Saturday 9: So Much to Say

Thanks to Kelly for recommending The Dave Matthews Band. (Hear it here.) 

1) The lyrics refer to a baby's "one year of crying." When was the last time you cried ... felt weepy ... or at least teared up? I cry regularly -- I think I'm making up for never crying when I was younger. I always thought Mom was so strange because she cried when she was happy, sad, stressed, looking through photos, watching movies, reading books... but I believe I'm destined to be the same way. I re-read Rainbow Rowell's Eleanor & Park last week (I'm still working on a major blog post focused on Rainbow's works -- she's an amazing author) and it made me cry, just like it did the first three times I read it.

2) Let's lighten it up a little. When was the last time you laughed really hard? A couple of days ago when J attack-tickled me. I am ridiculously ticklish and I scream and laugh and flail about and can't breathe if someone tickles me. I was being a grumpybutt and he risked his physical well-being to make me smile like the lovely husband he is. Haha! ♥

3) Do you have "so much to say" that hasn't been said yet? Tell us if you owe someone a phone call, note, email or text. Always. Sometimes I feel like I fail as a friend because I don't return every phone call/note/email/text that I receive. It isn't because I'm lazy and it isn't because I'm not appreciative -- it's simply because I forget to return the favor for a while (I am incredibly easily distracted), and then I remember it, and then I feel bad because I feel too much time has passed to return it. I'll eventually get some things mailed out and some phone calls placed, though.

4) Earlier this summer, Dave took a bike ride before a show and his tire blew out. He didn't have a cell phone with him and was afraid of missing that night's performance. Fortunately two fans -- driving to see Dave Matthews Band in concert -- recognized him by the side of the road and gave him a ride to the show. Share a recent act of kindness you either did, or received. I've been on the receiving end of a lot of kindness. I've had my phone returned to me, unscathed, after leaving it at a restaurant for a couple of hours. I've had my purse returned to me, unpilfered, after it fell off of my car and into a busy parking lot. Back when J & I were dating and driving an hour every day to meet up with each other, I got a flat tire in the middle of that hour-long drive (in the middle of nowhere) and a complete stranger fixed it for me so that I could meet J at the nearest tire store. I've returned a couple of forgotten phones to people when I noticed they'd been left behind at restaurants or at stores, but that's about it.

5) Before he hit it big, Dave Matthews was a bartender. What job did you have right before the one you have now? I had a job at Lane Bryant, and I loved it. If the pay wasn't so terrible (I was part-time, sure, but I was part-time management and I was barely clearing minimum wage) or if I was working strictly to keep from being bored, I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Working there wasn't like working, it was like hanging out with friends and getting paid to do so. The girls I worked with were the best. I'm so sad that our Lane Bryant closed!

6) The Dave Matthews Band recorded an album live at the Red Rocks Amphitheater, in the mountains near Denver. Is there a trip to the mountains in your future? Nah, I doubt it.

7) Do you suffer from hay fever or allergies? I live in a river valley. Pollen allergies are an unfortunate part of life. Certain times of the year, everything is coated in a yellowy-green hue. It's really gross, but I'm sure it keeps the folks at Mucinex happy.

8) What's in your pocket right now? A receipt for my cherry limeade from Sonic!

9) American Express promotes "Small Business Saturday," and encourages us to shop at local, independent retailers. Is there a shop, boutique or restaurant in your town that you're particularly fond of? Yes! We support local book stores and restaurants whenever we can!

Montagu's Burgers, where they doodle on your plates (& make a kick-ass burger)!

Coldwater Books!

Rivertown Coffee. Love the lattes and the atmosphere.

30 Songs

01 - your favorite song - Asking me to pick a favorite song is like asking a parent to pick a favorite child. It just isn't fair. As of right now, my most-played song on both my phone and my iPod is "Some Nights" by fun. It may stay that way for a month and it may change tomorrow. It all depends on the mood.

 02 - your least favorite song - This could be any number of songs.  I'll listen to anything once and I can tolerate about 95% of the music out there, but the rule of thumb for me, musically, is this -- if I can't understand your lyrics, I'm not listening to your music. If your song consists of gibberish proclaiming to be rap, no thanks. If your music is nothing but high-pitched screaming or gutteral grunts, it's not happening. I suppose that since I am such a word-centric person, this makes sense, as I am also unable to listen to songs in other languages, no matter how beautiful the music itself might be. I connect on a lyrical level, not a chord level.

 03 - a song that makes you happy - "Sugar Magnolia" by the Grateful Dead (because it's the first song I ever remember hearing by the Grateful Dead).

 04 - a song that makes you sad - "Breathe Me" by Sia (THANKS, "Six Feet Under") and "Miss You Love" by Maria Mena.

 05 - a song that reminds you of someone - "I Don't Want this Night to End" by Luke Bryan is the first song that popped in my head, because it's "our" song, but there are a hundred more answers to this.

 06 - a song that reminds you of somewhere - I was listening to "Raspberry Beret" by Prince when I saw the ocean and walked on a beach for the first time. I was fourteen.

 07 - a song that reminds you of a certain event - "Can't Fight the Moonlight" from the "Coyote Ugly" soundtrack was playing when my friends and I were in a seriously scary wreck when I was seventeen. I'd like to take this opportunity to note that I wasn't in charge of the musical selection on that particular evening.

 08 - a song that you know all the words to - My brain just twitched. It's 75% song lyrics. Are you kidding me? I'm going with "anything I've heard more than once." The one I may me a little proud of is "We Didn't Start the Fire" by Billy Joel.

 09 - a song that you can dance to - Most songs, as long as they aren't unbearably slow.

 10 - a song that makes you fall asleep - "The Only Living Boy in New York" by Simon & Garfunkel.

 11 - a song from your favorite band - "If Work Permits" by The Format. "China Cat Sunflower" by  Grateful Dead.

 12 - a song from a band you hate - "Photograph" by Nickelback. Ugh.

 13 - a song that is a guilty pleasure - Dude. "Toxic" by Britney Spears, "Sexy Back" by Justin Timberlake, "Invisible" by Clay Aiken, and now I'm going to stop because you get the point. In my defense, they're catchy as hell.

 14 - a song that no one would expect you to love - Rap. Hey, I have some. I listen to it. Just not often.

 15 - a song that describes you - "Imperfect Is The New Perfect" by Caitlin Crosby.

 16 - a song that you used to love but now hate - Panic! at the Disco's "Lying is The Most Fun a Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off" ... which is odd. I love Panic!, truly I do, but some of the stuff on "A Fever You Can't Sweat Out" just no longer appeals to me ("hate" is a strong word).  I've grown to love their "Vices & Virtues" sound much much more.

 17 - a song that you hear often on the radio - Since I keep my XM station tuned to the 90s station, I jam out regularly to "Follow You Down" by the Gin Blossoms and "Semi-Charmed Life" by Third Eye Blind, among other awesometastical hits from my adolescent years.

 18 - a song that you wish you heard on the radio - Anything from The Format.

 19 - a song from your favorite album - My favorite album is The Format's "Dog Problems" -- "Inches & Falling (I Love Love)" is one of their best songs, in my opinion. ♥

 20 - a song that you listen to when you’re angry - "Seventy Times 7" by Brand New ... some of the most angry, melodramatic lyrics ever ("I've seen more spine in jellyfish; I've seen more guts in 11 year old kids / so take another drink and drive yourself home / I hope there's ice on all the roads / & you can think of me when you forget your seatbelt / and again when your head goes through the windshield"). Also, very fun to sing-yell along to.

 21 - a song that you listen to when you’re happy -"Crayola Doesn't Make a Color for Your Eyes" by Kristin Andreassen (hat-tip to Bethany for that one -- I've been hooked on it since she introduced me!)

 22 - a song that you listen to when you’re sad - "Colorblind" by Counting Crows and "Keep Breathing" by Ingrid Michaelson.

 23 - a song that you want to play at your wedding - I'm married, so I don't really think this applies, but the a sweet song to play at a wedding is Ben Harper's "Forever" :-)

 24 - a song that you want to play at your funeral - I don't think it's really proper for a funeral, but I've always kind of loved "Brokedown Palace" by Grateful Dead as a farewell song -- "Fare you well, fare you well, I love you more than words can tell ... Going home, going home, by the waterside I will rest my bones; Listen to the river sing sweet songs to rock my soul."

 25 - a song that makes you laugh - "Just Like my Dog" by Billy Currington -- mostly because of the way my husband sings along to it. It cracks me up when his super-duper country comes out.

 26 - a song that you can play on an instrument - I never learned to play an instrument. Sad panda.

 27 - a song that you wish you could play - "Tiny Dancer" by Elton John.

 28 - a song that makes you feel guilty - "Southern Belle" by Elliott Smith

 29 - a song from your childhood - Michael Jackson's "Thriller" is the first song I remember loving with all of my heart.  Mom and I used to dance to MJ music-video marathons in the living room. Best childhood EVER.

 30 - your favorite song at this time last year - Around this time last year I got really heavily into The Civil Wars, so basically the entire "Barton Hollow" album, with emphasis on the beginning track, "20 Years" ... and also a lot of Mumford & Sons, particularly "Awake My Soul."