"Welcome to the fall out,
Welcome to existance,
Redemption is here, redemption is here,
Between who you are and who you could be,
Between how it is and how it should be

I dare you to move,
I dare you to move,
I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor,
I dare you to move,
I dare you to move
Like today never happened,
today never happened..." ~Switchfoot.

Music, it's a funny thing. It's amazing how a song can affect your emotions. Independantly Happy by Blue October is a song that no matter what mood I'm in always puts a smile on my face and changes my outlook. Then I put in some Counting Crows or Jason Mraz and can't help but wish I was somewhere else or with a certain someone. A song can take you back in time. A song can make me remember a memory like it just happened only minutes ago. I am able to picture laughs, Montana's mountains, tears, and Kansas's plains.

We look at lyrics for what we should do with our life. We look for artists who sing songs about the same pain we are going through. To hear such words, we realize we aren't the only ones. We aren't alone. Now and then we just try to find a song with a good beat. What we fail to realize is that we are in control of our own lives. We have control over the outcome. We can make decisions, but live in a world of complacency. We settle and never chase our dreams(seems to be an on going theme). What's the point of dying rich or owning nice things if we aren't able to use them. If I ever run for President of the US I will pass a law requiring all corporate offices to install a set of swings and one of those fun curvy slides. It will be there to realize that we grow older, but should never lose our sense of wonder. It's installed so we can realize it is the simple things that make life enjoyable and that no work should be stressed over.

Anyways I have a CD collection of 200+ and it will continue to grow. I can't lie but I listen to music because of the lyrics too. So for all of you music fans here's a list of Dave's must haves. If you have these then your collection won't be half bad.

Better Than Ezra, Dave Matthews, Pete Schmidt, Dashboard Confessional, Counting Crows, Jason Mraz, OAR, Ryan Adams, Switchfoot, Maroon 5, Pete YornJohn Mayer, Pearl Jam, Matt Nathanson, Blue October, Sly Letter, Guster, Jackopierce, Matchbox Twenty, Howie Day, Graham Colton, Jack Johnson, Damien Rice, Matt Wertz, Dispatch, Five for Fighting, Train

"You sing a song
While sitting at a red light
You think of home
While sitting at a red light

Too slow to roll
Put your life on hold
An open path
With nowhere to go
You start to wonder
While sitting at a red light

You can run a red light
Give up at a red light
You break the mold
When running through the tolls
Speeding through your whole life

A chance to breathe
While sitting at a red light
You look around
reflecting on your life" Johnny Lang