Wipe the drool up off your face and make your plans, The prison where you hang your head missed your demands.

I came out to Seattle with a big stack of things to improve about myself. Now that I’m well past the half-way point, it’s interesting to take a step back to see if I've made good on my goals.

One unexpected observation: the amount of money I’ve spent on an area is directly proportional to my progress.

New Books. Oh how I love books, yet if you look at the expenditure of my free time for the last two months, you’ll find I’ve only read a few hundred pages. Though I love to read, it’s obvious that I love many other things more. $13

Spanish. My goals are always lofty, but they keep me going. Sadly this project has barely gotten off the ground. $30

Le Corps Physique. To make up for all the ground I lost last winter, I intended to kick it into overdrive this summer. I’ve done alright. I haven’t done the triathlon training I would have liked. Yet my stamina has improved, and my image is much more frightening than what most of my friends remember. $70

Music. Here's the big one. I took piano lessons when I was a kid, and after four years, I hated them. I quit once I hit the eigth grade. I regret that decision, and when I began college, I swore to reclaim my past "glory." Now, 6 six year later, I have begun fullfilling my vow. I brought out my family's dusty five-octive keyboard. It's far from a piano, but it was free. As expected, fake piano keys, crapy Japanese electronics, and book of simplified hymns are not enough for my ambitions. Now, I am up to $647, and my improvement is significant.At least my blog is consistent. During May and June, no posts on books (though one on Toni Morrrison is coming), none on spanish, several related to exercise, and two dedicated to music in addition to every title that comes from a song of significance.

I'm not sure why, but it's only been this summer that I've realized the impact music has on my life, my emotions. There is a song for every occassion, and a musician that expresses how I feel better than I ever could. Full of rath over the Taco-Bell cashier who knows only 10.4 English phrases, happy I finally got a consistent reading on a flowmeter, sad that my sister's cats were declawed, or excited to get up and try again. But it's not just about reflection.

I rarely need an extra shoulder for crying or an extra ear for bragging. What I need is an outlet that doesn't involve testosterone. A combination an artist's empathy and their expression of feeling rather than the stifling of emotions is just what I need most of the time.

Music has a way of attaching itself to your soul, carrying it wherever the lyrics and instruments are headed. You pick your music, and you can usually shift your direction. Someday, I hope to do it without the help of strangers.

Buildings Tumble - MXPX