Week One Hundred and Twenty-Six: Jason Mraz - "I'm Yours" - We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.

After spending the day with the little girl that I mentor in Big Brothers Big Sisters to celebrate her 15th birthday, I came to two very important conclusions about Dallas: (1) it is full of uppity bee-yotches and (2) not many people here know what a ukulele is!

So my first conclusion can be evidenced by the fact that I took Angelica to Maggiano's to enjoy some splendid Italian food for her birthday lunch. She was in awe of the elegance of the restaurant's layout and was so grateful to have the opportunity to be there. The restaurant was very crowded, so most of the tables that were left were somewhat close to the kitchen. We both rolled our eyes and giggled as we listened to one uppity Dallas bee-yotch after another refuse to "sit that close to the kitchen..."  First of all, the area is up on a platform, and secondly, there is plenty of glass to shield the sights and sounds of the kitchen. I don't care how much money I ever earn; I will never conduct myself in the manner in which many of the people who frequent NorthPark choose to conduct themselves. In fact, Angelica and I pinky-promised one another that we would never act that way!!!

My second conclusion can be evidenced by the fact that, upon entering Guitar Center and being greeted by a sales associate who asked if he could assist us, Angelica and I revealed that we were interested in the purchase of a ukulele. He gave us a puzzled look and stated that he was not aware of what a ukulele even was. I seriously thought he was joking and giggled a bit while replying,"Ha! Ha! Very funny... now point us towards the ukuleles." It was not until I realized that he wasn't smiling and he definitely wasn't joking that I finally explained to him that they are the miniature Hawaiian sounding acoustic guitars. He told us to try to the acoustic guitar section. We found a few, but Angelica was more interested in a starter kit with a gig bag, instructional manual, and so on and so forth. So we made our way over to the information desk and asked if they had any of the ukulele starter kits that we found online. Again, we were given a puzzled look until we pointed over to the meager selection of ukuleles. We finally just gave up, came back to my place, and ordered one online from Amazon.com with all of the additional accessories for which she was hoping.

So, people of Dallas, once you finally decide to get over yourselves, then try listening to some music with a ukulele in the form of "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz... Happy Birthday, Angelica, and thanks for being such a cool and down-to-earth kid, I mean, young lady!!!

Well, you done done me and you bet I felt it

I tried to be chill but you're so hot that I melted

I fell right through the cracks

Now I'm trying to get back

Before the cool dawn run out

I'll be giving it my bestest

And nothing's gonna stop me but divine intervention.

I reckon, it's again my turn

To win some or learn some.

But I won't hesitate

No more, no more.

It cannot wait,

I'm yours.

Well, open up your mind and see like me,

Open up your plans and damn you're free.

Look into your heart and you'll find love, love, love, love.

Listen to the music of the moment, people dance and sing, we're just one big family

And it's our God-forsaken right to be loved, loved, loved, loved, loved

So I won't hesitate

No more, no more.

It cannot wait,

I'm sure.

There's no need to complicate.

Our time is short.

This is our fate,

I'm yours.

Do you want to come on, scootch on over closer, dear

And I will nibble your ear

I've been spending way too long checking my tongue in the mirror

And bending over backwards just to try to see it clearer

But my breath fogged up the glass

And so I drew a new face and I laughed.

I guess what I'll be saying is there ain't no better reason

To rid yourself of vanities and just go with the seasons.

It's what we aim to do.

Our name is our virtue.

But I won't hesitate

No more, no more.

It cannot wait,

I'm yours.

Well, open up your mind and see like me,

Open up your plans and damn you're free.

Look into your heart and you'll find that the sky is yours.

So please don't, please don't, please don't...

There's no need to complicate.

'Cause our time is short.

This oh, this oh, this is our fate.

I'm yours.

Week One Hundred and Twenty-Five: Lisa Loeb - "I Do" - Firecracker

It's almost impossible to mention the Reality Bites soundtrack (like I did last week) without also tying in a mention to Dallas native, Lisa Loeb. Her hit, "Stay", the video of which was directed by none other than Ethan Hawke, became a #1 chart-topper for Ms. Loeb.

However, the song, "Stay", was so overplayed that I quickly became increasingly tired of it. A lesser known tune of hers called "I Do" is actually my favorite. When the album, Firecracker, on which this song appeared, was released, I was employed at the coffee shop inside the Virgin Records Megastore at Grapevine Mills Mall. They created a huge window display for the release of this album, and I have to admit that, although it was all pink and chiffon-y and girly, it was probably one of the better displays that they ever had at the store.

Back in 2006, Lisa Loeb appeared on a reality TV series on E! called #1 Single, where cameras followed her around while she went on dates and tried to find love. It was downright awful, but it made me laugh, which was enough to keep me hooked. I'm fairly certain she is married now, but the poor thing truly deserved it after all the male nuttiness she endured on that show!!! 

In addition to "I Do", I'll include "Stay" and a clip where Tyra Banks has Lisa Loeb as a guest in order to promote #1 Single.

When I'm done with thinking

Then I'm done with you

And when I'm done with crying

And then I'm done with you

When I feel so tired

And then I'm done with you

You know everybody feels this way sometimes

Everybody feels this way

And I do

You can't hear it, but I do

You can't hear it, but I do

You're trying to convince me

That what I've done's not right

And I get so frustrated

I stay up every night

You ask me for an answer

And I'm so tired that I'm up in the air, I'm up in the air

You know everybody feels this way sometimes

Everybody feels this way

And I do

You can't hear it, but I do

You can't hear it, but I'm feeling this way

Just because you say

I will be ignored and I will be denied

And I could be erased, I could be brushed aside

And I will get scared and I will get shoved down

But I feel like I do because you push me around

I'm starting to ignore you

I've doubted you so long

I'm tired of over thinking

I know you don't belong

Now I'm asking questions

No one pushes me around

You know everybody feels this way sometimes

Everybody feels this way

And I do

You can't hear it, but I do

You don't seem angry, but I do

I do, I do, I do

You don't seem angry, but I do

You can't hear it, but I do

I, I do, I, I do, I, I do

Week One-Hundred and Twenty-Four: U2 - "All I Want Is You" - Rattle and Hum

I cannot believe that I am 2.5 years into this blog, and I'm only now covering U2... better late than never, I suppose...

So I was at the coffee shop at Half Price Books yesterday, reading up on how to create Pet Trusts, when a young fella started hovering around my table. He finally got up the courage to ask what I was reading. My response is as follows: "I am attempting to determine the proper language to add to some clients' Wills in order to cut out their children as beneficiaries and leave their assets and property to their cats..."

He looked at me in a dumbfounded manner before responding as follows: "Yeah, that's cool... Well, I'm on my way home to smoke a doobie, but I just wanted to let you know that I really like the band you're repping on the back of your jacket..." (no joke, he really used the terms 'doobie' and 'repping')

The band to which he was referring was none other than U2, and I'll include a pic of my back patch below:

So then, out of all of the songs by U2, why did I select this one? Well, first of all, it is my favorite, and secondly, I saw Richard Linklater's most recent masterpiece called Boyhood, which includes Ethan Hawke. On my drive home, I started thinking about all of the amazing movies in which Ethan Hawke has been involved, and I recalled the pivotal scene from Reality Bites where this song is playing.

Any fan of U2 knows that I could load this particular post down with hit after hit, but I am going to refrain from doing that. I am simply going to include my second favorite U2 tune called "So Cruel", and then I'll let you find their other treasures on your own...

***Oh, and don't forget that you can download U2's latest album for free from iTunes until mid-October***

You say you want diamonds on a ring of gold

You say you want your story to remain untold.

But all the promises we make

From the cradle to the grave

When all I want is you.

You say you'll give me a highway with no-one on it

Treasure, just to look upon it

All the riches in the night.

You say you'll give me eyes in the moon of blindness

A river in a time of dryness

A harbour in the tempest.

But all the promises we make 

From the cradle to the grave

When all I want is you.

You say you want your love to work out right

To last with me through the night.

You say you want diamonds on a ring of gold

Your story to remain untold

Your love not to grow cold.

All the promises we break 

From the cradle to the grave

When all I want is you.

Week One Hundred and Twenty-Three: Information Society - "What's On Your Mind (Pure Energy)" - Information Society

I'm not sure when Albertsons decided that they were going to start playing super-cool music (it's been happening for awhile now), but I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for making my weekly Sunday grocery shopping experience a pleasant one! 

In fact, I find myself going to Albertsons more these days than Natural Grocers and Whole Foods. I do miss seeing all the cute hipster boys at those locations though. Speaking of hipster, I have a pair of hipster glasses now. It's a long story involving corneal irritation as a result of staring at a computer screen in contacts all day, but I've updated my profile pic in case you are curious.

However, while making my purchases today, I was near giddy as I got to hear selections by Crowded House, The Cure, and Information Society - more specifically, "What's On Your Mind (Pure Energy)". So, I am going to cover some Information Society for you this week. 

Information Society has always been a band that I have held close to my heart because of my complete adoration of synthpop music. They were also a huge influence on the band that I played in back in the early 2000s around the time that synthpop made a huge resurgence in the DFW metroplex.

I never had the opportunity to see Information Society in concert, but I heard many a tale about Kurt speeding around the stage on rollerblades. Oh, and kudos to you, Kurt, for trying to hold on to that early 80s hairstyle at the height of your success, in the late 80s and early 90s, when everyone else was starting to step into what, I'm only assuming, they thought were more sophisticated looks. (**I should add that I was actually at Six Flags on one of the evenings that Information Society played at the Music Mill Amphitheater, so I heard them play live; however, I did not have tickets to the actual show and therefore did not get to see them play live.**)

I'll also include "Think", "Walking Away" and two of my absolute favorites called "Running" and "How Long"...

(spoken by Bones: "It's worked so far,

But we're not out yet")

I want to know

What you're thinking.

There are some things you can't hide.

I want to know

What you're feeling.

Tell me what's on your mind.

(spoken by Spock: "Pure Energy")

Here I am in silence,

Looking round without a clue.

I find myself along again

All alone with you.

I can see behind your eyes

The things that I don't know.

If you hide away from me,

How can our love grow?

I want to know

What you're thinking.

There are some things you can't hide.

I want to know

What you're feeling.

Tell me what's on your mind.

I know I could break you down,

But what good would it do?

I could surely never know

That what you say is true.

Here I am in silence;

It's a game I have to play.

You and I in silence.

With nothing else to say.

I want to know

What you're thinking.

There are some things you can't hide.

I want to know

What you're feeling.

Tell me what's on your mind.

(Spock: "Pure Energy")

I want to know

What you're thinking.

There are some things you can't hide.

I want to know

What you're feeling.

Tell me what's on your mind.

I want to know

What you're thinking.

There are some things you can't hide.

I want to know

What you're feeling.

Tell me what's on your mind.