February Blahs

How can I have the February blahs when it is only Feb 3rd?   And when our winter has hardly been a winter???

I am having problems with my diet.  I'm not gaining, but I'm not really losing much either (only .04 pounds last week).  I know this is because I haven't been sticking to plan as well as I should.  And I'm having problems because I tend to be an emotional eater.

I was thinking about why I've been feeling this way recently and I think it's because I'm waiting on college acceptances.  I am continuously confronted by the fact that in months we may be moving.  I am excited about the potential move, but at the same time I feel like my whole life is on hold until I get some closure.  Someone I once knew said that I needed closure worse than anyone he had ever met before and I guess he was right.  It is hard for me to be motivated when I don't have a future concrete goal.  I also feel like I have less motivation to be a star at work and I'm sure that is showing, which makes me, in my need to go out of my way to please people, feel even worse.  BLAH!

I need to kick this 'tude so I can 1) study and pass my comps and 2) lose the 40 pounds I have left to lose!!!

First Listen to "The Life Pursuit"

Yesterday I got a $10 Amazon credit in my inbox from some Xmas gifts I had purchased online.  I knew exactly how to spend it; I went to Amazon and pre-ordered the new Belle and Sebastian (aka my favorite group that still puts out albums) album.  With free Amazon Prime shipping and my $10 credit it was only $3 and change.  Yay!

And ever better - I got a stream of the full album from Amazon, before the official release.  I heart Amazon.

So I've listened to the whole album through once now and while I'm sure my opinions will slightly change as I give it some more listens, here is my initial impression.

This album is definitely in the mold of Dear Catastrophe Waitress.  Not necessarily a bad thing, but I think those of us longing for more a la Tigermilk, and If You are Feeling Sinister, might need to give it up and realize that day might never come.  However, this is not necessarily a bad thing.  One could think of it along the lines of the evolution the Beatles went through.  Rubber Soul and Revolver were rather different than Sgt. Pepper and the White Album, and they are all good albums.  Still on the first listen, I think Dear Catastrophe Waitress has a slight edge over this album.  I listened to that album on repeat for weeks after it came out.  This one isn't grabbing me the same way.  It has a lot of 70's influence - one song sounds like it could be an undiscovered Earth Wind and Fire recording (and yes, I do have some EWF stuff on my ipod) - it is rather disturbing, really.  One thing I really noticed is that Sarah Martin is pretty much just backup to Stuart on this album.  Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it also seems indicative of the turn B+S has taken since losing Isobel Campbell.  I love Stuart, but I've always been a fan of B+S's interesting female vocal work too. 

As another review I read pointed out - there is still a song about a teenage schoolgirl on this album.  It's just her name is Suki instead of Judy or Lisa, and Suki would probably kick Judy and Lisa's asses and tell them to just get over it.  I think that's sort of an accurate description of this whole album - it's a lot less twee and sentimental than previous albums.

I think it might be a mistake to expect each B+S album to live up to the giddy excitement I felt when I first heard their first 3 albums in 1998.  It's sort of like being in a relationship -- you tend to lose the butterflies you had at the beginning, but that doesn't mean it's not as good as it used to be.

Song by song:
Act if the Apostle: I really like this song.  I like the piano and I like the harmonies, plus they have some great organ going on - classic B+S.  Plus there is a part that makes me laugh everytime I hear it because it sounds exactly like a song in Evita. 

Another Sunny Day: Again, upbeat and more like "classic" B+S - only more polished and produced.

White Collar Boy: OK, this is definitely the more recent B+S sound.  Plus it sounds disturbingly like something out of a musical.  As a matter of fact, I'm pretty sure they stole some of it from Newsies (not really but that was my first thought on hearing this song - it sounds just like some of the ensemble work from Newsies!). 

The Blues are Still Blue: I like this song, but it's not the B+S I am used to.  It sounds sort of like Of Montreal's newest album crossed with 60's pop.

Dress Up in You: Ah - a beautiful song.  Love the horns.  I have always though B+S's more mellow stuff was among some of their best.

Suki in the Graveyard: Again, awesome organs, this time with some fuzz bass.  Very late 60's/early 70's pop.

We are the Sleepyheads: Would be right at home on Dear Catastrophe Waitress.

Song for Sunshine: This is the EWF song I mentioned.  Not quite sure what to make of it yet.

Funny Little Frog: The single from this album - again, very much in the mold of Dear Catastrophe Waitress. 

To Be Myself Completely: Has an opening and background reminiscent of a disco song.  Hmmm...  I am generally a fan of Stevie songs, but this one really could have used some better vocals, imo.

Act of the Apostle II: This song reminds me of "It's Not Easy Being Green", and that is not a good thing.  I like the second part of this song (the reprise of Act of the Apostle) much better than the first.

For the Price of a Cup of Tea: Boppy and fun, but I could take it or leave it.

Mornington Crescent: Like the guitar, but that's about it.

Oh My - Middle Eastern Simpsons

Best Week Ever had a very disturbing post earlier this week.

"The Simpsons are going to the Middle East! Except their names will be the Shamshoons:

The Simpsons fans in the Middle East
reacted with skepticism when MBC, an Arabic satellite channel,
announced it would begin showing culturally modified, Arabic-dubbed
versions of the iconic animated show. The Arabic dialogue laid over
existing shows is actually fairly faithful to the original script.
Nothing seems censored, but episodes such as those featuring Homer's
gay roommate or the visit to the Duff brewery are unlikely to be chosen
for translation. And many of the more American inside jokes are simply
glossed over.

Ned Flanders, the devout Christian
neighbor, is now merely annoying -- with no hint of religion. And
needless to say, the relationship between Mr. Burns and his assistant,
Smithers -- make that Salmawy -- has become strictly professional.

Some other changes:

Bald, chubby underachiever Omar
Shamshoon works each day at the local nuclear power plant owned by
vulture-like millionaire Mahrooey Bey. Every evening, Omar comes home
to a family that includes his blue-haired wife, Mona, hyper-smart
daughter, Beesa, and troublemaking son, Badr.

Now that’s winning hearts and minds."

Link from Best Week Ever

Who thought this was a good idea????

Damn You, Kristin Chenoweth!

I've wanted to go see "Wicked" since it opened.  Unfortunately with school and everything, I haven't gotten to see it yet.  And I generally don't like to listen to Musical Cast Recordings without having first seeing the musical.  But I was listening to NPR the other day in the car and they were playing "Popular" from Wicked.

Any followers of musical theater will know that Kristin Chenoweth plays Glinda in "Wicked".  "Popular" is a song in which Glinda (the villain in "Wicked") very obnoxiously makes over Elphaba (aka the Wicked Witch).

And anyone who has ever been in the room with me when Kristin Chenoweth has been on tv knows that she annoys the crap out of me.  Yes, she has a good voice.  An awesome voice, actually.  But she is so over the top treacly!  It makes me want to gag whenever I see her.  She pretty much ruined what could have been a good version of The Music Man (with Matthew Broderick) and one of the 4th of July shows on the Mall.  And then she had to show up on the West Wing.  Puke.

When I heard "Popular" on the radio, I realized what was wrong.  Kristin Chenoweth, you were born to play the villain.  No one wants to see you play Marian the Librarian.  And I actually like you as a villain.  You are great as the person everyone loves to hate.

Does this mean I might actually have to say I like Kristin Chenoweth now?

I'm Going to Kansas City, Kansas City Here I Come

Just found out I'm going to Kansas City for work in a few weeks.  Good barbeque, here I come. 

Last year on this project the most exciting place I went to was Buffalo...in March.  Unfortunately, I had the opportunity to go to Wyoming this year too, but it conflicted with my class.  Bah!

It's just a one two three four, five six seven eight nine - wooooooooooooooooo!

Sometimes Go Back to What You Love

On a whim, I was listening to "Beatles for Sale" the other day and I realized how much I really like that album.  It had never been one of my favorites in high school or college, but it's really a pretty awesome album.  Even Ringo sounds good on "Honey Don't" (more than I can say for later Ringo efforts).  I'm still not a huge fan of "I'll Follow the Sun", but there are some really rockin' tracks on this album.  I should add it to my driving playlist. 

Ugh - back to school

This week marks my first week of classes.  Boo-hiss.  Back to actually doing schoolwork on the weekends.