Sunday, December 28, 2008

2008

here's what i did this year...

Friday, December 26, 2008

best of 2008?

well, i haven't seen more than a handful of movies this year (w., baby mama, dark knight - interesting choices...) and read only a smattering of books (no country for old men, twilight -yeah, that's right - y - the last man, the watchmen and v for vendetta) but i've listened to a lot of music. now, i'm not saying it was all released in 2008 - but according to my iPod these are the songs i listened to most this year...

chasing pavements by adele ... i. love. this. song. when i learned that a 19 year old girl was singing i was shocked! she sounds like a younger amy winehouse - without the crack.
you know i'm no good by amy winehouse ... speaking of crack - is amy still alive? poor thing. i loved this second single off back to black. i keep my virtual fingers crossed that amy lives to record another album. could it be wishful thinking? what a talent.
single ladies (put a ring on it) by beyonce ... i heard this song once and had it stuck in my head for a few days. i finally broke down and bought it this morning.
my best friend's girl by the cars ... i'm not sure why this one had so many plays. it's a great song and all but, uh, hmm. i must have been in to it early in the year.
viva la vida by coldplay ... i love the fullnes of this coldplay record. i also used this in my 2008 retrospective movie.
don't believe in love by dido ... i love dido. she's like a down comforter in the middle of a snow storm. her voice just warms me. i also think she is underrated just a little bit.
anything, anything by dramarama ... i hadn't heard this song since the mid to late 80's on live 105 out of san francisco and then in january they appeared on the ellen degeneres show as a surprise for her birthday. apparently ellen likes herself some catchy, classic jangely rock and roll too. awesome.
hard sun (main) by eddie vedder ... i listened to the soundtrack to into the wild a lot. especially after i saw the movie. the music is so moving and corin tucker's harmony during the chorus makes me long for corin to stop mommying and make some damn music!
don't push by the exit ... i got this song long ago as a free download and i ended up loving it and listening to it a lot. it reminds me of like, the jam or something like that.
low (feat. t-pain) by flo-rida ... i dare you to hear this song in the morning and not find yourself mumbling "how 'bout them apple bottom jeans boots with the fur" some time later in the day. after mumbling that line there is usually someone behind you you says "fuuurr."
another round by foo fighters ... i really did love this double album, in your honor. i really got in to the acoustic side and i love this song.
are you that somebody by the gossip ... my dear beth ditto took on this aaliyah song on their live release live in liverpool. her take is just amazing. i haven't seen beth in the que since she cut and dyed her hair orange and shaved her eyebrows. girl, we have to talk.
naked as we came by iron & wine ... i bought this cd our endless numbered days on a whim and it quickly became one of my favorites. perfect cold weather, curling up with a book and coffee/tea music.
last goodbye by jeff buckley ... i'm trying to stop this song. i really am. it's like crack. it's so brilliant and hits a nerve with me when he sings "this is our last embrace/must i dream and always see your face/why can't we overcome this wall/well maybe it just because i didn't know you at all" [*sigh*] it'll probably make next year's list too. i'll talk to my therapist about it.
today by joshua radin ... this is the previous song's antithesis. most of joshua's songs are about breaking up but this one is about falling in love - "lately i've lost my tongue/today you found the sun/i know not long has grown/well i thank god you came along."
super duper love (are you diggin' on me?) by joss stone ... sharon burned me a cd of joss stone songs. she is amazing. a little white girl from england singing like a seasoned blues singer in a dark club.
lovestoned/i think that she knows interlude by justin timberlake ... damn you, justin timberlake! why do your songs have to be so freaking catchy?
love lockdown by kanye west ... i know a lot of people want kanye to stop all this singing business and get back to rapping, but i must say i was impressed with his actual singing voice. sure the voice box thing was a little dated but the hook and drum line is brilliant.
portland, oregon by loretta lynn ... i love anything that has to do with portland, oregon. i also love loretta lynn. jack white helped. whatever.
got money by lil wayne ... what best of 2008 list doesn't have lil wayne on it? well not this one! i'm always late to what's cool in the world of the boom boom music so i thought i'd try out what everyone was talking about. turns out it's pretty great.
4 minutes (feat. justin timberlake & timbaland) by madonna ... can timbaland and justin timberlake make something bad? i haven't heard it yet. tick tock tick tock tick tock!
family affair by mary j blige - this song has nothing to do with families or affairs just to get crunk 'cause mary's back! hell yeah! i'm pretty late to the genius of mary j but i saw her storytellers and she is the real deal. i was impressed. and this song? well, probably one of the best in her catalog.
one step closer to you by michael franti & spearhead ... late again. this time spearhead. sharon again. thanks. we saw them twice this year. once in the cold and rain in bend ("365 days of sun!") and once at the roseland here in the city. awesome.
where i stood by missy higgins ... i bought this cd because i was going to go see missy higgins and joshua radin with my cousin patty. i ended up not going but loving this cd by missy. very, i don't know, indigo girl-like.
funhouse by p!nk ... how can you not love p!nk? she's hot and writes catchy pop songs with the best of them and hot. also, how can you not love a song that has the lyric, "this used to be a funhouse/but now it's full of evil clowns"?
smile by pearl jam ... i know this song is over 10 years old but i love it. and yes, it makes me smile.
stories from the city, stories from the sea by pj harvey ... wow. pj harvey had a serious resurgence in my life, especially this album. if i had a list of top ten favorite albums this one would be close to the top. [ok, you know i have a list of top ten albums.] i couldn't chose one song from it so the entire record makes the list. i listened to this cd probably for about the entire month of october. i don't know why. i know pj harvey isn't for everyone - she's like anchovies, most people hate 'em - but this is her most accessible record. the way this record sounds is what draws me to it - the music evokes so many emotions. from the loud opening of 'big exit' to the strain and yearn of her duet with thom yorke 'this mess we're in' to the serene ending of 'we float' this album is about love. love for a city. love for another human. and to quote mary j, "for pj harvey, that's rare."
the bends by radiohead ... whoa, i got in the way back machine for this one. after the pj harvey obsession, the album the bends fell in my lap. i don't have time to get into my radiohead issues because i'm getting picked up for work in a few minutes, but to my dismay, i loved the bends and mostly the title track.
close call by rilo kiley ... i think i've listened to this song the most of any on the list in such a short period of time. also, the girl i had a crush on this summer loved rilo kiley and this song.
i know, i know, i know by tegan & sara ... i think i've said it about this song before but i wish someone had written it about me.
the way i are (feat. keri hilson & d.o.e.) by timbaland ... timbaland wins having four songs on the list that he was a part of. he's like the harvey keitel of music!
almost rosey by tori amos ... tori's concert at the schnitz was a highlight for me this year as was her album american doll posse. this was a song i fell in love with after hearing it live. thank you, tori, for still making vital music. i look forward to the next.

Thursday, December 25, 2008

happy holidays

happy christmas!
happy hannukah!
enjoy the solstice!
however you are celebrating during the month of december, me and scully want to wish you all the peace and love you deserve in your lives. thank you for bringing it all to us!
this morning i dream of the warmth of my sister's house...

the yule log just isn't the same!

i miss the sounds of b j and l opening presents - the laughing, the ripping and grandma trying to corral all the paper ("look at this mess!")

i miss the million cups of coffee and the anticipation of (usually) tim's famous christmas fritata...


all the chocolate from this donut melted off under the lights of my under the cabinet light. brilliant. uh, can you send me some of that fritata please?

999,999...

i missed christmas eve's tradition of me and dad reciting "a christmas story" and making mom nuts. "why do you need to watch it when you know the dialogue?" uh, why not is the question. some of me and dad's favorite quotes:
"time me!"
"it's a major award!"
"fra-gee-lay. must be italian."
"electric sex"
"deck the harrs wif boughs of harrry , fa ra ra ra ra - no, no, no. it's deck the halls with boughs of holly fa la la la la. try it like that. one, two, three..."
"i triple dog dare you! schwartz created a slight breach of etiquette by skipping the triple dare and going right for the throat!"
"only i didn't say "fudge." i said the word, the big one, the queen-mother of dirty words, the "f-dash-dash-dash" word!"
"sons of bitches! bumpuses!"
"scut farkus! what a rotten name! there he stood, between us and the alley. scut farkus staring out at us with his yellow eyes. he had yellow eyes! so, help me, god! yellow eyes!"
"my mother was about to make another brilliant maneuver in the legendary battle of the lamp. the epic struggle which follows lives in the folklore of cleveland street to this very day."
and the classic...
"you'll shoot your eye out, kid!"
how come we only talk about peace on earth during december? for 2009 let's try peace on earth every day. just to see what happens...
26 days and counting...
january 20, 2009

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

disneyland 2008

arctic blast 08 update


i always thought the apocolypse would be warmer. IT WON'T STOP SNOWING IN PORTLAND!!! the weather people lied to us yesterday saying there would be sun. i didn't see the sun. all i saw was dark, menacing clouds, snow and very few customers at russell street bbq. check out the ice covering the bushes and the frozen water coming from the rain spout outside the que.


johna, jenn, ali and i ventured out to get tacos at por que no? on monday night. here we are walking right down the middle of mississippi avenue! not a car in sight! just a whole lot of us walking down the middle of the busiest streets in portland. jenn's dogs, charlie and choparrito don't really like this so much. chops, especially. he's so low to the ground that the snow touches his belly and he doesn't like it much. because i'm a doting auntie, i carry him when i'm with him. that's chops on the right. that's also about as far as he would go in the snow. charlie (there on the left) didn't mind it so much...




here's a few more shots of my apartment looking very wintery.

Sunday, December 21, 2008

because i can


arctic blast 08


newsflash! it's frickin' freezing here in my unrecognizable city! look at this! outside my front door. the fountain is nearly covered in snow. i don't know how much it is but it's deep - last night going to my back door it was just about calf deep. here's the view from my back door...



it's high enough to come up over the steps of my apartment. the wind blew it up over but the steps are definitely covered. below see scully trying to decide if she's gonna leap that snow drift!

the answer? uh, no way! back to bed and in front of the heater!

we had a catering up on mt hood yesterday. what a treachorous drive to and fro. the chains on sharon and di's camry and rsq's mystery machine both blew and on the way back we had to abandon the van. the funny thing is we aren't sure where we left it. well, i know where it is just not what the place is called. all 6 of us; diane, tim, jake, pilar, jenn and myself piled into mother earth and she and diane got us home safe and sound as a pound. much love and thanks to di who was a serious trooper because driving that van sucked! because it was 12 degrees out the freezing rain kept causing the windsheild and wipers to ice up. by the time we got back to portland mother earth's passenger side wiper blade was, well, for lack of a better term, fucked. it was completely covered in ice with actual chunks of ice hanging off of it. the blade wasn't even touching the windsheild. this is portland, people. portland oregon. newschannel 8 is having a field day! they are on with ARCTIC BLAST WATCH 08 24/7. jeez. i can't even get oprah for god's sake. "they" say this could go on through next sunday. it's definitely going to be warming up but only into the 30's - not sure it will ever be warm enough for rain. here we are crammed into the backseat of mother earth [tim, pili, jenn, me]

stay warm kiddies!






Friday, December 19, 2008

b.roy


brandon roy. the natural. roy scored 52 points -- the second highest in franchise history and the most in rose garden history -- to lead a 124-119 win over phoenix, ending an 11-game losing streak to the suns (15-11). * i was astonished by this guy last night. every time he let one go i just knew it was going in. his 52 points is the highest in the nba (in regulation). over his last five games, roy is averaging 34.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and 5.0 assists while shooting 52.3% from the field (58 of 111).* travis outlaw (14 pts) and steve blake (22 pts) were all over the place too helping out. even though brandon scored so many it was a team effort all the way. i couldn't have been more pleased that this game was nationally televised on tnt last night and everyone got to see the portland trailblazers finally beat the suns - solidly. why aren't the fans voting in brandon roy as an all-star. he's behind jason kidd and steve nash - two guys way past their prime. b.roy is the future people. marv albert mentioned him in the same breath as kobe bryant and dwayne wade. quietly, he's become one of the premiere shooting guards in the nba. and he turned around a franchise that was, quite frankly, an embarrassment. in his rookie season, b.roy turned to zach randolph in the locker room at half time and told him to stop bitching and play basketball. to start playing like you want to win and sometimes that means letting the ball go to the open guy. randolph was traded in the off season and low and behold the new captain of the blazers - brandon roy. and a whole new roster thanks to kevin pritchard. i'm so proud of the blazers and b.roy is only one of the reasons. watch the blazers on christmas day on tnt and you'll know what i'm talking about.
RISE WITH US
the "arctic blast 2008" is still with us. it's been snowing and icy cold all week. it's supposed to go through until sunday. usually this business doesn't last this long around here. i'm tired of it, honestly. even though it's snowy and cold please go out and support your local shops and restaurants. it's killing all of us. last night me and the girls went to EAT an oyster bar. i'd been there before but that shrimp po boy is the best thing going. and affordable oysters. you can't go wrong. AND you can double down on your 10oz beers (miller high life, of course) for 2 bucks each. in a frozen slushy glass. yum. go eat at EAT and thank me here later.
*from the oregonian

Sunday, December 14, 2008

it's comin' on christmas...

they're cuttin' down trees ... joni mitchell's amazing ditty is more about running away, not so much christmas. however, it's always played at christmas time. hmm. anyway, i digress. i woke this morning to portland's first snowfall. it's been so cold all week i think this was inevitable. unfortunately not so good for rsq. it's nice for a day off though. stay in the house and read and watch tv? yes! scully will like it too. i think she's been missing me since my schedule keeps me away from home all day long. i'm doing all the laundry and maybe cleaning the kitchen shuffling around in my "house pants", as johna calls them. good times. a movie might be in my future too. i better go do it so i can fit it all in! peace, everyone.

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

kristin's party playlist

abc + opp ... mash up
i want you back ... jackson 5
i'm coming out ... diana ross
bad girls ... donna summer
you dropped a bomb on me ... the gap band
the metro ... berlin
genius of love ... tom tom club
i know what boys like ... the waitresses
girls just wanna have fun ... cyndi lauper
they don't know ...tracy ullman
(keep feeling) fascination ... the human league
things can only get better ... howard jones
tide is high ... blondie
our house ... madness
take on me ... a-ha
mad about you ... belinda carlisle
if you leave ... omd
(i just) died in your arms tonight ... cutting crew
just like heaven ... the cure
cruel summer ... bananarama
[madonna interlude...]
music
everybody
ray of light
4 minutes
hung up
into the groove
vogue
secret
express yourself
material girl
rio ... duran duran
burning down the house ... talking heads
she blinded me with science ... thomas dolby
you might think ... the cars
back on the chain gang ... pretenders
american girl ... tom petty
your love ... the outfield
rich girl ... hall & oates
owner of a lonely heart ... yes
you shook me all night long ... ac/dc
heat of the moment ... asia
heartbreaker ... pat benatar
pour some sugar on me ... def lepard
why can't this be love ... van halen
don't stop believin' ... journey
edge of seventeen ... stevie nicks
rock this town ... stray cats
wanna be startin' something ... michael jackson
in my house ... mary jane girls
i wonder if i take you home ... lisa lisa & cult jam
what have you done for me lately ... janet jackson
independent women, part I ... destiny's child
cupid's chokehold ... gym class heros
family affair ... mary j blige
rich girl ... gwen stefani
funhouse ... p!ink
get ur freak on ... missy elliott
south side ... moby
gold digger ... kanye west
low ... flo-rida
lovestoned/i think that she knows interlude ... justin timberlake
don't push ... the exit
the way i are ... timbaland
crazy ... gnarles barkley
inside out ... eve 6
kryptonite ... 3 doors down
mr. brightside ... the killers
why can't i? ... liz phair
hemorrhage (in my hands) ... fuel
short skirt, long jacket ... cake
black horse & the cherry tree ... kt tunstall
you know that i'm no good ... amy winehouse
headturner ... joss stone
drops of jupiter ... train
possession ... sarah mclachlan
iris ... goo goo dolls
wonderwall ... oasis
a little respect ... erasure
bizarre love triangle ... new order
missing ... everything but the girl
chasing pavements ... adele
sunday morning ... maroon 5

sharon's cocktail party playlist

sabrosa ... the beastie boys
citysong ... luscious jackson
girl ... beck
stolen car ... beth orton
bohemian like you ... the dandy warhols
suffragette city ... david bowie
lust for love ... iggy pop
are you gonna be my girl ... jet
anything, anything ... dramarama
rebellion (lies) ... arcade fire
fire with fire ... the gossip
steady, as she goes ... the raconteurs
funhouse ... p!nk
i'm coming out ... diana ross
in my house ... mary jane girls
brass in pocket ... the pretenders
when you were mine ... cyndi lauper
step to silence ... mash up
don't hold back (sweet jane) ... mash up
x-mix 9 ... pary ben
(just can't get) enough music ... mash up
dreams (with deep dish) ... stevie nicks
check on it ... beyonce
get ur freak on ... missy elliott
got money ... lil wayne
low (feat. t-pain) ... flo-rida
yeah! (feat. lil jon & ludacris) ... usher
stronger ... kanye west
family affair ... mary j blige
rich girl ... gwen stefani
if ... janet jackson
4 minutes (feat. justin timberlake & timbaland) ... madonna
the way i are ... timberland
soul shot ... mash up
south side ... moby feat. gwen stefani
bouncing off clouds ... tori amos
lovestoned/i think she knows interlude ... justin timberlake
been so long ... saint etienne
papa's rolling clocks ... mash up
headturner ... joss stone
hey now now ... michael franti & spearhead
absolute beginners ... the jam
big time sensuality ... bjork
close call ... rilo kiley
losing my advertising space ... mash up
high and dry ... radiohead
you said something ... pj harvey
damn, i wish i was your lover ... sophie b hawkins
running up that hill ... placebo
breathe me ... sia
every car you chase ... mash up
apologize ... one republic feat. timbaland
can't take my eyes off of you ... lauryn hill
father lucifer (sylkscreen remix) ... tori amos
that's the way love goes ... janet jackson
chasing pavements ... adele
sunday morning ... maroon 5
somewhere only we know ... keane
baby one more time ... marty casey
panic ... the smiths