This is me!

Hello!

I really feel as if I am not actually speaking to anyone, but that's alright. It was actually a suggestion from a very good friend of mine to start a blog, so I went ahead and took his advice. To give you a little background about myself, my name is Tamara. I am currently a Senior at the University of Washington finishing up my degree in English and Literature. At first, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I have actually been through four DIFFERENT majors, and finally settled on English because I love reading and writing. Anyways, after applying to a job for Transworld Snowboarding Magazine, I thought I might really enjoy writing for magazines, or doing something with editing. This is where blogging comes in. It is a way for me to transpose my ideas and style into writing... as well as create some sort of insight into my madness if you will.

This leads me to my next item of discussion, what I am blogging about. Okay, so my blog is called Music and mountains. Perhaps I am being cheesy with the title, but I of course want to blog about things I like. I suppose I could use this as a place to rant about how much I don't like my job, or how being in debt sucks... but I'd rather not complain on the internet. I can't imagine it being fun to write about and read. So I am using this blog to talk about my two life long loves, music and snowboarding.

Lets start with music since it is listed first. So I have been playing guitar off and on for a few years now, and recently started writing songs. Something I never thought I was capable of! I wrote 3 songs, and performed them at an open mic, where I was invited to come back and play a show. This is what got the ball rolling for me musically. I just got started in October, and I have met so many incredible and talented people who have been helping me out along the way. Right now, all my songs are written and performed on an acoustic guitar, and I sing. If you are interested, I am on myspace and twitter. (www.myspace.com/tamarasheamusic, twitter: TamaraShea). As of now, I am doing music for the purpose of enjoyment. I am not trying to make money or make it big, I just think it is fun. :)

Next topic of choice, snowboarding! Yes I am a very active person. I used to play competitive hockey, which was fun while it lasted, but my new thing is snowboarding. I love it! I just started last year, in which I accomplished a lot. I loved it so much when I first started, I made a point of it to go up whenever I could and practice. By the end of my first season, I was already riding in the terrain park, going of jumps bigger than me and starting off learning tricks. My friend noticed my quick progression and how much I committed to the sport out of pure enjoyment, and offered me a sponsorship. The goal was to have me compete this winter, actually I had taken summer classes to take the winter quarter off... but after realizing I am 3 classes from graduation I am focusing more on finishing school. I do however go at least once a week to the slopes. It is truly an incredible place to be, whether you snowboard, ski, or not. I think nature is one of the most soul healing things, and I love being able to be in it a few times a week doing something I love.

I call this inspiration.
TSK