Music Meme

I stole this meme from Quodlibets. I should be working, but I don't wanna.

1. Favorite Beatles song: Rubber Soul is my favorite album, and my favorite song varies, usually though it's "I'm Looking Through You"
2. Favorite Rolling Stones song: I know I'm supposed to pick Beatles or Stones, but I love them both. Currently, "Dead Flowers" is my favorite Stones song because I'm learning to play it on the guitar.
3. Favorite Doors song: I was into the Doors in high school, but not so much any more. Probably "Spanish Caravan"
4. Favorite Bob Dylan song: I dig Bob, but I dig him the most when other people cover him, so it depends. "Tangled up in Blue" is probably my favorite because I like it when Bob does it himself (though you can barely understand him these days) and it has been covered well.
5. Favorite Led Zeppelin song: "Immigrant Song" It would be my intro if I were a major-league baseball player.
6. Favorite TV Theme Song: Charmed used "How Soon is Now" but I like The Smiths version better. Gilmore Girls uses "Where You Lead" by Carole King, which I love.
7. Favorite Prince Song: Darling Nikki from Purple Rain. I love Prince when he's dirty. I'm so sad he found religion.
8. Favorite Madonna Song: This is tough. For her early stuff, I would say "La Isla Bonita" but I also loved Bedtime Stories and some of her recent stuff is really good. I'm not a huge Madonna fan, so it's hard to pick a favorite.
9. Favorite Michael Jackson song: Does the Jackson 5 count? "Rockin' Robin" is awesome. Post-Jackson 5 I would say "Rock With You"
10. Favorite Queen Song: "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" is what pops into my head first, but I also LOVE "I Want to Break Free."
11. Favorite 'N Sync Song: Honestly, I don't know that I can name a song other than "Bye Bye Bye" But I'm sure out on the dance floor there's something of theirs that would be fun.
12. Favorite Al Green Song: "Let's Stay Together" is the only one I know.
13. Favorite Bruce Springsteen song: "Hungry Heart" again, because I know how to play it on the guitar. It was our recital song at the end of my guitar class. I dig the boss, but I'm not a huge fan. I like his cover of Woody Guthrie's "The Car Song"
14. Favorite Cure song: "Pictures of You" In England, they call Robert Smith "Fat Bob" hee. That's mean.
15. Favorite song that most of your friends haven't heard: That's tough because a lot of my friends are really into music and know more than me. Only one is a big Tori Amos fan though and I love "Flying Dutchman"
16. Favorite Beastie Boys song: I'm going to have to keep Mano's answer for this one: "Sabotage" but only because it's the only song I can stand to leave on for more than say, 30 seconds.
17. Favorite Clash song: I love pretty much all of London Calling. Probably "Train in Vain" and "Death or Glory" are my favorites, though.
18. Favorite Beach Boys song: All of Pet Sounds is amazing but "God Only Knows" usually makes me want to cry, it is so beautiful.
19. Favorite Cyndi Lauper song: You know, I've heard that she has done some really amazing stuff since her heyday and that she's awesome, but "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" is all I really know. Sorry, Cyndi.
20. Favorite song from a movie: This is just unfair. Movie soundtracks can be so good - Almost Famous has a really great soundtrack, as does Empire Records. I would have to say that my favorite song from a movie is "Rebel Rebel" by Seu Jorge. He sings a bunch of David Bowie Songs in Portuguese, it's awesome.
21. Favorite Jeff Buckley song: I really like all of Grace, but I love his cover of "Hallelujah"
22. Favorite Johnny Cash song: "Folsom Prison Blues" So good.
23. Favorite song from an 80's one hit wonder: "Come on Eileen" is the only thing that I can think of, though I know that there has to be something I like more. I don't really like that song all that much.
24. Favorite Pink Floyd song: "Money" & "Time" are both awesome
25. Last song you heard: My car is dead, so I haven't been listening to much music lately, as I've chosen to read on the bus instead of listen to my iPod. I know there was music on at the bowling alley last night but I can't remember... I know we listened to "Money" by Pink Floyd on the way home.

My Summer Vacation, Part the First

So, it has been a while since I posted. Lots of stuff has happened, and I wanted to do a comprehensive post which meant I wanted to wait until I had time to write something good and eloquent and I don't ever have time for that. I have given up and am now going to attempt to post an update without regard to readability. I only have two regular readers anyways, and I don't think ya'll will mind.

Several things have happened in the past month.

1. I read lots of books
2. I went to Atlanta and met my nephew
3. I went to see the Dixie Chicks at the United Center
4. A drunk driver smashed into my car, doing $6400 worth of damage but thankfully only hurting himself. The car was parked and no one was in or around it.
5. School is about to start soon
6. I will be engaged soon

Summer Reading

I finished Welcome to Temptation by Jennifer Crusie. Everyone I know who likes her says this is their favorite of her works. I think I liked Faking It better, but maybe only because I read it first and so I knew for sure who the characters would end up with.
I also read:
Lady Anne's Dangerous Man by Jeane Westin. I was disappointed. The dialogue seemed stilted and it wasn't as hot as I was hoping it would be.
Sex, Drugs, and Coco Puffs: A Low Culture Manifesto by Chuck Klosterman. This was good and entertaining, and I was planning on quoting him in my review of the Dixie Chicks. However, much like coco puffs, I felt like it was lacking something. I enjoyed reading it but didn't get anything out of it. Not that I think all books have to be educational. Certainly many of the romances I read aren't but I was left feeling like I sort of wasted my time. Maybe because it is a collection of essays that are only loosely tied together by pop culture. Maybe this is why I don't read more non-fiction.
High Five by Janet Evonovich. I really enjoy Stephanie Plum and her novels. I love that you don't have to read them in order. I read this one on the plane on the way home and it was thoroughly enjoyable. Perfect vacation reading.
Running With Scissors by Augusten Burroughs. My mom, for reasons I may never understand, got this book for my grandma and then read it herself. I was aware of the general weirdness of Augusten's story, but my mother was not. She found the book disturbing and disgusting "just nasty," in her words. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I hope the forthcoming movie does it justice.
Mohawk by Richard Russo. I'm only halfway through this, so technically I haven't finished it yet. Russo is fast becoming my favorite contemporary American author. He's excellent. I highly recommend the hilarious Straight Man and the bittersweet Empire Falls (recently made into a surprisingly good and faithful two-part movie for HBO). Mohawk is excellent.

Hello, Baby!

My sister gave birth on May 17, 2006 to a beautiful baby boy. Six hours after he was born, he underwent surgery to correct a hole in his intestines. On July 6, 2006, he was released (early) from the hospital because he healed so quickly. I finally made it down to Atlanta to meet him in early August. He is the cutest, sweetest thing ever. I'm sure everyone says that about babies, but it's true. When I met him, he had a tiny white polo shirt on with little madras pants. He's a stylish little man. I could go into all the details but babies are babies and I don't want to bore anyone. I can't wait to see him again and sort of wish that I lived closer to the rest of my family. He's always going to like his uncle a little bit more than his aunt just because the uncle will be around more. Not that I'm jealous or competitive or anything. I just want him to like me best.

(to be continued)

Summer Vacation, 1.2: Dixie Chicks

So, a friend of mine called (or possibly emailed, it's been a while) and told me she had tickets to see the Dixie Chicks and asked me to join her. I was a fan of the Dixie Chicks a while back - their first album and then Wide Open Spaces and then I sort of fell off the Dixie band wagon. It had nothing to do with the ridiculous reaction to their political affiliations, I just got distracted. So, I approached this concert with interest, but not necessarily great anticipation.

The night started out remarkably well, with the best gyros ever from a Greek restaurant that I can't remember the name of. We were tasting the garlic the rest of the night, but it was well worth it. I can't wait to go back there, if I ever remember where "there" was. Then, it was off to the show.

We skipped the opening act. I was hoping it would be Pete Yorn (the Chicks collaborated with several songwriters on the latest album, including Yorn and Gary Louris of the Jayhawks [an awesome band in their own right who have sadly disbanded]), as someone had told me he had an unaccounted for date in Chicago, but no such luck. The opening guy was someone I had never heard of and we preferred to spend the time beforehand catching up and talking. It's a good thing, too, and the woman sitting next to my friend was very upset by unnecessary chatter during the quieter (and not so interesting) parts of the show. We got to our seats before the main act and, once the Chicks took the stage, I was pleasantly surprised. The Dixie Chicks pretty much kick ass. They are all really talented musicians and Natalie Maines can really sing. Man, she belts it out. I love the sound of her voice.

The show was a while ago, so some of the highlights have slipped my memory, but I really enjoyed pretty much the whole thing. They played some hits - including "Goodbye Earl" which you'd think they'd be sick of by now, but they seemed to enjoy it - and a lot of stuff from the new album. It was good enough that I bought the new album on iTunes the next day.

I wanted to write a more in-depth review, but it has just been too long. I started one a couple days after the show that somehow disappeared and then my car got all jacked up and things slipped away. In the mean time, I have been avoiding my friend's blog, because I didn't want to unconsciously copy any of her review and now it's been a month and I'm in serious withdrawal. Unfortunately, I have a crapload of work to do and can't really catch up all at once. I'll have to spread it out over the week.

I just read her review, though, and it is way better than mine. I will add that the acoustics in the United Center are awful, and I don't think I'll ever pay to see a show there (Mano gave me my tickets, so all I had to pay for was the yummy gyros). Also, the Chicks' massive backup band is a little odd. They play pretty much in the dark and they only introduced three (out of probably seven or eight) of the guys. It was like we were supposed to pretend they weren't there. Finally, the Dixie Chicks draw sort of a weird crowd of people - we saw way more cowboy hats than I thought we would (and, yes, I would classify them as country, though they sort of border on maybe something like roots-inspired pop) the crowd seemed to be a mix of teeny-boppers and people who had been able to find a sitter in a while. It was good times.

Side note: I started this as a draft, and it seems to be publishing it as if I had written it then, instead of now. So, Maybe no one is even reading this.... hhhmmmmm

Coming soon: The rest of My Summer Vacation

Summer Reading Update

I finished reading Faking It by Jennifer Crusie this weekend. It was really good - great character development, the plot line was interesting, and I was happily surprised by the ending. A lot of the time, once the major story lines have been wrapped up and the heroine has her hero, the last fifty pages or so are basically filler. This book managed to keep me interested and guessing until the very end. Good stuff. I started Welcome to Temptation this morning. I wish I had read Temptation first, since they have overlapping characters and it looks like Temptation is first, chronologically. But, since there seem to be no overlapping plot lines, I think it's ok.

Someone told me about something that I wanted to add to my summer reading list. I don't remember what it was. hmmm...

Summer Reading

I finally finished my paper. As it turns out, I'm an idiot. I recently switched to Mac and use Word for Mac. Word for Mac is not the same as Word for Microsoft. It is compatible, which is super, but it just looks a little different. Well, it turns out that when I thought I was double-spacing my paper, I was actually setting it at 1.5. Which isn't double. So, I wasn't as far behind as I thought. Whoops. It still wasn't the best thing I've ever written, but it would have had to grow by 5-7 pages to grow at all. So, it was little short and probably could have used more editing, but it is done and now I am free to read at my leisure.

I haven't had time to read a book for fun since Christmas. Here is what I'm planning to read, in no particular order, in the next 5 weeks before school starts.

1. Faking It by Jennifer Crusie
2. All U Can Eat by Emma Holly
3. Lady Anne's Dangerous Man by Jeanne Westin
4. Welcome to Temptation by Jennifer Crusie
5. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
6. Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers
7. Lake Wobegon Summer 1956 by Garrison Keillor
8. Mohawk by Richard Russo

Clearly, my class on romance novels has inspired me. I loved Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie so much, I bought a bunch of her other books (including one that I've already read, though I didn't know that at the time). I want to read The 7 Habits because I think I could be more effective in my life, and I use the Franklin-Covey system so... It seems to make sense. My boss also lent me that one on CD, so I can listen to it in the car and read it - sort of a double whammy to hope it sinks in a little.

It's kind of a lot, but I think I can manage. I started Mohawk just after Christmas and didn't get very far before school started. The romances generally read pretty quickly. I'll keep you posted.