The months in culture - through October 26

Whew. I haven't exactly been prolific here, but let's move on from that, shall we? And we'll do an abbreviated "last few months" post.

Best thing I watched:
Speak (unexpected, subtle, moving)

Best thing I heard:
The Quest, by Bryn Christopher (it really got stuck in my head)

Read:
Water for Elephants
Three Cups of Tea
Darkly Dreaming Dexter
Marley & Me
Gone Baby Gone
What Was Lost
Belong To Me

Best thing I read:
Gone Baby Gone (dense and unsettling)

Pop culture site:
My friend Heather's blog about her travels in Spain and Portugal.

Soccer highs and lows
A hat trick three two weeks ago -- that was great. Hearing my knee pop as it did this weird wiggle when I landed on it wrong -- that was not so great. It is doing okay, though it doesn't like having weight on it, or anything that requires it to move from side to side. Boo for injuries, though. :(

Best time
Dancing with Josh at his friend Logan's wedding. He never danced with me before(!), but he had enough booze that he felt comfortable, even in his tux. And the music was great. And I had a couple Bay Breezes (though not enough to get me drunk, at all). And all Josh's friends and girlfriends were there, dancing dorky too. Damn that was fun. Dancing is one of my hands-down favorite things to do, and I just don't get a chance to do it often enough.

Second best time
Tea at the Crown and Crumpet in SF with Abbey. She convinced me to take a day off work to head up there with her for some Earl Grey and pastries and a long leisurely chat. And I definitely needed it! That place is uber-cute and we had a fabulous time. I really wish we could hang out more.

Music memories

Abbey did it, so here I go to do it too.

What song or songs is/are most "atypical" on your player?
This funky techno mix of Sarah McLachlan's "Possession". I'm not really sure why I bought it. Either that or maybe some really hard core rap.

If someone new were in your car, what song on your player would you be quickest to skip out of embarrassment?
It's a song from High School Musical 2. I know. I'm as disgusted with myself as you are.

What song(s) on your player turns you on?
There are a bunch of them! There's a reason I have a playlist entitled "bow chicka wow". Probably the sexiest is Paula Cole's "Feelin' Love". "#1 Crush" by Garbage is pretty good too. And you can't neglect Marvin Gaye or Barry White here!

If you wanted to get a member of the opposite sex in the mood, what song would you program to come on when they are in the car?
"P.D.A." by John Legend -- because it's silly-sexy. You'd have a good laugh about it . Now, if I had "Pony" by Ginuwine or "Too Close" by Next, now those would be just a little too obvious. ;)

What is the longest song on your player?
Miles Davis' version of "My Funny Valentine" -- it's about 14 minutes.

What do you think is the silliest song on your player?
Other than that HSM2 song (the shaaaame)..."Just The Two of Us" from the Austin Powers soundtrack (actually, I have no idea how this got on there, since I have never owned or purchased it. maybe it was a gift from the iPod gods.)

What did you most recently add to your player?
A few songs from the Mamma Mia movie, "Love Remains the Same" by Gavin Rossdale, and "Disturbia" by Rihanna.

What did you most recently delete?
I don't delete. I think I might've removed some Christmas music for now since it isn't "the most wonderful time of the year" but it'll definitely be back come winter.

What is your favorite song on your player that is from a movie?
"Last Train Home" by Ryan Star (from the movie P.S. I Love You)

Is there a song on your player that is only there for someone else’s benefit?
"A Little Bit More" by Jamie Lidell. It's from those Target commercials and Josh would always dance to it. I liked that. :)

What song or artist do you find yourself skipping most frequently and therefore should probably delete?
Shelby Lynne. I got her record years ago, but it never really resonated with me. It's like I recognize that the songs could be good, but I just don't ever care to hear them. I'll leave her on though; I'm not a deleter.

Without cheating, start your player and list the first 10 songs that come up in random play.

1. Hey Julie - Fountains of Wayne (hey yourself, iPod!)
   
2. Billie Jean - Michael Jackson
   
3. If You Can Afford Me - Katy Perry
   
4. Les Jours Tristes (Instrumental) from the Amelie soundtrack
   
5. One Week - Barenaked Ladies
   
6. Home Life - John Mayer
   
7. Come On Over - Christina Aguilera
   
8. The Music's No Good Without You - Cher
   
9. Dirty Man - Joss Stone
   
10. Searchin' My Soul - Vonda Shepard
    

With the exception of the Cher, for which I blame Corey, everything else here is pretty representative of my tastes. I think it actually doesn't span a wide enough range of the things I like, but most of those listed are in decent rotation. There isnt' enough recent stuff on there, either -- this is more like what I would've listened to three or four years ago.

What song brings back the best memory?
I guess "We Used to Be Friends" by the Dandy Warhols might be a bit too obvious...

What songs bring back memories of an old boyfriend/girlfriend that you can't stop listening to...even decades later?
Sleep to Dream Her, Dave Matthews Band

Oh, I can stop listening to this one. But it'll always remind me of that first guy and that first painful breakup. If I had "Saved The Best For Last" by Vanessa Williams, then that would be on there in honor of my first slow dance. Laaaaaame.

And to add my own question:
What songs do you sing along to the most? (Loudly, in your car...if you're me)
I have a whole singing loud playlist! Of that, a few that probably get belted out the most are:
So What - Pink
Lose Yourself - Eminem
Misery Business - Paramore
No End in Sight - Katrina Elam
Gardenia - Mandy Moore
Makes Me Wanna Pray - Christina Aguilera

So what are YOU listening to lately?