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.