2010: Upcoming Adventures

So, I can't say that 2009 was my favorite year. Aside from my amazing trip to South America, there weren't too many high points. So instead of reflecting on 2009, I will instead share with you some plans I have for 2010.

Vancouver, B.C. - I was fortunate enough to make a very good friend in Chile who just happens to live in the Vancouver area which is so close!! Lucky me. I'm hoping that I can take a little trip up there in February to witness the epic Olympic fiestas. Even if I can't make it into an event, it would be fun to experience it. I mean, the best part about the Olympics is the after parties anyways right? But if I can't make it up there for the Olympics, I'd head up there anyways. To see my Canadian. Obviopo. :)

Washington, D.C. - So one of my best friends from college has lived over there for about a year and a half now (right?) and I have not been to visit. What is my problem? I've never been to Washington, D.C. ever so it would be fun to experience all the first-timer stuff while also experiencing the secrets with a resident that tourists may not know about. Also, thanks again to my SA trip, I know a couple more people over there as well and it would be fun to see them again. I love knowing people in different places!

Las Vegas - Can you believe that I am 24 and have not yet been to Vegas? Shame on me. However, that is definitely going to change this year. Just gotta get some more of my girls on board. Not to mention, my trip will be on my parent's dime. I chose it for my college graduation present. Again, I graduated over a year ago and haven't gone yet. 2010. It's happening. Watch out!

Honolulu, HI - Again, I am lucky enough to know people in lots of places. Another good friend of mine from college just moved to Hawaii and happens to have a fabulous home with a guest room. Yay! I haven't been to Hawaii for a couple years now so I'm starting to miss it a little. I never complain about being warm and spending the day in my bikini. And being tan.

Sooooo, these are my trip goals for 2010. Looks like I'll need to score me a good job so I can afford to go everywhere. But I have high hopes for this coming year. It'll be great!

Book Review: I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell

Oh man, this book was AWFUL. And by awful, I mean completely degrading, disgusting and HILARIOUS!! Even though some terrible stories were told, I honestly enjoyed every single one. I mean, I grew up hanging out with my older brother and all of his friends, I lived in three different frats during college and worked construction for a summer so there are not a lot of things that shock me. I think that's why I enjoyed this book so much. It took gross, but entertaining stories to a new level. Sometimes it's unbelievable to imagine that these types of things happen to people. It definitely made me miss college and all those nights out a lot. But I would recommend this read to...well pretty much anyone that wouldn't be offended by extreme stories of sex and alcohol. The one thing I didn't understand about the book was the number of seemingly idiotic girls in this book who threw themselves at this guy while completely in the know that he sleeps with multiple women a day (not to mention the multiple ways he does it). A little bit weird, a little bit skanky, but made for more laughs. Just read it.

Music Monday

I received a $15 iTunes gift card for Christmas...didn't take long for me to blow through that. Really, $15 does not make any sort of significant dent in the amount of music I want to purchase. However, I did make a purchase that I should have made a long time ago. I finally added "Everlong" by Foo Fighters to my collection, but the acoustic one. It's more romantic and meaningful that way. I remember saying to my friend in Chile how I needed to add more of them to my iPod and I wanted to buy more of them, but my credit ran out quickly. Sad day. But this song will for sure keep me occupied until I can make further purchases.

P.S. Yes, I am a good citizen. Since receiving an iPod and using iTunes, I have purchased all of my music legally. I don't need any "Oh, just download them on Limewire" suggestions. Thanks though.

Book Review: The Art of Racing in the Rain

I remembered reading about this book in Barnes & Noble probably a year ago, but just got around to reading it this month. It is recommended for those who liked "Marley & Me" (and I definitely did) so I thought it would be another touching dog story. This one, however, was written from the point of view of the dog, Enzo, which gave it an interesting twist. I can't say that I liked is as much as "Marley & Me", but it was still cute. I guess I didn't get as attached to the characters and I felt the people in the story were not quite as attached to dog. Also, the story would throw in a lot of facts and history about car racing which I'm just not into. But it is a very quick read (only took me 2 days) and well written. Definitely one I would recommend for a day when you don't have a whole lot else to do. Enjoy!

Music Monday

Ok, I know it probably says Tuesday at the top of the page, but to me it's still Monday. So last week, I wrote in anticipation of Deck the Hall Ball, now I'm writing my review. This concert was truly one of the greatest I have been to. There was not a bad band in the bunch. I really appreciate bands and singers that sound just as good live as they do on their albums, and all of these bands passed the test. Vampire Weekend was super cute and really fun to listen to and Phoenix added more fun and definitely got us dancing. Metric seemed like maybe they started off a little shaky, but as they continued, they definitely proved me wrong. Maybe it just wasn't the best song. Hey, I don't like every song that everyone has written. But when they performed "Help! I'm Alive" I for sure got the goosebumps. 30 Seconds to Mars was really good musically, my only wish was that Jared Leto sang more instead of F-bombing and talking to the audience. I think they played five songs, but he only sang two. However we still had a good time with it.

Finally, Muse takes the cake and definitely earns their title as the #1 performing band in the world. I honestly can't believe that much sound and power can come from only three people. It was insane. After hanging out in the bar area, my friend and I went into the crowd for their performance and had a great time throwing our hands in the air and rocking out. I cannot wait to see them again when they return to Seattle in April. Since this was such a big show, I don't think they played quite a full set, so I look forward to a show that is more focused on them and they can play more songs. Also, the April show is being opened by Silversun Pickups who I have been raving about, so I think it will absolutely blow me away. So excited!

Superbowl 2010 Prediction

I'm still sticking with it. Both teams are going 16-0 into the Superbowl, but only one will remain undefeated!!! It's gonna be a battle. :)

Music Monday

So tomorrow night is 107.7 The End's Deck the Hall Ball concert and I am so psyched to go! I FINALLY, FINALLY get to see one of my most favorite bands of all time, Muse, in concert. And I have a feeling it's going to be so sick. I have been waiting to see them pretty much since I was 16 years old. It just hasn't worked out since then, but it came together for tomorrow! Obviously, they are going to be the highlight of my evening, but let's also look at some of the other bands playing, who I am also looking forward to.

30 Seconds to Mars: Okay, I will admit, I still listen to "The Kill" and still love it. It is a great song to work out to and one that grabs at my core a little. The lyrics speak to me and the harmonies are fantastic. I haven't listened to much of their other stuff, but part of me is kind of excited to see what Jared Leto is like on stage rather than the screen.

Metric: So, their song "Help! I'm Alive" came out while I was in South America, but when I got back, the radio station was playing it over and over and I completely fell in love with it. It's very haunting and I don't normally tend to like bands with girl singers, but this one I'm pretty excited to see more of.

Phoenix: Their song "1901" would be on my current playlist right now if I wasn't broke and had money to purchase their album. I think I am looking forward to seeing them the most after Muse. I feel like they're going to be really fun to watch.

Vampire Weekend: This band has a very eccentric, almost garage band sound to it. Their song "Cousins" is climbing charts and pretty soon they probably wont be an opener. I bet they'll be really fun to see live as well.

Now, we'll see which one(s) of these bands I really fall in love with tomorrow night. I have to say, I am quite the critic when it comes to live music. But I am excited for a really bangin' show and will definitely take lots of pictures and write an extreme review soon after

Book Review: Bright Shiny Morning

James Frey, the writer of the best-seller "A Million Little Pieces", writes another great novel about the people and places of Los Angeles. I found this book to be very interesting, both in writing style and stories. First off, Frey does not use quotation marks, or really much punctuation at all. For some, it might be difficult, but for me I feel like it makes for a more interesting read. Secondly, this book is written with a few reoccurring stories, a few one timers, a few fun (and not so fun) facts and historical data all about the growing city of Los Angeles. He doesn't write for the faint-hearted and has no problems being blunt or vulgar, but hey, that's kind of the stuff I like to read. Breaking up the whole book into stories makes it a very exciting read because it is constantly changing. It's very hard to get bored. I really enjoyed this book and all of its characters and would definitely recommend it to those who enjoy similar styles.

Top Chef Season 6 Winner

Congratulations MICHAEL VOLTAGGIO for winning season 6 of Top Chef!!! Your creativity and consistence in awesome dishes puts you at the top of the pack. I will make it a goal to try your food some day. :)

Music Monday

Ok so really, music Monday is a Twitter discussion thing, but I think I might steal it from now on and talk about music on my blog on Mondays! Never too late to adopt trends right? I'm kind of excited, because I already planned on blogging about these guys earlier today after hearing (again) their song "Audience". (I just checked and the song is not even on iTunes yet...whaaat?) Anyways, they are the Cold War Kids and keep an eye on them. They're going to blow up. And it will be me who told you. Check them out! In the mean time, listen to "Hang Me Up To Dry".

I'm On Twitter!

Surprisingly, employers like it these days if you're up to date on all your social media, so I have officially joined Twitter. My name is c2avery. Follow me!

Because I Feel Like Sharing

For those that know me, they know I'm pretty crazy about music. So for some reason, today, I feel like sharing with you all my Top 25 Most Played playlist from my iTunes. Now, in no way are these my top 25 most favorite songs of all time. Some are a little strange, but keep in mind, I've had iTunes for quite some time and we all have phases. Ha ha. So, as of today, December 1st 2009, the list consists of the following:

1) Incubus - 'Mexico' (ok so this one actually is probably one of my all time favorite songs ever)
2) Death Cab for Cutie - 'Cath...'
3) Band of Horses - 'The Funeral'
4) Timbaland f/ One Republic - 'Apologize'
5) Coldplay - 'The Scientist'
6) Silversun Pickups - 'Growing Old is Getting Old'
7) Coldplay - 'Swallowed in the Sea'
8) Omarion - 'Ice Box'
9) Imogen Heap - 'Hide and Seek'
10) The Airborne Toxic Event - 'Sometime Around Midnight'
11) Incubus - 'Dig'
12) Coldplay - 'Fix You'
13) Coldplay - 'Warning Sign'
14) Panic! at the Disco - 'Time to Dance'
15) Death Cab for Cutie - 'Summer Skin'
16) The Lonely Island f/ T-Pain - 'I'm on a Boat'
17) Muse - 'Supermassive Black Hole'
18) Incubus - 'Anna Molly'
19) Smashing Pumpkins - 'Disarm'
20) String Quartet - 'I Miss You'
21) The National - 'Slow Show'
22) David Cook - 'Light On'
23) Imogen Heap - 'Hallelujah'
24) Incubus - 'I Miss You'
25) Rise Against - 'The Good Left Undone'

So yes, there are some repeats and I definitely have trends. Of course there are some "whaaat?s" like 'Ice Box', which just happened to be a junior year of college theme song that was played a lot, and 'Light On', which was an old boss' favorite song that she demanded I play over and over during an 8 hour work day, and that is how these things climb quickly. However, in a month, I predict some changes. The National will certainly be climbing higher and appearances by Bon Iver and Gorilla Zoe will definitely happen. Anyway, I recommend all songs listed above, so if you need new music check them out! And post your lists so that I can get new music too!