And in the end, it's not the years in your life. It's the life in your years.

So I've apparently been challenged by another blog to describe my life in musical form. Well, I made a playlist of ten songs off the top of my head and it's in my sidebar. I really encourage everyone to listen to all of them. In my opinion, the songs get better as you make your way down the list. I personally think they're all awesome songs, but then again, my taste in music is quite...unique. Here's how my songs got categorized:

Past:
Dream of the Shore Bordering Another World ~ Yasunori Mitsuda
Seeing Dreams Through The Window of The Stars ~ Yoko Shimomura
Pyroxene of the Heart ~ Motoi Sakuraba

Present:
The Magnificent Seven Theme ~ Erich Kunzel
The Mediocrity Sought Out By Everyone ~ Motoi Sakuraba
Go The Distance ~ Roger Bart

Future:
The Land of Hope and Glory ~ Sir Edward Elgar
Someone's Evening. Someone's Daybreak ~ Motoi Sakuraba
Into The Light ~ Jay Bocook
Shape of Life ~ Motoi Sakuraba

It seems that all my songs of the past have to do with dreaming and stuff. That's probably because the past lives on in our minds, and therefore in our dreams. To me, these three songs sound like they're trying to tell a story that I happened a long time ago. Perhaps trying to recall one's childhood, or the face of a friend long forgotten. Maybe the songs are expressing the memories one had with a loved one, until that loved one was suddenly struck down with a terminal illness. Music can mourn, yet, it can celebrate life, as well.

As for the present, I think of my six best friends, without whom I'd be lost. We have exciting adventures, funny stories to tell, and there is never a dull moment around those guys. Of course, there is always that nagging feeling of failure that hangs over my head everyday. Such mediocrity that is caused by my own sloth. But, I have faith that I have the can-do and the know-how to be successful. However, I know the path to success is a long one, but, I know that every mile...will be worth my while. You know, I would go most anywhere to find where I belong.

And of course when I think of the future, I think of graduating from the safe microcosm known as Pinole Valley High School. Sure, there'll be fanfare, applause, cheers, and much pomp and circumstance, but I know that it'll impossible for me to conceal my anxiety, fear, and anguish. But life flows on, and I'm obligated to swim with it, or drown trying. Regardless of how my life meanders, and where and when it stops, I have to be happy with it in the end. Whether it becomes a lake, flows into the ocean, or evaporates into a cloud, I will have to proud of who I Am, and what I've become.

(Spray paint art is cool.)

Music notes on paper are always constant. Human emotions are constantly variable.

~Dedicated to Austin Long