Theatre-Going 101

Last night, I spent a wonderful evening with two of my friends to go see the musical Once. It came on Broadway the same season as Newsies and won best musical at the Tony awards that year. When I went to New York to see Newsies, I would have loved to see Once as well. However, my bank account wouldn't let me see more than one show at a time. It was quite sad.

Don't you just love my bad Instagram photography?

The show was completely lovely, and wonderful, and bitter-sweet, and perfect. I'll be having dreams of musicians in Dublin for the next several weeks I'm sure.

As I was getting ready to go last night, I was thinking since I go out to the theatre so often, and I've been in theatre productions for so long, maybe I should give some tips for theatre-going for those who might be new at it.

What to Wear

I'm not going to lie, I'm a little bit of a theatre snob and a firm believer in looking nice when you go to see a show. You don't have to dress in a formal gown and a tux or anything like that. But, whenever I go I try to do a little more than just jeans and a t-shirt. Especially if you're going to classy theatre in the city. It's a bit more of a formal occasion than simply going out to the movies. Depending on the show and location, you can dress a bit more casually. If I'm going to a community theatre show or something along those lines, I might dress down a bit more. But, I still try my best to look put together out of respect for the performers. They're doing their best for us, so we should do the same for them. Here is what my friends and I wore last night:

See? Nothing outrageously fancy. But still put together and done well. I would also suggest bringing a light sweater or jacket just in case. Even in the middle of summer theatres can get cold from time to time.

What to Bring

When going to the theatre, I try to pack light. The rows and seats can get narrow and you may not have room for a gigantic purse. Here is what I brought last night:

My purse was on the smaller end but still had plenty of room to keep my stuff. It was a vintage Nine West (well... I think it was vintage. It used to be my grandma's) and had a small mirror inside which was handy in case I had to touch up my makeup. Inside was:

- My pink glitter pen/stylus. You never know when you need a pen!

- My cell phone (turned off during the show! More on that later.).

- Lip balm because my lips are always chapped.

- Lip stick for touch-ups.

- Binoculars because I usually end up in the back. While usually visibility is still great, sometimes it's nice to see the actors faces up close.

- Wallet with my ID, credit cards, cash, etc. What if you want to buy souvenirs?

And don't forget your tickets! Mine were not pictured because one of my friends had purchased them and were holding them for us.

Tickets

Let's be honest here - going to the theatre can get expensive. If you're on a tight budget like me, you need to learn how to work the system a bit. Even sitting in the back at a show, tickets can still cost you up to $40+. 

First, I learn to prioritise which shows I want to see. Unless I purchased season tickets for Broadway in Chicago, there is no way I would be able to see every single musical which came my way. When I see the ads for what's going to be in town, I make a mental list of the ones I know I HAVE to see and be sure I have money set aside for when they come.

It also helps to know people in the business and how to go around extra Ticketmaster fees. A lot of shows will have tickets you can purchase at the box office directly and you can avoid those. If my friend hadn't picked ours up in person, our tickets would have cost $51 instead of $40. Also, look out for deals. I follow Broadway in Chicago on social media and they'll have contests, a monthly deal of $25 on the 25th for certain shows, and some shows will have a raffle before the performance starts for great seats. You also can google for discount tickets and see what you can find on other sites. 

Just remember, you do sometimes get what you pay for. A few months ago I went to see Beauty and the Beast, and I got back row tickets for $18. Usually, even if you sit in the back, you can still see everything so I didn't mind. Then, when I arrived, I realised why they were so cheap. We were in the middle of a noisy Jr. High group and one of our seats was on a step which made it very uncomfortable!

Also, if you're hard-core about theatre or you see in a certain season you want to see almost every show, buying season tickets would be a smart choice.

Then of course, don't forget to support your local community and school theatres! Tickets tend to be less expensive, they tend to do shows which are tried and true crowd-pleasers, and you'll be supporting people in your own hometown. I'll be honest, when I lived in Missouri, the local Jr. High musical was almost always one of the best shows in town! Those kids were so talented!

Etiquette

Okay... here is where more of the snob in me comes out.

- PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CELL PHONE. Last night there were one or two moments when the show was so quiet and lovely and perfect - then I heard someone's ring tone and it ruined the moment. Even if your phone is on silent, don't take it out because just like at the movie theatre, it's very distracting to everyone around you. Sometimes even the actors can see you on your phone! Can you imagine being on stage singing your heart out and out of the corner of your eye you see an audience member texting? Also, if you can, turn it completely off. Sometimes cell phones can mess with the sound system (especially if it's a lower-budget theatre) and that throws everyone off, 

By all means, tag, Tweet, share, take selfies, etc. In fact, you might even get a like or share from the theatre, or if you're really lucky - one of the actors! Just not during the performance itself.

- DO NOT SING ALONG WITH THE SONGS. Yes, I know this might be your favourite show of all time ever. I get it. It's hard to not sing along. But you, along with everyone else, paid to see the professionals perform. If this is hard for you, go ahead and get the soundtrack before you arrive and jam out to your hearts content before and after the show. Or if you want to sing a couple lyrics during intermission that's fine too. Just not during the performance. This goes for lip-syncing too. You might think you're not distracting anyone because you're not making sound, but you are.

- DON'T TALK DURING THE SHOW. Again, it's like going to the movies. Does anyone want to be at a movie with someone who talks the whole time? Nope. Granted, sometimes the nature of the show might allow for some audience interaction. When I went to go see Motown the Musical, one of my favorite parts was how the audience reacted with their "mmmmmHHHHHMmmmmms" and "AMENS!" So, be sure to read the audience and the show to know how to react appropriately. 

- ARRIVE EARLY. I like getting to the theatre a little early for a few reasons. If you're late, the ushers may not let you in right away. When I went to see Les Miserables, we were running late, and we had to watch the entire prologue on a screen because they wouldn't let us to our seats yet. Then, when we finally sat down we disturbed everyone else around us, and it took a little while to get adjusted and we weren't able to enjoy the beginning of the show as much as we would have liked. Or, at least that's how I felt. I can't speak for everyone else.

You also might miss something awesome if you get there late. A perfect example was when I went to see Once last night. The bar on stage was open for patrons to buy drinks and the performers were playing music as everyone was getting their drinks and sitting down. Then, they transitioned from there to the show, and it was one of the best beginnings of a show I've ever seen. If I had arrived late, or even "just on time" I would have missed it. 

Also, if you get there early you have time to go to the bathroom and stop by the merchandise table. It's annoying when people get up in the middle of a performance to do those things. ;-)

- PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE DURING CURTAIN CALL. I know, I know, you want to beat the crowds and traffic. I get it! But curtain call is very important for theatre. This is your time to thank the actors for their performance, but also their opportunity to thank you for coming. Can you imagine being a performer and putting your whole heart out on the stage and when you go to take your bow you see people leaving? How heart breaking! Even beyond that, more and more shows are adding extras at the end where they do an encore song, or a mash-up of all of the numbers. You don't want to miss that do you?

So, those are my tips for going to the theatre. Anything I missed? Anything you'd like to add?

And in case you missed it, here are the videos I put up on YouTube this week:

- May Reading Wrap-Up

- My 1st Fandoms

- I Love You Beth Cooper Discussion Part 2

- My June TBR List

- Showtunes, Books, and All of the Things

What If

My friend Kim and I sat at Panera like we do nearly every week. My massive and clunky laptop next to her sleek little two-in-one tablet. Our teas rested in our hands as we took sips. (Mine was some mango thing for those of you who are following my quest to find a tea I like.) We've been writing buddies this year and we read each others pages and give feedback while catching up on life and bouncing around ideas. I hadn't gotten much done this past week. I had intended to have a chapter ready to go for our writing date, but when I had sat down at my laptop to write it, nothing came to my mind. I shared with Kim my goals for the book and a general timeline of when they would happen. We agreed if I stuck to it, the goals were 100% doable.

Okay, it's not Panera. I took this at Starbucks this morning.
But I had tea and I was writing. So, it works.

"But what if it's not good enough?" I asked. "What if my ideas aren't creative enough? What if the characters are too shallow? What if no one wants to read it?"

Kim considered my question for a moment. She then gave me wise words from her mom.

I just want to say - I love Kim's family. I'm not only friends with her, but her older brother, his wife, her younger sisters, her mom, and her dad. They're pretty fantastic.

"If you're going to spend so much time worrying, then you might as well spend time thinking about the other stuff too. What if it is creative enough? What if the characters aren't too shallow? What if everyone wants to read it?"

It's not a brand new concept. Thinking positively. It's common advice. But, this time it made me think. How much time do I spend thinking about the worst that could happen? It wouldn't hurt to think about the best that could happen.

I feel as though lately this has been the attitude I've been going into this with. While applying for jobs I can't help but think "They probably won't hire me anyway..." Or I have a wedding I'm going to this weekend and I think "It's going to be annoying and awkward and I won't have anyone to talk to." Or the Les Miserables audition I have coming up next week and I keep telling people "I'll probably just be in the ensemble..." Or I think about dating and talking to a guy and I'm all "It'll just be awkward and they won't like me anyway!"

But what if it's not that way? What if it is my dream job and they do hire me? What if the wedding is the best weekend ever? What if by some miracle the director thinks having a female play Enjolras is a brilliant idea? What if that guy does like me and it's the first of many dates, or even "the one?" (If there is such a thing.) What if?

We could drown ourselves in thinking about the negative what ifs. We can think of how it all could go wrong. We could dream up of the worst possible scenarios where we face the worst rejection of our lives.

But we can also dream of the best scenario.

Tyler Oakley talked about this once in a podcast. He was doing a podcast where he was giving advice and one of the questions he was given was (from what I'm assuming is a younger fan, probably high school) about what to do if they like someone or want to ask them out. Tyler flat out said "Just say hi." He had read a book about this very concept that you have to just go out there and try. Usually, if you compare the worst case scenario to the best case scenario, the best one outweighs the worst. Then, when you go for it, even if the result falls somewhere in the middle, it's okay.

So, this week, I want to try and be brave. Go for the audition. Fill out the application and send in the cover letter and resume. Ask out the guy. Enjoy the wedding. Write the novel.

You never know, right?

Speak Up! | Heart

It's the first Friday of the month! Which means it's time to link up with Amber and Annie for Speak Up, their monthly vlog link-up. This month's topic is "heart."

I had no idea what I was going to talk about, then it all kinda just spilled out of my mouth. This video started as 23 minutes long - so there was A TON of stuff cut out to make it only 10 minutes. Haha. I'm working on trying to keep them short though!

In my video I talk about Hozier's song "Take Me to Church," say "ass" while discussing theology, and share my coffee/tea dilemma.

What are your thoughts? I'd love to hear them in the comments. Or, even better, make your own video and link up!

I'm also linking up with the Faith and Fellowship Blog Hop!

Yes, I Am Alive

What? What is this place? My blog?

::blows dust off of the keyboard::

::blinks into the light of the screen::

The only excuse I can think of is that I'm still recovering from a sever case of sister's wedding hangover. (Not a REAL hangover - you know what I mean. Besides, having a real hangover for a week and a half would be the worst thing ever.) I also have been pretty busy. So... today I'm just going to give you a quick update about my life and what I've been into and thinking about lately. Don't worry- a for real post will be coming up soon. I promise.

Work

Life at the preschool continues to be ridiculous, crazy, full of screaming children, but also still adorable. We have a couple of new two year olds this year who are adorable and have become my buddies. They're sweet but also a handful.

I also have been working at the extended care at an elementary school which is too is crazy, ridiculous, full of screaming children, and a few adorable moments. Especially when they are super bummed that it's my sister who got married and not me.

But beyond those two jobs (they're only part time and I got bills to pay yo!) I decided to try my hand at freelancing. I've only gotten a couple of small jobs so far which kind of make me feel like a sell out- but it's pretty awesome to know people are actually willing to pay me for writing. I'm hoping it can only go up from here.

Books

Naturally - there is a lot of reading going on in my life. I recently finished an eARC book called The Tone Poet whose review will be up soon!

I've been into the Maze Runner series lately as well. It's not the greatest series ever, but I'm invested now and I HAVE TO HAVE THE ANSWERS TO ALL OF THE QUESTIONS.

My newest favorite book series though is The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. While I know they aren't really new, but they're new to me and WOW I can't believe I haven't discovered these books before now. I love how they take place in Chicago, Dresden is HILARIOUS, and it moves fast. It's really fun.

What's really exciting about my reading life right now though is my new book club on Facebook called The Book Worms. We just completed our first month and read Firestarter by Stephen King. For October we're reading Warm Bodies by Issac Marion and AH! it's so much fun! If you want to join the club click here.

The Internet

So... I have finally discovered Tyler Oakley. I've heard about him all over the Internet. But then - BUT THEN a friend of mine posted this video of him interviewing Darren Criss. TYLER OAKLEY IS MY SPIRIT ANIMAL. I've become obsessed and trying to watch his videos and he has a new podcast called Psychobabble which I listen to every single week on the way to work. It's the best thing ever and all of you need to watch/listen so I can have people to talk to about them. Awesome. I'm glad we had this talk.

I also have been loving Carrie Hope Fletcher. She really is one of my favorite YouTubers. She's so sweet, has a fantastic voice, loves Disney, is playing Epoinine in London, and is the one who inspired me to play the ukulele.

As for blogs I've been loving lately...

http://www.princessburlap.com/

http://www.mrthomasandme.com/

http://eastandblog.com/

http://www.embergrey.com/

http://www.sailorjulyxo.com/

http://www.melbourneonmymind.com/

http://www.storiessongsandpraise.com/

http://www.thegirlwholovedtowrite.com/

TV and Movies

Like the rest of the world - I went and saw Gone Girl this weekend. It was good! It was a good adaptation of the novel. But that's not why I was excited to see it. I was excited because it was filmed WHERE I LIVED IN MISSOURI. That whole opening scene? Yeah, I walked those streets ALL THE FREAKING TIME. I even saw a couple of actors who played extras. It was pretty awesome.

For TV I'm catching up on The Originals and The Vampire Diaries  and Supernatural. But I love the new shows A to Z, Selfie, and Forever. 

Things I've Been Thinking About

It's October which means ... NaNoWriMo starts next month! This week I got many of my characters named and it's pretty exciting. Stay tuned for some NaNoWriMo prep posts coming up in the next few weeks. Now if only the official website would get it together and launch for the year...



One of my favorite bloggers, Love Addict NYC, a couple of months ago started a daily email. It's just a few paragraphs to help and encourage her readers and it's the best thing ever. I look forward to reading it every single day and I'm always thinking "I could totally do that." Then I remembered - I kind of tried to already. I have a box on the right side of my blog where you can sign up for an email - but I have never sent one out. Ever. How awful is that?

So... I've been wondering. Is that a thing you all would be interested in?



Already know you want to be on the email list? Sign up here!

   

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Overwhelmed, Lord of the Rings, Les Mis, and Polar Bears

For Vlog Every Day August (VEDA) I made a video about my reaction to Ferguson, MO. If you'd like to see it, here you go. I feel like the video explains everything of how I'm feeling right now.

Please keep the people of Missouri in your thoughts and prayers as well as the rest of us who are just trying to figure out what's happening and how to react.

5 Tear Jerking Movies

I tend to get pretty emotional when it comes to books, movies, and TV shows. While I know in my head the characters and stories aren't technically "real", for some reason my emotions don't agree. There's something strange about how I handle these emotions though.

I rarely ever actually cry.

I feel the emotion of crying. Or I'll come super super close to crying. But it's pretty rare when real tears come out of my eyes. I don't know why. I think there's probably something wrong with me because my heart could be breaking and I might feel as though I'll never be happy again. But no tears. It's strange, I know.

Many times I'll post on Facebook or Twitter or something that I'm crying during a TV show, movie, or book simply because it's easier to say that than "If I was capable of crying I would be right now." It's just too hard to explain without people thinking I'm a heartless cow. Because... I'm not. I'm super emotional when it comes to my fictional characters.

It has happened from time to time (like the finale of Boy Meets World or the memorial episode of Glee for Cory and when I read The Hunger Games Trilogy), and I have been more recently for some reason. (A side effect of getting older maybe?) Yet, real tears are still pretty rare.

So, when talking about books, movies, and TV shows which made me cry, I probably didn't actually cry. Just assume I'm feeling the same emotions as other "normal" emotional people when they read/watch these things.

In case you ever feel like sitting down to watch a movie and really want to be super sad and emotional and tear-eyed... here are some suggestions:

First- we all know you'll never be happy again during The Fault in Our Stars. I mean, my friend Laura went to see it and they were freaking handing out tissues at the theatre. We all know you'll bawl your eyes out during TFioS.

Moving on.

Because when you have the opportunity to use Dawson crying... you take it.

About Time

I don't know what it is about this movie, but when my friend Maria and I went to see it we were an emotional mess. She had legit tears running down her cheeks when we watched it. But I love this movie. Everything about it.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

I'm re-reading the Harry Potter series and I'm currently on Goblet of Fire, so it's on my mind. But seriously, I can't handle this ending. When I first read this book when I was in high school I remember sitting on my bed in shock because I couldn't comprehend what had just happened. I was SO SAD. You have to understand, when this series came out, GOF was the game changer. Which is why I chose this one over Deathly Hallows Part 2. Because... obviously that one you cry during that one.

Once you read the ending  of GOF you knew nothing was going to be the same at Hogwarts. No one had actually really died during the book before. Then watching the movie, it is so heart-wrenching to see Cedric's dad and Harry... UGH. It's so awful.

Les Miserables

I remember being in high school and my band director telling us that if you didn't cry at the end of the musical Les Miserables you didn't have a heart. Guys- it's so true. Heck, ever since I fell in love with the music when I was 17, I can barely listen to Do You Hear the People Sing? without wanting to bawl my eyes out. Part of it is because it's sad. (Hello! It's literally called "The Misery.") But also because the messages and themes are so powerful and at times even hopeful. You can totally be crying out of sadness and hope at the same time. It's awesome.

You know... cause apparently crying is awesome.

Saving Mr. Banks

You will never watch Mary Poppins the same way ever again after watching this movie. That's all I'm going to say about that.

Frozen

I know... I know... I'm one of the few people in the world who isn't sick and tired of this movie. But, I really do get emotional during Frozen. I love the dynamics between the sisters and the back story is so sad and with Elsa... I feel those feels. Even just listening to "Let it Go" I sometimes get misty eyed. Also, I watched this movie with my friend Maria again. I think there's something about us watching movies together which makes us both want to cry.

This is essentially Maria and I when we watch movies.

And as a special bonus movie in case you really want the tears to flow....

Lord of the Rings: Return of the King

This was the first movie I actually had real tears while sitting in the movie theater so I felt like it deserved a special shout out. The Lord of the Rings trilogy was a huge part of my high school experience. All of us would wait eagerly for the next movie to come out and we'd go multiple times and we were so attached to the characters and the story. Everything wrapping up in the last movie and all they had to go through... it really got to me.

So, confession time. What movies make you grab the tissue box?

Also, can we just take a moment to appreciate all of the fantastic crying GIFs Glee has given to the Internet?

Today's Blog Everyday in July Topic: 5 Tear-Jerking Movies. Link up here.

I'm also linking up with Mingle Monday!

Currently..

Let's do a bit of a life-catch up, shall we?

Currently I am...

Obsessing Over: my new Chromecast. I've been seeing commercials for it for a few months and finally decided to test it out today. Oh cow you guys, this is awesome! Yes, it will probably only be used for Netflix and YouTube, but now Sam and Dean Winchester will be on a bigger screen than my iPad or laptop. That's a win in my book.

Does anyone else have one of these? Or am I late to the party? Because I'm completely amazed.

Reading:  How I Paid for College: A Novel of Sex, Theft, Friendship, and Musical Theater. This book is outrageously hilarious! It's about a teenager in the 80's, living in New Jersey, and trying to figure out how to pay for his Juliard tuition after his dad announces he won't be paying it unless his son goes into something boring like business. A book about a bunch of theater nerds? Yes, please!

I'm also reading a book for a review coming up on Friday, and listening to Magic Bites on audio. However, How I Paid for College is the best of the three thus far!

Mad About:  Have you heard of GOMI? (Get Off My Internets) It's a site basically where people rant about blogs and websites they hate. I've heard about it a bit and was curious. There was nothing on there about me (one of the perks of not being a "cool" blogger), but I did see some pretty awful things about some other bloggers whom I LOVE. Some I even consider to be friends, or at least have had some great conversations with. Don't you all have something better to do than rant about blogs? Seriously. There's enough hate in this world. Yeah, there are some blogs I'm not a fan of either, but I'm not going to rant about them for all of the world to see.

Wondering:  Two things actually. 1) I'm thinking of doing a Q&A post. I realized not long ago some of my newer readers don't know much about me (like my disability) and some of my other readers might have questions they've been wanting to ask. Anyone interested? 2) I also want to host a link-up soon, but the last time I tried it was a total flop because I messed it up. Can anyone show me how?

Wanting: My friend Julie to not have a meeting tomorrow. Wednesday is supposed to be our girls night, but she has a meeting. It's super sad.

Listening to: Or at least I'm wanting to listen to, the revival cast of Les Miserables. The actor who is playing Jean Valjean (Ramin Karimloo) sang on Katie Couric today and WOW his voice is amazing. I could listen to him sing "Bring Him Home" all day. He also was nominated for a Tony for his performance in Les Miserables this morning. So awesome!

Waiting:  to hear where my friends at the seminary are heading next. Today was "call day" where all of the students studying to be pastors find out where their first call at a church will be. It's pretty exciting.

Loving:  my new haircut! I've been itching to do a bit of a change recently and was finally able to this past weekend. What do you think?

So... how's your life?

Five Songs

I love music. I need it on almost at all times. (Although  in my car I've been listening to an audio book this month.) Right now I have my office to myself when usually I share it. To make up for the lack of noise I have music from my iPad playing in the background. When I'm at home reading, cleaning the apartment, doing dishes - I need to have some sort of noise. Music, a TV show, a YouTube video, a movie, SOMETHING.

Sometimes the music I'm listening to relates to my life. Something I can connect with and say "that's exactly how I feel right now." Sometimes it's not. Sometimes it's just music that I like.

It Is the Music of a People Who are Climbing to the Light

2012 - The Music Edition

Usually, the last day of the month I post a playlist of the top ten songs I've been listening to this month.

However, since it's New Years Eve, and I posted earlier this week about the books I've read in 2012, here are the songs that have been playing almost non-stop all year.

(Tomorrow or sometime later this week I'll do a whole year wrap up post... hopefully...)

Music Will Help Me Win!

What? It's the last day of November already?

Source

With all of NaNoWriMo going on ... I've kind of lost track of time. Especially this week since I was OUTRAGEOUSLY BEHIND on my novel and every spare moment has been dedicated to getting my word count up. Once tomorrow hits and I've won NaNoWriMo for the 5th year in a row (losing is not an option) I will be able to dedicate my "free time" to other things. Which include but are not exclusive to:

- Reading books vs. writing them. I learned while reading The Fault in Our Stars by John Green... reading during NaNoWriMo is a poor life choice.The list of books I want to read had at least doubled this month.

- Working on Letters Not Sent, the newest project I'm heading up with Nate St. Pierre.

- Finishing decorating my apartment for Christmas and posting photos of said decorations on the blog.

- Actually writing legit blog posts. (Have several ideas for December. Yay!)

- Socializing with the outside world.

- Editing and revising the travesty that is my novel.

- Seeing ALL OF THE MOVIES that are coming out this holiday season,

In the meantime... I'm off to go write at least 4,000 more words. Here are the top 10 songs I've been listening to this month to keep me motivated:

Holy September Batman!

This month... just... crazy.

The play I was in.

Finding a roommate.

Then losing a roommate.

Then getting an apartment on my own.

Getting my roommate back and possibly a house.

Then both of those going away.

And I'm moving this weekend.

I started babysitting a six year old every afternoon.

There is also the normal crazy that happens all through life. I also watched all of season 3 of The Vampire Diaries this month. It's been intense, let me tell you.When this whole apartment switch is done I'm taking a nap.

In the meantime, here is the music that has been getting me through September.

Why Theatre People Are Awesome

I've been in theatre since I was about six years old. With my 26th birthday coming up, that means I have been on stage for about 20 years now. 

One of the things I've learned is that theatre people are awesome. 

True story.

Every month for my blog I have a theme of the month, and this month's theme is "Art That Inspires My Soul."  Therefore, I decided to share with all of you wonderful readers why theatre people are awesome.

Something you need to understand is that theatre people are their own special breed of human...

Want to read the rest of this post? I'm guest blogging for my sponsor swap buddy, Sarah, on her blog - A Catlike Curiosity! 

May's Soundtrack

I'm a little behind this month - so I'll have my introductory post for June's theme (Art That Touches My Soul) on Monday!

In the meantime... here are the top 10 songs that I've been jamming out to this month: