MUSIC MONDAY

I would never call myself a die hard Radiohead fan.  I'm definitely a fan, but I wouldn't pay more than $50 to see them live.  My dad actually got me into them back when I was in 7th or 8th grade, and music was gaining more and more importance in my life.  I was looking through his CDs and I had heard of Radiohead before but had never listened to them, so I asked him if I could borrow Hail to the Thief.  He said sure I could, but he didn't think I would like it because it was "pretty experimental."  At this time I think my favorite bands were probably Good Charlotte, New Found Glory and Saves the Day.  So I said "whatever, Dad.  I can handle it," and sure enough I really liked it and bought the rest of their albums.  

"House of Cards" is probably my favorite Radiohead song.  It usually takes a few listens before I fall for a song, but not this one.  I was immediately weak in the knees at that first chord.  Such a beautiful, pure song.

I'll be back later today with details and pictures from my weekend.  Cheers!

Little Bitty Update

Hi there, friends.  Hope everyone had/is having a super Thursday.  Mine started off pretty icky, but I have since recovered thanks to Jason and Maeby's hugs, blue cheese salmon burgers, sweet potato tots and The Innkeepers.  I wasn't sure how I felt about the horror flick at first, but the more I think about it, the more I like it and realize how clever the story really is.  It's written and directed by Ti West who also wrote/directed one of my favorite films, The House of the Devil.  I enjoy his retro style, and the videography is mighty admirable as well.

After six days of work in a row, I am a free lady for the next four days!  Needless to say, I am thrilled, and I'm even more excited because this weekend I get to have a mini-college reunion with my favorite ladies at my dear friend Ashley's wedding on Saturday!  I am so happy for she and her future hubby, Cameron.  They are the absolute sweetest, cutest couple, and the perfect match for one another, hands-down.  It's going to be a fun-filled weekend for sure.

Some other things I'm happy about include Bass Drum of Death's current U.S. tour that will be bringing them to Austin soon!  They are currently working on their second studio album and released a catchy new track this afternoon.  Listen here.

Also, my upcoming getaway to PORTLAND with my bff, Jessica!  It is 100% official now because I finally purchased my plane ticket.  There's no going back now!  Look out, PDX, we're headed your way.  The Northwest is about to get a little bit sassier.

Lastly, Jason popped the news that he really wants to attend the Sasquatch music festival next year, which I am most definitely not opposed to.  So far we've been to Austin City Limits, VooDoo Experience and Coachella.  Why not add Sasquatch to our list?  Of course, this is assuming we live past 2012.

Well, kiddies, bed is calling my name.  I am in great need of some serious rest.  Enjoy the end to your day, however you may choose to do so.

xoxo

Playlist Post: June 2012

Hello, dear friends.  'Tis the season for another playlist!  I have realized that my "music mood" is ever-changing, which is fine I suppose; it's just a bit humorous - at least to me.  It's also very frustrating sometimes when I'm in the car or relaxing at home, and I can't think of anything I want to listen to.  I usually just end up shuffling my starred playlist on Spotify, which leads to me skipping countless songs before I finally find one that feels right for the moment.  For instance, I'm not really feeling rap and hip-hop lately.  Although, I do think there are maybe two rap(ish) songs on this June playlist.  I'm thinking my summer will be filled with a lot of dream pop, art rock, noise pop, surf rock/pop and my new favorite genre, shoegaze.  Ahhh, this playlist just makes me wanna let loose, breathe deeply, wear my hair au natural (gettin' crazy up in here) and put on some bright fuchsia lipstick.  I hope it has the same, or a similar, effect on you!  Enjoy.

By the way, I opted to exclude the playlist.com embed due to the lack of songs and/or artists from my playlist.  Sorry, guys.  Luckily you can find all of these tracks via Spotify, if you use it.

1.  "Five Seconds" - Twin Shadow
2.  "You Girl" - Sissy & the Blisters
3.  "Let's Build a Home" - The White Stripes
4.  "Moon In My Mind" - Frankie Rose
5.  "Let's Make Love and Listen to Death From Above" - CSS
6.  "Oblivion" - Grimes
7.  "Default" - Django Django
8.  "On To The Next One" - JAY-Z
9.  "Back Of Your Neck" - Howler
10.  "Boy In Lust" - Bleeding Knees Club
11.  "Goin' To The Party" - Alabama Shakes
12.  "Sixteen Saltines" - Jack White
13.  "You Wish You Were Red" - Trailer Trash Tracys
14.  "Bone Broke" - The White Stripes
15.  "Pin" - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
16.  "Black History Month" - Death From Above
17.  "Unless You Speak From Your Heart" - Porcelain Raft
18.  "Freeheart Lover" - Ghostland Observatory
19.  "Good To Go" - Yelawolf & Bun B
20.  "MindKilla" - Gang Gang Dance
21.  "Dancing On My Own" - Robyn
22.  "You Can Have It All" - Yo La Tengo
23.  "Troublemaker" - Beach House
24.  "Starpower" - Sonic Youth
25.  "Leader of the Pack" - Sleigh Bells
26.  "Tchiki Tchiki Tchiki" - Make The Girl Dance

Get Pumped: May/Workout Playlist Post

Once again, I'm inspired by Danielle of Sometimes Sweet and her workout playlist post.  I've decided to share some of my own favorite tracks from my workout playlist.  These songs absolutely never ever fail to get me goin' and feelin' like a hot, relentless piece of woman!  Just try them out for yourself next time you plan on hitting the gym/trail/sidewalk for some body and mind blowing cardio.  Do it.

Pursuit of Happiness (Steve Aoki Remix) - Kid Cudi, MGMT, Ratatat
Like A G6 - Far East Movement
God Killed the Queen - Louis XIV
Jump Around - House of Pain
Money On My Mind - Lil Wayne
High School Roaches - Bass Drum of Death
Scream - Misfits
Save Your Soul - She Wants Revenge
I Just Wanna F - David Guetta, Timbaland, Fergie
Big Pimpin' - Jay Z
The Inch - Peaches
Sleazy - Ke$ha
Treats - Sleigh Bells
I Know What I Am - Band of Skulls
Alive - Kid Cudi & Ratatat
It Ain't Love - MSTRKRFT
I Don't Wanna Fall In Love - She Wants Revenge
Need You Tonight - INXS
I Started A Fire - Jaguar Love
Helena Beat - Foster the People
Smile - Slim Thug
Engine No.9 - Deftones
E.T. (Benny Benassi Radio Edit) - Katy Perry
Man Down - Rihanna
I Wanna Be Your Dog - The Stooges
Colossal - Wolfmother
Crazy On You - Heart
Girls Girls Girls - Motley Crue
Paradise City - Guns N' Roses

MUSIC MONDAY

Greetings on this bright Monday afternoon!  Today for Music Monday I thought I would throw not one, not two, not even three, but FOUR songs at you.  I'm pretty sure you can handle it.  I believe in you.  So, lately I've been giving Sleigh Bells' newest album, Reign of Terror, quite the listen.  My favorite track off the album so far is "Leader of the Pack."  If you've never experienced Sleigh Bells for yourself, your ears are in for a pop-infused, noisy treat.  We saw them live at Coachella back in 2010, and to say they are entertaining would be an understatement.  They're an absolute ball.

I'm pretty sure everyone has heard of Sonic Youth one way or another.  They've been around a while now, or shall I say, were around for a while - the group allegedly parted ways last year when band leaders and lovers, Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore announced their relationship was ending.  According to the ever-reliable Wikipedia, the group is on an "indefinite hiatus."  Anywho, "Sunday" is one of my top five favorites from Sonic Youth.  If your a Macaulay Culkin fan, you'll like the music video for this song.

Ah, Warpaint.  Such a phenomenon.  I used to despise bands with a strong female lead and/or singer, but I have since changed my opinion due to the influence of a number of leading ladies - Karen O, Kim Gordon, Bethany Cosentino, Jenny Lewis, Alison Mosshart and many more.  This band, however, blew me away because it's entirely made up of enthusiastically talented estrogen.  They are truly a revolution in my mind.  The song "Baby" is gorgeous and completely breaks my heart every time I listen to it.  

Lastly, Lou Reed.  What can I possibly say about this rock god that would do him justice?  Probably nothing, so I'll keep it short.  Listen to "Satellite of Love", watch Adventureland and shoot some heroin.  (totally kidding about that last one)

Here are some fun videos in relation to each of the above artists:

Flashback Friday & Some Tunes

Jason and I at a friend's wedding in the Texas hill country // Summer 2010

Ah, to be young again, haha!  In all seriousness, I still can't believe it's been nearly three years with my guy.  It has absolutely flown by; I guess that's a good thing though. :)

Well, excuse the super short post, but I have an insanely busy Friday night planned playing with my pets, sipping my lime-a-rita and reading The Hunger Games.  Now, here's a track to take your Friday evening to the next level, babies.  I adore these guys!  We saw them sometime last year at The Mohawk downtown, and they jammed some serious jams and blew my mind.  I would die to see them again, so much fun.

Jason's New Musical Project

Hello everyone!  Sorry for the delay in my Dallas post.  I've been pretty busy since I got back, and our internet was down until this morning so I haven't been able to share.  I wanted to take a little time to introduce you to Jason's latest musical endeavor, Affordable Caskets.  I'm not sure if I've mentioned before, but he's an amazing guitar player and has played in a number of bands throughout the years, mostly metal.  He listens to and enjoys all different kinds of music, but he's always said metal is the most fun for him to write, play and record.  I'm really proud of him for keeping up with his passion; even though he doesn't have time for a full-fledged band right now, he's still writing and recording music himself.  So I highly encourage you to check out his latest track, even if metal isn't really your thing.  Jason is super talented and just might surprise you!  

Currently...

So I've decided that I would really like to try promoting my blog and getting it out there as much as possible so I can share my crazy, wild thoughts with the entire world!  [insert evil, conniving laugh here]

In order to do this, I have got to stop playing around and come up with a real plan for this blog.  I've thought about just completely starting over, but I believe I have a few great posts on here so I'll just stick with what I have so far.  Therefore, within the next couple of months, I'll be experimenting with different varieties of posts.

Since I sort of wanted to make this a music blog originally, I'll definitely keep up the Music Mondays, and possibly post an entire playlist at the start of each month.  Because I'm such a movie/TV snob as well, I'd like to throw in a weekly post about whatever film or show I'm currently obsessing over.  Food is another area of interest for me so maybe I'll post a recipe once a week, chat about whatever craving I might be enduring or talk about little changes I'm making to try to eat healthier. I'll also be a copycat and make a Friday post for "weekend links."

I've decided every Sunday I will try to complete a "Currently" post, so here's the one for today:

My mom and I on Thanksgiving Day, 2011

Currently obsessing over:  Tattoos!  I just can't seem to get enough of them lately.  Ever since I started reading Danielle's blog, my passion for big, bright, beautiful ink has grown tremendously.  She's such an inspiration to me, being a successful high school English teacher turned stay-at-home-mom with a Master's degree.  She is proof that it's possible to have a love for tattoos (and be covered with them) and still be a respectable woman with class and prestige.  I love her reply to disapproving people that try the whole "just think how you'll look when you're old and wrinkly" argument.  She says that most everyone will be old and have wrinkles someday- at least hers will be pretty and colorful!  That's exactly how I feel.  Who cares?  You're old and probably way over your self-consciousness anyway.

Working on:  Sprucing up my blog and getting it out there so the world can see what a sweet soul I am!  (See more on this in the paragraphs above the picture.)

Thinking about:  My future.  It's so cliche, but it's so hard not to think about what's to come.  I'm 23 with a Bachelor's degree in an extremely competitive field that I'm not even super interested in anymore.  I have a pretty secure job in the hotel industry, and I'm starting to think it's not so bad after all.  I had a nice chat with my mom about it today, and she's encouraging me to stay in this field  because people will always need hotels so it's financially safe.  Although I do get stressed and overwhelmed easily at work, it can be glamorous and interesting at times.  I've seen mild celebs, gotten free tickets to events, met some really classy people and learned a lot about myself and how I react in certain situations.

Anticipating: The return of Mad Men on AMC.  It's been nearly two whole years since a new episode of Mad Men has aired on live television.  That's just ridiculous!  Something about people involved in the show unhappy about the amount of money they were making.  Even more ridiculous (in my opinion).  Jason and I started re-watching season four last night because we can barely remember what all happened leading up to this upcoming season.  If you haven't seen an episode of this super-glam show, I highly suggest you get on that ASAP.

Listening to: The Kills.  I used to listen to this duo back in high school, but I was never THAT into them.  I liked a few songs here and there, but I couldn't listen to a full album all the way through without skipping songs.  However, their 2011 LP, Baby Says, is pretty great if you ask me.  I've been listening to it tons lately.  I can't get enough of that dark, yet upbeat sound.




Eating: I've been on a cereal kick these days.  Most mornings I have to be out the door by 6:30 a.m. for work, and I used to never eat breakfast.  I know, I know, shame on me...breakfast is supposedly the most important meal of the day.  So as of late I've been packing a small bowl of Oatmeal Squares or Mini Wheats with blackberries.  It's so tasty, especially with almond milk (my new thing).

Wishing: I made just a little more money so I could finish decorating the apartment and get a new TV.


And that concludes my "currently" posting for the day.  I've been yacking and yacking and I didn't even mention the colossal amount of fun I had last night at Carli's bachelorette party!  I'll leave those stories for a later post.

Happy Sunday :)

xoxo

Houston, Murder, Sickness & Music

Happy Monday, all.  Jason and I had a fabulous weekend in Houston visiting my family.  We drove in Thursday afternoon and made a quick stop on the Northwest side of town to see my Nana, who is doing much better after her open heart surgery last summer.  Then, we ate some lunch at the fine Willie's Ice House before heading over to the east side to Mont Belvieu where my mom, sister and brother live.  We ordered pizza and chit-chatted to our heart's content until we crashed for the night.  Friday, they all had to go to work and school, so Jason and I drove over to Baytown and caught the noon showing of THE GREY with my celeb crush Liam Neeson.  It was awesome!  Neeson vs. wolves...doesn't get crazier than that, my friends.  That night, my mom made her delicious harvest chowder with corn bread and we sat around playing Scattegories and Clue.  On Saturday we all went down to Seabrook to hang out with Aunt Kelley, Uncle Steve, Aunt Kandace, Nana and my cousins.  We had a Kitchen-family traditional lunch of taco soup and cheese dip, superb as always.  During a heated game of Clue later that night, my mom asked my Aunt Kelley about a creepy "Murder Mansion" story she'd been told that supposedly took place in Seabrook, just a few miles from where my aunt and uncle live.  It turns out the story is true.  Apparently this millionaire sex offender named Bill List moved to Seabrook from Ohio in the '70s and had a huge 32,000 square foot mansion built right on the bay.  The mansion was super ugly and looked more like an office building than a home.

The Murder Mansion

In his free time, List would peruse the streets of Montrose and Westheimer in downtown Houston for young, homeless "street" boys.  He would bring them back to his mansion in Seabrook and give them food, shelter, drugs, or whatever else they might want, and in return, he expected sex.  Oh, and they were also his prisoners- they had no way of getting out.  There are rumors that he murdered some of the boys, but I don't think anything was ever proven.  However, List was said to have been abusive and into sexual pain.  One night, four the boys got together and formed a plan to kill List.  The next morning after List went to work, the boys did heroine and completely trashed the house, writing obscene things on the wall.  Smiley, one of the boys, wrote "Bill List is a sick man.  He is going to die" and signed it "Smiley, 1984."  When List got home, Smiley shot him in the head as he was heading up the stairs.  I think the boys were eventually caught because we found something online about Smiley getting out of jail on parole, and he evidently lives just ten miles away from where the mansion used to be.  The mansion was knocked down about four years ago and condos were built in its place.  Some of the residents that now live in those condos claim to have seen a creature and shadows roaming the property at night.  I was super-intrigued by the story especially because I've been going down to Seabrook ever since I was about eight years old, and I had no idea of its history.  Plus, I'm really into haunted houses and spooky stories like that.

When we left Aunt Kelley's that night we had to drive over to the condos where the Murder Mansion once stood just to see if we ran into Mr.List or happened to catch a glimpse of old Smiley.  Of course, we didn't see anything, but it was neat to see where all of that took place!  The next morning, Jason and I went over to my Dad's and hung out there for a few hours before heading back home to Austin sweet Austin.  We caught the very end of the Super Bowl, which was fine by me.  Congrats, Giants!

I woke up this morning with a sore throat, which is usually the first sign that I'm getting sick.  Thanks, world.  Sorry, body.  So, basically I've just been taking it easy today.  I took a bath earlier, gave myself a much-needed pedicure, made cream cheese and herb scrambled eggs and made a grocery list.  Now, I just need the energy to get off the couch, put some clothes on and get to the grocery store.  I might take a nap first... :)


I'm super excited to try a new dinner recipe tonight- Griddled Polenta Cakes with caramelized onions, goat cheese and honey topped with ground chorizo and served with a sweet potato.  Doesn't that just make your mouth water?

Since it's monday, I'll leave you with some music.  This is my favorite song by London indie-rockers, Yuck; it's called "Suck":

Love is like a cloud; it holds a lot of rain.

I've always loved this cover of Nazareth's "Love Hurts." Jenny Lewis can turn anything into gold, and it's even sweeter that she's in love with her co-singer, Jonathan Rice.