I've Been Missing Prince William and Princess Kate

I felt so fancy typing that title. And, even though Kate isn't officially a princess yet, I'm calling her that anyway.
Anywhoo, I've missed hearing the news of every little thing that do (who hasn't?), so I decided to catch up on their exciting lives.

Here's what I missed...
They're in Canada! And they planted a tree that will live for 800 years to symbolize their love, as well as meeting a bunch of married couples so they feel pressured to stay married forever. Kate clearly had to do all the work of digging up the ground and planting the tree (come on, Prince William! That's your job).

800 years sure is a long time...

This is my favorite picture, it just makes me laugh. Prince William realizes that he will be committed to Kate Middleton for a long, long time.

Also, while in Canada, they faced tons of protesters. I'm not really sure what there was to protest, because who doesn't love this Royal Couple? Despite them, Prince William and Kate just meandered through Canada, looking gorgeous as usual.

But we're much too pretty to be harassed!

Up next, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge cooked with some famous Canadian chef. Unfortunately, I don't keep up with things in Canada, so I don't know who it was or any other details. The only thing I know for sure is that Kate looked amazing even while wearing a chef's apron, Prince William made some food, and Prince Harry is sadly missing from these photos.

So there you have it, folks! That is what the Royal Couple have been up to while I've been busy doing other stuff. I know everyone in the world loves them (except maybe Canada, but that's their loss), and so do I.

Before I go, I will leave you with one last picture... I'm sure that mentioning Prince Harry got your hopes up, and I just can't let you down. Here's that charming Prince.

You're welcome, world.

Mumford & Sons: How Do I Love Thee...

Let me count thy ways (seriously, I am going to do that right now).
Before I count these ways, let me start by saying that Mumford & Sons are my favorite band of the moment, and their music is so stunning. The lyrics, the banjo (yeah, I love the banjo), the voice...all of that together makes me melt.
So get yourself ready, because this post is a love fest.

Am I allowed to crush on Marcus Mumford, too?

1) The Literary Connections
Let me start off by informing you of my love of literature. I love literature. When other kids complain about reading Hamlet, or The Odyssey, I excitedly go and buy the book and pore over the pages and enjoy the literature. I just adore books, especially the classic ones. I am glad to say that Mumford & Sons love literature and philosophy as much as I do (I can only assume it's on the same level as me, but go with it). Tons of their songs relate to literature. Let me give you some examples!

• Sigh No More - This one relates to Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing (which was my favorite Shakespeare play), and even borrows some lines from the play. "Serve God, love me and mend," as well as "One foot in sea and one on shore" are lines that are both in the Mum song and Shakespeare's play
•  Roll Away Your Stone - This was influenced by Shakespeare's Macbeth. I haven't read this yet, so I can't vouch for that (but I trust this is true).
• The Cave - Supposedly, this one has several references to The Odyssey, but I see more references to Plato's Allegory of the Cave. I'm in a philosophy class and we read the latter work, and I wrote an essay about how "The Cave" related to Plato's work (it was quite an excellent essay). If you read Plato's The Cave, you'll probably agree with me. Although I do see how it relates to The Odyssey, as well.
• Dust Bowl Dance - As I've read on many online forums (that discuss the meanings of songs), this one relates to Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath. Part of the novel is about this guy who loses his farmland, and needs to cling to some sense of hope. The Mumford song is also about that.

To me, the literary connections are so wonderful and add a new depth to the already emotional songs by Mumford & Sons. They are great!

2) The Lyrics
As I've mentioned in other posts concerning Mumford & Sons, the lyrics to their songs are outstanding. Marcus Mumford (the singer) writes the lyrics, and he performs them with his Sons. You can feel the emotion behind each line and know just how real it is. Amazing. I've already done my favorite lyrics from "Little Lion Man" and "The Cave," so now I'll add some more in (I only have 6 of their songs at the moment, but I'll try to throw in some from the songs I don't have).

• White Blank Page - "You desired my attention, but denied my affections, my affections." (When you hear Marcus sing this line, your heart breaks right along with him. He has an anger and sadness in his voice, it's amazing.)
• Winter Winds - "But if your strife strikes at your sleep, remember spring swaps snow for leaves. You'll be happy and wholesome again, when the city clears and the sun ascends." (Okay, so that's pretty much a whole stanza, but I love it. This song is one of my favorites at the moment, and every part of the song is amazing, but this gets me every time.)
• After the Storm - "There will come a time you'll see, with no more tears. And love will not break your heart, but dismiss your fears." (I love the rest of the chorus too, but these two lines are stunning. And when you hear them sung, your heart will melt. This is my favorite song ever right now. I have truly never heard a more beautiful song. If you have, I challenge you to a song-off. Because this song is beautiful.)                                     
• Dust Bowl Dance - "Seal my heart and break my pride, I've got nowhere to stand and now nowhere to hide." (When you hear him sing this, again, it's more impactful. This song is really intense, I love it.)
• Roll Away Your Stone - "You have neither reason nor rhyme with which to take this soul that is so rightfully mine." (Boom. Emotion hits you. This song is all about a guy trying to fill the hole in his soul with other things, but he discovers he cannot. It's a great song.)

3) The Banjo
Never before in my life have I thought the banjo was a "cool" instrument. I've seen Steve Martin play it before (on SNL, and other such shows), and it sounds so hick-y. I could see Martha Sue playing it with her cousin/husband Tommy Jones (who uses an old bottle as an instrument) as they stand outside of their trailer. But now, thanks to this wonderful, possibly life-altering band, I have changed my opinion of the banjo completely. Mumford & His Sons make this crazy instrument sound cool and hip, and just all around great. To be quite honest, they have inspired me to take up banjo lessons. And as soon as I return from Mexico, I am going to rent one and learn how to play. (I'm serious about this, by the way, I think the banjo is so damn cool.) Maybe, if I learn to play well enough, they'll invite me to play with them.

4) The Voice
Marcus Mumford has the voice of the angel (if there ever was one). I don't know how, but he packs so much emotion into the lyrics that he sings, that sometimes I want to give him a hug. By writing his own lyrics, it is obviously easier for him to get in touch with the emotions that are within and his voice makes that loud and clear. To sum this up in a way everyone should understand: If there were a Church of the Mumford, I would be a member (if only to hear Marcus sing),  and maybe even fall victim to the Doctrine of the Mumford & His Sons.
Here's our darling Marcus Oliver Johnston Mumford (I love his name, it's quintessentially British).

5) The British-ness
I'm not even sure how much explaining this needs. I have an obsession with all things British, and Mumford & Sons happen to fall under that category. Sometimes you can hear the British accent come out when Marcus is singing (and it's super stunning). Also, they're from England. I should just stop there.

If you're not already in love with Mumford & Sons, I can only hope that this post helped change your mind. Stay tuned for more awesome music tomorrow!

Favourite Names of the Week: Royal Wedding Edition

See what I did in the title? Clever.
Is the Royal Wedding still considered a fresh topic? Because I'm dying to cover the lovely names that were on the people of the wedding party. Let's begin!

So I'll use this picture as a guide, and we'll gush over their awesome names. These young junior bridesmaids and toy soldiers (that's what they are, right?) have names suited for royalty, naturally.

Young girl in the back (poor thing, that's the worst picture ever):
Louise Alice Elizabeth Mary
How fancy! She is the granddaughter of Queen Mum Elizabeth (see how British I seemed there?), the daughter of the Earl Edward of Essex.
And she has a younger brother named James Alexander Philip Theo. Awesome, I know.

The little girl in the front, on the far left:
Grace
Sorry, fellow name fanatics, I unfortunately couldn't find her full name. But apparently she is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Hugh van Cutsem (yes, them), and godchild of Prince William. That's all I got. So here's a picture of how miserable she was at the wedding.

Poor girl, she just wants the noise and torture to end. No child under 5 should be in a wedding, or else they could end up like Little Grace - or worse.

Now onto the little girl sitting in front of Prince William. She's my favorite, for a few reasons.
Eliza
Damn! Again, I couldn't get any information of her middle names (this makes me mad). She's pretty much the cutest little girl ever, and here she is with a pink worm toy.

Haha Grace looks miserable, again.

Last little girl in the picture, on the far right.
Margarita Elizabeth Rose Alleyne
Such a beautiful name! Although I have no clue how to pronounce her last middle name. She also has a brother named Charles Patrick Inigo (do you think he was pissed he didn't get to be in the wedding? Probably not...). So this little cutie is the granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth's late sister, Princess Margaret.
Tangent: I love that Queen Elizabeth has corgis (they're my favorite dogs ever), and in the "King's Speech" (excellent movie, go see it) they show a young Elizabeth and Margaret with two corgis. Adorable.

Onto the Toy Soldiers.
The little blond one:
Thomas "Tom"
The other one:
William "Billy"
That's all the dirt I have on them. Unfortunately they haven't been in too many scandals.

Now onto the Maid of Honor and Best Man. Drumroll...

Philippa Charlotte "Pippa"
Okay, I'll just say what everyone else is thinking...her name is fabulous. Just wonderful. While I'm not the biggest fan of Philippa, Pippa has quickly become one of my favorite names (yes, because of the lovely Middleton sister). And, to make it even better, Philippa (and Pippa) means "lover of horses." Come on. That is brilliant. I love Pippa Middleton, and her beautiful name. Let's look at this lovely lady.
Whoa! I just learned racy pictures of Ms. Middleton has surfaced, but I have more integrity than that to post them (well, not really, but I don't see it as a huge problem. She's not the princess).

So elegant! The next one is my favorite.

Quite beautiful.

Next up is the "wild child," Prince William's younger, more attractive brother (sorry, Sir).
Henry Charles Albert David "Harry"
His name is so quintessentially British, I love it. Let's break it down. Henry is a very popular name in Britain, as is Harry, and a very royal choice, indeed. Charles is most likely after his father, Prince Charles. Albert is probably after his great-grandfather, and mother of Queen Elizabeth, King George VI (whose full name was Albert Frederick Arthur George, he was called "Bertie"). David, I'm not really sure, but it may have come from Princess Diana's side. Either way, this name is chockful of royal history.
Let's take a gander at this handsome Prince Harry.

Yeah. Soak it in. That wonderful, adult-sized toy soldier outfit works well for him.

Whoa. So cute. Prince Harry, if Paul McDonald and I don't work out, you're my backup.

So that's all, folks! Royalty and royal names are great. There may or may not be another royal post coming soon.