Wedding Donkeys

I just finished watching Mamma Mia, the movie. I have decided that if I ever get married, I will ride up to the church on a donkey. Well, if in 2040 my joints still allow the range of movement required for riding donkeys.

That movie was pretty good stuff. Thankfully I won't have to deal with that whole "who is my dad" issue during my potential wedding ceremony however. That could really kill the scene set by my donkey-riding entrance.

Segue: My room is so clean it is unimaginable. Before and after photo to follow shortly.

Pop Pop Pop Rock! Best Songs of 2008

Seeing as a new year is rapidly approaching, and I don't have a much else to do for the next month, I think this is an appropriate occasion for My List of the Year's Best Pop Songs. I know, you have been waiting for this all year - and it is with utmost joy that I can say the moment of your anticipation is finally here. The Best Pop of 2008.

1. Leona Lewis, "Bleeding Love" - Let's face it, she's got a killer voice and some dang good songwriters. I was hooked after watching her "X-Factor" performances on youtube. This song is so good that it enables you to look past some rather morbid lyrics ("My heart's crippled by the vein I keep on closing....you cut me open." uhhh... that sounds like murder??) in the name of soulful true love. After a few listens you find yourself wishing someone would cut your veins open so you can "bleed love." Ah. Romance.

2. Coldplay, "Viva la Vida" - Translated Live the Life, this is not to be confused with "Live Your Life," another popular song of 2008. Personally, this Coldplay's Viva la Vida is catchy enough for people like me to like it - yet has lyrics poetic and symbolic enough for those "lyric snobs" (you know who you are....). Plus, the lyrics get progressive Christians excited thanks to verses like "I discovered my castle stands on pillars of sand," or "I hear Jerusalem bells ringing." Good work Coldplay, viva la vida!

3. Flo Rida, "Low" - Thanks to Flo Rida (yes, connect his name and you'll discover his home state...ingenious.) dance floors around the world were suddenly saturated with furry boots, apple-bottom jeans and occasionally, reeboks with "the" straps. From Japan to Minneapolis, Shortys were getting low - even if they had never gotten low before and looked awkwardly stiff in attempts. Though I am now fairly sick of it, this song has to be one of the best dance songs of all time. Even better than 2004's "Yeah!"

4. Beyonce, "Single Ladies" - If you like it then you shoulda put a ring on it. Oh snap. Words of truth Beyonce! Mix this truth with ridiculously danceable beats and Beyonce's convincingly strong vocals - and even girls in the darkest caves of break-up despair will emerge into the light for a little dancin'. Well, at least until they start thinking about the fact that Beyonce does have a "ring on it," from none other than Jay-Z. Oh well, at least she understands...

5. Jason Mraz, "I'm Yours" - Welcome back Mr. Mraz. It's been awhile but you've proved yourself awesome again with this one. The beauty of some pop songs is the simple joy embedded within them. Sometimes, you don't want to think, you just want to feel happy. "I'm Yours" makes you feel happy. No complicated relationships, lonely despair or even cash-money & grillz. He's just simply yours. Wonderful.

6. The Fray, "You Found Me" - This song's excellence is explained in full detail about two posts below.

7. Taylor Swift, Any Song from "Fearless" - I cannot single out one song from Taylor Swift's new album, because they are all amazing. It's true, this girl has talent. It is a rare album that fully consists of skip-free songs. In fact, the last of its kind was Carrie Underwood's Carnival Ride. However, I did not doubt T. S. would pull off this feat with her latest release. I bought it right away and it did not disappoint. Her songs just remind me of the naivety and innocence of being a teenager. Consequently, her album produces feelings of nostalgia for my teen years, quickly followed by all-out relief in the assurance I will never have to live those days again.

8. Matt Nathanson, "Come On Get Higher" - Though college students across the nation have loved him "underground" for years, Matt Nathanson has finally hit the radio waves with this latest bit. Sugarland even put a live recording of "Come on Get Higher" on their latest album - which rocks btw. So, thanks to a tip from a friend (aka ANNE), I realized this list would be sub-par without a ode to Matt Nathanson's mainstream debut.

9. Britney Spears, "Circus" - That's right, don't think this list could finish without a tribute to a seemingly recovered Britney Spears. Circus is perhaps her catchiest song since "Baby....One More Time," and coming from me, that means a lot. Plus, the lyrics contain universal truths, such as "there are only two types of guys in the world, the ones that can hang with me, and the ones that are scared" (Spears, 2008). I now have all men figured out. In a way that is entirely irrelevant to me but I'll take what I can get.... Okay so the lyrics aren't amazing, but come on, I mean that's the beauty of it. The beat is so awesome that it enables you to put down your philosophizing for a bit and just dance. Which leads me to my last post...

10. Lady Gaga, "Just Dance" - I love this song. It's freaking awesome to dance to. In fact, I learned how to C-walk to this song, and how to do this slide/moonwalk-esq move. That is how inspiring the song is. I love dancing. It is my favorite thing to do. Like I said (kind of ) dancing is the only activity that enables me to forget my thoughts and worries and, in the word's of Lady Gaga (which btw, out of all the names you could have picked, why would you pick such a lame name. It sounds like a gargle or something.), "Just Dance."

Runners Up - So the first runner-up goes to "Just a Dream," by Carrie Underwood. I had a hard time picking between that and "Just Dance," so they may be tied. After "Just a Dream," additional runners up include "Sex on Fire" by Kings of Leon (thanks again A), "Love Lockdown" by Kanye, and "Hot and Cold" by Katy Perry.

Additionally, the Holiday Single of the Year goes the Faith Hill for "A Baby Changes Everything." Good work Faith. All time best Christmas Album goes to Amy Grant's 1992 classic, "Home for Christmas," however.

Welp, this has been a fun time. Feel free to disagree with my choices - unless you're taking Britney off the list. Leave Britney alone!

Whew. That Was One Wild Party.

Whooaaa. I feel as if I have a hangover. I just finished the wild party that was my first semester of grad school. In its aftermath, I seem to be suffering from symptoms similar to that of a hangover - or post traumatic stress syndrome.

Let me elaborate. Last night I was exhausted. For three hours, I refused to leave my "homework chair;" staring at my computer and the walls of my room in shock that I had no documents to edit. Some may call this hysteria. I am not one for drama, so I prefer to call it post-traumatic stress syndrome.

When I finally shook myself out of this trance, I made it to my bed. Again, I was exhausted as I had stayed up until 4:30 a.m. the previous night finishing up papers, woke up at 9:00 a.m. and literally worked non-stop until 6:00 p.m. in attempts to meet final deadlines. I even ate a Snickers bar for lunch. This is a symptom of desperation. I do not believe I have consumed a Snickers bar since age 12 - as this is the appropriate age to quit eating crap. Unless of course, you are a male.

Anyway, this was around 11:00 p.m. and despite my exhaustion, I did not want to sleep. I felt the need to stay up "partying" (a.k.a. reading a novel) until 2:00 a.m. - simply because I could.

As a result, today I awoke at 12:45 p.m. This is ridiculous and like I said, very symptomatic of a hangover. Though it is 2:45 p.m. and I am back in my homework chair, I feel as though I may be slowly recovering, but we shall see. This semester was one long, wild "party," so it may take awhile. In case you doubt the party's wildness, take a peak at how it has left my room. I do not believe I have ever seen it in such a state:

Indeed. Recovery may take awhile. However, I know it it possible. For as Confuscious once said, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." I will take my first step by cleaning my room. Wish me luck. I need to fully recover by mid-January, when the party starts up again.

Oooo, Nkunda, You Were Totally Called Out!

Take that Laurent Nkunda and Rwanda! You have been caught red-handed by U.N. - finally. Looks like your elaborate lies are going to need a little "re-working," to maintain credibility. Perhaps you should go re-work them in Rwanda. Forever. Bye bye.

On an unrelated note, I just have to share this video even though it's really old. It's Dave Chappelle's Tupac skit from like 2006, and it was recently resurrected in my memory thanks to the Mass Media and People of Color class I T.A. for. It's hilarious, and I've watched it like five times this week. Without further ado, here is Tupac Lyrics.

Chappelle's portrayal of Clayton Bigsby, the blind, black, white supremacist is pretty funny to if you feel the need to browse Comedy Central.com. I'm going to stop wasting time now because I only have a day to go - I must press onward to win the prize.

Has Anyone Heard The Fray's New Song? It Rocks.

The Fray recently released a new single called "You Found Me," and I think it's amazing. Here are some of the lyrics:

I found God, on the corner of First and Amistad; where the West was all but won all along. Smoking his last cigarette, I asked 'Where you been?' He said 'Ask Anything.'

Where were you when everything was falling apart. All my days spent waiting by the telephone, and all I needed was a call. It never came to the corner of First and Amistad.

I strongly recommend listening to the whole song here. I think this song is amazing because it's about faith. Real faith. Not the happy-go-lucky-everything-is-perfect-in-my-Christian-schooled-world type of faith. Rather, this song is about the "I-am-f***-ed-up-fed-up-and-doubting-but-am-crying-out-to-you-because-I-know-you're-still there," kind of faith. This faith is not black and white. It cries out because it knows God is big enough for honesty. It includes many missteps, lots of confusion, but yet still finds God in the midst of despair. On the corner of First and Amistad. You know, Amistad means "friendship" in Spanish. Interesting.

Isaac Slade, the lead singer of The Fray, speaks briefly about the song's meaning on his blog.

I guess I love "You Found Me" because it's lyrics are strikingly reflective of the cries of those in the Bible; cries that aren't spoken of enough. Take for instance, parts of Lamentations 3 when Jeremiah is despairing of what God has done:

"Even when I cry out for help, he shuts my prayer, he has barred my way with blocks of stone; he has made my paths crooked... He has broken my teeth with gravel, he has trampled me in the dust. I have been deprived of peace; I have forgotten what prosperity is..... I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet, I call this to mind and therefore I have hope.

Because of the Lord's great love, we are not consumed. For his compassions never fail. They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness. I say to myself 'The Lord is my portion,' therefore, I will wait for him." Full passage here.

Jeremiah was miserable in Lamentations. Yet he still held onto God's goodness. Which is essentially what Slade talks about on his blog.

Ah. I love it. I am going to listen to this song for the 80th time and pray I don't get sick of it too soon. Other great song lyrics include "Broken" by Lifehouse and "Sympathy" by the Goo Goo Dolls. Just in case you need a little bit more inspiration. Though you should have gotten a ton from this post because I am so inspiring... kidding. I will stop rambling now.

What's Wrong with Illinois?

You would think a governor would learn from his predecessor's mistakes. Apparently not in Illinois. The state's previous governor is in prison, and its current one will more than likely join him fairly soon. What state has two governor's in a row imprisoned? Really? Making this anomaly worse is what governor thinks he can SELL a SENATE seat and get away with it?? Especially, a senate seat that was Barack Obama's, and is obviously being scrutinized by many?Has the crumbling economy left you that desperate for money Rod. R. Blagojevich?? Are are you smoking crack?? This is not Monopoly World. Boardwalk is not for sale and if you collect money for it you are not getting out of jail for free. You are staying there, and you're going to be stuck with the purple places that no one wants.

Good thing Illinois produced Barack Obama, or I think the whole country would seriously be questioning its political legitimacy status. On that note, I am going to use this time to give kudos to MN for uh, never having a governor go to jail. And our last governor was a a WWF wrestler. Yes, I realized that in standing firm, we must be careful not to fall. So here's to hoping MN's prison-free political streak continues.

Oh man, some things I just don't understand. I probably shouldn't judge Gov. Blagojevich, he perhaps acted out of personal troubles or desperation. It just seems so odd..., trying to sell the president-elect's senate seat. Well, I suppose weirder things have happened. Such as the NYT article yesterday detailing the 28 & 26 year-old couple that bought a house in the Lowry Hill neighborhood of Mpls. What 28 & 26 year-old can afford a home there? My goodness. This is a whole other issue however, that I do not have time to get into today. Cheers.

UPDATE! Thanks to Jon Stewart, I just learned that FOUR of the last EIGHT governors of Illinois have ended up in jail. That is 50 percent. That is ridiculous. The end.

Gift Bag

Events of the day. I turned in my 27 page paper on a development project for Goma. Unfortunately, it is not very well edited. I didn't have time. I completed it ten minutes after class started, printed it off, and ran to class. Out of breath, I turned it in just as everyone began leaving (class was let out early). Whew. I'm glad that thing is over though. It consumed approximately 48 full hours of the last three days - and like I said, I didn't even get a chance to thoroughly edit it.

It is a winter wonderland out right now. Very pretty. I think God made snow so pretty to get us through the bitter cold. Thanks God. Snow was a great creation, as long as I do not have to drive in it:).

I have nothing else to randomly comment on at the moment. Well, except for I am very confused as to how a Fatman Scoop song got on my iTunes... I guess I will get back to my normal routine of finishing up papers! If anyone ever needs to know how to implement a participatory radio program for women's empowerment in Goma, DRC, let me know. I have 27 pages of great information. Peace out.

Oh - and I titled this post Gift Bag because reading it is like digging into a Gift Bag - full of random surprises. :)

Mark's Sweet Encounter

I stole this story from Mark's blog, but I thought it was an awesome story and that Mark needs to publicize it more (especially since he failed to share it at Thanksgiving!). So here it is, straight from the source:

Pop quiz

A Chicago guy. Graduated from Harvard. Very interested in politics. Half Kenyan, half white. Really liked by Mark. You guessed it. Tom Morello!

I was working yesterday, trying to find a way to kill time. We were listening to the radio and they said that TM would be at the Electric Fetus. My "client" (Editor's note: Mark works as a PCA...for a 12 year-old, or a boy around that age I think.) didn't seem too interested in the idea and I didn't want to push it on him. But he eventually caved. TM would be playing a few songs and signing autographs for his show later that night. So we went and when we got our autographs TM says something like "hey, are you guys coming to the show?" We say no and then he asks us if we want to. We of course say yes and then he tells his right hand man or whoever to add us to the guest list. Then at the show we get a guy with a flashlight to escort us right up to the very front of the crowd. And I got paid the whole time...it was pretty cool

The thing I think makes him a really cool guitar player is not that he just rocks...which he does, but rather that I could listen to 5 seconds of any of his solos and immediately know who it is. Every rock band has a guitar player who launches into solos in every other song. But they all kind of sound the same. Maybe he just has a bad guitar or something and that is why it is so identifiable. I don't know. He also tears up the harmonica which I discovered last night.

Don't Worry, You Just Might Die in a Nuclear Attack

Yesterday, getting out of bed seemed like a pretty overwhelming task. I have my alarm tuned into Cities 97, so BT and the Morning Crew can gently assuage my transition for sleep to rise. However, yesterday, they decided to thrust me into the day violently. This the news I awoke to:

"The U.S. Security (insert name I forgot) stated that it is more than likely the U.S. will suffer from either a nuclear or biochemical terrorist attack by the year 2013."

Talk about increasing the getting-out-of-bed difficulty level. Sheesh. Nothing like being greeted with a little seasonal cheer on a wintry morning. What am I supposed to do with that information? Pay more attention to suspicious, nuclear-bomb looking packages??? Carry a gas mask in my backpack at all times? No wonder everyone is seriously lacking serotonin in this country.

I mean, I don't think we should live in an ignorant bliss - because usually that leads to events like September 11 - but there is such a thing as accurately reporting risk people. If you're going to tell me that my life may end via a chemical explosion before my 30th birthday, I'm going to need a little context - such as why does the U.S. Security Something think this? What can citizens do about this? What is being done about this? More than just a 30-second blurb on my doomed fate as a dust particle would be great. Thanks.

I seriously think that most of us suffer from "mean world syndrome," a condition (no, no DSM diagnosis on this one, sorry) in which we live our lives believing the world is a whole lot meaner than it actually may be, thanks to the proliferation of fear and terror in the news. How about a little hope my friends!

I have a crazy theory, but sometimes I think that if the media infused a bit more hope in its reporting - people might have more of a will to change, to give... even to live. Consequently, who knows, there might actually be less real despair and fear for the media to over-report.

Or not. Someday.

I Love Being Up at 5:30 a.m.

Before you roll your eyes, because you are "up everyday at 5:30 a.m. lazy;" let me explain the difference between getting up at 5:30 a.m. and being up at 5:30 a.m. Getting up implies that you have slept until 5:30 a.m., while being up carries no implication of the obtainment of prior

I have been writing this stupid lit review since 6:00 p.m. yesterday. I no longer care about issues surrounding the (RED) campaign. My compassion is fatigued, just like the "compassion fatigue" the uptight critics constantly complain about in their anal articles. Something is always wrong with the world, blah blah blah.

I feel fairly okay all things considered. Maybe because I consumed an entire pot of coffee. Maybe it's Lady Gaga's energizing rhythms. Maybe it's the speed. (KIDDING).

Anyway, despite my 12 hours at this computer I am not finished yet. I need to take a course in time management bad (or is it badly? I don't know, I don't care).

Three hours until class. I will get this thing done. Dangit.