i still believe in summer days, the seasons always change, and life will find a way

"I mean, I didn't get the answer I wanted. But it didn't keep me from keeping on."
-Haylie Reinhardt, one of the Top-24 contestants on American Idol who was cut last season

They say that things just cannot grow
Beneath the winter snow
Or so I've been told ...
This is my winter song
December never felt so wrong
'Cause you're not where you belong ...
I still believe in summer days
The seasons always change
And life will find a way
-"Wintersong" by Sara Bareilles and Ingrid Michalson

"Have fables fallen so far out of fashion that the Princesses have to do everything themselves? Call us old school, but sometimes the Fairy Tale ending requires the Knight to get off his ass and saddle up his steed."
-from Gossip Girl (Episode 1.06, The Handmaiden's Tale)

"In the beginning, there was no baseball. But ever since, there have been few beginnings as good as the start of baseball season. It is the most splendid time in sport."
-written by B.J. Phillips, but read by Dan Dickerson over the radio to start the Tigers spring training home-opener

"I believe in the good ... I believe that believing we survive is what makes us survive."
-said by Izzie on Grey's Anatomy (Episode 3.16, Drowning on Dry Land)

"Every year has it's own story, it's own little twist to it."
-Brennan Boesch 

"It's less fatiguing if you stay balanced with your mind frame, and don't get too high or low, and that's definitely something I'm toying around with."
-Brennan Boesch 

"Pressure is relative. There's pressure on everyone here. Everyone has their own idea of what they want to accomplish, what they want to do."
-Brennan Boesch

Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise
Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these sunken eyes and learn to see
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to be free
-"Blackbird" by the Beatles

"I hope you end up caring about Bree as much as I do, though that's kind of a cruel wish. You know this: it doesn't end well for her. But at least you will know the whole story. And that no perspective is ever really trivial."
-Stephenie Meyer's introduction to The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner

hate to stare, but you're winning, and they're playing my favorite song

Today, I'm rolling out a new template. :) It's been about a year, so it seemed it was about time. 

It's like forgetting the words to your favorite song
You can't believe it, you were always singing along
It was so easy and the words so sweet
You can't remember, you try to feel the beat ...
You spend half your life trying to fall behind
You're using your headphones to drown out your mind
It was so easy and the words so sweet
You can't remember, you try to move your feet ...
-"Eet" by Regina Spektor

You are my sweetest downfall
I loved you first, I loved you first
Beneath the sheets of paper lies my truth
I have to go, I have to go ...
And the history books forgot about us,
And the Bible didn't mention us,
The Bible didn't mention us,
Not even once.
You are my sweetest downfall
I loved you first, I loved you first
-"Samson" by Regina Spektor

I don't want this moment to ever end
Where every thing's nothing without you
I wait here forever just to, to see you smile
'Cause it's true, I am nothing without you
Through it all, I've made my mistakes
I stumble and I fall, but I mean these words
I want you to know with everything I won't let this go
These words are my heart and soul
I'll hold on to this moment you know
As I bleed my heart out to show and I won't let go
Thoughts read unspoken and now
The pieces of memories fall to the ground
I know what I did and how so, I won't let this go
'Cause it's true, I am nothing without you
-"With Me" by Sum 41

People say I'm crazy and that I am blind
Risking it all in a glance
And how you got me blind is still a mystery
I can't get you out of my head
Don't care what is written in your history
As long as your here with me
-"As Long As You Love Me" by the Backstreet Boys

I see signs now all the time
That you're not dead, you're sleeping
I believe in anything
That brings you back to me
-"Signs" by Bloc Party

I'm in here, can anybody see me?
Can anybody help?
I'm in here, a prisoner of history
Can anybody help?
Can't you hear my call
Are you coming to get me now
I've been waiting for
You to come rescue me
I need you to hold
All of the sadness I cannot
Live with inside me
-"I'm in Here" by Sia

I don't speak
You don't know me at all
For fear of what you might do
I say nothing, but stare at you
And I'm dreaming,
I'm tripping over you
Truth be told, my problems solved
You mean the world to me, but you'll never know ...
Could it be you fell for me?
And any possible similarity
If it's so, how would I know?
You never knew me at all,
But I see you
-"I See You" by Mika

Hey over there,
Please forgive me
If I'm coming on too strong
Hate to stare
But you're winning
And they're playing my favorite song
So come here
Little closer
Wanna whisper in your ear
Make it clear
Little question
Wanna know just how you feel
If I said my heart was beating loud
If we could escape the crowd somehow
If I said I want your body now
Would you hold it against me? ...
Hey, you might think that I'm crazy
But you know I'm just your type
I might be a little hazy
But you just cannot deny it
There's a spark between us
-"Hold it Against Me" by Britney Spears

I know I can't take one more step toward you
Cause all that's waiting is regret
And don't you know I'm not your ghost anymore
You lost the love I loved the most
I learned to live half alive
And now you want me one more time
And who do you think you are
Running 'round leaving scars
Collecting your jar of hearts
And tearing love apart
You're gonna catch a cold from the ice inside your soul
So don't come back to me
Who do you think you are?
I hear you're asking all around
If I am anywhere to be found
But I have grown too strong
To ever fall back in your arms ...
Dear, it took so long just to feel alright
Remember how to put the light back in my eyes
I wish I had missed the first time that we kissed
'Cause you broke all your promises
And now you're back
You don't get to get me back
Who do you think you are?
-"Jar of Hearts" by Christina Perri

i still think them cats are crazy ...

Today's post is an ode to the Detroit Tigers and spring training ... I love some of the things these boys have to say. All of them are funny, and a few of them are quite well spoken, which is always impressive to me. I'm in their age bracket, and I'm trying to follow a lot of my dreams, too, and it isn't always easy. It's nice to hear what they have to say about life and about overcoming challenges.


I personally went through some tough stuff last summer, and corny though it may sound, watching the Tigers play every night and watching some of these guys -- many of whom are in their twenties, like me, and trying to reach their goals -- really inspired me. I'm sucker for well-spoken boys who use big words and can also be hilarious and sarcastic or who can master the art of dry-humor.  It seems like on the whole, they are some really great people, and their passion for Detroit and the fans is really honorable.

Guess who just got back today

Them wild-eyed boys that have been away

Haven't changed, haven't much to say

But man, I still think them cats are crazy ...

And if the boys want to fight, you'd better let them

That jukebox in the corner blasting out my favorite song
The nights are getting warmer, it won't be long
Won't be long till summer comes
Now that the boys are here again

-"The Boys are Back in Town" by Thin Lizzy

The following quotes are from the TigerFest fan press conferences ... And let me just tell you these boys are funny! ...

Austin Jackson: "Hopefully, we'll bring a world series back to Detroit."

Phil Coke: "Hey Jack ... hopefully?"

Austin Jackson: "Okay, we will bring a World Series back."

Phil Coke: “Sorry I’m late. I was actually downstairs, asking the manager of the team store how come I didn’t have any shirts yet … (imitating her) ‘Well, we have to be guaranteed that there’s gonna be 250 sold.’ I was like ‘Yea, well that’s great. I’d take 150 myself.”

Mario Impemba: “You do know they can hear this in the team store.”

Phil Coke: “I knooooooow! I was just there. Hi guys! But I mean, seriously, Sizemore’s got a shirt down there!

Scott Sizemore (sitting a few seats away from him): Thanks Coke.

Phil Coke: “No, no, no. I didn’t mean it in a bad way. He’s on TV more than I am. And then Jackson … he’s got his own little figurine already, and a bunch of shirts.”

Rod Allen: “What in the world are you gonna do with yourself in between starts this year? You’ve been in the bullpen for a couple of years now. Now, I know you started in the minor leagues, but you’re gonna be a starting pitcher this year. What are you gonna do the four days you’re not pitching?”

Mario Impemba: “Drive people nuts.”

Phil Coke: “Y’all better make sure I’m locked up or something. ‘Cause I’m gonna be running around … I might come to the field with some pom-poms or something. ‘Let’s go guys!’”

Mario Impemba: “It looks like you’ve lost a little weight. Have you lost a little weight?”

Phil Coke: “Are you calling me fat before?”

Rod Allen (on Phil Coke): “Is this about over with?”

Mario Impemba: “Dude, we got like five more minutes with him up here.”

Fan (to Austin Jackson): “It’s famous for rookies to have practical jokes played upon. Is anything you’d like to share?”

Austin Jackson: “Umm … (looks over to Phil Coke) Don’t show nobody those pictures, man. Who was I? I was Tina Turner this year. Yea, the dressing up at the end of the year was pretty interesting for us rookies. Yea, I was Tina Turner.”

Mario Impemba: “Scott, what were you?”

Scott Sizemore: “I was like a female bomber. Like a jet fighter or something.”

Mario Impemba: “Phil, what were you?”

Phil Coke: “I didn’t do it man. With the Yankees, I was like a maid from the hotel. No, literally from the hotel. We were at the Ritz in Boston and they had to take one of their uniforms and mutilate it.”

Phil Coke: "Did you just say my name was Kook? It's just like the soda, man."

Jim Leyland: "Will the real Brennan Boesch please stand up? You know, first half, second half?"

 

Mario Impemba: "Phil’s a different bird. We learned that about an hour ago."

Victor Martinez: "I knew that this was a place that was going to give me a great chance to win a World Series. And uh, I didn't much time talking with my wife and the rest of my family. We made a pretty quick decision. This is a great team, you know, it has a great young talented players, you know some veteran players, I just can't wait. I'm like a little kid with a new toy."

Justin Verlander: "This is a constant game of adjustments, and I feel like there's definitely some areas I can improve, first and foremost would be the month of April for me. (Crowd laughs.) I feel like the last couple of years -- (Crowd is still laughing.) That wasn't supposed to be funny."

Phil Coke: "Nobody thought I was going to be very effective as a bullpen guy. They were like 'Oh, he's starter he's not going to be able to do this. You know, we don't need to worry about this guy.' Well, I think I kinda proved that maybe you should think about, that you should worry about me. Well now, they're putting me in the rotation -- so, heads up. I'm very, very excited about this coming year. I mean talking about it, I'm getting the chills right now."
Obsevation: Phil Coke could have a career in stand-up if he wanted it ...  

Brandon Inge: "I've been here my whole career. I really don't know any other organization. I never really had a want to know another organization. I love the fans, I love the area. Another big thing was my kids are starting school here, and no matter what team I was going to be on, if I was possibly going to go to another one, I would still be living here in Michigan no matter what."

Brennan Boesch: “Yea, I think a lot of people would probably look at pitching as something that might’ve slowed me down. But I have to tell you that in the first half, you know, they wanted to get me out just as bad as they did in the second half, I can assure you. The difference really, is in the first half, we were a first place team. We were a great team, we had a lineup that was really formidable, and I was just a guy trying to fill in and do my best to stay in the major leagues.”

Brennan Boesch: “The biggest adjustment for me was really a mental adjustment, of not putting too much pressure on myself. I love the city of Detroit, I really do. It’s welcomed me. It’s really made me feel a part of the community from day one, and so when we started to lose, that was really hard on me as a rookie. You know, I want to do my best, and I felt that when I didn’t produce that I was letting the team down, letting the city down. I mean it really was something that took some growing to figure out that you know, it’s not all on my shoulders; it’s not on one player’s shoulders, it’s a whole team collectively. So, it’s a learning process, and I’m just excited this year to just try to do my job and not try to do too much.”

Brennan Boesch (on his first homeruns): “The first one happened so quick, I ran around the bases, it was over before I knew it. So, you know the second one though, I trotted around, I think Rod said I was ‘cruisin,’’ you know, and uh, the coaching staff told me ‘Hey, I know you’re in the big leagues, you do what you want, but I don’t know if you want to have that reputation of somebody who just jogs around nice and slow, this quick.’ … But I had to take that second one in, especially since it was at Target Field again the hated Twins.”

Fan: “What does Dave Dombrowski think of Phil Coke playing with chainsaws?”

Brennan Boesch: “I grew up by the water, I love everything about the ocean. I like lakes, too. I’ve been surfing, kayaking, doing all that stuff my whole life. Hopefully Dombrowski’s not around; no surfing’s allowed, but it’s not as bad as chainsaws, so I guess I’ll be all right.”

Brennan Boesch: “I don’t want to pick some obscure song, that you guys are like, ‘What is this?’”

Max Scherzer: “Nothing from Titanic?”

Brennan Boesch: “No.”

Fan: “I’m reading a book right now that gets into rookie hazing and all of that going on. And people being made to wear dresses and carry on pink back packs and all this stuff. You came up and within like three days, you’re out there fist-bumping with Miguel Cabrera after getting back-to-back homeruns; you’re like knocking down the 420’-wall and stuff. Does that preclude you from a lot of the rookie hazing that like, Rhymes or somebody may have gotten?”

Max Scherzer (interrupting): “No.”

Brennan Boesch: “I mean—”

Max Scherzer: “No.”

Brennan Boesch: “The funny thing is, you’ve got guys like Scherzer who think they’ve been in the big leagues for fifteen years. You know what I’m saying? This guy’s got what, I don’t even know, three years of service time, and he acts like he’s in the hall of fame already.”

Max Scherzer: “He’s got jokes, he’s got jokes.”

Brennan Boesch: “They’re laughing, they’re laughing. You know, it is what it is. I will say that you know, having success actually probably brings it more, honestly. I think it’s a veteran’s job to make sure that new guys don’t feel like this game’s gonna be too easy or to take anything for granted. So it’s part of baseball, it’s part of everything. It’s all in good fun and it’s never meant to be something that’s degrading or to put you down. It’s a team thing, and we’re all here pulling on the same rope.”

Brennan Boesch: “You don’t have to get better. You just have to get back to you. Get back to what you did, and what makes you, you. And so for me it wasn’t about changing or reinventing anything, it was really about doing what got me there.”

Brennan Boesch: “It seemed like five minutes later I was in the batter’s box for my first at bat.”

Mario Impemba: “Doubling off Rich Harden, by the way.”

Brennan Boesch (jokingly): “My bad.”

Rod Allen: “First swing.”

Mario Impemba (reading a fan’s Twitter question): “Brennan, are the rumors true that you do not own a TV?”

Brennan Boesch: “Oh yea, that’s funny. You know what? Maybe I’ll go back to that. The first half of the season, I didn’t have a TV in my place and did pretty good.”

Max Scherzer: “How did you live without a TV? How?”

Brennan Boesch: “I mean, I went to Berkley, man. I’m kind of a hippie. You know what I’m saying? I like music more than TV.”

(A few seconds after his further explanation …)

Max Scherzer: “Were you playing Solitaire? Or Free Cell? Which one?”

Mario Impemba: “Brennan’s still using a typewriter, too.”

 

"I can't remember anybody breaking in with more of a bang than that for a short period of time -- I mean anybody, over my years of baseball."

-Jim Leyland on Brennan Boesch

"It's been a great off-season. But off-season is exactly that. You can build and make little changes in your game, or whatever you want to call it. But the preparation for the season really starts now, getting in baseball shape. ... This is where you really prepare. This is fun."

-Brennan Boesch

I've posted this one before, but I'm posting it again ...

"People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring."

-Roger Hornsby

And, because I'm starting to get excited for Stanley Cup hockey, here's some hockey love:

Oh, take me where the hockey players
Face-off down the rink;
And the Stanley Cup is all filled up,
For the champs who win the drink.
Now the final flick of the hockey stick,
And it's one gigantic scream:
"THE PUCK IS IN!"
The home team wins the good old hockey game!
Oh, the good old hockey game,
Is the best game you can name;
And the best game you can name,
Is the good old hockey game!

39 days 'til the first regular season game, Tigers v. Yankees ... I can't wait! :) Here's to the boys of summer ...

your birthday passed and I didn't call ...

Lots of new quotes this post as I have finally gotten caught up on more than a year's worth of Grey's Anatomy and there has been a ton of great new music out lately. A new musical love of mine is The Pierces. And regardless of whether or not you love or hate American Idol, you simply cannot miss looking at my last quote, which is quite possibly the most epic-fail in terms of forgotten words ever during Hollywood week. It made my night. :)

We'd be so much less fragile
If we're made of metal
And our hearts from iron
And our minds from steel ...
And you want three wishes
One to fly the heavens
One to swim like fishes
And then one you're saving for a rainy day
If your lover ever takes her love away
You say you want to know her like a lover
And undo her damage, she'll be new again
Soon you'll find that if you try to save her
It renews her angers
You will never win ...
You want one true lover with a thousand kisses
You want soft and gentle and never vicious
-"Three Wishes" by The Pierces

Got a secret
Can you keep it?
Swear this one you'll save
Better lock it in your pocket
Taking this one to the grave
If I show you, then I know you
Won't tell what I said
Cause two can keep a secret if one of them is dead
Why do you smile
Like you have told a secret
Now you're telling lies
Cause you're the one to keep it
But no one keeps a secret
No one keeps a secret
Why when do our darkest deeds
Do we tell?
They burn in our brains
Become a living hell
Cause everyone tells
Everyone tells
-"Secret" by The Pierces

These days, I haven't been sleeping
Staying up, playing back myself leaving
When your birthday passed and I didn't call
Then I think about summer, all the beautiful times
I watched you laughing from the passenger side
And I realized I loved you in the fall
-"Back to December" by Taylor Swift

"Once upon a time, happily ever after. The stories we tell ourselves are the stuff of dreams. Fairy tells don't come true. Reality is much stormier. Much murkier. Much scarier. Reality is so much more interesting than living happily ever after."
-Meredith's voiceover from Grey's Anatomy (Episodes 5.1-5.2, Dream a Little Dream of Me)

"Bones break. Organs burst. Flesh tears. We can sew the flesh, repair the damage, ease the pain. But when life breaks down, when we break down, there's no science. No hard and fast rules. We just have to feel our way through."
-Meredith's voiceover from Grey's Anatomy (Episode 5.3, Here Comes the Flood)

"People are terrible to the people they love sometimes. They're mean. You were both having a hard time and you took it out on each other. It doesn't make you the worst wife in the world. It just makes you a person who made a mistake."
-said by Izzie on Grey's Anatomy (Episode 5.4, Brave New World)

"Slow rides make for boring stories. A little calamity -- now that's worth talking about."
-Meredith's voiceover from Grey's Anatomy (Episode 5.4, Brave New World)

"The ties that bind us are sometimes impossible to explain. They connect us even after it seems like the ties should be broken. Some bonds defy distance and time and logic. Because some ties are simply meant to be."
-Meredith's voiceover from Grey's Anatomy (Episode 5.8, The Ties That Bind)

"We don't wish for the easy stuff. We wish for big things. things that are ambitious, out of reach. We wish because we need help and we're scared and we know we may be asking too much. We still wish, though, because sometimes, they come true."
-Meredith's voiceover from Grey's Anatomy (Episode 5.11, Wish You Were Here)

"The snap judgments, the ones that come to us quickly and easy without hesitation, they're the ones that haunt us forever."
-Meredith's voiceover from Grey's Anatomy (Episode 5.12, Sympathy for the Devil)

Addison: "Do you really believe in all this? In God?
Callie: "Sometimes. Most of the time. When it counts."
-from Grey's Anatomy (Episode 5.15, Before and After)

"And the only way to get rid of a shadow is to turn off the lights, to stop running from the darkness and face what you fear, head on."
-Meredith's voiceover from Grey's Anatomy (Episode 5.17, I Will Follow You Into the Dark)

"Doesn't matter how tough we are, trauma always leaves a scar. It follows us home, it changes our lives. Trauma messes everybody up. But maybe that's the point -- all the pain and the fear and the crap, maybe going through all of that is what keeps us moving forward. It's what pushes us. Maybe we have to get a little messed up before we can step up."
-Alex's voiceover from Grey's Anatomy (Episode 5.19, Elevator Love Letter)

"We can't undo our mistakes, and we rarely forgive ourselves for them ... But as human beings, we can always try to do better, to be better, to re-write a wrong even if it feels irreversible. Of course, 'I'm sorry' doesn't always cut it. Maybe because we use it so many different ways -- as a weapon, as an excuse. But when we are really sorry, when we use it right, when we mean it, when actions say what words never can; when we get it right, 'I'm sorry,' is perfect. When we get it right, 'I'm sorry,' is redemption."
-Meredith's voiceover from Grey's Anatomy (Episode 5.21, No Good at Saying Sorry [One More Chance])

"When something begins, you generally have no idea how it's going to end. The house you're going to sell becomes your home, the roommates you were forced to take in become your family and the one night stand you were determined to forget becomes the love of your life. ... We spent our whole lives worrying about the future, planning for the future, trying to predict the future, as if figuring it our will cushion the blow. But the future is always changing. The future is the home of our deepest fears and wildest hopes. But one thing is certain when it finally reveals itself: The future is never the way we imagined it."
-Meredith's voiceover from Grey's Anatomy (Episode 5.23, Here's to the Future)

"At some point you start to realize your life is happening now ... This is it. It's here. Blink and you'll miss it."
-Meredith's voiceover from Grey's Anatomy (Episode 5.24, Now or Never)

"According to Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, when we're dying or have suffered catastrophic loss, we all move through five distinct stages of grief. We go into denial because the loss is so unthinkable we can't imagine it's true. We become angry with everyone, angry with survivors, angry with ourselves. Then, we bargain. We beg, we plead. We offer everything we have, we offer our souls in exchange for just oen more day. When the bargaining has failed and the anger is too hard to maintain, we fall into depression, despair, until finally we have to accept that we've done everything we can. We let go. We let go and move into acceptance."
-Meredith's voiceover from Grey's Anatomy (Episode 6.1, Good Mourning)

"We're all susceptible to it, the dread and anxiety of not knowing what's coming. It's pointless in the end, because all the worrying and making of plans for things that could or could not happen, it only makes things worse. So walk your dog or take a nap. Just whatever you do, stop worrying. Because the only cure for paranoia is to be here, just as you are."
-Meredith's voiceover from Grey's Anatomy (Episode 6.3, I Always Feel Like Somebody's Watchin' Me)

"We run like hell from our promises, hoping they'll be forgotten. But sooner or later, they always catch up. And sometimes, you find the obligation you dread the most isn't worth running from at all."
-Meredith's voiceover from Grey's Anatomy (Episode 6.4, Tainted Obligation)

"When we're headed toward an outcome that's too horrible to face, that's when we go looking for a second opinion. And sometimes, the answer we get just confirms our worst fears. But sometimes, it can shed new light on the problem, make you see it in a whole new way. After all the opinions have been heard and every point of view has been considered, you finally find what you're after -- the truth. But the truth isn't where it ends, that's just where you begin again with a whole new set of questions."
-Meredith's voiceover from Grey's Anatomy (Episode 6.6, I Saw What I Saw)

"They say the bigger your investment, the bigger your return. But you have to be willing to take a chance. You have to understand, you might lose it all. But if you take that chance, if you invest wisely, the payoff might just surprise you."
-Meredith's voiceover from Grey's Anatomy (Episode 6.8, Invest in Love)

"Stand still for a second and you'll be left behind. But as hard as we try to move forward, as tempting as it is to never look back, the past always comes back to bite us in the ass. And as history shows us again and again, those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it. ... Sometimes the past is something you can't let go of. And sometimes the past is something we'll do anything to forget. And sometimes, we learn something new about the past that changes everything we know about the present."
-Meredith's voiceover from Grey's Anatomy (Episode 6.9, New History)

"In surgery, the healing process begins with a cut, an incision, the tearing of flesh. We have to damage healthy flesh in order to expose the unhealthy. It feels cruel and against common sense, but it works. You risk exposure for the sake of healing, and when it's over, once the incision has been closed, you wait. You wait and hope ... that you haven't, in fact, just made everything worse."
-Meredith's voiceover from Grey's Anatomy (Episode 6.12, I Like You So Much Better When You're Naked)

Cristina: "He took something from me. He took little pieces of me, little pieces over time, so small I didn't even notice, you know? He wanted me to be something that I wasn't, and I made myself into what he wanted. One day, I was me ... and then suddenly, I was lying for him, and jeopardizing my career ... And even then, I would've married him. I would have. I lost myself for a long time."
-from Grey's Anatomy (Episode 6.13, State of Love and Trust)

Cristina: "It is not difficult, sir. It is simple. [He] is not here. He's gone and he's all the better for it ... That is not difficult. He's out there and I'm here where everything is the same ... It is not difficult. This is where I chose to be. But, sir ... I kept his secrets, I nursed his pride. You know it and I know it, and he knows it. He knows it ... I am the unseen hand to his brilliance. ... And yet while everything is the same, it is very, very different. ... I was his hand, and now I'm a ghost. That is not difficult. It's unbearable. Everybody is proud of him, but I'm not. And I do not wish him well."
-from Grey's Anatomy (Episode 4.14, The Becoming)

"We have to keep reinventing ourselves almost every minute because the world can change in an instant, and there's no time for looking back. Sometimes, the changes are forced on us, sometimes they happen by accident, and we make the most of them. We have to constantly come up with new ways to fix ourselves. So we change, we adapt, we create new versions of ourselves. We just need to be sure that this one is an improvement over the last."
-Meredith's voiceover from Grey's Anatomy (Episode 6.14, Valentine's Day Massacre)

"It's hard for us to accept that it's not always the hard work or attention to detail that will get us the answers we are looking for. Sometimes, we just have to sit back, relax and wait for the happy accident."
-Meredith's voiceover from Grey's Anatomy (Episode 6.16, Perfect Little Accident)

"No matter how many plans we make or steps we follow, we never know how our day is going to end up. We'd prefer to know, of course, what curve-balls will be thrown our way. It's the accidents that always turn out to be the most interesting parts of our day: the people we never expected to show up, a turn of events we never would have chosen for ourselves. All of a sudden you find yourself somewhere you never expected to be and its nice, or it takes some getting used to. Still, maybe you'll find yourself appreciating it somewhere down the line. So you go to sleep each night thinking about tomorrow, going over your plans, preparing for them, and hoping that whatever accidents come your way will be happy ones."
-Meredith's voiceover from Grey's Anatomy (Episode 6.16, Perfect Little Accident)

"It doesn't matter how much we achieve. If you're a climber, there's always another mountain."
-Meredith's voiceover from Grey's Anatomy (Episode 6.17, Push)

"They take pictures of mountain climbers at the top of a mountain. They're smiling, ecstatic, triumphant. They don't take pictures along the way, 'cause who wants to remember the rest of it. We push ourselves because have to, not because we like it. The relentless climb, the pain and anguish of taking it to the next level. Nobody takes pictures of that. Nobody wants to remember. We wanna remember the view from the top. The breathtaking moment at the edge of the world. That's what keeps us climbing. And it's worth the pain. That's the crazy part -- it's worth anything."
-Meredith's voiceover from Grey's Anatomy (Episode 6.17, Push)

"It's hard to shake that feeling that you could have done more."
-Owen's voiceover from Grey's Anatomy (Episode 6.18, Suicide is Painless)

"Psychologists believe that every aspect of our lives, all our thought processes and behavior patterns are a direct result of our relationship to our parents. That every relationship that we have is really just another version of that first relationship. It's just us trying over and over again to get it right."
-Meredith's voiceover from Grey's Anatomy (Episode 6.19, Sympathy for the Parents)

"No matter how thick-skinned we try to be, there's millions of electrifying nerve endings in there. Open and exposed and feeling way too much. Try as we might from feeling pain, sometimes, it's just unavoidable. Sometimes, that's the only thing left: just feeling."
-Meredith's voiceover from Grey's Anatomy (Episode 6.21, How Insensitive)

"It's common belief that positive thinking leads to a happier, healthier life. As children, we are told to smile, be cheerful, and put on a happy face. As adults, we are told to look on the bright side, to make lemonade and see glasses as half-full. Sometimes, reality can get in the way of our ability to act the happy part, though. Your health can fail. Boyfriends can cheat, friends can disappoint. It's in these moments, when you just want to get real, drop the act, and be your true, scared, unhappy-self."
-Meredith's voiceover from Grey's Anatomy (Episode 6.22, Shiny Happy People)

"Ask most people what they want out of life and the answer is simple -- to be happy. Maybe it's this expectation though of wanting to be happy that just keeps us from ever getting there. Maybe the more we try to will ourselves to states of bliss, the more confused we get, to the point where we don't recognize ourselves. Instead, we just keep smiling, trying to be the happy people we wish we were, until it hits us -- it's been there all along. Not in our dreams or our hopes but in the known, the comfortable, the familiar."
-Meredith's voiceover from Grey's Anatomy (Episode 6.22, Shiny Happy People)

Arizona: "Do not alarm the makers of the tiny humans. They will eat you alive."
-from Grey's Anatomy (Episode 6.23, Sanctuary)

Derek: "Please look at me in the eye. I'm a human being. I make mistakes. I'm flawed. We all are."
-from Grey's Anatomy (Episode 6.23, Sanctuary)

"The human life is made up of choices. Yes or no. In or out. Up or down. And then there are the choices that matter. Love or hate. To be a hero or a coward. To fight or to give in. To live. Or die. Live or die. That's the important choice. And it's not always in our hands. ... Yes or no. In or out. Up or down. Live or die. Hero or coward. Fight or give in. I'll say it again to make sure you hear me. The human life is made up of choice. Live or die. That's the most important choice. And it's not always in our hands."
-Derek's voiceover from Grey's Anatomy (Episode 6.24, Death and All His Friends)

Richard: "I've lived. I've really, really lived. I've failed. I've been devastated. I've been broken. I've gone to hell and back. I've also known joy. And passion. And I've had a great love."
-from Grey's Anatomy (Episode 6.24, Death and All His Friends)

"Every cell in the human body regenerates on average every seven years. Like snakes in our own way, we shed our skin. Biologically we are brand new people. We may look the same, we probably do. The change isn't visible, at least in most of us, but we are all changed. Completely. Forever."
-Meredith's voiceover from Grey's Anatomy (Episode 7.1, With You I'm Born Again)

"When we say things like 'people don't change, ' it drives scientists crazy, because change is literally the only constant in all of science. Energy. Matter. It's always changing, morphing, merging, growing, dying. It's the way people try not to change that's unnatural. The way we cling to what things were instead of letting things be what they are. The way we cling to old memories instead of forming new ones. The way we insist on believing, despite every scientific indication, that anything in this lifetime is permanent. Change is constant. How we experience that change -- that's up to us. It can feel like death or it can feel like a second chance at life. If we open our fingers, loosen our grips, go with it, it can feel like pure adrenaline. Like at any moment, we can have another chance at life. Like at any moment, we can be born all over agian."
-Meredith's voiceover from Grey's Anatomy (Episode 7.1, With You I'm Born Again)

"Lightning doesn't often strike twice. It's a once in a lifetime thing. Even if it feels like the shock is coming over and over again. Eventually, the pain will go away, the shock will wear off. And you start to heal yourself. To recover from something you never saw coming. But sometimes, the odds are in your favor. If you're in just the right place at just the right time, you can take a helluva hit, and still have a shot at surviving."
-Meredith's voiceover from Grey's Anatomy (Episode 7.2, Shock to the System)

"Nobody chooses to be a freak. Most people don't even realize they're a freak until it's too late to change it. But no matter how much of a freak you end up being, chances are there's still someone out there for you. Unless of course they've already moved on. Because when it comes to love, even freaks can't wait forever."
-Meredith's voiceover from Grey's Anatomy (Episode 7.3, Superfreak)

"Biology says that we are who we are from birth. That our DNA is set in stone. Unchangeable. Our DNA doesn't account for all of us though. Life changes us. We develop new trades. Become less territorial. We stop competing. We learn from our mistakes. We face our greatest fears. For better or worse. We find ways to change our biology. The risk, of course, is that we can change too much, to the point we don't even recognize ourselves. Finding a way back can be difficult. There is no compass, no map. We just have to close our eyes, take a step, and hope to God we'll get there."
-Meredith's voiceover from Grey's Anatomy (Episode 7.4, Can't Fight Biology)

Derek: "Breakthroughs happen because someone is scared to death to stop trying."
-from Grey's Anatomy (Episode 7.5, Almost Grown)

"We all want to grow up. We're desperate to get there. To grab all the opportunities we can, to live. We're so busy trying to get out of that nest, we don't think about the fact that it's going to be cold out there. Really freakin' cold. Because growing up sometimes means leaving people behind. And by the time we stand on our own two feet, we're standing their alone."
-Meredith's voiceover from Grey's Anatomy (Episode 7.5, Almost Grown)

Cristina: "Well, we went through the scariest thing a person can go through, and we survived. So now everyday's just a gift. And now we're all blessed. Blessed to be here."
-from Grey's Anatomy (Episode 7.6, These Arms of Mine)

"We're all looking for answers in medicine, in life, in everything. Sometimes, the answers we're looking for have been hiding just below the surface Other times, we find answers when we didn't even realize we were asking the question. Sometimes, the answers can catch us completely by surprise. And sometimes, even when we find the answer we've been looking for, we're still left with a whole hell of a lot of questions."
-Meredith's voiceover from Grey's Anatomy (Episode 7.7, That's Me Trying)

"Every pressurized system needs a relief valve. There has to be a way to reduce the stress, the tension, before it becomes too much to bear. There has to be a way to find relief because if the pressure doesn't fidn a way out, it'll make one. It will explode. It's the pressure we put on ourselves that's the hardest to bear. The pressure to be better than we are. The pressure to be better than we think we can be. It never, ever lets up. It just builds and builds and builds.
-Meredith's voiceover from Grey's Anatomy (Episode 7.8, Something's Gotta Give)

"Under the cover of darkness, people do things they'd never do under the harsh glare of day. Decisions feel wiser, people feel bolder. But when the sun rises, you have to take responsibility for what you did in the dark and face yourself under the cold, harsh light of day."
-Meredith's voiceover from Grey's Anatomy (Episode 7.9, Slow Night, So Long)

"The goal of any surgery is total recovery, to come out better than you were before. Some patients heal quickly and feel immediate relief. For others, the healing happens gradually, and it's not until months or even years that you realize you don't hurt anymore. So the challenge after any surgery is to be patient. But if you can make it through the first weeks and months, if you believe that healing is possible, then you can get your life back. But that's a big if."
-Meredith's voiceover from Grey's Anatomy (Episode 7.10, Adrift and at Peace)

"People are really romantic about the beginnings of things. Fresh start, clean slate, a world of possibility. But no matter what new adventure you're embarking on, you're still you. You bring you into every new beginning in your life. So how different can it possibly be?"
-Meredith's voiceover from Grey's Anatomy (Episode 7.12, Start Me Up)

"The worst deception we practice is on ourselves. Which is why sometimes, it takes us awhile to realize that the truth has been in front of us the whole time."
-Meredith's voiceover from Grey's Anatomy (Episode 7.13, Don't Deceive Me [Please Don't Go])

American Idol contestants have long forgot the words to their songs. However, last night's version of "I Hope You Dance," originally a Lee Ann Womack song that was sung by Scotty McCreery on Thursday night really takes the cake ...
  
I said this zone zoo talk and nuts of wonder. 
Nang da wonger un your jeans 
Your fighting chance.
-Scott McCreery's version of "I Hope You Dance" on American Idol