Some people have been surprised by the news; others think it’s pretty cool. One thing I’ve found in doing my research before getting the instrument was that it is growing in popularity, particularly among young indie types.

Throughout my life, I’ve always had a bit of a struggle getting myself to learn an instrument. Generally, I just find every excuse to not practice. Right now, however, I legitimately have less time than I’ve had in quite a long time. Some people might wonder why I’m taking up an instrument at this point. I desperately need a new hobby that is just about me. I need something that forces me to take some time out for myself. And because of my personality, any time that is taken for myself needs to be used accomplishing something productive.

I’ve gotten really exciting doing research for the ukulele. Tabs or chords for most every popular song can be easily found on the Internet. There are several free resources for not only music, but lessons and tips for beginners. The community is extremely helpful to those who want to learn to play.

About a month ago, I got it in my head that I either wanted to finally perfect my ability to play the piano or take up the guitar. The guitar intrigued me because it would be a little different than anything I had done. I began researching what it would take. Robert and I went to Guitar Center, and I realized that if I were to get an instrument of any quality, I would likely be paying $150-$200, maybe more. We just didn’t have the money right at that time to start, so I filed it away as a possibility for later in the year or some sort of group birthday present.

A few days later, I talked about learning to play with my friend Andrew. He pointed at that really learning to play the guitar takes a lot of time; it’s not the kind of thing you can just pick up and be really good right away. He suggested I try the ukulele; it’s easier, much cheaper, has several resources online and is the hip thing to do right now.

I went home and started doing research. I spent about two weeks online looking over everything before I ordered the instrument off Amazon: a Lanikai LU-21 soprano ukulele, which is what I found on numerous sites to be perfect for beginners. It arrived on Tuesday, and I’ve so far had about two hours to actually play it. So far, I’ve successfully accomplished playing “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” with two chords. The challenge in learning, I can tell already, is going to be transitioning between chords, the same difficulty I faced when trying to pick up the guitar a couple times.

I’m very excited about this new hobby. I’ve practically been talking about it nonstop all week, much to the annoyance of those who have been talking to me. I hope that I find the time to get to be pretty good so I can maybe start playing in church or simply as entertainment for my friends at parties. And, hey, I know a couple people in bands who might let me make a cameo if I’m nice!

I’m also taking requests for songs to learn, if anyone has suggestions.

They also are, of course, very much based on my taste in music and my musical knowledge.

Feel free to add your own favorite songs about love in the comments… I love hearing new music and what other people think about music.

I had a difficult time knocking some out, and I’m a little iffy about a couple of these.

I’m not putting them really in any particular order simply because it’s not possible for me to be that decisive about it, but they are at least in rough order leading up to my absolute favorites.

“Be Be Your Love” by Rachel Yamagata- To me, this song seems to be about young love, when you want to be in love, but everyone tells you that you can’t. I think it’s also about a longing to be in love, of not having yet possessed it but of loving the idea of it.

Be Be in Love

“Never Felt This Way/Butterflyz” by Alicia Keys- Again, this song is more about brand new love and feeling it for the first time. I especially think “Butterflyz” perfectly illustrates how you feel when you’re in love. You just have this excited feeling in the pit of your stomach and you feel like you could fly. It’s both a wonderful and a scary feeling at the same time.

Never Felt This Way/Butterflyz

“Your Body is a Wonderland” by John Mayer- OK, so this is the cheesy pop song on my list. Hee hee. This song for me is just about being in complete awe of someone, though more in a physical way. It’s about just being in complete amazement that “hey, this person is hot and *I* get to be with him/her.”

Your Body Is a Wonderland

“I’ve Just Seen a Face” by The Beatles- Of course the Beatles were going to be on this list. This song is definitely more of a love at first sight sort of song. It also captures a feeling of love happening at just the right time (as in when they sing, “If it had been another day, I might have looked the other way…). I think for a lot of people, it is really a matter of timing.

I’ve Just Seen a Face

“Something” by The Beatles- This song is about the things you just can’t explain about the person you love. There is something indescribable that you seen in the person you love that perhaps other people can’t see. I also like that this song doesn’t try to make any assertions about the future of a love affair. The love could grow, or it may not. Only time will tell.

Something

“Can’t Help Falling in Love” by Elvis- This is the song Robert and I used for the first dance at our wedding. To me, this song was very reflective of us, because everyone was always telling us not to rush into things when we were young, but it all just felt like it was meant to be. We couldn’t stop the way we felt about each other. This song is so tender. I’ve heard a couple remakes of this song, particularly by Ingrid Michaelson, that I’ve enjoyed, as well.

Can’t Help Falling in Love

“Being Alive” from “Company” by Stephen Sondheim- For those of you who haven’t seen this show, I would strongly recommend renting this performance on Netflix. This song is in no way a love song, but it is about love. It’s a very real song about what being in love means. When someone is truly in love, they are extremely aware of being alive– of all the little nuances. Being in love isn’t always pleasant, but it’s worth it. (Note, the actual song starts at about 45 seconds).

Being Alive

“And So It Goes” by Billy Joel- My high school choir used to sing this song every year. It’s one of the few pop songs I think has been successfully adapted for choir. The first time I ever realized what this song meant was back when I first thought I experienced love in high school. I was listening to it, and I had a moment when the meaning of it hit me, and I cried for about 15 minutes. When you really, truly fall in love, you give yourself completely over to that person: every last bit. You have to open yourself up for the deepest hurt in order to experience the greatest happiness.

And So It Goes

“Ordinary People” by John Legend- This song has spoken quite powerfully to me lately. I don’t know if I really quite understood it until this last year. This isn’t a song about blurry-eyed, infatuated love. It’s about that time after the honeymoon phase when the relationship becomes work. You can no longer take each other for granted, and you have to accept the other person for who they are, with all their faults.

Ordinary People

“Wonderful tonight” by Eric Clapton- I think everything about this song is absolutely perfect. The sweet croon of the guitar, the sense of awe woven through Eric Clapton’s voice and the lyrics. This song captures perfectly the feeling you get when you’re with the person you love and you’re just basking in everything about them. I think this feeling comes once your love has matured and deepened, a very different feeling you get when you are first in love.

Wonderful Tonight

This week, as an experiment of sorts, I’m going to be a vegetarian. I thought about going completely vegan, but I think I’d have a hard time avoiding cheese and things that use eggs or butter. I am trying to avoid too much cheese because it’s really not the healthiest thing in the world. I don’t eat eggs that often, but I’m sure many of the things I eat are made with them.

Today, I made up a list of dinners I’m cooking for the week. It was exciting because I’m trying out new things I haven’t tried before. I’m particularly excited about the tofu stir fry and the falafel sandwiches I have planned this week.

Last year when I was doing Weight Watchers, I was doing very well at making sure I had pretty balanced meals. Although I’d always been good about eating fruits and vegetables before doing Weight Watchers, I probably wasn’t quite eating enough. Since I officially stopped doing Weight Watchers in October, I’ve fallen off the wagon a little bit. Amazingly, probably because I was keeping up with exercising and kick started my metabolism from eating better, I have managed to stay steady at the weight I ended at.

I hope this week I can start to get myself back on track being more balanced and healthy. Robert and I have been eating out a bit too much lately, mostly because I had a drastic change in schedule after I got my new job.

Robert and I decided today we’re going to start getting up in the morning and jogging. Yikes. Anyone who knows me knows I don’t exactly like running. Honestly, I don’t like how I feel afterward: like I’m going to collapse and die. I’m hoping that now that I’m more in shape, I’ll like it better.

This year, my goal is to make a lot of positive changes in my life. I’m trying to figure out the best ways to get happy and stay happy. I’m going to try to get out of this quarter-life crisis (QLC) and figure out what exactly I am doing with my life.

Although lately I’ve been having some kind of dark days, I think I’m ultimately going to come out of this QLC a better person. I’ve made quite a few goals for myself this year; first and foremost personality-wise, I’m going to be more assertive and confident. I’ll try to keep up-to-date with that on the blog.

I learned a lot about my camera and a lot about taking photos. I also like that my entire year is documented. I have so many fond memories that I recall just from looking at the photos I’ve taken.  That was a side effect I hadn’t anticipated.

I also have become the sort of memory keeper and default photographer for my friends. They know I’m the one with the camera who will be there documenting the visual events.

Of the group of people I started this project with, I’m the only one who got as far as I did. Most of the people gave up after just a few months. I managed to get a photo on Dec. 31.

This last year has been a very strange journey for me. I joke that I’m having a quarter-life crisis; in truth, it has been a time of great self-reflection for me. It started in January, when I made the resolution to give up drinking soda, a move that led me to start evaluating my eating habits. I glanced over photos from a get-together I was at over at my friend Andrew’s house, and I realized I was getting to a place weight-wise that I just didn’t want to be.

I had never really cared about my weight before, and I had certainly never paid attention to what I ate. In general, I ate home-cooked meals, but, truth be told, I didn’t really try to make sure all of the food groups were balanced. My mom had decided to start Weight Watchers, and, in February, I joined her. In June, I joined the gym through a deal I was offered at LVAC. The result was that by September, I had lost 30 pounds and have managed to hold steady at that weight.

I also spent a lot of time contemplating my career. I wasn’t entirely satisfied with where I was earlier this year. I felt like I had been stagnant for a while, and there wasn’t much opportunity to move beyond where I was, although I had reached the position of copy editor. However, situations changed, and in November, I was offered a spot as editor of the new Boulder City paper. It was just the sort of thing I had been looking for.

I’m also in a constant state of evaluation about myself personally. There’s many things about my life I just wasn’t quite satisfied with, and I’m finally looking at everything honestly and brutally. Sometimes because of it, I have bad days. Other times, I have good days, where I feel like I’m accomplishing things I want to accomplish. I’m grateful for all of my friends who have been there for a shoulder to cry on or have offered an ear to listen.

Right now more than ever, I’m growing and changing. One of my friends said most of the women she knows have gone through something like this in their mid-twenties. I hope I come out of this a stronger and more well-rounded person.

I don’t know where I’m going to be at the end of 2010. One thing I have learned is that you just can’t predict the way things go.

At any rate, here is the final entry in the 365-Day Photo Project. It was fun. After this, I guess I’m going to use this as a regular blog for my thoughts.

Robert drinks a fruity drink at Elephant Bar in the District on Dec. 6.

The light shines in the Prius saying that the headlights are on Dec. 7.

Ginger's new baby Adam hangs out in Boulder City on Dec. 8.

Robert grins on the couch on Dec. 9.

The Las Vegas Philharmonic practices for the holiday concert on Dec. 10.

I interviewed this young woman who lives in Boulder City on Dec. 11. She had been in a car accident that left her paralyzed from the neck down, but she was so cheerful and happy.

Yummy drink at Bahama Breeze between concerts on Dec. 12.

This woman is one of our columnists. She poses for a photo on Dec. 14. I had to take a lot of photos of her because she wasn't satisfied with any of them. haha.

These crystals decorate the Love theater. We saw Love on Dec. 16. for a special fundraising performance.

Anne's cat hangs out in the salad bowl at her house on Dec. 17.

Amie toasts a marshmallow at Anne's house on Dec. 18.

Ron's birthday gift arrived on Dec. 21.

A room in Boulder City Hospital on Dec. 22.

The sun sets in Boulder City on Dec. 31.

White chocolate brownie from Black Pepper Grill on Nov. 15.

My new office on Nov. 16! It's on the main street in Boulder City

The sun sets behind Boulder City on Nov. 17.

OK, so, I forgot to take a photo on Nov. 18. So I took this photo right before I went to bed.

It's too early for Christmas. I think Christmas should not start until after Thanksgiving. Here's a display at Town Square on Nov. 19.

Here's our new reporter on Nov. 20.

My friend David performed in a flash mob at the Fashion Show mall on Nov. 21 to promote "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat." It was very cool.

OK, here’s where I really left off… So strange.

I forgot Nov. 22 and 24. I got a little busy, and I forgot to take photos those days.

Robert puts together a desk for the printer in my office in Boulder City on Nov. 23.

Ace Hardware in Boulder City puts up Christmas decorations for the holidays on Nov. 25.

A flower in my mom's house on Nov. 26 for Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is by far my favorite holiday. I love that it's not commercialized and the the whole point is just to get together with friends and family and eat food.

This is an outtake from some photos I took at Eclectica, a craft and art store in Boulder City that just opened. I think it's cool that I got the open sign in the photo, but I don't really feel this photo captured the store, so I didn't use it.

Cory slices the turkey at Crystal's Thanksgiving on Nov. 28. Yum!

A plant at Town Square on Nov. 29.

A koosh ball on Nov. 30. I wish it weren't on an orange sheet. haha

Robert left this cute note for me on the bar that keeps the water heater from being hit on Dec. 1.

A snowman waves in our front yard on Dec. 2. Maybe we'll have real snowmen again this year.

Lauren checks her iPhone at Cafe Deia on Dec. 3. This is the first photo I got of her, finally.

Big horn sheep come down from the mountains in Boulder City and eat the grass in this park. Dec. 4.

One of the floats in the Boulder City Christmas parade on Dec. 5. I was almost in it, but I ended up just watching.

A crab roll and a spicy tuna roll sit waiting to be eaten at Kobe Sushi on Oct. 4. Kobe Sushi as Rainbow and 215 is by far the best sushi I've ever had. Go at happy hour for half off!

I think Robert is cute in his glasses on Oct. 5.

Robert makes a face after getting a haircut on Oct. 6.

Samantha sits on the bed on Oct. 7. I left my camera at work, so I had to take it with my iPhone.

A close up of Mr. Miyagi the bamboo on Oct. 8.

My yummy bowl o fruit on Sept. 21.

Andrew stands in the choir room before Master Singers rehearsal on Sept. 22.

Andy shows off the device he made for Robert's Halloween costume on Sept. 23.

David examines his chicken nugget from McDonald's, trying to determine if it is, in fact, real white meat, before seeing "Working" at Spring Mountain Ranch on Sept. 24.

A cat sits on a rug on Sept. 25.

Robert shows off my glass of sangria on Sept. 26.

Jane shows off the back of the bridesmaids dresses we are wearing for Amie's wedding on Sept. 27.

Kerri tries on a veil for her wedding that will be next year on Sept. 28. I chose this one because you don't actually see her dress, which has to remain a surprise!

Andrew before choir rehearsal on Sept. 29.

Robert puts the dishes away on Sept. 30.