V - Variety

This post is a part of the A to Z Challenge. This year I have decided to go themeless. Each day I will post about whatever topic pops into my head. The result of this spontaneity is anyone's guess. Thanks for coming along for the ride.

They say variety is the spice of life. Whatever, I just like to keep things different. I enjoy a variety of genres in books, music, television, and movies. A wide variety. Huge. I like Star Wars AND Star Trek. Yep, major genre switch. I read Lord of the Rings AND The Hobbit. I listen to Home Free AND Christian Kane. Does it get more varied?

All joking aside, I really do read, watch, and listen to a variety. I will listen to Metallica, followed by TobyMac, then Home Free, and Fallout Boy. Nightwish (symphonic metal with a fantasy vibe) and Abney Park (steampunk airship pirates) share space on my playlist when I'm writing science fiction. My favorite movies include Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, We are the Titans, and Princess Bride.

Don't ever let yourself get tied down to one genre in anything. That applies to all areas of life. Except spouses. Best to stick to just one of those. And kids should all be the same species. (They don't necessarily have to be human, but keep them all the same species if possible.) OK, things have suddenly gone off the rails. I better call it quits while I'm ahead behind.

Until tomorrow, sayonara, good evening, auf wiedersehn, ciao, bonjour, and other various salutations.

N - Porcupines on Fire

We're beginning the second half of the A to Z Challenge. That's right, 13 letters down, 13 to go. Today we are on the 14th letter, N. So let's get this thing coasting down the backside of this hill.

Love
Newsboys - They've been around a long time and are basically Christian music royalty at this point. Signing former DC Talk member Michael Tait as their new lead singer a couple of years ago only added to their status. I got to see them live last month at Winter Jam. They put on a great show. You can see them performing in concert in the movie God's Not Dead. Can't wait to see that one.

Nightwish - Today's post gets another bonus band. Nightwish is one of my go-to bands when I'm writing. I got introduced to them by fellow writer Rebekah Loper (check out her blog here). She recommended them my first year participating in NaNoWriMo. They've been a large part of my writing playlist ever since.

Hate
New York, New York (Frank Sinatra) - Old Blue Eyes can sing. No doubt about it. He deserves to be considered one of the all-time greats. But I would cover my ears with a burning porcupine to avoid hearing this song. Having to play it when I was in the basketball Spirit Band at OSU didn't make it any more tolerable. Where were the porcupines then?

Love to Hate
Never Gonna Give You Up (Rick Astley) - The Rick-roll song itself. I have to admit that I liked this song when it first came out in the 80s. It wasn't terrible then. Now? Yeah, it's bad. It's been played to death, turned into a joke on the Internet, and basically destroyed any credibility that Rick Astley may have ever had. So now I hate it. But since it's an internet meme, I kinda like hating it.

Who have you seen in concert recently? Writers, who do you listen to when writing? Ever been rick-rolled? Let me know in the comments. And if you see any porcupines on fire, it's just me avoiding Frank again.