How Did I Get Here?

Summer Music #musicmonday

In honor of music monday on twitter, I have another music post.
If this is your first visit to my blog, I try to write every so often about what's taking up space and getting plenty of play on my ipod. I love music. I love to share it. The end :)

First up, my boyfriend: 

 

Oh Brandon Flowers. With or without The Killers.... you rock.
His new solo-single, Crossfire, is just beautiful. I may have put it on repeat for my ride to and from work a couple of times last week. 

Being Bad Feels Pretty Good - Does It Offend You, Yeah? - First off, I'd like to just say how cool it is that my boss had a feeling I'd like this song, so he told me about it... and he was right. I love it. electro-poppy with cowbell. You read that right. 

Cooler Than Me - Mike Posner - catchy and smooth pop tune about a guy who likes a girl who thinks she's cooler than him. Awww, poor dude.  

Dynamite - Taio Cruz - Summer song for sure. You know those songs... the ones that you can picture yourself playing in the car with the windows down, or on the beach or at the pool... this definitely fits the bill. 

Heavy in Your Arms - Florence + The Machine This would be the exact opposite of a summer song. Haunting and somber. It's from the soundtrack for Eclipse and I'm just drawn to Florence's voice. 

I Can Talk - Two Door Cinema Club a fast paced, euro-pop song that I clicked with the second I heard it. I think this would be a good one to add to the running playlist.

The Kids - B.o.B. - so the chorus is basically a reworked version of Vampire Weekend's "The Kids Don't Stand a Chance"  which is why I immediately liked it, but the song can stand on its own. This one is definitely on Connor's playlist right now. He LOVES it. And when they say "damn" in the song, he quickly says "word I'm not allowed to say", which really cracks me up.

Maybe - Ingrid Michaelson I started liking Ingrid when Shonda Rhimes decided just about all of her songs should be in Grey's Anatomy.. but I fell in love with her when we saw her open for Barenaked Ladies last month. She's a talented smart ass.. and that's a winning combination for me. 

My Love - Sia - another haunting one from the Eclipse soundtrack. For some reason, when I hear this song, I can imagine it being used for a heartbreaking contemporary routine on So You Think You Can Dance... stop judging me. 

Next Girl - The Black Keys - I ADORE this song. I may annoy my family just a tad by belting it out whenever the mood strikes me. The Black Keys may be my new favorite band... so bluesy and soulful, you'd swear they were from Louisiana... not Ohio. P.S. The whole album (Brothers) is good.  There is no official video for "Next Girl", so I'm posting the video for "Tighten Up" which is another one of my favorites - and the video cracks me up. 

OMG - Usher - annoyingly addictive. Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh... you get the idea. I can't get enough.

Tightrope - Janelle Monae - "whether you're high or low.. you got to tip on the tightrope" I'm not sure how to explain this.... it kind of has a motown feel with a futuristic spin. 

What Part of Forever - Cee Lo Green - I'm almost embarrassed to admit this is also from the Eclipse soundtrack. Not what I would expect from Cee Lo... but it works for him (and me)!

The Way I Am - Ingrid Michaelson - an oldie but a goodie. Mark my words. One day I will karaoke sing this :)     

Am I Sick... or Just REALLY Observant?

So today, I'm at work at I have my ipod going when Gwen's "What You Waiting For?" video comes on...
of course, I steal a few glances while I'm tippity tap typing away... especially at my favorite part of the video (when the little porcelain bunny thingy comes to life and Gwen turns into Alice in Wonderland).... so I'm watching... and I notice for the first time - the shoes. 

 

and I think - wait a minute. I know this video is at least 5 years old... but I know I've seen those shoes recently... and I do a quick google image search for "harajuku lovers shoes"... and I find these: 

 

Not the exact same shoes... but I'm betting Gwen's originals were inspiration for this current style. And now I want them. Bad. WHERE IN THE HECK WOULD I WEAR THESE?! Maybe I am just sick AND observant.
 
 

Noddin' My Head Like Yeah...

Yes. I just used a Miley Cyrus lyric as my title. Deal.

Once upon a time, I had all of this extra free time and I updated my blog religiously... filled it with witty observations, amusing stories, pretty pictures and tons of music. It's safe to say this blog is now merely a shadow of its former self... but that doesn't mean my life has stopped... it's quite the opposite. Hence the lack of updates. 

One thing that hasn't stopped is my love of music and my pursuit for my next favorite song. 

So today, I'm taking naptime and writing up the latest songs I can't get enough of. 

Here's the playlist at a glance.

Yes... stop judging. We watch the disney channel in this house... and they play some darned catchy tunes. Onward.  I'm not going to list all 32, but some highlights. 

Tik Tok - Ke$ha So wrong, it's right. Seriously, I would not be friends with this girl (unlike my Gwennie) but the song is so addictive I can't help but sing along and do a little car dance when it's on. I mean, with lyrics like "before I leave, brush my teeth with a bottle of jack, cause when I leave for the night I ain't comin' back" - it's clear she's not a classy broad. 

New In Town - Little Boots "I'm gonna take you out tonight.. I'm gonna make you feel alright... I don't have a lot of money but we'll be fine... no I don't have a penny but I'll show you a good time" Another poppy little number that I dare you to sit still while listening to.

A-Punk - Vampire Weekend Vampire Weekend has such a distinct sound, it's happy, new wave-ish with a little reggae beat thrown in. It makes me think it should be a soundtrack for a surfing video. 

Bad Things - Jace Everett Theme song to True Blood. Kind of helps with the withdrawal symptoms from the books and the show. Kind of. "I wanna do bad things with you......"

Box N Locks - MPHO MPHO is my new favorite semi-unknown. I heard about her on a music blog I read and instantly fell in love. First, with her remake of Kate Bush's/Placebo's Running Up That Hill then Box N Locks... and I think I enjoy pretending I'm british and singing with an accent. :) Both songs are completely different, and both are very very addictive. 

Blame it on the Girls - MIKA Pure fun. It sounds like a cross between a song from now and a song from the 50s to me... it's probably the hook that makes me think that. I haven't quite pinned it down yet. 

Cat & Mouse - Nikki & Rich Speaking of 50s/60s... this single's riding that Winehouse/Duffy wave... and I caught it. Bad. 

Daylight - Matt & Kim Instant smile. For Connor and me. He requests this song just about every time we're in the car together. 

Evacuate the Dance Floor - Cascada I'm a sucker for dance music. But not that mm-tss-mm-tss rave music. It has to have lyrics. This fits the bill. I belt it out. No surprise there. 

Ignorance - Paramore Great first single from their upcoming release. Totally satisfies my inner rocker chick. We saw them open for No Doubt and Hayley was just amazing live - great energy, stage presence and voice. They don't disappoint. (New album is out Tuesday)

The Kids Don't Stand a Chance - Vampire Weekend Currently Connor's favorite song. He prefers the remix. I prefer the original. 

Young Forever - Jay-Z Ok, I loved Alphaville's version in the 80s... and I love Jay-Z... so I'm very happy to hear these two favorites together.

Ok, that's it. You can see the rest for yourself... I hope maybe I helped someone else find a new favorite! 

 

Connor's First Concert

One week ago tonight, we took Connor to his first concert experience.

No Doubt.

He LOVED it.

We had great seats, 5 rows back from the pit, joining the tour club was definitely worth the seats: 

We were wise, and brought the DS along for the downtime: 

My concert buddy, and fellow ND/Gwen fanatic Tracy joined us:

 

Isn't she beautiful? She was kind enough to take a picture of Jon & me:

Paramore was the opening act, Connor sang along, much to the amusement of the people around us: 

My pictures suck.. because my purse camera sucks. So I had to adjust the brightness, etc to make them look halfway decent. Tracy's promising me copies of hers, since her camera was WAY better.

Then... it was time for No Doubt to take the stage :)

Would you look at that entrance? it was SO cool... totally built up the excitement :)

We took turns holding Connor, he would rest his feet on the seats in front of us, and lean on us for support: 

We bought him a No Doubt hat. He's fond of headgear: 

The band was all that I had dreamed of and more. 

Gwen rocked it: 

She had SUCH amazing abs. I can't believe she's had two boys and her oldest is just a month older than Harrison.

It definitely got hot and sweaty in the seats...

For Stand and Deliver, they brought out the big drums :)

And Adrian wore a tutu: 

All in all, it was a wonderful night.

Connor had a blast.

We had an amazing time.

I'm still riding the high of seeing my favorite band of all time live.

If I ever get the chance again, I will JUMP on it.

Gosh, I wish I could go see them in Vegas next month.... ahhh we can dream, can't we??

Here's the setlist, which was kick ass: 

01 - "Spiderwebs"
02 - "Hella Good"
03 - "Bathwater"
04 - "Underneath It All"
05 - "Excuse Me Mr."
06 - "Ex-Girlfriend"
07- "Happy Now?"
08 - "Simple Kind of Life"
09 - "Guns of Navarone" (Instrumental Interlude)
10 - "Hey Baby"
11 - "New"
12 - "Running"
13 - "End It on This"
14 - "Don't Speak"
15 - "It's My Life"
16 - "Just a Girl"
Encore:
17 - "Rock Steady"
18 - "Stand and Deliver"
19 -  "Sunday Morning"

I'm Sorry

I've really been a horrible blogger.

Let me make it up to you.

And so... the comparisons continue.

If it weren't for the eye color, I'd swear this was the same baby. 

Well, and if it weren't for the fact that I know better :)

So what has happened in the past month?

Um...

Jon and I went to see The Killers.

Loved them.

Let me repeat that.

Loved. Them.

If I weren't in love with Brandon Flowers before...

I am now head over heels.

This would be Jon and I, tired and waiting for the sun to go down and the band to come out: 

And then... They took the stage, and blew us away: 

I found myself wishing we had brought Connor with us. He really loves The Killers. I'm sure it's my influence, but there were so many moments where I turned to Jon and said "Connor would LOVE this!!"

Especially this part: 

After that...

Jon, Connor and Harrison went to the Blooms & Butterflies exhibit at the Franklin Park Conservatory.

And finally, to honor our dear friend, Heather, Jon and I participated in the Race for the Cure this last weekend... and sported our pink wigs as part of Heather's Team: 

And we weren't alone...

Check out our view as we were walking down High Street toward the finish line..

Behind us: 

And in front: 

And here's our official "team photo":

It was so amazing to be part of something so full of hope, and inspiring...

it was such a fitting tribute to Heather, it was hard not to get overwhelmed. 

She is really missed. 

Ok, that's my update for now.

Thanks for reading and sticking around....

Again... I'll try to be better... I promise!

Personal Music Chart 10/8/08 The Birthday Edition!

I missed my wednesday personal music chart-
but for good reason - it was my birthday!
Yes, I turned 22 AGAIN.

Just kidding.
I turned 35.
For reals.
I'm in a new age bracket.
wheeeeee
But that doesn't mean my music needs to be "mom-ish" does it?
I will forever be in love with music that makes me happy - be it pop, alternative, whatever.
As long as I'm still dancing in my car and singing at work, in the shower, around the house - I'll be just fine.

I hope to share my birthday goodies very soon.
But for now -
here's my personal music chart for this week!

This Week - Last Week - Song - Artist

1 - 2 - "So What" - Pink
           Gosh I love this song. I love that Carey Hart is in the video. I just like Pink.

2 - 1 - "Love Lockdown" - Kanye West
           This one just gets in your head and won't leave. Such a different song from Kanye - and I'm really enjoying it still.

3 - New - "Lovebug" - Jonas Brothers
           I attribute this one making the chart to Connor - he requests it just about every time we're in the car. He really loves it when the song goes from folksy-guitar to rock-guitar. Head banging in his booster seat. No Joke.

4 - 7 - "One Step at a Time" - Jordin Sparks
       I'm quite surprised at the fact that I like this song so much. I was NOT a Jordin Sparks fan when she was on American Idol. But I guess she won for a reason (she did win, right??).

5 - 6 - "Live Your Life" - T.I.(Feat Rihanna)
       I will not be surprised, however, if this one makes it to my number one spot. Quite addictive. And I love that they used the numa numa song in there. Connor does too. I also think he loves this song because he has a MASSIVE crush on Rihanna.

6 - 5 - "Forever" - Chris Brown
        This kid is so cute I can forgive him for the "double your pleasure, double your fun" line.

7 - 8 - "Keeps Gettin' Better" - Christina Aguilera
        Very appropriate lyrics. For any woman.

8 - 10 - "Human" - The Killers
        You know I have a place in my heart for Brandon Flowers and all of his guylinered glory. I'm so bummed I missed him on SNL this past weekend!!

9  - New - "Let it Rock" - Kevin Rudolph & Lil Wayne
        Can't really explain why I like this one. I just do.

10 - New - "Gives You Hell" - All American Rejects
        Another one that just gets stuck in your head.

Personal Music Chart 10/1/08

I've decided to implement a personal music chart on this here bloggaroo.
Why? Well I used to put together music posts all the time - and then I slacked.
But I'd like to have something to look back on to see how my musical tastes evolve.
And I like to share good music when I find it!
So I'm going to try and do this weekly (this of it as Missy's Weekly Top 10!) -
But that feels really ambitious for me. So we'll just see how this goes.

So here it is.
My personal music chart for Monday, October 1st, countdown style:

• 10. The Killers "Human"
• 9. John Legend (Feat. Andre 3000) "Green Light"
• 8. Christina Aguilera "Keeps Getting Better"
• 7. Jordin Sparks "One Step At a Time"
• 6. T.I. (Feat. Rihanna) "Live Your Life"
• 5. Chris Brown "Forever"
• 4. The Ting Tings "That's Not My Name"
• 3. Katy Perry "Hot N Cold"
• 2. Pink "So What"
• 1. Kanye West "Love Lockdown"

Lots of new music this week out there that I already love, obviously.
The Killers, Christina, T.I.... Clearly my tastes right now are being influenced by the "20  on 20" channel on XM radio. It's either that or Radio Disney when we're in Jon's car with Connor. But I can't solely blame Connor - I've always been a sucker for pop music. I'm not ashamed to admit it.
And, just because I've also fallen in love with the video, here's Katy Perry's "Hot n' Cold".

Hot N Cold

***eta***

I updated the blog banner - at the urging of my dear friend, Tracy - She demanded Harrison be represented... and I couldn't agree with her more.

Unanswered Prayers

Oh boy... this song holds so much meaning for me.
I remember the first summer that Jon and I were dating, I was positive he would go home, see his high school girlfriend, and forget all about me. I was CONVINCED.

Then one day, I decided to head down to his parents' house and surprise him...
we headed out to one of his friend's houses and hung out.
While we were there, someone brought up the fact that his ex was asking about him...
and I got nervous.

We got back to his parents..
he could tell I was bothered by the previous topic of conversation..
and he said to me, I want to play you a song, that pretty much sums up how I feel about you.
So I asked what song and he replied: Unanswered Prayers by Garth Brooks.
Oh great, I said.
He told me to just listen.
And I did.
And I cried.
Big surprise.

The best youtube video I could find has the song set to final fantasy videos...
but the song and the message is the same:

Oh The Pain..

I will always be an Olivia Newton-John fan.
ALWAYS.
From Grease to Physical...
I love it all.
Especially Xanadu.
Yes.
I said Xanadu.
I had it on VHS.
I'm thinking I need it on DVD.
Jon may kill me for that one.
I know Tracy still hasn't forgiven me for making her watch it one night...
heh heh.

So if you've never experienced the whole roller-skating-meets-dancing phenomenon...
please, enjoy the final scene... featuring the infamous song "Xanadu".

And yes, that's my love, Gene Kelly, on roller skates.

The 80s and Me

I am such a product of the 80s.
I remember the day MTV launched.
I watched music videos every chance I got.
When I was in high school, I even taped blocks of videos on MTV, so I could play them back anytime I wanted.
One of those that I loved... Adam Ant - Goody Two Shoes.
Gosh I wanted to be that chick who whipped off her glasses and got all sexified.
And she had the raddest blonde streaks in her hair.