Isn’t it strange that when inspiration strikes it’s never when you want it to?

I have a ballroom dance testing, two papers to write, and two finals to study for but what have I done for the last three hours? Listen to music, duh. Three albums stream through my headphones as I stare out the window and watch this beautiful snow fall as if I had never seen the little frozen rain droplets before.

I’ve listened to Tom Petty since before I can even remember. I’ve had my ‘Damn the Torpedoes’ shirt since early on in High School and know for a fact I bought his greatest hits CD in middle school. I’ve listened to his music in every situation imaginable, post and pre-relationship, while getting dressed for football games, riding the bus to away basketball games, studying for finals, even to just pass the time. I found myself getting lost in the 52-track Live Anthology Apple so generously made available to me on iTunes LP. The live stuff is where The Heartbreakers part of the group really shines. The extended solos take you away as you jam to songs that have been highlights of fan’s playlists since the 70s and been featured on my own playlists since the late 90s/early 2000s. Petty has written so many classic songs. You can’t go wrong with an old favorite.

Taylor Swift’s Fearless album is phenomenal. Got a problem with that? I don’t care. She won artist of the year because of it…over Michael Jackson and Jay-Z no less. Give the girl some props. She writes her own music, plays her own guitar, paved her own way to the top. When you come from small-town Pennsylvania you don’t have any other choice. You either work your ass off or you don’t go anywhere in life. There are so many lyrics in her songs that I relate to (which is probably why she is so popular right now, she relates to EVERYBODY). Although, she is from Wyomissing, which is about twice the size of Tyrone…She grew up in a city compared to those of us in Blair County. Jabs aside, her attitude and songs about life growing up in rural Pennsylvania speaks to me. I hate country music, but I am in love with Ms. Swift and I hope to hear much more in the future.

Dashboard Confessional’s newest CD, ‘Alter the Ending,’ is better than I expected it to be. I’ve grown tired of this band over the years, but this seems to be a refreshing new edition. I haven’t listened to it enough to pass judgment, or even really place it in the same post as Tom Petty quite yet. But it has given me a nice mix up to the previous two albums I talked about.

Midnight already…got to get some sleep. Ballroom final tomorrow afternoon, can anyone teach me how to Cha-Cha by 2:30pm? I got Tango down and should be able to pass Salsa, but Cha-Cha? Going to be interesting.