My March Madness Penance

So I spent a good amount of time yesterday watching the NCAA Tournament. I found out that my bracket was 2nd place in my pool and that I had the possibility of winning some money, so I suddenly got really concerned with whether or not Mizzou could pull it out. So between being wrapped up in the March Madness and just flat out being a brat, I decided to skip church for no good reason.

I think Cher says it best; “If I could turn back tiiimme…”

So around the time church is ending, Kristen and I get a mysterious text from Bethany, “Chace Crawford! At church! OMG OMG OMG!”. My response, “Is this a weak attempt to make me feel guilty for skipping?” Nope. He was there, in all his Gossip Girl glory. And I was at home, in my sweats, watching Brothers & Sisters. It’s too painful…I can’t think about it anymore.

So let’s salvage what we can from the evening. I heard a really great song on Brothers & Sisters by a girl named Lex Land. Am I behind the times? Because I had definitely never heard of her, but she has a great, bluesy Rachel Yamagata sound. I really like this song, As Much As You Lead. It’s not worth missing Chace Crawford in the flesh, but I’m trying to move on.

Also, another random I picked up from my recent (and somewhat on-going) Friday Night Lights marathon is an older song from Blue Merle called If I Could. I’m still really enjoying some of the other stuff I’ve gotten recently, so forgive me if the new stuff is kind of slow. Happy Monday Peeps!

Twilight Zone

So in case you haven’t heard the craze, Twilight comes out on DVD this weekend. They are even advertising for you to find a “Midnight Twilight Party” near you. Can you imagine the kind of caped crusaders who show up at those kinds of things?! I’m going to keep my obsessive compulsive tendencies within the confines of 2D. Much to the disappointment of many, I’m not going to rush out at midnight to get a copy…but I probably will buy it this weekend. I mean, why delay more of this deliciousness?? (Besides I have a bootleg copy to keep me company)

All hotness of Rob Pattinson aside, I really got involved with the whole Twilight saga. Everyone made me the butt of the joke for buying the soundtrack too…but soon after they all came crawling back wanting a copy. It’s so good – but in a very different, not what you expect from me, kind of way. It’s got all kinds of alternative tracks from Muse, Mutemath, Linkin Park (I’m a total closet Linkin Park fan) and Paramore. Turns out, I am a huge Paramore fan, I just never knew it! My brother has since shared a couple of their other albums with me…she has an amazing voice. Anyway, in case you plan on having yourself a little vampire fest this weekend, these are some great downloads to set the tone.

Iron & Wine’s Flightless Bird, American Mouth is what is playing in the background of the last scene. It is arguably the hottest scene of the movie, when they are dancing and he oh so carefully kisses her neck and tells her that she can’t be a vampire. I really hope you’ve seen it, or that last sentence just sounded beyond goofy. I promise I don’t have any other Twilight paraphernalia…no “Team Edward” tees, no “bite me” conversation hearts and definitely nothing with the Cullen family crest. Yes, all of these things exist.

Also worth noting, Rob Pattinson’s Never Think. He’s not only a smoldering vampire, but also an extremely talented musician. That’s actually him playing in the movie! What can I say? I have a type.

Follow-Up

So now that I’ve had a couple of days to sit with the new Greg Laswell cd, I have to say, I’m hooked. If you’ve seen Confessions of a Shopaholic, you might have heard his reflective rendition of Girls Just Want to Have Fun…which is pretty cool and gives you some insight into his style. I found his bio on the VH1 new artist site (after sorting through junk for Tool Academy and some show about Ray J) and someone referred to one of his songs as “Jeff Buckley meeting Radiohead in an underground cabaret”. Make of that what you will.

All I want out of life is to be the inspiration for a song like And Then You. I know Kristen is going to razz me about going for the sensitive types, but seriously! This is the kind of song that you need to listen to with your headphones, turn it up and just have a moment…it really is so sweet. His whole album is pretty mellow (which I lurve) but this might be a little too slow and sensitive for some of you. I’m also a big fan of Comes and Goes (In Waves) and The One I Love.

Also, I have been a little hesitant to jump on the MGMT train because I thought that they were a little too techno-ish for my taste. I take it back. I listened to Kids practically on repeat on my way home today – granted, I was already in a good mood because it’s Friday and I had totally snuck out of work early, but it kind of just makes you want to bob your head a little. I’ll get around to the rest of the album soon.

Also, on a completely unrelated note – did you see this on Jimmy Fallon the other night? It brings together so many of my favorite things in a 2-minute span; Justin Timberlake, late night tv, John Mayer and 80's music.

Just because it’s the weekend and I couldn’t be happier:

California Dreamin'

Monday night I watched the sun set in Los Angeles and then watched it rise again in New York City; I’m back and making my way to a full recovery. They don’t call them red-eyes for nothin’! Thankfully, it’s Wednesday night so I’m already nearing another weekend. I had such a fantastic time in California…the sun, the beach, riding around with the sunroof open, I loved it all. In fact, within the first night, we had a whole alternate life planned out for me on the West Coast! I think I’ll stick to what I know…for now.

However, I did pick up some great new tunes with a California vibe. For the full effect, I recommend you read this posting while listening to Carolina Liar’s California Bound…at least that’s what I'll hear playing when I think about my trip! Others that have since been updated to my playlist are MGMT’s Kids and some new Greg Laswell. I had a recent song of Greg’s, but AJ provided me with some more information on his San Diego background (as well as copies of both his albums), so I’m adding him to my ipod as we speak – I’ll get back to you with my favorites.

Some things never change and I’m glad to say that Jordan and I’s friendship is one of them. She picked me up at the airport, flowers and candy in hand, and we instantly picked up the same comfortable feeling we’ve had since middle school. We rode around laughing about the days when we would put Celine Dion’s To Love You More on repeat and sing at the top of our lungs. (You know the one, #14 from the same cd as the Titanic song…which I actually heard in a pizza joint tonight) Hey, we grew up in Paris, Texas – give us a little credit for turning out as well as we did.


Anyway, they sent me packing with a DVD full of new music, a box of See’s Candies and a few more freckles on my face…and I am grateful for all of it! I’ve (shamefully) managed to take a bite out of each truffle in the box and my tan is already fading, but fortunately, friends are forever. Until next time, Cali…


"Chase the sun back to the west coast…" - Carolina Liar

Weekly Shuffle

I always love the itunes free single of the week. They try to be diverse and sometimes they throw you a wildcard, but for the most part, they have really great taste. This week they are featuring one of my new favorite finds, Carolina Liar. Go download the free song and try it out - I love their sound! I also highly recommend I’m Not Over – which I first heard in a movie…I just don’t remember which one.

Last night I spent the evening being pampered at the Halycon Days Saks Fifth Avenue spa. A typical mani/pedi splurge for me is the $19.99 combo in our neighborhood from the pushy Vietnamese women who make snarky comments to your face. So I was beyond excited when my boss gave me a Saks spa gift certificate for my birthday! I confidently walked in, checked my coat and accepted the lemon water like I knew what I was doing. I was immediately approached by two women, both better dressed than myself, who introduced themselves as my technicians and said “So this is your first time with us…” Of course I didn’t look like I’d been there before! Anyway – I spent an hour and half being manicured while listening to great instrumental versions of songs I loved from the 80s.

While there, I heard a jazz version of one of my all time favorite U2 songs, With or Without You…which reminded me that their much anticipated new album dropped this week. I have to be honest, I haven’t purchased it yet because I've been waiting for some reviews, but I did hear them on Good Morning America today doing a free concert at Fordham University. I think if you’re a U2 fan, you’ll like it regardless…I mean, they are rock icons, and they have such a great, distinct sound. Here is a little sample of their song Magnificent...

Adult Spring Break

As we crossed over from February to March this week, my mind also crossed over from winter to spring. Unfortunately, that pseudo transition was ushered in with 8 inches of snow and a temperature drop to the mid-teens.

I will not be discouraged.

In fact, I can’t think of a better time to set off for spring break!

Yes, I still feel entitled to a spring break. And as Kristen reminisced, our college spring breaks set the bar pretty high. The corporate world isn’t really on board with the whole “adult spring break” idea, so we’ve come to a compromise which consists of 1.5 vacation days and a red-eye flight. Thankfully, one of my best pals lives in sunny San Diego and was thrilled at the idea of spending a long weekend driving me around and putting me up on her couch! I’m excited to get out of the city and to be somewhere warmer, but mostly I’m excited about spending a weekend with Jordan and AJ!

As I'm counting down the days, my to-do list includes a mani/pedi, a white strips session, digging up my flip flops and busting out some upbeat spring jams. Something fun, beachy and very California…which is a big departure from the serious winter tunes that have been in heavy rotation for the past 5 months! Here’s what I’m thinking…

Jason Mraz – I’m Yours
Jack Johnson – Better Together (in honor of our reunion!)
Lady Gaga – Just Dance
Bob Marley – Could You Be Loved
K’naan – Bang, Bang
Little Jackie – The World Should Revolve Around Me
Flo Rida – Right Round
Justin Timberlake – My Love
Fergie - Glamorous (just paying my respects to spring breaks past)

Also, if you’re taking a little A.S.B of your own, check out the prix-fixe iTunes spring break shuffle. And leave your spring suggestions in the comments – there’s still snow on the ground, so I haven’t really gotten in the groove yet.