Commotion

Prompt- Write about being overstimulated by a lot of chaos...


I think the first time that I felt and understand what being overstimulated was like was my first time going to Las Vegas. I was eight years old my family decided to go because not only do my parents like too gamble a bit but also because a friend of there's told them that now there is a lot of stuff for kids too do so they thought why not try a new vacation spot (usually we ended up going to Disneyland every summer). Getting over the plane and seeing the brightly light signs and seeing slot machines in a airport was a very old thing to see but very cool at the same time. As we all piled into a taxi too take us to our hotel which was the Luxor because my mom really liked Egyptian culture. Driving along we arrived on The Strip I looked outside the window and saw huge buildings that had different colored signs, banners, and decor I was so intrigued. Once we got to our hotel and went to go check in waiting in the casino lobby and just staring at everything I was amazed there we're so many sounds(slot machines, people chatting, music playing), the amount of people the line to check in had to have forty people in it! We were staying for four days and three nights the whole time I was in this mystic haze because I couldn't believe everything I'd seen we did lots of fun things such as the Aquarium at Mandalay Bay, the HUGE arcades in Excalibur and New York New York where my sister and I ruled every game that was in there also realizing my exceptional game playing at Air Hockey, Walking the cobble stoned like floors in Caesars Palace where my mom and dad took a Gondola boat ride down the river as a man sang opera too them. Halfway through the ride someone is standing on a balcony taking pictures where at the end you can buy as a souvenir to remember the experience and they did it sits proudly on the mantlepiece in our living room whenever I look at it my parents look so happy and so in love it warms my heart.  As the vacation came to an end and we all went back home I knew that I wanted to come back because this place for me was magical and I just wanted to soak up every ounce of excitement this city had to offer. The next time I went was the summer before my freshmen year of high school this was a different type of vacation because it was the first time my sister didn't go back she at that time had her own family so it was just myself, mom, and dad honestly it felt very weird and kinda really sad because I had a tough time with my sister leaving our 4 person unit (Us+our parents) and starting her own so I missed her a lot on this trip but what made me so happy and brought me out of my funk I was in was my parents got me tickets to go see Criss Angel's show Believe because I was a big fan of his I'd watch Mindfreak and search for Youtube videos of him. I also really liked his aesthetic which is that dark/dangerous vibe that thrill of you don't know what he is gonna do so I was pumped to go see him. The show was amazing it was just me and my dad (mom was too chicken to go see him;) haha! It really was magical I had a blast and it's still something my dad and I talk about too this very day. Then I went again to Vegas the summer before my senior year so summer 2013 this time I got to bring my best friend at the time who is "D" I've talked about her a few times before on the blog but I was so excited to bring her along for the crazy ride which is a trip to Vegas! Both of us were sixteen so we will totally looking for adventure and maybe a little danger ;) basically once we got there it was me and "D" went off on our own and my parents went off and did there thing. We met up for Pool Time and Meals then we did a few things all together like going to Pawn Stars which so to say for fans of the show but the store itself is really tiny and so crowded that we waited an hour to even get into the place and for the cherry on top none of the guys from the show were there :( it was a total bust. The best thing about vegas is the night life and boy did "D" and I get to experience it we choose to dress up in these short little dresses/skirts and hills made ourselves look at least 21 when we were really sixteen which got us into some very fun trouble ;) all though what's the saying "What happens in vegas stays in vegas!" ;)
On this trip we actually saw a few celebs one of them being Ryan Gosling and he gave "D" a little up down look which made us giggly school girls stupid us we didn't realize who it was until after we got to wherever we were going yet nothing made us giggle as much as to when we had our picture taken with two of the Knights of the Roundtable at Excalibur.

Knight 1- Nathan with "D" Knight 2- Chris with me :)

My last trip there was to go see Aerosmith with Slash opening for them as my graduation present sadly I tried to set up the trip with "D" but it didn't end up working out because she'd had to pay for her plane ticket as well too I don't think her parents understood why we wanted to go so badly together it was because we bonded over that band so much together and it really became something special to us. I did get to go with my mom which was still very fun but I really do wish me and "D" would have gotten to go together it would have been the trip of a lifetime! I'll be turning 21 soon well in December so hopefully we can make a girls trip together all though my mom will probably want to crash which is just fine because she's basically 21 at heart so it's all good :) 

I love Las Vegas because of the crazy, fun, atmosphere plus I always seem to find the cutest guys there ;) hehe oops 

Love, Tay

Easy Listens- Artists That Are Perfect To Relax Too/ Day 1: Conner Maynard

FYI- I'm gonna start a new series of posts that involve music artists that have voices or songs that are what I call easy listens meaning that they are relaxing too listen too or you could put on their music while doing chores or trying to do stuff in general. I've always been that person who could never work in complete silence I needed some type of noise to keep me focused wether that be music, a tv playing in the background or simply white noise such as fans, people chatting around me. The people that I showcase in these series will have that type of sound so hope you guys enjoy! :)

I love conner's cover of this song so much it's so soft meaning his tone is barely above a whisper but listening to the lyrics is a cry for help for somebody who got wrapped up in the celebrity of being a music artist and finding out there is a real darkness to the industry. The way Conner portrays an almost broken person shows the real raw emotion within the song.

In this video is both Conner and Jack (his brother) together the game was Jack was going to text Conner a title to a song and he has to sing a part of that song over the beat that was playing. It shows what Conner does best which is taking on old R&B hits and spinning them into an acoustic version of the song. It's also fun to see these two play around :)

 With this video I went looking for because it was another one of those songs on the radio that I loved the beat too but had absolutely no idea what the guy was saying and I'm one of those people that first look for lyrics in music rather than instrumentals. My search lead me to this particular video and I fell in love because it's that slow and sexy vibe that I really dig then that beat drops and everything goes crazy!

YES, I know it's a Justin Bieber song which is something that is totally not my jam but the boy got something right with this one song... The mixture of Conners voice with his friends rap towards the end gave the song new life so claps for them! ;)

All I can say is his cover pulled on my heartstrings so hard that I cried through the video... yes I know how sappy that is but sometimes the emotion in music just takes over and you can't help it! this ones always on repeat if I had a bad day it just somehow makes my pain go away. Great Escapism song!

Knowing I Can Be Alone And Be Okay

FYI- Talky Post!


Recently I have just realized I can be alone and still be okay it may be a strange thing too say but it's been a really difficult place to get to in my life. Growing up I always had somebody near me either it being family such as parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins or very close friends also a few special guys along the way so I'd never been fully alone. Until school started in 2014 my friends were starting there first year of college and I didn't know what I wanted too do the furthest I got was graduating high school then didn't think beyond that which trust me I know it was stupid but to have something as a true passion in life that being cooking of course I wanted to go to school for that until about my junior year of high school I don't know what happened it just didn't really matter as much as it once did and honestly after that two weeks of hell I had to get through to walk across that stage I sure as hell didn't want to be sitting in a classroom so soon again I wanted time off. So from the end of summer till the start of March that year I didn't do much at all. During that time I got really depressed because I was so use too having this day to day contact with my best friends that when I was told many a times "I'm so busy" "I'm sorry I just don't have the time" it created this anger instead of me because I was so sick of being pushed away when I truly needed someone by my side. March rolled on by and my mom pushed me to start taking just one class at a community college to get me out of the house and start being more social which is something I needed to do. I took that class and passed an A+ then the summer came and I decided that I'd start fresh in the fall and before I knew it I was taking an almost full class load in both fall and winter terms with the spring term being lighter cause I did so much with the other two terms. Now I love taking classes and of course I'm changing my major too journalism probably something to do with writing because thats why I think I excel at and have been told I'm a good writer. One of my dreams is too take this blog to the next level and to do this full time and go to blogger events because I really do love doing this! Going back to me being comfortable in a college setting it gave me perspective of what my best friends were experiencing and knowing the feeling of being super busy and not having the time to chat or hang out. It made me see what they were going through and understand where they were coming from. Now I can go a week or two without speaking too them but know that if I do call or text they are there. I also have to thank my bestie "S" she has been there for me when my other "Bestie" just wasn't acting the way a bestie should act. "S" picked up the leftover emotional crap I had and helped me sort out my feelings and made me feel like she was always there if I needed her. I'm so thankful for her and our friendship :)

Love, Tay  

Music Love- Guns N Roses

Members From Left To Right- Duff McKagan,Slash,Axl Rose, Steven Alder,
Izzy Stradlin 

I've always have said this band was in my top 3 favorite artists of all time because they fit so well into the classic rock era that I fell so in love with. All though they could be classified within Glam metal, heavy metal, and also an 80's band which often gets a bad rep. Expect that they made kick ass music that still lives on today especially since recently they started to tour as "Guns N Roses" all original
members are touring together again! Expect for Izzy probably for the reason being I've seen interviews they had done in the past he seems a behind the scenes guy instead of a okay I'm gonna show them what I can do type of musician who is often surrendering to lots of drama. Now I can't remember where exactly I first heard them it could have been when I realized we had a channel called "classic VH1" it played rock music, alternative music, and metal music. Everything that the other VH1 channel doesn't play anymore because it's not current. I got hooked watching and learning about all of these different bands. While on a summer break I'd say of 0'9 because my mom was going back and fourth from our house to my grandmothers house because of then recent medical issues so that meant I was home alone most of that time I need to entertain myself and that's how I got into a lot of the rock music I love to this day. "Welcome To The Jungle" was my first introduction to their catalog and it made me crave more it was this new and exciting sound. Axl's voice amazed me especially since he could go from that screeching falsetto to this low primal growl in a matter of seconds. Next is a song called "It's so Easy" there is a real punk element to this song it's like a Romans/Blondie moment the lyrics tell a story of a spoiled rockstar who gets anything and anyone he pleases. I do love the irony because they never complained about their lifestyle of being rich and famous. The lead guitar work that Slash does it's so intricate yet with a very raw sounding vibe I like to say he makes it "Cry" meaning he draws out each and every note he plays to create that longing sound. Then we have Paradise City a wonderful summer anthem the mix of the drum pattern Alder plays mixed with bass and lead guitar is pure genius! A shift in the typo of music is the ballads they made are some of my favorite songs ever made. First being "Sweet Child O'mine" the iconic opening riff fills my ears and veins soaking up the amazing sounds always just calms me down whenever I'm having a tough day. What gets me are the lyrics in which Axl is talking about his girlfriend at the time about finding solace in somebody that no matter what that person can somehow save you. It's very emotional which is something I always find very interesting about Axl and the way he writes. Another favorite part of the song is when Duff sings the "where do we go now" it sounds so cool! Plus when the power note from Axl and Slash's guitar hit at the same time!!!! ;) it does something to my heart every single time! Moving on is a song called "Knocking On Heavens Door" its a cover of a Bob Dylan song. For me this song is a very emotional one because it helped me through my teenage angst years and hard times. I can't tell you guys how many times this song has been playing while I'm bailing my eyes out to the point of where you're crying so hard that you feel like you can't breathe at all that real and very honest emotion is invested into this song it's like if I listen to it enough times I slowly start to calm myself down and realize I will be okay there's really something magical about this one for me I hold this specific song so close to my heart that I'd love to get a tattoo of some of the lyrics they mean that much to me. Lastly is November Rain now this one is so sentimental because it's attached to a memory of a past relationship we rode the same bus and our bus driver would listen to rock stations and one day towards Thanksgiving break it was pouring down rain and I was really upset because for some reason Thanksgiving after when my grandpa died always felt cold like no one wanted to be there and I didn't want to pretend to act like a family so I was telling him all about it as tears fell from my eyes he looked me straight in my eyes pushed my hair away from my face and told me "Everything will be okay you will get through it" and I laid my head on his shoulder and listened to the sound of rain and the song playing which later I found out was November Rain. Every time I hear it now I smile because of him :)

Love, Tay

Favorite Artist- Chris Cornell

I've always loved strong voices and he's is one of those magical sounding ones that it bewilders me by how amazing his voice really is and how it completed in an era the 90's with the newly found genre known as Grunge where the idea was to turn the volume up too 11 on amps and play as loud as you could. He risen too fame was brought by his world record selling band Soundgarden. Personally I know this band to be one of the biggest bands of the genre Grunge along with Pearl Jam, Nirvana, etc. Personally one of my favorites is a song called "Rusty Cage" his tone in this song is tough but a touch softness cause there is an part of his voice that is just velvet it's so smooth that it creates a strange but fun surprise cause it's so unexpected. Next up is the song "Black Hole Sun" it's the most well known track from the band but it's one that is just too good that of course I have to talk about it. It's a ballad which is unusual for their sound so no wonder why everyone loved it. It has a very trippy feel to me the image I get is Alice falling down the rabbit hole all though I also get this vibe that it's about someone who is already so far down the hole but want so bad to get out and for the black clouds to go away and to be able to restore happiness to their life. I find it a very inspiring song because it helped me channel distractive emotions such as sadness, or anger but be able to come out of that dark time to be able to be happy again. (Thank You Chris!) I'm also a fan of his other band Audioslave my favorite track has to be "Cochise" it's such a sexy slow rocking vibe. It will be playing in every underground night club forever because it has that dangerous vibe. Another song that I just adore is 'Hungry Strike" by Temple Of Dog which includes Chris Cornell and Eddie Vender from Pearl Jam god their voices mash so well together it's almost like they just fit together like a missing piece of a puzzle. Now this song is very special too me because for some reason it has this instant calming affect on me it brings me peace when everything seems to be crashing down and I just can't take anymore. I can't count how many times I have cried so hard like completely sobbing and can't catch my breath and somehow this song will come on and I know I will be okay. Lastly is a cover which is "Nothing Compares 2 U" and it blew my mind it's so beautiful and heartbreaking at the some time which I always find it creates the most real and honest music. You guys must check it out!!! <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuUDRU9-HRk- The link to the video! If one day I have the pleasure of meeting him one of my dreams will have came true because I think his contribution to the music industry made such a huge impact on me :)

Love, Tay

Song Of The Day- Ride by Twenty One Pilots

Left: Josh Dun
Right: Tyler Joseph 

I came across this song by hearing it on the radio usually I don't really listen too top 40 radio much expect for when I'm in the car. So one day I was going somewhere and had 95.5 on while driving and this song came on and it became on of those songs that grew on you after hearing it a couple of times and by the time I realized this was a really popular song because they played it five times in a one hour rotation. I really like it because it's so different to everything that's currently playing and I think radio needs that. Ride is a song that you can't put into a genre whatsoever because their are so many different elements that represents many different sounds from other genre's such as rock (Those drums though;), Rap (The speed that Tyler sings/raps the lyrics at), Reggae (The island like feel the piano gives off). I found that really cool because the idea of genre is losing it's power because so many musicians are creating music that can't really be put into a box to fit in. I also think that of course music that is created by people will have certain things that will remind you of other music or artists/bands but that's because musicians hold their influences so close to their heart because those people are what sparked that light within them that made them want to make music as well. Music is one of those things that often refer back to the generations that came before you and there is a certain kind of respect that is given and shown and I think it's important that people understand that because music wouldn't be the same without: Elvis, The Beatles, and Bob Dylan those heavyweights carried a lot of weight in how music is made and also heard today. All of us have those moments where we hated the music our parents listened too but actually think about it if those people won't as popular in their day who knows if you're favorite artist today would even be making music?

Love, Tay

Song Of The Day- Dancing With Myself cover by CivilTwilight

https://soundcloud.com/civiltwilight

I came across this cover when I was on Twitter. Billy Idol himself tweeted the link of their cover so of course I wanted to check it out. If the man who wrote the song said he liked it then it's a must right! I pressed play and entered this mind-blowing rendition of one of my favorite songs I was so impressed. I'm surprised no one ever thought to slow the song down and turn it into a ballad. If you listen to the lyrics another way of interpreting the words is someone who is really lonely and looks at the world as if it's him against the world.
"So let's sink another drink

'Cause it'll give me time to think
If I had the chance
I'd ask the world to dance
And I'll be dancing with myself."

There is this wonderful gentle vibe as if you're floating on a cloud it's very unique for this particular song. Also it's an aerial sound which brings an era of calming sense to the music with the light piano accompaniment to the singers voice. Probably one of the best covers I have ever heard! Check it out :) 

Love, Tay