The Poetic Genius of Owl City

It's hard to put into words what really makes me love Owl City's music so much. Perhaps it has something to do with its bouncy melodies, its innocent themes, and its simple poetry. Take his Hot Air Balloon song, for example (I've included the lyrics below for you, but in order to get the full effect of the song, you must listen to it). What a simple and lovely piece celebrating the exhilaration of imagination! He even addresses its unpredictable and spirited nature with the line "I can't wait to kiss the ground wherever we touch back down." 

Shouldn't that be how we live our lives? Enjoying the ride and the view but always excited for the moment we land and start new adventures?

Hot Air Balloon

We wrote a prelude to our own fairy tale

and bought a parachute at a church rummage sale.

And with a mean sewing machine and miles of thread,

we sewed the day above L.A. in navy and red.

We wound the racetrack through your mom’s kitchen chairs,

and fought the shadows back down your dark basement stairs,

lit a match and let it catch to light up the room,

and then you yelled as we beheld an old maroon hot air balloon.

(chorus) 

I’ll be out of my mind and you’ll be out of ideas pretty soon,

so let’s spend the afternoon in a cold hot air balloon.

Leave your jacket behind. Lean out and touch the treetops over town.

I can’t wait to kiss the ground wherever we touch back down.

We drank the Great Lakes like cold lemonade,

and both got stomach aches, sprawled out in the shade.

So bored to death you held your breath and I tried not to yawn.

You make my frown turn upside down and now my worries are gone.

(chorus)

Litter Bug

The other day, I took a walk around a pond by our apartment, to breathe the fresh air, listen to the birds, and watch the ducks fight over algae. It was a beautiful, natural, spring day, and all was well with the world. As I rounded the corner, I spotted a young boy, perhaps eleven years old, sitting on a bench. When he thought no one was looking, he threw his empty pop can into the woods and scuttled off on his electric scooter. I had a very strong urge to run after him and tell him to pick it up but figured that would just make me look ridiculous. But I was seriously upset about it.

What is wrong with kids these days? It wasn't so much the littering that irked me, but the boy's obvious laziness. Sure, he can carry a full pop can around, which is much more cumbersome than an empty one, but once it's empty, he sees no need to carry it to the closest trash can. Which, I might add, is a mere half-block away. 

And a motorized scooter? I think that is one of the stupidest inventions. The point of a scooter is to give kids a fun way to exercise while they're playing outside. Already, kids spend more time indoors playing video and computer games. Why make the outdoors just as ineffective as the indoors? It's no wonder obesity runs rampant in this country.

To be honest, I'm really nervous to have a child of my own. How will I motivate him to play outside and use his imagination when all his friends are doing the opposite? How will I protect her from the dangers and addictions of the internet? How will I entice them to read quality books when televisions and hundreds of other gadgets steal their attention?

I suppose I'll be considered one of those "uncool" moms, but at least, I won't have breathing vegetables on my hands. What a world we live in.

Like a Pug

When I first pulled up next to a Nissan Cube, I knew it was the beginning of a love/hate relationship. Check out the little bugger:

Normally, I hate square cars (aka the Element), but upon further observation (and coming across the Roseville Cube on multiple occasions), I noticed that this car's rounded corners give it a smoother, friendlier appearance, quirky even. And to add to the quirkiness is the rear window that wraps around the side of the car. Definitely a Japanese car, I thought, and at first, I wanted it to remain in its home country. But the more I thought about it, the more I appreciated its creativity, its ability to stand out of the crowd and cause inner turmoils in the people it passes. Kind of like a pug, the little dog that is so ugly, it's cute.

Now, I'm not saying I'm going to run out and buy one for myself. I'm just hoping you'll give it, and anything else that first appears ugly, a second chance. Plus, I'm not into controversial cars. That's why I have a Toyota ;)

Part of the Promise

In Genesis, God promised Abram that he would father a great nation, the nation of Israel. I always understood that part, but what I learned in church yesterday stretched my understanding of that promise. The speaker drew a diagram of Abram's descendants: Jacob, Isaac, ... David, .... Jesus, the church. Did you see that? The church is a descendant of Abram and the culmination of God's promise! Once Jesus came to earth, he brought salvation to more than just the Israelites. We Gentiles are now part of his family. I don't know why it took me this long to realize that I'm a part of a mighty promise made thousands of years ago, but it gives me a greater sense of purpose, shows me that God truly has a plan for his people, and inspires me to make sure I do my best to serve him.

I hope this revelation motivates you as well!

Why I love country music

Let me count the ways...

1. No other country can claim this kind of music. It's purely American!

2. It reminds me of summertime and all things green. It's been with me during spring cleaning, garage sales, volleyball practice, and horseback riding. And there's nothing like a sunny day with the car windows rolled down and a great country song on the radio.

3. It always evokes some kind of emotion. How can you not laugh when guys sing about tractors and corn and riding bulls? How can you not feel warm and fuzzy when love is expressed in simple, yet lovely terms? And how can you not tap your foot to a good fiddle beat or swoon to an acoustic guitar?

For me, though, it's usually the lyrics that get to me, especially the lyrics that make me think. Here is the chorus from one of my new favorite songs by Rodney Atkins: "The river don't talk. The river don't care where you've been, what you've done, why it is you're standing there. It just rolls on by, whispering to your soul. It's gonna be alright. The river just knows." What a great song about healing and growing and coming home.

4. A lot of songs speak of God; in fact it seems to be one of the few secular areas where it's acceptable to do that. I am very proud of country artists who are not afraid to share their faiths. Josh Turner is my favorite in this category (besides the fact that he has a mesmerizing bass vocal range). His song Long Black Train, which talks about the enticement and dangers of sin and about the victory we have in the Lord, was his first big hit. How cool is that?

And take these beautiful words from Dierks Bentley's Prodigal Son's Prayer: "Father lead me down to the river, wash me in the water till I'm whiter than snow. I know I'm not worthy, but tell me there's mercy for the wandering soul." This song is a great reminder of our shortcomings and of His love.

4. And lastly, but definitely not leastly, it involves cowboys :)

Photo from The Pioneer Woman

A Tragic Day

(said in the little mouse voices from Babe)

Yesterday, I took Phoebe to the vet. There is nothing to be done for a hamster with a broken leg, and even though she wasn't showing that she was in pain, we knew she was. How could you not be when your bone is practically sticking out and your foot is dangling behind you? Very sad. Luckily, I managed to drop her off at the vet and pay for her death without crying. But now I'm lonely.

Gone is my little friend who amused me during the long, boring nights when Josh was at work. Gone is the little spaz who did acrobatics in her cage and made a ton of noise in her wheel. Gone is the little hamster whose eyes brightened when you gave her a sunflower seed.

Farewell, Phoebe.

A high spring fever

It's official. Days like these remind me of why I love winter; it enhances the experience of spring! Last night, we slept with our window cracked open. Right outside our window, there is a broken gutter which makes the roof's melting snow sound like rain. Falling asleep to that sound was very soothing. And then this morning, it was still "raining" steadily and I heard wind chimes and a child laughing and a bird singing. Yep, I'm deeply in love with this new weather. And the sunshine. And the little animals that are waking up.  In fact, I think I'll go for another walk :)

Creativity with violins = love

To commemorate Vivaldi's 334th birthday and the creation of the Four Seasons Suite, Google decorated themselves in this way:

Happiness :D