7 Day New Years Challenge 2014

Hey, y'all! Since it's New Years Eve, I figured I should do the New Years Challenge! It's only 7 questions/days, but there are several lists, so it took me a while to come up with the answers. Enjoy!

Day One - Ten things you did this year.

1. Turned 19, which was the age I always wanted to be when I was younger. Why I wanted to be 19, I have NO idea, but I always wanted to be 19. 
2. Started my first retail job. It was also the first job where I actually got to spend my money on myself (my first job was part of a financial aid package for school).
3. Decided on a major! Music/Psych combo!
4. Got serious about blogging. I'd blogged before, but never to the level which I do now.
5. Dyed the tips of my hair and my bangs bright red. Gone, but never forgotten!
6. Discovered several musicians who are now staples in my iTunes (Sleeping With Sirens and Pentatonix are two prime examples)
7. Got so insanely addicted to Youtube and discovered Youtubers who are now major staples in my life. This time last year, I didn't know who Danisnotonfire was. Seriously, Kristen?!
8. Started living with my two best friends. It's pretty much the best living situation ever.
9. Got Netflix and realized how perfect it is at life.
10. Miraculously passed 2 more semesters of college!

Day Two - Top five songs of the year.
This is in no particular order (seriously, I couldn't do that), and I limited it to only 1 song per artist.

1. Still Into You by Paramore. This was the hardest to choose, because there are so many tracks from their album that I love. It was between this, Grow Up, Ain't It Fun, and Anklebiters. This one had literally one more play than the other 3, so I chose this one. 
2. Save Rock and Roll by Fall Out Boy Feat. Elton John. I went back and forth on which track from their album to choose. It was between this one, Young Volcanoes, and The Mighty Fall. In the end, this one has been on repeat for the longest. I love it.
3. A Love Like War by All Time Low Feat. Vic Fuentes (of Pierce The Veil). This is such a great song, and I love Vic Fuentes. Having him on there just makes it that much better.
4. Can't Hold Us by Pentatonix. PTX Vol. II came out this year, and I've been greatly enjoying it. All the songs are great, but this one is a big standout for me.
5. Love Is On The Radio by McFly. The latest single by my favorite band. It's been playing on repeat ever since it was released.

Day Three - Five favorite photos of 2013.

Mount Rushmore (July)

Dorm room (August) before all the posters!

Me & my roommates on the first day of class (August)

Jazz at the Levitt Shell! (September)

Roomies! (September)

Day Four - Three people who influenced you this year.

1. My academic adviser. She taught a psychology of music class, and it helped me to realize the direction I wanted to go with my major and in life.
2. My roomies. They made me do stuff even when I didn't want to, which is a big reason I survived this past semester.
3. My parents. Mostly obligatory, since I live with them! 

Day Five - Five things that have changed this year.

1. My major. Well, kinda. I'm still doing music, but I'm doing both music and psychology now, which was unexpected.
2. My friends. Again, this is only somewhat. Some of the people I was close with last year just aren't people I enjoy being around anymore. People who I considered to be very close friends are now people I don't even talk to because they completely shut me out and were jerks. But now, I know who I can actually trust.
3. Blogging. This has become a big part of my life since the summer, and it's a great change!
4. My living situation. I'm living with people I get along well with, and it's a very happy change.
5. Me. That's so basic and cliche, but it's true. Although it feels like 2013 has gone by really quickly, when I think back to this time last year, SO much has changed, and I'm a different person than I was last year.

Day Six - Top five movies of the year. 
I've barely seen any of the movies that came out this year... I'll list the ones I liked, and then give you a list of all the movies I want to see from this year.

1. Insidious: Chapter 2. I usually don't like sequels, but I really enjoyed how this one played with time, and began with you being really confused and allowing you to figure it out as it went along.
2. Evil Dead. As good as the original? Of course not. But it was nice and gory and I liked it.
3. Warm Bodies. I actually forgot I saw this because it was so long ago, but I did actually like it. I can't remember a ton about it except that I liked it.
4. The Lone Ranger. This wasn't necessarily a good movie, but I barely saw any movies this year, so I figured I should include it. And I love Johnny Depp regardless of what he does. 

Yeah, those are the ones I saw. Now here are the ones I wanted to see: The Hobbit 2, Frozen, City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments), The Great Gatsby, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, The Conjuring, Ender's Game, Dallas Buyers Club, The Purge, and The Bling Ring.

Day Seven - New Year’s Resolution

I have a few, but my main resolution is to be better about blogging on a schedule. I've made an official schedule on the new "About Kristen's Brain..." section of my blog, which has a little about me section, as well as a section about the blog. If you'd like to check that out, you can click HERE. I'm going to try and stick to that as much as possible. There will probably be more posts than that, if the idea strikes, but I won't know that until then. 

What I DO know, however, is that TOMORROW will be the release of my fanfic teaser! Obviously I haven't told you what it's a fanfic of, but all in good time! I was going to give you a hint, but I always FIND it hard to do hints without giving it away. See, while some diehards might have understood that hint immediately, the majority of people have no idea what I'm talking about. And I siriusly can't come up with a good hint, so you'll just have to see tomorrow!

The first section will be posted Saturday, January 4, in accordance with the new schedule. It's something I've been working on and editing for quite a whole, and I really hope y'all enjoy it!

Also, as an added bonus, I think I'm going to make a post about my favorite CDs that came out of 2013. If it's not within the next few days, it'll probably be the CDs On My Shelf post for next week!

Hope y'all have a very happy new year, and I hope to see y'all back here again tomorrow and in the next few days!

Exciting Announcements/ 2014 Is Gonna Be Awesome!

Hey, y'all! Now, it may not look like much has changed, but this blog has just gone through an extensive overhaul! What happened, you may ask?

This is now my ONLY blog.

Wait, what? But you have "CDs On My Shelf" and "One Day Tumblr Challenges" and "Adventures of a Makeup Noob"! What happened to those? In short... nothing. Except Adventures of a Makeup Noob. That one bit the dust. Most of its posts were on here already. But I digress.

All of my posts are completely intact. They have simply been transferred over to this blog. As you can see at the top, there are tabs up above labelled "One Day Tumblr Challenges" and "CDs On My Shelf." These two blogs have been absorbed into From Kristen's Brain. On each of their individual pages, you will find a list of the posts within that section, with links to each individual post, as well as a link to ALL the posts in one place. My "Adventures of a Makeup Noob" blog has now become a smaller "series" on From Kristen's Brain, since it will have more infrequent/ unscheduled posts. 

Since this blog has completely absorbed the other ones, you can find all of the posts from "From Kristen's Brain...", "CDs On My Shelf", and "One Day Tumblr Challenges" in the Blog Archive in the sidebar. Their original post date has been retained, so all 3 have been intermingled. All of my blogs (save Makeup Noob) are still available for viewing for now. I'm not sure how long I'll leave them up for- they might be removed soon.

I hope y'all enjoy this change, because it's a bit easier on me. In the next few days before the New Year, I'll be working on my fanfic that I promised you. My plan is to release the teaser on January 1st, and from there, I'm going to choose a day of the week to release sections (I can tell you now, it'll probably be Saturday). I plan to release them every 2 weeks (Or maybe every 2nd/4th Saturday?). I'm also in the process of creating a schedule of when different things get posted, to get at least a little organized with my life. When that's done, it will be posted under a NEW top tab (which may or may not be finished by the time you read this. It's next on my to do list). This tab will be called "About Kristen's Brain..." and it will be an about me/about the blog page. So, that's what's going to be going on in the next few days. 

I'll see y'all again in a couple days. Thanks for reading, y'all.

The Audition- Self-Titled Album

Hey, y'all! Once again, it's been a while since I've been on here! I've been blogging quite a bit since getting out of school, and I finally was able to get on this one. As always, I put my iTunes on shuffle, and the CD containing the first song that played is the one I'll be talking about!

Release Date: April 28, 2009

Genre: Alternative, Pop-Punk

Track Listing

1. The Running Man
2. The Way You Move
3. My Temperature's Rising
4. Love With A Motive
5. Stand On Your Feet
6. It's Gonna Be Hard (When I'm Gone)
7. Over My Head
8. Los Angeles
9. Everybody Is Someone Else's Secret
10. Sign. Steal. Deliver.

The Audition lineup on this CD:
Danny Stevens- lead vocals
Seth Johnson- guitar
Timmy Klepek- bass
Ryan O'Connor- drums, percussion

The Audition, L to R: Seth, Ryan, Timmy, Danny

About The Audition: 
The Audition has been a band since 2003. So far, they've released 4 CDs: Controversy Loves Company in 2005, Champion in 2008, Self-Titled Album in 2009, and Great Danger in 2010. They left their record label in 2010, and in 2012 they released their first EP, Chapter II. Since then, they haven't done anything and I haven't heard anything from them. Danny had vocal surgery in 2012, and is about to do his first solo concert since that surgery. Supposedly, the band is still together, but their twitter hasn't been touched in ages. Danny's twitter handle is still @auditiondanny, so I'm keeping up hope that they're still together.  

My Opinion about The Audition:
They're in my top 5 bands, for sure. All four of their CDs are really great, and they get really regular play on my iPod. They're one band who hasn't ever drastically changed their sound. They have one CD that's sub-par compared to the others, but overall, I really enjoy them. I've created several Pandora stations off of my favorite bands, and The Audition's station is one of the few that almost never plays a song I don't like. So, they're a pretty good representation of my taste in music.

About the CD:  
This is The Audition's 3rd CD. It deviates just a little from the sound of Champion, which was released just the year before. Self-Titled Album and Great Danger (2010) have fairly similar styles, though as I said before, their sound has stayed fairly consistent. 

IMHO: 
This is one of my favorite CDs of theirs. My only real complaint is that there aren't more songs! The first 3 songs are the strongest for me. Each of them has a unique and interesting sound, and there's definitely a reason that My Temperature's Rising is their most recognizable single. It's Gonna Be Hard (When I'm Gone) delivers the CD's softest song, which begins acoustic, but gets up into a good rock sound. A few of the songs sound similar, but overall it's really enjoyable.

I'm going to try something new on this one. I'm going to give each song a rating out of 10 and then give a brief explanation of why it got that rating. 

The Running Man- 10/10. I didn't like this one at first, but it's really grown on me and I think it's a really interesting song.
The Way You Move- 10/10. Maybe not the most creative song in the world, but it's so much fun to listen to.
My Temperature's Rising- 10/10. Definitely my favorite song on the CD. It's got a really cool sound to it.
Love With A Motive- 8.5/10. Not much of an explanation for this one, I just enjoy it!
Stand On Your Feet- 9/10. I really like the lyrics in this one, especially the combo of the music and lyrics in the chorus.
It's Gonna Be Hard (When I'm Gone)- 9.5/10. This is another one that grew on me. This is really odd to say about a song by The Audition, but it's a really pretty song!
Over My Head- 8/10. One of the weaker songs. It's a pretty typical sound for the band, and isn't quite as memorable as the other songs on the CD.
Los Angeles- 9.5/10. This one's kinda interesting, because the guitar isn't as prevalent for a lot of the song, so the vocals and drums are really important. I think it sounds really cool.
Everybody Is Someone Else's Secret- 8/10. Like Over My Head, this one is very typical for the band- nothing distinctly interesting or cool.
Sign. Steal. Deliver.- 9/10. I think this one's another interesting song. Not much else to say, it's just a cool song.

Favorite Songs: The Running Man, The Way You Move, My Temperature's Rising, It's Gonna Be Hard (When I'm Gone), and Los Angeles.

Least Favorite Songs: Over My Head and Everybody Is Somebody Else's Secret. There's nothing wrong with these songs, and I do really like the whole CD, but these are the less memorable ones of the bunch.

Video! 

My Temperature's Rising music video

The Way You Move

 Rating: 9/10. 9 is the closest to the actual average of the ratings I gave the songs, so I'll put it at a 9.

Hope you liked my newest "The CDs on my Shelf" post! Did you like the changes I made to the format? Have any questions? What did you think of The Audition? Let me know all of this in the comments. If you like my posts, I'd really appreciate if you'd subscribe, because it lets me know y'all are liking them! Hope you enjoyed! Comment, comment, comment! I love feedback! Thanks for reading!

I Want YOUR Advice!

Check out my other blogs as well:
The CDs On My Shelf... Each post is about a different CD I own.
One Day Tumblr Challenges... I do entire Tumblr challenges in a single post
Adventures of a Makeup Noob... I talk about and review makeup products.

Hey, y'all! Another update post. I know I don't have many subscribers, but I'd like input from anyone who sees this. So, if you're reading this, I'd like your input, whether you're subscribed or just stumbled across this! As part of a new year's resolution, I'm wanting to begin posting sections of a fan-fiction I've been working on for fun. My question to y'all is whether I should post it on this blog or create a different one specifically for that fan-fiction. Which would you prefer? Aesthetically, I would enjoy a separate blog, since this one is often a hodgepodge of everything. However, I would really like plenty of feedback on my writing and I might get more from this blog. I've also considered posting it on both this blog and having one separate which is dedicated solely to the fan fiction.

So, which would y'all prefer? I'm going to post at least the first section on this blog, either as a teaser for the new blog, or as a (hopefully) permanent installment on this blog. And you can expect that... sometime after the new year. When? TBD. But I'm assuming sometime before the 6th because that's when I head back to school.

As always, thanks so much for reading. Comments are always appreciated, ESPECIALLY for this post. Happy Holidays, y'all!

26 Day Christmas Challenge

Hey, y'all! In the spirit of Christmas, I thought I'd post the 26 day Christmas challenge! Enjoy! 

Day 1: Favorite Christmas song and why?

Rudolph! I'm such a five year old at heart, and it will always be my favorite, and I will always sing it with the additions like "like a light bulb" and "like Monopoly."

Day 2: Favorite Christmas movie and why?

Elf! It's just too funny and it's not Christmas in my house until we've watched Elf. 

Day 3: Hot chocolate or hot apple cider?

Hot chocolate. Especially with peppermint and marshmallows. Hot apple cider can't even come close!

Day 4: Does your family have any traditions?

Yes. My grandpa has this thing where he can't just GIVE me my gift, because that's just too easy. He gives me clues, sends me on a whole scavenger hunt, and gives me all kinds of gag gifts. My whole family is always anxious to see what he was going to do. This year, I had to dig through rocks and got the weirdest pajama pants ever as a gag gift.

Day 5: Favorite Christmas memory

When I was 8, my cousins and I were asleep upstairs in my grandparents' house, and we woke up in the middle of the night and convinced ourselves that we saw Santa's beard sticking out of the bathroom and we were too scared to get up and look to see if it was him, so we just laid there and couldn't get back to sleep. And in the morning, whatever we saw was gone, so we were totally convinced that it was Santa.

Day 6: who is your favorite reindeer?

Comet. Because Comet is a cool name. 

Day 7: Have you been naughty or nice this year?

Nice, of course!

Day 8: What is your favorite food at Christmas time?

Cherry cheesecake! I also really enjoy stuffing.. and mashed potatoes... and everything else.

Day 9: What are you doing for Christmas this year?

I'm going to be at my grandparents' house, hanging out with my family. That's pretty much what I do every Christmas.

Day 10: Kissing under the mistletoe…have you done it?

That's way too cheesy for my taste.

Day 11: What kind of Christmas tree do you have?

A fake one which, for the first time in the 19 years I've been alive, was not put up this year. But my grandparents put theirs up, so we're all good.

Day 12: Do you take part in secret Santa?

I think I've done it once or twice, but White Elephant/Dirty Santa is so much more fun.

Day 13: Have you ever had a white Christmas? If yes, do you ever want to have Christmas without snow and vice versa.

I've always lived in the south, so I've never gotten to have a white Christmas. My parents moved north last year, so there's always snow up there in the winter. BUT we spend Christmas with my family in the south. So I've never actually been in a snowy place on Christmas, which is really depressing.

Day 14: How many Christmas card do you usually send out? 

None...

Day 15: Have you started Christmas stocking yet?

Nope. And it's technically Christmas.

Day 16: When did you find out Santa wasn’t real?

Easter, in 3rd grade I think. Or maybe 4th? I found out that the Easter bunny wasn't real and kinda just deduced everything from there. 

Day 17: Have you ever been to a Christmas parade?

Not that I know of...

Day 18: Which lights are better: white or colored and blinking or still?

Twinkling white lights or still colored lights. No combo of the two.

Day 19: If you were an elf what would your name be?

Uhhh... I don't even know what an elf name would sound like... Lainey?

Day 20: What color ornaments do you put on your tree?

Not a specific color. We have all different ornaments, which my parents have accumulated over the years from the places they have visited. So we have all different colors.

Day 21: What kind of tree you have: fake or real? If real, what type?

This question was definitely already asked. Fake.

Day 22: Do you hand a wreath up?

I'm assuming this is a typo, because it doesn't make any sense as-is. I don't hang wreaths up.

Day 23: Ham or Turkey?

Ham. Not even a question in the slightest.

Day 24: Do you go to a church service or go caroling?

I'd rather just stay at home...

Day 25: Does your family have a Christmas breakfast or dinner?

Neither! We do the Christmas meal at lunch.

Day 26: How was your Christmas?

Pretty good!

30 Day Pentatonix Challenge

I'm a huge PTX fan, and I've had them on a constant loop lately, so I thought it would be a perfect time for this! Enjoy! :)

1. How did you discover Pentatonix?

Last year, when I started college, I made friends with this girl named Sarah, who was also a music major, and she was a huge Pentaholic. Fast forward a year and we live together, she's my best friend, and has converted me... and kinda wishes I would shut up about them!

2. Why are you a fan?

In a time when overproduced, talentless singers dominate the radio, it's really amazing to see that Pentatonix are getting so much attention because each of them is extremely talented in their own way.

Also, as a side note, I LOVE Mitch and Scott's youtube channel, Superfruit. I watch it religiously and have seen every video WAY too many times. And their new kitty is adorable.

3. Favorite Pentatonix member and why

I have a lot of trouble choosing just a single member. I definitely like Scott, Mitch, and Avi the most. I watch Scott and Mitch's Youtube channel every week, and Avi is just... male perfection. Honestly. I haven't watched as much with Kirstie or Kevin, so I'm not as familiar with them, but I absolutely love Scott, Mitch, and Avi. I GUESS if I had to choose, I would say Avi, but that might change in like two minutes. And I choose Avi because I have yet to find something about him that is not what I look for in a guy. Seriously, I feel like he's the perfect guy for me. He just doesn't know yet.

4. Favorite Pentatonix moment

I feel like the only way to choose a single moment would be to choose this one. I mean, honestly, what other moment could compare, even if I liked it better?

5. Favorite over-all Pentatonix song
Oh goodness... I guess this is both original and covers. I have a list of favorites, in this order:
1- Aha!
2- Starships
3- Can't Hold Us
4- Thrift Shop
5- Daft Punk
6- Royals

I guess they're all covers, but I just really love them!

6. Favorite Sing-Off performance
Ooh... either Video Killed The Radio Star or Forget You/Since You Been Gone mashup. The bass/percussion duel in that is just perfect.

7. Favorite Pentatonix cover
Well, they're all up on #5, but I'll explain why on each, starting from the bottom going to my favorite:
-Royals- I've listened to this probably 100 times, and the original maybe 3. Mitch's vocals are just perfect on this one. 
-Daft Punk- Avi's bass parts are to die for. I feel like the best parts of his, Scott's, and Mitch's voices are highlighted in this, so that just makes it perfect for me.
-Thrift Shop- If this had been on a CD, it might have gotten higher, but their youtube video for it is just too perfect to leave it off the list. 
-Can't Hold Us- This whole song is just perfect. It's hard to pinpoint just one part that's perfect, because it's everything.
-Starships- I HATE Nicki Minaj, but the PTX version of this song is just amazing. I honestly don't know what to say other than that I just really love the PTX cover and how much better it is than the original.
-Aha!- I've never heard the original, and after hearing this one, I feel like I never have to. Avi's bass is just to die for. When he goes into that deep "Lalalala lalalala..." I just loose it. And Mitch's vocals are awesome as well. The only thing that would make this more perfect would be Scott having a lead part as well. But Avi's bass parts are what make this perfect.

8. Favorite quote from any member
A single quote? Maybe this?:

It was the first thing that came to mind, so I went with it. 
Also:
"Oh no! Mom has diphtheria again! Looks like I'm gonna have to clean the bathroom..."- Scott Hoying (in a Superfruit video) Which, by the way, is one of my favorite things ever. EVER.

9. Favorite over-all moment
I can't. I literally can't.

10. Best photo of Scott

There are so many good Scott pics, but I'm just gonna go with these. Also, a lot of my favorite Scott pictures are my favorite Scomiche pictures...

11. Best photo of Mitch
As said before, I really love Scomiche...

But here are some of my just Mitchie faves:

12. Best photo of Kirstie
So... I'm not as big of a fan of Kirstie as I am the guys... so here's a picture of Kirstie.

13. Best photo of Avi

These two pictures are perfect. The first one is the perfect attractive picture of him because I love him in beanies and plaid (because I LOVE beanies and plaid) and the second one is just adorable. 

14. Best photo of Kevin

Just him and the cello and vocals and artsiness and I just can't

15. Favorite Tweet
Uh... They all have perf. tweets... here are some faves of mine.

 16. Have you met them before? What was it like?
Sadly, I have not :'(

17. Which member would you most want to be related to?
I'm SO torn on this one. I would have to say either Scott or Mitch. Scott would be a fun brother because he's so goofy and I feel like he would be that protective older brother. HOWEVER, Mitch is so sarcastic and hipster-y like me and he's so sassy and I love his sense of humor and we would get along really well. So I'm not sure which one. But one of those two, because I LOVE Avi, but I would want to date him, not be his sister... but he would also be a great big brother and is the most like me in the group. But again, I'd want to date him, and being his sister would make that not possible. Soooo yeah.

18. Which member has the most influence on you?
Influence? Hmmm... I don't even know... Avi?

19. Which member are you most like?
As I said before, definitely DEFINITELY Avi. I've yet to find something that he really loves that I don't love. He loves nerdy things like dragons. He did horseback riding when he was younger like I did. He loves huskies and puppies just like I do, and he loves beanies and LOTS AND LOTS of food, and plaid and so many other things that I can't think of off the top of my head but seriously we have SO MUCH in common.

20. Whose wardrobe do you prefer?
Again, Avi's. But I also love how eclectic Scott's and Mitch's are. But definitely Avi's wardrobe. FOR SURE. Not just the plaid and the beanies though. The v necks, and leather jackets, and t shirts, and hoodies. Literally my wardrobe, just the male version.

21. Do any of them follow you on Twitter?
I wish. That would be awesome.

22. Favorite Pentatonix Tumblr blog
I don't have one... I just kinda follow the PTX tag. 

23. Favorite Pentatonix fan Twitter
I don't get on Twitter that much... 

24. If you could spend the day with any member, who would it be?
I feel like this is just turning into Avi-fest. But I would choose Avi, because I feel like we would have a lot to talk about, and we would enjoy doing the same things. We could play video games together and become best friends.

25. When were you the most proud of the group?
When they won the Sing-Off! But also, anytime I see them on a major media, I'm super proud of them.

26. Favorite Pentatonix gif
So I decided to only choose gifs of the whole band because I already had the chance to do each person individually... But it's also very hard to find a good one of all of them so here are a couple from their Can't Hold Us video:

Also, I love the look Avi is giving the camera when doing his low notes.

27. Favorite Pentatonix Interview
I really like any of the ones where they each answer questions about themselves and the band because I like all of the members getting to answer questions.

28. Do have any Pentaholic friends?
YES! One of my best friends/roommates introduced me to them and our other best friend/ roommate and now the 3 of us are obsessed. But I also have some other Pentaholic friends.

29. What do you think the group should accomplish next?

Whatever they want to do next!

30. List the top 5 reasons why you love Pentatonix
1- In a world of bad singers and pop singers who don't write their own music, they're AMAZING singers and write their own music/arrange their covers.
2- On the topic of arranging covers, they always have great arrangements of the covers they do!
3- They release CDs, but they do SO MUCH more. They post videos all the time, and do covers separate from their CDs, so they're always relevant and working on things.
4- They're so close, including Avi and Kevin. Even though they were brought into the group solely because of their skills, they've all become really close friends and I just love that they're one big family and that they love each other.
5- They all have really great personalities and are still so down to earth and are genuinely nice people.