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.

A walk...

Let it be known in the 'Verse that I'm not an outdoorsy girl. I don't do bugs. I don't do lots of dirt. I don't do small animals running around near me. And I most definitely don't do no showers. Call me a girly girl if you must. Call  me prissy. I'll own up to it. I am, however, a outsidesy girl. I like walks. I like sunshine. I like swing sets. I like rain. I like flowers. I like wind in the trees. And I like that I get to walk back into my clean house with a ready shower. It's a win-win, really. Tonight I decided to go on a walk.

As a rule, I kind of hate summer. It's too hot. I dislike feeling as though I'm melting every second that I'm outside of my air conditioned house/car. Today had been a slightly stressful day. I had my fourth (yes, you read that right, fourth) interview for the same job up at the U. I mean, I get four interviews for the CIA, FBI, NSA or any other three letter organization. But really? Anyway, I decided that I needed a walk.

I chose Taylor Swift as the soundtrack for my little journey. Now put your astonished face away. I know I always go on and on about how much I hate country music, but Taylor, she speaks to me. So in my ears the headphones went and my little feets got to walking. I came to a conclusion: I either need a dog (I don't do animals, so this is big deal) or a boyfriend, because people looked at me funny as I bee-bopped down 8th East by my lonesome. That might have been because at one point I could not contain those feets of mine any longer and I started dancing. That's right, dancing. This shouldn't surprise you. Oh, you in the back? Thank you for asking. It was ballet. A few twirls and leaps never hurt anyone. Just after my display, I found a swing set. Which meant that I had to swing. It was an absolute necessity.

Yup. I took pictures of those feets of mine while I was swinging. Hence the blurry pictures. And it was only my cell phone camera. I'm not a big deal and I don't have an expensive camera. It was delightful. I had forgotten how much I love to swing. There's a type of freedom that comes from swinging. It throws me back to being a little kid. Even now, if I close my eyes, the whole world is open to me and I could be swinging off to anywhere. But it makes me dizzy, so closing my eyes isn't a good idea. Plus, I can't take blurry photos for your enjoyment with my peepers closed. So I did the swingings for a bit and then continued my mini-journey. And you know what? The sunlight coming through the trees right about sunset is magical. There isn't an expensive camera in the world that could properly capture it. I'm pretty sure that it could cure cancer or bring world peace. I felt perfectly content with life, even though there are plenty of things that I wish I could change, things that are out of my control entirely. But with that sunlight streaming through the trees? I could do anything. I could work miracles. So, dear readers, what is the moral of this post, you ask? Well simple: Go on a walk. 

I believe...

in PINK.
I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner.
I believe in kissing. Kissing a lot.
I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong.
I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls.
I believe that tomorrow is another day and
I believe in miracles.
--Audrey Hepburn

Don't you just love Audrey? I mean, come on. How can you hate someone who starts a quote with "I believe in pink?" I submit that it's entirely impossible. And ridiculous. Since this is my blog, I get to be right. That's the best part about a blog. If people don't like/agree with all of the genius that I'm spewing out into the interwebs, they don't have to read it any longer. Also, I get to be a big deal on my blog. This is particularly helpful when I don't feel like I big deal in other places. In short, (bah! the puns I could concoct with that phrase) a blog is a fantastic self esteem booster because a) I get to be right which is one of my all time favorite things and secondly) I get to be a constant big deal. If you haven't caught on already, today I'm in a slightly scattered mood. I really couldn't tell you why. It could be because I stayed up entirely too late watching Friday Night Lights for most of the weekend. What is entirely too late you ask? I'll tell you: 5 am on Friday (or is that Saturday?) and 2:30 this morning. Put your judging eyes away. Have YOU watched it? Then you can't judge. It's kind of awesome. Anyway, it could be that or the decided lack of air conditioning in my house. It's possible that what few brain cells my university education left me are now fried to a crisp.Can I please remind you all how much I loathe hot weather? Blech. I hate feeling like I need to shower three times a day. I change my clothes even more than normal in the summer because I always feel disgusting. I like the early mornings and the late evenings when it's cool out and it smells like Russian Olive trees and honeysuckle. But all that nastiness in the middle? I wish I could sleep through it all in a frigid room. Wrapped in a sweatshirt. Oh the delight. To combat this insanity I plan on going to the Shakespeare festival in Cedar City, which isn't any cooler than Salt Lake, but copious amounts of the Bard combined with a visit from Charisse has a tendency to make me feel slightly less...upset about the heat. In preparation for delightful journey, I'm watching the Shakespeare ReTold version of Macbeth. James McAvoy and Richard Armitage in the same movie? Yes. Yes, please. I don't mind if I do. I'm just hoping that this viewing doesn't lead to insane dreams about attractive Scottish men killing one another. Which wouldn't be pleasant. Well, the attractive men would be pleasant, but the whole killing thing wouldn't be so much a party. My subconscious has a tendency to take things and run with them at a breakneck speed. Once after watching too many episodes of Bones before bed, I dreamed that I was performing an autopsy on my little brother Cole. I woke up in tears. I might have to hang out with the Gilmores before bed to stave off the awful dreams.

(I told you. My brain is jumping all over the place. Don't judge.)

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. 

Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer...

Friends! I have emerged from the black hole of finals and have lived to tell the tale. I'm in shock. I really thought that death was going to be a non negotiable part of my week, but alas, here I am, alive, well and fully caffeinated. :) Things slowed down dramatically after last Wednesday's astronomy final and well, let's be honest, I'm pretty darn excited about it. I've spent the last week convalescing. This has included repeated viewings of my favorite episodes of Lorelai and Rory, some closet organizing and more shopping then my bank account wanted me to do. And I've come to the conclusion that summer, like naps, are a gift from heaven, if spent correctly. A wise friend convinced me not to take classes this summer and now I have four months of play time. All of this is an amazingly fabulous revelation to me... Because free time is something that has been in short supply as of late. I have days and days of summer luxury. I made a reading list of all the books that I want to read this summer, now I just have to find the motivation to get them all! Any suggestions?