A Commuter

I'm at the end of my second full day in Lexington and I am loving it.  Work is an exciting challenge, the people are great and I'm excited to start exploring this great part of the country.  However, before I can do that, I need to find an apartment, which is my task for the long weekend.

As I drove to work this morning I realized how odd it felt to be a commuter and I realized it had been 10 years since I last made the daily drive for a job.  In Delhi we have a car and driver who gets us to work.  In Brazil I occasionally used taxis, but mostly caught a ride with my good friends L&M.  While I lived in Seattle I took the bus to work and when I lived in Salt Lake I lived across the street from work and walked.  Which means the only other time in my professional life that I've been an actual commuter was while I lived in Dallas. 

Lucky for me (and my rusty commuting skills) it only takes about 20 minutes to get to the office and since I'm headed against traffic there is little congestion.  Luckily 3 things here are making commuting fun - my cool Dodge Avenger rental car, the Sirius radio that was included with the car and the lovely GPS that Santa brought which keeps me from getting hopelessly lost.

I heard one of my favorite road trip songs in the car today, Tom Petty's "Free Falling."  This song and an open road is my ideal way to start a vacation.

Pin It

Back on the Road

Image from Flicker: DMoutray's stream.

I'm finally hitting the road again.  I've LOVED being home over the holidays and spending time with my friends and family, but I'm also excited about my next adventure.  This time when I head to the airport I won't need my passport, instead I'll be on a domestic flight headed to Lexington, KY.

I spent a day in Lexington a couple of months ago, but other than that it will all be new to me, which is thrilling, I'm ready for a fun new change like this.  Once I find a place and get settled in (something I need to do quickly) I'm planning to spend my free time exploring not only Lexington and Kentucky, but some of the surrounding states.  So if you have any tips for that part of the country please send them my way.

I'm planning to be in Lexington for a couple months this visit before I head back to Delhi, but will be back several times this year.

To get me in the mood I did a little research on the local music scene - turns out an old favorite, My Morning Jacket is from Louisville, KY, here is their "I'm Amazed."




For those of you who shared your 2009 favorite songs with me, I've decided you are all winners, the mixes are the way.  Thanks for sharing, you've given me some fun new songs to check out. Pin It

I Laugh til I Cried

I  feel better about being a single, Mormon woman if it means I have something in common with this hilarious, talented and beautiful woman.  My goal this weekend, find a copy of her book.

Pin It

How did I get so OLD?

Like all of you, I've found myself reading many "best of" lists over the past few weeks.  This weekend I was reading Entertainment Weekly's 2009 Best & Worst issue and one list in particular left me feeling very old and out of touch.  Their picks for The Best Singles of the Year include:

• Jay-Z and Alicia Keys "Empire State of Mind"
• Lady Gaga "Paparazzi"
• Phoenix "Lisztomania"
• Keri Hilson feat Kanya West & Ne-Yo "Knock You Down"
• Grizzly Bear "Two Weeks"
• Gossip "Heavy Cross"
• Green Day "21 Guns"
• Noisettes "Never Forget You"
• Mile Cyrus "Party in the USA"
• Dirty Projectors "Stillness is the Move"

As I read through the list I realized that, while I recognized all of the artists (except Dirty Projectors) the only songs I actually remember hearing were "21 Guns" and "Party in the USA."  Since then I've spent several days feeling old and out of touch.

I've finally decided to blame my lack of knowledge on the fact that I don't listen to the radio anymore and that my taste in music is just a bit outside mainstream pop.  Have I rationalized enough so that I can still consider myself "cool" when it comes to music?

To try and prove my "coolness" here are some of my picks for the top songs of the year (in no particular order):

• The Avett Brothers "I and Love and You"
• Owl City "Fireflies"
• Kings of Leon "Use Somebody"
• Carrie Underwood "I Told You So"
• Miranda Lambert "Dead Flowers"
• Death Cab for Cutie "Meet Me at the Equinox"
• Holly Williams "Alone"
• The Temper Trap "Sweet Disposition"
• Will Hoge "Even if it Breaks Your Heart"
• Dierks Bentley feat. Patty Griffin "Beautiful World"

What were your favorite songs this year?

And because I really do want to know, I've decided to provide a little incentive to get you to comment.  I'm going to give away a mix of my favorite songs to one of you, so leave a comment with you favorite song(s) before Thursday at mid-night and you could be the proud owner of my Best of Mix.

Pin It

Staying Warm

My dog, Sadie, came to us from Arizona; which may explain her strange relationship with Utah winters.  She loves playing in the snow, but she hates being cold.  One day over the Christmas holidays we found her on the dog bed, next to a space heater, cuddled up under her blanket.  I have no idea how she managed to get under the blanket like this on her own.

One of my favorite artists this year has been Missy Higgins.  Her beautiful voice seems to be a perfect accompaniment to so many of my days.  Here is her gorgeous, "Warm Whispers."

Pin It

What I'm Watching: Friday Night Lights

In addition to spending time with friends and family over the holidays I finally gave into my sister's pleas and started watching, "Friday Night Light."  Just as N said I would, I fell in love with this amazing show show.

With every episode I fell a bit more in love with the characters, the superb acting and the flawless writing, I soon found myself devouring the past three seasons and dying to watch the episode from this season that will begin airing soon.  And I swear, only a small percentage of my love of the show is due to the hotness of the actor who plays Tim Riggins.

If you haven't discovered this gem yet, I strongly urge you to Netflix the first season - and when you do, drop me a line, I'd love to have someone else to discuss it with.

This clip comes from a moment in the show blew me away and ensured the show would have a place in my all-time favorites list for a long, long time to come.  To set up the clip - here is a write up from Give Me My Remote:

A little background for those of you who don’t watch the show, but are considering it. Tyra Collete, the narrator, has had a tough life. She’s a beautiful girl who until about two years ago thought that her looks were her only ticket to something more. Her well meaning mother never gave her daughter hope she could be more than she was. Her sister, a stripper, represented everything Tyra didn’t want out of life. But then she had people come into her life that believed in her and she started to believe in herself. Tyra’s past mistakes put college at arms length. She was determined to make it happen despite the odds. Everything was riding on the all important college essay. After many failed attempts, her best friend Landry urged to dig deeper and speak from the heart…this was the result.




And, by the way, not only is it a great show, the music coordinator is a genius, here are two songs I loved before, but I love even more now after hearing them used in FNL, Bright Eye's "Devil Town" and The Avett Brothers, "If its the Beaches."





Pin It

Welcome 2010

Thanks to a well timed vacation this week I feel like I'm entering 2010 as prepared as I can be.  In the past couple of days I've managed to tick off a few items that have been on my to do list for months (if not years!)

• My office is cleaned out and ready to be painted and have new flooring laid when it gets a bit warmer.  
• My basement is cleaned and organized, including those boxes that haven't been opened since I moved nearly four years ago.  
• All the art work and pictures I've had sitting around the house are either in new frames and hung or at the frame shop waiting to be finished.  
• My closet has been cleaned out and all the clothes that are worn out or don't fit are gone.  
• I dropped off the stuff I was getting rid of to the DI (Goodwill) so it is officially out of my house.  

I love knowing that I'm kicking the year off with less clutter in my house, taking care of the "out with the old" part of a new year.

For the "in with the new," I've spent a lot of time this past week thinking about resolutions (don't we all.)  I realized that last year I set one very simple goal, drink at least 2 liters of water a day, and for the first time in forever I managed to keep a resolution (not perfectly, but still a success.)

I think this year I'll keep it simple again - just one resolution - exercise 3-4 times a week.  I know it will help with my stress levels and will make sleeping a bit easier on me.   It isn't original, but it is the thing I most need to add to my life right now.

I'm going to kick the New Year off right with a little something from my favorite band of all time, U2 and "New Year's Day."

Pin It

Snow Patrol

This morning I spent some quality time with my driveway and the snow blower.  To keep myself entertained I brought my iPod along and put on a little Snow Patrol, which seemed appropriate.  As I worked I pondered whether it was worse to be in Utah in January where I have the pleasure of digging out about every other day or in India in July when it is 105 every day but feels closer to 115.  I came to the conclusion neither is very fun and that next year I need to figure out a way to swap things and spent January in Delhi and July in Utah.

As I pulled the shovel out to do the front porch, a song I don't remember hearing before came on and the last couple of lines gave me something else to think about:

I'm so glad that this has taken me so long

Because it's the journey that made me so strong

Isn't that a great description of so many things in life?  It was only after I got back in the house that I noticed the name of the song, "Warmer Climate" which made it even more perfect.

Pin It

Christmas 2009

I was going to post a few photos of Christmas, but just realized I didn't load the pictures on to my computer when I gave them to my sister - who conveniently already posted them.  Rather than redo the work, I'll just say it was a wonderful Christmas.  The little ones are just starting to realize what the holiday is - and what it means to get presents.

Since it was just me, mom, dad and grandpa until mid-afternoon, we spent the morning watching movies and relaxing.  But take it from me, watching "Bad Santa" with your parent's isn't a good idea,  I'd forgot just how naughty that movie was - even after its been edited for TV.    It didn't take long before we switched to "The Proposal," a much more entertaining option.

Once the kids arrived we unwrapped gifts like crazy.  Even when we all think we know what we are getting, mom usually finds a way to surprise us.  This year she made us all aprons - in my case, the most adorable retro looking apron.  I was so inspired I even helped cooked dinner - something I usually avoid doing at all costs.

In my family we've decided that having kids around really does change everything and makes Christmas magical.  I hope your Christmas was equally joyful.

Pin It

Christmas Eve

By mid-day Christmas eve the snow had stopped and the sun was out - it was simply beautiful.  Dad and I needed to run to the grocery store to pick up a few last minute items so we took the long way there and back and grabbed a few photos along the way.

Not only did I collect some gorgeous photos of my hometown, I learned something new.  As a teenager my dad helped build the beautiful barn in the fourth row, right photo.  I love learning things like that.

Here's a fun little video for "Winter Song" from Sara Bareilles, it always makes me smile.

Pin It