The Last 17 Days: The End

I have 3 1/2 hours left to be 17...that's it. I don't know whether to tell you that this is the happiest day of my life or the sad day of my life, but it really is that huge. These feelings...it's incredible. 18 could never be the same...nor could any other year, for that matter. These last 17 days have been amazing, let's take a look at what's happened:

• 1/31 - Downloaded Sleeping At Last's "Yearbook - February" EP. I'm loving those guys.
• 2/2 - My first Davis Youth Symphony concert as the viola section leader.
• 2/4 - Went on missionary splits for the first time, definitely one of the most spiritual moments of my life.
• 2/6 - Received my patriarchal blessing on paper
• 2/7 - turned in my revised IB Extended Essay (4,000 words) for the next-to final time
• 2/8 - Named a National Merit Scholarship Finalist. There's 15,000 across the nation...that's about .oo5% of U.S. high school seniors. Also received two full-ride scholarships. I'm extremely grateful.
• 2/10 - Went to the BHS choir concert with an amazing girl. The concert blew my mind!
• 2/11 - Made first chair violist in the BHS orchestra once again
• 2/12 - Went to the Sweethearts' dance, one of the funnest dates I've ever been on, with an incredible girl and great friends.
• 2/13 - The number 17 inspired me into bearing my testimony in my sacrament meeting; I also beat Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
• 2/14 - Finally tracked down the first Lydia album, something I've been searching nine months for. With it, I hit 4735 songs on iTunes and was surprised to find out that I now have more songs than my dad, the music master himself. I also hit 17 blog followers with the help of this post series.
• 2/15 - Watched BHS take out WX yet again (We were tied at 17!)
• 2/16 - Snowstorm! Just in time for my birthday! I kept telling everyone I wanted snow on my birthday...what a blessing.
• The number 17 has showed up so many times! It's ridiculous! Some of my friends have even been keeping an eye out for the number in their own lives, letting me know all about each encounter.

There's probably more I'm forgetting right now, but yeah...lots to smile about. I'd now like to mention a few things that didn't make into any of the lists for various reasons. They need a place here.

• TV Shows: Survivor, Dexter's Lab, Stargate: Atlantis, Stargate: Universe, Firefly, Wipeout, Firefly
• Music Artists: Sia, Zero 7, Lamb, Imogen Heap, Oceanlab
• People: my mom, dad, sisters, puppy(!!!), grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins...I have so much to thank them for.

Haha, my phone just reminded me about an appointment...my birthday! What a handy phone that is! So here I am, the last few moments of 17. Have I cried about it? Yes, actually...it really sucks to have to let this go. Here's what I've learned about who I am at 17:

• I am passionate, but extremely hesitant to show it.
• I am driven by music. It's in my mind, in my heart, in my dreams, in my future. It is everything right now.
• I am full of imagination and creativity. I love exploring others' ideas and I'm extremely passionate about my own ideas.
• I am thrilled to live righteously. I've sorted things out in my life and I'm ready to let my spirit take me where it wants me to go.
• I honestly don't want to go to college: music and writing are where I belong. They are what I truly aspire to.
• The thing I want the most right now: to fall in love. There, I said it. I cannot wait until that day...
• I am thankful for every little thing that has put me where I am today. I realize that I have great potential. I know that I am fortunate. I am ready to take advantage of it.

And where will life lead me next? Well...we'll leave that for another post. This is me saying goodbye as a 17-year-old for the last time...as I listen to 18 by Moby; I guess that's a good sign. For those of you who have kept up: I could never thank you enough. To be with me in this moment is truly special cause I don't see myself ever feeling quite this way ever again. I don't go on if people don't care. To quote the song I'm listening to right now: "We are still far from over." Thank you 17, for everything. Goodbye.

The Last 17 Days: The Last Day (Songs)

It's been a fun ride. I'm sad for this last post, but I've been looking forward to this one for quite some time. I knew I was going to do songs on the final day before I even thought about other possible topics. I ALWAYS have a song in my head. Not only is this probably the post I'll value most in the future, but I think it's of most use to you guys as well. If you're looking for good songs, well...these are the very best I have to offer. I've been keeping some of them hidden because some are quite personal, but I just can't have a blog post series like this without including the top tunes in my life. So here's the full reveal.

I'm going to end this round of blogging with a bang by including a list of 217 in this post. Ridiculous, right? It was actually extremely harder to narrow my songs down to 217 than to narrow down any other category to 17, believe it or not. These songs deserve to be known. Considering I now have over 4,700 songs, these tunes are a big deal. For those of you less interested or more lazy, I'll stick the top 17 into a group of their own; the other 200 will follow. Here they are: the songs that always get stuck in my mind, that I've cried to, that have given chills, that I've belted out time and time again, and that mean more to me than just about anything else. This is me in 217 songs. Enjoy and thank you.

• Brothers On A Hotel Bed - Death Cab For Cutie
• ***18 - Moby
• Gravity of Love - Enigma
• Gabriel - Lamb
• Future Foe Scenarios - Silversun Pickups
• ***Home - The Cinematics
• Home - Foo Fighters
• Life is Beautiful - Vega 4
• Stall Out - Mute Math
• The Reprise - Kiros
• Half Life - Imogen Heap
• Run In The Front - Dear & The Headlights
• Lullaby - Assemblage 23
• This Is Twice Now - Lydia
• Sol Solis - Moving Mountains
• Miracle - Oceanlab
• Faith - Morten Sorlie (from Dreamfall: The Longest Journey)

And the other 200, in order of appearance in my life...

• Wild Child - Enya
• With Arms Wide Open - Creed
• Higher - Creed
• One Last Breath - Creed
• Don't Stop Dancing - Creed
• Lullaby - Creed
• Don't Panic - Coldplay
• Yellow - Coldplay
• The Scientist - Coldplay
• Jerusalem - Matisyahu
• King Without A Crown - Matisyahu
• Breathe Me - Sia
• Today - Zero 7
• Hamburg Song - Keane
• Somewhere Only We Know - Keane
• Your Eyes Open - Keane
• Run - Snow Patrol
• Title and Registration - Death Cab For Cutie
• Passenger Seat - Death Cab For Cutie
• Look At Her Face - The Coral Sea
• One Of These Morning - Moby
• Temptation - Moby
• Love Should - Moby
• Slipping Away - Moby
• Nothing Better - The Postal Service
• You Could Be Happy - Snow Patrol
• Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol
• Set The Fire To The Third Bar - Snow Patrol
• Feel Good Inc. - Gorillaz
• El Mañana - Gorillaz
• Incognito - Enigma
• Boum-Boum - Enigma
• Following The Sun - Enigma
• Turn Around - Enigma
• Beyond The Invisible - Enigma
• Sitting On The Moon - Enigma
• Sleeping Lessons - The Shins
• Why!... - Enigma
• Prism Of Life - Enigma
• Crazy - Gnarls Barkley
• Hey Ya! - OutKast
• Fidelity - Regina Spektor
• Push The Limits [ATB Remix] - Enigma
• Aqueous Transmission - Incubus
• The Anchor Song - Bjork
• What Sound - Lamb
• Lazy Eye - Silversun Pickups
• Less Talk More Rokk - Freezepop
• Time Is Running Out - Muse
• Hysteria - Muse
• Knights of Cydonia - Muse
• All These Things That I've Done - The Killers
• Reptilia - The Strokes
• Silence - Assemblage 23
• Clockwork - Crosstide
• Don't Defend - Blacktop Mourning
• Hardly Recognize - Blacktop Mourning
• Dusting Down The Stars - Mobile
• The Ocean - The Bravery
• I Went Blind - The Junior Varsity
• The Sky - The Junior Varsity
• Memory Made Easy - The Junior Varsity
• That's What You Get - Paramore
• Misery Business - Paramore
• How My Heart Behaves - Feist
• Over Again - Ghostland Observatory
• Throwing Punches - The Myriad
• Girls Who Play Guitars - Maximo Park
• Something About Us - Daft Punk
• Arms of an Angel - Sarah McLachlan
• Seven Lives - Enigma
• Is There A Ghost - Band of Horses
• No One's Gonna Love You - Band of Horses
• Lyric - Zwan
• The Sound of Muzak - Porcupine Tree
• You Don't See Me - Keane
• Love Is The End - Keane
• Trevor - The Schuers
• The Unwinding Cable Car - Anberlin
• Miserable At Best - Mayday Parade
• Teardrop - Massive Attack
• Walk With Me - Bedlight for Blue Eyes
• Night Relay - The Heights
• Kettle Song - The Heights
• Almost Lover - A Fine Frenzy
• Near To You - A Fine Frenzy
• Into The West - Pilot Speed
• So Low, So High - Maps
• Get Comfortable - The Junior Varsity
• You Are Mine - Mute Math
• Wonder Why - Rides Again
• Fly Away - Rides Again
• Between The Headlights - Crosstide
• Lazarus - Porcupine Tree
• Speak Softly - Kiros
• ...That I May Not Cause The Pain - Kiros
• Nobody Understands - The Midway State
• Darlin' - Between The Trees
• The Luckiest - Ben Folds
• Panic Switch - Silversun Pickups
• Running - No Doubt
• Gimme Sympathy - Metric
• You Do - Until June
• Stronger - Seabird
• Sometimes - Seabird
• Falling For You - Seabird
• 'Til We See The Shore - Seabird
• A Jagged Gorgeous Winter - The Main Drag
• Sit Still - Brightwood
• Shot In The Back Of The Head - Moby
• Hello Seattle (Remix) - Owl City
• My Beautiful Rescue - This Providence
• Mr McGee - Zero 7
• Medicine Man - Zero 7
• Ghost sYMBOL - Zero 7
• Time Flies - Porcupine Tree
• Fiddle And The Drum - A Perfect Circle
• In Memory - Brightwood
• Surefire - Brightwood
• Spain - Between The Trees
• The One Thing - Between The Trees
• Changed By You - Between The Trees
• The World Ends Tonight - Until June
• Nobody Knows You - Until June
• The Only Exception - Paramore
• Misguided Ghosts - Paramore
• Nearly Home - Broken Records
• Until The Earth Begins To Part - Broken Records
• A Promise - Broken Records
• Pins and Needles - Mute Math
• Conversations With Stars - Brightwood
• Swan Song - A Fine Frenzy
• Handlebars - Flobots
• The Adventure - Angels & Airwaves
• Ready, Steady, Go - Oakenfield
• Let the Drummer Kick - Citizen Cope
• Wallflower - Elevation
• Maybe Tomorrow - Elevation
• Where I Want To Be - The Dangerous Summer
• I Woke Up Near The Sea - Lydia (*language warning)
• All I See - Lydia
• Now The Once You Once Loved is Leaving - Lydia
• My Never - Blue October
• I Gotta Feeling - Black Eyed Peas
• One Tribe - Black Eyed Peas
• 8105 - Moving Mountains
• Ground Beneath My Feet - Sherwood
• Worn - Sherwood
• No Better - Sherwood
• Wide Awake - Making April
• Name - Fireflight
• Shine - The Morning Of
• Fearless - Falling Up
• Change The World - This Beautiful Republic
• Scapegoat - In Harbour
• For Those Who Wait - Fireflight
• Combat - Flobots
• The Marsh - California Guitar Trio
• Alley Cat - Sherwood
• On Melancholy Hill - Gorillaz
• Feel The Same Way - Poema
• Infinite Arms - Band of Horses
• Kings and Queens - 30 Seconds to Mars
• Hannah - Freelance Whales
• I Wouldn't Mind - He Is We
• Happily Ever After - He Is We
• On A Good Day - Oceanlab
• One By One - Unkle Bob
• Swans - Unkle Bob
• I Know You Know - The Morning Of
• Life - Beckah Shae
• Tell 'Em - Sleigh Bells
• Clap Your Hands - Sia
• Bring Night - Sia
• First Floor People - Barcelona
• Please Don't Go - Barcelona
• We Clean Up So Well - Lydia (*language warning)
• Always Move Fast - Lydia (*language warning)
• A Camera Lens & Careful Days - Lydia
• Man In The Mirror - The Midway State
• Change For You - The Midway State
• Only You - Soletta
• Rhythm, Chord, & Melody - The Reign of Kindo
• Yuki - Vessels
• No Way Out - This Century
• Love Like Woe - The Ready Set
• Wide Open - Brightwood
• Two - Camerafone
• Yellow Shirt - The Icarus Account
• Favorite Girl - The Icarus Account
• Eulalia (Remix) - In Aviate
• Wonder - Color of Clouds
• Believe In Me - Sing It Loud
• Hidden Lakes - Shearwater
• All Roads - The Foreign Exchange
• Emphasis - Sleeping At Last
• Snow - Sleeping At Last
• Stop Smoking Because It's Not Good For You - I Can Make A Mess Like Nobody's Business
• Telling Me Goodbye - I Can Make A Mess Like Nobody's Business
• The Ash Is In Our Clothes - Sleeping At Last

The Last 17 Days: 2 Days Left (Moments)

We're getting down to the wire now... I keeping saying to myself "the day after tomorrow" That's how close it is: the day after tomorrow. Crazy! I'm saving all of the closing thoughts and wrap-up stuff until tomorrow, which also has the most killer list of them all, so I'll get straight to today's topic.

Moments: sometimes they're hard to remember in detail. I guess that's why this list is full of a lot of the more recent stuff that's happened in my life. Now, I'm using the term 'moment' pretty loosely here. Some of the things listed are actually entire days, but others actually are a single moment. I actually have 3 of them on video, 7 in pictures, and I was right next to one or more of the people included in my 'friends' post for 9 of them...that's awesome. Remember: these aren't necessarily my favorite moments, they're the ones that have played the biggest role in my life. In fact, the some of them, including the two I actually won't reveal, are extremely sad. Nevertheless, I am who I am largely because of these incredibly small portions of my life. They are the ones most longed for, most filled with passion, most pondered, and/or most clear in my mind. Here they are, the moments:

• 8/01 - First day of the spectrum program at Valley View Elementary
• 10/04 - Visiting Neuschwanstein Castle
• 10/04 - Visiting Salzburg, Austria
• 3/08 - Scoring a point for answering "Iceland" in a national NAL game vs. a school from Colorado
• 6/08 - Looking down from the top of Mt. Pilatus in Switzerland
• 6/08 - Spend a night in a village in the Swiss Alps
• 9/09 - (Secret)
• 12/17/09 - John McKay Kunz's passing
• 2/17/09 - 17th birthday
• 2/20/10 - birthday party (Kyathlon)
• 3/17/10 - (Secret)
• 4/5/10 - listening to Chris Wolstenholme play the bass line of Hysteria live
• 5/30/10 - hired to play in a quartet with friends for a wedding ceremony
• 8/20/10 - Encore of the Lydia concert
• 9/15/10 - Meeting AJ Perdomo and the rest of The Dangerous Summer
• 1/23/11 - receiving my patriarchal blessing
• 1/29/11 -last day of my final orchestra trip (in Disneyland)

The Last 17 Days: 3 Days Left (Achievements)

As much as I've enjoyed thinking back to all of the big moments and best memories in my life, it has been quite frustrating realizing how much I've forgotten. There are huge gaps (5th grade, 8th grade) that I can't remember anything about. Is it because those years didn't do much to change me? Or have I forgotten about some of the things that ought to be here? That's a scary thought...and it's taught me some important things: pay attention to your life, take notes, care for what's going on around you and make of the most of what you're involved in. You don't want these years to be forgotten. I know I'll be doing some more of that sort of thing from here on out.

Today's list was the hardest to come up with by far. Sure, I've done some cool things if my life, but to put a name to them is hard. Which are really worth mentioning? Which ones am I'm most grateful for? That's what I pondered as I came up with these 17 accomplishments that form what I like to call "my life resume". Some required tons of effort, but others found their way to me. These are the awards that show that my efforts have paid off, the positions that make up my reputation, the reasons I push for greatness. In order of occurrence:

• 1st Place Chess Club Trophy (4th grade)
• 65 curl-ups in one minute and 21 pull ups at once (9th grade)
• Co-captain of Millcreek JH NAL Team - 3rd place in the nation (9th grade)
• Science Department Student of the Year (9th grade)
• 2 x Completing the Book of Mormon in one month (10th and 11th grade)
• 34 on the ACT (11th grade)
• 1st chair violist in Davis Youth Symphony (12th grade)
• 1st place in Literature for Reflections at BHS (12th grade)
• Obtaining my patriarchal blessing (12th grade)
• National Merit Scholarship Finalist (12th grade)
• End of year AP and IB testing scores
• Rank 1 of my class at BHS
• ***1st chair violist all seven years in school
• My XBOX 360 gamer score
• my Rock Band/Guitar Hero skills
• ***my music collection
• this blog series

The Last 17 Days: 4 Days Left (Objects/Symbols)

Today was fast sunday for our stake. I got to sacrament and the first hymn we sang was hymn # 17. That inspired me to get up in front of the congregation and give a testimony based on the number 17 and the experience I've had here with all of this analysis. I got a few laughs out of it, but also tied it to the gospel in an effective way. Further proof that 17 is not just a silly number in my life...it really changes my life daily. Sometimes it makes me wonder: is it really all coincidence? I don't think so.

Today's topic is items/symbols. Some of these are things I like for their actual presence, physical or not, in my life, but others are more because of the symbolic concepts behind them, the things that would catch my attention in a poem or song. As I look down this list, I realize that this might just be the most important group of all. These things are absolutely necessary in the pursuit of my dreams, important in my daily life, and crucial in my way of thinking. For the first time, I'm not going to put a specific order to this list. Here they are:

• Jacket
• Pencil
• ***Viola
• Bass guitar
• Hands
• Lyrics Journal
• Hourglass
• CD
• Drumsticks
• Headphones/speakers
• ***The number 17
• Amethyst
• Sun
• XBOX 360 controller
• Music note
• Guitar pic
• Cinnamon

The Last 17 Days: 5 Days Left (Original Characters)

The 5th to last day...it was crazy! Sweethearts' activities all day...how much more awesome stuff can I fit into these 17 days? So much amazing stuff has happened! I'll summarize it all for you guys in the final post in this series.

Today might not mean a single thing to you guys, unless you're one of my pretty close friends. A few days ago I talked about the fictional characters in my life. I feel like it would be good for the purpose of my future memory to also include a list of the fictional characters that I've created, whether in video games or for the novel ideas I've come up with. These names, though largely unknown to you guys, symbolize all that I am. I've passed my passions, interests, and character traits on to them. They are my creation, my pride, my "children", if you will. One of my greatest dreams is to one day make them known unto this world. I want them to join the ranks of Harry Potter, Frodo, and Luke Skywalker in the generations to come. These are the heroes of my imagination, in order of creation:

• Sedna (from the Elementalists)
• ***Yanusun (from The Elementalists)
• Menzorith (from The Elementalists)
• Shimmy Jones (my drummer in Rock Band)
• Tulip (my guitarist in Rock Band)
• Kargorashenutay (from The Elementalists)
• Aveliandra (my main character in World of Warcraft)
• ***Amy Marin/Amethyst (from The Dreamers)
• Tristan Tasset (from The Dreamers)
• Jason Less (from the Dreamers)
• Louidor Montase/Heliodor (from The Dreamers)
• Elouise Newmond/Citrine (from the Dreamers)
• Blaise (from The Preservers)
• Drake (from The Cyborgs)
• Otto Elovine (from Sound of Defeat)
• Lysette Vanille (from Sound of Defeat)
• Lydia Vanille (from Sound of Defeat)

The Last 17 Days: 6 Days Left (Places)

To be completely honest with you guys, I'm running out of ideas for categories. From here on out, they are gonna be a lot different than the topics I've talked about so far and perhaps more personal, but they'll be just as significant.

Today's list is of places, ranging from very specific positions to huge cities to an entire nation, including places I've been and a couple I haven't yet visited. Some don't even have names I that I remember so I'll offer some basic descriptions for those. These are the locations mostly firmly imprinted in my memories, that have affected how I look at the world, that allow me to remember the best of times.

• The backyard of my old house in Woods Cross
• Disneyland
• Millcreek Junior High School
• Taj Mahal (not yet visited)
• Munich, Germany
• Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany
• ***Iceland (not yet visited)
• Salzburg, Austria
• On top of Mt. Pilatus in Switzerland
• Small village in the Swiss Alps
• Venice, Italy
• Italian beach at sunset
• My game room
• My bedroom
• ***Bountiful High School (especially the orchestra room)
• Arlington Cemetery
• On top of the Capitol Dome in Washington D.C.

The Last 17 Days: 7 Days Left (Albums)

1 week guys...1 week! I'm thrilled and bummed at the same time - definitely a weird feeling. One thing's for sure: I'm throwing myself a killer party on the 16th, perhaps as big as the one I'll have on my birthday. Part of me can't wait! The other part wants a few extra weeks...but it all comes down to these next seven. Here we go!

Today's category is one of the last music-oriented ones: albums. Individuals songs are grabbing my attention left and right all of the time, but when an entire CD can capture you, that's something powerful right there. It's like the feeling you get from that one song, but times 12. It's spectacular when you can grow to love an artist for all of their work rather than just for that one special tune. These albums are the ones that I've fallen in love with, the ones that stand out on my shelf, the ones I can blast my lungs out to...the ones I desperately want others to be passionate about. In order of appearance in my life:

• ***Love, Sensuality, and Devotion (Greatest Hits) - Enigma
• Weathered - Creed
• Hotel - Moby
• Eyes Open - Snow Patrol
• Parachutes - Coldplay
• Carnavas - Silversun Pickups
• Cinematographic - The Junior Varsity
• Perfect Symmetry - Keane
• 'Til We See The Shore - Seabird
• Yeah Ghost - Zero 7
• Spain - Between The Trees
• Strangelove - Elevation
• Illuminate - Lydia
• ***Flesh & Fears - Wolftron
• The Way I Fell In - The Morning Of
• Sirens Of The Sea - Oceanlab
• The World We Know - I Can Make A Mess Like Nobody's Business

The Last 17 Days: 8 Days Left (Video Games)

I passed the 1,000 pageviews mark with my last post! Thanks a ton to all of you who are keeping up. I've had this blog for about a year and a half and the past 300 pageviews all came in a few days...that means a lot to me. Thanks again.

For this post's little intro spiel, I think I'll tell you a little bit about me and the numbers 217 and 17 just to show you that the connection isn't imaginary. It all starts with my grandma and grandpa Kossin...

• When my grandpa was first getting to know my grandma, her house address was 217.
• My grandpa's locker number in the military was 217.
• When my grandparents got married, their first apartment was number 217.
• Their first grandchild (me) was born on 2/17.

That's pretty insane right there...now it's my turn:

• I moved into my current house on the 17th of September, 2005
• I moved my bedroom into the basement on the 17th of October, 2009
• I taught my first viola lesson on the 17th of November, 2009
• My good friend John McKay Kunz passed away on the 17th of December, 2009
• The numbers of my Student ID add up to 17
• The numbers of my student PIN Number add up to 17
• The numbers of my BHS parking permit add up to 17
• The time right this second is 8:54...no joke. Those add up to 17
• My grade in 2nd period right now is 92.17%
• First chair violist? Count 'em up...there's 17 letters.
• I live in North Salt Lake, Utah...17 letters again.
• My license plate? It just so happens to contain 17 backwards.

Alright, so you can see that I'm obsessed, but now you know it's for a reason. My close friends can back me up on this one.

Video games today? Oh man...we're getting serious. I play video games more than I should, but I think my success in school and with the viola make a good excuse for how much time I offer to gaming. Video games top movies and novels any day in my book. You get to be the hero. You get to construct the details concerning how the story develops, or, in the best of games, construct your own story. That's pretty nifty. These games here are the ones that had me addicted, the ones that charmed with their artistry, clever plots, and entertainment value, the ones I wish more people would dare to care about.

• Diablo 2
• Warlords Battlecry 2
• Dungeon Siege
• Gauntlet: Dark Legacy
• Unreal Tournament 2004
• ***World of Warcraft
• Half-Life 2 series
• Dreamfall: The Longest Journey
• The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
• Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War series
• Rainbow Six Vegas 2
• Prince of Persia (2008)
• Left 4 Dead 2
• Dead Space
• ***Rock Band 3
• Mass Effect series
• Alan Wake

The Last 17 Days: 9 Days Left (Movies)

I'm in the single digits now...bummer. I'm staying strong! haha. I've been getting tons of pageviews lately. I'd like to thank those of you who have been keeping up with this...it means a lot. Once again...check the intro post from January 31st if you're clueless.

As I think more about some of my previous posts, I've changed my mind and altered a couple of things. Some of those lists have changed if you're interested in looking back...

Hey, one more thing: For the sake of saving time and perhaps to make the lists more appealing, I haven't offered descriptions for a single specific item. With only titles and pictures to go by, you've probably wondered about a few of the things I've mentioned in this post series. Feel free to ask me about them. I'm more than happy to let you know how any of them claimed a spot here.

I'm not much of a moviewatcher. Quite frankly...I haven't had much time for a while and the time I do have goes to music, writing, and video games. Still, there are some movies out there that have made powerful impressions on me over the years. These 17 are the ones that got me excited about constructing stories, the ones that stand out artistically and emotionally, the ones that honestly touched me, the ones that had me hooked. Pick one of these up the next time you have a spare hour or two.

• Dungeons and Dragons
• Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within
• The Lord of the Rings series
• The Matrix series
• League of Extraordinary Gentleman
• X-men series
• ***Cloverfield
• War of the Worlds
• Knowing
• Serenity
• Wall-E
• The Incredible Hulk
• 9
• Avatar
• Inception
• Prince of Persia
• ***The Fountain

The Last 17 Days: 10 Days Left (Characters)

The number '2', being my birth month, frequently accompanies 17 both by my own choice and through luck. I decided I wanted to make an even further distinction with these items by selecting the top 2 from each category so we can see what stuff goes beyond standing out in my life. I've gone back to all of my older posts and starred the top 2 most influential (not necessarily my most favorite) in each subject and will do so from now on. Check those if you're interested in seeing my all-time tops.

Today I'm revealing the most prevalent fictional characters in my life. If I were to have included characters I've created, they would have taken all 17 slots, but since it would mean little to list them here and because I'd rather not reveal most of them at this time, I'm restricting this list to characters I haven't created, but rather adore: one from a book, one from a movie, one from a book and its movie, two from video games and their movies, and the rest (how many are left? haha) from video games. These are the characters that inspired me to create my own, the ones that really got me engaged in their stories, the ones I have always and will always root for.

• Lara Croft (from the Tomb Raider series)





• Pidgeotto (Pokemon #17)



• Ronan (from Stargate: Atlantis)

• Birdo (from the Mario series)



• Legolas (from the Lord of the Rings series)
  

• Drizzt Do-Urden (from the Dark Elf Trilogy, The Icewind Dale Trilogy, and more)




• Gordan Freeman (from the Half-Life series)
  
  
  
• Alyx Vance (from the Half-Life series)
  

• DOG (from the Half-Life Series)
  

• ***Zoe Castillo (from Dreamfall: The Longest Journey)




• Altair (from Assassin's Creed)




• Elika (from Prince of Persia 2008)




• The Prince (from Prince of Persia 2008)




• Wall-E
  
  


• Tali Zorah (from the Mass Effect series)





• Issac Clarke (from the Dead Space series)

• ***Alan Wake (from self-titled video game)
  

The Last 17 Days: 11 Days Left (Music Videos)

So I've decided that this blog post series is the most meaningful thing I have ever done for myself. I've never thought so deeply about my past, my identity, and the things that have shaped me. It's really cool to deeply ponder and then define the things that mean the most to me, the things I cling to with the strongest grip, the things I occasionally overlook. I'll be able to look back on this forever...that's amazing. See what sort of things a silly number can do for you?

Music videos don't get as much attention as they deserve. Nowadays, Youtube and the electronics section of supermarkets are about the only places you'll ever see them. Occasionally, they can be really artistic or really touching. They pull off things you'd never seen in a movie and can tell stories in a way a book couldn't manage. These are the videos that intrigue me the most, the ones that tell the best stories, the ones that can take a song and make it something so much more, especially to me personally.

Return to Innocence - Enigma



Dusting Down The Stars - Mobile



Typical - Mute Math

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XVWR-5fiG0

Remind Me - Royksopp



Gimme Sympathy - Metric



Sick Muse - Metric



Where I Want To Be - The Dangerous Summer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_K1lywPZms

I Woke Up Near The Sea - Lydia (*language warning*)



***Kings and Queens - 30 Seconds to Mars



1234 - Feist



Lyric - Zwan

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwmUMySSNQc

Coming Home - The 88



Take Everything - Greg Laswell



Like You Do - Angel Taylor



40 Dogs (Like Romeo and Juliet) - Bob Schneider



***Thought of You - Ryan Woodward



Rise - Flobots

The Last 17 Days: 12 Days Left (Album Covers)

Hey if you're wondering about this "Last 17 Days" thing, check out the intro to it that I put up back on the 31st of January. Today's category began as "artwork", then it turned out that all 17 of the choices were album covers...just goes to show you how much music means to me. These are the images that bring the most ideas and memories flooding through my head, the ones I would tell you are most beautiful, the ones most clearly imprinted in my mind. These pictures make me most upset at my lack of visual art skills. In my future house, I want these hanging up on the walls. In order of my first sight of them:

• Human Clay - Creed

• Carnavas - Silversun Pickups

• No Regret - Blacktop Morning



• Cinematographic - The Junior Varsity



• Seven Lives Many Faces - Enigma
  
  
• In Absentia - Porcupine Tree

• ***A Single Strand - Kiros

• Spain - Between The Trees

• ***Illuminate - Lydia



• This December; It's One More and I'm Free - Lydia



• Reach For The Sun - The Dangerous Summer
  
  
• Sound of Defeat - Until June



• Pneuma - Moving Mountains
  


• The Way I Fell Out - The Morning Of

• Assailants - Lydia

• Yearbook: December - Sleeping At Last

• Yearbook: February - Sleeping At Last

The Last 17 Days: 13 Days Left (Musicians)

Less than two weeks now, I'm so bummed! Today I'm heading back to the music, my all-time favorite, with the list of the musicians who have influenced most. These are the people I idolize more than politicians, more than historical figures, even more than church leaders. These are the people that have inspired me to dive into playing and creating music. These are the people I consider my greatest heroes. I've seen six of them perform live. I've met one. In the order I discovered them, as always:

• Scott Stapp (frontman for Creed)

• ***Michael Cretu (man behind Enigma)

• Moby

• Chris Wolstenholme (bassist for Muse)
  
  
  
• Matthew Bellamy (frontman/guitarist/pianist for Muse)

• Dominic Howard (drummer for Muse)
  
  
  
• Nikki Monniger (bassist for Silversun Pickups)
  
  
  


• Matisyahu
  
  


• Tom Shear (man behind Assemblage 23)
  
  
  
• Steven Wilson (frontman/guitarist of Porcupine Tree, Blackfield, and No-Man)
  
  



• Emily Haines (frontwoman for Metric)
  
  



• McKenzie Roberts (violist for Flobots)
  
  

• Kenny Choi (man behind Wolftron, Desperado Revenge, Camerafone, Des Rev, and Sorry About The Fire and frontman for Daphne Loves Derby)
  

• ***Leighton Antelman (frontman/guitarist for Lydia)
  
  



• AJ Perdomo (frontman/bassist of The Dangerous Summer and the only one I've met)
  
  
  
• Mindy White (backup vocalist/keyboardist for Lydia and frontwoman for States)

• "Ace" Enders (man behind I Can Make A Mess Like Nobody's Business and frontman of The Early November)