Concerts

I had the chance to go to four concerts within the last month. So I thought it would be fun to share my experiences and some awesome music I've been witness to. Hope you enjoy.

Chvrches

These guys are pretty awesome. The name is pronounced "churches" and they chose to spell it with a "v" so as to avoid confusion when someone looks them up online. Their entire album is very catchy and the lead singer's voice is like crystal. Take a listen:

I watched them the last part of April at the Depot in SLC. They sounded just about how you're hearing them now. That being said, concerts give artists an opportunity to loosen up a bit and/or do something unexpected. These awesome blokes, unfortunately, didn't take that opportunity, so it seemed a bit stiff. However, it was still a great show.

Haim

I'm sure you've heard them before, but maybe so your memory will go jogging:

This concert was ridiculous. I mean, they sounded OK, but it was a total show. The lead guitarist has real talent, but it almost seems like the other two are hanging on her coattails for a spot of glory. The bass player is a total ham (Haim?) and has these crazy facial expressions:

So, their theatrics were a bit distracting. I know I said earlier that concerts are meant to be spontaneous, but there was nothing spur-of-the-moment here. I'm sure they've been practicing these moves in the mirror since they were wee babes. It was very entertaining, but I couldn't help but feel like they were trying a bit too hard. I think their second album will say a lot more about their future. Their current album has some potential, so they're a definite wait and see.

White Sea and The Naked and the Famous

White Sea was one of the opening bands for The Naked and the Famous, and they were pretty awesome. (Take care, the follow song has some explicit lyrics--though, she's using the term correctly).

The lead singer can really belt it and their songs are pretty intriguing. I think of them as a more poppy version of M83, which makes sense because the lead singer collaborated with Anthony Gonzalez (the founding member of M83) for two of the band's albums.

The Naked and the Famous were pretty great. I went with my nephew, who was so stoked to go. The entire concert hall was full of kids around his age (16), and I'm sure that this was the first concert for many an attendee. The 21 and up part of the hall was pretty sparse and if my nephew wasn't there, I would've moseyed my way upstairs. 

The band was really, genuinely happy to be there and they were very engaging. They have these great little guitar licks throughout many of their songs--it's like their signature sound--that make the songs so infectious that you just want to listen to it over and over again.

See, now they struck a really good balance of theatrics and spontaneity without being obnoxious. It was a genuine pleasure to be there. Plus, I haven't seen my nephew so excited in a very long time, so it was a blast to be able to supplant that.

Sylvan Esso and tUnEyArDs 

This was the last concert of my concert-going streak and was by far the best one. It was a 21 and up show (which makes all the difference), and it was at the Urban Lounge, which is a very intimate venue.

First up was Sylvan Esso. My Marie sister found them via NPR and insisted that I check them out, and I'm so glad I did.

Their stuff is pretty chill, but danceable. They were a lot of fun and had really good musicality. Their entire album is just so great. The chick in the band is also in a group called Mountain Man, which couldn't be further from her current sound.

Keep in mind that during this whole show, I could've reached out and played any one of the bands' interments--I was that close. Proximity also plays into how well one enjoys a show.

The main act was Tuneyards. They're a bit abstract (I don't think it would be too far to call them Avant Garde or Dada), but that's kinda what makes them so awesome. The lead singer loops her own percussion and vocals to build the songs, though during this show she had backup singers and an extra percussionist. Tuneyards is heavy on visuals and color and their use thereof makes their music more of an artform. 

To watch them perform is mesmerizing and really fun. I realize that they may not be everyone's cup of tea, but they get better the more you listen to them. 

The main thing I noticed at every concert was the staggering amount of phones that were out taking pictures and video:

It was just insanity. I don't really understand taking video of something you should just experience. Capturing it on your phone and watching it later doesn't even come close to actually experiencing it. The playback is never as good as being there in person and it all kind of takes you away from just being there and enjoying it. Snap a few pics, maybe take some video/audio, but if you truly want to enjoy the show, just be present and live in the moment.

#SochiOlympics2014

The Olympic flame was put to rest last weekend and though it got off to a shaky start, it ended in high spirits and Russia kept it's dignity and, I'm willing to bet, gained some fans. What, you thought I would let an Olympics go by and I not commentate on it? Silly you.

During my usual Opening Ceremony party, many friends remarked on how horrible the hotels were and that they were sure this Olympics would be a train wreck. However, I predicted that nothing would really go wrong because Russia is in a position where they need to prove themselves to the world as a leading country that is ready to host and be recognized by the global community. Plus, Russia is not a place where you fail. (Insert racist joke about Russians stuck in prison for looking at Putin wrong.)

I feel like Sochi 2014 did just that. There were ups and downs along the way, but overall there was a positive showing that Russia is the country that deserved to host the Games.

First, the lows:

During the Opening Ceremony, there was a tiny snafu--the five Olympic rings were supposed to open in a majestic way, but one of the rings didn't quite get the memo:

It's ok though cause Russia had a good sense of humor about it. During the Closing Ceremony, they made a similar gesture, this time with dancers, and they made this move deliberately:

Well played, Russia.

But the biggest problem of the Games was the weather. Sochi is a coastal resort town that doesn't get much snow. Most of what the athletes skated, skied and sled on was imported from other parts of Russia. Now, I understand the appeal of hosting the Games in Sochi, but c'mon Russia. Your country is covered in snow, like pretty much all of it, and you chose the one city that doesn't get any snow?! You had one job!

As a result, times were slower, falls were more frequent, and for those who are used to ideal conditions, their Olympics proved disastrous. Take speed skating: the US makes a pretty good dent in medal counts in the speed skating arena for both long and short track. This year we walked away with one medal for the men's short track 5000 meter team relay. We couldn't even medal individually.

The Dutch however pretty much took all the speedskating medals back to the Netherlands, sweeping in almost every event, men and women. The US apparently had these new track suits that were cutting edge and supposed to make the skaters faster, more aerodynamic. However, many of the skaters blamed their poor times on the suits and by the end of the Games, they were wearing their old suits from the World Cup. They still lost.

I think the problem for us was preparation. The Dutch team went to Russia early and got a good feel for the ice and became acclimated to skating at sea level. The US didn't prepare as well. Add to the fact that most of our team trains in Utah, where the elevation is higher and the climate is dryer. The weather greatly affects the conditions of the ice and because the American team is used to perfection, we couldn't handle Russia's rougher ice.

The same holds true for the outdoor skiing events. Men's halfpipe was the worst since it's induction into the Games. There's always been an American to medal and, in many cases, sweep the men's snowboarding halfpipe--we didn't even make the podium this year. The main problem was, you guessed it, the snow.

Now, I'm usually not one to make excuses, but if you watched them on the halfpipe, you could tell that they were dealing with rough snow. Because of the warm conditions, officials were constantly treating the snow with salt, dry ice, even nitro glycerin, to keep the snow from melting. You could see the men bouncing around on the pipe, even without the slow motion. The women faired much better, as they are lighter and didn't cut into the snow as bad.

Now for the highs,

While the snow conditions weren't the most idealic, in other events, the US represented with pride. Here are my top three favorites of the Games.

3. Mikaela Shiffrin

She became the youngest skiing female athlete to win a gold in the giant slalom. Sure, Lindsey Vonn wasn't there to represent, but we've got an Olympic legend in the making here. Plus, she's handling all the attention in good stride, with surprise and humility and she's not trying to act older than she is with feinted maturity.

Pretty badass, eh?

2. Charlie White

He and partner Meryl Davis skated their way to gold in Sochi after fighting their way out of a silver medal back in Vancouver. They have the same coach as their number one competitors, Canadian team Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir. Virtue and Moir won gold last Olympics, so it only seemed fitting that they switch places with Davis and White. 

Charlie White is the cutest. He seems like he'd be a blast to be around and has a charming, disarming personality. Plus, he and Meryl Davis are super talented:

And I mean, look at him!

I have this one as my lock screen on my phone:

OK, I'll stop gushing. And my Number One Favorite Part of #SochiOlympics2014 is....

1. Johnny Weir

He is fabulous in every way, shape, and form, rival to the great Liberace. He and Tara Lipinski commentated the figure skating and ice dancing events for NBC Sports Network and did a great job. They became huge hit with social media--you can follow them on Instagram, and I HIGHLY recommend that you do--and the internet loved them. 

Plus, they were really good and refreshing and youthful. Scott Hamilton's usual over-critical comments and talking through the entire performance was something of which I think we were all tired. In come Johnny and Tara and they lit up the room with great feedback of what was going on and what needed pointing out to the audience at home.

There was a point where Johnny said "If the audience at home sees something that doesn't look quite right, or is a little off, it's probably because it is." I loved that because, as an avid Olympic watcher, I may not be an expert, but I'm not ignorant. Tara and Johnny didn't treat the audience like a bunch of dummies like the usual commentators do.

Specifically though, Johnny and Tara brought style to the Olympics. They often coordinated outfits and posted them on Twitter and Instagram for their fans. They had great banter back and forth and turned what could be something that has the potential of being really dull into truly entertaining spectating. There's a pretty good article that highlights their best moments during the Games.

Ch-ch-ch-ch Changes

                                          "And these children that you spit on

                                           As they try to change their worlds

                                           Are immune to your consultations

                                           They're quite aware of what they're going through"

                                                     -David Bowie

Just a little music to help you get through this post. I've been talking to a few people about the subject of change. In the past year, I've finished school, quit a job that I've worked at for over 5 years, got a new job and a promotion within the company, not to mention moving to a new house, having to take serious fiscal responsibilities, and watching yet another friend move away and another get married. Needless to say, I feel somewhat of an authority concerning change. 

What sparked the whole thing was an article in the Onion that my roommate brought to my attention. It brought about many laughs, but when we actually started talking about it, she somewhat hysterically remarked that she's not afraid of missing out on one thing in life, but all the things. 

I completely sympathize with that feeling and until very recently felt the same way. But I've also had an amazing moment of clarity that I feel might benefit the general you. 

Right down to it, I love change. I love that whole transition phase where life is uncertain. I've learned to bask in it, and though I'm not perfect at it by any means, I've learned to feel at peace when I'm in that moment of change and I'm getting pretty good at it. 

This for sure goes against the majority of opinions and most definitely against what society dictates. An article by Al Kennedy discusses why and how we dislike change, but why a healthy mindset towards change is best for us. 

He states that we fear change because society teaches us that change is bad:

"Sadly, most human authorities play to our fears and offer us stasis. They build us, if you like, shark cages for our time in the ever-changing water - consoling little pens which can't protect us when something huge and horrible arrives and we end up like Richard Dreyfuss in Jaws - all at sea. They offer apparently eternal values - eternity being unchanging and therefore reliable - the brotherhood of men, the wisdom of the free market, the evil of outsiders, the true path to heaven, the rewards of obedience. An incumbent government will warn against "changing horses in midstream" and we may accept a dire status quo because of how much worse the alternative might be. 

When we are told something threatens "our way of life" that can feel easily, dreadfully true and encourage us to tolerate all manner of prohibitions, oppressions and compulsions. Populations encouraged to fear change may only pursue it when their situation is already savage, perhaps reassured by some of those eternal values. The more savage the situation, the easier it is to offer equally savage solutions.

As individuals and nations, this can keep us from safety and mercy. If that homeless man on the street could never have been like us then he's beyond helping and we can't gain the humility to know we could also be painfully changed, we needn't try to make the world safer as a project to benefit us all. And when we intervene in other countries, we usually cling to familiar, failed templates. We are as inflexible as possible in worryingly fluid situations and quickly scared people face other scared people in self-perpetuating battles between rigid values. Change resistance produces a nightmare, which change denial means we'll pretend has been eternal."

Long quote, I know, but it is nonetheless true. Studies have shown that those who adapt and change are happier for it. In fact, one such study shows that when people go through momentous changes like finishing a higher education, getting married, or getting a job, by the age of 27, creates longer lasting contentment levels and overall physical and emotional well-being throughout the rest of their lives.

As mentioned before, most of us say we hate change. What we really mean is that change is an inconvenience. We don't like to be bothered with the hassle and stress that change causes. 

However, when change occurs, we adapt, and then that becomes the new normal. We live in an eternal circle of this: Change, get used to it, change, get used to it. We should be progressing as each change occurs.

We change everyday, unnoticeably, in the same way our hair and nails keep growing without our even realizing, until one day, we notice we need to cut our nails and trim our hair.

But it's the big changes that really inconvenience or scare us. But why?

I think we'd be much happier if we enjoyed and embraced change. This naturally envelops the idea of living in the now. After lengthy searches online for some sound, more professional perspective on change, it all boils down to being OK with just enjoying the moment, which I find most unhelpful. 

This is all easier said than done. Because when change is happening, we're stressed out, our cheese has been moved, and we just want to go home and sleep it off or find our happy zone. 

But there's something really magical and cool in the unknown, in the scary and stressful and the inability we have to control what is going on. For me, it's easiest to relate it to work--I just got a promotion and needed to be trained in order to do this new job. You have certain expectations that you set for yourself. You want to impress, to be the "star student" and not to appear dumb. 

But in all honesty, let's get real--You aren't a star student and you're going to appear dumb. Acknowledge that. Own it. Don't apologize. Everyone works as his or her own pace and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. 

That was my big epiphanic moment. When I knew that these changes and adaptations were out of my hands and that there was nothing I could do, except, of course, my best. So I savored that moment. And conversely, at that moment of ignorance, bask in it and make as many mistakes as you can, cause that's when people are most forgiving. 

So, with change and the idea of being content with the different phases you are--or are not--going through, there are three take-aways.

1. Be OK with change. 
I feel like I've discussed this one at length. Refer to the dozen or so previous paragraphs.

2. Be OK with living in the moment.
There is a study that states that for over half the tasks that we perform, we think about something other than what we're currently working on and that by doing this, even if what we're thinking about is something happy, it makes us feel sad and unsatisfied. The only exception is sex. 90 percent of people think only about sex when they're having sex, which is hilarious.

Instead of thinking about that great party last night, all the things you have to do when you get home, that one time you're old college roommates did that really awesome thing, visiting a loved one this weekend, or about going to bed, focus more on the task at hand, as menial as it may seem. You might just find yourself more content with your current situation. And if you're not, refer back to #1.

3. Be OK with others around you. Most of life's discontent comes from judging others. I'm specifically talking about that neoclassic battle between single peeps and married peeps. As a single peep, I can't tell you enough about how content and happy I am with where I am in life. I also cannot adequately express how happy I am with wherever you are in your life right now. Married? Great. Single? Great. Raising a family? Great. 

Really and truly, these are great things. I don't envy your life, I don't long for the things you have, and I don't wonder about when "my day will come." I talk to married folks and express my joy for them and many look at me with these eyes that seem to say "Poor Jana. She doesn't have anyone to go home to. She doesn't know the joy of having a companion that can journey with her through this cold and dark world." 

And at that moment of pity that sweeps over their face, I want to scream at them, "I am so so happy with me right now, in EVERY regard! Also, I am so happy with where you are in life right now! Don't look at me as if you don't believe what I'm saying! There's no hidden meaning, no revealing word choices, no underlying body language that says otherwise!"  But I am confident that if I were to say that to them, they wouldn't believe me. They'd give me another look akin to what they would give a naive child who still believes in Santa Claus a few years past the appropriate age to believe in such things. 


The point is, we need to just be there for each other, encourage each other to become the best that that we can be, and overall be compassionate and understand that just because someone has goals and aspirations that are different from yours does not mean that they are to be pitied or need your sympathy. All they need is your love and support.

And so, as we start this New Year, may we all embrace change, be content with where we and others are in life, bask in the beauty of the unknown and uncontrollable, and, most importantly, don't let fear control our decisions or our destiny. Go do:

In Which I Go On a Very Long, Nerdy Tangent Concerning Sharks

Weeks after I promised you a post about sharks, I've finally decided to hunker down and write it. For those of you who know me, this may be a dull post, considering that sharks are about one out of five topics that I frequently ventilate. However, there is a great need to discuss this issue as well.

Many have a great fear for sharks, and while their fear isn't unreasonable--I mean, just look at those teeth--

it is, well, unreasonable. On average, there are four deaths from shark attacks a year. Let's add some perspective to that. You have greater chances of dying from heart disease, car collisions, suicide, chairs, and toasters, than you do from a shark.

And I know what you're thinking. "But it's the fact that it could happen. You never know, and they are just frightening! I mean, look at those teeth!" I get it. You're scared. But that is not the issue that I want to discuss. We're allowed to have our unwarranted fears (mine is cows. They just freak me out, OK?).

What I want to talk about is the need we have for sharks in this world. They are probably one of the most essential species in the ocean. And considering that the ocean takes up 70 percent of the world's mass, I'd say they're pretty important.

You see, sharks are the police officers of the ocean. They are definitely not the favorite, but they regulate smaller fish and keep everything in balance. The ecosystem of the ocean is in a precarious place because sharks are being killed faster than they can reproduce.

Most sharks don't reach sexual maturity until they are about 10 years old, and many times they are killed before they ever reach that age. At the same time, ones that do reach sexual maturity are often hunted down--for bachelor parties and thrill seekers. Yep. While fishing for great whites is considered illegal in the U.S. and most of the world, and this law is actually kept fairly well, other species are not as lucky.

Off the coast of Florida, Mark the Shark takes tourist deep-sea fishing for the soul purpose of catching a big 'un. They most commonly catch hammerhead sharks (many of which are on the endangered species list and illegal to hunt in the U.S.--and yes, there are different types of hammerheads). They like to get the largest they can find, which means the females, most of which are pregnant. 

Hammerheads mostly deliver about two dozen pups per litter. Imagine now Mark and some dude-bros fishing off of Key West and catching a ginormous, pregnant hammerhead. Yes, it is sad. 

Conversely, many shark fishing competitions--yes, there are shark fishing competitions--are now moving towards catch and release methods. They measure their wins and then let them go. Some even bring scientists along to document on various findings, or help them tag the sharks for research.

The U.S. has been the leading country to protect sharks. America, South Africa, and Australia are the vanguards when it comes to regulating the seas to protect the sharks. (One of the rare moments we can be proud Americans.) Unfortunately, most of the countries that are guilty of using shark meat and fins don't have, nor abide by any laws. This is a two-part problem.

The first is that there are many laws that actually do limit the number of fins vs the amount of actual sharks fishing boats are allowed to carry. Typically they want to see a more balanced amount of bodies-to-fins on the boats. Unfortunately, the laws are hopelessly confusing and many loopholes exist, meaning that serious shark finners can kill as much as they want.

The second is that though there is a rise of people getting bothered about this whole shark finning business, politicians stay neutral on the issue. World-wide summits pass hundreds of bills to protect fluffy pandas and majestic elephants, but when asked about sharks, it's always "maybe next year."

There are even PSA's to help raise awareness of the issue, but many of them are highly emotional, which is definitely the wrong tactic to play for those who don't really care, or are just plain hard to get through because of the style of the ad. (Many consist of finishing each other's sentences...blegh.)

So I've clearly stated that it sucks to kill sharks, but haven't really focused on why. Let me enlighten you. 

As I mentioned in my last post, I read a book called Demon Fish: Travels Through the Hidden World of Sharks. In it, Juliet Eilperin talks about the human culture of sharks: our irrational fear of them, civilizations that worship them, our fascination of them, and our "need" to eat them.

About 100 million sharks are killed each year. This is not a joke, nor an exaggeration. Sharks that used to be plentiful are now killed at a rate so fast that there are many species that don't stand a chance of survival. 

Take, for example, the oceanic white tip shark. They used to be a very common type of shark, but now they are just about gone. Which is too bad. Just look how beautiful (yes beautiful) they are:

Asian countries use the fins for their shark's fin soup. European nations eat the meat, often hiding the true identity of the shark by calling it dogfish. Neither nation has met up with this concept and millions of sharks are finned and then tossed back into the ocean to drown.

As I mentioned before, sharks are very important to the ocean's ecosystem. In Demon Fish, you learn that many think of the ocean as a pyramid, with few predators on top that regulate the masses. However, studies have shown that ecosystems are an inverted pyramid. Larger populations of predatory animals pick out the weaklings and help control the midsize predators.

The example the book gives is when the wolves were taken out of Yellowstone National Park, new Willow and Aspen trees stopped growing. However, when wolves were reintroduced to the park, new trees popped up.

With wolves back in the mix, elk couldn't graze year-round, wherever they wanted. Also, mountain lions and bears stuck closer to their territories, even going out of their way to avoid the wolves. Sharks do the same thing. And with no regulation to how much humans can kill, we are in deep trouble.

Many scientist have calculated what would happen if sharks were taken out of the equation and have found that there would be a rise of seabirds, turtles, and seals, thereby decreasing the tuna and jack populations--fish that we also consume in high quantities.

Ms. Eilperin says "Just as we are conducting an uncontrolled experiment on the earth by emitting an unprecedented amount of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, we are altering the sea with the same sense of abandon, by yanking out...a relatively stable force in ocean ecosystems over evolutionary time."

So now what? You're aware of the problem, what do you do with this information? Tell people. Nothing is yet more powerful than old-fashioned word of mouth. You can also tell your congressmen to protect state and federal laws concerning the issue.

Oh, and maybe next time you can't walk into the ocean for fear of attack, think of this: 

Oh, and my favorite shark, you may ask? The goblin shark: Weird as cuss and cussing crazy-awesome.

Just Some Stuff I Like

Very shortly I will be writing about one of my favorite subjects, sharks, cause of this book that I'm reading. So look forward to that. Until then I thought I'd post songs that I really like based off of what I have bookmarked in my Pandora station. I'm big into music, as you well know, therefore you may think that I'd really get into Spotify or another music sharing site like that. Nay, friend. I love Pandora cause I like listening to a certain genre at a time, and I'm not a huge fan of creating playlists. Sometimes I feel inspired to put a good mix together, but it's not something that comes naturally. It would take hours on Spotify to come up the sort of song mix that I get on Pandora. Instead, I fine-tune my Pandora stations till every single song is exactly what I want to hear. I've got about five that I'm really proud of, and will continue to work on more. The songs I've bookmarked and absolutely love come from all sorts of genres and decades. It's a bit all over the place. But hopefully you'll enjoy them.

I mean, why did it take me so long to realize how awesome gospel music is?

Yes its dubstep. Don't judge.

I think I like this and only this live version better than any version.

I don't know why I like this song so much, I'm not much of a female singer-songwriter fan, but there's something about her voice that I really like. Maybe its that she's not trying to sound like someone else.

Pretty.

Ha! How's that contrast for you! Here's the original.

That's all for now. Unless you wanna check out Milo Greene. They are my absolute favorite right now.

Let Me Get My Geek On

If you've paid attention to any of my previous posts (hopefully you have), you have most likely noticed two things: I LOVE the Olympics and I am a sucker for badass chicks. So it should come as no surprise when I say I am in love with women's soccer, specifically the US Women's National Team. This last Olympics, which I am still thinking about, I discovered women's soccer. I am a huge, gung-ho American patriot when it comes to international sports. Go USA, win ALL the medals, etc. The two Olympic weeks last August was spent primarily on the couch watching 'Merica kick global ass. But I didn't really watch the soccer matches until I heard about this incident against Columbia:

Don't worry. They still won. But that piqued my curiosity. What is this? A chick who not only got punched in the face and kept playing, but helped win the game? This I gotta see. So I watched the next match thinking I would be able to do some chores around the house, write a few emails and complete various sundry items while checking back on the match. Nope. My butt was glued to the couch the entire 90+ minutes of the game. For a couple of reasons. The first is that there were no commercials during play. That means that there were commercials before, during halftime and after the game, but while the ball was in play, there were zero advertisements. That is the best thing ever. But what kept me in my chair was the level of skill and technique on the field. Men's soccer is dominated by physical power and speed. Don't get me wrong, it is also a thrill to watch, but with women's soccer there's more strategy on how to play the ball. They really have to work as a team to be successful and score goals. In a world where athletes are celebrated on an individual basis, even though they play on teams, it is refreshing that there is still one sport that remains pure. 

And so I was hooked. I watched the rest of their matches and caught up on all the players. My favorite by far is Abby Wambach. She is a true team player, and is known for saying that if it weren't for her teammates getting the ball to her, she would not be a successful forward. She is also known for her ability to overcome injuries while on the field and for her headers. She is only three goals away from tying Mia Hamm's record for most international scores ever, man or woman and 40 percent of Abby's goals are completed with her head. In fact, one of Wambach's shining career achievements came from her heading the ball. In 2011 during the quarterfinal match against Brazil the US was down a point in the 123rd minute of the game. There was only about one minute left of play and if they lost this one, they were out of the running for a chance to win the World Cup. Then this happened:

They went on to win the game in penalty kicks. And even though they lost to Japan in the final, coming in second place, they beat Japan in the Olympics a year later. The World Cup has eluded the US Women's National team since they last won in 1999. To say that I am excited to see them play in the 2015 World Cup is a bit of an understatement. I will be in Canada cheering my team on. 

In the meantime there are a couple of things to keep me going. One is the new women's professional soccer league called the NWSL. This is the third attempt for a professional women's league in here and hopefully this time it will stick. The second is that the Women's National Team meets often to play against other countries and the popularity that they have received in the past couple years has made their games more accessible to watch. So this Sunday at 2:30 pm, I will be on my couch watching the US against Canada on ESPNews. It's sure to be an exciting game because their last match together was pretty controversial. Hope to see you there.

The Sacred Harp

"Oh God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise, even with my glory" (Psalms 108:1).

This is Sacred Harp singing. The Sacred Harp is your voice. It is the oldest form of American Christian music, and is sometimes called Shape Note Singing. Basically, when the Protestant churches sprang up in the South in the early 1800's, they wanted to create music that anyone could understand to read. So each note got a shape to it and the melody was about as basic and raw as possible. Many Europeans thought that this was too primitive to tolerate, but rebellious Americans that we were used that criticism as fuel to make Sacred Harp singing more popular. Most early Christian churches used Sacred Harp singing in their services. 

The idea of Sacred Harp singing is not to perform for anyone in particular, but to perform for each other. So if you were to attend one of these meetings, watching is not really an option. And moreover, you don't really get it until you participate. 

Sacred Harp singing is loud. Really loud. The point is to sing as loud as you love God.

Also, the words and phrases are kinda weird in this modern world. Everything about Sacred Harp feels ancient. There are many songs about how youth is fleeting, we're all gonna die soon, so stay close to God. The lyrics can get really morbid and that's when it gets a little funny.

The first time I went to a Sacred Harp meeting was October of 2009 with a roommate (who turned into one of my best buds). She seemed a little hesitant about sharing it with me--many people when they first attend think its some kind of cult or just really really weird--but I loved it instantly. It was challenging because I hadn't sight-read anything in a very long time and getting used to the style of it all took some getting used to. But I love a good challenge, and I love to sing, so its a perfect combination.

Group singing in general is good for you. I heard a report on NPR that talked about the many benefits to singing. There was a Scandinavian study conducted to determine what makes humans happy and found that singing, dancing and camping all produce positive behaviors and attitudes. How funny that I am an advocate for dancing, singing and I'll be camping this very weekend! 

There is also a really good documentary about Sacred Harp singing called Awake My Soul which I highly recommend. This ancient form of music isn't going anywhere either. Active groups meet often and hold regional conventions. The official Sacred Harp organization has a list of places and times where you can go sing your guts out.