Lazy Movie Weekend: I went to the movie theater and all I got was a box of Red Vines

Back in April, I posed a question on my Facebook newsfeed that I'm not sure was ever fully answered. Here it is:

"When did we get to the point in the universe where we require a sixth Fast & Furious and a third Hangover to exist?"

There was some discussion about Paul Walker's need for employment (since Vin Disel has, you know, range),  the fact that we live in a world where Firefly was canceled, and that I'm ultimately a dream crusher (which is totally true). However, we never decided why these movies exist and I'm still perplexed and a bit disappointed in the movie viewing habits of everyone. If we continue at the sequel rate for the  Fast & Furious franchise alone, for those of you who had children this year, when your child is 13 (since the current F&F is PG-13) we'll be at in its 19th installment, Vin Diesel will be almost 60, Paul Walker will be in his mid-50s, and none of the actresses in the film will be allowed to be on screen because they'll be "too old" and will have been replaced by 19 year olds. This is how summer movies work - who's ready for 2026?

In theory, I should love the F&F franchise because I grew up watching terribly ridiculous action movies on cable. These movies are made for summer because they're loud, contain lots of explosions, and the dialogue is awful. When it's too hot to go outside and you just want to sit in air conditioning, these movies and their cineplex brethren are the perfect way to enjoy the laziness of summer. This is not great acting by any means. I can even agree with some of the points made into this brilliant piece of Buzzfeed movie criticism about F&F (and I would like to befriend both of these guys). I mean let's be honest, there was an entire period of time in the early 2000s where we all watched a lot of terrible action movies because Vin Diesel's arms happened to be cast. It's just how life worked.

Anyway, some people would argue that summer really begins with the start of summer movie releases. If that's the case it's been summer for three weeks already and someone should really tell Mother Nature. I can't say that I have seen any of the movies that have been released since the beginning of May. I've missed Iron Man 3, The Great Gatsby, and Star Trek Into Darkness. I am not sad about missing two of these (I'll let you guess which ones). I guess there's still time to see them if I really wanted to. However, I feel like if you don't keep up and make it to the theater every weekend, you'll just get behind and never make it to September.

Summer movies fit into the following categories (and yes, there can be cross-categorization):

• Action movies, non-superhero
• Action movies, superhero
• Action movies where the Earth or the White House is completely destroyed
• Horror movies, usually reboots or "sequels" but occasionally something creative and inventive 
• Latest literary franchise installment
• Reboot of a classic television series
• Possible literary classic that has the potential to be awful but you hope is really amazing
• Romantic comedies
• Terrible comedies starring Adam Sandler, Kevin James, or both
• Bizarre comedies starring Simon Pegg
• Quiet indie films or documentaries

I wish I could say that recent summers have wowed me but I'd be lying. I enjoyed last summer's The Avengers and Dark Shadows (although I shouldn't have liked Dark Shadows). I could watch Moonrise Kingdom every day and not get tired of it. I didn't see Ted or Brave until they came on cable so those don't count. But there was no anticipation with any of these movies. Does the anticipation of summer movie season have anything to do with actual summer vacation? Since I rarely take a real vacation, maybe my enjoyment of summer movies has been impacted because there's no expectation of anything anymore.

Or maybe it's that my summer movie viewing habits have changed. I used to watch lots of comedies and romantic comedies (and still do) and even a large number of action movies but I find that I have less tolerance for most of the movies that come out these days. It seems like movies are being made for some demographic that I can't find words to describe. Yes, I could join the ranks of critics and moviegoers that say everything is dumbed down (there's truth to that) and that nothing is original anymore (more truth to that) but I think this is one more sign that I'm becoming a little old lady and now movies make me cranky. It's also possible that I'm more of a fall or winter movie kind of girl. You know how I love sad things and sad movies are not part of summer.

I have a subscription to Rolling Stone and the recent issue featured their summer movie preview. I only want to see seven of the movies listed and many of them are not particularly summer movie-y. They also failed to include the only movie I truly care about this summer, Joss Whedon's Much Ado About Nothing. Who cares about anything else when this movie is right around the corner? Joss Whedon is my only hope.

June 7 - who's with me for some Shakespeare, Joss Whedon, and the possible redemption of summer movies? 

Coming Soon to the Island: I'm introducing a new regular feature on the Island (like Lazy Movie Weekend) entitled "You're Doing Everything Wrong". In this semi-regular feature (probably monthly but who knows at this point), I'll discuss something that I'm "doing wrong" by some bizarre standard and discuss. Up first: You're Doing Everything Wrong: 1949 Called - Here's How to Land a Man. Thank you to Jessica for encouraging these random ideas I have and listening to my ramblings about this first post in particular.

You're doing everything wrong

I'm going to confess something - I don't use Pinterest. I know you're shocked and possibly even disappointed. I signed up for account ages ago but can't recall the password and don't know the last time I logged in. Pinterest allows you to "re-pin" images and you can create boards for themes, events, and whatever you want to save. I suppose it's meant to help foster creativity and give people ideas for how to do cool DIY projects. This blog has even been pinned on the site by someone who liked the pictures I took of houses in Alameda. Maybe she's restoring a Victorian home?

But I've never gotten into pinning. From my limited time on the site I realized I didn't fall into the following categories:

• I'm not planning a wedding so I have no use for mason jar art/lighting ideas and have no plans to ever get married in a barn (and neither do you so stop it)
• I'm not having a baby nor do I have children so no need for cute knitting projects or homemade baby food or rainy day craft ideas
• Pumpkin doesn't wear clothes and I'm not going to make her (although she would be cute as a ladybug but then she would kill me in my sleep)
• I'm not renovating a house so no need for weird DIY bookcase projects that involve upcycled wood (which I'm in support of) and some plant based resin I have to make in my kitchen (which probably smells like garbage rotting because that's always what happens with these things)
• I'm not into pickling produce, making my own beer or other alcohol, or curing meat

I even tried to get into the baking boards of Pinterest because I love to bake and I love to find challenging things to bake. I found some cool stuff but to be honest, I knew I would never make any of it so I stopped. It would be fun to try but ultimately I'd rather be on PinterestFail than on the real site.

I don't think my dislike of Pinterest has anything to do with the site itself or why people use the site or enjoy making boards and re-pinning things. Pinterest, like most forms of social media, is designed to make us all feel bad. Think about your Facebook newsfeed for a moment (if you're on FB). Aren't there days when everyone seems to be having a baby, getting married, adopting a puppy, getting a promotion, and going on an exciting vacation? On those days don't you feel like telling everyone to shut the eff up even though you're super excited for all of them (in all sincerity)? Pinterest insecurity is apparently a thing now and we're all feeling it in some way. Social media has the ability to make us all feel like lonely, uncreative, narcissistic, boring people.

Of course that's not true. I mean, it might be true for some people but overall, most of us are not uncreative or boring. Sir Ken Robinson talks about this all the time. We're all creative in different ways and we have to focus on how to best express that creativity. For some people, it's pickling homegrown vegetables and using beet ink to label your mason jars for storage. For others, it's using post-it notes to decorate an office mate's cube for their birthday. Creativity can be taught and we all have the capacity to be creative. It's just different for each one of us.

I would love to say that I feel most creative in my job since then I would be the adult person that I dream of being. But I don't feel most creative at work although I try to be as creative as possible and sometimes I achieve great things or at least things that don't make my colleagues want to gouge their eyes out to end the pain of the meeting or training I'm conducting.

I guess I would say that I feel most creative when writing and baking (but not at the same time - that could be dangerous). I love writing this blog because it gives me an outlet to share ideas and photos and tell stories (which I love to do). I started the blog because I felt disconnected from things when I moved to Alameda. It was hard to adjust and it was a way to connect outside my apartment. While others enjoy the blog, it's mostly for me. That's not to say that I'm not glad people enjoy the Island and find me amusing; I am and I appreciate that people take the time to read it. I imagine this is what therapy is like.

Baking is also very therapeutic for me. It's a lot of work whether you're making something from a mix or from scratch. Don't ever let anyone tell you that making something from a mix isn't baking - it is. I prefer from scratch in terms of process but sometimes I need to get something done quickly and a brownie mix works just fine. I like the order of baking and the process. That's why I prefer baking to cooking - I'm not as good at throwing ingredients together and having something awesome happen. I'd rather spend two days making an Italian Orange cake - that's more my style. I made this cake 5 years ago (ish) for Christmas and my family still talks about it. It was that good and is probably my favorite cake. With baking, not only am I satisfying my need for process (the type A part of my personality), I'm also making others happy (the Erin Counselor part of my personality).

So my new goal is just do those things that make me feel creative and happy and leave the rest behind. I'm trying hard not to compare myself to everyone else. It's not healthy or fun. This is all part of the process of being the leading lady of my own life.

By the way, my next baking project actually came from Buzzfeed (providing all the cat photos and 90s nostalgia you'll ever need). Bourbon marshmallows s'mores are happening sooner than you think. The bacon is optional.

Facebook was designed for cats and embarassing comments from your mother

Happy Mother's Day! To all the moms who read the Island, I hope you're having a lovely day with your children. Hopefully there was some awkwardly prepared breakfast food waiting for you along with some new additions to your fridge art collection. And maybe you got to sleep in - until 7.

From Buzzfeed

A few weeks ago, I was out running errands for a party I was planning. I work in an office that occasionally resembles The Office in its ability to have random things occur that no one really believes are happening but totally are. In this case, a group of us were throwing a "shower" to celebrate a co-worker's name change (not related to marriage or divorce). My goal for the day was to find prizes for the game and some additional gifts for the guest of honor. I was heading to Target when my phone whistled at me. This is the sound it makes when I get a text message. I figured it was my brother since we had plans for lunch/dinner later in the day. It was not my brother.

It was my mom. My mom figured out how to text.

At first, I thought my brother was messing with me. He was not - he had no idea this was even happening. The text included use of "r" and "u" instead of "are" and "you." I sent a text in response but still had to call because I didn't believe it was her. She thought this was funny (aren't texts supposed to eliminate the need for calls?) and explained that she decided that she wanted to try out texting and figured it out on her own. I was so proud.

My mom and her cell phone have a complicated relationship. She has had a cell phone for years but rarely leaves it on so actually trying to reach her on it is an exercise in frustration. I get why she has a cell phone but it always seemed like a wasted expense for her. However, she's trying to be better about using her phone and has started to leave it on during the day and call me from even when she's not out of the house. I'm not entirely sure what kind of plan she's on now but I guess she has to use all the minutes or text options or she loses what she paid. Anyway, with her new phone my mom decided to embrace using it more and so she has discovered texting. She's also started using the alarm clock and I believe she's been taking pictures. She read the user manual too. Because that's how my mom rolls.

I'll admit that I have kept texting to myself figuring that she didn't really need one more way to get in touch with me. Maybe this was a selfish thing to do (probably) but she didn't seem to miss it either. Mom has evolved her use of technology over the years. When I went to college, email was not a thing so we talked on the phone a lot. Not everyday but most days. When email became more important and easier to use, my mom got an account. It was a slightly larger leap technology-wise but it has kept us connected and is obviously a great way to tell me about her day and send funny ecards to one another (since that's what the Internet is for). Mom admits to not being the most tech savvy person but it's not her generation's thing. I'm impressed with her online abilities.

And then I sort of convinced her to join Facebook. Gone are the days of moms just being able to embarrass their children in front of their friends/relatives/significant others in person. Now Facebook lets that happen whenever mom feels like signing on and commenting on something you've written, posted, or a photo. My mom on Facebook is one of my favorite things. I remember a comment on my birthday a few years back that referenced rainbows. She sometimes types in all caps even though she's not shouting. Several of my friends have commented that they'd like to hang out with my mom based on her posts and comments. One friend would like to come over to make egg rolls with us the next time we have a Garland family egg roll making party. Apparently, her posts make us sounds like a wacky family (there is some truth to that statement) who are fun to hang out with for specific food related events (even more truth to that). Mom has said on numerous occasions that she's going to close her account but she hasn't done it yet. I think she secretly loves Facebook but doesn't want to admit it. Because then Mark Zuckerberg wins.

I've always considered texting the last frontier for my mom so I'm not really sure what's left for her. Does she get a Twitter account and start tweeting random things? What about a Tumblr blog for her women's club? Or maybe she'll get a YouTube channel and feature videos the adventures of Mack the corgi and make him an Internet star. After all, corgis are the new cats.

Happy Mother's Day Mom!

I'm not like a real mom, I'm a pet mom

Mother's Day is fast approaching. I still haven't figured out what to get my mom but I'm sure I'll think of something before next weekend (helpful reminder for those of you who forgot). Buzzfeed has not helped at all.

There's a lesser recognized group of moms in the world that I think we should discuss - pet moms. Yes, pet moms. I want to be clear: I am not equating your child to my pet (especially if you have a child with actual medical needs). What you do is different from what I do and I understand that. I think moms are awesome so I am in no way trying to diminish motherhood and all its challenges and rewards.

Moving on.

As a pet mom, I have a responsibility for a living being. I take that responsibility very seriously. I have to make sure on a daily basis that she's fed, has water, litter box access, and most importantly, places to nap. In return, I get to have a tiny cat in my apartment who occasionally sits on my lap, allows me to pet her, and does incredibly entertaining things. Additionally, I get head-butted at 4 am when she would like to be fed and receive looks that may imply that she intends to kill me in my sleep. Having a cat can be an intense experience but Pumpkin is super cute and awesome so it's worth it. My favorite thing about Pumpkin: when she plays with her toys because no one is paying attention to her. It's like having a one performer circus in my living room.

Like an actual mom, I worry that I'm raising her right and making good choices when it comes to her well being. When I moved back to Virginia last summer I brought Pumpkin to my parents' house for the 2 months before my move. I was concerned she wouldn't do well on another cross-country drive. It was really hard to make the decision. Was I being a bad pet mom for leaving her for 2 months with "strangers" (they're not strangers but you know what I mean) and the dog? Was she going to remember me? Would she exact some kind of bizarre cat revenge for leaving her?

She was fine and I'm not a bad pet mom. However, she did pick up some bad habits while staying with her "grandparents." My mom took to feeding Pumpkin treats from her hand on a daily basis. I have no patience for this but I think Pumpkin returned home with some sort of daily treat expectation that I have slowly broken down. Pumpkin also seemed to think being on top of the fridge or cabinets was more acceptable presumably since she had been staying in a house with a dog and needed the advantage of height. I've been less inclined to care about this one since she seems to be able to get down on her own (which wasn't always the case).

I think I was most concerned about something happening to her and my not being there to take care of her (not that my parents wouldn't have done an excellent job). Pumpkin has had three major medical issues since I adopted her - an abscess on the left side of her face, major dental work (related to the abscess which required me to give her kitty morphine), and that time she swallowed a needle and thread. Each one was awful and made me feel like I was the worst pet mom ever. I could have prevented the last one but only if I had realized that she grabbed the thread when I had my sewing box out. I only realized it when I saw it hanging out of her mouth.


My friend, Amy, had a similar experience this week with her dog. Amy has visited the Island before and is a good sport when it comes to me randomly talking about her in blog form. Amy has two lovely pups, Dixie and Muddi. I met them on my move back to Virginia last summer. They are super friendly and Amy is a great pet mom. Earlier this week Dixie ate some socks (since that's what dogs do) and one got caught in her stomach. She was in the hospital most of the week and had to have surgery to remove the sock. Poor Dixie and poor Amy. I know Amy was anxious about Dixie and it's hard to focus when something like this happens. There's not much you can do but wait. And of course, there are always people who won't get it or think "it's just a dog or a cat." I can't be friends with those people. Thankfully, Dixie is recovering and got to come home last night - just look at that happy face!

Here are some things you can do to celebrate the pet moms in your life:

• At the dog park, compliment how well her dog(s) plays and socializes with other dogs. This is especially important if the dog shared its toy.
• Compliment the awesome way in which her cat can squeeze itself into the tiniest box or surprise you with being in that shopping bag you left on the floor. That takes skill. Cats are ninjas.
• When shown a picture of the pet, you can honestly say, "Oh he's so cute and hamsterish" because the pet is, in fact, a hamster.
• Send your pet mom friend a card from her pet. She'll appreciate it even more if you draw a paw print on the card like a signature.
• Don't ask her when she's going to have actual children. You're not helping.

Here's the best thing about having a pet: it doesn't matter if you're gone for two minutes or two months, your pet will always be happy to see you because they love you unconditionally and like you at the same time.

Or it's the cat treats in my hand.

Dixie's photo by Amy - thanks for being part of today's post!

In which I pretend I am Kate Winslet

I'm taking a break from musically themed posts this week despite the fact that it's the first week of Jazz Fest and I would rather be listening to music at the Fairgrounds than going to work. Such is life. Instead we return to this year's quest: to be the leading lady of my own life.

This entire quest is inspired by the wonderful character Iris from the delightful movie The Holiday. I love this movie despite the fact that it is highly improbable that any of the events in the movie would actually take place in real life. However, I also love Xanadu so my ability to suspend disbelief for cinematic enjoyment is pretty strong. I identify most with Iris in the movie (Cameron Diaz is a bit difficult to identify with for lots of reasons). Iris works for a newspaper writing a wedding column and pining (artistically) for Jasper Bloom, her colleague and general bad boy of the movie. When she finds out that Jasper is engaged, she has a mini-meltdown which involves crying and wearing very comfy looking sweaters (it's England and winter). Across the pond in L.A., Cameron Diaz is also having guy problems having just thrown Edward Burns out of her house (she probably watched his terrible movies) and is unable to cry about it. The only solution: house-swap for the holidays.

Because that is how life works. Additionally, Jude Law is Iris's brother and Jack Black is a composer who befriends Iris in L.A. Now we have the potential of meet cutes, awkward kisses, my second favorite coffee drink (see above photo), and a video store. This movie has a lot going on. Side note: Jack Black is surprisingly good in this movie. There are some bits of "Jack Black being Jack Black" but he's fairly subdued and has several of the best lines in the movie. (My favorite: "Iris, if you were a melody... I'd use only the good notes.")

In addition to befriending Jack Black, Iris also befriends her elderly neighbor Arthur (played by Eli Wallach). I love, love, love, love Arthur. He tells Iris about meet cutes and explains to her the concept of being the leading lady of her own life. In these few words, Arthur gives Iris the push she needs to be herself and live her life and stop the pining for Jasper. Two of my favorite words, gumption and moxie, are also discussed. 

So I've been attempting to do a better job of being the leading lady of my own life this year. I feel like I've been making progress: making bolder fashion choices, going out more with different groups of friends, getting involved with volunteering again. Dating is one area I haven't made much progress on but the year is still young so I'm sure this will change at some point. Or I'll resign myself to wandering the Earth alone like the Incredible Hulk.

Fashion and dating are a small part of the leading lady quest. June will be the true test of whether or not I can do this.  I'm finally going to Paris. After years of talking about it, I'm finally doing it. This week I will book my flight (finally) and decide where to stay. I had considered staying at a hotel (which is perfectly normal) but then I remembered The Holiday. Why stay at a hotel when I can stay in a lovely (hopefully) apartment in the neighborhood of my choice? While it's not house-swapping, the idea of staying in an apartment in Paris makes me sublimely happy. I've already gotten some recommendations from friends who have done it and I'm on my way to finding the right place. It's seems more affordable than a hotel and I think it'll be more conducive to my desire to experience Paris rather than just visit the city.

I've been spending time on both airbnb.com and housetrip.com to find my ideal Parisian apartment. It's fascinating looking at apartments in another country. I complain about the tininess of my apartment but it's a mansion compared to many of the Paris apartments I'm considering. It's possible that my closet is larger than the apartment I will eventually settle on but it doesn't matter. No one goes to Paris to sleep and stay indoors.

What matters is that in a month and a half I will be the City of Light and enjoying whatever happens while I'm there. While I do have a short list of things to see and do, my plan is to see where each day takes me. Like Kate, I will embrace the people I meet and become the leading lady of my own life.

And possibly have a moment exactly like this:

Images from  http://www.thecinemasource.com/blog/movies/the-holiday/ (top image) and
http://www.fanpix.net/3089509/012041774/the-holiday-2006-picture.html

Clearly Metro does not appreciate Record Store Day

I hope that everyone got out and enjoyed Record Store Day 2013. I had a wonderful RSD although a very different one from what I've experienced in past years. This was my first DC area RSD and the first time I had company. Normally, my RSD trips are solitary events - not because I'm antisocial but because I enjoy going to record stores alone. While I don't dislike company, I tend to focus on what I'm doing and forget that people are with me. Then I feel sort of like a jerk.

Anyway, this RSD I was joined by my friend Anita and two friends from work and one of them brought a friend so really I had sort of a RSD gang. In addition to having people with me for the first time, I was also introducing one of my oldest friends (Anita) to new friends. If I'm not mistaken, it was everyone's first RSD so I'm not entirely sure what their expectations were for the day.  I'm also not the best at bringing my social worlds together - I guess at least I had the benefit of a shared love of music to bridge any odd gaps.

While I love the fact that so many artists put out special releases for the day, I go to support local stores and fill out my collection of albums and CDs. I buy special releases but they're not the focus. You have to get up early to get most of the special releases and we didn't do that. Given that Metro started weekend track work again this weekend (after a month-long break for the Cherry Blossom festivities), getting anywhere early was a challenge this weekend. Anita and I took a shuttle from Clarendon to Rosslyn, an orange line train to Metro Center, a red line train to Farragut North and then a second red line train to Dupont Circle. Then we walked to Adams Morgan to meet everyone else at Smash! Records, our first stop of the day. Normally, Metro craziness would annoy me but it was totally fine. I thought it was super easy to get around (just mildly inconvenient). Maybe it was the excitement of Record Store Day - sort of like a zen state that allowed me to ignore annoyed Metro riders and those trying to push their way to an empty train that's waiting for them. Seriously, no need to rush.

Our start at Smash! Records brings me to the second new element of RSD 2013: celebrating in DC. My past experiences were in Alameda/Oakland and New Orleans. Records stores like Amoeba and Rasputin (where I went last year) and Peaches and Louisiana Music Factory in New Orleans are larger and designed for optimal browsing. They also have live performances during RSD (and throughout the year) which make it all seem more like an event. Stores like Smash! and Crooked Beat Records (our second stop) are tiny. There was a line outside of each one and as a person left, another one was let in. It was a totally different experience. I also found that there was way less record store clerk snark this year than last - I had great conversations with staff at all of the stops. It was refreshing.

I have to commend Crooked Beat for their organizational style. They kept all the special releases behind the counter. You looked at the list and asked for the records. It wasn't as chaotic as other stores I've been to and you could actually find what you were looking for. It also allowed people to browse in the rest of the store without feeling like they were in the way. My favorite quote of the day happened here as well. One of the clerks was complaining to the owner about the CD that was playing (Miles Davis) and asked when they could change it. The bag check guy replied, "I've been listening to indie rock and punk since 9 am. You can't sit through one Miles Davis CD for me?" This got a lot of laughs.

Our group went separate ways after lunch and Anita and I returned to Virginia for our last two stops: CD Cellar and Galaxy Hut. Crooked Beat was my favorite store of the day but CD Cellar is my actual local record store and I love the fact that I can say that. I found some great used CDs here to fill in the gaps of my collection and had a nice chat with the clerk about The Dirtbombs, a great band out of Detroit. He saw their most recent tour; I saw them a few years ago. Apparently, they're still making bad choices when it comes to their opening acts. There's a job I would like: helping bands select opening acts. I think I would kill at this.

CD Cellar is a few blocks away from my office. This is both awesome and dangerous. I'm going to try to visit more often and use it as a place to go if I'm having a bad day. It's better to take a short walk and browse through the records and CDs for an hour than to stew over something.

We finished our day at Galaxy Hut. This is not a record store but a dive bar right in the heart of Clarendon. It has become my favorite bar and I thought it was the perfect place to end the day and enjoy some good music (they play excellent music), beer, and tater tots. You can't go wrong with tater tots (unless they're sweet potato tots - I hate sweet potatoes).

The only negative thing that happened all day occurred while Anita and I were waiting for the rest of the group at Smash. There was a short line outside the store and all the punks and indie kids put on their finest for the day. Two preppier girls (leggings, short sweaters, large Starbucks coffees) walked by and one stopped to ask someone in line what was going on. Her friend was mortified by this and when one of the kids in line told her, she laughed in his face and walked away. As they were passing Anita and I, they both made snarky comments about nerds and how stupid it was. Anita's response was perfect: "You can judge me when you wear real pants." This should be on a bumper sticker.

All in all, I thought it was a great day. As much as I missed the larger stores like Amoeba, I really enjoyed my experience at the smaller stores. It felt more personal and the staff was more likely to talk to you than just move you through the line. I hope my friends enjoyed their first RSD and will either join me or go on their own in future years -thanks for going with me everyone! I hope the Starbucks girls realize the error of their ways and also invest in some real pants (Anita suggests culottes or gauchos). Most importantly, I've got a whole bunch of "new" music to listen to and enjoy over the next few days.

If you missed the RSD Bad Shakespeare/Island of Misfit Toys crossover, make sure you take some time to read them both. Read Bad Shakespeare's list here and my list over on Bad Shakespeare's blog.

All released in 1979! Great year for music.

 

 

 

Pumpkin approves of my choices.

Rock N Roll "Cage Match" - I still don't like Billy Joel

Today is Record Store Day! Kids, records stores were the iTunes back in our day, but rather than being able to download an infinite number of songs at a moments notice, you had to actually go to a store. It was also difficult because if you didn’t hear what the name of the song was when the DJ announced it, you were stuck trying to hum it to a guy who really didn’t know it, but was going to point you in the direction of some shelf to keep you from talking to him.

           

I joke, but Record Stores were places where people could get together and enjoy music. It was more than just a place to buy music, it was a community.  It was a different time. Back then, Nicki Minaj was called “Lil’Kim”, the boy bands were boy bandier, and no one was quite sure what a Simon Cowell was and he wasn’t responsible for 40% of the Karoke contests on television.

In honor of Record Store Day, The Island and I wanted to discuss what music means to us. These aren’t necessarily my favorite songs, these are the ones that mean something to me. So here they are. They aren’t in any particular order, unless you’re paranoid and you want to see something in it. Maybe it spells out the name of where I buried the treasure.

1.  “River of Dreams” by Billy Joel. I’m a huge Billy Joel fan, and I could name pretty much any Billy Joel song that he’s ever written. I’m always saddened that he doesn’t seem to get as much respect as he deserves. Listening to Billy Joel is like listening to history. (Fact: He wanted to be a  History Teacher, and it shows in the music he writes. Yep. Writes. Not comes out of the compu-writer 7000) But “River of Dreams” was the first Billy Joel Album I owned. It was the first song I heard of his that I discovered on my own. I’d heard other Billy Joel that my parents listened to, but this was different. This was one that I heard. It was my song. I couldn’t get enough of
2. “Nicole’s Song”/”The River 1873” by the Virginia Coalition. I’m doubling up! Yes, I’m cheating on someone else’s blog! These are from the same album, VACO (as the cool kids call them)’s very first. I was given the pleasure of reviewing their first album for my college paper. I really enjoyed it, but these two songs just really affected me.” The River;1873” is a work of art. It’s a story within a song, and I’ve listened to it a million times and I just can’t wrap my brain about it, and I keep wanting to enjoy it.“Nicole’s Song”, I discovered much later, but it just evokes so much perfect emotion. It’s a beautiful, devastating song about love. One of the best love songs that’s out there We’ve all had feelings for someone but the timing just doesn’t work out for whatever reason. We’ve all felt like in another world, another time, if just something would work out... we could be together. It’s a devastating, haunting, beautiful feeling.
3. “Birdhouse in Your Soul” by They Might be Giants. How can any life changing list exist without They Might Be Giants? Blue Canary in the Outlet by the Lightswitch/who watches over you... Fantastic lyrics, fantastic fun that hides a deeper meaning. They Might Be Giants taught me that you can do something deep... but hide it in something amazing. 
4.  “Vienna” by Linda Eder. You’d expect more musical type songs from me, who’s a musical type, and while this song isn’t from a musical it’s got that “musical” quality. It’s a story song, written from the point of view of a lover that is looking back on better times. A lot of songs look back at better times. A lot of songs look back on former lovers. This one manages to combine it into a coherent story. And it’s not a musical. It’s just an amazing song that needs to be experienced, not really listened to.
5. “Cineplex Carmex” by My New Mixtape. My New Mixtape isn’t so much a band as is an experience. It was started by a member of the Virginia Coalition, and features a lot of different local artists. While again, they have a large stable of excellent songs, but I picked this one because the first time I heard it, I had to listen to it about seven or eight more times to make sure I got it. It’s another relatable song... it’s about a first date. But the whole thing is done with a robot voice. (They joke that it’s a robot love song.) But the robot voice forces you to focus on the words... (Words are important!) I dare you to listen to this one just one.
6. “Cologne”/”Best Imitation of Myself”/”Evaporated” by Ben Folds/Five. I picked both eras, where Ben Folds was solo, and back when he was with the trio of Ben Folds Five. At any time, he is still one of the best songwriters in the world. I could go into a lot of detail on this, but again, it comes down to the words. These are some of the best written songs that have ever been written, particularly the wordplay of Cologne and Evaporated. Evaporated was one of the songs that got me hooked on Ben Folds. Both can be torn down to their essence and enjoyed. The greatest is still “Best Imitation of Myself” which again, speaks to me at a certain time. Sometimes the hardest thing we can do is be ourself. But sometimes we have to wonder if we make the face until it stuck.
7. “1000 Goodbyes” by Captain Tractor. What? You mean you don’t listen to a lot of Canadian Celtic Folk Rock? 1000 Goodbyes. It’s a song about being leaving, and being terrible about saying goodbye. Who hasn’t done that? As a military brat, I’ve done it a lot.
8. “Hail Mary” by Eddie From Ohio. I have to include EFO on here, which again is a local (ish) band. But this song speaks to me as well. It’s a retelling of the Prodigal Son story, but in a way that anyone can relate to. Plus, just try not to enjoy a line that says, “I’m a buck twenty five from being broke and a Hail Mary shy of redemption.” It just breaks things down in a way that I hadn’t thought of before.

Yes, there’s more than 10. I cheated. I’m priceless. I hope you take this opportunity to download and listen to some of these songs.

The Island responds:

Happy Record Store Day! I hope that you take the time today to go out to your local record store and buy some music. Music is the great connector and places like record stores create communities of people that probably wouldn't be if left to their own devices. There's a great book, Telegraph Avenue by Michael Chabon, that tells this exact story (read it-you'll love it). If you love music and your local record store, you should be out today enjoying the day and basking in the music nerd love of RSD. I'll share my RSD experiences later this week.

Onto the list. I would like to point out that Bad Shakespeare cheated - there are more than 10 songs on this list. But in the spirit of RSD and because music makes us all do crazy things, I'll let this slide. I'm cool that way. The other thing that you have to realize is that there is no winner - both of our lists are perfect. They're perfect because music is a very personal experience. Even when you're at a concert with hundreds or thousands of other people, you're still connecting to the music in a personal way. This is one of the many reasons I both love and hate sharing music with other people - I know how I feel about it and I love hearing their reactions. But I also get a bit paranoid and possessive - I really don't want them to ruin the song or band for me. I'm fine if they hate it but I don't want my experience to change because of their reaction. This is all part of the musical journey that we take and why I don't talk about music on first dates.

Has Bad Shakespeare convinced me that Billy Joel is the greatest? No, he has not. But I would never begrudge or judge his love of the Piano Man. I think his experience with "River of Dream" is very similar to my experience with "Little Earthquakes" or "Thirteen"; these were songs I discovered on my own and became foundations for the way I think about and approach music. I always thought Billy Joel's music was my parents' music (even though neither of them listened to Billy Joel). Billy Joel is a hugely talented musician but his music has never spoken to me the way it does to Bad Shakespeare. So I will not be purchasing a Billy Joel album or CD today as I enjoy RSD. I will, however, stop rolling my eyes when someone tells me just how much they love Billy Joel.

What's awesome about this list is that I haven't heard the vast majority of it until today. I love They Might Be Giants (saw them in concert recently) and Ben Folds Five. Ben Folds is an exceptionally good songwriter and I am putting my name into be the next Mrs. Ben Folds. I've heard Eddie from Ohio before but never got into the band. I've never heard songs by Virginia Coalition, My New Mixtape, or Captain Tractor (I didn't even know Canadian Celtic bands were a thing). While Bad Shakespeare hasn't changed how I feel about Billy Joel, he's given me some new bands to listen to. To me, that's a win.

Head over to Bad Shakespeare to see my list and read his response to my songs. Happy Record Store Day!