Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in Anita Baker's LiveJournal:

[ << Previous 20 ]

Saturday, November 21st, 2009
6:09 pm	It looks like Nashville State Community College is a better bet for me than MTSU. You can earn techincal certificates that, from what I understand, are similar to a degree. It's like a fast track program that allows you to go through the classes in about a year. They have a Music Technology program, which is similar to MTSU's Production & Technology concentration. I've been toying with the idea of switching from Music Business to Production & Technology since I'm more interested in the "hands-on" aspect and the whole studio process but I would have to reapply and wait to be accepted into the Production & Technology. And even then, I'd have to go back and earn ever MORE credit hours. Plus it seems like I can never get into ANY classes in the Recording Industry regardless of the concentration everytime registration rolls around. Anywho, I need a total of 24-26 credit hours left to earn at MTSU. At NSCC I would need 30 credit hours. not much more. Assuming that I can get all my classes, I could go through that program as fast as I could at MTSU (assuming I could get into my classes, which is a big joke). The negative is that I wouldn't have a B.S. degree, but if the techincal certicate helps me to get jobs in the field then what does it really matter? Tuition is also a lot more affordable at NSCC, especially if I'm going to have to rely on loans. And one last major bonus, LOCATION! The commute to & from Murfreesboro is a major pain. Then on campus, finding parking is another huge anxiety! NSCC is sooo much closer, and it looks like my biggest hassle will be dealing with Harding Place @ Nolensville. Big whoop. Dealth with it many, many, many times before and it's not nearly as bad as Murfreesboro. (Comment on this)
Wednesday, November 4th, 2009
5:14 pm	I've been really sick for a week now. I had to leave the Hanson concert early last Tuesday night. I tried to stick it out but I didn't want to be the one who everyone remembers being carried out by paramedics. Then I came down with a sinus infection. It seems like the older I get, the less times I get sick but the illness becomes more intense. (Comment on this)
Wednesday, October 14th, 2009
9:18 pm	4 nights out of the last 5 I have had dreams about a guy who I used to be friends with. And the one night that I didn't dream of him I dreamt of a tv character (I'll just say it was a guy from a CW show) who shares the name (well in nickname form) with this guy, and the character had a "twin brother" (the twin was a guy who actually plays a relative of this character on the show) with the actual first name of the guy. Er, probably super confusing but whatev. But the dreams kind of reflect certain things that went on in real life (plus a lot of things I never realized until later on) but to a greater degree. They're kind of haunting me in a sense, not so much the dream but the consistency that these dreams are taking place. I don't recall dreaming about the same thing/person often in a short time, let alone 2+ nights in a row. (Comment on this)
Wednesday, October 7th, 2009
11:38 pm	I have another guitar milestone that I've reached (which only continues to display how pathetic I am)! I'm loving The Smashing Pumpkins' cover of "Terrapin" (you go James CoCo!!!) so I was like "O hai, I want to play this on guitar!" I thought I'd try to fumble around and see if I could figure it out myself (that's a big ROFLOL idea). While I couldn't really figure it out on my own, I did manage to sort out all the chords used (just nowhere near the right order...)!!! That's kind of huge for me since I've never been able to tell what chords are used in a song just from hearing it.   </ lameness> (Comment on this)
Tuesday, September 8th, 2009
11:53 pm	I'm starting to get into better habits...kinda-sorta. Yesterday I took my dad to the dreaded Walmart only to find that the pharmacy was closed due to the holiday. Since we were there I decided to break down and buy some things that I actually need plus a Ghostbusters shirt. I have a notorious history with a Ghostbusters shirt during my younger childhood years (until the stupid Easter Bunny STOLE it!). Since I had to take him again today I decide to "run some other errands" and buy other "needed" items as well, yay. I also fell into an old habit and went exploring in the $5 dvd bin at the Mart de Wal. Back when I had difficulty practicing self-control over building a dvd collection, I used to find all kinds of movies that I ended up loving. Ah but today, even though I found many that I've considered paying full retail price for in the past ($15-$20), I only bought one. I found the Clueless (Whatever Ed.) and Had to buy it! Many times in the past I had debated on buying it but couldn't bear to spend the $24.99 or $19.99 or $15.99 or $12.99 as the price dropped because my vhs copy (despite the amount it's been watched) is in perfectly good condition. But I bought it mainly for the bonus features. *sigh* Oh how I LOVE dvd bonus features! (Comment on this)
Monday, August 31st, 2009
6:52 pm	I've always toyed around with the idea of getting into photography (as well as everything else...darn it! I want to do it all!!!). My dad used to do a lot of professional photography but then his vision interferred with that. Now that he's gone through all his surgeries, has new glasses, and can see better he was talking about getting back into it (since it was pretty lucrative for him). Now I'm seriously considering spending the money for a "good" camera. I know, I know, everyone in the world who has a decent camera or takes close-ups thinks they're a photographer... Whatev, I think this is something that could be a serious venture for me. (Comment on this)
Sunday, August 30th, 2009
1:07 pm	It's odd that over the years all of my e-mail addresses just randomly started receiving the Hanson.net newsletter even though I swear I never signed up for it on all those addresses (especially the ones I never give out to anyone). And yet now I hardly ever receive the newsletters at all (they're not in the spam/junk folders either). Grrrr! (Comment on this)
Saturday, August 22nd, 2009
10:19 pm	This is straight-up depressing! Some of my old favorite shoes have practically disintegrated while sitting in my closet! My old shiny Airwalks have had a long history and have had some wear on them...but they sure as heck weren't in this bad of condition the last time I really looked at them (months ago). Er, I hardly ever use my closet. It's left shut and sealed off for weeks at a time since I have so much stuff sitting up against the outside of the door. Ugh, Idk why the black plastic at the toe area is all nasty. It looks like a combination of water damage (looks like the plastic bubbled up) and sand paper. Plus it feels like it's kind of dry-rotted and has a crunchy texture. D: Thankfully my holographic maroon ones are still in tact. Though they've had a lot less wear on them over the years....but I'm glad they're not dry-rotted or anything icky like that. *cries* I suppose now would be the time to part with the black ones and send them off to the garbage can. Farewell old friends! We've been through some crazy times together! However, this part of my fabric collection helps to make me feel happy. And I rediscovered these striped pants I began making about 6 years ago... Er, I really should finish them. (Comment on this)
Sunday, August 16th, 2009
8:30 pm	I sold my old Volkswagen yesterday. I love Beetles but I just didn't have the ability to fix it up like I originally intended. The guy who bought it could do it more justice than I ever could so I'm glad he got it. Now I'm back to being in a better financial position. I woke up today thinking "I think I'll buy my parents a vacuum cleaner!" And that's what I did (after doing a litte bit of research). I'm glad that I could "give back" since my mom had been paying my loan bills for me for the past few months. Heaven knows we've needed a new one for the past couple of years. Our old one lost a lot of suction, left a really bad odor, and last month it lost its vacuuming ability altogether. My dad was to the point of looking for a used one in the thrift stores despite my protest against used vacuums (contamination machines!) since we couldn't afford a new one (not even a cheapo $40 one). That's one less thing we have to worry about. (Comment on this)
Sunday, August 9th, 2009
11:56 pm	I had this really awesome dream last night... Anywho, at one point I realize that I'm at this big place b/c it's my birthday party. And then I realize that I'm at Britney's house/mansion (in my dream it's supposed to be one of Britney's places...which would also kind of explain by Big Rob was my security guard...). There was the elevator area that I couldn't get out of my head. Actually, I can't get the dream out of my head because I want so desperately for it to really happen because it was so incredible, yeah yeah, moving on. I'm doing a search for interior photo's of Britney's house(s) out of curiosity. I came across this one (source: http://www.amazingluxurylife.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/britneyhome-interior.jpg): If you can imagine that this area is rectangular like a small room (instead of rounded), there are mirrors in place of the windows, and that the shelving isn't there but the paneling is similar, then that's pretty much identical to Britney's elevator area in my dream. The ceiling for sure is identical (well, if it was rectangular too). Idk, it's weird to me since this is the 1st time I've seen interior shots one of her houses. ETA: Oh dang, this was almost like the outside area/driveway where my Escalades (I had 3 in my entourage!) were parked. Except that whole breezeway/porchy area extended out and was paved through there since it was part of the driveway where you could drive through and get out right at the door. Also the driveway divided the house/mansion into two parts yet it still was all connected (kind of reminded me of my high school between the main build and vocational building D: ) but this was still the main entrance. Ugh, bad descriptions, I know... Omg, I think I'm having visions in my dreams now, lol. Maybe this all could be a good sign? (Comment on this)
Monday, July 20th, 2009
5:53 pm	My personality type is INFJ... According to this site: http://www.personalitypage.com/INFJ.html "INFJs are gentle, caring, complex and highly intuitive individuals. Artistic and creative, they live in a world of hidden meanings and possibilities. Only one percent of the population has an INFJ Personality Type, making it the most rare of all the types. INFJs place great importance on havings things orderly and systematic in their outer world. They put a lot of energy into identifying the best system for getting things done, and constantly define and re-define the priorities in their lives. On the other hand, INFJs operate within themselves on an intuitive basis which is entirely spontaneous. They know things intuitively, without being able to pinpoint why, and without detailed knowledge of the subject at hand. They are usually right, and they usually know it. Consequently, INFJs put a tremendous amount of faith into their instincts and intuitions. This is something of a conflict between the inner and outer worlds, and may result in the INFJ not being as organized as other Judging types tend to be. Or we may see some signs of disarray in an otherwise orderly tendency, such as a consistently messy desk." Ugh, so true!!! I need to carry around a printed copy of this just so I can explain myself to people! My parents think I'm out of my mind for not being able to explain my reasonings and what-not. (Comment on this)
Saturday, July 18th, 2009
10:04 pm	I really wish they would release the names of the 5 people who were murdered in Lincoln County. :( I'm losing my patience. My mom went down there yesterday to her friend's house (not sure where exactly her friend lives down there). And both sides of my mom's family are from there too so we have a ton of relatives down there as well. (Comment on this)
Wednesday, July 15th, 2009
9:27 pm	Last night I figured out a perfect (and the easiest) way to describe my mom without using the "B" word. She's pretty much Joe Jackson without the physical abuse. All she cares about is how I can be of use to her...especially when it comes to money and cars. Her friend from Fayetteville gave her a newer Deville. When she received the "new" Deville, she left her old one down at the friend's house. The fan that works the heater and air conditioner stopped working soon after my mom got the car (but they didn't know the fan was the problem until recently) so of course there were days where my mom had to drive my car (which she had taken over my car for a couple of months before she received the new one since my car was "the better car" at the time). They were going to fix the fan on her car this past weekend...but they couldn't do it before she had to return home, so she drove her old car home. Since she's been home, she'll only drive my car. She's been intending to sell her old car so today some people said that they want to buy it tomorrow. My dad has a doctor's appointment (She kind of rubs it in my face that she's gotten off easy the past few years since I'm the one that always has to take him...just like how I always took her when she was going through her chemo) at the end of the week so I told her that I guess I'll have to take her to work that morning. That's when she decide to inform me that I was going to take her to work regardless of selling her car or not. Oh gee, thanks. I guess she was going to wait until the night before to let me know that she would be waking me up at 6am to drop her off at work. **Editted out one of my many long rants** gah, lately I feel like I'm a teenager who has finally reached that rebellion stage. (Comment on this)
Tuesday, July 7th, 2009
11:45 pm	Many years ago when cd burners were an expensive luxury and Mars Music was still in business, I almost got an amazing guitar. I don't remember the year it was but if you wanted a computer with a cd burner or wanted to add one to a current computer, it wasn't cheap! Back then I wanted a cd burner so bad. That was also back before Napster went through all their legal troubles. Heck, taht was back before most of my irl friends had internet access. At the time Epiphone had these amazing glittery/sparkly Les Pauls (everyone who knew me knew that I was a Les Paul girl). They came in three colors: red, silver, and blue. I really, REALLY wanted the blue one! That Christmas my parents gave me the choice between getting the guitar or a cd burner + any cash leftover that would be equivalent to the guitar's price. We went over to Mars Music one day to check out the guitars and I spotted the silver and red sparkly guitars. I found out that the blue ones were sold out and that they weren't planning on getting any more. I think they only had the one red and three silvers left in stock and once they were gone, that was it. My parents were ready to make the purchase that day but I was truly miserable that there were no more blues one and like a fool I declined. I thought the red was really pretty and I liked the silver but my heart was so set on the blue one. While leaving the store I settled on getting a cd burner + cash. For Christmas I received $350 (the price of the guitars at the time). A few days later I went to Best Buy and pciked out one of the most inexpensive cd burners, which was about $220 at the time. I was so happy to have it working. I went to town making mix cds. About a year later the computer was hit by lightning (we were always good about disconnecting from online before storms but this one came out of nowhere and unexpectedly) and destroyed everything. Even after leaving the store that day, a part of me wished that I had gotten the red guitar. But being young, knowing I'd have some "extra" cash from my big present was a huge incentive for me. In more recent years, I could kick myself for not getting it. And what was even worse, I had been through a similar thing a year or two before. One Christmas it was between another Epiphone Les Paul or a scanner (again, super pricey at the time) + cash. Like a dumb kid I chose the scanner + cash because at the time scanners were all "high tech" and the only source for uploading pics on your computer. That stupid scanner only lasted about a year as well. *head -> desk* Tonight I was talking to my dad about settling on getting a Squier (by Fender) the next time I have the money instead of a Fender because Squiers are considerably cheaper. He wasn't too keen on the idea of getting a Squier (and I've never been either until just recently) but I reminded him that it was similar to the whole Epiphone/Gibson thing and that I've been really satsified with every Epiphone that I've played (tbh, I like Epiphone's acoustics a LOT more than I like Gibson's). Then he brought up that when you buy guitars like Squiers they give you cheapo gig bags to store them in. My Les Paul Junior came in a gig bag and as much as I hate gig bags, they're better than nothing. I had to remind him that nowadays you're lucky if they even give you a gig bag. I've also noticed that despite economic conditions, guitars seem to have gone up in price. I read where Fender up their suggested retail price by $200. A few years back when I was "shopping" for Strats, they were going for $350 (plus whatever discount they would've given me). I found many used ones in the $200 range. Now I'm seeing retail prices at $400 on the low end and ~$350 used. The same for Epiphones. I used to find new ones as low as $250 and now I'm seeing them at $500 on the low end. :o A few hours ago I came across this: http://www.guitarcenter.com/Epiphone-Limited-Edition-Les-Paul-Standard-Flake-Electric-Guitar-581252-i1452622.gc It's the sparkly/glitter Les Pauls!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They look like the same blue, red, and silver ones taht were out years ago!!! Though now the price is $600. :( *snorts* Oddly enough, after I told my dad that they never throw in the hardshell cases for free, you get the case for free. However at $600, you better be getting something extra, psh, especially when those guitars used to be $350!!! Omg, my little heart inside me is crying for the blue one!!! Seriously, that guitar would bring so much happiness and joy to my pathetic life... Erg, must. Own. It! (Comment on this)
Thursday, July 2nd, 2009
11:04 pm	I feel really pathetic. In recent years I've heard about how a lot of people who learn to play guitar usually learn Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" as their first song because it's "easy." Erm... I've been trying to learn it for almost a week now. I've got the fingering for the 4 chords down...no problem. But my strumming is all whacked. I've never been too much of a strummer to begin with (we never had to play chords or strum in my guitar classes). The whole D U-D *mute* D-U-D-U next chord skipping lower E string D-D. My attempts at strumming are proving that I have no rhythm. :( I've reverted back to my old way of plucking the 3 strings at the same time to the P P-P next chord P-P pattern. But I wish I could get that muted chicka-chicka sound. I can kind of get it all to work out if I don't use a pick and strum...but it makes me feel weird because other people always point out that I don't use picks. Though I have a LOT more of control without picks. But I've found that using a pick does help me on some of the chorded songs. Back to the song. The only thing I haven't even tried to learn yet is chord progressions that lead to the "Hey!"'s in the song. I've spent most days trying to get down that freakin' strumming with the chicka-chicka but I think I'm going to abandon that. It's not like I ever did or played anything like everyone else in the first place... Yeah buddy, 'cause I'm a real rebel. I also want to try to finger-pick the melody of the verses instead of only playing the C and F. I haven't come across anyone else who has done that... It'd be more exciting than just playing the traditional guitar parts of the song. ...ok, so maybe the song is easy. Darn it, it's just those chicka-chickas and then accidentally hitting the lower E string when not needed that I'm allowing to defeat me! But coming to terms with being all different and plucking is kind of a relief. I'm only hung up on all of this because I want to my own darn band (and I know folks like to do cover songs and then others speculate over if it was done "properly")! Though if I were in a band where we wrote our own music then it wouldn't matter because I'd be creating my own sound and wouldn't have any pressure of "playing it the right way" since my way would be the right way! I know this is all silly but I've had so many limiting thoughts and used to feel that it all have to be done in a "music theory" way, and had a hard time wrapping my mind around it all otherwise. My last year in guitar when we had a new teacher (who didn't know how to play) and he had a student teacher who was strictly a "tabs" guy...omg, I was like "HDU change my format!!! Bring back the sheet music!!! I need my treble clef!!!" (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Tuesday, June 30th, 2009
1:03 am	This is an old entry (from last year) that I had posted on my Xanga but this still pretty much expresses my feelings towards MTSU (+ MMC...and college in general): "I really need to brush up on my English/grammar. I recently realized that there are certain times that you're supposed to use "whom" instead of "who" (which I seriously don't remember ever learning about that...and same thing sort of with "lay" and "lie"...not sure of the proper use either but I do know that you're supposed to say "I'm going to go lie out in the sun." *shakes head*), I've never really had a teacher, especially an English/writing teacher correct me on my grammar mistakes since I've been in college. That kind of...no actually, it really bugs me. Since I'm being forced to take some time off from school (which I'm glad to do but not under the circumstances as to why I have to) I want to, in a sense, prove that I can learn much more from not being in school. I once had a discussion with someone about how it seems like we've become more dense and airheaded since being in college. It's rare that I have a teacher who(m?) actually teaches instead of just pointing out a few facts from the book and telling the class to read it. And along the way they give nonsense assignments just to have something to based a grade on. You know, I can go to the library to checkout a book or go buy one, read it, and learn. I can do that over and over and over again numerous times within a month. It's a heck-of-a-lot cheaper than paying a bunch of astronomical fees for every little service that I may or may not use regarding a campus, plus an hourly price per class rate that's relatively pricey. I can learn about a variety of subjects within a month using a library (or shelling out $20 here and there for books) as opposed to taking 4-5 classes throughout a 4-month period and paying $3,000+ along with $100+ for textbooks. Meh Idk, I guess I just hear about how important having an education is...and then I hear about how important it is to have a college education. But really, I've done the time, but where is the "education" part? I wish there was a "return policy." You can go to Sephora and buy a pricey beauty product, use a good bit of it, and when you decide that you don't like it you can receive your money back (even if you use a good 3/4 of product from what I've read). But if I went to MTSU and said "I ain't learned nothin' from ya'll, I'd like my money back plz, kthanx." I doubt they'd budge, even with a clear expression of coming off as an uneducated student." (Comment on this)
Wednesday, June 24th, 2009
7:11 pm	I found out that the two songs I like the most on the Tinted Windows album were both written by James Iha. As if I didn't like him enough already...it keeps getting better! I'm changing the strings on my electric guitar (the same ones I never did change last year...oops) all by myself! lol, this is like a huge moment in guitar history for me! My dad's always wound up (pun possibly intended) doing it for me because I didn't realize that I had to leave enough of the string loose in order to get it to wrap around the tuning peg (I thought it would do it on its own when pulling the string tight). That poor guitar... I don't like playing it because it really is too small for me (it's a Saturn and I really need a Cadillac) but it's been neglected. I've taken good care of it storage wise but those strings...this is the 3rd set it's had on it within the last 11 years. :(  Again, I never played it enough because it's not a comfortable fit so there wasn't a huge need to change out the strings a lot. (Comment on this)
Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009
1:25 am	I just noticed a few entries back that I mentioned that I missed out on a free Gavin DeGraw concert. It was one of 107.5's gigs... and it's a good thing that I did miss it. If I had won then there's a good chance that I wouldn't have been qualified to win passes to see Tinted Windows (or at least not on the day that I won them). And to be honest, I would rather see Tinted Windows much more so than Gavin DeGraw (haven't been feelin' his new album too much :( ), and I'm happy that I did. Though I still love me some Gavin! (Comment on this)
Wednesday, June 17th, 2009
11:18 pm	I may add a thing about seeing Tinted Windows soon... Idk, I started typing it up but I'm too lazy to finish it all. It was something alright... Sad that I was unaware of an after party. rofl, I think my dad was secretly looking forward to meeting Taylor Hanson and is happy that he did. Then today he was going on about something and compared Taylor to Elvis (I think I missed part of what he said b/c he lost me on that...). Anywho, the songwriting thing has taken over again. During the wee hours of the morning I was trying to rewrite my "multi-million dollar" song and instead came up with several complete versions of a whole new song within 30 minutes. I can hear the WHOLE thing in my head. I know exactly the instrumentation, the flow of the vocals, the back up vocals, everything!!! Today I started trying to pick out the melody on the keyboard. Which leads me to this. For years I was flustered because I have difficulty with the "play-by-ear" thing. My dad's always had praised because he can pick up on any song while playing guitar in an instant! When I started guitar, I always had people expecting me to do the same thing (It's the freakin same for everything. Everyone thinks that I'm a good artist just because he's brilliant at painting and drawing...though I fail at both. Or they think that I'm instantly a good singer because he's a good singer...no folks, it doesn't work like that.) Anyway, that's kind of what puts me off from playing any instrument...I don't naturally have the abilities taht I want (and apparently I've never been fond of practicing anything). That's like when I took classical piano I thought that maybe taht would be my new thing but I failed. Guitar was always my best instrument. I could slowly pick up a melody by ear on just the guitar, though mainly for classical/Spanish guitar pieces. And blah blah blah... Anywho, today I got out my keyboard, set my mind to it, and poof! I found the right beginning notes AND chords on the first attempt. Oh lawdy, and chords are a whole other obstacle for me, especially since I was never taught in that style (just classical/finger-picking by reading music notation). My dad always tells me that I overthink and over complicate chords because I always try to apply various theories and reasoning to them. And again, so I was able to translate the melody from my head to the keyboard without giving too much thought and without making any mistakes. To me that's like freakin magic at work!! I know a lot of people have that natural ability but it's like for one day I've had that naturally ability out of nowhere! I just hope I can keep this up... I'm am completely serious about getting this new song demoed. I want that sucker with a registered copyright so that I can go on and put it out there hoping to get it published. (Comment on this)
Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009
9:50 pm	I just won Tinted Windows tickets!!! Heck yeah!!! Last night when I was trying to win them I was caller #3 the first time I dialed in and again tonight I was caller #3 on my first try. Fortunately I was the winning caller on the second try. Omg, ya'll have no idea how much I love 107.5!!! (Comment on this)