The Quiet Girl

  I stumbled on a Facebook post about how people today complain frequently and how we need to be more optimistic. I mostly post things that are funny and lighthearted, such as my music or my cat, not serious posts. However, the line that caught my attention was about "a boy born in 1995 and in 2020 at age 25 complains because his Amazon package doesn't arrive in 48 hours...." While this is not what the post is about, I want to focus on this line and what I like to do to save money, especially while buying things online.  I was born in 1995, and at 25 do not have Amazon Prime or buy online primarily from Amazon. I recently learned about how due to Amazon's Prime shipping market, 2-day shipping is what many people have come to expect. As a person without a spouse or family to support, only my cat, I do not buy enough online at a time to need Amazon Prime, or that meets the $25 needed for free shipping. Often I find lower prices for the same items on eBay or at the store...

 I'm no technological expert (except for recording and live sound, things like that, then I am), but even in this modern world, there comes a point where you have to combine being safe with making things accessible to the average Joe.   I understand having a good password to log in to different things such as your email account or your Facebook or Instagram. What frustrates me is how websites are increasingly making it difficult to make a decent password you can remember, and sometimes now requiring special characters such as these: !%^&*.  Often it may take one several times, and the computer rejecting your making up a password for the fifth or sixth time, and inside you are screaming, "I'm just trying to make up a password for this simple email account. Why?" I would understand if this is required for your bank account, but in instances such as a simple, recreational website or regular email account, this is going too far. I just want to enter the username and ...

 Ok, I hope I don't make any of you cringe with that title. Here's a secret... I love the 2000s. Not just because it was my childhood, but because there are many things, fashion wise, that I really enjoyed and that fit me very well at the time. If they would come back, I would wear them again and be very happy. I have also included a few home trends in here that I would, and do, still have decorating my home. So sit back and enjoy. 1. Beaded Spaghetti Straps I had a swimsuit once that was purple with hibiscus flowers on it, and that had transparent purple beads on the straps. I just think they are dainty and add a little bit of sparkle to a casual outfit in a unique way. I think beads and rhinestones on straps are awesome on formal and dressy dresses too!    2. Shell Necklaces Ok, these are coming back and I love it! When I was growing up I loved anything that had to do with water or the beach. I got shell necklaces for my birthday multiple times, as it is right before th...

 Shortly after I bought my beloved, precious Taylor GC3 in early 2014, and I was exploring new music and how to play some alternative rock songs acoustically, I came upon a video titled "Tom DeLonge Breaks His Guitar." I had heard of Blink-182 before, but had never listened to them. Out of curiosity, I decided to watch it. Out came Tom's guitar. The Taylor had some words written on the top that I will not repeat on this blog. I began to sadly wonder why someone would treat such a beautiful guitar like that, but continued to watch. Tom played a new lick he had written. The guitar sounded lovely. Then he commented on how the guitar's bridge had started to malfunction. A band mate then told him if it didn't get fixed that the bridge would come off, hitting his arm with 150 pounds of string tension. This resulted in Tom growing furious, shouting, "No!!!" in a funny and upset way. Then the sad part. Tom says, "Well, I'll just have to break this guita...

  I got a Taylor GC3 used on eBay. It is the best purchase I have ever made in my life.  If you are considering purchasing a nice guitar such as a Martin or a Taylor, but aren’t sure how you are going to pay for it, don’t despair. I once thought the same way, and after doing some math, budgeting, having some patience, waiting for the right opportunities, and figuring out what I was looking for, I was able to make it work, and you can too! I believe it is a worthy investment if you play on a regular basis, even if it's just in the comfort of your own home. 😊 I had first heard of Taylor guitars after seeing a guy from youth group playing a Grand Auditorium very well, and   after watching a YouTube video of two girls doing a cover of Skillet’s “Yours to Hold” in 2008, before I even played the guitar. The guitar one of the girls was playing was an 814ce, unbeknownst to me at the time. She played it very well, and it sounded very good. Very smooth and full. Not long afte...

In this post I am going to talk to you about how I have gone about watching television. I will admit I am a bit outdated sometimes, not necessarily in the entertainment I choose, but in the format. You see, I still watch VHS tapes when the time is right. And I own many DVDs. They are cheap, especially at the Goodwill, or on eBay, if it is a newer release that has yet to make it into the thrift stores. Rarely, if ever, do I pay full price for a movie. Many of my DVDs cost $3, some $2 or even only $1. Plus, being a recording engineer, I am also an audio/video geek. I can recall only a couple times when I paid full price. It was the night before I left for tour my senior year of undergrad, and after eating dinner for the evening, I decided to go look around Target to get some last minute items to take with me on the trip. I found the movie Charlie and the Chocolate Factory new for $5. I decided to get it, as it was a once-in-a-long-time chance to get one of my Tim Burton favorites a...