Blood Bank

Every Breath, originally uploaded by SeaScapes12.

I just scheduled an appointment to give blood next week. This will be my first time donating; I've always wanted to, but it's interfered with my athletic schedule and I couldn't do it and then practice or play in a game. I've been saying I want to donate for years, and now here I am, about to! And I have one of the ladies at work to thank. She donates monthly, and she and I got to talking about it last month. She offered to take me along with her the next time she went, and I readily agreed. We are going over our lunch break next Wednesday, and I am going to do my part in giving back to the world. It's the day before Thanksgiving, too, and I can't think of a better way to show how grateful I am to God for the life He has given me than to donate blood with the chance to help someone when they really need it. Thank You God, for this opportunity. I truly feel like I'm on a high right now; as soon as I scheduled it, my body started jolting with excitement, and I feel like I'm going to actually do something with my life.
Bon Iver's song Blood Bank keeps playing in my head, lyrics circling until they mesh in my veins and arteries.
"Well I met you at the blood bank, we were looking at the bags, wondering if any of the colors matched the names we knew on the tags."
Beautiful song, and now it's going to have extra added value to my life.

Hopeful

Feeling hopeful for November...

Distant Winds

Distant Winds, originally uploaded by SeaScapes12.

I am the distant winds,
jumping like crickets
to your door.

Gab

Now it's almost through October and I've still been horrible at this. I'm sorry, there really isn't much of an excuse. Except that I work all day, then go and workout and by the time I get home and settled, it's dinner at nine and then bed in an hour or so. Not much of a life, but I'm living.

Two of my old roommates from college are in town for a wedding this weekend, and we are going to get together sometime tomorrow. I am so excited to see them- one lives in St. Louis and one lives in Phoenix, so I don't get to see them often. I cherish the moments. It will be so great to catch up and be myself and gab (old school word, I know) and really tell them how I'm feeling. I don't get to do that, like practically at all. They know me, and I need to release all the thoughts I keep wrapped up inside. I am so thankful for this short time together, but it's going to leave me longing for more time and fellowship. I wish God would put someone in my life that I could talk to and get together with. In other words, a friend who actually lives by me. I'm missing that interaction, but I'm doing alright.

Here's a picture for you- Happy Fall!

Come On, Skinny Love

I saw Bon Iver last night. I'm not sure words can describe the atmosphere, when they first took the stage and Justin Vernon plucked the first few strings of "Flume" and then began singing in that beautiful falsetto... just amazing. His music just gets to me, fills me, enlightens me. I definitely teared up during "Skinny Love." His honest voice, emotion dripping from every word, and all the drums pounding and pounding to the melody combined to absolute perfection. This guy spent months isolated in a cabin in the Wisconsin woods and bled his heart into the music, and he was kind enough to share it with the world. I'm amazed I got to be a part of it last night, especially since that was his last concert for an indefinate amount of time (until a new cd comes out and the tour starts up again). He definitely got a home town welcome and a great send off until we meet again. It was one of those moments that reminded me why I love music so much, and I truly believe that music can make you feel so many extraordinary emotions. I didn't want the night to end, but they don't have that many songs so of course it had to. It was one of the moments frozen in time, and on the way home the venue replayed the show on one of the FM radio stations so we listened to it as we went west instead of east on the interstate (oops- we managed a quick turnaround :) ). "Skinny Love" came on as my brother and I got home, so I kept the car in idle and we sat in the glow of headlights while Justin and his gang poured out their longing fury through the speakers. It was pretty magical.

Disclaimer: I cannot update my blog while at work, so any time notations symbolize when I wrote it in an email to myself to post when I got home.

9:36 AM How completely excited am I that I stumbled upon the article on Volcano Choir in the paper this morning??!! I had no idea Justin Vernon was coming out with a cd with another band, and from what I read about the tracks, they sound exactly how I'd picture them. I have to call Best Buy when they open to make sure they have the cd; I NEED to buy it today. And it's funny, because last night I was just thinking how I need to get some new music. Perfect timing. This could be the best lunch break ever when I go out to get it.


Photo courtesy of:
http://www.jagjaguwar.com/onesheet.php?cat=JAG156

Jagjaguwar music






Oh, and Happy First Day of Autumn! Now begins my favorite season. I can't wait for the temperature to drop, for that cool, clear burst through the air, and for the leaves to show us all their brilliance. For the warm caramel apple spice that breathes warmth into your bloodstream.



Update: 1:57pm. Just got the cd. Oh my gosh. Beautiful.

And what's fitting- it started to absolutely downpour as went out to get it, so I listened to it on my drive back as the sheets of rain slid down my windshield. So perfect. Happy First Day of Autumn indeed.

Thank You God, for enchanting and inspiring music.

Best Times of My Life

I've been having an average to down day today, so I went to Concordia over lunch to sit by the bluff. It is so calm and peaceful, renewing. The water was patchwork- light teal with dark splotches, almost as if the lake had its own reefs. I'm not sure if it was crickets or cicadas, but they were steadily chirping and flickering across my path. The stone I leaned on was cool against my back; I felt the rough edges through my thin blouse.

Being here again, with school in session and kids wandering around campus with backpacks, makes me long for my college days. And let's face it- those truly were the best times of my life.

I was free.
I had no full time job to tie me down.

I had friends.
There was always someone down the hall ready for a late night Taco Bell run or to take a walk amongst the stars.

I was skinny.
The workouts and constant activity from sunup until way past sundown left me skin and muscles; I could eat whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, and I may have even caught the eye of a male classmate or two.

The world was my oyster; I knew nothing else than the twilight whispers of wildflowers and soothing lapping of waves against the beach below.