They were just giving them out at the record store...in exchange for money.

The search is over. I fell in love. For the past few years now people have been telling me that I would really really love this band, and I just didn't listen to them (my friends or the band). Well, as of a few weeks ago I was on a hunt that seemed to be never ending. I needed new music in my life more desperately than almost ever before. Too many things in my life are up in the air,  I didn't need the added stress of no new album to be obsessed with. In my many visits to various CD stores (which is a common event for me, I probably go every week to see what new previously owned CDs will be there) and searching different internet websites like this, showing me what bands are similar to other bands I already love, I kept seeing this band that my friends had been telling me about. I have had one song of theirs on my iPod for a long time, but I was always too busy with other music to listen to it. Well, I decided that now is the time I should probably take a listen. Also they were having a new album come out in a few days (from when I found them) so they were being advertised everywhere. I listened to tons of their songs on youtube, and realized my friends had been right. I fell in love with them. I will forever regret letting so much time go by that could have been spent loving them. Oh Arcade Fire, please remain in my life forever. Since I have full control over whether or not they will, it's safe to say they will. The Suburbs is one of the best albums I have heard in a while. I would tell you which song is my favorite, but that's not physically possible. If I HAD to, I might say "We Used to Wait". It changed my life completely, but so did the rest of the album. (please note the adorable kitten at the end of that video. Will someone just please give me a kitten! this is getting ridiculous)

I guess to be honest, I would have to say I fell in love twice. In my extensive search for new music I also found another band that I have become fully obsessed with. A little less than the level of obsession with Arcade Fire, but very close. They also had a new album come out a few months back and I kept seeing it at the store. It always caught my eye because of the album cover, which I personally think is quite clever and definitely something I would do. So, I decided if they are cool enough to have that as their album cover, they are cool enough for me to take a listen. So, I did. I found their song "Tighten Up" off the album on youtube and immediately became obsessed, such a rad song. Also the video is funny, and I love that the singer looks a lot like Conan to me. (Team Coco for life). Also, that little brown haired boy in the video is the cutest little boy I have ever seen. I better have sons that look exactly like that. I saw the album on sale for $8 the next time I was at the record store, and of course bought it. Right from "Everlasting Light" I was just giddy. Amazing album. Oh, "they" are The Black Keys, if you haven't clicked the links and figured out by now. (which you should do so immediately if you have not, your life will change for the better)

These two albums have been ruling my life. It just seemed important that everyone know that. (I have faith someone, somewhere feels the same extreme joy and excitement about new albums as I do. And yeah, enough to continuously write descriptive blogs about how good they are. To the rest of you, I advise you to get more excited.)

My mountain won't hurt me.

I'm sorry, but when someone in Utah tells me to look at the beautiful "mountains" I have a hard time not questioning that persons knowledge on the definition of mountains. To me they just aren't mountains and they never will be, they are just glorified hills. Yes, they are gorgeous though. (In their own special, handicapped way) Don't start your arguing, I just feel like when you are used to looking at this

I stole this from a Seattle photographer's blog, Robert Wade.

and someone tells you these are mountains

I just feel like they don't know what they are talking about.


Now I understand that Rainier is only like 1000 ft higher than King's Peak, but Utah's elevation is like 3000 ft or something higher than WA to begin with, so just shut up and deal with the fact that the Cascades are better than the Uintas and forever will be. And be prepared to fight me if you want to talk about this. Sure hiking trails in the Uintas are perfectly good and I'm always up to hike them, but again they just don't compare to this

In my last year and a half in the Seattle area, and now being back in Utah, I have come to even more fully realize my need to live in the forest by mountains and lakes, but yet miraculously still be in close proximity to incredible cities, like say, oh I don't know, Seattle. Nothing is better. I'm accustomed to it, I've spent more than half of my life doing so. I miss it so. One of my main life goals is to own a house on a lake, preferably Lake Sammamish or Lake Washington. I used to go running on the Lake Sammamish trail all the time. Every run I would just stare at the lake the whole time with a big stupid smile on my face because it is just so incredibly gorgeous. I mean seriously,  look at it...

It's somewhat hard to go from this being your driveway

driving over those potholes is "fun"

to well not having a driveway (or a house, for that matter). But if I did, I'm pretty sure it wouldn't look like that here.

Dear Washington,
I promise I will return to you one day. No, I don't know when, but rest assured our time apart is only making me love you more.
Love,
Mal

(If you must know, the title of this post is from an old man that lived in a cabin by Mt St Helen's. He was told to evacuate his cabin because the mountain was going to erupt and he told the rangers "My mountain won't hurt me" and didn't leave his house. His mountain killed him.)

For the past few months I haven't had too much time to work on my artwork, and I'm not OK with that. It's for legitimate reasons that I haven't started anything new though, so I guess I am OK with it. The itch to start something new has been just raging lately, and it must be cured. So I went to my mom's house and dug around in her closet and found some of her painting stuff. I've been wanting to try some new mediums, so I thought I would mess around with some watercolor for a bit. I haven't used watercolor since my senior year in high school, and apparently forgot how freaking hard it is. One painting that I did in my senior year won in the art show and made me an All State Artist, so I figured I would probably be able to do something somewhat decent. Well, apparently not. After like five hours I had nothing good to show for myself. My watercolor skills are pretty much gone. I was really wishing my mom wasn't out of town on one of her many river rafting trips (I swear she goes every weekend, she's so rad) because I really REALLY could have used her help. She is an insanely good artist and watercolor is her medium of choice, she could have given me some very useful tips. I guess, in my own defense, I wasn't really trying that hard either. Also I hadn't properly prepared my paper for painting, I didn't have 12 hours to soak it and let it dry. But those are hardly excuses. Although, unless I'm super into the piece I'm working on, I've noticed I do considerably worse on it than normal. And I wasn't super into the ones I was doing. But I am so excited for this semester be over in like 2 weeks, then I will have lots of time to work on my art. I already have so many things I want to draw, I can't wait.

Also, lately I haven't had hardly any time for my own personally reading (aside from scriptures), or I guess I haven't made time. It's been a few months since the last book I read for myself, and I remember that the one I read kind of made me angry. It was Tears of Blood: A Cry for Tibet, a good read, but sad. The other day Kelly and I spent way too long at DI perusing the bookshelves and I found a couple good ones for like two bucks each - A Passage to India, and A Map of the World. That second one has an Oprah's Book Club sticker on it, so you KNOW it's good...I guess. I started reading A Passage to India, then about two days later I lost it somehow. I thought it was lost to the world until today I found it hidden under a pair of running shoes and one of my drawing boards that were in the trunk of my car. I'd like to know how it got there, but I've come to terms with the fact that I probably never will. I was saddened that I didn't find the one I was searching for at DI though, but eventually I will find me a cheap copy of a bio on Caravaggio to suffice my needs. Oh, that will be the day.