May 29, 2009: 2:47 AM

Nostalgic moment. I was just reading through Taylor Swift's old journal entries and stumbled across her May 29, 2009 post:

So.. This is not smart. This. Being awake at 2:47 AM. You know why? Because my wake up call is at 5:00 AM. I'm playing on the Today show tomorrow/in a few hours, and I'm very excited about it. So excited, in fact, that I haven't really gotten around to sleeping. I've found my attention being drawn to so many different things that I can't possibly sleep. For example: My hotel room has motion censor lighting. So when I stand up or anything moves on the floor, these little lights come on at your feet to show you where you're going. No light switches needed. In my delirious state, I've been making jokes with myself. Every time something triggers the censor lighting, I say "Witchcraft!" or "EVIL!". Then I laugh hysterically. Then I sit there for a few seconds absorbing how lame I sound/look/am at this very moment in time. At 2:47 AM. Talking to the motion censor lighting.My dad is along the ride for this trip, hanging out and talking to every person he comes in contact with. He's a social butterfly, and loves being on tour. He loves it so much, he thinks it's absolutely hilarious to mess with me and try to embarrass me as much as possible. For example: Liz and I are walking into the hotel lobby after returning from dinner. It's a quiet, serene, beautiful hotel lobby and we're walking in when..

Screaming voice from out of nowhere: HEY! THAT'S TAYLOR SWIFT!!

Me: Dad. Please stop doing that.

It's pretty priceless having my dad out here with me. Tonight I went shopping at Top Shop in New York with the band. I got purple shoes. I'm really excited about the purple shoes, and I just needed to tell someone. I got purple shoes. Ok. That's done. Tomorrow, after the performance on the Today show, I'll fly back to Nashville and record a lot of new songs I've written in the last few weeks. I'm really excited about that. I want to get back to the tour though. Bad. I miss it every time I'm gone for a day. I've never had more fun doing anything in my life than I have on the Fearless tour. Thank you so much to everyone who has come to see the show. I can't even tell you how unreal it is for me, being up there, looking at those crowds. I just never thought I'd luck out like this.I'm really excited because Dateline NBC has been following me around for the last three months, video taping me planning this tour. They've put together a one-hour special about my tour, and it's airing some time within the next two weeks. I'll keep you posted on the exact date. I'd love for you to see the months of work leading up to me getting to put on this show. Also, I learned how to make a smoothie. It's very ground-breaking footage, I'm telling you. Keep checking back here, and on twitter. By the way, again, I'm taylorswift13 on twitter. There are a bunch of fake twitters that are apparently mine, and while they are amusing and creative, they're not real. :)

Well, I have some more important nonsense to get to. I'm going to go play with the light switches or the air conditioning control panel in my hotel room. Then I'm going to play the Today Show!

I love you, thanks to everyone who's been voting for the CMT awards at CMT.com!

Stay excellent. I adore you.

lovelovelove

-T-

Funny, at 2:47AM on May 29, 2009, I was totally laying on the streets of NYC waiting for Taylor to perform on the Today Show. ;)

See Here, and Here.

Scarlett O'Hara

In fourth grade, I was Scarlett O'Hara for Halloween. No one except my teacher knew who I was. She took a picture of me and said I had the best costume. Here's to being an individual!

Pre-Sales!

Got my code for JM's concert pre-sales this afternoon!

I was mid-class when my phone buzzed to tell me I got it.

I couldn't stop smiling!! ..People stared.

Eeeek!

Madison Square Garden, here I come!!

We will not be this far ever again!

The Warning by Eminem

I just listened to this 500 times..

..it makes me remember how much I love him.

I survived the 90's with Eminem.

He's responsible for my appreciation toward the power of syntax and diction.

And this song is really, really good! I know I shouldn't be surprised,

but he never fails to amaze me.

Love!

Revisit 2008

Yeah, yeah - I know. I'm about 7 months too late. Whatev, though. Better late than never! 2008 was a pretty monumental year and thanks to The New York Times, you can take a look back on both the good and the (really) bad. [ 2008 - The Year in Pictures ]

Obama: Campaigning in the rain at a University in Chester, PA.

Michael Phelps: The 100-meter butterfly. Winning his 7th (out of 8) gold metal.

War on Iraq & Afghanistan: Soldiers find a baby during a routine raid.

Kennedy Space Center: Endeavour on its way to the International Space Center.

Zimbabwe: Cholera epidemic. Infected over 16,000 and killed hundreds.

These pictures are hauntingly beautiful and definitely worth browsing through; especially if you're more into art than politics.

Rowling vs Meyer: No Competition

I've been recently tempted to re-read the Harry Potter series. Yes, I'm 21. Please don't judge.

I adooored these books when they first came out. My mom read The Sorcerer's Stone first with her "unofficial work book club" and later gave me it to read so we could discuss it before the movie came out. I was instantly hooked and impatiently waited for the series' consecutive releases. I was 19 when the last book, Deathly Hallows, was published. Nostalgic moment, but a friend of mine and I would spend our summers reading this series. We would put our copies on hold at the bookstore and race, like dweebs, trying to finish first because we were so afraid the other would ruin the parts we didn't get to. Those were good summers. <3

I was waitressing during the summer the last book came out and on one of my daily trips to Costco I saw the most amazing thing: A mother grocery shopping with 3 kids, ages roughly 6 to 8, sitting in her oversized shopping cart, each completely engaged in their own individual copy of Deathly Hallows. It was a really, really beautiful sight. I think I may have turned slightly stalkerish because I ended up following them around a bit. I just never thought I'd see something like that again. Books rarely contain the power to ensue phenomena, but J.K. Rowling made children love to read again. It is truly amazing if you think about it.

Now let's not confuse this phenomena with "The Twilight Saga" hysteria because in all honesty, the Twilight books are really bad. Stephanie Meyer simply feeds off of the one prominent desire embedded within every teenage girl from here to East Bumble. You know, the one where we all want to be completely swept off our feet by that attractive unattainable guy who only has eyes for us. Sound familiar? It should. It's beneath Sociology 101. In reality, it's the only thing keeping this series afloat. I've read the books (back in the day when Twilight was actually in hardcover) and I never "fell in love" with it the way most people do. I found it to be cheesy and it dragged on for ages. I couldn't wait to be finished. I even have a theory on how this obnoxious hysteria ensued. Once a small group of girls started squeeing over Edward Cullan, a snowball effect most likely occurred until it was dubbed "popular" by the masses. Followers following Followers because it only takes one moron to give a novel critical acclamation. It's kind of like Hitler and his Nazi's - just not as dangerous. However, they are equally annoying, close-minded and all up-in-your-face. Untasteful comparison? My apologies. Anyway, this effect is easy to accomplish, especially with internet. This has seriously got to be the only logical reason because God knows no one can honestly be a fan of Meyer's "talent." Like most, I wanted to see what the fuss was about so I continued to read her series. I couldn't finish the last book though, the writing was so awkward - I was in pain. In fact, I'm not the only one who feels this way.

According to Stephen King, “Both Rowling and Meyer, they’re speaking directly to young people… The real difference is that Jo Rowling is a terrific writer and Stephenie Meyer can’t write worth a darn. She’s not very good.” While Stephen may not be a fan of Stephenie’s writing, he understands the appeal of the series. “People are attracted by the stories, by the pace, and in the case of Stephenie Meyer, it’s very clear that she’s writing to a whole generation of girls and opening up kind of a safe joining of love and sex in those books. It’s exciting and it’s thrilling and it’s not particularly threatening because it’s not overtly sexual.” He further explains, “A lot of the physical side of it is conveyed in things like, the vampire will touch her forearm or run a hand over skin, and she just flushes all hot and cold. And for girls, that’s a shorthand for all the feelings that they’re not ready to deal with yet.” [Source: MSNBC]

When it comes down to it, Twilight is a fad. Most people "love" it because they feel like they are suppose to love it. The Harry Potter Series, however, will be read in classrooms and put on Summer Reading Lists next to The Little Women. Rowling created something amazing with these books and for the rest of my life I will never forget those 3 tiny children in a shopping cart reading books the size of dictionaries.

It breaks my heart to know that my four year old niece, Amina, missed out on the Harry Potter excitement. It kind of makes me wonder if she'll ever experience anything like it. Hopefully in the next few years, a Rowling 2.0 will emerge and parents will stay up until midnight with their kids and buy them books rather than take them to movies. Either way, Amina's got Me, so I can assure you that when she's old enough we will spend every summer reading Harry Potter books. Then, we'll discuss them before finally watching the movies.

Sweetest Berry

David Ryan Harris.

He's just as great in concert. <3

MJ

"Music is my life." People say it all the time. And I agree. Although I wouldn't use that exact sentiment. "Words are my life..?" Yeah, words work well (alliteration - Eeek!). Incase you haven't noticed, I'm a huge dweeb for diction and syntax. Therefore, music, the popular form of poetry, has always been a hugh part of my life.

Music has the ability to touch the lives of masses. It can alter moods and make you feel okay for feeling angry or down. There is a level of understanding Music contains that most people don't. That's why we relate to it so much. For those of us who can't explain ourselves verbally for what ever reason (frustration, fear of judgement, or just plain inarticulation), Music is that best friend that just "gets it."

Michael Jackson died yesterday. Last night, just like most people, I sat and reminisced on all the times he has been there for me. MJ was a little before my time, so I wasn't around to appreciate him in his prime. I was introduced to him around 11 or 12 when my mom bought Thriller at a garage sale. Then, a few years later we watched a MJ special where celebrities like Jennifer Lopez sang his praises. I was young, I didn't really get it. I thought his video's were awesome though, so when his album of #1's came out I bought it. My friends all made fun of me and I'd get the eye-rolls when I tried playing it in the car. I never let it deter me from listening to him though.

Moments of Understanding.

1. Black and White: Many people deal with racist remarks, myself included. When you're young, finding your identity is difficult enough without everyone throwing in their two negative cents. I'm biracial. Half white, half Arab. I've gone to school with the same kids since kindergarden so they were all well aware of this fact. Kids are cruel and make fun of everything but I think it was the racial remarks that got to me the most. I've been called everything from "nigglet" to "oreo" and let me tell you, it hurts. Especially when searching for a side of instant kinship. I fit in with neither culture. To whites, it's weird that I am Muslim. If you think Karen from Mean Girls is the only person to ever ask "why are you white?" you'd be terribly mistaken. I've heard it regularly. To Arabs, my skin color differentiated me from them and most find it weird that I don't speak Arabic.

I remember being in the lunch room sophomore year of HS. I sat with 4 white kids because the closeted gay guy was my only friend there. The lunch room was crowded and a group of 10 black kids came to sit at the other end out our table. (Each side of the table holds 8 people). I new one of the girls, we talked during Health. She

was nice. Although there was plenty of room on our side of the table for everyone to spread out, they didn 't. I guess they didn't want to be evasive or whatnot. One day, a girl was just standing there talking to her friends (it was easier to stand than be squished - it looked uncomfortable) so I moved over and made room for her. The "head white girl" at our table - Ivona (disgusting pig of a human being) didn't like that very much. The next day she took my books and threw them on the other side of the table and told me to "stop letting THEM encroach on our table." I never said anything to her, which I regret. But I continued to sit in my spot and always moved over so those on the "black side" of the table had room. Ivona tried to get me to leave the tabel a few times. Made the other girls spread out and not let me in. But they were pushovers and didn't like saying "no" to anyone. All I had to do was ask them to move over and they did; all to the wrath of Ivona but I didn't care. I had no respect for anyone who considered her a friend. They never talked to me anymore, but I was cool with that.

Heh. That's a metaphor for my life if I've ever seen one. I literally sat in between two skin colors. Maybe that's why I've always been drawn to celebrities like Alicia Keys and Mariah Carey who speak outwardly of identity hardships for biracial individuals. Like with these women, MJ's Black and White was a pure moment of understanding. I didn't have to explain myself to anyone in order to feel understood. It was an instant connection and significant role in my own personal self discovery.

His other songs, on a lighter note..

2. Man in the Mirror, Human Nature & You Are Not Alone: These songs were on EVERY cry playlist.

3. Dirty Diana, Billie Jean & Smooth Criminal: The most haunting songs. I've ended bad days with them and began some intensely focused ones.

4. The Way You Make Me Feel, Don't Stop Til You Get Enough, Rock With You & PYT: I've outplayed them numerous times on bus rides / long road trips. They are the greatest feel-good songs.

To say this man was "iconic" is an understatement. When he released an album, it didn't just go number one. It went number one in every country in the world! And as of today, he holds the top nine albums spots on iTunes.

Sick, huh?

It's amazing that with his death, so many more people/generations are exposed to his music. It's nice to know it will never fade.

I remember thinking my mother was weird when I heard she cried when Elvis died. That's all changed now that I've experienced the death of an influential musician. I don't get emotional over death. I've lost a lot, I feel immune. I'm not going to lie and say I didn't cry a couple of times this morning, because I did. Music is that level of understanding that most people aren't. MJ understood me better than my own family. He was kin to those of us who didn't have it. I'm glad we'll always have his music. He was larger than life, eccentricities and all. Therefore, he's most definitely larger than death.

Thanks, MJ.