New Songs

So, I've been going to group weight lifting classes con mi madre for the past little while and you know me and music...

Well I find myself singing the songs off and on. There has been one in particular that made me laugh when I tried to find it on You Tube to see who sang it and you know how bizarre the videos are on there. Not gonna lie, I was little bit horrified when I saw the first 15 seconds of this video, so I just hid it and listened to the song.

Shout Out to My Poultry Lovin' MW

This guy actually sings pretty well. Happy B-day

Pump Up the Jam

Yes, that's right folks still here and kicking. This summer has been a little cuckoo with the hours I was keeping as a lifeguard. That brief stint however has come to a close, much to my strange relief. In any event I have since been tasked with putting together the music for the YSA dances. Talk about making my day. The only real problem here is that I like all different kinds of music and dancing, while not everyone else is quite as open in their tastes. It also doesn't help with finding good fast songs to dance to, that don't openly inspire one to start jumping around like they were in Olivia Newton-John's music video of Physical revisited, or isn't obscene, explicit or profane, however redundant those three terms might seem. Believe me, when it comes to music and selecting tunes that will get the booties on the floor for that special night, I'm scrugglin' and yes I know I sp'd that one.

As for me I'm little on the nostalgic side at present so I would like to expand the repertoire beyond last month's top 40's to the actual 40's to present and everything in between, especially some world music or again something outside the realm of pop/soft rock, although I'm not ashamed to throw down a little Celine for a good slow song, but more likely not a song that graced the top 20 to our ever lasting annoyance and super secrety shower singing fondness. ;) In any event I'm having a pretty decent time skimming my personal collection of tunes and coming up with what will probably be way too much.

Another task I'm attempting to undertake is to teach little mini-dance lessons before we actually get started bringing back some classics like waltz, fox trot, and other fun ones like swing, salsa and for solo options, line dances. That's right hopefully most of the kids won't remember how awkward the macarena really was ;). Meh. Whatever it takes to get those backsides however dubious and caught up in cool to shake a little on the floor.

So, my question is this: any suggestions of sweet tunes to play next friday evening?

The Time Has Come...

"The time has come," the Walrus said,
"To talk of many things:
Of shoes--and ships--and sealing wax--
Of cabbages--and kings--
And why the sea is boiling hot--
And whether pigs have wings."


OK so no not really. I've debated posting this for some time however short that time has been, but I feel I wouldn't be honest with myself or ya'll if I didn't.

Normally this is where I would interject some bit of humor, but I think I might just take Carrot's advice or at least follow her example. I lost my job about two weeks ago. In the ensuing aftermath I've had not as much time to think as one would suspect. I just kind of went into auto pilot mode and dealing with what's presently in front of me. I don't really want pity for the loss of the job, that's not what this is about. Yeah it sucks, but such is life, and I'm dealing with it. This loss was something that has kind of been in the works since August or so, well if we really want to get technical, it was May of last year, but I stuck my head in the sand so to speak, and held on to the bitter end, and bitter it was or at least slightly mangling to my hind parts.

In my searching and applying for jobs, I'm having the same problem I've always had. The stuff that sounds like I would enjoy doing and not get bored with right away excedes my present "qualifications." I know what I enjoy doing, and what I'm good at but the problem lies in reconciling the two. Yes, I understand that there is still validity in proper training for some positions (ie Doctoring, Pharmacist, etc). My biggest problem right now in job searching is the money, but I want to take steps that will lead me more in the direction of where I want to end up or at least where I think I would like ending up.

The problem is that the list of things I have ever seriously considered doing is so totally varied that I would essentially have to start from ground zero for any of them. I graduated from college almost three years ago, but the degree was in Home & Family Living. No I wasn't planning on getting the MRS degree, as most would suspect. I ended up choosing it because...because...well to be honest, I chose it because what I really wanted to do required the maintenance of a certain GPA, which at the time I wasn't entirely sure I could do, because I had definitely had my share of struggles in school. Eventually I took a class, ironically enough that wasn't part of my regular schooling, that very effectively reminded me that once upon a time I did like school and it was something that I did well in.

Because I didn't want to stay in school for another two years I took off the part of my degree that might have made me more marketable. The education certification, but at the time and even now I'm still not sure that teaching is really what I want to do.

I'm babbling here.

I also realized last week in my searching that the types of jobs I was taking were definitely not creating the type of resume that I would need to go in the direction I want to go. I'm sure that I'm not being creative enough or that I'm missing some very vital part to this whole finding a job/career path for me enigma, and maybe that's why I felt impressed to share this all with you. Who knows.

I guess my biggest problem is how does one turn a love for music, reading, and writing as well as a knack for knowing and remembering odd facts into a real job? OR better yet, what kind of job will allow me to continue to learn without necessarily having to pay to go to school all the time or at least pay me enough that I can afford to go to school on the $$?

OK now I'm thoroughly confused. I'm gonna go try to get rid of more "junk" that's stealing all of my valuable space around here.

Beans, Beans, the Musical Soul Food...

or uh, somethin' like that.

I've had this song stuck in my head for quite some time, and I even know the words now. What I think is teh awesome about this particular vid is how many yootoob videos etc it references.

It's pretty good stuff!

Sorry the linky wasn't working before...we're a go now!

What the Deuce?

OK so the other day was my first time...

getting Rick Rolled that is.

On this particular site I happened to notice that it documented people's responses to them being rolled and the video itself. I happened to notice this right about here...


I could hardly keep from laughing. My apologies on the swears.

Why Rick?

Freshman Honors English

HA what a joke. I’m pretty sure I failed horribly struggled in that class. All I remember is talking to my friends. Where was the teacher you ask? Good question. She would talk to us for a little bit every so often. I seriously don’t even remember what we were supposed to be doing in that class.

I only remember reading almost all of the Joy Luck Club, the fact that when everyone else went to Washington DC the kids who stayed behind watched Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet, everyone else got stuck with the lame-o old school version where they had contrasting colored cod-pieces that had the effect of a neon sign (Kinda creepy!), and talking endlessly with the two other girls who were in the back of the classroom about Prince’s Kiss video and Dharma and Greg.

A Little Bohemian Rhapsody?

A couple years ago in my singles ward, there was a time when almost every Monday evening after FHE this one kid (I never learned what his name was, weird but true) would end up playing the piano. He would inevitably play Bohemian Rhapsody, which in my book earns him mad rad points.

I surprised myself though. I was able to sing the whole thing from start to finish every.time. Of course there were other people who would sing along because that’s just what we would do.

A year or two later one of my friends said that she always thinks of me when she hears that song. :D

Bohemian Rhapsody is one of those songs that no matter how hard you try you can’t not sing along when you hear it, at least for me. That’s what cracks me up about the sandbox. It’s populated enough that they have several different classic rock stations, and no lie they will usually play Bohemian Rhapsody or We Are the Champions or some other well known Queen song, but those two are usually the most frequently played.

I will sing it all out whenever I hear it in the car with.out.fail. I did this the other day when BonBonz and I were cruising around in the Jeep. She likes classic rock as much as I do, and I was completely into it. I was even belting it at the stoplights. :D As a matter of fact at the last stop light I guess I was doing such a good job that when the light turned green BonBonz was the only one to move right away. It was fabulous.

***Updated to add***
Also something I find to be funny is that the day I composed this particular post, I went with these two to the SYTYCD tour show. When Mark did his solo it was to Bohemian Rhapsody. If it weren’t so loud in there I think I would have made a spectacle of myself by jumping up and doing a little karaoke. Your thoughts?

For putting up with this post you will be rewarded.

Savor the Flavor

One of my very dear friends sent this to me, and I just had to share with my blogging buddies! I used to sing this song and do the arm motions all the time with my sisters when we were kidlets.

IN OTHER NEWS***

For some reason I keep hearing the Jonas Brothers all.over.the.place. For a Disney conceived boy band, they aren’t too shabby. Although their prepubescent voices herald a flashback akin to the vocals of Hanson, I still say they are better than mmmm-bop-a-licious.

The Day the Music Died

Who knew that Don McLean’s song would ring true…again?

I was reading an article this morning…

This makes me sad a little, but I might be better off. Less impulse buying. However I still remember those days, "of heading to the CD store the day [my] favorite band's album was set to come out, then heading back home with that cellophane-encased treasure in [my greedy little paws,] hands," with a fondness.

Au revoir mon jamboree. *sigh*

This really frosts my cookies!

(Who can name that movie?)

Big Thanks & a Hearty Congratulations!

This weekend I headed to the OC for a very dear friend's wedding. The morning came when I was to leave. I was so absolutely keyed up, that I woke up feeling very ill and still needing to pack my suitcase. I went back to sleep in hopes that it would help take the edge off, as it usually does. That worked for about five minutes after I got up and then the anxiety returned.

On my way to the airport, in order to help calm my nerves I called GM to talk. She very geniously pointed out to me that this would be my first trip that did not involve going "home" or anywhere near it. After this realization I wasn't calmed down right away, but it did allow me to think about things.

I've taken road trips before in similar situations, but in those cases, I knew exactly where I was going. It's hard to explain quite what I mean. Anyway, it dawned on me later that day as I was picking up the rental car, "This is my first 'adult' trip." Not adult in any nawty sense, but in the sense that I am over 25 and pretty much going on vacation alone. I planned it from start to finish and was in charge of making all the arrangements/accommodations for myself. A really big step for me.

When I arrived everything went fairly smooth. As soon as I walked out of the airport, anticipating a blast of extreme heat, as I have been taught to expect here in the sandbox, I was pleasantly surprised! I thought I was at home, only it was less humid. It was love at first...sight? Anyway you get my drift.

Thanks to a very dear friend I was able to stay in the area that I had wanted to, which was relatively close to the airport, but not obnoxiously so. It was two miles from the coast. Woot!

That night I was to attend the family dinner as requested by my friend, so figured it was cool. I even had to double check with her to make sure it was. I arrived a little early for dinner and got to spend time talking with Nat and catching up. I alway feel like there isn't too much to tell about myself in situations like that because truly, much never seems to change.

But I digress.

Dinner was pretty good Mexican food. The burrito should be called a burro because there was nothing little about it. It took up a whole one of those turkey roaster pans...just for one...ONE! They also had some tasty brownies in mint, oreo, peanut butter, marshmallow, and strawberry frosting.

I headed back up to Newport when things died down. When I got there the temple lights were still on, but sadly my phone takes for.ev.er. To get into camera mode, and so no pic :(

The next AM I was a little late getting to the temple, but made it in time to jump in a few pics. My friend's dear grandparents have decided to help me get married as well and set me up with guys around my age. This is probably the first wedding where I have people have actively been trying to get me married as well. Which I find funny. Even at my sisters' weddings there was never any of that so it was a unique experience for me.

After pics we headed back over to her parent's house, which I had intended to get a picture off the end of their back yard which overlooks a golf course, and is right on the edge of the national forest. B-E-A-U-tiful. Alas, no dice there either. Although we got into a massive Twilight series discussion, which was spurred on by several things. teehee. I even showed off Lauren's Bite.

The time came to get dressed in our finery and head over to the Country Club for the reception. When we rolled up, they even had complementary valet. Woot! Dinner was TASTY! It was some of the best reception food I have ever had at a wedding! It was better than MMMM MMM good! The flowers were Amay-za-zing. It was so beautiful yet simple.

During the reception, I was asked to go get their marriage license back at the house and had to make two trips for that one because the house was locked. Then there was dancing, although I saddened by the fact that there was no Ice Ice Baby to lip sync to ;)

But seriously, in my time driving I realized that I need to thank Nat for my "big break" and the opportunity for my first solo vacation.

All in all it was a good time. Although a little word to the wise, if you're going to trash/junk up "decorate" the get away car, make sure you use stuff that isn't going to ruin the car ie shaving cream which will etch the windows. That's why they invented car window paint. ;)

This morning I did NOT want to leave! It was so beautiful there and the weather was perfect, I had a hard time going to the airport. Although oddly enough some people who were at the wedding were on my flight back into the oven full of sand.

So to my dear friend Nat,

Congrats to you and Robert! You've worked hard and got exactly what you wanted.
P.S. I'm pretty sure that Esther had you pegged ;) and one other thing, sorry about the crappy hand writing on your sign-in book. I can't write well, when I'm nervous/ stressed out.

BIG HUGS
~PK

Happy Birthday!

The video wasn't working... just go here

I was born on Eliza Doolittle Day and share the same birthday as Cher. Wahoo for me! This was the only movie/vid that came to mind when I thought of the birthday thing and while I am several years past 16 I still enjoy this movie...ah Jake Ryan Oh yes, watch for me on the stand above everyone else at 4:20'ish ;D

*********UPDATE**********
I was also just informed that I share a birthday with one of my favorite bloggers!

Back To School....

So tonight I start a ballet class w/ Methodical Wormer. I am unbelievably excited. :D Being my first class in over a year and a half, another story for another time, I had forgotten what is expected at this level. I'm going through a mental checklist of stuff that I should bring...

Tights - Check

I wish my legs looked that svelt ;)

Slippers - Check

Stylish Black Leotard Complements of Sew Hot - Check

My natural conditioning after five years in college told me that that was all I needed. The giddy school girl in me started asking what else do I need to bring. Heralding back to the times of yore when I was in Kindergarten. Not that I took ballet in Kindergarten, but just that slight feeling of something new and exciting mingled in with a little unpreparedness...

As it is the first day of class I don't truly expect that we will have to dress out for it, but I am prepared for that if nothing else.