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| Goal! – But not actually the kind I'm talking about in this blog post… |
Over the past two months I have been really stressing out about my lifestyle and goals as a blogger/career person. After my car began giving me trouble in August, I started to wonder what I would do if I lost my job. I don't make a whole lot of money, but what I do make definitely helps.
This was followed up by thoughts regarding my blog…
Currently, my schedule is:
• Monday: Money (once a month finance update, ideas for saving), Media (books, movies, music)
• Tuesday: Travel
• Wednesday: Wordless image (edited or not), Insecure Writer's Support Group, & Mid-Month Look Back
• Thursday: Throwbacks, Giveaways, Media
• Friday: Food, Fashion
Honestly, I really feel like most days I'm struggling to come up with a topic and write … except for Tuesdays. I love Tuesdays. :) But I don't have the money to go travel every week, so eventually I will run out of travel posts. It's inevitable. (But don't count on it for a while. We're talking Asheville/Chattanooga this month for fall leaf looking, Orlando in November, and Europe in December. I will have a lot to blog about with all of that!) Friday food and fashion has also been doing pretty good. Justin and I haven't really been home to experiment with food, but I did recently get some European butter to try and coupons to give away (blog post tomorrow!) as well as a few new cookbooks to experiment with in the near future! Yay! :) Wordless Wednesdays are good for my soul. They encourage me to be creative, try editing experiments on images I've had for years, or simply take a break. Sometimes I need a break in the middle of the week. My biggest problems are my Monday and Thursday posts. They lack … and it makes me sad. :(
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| Anyone speak German? |
I was telling Justin that maybe I need to spend my Mondays and Thursdays doing something more worthwhile to help me grow as individual. Watching Creative Live photo editing courses, for example. Spending more time reading … (I am soooo behind!) Practicing German or attempting to learn French or Italian. (ha.) Surely there is something more worthwhile that I could be doing than slapping together a blog post that isn't very well written and lacks inspiration.
As for right now, I'm not sure what I'm going to do. I'd love to join in with another blog challenge and link up (I'm currently considering Blog Ahead). Then there is a series of music posts that I've been wanting to do for a while where I go decade by decade sharing my favorite tunes…
So I guess, nothing here will necessarily change for a while, but I did want to share my thought process with my readers. We will see how things go, but I suspect come December and/or January I will change up how I blog in preparation for the year 2016.
What do you think? Is taking time away from blogging for personal growth a good idea? How would you correct for lackluster posts? But most importantly … Are you ready to see my top eleven jazz/big band/easy-listening favorites?
Side note: Before we begin, I just want to say that not all of these songs are from a particular decade. I am picking from the songs that played at my wedding and thus they could be from any decade! Going forward, starting next week, I will still stick to more specific dates for the posts in this series. Hope you enjoy! :)
1. Glen Miller Band – Moonlight Serenade
Short and sweet but it makes me sooo happy! :)
Way back when, when downloading music wasn't a crime (!), I googled and found another blogger's recommendations for a cd of calming music. Hurriedly I downloaded it all, put it on a cd (back when cds were still a thing!), and raced out to my car to meet Justin for a ballroom dance class. I don't remember all of the music I listened to from that cd, but I do remember it also included Norah Jones' "Come Away With Me" and Jack Johnson's "Banana Pancakes". <3. Anyway, the music on this cd became some of my favorite. I was so glad I gave it a chance and downloaded music I wasn't very familiar with. With hindsight being 20/20, I would do it again in a heartbeat! :)
2. Arctic Monkeys – "Baby I'm Yours"
Not really a big band or jazz tune, but it's another song that makes me pretty happy. Actually, it probably would better fit in with songs from the 50s. Either way, it was definitely included in my wedding playlist. Y'know … strong associations with my husband and what not. :)
3. Taio Cruz – "Dynamite"
Another crazy, out there, doesn't belong on this list song from my wedding is this one. :) It was popular when Justin and I got married. As a nanny, I wanted to include a song that the kids I watch would enjoy. This one was perfect! Plus, it reminds me of my favorite red-head child ever! :) #nothingbetter
4. Michael Bublé – "Everything"
If I had had my way, this would have been our first dance song. Thankfully, Justin and I didn't have a first dance. Too embarrassing! :) Nevertheless, I saw a really cute engagement video put together of an Asian couple to this video right about the time Justin and I were choosing all things wedding. It made me so happy. Plus I love the lyrics "In this crazy life, through these crazy times it's you. It's you. You make me sing!" Such a happy song. And Bublé looks pretty happy singing it too; I can't help but smile hearing it. :)
5. Nat King Cole – "Smile"
I first heard this song in the movie "My Girl 2" and I fell in love. I don't remember much about the movie, but the song has stuck with me…
6. Dooley Wilson – "As Time Goes By"
I don't remember the movie, but I remember the song… Always. Is that coincidental?
7. Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong – "Dream A Little Dream"
When I was attempting to pick out music for my wedding reception a million years ago, I bought the Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong collection from Amazon. What a mistake! I had such a hard time picking only one or two songs from the album! I think "Dream A Little Dream" and "They Can't Take That Away From Me" were the ones that eventually made the cut. I would still listen to this album quite frequently if I hadn't lost all of my music to hard drive failure. Dang that hard drive! At least there is still Youtube…
8. Jim Brickman – "Angel Eyes"
I know Jim Brickman is known for his cheesy easy-listening/elevator piano music, but I love it all the same. I downloaded "Angel Eyes" randomly a long, long time ago, and I haven't looked back. I may not know the names of many Jim Brickman songs, but I do know this one and I love it! Besides, beautiful piano music like this and Enya's "Storms in Africa" had to make it into my playlist to break up the sound. Overall I'm not even sure anyone noticed the difference at all; in fact, I believe most people were just enjoying relaxing at mine and Justin's wedding reception – a nice change from the hustle and bustle of wedding planning. :)
9. Gene Kelly – "Singing In the Rain"
I kind of love show tunes, and this one in particular. Can you imagine being so happy and in love that you don't even notice the rain? I can't even imagine what it must have been like producing this scene; how wet he must have gotten! Ugh! Oh well – it's one of the most well known show tunes and a fantastic scene! Obviously, Gene Kelly pulled it off wonderfully!
10. Nat King Cole – "Straighten Up and Fly Right"
A cautionary tale of a buzzard and a monkey. Worth a listen if you've never heard it. At the very least, it's funny; you don't get that often in music. :)
11. Tom Waits – "Drunk On the Moon"
And finally, in college, Justin was a bit obsessed with Tom Waits. When it came time to pick wedding music, I knew I had to include one of his songs despite not actually loving the artist. Anyway, "Drunk on the Moon" was the one I picked. This song is definitely classically blues and everything I think jazz should be. Plus, who doesn't get drunk on moon-views? *sigh*
So what do you think of my selections? Are any of these songs new to you? Are you a fan of big band/jazz/easy-listening music? What about show tunes and elevator music? Share your favorites with me! I love to hear about songs and artists I may not be familiar with!
