finally… a Christmas album for people who are mildly depressed or moderately melancholy, however you choose to look at it

I am loving this CD.  The only Christmas CD Justin owns is James Brown’s Funky Christmas, and I’m pretty sure he has a huge crush on Sarah, so I thought this might be a lovely addition to his (our) collection. 

It’s lovely.  This holiday season, things have been more than usually stressful and somewhat sad, which has been a harsh contrast to all the happy-happy-joy-joy music that’s played in every store and on every radio station.  This collection of songs is soft and slow and just a little ache-y — my heart breaks whenever that gorgeous voice lilts in that unique way she has.  I’m digging it. 

Anyone who puts Joni Mitchell’s “River” on a Christmas CD truly gets what the holidays are like more often than not.  Especially this year.  I wish there was a river Justin and I could skate away on.  Two problems: the pond behind our house isn’t fully frozen yet, and even if it was it wouldn’t get us very far, and I’m pretty sure neither of us can skate.  Oh well, it’s a nice thought anyway.

Anyway, if you get a chance, give this CD a listen.     

This movie…

is arriving in a theater near you today.

It’s almost too good.  We saw a sneak peak of this yesterday… it’s looking pretty sweet.

In other news, have you ever checked out the National Geographic Channel?  Justin and I, much to our surprise and delight, found out that we get this channel, and let me just tell you — it’s amazing.  Polar bears, dwarfism, organ donation overseas, traveling freak shows, people who make their living cleaning up after homicides – their specials are blowing our minds. 

Happy Friday everyone!

happy Saturday…

Ah.  So glad to have that whole apartment thing nailed down.  I’ve been a little saner ever since.

We’ll be moving September 12th.  Our lease was originally up on the 10th, but the apartment is getting some new carpet/flooring put in and won’t be ready for another couple of days.  Thankfully our landlord was willing to work with us.  (Which he should.  We’ve been good to his place).

I was a little worried about moving into a place with loud neighbors because that was my last experience in apartments… I’ve gotten spoiled not having to share walls with other people for the last two years, between the LBH and the LGH.  Judging by the number of flower pots out on people’s decks near our unit, I think we’re in the old people section.  Which is fine by me.  Old people don’t keep me up until 3 am on a work night. 

I think the coolest thing is that our apartment is a third floor corner unit that overlooks this huge pond/wooded area behind.  Very quiet except for birds and croaky things.  You don’t even see any other apartments out of our windows.  That, and we have french doors that open up from the master bedroom onto our balcony (which, of course, overlooks the pond).  I think that’s pretty sweet!

Justin and I headed out on a date last night – you can tell it was a date because he wore a button up shirt.    Just kidding.  We ate at Anthony’s, a seafood restaurant down on the waterfront, and got to walk around near the water until our table was ready.  It was perfect temp out — not too warm, not too cool, and just pretty.  And we saw bunny rabbits.  Then we went to the movies and saw Stardust.

Seriously, this movie was so fun!  Favorite movie I’ve seen in a long time.  It was so nice to go to the movies, enjoy a good story, laugh a bunch, and not leave disappointed.  Go see it.

Kevin and Hanna are headed up for a visit today, so there is probably a great deal of Munchkin and Pirate’s Cove to play.  Should be a good weekend!

Hope you all enjoy yours as well!

the challenge

During our drive three hours south to visit our families this weekend, Justin and I started playing a new game to pass the time.  We didn’t think of it – it was introduced to him during a long boring shift at Blockbuster – but I feel brilliant just in passing it along to you.

I give you: That Actors/Actresses Game.

It proceeds a-like so:

Me: Name your actor.

Justin: John Cusack.  Name yours.

Me: Samuel L. Jackson.

Okay.  The fun begins.  You have to link these two actors based on costars they’ve shared movies with.  From memory (no imdb-ing!).  I have a tendency to not necessarily take the shortest route — there are some big movies I’ve missed, but I usually get there.  Also, you can’t use any of the Oceans 11 movies.  That’s just cheating.

This one’s an easy one:

John Cusack, Julia Roberts, America’s Sweethearts;

Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt, The Mexican;

Brad Pitt, Geena Davis, Thelma and Louise;

Geena Davis, Samuel L. Jackson, The Long Kiss Goodnight.

It’s That Actors/Actresses Game.  Keep it up your sleeve.

Oh, and Team Lawlis will accept challenges.

The Friday Top Ten

Because I demanded of my co-worker Brian a list of his most impacting books, he demanded, in return, a list of my top ten movies.  I couldn’t fit them all into ten, so I divided my list up into top ten non-comedies and top ten comedies.  Here’s the first list, in no particular order:

1.  In America

2.  Braveheart

3.  The Pianist

4.  Castaway (#1 by far)

5.  Spanglish (at least this year it’s in the top ten)

6.  The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

7.  Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

8.  Hotel Rwanda

9.  Shawshank Redemption

10. Gone with the Wind

Feel free to share your own lists… I’m big on getting people’s top tens.

filling my ears, filling my heart

I accept your baton-pass, Myles Werntz.  A week late, perhaps, but it’s no matter.

AMOUNT OF MUSIC ON MY COMPUTER:

4.13 GB.  Or, 152 hours, 1 minute, 25 seconds.

CURRENTLY LISTENING TO:

Jagged Little Pill (Acoustic) — Alanis Morissette… Has it been ten years already?  I popped this into the car stereo, and all the words come right back.  Crazy.  Love it.

FIVE SONGS THAT MEAN A LOT TO ME (In no particular order):

1.  Darkest Hour — Glen Phillips

If I lose my faith
Just remind me, just remind me
When my shadow’s longer
Stay beside me till it’s brighter
How easily I forget
How beautiful to see it once again

In my darkest hour I will be freed…

This song (a random Napster download) was playing on my stereo when I finally quit trying to play superhero following my accident… when I finally admitted I felt like hell, was exhausted of all effort, and wasn’t quite sure why God would allow such miserable pain day and night.  All alone in my small apartment, I laid my right cheek on the top of my desk and cried and sobbed and shook for the better part of an hour.  I have never forgotten this moment of desperation, of not knowing if I could hold on to faith, yet hoping and praying that it could hold on to me.  This song brings me back to it every time I hear it.

2.  Stay or Leave — Dave Matthews

Stay or leave

I want you not to go

But you should

It was good as good goes

Stay or leave

I want you not to go

But you did…

I heard this song for the first time on my last date with Jeremy.  Both fairly quiet all evening, we sang along with it together in the darkness of his Jeep as we drove to a Japanese restaurant.  I heard it again a month later after I’d bought the album, and chuckled at the words’ painful accuracy, slightly ahead of schedule.   It articulated the ache at a time I needed it to.  It haunts me a bit still.  Now I enjoy it on its own terms – it’s a lovely melancholy song, and those are always my favorite – but it always takes a piece of me back to that night.

3.  The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face — Johnny Cash

The first time ever I saw your face

I thought the sun rose in your eyes

And the moon and the stars

Were the gifts you gave to the dark and the endless sky, my love

No real reason, other than that it’s a simple love song, sung by Johnny Cash, and I think of him and June, and how sweet they were up til the end.  I don’t think I need another reason.

4.  Small Enough — Nichole Nordeman 

Oh, Great God

Be small enough to hear me now…

There were times when I was crying from the dark of Daniel’s den

And I have asked you once or twice if you would part the sea again

But tonight I do not need a fiery pillar in the sky

Just want to know you’re gonna hold me if I start to cry

Oh Great God

Be small enough to hear me now…

There have been a few different occasions when I was too distraught to pray that I turned off all the lights, put this song on repeat, and let myself pray the words of this song.  Somehow it connects all the stuff I learned in Sunday School to a very personal God, which for me, has not always been easy.  Nichole Nordeman is one of the only Christian artists that speaks to me… most of her songs have a questioning element to them, a struggle to believe paired at the same time with a strong desire to believe.  Listening to all three of her albums, I wonder if she took material directly from my thoughts — I feel like someone else “gets it”.  I love her for this.

5.  Come Away with Me — Norah Jones  Assuming I get married at some point, which my mother and grandma both assure me could actually happen before I’m thirty… I want to dance to this at my wedding. 

6.  (who’s keeping count?) Be Mine — David Gray  I absolutely love this song.  And can’t wait for someone to feel this way about me.  Yes, yes, I am a sentimental freak show. 

From the very first moment I saw you
That’s when I knew
All the dreams I held in my heart
Had suddenly come true
Knock me over stone cold sober
Not a thing I could say or do
Cause baby when I’m walking with you now
My eyes are so wide
Like you reached right into my head
And turned on the light inside
Turning on the light
Inside my mind… yea…Come on baby it’s all right
Sunday Monday, day or night
Written blue on white it’s plain to see
Be mine, be mine!
Rainy shiny, night or day
What’s the difference anyway
Honey till your heart belongs to me

If I had some influence girl
With the powers that be
I’d have them fire that arrow at you
Like they fired it right at me
Maybe when your heart and soul are burning
You might see
That everytime I’m talking with you
It’s always over too soon
That everyday feels so incomplete
Till you walk into the room
Say the word now girl
I’ll jump that moon… yea…

Come on baby it’s OK
Rainy shiny, night or day
There’s nothing in the way now
Don’t you see
Be mine, be mine!
Winter summer, day or night
Centigrade or Fahrenheit
Baby till your heart belongs to me
Be Mine, Be Mine
Thursday Friday, short or long
When you got a love so strong
How can it be wrong now mercy me
Be Mine, Be Mine
Jumpin’ Jesus holy cow!
What’s the difference anyhow
Baby till your heart belongs to me

FIVE (OR SO) FAVE ALBUMS:  They earn this distinction once I’ve listened to a CD about ten bajillion times.

How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb — U2  If there was any doubt in my mind, the concert (smug grin) sealed it for me.  I love every song on this album.

Room for Squares — John Mayer

Twentysomething — Jamie Cullum

A Rush of Blood to the Head — Coldplay (I’m just now listening to the sequel)

Jars of Clay — Jars of Clay (I’m sorry, I just love this first album.  It was

awesome).

Everything Dave ever did, and everything Sarah ever did.

no words

HOTEL RWANDA.  Watch it.  ‘Nuff said.

the show

The U2 concert was awesome.  It’s ok if you’re jealous and bitter.  If you’d gone and I hadn’t, I’d be jealous and bitter, too.  But luckily I don’t have to carry that emotional burden… cause I got to see THE BEST SHOW EVER.

SET LIST

Love and Peace
Vertigo
Elevation
Cry/ Electric Co.
An Cat Dubh / Into the Heart
City of Blinding Lights
Beautiful Day
Miracle Drug
Sometimes you can’t make it on your own
New Year’s Day
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Bullet The Blue Sky
Running to Standstill
Pride in the name of love
Where the Streets have no name
One

Zoo Station
The Fly
Mysterious Ways

All Because of You
Yahweh
“40”

At the end, the band came out and did an acoustic version of Yahweh.  Amazing to hear the entire arena singing along.  And, like I had sincerely hoped, they ended with 40 (based on psalm 40).  The whole place sang, over and over and over: “How long… to sing this song…” as one by one, each member left the stage.  Larry played drums all alone for a bit, and he stopped playing.  But everyone kept singing.  He jumped back in, and the place went nuts.  All around the coolest concert moment EVER.  Gives me goosebumps just thinking about it.

I snuck my camera in (rather creatively, I might add) and the pics are in an album on the left, for your viewing/drooling pleasure.  Enjoy.

U2…

T-minus 24 hours, twenty minutes.

attention, less fortunate ladies and gentlemen…

…I am going to see U2 on April 24th!!!  Through a quite unexpected channel, I scored tickets.  I am one happy chica… it’s gonna be good.  Now I just have to wait a month and eight days.  Sigh.