Life Through Music: "7th Period: 7 Weeks" by Gym Class Heroes

“Where the hell has he been?” That is the question that you should probably be asking me at this point if you are a regular reader on my blog. I don’t even remember how many weeks ago it was since I last posted an entry. Well, I have said before that my mind is always going and my lack of blog entries has nothing to do with me not having anything to say. Believe me, that is far from it. What has happened to me over the last few weeks is, that I have really just been very busy in my life. Which leads me right into my song of the week. 

I heard this song a few weeks ago and the chorus really spoke to me. The part of the chorus where it says “This is how it has to be, a kiss for luck, submerge myself, and in 7 weeks resurface, I'm like this. Even if we don't look back again” is a direct reflection of my life as of late. This is another case where the song as a whole, isn’t a direct connection to me, but the overall theme is. In the blur of my time in school I have had to separate myself from many of my friends and family because I just don’t have the time for all the great people in my life. I know most of you understand that and I know it can be just as hard to have me disappear. I want you to know I feel very blessed to have so many people that want me to be involved in their life. Saying that I’m truly blessed doesn’t even put it into words. Far and near I have met great people and all of them continue to amaze me.

What do I mean when I say disappear? What is it exactly that I’m doing with my time when I do?

Well, my focus on my health has not wavered and if anything it has gotten even stronger. I say it all the time that I’m the most focused that I have ever been when it comes to my heath. I have been very focused over the past few years and I have spent more and more time pushing myself to the next level that is me. Longer bike rides, different kinds of workouts, and even further advancing my detail to what I’m eating.

It takes time to workout and to cook my own food so that cuts into my free time outside of my full time job. These things are so important to me and those that love me truly know that, and respect it. For that, I’m grateful.

There are many things that get put lower on the list of todos in my life. Things like playing video games, writing, reading, cleaning, and even some of the many side projects I want to get done as well. Oh and my love life....or the lack there of, also has been put on the back burner for a looooooong time. It’s just the way it has to be for now I suppose and I have to be ok with that. It won’t always be this way, but for now it’s a must. To the important people in my life I want you to know that you aren’t the only thing I sometimes have to put on hold.

I’m so focused on my health goals, but I still know I have more room to grow. I just keep pushing. I want the best for myself and so far all I have done only makes me want to do more. I truly feel the best that I ever have, right now, every moment I breathe. Everyday I feel lighter and lighter and not just physically, I feel as though each day is opening my life up to the opportunity of more fulfillment. It’s a feeling that keeps me going and I’m loving every moment.

Lets look at the lyrics to see if there is some other things I can take away from this song.

My life's these yellow lines, concrete and parliament butts

Exhaust fumes and rest stops who drive hard for their bucks

Load in, sound check, play show, load out

Let's go, next city, oh great, off day

Hangovers, hangups, dial backs, running make up

Apologies and promises and nobody acknowledges

That boys in bands got it so damn bad

But we love like the last cigarette we'll ever have

I'm putting miles on my body 'bout due for a tune up

In this gas station, food ain't really helping but

I'm loving every minute, every road signs a reminder

Of exactly why we did it to begin with

(Yes, I can totally relate. I’m loving every minute and every “memory” is a reminder of exactly why “I” did it to begin with. There are many things that have pushed me forward with my health and many things that I look back on to see my progress.)

This is how it has to be

A kiss for luck, submerge myself

And in 7 weeks resurface, I'm like this

Even if we don't look back again

(This is the part of the chorus that really spoke to me. All that I do in my life that makes my life more hectic and busy are all necessary. I have to submerge myself and eventually I will resurface to check in with the world. Whether that is posting things on Facebook, texting friends and family, or actually seeing people in real life. I try not to stay away too long. I’m trying to further my education and do something with my life, but I don’t want to completely submerge myself for 4-6 years and then reemerge back to the world after I get a degree. It’s important to still try to live my life while going to school, but it doesn’t always work out quite as balanced as I want it too be at times.)

Tired boys with wired eyes

Exposing imperfections to the public eye

We're perfect, I'm like this

Even if we don't look back again

I like these hotels, passports, random bag checks

Day dreams of love affairs that I haven't had yet

Touch down, baggage claim, new town, different dame

Same clothes, 7 days, whew, damn, I need to change

(I can relate in the fact that I sometimes feel on autopilot just doing what I need to do even if it seems repetitive. It’s the way it has to be.)

And it's a lifestyle I wouldn't recommend

Wild 'n out on a level Nic Cannon couldn't comprehend

(Fuck out of here)

We made a lot of friends and even more enemies

Some of which were genuine and others just pretend to be

Soft raving baby, life's lovely

Even when the gray rain cloud's right above me

(Life is lovely and even when the sky's are gray. I have built my own sunshine within.)

The girl's textin' me talkin' about gettin' all cuddly

'Cause you paint a pretty picture but the frame is so ugly

This is how it has to be

A kiss for luck, submerge myself

And in 7 weeks resurface, I'm like this

Even if we don't look back again

Tired boys with wired eyes

Exposing imperfections to the public eye

We're perfect, I'm like this

Even if we don't look back again

And now it's back in a van with four of my mans

Until we catchin' a tan on the Florida sands

I feel like tourin' this land's made me more of a man

From killa California to the shores of Japan

Good times stayin' up late in Austin

Coast to coast, V8 to Chicago

To gettin' up with Johnny Cupcakes in Boston

And smokin' that most great eight in Colorado

Home ain't home no more

I hug the road and kiss the concrete

And sometimes I even hear her heartbeat

No matter where we go or where we at

We carry upstate on our back, it's like that

This is how it has to be

A kiss for luck, submerge myself

And in 7 weeks resurface, I'm like this

Even if we don't look back again

Tired boys with wired eyes

Exposing imperfections to the public eye

We're perfect, I'm like this

Even if we don't look back again

This is how it has to be

A kiss for luck, submerge myself

And in 7 weeks resurface, I'm like this

Even if we don't look back again

Tired boys with wired eyes

Exposing imperfections to the public eye

We're perfect, I'm like this

Even if we don't look back again

So a lot of you don't realize

There's a whole subculture

Of boys driving around in vans

Even if we don't look back again

Looking for your daughters

And your lottery tickets

Love it or leave it, I'm like this

Even if we don't look back again

(This is me and this is my life. You either support it or otherwise we might end up going different directions. Which is neither wrong or right, but for me all these things are important and “this is how it has to be”.)

I love my life, bitches

(I love this part of the song because I say this all the time. I love my life. All the good and all the bad. I love my life and this is how it has to be. )

Even if we don't look back again

Even if we don't look back again

The overall theme of traveling in this song also speaks to me in the sense that I have been trying to get out and see the world as much as possible. I have done as much as my busy schedule will allow, and I continue to do more.

I have learned that as you get older it gets harder and harder to see those that are in your life for many reasons. Grown up reasons. I just wanted to take a moment to say to all those that are in my life I understand and I hope you do too.

As always I bring this to you with so much love and pure D-lite. = )

So whats all the hubbub about?

So this is something that I have thought about doing for a long time. For those that have been following me on facebook you have gotten a glimpse of the path that I am on again with all the very long status updates. I am creating this blog because I want to have more in depth place to share for lack of better word me. More importantly I want to inspire others through my experiences. I talk a lot and even more when I am happy. Well guess what I am very happy these days. It hasn't actually been easy getting back to this point, but I am going to try to draw out a path with words so you can understand. Then we can move on to the now for whatever brings delight to my life and yours. Confused yet its ok all will be explained. Get cumfy cozy and get ready to do some reading.

Ok *takes a deep breathe* where to start. Is this a story you say when gathered around the campfire...get your marshmallows ready kids...lol. Probably too long for that, but hopefully I can give you some sort of idea where it started.

I guess we will go back 6 years ago to the breaking point... Febuary 10, 2004 3am. Seems so long ago now. I woke to the sound of pounding on my bedroom door, it was my sister and she was in tears. All I remember her saying over and over is"Dad is dead''. I was in total shock... I remember just sitting on the edge of my bed saying to myself.. "my father is dead". Little did I know how much that event would truely change my life forever.

(Oh, as a side note for all those that have bad relationships with there parents or any family member. Reguardless if you say you will feel nothing when they pass. It will have an effect on you. How it effects you I have no clue, but it will.)

Now I am not going any further into that subject because that is not what this blog is about or atleast this entry. That morning was the begining of the rest of my life. See I had done many things to improve my health long before my father died. Soon as he died it was like I really woke up. Then started taking bigger steps. Bigger and bigger.... then giant. I just ran acrossed a picture that I took I believe in 2005 when I started working out seriously... wow I have come a long way. It's nice to have those reminders. Anyways, I met my wonderful doctor around that time and told her that I was ready to take it through final steps. Whatever I needed to do I was ready.

Well, through a doctor (that actaully care about me for the first time in my life) I got focused on taking it to the next level. This meant sacrifices... lots of them... more than most would be willing to take. More importantly I started listening to my body. Man if everybody did that you would be suprised what change can be made to your life. It isn't till later in your life when things start messing up and shutting down. Then we go.... what happened? I have always tried to be pro active. Speaking of being proactive a customer that comes into my work regularly told me the other day she was out jogging 4 miles a day because she is too fat to be on her insurance....can I get a WTF. How is that kind of action going to help her get anywhere? Oh your to f*#%ed to be helped at all. Sure some of you would say "well she is out jogging 4 miles", but on finding a path to better yourself it helps to have as many tools as you can. Not just throw the baby in the water and hope it can swim. Surrounding yourself with the right people and tools is very key to finding your own path to better health.

 So I had worked out pretty consistant since my father died and I was scared of having a heart attack. Being 0ver 350 pounds will do that to ya. So when I met Dr. B we started looking at my diet and checking my actual physical body to see where I was at. She then started getting on me about where I needed to change. She was very black and white about it. That is what I needed and she always knew when to kick me in the heine and she still does. It was very hard at first... I still have battles with it all the time. Why haven't I given up or given into the temptations? Because you have no idea how good I feel right now. About late 2006 into 2007 I really started seeing the results. The more results I saw and the better I felt made me work harder at it. Somethings became second nature to me as things "I have to" not "well I should probably do". There was many nights I started to see my path to delight. Her is a blog I posted on Myspace to show you when I really started listen to myself and the world.

July 25,2007

A cool breeze, night sky filled with beautiful stars, off in the distance the radio towers with a partial skyline of Portland, short walk through trees and white flowered weeds. Its a shame not to share this wonderful summer night with someone. The universe gives us so much beauty, so much. Looking at the moon to realize how small and how powerful we are. I feel like climbing the highest mountain and sitting forever. To look up at the stars and float away....I feel so at peace. It's just that conscious lives...and comes through on nights like this. I have never ever felt this way, this good. Not sure that people know about the new journey I am on. I feel like I am finding and feeling new parts of my soul. Surrounded by love and support. A long walk with sis to remind me how much she means to me and how much love we share. Watching a friends kids to understand beginings and hope for the future. New and old music to keep inspiration flowing. The urge to spill my emotions on a blank canvas. The thing I fear the most is my power to become fearless. The power to change the world starts with yourself. I just want to be. The thought of possible romance, the yearning for a touch of passion, the power of a smile....truley doing wonderful beyond words that are not created or translated yet. I tried anyways...Peace and Love. D~

Reading that now it is still so very much how I feel now, but 100 times more. So I am truely on a path that is leading me to great things. I have recently entered new territory as far as my body goes. I have not been the weight I am now since probably Junior Highschool, but really that is only a guess. It feels great and is very exciting. I just feel so wonderful.... Best I have ever been. Most of you (if you are still reading) probably think I am crazy or doing drugs.. or maybe even both. I'm truely (as cheesy as it sounds) high on life.

So what does all this mean to you. Well I want to inspire you to find your path of pure delight. I want you to bridge the gaps, create, believe, love, grow, and enjoy life as we know it or as we are learning it. You will get a glimpse into my life and thoughts. through all sorts of things. Memories, Movies, MUSIC, books, art, and anything inbetween. I will be talking about music a lot. Music really drives my soul. I have recently been finding a lot of great music. Hopefully it will be taking you to new places. Feel free to comment or post any type of response. Everything sparks something else. Like for instants before I started this blog I posted a status update of something that I thought of that made me have a flashback. Here is is:

While I was eating an apple with peanut butter in the glow of my computer screen I had a flash back. I was 5 or 6 years old I would sneak downstairs on the weekends at 5am in the morning to see my favorite cartoon M.A.S.K. I would sit right in front of the TV turn the volume on the very lowest level. Eat peanut butter straight with a butter knife. lol Sometimes I got caught sometimes I didn't... so worth it.

These are some of the random thoughts I will be sharing with all of you. Let me know if that sparks anything for you. Do you have a favorite cartoon? Or did you sneak around doing something you just couldn't help?

With love and pure D~lite

My Spring Break in Arizona with Jason Heine

I did it. I successfully went to visit my cousin in Arizona during Oregon's ugliest part of the year. This is something I started a year ago and my goal is to do this from now until infinity. Who would spend a few hundred dollars to fly somewhere to see a family member SOLELY for the purpose to hangout with them? That's right, ME. The only plan I had was spending time with my cousin so we can laugh, play, and bond. 

Last year was the first year I embarked on my journey to the Southwest and it was fantastic. This year I went at the end of March instead of February, because I'm in school and spring break was the only option I had before summer. Thinking about it now, I have never really done anything special during a spring break of years past which supports the common theme for my life lately: “times are a changing”.

I started my vacation at the end of winter term. I spent the day recovering from school and getting myself in vacation mode on what was a decent spring day in the Pacific Northwest. No matter how hard Oregon tried to keep me with this weather it was far too late. At this point I’m sooooo done with winter and so ready for spring. Especially because the week before I left to go to Arizona, the weather was cold and nasty. Winter was definitely getting its last bit of nasty weather out before switching to spring. By march I'm ready for more sun and warmth. Arizona seemed the best place to get that and hopefully, I would somehow capture this warmer weather from Arizona and bring it back with me on my return. One could only hope right? So off I went.  

The flight did have a bit of turbulence on take off and landing but was pleasant nonetheless. Something that I realized about myself on this plane ride, was I don't feel comfortable until the decent of the plane. I think that I have mentioned before that I’m not the biggest fan of flying, but I have gotten better. Especially because it usually means that I’m going somewhere awesome. Kudos to the pilot because when landing in Phoenix, they put the plane down on the runway silky smooth. I have to give credit where credit is due and that landing was one of the best I have experienced. 

Also, on the flight there was a bit of a medical emergency. Two doctors and a nurse helped a woman, which from what I heard, this woman had low blood sugar and she seemed to get better as the flight went on. I bring this up for two reasons; one being that it fascinated me because I always wondered what happens on a plane when there is a medical emergency. Secondly, because this situation brought out the worst in the passenger sitting next to me on the plane. The two people who sat next to me on the plan was a mother and her autistic child, who I think was in their late teens or early twenties. Most of the flight was fine and I wasn't really bothered by either of them. Until the woman had the blood sugar issue that caused all the flight attendants to focused their energy on her instead of passing out our in flight drinks and snacks. The flight attendants had been taking orders just before this woman starting having issues. Now, because they were trying to get things under control with the woman, they stopped focusing on getting the food and drinks. Which is absolutely the right thing to do and would expect the same kind of focus on me, if I was the one having a medical emergency on a plane flight. Well, I have found that not everyone in this world is that caring. The mother sitting with her son made a comment that really made me sad. After her son kept asking about snacks she said to him and I quote, "Well, because some woman needs help we don't get our snacks or drinks." REALLY? Wow… Have some compassion for a woman having a medical issue at an altitude of  30,000 feet. You think a woman with an autistic son would have more patients or compassion. Nope, guess not. It gets better too because the mother finally gets up, goes through her carry on luggage and pulls out a big bag of fruit snacks for her son. If you had something to eat in the first place then why the hell are you complaining? The drink and SMALL bag of crackers or peanuts really isn’t enough to feed anyone. There are many things in life that just make me sad and this was one of them. Anyway, I shall move on.

I landed in Arizona (remember that silky smooth landing from the pilot) and Jason met me on my way to get my baggage. I’m always so happy to see him and that has been the case all through my life. I won't go through the minute by minute of what happened from here, but just know that when we hugged my vacation truly started. Jason has and will always be one of those people in my life that no matter what is going on we always have fun. For the rest of that day and the other 4 days, nothing but good times were had.

One thing I wanted to do while visiting Jason was make a playlist of songs that remind me of him. That way we could listen to it on our 45 minute drive from the airport to his house. Well, after going through all my music I realized it would be hard to keep the playlist to 45 minutes. After I had gone through all my music I had a playlist of over 8 hours. So a 45 minute playlist was a no go, and figured I would try 120 minutes. Which is a standard amount of time on a regular CD these days. Nope, still a no go. This was just music that I had on CD or on my computer. I knew that even with all the music I collected for this challenge, I was still missing many, many songs. I managed to get a playlist to under 100 songs by the time I left to see him. Even though the playlist was much bigger than I first set out to build, I think I did a very good job at picking songs that really represented our history with each other. Boy was it tough though, but a fun little challenge I set up for myself. Music plays a huge part in both of our lives and so you can image that there would be lots of music that connects us. All this music is connected to our long history as cousins and friends. As you can imagine we didn’t finish the playlist during our trip back from the airport, but we continued playing songs off of it at his house and whenever we went out. As we went through each song I had a story and a memory to go with each. It helped us both go back in time and relive some of the great times in our lives. The music that we listened to was sprinkled throughout my trip and created a great soundtrack for the vacation. The beauty of this is that the playlist is still on going because Jason and I talk about music even to this day. His influence in music that I listen to is so strong that I would say out of the 400+ CDs, Jason has probably been a part of 50% of my collection. He still does to this days as well. 

My trip to see Jason is basically a gamer weekend to the next level. My cousins place in Arizona is a gamers paradise. From actual arcade machines in his living room to all his electronic toys, there is definitely no shortage of things to do. It’s always hard trying to decide what exactly we should do. Last year I went through his collection of video games and picked out many that I hadn’t played for different consoles. We ended up making huge stacks of games that we played through. This year I told him to pic out some gems from whatever consoles he felt he wanted to play. He definitely picked out some awesome games. There are many ways to play games with people across the inter-webs these days and Jason and I play frequently online together. You know what though? I still prefer sitting next to the person I’m playing with and just enjoying a game with them. That is exactly how Jason and I gamed for years before online gaming really took off. I use to bring my actual desktop PC out to his house every weekend for many years. Yes, even my big monitor was buckled into the backseat of my Acura Legend on every trip I took out to his house. If that doesn’t give you a better idea of my dedication to gaming then I don’t know what would. So, being there at Jay’s place with nothing but us and video games is exactly where we feel right at home. The four days of my trip is definitely not enough time to play everything, but we made the best of the time we had that is a guarantee. 

Even with all the gaming we did with each other, we actually managed to leave the house a few times. Also I did take a shower everyday while I was in Arizona, I wasn't plugged in all the time. The weather was a perfect mid 80 degrees. This was far different from the weather that was going on in Oregon. Every time we left the house we chose to drive in Jay’s lovely Spa yellow 2002 Honda S 2000 convertible. Man what a fun and perfect car for cruising. Jason was nice enough to lend me a pair of sunglasses that actually looked pretty damn sweet on me if I do say so (see picture below). Cruising around listening to music was another thing that we did a a lot when Jason lived in Oregon. Arizona is no exception, lots of sunshine and music was enjoyed as we drove around. 

Why on earth did we even leave Jason’s video game palace? Well, to hunt for more games of course!  One of the great things about Arizona is they have a chain of stores called Bookmans. At these stores there is a collection of used books, CDs, records, music equipment, and so much more. My favorite section in Bookman’s is the used video games and consoles section. Last year was my first time in one of these stores and my mind was blown to say the least. Their collection of used video games is the best I have seen and the prices for the most part are fair. Last year I spent around $150 dollars between the two Bookman’s that Jay took me too. This year I was trying to be a little more picky about what I bought and how much I spent on games. I didn’t get any super rare finds, or any of the games I always check for, but overall I got some real classic games to add to my collection. Looking over the collection of NES games I have now I really feel I have some of the best NES games. Which really got me back into that console. So, after visiting two stores I ended up spending a little over $100. Hunting for games is one of the many things I love doing with Jason. We both really like digging through the games to find the deals and gems. 

While we were out and about we stopped and had one of my other favorite things that I only get in Arizona. That of course is In and Out Burger. Now for those of you that have never been to an In and Out, you should definitely give it a try if you ever get the opportunity to do so. They are only located in California and Arizona I believe. Every time I’m in either of those states I try to make a stop. Now for those of you reading this that haven’t experienced In and Out Burger let me just say this; In and Out is not the greatest burger place on the planet, however, In and Out Burger is definitely one of the best fast food burger joints I have ever eaten. The thing about In and Out is that they keep things simple and consistent. What I like most about them is that they are the only ones that do a lettuce wrap burger so its easy to eat. Every other fast food place (Burgerville included) just throws the patty and lettuce in a box with the condiments. Not at In and Out, they do it right and for that I appreciate the extra effort. They use quality product too which is the main reason that they say they won’t expand outside of Arizona or California, because they want to be able to use products that are local to that region. When reading the book titled Fast Food Nation, In and Out Burger was the only fast food chain that was somewhat praised in the book. Anyway, it was good to let loose and allow myself to have a treat. Before going to my cousins I had been very strict about what I was eating. I have to remember that one meal isn’t going to turn me back into the 350 pound plus Derrick of the past. It’s making sure it does not become a habit is the key for me. While I was there we had In and Out twice. It gave us an excuse to drive around in Jason’s S 2000 and soak up some sun. 

While I’m on the topic of food one of my many challenges with how I eat is being able to continue my healthy eating while traveling. Every time I travel I find it an exciting challenge to keep myself on track as far as staying close to what I’m supposed to eat. This year I asked Jason what kind of cooking supplies he had in his kitchen to help myself plan ahead for how I was going to stay on track with my diet. Last year I did all right, but I lived off too many carbs during my stay. This year I thought to myself, well I’m staying in a house not a hotel room so why shouldn’t I be able to cook? Chef Heine hit the road and I have to say that I did very well. Jason took me to many stores and I stocked up on all the things I eat at home. It worked out very well and boy did that make my trip even better. Eating well is such a big part of who I am that I get bogged down when I eat poorly. Being at my cousins was no time to be bogged down. Being at his house is a place to have fun. I made most of my meals and had plenty of healthy snacks to eat. That was such a relief and I was glad to see myself getting better at planning and making it easier to stay on track. We did have some of our classic gamer food too, like chicken nuggets (gluten free) and tots (both sweet potato and regular potato) as a few of our meals. I did however eat some kale with them to add some balance. One night we even cooked some wonderful steaks accompanied by stir fried green beans and some more tots. I also made a huge beautiful salad to go with this as well. Yum! Even got Jay eating some green beans and he even asked for more! This is not to say he doesn’t eat vegetables because he does, I was just excited to cook for someone else. Love it. Just so wonderful to take this part of my life on the road and even share it with who I’m visiting with.

So, really that was what we did while I was in Arizona. This is basically the same thing we have done for so many years. Just spending quality time with each other. We are the old school gamers these days. Going through all the music I picked out brought up great memories we have shared. We both realized that there really is just so much music between us and even more than that, so much history that we share. See what most people don’t understand is how important we have been for each other. I was telling him after I got back, that being around him over the years has helped me so much. I pointed out that there was so many times over the years that I would come over to his house while dealing with life’s struggles. This helped me take a step away from things or just take some time away from something, so I could work my way through it. Our time hanging out was a great break away from my day to day and escape from the problems of the world. 

While I was at his place, I had many self realizations and it was a great time to check in with myself. One of the things I really noticed when I was there is just how I’m really fitting into the person I am. I don’t know if it was the fact that I was in Arizona which is so flat you can see things clearly for miles, but I definitely feel that way with my self these days. I may not have all the answers of where I maybe heading, but I am very happy with where I am with myself right now. I continue to sort things out as they come to me. What I know for sure is that I’m really understanding myself and who I want to be in this world. That alone is just amazing. 

Lastly, I wanted to leave you with one of the greatest memories I had while I was visiting Jason. Every time we drove back to Jason’s house we went down this road that went by an orange orchard. The first time that we drove down that road Jason turned down the music and told me to take a deep breath. Wow. What a great smell. I can’t really describe the smell exactly, but it kind of reminded me of smelling earl grey tea. What a wonderful smell it was and a perfect thing to add to driving with the top down, sun shining, and music playing. I just leaned my head back and soaked up the sun and the fragrance of the orange orchard. Till next time I await the chance to do more of that and whatever else may present itself next time around.

Thank you for reading. I encourage anyone to get out and explore this world of ours. It doesn’t even have to be a huge trip, but get out and play.

As always I bring this to you with so much love and Pure D-lite. =)

Life Through Music: “Lucky” by Daft Punk

It’s back. The groove that is. It wasn’t till I started hearing snippets of Daft Punks newest album that I realized how much we as a music collective had lost the groove. The are definitely albums that come a long in life and set the trend for the music of the coming future. Daft Punk’s newest album entitled Random Access Memories is one of those albums. 

I can say so much about this album already that it is kind of ridiculous. One thing that I found out about this album recently is that the French dance electronic duo had been working on this album since 2008. Now, I wish more artists would take notice of how good of music you can make if you really take your time and put in the work. That makes this album 4 to 5 years old by the time that it was released. Even so this album is so different and futuristic than most music I have heard currently. It’s not just a sound of the future however it is also a mix of the groove of the past. There is quite a bit of influence of the disco scene from the 70’s mixed in as well. Which I find very funny because over the last year I have really been digging the 70’s music scene myself.  

I’m not going to lie and say that I really liked Daft Punk’s album before this newest edition because I was actually let down quite by that album. This new album is a breathe of fresh air in comparison and gives me the hope I needed that Daft Punk can still make great music. I was very impressed and hopefully after their work on the newest TRON movie.  Well, now I have proof that they are definitely back. 

Daft Punk did so many great and new approaches to making this album. The music that is on Random Access Memories is very different from all their other albums they have made so far. Instead of creating all the music themselves with samples, drum machines, and all other electronic devices they have used in the past they instead had many very talented artist come in play live instruments on the album. They more or less produced, composed, and fine tuned this album more than creating it from the ground up, What came out of their hard work with other artist is just a well rounded and solid piece of musical genius.  

So, of course I have to pick the first single off the album which is called “Lucky” by Daft Punk as my song of the week. I picked the song because the moment I heard it I knew that great things were on the way. This song is so infectious and if you can’t dance a little to this song then I suggest you reassess your life. Just a great dance track with such a sweet groove. It’s a song that I’m sure is going to get played out for most people, but this is why I don’t listen to the radio much anymore. I hope that the radio moves to another one of the songs on this album because there is so many to choose from in my opinion. This album is now my current waking up in the morning and getting ready for the day CD. It definitely helps me start the day off right in such a positive direction. 

Love it. Love music. 

So, lets look at the lyrics directly and see if there is more to this dance hit than just digging that sweet sweet groove. 

"Get Lucky"

(feat. Pharrell Williams & Nile Rodgers)

Like the legend of the phoenix

All ends with beginnings

What keeps the planet spinning (uh)

The force of love beginning

(So true. Love is such a powerful thing. Out of struggle comes rebirth.)

(Look)

We've come too far to give up who we are

So let's raise the bar and our cups to the stars

(Yes, I have come too far to ever give up who I am. It’s time to take it to the next level. Become greater than we already are.)

She's up all night 'til the sun

I'm up all night to get some

She's up all night for good fun

I'm up all night to get lucky

(Now, most people are equating this part of the lyrics as in you're hoping to get some action with a loved one. For me it’s not even about being intimate its about that excitement of when you are first getting to know someone. That feeling that keeps you up all night bathing in the possibilities of a new connection.) 

We're up all night 'til the sun

We're up all night to get some

We're up all night for good fun

We're up all night to get lucky

We're up all night to get lucky

We're up all night to get lucky

We're up all night to get lucky

We're up all night to get lucky

The present has no ribbon

Your gift keeps on giving,

What is this I'm feeling?

If you wanna leave I'm ready (ah)

(I hope that everyone has felt this feeling he is trying describe here. Truly a magical experience of meeting someone special.)

We've come too far to give up who we are

So let's raise the bar and our cups to the stars

She's up all night 'til the sun

I'm up all night to get some

She's up all night for good fun

I'm up all night to get lucky

We're up all night 'til the sun

We're up all night to get some

We're up all night for good fun

We're up all night to get lucky

We're up all night to get lucky

We're up all night to get lucky

We're up all night to get lucky

We're up all night to get lucky

(I chose to end the lyrics here because it just does a lot of repeating the same chorus over and over and doesn’t sound as good without the music playing behind it.)

So, what I have here is another great album to add to the collection and we aren’t even half way through this year of 2013. My final assessment of the album for those that want to know is that I love every song on the album. It really is that good. It is what I call some ear candy for my ears. I say that because from the quality of work put in by those two Frenchmen on an audio recording level the sound is just truly amazing. Such a great variety of music on the album as well. Such a positive groove to keep me dancing from now until forever. Thank you Daft Punk. Perfect timing as well because Daft Punk’s album Discovery is one of my all time summer albums. Well, now I have two to play during summer time. Till next week just keep on dancing. 

As always I bring this to you with love and pure D-lite. = )

Life Through Music: "It's Time" By Imagine Dragons

Well, well...funny how fast a week can go by especially when your head is being filled with logarithms. I really wanted to write this blog entry last week, but being the adult I am I had to set priorities. Oh school...I need a break. Thankfully summer break is almost here and I’m more excited about it than I was last year about this same time. Why is that you ask? Well, because last year I had just started school again and I had only gone spring term. This year I have had three full terms and it’s starting to take a tole on me. I need some time to have fun. I already have many things planned for summer and I can’t wait to get started. 

So, lets get back to the point of this blog entry. MUSIC. Still I’m so overjoyed with how much great music is coming into my life these days. So, recently I saw the movie Ironman 3 with my mom for mother’s day. The movie was awesome and everything I thought it would be, but more than that I took some more meaningful things away from that movie. One of those things is some of the things that Toni Stark says towards the end of the movie. It was his realization of who he was without the suit on. I can so relate to this feeling. Last week I was at my doctors office and I ran into one of the old acupuncturist that I hadn’t seen in quite sometime. She looked right at me and said, “Wow, look at you. You look great. Did you just take the suit off?”. I was blown away by this comment because that was exactly what I had been feeling like. The fat suit has come off and now the world can see me for me. I am different in many ways these days and yet really this is the Derrick that has always been there. 

Which leads me right into my song for this week and that song is “It’s time” by Imagine Dragons. I was introduced to this song by my friend and coworker Cindy. See I made her a cd of music for her birthday in March and she in turn did the same for me for my birthday in April. On the cd she made for me is some really great new music I didn’t even know about. Much of which you will know soon as the weeks unfold. What’s awesome about being connected to your own vibration is you attract others that are on the same wave link. The music off the cd that Cindy shared with me is right in tune with where I’m at in my life right now and that is so awesome. This song isn’t word for word of what I’m feeling about this whole rebirth of myself, but the chorus connects to the overall message. I love the big sound that Imagine Dragons brings so every time I listen to their songs I crank the music way up and just absorb. It feels great to feel and connect like this to music. It’s what drives me in life. 

Lets go to the lyrics to see what I can take out directly. 

So this is what you meant

When you said that you were spent

And now it's time to build from the bottom of the pit

Right to the top

Don't hold back

(Yes, It’s time to build myself back up and no holding back it’s time to go beyond) 

Packing my bags and giving the academy a rain check

I don't ever wanna let you down

(It’s time to stop letting myself down and let a new era of Derrick begin)

I don't ever wanna leave this town

(Well, It’s a little off topic, but truthfully I don’t want to leave this town I love the foundation of people that I have here.)

'Cause after all

This city never sleeps at night

It's time to begin, isn't it?

I get a little bit bigger, but then I'll admit

I'm just the same as I was

Now don't you understand

That I'm never changing who I am

(Now this is the most connected part of the song for me. Isn’t it time to get bigger? To become greater than you ever imagined? At the same time the beautiful part of this is that I have always been this great and I’m never going to change the core of me that I love so dearly. I am great.)

So this is where you fell

And I am left to sell

The path to heaven runs through miles of clouded hell

Right to the top

Don't look back

(The past must not be forgotten so it’s not repeated, but I’m focused on now and what is in front of me.) 

Turning the rags and giving the commodities a rain check

I don't ever wanna let you down

I don't ever wanna leave this town

'Cause after all

This city never sleeps at night

It's time to begin, isn't it?

I get a little bit bigger but then I'll admit

I'm just the same as I was

Now don't you understand

That I'm never changing who I am

(Isn’t it time?)

It's time to begin, isn't it?

I get a little bit bigger, but then I'll admit

I'm just the same as I was

Now don't you understand

That I'm never changing who I am

This road never looked so lonely

This house doesn't burn down slowly

To ashes, to ashes

( I have realized that although becoming the person I am moving forward has changed some of the interactions I have with people that’s okay. Not everyone has to be where I am. Although I always encourage you to make a better you.)

It's time to begin, isn't it?

I get a little bit bigger, but then I'll admit

I'm just the same as I was

Now don't you understand

That I'm never changing who I am

It's time to begin, isn't it?

I get a little bit bigger, but then I'll admit

I'm just the same as I was

Don't you understand

That I'm never changing who I am

(Has it sunk in yet? 

IT IS TIME.)

One of the other things that I connected with in Ironman 3 was that Toni Stark is a “fixer”. By that I mean fixing things in life is what he always tries to do and that is what he is good at. Well, I consider myself the same, but what Toni and I have realized is understanding what you can fix and what you cannot fix. This is my new journey. I will always love, care, and support those that come in my life. I won’t however try to fix everything for them any longer. No one person can fix my problems either so why should I think that someone can come a long a magically fix someone else’s problems. These are my realizations on my journey to the better me. Thank you for listening. 

As always I bring this to you with love and pure D-lite. LOVE. = )