Spring Into Playlist

The flowers are in bloom, the days are starting to get longer and my allergies are in full effect: Spring must be upon us! Music-wise, the start of 2010 was spent catching up on stuff that I missed out on last year. I was introduced to some great British folk-rock like Mumford & Sons, Laura Marling and the surprisingly fantastic second album by Noah & The Whale (there were a few songs on their debut that I enjoyed but overall I thought it was kind of annoying). I also got into some great pop beyond Lady Gaga (yes, there is more to the world): Jack Penate, Paloma Faith, Dragonette, VV Brown & Erik Hassle to name a few.

I also eagerly awaited the new Goldfrapp album, Head First. I didn't like it at first, but now it's starting to grow on me. Maybe I was hoping for another Black Cherry; I just find the whole thing lacking in a lot of meat. However, there are some standout tracks. I have now decided that it's a good album but not a great Goldfrapp album.

In early March, I went to go see Little Boots (for the second time) and Dragonette. Both acts put on outstanding set and the experience made me appreciate their music so much more. I had such a great time, in fact, that a woman approached me after the show to tell me that she appreciated that I knew all of the words and that it was fun to watch me get into it. She was a little toasted but I'll take a compliment when they come along.

The next couple of months will bring some more concerts that I'm super excited about: VV Brown (opening for Little Dragon), Florence + The Machine and She & Him. I'm also considering Goldfrapp and really want to see Mumford & Sons but I'm not sure that I can convince anyone to go with me to that show.

Enough of the recap...

I started compiling a new playlist. I tend to start one every couple of months and throw whatever I'm listening to at the moment on there. Obviously spring points more toward pop and upbeat as I search for the perfect summer song/album. I just wanted to share:

Goldfrapp - Alive
The Bird and the Bee - Heard It On The Radio
Ellie Goulding - Starry Eyed
Paloma Faith - Smoke & Mirrors
Marina & The Diamonds - Hollywood
Marina & The Diamonds - Oh No!
Erik Hassle - Hurtful
Penguin Prison - The Worse It Gets
VV Brown - Everybody
She & Him - Thieves
Laura Marling - Goodbye England (Covered In Snow)
Broken Bells - The Ghost Inside
Owl City - Vanilla Twilight
HURTS - Wonderful Life
Alphabeat - The Spell
Groove Armada feat French Soler & SaintSaviour - Paper Romance
Alex Gardner - I'm Not Mad

As always, new suggestions are welcome. :)

Chaaaanges!

Okay, it has been WAY too long since I've blogged and I really want to get back into it. It's not that I want to have a huge following or anything but this may be a place to share what's going on, send out some musical love or have a place just for me!

The latest development in these parts is that last week I become one of the many, many people in this country who have lost their job. I'm glad that I've been able to hang on for this long, and I'm a little irritated with the situation, but I really do believe that it's a blessing. I have been with the same agency for five years and for most of that time have been able to do what I really love. It is through this time that I found my passion for public health, and more specifically, issues relating to HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases and community involvement. This is not a field that many people would find exciting nor is it one that I expected to really love or get amped over.

I knew that 2010 was going to be a year of change for me. A relationship ended in December, I started my last quarter of graduate school in January and I've really been feeling stuck in life. I have a great community of friends and my support systems are AMAZING. That being said, I do feel like I have something bigger to offer the world and there's something incredible out there for me. I am just now in the beginning steps of figuring out what that is but I want to be open to new opportunities and possibilities. If anyone knows of any jobs out there in the public health or health policy realm, please send them my way. I am open to the possibility of relocating (eek!) so they sky's the limit.

Okay, enough of the downer stuff... what am I listening to these days? A lot actually! Music is often my refuge regardless of where I am but especially in these times of intensity. A friend asked me to put together a list (or "mixed tape" if you will) of what I'm currently into. That playlist just keeps getting longer and longer!

Another friend turned me onto Jack Penate. He's a brilliant singer-songwriter (and cute too!) and his song "Be The One" has been getting me through this most recent breakup:



One release that I'm STOKED for in 2010 is Roisin Murphy. She's not that well known but definitely a predecessor to a lot of what's hot on the pop scene, namely Little Boots and Lady GaGa. In fact, it's been speculated that there's a small feud going on between Murphy and the Lady. Who cares! I love 'em both. Murphy's new song is "Momma's House" and I can't stop listening to it. You can download it here on iTunes.



Over and out!

Heads Will Roll

It's Blitz!, the latest album by Yeah Yeah Yeahs is probably the only release from the past couple of months that has completely captivated me. I was a fan of "Zero" pretty quickly but once I listened to the entire album I was sold with "Heads Will Roll." It's Blitz! does a fantastic job of mixing dance with rock with and even some slower songs (see "Runaway" and "Soft Shock"). I'm pretty sure this will be burning up the iPod all summer long.

Below is "Heads Will Roll" from Jimmy Fallon. Enjoy!

Kylie!

It's been awhile since I've blogged but there's a ton going on. I was SO excited this past week when I read that Kylie Minogue is touring North America for the first time ever this fall. I'm going to try and get tickets this week so Michelle and I can go see her at the Hollywood Bowl. Fingers crossed that they won't be too difficult to get. In the meantime, these clips from her European tour last year have been getting me through...

More to come, I promise...

No Vomit or Bloody Nipples: My First Half Marathon

And they said it couldn't be done. This morning I ran my very first half marathon. This was a goal that has been on my radar for awhile and something that I had convinced myself that I wanted to do before I turned 30. Last fall I decided to change my exercise habits (i.e. do something!) and I quickly realized that I actually enjoyed being more active because it gave me an escape from the craziness of my life and the time that I spent running or at the gym was the only time I could be myself and tuned the rest of the world out. My friend Megan talked me into signing up for the Shamrock'n Half Marathon and I thought, "What the hell. It will give me something to work towards." Even though I was trying to lose weight I liked the idea of working toward an event rather than a weight goal.

Keep in mind that at this I was only running about two miles twice a week. I'm using the term running very loosely... it was pretty rough going from the start. I slowly built up my endurance and shocked myself two weeks ago when I ran 11 miles without stopping. It was the first time I realized that accomplishing this goal was a strong possibility.

I woke up this morning, got dressed, applied all of the necessary lubricants (yes, I learned this lesson the hard way early on) and walked outside to discover there was a slight drizzle. Undeterred, I made my way to Raley Field. I had no idea how huge this event was; there were at least 4000 people participating and there definitely was a sense of a common experience even though I knew no one there. I realized quickly, however, that some of these people were more hardcore than I would ever be.

Overheard before the race (these were mostly independent conversations):
"I need to get a new pair of shoes after this race. This is their last event. [Lowering voice] There's blood on them!"
"I always find that it's hard to throw away an old pair of shoes. There are just so many memories!"
"Is everybody all lubed up!?"
"I hope no one is bothered by my overwhelming stench of Bengay."

Here were my thoughts along the way:
*Mile 1 - Concerned about the large number of people and felt a little claustrophobic at first. The race left Raley Field in West Sacramento and crossed the Tower Bridge into downtown Sacramento. Running toward the Captiol building was pretty inspiring.
*Mile 2 - Still pretty packed and I was annoyed with the women who were trying to cut through the masses. Even more annoyed when I saw them walking about half a mile later.
*Mile 3 - This was the first water/toilet stop. I didn't understand why people were already stopping to go to the bathroom. How much water did you drink this morning!?
*Mile 4 - I've learned from my training that first couple of miles are always the worst for me as I try to find a pace and control my breathing. Wasn't thinking about much other than just making it through.
*Mile 5 - Finally felt like I hit my stride. Spent some time wondering about people and all of their equipment. Yes, I have my iPod that helps me keep pace there's all sorts of devices that people are always checking. I was also confused about people who have multiple bottles of water (now the bathroom breaks are making more sense) that are attached at their waists. Just seems like extra weight to me and more crap to worry about. I still don't know what "goo" is and why people seem to be so obsessed with it.
*Mile 6 - Crossed back over the Tower Bridge into West Sacramento. Saw a lot of people holding signs and cheering. I was a little overcome with emotion to see so many people being supportive and realized that I was participating in something pretty significant.
*Mile 7 - Tried to focus on the fact that I was over halfway done rather than the flipside that I was ONLY halfway done.
*Mile 8 - Megan warned me this was a tough mile. Didn't seem so bad at first and then it hit me. Kept pushing forward knowing that I was actually doing this!
*Miles 9 & 10 - Kind of a blur but there were moments along the way when I noticed the variety of people participating. I was particularly impressed with this group of moms who were walking and being so supportive of one another.
*Mile 11 - Picked up the pace because I was so excited that I only had a couple of miles to go.
*Mile 12 - Regretted the increased pace on Mile 11. Also, for a fairly flat course I felt it was a little cruel that there were a couple of small inclines at the very end.
*Mile 13 - The mood of the people around me seemed to pick up quite a bit. I took off my headphones because I wanted to experience this. We ran into Raley Field for the final stretch and the finish line was around home plate. Yes, I had done this!

Official time: 2:13:57 (a 10:15 pace which is AMAZING for me). Plus, the only time I walked was the at the water stops. I was impressed with myself. No pics as of yet but they're coming.

Fox & Goose for brunch was pretty incredible.

Will I be doing another race? Probably but no decisions until this ache in my legs goes away!

15 Albums That Changed My Life

I didn't get into music until high school. I didn't REALLY get into music until college. Now it's my lifeblood and it seems like I'm always listening to something, either at work, home, in the car, at the gym, while studying. I'm a little obsessed with finding new music and am always looking for new recommendations.

Apparently there's a meme going around Facebook about the 15 albums that changed your life. No one that I know has done this yet and I've sworn off those stupid memes so I've decided to turn it into a blog post. These are in no particular order. Enjoy!

Counting Crows - August and Everything After
REM - Automatic For The People
Madonna - Ray of Light
Pete Yorn - Musicforthemorningafter
Duncan Sheik - Duncan Sheik
David Gray - White Ladder
The Killers - Hot Fuss
Coldplay - A Rush of Blood to the Head
The Good Will Hunting Soundtrack
Dave Matthews Band - Under the Table and Dreaming
Rufus Wainwright - Poses
Chris Isaak - Forever Blue
U2 - Achtung Baby
Robbie Williams - The Ego Has Landed
Ryan Adams - Gold

Just finished this list and realized there are a surprising number of male artists (bands) that have been influential to me. I'll have to give that some thought...

Ack!

Saturday Night Live has been so hit and miss this season. Well, I guess it's hit and miss in general. The only highlights are pretty much anything with Kristen Wiig when she has a crazy character. I think the new female cast members are showing promise but they haven't been given much to do.

I watched last night's ep with The Rock, er Dwayne Johnson, in installments: part before I got bored and went to bed and the rest this morning when I woke up earlier than expected. First of all, the cold open with Bill Hader as the Treasury Secretary was utterly depressing. I don't watch SNL to feel less secure about the state of our economy. The Rock in general was a pretty good sport with the monologue but I didn't find it funny. I did like "The Rock" Obama sketch but couldn't help but think that The Rock plays a better Obama than Fred Armisen does. Couldn't they have hired someone new??



The main point of this post is to address my complete boredom with McGruber and the Activia sketches. McGruber was [somewhat] funny the first time. It's never been funny since then. The product placement with Pepsi ("Pepsuber!") was mildly amusing but the whole concept is tired. And the fact that there are multiple McGruber sketches in the same episode is major overkill.

As I stated above, I heart me some Kristen Wiig and enjoyed the first time she played Jamie Lee Curtis but how can you really repeat a character whose whole point is that she craps her pants because she eats too much yogurt? Oh, you have multiple people crap their pants because they eat too much yogurt. Maybe it's just me but I don't find people pooping their pants to be very entertaining.



Oh, my title is in reference to Andy Samberg playing Cathy on Weekend Update. I don't find Samberg funny AT ALL but he's pretty good at this character. Plus, any cameo by Justin Timberlake is always a joy.

Wow, this post was much longer than expected...

Protect the children...

Not that I'm surprised, but here is a clip of Sean Hannity getting all up in arms about the proliferation of gay kissing at the Academy awards. I didn't watch the Oscars this year and I sure am glad that I stayed away. I obviously would have been robbed of my innocence. Maybe someday the Right will get it...

Tweet, tweet

Okay, I admit it: I'm hooked on twitter. I signed up awhile ago but have only started using it in recent weeks. It's very difficult to explain what twitter is or why it's so fun. Basically, it's just a site where you can update your status, a la Facebook. You can link your twitter account to FB and even text your status to update both sites simultaneously.

What else is great about Twitter? Well, only a few people I know are actually on you can get news updates and cyberstalk celebrities that actually give updates like Tina Fey or Lily Allen. I also use to get music updates from some of my favorite sites like ArjanWrites.

Check it out and don't forget to follow me!

Happy Saturday!

Might I suggest...

I enjoyed Lily Allen's first album but I can't say that I was crazy about it. "Smile" was a fun song but kinda seemed like a throwaway to me. I appreciate her lyrics and spunk but her cockney-rap gets a little old after awhile. Plus, she seems like an attention seeker who just wants to be on gossip websites as much as possible.

I take it all back! I am completely infatuated with her second album, It's Not Me, It's You. I appreciate her honesty (see "Everyone's At It"), her ability to poke fun at her own fame (see "The Fear") and her humor (see "Not Fair"). I also like that she's switching up her musical style. "Not Fair", for example has a country spin to it. "22" has a great pop sensibility with a singable, if not utterly depressing chorus. "Who'd Have Known" is a sweet song even if it sounds just like Take That's "Shine." It appears that Lily might be growing up a bit but isn't shying away from her in-your-face lyrics.

Anyway, that's what I'm listening to these days. As always, any new music recommendations are welcome...

The Grammy's: Some Thoughts

Ugh! I've been horrible about keeping up with this whole blog thing. I set my aspirations too high by committing to 2 New Year's resolutions. On the plus side, I have been running a lot and am finally getting back into shape. Yay! I think that half-marathon is going to happen after all in March.

I could share about all of the fascinating things I've been learning about syphilis and how complicated multidrug-resistant tuberculosis treatment is but I think I'm going to keep those supercool aspects of my life under wraps. Instead, I want to share my thoughts about the Grammy Awards last night. My friend Rachel was there (so jealous!) and I had to watch just to see if we could get a glimpse of her. Alas we did not, as she "was sitting next to the camera." Apparently there was only one camera at the Grammy's...

*U2 opened the show. Good choice but I'm undecided about how I feel about the new song. I'm underwhelmed.

*Whitney is preparing a comeback. She looks great but I wonder how much make-up they used on her last night.

*Coldplay's performance was phenomenal (minus the Jay Z portion, of course). I can't believe I saw them so many years ago right after Parachutes was released.

*Adele won Best New Artist. Yay! I heart her but I would have been happy if Duffy would have won. I'm just glad the Jonas Brothers did not.

*Speaking of the Brothers Jonas, I think the idea of them preforming with Stevie Wonder was good in theory but the execution wasn't that great. Plus, it seemed like they were too much in Stevie's personal space.

*Carrie Underwood rocks my world and I'm not ashamed to admit it. I'm not a huge country but I love "Last Name."

*I thought the Adele/Sugarland "duet" was kinda odd and didn't work.

*Miley Cyrus is super annoying. I'm also pretty sure she was lip syncing and Taylor Swift was live. Plus, she needs to stop waving at the crowd.

*I'm tired of Jamie Foxx and his "music career."

*Even though I'm a big fan of "Hot 'n Cold," I couldn't bear to watch Katy Perry sing "I Kissed a Girl."

*Radiohead!? Awesome!

*I like Allison Krause and all but really?

*Why do they insist on putting movies actors on music award shows? The Rock? Kate Beckinsale? Jack Black? Don't even get me started on the CBS actors...

*Finally, I thought it was strange that Stevie Wonder "closed" the show. People were filing out while he was singing!

Peace out!

Kicking the Habit: TV Edition

Due to the many time constraints in my life, it has become necessary to make cutbacks in my pop culture addiction. I think the first step was minimizing the number of gossip blogs I view on a daily basis. Sorry Perez Hilton, you're not worth my time anymore. Don't get me wrong, there are still many sites that I check out multiple times a day (they are listed at the bottom of my blog) but at least if there is some news mixed in I feel less bad about myself.

The next step was ditching Grey's Anatomy. I watched the first two eps of the season and couldn't take it any longer. GA, you lost me when Christina got impaled with the icicle. Even shots of McSteamy shirtless aren't enough to keep me watching. Now I hear about Izzy and her ghost sex and I'm SO glad that I've given up on this. What was once an enteraining and smart show is now the hollow shell of what it used to be.

Which brings us to 2009... My first TV vow of the new year is that I will not watch American Idol until they get to Hollywood Week. I can't stand the auditions and the exploitation of ridiculous singers. Yes, I know these people show up and think they have talent and on some level deserve to be made fun of, but it's just too much. Plus, AI was on for FOUR hours over two nights this past week! My DVR (and my brain) can't handle it. AI, I'll be there once the real talent shows up. Until then, there's always Youtube.

XOXO

Alright, alright... I have a confession to make: Gossip Girl is hands down my favorite show on television right now. I've watched it from the very beginning and I'm proud to say that I've convinced several people of its wonderfulness. Why do I heart it so? Well, I enjoy some guilty pleasure TV. I think there's a fine line between "trashy TV" (read: anything on VH1 or MTV these days) and primetime soap operas that are entertaining but have an element of sleaze. Watching this show has also become a ritual with my friend Rachel (well, Shawn too but he won't admit it). It reminds me of high school when we would gather on Monday nights to watch Melrose Place. Ah, the memories.

I also enjoy reading recaps of GG. Well, I only read one (this week's found here) and it always seems on par with my thoughts about the episode. So, I'm thinking about doing a weekly recap here (as if I don't have enough to write these days). I'm not quite sure what format it would take. Is anyone else watching this show???

Mental Health Break

This clip totally lifted my spirits from a crazy week:

And so it begins...

Today was the first day of Winter Quarter. I am SO not ready for it... I would much rather be on break for another couple of weeks. It didn't help that I found out on Saturday that a class I had registered for meets on days that are opposite than what the registration site stated. How does that happen??? I ended up dropping it which I think will work out better in the long run because I'll be taking less units and it frees up a bit more of my time.

I've listening to a lot of new music like crazy. I think I have a problem! I keep reading all of these "Best of" lists of 2008 and discovering some really great music. In the genre of "scratchy-voiced, tortured singer-songwriter" (a personal fave of mine), my new obsession is Joshua James. I listen to a lot of singer-songwriters but I find that most of them sound very formulaic -- like they're writing songs to try and get on the radio. Joshua James is very stark with his lyrics and I've been mesmerized by his words and music. Check him out!

Here are some songs that are getting me through the week:

The Walkmen - In The New Year
Leona Lewis - Run
The Killers - Tidal Wave
Katy Perry - Hot n Cold (Yes, I finally drank the Kool-Aid!)
Fleet Foxes - White Winter Hymnal
Joshua James - Lord, Devil & Him
Department of Eagles - No One Does It Like You
Keane - Better Than This
Roisin Murphy - Slave To Love
Bon Iver - Skinny Love

Out with the old...

I'm enjoying my last days of break before school starts again on Monday. Trying to catch up on all of the TV that piled up over the past couple of months. Made it through about half a season of Amazing Race, a few episodes of Pushing Daisies and am now going through almost the entire season of Chuck.

2008 has been an incredible year. It was a year with a lot of change, mostly change for the better. The most significant development was that I started graduate school in August. It's been a challenging transition to go from working full time to taking 14 units and working part time. I've met some really great people in my program and I'm looking forward to starting the next stage.

What about 2009?

2009 will be the year that I turn 30. It will be the year I (nearly) finish my Master's degree. It will be the year that I...? Well, hopefully it will be the year of love but we'll see.

I'm not the biggest fan of resolutions but if I've learned anything this past year it's that it's important to have goals and to work toward them. Therefore, my two goals for 2009 are:

1. To run a half marathon in March. This is tied in with some other fitness/weight goals but 13 miles seems for attainable.
2. To blog more. I started this blog to start writing more and I think I've been doing a pretty good job so far. So, I will be posting at least 4-5 times a week in January. We'll see how it goes...

Now, I'm off to accomplish Goal #1: 6 miles. :)

Post-Holiday Debrief

Since my last post was slightly (okay, extremely) pessimistic about Christmas with the family, I thought I would do a quick update. Unfortunately, my proposed drinking game didn't really go off as planned as everyone seemed to be on their best behaviors. Other than me being sick, Christmas was a success and fairly drama free! Yay! The only incident of interest was an awkward interaction that Michelle and I had with our grandma's neighbors and their friends in which Michelle was asked to explain her job "in plain English" and I was questioned about the "liberal professors" at UC Davis. It was probably the longest 45 minutes of my life! To top it all off, Michelle and I were mistaken for a couple rather than brother and sister. This is the second year in a row that someone has assumed that we were together... I smell a tradition!

All in all, it was great to be around family and have a lot of good laughs (of course, at the expense of others). Santa was very good to me and I have a lot of cooking to do with all of my gifts!

Looking forward to 2009...

Home for the Holidays: Drinking Game Edition

Yes, the holidays with family can get a bit unbearable at times but why not turn torture into drunken bliss with a little drinking game? Last year Michelle and I compiled a list of quotes from Christmas so others can share our pain. I'm planning on having a 2008 edition of those quotes by the end of the week. In the meantime, I got to thinking about which topics of conversation are most probable during the Christmas festivities and which one would most likely drive me to drink.

I plan on taking a drink anytime:
· Someone makes a passive aggressive comment about my appearance (i.e. weight, hair loss, facial hair growth, etc.).
· Some sort of Obama conspiracy is perpetuated (i.e. the birth certificate "mystery" or his "questionable" associations).
· A passing reference to Prop 8 is made. (I'm really hoping that this doesn't happen. It could be bad news.)
· I am questioned about my finances. (I am, after all, the first person to ever go back to school and take out loans!)

That's all I got right now. I'm sure there will be more to come...

Battling the "Bah Humbug"s

I'm trying to let "Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?" by She & Him help me through my Monday/Christmas-week doldrums. This song is poppy, ironic and sarcastic... I love it! The video is a bit gory (in a cartoonish sort of way) but Zooey Deschanel exudes this really cool charm.

Wake me when it's Friday!

"Whaaaat!?"

This clip has been cracking me up all week. SNL has been hit and miss this season but sometimes they get it right...