Greetings, my lovelies. 2009 has ended and I'm kind of happy to see it go. Overall, I guess it was a good year; it started out strong and I had some really, really great times, but since August I've had more downs than ups in life and I'm just ready for the new year to be full of some awesome and lots of happy times! I have some plans for this year, but instead of making any real resolutions, I'm just going to focus on being happy and doing whatever it takes to stay happy. And, for those of you that see me regularly, since I'm jumping on the happy train, if you see me all blerged and blah, you have my permission to yell at me. Well, maybe not yell. You can just remind me that I said this year was about happy Karen and blergy Karen != happy. And then maybe give me a hug to make me happy. ^_^
On that note, Happy New Year!! It's finally 2010; the start of a new decade, and hopefully a year full of great things for me, including some more fantastic music! However, since 2009 is no more, I think we should take a look back at some of the great new music we got in the past year, as judged by yours truly.
^_^
Now, it's really hard for me to rank music, as a lot of my musical choices on any given day are mood-dependent. So, with that said, I do have several albums that were released in 2009 that I listened to a lot more than others, so for the sake of this blog entry, we will call these my "favorites of 2009", and they are (in no particular order):
Hombre Lobo - Eels I love me some Eels. I think it's safe to say that E is one of my favorite musicians, and even if he didn't have a magnificent beard, I'd still make that claim. His albums are always wonderful, and Hombre Lobo is no exception. ALSO! E is coming out with YET ANOTHER new album on January 19th, so be sure to check out End Times on the 19th! 2 new albums from Eels in less than 6 months?! In the words of Jayne Cobb: "...I'll be in my bunk."
Top tracks: "My Timing is Off", "Ordinary Man", and "That Look You Give That Guy"
It's Not Me, It's You - Lily Allen I have to admit that I really tried to not like Lily Allen. I refused to listen to her after her first album Alright, Still came out, because I just didn't think I'd like her at all. And then I listened...and I liked. Off of her first album, there were a few songs that stuck out for me that I favored over others, but It's Not Me, It's You is a better album, overall, in my eyes. She takes from several musical styles for her songs, including a country-western number for Not Fair, and a wonderful acoustic version of The Fear. She also touches on great topics, such as politics and sex, and even religion. Sadly, she did announce toward the end of 2009 that she was quitting music, but if she's going to quit, this is a great ending album for her.
Top tracks: "The Fear", "Fuck You", "Who'd Have Known", and "Not Fair".
Hazards of Love - The Decemberists Oh, Colin Meloy. You never cease to amaze me, and you really did it this time. Hazards of Love was not only one of my favorite albums of the year, but when I saw them tour this year, their concert became my new all-time favorite concert. They have such wonderful stage presence (this was 2nd time seeing them live) and their songs are just a-mazing. AND, as if it weren't enough to have a new album from The Decemberists, they also got Shara Worden from My Brightest Diamond to lend her vocals to the album, and she even toured with them. Double amazing. Another reason that this album makes my list is because it's not just an album, but a rock opera. The story has young lovers, an evil queen, and even a villainous rake. If you have yet to listen to this album, I suggest setting aside an hour and listen to it from start to finish! However, if you don't have a WHOLE HOUR to dedicate, I suggest:
Top tracks: "The Rake's Song", "The Abduction of Margaret", and "The Wanting Comes in Waves/Repaid" (which, if I had to pick a fave song for the year, this would be the list)
Lungs - Florence and the Machine When I first heard their single, "Kiss With a Fist", I feverishly scoped out the internet to see if there was more music from this band for me to listen to. Sadly, at the time, there wasn't. But, in April they came out with an EP which held me over until they released their full album and good lord, was it worth the wait. Florence has such a beautiful voice and her lyrics are just fantastic; I really hope to hear more from them in the future. If I could pick 2 artists to do a duet together, it'd be Florence Welch and Shara Worden. I think they'd sound AMAZING together. Flo, Shara; get on that.
Top tracks: "Falling", "Cosmic Love", "Kiss With a Fist" and "Hurricane Drunk"
Aim and Ignite - fun. I'd never heard of this band until a couple of months after they released this album, and on first listen, I was a bit iffy on if I'd like them. But, on my 2nd listen, I was hooked. They have such a unique sound that you don't hear from bands today, and their music really is...well, fun. At times, they give off an almost Queen-esque vibe and it just works well for them. And for me. This album has made it to my singing-and-dancing-as-I-clean-the-kitchen playlist (along with Glee!) and I don't see it leaving my top playlists anytime soon. Also, Nate Ruess, formerly of The Format, is the front man for this band, so if you miss The Format, give fun. some love!
Top tracks: "Light a Roman Candle With Me", "At Least I'm Not As Sad (As I Used to Be)", and "Be Calm"
Further Complications - Jarvis Cocker Jarvis. How I love you. And I hope you never stop making music. I think allmusic sums up this album rather well, by saying "the songs here pulsate with perversion, a middle-aged man making damn sure he's going to get with a tight 23-year-old body yet again" and said it's "impossible not to happily wallow in the flood of filth unleashed by Further Complications". Jarvis, you may be a creepy dude, but I love your creepy. #love
Top tracks: "I Never Said I Was Deep", "Homewrecker" and "Fuckingsong"
Dark Was the Night - lots of awesome people This album is a compilation album released to benefit the Red Hot Organization, which is a charity set up to raise money and awareness for HIV and AIDS. So, not only is purchasing this album contributing to a great cause, but it's also contributing to your ears loving you. Because it's awesome. Spoon, The Decemberists, Cat Power, Andrew Bird, and My Brightest Diamond all have songs that appear on this album, and that's just to name a few! This 30-track, double disc album is a must to sample some of the great bands we have around today. Go check it out. Go. Now!
Top tracks: "Sleepless", "Feeling Good", "Lua" and "Love vs. Porn"
Fantasies - Metric Somehow, I managed to not know about Metric until 2009, but this Canadian band has been around for a while. Apparently, I've led a sheltered life. Anyway, Emily Haines fronts this band and since I just discovered them this past year, I wasn't sure that they had a new album since they were all new to me! Anywho, while all of their albums are great, this one has some of my favorites from them, and since I am a newb to them, I hope to hear more new music from them in the future, or even another solo album from Emily Haines.
Top tracks: "Blindness", "Help I'm Alive", "Satellite Mind" and "Twilight Galaxy"
The Mountain - Heartless Bastards Another band that I didn't know before 2009, and they probably have one of the best band names ever. Their earlier albums are definitely more garage rock than The Mountain, but their lead singer Ericka Wennerstrom has such a unique voice, and her vocals coupled with their folky-vibe on this album really worked well.
Top tracks: "The Mountain", "So Quiet", and "Be So Happy"
Gallery - Dion Roy One of my favorite sites is blip.fm, and one of the reasons I love it so much is because of the awesome music and people that I get introduced to. One such great person, and great musician is a dude from out east named Dion Roy. Not only is he a great person, he also released his debut album this past year and it's pretty fantastic. He's also releasing an EP this month, which I've already heard and again, fantastic. If you want to help out a starving artist (ok, so not starving. I know for a fact that he eats tacos and some questionable homemade snow cones...), please check out his album Gallery, and if you're in the NY area, check out his site for upcoming shows!
Top tracks: "So It Goes", "Won't Go On", and "Wants It"
So, while these are my "favorites of 2009", there are quite a few other albums that were released this year that I like a lot and will love once I have a chance to listen to them more. ^_^ So, for a the quick list of "will be added to the favorites of 2009 sometime in 2010", also in no particular order:
Coaster - NOFX
Ray Guns Are Not Just the Future - The Bird and the Bee
Saturday, January 02, 2010
It’s such a gas when you bring up the past.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Sometimes I wish for falling, wish for the release...
Five whole months, and no updates. I think I've officially failed as a blogger, but I suppose there is always a chance that I will one day get back on the horse and update regularly...obviously, that day has just not come yet.
Life has been surprisingly good since I last updated. I've stayed quite busy with work (and it's finally starting to calm down. YAY!), but have found myself drinking more as a side effect. I should say here that previously, I drank about 3 times a year, so it really doesn't take much for my drinking to increase. I have had some great talks with friends while slightly-a-lot inebriated, so yay to whiskey and coke! I've also decided that I will not be finding my Mr. Wonderful™ while singing show tunes in my basement, so I've also been forcing myself to go out more to maybe meet some new people; preferably the kind with a penis and good sense of humor.
As an aside, while I do appreciate people attempting to set me up with people, I would really like it if they would be local people. Or, you know, people who are actually single. Saying "I have the perfect guy for you! But...he's not single yet." is not really what I'm looking for. *sigh*
Aside from drinking and socializing, I have found myself feeling rather...morose more than a few times in the past few months, and wish I could pinpoint the cause. The most likely culprit is that, while I've been happier lately than I've been in a loooong time, I still feel as though I'm missing out on things. Things like snuggles and cuddles, and things like accomplishing any sort of personal goal or want. I'd love to get a career doing something I'd love and helping people, or to find someone I actually want to be with, but I think I've all but given up on going after my own desires, at least until Jackson is older.
Since I've become a mom, I've pretty much put Jackson before my own life, as I think a mother should. But I think I'm going overboard and actually using him as an excuse to not go after things, rather than him actually being a cause for me to not do something. I'm sure I'll find a happy median at some point for that, but right now, the fear of actually going after something I want scares me too much! Lame? I know it.
Speaking of drinking, I've been drinking some wine tonight, listening to music and reading some poetry (more pensive than emo, I swear), and decided to share some of my favorite poems with you, my gentle readers (hehe. Too many people are re-watching Buffy, so I've had quotes swimming around my head all week. "Oh, hello there, gentle viewers!" *ahem* sorry. Tangent. Moving on...)
The Stone, by Wilfred Wilson Gibson. I first read this poem back in high school, and I cried the first time through. So heartbreaking.
The Terms in Which I Think of Reality, by Allen Ginsberg. I've been a long-time Ginsberg fan, and really could list quite a few favorites from him alone, but this is one of his under-appreciated poems, and one that I think most can relate to, at one time or another.
Song to Celia, by Benjamin Jonson. This song gets to me each time, because I associate it with my ex. Very moving.
I Loved You, by Alexander Pushkin. The link has multiple translations, but I know and love the 1st one listed. How I long to feel a love this strongly, or better yet, to have someone else feel this way towards me. And he can be Russian. Preferably Russian, actually... ^_^
I'm Nobody! Who are you?, by Emily Dickinson. I've loved this poem since I first read it as a teenager. It's ok to just be a nobody.
Variation on the Word Sleep, by Margaret Atwood. Another love poem, but not an overly lovey-dovey one. This poem just makes my heart sink and soar at the same time; such blissfulness when you think of the emotion and desire behind it, yet such melancholy when you realize it's unrequited love.
I Carry Your Heart with Me, by ee cummings. If I should ever get married, I'd want this to be my vows.
Annabel Lee, by Edgar Allan Poe. Poe is another favorite, not just for his poems, but also for his short stories. This poem is beautiful, and sad. Are you noticing a trend with most of these? I love me some tragedy. Which leads me to...
Sigh No More, by William Shakespeare. I love Shakespeare, and while I do love his tragedies, I do also enjoy the comedies. Much Ado About Nothing is one of my favorites, and this sonnet from that play is one of my favorites. I figured I'd leave the beloved sappy sonnets out of the list, since they're all well-known and pretty cliche.
Drunk as Drunk, by Pablo Neruda. Holy buckets do I love it. One of those poems that can make the bits get all tingly. ^_^
Ok. I think that's enough for now. Sorry for the lack of silly Karen this time; I promise to be less blergy next time! Toodles for now, my gentle readers (hehehe. Oh, Andrew...).
^_^
Music Pick for the Day: "Falling", by Florence and the Machine
Beverage Pick for the Day: White Zinfandel
Socks for the Day: Felix the Cat!
Monday, June 22, 2009
You might laugh, you might frown...
Heyo, you blog-readers, you! I have been gone for far too long, and the only excuses I can give you are that I've either been in a coma for 3 months, or I've just been ultra lazy and un-bloggy. Or, you know, my dog ate it...whatever "it" may be (hey, it works for homework sometimes, so why can't it be a valid excuse for an extended blog absence?).
If you guessed "I've just been ultra lazy and un-bloggy", you'd be correct!...ish. It's more that I've been slowly letting life things snowball while I ignore them, therefore being both distracted and unmotivated. And then today, most of those life things got sick of being ignored. So, I had a classic Karen freak-out today and my stress level was up here *stands on her tippy toes and stretches her hand waaaay up to give the full effect of "up here"* But then! After I talked to my sisters and my mom (heart family), and then after my brain esplodey all over my Disgby (heart Crystal), I was finally starting to relax and got all sleepy-like. So, I put on Spongebob (was missing J-man and Nickelodeon makes me feel mom-y), and took a wee bit of a snooze on the couch. After my mini napfest, I checked my Facebook and people sent me e-hugs, which are almost as good as real hugs, and it made me smile a bit. But then...oh, but then, I went to blip.fm. And what was the first song that I heard? No, not anything from The Outfield. Ready for this? Ready!?!?
Teen Witch, "Top That"!
Yeah. That was the final blow to crushing my blergs. Who knew that all I'd need was some cheesy 80's teen movie rap to make me realize that life isn't so bad? I'm a strange creature, but I'm nothing if not easily amused.
Like...really easily amused.
It's almost sad, really...
Anywho, life is more or less back to a simmer now and hopefully I can avoid having it boil over again, at least for a few months. I'm going to be busy for the next few months, and I only have one other stress-invoking thing to take care of, so until that's over, I may still be on edge...I just need to muster the courage to just do it and get it over with, and soon.
One other thing I've been blerging about lately is that I've been single for 2 years now. Two years. Two of them. And, it's sad, but the things I miss most are the snuggles and hugs. I'm a huggy person, so I get my hug fix from friends and family, but it's just not the same. But, I've whined about boys enough on here, so I won't delve into a sappy "woe is me" post. Besides, while I was stressing today, it was the first time in a while that I'd been thankful I was single; one less thing to juggle. So, yeah, spinsterhood! ^_^
Oh, I almost forgot. Pre-napfest tonight, I was watching How I Met Your Mother (The Naked Man episode...man, I love that show) and eating ice cream, and it at least made me forget the stress for 30 minutes! So, because I know you all care to know what makes me happy, here is a short list of My Favorite Things:
1.) Music! Now, most music can make me happy, but I can put on Gogol Bordello, Pulp, Stars, the Fratellis (lalalas!!!), any Greg Dulli, or Eels, and I can't help but get warm fuzzies. If all else fails, my "musicals" playlist will make me smile 9 out of 10 times (but somedays I like to wallow, and refuse the musicals medicine).
2.) Pocky. I don't quite understand the power that it has on me, but if I'm having a bad day, and someone gives me pocky, I just can't help but feel loved and happy. It's like chocolate-coated happiness from Japan and the crunchy noise that it makes when you bite it is what love sounds like. True.
3.) Haka! I'm pretty sure I've brought up the All Blacks and their Haka before, but in case I haven't, I present exhibit A:
...I'll be in my bunk. Also, would it be weird to ask my future husband to do the Haka as I walk down the aisle? It would? Dammit. ;_;
/rawr
4.) Kilts. EXHIBIT B!:
'Nuff said.
5.) Monkeys. The animal, as well as the word, are happy-makers. They're just that great. Monkeys.
6.) My J-man. I'm seeing him less now that school is out, but being a mommy is without a doubt my favorite thing in life. Oh, and [proud parent boasting] Jackson will be starting the Gifted and Talented program at school starting this fall! [/proud parent boasting] I'm SO beyond proud of that kid! Yay, Jackson!!! ^_^
Ok. That's enough for now. There are many, many, many other things that make the Karen all smiles, but I'm getting boredish and think I may go watch Weeds from tonight and then get some sleep!! So long, people of the interwebz! *muah*
^_^
Music Pick for the Day: "LDN" by Lily Allen
Beverage Pick for the Day: weird WoW Mountain Dew... very weird, indeed.
Socks for the Day: Brown, green, orange and gray striped ankle socks. Man, even my socks have the blergs today...tomorrow, knee high pink and purple stripes...how can I not have a good day in pink striped socks?!
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Set phasers to random, and let the babbling begin
ZOMG! Hi. Um, so, like, I've been gone for a while 'n stuff, and, like, I don't even know what to really say...'n stuff. Or something. Ish. Anywho, I said last night that I should stop neglecting this here blog, so tonight, I am updating...but I'm not *only* updating my blog. Oh, no. In addition to updating my blog for the first time in over a month, I've also logged into WoW for the first time in as much time, and I think I nearly gave Ms. Catrena a heart attack: zhe moonkin lives! But it doesn't stop there...blogging, wowing, aaaaaaand...blipping! The trifecta of fun! Although, since I'm not just doing those three things, it's not really a trifecta...because I'm also back up for J-man in Super Mario Galaxies, chatting with random dudes (not really...just Raz ^_^), and doing laundry, all while chewing bubble gum and rubbing my belly. WHEW! Now, if this isn't a night of supreme awesome and random, I just don't even know what is. I really have no goal for this update, other than just talking 'bout off random things from my mind-mush. So let the babbling of brain-gib randomness commence!
Random thought #1: Well, not so much random, as I know where it stems from, but am I the only person who prefers to eat boxed mac & cheese reheated, as leftovers? This doesn't apply to just any and all mac & cheese; I'm talking about the cheese-powder Kraft kind. I think it's because it has a taste that's a bit...off, much like leftovers do, and it's a quality that normal food shouldn't have. Thus, I prefer the funky taste of cheap mac & cheese when it's a day old and allowed to be a bit funky. (Did this make sense to you? Because it makes sense to me...)
Random thought #2: I kind of wish that I'd learned to play an instrument when I was younger. Well, I was a trumpet player for about 3 weeks in 5th grade, but that's about as far as it went. I wasn't bad at it, and caught on pretty quickly to the basics, but I guess I was never really encouraged to play and just lost interest. Trumpeting aside, I think that I would have liked to play the piano, or the violin, as they both seem soothing to me. And I think that's why I've been thinking about it lately, since I've been in need of things to soothe the Karen. Now I only have TV and movies to soothe my troubled head, and goodness knows I watch way too much as it is (ps. still loving my awesome TV of loveness). Oh, well. Perhaps one day I'll decide to take some piano or guitar lessons or find someone to teach me. I can offer baked goods in exchange for lessons. Tempting offer, no?
Random thought #3: Can anyone really be addicted to the internet? And if so, would it be a bad thing? I guess the use of the internet could sway the answer, but as a whole, I think that the internet is a good thing. You can learn new things, meet new people, get in touch with old (read: from the past; not necessarily elderly) people, and find things to keep you entertained indefinitely. Although, on the flip side, you could learn fake new things, and meet creepy, fake new people or fake old (again, read: from the past...quit picking on the elderly already!) people, and you could be entertained indefinitely by really bad internet porn (like a car wreck, it is: you shouldn't really watch, yet you just can't look away). However, bad things aside, I think the good out weighs the bad. And as long as you are social-like and venture outdoors occasionally for work and such, it's a-ok to be figuratively attached to your Blackberry at the hip (and I only say figuratively, as I have not yet gotten a clip to literally attach my Blackberry to my hip)...ok, so this was more a question of being addicted to my Blackberry, but I figured more people could relate to the internet, as a whole, and not just the mobile version.
(and that segues into my next...)
Random thought #4: blip.fm is either the best or worst thing that I've happened upon on these here interwebz. It is fantastic, because it allows me to play sweet music for a bunch of random internet folk, and at the same time allows me to find new music from the same random internet folk. And some of those random folks are pretty awesome, musically and personally (as personally as I can tell from random tweets and IMs). BUT, blip.fm is also a huge time sink and you can lose hours on it, just listening to music and @ing people...ok, so that's more of a whiny reason to say it's the worst, but dammit, I needed something negative to say! Overall, I think blip is probably my favorite place on the intertubes right now, and I hope that I don't tire of it too soon. Also, this would be my #1 addiction, if only there were a mobile version available for my BB. Come on, blip! Get on my phone!
Ok. I think I've hit my quota for talking about nothing for now. I'll try to update soonish, but knowing me, "soonish" will be sometime before May...if you're lucky.
And, finally, I'll leave you with a conversation that I had with my son yesterday, as we took a walk at dusk.
J-man: What was that? ...was that a bat?
me: Maybe. Don't worry, they won't hurt you, buddy.
J-man: Some bats can hurt you.
me: Most bats won't hurt you.
J-man: Are vampire bats real?
me: Yes. But, they are just bats and don't turn into vampires or anything.
J-man: Because vampires aren't real.
me: Right. Because vampires aren't real...not like those zombies.
J-man: *gulp*
^_^
Music Pick for the Day: "Elvis Ain't Dead" by Scouting For Girls (this song makes me swoon with its overly cheesy line "I think I need a love-lobotomy". Yeah, that makes me just all melty. /swoon)
Beverage pick for the Day: grape juice (hey, it was free and I was thirsty...and dammit, it was tasty!)
Socks for the Day: lime green and white ankle socks, with bananas and the words "cheeky monkey" all over them (and, per Jackson, they are "silly")
Sunday, February 08, 2009
Can you at all times wear socks, because I’m still scared of feet...
Um...*taps the mic* Is this thing on? Hello? Wow, hey there! So sorry to have been MIA for a while again; I just can't seem to get back into a blog-groove-zone-type-thing. I'd say that I'll try to be better about updating...but you've heard it before, so I'll just say sorry... so, um, sorry! Let's hug it out. *huggles to all* Ok, well I at least feel better now. Glad we got that out of the way.
Hmm...so what has been going on in Karen world this past month? Well, a lot probably happened, but I'm not sure where to start or which things are blog-worthy, so instead of recapping, I'll just ramble for a bit about what is going on in Karen-land at the moment.
So, last week, I got a letter in the mail from Jackson's school, with a hand written envelope. I opened the envelope to find a letter inside from an administrator with the school system...the Gifted and Talented Coordinator. They sent a letter, asking me to fill out the enclosed questionnaire and permission slip (allowing them to do testing on him not within his regular curriculum). I basically started crying immediately, as I was so beyond proud of him. Being a mom, I already think that my kid is the smartest, best kid in the world, but it means so much to know that even if he doesn't make the cut for the Gifted and Talented program, that his teacher recognized something special in him and went as far as to nominate him for this. I have his regular Parent/Teacher conference tomorrow night, so I will be trying to find out more information from his teacher (and tomorrow is also J-man's 2nd day of testing for the program, so I will be doing my best to get some info out of him (even if it's just what kind of questions the lady asked him...when he met with her Thursday, all I got out of him was that she asked a lot of yes or no questions)).
Ok. Proud parent gloating is over...on to the new TV gloating! ^_^ I got my tax returns back last week, and for the past FOREVER, I've been talking about getting a new TV, but something always came up, or I'd get all rational and decide to not spend my money on something as frivolous as a TV. Well, this year, I said "fuck it...I'm getting a TV and that's final!" There was a sale at Target, and I was determined to go on Friday to get the 42" Philips for $799. Well, I went there after work with Crystal and as we were gazing at the TVs, the nice worker boy came over and asks if we need any help. "Yes", said the Karen, "I'd like this (motioning towards the TV). To go, please." And then he said "Oh, sorry. That one is sold out. Sold the last one last night, actually."
*sigh*
"Ok...", says a not-yet-defeated Karen. "How about this one (motioning towards the 40" Sony for $879)?" "Yeah, sorry", says the now irritating worker-boy. "That one's sold out, too. Let me go in back and see what we *do* have in stock." While he's gone, Crystal and I perused the remaining TVs and I said "If they have this 47" in stock, I'm getting it...I am not going home today without a TV." And guess what? THEY DIDN'T HAVE IT! I was not willing to spend more than $1200, nor was I willing to get a TV smaller than 40", so I said thank you to the boy who kept telling me no (seriously, I even get rejection from boys at TARGET?? what is wrong with me??) and we headed to Best Buy to try our luck there.
Well, we got to Best Buy, and I got the "yeah, we're sold out of that reasonably priced awesome TV that you're eyeing up...are you sure you're not willing to go lower than 40"?" for the 3 TVs that I asked about...and then I see a 40" Samsung 750 series TV of sex on display for $1200.Well, whaddya know, $1200 was my limit. And the TV was so shiny and pretty. I was torn on spending that much, but I brought someone with me for a reason. As the boy was waiting for my answer about the TV, I asked Crystal "Should I get it?" Her reply of "Um, yeah" was all I needed to push me to the edge of monetary reason and I said "I'll take it!"
And so I took it. And I love it. Much love for it. Like, lots of love. Heart teh TV. And, to go with my sexy TV, I bought a new Xbox from Mike for $100 and am borrowing a Blu-ray player from my friend Trent until I can get one of my own. He had gotten one for free when he bought his new TV last month, and has no use for it since he has a PS3. So yay, Trent! ^_^ I also borrowed The Dark Knight on Blu-ray and watched it the first night I had the TV and I needed alone time. So pretty!!! And then last night I watched The Two Towers (not on Blu-ray; just on regular DVD) and I have a newfound love for Aragorn. Heart 40" widescreen Aragorn. /rawr
Um, yeah. So parent and electronic gloating aside, I don't think that I have much going on with me right now. I've been a blip-a-holic this past month and can't really remember what life was like before blip.fm. So many great people, and great music. Heart the blippers and their blips!
OH! Speaking of music, I am going to see JoCo for the FOURTH time on the 26th! Can't wait!! Since it's on a Thursday, I'm having my niece Laurel come and stay the night so that Jackson can get to bed on time. He has school on Friday, but I don't have to go to work! I took the day off, so after I drop him off at school, I'll be taking Lolo home, and then spending the day being lazy and watching movies on my sexy TV. ^_^
As for life in general, I've been pretty well this past month. I've had some bad days where I've envisioned myself being single forever, but luckily, I'm able to push those thoughts to the back of my mind most days and focus on more important things, like my fantastically wonderful Jackson, and my never ending playlist of greatness that my iPod provides. And really, with a charged iPod and my beautiful son, I don't need much else to get me through the day.
Ok. Getting a bit mushy now...time to wrap this up! Sorry for the ultra lameness; I'll try to be better. But, if you miss me, hit me up on g-talk or Twitter! I'm basically always online; just not blogging.
^_^
Music Pick for the Day: "The Quiz" by Hello SaferideBeverage Pick for the Day: Mountain Dew
Socks for the Day: black, white and green argyle
Saturday, January 03, 2009
Please stand by...
Bars & Tones from André F. Chocron on Vimeo.
(I'll be back soonish with an update... been terribly unmotivated and meh this past week, but fear not, my good people: I shall return!)
^_^
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Dear Santa: Please send boy, or keys to Australia. XOXO, Karen
Well well well...so we meet again, Mr. Blog. I've been MIA for a few weeks, but it's totally not my fault. Well, unless you count being a total slacker as being my fault, in which case, yeah; my fault. I've sat at my computer every night since my last blog update, and have I even tried to post an entry?? Ok, so maybe I did start to update like 4 times in the past couple of weeks, but be thankful I didn't go through with it... some things about male gymnasts and pudding should never leave my mind. Seriously.
Anywho, it's Christmas Eve! Merry Christmas, everyone! I hope that everyone has a good holiday and that any travel that must be done is safe and fun for you all! As for myself, today started my 5 day weekend and it was pretty fantastic! The J-man and I lazed around all day, for the most part. We played in the snow, which was pretty fun! Although, he did lose part of his Dr. Horrible costume in the process. He was being Dr. Horrible as he played in the snow and wore his goggles outside...and decided to bury them...and now he can't remember where he buried them. Hopefully we get the warmer weather/rain that we're supposed to get this weekend and they surface. Otherwise, he will be a goggleless Dr. Horrible until spring. Actually, I can fix this: he'll just be Billy instead. The alter-egos never get any attention! Whoever says "man, I wanna be Clark Kent!" The only alter-ego that actually has people adoring him is probably Tony Stark. /swoon
...thinking of Robert Downey Jr. now and lost my train of thought... Oh, yes. Christmas Eve! After we had our fill of snowy-goodness, we came inside and started watching Christmas movies: Rudolph, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, Frosty the Snowman, and The Year Without a Santa Claus. We also played Go Fish, ate some Italian take out, and then finished the night with some Mario Kart Wii action. Oh, and we did watch Dr. Horrible again this morning. Crystal got the DVD, so we are borrowing it while she's in Illinois for the holidays. I have to say, this is a must buy for anyone who enjoyed Dr. Horrible. The commentary...is...AWESOME. They did a musical commentary. It was...it's just magicalness. So great!!
So, overall: Best. Christmas Eve. Ever.
I'm still fuzzy on the details for my Christmas Day, but I know that Jackson will be going to his dad's for most of the day. I will spend part of the day at home, being lazy and listening to music, and then head to my parents' for dinner. I'm not doing my formal Christmas festivities with my family until the 27th, so this weekend I will be ZOMG busy; I'm going to take every opportunity to be loungey and lazy until Saturday, though!
It's kind of sad, though, how much my attitude towards Christmas has changed over the years. I'd always been such a huge goober about Christmas and had such enthusiasm and awe for the holiday. However, in recent years, I've noticed my adoration for the holiday waning and that depresses me. The only thing keeping Christmas exciting for me now is Jackson, but even that excitement only goes so far. He spends Christmas Day with his father, so that day will be just another day this year; no different for me than any other Thursday. *sigh* C'est la vie.
It probably doesn't help that this is my 3rd Christmas in a row being single. I won't say that I hate being single, since I've come to terms with it and am content in my spinsterhood, but it does make me sad thinking how nice it would be to have someone to share Christmas snuggles and mistletoe kisses with. Plus, this weekend I will be around my family and all of their happy suburbia happiness and will put on my happy face... and then I will eat too much pie as I sit in envy of their happy coupleness... blerg!
Ok. Happy thoughts...happy thoughts. Ewan McGregor in a kilt...naked Robbie Williams... 2008 male Olympic diving team (like, all of the teams...so much rawr) in pools of jello...
Ok. All better now!
Hmmm...trying to think if anything exciting or notable has happened lately, but I'm pretty sure not. Alas, the life of the Karen is still unexciting and boringish. I am working on a list of goals for 2009, though, which I'm hoping will help make it not so boring (from my perspective, anyhow). I'm not going to call them resolutions, since if I coin them as such, I will most likely have the Defiant Karen come out and she's too rebellious and care-free to abide by resolutions. She scoffs at them.
/scoff
However, my list of goals for 2008 went over pretty well, so we'll see if I can up my game and come up with some great things for me to accomplish in 2009. At the top of my list: take more chances. And, I've kind of already sort of started that one...ish. Still a work in progress, but it's in progress!! That's all that matters!
Ok. I think I've rambled enough for now. Time to go be Santa and finish wrapping gifts! Again, Merry Christmas and I will try to update before the new year!
No promises, though...
^_^
Music Pick for the Day: "Whistle for the Choir" by The Fratellis
Beverage Pick for the Day: lemonade!
Socks for the Day: red and green Christmas socks that say "naughty or nice" all over (both. Equally. FYI.)
