Negative Excellence

I'm baaaack! Just kidding, probably not, there is No Time! Never any Time! :)

I said in my last entry that I thought this would be very different than undergrad...I was spot on. So much work!! After a trip home for some youth events a few weeks ago I am officially 1 week behind (by the end of today it will be a little more) in my reading. So, I have a lot of time to make up! (You may wonder then- "So why are you writing this?" Well, because I am in class and after a 16 hour day that started early this morning I need something to keep me awake)

One thing I am learning about here through a very awesome and unique opportunity I have, is negative excellence. Originally it is from a book called Margin but I learned about it from a person who is a pretty big deal on campus. We so often hear that it is about a balanced life, I have heard about that here a few times already, but he suggests that is is really about setting expectations for yourself and practicing negative excellence. So you prayerfully observe what are the "boulders" in your life that God want you to  focus on right now and then you make adjustments elsewhere, say no to things, and become ok with what others may think when you do. I got to talk to him over lunch this week since I was a little confused of how this played out practically in a few areas, and it was such a great time that met some of my unspoken needs in this time of discernment. What a blessing!

Here are a few other hints of things that have been happening:

• I have a "whole sister" here (that is what she calls me) that frequently quotes famous black philosophers and it is amazing. She is so much fun and a great person, so glad we are friends!
• I have the same schedule of a few other people and the sense of community that is forming is pretty awesome. We can study together, look out for each other, and inform each other- it is turning out to be something I will miss when classes change.
• Most Productive Mondays are really taking off! After a very busy weekend away for me and my roomie we decided to start Most Productive Mondays where we wake up early, work all day, leave no one behind, and (probably most importantly) we will run The Water Feature all day! It is catching on and a few more have joined us (to the point where we are going furniture shopping this weekend). Most Productive Mondays!!! Jingle forthcoming...
• My roommates are becoming some of my favorite people! Oh, so much fun...
• Alysa, one of my new amazing friends, is hilarious and so sweet and I am loving getting to know her as well....while studying ;)
• International worship is amazing and I am on a personal quest, supported by many others, to see that it happens more often! Sternly worded surveys have already been filled out and a letter is on the way!
• The food here has really gone downhill since week one. I need to find some new things to do for lunch here.
• NYC a little over a week! Hopefully things will be going well after Sandy, maybe we can do something to help when we are there?
• Did anyone see Parks and Rec? Ah, I love Ben and Leslie!

Back to School

Yep...school starts tomorrow...deep breaths.

First- I am in KY now and was greeted by this:

I am in the South now. Besides the accent and hearing y'all about 10 times on my first day the move went well. I only brought down one car load then bought the extra things needed down here. On my way to do this I discovered many awesome places that kept the song from Annie running through my head. "I think I'm gonna like it here!" Here are some of the places within 20 min of me now: Target, Kroger, Jimmy Johns, Qdoba, Captain D's, Sonic, Chik-Fil-A, and when I got to the mall there was a J. Crew and an APPLE STORE!! What what! I feel like I am back in civilization now! That is when I drive about 10 min...there is not anything within the "city" limits.

Another positive of the move is the new rooms: very spacious, laminate wood floors, large closets and lots of storage space. Even better then the room set up however is the fact that I am not using all the storage! I have slimmed the possessions down so it is just wide open, uncluttered space! I have started a bedtime routine where I put everything that has a place away before bed with the hopes that this will not only keep my room clean and beautiful but that it will become a habit before the craziness of school kicks in. (I have been reading the Joy of Less this month and am loving the first section about Philosophy...I will be rereading this regularly. I highly recommend it. It is easy to read and convicting when you need to feel the urge to purge.)

Now onto school...I am SUPER nervous. I was going stir crazy this weekend just wanting it to start already because I was getting so anxious. See in undergrad I did not have to work super hard to get a 4.0 because school comes pretty naturally to me so just a little effort goes a long way. I have a feeling this will be vary different and I am getting nervous on whether or not I can hack it. The second reason for this feeling is the fact that it is almost exclusively reading and writing- my two weakest areas. I have never been gifted in the area of writing and my papers start to get real sketchy when they are longer than 3 pages. The Reading? During orientation a professor said that the average will be about 400 pages of reading per day..WHAT!?! Today I literally fell asleep reading 5 pages...5. This is going to be rough. I may be investing a large chuck of change in getting a comfortable but non reclining chair because reading on the bed will NOT work.

So, classes start in less then 12 hours and I have high hopes for my personal growth and development while I am here and am sweating (literally) the school aspect of this whole thing. Pray for me. If I am not completely swamped with work or, the much more likely, if I am procrastinating my mounds of work I will try and keep you updated a little better...but we'll see....no guarantees.

Updates

A few updates for you who are interested:

The Voice: The fantasy league is over and I WON!!! There were only two of us and the trend of us having the same number of contestants continued to the end and my final person was Juliet Simms who placed higher than my brother's Tony Lucca. BAM! Cannot wait for next year! (However anyone see an overwhelming male skew in the last few weeks? For example going down to 2 per team there were 2 girls and 1 guy left on each team and America voted all the men safe...what?!? That is sad really. I went on all episode about this travesty and received some consolation overall when Juliet at least made it to the finale.)

SiriusXM: So you know how I praised this style of radio a few weeks ago...I am very grieved to report that I have lost it. My free trial suddenly cut out Monday while I was driving. Sad day.

TV: For those of you know me I am a huge fan of good TV and I am really excited that all my shows are coming back next year- Parks & Rec, Parenthood, Castle, New Girl, Up All Night. Also in amazing Downton Abby news: there might be a movie! And Maggie Smith is supposed to be staying!! WOO HOO!!

So You Think You Can Dance has also started!! I am already disappointed by how quickly they are moving through the auditions and how they only highlighted 6 people per city, and there was barely any classic Tyce. On the positive side- DANCE IS BACK AGAIN! I am so excited that SYTYCD is back and that I got so see that adorable 2 year old dance. Soooo cute. (poor version below)

School: Last but not least I am happy to report that I not only made it into my #1 school for my masters but also received a full tuition scholarship!! YAY ME! This means I have to move to Kentucky- but I am not really sad about that but actually really excited. I hear it is beautiful and there are more things to do than here in this small town (not really a huge accomplishment). This worked out amazingly! I am so blessed!

Music Monday: fun.

When the fun. CD came out a few years a go I was about to buy it on the band name alone because I thought it would be a CD of fun music. As I thought about it more (and saw some of the people buying it) I thought the bands name might be a more ironic or sarcastic title, especially with that period on the end. I know, I over think things sometimes, especially when I am given ample time and opportunity to do so. I am here today to say that I wish I would have bought that CD, because fun. is a fun band. Ever since we almost saw fun. live I have been listening to their latest album even more than before the festival. I also have recently bought their first one Aim, Ignite and cannot wait to travel tonight while listening to it.

I know that some are loving their mega hit "We Are Young" and some are not big fans (and if you listen to top 40 radio you have to be getting tired of it by now) but the rest of the album I would say is better than this catchy single. The best song has to be the title track on their new album Some Nights. It is upbeat, you can sing along and dance around- great stuff. The 30 sec clip of this song is what made me buy their new CD, and both Cece and I were excited that we at least got to see this song live. In honor of that take a listen to a live version I found, although it was better when we saw it ;)

The whole CD is full of unique tracks that are great for dance parties in your room are a road trip car party. The founder and lead singer, Nate Ruess, has got a great voice behind him and some songwriting skills. My former coworker at Finders was a big fan of his old band The Format and would play one of their CDs all the time when we worked together. I remember liking it but now that I know it was his old band I may need to try and track down a copy. Some of my other song faves include: "One Foot," and "Carry On." I have a feeling they are going to keep getting better and bigger and I am excited for more!

New Releases to Check Out:

• Best Coast - The Only Place (I highly recommend it- great summer album just like the last one!)
• Beach House - Bloom
• Jacob Jeffries Band - Tell Me Secrets
• Ryan Shaw - Real Love
• Santana - Shape Shifter
• Newsies Original Broadway Cast (there has been some confusion on release date but it is awesome!)
• Already came out but still awesome: Rufus Wainwright - Out of the Game

On the Horizon:

• Paul McCartney - Ram remastered special edition
• Regina Spektor - What We Saw From The Cheap Seats
• Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros - Here
• Yellow Submarine being re-released on DVD (we got so many requests for this at Finders)
• and of course...KIMBRA - VOWS!!! NEXT TUESDAY!! Check out the cool ally dancing below:

Sweetlife 2012

Two weeks ago, while on vacation with my fam, I went to the Sweetlife festival in D.C. with Cece. Here were some highlights: (Which means no talk of food because we stayed put in our awesome seats for most of it and it was really expensive. Also, no pics of A$AP ROCKY who was horrible...it is like putting a "$" in your name is a curse or something.)

We got there a little late, then had to wait in the will call line, so we missed most of fun.'s set. It was disappointing because in the will call line (and when we finally got to see them) they sounded awesome and seemed to be putting on a great show. I think they just made it on my "Live list", or the running list of people i want to see in concert.

I have no clue who these two are. They played in-between the horrid A$AP set and before Fitz but were not on the official set list. It was a DJ with her Mac and turntables and a violinist shredding her bow in an awesome combination that I would actually want to see again (I am not a huge D.J. concert fan). I wish I knew who they were, cuz they were cool.

Fitz and the Tantrums put on one amazing and energetic show (just as I expected). They knew how to get the crowd going, how to perform, how to dance and with their music being great in the first place it made for a fun show that defiantly won the crowd over. (Including Cece) I would recommend everyone go and see their live show- it is a great time.

Finally- there was the Shins. Even though I already have tickets to see them in June I was really looking forward to them. They did not disappoint. They sounded great and played the hits, and by hits I mean the songs I like...which is just about all of them.

Performance wise they were as I expected them to be-classic band performance with no dancing, crowd hyping, guitar smashing or stage dives. They just went up there and played, talked to the audience some, but the focus was defiantly on the music and fitting a ton into their hour and fifteen. I am excited to see them again with Jenah because their music is amazing and I could listen to them everyday. (Also quick shout out to the new girl in the Shins- she looked awesome and sounded awesome too. Girl Power! Sorry...there was a Spice Girl reference in New Girl so it has been coming up a lot this week.)

Record Store Day Round-Up

Record Store Day was AWESOME!! (of course) With the exception of the lack of sleep, I had a great time. I woke up early, made the trip up to BG with my brother, waited out in the cold for a few min, got "Tebowie" and Florence + the Machine, saw Laura, spent money and then spent some more. What did I get? All this:

These were all the freebie! Highlights included Florence 7", M. Ward notebook and poster, sample CDs, Shins EP and some fans that I think I might take to the festival this weekend. Also a few sweet reusable bags! I also bought a few CDs:

I took home the new M. Ward, Florence + the Machine Unplugged, (deluxe version with the DVD that I did not know existed until I got home and opened it! Thanks Finders for the hook up!) Of Monsters and Men, Grouplove, Aretha Franklin The Queen in Waiting (basically), Ryan Monteblu Band, Asteroid Galaxy Tour, Delta Spirit, La Sera (those last two were recommended to me so I went for it) and then the Record Store Day Exclusives Civil Wars live CD and KIMBRA EP!!! (It was great to finally have a few Kimbra songs in my car.)

This is the first Kimbra purchase (besides concert tickets) I have made. Looking at the track listing it looks like one of my favorite songs "Call Me" got cut from the U.S. release but will be available on iTunes deluxe version. If you cannot just buy that song then there is 2 more Kimbra purchases, plus vinyl if available, something from the concert, and her Christmas CD!! (Putting it out there like the secret. I never read that book, but I think that is how it works. You say something as if it is true then the internet and rumor mill takes over until it is true, right?)

After checking out the first time and only having a few records I decided I needed to get into the Record Store Day Spirit and splurged on a few more. I mean it was Record Store Day I need to get more that one thing on vinyl!!

I picked out the new Shins and then the only other Shins album I did not have. As for Record Store Day Exclusives I was able to get Graceland, Paul McCartney (2 songs from Ram being re-released this summer- take that mom), Foster the People, Florence + the Machine, Of Monsters and Men and feeding my Fallon obsession- Tebowie!!

I hope everyone else had a successful day! Until next year- Happy Record Store Day 2012!!

Earworms

I first heard the term "earworm" on Best Week Ever years ago referring to The Darkness's "I Believe in a Thing Called Love." (Side note- you should hear my mom sing this one...hilarious. She does not know the title, artist, lyrics or even the tune but it surprisingly comes up a lot and she tries to sing it every time. Sample lyrics "I think I like you...and I think I like you too!") The definition from Wiki is: "a piece of music that sticks in one's mind so that one seems to hear it, even when it is not being played." Basically it is one of those songs that is so catchy it gets stuck in your head. Earworms can be from any genre, although the most diabolical and persistent ones are on the spectrum of pop. For me it seems the songs that are really catchy and get stuck in my head also lie on a scale with one side being catchy songs I like and the other catchy songs I hate, with the middle usually being defined as guilty pleasures. For example one end would have Kimbra's "Cameo Lover" the other end would include any Ke$ha song and this middle could be for most adults Beiber.

Below are the current earworms that keep showing up in my head this past month...some fun, some annoying. First we have in the guilty pleasure..."Call Me Maybe"

Next we have a song I first heard on SNL and now it is all over the radio: "Brokenhearted" by Karmin. I like the song, kinda, the "Cherrio" part annoys the heck out of me...you decide.

And finally on that I am a huge fan of- "Warrior" by Mark Foster, A-Trak and KIMBRA!! You should love getting this one stuck in your head:

What has been stuck in your head lately?

The Voice, fantasy league update!

"This is the Voice!!" I am loving the voice! Here are some of my thoughts on this season of the only singing competition I watch (except for the occasional Singing Bee episode)

Cee Lo, or Mandy Moore?
It looks like Cee Lo, talks like Cee Lo, even pets a cat like Cee Lo. However, this "Cee Lo" puts together hit or miss (but mostly mediocre) performances all to the Time Life collection of 80's hits....hmm. Sound like someone you know from the best competition show ever- So You Think You Can Dance?? Yep, Mandy Moore. I do not know what these two were up to from 1980-1989 but it sure made a huge impact on their professional lives giving them neon 80's tunnel vision. The other problem with Cee Lo's coaching is he set up half of his team to fail in the battle rounds-including my guy Jamie Lono- I do not support that at all. (FYI SYTYCD starts May 23rd!! Day after Kimbra release! Going to be a great week!)

Erin Martin, annoying.
When she sang her first song I thought- eh. She sounded like a bad Bjork impersonator and Ellie Goulding impersonator (more on her later) smashed together. I was not a fan...neither were the judges for the most part. When it came time for the battle rounds, Cee Lo set the Sheild brothers up to fail but they were actually impressive- however Green went with his other brain to pick the winner. She should be thankful she made it to the live rounds at all, but NO she is complaining that her coach ruined her chances. Hello, he gave you your chances! She wanted to sing Billie Holiday- thank you for stopping that atrocity Cee Lo. She prided herself in the press after her elimination on her two "unique" song choices...oh wait...was that not a cover of "Your Song" in the exact styling on Ellie Goulding?? Yes- except that she pretty much sucked at it. You can ask my brother how upset I got after the second note she sang. You decide:

My heart hurts...
This show has a great talent for getting me so attached to people by the battle rounds that I am sad almost every time someone goes home. I don't know who to root for! Sometimes I even end up supporting someone who is up against someone on my team because of these story vignettes. Especially my two favorite boys: Jamie Lono and Anthony Evans. It still makes me sad to think about.Don't get me started, don't even get me started. I hope they continue to sing and eventually put out a record because I will buy them both!

Fantasy Voice League Beta is a winner!
There are still a few things to iron out but all in all the fantasy voice league is pretty awesome! We started out with teams of 12, after battle rounds were down to 6, and after 1 week of live shows we were down to four (so right along with the actual teams). We have turned our back on some and embraced others. We both started this week with 3 people we really liked (both had 2 on the same team) and one that we knew would not survive the next round. Surprise- Jesse went home! WHAT? I did not see that coming. But I have my two girls left to hopefully take me to the top! Fantasy Voice League is the best!!

RECORD STORE DAY THIS SATURDAY!!!

That is right- Record Store Day is this Saturday! I am so excited to go back to Finders, shop and spend a good chunk of change on music for the first time this year. If you do not know what Record Store Day is check out their website where you can get a list of exclusives that are coming out, news and see a list of stores participating. (Although I of course highly recommend Finders, but I guess if it is too far you to travel you can check out one in your area.)

As excited as I am, I am also nervous because I really want the Jimmy Fallon "Tebowie" 7" and I know it will be limited. I love Jimmy Fallon so I must have it! BTW- watched Downton Abby all weekend with my cousin because she had never heard of it-GASP!! She now is hooked. All weekend we were not only trying to live the Downton Abby lifestyle with multiple changes and an accent, but also constantly quoting the always spot on Late Night parody.

Anyway, it has been a busy few weeks with going back to school in the fall stuff, Easter, and crazy families- but I will defiantly post an update on school once that is all figured out and one on my what looks to be amazing haul from Finders this weekend. I will leave you with a sample from an EP being released this weekend physically for the first time...you guessed it...KIMBRA!!

Good Friday

So today is Good Friday which signals the end of Lent. Lent has been rough, but fun, and interesting. How did I do on my Lenten fasts and goals? Eh...so so. The spending fast went well with only 1 and 1/2 slip ups. How did the discipline go? Ugh discipline is hard. After being sick for a week, job busyness and watching one of my teens why her parents were out of the country my progress that I made has totally be undone. But even though Lent is ending, and I already have a list of things I will be buying like a haircut and a dress for the Kimbra concert, I am going to still try to train myself in discipline. I will be reminding myself of this constantly: "No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." (Hebrews 12:11) It is true- it is painful and it sucks but I want the good things it brings so I am going to continue to try.

A twitter depiction of the story of Jesus I found:

HAPPY EASTER!!

Music Monday: Alabama Shakes

I have been hearing hype about Alabama Shakes for at least 6 months now- but after the hype over Lana Del Rey, I was weary. As I kept hearing the last 5 seconds of their first song "Hold On" the negative attitude continued as I did not see what the big deal was. I heard it a few times, then a couple more, then today I listened to the whole CD on NPR. (Once again with an awesome line up of First Listen albums) I have to say- I am loving it. People kept saying they sound like a fresh take on old soul music- more Stax than Motown.Why didn't any of this win me over immediately before even hearing a note?? I blame Lana. (Ugh, video games...) Well I just want to announce I have come to my senses and when the album Boys and Girls comes out on April 10th (same day as the delicious M. Ward) it will most likely find its way into my Record Store Day shopping spree. I leave you with a few bits from this new soul band:

Music Monday: 2 points for NPR!

I took my work iPod home last weekend to update it because it tragically did not have both Florence + the Machine albums on it for some reason. (Background: this is my music only iPod that now does not even hold all my music so I have to start figuring out new ways to get music on there. I started with putting all my playlists on but that does not give me full albums so I now have to check individual artists and albums...a long process. Ugh.) Well this morning I forgot to grab it to bring back so I am without it today. Not a huge deal, I have the internet. So I first go to AOL and Spinners listening party where you can hear full albums before they are released...dud. Not only was there nothing that particularly caught my attention (besides the new Civil Twilight which did sounded pretty good) but I find that Macy Grey has a cover album...and each song I started listening to was worse than the 5 sec I listened to before it. The cover of "Maps" by Yeah Yeah Yeahs should be outlawed.

NPR TO THE RESCUE!!! NPR First Listen saved my morning...and afternoon...and tomorrow morning as they are streaming the new M. Ward (collective sigh) and Of Monsters and Men. They are both great. After my great love of Hold Time, M. Ward had a lot to live up to with his new album in in my opinion - but it sounds like the summer of 2012 to me...because I will be playing it all summer starting now...with breaks for Kimbra of course. Oh, did I mention that Zooey makes an appearance? She does and it is wonderful. I feel like it may already have a spot on my top albums of the year after only one listen. (The Shins Port of Morrow and Kimbra Vows already have spots on lock-down as well.)

Next- My Head is Animal by Of Monsters and Men. If you like "Little Talks" and have been waiting for a U.S. release of their debut album like I have, you will not be disappointed. This album falls under one of my favorite indie categories that I made up: Lots of instruments, Lots of voices. (Another example would be Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros) They have songs that range from fast to slow, powerful to intimate. I am loving it.

M. Ward's A Wasteland Companion will be released April 10th (another RSD purchase for me!) and Of Monsters and Men's debut My Head is Animal will be out April 3rd. Pick em up, listen to them, love them.

I will leave you with Kimbra...just kidding. I will give you a small Kimbra break and leave you with some M.Ward and Zooey goodness, enjoy!

Music Monday: Lots of Random Music Updates

So there is not one thing I am loving right now, but many and here they are:

1. The Shins- Port of Morrow (which you can stream on iTunes till tomorrow or Spinner till probably the end of the week) It sounds great and comes out tomorrow!! I am a huge Shins fan and a confession, may have preordered this CD in February before the spending fast...cheating I know. After the spending fast I will be buying it on LP at Finders. (Lets be honest, after the spending fast I will be spending all day a Finders...oh maybe I will make it Record Store Day!)

2. The Voice: This is the Voice! (I sing that as I fast-forward through commercials..it is in no way annoying my brother.) I was a fan of the voice last summer because of the coaches, blind auditions, how quickly it moved along, and how they really supported the artists and help them develop their unique style not just assigning them to sing country one week and 80's songs the next. When they announced that it would be back in the spring I thought that I would not watch it because there are so many other things on to watch and I do not want to spend every night in front of the TV. However...after the Superbowl I watched the first episode with my brother, saw this, and set the DVR to record the series. Oh, and I started a Voice fantasy league. (My team is AWESOME!)

3. Kimbra! I know, your are probably thinking "What you like Kimbra? No way." Yes. I LOVE KIMBRA! She is amahzing! Her U.S. album comes out May 22nd and here is one of the new songs that will be on it preformed live at SXSW:

4. SiriusXM - I have been loving SiriusXM a lot lately. Not just for all music no commercials, stations I am interested in, and Live On Broadway with Seth Rudetsky but lately they have been playing a ton of live stuff (like the Shins set at SXSW). Also I love seeing an artist that I knew was going to catch on go from one station to the next. Like Goyte started popping up on  my indie/alternative stations sporadically, then it was on the countdowns, then it moved to Spectrum, then it is on the top40 station and I can say "I told you so-you should hire me for stuff like this!" I will be really sad when my trial expires.

5. New iPad Garage Band App- now I do not own this but I watched the presentation they did, played with it at the Apple store this weekend and when I get an iPad it will be one of the few apps I buy.

6. Nick Drake- Now Nick Drake is not new, he is actually from the 70's but his music is amazing. I first heard his song "Pink Moon" in a car commercial over 10 years ago and with a second song I love on the Garden State Soundtrack I bought two of his CDs. Over the years he has become my go to artist to fall asleep to, read to, listen to when I want to relax or when I am sick (like all last week). He has a third CD and I will be buying it on Record Store Day because I think my other songs are starting to get jealous of the outrageous play count of Bryter Layter, and Pink Moon.

7. Kimbra! I am so dissapointed that I did not go to SXSW this year now because not only was Kimbra there, but she performed like a zillion times. Like a whole set by herself:

and many more shows with a full band and a tambourine which she performs with such dedication that she ends up like this by the end of the week. So to end this post enjoy one of her million SXSW sets:

Music Monday: 2011 Mix

With Lent going on, and me giving up spending, I have not acquired any new music. (Good thing I have a well stocked "store" to shop of CDs that have not been officially added to the organized and awesomely displayed collection) Which means not a lot of new music to talk about. But today I realized I have not posted my 2011 Mix yet!! As you may know I take my mix CDs very seriously. Even the actual CD and packaging are important to me. (See the sweet CDs I used here!) I worked very hard on my 2011 mix and I happen to think it is quite amazing! The year end mix is music that was discovered, enjoyed, or overly played during the year (get ready for an all Kimbra 2012 CD!) and maybe even some songs that remind you of events that happened that year.


So with out further ado here is my 2011 Mix-tape:

1. Oohs and Ahhs - NEEDTOBREATHE
2. Little Secrets - Passion Pit
3. Young at Love and Life - Dominant Legs
4. Lover to Lover - Florence + the Machine
5. Our Deal - Best Coast
6. You Know What I Mean - Cults
7. Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad? - Derek and the Dominoes
8. Maybe I'm Amazed - Paul McCartney
9. Pumped Up Kicks (live) - Foster the People
10. Ohh La La - The Faces
11. Big Me - Foo Fighters
12. One Day - Matisyahu
13. WHALE - Yellow Ostrich
14. Up Up Up - GIVERS
15. French Navy - Camera Obscura
16. Sukie in the Graveyard - Belle & Sebastian
17. "Learningalilgivinanlovin" - Gotye
18. Rill Rill - Sleigh Bells
19. Party Rock Anthem - LMFAO
20. Warrant - Foster the People
21. Bonus 1: My Man - Glee (even though I have mixed feelings of this show, I had to include some Bway since I went this year and she can kill some Barbara)
22. Bonus 2: Zebra Cover - PS22

There you have it! What do you think? Put these songs together (in this order) and tell me if you like it. I love hearing peoples opinions on my mixes. If you followed my blog you would have expected quite a few of the artists included like Cults, Best Coast, Paul McCartney and PS22. Oh, and the Goyte song was on there way before the Kimbrasposion of 2012. Which speaking of Kimbra...BIG NEWS!! U.S. RELEASE DATE SET FOR KIMBRA'S ALBUM!! MAY 22ND!!! SOOO EXCITED!! Oh, and did I mention I have tickets to see her in June!! (Insert celebratory sounds like Amy Pholer here!) I WILL MEET HER. Check out another song already in the running for my 2012 mix below because once I post this my post on Kimbra will drop off the main page- and that is just not right.

(BTW, the videos have gone from a few thousand views when I first started watching them to millions...not saying I had a huge hand in that, but I like to think I did.)

STOP KONY 2012

 "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." - Margaret Mead

The video that is sweeping the world about Joseph Kony is getting a lot of criticism and I have to ask why? First the video if you have not seen it:

When I finished watching this I was so excited at the prospect of so many people coming together from around the world to realize they have the power to change things and then using that power to stop some of the evil taking place. I did a search after I watched it to see if it was getting news coverage yet and what do I find? "Stop Kony: Cynical marketing plan?" Kony 2012 "Dumbing down conflict" "Why Stop Kony won't work" or how Invisible Children is supporting the deaths, rape and other horrible actions accused of the government of Uganda.

Ugh. That is what I thought. I was discouraged and even thinking of repealing my support...oh wait what is that thing that happens whenever someone tries to do the right and usually difficult thing? Opposition, criticism and selfishness seem to start coming from all sides. The fact is that Kony has done horrible things to thousands of people and is showing no sign of stopping soon. All I can think of is the outrage that followed Casey Anthony in this country all over the news, is thins not in the same vain? But the death and abduction of thousands is getting met with questions of the organization's procedures and motives, talk of how this is not what we should be focusing on their is other evil out there, and just covering how quickly this has spread through social media with the focus being on "oh look another Charlie bit my finger viral video spreading like crazy! Interesting." I am not saying that any of this criticism is unfounded but I am saying that all the criticism is just perpetuating the idea that nothing will change, nothing can change, and we have no power to try. That is untrue.

Is there other evil in the world besides Kony? YES. But it makes no sense at all to let other evils keep you from stopping any of them. I want this movement to spread so far and wide so that Kony is caught and the millions that supported it feel that change is possible and move on to all those other evils like corruption, human trafficking, and poverty.

"One of the great liabilities of history is that all too many people fail to remain awake through great periods of social change. Every society has its protectors of status quo and its fraternities of the indifferent who are notorious for sleeping through revolutions. Today, our very survival depends on our ability to stay awake, to adjust to new ideas, to remain vigilant and to face the challenge of change." - Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Is this what I have been waiting for?

When the first movie for Harry Potter was released in 2001 I was already hooked on the series having got the fourth book at midnight the day it came out. As much as I loved the movies, I knew I wanted to wait to buy them. I knew that there were more books to come with the movies to follow, so why buy them when there would be one awesome box set down the line. So I waited. It was not easy but I did. 11 years later and I see this:

 

Looks pretty awesome right? Right! Reviews however are not so good, saying that this is not the best they can do...so the question is: Is this the set I have been waiting 11 years for? Or is there something better to come I should hold out hope for? These are the real questions in life people- epic questions in themselves that when applied to Harry Potter only make the stakes higher. It looks like I have a little while longer to decide since there is no release date posted for this numbered, 31 disc collectors edition with more features to be announced at a later date. What should I do Harry Fans? Either way I am starting to save my money because if this is not "the set" then the next one is only going to be more expensive- but totally worth it.

Lent: A time for Sacrifice

Lent is a time usually marked by fasting and a long lines at Captain D's. Yesterday, Ash Wednesday, was the kickoff to Lent which is meant to be 40 days and nights (not including the Sabbath) of preparation for Holy Week. So why with the no meat on Fridays and giving up pop?   

When I wept and humbled my soul with fasting, it became my reproach. (Psalm 69:10)

Because fasting is a way of humbling your soul. It is a way to practice self discipline, grow closer to God, gain healthy habits and prepare yourself for something (like Jesus fasting before the start of His ministry). Fasting can be more than just giving up pop or chocolate, it really should be more than giving up T.V. on Wednesdays ("because nothings on anyways") and it should NOT be giving up school work or showering for 40 days. It needs to be a sacrifice, but you can be creative!

Last year at lent I wore one dress for all 46 days to raise awareness/$ for the Daughter Project. My parents did not understand or support it but it was a sacrifice. For 40 days I did not buy clothing or accessories or shoes and instead wore the same black dress everyday. The money I did not spend went to the Daughter Project to help them build their shelter here in Ohio for girls rescued from human trafficking. This year I felt the Lord pushing me to a spending fast so that was the plan for Lent...until this weekend. I am a procrastinator, easily distracted and not really that great with self-discipline. So this weekend I felt the urge to do more than not spend money on anything that is not an absolute necessity. 

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? 

So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things.  

They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.  

So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air.  

But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others 

I myself should be disqualified. (1 Cor 9:2-27)

I need to work on that whole self-discipline thing. So in addition to the no spending I also will be on a strict weekly schedule that includes waking up at a certain time, exercise, study, planning, cleaning, hobbies, and even my showers are blocked in. Full disclosure: I have already gone 0-2 on the wake up time but I will try again tomorrow. This is not going to be easy for me but when I sat down and made my block schedule I had trouble filling it up...where did all this time come from?? So hears hoping that I can stick to it, learn about self-discipline, gain some positive habits and grow closer to the One who asked this of me. Wish me luck.

Are you planning on fasting or sacrificing something for Lent? Here are tips to help you if you need ideas: 

• It needs to be a sacrifice, and not an easy one. What is getting in your way of doing something you love? Or if you are a Christian what is getting in your way of your relationship with God? Challenge yourself, it should not be easy and you may fail but just keep trying.
• Make it realistic. Some people go the opposite way and have huge lofty goals of a complete life overhaul. You know you so challenge yourself yes, but do not expect a completely new person to be living your life because it is Lent.
• Make it measurable. Do just eat sweets "less" or read "more" those will not work and it is hard to help and encourage you if it is not measurable. So if you want to exercise "more" then make it 4 times a week for an hour on the schedule so you know when you have met the goal or not.
• Be creative. What would be a challenge for you? I could easily give up things that may be hard for you to do and vise versa. Fast from Facebook, the internet, T.V., movies, spending, meat, dairy, wasting time, caffeine and so on. Give up your time to add something  into your life like exercise, cooking healthy meals everyday, mentoring or service. You could give up complaining or a bad attitude. You could start encouraging people, committing acts of kindness, or only letting positive things come out of your mouth. The possibilities are endless.

What is your Lenten sacrifice? Let me know in the comments! Here is to positive life changing successes!!

Music Monday: Lets keep the down under train rollin!

So last time I confessed my obsession with Kimbra, which has not died down at all just become more manageable. This week we will talk about an Aussie artist who has turned many people on to Kimbra because she is features in his first and awesome single: Somebody I Used To Know. (For the record, I knew about him before this song and I found out about Kimbra from my girl Peach) See video below:

 

(Yes, Kimbra has ears)

I was looking forward to his full album release especially when I heard a sneak peak on an Aussie site, then the full stream on NPR. Well the CD was released Tuesday and I have been listening to is all weekend and it is sooo good! He has a little bit of everything on this album, which you know I love variety! He has upbeat songs like "Easy Way Out" (Which has a George Harrison riff to it), "I Feel Better" (probably my favorite right now) and "In Your Light". He slows it down for the song above along, with "Smoke and Mirrors" and even has a tech/experimentalish track "State of the Art". The whole CD has some sounds that throwback to the 80's in a great way but it in NO way sounds dated. 

I would love to see him live but his limited run in the US is SOLD OUT (along with everywhere else in the world) so you can expect to hear a lot more about him as the year goes on and Top 40 radio get a hold of him. All in all it is one great CD and has already earned a spot on my so far all Kimbra end of the year CD! GO BUY IT!!

More Videos below the jump.

Music Mondays: Kimbra, beacause I am obsessed

So I was going to wait until she actually had an album out in the US, or at least a release date. But I cannot wait. I am obsessed with Kimbra. My favorite musical act to come out of New Zealand EVER! (Sorry Flight of the Conchords) So lets start here with her first single:

Wasn't that great? Of course. Now on to the next video that I really want itunes to release because I will buy it. (A first for me) It is so colorful and fun and I watch it no less then 10x a day:

Was that not fun?? Ah, I love it!! I discovered Kimbra from the little girl I stalk online (in a non creepy way) seen here in her Cameo Lover dress. Oh she is so cute. (Check out her adorable love of dance here) Anyway, Kimbra is amazing and I have been watching all of her videos online non-stop. (Yes I watch this one with Goyte too, he is also awesome.) I like her so much that I was considering ordering the $35 import version of her CD/DVD because I didn't know if I could wait until the U.S. release. (Although I can now that I found this album stream! And heard there would be new tracks on the US version.)

Well I hope you like this post of me basically saying I am obsessed with Kimbra and the cute dancing Australian girl over and over. The countdown for Kimbra's American release (with new tracks!) starts now....but officially once a release date is announced. Until then listen to this over and over until there is nothing in your head all day and night except it and "Cameo Lover"...like I did.

Music Monday: MLK Day

Today is one of my favorite national holidays: Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday celebration! So in honor of today, listen to his most famous speech (that makes me cry everytime) and a few songs from the start of my new MLK Day Playlist:

• Patty Griffin- Up to the Mountain (MLK Song)
• Seal- A Change is Gonna Come
• Cat Stevens- Peace Train
• Aretha Franklin- Respect
• Miri Ben-Ari- Symphony of Brotherhood
• Stevie Wonder- Higher Ground
• Queen Latifah- I Know Where I've Been
• Creedence Clearwater Revival- Up Around the Bend
• Jackie Wilson- (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher