Pre-Christmas-Break Concert

December 17, 2017 by Reagan Fleming in concerts

I have a running list of artists that I want to see in concert. Just to name a few, I want to see Angels & Airwaves, The xx, The 1975, Dermot Kennedy, Sigrid, The Japanese House, Bon Iver, and Cold War Kids. Before finals week this semester (a particularly stressful semester at that), I was able to go see one of these artists live - Cold War Kids. They were opening for Phoenix, a band I was vaguely familiar with. Now, as you know, going to concerts is my favorite activity; so, I jumped at the chance.

I apologize to you die-hard CWK fans out there, but the best way to describe their set is to say that it was underwhelming. I'm still a fan, but I was highly disappointed in their singing and the overall atmosphere they provided. In spite of that, I'll give them the benefit of the doubt since the main singer sounded like he was feeling a little under the weather. (I know, I know, how kind of me.)

Initially, I was more excited to see CWK than Phoenix; I had heard Phoenix's songs, Lisztomania and Lasso a few years prior, but that was about it. Much to my surprise, Phoenix absolutely blew me away, and their performance made up for CWK's subpar one. Phoenix opened with J-Boy and kept the audience involved until their last song, 1901. And here's a fun little fact that I didn't know until that night: the band members are French! (Yes, every Phoenix fan probably knows this; but, as a student of French 203 that semester with only a small knowledge of the band, I got really excited when the main singer responded with, "Merci beaucoup," to the cheering crowd after their first song. Sue me.)

My advice to you, reader, is that whenever Phoenix is playing in your city, see them. In order to persuade you further, here is a photo I took of that delightful show:

Reagan Fleming

12/7/17

December 07, 2017 by Reagan Fleming in original works

I never really listened to authors when they said that they "need" to write in order to function. I thought that this was a little farfetched and untrue, but I've come to the realization that they're onto something.

Throughout the years (I say as if I'm 50), I've dealt with anxiety and depression. This still feels a bit weird to write that out, but thankfully these topics aren't as taboo as they used to be. Basically, my downfall is when I keep everything bottled up and choose to not express my feelings. This is partly due to the fact that I'm an introvert; I don't think to go to a friend to talk an issue out, I simply overthink it or push it aside. When I'm feeling anxious (speaking of the devil - I am right now) thoughts tend to run rampant in my head and I have trouble keeping up with them. That said, I need to write. And I can tell when I haven't been writing.

When I feel extra stressed or anxious, I write poetry - that's usually when the words come the easiest. Sometimes they're good, and sometimes they're really not. But for some reason, I wanted to share some of those words with you:

There’s not enough breath capacity in these lungs to exhale out,

to filter out all my feelings.

I don’t want them to be my feelings.

Reagan Fleming

These Words

November 22, 2017 by Reagan Fleming in college

These last couple of weeks have been rough, to say the least. But, thankfully today marked the beginning of my Thanksgiving break (praise dance), so I decided to leave campus and read at a coffee shop. I got a chai (I know, who am I?) and read for a few hours. Every reader has a few authors or some books that just get them. Sarah Dessen? Yep. Turtles All the Way Down by John Green? (So far, even though I'm only on chapter 10?) Yes indeedy. Now, this may not be the most beneficial thing for my mental health, but I often lose myself in fiction books when I don't particularly want to focus on what's happening in real life. However, this becomes beneficial when a book causes me to think about my own life in a different or new way. For instance, when I first started reading TATWD the other night, I read a passage that made me immediately start crying. I don't cry very often, so for a book to make me cry was really something. Writers can make their readers feel things - really feel things. It takes a good writer to produce something more than just words on a line that become intermingled with all the other thoughts fumbling around in the reader's brain. Good writing consists of words that change the reader's point of view and/or make them feel understood.

So, as the first few hours of Thanksgiving break began - one that will inevitably be filled with homework - I sipped my chai and read these words: "Your now is not your forever."

Reagan Fleming