Recommendations

It’s amazing how a simple routine can turn quickly into a compulsion…

I don’t feel like writing poetry or a story today, but I feel like writing. Trust me, it’s been a long journey for me to reach the point of writing daily. Now, if I don’t write, my whole day just seems a bit off.

I love writing and turning my boring job into something silly, exhilarating, or abnormal. I love writing poetry about everything and nothing. I love turning my close friends into characters that I hope will someday populate my books.

But I did not get here alone, and if you’re reading this, you’ve likely inspired me in some way, shape, or form (because I do read at least a few excerpts from every person that follows me, and my only other followers are the few friends I dared to tell about my secret mind-vomiting platform). When the office is too bland or I’m too tired or I simply need a little nudge out of the box, I go to other blogs and read what they’re writing about, not only to get inspiration, but to increase my understanding of how others see the world. It’s through understanding others’ opinions and vantage points that one can finally answer the “why” questions people ask when they wonder what is going wrong or right in the world. I seek to, at the very least, understand.

I wanted to have one post where I give a quick shout-out to some of my most recent inspirations, but first, a thought:

As it stands, I am currently 4 views away from 500, which is a massive accomplishment to me considering I only started actively adding to this page as a way to use my creative mind while at work. My job consists of me sitting at a desk, waiting for assignments, and when I get those assignments, they’re so curbed by regulations that I literally don’t have to use the slightest amount of creativity. It kills me. Occasionally they send me on assignment to another state, which is marvelous. The rest of the time, my wanderlust eats a hole in my trousers and makes me feel like I have to do a lap around the office. And that’s usually what I do. So now you know.

So long as I’m pounding away at the keyboard, they think I’m adding to the company value. Do I feel guilt for not doing work sometimes? Youbetcha. But that’s hardly the point…

Now, for my latest inspirations: Matt the List, 10 Cities/10 Year, Wandanlust, and Windstrewn.

The first, known as “Matt the List,” is a brilliant, English blogger who describes himself as “A London-based musician & photographer with a food, booze, and travel addiction.” I’ll be honest, I only discovered him this morning (it’s currently 8:04am in Arizona, USA), but instantly I was picked up from my rolling chair where I expect my butt to increase I size over the next couple years to Tommy Sjef’s Wild Ales in Den Helder, The Netherlands. (I’m an ignorant American, so forgive me if you’re not actually supposed to add “The” when you reference The Netherlands, but I didn’t think it proper to just say “Netherlands”). Matt gives a very intimate outlook on the process and care taken at Tommy Sjef’s, and though I never imagined I’d want to visit The Netherlands, I expect someday soon I will be heading there specifically to try some of the ales, and maybe even see if I can sneak in a tour of the brewery. He also wrote a post on The Trossachs, yet another place I didn’t know of on our beautiful earth, and beyond the ales and whiskies, the photography of the landscape was enough to have me gasping, much to the concern of my unassuming coworkers. In addition to the beautiful snapshots of barrels of alcohol and landscapes, you get to see the faces of Matt and some of his friends, and this makes for the perfect bow to wrap up a blog in. I feel like I know him, and though I know I don’t, I want to. I want to know his friends, and I want to go on their adventures with them. So if you’re looking for a place to belong, go check out “Matt the List.”

The next one is a lifer in the writing business, and one that takes you for journeys on the road as well as into his home through reminiscing (albeit not always the most fond memories) of his childhood. He’s one of the most real people I’ve never met, and he’s been on a journey I’m not sure I could handle. Joseph Lyttleton lived in 10 cities over the course of 10 years, and always had something to say about how various aspects of the cities made him think of his life growing up, or what lessons they’re teaching him, and usually a combination of both. He also talks about some of the odd-jobs he has held, and the things he’s learned from those jobs. But one of my favorite parts of his blog is that he adds a music track at the end of each post. As a musician, I appreciate that he takes the time to consider a soundtrack for his life that not only adds to his stories, but also offer an insight into his personality. If you want to read about someone who makes you feel like they’re sitting by the fireside, talking to you, letting you into some of the nooks and crannies of their life, this is definitely the page to check out.

Speaking of journeys I couldn’t handle, 22-year-old Dan is currently on a sailboat, adventuring with her “shipmate formerly known as her boyfriend, Valy”. In her blog, she talks about the places she’s been since the beginning of her expedition in July (the 10th of July, to be specific). She goes over some of the best things to do in the towns she visits, and even has a recipe for Chorizo Tapas Burgers. What made her blog so inspiring is that she is 2 years younger than myself yet she is going on adventures people twice her age couldn’t handle. I wish I had more to say, but it is a very new blog. It’s probably best you just watch her blog for updates and let her tell the stories her own way.

The final blog on my list that you must check out is a fellow musician, deep-thinker, and wordsmith. John is a single father to three adorable young ladies, and it appears that his life has not been all peaches and cream. In fact, he makes a point to tell you it hasn’t been. But his wisdom via direct experience, whether by mistakes and shortcomings or by triumphs, is evident in his poetry, “randomness,” and most certainly, his music. I discovered his page when I was in the “discover” portion of WordPress looking for music. I like having the newest music to do work to because it tends to break the rules and veer far off-course from the crap I hear on the radio (no, not all radio is crap, just a lot of it). The track that caught me by the ear is titled “Lake Ransom” and is its own sort of adventure. Each time I listened to the track, I heard something different, and I suspect the layers are directly correlated to his own complexities. At the same time, there is so much headspace to allow thoughts and visions, something that most music does not offer. So for a blog where cerebral meets visceral, head over to “Windstrewn”.

A massive thank you to you four bloggers for giving me something to write about today, and inspirations for writing every other day. I sincerely would not be the writer I am without your writing, music, and insights.