Five Years Strong

Last night was the big 89.3 The Current 5th birthday party at First Avenue. It was so much fun! Can I say again how fucking lucky I feel to work in the same organization as this awesome station? Because I am. What an event! Great bands, great people, great venue...it couldn't have been any better.

First Avenue was wall to wall people, but everyone just seemed to be in a great mood. If you bumped into someone or they bumped into you, there was an outpouring of apologies and niceties that can only exist with public radio people. I've been to a lot of sold out shows at First Avenue and none were as pleasant an experience as last night.

The bands were great, but I got to say, P.O.S. stole the show. The man is awesome. I've never been to a hip hop show and he owned that place. I bought his album, Never Better, this morning and it's so good. Go. Get. It.

I wanted to see Mason Jennings, but at a sold out event that was almost more of a socializing event than a concert, he and his acoustic guitar were drowned out by the chattering crowd. Too bad, because he opened with a cover of Bruce Springsteen's "Atlantic City" that sounded amazing - from what I could hear.

It was an amazing night. Big kudos to The Current staff for pulling this off.

Did I mention Prince was there? Because he was! It was fun to watch the news trickle through the crowd. He didn't perform, he just came in, watched for a little bit, and left. Unfortunately, I did not get to see him. But he was there. We were in the same room. Prince!

Practice, Practice, Practice!

I'm super excited because I have some musical prospects on the horizon. I hoping to start playing shows in the next few months. But first I need to practice. But I can't. Because I'm sick. Again. This is getting so old. What is it? Once a month now? Goddamn. Make it stop.

I can't sing because 1.) my nose is stuffed up and 2.) my throat is super sore. I just want to start practicing!!! It's so frustrating.

It's also the night of 89.3 The Current's 5th birthday party at First Avenue. I've been looking forward to this for a couple of months now and I have to go. There's just no way I can't. I would have loved to have called in today and slept to gear up for it, but since it's technically a work function, it wouldn't have looked good to call in sick to work and then show up there tonight. So here I am. Sick at work again.

And, hey! We all know what happens when I'm sick at work. The iPod earbuds go in the ears and I zone out the day listening to music. I think it's time for another 25 Songs That Play On My iPod while I'm Sick At Work.

1. "Chelsea Hotel" - Dan Bern (not a Leonard Cohen cover. It's his own beautifully awesome song)
2. "Love Ridden" - Fiona Apple
3. "The Angels Hung Around" - Rilo Kiley
4. "Moving to Canada" - Cloud Cult
5. "Past in Present" - Feist
6. "The Geese of Beverly Road" - The National
7. "Little Bird on my Shoulder" - Haley Bonar
8. "Follow You Down" - Gin Blossoms (yes, the Gin Blossoms)
9. "In Order" - Halloween, Alaska (does every version of this song have a beep in it, or did I accidentally buy the edited version?)
10. "Little Plastic Castle" (live from official Hamburg, Germany boot) - Ani Difranco
11. "Don't Do Me Like That" - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
12. "In the Way" (live) - Ani Difranco
13. "She Cries Your Name" - Beth Orton
14. "Alternative to Love" - Brendan Benson
15. "Who You Gonna Run To?" Solid Gold
16. "The Little Cowboy" - Erin McKeown
17. "Dogs" - Damien Rice
18. "Parachutes" - Coldplay
19. "Seashell Tale" (M. Ward cover) - Bright Eyes
20. "It's Over" - The Cure
21. "All the Wine" - The National
22. "All is Well" - Soul Asylum
23. "Painting" - Atmosphere
24. "Bartender" - Regina Spektor
25. "The Avalanche" - Sufjan Stevens

Another Zombie Dream (Dream Log #3)

Last night I had another dream that zombies were after me. This is the second one in about 2 weeks. So I had to look it up to see what it meant.

Most interpretations seem to be about me being the zombie, which is not the case. In both dreams, I was being chased by them. The first time I was in a farm house with friends. The second time, I was with family - but the family wasn't my family and we were on the run, Jumping trains and climbing up buildings and hiding in holes in the ground.

But in the ones I can find about being chased by zombies they say it represents a fear that everything I know could be sucked out from me in an instant. Since zombies are technically slow (sorry 28 Days Later), that means it is something that I can easily change.

It could also just be my body using my sleep to rid itself of toxins and worry. These things are represented by the zombies.

Or, I could just think zombies are pretty cool.

In each dream, I have managed not to be bitten. So that's something.

Time to analyze this.

Puppy Cam!

Back in late 2008 (I think), very awesome people decided to place a camera in the area where they kept their new born puppies and the puppies' mother. I watched this thing all day along. It's incredibly addictive. As they start to get bigger, they start to play. Most of the time they just sleep in a big lump. But it's still adorable.

Well, the mother had another litter and they have placed the camera back up. Looks like another 8 weeks of puppy tv!

I just want to crawl in their and curl up with them. Is that weird?

Check it out here:

http://www.ustream.tv/SFShiba#more

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

Things seem to be changing all around me. Just got some interesting work info. Not sure how to take it, but I'm trying to think of it as a positive. I knew this year was going to be a different one. I think this might be a sign of where I need to go. Of course, all of this is in the early stages and none of it may actually happen. Guess I'll just have to wait and see.

A Ginger Hex And Purple Cradle

What a weekend. What a blur. I spent Friday night at home playing video games (current game is Lost Odyssey, an epic 4 disc RPG that is all consuming) and watching the big Conan O'Brien finale. He went out with class and with a speech that I think everyone should follow.



Saturday it was car maintenance morning. $185 later and our car is up to date.

Saturday night I headed over the Hexagon for a reunion show of sorts. Rank Strangers, Middlepicker, and Party of One. Each of these bands contains members of the band Grickle Grass. Grickle Grass was a band consisting of friends of mine. They were a great little band that broke up about 8 years ago. Each new band is also great. Rank Strangers have been around forever and Party of One played around a lot back in the Grickle Grass days. Party of One also treated us to their song "Skydiver". A song that has been stuck in my head for the past 8 years with no possible way of hearing it.

Also playing that night was Stars As Our Guide. I highly suggest you check them out if you can. Jason Albus (former Chop Logic member) leads the trio on acoustic guitar and vocals. Joining him are a cellist and pianist. It was such a breath of fresh air from the usual noise rock you find at bars like these.

It was a late night, which wasn't the smartest thing considering Sunday morning I had to wake up early for my volunteer shift at Rock the Cradle. I kept watch over the Family Yoga Zone. Basically making sure people took off their shoes and new what to do. I was tired, a little grumpy, and a little hungover and not really looking forward to attending an event with the possibility of 6,000 children running around. But watching those toddlers do yoga was highly amusing. I'm not a kid person, but one little tyke stole my heart. There's always one that makes me think: maybe I could do the kid thing. But then there's always one that makes me know I don't want to.

Now it's Sunday night and the Vikings are playing for a Superbowl spot. I've got the game on mute while I go through my usual Sunday night routine of updating my iPod and surfing the internet. They're losing now. I'm trying to care, but I really can't. I'm not a Football fan. But, if it was the Twins going for the World Series, I'd be all over it. So I understand the hype. And I think it's required to have this game on if you have a television.

Happy Sunday. I raise my glass of Pinot in hopes of a great week ahead.

Goodnight, Conan

I hope you return to late night better than ever.

Hallelujah

Back when I was teenager, I decided that when I die, I want "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen as my funeral song. I know, cliche, right? I wasn't depressed and I wasn't planning a funeral for myself any time soon, but I just decided that was the song and made sure to tell my best friend so if I were to pass, she would know what to do.

Well, being that I'm a very superstitious person, I've ruined that song for myself now. I'm now basically scared to listen to it. This fear didn't kick in until my early 20s when my superstitious nature really reared its ugly head. For some reason, I considered it a jink or a hex or whathaveyou on the song that if I listen to it, imminent death is sure to follow. And this goes for all versions. Even the glorious Jeff Buckley version. Yes, I'm crazy, I know.

But new year, new me, right? It's actually been a decade since I was in my early 20s, so new decade, too! Yesterday I came home from work and the radio was on (we leave it on for the dog). As I was going about my business of taking Murray out and feeding him, Jeff Buckley's version came on the radio. I began to make my mad dash for the off button, when I thought to myself: NO. This is stupid. And I let it play. And it was beautiful. And I am still here today.

(knock on wood)

Silly Suits

I'm sure it's incredibly difficult as a designer to come up with new and interesting designs for men's fashion. How many different kinds of suits can you make?

Well, according to Alexander McQueen, a lot.

Check out his latest menswear line at Project Rungay

I just find it all so silly, which makes it all incredibly fun. It is so Zoolander. Can you really imagine any man anywhere walking into an office in any of these suits? I suppose they are not made for just any man to wear. But the idea amuses me and I wish someone at my office would walk in with one of these on in a completely serious way.

Rock The Cradle 2010

This Saturday is the 5th annual Rock the Cradle event held by 89.3 The Current at the Minneapolis Institute of Art and Children's Theater Company. It is a FREE event for kids and their grown-ups. There are ton of activities this year including the Kid's Disco, Story Time with the DJs, live performances, Instrument Petting Zoo, and the Family Yoga Zone - where I will be spending the hours of 11-1 greeting people, watching over everyone's shoes and trying to resist doing some yoga poses of my own.

It's a great event with close to 13,000 attendees last year. As an advocate (and employee) of Minnesota Public Radio, I am so proud to be involved with an organization that does such fantastic things for the community.

I hope to see you there!

Song Of The Moment

"Killing the Blues" is an old song, dating back to 1977. It was written by Rowland Salley, who is the bassist for Chris Isaak's band. He's been with Chris since 1985.

I've only heard this song done by the beautiful Julie Wolf. Julie is an accomplished musician who has toured with Ani Difranco, Erin McKeown, Melissa Ferrick and countless others. In 1997 she released her debut solo album Walk the Worn Out Floor. "Killing the Blues" is on this album.

I believe this album is long out of print and I've only been able to track down a couple of songs from it. I've had these songs for a few years now, but they only recently have grabbed my attention.

I think "Killing the Blues" has come into my life at just the right moment. With a chorus that goes: "Somebody said they saw me/Swinging the world by the tail/Bouncing over a white cloud/Killing the blues" it couldn't better suit my life than right now. I really feel things are changing for me. I feel happier than I have in a long time. I feel confident. I feel like everything is coming together.

Of course, my superstitious nature is telling me to shut up or I will jinx it. Maybe one of my resolutions for 2010 should be to throw my superstitions out the window?

Either way, it's a beautiful song and when Julie Wolf sings it, it makes my heart ache. I've read that John Prine and Allison Krauss have also covered it. I will have to check those out.

(500) Days of Summer

Happy 3 day weekend! It is so needed. Yesterday was wasted to the post-Cabaret hangover and an America's Next Top Model marathon. I would be really depressed if it was already Sunday and I had to work tomorrow.

I did watch (500) Days of Summer last night. I'd been meaning to see this movie since it came out, but just kept putting it off. Too bad. Because I really liked it.

It's not a laugh out loud movie. It's not a crying movie. It's just an interesting take on relationships. As it states at the beginning: This is not a love story. It is the story of Tom, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who falls head over heals for a girl named Summer. Summer is played by the delightful Zooey Deschanel. It's easy to understand how Tom can become so entranced by her.

I was concerned that Levitt, the former child actor from 3rd Rock From the Sun, would be hard to believe in a serious adult role. But he wasn't. He sold it to me. I thought he did a fantastic job.

I don't want to say too much because I don't want to give away the whole story, which would be easy to do while describing it. It's just a cute movie with good dialogue, beautiful direction, well acted, and a great supporting cast. The more I think about it, the more I like it.

It also has a kick ass soundtrack. Usually I get really annoyed by these quirky indie love stories and their quirky indie soundtrack (think Juno). But this one worked.

4 out of 5 stars.

Cabaret

The office Anniversary Cabaret party that I've been working on for three months took place last night and it was a huge success. We had 18 acts all consisting of my co-workers. I work with amazingly talented people. Rock bands, classical musicians, dancers, comedians....all were showcased.

My job was to coordinate the production. I worked with the talent, worked with Marketing on the printed materials, and was the assistant stage manager of the event. I got to spend Friday afternoon at the Fitzgerald Theater watching soundchecks and the event backstage making sure people were where they were supposed to be. I had so much fun. I wish every work day was like that.

I had never put something like that together before. I'm so glad it all worked out. It was a blast.

Sober Ramblings, Pt. 3

American Idol returned this week with those horrible horrible audition rounds. Almost 4 hours of audition rounds with something like 12 hours to go. No, I did not watch the whole thing. I can't. I don't know anyone who can. It is so difficult and uninteresting to watch.

As stated in many many other posts, I enjoy American Idol. But not until Hollywood Week hits. Long after the untalented freakshows have left the building. I think that happens in February.
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I went to the dentist this morning. I am terrified of the dentist. Extremely terrified. The whole morning I was shaking and on the verge of tears. The majority of dentists are such assholes. Needless to say it has been a while since I last went and I need a lot of work done. But, I seem to have found my guy. He was super cool, super nice, didn't lecture me, just told me what was wrong and what he can do about it. I meet with him next Wednesday again for the financial consultation and planning, then the real work will start. It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be. But it will still be spendy. But it has to be done.
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Tomorrow night is the Anniversary Cabaret here at work. I've been coordinating the event and it's my first ever really big event coordination. Employees will be performing various acts. We have dancers, rock bands, classical musicians, comedians, and on and on. I'm nervous. But I have an amazing team of incredibly talented people helping to pull this together so I'm sure it will go off wonderfully.

Thoughts For Haiti

Yesterday a massive 7.3 magnitude earthquake hit the country of Haiti, toppeling most of its capital Port-au-Prince. As a country that suffers with as many problems as it does already, this sort of disaster is especially troubling.

If you can, please donate even $5 to any of the Haiti relief organizations. You skipping Starbucks for one day can make a huge difference in the lives of your fellow humans.

Embracing Creativity

The creative juices have been flowing strongly these last few weeks. I've got one brand new song finished, two older songs reworked, and a bunch more just sitting in my brain waiting to come out. I have this vision of actually putting together an album. For what? I don't know. Maybe just for myself. Most likely just for myself. Just to see if I can do it.

I'll have a lot of time over the next week to play around. I'm excited to see what comes out.

I'm also mulling over the idea of going to an open mic night hosted by an old old friend of mine. One of my goals in life was to sing one of my songs on stage by the time I was 30 and, well, that ship has sailed. But it's better late than never, right? I'm not concerned with the actual singing and playing and whether or not people like it. I'm scared that I'll choke. I get horrible stage fright. What will happen is my face will turn bright red from nerves (this always happens), then I will become very self conscious about that and will start to get shaky. Then my neck will break out in hives and my mind will go blank. This is what my body does to me.

But I gotta do it, right? If I don't, I'll regret it. That much is certain.

Dream Log #2

Last night I dreamt zombies were after me. I lived in a house with several people and they started swarming the yard and then attacking the house. They would push the house so hard that the walls would fold in. All we could do was push back to keep the walls down.

It was terrifying.

Up In The Air

I saw Up in the Air last night. I'm still undecided how I feel about it. Does that make it a good movie or a bad one? I didn't hate it. I'm just not sure what it was trying to say. Everyone needs someone? Sometimes it's just too late? People are assholes?

George Clooney plays Ryan Bingham, a consultant who travels around the country firing people. He is forced to take the new upstart go -getter along for some of his trips so she can learn the ropes. Along the way, he meets Alex, the female version of his character. Another person who gets lost and finds comfort in the traveler's life. No real connections, the airport as your second home. Fleeting conversations, one night stands.

It had its moments. I find George Clooney nice to watch, and not in a sexual way. I just find him very comforting on screen. The supporting cast was okay. Vera Farminga is super hot in an Ellen Barkin way. Anna Kendrick lost me in her portrayal of the upstart go-getter Natalie. She was a little over the top in a movie that was trying to be "real".

There were some funny lines, some serious moments. The scenes where Ryan and Alex had to fire people were very convincing and a little hard to watch. The rest of the movie was very dry. Most of the characters are very unhappy. It seemed to be another movie where everyone is sad because, hey, aren't we all and can't we relate? (sarcasm)

The females, as usual, were written very poorly. Especially Natalie. Just another girl who can't find happiness without a man.

It seems that most of what I'm saying is negative, so I guess that would mean I didn't like it. It did seem a lot longer than its less than 2 hours time frame. It had a lot of "all you need is love" crap that I find nauseating. I'm sorry, but love does not get you through when you've lost your job, you're broke, hungry, and the bills are piling up.

Oh, and everyone says there is a twist at the end or that the ending is really crazy. I didn't feel that way at all. The "twist" was very obvious and the ending just left me kind of empty.

I'll give it 2.5 stars (out of 5).

Game Night!

I love games. Be it board, card, or video games. Last night we ventured out into the cold and over to a friend's house for game night. We brought Bananagrams, they offered up Scene It for the Xbox.

Bananagrams is new to me. At my family's house on Christmas, my newphew's girlfriend brought Bananagrams. About 6 of us spent most of the night with our heads to our letters in complete concentration.

It's a lot like Scrabble. It basically is Scrabble with some major differences.

The game comes in a banana shaped sack. The actual game is just 144 letters with no point value on them. Depending on how many players, each person is doled out between 11 to 21 letters, face down. In the middle is the "bunch". When someone calls out "Split!", everyone flips over their letters and begin to makes their own Scrabble board. If you have a letter

you can't find a use for, you call out "dump!" and put the letter back in the bunch and take 3 more. If you use all the letters you have, you call out "peel!" and everyone grabs one letter from the bunch until there are less letters in the bunch then there are players. Once that happens and you've completed your "board" you call out "Bananas!" and, if your words are correct, you win the game. It's incredibly addicting and a lot of fun.

Scene It on the Xbox is also a fun game. Unlike the DVD version, you get to pick your own avatar and you have special controllers for buzzing in. There are more questions and you can always download more from the internet.

I'd love to come up with some crazy game night. Different games set up in different areas so people can move from one to the next. Chess in one corner, Trivial Pursuit in the next. Rock Band on the TV. Twister in the basement. I think it'd be a lot of fun.

The Return Of Television

Next week begins the return of TV. Shows are off hiatus and back on the air. New episodes, new seasons. It's all very exciting.

Here's the breakdown of what I have to look forward to during this cold cold winter:

Modern Family

Modern Family actually came back this week. Luckily my DVR knew this and recorded it for me. I watched it last night and it may have been one of the best episodes yet.

How I Met Your Mother: Monday, Jan. 11

We'll be introduced to a new love interest for Ted. I'm not invested in who the mother is as much as I'm supposed to be. It's just nice to have a regular old comedy to watch that is consistently funny (other than Modern Family, which is a new show for me).

American Idol: Tuesday, Jan. 12

Here begins my two hour/two night American Idol hell. Why do I do this to myself? Normally I don't invest too much time into these early auditions, but I'm excited to see the guest judges this year...because I'm a nerd (see previous post). I am not excited to see Ellen DeGeneres take her place as the unneeded 4th judge. I think she's a fine person, but I saw her stint on So You Think You Can Dance and I can't handle a season of snappy one liners and "Look at me! I'm Ellen!" in lieu of performance feedback and performer footage. No more Paula will be interesting to see, as well. Maybe it will make Kara calm down a bit and return to judging instead of vying for top spot as "the hot one".

American Idol also brings the return of Idolatry on http://www.ew.com/ by Michael Slezak and the Television Without Pity recaps that I love and make the show worth watching.

Community: Thursday, Jan. 14

Community is not a "must watch" for me. I want to watch and enjoy it when I do, but I usually watch it on tape delay at some point later in the week. It's a good show, though, and I hope it sticks around.

Project Runway: Thursday, Jan. 14
Project Runway is back in New York! Nina Garcia (say that like Heidi. It's fun!) and Michael Kohrs are back full time to be uber critical and sassy. I've heard good things about the designers and challenges this season from http://www.projectrungay.com/, so hopefully it will redeem itself from the train wreck that was last season.

The Office: Thursday, Jan. 21

Oh, do I even care anymore? This show is falling down hard. Jim and Pam are snobs. Michael is a complete caricature of his former self. Dwight is just an asshole now and it's like no one else is even on the show. The only redeeming characters are Andy, Kelly, Darryl, and the new receptionist, but they are rarely featured.

Lost: Tuesday, Feb. 2

The final season begins. It's sure to be a crazy crazy ride. I can't even begin to wrap my mind around where this season will take us. I can barely remember where it left us. Oh, yeah. Juliette detonated Jughead The Bomb and exploded everyone, presumably, back in time safely landing at LAX with no recollection of any past island events. I will try to do my recaps again like last season. I probably won't be able to help myself. Here's to hoping for a season full of answers, excitement, and Desmond.

Survivor: Thursday, Feb. 11

This is the 20th season (20th season!) of Survivor, so they are doing it up All Star style. Heroes vs. Villains. Some of my favorites to watch scheme and backstab will be back. Amanda, Courtney, James, Stephanie, Boston Rob, and Russell from this just previous season. None of the other Survivors have seen his season at the time they filmed this one (it began being filmed just 3 weeks after Samoa was done filming) so they have no idea just what an evil mastermind he is. Of course, he will have no idea that he has not won the previous season and may play exactly the same, thus costing him the title of Ultimate All Star Survivor. It should be a fun season to watch.

So that's it. That's my winter. Is it sad that my winter activities consist of television programming? I live in Minnesota so it's not like there's much going on and going out is such a pain in the ass this time of year. I do have other social things happening and none of these shows are on over the weekends, so those are free.

My Inner Nerd Unleashed

Okay. So my nerdom is not so inward as to go unnoticed. But, last night I beat Final Fantasy X for the third time (and let me just say it would be the fourth time, but I died at the end the last time I played and just never got around to trying again).

I love video games and always have. I was given the original Nintendo Entertainment System for Christmas when I was 9 years old. My favorite games were Super Mario 1, Super Mario 3 (I never got into 2), Paper Boy, Zelda, Tetris, and, of course, Duckhunt. My vegetarian self had yet to peak its head.

I was loyal to that system for most of my years until adulthood and Playstation. My husband and I bought Resident Evil and stayed up until 10am the following morning with another friend and barely got half way through it. I loved it.

I usually don't play any of the new games. They are way too involved and I get way too tense and freaked out. I find it much more enjoyable to watch someone else play and help with puzzles and navigating.

The only modern games I've played on my own are the Grand Theft Auto games, Paper Mario, Bully, Grand Turismo, the new version of Pacman*, and Final Fantasy X. I once tried to play Zelda: Ocarina of Time. But it became too tense and I had to quit. But the modern Zelda games are really really good.

I've been told Final Fantasy X is the least liked of the series, but I just love it. It's a turn based fighting system so you never really feel frantic. The enemies will not attack you until it's their turn, so you end up having to strategize more. You don't want to skip healing yourself for a turn at striking your opponent in case the "fiend", as they are called, hits you with a really hard blow. You are playing 3 characters as once while you battle, as well, so you have to watch out for all of them.

The story is fantastic and the graphics are quite amazing for a game that came out in 2002. The first time I beat the game I cried because I had become so involved with the characters. "Interacting" with these computerized beings for 40+ hours will do that to you.

This past time through I was stronger than I'd ever been. I whipped past all the bosses and beat the final boss with no problems. I'm not quite sure how I did it, but it was awesome.

*I cannot play the classic arcade Pacman. My blood pressure shoots through the roof when those little ghosts start chasing after poor Pacman. I don't think I like the idea of being stuck in a maze with bad guys after me.

The Murdog

I have a dog. His name is Murray. He's the apple of my eye. My little pumpkin pie. Probably the 2nd best thing that's ever happened to me. He's a good boy and a naughty boy (as all dogs should be). I'd tell you his breed, but I have no idea. I call him "the brown dog". He was listed as a golden retriever mix, but I believe that gives people the wrong impression. I think he's a mix of most breeds. There are days he looks very much like a retriever, others a spaniel, or a border collie, or an irish setter, and on and on.

He was estimated to be 5 years old when we picked him up from Second Chance Animal Rescue for $85. He was found as a stray that winter weighing only 25 pounds (he's now a healthy 50 pounds). No background on him is known.

His picture was posted on Petfinder.com. He was wearing a bandana around his neck and looked ridiculous (see below). But, out of all the dogs on the internet, he stood out to me.

We went to meet him on a Sunday afternoon. When his foster mom brought him in the room, he ran up and sat right at our feet looking up so eagerly (he was once such an obedient dog). I fell in love instantly.

As my husband and I drove home "debating" on whether or not to get him. We both knew. We called right away and said we wanted him.

He came with tricks. He knew sit, lay down, roll over, and shake. When we ate dinner, he would go lay in the corner. That first night, he slept on the floor between our bed and the wall. My husband and I were unsure how to act around him yet. We found ourselves whispering in bed that night then laughing at how ridiculous it was to whisper because the dog was trying to sleep.

We both had to work the next day, so we locked him in our bedroom. His foster mom said this is what she did and she was gone for 9 hours and he was fine. When we came home he had chewed the doorframe off the door. Woodchips were spilling out from underneath the door. We picked up a kennel and he was kenneled when we left until the summer when we felt it was too warm to stay in the kennel. So we let him have free reign of the house. He's never had an accident or ruined any doorframes since.

He's such a special dog. It's hard having a dog when you don't know anything about their history. He has an issue with faces. As in, he doesn't want you to put your face in his (unless it's me or my husband). And he's let people know he doesn't like this. He comes with a lot of warnings when people come over. It's frustrating because when it's just the three of us, he is the greatest dog a person could have.

The tricks have worn off. He still knows sit and lie down. But as he gets older and his hips get older, it just doesn't seem right to make him feel pain in order to get a treat. I've taught him another trick, though. If he wants something, he basically "shakes" for it. Which means he gives you his paw. But sometimes he's overly eager and it's more like pawing at you.

He also no longer lays in the corner while we eat. I've also taught him to beg for food. Which is terrible, I know.

But, he's still the best dog. He's turning 11 this year, we guess, and he still acts like a puppy. He always wants to play and is as healthy as can be. He sort of has his own bedroom in our house. He has a closet full of toys that he can get at at any time. He gets a kong full of liver treats for breakfast every morning. He gets up at 6am to go for a walk with my husband. He loves to play soccer.

I don't really know what else to say about him. I just love him so much and thought he deserved his own post.

My Darlin' Clementines

The season of the Clementine is coming to a close. It is a very sad. If you've never had a clementine, I urge you to run to your nearest seller of produce and pick up a bundle today. Clementine's are little orange/tangerine fruits. They are perfectly sweet, easy to peel, and just the right size. But they only come around once a year. Cuties are the brand of choice. I did get a different brand at Whole Foods last week that I can't remember the name. They weren't bad either. My local Cub Foods seems to have run out of Cuties and is now selling some knock off clementine that is more yellow in color and slightly larger, but no where near as good, so beware of imitations.

For now, I bid you adieu, my sweet Clementine. I'll see you again in about 10 months.

The Mistress Witch From McClure

"The Mistress Witch From McClure (or the mind that knows itself)" by Sufjan Stevens may just be my favorite song of all time, or at least for the past 2 years.

I'd had the album since its release in 2006. It sat in my iTunes library overshadowed by the Greetings From Michigan and Come On Feel the Illinoise albums he'd released prior. The Avalanche, the album The Mistress resides on, is an album of outtakes from Come On Feel the Illinoise. Outtakes. It doesn't make you want to put the album on repeat. But I should have known better.

Sufjan Stevens is one of those uber-prolific songwriters. I'm sure he has mountains of songs at home that are 10 times better than I could ever write. His goal was to create an album for every state. So far, he's just released Michigan and Illinois and seems to have been sidetracked lately. Which is too bad. I really want my Minnesota album.

The Avalanche album is filled with different versions of songs off of Illinois and a couple of leftover tracks. "The Mistress Witch From McClure" is one of those leftover tracks.

I don't know what it is about the song. Lyrically, it means nothing to me. It seems to be about kids who discover their father having an affair. But who knows really. It's really the melody and the vocals. Like most of his songs, their is a beautiful backing choir. It makes me stop what I'm doing and just listen. There are a couple of other songs that do this to me. The first two that come to mind are "Superman" by Dan Bern and "Second Intermission" by Ani Difranco. I have yet to research to see if there is a special note or group of notes of sort that are sung or played in each song that has some sort of mental effect on me. But with all of these songs, my mind automatically clears out and I just have to listen. It's all very strange.

So one day I was working with my headphones on and this song came on and it just caught me. I think I listened to it about 5 times in a row right then and there.

For whatever reason, "The Mistress Witch From McClure" wins my heart. I have linked a solo live version via You Tube for you to check out. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a full linkable album version online.

I hope you enjoy as much as I do!

It Begins

It's a good thing I'm slightly feverish right now, as I would have froze at the bus stop this morning had I not been.

The January deep freeze began this morning. Air temperature: -9. Wind chill: -24.

We have about 10 days of this subzero hell and then we will rocket back up to the mid twenties. That lasts about another 10 days and then it's February and we dive right back down again.

It happens every year. It is no surprise. I will make it through.

I feel most bad for my dog who does not get out of the house much when it's this cold. He already seems very mopey. Though he can handle a lot, it is even too cold for him.

Like everyone, I now daydream of tropical places. I read the celebrity blogs and am baffled that there are places in the world right now where someone can wear only a bikini and not turn blue.

I don't like planning an extra 15 minutes to go anywhere because you have to warm up the car. I don't like having to waddle down the street for fear of slipping and breaking my neck.

But I love my Minnesota home. As we say here: The cold gives you character. I like wearing sweaters. I like scarves.

And opening day at the Minnesota Twins new outdoor stadium is just 98 days away!

Surprise, Surprise, Surprise

I'm sick again. This time it is without a doubt. Hopefully it doesn't get too bad as I have no sick or vacation time left.

I'm supposed to go see Up in the Air today and I suppose I will manage to pull myself together and crawl out of the house and into this subzero winter wonderland outside. It doesn't take much energy to sit through a movie.

Or I could just stay inside and conquer Final Fantasy X...again. I'm about 3/4 ways through my possibly 5th time playing this game and it still holds up. Great story, great graphics, great gameplay.

Laundry also has to be done today. I need clean clothes to start the new year. The holidays are over, now we settle in for the long, cold winter. I have quite a bit to look forward to, which helps. I'm putting together a Cabaret at work for our holiday party. It will consist of employees showing off their talents. It's a big event and I've never coordinated anything like this before. It's a bit stressful, but also very exciting.

So, if Im going to be sick, now is the time.

Oh, and good stuff below. I love this show so much.

The Most Ridiculous Movie I've Seen

I saw Avatar today. I almost walked out about an hour in. I had to stifle my laughter at the ridiculousness of it. I can't believe that after Titanic, people still let James Cameron write a script. Instead of "Jack!"/"Rose!" for two hours, it was "Jake!"/"Irit!" (or whatever her name is) for two hours.

I won't deny that the special effects were cool, although, the 3-D neatness wore off within the first 20 minutes, but the story was just terrible. Yes, yes, humans are bad. Very bad. We will annihilate a species for a piece of rock. We've done it before. But it was just so over the top. And since when is Giovanni Ribisi old enough to run an army?

The main bad guy was so one note, I almost felt bad for him. Our "hero" was such a doofus/hick/tough guy that I wanted bad things to happen to him. The "heroine" was alright and probably the only good character in the movie (besides the goofy nerd sidekick that is always in these stories).

There were also plenty of inconsistencies to take you right out of the movie. For instance, why can't Jake have an electric wheelchair? The military has the most insane weapons and technology, yet they can't get the guy a decent wheelchair? He has to wheel himself around all the time?

Or the whole idea that if the humans leave their bunkers without masks on, they will die from the gas that is in the air. Yet Michelle Rodriguez can fly around in her helicopter with the doors open and she's fine? This happened several times in the movie.

The movie was one big ejaculation for James Cameron. I wasn't expecting anything more, but I guess I thought I would find some enjoyment out of it. Instead I was bored to tears. I almost fell asleep. My eyes are still a little sore from the 3-D. This is coming from someone who saw Titanic twice in the theater. I want my two and a half hours back, James Cameron.

Happy New Year!

Goodbye, 2009. I'm not quite sure how I will remember you. I did turn 30 this year (or should I say last year?) So that was pretty epic. The summer was spent struggling financially due to my husband being laid off, but I also had a lot of fun over the summer. I went to a lot of shows, it was my birthday, Rock the Garden, the State Fair, bike rides....

I look forward to this upcoming year. I'm hoping to get my teeth fixed, I'm hoping to go back to school, work is going very well.

I don't want to jinx it so I will leave it at that.

Have a great year, Everybody!