Listen.

When you visit my blog, my music player automatically plays, giving you a taste of what I've been listening to lately. Here's some info and a few further suggestions:

A Beautiful World by Tim Myers~ Tim Myers was with the band OneRepublic during their first release. He wrote their song "Stop and Stare" and a few others before embarking on a solo career. This song, A Beautiful World, just feels good to listen to. Listen to it on a scenic drive.

Why Do You Let Me Stay Here by She & Him~ This is one I'm exited about. Remember that little Chirstmas movie, Elf? Remember the actress, Zooey Deschanel, who spread Christmas cheer by singing loud for all to hear? Well, she paired up with Indie great M. Ward to put out a record under the name She & Him. Her voice has a Billie Holiday/60's Motown/Patsy Cline influence. She wrote most of the songs on the album, they're not all my favorite, but I do love their cover of Smokey Robinson's "You Really Got A Hold On Me". The song is a classic. Her voice communicates it very well.

Clouds by The Submarines~ The Submarines, like Mates of State, are a husband and wife duo. They are super cute, and their music is light and sweet. This song, Clouds, is hopeful and has a sweeping feel to it. Whenever I listen this band (or Mates of State) I can't help but want to be a part of a husband and wife musical duo. They make it look so fun. :)

Fall Apart Art by Takka Takka~ Takka Takka and the The Submarines have something in common. Both were featured in the movie Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (Their song, Fever, is one of the best songs on the soundtrack!). They're (approximately) two parts folk and one part indie with a Yo La Tengo influence, for sure. Fall Apart Art reminds me of the Strokes in 2001. Good to listen to when driving with friends at night (I mostly listen to music in my car. It's become how I define the mood and tone of a song. Odd.)

And It Stoned Me by Van Morrison~ Love him, love him, love him. He is far more than a feel good song about brown eyes played at most weddings. He is soul and jazz and poetry and wisdom. His voice is unlike any other. Any man who wants to be a part of my life must enjoy Van Morrison. Grab a beer in the evening, sit out on your deck (or porch) and put on And It Stoned Me. You won't regret it.

Skinny Love by Bon Iver~ Bon Iver (a solo effort by a guy actually named Justin) has an Iron and Wine influence. The chorus of Skinny Love is so earnest, so heartfelt. A simple band, a simple song, but always a pleasure to listen to. If you like Sparklehorse or Ray LaMontagne, you'll enjoy Bon Iver.

Restless Love by Josh Garrels~ Remember the surf movie, Walking on Water? Josh Garrels was featured in that film. The soundtrack to the movie is pretty good. It's not available on iTunes, but you can pick it up from their website, or look up each artist from the soundtrack on iTunes. I would also suggest you buy some of Tom Curren's music, which is available on iTunes. I love the fast guitar rhythm of Restless Love and the soulful, folkie tone to Josh's voice. Let's go to the beach.

And Then You by Greg Laswell~ Oh Greg. I saw you in SF and you were so softspoken and funny and wonderful. You write beautiful songs about life and pain and family and love (returned and lost). Your voice has the tenderness of Mat Kearney without the white boy spoken word element. And you work with Molly Jenson, which I think is pretty cool.

*Side note: Go buy Molly Jenson's album Maybe Tomorrow right NOW. That's all I have to say. Buy it and love it. Then come back and finish reading this blog.

Desert Sunrise by Brett Dennen~ I stumbled upon Brett Dennen years ago at Rasputins in San Leandro. I was astounded that such a young boy could write such amazing music. The first line of Desert Sunrise says "A desert sunrise you warm my soul". This describes Brett Dennen's music. His acoustic guitar playing reminds me of John Mayer, which makes sense, he has toured with him multiple times. Good stuff, my friends. Check him out if you haven't already.

So that's a splash of what I've been listening to (besides the Halloween playlist on my iPod after school with the kids). Listen to it, love it, let me know what you've been listening to! :)

Bill Cosby Sweaters Are Making a Comeback

I know Danny, Micah, and Ryan have bible degrees, and I'm sure their lesson plans for Omega20 are "biblically sound" and all, but I think I'm just gonna take my sophomores in a different direction. I have a good feeling about this one. It just feels fresh and up to date. Relevant, if you will, to today's youth.

I have come to a decision.

After work, I went to the Spirit store and bought a Native American costume. All I needed was a tomahawk and two wigs: a dark one with braids for me, and one to hold (a scalp, if you will). But on the way home, I started thinking...I know what I want to be for Halloween. And it's not an Indian.

So I changed my mind.

I gave in.

I'm going to be a Zombie!

Leg Avenue? Secret Wishes?...Really?

I love Halloween, and I am very excited to have a party this year and get dressed up. But for the love of Pete, I think women have a gross disadvantage when it comes to finding a decent costume. I can think of a bunch of cool things to be, but when I took a trip to a few different Halloween stores, all they had were scandalous costumes made by companies called Leg Avenue and Secret Wishes, or the costume name would start with the word "sexy" or "naughty". I'm not a Playboy Bunny, I'm a preschool teacher. I'm going to be in a parade with 3 year olds (who, by the way, I spend every day teaching to not be naughty). Honestly, my Amy Winehouse costume idea is less scandalous than the Dorothy from Wizard of Oz costume they had...Oh well. Today, in my quest for the most tasteful (and not totally lame) costumes, I tried on a Wilma Flintstone, and a Wonder Woman. Wilma was too big, and not really my favorite, and Wonder Woman was oddly shaped. This adventure, this quest, is not over. If you, my dear readers, have any ideas to contribute, please feel free to do so! Only two weeks til Halloween (one week til the preschool Halloween parade). I have to get a move on before all the normal costumes are gone and I'm only left with Naughty Saucy Goth Witch or Sexy Spongebob Squarepants...

Stay tuned!

The day before Friday. Also known as Thursday.

Fact:
A report by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission in 1995 indicated that between 1978 and 1995 no less than 37 deaths in the U.S. were credited to vending machines. (How much do you really want that Snickers?)




At a pumpkin festival in Maine, volunteers tried to beat the Guinness Record for most lit jack-o-lanterns. They managed to light just over 23,000 pumpkins. The record is 30,128. What a bunch of quitters.

I'm pretty sure Jesus wasn't the same size as a dinosaur.

I have a blog!

I don't always have a whole lot to say, but here I am. I'm gonna try this out and see if I can post photos, share stories and links, what I'm listening to these days, and just bloggie blog blog. In fact, this first post itself is a test of sorts. I put up a photo I took in Seattle of my favorite flower...to see how big it ends up being on the post.

This is just the sort of thing you do when you stay home from work sick.

Tonight is smash stuff night at Fall Explosion. I love Omega. It's so good to be back. Now, here's another conundrum of this blog. Do I type as if the readers know nothing about me? As of now, I don't even have A reader, let alone many readers that would necessitate an entire...ok enough of the Wayne's World quote. I think I'll just have to see how that one plays out.

I keep thinking of things to post. I should have started this thing over the summer. I had LOTS of crazy stories to tell then...

Now I'm going to see if I know how to share a link. Sounds easy, right? Don't forget, I'm lame. Here goes: You should check out this guy's website (I think it worked!). He creates these cool blackout poems, and I enjoy them. (ok, there's that...I like this blog thing.)

Today I'm going to load up on Dayquil (cause I have a cold, not an addiction) and go to Chabot to see about financial aid. This meeting could take me on a journey to an AA and a nice future in the Bay Area as a teacher...or it could lead to a 4 year college who knows where (SoCal? Portland?).

I'm excited for the possibilities...