Little Things

There’s a book I want to buy the next time I’m at Costco called The Book of Awesome. It’s filled with these small joys that are completely inconsequential but are lovely nonetheless, like a full strip of untouched bubble wrap to pop. I want to read it because I’m all about the little things. I recently wrote a post about how lovely it is when two smiles mirror one another. It’s really terrific and it’s probably my absolute favorite feeling in the world. Now I’m off of school for the summer and as the stress subsides I’m constantly being reminded of really lovely moments. You know, small things that shouldn’t matter but actually make all the difference in the world. Here are some more of those little things that make me deliriously happy.

The moment when you’re singing and holding a note and the tone gets overwhelmed with vibrato and the sound transforms.

The excitement that builds as you’re about to finish a really good, really long book and the sense of accomplishment that accompanies it.

When you have worked really hard all semester and you check your marks online to find that it’s all paid off, or, when you’ve worked hard all semester and you check your marks online to find you did even better than you expected.

Waking up and feeling the perfect amount of rested.

How wedge heels are as cute and tall as heels but as comfortable and easy to walk in as ballet flats.

The first day that it is warm enough to wear a light jacket out instead of your wool pea coat.

When you give Liam a t-shirt with Elmo on it, and he’s so excited that he can’t decide between wearing it or looking at it, so he just sits next to you with it flipped over his head.

The first fish and chips of the season on WR Beach.

Sitting on the grassy knoll with all of your friends, doing shit all. 

When you go on a really long walk, and feel accomplished when the muscles in the back of your leg tighten up but don’t hurt.

Having intelligent conversations with people in academia, sharing ideas and feeling like people think you’re as smart and interesting as you find everyone else.

When someone asks your opinion about something important to them.

When Liam climbs up onto my lap and says “Aunty Kirsty, read Liam!”.

Greeting a friend who you haven’t seen in a really long time.

When people who usually ask what a Lit degree is good for ask you what you’re term papers are about and then just stare at you as you explain because it is completely beyond them.

When my friend Rob does his impression of a child trying to get the attention of his mother in a swimming pool.

When people think that you’re really funny for saying something that you didn’t really think would be that funny, or funny at all.

Dry heat.

Driving down Marine Drive in the summer with your windows rolled down and the music blaring really cheesy, fun music that you can sing to at the top of your lungs.

Watching a baby break into a big smile.

The first few days at the beginning of summer when you don’t have anymore school and haven’t yet figured out your work schedule, and you have time to yourself for the first time in 8 months.

Getting mail.

Going to parties in the summer when everyone is home and singing through BNL’s “Gordon” and realizing that everyone still knows all the words.

The smell of both freshly cut grass and pavement right after a light spring shower.

When Danica and her mom insist that the real name of “Ross” is “Ross Dress For Less”, when “Dress For Less” is clearly just their tag line.

All By Myself

Let’s get something straight off the bat. My parents rarely do fun things. I’m pretty sure that they gave their lives up when Arthur was born. If not when Arthur was born, then definitely when I was born. I was a quite the chore. It makes me a little sad, because we’re both really independent and I sometimes worry that Mo and Po don’t feel needed. But that is beside the point. The point is that they never really go out.

Because they never go out, I never really had people come over to my house growing up. I’m a strange kid, and I like to keep my home life separate from my outside the home life. Coupled with my embarrassment of my father’s unpredictable pants status, there was no way people were coming into my home. But suddenly, when I was 17, my folks decided to try a little harder at having a life outside of their children and every once in a while they would vacate the 49^th parallel for an evening.

I remember the first time they went out clearly. They went out for a surprise party for one of their pre-kids friends, and I invited some friends over. I don’t remember exactly who was there or what we did, but Jenna was definitely there because she loves telling this story. It was the first time in high school that I had ever had more than one person over at one time (while I don’t remember who was over, I do remember there were 4 of us). It was glorious and a good time was had my all. That night that my parents brought home half an ice cream cake and my dad said “Don’t look at it too long- It’ll melt!” like it was funny or something. Unfortunately, Jenna laughed her face off and now my dad thinks he’s hilarious when he clearly is not.

The next time they really went out was in my second year of university, and they drove up to Campbell River to go to a wedding. With Arthur living on the island, I was left to my own devices for the night, which I was looking forward to. Unfortunately, a strange fog descended upon the border, so I called Danica and went grocery shopping with her family before watching movies at her house til 2:00 AM. When I drove home, I made Danica sit on the phone with me until I was locked in my house and had checked all the rooms for predators (Shit goes down at the border. Once in elementary school, I came home to a man changing in my back yard).

After the Campbell River Fog Fiasco, my parents went for a weeklong Alaskan cruise with different pre-kids friends. I decided to go big. I hosted a night for all my choir girlies. Long story short, someone dropped pizza on my kitchen floor. Never again will I be inviting people into my home. They are demanding, they make messes, and I am apparently 80 years old.

Which brings us to last week. Last week, my parents went to Vegas with my childhood best friend’s parents. For four days, I was on my own. It may not sound like a huge deal, but seeing as I have no domestic skills to speak of, everyone thought it would be a miracle if I didn’t starve to death.

Sucks to those guys, right? Obviously, I am not dead. In fact, once I get that whole laundry thing down, I will be the best at living alone.

I am super responsible. I woke up on time, went to work, came home, cooked for myself, washed dishes, and went to bed at a reasonable hour. I even had my aunt come over on Wednesday when I wasn’t going to be home until after choir to turn lights on so my home did not appear abandoned. When my parents got home, the house was spotless. I even cleaned up my school shit from the dining room, which I usually don’t do until I’m preparing for my September classes to start. Holla holla c’mon!

The independence living alone afforded me was awesome, but the best part of living on my own was the silence. There is nothing in this world that I appreciate as much as silence, especially in the morning. Morning is when I like to do my best contemplation. My father in particular does not understand this concept, and often interrupts my bouts of silence with his ridiculousness. It was nice to have the time to sit alone in complete silence and enjoy it without him asking me to answer a question for the 3^rd time just because he never bothered to listen to the answer.

Ashley is always getting on my case about living at home. But hey, I live a block from my job, the room and board is free for now. And it’s not so bad, really. Even though I loved having the place to myself for the week, living with the parents isn’t so bad either. My mom even bought me a new pair of Steve Madden ballet flats while she was gone. It’s especially nice since I’m still in school and don’t have to deal with the troubles of the real world while I’m also trying to write papers about whether the poet in “The Parable of the Palace” is a creator or destroyer. But last week got me thinking about living on my own. I had a really good time being in charge of my own place and having time to myself. So maybe that’s on the horizon.  Who knows, right?

Worst Musicals

Hey kidlets. I was going to write a post about my top 10 favorite musicals, because I watched Singing in the Rain a few weekends back for the first time and it blew my freaking mind, and because musicals are my jam. That idea failed, as everyone already knows that I love Les Mis. Also, talking about how good things are isn’t nearly as fun as talking about how hard things fail. This being said, I’ve decided to compile a list of my top 5 worst musicals instead.

Basically, there is nothing in this world that I love more than a good musical, be it live or in movie form. I spent my entire time at EMS nurturing a love for theatre, and I love it so much that I think I’m going to see about perhaps pursing a career in some aspect of musical theatre after my degree is finished.

While I don’t love all musicals, I love most of them with my whole heart. I even admittedly have a soft spot for High School Musical, because watching Grease every Saturday night as a child led me to believe that high school would be like a musical, which it obviously is not. I like to live vicariously through Zac Efron.

What’s more, I love making fun of things. As long as I don’t feel intimidated, I can be extremely quick witted. If there is something to be made fun of, I am right there to get the job done. Basically, I’m a hypocrite. I hate being judged, but sometimes I’m a fan of judging.

This list is compiled of musicals that I have judged in a harsh way. At times, I dislike them because I associate them with terrible moments in my life and I just can’t get over that associated, in turn ruining some musicals forever. Other times, I dislike them because I just dislike them. Anyways, hope you enjoy my explanations of why some of these musicals fill me with such rage.

1. FAME

            I like the stage production of FAME. I think I would have been a really excellent teenager in the age of Molly Ringwald, so it plays to my fabricated nostalgia for the 80s. What I am not a fan of is the movie version of this production. I feel like stage musicals based on movies rarely eclipse their originals (as is the same with movies based on stage musicals) but this is an exception to the rule. In this case, the adaptation far surpasses what came before it. For the most part, I really like the casting of this film and the music is okay. However, I am not a fan of “Hot Lunch”, and that ballerina girl is a whore. But what really makes this movie irksome for me is that it reminds me of being in Musical Theatre in grade 9, sitting next to the boy I liked, having to watch a girl cry on screen topless as a man filmed her. Nothing inspires dead silence quite like unsolicited pornography. Needless to say, it was super awkward. Now when I think of the movie FAME, I think about that poor girl weeping pitifully, and feeling incredibly uncomfortable.

2. Chicago

            This is another musical that makes me completely uncomfortable. The first time I saw it was on a date when the film first came out with my then boyfriend (hilarious grade 8 times….). When I saw the movie, I really liked it. So much in fact that when it came to the Vancouver Center for Performing Arts sometime when I was in high school, I asked my mom if we could go see it. She invited my aunt. The stage version is a fair bit more than PG13 if you catch my drift. Basically, it was an evening of the three of us watching half naked burlesque dancers. Now, I am not comfortable with that to begin with. But anyone who knows me knows I am especially not comfortable in front of other people. And those other people happened to be my mom and my aunt. It was terrible, and I’m still embarrassed.

3. A Chorus Line

            This one doesn’t require a ton of explanation. A Chorus Line is super boring. It’s almost 2 hours long, and nothing happens. You’re basically watching an audition for a Broadway show. That is literally the whole show. Some of the music is good, like “God I Hope I Get It”, “Nothing”, and “Dance: 10; Looks: 3”. Back in high school, a friend and I actually went through a phase where we sang songs from A Chorus Line when we hung out at her house. Actually, it was two phases, in grade 8 and 11. But not even the music can save this show from boring a person to tears. I’ve only seen the movie once, and I only sat through all 2 hours of it because I had the flu and couldn’t get off the couch to turn it off without vomiting.

4. My Fair Lady

            Ugh. My Fair Lady is terrible! I normally love Audrey Hepburn. She is lovely. But when she speaks in this movie, I just want to shoot my own foot. She is so annoying! I’m a huge fan of hilarious accents. I’m automatically in love with any man from Boston. But Cockney is not cute, no matter how it’s packaged. What about the guy who just stalks her house, singing every night? Does he not have a home? And her father! What is up with her crazy drunken father?! This musical is super weird. And I do not like it. Perhaps it would have been better with Julie Andrews (everything is better with Julie Andrews). Perhaps I would like it better then. Regardless, My Fair Lady was the most painful 2 blocks of MT that I’ve ever had to endure. It was 100 times worse than watching the naked girl in FAME.

5. Oklahoma

            If I’m being honest, I’ve never even seen Oklahoma. I refuse on principle. I don't even know what the musical is about, but I know that it is awful. My grade 8 year of MT was Oklahoma themed. I still don't quite understand what they mean by "Surrey with the fringe on top" and I don't care to ever find out. All of those songs are terrible and grating. My friends and I are pretty fond of giving one another gifts that we are sure will be hated. It's hilarious good times. For my 18^th birthday, Lizzy got me a super old school VHS of Oklahoma from a thrift store. It is the only time I have been given a joke gift and not laughed about it. I despise this musical with every fiber of my being. Maybe it’s because it reminds me a little too much of my hick upbringing at a farm school where our class pictures were taken on bales of hay. I don’t care what the reason is. All I know is that if I ever hear “Oh What A Beautiful Morning” again, I will surely kill myself and the nearest bystanders. 

Arthur

Last night was my last night of living alone. To celebrate, I cleaned the house, cooked myself a well balanced meal, strategically left some lights on and peaced the scene before the ‘rents got home. Where did I go? Well, as I am a young, single, fabulous female, I naturally went with Danica to see the remake of Arthur at the Rialto Twin Theatre in that wild and crazy city we like to call White Rock.

Let me be clear. I have, in the past, expressed my hatred for White Rock cinema. The Criterion 4 is the most depressing place in a city known for lonely old people, sitting in coffee shops midday looking forlornly and wondering where their youth went, which is to say that it is VERY depressing. However, I looooooove the Rialto.

Let me explain. The Rialto is what is known as “the old person movie theatre” in White Rock. It is ancient. It only has two theatres, the screens have those old fashioned sparkly curtains, it only accepts cash, and the manager is an ornery mustachioed old man who has been that way since the beginning of my memory.

Why do I love the Rialto when I so loathe the Criterion 4? The Criterion 4 tries too hard. It wants to be a modern theatre, but it fails so hard. The Rialto on the other hand, knows it’s the shits and accepts it. I can respect that.

When Danica and I arrived at the theatre, we weren’t sure if we were late, or early, or just what was happening. There was no one in sight, save for the child selling tickets and the aforementioned Mr. Grumpy-Pants. We lamented over the fact that the Rialto is now charging $9.50 for its craptastic movies. The man said something about spending that much at a bar, to which I said something pithy and dripping with wit (under my breath).

We began to enter theatre 2 (the one that is poorly designed) talking about how poorly designed theatre 2 was when Danica quickly said “How many people do you think are going to be in there? My guess is 3”. I quickly guessed 5 others, apart from ourselves. We walked in to find the theatre completely empty, at which point we laughed whole-heartedly and took hilarious pictures.

Eventually a few more people trickled in, and the movie began. Danica shh-ed me as I named every actor I recognized from an upcoming historical drama about the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, and we both feverishly tried to remember whether Julia Roberts and Tom Hanks have ever done a movie together before (Charlie Wilson’s War, point Kirstin). And then Arthur began.

I did not enjoy the beginning of this movie, but mostly because the Rialto is the loveable shit hole it is, and didn’t have the sound on properly. It was very quiet, Russell Brand sounded a bit like a chipmunk, and partway through a scene, the pre-movie elevator music started to play over the film. But, like clock work, some old lady complained and it was fixed.

As far as the film goes, I quite liked it for what it is, which is a comedy featuring the delightful stylings of Brand. There were some laugh out loud moments, the relationship between Brand and Helen Mirren was understated yet believable and quite heart warming, and as always, Jennifer Garner was both gorgeous and a little bit crazy. The soundtrack was quite good too, and I plan on looking up who is featured on it because I quite liked some of the stuff they were using to score the film.

If I have one critique, it’s that most of the hilarious moments in the movie were featured in the trailers I saw before going to the show. I think that trailers should show strong parts of a film, but not give all the good stuff away. That being said, I realize that that makes no sense from an advertisement perspective. They just want to get you into the theatre, and if you end up disappointed, who cares? They already have your money.

Brand was quite good in this film. I generally like him across the board, and while I feel like he was playing himself in this movie, I liked it anyways because he’s so charming. His relationship with Mirren both on and off screen is quite lovely, too. Also, Danica and I agree that he is really quite handsome if you can look past his hilarious hair.

Overall, this film was maybe just okay, but likeable just the same. If you like Russell Brand, I suggest renting it when it comes out on DVD because he is lovely in this.

Side note. I was working on a “Top 10 Favorite Musicals” blog, but it was basically my ranting about how much I love Les Mis, and there was a lot of “It’s just…. Ugh. Amazing”. Which is not entertaining for anyone. So one of these days coming up, if I can find a moment for myself, I’m going to do my “Top 5 Worst Musical Experiences”, which I feel will be more hilarious. Perhaps I will also do a review of living on my own, now that my parent-free stint has come to a close. Nevertheless, things are on their way. And fair warning: they will be delightful.

The Rialto, lively as ever:

Moments

I'm only writing because Ashley is badgering me and I'm always afraid that if I piss her off, she will take away my co-godmother status.

You know what are really great moments? When you're talking to someone, and they say something or you say something, and they smile and you smile at the same time, and you can feel your smile mirroring theirs exactly. Those are lovely moments.

30 Song Challenge

As I’m sure everyone is aware, I’ve been wasting my life away in my attempt to obtain a degree in World Literature from a reputable university. Obviously, I should drop out right now and become an opera singer. I am the future of the next generation, after all. And I am verr, verr talented.

There’s a thing going around Facebook right now. That right there made it sound like some sort of disease. Which is kind of fitting. Anyways, there’s something going around Facebook called the “30 Day Song Challenge”. I think it’d be cool to do, but I don’t want to go around pissing people off, clogging their newsfeeds daily with my song choices. If only I had some sort of semi-private outlet for things like that… What to do…

Obviously I’m putting it on my blog. Again, on my blog, I do what I want when I want. What follows is my “30 Day Song Challenge”, with brief justifications for my choices. I know you’ll take note, because I have such excellent taste in music and you all value my opinion more than you value your own children (I’m looking at you, Ashley).

1. Favorite song: In Your Eyes by Peter Gabriel

            This is the song that John Cusack plays out of his boom box in the iconic scene from Say Anything. This is probably the most romantic thing to happen in any film, and it pretty much makes this movie. I often play it on loop on my iPod. I have a playlist that has the PGabriel original, a Sarah Bareilles cover, and a string quartet version.

2. Least favorite song: Something by Stephen Lynch

            I can’t actually remember of the specific song I’m thinking of. Stephen Lynch is one of those singing comedians that I love so much. For the most part, I really like him. However, he has one song that starts out quite lovely, and ends up being about ways to self-induce abortions. It comes out of left field and I cannot sit through it. It makes my skin crawl.

3. Song that makes you happy: Jai Ho by A.R. Rahman

            I would think this one is fairly self-explanatory. Every time I listen to this song, I think of the Jai Ho dance that Danica and I choreographed on a bus back to London from Oxford. I think of teaching it to the tour group outside of our dorm in Wales. I remember dancing in the parking lot, seeing the rest of the group off before starting our own adventure in Prague and Paris. I remember doing Jai Ho in my living room, the Kathaumixw hotel restaurant, Jenn’s campground. Best of all, it reminds me of commandeering the year-end concert last year. Jai Ho is probably the greatest thing I will ever do with my life. I know that’s a sad prospect, but this song just makes me happy.

4. Song that makes you sad: I Can’t Help Falling In Love With You by Elvis Presley

            This isn’t a sad song, but it makes me very sad at the moment. This is the song that David Clark and I always dance to together at the Youth retreat in Harrison. This year, he was in Sierra Leone teaching all the African children. Since Harrison, I’ve heard it a few times, and every time, I feel terrible. It just makes me miss him a lot. That being said, once he gets back from Africa, this will probably be more of a song that makes me happy. Just to clarify, I am not in love with David Clark.

           

5. Song that reminds you of someone: Johnny B. Goode by Chuck Berry

            This is the song my brother sang the first time I ever saw his band performed publicly. It reminds me of how his guitar strap broke and he had to awkwardly navigate the microphone while preventing the guitar from falling. I was still in elementary school, and I have never been more in awe of him. And I’m in awe of him a fair amount. I mean, the kid is tone-deaf, but he’s my big brother and I think he’s pretty amazing.

6. Song that reminds you of somewhere: Come So Far by the 2007 cast of Hairspray

            This song reminds me of Five Corners in White Rock. Last summer, they showed it as part of the summer outdoor movie thing they do in WR now. After they showed Hairspray this summer, the Shoplands started a dance party in the middle of the street as everyone was packing up. When I drive by that spot, I always sing this song in my head.

7. Song that reminds you of a certain day: One Day More by the cast of Les Miserables

            The best day I spend in England was the day we saw Les Mis. We went to Stonehenge, sang at Salisbury Cathedral, saw the Magna Carta, toured Oxford. It was ridiculous, and way too long of a day. But after all that other business, we saw Les Mis (holy shit) and then walked back to our hotel in the warm British summer air. When I think of that day, I think of Les Mis, and when I think of Les Mis, I think of the genius of this song.

8. Song that you know all the words to: Curbside Prophet by Jason Mraz

            Some people know that I have this secret ambition to be really good at free-style rapping (embarrassed). I feel like this is the closest that I’m ever going to come to reaching that goal. I know all the words and I can actually rap all of them. It makes me feel really good about myself.

9. Song that you can dance to: I’ve Got A Feelin’ by the Black Eyed Peas

            When this song came on when Danica and I were eating at the Hard Rock at Universal Studios Orlando, we both started chair dancing in a harsh way. Another acceptable answer to this question should be 42^nd Street from 42^nd Street, because Lord knows that I am an amazing tap dancer.

           

10. A song that makes you fall asleep: The Blower’s Daughter by Damien Rice

            This song is beautiful. And soft and it tapers off nicely into silence. The only problem with falling asleep to this one is that right after this song is one with some intense upright bass and violin, so as soon as you start drifting off, you wake right up again.

11. A song from your favorite band: Blame It On Me by Barenaked Ladies

            BNL is my favorite band, and this song has my absolute favorite BNL lyric of them all. “I wax poetic as you’re waxing your legs”. It’s so good!

12. A song from a band you hate: Any song by Nickelback

            I didn’t even dignify this question with a specific song. They are all the same, so it doesn’t even matter which one I choose. All of their songs are terrible. And the lead singer looks like, and thinks he is the reincarnation of, Jesus.

13.  A song that is a guilty pleasure: If You Get Down on Me by B44

            Nothing says guilty pleasure like the 90s, and nothing says 90s like a boy band that only had one mildly successful, wildly inappropriate hit. This one is my favorite simply because of the line “I’m gunna make you come tonight (over to my house)”. Seriously. How transparent can you be? This is my favorite song to play in groups of people, because no one exactly knows all of the words, but everyone always yells that one line.

14. A song that no one would expect you to love: Spaceman by Babylon Zoo

            Ahhhh, Spaceman. This song is about Jesus. And despite the subject matter, it was not appropriate to sing at a family Christmas concert. We spent an entire Christmas season trying to dissuade Mr. Ho from making us sing this (it had a bit of the U2 “Beautiful Day” syndrome, if y’all recall) to no avail. And any time you want to annoy anyone, you just have to sing “Oh the whole world is waiting!” and you will be met with raucous groans. Jordan put it on my Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog CD to piss me off. Secretly, I kind of like it when I do not have to perform it.

15. A song that describes you:

            This one is stupid. If I were to have to pick one, I would pick “A Loaf of Song”, which is the song Danica wrote for me. It’s about how I go to bed super early. But I still think this is a stupid question.

16. A song that you used to love but now hate: Holding Out For A Hero from Footloose

            I like 80s dance movies a lot. They are so mindless and fun, and everyone dances to terrible music. I sincerely apologize to Jordan for saying this, but her grade 12 production of Footloose was the single worst thing I’ve ever had to sit through. Jordan was good. I was just spoiled by the EMS theatre program. Regardless, I can’t listen to anything from this show ever again.

17. A song that you often hear on the radio: Free Willy Theme by Michael Jackson

            I have no control over the radio at work, which means it’s tuned to QMFM, I think. Sometimes, I quite enjoy it. They often play A-Ha and Duran Duran, which makes me nostalgic for the adolescence I never had in the 80s. I feel like I would have been a really cool teenager in the 80s. The point is, without fail, every Friday they play the Free Willy theme song twice. And every time, I love it.

18. A song that you wish you heard on the radio: Michael Bernard Fitzgerald

            I don’t care which song. I just feel like it’s about time that he got some airtime outside of Alberta. The sooner he gets on the radio, the sooner he will have enough clout as an artist to play a show in Vancouver that is not on a night that I have choir.

19. A song from your favorite album: I Am Mighty by Michael Bernard Fitzgerald

            Of all the albums Michael Bernard Fitzgerald has released thus far, I love Black and White Phonetics the best. Which is saying a lot, because I love everything by Michael Bernard Fitzgerald. This is my favorite song off this album. It’s a ton of fun to sing in the car.

           

20. A song that you listen to when you’re angry: Santoria by Sublime

            This is just a good song to sing along to when you’re angry and trying to get over it. Nothing says “I’m angry” like singing “And I won’t think twice to stick that barrel straight down Sancho’s throat/ Believe me when I say that I’ve got something for his punk ass” as loud as you can. It’s in a fairly good register for singing in chest voice, which is completely necessary when you’re singing the shit out of a song. Also, I always love it when people strum their guitars on the up beat.

21. A song that you listen to when you’re happy: Shosholoza by the Soweto Gospel Choir

            When I’m in a particularly good mood, I like listening to Afro-Jazz. This particular song reminds me of the South African Youth Choir, who I competed against in the summer of 2008 at the International Choral Kathaumixw. They were phenomenal. I feel like nothing says “joyous” like African music, which is why, when I’m driving along the beach at sunset feeling content, I like to crank some Shosholoza and pretend that I know how to speak Afrikaans.

22. A song that you listen to when you’re sad: Casimir Polanski Day by Sufjan Stevens

            If you’re sad and want to stay that way, listen to this song. It is so upsetting. It’s the story of a boy who falls in love with a girl who has bone cancer. Spoiler alert: She dies. It is beautiful, and very very sad.

23. A song that you want to hear on your wedding day: Brand New Spaces by Michael Bernard Fitzgerald

            Should I ever get married, I definitely want to get my entire reception up on the dance floor doing a bit of the stomp clap. It will be a requirement. If you want to come to my wedding, you MUST stomp clap.

24. A song that you want to play at your funeral: For the Widows of Paradise, For the Fatherless of Ypsilanti by Sufjan Stevens

            This one is embarrassing. I watched the first two seasons of The OC back in the day. I gave up on the third, and then years later, Lisa got me to watch it with her. The only character I ended up liking fell off a cliff. His funeral was on the beach, and they played this song. It was pretty appropriate. Also, this question is morbid.

25. A song that makes you laugh: Reading a Book by Julian Smith

            I’ve mentioned this on my blog once before. Julian Smith is the comedian who introduced the world to hot Kool-Aid. This song, while meant to be hilarious, is also pretty good. Every time he says the bit about being a criminal for not paying for library books, I laugh, which makes me that crazy girl on public transit.

26. A song that you can play on an instrument: William Tell Overture

            I quit piano after two weeks because reading music was too hard (Ha!) and because my left hand is uncooperative. I never learned how to play guitar even though my dad bought me one. Again, my hands don’t do what they’re supposed to. I did, however, rock the trumpet something fierce in grade 7 band. The William Tell Overture was the first thing we learned, and despite the fact that grade 7 was a million years ago, I think I could still pull it off.

27. A song you wish you could play: Any song

            Seriously. Who quits piano after only two weeks?

28. A song that makes you feel guilty: From My Home by my friends and I

            I feel guilty for this one because it’s a recording that I am on a fair bit and it just seems egotistical for me to like it so much. The city of Surrey commissioned the keyboardest from Loverboy to write a song for the Olympics and he asked the choir to record it for him. It was a lot of fun, and I really like listening to it, which makes me a crazy narcissist.

29. A song from your childhood: Louisiana Man by someone

            My dad used to sing this song every night when he put me to bed. He’d sing a line, and then I would sing a line. Danica once sang a different song my dad used to sing to me and I tried to sing along, but my dad is so tone deaf that it turns out I learned it wrong. However, this one is only two notes so I think even he can do it right. Bless his little heart.

30. Your favorite song at this time last year: Touch Me by the original cast of Spring Awakening

            This time last year, I discovered Spring Awakening. It is such a great musical. It’s innovative, and the concept for both the story and the music is really interesting and extremely artistic. The play it’s based off of is a bit on the rape-y side, but no such rape occurs in the musical. Jonathan Groff doesn’t hurt, as he is beautiful. This song is my favorite because there is a guy who plays a secondary character who has my favorite voice of anyone ever. He’s not even a lead, but  his voice is so interesting.

So that’s the 30 Song Challenge. Honestly, it wasn’t so challenging. 

Note: I’m finished papers for the semester, so I will be blogging like a normal person. It’s not like you can tell, but I’ve been writing blogs whenever I get a spare moment and saving them. This will be the last of those stock blogs.

Two Mormon Loves

Let me just preface this entry by saying that I am, without a doubt, very good at making mixed CDs. I have a fairly good idea most of the time of how far I can push a persons musical taste without making that person feel alienated. It’s a fairly useless talent, but I’m proud of it nonetheless. You know. When you have a crooked face, you do the best with what you have. Also, Jenn is a Mormon.

My talent has resulted in requests for countless mixes. One such request that I gladly accepted was from my friend Jenn, who is almost exclusively a Top 40s girl. While I myself have been known to dance around a Wal-Mart or two to Bruno Mars, I feel like her level of exclusivity is no way to live. After all, there is in fact a world beyond Britney Spears, and it is a glorious one. Even though I don’t necessarily like all music (*cough* Country), I feel like if it’s good within its genre, I can at least appreciate it.

The thing that I find particularly bothersome about Jenn’s lack of exploration is the fact that I’ve known Jenn for 10 years. From choir. I expect a little more adventure from someone who has been singing Requiems for the better part of her life. It was time for me to inject something new into Jenn’s life that was still reasonably palatable for her. The result: One Mormon Love: An Indie Experience.

Now, One Mormon Love is probably not even one of my best mixes, as it dealt almost exclusively with Indie music. Most of the time, I like to switch things up a little more. Regardless, it was a good mix. In fact, when driving to Seattle with Jenn, I exclaimed, “Wow, all of these songs are so good! I’m impressed!” only to be told that it was, in fact, The One Mormon Love mix I had made.

The initial reaction I got was less than satisfying. I expected to be praised for having shown Jenn a world outside of Miley Cyrus and the Disney crew. This expectation was obviously not met, as Jenn is a little shit. The only song she liked was “I Wish I Knew Natalie Portman”, which is NOT an Indie song, but some hip-hop that I had added at the end to reward her for being so accepting and adventurous. In actuality, she just listened to two or three songs and skipped forward to the end for some K-Os. It appeared that I had been defeated.

One thing about me: I never lose.

Sure enough, after multiple listens, Jenn has come around to One Mormon Love with a few exceptions. In fact, she even asked me for more Indie music! It took a year, but I was victorious. Which brings us up to date. I have created Two Mormon Loves: A MORE Indie Experience. This time, I’m not going easy on her. No more Michael Bernard Fitzgerald, no more hip-hop (with the exception of Julian Smith. That’s just something I knew she’d like. I mean, c’mon! “I’m at the library where they call me a crook/ I never even pay for my library books” is some lyrical genius). I am nothing if not persistent, and I WILL wear this girl down.

What follows is a track list for Two Mormon Loves with titles and artists. Read. Listen. Appreciate my magic.

Like Dylan In The Movies- Belle and Sebastian

Decatur, Or, Round of Applause For Your Stepmother!- Sufjan Stevens

Keep Breathing- Ingrid Michaelson

Lie In Our Graves- Dave Matthews Band

For The Widows In Paradise, For The Fatherless In Ypsilanti- Sufjan Stevens

Naïve- The Kooks

Alleyways- Hey Ocean!

Season Of The Shark- Yo La Tengo

Postcards From Italy- Beirut

Mr. Maker- The Kooks

Boy With A Coin- Iron and Wine

Sensible Heart- City and Colour

La Mar- The Beautiful Girls

Silent Sigh- Badly Drawn Boy

The Blower’s Daughter- Damien Rice

Fish- Hey Ocean!

Save Your Scissors- City and Colour

How It Should Be (Sha Sha)- Ben Kweller

I’m Reading A Book- Julian Smith