I can't believe it's been 5 years already...

Five years ago today, the world lost one of it's most talented, diverse, and genius singer/songwriters. Mesothelioma took the life of the great Warren Zevon when he was just 56 years old. His song topics ran from war to love to gorillas stealing people's glasses, he could sing in more than 3 languages, his lyrics are sharply witty and so sarcastic, but he could also play the sweetest, most touching melodies. He could do rock, folk, country, a little celtic, he would add so many sounds to his music. No two of his songs ever sounded alike.

I wasn't a huge fan of Warren's until a little over a year ago, but "Werewolves Of London" has been one of my all-time favorite songs my whole life, and I remember watching VH1's documentary on him shortly before his death in 2003. I remember crying my eyes out when I heard that he had passed, even though he lasted almost a year longer than the three months his doctors gave him to live. In those last few months, he did the arguably most unselfish thing I've ever heard of: he resisted treatments so he could deliver a last album as a goodbye to all of his fans. I usually can't listen to that album, because the whole thing makes me bawl my eyes out, every single time, especially the last track: "Keep Me In Your Heart".

But I had to listen to it today, because I used my newly-acquired Windows Movie Maker to put together a tribute video in honor of the 5th anniversary of the passing of my idol, the one musician who can make me laugh and cry, think and learn, all with one song.


(this is my first video, so I would greatly appreciate some feedback, thanks!)

Warren was brilliant, a genius, there are really no other words for him. You cannot judge him on his one hit, which is pretty much one of his worst songs, comparing it lyrics- and music-wise to the rest of his song catalog. He has so many songs that could have been, should have been, successful. He is one of those people who truly deserved recognition. But he had one hell of a life. He is one person who couldn't say that he never enjoyed himself. He had fun while he was here, as his song goes "I'll sleep when I'm dead!"

Though he was, to steal another lyric, "too old to die young, and too young to die now", it's good that he's finally getting some well-deserved rest :D


Warren William Zevon
January 24, 1947 - September 7, 2003

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Now playing: Warren Zevon - Desperados Under the Eaves
via FoxyTunes

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Friday Fiver - week 1

from The Daily Meme

1. Favorite shoes?
well my favorite brand is either Converse or Vans, and I have a favorite pair of each. My favorite converses are the peanut butter-colored high-tops I bought in Cape Cod, and my favorite pair of Vans are the pink & white slip-ons with penguins!

2. What time does the sun set near you?
since it's winter, it's been going down around 4:30-ish, but in the summer it goes down a lot later.

3. Do you like spending time in the sun?
not really, especially in summer because I burn terribly.

4. Do you burn or tan?
I burn, badly. Because I'm deathly pale.

5. Monopoly: yay! or no way!
Yay, definitely! Though I prefer the online/handheld version to the actual board game, because whenever I play the board game I end up fighting with the other palyers XD

a little late, but...Booking Through Thursday - week 1

from The Daily Meme

Have you ever fallen out of love with a favorite author? Was the last book you read by the author so bad, you broke up with them and haven’t read their work since? Could they ever lure you back?

I haven't fallen out of love with any authors, but I have become disinterested in a few for no reason other than I found other more interesting authors. I was obsessed with Mary Higgins Clark all through middle school, I even went to a book signing and got to meet her. But after a while I realized all of her stories were basically the same, just with different names and places. Her newest book, I've Heard That Song Before, is tempting but I've found so many fresh books to read, I don't know if I'll waste my time with it. I also used to love Robin Cook, but he only writes medical thrillers, and trying to understand the really big words gets kind of old after a while XD

Writing Wednesday - 1

Writing Wednesday supplies a beginning. All you need to do to play is supply an end. Be as creative as you like - it's all up to you!

Valentine's Day - love it or hate it?

Well, I like it because my mom always gets me candy and a little gift.

But I hate it, mostly. I've never had a valentine :( Pretty sad I know, but I'm dull and apparently don't attract the opposite sex. All through school I rarely got valentines cards, even though I used to give everyone in my classes one. I used to only get a few from my friends because they felt bad for me.

So, it really only reminds me how undesirable I am. Not my favorite holiday.

Situation Sunday week 1

I've got to start blogging in this thing again, so I figure some memes should get me going! From The Daily Meme

Situations:

1} You are living in a small city. Your yard is all fenced in. One day you are out fiddling around your garden, and your back gate quickly opens up...a man is there and quickly as he can closes the gate and approaches you. It is the President of your country. He explains to you all of his body gaurds are dead,,,,and now "They" are after him. As you ask him to define "They", he exclaims not now please...Hide me! You have your loved ones in side.......What do you do?

It depends on how I feel about the guy...like if it were President Bush, I'd say hell no and leave him there. But if it were someone I liked who made my country better than I would probably let him in.

2} You have a half sister, just by a remarriage of your father. She is 44 years old, {her blood mother excluded her from the will when she died} She has been in and out of rehabs,,,....Well she has straightened out for the most part....married and struggling between jobs. She has asked if she can live with you till she & hubby gets on her feet. She was just living with her blood sister, but she kicked them out. What do you do?

Say that I'd like to help but she has proven time and time again that she cannot be trusted to do the right thing. If everyone else is kicking her out, then there must be a problem.

3} You have just found a treasure chest worth 5 million. Easy spending it with out any questions. But there has been a notice around searching for it for years, a reward of a half a million.......What do you do?

First I'd think about keeping it, but then become so overcome by guilt that I'd turn it in.

Unbelievably sad....RIP.

As I'm sure most of you have heard by now, actor Heath Ledger died today. He was only 28 years old. This is the second time this week that a talented young actor has been taken from this world (Brad Renfro died last Tuesday, he was only 25 years old). I don't know why I'm so unbelievably torn up about Heath's death, maybe because it's so tragic and such a shock. I've never been a huge fan but I've always liked his movies, especially 10 Things I Hate About You. And I was really looking forward to seeing him as the Joker with Christian Bale in The Dark Knight. Now I don't know if I'll go see it. For some reason or another, hearing about his death has just hit me so hard. I've been seeing it on gossip blogs and the news all day and I cry every time.

It's just so unbelievable. He was only 28 years old, and he has a beautiful little daughter. He actually had talent, unlike some of the young actors today *cough*Lindsay Lohan*cough*. And the truly sad thing is that he was just really starting to be noticed, since Brokeback Mountain in 2005. He was really going places and would have gone on to do some truly great things had his life not been cut so tragically short.

The main gossip going around is that he killed himself by overdosing on pills, whether it's accidental or intentional is not known. But he also had pneumonia so possibly the pills screwed with his already sick body and caused complications. I guess the autopsy is set for tomorrow so more will be known soon. But whatever it was, it's just so tragic.

RIP Heath Ledger, 4/4/1979 - 1/22/2008.