Happiness is...

Every now and then I like to do a post where I list some things currently making me happy that I'd like to pass on to other people. Right now I need to keep my eye on these small pleasures so I don't become preoccupied with other things. Some people have Zoloft, I have music and TV and cooking and friends. I know some people need the stronger stuff and there's nothing wrong with it. I am just fortunate and somehow have the ability to cope without them. Here are my happy pills:

1. The song "Viva la Vida" by Coldplay. The strings of this song lift my spirits. They are easily my favorite musical sound. It is amazing how the same instrument family that can be used so effectively in a depressing song like "Me and My Charms" (Kristen Hersh) can also be used to convey a feeling of joy. Pretty powerful.

2. The show Bones. I just got into this show and it is awesome. If you aren't into procedural shows, don't worry because there's so much character interaction and development that the cases aren't the main focus. But if you like procedurals, there is that aspect as well and I think they do a great job in the way they portray the investigations and forensics. Also, it's a lot funnier and lighter than most dramas. I could watch the witty banter between Booth and Brennan all day.

3. The music from Bones. So, the official soundtrack doesn't come out until August, but I've loved so much of the music in the eps that I started searching for them on my own. I've been listening to that playlist almost non-stop. Favorites you should check out are: "Sea Lion" by Sage Francis, "Fountain" by Sara Lov, "Teardrop" by Massive Attack (may also sound familiar if you watch House), "Pride" by Syntax, "Bring on the Wonder" by Susan Enan and "The Other Way Round" by Gabin.

4. Trying new foods and recipes. I think I've gone entirely vegan at this point (as far as food goes, I'll worry about the rest later), so I've been buying new foods and experimenting with recipes. I'm usually not that excited to cook, but I've actually been enjoying it. There's just so much out there that I never knew about before. And it has been easier than I expected to go vegan. I think having both the preoccupation of a lifestyle change as well as the switch to healthier eating has been good for me right now.

5. Sephora! It just opened up in my mall and visiting there makes me happy. I don't even have to buy anything. Actually that whole section of the mall is just awesome now. There's a Borders, Sephora, Apple Store, Starbucks and Target all within eyeshot of each other. It is like the crossroads of consumer heaven and I'm not even going to appologize for absolutely loving it.

6. Watching the lightning bugs in my backyard at night. It doesn't get much better or simpler than the wonders of nature.

7. The video for "Lollipop" by Mika. The song is catchy and the little cartoon girl is adorable and the colors are like a really awesome trip from the 60s. Watch for the kissing dear who toot "Love" and the humping bunnies.



Actually Mika's whole CD makes me happy.

Lastly, none of these things would come close to making me happy if I didn't also have amazing people in my life that make me happier than anything else.

So if you're not happy, check out some of these things or try to look in your own life to find your own simple pleasures. Everyone has the ability to find happiness at their fingertips all the time. Just look.

Proof that Sexy First Came Back in 2001 and Justin Had Nothing to Do With It

Justin in 2001:

Not sexy.

Christopher Walken in 2001:

Case closed.

Like Endless Rain Into a Paper Cup

I haven't been inspired to post anything in a while, and I've also been busy, but I thought I'd share the trailer to a movie that I'm pretty excited about. It's called Across the Universe and is a fictional romp through the turmoil of the 60s. The plot follows a young couple (Jude and Lucy) and uses visual art and dance numbers cued to new arrangements of Beatles songs in order to capture the frenzy and passion of that era. The only way I can describe what this movie looks like to me is alive. I hope the storyline will live up to the stunning visual glances this preview is giving us:




Credit to bestweekever.tv for posting this.

Stop, Hey What's That Sound?

I hope you enjoy the newest feature on my blog. It's no iPhone, but this ain't Apple.com either.

U2 Makes the Ultimate Fanvid

Is it just a coincidence that YouTube and U2 are almost the same name?! Go wrap your brain around that over Christmas break conspiracy freaks.

Everyone else, enjoy this video:

"Window in the Skies"



*Addendum: Just thought I should let you know that I found this video (coincidentally) through a Guster post on MySpace. Thought they should get some credit.

I'm Special! (said in my best Ralph Wiggum voice)

I recently reached into the pocket of a coat I don't wear very often and found this old ticket stub from a concert held during my junior year of college.

It's funny, I don't remember being the Special Guest that night. Although, Guster and I were pretty tight back then and I am special. So I guess it's possible.

Lyrics for My Life

Just for the record
The weather today
is slightly sarcastic with a good chance of:

A. Indifference or

B. Disinterest in what the critics say.

I'm the F to the U, R, K the E, Y

It's that time of year again!

No, I'm not talking about the crap with the big fat man and the mistletoe, although it is obviously that time too. What I'm talking about is list time. This is when EVERYONE and their mother comes out with a list of "The Best __________ of 2006!" Comedy Central already had their Last Laugh, MTV's probably gearing up for their TRL special of "The Top 50 Videos of 2006 You Would Have Seen on MTV if We Ever Played Videos" and I'm sure E! will be having a craptacular blow-out of "The Top 100 List of List Shows We Filled Our Dead Air With in 2006 Because We Can't Create Any Quality Programming Other than The Soup!!!" (note the extra punctuation to show just how excited they are about their jobs).

Joking aside, we all know that I love lists. So, apart from having to bear the ones that make me want to stick sharp objects in my eye (thank you E!), I am a fan of this time of year in all its listy-ness.

Today's list is brought to us by Rolling Stone (they like lists too, but not as much as those people at Billboard). It is "The 100 Best Songs of 2006" list. And I am sad to say that I must have sucked at life when it came to finding good music this year, because I missed a lot of these. I guess its time to catch up!

I also don't buy some of these tracks as being the best the music world had to offer this year. You can read more of my opinions below about some of the selections, but I just have to say -


Some observations I have after perusing the list are:

1. Is "Ridin" really the #3 best song of the whole entire 365 days of 2006? It must have been a slow year in music.

2. The song that I claimed as mine earlier in the year, The Dixie Chicks' "The Long Way Around" is in the top 20 yall! Holla!
Oh, god. I did not just say holla. Kill me.

3. "When the Sun Goes Down" by The Arctic Monkeys was a killer song that I listened to a lot this year. Yay for Monkeys!

4. If there's no possible way to avoid it entirely, the only way I can handle listening to the song "Promiscuous" is to stick sharp objects in my ears and then just dance to the bassline. Definitely not in my top 100.

5. On snap! "London (Fucking) Bridge"!! Are you kidding me?!?!!! (extra punctuation to show how much that song should NOT be on this list). I could handle "Fergalicious", maybe. But probably only because its easy to make into Furkalicious and my friends like to sing it to me at the bar.

6. Anyone who likes pop-punk/emo music and hasn't heard the whole Panic! at the Disco album, go get it right now. It's like a storming infectious-beat soap opera from beginning to end. I'm happy to see my favorite track "The Only Difference Between Martyrdom and Suicide is Press Coverage" at #84.


Lastly, where is "Cable Car", "Crooked Teeth", "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree"? And what about stuff from Weezer? They were all over the radio this year.

Just my 2 cents.

I'm sure they missed some of your favorites too.

SexyOffice

I am in love with this video someone did that merges "SexyBack" with clips from The Office. HI-arious, and way better than the Justin version. In fact, people should petition MTV to show this instead of the real one. Oh, wait. MTV doesn't play videos.

Thank you YouTube and person with lots of extra time on their hands for making this possible.

What the World Has Been Waiting For.....

It feels like only yesterday I was sitting at the bus stop around the corner from my house, rocking my leggings and She-ra backpack, and talking about important 2nd-grader things like Lisa Frank Trapper Keepers. There were quite a few boys in my neighborhood, and many a pre-grammar school morning was spent listening to them talk about their Mortal Kombat scores and sing lyrics from Weird Al Yankovich songs like Eat It and Like a Surgeon. Mostly, I thought the lyrics were pretty funny, but to uphold my position in the girl world, I had to come to the consensus with the other girls that the boys were sooooo stupid. But what I really wanted to do after school was hang out with the boys and listen to their Weird Al tapes too.

Maybe that just makes me White and Nerdy, but if being that way is wrong, I don't want to be right.


White and Nerdy

"They see me roll on my segue."
Priceless.

But I do have to say my favorite part is Donnie Osmond dancing in the background.

Welcome back Weird Al, it's been far too long.

The Best Things in Life are Free

Especially if one of those things is music.

Today a stumbled across a site called It's Free Downloads that is making a directory of ONLY the free downloads from iTunes. That way us cheapies don't have to search through the whole iTunes website to find those little treasures. It's not just for music either - there are links to free TV show episodes (special eps of LOST and Grey's Anatomy anyone?), video clips and audiobooks. Plus, there's this free song list for Facebook members. Check that out here.

So, it's not exactly Napster circa the year 2000 (sweet, sweet times), but it also won't land your ass in the middle of a ridiculous lawsuit where the plaintiff is an artist worth 100 times more money than you'll ever see in your life. Don't EVEN get me started.

Taking the Long Way

i haven't really had time to post lately, but there's been lots of fun stuff going on, like wedding showers, Boston visits, gym time, realtor meetings, volunteering, secret projects and job searching. if you don't know, kelly is moving out to chicago for the summer to perform in the newest tap show, Imagine Tap, and erin and i are moving with our friend jen. hopefully we are going to end up somwhere close to where we are now, but we have to be out by July 1, so the rush is on. add to that the fact that i am gone away the next two weekends, so trying to schedule job interviews and apartment viewings has become pretty crazy.

however, i did want to take the time to share my new song and promote the new Dixie Chicks album that it is from (the CD is great. and that's coming from a non-country music girl). the CD is called "Taking the Long Way," and the title track (actually called "The Long Way Around") is my new theme song. you can listen to a clip here ( and while you're there, check out "Lullaby", i am in LOVE with that song too). i'm also going to type the lyrics out. those of you who also graduated in '04 will appreciate verse four. i think we're all finally getting there in our lives, or at least one stage of whatever "there" is. whether it's marriage, jobs, degrees, moving to a better place, etc, none of us are taking the easy way. where would be the fun in that?

good luck to those of you who are going to be settling down soon and godspeed to those of you, who, like me, need (or will have) some more years of wandering.

don't worry loves. we will all make it.


The Long Way Around by the Dixie Chicks

My friends from high school
Married their high school boyfriends
Moved into houses in the same ZIP codes
Where their parents live

But I, I could never follow
No I, I could never follow

I hit the highway in a pink RV with stars on the ceiling
Lived like a gypsy
Six strong hands on the steering wheel

I've been a long time gone now
Maybe someday, someday I'm gonna settle down
But I've always found my way somehow

By taking the long way
Taking the long way around
Taking the long way
Taking the long way around

I met the queen of whatever
Drank with the Irish and smoked with the hippies
Moved with the shakers
Wouldn't kiss all the asses that they told me to

No I, I could never follow
No I, I could never follow

It's been two long years now
Since the top of the world came crashing down
And I'm getting it back on the road now

But I'm taking the long way
Taking the long way around
I'm taking the long way
Taking the long way around
The long
The long way around

Well, I fought with a stranger and I met myself
I opened my mouth and I heard myself
It can get pretty lonely when you show yourself
Guess I could have made it easier on myself

But I, I could never follow
No I, I could never follow

Well, I never seem to do it like anybody else
Maybe someday, someday I'm gonna settle down
If you ever want to find me I can still be found

Taking the long way
Taking the long way around
Taking the long way
Taking the long way around

a little Coldplay and a lotta cold

blaaaa. i have been sick all week and it sucks. BUT, luckily it didn't hit fully until AFTER Coldplay. not like it would have detered me from going. i would have gotten there with a wheelchair and an IV in my arm if i had to, and it would have been absolutely worth it. just an amazing concert. everything worked out perfect too. alicia and i met each other in the parking garage and had a great dinner and then got to the arena in time to watch some of Richard Ashcroft and actually hear "Bittersweet Symphony" in person, so cool.

before we got there i was so worried about the seats because they were "side view" which could have meant we were looking at speakers or something, but instead it just meant we were on the side but still really close. i definitely made the right choice between those and the other available seats - straight on view but in the nose-bleed section. i'll let you decide for yourself though, because here are some of my pics. enjoy! =)


opening song: Square One

encore songs: Swallowed in the Sea, In My Place, Fix You

best songs: Fix You, The Scientist and Yellow (they dropped huge yellow balloons from the ceiling that sprayed sparkly gold confetti when they popped and Chris Martin popped the last one on the stage by doing a belly flop on it, then he finished the song)

special song: Ring of Fire (played right after Kingdom Come)

best non-music parts: Chris Martin's interpretive dances, getting waved at by Chris Martin, and the whole band coming to the edge of the stage to take pictures of the audience.

alicia and i were so taken with how fan-friendly this band is. they didn't talk much in between the songs, which meant more music time, and when they did talk it was to thank us for being amazing, tell us how much they love New England and ask how everyone was doing (like that was even a question!).

beautiful music made by nice boys, what else could a girl want?

the sweet spot(s)

i just finished watching the movie house of d and i want to recommend it to anyone looking for a small, sweet movie with a lot of heart. it does not shake the world, but it's a genuine movie and a worthwhile way to spend a couple of hours. i will, however, put up this disclaimer: it is written and directed by david duchovny, and if you have read my blog before you will know that i have a soft spot for the man and it could be clouding my objectivity (p.s. go to that link, and no i didn't write that). so, take the recommendation for what you think it's worth, but i'd like to believe i would feel exactly the same about the movie, whoever was involved.

anyway, this movie did not have a voice when released in limited theatres, and like many small movies with little advertising backing from its studio, it got lost. so, watch it. if you enjoy it like i did, pass it on. word-of-mouth has power. (or, if you hate it, come back and yell at me. at least i'll know for sure that someone is reading this. you lurkers out there must have something to say.) also, if you're interested, david has his own director's blog on the lion's gate film website.

while i'm at it, here are a few other recommendations i have to pass on:

music: raul midon, joe purdy, motion city soundtrack

book: the turn of the screw by henry james.

perfume: soul by curve


yea, that's about it. good night. =)



"A man is only a man when he can be himself wherever he is."
-House of D

it's my birthday yay!

absolutely the best birthday weekend ever:

free food at work, beckysue, alicia, GUSTER, jesus on the radio unplugged, breakfast with steph, showing beckysue boston, the sad jack 'o lantern, pottery barn story time and sing along, light saber fight, cheesecake factory, birthday gin, the peter griffin bump, erin's dance grooves, jake ivorys, brick house dance, crazy COM kids, double fisting G&Ts, can't touch me, mac and cheese, masachusetts: you're more likely to live here (x3), the airport, my parents and nicole, legal seafood, "remember when you used to be afraid of parades?", "i'm a fucking genius", napoleon dynamite flip book and new family guy.

love to everyone who made this weekend a blast. i couldn't have asked for more fun and more friends to share my birthday with. thanks also to those who called to wish me a happy day, i wish you could have been here celebrating. next time! =)

pass that what?

after teaching dance all day today and listening to a lot of missy elliot, i'm sitting in the living room with erin watching tv when i randomly yell "who-de whooo!" (a la "Pass That Dutch"). then we get into a conversation about what the hell that even means. i always kind of assumed it had to do with marijuana because of the whole passing thing, but i really wasn't sure. we decided that the only dutch we knew of was going dutch on a date and the people who like to clog. then we thought maybe it means the people since there was clogging in the video for the song right? but what would missy want with a dutch person?


for the answer i turned to the omnipotent master of the universe and my own best friend, google. of course, as much as i love google, it isn't perfect, and before finding the answer i had to weed out all the sites about THE Dutch. finally i found a site that confirmed my initial thought that the phrase is talking about pot. apparently it's refering (or REEfering, HAHA......sorry.) to a specific type of dooby rolled with some kind of dutch cigar paper? yea, i still don't know, but at least when someone asks me to pass that dutch someday i won't hand over a guy with wooden shoes.



"There'll be plenty of time for smokin doobies when you're living in a VAN down by the RIVER!" -Chris Farley, SNL

here's an equation for you

(ricky martin - la vida loca) + fat joe = a shitty song

nothing important happened today...

except that we got today and thursday off from communication theory class! heck yes! so therefore, it is the best week ever. plus i taught dance and made some sweet mula with uncle rico (ok, he wasn't there) and my staffing agency might have a job that i can go to every wednesday. more mula. fabulous. now i may be able to pay next month's rent, oh, and the parking ticket i got this morning (oops).

other than that, i have nothing of great interest to talk about.

it's been raining here since friday night and probably will be until next tuesday. that's pretty exciting. um, nope.


i could talk about how i saw jason mraz in concert on sunday night and it was awesome. kelly and i had great seats and the opening bands were even fabulous. i had heard of carbon leaf before and knew their songs "what about everything?" and "life less ordinary." they did some amazing four part harmony a capella and the lead singer played the penny-whistle or some flute-like instrument that reminded me of ireland. it was cool.

then the second opener was this guy named raul midon. he had an acoustic guitar, a microphone and an astounding voice. in his songs he made it sound like there was a drum accompanyment by hitting parts of the guitar and he used his mouth to sound just like a trumpet. really, check this guy out. download his stuff from iTunes. so talented, and his album also has a song with jason mraz and one with stevie wonder.


then, there was of course, the geek in the pink, mr.a-z himself. what a cutie. his voice in person is exactly like what it is on the albums. he's really talented and really a super geek, which i love. i even wore my "i love geeks" shirt especially for the show. takes one to love one, right? haha.


so, he mostly sang the songs from the newer album which i've only heard once before, but i enjoyed them anyway. i'm going to steal kelly's copy and upload it i think. for older stuff he did "you and i both," "after an afternoon," "unfold" and "curbside prophet" which made me happy, although i was hoping for some "tonight, not again." maybe next time. overall an awesome concert and i would definitely go see him on his next visit to boston.

well, so much for not having anything to talk about. whether it's interesting or not, the jury's still out on that one, but it's a day to look back on and remember that even though it's been raining for 4 days straight, "life is wonderful".