So it's been a while, old friend, known as Friends or Enemies blog text box. Like, a month. Or two. Hey. I never promised anyone it would be regular. But I've got some thoughts to sort out, so this is how it's gonna be.

I've fallen in love with Radiohead/Jimmy Eat World/Jack's Mannequin/Regina Spektor, all at the same time, and they haven't replaced the love for Decaydance/Fueled by Ramen, etc, but they're all currently my obsession.

Also, speaking of Radiohead, check this kick-ass video of Panic! at the Disco performing an AMAZING version of "Karma Police"(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uG7Ghfu7nmk). It may, quite possibly, be my favorite thing ever. I found it two days ago and have listened to it over 50 times since then. o.O.

As for life? It's been... well, life.

Love has been on my mind recently, not only for a person, but for an object, a city... all different types of love. Telling "I love you" to your family is different than saying "I'm in love with you" to a boyfriend or girlfriend, and that's also different from telling your friends that you love them. Maybe it's not as big an issue for dudes, but you get the picture. What about love for an idol? For a band? For Brendon Urie, Pete Wentz or William Beckett, perhaps? Love for someone you don't even know, except through the internet? I have a friend who's gained uber-popularity through deviantArt, which I haven't. Is it because her work is better than mine? Maybe. Who knows the reason? Sometimes it's networking. Sometimes it's just quality. Yeah, I'm jealous. I'm also happy for her, but doesn't everyone want the attention - the love - for themselves?

I mean, look at fame. Look at all famous bands, for example. I'm sure they get a thrill out of seeing everyone turn up to see them, knowing people appreciate them - and I'm absolutely, in no way, saying that this is a bad thing. Look at Pete Wentz (the way he's got his fingers in just about every major industry out there and how much I am in awe of him is for later or for another post - but I do truly respect him and his talents. His lyrics are... beyond amazing. I bow down to him. But as I said, for another time). He's got screaming fangirls at his beck and call - there's loads of discussions out there, with teenagers professing their undying love to a man who's twice their age. I'm sure the fangirls would claim it's true love. Pete, on the other hand, probably wouldn't.

Does love always go both ways?

Think about having a crush on someone who you really believe you're in love with, or consider breaking up with someone who you still have feelings for, when they obviously don't. I've gotten trapped in this particular situation, and let me tell you, it's not pretty. There's always that wish that they'll take you back, wish that they could see you in that way again... but moving on, it tends to not be so easy. And is it really love? That's always the complicated question. What factors are there in love? You can easily jump in too soon, get caught up in the thrills of the relationship and completely ignore everything that tells you it isn't really love, but claim to yourself it is anyway ("said I loved you, but I lied"). The same applies for a crush, whether it be viable or on a celebrity.

But what about love for an object, or a talent? What about love for music? The way I feel when I listen to certain songs (at this moment, P!ATD's cover of "Karma Police") overwhelms me. They fill you up, make your toes tingle, the notes and vocals thrumming along with your heartbeat. It's a certain type of high, like when you're at a concert and you feel... I guess you have to feel it to know, but you feel alive. You feel like everyone around you is the same, you feel the music coursing through you, you feel excited, exhilarated, just amazing. It's pretty cool. :)

How about love for a city? Chicago, my home, my love. I've often written about it in my poetry, the way I feel as if I exist as one with the city - when you enter the city and you feel as if you can breathe more easily, as if the air there is more pure (ha, ha, yeah, Chicago air is definitely clean). Leaving would be like ripping myself in two, my heart still bleeding on the sidewalk of Michigan avenue. Maybe that's a bit overdramatic, but that's how love is sometimes, right? Think of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet". I'm sure we've all read it, or at least know the story. They definitely get a bit carried away - maybe we don't all end up suicidal, but you know.

"Love is merely a madness." -Shakespeare

So, sorry, that was a bit long, and possibly repetitive. No one probably read this, but that helped me sort out my thoughts a bit... so that's good... :)

SONG OF THE POST

"Karma Police" by Radiohead (no, not P!ATD's cover. I do like the actual song, too). The melody and lyrics are so powerful, and Thom Yorke's vocals are just stunning. Raw and truthful. Go check it, yeah?