Cluster Cuss of Thoughts

I've got a lot of thoughts here. Or, as the girl from Mean Girl's says, "I just have a lot of feelings!"

Either way, I have them. And normally I try to parse them out in this blog or tell them to Russ over our multiple daily conversations. But tonight Russ is far away. So this blog is going to hear it all.

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Russ being gone is sort of my first point. He is in some remote part of West Texas. Where there is no cell phone reception. But a lot of pretty things. I'm a little jealous.

I forgot he couldn't get phone calls. So I tried to call him tonight and was dismayed to get his voicemail. Because of this, I got all down on myself about not being able to talk to him. I had a real "woe is me" attitude about it. That is, until I thought about all my friends who are military wives. I thought of one in-particular who has two small boys. I thought about how the last time she saw her husband was before Thanksgiving. I quit feeling the woes. And I said a small prayer for my friend.

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I also listened to Fresh Air today as I drove to the grocery store. One of my Professors today jokingly told us to listen to NPR today (He was chiding a student for not knowing what was happening in Lybia).

I tuned in as I drove down the frontage rode and jumped into this story about the book I Think I Love You. It made me want to read leisurely again so much! I remembered when I Skyped with my Dad earlier today. My Dad's lawyer was in the room as well and said to me, "The Third Year of law school is the worst. You'll get so tired of reading cases."
Well Mr. Dad's Lawyer, I'm there. I want to read again for fun. I was about half way through Team of Rivals last I read. (Footnote: I have a pet peeve of people who hate fiction and only read historical. Really? That's all you read? Get an imagination. I just don't understand...)
So this book intrigued me because it seemed to be about somethings that I find fascinating:

• Teen Love vs. Real Love
• Women can do their Father's jobs but are still expected to do their Mother's responsibilities
• Fear of your children repeating your choices, or hope that they will
• Preempting another's judgment of you

Anyway, add that to my bucket list. But my thoughts didn't stop here. I thought of all the books I want to write. And I got excited. Mmmm.... I need to write those down....

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Another thought that has being weighing on my mind is my friends. Friends that are struggling right now. My dear, dear friends that are akin to my brothers and sisters. And I'm talking about multiple friends. Friends that don't know each other... some that do. There's one specifically that I think about when I'm about to drift off to sleep. I quickly get on my knees and plead that they will be guided, helped, and healed at this difficult time.

But really this whole thing just got me thinking about real friendship. While I am grateful to be there for my friends, I can't help but worry that I'm saying or doing the right things. Listening at the right times, giving advice at the right times. I definitely don't want to drive them away. But this seems sort of narcissistic. Here they are struggling and all I can do is think about myself. This bothered me a bit... but then I came to a conclusion that made me feel better. Perhaps for my own comfort. I think at the end of the day I want my friends to know that I care and that I love them. I hope the one impression I leave with people is that I love. I care. I do not judge and point, but that I love them.

Sort of a cheesy thought, but it holds true. But that's the truth.

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Well lastly I think a lot about law school. I need to get back to it. It's about to get tough. And, you know, I feel like this always happens to me. I'm always doing something important, working on some major project, and I have a week where everything happens at once. That is next week. Every day next week I have serious and important things happening... expect for maybe Wednesday. So maybe on Wednesday I'll sleep 5 hours. But here's what it's shaping up to be:

• Monday: Opening Statement for Mini-Trial
• Tuesday: Advocacy Lecture, followed by pre-op appointment.
• Wednesday: Read, Sleep, Prepare, Repeat
• Thursday: Direct/Cross Examination for Mini-Trial
• Friday: Surgery

The good news is that the following week is Spring Break. And if I'm going to enjoy that, then I better get back to reading. Much love blog readers! I told you it was going to be a cluster!

Mumford and Sons

I am behind just about a thousand posts on here. I've tried to blog about the State Fair but my pictures have had a tough time uploading. As I drove home from Waco to San Marcos today, I mentally wrote three blogs:

1. Choosing Suicide

2. How I Know the Nation is Dumber

3. Twilight: I Know Why it Sucks Girls in

However, I've chosen to table these blogs, and the state fair, to deal with an immediate matter. The immediate matter of Mumford and Sons. They have a fierce grip on my heart that I have felt since the Decemberists and The Crane Wife songs.

This whole flirtation with Mumford began a few months back on the blog I read. They posted one of their videos. Mmmm. I was interested.

Then a few days later... they were on KGSR (For you Utahns, it's just about the coolest radio station ever. Don't believe me? Click the link).

I turned it up and made Russ be quiet. It was "Sleep Little Lion Man". I felt fire in my bones.

THEN they were on NPR! And if you go to iTunes you can get their radio edit of "Sleep Little Lion Man" for free (It's the 6/1/10 download, or #22 on the list).

But tonight I fell in love with them. I was watching My Generation, a show that I was just loving but got the axe from ABC and this song was in the closing scene musical montage. And that was it. I broke down and bought the whole album on iTunes (um... it was $9). And I feel in love again. Just listen to this song- the whole way through- and tell me what you think. Maybe I'm crazy.

But I love Mumford and Sons.

For those of you not keen on listening, here are the lyrics that I love:

Serve God love me and mend 

This is not the end

Love that will not betray you, dismay or enslave you, 

It will set you free 

Be more like the man you were made to be.

 There is a design, An alignment to cry, Of my heart to see, 

The beauty of love as it was made to be

Please Pick Up The Broken Bells

NPR did a story recently called "Listener's Pick 2010's Best Music (So Far)"

I will admit it, I had a "driveway moment" listening to this story. Only, it wasn't in my driveway, it was in front of the courthouse. Still, I shared a "moment" with my radio as I had ear candy of the great new tunes some great new artists are pumping out.

At number 4 was the Broken Bells. Now I've know about the Bells for a while. But I don't know if you have.

So I ask you, blogsphere:

Do you like Gnarls Barkley?

Do you like the Shins?

If you do, then you'll like the Broken Bells. It's a marriage of the two sounds thanks to Dangermouse (Gnarls Barkley) and James Mercer (from the Shins).

I was insanely jealous when Russ saw them at SXSW, while I was at law school prepping for Moot Court. But their music is so fantastic, I guess it's okay.

Here! Enjoy! Take a moment and clean up your living room while you let this video play on your computer!

2012

As I drove home from work, listening to All Things Considered on NPR, the subject was 2012, and how on the Mayan calendar, it's the end of the world.

Well that's the year I graduate from law school.

So, end of the world, you need to wait.