Once again, a summer has come and gone and I'm back up to good ol' Murfreesboro. I've missed this place. I really have. I've missed all my friends. I've missed living on my own. It really feels good to be back up here. Getting used to living in an apartment instead of the dorm really isn't that hard, quite easy actually. The funny thing is, that a ton of people who I lived around last year have moved into the same apartment complex as me, so it really doesn't feel too different.
Unfortunately, looking for a job is still incredibly hard/borderline impossible. So far I've had ZERO luck but I'm still optimistic towards finding one. If any of you guys has any suggestions, please feel free to let me know. I'd love some advice.
As good as it feels to be with my friends up here, I still feel kind of torn from all the people back home that I had grown close to this summer but hey, that's just life I guess.
Honestly, I'm ready for classes to start. I've been up here for a week already and have found myself being super bored sometimes. Even though I'm ready for classes at this point, I'm not necessarily ready for the workload to start up again, but I'll just suck it up and do it as always.
I figured I'd just give you guys a little update so I'm trying to keep this post fairly short. I'll end it by telling you guys about a band that I found out about just a few days ago. Warpaint is an all girl, Los Angeles-based band that has pretty much been on repeat since I first heard them. Their music can best be described as ambient, ethereal rock/pop. That's how I hear it at least. I honestly couldn't tell you exactly why I like their music so much, it just gets stuck in my head (in a good way). There are two main singers in Warpaint, but you probably wouldn't be able to tell because they basically sound the same. Their voices never really do anything crazy, yet there's a sort of hypnotic sense to them. Its just cool sounding music to me. Enjoy!
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Monday, August 15, 2011
Almost There
Well, that time of year is coming around again. The time when you're preparing to go off to college again. Its a strange time, indeed. Most of your hometown friends are already at college, which makes you look ahead to connecting with your college friends yet again. You look back on what (if anything) you've accomplished this summer and all the old friends you meant to hang out with but never found the time to. Then you feel guilty for not seeing said friends all summer. Finally, you just prepare your mind for getting back into the swing of classes, homework, and job searching (and hopefully finding).
I've already said my goodbyes to many of my close friends and accepted the fact that I probably won't see them until Christmas break. Just like last summer. That said, I am incredibly excited to get back up to MTSU and see all my friends and move into my apartment. Dang, that sounds weird. MY apartment. It makes me feel like an actual adult. Let's face it though, I probably won't actually think of myself as an adult for another few decades. Its a fun thought though.
Its been a good summer though. I had a good job and I worked hard at it. That, probably more than anything else, was what I'm most proud of this summer. Even though there were a lot of people that I had meant to hang out with but never did, I still got to be with my closest friends quite a bit. I wish I had the chance to be with my siblings more though, but I guess that's just what happens when they all live in different states. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to wait until Thanksgiving break.
Its pretty much a given that everyone knows who John Lennon is (hopefully), but have you ever listened to his son Sean? If not, allow me to remedy that. Sean Lennon has been doing his solo thing for a while, but a few years ago he began a project entitled Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger, which conveniently spells out GOASTT. This project is just Sean and Charlotte Kemp Muhl, a model-turned-singer-turned Sean's girlfriend. I first heard them once again on NPR about a year ago and had listened to them on and off since then. Last week though, I finally got some of their music and I really haven't been able to stop listening to it. Their style is like a quirky and cerebral kind of folk. The only way I can think to describe Sean's lyrics are whimsical, scientific, but with some sort of historical significance. They're very strange, to say the least, but a good sort of strange. Sean's voice sounds eerily similar to his father's, which is even weirder because they look almost identical (except Sean has some Asian in him from Yoko). Charlotte's voice is soft and soothing and it meshes incredibly well with Sean's. Enjoy!
I've already said my goodbyes to many of my close friends and accepted the fact that I probably won't see them until Christmas break. Just like last summer. That said, I am incredibly excited to get back up to MTSU and see all my friends and move into my apartment. Dang, that sounds weird. MY apartment. It makes me feel like an actual adult. Let's face it though, I probably won't actually think of myself as an adult for another few decades. Its a fun thought though.
Its been a good summer though. I had a good job and I worked hard at it. That, probably more than anything else, was what I'm most proud of this summer. Even though there were a lot of people that I had meant to hang out with but never did, I still got to be with my closest friends quite a bit. I wish I had the chance to be with my siblings more though, but I guess that's just what happens when they all live in different states. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to wait until Thanksgiving break.
Its pretty much a given that everyone knows who John Lennon is (hopefully), but have you ever listened to his son Sean? If not, allow me to remedy that. Sean Lennon has been doing his solo thing for a while, but a few years ago he began a project entitled Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger, which conveniently spells out GOASTT. This project is just Sean and Charlotte Kemp Muhl, a model-turned-singer-turned Sean's girlfriend. I first heard them once again on NPR about a year ago and had listened to them on and off since then. Last week though, I finally got some of their music and I really haven't been able to stop listening to it. Their style is like a quirky and cerebral kind of folk. The only way I can think to describe Sean's lyrics are whimsical, scientific, but with some sort of historical significance. They're very strange, to say the least, but a good sort of strange. Sean's voice sounds eerily similar to his father's, which is even weirder because they look almost identical (except Sean has some Asian in him from Yoko). Charlotte's voice is soft and soothing and it meshes incredibly well with Sean's. Enjoy!
Friday, July 29, 2011
Movies, Movies, and More Movies
There are few things in life that I can truly say I have a passion for. Sports and music happen to be a couple of the bigger ones. The other is film. I already know that in my short life I've seen WAY too many movies, and I'm totally ok with that. I like to consider myself a bit of a movie buff (but then again, who doesn't?) Every once in a while I'll get in a conversation with someone else like me and I realize that I could literally talk for hours about films. That realization is a bittersweet one simply because, although I have ZERO shame in the amount of movies I've seen, all of that information is basically useless trivia fodder that rarely becomes relevant in real life. I will say though, that I can play a mean Trivial Pursuit.
Anyways, last night I had a movie marathon with with a bunch of guys at my buddy Christian's house (the same Christian mentioned in previous posts). We watched a whopping five movies in the span of about 10 hours. Pretty pathetic I know but like I said, I'm shameless. I personally really enjoy horror movies so I was able to convince the guys to watch 2 fairly scary ones (Martyrs and Insidious. Seriously, DON'T watch the first one, you'll probably regret it) Luckily, we broke up the scariness by watching The Little Rascals in between them. There's really nothing like a little Alfalfa to cleanse your metaphorical film palate. After we finished watching all the movies at around 5, we finally decided to call it quits. Needless to say, I can't wait until the next movie marathon.
A few months ago, I first heard of this band with this really strange name on the NPR Tiny Desk Concert podcast (which is an UNBELIEVABLE podcast. seriously, check it out). The band was called Ivan and Alyosha, and they played I think three songs. I wasn't really paying attention when I first listened, but I found myself humming the melodies later on that day. So I went back and listened to it one more time...and then another...and another, etc. That's what their music does to you. Its truly addicting. Their a folk-pop band based out of Seattle, Washington that was formed in around 2007. Their songs are a combination of solid songwriting, a very cool lead vocalist, and really awesome three and four part harmonies. As far as I'm concerned, Ivan and Alyosha are about as close as it gets to pop perfection. Enjoy.
Anyways, last night I had a movie marathon with with a bunch of guys at my buddy Christian's house (the same Christian mentioned in previous posts). We watched a whopping five movies in the span of about 10 hours. Pretty pathetic I know but like I said, I'm shameless. I personally really enjoy horror movies so I was able to convince the guys to watch 2 fairly scary ones (Martyrs and Insidious. Seriously, DON'T watch the first one, you'll probably regret it) Luckily, we broke up the scariness by watching The Little Rascals in between them. There's really nothing like a little Alfalfa to cleanse your metaphorical film palate. After we finished watching all the movies at around 5, we finally decided to call it quits. Needless to say, I can't wait until the next movie marathon.
 |
| I swear, Christian's cooler than he looks |
Monday, June 27, 2011
Eggs and Car Paint (Surprisingly, Not a Great Combination)
There's really no specific reason I'm writing this post (other than the fact that I'm a little bit bored and haven't written anything in a while). I just felt like I hadn't done a post in too long of a time and I was starting to miss writing. Since the last post, nothing really significant has happened. Basically, I've just been working a lot.
"Where do you work?", you might ask. Well, I work at my old high school as a part of the maintenance staff (janitor). I do everything from cleaning carpets to painting to running cable through the ceiling. As terrible as this job might sound on paper, its actually pretty awesome. I mean I get to work with a bunch of my old friends from high school, the pay is great, and the work itself really isn't that hard. All positives. The only downside is that my sleep schedule is always changing. On nights that I'm working the next morning, I try to go to bed at a decent time (12 or 1ish). Every other night I'm not working, I wind up staying up until like 4 or 5. That can't be too good for my body, especially when I have to wake up at 6:45 on work days. But I guess that's just life for ya.
In other news, my car got egged a few days ago. This wouldn't be too especially bad except for the fact that I WATCHED it happen from 5 feet away. Talk about bad luck. I was leaving my friend's house at around 3 in the morning and I was standing next to my car talking to my buddy Dan when, all of a sudden, a black sports car drives by and eggs my car. They must not have seen us standing there because, once they saw us, they sped off through the neighborhood. My initial reaction was shock. I didn't even know what to do. Then Dan has the genius idea to go follow them in his car. So we do just that and surprisingly enough, we catch up to them. Clearly, since it was just two of us and probably four or five of them, we weren't going to try to fight them or anything. We just wanted to see if we could get their licence plate number. We got the first three letters and then they turned off and we never got the chance to get the rest of it. Now, I've always been a person that is very slow to anger, but this was about the angriest I think I can remember myself probably ever. It was probably just the fact that my car got egged by a bunch of high school kids that I don't even know that really got to me. Whatever, it happened and there's nothing I can do about it now. Might as well accept it, I guess.
On better note, I've got a FANTASTIC band that you guys need to listen to if you haven't already. Eisley has been one of my favorite bands for the last three years or so and they just released their third LP entitled The Valley (which is ah-mazing, by the way). Eisley is made up of 1 brother, 3 sisters, and a cousin from the small town of Tyler, Texas. The singers are Sherri and Stacey, who also play guitar and keys, respectively. Chauntelle, the other sister, plays lead guitar while the brother Weston plays drums. The only one not in their immediate family, Garron, plays bass. There really is something about a band that is made up of family members that makes them awesome. I'm not sure what it is, but for some reason, their voices just always seem to sound perfect together. That's part of what makes Eisley great. They have some of the most beautiful harmonies I've ever heard. That, combined with the sometimes bizarre/always stunning imagery their lyrics provide, makes for a powerful combination. I had the pleasure of seeing them live a few years ago and they sound even better live than they do on the albums, and that's saying something. Anyways, I hope you enjoy their music as much as I have.
"Where do you work?", you might ask. Well, I work at my old high school as a part of the maintenance staff (janitor). I do everything from cleaning carpets to painting to running cable through the ceiling. As terrible as this job might sound on paper, its actually pretty awesome. I mean I get to work with a bunch of my old friends from high school, the pay is great, and the work itself really isn't that hard. All positives. The only downside is that my sleep schedule is always changing. On nights that I'm working the next morning, I try to go to bed at a decent time (12 or 1ish). Every other night I'm not working, I wind up staying up until like 4 or 5. That can't be too good for my body, especially when I have to wake up at 6:45 on work days. But I guess that's just life for ya.
In other news, my car got egged a few days ago. This wouldn't be too especially bad except for the fact that I WATCHED it happen from 5 feet away. Talk about bad luck. I was leaving my friend's house at around 3 in the morning and I was standing next to my car talking to my buddy Dan when, all of a sudden, a black sports car drives by and eggs my car. They must not have seen us standing there because, once they saw us, they sped off through the neighborhood. My initial reaction was shock. I didn't even know what to do. Then Dan has the genius idea to go follow them in his car. So we do just that and surprisingly enough, we catch up to them. Clearly, since it was just two of us and probably four or five of them, we weren't going to try to fight them or anything. We just wanted to see if we could get their licence plate number. We got the first three letters and then they turned off and we never got the chance to get the rest of it. Now, I've always been a person that is very slow to anger, but this was about the angriest I think I can remember myself probably ever. It was probably just the fact that my car got egged by a bunch of high school kids that I don't even know that really got to me. Whatever, it happened and there's nothing I can do about it now. Might as well accept it, I guess.
On better note, I've got a FANTASTIC band that you guys need to listen to if you haven't already. Eisley has been one of my favorite bands for the last three years or so and they just released their third LP entitled The Valley (which is ah-mazing, by the way). Eisley is made up of 1 brother, 3 sisters, and a cousin from the small town of Tyler, Texas. The singers are Sherri and Stacey, who also play guitar and keys, respectively. Chauntelle, the other sister, plays lead guitar while the brother Weston plays drums. The only one not in their immediate family, Garron, plays bass. There really is something about a band that is made up of family members that makes them awesome. I'm not sure what it is, but for some reason, their voices just always seem to sound perfect together. That's part of what makes Eisley great. They have some of the most beautiful harmonies I've ever heard. That, combined with the sometimes bizarre/always stunning imagery their lyrics provide, makes for a powerful combination. I had the pleasure of seeing them live a few years ago and they sound even better live than they do on the albums, and that's saying something. Anyways, I hope you enjoy their music as much as I have.
Friday, June 3, 2011
Losing Teeth (And Apparently Wisdom)
Well yesterday I got my wisdom teeth taken out. Yeah, tons of fun, I know. It was a strange experience for me, considering I had never had actual surgery or been put under before. Surprisingly enough, I was actually kind of nervous coming into it, which, if you know me, is strange because I like to pride myself on being laid back at all times. I was very NOT laid back this time. So the doctor put the IV in and I had no idea what to expect. I felt totally awake and then the next thing I know, I was waking up an hour later. My entire face was numb, which can be incredibly frustrating when you're trying to talk. I guess that wore off in about an hour after the surgery. Then the REAL fun started. My mouth hurt so much worse than I ever expected it to. I was miserable. Then the good ol' meds kicked in and I felt great. Luckily, my friend Morgan got hers out that same day, so we were comparing stories and pain all day. Its a refreshing feeling to have someone going through the exact same stuff you are.
My face wasn't especially swollen yesterday, but today it got a little worse. Fortunately, I've had a big old ice pack stuck to my face to hide the swollen-ness. Thank God for the little things, I guess.
In other news, my big brother Collin got called up to the AA team in the minor leagues last week. He got to start and pitched really well. Needless to say, I'm a proud brother. Hopefully he'll be able to stay there the rest of the season, or even get moved up to AAA. By the way, he writes an awesome blog called "A Day Older, A Day Wiser". You should definitely go and read it because it gives great insight into what it means to be a minor league pitcher and also a newlywed couple. Go check it out.
I recently found out that one of my favorite bands of the last year or so just came out with a new CD. Company of Thieves is an alternative band based out of Chicago. This three-piece came out with their first CD a couple of years ago and I've been listening to it ever since. The lead singer, Genevieve Schatz, has a powerful voice that complements the music in a very unique way. Anyways, I'm stoked to get their new album and I hope its as good, if not better, than the last one. Here's their singles "Oscar Wilde" and "Death of Communications" from their first and second albums, respectively. Enjoy!
-Colby McHugh
 |
| This give a whole new meaning to the term "getting swole" |
In other news, my big brother Collin got called up to the AA team in the minor leagues last week. He got to start and pitched really well. Needless to say, I'm a proud brother. Hopefully he'll be able to stay there the rest of the season, or even get moved up to AAA. By the way, he writes an awesome blog called "A Day Older, A Day Wiser". You should definitely go and read it because it gives great insight into what it means to be a minor league pitcher and also a newlywed couple. Go check it out.
I recently found out that one of my favorite bands of the last year or so just came out with a new CD. Company of Thieves is an alternative band based out of Chicago. This three-piece came out with their first CD a couple of years ago and I've been listening to it ever since. The lead singer, Genevieve Schatz, has a powerful voice that complements the music in a very unique way. Anyways, I'm stoked to get their new album and I hope its as good, if not better, than the last one. Here's their singles "Oscar Wilde" and "Death of Communications" from their first and second albums, respectively. Enjoy!
-Colby McHugh
Saturday, May 7, 2011
One Year Down.....
Well my first year of college life is officially over. Honestly, I feel like I just moved into my dorm last week. It flew by that much. Its hard to believe that it's over and I'm back home in Atlanta living with my parents again. Needless to say, it's an adjustment. Not necessarily a bad one though. I'm truly excited to see all of my high school friends again. I've missed them quite a bit. Unfortunately, I'm not going to be able to see a lot of my college friends this summer because they're from all over the place. Anyways, there are a lot of things I'm going to miss about not being at college this summer and probably an equal amount of things I'm NOT going to miss.
So I've made a list of pros and cons of moving back home. Enjoy.
Pros:
1. No more Mcallie (that's our dining hall, which consists of the laziest workers on the face of the earth. Oh yeah, and the food sucks big time)
2. I don't have to worry about school work for FOUR MONTHS. Awesome.
3. I'll actually have a job in Atlanta. Sorry Murfreesboro, I'm kind of starting to get sick of your over-saturation. Seriously.
4. I'll get to hang out with some of my best friends in the entire world. You guys know who you are.
5. My sister and brother-in-law live close (relatively) now. I guess the same goes for all of my family. Oh wait, nevermind that because Evan lives in Nashville and Collin is in Port St. Lucie. Eryn, I'm glad you're still in Atlanta.
That's all the pros I can think of so far so here are the Cons:
1. I won't get to see most of my college friends until next semester. You guys also know who you are. I already miss you guys.
2. I'll probably find myself being incredibly bored at certain times this summer. Its bound to happen.
3. I won't be able to go to the rec center at MTSU and play pick-up basketball games with people who automatically think I'm bad. Its ok, I relish the idea of proving them wrong.
So I think that's all I've got at this point, but thanks for putting up with all of these posts these past two semesters. I understand if they're pretty lame. And I'm totally ok with that.
As you go, I'll leave you with a video of I think 3 songs from this guy that I've been listening to like crazy for a while. His name is Conor O'Brian (yes, of course he's Irish) and he's the frontman for a band called The Villagers. They're awesome so enjoy. Oh yeah, try to ignore his terrible teeth. They can be a bit of a distraction.
So I've made a list of pros and cons of moving back home. Enjoy.
Pros:
1. No more Mcallie (that's our dining hall, which consists of the laziest workers on the face of the earth. Oh yeah, and the food sucks big time)
2. I don't have to worry about school work for FOUR MONTHS. Awesome.
3. I'll actually have a job in Atlanta. Sorry Murfreesboro, I'm kind of starting to get sick of your over-saturation. Seriously.
4. I'll get to hang out with some of my best friends in the entire world. You guys know who you are.
5. My sister and brother-in-law live close (relatively) now. I guess the same goes for all of my family. Oh wait, nevermind that because Evan lives in Nashville and Collin is in Port St. Lucie. Eryn, I'm glad you're still in Atlanta.
That's all the pros I can think of so far so here are the Cons:
1. I won't get to see most of my college friends until next semester. You guys also know who you are. I already miss you guys.
2. I'll probably find myself being incredibly bored at certain times this summer. Its bound to happen.
3. I won't be able to go to the rec center at MTSU and play pick-up basketball games with people who automatically think I'm bad. Its ok, I relish the idea of proving them wrong.
So I think that's all I've got at this point, but thanks for putting up with all of these posts these past two semesters. I understand if they're pretty lame. And I'm totally ok with that.
As you go, I'll leave you with a video of I think 3 songs from this guy that I've been listening to like crazy for a while. His name is Conor O'Brian (yes, of course he's Irish) and he's the frontman for a band called The Villagers. They're awesome so enjoy. Oh yeah, try to ignore his terrible teeth. They can be a bit of a distraction.
-Colby McHugh
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Just A Little Update...
First of all, I'd like to apologize for not keeping all you guys updated in blog form. I guess I've just been a little more scatterbrained this semester than I had originally expected. Nonetheless, there have been some happenings in my life that some might consider significant. Of course, I'm referring to me cutting my hair.
Yep thats right, it actually happened. Let the record show that COLBY MCHUGH CUT HIS HAIR OF HIS OWN FREE WILL. Normally, I wouldn't be making a big deal out of this at all, but it seems that it is in fact quite a huge deal (at least according to all the people who no longer recognize me, which is a little too many for my comfort). People keep asking me, "What made you cut it?" and I always give them the same answer: "It was just the right time, I guess". That's really the only way I know how to describe the decision. I figured I'd played around with the long hair for a while, and now people had begun associating Colby McHugh with long hair. What mean when I say that is that having hair became all I was to everyone around me and nothing more. I didn't like that. So, I figured the best way to deal with that was to just cut it without telling anyone, and then see their reactions one by one. I must say, it was quite entertaining watching friends look at me and do triple takes before they realized it was me. What's funny to me is the fact that, up here at MTSU, people don't even know what to think of me with short hair and back home in Atlanta, I'm back to normal in their eyes. Its backwards almost. Whatever, I'm sick of talking about it at this point.
One thing I'm NOT sick of talking about is music, of course. I've really been listening to a super talented singer/songwriter from Minneapolis named Matt Moberg. The first thing that got me about him was his unique voice. The only person I can think of that he really sounds like is a guy named Joshua James, who I talked about in a post a while back. The second thing that got me was his great songwriting. He tells stories and paints pictures with his songs, which is something that I've always enjoyed and appreciated in writers. Anyways watch these videos, and let me know if you like him as much as I do. Oh yeah, I almost forgot! His EP is FREE on Noisetrade.com! There, now there's no excuse to not go out and get his music! Enjoy!
-Colby McHugh
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)