Music

If you really know me, you know that I can't get through an entire conversation (or let you get through an entire conversation) without bursting out in song. Something you say--anything you say--reminds me of a song I know and usually in that moment I feel compelled to share. Mom and Dad sometimes get annoyed with my overly obnoxious "singing" voices in which I try to imitate the musician whose song I am singing.

I have always known that music has been a big part of my life, but I don't think I realized how big it was until these last couple of days. As most people, I was crushed to hear about the passing of Whitney Houston, a huge legend in the music industry but excited to see her career celebrated tonight at the Grammy's--the one time of year where all music from all genres come together and get to be one big family. (And maybe even hold hands singing Kum Bah Yah around the campfire).

Tonight, as I watched the Grammy's, I realized that music seriously is always happening around me. When I wake up in the morning before I make breakfast or get in the shower, I have to have music. When I go to the gym, I refuse to go without my iPod. When I get in the car, the first thing I do is find some music that fits my mood. When I go to church, I feel most connected by the music. I use music when I am happy. I use music when I want to be angry. I use music to cope when I'm feeling sad. When I need energy, I go to music. When I get bored, I drum on the table, on my stomach, on anything that's around just to make music. Music is good for all emotions and transcends cultural and linguistic boundaries. Whether we're young or old, we're all affected by music. Music is so awesome and I don't know what my life would be like without it.

To all of those who have introduced music to me in some form or fashion, I thank you. To my father who always sang (and still sings) weird songs and talks about his 45s and his 8 tracks, thanks. To my grandmother who has been a big influence to me in church music, thank you. To my siblings and friends who say "oh, you need to hear this song", thanks. To all of those who put up with my terrible, terrible singing, thank you. You all have touched me in some way.

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"I was born with music inside me. Music was one of my parts. Like my ribs, my kidneys, my liver, my heart. Like my blood. It was a force already within me when I arrived on the scene. It was a necessity for me-like food or water."
Ray Charles

Super Bowl XLVI Commercials

The Super Bowl is known for its commercials that advertisers pay big bucks for, it's no secret. My top 3 picks:

Third Place:

M&Ms "Sexy & I Know It"--These commercials usually have some element of humor to them, but this was hilarious. The song itself is funny enough, but the commercial had naked candy humor and even incorporated the "wiggle wiggle wiggle"...who can't laugh at that?

Second Place:

2012 VW Beetle "The Dog Strikes Back"--It seems like everyone's obsessed with exercise and health these days but to see them take it to a new level and get the pets involved was hysterical. Ugly car, funny commercial. 

First Place:

The Voice "Vocal Kombat"-- Hands down, best commercial of the whole Super Bowl. Four superstars and the trump card of all trump cards: Betty White.

Divine Intervention in Indianapolis

First of all, to those who have contributed to the 120+ views this blog has seen in the last 2 months since I made my last post, I apologize for slacking. School picked up...and then stopped. And honestly, I just didn't feel like writing anything for a while. While I'm not promising an extreme change, hopefully my next post won't be 2 months from today. With that said, in the spirit of the Superbowl, enjoy!

As many of you know, I had some minor surgery last Monday that's left me in recovery for the week. Most of the week has been spent on the couch watching endless amounts of television and just as many hours surfing the net. Without a doubt, I have gotten my fill of pop culture news and caught up on all kinds of television shows. I've seen hours and hours of talk shows, reality shows, scripted tv, news, etc. and have seen a lot of talk about the Superbowl that is happening now in a matter of hours. The seminarian and the pop culture whiz in me collided quickly when I first heard the story of an email that supermodel Gisele Bundchen, wife of New England Patriot's quarterback Tom Brady sent out to her family and friends. The text of the alleged email is as follows:

My sweet friends and family,

This Sunday will be a really important day in my husband's life. He and his team worked so hard to get to this point and now they need us more than ever to send them positive energy so they  can fulfill their dream of winning this Super Bowl...

So I kindly ask all of you to join me on this positive chain and pray for him, so he can feel confident, healthy and strong. Envision him happy and fulfilled experiencing with his team a victory this Sunday.

Thank you for your love and support. Love, G :)

While my initial response was to joke that God stopped caring about the Super Bowl when Tim Tebow and the Broncos were put out by the Patriots (which if anything, would hurt the Patriots), I continued to think about it. As Aisha Tyler said on a CBS talk show mocking Bundchen, "Dear God, I know there's war and starving babies and stuff, but if you could just work on my husband's Super Bowl victory.....that'd be greaaaaat!" Gisele's requests seemed very shallow to me. Just like all of us, we want to be successful, we want to win, and we want God on our side--but where do we draw the line?

I personally don't think that God has anything at stake in the Super Bowl game--no, not even if Tim Tebow was playing. I find it absolutely hilarious when I watch reality shows and people pray for God to help them win the million. When they use God and religion not only as a reason for making every single move that they do in their game, but also expecting God to shun those who do not conform to their specific form of gameplay. It's hard for me to believe that God would intervene in the Super Bowl to help one team beat the other (as I'm sure fans of both teams have been praying for a victory). It's hard for me to believe that God cares who wins the million in a game where they volunteer to be stranded on a deserted island with limited resources and told to "survive" when we have many people around the world for which every day is a struggle to survive--not some game in which they can win money for making it 39 days.

However, in a weird sort of way I did find something encouraging and positive about Gisele's wish for success on her husband's big day. I think so often we get so caught up in our own lives and our own achievements that we fail to recognize those of our loved ones. We don't too often lift each other up when things are going good or have the potential to go good, but we are so quick to tear each other down when something goes wrong. Especially with the trend in marriages lately, could more marriages be saved if people stopped looking out for their own selfish needs and started to speak words of encouragement and endearment to their partners and spouses? I'm not saying it would solve all the world's problems, but it could start. I know this post seems a little out-of-place but it's just what I am thinking about right now which is why I write and why you have come to read.

Giants or Patriots? I don't really care, but Gisele this post is dedicated to your beautiful self.