Monday, January 27, 2014

MMM Bop by Hanson

There was no shortage of things to do in Barcelona.  It had everything - the beach, countless museums, coffee shops, restaurants, bars, nightclubs, street fairs, festivals, you name it.  There were options galore, yet for some reason, when Anhchi L, Christy R, and I found out that Hanson of MMM Bop fame was slated to perform at some indoor concert at the old Olympic Village.  We weren't Hanson fans and honestly, who could like that ridiculous song?  We thought it would be funny to say that we saw Hanson perform in concert.  So we traipsed all the way out there to see these blond teenagers sing their ridiculous song.  First mistake.

Second mistake - I already mentioned that the Olympic Village is quite the journey from our dorm.  It is on the edge of town and once you get to your bus or metro stop, it's a long walk through the Olympic Village to the performance hall.  There is nothing else around it and it wasn't a really cool venue with anything to see or do.  We basically stood around and tried to get into some of the other bands that were playing.  We started asking people when Hanson would be performing and no one knew what or who we were talking about and couldn't answer us.  We waited and waited, but Hanson never appeared and we never got anyone to confirm they were actually coming.  We ended up leaving before the concert ended, very disappointed.  We never did figure out what happened or where the breakdown in communication or loss in translation occurred.  By the time we got back to the metro, I think we were probably so disappointed and tired that we ended up going back to our dorm.  Needless to say, the song never improved with age or listening! 

Friday, January 17, 2014

See You Again by Miley Cyrus

It turns out there is still one Miley Cyrus song that doesn't make my stomach turn when I hear it.  I first became aware of her when I saw her perform on an awards show and I though I wasn't overly impressed, I was intrigued and the song was different than I expected.  It didn't make me a Miley fan, but I soon met someone who was.  A couple months later, when the neighbors showed up for trick or treating, I had to ask who the girls were as I was far from up to date on the latest Disney princesses and teen pop sensations.  To my surprise, they said they were Hannah Montana (Miley's alter ego) and I was just tickled to see how Hannah Montana literally crossed the race barrier.  It was awesome and they looked great. 
I promptly downloaded the Miley Cyrus song because I wanted to be able to relate to (and impress) these kids.  Yes, I fully admit wanting to impress a bunch of preteens with my music selection.  Nick and I were invited to Gianna's birthday party in the park that spring and we felt honored to be included.  We were basically the only non-family members and it was a great party!  Tons of food (everything you would expect at a BBQ), a big cake, balloons.  We socialized with everyone and I later played some of my music for the kids and as expected, Miley Cyrus was a big hit, along with Pocketful of Sunshine by Natasha Bedingfield and Fallin' by Alicia Keys.  We returned the favor by inviting them over for a BBQ at our house for Jambalaya and what turned into a rousing game of dress-up.  To our great delight, they brought homemade collard greens, complete with a large hamhock.  It was delicious!  We enjoyed getting to know the neighbors, teaching them that not all dogs are mean (before they met us, we overheard them call Jack "the GD dog from Full House!"), repairing or replacing basketballs as needed.  They loaned us tools and warned us when the street cleaners were coming and we had forgotten to move our car.  It really made the experience of living in West Oakland a little better and certainly memorable.  I wonder what they are up to now?

Thursday, January 9, 2014

We Used to Be Friends by the Dandy Warhols

It was Valentine's Weekend, 2009.  The snow was silently falling, the fire was blazing in the warm and cozy Tahoe cabin, stocked full of treats to eat and drink, and I was binge watching Veronica Mars.  I couldn't remember feeling more content!  I rarely get to be somewhere with snow while it is actually snowing and it was so lovely.  We had taken a 3 day weekend, at least, possibly 4 days, to enjoy ourselves.  It was Jack's first trip to the snow and watching him enjoy himself puts a smile on your face that lasts for weeks.  We were waiting for our friends the H's to arrive later in the weekend when we would make the traditional Valentine's Day Mac N Cheese along with Karen's famous cream wafer cookies, in a heart shape with pink frosting, of course. 

There is only so much time you can spend outside playing in the snow if you are not skiing or 7 years old without getting cold and wet so we did spend a lot of time inside.  There were books, magazines, puzzles, the original Nintendo, comfy chairs for napping.  There was also a TV and DVD player and, did I mention, Season 1 and 2 of Veronica Mars.  My sister had gotten me hooked on it.  She had tried to get me hooked on a bunch of different series, but this is the only one that stuck.  It is awesome!!  Everything about it, from the premise to the brilliant writing and acting, I couldn't get enough of it.  When I got to Tahoe, I was right at the turning point of the season long arc and it was so addicting.  Even Nick got into it and we watched all the way to the end and found out who the murderer was.  We Used to Be Friends is the theme song that plays during the opening credits which I never fast forwarded because I like the song.  I am currently re-binge-watching the show because the MOVIE is coming out soon.  I just wish I were in Tahoe watching it again, where I could also be watching the falling snow and feeling completely content and peaceful.