Saturday Soundtrack – Brought to You by Surreal Sound-stylings

28 Jan

Have you heard My Brightest Diamond? If you haven’t, you’ve been missing out. This is the stuff dreams are made of. They’ve got a string section, flutes, a beautiful orchestra playing the soundtrack of dreams. Shara Worden has brought insight into the voice of the modern woman on both of her earlier LP’s, my favorite being A Thousand Sharks Teeth, but with MBD’s newest venture, All Things WIll Unwind she’s grown into the voice of her new role as mother. Some may say her melodious voice gets lost in the instrumentation, but I find the harmonies to be inspiring, her voice threading through the instrumests like the elusive call of the will o’ de whisp. Listen to this as you look for inspration into your next artistic adventure.

For fans of Florence + the Machine, Sia, and Massive Attack.

“Inside a Boy” by My Brightest Diamond, on A Thousand Shark’s Teeth

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Friday Five: Best Shows on TV Right Now

27 Jan

A and I don’t have regular TV. We’ve been watching on the internet since we were married, before it was a thing and TV’s came with internet-ready hookups. (The day A figured our how to jerry-rig his old computer to our TV…that was a proud moment in the Aylesworth house, my friends.) Anyhoo, we made the decision to not have regular TV because I hated the advertising and we figured that newlyweds had more important things to do than watch TV all evening…like get to know each other as newley-marrieds! Minds out of the gutter, folks. But that didn’t work out so well in the long run. With internet TV becoming a major thing, we watch all the shows (for the most part) other people do, just a day later. So I thought I’d share the five shows A and I wait for the other to watch. The best current shows on television (that we can see on Hulu or Netflix, that is, since not all networks put their shows up yet), according to Bigger in Real Life are:

1. Modern Family

I feel almost trite putting this up here after the sweep I heard it did, once again, at the Golden Globes, but it’s the truth. This show rocks. There isn’t a better ensemble cast on TV right now, and unlike my perennial favorite Friends I can’t think of a character I dislike. I love the patriarch in Jay and how he’s softened by the comic genius in Gloria. I love the whole dynamic of the Dunphys. And Cam is my absolute favorite. So soft and lovable, yet so hard-core. Awesome.

2. Castle

This show had us since we heard the two magic words: “Nathan Fillion.” Sure the plots are semi-formulaic, and A and I usually figure out whodunnit before Beckett and Castle do, but shaddup, it makes us feel smart. There’s no better combo of lighthearted fun and dramatic twists than Castle. And the almost there love dynamic between Kate and Castle? Television gold. Listen up, writers of Castle: if you ever let Castle and Beckett get together it will ruin the show. I know you’ll be tempted if you ever have to end things, but trust me, the almost-there is what makes the show. Although it would help a lot if NF could go back to looking like the dashing hero if the first season. He’s starting to look more like Kate’s older and less attractive uncle than a serious love interest.

3. How I Meet Your Mother

This one almost was #2 for me, as the show neatly fills the hole Friends left behind, but while the HIMYM gang makes you wish you could have a beer with them, Castle just makes me feel good about life. So it’s in at #3. And why is that? Oh, I’ll give you six reasons, in three words or less: Robin Sparkles. Slap bet. Suit Up. Legend-waitforit-Dary! Theme Songs. Neil. Patrick. Harris.

4. 30 Rock

Honestly, this show is so freaking good it could have usurped any of the ones listed above. I only ranked it lower because the non-linear plot line makes this show closer to sketch comedy than something where you can really invest in the characters. But oh my goodness, I love everything Tina Fey does. And prior to 30 Rock I never thought I’d say this, but Alec Baldwin really makes the show. First time in his career I’ve been laughing because of him, not at him.

5. Community

This show has been a bit of a sleeper on the acclimation scale, but I’m here to tell you that it deserves a place on any top five list, with a bullet. This show has served up paintball wars, a claymation Christmas Special, anime foosball, Dawn of the Dead-type plots, blatant fun-making of Glee, alternate timelines, and Troy and Abed in the Morning. You don’t have to have attended a community college to love this show, you just have to be able to recognize greatness when you see it.

Runner up in the drama category: Parenthood

I felt bad that all my top picks were comedies lasting half an hour, so had to throw this one in as an honorable mention to show that I don’t only like the funny shows, and that I have an attention span longer than a goldfish. Because really, could Parenthood have won over any of the above? I don’t think so.
A doesn’t like to admit it, but when he’s up in the loft playing computer games he totally pays attention to the plot-lines of this oh-so-well-written show. Do I agree with every decision the writers make? No. Do I think some of the things they write intending to be heartwarming are stupid and shallow? Yes. But I love this show for the way it portrays families. I come from a crazy large family, and we all talk over each other, just like the characters in Parenthood. I’ve been every teenager on that show at some point in my life, and have had friends like all of the Bravermans. I love how they have problems and make choices for better or worse, but in the end family trumps all. I will say one thing, though. I still don’t know the name of Lauren Graham’s character, because to A and I she’s still Lorelei Gilmore.

Potential List Addition in the Future: Alcatraz

This is the first show in a long time A and I have been really excited about. I’m a straight-up sucker for any show set in California (another reason I love Parenthood. Watching them take a road trip down Hwy 5 was like taking a trip home for me. But I digress.) but set it in my favorite city in the world and I’m in. This show is full of intrigue and secrecy, and we can’t tell yet if Sam Neil is a good guy or a bad guy. Plus, they have Hurley, who I’m pretty sure I won’t be able to call by his new character name either.

And in case you were wondering, here are some shows that would have made the cut, had circumstances been different:

Best show if it was three years ago:
Glee

Best show if I wanted to admit to loving a dressed-up soap opera:
Private Practice

Best show if I was over 50 and wanting to still feel like I’ve got it:
Desperate Housewives

Best show as long as Steve Carrell stayed on:
The Office

Best show if I wasn’t burned out on the mockumentary-style filming thanks to The Office:
Parks and Recreation

Best concept turned disappointment by uninspired writing:
Once Upon a Time

Best case of a supporting cast totally being better than the name-brand star they got to play the lead character:
New Girl

Best show if there wasn’t something about Christina Applegate that makes me want to punch her in the face:
Up All Night. Love. Me. Some Maya.

So that’s my list. Do you agree? Disagree? What are your picks for best shows on TV right now?

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Guitar Lust

26 Jan

I don’t play guitar.

Yet.

But it’s on The List.

My sister happened to leave us her guitar along with most of her furniture to store in our attic when she moved down south, and I quickly co-opted borrowed it to start working on #3. Which leads me to my current pressing question: how do I judge when I can cross “teach myself guitar” off of my list? Is it when I’ve mastered common chord progressions? When I can successfully play a few songs? When I am able to play any song that’s put in front of me off of the tabs? In a discipline where there will always be more to learn, where there will always be someone out there more talented than you, how do I know when I can say “I know how to play the guitar?” I need to know, because I’m almost positive A won’t let me buy this until I do:

black beauty - the ovation celebrity

Gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous. My sister’s man has one, and as soon as I saw it I fell in love. What else would you expect from a girl who has made a life out of choosing the different and unique? Lest you think I’m entirely superficial, there’s a lot of reasons besides the look that makes me covet this guitar. First off, the sound is great. Whether played acoustically or plugged in there’s a warm richness to the sound that makes me melt. Two, it has a shallower body than a standard guitar. This combined with the feature of a narrower neck – closer to an electric than an acoustic – means this tiny-handed girl will be able to play more comfortably. Plus, look how pretty! Ok, I never said I wasn’t a little bit shallow.

But there’s no way we’re going to plunk down those kind of bucks without me being able to absolutely 100% without-a-doubt guarantee that I will play this instrument. We just had to replace our water heater yesterday for crimeny sakes. (Hello? Did everyone else out there know that water heaters are expensive?!? Holy crap, people! Hot water be pricey!) And so I will learn. Somehow. I have to, it’s on The List after all. And I’ve got this little beauty and all her friends as an incentive.

So tell me, folks: when will I be able to say I can play the guitar?

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Counting Blessings

25 Jan

We all have two families. One we were born into, and one made up of people God put in our path.

I am the big sister, the oldest grandchild. I do everything first. I’m first to be married, should be first to have a baby. The next generation is only a glimmer in my husband’s and my eyes – an unformed hope for the future – so far. But I have kids, lots and lots of kids that bless me by letting me into their lives.

There’s my niece, who draws pictures that show I’m more glamorous in her imagination than in real life, gives full-body hugs, and has a laugh that lights a room. My nephew, the surfer-blonde who is crazy talented and is learning to play by the rules so he can be free to do what he loves. The mad-scientist brothers who we are convinced will someday try for world domination. The two little boys who are obedient to a fault and know they unequivocally loved by their parents. And my high schoolers. The ones I have, the ones that have moved away. The ones whose hurts are larger than life. Whose dramas are epic, yet last only an instant. The ones who share my spontaneity and will drive with me to LA and back in a day to ride a roller coaster. The ones who are solid and secure in who they are, and the ones who try on a new identity daily. The ones I love, who force me to grow the more I care for and mentor them.

I have a huge family that I was blessed to be born into that I love. But I love my God-given family just as much, and thank Him for choosing me to be so blessed.

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Friendship Without Food Dates #1 and #2

24 Jan

my friends and i totally look like this when we hang out. from the girl with the popped collar on tumblr

So far my year of intentionality is going well, but wouldn’t you know it? I’m having to intentionally make an effort to make it happen. Funny how that works. 🙂

One of my stated goals for this year was to find ways to hang out with friends that don’t revolve around food, which coincidentally helps me with my goal to nurture the relationships I have. I thought this one was going to be a slam dunk, but it’s hard to think of fun things to do that don’t revolve around food! I didn’t set this goal because I’m anti-food. Far from it! I just grow tired of our collective cultural obsession with food, and how it seems like we don’t get together anymore without the interaction revolving around what we’re going to eat. What to hang out after church? Let’s grab lunch! Haven’t had time to catch up with a girlfriend for a while? Meet for coffee! Want to move that friendship with the new-ish friends in your life forward? Invite them over for dinner! What to go catch a movie? Might as well grab dinner beforehand! All in all I don’t think this focus on food is inherently bad, but since several of my goals for living intentionally this year is to focus on relationships I want them to be the focus, not where and how and when we’re going to eat.

So I had two successes this week. For my first Friendship Without Food date I met up with a friend who is fun and outdoors-ey, who loved to run before I learned how fun it could be (I believe I called her ‘stupid’ when we met and she told me she loved to run. Oh, the Lord has a sense of humor.) and who’s fairly new to the area and has many trails yet to explore. I’m blessed to live anywhere from walking distance to a ten-minute drive from three excellent trails that exist to give walkers, runners, bikers, dog walkers, and stroller-moms a place to get some exercise. Most follow some kind of creek, and are pretty freaking scenic for being in the middle of heavily populated cities. So I took my friend to a new (to her) trail. We did an easy three miles – out and back from the park to a nice bridge that does a great job as a 1.5 mile marker. Good sport that she is, we brought my raggety-taggity dogs along, and walked most of it because my pooches be lazy. The conversation was fluid and easy. We stopped to take pictures of a white heron and when I got a rock in my shoe. Our talk matched our walking pace, and wasn’t interrupted by us shoveling food into our mouths or making the “sorry, I’m chewing, but I so have a comment to make” face we women are so good at. We both felt great afterwards, as we’d gotten to be lazy and sleep in on our day off but also were active and got in our exercise. I call unequivocally successful Friendship Without Food date.

FWF date #2 was with my bff, and here’s where the water gets a little murky. We had food during our date. (Cue dramatic music: Dum dum DUMMMMM!) We had dinner with her family (and her kids, whom I adore) before settling in for one of our long catch-up nights. I’m still calling this a successful FWF date, because our interaction didn’t hinge on whether or not we ate. We would still have had a great evening had I showed up an hour later and not been around for the meal, but as it was dinner was a nice (and delicious) bonus to an evening that was about us hanging out and catching up. With really great friends you don’t need much more than their company to make it a great night.

So that’s where I’ve come to on my quest to do friendship without food: that food can still be around, so long as our time doesn’t hinge on it. Meeting for lunch to catch up doesn’t count. Going for a run and deciding to grab a bite afterwards because we’re both starving does. Going to Monterey to walk along the coast and grabbing dinner while we’re there counts. Going to Monterey because we want to have dinner at that one place we went to once and loved doesn’t. It’s a fine line, and I intend to spend the rest of this year walking it.

Do you have ideas for FWF hangouts? I’ve been trying to come up with some creative ones, and it’s tough! How do you and your friends enjoy each other’s company without food?

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