Are You The Favorite Person of Anybody?

I Guess You'll Do

This is great - in a sad but true kind of way. Also reinforces reason #276 as to why I am so sick of Facebook — "I'm planning my wedding!", "We're buying a house", "I'm effing pregnant" uuuggh! Yet I keep coming back more...

Forget You

Jesca Hoop & The Superbowl

So I found out, thanks to my buddy Chris, that the term "haunting vocals" is totally overused and cliche. So I will refrain from putting on my music critic hat and just say Jesca Hoop is great. Like, really, really great.  I've been listening her album "Hunting My Dress" non-stop this week. Can't get enough.





In other news, Mike returned from Pittsburgh yesterday. He went to his first ever Steelers game. That was quite the game to attend and he had a blast! As for me, after a few years of attempting to get into football, I can now say I am pretty excited about the Superbowl this year. I even have my very own Steelers shirt to boot! HERE WE GO!

Brene Brown: The power of vulnerability | Video on TED.com

Over the weekend we went to visit Mike's family in Pittsburgh. Since we stayed home for Christmas we wanted to catch up, and exchange gifts.

Mike's sister has two adorable little girls who are so much fun to be with. I think one of the reasons people find so much joy in spending time with children is that they are just so open and vulnerable. Then along the way we learn how to judge and how it feels to be judged by others.

I just watched this TED talk and it really inspired me to allow myself - or force myself, because it's not easy - to be a little more vulnerable.

Winter Song

Facebook Mad Libs!

Have you noticed the status update in the form of a short letter trend on Facebook? Well so have I. And now you too can join in the fun – with Facebook Mad Libs!

Dear (noun that is causing you grief),
Would you be so kind as to (verb in which you would like said noun to start or stop doing)? Because of this, I am feeling (negative emotion). You are causing me (huge inconvenience that is resulting from action/inaction).
Sincerely,
(your name)

Glossary of Terms:

NOUN -  A person, group of people, place or inanimate object that is not your Facebook friend, and has no way in which to read, much less respond to your plea.

VERB - A not so surprising, yet mildly annoying action, preferably containing grammatical and/or spelling errors.

NEGATIVE EMOTION - The way you normally feel, but now have a completely legitimate reason for expressing, and would like all of your friends to validate.

HUGE INCONVENIENCE - Something that is actually fairly minuscule in the grand scheme of things and often brought on by oneself, not said noun.

Happy Mad Libing!

Burlesque

Can't wait to see this gem.

If life were a musical...

It has been a very busy and stressful week at work. My evenings have consisted of eating dinner and plopping myself into bed to cozy up to some Netflix. I've been catching up on Season 1 of Glee. I am in love with this show! Sure, it's a bunch of silly fluff where high school problems are resolved in random breakout of song. But it's great.

Of course there a little things about Glee (and the musical genre in general) that are hard to get past.  Like why does the teacher conduct like once every other episode, when clearly the students can sing their songs with no rehearsal or direction every other time? And why is it that there are people playing instruments in the Glee Club classroom for backup but when songs are performed outside the classroom, there are no musicians in site? If I thought about it much more, the list could continue.

No matter. There's just something about music that can communicate an idea or a feeling like no other medium. And when it's placed in the context of a story, it takes you to a whole new place. An escape, if you will.

Now if only I could bust out in song to express my every emotion at any given moment, without being looked at like a freak show. I could sing all my stresses and cares away... I guess that's what wine is for.

You Call This Sanity?

Last Saturday we attended Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert's Rally to Restore Sanity and or Fear. Our plan was to metro in, get there around noon (when it was scheduled to start) and we'de be golden. Wrong ... After our long wait at IHOP (should have skipped IHOP) we got to the metro station a little later than planned. There was a HUGE line, wrapped around the block JUST to get into the station. OK – plan B. What? There is no plan B? We then decided we would drive in the direction of DC until we came up with a better plan. As we drove along I-66, we saw this line at the next metro station.

We decided on parking at the Arlington Cemetery and walked across the bridge into DC. We finally reached the sea of people around 1pm when Jon Stewart was to take the stage. BUT we could not see the stage OR any of the monitors OR hear any of the speakers! We gradually snaked our way as close as we could, and caught the end of the events audibly (still could barely see anything).

Despite the craziness of it all, it was fantastic that there was such a large turnout. I think it was estimated that nearly 200,000 people were in attendance, and I'm happy that I was there for this historic (will it be historic?) event. It was neat to see some dressed in costumes –

and a plethora of hand made signs:

But the highlight of the event was this panda climbing up a tree. Note the man shaking a Shake Weight.

Later in the day we watched the rally on the internet. It was great.

Black Prairie

My next entry was going to be about the weekend's camping trip, but I am too excited about last night's fantastic performance by the band Black Prairie at Iota Club in Arlington.

On the one hand, I was somewhat disappointed and surprised that the small club was not packed, since three of the five members are also part of the popular band The Decemberists. But the small crowd of less than 80 people made the performance that much more intimate.

I would describe the music as folk/bluegrass meets old world European (think Amalie soundtrack but not so Parisian). That's the extent of my music review vernacular, but you can get a taste of their songs on their website.

I had the opportunity to chat with accordionist Jenny Conlee who was sitting at the door upon my entry. No pretentious, too cool for school Indie rockers here. Just a group of talented musicians playing original, eclectic music.

The highlight of the show was the encore. After playing an amazing set they had the sound guy shut everything off, came down onto the floor and played a couple of songs with the crowd surrounding them. I could have practically touched the violinist, Annalisa Tornfelt, if I felt so inclined. Well after soaking up her haunting vocals, I did feel so inclined but resisted the urge.

The show was honestly one of the best live music experiences I've had. Ever. If Black Prairie is coming to a town near you. GO! I mean it. GO!

How to be Alone

I love this video. I definitely struggle with being alone. On the one hand, I love it. I feel more comfortable NOT being around people. It's effortless. On the other hand, it's hard not to feel lonely sometimes, especially when we rely so much on typing into a gadget as our main form of human interaction.

Meet the Chapmans

With my new Netflix subscription, I had the chance to catch up on some old episodes of 30 Rock. HILARIOUS! 

In the credits I noticed one of the actors who plays "Tracy Jordan's" extremely large body guard, "Griz" has the same last name as yours truly. It got me thinking about other "famous" people with my namesake:

Steven Curtis Chapman - Who's one of the most famous dudes in the Christian music scene? THIS GUY.

Anna Chapman - aka the hot Russian spy. Recently deported for her naughtiness.

Tracy Chapman - Singer songwriter, popular in the late nineties. "Gimmy one reason to stay heeerre!"

Mark David Chapman - Infamously known for murdering former Beatle John Lennon, which actually took place 6 months and 2 days after I was born.






What do we all have in common? I have no idea. But if we are in fact all related, I think it would make for an interesting family reunion. Who's bringing the green bean casserole?

Insane in the Membrane

So I finally signed up for Netflix again and am starting to catch up on some movies and tv shows.

The other night we watched Micheal Moore's "Capitalism: A Love Story". I AM a fan of Michael Moore and think his work has been so revealing and inspiring, albeit depressing at times (the truth hurts). I read a review by a certain movie watcher called "Bamboo Nation" and found his thoughts amusing:

"After I saw "The Cove," I knew I should tell people not to support marine animal parks or swim with dolphins. After I saw "Food Inc.," I knew I should start cutting high fructose corn syrup out of my diet. After I saw "Terminator 2," I knew I should never buy a robot because machines will eventually try to kill us. After I saw "Capitalism: A Love Story," ... I left the theater in the same state that I was in after all of Moore's previous movies: paralysis."

My sentiments exactly… Our country IS ruled by corporate greed and political corruption, and while it's good to be aware of this, what can I do?? Tell me, Michael Moore, WHAAAAT??

What I do know, is I'll be attending John Stewart's Rally to Restore Sanity on October 30th. Sure, this rally will probably not change the world. But perhaps gathering with a large group of normal, mostly level headed American's who have a sense of humor will bring about some much needed cohesiveness. We are living in divisive times. Coming together to have a little fun sure can't hurt.

See you there?

Right to the Moonshine, Alice!

Before heading to the 9:30 Club to see Jamie Lidell last week, my friend Holly and I hit up Eatonville in the historic U Street corridor for some Southern Grub. I had passed this place numerous times, always intrigued by the ornate typography on the sign and the huge glass windows.

Upon my arrival, I was impressed by the high ceilings painted with colorful murals, and gorgeous chandeliers. The interior is a sight to see, but it was such a lovely evening we decided to sit outside.

What I ate:

Corn bread - can't go wrong with that.
Vegan Gumbo - a tasty way to eat your veggies.
Side of Sweet Potato & Andouille Sausage Hash - the sausage was SO good, and the lightly oiled diced sweet potatoes were an excellent compliment.

The highlight of the meal was the Peach Moonshine cocktail. Served in a mason jar, I could not get enough! Fortunately, we had a show to attend so I was able to resist the urge to order a third.

I can't wait to go back to try some of their other creative, southern inspired cocktails, perhaps with a side of chicken…

We No Speak Americano

 

Check out this creative little ditty.

Fun with Wigs and the Sound of Music.

This labor day weekend our friends Josh and Daisy came for a visit. We planned a lot of fun activities, but one of the things we did was go to Wolf Trap to see the Sound of Music.

Wolf Trap is such a great venue. If you get lawn seats, which are usually reasonably priced, you can pack a picnic, or just a bottle of wine and snacks. If the weather is good (and this weekend was GORGEOUS!) it's the perfect way to spend a summer evening.

It must have been the theatrics of it all (or the bottle of sparking wine) that inspired us to bust out my wigs and have a little party at our place after the show.

Phew, now I know why those nights are few and far between! But we had a great time.

I Heart DC

For the past year or so I've been wanting to move into "The City" REAL bad. As much I love Virginia, being in DC is so much different. The people, restaurants, bars, music, art... it just has a different "vibe". The flip side is, we would be living in a shoe box for the same price as we're paying for our somewhat roomy condo in VA. Luckily, it's a hop skip and a jump on 66 to get a taste of city livin'.

Last night we tried this really yummy restaurant called panas gourmet empanadas in Dupont Circle. It's one of those places where you just walk up to counter, order your food and you're good to go. No bells and whistles here, just tasty empanadas. My favorite - The Popeye. Mmmm spinach!

After gorging on empanadas, we walked over to Velvet Lounge (which is a little bit of a hike but it was a lovely evening) to see a friends' band called Benny.

A couple beers, a shot of Whiskey (yuk!) and some good tunes later, we called it a night. A GOOD night.

Double Black Diamond, All the Way!!

I wanted to do something special for Mike's birthday since he surprised me with the best birthday ever. Lo and behold, Groupon presented me with the perfect idea: Sandy Spring Adventure Park! The park is basically a series of ropes courses where you climb over bridges, and fly down zip lines. There are 5 levels of difficulty and after completing two "easy" courses and nearly freaking out I stuck to the ground and took some photos. Shown is Mike on the Black Diamond course (difficult) and Double Black Diamond course (like, REALLY difficult).

We had such a great time, the staff was so friendly and professional. I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for a little adventure.

Afterwords we rewarded ourselves at the local watering hole Sol Azteca, which I would also highly recommend.