Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Playlist Time

Lovers In Japan by Coldplay- Heard this song during the Oscars (Romance Recap for 2008 presented by Robert Pattinson...now do you see why I watched?) and developed this deep love for it. What can I say? Coldplay SPEAKS to me. And makes me want to play the piano again.

Syndicate by The Fray- The second this song started, I almost passed out because I automatically became obsessed with the beginning and lost all brain function. If the beginning is awesome, I'll want to listen to the rest. And the rest of this song is pretty ding dang good too.

Feeling Good by Muse- This cover is a little piece of Muse heaven. Takes the classic song and turns it on its head, "Muse-ifying" it, if you will. Eat that Michael Buble.

Crack the Shutters by Snow Patrol- Rarrrrrr. That is all I will say.

A Mirror is Hard to Hold by John Foreman- Jon Foreman of Switchfoot fame made some pretty awesome EPs last year. Not only do I love his voice, but I love these chill, sometimes super religious songs.

Abel by The National- Still can't get enough of them. They are just about the most awesome thing since sliced bread. His voice...

Brazil by The Arcade Fire- Ah! The beginning of this song is mostly awesome. And this song makes me want to sway back and forth while I do my homework like a little nerd.

Unconditional by The Bravery- I'm on a mission to find the full song to put on here. But I want to (and often do) yell this song while I drive. Not mad.

Can't Let Go by Landon Pigg- Um, this song hurts my little heart. I just want him to be with this girl. Plus, I love Landon Pigg (Falling in Love at a Coffee Shop? Listen to it.)

Brick by Ben Folds- Even though it's been forever and a year since this song was released, I still love it. It kind of makes me hate life a little, but I just the piano, lyrics, and Ben Folds in general. It's just that good.

Cleanse Song by Bright Eyes- Heh. A happy-ish Bright Eyes song! It's a miracle.

Delicate by Damien Rice- There is so much love in my heart for this song and for Damien Rice. I can fall asleep anywhere when I listen to this song. Damien Rice has succeeded where no other artist can. And that's not to say I think he's boring. He's soothing and mostly awesome.

Let It Rock by Kevin Rudolf- Don't judge me. I LOVE this song. It almost makes me wish I could go to a high school dance again just so I could dance to this song. I DO dance to it. Everyday. And it's a great walking to campus song.

Decatur by Sufjan Stevens- This is the first Sufjan song I ever heard. He makes me chuckle and makes me smile. I want to go to Decatur now...weird.


And just a p.s. for all of you who love orchestral soundtracks like I do: If you ever want to listen to a soundtrack that will blow your mind, just listen to the Revolutionary Road soundtrack. The music for the film is AMAZING. Maybe it's because I watched the movie and loved how they integrated music with images so flawlessly. And because the music was sweet and simple perfection.

Monday, February 23, 2009

A Proclaimation of LOVE

I am here today to profess my love for something to the whole world (or just to the two people that read my blog). The object of my obsession is........SHOES.

Yes. I am here to tell all of you that I absolutely LOVE shoes.

I mean, let's think about this for just 2.5 seconds. Shoes are practical. Would you want to run around barefoot all the time? In the freezing cold? NO. That would be uncomfortable and your toes would probably fall off. They also save your feet from burning up on the hot pavement/asphalt. I know that all of you know what it feels like to walk on hot, roasting pavement. The first thing you want to do is run over to the neighbor's grass and just stand on it for a few seconds and pray that they just had their sprinklers on, right? See! Shoes=great. Then, on top of the fact that they are practical, they are pretty much ADORABLE. Granted, there are for SURE some ugly shoes out there. And when I say ugly, I mean should be burned or dropped off a cliff into the ocean. The best thing about shoes is that every pair can is made for a specific occasion: morning trips to the grocery store, dates, school, the opera, the beach. And do you know what that means? You have to own several pairs in order to be ready for said occasions!
This is what I have to say: whoever invented canvas shoes should probably be considered for Sainthood. About 75% of my shoes are canvas. My next purchase will be a pair of Vans or Keds (old school style) I seriously can't get enough of them. It's all about the stripes, plaids, and solids.
And now we move to slip ons. Just slide your feet in and WHAMO! You are good to go for the rest of the day. No tying shoelaces or fixing the tongue of the shoe. And they are like letting your feet sleep all day in a little warm sleeping bag. Only thing you have to do is make sure that your pants aren't pushed inside your shoe because that's awkward.
Then there's the flip-flop. Talk about your bare minimum. Now, wearing a flip flop is like just wearing your underwear. Barely anything but just enough. Okay, so that might not be a good analogy. For me it is. Flip flops are just like slip ons. Two seconds and you are ready to go. Just don't step in any puddles. Talk about uncomfortable. Just a step up from the flip-flop you've got the sandal. My sandal of preference is the Chaco...um, hiking through water? No problem, Chaco's got you covered. Plus, the suntan you can get is pretty sweet.
And, though this may come as a shock coming from the girl who doesn't make effort to get ready or look cute EVER, I love wearing heels. Sure they are a man's invention to make a woman look taller, make her butt look bigger, and all sorts of other stuff, but you know what? When I wear heels, I feel hot! Sassy is probably the best word for it. You can rock the heels, move those hips and still go to church and take the sacrament. No guilt! In heels you can be hot and ba-bow-ba-wow! and not be committing a sin. That has got to be a good reason to wear them.

(And just a p.s., KATE WINSLET! I am so grateful she finally won an Oscar, even though the Oscars aren't exactly the best judge of skill sometimes. That woman is basically the best thing to ever happen to the industry. PLUS: Coming Soon! A new playlist...ish. Maybe I should say "updated"? Yeah. That's the one.)

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Best. Valentine's Day. Ever. HANDS DOWN

So, a few weeks ago, my roommates and I made a decision that would forever change the rest of our lives. Okay...not really. But it did make our President's Day weekend 135% awesome. We all thought that since school is stressful, unfun, and fairly boring (right now, school is the worst thing in my life. Pure unadulterated LOATHING) that a vacation would be nice. So we ran to the BYU travel office and bought plane tickets to Long Beach, California. We would spend roughly 4 days in California enjoying sun, beaches, shopping, and, of course, DISNEYLAND.


The only downside was that the weather wasn't quite as cooperative as we needed it to be. Saturday, a.k.a. Disney/Happiest-Day-of-my-Life Day, was marvelous if not a little chilly. Spalsh Mountain at 4:30 in the afternoon was probably not the wisest decision we have ever made. But we dried off quite a bit by going on Space Mountain right after. And we also got an amazing picture out of it, so win win. Sunday was beach day, and it was windy and cold (cold meaning 55 degrees) but it was still pretty much amazing to play in the ocean for a few hours. Monday was cold and wet (torrential downpour, anyone?). But we made the most of it by going to a boardwalk and lighthouse despite the nasty weather. It was a blast anyway.

But the reason for this particular blog is not to talk about the weather or even the beach. This blog is dedicated to that marvelous day spent at Disneyland. I have not been to Disneyland since I was about 12. I went with my family. I love my family and all, but trips to amusement parks with them=MADNESS. There are just too many of us. This trip was with all fully grown girls. It was the most exciting, amazing, exhausting day EVER. And I will say this: I loved my Valentine's Day for once.

My feelings for Disneyland cannot be articulated into sentences. I just tried it. Didn't work. So, instead, I will post pictures of my adventures. Included are pictures from the beach and pier. But mostly Disneyland.