Same Old War

Our Last Night released their single to promote their new album coming out soon Oak Island with an accompanying music video. As a contributor to the campaign, I was able to get an early download of the song and if the phrase "on repeat" was an adjective it would totally be applicable to this situation.

The song is completely and utterly amazing. What always shocks me about their music is the intricate rhythms that they create with. Maybe they aren't intricate at all but hey, my only relationship to music is enjoyment. The lyrics to most of their songs tend to be simple and built with fairly simple vocabulary but the combination of that and the glorious voices and the instruments and ALL OF THE SKILLS. I am nerding out inside of my head but that doesn't really translate to type. If it could this would be so many pages right now.

I made some GIFs and unfortunately imgflip has started branding things made through their websites, which,,makes sense but takes a slight bit from the short snippets of beauty from this music video.

I love the last shot of the video, it totally stands for the die hard fans that have stuck close despite them getting dropped from their old record label and loosing face. They have so much talent and no one should have given that up. I am ecstatic that their campaign raised enough money for them to keep putting out new music and I am even more psyched to hear the rest of their upcoming album that comes out in just a few weeks! Below is the full music video, please do watch and enjoy.

Quick side note, started dissecting a pig today, his name Oliver Snuggles Olaveson, first name is after a dear friend who seeks to adopt a teacup pig one day.

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Also had the absolute pleasure of visiting my grandma's with these lovely ladies. Twas quite the lovely outing that included a short hike and a homemade dinner. Evidence below! Can't wait till she comes back in spring so we can get some sun is as well.

Reason to Love

This will be yet another Our Last Night post. On my way back to my grandma's on the train I discovered this gem of a song (posted at the end). The song is just describing the hopeless feeling after heart break which I have recently experienced. Yes, of course, I was completely devastated and after weeks of reflection on what my relationship really was, a bit angry. I felt like I had wasted my time fighting with someone trying to make something work that really was never going to. Luckily, I had my family and friends "prove to me that love is more than just a tragic catastrophe," (Reason to Love, Our Last Night). I have so many incredible adventures with SO MANY incredible people who have taught me so much about myself, the world around me, and what love really is about! Below is more review of the actual song and band.

 

I am trying to figure out why I love this band so much. I love how Matt Wentworth's (dark haired singer and guitarist) voice is perfectly pitched and incredibly beautiful and his brother Trevor Wentworth's (longer, lighter hair and singer) has more of a rough, convicting voice. Also, on top of that, there voices have similar tones because they are brothers. And ALSO, the guitar, bass, and drum player definitely know there stuff and create such a good flow of music. Needless to say, I am so excited to see them live in November! I have heard tons and tons of people say that they are amazing live. Below is the video for the acoustic version of "Reason to Love" by Our Last Night of course.

Currently watching the first Harry Potter movie with my grandma and Hunter the cat, this night could not get any better.

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Review: The Hobbit

Since I have been on so many planes this summer, I have managed to finish the book! This will prove to be a thoroughly nerdy post. Please prepare accordingly.

As a huge fan of the movie trilogy directed by Mr. Peter Jackson, I was psyched to here he was creating a film out of The Hobbit. Now many people believe that you should try and read books previous to seeing the movies, yet mi amigo pointed out something that made much more sense. People who read books before watching the movies tend to be disappointed at the short-comings of detail (which occurs naturally due to the difference in possible lengths for each) BUT if you see the movie first you will be impressed with the movie, THEN you read the book and you are even more impressed with the new knowledge of all the extra details (given that both are well made in the case of The Hobbit, yes, opinion, I know). 

I thought the movie was incredible. I heard complaints about the frames/second (I have little to no knowledge of what that entails) but I thought the picture looked solid. Also I heard complaints about the amount of singing in the movie. At first I enjoyed the singing a lot, then I read the book and saw that they are singing constantly in it and people were being ridiculous and just need to enjoy it (music will be posted below). 

This post is mainly to discuss the book though. I thought they did a wonderful job creating a film corresponding to the first third of the book. They did change quite a bit regarding major plot points. (This next section constitutes as spoilers, be warned). First of all, there is no such thing as the white orc in the book. Thorin's father and grandfather were not killed by this white orc, his father is actually imprisoned by the Necromancer. But I assume that this plot point in the movie will be used to create an epic and dramatic scene during the battle (which will probably be the entire last movie) between Thorin son of Thrain and Azog the white orc. Also Thorin is not nearly as broody in the books, he is much more light hearted and dwarvish than portrayed in the movies. I think this was smart direction to go in for the film because of the added plot points that give reason for Thorin to be so angsty. A second one being the rift between the wood elves and the dwarves of The Lonely Mountain. Apparently they created this idea from vague notes made in the encyclopedias. But there is no mention of any bad feels between Thorin and the wood elves (until mid book when they hold them prisoners for hanging out in Mirkwood). One more difference that I want to point out is the minutivity (made that one up..) of the Necromancer story line. As the beginnings of it appear in the first movie, it seems to hold a lot of weight in the plot. In the book, Gandalf merely mentions that he had a counsel with the White Wizards in the south and drove him more east so evils in the forest should subside. In the film, it is obvious that it will take up quite a few scenes and I predict that there will be quite the battle between Radagast and the Necromancer but we shall see.

The book was one of my favorite reads in a long time and my embarrassing emotional attachment to The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy just made it all the more beautiful. I could go on and on but instead I will post a few videos that portray what I believe to be, the heart of the movie.

"The Pity of Bilbo"

dar8tb comments, "same music plays in LOTR when Frodo voices his regrets and gandalf says "so do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. all we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us." Its a quote about conquering evil with one simple act of courage. Here, it not only carries on that idea to the movie, but also that by sparing gollum, one act of courage, Bilbo saves Middle Earth by letting Gollum live, who stops Frodo from screwing up the mission on Mount Doom."

I am definitely going to be checking that out the next time I revisit the series. I also love the music that plays over because it reminds me of who Bilbo used to be, a comfortable hobbit that lives quietly in his hole. And it also reminds the audience that he isn't a cold killer, he is just a mere hobbit on a wild journey.

"Misty Mountains Orchestral Cover"

"Misty Mountains Cold" (original)

Just a brief note, the way they sang with the hint of the dwarvish accents was perfect. And I am pretty sure I teared up a little bit too much during this part of the movie. *sigh*

I could go on, but I shall stop now, expect reviews of the next movies and expect them to be quite lengthy, for this journey has just begun my friends.

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"There is nothing like looking, if you want to find something. You certainly usually find something, if you look, but it is not always quite the something you were after." -J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit

More Favorite Things

This morning I am taking a mental health day. Well, kind of. I skipped my morning class to slow myself down. I have been having these weird panic attacks all the time and had one in front of all my friends yesterday. We laughed it off because I tend to be hilarious when it feels like the walls are closing in. The good thing is that I am stressed about everything else but school so I'll pass all my classes and then go home for the summer, and I know that being around my family and old friends will help me a lot with my anxiety. My man will be gone all summer though for basic training for the national guard. I could be sad but honestly? I am really excited for him, he got really good scores on his asvap and gets to enter the computer science training which is exactly what he wanted.

I really just wanted to post these videos because they are amazing and my favorite things right now that have brightened my days and have helped me laugh and relax.

Obama playing Daniel Day Lewis playing Obama. I'm crying this is the best. I also am just so happy that Obama has been portrayed as a real person, if that makes sense.

This song and music video. I heard this on a JacksGap video and looked it up, I love this music video so much. It is about the BMX champion Kurt Yaeger. Just watch for yourself and you'll see why I love it so much.

And also this.

I dont know if it is sad or not but it seems like all this random stuff on the internet helps me out a lot with life at the moment. I have become somewhat of a recluse but I feel like a lot of things are easier because of that. 

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Favorite Youtube Channels!

As I have already mentioned, I no longer have a Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, ect. so I have turned to youtube to fill my entertainment void. I have been fortunate to stumble across some extremely entertaining channels and I wanted to share them with everyone.

1. Rooster Teeth. These guys are by far some of the most hilarious people on youtube. I think you have to have a specific sense of humor (keep that in mind if you check them out) to be entertained by them. My favorite series of theirs are the Animated Adventures and their Lets Play videos which now have their own channel called Lets Play (of course haha). Also their podcasts are great if you have the time for them, the are about 2 hours each and are great if you have free time and need entertainment.

Here is one of their Animate Adventures

Here is one of their Podcasts too

They are quite long but totally worth the time

Click on the links for more hilariousness

2. Rosanna Pansino. She pretty much just makes pretty cakes, even though I don't bake often she is just the most adorable thing and its cool to see all the different decorative cakes she makes.

3. VlogBrothers. I have been a fan of theirs from there very first project and just adore them. They care about things that are important and are both very intelligent and just nice to listen to overall. Also their videos are pretty poetic and they are both very good at speaking and conveying the message they want to convey. It is refreshing to hear this as a median between the boring old news and the constant buzz of your peers talking

4. DailyGrace. Pretty straight forward she is just awesome. Ever since she moved to LA her videos have been so great and I love the appearances of other great youtubers including Tyler Oakley and Mamrie Hart. She is wonderfully sarcastic and appropriately inappropriate. 

There are many other great Youtubers out there but these are just a few of my favorite.

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