King Louis

I did have a second date today, we went to a pasta restaurant and saw the George Clooney movie 'the American'. I had a nice time.
   I respond well to music with passion, same reason why I like going onstage to tell jokes. It's therapeutic, one of the better tools available to heal from any ills. I was onstage tonight at the comedy club, it feels good each time now since I know what I'm doing. There was a minor error early on, meant to say just 'state fair' but added 'Iowa' and had to correct it. But what I've learned about speech is to just correct it and keep moving, no big deal to trip over words every so often.
    I spend some time listening to songs on Youtube, tonight it included finding some by Alanis Morissette. I recall somebody saying they liked her song, 'Perfect', when on ABC's 'Nightline' show, doing their 'playlist' feature. It's a song that didn't get much if any airplay, but it resonated with me since it was relatable. Also found 'Hands Clean' and 'What I Really Want' as those are sang with passion as well. With "Want" the wording is very good, 'sweater on backwards and inside out, how appropriate'. As Sheryl Crow said in 'If It Makes You Happy', 'who hasn't been there before?' While driving in my car today I heard one on the radio for the first time that I liked, the words 'who do you think you are' were in it. I like how in this day and age how one just needs to go online to find answers, like the song title and performer, if the radio DJ doesn't announce it. In this case I found out it was "Jar of Hearts" by Christina Perri. It helped that it mentions scars, since I have some though they are in many ways invisible. It reminded me of why I liked 'Impossible' by Shontelle, since this word is there as well, 'all my scars are open'. In the middle I found 'Bulletproof' by LaRoux, another relatable one. I like the lines about 'dirty words coming out when hurt, certain things are better left unsaid'. There are plenty of women who can sing with passion, it may help if they are inspired by relationships. In some ways it seemed appropriate to hear 'Basket Case' by Green Day today as well, since the video takes place in a mental hospital. It is likely very brave of me, readers, to speak as much as I do about some of the things in my past. For a while, I wondered if I was mentally ill, so those who struggle with mental health I seem to understand. I had seen a therapist before, and their recommendation of taking some writing classes helped greatly. I often seemed to be more comfortable with writing than most things. Was I mentally ill? Probably not. I found out I felt better physically and mentally once I parted ways with those who brought out the worst in me, not an easy thing to do but definitely necessary. I noticed how my attitude was greatly influenced by the company you keep. I was more positive around those who were positive. Anything about my past that made me feel squeamish I knew I needed to handle before moving on completely with my life- in order to have a meaningful life. People get tired of excuses, I recall my football coach in high school asking us to complete a statement about it. Excuses are- for losers. Winners don't have excuses, they don't need them. Still a valuable lesson, to this day. At times I wondered if people would have been more sympathetic to my plight if my problem had been a drug addiction or alcoholism. Either way, whatever causes the ill needs to be handled.
  One of my fellow comedians seemed to notice a pattern on favorite movies of mine, how I seemed to be drawn to 'diamond in the rough' stories, they're relatable to me. I think one of them in particular, 'Seabiscuit', may explain it better than some. There was a line in it how the horse just needed to remember what it was like to be a horse again. I even wrote poetry about it, and showed it to a good friend of mine from work. I liked the metaphor in it, and 'Seabiscuit' was in mind. I called myself a sad little puppy locked up in a cage I had built for myself. My friend was the one who bought me, despite me growling at her at first, and trained me to be a winner.
  Unsure if I like Lady Gaga's music because I think it's therapeutic, I think I like it for the same reason many others do- it's good dance music and clever wordsmithing. Not necessarily 'therapeutic', sometimes music is about escapism, fantasy, same as movies and TV shows. It can be whatever you want it to be, that's what I like about art. I am still trying to find the version of "Just Dance" where you hear 'ask your baby father'. I had heard it on the radio, and it made me chuckle, saying she's the best apparently.
   I learned something tonight, I like how I continue to learn as I want to. In this case it was about Mardi-Gras. I was unfamiliar with the celebration in St. Louis,MO. I had heard about the one in New Orleans, of course, and one in Mobile, Alabama, as well- due to watching a documentary. Even though I visit St. Louis annually, it is during the summer so I hadn't heard of it. But it did remind me of 3 places in America being named for different French kings, all named Louis. St. Louis is for Louis IX, the state of Lousiana for Louis XIV, and Louisville, KY, for Louis XVI.
   I have Monday off from work due to Labor Day, will need to figure out what I will do.