IF YOUR LIFE WAS A MOVIE, WHAT WOULD THE SOUNDTRACK BE?

So, here's how it works:
1. Open your library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, etc.).
2. Put it on shuffle.
3. Press play.
4. For every question, type the song that's playing.
5. When you go to a new question, press the next button.
6. Don't lie and try to pretend your cool...because you're not.

Opening Credits:
Two Step: Dave Matthews Band

Waking Up:
Smile Like You Mean It: The Killers

First Day At School:
Silver Lining: David Gray

Falling In Love:
Steady As She Goes: The Racontuers

Fight Song:
Hands Down: Dashboard Confessionals

Breaking Up
Cold Water: Damien Rice

Prom:
Hey Jealousy: Gin Blossoms

Life:
Radio Free Europe: R.E.M.

Mental Breakdown:
Underwater: Death Cab For A Cutie

Driving:
Chain of Fools: Aretha Franklin

Flashback:
Total Eclipse from the Heart: Bonnie Tyler

Wedding:
Swallowed by the Sea: Coldplay

Birth Of Child:
Promises: Eric Clapton

Final Battle:
Tears of a Clown: English Beat

Death Scene:
Get In or Get Out: Hot Hot Hot

Funeral Song:
Dispatch the Troops: Matisyahu

End Credits:
All I Want: The Lighting Seeds

Hipster Olympics -To Cool For Skool!

Where is the U.S. located on a map?

I believe our children are our future...But this is just plain wrong! Sorry Ms. Teen USA from South Carolina, not sure even the bathing suit competition can help you recover from that blunder. Ouch!

Summer Sisters Birthday Extravaganza

15 years ago I made a new friend at Temple’s Wednesday night school. Who knew that 15 years later, countless movies, dinners, trips and more that we would still be such good friends…As well as Summer Sister (heck our birthdays are 2 DAYS APART).

So this past weekend, Sarah and I celebrated a joint brunch given to us by our parents. I think this was in an effort to get Sarah over her stage fright of entering a new decade. And for me a chance to start practicing saying a very large number, even when I’m not completely acting my age. Either way it truly was a milestone to enter a new phase of our lives.

I will fondly recall it as the Summer Sisters Birthday Extravaganza from now on.

We had some good friends join us for some bagels, french toast casserole, fruit and my personal favorite – Strawberry Cake from Miss Muff’n, What a great day and what an incredible group of friends and family that surround us. I’m extremely blessed to have such kind, warm-hearted people in my life.

Here are a few photos of the folks gathered:

Sarah & Rachel
Steve, Jan & Lauren
Cooper & Jordan
Beth & Sam

Welcome to the Dirty Thirty Club!

It finally happened. I woke up yesterday and was officially welcomed into the Dirty Thirty Club. It was bound to happen sooner or later (but I was still hoping for much later).

Anyway, more on the subject of staring a new decade in another post. And I'll recap my birthday celebrations from the weekend. But how funny is that the random number selected after ordering Dinner was - 30!


Guess it was just my destiny. Let's brace for impact as I begin life as a thirtysomething...

Box Full of Letters

Wicked Game

Last night my friends and I were treated to the sultry melodies of Chris Isaak. What can I say about him – he’s dead sexy and his voice oozes with words of desire… Not a bad combination to have at all.

We braved the 100+ Memphis temperatures to picnic at the Live at the Garden event. I believe we were all a bit surprised that last night brought a slight reprieve from the summertime swelter that left us with a pleasant and sans buggy night. Or maybe it was they layer upon layers of bug spray that were applied.

Either way my friends and I filled our stomachs with a fabulous array of picnic items of meats, cheeses, salads, cookies and some adult libations. Our eyes were filled with the sights and sounds of Chris Isaak and the happenings of the picnics that surrounded our little site. And our ears were greeted with such tunes as:

Wicked Game
Two Hearts
Somebody’s Crying
Blue Hotel
Only The Lonely
Baby Did A Bad Bad Thing
San Francisco Days
And more….

It was a sensory overload on all fronts that left my mind and spirit at ease. As the evening cooled into a late night bliss under the stars, I couldn’t have been more pleased the musical and comedic offerings of Mr. Isaak. And I think my friends would agree too:

Say Something

Sweltering Summer Heat

This weekend was eroded by the sweltering summer heat that seems to roll around every August in Memphis. I was just lucky to be able to offset some of hot temperatures by chilling out with some old school pals. I attended a party in Midtown on Friday. This outside gathering (honestly it was a bit steamy) in a well manicured backyard garden provided some good eats, drinks and people to chat with. Unfortunately, I was a tad bit layered in my clothing selection so I quickly started to burn up and look like a tomato (see below).

Other then the party, I really just enjoyed spending quality time with some other fun folks over the weekend. Sushi at Pacific Rim was superb and who can beat a pre-movie trip shopping at Target. Plus there is no better way to beat the summer heat then going to see a movie (seriously – the ticket price alone for the air conditioning is worth the price of admission).

And finally what could be better then chilling at home Sunday with a few surprise guest visits throughout the day. Being greeted by a series of friendly smiles is a sure way stay calm and refreshed to start a new week.

The only other thing that might be better cooler this week while I'm at the office may be my mid-morning ipod shuffle to start the week. Here is the soundtrack to how I've started my morining post meetings:

1. The Authority Song – Jimmy Eat World
2. If It Makes You Happy – Sheryl Crow
3. Without You – Dixie Chicks
4. City of Blinding Lights – U2
5. You Just Haven’t Earned It Yet, Baby – The Smiths
6. I Don’t Want To Think About It – Wild Strawberries
7. Nos Da Caraid – David Gray
8. Try Again - Keane
9. Leave This City – The Sundays
10. Different Names For The Same Things – Death Cab For Cutie

Sick of Myself

Catch Me Up

Best of Times, Worst of Times

I’m not going to sugar coat it. Things have been a bit topsy-turvy for me as of late. My emotions have been quite raw. And the smallest things set off chain reactions that seems to send shockwaves to the far reaches of my soul. I could begin to list all these things out for you, but it won’t. It might scare you away. I will just state simply that July really has embodied the best of times and the worst of times.

And now is a time to heal and begin fresh. What I will choose to highlight are some special moments that have passed briefly before me. Things that are now burned into my memory like:


*Long, late night drives to clear my head with no particular destination in mind.
*Support of the greatest group of friends a girl could ask for (who seem to love me unconditionally)
*Unexpected gestures or visits (see pics of flowers from a friend or a visit from Kacey)
*Memories of what once happened and dreams of what are to come
*Long conversations that probe the parties involved of thoughts beyond the surface
*Learning the depths of my new co-workers and appreciating them for the unique perspective/easygoing smiles

These are some of the things that have warmed my heart and ripped my soul wide open all at the same time. I promise though my next post will move back more into a more light-hearted format of what amuses me. And we will continue to explore the special people, places and things that fuel my world.

Lips Like Sugar

Trivia Tuesday

Last night I helped guest host a wicked awesome music round at trivia with my pals Beth & Sam at the P&H.

It MAY only be infamous to us local Memphians, but the P&H is a place I've known well since my high school days. My connection to the P&H started through my co-workers Lori & Todd of the Fine Grind (you may recall it as the coffee shop in the mall that existed before there were 5 Starbucks on Poplar Ave or before it was hip to be called Barista – Anyway I digress). I remember that they would sit and discuss the happenings of Ms. Wanda and the rest of the P&H crowd. They were not just patrons, but fixtures to this establishment like Ms. Wanda and her hat collection. And I'm not ashamed to admit it, but for a while Lori & Todd opened my eyes to the entire cool, hip happenings that reached beyond my East Memphis abode.

I became reacquainted with the P&H when I returned to Memphis. I started playing trivia regularly on Tuesday night with folks from Thompson & Co. As we drank away our brain cells throughout the night, we always seemed to rack up a few points. We even took away a cash prize now and then that covered most of our drinks and food. How can you pass up beers, burgers and brain busters?

Last night however I got to pretend to be an actual host…My round I thought was genius! A round of cover songs. All you needed to do was answer the name of the song, the original artist and the cover artist. Of course there were some naysayers, but overall I thought it was a solid round. I even got a request on the spot to burn them a copy of the killer cover mix. So for you pleasure, here was my trivia round:

Tears of a Clown – Original by: Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Covered by: The English Beat
Love Song – Original: The Cure, Covered by:311
More Than This – Original: Roxy Music, Covered by:10,000 Maniacs
Where Is My Mind – Original: The Pixies, Covered by:Placebo
Wonderwall – Original: Oasis, Covered by:Ryan Adams
Panic – Original: The Smiths, Covered by:Pete Yorn
Hazy Shade Of Winter – Original: Simon & Garfunkel, Covered by:The Bangles
Against All Odds – Original: Phil Collins, Covered by:Postal Service
Breaking Us In Two – Original: Joe Jackson, Covered by:Mandy Moore
Baker Street – Original: Gerry Rafferty, Covered by:Foo Fighters
Solitary Man – Original: Neil Diamond, Covered by:Chris Isaak
Wild Horses – Original: Rolling Stones, Covered by:The Sundays

And we'll all float on…

If there was an application to be a professional pool floater, I would so be all over filling out an application for that gig! Yesterday, I found myself enjoying something I don’t get to do that often anymore – relaxing in the pool & poolside. And as an added bonus, I was not escorting any children. This meant I was able to utilize my free swim for indulging in sheer pleasure of floating on a raft in piece. No need for spending the afternoon as the human jungle gym or supervising monkey like behavior in any way, shape or form.

It was just me, a few friends, a vacation friend’s pool, some awesome music (courtesy of some of my killer mix cds) and a vast assortment of tropical smoothie smoothies. All we had to do was show up and soak up some sun*.

What a lackadaisical way to celebrate the passing of another 4th of July. My only wish was that the dream like state of yesterday could have lasted for the a few more days. It was a hard reality check heading back into the office this morning.

*My only regret was not applying enough sun screen, I got a tad bit scorched by the warm rays

Adventures of the Wandering Moose

It's been far too long since I updated my blog, but honestly I finally settling back into some sense of a routine. I know this last statement may sound like an excuse, but I truth be told I've really immersed myself into learning the ropes in my new environment. I've been on the job for about a month now and things are going well thus far. And within the first two weeks I ventured up to NYC & CT for a family wedding. This will be the main subject for today's blogcast.

I made it to NYC late on Friday night and got back to Memphis on the early morning red-eye Tuesday am. Upon arrival I headed straight to the office and haven't looked back. Needless to say you don't really need to know every last detail of my trip, it's hardly worth telling...But here are some of the highlights from the trip:

*Cool breezes & late night chats/people watching from my uncle's deck on the upper west side.
*Long, wandering roads in western CT with limited access to the rest of the world.
*Adult libations to help ease the tension at the large family gatherings.
*Country weddings kept short, dogs actively participating as ring the bearer and dancing on shoeless in the grass.
*Eating lunch with friend in a quintessential New England town beside a covered bridge and gazing at the river (See Adventures of the Wandering Moose).
*Spending a lazy afternoon in the Sheep Meadow of Central Park chatting up yet another friend.
*Dinner & Dessert in the upper west side (See Crumbs).
*Shopping at an actual Kiehl's store.
*Random encounters & people watching on the Subway with my Ipod soundtrack.
*The Natural History Museum dioramas
*Happy Hour at Carmine's with an old college buddy.

Good times, I tell ya, Good times! Here are some pics of my Adventures at the Wandering Moose Cafe, the views of the covered bridge across the street & Cupcakes with Jess:






Sorry to disappointment all who may have tuned in who thought I might blog about today's release of the new Apple Iphone. Don't worry there might be some editorial from me about it after I talk to my sister's boyfriend who camped out for his new phone/music player/portable browser today.

Another Nail In My Heart

Ok, so today didn't go exactly as I planned. It started off quite nice. Met a friend for some coffee before work. (Always a nice to be with a friendly face before the rough and tumble of a working day.)

Then I accomplished a lot of little tasks in the morning, before heading off to run errands for Operation Feed (a work fundraiser for the Memphis Area Food Bank) at lunch. Unfortunately when I got to my first destination, I ran into my mom who asked "When were you in an accident?"

To my surprise I said, "What Accident?"

So per her direction I pulled into Saddle Creek and surveyed my damages. To my horror my car had indeed been dinged. In fact whoever hit me had sideswiped my car in the same place where my neighbor had hit my a few months before. Twice in one year my car gets nailed while being patiently parked & empty. Inconceivable!!!

At least I was able to easily resolve the situation the first time with my neighbor to get the car repaired. This time I didn't even get the common courtesy of a note. I'm honestly saddened and a bit irritated that someone thinks it's ok to hit a car (especially mine) and run off.

But then again, I'm not surprised. I just wish people wouldn't run away from responsibility or accountability in situations like what happened to me today. Then again, I may be asking too much of people in society. It certainly won’t change who I am and the things I do for others because of the incident. Yet right now I can say with this fresh wound I’m fully disappointed in my fellow man.

I wouldn't spend my life just wishing

As of late I’ve been a musical rut. It probably has something to do with the fact I went to see Walrus* this past weekend. Or maybe it’s a symptom of starting a new job. But the truth is I find comfort in music. I’ll admit that I’m a bit addicted to Sirius Satellite 22 (Classic Alt-Rock) when I’m at home, but boy do I wish I had it in my car. And practically every playlist on my ipod is filled with some Alt-Rock offering.

To make a long story short I’ve been wired with the gift of listening to some good tunes. I just sure wish that I were talented enough to produce some musical genius myself. But I shouldn't spend my life just wishing and leave it to the professionals (or at least my good friends who are musicians)…

*A fun Memphis 80s/Early 90s Alt-Rock Band

So Alive

Unemployed but not for long...

So I began my stint of being unemployed on Friday, May 18, 2007. And I'm not going to lie it's been quite enjoyable. It's funny how a little time off can do you a bit of good. I've been able to catch up on many weeks of missed sleep.

I also ventured out of state to Chicago to visit my sister. Let me say it was quite the adventure. Sarah (who is also unemployed) and I made a quick little jaunt up to Windy City. It was packed with many memories to fill a lifetime. And good thing Sarah was such a sport for a riding the Ferris Wheel (once) at Navy Pier and braving a car ride with my sister and I all over the city. The trip was packed with all the shopping, sights, laughs and many a wonderful filling meals that you could pack into 72-hours.
Since my return from Chi-town, I've been able to start the massive CLEAN-UP effort on my house and spend time with friends. And everything was going on track for a great time off, until I waylaid myself with a back strain. Please note that futon mattresses look heavier then they appear.

So since the great mattresses move of Memorial Day weekend 2007, I've been laid up on the couch watching bad TV and movies. I even consulted Dr. Lisa who confirmed that my self-diagnosis treatment of rest, icy/hot and Advil would lead me down the path of recovery. And this rehabilitation sequence needs to make a miraculous resurgence since my unemployment is coming to a rapid end this Friday, June 1st.