I can't play a musical instrument. I no longer attend concerts. My iPod isn't a permanent part of my anatomy, but I've dedicated three years to customizing my iTunes Library for MY listening pleasure. I've currently got enough music that I can listen for over a week and not hear the same song twice. I had a few albums and a lot of 45's as a teenager. The one artist that had a truly positive effect on a home life filled with disharmony was Tom Jones. I didn't start finding my musical saviors until I was 20 years old. That's when I allowed myself to listen and let the music influence my positive energy. That's also when I met my friend, Beth, who helped me tune my musical personality. I rarely listen by artist because I like the element of surprise in my playlists. My husband's favorite genre is "fossil rock." I prefer to reminisce to the old and get rejuvenated by the new. Thankfully, our daughter seems to appreciate the best of both. My favorite genres are rock, classic rock, alternative rock, indie rock, hard rock, pop, and rhythm & blues. I have quite a few motion picture soundtracks, a little country, and some easy listening (smooth jazz & piano.) These are the artists with 3 or more songs in my iTunes Library: AC/DC, Aerosmith, Alanis Morissette, The All-American Rejects, Amanda Marshall, Ashlee Simpson, Asia, Avril Lavigne, The B-52's, The Beatles, Beyoncé, Billy Squier, The Black Crowes, Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band, Bonnie Raitt, Brooks & Dunn, Bruce Hornsby, Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, Bryan Adams, Carrie Underwood, The Cars, Celine Dion, Chaka Khan, Cheap Trick, Civil Twilight, Colbie Caillat, Coldplay, Corey Hart, Corinne Bailey Rae, Counting Crows, Creed, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Dashboard Confessional, Daughtry, David Bowie, David Cook, Def Leppard, Don Henley, The Eagles, Eddie Money, Elton John, Eric Clapton, A Fine Frenzy, Fleetwood Mac, Foreigner, The Fray, Garth Brooks, Gary Wright, Gavin DeGraw, Gavin Rossdale, George Benson, The Goo Goo Dolls, Grand Funk Railroad, Green Day, Hall & Oates, Heart, INXS, J. Geils Band, The Jeff Healey Band, Jefferson Airplane/Starship, Jewel, Jim Brickman, Joan Jett and The Blackhearts, Joe Cocker, John Berry, John Fogerty, John Mayer, John Mellencamp, John Waite, Journey, Keaton Simons, Kelly Clarkson, Kenny G, Kenny Loggins, The Killers, Kings of Leon, KT Tunstall, Lifehouse, Little River Band, Loverboy, Macy Gray, Maroon 5, Marvin Gaye, Melissa Etheridge, Muse, Nickelback, Norah Jones, OneRepublic, P!nk, Pat Benatar, Patti Scialfa, Peter Frampton, Queen, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rob Thomas, Robbie Williams, Robert Plant, Rod Stewart, Roy Orbison, Santana, Sara Bareilles, Seal, Sheryl Crow, Shinedown, Sly & the Family Stone, Stevie Wonder, Supertramp, Third Eye Blind, Three Dog Night, Thriving Ivory, Tom Jones, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Train, U2, Van Morrison, ZZ Top, 30 Seconds to Mars, .38 Special. Latest Additions (most recent first) Uncle Kracker - Smile Liz Phair - Extraordinary James Blunt - You're Beautiful, High Beyoncé - Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It), If I Were A Boy, Sweet Dreams Carrie Underwood - Cowboy Casanova Shinedown - If You Only Knew Snow Patrol - Hands Open John Mayer - Who Says Keaton Simons - Grim Reaper John Mayer - Who Says Band of Skulls - Baby Darling Doll Face Honey* OneRepublic - Waking Up* Dashboard Confessional - Dusk and Summer*, Alter the Ending* Alexandre Desplat - The Twilight Saga: New Moon Score* Rob Thomas - Cradlesong* Daughtry - Leave This Town* Norah Jones - Stay With Me* Creed - Full Circle* Various Artists - The Twilight Saga: New Moon Soundtrack* Civil Twilight - Civil Twilight* Kings of Leon - Because of the Times* The Killers - Hot Fuss* Muse - The Resistance* Train - Save Me, San Francisco* Green Day 21st Century Breakdown* Heart - The Essential Heart* Amy Winehouse - Rehab Coldplay - The Scientist, Clocks, Lost!, Viva la Vida, Violet Hill, Speed of Sound, Fix You Placebo - Running Up That Hill Snow Patrol - Chasing Cars Avril Lavigne - Fall to Pieces Beck - Timebomb A Fine Frenzy - Blow Away, You Picked Me Elvis Costello - Complicated Shadows Thriving Ivory - Flowers for a Ghost, Twilight, Secret Life, Overrated, Angels on the Moon Jason Mraz - If It Kills Me * denotes entire album Fifteen Albums Meme (February 2009) Think of 15 albums that had such a profound effect on you they changed your life or the way you looked at it. They sucked you in and took you over for days, weeks, months, years. These are the albums that you can use to identify time, places, people, emotions. These are the albums that no matter what they were thought of, musically shaped your world. When you finish, tag 15 others, including me. Make sure you copy and paste this part so they know the drill. Get the idea now? Good. Tag, you're it! Win Some, Lose Some - The iTunes Shuffle (February 2009) Title doesn't make sense? Read all the way to the last question and it will...1. Put your iTunes on shuffle. 2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer. 3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS! IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY? Empty Sky (Bruce Springsteen) WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY? Did It in a Minute (Hall & Oates) [Maybe when I was younger!] WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL? Black and White (Three Dog Night) HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY? Funhouse (P!nk) [Um. slight exageration] WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE? Leave the Light On (The Jeff Healey Band) [That's optimistic isn't it?] WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO? The Long Goodbye (Bruce Springsteen) WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU? Heartbreaker (Grand Fund Railroad) [Me, never!] WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN? Real World (Bruce Springsteen) WHAT IS 2+2? You Might Think (The Cars) [LOL!] WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND? Livin' in the Future (Bruce Springsteen) WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE? Better Days (Bruce Springsteen) WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY? Hopeless (Train) [I CANNOT believe this!] WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP? Hole (Kelly Clarkson) WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE? Dream On (Aerosmith) WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU? Running On Faith (Eric Clapton) WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING? Hot Blooded (Foreigner) WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL? Shiver (Maroon 5) WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST? The Trouble I'm In (Gavin Rossdale) WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET? The Boys of Summer (Don Henley) WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS? Something to Talk About (Bonnie Raitt) [I do NOT gossip.] WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN? Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own (U2) [Ain't that the truth?] HOW WILL YOU DIE? Let It Roll (Train) [You think I should avoid trains?] WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET? Everything I Do - I Do It For You (Bryan Adams) WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH? Evil Ways (Santana) [I'm a sweetheart, really.] WHAT MAKES YOU CRY? How To Save a Life (The Fray) WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED? Saturday Nights Alright (For Fighting) - (Elton John) WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST? Gone (Kelly Clarkson) DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU? Suddenly I See (KT Tunstall) IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE? Forever (Kenny Loggins/Steve Perry) WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW? Only Time Will Tell (Asia) [The time is NOW.] WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS? Win Some, Lose Some (Robbie Williams) [A universal truth.] iTunes Meme (May 2008) What 20 songs in your iTunes library have the highest play count? Your Life: The Soundtrack Meme (June 2006) So here's how this works. |
Places, Favorites, & Quotes The name, Valeehill, has been with me for decades and comes from shortening my full name, Virginia Lee Hill. Site Links: Personal Links:
animal welfare, animals, Arabian horses, computers, family history, genealogy, history, Internet, maritime history, movies, music, photography, reading, sightseeing, vegetarianism Favorite Authors: Amanda Quick, Barbara Delinsky, Elizabeth Gaskell, Jane Austen, Jayne Ann Krentz, Kristin Hannah, LaVyrle Spencer, Linda Fairstein, Linda Howard, Nora Roberts, Robert Ballard, Sandra Brown, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Tami Hoag, Tess Gerritsen Favorite Books: Alexandra Cooper Crime Series, Benni Harper Mysteries, Harry Bosch Series, Kay Scarpetta series (prior to 2003), Kinsey Millhone Mysteries, Molly Murphy Mysteries, Outlander Series, Rizzoli and Isles Series, Sookie Stackhouse (Southern Vampire) Series, Stephanie Plum Series, Temperance Brennan Series, Twilight Saga Alanis Morissette, Amanda Marshall, Band of Skulls, Billy Squier, Bonnie Raitt, Bruce Springsteen, Bryan Adams, Civil Twilight, Coldplay, Dashboard Confessional, Don Henley, The Fray, Gavin DeGraw, Jeff Healey, Joe Cocker, John Mayer, John Mellencamp, Journey, Keaton Simons, Kelly Clarkson, The Killers, Kings of Leon, Lifehouse, Maroon 5, Muse, OneRepublic, P!nk, Robert Plant, Train, U2 Favorite Movies (Mini-Series): About a Boy, Cranford, Harry Potter Series, National Treasure, North and South (BBC), Notting Hill, Practical Magic, Pride and Prejudice (BBC), Sense and Sensibility, Twilight, Wives and Daughters Favorite Television Shows:Bones, Burn Notice, Castle, The Closer, Criminal Minds, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CSI: NY, Fringe, Medium, The Mentalist, True Blood, Vampire Diaries, White Collar  Valeehill by Virginia Travis is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Based on a work at www.valeehill.net.
Favorite Quotes: "Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away." — Maya Angelou "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." — Maya Angelou "A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song." — Maya Angelou "Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole." - Roger Caras "The thinking man must oppose all cruel customs no matter how deeply rooted in tradition and surrounded by a halo. When we have a choice, we must avoid bringing torment and injury into the life of another, even the lowliest creature; to do so is to renounce our manhood and shoulder a guilt which nothing justifies." - Albert Schweitzer "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." - Mohandas Gandhi "To be a vegetarian is to disagree---to disagree with the course of things today. Starvation, world hunger, cruelty, waste, wars--we must make a statement against these things. Vegetarianism is my statement. And I think it's a strong one." - Isaac Bashevis Singer "We all grow up with the weight of history on us. Our ancestors dwell in the attics of our brains as they do in the spiraling chains of knowledge hidden in every cell of our bodies." - Shirley Abbott "I trace my family history so I will know who to blame." - unknown "A family tree can wither if nobody tends its roots." - unknown "Any family tree produces some lemons, some nuts and a few bad apples." - unknown |
My Tunes (updated 01/11/2010) |