Musetastic!!!

So I've been wanting to do this for a while. I have a deep love for all Muse songs, but just for fun, I thought I'd post some of my favorites from each album, including Hullabaloo. I'll try to limit it to two or three per, but it's so hard!!! :P


Showbiz- A positively stellar debut album that promises a whole lot of future awesome to come! :)

1. Sunburn- God, can anyone say piano? Love it, love it, love it. Favorite song on Showbiz.

2. Muscle Museum- The track that prompted me to get the entire album. Need I say more???

Origin of Symmetry- See, this is the reason I decided to do this, it makes me think. *bites nails* So hard to pick! A great follow up album that, in my opinion, is where Muse really began to explore themselves and where they wanted to go. Not everyone liked that-(ehem, Maverick)-but I'm not the only one glad they went for it.

1. New Born-It's a close tie between this and Plug in Baby, but I have to say, after contemplating my inner subconcious, I have to say New Born wins. Maybe it's because I'm a sucker for piano beginnings??? That and this song is just Jesus.
2. Biss-Again with the piano beginnings! But come on, who doesn't love Bliss? And the music video ain't too shabby either!


Hullabaloo-The previously-released stuff on this is great too, but I have to say, I'm a sucker for the new tracks.

1. Hyper Chondriac Music- God. I cannot express how much I love this track. Favorite Muse song ever. It's beautiful, and powerful, and in my humble opinion, puts the original Hyper Music to shame.
2. Map of Your Head- CERTAIN individual friends would point out the semi-eroticism in this song. I love it because Matt's voice sounds so great. There's just a quality to it that you don't get to here in the less-stripped down, rockier songs.

Absolution-An album I had a seriously hard time picking favorites out of. Some honorable mentions-Hmm...basically everything else. A big thumbs up to one of my favorite music videos ever, Time Is Running Out.

1. Sing for Absolution-I am a big fan of songs where the chorus makes you want to lift up your hands and belt it out like your praising Jesus. ;P Not only does this song do that for me, but it occasionally gives me chills.
2. Fury-What's NOT to love about Fury? It's powerful in so many ways, from the guitar, to the lyrics, to Matt singing them. Not turning this song up the minute it comes blasting through your surround sound should be some sort of crime.
3. Falling Away With You- The beginning tricks you! I love the soft sweetness of the opening, but have absolutely no qualms with the fact that, as do most Muse songs, it suddenly turns into something louder. What is it they say? Bigger is better? Also-lyrics this sad should not be so romantic. It's damned criminal.
4. Blackout-A last minute addition. Everytime I hear this song, I fall in love with it more. Dreamy and utterly gorgeous.

Black Holes and Revelations-God, what do I say about this album? If I could put every single track from BH&R on this list, I would do so. Honorable Mentions include-Knights of Cydonia (can anyone say power chorus?), A Soldier's Poem (less is sometimes more), and the lyrics that proved Matt's genius, in Hoodoo.

1. Map of the Problematique-Deep, love. That's all I have to say. One of the few tracks I like better recorded than I do live. Contains lyrics that have always resonated with me-"Why can't we see, that when we bleed, we bleed the same?" It's profoundly amazing to me how mankind has managed to make such a simple, honest truth so very complex.
2. Take a Bow-What a song. So powerful, so angry, and yet what would usually sound like the work of a revolutionary crackpot here makes you want to pump your fist and take up a banner.
3. City of Delusion- The re-entrance of the guitar around 2:00 minutes is what originally hooked me, and it's still my most beloved part, but a great trumpet solo and a gorgeous violin backdrop remain a major plus.
4. Super Massive Black Hole- The song that led to an obsession. Anyone who says this song isn't catchy is either on crack or senile. And I mean that. Go get yourself checked. The riff Matt often does within this song is fucking fantastic.

The Resistance-The newest Muse album, and it doesn't disappoint. Completely self-produced. If you had to pick one album that showcased Muse, with their broad range of musical tastes and quirks, this would probably be the one to date that does it the most.

1. Resistance-I was late getting to this song, but it quickly succeeded Undisclosed Desires as my favorite on the album, with its eerie beginning and catchy chorus.
2. United States of Eurasia-So many things go on in this song, it would be easy to get overwhelmed, but the balance here is perfect. A little Queen, a little Arabian Nights, it makes the nerd nation proud.
3. Exogenesis: Symphony Part 1 (Overture)- A dreamscape violin beginning, some kick-ass low brass pedal tones, and lyrics that, even though they often repeat, are still captivating when paired with Matt's soaring voice, make this my favorite of the three part symphony. Still, give some love for "Let's start over again!" in Part III. Great stuff.
4. I Belong to You (Mon Coeur S'ouvre a ta voix)-This and my number three choice are, even though completely opposite, tied. It's funky, and fun, and come on, it's got adorably butchered french!

My Summer Hermitage

I admit it. I am indeed, a summer hermit. It seems like every year I get all these big plans for what I'm going to do with my summer vacation, and then I get home and I realize that I don't like people. It's true. I really don't. If I have to make a choice between going out and staying in I choose staying in, ALONE, every time. It's just the way I am. I get caught up in writing, and books, and forgetting to eat because I'm working on this or that project, and I forget that all the people I used to talk to exist or even know that I'm still alive anymore. I'm not saying I don't like some human contact, becuase occasionally, yes, I do need entertainment, but other than that, I really don't see the point. Give me a cabin in the woods, an internet connection, and maybe a bag of Frito's, and I'm just swell. I'm just that much of a not-a-people-person. I don't even like calling people. It's time consuming, you get very little out of it , and you often find yourself consoling your friend that no, she is not fat, her boyfriend's just a douschebag. So here's to me, sitting here, still in my pajama's, and eating a bag of Frito's. I'd say something super lame, like "Summer Hermits, Unite!", but we probably wouldn't want to talk to each anyways, let alone meet. That's just the way we hermits are.

Soccer vs. America: Who Wins?

Ahh, the war that is soccer, (or, football, as it is called in every nation BUT the one that hates it). It seems that every four years, with the arrival of FIFA comes the same old argument. Is soccer REALLY an American sport? Is it even a sport at all? The answer seems clear-It's the second most played high school sport in America, and crowds at the national team's recent final home game reached 50,000. And yet, it's still too simple, many critics claim. Who wants to watch a game in which the score rarely goes over 1, and the players biggest "challenge" is to run around and sweat profusely? I don't know about you, but I think it may be the same people who are impressed that soccer players run a whopping average of 20 miles a day, or that enjoy a game in which not just a country, but a whole world watches. That's what I like about it. I'm not saying I don't enjoy other, more inherently American sports, because I'm a huge Detroit Tigers fan and I don't think basketballs too shabby either. It's just that if someone says that soccer's not a sport, then they must, to be fair, judge other so-called "sports" by the same measures. Professional biking has made Lance Armstrong one of the most revered sports figures in the world, and I'm pretty sure most of what he does is sit stationary on two wheels. Another example is Tiger Woods. Golf had made him a millionaire several times over, but can anyone really say that what he does involves much, if any, physical exertion? Unless these adversaries of soccer are prepared to condemn half the other sports in America, well, to put it kindly, they can just go suck it.

Going Stir-Crazy

So for three days I've been trying to decide why the hell I'm so damn emotional. And I've finally realized-I'M GOING COMPLETELY STIR-CRAZY!!! I have to, have to, have to get out of this house, becuase seriously, it's possibly the most depressing place on the planet. All my sister does is watch Lifetime movies and all I do is sit in front of a computer all day trying to talk to people who are obviously dealing with their summer much better than I am. GHAAA!!! If I didn't like my hair so much, I would pull it out! So this weekend I'm going up North to Petoskey to see our closest family friends, Bob and Val Walker, and my favorite dog ever, a lovable, hokey Basset Hound who goes by a name just as simple as his big fat paws and his adorable floppy ears, George. Yes, that's right, my Grandparents scheduled our little vacation so that I can go visit a dog before he moves back down to Florida and leaves me forever. How nuerotically stupid is that? *Sigh*... I guess what I'm saying is that the whole being jolly thing isn't really working out for me right now and this is the first time it's ever happened. Maybe some extra slobber and some lovable, brown puppy eyes are all I need to pull me out of this rather rain-cloudy mood. I really hope so, because the fact that I feel like crap, is making the whole situation, well, crappier.

Be Jolly!

So sitting here in Economics, I want to write a little bit about the importance of being jolly. :) -Contrary to popular belief, it's ridiculously important. And what has prompted this post? Well, that may be the fact that I go to a highschool in which it seems that just about every human being minus my chosen social group seems to have some sort of drama. Until you listen into a small town highschool conversation, in class, at a lunch table, or just in passing, you have no idea just how overblown and out of proportion a 14-18 year olds life can get. Case in point-recently, I walked into the bathroom and perused one of the most unbelievingly mind-numbing pity rants in the history of the planet. Written on a toilet paper dispenser. "Why does no one love me? My boyfriend is a dousche. Are there really no great guys out there? Why does it seem like every guy I pick ends up misusing me, cheating on me, and treating me like crap?" etc, etc, etc...bla bla bla bla. Well, I thought to myself while attempting not to recognize the handwriting as that of one of my closest friends, maybe you should stop picking them. Because it seems to me that if they're never in your life, you'll never have a problem with them. Now, I know that sounds like a simple and obvious solution, but to too many highschoolers, it never even occurs to them. They just keep going around and around and around the same outrageously dramatic circle until they've convinced themselves that there's something wrong with them, their lives, or the planet in general. And I say-enough! For God sakes, half the population of earth is suffering in Third World poverty and you're worried about whether you'll ever find the right guy? Or whether your best friend thinks you're fat? Get over yourself! You are not the most important thing in the world. That may sound heartless, but really, you should here some of the things that people my age worry about! You can only nod and smile so much before you begin to feel like maybe you're losing all relevant brain power. I'm not saying that I, alone, am immune to these teenage dramas. Believe me, I get them. But it's rare. It's not something I worry about. In fact, I'm pretty sure that that's why my only sibling hates me. Because I really, really, don't care. About anything. I'm perfectly happy letting the world take it's course and bring me along for the ride. So be jolly, people! Contrary to popular belief, it's not just another word for "slacker", "lazy", or "just plain stupid". It's a legitimate strategy. I will not apologize for living outside of everyone elses brain-sucking stress vortex.

What to do, what to do...

Sitting here in Nutrition Ed and wondering what to write about. So much stuff has been going on lately, (nothing bad), but there' s just so many things in my head and I don't know what to put down! My dear friend Kylie is graduating soon, which is rather depressing, and yet it makes me very, very proud of her. Also, it reminds me that I myself only have one more year in this school before I too am out in the world and on my own. What do I want to do? I have no idea. My ideal job would involve writing and the arts. Anyone who knows me also knows that I love the wierdest things. My favorite TV and movie channel is Turner Classic Movies. My taste in books ranges from reference, to greek, to usually published over seventy-five years ago. My dream trip would be to tour all of the greatest art museums in the world, starting with the Louvre and ending in the Guggenheim. If I could, I'd probably visit as may of the oldest houses in the country as I could, just to look at them. I adore Beauty and the Beast and anyone who says that Gene Kelley wasn't a genius deserves to be dipped in a pool of hot wax. If my sister wants to watch Glee, I prefer to watch Deadliest Catch. My favorite band has often been described as "prog rock" and most of American society would probably mistake them for a trio of gay opera singers. Oh, and did I mention that two out of my three favorite magazines are the Smithsonian and The Week? I have a deep wish to go sift through the Historical Room in Otsego Public Library. Yes, you guessed it. I am a GIANT GEEK, and I have no idea how to mash all of these loves into one, specific career. Ghaa. It's very scary, and very exciting, and I hope that when I do eventually decide, I get it right, because my biggest fear in the world is getting it wrong, and being eternally unhappy.

This Is One Battle I Think I'm Losing

Not a lot of people know this, but I've been in a lot of pain this last month or so. I try to keep it under wraps, go to school, do my homework, and not worry my parents, but the truth of the matter is that my body is falling apart. Only a few months ago I seemed to have it under wraps, but lately, with the extensive playing we've been going through in band and the effects of mental exhaustion, my spine and my Raynaud's seem to be rebelling against me. If I try to write, my hands tense up, swell, and send throbbing pains into every joint. If I sit, my back screams in protest and refuses to find a comfortable position. Even just perching myself at a lunch table is sometimes a chore, and sneaking pain killers at school is an act I hate performing. Besides, my body has grown more and more resistant due to continual use. Sometimes, I'm not even sure why I'm even taking them anymore-Maybe I just like to pretend they make me better. So this is what worries me-if this is how I am at sixteen-years-old, how will I be when I'm twenty? Or forty? I used to love shopping, or taking long walks with friends. Now, I tend to refuse such invitations on the grounds that I'm busy, when the fact of the matter is I just can't manage to walk non-stop for such long periods of time, and even if I could, I'd be severely regretting it later. Is this how I'm going to have to live for the rest of my life? Constant pain? It's gotten so bad that most of the time I can't even drive comfortably anymore. I hate what these conditions are doing to my body. I feel like I'm sixty, not sixteen, and although I try to live my life, it's starting to get harder and harder. So I guess my biggest question is-What if I forget what it feels like to live pain-free? It's looking more and more likely that that's going to be a reality. So I'm scared...what can I say.

Song I Woke Up to This Morning

So every morning, without fail, I wake up to a tune playing in my head. I figured it might be a relief if I shared it. Today's soundtrack was "Sing for Absolution", by Muse.

Best Hair Awards: 2010

So I was chatting with a friend last night and it gave me the idea to voice my opinions (both the good and the bad), on the celebrity hair world. I give you, the best hair awards of 2010. Pic's will be on a seperate upload.

Best "Wannabe/We're Just Plain Sick of You" Hair
-Russell Brandt
-The Jonas Brothers
-The Jersey Shore Boys
-Spencer Pratt
-John Goselin
-Levi Johnston

Best "Screams Career Failure" Hair
-Nicholas Cage
-Tom Hanks

-Brad Pitt
-Jesse McCartney
-Clay Aiken

Best Pretty Boy Hair
-Zack Efron
-Nick Jonas
-Justin Bieber

Best(Really Fab!)Gay Hair
-Christian Siriano
-Michael Urie as Mark in Ugly Betty
-Chris Colfer as Kurt in Glee
-Niel Patrick Harris
-Mister Jay of America's Next Top Model

Best "Portrayed an Action Hero" Hair
-Jason Statham
-Sam Worthington
-Matt Damon
-Channing Tatum
-Christian Bale

Best Foreign Hair on American Soil
-Simon Baker
-Alexander Skarsgaard
-Stephen Moyer
-Ed Westwick

Best Brit Hair
-Matt Bellamy
-David Tennant
-Dom Howard
-Bradley James
-Ian Poulter

Best "Geek" Hair
-Chuck on Chuck
-Leonard from The Big Bang Theory
-Henry from Ugly Betty
-Will Schuster from Glee
-Spencer Reid of Criminal Minds

Best "Tool" Hair
-Puck of Glee
-Ronnie of Jersey Shore
-Gaston from Beauty and the Beast
-Brody Jenner

Best Gray Hair
-John Stewart
-George Clooney
-Anderson Cooper
-Clint Eastwood
-Richard Gere

Best "Revived Their Career" Hair
-Robert Downey Jr.
-Colin Farrell
-Justin Timberlake
-Mickey Rourke

Best Player Hair
-Chuck Bass of Gossip Girl
-John Mayer
-Tiger Woods
-Jude Law
-Jesse James

Best Long Hair
-Sawyer from Lost
-Sam of Supernatural
-Alcide from True Blood
-Jason Castro

Best "Defies Gravity" Hair
-Conan O'brien
-David Tennant
-Robert Pattinson
-John Travolta in Grease
-Jay Leno

Best "Bald is Beautiful" Hair
-Nigel Barker
-Jason Statham
-Vin Diesel
-Patrick Stewart
-Michael C. Hall

Best "Portrayed a Murderer" Hair
-Heath Ledger as the Joker
-Anthony Hopkins in Hannibal and Silence of the Lambs
-Damon from Vampire Diaries
-Michael C. Hall as Dexter
-Christian Bale in American Psycho

Best Desperate Rapper Hair
-Kanye West
-T-Pain
-Lil' Wayne

Best "Public Masturbator/Stalker" Hair
-Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day
-Jon Lajoie of the "Show Me Your Genitals" videos
-Jeff from Chuck
-Stanely Tucci in "The Lovely Bones".

AND....

Best Sex/"I Just Wanna Run My Fingers Through It" Hair
-Matthew Bellamy
-Billie Joe Armstrong
-Damon of Vampire Diaries
-Chase Crawford
-Dominic Howard

Montemartre: An Adventure of Rather "Slimy" Proportions

So I find it rather "grande" that I can sit here in the middle of school and write on my blog. We're in Nutrition Ed. and are required to pick out a "Cultural Food", which we will make and then present, along with a PowerPoint and poster, to the class. In the absence of my partner, I have decided to pick Quiche, a rather delicious French breakfast dish which I first tried here in the U.S., but then managed to fall in love with in France.
France, of all the places I went on last years Europe tour, was most definitely the best place for European cuisine, followed in a close second by Germany. I remember my second day in Paris, Justin Mendoza, Julie Campbell, Julie Williams, Lucas and I all headed up to explore Montemartre, the tallest hill in Paris, upon which the "White Church", or Sacre Coeur, is situated.
It truly lived up to its reputation as one of the most beautiful places in the city. Climbing the hill to the top of the numerous stairs, and avoiding being ensnared by bracelet weaving Gypsies intent on cheating us out of our Euros, we looked out over the horizon, before turning and heading into t,the church itself, upon whose doorstep a legless female beggar sat. Although I don't remember much of the inside of Sacre Coeur, for it was later overshadowed for me by the glory of Notre Dame, I will, however, always remember the culture of Montemartre. It was there that I received a small, if not exquisite, oil painting of the Eiffel Tower, as well as ate in a dark, musty, and rather shady cafe which never the less served some of the most fabulous food on the hill. Justin had been intent on sampling a French cuisine must-snails-and, having convinced Lucas to join him, they had searched up and down the streets of Montemartre before a rather bemused if not friendly Frenchmen had directed us to the cafe I have spoken of. Sitting down at a front table rather nervously, (we didn't speak much French and the server was both tall and imposing, with a caveman demeanor to boot), we opened our menues and prepared to order. I had decided on my current cultural food project choice-ham and cheese quiche and their version of an orange Fayo. Justin and Lucas, on the other hand, eagerly picked out the oddest things they could find, Les Escargots (snails), and a raw salmon salad.
Everything was delicious. The snails, I was informed, were chalked full of garlic and butter and cooked to a T, and after a little convincing, I discovered that the salmon, though raw, had all the makings of a slightly muskier, well-preserved tuna. French cuisine, which if often described as a more refined genre of food than that of German and other robust cuisines, lived up to its reputation that day, as did Montmartre. Although for me Paris itself ended up being a downer, that day will still go down in my memory as one of the best of my life. Never before have I enjoyed such an adventure among friends, and what I wouldn't give to experience it again.

Golf. Until recently, I had been under the impression that this was just a sport in which senile old men with intestinal problems got their jollies and Tiger Woods collected STD's like jelly beans...
Oh, how sorely wrong I was...Apparently, not only do my closest friends and family members view this so-called "sport", but even the Brits find cause to attend it! Wearing pants! Not only do I find this fact depressing, but I also feel that this travesty is an insult to the American people. If anyone should be wearing pants, it should be us. We are, after all, the same society which condoned such non-pants wearing behaviour in the smash-hit, "Pants on the Ground".
As for the other fact, that real, sensible people actually view golf, that still apalls me. If I really wanted to go see people hit balls around with metal sticks, I'd just travel the nearest bondage-themed strip club, payed for, courtesy of the Republican National Commitee.
So what is, exactly, the appeal? It's not like baseball, where you might be lucky enough to glimpse Sammy Sosa shooting up in a corner or Kate Hudson and Alex Rodriguez lip-locking in the dug-out. It's not football, where the likes of Jessica Simson and Janet Jackson have graced us with both their breasts and their bad-singing seem to be the highly amusing theme. It's not hockey, where handsome players marry attractive, slightly vapid country stars. And it's not basketball, a sport in which, l0-and-behold, their most beloved player is a man with an incurable STD.
The fact of the matter is, The Masters this year is recieving its highest ratings to date, and even though Tigergate may have something to do with it, I find myself realizing that almost everyone around me watches golf, and it's not because one man decided to "let it all hang out". So here's the conclusion I've come too-it's those bloody Brits. They're just so damn entertaining. And that, is golfs true appeal.

Ahh, the smell of coffee....it makes me twitch in ways I never thought I could. So I'm sitting here, thinking, hmmm....what if a REAL transvestite contacts me??? What if they HATE me??? And if they do, will they attempt to decapitate me with a spork? These are all important questions which I'm sure will be answered in time. On a lighter note, I have started a new fic! Involving what you ask??? Why, me and Sarah's alter-ego's of course! We're both in college, have a successful music-themed blog, (go figure), and have been asked-just because we're awesome like that-to attend London's 2012 Pre-Olympic Music Festival. One can only guess what sexy sorts of people we meet along the way. ;) And what perverts. Alas, I have foregone my Tranny identity for this tale. There are certain people in it whom I wish to canoodle with, and I doubt they would appreciate me having an inverted penis. Just saying. Anywho, my word of the day was going to be something awesome which I dreamed up while getting barely any sleep last night, but being my lame self, it seems to have slipped my mind. Instead, I took the time to type into the Google search bar: "Wierd Words". Ironically, it came up with one I am quite familiar with and love-floccinaucinihilipilification. If you wish to know what it means, go look it up yourselves, you lazy hookers. My brain power's just been exhausted by typing it. If you'll excuse me now, I have to go internet stalk my favorite band.
Later!- Tran