What's my age again?

Is Blink 182 really getting back together? If they are I'm kind of excited about that. I was just thinking the other day about how all of their solo projects have been pretty terrible and gone nowhere. I'll be interested to see what they can come up with. I'm not sure they can still do songs about getting in trouble with their parents since they're all like 35 now.

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I once read a review of Hanson (remember them?) where it was mentioned that they weren't terrible teen pop because there was an underlying musicality to their work. The idea was that young fans would be drawn to their bubblegum pop but then grow into different music as they discovered the band's influences. That's sort of the way I feel about the Jonas Brothers. They're nothing I would listen to, but a young fan might start with them then check out Stevie Wonder or Elvis Costello. They're like gateway rock.

'Cause when you're 15 and someone tells you they love you, you're gonna believe them

I have to admit that I thought Taylor Swift was another Disney creation. I just read her Wikipedia entry, though, and she seems like someone who really worked her way up the ladder. I have to give her props for that.

What's up with Miley Cyrus' nasal singing? Is that her country voice? I've never heard her sing like that before - not that I hear a lot of Miley Cyrus.

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Two more things:

(1) Robert Plant always reminds me of a wet Labrador.

(2) T Bone Burnett is the secret genius of the music business. He has produced an album you love. Seriously, go look it up.

It was 1989 my thoughts were short, my hair was long

Some more random thoughts from the Grammys so far:

• I think we've established that "Bridge Over Troubled Water" is not Duffy's song.
  
• I will give Coldplay props for admitting they ripped off the Sergeant Pepper's outfits, but I think the Paul McCartney shout-out count is already up to 4 and we've just started.
• I would perfectly happy if Kid Rock never recorded another song again. Even if it's not really his song like the "Sweet Home Alabama" rip off he does. Also, who let him do a medley? Isn't one song from him enough?

I used to rule the world

I have to say that Coldplay's new album is growing on me, I was an instant fan of "Viva La Vida" but the other songs were a little too dense for me (by dense read overproduced). I am really warming to "Lost" and I'm a sucker for the remix with Jay-Z. I think it's really become an anthem for me since I got laid off ("just because I'm losing doesn't mean I'm lost.") and I loved the stripped down performance they did tonight.

They need to stop wearing those silly outfits they designed, though.

Liveblogging the Grammys

I never mean to write about the Grammys. Heck, I never usually mean to watch the Grammys. It is a way for me to catch up on all the Top 40 music I never listen to so I guess it's good. A couple quick things:

• I thought when they said U2 would be playing an all new song it would NOT be their single. Thanks guys but I've already heard that song.
  
• Is Jennifer Hudson's win like how Heath Ledger is going to win an Oscar? I haven't heard the album but I'm wondering if there's a pity vote there.
• From the quick glimpse we got of Paul McCartney, I'm worried that he might have gone crazy with the hair dye again. We'll have to keep an eye on that,

More to come...

Short days and afternoons spent puttering around in a dark house with the windows painted shut

It's day two of an ice and snow storm here in The 'Nati, so it's day two of me just hanging around my apartment. Oh I guess there's cleaning I could do, but on days like this I prefer sitting around and drinking tea. The storm is supposed to wind down this afternoon which might give things a chance to clear up before Friday when I have to pick up Jeff at the airport. I hope he had fun in Miami. I'm sure it doens't look like this:

Lip service is all you'll ever get from me

Kelly tagged me with one of those lists of 25 things about yourself so here it is for your reading pleasure:

1. I've lived in eight states and one foreign country if you county the summers from college I spent at my parents' house. I've actually lived in Texas, Kentucky and Missouri twice each.

2. If you add up the years I spent in Missouri and Kentucky I've lived in those states for nearly 21 years. That doesn't leave much time for all those other places.

3. My cat, Tippy, acts like a dog half the time and a giant baby the other half.

4. I make a conscious effort to not talk about Tippy too much (though I sometimes fail). I don't want to seem like a crazy cat lady, unless I'm talking to my friend Meggan then we geek out about our cats.

5. I refuse to live in Hyde Park because I don't want to be the stereotypical single woman with a cat who lives in Hyde Park. Instead I am the single woman with a cat who lives in Ft. Wright. See how that is completely different?

6. I regularly buy Frosted Flakes under the assumption that if I bought the more adult Corn Flakes I would just put suger on them anyway.

7. I will watch just about any televised sporting event. Often I don't even care who wins.

8. I'm pretty sure I watch more TV than almost anyone else I know. It doesn't bother me. I love my Tivo.

9. My favorite TV show is Lost or maybe 30 Rock.

10. I love to take a nap in the afternoon and do it whenever I can.

11. Now that I am looking for a new career I worry that I won't love anything as much as I love journalism.

12. Every time CNN has a story about new layoffs somewhere, I feel oddly happy. Then I feel bad for feeling happy.

13. I always wanted a Mini Cooper and now that I have one I can't believe how much I love it. I can think of no other car I'd rather have.

14. I worry that I don't listen to enough music. There's so much new stuff out there that I feel like I can't keep up, but I still try.

15. I have a small collection of photos of me kissing statues of Thomas Jefferson. 

16.  When I was 2 years old, I saw the St. Louis Arch and though it was a McDonalds. What can I say? I was hungry.

17. I read about two books a month, sometimes more if they're short. I've never read an entire romance novel but I am a sucker for chick lit.

18. I'd rather eat gummi worms than chocolate.

19. One of my earliest memories is of me in the kitchen watching my dad cook breakfast while he sang "Jeremiah was a bullfrog..."

20. I'm not a morning person. Never have been.

21. I don't drink a ton of coffee, but I've made a pot almost every morning since I was 13 years old.

22. My mom is pretty sure I'm going to write the great American novel. Instead I give her lists like this.

23. I don't like it when people have secret second plans that they don't tell you about. It's my pet peeve.

24. I hate the word "empowered." It makes me throw up a little every time I hear it. You either give people the ability to control things or you don't. Empowered just means lip service to me.

25. I always bet on number 9 when I play roulette. It has paid off more than once.

I hate to pass these things along, but if Josh and Shawn are so inclined, I would love to see their lists.

The District sleeps alone tonight after the bars turn out their lights

After being back in Cincinnati for a whole week, I'm packing things up again to head east. This time I'm going to Washington DC for the inauguration. I've been thinking about going since before the election and now that I have so much free time on my hands....

I will probably be doing some Twittering, but I can't promise many blog posts. There are parties to go to and friends to meet. In the meantime I leave you with my very own version of the Obama poster. You can make your own here.

Do you feel inspired yet?

I can't tell you if I applied or not

There was an ad on the front of the New York Times website for careers in the CIA. Being in need of a job and open to anything, I poked around the site. There were a lot of openings for people with specialized skills, but what struck me the most was this little tidbit:

Important Notice: Friends, family, individuals, or organizations may be interested to learn that you are an applicant for or an employee of the CIA. Their interest, however, may not be benign or in your best interest. You cannot control whom they would tell. We therefore ask you to exercise discretion and good judgment in disclosing your interest in a position with the Agency. You will receive further guidance on this topic as you proceed through your CIA employment processing.

Sounds super secret, doesn't it? I've been reading lots of job listings lately, but nothing quite like that.

I was a good job paid off with bad checks

You'd think that being unemployed would mean that I can blog more than ever. It probably should, but it hasn't happened yet. I've spent a lot of time looking for jobs and sending our resumes. Oh yeah, I drove the 2,000 miles back to Cincinnati, too.

One of the jobs I applied for asked for a list of my ten favorite albums. Sounds cool, right? It was a fun application, plus it gave me a new blog post. So here is the list I sent. I didn't have a lot of time to think things over, but I think it's pretty reflective of my tastes. So take a look and tell me what I missed:

Revolver - The Beatles: Sgt. Pepper’s and Abbey Road used to always top lists of best albums of all time, but this one has been popping up more lately. Revolver has been at the top of my list for more than 10 years, though. It is the perfect apex of The Beatles’ work as they left pop behind but weren’t bogged down in psychedelia.

This Year’s Model - Elvis Costello and The Attractions: This album was released in 1978, but it sounds amazingly relevant. Listen to “Lipstick Vogue” and tell me The Killers wouldn’t love to have written that song.

Yankee Hotel Foxtrot  - Wilco: It took some getting used to, but behind all the noise and feedback hides a beautiful, emotional album.

Reconstruction Site - The Weakerthans: I found this one at a record store in Indianapolis and a month after I picked it up I bought everything else the band had done. I’m a sucker for great lyrics and this album is full of them.

Fight Songs - Old 97s: Is it country? Is it pop? I don’t care. It’s catchy and I love it. 

Howl, Howl, Gaff, Gaff - Shout Out Louds: I’ve really been into Swedish pop lately and this is the album that started it all for me. It’s a little on the sad side but all the funny Swedish pronunciations make up for it.

Alligator - The National: This is the album I put on when I want to drive around town late at night. It automatically makes me feel 10% cooler.

Achtung Baby - U2: Achtung Baby could quite possibly be the perfect album. Just the right mix of fast and slow songs and not one tune I ever feel compelled to skip.

Let My Burden Be - Golden Shoulders: I used to live in the same town at Golden Shoulders frontman Adam Kline so maybe I’m rooting for the home team here. It makes it easier when the home team produces such an honest work of indie pop.

Failer - Kathleen Edwards: This album made the list just recently after I went on a road trip through the Southwest. It is my favorite road trip album on the list, full of stories about a woman and the men who done her wrong.