Awesomely Bad Christmas Song O' the Day

Enjoy:

EVERYTHING Sounds Better With an English Accent

Especially HIS English accent:



How adorable is Jude Law?

Again, Seriously...

In case you were wondering, No. I will NEVER tire of OK Go.

Digital Mix Tape

I LOVE music. Music defined how I saw myself in high school, has helped me choose friends, and often expresses my innermost joy/sorrow/thoughts.

I was one of those girls in high school AND college who made mix tapes for my friends. I spent hours pouring my love and affection into each playlist and then more hours designing the covers.

This past week The English Geek wrote a post about her current playlist and encouraged her readers to do the same. I loved it and decided to do the same.

I spent some time thinking about this playlist, and a few more deciding on just the right words to express just what I love about each song. This isn't a list of my favorite songs, just a list of what I'm listening to right now. The heavy hitters, the songs in current rotation. Enjoy:

1. "Crazy Eddie's Last Hurrah" by Reckless Kelly. Who knew that a song about breaking up, drunk driving, and double homicide could be so much fun? I can't really explain why I love this song so much, but it might have something to do with all of the clever rhymes to "and I'm never getting over Joely".

2. "Empty" by Ray LaMontagne. The bleakness of this song moves me. I love the lines "I never learned to count my blessings,I choose instead to dwell in my disasters". I hate to admit it, but that perfectly sums up my feelings way too often. I'm a huge fan of LaMontagne, and this isn't the song that I love most by any stretch, but it is the song that's speaking to me right now. (But if you want some good stuff check out "Let it Be Me" and "Hey Me, Hey Mama" or "Shelter" AMAZING.)

3. "Hey Soul Sister" by Train. I'm a little bit embarrassed by this one, but I'll suck it up and share anyway. I can't explain they dichotomy of placing this effervescent pop song next to the dark and wistful "Empty" but there you have it: me in a nutshell. There's something about the way he sings "Hey" that gets me moving. I imagine myself dancing a quickstep to this every time I hear it and it puts a smile on my face.

4. "Sea Lion Woman" by Feist. This song gets me moving. It makes me want to clap a beat and stomp my feet. It's also one of the songs I have on my "working out" playlist. It's a great song to get you running/walking/moving, and Feist's a genius.

5. "Hotel Song" by Regina Spektor. "I have dreams of orca whales and owls, but I wake up in fear, you will never be my, you will never be my fool." Ahhhhhhh. We'll just ignore the part about illegal drugs, yes?

6."Silver Lining" by Rilo Kiley. There's something about the line "I was your silver lining, but now I'm gold." that gives me a little shiver of delight. Oh, and the girl can sing.

7. "Mouthwash" by Kate Nash. I love the happy piano at the beginning. I love that you can tell she's from London. I love that she sings about freckles. I love this song.

8. "Somewhere Only We Know" by Keane. Do I need a reason? It's just beautiful. The music, the lyrics, I love everything about this song.

9. "Island in the Sun" by Weezer. This is the ultimate summer song. I got to see Weezer in concert when they were first starting out. "Buddy Holly" had just hit MTV like a storm and they were playing the Utah State Fair Grounds. Tickets were cheap, my roommates and I decided to go. My brother and some of his friends drove down from what was then Ricks College (now BYU Idaho). The band ran onstage to the theme song from some 80's tv show (Magnum P.I.?) and had a plywood backdrop of the now famous Weezer W with holes drilled out for Christmas lights to poke through. They were young, raw, and I'll admit it: we left early. I'm ashamed, and will be forever. My brother stayed there 'til they closed the place down. I left. Who knew that those guys with the funny video would still be around all these years later? I certainly didn't, but I sure am glad they are. I'm sorry for doubting you Rivers, and thank you for writing this song so that I can celebrate the end of every school year.

10. The Old 97's. This band has been on pretty heavy rotation for a couple of years now. I love them. They speak to me. I love that my 8 year old niece Bethany and I can sing every word of "Question". Their music is fun without being cheesy, dark without being depressing. And Rhett Miller is dreamy.

11. "Grace Kelly" by Mika. If this were my niece Samantha's list "Lollipop" would be on this list, but it's always been "Grace Kelly" for me. There are so many reasons why I keep coming back to this one, but I won't bore you with them. Instead I'll just say, listen to it. I dare you not to like it.

12."Like a Prayer" by Madonna. When this song first came out, Pepsi paid Madonna a ridiculous amount of money to have the rights to play her video on commercial tv. I don't know why they were surprised that her video was controversial. I loved it. I still do. I love dark, curly haired Madonna. I know she's not the icon, but I love her. Plus, this song makes you dance in your seat. You can't help it. I am always happy when this song comes on when I'm at a red light and I can really get down.

13. "Pretty Girl from Annapolis" by The Avett Brothers. I was introduced to these guys by Melissa and Danny a couple of years ago, but I didn't really fall in love with them until I saw them perform this song on Ace of Cakes. Yeah. They have a series of "Pretty Girl from...." songs, but this is my favorite. I love the lines "My dreams fly me to a place near Baltimore. And I love this moment we're in, though we might never see this moment again" The lyrics may be about a boy who can't commit, but they remind me of a New Year's Eve spent in Annapolis with two of my favorite people on earth. I loved that moment we were in, and we never saw that moment again. But isn't that the point?

14. "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson. I recently got a 80's compilation (mostly because I was in the mood for "Total Eclipse of the Heart" by Bonnie Tyler) and this song was on it. I'd forgotten how good he was. This was my favorite song in the fourth grade (when I had NO idea what it was really about) and Thriller was, hands down, the most played record in our house that year. This song took me back to the pre-creepy, pre plastic surgery Michael that I had a crush on. Through all of the creepiness I'd forgotten just how good he was. What a talent.

15. "California" by Rufus Wainwright. This song is simultaneously silly ("Thousand surfers, whiffs of freon and my new grandma Bea Arthur")and derisive ("Life is the longest death in California").


Sooooooo, what are YOU listening to? Tell me in the comments section, or blog about it yourself. If you do blog, let me know!

If you want to do more than read about these songs, I have my playlist posted on the blog under the title Digital Mixtape.

Yes. I'm a dork

But my long forgotten crush on Jimmy Fallon? BACK ON BABY. Why? Because of this impromptu little concert with my idol Miss Piggy and other various muppets:




And Kermit? I've never stopped crushing on you.

(found via bestweekever.tv )

Insert Klever Title Here...

This post has taken me AGES to finish. It began when I saw a "D"elightful post on Melissa's blog listing ten things she loves that start with the letter "D" and signed up to do one of my own.

Little did I know how truly difficult this whole "name 10 things that start with a particular letter" thing would be. I apologize that it's taken me so darn long, but if you know me at all, you know I have to overthink everything. This was no exception.

So, here they are in no particular order, things that I love that start with :

1. Kilts. I love them. I love the way men look when they wear them. I love the land they come from.

I know not everyone feels this way, but I just can't understand it. How can you look at a picture like this:

and not love them too? Seriously. Look at him.

They also remind me of my first trip to Scotland when I fell in love with the land o' the kilt

Gorgeous, init? My favorite memory of our day in Edinburgh was when a mentally handicapped Chinese man traveling with our group repeatedly told our kilt-wearing Scottish guide "That's a very nice skirt!" It went over EXTREMELY well with our very manly guide, let me tell you.

2. Kings Cross Station



First of all, I love all of the Victorian train stations in London. They contain beautiful architecture, a tremendous sense of history, and delightful almond croissants. They also offer the promise of adventure. What sets Kings Cross apart, in my humble opinion, is the fact that they've added this:



I love that they've created something that serves no purpose other than to delight Harry Potter loving tourists. Speaking of ole' H. P. can I mention that I'm incredibly excited about this:

?

Yes? Thanks!

Finally, I chose Kings Cross Station because it is a small part London, a city that I love more than my luggage. I could go back every year and still not see everything. I love that.

3. Krasinski, John and Kapoor, Kelly. Ok, you all know I love The Office.

I credit John Krasinski (who I'd like to marry me and father my babies) for initially hooking me. I love his flippy hair and smirky face. I loved watching him, as Jim, pine over Pam, and I love watching him be engaged to her. I love the tricks he plays on Dwight. I love him.

But, after watching for 4 years now, there's another character who I love nearly as much. Jim hooked me, but Kelly Kapoor keeps me laughing, week after week. Kelly is the annoying, shallow, celebrity and self-obsessed girl you'd hate to be assigned to work with, and that's the very reason she's so much fun to watch.

Here's a clip to show you what I'm talking about. It's long, but even if you just watch a little you'll see what I mean.

When I also consider that the amazing Mindy Kaling, who plays Kelly, wrote several of my FAVORITE episodes including:

"The Dundies", "The Injury", and "Branch Wars"

I love her even more.

4. Keeping the Moon (and anything else by Sarah Dessen)




I love Young Adult Literature in general, but Sarah Dessen's are, in my opinion, the best of the lot.

I've spent the last ten years of my life working with teenagers, and while they are hilarious and brilliant, they just aren't as snappy and witty as they are generally portrayed. That's part of what I love about Sarah Dessen's books. Her characters are real. They talk, eat, behave. . . . etc. like the teenagers I know. I like that although there's always resolution at the end of these books they aren't tied up with a big happy bow.




5. Kelly, Reckless Kelly.



I've already written at length about these guys. All I want to add is that my love has only grown since October when I wrote that post. I love them I love them I love them.

6. King, Jillian King:



I love this girl in general, but this particular picture makes me so happy I could weep. Posting this might be strike number three for our friendship and require me to take an online course, but I don't care. Plus, Jillian, you know you told me to put you on the list. (I would have anyway. Probably.)

7. K-9's in general, Austen in particular



I've had dogs for most of my life, and I must say that life is measurably more fulfilling and happy with them than without. When my Scouter died I tried to look on the bright side and think of the freedom I'd have as a pet free individual. While it's true that being dogless allowed me easier travel, less responsibility, and a year of hair free clothing and furniture, my life was much emptier than I could possibly imagine. During this time I struggled through a profound depression. I know that getting Austen, in large measure, is what helped me pull through that time without the use of antidepressants.

I say that even though he did this:





and this:




and this:




to my furniture this in 1 1/2 hours this past Saturday while I went out to breakfast with friends.

8. Knits



It's ironic how much I love scarves, sweaters, and knit caps considering the fact that I was raised in Southern California and now live in Las Vegas. My fashion sense is much more suited to the East Coast or the British Isles than the Southwest, but what can you do?



Kill me now. Krasinski in knits? Fuggettaboutit.


9. Kitsch


I delight in kitsch. Because I also have impeccable taste (ahem) I resist buying much of the kitsch I desire (I had to talk myself out of a pendant of the Tardis this week), although I do own the following:



In magnet form on my refrigerator (he's the official Lowe Family Elvis)

and this postcard:



That I couldn't resist buying from the Liberace Museum Gift Shop. What can I say? I'm patriotic.

I also enjoy this Kitsch



But that's another story.


10. Kitchen

The kitchen is my favorite room in the house.

1. I love to cook/bake. Annnnnnnnnd I'm really good at it.

2. When I was growing up the kitchen was a place that we'd gather to talk, often with several of us sitting on the countertops, about anything and everything.

3. The kitchen is where the Kitchenaid Mixer lives:



That's it. My list. It was more work AND more fun than I thought it would be to come up with.

Okay, so if you want to join in the blogging fun, just post a comment and ask me for a letter. I'll randomly assign you one and you can post your own list of things you love!

The Hills of Yucca Valley

An ode to the mother land...

I am officially old.

Simon Le Bon of Duran Duran turned 50 today.

This is the end of my youth as I've known it. You see, Duran Duran were THE band of my youth. They epitomized the 1980's: big hair, make-up, synthesized music, and image, image, image. These boys made MTV what it was and MTV made them. They had elaborate and expensive videos and they looked gooooooood.



So many of my childhood memories are set to Duran Duran's music, "Girls on Film", "Hungry Like the Wolf" (a song outlawed in the Lowe household due to suggestive moaning and grunting)"The Reflex", "Rio". . . I could go on and on.

So, although I have always been (and remain to this day) a John Taylor girl:



I have a big soft spot in my heart for Mr. Le Bon...even if he is old.

Happy Birthday Simon!!

Literally two of the best videos ever.

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

Literally.

Feeling Reckless, or Things You Should Check Out, Volume 4

I'm in love.

With a man named Willy Braun, the lead singer of Reckless Kelly(which, you've got to admit is a pretty freaking cool name for a band, isn't it?)

A few months ago I wrote a post about my struggles to find good music, and my wonderful friends Melissa and Danny put together a five disc buffett of alt-country goodness starting me off on an oddyssey that's made my life ipod more interesting.

Anyway, they're fun, they're rowdy, and I wish they'd play a gig out here in Vegas.

Check them out:

Nobody's Girl:



Wiggles and Ritalin:



Break my heart tonight

Things you should check out, vol. 2

I first heard Ray LaMontagne on another blog, and since that first listen I've been hooked. I generally like my music a bit on the rough and unfinished side, but Ray's soft mellow voice and music puts my mind at ease and I can feel the tension leave my body with each song. I love him. I've included videos of three of my favorite songs

"Shelter" and "Hold you In My Arms":



and "Empty"





Enjoy!

Free at last!!

After five weeks, two reams of paper, three pens, six baseball novels, five baseball films, three books of mythology, four tests and one 10-page paper about Roger Maris and Babe Ruth, I'm done with UNLV until the fall. So, how does it feel, you might ask? kinda like this:





(Samantha, that was for you!)

Ain't it the truth?

Thanks Meliss, for introducing me to this wonderful wonderful man.

Very Dancy Music

This may be the single greatest music discovery I have made. EVER.

Check out Leoncie. It will change your life. Really.

(Thank you Bestweekever.tv I love you.)

Let me build a bridge...

When I went to college I had the great blessing of finding friends that were the perfect fit. One friend in particular, Melissa, and I were about as much alike as two girls who grew up on opposite sides of the country could be. The most amazing thing was the similarities between our music collections. We had MANY of the same albums, and when one of us hadn't heard of something the other one owned we ended up loving it (with the exception of Blind Melon editor's note: It has been brought to my attention that my memory decieves me. It was Molly, not Melissa that liked Blind Melon. However, I do know that we disagreed about some band/artist. Maybe it was Bryan Adams. and ABBA. I couldn't stand the former, it took a while for Melissa to warm up to the latter.)We both loved Crowded House, a band most people are mostly meh about, and discovered that both of us had rollerskated in the driveway to the Xanadu soundtrack as 10 year olds. One of the FIRST things we bonded about was our mutual love of Sting. We loved him with a pure and total love. We were so passionate about him that if the rest of our friends and roommates had originally held only lukewarm feelings for Sting, we soon indoctrinated them.



Our favorite song was "Fortress Around Your Heart" and as Melissa owned a videotape of Sting's videos we not only listened to the song repeatedly, but also watched the video so often that we had every action memorized, including his repeated fist punch indicating the beginning of the chorus, the swoon worthy arching of his brow, his intense gaze, and the subtle, yet wholly sexy licking of his lips. It got so that no matter what we were doing, when we heard a particular part of the chorus each of us would punch a fist in the air and go about our business. At first it was a joke, but eventually we started doing so unconsiously.

In the past few years I haven't listened to much Sting, but after my amazing experience at The Police concert last month I got out my old Sting and Police cd's and loaded them on my Ipod. "Fortress Around Your Heart" is still my favorite, although "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic" runs a close second.

This morning I took my sister-in-law Emily to the airport in my jammies. I was really tired, and didn't even really pay attention to what music was playing when suddenly my fist flew up, punching the air on its own accord. I quickly focused on the music to find "Fortress Around Your Heart" playing on my Ipod.

Some things just stay with you.

I love this woman...

and this one for introducing her to me.

I had a dream. . .

High School Dream #1: See The Police in concert.

Really. This was the number one, seemingly impossible dream. My friends and I talked about it, included it in our yearbook messages to one another, and never believed it would ever happen.

You see, The Police broke up when we were way too young to have seen them.



Their last album Syncronicity came out when I was in the 3rd grade, and although I was aware of it (my sister owned the lp), I was too in love with Billy Joel and Kenny Rogers to be a fan. Also, their lyrics and videos confused and frightened me. It wasn't until years later, in high school that I realized the brilliance of their music and the absolute gorgeousness of Sting. By the time I'd begun my love affair, they'd been broken up for about six years.

And they didn't just break up, they hated each other. It got so bad at the end that Stewart Copeland set up his drum kit so that he couldn't see Sting while they performed, and once Sting performed an entire show with a broken collarbone from a brawl backstage.

So, even though we wanted it to happen more than anything, it was like dreaming about seeing the Beatles in concert. A nice wish, but nothing more.

Thanks to the members actually surviving into middle age without overdosing or losing their sanity, calmer tempers, the offer of obscene amounts of money, and nostalgia, The Police reunited at went on tour last year.

Helen and I decided to go see them here in Vegas a few months ago when she was in town with her baby and husband, and we've been looking forward to it ever since. The knowledge that I would be seeing The Police in concert got me through the last couple of VERY tough months, and I put it on my four page to-do list so that I had at least one happy item to check off.

Sadly, the Sunday before the concert Helen's little girl got sick and she had to cancel her trip. I called my friend Jill who was only too happy to buy Helen's ticket and drive to Vegas. You see she had Ohmygoodnessitismayandicannotworkthisfridayitis. A pretty bad case of it, actually. It's a known fact that a quick trip out of town is the only known cure, so she was relieved that I happened to have an extra ticket.

So, how was it, you may ask? Did the concert live up to my impossibly high expectations?



It actually did! It was AMAZING. Sting, Stewart, and Andy were brilliant, incredibly talented and looked like they were having a lot of fun on stage. Every song was wonderful, but "Wrapped Around Your Finger" was particularly fantastic, with Stewart Copeland kicking tail and taking names on two sets of percussion instruments. The encore consisted of "Roxanne" "Every Breath You Take" and a rendition of "So Lonely" that nearly blew the roof off the place. Have I mentioned that this whole experience was AMAZING!?!

In addition, Elvis Costello opened. Yes. Elvis Costello. Can you believe it? I couldn't either. He was really funny, sounded great, and when he sang "Alison" Sting came out and sang it with him. I just about died of happiness. I've been to a lot of concerts, and that song was one of my favorite live music moments ever.

Over the past couple of years I haven't listened to much of The Police or even Sting. I thought I might be over my love for them, thinking that maybe I'd been wrong about how good they were, how much this music moved me.

I was WRONG. The Police are legen (wait for it) dary for a reason. They outperform nearly everyone I've ever seen, and their music is still as complex and fun as ever. Then there's the Stingerhoffer himself. He is still INCREDIBLY sexy, fabulously talented, and when he performed his signature leap, so did my heart.



Boys, why can't I quit you?



Oh yeah. That's why.

*Disclaimer: the video's from the tour, but not my show.

I'm a little bit country, I'm a little bit rock n roll

I was born in the mid 1970's and it wasn't until I was in the 5th grade that I found out that music other than country had been created between the years of 1974 and 1980.

My parents really love music and nearly every memory I have associated with childhood is accompanied by country music. Family vacations? Ray Stevens' "The Streak", or the Statler Brothers' "Flowers on the wall". Home? Anne Murray's greatest hits, "The Devil Went Down to Georgia", "Rhinestone Cowboy", and "Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow up to be Cowboys". The first album I ever owned? Kenny Rogers' Greatest Hits (along with Billy Joel's Uptown Girl, but we won't talk about that.).

As I got older and entered elementary school I of course found out there were other kinds of music, but it took me a while to discover that not everyone grew up listening to Waylon and Willie, Dolly, Johnny Cash, and the Statler Brothers. There are people in the world who've never heard of Ray Stevens, let alone know all the words to "Get Your Tongue Outta My Mouth 'Cause I'm Kissing You Goodbye!". I found out that other music was written, produced, and performed during the last six years of the 1970's. My father scoffed when I brought this up, telling me, "The only thing worth listening to from the 1970's is country music."

I disagreed. I found that I LOVE disco (sorry everyone, but I do.); Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive" is one of my reasons for living. I discovered James Taylor and Carly Simon, Credence Clearwater Revival, and The Clash. I discovered Generation X and Queen, Bowie and the Eagles. I discovered that I loved early Elton John and everything from ABBA. It was a shock to the system, I realized that I could have opinions separate from my father's. As an act of rebellion I declared that I HATED country music.

For a few years I was a music snob. If it was top 40 I wouldn't listen to it (until Nirvana came along and made radio better for a while. I still miss you Kurt Cobain). I loved Depeche Mode with a complete and utter devotion, along with REM (when Michael Stipe had long curly hair and they were played on college radio exclusively), U2 and the like. I loved KROQ, a pretty famous alternative radio station in Southern California, and the moment when you could finally tune it in on our way to LA.

I made fun of Willie Nelson and told my father that everything about country sucked. He calmly replied, "It's ok, you'll come back." I assured him I would not. He also told me, "Some day, the music that you love now will be country." I was in the middle of my love affair with Sting and replied, "Sting will NEVER be country."

Flash forward a few years later and Sting's releasing some country songs. "It's fine! He's doing this IRONICALLY." I told myself. Flash forward a few more years and I'm just home from my mission. I turn on the radio to hear TOBY KEITH singing "I'm so Happy I Can't Stop Crying" and I know that, once again, my father is right. It would take me a few more years to admit this to him, however.

I then made some allowances for Country-like artists. I fell in love with a singer named Peter Breinholt (Peiter!) and bluegrass band called Ryan Shupe and the Rubberband while in college, but reasoned that they weren't REALLY country. I'd already fallen in love with Lyle Lovett and Chris Isaak, but could, once again, reasonably argue that they weren't, strictly speaking,country.

About 4 years ago I came back to the music of my childhood, Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson first, Dolly next. I found a compilation of many of the songs I'd loved as a child. Every song enveloped me in warmth and sparked memories eliciting such strong emotions that I wondered why I'd turned my back on them for so long. Again, my father was right.

But I had a problem. Most of what is played on country stations is just NOT for me. I love Brad Paisley, Tim McGraw (other than the abominations that are "Indian Outlaw" and "Don't Take the Girl"), Josh Turner, and a few others, but I want to ram people with my car when I hear Toby Keith or Kenny Chesney. I still hate the maudlin and emotionally manipulative country ballads ("If this is Austin, I still love you" and "Alyssa Lies" are two excellent examples), and I just can't get behind those uber patriotic, chest beating anthems that are currently so popular. So, what's a girl to do? Turn to Alt country, that's what. I've been exploring this genre quite a bit and I like a lot of it. My current favorite, hands down are the Old 97's. They speak to my soul and make me want to dance in my seat as I drive to work.

Rhett Miller



the lead singer and resident dream boat of the band is my new unattainable love interest. I mean, how can I resist a man who sings lyrics like, "I believe in love, but it don't believe in me"; or wrote the most truly romantic, yet uncheesy love song I've ever heard "Question"; or makes me laugh out loud because of lines like "Do you wanna mess around? I mean deep down in your bones"; or melt because he's singing about a girl like me with "Big Brown Eyes". Yeah. Old 97's. They're GOOOOOOOOOOD.



And, like me, a little bit country, a little bit rock and roll.

Here's the song they wrote about me, 'cause I'm pretty: