This little guy is less the actual thing that makes me happy, and more of an representation of the thing that makes me happy.
It’s my iPod nano. It represents music. (See what I did there?)
I find I listen to different music according to my mood. For example, if I’m feeling relaxed it will be Matt Corby or Haim, or something like that. Melancholy is definitely pearl jam, occasionally Death Cab for Cutie. Nostalgic might be foo fighters (I listened to A LOT of foo fighters around ages 17 – 19). If I need a pick me up it might be something like Kimya Dawson or the cat empire because this music is stuff you can’t be sad to (as opposed to Pearl Jam, which is very much my “wallow in my own self pity”music – except their one happy album) . If I’m in a dramatic mood I will listen to Dresden dolls.
Road trips are often accompanied by the rambling songs of Dream Theatre.
But my heart lies firmly in the more heavy stuff. Rise Against (who are all vegan bar one, and he’s vegetarian) is the starter. Metallica, Rammstein, Rage against the machine, Disturbed.
And the singer from Disturbed… I want to marry his voice. It’s amazing.
Any way, my point is that music is great. I’ve got a wide variety of music to fit a wide variety of moods. You won’t find pop, country, rap, hip hop or dub step in there but there’s plenty to pick from.
Metal and punk is great – it’s high energy intense music. And there’s nothing quite like double kickers to really get me going. My all time fastest 5km was run after a particularly frustrating day at work and with Disturbed pumping through my headphones.
I don’t tend to run to music much anymore but when I do I gravitate towards the heaviest stuff I have. Then I switch to the more mellow songs for my cool down and stretches.
I like to feel music and to be surrounded by it. That’s one reason I love Florence and the Machine – because you put on the CD and you feel immersed in the music. That’s also why I believe that metal can’t be played quietly.
Music makes me happy.
Keep out of direct sunlight 