Happy 25th Birthday To Me

Today I turned twenty-five. That could also be written as 25. Two digits, two hyphenated words. It could also be said that I am a quarter-century old. One quarter of a full 100. That still makes me 25. 25 years old and I get a quarter.

When I turned 21 I celebrated. It was a great year. I could go into a bar and drink. I could go into a liquor store and buy some whiskey. Twenty-one is the year of alcohol: not because I love drinking but because of the drinking laws in the United States. Twenty-one is the legal age at which a person can purchase alcohol in the U.S. and the years of being told ‘no’ explode in a shower of liquor when you hit 21.

So 21 was great. The U.S. government gave me the gift of legality and in many ways I was considered an adult in the eyes of the law. Party on till the lights come on.
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Writing to Capture an Emotion

This morning I woke up with a smile on my face and sunlight sneaking its way past my curtains. Laying on my back, I watched the curtains twitch and slightly move due to the air conditioner blowing against them. There was never quite enough pressure to fully move the curtain, but watching it twitch and giggle from the tickling air was fun enough.

Opening the curtains to begin the day is exhilarating: I always seem to forget the brightness mornings bring. I don’t hold it against myself – the nights are so dark it seems impossible that sunlight would ever return. Even when I wake up in the middle of the night – at 6am – dawn has only just begun to poke its head around the corner. It basks everything in an eerie blue-red glow that I can only describe as the nighttime-daytime hand-off.

And then it’s time to revel in my morning ritual of breakfast tea and morning music. Sipping on the freshly made pot of green tea, while listening to music (that illuminates my surroundings in unnatural sheen of joy), is the moment of the morning that I relish without abandon. For as I sip my tea, and listen to my tunes, I peer aimlessly out the window and rest while awake. I enjoy life as I have been taught: loving and dwelling in all that makes me happy.

For it is these simple pleasures that make the days past while keeping a smile on my face. The time I take to sit and sip my tea is one that nobody can give me. It’s a pleasure that I must take for myself, one that I must protect and appreciate while occurring.

Of course it would be far too easy to gulp down my tea and run out the door, never giving my mind a second to wake-up to the day and its new intricacies. This seems to be the modus operandi that society at large seeks to impress on its members. The get-up, get-going attitude that wears you out before you’ve even begun lunch.

Life isn’t a marathon, we’re all gonna cross the finish line the same way. It seems pointless to rush to the end, knowing full-well what will happen. Why not enjoy the scenery as it passes?

And that’s what I try and do. Each morning, with my hot pot of green tea, and me.

The New Pornographers and Choreographed Karate

Don’t know if you heard but The New Pornographers have a new album out and it’s kinda great. I wasn’t a huge fan of their previous releases – more of a joyous listener than a rabid fan. However I am really enjoying their new album, Together.

Alternating between a female and male lead vocalist, their music goes along great with sun – days which I’m seeing much more frequently.  The music is happy, poppy, and bright.

Following is a new music video for their Your Hands (Together) song. If this doesn’t give you any idea of what the album is like then I don’t know what will. Enjoy.

Two Door Cinema Club – Tourist History

I love finding artists before mainstream media does. It’s an acquired skill, one that is mostly luck and perseverance. There isn’t a science to it, but there are ways in which you can increase your odds. In this particular case I have the Hype Machine to thank for this new artist discovery.

There are times when my enthusiasm for finding a new artist overshadows the actual talent – for Two Door Cinema Club this is not the case. Since getting my hands on their debut album Tourist History (released 3/1/10 in the UK) I have not been able to stop listening.

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