The Perfect Playlist--Lucy Whitman Sandmeyer

The Perfect Playlist for When You’re Conflicted (or When Everything is Just Really Confusing)

My playlist is appropriate for a plethora of confusing situations because the whole thing is a list of confused songs.

From God’s Perspective (Bo Burnham): This song, initially is funny (unless you're offended, in which case, sorry). But then, you actually listen to it and, especially if you don’t firmly believe in God or organized religion, it’s totally legit. So not only is it light hearted with a conflicting theme of realness but also it’s about one of the most conflicted things ever (faith). This is a great way to ease into the complexities of confusion

Grapevine Fires (Death Cab for Cutie): Mostly, this song is just weird. It’s part sad and part happy while talking about fire and kids and destruction. So for the pure mix of emotion and confusion, I place it in this list.

Bad Self Portraits (Lake Street Dive): This song makes the playlist because, despite it’s peppy and optimistic tune, it’s super depressing. Not only do the major themes (musical and lyrical) conflict, the lyricist herself doesn’t really know what’s going on in her life. It’s boppy though, to keep things from slipping into Damien Rice and Bright Eyes kind of music.

Maxwell’s Silver Hammer (The Beatles): What a great conflict (and solution). Maxwell’s silver hammer is a peppy song that does not in anyway convey meaning of the lyrics since they focus almost entirely on homicide. Plus, Maxwell is obviously a confused guy.

Amsterdam (Imagine Dragons): Again, this song is solidly confused. Not only is it optimistic and almost happy, it’s also about failure, insecurity and realness. And sometimes, that’s just exactly how you feel. It’s a solid ending because, as a pop song, it’s got a bit more of a beat that might keep the listener from crawling into a hole.

Fictional Character, Fictional LIfe--Lucy Whitman Sandmeyer

 I think if I’m being realistic, which this prompt is, of course, not, I would most like to be Milo from The Phantom Tollbooth. Okay, here me out. So Milo is this boy that’s just disinterested in everything. He’s very detached: he doesn’t like school but he doesn’t like home that much either. But nothing is actually wrong. Milo is not forced to fight to the death and he doesn’t have a tragic backstory that has to be reveled right before the climax when he’s trying to save the world. His parents are alive and that’s super rare in the things I watch/read. Like, incredibly rare. Both of them are alive! It’s practically unprecedented. The great thing is, even though he’s bored and pretty unhappy, Milo’s life doesn’t suck. AND THEN, a tollbooth shows up in his room. And this phantom tollbooth takes him on a crazy, incredibly punny adventure that restores his faith in humanity and doesn’t give him PTSD. It’s ridiculous. Did you know that for a good book to have a conflict and resolution no one actually has to die a heart wrenching death? 

            Of course, what Milo doesn’t have/get isn’t the only thing that attracts me to his character. Milo’s trip through the Kingdom of Wisdom is incredible. He gains two best friends, one who is a literal humbug and the other a literal watchdog; who doesn’t want that? He constantly outsmarts his opposition. Continually using his brain and not brawn to tackle his problems, Milo uses logic and creatively to deal with a bunch of literal idioms. It sounds like the best thing in the entire freaking world. AND THEN, bam, personal development. He comes home with renewed appreciation to for the world and all the opportunities that it presents. And, in the end, a respect for the world (and all it provides) on a daily basis is what I really want. It’s sort of the ultimate happy ending.

Right Now--Lucy Whitman Sandmeyer

Right now, at this very moment, somewhere in the universe, some country on some planet in some galaxy has just established capitalism (as it’s called on Earth) for the very first time. Or, for the very least, the first time they know about. Of course, just as we thought every new liberal social system was new, liberal, and social, so thinks this country—lets call it, as the closest earth translation, Poharoe—of capitalism. In Poharoe the supreme leader is a woman named Drusilla because, you see, long ago they discovered the minds of women far surpassed the minds of men in ability, and from then on always insisted upon electing them into power. Ridiculous creatures these Poharoens but they did just successfully implement capitalism so we have to give them some credit.

Anyway, Drusilla and her minions (or, as we call them, cabinet members) are followers of this man named Tesyen. Tesyen was pretty cool. He decided a long time ago that everyone on the planet, including the Poharoens, were screwed. “Truly and utterly screwed” is specifically how he articulated it in his famous book Here’s the Thing. And, as an offset of that, Tesyen casually threw off the suggestion that the Poharoens implement what we know as capitalism and, as it turned out, a lot of other people agreed with him. So, pretty soon after, Drusilla decided that, as supreme leader, the best thing she could do is just go with it.

That brings us to today. Today, as the first day of this new capitalist society, Drusilla has ordered the mass construction of a giant building called Triumph. It’s golden and pointy and really just incredibly impressive. So impressive, in fact, that psychologists have predicted that all the anti-capitalists, of which there are quite a few, will forget their opposition as soon as it is built. This conclusion, of course, might mostly be because, as the sole (semi to fully forced) benefactors of Triumph, these ATCs will probably become proud of their contribution and, by default, the tower itself. Then again, ATC’s are not very susceptible to basic logic or fact.

And yet, since I do not know even how we Earthlings will fair in this ever changing universe of ours, I can in no way conclude how the ATCs, or Poharoens in general, will. In fact, the only thing I can tell you for sure is only thing I really wanted to tell you in the first place: Tesyen is on his way to Earth right now. A convert to his own beliefs, Tesyen comes to spread his knowledge with anyone who will listen. I just wonder how we receive him.

To all who actually read this: I'm not really sure what's going on here. I am sorry. 

Right Now - Kyle W

At this very moment, somewhere in the universe…

Well there’s a lot happening. There are people curing cancer, people exploring new places, people performing in front of thousands of people, people sitting in a jail cell, and also there’s (somewhere out there.. probably) another planet with little green men. Or maybe it’s a planet with tall purple women. We may never know but for now all we know is that at this very moment they could be thinking about a race of people somewhere that are fifty shades of skin tones. And as far out as it may be there might also be a cannibalistic space cow floating around eating all his space cow friends. I mean as weird as it may be…  there are also people sitting in a movie theatre waiting for superman vs. batman to start and then there’s me wishing I was them instead. So there’s all that happening in the universe right now and that’s hardly anything at all.

The Game Called Life by Brooks Spears

At this moment somewhere in the universe there is some unsuspecting being quietly charming its way through existence, believing, however dangerous, that there are no permanent consequences to its actions. It, however, knows too little of the outlandish effects its nonchalant being will have on this unprepared space we call the universe. Or perhaps, the universe is too big to call this creature's home, far too expansive, so we'll call this home earth. And while we're at it it, maybe we ought to give this creature a name as well. We'll call it a human, it sounds like it knows everything, all presumptuous and pompous, doesn't it? Matter of fact, it sounds darn arrogant. So, of course it's fitting for this creature, who, in its free time, makes short work of the planet in which it resides by eating it and building over top of it because it knows. It knows that it won. It knows that it hasn't only won the  ability to say that its above everyone else, but it has also beat nature. It conquered it. It's used medicine, weapons, disease, emotion, and all sorts of things to scheme and maneuver its way through this game called life, along which it has beat a multitude of other players. But in this game called life, life has the ultimate cheat code. It's called death.

Right Now- Spencer Parsons

At this very moment, somewhere in the universe, wierd things are happening.

There is a drastic dip in the ocean near Mauritus and it creates the illusion of a giant, never ending, waterfall that is under the surface of the ocean.

Blue lava is forming in a volcano in Indonesia due to sulfuric gas combustion. This would look so cool and kind of scary at the same time.

Where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Amazon River there is a wave that travels every 20 seconds through the gap and it never ends. It sometimes goes on for 500 miles. That wave is traveling right now.

There is a migration of monarch butterflies in the US and mexico right now that is estimated over 600 million in number

there are crop circles being made under water in Japan by male pufferfish. Whats weird to think about is that marine biologists estimate that less than 10% of oceans is explored. meaning we dont know a whole lot about the ocean and deep secrets in it.

There are currently calcified animals that have frozen in place on Lake Natron in Tanzania and they look very creepy.

There is an extremely rare occurrence of a neon green sunset somewhere in the world every night.

There are boulders washing up on a beach in New zealand that are the shape of perfect spheres. They are crafted by coastal erosion.

Fictional character- Spencer Parsons

One of my favorite movies of all time is Ferris Bueller's Day Off. i often get compared to Ferris in my way of talking to adults and sometimes flying a bit under the radar. I dont know if this is meant to be a compliment, but I definitely get through a lot of things by use of charm.

If i could be Ferris Bueller, life would be awesome. Of course, my parents would have to be dumb, but his sly way of getting around all trouble sounds so thrilling and his care-free attitude is stress-free. Also, i would be able to skip school, and never get caught. my parents would be completely oblivious to my actions and I would run around a big city whenever i didn't want to attend school.

Another fictional character I would like to be is Harry Potter. Now, the first ten years of my life would suck, but once you get to Hogwarts and become a powerful wizard, that would be awesome. I would like this life, but inly if my existence at Hogwarts wasn't filled with constant villainy. Just take out the whole Voldemort part and I would love to be Harry potter. Now i know that ruins the story, but living in Hogwarts and taking classes about magic sounds like the life. Also the food at Hogwarts sounds really good in the books and looks good in the movies.

The perfect playlist- Spencer Parsons

This is definitely my favorite blog we have done all year.

This is very fitting considering I leave for Florida tomorrow, but this playlist is perfect to play as soon as you step off of the plane into a warm vacation spot where you know nothing can go wrong.

1- Half Full glass of Wine- by Tame Impala. This is my favorite band, and one of my favorite songs by them. it starts out with a speedy guitar riff accompanied by a steady hi-hat then it slows down and plays an opener that is two minutes long of a fast-paced on-the-move rhythm. This song will get you so hype as you are walking through the terminal to baggage claim and you can smell the saltwater already.

2- Catfish Blues (live)- by Gary Clark Jr. This is the perfect song to play while you are in a taxi cab on the way to where you are staying at the beach or warm vacation spot. You can focus on a beautiful drive and still listen as Gary Clark Jr. plays along to your journey with three 2 minute long solos.

3- Animal- by Miike Snow- This is the song to play once you get to your hotel or condo or house and you begin walking around looking at the place in which you will be staying. The off beat bass drum makes you shake your hips and want to dance as you forgot about all your problems.

4- Eventually- by Tame Impala- I know again, but they are so good. This is the song to play as you are walking on your way to check out the beach. its a perfect build up song and ends very climactically before you get to the beach and see what you have been waiting for.

5- Midnight City- This is the perfect song to play once you can see the ocean. it is so accomplishing and you will know that you get to relax and enjoy yourself.

Fictional Character, Fictional Life -Hope Reed

If I was any fictional character, I would undoubtedly pick Margo Ross Spiegelman. I don't read as much as I'd love to, but this character has stuck out to me more than any character I've ever seen in any movies or read about in any books (though it's one of those basic 'everybody has read it' books, I actually really enjoyed it, in fact I've read it four times, and it has truly inspired me).

Margo is a soul full of energy, motivation, spirit, and confidence. She's also just incredibly genius. She stands out in a crowd shamelessly and would not change for any circumstance or person. Normal is boring.  I used to try to fit in with the status quo in middle school and even a little into high school, but then I realized how uncool being cool was. Margo is her own spunky, weird self. And she inspires me to do the same. I shouldn't have to change who I am for other people to accept me; if they don't accept me for who I am then that's their problem.

Another reason I would want to be Margo is because she is very spontaneous, and she fearlessly pursues what she wants in these incredible adventures.  Like she breaks into Sea World... that's just awesome. I love going on crazy adventures; one day I hope to be as brave and independent as she is.

Margo has is incredibly smart, thoughtful, free-spirited, adventurous, and brave. And I'd love to be all of these attributes packaged into one human.

P.S. the book is 500% better than the movie. Read it; don't bother watching the movie.

Help! - Harrison Broyles

I went through some of my scored essays recently, and some of the commentary I saw seemed rather basic. I had a few I immediately threw away because all I got was a few underlines. I love the huge group discussion setting, but there just isn't enough accountability for detailed review because of the large mass of essays we have to grade. I would like to be told that my paragraphs had limited diction instead of being given an 8 because it was the third longest one in the packet and no one wanted to really read it. I mean, I didn't really want to either.

Should I go through this again, I would have liked to have done a two staged review session (for at least the first for each type of essay)- after we type up our essay, we give it to a partner. The partner takes home just our essay and spends a good amount of time revising it, showing us our flaws and helping us achieve our nine. We spend the next day in class working out kinks, and then print out our revised copy and give it to you for grading. Not only will the class' average increase (something that has put my grade in jeopardy before), but we will receive a more individualized and specific feedback in addition to the overall general one we were receiving anyways. I did this with a few essays my first time grading and loved it. Many essays were so wordy I crossed out whole sections of the essay and wrote my ideas to make it more concise and effective. It may not have helped the author, maybe offended them a bit, but it certainly helped me recognize the same patterns in my own writing and to eliminate those.

The Future - Harrison Broyles

Junior Year absolutely reeks. I'm procrastinating doing my APUSH unit assignment by finishing out blog posts and cleaning out my closet of things such as bank statements from 2012 and articles of clothing I don't remember buying, but they still have the tag on them. Failure? Still haven't learned how to stop procrastinating, but at least I've gotten more productive while doing it.

One thing I've definitely learned is to always sleep as much as possible. You need it or you're done when it comes to important stuff. I've worked school weeks this year approaching 40 hours- and both my grades and sleep have suffered because of it.

Next year work will be a bit more manageable. Of course I'm using ChickFilA for my senior mentoring project. I'll be there from 6-9 in the morning, removing the possibility of me working at night during the week due to child labor laws, a huge plus to maintain much needed sleep while keeping a decent paycheck (and free breakfast!).

I'm also looking forward to moving up the ladder to own one or five ChickFilAs very soon. I had an interview for a management position recently, and I'll be the second person under 18 to earn it if I get the position (the other was Weiran Liu, so any time I can be in the same category as her I feel phenomenal about myself). I'm hoping to do well enough next year and through college to be catapulted into ownership right out of the gates, however I realize the chances are slim of that happening.

The Perfect Playlist - Harrison Broyles

I actually stole this from my Spotify account, and it's a playlist I use at work frequently. I'm demanded to move fast and work hard, so none of the songs can have breaks in their motivation or upbeat rhythms.

Bailando- Enrique Iglesias

I've finally achieved the point in my Spanish journey where I can actually understand a general amount of the words in the song. The song is actually pretty motivating, and usually incurs a good work ethic among myself and the Hispanic population in the kitchen.

Timber- Pitbull

If there was any song to create a hype atmosphere, it's this one. If I could actually rap it may be even better, but I'm white so it hasn't happened.

Honey, I'm Good- Andy Grammer

My hands down favorite song. Catchy enough, simple, fast paced, easy to comprehend. I'd be singing it whether it was on my playlist or not, but I don't usually sound too good without music to cover up my atrocious attempts at squawking.

Brave- Sara Bareilles

This is a "guilty pleasure" song, because I don't readily admit it, but I do like this song and its overall positive message. A lot. And it invokes a bit of good feeling about myself when work gets stressful and I don't feel like I'm doing well enough.

Happy- Pharrell Williams

Honestly I'm still five and think of Despicable Me every time I hear this. Great movie, superb song. Brings a smile to my face every time I think of it.



As for the order of the playlist, my nights at work usually start off great and chill, but when closing starts I need a little extra boost- often I'm the only person doing a 3 person job while attending to other needs and running drive thru. I often go nuts. I need the first three songs to build up some excitement, the fourth to make me feel good about myself, and the final to top it all off and power me through my night.

Assignment 22: Fictional Character, Fictional Life - Harrison Broyles

If I were to be a fictional character, I would be Walter White from Breaking Bad. He may not be the best example to follow (but no one really is anyways), however, he exemplifies strong, positive traits in the face of the travesties of life.

The first trait he exemplifies is selflessness. Once diagnosed with cancer, his first thought was to save his family once he was gone. He compromised his morals, stole from his school. saved a suspect from arrest, and cooked meth for goodness sake all for his family. He gave up everything in life, including several relationships, in order to provide for those he loved, even if they didn't love him.

Another trait he exemplifies is compassion. Throughout all the killing and death he caused, he relentlessly sought to rectify his mistakes, albeit usually with more death. He achieved a revenge style justice for the pain and suffering of those he loved and those who didn't have a voice. He directly opposed those who were in the wrong, and stood up for what he thought was right

A final trait he shows is defiance. Even while he is sick and dying, shot, or on the run with no where to turn to, he constantly defies nature and foes in a battle for self preserverence. He doesn't let cancer take him until he's ready, and while he's on the run fights to make contact with those he loved without regard for his safety, as he would weasel his way out of whatever circumstances arose.

The Perfect Playlist- Jordan Strange

The Perfect Hammocking Playlist. 

Hammocking brings lots of joy to life, but it's not complete without a solid playlist. 

For me, this playlist includes sweet Jesus tunes. Exciting, lively, and full of lyrics that have strong meanings. But also, I love alternative and Indie music. But, if I had to choose, Jesus music is my go-to music. These five songs are probably my favorites, and probably represent a lot in my life.

1. Multiplied- Needtobreathe

This song is probably one of favorite songs in the entire world. It has a super catchy tune and is just a beautiful song. It also talks about love. Jesus' love, too. It doesn't get much better than that. 

2. Come Thou Fount- Kings Kaleidoscope

This. Song. Is. Beautiful. And has such a pretty melody. Not to mention the dude who sings it has a incredibly strong voice that just radiates through the lyrics. It's one of those songs that has a lot of different versions, but this one is by far my favorite. 

3. How He Loves- David Crowder (& the version by John Mark McMillan,too.)

This song evokes lots of emotion. And it's SO powerful to say the least. It's one of the most powerful songs I've ever heard, actually. It tells about us as sinful, broken, hurting people, who are still SO loved by our Creator and who are given mercy & grace & love, all of which are undeserved but so beautiful.  

4. Okay I have to add in some nice dancin-in-the-kitchen-sing-as-loud-as-you-can-even-if-you-suck songs. 

Ophelia- The Lumineers

This song is just really mellow and chill and fun to listen to AND to dance to. 

5. Follow the Sun- Xavier Rudd 

This song is really great. I mean seriously the name of the song is really nice. I mean its like a mini life motto. Follow the sun. Just follow bright, joyous, beautiful things, and life will be good!!! 

There's so many great songs and it was super hard to pick just five. But there they are. :)):))

The Perfect Playlist- Lauren Spivey

  I am a music junky. I am always listening to some form of music whether its pop, rap, country, R&B, you name it I probably know the song. My favorite type of music is slow/sad music. Whether I'm happy or sad I always tend to go towards my sad music. I also love when these sad songs can also, at the same time, make me feel empowered and unstoppable.

1. Hopelessly Devoted To You- Olivia Newton John
This song is probably the most played song on my phone. I love the emotion that she puts behind her voice when singing it. It makes you feel like you are in her place and going through a breakup. This can go under the sad/slow category while also making you feel good because of the passion that she shows while singing.

2.  All Comes Down- Kodaline
 First of all I'm obsessed with this band you should definitely look them up. It's a slow song until the chorus. There's a build up towards the end that reminds me a lot of a Coldplay track where the instruments make you feel like you are on top of the world while the lyrics are still very emotional. The story behind it is that you're in a struggling relationship and losing someone you care about. It makes you feel so sympathetic about the situation.

3.  All Through The Night- Sleeping At Last
 This bands sound is not for everyone. They don't have Adele level voices they're more of a Mumford and Sons type. This song is also very slow and makes you feel good. "We have no past, we won't reach back, keep with me forward all through the night" this is part of the chorus and it just emits the love that this guy has for his significant other. This song also has the Coldplay kind of build up.

4. Just A Little Bit of Your Heart- Ariana Grande
 First thing is that this song was written by Harry Styles which is even more reason to love it. I am honestly not a fan of Ariana Grande as a person but she is an amazing singer. The vocal range that she has on this song gives me chills every single time. It is also showing the strong emotion that she is also feeling for her significant other. "I know I'm not your only, but at least I'm one, i heard a little love, is better than none." The pain that she has and is going through and the feeling that even though he likes other girls, she doesn't care because even a little bit of love from this guy is enough. It's very emotional.

5. Say You Love Me- Jessie Ware
 This was my favorite song for a while but i used to listen to it on repeat forever so it became a little old but it doesn't take away for the pure genius behind this song. It also helps that Ed Sheeran co-wrote this song which just adds to the sentimental feeling behind it. "just say you love me, just for today, and don't give me time cause thats not the same, want to feel burning flames when you say my name, want to feel passion flow into my bones like blood through my veins". This song also gives me chills every time the message behind it is heart breaking which is why I find it so compelling.