Welcome to the Blog Hello there individual. Welcome to my blog.

I hope that you enjoy your stay here, that you will visit often, and that each time you will leave having gained something. And now that I have stated my emotionless and slightly condescending mission statement, lets get on with the fun things. This blog here is a place for me to muse. It is a place for me to put my thoughts, my feelings, my interests, my passions, my joys, my sorrows. Basically, this blog is going to be a small representation of myself and my doings. I hope that you can find some joy in my extremely bizarre life and the ever increasing randomness that it entails. Now from that last sentence, you may be misled to believe that I am a spontaneous person who lives without a want for structure or order. Not so. In fact most days anyway I am quite structured and organized. As such, I have a sort of layout for how this blog will go so that I can keep track of what I am doing. I always tend to think better with some sort of plan anyway. Here is how things will go here: Mondays are Material Monday. On these days I will discuss the newest movie I have seen or the newest song/band/person/whatever music I have listened to (Note: newest here means newest to Levi, this may not actually be a movie or song/band/person/whatever that is new). This may also include things that I find on my weekly thrift store runs. And yes. I do go to thrift stores at least once a week. Tuesdays are List Tuesday. A while ago, I along with some friends were challenged to answer questions from a list. I feel like I need to do this again, so I am going to. Wednesdays are Nerdy Wednesday. I am a nerd. I am also a Nerdfighter (link to vlogbrothers). On this day I will discuss the things that my inner nerd just needs to talk about. It will be awesome. Extremely nerdy, but awesome nonetheless. Thursdays are Thoughtful Thursday. This may include random thoughts, posts about random things or ideas, thoughtful people or actions, things that made me think, or products of my thoughts. Fridays are Food Friday. This will include the things I eat and love. If I like a restruant, I will tell you about it. If I cook something good, I will let you know. If my friends are amazing (which they are) and we cook something, I will let you know. Saturdays are Laughing Saturday. I like to laugh. A lot. I would like to share some of the funnier moments with you. This world needs more good laughs. Sundays are Special Sunday. Throughout life, there are always those special moments. Things that are meaningful, things that make me want to be better, things that make me think. Things that are special. Also you may have noticed that there are a couple of tabs on this here blog. The first one (the one that you are currently browsing) is entitled Life because it contains things about life, the second is entitled Photography that has to do with my Photography business (more info in that tab), the third is entitled Music and contains thoughts about music, music that I enjoy, and some of my own arrangements/compositions. As you can so obviously tell, I took full creative liberty in creating the titles for these sections. Well there you have it my friends. This is the general outline of what you can expect. However, I do reserve the rights to deviate from this. It is my blog after all.

Material Monday Movie: X-Men: First Class I am a pretty big X-Men fan. Not quite a fanatic, but a fan. Not a household fan. That is entirely different! Hahaha! Anyway, I love the X-Men movies. When I first heard about X-Men: First Class, I got excited. To see how things from the original movies came about was a really intriguing idea. Now that I think about it, that is probably why the movie creaters made it in the first place. Humans have a way of wanting to know about origins (hmmm maybe that is why they made X-Men: Origins: Wolverine). So I watched this movie. It was somewhat enjoyable. It was definitely interesting to see how things came to be and how relationships and mindsets and ideals were discovered and developed. However I thought the whole thing was just a tad bit (okaya lot bit) cheesy. There were too many weird and awkward clich lines. And, not going to lie, the fact that Professor X put his two forefingers on his temple every time he was exercising his power really upset me. Really? We have to fall into that psychic clich? Besides that there was one random f-word (why Hugh Jackman? Why?) and a bunch of pretty sketchy scenes (for future reference, sketchy means scandalous or immoral [and in other circumstances it means extremely iffy]). Overall I give it 2.5 out 5 donuts. Music: Paper Lions I first heard this band while browsing Kiri Reisners blog (hyperlink to it she is a fantastic blogger). She posted the video for their song Traveling. I liked it and to my wondrous surprise BAM! They had their entire album (Entitled Trophies) online for free. I love free stuff, dont you? But more then being just free, their stuff is pretty darn good! After I downloaded their album I decided I might as well sign up for their mailing list, just for fun. About a month after that they sent an e-mail talking about their new album (called At Long Creek) that was supposed to be coming out in a couple of weeks. I put it on my calendar because I was so dang excited. Two or three days before it was released, I got an e-mail thanking me for being supportive and being on the mailing list. Because of that, they let me have the album before it came out. How cool is that?! I really like their music and totally support them in there endeavors. Here is where you can get there stuff: instructions on how to get their stuff.

List Tuesday This list has thirty (ish) questions. One for each day for one month. The questions range from funny little quirky things to really intense and deep things. Day 1: List 20 random facts about yourself. 1. I hate clipping my nails. I mean, I like the end results, but it is such hard work! 2. I have two assigned spots that I sit in at my house: the right side of the couch and the bench at the dining room table. 3. I prefer the cold to the heat. 4. I despise fleece blankets. 5. I secretly love baseball. 6. I suck so badly at sports it is not even remotely humorous. There is a reason I refuse to play sports. I usually end up hurting myself or others. 7. I am spontaneously spontaneous. 8. I truly wish I would have done more illegal things before I turned 18. 9. I love lap swimming, even though I am extremely slow and I look like a flopping, flailing fool. 10. I can remember how to get to someones house only if I take them home. 11. I love people and find them insanely fascinating. 12. I could sit people watching for hours. 13. I love to run. 14. I hate getting up early to run. 15. I lose track of time when at the music store. 16. I sometimes sit and watch the clothes in the washing machine as they spin. 17. I name most of my inanimate objects that are important to me. 18. I love being able to feel. 19. I have a four octave range (on a good day). 20. I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Nerdy Wednesday Fact number one: Levi is a GINORMOUS Star Wars Fan. I have always wanted to be Jedi. The main object that makes a Jedi a Jedi, is the lightsaber. What have I wanted since I was five? A lightsaber. One day when I am famous and rich, I will purchase the double helix from parksabers. Here is their website. Come on. Admit it. You want one too.

Thoughtful Thursday Sometimes Levi sits and reads and re-reads and re-writes and analyzes and ponders and listens and feels things. Well I did that to this here poem that was written by Octavio Paz and set to music by Eric Whitacre. I will post the poem in its original language (Spanish), in English, in English with my notes, and in music form. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do, because I can honestly say that it has changed my life. Los Novios Tendidos en la yerba una muchacha y un muchacho. Comen naranjas, cambian besos como las olas cambian sus espumas. Tendido en la playa una muchacha y un muchacho. Comen limones, cambian besos como las nubes cambian espumas. Tendidos bajo tierra una muchacha y un muchacho. No dicen nada, no se besan, cambian silencio por silencio. A Boy and a Girl Stretched out on the grass a boy and a girl. Savoring their oranges, giving their kisses like waves exchanging foam. Stretched out on the beach a boy and a girl. Savoring their limes, giving their kisses like clouds exchanging foam. Stretched out underground, a boy and a girl. Saying nothing, never kissing, giving silence for silence.

A Boy and a Girl

Stretched out on the grass a boy and a girl. Savoring their oranges, giving their kisses like waves exchanging foam. Stretched out on the beach a boy and a girl. Savoring their limes, giving their kisses like clouds exchanging foam. Stretched out underground, a boy and a girl. Saying nothing, never kissing, giving silence for silence.