Summer Mix Review

Note: Yes Danica. I am awake. But only because my Aunt went to the Emergency Room tonight to get a bit of pneumonia checked out. She's fine, but I stayed up with my mom to be sure. So no bitching.

I have previously professed that I am the best at making mixed CDs. While I still hold onto that, it appears I am not the only one. Ashley owed me $5, and instead of getting $5, I asked her to make me a serious of CDs. Most of them are soundtracks to lovely musicals, but she excitedly threw in one that was a mix of all different things she thought I might like. Was I skeptical? Only in that I KNEW it would not be as good a mix as what I make for others. But I am currently seeking new music, and with the exception of some Britney Spears, I have faith in Ashley’s tastes.

What I’ve done is compiled mini-reviews of each song. They are my first impressions of the music bequeathed unto me. They are short, sweet and to the point. So enjoy.

#1- In the Aeroplane Over the Sea- Neutral Milk Hotel

            I have a feeling that Ashley loves just the right amount of indie. This is perfect. It’s folksy and heavy on acoustic guitar like I like. It’s catchy, the melody is interesting and I think the singers voice is really cool. My only complaint is the hint of whale call/ someone playing the saw with a violin bow. It’s super weird and distracting.

#2- Looking for Someone- Sarah Slean

            I love that I didn’t have to look up who sang this song, because Sarah Slean has such a distinctive sound. Again, she is beautifully weird. It’s simple, understated, yet beautifully written and performed. Love.

#3- A Mirror Without- Royal Wood

            To be honest, I didn’t listen to this one because I noticed…

#4- (More Bounce in) California- Soulkid #1!!!!!

            This is hilarious! I don’t remember what movie this song is in. I think it might be several. But I love this song, and for some mysterious reason it reminds me of my childhood. I will for sure be driving around to this during the summer.

#5- Quand Vous Mourez de nos Amour- Rufus Wainwright

            Ashley is a smart lady. She has a degree. And never has her education and intellect been to well employed as the addition of this song onto my mix. I hate that it’s French, but I will listen to it because I love Rufus. He’s like Sarah Slean in that he is a nice mix between brilliant and crazy. And strangely, French sounds nice when it’s coming from his mouth.

#6- Bank Accounts- Sarah Slean

            This one starts out all 1940’s band with the horns and the pomp. In the end it turns upbeat, resulting in probably one of Sarah Slean’s more main stream songs. This would be a really good way to trick someone into trying Sarah Slean on for size. Much more palatable than the one where she talks about vomiting and breaking her teeth.

#7- Live Your Life- T.I.

            Ahhh! It starts out with that hilarious Russian song! Ugh. I do love the rap. And Rihanna is featured on this track! Cheap shot, Ashley. Obviously I was going to love this one. There is no way to go wrong with these elements.

#8- Breakin’ Up- Rilo Kiley

            Jenna always talked about Rilo Kiley in high school, and I never listened to any to know what she was going on about. The singer has kind of a run-of-the-mill voice, but overall I like this song. I think what really wins me over is the synthesizer in the chorus.

#9- Snow (Hey Oh)- Red Hot Chili Peppers

            I don’t really remember if this song is off Jupiter or Mars, but either way I was overall disappointed. This song was one of the few exceptions. I love the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and quite frankly I’m surprised that they’re present on this mix. I suspect that it’s one of Mat’s songs.

#10- Sweet Dream- Gary Laswell

            I suspect that this man is either from Ireland or one of the Maritimes. My guess is the Maritimes, because Ashley loves all those weirdos. It’s super short and to the point, but the guitar is quite lovely and his voice reminds me of someone who I cannot for the life of my name. But I could hum the song I’m thinking of. Alas, I know none of the words.

#11- Lucky Me (DNA Studio)- Sarah Slean

            This is one of my favorite Sarah Slean songs, and I always love live-ish sounding recordings. I especially love the strings in this version. They replace Sarah Slean’s usual piano, and it’s really effective.

#12- Flathead- The Fratellif?

            I can’t read Ashley’s writing for the artist, so here’s hoping. There is so much going on in this song. It’s a little Sublime, it’s a little punk rock, it’s a little Kooks, it’s a little gospel-clappy. Is it from the 90’s? It sounds like it should be out of the 10 Things I Hate About You soundtrack. Overall intrigued, mostly because it sounds like the Kooks. And because the switch up on the chorus is interesting.

#13- About You- Royal Wood

            Hey, it’s the guy I skipped before. He’s got a sleepy voice, kind of like… I don’t know who to compare him to. It’s nice. It’s repetitive and unsuited for my current kamikaze listening of this CD. I’m going to have to come back to it. Oooh! Nice trumpet.

#14- Mystery Song?

            This is fucking Ke$ha. And I don’t think it’s the one I like. I can’t even remember if it’s the one I like, which means I can’t like anything of Ke$ha’s too much. This talk singing is the worst thing to happen in my life.

#15- Sweet Ones- Sarah Slean

            There is a ton of Sarah Slean on this CD. I used to have this song on a burned CD from my parents computer, back when Kazaa had yet to blow up my family PC. This is the song that got me into Sarah Slean, so not only do I enjoy it, but I’ve got my nostalgia on. And you know how I love to get my nostalgia on.

#16- Peter Piper- Frank Mills

            This song reminds me of an ice cream truck in the best possible way. And I recognize it! The intro is a bit too long for my tastes, but I love the strings, and the organ. Even though it’s pretty much the same thing over and over, I’m enjoying the switch ups to the theme.

#17- Breathe- Blu Cantrell and Sean Paul

            Again, appealing to the part of myself that I’m not so proud of. Remember that “Hit ‘Em Up Style” song from the 90’s? Hilarious! While I’m not the biggest fan of this song, it does makes me want to dance. It’s got that terrible dance music thing going for it. Overall, I’d say it’s at the very least doing it’s job.

#18- We Will Need A Song- Hawksley Workman

            Ashley has been trying to get me into Hawksley since I was in the 11^th grade, which is to say a long time. This is the first thing I’ve heard of his really, and it’s awesome! I’m very intrigued by this man.

#19- Last Goodbye- Jeff Buckley

            The intro to this is really interesting. And I do like Jeff Buckley in general. His voice was so interesting too! I have a feeling that Ashley has caught onto a theme with me, which is that I am interested in almost anything that is interesting. Jeff Buckley was super talented. It’s a shame he’s dead.

#20- He Got Game- Public Enemy

            Whenever I hear “Public Enemy” I think of “Public Enemy Number 1” from Anything Goes, which this is certainly not. This song samples from Buffalo Springfield’s “Something Happening Here” (think Forrest Gump) and I think it’s really well incorporated. Again, I have the weird love for rap.

#21- All I Want Is You- Barry Lewis Polisar

            This song is from the Juno soundtrack, which I have and love. So obviously this conclusion was delightful. I think the harmonica and the strum-stop style guitar and twang all appeal to my hick upbringing.

So that concludes “Auntie Kirsty’s Summer Mix”. Overall, it’s not as summery as I expected it to be, but the music is all really good. And to be fair, I do like to get my rap on in the summer. I’m really excited to put it on my iPod and listen to it all the way through. Top prize is awarded to Hawksley. It is him who I am most excited about. So point Ashley.

Wicked

I held off writing a blog about Wicked at first because I wanted time to let what I had seen sink in. And after that passed, I wanted to wait until I saw it for the second time. That’s right. I saw Wicked and it had such an impact on me that I redirected the money I had put aside to see Hairspray to go again.

And I wasn’t the only one. The first time I went, I was with Ashley, Danica, David J and JKelly. We saw it on a Wednesday. By Saturday afternoon, Jenn had already bought tickets for her, David and I to go about the next Sunday.

Spending around $200 to see this production twice is probably the most worthwhile thing I’ve spent my money on since my memory foam mattress cover. I mean, it was insane, but I think it’s a decision that I will never, never regret.

Just to be clear, Wicked is a musical inspired by The Wizard of Oz. It’s supposed to be “the untold story of the witches of Oz”, which basically means that it gives you an alternate perspective of the Wicked Witch of the West.

The aforementioned witch is named Elphaba, who is the result of an affair that her mother had with a traveling elixir salesman. The elixir causes Elphaba to be born green, which is hard enough. On top of it all, her father is ashamed of her, her wheel chair bound sister is embarrassed of her, and her mother is dead. Life is tough.

In order to watch over her sister, Nessarose, Elphaba is enrolled at Shiz University, where she rooms with Galinda, who grows up to be Glinda the Good. Points of interest are the relationships that develop between Elphaba and Galinda, Elphaba and Galinda’s love interest Fiyero (who it must be said, is attractive), the dismissal of the only remaining talking animal professor at Shiz and the emergence of Elphaba’s magical talent.

Said talent lands Elphaba a meeting with the Wizard of Oz, a rather large man who has no magical powers and who wants to domesticate animals because SOMEONE has the be the bad guy. He tricks Elphaba into giving his stock pile of monkeys wings, Elphaba is outraged, steals an important book of spells and begins her life as an enemy of the state slash vigilante.

Throughout the rest of the musical, Elphaba and Fiyero end up together, a house falls on Nessarose, Fiyero gets turned into a scare crow, Elphaba escapes Oz, and Glinda not only clears her name, but discovers that she is the Wizards daughter before sending him on his merry way and freeing Oz from oppression.

Contrary to what Jenn thinks, Glinda is NOT the protagonist of this musical. It is definitely Elphaba.

Everyone is this production was amazing. Because I saw it twice, I was able to see 2 understudies and even they were really good. I mean, not as good as the people they were performing for, but still great. Notable performances were the woman who plays Madame Morrible, Fiyero (especially when he is singing high), and obviously the woman who played Elphaba. Jesus, she was amazing. Also, special shout out to the chorus who were freaking ridiculous. Their sfz’s were better executed than on the Broadway recording.

This musical is so good. There are themes that are woven seamlessly throughout, which is something about Les Mis that I love love love. It’s probably my favorite thing that happens in musical productions. The music is interesting, and powerful, and there’s always something unexpected around the corner. More than once, both times I saw this, I felt myself getting misty-eyed because the brilliance is completely overwhelming.

My favorite part of the whole production is in “No Good Deed” (which is my favorite song from this production) when Elphaba sings “Let all Oz be agreed/ I’m wicked through and through since I cannot succeed/ Fiyero saving you/ I promise no good deed will I attempt to do again”. It’s beautifully crafted, and I feel like it’s representative of the entire venture.

I love musicals. I just. They are so amazing. And Wicked is probably one of my favorites. I don’t understand how you could watch something like Wicked and NOT be inspired. Ugh. I want to do that. The point? Go see live theatre. It will change something in you. 

Little Things II

Remember that post I did where I listed some of my favorite things? I really liked doing that. And after the antics in Vancouver last night, I feel like I need to think about things that make me happy rather than things that make me want to vomit and scream. So here are some more lovely things.

When you’re driving North down 152^nd just after 24^th on a really clear day, when you can see straight to the Guilford Sheraton and its Canada flag.

Having nothing to on any given night.

Getting really good at applying gel liner after years and years of practice.

Shaving my legs and painting my toes.

Pedicures! Never did I ever think the day would come when I would love paying someone to touch my feet.

Dressing up and having people notice.

Not having to dress up.

Holiday themed drinks at Starbucks.

Organic African Nectar Mighty Leaf Tea. Or tea in general. And tea parties specifically.

Vancouverites banding together and cleaning up the city the day after a fucking riot.

Taking the tags off of new clothes.

Going back to books I’ve read and trying to figure out why I put post-its where I did.

Books about Africa. Fiction and non-fiction. Literary and otherwise.

Maps. I loves me some maps. I have a giant world map on my wall. It’s probably the thing I own that I love best, other than my memory foam mattress cover and pillows.

Cello.

The guys behind “Shit My Dad Says” and “Old Man Search” on Twitter.

Spending my weekends at Mat and Ashley’s. I get to hang out in my jimjams, play with babies, hold babies, watch wedding shows, eat snacks and play video and board games.

Live theatre!!!

Singing harmonies to the radio.

Side note. My friend Megan from school thinks I’m funny and clever. That just happened, and it made me deliriously happy. So I guess it has a place on this list.

Motorcycle rides on back roads. Love it. Especially that trip up to that Maple Ridge lake. It was really pretty. Totally worth the sore bum.

Performing.

Moments where I catch myself thinking about having a future. This is also terrifying.

Feeling like you look good on a given day.

Just. Harry Potter. Anything to do with Harry Potter. But not dressing up like characters from Harry Potter.

Having occasions to dress up for.

Weddings! And dancing at weddings.

WANTING to write papers.

Nice grass and trees to sit under.

Feeling tall.

Typing really fast and still spelling everything right.

Using an adding machine!

Days when my skin is completely clear.

Driving.

Not having to drive.

Reading in the car.

Air conditioning, so long as it doesn’t give me a headache.

Being on vacation and washing my feet in bathtubs.

Steamed broccoli.

30 Rock. And other really funny TV shows. TV in general actually.

Really good movies.

Days when I am paid.

Home made cards and presents. I’m a huge fan of the burned CD.

People making a big deal about you.

People NOT making a big deal about you.

The smell of beach air.

Explaining why I like to think of myself as Germany.

Constantly being surprised by someone.

When Ashley told me that I was just as funny as Tina Fey.

Jeans that make your bum look nice.

John Krasinski.

How long conversations can become when you mention something funny that happened on the Office, and other people mention other things from the Office.

New music.

Soundtracks to musicals.

People who compliment my glasses, because I am very self-conscious about them.

Neil Patrick Harris.

Forts.

Secrets

This past Monday, I went to Surrey to watch the hockey game. Now. I am not a fan of hockey. I don’t understand sports where face-punching is not only allowed, but encouraged. But when school friends want to watch the play-offs and play board games, what is a girl to do?

Long story short, five hours after I arrived on campus, I was driving my friend Jamie home. We were talking about how much fun games are (because we be cool like that) and she said that she thought we should play a game some time where you write out 5 secrets about yourself, put them in a hat, and everyone has to guess whose secret is whose. It’s supposed to be a good way of getting to know people who you already know a little bit better. Needless to say, I find the whole proposition unsettling.

So I’ve been thinking about it. What secrets would I tell this group of people? What would be sufficiently personal and secretive enough, but also not spoil the mood by being too intimate? I’m not a fan of revealing myself to begin with! It’s also a slippery slope, because if they are too offbeat, no one will guess it right. If it’s too obvious, I will have ruined a perfectly terrifying game.

Here are some things that I thought MAY be possibilities if I were to ever play this game. If you’re reading this post, you probably know a lot of them already.

I skipped grade 5 math so I don’t understand fractions.

I think I might be the second coming of Tina Fey. Not the hilarious, successful Tina Fey, but the insecure, nerd Tina Fey in Tina Fey’s head.

Once, on a date, I saw two people doing it on the beach.

I have one eye that is bigger than the other.

I truly believe that my crooked face can be attributed to the fact that I always sleep on my right side.

I played first trumpet in grade 7 band.

I think I might be afraid of men. And by think, I mean I am afraid of men. Like, in my head, there is a huge difference between “guy” and “man”. The latter is scary.

I’m really good at riding a bicycle with no hands.

I have a crippling fear of being inadequate.

While I always note when guys are attractive, I’m really only attracted to the ones who can be classified as “interesting-looking”.

I almost drown in my neighbor’s pond when I was 3.

I wore a dress everyday in Kindergarten until some kid told me it was weird.

I really do not like feet.

When I take the time to plan out an outfit, I never end up wearing those clothes.

I once went to and enjoyed a Kanye West concert.

The word I feel best suits me is “Germany”.

Whenever I hear an overture for a musical, I get misty-eyed.

I’m on youtube in a video entitled “The Hotel Sex-Blanket”.

I held a parrot once in Ashland, Oregon.

My favorite SNL sketch is “Robert Goulet”.

Once, I puked into a garbage can at Playland.

My first kiss was on a dare.

I once told a boy he smelled like fish when he tried to kiss me.

I’ve never seen Wayne’s World.

Baby teeth freak me out.

I’m still mad about the time my friend was Spiderman for Halloween when I wanted to be Spiderman for Halloween.

I was a mouse in a ballet recital when I was little.

I was really good at baseball when I was young.

I love my nudist friends but they make me super uncomfortable with nudist-ness.

My high school lit teacher is my favorite person.

I really like the Barenaked Ladies.

I don’t like it when people breathe on me.

Not all of these are necessarily secrets. And not all of them are entertaining or revealing in any way. I don’t know. I just don’t know how you can go about choosing 5 little tidbits about yourself that are supposed to help others understand you better. How does one do that? How am I supposed to do that? Let me know if you can think of any others. If we end up playing this game, I’mma need to bring my A-game. Those school kids are mad into winning.

Never Let Me Go

My summer reading has progressed a little slower than I’d like. I thought that I would be able to keep up the classic 1 book for every 2 days like most summers, but I feel like I’m way busier than I have been in the past. So my reading has become sporadic at best. Sometimes I can read a book every 2 days, sometimes it takes me 2 weeks. And in the case of The Odyssey, it’s going to be a full summer project, reading 1 chapter whenever I get a spare moment at home. That thing is effing heavy and my purse protests the weight.

My pace may have slowed, but I’ve still managed to squeeze in some time for awesome reads (often at the expense of having a social life). For instance, I read Half of a Yellow Sun at the beginning of the summer and it’s probably one of my favorite books ever. So while I’m not reading as much, I’m probably reading better material than before (Move aside, yearly reading of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series!). Which brings us to the last book I read, Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro.

So, I’m fibbing a little bit. This was not the last book I read. The last book I finished was Bossypants by Tina Fey. I delayed writing this blog because I wanted to watch the film version of Never Let Me Go so that I would be able to compare the film and the novel. In order to do that, I had to wait for the weekend to rent the film (I should probably look into getting Netflix). In the meantime, I read Tina Fey’s book. For those interested, Bossypants is hilarious and made me laugh out loud while doing the banking for my place of employment. Embarrassing, and worth it.

Never Let Me Go sounds like a crazy story when you try to lay it all out for someone. It’s about a woman named Kathy H who is looking back on her time at a British boarding school called Hailsham and the implications of her time spent there. Gradually, throughout the course of the novel, you come to understand that Kathy H is a clone and that the purpose of Hailsham is to raise child clones to later be used for organ donation.

This tends to be the part where people look at you weird and lose all interest in reading this book. Which is a shame, because it’s really quite a lovely read. Kathy and her friend Tommy have this beautifully developed relationship throughout the narrative, but he is dating Kathy’s best friend Ruth. While they eventually end up together, it’s not really under perfect terms and their struggle to gain footing despite their fates is truly heartbreaking.

In terms of the actual writing, Ishiguro is amazing. It’s beautifully written, and poetic without actually being flowery. There’s something really artistic about the simplicity of his writing. And while the story sounds a little far-fetched when I try to explain it to people, Ishiguro has a way of making you accept all of the craziness that he presents. Which I will get to later.

After I read the novel, I watched the movie. I was really excited about the film because the trailers looked really good and it has a stellar cast. Kathy H is played by Carey Mulligan, Ruth is played by Keira Knightley and Tommy is played by the gorgeous Andrew Garfield of recent Social Network fame. He is effing attractive.

What I will say about the film is that it is beautifully shot. The lighting, the landscape, everything came together to present this gorgeous picture that conveyed the tones of the film overall. The cinematography is probably the best thing the film has going for it. While Mulligan, Knightley and Garfield weren’t exactly what I imagined while reading the novel, they all did good jobs. Especially Garfield, whose subtle portrayal was the strongest of them all. While I didn’t imagine Tommy to be as Garfield portrayed him, I think I prefer Garfield’s performance to my own expectations.

This wasn’t a bad movie. But, like all movies that are based off books, things had to be changed for it to work as a film and as always, chunks of the story are sacrificed as a result. Whether it is slight changes, or additions, or leaving things out entirely, I am never a fan. Usually, what I find most irksome about novel-turned-movies is when sections of dialogue are taken from the original text and plopped into the film. It always makes me feel awkward and it reminds me that I’m watching something that isn’t real. However, this film had none of that nonsense, which I appreciated. So while the movie was not as good as the novel, it wasn’t the worst adaptation I’ve ever seen (Twilight).

My favorite part of Never Let Me Go (the novel) is that it really made me think. And I was surprised that as I was reading and enjoying the book, I was also picking up on things and asking questions about the text. I love it when texts encourage thought like that. After I put this book down, I thought to myself “I’d really like to write a paper about the parallel between the way education at Hailsham is portrayed and the way that Kathy’s narration educates the reader”. Which I feel is really saying something, because who thinks to themselves “Hey, I WANT to write a paper!”?! The answer is no one. So I say congrats Ishiguro, for inspiring that desire in me.

I know it’s about clones, but I still think everyone should read it. It’s an incredibly sensitive, artistic and beautiful text that really isn’t so much about cloning at all. And if you’re into books about clones, then stop complaining!