Hello! And welcome to my blog. I'm already excited about this class and the people in it and I look forward to these two weeks. My name is Donovan McCloskey and I'm from Zionsville Indiana which is about 30 minutes north of Indy. Its a small town with a big school which I really enjoyed growing up. I have one sibling, my brother, and he's 22 and attends ball state university. It was all boys in my house, with the exception of my mom, so we were always involved in sports and outdoor activities, which i still have a passion for today. My dad was always good to us but always expected our best and wouldn't be content with anything less. I never really agreed with him all the time but looking back on it, I now see why he acted the way he did and now I've grown to appreciate it. But enough of that, here are some of my favorite songs that might help you gain an understanding of who I am.

 Who am I?

Animal-Miike Snow

I was recently introduced to this song but I was immediately hooked. From the vocal harmonies to the electronic influences I find it hard not to sing along and groove to. I also like this song because of its meaning and lyrics. I especially agree with the main chorus "I change shapes just to hide in this place but I'm still, I'm still an animal". I believe that we never change even how hard we might try to fit in or "hide". Our true selfs will always come out and we can never run away from that fact. I think this song pertains to me because I sometimes try to change my self to fit in but realize that it doesn't always work, and at the core of all of us is our true character. An Animal.

Where am I from?

Born in the USA 

Death to my Hometown -Bruce Springsteen

I pick two songs for this category both by the Boss because I don't think there are many better artist when it comes to singing about America and Patriotism. I was born in the USA and I love this country dearly and I also believe that this fine country is the best country. I believe in strong nationalism and every time I hear this song a passion inside of me is reignited. I also picked Death to my hometown for a couple of reasons. First I love the story it tells, that it isn't a war or invasion that is destroying this country but rather the people who run it and the people who don't respect this country like the boss does. I also like this song because of its Celtic tone/rhythm. My family's history is primarily Irish and we're very proud of it. I look forward to visiting my origins but I am also grateful for a country like this were an immigrant family from Ireland could come and be successful.

What kind of life I lead?

Second Chance- Peter Bjorn and John

Knee Deep- Zac Brown Band and Jimmy Buffet

Like I said I grew up in a house of mainly men and my dad always instilled in us the mind set of doing things right the first time. I think that he got this mind set because he was the youngest of six growing up on a farm and had to work his whole life and never got a chance to go to college because of it. Second Chance by Peter Bjorn is a good song of expressing this kind of mind set that I have grown to agree with. The lyrics "You can't can't count on a second chance, the second chance will never be found, You can't can't count on a second try the second try will never come around " explain that in this life we are never guaranteed a second chance so you have to take advantage of the chances we do get and make the most of it. This helps explains the kind of life I try to lead in the sense that I always put everything I have into what I do and believe in. I also put Knee Deep up there because even though I don't typically like country songs, I like this one for its laid back feel and soothing beat. It speaks a message that we all need to find a paradise in our lives and to just relax sometimes. I find this really applicable and sometimes necessary in my life.

What I Value?

Houdini- Foster the People

Take a Walk- Passion Pit

Looking back on my life and where I intend to be in the future I realize what values in my life that really stick out, and its these values that keep me who I am and keep me focused. In the song Houdini The lyrics " Raise up to your ability, I know that you wanna throw me into the sea for my ability. Focus on your ability (times 3)" speak a strong meaning of focusing on your ability no matter how much you would like to " disappear" because of what other people think of you. The second song, Take  Walk, is also representative of the life I value. In this world we live in we are always going to get knocked down, its just the nature of our lifes. But the important thing, and I think a quality that I posses, is to get back up and keep going. Like in the line " But then my patner called to say the pension funds were gone, he made some bad investments now the counts are overdrawn, Take a walk."


These are just some of my favorite songs that describe me and my taste