Top Ten Tunes For Making An Escape

Hey Everyone!

To all the students out there, I hope you had a good (and maybe even school productive- HA!) slack week. I know I did just that, slacked off. It was nice not having a paper due or a class to run to. Got a few shifts in at work, managed to save up a few bucks which is never a bad thing. Though I have to say, maybe I would have been better off spending that cash and hitting a beach somewhere... Its been far too long since I felt the sun shine on my back, the cool ocean waves against my skin, and the warm sand between my toes! But alas, I digress. Sadly, the beach will likely evade me for a while longer I suspect.

On the topic of vacations- have you ever felt the urge to just escape? To just run as far as your feet can take you, as long as that adrenaline keeps pumping- To just keep going until your lungs give out? Sometimes we all need to get away, to just pick up and start fresh somewhere new. Thats how I'm feeling right now.

I wish I werent in class til April... and I wish I didnt have to immediately start working to pay my rent. If I had the chance, I'd pick up and head to Quebec for a week or two with nothing but a backpack... stay in hostels, walk through the old city, sip coffee in little cafes to stay warm. I just need to get out of here and have some time to think, you know?

I know that was a long rant, but its just the best way to explain this top ten list. Sometimes we cant take those vacations, and there is something that stops us from running. As much as we dream about it, real life has a tendency to get in the way. So when you cant make a physical escape, sometimes a mental escape can be just as good for the mind, body, and soul. If your brain needs a vacation like mine, I suggest the following. These ten tracks, a hot cup of tea and your favorite book. If you're really into it, put on a slideshow of beach pictures and crank up the heat!

In no specific order...

10) The Great Escape by Boys Like Girls

9) All At Sea by Jamie Cullum

8) Island In The Sun by Weezer

7) Holiday From Real by Jacks Mannequin

6) Gone (Going) by Jack Johnson

5) One Love by Bob Marley

4) Fly Away by Lenny Kravitz

3) Paradise City by Guns N Roses

2) Half Way Around The World by Oasis

1) Somewhere Only We Know by Keane

I think that I might take my own advice later tonight, after class. Grab some hot coffee, plug this list into my ipod and get these essays off my back. Its sounding like the perfect plan for me tonight.

How about you? Need an escape? Tell me about it! I'd love to hear from you

Rock On,

- Girl At The Rock Show

Christmas Mix Tape: My Recommendations For The Holiday Season

Hey Everyone!

To quote my favorite Christmas movie... "The sights! The sounds! They're everywhere and all around" Thats right folks, with the snowfall last night, its pretty obvious that christmas is just around the corner. I love Christmas... mainly because it means I get two weeks or more off of class. But ALSO because I get to indulge my inner child with things like cartoon movies & hot chocolate (marshmallows included of course!), snowball fights and tobogganing. So as much as the LTC strike makes getting to and from school cold and frustrating, there is always a silver lining. However, the best part of Christmas? CHRISTMAS MUSIC. But no offense, I work at a seniors restaurant and if I hear Celine Dion belt out one more traditional carol, I'm gonna lose it. No, Christmas playlists require some research so that 25 days of it wont make you want to lose your Christmas cheer!

Ever since I was a kid, my mom has had a rule... December 1st - 25th, only Christmas music may be played in the house/car/etc. Thats a lot of Christmas carols. It was also a strategic move on her behalf, thinking she could escape the rock music I subjected to her over the years. So I got creative... I found some traditional carols by more alternative artists. Needless to say, Christmas has never quite been the same for my mom. Here are some of the tracks that I recommend to accompany your holiday festivities this year... some happy, some sad, some... loud? haha enjoy!

SONGS! 

(ALL LINKS, GO AHEAD AND CLICK ONE :D )

January by Tyler Read

I Saw Daddy Kissing Santa Clause by StandStill

Forget December by Something Corporate

Winter Wonderland by Hellogoodbye

I Wont Be Home For Christmas by Blink-182

Yule Shoot Your Eye Out by Fall Out Boy

Winter Passing by The Academy Is...

The Christmas Song by Owl City

Santa Stole My Girlfriend by The Maine

Last Christmas by Jimmy Eat World (This version is a remix, only one I could get on youtube, sorry!)

12 Days of Christmas by Relient K

Making Christmas by Rise Against (Cover from Nightmare Before Christmas)

Oi! To The World by The Vandals

All I Want For Christmas Is You by My Chemical Romance

Happy Christmas (War Is Over) by Street Drum Corps ft. Berk McCraken

Alone This Holiday by The Used

Baby Please Come Home by Anberlin

Yule Be Sorry by The Almost

Christmas Vacation by +44

Santa Clause Is Coming To Town by CKY

Maybe The Christmas by Ron Sexsmith

So those are a handful of my Christmas favs. How about you, any recommendations? I tried to avoid a lot of my friend Jess' choices on her blog Bigger Than Sound, so if there are some you think I should have caught, you may find them there. Anyways, hope you enjoy creating your holiday playlist, and I hope your holidays are off to a lovely start :)

Merry december! Let the countdown begin!

Rock On,

- Girl At The Rock Show