Here, have a playlist

Hmm. Where were we?

Today was the first day I’ve been home straight after work in the past three weeks. Things have been that busy!  Our Sky+ box probably thinks I’ve died since the tv shows just keep stacking up.

Scott was away on a long boys’ weekend in Spain. Besides going out on Saturday night, I tried to do all the things he hates: shopping for clothes, eating peanut putter, and plowing through the Keeping Up with the Kardashians episodes.

I was able to do the first two, but I got hung up on the last one. Instead I watched Ramona & Beezus. Ramona Quimby was a favorite character from my childhood and this movie has quite a few reputable actors in it. It also has Selena Gomez.

So of course I then had to watch the True Hollywood Story-esque Selena Gomez E! special
and google her for a good hour or so.

And then it was Monday morning and I was back to work. Damn you Selena and your impossibly shiny hair.

Over the weekend, I did manage to perfect the world’s greatest workout playlist ever. And I’ve made a great start on a dinner party playlist. See, VERY BUSY.

Have a look. Let me know what you think. Accept this as a very lame attempt to post something.

I should add that this playlist was created for more than just my ears so you won’t find Miley Cyrus or *NSYNC on this one.

Also, please don’t be under any illusions that my workout lasts as long as this playlist.

(Sky+, I will see you later. I’ll wear those sweatpants you love so much.)

The-most-awesomest-workout-playlist-ever-apart-from-the-one-I-made-with-even-cheesier-songs

k-os  “Sunday Morning”
Phoenix “1901″
Michael Jackson “Beat It”
Flo Rida “Low”
Foo Fighters “Everlong”
Tinie Tempah “Pass Out”
Foster the People “Helena Beat”
Fenech-soler  “Lies”
Rage Against the Machine “Sleep Now in the Fire”
Lady Gaga “Marry the Night”
Metric “Gold Guns Girls”
Jet “Are You Gonna Be My Girl”
Klaxons “Golden Skans”
Katy Perry feat. Kanye West “E.T.”
OutKast “I Like the Way You Move”
Explosions in the Sky “Trembling Hands”
Kanye West “All of the Lights”
Ke$ha “Take It Off”
The Hives “Hate to Say I Told You So”
Peter Bjorn and John “Second Chance”
Muse “Plug In Baby”
The Offspring “You’re Gonna Go Far Kid”
T.I. feat. Rihanna “Live Your Life”
Green Day “Holiday”
Flo Rida feat. Ke$ha “Right Round”
Better than Ezra “Juicy”
Guns N’ Roses “Welcome to the Jungle”
David Guetta feat. Nicki Minaj “Where Them Girls At”
Dropkick Murphys “I’m Shipping Up to Boston”
Kid Cudi “Up Up & Away”
Kevin Rudolf, Lil Wayne “Let It Rock”
Klaxons “Atlantis to Interzone”
The Heavy “How You Like Me Now”
N.E.R.D., Nelly Furtado “Hot-n-Fun”
Jessie J “Do It Like a Dude”
Jason Derulo “Don’t Wanna Go Home”
Ice Cube “You Can Do It”
Tiesto feat. Tegan and Sara “Feel It In My Bones”
Arctic Monkeys “When the Sun Goes Down”
OutKast “B.O.B.”
N.E.R.D. “She Wants to Move”
David Guetta, feat. Taio Cruz, Ludacris “Little Bad Girl”
Florence + the Machine “Dog Days Are Over”
DJ Laz, Flo Rida, Casely “Move, Shake, Drop-remix”
Young the Giant “My Body”
Britney Spears “Til the World Ends”
Eminem “Lose Yourself”
Ke$ha “Blow”
David Guetta feat. Rihanna “Who’s That Chick?”
Chris Brown “Yeah 3x”
Swedish House Mafia “Save the World”
Jay Sean, Lil Wayne “Hit the Lights”
Rihanna “Disturbia”
Kings of Leon “Radioactive”
Pitbull feat. Ne-Yo “Give Me Everything”
Sleigh Bells “Kids”
Example “Kickstarts”
Cults “Go Outside”

Wanted

There are very few material things I want in life. (Assuming I still have everything I have right now.)

If I had a bigger closet, I’m sure I could come up with some ideas but for the most part, I’m ok with what I have. And I assure you, I have plenty.

Most of the things I really want are bigger picture things—to achieve personal and professional goals, to be a good friend, to be confident, to learn another language, to have a considerable nest egg. The list of “big picture” wants is actually quite long so I’ll spare you the rest.

Lately, there have been only a couple of things that I really want but don’t fall under the big picture umbrella.

1. To see Bon Iver at an intimate gig in London.

2. To be accepted on Pinterest.

I’ve missed Bon Iver’s tour the past few years and he hasn’t announced any more dates. This time last year I was actually in Justin Vernon’s hometown of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and I saw nothing. I ate cheese curds and listened to him on my iPod. I also ate a sub from Jimmy John’s. God bless the Midwest. A close second to the intimate gig, I suppose.

With the 14-year-old Birdy’s version of Bon Iver’s “Skinny Love” playing on the radio recently, I was reminded just how much I wish Bon Iver was piped out of speakers 24/7 in elevators, tube stations, shopping malls, post offices, and supermarkets.

In the soundtrack of my life, Bon Iver would take up most of my years even though I’ve only been listening to them for a few years. I mean, if “Woods” isn’t the song to play softly in the background while I lay in bed fifty years from now—gray hair and liver spots and all—I don’t know what is.

So, that’s #1. I’m still waiting for Bon Iver.

Now, Pinterest, you little beauty.

Pinterest is a virtual pinboard of sorts. You “pin” your favorites-photos, products, recipes, articles, anything you like. People can follow your boards and comment on what you pin. It’s fantastic for keeping your “favorites” in one place and browsing others’ boards for inspiration.

Because the website was still in the early days of development, it was not open to just anyone. It was only open to a select few and by few, probably hundreds. But not me.

I submitted a request for an invite and waited. And waited. (Though, to be totally honest, I didn’t wait that long, but damnit, this is the digital age. We don’t wait for anything anymore!)

I’m happy to report that I’m no longer wanting to join Pinterest because this morning I got an email saying I’d been accepted. I could starting pinning away! Pin to my heart’s content! Pin like crazy!

I had every intention of doing so but between work and hayfever, I’ve been a bit slow to pin. But now that I’ve busted out Bon Iver and the Sudafed nasal spray, I’m good to go.

If you’re cool like me and have Pinterest, let’s be friends.

Do you hear what I hear?

I still haven’t replaced those Apple earbuds that zap in my ears. On Tuesday, I realized I hadn’t felt them do it at all. I thought, huh…ok, maybe I can get another month out of them.

And then the next morning, I was waiting for my train and I couldn’t turn up the volume. The volume control was working on my iPod but the level of the music was constant (and clearly not loud enough for me.) I took the earbuds out and I could still hear the music. Damn you 5th generation iPod and your built-in speaker.

I plugged the earbuds back in but the iPod wouldn’t pick up that I wanted to listen through them and not, oh, I don’t know, share my entire music collection with all of Hertfordshire! I quickly shut off the iPod because while I love Salt-n-Pepa’s “Shoop”, I do understand it’s not everyone’s cup of tea at 7:25 am.

And then the light bulb went on. (Or is it off? I’ve been Googling this for far too long and it seems people say both. You turn on a light, obviously, so I am going with that…but I get that it may be off, like a trap going off. Whatever, it was like a massive light bulb shining brightly in my brain. It also had a smiley face and stick arms. He even pointed his finger in the air and said, “Aha! I’ve got this one!”)

—

The day before I was standing on a crowded train, listening to my commuting play list. (Everyone needs one.) I noticed the older business man across from me look at me a couple of times but we fight to get the space to lean against the doors stand next to each other on the train every morning so I didn’t think much about it.

When we finally got to Kings Cross, two men next to me looked at each other and I think one of them said,”Can you imagine listening to that every day?” And they both looked at me quickly before we all piled off the train.

I wondered what they said but I couldn’t hear perfectly over my music and I told myself they probably said, “Can you imagine doing this every day?” or “Can I have the sports section of your paper?” or SOMETHING ELSE COMPLETELY IRRELEVANT AND OF NO INTEREST TO ME.

I remember feeling a bit…well, the feeling you get when something happens and you don’t know if you should feel embarrassed or upset or what. You curse yourself for not being able to just let it go. I think way too much about what others think about me.

But now I know why I felt that way. The music was coming out of my iPod and not my earbuds. I can’t be sure how long this was going on. I also may or may not have been listening to Mariah Carey’s version of “I want to know what love is” more than once.

I never ever want to get on the 7:36 am train EVER AGAIN.

A little ray of musical sunshine

It’s Monday. Most of you are probably at work. You have 4 weeks to go until payday. It’s cold out there. Football season is over. This may or may not be good news for you.

So I wanted to share something. It’s this little gem by a Danish group called Alphabeat and I love it. It brings me back to my Kids Incorporated days. Doesn’t it just make you want to jump up on your desk, use your umbrella as a mic and lead your coworkers in a dance?

If this song doesn’t make your Monday a little bit brighter, you have something seriously wrong with you.

I said 4-eva and I mean 4-eva

And now the rumours are being stomped out.

By Danny Wood, or Dwood to his friends. It seems Dwood wants everyone to know that there aren’t any plans for a NKOTB reunion. But his album is coming out in Australia. Hint, hint.

I don’t see this as horrible news. This sort of desperation is what leads to all future band reunions. I think it’s only a matter of time until all of the NKOTB members start coming out of the woodwork and after miserable album sales on their own, they’ll get together and decide it’s time. Look at Take That and Spice Girls. It’s a classic pattern.

In the meantime, I’ll keep looking for my Jonathan Knight t-shirt.

NKOTB 4-EVA!

The rumours are starting.

My inner 9 year old is jumping up and down and thinking, Where’s my New Kids on the Block beach towel, cassette player and tshirt when I really need them???

My 20-something true self is thinking, And wouldn’t it be great if Mark Wahlberg was there too? Just standing there. With no shirt on.