This is The Moon and Antarctica's second album art

Hey readers ! I really want to make an effort to write more. I’m glad I’m finally posting another post here. Today’s post is a review of Modest Mouse’s The Moon and Antarctica.

The Moon and Antarctica

9.4/10

1. “3rd Planet”     3:59
2. “Gravity Rides Everything”     4:19
3. “Dark Center of the Universe”     5:04
4. “Perfect Disguise”     2:43
5. “Tiny Cities Made of Ashes”     3:44
6. “A Different City”     3:10
7. “The Cold Part”     5:03
8. “Alone Down There”     2:24
9. “The Stars Are Projectors”     8:46
10. “Wild Packs of Family Dogs”   Isaac Brock 1:45
11. “Paper Thin Walls”     3:01
12. “I Came As a Rat”     3:48
13. “Lives”     3:19
14. “Life Like Weeds”     6:30
15. “What People Are Made Of”     2:14

Modest Mouse’s third released full length album The Moon and Antarctica should be in everyone’s album collection. The album was created after they received new tools and abilities from their new record label. Every song is masterfully crafted by guitarist/lead singer Isaac Brock, bassist Eric Judy, and drummer Jeremiah Green. The vibrations encompassing every song speak to you emotionally. This album is nothing short of incredible.

Isaac Brock’s lyrics emphasize emotion and feeling on the human condition. Eric Judy’s smooth bass playing crafts and guides your mood as Jeremiah Green’s creative rhythmic percussion leads the songs. There are also are various studio musicians throughout the album. You will hear a violin, keyboards, lap steel guitar, and accompanying backing vocals. The gem of the album is track 9 “The Stars are Projectors” if you can respect the length of almost 9 minutes.

If you don’t own it yet you’re missing out. The Moon and Antarctica is a masterpiece waiting to be listened to.

The time is now!

Living in the moment is the single most important thing you can do with your life. Logically, how much are you really living your life if your thoughts our focused on the past or future? The past has already happened and the future is uncertain. All you have is now.

Although living in the moment sounds so simple, it isn’t. Living in the moment requires constant vigilance and attention to your surroundings. I would be lying if I said that I live every moment of my life in the present. It just simply isn’t possible unless you have achieved a state of high enlightenment.

Truly living in the moment translates into enlightenment. If you seek to achieve enlightenment you are not enlightened. The only way you actually achieve enlightenment is to focus clearly on the current situation and realize its beauty. Life is a constant stream that will eventually end in death. Everything in life is impermanent. This means that there is no point in trying to hold on to one thing because it will most certainly not last forever. The one thing you will always have is this moment so why not recognize that it’s a miracle and should be cherished.

What is one thing that everyone is elated to feel? The simple answer is love! When one feels loved there are extreme feelings of content and happiness. Love is almost always reciprocated. So indeed another necessary aspect of a fulfilling life is the ability to love. The more love you show the happier those around you will be, and in turn the happier you will be. A simple “Hi, how are you doing?” can make someone’s day. The lesson to learn is love is the feeling that matters the most, and it should be used as often as possible to make the world a better place.

Conscious Breathing Meditation

Take a step back, relax.
Your time will come and pass.
Recognize the moment.
Learn from the past.

I know I haven’t written anything on here in a while but I think that just changed .

Everyone is guilty of not being totally conscious all of the time. I can’t even say that I’ve been fully conscious for a whole day of my life. The fact is that all humans have a mind and a internal dialogue. This internal voice making judgments, reminiscing about the past, fantasizing about the future,  prevents you from being fully conscious. When you focus your attention on something real that is happening right now, you enter the realm of enlightenment.

What is conscious breathing? Conscious breathing is the act of consciously observing one’s breath.  Focus your mind on the sensations of in breath and out breath. Anybody can practice conscious breathing at anytime. Benefits include clarity of mind, better focus, and cessation of the inner voice.

Breathing is an unconscious action. It requires no direct thought in you mind demanding that you breathe. When you take the time to relax your body and mind by really focusing your attention to your breathing you will notice that you can calm the inner voice by thinking of nothing other than your the feelings that arise through your breath. There will be an inner stillness. The longer you can sustain this act of meditation the more level headed you will be. Make this a practice whenever you can everyday notice the change in you consciousness.

I recently joined blip.fm. It is a really cool website for sharing tastes in music.

This is a video my friend Drew made after we had some fun in the cold a while back.

Yesterday, I was a test subject for a psychology lab at my school. They set me up with a special cap and some electrodes to measure my brain waves. They had to put jell in everyone of the white holes on the cap. It took a little while to get set up. I had to detect whether quick flashes of white lines were all going the same way or not while they recorded my brain activity. Here’s what I looked like.

This is me all hooked up to the machine.

I also got to look at my brian waves in real time. Very cool.

Brain Waves

The most destructive habit…………………………Worry

The greatest Joy………………………………………….Giving

The greatest loss……………………Loss of self-respect

The most satisfying work………………..Helping others

The ugliest personality trait………………..Selfishness

The most endangered species……..Dedicated leaders

Our greatest natural resource………………..Our youth

The greatest “shot in the arm”………..Encouragement

The greatest problem to overcome……………………Fear

The most effective sleeping pill………….Peace of mind

The most crippling failure disease………………..Excuses

The most powerful force in life…………………………Love

The most dangerous pariah………………………..A gossiper

The world’s most incredible computer……….The brain

The worst thing to be without………………………….. Hope

The deadliest weapon…………………………………The tongue

The two most power-filled words…………………..”I Can”

The greatest asset………………………………………………Faith

The most worthless emotion…………………………..Self-pity

The most beautiful attire……………………………….SMILE!

The most prized possession………………………… Integrity

The most powerful channel of communication…..Prayer

The most contagious spirit…………………………Enthusiasm

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Sweet arm paint by Kara Andrews. (Art on the Spot)

Sweet arm paint by Kara Andrews. (Art on the Spot)

So Monday night I had a great time with my friend Hillary. We hung out after class and decided to go to a Purim party. As you can see we got amazing body art done. Kara Andrews did the art www.artonthespot.com . The party went well. We had traditional Jewish Food, pizza, salad, cake and more. We also had a nice game of apples to apples. Good food, good fun, good night.

I have just realized that the most important thing in life is to live in a way in which you can give to others. Reach out and give a helping hand.

I mean no one else is living your life, in your shoes. No one is experiencing anything the same way you are. I can’t imagine how life is perceived as someone else. Everyone strives to better themselves and their experiences but, who strives to better everyone else? The one who is living the most, thats who. Anyone who pops into your daily life, be it family, friends, or new helpful strangers, who betters your life in most cases is held high in your judgement. You form bonds and memories with these people. These bonds form friendships and relationships.

When you have friends it is best to be present and helpful in their lives. Build integrity throughout the actions you perform. Your helpfulness can spread by showing people in your life to help others in their life. I truly believe by that doing this the good will cycle back and ultimately help, your community, society, and yourself. You can live a positive life and help others be positive. Do the best you can to spread positive vibrations and emotion that will ripple through people like a sudden rainstorm over a enormous still lake. The innumerable ripples are touching each other all over but one ripple can not touch all the others at the same time.

By being aware of the others in your life, being kind and helpful, and spreading positive emotion you have not only bettered the experiences in your life at the end of the day but the experiences in the lives of masses. This can help us turn live for more than ourselves.