Singalong! Edge of Seventeen by Fleetwood Mac

I heard this song for the first time when the cool redhead contestant on the first season of American Idol sang it.  She was harshly criticized by the judges for "thinking she could be like Stevie Nicks" which was a little funny since that week they were supposed to be singing songs of their personal idols, so of course she picked someone like Stevie.  She obviously didn't win, but I thought she was the coolest.  Although not cool enough to learn her name.  Since then I learned many Fleetwood Mac songs and loved them all.


EDGE OF SEVENTEEN
Fleetwood Mac

Just like the white winged dove
Sings a song, sounds like she's singing
Ooo, ooo, ooo

Just like the white winged dove
Sings a song, sounds like she's singing
Ooo, baby, ooo
Said "Ooo"

And the days go by like a strand in the wind
In the web that is my own I begin again
Said to my friend baby
Nothin' else mattered

He was no more than a baby then
Well, he seemed broken hearted, something within him
But the moment that I first laid eyes on him all alone
On the edge of seventeen

Just like the white winged dove
Sings a song, sounds like she's singing
I said "Ooo, baby, ooo"
Said "Ooo"

Just like the white winged dove
Sings a song, sounds like she's singing
I said "Ooo, baby, ooo"
Said "Ooo"

Well, I went today
Maybe I will go again tomorrow
Yea yea, well, the music there
Well, it was hauntingly familiar

Well, I see you doing what I try to do for me
With the words from a poet
And a voice from a choir
And a melody, nothing else mattered

Just like the white winged dove
Sings a song, sounds like she's singing
I said "Ooo, baby, ooo"
Said "Ooo"

Just like the white winged dove
Sings a song, sounds like she's singing
I said "Ooo, baby, ooo"
Said "Ooo"

The clouds, never expect it
When it rains
But the sea changes color
But the sea does not change

And so with the slow graceful
Flow of age, I went forth with an
Age old desire to please
On the edge of seventeen, ooa

Ooa

Just like the white winged dove
Sings a song, sounds like she's singing
I said "Ooo, baby, ooo"
Said "Ooo"

Just like the white winged dove
Sings a song, sounds like she's singing
I said "Ooo, baby, ooo"
Said "Ooo"

Well, then suddenly
There was no one left standing in the hall, yeah yeah
In a flood of tears
That no one really ever heard fall at all

Well, I went searchin' for an answer
Up the stairs and down the hall
And not to find an answer
Just to hear the call
Of a nightbird singing "Come away"

Just like the white winged dove
Sings a song, sounds like she's singing
Ooo, baby, ooo
Said "Ooo"

Just like the white winged dove
Sings a song, sounds like she's singing
I said "Ooo, baby, ooo"
Said "Ooo"

Well, I hear you in the morning and
I hear you at nightfall, sometimes to be near you
Is to be unable to hear you, my love
I'm a few years older than you, my love

Just like the white winged dove
Sings a song, sounds like she's singing
Ooo, baby, ooo
Said "Ooo"

Just like the white winged dove
Sings a song, sounds like she's singing
Ooo, baby, ooo
Said "Ooo"

Learning! Physical Pain is Better Than Thinking Our Own Thoughts?



I certainly understand a discomfort with being left alone with one's own thoughts.  I whip out my phone when my brain is idle for more than a second and have to forcibly stop myself from opening Facebook yet again for no reason at all.  Of course, I do that because I know it's valuable to spend some time with your own brain - it encourages creativity, rest, and new ideas.

Turns out, however, most people would prefer to receive painful electric shocks than be left alone with their own thoughts.

Source: The Guardian

Inspiration! Sunshine and Nature

This summer I've had the joy of spending a lot of time in the sunshine.  Or at least in some dappled shade right next to the sunshine.  All this time spent outside has made me feel really replenished and, yes, I believe even inspired.  Here's a couple of shots from my sunny times.




Cute! A Big Ol' Cat Hug

You know when your cat wraps her arms around your leg while sleeping and it just kills you? Yeah. That.


Singalong! 6 Underground by The Sneaker Pimps

I first heard the Sneaker Pimps at some point in high school when driving to school with my older sister. Sandwiched somewhere between Joan Jett, Blondie, and Bjork on a mix tape, I was entranced by the cool, quirky electro-pop. I didn't know music could do this kind of thing! Mind blown!


6 UNDERGROUND
The Sneaker Pimps

take me down
6 underground
the ground beneath your feet
laid out low
nothing to go
nowhere a way to meet.

i've got a head full of drought
down here
so far off of losing out
round here
Overground, watch this space
I'm open to falling from grace.

calm me down
bring it round
too way high off your street
i can see
like nothing else
in me
you're better than I wannabe
don't think 'cos i understand
i care,
don't think 'cos i'm talking
we're friends
Overground, watch this space
I'm open to falling from grace

talk me down
safe and sound,
too strung up to sleep
wear me out
scream and shout
swear my time's never cheap
i fake my life like i've lived
too much,
i take whatever you're given; not enough,

Overground, watch this
space, I'm open
i fake my life like i've lived
too much,
i take whatever you're given; not enough,
Overground, watch this
space, I'm open
to falling
from grace.

Learning! Harry Potter Makes Us Better People



A study came out last month showing that young people who read Harry Potter show less prejudice and discrimination.  I read something not that long ago that reading in general can have this effect, because you practice taking other peoples' perspectives, but I'm chalking this one up as a win for the Young Adult Fantasy genre!

Source: Medical Daily

Inspiration! To Love At All by CS Lewis

A beautiful comic posted on Zen Pencils demonstrating CS Lewis' beautiful quote "To love at all is to be vulnerable."  You might want to go to see it in its original context for a fully glorious viewing.


Cute! The Most Awwww-Inspiring Tip Jar EVER

I came across this, the cutest tip jar ever, at Trapped in Richmond. We may have only used nickels and dimes in our multiple, giggling, submissions, but they definitely got a few extra bucks out of us. Who WOULDN'T want to give money to this? SO CUTE!

Singalong! I Love You by The Pipettes

I confess that I often have a song in the back of my head that I want to use for my first dance when I get married.  It's not so much that I am constantly thinking about that potential day, but that I love dancing and songs and every once and a while I'll hear one and think "yup, that about sums it up" when it comes to the whole lovey-marriage-thing.  Or at least the sentiment I want to celebrate on that day (as opposed to the whole hard-work-communication-slogging-through-bad-times-and-celebrating-the-good).  This song no longer tops the list, but it was up there for a while.  I still think it would be a fun one.  Plus it's short!  If there's one thing I've learned from my friends who have gotten married, it's that the first dance is kind of awkward, so shorter songs are better.


I LOVE YOU
The Pipettes

Here used to be a lot of things
That I didn't know
And although they still exist
I try not to let them show
But I think that now you've seen me
For my true colours
I'm sure you recognise i'm more stupid than the others

But I love you
Oh I love you
And I will love you
'Till the day I die
There will never be a time when we have to say good-bye

I've seen you try to laugh at all of my bad jokes
And I've cooked you seven meals six of them one on which you've choked
But it has taken me a while
To get used to this new feeling
When I woke up with a smile
Oh, I nearly started screaming

That I love you
Oh I love you
And I will love you
'Till the day I die
There will never be a time when we have to say good-bye

Because I love you
Oh I love you
And I will love you
'Till the day I die
There will never be a time when we have to say good-bye
Never be a time when we have to say good-bye
There will never be a time when we have to say good-bye
Because I love you

Learning! The Biology Behind Our Politics



Turns out there is a genetic component to our tendencies to be more conservative or liberal.  This news is especially depressing for people who hope to change how other people think, but also kind of fascinating.

Researchers have found that political leanings are a natural result of our tendencies to see the world in certain ways - positively or negatively.  Turns out that conservative-type people are more likely to notice, focus on, and be distracted by negative things than their more lefty counterparts.

Interestingly, while conservatives may be more quick to perceive something as a threat, they may be happier overall than liberals.

Source: Science Daily

Inspiration! The Power of Riddikulus

Recently I saw a photo of a tattoo someone got of the word "Riddikulus" on Pinterest with the caption "turning fears into laughter for thousands of years."  As a lover of Harry Potter and a person who has struggled with being afraid a lot over the years, I found this lovely to be a lovely and calming thought, and thus figure the words needed to be put together into one image.




Cute! Cats Love on Tinder

Tinder is one of those things that most people would rather know nothing about.  Unfortunately, knowledge, once gained, cannot be un-gained.  Luckily it also provides lots of little hilarious moments to be screen-shotted and shared with friends.  Most are decidedly NSFW, but some are just plain cute.  Like this one.


Singalong! Heart of Gold by Neil Young

Oh the sweet simplicity of Neil Young's Heart of Gold. The harmonica. The basic truth in the lyrics.  The feelings.  It makes me think of that old poem about the great importance of a red wagon in the rain.  (Worst paraphrase ever.  I am now googling it... It's called The Red Wheelbarrow by William Carlos Williams.)


HEART OF GOLD
by Neil Young

I want to live,
I want to give
I've been a miner
for a heart of gold.
It's these expressions
I never give
That keep me searching
for a heart of gold
And I'm getting old.
Keeps me searching
for a heart of gold
And I'm getting old.

I've been to Hollywood
I've been to Redwood
I crossed the ocean
for a heart of gold
I've been in my mind,
it's such a fine line
That keeps me searching
for a heart of gold
And I'm getting old.
Keeps me searching
for a heart of gold
And I'm getting old.

Keep me searching
for a heart of gold
You keep me searching
for a heart of gold
And I'm growing old.
I've been a miner
for a heart of gold.

Learning! Using the Chemistry of Love to Treat Autism



Japanese researchers have found that adults with autism are better able to read facial expressions and emotions after receiving a dose of oxytocin (known as the "love hormone" because it's related to emotional connection).

While I'm not going to jump on the "injecting hormones to treat illnesses" bandwagon too quickly, this also sounds like a promising treatment for those who want it!  It also makes some sense, since one of the biggest difficulties with autism is an inability to connect emotionally, that a part of a treatment might include the hormone associated with emotional connection.

Source: US News


Me & Ryan Gosling in Portland

My girl Lima and I stopped for a photo op while visiting Portland, but Ryan just couldn't bring himself to let go of my hand!  It's not that he's clingy, just that the paparazzi have made him a bit jumpy.




Inspiration! Tears Under a Microscope

The headline for the original article on this is "Looking at tears under a microscope reveals a shocking fact" - pure click bait, of course.  It's not really shocking at all, but surprisingly beautiful.  I guess unexpected beauty is a bit shocking, isn't it?

Tears of Grief

Tears of Possibility and Hope

This isn't by any means scientific (hence being an "Inspiration!" and not a "Learning!" post), so we can't take much away from that except that our tears are varied and beautiful in their make up.  Like how our sweat smells different with different causes (stress sweat is way stinkier than exercise sweat, am I right?), tears shed for different reasons look different.  And intricate.  And beautiful.  And we normally just swipe them off our faces and rub them on our jeans.

Consider the artistry in something as tiny as a tear the next time you need to remember how amazingly complex our universe really is.

See more tears at the original LifeBuzz article!

A New Totalitarian Post-Apocalyptic Story

An article just came up on my newsfeed titled Everybody Likes You When You're 29.  Apparently 29 year-olds statistically have the most friends out of everyone in the world, and most other ages have an average of 30% less friends than 29 year olds.

Obviously the first place my brain went was to a totalitarian post-apocalyptic society.  Instead of The Giver or Divergent where you have to select your lifelong identity as a tender youth, in this one at 30 you have to cut 30% of the people you love out of your life.  It's for population control, but only the lower classes have to do it (although maybe the reproduction of the rich is so tightly controlled they never really have to?)

Nobody quite knows what happens to the people you reject, except that you never see them again.  Some say they go to an alternate society where all their needs are provided for.  Some say they get put out on ice flows.  Some say they are turned into food.

When a plucky, rebellious 28 year-old befriends a rich girl who happens to be the daughter of the "democratically elected" president, everything changes.

Possible plot hole: what happens if you reject someone, but someone else chooses them?  Do you wind up in a society with only the friends you have chosen?  Where is everyone else?  Or do groups of friends band together and strategically pick their lists so that everyone can be included in someone's list?

Singalong! Smoke Baby by Hawksley Workman

If you didn't know Hawksley Workman already, then welcome to Andrea's First Year of University. I listened to this and No Reason to Cry Out Your Eyes constantly. During No Reason... I would pretty much listen and cry my eyes out. During Smoke Baby I would dance around my room doing what I envisioned to be a sexy mash-up between hip hop and contemporary dance. The song is just so dang... hot! Especially the girl's rap part.

Sing along and feel like a kid from just over the wrong side of the tracks with a chip on your shoulder who hooked up with a bored rich person and makes destructive activities like drugs and smoking seem mysterious and mildly glamorous.


SMOKE BABY
By Hawksley Workman

In your underclothes
You went out for a smoke
I call you in
Just before the storm begins
Your last breath of smoke
You let out in the room
It makes a cloud
Like the greyist
Perfect plume oh

Smoke baby, smoke baby
More alcohol baby
Cocaine in Montreal
And back out on the plane baby
An early flight will leave

And on it will be me, yeah
I'll be half asleep
And you'll get up at three

Who'll give you time to cry
Who'll give you time to find yourself

And casual as a light
Flickers before it's night
The sadness comes
And the daylight turns and runs
As the sun is setting you'll be betting
I'll be getting through
I'll find a pay phone babe
And take some time to talk to you

Smoke baby, smoke baby
More alcohol baby
Cocaine in Montreal
And back out on the plane baby
An early flight will leave
And on it will be me, yeah
I'll be half asleep
And you'll get up at three

Who'll give you time to cry
And time to find yourself
Who'll give you time to cry
And time to find yourself

And I have never felt
Quite this close to hell
All this rock and roll baby
Only time will tell
But we're young now, having fun now
On the town now, get around now
It's fine for now
But someday we'll settle down
But not now baby

Smoke baby, smoke baby
More alcohol baby
Cocaine in Montreal
And back out on the plane baby
An early flight will leave
And on it will be me, yeah
I'll be half asleep
And you'll wake up at three

(2X) Somewhere on the outside

(rap)
Get a little naughty crazy
Blow smoke baby
I'm your god hottie for sure not maybe
This lady wants you to take it off too
Felt that way first time I saw you
Stir up trouble - the kind I like
Hopin' I don't mind
Its a time when wrong is right
Break me off, tell your crew get lost
Or else this heat might turn to frost
You know I bite and what its like when we fight
These drunk lips curse for spite
So let's do this right
Make love all night
Wake up in time to catch the flight
Goodbye

(6x) Who'll give you time to cry
and time to find yourself
(somewhere on the out side)

(7x) Smoke baby, smoke baby

(4x) Smoke, smoke

Learning! Alcohol Kills


Okay, so we already all knew that alcohol can kill people.  That is, after all, what alcohol poisoning is all about.  I don't know about you, however, but I was surprised to learn that 1 in 10 deaths of Americans are due to alcohol consumption.

Of course, this isn't just alcohol poisoning.  This is a whole host of causes of death, but those causes are all ultimately caused by alcohol.  Excessive consumption of alcohol, in fact.  Things like accidents and violence fuelled by the drink to heart disease and liver disease in drinkers.  Plus, did you know that breast cancer is linked with excessive drinking?  I, for one, did not.  Harumph.

SOURCE.