and do crunches, but can't do a single pull up.  No sir.  And I even asked my mom if she knew of anything in Australia about them having to do a pft every year.  I told my friend I didn't understand why he had to take one and then I realized I had been texting my friend who is in the marines (shout out!) out in California.  I didn't even bother to look at the name after my phone locked.  I laughed so hard I was crying.  I told my mom what happened and she said, "Australia, where the women are strong, the men are good looking, and the children are all above average." Haha, classic.

I have several songs for y'all today:

Broken Crown by Mumford & Sons 

(I was going to put up a live version so you could actually see them playing, because I love the dynamic this band has on stage.  They have a powerful presence.  All the live vids were filled with screaming and the quality blew chunks.  Also, I love Marcus Mumford's raspy voice)

Lump Sum by Bon Iver

(Maybe you've heard of this band, maybe not.  Give the song a chance.  It's a live version, there is a non-live version that just shows the album cover if you want some "better" sound quality.  I feel like this may also be an acoustic version.  You know what, I'm gonna go ahead and put the regular version right here>>>Lump Sum original. Maybe I should've switched around how I offered those.  Oh well.)

Broadripple is Burning by Margot and the Nuclear So & So's

(Apparently, I was really good at picking songs with no actual music videos.  This is just an album cover, but the song is still great.  There are some live versions on there if you want to get a feel for them that way.  I find they are filled with obnoxious screaming. Le sigh.)

Mystically,

Mav

PS:  The title of this blog is inspired by my momma.  She has the ability to talk into her phone and it put the type into text.  It can't get past her southern drawl though.  This came around when she tried to say "meet us at Baumhowers". 

"What is complex is mistaken (a not unusual error) for what is profound."