I Love Hall & Oates. I Love Batman.

Happy Valentine's Day to me!

Free? I Love Free!

After my husband and I paid our mortgage for the month and I paid for my car to be fixed (hmph!), we realized that for the next two weeks, we are broke. Oh, so broke. So anything we can get for free, we will.

Thank goodness for Gun N' Roses (stupid band, doesn't know how to use an apostrophe correctly). Dr Pepper (another punctuationally-inept company) promised everyone in the United States a free can of the carbonated deliciousness, but only if you register today.

Register for a free can of Dr Pepper.

Of course, everyone wants a free Dr Pepper, hense the site is extremely slow to load today. I'm still waiting for the coupon page to load.

So, WHY is Dr Pepper giving away a free can? (And why are so many people excited about this when they can go to Wal-Mart and get a can of Dr. Thunder for 35 cents?)

Well, I don't really care about the reason, but it has something to do with the release of Guns N' Roses CD that's been 10 years in the making. And some corporate guy at Dr Pepper said something to the effect of "Well, if it's done in 2008, I'll be shocked. I'll give away a can of Dr Pepper to everyone in the United States." And Guns N' Roses must like it when they can stick it to the man...or something like that. I don't know how anti-establishment GNR are.

But, let's examine this apostophe catastrophe in Guns N' Roses name for a bit. Now, when you use an apostrophe in shortening a word, the apostrophe stands in place of letters missing. If Guns N' Roses wanted to really be short for Guns And Roses, the apostrophes would be on EITHER SIDE of the "N".

e.g. Guns 'N' Roses. (which, if we were looking at capitalization, would stand for Guns aNd Roses, I guess)

If the apostrophe we before the "N", the band name would mean Guns iN Roses. Hhhmmm. Glad they didn't go for that, I guess.

However, GNR used just one apostrophe after the "N", but clearly they're trying to make the bands name sound like they're saying "and" with the N'. But, if we bent the grammar rules a bit, the apostrophe could stand for anything. However, there are very few two-letter words that begin with N. I can only think of "No".

So, with that theory, GNR would stand for Guns No Roses. HOWEVER, if that were the case, Guns N' Roses forgot one more peice of important punctuality: a comma! Technically, it should be Guns, No Roses.

So, there you go!

Sorry, it really sucks knowing these rules sometimes. It's like, why did these rules have to stick in my brain, but no one else's? And I understand creative freedom to name a band whatever one wants...but, come on! It's wrong!

And now I'll get off my soapbox and leave ranting about the desecration of the English language for some other post.

...free Dr Pepper! Still waiting for the page to load...

Creating the Perfect Mix CD

There are few days I get in the car, put my iPod on Shuffle, and never have to skip a song. Let's face it, because it's on an iPod filled with hundreds of other songs you like more, the skip feature becomes so convenient. But, sometimes fate seems to give me the Perfect Mix Playlist.

Now that I have my iTunes almost back to what it was before half my music was deleted and the other half was mislabeled, I've started making Mix CDs for people.

Whenever I talk to those people again, I always hear, "You make the best Mix CDs!" And I realized that not everyone must do that, or else they wouldn't be comparing my skills at making a Mix CD.

Now, as much as I love my John Cusack movies, I have to say the book "High Fidelity" made it seem like a little too much of a process: To me, making a tape is like writing a letter — there's a lot of erasing and rethinking and starting again. A good compilation tape, like breaking up, is hard to do. You've got to kick off with a corker, to hold the attention (I started with "Got to Get You Off My Mind", but then realized that she might not get any further than track one, side one if I delivered what she wanted straightaway, so I buried it in the middle of side two), and then you've got to up it a notch, or cool it a notch, and you can't have white music and black music together, unless the white music sounds like black music, and you can't have two tracks by the same artist side by side, unless you've done the whole thing in pairs and...oh, there are loads of rules.

I have one simple rule (and the following are more like suggestions): If you want to skip to the next song half-way through, there's a good chance the other person will too.


So, here are my "secrets". The absolute way of making the mix CD personal and random is to think of the Reaction to each song.


The New
Pick one or two songs from your library that you feel your friend will like, but you have a good feeling they've never heard of them. Or, take your favorite song from a lesser-known band to put on there. Reaction: "Who was that who sang that song that went 'Let's Get Moving Into Action'? I really liked it!" This will open up this person to the song, and hopefully the artist, giving you something else in common.

The Ballad
No, don't think I'm necessarily talking Delilah-type music. People get enough of that just waiting on hold for businesses. Some of the best types of ballads are done by artists who aren't necessarily the top thought when it comes to ballads. Reaction: "Oh, I forgot Guns N' Roses sang this song! I had my first dance with a girl to 'November Rain'!" Another option is a lesser-known ballad from an artist who does a little bit of everything. Extra points if it was featured in a favorite movie, but no one really knows the title. Reaction: "Finally! That song toward the end of 'Almost Famous' I never knew the name of! ... Once I listened to it, I still couldn't believe it was the Beach Boys!"

The Television Theme
It's short. It may only take up a minute, if that. Bonus points if you're picking a television theme from your youth. Reaction: "I can't believe you put the theme from 'Fresh Prince of Bel-Air' on there. The funny thing is, I probably haven't watched it in ages, and I still knew all the words! ... Except for that lost verse they never played on TV except in the pilot episode."

The Megamix
No, not necessarily the "Grease Megamix", however if that's the only one you have, just remember you can only give this person one Mix CD until you have acquired more. Not everyone like the concept of the megamix, though. If you have a feeling the person receiving the Mix CD is a real stickler for the real deal, start with something a little less Megamix-cherry-popping. Reaction: "So, yeah, putting Eminem's 'The Real Slim Shady' to the background from Britney Spears' 'Oops! I Did It Again' was actually genius! I can't believe it synced up so well!"

The Embarrassment
Sounds weird, I know. But, hey, if you own it, you might as well know that once you give the CD away, someone else will have it in their collection. Surprisingly, it's those little things that makes the person want more. Reaction: "You put 'Under The Sea' from 'The Little Mermaid' on my mix? I can't believe you even own that. ... No, don't get me wrong, OF COURSE I listened to it! It made my commute seem to go faster because I couldn't believe I now have have a CD with it."

The Nostalgic
Think back to the period in your life music really made a "difference". In every decade or generation, there are those years, roughly around 10-15, in which music felt like it was life changing. All of a sudden, you wanted to spend your allowance on CDs from artists you knew your parents probably wouldn't have approved of. It was the moment you started getting spoon fed the saccharine shit MTV and pop radio stations thought you should hear at least 10 times a day. You and your friends started buying "Bop" and other fan magazines, just to look at pictures of these pretty boys, who you never admitted couldn't sing a fucking note, but knew how to sell it. Yeah, throw one of those on the CD. Seriously! Reaction: "I never thought I would hear 'The Sign' again! God, we had great music back then. We really did. Not like the shit kids are listening to now."

The Shit
Yup. Just for even more fun, add the "shit kids are listening to now". Just because you know down in your soul, you wish you still had the ignorance they do. Reaction: "I hate to admit it, but I'm glad you put 'SOS' on there. It's my guilty pleasure. ... Don't tell anyone I said that!" Warning: You only get ONE. No more! More than one puts your CD in the TOOL category.

The Drinking Song
If there's a song that would bring up memories of a drunken trip to Vermont, the first night both of you sang karaoke, the movie you two watched and made a drinking game to, or decided after last call that neither of you could go home until you belted your lungs out to a certain song, it goes on the CD. Reaction: "I don't care how many times I hear 'Sweet Caroline', I still never get sick of shouting 'So good! So good! So good!' Just listening to it made me want vodka and 180, even though I swore the next morning I would never touch those again."

The Personal Favorite(s)
This is a two-parter. You pick your favorite song you know the other person knows you like. Reaction: "Yeah, I knew that one was coming. Not that I don't mind hearing Prince whenever I can." Next, you pick a favorite song of the recipient. Reaction: "Yeah, I knew that one was coming. When will you get over Dexys Midnight Runners?"

The Comeback Song
I grew up listening to oldies. It was actually more of a personal choice than one made by my parents for me. What bothers me are the songs I loved and no one heard of featured in some ridiculous commercial, followed by everyone deciding they loved the song now. Needless to say, I wanted to boycott Gap for a long time. Now, with YouTube favorites and Internet memes, even more songs have a chance to make comebacks. Eh, put it in. They might as well listen to the whole song, rather than sing the two lines people only know. Reaction: "I can't believe you Rick-Rolled me via mix CD!"

The Unknown
This category includes one-hit wonders, fantastic songs by forgettable bands and covers by bands who perform them better than the original. Reaction: "Who the hell are The Hippos? That cover they did of 'Always Something There To Remind Me' is fantastic! Did they do anything else? Actually, who did the original?" Note: Naked Eyes did the version most people think is the "original". It was actually written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David in 1960. Dionne Warwick was the recording artist that brought it to the charts.

And there you have it!

If you have time leftover, add some fillers; double up on the suggestions (EXCEPT THE SHIT CATEGORY!); shuffle it around until you're satisfied; and listen to it the whole way through, keeping the Reactions in mind. And get ready for requests to make more!

Dig It

Sometimes I regret showing my husband cool things...he then goes nuts with them, along with the rest of our friends. Palinaspresident was quoted constantly. And, for some reason, the word "Maverick" has become the new term for EVERYONE.

Luckily, I can turn him onto older things as well. So, when "Grazing in the Grass" came on the radio one night and I started singing along, he wanted to learn it too. When it was on my iPod last night, he tried again to learn it. He has since downloaded it and looked up the lyrics. We now know that the lyrics are:
I can dig it, he can dig it
She can dig it, we can dig it
They can dig it, you can dig it
Oh, let's dig it
Can you dig it, baby
I can dig it, he can dig it
She can dig it, we can dig it
They can dig it, you can dig it
Oh, let's dig it
Can you dig it, baby

Ken Lee!

In case you've been living under a rock for the past year...



(Always quoted at bar nights.)

Let's NOT Do The Time Warp Again

Oh, look what MTV's got their filthy little mitts on now.

stoptheremake.com

I will not sign a petition, however. If they pick someone good for Frank N. Furter, I'll put it on my DVR. Someone like Perez Hilton or Patricia Arquette or...Miley Cyrus!

Quick opinion on the status of MTV: It's turned into the grandmother of television. When my generation first got a glimpse of the neon logo flashing in seizure-like fashion, we embraced it for its edge. We watched college kids on their spring break, half of them hot little numbers showing off their bodies, the other half sporting flannel shirts and Birkenstocks to the beach. We watched seven strangers who, holy crap, were actually very different and could get along, for the most part. We watched HOURS of music videos. We had special relationships with our VJs (I still love you, Kennedy!). We were taught and disciplined in the way of a revival of rock. (Yes, I consider the '90s a revival of sorts.) And, every once in a while, we would catch episodes of "Beavis Butt-Head" and, during the beginning of the end, the quick, but powerful, rise and fall of "Daria". And I know I'm not the only one who played along to "Singled Out"...but that was only to kill that half-an-hour before more music videos would introduce me to Pearl Jam, Counting Crows, Aerosmith, Blind Mellon and whatever else I have stored on my iPod and consider "nostalgia".

By the time "seven strangers" turned into "seven of the same people who like to fight", and only five videos were shown each day (TRL), and Carson Daly became a household name, I had already started watching VH1 on a regular basis. Hell, I still try and find new Pop-Up Videos on YouTube now and then. "Behind the Music" had me captivated. And once all the "I Love The..." shows came out, MTV could have fallen off the face of the earth, and I wouldn't have noticed. I call MTV the grandmother of television because I think when kids watch that crap, it's like going to grandma's house, and her letting you stuff your face with whatever shit you decide you want to eat. And grandma knows you'll have a stomach ache later, but by that time, you'll already be home with your parents and they'll have to deal with the whining and moaning. It's sweet revenge.

Yeah, so that was my rant. Oh! And don't tell me "Well, there's MTV Classic" or something like that. NO! When I turn on MTV, I want MY MTV.

Yet Another Barack Remix

See more funny videos and TBT Videos at Today's Big Thing.

I Now Get The Song!

Europe was singing about the world's Final Countdown to this man:

Fruit Salad

Right before work ended today, I started getting that warm, heavy feeling in my temples. Then I realized my muscles felt a bit sore. And my heating pad was all the way up and I was still shivering (we're worried about an economic crisis, but my building can't seem to economize on keeping the top floor cold enough). Then it hit me...

I was getting sick!

By the time I was stuck in traffic, it had turned into an "oh-I-just-want-to-go-home-and-get-in-bed" all-out fever. And, of course, I had to take back roads because they had to close the highway right before rush hour.

On my way home, I ended up listening to a bunch of music, mostly because I was skipping around so much because I was so impatient with the day. I noticed, though, that in my song choices I listened to the whole way through, I had inadvertently ended up listening to enough fruit-inspired bands and songs that I could have gotten my anti-oxidant content from my iPod:

Raspberries-Go All The Way


The Cranberries-Dreams


Harry Nilsson-Coconut


The Lemonheads-Into Your Arms


Bananarama-Last Thing On My Mind


Fiona Apple-If We Kissed
(Because there isn't an official video for this song, I had to look through the many interpretations on YouTube, mostly featuring WB teen crap--this one made me laugh, though, so I had to post it.)



And, of course...
The Beatles-Strawberry Fields Forever


Bonus
Because it's my favorite fruity flavor (I hate the actual fruit itself, though...), I thought I'd add just a little more to the fruit concoction.

Five Songs That Should Have Added A Pick Slide

I have to say, I get very nostalgic for the '90s whenever a power ballad comes on and I hear a pick slide. I think it's one of the most underestimated "techniques" in music, to be honest. It's like that random burst that re-focuses me on whatever song I'm listening to.

When I was driving home from work, I was listening to Rod Stewart's, Bryan Adams' and Sting's All For One (no joke, really) and I realized why I always felt so anxious and let down listening to it: It needs a pick slide!



Then, when traffic started moving, I found myself singing along to Michael Jackson's Black or White (watching the video just now definitely made me smile, too):



Then, I was switching highways when I decided Joan Jett's I Love Rock 'n' Roll needed a few pick slides, although with her random outbursts of "OOOOW!", Ms. Jett might feel threatened:


When I was almost home, I was worried I wouldn't have a good collection of songs to add to this blog...but luckily ZZ Top's Tush came on:


You may be wondering about the fifth song. Well, I saved the best for last. When it came on, I was thanking the iPod gods of Shuffle Songs. As if this song didn't have enough cliches (musical and otherwise) attached to it already:

Best German Export?

There's a debate going on at work about the top three rankings of Germany's exports:

The Hoff


Heidi Klum


The Scorpions


Opinions?

Fun in the Car

I keep a drumstick in my car. Just one. I have told the same story that my cousin (drunkenly) stole it from his band's drummer because they were in a fight and decided to hide it in my car and that's why it's there. At this point, I don't remember if I made that up or if that's what actually happened, because the more I think about it, the weirder the story sounds...but I've been telling it for so long, that may just be the reason. So, it's just hanging out in my car. The Kia, the drumstick and me.

This afternoon during my commute, I was out of cigarettes and needed to keep my hands busy. I decided to put it to use, other than using it as a reaching stick when my purse falls on the floor. I started keeping the beat to the songs on my iPod. I tapped on the steering wheel only for a few seconds before the (supposedly irrational) fear of the airbag spontaneously going off hit me, so I percussioned (I can turn what I did into a verb, oh yes I can) on the dashboard instead.

Soon, Howard Jones came on, and before I knew it, I was doing that washboard sound using the heating vents. Although a small accomplishment in my life, I got a thrill from the ingenuity to work with the resources I had.

Just in case you happen to be around a vent of some sort and have a drumstick handy (who doesn't?):

Oh, And...

Since I can't listen to it right now, at least you can.



(See previous post.)

Tools, meet John Lennon

No, I know you think you know him or what-not. You probably fill your MySpace and Facebook profiles with his quote: "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans," and you sit around Starbucks Coffee Houses talking about his "greatness". Well, before you post the quote anymore, at least listen to the song it came from -- yes, it was a song. He didn't just come out of a post-drug induced haze and say this wonderful quote; it was from a song.

The Ride-Home Song

A classic from either 1989 or 1993, depending on which version you listen to:

Moxy Fruvous - King of Spain

Morning Song

Woke up with this in my head. Now I'm incredibly glad I found this video with scenes from "Elizabethtown", as I love almost anything Cameron Crowe has a hand in:




By the way, if you've never seen this Cameron Crowe film, please do so. And, if it ever comes up, when I die, I want a very similar adventure to what Mitch had in the movie.

Currently Playing

I heard it on the way home from work today. It's been stuck in my head ever since.

Ironically, it's the only song I like from Lenny Kravitz. No, not like, LOVE!