I Am Too Easily Hypnotized

An update of sorts

Hello followers of my blog (New people welcome!),

For those following Chill Co., I am sorry to say that that moniker is now no more. I have decided to rebrand my entire blog. New name, new pictures, and new well...everything. 

I have gone through and deleted the majority of my posts. This is mostly due to how almost all of them perpetuated this false notion of the indie lifestyle. After going through these posts (and cringing at the majority of them), I’ve realized that I tried so hard to push this since it was the title of my blog. I advocated for the hipster-indie lifestyle that I thought was for me. I realize now that this was pretty dumb of me, as I tried to be somebody I wasn’t.

I also went ahead and deleted pretty much of all of the Spotify link posts as I realized that that is only one medium for listening to music and it will in turn not be nearly as far reaching. This doesn’t mean that I won’t post about music -- quite the opposite in fact. Expect music still, but now much more than just that.

The goal I have now set for my blog is to catalogue my life; I want to show this site who I can be by posting all of my creative content in this one place. Sounds selfish yes, but I don’t want to limit myself content wise. I want this to be about me and if you’re interested in what I have to offer, I welcome you with open arms. 

So what can you expect from me? First, I’m going to start a daily posting series called “Daily Routine” which will be a similar to diary/journal update, but not super personal. Basically just something significant that happened in my day and my thoughts behind it. I want to do it as a way to connect to my audience further and in turn, use it as a way for you all to get to know. My other hope is that Daily Routine will spawn many thoughtful discussion and conversation between users. As a side note, if you can guess what Daily Routine is in reference to you will get a shoutout.

Next, you can expect pretty much more of what I’ve already been posting about but at a higher frequency. However, I will also post about my short prose/poems on the occasion. Music appreciation, daily activities, and nature (LOTS of nature). Seldom will I reblog something unless it pertains to the aesthetic or lifestyle of my blog. 

I’ll wrap it up now as this post is getting quite long. Thank you if you got this far and thank you to anyone who has actually been loyally following my blog. It means a lot to me. Expect the first Daily Routine later tonight. 

my granddad just called me to tell me how big his cauliflowers are growing and it was so cute theyre “TWICE as big as the ones you get in the shop”

Daily Routine (9/27/17) - Night Ride

Another short one tonight. Nothing too significant happened today, but I’m pretty happy at the place I am in my life right now. I’ve finally got a good routine going for me and it’s becoming part of my life style. It’s nice having structure in your life, but I understand it isn’t for everyone. For me though, it works and I’m happy for it. 

This picture may be a bit grainy, but I biked to an overlook of the river today. I finally got my bike tires pumped and was able to use it again. It’s been way too long. I missed riding my bike. My freshman year, it was my life essentially. I never used it much last year though and I’m not so sure why. But I’m happy I have it up and running again. It allowed me to see views like this right before the sun set for the night. 

Honestly, I’m just happy. I hope this mental state continues. 

🌼

Daily Routine (9/16/17) - A collision with fate

It is odd the way life works out. I didn’t forget about DR yesterday, the post I had got deleted. Well actually, I was in a rush and didn’t have a chance to be at my computer so I had to type it out on my phone. Right when I was about to post it, the app crashed on me, deleting the entire post. I was so irritated by it that I just decided I wasn’t going to post it. I now see that this was a good thing though. 

The subject matter of the post was very ranty as I was annoyed at a lot of people and I just wanted to vent. Looking back, I now know that that is definitely something I don’t want on my blog and it was very in the moment, as the problems I was complaining about were solved about an later after it was deleted. But I find it funny how fate works out like that. How you think a problem will be solved by something only to have it set you back further. Patience is key in situations like this, as simply just waiting can make things make a lot more sense than they would if you try to attack them head on. I’m glad I was reminded of this lesson yesterday. 

Yesterday was also full of other surprises. I went to a house show for a few local bands - some from Richmond and others from Williamsburg. House shows are my favorite concerts to go to. You’re within spitting distance of the band playing and you can see each and every detail of their set; Their reactions, their stage presence, and not to mention, the full brunt of their sound (it’s loud as hell). It’s an experience you don’t get by seeing a band at a stadium or even a club. It’s personal and real - especially if you’re friends with the people playing. 

The reason I found this show to be a surprise though, is because I was able to have a great time without worrying about any of my past relationships. I was able to meet many new people and just be myself without any worry. It’s taken me awhile to get to this point and I’m proud of myself for being who I am now. Aside from personal surprises, I also saw a lot of people that I met at a music festival I went to this summer. They’re the kind of interactions where you don’t think you’ll ever see them again, but then they show up again in a place where you least expect it. So that was a pleasant surprise. 

The only thing that did suck about the show was that the cops shut it down, so the last band didn’t get to play their set. They had to wait through over 2 hours of live music only to not get to play. A pity that our society values being able to sleep at night without any loud noises over the creative arts. That is a rant for another day though. 

I have now decided that this was my favorite local show I’ve ever been to. Not only because of what I talked about above, but the actual musical content. The first band (who I didn’t know beforehand) had an irresistible groove to it that was still able to bring the punchiness of indie rock. They had great stage presence and people were able to dance to it quickly - which is always a good sign considering how hit or miss local bands can be. The next band, Talk to Plants, were the band I went to the show for. This was my third and favorite time seeing them, as they played a good mix of their old cuts and new ones from their upcoming LP. Their unique psychedelic-folk-rock sound translates well in an intimate setting, especially when you’re able to see that they’re having just as good of a time as you are. This is evident in the photo I chose for this post. 

Kind of a long post today I know, but I felt it was necessary since I didn’t have one yesterday. Send me your local music. Any genre or style - just as long as it’s local to where you live. I would love to hear all of it. 

Daily Routine (9/25/17) - Strawberry Jam

If today could be defined by one thing, it would be music. I spent the majority of the day listening to Spotify while simultaneously catching up on homework. Also, I recently have been reacquainted with my beautiful guitar. I’ve been playing on and off now for the better part of 6 years, with many hiatuses in between. I haven’t play since at least over 6 months ago, but for the past 3 days now I have consistently been playing. 

I want to not only become proficient in guitar again, but also play live. I’ve only ever been in a band once and we only played live once, but that doesn’t deter me in slightest. Going to the house show last week and becoming more in touch with the local music scene have inspired me to find people to jam with and hopefully play live shows. It’s always been a dream of mine to be part of a successful band. I want to get started on it now. 

So today I changed her strings. The new high E string snapped when I was tightening the peg, which was quite the bitch because it was the last string for me to change. Luckily I had a few extra packets of strings, but now I have a packet without the high E string, which irritates my inner OCD. She now sounds wonderful -- like brand new. I always forget how great your guitar sounds whenever you change their strings. It really makes a difference. 

With my guitar re-stringed and me consistently practicing, I’m ready to start jamming with other people. I have actually met a few people who are already interested, they just have to free up their schedules. I also am in need of a drummer. If you live in the Richmond area and want to jam, just hit me up with a PM. I’m always looking for people to play music with (starting now). 

Love

But who’s going to remember that time at 3:47 PM when your photo was posted all over for the world to see and that one, oh that one, very certain specific embodiment of this universe will remember and cherish this moment forever, because they won’t and that’s bullshit because no one else cares but you and your life is in ruins because the feelings never end and the pain is always there but you somehow get up in the morning and see the light and think

everything is okay. 

This is 100% me

ask any teenager what type of music they listen to and 99 percent of the time they’ll say ‘anything but country’

Hiking feat. Chris