What music means to me.

To tell you the truth I don't know if anyone is reading this, but that doesn't matter to me. If anyone is actually reading this they probably know that I love music. I've made a habit out of creating mixes for family and friends. My mom is the greatest supporter of this art. Yes thats right, I just called creating a mix cd an art. When you think about it, it's just like being a DJ, or mixing a song. There is a technique and a theory to this. This last week or so I've been working on a mix cd for a friend of mine. She doesn't like when music swears, so that cut down on the music I could use a lot. Don't get me wrong, I dislike swearing, it just doesn't bother me as much as it does her. So as I was scanning through my itunes library I was searching for songs that both get the blood pumping, but don't have bad words. I realized why I love music so much, it takes you somewhere. I'm the kind of person who when I feel the need to travel better get traveling or else I'm screwed. Last night I started reading Steinbeck's Travels with Charley. I've read Of Mice and Men so I was expecting something along those lines. Part One of the book is all about how he feels the need to travel. When I read the lines "Four hoarse blast of a ship's whistle still raise the hair on my neck and set my feet to tapping. The sound of a jet, an engine warming up, even the clopping of shot hooves on pavement brings on the ancient shudder, the dry mouth and vacant eye, the hot palms and the churn of stomach high up under the rib cage. In other words, I don't improve; in further words, once a bum always a bum. I fear the disease is incurable. I set this matter down not to instruct others but to inform myself. When the virus of restlessness begins to take possession of a wayward man, and the road away from Here seems broad and straight and sweet, the victim must first find n himself a good and sufficient reason for going" I knew why I loved music. I have always wanted to wander. It has been my dream since the age of 11 to get in a car and just GO. Of course I couldn't drive at the age of 11, and now I still don't have a car. Believe me if I had a car I would be gone by now. When I do have a car in my possession I am tied down by obligations and promises. Thats why I drive the canyons at night when I'm home. It doesn't matter where I'm going. It matters that I'm going. That is a completely different blog all together, but today I want to focus on how I cope without being able to leave. Music comes from everywhere. Music is the uniting language of the world. We each have our own specific dialects and ideas of what makes good music, but there are few people in this world who don't appreciate music. Of course there are varying levels of music appreciation, I would like to consider myself among the highest level of music appreciators. I pretty much always have my ipod and right now I've got pandora streaming. What I'm beating around is that music moves me. When I am listening to music I am not walking down the street, or doing homework. When I hear certain songs I'm taken back to a moment I correlate with that song. The Punk goes Acoustic album reminds me of driving in the canyons with Melissa in December 2007. The Punk goes Acoustic vol 2 album reminds me of riding on the band bus with Kayla and talking about the different songs. Brandi Carlile's song "The Storybook" reminds me of driving with Laura. Avenged Sevenfold reminds me of rides to school with Joe and Karen. Queen reminds me of that one perfect evening with Karen and Crystal at the lifeguard station. What I'm trying to say is that when I listen to music I feel like I'm somewhere else. I wish I could express to the world what music means to me. It is like my skeleton and my blood. It's what holds me in shape when I think I'll fall apart and what provides me with what I need to keep moving. Its what breaks last in my heart and what heals first. I can't describe it completely, but music is so important to me. I hope I can spread that love someday.