Spotify

If you're in love with your Grooveshark account, this post is for you. Sure you love the ability to stream music, create playlists, share with friends and all for free. But don't you hate that there's no Grooveshark app for iPhone (unless you jailbreak it) or Android? And don't you loathe the fact that you can only use it while connected to the internet? I do.

Then I found the solution: Spotify. It's a music streaming application that originated in Europe (how chic) but has found its way as most European things do to ye olde United States. It's Grooveshark + a workable iPhone application (I don't know if there's one for Android because I really don't care) + offline streaming + a format similar to iTunes. Basically, it's awesome.

If this sounds exciting to you at all, which it should, go here and request an invite. I got a reply to join within one day, so don't fret - you'll be able to jam soon enough. Oh, you're welcome.

*Update: So it turns out that the iPhone app for Spotify only allows streaming if you have the upgrade which I'm assuming costs money. But at least the possibility is there.

I'm In Awe - And Not the Good Kind

After hearing about the song "Friday" by Rebecca Black a bunch of times on facebook and just around campus, I decided to check it out, if only to know what other people are talking about.

And I'm just in shock. Let's just ignore the singing - if we're even going to call it that - entirely. I'll focus on the 'song's' content. She's singing about a day of the week. In reference to other days of the week. Also about some kind of moral dilemma she has numerous times about where she's going to sit in the car - the front or the back seat. Deep stuff. And that's it.

Yesterday was Thursday, Thursday
Today i-is Friday, Friday (Partyin’)
Tomorrow is Saturday
And Sunday comes after...wards

I wish I were kidding. I do, however, feel bad that she's taking so much heat for her pseudo-musical choices in the form of parodies and just straight up youtube lashings, but then I re-read the lyrics.

I won't even go into all of them. But I will tell you that this was my face throughout the entire song (ok 3/4 of the song - on principle, I couldn't make it all the way to the end):

If you must, check it out here.

Creepy Song Award

I don't understand what passes for music these days (on the radios and top 40 lists, I mean). If a song isn't spotlighting a particularly crunk night in da club, then it's about bitter break-ups and timely make-ups. These songs, even, I can handle. But when it's creepy, stalker material, that's where I draw the line to calling it "music" and more of the disturbed inner workings of the mind put to an admittedly catchy tune.

The Song: Please Don't Go by Mike Posner




The title of the song sounds innocent enough - I mean, he says "please," right? But then you listen to the lyrics and things start to sound .... not okay.

Let's run away from these lies
Back to yesterday, safe tonight

First of all, this doesn't really make much sense. Who's lying? Is it the girl? And if she is lying, why would you want to run away with her? Not too bright, this one.

I feel the sun creeping up like tick tock.

This makes no sense. The sun is not a clock; therefore, it neither ticks nor tocks. You can't just throw around this phrase and expect it to mean something. It's not like we're in a Ke$ha song.

We'll just keep running from tomorrow with our lips locked.

Again, no sense. How are you going to run if you're kissing the girl, Mike? Wouldn't you trip? You'd probably hurt her or yourself and a trip to the hospital wouldn't make for a very romantic getaway if you ask me. Although it would make for a hilarious "reason for visit" explanation.

Baby, please, don't go. If I wake up tomorrow will you still be here?

Should you really be sleeping with this girl if you aren't absolutely certain that she'll be there in the morning? Just a question.

I don't know if you feel the way I do. If you leave, I'm gonna find you.

You doesn't know how she feels, which is understandable (however this brings me back to the question of why are you sleeping with her, then?). But then you take a CREEPY 180, saying "If you leave, I'm gonna find you." You just catapulted from a song about unrequited lust (if we're being honest here) to something that could be evidence in a court case. What are you going to do when you find her? Make her be with you? And then what if she doesn't do it? What are you gonna do - kill her? If she left and ran away, that's probably a clear indication that she doesn't want to be with you.

Baby, please don't go, go, go, go (x3)

Now you're just being confusing, Mikey. "Please" - really? You just threatened to hunt her down if she ever ran away from you or didn't return your feelings, but now you think being nice will work. Like she'll forget what you just said and think, "Oh well he said please so he must be a good guy even though he basically just told me he wouldn't take no for an answer. Of course I'll be with you! Happily Ever After."


Um. No.

And this is what's on the radio infiltrating the minds of impressionable youth. Fabulous.

Things That Make You Go Hmmm

It's my personal opinion that everyone whether they know it or not thinks about things that could be construed as "deep," like love, death, freedom, etc. Otherwise, life is just a meaningless series of waking and sleeping, hope and despair, and nothing anyone says or does is really worth anything. So, when I stumbled on Thought Questions, I did just that. I thought. For longer than I probably had time for, but every once and a while, it's healthy to ground ourselves with the reality that this - this life, this world, this moment - isn't it.

These were some of my favorites:

We Interrupt Your Regular Programming to Bring You...

THE MOST GORGEOUS SHOE I HAVE EVER SEEN.

You may now continue what you were doing.

Music that Makes You Feel Good

Because that's the point of music, right? Or at least to make you feel something. In any case, this song is fantastic and happy and what I imagine sunshine sounds like. Enjoy!

Things I Want To Do/Learn How to Do

The Alice Band Braid (a small goal, admittedly)



Light Painting



Drive a Stick Shift


Go to the Indian Holi Festival (even if I can't go to the one in India)

Solve the Rubik's Cube


Become an expert on something

So, world, what are your dreams/goals/aspirations/whims?

A Vicious Cycle

Perpetual Singledom

Yes, that is currently the state I'm afflicted with, and it's whatever. I'm not exactly looking for a boyfriend, but if I were, this is just the way I'd work it.

Wish List

Contemporarian Dress from Anthropologie

Topshop Skirt and Dress Shirt
(With these shoes, perhaps; or these if you're feeling a little more low-key)




Canon 75-300mm f/4.0-4.6 III Autofocus Lens

AWESOME

My love for all things vintage is fulfilled in this carpet bag.



(Oh, and he would be nice, too - Kthx)

It's Like a Musical in My Mind.

I'm probably (most definitely) not the only person who does this, but whenever people say certain words, I start singing songs in my head, anything from the Lion King to 70s funk.

Some examples:

You say: Philosophy
I sing: Hakuna Matata

You say: Anticipation
I sing: Carly Simon's song of the same name

You say: Scandalous
I sing: So So So Scandalous

You say: "Let's use our inside voices"
I sing: Quiet Little Voices

You say: the name Veronica
I sing: This Costello song

You say: California
I sing: Rogue Wave's California

You say: "Zoom in a little bit"
I sing: A Childhood Favorite :)

You say: Hero
I sing: SHREK!

You say: Roadtrip
I sing: MORE SHREK!

You say: "Turn it off," it being a light, a computer, whatever.
I sing: The Donnas' Take it Off

You say: "Pass the sweet n' low"
I sing: Ah just guess

You say: "Nice day outside"
I sing: Sunshine by Jonathan Edwards

You say: Fun
I sing: THIS

You say: Toast
I sing: Merry Happy by Kate Nash

AAAAAND now I want cheese toast. Fabulous (there's a song for that word too).

Merry Christmas to All!

Christmas is my favorite time of year, and how could it not be? It's the perfect time of year - exams are over, all the beautiful lights, winter weather is finally here, Sufjan Stevens' Christmas albums and other indie Christmas songs are on reel in my head (ahem, Ho Ho Hopefully by the Maine). Aside from the stress (self-imposed, I'm sure) that they feel from getting all their shopping done, people are generally happier and more receptive to pleasantness. But despite popular belief, the holiday season is not correlated with gifts - giving, receiving, wrapping, or shopping. Christmas has nothing to do with these things. Christmas is, of course, centered around Jesus and His birth, but what I think a lot of people overlook is that it is also about family. Think about it: the only things Jesus had with him at the first Christmas were his parents and the occasional goat lingering about the manger. The gift presentation (you know, frankincense, myrrh, and gold) is secondary to the real gift: Christ.

But not to go off about that for too long. I don't mean to discount the traditional trappings of the holiday. I personally adore giving gifts to the people I love. Just remember that a gift isn't a symbol of how much money you're willing to spend on someone and therefore how much you love them. If they're with you on Christmas, they love you regardless.

Now to almost completely change the subject to something a tad less serious.... my favorite Christmas songs right now (the ones you won't find on the radio)!

1. "Santa Stole My Girlfriend" - The Maine
2. "Wish List" - Neon Trees
3. "Tiny Christmas Tree" - Guster
4. "Christmas in the Room" - Sufjan Stevens
5. "Snow Will Fall Tonight" - Peter Bradley Adams
6. "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" - Coldplay
7. "Just Like Christmas" - Snow Patrol
8. "Snow Day" - Matt Pond PA
9. "Winter Song" - Ingrid Michaelson and Sara Bareilles
10. "All That I Want" - The Weepies

Merry Christmas!

DIY? Yes, Please!

Lately, I've been feeling really crafty. I made two outfits for a Project Runway type thing at my college; for one of the outfits - a dress - I knitted twenty-two flowers to make up the bodice. I might post pictures at some point. Then I made a halo for my halloween costume (a cop-out costume, yes, but the halo was rockin'!). And then last week I made a wreath made out of book pages, an idea I found here. And I LOVE it! I might actually make another one. And the thing is all this crafting just makes me want to do more. It's like my hot glue gun is calling to me, "Come on, you know you want to burn your fingers."

Anyway, here are some pictures (and by that I mean two) of the end result of my book wreath.

Do You Smell Burning?

Here is the latest comic by yours truly that I just haven't been able to upload here yet. You know, until now.

We Need to Talk...

About Hygiene.

Since having been in college, I've observed (quite anthropologically, I think) the hygiene habits of those in my surroundings, and to be honest, I've found a few things lacking. Now, yes I can be a bit of a germaphobe, but I don't think that asking you to wash your hands is exactly equivalent to demanding that you do so 497 times a day using only the purple hand soap (but not the antibacterial kind) because using the clear kind is like washing your hands with hand sanitizer. You know, for example.

So, I've taken it upon myself to provide you with what I think are essential health facts - hygiene lifehacks if you will.

1. When buying hand soap, most people generally reach for anything with "Antibacterial" printed on the label. HOWEVER, antibacterial soaps are no more effective than regular hand soaps but can sometimes even be more expensive. Also, triclosan (a chemical and active ingredient in these antibacterial products) can screw with your sex hormones.
   
2. While we're on the topic of handwashing, doing so can prevent the spread of foodborne disease (because it is most often spread by way of contaminated hands).
   
3. Before you jump into the pool next summer, remember this: each swimmer in the pool contributes about .14 grams of fecal matter (fancy phrase for poopy particles) into the pool within the first 15 minutes. The CDC recommends showering with soap before getting into the pool in order to prevent this nastiness. And don't forget about all the kiddies who literally use the pool as a toilet.
   
4. The kitchen sink has 100,000 times more germs and bacteria than a bathroom or a toilet. You might think about using a fresh sponge every now and then. Maybe washing your hands before you cook and stuff. Especially since food poisoning originates more often from the home than a restaurant.
   
5. When using public restrooms, you might be accustomed to using a particular stall, but studies show that the stall closest to the door of the restroom is overall the cleanest.
6. Let's talk about dust mites. There are millions (sometimes even tens of millions of them) of them. In your bed. Yep, it's sick. And it gets worse! They feed on your dead skin cells that you shed when you sleep. Dust mites can also cause allergies and asthma or make these conditions worse. If you've used the same pillow for more than two years, consider this: 10% of the weight of that pillow is composed of dust mites and their droppings (yes, their poopy particles). Also, it's important to note that during the fall and winter, this problem tends to worsen due to being indoors so much and in a closed space. To remedy this, wash your sheets regularly (it's suggested that you do so once a week) in hot water and then either hang to dry or dry in the dryer. Since dust mites can also be in your carpets and other upholstery, vacuum regularly.
7. Money: it's nice, green, and you know, useful. But the germs on money... Considering how many people don't wash their hands after using the restroom, it makes sense that there are so many fecal germs on money. So next time you go to a coffee shop and get that yummy looking muffin, maybe wash your hands before you devour it.
   

Especially during cold and flu season, i.e. NOW, in order to prevent getting these viruses or to avoid giving them to others, wash your hands properly and keep your hands away from your face. By properly, I mean with soap and lathering for at least 10 seconds before washing off the soap. Otherwise, all you're doing is getting your hands wet. And if you touch the handle of the bathroom door on the way out, you might as well have just licked the floor of a public bathroom.

I'm aware that I probably sound pretty neurotic with all of this hygiene talk, but I have to be if I ever want to not be sick. Maybe you have a good immune system and that's great. But that doesn't mean you should skip regular hygiene. That would be like having a great alarm system in your house with guard dogs, a gate, and a security tower, and then just leaving the front door open with a billboard in your yard that says "If you can carry it, it's yours."

And hey if you don't believe me, check it out for yourself. I'm gonna go wash my hands.

Sometimes I Hate Technology

Here's the story: I need to make a halo for Halloween (because I'm too cheap to buy something that I can make myself). Hence, I mapquested my craft store destination and set out with a plan. And after my last class today, I ventured into the unknown (i.e. traffic) to Hobby Lobby. After 40 minutes traveling to another town entirely, I realized Monsieur Mapquest had led me to some strange string of delivery warehouses next to the interstate. Frustrated, I quickly i-Phoned (according to my friends this is a verb) another close craft store and found that a Michael's was nearby. Thus, with renewed hope, I put my blinker on and pressed my foot on the gas. Two miles later I found myself not in the shopping complex you would assume, but another series of businesses and warehouses. Feeling defeated and impatient, I abandoned my quest for craft supplies for another day and journeyed home.

The moral of the story: I'm buying an atlas and a Zagat.

More Humorousity

Here's another installment of Awkward: Party of One. This one is more about my experience at my college so far, so if you don't get it, don't feel... well, awkward.

Awkward: Party of One

A few weeks ago I did a comic for my college's newspaper, and the editor told me that I could do one every other week, which excites me because it means that there are probably at least 4 people on campus that think I'm funny. Well, relatively speaking. Ok, maybe not, but still, it's exciting! IRRegardless, I figured I'd post my submissions on el bloggo for your possible enjoyment. Hopefully you'll like them. :)

I appreciate you, Grooveshark

****Update: I have a twin. We're also married, but that's a separate story. So, the author of this awesome blog and I were both enamored with Grooveshark's site maintenance message and blogged about it. At the exact same time. And then told the other about it. It's freaky sometimes how alike we think.

A few minutes ago, I'm trying to load Grooveshark to listen to some gnarly grooves, when I get this message. If more companies gave messages like this when their sites are down for maintenance, I'd get less annoyed.

Bear With Us

Going down for a bit.

To those of you who were redirected here, we apologize.

In an attempt to befriend Asian investors and increase office morale, we here at Grooveshark established some connections with the Chinese black market and imported our very own black-and-white Giant Panda (hereby known as "Pickles"). Unfortunately, due to circumstances no one could have foreseen, Pickles became agitated at the fluorescent lights and near-constant belly rubs and began clawing at our computers.

Pickles is currently thrashing about in the server room, causing the technical difficulties and temporary outage you just experienced. As soon as our interns return from Pier 1 with synthetic bamboo, a picnic basket and an oversized net, we will be able to return the servers back to normal and, if we can, rescue the coder that Pickles has taken as a prize.

Thank you for your patience.

This is Completely Random...

BUT I had a thought the other night when I was trying to go to sleep (this isn't the random part).

Have you ever imagined if musicians or actresses listened to or watched their own work? I've been fascinated with this question, quite honestly, for about a week, and I have a theory. I think the reason stars are so self-obsessed is they hear their music on the radio or maybe even on their iTunes or watch their movies on Netflix, and they think, "How awesome am I?!" Really, that's the only explanation I can come up with, but if you have another one feel free to share.

But seriously give it a think: Cher singing If I Could Turn Back Time on the drive to Wally World and thinking, "Damn, that's catchy."

And you know Brad Pitt has watched himself in a movie and thought "Well, who's that handsome devil?" Answer: not him. Seriously, not cute. Sorry to burst that bubble.