something to tap your foot to

As part of my end of the year list of faves I had to do some music.  First I was going to do my all time favorite songs, but instead I thought I'd do songs that I've been obsessed with this year.

Avril Lavigne's 'Not Enough'.  It's really just one of the many songs of hers that I've listened to repeatedly over the year.  I can honestly say that I love every CD she's put out there.  She's just one of my faves.  But this song just makes me think of being younger and stronger than I was.  I could never be the one to say goodbye.  I could never stand up and say it was not enough.  I stayed in relationships that had run their course only because they were familiar and the idea of starting over was just exhausting.  So when I hear this song I just think it would've been so cool to have been able to be this person back it the day.

I just love this song.  How can you not?  Adele's voice is so full of emotion and the lyrics are beautiful and achingly sad.  Full of regret with a touch of hope.  I have to admit that if Glee's version of this song wasn't a mashup with Mercedes I would have chosen that one because I love Naya Rivera's voice almost as much as Lea Michele's.  Mercedes just ruins that song for me.  Sorry, not a fan of hers.  But dang I could listen to this song over and over again.

Get ready for some Gleekiness.

Darren Criss was the best thing to happen to Glee after Lea Michele.  I love him.  I love these fun songs like 'Last Friday Night'...

and 'Raise Your Glass'.  My sister, brother-in-law, friend Jen & her mom saw the Glee Concert & then my sister and I took Emma to see it in the theaters and this was definitely my favorite part.  Emma's too.

And then the best part about Blaine at McKinley High?

Lea Michele shines best with the Broadway-type musical numbers.  She just has the voice for it.  She does great with the pop songs and everything else, but the musical numbers are always my favorites.  And now she has Blaine to sing with.  Can anything top Rachel & Blaine doing West Side Story?  I think not.

I promise this isn't a Glee post.

An incredibly sad song.  'If I Die Young'.  I love that it was based on Lord Tennyson's 'The Lady of Shallot'.

Yay!  A happy song!  'American Honey'.  Lady Antebellum is good stuff.

For those of you who don't know - I haven't talked about it too much here - I love Blair Waldorf on Gossip Girl.  Leighton Meester is great at singing country.  I'm still waiting for her to come out with something else!  This was in Country Strong with Gwyneth Paltrow and Garret Hedlund.  'Give Into Me'.  On the first soundtrack it's performed by Faith Hill, but I like this version so much better.  Good stuff!

Another good country movie - Crazy Heart.  Love it!  And I loved this song even more.  'The Weary Kind' by Ryan Bingham.

'Chicken Fried' by Zac Brown Band.  This is what country music is supposed to sound like.

I've mentioned Meghan Tonjes before.  I still adore this song.

I love Linkin Park.  Every CD, every song and this year this was my favorite.

Missy Higgins - Sound of White

Where I Stood

I was pretty much in love with Missy Higgins entire discography this year.  I loved every song I could get my hands on.

I'm pretty sure I could go on and on, but this is pretty much the gist of it.  What songs did you listen to over & over again in 2011?

ten day challenge, day nine

Ten secrets, nine loves, eight fears, seven wants, six places, five foods, four books, three films, two songs and one photo of yourself.

Almost done!  Today's challenge is picking two songs.  Two!?  Whoa.  So these are songs that I'm obsessed with right now.  I couldn't possibly pick my all time favorite two songs.  That would just end up being Dave Matthews Band songs or I would spend hours here trying to decide....

1.  I discovered Meghan Tonjes on You Tube one day whilst perusing around.  Eventually, when it came out, I bought her CD and love every single song on it.  She's one of those who literally got her start by uploading video after video of herself singing on You Tube and it certainly paid off.  She's got a fantastic voice and writes some great songs.  This one is my favorite off her CD Be In Want called The End.

2.  I was sad when Blink 182 went off into the sunset.  I loved them.  I tried watching Travis's MTV show with his then-wife (can't remember her name), but he's not my favorite.  I listened to Angels & Airwaves and +44, but it wasn't quite the same.  I love Mark Hoppus and Tom DeLonge is just okay without him.  When I heard their new song Up All Night I died.  And now I am anxiously awaiting the release of their new CD Neighborhoods (it comes out in a week!!)  Since I refuse to buy the single I just listen to it on You Tube pretty much all the time.

Only one more day to go!! 

probably the best night of my sister’s life

In the summer of 1989 my sister was just barely 11 years old.  I took her with me to Great America’s Redwood Ampitheater to see New Kids On the Block open for Tiffany.  It was that day that I created a monster.

You would think in 20+ years her adoration for this boy band would wane.  You would be wrong.  When they announced their comeback tour she knew right away because, of course, she’s a fan club member or something.  I went and it was fun because it was so nuts to think that I first saw them in concert when I was 14 and here it was 20 years later and they still sounded good.  Then we went again the next tour.  I was a little less enthused, but alcohol contributed to a good time.

Then came the news.  New Kids On the Block would be touring this summer with Backstreet Boys.  I knew exactly where this was going.  I can’t really say that I was excited, especially not as much as my sister, but I hadn’t seen BSB in concert in many, many years and here I was killing two birds with one stone.

When Amy found out we had 4th row seats I thought she was going to pass out.

But dang, we were close.

Detective Danny Reagan in all his glory.

I didn’t edit these pictures and most of them sucked because I cannot work my husband’s point and shoot and I couldn’t bring in my Nikon so these were taken with my iPhone.  But you get the idea.  We were close.  They sounded great.  BSB is still one of my favorite boy bands though without Kevin there’s a noticeable difference.

Nonetheless, my sister had a good time.  And 22 years later, that’s all that counts.

remember, i’m a gleek

Of course we went to the Glee Live Concert!  Are you crazy?  It was a blast and they pretty much sang all the songs I love and they sounded fantastic.  I don’t give a crap what people might say I love me some Glee.

Oh yeah.  These pictures are pretty much crap because I had Ray’s point and shoot that I don’t know how to use.  I wish I could’ve brought my Nikon but concert people suck.

 

My sister purposely won’t smile for pictures if I take them.  So I will purposely post them on my blog.

My bro-in-law however does smile because he’s cool like that.

Darren Criss & the rest of the ‘Warblers’.  They are awesomeness personified.

Amber Riley – also awesome.

Lea Michele & Chris Colfer.  This was when I really wished I had brought Emma.  The other day she told me ‘If I meet Kurt I will ask him for his autograph because I am a fan of him.’  The songs he & Lea Michele sing are her favorites.  Alas, it was too late in the evening and she wouldn’t have been able to see a thing.  Maybe next year.

Everyone else was there, but I can’t take pictures for shit on this camera so I suck.  I wish I had video of Jen who came with us because she pretty much had me laughing all night. 

project 365, week 14

Another so-so week.  I’m really losing steam here on this project!  We’ve been so busy too that I really haven’t thought about taking pictures too much either.  I’ve got to change my ways!

4.4.11 – This was my TBR pile for this week.  So far this was the best book week!  I wrote a review on These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf and Still Missing by Chevy Stevens.

4.5.11 – Ninja Batty Shogun.  Name says it all.

4.6.11 – Happy Birthday to my nephew Isaak!

4.7.11 – Emma started writing her own music.

4.8.11 – Even though it turned out a little blurry I loved the way the sunset looked through the trees in the backyard.

4.9.11 – Look at how not thrilled Emma looks to be roller skating.  She seems to have some sort of love-hate relationship with skating.  She really wants to skate, but just wishes she already could.

4.10.11 – I like the way the dream pop flash in Hipstamatic made my bath water look like Jell-o.

I might feel like puking…

Today has been back and forth with the yuckies.  Not too fun and nothing that I’ve eaten today tastes good at all.  But these things have made me smile today.

I know it’s not Christmas, but I love my reindeer sock slippers.  They’re super comfy and way too cute even with one missing eye!

When I first bought Jack and Sally I was bummed that Zero didn’t come with Jack and ever since I bought these I’ve never seen them anywhere else.  I’d resigned myself to the fact that I’d just have to be happy with Jack & Sally and then today I found Zero!  Isn’t he so cute?!?!

I love my Monster High Frankie Stein.  She is the cutest.  I NEED the rest of the set!

My UglyDoll.  His name is Ninja Batty Shogun.  I think that says it all.

My books this week are fantastic.  It’s been awhile since all six books I’ve set up for myself have all been books that I enjoyed thoroughly.  Chevy Stevens is a new author for me and I’m loving her style.  I always forget how much I love Kathy Reichs, despite her super technical style.  Lisa Gardner is always awesome.  I read Heather Gudenkauf’s first book and so far this one is even better.  This Vampire Kisses book is the first three novels in one.  I finished the first last night and I think it’s super fun!  Doesn’t take itself seriously and a perfect balance to the heavier novels I’m reading alongside.  The Iron Witch is so different, but similar to a lot of YA fantasy I read.  It’s slow so far to get into the story, but slow in a good way!

My favorite soundtrack right now.  I love, love, love, love it.  Had to search far and wide to get my hands on it today, but it was well worth it.

So there you have it folks.  If you want to make me smile send me something creepy!  What makes you smile when you don’t feel good?

songs to make you cry

I generally listen to music for the lyrics.  Sometimes I will find a singer’s voice somewhat unappealing, but the lyrics hit home somehow and I’ll listen to it endlessly.  Sure, I have some fun music that I just like to dance around to but the stuff I listen to the most is because I love what it’s saying to me.

Ray is not the same.  He listens to what sounds good to him.  Today I discovered that Emma is like me.

We were driving home from my parents’ house and I was listening to Landslide, one of my favorite songs.  Apparently, the line ‘children get older’ really disturbed Emma.  She started crying and saying that the song reminds her of getting old and she really doesn’t want to.  She wants to stay a ‘children’ forever.  She was actually crying!  She asked me if we could please not listen to this song anymore.

So I changed it.  And I thought about Miranda Lambert’s The House That Built Me song.  How when Emma heard the line ‘my favorite dog is buried in the yard’ she got a little teary and said ‘that’s just so sad.’

And I realized, I’m going to have to be much more careful about what we listen to.

Music Makes the World Go Round

Some of my favorite quotes are from songs.  After all, aren't lyrics just poetry set to music?  I think so.  And because I'm being lazy, I'm crediting the singer and not necessarily the songwriter because I am lazy.

'Take your records, take your freedom, take your memories I don't need them.  Take your space and all your reason, but you'll think of me.'  -Keith Urban, You'll Think of Me

'I've thrown away everything I've written you.  Anything just to keep my mind from thinking how I had you once, oh I can't forget that.  Sometimes I wish I could lose you again.'  -Jimmy Eat World, Your House

'See I'm all about them words, over numbers, unencumbered, numbered words.  Hundreds of pages, pages, pages more words, more words than I have ever heard and I feel so alive.  'Cause you and I both loved what I spoke of and others just read of, others just read of.'  -Jason Mraz, You & I Both

'I will meet you in some place where the light lends itself to soft repose.  I will let you undress me, but I warn you I have thorns like any rose.  And you could hurt me with your bare hands.  You could hurt me using the sharp end of what you say.  I am lost to you now.  There's no amount of reason to save me.'  -Jewel, Break Me

'Her feelings she hides.  Her dreams she can't find.  She's losing her mind.  She's falling behind.  She can't find her place.  She's losing her faith.  She's fallen from grace.  She's all over the place.'  -Avril Lavigne, Nobody's Home

'And I see you fogging up the mirror, vapor round your body glistens in the shower and I wanna stay right here and go down on you for an hour.'  -Third Eye Blind, Blinded

'I don't wanna waste another moment saying things we never meant to say.'  -Michelle Branch, Breathe

'Home is a feeling I buried in you.  I'm all right.  It only hurts when I breathe.'  -Melissa Etheridge, Breathe

'I've been everybody else now I wanna be something closer to myself.'  -Kendall Payne, Closer to Myself

'I'll get past what was if I live long enough.'  -LeAnn Rimes, One of These Days

'You hurt me more than I ever would have imagined.  You made my world stand still and in that stillness there was a freedome I never felt before.'  -Sarah McLachlan, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy

'What will it do to me knowing we'll always be under one sun.'  -Zoppi, One Sun

'If I am another waste of everything you dreamed of I will let you down.'  -Nine Days, If I Am

''Cause you can't make somebody see with the simple words you say.  All the beauty from within, sometimes they just look away.'  -Martina McBride, Good Bye

'Oh God, if you're out there won't you hear me?  I know that we've never talked before.  Oh God, the man I love is leaving.  Won't you take him when he comes to your door?'  -Sarah McLachlan, Hold On

'There it was there, baby you peed my name in the snow.'  -Bif Naked, Anything

So I'm going to start doing these every other week instead of every week.  I don't want to run out of quotes, you know?

Sorry, You Suck

Today I was listening to some Glee, mainly Rachel because I love her so much.  Her version of Firework by Katy Perry is the ult.  That got me thinking...

If I were any artist (except for maybe Barbra Streisand) this is how the conversation between Ryan Murphy and I would go if he were to ask to use one of my songs:

Ryan:  Hello superstar Kari.  I was wondering if we could use your song I Probably Hate You in an episode of Glee.

Me:  Wow, Ryan that is so flattering!  Who would be singing the song?

Ryan:  Well, Lea Michele of course.

Me:  Oooh, sorrrrry ... no.

Ryan:  Really, may I ask why?

Me:  Because I'd rather not be known as The-Singer-Who-Sings-the-Sucky-Version-of-I-Probably-Hate-You. Mmkay?

Have a great weekend everyone!