me me me

I use this blog for journaling purposes I suppose, a record of my daily life, the quirks and annoyances of my children/husband, maybe even a little venting.

I will be taking the maiden voyage on what I will call the Ashley Chronicles....watch for the counterpart, the Jim Chronicles followed by chronicles of the children of course, but for now, it's about ME

Yes, I shall commence selfishness.

I was thinking the other day about music, about how our taste in music evolves, how our family, friends, and life experiences can mold and even change our taste.

Growing up I loved anything my parents loved. I grew up listening to Linda Rondstadt (don't even pretend like you know how to spell her name), The Eagles, Garth Brooks, maybe a little CCR, and many more country artists I couldn't even begin to name.

In high school I may have started listening to music that was a bit more mainstream, though I still stuck to the things I was used to, not big on expanding my horizons I suppose.

My first year in college I listened to a lot of "shallow" music....I will possibly use this term a lot when discussing music, so here is my definition of sorts...

Shallow music is usually just an excuse to use a catchy melody. The words are meaningless or cliche, they rhyme just to make the song sound good, and are intended to sell records and that's about it. They are forgettable and yet when they come on the radio 8 years later you still know the words because they're that predictable.

My second year in college I dated a boy named Kyle. Overall he was not a good choice in romantic partner, but as friends, we rocked. And one thing I will always be grateful to Kyle for is for filling my head 10 times over with the most amazing music I've ever heard. Things I would never give a second listen to became the most intriging, wonderful pieces of sound I had ever experienced.

Words became more than just a bunch of rhymes to fill up space in a chorus. I began to appreciate the truly talented song writers out there, and not just the 16 year old blondes in short school girl skirts that sang catchy tunes.

Now, I won't say that my musical preferences are perfect, I'm still a sucker for a good melody, but I take them for what they are and do not mistake them for "good" music.

I own a pretty big collection of CD's, a collection that I have not laid eyes on for about 3 years...until today. As of today, they are no longer in my youngest sister's possession.

As I popped a CD in on my way to work today I realized what a GREAT collection of music I have and how excited I am to have them back.

Here are my songs, the songs that each reflect a part of me or a part of my life...

Happy by Travis (I must find the lyrics of this one to share, it's fantastic)
Fake Plastic Trees by Radiohead
Karma Killer by Robbie Williams
Get me Away from here I'm dying by Belle and Sebastian
Things Have Changed by Bob Dylan
Green and Dumb by Roger Clyne and Peacemakers (the first song Jim and I listened to together)
I will Love you by Fisher (played at our wedding)
Tiny Dancer by Elton John
Lazy Days by Leona Naess
Gonna Make You Love Me by Ryan Adams
Dazed, Beautiful, and Bruised by Catatonia
Center of Attention by Guster

These are just off the top of my head, I'll be adding to this list as I make my way back through my collection again.