A Few Things Plus Love Songs for the Downtrodden
Wow, what a weekend! I have fallen behind on quite a few things. When I get into something new I obsess and obsess over it until I can’t stand it anymore.
What has got my attention, you ask?
Well, I have decided to switch to WordPress and self host. I know, right? Awesome! There are a few things I need to learn, and of course, this is what I have been working on. I dislike jumping into things without having some idea of what to expect (I am lying, by the way. I ALWAYS jump in headfirst). The more questions I ask and the more I read and fiddle with stuff, the more comfortable I feel. If things go accordingly, I hope to have a new home in a few weeks. Maybe.
I know some of you already own prime Internet real estate, so I would appreciate any advice, suggestions, cautionary tales, and general information regarding self-hosting and WP.
Moving on…
I would like to thank everyone who took time and headed over to .45 Caliber Headspace to read and comment on my guest-post. The feedback was so awesome, my head almost exploded. Seriously, it almost did. It is very hard to put into words how much I appreciate your support and kind words.
But know that I do! 
If you didn’t get a chance to, I recommend reading the following posts by Mr. .45 himself:
“Bustin’ Up Car Thieves” & “The Wrath of Scallopman”
This guy is highly entertaining, well-written, funny, and AWESOME. If there was a way to hijack talent, I would have beaten him senseless and robbed him long ago.
Also…
Peer-pressure (at least that’s what I’m blaming it on) has finally gotten the best of me. I joined Twitter! If you check out the “My Communities” widget from BlogCatalog, you’ll see a link to my profile there. Feel free to add and “follow” me. I promise to give less than frequent updates on what I’m watching, what I’m eating, and when I see fashion disasters (which is all the time… Hammertoes should NOT be in flip-fops. I mean, really).
And now… THE POST:
So, I’m not a terribly romantic person. I mean if the H surprised me with my favorite beer and a pizza from Lomeli’s, I would probably wet myself. I consider an offering of this proportion the ultimate expression of love. But this doesn’t mean I lack sentimentality. In fact, I have been the victim of several broken hearts, stupid jerks, and unrequited love (which, if you’re wondering, sucks ASS).
In the time it took me to get over these minor setbacks ( yeah, that’s what I’ll call them), I found comfort in the form of music (conveniently overlooked: booze and cigarettes). The late nights I spent outside the house smoking and drinking whilst listening to iTunes through my open window are still clear in my mind. It didn’t matter it was 2AM and people were trying to sleep, I was in the zone. I was beginning my usual ritual of healing.
We all have our own, but I present:
Band-Aids of Love: Songs To Help You Heal or Feel Worse That You Already Do
1. “What Becomes of the Brokenhearted” - Jimmy Ruffin
I can’t even listen to this without reminiscing. Ack. Beautiful song, though.
2. “Someone Special” - Richard Marx
I’m a little ashamed to admit I listened to this. This is one of the few songs that has the power to make me feel pathetic. It’s cheesy, but I dig the longing it exudes.
3. “Touch”- Jonny Lang
So what if I used to wish someone felt this way about me. This song kicks ass and is sexy as hell. (Note: not as Awesome when lonely and drunk)
4. “Open Arms” - Journey
O…M…G. This song makes me cry… all the time, without fail. It doesn’t matter what mood I’m in, when it comes on, everything stops and I’m transported to a few instances I’m not very proud of.
5. “Desperado” - The Eagles
I hate this fucking song, but the H wanted it on the list.
6. “Tender Love” - Force M.D.’s
See, now I’m embarrassed. I remember chugging Jack and Coke and nodding along to this song. It’s cheesy, and horribly so. Whenever I hear this song… you know, I’ll stop here.
7. “I Can’t Make You Love Me” - Bonnie Raitt
This is so true. I would spend my time in dimly lit rooms, sprawled in a chair, and possibly drunk dialing. Did you know that was a BAD thing to do?
8. “To Be With You” - Simply Red
First of all, I love Simply Red. This song is upbeat (healing is weird, OK?) and not one I would normally listen to when sad. But I think I like that he says: “I want to make love to you.” For some reason that’s HOT.
9. “Cry To Me” - Solomon Burke
He’s right: loneliness IS a waste of time
10. “Foolish Heart” - Steve Perry
I LOVE LOVE LOVE this song AND Steve Perry. I still have a crush on him. In this song he warns his heart not to fall in love because it’s been wrong before. If only it were that easy.
I’ve been told my taste in music is something awful, which is weird because I thought it was subjective. Anyways, I think this is enough embarrassment for 1 day.
*****
THING OF THE DAY:
Postponed due to post length. 
42 Responses for "A Few Things Plus Love Songs for the Downtrodden"
I’ve been thinking about switching over too but I have no idea if I can do it on my own. Let me know if it was hard for you or not.
Good luck with the move
You have awesome taste in music!
Journey, Simply Red, Steve Perry… perfect choices. But I am totally with H on “Desperado”. Can’t get enough of the Eagles!!
Mimzie- I will let you know!
Dawn- LOL @ “Desperado”… what is it about that song? Once, I had a guy demand I pull over and drop him off because my music was SO BAD. Can you believe that? It’s not like I was singing along…
Nice list. I love wallow-y music :-).
Cxx
You’re only 25 and this is the kind of music you like? Wow! I’m impressed. You’ve got taste!
Meanwhile, I’ve got wordpress and not too many problems that I didn’t cause on my own (like accidentally pressing “publish” when I’m in the raw stages of the draft). My webmaster is my son who is (or should be) at my every beck and call, so issues are quickly resolved. I’ve got pull with him, so let me know if you ever have problems(;
What kind of wet, and does H’s salary mainly go to pizza and beer?
Friggin’ crap - I love all of those. Bonnie says it so well, doesn’t she? And I’m like, the biggest next generational Journey fan on the planet, and I cry at everything Steve Perry says, not just sings.
I’m moving to wordpress too - I have my domain and all - but I love my layout, and I have to wait for my designer to move my stuff over before I can go live.
Good luck, and share what you learn!
I made the move and I love it.
but…its WAY hard. And it takes a WAY long time to learn it.
And…..I dont do my own tech shit. I dont think I could.
So now it looks like I am the one as useless as ‘Britney’s Panties!’
I have drifted here following your guest post on the .45 web-log, which was so funny my colon almost prolapsed.
Luckily, I was in my own home so did not have to think twice before soiling myself.
Good work!
Claire- Yeah, most of these songs make me cringe when they come on… on cry, depending…
Keli- My mom had me a bit late in life (she was a bit older than the Mother’s of my friends), so her music was my music. Although I admit to being really into POP (Nsync, Backstreet Boys, 98 Degrees etc. etc.)… it’s SO catchy, I can’t fight it.
Also, cool… I will definitely send a few questions your way!
Mike- Didn’t you take Sex Ed.?
No, while pizza and beer take up a significant amount of money, we also donate to our local Swingers’ Club.
Immortal- What’s this… a designer? Now that’s awesome. I haven’t decided on a domain name yet. This one (loquaciouslyverbose) is just too long. I mean, what was I thinking? I’ve been spending a lot of time reading up on (X)HTML and CSS and making small changes to the theme I finally settled on. I want a real simple clean look, so I won’t have to change much.
And of course, I’m all about sharing what I learn. I’ve had the pleasure of some really cool people helping me along and I would love to pay that forward one day if the opportunity arises!
Meleah- LOL. Right now, since I’m just testing, I screw stuff up and take note: “OK, don’t do that again…” Trial and error!
Lord Likely- I’ve never entertained royalty before! But thanks for the kind words and for stopping by!
You know where to find me when you need more help with WP even though I’m not officially a fan since I use Serendipity, but you know, some people can’t be helped and if the popular blog script is what you’re looking for…
“conveniently overlooked: booze and cigarettes”…great line!!! i hate desperado too
good luck with the wordpress! Armor yourself with filezilla, winzip, wordpress help pages…after a few weeks of frustration you’ll be so glad you did it!!
I think I want to go there or either Live journal or Typepad! LOL!!!
I been thinking about it! I am not good with change! The Voices say to much!!
Steve Perry Kicks ass I love to listen to :
Maroon 5- you should be loved!
All the songs that my crush sends me!! LOL!! Love songs.. I think I am going to listen to them and then get the nerve to tell him…….. To be continued! LOL!
Hey lady! Well…. I’ve had my own ‘home’ on the net since about 1998 but I’m afraid I can’t really offer any real advice except you really should make sure you’re with a host that updates their shtuff often. I am currently with a host that still has a database management system that is at least 4 years old. And they’re only NOW in the process of updating but everything keeps getting delayed. What this means is that Wordpress and all the glorious shtuff I should be able to use with it (like something simple as lightbox) won’t work properly. I’m trying to switch to BlueHost (one of the one’s recommended by Wordpress.org), but I need more time than 2 days off to make sure I get it all done right.
Anyway, that’s my only advice: make sure you find a good host. With good tech support. Most hosts have a live chat thingy on their main page, chat with those people and if they’re friendly enough the rest of the staff are usually the same.
haha and I said I didn’t have any advice. Maybe I know more than I think I do.
next: OMG don’t even get me started on love songs. I’m such a sucker for them!! hahaha I don’t know some of those that you listed but you betcha I’m going to check it out!
If you need any help, just hit me up!
WordPress is the easiest to use and customize…you’ll LOVE it!!
Oh man! You’re gonna leave us technology-impared loosers in the dust!!! WAHHHH!!!!
Okay, okay, okay. If you gotta make the move then go ahead. I’ll follow you wherever you go…but that doesn’t mean I’m gonna make the move either. It was hard enough for me to learn the crappy stuff I’ve already learned!
Boy, you do like sappy love songs! I was listening to a REALLY sappy song the other day…Billie Ocean’s “There’ll Be Sad Songs To Make You Cry.” Do you like that one? I hope not. That song is SOOO CHEESY!!! ;-P
BTW, I LOVE “What Becomes of the Brokenhearted” by Jimmy Ruffin and also HATE “Desperado” by the Eagles. That song does suck ASS! LOL!!!
Carl- I’m already taking you up on your help! Hahaha, rest-assured I have tons more questions.
Chelle- Woo hoo! Another one for the Anti-Desperado train! Cool, I am looking forward to the freedom and my own domain name!
Single- “To Be Continued..”?? Hahaha, I wanna know who it is and how it goes!
Fragile- Thanks for the advice! These are things I need to keep in mind.
Lisa- Oh man, thanks… ther e is one thing I might need to ask you…!
Random- I think the world could use some randomchick.net! I hope it goes smooth, cuz I’m pretty good and messing stuff up!
And you know what? I DO LIKE THAT SONG!! I love he CHEESE
Me so proud of you for choosing to self host! I know when I started WP I was a nervous wreck but GoDaddy installed it for me and all I had to do was find a theme, break it into a million pieces and make it my own.
Sometimes when I read your blog, it’s like reading my own shit. Stop it!
I looooove Open Arms, I will curl up in the fetal position and cry like an idiot when I hear it. Not sure what triggers that awful reaction but I still love the song. And Tender Love… giiiiiirl, the memories. Now, I must go listen to it.
“Nothing Compares To You” is mine. Not only do I listen to it over and over when another bastard broke my heart, I have to watch the video just to see the tears running down her face to torture myself even more.
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2cdyy_sinead-oconnor-nothing-compares-2-u_music
Good times. LOL
Christine I have never seen that video until JUST now. I LOVE LOVE it. Her eyes really sell it. I didn’t know she was that pretty, either. I’m not sure what I thought she looked like. Thanks. Of course I’ll be adding this to the list.
Listen to the H, he obviously has good taste.
Oh you are going over to wordpress! I half want to go self hosted and wordpress but cant be arsed
I am looking forward to seeing the fruit of your blog loins! hahah
I really enjoyed your post on Mr.45’s site and he is pretty awesometriffic but now he will be all big headed
Welcome to twitter
and finally I will listen to the tunes tomo because i am already listening to music and cant be bothered to mute it
ok let me know how you make out I am thinking the same thing..so any help welcome…:))) I’m like you sometimes..just plunge head first
I think you’re lucky to be starting out on WP 2.5, since this upgrade was a bit of a kick in the guts for me to get used to. Can’t wait to see your new creation.
And thanks again for your contribution this week. I really enjoy your style and knew you’d be a welcome change from my testosterone fueled rants. I especially like how you’re not afraid to put it out there, whatever the “it” may happen to be.
Re: your music selections. I won’t get into specifics, because I’m already getting hassled enough for my Last.fm playlists, but I can certainly attest that music has soothed my soul during any number of difficult times. It can sometimes be as simple as a memory that a certain songs stirs up, and in other times you may hear something in ways you’ve been deaf to before, because it was just the right thing at the right time.
I’m just now getting used to blogger. I haven’t even been brave enough to try creating my own background. I just use a template. I don’t think I’ll be moving to a harder host site any time soon.
Good luck with your site!
I’ve been thinking of switching for as long as I can remember but just don’t have the courage to go through with it. It’s no wonder my middle name is chicken! LOL!
What? No Neil Diamond? Oh, the shame of it all! LOL
Nice choice of music there
I think you will enjoy the switch. My favorite way to learn is jumping in and doing something. I started out blogging with my own domain and using Wordpress. There are tons of resources and helpful people out there to answer questions.
Steve Perry and Journey?? I hate Desperado as well. Love the Bonnie Raitt. I have to say my favorite broken heart song is “Would I Lie to You” by Charles and Eddie.
You know how much I love my wordpress-powered website, so I will do anything I can to help you
Though I don’t know if my advice is all that great; I just kinda jumped in myself and was forced to either sink or swim!
I have to lend my ears to this playlist sometime. Until then
at your move to WP. All the best mate.
I think you’ll enjoy the move. WP is pretty solid. While I don’t find it as “to the point” as Blogger, it’s a bit more expandable. Good luck w/ it all.
whatigotsofar- You say that now, but his iTunes is mostly soundtracks from WWE.
Claire- A lot of these songs are cheesy, don’t blame me if you get hooked!
And thanks, I am working on the theme. It won’t look all super professional, because I’m going to do it myself. Hahaha.
Robert- Hahaha, yeah. I jumped into this whole blogging head first and now that I’ve been reading more here and there I see a ton of things I could and should have done differently. So moving will give me a chance to kinda start over and do things right. And I’ll let ya know how things go!
.45The only thing I can compare it to is Blogger. It looks about the same, the only difference is having every section in a separate file. Which might be better, because you always know what you’re working on. The book I purchased is really helpful it explains why things need to look a certain and break down certain code I’ve encountered across several layout and what it means. So now when I change something, i spend less time wondering “what will this do?”
The music: Thanks, I WAS going to list the Top Ten songs I play the most, but surprisingly, what I decided to include in this post is less embarrassing!
BDP- Thanks. Of course there is tons of info on the web on how to create and tweak themes across several platforms, but I decided to just buy a book so I can read it from the couch or in bed. I need to be comfortable, ya know? Or else it just won’t sink in like I need it to. As much as time as I devote to my computer, I can’t imagine studying from it… Bleh. And thanks!
Nick- I say GO FOR IT!
Frank- Hahaha! Actually, he might be somewhere in my iTunes, I was just fooling around with that comment I left!!
Beeker- I regreat I didn’t start out that way, but you know… live and learn and all that Jazz. LOL…This time, I think I’ll prepare myself before jumping in… that rarely works out for me!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE Journey, with Steve Perry at a close second. I really do like “Foolish Heart”…. when it comes on i HAVE to sing it much to the annoyance of my husband. Apparently I can’t sing… news to me!!!
Devilish- Hey if it’s helpful, I’ll take it! And thanks!
Arv- Thanks! Yes, like I told Claire, don’t blame me if you get sucked into the cheesiness of some of these songs.
TOPolk- Thanks!
WordPress Rocks! You can do so much with it that you can’t with blogger. I guess they each have their own pros and cons, but I’m glad I have WP. I still use blogger for my other blogs, the ones I don’t put too much work into???
Read your post on .45 and it was awesome. Haven’t been busy reading this much though - been caught up in doing admin work on my forum. Still, I’m having fun and that’s the main thing.
Journey does it to me every time. I really want to see them in concert with their new lead singer. He sounds just like Steve Perry. Awesome list.
Natural- Hahaha! Yeah, I want something I can more or less put my heart and soul into and call my own, ya know? I want it to be MINE ALL MINE! Self-hosting will do that!
Qelqoth- No worries! I’ve been a little busy and behind on stuff, too. I know you care, as do I… HA!
Mr. Shife- Yeah, I would go see them in concert in a heartbeat AND I would totally throw my panties @ Steve Perry… Not that you needed to know that.
It can be easy as pie and hard as nails. You need to first back up EVERYTHING. Get your domain name and host, install wordpress (ridiculously easy for the most part), import your stuff from your back up, apply your theme and you’re good to go. For me, the hardest part was finding a theme, but thankfully there are a zillion and one out there to choose from.
Two thumbs up on this decision. You’ll never look back.
Good luck!
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Margaret- Thanks! I am looking forward to the change, even though it will initially be extra work!
HI! Thanks for visiting and commenting at my blog. I like your blog.. You are too funny girl!! Thanks for the info on the slow cooker too.. I will try to go to my library and get some books.. Hopefully my husband will fix my stove before the month is over..LOL
Please visit again.. I will put you in my favorites
Lisa- Hey, no worries! I hope the suggestions were helpful!
I love that song “Foolish Heart” by Steve Perry. And now since you’ve had the courage to admit, I can now stand forward and say it’s on my iPod.
Angel, Jr.- Ahh YEAH. Tell me you play it at least 3 times in a row.
I’m going to listen to it now in fact!
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