Fanmix Meme

My fanmix meme is here on 8tracks.
In which I describe why I picked the songs I picked when I picked them with a peck of pickled peppers. (I don't know what that was—a tongue twister joke?)

So here we go...
1. a song that reminds you of your favorite season - Isn't It A Lovely Night by The Decemberists.
I think this one is pretty self-explanitory. This song reminds me of summertime.
3. a song that reminds you of someone you care about - Radioactive by Imagine Dragons.
This one has more of a story. My mom and I had just watched The Host and this song plays as the end credits start. She started singing alone with it but instead of "radioactive" she sang "ready to rock you". I asked her, "You know they're saying radioactive, right?" She didn't believe me until she turned it up and listened to it again but she still sings it her way.
5. a song that makes you feel like flying - Fairy Dance by James Newton Howard.
I have a bad habit of putting this on every fanmix where it'll fit, like I do with quite a few songs. I just love it so much. And every time I hear it, it feels like flying and watching Peter Pan for the first time all over again.
6. a song that makes you feel like falling - O Death by Jen Titus.
This song makes me feel like I'm falling into hell. In a good way. If there is a good way to that.
7. a song you listen to when you're sad - Make Me Wanna Die by The Pretty Reckless.
It depends on what kind of sad I'm in but usually I listen to loud music. In fact, this is the only time I listen to loud music. And really, the only loud music I have that I like, is The Pretty Reckless. I listen to all their music when I'm sad but Make Me Wanna Die is the one I always end up skipping around to.
8. a song that you've fallen in love with because of the lyrics - The River by Kyla La Grange.
I heard this song on a fanmix but I thought the lyrics were so interesting and lovely. I quote them on Twitter all the time.
9. an instrumental song you love - The Equation by Chad Seiter.
This song is from the episode The Equation in season 1 of Fringe. When the boy played the song in the episode I really liked it but didn't think I'd ever really hear it again. I wasn't expecting it to be a full song. So when I heard it on the soundtrack I was really excited and now I can't stop listening to it. It's one of my favorite pieces of instrumental music.
11. a song that is about something you love - I Want To Hold Your Hand by T.V. Carpio
I mean, who doesn't love holding hands? And I really, really love this version too (I think better than the original SORRY). I just love the way it sounds slowed down and sung more...desperately, I guess. But that's just my opinion.
12. a song that makes you want to run until you're some place far away - Cloviswing by Jean-Claude Laudat. I love French music, especially classic French music. It always makes me want to run to a different time and place.
13. two songs that always bring a vivid image of something to mind - Once Upon a December by Liz Callaway and Funeral Pyre Straits by Chris Tilton.
Once Upon a December always calls to mind that scene of Anastasia dancing around an empty ballroom full of ghosts.
And Funeral Pyre Straits is from Fringe and is connected so vividly with the funeral scene (I won't say whose for the sake of spoilers) in my mind that I sometimes get a little (ahem a lot) residual emotion when hearing it.
14. a song that you want to share - Landfill by Daughter.
At first, I wasn't sure I was gonna do this one because the prompt makes it sound like you should pick a song that you want the rest of the world to discover. Whereas I'm sure plenty of people know this song. I'm never that cool as to find things before they're cool. But I like this song and have been listening to it a lot lately so here you go.

Nate challenged me to write a poem in 30 seconds using the word "obsidian" so here's that

An obsidian sky
Reflected in the pond at our feet
Lapping at the shore
As we stare at the stars
And wish for things
We'll never have
But we wish for it anyway
Because we can
And wishing sets us free

Rain splashes the dirt beneath our feet
Making a soft carpet of mud
Soothing my bare feet
Splattering my white dress
As we spin, madly dancing and laughing
Hair is plastered to my face
Water drips from your eyelashes
I see my reflection in your eyes
We're so close
You tell me I'm beautiful
I laugh as the clouds open up
And we dance as the gods cry above us

I don't know what love is
Or if you wonder about it
As much as I do
I don't know if I am in love
I don't know if it's a good idea
I don't know if it ever makes sense
But I know how I feel
I know that I smile when I see you smile
And laugh at the joy in your laugh
I know that I hate for you to be sad
And I know sheer joy in making you smile
I know I want to touch you
Kiss you, hug you
I want to be around you
As much as possible
Talk to you, argue
All the time
Live a life with you
I want to know that you want the same
I want to know that you want me

I'm just posting these in the order I wrote them

Stars and suns and moons
And other worlds
Circling in an age old dance
We revolve around each other
Natural satellites
Smiling as we come close
Reaching out, grasping,
Laughing
As we pass in the night
Because we know
We'll soon come around
To each other again

This one is my favorite of those I wrote that night (even if it is a little inaccurate)

Your voice
So sweet
Apollo is jealous
You make his lyre
Sound common
And he cries
Pulling his chariot
'Cross the skies
And the sun falls in shards
Of starlight
But their flame
Doesn't frighten me
For I'm already set ablaze
By you
And it is
A most enjoyable
Burn

Finally posting that poetry I said I was gonna do

Your eyes are stars that lead me home
To your arms, where I belong
I follow the music of your voice
Your perfect boyish laugh
Pulling all the lights from the sky
I taste their sweetness
On your tongue
As they twirl around us
In a wild faery dance
And I no longer know where,
Or when, I am
But next to you
And I could burn or drown
Or never eat again
For, right now,
This moment
I am immortal

One Direction

Alright alright I admit it...
I like One Direction.
I love Harry, Louis, Zayn, Niall and Liam.
I admit, I pre-judged them and made clear my dislike for them without really giving them much of a chance. In my defense, though, I've noticed that I have to listen to a song, any song, a lot before I can figure out if I genuinely like it. But with One Direction I just heard everyone raving over them and so, was a little disappointed when I finally became curious enough to go listen to What Makes You Beautiful. And I didn't really think any of them were particularly attractive. I'd also gotten really annoyed by all the hype and I might have been a little determined to dislike them from the very beginning.
Anyway, I'm not exactly sure what caused me to give them another chance but (actually I am but I'm not going to tell you about it because it's weird and embarrassing) I listened to WMYB a few more times and decided I liked it. And I went on Spotify and listened to their whole album. I thought, "Eh, it's not bad." But the more I listened to it, the more I really liked it. And I watched YouTube videos of them and I was surprised at how much I liked them.
So anyway, I am hiding my like for One Direction no longer.

Thanks,
Alyssa

Arachnophobia

As you may or may not know (I don't think you do, as I don't think I've mentioned it before) I am horribly, terribly, irrationally afraid of spiders. I hate them. I absolutely detest them. I think they're creepy and gross and unnecessary. I know everyone says, "Oh but they kill mosquitos." No. No, I do not care! I am unable of finding one fuck to give! I would rather have four times the population of mosquitos (well, not in Africa as that would, I assume, quadruple the cases of malaria, as well). And I'm saying that as someone who gets bit by mosquitos like no one's business.
One year, when I was about 12, we took a trip to North Carolina in the summer. I got bit on the inside of my left calf so much that the whole inside of my leg - from ankle to knee - swelled to an inch or so thick. It was gross. But I would rather have that than the existence of spiders.
And I know that arachnophobia is, for the most part, a very common fear. But I often worry that mine is quickly becoming irrational. For example:
1. My heart often skips a beat if I see a hair or fuzz ball on the floor that is vaguely spiderlike.
2. I have nightmares about them at least 2 or 3 times a week, usually more.
3. Any random or strange itch is immediately conveyed to my brain as spiders.
4. Sometimes I randomly see a dark spot on the walls or ceilings and jump, thinking it's a spider.
5. I once saw a spider in my kitchen, walked around it (giving it a five foot radius), ran to find a shoe to smash it with and came back to find it had disappeared. I cried for 10 minutes. I was probably about 12 or 13.
6. I can't look at pictures or any representation of them. When I went to a ceramics shop a few weeks ago there was a ceramic spider. I couldn't go near it.
7. Imagining them in my mind's eye can haunt me for days.
8. I don't even like crabs because the way they move reminds me too much of spiders.

So yeah, I'm not sure why I'm telling you this. I guess it was time to let you all know how much of a baby I am. But I don't want to hide anything here so...now you know.
I wish I could get over it but I don't really see that happening. Hopefully, one day...

Thanks for reading,
Alyssa