Random Nineties Nostalgia

So I was sitting here thinking about music. One of the rare times I'm not actually listening to it, I know...

 Yes. Yes, I am an addict. My name is Jess. Hi
-raises hand- 

I've always liked music but I don't think it ever really hit me just how powerful it can be until I was in high-school. Or to date myself even further, until Collective Soul hit the airwaves along with Bush, No Doubt, 311, Live, Nirvana, Candlebox, Third Eye Blind, Silverchair... Shall I go on? ;-)

Music saved my life. I was nothing but a geeky girl in 9th grade who wore her hair in a side ponytail with bangs and wore Duckhead clothing, constantly...no, seriously. It was bad.
I listened to Prince, Madonna & Janet Jackson (don't get me wrong I mean no offense to these obviously talented artists. I'll still get down on "When Doves Cry", "Material Girl" & "Black Cat" in a heartbeat.)

Then suddenly I heard Collective Soul's "Shine" on the radio one day and my whole world changed. That guitar riff rocked my socks and I was in love! My tastes changed, expanded and my world suddenly started to open up, even if only slightly. I was still a geek but a marginally cooler geek who rocked flannel, wide leg jeans and neon green Sketchers. That's when I really started paying attention to music. I would usually end up having the latest album by a band before my friends and I know they got sick of me talking about it constantly. "Oh! Have you heard the new -insert 90s Grunge/Alt band here- song? You gotta hear this!!"

I can even proudly say that I was the first girl in my school to rock the Angela Chase hairstyle and color from "My So-Called Life"

Music has made me the weird, quirky, random, open minded, tolerant, hippie, goth dancing, peaceful punk rocking psycho ever. And i'm happy about who I am.

So music can be a powerful force in a person's life. It can inspire change and creativity, it gives hope and comfort when nothing else can, and it can dredge up long lost emotions and moments
from our past that we love or love to hate. Music is indeed the most powerful force in my life and I'm thankful everyday that I am able to enjoy it.

What song changed your life?

Contest Alert! Win The Clash's Sound System Box Set!

Sweet Mother Country!!

Diffuser.fm is giving away The Clash's "Sound System" Box set...

It's truly one of the most beautiful things I think I've ever laid eyes on.

Not only does this mega collection include their five studio albums, it also offers up three discs packed full of rarities, demos and B-sides! But wait, it gets better! It also includes a dvd of never before seen footage along with a lot more extra goodies for your punky pleasure!

The contest ends on September 9th.
Go here to enter!  Win the "Sound System" box set from the iconic band The Clash!

Lady GaGa's New Single "Applause" - LEAKED!

As if every Little Monster on the face of the planet wasn't already aware of it, thanks to Mother Monster posting on her Facebook Page... Due to some naughty (AWESOME!) hackers, her new single was leaked today!

She posted this morning to her page
"A POP MUSIC EMERGENCY IS UNDERWAY 911 - 911 SUMMON THE MONSTER TROUPES
DUE TO HACKERS AN ABUNDANCE OF LOW/HIGH QUALITY LEAKS...
WE ISSUE THIS POP MUSIC EMERGENCY...MONSTERS SPREAD THE WORD
MY NEW SINGLE 'APPLAUSE' IS OUT TODAY AND CAN BE HEARD ON UNITED STATES RADIO IN 5 MINUTES. INTERNATIONAL RADIO TO FOLLOW.
POP MUSIC EMERGENCY ‪#‎0DAYSTillAPPLAUSE‬ MY NEW SINGLE COMES OUT TODAY. 911 SPREAD THIS MESSAGE"
 
I actually had forgotten all about it & have only just now (well half an hour ago - I've been listening to it over & over) remembered the wonderful news. And I must say...I love it! It gives a little nod to the 80s with it's opening line "I stand here waiting for you to bang the gong." Not to mention the synths give it a very retro feel, at least in my humble opinion. I'll gladly applaud this new single from ARTPOP any day! My daughter is very excited about it as well :-)

I can't wait until the ARTPOP App is released, not to mention the entire album! I think we're going to be in for a truly wonderful new experience in music & art!

Frost Sings: Twinkle Twinkle, The Chocolate Song & More!!

My daughter loves to sing, dance, play any kind of musical instrument she can think of & generally entertain & "put on shows" for everyone. Of course I 110% strongly encourage her in her love of entertaining & such. I've always wanted to be in a band but I don't think that'll ever happen. She also loves to draw & make things, as well as make up her own stories. Again both art & story-telling are obviously something I also fully support. 

If she decides that the arts in any form aren't right for her however & she grows up to become a monster truck driver, a butcher or a carny...I won't care. I'll love her all the same :-)

The Carousel Horse

This is my first ever Flash Fiction Photo-Promt Writer Wednesday Challenge.

I must admit... I'm a little nervous. And a little intimidated by some of the work I've read from of the other amazing writers from prompts gone by... :-)

My lovely & awesome host for the prompt is Nicole at World Of My Imagination. Here's the prompt.

The rules are simple. I have to use the 5 words provided in the story as well as the picture. 500 words or less. (I am unable to insert pictures in my blog posts currently. Something to do with my browsers. They keep crashing on me. So if you'd like to see the picture please check out Nicole's blog from the link above!)


Word Count: 498
The Words: passport, sunrise, carousel, travel, school


The Carousel Horse

Iza was finally going to get out of the sleepy seaside town of Port Haring when she left for school tomorrow. No more boring days working at her Dad’s shop, The Tin Shed, while everyone else got to have fun. Sometimes it felt like she was in prison the way he kept her on lockdown, but soon it would be her turn. She would travel to Paris and study under some of the worlds most reknowned Chefs. Her passport had arrived, everything was packed and she was ready to go. All that remained was for her to say goodbye to her best friend Luca.

 

It was after dark and the store was closed. Tourists didn’t go antique shopping after sunset, it was just too creepy. She disagreed. Even though she lacked enthuisaism for the job, there were many pieces in her dad’s collection that she loved. The old carousel horse was her favorite. She prayed everyday that no one would buy it. No one ever did. She suspected that it was because it looked as if it had been through utter hell, but those dull black eyes, scuffed hooves and peeling paint only added to it’s charm.

She and Luca had made a special trip, nearly four hours away, to a town inland to retrieve it from an old abandoned amusement park. Her dad hadn’t been happy about them sneaking away. Luca also harbored reservations about going, but Iza had insisted. It was her dad’s birthday after all and he deserved something unique. Despite it’s creepiness, the horse always seemed to be the center of conversation.

Resting her head on the counter she watched the horse, it’s unblinking eyes looked back in sadness and for a moment she felt sorry for it. Iza frowned letting her eyes slip shut and her thoughts drift. When she opened them again it was sunrise.

Turning to look at the horse, her smile twisted and her mouth opened. It’s eyes burned red with fire, and an angry accusing glare. Her scream shattered the stillness.

“Thorazine, now.” Someone shouted. Her arm stung. The liquid felt like lava in her veins. A tear rolled down her cheek and her eyelids drooped. Her hand was grasped and Iza strained to see who it was.

“Daddy?” Her voice was hoarse. She willed her gaze to stay on him. “Where am I, where’s Luca?”

“Oh sweety,” He held her hand and leaned down to kiss her forehead. His voice cracked as he looked away. “You and Luca were drinking. You were driving and there was an accident. You and that damn horse were thrown out of the truck.”

“I want to see him, where is he?” Her lip trembled.

“I’m sorry, he didn’t make it...”

The chemicals were winning, pushing her eyes closed. Her body was heavy and the voices in the room were distored. She heard her dad. He sounded miles away speaking to the doctor.

“It’s been five years, she’s never getting out of here...”

I've got new products on Zazzle

I am currently working on some skateboard specific designs for Zazzle. No, I don't skate, but skater's are cool. ;-)

I do have new products on Zazzle already though. You can purchase my artwork on pillows, stamps, watches, phone cases, mousepads, binders, playing cards, note cards, mugs, posters, buttons, bags & more!

If there is something you'd like to purchase that doesn't feature my work just let me know & I'll be glad to add it for you.

Check out my Zazzle shop!

Sunday Stealing - Meme 325

Welcome back to Sunday Stealing which originated on WTIT: The Blog authored by Bud Weiser. Here we will steal all types of memes from every corner of the blogosphere. Our promise to you is that we will work hard to find the most interesting and intelligent memes. You may have heard of the expression, “honor amongst thieves”. In that age-old tradition, we also have our rules. First, we always credit the blog that we stole it from and we will “fess up” to the blog owner where we stole the meme. We also provide a link to the victim's post. (It's our way of saying "Thanks!") We do sometimes edit the original meme, usually to make it more relevant to our global players, to challenge our players, sometimes to select that meme's best questions, or simply to make it less repetitive from either this new meme or recently asked questions from a prior featured meme. 
Let's go!!!


This week's questions come from a blog called In Case You Were Wondering....


Meme 325

Something that’s holding you back from achieving your dreams:
Self doubt.
Something you think you could win an award for:
Cooking or baking
Something you fear more than anything:
Never living up to my full potential
Something you wish people would understand:
It's ok to be different. Be yourself.
Something that keeps you going everyday:
My daughter - Music
Something amazing that happened last summer:
I graduated from college - Culinary Arts
Something you hate that people say:
"It is what it is"
Something you refuse to pay money for:
Upgrades, other content from Free To Play MMOs
Something you wish you could have told that person that you never saw again:
Thanks for being such an awesome Grandmother
Something that really stands out about last year:
I realized a lot about myself
Something you like that everyone else thinks is weird:
Lady GaGa. LOL.. And online roleplaying (WoD - Werewolf: The Apocalypse, Vampire: The Masquerade)
Something you do when you’re trying to calm down:
Listen to music. Dance. Meditate
Something you do when you wake up at three AM:
Watch Netflix
Something amazing that’s happened this year:
I started meditating & doing mantras. I've started drawing. I've started writing again. And Netflix released "Hemlock Grove"
Something you love doing on cold rainy days:
Sleeping
Something you listen to when you’re in a really good mood:
Peaches "Burst"
Le Tigre "Hot Topic"
Social Distortion "California Hustle & Flow" & "Machine Gun Blues"
Lady Gaga "Marry The Night"
Me First & The Gimme Gimmes "Ain't No Sunshine"
Joan Jett "ACDC"
The Clash "London Calling"
Johnny Cash "Rusty Cage"
Something that irritates you more than anything:
Country music - I'm very musically diverse & willing to listen to a lot but generally I just can't stand country. Johnny Cash isn't country & I'll stand by that till the day I die, lol
Something you’re addicted to/can’t stop doing:
Listening to music
Something that really stands out about you:
I like what I like & I don't concern myself with what other people think about it too often.
Something about you that’s like everyone else:
...Um...I'm a human being
Something that makes you change the channel:
Reality Shows usually. And by reality shows I mean stuff like Survivor, Teen Mom, Jersey Shore, The Bachelor
Something you think about every night before you go to sleep:
My daughter
Something that you don’t think will ever change about you:
My loveable weirdness
Something about you that you think will soon change:
My life
Something that broke your heart as a child:
Cruel kids
Something that really sparks your interest:
Vampires, Werewolves, Ayurveda, Herbalism
Something that truly disgusts you:
Slugs!!
Something the opposite gender has complimented you on:
My smile

Anti-Fashion Fashion

So my oldest & dearest BFF over at Oh Hello Teresa talked me into giving Polyvore one more shot. I really had nothing better to do today & had no real posts planned, so I thought Why the heck not?...Everyone needs one more online site to get addicted to & let it suck out your soul!

So here I am, making a post about music & fashion, which feels a little weird I'm not gonna lie. I've never really considered myself "fashionable" or thought that I have a keen fashion sense... So please don't be overly critical? :-P

Music is my inspiration. I mean that in the truest sense of the word. Music fuels my writing, my art, my clothing choices, my moods, my life. I truly think I would wither away into a hollow husk of a person if I suddenly had no more music to listen to. So it's no surprise that I came up with two punk inspired sets from listening to my Punk It!! playlist on Spotify.

Like I said I've never considered myself in the fashion loop or a trend-setter. I tend to wear what ever I like at the time, which can range from long flowing gypsy skirts & flip-flops, to ripped jeans & band Tshirts, or girly dresses & lots of pretty jewelry. I'm myself & that's all I'll ever claim to be.

The first one is inspired by the band Bad Religion (in case the shirt doesn't give it away, lol) & the second is simply because I adore pink, black & white together. 

If you don't know who Bad Religion is I highly suggest that you check them out, now!

Punk Pimpin'

Punk Pimpin' by jessica-kemp-mcconaha featuring a travel kit

Pretty In Punk<BR>

Pretty In Punk by jessica-kemp-mcconaha featuring a leather wrist watch

Frost Says: Duh Mommy

So I'm sitting down tonight playing some Mortal Kombat with Frost, which works out great cause she doesn't know how to really play yet & I've never really been great at fighting games, I'm totally just a button masher...

So we both decide we wanna play Sheva. Frost's Sheva lays mine out in like the first 15 secs & I didn't even have a clue what the heck was going on!

Me: Holy crap Frost, you're kicking my butt girl!

Frost: Well actually, you're kinda really kicking your own butt if you think about it...

Frost Says: It burns so good!

I have a nearly 4yr old daughter who is just the funniest kid ever. Yeah I'm aware that all parents think that about their kids. Except mine really is way too amusing for her own good sometimes...

So random posts like these, entitled "Frost Says" is where I will be sharing her silliness.

She asked me to make her a sandwich for lunch a few minutes ago, just like the one she had yesterday, which consisted of bread, mayo, mustard, ham, green & yellow bell peppers & sliced up (only 1 cause I didn't want it to be too spicy) tabasco olives.

So I was in the process of making her lunch when she said "Mommy, make it like you did the other day but put more olives on it! I couldn't even taste the olives you put on it the other day!"

And she was correct. She told me yesterday while eating her sandwich that she wasn't able to taste the olives.

So today I sliced up three olives & put them on her sandwich...only to have her still say that she couldn't taste them. So I asked her "Baby are you sure you can't taste them? They're sliced up small. You sure you don't taste the spiciness?"

To which she replied "Well...yeah I guess. I kinda just tasted a spiciness in that bite"