Three Songs I Luff <3

I am a music whore. Anyone who knows me more than in passing knows this. These are 3 songs that I love and will never tire of and why I love them so :)

Wonderwall by Oasis

Andrew played his cover of "Wonderwall" on mine and Justin's first date, which was to watch Andrew play a show. That night it was stuck in my head, and it became my anthem once I decided Justin was abso-fucking-lutely amazing, and it was his ringtone for when he called my phone for about a good 6 months. Now it's been replaced by "Love Story" by Taylor Swift. 

That and I almost broke down at the sappy-full-circleness of it all when Justin, Andrew, and I saw Oasis at Madison Square Garden in New York City. It was like "Oh, here I am in the most amazing city on earth, listening to one of the best bands ever play a song I associate with the man I love, and his best friend, who sang it during his show on our first date."

Thusly when Justin and I do get married, I am MAKING Andrew play this song. And "Sitting Waiting Wishing" by Jack Johnson. Because at that point I didn't know any of Andrew's music and these are the two songs that stick out in my head from that night...

Everyday by Jamiroquai

It is me and Justin's song. This wasn't decided until after almost a year of being together. We were riding home from Mohegan Sun, I had just seen Fall Out Boy and was still riding the wave of excitement after having met them.

I *think* Justin commandeered the stereo in my car (he drove back because I was too fucking tired...and starstruck) and found Jamiroquai's album "Travelling Without Moving" on my iPod. Then he started babbling about how every couple needs a song.

Our second date, and the night we first kissed, we went to the fireworks in Torrington, (Okay, really I went with my friends and then squealed like a little dorky girl when he said he'd show up.) After the fireworks, and an awesome back rub during, Justin kindly volunteered to drive me back to my friend Jess' house to go get my car afterwards. We talked for a while, I could not stop complimenting him on his back rub skills...or stop fucking grinning...haha :) The parking lot was a total and complete clusterfuck zoo when everyone was trying to leave at once, so we just sat in his car and chilled, staring out the sunroof at the stars and he threw on said Jamiroquai CD. I always thought they were a little strange, but then again all I had ever heard was "Virtual Insanity", so I just went with it. Once we finally got moving, we continued listening to the CD. In between all that was going on I wasn't really listening to the music, I was just absorbing the moment. When we got back to Jess' house, he kissed me goodnight.

The boy's brilliant reasoning for this being our song is that he *thinks* it was playing when we first kissed (neither of us really remember...for obvious reasons) and if it wasn't, the lyrics still apply anyway.

This is why I love him, when he comes up with random, yet completely logical explanations for things like this.

This is For Real by Motion City Soundtrack

"This is For Real" has been my text ringtone on every last goddamned phone I've owned in the last three years, which is 4. Obviously I haven't grown tired of it yet.

It's gotten to the point that it does not click with me that I am receiving a text if I don't hear the MCS song :)

Music Monday: Motion City Soundtrack - This Is For Real

I've seen Motion City Soundtrack in concert 3 times in the last 2 and a half years. I finally met the other love of my life, who's name, ironically is ALSO Justin, in February when I saw them play at the Webster Theater in Hartford, CT.

Yours truly and Justin Pierre of MCS :)

Obviously they are one of my favorite "current" bands, second only to Fall Out Boy. They have a pop-punk sound (very much like Blink 182, in fact Mark Hoppus of Blink produced a lot of stuff on their 2nd CD, "Commit This to Memory") and anyone who has spent any length of time around me in person knows who MCS is through this song. (The chorus has been my text ringtone on every phone I've had for the last 3 years and I don't intend on that changing anytime soon)

Enjoy "This is for Real" off of their 2007 album "Even if it Kills Me"...one of my favorite songs ever :D

Terry Jones: You're an idiot

Allow me to preface this post by sharing my religious standpoint: I believe that there is somebody up there who we will have to answer to when our day comes. However, they do not want nor require 10% of my money, nor do they condone people telling other people that they're going to hell because their spiritual beliefs differ.

Terry Jones, Grade-A Jackass (Credit: AP/ABC News)

So, unless you've been living under a rock for the past few days, you're aware that Terry Jones, some pastor of a church in Florida wants to torch copies of the holy book of Islam, the Quran (Koran?) on Saturday to protest the fact that a bunch of Muslim extremists perpetrated the September 11th attacks.

People (including President Obama) have warned him that this is a shiteous idea and will cause danger for troops abroad, particularly in Afghanistan. Does he care? No. All he wants to do is desecrate the Islamic religion.

Now, I understand WHY he wants to do this. "Zomgz Muslims attacked us, we need to hit these cowards where it hurts...burn their holy book." Nobody, however, said this was a brilliant scheme.

The cowards that flew those planes into the World Trade Center, Pentagon, and the field in Pennsylvania were devotees of a perversion of Islam. As is the case 95% of the time with everything, a few bad apples spoil the bunch. I look at it this way: Every religious group has its share of radical followers. The mormons have that sicko Warren Jeffs and all his followers who belong to the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints and have decided that polygamy and rape are acceptable behavior (What else do you call multiple forced marriages between grown men who already have wives and underage girls?). The Christians have their share of hypocritical fundamentalist people like this clown in Florida. Christians are told "Thou Shall Love Thy Neighbor". By burning the Quran, these assholes are most certainly not abiding by a commandment set forth by their God. I am obviously not condoning the atrocity that was September 11th, but pissing off every single Muslim in the entire world with a short-sighted Quran burning is not the most intelligent idea. The extremists are going to want to retaliate, and everyone else is just going to detest the United States more than they already do, and Muslims living in America are probably not going to be too thrilled with the government allowing this to happen (Obviously Obama has said it's not cool, but really, what can the United States legally do? I'm pretty sure that, although disrespectful, Quaran burning falls under the category of freedom of speech.) Personally, if I was Muslim I'd feel extremely pissed off and exceptionally disrespected by this display. Just because the perpetrators were Muslim, it does not mean that all followers of Islam are soulless cowards who delighted in seeing the bloodshed on American soil that awful day 9 years ago.

The intelligent, Godly, and "Christian" thing to do would be to hold a peaceful vigil or remembrance, not a disrespectful book-burning fiesta.

Personally, if this clown goes through with this and any American serviceman or woman is injured or killed directly as a result, he needs to be charged with their murder, or at the very least manslaughter. Also, I think someone should set up shop directly across the street from his Quran burning and burn Bibles in the sake of fairness. I'm sure he'd be less than thrilled to see his holy book being desecrated and destroyed, and maybe, just MAYBE he'll realize what a complete fucking idiot he is.

I truly hope that when his judgement day comes, that he gets what's coming to him for being an intolerant prick. To me, this disrespectful display is about as pointless as people getting upset over the fact that someone wants to build a mosque near Ground Zero. Islam was raked through the gutter following 9/11. They need to get it through their thick skulls that not all Muslims are crazy radicals, and they need to find a different outlet for their anger, sorrow, frustration, and grief that is more productive.

Addendum: Apparently now, the burning is off and this pastor wants to go to New York and meet with the dude who wants to build the mosque in New York City and try to either talk him out of it or convince him to build it elsewhere. Good luck with that, I really don't see that happening.

This highway is the bane of my existance

Interstate 84. I think it attracts the state of Connecticut's most incompetent drivers ever.
Luckily in the above picture, its not a bumper to bumper clusterfuck as it normally is any time you want to go anywhere.

My 10 year old self is devastated.

They were known for Summer Girls, but "West Side Story" was always my favorite. Rich Cronin, the blonde dude died today of Leukemia. He was 35.

RIP dude =(

Dear Thunder, I hate you.

This was my wakeup call this morning (credit to @gilsimmons)

I'm not a big fan of thunderstorms. I don't mind them when I'm driving, I like looking at lightning. I especially hate them when trying to fall asleep...or when they roll in a half-hour before I need to be up. I'm one of those people who gets really cranky and pissy if my last half hour of sleep is disturbed, and when it's an inanimate object (okay, thunderstorms MOVE, my point is, it's not a living thing) I get especially pissed because, naturally, there's nothing legit to take my anger out on.  This morning I was woken up by the storm pictured at six-friggin-fifteen.

I'm so glad that summer is almost over, and the threat of thunderstorms will thus diminish. They provide an excuse to cuddle with Justin, but that's about the only thing I like about thunderstorms. Not to mention there was way too much lightning going on for my comfort to bother taking a shower without fear of electrocution after the power came back on.

I blame the thunderstorm for: Me feeling sick today, looking like a raggy (number 1 definition if anyone cares) today, my general exhaustion, lousy mood, and need to leave work three hours early because I not only was about ready to fall asleep, but my patience was wearing way too thin.

Dear Fall Out Boy:

I know that Pete has decided the world needs less of him and y'all are on hiatus...but I really wish you guys released this song beyond that New Administration mixtape back in 2008 =(

A bit about Action Item

My cousin and the band

I briefly mentioned the birthday party/concert thing my cousin held on Thursday night. I finally got off my dead ass and uploaded pictures and videos off my camera to do various things with them on the computer, so here's a post that will be essentially all pictures and videos.

I apologize for the shiteous quality of the youtube videos, I shot them on my digital camera.

The band playing fooseball.

I had not heard more than 30 seconds of their music prior to seeing them Thursday, but after having heard them in person, and gotten a CD of theirs to explore, I am definitely sold. Explore them a bit more on YouTube because their really stripped down acoustic set that I caught on Thursday is pretty different from their main studio sound, which is pop-punk kind of in the manner of Mayday Parade. Plus the guys were all really adorable and sweet...and not what you'd expect out of musicians either. They hung out with us, had dinner, and played fooseball with us, so that was really cool of them...you would think they'd be like "Hi." play the show, pack up, and leave...but they didn't.

I actually felt kind of bad for them because they had to drive back home to New Jersey after they left at nearly 10 that evening.

Yours truly w/ the band...I look like a raggy, I know.

Where I am...right now

The beach in West Haven, CT :)

Summarization of yesterday evening :)

Action Item, live...at my cousin's birthday party

Before last night, I hadn't heard more than 30 seconds of Action Item on youtube.

Today, I'm a fan. I'd describe them as power pop...kinda like Mayday Parade. (Youtube either Action Item or Mayday Parade if you're confused)

I think my cousin won some sort of contest for them to play a party for her, so she had an early 15th birthday party for herself (her birthday's not until September 30th)

The guys are really sweet, they hung around just chilling with everybody for like an hour before they started to play, then they played an awesome acoustic set (videos will be forthcoming, gotta get them off my camera...came home and watched Jersey Shore with Justin last night and then went straight to bed...no time to boot up my beastly computer) and then they signed CDs for us and played fooseball with people.

Very glad I didn't let my down-in-the-dumps-ness keep me from going (as I was debating). It was hella fun :)

Plus, I can say I met these guys before they blew up...mark my words, they will.