Here's the thing about country music...

Until recently (recently meaning yesterday), I'd kind of written off country music. Before my mission, I listened to it on the regular. When I came home it had started to sound like nails on a chalkboard to me.

Sad, no? I was totally okay with it. It's when I hit my true hipster stage.

But then Samantha Jean decided that she was going to try, as many had before her, to convert me back to the land of cowboy boots, Wranglers, trucks, and twang. And because heaven knows that after a while I can be worn down, I finally had her just make me a mix of songs to ease myself into it. Little did I know that with country, there's no easing. It's all or nothing.

And I'm back in the all phase.

So without further ado, here are the things that I've learned in the last 24 hours of my recent re-conversion to country music:

-Girls are allowed EXPECTED to be sassy

"Have  you ever noticed every hurricane gets its name from a girl like this? She's a cat 5 kind keeps you up at night." 

-Hunter Hayes

-Say what you really think

"So let's shake hands and reach across those party lines. You got your friends just like I got mine. We might think a little differently, but we got a lot in common you will see. We're just like you, only prettier."
-Miranda Lambert

-When in doubt, talk about your truck

If I tried to give you an example of this, I would spend all day typing. Just listen to any Brad Paisley, Florida Georgia Line, Tim McGraw, Luke Bryan or Kenny Chesney album

- Sometimes? You don't have to be nice

"Well I've been saved by the grace of southern charm. I got a mouth like a sailor, and yours is more like a Hallmark card."
-Miranda Lambert

"Mama always told me that I should play nice. She didn't know you when she gave me that advice." 

-The Band Perry

-When worn right, blue jeans really do it for a guy

"Girl, you cut those jeans just right. I know you didn't buy 'em like that."

-Brett Eldredge

- If something is worth happening, it happens in the summer

See Brad Paisley's "Beat this Summer" and Rascal Flatts "Summer Nights"

-"Bless your heart" is more of an insult than an actual wish

"I don't have to be hateful, I can just say, "Bless your heart."

-Miranda Lambert

-Just because you're a good girl, doesn't mean he's a good guy

"You'll see a good boy, gonna give you the world. But he's gonna leave you cryin' with your heart in the dirt."

-Carrie Underwood

-And last but not least: the "g" at the end of any word is meant to be left off

So friends. Feed my new addiction. All suggestions are welcome and will be vetted by my guide, Samantha Jean.

Wherein I prove what a total and complete girl I am...

So I'm usually a total music snob. It's bad. That, combined with the skinny jeans, are exactly why Platt calls me an abbreviated hipster. But I've shown before that I have a weakness for cheesy boyband music (coughOneDirectioncough) and herein I will once again prove that I'm really not as cool as I pretend to be.

I love Taylor Swift. And before you start, her music is so not country. It's pop. And I love it. What I really love are the lyrics. They're so...girl power. AND she has an uncanny ability to describe exactly how I feel about all sorts of things. I've listened to her new CD roughly 8000 times since it came out (and it's not more because One Direction put out a new CD just after her, so I had to listen to that long enough to memorize every single lyric and figure out which one of the guys was singing which part. Did I just loose all my cool points? I just don't even care).

Anyway. The whole point of this is to tell you that I found a new life motto. In a Taylor Swift song. Next thing you know, I'll be buying Teen Bop magazine and chewing bubble gum all the time. Oh, you want me to quit editorializing and just tell you what it is? FINE. Impatient much?

"I just think you should know that nothing safe is worth the drive."

 What you don't know about me is that I'm great at pretending that I'm brave and super positive, but when it really comes down to it? I'm a chicken. 100% coward. I don't like to wait for anything and I'd rather stay comfortable than go out on a limb for anything. But lately something is different. And I'm totally okay with it.

So yes. My new life motto might come from a cheesy Taylor Swift song, but you know what? It could have been worse. At least it wasn't a One Direction song.

You may now take away my hipster card...oh wait, we never got them. Decided they were too mainstream.

Wherein I prove that I'm really a 15 year old girl on the inside...

You know how they say that some people's growth is  permanently stunted around a particular age or event? I'm fairly certain that mine is 15. At least where boy bands are concerned. You see, I grew up during the N*Sync and Backstreet Boys craze of the late 90's/early 2000. I was never big 'boy band' kind of girl. I danced so I was well acquainted with their tunes, but I never owned a CD. I never taped one of their songs off the radio (someone please tell me they remember doing this... nope? I'm the only one? Then you're all lying in order to appear younger). I firmly believe this is why my boy band phase has hit (and hit hard) in my late twenties. And it is late twenties. I don't care what any of you say. Are you closer to 30 than 23? Do most of your friends have small people running around their homes? Do most of your friends OWN homes? Then you're in your late twenties. Welcome.

Anyway, what is playing on repeat on  my iPod, computer, CD player in the car and iPad for the last two months?

And it's not just because they're British...though that helps.

In two weeks alone I listened to one of the songs (coughWhatMakesYouBeautifulcough) over 50 times. My hipster side is judging so hard right now that I almost can't hear anything else...except for Liam, Harry, Zayn, Niall and Louis sweetly singing about 10 other songs in my head at all times. Saddest part? I've listened to it enough times that I could go through any given song and tell you who is singing at what time. I know all of the words to all of their songs and happily sing along. I even YouTubed them. And they're hilarious. I kinda want to be best friends with them...Louis in particular. Anyone who decides that a fake, stuffed bird is named Kevin and that he talks should be my friend. 

I'm now going to join a support group while I'm wildly judged on the interwebs for this. No one will ever wonder why I'm single again. I just gave definitive proof. 

I'll see you after detox.

Sometimes...(yup, it's back)

...I see other bloggers do "Sometimes" posts and I wonder if they got the idea from me. (What? I'm self-centered.)

...I don't write on my blog because I can't think of anything wildly entertaining to say. If you had friends who wrote blogs like this you'd be worried about this as well.

...I spend entirely too much time watching Doctor Who. Platt always gives me a hard time for it.

...I realize that Wal-Mart smells like a mix between dirty laundry, fried foods and too much cologne. These moments of clarity lead me to shop at Target.

...I stay up entirely too late looking at artwork on Etsy that is absolutely overpriced.

...my little bloggy gets neglected in favor of Rose and the Doctor. And Shawn and Gus. And murder mystery novels.

...it's not too bad that it didn't snow much this winter. No slipping on ice? Check. No worrying about whehter or not I got frostbite on my toes? Double check. How is this a bad thing?

...my sweet brother posts totally awesome versions of The Beatles "Blackbird" on my Facebook wall. (Did you know that it's my very favorite Beatles song? This is knowledge that is part of the quiz in the application to be my friend. I just gave you a free answer. You're welcome.)

...the urge to make cupcakes is too overwhelming to ignore. These are the days that I wish I had a roommate to help me eat them.

...the nerd in me comes out in uncontrollable spurts.

...the book piles around my bed get so high that I can't differentiate between the stacks of books that are 'to read', 'have already read but can't bear to have put in the book room in the basement', 'lend to friends' and 'catalog in LibraryThing'. It's a hard knock life.

...I judge other people based on their grammar.

Autumn Fallin'

I say that it's high time for another playlist. What say ye, dear readers? Well since your responses will take to long to get and I'll probably be off doing something else super exciting, I'm going to just give it to you, free of requests. I know. I'm completely fantastic and I read your minds. Remember to send your gifts in the form of Diet Coke and chocolate chip cookies.

Mal's Autumn Fallin' Playlist

I Would Do Anything For You --Foster the People

Girls Like You -- The Naked and Famous
The Rhythm You Started --Sophie Madeleine 

Anywhere with You --The Seventeens

Loves Who Uncover --The Little Ones

Some Kind of Wonderful --Michael Buble 

The Weakest Shade of Blue -- Pernice Brothers

Good Habit --Benton Paul

Birds of a Feather -- The Rosenbergs

This city's A Mess (and that's the correct capitalization, believe it or not) -- Said The Whale

Skyline --The Spring Standards

My Love --the bird and the bee

Autumn Fallin' --Jaymay

So Here We Are --Bloc Party

Goodnight Moon --Said The Whale

In other news? It turns out that soy milk is not detrimental to the health of Casey the Computer. I *might* have been enjoying a little Life Cinnamon cereal the other night and my milk *might* have jumped out of the bowl while I was watching Psych and Casey the Computer *might* have gotten a soy milk bath. But so far? He's a trouper and is working like a charm. I knew he was a fighter. 

I'm now off to see "Lady Macbeth" because I won free tickets in a drawing and who am I to turn down free tickets to a show?

Enjoy!!

Mea culpa...

Don't hate me. I know. It's been almost three weeks since I posted on my beloved blog. I know. I stink as a blogger. I'm REALLY sorry. Don't believe me? Well fine then. But it's true. Things in my neck of the woods have been busy lately. In a good way. You want to know what I've been up to? You sure? Alright. Here's my list:

What I, Mallorie Anne Mecham, have been doing instead of writing on my beloved blog:

*WORKING
*Going to Next to Normal at PTC (Um, it rocked my world).
*Getting an iPhone (his name is Captain Awesome)
*Hanging out at the Guild Store at Hale Centre Theatre
*Chillin' with  my madre and my sisters
*Planning this chicky's bridal shower
*Hanging out with Very Special Agent Anthony DiNizzo and the crew of NCIS(how have I not been watching this show for years?!)
*Reading these books (SO good)
*Watching replays from the BYU/Utah game (A Utah man, sir! A Utah man am I! [Good heavens,  my school song is so sexist!])
*Messing around on Instagram. (You should probably follow me. Because I'm a double dose of awesome.)
*Going to the symphony
*Drinking Pumpkin Smash Jamba Juices (Fall is back, my friends)
*Thinking about how I really need to write on my blog more often
*Pinteresting more than I should (I now need to be independently wealthy to afford all of the stuff that I am drooling over)
*Thinking that I should probably change up my blog design, but I have no idea how or what I want to do. (Hint hint...I'm open for suggestions)
*Reminding myself to love my neighbors (Freaking dog barking at 1 am....freaking power saw at 730 am on a Saturday. Who do these people think they are?!)
*Cleaning


And I'm now tapped out. But as you can see, I'm leading a very exciting life. :) I swear I'll try and do better...maybe. But only if you promise to comment on this very post and tell me how much you missed my sparkling wit and charming blog personality...

Admit it...

We all have guilty pleasures. Whether it's an occasional (or not so occasional) episode of The Bachelorette or a deep friend Snickers bar at the state fair once a year, you've got one. Most people don't publish theirs all over the internet because that's embarrassing and silly. I'll tell you right here and now: I happen to have multiple. And I happen to write about some of them on this here blog. So mine aren't such a secret, now are they? Anyway, I happen to be quite the music snob. You didn't know this? Yeah, we must not be very good friends. Pretty much everyone knows that I'm a music snob. I don't listen to the radio because I get sick of the same songs played ad nauseum. I love finding random obscure bands that not everyone has heard of. I was slightly disappointed when they started playing Adele on the radio because then everyone and their dog was obsessed and they'd never even heard her first album all the way through. See? I told you. I'm a music snob. But this music snob has a confession: I have a slight weakness for cheesy pop music. Wince. I know. So, dear readers, here you have my own personal guilty pleasures playlist for your enjoyment. I don't want to hear any mocking. I would welcome more suggestions though...

Your Love is My Drug-- Ke$ha
Baby-- Justin  Beiber
I Want It That Way-- Backstreet Boys
Burnin' Up--  Jonas Brothers
Seniorita-- Justin Timberlake
No Air-- Chris Brown/Jordin Sparks
Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)-- Beyonce
Like Wow!-- Leslie Carter
SOS--Rihanna
SuperGirl-- Krystal
Moment Like This-- Kelly Clarkson
Hot N Cold-- Katy Perry
Pretty Girl Rock-- Keri Hilson
It's Gonna Be Me-- NSYNC
One Less Lonely Girl-- Justin Beiber
Poster Girl-- Backstreet Boys
Shake It-- MetroStation
Kiss & Tell-- Selena Gomez and The Scene
See You Again-- Miley Cyrus
Spice Up Your Life-- Spice Girls
Disturbia-- Rihanna
Marry You-- Bruno Mars
Leavin'-- Jesse McCartney
Tik Tolk-- Ke$ha
California Gurls-- Katy Perry
In My Head-- Jason Derulo

Capri Suns, boom boxes, Boy Meets World, Yikes! erasers....

I'm a 90s kid. I read the Babysitter's Club (and tried to start my own version, don't you little worry). I idolized Punky Brewster. I wore white platform tennis shoes with my over-sized overalls. I was in love with Cory Matthews. I know every word to the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air theme song. I desperately wanted a Trapper Keeper to hold my Lisa Frank folders. I drank Capri Suns like they were going out of style, the Wild Cherry was, is and always will be the best flavor. I learned that there were 9 planets in our solar system. I realize that I'm dating myself here, but what's a girl to do? Yesterday my mom brought a bunch of boxes up to my house which contained all of my childhood memories (elementary school to high school). It was Mallorie in a Box... okay, well like 4 boxes. My living room looked like an episode of Hoarders for a good three hours as I sorted through my life thus far. And if you know me, you know that I need a soundtrack to just about everything. Lucky for me, I have some help coming up with this one. There's this website called Turntable that allows you to play DJ with all your friends. And my co-worker decided that today was 90s day. How fitting! So without further ado....

Mallorie's Totally Awesome Ridiculously Cool and Completely Rockin' 90s Playlist:
Surgeon Generals' Warning: Extreme flashbacks, desires to act like an angst ridden teenager and permanent fixation of said songs in your head may accompany reading of/listening to this playlist. These emotional and mental conditions are not permanent or detrimental to your health. You have been fairly warned.

I Saw the Sign-Ace of Base
Waterfalls--TLC
Sunday Morning--No Doubt
Truly, Madly, Deeply--Savage Garden
Semi-Charmed Life--Third Eye Blind
She--Green Day
Bad Habit (edited)--The Offspring
Smells Like Teen Spirit--Nirvana
Loser--Beck
Never There--Cake
Black Hole Sun-- Soundgarden
Buddy Holly--Weezer
If You Could Only See--Tonic
3 AM--Matchbox 20
One Headlight--The Wallflowers
Mr. Jones-- Counting Crows
Losing My Religion --REM
Tonight-- Smashing Pumpkins
Torn--Natalie Imbruglia
Breathless--The Corrs
Bittersweet Symphony--The Verve
Zombies--The Cranberries
With or Without You--U2
Blind-- Hootie and the Blowfish

Join me in the '90s, my friends. Pluto misses you.

A few things I'll never understand...

It's been a while since "a few things I'll never understand" has made an appearance on my blog. After reading People.com today, I decided that it's time for a revival. Without further ado:

A few things I'll never understand:

*LADY GAGA. I'm pretty sure that wearing meat as a dress isn't a fashion statement, it's a health hazard. And completely disgusting. Also, it's not the 60s. Wear a bra. (Amanda love, don't be mad at me.)

*BEING FAMOUS FOR BEING FAMOUS. The Kardashians? Paris Hilton? They don't do anything to contribute to society. I mean fine, I'm sure they keep boosting the economy through spending exorbitant amounts of money, but aside from the mass amount of aerosol that is contributing to the deterioration of the ozone layer, they do nothing.*

*THE RANDOM ADDITION OF THE LETTER Z TO PHRASES: I mean pleaz. Doez thiz make senze to anyone elze?

*HOW I GOT THE PLAGUE IN JUNE. Seriously, tonsils? Are you kidding me?

*WHY I GET SUCH INSANE PLEASURE OUT OF SHREDDING PAPER AT WORK. Does this mean that I have anger issues? Should I be seeing a therapist about this? I'm a little concerned.

*ALL OF THE GAMES ON FACEBOOK. I don't care about your fish, your farm or your avatar.

*I might have made this up. Science? Not really my thing. I don't want anyone to correct my erroneous suppositions.

Artificial Sunshine...

Confession: I'm far more obsessed with music than I should be. It is physically impossible for me to be in a room for more than 20 seconds without it, I start to twitch like I have Tourettes. You think I'm kidding? Oh, don't you little worry. I'm not. The creation of the iPod was a gift from on high. It means I have a pocket full of music with me at all times. What could be better then that?

So, today, I was driving down 9th east, windows down, music blaring on my way to meet some friends for dinner. Today was one of those totally golden days in Salt Lake where the weather was my kind of perfect. Not too hot, not too cold (Remember? I'm the Goldilocks of seasons), the sun was shinning, and the air smelled like a splendid mix of sunshine, grass and flowers. It was pure delight. To add to my complete bliss, one of my favorite songs began to play on Chuck (for the uninformed, that's my iPod). I came to the decision that there are some songs that are like artificial sunshine. And lucky for ya'll, I've compiled them into a list. You can thank me later. 

Mal's Mix of Artificial Sunshine:

Fader by Temper Trap

Follow You Down by Gin Blossoms 

Why Do You Let Me Stay Here by She & Him

I'm Asking Her to Stay by Sherwood

1234 by Feist

Gray or Blue by Jaymay

Oh, It is Love by Hellogoodbye

Good Mornin' Life by Dean Martin

Be OK by Ingrid Michaelson

Fairytale by Sara Bareilles

Catch the Sun by Jamie Cullum

Come Fly with Me by Frank Sinatra

For Once in my Life by Michael Buble

Reprise by Clarksville

Show Off by Sutton Foster (The Drowsy Chaperone)

You and Me by Plain White-T's

Jump then Fall by Taylor Swift

The Way I Am by Ingrid Michaelson

You Can't Stop the Beat by The Hairspray Cast

Banana Pancakes by Jack Johnson

Can't Buy Me Love by Michael Buble

Pony (It's OK) by Erin McCarley

You Are My Favourite by Sophie Madeleine

Jesus on the Radio by Guster

Any additions? Leave me a comment. I always love new music. 

Tag! I'm it...

Only because I love Miss Amanda Platt. A lot. I'm going to do this. Happy, Manda?

1. Upload a photo that you're using right now. (This makes absolutely no sense. That's right. I said it.) This is exactly what I'm doing right now. Why yes, that's Legally Blonde on my TV.

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Let me 'splain. Jourdan and I made the...mistake? of watching Legally Blondes. It was so completely terrible that we made up a drinking game (put your judging eyes away. We were drinking Diet Coke) in order to maintain our brain cells.

2. When was the last time you ate chicken? Really? Why is this important? Anyway, I ate chicken Tuesday night. It was delicious because I'm a genius cook.

3. The song/songs you've listened to lately: Now we're talking. I'll just give you the list from the current soundtrack of my life:
Astonishing- Little Women the Musical (sung by Sutton Foster)
Ordinary Day- Vanessa Carlton
Young Blood- The Naked and Famous
Get Your Way- Jamie Cullum
Melt My Heart to Stone- Adele
Let the Rain- Sara Bareilles
I'm the Man Who Murdered Love- XTC
Nothing Left to Lose- Mat Kearney
All I Want- Toad the Wet Sprocket
Strip Me- Natasha Bedingfield
Red- Sara Bareilles
Hey Beautiful- The Solids
Stars- Switchfoot
Why Do You Let Me Stay Here- She & Him
Gray or Blue- Jaymay
So Here We Are- Bloc Party
Oh, How I Loved You- Goldrich and Heisler
Brand New Day- Joshua Radin
Fader- The Temper Trap
For Good- Glee Cast
Light Up the World- Glee Cast
I Just Can't Stop Myself- Sophie Madeleine
(Yeah, it's a lot. Deal with it.)

I'm supposed to tag people, but I'm never very good at that. Plus, Manda said I didn't have to, so I'm not going to. :) Love you, Manda!!

The Daily Ten...

I'm the luckiest. No, really, I am. There are many reasons, but one of them is that I'm related to this darling girl  because my cousin was brilliant enough to marry her (scroll down to see pictures of her. She's seriously one of the cutest people ever). A while back she started doing this fun thing called The Daily Ten where she picked ten things every day that she was grateful for/happy about. Seeings at this is my last semester in school (5 weeks, baby!) and I feel like I'm literally dragging my feet through the days, I decided that it was time for a little Daily Ten in my life. Especially with this being the week after spring break and coming back to school has just about killed me, so ya'll get to hear 10 things that I'm grateful for. Be prepared for it to get silly pretty fast because that's just how I roll.

1) My sister-in-law to be. Jordan has to be one of the most amazing people that I know. She's kind and gracious to everyone. She always makes me feel like I'm important when I'm around her and I'd trade my brother for her in a heartbeat. I'm over the moon that she's going to be an honest to goodness sealed in part of our family in 3 weeks.

2) A new phone. That's right. I've finally joined the ranks of the cool. No, I'm not cool enough to have an iPhone (who wants to pay for the data plan?!) but I did get a new HTC Freestyle which is like an iPhone, but without the extra charge. Now if I could just learn how to use it, I'd be in business.

3) Bath and Body Works Wallflowers. I just got new scents and my whole house smells amazing. Smelling good is one of my all time favorite things. Hence I have about 13 kinds of perfume on my bathroom counter.

4) General Conference Weekend. 2 days. 8 hours. All sorts of awesomeness? Yes, please.

5) Theatre Tickets. I have tickets to see A Tale of Two Cities two more times before it closes. Right now I'm not focusing on the fact that my new favorite show is closing soon, but on the fact that I get to see it TWO more times. It'll bring my grand total up to coughninecough, but who's counting?

6) Amazon Prime.  Just this very morning, this miraculous invention allowed me to purchase three of my favorite books from my childhood: Rain Makes Applesauce, Tikki Tikki Tembo, and Caps for Sale. And the best part? Shipping is free and they'll be here Wednesday. I love my life.

7) Bright Red Nail Polish. I love love love to paint my nails and red is typically my color of choice because it's sassy and fun. Right now I'm having a hard time watching the computer screen instead of my awesome nails as I type.

8) New friends. I've met a lot of  amazing and incredible people lately, which has been lovely especially because I'm a little shy so meeting new people isn't always easy for me.

9) Massive shopping trips. I know I know. I shouldn't shop as much as I do, but I simply LOVE it! And my closet is SO happy when I'm done, even if my bank account isn't. Gap outlet just about broke me on Saturday.

10) Adele. I'm madly in love with her new CD. So much so that I actually bought the disc so that I could have it in my car, on my iPod and on my computer at home. Obsessed much? I think so.

The end of an era...

Alright. So. Every semester I make a soundtrack for my life. Each of the songs that appears on said soundtrack MUST have some sort of connection to how I feel about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness (or as one of my students put it so eloquently last semester, "life, liberty and the right to chill.") Past versions have included everything from "Defying Gravity" from Wicked to "Waking Up in Vegas" by Katy Perry. What can I say? I like to be diverse. There's always one song in particular that's my theme song. Yes. I have a theme song. Yes, you might throw this into the delusions of grandeur category. G'head. Get the judging out of your system, I'll wait... I went and walked around my office just now. Was that enough judging time for you? I hope so. Anyway, for over a year my theme song didn't change, which was unusual. Typically, the theme song changes with the soundtrack, but this one stuck with me. I'll give you a little clip of it.

My favorite version isn't actually Barbara's, but I figured that I'd go for classic. I usually have the Lea Michele version on my soundtrack. Call me trendy if you must, but it has nothing to do with trend and everything to do with the fact that I'm madly in love with her voice; say what you will about Glee, you can't knock that girl's pipes. I could listen to this song just under a jillion times a day and not get sick of it (which is still true) but I've found a song that better describes how I feel about life right now.

Isn't it incredible? Aren't the lyrics fantastic? Trust me, the actual song is better. It's almost as good as listening to her sing it live. Now go, friends. Go and listen to this epicness over and over again. I promise you, it's that good. 

Did you know...

Did you know that it is physically impossible for me to walk down a set of stairs? I bounce. Which is why I've twisted both of my ankles so many times that the muscles are like rubber bands.

Did you know that in one week I went to the ballet, the theatre and the symphony? It's true and I loved every single second of each one. Huzzah for the arts!

Did you know that The Sleeping Beauty was the last full ballet that I danced in? I was the jester since I was a much better character dancer than anything else. The hat that I wore as part of my costume came all the way from Russia. The company director saw it in the airport and told me that it practically screamed my name. Too bad I didn't get to keep it. I would have worn it all over the place. It kinda  looked like this: 

 

I jingled when I walked. It was fab.

Did you know that this is quite possibly the single most incredible show that I've seen in my life? It almost beats Macbeth. It's tragic that it only ran on Broadway from September 2008 until November 2008. 

Did you know the February 19th is the anniversary of the beginning of the Battle of Iwo Jima? It lasted from 19 February until 26 March 1945. It was kind of a big deal, you might have heard of it or something.

Did you know  that it is possible to talk entirely in lines for plays and movies? It is. Ask Sara. We do it regularly. 

Did you know that Stephanie J. Block played Elphaba in the national tour of Wicked? I saw her perform tonight at Abravanel Hall and I can now die a happy girl. She was spectacular.

Did you know that I'm one of only 8 people who's never seen Wicked on stage? Julia Murney informed me of that tonight.

Did you know that President Monson goes to the symphony? I definitely saw him there tonight. He's adorable.

Did you know that in 7th grade we sang My Heart Will Go On in choir and a bunch of the girls burst into tears? I wouldn't kid about something as ridiculous as that. I still can't hear that song without wanting to pull a Vincent Van Gogh. Naturally it would only be the one ear, I need the other hear to hear the music from Tale of Two Cities over and over again.

Did you know that John Kander and Fred Ebb wrote "Ring Them Bells" as a stand alone song for Liza Minnelli?

Did you know that "Don't Rain on My Parade" is my theme song?

Did you know that I collect headbands? And things that are polka dot? And argyle? And shoes? Oh my!

Did you know that I have the plague again? That's probably why this post is so stinking random. Pray March 17th gets here quick and they take these offending tonsils out of me so I can keep my voice for longer than a few weeks at a time?

Auditory Delight... (day 2)

When I looked at the list there were 3items that I was positive that I'd never be able to choose just one 'favorite' for, so I decided not to. It's my blog for heaven's sake. So...Behold. My favorite songs.

Guster is probably my all time favorite band. They were the first real music that I fell madly in love with as a lowly high school student. I can never get enough of anything they write. And I own every CD they've released. Amazing with a capital A.

This lovely little ditty became one of my favorite songs and is my anthem for change. I'm almost embarrassed to admit that I've listened to it almost 200 times in the past year, but then I listen to it's sheer awesomeness again and I'm not even a little, tiny bit ashamed.

Happy listening!

M

A post script (or two): 

Dearest Amy, I love the idea of Day 30. (The 29 day plan bugged me as well.) Thanks for being your fantastic self and giving me lovely ideas. 

Loves, Mal

Dear friends aside from Amy who I tagged to do this, 

Add this to your list, por favor. :)

Day 30 - a photo of yourself today + three good things that have happened in the past.

Love and rockets, 

Mal

Sometimes...

...I watch Star Wars and remember how much I love Obi Wan and Yoda...and Hayden Christensen...and Ewan McGregor...and light saber fighting. Okay, pretty much all of it.

...I get paid to watch football and I love it. (53 point blow out, anyone? I love my boys.)

...I drink way too much Diet Coke while I'm at work and then I stay up all night watching Bones.

...I have crazy dreams where I spend all night organizing and then I wake up tired.

...I have 'bad' days. And by bad days I mean I have days where my control freak self takes over my brain and I become the ultimate perfectionist and I can't look in the mirror. Today was one of those days.

...I say whatever comes to mind. Like when I was doing math homework with Sara and a particularly difficult problem came up on the screen, I stared at it and in a completely monotone voice said, "I am now paralyzed by fear." Or when Megan and I were watching Star Wars: Episode II and we were at the scene where Anakin and Padme were being taken into the arena by Dooku's minions (the part that Padme tells Anakin that she loves him? Remember?) They're pretty sure that they're going to die, which is why she cheesily confesses her undying love and devotion to the future Darth Vader. I looked straight at the screen and said, "Don't worry. You'll make babies." That might have been inappropriate, but I had been at work for 9 hours which means that I run my mouth off.

...I judge people by their email addresses. I didn't really think about how often I did this until I was talking with a friend and we were most definitely making fun of some girl for her cheese ball email address.

...I let my books overtake my room. Honestly, I'd move my bed out and sleep on the books if I had to. I love them.

...I realize that I'm graduating in May and that I have absolutely no clue what I should do next in my life. I know what I want the end result to be, but how in heaven's name am I going to get myself there.

...it's hard for me that one of my younger siblings is married and has a baby and another (who just came home from his mission) is looking at getting married this spring.

...People are so sappy about their spouses-to-be that I throw up a little in my mouth and I have to hide their status updates on Facebook because reading them makes me want to break valuable things or punch small innocent creatures.

...I sleep at the other end of my bed. Just to mix things up.

...I buy nail polish. Lots of it. I love painting my nails.

...I listen to Toby Lightman. And I love her.

...I enjoy community theatre. A lot.

...I write on my hand even when there's perfectly good paper available. It just seems more 'green'.

"Living is exhausting."

Rory Gilmore said it best. Living is exhausting. 

(Meg darling. Don't judge. I know you don't love that show, but I do.) 

And the last few weeks have been particularly tiring for so many reasons; most of which I am unwilling to discuss in detail in a public place because it's just awkward when people are WAY too personal. (Like when I hear people talking loudly about their medical problems when I'm on Trax on my way to work. I usually just turn the Biebs up a little louder to drown them out.) 

Today I was feeling particularly down. My boss was driving me nuts. My car was making a funny noise (again). It's hot. I could keep going, but honestly, it won't do any good at all. 

 Anyway,

there was a moratorium on the parking lot at work because we had an all day event; so instead of having to get up super early in the morning and ride the stinky train, I drove my little rust bucket to work this morning. This means that I actually get to leave campus for my hour lunch break. It's a novel idea. 

When that magical hour rolled around, I decided that in light of my crazy morning I deserved a little Rumbi in my life. For those of you who aren't familiar with Rumbi, I'm sorry for you. Go, grasshoppers, find out what it is. Thank me later.

So I'm in line at Rumbi and there are two very VERY large, exceedingly slow humans in front of me in line. Ordering a whole lot of food. 

From around one of the large people I see this tiny little hand go up in the air and a sweet little voice say, "Miss! I can help you over here!"

Walking around the other customers I come face to face with a a girl about my height, who smiles brightly at me and asks for my order. She was just so dang cheerful! I couldn't help but smile back at her and let her happiness rub off on me just a little. And then she told me about a frequent diner card. If you didn't already know this, I collect those. They're amazing. So she gave me two stamps, and very sincerely wished me a great day.  

Normally, I wouldn't think too much about this interaction except, "Dang, that girl deserved a raise. What a sweetheart." But today, my dear friends, today this meant something a little extra. 

Don't you just love those moments?

Don't Rain on my Parade...

I love rain. 

It's no secret.

In my own humble opinion there are very 

few things in this mortal life 

that can compare with the absolute beauty of a summer rain storm 

The feeling of the wind as it gently tosses your hair 

and lightly dances across your skin

I simply can't get enough of the warm, sweet smell of the 

slightly damp pavement mixed 

with the delicate scent of honeysuckle and lilac

There's something uniquely special about having 

rolling thunder as a soundtrack 

and 

lightning for a night light.

Don't Rain on My Parade is my new theme song. I listen to it at least once a day. I'm sure the people who see my driving on my way home from work think that I'm completely nuts and I'm completely good with that. 

Everything I Need to Know in Life I Learned from Musicals...

In light of last night's Glee, between the hotness that was Mr. Shue singing Aerosmith's Dream On with Doogie Houser and the not so shocking news that my hero, Idina Menzel is, in fact Rachel's bio mom (who says there's nothing good on TV these days?)  there was heavy advocation for art education in public schools, and I was thinking about all of the reasons that I love the arts. Now, it is painfully clear to most people who have met me that I was not blessed with the God given ability to sing or play any type of musical instrument, but I consider my absolute adoration for all things artistic a talent. (Though in the next life I WILL sing like Lea Michele and dance like Alina Cojocaru.) Anyway, I was thinking that pretty much everything that I really need to know in life I've learned from a musical. Here we go:

*The beginning is a very good place to start.

*It's all about popularity. You don't become a celebrated head of state or an especially great communicator unless you're popular.

*When you hear bells, it's appropriate to imagine yourself marrying the love of your life. In fact, if you can hear the bells, if you can hear them chime, then it's all good if your heart beats in perfect time.

*Oklahoma is where the wind comes rolling down the plain. I know you were wondering.

*It is possible to wash a man right out of your hair. Seriously. 

*There are castles on clouds. And if your foster parents make you clean floors, singing about that will make it not so much so bad.

*You should forget about algebra and calculus because you should ALWAYS do your homework on the morning bus. It's okay if you can't tell a verb from a noun, as long as you're one of the nicest kids in town.

*Imaginary musical instruments can be quite effective in uniting a town, particularly the 76 trombones which will lead the big parade, with 110 cornets right behind.

*Loathing is a powerful feeling and can last your whole life through.

*Wishing upon a star works.

*A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down AND Mary Poppins is practically perfect in every way.

*It's great to stay up late.

*Summer nights are far more erm...productive? than summer days.

*The sun will always come out tomorrow, and after all, tomorrow is only a day away.

*It is possible to defy gravity, but should only be done when one is through accepting limits.

*When you've got rhythm, music and a man, you shouldn't ask for anything more.

*There is no business but show business.

*One should always put on a happy face.

*The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain.

*If a mountain man decides that he wants to return home with a bride, then  it'll happen, bless your beautiful hide.
*No good deed goes unpunished.
*A multicolored coat can get you in a whole lot of trouble.
*A beautiful mornin' leads to a beautiful day and honestly, when you have a beautiful feeling everything will be goin' your way.

There are more, I'm sure; unfortunately for all of you it's late and I'm tired so that's all of my wonderful wit that you will receive for the present moment.

Takin' It Easy...

...which is not a description of what I've been, or will be any time soon, doing. It's the title of an Eagles song. This particular song reminds me of my daddy. He has this talent of whistling through his teeth that no matter how hard I try to do this, I can't. Anyway, when I was younger I remember driving in the car with him, the windows rolled down and the Eagles, or The Doors, or YES!, or Supertramp (you get the idea) blaring as loudly as Daddy could get it without blowing out our eardrums. You see, my dad is a HUGE music guru. That's where I get it. Anyway, my dad wanted to pass on this incredible knowledge along to his oldest daughter so he would quiz me: "Which band is this?" "What's the name of the song?" "What  year did it come out?" "Name 3 other songs by this band." I distinctly remember one evening driving home with the padres and asking my mom if she would let me have a friend spend the night. She said that she was fine with it, but only if it was alright with the supreme ruler (i.e. my dad) as well. PAUSE. There's more that you need to understand about my padre. He's sarcastic. If you know me and you've ever wondered where I get my ability to keep a straight face while mocking you, I get it from my totally awesome father. PLAY. My dear father turns to me and says, "Squirt, I'll let you have a sleepover if you can tell me the name of the band singing the next three songs on the radio." I immediately start to whine. We were listening to Arrow 103.5 and I had not adequately prepared for this difficult test. My mom tried to talk some sense into my crazy, music obsessed father. "Steve. Give her a break. Come on. At least flip the radio channel or something." But my dear father was unrelenting. "Nope. She has to do it." Lucky for me, I'm fairly certain the playlist went something like this: The Doors: Hello, I Love You, Billy Joel: Piano Man, and last but not least (a personal favorite of mine) Styx: Renegade. Needless to say, I got my sleepover. And there's now an entire playlist on my iPod dedicated to my daddy's music. Blast from the Past here I come...