Jeannie Marie – Page 7

Headphones Rant, aka I Can’t Stand Earbuds

December 3, 2014September 27, 2016 Jeannie Marie 1 Comment

When I was little-er (like 10 or so), I got a Walkman Portable CD player, either as a gift for Christmas or just as something my parents got me, and I got these really, super comfortable headphones to go with it (not really). I actually still have that Walkman, in the little nook area under my nightstand drawer at home, along with my embarrassingly small CD collection.

When I first got that thing, I was in heaven. My mom often played me her CDs in the car, and we had a decent if not nice stereo system (for the time), along with a turntable for her to play her records. I guess I was 12 or so when I was allowed to use the stereo, and I still remember how, when I opened the cabinet in our entertainment center that held all her CDs, my mind was blown with how many she had. Now that I’m older and taller, the collection doesn’t look as big, but it still makes me smile how those were the CDs she listened to when she was in high school.

In short, my mom loved music, and thus, so do I. There is a deep tradition of car singing and dancing between the two of us, and even though my mom tries to tell me that she’s my mom and not my friend, I know that when it comes to music, she’s happy we both love it the same way, even if our taste in artists now differ.

But back to the Walkman. As someone who grew up with music, and my mom fostering that love by buying me my own CDs (early additions to the collection? Hilary Duff’s CD and the Jonas Brothers’ second ((and best)) album). One clear memory I have with that Walkman was the time my aunt pulled me and my cousin away from Houston and the impending Hurricane Rita, taking us to “safety” (and A/C) in College Station in the middle of the night with everyone else trying to get the heck out of town. What is normally an hour and half, maybe two hour drive quickly turned into a 4 hour trek, and so all I had to lull me to sleep was my trusty Walkman. What makes this memory so vivid, however, is not the long ride or even the music I was listening to, but the headphones.

I absolutely hated those headphones. They drove me insane, especially since they were the kind with the fake cushy things that slide over the hard plastic, and one had fallen off and I had lost it. After my experience with those headphones, and the introduction of the earbud, all the rage and of course all my friends had a pair, I told myself I’d swear off over the ear headphones for good, and besides, they weren’t cool anymore anyways.

So, headphones. All this now leads me to the most random (and ironic) thing ever, which is that I love over the ear headphones now. Frankly, the topic of headphones has been on my mind recently because mine broke right before thanksgiving, and while I now have replacements, they are the dreaded earbuds. What I loved in my childhood has now become what I hate.

And what’s strangest is the fact that there’s a part of me that really really needs over the ear headphones. Like, my inner soul is yearning for it. Which is how this relates to arts, because, well, headphones and music, but also because I’ve never really recognized how crucial my headphones were to my creative process.

I’ve always liked listening to music while I write (case and point: I’m currently listening to “I Got A Boy” by Girl’s Generation), and I’ve always known that music has been a big inspiration for me. My last short story was named after a Phoenix song, and I have not one, not two, but three playlists on Spotify called “writing” (I, II, and III respectively).

But now, even though I have in ears, I feel like I’m missing something, like I’m open and exposed to the world without my over the ear headphones. It’s the strangest feeling, but yet so telling about me and what I value.

Plus, my ear isn’t properly shaped for in ears and it’s annoying as heck to push them back in when it’s 20 degrees outside and I’m walking to class.

So I guess my point is don’t disrespect headphones. I mean really, they’re invaluable, if you love music as much as I do.

Oh, and if you’re curious, I’m saving up money to buy nice headphones instead of the cheap ones I usually get, like Bose or Beats or something. If you have any suggestions, let me know in the comments.

Over The Garden Wall: Musings

November 26, 2014September 27, 2016 Jeannie Marie Leave a comment

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So two days ago I was on the interwebs (as I usually am, no surprise there), and I happened across a thing. I wasn’t sure what this thing was so obviously I googled it, and it came up, no problem.

This thing was called Over the Garden Wall and I realized that this was probably a really, really big thing.

Over the Garden Wall is a miniseries that aired on Cartoon Network around three weeks ago and apparently gained a lot of attention from kids my age. Really though, I wasn’t surprised, because the show is made by someone who worked on Adventure Time, and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been told that I should watch Adventure Time (protip: it’s a lot). I haven’t gotten around to it yet, and really, I’m not sure it’s gonna be my thing.

But the other night while I was in desperate need for a break from writing (protip: I do a lot of writing), I decided to go ahead and watch the first episode since Cartoon Network so kindly put it on YouTube for me to enjoy.

The first thing I’ll say about it is that it’s dark. Like I probably wouldn’t show it to my kids dark. And it;s not necessarily anything plot wise, the show just gives off a creepy vibe. And I absolutely love it.

However I’m not sure how I feel about the show. It’s intriguing to be sure, and I’ll definitely finish it (I’m currently on episode 6 out of 10), but I’m really on the fence about it.

On the one hand, the animation is absolutely gorgeous, though I’d expect nothing less. The dark colors, deep plums and greens from the forest don’t mute the show but make it stunning, and the style is somewhat reminiscent of Gravity Falls and Adventure Time, but it’s still completely unique.

And the format is nice, the episodes being bite sized rather than full length. And I’m really enjoying the writing, it’s smart and at times witty and the characters are really unique, even the comic relief.

But still, in terms of liking it, I’m not sure. I’ll have to wait until I’ve seen the whole series until I can judge, but nonetheless it’s very well executed and it deserves a lot of praise. Smart programming for children (though, I’d argue, the target audience isn’t exactly children) is always something I enjoy and look forward to, so hearing about Over the Garden Wall was a nice breath of fresh air for me.

Unabashed Taylor Praise

November 20, 2014September 27, 2016 Jeannie Marie Leave a comment

Okay, so, Taylor Swift. I talked about her in a previous post but honestly I’m not ashamed I’m talking about her again. Why? Because she deserves it. And she’s been making me proud since 1989 dropped.

So I guess first is the album. I’m actually really happy with the way it turned out. I’m especially happy with the longer tracklist of this album, making it definitely worth the wait and a lot more accessible. Not a big fan of the opening track “Welcome to New York”, or you don’t really wanna “Shake It Off”? Well, good news for you, there’s 17 more for you to choose from. I haven’t listened to it enough to give a definite ruling on it yet, but I’m satisfied at the moment, though I’ll always maintain Red is her best record to date.

But really though, I have to admit, half the reason I’m satisfied as much as I am is because of “Blank Space.”

You’ve heard of “Blank Space,” right? Because it’s pretty dang good. Like…really good.

First, there’s the song. It’s midtempo, which is a rarity for casual Swift fans, but hardcore ones will know how well she can pull off a midtempo track (think “State of Grace,” “Tell Me Why,” “Long Live,” etc.). And “Blank Space” is no exception. Her lyrics are also on point as usual, being easy enough to remember to constitute a good pop hook, but also clever enough to surpass one-hit wonder status.

And not just the lyrics are clever, but the whole premise. It’s a dark-humor parody of herself, which actually doesn’t surprise me coming from Taylor – she’s not stupid and she does know everything people say about her – and she’s using her favorite medium to get back at everyone in a really clever and tasteful way.

But man, them lyrics.

Screaming, crying, perfect storms
I can make all the tables turn
Rose garden filled with thorns

I like this verse especially because of the rose garden image, which goes perfectly to my next point, which is the video.

This video guys. This video is it. And it’s why I’m not ashamed to talk about her after one post about her. Because she deserves it.

Now, okay, maybe she doesn’t deserve all the credit since she didn’t actually direct the video. But its no secret that she’s heavily involved in her creative process. And even if she didn’t have any say in how this video went, she wrote the song. The song is a parody of herself. But it also applies to every girl like Taylor, every girl who gets beaten down and ridiculed for being “boy-crazy” or “too clingy” or “too emotional” or any of the thousand ridiculous things girls get ridiculed for.

So, the video. In case you’ve been living under a pile of homework (which, okay, I’ll admit, is very plausible), a quick synopsis: boy comes to Mansion di Taylor, Taylor’s chilling with her cat when ding dong, she meets boy and smiles creepily, boy and Taylor do that dating thing in this abandoned castle thing. Boy texts some other girl, Taylor gets jealous and a little violent, cries a lot if her mascara is any indication, stands on a horse at some point, and scares away the boy because of her “emotions.”

Why I love this video is because the parody goes even further than a parody – it becomes a satire, akin to Jonathan Swift’s “A Modest Proposal.” Taylor isn’t just making fun of her haters, she’s doing exactly what they say she does and exaggerates it to show how ridiculous it is.

Which leads me back to rose garden filled with thorns. Okay, I’m gonna show off my English major skills a bit here and talk about why this line is so brilliant, especially in context of the video. So, if a girl’s a rose, right, she’s pretty, she smells nice, delicate, yada yada stereotypes. But then she has thorns…but she’s not supposed to. She’s supposed to be pretty, perfect. Pretty, perfect things aren’t supposed to have bad things like thorns. But roses are made with thorns…there’s no way to make a rose without thorns, unless you cut them off. They can’ come thornless. So it’s ridiculous to expect a rose to come without thorns.

Now, if you get the metaphor and go WAIT BUT I’M A GIRL AND I’M NOT EMOTIONAL I’M COOL WHATEVER HAHA I DON’T GET EMOTIONAL DON’T STEREOTYPE ME please don’t jump down my throat. I’m not saying all girls identify with this problem, or all girls are like Taylor. You don’t have to be emotional if you’re a girl, just like you don’t have to be emotionless if you’re a boy. But for those of us that are on the emotional side of the spectrum and do get criticized for it, well, this song comes as a much needed relief.

Because calling girls crazy for having emotions, for being normally jealous and sad and possibly even angry…well that’s not cool. And Taylor got it right.

Now, besides all that, I loved this video because of how absolutely gorgeous it is. From her outfits to the setting, the video is so artsy without being like “oh this is artsy because art.” I mean, there is that apple part that I get but not really, but other than that, it’s treated like a piece of art, with the colors and the set and saturation and I love that. Overall, it’s well made, and quality in music videos is something I’ve actually forgotten over the years, since Internet killed the Video Star.

So, there you go. My praise-rant on Taylor’s awesome video/song combo. You go for that 2-1 punch, Tay. I’m proud of you. You’ve grown and gotten complex and you tell those haters. And after, go Shake it Off. You deserve it.

Mid-Fall Reflections

November 6, 2014September 27, 2016 Jeannie Marie Leave a comment

So I have a problem. It’s not a particularly big or important problem. It’s just a problem. But it’s affecting me in a pretty big way.

Today, Wednesday (or early Thursday morning, depending on how quickly I get this done…oops), is my posting day for arts, ink. I love this blog. I love it to death. I sometimes wonder how I got on the blog and how the idea to let me write about arts in whatever way I want is somewhat questionable, but overall, I think it’s great.

So all day, I’ve been thinking about this blog, thinking about what I want to write about. First, it was a conversation with a new co-worker of mine, and how it ties into how I experience art, specifically theatre. But then I read the news about A Series of Unfortunate Events, how Netflix is making it into an original TV series. I also read about the pervasiveness of sex on broadcast television, and how shows nowadays are pushing the boundaries. Last week was my first creative writing workshop, maybe I can talk about that?

You see, I have the opposite of writer’s block at the moment. There’s just so much to talk about and only one day a week to do it. News comes out every day about art, especially popular media like the TV shows we watch weekly. I can barely keep up. And that’s excluding the influence of my classes, how we talked about T.S. Eliot today and his poetry and how his later poems shifted into something that countered his earlier ideas and standards for poetry, and how no one who wasn’t already established as a brilliant poet (like T.S. Eliot) could ever publish the Four Quartets as their first poem.

All of this, everything combined, it makes me wonder…am I getting repetitive in my blogs? Lather, rinse, repeat. Movies, theatres, TV shows, writing.

I;m willing to chalk it up to the amazing experience I;m having at this University, how here I’m overexposed to art, and I can get my quick fix like a junkie looking for his next high as easily as I can walk down to the CC and get a passport. I’m just wondering if any of my fellow Inksters feel the same way, like they talk about the same things over and over again in a cycle, desperately trying to find artistic meaning in the forms available to us as burgeoning writers, engineers, business women, lawyers, nutritionists. Are there really no new stories to tell, in nonfiction as well as fiction?

Will The Taylor Swift Fans Please Stand Up?

October 29, 2014September 27, 2016 Jeannie Marie Leave a comment

What am I dancing to right now?

Good question reader! I don’t mind telling you at all.

Or do I?

Well, to be honest…

No, you don’t really want to know.

I know all the words though!

Oops. I wasn’t supposed to tell you that.

Okay okay fine. *Deep breath* I can do this. I’m…right now…I’m listening…well…right now I’m listening to Taylor Swift.

*Dramatic Pause*

DON’T PANIC. IT’S OKAY. I PROMISE. EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE OKAY. NOTHING IS WRONG WITH ME LISTENING TO TAYLOR SWIFT.

Really. There isn’t one thing that’s wrong with that. But why is it that I feel like it’s some big secret that I have to keep so I can retain the right to my cool kid card? Why do I feel like if I tell the guys that live 3 doors down that I like Taylor Swift that they’ll never speak to me again?

Why should they care?

These are the questions I asked when I read Vanity Fair’s article this week in preparation for Taylor Swift’s album release (which, just so you know, came out on Monday).

Now, I’ll be the first to admit that I haven’t been too excited about this album. I’ve seen it on my news feed on Facebook (because of course I liked Taylor on FB, duh), and I know all about the pre-releases of songs and such. But I haven’t really been “pumped.” I’ll probably have to blame this on her abandonment of her country roots. But honestly, after I got over the shock of “Shake It Off” being very non-country, I really, really loved it. So I don’t know what happened.

But now I have to back up. Truthfully, I’ve had a long history with TSwizzle. Cut to middle school, when her first few singles started trickling on the radio. My cousin was in high school at the time and probably knew all the words to the songs on her first album (though she’d never admit it to me), so I got the exposure there, and of course, wanting to be like her, decided that I liked me some TSwift too. And from there, things just escalated. I own I think 3 out of the 5 albums now she’s made? Yeah? And I’ve listened to every one of them. Multiple times. I got to see her when she came to Houston, and I danced to the songs and screamed until my ears rang. Taylor was where it was at.

But then, suddenly, she wasn’t. I never stopped liking her, but then my friends started talking about how shallow she was. How she only talked about her (ex)boyfriends.

So then I guess I bought into the lie. But thinking about it now, some of my best memories have come from Taylor Swift songs.

Listening to “State of Grace” on repeat. Screaming “Our Song” in the bathroom after a competition. That time I was in the car with two 22 year olds who just decided that they should turn down the windows and blast “22” on State Street. While we were stuck in traffic.

And seriously, why should anyone make me feel bad for liking Taylor Swift’s music? Does she torture kittens in her spare time? Is there some sort of mafia affiliation I don’t know about?

No. She doesn’t. And I will seriously punch anyone who tries to tell me that all of her songs are about her ex-boyfriends. Who cares? As TSwift herself pointed out, Ed Sheeran writes about his ex-girlfriends. Bruno Mars too. People have been writing about love and loss for years now. That’s practically all that’s ever on the radio. And yet TSwift gets the dump for that? How is that even fair?

And if I’m being perfectly honest, Red is one of my favorite albums. Period. Do I like all of the songs on it? No. But do I think some of the songs are so much better than anyone ever expected from Taylor? Yes.

So really, the hate on people who like Taylor Swift needs to stop. Do you like her music? If you answered no, that’s perfectly fine. If you answered yes, that’s perfectly fine.

Seriously. It’s just music.

And might I add…it’s pretty good music.

It’s music that I like.

Cuz I like Taylor Swift.

I said it. Deal with it.

That Time I Danced Thriller

October 22, 2014September 27, 2016 Jeannie Marie Leave a comment

So I was in a talent show. I know, shocking, right? I actually participated in art this time! I mean, that’s a very loose definition of art, but I did it, so that’s all that matters, right?

Here’s the skinny (seriously, why don’t people talk like this anymore, it’s so freaking cool): I’m in InterVarsity Undergrad, or IVU, a club/Christian group on campus. Our leader/staff worker/patron of silliness Jess was speaking at the weekly meeting of Asian InterVarsity, or AIV, one of IV’s chapters on campus, so naturally IVU had to attend. I mean, it wasn’t mandatory or anything, but you get the idea.

I don’t know if there’s any history behind it or anything, but AIV typically has a post-AIV thing that they do each week, and of course the week Jess was speaking they were having a talent show.

Now, I vaguely knew about this but I didn’t really know until my good friend Stefany emailed me (and everyone else in IVU) and informed us that AIV really really really wanted us to participate. The email was sent out Wednesday night. Thursday night IVU met for our weekly meeting. Friday night was the talent show.

As you can probably already tell, our “talent” was not very talent-y…and that’s being nice.

But I mean, we had a plan of action, so that counts for something, right? We were gonna use our talent of silliness as our actual talent, and by that I mean we were going to wing it the whole way.

We decided on opening with a game of “Raptor Tag,” which seems pretty self explanatory but I’ll explain anyways. You go around, hopping around like a raptor and with your arms close to your chest because “I have a big head and little arms!!!“ You try to tag other peoples’ arms without extending yours because you;re a raptor obviously, and when you lose both arms you’re out. It’s kinda like ninja meets tag meets playing raptor. In any case, we were gonna start with a mock game of that to confuse our audience. And then, once we’re all dead, Dean would give a raptor-y cry of victory, and as the beginning notes of “Thriller” sounded over the speakers he’d raise us from the dead, raptor zombies here to change the world and get funky.

This, in theory, sounds wonderful – we were gonna learn an easy, 20-30 second dance to “Thriller” and it was going to be flawless.

We had about an hour Thursday night and Friday night to learn and practice our dance. So I’m sure you can predict how utterly flawless we all were.

In reality, I was a beat ahead of everyone else, forgot the moves and couldn’t shimmy to save my life.

But the thing was, it didn’t matter. I was giggling, next to me my friend Hannah was red-faced and smiling, and the whole auditorium in front of us whooped and cheered when they heard the first beats of the iconic song. They didn’t care that we were off beat and could never live up to the perfection of Michael Jackson’s dancing, just like we didn’t care that the slam poetry section ended up being “We’re All In This Together.”

Usually, I don’t try to make grand statements about Art in my blog posts, but tonight, I’d like to try. That night, I realized something. Art is about community, about ideas being exchanged between people in a creative way. And that talent show I was in was all about community. By the end of the night, when I complimented Zander on his terrific HSM dancing, he graciously accepted and said to me and my friends “You guys should come more often.” That invitation, that acceptance of us even though we were outsiders, made me feel as though I had just built a community of my own. It made me feel that art, in it’s silliest, wildest, least choreographed, most unpredictable form, brought us together that night to soulfully sing “We’re All In This Together.”

Because we are. We really, really are.