Jazzy Mood

It has been a while since I posted. I thought this whole blogging thing would be easier but school is a little crazy right now and life in general. But I thought I would talk about my current music tastes anyways.

I've been composing tons of jazz on guitar with my friend Rory and it's pretty sick. When I have some of it recorded I'll show you guys. Otherwise I thought I would share with you my favorite jazz guitarist, Alex Skolnick. He's a newer jazz guitarist as he used to play in a metal band. It's really interesting because some of his albums are jazz covers of metal/rock songs. Very intuitive and fresh compared to many other guitarists out there.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYWXsJpj1-A

This is a slow very mellow one from him. I don't know what it is but I love it but it kind of reminds me of my grandmother. She loved jazz as do I and I feel like she would enjoy this song as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2LZSkAk4wo

Here is another one that isn't necessarily my absolute favorite but the chords are very tight and vivide. Take a listen, it's some of the best jazz guitar out there.

Tell me what you think. If you don't care about jazz then you probably didn't get this far but if you did, congratulations. That means you rock and you and I would get along.

Ode To Chapstick

This is basically my love letter to chapstick. Here's why: I love it. My lips would burn, die, and turn into ashes if not for the power of Burt's Bees. I didn't used to ever use chapstick at all but for the past half a year or so I've been talking a medication for my acne called Acutane (I believe it's called that, and if it is, it probably isn't spelled right). What this product does is basically turn you skin into a living desert. Don't get me wrong, it's actually fixed a lot of the problems I've had with acne for a fair portion of my adolescents. I'm happy with the results, if I wasn't I would have stopped I long time ago.

What this does, from my understanding, is shuts down all oil production in my skin which stops acne and resets my skin basically. The main side effects are amazingly dry skin and birth defects. Which isn't too bad considering I don't have to worry about the latter of the two.

This is what brings me to appreciate the value of lips containing moisture content. I NEED my Burt's Bees. It is truly my saving grace. I apply a good amount at least every 2 hours of so. Other wise my lips slowly start to disintegrate into a fine dust. It gets painful sometime. I remember one day at school before summer that I forgot my chapstick...I never want to repeat my horrific experience as I let my lips slowly morph into a cracked, burning, wasteland. It was truly atrocious. But now I have learned the value of always having at least one tube of the Bees on me at all times of the day.

I currently am down to one tube, which is a very frighting concept considering I could run out at any second. Normally for the past 6 months I have had at least 3 tubes somewhere around me. Usually one or two in my room and one lost somewhere to be found later that week. I  think a trip is in order to get some at wal-greens or somewhere. Anywhere.

The thing is, is now I think I'm totally addicted. I don't think I'll ever be able to go back to my sad existence 6 months ago without Burt's Bees. It's like crack. You will never be able to go back to no chapstick or any other generic chapstick if Burt's Bees has graced your lips. It's that good. The label is totally not lying. It soothes, cools and refreshes your lips like non other. It is the best.

Ode to chapstick, specifically Burt's Bees. The best chapstick on the planet. Without it I would be lost.

50 Things You May or May Not Know About Me

This is my first blog post, ever! It's kind of exciting. It will be a fun way for me to learn more about myself, share my thoughts about subjects I care about, and let others learn more about me. I thought I would start with showing you all 50 things you might or might not know about me.

1. I love my family. They mean the world to me. Even if I'm annoyed with certain members sometimes, I still love them. 

2. I love guitars, specifically my own guitars. This is my Dean Hardtail, it can crank some pretty gnarly tones out or even very jazzy ones. I love that about electrics and this electric is my favorite. It's also very beautiful to me. Very fun to play. 

3. I hate chalk. It is the worst substance on the face of the planet. I would rather put my face in a poison ivy bush for a long time then have to use this awful substance. Everything about it is gross. The gritty texture, the atrocious sounds it produces and everything about it are evil. 

4. I love music. I mainly enjoy rock, jazz and blues but I'm open to anything that isn't rap or pop. I love making music and sharing it with others. I love everything about it. 

5. I love the Foo Fighters. They are amazing. If you know me you probably know that I love them. It's the best rock music alive right now. Combine smart music writing, interesting lyrics, and fantastic sound and you get the Foo Fighters.

6. I love my sister Emily's impressions/faces. They are hilarious and so sporadic. That is my favorite part about them. The occasional Paula Face can turn any day from bad to great.

7. I won't lie, I love technology. I am glad I didn't grow up without computers, cell phones, etc. It sounds dumb but I do love it. 

8. I hate bugs but I do kill them if needed. 

9. I miss my sister Charlotte, who recently got married and moved to Oregon with her husband. I am happy for her and my new brother-in-law but I still do miss her. 

10. I hate root beer. It came through my eyes as a child when I chugged one at high altitude. To this day I can't stomach it. 

11. I love garage band, I very good recording program from Apple. I use it to record all my music. It is fantastic. 

12. I love my dog Moosey. She is awesome and I love her.

13. I do hate it when one or both of Moosey's ears goes inside-out. It is so annoying.

14. I love choir and the friends I make in it. It is a great group of people. I have met some of my best friends through choir.

15. I don't usually enjoy school but I know it's important.

16. I love Starcraft 2. It is a strategy computer game. It is the best game I have ever played and my current favorite.

17. I very much enjoy playing Starcraft with my brother in law online. We really tear up other teams, they never stand a chance. He's a pretty good Terran. (don't worry you don't have to understand)

18. I love Incubus, another fantastic band. Their sound and style constantly influences my music. I can't really decide if I love them or the Foo Fighers more, yeah they are that good.

19. This blog is actually titled after a favorite Incubus song of mine, Just A Phase. It is on my favorite album of all time, Morning View. It is truly incredible. 

20. I love b-movies. Mega Piranha is my current favorite. Think of the worst acting possible, terrible writing, and awful special effects combined into one amazing experience. I was laughing very hard throughout. 

21. I wish I could be more adventurous at restaurants but I'm comfortable with all of my favorite staples.

22. I hate how anti-photogenic I am. My sister Charlotte is the exact opposite. I wish I could steal it from her. She doesn't need it. 

23. I will try any food my mother puts on my plate. Then I can judge if that food option is good. Usually I like it. 

24. Button-up shirts are my favorite. They total much of my wardrobe. 

25. I enjoy making others laugh and being sarcastic. 

26. I hate how my voice sounds when I talk or sing but I've learn to get used to it, I feel like I'm stuck with it for my whole life. 

27. I don't typically enjoy going to far out of comfort zone but often when I do I am pleasantly surprised. 

28. I love live concerts. They are so incredibly fun and inspiring. 

29. My favorite color used to be green. In the past couple years I've realized I actually really love grey. It sounds emo but I love it. It is a very subtile, pleasant color. There is something relaxing about it to me. I don't think it necessarily has to be boring. 

30. I love sushi and basically all seafood related items. It might look gross but it's really fantastic.

31. I use the word "like" too much when I talk and also say "umm" too much. I also text the word "haha" too much. I'm working on it. 

32. I hate emoticons They are tacky and annoying. Sorry. 

33. Often times I laugh during movies when the audience isn't supposed to laugh. Like when Dobby dies in the first half of The Deathly Hallows. (that part was sad in the book but the movie Dobby is ridiculous looking) I also got a huge glare from some girl in front of me during that midnight premier. 

34. I love TV but my favorite show is White Collar. Witty meets classy. Very interesting different plot. It's not like every generic TV drama, cop show out there. Not as many guns and guts as much as cleverness and charm. It's a nice change. 

35. I love electricity. I think it is a wonderful thing.

36. I love Dr. Pepper. I drink too much soda but Dr. Pepper is the best, can you blame me.

37. I also love ice cream. It is major weakness of mine. If ice cream is offered, no matter how full, I will always partake.

38. I wish I could see family that I don't often get to see more. Such as my cousins Michelle, Maren, Claire, Jesse, or Ryan. I love them all. However my cousin Claire is staying with our family for a couple months for an internship. I'm  so excited. 

39. I love Jazz. It is very musically inspiring to my tastes and songs I produce. I love playing it. I'm not too good at it yet on the guitar but I consider myself decent as a jazz pianist. 

40. I miss my grandmother greatly, who passed away recently, but I know she is watching over me and loves me no matter what I do in life. I love her and cherish my many memories with her.
"I have everything I want and all that I need."
-Charlotte Peterson

41. I hate licorice. It is the devil of all candies/foods.

42. I love our iMac and Apple products in general.

43. I love that our family hides creepy toys for each other find at weird, funny times. Yes others think we are weird but deep inside I know that they think we are cool.

44. I love laughing at misfortune or creepiness. Sometimes I have a dark sense of humor that way but it too hard not to laugh sometimes. Case and point. Yeah...I know. Scary.

45. I love the smell of wood varnish. I know, it's weird but it does smell really good.

46. Oh yeah, did I mention I love guitars? Yeah, this one is amazing as well. I got this acoustic Epiphone as a surprise gift this past Christmas. It has wonderful tone and is very fun to play. It even has pick-ups so I can play into an amp if necessary. It is amazing.

47. I love playing music as loud as possible when permitted. When jamming with my buddy Rory my long time friend Nick, playing loud makes it that much more fun. High levels of volume and distorsion are easy to achieve when blasting this wonder. Love it.

48. I love aviators. I carry them everywhere. I'm addicted.

49. I love it that I can text my mom words like "dude." This is possible because recently I accidentally sent another message to her one time intended for one of my buddies. It continues to this day.

50. I hate arrogance. It is annoying, distasteful and not fun to be around. I have little tolerance for those with this quality.