Luanna255

First of all, why do I always think that "absence" is spelled "abscence"? I do this ALL THE TIME. Despite the fact that I know perfectly well that there is no C in the word "absent". And also despite the fact that I was a two-time spelling bee champ in elementary school and, as such, I should KNOW BETTER. I am supposed to be good at spelling, darnit!

Ahem. Yes. So, some of you have noticed that I was away from here for a while. (And by "some of you", I mean "two people", but I was still touched.) Long story, but basically, it was not my choice to stop coming around here, and I am VERY glad to be back! And busily catching up on what some of my favorite artists have been doing (OVER 4,000 DRAWINGS IN MY INBOX OMG). Which MIGHT mean I won't have time to comment on every drawing I fave, even though I usually make a point to comment, so I'm apologizing in advance for that. It's just, going through all this would be overwhelming enough without leaving comments.

Aaaand, not much more to say, except that I am THRILLED to be back! And looking through my inbox, I can already see that you guys have been busy bees, and there are some gorgeous drawings! Can't wait to look through them all!

Cheers,
Luanna255

So! Valentine's Day is coming up, and L-O-V-E is in the air! (Okay, so the historical connections between St. Valentine and love are shaky, but it's not the time or place to give that rant. Valentine's day has been connected with love and romance since the 10th century, and it's a sweet tradition, okay?) So, in honor of the day, I've made a list of my Top 20 love songs (except it turned into my Top 22, because... well, you know me).

One thing I find hilarious about my taste in music is that nearly EVERYTHING is either from the 60's or from the late 90's/early 2000's. Nothing in between. Seriously, I have one song from the 70's, and that's it. LOL!

As for the songs themselves, these are an interesting mix, as always. There are fast songs, slow songs, fun love songs and more serious ones. Some I've included because I love the lyrics, some for the melody or the instrumentation (or just because they're catchy and make me want to dance!) There are only two things they have in common - they are all about love, and they are all some of my favorite songs! The only other thing is that they are all happy/upbeat love songs - I put angsty/sad love songs in a separate category, and, besides, who wants to think about the sad side of love on Valentines Day?

I made a playlist of these songs here: www.youtube.com/view_play_list…

Please check it out, I highly recommend them all!

1) A Moment Like This (Kelly Clarkson, 2003)

2) And I Love Her (The Beatles, 1964)

3) At the Beginning (Richard Marx and Donna Lewis, 1997)

4) Because You Loved Me (Celine Dion, 1996)

5) Breathless (The Corrs, 2000)

6) Eight Days a Week (The Beatles, 1965)

7) Feels Like Home (Chantal Kreviazuk, 2002)

8) God Only Knows (The Beach Boys, 1966)

9) Good Vibrations (The Beach Boys, 1966)

10) I Turn to You (Melanie C, 2000)

11) I Want to Hold Your Hand (The Beatles, 1963)

12) I’ve Got You Babe (Sonny and Cher, 1965)

13) L-O-V-E (Nat Cole King, 1965)

14) Love Me Do (The Beatles, 1962)

15) Love Will Keep Us Together (Captain & Tennille, 1975)

16) My Girl (The Temptations, 1964)

17) My Heart Will Go On (Celine Dion, 1997)

18) What Makes You Different (The Backstreet Boys, 2000)

19) You Can’t Hurry Love (The Supremes, 1966)

20) You Found Me (Kelly Clarkson, 2004)

21) You’ll Be in My Heart (Phil Collins, 1999)

22) You’re the One That I Want (from Grease)

This video makes me laugh: www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQwwqa…

In Which The Beatles Attempt to Escape Their Rabid Fangirls.

Seriously, anyone who thinks Edward Cullen invented fangirls should watch a video of The Beatles performing sometime. Those girls were INSANE! They were so obsessive that the term "Beatlemania" was coined in the early 60's to describe the phenomenon.

On the topic of The Beatles, has anyone heard of the "Paul is Dead" conspiracy? Yes, apparently there is a group of people who believe that the real Paul McCartney died in 1966. You can read about their "evidence" here: homepages.tesco.net/harbfamily…

It's pretty insane stuff (secret deaths! hidden clues on album covers! lookalikes!) but incredibly entertaining. Whoever made this stuff up should be writing for a soap opera.

One of these "proofs" is in the Beatles song "Revolution 9". When played backwords, it makes sounds which some people hear as phrases such as "Paul is dead" and "Turn me on, dead man". You can hear the song played backwards here: www.youtube.com/watch?v= PG0wksBzKSc (remove space)

I don't think it proves anything (and it sounds like gibberish to me), but I have to say, it is one of the freaking creepiest things I've ever heard. And that's coming from someone who finds The Omen and The Shining funny, light entertainment.

But fangirlism didn't start with the Beatles. Recently, I've gotten interested in George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron - better known simply as Lord Byron. In addition to being one of the most brilliant English poets ever (check out his poem "She Walks in Beauty" - so beautiful), Byron is also considered the first modern-style celebrity, and a forerunner of the modern rock star. People were so obsessed with his moody, aloof persona that Byron's wife, Annabella, coined the term "Byromania" to refer to the phenomenon.

Other factoids about Lord Byron:

- His daughter, Ada Byron Lovelace, is considered to be the first computer programmer.

- He was friends with Mary Shelley and Percy Bysshe Shelley, and when on vacation with them he came up with the idea of a horror story contest, for which Mary Shelley started writing what would eventually become the novel Frankenstein.

- For the same horror story contest, Byron wrote a fragment of a story which his physician, John William Polidori, eventually worked into the short story "The Vampyre". This story is widely considered to have shaped our modern myth of the vampire as sexy and aristocratic, as opposed to the crude, foul monsters they had previously been portrayed as (this was nearly eighty years before Dracula).

- He fought in the war for Greek independence, and the Greeks considered him such a hero (and still do, to this day) that it is thought that he would have been declared King of Greece if he hadn't died before this could happen.

So, in case you aren't getting it, this guy ROCKS. And if it wasn't for what he did to shape vampire mythology (not to mention the moody, aloof persona of the "Byronic hero"), there wouldn't even BE an Edward Cullen. Or a Lestat de Lioncourt. Or even a Count Dracula.

Okay, so he was also a manic-depressive, alcoholic, adulterous jerk, but still. His awesome qualities are undeniable.

OK, how stunning is this wedding dress?

Check it out: farm4.static.flickr.com/3574/3…

So gorgeous!

So, after that really awful list of "Top 15 Literary Men" (let's just... pretend it was called that, okay?) I've been trying to compose my own list. I'm not done yet, but in the meantime I've compiled this list of my Top 30 songs. (It was supposed to be my Top 15 songs, but... I found it too hard to choose. LOL.) Some artists feature quite prominently (ahem, Beach Boys), and I think my love of 60's rock is quite evident. Some of the songs I don't really love that much, but were added to round it off to an even 30. I've sorted the list alphabetically, since it would be impossible to do it by preference (although my #1 is definitely "Surfin' Safari" by the Beach Boys - it has happy memories attached, on top of being a great song). If you don't know any of these songs, by the way, I highly recommend that you look them up on YouTube. They are all awesome. I made a playlist of them here: www.youtube.com/view_play_list…

So, um... enjoy! And tell me what you think!

1) And I Love Her (The Beatles, 1964)

2) Because of You (Kelly Clarkson, 2004)

3) Because You Loved Me (Celine Dion, 1996)

4) Behind These Hazel Eyes (Kelly Clarkson, 2004)

5) Breakaway (Kelly Clarkson, 2004)

6) Bring Me To Life (Evanescence, 2003)

7) California Dreamin' (The Mamas and the Papas, 1965)

8) Defying Gravity (from Wicked)

9) Eight Days a Week (The Beatles, 1964)

10) Fallen (Sarah McLachlan, 2003)

11) For Good (from Wicked)

12) God Only Knows (The Beach Boys, 1966)

13) Good Vibrations (The Beach Boys, 1966)

14) House of the Rising Sun (The Animals, 1964)

15) I Love Rock 'n' Roll (Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, 1982)

16) I Want to Hold Your Hand (The Beatles, 1964)

17) It's My Life (Bon Jovi, 2000)

18) Listen (Beyonce, 2006)

19) Love Me Do (The Beatles, 1962)

20) Love Will Keep Us Together (Captain & Tennille, 1975)

21) My Heart Will Go On (Celine Dion, 1997)

22) Satisfaction (The Rolling Stones, 1965)

23) Scarborough Fair/Canticle (Simon & Garfunkel, 1966)

24) Seasons of Love (from Rent)

25) Sounds of Silence (Simon & Garfunkel, 1965)

26) Surfin' Safari (The Beach Boys, 1962)

27) Surfin' USA (The Beach Boys, 1963)

28) Unwritten (Natasha Bedingfield, 2004)

29) What Makes You Different (The Backstreet Boys, 2000)

30) You'll Be In My Heart (Phil Collins, 1999)