I know this is random, but it started playing at work recently and I just forgot how freaking awesome this song is. I go and select it on the mix, it plays, everyone sings along, and then I say, "NOT ENOUGH!" and go play it again. Even the people who pretend to be annoyed are seceretly thrilled because ... who doesn't love this song? Mostly we all just admit to the adoration. Plus it always reminds me of Clueless, which is only one of the greatest movies ever made, no big deal.
Mr.Hall: So does anyone have any final thoughts on Cher's oration? Elton? Elton: Yeah. I can't find my Cranberries CD. I gotta go to the quad before anyone snags it.
2) Apples to Apples
My favorite board game. We've started playing it a lot at Starbucks in the evening. <3
3) Sweetheart mix cd @ Starbucks
Highlights include "Love Song" by Death Cab For Cutie, "Maps" by Rogue Wave, and "My Funny Valentine" by Rufus Wainwright. It's a pretty spectacular little assemblage, I suggest picking it up immediately. Kudos to Sbux for getting one really right.
4) Tumblr
I'm working out the kinks, but basically ... it works kind of like my "share on facebook" feature, except it's cooler than that. And I click that button so often anyway, it's perfect for me. But I can also blog and re-blog other peoples links, videos, etc ... I'm falling in love fast. Hopefully I'll have mine fully functional soon.
It's just so good. Everything I expected. "Ungodly Hour" gave me chills the first time I listened, I swear. I suggest you purchase immediately ... or at least check it out! I can't even pick highlights, because I'd end up listing all 10 tracks.
This post brought to you by the eternal love of Josh & Cher:
I've been tagged in this note on Facebook too many times to avoid it any longer.
25 Random Things About Me
Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.
(To do this, go to “notes” under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your 25 random things, tag 25 people (in the right hand corner of the app) then click publish.)
1. I am 15 minutes late for everything. No, really, if you're smart, you tell me to be somewhere 1/2 hour before you really want me there.
2. I exclusively use Crayola crayons ... I know the names of all the colors and will refer to things in real life as "tickle-me-pink", "robin's egg blue", or "seafoam green". I'm also very protective of them, and have to buy a fresh box after they get worn down too much--I hate the sharpener.
3. Most of my best friends are guys. I tend to not get along with girls too well--I just don't have the tolerance for their back-stabbing, catty ways ... because I hate drama and confrontation and will do anything to avoid it.
4. When I was little, I thought that llamas came in two sub-species: one-headed or two-headed ... because of the movie Doctor Dolittle. I didn't understand that the two-headed llama was a fictional creature until I was about 8 or 9.
5. I have many OCD tendencies. To the point that if I'm leisurely eating Fruit Loops, I'll try to eat them by color. I save the purple for last. This is also true of M&M's.
6. I love beer. And by that, I mean I honestly just love the taste of beer. I can drink just one, just to enjoy it, with no intentions of getting drunk. Trying new kinds of beer is one of my favorite things!
7. My first word was "yellow". I don't know why. And yes, I'm aware that it's weird.
8. Last name is spelled H-A-Y-S. Don't put an "e" in it, it seriously drives me crazy.
9. My favorite thing in the entire world, by far, is meeting new people and making random friends. I've met some of my best friends in the most random ways: carolling in hotels, through the internet on a band's street team, standing in line, through MySpace ... and it's worked out pretty awesomely every time. Fate is good to me.
10. I had black hair when I was born. And I mean, black black hair. It then turned red for a while when I was around 2, and finally faded to the blonde it is now. My mother claims that if it had stayed red she would have given me up for adoption.
11. Ironically, I've always really really wanted to be a strawberry blonde. I think it stems from my childhood obsession with Nancy Drew.
12. I prefer to be cold over hot, any day. My theory: you can always put more clothes ON, but there comes a point where no more clothing can be removed. And I mean, I'm from the North ... Nashville cold is nothing to me. Plus I love to snuggle, so being cold is a good excuse. I love to sleep with my room freezing cold, curled up in a tiny ball under a huge bundle of nargers.
13. I call blankets nargers. Thanks to some of those random friends I was talking about.
14. Diet Coke is my favorite. And I actually really love diet soda ... I don't drink it because it has less calories, I just think it tastes better. Regular soda is way too sweet for me.
15. My semi-senile great-uncle referred to me as "Ashby" during an entire Thanksgiving dinner when I was 10 ... my whole family thought this was hilarious, and humored him all day by also calling me Ashby. The nickname has stuck, and I am known by nothing else at family gatherings to this day. And now you know where many of my screennames and email addresses come from.
16. When I get a new album, I listen to it in the proper track order 4 or 5 times. After I'm familiarized with it, I rarely ever listen without shuffle again. I'm not saying never, I'm just saying I really like shuffle.
17. I absolutely canNOT sleep if it is silent. I always have to have a fan running, or music playing softly, or some sort of movie/tv show as background noise, or it's a lost cause.
18. I find true joy in watching tacky, terrible horror movies. The cheesier the slasher flick, the more ridiculous the special effects, the happier I am, the more I laugh hysterically. Also, I can usually pick out the killer within five minutes, so it's really not fun to watch these movies with me. Sorry.
19. I honestly just can't understand people who say they don't like The Beatles. It's as if they're speaking a made-up language, or telling me they've never breathed and don't know how. It literally doesn't make any sense to me.
20. I've always been obsessed with Beverly Hills 90210. I understand that it is not good television, but I seriously love every second of both the original and the new incarnation. It is my biggest guilty pleasue.
21. My biggest fear is dying naked. I just think that finding someone's body is traumatizing enough, I don't want to add to it. Plus I want to go with a little bit of dignity.
22. I've been to Maine. And it was awesome. (directed at Sam and Roger) No, but, seriously, I've been to 37 states. I think I could finish by the time I'm 35. New goal set.
23. I really seriously dislike Nickelback.
24. My weaknesses in the opposite sex are curly hair, a good sense of humor, fashion sense, and musical talent. Not in that order.
25. I'm obsessed with and collect turtles. There is no rhyme or reason for this.
I watch LOST weekly, as many of you may know ... because I may or may not be completely and utterly obsessedwith this television program. So I watch, sometimes two or three times, and discuss with my friends, and I honestly fool myself into believing I'm on top of things, I have good theories, I'm not all that "lost" ... and then I read Jensen's column and just feel like such a freakin' moron. He points out these little nuances and references like they're the most obvious things in the world, and I smack myself in the head repeatedly saying, "Why didn't I see that?!?!" Ugh. For example, reading his recap of the pilot/second episodes of the series last week (aired back to back), he made this one completely innocent little observation:
... so many questions we may have about time travel on Lost remain unanswered for now. For example: Can the castaways interact with their past selves? (Maybe this explains The Whispers: they belong to time traveling castaways observing their past selves, but forbidden by Fate from being seen or interfering.)
AND BLEW MY FREAKING MIND.
I reiterate: Uggggggggggh.
And then Caryn made a very valid point: he gets paid to sit around and theorize about LOST--all day, every day. Then he gets to interview the producers and writers and ask them all sorts of questions about his various theories and analyze their reactions. While this makes him even more my hero while simulaneously causing me to hate him more in my jealous rage (I want to be his assistant SO. BAD.), it does make me feel a little better about my own intelligence. I merely have a little bit of spare time on Wednesday nights to spend theorizing about The Whispers and time travel ... so I guess I'm holding my own. (I have this whole theory about Jin's "death" ... but that's really neither here nor there on this item of my Must List ;) ...)
2) David Boreanaz
What can I say, I've loved him since the premiere of Buffy aired in 1996. I just recently started watching Bones from the beginning of the series (I had only seen random episodes previously) ... and I gotta tell you, he's slowly earning his spot back on my LIST (might he bump Joe Jonas?!?!? THE HORROR!!!) ...
As Agent Seeley Booth, he plays a total bad-ass FBI good guy, yet manages to be absolutely adorable ... and seriously funny. He and Emily Deschanel have amazing chemistry as the lead characters--and we all know I have a serious weak spot for the Mulder/Scully-esque sexual tension between partners solving crimes. Oh boy. They're no Buffy and Angel, but I'll take David any way I can get him.
3) America's Best Dance Crew on MTV
This is just a guilty pleasure, plain and simple. And makes me feel terrible about my white girl dance skills. Eesh. Also, I know nothing about dance, really, so it makes me feel bad when I judge these people ... but oh well.
This season, so far, my favorite is Strikers All Stars--but Beat Freaks also really impressed me last week with their "Side Plank" routine. They're all girls, so I feel like I should root for them, too, as a tribute to my gender. I'd post clips, but MTV is really good at keeping them off of YouTube. :( You can watch here. :)
You can tell I really enjoy this show ... because its entertainment value outweighs my intense hatred of Lil Mama ... seriously, HOW exactly is she qualified to be a judge for this? Although, to be fair, I don't really think JC is more of an expert than her, and I don't mind him being there because he's so darn cute, so I'm really just biased ...
4) Daniel Faraday, as portrayed by Jeremy Davies
LOST, again. When the new season starts (okay, any time a season is on) it is a big part of my life, I'm not going to lie. In the back of my brain, I'm usually thinking about it, trying to figure stuff out.
Right now my main intrigue lies with the new "freighter folk" left on the Island. Charlotte, Miles, and Daniel Faraday. There is so much we don't know about them and it's driving me CRAZY.
But there's just something about Daniel I absolutely love. First of all, he understands so much about the Island. I want to know all of it, and I want to know how he knows. Now.
Faraday is a fantastic character, and Jeremy Davies portrays him flawlessly. He's so twitchy and quirky ... and nonchalant about everything. Not to mention BRILLIANT. I hope for much much more of him in these final two seasons.
Ahhhhhh. He just understands everything. I NEED TO KNOW HOW/WHY. And then I need to understand it all, too. LOST is so overwhelming for me. Also, I could go on for hours about how much I love Sawyer ... but I love all the characters and they can't ALL be on my Must List this week. ;) I'm sure next week it will be him or Desmond or Ben or Richard or Juliet or ... well, you get the idea.
5) Trust Me on TNT
Well, this show had at me at Tom Cavanagh. And then I calmed down and saw Eric McCormack?!! It's like a dream combo for me. Plus they're playing partners in advertising. Modern day Mad Men. Me like.
Unfortunately, this show was postponed because of the Writer's Strike last year ... but just so you all know, I've been excited for quite some time now. The pilot finally aired on Monday night, and it didn't disappoint. It had a lot going on, trying to establish all the characters and get the story rolling ... as all pilots are burdened to do. But these characters are intriguing and very promising (in case you can't tell, I'm a very character-driven person ... I love a good combination of people and personalities), so I'm hooked and ready to see where this one's going. Tom Cavanagh's character, Conner (only one name--already, you've got me curious) is just so quirky--I love it!
And in case you needed more convincing:
How can you NOT want to watch after looking at that picture? Aaaaadorable.
6) Dierks Bentley's new album, Feel That Fire
Streaming now on his MySpace. It's kind of awesome, and that's pretty much all I have to say about that. You should go listen. And it releases next Tuesday, Feb. 3, when you should buy it. "I Wanna Make You Close Your Eyes" sounds great, and it's my early favorite, has been ever since I heard it live in December. Other highlights include the title single, obviously, "You Hold Me Together", "Little Heartwrecker" (with a heavy emphasis on the instrumentation ... oh my GOSH), "I Can't Forget Her" ... Oh heck, the whole album is a highlight. Go. Now. We all know how much I love Dierks, let's just move on, shall we? ;)
Many of you are probably aware of, and possibly adhere to, the assumption that Nashville is all about country music. And don't get me wrong, there is a LOT of great country music here, and Nashville is really its home. But this stereotype frustrates me to no end.
Because Nashville is Music City, USA ... not Country Music City, USA. And I get so sick and tired of people overlooking all the other amazing music, of ALL genres, that is generated in this wonderful town I call home. That's why I respect bands like Kings of Leon (which I think I've mentioned before in this blog), and even Paramore, or tours/projects like Ten out of Tenn (aaaamazing ...) for getting some great press out about the Nashville music scene (even though Paramore tries to obliquely ignore the fact that they're from the greater Nashville area, when I would appreciate them shouting it from the rooftops). Annnyway, as often as I possibly can, I like to expose people to these other amazing artists that call Nashville home, or even just the live shows you can experience here on a nightly basis.
One great example is merely the story of my Thursday night this past week. I went to three (yes, count them, three shows) that night, and not one of them was anything like the others. Three completely separate and unique experiences.
First on the list, Steve Moakler and Andy Davis (the latter of whom is 1/10 of Ten out of Tenn, conveniently enough) at Exit/In. Steve is a student at Belmont here in Nashville, and an amazing singer/songwriter of the John Mayer sect of artists ... only, in my opinion, better looking, with a better stage presence, and better lyrics. And he's only 21 years old ... so much time to become even MORE amazing. He's one of my favorite undiscovered artists right now, and I think you should check him out immediately ... because there's going to be a lot of "I told you so"'s in the future if you fail to do so. ;) Here's clips of two of my faves. :-)
"False Alarms"
"Where You Belong"
He is just so freaking cute. I want to have a miniature version to carry around in my pocket and pull out to sing to me any time I want. /sigh A girl can dream ...
Unfortunately, we didn't get to stay for Andy, because it was also KingBilly is Your Friend night, a monthly gig our friends have over at 12th and Porter, and they started a little early this month (we had people texting us updates), so we had to skip over there. This is an amazing event because not only do you get to see KingBilly once a month, a group of six of the most talented musicians I have ever had the honor of knowing, but they also work hard to showcase a lot of other local talent. There are usually 2 or 3 other Nashville artists that open up the show and jam with the KingBilly boys all night long. KBiYF night is almost always the last Thursday of the month, starting at 8 pm, and best of all, it's FREE. There's really no excuse to miss it.
And if you're lucky, in addition to the amazing live music, Crazy Dancin' Guy will be there for your viewing pleasure! I need to be friends with this dude:
After KingBilly, we ran over to Cannery Ballroom, and caught a good hour at the end of Cross Canadian Ragweed's set ... Now, Ragweed isn't from Nashville by any means, but they're welcome here any time. I'm glad I made it over for at least part of their show, because I make it a point to attend every one of their concerts possible, as they are one of my favorite live acts ... ever (which is also demonstrative of how loyal I am to my KingBilly boys).
There is simply no other concert experience that compares to a Cross Canadian Ragweed show ... it is full of redneck, pot-smoking, Texas rock country-loving, DRUNK-ass people. And the music just brings them together in this drunken, singing, dancing, mass of mutual musical appreciation. You just ... have to go once to understand. And it's pretty much a decision I can't imagine anyone regretting. It is a night of great entertainment. Not to mention that Cody Canada is just ... beautiful. He was even wearing the cutest little vest (pictures to come ... ) !!!
Unfortunately, my camera died and I have no video documentation of Ragweed's show, but trust me when I tell you that it was incredible, as always.
So in one Nashville evening, I went from an acoustic, singer-songwriter alt-rock show at Exit/In, a very mellow evening of fantastic music, to a rocking, hazy, extremely loud country-rock bonanza of fantastic music at 12th and Porter, to a hot, sweaty, even louder Texas country haze of MORE fantastic music. And the most amazing part? All the other shows filled with fantastic music that were going on in Nashville that night that I didn't get to go to. One girl can only do so much in one evening, and my heart ... not to mention the laws of the space/time continuum ... dictated that three phenomenal shows were all I could handle on Thursday. Music City, however, knows no such limits.
I'm going to pop before January 21st, I just know it. POP, I tell you!!!
2) I Love You, Man trailer
First of all: Paul Rudd. I don't really need to go further. But if you need further convincing, there's also Jason Segel. And if this movie is half as funny as the trailer makes it look like it will be, I'll be satisfied.
3) "Sex on Fire" - Kings of Leon
I'm a little behind in getting into the new Kings of Leon album, Only by the Night, but I kept getting distracted by other great music. Sorry. But don't worry, I think it's just as good as pretty much everyone else did months ago when it came out and they raved about it. The first single is just sooooo good.
Plus I love these boys for generating a lot of great buzz about music that is NOT country coming out of Nashville. Anybody that helps me dispel that stereotype is okay in my book.
4) Charlie Bartlett
I hadn't watched this movie since it first came out, and I had just forgotten how much I loved it. It's a fantastic character piece and really just a heartwarming story, with a really great message. Sometimes you DO have to listen to kids. They may just be kids ... but they usually have a point. Kat Dennings is incredible in anything she does. Not to mention how lovable Anton Yelchin is as the title character (btw ... WHY HAVEN'T WE SEEN HIM SINCE THIS?! He's freaking amazing. Oh, imdb newsflash: he's in Star Trek! Yet another reason to be excited about JJ Abrams' masterpiece...) And Robert Downey, Jr. ... need I even talk about how fabulous he is? I didn't think so. I originally only wanted to see this movie because of Tyler Hilton, but there's so much more to it ... even though Tyler Hilton is just great as a bully with a mohawk. Oh, Murph, I hope to see you in the sequel, bitch. (actually a sequel to this movie is probably a terrible idea, but what the hell, I'd watch it).
5) The music video for Keith Urban's "Sweet Thing"
I've been obsessed with the song since he debuted it at his CMA performance back in November, but who knew the video would be just adorable as the song? Oh, wait, this is Keith we're talking about ... everyone knew that.
This post was long delayed for you in part by this photo (please, click to enlarge--for your benefit, not mine):
No, seriously, it's my desktop right now, and anytime I minimize a window I get distracted and lose all track of what I am doing for minutes at a time ...
I've always said that I didn't want to go to a huge, over-produced Jonas Brothers concert like they usually put on. I don't like gigantic concerts as a general rule, and I don't particularly care for teenage girls (especially ones prone to constant piercing screams), so it's really just a bad combination for me.
Then I heard about the post-American Music Awards surprise concert that these boys did--a stripped-down jam session with a bunch of celebrity pals ... on my BIRTHDAY, I might add ... and I was insanely jealous. I watched the videos and was so angry because this was the way I'd always wanted to see these guys live.
But, lo and behold, just a few weeks later, they announced that they, too, wanted to recreate this show ... and that they couldn't think of anywhere more appropriate to do so than Music City, USA. I knew I liked them for a reason--Merry Christmas, Ash ... thanks JoBros, you really shouldn't have!
The concert started out commonly enough--minus the fact that Tim McGraw and Faith Hill came out to introduce them, no big deal--with a few Jonas standards: "That's Just the Way We Roll", "Hold On", and "Gotta Find You". But after they got the tweenies worked into a screaming tizzy, they took a moment to talk about the evening, how different this show was going to be and how excited they were for their little make-up present to us in Nashville for staying away for about a year and half.
They then busted out a fantastic cover of John Mayer's "Gravity", and Nick rocked out on a glittery pink guitar, which I highly appreciated and so, apparently, did Joe.
Joe: "Hey Nick, I, uh, like your pink guitar."
Nick: "... thanks Joe. I like my pink guitar, too."
The boys proceeded to announce that one of the best parts about this show was having the opportunity to play around with and change up some of their songs, then busted out this awesome stripped- and slowed-down version of "Tonight".
The special guests started coming out of the shadows at this point. Michael W. Smith was first, followed by Martina McBride, with whom the brothers surprised me by performing her '90s hit "Independence Day", a longtime favorite of mine.
Joe developed a little crush on her, and Kevin assured him and the audience that she'd be back. They played their song "Goodnight and Goodbye", and this little display from Kevin:
had me hyperventilating a little. That guy and his guitar do unfair things to my heart.
Jordin Sparks came out and joined the boys for a rockin' cover of "Superstition", and then sang "No Air" with Joe ... Kevin and I were both a little disappointed that he didn't try and pull off some Chris Brown dance moves. (Joe WISHES!)
Amy Grant and Steven Curtis Chapman were the next guests, followed by an all-star jam cover of "The Weight" with Smith, Chapman, Vince Gill, and PHIL VASSAR (if you know anything about me and my history with Phil Vassar, that was a very surprising and exciting moment ... never would have guessed him as one of the "friends").
Vince Gill and Kevin Jonas jamming on guitar together ... such an exciting moment in my life. I can't even describe how I felt at that moment, but I was worried my heart was actually going to explode.
Probably a lot more exciting for Kevin ... just watching that boy GUSH about getting to play with their idols and some of the most talented musicians, and about how Nashville was just the perfect place to do it ... he is just so passionate and watching that unfold onstage, watching him play guitar so ardently, did nothing to curb how hopelessly in love with him I am ...
... which brings me to Brad Paisley. After being joined by their friends Honor Society and bringing back Martina (much to Joe's delight), to sing "When You Look Me in the Eyes":
the boys were joined by this country guitar slinger. I pegged Paisley as one of the special guests the day the concert was announced, but it was still fun to watch Kevin light up as he announced one of his very favorite artists joining them onstage, as well as this exchange:
Brad Paisley: "The uh, papers came through today, by the way, and I'm so proud to announce I've officially changed my name to Brad Jonas."
Joe: "Well, that's unfortunate, because we just changed--I just changed my name to Joe ... Paisley"
Brad: "Oh. I'll go through the process of gettin' it changed back."
Joe: "Okay, cool."
Kevin: "And I guess we'll just ... stay the same, Nick."
Watching Kevin play guitar with his idol and sing two of his favorite songs ever--"Waitin' on a Woman" and "Easy Money" (during which Kevin sang, SOLO, an entire verse!!! For those non-Jonas fans out there reading ... that's a big deal) was so ... so ... emotional for me. I was so excited for him ... and just for me, it was such a cool moment to be a part of.
JONAS BROTHERS. Singing COUNTRY. At the RYMAN. Could there have BEEN a more perfect evening for me? It honestly was kind of creepy ... like, JoBros, have you been reading my diary?
They followed Brad with an amazing cover of Tom Petty's "Free Fallin'" ... or, at least, what I could hear over the piercing screams at Joe's mischievous grin and proclamation of "I'm a baaaaad boy", was amazing, anyway.
I love how they scream the first time he says it, he looks at Nick as if to say, "Yeah, look what I can do", and then milks it for all it's worth the second time. The boy is too cute. Their band then jammed out on Bob Marley's "Waiting in Vain", Joe attempted a country version of "S.O.S." (the way it was originally going to be written, he claims) before launching into the regular version and following with "Burnin' Up" to lead into the grand finale all-star "American Pie" sing-along. Awesome ending note, boys.
All in all, I think the evening did wonders to showcase these guys for what what they really are (and what I've been trying to point out for months now): talented musicians and songwriters--so much more than a boy band or the joke everyone seems to see them as. Even if the teenagers in the crowd couldn't appreciate the amazing music and musical connections that happened last night because they were blinded by Joe taking off his jacket and scarf (which is also exciting, girls, I know ...), I was there boys. I heard, I was overwhelmed, I fell even more in love, my respect runs deeper, and I could not be happier I was a part of it. So thank you.
SET LIST:
That's Just the Way We Roll Hold On Gotta Find You Gravity Tonight My Place in This World (w/Michael W. Smith) Year 3000 Independence Day (w/Martina McBride) Goodnight and Goodbye Superstition (w/Jordin Sparks) No Air (w/Jordin Sparks) Cinderella (w/Steven Curtis Chapman) The Weight (w/Chapman, Smith, Phil Vassar, Vince Gill) Lovebug A Little Bit Longer Don't Close the Book (w/Honor Society) When You Look Me in the Eyes (w/Martina McBride) Waitin' on a Woman (w/Brad Paisley) Easy Money (w/Brad Paisley) Free Fallin' Waiting in Vain S.O.S. Burnin' Up (w/Big Rob) American Pie (w/everybody)
When Kevin says, "My dreams just came true..."? Mine, too, Kev, mine too. Don't worry.
I guess it kind of just hit me today that 2008 is really over. I'd been so worried about making plans for New Year's Eve that I didn't even think about the actual ending of the year. 2008 was pretty phenomenal, and 2009 is looking to be even better, but I thought I should just take a minute and reflect on all the highlights of this fantastic year before I have to say goodbye to it once and for all.
JANUARY
New Year's in Philly: $40, open bar, lots of Crown. Champagne toast. Great times, and even greater friends ... it was the perfect way to ring in the New Year. I think my favorite part of the evening was Mike's midnight toast: "Who the fuck knows where we'll be next year!?!?!" But I think we've all done pretty well for ourselves, so far. :)
At the end of the month I wrecked my car. That's not a highlight, but it's notable. R.I.P, Chester. You are missed.
FEBRUARY
I was sick for over half of this month, but right before I resigned myself to my bed and chain-watched four seasons of Gilmore Girls (I wish I was kidding), I saw Cross Canadian Ragweed at the Cannery Ballroom on February 9. This is always a life-changing experience, and I still remember that show pretty vividly.
I got a new car. A 2007 blue Ford Focus (I know what I like, okay?! Why mess with it?) His name is Nick. Nick Carraway (CARraway, get it?!?!) If you don't get the reference, you should probably catch up on your greatest works of literature, k? Anyway, Nick is pretty great, and we get along just fine.
Also, in February, we made some very important new friends. Basically we met our musical soulmates. Holiday Parade. You should check them out. They are my very very favorite boys, and I'm really not sure what I did without them. I almost forgot about meeting them in February ... because I feel like I've known them forever. :)
MARCH
Spring Break took me to Disney World with one of my best college girlfriends, Julia, and her little sister (I say little only because she's younger, but she's 19, so not that LITTLE). I hadn't been in over four years, and I became a 12 year old girl all over again (hmmm ... this is also around the time I started loving the Jonas Brothers ... coincidence?) We went for 4 days, and it was just the perfect trip ... perfect weather, no crowds, and great company.
I came home for all of five days before leaving for St. Patrick's Day in Philly. Even though I was 21 for the 2007 edition, this was my first official St. Patty's out in the bars, and we did it up right. Philly has the "Erin Express", free buses that drive you back and forth between six bars with $2 Killian's. And if you visit all of them, you get a t-shirt. Let's just say my wardrobe got a little more green :). And because the city officially moved the holiday to Saturday the 15th, we did bars that day, recooped on Sunday, and celebrated all over again with a house party on Monday night. Epic. What I managed to remember was quite memorable. Haaa.
APRIL
April was the beginning of the end, the downhill slide into graduation and all things senioritis. Starting with Rites of Spring the 18-20, everything is a blur until graduation.
Also, Tyler Hilton moved back to L.A. and had a going away concert concert. Sad day for Nashville.
MAY
Senior Beach Week in Destin with great friends, Cinco de Mayo, and graduation. So depressing, yet so fun. There's not much to say about it. But I miss college. :(
The end of May I was at home for my best friend's birthday in Philly, and then a string of graduation parties and quality time with the family. Probably the last time I'll be able to return home for such an extended period of time, and I took full advantage.
JUNE
More graduation parties ... one pretty much every weekend through the 21st. Then I headed back to Nashville for the very end of the month.
JULY
In July I went to my friend Casey's cabin in Georgia for a long weekend with a bunch of friends. A lot of relaxing and playing on the lake. Oh, and drinking absinthe?! And we stopped in Atlanta to go to Six Flags. Good times.
Jason Mraz AND Gavin DeGraw on the 17th. So worth the four hour drive to Indy. Amazing show ... and it didn't even matter that right after we drove so far to see him, Jason announced his fall tour and Nashville show ... because we just wanted more, anyway. He is just one of my favorite performers. Ever.
KingBilly Is Your Friend night for July was filmed for GAC this month, and the boys just blew me away. They always amaze me, but something about this month just broke down new walls and they impressed me all over again. Just when I think they can't get any better ... Also, we met our new friend and music/life soulmate David, who was interning here and living with some of the boys in the band this summer. He plans to move back here soon, a day I am very excited for and anxiously awaiting. David ... rocks.
Also, my friends from L.A./the Drew Davis Band came to town to play with Hootie and the Blowfish on their summer tour. I met Hootie, no big deal. This was the first of many visits from these boys this summer/fall, and they spoiled me. I hope these frequent visits continue in '09.
Also, this is when Roger introduced me to one of my soulmates, Beth Brinker. Beth and I had been one degree of separation for over 2 years(!!!!), but never met untill she graduated from Texas A&M (go Aggies!) and finally moved to Nashville in June, our paths finally crossing. We like to believe it was for a reason, that we were met to meet at this particular point in our lives, and I also like to believe we've been very good for each other. She gets the whole music thing the same way I do, and we've had a lot of great times together in the past five months, with, I believe, many many more to come. :)
AUGUST
Nothing monumental happened in August--just a lot of summer stuff. I babysat and watched the Disney Channel a lot, our friend Lindsey's parents came to visit and we went out on the lake for a day.
Oh, and the Jonas Brothers' new album came out. And was amazing. And I became even more obsessed with them. I probably listened to "Can't Have You" about 7,853,932 times this month. Approximately.
SEPTEMBER
At the beginning of September, HP came to visit again. We sat on the roof and went to Baja Burrito (where Andy got a grill ... made out of tin foil) before they left for their show in Chicago.
Then about a week later, we went to Atlanta to visit HP ... and to see Stephen Kellogg. We saw them on the 12th in Nashville, the 13th in Atlanta, and the 14th in Birmingham. See highlights below. This was also the trip where we started our vlog!! Mostly so I can remember all the things that happen in our life, which has been difficult in this blog so far, so good thing.
Then when we got back, we attended Matt Wertz's cd release at Border's, the ddb came to visit again and played a label showcase at 12th & Porter, and David came to visit for KingBilly Is Your Friend night!
September was probably my favorite month of 2008. Full of great friends, great adventures, and great music.
OCTOBER
October was another great month of music.
On the 3rd, Beth and I went to see Hanson at the Wildhorse.
2 days later, we attended Dierks Bentley's Miles and Music for Kids III, a big concert here in Nashville at the Riverfront with lots of special guests that benefits the Vanderbilt Children's Hospital. We rolled deep, with like ten friends, and had a blast. Dierks kicks ass, that's all there is to it.
Then on the 13th, we were all lucky enough to go to the ASCAP Awards at the Ryman. I can't really describe how amazing that night was. Just to be in a room full of people that love music as much as you do, honoring the writers and artists for all the best songs of the year ... it was amazing and kind of life-changing. They also honored Reba McEntire, and as they were going through her career highlights, I realized I'd really sorta been there for all of them ... being raised on the Reba/Garth/George/Alabama country of the 80s and 90s as I was. Really, truly, an incredible evening. And we took fun pics on the Red Carpet, something I've always wanted to do.
The 23-28 we went on tour again. We saw SK6ers in Indy on the 23rd, then back to back in Chicago on the 24th and 25th, hanging with our pals Clayton and Angus. Clayton Senne had opened for SK6ers in Nashville in September, and is really very talented and just a great guy. Check him out. We haven't finished our vlogs from this trip, just Indy and Day 1 in Chicago. We need to get on that. But we were thriving in Obama country, eating deep dish pizza after an epic journey to Gino's East, and spent a LOT of time on the train (thanks Angus).
We then saw HP with My Favorite Highway in Chicago on the 26th. We became tour bros and on with them to Dayton, OH--but MFH's transmission failed and we had to leave them behind. Because they cancelled that night, and it was an 18+ show, nobody came to the concert and we all just decided to get wasted. It was an interesting show, with just Michael and Andy playing acoustic, but a GREAT night. We were supposed to leave after the Dayton show, but the boys talked us into coming to Pittsburgh the next night so we could see MFH again ... but lo and behold, halfway there we get a call from Dave Cook and they are still stuck in Chicago, and have to cancel again. The venue in Pittsburgh was AWFUL, and we had another quite interesting evening, followed by a seven hour drive through the night back to Nashville. But it was totally worth it just to spend time with our boys. :-) We narrowly avoided staying on tour and going to NYC, but we knew we would never make it home at that point. They almost convinced me to quit my job and throw my stuff in the van--don't tempt me, boys. Just don't. I can't wait to go on tour for real, and I WILL do it someday. Maybe the next HP tour ... hmmm.
We made it back to Nashville just in time for Halloween and October KBiYF night--featuring special guest Hannah Montana!
We also had a Halloween party at our house with a bunch of my friends that are still in school at Vandy. It was a blastie, and we vow to have more people over this year for more great times. We played Battleship (the drinking version--ask me about it someday, it's fantastic). Shirts & Skins vs. Team Superior.
I really have no idea why so many boys were shirtless at my house that night ... but I can't say I minded ... or that it was the first time. :-P
NOVEMBER
The 4th was a pretty big day for all of us, and I don't think I need to go into details. We had a few people over to watch the results, and had settled in for the long haul, but it was all over by 11:30 pm. I never expected such a landslide. :-)
We saw Jedd Hughes at the Rutledge on the 6th, always a treat. The Rutledge is a GREAT venue, you should check out a show there sometime if you can.
We celebrated our friend Eric's bday and I saw Twilight ... then I celebrated my birthday several times. Bowling in Nashville with my roomie and work friends, on the actual day in DC with some college and high school friends combined that have ended up there, on Thanksgiving Eve back in the 'boro with high school friends, on Thanksgiving with the fam, and then on the 30th in Nashville with Casey, Chung, Gillian, Sam, and oh, yeah, JASON MRAZ. 23 on the 23rd ... my golden birthday was one of my best ever. :-)
DECEMBER
The second week of December was a very full week of music. On Monday we went to a taping for GAC of a Dierks Bentley concert at Rocketown, free and VIP, baby--I love my friends.
Rock Star.
On Tuesday night we went to Belmont's "Dead Day Eve" festival at 12th & Porter ... we went to see Steve Moakler, who is INCREDIBLE. Check him out now, because he's going to be HUGE and I'm going to say "I told you so" a LOT. But we ended up seeing a lot of very talented and varied bands, and it was a great night of live music.
Wednesday Clayton was in town to open for The Gabe Dixon Band (also amazing!) at 3rd & Lindsley, and after some quality time with him we headed back over to 12th & P for Chris Janson. This boy (and he is just a boy, barely 21) could probably change your life musically. When I see him live, I feel like I'm in the 60s watching an opening act for Johnny Cash or Elvis Presley ... maybe both. He blows my mind every time.
Friday was the November/December KBiYF combo, with RICHARD MARX and Matt Scannell of Vertical Horizon. Oh, and Taylor Swift came to check them out (on her BIRTHDAY, no less!) and her fiddle player, Caitlin Evanson,jammed with them. No big deal. Not an epic night for my boys or anything. And they sang a Christmas song, Rudolph, at that, which may have been a highlight of my life.
We have a lot of videos from this week, we just need to edit and publish them, so hopefully you'll all get to experience some of it in the future ...
That weekend, we baked a thousand Christmas cookies, and bought JONAS BROTHERS TICKETS! After they announced their intimate show at the Ryman, which is TOMORROW, btw. Merry Christmas to meeeeee (thanks boys, you shouldn't have!). We delivered cookies to KingBilly at Hotel Villa that night and to the rest of our friends throughout the week, and went to see our friend TJ play at 3rd & Lindsley.
That next weekend was the roomie's 21st birthday. We got a hotel downtown (which the Pittsburgh Steelers were also staying at ... crazy and kind of annoying!) and went out to dinner and laser tag before hitting the bars at midnight. She lasted three bars before we spent the rest of the evening by a toilet. All in all, a great 21st birthday. Love you, roomie! :-)
Our apartment flooded the next night, when our pipes froze and burst in the kitchen, but it was home for Christmas for me and not worrying about it! It seems to be all sorted out now.
Christmas Eve Eve at the McDonald household was as usual an event with lots of drinking and Trivial Pursuit, which our generation won this year! (We play Mike's friends vs. his older sister Erin's friend vs. his parents and their friends)
Then Christmas with the family, which was lovely, and then I got a 24-hour stomach bug, which was NOT lovely, but I recovered just in time for my first big high-school-friend-wedding event. It was open bar and we saw a lot of old friends, including Jess, one of my best friends from high school who moved to Georgia our junior year and I don't get to see NEARLY often enough. It was a great night of old friends making new memories, and a beautiful wedding. Although it weirds me out that I'm at THAT age now ... eeek.
TABLE NINETEEN FOREVA! Haha. We got a little ridiculous, but we had a lot of fun dancing! :-)
Back to Nashville after that, back to work, and New Year's Eve took us to the Music City Bowl game, where VANDERBILT WON! It was our first bowl since 1982, and our first bowl WIN since 1955. Needless to say, I'm glad I braved the cold to go to the game, it was very exciting. Then a party at Hotel Villa with some of my very favorite people ... but that's another blog for another year ... ;-)
I'm an Orbit gum connoisseur. Also, I pretty much run a halfway house for bands. So if you're playing in Nashville, aren't a creeper, and don't want to sleep in your van, hit me up. ;)
