that old CD collection you keep...

where is it? where is that box or case or drawer of old CD's you keep? oh and why do you keep them? do you expect them to be worth gold some day? do you expect them to bring you back to your "adolescent crying on a pillow at your first love" nights, or what about because well...they are just too damn good to get rid of? i pick the latter.

i have about oh, let's say...80 CD's. I have CD's from every year in middle school, every year and summer in HS and even a few from after when i was convinced that the whole iPod thing would surely fizzle. boy was i wrong, but boy am i glad that i have these gems to bring me back to the good ole days...well sorda. these CD's are in real rough shape. some of them are chipped, cracked, straight up shattered and yet i still keep them? why? WHY?! what is the point? they aren't going to play, and if anything..they will probably break whatever old school CD player i bring out to try my attempt. whatever, i'll assure myself it was worth another try.

this morning was a good morning. i found a CD from my old desktop computer. the CD simply had "A-B" written on it in a messy green sharpie. i assume it was my attempt to show what section of my music library these songs were from... uh, let's just say i was wrong.

this morning alone i was able to rock out to the following;

• Eminem - Toy Soldiers (jam)
• Avril Lavigne
• Some random Christian Pop song
• Ra (uhhhh?)
• Ja Rule - i think it was "always on time"
• B. Spears
• Blessed Union of Souls
• Something awesome from the Hardball Soundtrack (sick movie)
• Oh and my favorite 2Pac - "Changes"

now, i'm fairly certain this CD somehow has about 200 songs on it and after the first few, i can assure you i'll be takin' a little better care of this gem. and for all of you who have a box of CD's...break them out and enjoy a good laugh or two. as a matter of fact, it took me an extra 10 minutes to get out of my car today. with songs like the ones above, who wouldn't want to re-live the good life for a just a few minutes before shaking your head and laughing at yourself before snapping back to reality?

the "mystery or blank title" cd,
 the I can only assume "Dane Cook - Limewire stolen jams -  more mystery songs" cd,
 and "My Mix!"....

 welp, this should be interesting...

dad- the real rockstar

my dad is a rockstar. not only is he an unbelievable dad, but he is in a band. his band books gigs, they get paid to play, they have a website and a small little fan club. he's kind of a big deal. my dad really is a rockstar.

i could talk about the music thing, the drum thing, the i can't go home without seeing drumsticks and a practice pad on the counter thing, or i can talk about the real rockstar thing. and well, considering the whole father's day weekend thing... i'll go with the real rockstar gig he stars in. the dad gig.

my dad is unlike any other dad. he is passionate. he is strong-willed. he is stubborn. he is a giver. he is hilarious. my dad is one hell of a dad. when i think of my dad i think of all of these things and plenty more. but when i think of my dad and i, i am immediately a little girl being dropped off at seedlings pre-school, or hanging out on a tuesday night with epic desserts and Full House. i am right back in Silverdale, Pa on a snow day being pushed down our driveway into the white street ahead  (no traffic was coming, i swear). i am listening to Yes, "Tempted" by Squeeze or crazy Luau music in the living room. i am waiting up late until he's back from his work trip anxious to see what he brought home from his worldly travels. (usually it was a pin that represented the sate. i still have all of them. the Puffin from Alaska was my favorite - i think it was Alaska?) i can remember being a little girl with my dad more than anything else while growing up. i am without a doubt a dads girl, and i am without a doubt my fathers daughter.

i am stubborn.
i am passionate.
i am smart.
i am loyal.
i am sarcastic.
i am my fathers daughter.

among every beautiful memory of my dad and all of the exciting moments to come, i remember what it was like that one Christmas when it all could have been different. thankfully, we have had plenty Christmas's since and i am so thankful for that and every little inside joke we have shared since. now, i hold more closely the way he signs his notes, emails or texts...always xxoo versus the normal xoxo. i never go a day without looking at the note he handed me on the entryway of Sims in the women's quad at South Carolina as I stepped out of my dorm and into the next four years of my life and most important, there is never a day that i am not working hard to make sure he is proud...ever.

so from all the fathers days prior, to always being my valentine in all the years ahead, i love you dad. keep rockin' out. you're a great rockstar, and a great drummer.

love, me.
xxoo.

rockstar; the drummer kind.

pitiful

it is rainy today. it is a tropical weather humid rain. maybe not pitiful, but today, for me, it does beg the question...what is? what is pitiful that i feel the need to shed some light on... why, you ask? i. have. no. clue....

so here we go; things i find pitiful.

1. freshman. as i wrote that i actually laughed out loud. today at a stoplight (in the rain) i watched a freshman (he had to be) dressed up as if he cared who was looking holding a campus map. i'd assume he was lost on the way to his second summer semester class, or he just couldn't remember how he got there the first 6 times. if you ask me, freshman are painfully pitiful.

2. my dog, henry. henry is probably the saddest puppy this side of the state. he doesn't have too many friends, he never really gets to run and play for fear i won't be able to get him back once he gets scared of a leaf and takes off, and well...he has the droopiest little eyes you could ever imagine. sometimes i tell him, "don't worry henry, your life won't always suck and you certainly won't always be this pitiful". i wonder if he believes me?

3. did i say freshman? sorry, just kidding. sorda.

4. my obsession with Scandal. seriously, i'm obsessed. i find myself thinking of the unsolved mysteries they try and figure out in Olivia's office. i am looking forward to watching the next episode before the current one is even over and i love fitz.  no seriously, i love him. and well...that, that is pretty pitiful.

5. those people that hold up advertisements outside. all. day. long. now that is pitiful. i mean who has the patience to stand in one place, or within steps of one another all day long holding up a sign for, let's say Blimpie, or Little Caesars Pizza? seriously? if that is not pitiful, i don't know what is. more power to ya...

6. over the top obsessions. call me crazy or say that i just have a lack of anything to be passionate about but i think that crazy obsessions about anything or anyone famous is just sad. i don't care if you are obsessed with Justin Beiber, your favorite band or that you keep a signature from your favorite player next to your nightstand. do yourself a favor and keep it together. i also hope that if ever given the chance to actually meet whoever or whatever it is you are obsessed with that you don't pee your pants or throw up on anyone around you. not only is that pitiful, but it's incredibly embarrassing. good luck. (And Joe, i know you love Bono, but it's okay..i still love you ;-))

7. cargo shorts. need i say more?

8. horrible selfies. look, i am not saying that i haven't snapped a few cute pictures while sitting at a light or before going out all dolled up, it's a fact, i admit it. what i will say about selfies is that there is a correct way to do it. see here. [duh] so for all of those horrible selfie takers out there...better luck next time. you're pitiful, thanks for sharing though.

so there ya have it, just a few things i find painfully pitiful. you can thank the rain for this random gem...