Hello, everyone.  How are you guys doing?  I know it's been too long since I updated last, I seem to be slipping into this terrible trend.  Things have just been very hectic in my life lately if not overwhelming...
    Work is work.  I still enjoy it and am still working towards a promotion as far as I know (my boss has been out sick for a week with strep so I've had zero communication).  I'm losing touch with some friends I'm not terrible worried about losing touch with and I'm regaining relationships I've been missing.
    A couple of weeks ago we got a call from my grandmother telling us that my aunt was in the hospital and was very sick.  She had gone in for a hysterectomy, which isn't something to be concerned about, and it had gone terribly wrong.  They nicked her bowel and she had to go through three more surgeries in an attempt to fix it.  The problem was that they couldn't.  Later we got another call telling us that my aunt was dying and had a matter of hours left.  My aunt was 52...it seems so unfair that a stupid mistake would take her life.
    So, I've been in Montana for a week and a half and am now home.  I was able to be there for my cousins who are far too young to be losing their mother (and one just had a baby).  That has been the biggest rift in my life recently.
    My parents leave for sunny Florida in two days to visit my grandparents.  I meant to go but work was so slow getting back to me about vacation time that now I can't.  Part of me is upset, but another part is happy to have a week off to sit around and do absolutely nothing.  I haven't done that in a while.  I plan to visit my grandparents in the fall, so at least there are no worries there.
    We're remodeling our house because my sister is getting married in July and we're planning to have several guests staying here.  It's exciting to see the walls go from white to colorful.  That's been fun.
    Final Fantasy XIII recently came out and it's taking everything in me not to run out and buy it...  My birthday is in April so hopefully I'll get it then...lol.
    In about a month I'm going to see my favorite comedian (and late night host) Craig Ferguson.  I'm so excited!
    I do have music (finally...I know).  I don't know about radio-worthy stuff but I've got some great new releases I think you guys will love along with some oldies that are good too.  I hope you enjoy them, there are quite a few of them to make up for my absence!


"For Your Entertainment" - Adam Lambert
http://www.mediafire.com/?tyzmkwjlynf

"Let Go" - Megan Rochelle (This is a really good R&B song that's not your typical R&B song...lol.  It's not the greatest quality but a good copy is impossible to find)
http://www.mediafire.com/?i2zrwg5fnj0

"Never Enough" - Epica (Nothing new but VERY good)
http://www.mediafire.com/?ydwz4zz1wyo

"Seasons" - The Veer Union (A darker song that's really good)
http://www.mediafire.com/?muifwmgczzg

"Spellbound" - Lacuna Coil (Nothing new again but a great song)
http://www.mediafire.com/?wjgjtqwt3j4

"War" - Jay Sean (A great slow song by the artist that brought you "Down" & "Do You Remember?")
http://www.mediafire.com/?drtydm0vol1

"Fade Away" - Breaking Benjamin (One of the best Breaking Benjamin songs I've heard in a long time)
http://www.mediafire.com/?nhgwkzmzdd0

"My Hands" - Leona Lewis (This is the theme for Final Fantasy XIII.  It's also featured in the ads...it's a good song...but besides the chorus it doesn't fit the game AT ALL)
http://www.mediafire.com/?zxyj3mtkymo

"Sanctuary (After the Battle)" - Utada Hikaru (This is the ending of the game Kingdom Hearts II.  It's very hard to find the official copy not the crappy game rip and I FINALLY found it...)
http://www.mediafire.com/?z4mnnm3nhdm


"Sapphire" - Kalafina (Japanese) (This is Kalafina's latest song...it's so good...)
http://www.mediafire.com/?mmmdmdlttzo

"Dimanche" - Origa (Russian) (I think I might've already posted this song...oh well)
http://www.mediafire.com/?1toyd2mwlll

"Toki no Mukou Maboroshi no Sora" - FictionJunction (Japanese) (This is Yuki Kajiura's group, Fiction Junction's, latest song)
http://www.mediafire.com/?ldnizznonjl

"Dragostea Ramane" - Andra (Romanian)
http://www.mediafire.com/?gz2jmzwqz0z

Enjoy!

      Hi there, how are you guys doing?  I'm doing a little better, I think I'm finally beginning to get over whatever this virus is.  I've been going to work regularly again and I no longer feel the need to sleep 24-7.  I always love getting over a cold, it's like you can do anything...sort of.
      Now that I'm getting over my cold I've caught a bad case of the travel bug.  It seems like everywhere I go I see something about Italy...and I want so badly to go back there.  In fact, I have a feeling I'd be perfectly happy living there, but I know I'd miss home.  I just wish it didn't cost so much to travel.
      I've gotten back into teaching myself Italian, but I think I might see if there's a community class offered (fat chance).  I'm just not disciplined or prepared enough to teach myself Italian and I can't exactly afford Rosetta Stone.  I'm also trying to brush up on my German and French...mostly I'm dedicated to Italian.  I still remember a lot of the German I learned in high school, but my French is sketchy.
       I was talking to my friend about my blog here and how I few a few friends who regularly visit and who I regularly talk to.  I'm grown rather fond of you guys :]  I mentioned to her that I didn't know a lot about who you were beyond your Xanga's, and she made a good point when she said you probably didn't know a lot about my either...so I had an idea.  I thought for this post, not only would I post some new music but a very general explanation of who I am.  Then, if you feel like you want to, you could post something similar in your response.  It doesn't have to be deep dark secrets, just who you are, what you love, etc.  I like to know about my friends so I thought it was only fair that you knew about me.  Ok, here goes:

        First and foremost I grew up in Los Angeles, California.  I lived through three earthquakes (one of the was the 1994 Northridge earthquake that measured in at 6.7) and the Rodney King Riots.  After that we moved to Rochester, Minnesota and three years after that to Northfield, Minnesota (where Jesse James was "defeated").  I went to Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota (near Fargo, ND) where I majored in fashion designed (with a focus in visual merchandising) and minored in art history (with a focus on the high Italian Renaissance).
       Not so detailed stuff about me: I absolutely love animals...my favorite is the Oriental Otter.  I've been a vegetarian since birth and currently am for animal rights reasons.
       My very favorite subject is art history.  I'm madly obsessed with the High Italian Renaissance and my favorite artists are Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo Buonarotti, Michelangelo Caravaggio, Jean August Ingres and Lorenzo Bernini.
      I've been overseas once.  It was for an art history trip to London, England...Paris, France...and Florence, Italy.  I loved it...the travel bug has plagued me since.
     My favorite color is...I don't know.  I love red, yellow, pink, cerulean, black...it changes weekly between those five.
     I love thunderstorms and tornadoes.  They fascinate me.  I was once a licensed storm chaser, but college sort of got in the way.
     I hate living in Minnesota...  Part of me loves this state (when it comes to cabins, woods, etc.) but the other half of me is BORED TO DEATH.
     I have family all over the counter/world.  My dad's family lives in the south but is originally from Italy, so I'm 50% Italian.  My mom's family lives in the US, but that side has strong British/Irish ties.
     I have a sister.  We get along...sort of.
     I have a cat.  I'm in love with me cat...my best friend claims I'm obsessed with my cat...she IS adorable...and only has three legs (we found her that way)
     I wish I were born in Italy in the 1500's.  I really do.
     I'm an artist...of sorts.  I love to design clothing, sketch/draw and use pastels.  I also love graphic design.  I'm incredibly insecure about my art and only like two of my pieces...sort of (I'm on Deviant Art: http://artemisraine.deviantart.com/)
     I love to write.  I'm currently working on two pieces I hope to publish someday.  One is a dark story titled "Hunted" and the other is somewhat fantastical and is called "The Goddess of Arnesia".
     I love to play video games.  I currently own a PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS and PlayStation 3.  My all time favorite games are Kingdom Hearts II, Okami, Shadow of the Colossus and Final Fantasy X-2.  I also enjoy Assassin's Creed, God of War, Silent Hill, Rule of Rose, Devil May Cry and Pokemon.  I hate Nintendo...except for the DS (lol).
     For now I think I've blabbed on enough.  That's just some stuff about me.  So, if you're up to it, will you do the same?  I want to know about you guys, you seem so interesting to me!!
     OKAY...now that that short novel is over, here are the songs for this week.  I do have one song I think will make it on the radio and several that are just plain good.


"What Lies Beneath" - Breaking Benjamin
http://www.mediafire.com/?2mzojttzyn2

"The Highwayman" - Loreena McKennitt (A sad legend turned into a beautiful song)
http://www.mediafire.com/?nymzhzmjjj3

"Pandora Hearts Expanded" - Yuki Kajiura (The theme from an anime I've never seen...the music is still epic)
http://www.mediafire.com/?ytqynlqmwqg

"Niveneh" - E.S. Prosthimus (A musical piece that's incredible and worth a listen)
http://www.mediafire.com/?dnzmrqgyj4j

"Hurricane" - 30 Seconds to Mars (One of the songs of their new album)
http://www.mediafire.com/?2dndymgtjue

"Ezio's Family" - Assassin's Creed II (The music from this game is phenomenal...I highly recommend the soundtrack...maybe I'll post it next time.)
http://www.mediafire.com/?man5wjncoxu

"Ezio in Florence" - Assassin's Creed II
http://www.mediafire.com/?zdzzjyqi5oy

       So...it is totally and utterly official that I'm a terrible updater when it comes to anything I commit to online. *le sigh*   I'm such a procrastinator when it comes to just about anything, and for whatever reason last week I just wasn't up to updating here or anywhere else for that matter.  I'm not down or anything, just lazy
       I AM on the other hand pretty proud of myself.  It's for a very superficial reason, but I'm proud all the same.  I FINALLY managed to get myself a PlayStation 3.  I've been wanting one for quite some time now...like...since they released my sophomore year of college, but I was never willing to empty my savings account to get one.  So on Black Friday I went to Best Buy and got the PS3 Slim for $299 with two games for free.  So far I don't have many games.  I have "Little Big Planet" game of the year edition (that was one of the free games), which is incredibly fun though it's not normally my type of game.  I also have Lair (which is about knights who fight on dragons) and Devil May Cry 4 (ridiculously fun!  Better than the first 3 so far).  For Christmas my friends are getting me Assassin's Creed and Assassin's Creed II so I'm excited.  I'm dealing with guys at work telling me I'm supposed to buy a Wii and "girl games"...so far I'm not exactly sure what those games might be.
       I'm also currently reading a book called "Good Omens" by two authors whose names I can't remember currently.  For anyone that enjoys sarcasm and British humor I HIGHLY recommend this book for you.  It's not slapstick humor or anything like that, but it rarely takes itself seriously and I have to say I was laughing on the very first page.
       I'm getting out of my parents family plan now that I'm a "dependent" so I'm officially phone shopping.  I'm really into the iPhone, but I haven't heard the greatest things lately and I also heard Apple is going to make a phone for Verizon that will be even better.  The one I'm REALLY interested in is the new Droid...it looks so badass!  I need to check this thing out.  Anyone recommend a good phone they think I should get that won't break the bank? (Not that Droid won't...)
       For the last two days the Midwest was eaten by a blizzard.  Let's get one simple thing straight.  I HATE snow.  Loathe might even be a better word.  When I see that stuff on the ground I get cranky and moody.  It's pretty on Christmas and POSSIBLY new years, but before and after and even in between that...it can go somewhere I won't mention.  So we're clear...I hate it.  We got half a foot of snow over two days and the "winter wonderland" everyone was referring to look more like a living Hell full of white stuff that will freeze your limbs off to me.  I drove home in the worst of it on Tuesday night and almost slid off a bridge.  I missed work the next day, which was fine...because driving in ice and snow is so not my thing (if happens to be anyone's "thing" they should probably be admitted).
       So, that's been my life the past couple of days.  Work has been fine, though I left my wallet in my locker (I hope...) so scrounging for dinner here was...interesting.
        The songs I have this week are once again not radio worthy.  Okay, they're worthy, but it won't happen.  I haven't found many radio songs lately, I guess I'll have to look harder.  I just refuse to post songs by Miley Cyrus and Rihanna...it won't happen...sorry.  I know those will make it on the radio, but they DON'T need to make it into my head let alone my or your computer.  So, without further ado here are the songs of the week! (Can you believe it?  I'm actually updating on a Thursday! *gasp*...crap...it's past midnight...)


"Represent" - The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus (This is a new slow song from them that's really good...I highly recommend it.  His voice is amazing!)
http://www.mediafire.com/?nxggltjodtz

"In the Darkness" - Dead By Sunrise (This is a great song from the band created by Linkin Park's front man Chester)
http://www.mediafire.com/?tm3ondktyuy

     Hey everyone!  How are you?  I'm once again updating on a Thursday instead of Monday, which was my original plan, but now I've decided the site will be updated every Thursday (just watch...now I'll absentmindedly start updating on Mondays...sheesh).
     So I've decided I hate the customers that come to the H&M I work at.  Well, not ALL of the customers...but 99.9% of them.  I used to work at the Mall of America H&M but now I've transferred to Edina, a very upscale *cough*snooty*cough* city here.  It's like the Beverly Hills of Minnesota.  So people essentially think I'm there to wait on their every beck and call.  Perhaps that's part of my job description...I don't know...but being their MOM is not...in other words I don't enjoy cleaning up after them when they leave their dressing room looking as though a clothing bomb has detonated in it. *le sigh*
      I'm currently home alone and it's monster windy outside...the creepy part is I keep hearing what sounds like someone walking back and forth on my roof dragging something...  Either a) Santa is early (by the way Santa freaks me out, I thought I would share that with you) b) There's a serial killer out to get me or c) I should stop watching movies like "Paranormal Activity".
      Has anyone seen the show "Lost Tapes"?  It's a show where they re-enact tapes that have been found where unexplained creatures have been captures attacking them, etc.  Half the time the people who filmed it are now dead...so that's nice.  All in all it's...special.  I mean, okay, so some of the so called tapes are pretty creepy but others WOULD be if it weren't for the hokey effects.  The last one I saw was on the Jersey Devil, and it was kinda scary, but then the one about the Mothman kept me up most of the night lol  (Like Santa the Mothman also scares the crap out of me).
       As you can see there's a new theme.  I wanted to go for more fall colors.  Eventually I just need to make my own theme, but I'm lazy..therefore that may never happen.
       Okay, so for this week I have this random handful of songs I wanted to share with you guys.  I don't think I have any radio worthy ones once again, but I do have some goodies to share.  The list is a bit ecelectic this week and especially on the darker side, but I don't think that's a bad thing :]  I also posted some instrumentals, particularly one from the upcoming Final Fantasy XIII that is PHENOMENAL *drools*.  It's not all that new but it's rare.  Enjoy!

     Hey guys!  I've been incredibly terribly at updating lately!  It's awful, and I'm sorry   I was gone all weekend for homecoming at the college I went to, Concordia College in Moorhead, MN (it's near Fargo, ND if that helps).  It was a really fun time.  I drank entirely too much and it was freezing but all in all it was still great.
     I'm still making my way through Dan Brown's new book, "The Lost Symbol".  Don't get me wrong, it's really good, I just haven't been as obsessed with reading it as I was with "Angels & Demons"/"The da Vinci Code".  I also haven't been in the mood to read lately.  Instead I've been a nerd and have been addicted to my Nintendo DS lol.
      Recent news in my life: I broke up with my boyfriend of 2 years.  It was really hard to do, but it needed to happen.  Things were going so well for so long, but in the last few months it started to fall apart.  The problem is it fell apart for me, not him.  He was perfectly happy with the relationship and wanted it to continue, but he had noticed I had grown more distant.  I just grew out of it and fell out of love.  It happens, and sadly it had to happen here.  Oh, well.
     I've been really tired lately, I think my new work schedule is finally getting to me.  When I was working with Macy's my schedule was ridiculous (5AM...ew), but I had gotten used to it (sort of).  Now I'm on a much more normal, not to mention full time, schedule and it's taking some getting used to.  I'm incredibly grateful for it though, so I just have to get into the groove.
     Sadly, I don't have many songs for you this week.  "3" by Britney Spears is now all over the radio.  I enjoy the song (it's so damn catchy!), but I know if I listen to the radio much more it'll ruin it for me.  I have several songs this week that I think will make it to the radio, and I have some unreleased Panic! At the Disco demos for you.  Now, I'm not sure if these songs were written before or after there (technically) break-up, and I'm also not entirely sure how much I like them.  If you like Panic! you should give them a try.
     Alright, so here they are.  I promise to get better at updating and next weeks list will be much better, I swear!


"Oh Glory" (Demo) - Panic! At the Disco
http://www.mediafire.com/?gnjduglwymz

"New Perspective" (Demo) - Panic! At the Disco
http://www.mediafire.com/?zyqz2yjmjzg

"Crawl Back In" - Dead By Sunrise (This is a side project of Linkin Park's lead singer Chester Bennington.  Linkin Park is still going strong, no worries!)
http://www.mediafire.com/?mlmmzy2nqwm

"Sally's Song" - Amy Lee (A remake of the song from "Nightmare Before Christmas" by the lead singer of Evanescence.  I absolutely LOVE that movie and thought it'd be a fun addition to the list for Halloween")
http://www.mediafire.com/?ytm2zuywwyy