Goodbye, 2022!

I hope this post finds all of you well. I just wanted to do a little personal blog to say thank-you to everyone who is following me. 2022 has been quite a year for me, and I hope next year is even better! It’s bound to be, really, considering I’m kicking things off with an Alter Bridge show… 😁🤘🏻

I already have two interviews lined up for early in 2023. Be ready for those, and in the meantime, feel free to revisit the ones I’ve already done. I’ll link them below. If you know of any bands I need to check out – or try to interview – leave a comment. I really want to do more song and album reviews next year, and I hope to do a bi-weekly Bands/Artists You Should Be Following post.

I will be participating in the GoodReads Challenge again. I think my goal will be 40 books this year. If you have any author or book recommendations, please share them with me!

Also, my second 30 day challenge begins tomorrow! This time I will be posting about movies. As always, I invite you to play along on your blog or in my comment section.

I never make resolutions, but I do have one for 2023. I’m not going to voice (or write) it at the moment; however, I will be very open once I’m in the process of getting it done. If resolutions are your thing, may you smash them! If not, I hope you kill whatever goals you set for yourself. It’s been a rough few years, and we all deserve a much better 2023.

Cheers!

Browsing Pinterest For Cool Sights – Destination Three: Neuschwanstein Castle (Germany)

Location: Schwangau, Germany

I actually stumbled across this castle on Google first and thought it looked like something from a fairytale. As you know if you’ve been following this blog, I went through a two year obsession with Rammstein, which in turn led to a fascination with their homeland and its many interesting travel destinations. I’m sure this is not the last post you’ll see about something cool/breathtaking in Deutschland.

Browsing Pinterest For Cool Sights – Destination Two: Caerphilly Castle (Wales)

Or, more accurately, the dragons that don the shoreline of one of the surrounding artificial lakes.

Location: Caerphilly, Wales, United Kingdom

The castle was constructed by Gilbert de Clare in the 13th century and is an amazing sight in its own right…

But what caught my attention on Pinterest were the dragons. They started with one that breathes smoke.

Pinterest. Credit to owner.
Richard Jones (MLA Photography)
Wales News Service

A second dragon was added, along with a nest holding eggs. Then, two babies “hatched,” and they are adorable.

Pinterest. Credit to owner.
Pinterest. Credit to owner.

Four Months of Challenges

I am about to embark on a 30 day challenge. Actually, I’m doing one each month from December to March. I figure this is a good way to ensure I have something to post every day even when I’m struggling for inspiration. The four I found are:

  • 30 Day Song Challenge
  • 30 Day Film Challenge
  • 30 Day Horror Movie Challenge
  • 30 Day Book Challenge

Feel free to do these along with me, either on your own blog or in my comments! I would enjoy the company 🙂

Seeing as music is my main focus here, I’m going to start with the 30 Day Song Challenge. Tomorrow will be day one, so get ready!

Browsing Pinterest For Cool Sights – Destination One: The Hill of Crosses (Lithuania)

Location: Jurgaičiai, Lithuania, north of the city of Šiauliai

This is a site of Catholic pilgrimage. You can learn more on Wikipedia if you’re interested.

Just looking at the pictures, I find this place to be eerily beautiful. Check it out for yourself.

This Has Been a Good Week

I know I just wrote a personal post yesterday, but I’ve received some good news since then.

Y’all… I was really brave and took a chance and now I have three more interviews heading your way! So if you’re reading this, you should definitely check out Awesome Ray Ray , Call of Sirens, and Empire Springs (who I actually just encouraged you to follow in my last “3 Bands/Artists You Should Be Following”).

Also, please make sure to read my interview with Wes of Ancient Sins!

And send positive thoughts my way: I’m working on Black Friday. Ughhh.

I hope all of you are doing well!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope all of you are enjoying your day, whatever it is you have chosen to do to celebrate. I myself am having lunch at my grandmother’s. I’m pretty sure we’re having barbecue instead of turkey or ham, but that’s okay: I got my fill of turkey and ham at work last week.

I guess I should do a things-I’m-thankful-for list, right? Hmm…

I’m thankful for family, both blood and otherwise, and my wonderful friends. I’m thankful for my amazing coworkers (even if I sometimes hate the job itself). I’m thankful that my brother and his wife are going to be able to visit in February; it’s been really hard since they moved to Colorado. I’m thankful for music and concerts and the fact that I get to see my favorites – Alter Bridge – for the ninth time in January.

I’m sure I could go on, but those are the things that top my list. If you’re reading this, tell me something you’re thankful for!!!!

It’s Already November?! Well, Here’s How October Went…

Where has the time gone? 2023 is a little under two months away… That’s crazy.

The last few weeks I’ve been slacking. My posts have mainly been song of the day posts, or new music alerts. I haven’t had the energy to do much else. Between working and being sick – sick, on my favorite holiday! the outrage! – it’s all I can do to post every day. However, I think that will change soon. I’m feeling better, a ton of tour announcements have hit social media, and I have a few movies, shows, and books to write about. Keep your eyes open for some variation in my content!

Now I’m going to finish “The Watcher” on Netflix. But let me leave y’all with a few pictures from Halloween, the Brother Cane concert, and the Gunshine/Seven Year Witch/Magnolia Bayou show! My October in a nutshell.

Motivation Monday – Asking Alexandria: “Alone in a Room”

It’s been a minute since I shared one of these posts, but I’ve been needing a pick-me-up and I figured I could share another song that’s helped me over the past few years.

I really love the message behind “Alone in a Room,” because it focuses more on coming to terms with yourself, your flaws and mistakes and all of the things we don’t exactly want to face. Sometimes, we only have ourselves to blame, and that’s a hard pill to swallow.

Back in my darkest days, when I was convinced I’d never shake my overwhelming sense of unhappiness, I heard this song for the first time. And it woke me up to a few things I had to work on, things no one else could fix for me. I played it on repeat, along with the other tracks I’ve written about, and it granted me a light at the end of the tunnel.

Check out the acoustic version here.

“Alone in a Room”

I’ve been away a little while
Sometimes I just can’t help myself
When my mind’s running wild
I seem to lose grip on reality
And I try to disregard
The crazy things the voices tell me to do
But it’s no use
I tried to own it, write songs about it
Believe me, I’ve tried; in the end, I needed to breathe
Find inspiration, some kind of purpose
To take a second to face the shit that makes me, me

All I needed was the last thing I wanted
To sit alone in a room and say it all out loud
Every moment, every second, every trespass
Every awful thing, every broken dream
A couple years back and forth with myself in a cage
Banging my head against the wall, tryna put words on a page
All I needed was the last thing I wanted
To be alone in a room, alone in a room

I saw the world a couple times
Tried to cure the ache with absence
But that hole was still a hole
And my mind kept playing tricks on me
Feeling older every day
Took everything I had to not crash and burn
But I’m starting to learn
Sometimes I’ll fall down, sometimes I’ll lose hope
But those days will be few if I keep my feet on the ground
I might be lonely, but I ain’t alone here
So I keep pushing the limits of what makes me me

All I needed was the last thing I wanted
To sit alone in a room and say it all out loud
Every moment, every second, every trespass
Every awful thing, every broken dream
A couple years back and forth with myself in a cage
Banging my head ‘gainst the wall, tryna put words on a page
All I needed was the last thing I wanted
To be alone in a room, alone in a room

I can be better than I was
I can be better than I am
All I needed was the last thing I wanted
To sit alone in a room

All I needed was the last thing I wanted
To sit alone in a room and say it all out loud
Every moment, every second, every trespass
Every awful thing, every broken dream
A couple years back and forth with myself in a cage
Banging my head ‘gainst the wall, tryna put words on a page
All I needed was the last thing I wanted
To be alone in a room, alone in a room

Positive Vibes!

The last two weeks have been really good.

Five days after seeing Shinedown in Knoxville, I went to the Spiritbox, Mastodon, and Ghost show in Huntsville. Ghost had been on my bucket list for a while, and they did not disappoint! It was fun and a little cheesy and I loved every minute of it (especially The Nameless Ghouls wrapping up their guitar duel with the instantly recognizable riff to “Sweet Home Alabama”).

And now, the days are shortening, the temperature is dropping, horror movies are starting to come on…fall is returning. Last Saturday, the college football season kicked off (ha!) and my favorite team – the Crimson Tide, of course – annihilated Utah State. We play Texas this weekend. I hope we stomp them into the ground!

Mom and I ventured out on our first quest for Halloween things on Monday. We already have our The Nightmare Before Christmas pajamas from Wal-Mart. (We buy a set every year.) I found some cute sweats that say “HalloQueen” and socks with Jack Skellington and Zero on them. Oh, and my parents got me some Hocus Pocus sleep pants for my birthday. Now I just need the Spirit of Halloween near here to open. Actually, on second thought, maybe not. Lol. I always spend too much money in there.

I’ll update y’all on my reading challenge soon, and I’m aiming to post a “3 Bands/Artists You Should Be Following” next week. I don’t have any big plans, so I should have time to sit down and put it all together.

I hope this blog finds all of you well, and Roll Tide!