Love Bit: Music

I haven't written a Love Bit post in a while so I thought I would share a few of my current favorite albums.

Børns

Dopamine

 

I discovered Børns and his debut album Dopamine about a month ago while looking for new music to download and have listened to it practically every day since. The music is indie popish which is right up my alley and not only is the main singer (Garrett Borns) originally from Michigan, but Taylor Swift gave a ringing endorsement on her Instagram a while back. Pretty convincing if you ask me. :)

I could never pick a favorite song on Dopamine but if you want a taste check out Electric Love , and American Money. Good stuff.

 

 

Rachel Platten
Wildfire

 

I've been listening to Rachel Platten a few months now and love almost every song on her album Wildflower, which is her first major-label album. (The only song I don't care for is Hey Hey Halleluiah, but if it ends up being your favorite I won't judge.) Rachel is relatively newly famous . She has been trying for years to make it big in the music industry and has finally succeeded in becoming a pop star with her two hits Fight Song  and Stand By You.
I could probably listen to Wildfire on repeat and never get sick of it.

Knowing that Rachel is older than me (34) makes me like her music even more, though I still have no shame in loving those Disney grown pop stars. I hope Rachel sticks around for a while; I would love to hear more from her!

Blue October
Home

 

 

I have been a fan of the alternative band Blue October for quite a while. They are one of the handful of bands I've actually seen in concert and have been around since 1998.  I believe their latest album Home is their ninth record.  Justin Furstenfeld, the lead singer of Blue October is a bit of a tormented soul and has gone through many challenges including depression and drug addiction and the music definitely reflects those parts of his life.  Not all of the tracks are dark however, some of my all-time favorite songs such as Calling You (this was kind of "our song" when Brian and I were dating) and Congratulations are quite the opposite. I admit I do enjoy an angry Justin song now and then though.

Home is Blue October's most positive album to date and Justin is currently in a really good place (according to his posts on Facebook).  I've only listened to the album a handful of times but I like it and plan on listening to it more, especially because it's a band Brian doesn't mind listening to which is somewhat rare.







I don't know how people get stuck listening to songs they have listened to for years and years and years and turn their noses up at new music that is currently being released.  Discovering amazing new artists and listening to new albums from my favorite artists are some of the best things in life. I will never have enough new music!

Love Bit #5 Newhouse Desk Lamp

 

Brian and I have recently lost a few desk lamps to the jaws of our small canine and about a month ago I finally got around to ordering a new one on Amazon. This lamp was originally going to be placed on my vanity but it has some useful functions so it is now on my bedside table.  While it's not the most decorative lamp, I like how it's relatively small and it doesn't look too out of place next to my bed. Someday I will switch it out for something prettier but for now it works. I bought the lamp for about $35 (now it's at $27!), it turns on by touch and has multiple brightness options.  I especially appreciate the USB charging port in the back because it allows me to use my phone in bed while it's being charged (my charging cable is so short so this was impossible before).  I also like the fact that you can remove the power cord so if Zuzu happens to chew through this cord I don't have to buy a whole new lamp.  While I don't necessarily LOVE this lamp like my other "love bits' I wanted to share it because it's been working perfect for me!

Love Bit #4 Big Magic!

I LOVE THIS BOOK!

Big Magic is the latest book by Elizabeth Gilbert, one of my favorite authors. I was able to borrow the audiobook through the library and I loved it so much I listened to it twice and I am probably going to end up buying a copy of the book so I can highlight and underline and reread over and over. Big Magic is all about nurturing your creativity and letting go of any fears of being vulnerable or failing or trying to be perfect or anything that keeps you from living a creative life. It inspires me to work on this blog and get back into painting and start new projects around the house. Sometimes I feel so intimidated by a task because I have such grand aspirations about the final outcome I let the pressure and fear of failure keep me from even attempting the thing. Big Magic helps me to see that I don't need to be the greatest writer in the world to enjoy blogging and I don't need to have an eye for art to enjoy painting. I create things for me. It's the process that brings joy to my life, not the end result. I think everyone can benefit from reading this book and exploring their creativity. Being creative brings such joy and sense of fulfillment in a way nothing else does, and I've learned it is just plain fun to play around and make something that didn't exist before me!

Love Bit #3 My Raspberries!

This was my first full year owning raspberries plants. Brian and I moved into our house last July and the previous owner had let the plants get so overgrown we didn't get many raspberries. Last winter I thinned out the plants and did some pruning and though I haven't been diligent with the weeding and pruning since, my raspberry harvest has been a lot bigger this year. The summer harvest was pretty thin but this autumn I've been able to gather a couple handfuls of raspberries every other day which I have been putting in the freezer until I decide what I want to do with them. I tried to make raspberry muffins with the summer berries but they didn't turn out that great. Maybe raspberry banana smoothies are in my future! Ooh or raspberry banana pancakes!

Love Bit #2 Wella Bars!

1. 

Wella Bars are my latest Costco discovery.  I love finding new foods to try and I love the convenience of bars so I decided to pick these up the last time I was browsing the refrigerated section at Costco.  I've been wanting to find something to replace my Quest Bar addiction since Quest Bars are pretty expensive and I've been eating them so often they aren't as special as they used to be. Wella Bars are organic and made primarily of peanut butter or almond butter. They are creamy with slightly crunchy bits and taste like nut butter that has been sweetened and concentrated into a bar form. There are three different varieties in each box and I think my favorite are the Powerful Peanut bars, but I really enjoy them all.  While the bars aren't super cheap (I believe a box is around $17) they are cheaper than Quest Bars and I don't have to buy them online which is nice.  Wella Bars are delicious and different and they are my new favorite thing to eat during my early morning commute into work.

Love Bit #1 October!

Love bits are mini posts about random things I love at the moment. A love bit might be something I am grateful for or something exciting or new or edible or cool, just something that brings a bit of joy or amusement to my life. A lot of people post about their favorite things on a weekly or monthly basis but I'm not going to hold myself to any set schedule, I'd rather feel free to post whenever the sharing urge strikes. 

My love bit of the moment is October! October is one of my favorite months because I love when the leaves start changing color and the temperatures get a little cooler. I look forward to going on fall walks and runs every year and this year I've had more excuses than ever to get outside and burn some energy with our puppy Zuzu.  Walks in the park with the 50 foot leash are our favorite and when the scenery is beautiful it's even more enjoyable. I get such a feeling of awe when sunlight causes the leaves of a tree to appear as if they are glowing.  It's the same feeling I get when I see a beautiful sunset or a massive fireworks display, it's captivating and I feel like I could stare for hours!