I'm taking each day and night at a time...

Do you ever feel like no matter what you did, no matter what you said,
no matter how hard you tried, nothing ever seems to work out right for you?
Do you ever feel like your get up and and go has got up and went?
Yeah, I do too. I feel like that sometimes, it's true.
But when I feel like that, I say, self, you gotta just dust yourself off.
And I say, self, you gotta put on the gloves, jump in the ring, and go in there for one more fight.
And I say, self, we ain't gonna back down this time, ain't nobody gonna come and throw in the towel this time, ain't nobody gonna tell me they're gonna save my ass this time - no!

Jon spoke those words during the ad-lib segment in Someday I'll Be Saturday Night at a performance in Osaka, Japan several years ago. I remember coming across the MP3 and literally being moved to tears at his little speech: the one thing that remains so strongly embedded in my heart with this band is their uncanny way to lift my spirits no matter WHAT happens to me. Their inexplicable comfort in the direst of times has been my saving grace, their very understanding of being human provides an instant friend. Someone who can relate to you. Someone who is, more or less, going through the same thing as you. Sometimes just knowing you're not alone can work wonders.

I've posted before that I've had an immensely rough year since moving away from home, and I don't want to turn this into another sappy sob story. I recently got to go home for spring break, got to spend time with the people I love more than life itself - my family, my friends, my wonderful boyfriend. And I had a beautiful birthday celebration, traveling and sightseeing and enjoying the sunshine. I was lucky, blessed, spoiled, and so grateful for the fun. The good times after so many bad. The "light" after a rather dark period. And I did NOT want to go back to reality - work, school, and this godforsaken town where I do both - and leave my beloved home. But I knew I had to. Life is not about fun, it's not about pleasure and no work. I had to be strong.

But the last two days since coming back have been a nightmare. Aside from the heavy heart, the sorrow after saying goodbye to those I love again, the reluctance at just being back here, I had to endure several things happening at once that just kicked me to the curb again. I won't go into too much detail here, but I was involved in an accident yesterday that shook my nerves to the core (physically, I'm okay, but the legal process following it is beyond taxing), my boyfriend was sent off to Shanghai literally the day he got back home from his trip here (which means no communication whatsoever for 2-3 weeks, making a long-distance relationship about 100x harder), my school's admissions department is ONCE AGAIN screwing me over in terms of units and a timely graduation next May...it just never ends.

So, naturally, I've been slugging around the place in a funk - heart even heavier, mind foggy and depressed, moody and tired, withdrawn, and nerves rattled so that all I want is a quiet beach in the corner of the world where no one can find me.

Then this song came on my iTunes. And the shell I had retreated into, the selfish, self-enclosed funk I had fallen into, both opened up a bit.

Do you ever feel like no matter what you did, no matter what you said, no matter how hard you tried, nothing ever seems to work out right for you?

Martyr-ish, yes. But damn it, it's human. And Jon gets it. He understands. And I started to cry uncontrollably, just because it meant so much to, in essence, not be alone anymore. I felt instantly comforted, instantly befriended. Someone else was sharing that shell, huddled and homesick and feeling sorry for themselves but trying to find the strength to be happy and stand up and say, "World, here I come!"

I know I'll find that strength, but sometimes I wonder when. I know every experience is a trying one, an opportunity to build that strength up. I know. But when you're weary and tired, and so far from every source of support you've always counted on, alone and scared and facing alien territory completely unarmed, it's damn hard.

But this band - and their music - has always been there for me. They may not be my sword in the battle, they may not be my sideline spectators, but they're the invisible friends on my shoulder in the battle ring, ever-constant sources of support and comfort. Just because they're there, and they understand.

Sometimes, that's all you need to find the strength you're looking for.

While we wait: JBJ on "The Circle"

So I'm sitting here like a naked man on ice, hopping up and down in anticipation of the new Backstage launch and the friggin emails with the new password that have YET TO BE DELIVERED.

Yes, I found the new site and the new forum - and I probably wasn't supposed to yet. LOL. Backstage is probably pissed at me for leaking the URLs all over the place.

MWA-HAHAHA!

And while waiting, I came across this post on the current/soon-to-be-old Backstage forum: a review posted on Amazon.com with some insight from Jon himself.

Thought you might find it interesting - I certainly did.

Enjoy. :)

"It's an interesting question to ask: Is that a fair dose of motivation or is that a chip on your shoulder?"

Jon Bon Jovi posed that question to himself, and it's worth pondering. You might think that a man whose band has sold more than 120 million records and played before tens of millions of fans in the course of an illustrious 26-year career would be content to rest on his considerable laurels, at least for a while. You might think that, but you'd be wrong, and the new Bon Jovi album, The Circle, provides irrefutable proof. As its title suggests, The Circle marks a powerful reassertion of Bon Jovi's commitment to the hard-hitting, uplifting rock & roll that has been the band's indelible signature since it began. The band share an abiding bond that informs and defines their music. It is a circle that remains unbroken.

"The album title," Bon Jovi explains, "has several meanings. Some may say that with this album we have come full circle. Others may see the circle as never ending. I see it as very hard to get in to and even harder to get out of," the singer says with a laugh.

Having had 5 studio records in this decade, there are songs on each record that represent the world around us. And while they don't always like what they see, they try hard not to see the cup as half empty. From the new single "We Weren't Born To Follow" to the powerful "When We Were Beautiful," the songs are as uplifting and anthemic as anything Bon Jovi and Sambora have ever written.

Another reason for the anthemic sound of The Circle is the re-emergence of Richie Sambora.

"This is meant to be a stadium, turn-the-guitars-back-up record, and that's a testament to having Richie at my side," Jon says. "I can't tell you how much that's meant. With me and Richie, one and one makes three.

That flame burns at the heart of The Circle. "When We Were Beautiful" shares its title with the superb Bon Jovi documentary by filmmaker Phil Griffin. Like the film, the song is atmospheric and haunting. It opens with a sense of crisis: "The world is cracked/The sky is torn." Jon Bon Jovi hears the song as a true departure for the band.

"That's a unique song," he says, "We've written hits, but this is something more, this is something different. I didn't want to sugarcoat things. Those lyrics are factual. As a country and as people, we hit a wall. But the idea is to try to get back to `when we were beautiful.'"

The new studio album, The Circle, was produced by John Shanks, who also worked with the band on the two preceding Bon Jovi albums, Lost Highway (2007) and Have a Nice Day (2005). The album has an underlying positive theme that is apparent throughout the songs. Whether it's questioning your vitality in "Fast Cars," or asking what the future holds in "Work for the Working Man," the songs are about the prospect of people having to find new directions in their lives. In these trying times every word relays the truth.

So The Circle, then, like all of Bon Jovi's best music, stares down the troubles that afflict our lives, and offers a bracing vision for overcoming those obstacles. It's stirring, and it's an emotion that, strong as the album is, will find its most convincing expression on the concert stage. And this is why Bon Jovi have managed to play over 2600 concerts to over 34 million fans in over 50 countries.

"I can't believe I'm even saying this, but I can't wait to go on the road again," Jon Bon Jovi exclaims.

"Do you ever feel like..."

For those of you who know Jen (Big Apple Jovi Girl), she posted this on her site first. And she was the one who found the media and highlighted it - so I'm really stealing her post here. lol. But I just had to share because I was so incredibly inspired by what she posted...

So one of my favorite Jovi songs ever is Someday I'll Be Saturday Night. There's just something about the feel-good, scream-out-loud, exhilaration of I CAN DO IT that always gets my blood pumping and my heart squeezing.

Well, I have about 13 versions (just counted! LOL) of this song in my music folder, but the one Jen posted was new to me. Live from Osaka, Japan in....no idea what year....Jon gives his famous little monologue between choruses. And it is the most inspiring and motivating one I have ever heard.

As I posted on her site - it was like he was speaking right to me. Like he knew what I've been going through and struggling with in life, like he knew that I have been worn thin and tired of being strong...like he was helping me, in his own uncanny special way. The way only he can. 

Give it a listen. And pay attention to his words, starting around 3:59ish. I've posted the youtube video (which is just a slideshow of pics set to the song) that Jen posted, as well as the audio version for you...and the words to Jon's monologue. 

Enjoy.



Do you ever feel like no matter what you did, no matter what you said, no matter how hard you try, nothing ever seems to work out right for you? Do you ever feel like your get up and go has got up and went?

Yeah, me too. I feel like that sometimes. It's true.

But when I do, I say, "Self, you've gotta just dust yourself off.  And I say, self, you've gotta put on the gloves, jump in the ring, and go in there for one more fight.  And I say self, we ain't gonna back down this time! Ain't nobody's gonna come and throw the towel in this time! Ain't nobody's gonna tell me that they's gonna save my ass this time! NO!