These iHome Headphones were Worth It

I've decided to take this blog in a different direction. Since the April 27th tornadoes and my father's passing, I'm making conscious efforts to focus primarily on the things that bring me much joy; therefore, I'll be posting things that make me happy, inspire me, humor me, entertain me, or even irritate me and give me good material to bash (that can be fun, right?). Many of my posts will come from music I discover. Many will come from photography. Many will come from my obsessive nature regarding StumbleUpon and Pinterest. Many will just come from life experiences. The ultimate goal is not to bring me happiness, yet it is to possibly come across and share something that sparks interest in someone else. Let's begin.

Last night I StumbledUpon this gem: Chell in the Rain. This is a beautiful webpage that couples music with the sounds of a rain shower. Since the tornadoes, I've been left terrified and feeling unusually vulnerable. Despite how cliché it sounds, I lived my life feeling invincible as all naïve teens do. After the storm hit and we nearly lost everything we had (including our lives - praise be to God), I realized that in the scheme of things, we are all equal. We can be taken from this earth with no notice. It's reasonable to me to feel this way.

Growing up I always loved thunderstorms. I lived through hurricanes, close calls by tornadoes, and floods. I'm extremely well-versed in all things natural disaster. Each time these events fell upon my family and me, I always felt such a thrill. It was as if I was playing a game with Mother Nature. Come to find out, this is no game. This is some serious stuff.

Back to Chell in the Rain (no clue why it's ChEll in the Rain), this page with it's peaceful picture and genius coupling of rain with music by The National (which I discuss next) reminded me of the peaceful atmosphere attributed with storms that comforted me as a child. Given I was terrified of booming thunder until I was about eight years old, rain showers always relaxed my mind, body, and soul. Sometimes StumbleUpon is just too good for me to disregard. If anyone is experiencing this weather torment, I invite you to heal with this website. You will not regret it at all.

On to the music. . . I'm pretty sure I have heard of The National before. They may have been one of those bands that somehow slipped right under my radar, but this time they were brought to the forefront of my attention. The best way I can describe them is through my "It's like blank and blank had a baby" system. It's like if Ray LaMontagne and Beirut had a baby - a musical baby that I would gladly babysit on numerous occasions. I'll post an assortment of their videos for the enjoyment of others and to save a bit of time.

Let me strum one more note before I depart. One of my pet peeves is pirating music, SO if you love what you hear (which you will), PURCHASE their music. These people are artists, and this is their career. Don't steal from them or any other artists, musicians, or actors/directors/crew. It'll be worth every penny. Enjoy.

Best wishes,

Richard W. Hébert