Kanye West is a Douche

That being said, I have to admit that he makes decent music every now and then. For example, All of the Lights, featuring Rihanna (whom I love, if you couldn't tell).
Well, with the generous help of others, obviously.

Musical Meanderings

So, I love Rihanna. Seriously, I think she is beautiful and talented, which is a combination that doesn't seem to exist so much any more in the pop world. I just recently purchased her new album, and while it's too soon to say that I love it, I do like it a lot, particularly Love the Way You Lie, Part 2, which features Eminem (aka the Brett Farve of the music industry). She's always made pretty decent choices when it comes to pairings. For example, one of my VERY favorite pairings ever: OMG THESE TWO MUSICIANS ARE HOT!! Seriously, I'm pretty sure my temperature raises every time I watch it.

But what I want to know is this: what constitutes a "featured" artist? I mean, take this video for example:It's labeled "Rehab featuring Justin Timberlake," yet the man only sings like two lines in the whole thing. I suspect that he's just there for her to rub up against in the video. Not that I'm complaining, JT is a VERY sexy man, I just wonder if his involvement really constitutes being "featured" in the song. Hmm...

One of my Hometowns

Sad as it is, I can't deny the fact that I come straight out of the "happiest" place on Earth: Provo, UT. Yes, it's true. I spent the first 12 years of my life in Happy Valley, and I can't even begin to tell you how happy I am that I got out of it when I did (thanks, parentals!). Why am I so happy? Well, this video about sums it up:

It would not be so freaking hilarious if it wasn't so true. Even my peeps that live in Provo can't deny it (go on and try!). Provo girls are a special brand of crazy.

I'm A City Girl

But I can't really deny where I'm from. Let's be honest, Idaho is about as country as it gets. Particularly Southeast Idaho. I do love living in a bigger city, though, and the fact that I was not born in ID probably saves me the Wranglers, plaid and a baseball cap gene. Country music is not really my favorite either, though I do love me some hot country men like Timmy and Keith Urban and the guys from Rascall Flatts. I've recently developed an appreciation for the classic outlaws too. Who doesn't love Cash and Willy? Seriously. And if you ever want to tell me that country music is less offensive than rap music, you should listen to some of David Allen Coe's non-publicized songs and get back to me (er...that one is nsfw. This one is funny and only slightly inappropriate tho! ;->).

Anyway. One of the country musicians I've always appreciated is Cletus T. Judd. If you don't know, he's the Weird Al of country (and I bet he hates that comparison). When I was first exposed, I heard his silly songs like Did I Shave My Back for This?, which is mild compared to some of the things that I've heard from him recently. Cletus is still silly, but he's apparently taken up politics as well. And you know, I've gotta give it to him for not mincing words about it either. Exhibit A:




And you know what? He's right. Look, I voted for Obama, and despite everything I haven't lost complete faith in him. He really did inherit a HUGE mess. And he's been looking older and older because I'm sure the stress is more than any of the rest of us could handle. But we're going on two full years of his reign and things have not and are not changing. Well, they are changing, because change is always inevitable, but if anything the economic situation has worsened. Unemployment is at 9.6 percent? That's insane, particularly considering what he had to say about unemployment while he was campaigning for the stimulus package.

There is some good news, though. Retail sales are up, and one can never complain about that. It doesn't surprise me, though. I know I'm not having any problem spending the money I do have,. but I have also had to spend some of the money I don't have, which is bad, but it's better than being charged out the wazoo for late payments and overdrafts, right? Right. The GDP is up too, and there are 27,000 new jobs available in UT this month, which means that all of the new, prominent, flashy advertising I see from local businesses is not just a coincidence.

So at least my state's economy is recovering a bit, but that's probably mostly because it wasn't hit as hard as the rest of the country. I guess I have to count that as a bonus of living in this sheltered place. UT aside, the national economic situation is still out of control. Granted, it did take us a good eight years to get into this mess, so perhaps it's too much to expect any one man to get us out of it in two. But after this year President Obama will only have two left, and he'll have to spend those ones actually making things happen if he even has a shot at re-election. And honestly, if he doesn't stop trying to please everyone in congress (and all of their various corporate supporters) and start making good on everything he promised the voters in the first place, he deserves to be voted out.

And yet, eternal optimist that I am, I can't help but be hopeful. Here's to 2011 being kinder to my 401(k).

Some of My Favorite Things

Puppies and IKEA furniture. This is why I love OK Go. Well that, and these:



and


(not the real video, bc the douches on youtube have disabled embedding for all of the real ones, but Legos are almost as awesome, so it'll do!)

and last but certainly not least, the awesomeness that is this:



These guys are pretty much the epitome of awesome.

Love is Just Another Starving Youth

So, YouTube has started airing 30 second ads at the beginning of every third video or so, and I've been repeatedly assaulted with bits and pieces of some songs and artists of which I have never heard. Well, annoying as it is, I finally gave in and looked up one such artist, La Roux, and I have to admit: I am hooked. She's very unique in both look and sound. I totally dig the techno/pop sound. This video strikes a particular chord in my brain:



It's all false love and affection, you don't like me you just want the attention...

I love finding awesomeness like this. I mean...did you see her hair or listen to her voice? How could you not love her? If you dig her as much as I do, look up Bulletproof too. It's almost as awesome, with a much more 80s glam tech video.

There is No Charge for Awesomeness

Or Attractiveness.

So, I'm at work on a Friday. Why? I'm not really sure. Oh wait...I remember. It's because I need money. Yeah, that's it. That whole paying bills thing...

Anyway. I'm obviously being realy productive at work. I'll prove it to you!

I've always loved Bloodhound Gang. They are so funny. And irreverant. And it's hilarious! T was so kind as to provide me with this next video, which I had never seen before, and am a better person for having watched!
LOL! Inuendo and subtlety. Perfect!

I Don't Wanna Be Friends

Ask me how many times I've watched this video in the last four days. Go on, ask me.

I don't even know. Probably more than 50. I LOVE IT and her and the song. In fact, I love it so much that I'm actually going to create an iTunes account finally (I've had my iPhone for a year and a half now, and before that I had an iPod for who knows how long and I've never had an iTunes account...) just so that I can purchase the song. I'm not going to lie...it might become my ringtone too.

Don't judge me.

Or do. Whatever =D

I'm In Love

There aren't even words to describe how I am in love with this man:
I mean, seriously? Who else could do this acoustically:

No one! And the cherry on top:

Don't tell Dave, but I think I like this version better.

INCUBUS!!!

I'm not really sure why this year was the first time I actually made it to the Incubus concert. It probably has something to do with the facts that I am single and that Brotha and Shnook would have never let me live it down if I didn't go. I'm so glad that I went because INCUBUS IS FREAKING AMAZING! Seriously, there's no other way I can put it. I heart Brandon Boyd. And I heart these kids:This may be one of the very few pictures of me and Brotha. I guess we kind of look like we're related...and yes, he's 6'4".
Brother, Mike and Pete. We partied on the lawn at the Usana Amphitheater.
Shnook lucked out and got seats. Not just seats...she was in the 10th row from the stage. I hated her very much that night.So, Brotha and Pete have been friends since they were in the 8th grade. They are by far my favorite frat boys!
So, I did get some videos, naturally, but my camera is uber lame and won't focus properly while filming. Also, I might have been dancing and filming at the same time, so I'm really sorry if this gives you motion sickness. But take this as proof that they are better live than they are on the album. I'm definitely going again next time they are here! I'd like to dedicate this song to April and the Elder Brother. (By the way, it takes FOREVER to upload a video to blogger...)

HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT!

So, that's a bit excessive, but seriously. Hot.

p.s. I would embed, but youtube doesn't have the link for it and my HTML skills aren't what they used to be. You should enjoy the hotness at youtube nonetheless.

Move Along Like You Know You Should

I've been on an AAR kick recently. Ever since this video came out:
Love it. He's hot.

It's another slow day at work. It's been slow all week. As I predicted, though, I have had no opportunity to leave early without pay because my shift is during market hours. So, lame that I have to be here without anything to do, but good that I am getting paid. So anyway. The house hunt, inevitably, continues again today. The HOA for this condo in Holladay is changing the pet policy in the complex, so only existing residents will be allowed to keep pets. I only have two words: UBER LAME. Okay, three: Douchebags. Oh well, right? It wasn't meant to be, I guess, so there's no point in dwelling on it.

This minor upset has led to a widening of the net to include bigger fish. And in case the metaphor is not clear, by that I mean single family homes (I'm so clever). I've been moving toward this decision for a few days, actually, because the more I look at condos the more I want to have a house of my own. I was (still am) skeptical about the amount of responsibility that comes a long with owning a house and the land on which it sits, but I think that the benefits outweigh my skepticism by a lot. One of my biggest worries about living in a condo is disturbing my neighbors with all of the giant house parties I want to have (ha! Talk about wishful thinking!), and that's really not such an issue with a house. Well, it might be, but not as bad as it would be in a condo.

So Liz is going to show me some little houses in my preferred areas. The problems now become a)the houses in my range are super small and b)the houses in my range are OLD. A lot of them have had some updating, but that doesn't negate the fact that they are old. Don't get me wrong--I love old houses and old architecture (they just don't do neat stuff like that any more), but houses have to be maintained and not everyone realizes that. So, if I do buy a house, I'll be very careful to get one that is in GOOD condition.

There is another issue with houses in my price range: Location. I can't even begin to afford to buy a house in Millcreek or Holladay, and Sugarhouse is basically a bust. Even the homes in the University area are way out of my range. So that leaves me in the near-ghetto area between 13th and 39th South and State and 7th East. I haven't spent a ton of time in that area, so maybe it's nicer than I imagine. There is a golf course over there. I'm just a little (a lot) biased because I used to live on 4th E and 9th S, and my sister lived on 2nd E and 11th S, and neither of us escaped from the ghetto unscathed by the scariness.

I'm not crossing off condos altogether though. I'm not going to lie and say that I wouldn't be nice to have someone else doing the yard work and snow removal. Why can't it just be easy? Perhaps I'm just too picky...?

The Sound of White

Jules introduced me to yet another awesome artist named Missy Higgins. I have been listening to her basically non-stop for the last week. One song in particular, The Sound of White, made me cry on my way up to Idaho on Friday. Granted, it doesn't really take much to set me off at the moment, but it's not just your average song about loss. I may just be a total sucker for her accent.

The Sound of White, By Missy Higgins

Like a freeze-dried rose, you will never be
What you were, what you were to me in memory.
But if I listen to the dark
You'll embrace me like a star
Envelope me... envelope me.

If things get real for me down here
Promise to take me to before you went away
If only for a day.
If things get real for me down here
Promise to take me back to the tune we played
Before you went away.

And if I listen to the sound of white
Somtimes I hear your smile and breathe your light
Yeah, if I listen to the sound of white
You're my mystery, one mystery
My mystery, one mystery.

My silence solidifies to that hollow void
Raises you, erases you so that I can't feel at all
But if I never feel again at least that nothingness will end
That painful dream of you and me

If things get real for me down here
Promise to take me too before you went away
If only for a day.
If things get real for me down here
Promise to take me back to the tune we played
Before you went away.

And If I listen to the sound of white
Somtimes I hear your smile and breathe your light
Yeah, if I listen to the sound of white
Sometimes I hear your smile and breathe your light
And If I listen to the sound of white

I knelt before some stranger's face
Well I never had the courage or belief to trust this place
But I've dropped my head 'cause it felt like lead
And I'm sure I felt your fingers through my hair.

And if I listen to the sound of white
Sometimes I hear your smile and breathe your light
Yeah if I listen to the sound of white
The sound of white
The sound of white

The sound of white.

New Music

So, I've been on somewhat of a new music kick recently. This is probably due to the fact that I listen to my iPod during about 75% of the time that I spend at work. I love Incubus, I do, but there is really only so many times that I can listen to Anna Molly before I start thinking that I would rather listen to the conversation going on behind me (which is where I hear some of the dumbest opinions and ideas come out of the mind and mouth of a coworker...). So I've been searching for new stuff, and I've been rather successful thanks largely in part to Jules and her oh so excellent ear for eclectic beauty in song form. So, as I am a champion sharer (as Eryn likes to say), I will provide you all with my favorite up and comers. You can thank me later.

1. Amy Winehouse

I know that she's been around for a while, and that I'm probably a late comer to the Amy bandwagon, but I love her all the same. Her voice is very raw, which I love, and she puts a depth of emotion into her music that I rarely hear nowadays. Sure, her personal life is effed up beyond belief, but I tend to think that she's the kind of person who needs the drama in order to be a great artist (ahem, Marilyn Monroe?). Everyone says that her latest album, Back to Black, is the best, but I'm a really huge fan of her first album, Frank. Particularly the first song, "You Sent Me Flying." I sing this song at the top of my lungs whenever I go anywhere in the car. It's awesome. Plus, of course, she has the most awesome beehive ever. I want one.

2. Patty Griffin

Another amazing voice. Plus she's mainly acoustic (playing her own guitar, of course), so how could I not love her? Check out the song Rain. She's another artist that has probably been around for a while, and I'd probably heard her before, but Jules introduced me formally via that video. Naturally, I fell in love. If you can't already tell, I tend to connect with artists who are able to convey their emotions through their songs. Which brings me to my next old favorite:

3. Christina Aguilera

Alright, hear me out. I know that she's technically a pop artist. It's true that Christina and I have had a somewhat rocky relationship. I liked her to begin with (because I was young and naive and her target audience at the time), and then she went through her Dirrty phase. This is where we had a bit of a falling out. I respect the girl for trying to go against the grain, and for rebelling against the way people thought of her. But did she have to go so far? I'm not so sure. But her newest album, Back to Basics, is awesome. There is a particularly beautiful song called Save Me From Myself on the second disk. The song almost made me cry the first time I heard it, because I know exactly how she feels. I'm really looking forward to her next album because she did all the writing while she was preggers. I think it's safe to say that Chris

4. The Pipettes

You're going to have to listen to The Pipettes in order to fully appreciate why I am totally digging them. They've got the whole '60s Girl Band, early pop music type of vibe, but they sing about one night stands and sex and what not. It's pretty awesome. I originally read an article about them on MSNBC.com and decided to download some. I'm glad I did, because I'm totally into their sound and style.

5. Lilly Allen

You've probably heard Lilly Allen without even realizing it. She sings Smile, which I think I first heard on the radio or on TV or something. She also collaborated with Mark Ronson on a song called Oh My God which is pretty awesome. She's British, and I kind of like that her accent comes through in her music (as is the case with The Pipettes too).

6. Fiona Apple

Criminal is an all time favorite. What's not to love about a girl needlessly breaking a boys heart? But Fiona's new album, Extraordinary Machine, is a very different sound. I really like all of the songs on this album a lot. It's a staple on the iPod for sure.

Obviously I've been on a pretty serious Girl Power kick. There's not really a specific reason for that, but it's working out pretty well for me. I've also recently downloaded some random songs and what not that are worth mentioning:

Feedback by Janet Jackson. The video isn't quite what I expected, but whatever. The song is awesome, and it makes me want to go dancing.

Stop Me by Mark Ronson featuring Daniel Merriweather. Mark Ronson is also Amy Winehouse's manager, apparently, and has teamed up with her on a song called Valerie. I like this one (and yes, I'm aware that it's a remake of a song by The Smiths). You'll notice from this music video and the Oh My God music video that he apparently likes to add animation to the music videos.

Love in the Club by Usher (which doesn't have a video yet that I could find). I love Usher. There's no getting around it. He is hot.

Touch My Body by Mariah Carey. Can I just say that I cannot wait for her new album to drop. I wish it would come out tomorrow.

So yeah. That's my iPod for the week. No go, expand your music horizons and be happy!