Getting Back in Shape (ugh)

Since I moved back to MA I have been visiting many places I hadn't had a chance to see on  previous vacations home. By "places" I mean mostly restaurants, and by "hadn't had a chance to see on previous vacations home" I mean restaurants I hadn't visited over and over and over again..with maybe a few new eateries thrown in for good measure here and there. I have been eating with no regard for anything but sheer deliciousness, and boy oh boy is it catching up with me. I'd like to blame it on New England food being so much better than South Florida food (which it is) but I know that the delectable cuisine here is only partly to blame. I have thrown caution to the wind and really have been on a bit of a binge since moving back! My bad.

While perusing some old pictures of me that I recently found, I  came to the realization that, GOOD LORD, I need to get back in shape ASAP. So, effective a couple weeks ago I began my healthy eating and exercise routine that literally dominated my life for years in my mid to late twenties. It was hard work then. It is even harder work now. I find that my metabolism- which was never kind to me to begin with, really has some kind of evil grudge against me in my 30's. That bitch. So, results are not quite as fast as they once were. But I am now determined. I have to gradually build up my exercise routines to be what they once were, as I get tired much sooner than when I was at my peak physical fitness. It is frustrating trying to remember that point, when certain moves or segments that were once so easy are so taxing for me now. But I find I can do more and more little by little every day. Hopefully, it won't be too long until I am resembling something like this again:

I tried to pick a picture that wasn't too risque from the collection I stumbled upon. I was about 26/27 when this was taken. I wasn't too thin, and I wasn't too heavy- just right. I figure that a bathing suit picture is much more revealing, so this would be a "modest" choice in comparison, right? So, the fitness journey continues.....

Review of The Raven That Refused To Sing (and other stories)

The Raven That Refused To Sing (and other stories) is my favorite Steven Wilson solo album yet. The collaboration between Steven Wilson and his amazing band this time around is really what pushed this album over the top, musician-ship and composition wise. The concept of this album is so well done at every angle - through the music, the pictures, the stories, and the powerfully emotional video for the title track. Everything is seamlessly interwoven so that you almost can't imagine one aspect without the others- the artwork fits the music so perfectly. And, it almost doesn't even need to be said, but the sound on this album is outstanding.

Starting with the opening track of Luminol, we are thrust into the power of all these top notch musicians combining. I feel this song really showcases their creativity and energy. This song may just be one of my favorite songs ever. It starts off with so much kick and vigor you can't help but simply rock out with it. It seems to soar and float from one segment to another until you reach the middle, which gently transitions you into a beautifully quiet and dreamy stretch of sonic landscape and story telling. The harmonies are exquisite, which they most always are with Steven Wilson behind them. Finally, the song builds and builds until it reaches a spectacular finish that ties everything all in again...how could a song like that end any other way, really?

Drive Home is gorgeous. Some parts of it remind me of renaissance times...actually, there a few moments that remind me of renaissance times throughout the album, but I digress. There seems to always be one catchy, pretty little song like this in SW's work...but the ingeniously done solo at the end is really what sets it apart. I know comparisons can be annoying, but I have to say it: certain pieces Guthrie Govan's solos and guitar work/phrasing remind me very much of the late, great, Dimebag Darrel. A guitarist that I feel nobody would mind being compared to!*Edit - uhhhh....after seeing Guthrie live and educating  myself on his work I have to say he is beyond comparison. Yes, Dimebag was a very versatile guitar player as well...but not like Guthrie! My face was melted off by him.

The Holy Drinker is a very dark and heavy song, it starts off very ominously but then has what I wold call a funk rhythm beating underneath somewhere when it gets into the first lyrical part of the song. The song just plain rocks out, but also takes you on a roller coaster journey of highs and lows...speeding up and slowing down..becoming very quiet and brooding, before blasting a downright nasty guitar riff out to end the song. The story is of a self righteous religious man who has his own evil vice in the form of a drinking problem. As the story goes on, this man challenges the devil to a drinking match. Of course he loses the challenge and is dragged into hell.

The Pin Drop. It is one of my favorite songs on the album. Steven must have been working on his vibrato, or maybe he has been waiting to break it out for just such a song as this, because his vocals in this song are very different, unique and refreshing to listen to. It almost doesn't sound like him as he belts out the beginning lyrics. Just as you are settling into the verse the song bursts forth into a lovely and almost frantic chorus that you may not quite expect. And just when you think you have a handle on the whole song...it ends. It's perfect.

The Watchmaker. I know how overused this word is, but..what an epic song. Another favorite. It is a complex song with many different segments, but they all need each other to tell this story. It is a massive, sweeping song that builds to a dark crescendo of a ghostly message repeating over and over again: "I'm still inside you." The story in this song is particularly defined to me, and really gets its point across from beginning to end - not to say the other songs don't, but this one just seems more thorough to me.

The Raven That Refused To Sing. Oh! What a powerful, emotional journey this song takes me on. Paired with that truly creative and impactful video- the feeling that song evokes from me is almost too much to take. The story for this song is particularly heartwrenching and really draws you into the characters and their sorrows. I personally feel like this is the most touching, beautiful, and delicate song Steven Wilson has yet written. Once again, when you add in the art work and/or video, the emotions are really enhanced. I love when music can make you feel such strong emotions and really touch you to your core as Raven does...it is a rare and elusive feeling that I'm glad I discovered through SW's work.

So, though in my eyes Steven Wilson can do no wrong, this album is beyond expectations. I happened to be lucky enough to procure the deluxe limited edition 128 page edition of this album- which was worth every penny. The illustrations, the stories, and of course the music was so carefully and thoughtfully put together it spoils you for any other artist's work.

The Northern Lights are Waving to Me

Photo courtesy of earthsky.org - captured by Antti Pietikainen in the autumn of 2011




I always have the itch to travel. If I had my druthers I would travel the world all year round, exploring every tiny village and large metropolis, taking millions of pictures and amassing an impressive collection of souvenirs along the way. Of course I would occasionally be checking in at home base...I guess.

Unfortunately, I am not in the position to be able to travel all year, so I have reconciled myself to the idea of taking one interesting trip every year or so. This year, I am planning on Iceland! At the top of my list of things to see is the Northern Lights. I ache to see them. I feel like there is a void in my soul until I see them. It is just something that has been pulling at me lately with a strong gravitational pull. I don't think I can rest until I see the Aurora Borealis!

I understand that I am not guaranteed to see them. Which I admit is a rather daunting thought. But Iceland is such an interesting and beautiful place, all will not be lost if I don't see those elusive and magical lights. In fact it would just give me reason to keep traveling to find them!
I am doing my research on Iceland and biding my time waiting for the right deal to come along. Though I may not have any concrete plans yet...I am excited at the very thought of standing under the Icelandic sky, marveling at the wonder that is the Northern Lights.