Music Mixes: June 2011

Amy Winehouse - Back To Black

The Band Perry - If I Die Young

The Beach Boys - Sloop John B

Britney Spears - Till The World Ends

Christina Perri - Bluebird

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros - Janglin

Emitt Rhodes - Lullabye

Enrique Iglesias - One Day At A Time

Fleetwood Mac - Songbird

Foo Fighters - Long Road To Ruin

Foxy Shazam - Unstoppable

The Fray - All At Once

Glee Cast - I Want To Hold Your Hand

Glee Cast - My Cup

Jessie J - Price Tag

Lady GaGa - Hair

Lady GaGa - Highway Unicorn (Road To Love)

Lykke Li - I Follow Rivers

Lykke Li - Love Out Of Lust

Missy Higgins - Where I Stood

My Chemical Romance - Bulletproof Heart

My Chemical Romance - The Only Hope For Me Is You

The Offspring - You're Gonna Go Far, Kid

Goals for Summer 2011

1. Fix my bike brakes.
2. Switch to Gmail.
3. Cook more.
4. Improve my Spanish.
5. Improve my Mandarin.
6. Acquire a backpack.
7. Visit Renegade Craft Fair.
8. Go swimming at least once.
9. Get vaguely more in shape.
10. Sew or jewelrify something.

Music Mixes: May 2011

Amy Winehouse - Back To Black

Cat Stevens - The Wind

Christina Perri - Bluebird

Cute Is What We Aim For - The Curse Of Curves

Don Omar feat. Lucenzo - Danza Kuduro

Enrique Iglesias feat. Akon - One Day At A Time

Enya - Wild Child

Glee Cast - Loser Like Me

Green Day - The Static Age

Ingrid Michaelson - All Love

Ingrid Michaelson - Turn To Stone

Jack Johnson - Bubble Toes

Jessie J - Price Tag

Jimmy Eat World - Coffee And Cigarettes

Lady GaGa - Paper Gangsta

Lifehouse - Halfway Gone

The Like - Release Me

Maroon 5 - Never Gonna Leave This Bed

My Chemical Romance - Bulletproof Heart

My Chemical Romance - The Only Hope For Me Is You

P!nk - F**kin' Perfect

Reik - Que Vida La Mía

System Of A Down - Chop Suey!

Weird Al Yankovic - Couch Potato

Why the Glee season finale pissed me off...

At Nationals:

Finn and Rachel: Let's get to work! Our performance is tomorrow, and we haven't written our songs, practiced them, or done the choreography! We're screwed!

Everyone else: Whatever dude! We got this in the bag, even though we have no idea what we're going to do tomorrow!

Finn and Rachel: *le sigh*

[Finn and Rachel kiss onstage]

Everyone else: ASDKFJADSL;AF IT IS ALL YOUR FAULT WE LOST NATIONALS!!!!

Finn and Rachel: -__-


Seriously, Ryan Murphy? Seriously?

Day 01 - Your Favorite Song

This is impossible for me to answer, because I'm fickle. I've really liked Bulletproof Heart by My Chemical Romance for quite some time now though.

I have rather low expectations for My Chemical Romance for some reason, but I'm always pleasantly surprised. Danger Days is actually a pretty solid album.

All These Things That I've Done by The Killers is a close runner up. It's more of a long-term favorite.

Soap Addiction -__-

Cue mom's voice in my head: "But you don't need soap! You can't even use most soaps!"
...But they're so preeetty. Observe these specimens from BubblesUpByBethieB:

Strawberry Chiffon


Just Peachy


Apple Crumble


Cherry Red


Vanilla Freeze

Mind. Blown.

http://jimhillmedia.com/editor_in_chief1/b/jim_hill/archive/2011/03/20/where-to-find-the-easter-eggs-in-disney-s-quot-tangled-quot.aspx

Stressin' like a Dessen (heroine)...

...that did kind of make sense.

Everyone older than me must think that I'm worrying about such trivial things. I know I will think that in a few years. I mean, how much of this will matter in ten years?

But I can't let it go because I don't have that kind of perspective yet. There are lessons that people have to learn by experience. I just have to make sure I enjoy life in between stressfests, because they'll happen no matter how trivial they may seem later.

Happiness is...

These past few months, I've been complaining way too much. What with all the summer job worrying, the lack of momentum, and the social awkwardness (nothing new here), I've hardly taken the time to appreciate everything around me. Here are a few things I've enjoyed today:

--Today was the best biking weather I've seen in a very long time. Sunny, with a light breeze. 75 degrees. It was so perfect I actually biked around for 20 minutes just enjoying the weather. Although this may be because I was hyped off sweet potato fries.

--I broke out my pink flower sandals for the first time this year. Happy happy fun fun :)

--The tumblrs I follow are amazing. It sounds cheesy to say that they're inspirational, but they really are.

I mean, there's still a lot of ungrateful angst in the background, but I'll just not focus on that now.

Music Mixes: April 2011

Adele - Rolling In The Deep
Adele - Don't You Remember
Adele - Someone Like You
The Avett Brothers - Kick Drum Heart
B.o.B. feat. Rivers Cuomo - Magic
Fleetwood Mac - Go Your Own Way
Glee Cast - One Of Us
Ingrid Michaelson - All Love
Ingrid Michaelson - Turn To Stone
Joshua Radin - Road To Ride On
Joshua Radin - Here We Go
Joshua Radin - You Got What I Need
Joshua Radin feat. Meiko - Sky
Katy Perry - E.T.
Lady GaGa - Boys Boys Boys
Lady GaGa - Paper Gangsta
Maroon 5 - Never Gonna Leave This Bed
Metric - Gimme Sympathy
My Chemical Romance - Bulletproof Heart
My Chemical Romance - Planetary (GO!)
My Chemical Romance - The Only Hope For Me Is You
Remi Nicole - Standing Tears Apart
Sara Bareilles - Sittin' On The Dock Of The Bay
Sleigh Bells - Infinity Guitars
The Walkmen - Canadian Girl

Books Books Books

I don't know why it never occurred to me, but there is a real live bookstore just two minutes away from my residence. My 10-to-18-year-old self would be insanely jealous of me right now. I don't know why I don't camp out there more often.

Rebecca Black - Friday

Friday is not nearly as fun on this side of the prolonged nap known as the "nightly sleep." That's the only reason I could come up with to explain why I am posting this song. (Plus, I may be starting to like it? Mere exposure effect gone horribly wrong!)

Angst

angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst angst

Ingrid Michaelson's 2009 Non-Album Singles

I love the harmonies in All Love.



When I push the sheets away from your face
And watch you sleep all day here
And when I push you away
And say you simply cannot stay here

And it's all love, all love
It's all love, my stupid love

When I say you take away
The most important parts of me with you
When I've had the greyest day
You add more grey, it's just your way
It's true

But it's all love, all love, ohh
It's all love, all love, ohh
It's all love, all love, ohh
It's all love, my stupid love

You can't be the one to kill the pain anymore
You let me in but then you slam my fingers in the door
I've had enough but I keep asking you to give me more

What I say
That is no way

It's all love, all love, ohh
It's all love, all love, ohh
It's all love, all love, ohh
It's all love, my stupid love


Turn To Stone - beautiful rolling piano background



Let's take a better look
Beyond a story book
And learn our souls are all we own
Before we turn to stone

Let's go to sleep with clearer heads
And hearts to big to fit our beds
And maybe we won't feel so alone
Before we turn to stone

And if you wait for someone else's hand
And you will surely fall down
And if you wait for someone else's hand
You'll fall
You'll fall

I know that I am nothing new
There's so much more than me and you
But brother how we must atone
Before we turn to stone

Brother how we must atone
Before we turn to stone
Before we turn to stone

--
I think I like Turn To Stone better because although its lyrics are shorter, it's a whole minute longer. (Not that I dislike lyrics. I just like the instrumentals/vocals balance.)

It's kind of annoying that Turn To Stone has been dubbed the Grey's Anatomy wedding song, but I guess if it wasn't, I would never have found it. I'm glad Ingrid has been getting so much TV exposure, even though her songs make me think of Meredith drowning or Izzie getting married (not that I follow Grey's Anatomy anymore).

The Duh Moment

I can't believe it took me four and a half years to liberate the back pockets on my patchwork shorts.
It's not like I didn't know they were there.
It's not like I didn't know they were sewn shut.
It just never occurred to me to snip through the stitches.
-__-

Climb On!

I reached the top of a climbing wall today!!
(Is it sad that it was the easiest one, I cheated on footholds, and it was like my 10th try?)(don't answer that.)(but yes, it is kind of sad.)
But still!

Billy Idol - Mony Mony

Kind of obsessed with this song, but this man is truly terrifying. Actually, the whole scene is terrifying.

There's a guy down the hall with a very similar top (I hesitate to call it a shirt).
...yeah.

Yore

I always get a little happy and sad when I visit my old robotics team. On one hand, it's great to see them doing so well. They've come so far from when I worked with them, when they were still new and unsure of their skills and how they fit in with the group. Now they're the leaders of the team, those little rookies from years ago. They've designed amazing mechanisms that are elegant as well as rock-solid (lookin' at you, SN and SS; and no breakdowns?!). They lead the following generation and have taught them how to machine and design, and that generation will teach its own rookies, like a never-ending staircase of teaching. (lol)

But it's kind of awkward when they used to ask me for help earlier this year, since I pursued a different field in college and haven't machined or designed anything in ages. I don't feel like I can provide any useful advice since they've designed and tested their creation for so long, and they know how it works backwards and forwards. They know its strengths and weaknesses so much better than me; how can I possibly tell them anything they didn't already know? They're fine all by themselves.

Congrats on a great year guys and gals :)

Sherlock

AHAHAAHAHA love him.




Thanks AA, AY, and DL for telling me about this.

Music Mixes: March 2011

Adele - Rolling In The Deep

Adele - Don't You Remember

Adele - Someone Like You

Anberlin - The Feel Good Drag

Arcade Fire - Crown Of Love

The Avett Brothers - Kick Drum Heart

Barenaked Ladies - It's All Been Done

Billy Joel - Vienna

Charice - Pyramid

Coldplay - Christmas Lights

Kate Voegele - Only Fooling Myself

Lenka - Force of Nature

Meiko - Boys With Girlfriends

Metric - Gimme Sympathy

Nelly - Just A Dream

The New Pornographers - Twin Cinema

Nicki Minaj - Super Bass

Noah and the Whale - L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N.

OK Go - This Too Shall Pass

Polly Scattergood - Other Too Endless

Polly Scattergood - Please Don't Touch

The Walkmen - Canadian Girl

Weezer - Trainwrecks

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Heads Will Roll

Spring Break Trip in New York City - The Nutshell Version

Basically, Manhattan is amazing. I really wish I had another week there, so I could explore the city more. And eat more. Heh. See below.

Day 1 (Tuesday, March 22)

I got to LaGuardia early that morning and took the M60 bus and the N train into Manhattan, emerging a block and a half from the hotel (win!). It went more or less without a hitch, which was surprising because I am very good at taking public transportation in the wrong direction. I wish all cities were as user-friendly as NYC.

I met up with JH and SB coming from JFK, and ate at Carve in the Theatre District:

Later, we frolicked in Central Park:

And then we went to the Met and saw amazing amazing paintings and sculptures.

And then we ate dinner at a Hale and Hearty Soups on the Upper East Side:

And then we took a 456 train to Grand Central...

...and walked to Times Square from there.

Shopping was involved, but goods were not purchased. The stores there are crazy; I don't remember seeing a single one that was only one story tall. The American Eagle in Times Square was three stories (!!).

Day 2 (Wednesday, March 23)

The next day we headed to SoHo for shopping.

We ate at Grotta Azzurra in Little Italy for lunch.

On the way back for more shopping, we were sidetracked by Pinkberry.

More shopping ensued. I won't bore you with the details, because 3/3 of my known blog readers are male and probably don't care.

Dinner followed, at an Australian place called Eight Mile Creek in Nolita:

We finished up at Topshop and Uniqlo, since neither of them are available locally. By this point my fUggs-enclosed feet were throbbing like none other, but for the sake of shopping I soldiered on through bravely. I mean, where else could you shop in a packed Sephora that still manages to have (almost) more salespeople than shoppers? Or a stand-alone Pink?

The weather was pretty crazy that evening. It had been raining on and off the whole day, but then it started hailing and thundering and snowing and I was super excited because I had never seen snow on the streets before, and it was falling from the sky, which was pretty magical.

Day 3 (Thursday, March 24)

On Thursday we took the M5 bus (scenic view!) to the southern tip of Manhattan, to take a ferry from Battery Park to the Statue of Liberty.

I couldn't decide whether or not this was the Brooklyn Bridge, but a map I obtained later stated that this is the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge.

Later, we went to Ground Zero, where the memorial was being constructed, and Wall Street.

I thought the Stock Exchange had a strange lack of activity, but then I realized it was 5:30 and the markets were closed. Boo.

We ate dinner that night with DL, who arrived the day before, at Arirang in Koreatown.

Then we all went to the Empire State Building for a very cold, very windy, very beautiful night view of the city.

Day 4 (Friday, March 25)

Friday morning I went to the Top of the Rock, which provided me a great daytime view of the city. The lack of clouds was a serious plus.

At ground level, Rockefeller Center is pretty cool too.

Since J and S were still asleep, I had some time to do more shopping in the area. The Rockefeller Center J. Crew did not yield any spectacular sale items, but I snagged a great lounge dress from the Anthropologie for $10. The 5th Ave Banana Republic was having a 25% off sale, and I got a nice cream cable-knit sweater there. This is probably my favorite Banana Republic store, because it is huge and two stories. The petities section takes up a third of the top floor, and the sale section was just as big. The only annoying thing was that there were no fitting rooms on the second floor, where the sale section was. But other than that, it was pretty heavenly.

I ate lunch with DL and her friends at Udon West in East Village.

We walked around East Village for a while and browsed in some vintage stores.

Then...Max Brenner. The Chocolate Store.

D and I shared half a chocolate chunks pizza with marshmallows and hazelnut bits, and a strawberry white chocolate smoothie. Amazing.....

For dinner D and I met up with YY and other friends of theirs at Lantern Thai Kitchen, in Gramercy.

The pad thai was great, but it was my third meal in four hours: udon at 3, chocolate at 5, thai at 7. (More food is always good food?)

We walked through Times Square and shopped here and there, but mostly marvelled at the blinginess of everything.We also went inside Forever 21, just because it was huge and four stories tall.

Day 5 (Saturday, March 26)

The last day was a short one :'(. We ate lunch at Room Service, in Hell's Kitchen:There was a very brief and somewhat harried stroll through the Upper East Side, because I was paranoid that I would miss my plane.
We made it to Port Authority Bus Terminal two minutes before the shuttle left for JFK. So there, paranoia does pay off. (Or we should have just not gone to the UES that late. That would have been better.)

All in all, this trip was a lot of great food, a lot of great shopping, and a lot of great sightseeing. I cannot wait to return to New York, also because the numbered streets appeal to my OCD :)

Cesar Franck on Mad Men

Spotted (aurally): Cesar Franck's Sonata for Violin and Piano in A, Mvt. IV in Mad Men Season 2 Episode 1 ("For Those Who Think Young"), at 20:15

Also, elevator operators have the dumbest job in the world. Who needs someone to press the elevator button for you? It's not even particularly high.

Movie GIFs

“Looks like me an Vincent caught you boys at breakfast. Sorry about that. Whatcha havin’?”
Pulp Fiction (1994)

More movie GIFs here. Good stuff.

An Ode To Seaweed Salad

Being a notoriously picky eater, I normally dislike anything slimy, grimy, or has a strange odor when cold.

By all conventional wisdom, I should avoid seaweed salad like the plague.

But it is so absolutely delicious.

I can't explain it.

Music Mixes: February 2011

Anberlin - The Feel Good Drag
Arcade Fire - Crown Of Love
Billy Joel - Vienna
Billy Joel - Only The Good Die Young
Billy Joel - She's Always A Woman
Bob Marley & The Wailers - Three Little Birds
Carrie Underwood - Some Hearts
Carrie Underwood - I Ain't In Checotah Anymore
A Fine Frenzy - You Picked Me
First Aid Kit - Hard Believer
First Aid Kit - Ghost Town
Florence & The Machine - Dog Days Are Over
Grace Potter & The Nocturnals - Paris (Ooh La La)
Jack Johnson - At Or With Me
Meiko - Boys With Girlfriends
Michael Bublé - Sway
Mike Posner - Cooler Than Me
Neon Trees - Animal
Neon Trees - 1983
Owl City - On The Wing
Pat Benatar - We Belong
The Rolling Stones - Paint It, Black
Sara Bareilles - Morningside
Sara Bareilles - Between The Lines
Sixpence None The Richer - There She Goes
Taylor Swift - Fearless
The Walkmen - Canadian Girl
Weezer - Trainwrecks
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Heads Will Roll

Sara Bareilles - Come Round Soon

From 3:01 - amazing much?

(Well. The whole thing is amazing.)

Christina Perri - Jar Of Hearts

Love her voice.

Midterms

The best part about midterms is the night before, when you suddenly realize that the eclectic facts you've been learning for the past several weeks come together and actually make sense as a cohesive unit.

Happy Valentine's Day From Wolfram|Alpha

http://blog.wolframalpha.com/2011/02/14/a-computational-love-engine/
awww.

LOL Yahoo

"Justin Bieber currently stands at 5’ 3” tall. You would need 240,252 Justin Biebers stacked on top of each other to reach the moon. But it only takes one to reach the stars."
--Yahoo! Movies

Over-blabber

When I talk, baby kittens die. Best not talk at all.

Also: newest blog obsession is The Blonde Salad. Amazing style.

Music Mixes: January 2011

Basshunter - Angel In The Night
Bruno Mars - Marry You
Bruno Mars - Count On Me
Chris August - You And I
David Archuleta - Something 'Bout Love
A Fine Frenzy - Happier
A Fine Frenzy - The Minnow & The Trout
A Fine Frenzy - Rangers
A Fine Frenzy - Ashes And Wine
A Fine Frenzy - Lifesize
Ingrid Michaelson - Once Was Love
Ingrid Michaelson - Parachute (acoustic)
Jack Johnson - Good People
Jack Johnson - Sitting, Waiting, Wishing
Jónsi - Animal Arithmetic
Joshua Radin - The Rock And The Tide
The King's Singers - Always A Woman
La Bien Querida - De Momento Abril
Maroon 5 - Misery
Maroon 5 - Just A Feeling
My Chemical Romance - Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)
My Chemical Romance - Sing
Neon Trees - Animal
Neon Trees - 1983
Owl City - On The Wing
Plain White T's - Boomerang
Plain White T's - Rhythm Of Love
Sara Bareilles - Morningside
Tal Bachman - She's So High
The Temptations - My Girl
Weezer - Ruling Me
Weezer - Trainwrecks