Mix Tape Mondays!

Hola! Today is going to be short and sweet due to an impromptu trip to Nashville tomorrow that I have to get ready for. But I still wanted to get a mix tape up for you guys, so here it is, with minimal blurbage following.

Thao Nguyen – Beat (Health, Life, and Fire) She’s from Thao and the Get Down Stay Down, an alternative folk rock group from San Francisco. Toured with Rilo Kiley and are now on their own headlining tour (I believe).

New Found Glory – Radio Adelaide Pop-punk band based out of Florida. Very early 2000s, but they are still around. As of June, they have been in the studio working on a new record with Mark Hoppus.

Dinosaur Jr. – I Got Lost American alt rock band from Amhert, Massachusetts (woo!). They got together in 1984, disbanded in 1997 and reunited in 2005. This is a newer song.

Beirut – Cherbourg Indie band from Santa Fe started by Zach Condon. The trumpet and the ukele are the main instruments used due to a wrist injury that prevents him from using a guitar. Sometimes I can’t tell if he’s speaking English but the songs are beautiful.

John Legend – Where Did My Baby Go? American soul singer, songwriter and pianist. I don’t really like John Legend for some reason. But I like this song a lot.

Fionn Regan – Be Good Or Be Gone Irish singer-songwriter, poet and artist. Folky and very lovely song. His first release in 2002 was called “Little Miss Drunk” which, you know…is awesome.

A Fine Frenzy – Almost Lover (Remix) Stagename of Alison Sudol, an American singer-songwriter who is very adorable and has a great voice. The original of this song is slow and sad, the remix picks up the tempo.

The Beach Boys – Surfin’ USA 60s “rock and roll” band. I have a huge thing against The Beach Boys and I’m not sure why, but I think it might have something to do with Full House. But you can’t hate this song.

The Softies – You And Only You A pop music duo consisting of Rose Melberg and Jen Sbragia. The broke up in 2000. They supported Elliott Smith on tour once.

The Getaway Plan – Strings Alternative rock band based in Australia. They released their first studio album this past February, which peaked at #1 on the Australian Independent Records chart – pretty legit.

David Brent – Freelove Freeway From the UK version of The Office. Sung by David Brent who is played by Ricky Gervais. I haven’t ever watched the UK Office but apparently David Brent used to sing in a rock and roll band and this was one of their songs. The part about the cowboy is funny.

Hello Saferide – My Best Friend Swedish indie pop band formed in 2005. The song is funny – about a girl who has so much in common with her best friend that she wishes they were lesbians.

Otis Redding – Sitting On The Dock Of The Bay American soul singer. Incredibly charming. LOVE Otis Redding. Died in a plane crash with his manager and most of his band. This song was released posthumously.

A Kiss Could Be Deadly – Acoustic Romance Pop punk band based out of Riverside California. In June their bass player left and now they are changing their whole style, so definitely worth looking into what the new stuff is like.

Tally Hall – Greener American indie rock band based out of Michigan and formed in 2002. They are known for their upbeat melodies and whimsical lyrics. They each wear a certain color of tie all the time – Rob (yellow-vocals/guitar), Zubin (blue-vocals/bass), Ross (grey-percussion), Joe (red-vocals/guitar), and Andrew (green-vocals/keys).

Loves it!
Ponz

things i love thursday!

1.aunraza 2.seat42f 3.jenniferesperanza 4.martianmermaid 5.ajpscs 6.wili 7.sharonkcooper 8.icopythat 9.maximus_1 10.drp 11.jaredvincent 12.ravenu

Mombasa Mosquito Net - Most recent purchase. Check out The Attack Of The Prehistoric Creatures for the main reason why I am so thankful for this purchase. But other than the fact that it has saved me from the flying creatures that seem to sneak in through my windows, I just love the feeling of waking up inside the mosquito net. It’s so summery, and it makes me feel like a princess in the depths of a jungle in India. I also think it completely changes the atmosphere in my room, it makes it seem more elegant in some way. It’s completely wonderful.

Guillermo on Weeds - I’m not sure why, but I am completely (and very weirdly) attracted to Guillermo on Weeds. He’s hands down my favorite character on the show (besides Nancy, who I have a huge girl crush on). The thing is, he’s not that good looking! And he’s sort of short and stocky and doesn’t have a very good face. But he’s funny and I love listening to him talk and he’s a bad ass drug dealer and I am 100% attracted to him. When he was first on the show, I thought he was just going to be some random guy that was only on one episode, now he’s working his way up to a main character. I also may have recently named my car Guillermo. What?

Possession by A.S. Byatt - So, I finally just finished this book, which took me a bit of time to read. Now, while it was definitely a hard read, it was very good. I can’t believe the time and hard work that had to have gone into writing this book. The basic plot is that two historians, each specializing in a different poet, uncover this secret relationship between the two poets through letters and poems and journals. The poets are complete fictional, so not only did A.S. Byatt write the basic plot and story but she also wrote all the poems, letters, and journal entries that are referenced in the text. It’s incredible. It’s a great book, the unfolding of the story is great, and the ending was very satisfying. I hate when you read a book, and you love it, and then the ending sucks. Not so with Possession. The ending was wonderful.

Rain - Lately it’s been Rains Magee here. Not just sprinkling, but raining really hard with huge bolts of lightening and striking thunder and it’s awesome. It’s so satisfying to run outside in the middle of a storm, standing with your arms outstretched, your face towards the sky, the rain drenching you. I seriously never feel more alive than in those moments. I love the rain. I love the sounds of it, the feel of it, the concept of it – I love how it suddenly starts out of nowhere and ends out of nowhere. It’s a wonderful part of nature. In addition, I have two different rain play lists that are very delightful to listen to while it’s raining. I will send them to you upon request, so just let me know if you want them.

Dating Quiz – I recently took this dating personality quiz on line and the results were accurate. I love when quiz results are accurate. You should take the quiz here at OkCupid! So what were my results? I got The Window Shopper RGLD (Random Gentle Love Dreamer). Among other things, it says that I am “prone to sudden, ferocious crushes” which is very true. Interestingly, it says that my ideal match is someone that I have grown to love slowly. I never really thought of that. That sudden, ferocious crushes are somewhat arbitrary and based on nothing. But growing to love someone would hold so much more meaning. Unfortunately, last time I actually grew to love somebody it ended in shit. Absolute shit.

Taking walks through the city - Recently, I took the T into the city to visit Cori while her family was staying in Boston. I ended up staying over at the hotel, and the next day, on my way back to the T, I thought, “why should I just head home? It’s a beautiful day.” So I took a nice walk around the city, around the Back Bay neighborhoods, checking out the brownstones that I will never have enough money to own and just enjoying the city on such a beautiful day. I walked down Newbury St and window shopped. This is also a huge deal because I panic about doing things alone. But it was nice to walk around with only the company of myself. So, I think this might be my new thing, I might start going into the city weekly to take walks by myself. Delightful.

Gala Darling’s “How To Have A Summer Romance (With Yourself) - What an adorable article. I adore everything that she writes, but this especially caught my attention. You know they always say that you can’t love anyone else until you love yourself? So why not spend the summer falling in love with yourself so that you can open up to other people? She talks about getting to know yourself, leaning to make compromises (with yourself), and learning to listen (to yourself). It’s really a great idea for an article. So this summer, I think I will be entertaining a summer romance with myself (which leaves the door open for masturbation jokes but get your mind out of the gutter!). Read the article here.

Improv Everywhere – This is a completely awesome. They are an improv group the set up these outlandish situations in social settings that leave the people around them totally puzzled. They get tons of people (usually volunteers) involved and they pull of these great stunts. If anyone saw the episode of Law & Order SVU where all those people froze in Grand Central Station, that was based on a mission that these guys did. My favorite mission that they did was their most recent, where they got I think 8 or 10 pairs of twins and had them create a human mirror on the subway. People getting on the train were baffled and began to question their sanity when they saw the mirror. They document all their missions through video and photos so check them out here.

The Dark Knight - I finally went to see the film the other night. I loved it. I haven’t been this impressed with a movie in a long time. After it was over, Krista and I didn’t even talk to each other, we just sat staring at the screen, in awe. Besides the fact that I was completely terrified of the Joker, I cannot believe what a good job Heath Ledger did. It really made me sad, that here he was, at possibly the height of his career, just perfecting his craft, and he lost his life. But, no Debbie Downer moments. I loved that I was completely stressed through the whole movie, that almost every scene had me on the edge of my seat, and that I was maybe secretly rooting for the Joker just because it’s Heath. The movie was phenomenal.

Sushi Dates – I had the biggest craving for sushi for like 6 months, but I haven’t really had the money or the access to good sushi to actually go out and get some. The other day, I joined Krista, Katie, Meg, and Elyse at Asian C for a sushi date. Thank god! I got the Caterpillar roll, possibly my favorite sushi ever and it was magnificent. I’ve had better presentations at other places but taste wise, this was amazing. When I think about it, it’s insane that I actually consider sushi one of my favorite foods because I hate seafood. But sushi is so wonderful and tasty, seafood be damned! Tonight I’m going out with Rooney and Keryn and whoever else shows up for another sushi date, so color me stoked.

“Bases Loaded” – Dunkin Donuts is running a contest promotion where you get a prize with every iced coffee you buy. Everyone’s a winner! Mostly you get a dollar off a flat bread sandwich, but sometimes you get a free iced coffee, or a free sandwich, or other fun and useful coupons. Also, you get a code that you can enter on line to win bigger prizes. What’s fun about this is that you go on line, enter the code, and you get to choose you pitcher – Jonathan Papelbon (my love) or Joba Chamberlain (that piece of shit from the Yankees). Then you go up at bat, and if they get you out, you lose. But if you hit a home run, you win! Which, I haven’t done yet. But I’m holding out hope!

Seth Green - Well, I recently started watching my old Buffy DVDs, specifically Seasons 3 and 4, and I have reopened and obsession with Seth Green. I mean, Oz was one of the best characters on Buffy, with his trademark stoicism, and he was also so cute with Willow (until he cheated on her with another werewolf). And then of course there is Robot Chicken, and Family Guy, and everything else Seth Green has ever done and I realized yesterday that I want a boyfriend exactly like him! Then, whilst on the phone with J:10, he suggested that I check out Seth Green, which really weirded me out since I had been randomly lusting over him lately. So, Seth Green, if you’re out there reading this…I love you.

Loves it!
Ponz

mix tape mondays!

Brand New – Moshi Moshi (acoustic) I dedicate this first song to Katelin because I feel like we are always referencing it at odd times =). So, I feel like every time I talk about a Brand New song I am reduced to gushing. I’ll spare you and simply say I love this song. It was release between YFW and Deja, on the Brand New/Safety In Numbers split EP. Fun fact: apparently in Japan, “Moshi moshi” is what you say when you answer the phone.

Snow Patrol – Grazed Knees You’ve probably realized this by now if you have been following Mix Tape Mondays but, I love a good, unique singing voice. Enter Gary Lightbody, with a good unique singing voice. I just find his voice so soothing. This song is pretty emotionally raw. It’s beautiful. The lyrics are simple and straight forward, being scared of love, and fighting and loving, etc.

Keaton Simons – Unstoppable I have this whole album and I have no idea where it came from. But, like with Snow Patrol, I love Keaton’s voice. It’s sort of smoky. So I believe he’s fairly new to the scene, and his album, Can You Hear Me, just came out this year. I haven’t listened to this whole thing but this song is positively delightful. Keaton Simons, FTW!

Fantastic Plastic Machine – L’aventure Fantastique You know when you hear a song and you think, “Boy, if I were on rolls, this would completely fuck me up.” Well this is one of those songs. It’s fun, it’s French, and it’s pretty electronic. So the guy, Tomoyuki Tanaka, is Japanese and incorporates many types of music and sound effects into his songs. Pretty cool stuff. Fun song to listen to.

Jason Mraz – Wordplay Classic! I completely love Jason Mraz and I also completely believe that he’s a lyrical genius. He is incredibly eclectic, has a great voice, and can rhyme the shit out of you. This song is off Mr. A-Z which A) is such a good album name and B) is probably my favorite Mraz album. It peaked at 81 on the Billboard Hot 100 which is, lame sort of, but hey at least it was on the list!

The Wombats – Let’s Dance To Joy Division I seriously love anything fitting the criteria of a) indie and b) out of London/Europe. THAT’S what I’m jamming to these days. This is a completely fun and charming song that fits into those categories. The fun continues when you learn that this song is based on an actual event, when lead singer Matthew Murphy drunkenly danced on a table to Joy Division with is girlfriend. Fun!

Hanson – Hand In Hand You know what I love about Hanson? I love that when they first showed up with MMMBop, anyone that wasn’t a pre-pubescent girl was like “Psh, those guys look like girl and they are SO not going to last long.” And then Hanson was like, “Yeah, you know what, eff you, nay-sayers! We’re sticking around! And we’re gonna grow up and get hott! And married! To women!” And they kept making music, and it kept getting better and they proved everyone wrong WHILE providing them with delightful tunes! And, thus ends my Hanson rave.

Two Gallants – Waves Of Grain WARNING: This song is super-long, 9 minutes long. But it is so, so beautiful and so moving. From what I gather, it is about kind of the death of the American Dream. It’s a pretty tragic song, but like I said, very beautiful. It’s quite powerful, and like last week where I said I hate the harmonica, I must once again take back that statement because of how much power it adds to this song.

Ashlee Simpson – Endless Summer Yeah, yeah, hardy har har, and Ashlee Simpson song. But actually, I really like this song. And if I were feeling especially honest, well, I sort of like her voice. Plus it sort of reminds me of the Summer Haus, and nostalgia makes me think that I love a song more than I actually love it. But as far as Ashlee Simpson goes, this song isn’t half bad.

Ryan Adams – Come Pick Me Up (Live Acoustic) Oh hello one of my favorite songs ever! The amount of time I spend listening to this song is bordering on irrational. The live version is great, because live versions are always, you know, more majestic and powerful and more emotional. It talks about this completely destructive relationship, they do these horrible things to each other but…he welcomes it. He can’t help loving her.

Arctic Monkeys – Brianstorm Remember my criteria, indie and England? Hello Arctic Monkeys! Ding ding ding! I don’t see how anyone could NOT like the Arctic Monkeys. They are fun and upbeat and charmingly British, and so adorable. When asked about who Brian was, Alex Turner said, “I can’t remember Brian now… I dunno if he were in me imagination or what… it’s a blank spot in me brain… I think that’s what he ["Brian"] wanted.” Agh! I love it!

The Hollies – Jesus Was A Crossmaker You know, I’m not very religious and also not a huge fan of religious undertones in songs (that may be untrue…Bob Dylan…) but, this song has a good beat and is fun to sing along to. It’s also on the Elizabethtown soundtrack, which I think is quite possibly one of the greatest movie soundtracks ever.

Marky Mark And The Funky Bunch – Wildside Yes, I own a Marky Mark & The Funky Bunch CD. No, I’m not ashamed. Music for the people is pretty much the epitome of Marky Mark in the 90s, in all his pants-dropping glory. He was a BADASS. Wildside mostly consists of Mark trying to rap, and fun do-do-do’s in the background.

Sherwood – Middle Of The Night I love this song. Dare I say, my favorite Sherwood song. The beat is awesome. I never really gave Sherwood much of chance, despite their close relationship with Waking Ashland – I always meant to but – okay, water under the bridge. End of the story is, I gave them a chance, I loved them, especially this song.

Missy Higgins – They Weren’t There I have this mix that someone else made, about how love sucks or about jilted lovers or something, and this song is on there. I actually looked up exactly what this song is about, and it about this girl sleeping with this guy for the first time and she falls in love with him. Apparently everyone is saying she is too young to know what love is and all that, and she is saying that they weren’t there to experience what she did with him. A little poppy for me, but pretty catchy too. Also, I award her points for being Australian!

Enjoy listening!
Ponz

the attack of prehistoric creatures

Photo by Planet_Janet_111

A few days ago, some friends and I ventured to Ikea to browse the selection. We all ALMOST bought mosquito nets to hang around our beds but then decided against it. Later, I decided I actually did want one, so I headed over to Bed, Bath & Beyond, where they had them at a much steeper price. But I guess these days, the gas it takes to Ikea, probably evened out the cost. ANYWAY.

So, after enlisting the help of my dad to actually get it hung up (I was puzzled by the hook and plastic anchor situation), I spent the night happily inside my bed enclosed by my new netting, feeling somewhat like Sarah in A Little Princess (while she still lived in India). Now, a little set up background, my bed is in the corner of my room, with a window immediately to the left.  I’m trying to be as close to the air conditioner as humanly possible. I practically sleep inside of it.

So here I am, innocently reading a book in bed, when I hear a buzzing sound. I think nothing of it because lady bugs tend to finagle their way into my room, much to my chagrin. So whatever. Three more times, I hear this buzzing and I’m starting to get a little suspicious because to be honest, it sounded a little bigger than a lady bug.

Just as I’m working up my nerve to investigate – WHOOSH! Out from behind the shade, mere inches from my face, flies the biggest fucking bug I have EVER seen in my life. I’m not even sure it could be classified as a bug. Thankfully, the mosquito net, or as I know like to refer to it as, “the giant death bugs of the apocalypse net”, separated the bug from my face.

It was honestly the size of a hummingbird. I am NOT exaggerating. It was GIGANTIC. I did not know they made bugs this big. And, color me puzzled because the only way this bug could have arrived in my room is by ringing the front door bell with it’s giant legs, coming in the front door, and sneaking past me into my room to hide behind the shade and surprise me later. It was horrifying and it was big.

And worst of all, it was angry.

It flew around my room for several minutes while I sat in my bed, COWERING. I didn’t know what to do. There was no way I was ever leaving the safety of my net, for fear it would land on my face and suck my soul out my nose. So it’s flying around all angry and probably a little confused, and then the world’s greatest thing happened. It flew right into the ceiling fan, which sent it careening into a wall and flying on the nightstand by my bed. It wasn’t a fatal blow, but it definitely knocked in into a momentary coma of stun.

“Now’s your chance. You have to be brave.” I knew I lacked the tools and the time to kill it. But if I could just stun it for a bit longer….I kept my eyes on it while I made my move. I slowly reached my arm outside of the safety of the net and grabbed the can of Axe Kilo that was on my nightstand, inches away from the stunned Satanist Bug. I quickly brought it, along with my precious limb, back into the net and made sure it was shut.

Then…I sprayed.

Bug Apocalypto mustered his strength and crawled out of the reach of my spray. He crawled up the side of my book case so that he was level with my head. Then he flew straight at me. Luckily, you know, the net. So, he flew menacingly around the net for awhile, before landing right behind my pillows, on that net, with the wall right behind him.

I sprayed the ENTIRE contents of the Axe Kilo can on him. He started to climb up the net but he wasn’t flying, so I knew he was losing strength. He looked woozy. Finally, he paused, and I hoped he was loosing consciousness. I got enough courage to flick him, and he fell. Oh thank god. But he definitely wasn’t dead.

So, I maneuvered a book under him, closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and squished him against the wall. As hard as I could. Three times. Each time, a loud crunching noise greeted me. It was disgusting.

Anyway, somehow without touching him at all, I got him away from my general bed area and put him in an eyeglass case to show my mom the next day because I knew if I didn’t show anyone, no one would believe how big he is. But if you don’t believe me that this was a Demon Bug, you can ask my mom.

And I suggest you make a trip to Ikea or Bed Bath & Beyond before such a thing happens to you.

big brother 10: the twist is there is no twist

I’ve been wanting to write my opinion on this years cast of Big Brother and I’ve finally found the time to do so. I’ve watched every single season of Big Brother, since Season 1. It’s nice that in the 10th Season they seem to be return to the simplicity of Season 1, in that everyone in the house is a stranger – no exes, no family members, no high school friends who owe you $5, nothing. So other than being strangers, what up with this years cast?

Brian – So, Brian was the first to be evicted from the Big Brother house. The sad thing about this season is that this fellow was arguably one of the most attractive men in the house. Whatever happened to the days of Crazy James, Dr. Will, Eric the sleep-talking firefighter? Anyway the problem with Brian was that he played too hard, too fast. He started making deals with everyone almost as soon as he walked in the front door. He got caught and he got taken out. No surprise there.

Angie – Definitely my favorite female in the house, I have a feeling she is going to last for awhile, if not make it to final two. She isn’t causing any drama, just sitting back and chilling out. She seems to be hanging out moreso with the boys than the girls, which is good because the other girls seem sort of annoying and frivolous. Dare I say, catty? But Angie seems like a fun person who will also prove to be a strong player.

Memphis – I’m assuming he was the intended Season 10 babe, but he’s a little too frat boy for me. He’s a mixologist, not a bartender, so don’t get those confused. =) I give Memphis props for being the only guy not to fall into Brian’s web of faulty alliances. He showed caution and made no rush to a commitment, which is key in this game. In addition to this, he is pretty physically fit, so I can see him making it far in the game.

April – Introducing April, the busty blond financial manager from Arizona! The fist impression she made was announcing her boobs were real and letting all the house guests, including Grandpa Jerry, give them a good squeeze for proof. I think April will be sticking around for awhile, not because of wits or anything, but I think she might fly under the radar. Then again, she was quick to start off a showmance with Ollie, which could prove to be her demise.

Ollie – I like Ollie! I do. I think he’s one of the most normal guys, despite his involvement with April. I also think he is out to do right by people, which is good…in life. Not so good in Big Brother. Although he says not to be fooled by the preacher’s son act, so we’ll see. Also, he is oddly attractive in pajama pants. But I’m just saying. I can see Ollie making it really far in the game, I think he is also final two material. But only time will tell.

Michelle – Ahh, Michelle has wild hair and a crazy Latin temper! Based solely on her photo (hair) and her bio on CBS.com, I knew I was going to hate her, but actually, she really hasn’t annoyed me yet. But my money is going on her getting in a big blowout fight at some point during the season. It is so inevitable. Other than that I don’t have much to say on Michelle. I think other than my predicted blowout fight, she may make it as a floater.

Jerry – Bless his heart! 75-year-old Grandpa Jerry attempting Big Brother. Cue the adorableness. I love it. Totally spitting on ageism. My only issue (and here is me being somewhat ageist) is I am so nervous during physical competitions that he’s just to grasp his heart, let out a labored breath, and drop to the floor, dead. Biggest fear of the season. Other than that, I don’t want him to fall into the trap of doing whatever everyone else tells him. But he was the first head of household, and he’s being doing okay so far, so yay Jerry!

Libra – She’s a little sassy! I don’t completely agree with the fact that she just had four month old twins and left them at home just to do Big Brother BUT…she seems to be okay with it, so who am I to judge? She seems…smart. She sees through people, I think, and that will seriously work in her favor. Strategy wise, not sure what my opinion is yet. She seems like she can handle herself though, and it quite possibly the strongest of the females, wits wise. Final two material? Not sure yet.

Steven – Steven the gay cowboy! I’m loving him. I feel like he hasn’t had enough camera time yet, so I am judging him literally based on almost nothing. But from what I have seen, he’s nice, cool and collected, and levelheaded enough to make it a little ways. He seems like he is going to be a floater, which is not necessarily bad. I used to think it was kind of a copout on playing the game, but I’ve come to see it’s actually a good strategy.

Renny – I celebrated the end of Season 9 because I wouldn’t have to deal with Sheila anymore. Renny makes me want to cuddle up by a fire and spend the rest of my living days with Sheila. She is Sheila on crack with an even worse accent! She’s from N’orleans and thus claims that she loves to party and have fun and let loose!! And yet all I’ve seen her do in the house to far is be a big fat stick in the mud. And her voice is literally cheese grater material. The sooner Renny leaves the house, the sooner my sanity returns.

Dan – Dan is my favorite so far! I’m after him to win the half million but I don’t think he will. I think he lacks the leadership and brutality is takes to pull of the game, but bless his little Catholic-school-teacher heart, I want him to make it far. He maintained his integrity to Brian until the end, which is good because it shows it’s honest. It’s bad because his alliance was stripped away and it shows he’s sort of a follower. But I think they won’t be going after him right away, and that’s good for me. I’m definitely on Team Dan for this season!

Keesha – I have yet to form a real opinion on Keesha. She’s earning me points in my fantasy league (YES, I play in a Big Brother fantasy league. This is my thing, okay?) because she’s always crying. But I kind of think of her as April 2.0 – she’s the other Busty Blond in the house but I think she might be a little strategically better at the game than April is. We’ll see though. There hasn’t been much time for her to develop of a strategy base yet.

Jessie – I don’t even know what to say. I have like absolutely no respect for Jessie. He’s a body builder, which whatever, to each their own. But he’s ONLY a body builder. All he talks about is his body. When he won the veto competition, he ripped his shirt off. I mean, come on. That is GOOFY. So cliche. I don’t think he’s going to make it very far because he’s so annoying and baby-ish. Sure, he’ll do well in physical comps but I think he seriously is lacking in the brains department. Does everyone get that I don’t like Jessie? Haha.

So there you have it, this year’s Big Brother. I don’t want to make a final two call too early but I guess at this point, just for fun, I’ll say final two as Angie and Ollie. MAYBE.

things i love thursday!

1.ravenu 2.wuntwo 3.thatspunny 4.thirdbase41 5.lorealparisusa 6.galadarling 7.inverno 8.tookie 9.little-people 10.panda_apple 11.lesliemiperry 12.penelopebat

Joss Whedon It’s no surprise that I love Joss, and now that he’s come rocketing back into my life, it’s only appropriate that he earn a spot in TILT. I’ve been watching my Buffy DVD’s lately, specifically Season 3, and it just amazes me everything that Joss is able to come up with. I’ve also, in all my nerd glory, been reading the Buffy: Season 8 comic books – which, I’m not a comic-booky kinda gal, but they are pretty good! And then of course, there is Dr. Horrible. Act II came out last night and I’m getting pretty sad that there is only one act left. I wish it would go on forever!

Myspace People often joke about how lame Myspace and that, although they have one, Myspace is so stupid and silly. But you know what? I’m here to say that I LIKE MYSPACE. The site has revolutionized that way you can keep in touch with your friends. I mean, let’s say you’re having a party. Instead of having to call everyone, or send out invitations or whatever, you can just post a bulletin on Myspace! Let’s say you have lots of friends from Northern Kentucky, who’s phones always seem to be getting shut off, and you need to get in contact with them…Myspace them! Or you have a funny picture or video that you MUST share with everyone you’ve ever met….Myspace!

That’s Punny! I love themed blogs, especially this one that I recently stumbled upon. Basically, it’s a blog where people send in pictures of ads, store names, product names – anything that invokes the use of the literary glory that is the pun. I love puns. I am guilty of using them for a cheap (often fake) laugh on more than one occasion. So this blog is obviously a goldmine for someone like me. Check it out at http://thatspunny.blogspot.com/ and get ready to laugh at the things that people come up with!

DEWmocracy The most recent ad campaign released by Mountain Dew where we get to choose the new flavor. Apparently they were released in stores in May but I didn’t catch wind of this until now. So far I’ve only tried the Supernova flavor, which is strawberry, melon, lime and ginseng flavored. It’s GOOD, I really love it. But next I’m going to try Voltage, which I’m pretty sure is going to change my life. You know, not in the literal sense. I pretty much love anything that even hints at being blue raspberry flavored, so, it should be great.

Dream Blonde from L’Oreal My not-so-recent decision to go blonde has been quite the journey. After three home-bleach processes, a box of cheap blonde ash-toned dye, and hacking off most of my now dead hay-like hair, I have finally found a product that I love. My roots have been growing in, and while other people denied how trashy it was getting, the mirror told the truth. I was surprised to see how dark my natural hair has become! So I went to the store, and finally settled on Dream Blonde in the shade of “Lightest Blonde.” It came out like a dream! It did not turn my roots orange and it gave my hair a nice, lighter, healthier look. Thank you L’Oreal!!

Gala Darling’s “50 Things To Do Before Summer Ends Earlier this week, Gala Darling posted this list over at The Icing. It is such a good list of things to do, most of which I vow to complete before the summer is over. They are easy things, and most of them are little pleasures that can make you feel so much better. Like, lying in bed on a sunny morning with the windows open and loud music playing, i a tourist attraction in your own city, having a bike ride with your best friend, skinny-dipping, keeping a secret, etc. You can find the list here. You should do it too!

“When one door closes, another one opens.” This is so true. Sometimes it’s really, really hard to close a door if you know you’ll never be able to open it again. And sometimes it’s really hard to open a door because you don’t know what is behind it. It could be something scary! But…a part of you knows when it’s a good idea to close a door and open a new one. I feel like I am on the verge of closing a door and opening a big new one. And what is behind it is one part scary, lots of parts exciting. We’ll see what happens.

Krista! I try to avoid putting people from my actual life on TILT because if I put one person, everyone else would be like “Why not me? Why don’t you love ME on Thursdays?” But, I’m using a loophole on this one because Krista has been in Austria for what seems like 100 years (okay it was like, 5 weeks. But that’s a long time!) and now she is finally home! Krista and I, who have been best friends since sophomore year of high school, not only were torn apart by college, but are also now going on TWO summers where we hardly see each other. The good thing is I don’t feel like we have grown apart at ALL, and that my lovely readers, is true friendship, something worthy of TILT.

Little People No, I don’t have a midget fetish. This is a “tiny street art project” from Europe. It is honestly one of the most charming things I have ever come across in my life. It’s these tiny hand painted people set up to look like a real life scene. There is a picture of the actual scene set up and then a picture of the area where it is set up, so you see how tiny they really are. It’s amazing and so very beautiful. Definitely worth checking out here.

Zach Braff I know that Zach Braff is a little weird looking, although I can’t pinpoint exactly what it is about him…I think his lower lip might be too big. Anyway, doesn’t matter. What does matter is that I love him! I love Garden State, I love Scrubs, and I love The Last Kiss (although, not as much as the other two). But what i love most about Zach Braff is that not only does he act well, not only did he write and direct an amazing movie (GS), but he also has one of the best tastes in music I have ever witnessed! I think he has a real true talent for all things entertainment.

Flight Of The Conchords I kept hearing such great things about this duo and their show on HBO and how funny it was but I kept forgetting to check it out. Also contributing to this is the fact that I am so overwhelmed by how many irrational TV channels we have that I only watch OnDemand because there are less choices. And what did I find? Flight Of The Conchords. It’s about these two guys from New Zealand that are in a “rock band” and their manager and all the hi-jinx that they get into. I watched all the episodes that were available (which was only the second half of Season One) and it is HYSTERICAL. I love it. One of the funniest shows I have seen in awhile. Next on my list to check out because people won’t stop raving about it: Always Sunny In Philadelphia.

Penelope Bat I love finding a blog that I truly enjoy reading, which is very rare. Basically the blogs listed over on the right hand side of this window are the only blogs I regularly read. But I found a new one! Penelope Bat’s blog is called Cocoa and it’s very charming and also similar to Gala Darling. What made me fall in love with her blog was her post about Alice In Wonderland style. How charming! Definitely a blog that I will be regularly reading. Check it out: Penelopebat.com

Lovey lovey!
Ponz

dr. horrible’s sing-a-long blog

Photo by briankdunbar.

It’s finally here! When I first heard about Dr. Horrible’s Sing-A-Long Blog, I was overwhelmed with excitement not worthy mentioning here for fear of how incredibly lame it makes me. But come on now – it’s the latest project from Joss Whedon, who, if anyone was around me for the seven seasons that Buffy was on, knows the love I have for this man. Second it stars Neil Patrick Harris, who is quite quickly becoming one of my favorite people in Hollywood. And third, it was created during the writer’s strike – which, while it may have been tragic, produced some brilliant, and often hilarious, pieces of work. Did anyone watch Conan during the writers strike? It was funnier than it’s been in years! And a tiny part of me wished the writers would go away forever. But only a tiny tiny part, the part not occupied by the raging desire for new episodes of Lost.

Ah, but I digress. Back to Dr. Horrible. Act I was posted today, 13 delightful minutes of singing, witty quips and ridiculous story lines. It was better than I even thought it would be, which is weird. Why would I ever underestimate Joss Whedon? So, the basic story line is Dr. Horrible has a blog, which we are to believe has been going on for some time before this first act. This charming Dr. Horrible is just desperate to be a cool super-villain and to be accepted by “Evil League of Evil”, and you just can’t help but feel sorry for the guy. In addition to this, he has a crush on the cute girl at the laundromat, whom he is too shy to talk to. Oh, and then there is his arch-nemesis, Captain Hammer, who is the “good guy”, but is really kind of a jerk.

The songs are all very funny as well as catchy, something that was to be expected after Once More With Feeling (the musical episode of Buffy). The songs in Act I are “Freeze Ray,” “Bad Horse,” “Will You Help,” (which are both really short) and “A Man Has To Do What A Man Has To Do.” Did I mention that I just made up those names? Well, I did. Unimportant. Anyway, Freeze Ray is my favorite, although the end of “A Man Has To…” cannot be ignored.

Dr. Horrible is definitely worth checking out. Act I was put up today, Act II will be up on Thursday and Act III, the final act, will be up on Saturday. They are completely free to watch at DrHorrible.com, but they are only free to watch until Sunday night, when they will be taken down at midnight. After that it will be available for sale on iTunes. But, come on…watch it while it’s free!

(Dr. Horrible’s Sing-A-Long Blog)

Mix Tape Mondays!

*Apologies for the absence in the past week. I have no good excuse except it’s been too lovely of a week not to take advantage of lounging by the pool all day. That being said, I’ll be back in full force this week! Anyway, on to this week’s mix tape!

Bob Dylan – Just Like A Woman I love Dylan. Dylan makes me happy. What’s funny is I hate the harmonica. I think it is possibly the most annoying and abysmal instrument ever (except the accordion?) – but for some reason, I really actually sort of like it in Dylan songs. Anyway, Just Like A Woman, pretty classic song as far as old Bob goes. It was allegedly inspired by Edie Sedgwick, whom I am becoming increasingly more fascinated by.

Jesse Lacey – Untitled 01 (live) It’s definitely not news that I love and possibly worship Jesse Lacey. I truly think he is a musical genius. Untitled 01 is one of my favorite Brand New songs, and it’s unfortunate that it was only demoed. In an interview, Jesse Lacey responded to the leak of the nine demos by saying, among other things, “It had me pretty down for a while. No one likes to show their creation in mid-process, and those songs weren’t done…Now, in retrospect, I want those songs to be on the album and many of them aren’t, and I’m probably more to blame for that than anyone. This record already feels incomplete to me without those tracks and probably will forever.” Kind of sad. And I sometimes wonder what the album would be like with those nine demos, because I always really liked them. Anyway, sidetrack. This particular track is a live version recorded from a show in Mississippi during Jesse’s solo tour with Kevin Devine.

The Moldy Peaches – Anyone Else But You Ahh, Juno. Can I be honest? I hate the Juno soundtrack. The songs sound good in the movie but when just listened to separately on the soundtrack? Almost painful. Fortunately for this mixtape, this is one of the only songs that I like. And, in all honesty, I like it better when sung by Ellen Page and Michael Cera because I find it more charming. But this version is good too, and bit longer.

DJ Paul V. – Tequila Lipgloss (Lil Mama vs. The Champs) Was this mashup made with the Summer Haus in mind? You’ve got Lipgloss, which was always playing at Delta, matched with Tequila…which I can relate to the Summer Haus in several ways – mainly that the song was in Pee Wee, and the drink was constantly being poured down Crystal’s throat *friendly wink!*. I’m a sucker for mashups, I think they are way cooler than they actually are. This one is REALLY fun. It’s just cool how a song can fit with a totally different beat and still sound cool. Loves it!

We The Kings – Check Yes Juliet It’s irrationally how much I love this song. It makes me feel like I’m in high school again for some reason. Let me go ahead and say that I hate the utter cliche-ness of the music video, especially that fact that it reminds me of a certain relationship that I don’t very much agree with (and I’m not alone on that one!). But the song is so catchy! I feel like it’s been stuck in my head since March! And I admit…it’s my ringtone…sigh.

Britney Spears – Overprotected Picture, if you will, me standing on a rooftop, screaming this at the top of my lungs: “I LIKE BRITNEY SPEARS AND I’M NOT AFRAID TO ADMIT IT!” Seriously. I delight in how white trash she is. I delight in her drunkeness, and her puss-flashing, and her head shaving, and her crazy parenting. She went from being America’s little sweet small town girl to a complete and utter mess – and she’s still making music that people are still buying! I love it! And all her songs are catchy!! Come on!! A little part of everyone secretly loves Britney Spears, and if you deny that, you just haven’t realized it yet. But you do. Oh, erm, Overprotected – good song.

Boys Night Out – I Got Punched In The Nose For Sticking My Face In Other People’s Business I love irrationally long song titles. And note that that was not sarcasm, I really do. Especially ones that reference movies (The Wedding Singer). I also love…Boys Night Out! They’ve got good – just the right amount of screamo – jams. I often forget about them, which is unfortunate. This particular song was their single off 2003’s Make Yourself Sick and, while I tend to stray from singles for some reason, it IS one of my favorite BNO songs.

Washington Phillips – What Are They Doing In Heaven Today? This song is pretty out of place on the mixtape. Well, it’s pretty much out of place anywhere except in Elizabethtown when he’s all road-trippy (meaning, on a road trip, not being trippy on the road). So, this song, along with 16 others, were recorded by Washington Phillips in the 1920s. The fun thing is, these are the only songs he ever recorded and they all are his vocals accompanied with an unidentifiable instrument, which some believe to be homemade by him. I like old songs because…I feel like at some point society got really, really corrupt and stupid. And in the 20s and before, while society was still of course corrupt, things like music and love…they were more pure, they had more feeling and purpose. Not to say that love and music can’t be pure now but…oh this is a topic for another day.

Audio Karate – Nintendo 89 To be honest, outside of this song, I don’t know much about Audio Karate. I haven’t heard much else. Also to be honest, I don’t really have a desire to. While I don’t dislike the song, I feel they are just your typical pop-punk band and, I don’t really like Art Barrios’ voice. But I mean, if you like pop-punk, you’ll probably like this song. It’s just a little….generic.

Cobra Starship – The Kids Are All Fucked Up I love Cobra Starship! Because…they are fun, and somewhat an 80s throwback, style-wise, which I think is completely charming. Also, I have this weird love for Gabe Saporta. I mean, he’s Midtown Gabe! Midtown Gabe who used to sometimes make out with Pete Wentz! This song is slower, less party-ish, and it pretty much exhibits why I think Gabe’s voice is so sexual.

Alkaline Trio – Fatally Yours I feel like this is one of the first songs I ever heard by Alkaline Trio. Oh, actually, fun fact! The first song I ever heard by Alkaline Trio was Radio. And I loved it. But, so, Fatally Yours is one of my favorite Alkaline songs, if not for anything else, then for this like, “I don’t hear from you no more, but I get the message – you crashed your car through my front door, I pulled you from the wreckage. You told me that you missed me…but you meant with the grill and hood.” I’ve just always loved that line for some reason!

Bright Eyes – Arc Of Time I just love so many different Bright Eyes songs that I find queer specifically talking about one. I like how upbeat this song is. The music is just…great. Conor Oberst is a great lyricist and I like his voice in the same way that I like Kevin Devine’s – it’s not necessarily GOOD but it’s charming, and it works, and it’s nice to listen to BECAUSE it’s not traditionally good. He comes across as more of a normal guy, just with, ya know, a lot of feelings.

Third Eye Blind – My Hit And Run In my opinion: Third Eye Blind is one of the greatest bands of the last 15 years. I mean…I won’t even talk about how completely and utterly ingeniously written Semi-Charmed Life is. I mean I won’t even say anything about this song other than I love it just as much I love every other 3EB song. It’s a cool song because, face-value wise it’s about a car accident (big surprise!), but it’s basically saying that you may not always have another tomorrow, that if you want to do something, don’t put it off, do it today. Which is important message, albeit an overdone one. In the end he gets to walk away from the accident, which is nice. (Fun fact: 3 out of 15 of the songs this week mention car crashes. WEIRD! I hope that’s not an omen!)

The Fray – Fall Away I have something against The Fray. I’m not entirely sure what it is. I think because How To Save A Life was absolutely, 100%, OVER. PLAYED. Lord. But aside from that, this song kind of speaks to me just because of how I’ve been feeling lately, that I’ve essentially fallen away from my past, but that it’s staying with me. And I feel as though I’ve left some things unfinished, and I’ve run from them because I was too scared. And suddenly Mix Tape Monday became less fun and more whiny.

The Dandy Warhols – We Used To Be Friends This song is FUN. I. Love. It. It makes me want to dance all around my room and their voices get so high and I just want to dance around and scream and sing along. Phew! I mean, what’s awesome is the song is SO UPBEAT and…it’s sort of sad because it’s obviously a friendship that has faded. But, it’s also pretty much acceptance of the fading friendship. It’s like, we’re not friends anymore, so whatever. Which, I can relate to. I mean, what?

Mix Tape Mondays!

The Cardigans – Feathers And Down When I think of the Cardigans, all I can think of is Lovefool, which isn’t a bad things because I secretly love that song. But this is a good song too! It’s a lot slower and more mellow than Lovefool. Lyrically, it seems to be about drinking and sobering up and subsisting on love instead of alcohol. Which is a nice thing to dream about.

Something Corporate – When It Goes Down Something Corporate used to be my favorite band in the whole world. I sobbed when Andrew McMahon was diagnosed with leukemia. SOBBED. But anyway, what I like most about SoCo is the piano, which is beautiful on this track. It’s from the album Ready…Break, one of their older ones. It starts out slow and picks up, and as always, I love the lyrics.

Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins – Happy My girl crush back again without Rilo Kiley! This was another musical project of hers and it’s good. Not as good as Rilo Kiley in my opinion, but still good. This song almost sounds Western-y, or like Jenny (from Forrest Gump, not Lewis) should be singing it naked with a guitar. It’s got kind of a cool rift going on in the back, and I love her voice.

Ben Lee – Aftertaste Ben Lee! Ben Lee is my new obsession. He is so chill and fun. I love him. This actually is not one of my favorite Ben Lee songs though. It’s one of the less fun, darker ones. And when I say darker, I don’t mean very dark, because it’s Ben Lee. It’s actually kind of a boring song, which I feel bad saying having just raved about how much I love him. But depending on what mood you are in, this could be a good son to listen to.

The Temptations – I Can’t Get Next To You The Temptations are always fun. I love how it starts out this cute little piano ditty and then picks up into this funky jam with a bunch of different parts and levels. This is a GREAT song. It’s a funk machine and I just want to put on bell bottoms and dance around my room. But I don’t own any bell bottoms. So I can’t.

The Kooks – California You gotta love the Kooks! Brit indie rock FTW! I mean so it’s actually kind of funny that this song is about California because they are British. But it’s got a good beat and it’s a pretty good introduction to The Kooks, in my opinion. I love the different breakdowns and the constant piano banging and his voice, and everything about this song (and The Kooks) I just love.

Everclear – Wonderful (Radio Edit) 90s classic alert! Call me crazy or does the opening of this sound exactly like Savage Garden? Which is weird since they are from the same era…anyway, Everclear, yeah. Wonderful. I can’t say anything bad about this song because it’s 90s, possibly my favorite decade. I mean you know, it’s just a dude wishing everything was wonderful and there’s a fun “na na na” going on the background and everything is just…wonderful.

Fiona Apple – Criminal Apparently my iTunes is in a 90s mood. Here’s the thing about Fiona Apple – she has a great, soulful voice. So while I don’t particularly go out of my way to listen to her, I very much appreciate her. This is a good song because she’s all sort of heartbreak-y, but then it’s also sort of lame in a 90s way because her crime is breaking someone’s heart. Maybe I’m just bitter, but there are worse crimes. Like murder. Or raping puppies. Or something.

The Doors – Riders On The Storm The Doors remind me of the summer. And then there is this song with the like….beach-y storm in the background and the like full piano scale, which reminds me why they remind me of summer. I feel like this would be a playing in a movie when a guy’s estranged ex-girlfriend shows up at his beach house while it’s storming in the background and they have this really passionate make-up sex with lingering anger about their past. But…that’s just me.

Secondhand Serenade – It’s Not Over Alright, admittedly I had never heard of Secondhand Serenade until I heard this song on Joe’s Myspace profile. But I’m obsessed with this song, so I listen to more Secondhand Serenade and found out that I LOVE THEM. I mean pretty much all he sings are these acoustic love songs, it sort of has an old-school Dashboard feel but a bit more on the pop side of the scale. I love it all, truly. Check them out if you like semi-cheesy acoustic bliss.

Alexi Murdoch – All Of My Days I could write a book about how much I love Alexi Murdoch. I think the first time I ever heard him was from The OC soundtrack, which is ironic since I’ve never watched The OC in my life. I love all of his songs, and while Song For You is probably my favorite, this one if a close favorite. He has a lovely deep voice and he is lovely on guitar and everything about him is just chill and nice and lovely to sleep to.

Say Anything – Sorry, Dudes. My Bad. Picking up the pace of the mix tape a little! I love Max Bemis’ voice, and I pretty much love anything that he writes, including this song. In Defense Of The Genre is a great album (or should I say 2-Disc set) that includes this song. I love the middle, “Max, I will sell you this Xanax for $5. Then we can go to Waffle House…”

Eve 6 – Nocturnal Oh, Eve 6. How middle school of me. Here is a fun little fact that I will share with you though: Horrorscope is one of my favorite albums of all time. It’s one of those CDs that I can listen to every single song on and never get sick of any of them. That sad, Nocturnal is a good song, and I love the beat of it. This album brings back a lot of memories for me.

Priscilla Ahn – Red Cape An alum of TILT! I think this song showcases her voice really nice. I love the backing vocals a lot and the tune. It’s one of my favorite songs of hers. I love how light her voice is, as lame as this sounds, it kind of just floats over you. She’s great and I cannot wait to hear more out of her. You should definitely check out more tracks by her.

My Chemical Romance – Sleep I think this is such an overlooked track, by me, on the Black Parade album. The beginning always makes me feel like I’m watching the Sixth Sense (the rewinding tape, etc). Anyway, I think the entire Black Parade album comes together very nicely and it’s one of those albums where the songs feed off each other and create an end product that is great. And this song fits in perfectly as a powerful, great song.

exercise your demons. err, your body.

Photo by photojunkie.

Last night after dinner, my mom was heading out for her nightly walk. It was a pretty nice night, so I thought I’d head out too, just for a short jaunt, since exercise and myself and really great friends. On our way out, Mom suggested I ride my bike instead in walking.

Let me give you an idea of how long it’s been since I rode my bike: I didn’t know I OWNED a bike.

But it apparently I do. One that my dad just put a new comfy bike seat on, which is pretty nonsensical, what with all the dust and cobwebs he had to wipe off to do so. There is often no rhyme or reason to the things my dad does, and I’ve become okay with that.

It started out a little wobbly. You know how they say once you know how to ride a bike you never forget? It’s only half true for me. My balance and steering was mediocre at best. I definitely came a little too close to a few telephone poles. And trees. Arguably, maybe a few cars.

But, before I knew it, I was flying down the street without a care in the world, and it felt great. I thought to myself, “I could do this all night, every night! This is great!” It was a wonderful feeling, using this body that’s been lounging around for the past few weeks doing nothing. I could feel my heartbeat, fresh air was coursing through my lungs, and the colors in the sky were mixing together in shades of orange and pink and purple to create a beautiful sunset. It was beautiful.

Then I got to a hill. And I stopped being beautiful and started actually being hard. It didn’t help that I forgot to change gears, so I was in the worst possible gear for riding up a hill. I got about halfway up before succumbing to the fact that I just was not in the shape to conquer the hill. I got off my bike and walked it the rest of the way up, embarrassed that the inhabitants of the cars driving by were thinking, “Poor girl. Must be the first time she’s exercised in her life. Couldn’t even ride her bike up that hill. What a loser.” They probably weren’t thinking this, but in my mind they were.

In the end, I ended up riding 3.5 miles, which is good considering it was my first time out in…years. The ride (mostly the hill) kicked my ass – literally. Despite the extra cushion-y goodness of the new bike seat, I woke up this morning feeling as if some ass-rapage had occurred. I was also grossly sweaty and had to jump into an incredibly cold shower to feel any semblance of the not-nasty.

But – it felt great! Seriously. Added to the fact that I haven’t done any serious drinking since I’ve been home, and I’ve been taking vitamins daily, I’m starting to feel a lot healthier and normal than I ever did in college. I think I could get used to this whole exercise thing. Who knows, it could be quite awhile before the old bicycle starts collecting cobwebs again.