A Case for Country Music

I probably just steered away 3 of my 4 readers with that title, so to those of you who are left, thanks for sticking around.

First and foremost, Blogger has completely changed its interface.  Completely. I have no idea where anything is right now so bear with me. Is this because of Google+?

Now onto the matter at hand.  I listen to some pretty terrible music. I'm the first to admit it.  My iTunes library revolves around the Glee soundtrack (yes as in songs that they sing on the show), top 40, and yes country music.

I've heard everything under the sun when it comes to people hating country music, namely things they'd rather do instead of listening to country music and several redneck/Nascar analogies.  And for the record, I do occasionally watch Nascar.

So today, ladies and gentlemen of LTD, I present to you my case for why country music deserves a chance.

I write for a living so words are a pretty big deal to me.  When someone puts together a string of words that so perfectly depicts feelings, emotions, or the world around us - well it just doesn't get much better than that. Words can lift you up, tear you down, get you ready to party, or mellow you out after a long day at the office. Words are extremely powerful and, in my opinion, country music, for the most part, uses words very, very well.

There are of course instances where the words to a country song are horrible.  "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy"? Um no. No I do not. That is terrible. Sweaty, possibly shirtless cowboy sitting on top of the tractor? Yes. Actual John Deere green-colored machine? Nope.  I get the idea behind it - I'm sure the girl doesn't literally think his tractor is sexy but come on.

But when country music gets its words right, oh it's gold.  Observe the following two examples from one of country's greatest Tim McGraw who I was lucky enough to see live a few weeks ago with some of my best friends.

The first from his song "Just to See You Smile":

When you said time was all you really needed
I walked away and let you have your space
Cuz leavin' didn't hurt me near as badly
As the tears I saw rollin' down your face
And yesterday I knew just what you wanted
When you came walkin' up to me with him
So I told you that I was happy for you
And given the chance I'd lie again


Come on! That is brilliant. "And given the chance I'd lie again"? That is a fantastic lyric. Absolutely nails the way the guy feels about this girl just perfectly. It's simple, it makes its point. Genius.


And now, one of my all-time favorite country lines from my all-time favorite country song, also from Tim McGraw.  I give you "Something Like That":


It was five years later on a south-bound plan
I was headed down to New Orleans
To meet some friends of mine for the Mardi Gras
When I heard a voice from the past
Coming from a few rows back
When I looked I couldn't believe just what I saw

She said I bet you don't remember me
And I said only every other memory


Come on again! Here comes this girl that he had a summer romance with years ago on the same plane he's on. She asks if he remembers her.  He could say so many things in this instance. "Of course I do!" "I can't believe it's you!" "Oh my gosh. How have you been?" Boring. Hands down one of the greatest lines of a song. Brilliant again.

Yes sometimes the lyrics are corny and sappy and you can interchange most of the lyrics about a woman to say that it's about the guy's dog ("You're my best friend"? Come on. It's a little obvious isn't it?) But I'd rather listen to corny and sappy than hear bitches and hoes (hos?) 48 times in a song... when I can actually catch the words.

So not only are the words awesome, but country music evokes a lot of memories of some really great times in the lives of its fans.  James made a video of a camping trip we went on with some friends back in the day in SD and set it to Rodney Atkins' "These are My People" and to this day, whenever I hear that song, I think of that trip and trying to light a fire with no wood and me being super paranoid that the rangers were going to get angry because you weren't really allowed to light camp fires.  My friend Tyler wrote a really awesome piece about his high school football days - inspired by the music video for "Boys of Fall" by Kenny Chesney.

Country music talks about life and the simplicity of it: family, friends, great loves found and great loves lost, going to the bar, growing up, looking back on the good ole days.  It's good ole fashioned fun wrapped up in three and a half minutes for you.

Are there some really awful country songs out there?  Yes.  But in general, it's kinda fun.  It puts a smile on my face and is pretty easy to sing along to. So give it a chance is all I'm saying. Then again, what do I know? I do watch Glee after all.

Huh? Them?

So I've been following this storyline for some time now because, well, frankly I can't believe it could have actually been true.

Did you guys know Sean Penn and Scarlett Johansson were dating?

Yes that would be this Sean Penn and this Scarlett Johnansson (you're welcome dude readers).

Apparently they've split up after four months of quietly dating and taking a trip to Mexico together.

He is 50 and she is 26. She was just married to Ryan Reynolds. Yes, this Ryan Reynolds (you're welcome ladies).

Here's the thing. Girl you are Scarlett Johansson.  Do you understand what happens to guys when they see you? Probably the same thing that happens to girls when they see your ex-husband.  And you pick Sean Penn as your rebound?

I don't know, I just don't get it.  She can have literally any guys she wants and she picks him?  It just bugs me. Oh but he's so mature and wise and philosophical and blah blah blah.  You are Scarlett Johansson. Act accordingly and pick a hottie like you're supposed to do.

Yes Hello?

Note from the author: The title refers to how my dad and I answer the phone when we call each other.

Readers of Living the Dream, I have not forgotten you. I am in fact alive. Alive and well. Alive and very, very well. Life is awesome, not gonna lie. But I am very aware of how little blogging I've done in the last few weeks. And by little, I mean none.

The four of you who still check in with me deserve an explanation as to my recent whereabouts. So here it is.

1. I've been working. As most of you know my job isn't exactly your standard 9-5. Most days it's a 9ish to 5:30, oops I mean 6, shoot when did it get to be 6:30? Then there's the weekends. So I work a lot, we get it. But this time it isn't necessarily that I've been working a bunch of crazy hours or a million days in a row. This time I'm just doing more and have taken on more responsibilities. So I get tired and blogging is the last thing that I want to do.

2. I play a lot of soccer. I played in a weekend tournament in Sacramento in May and joined a new Sunday co-ed outdoor team. This same team wants me to play in a more advanced league in the middle of the week too. Then there's regular Thursday night indoor with my best friends. Another girl I know wants me to play Friday night but I'm on the fence about that one. It's pretty much all I do to work out and relieve the massive stress that I pile on myself during the week. Also it's bathing suit season. So I play a lot of soccer.

3. I am dating a very nice boy and I'd rather eat cheeseburgers with him than blog.

4. Because of the aforementioned very nice boy, Chloe has been receiving less attention so sometimes I need to snuggle with her. I mean look at this face:

5. Happy hours, Glee nights, and other random get togethers with my ladies also takes precedence over blogging.

So to sum up, I am busy. But I love my life right now. Davis is awesome, it's summer... or at least it's supposed to be considering we had hail in Davis today...

But I will be back.  Kardashians can't keep getting engaged without any word from LTD!

The Great Davis Biking Experiment

If you hadn't heard, I moved to Davis a few weekends ago. The chance to have slightly cheaper rent combined with not having to commute when gas is like 4 bucks a gallon right now and I drive a Jeep was too good to pass up. So far I am loving Davis. My apartment is super cute and in a great location and the town itself is really fun. I've been able to just jump on my bike and meet friends at the park or at someone else's place before walking downtown and I'm loving that.

Yes I went and got myself a bike. My boss has one that he uses to ride around campus and so I asked him if I could ride it to and from work and he agreed. So for now it's a loaner and I plan on getting one at some point. Probably this summer and probably one that involves pink.

So far, so good. However there are a few things that I'm still trying to figure out.

1. By the time I get to work in the morning, not gonna lie, I'm sweating from my bike ride. That is gross. So I guess that means I have to carry around a bike riding outfit at all times?

2. That leads me to my next point: carrying things. I have a lot of stuff. I like my stuff and I want it around me and sometimes a backpack won't cut it. Sometimes I have to take two laptops home to cover baseball. Also, I like to make coffee in the morning and bring it to work. How do I do that on a bike?

3. Am I supposed to wear a helmet? Can I ride on the sidewalk sometimes? If I need to turn left at an intersection do I just go in the left turn lane?

So many questions!

Unbelieberable... Or Something

Sounds like the Biebs is having a rough Thursday.

Right now, yes, at this very moment, the good people at US Weekly have revealed BREAKING news that Justin Bieber and his recently shorn locks are trapped... TRAPPED I say... inside a London hotel room as a mob of preteens has gathered outside the hotel and a riot of epic proportions could break out at any second. Any. Second.

Apparently London police are saying that JB could get arrested for inciting a riot. That sucks. He can't control the teenyboppers. I was one once. When you have the chance to catch a glimpse of the person you've been semi-stalking for the last year or however long Bieber Fever has been around, you'll do anything and you don't care what legal system might stand in your way.

Here are the most important things to take away from today's incident:

1. CNN's Breaking News Twitter - which I follow because I'm trying to know more about the actual world and less about things like Nicole Richie and Joel Madden fighting over her buying $3,000 pillows (I side with Joel Madden in this one by the way) - posted a tweet about this incident.

2. Justin Bieber has a swagger coach. That is all.

Diet Wars

I've always been one of those "lucky" girls with a fast metabolism and an inability to gain weight despite being able to eat cheeseburgers and Taco Bell (not combined... ew) at least once a week. I never had the Freshman 15 and I only played sports or exercised because I wanted to. I know. I'm THAT girl.

Well now I'm in my mid-20s and although still blessed with a lanky figure (they don't call me Gangles for nothing), I've started to notice some... well... problem areas. Probably due to the aforementioned cheeseburgers and Taco Bell. Actually, change probably to yeah it is very much so due to that.

Exercise-wise, I think I'm good, considering I play soccer up to three times a week, but I could stand to eat a little healthier. Frozen foods and pasta make up the majority of my meals - although I do take pride in the fact that I eat those Steamfresh vegetables almost every night for dinner... I don't care if they're frozen, there's still green on my plate dangit. With the crazy hours I work I've been known to go through a drive thru a couple times a week. Hey, you let me know how motivated you are to cook anything, even spaghetti, after a 4-hour baseball game followed by a solid two hours of postgame recap writing and stat updating. Oh and sidenote: I like beer.

So every once in a while one of those "Top 10 Snacks to Fight Fat" articles will catch my eye and I'll click the link thinking, "Yes. Here is my chance. This is going to really help me out." Yet, more often than not, I'm left afterwards thinking "Ok welp I have no idea how to cook 75 percent of this stuff and even if I could, I can't afford to buy the ingredients so so much for that."

Case in point (case and point?): Women's Health Magazine had a link on their Twitter (yes I caved and joined) that had a 4-week meal plan guide that can apparently help you lose weight in a month. This intrigues me... until I look at the first week of meals.

First of all, way too many measurements. This of course is probably for portion control, but it's a bit overwhelming. 4 oz. chicken breast? 1/4 cup sliced avocado? How do you fit slices of avocado into a 1/4 cup measuring cup? These are the things I think about which is probably why I get so overwhelmed.

Which leads me to my next point. I like to eat. My friends like to eat. My family likes to eat. I have a healthy appetite and I'm not afraid to use it. I guess if I really stuck to this plan and ate all the meals at the portions they designate, I would feel full and satisfied, but just by looking at this plan, I feel like I'd still be hungry all the time. A 4 oz. chicken breast is roughly the size of a deck of cards. Is that really going to cut it?

Finally, there's the overarching issue of how much this will all cost. The healthy food is also the fancy, more expensive food. Kashi cereal and Laughing Cow cheese is better for me, but it's also going to be a good deal more than I can afford to pay right now. For dinner, entrees include salmon, sirloin steak and yes even 3 or 4 pieces of tuna sashimi.

Maybe it's my own ultimate lack of motivation (another post on that to come) or something, but I just feel this kind of a plan is really hard for a normal mid-20 year old working girl living on a budget to stick to. So I get intimidated and I ultimately just stick with my own ways which are fine for now but I certainly can't keep eating like this for the rest of my life. At some point a husband and kids will enter the picture too. At some point I won't be so lucky when it comes to my body type.

A long, long time ago (in a galaxy far, far away it feels like), I wrote on a different blog about how all of the trashy magazines have these foolproof diets that the celebs swear you can do too and how big of a myth I thought it all was. Celebs make a lot of money, have a lot of free time on their hands and have a lot of helpers to get them to look the way they do. Personal chefs and trainers are their reality, but it certainly isn't mine. So where are the tips for, like I said above, the normal 26-year old who works crazy hours and is living on a budget? What is a girl who admittedly has made Starbucks a food group and doesn't consider tofu a meal at all supposed to do?

I'm sure if I really cared that much about it, I would figure out a way to do it. I'm sure that if I was really serious about changing my eating habits, I would. So maybe this whole post is me making one giant excuse for not buckling down and making some changes and an attempt at finding the easy way out. But for now I'm standing by it.

Plus, do you know how nutty the cat would get if I brought salmon and sashimi in the house? For crying out loud, look at what catnip does to her:

Why Hello There 2011

Happy New Year faithful readers!

Yes, a brand new year is upon us and is it just me or does 2011 sound very futuristic? At any rate, it's here and I'm pretty excited.

As I'm sure most, if not all, of you will agree, a new year means a new start. A new chance at, well, whatever you want. There's a renewed sense of hope and the promise of opportunity. Anything is possible with the start of the new year and there's a feeling that you can conquer the world.

So here's a little insight on what I hope to accomplish with the start of a new year.

2010 was... well... one hell of a rollercoaster ride. I hit some really low lows, but I also experienced some pretty high highs, and in the closing days of 2010 I realized that I didn't want to start all over, but simply wanted to continue on the path that I'm on right now. Are there some areas of improvement? Of course. But I came to the somewhat strange yet liberating conclusion that I, ladies and gentlemen, am happy.

Trust me, there are moments when I think "The other shoe is about to drop at any moment and that's going to be it" and by no means am I saying I've found all the answers or that I don't have bad days. The search for happiness, contentment, satisfaction, whatever you want to call doesn't ever really end, but I've reached a place where I wake up and say to myself "Life is good." And that's a great, great feeling.

What a difference a year makes.

Personally, resolutions stress me out. I get overly anxious over the minutia of daily life enough as it is, so I don't need the added stress that failing at a resolution would put on me. There are a few goals I have set for myself, namely fixing my damn finances (Shoutout to James for the budget help), but that's about the only thing I've set in stone as something I truly need to fix and improve on.

Instead, when it comes down to it, I just want to keep on keeping on. I don't want to dwell on the past and I don't really want to play the "What If?" game and look toward the future too much. I want to live in the now. I want to take every day as one single day in which I can keep striving towards figuring out what makes me tick. I want to own every decision I make. Maybe this is a resolution in and of itself, but I think I can handle "Do me" as my resolution a lot easier. Because I've realized when you start to concentrate on just living as yourself, there isn't any real way to fail.

For once, I'm looking at this year and I don't have one single clue as to what it's going to bring me. And I love that. It's a little scary and a lot intimidating, but it's also very exciting and refreshing that the opportunity to make the most out of every single day is right at my fingertips. And I plan to take full advantage of that.

I am ready for you 2011. I've got old and new friendships, I've got Chloe, I've got my amazing family. Let's do this thing.

Walmart Ridiculousness

It's an age-old debate: Target vs. Walmart. One has better prices, one has classier clientele, both are a one stop shop for basically anything.

What's my stance? Meh, I'll take either one. Usually Walmart for groceries and Target for clothes/shoes (Target shoes are fricken amazing)/anything else.

I do agree that the staff and shoppers at Walmart are, well, a bit on the non-classy side. I mean, not that it couldn't happen but I've never had an exchange like this happen to me at Target:

Random guy: Hey have you seen where the Gatorade is?
Me: Oh I don't work here.
Random guy: I know. I was just wondering if you had seen it while you were shopping?
Me: Oh. Um, no. No I haven't. Sorry.

This is either a) weird, b) standard for Walmart, c) an awesome pick up line or d) all of the above.

Anyway, I really don't have a problem going to Walmart... except for when I get to the checkout line.

Hey Walmart. All of the old people you employ are super cute and very friendly. But please don't let them work the registers. Please.

Without fail, I can get through my actual shopping in under 30 minutes. Then without fail, the checkout line takes me twice as long to get through.

Here are some of the awesome encounters I've had in the checkout line at Walmart recently:

1. I am in line for two things. TWO things. I go to the express lane. My checker is handling her business. However, the checker at the register behind me is having serious issues activating a gift card. So not only is she holding up her own line, but she then holds up my line because she is yelling at my cashier about how she can't figure it out and just wants to go back to the dairy department where she belongs. So right before it's my turn, my cashier leaves and goes to help her. What am I about to purchase? A poster frame and... a gift card. So now I'm nervous because I do not want to be that guy that holds up the entire line. I make a plan that if the woman starts to have trouble activating mine, I'll bail on the gift card. TEN minutes later my cashier comes back and apologizes for the wait. But my gift card gets activated with no problems at all and I'm on my way. But still... 10 minutes to shop, at least 20 at the register.

2. Last night I'm in line with a decently full cart of items. The woman in front of me has decided she wants to use cloth tote bags to put her groceries in. Sidenote: two of them are Target cloth bags. Is this allowed? I felt like some kind of alarm would sound and the Walmart police were going to show up and escort her out, saying "Ma'am. This is Walmart. Target items are not allowed within 50 feet of the premises." So good for her for saving the environment, but this now means that the cashier guy is completely thrown off. Instead of just scanning the items through and putting them in normal bags, he is now hand picking which items should go into which bag. The conveyor belt is not moving forward, ere go there is no room for me to put any of my stuff on the belt. He continues to take his time picking and choosing which item he wants to scan and bag next. I continue to get more and more agitated.

Finally this woman leaves and it's my turn. Now what does the guy do? Place two items in each bag. I know my guns are deceiving, but trust me, I can handle something heaver than two boxes of spaghetti in one bag.

Then he wants to make small talk. Maybe this is something I need to work on in 2011, but I am not a fan of the cash register small talk. Don't know why, just don't like to chit chat. So he sees that I'm buying six eggs instead of a dozen and asks why. What do you mean why? Because I only want six, how's that for why? Then he shares with me how many eggs he eats in a week and how the last time he ate eggs he had them in an omelette with ham. Sir, I don't like ham and I don't like that you're taking up bagging time by talking to me about my eggs.

35 MINUTES LATER I'm on my way.

None of this will deter me from continuing to shop at Walmart though. I hate the grocery story by my apartment, and I pretty much go there once a month, get 100 bucks worth of stuff and I'm good for the month. But I'm going to need the cashiers to get it together. Please.

A Note to Boys Who Play Sports with Girls

I'm angry so here comes an angry post...

I recently joined a new co-ed soccer league with some people I know from work and some other randoms. We've played one game, we tied, I scored the tying goal.  Everyone on the team is very nice and seem happy to have me.  Then again, when a girl agrees to play on a co-ed team, usually they will be nice to you because they need you more than you need them.

So while I'm pretty happy with my own team, the team I played against was full of the whiniest, bitch ass guys I have ever met.  So pay attention boys who play sports with girls - this one's for you.

First and foremost, at all times you should remember that YOU are a guy and I am a girl.  I might shove you into a wall, I might shimmy-shake past you, and I might really get you fired up.  But remember.  I am a girl and you are a guy.  Control yourself.  Take the shove, take the juke out and man up.  Your precious male ego will live to see another day.  I promise.  Calling a girl half your size a "fat ass" and claiming that she almost broke your clavicle is not only super dramatic, but makes you look like a huge tool.  Sidenote: both of these things actually happened at our game last week.  By the same guy.

I know that there's a major problem with girls who play co-ed anything acting like... well like bitches frankly.  Trust me, the girls on this team last week were just as whiny as the guys, if not worse.  The girls in a co-ed league always think they have something to prove and this is definitely annoying.

But guys you don't have anything to prove.  This isn't your World Cup tryout and I'm sorry if you got rejected from that DI program six years ago.  But just calm down.  Play the game, score a few goals and just go about your day.

Thanks for listening.

You Should Get That Looked At...

If I'm Charlie Sheen, it's time to find an allergist who can take care of my severe allergic reactions that cause me to be naked and intoxicated in a trashed hotel room.

Charlie Sheen was hospitalized Tuesday morning for what his rep is calling "an adverse allergic reaction to some medication."

This is after:
1. He is found naked and intoxicated in his room at The Plaza.
2. Tables and chairs were thrown around.
3. A chandelier was damaged.
4. He was "emotionally disturbed" when he got to the hospital (according to TMZ).

Like I said, Charlie Sheen needs an allergist ASAP.

Also, while I want to say that this is terrible media relations work on the part of his rep - I mean does anybody believe an allergic reaction caused him to flip out that much? - I have no idea what I would do in this situation.  Actually, after a misdemeanor assault charge, two instances of driving his SUV over a cliff, and now this, I'd probably just quit.

Why Ladies? Why?

I will be the first to say that girls do some pretty unexplainable things. I cry at Glee. I can't explain why I do but it just happens and I can't control it so I just give in. I don't drink beer out of a can. Well... come on now who are we kidding? It is beer after all. So I guess I should say I prefer not to drink beer out of a can. Bottles and pint glasses are classier.

Anyway there is one thing that even I don't understand about my fellow ladies.

Why do girls insist on talking on their cell phones in a public bathroom?

I will never understand this. Guys, do other dudes do this? What on earth could be so important that you can't tell the person "Hey listen, let me call you back in 45 seconds." Because honestly, I would bet that that's about the average length of time it takes someone to go to the bathroom. The answer is nothing. Because the few conversations I have had the unfortunate privilege of hearing have definitely been about absolutely nothing.

Which brings me to my next point. I don't really want to hear about what you're talking about. Not there. It's just a little...close is all I'm saying. Plus, it's annoying. Most public restrooms have a terrible echo in them so you spend 90% of the conversation that was so important you couldn't possibly put it on pause yelling "What?" into your phone. And maybe it's just me but the sound of a flushing toilet in a public bathroom isn't exactly quiet. Doesn't that embarrass the person on the phone?

I"m just saying that this is weird. Of course the girls' room is made for girlfriends to all go together to gossip and talk. I did this twice a week for 20 minutes with one of the student assistants and it was awesome. But the phone has no place there. Keep it in the supermarket aisles and illegally on the freeways where it belongs.

Friends, just say no to talking on the phone in public restrooms.

OMG I'm Famous... Sorta

Friends, I had a very very fun weekend and part of my very fun weekend was getting to see one of my best friends here in Sacramento and her man, who has also become one of my close friends up here, get married on Saturday. It was a beautiful wedding - perfect weather, gorgeous venue, great food, great DJ, delicious cake, awesome dance partner... I could go on and on. Great time.

But the best part of the whole wedding was the surprise flash mob dance that all the bridesmaids, groomsmen, friend and family of the bride and groom performed to Hanson's "Thinking Bout Something".

First, what is a flash mob? I think a subway/train station in London was the first time anybody saw something like this. Music starts to play and a few people start dancing a choreographed number together, then more people join in, then suddenly you have dozens of people all dancing together. Observe.

So about two weeks before the wedding, one of the bridesmaids emailed a few of us with the idea to put together our very own flash mob dance. The bride is a huge Hanson fan and the new Hanson music video has choreography that the fans loved so much, the choreographer decided to make a tutorial of the dance and put it on Youtube. (That video is like 10 minutes by the way.) So Lizzie, the bridesmaid, forwarded it to people who forwarded it to other people, we held a dance lesson at her house a few days before the wedding and voila... the finished product:



Hanson fans can't get enough. Someone found it on Youtube and posted it to their Twitter and now all the Hanson fans are reposting it on all of their Twitters (I don't really know how Twitter works so I assume this is what is happening). Plus, there is a fan forum page on Hanson's official website and someone posted it there.

So yes I am very excited about my fifteen minutes of "fame".

Next stop... Oprah.

Puzzle Fail? Or Puzzle Epic-ness?

You be the judge.

(I can't back up that epic-ness is actually a word.)