I am running out of steam, people. I am pooped. I don't even have the energy to write a coherent post let alone keep up with all the crap I'm supposed to be doing. I feel like I haven't found a rhythm to my days since I've been working so much and it's throwing me off. I'm still adjusting to the extra hours and I'm really feeling it. Maybe once school is out I'll be able to fit in a little more rest/blog/housework time. Until then, I'm afraid I'm just going to have [...]
"Home" is the theme this week on the contrast podcast and I spent a while thinking about what feeling at home means to me. If you'd like to hear what other people had to say about the subject, check out the podcast right here . There are a lot of sayings about the concept of home: "home sweet home," "home is where the heart is," "there's no place like home." These days, the one that makes the most sense to [...]
I cannot get this song out of my head! The pretty harmonies and the lovely words have wound their way into my brain and it's as though it's set on constant repeat. I think I may have posted it before but I'm hoping that by putting it up again it will neutralize it somehow and then I'll be able to make room for my next obsession, coz you know it's coming. Headlights -- "Signs Point to Yes (But Outlook Not So Good)" mp3 off [...]
I have quite the thing for Swedish music. I'll pretty much listen to anything at least once if the band is from Sweden. It's more than that, though. Swedish music makes me feel good. A number of my favorite bands are from there: Moonbabies, Loney Dear, Shout Out Louds, Bjorn Kleinhenz, Pelle Carlberg, The Radio Dept., Teddybears . . . the list is long, as you can see. Lately I've come across several new bands that I really like and the one basic thing they have [...]
"Oops, boss, I accidentally published every single important, secret thing about our country's entire nuclear system on the internet--Sorry!" When I read shit like this, it really makes me worry about the folks who are in charge of our national security, you know what I mean? Jaysus H! Ladytron -- "Oops Oh My" mp3 off Softcore Jukebox ( buy ) Leave [...]
Here's a freaky fact: did you know that if people's eyes were proportionately as large in their face as a cat's, they'd be 8 inches in diameter? Apparently cats have larger eyes in relation to the size of their heads than any other mammal. For more factoids, check out this article , which has lots of other cool information about cats. So here's another fun fact: did you know that the theme for this week's contrast podcast is "cats [...]
This time of year is great for a lot of reasons--warm, sunny days and low humidity, irises in bloom, and strawberries! My daughter and I picked these with our own hands at a local farm yesterday afternoon under a perfectly blue sky and lovely light breeze. I gotta tell you, there's nothing quite like a ripe, sweet strawberry fresh from the field. One bite spoils you for the tasteless store-bought ones that you have to doctor up with tons of sugar, that's for sure. And once [...]
I must admit this post springs from a wee bit of jealousy. Well, I suppose envy would be a better word. I'm envious of the world traveling some of my friends are doing. I'd love to have a fabulous, far-flung trip to look forward to at the moment. Hell, I'd settle for a trip to anywhere! Oh well, I guess I'll have to live vicariously through them. For starters, Linda from speed of dark is on her way home from a two-week long adventure in China. [...]
I'm kind of old school when it comes to certain things. For instance, I still like to hold a CD in my hands, to talk on the phone instead of text, and I really enjoy bands that cleverly combine retro sounds with an otherwise current sound. Spain Colored Orange does that retro thing extremely well. I wrote about their song "Who Am I?" last month and I mentioned how much I like the jazzy horns. The rest of the [...]
Come take a nap with the contrast podcast this week, as the theme is "sleep." Makes me sleepy just thinking about it. It won't be a snoozer, though, I can guarantee that. You can download or listen to it here if you'd like to join me in a few zzzzzzzzzzzzzz. I had a lot of choices this week. In fact, I could probably do my own playlist of appropriate songs. I ended up picking one of my favorite songs [...]
Whew! It looks like things are finally back to normal here on the blog, whatever normal is. It's been a long day and half of things either being down completely or semi-inaccessible, for you and for me. I was starting to have some serious withdrawal symptoms! Nik Freitas -- "Normal" mp3 off Here's Laughing at You ( buy ) Leave Comment
Irises are my favorite flower. Bearded irises, to be specific. I love all the vibrant shades and combinations of colors they come in and their frilly beards. But the best thing I love about them is their fragrance. Did you know that every color smells different? You have to stick your nose down inside them to sniff but you'll be pleasantly surprised when you do. The ones I have in my yard (close to the peach colored one in the photo) smell kind of like Amaretto, orangey-vanilla. [...]
You all know we just got a little kitty, the delightful Lola , and she is turning out to be tons of fun and fitting right into the family. I even came home from the gym yesterday and found her sitting on my husband's shoulder while he was working. It was too cute. So we've been working from the assumption that she's a girl, however, at this age it's actually too soon to tell for certain. In fact, I turned her over the other day to have a [...]
A couple of things happened between yesterday and today that were kind of unexpected. First, my blog host had a major outage and so my blog was inaccessible for more than ten hours. Sorry about that! They've got some planned maintenance for this Sunday, so I'll give you more information about that when I find out the details. Secondly, my pregnant coworker, whose job I will be covering while she's out on maternity leave, went into labor about 2 weeks early, so Operation Baby is going into effect sooner than planned! I wasn't [...]
The theme for this week's contrast podcast is "the skin" (you can listen to it here ) and I find myself of two minds about it. My first impulse was to go with my favorite skin song, which is by Cloud Cult . They're the band and it's the song that inspired me to start my blog. And yes, I've posted this before, but it's too good not to share again. [...]
Do you know how to listen? Not to a song, but to another person? I know I've broached this subject before , although mainly in a humorous way. But lately I've been feeling like I'm not really being heard and it's bothering me. First and foremost, when someone is telling you something, it is not, I repeat, NOT purely an opportunity for you to say, "Oh, me too--this is what happened to me, how I felt, what my child did (fill in the blank)." One of the most [...]
We have a new member of the family! Little Lola joined us Friday night. Isn't she sweet? My eldest daughter brought her home knowing full well I wouldn't be able to resist. Truthfully, I wouldn't have chosen to get a cat at this point but I could hardly say no to such an adorable creature, especially when she already had food, cat litter and a cage to keep her in. Lola's still too small to go up and down steps so we've put up the baby [...]
Fellow blogger A Free Man recently mentioned that he has 26,060 songs in his musical library. He said he thinks that might signal an unhealthy obsession with music. I "only" have 15,299 (and counting) in mine and yet I'm inclined to agree with him about the obsession thing. The feeling that something new might be out there and I don't know about it exerts a very strong pull on me. I have a fear that I'll miss something and that keeps me coming back, even though [...]
How cool is this? Scientists have discovered a type of fly that will lay eggs on the dreaded fire ants , which then essentially turn the ants into zombies, thereby rendering them harmless: "The maggot that hatches inside the ant eats away at the brain, and the ant starts exhibiting what some might say is zombie-like behavior." You can either use your imagination to ponder this awesomeness or read all about it right here while you listen to these zombie/ant tunes. [...]
The contrast podcast commemorates its 163rd episode by visiting the year 1963 and, sadly, I am not along for the ride. Once again I just couldn't come up with an appropriate song. I'm not sure what's wrong with me these days. Next week the theme is "the skin" and I KNOW I'll be able to contribute to that. If I can't, then you all need to call the doctor for me, because I will have become so feeble-minded that I'll be unable to accomplish even the simplest task at that point . . [...]
lost in your inbox
Check Out: d’Eon – “Transparency pt. II”
the Weekender ::: New music from Catcall // the National // Summer Camp
KNIFE PARTY – RAGE VALLEY EP
