Initially, this blog was created by Jon and I to record and
share our goals and it has morphed into other interest as well. Every year, we
always start new goals so that we can enrich our lives. We also evaluate the
success of our goals and reasons for the outcomes.
Read new books and
finish old ones.
I did read new books and finish old ones. I would have liked
to have read more books and finished my booklist but that did not happen. The
reason why I didn’t finish as many I would have liked was that I procrastinated
and sometimes I was busy. I drew up a table to see how many books I had read
from 2012-2014 and it turns out that I have read a total of 45 books in three
years. In 2012-2013, I read exactly 16 books which was surprising as I didn’t
set a quota for that amount. In 2014 I read 13 books.
I am still determined to read more books and this year I
will be more diligent. One of my goals this year is to be more productive. I’m
going to cut out the time wasting activities that I do such as spending endless
hours watching youtube videos and reading useless articles.
Grade:D
Be more adventurous
in fashion.
Nope! This one did not happen at all. I didn’t focus on
clothes much on clothes last year. Updating my wardrobe has been a priority of
mine for some time but I still have not completed this goal. I actually need
more clothes and I’m not the type of person who has a closet stuffed with
clothes.
Grade:F
Put myself first
I’m getting better at being assertive and making my needs a
priority.
Grade: A
Eating Healthy
I definitely had eating healthy on my agenda in 2014, especially
after my dad had a heart attack.
In the spirit of the festive season, I’d like to share some
Christmas songs that are a little different from the norm. Most non religious
Christmas songs are all about enjoying winter time by a cozy fire so I wanted
to highlight some songs where the weather is warm.
The first song that I am sharing is by John Williamson
called The Golden Kangaroo. John Williamson is an Australian country singer
famed for singing songs about the Outback. An Aussie Christmas is in the summertime and
most songs are about Santa being too hot, barbecues, kangaroos and the Outback.
The next song is Christmas in the Sand by Colbie Caillat. I
just found this song today. I didn't know there were other Christmas songs set in a warm climate.
Carlyn: The last blog I want to show for this year is Stella Lee's Blog. Stella
Lee is an Indonesian blogger who blogs about fashion, makeup and travel. Most of
her blog posts are on Asian products and she has mostly travelled around Asia.
I love to read her posts on Japan as it is my dream country to visit. I also
love her passion for fashion and makeup. She’s not afraid to try different
colours and styles when it comes to clothes, makeup and accessories.
Jon: My final blog of the month for 2014 is Arianna's Random Thoughts . Arianna's posts seem to center around a strong sense of self and the connections that we have with our loved ones. I think her blog sends a very good message by focusing on the important people in our lives, most expressly our family and our friends. For a young person she gives some heady advice and sometimes the best advice we get is from young people. They see the world from a place an older generation once saw it and sometimes forgets or ridicules. Learning never stops and I like when I find a blog written by a thoughtful young person. Especially someone with a positive spirit who can help others.
We've all been there, the aching from head to toe, the chills, nausea, cough, runny eyes and runny nose. No it's not a pretty sight, but the fever knows no mercy and can even bring the most strapping young bear to his knees. And truth be told, I'm not a strapping young bear any more. This past Wednesday I went outside to shovel the snow from my and my neighbors sidewalks as well as our parking spaces and the old saying, "let no good deed go unpunished" reared it's ugly head, cursing me with what's likely the worst fever I have ever had. If not the worst though, it was the most recent, and when we're talking about illness, isn't it always the most recent one that feels like the worst?
I woke up the day after my snow-shoveling escapades feeling quite achy and my eyes felt kind of funny. It was when I decided to get my weary body out of bed that I was hit with the true weight of my illness. I have been sick several times in my life, as is expectant of a 39 year old man, but I never before recall being so sick that I had blurred vision and difficulty maintaining my balance. So this was a first for me. I took out the old trusty thermometer and checked my temperature. It read 103.3 degrees. I had to check my temperature again and much to my distress got the same reading.
I'm a stubborn bear and as such I try my best to take care of these things on my own. I figured the hospital could wait for a couple of days unless my fever started to rise even more. I monitored myself closely. So for the next couple of days I drank a lot of water and drank a good deal of soup, while taking my multi-vitamin religiously for once and more than the typical dosage of aspirin. Last night when I went to bed I still had a fever of 102.0 but I felt a world better than when I was above 103 at 103.3. I repeated a nice little prayer for well being to God and hoped that I would wake up all better in the morning. So while I am still feeling the fatigue of my illness today, I awoke with my temperature back to normal, albeit in a cold sweat. Thanks for the help Lord! =)
To the point of Entertainment Monday though, while I was in my delusional state, I couldn't help but hear two songs running through my head, each song equally as good as the other, although they came from different generations of music. I thought I should share both those songs about Fever for Entertainment Monday. Now that I appear (fingers crossed) to be on the better side of my illness and headed towards good health I can listen to them without the delightful dread that the tunes evoked just a day ago (now three days ago, because I'm writing this on Saturday >.<).
When I was in high school, my friends and I did ridiculous
things when we had a crush on someone. We had code names for all our crushes,
wrote endless notes to each other about them, stalked them around school and had
long conversations analysing our interactions with our crushes. It was just so silly and stupid but I can laugh about it.
Hi Suhyun is the newest kpop duo whose latest single I’m Different
is racing up the Asian music charts. Hi Suhyun comprises of eighteen year old
Lee Hi and fifteen year old Suhyun.
The video clip of I’m Different features the girls as school
girls obsessing over their crushes much like how my friends and I did in high
school. There is also a guest rapper in the song named Bobby who is from a yet to debut kpop boyband Ikon. What is different about the
music is that it’s a bit of a jazz pop number rather than the bubblegum pop or RnB
music that is common in Kpop.
Here is a lyric video from a fan in English subtitles.
Originally, my brother and I were going to go to Cairns for
summer vacation. However, we’re now going to spend Christmas on vacation in the
Sunshine Coast with our parents. The Sunshine Coast is in north Queensland and
it is a popular attraction for tourists. It is a coastal town so people like to
come to the Sunshine Coast to swim, fish and surf. There is also rain forests
where people can go hiking and camping. Beside natural attractions, there are
malls, a zoo, an aquarium, Big Pineapple and restaurants.
This is the zoo owned by the Irwin family. I don’t know much
about the zoo but I know it has a lot of crocodiles. Maybe I’ll get to see
Bindi and Bob Irwin as they live at the zoo. Can you believe that Bindi is now 16 and Bob is 11?
Mooloolaba is where Underwater World is situated, it is an aboriginal
word which means mulu for snapper fish or mulla meaning red bellied snake. I
think it is an appropriate name for a coastal town. Underwater World is an aquarium
which has many sea animals such as fish, octopi, stingrays and sharks. They
also have seals and some of them do a seal show. I’ve never been to an aquarium
before so I’m looking forward to this. I also learnt that people can also have
sleepover parties at the aquarium. I wonder if it’s just for kids? I would love
to have a party at the aquarium. I think it would be fun to lie down and watch
the fish swim by and go on the after hours tour.
The Eumundi Markets
are located in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland. It is a market that is famed for
the fresh produce, locally made goods and street food. Tour groups are bussed
to the markets so it must be a good destination. My dad loves markets so we’re
going to this market especially for him.
The Ginger Factory
This is a place where ginger products are made such as
gingerbread men and crystallized ginger. I like ginger and I wouldn't mind
going on the factory tour. There’s also a ride called Overboard which is kinda
like the Disney ride It’s a Small World.
Rissi from Dreaming Under the Same Moon, invited anyone to join in on the Famous People Tag and as I love tags, here I am.
#1 Who's your favourite singer/group?
I like Taylor Swift,
Paloma Faith, Guy Sebastian, Jessica Mauboy, Delta Goodrem, and Taeyang,
#2 If
your favourite male actor was in the same room as you right now, what would
your reaction be?
I’d be really happy and
excited to see Daniel Radcliffe and I would ask him lots of questions.
#3 Is there a famous person you used to love
but (due to something they have done in their life) you've suddenly changed
your mind?
I really liked Amanda
Bynes and Lindsay Lohan. I always looked forward to watching their movies while
I was growing up. I thought that Amanda had a talent for comedy and Lindsay was
a good leading lady. I could see had the potential to have a long career.
I think they still do have
a chance to turn their lives around.
#4 Name
a famous person you like who's name starts with a V.
#5 What's one of your favourite red-carpet
dresses?
I love what Emma Watson
wore to the Golden Globes. What I like about her is she always dresses for
herself and opts for unusual designs. I think it was daring of her to go for
this dress/pants number. What makes this outfit work is her confidence, the
right colour and impeccable appearance.
I have so many favourite
child actors. I love the Harry Potter kids and always get excited when they are
in new films. I also love Dakota and Elle Fanning, Rachel Hurd Wood and the
Narnian kids.
#8 Is there an actor/actress you actually like
their private lives of? (Not sure if that last question was properly phrased.)
I don’t really follow what
actors do in their private lives but I think Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and
Rupert Grint are down to earth people and don’t get into any drama.
#9 Do you think that the actors/actresses have
improved these last 100 years?
I think actors have
improved as they don’t have as many restrictions as in the past and nothing
seems to be taboo any more
.
#10 What's the weirdest famous-people name?
I don’t think celebrity
kids count because they are only famous by association. So, I couldn’t find
that many strange celebrity names. I’ve always liked Whoopi Goldberg’s name. Whoopi’s
real name is Caryn Elaine Johnson but
she changed it to Whoopi to be more unique.
#11 Do
you think you look like a famous person? Which one(s)?
I don’t think I look like
anyone.
#12 Share your favourite famous-person quote.
Dress for who you are-
Emma Watson
#13
Who's your favourite dancer?
Taeyang is my favourite
dancer. He is a Kpop star who sings and dances. I am currently loving his
single Ringa Linga which has some impressive choreography.
.
#14 Why
is your favourite actress your favourite one? When did you decide that she was
your favourite?
I like so many actresses
and my favourites that come to mind are Jennifer Lawrence, Emma Watson, Maggie
Smith and Nia Vardalos. I like them for their charm and acting ability.
#15 Have
you ever met/seen/been close to a famous person? -
I haven’t met any
celebrities. Okay so feel free to join in on the tag. Here are the questions for you to copy and paste: #1 Who's your favourite singer/group? #2 If your favourite male actor was in the same room as you right now, what would your reaction be? #3 Is there a famous person you used to love but (due to something they have done in their life) you've suddenly changed your mind? #4 Name a famous person you like who's name starts with a V. #5 What's one of your favourite red-carpet dresses? #6 Who's your favourite Royal person? #7 Who's your favourite child actor/tress #8 Is there an actor/actress you actually like their private lives of? (Not sure if that last question was properly phrased.) #9 Do you think that the actors/actresses have improved these last 100 years? #10 What's the weirdest famous-people name? #11 Do you think you look like a famous person? Which one(s)? #12 Share your favourite famous-person quote. #13 Who's your favourite dancer? #14 Why is your favourite actress your favourite one? When did you decide that she was your favourite? #15 Have you ever met/seen/been close to a famous person?
Chris Hadfield’s rendition of David Bowie’s song, Space
Oddity was the coolest thing I have seen in a long time. Space Oddity is a song
that David Bowie wrote in 1969 and is about a fictional astronaut called Major
Tom. 1969 was the year of the moon
landing and the space race between Russia and America inspired a lot of artists
during that time.
In 2013, Chris Hadfield was an astronaut working on the
International Space Station. He recorded a cover of Space Oddity while in space
which lead him to become a YouTube sensation and reawakening the interest in
space travel.
The music clip shows real footage of the International Space
Station and Earth. It is beautiful to look at and a reminder of the fragility
of life.
I’m a newly graduated elementary school teacher and I can
see how I can use this music clip as an introduction to learning about space.
Space is always on the science curriculum no matter how many times the
government changes the curriculum. I hope to spark curiosity in my students as
curiosity helps the learning process.
Carlyn: The blog that I choose for this month is It’s Autumn’sLife by Autumn, an American who lives in South Korea and works as a
kindergarten teacher. I don’t remember how I found her blog but I was drawn to
it because I’m interested in Asian culture and education around the world. Autumn
writes about food, interesting places, education and beauty.
Jon:My blog for the month of November is KeepingtheChristmasSpiritAlive365. I figured that posting a blog about Christmas in November made more sense with the holiday approaching, and not when it's right on top of us. Natasha, the author of Keeping the Christmas Spirit Alive does just what her blog title indicates by providing everything from nick-knacks to holiday treat recipes to commercials to decorations to gift ideas, all year round. I always love the "Christmas Spirit" and it's not just about gift giving and gift getting. It's the feeling that Christmas inspires. Excitement, anticipation and most importantly good will, that Natasha's site celebrates. I send my best wishes for a wonderful holiday season, whether it be Christmas, or Chanukah or Kwanza, or any other late Autumn/early Winter (relative to where you live of course it might be Summer for some! >.<) holiday that our readers may celebrate with friends and family!
It is summer in Australia and I find the days to be face
meltingly hot. It hasn’t rained in a long time but today there seems to be a
promise of rain. The school year is almost over and I am looking forward to six
weeks of summer vacation! I’ve decided
to go on vacation to Cairns, Queensland. Cairns is located in north Queensland
and is known for its beautiful beaches and rainforests. It is also located near
the Great Barrier Reef which is the world’s largest coral reef system.
This is the first holiday which I will be organizing and
paying for myself. I never went on holiday before as I could never afford it. I
chose Cairns as I wanted to have a typical summer holiday out in the sunshine.
I want to be outdoors, swimming at the beach, strolling through the rainforest
and browsing through markets.
Here are some of the places that I want to see at Cairns:
I want to take one of those glass bottomed boats and see the
reef. I might go snorkelling as well. There are fifty tour companies that take
tourists to the reef and the little tropical islands along the way so there’s
lots to do there.
Kuranda is a small town located in the rainforest of the
Atherton Tableland. It is a town known for its outdoor markets, boutiques and
art galleries. One way to get to Kuranda is to take Kuranda
Scenic Railway which
goes through the rainforest. It is a tourist train that travels past waterfalls
and there is ongoing commentary about the history of the railway line.
I’m also considering taking the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway on the way back to
Cairns. I’m not that crazy about heights but I might still go on the skyrail
for the experience.
I always like to visit art galleries because it is relaxing
to walk around and look at art. I also think it would place to go when it gets
too hot as most art galleries are air conditioned.
I like botanical gardens as they feature exotic plants and
landscapes. I’ve been to the Brisbane, Canberra and Gold Coast gardens so I
would like to see what Cairns has to offer.
Lastly, I’m going to be spontaneous in Cairns and see what
it has to offer. I plan on going in January 2015 and I will post my adventures
later.
It was my best friend’s birthday a few weeks ago and I
decided to treat her to lunch and a movie. I told her she could pick any movie
and she chose Liam Neeson’s latest film, A walk among the tombstones. The film
is about an ex cop Michael Scudder (Liam Neeson) turned unlicensed private
detective who is offered a job from a drug trafficker, Kenny Kristo (Dan
Stevens). The job is to find the person who killed Kenny’s wife. She was
kidnapped and held for ransom only to be murdered. Later on, he discovers that he
is dealing with serial killers.
This movie is not like Taken where everything is fast paced
with slick fight scenes. Scudder is an old school detective who investigates by
looking at newspaper headlines in the library, going to locations and interviewing
witnesses. At the library, he meets a homeless boy named TJ (Brian “Astro”
Bradley) who tries to help him in his investigation even though he does not
want help. I actually think TJ was a useless character who didn’t really add to
the plot.
While the investigation is under way, Scudder finds the time
to regularly attend AA meetings as he is a former alcoholic. It was revealed
that a tragic accident lead him to quit the police force and become sober. It’s
always some death that causes the protagonist to leave the police force in these
types of movies. It was a nice change that he became sober instead of a drunk. I
was expecting this movie to be a typical action movie, where a guy has a wife
and family who get murdered and he’s out for revenge. It was a nice change that
Scudder wasn’t out for revenge and he had no family. I think he may have mentioned
an ex-wife in the film but only in conversation.
I thought there would be some plot twists in the movie but
it’s a straight forward story. The bad guys were menacing enough and I was
squeamish over how they killed people. I think people who watch action movies
or horror films will find the gore pretty tame though. This movie is not
something I would normally watch but I did find it entertaining. I found the
plot to be predictable but I was still in suspense whenever Scudder checked out
a location or spoke to some witnesses. I was always expecting some bad guy to
ambush him.
What I liked about this film was that it showed good old
fashioned police work can solve crimes too. There doesn’t have to be a team of
experts and fancy technology. I think people who come into the movie thinking it
will be like Taken will be a bit disappointed by the slow pace and lack of action.
There are no car chases in this movie or big fight sequences. The movie is more
of a thriller or a drama.
Election Day has a holiday type hype and atmosphere around it when you watch the television news programs in America and the various political pundits discuss the changing shape of American Politics as the Nation chooses it's new or returning leaders in Congress, the House of Representatives or the Presidency as well as in their state elections involving Governors, Comptrollers, Attorney Generals etc...
The sad aspect of this all from a very real standpoint is that all the excitement and buzz of election day seems to fizzle out shortly there after when the American public realizes that the only changes we see are the faces and not the rhetoric or action. That's not to say that there are not many politicians who's intentions aren't to make a change or make a difference for their constituents, it's more a reflection of the process in today's political atmosphere. The perception is that there is a lot of in fighting and an unwillingness to compromise among the members of the Republican and Democratic parties. In fact, it would seem to be the reality and not mere perception. If we give the benefit of the doubt to our politicians and the reality is a better version of what we see play out during the affairs that effect our public conscious then the problem still exists that the perception of our government is stagnation by virtue of pig-headedness.
I'm not writing to suggest some cure-all solution to this problem. I don't know it if there is one. My mediation skills are not up to par with the kind of stubbornness that can be reflected in our two major government parties either. I know I want things to change though. How do you enact change without running for office yourself? And even those who run for office with the grand idea of enacting change find the twists and turns of political gerrymandering dizzying. I feel as if America's current political environment has Vertigo.
For the first several years I was of voting age I was a registered Republican. I later switched to being a registered Democrat and for the last several years have been registered as an Independent, with no political leanings or affiliations with either party.
This past November 4th was Election Day across our country and while there were many important National Battles playing out relative to which party would control the Senate (eventually enough seats were won by the Republicans to gain control, giving them a numbers advantage in both the House and Senate), my biggest focus or interest was on the election of our Governor in the State of New York. Why should I be concerned with a race that essentially had a preordained winner? As our incumbent Governor Andrew Como easily won re-election. Well for me it just came down to reading and listening, and for once being able to make an informed decision on who I was choosing to vote for. There was only one televised debate for the Govern ship of New York that I was able to see, and I'm fairly certain it was the only one shown. I also took the time to read about this years candidates though and found that I most liked what Howie Hawkins of the Green Party had to say and how he went about saying it.
I read that voting for Howie Hawkins this year was in essence a "protest vote" for Democrats who wanted to make a statement that Governor Cuomo was deviating from the things they found important, with regards to many of the hot topics of today, like Fracking, Education, Political Corruption, Pay for Women, Pay in general and even the proper handling of the Ebola risk. A protest vote is seen as something of a safe vote. For people with leanings towards the left of the political spectrum there was no real risk this year of Rob Astorino the Republican candidate being elected Governor of New York, so by voting for Howie Hawkins they did not have to worry about a Republican getting in office but could still show their disapproval with Governor Cuomo.
That was not my reason for voting for Howie Hawkins. I voted for him because he was likable, seemed to be well spoken, well informed and most importantly I agreed with what he had to say. I decided for once I did not care if the candidate I wanted to win had a real chance or not. I wanted to support the candidate who I would pick if all things were equal. Which in the political world they rarely are, especially when you get into spending, advertising and the like. I voted for Howie Hawkins because I wanted him to be our Governor. Not because I was trying to make a statement of disapproval against Mr. Cuomo and not because of any dislike of Mr. Astorino.
I wish I had always voted that way and that we would all vote that way in the future. So many times we let outside voices influence us in the choices we make. I think it's important that we make decisions for ourselves and stand by those decisions. When our candidate does not win I think it's important to try and find compromise on positions with those who were the elected officials. We don't have to give up our convictions, just realize that the person in charge may have a different agenda and instead of stonewalling we need to single out the most important issues and concerns we have and push to make that part of the agenda of the elected official. How do you do that? Well, you have to push to make it part of the agenda of the community, because ultimately 4 or 6 years from now (depending on which office/position is being voted for) that's who the elected official will be beholden to upon re-election or removal. Share with others in your community the issues and solutions that are important to you. Then come election time maybe some of the issues will resonate with your neighbors and the ones that resonate most will get shared across a broad spectrum.
One thing I heard constantly during CNN's broadcast of the Senate races that went on during this election was how voters did not like either candidate. Well, I say, "vote for someone you like then!". There is no rule that you have to vote Democrat or Republican. There is no rule that you have to vote for the people listed on the ballot. We have the option to write-in and vote for any person we like. Find someone you agree with and vote for them.
I DO think voting is important, because it's a right we have that is not given to everyone. Therefore
I would not suggest that people not vote if they did not like either candidate. I don't think that should be taken for granted. Even if it may not seem to "mean much" there is an historical significance to the right to vote and we owe it to our ancestors who paid the price to make it possible for the rest of us.
Those are just some thoughts I have in the wake of our most recent election. I know that my own opinions and the things I find important to me change over time, so even come next year and then two years from now during the new presidential election I will have shaped and reshaped my own views on the major election topics (which more often then not involve the economy at the top spot). So who will I vote for? A Democrat? A Republican? An Independent? I don't know yet. I just know that my vote will go to whom ever I agree with most, and not who SHOULD or is EXPECTED to win.
I decided to buy The Giver when I was at the thrift shop. I
think it was only 50 cents or a dollar. I really enjoyed the movie so I wanted
to read the book. The Giver is the story of a boy named Jonas who lives in a
utopian society. The society believe in sameness so everyone has the same type
of house, clothes, food as it’s the differences that causes conflict. In the
mornings, everyone takes a little pill that helps them remain calm and compliant.
Life is set out for everyone. Children are born at the
nurturing centre by official birth mothers then given to a family. The family
units consist of a mother, father, boy and girl. There are no natural families
where the mother and father have produced the children. Once the children grow
up, the parents quit the family unit to live in the houses for childless
adults. They spend the rest of the time working an assigned job until they get
too old. When they grow old they live in the House of Old until they die.
The book starts off with Jonas turning twelve and nervous
about what job he’ll be assigned in the future. Every child is monitored
closely so that the elders know the suitable occupation for a child. Jonas is
assigned a very special job. He is to be the next Receiver of Memories. The
Receiver learns about the history of the community so that they can advise the
council of elders when they face new problems with knowledge from the past.
Jonas meets the current Receiver who he calls the Giver. The
Giver shows him memories not just from the community but life before when
everyone was different. He shows Jonas the history of human civilization and
concepts such as love and war. Jonas realizes that their society has given up
so much for peace.
What I liked about this book was that it wasn’t set in a
bleak and grimy future where there are ruined buildings and charred rubble. This
book is not action packed like other books in this genre and focuses on how
stifling life can be with too many rules and conformity. It was a different
experience to read about a world where the people weren’t struggling and there
is no secret band of rebels.
When I read this book, I was reminded to appreciate the
small things in life. Jonas found the smallest things like seeing in colour and
feeling the breeze ripple through the leaves on trees to be amazing. It was
something he never noticed before he became the Receiver.
The book also explores typical things that people worry
about when they are leaving their childhood. Jonas worries about his future
occupation, keeping in touch with friends and growing feelings. In the movie,
Jonas is sixteen instead of twelve. I think it would have been better if he
were older in the novel as being sixteen is more a crossroad than twelve.
I found this book to be a bit philosophical and I enjoyed
musing about it while I read the book. As a teacher, I want to read it aloud to
a class one day to see if they will enjoy it too. I think it is a thought
provoking book and I would love to have discussions about it with a class.
You can check out Jon Bear’s review of the film here.
The Shins have been one of my favorite bands for much of the past decade. For several years I thought that they were from Australia, because they had a song by that name, but one day not all that long ago Carlyn pointed out to me that they were from New Mexico and not in fact from Australia. I like New Mexico too though so the new knowledge about the band did not dissuade me from enjoying their music.
James Mercer is the sole original member of the Indie Rock/Pop Band the Shins. When Mercer wanted to take the band in a new direction he reconvened the band with all new members save for himself. Mercer remains the bands front man functioning as the song writer, lead vocalist and guitarist. The Shins first came together in the mid 1990s and had a small but loyal following until they were propelled into the public spotlight by their hit song New Slang, off their studio album Oh Inverted World in 2001. New Slang was used in the movie Garden State which helped it's (the songs and the bands) popularity to explode. I have never seen the movie, even though it has come well recommended from a few friends, but having heard New Slang on the radio I was immediately taken by it's somber and melodramatic lyrics.
While I liked New Slang I did not pay much attention to the Shins until they came out with their third album Wincing the Night Away in 2007. That is when I really became a fan. I had heard the song Sleeping Lessons on a television advertisement for a running shoe. When I searched on the internet to find out more about the song I saw that it was performed by the Shins. Already having been familiar with New Slang I figured I should purchase an album, now that I knew I enjoyed two of their songs. I now own Oh, Inverted World (2001), Chutes Too Narrow (2003) and Wincing the Night Away (2007) their first three albums. They have one other album Port of Morrow (2012) which I have heard some songs off of and also enjoy even though I do not own the album.
The Shins have also released a single for the movie I Wish I Were Here in 2014.
What really interested me about James Mercer though is when I found out that he was a member of a duo with Brian Burton (aka Danger Mouse) from Gnarles Barkley. Their collaboration is called Broken Bells. Broken Bells debut album was released in 2010 but I had only heard one of the bands songs and never made the connection between Broken Bells and James Mercer. It was when their second album After the Disco came out this past February, 2014 and I heard the single Holding on to Life that I researched Broken Bells and discovered Mercer was part of the duo of a new band I loved to listen to.
I feel as if back in the 1960s and 1970s several artists collaborated with each other and made some great music as members of a variety of bands. I'm sure that collaborations probably happen frequently today still but there are not too many artists I can think of whom have been members of two bands that I consider among my favorites. I hope that both the Shins and Broken Bells will continue to produce new music and that I will continue to enjoy Mercer's writing and singing.
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