Zombies 2.0: A Musical Year in Review

It's time to post my musical review of last year, last year's playlist was called "Zombie Nights Year 1" in honor of weekly "The Walking Dead" viewings, so keeping with that theme, here is Zombies 2.0.

You can listen to the playlist in it's entirety here Spotify Playlist, or individual songs as listed.

Curtis Stigers & The Forest Rangers – This Life :This year I was introduced to Jax Teller and the rest of the Sons of Anarchy, needless to say it was love at first sight.
Taylor Swift – 22 :okay, really the parody of this song about being 32 should be here instead of Taylor's version, BUT this song always makes me tap my toes and sing along "You don't know about me, but I bet you want to!!"
Frankie Goes To Hollywood – Relax :Derek! You almost killed the Microneasion Prime Minister! Because there's always room for Zoolander.
The Goo Goo Dolls – Come To Me :This year one of my really good friends got married, and this was a song that really spoke to her, and it made it onto her wedding playlist. Plus the GooGoo Dolls are amazing and really earned their spot on this list.
V V Brown – Shark In The Water :never yell shark at the beach or fire in a crowded room... but sometimes a shark is disguised as a sexy man and you never know when he's going to take a big chunk of flesh from your heart and leave you chumming the waters...
Bloodhound Gang – No Hard Feelings :because really, it's NOT my job to fuck you on your birthday. #sorrynotsorry
Donna Summer – She Works Hard For The Money :so you better treat us right.
Hootie & The Blowfish – Only Wanna Be With You :Have you seen the movie Ted? If you haven't stop what you're doing and see it immediately. #AEIOU
Salt-N-Pepa – Shoop :Girls, what's my weakness? MEN!
INXS – Elegantly Wasted :there's really no other way to get wasted, am I right?
Sheryl Crow – Easy :this song just reminds me of summer time and working on my tan whether it be beachside, poolside, or in my own backyard.
Montell Jordan – This Is How We Do It :I'm kind of buzzed and it's all because...
TLC – Waterfalls :this song was the soundtrack to the 4th of July last year, while I was chasing fireworks :-)
Cake – Short Skirt/Long Jacket :because we're fast, thorough, and sharp as tacks
Jay-Z – Big Pimpin' :this song reminds me of the girls weekend at the Double Tree Fess Parker Resort in Santa Barbara... we were able to be Big Pimpin' without having to spend the Gs
Save Ferris – Come On Eileen :at this moment, you mean EVERYTHING to me.
Loverboy – Working For The Weekend - Remastered 2006 :aren't we all?
Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody :Party on Wayne, Party on Garth.

Zombie Nights-Year 1 a playlist devoted to Girls' Night

 

 

Early February marked the "Friendaversary" of my Girls' Night buddies. I made a play list as party swag, and because it was so awesome I thought I'd share it with the rest of you... as usual, you can find the playlist in it's entirity on Spotify at this link:

Zombie Nights-Year 1

 

Or just scan through it here.

 

Jace Everett – Bad Things - Soundtrack Version
The Karaoke Studio – Better in a Black Dress (in the Style of Katie Armiger) [Karaoke Version] okay, so I have the real version of this song on the discs I burned, but this was the best I could find on Spotify.
Jennifer Paige – Crush
Billy Idol – Dancing With Myself - 2001 Digital Remaster
Kenny Loggins – Danger Zone
Queen – Fat Bottomed Girls - Single Version
Cyndi Lauper – Girls Just Want To Have Fun
Kanye West – Gold Digger
Letters To Cleo – I Want You To Want Me
Madonna – Like A Virgin
Bon Jovi – Livin' On A Prayer
No Doubt – Looking Hot
Beck – Loser
Pat Benatar – Love Is A Battlefield
Third Eye Blind – Semi-Charmed Life
LMFAO – Sexy And I Know It
Michael Jackson – Thriller
The Bangles – Walk Like An Egyptian (Album Version)
The Cranberries – Zombie


January: First Month of the New Year

The month of January seems like a weird time warp for me. Parts of it seem like it happened so long ago that it's hard to believe that it's all been in one month, and part of it seems like it went by really fast. While I'm looking forward to whatever the future may bring, I'm a little sad to see another month go. I know January isn't technically over, but I think this one is ready a couple days early.

• Life of Pi: This was the first movie of the New Year for me, and let me tell you, it did not disappoint. I won't spoil the movie for you, but I was blown away by how beautiful the cinematography was, and how touching the story could be. I haven't read the book so I wasn't sure what it would be about, but I'm so glad that I went to the 3D flick. I'm usually dubious of 3D features, but they seem to be getting better with time. The glasses don't hurt my eyes as much and the motion sickness is basically non existent. So yay! Go see Life of Pi.
• The Best Girlfriends EVER: So the break up wasn't as terrible as it could have been. It was bad, don't get me wrong, but my girlfriends were super heroes getting me through it. They made sure that for the first week back in the realm of the single life that I wasn't alone and that I always had a shoulder to cry on. They let me know how much they loved me and that things would get better. And it worked. I still have moments where I'm sad and cry, but I know my girls are there to cheer me up. They listen when I'm being crazy and illogical, the offer advice when they think I can handle it, and they are quiet when they know I'm not ready to hear certain things. They are loyal to #TeamLauren, all while never really saying anything negative about him. They remind me that while it's okay to hurt and be upset, that things will get better, and this was just a quick stop on the big journey. It was real and important, and that it is okay to grieve over what was lost.
• Blu Ray + New TV: I finally joined the 21st century with the help of my parents and Christmas elves. I am now the proud owner of a 32" flat screen TV and a blu ray player to make my home movie experiences that more enjoyable. Next step is trying to figure out how to afford Internet at home so that I can stream movies and click on all those bonus features.



at the Cal Poly
Performing Arts Center

• Live theater: Hair. It was interesting to say the least. It contained nudity, orgies, bad drug trips and draft dodging all set to a psychedelic rock soundtrack. The music was fantastic, I was entertained, awestruck, and horrified all at the same time. So good work. I can't say that i would be excited to see that particular play again, but i am glad that i went. It was a one night only show at the Cal Poly Performing Arts Center. I can't believe I went to school there for 3 years and it was my first time inside the building. Was a great venue and I can't wait to go back in a couple of months to see Broadway's Beauty and the Beast. 

• Moving Crew: No faithful readers, I didn't move this month, but one of my really close friends did. She got this adorable upstairs studio that has a view of the pool. One full moving truck and 3+ sweaty hours later we got all her stuff in her place... the couch only got mildly stuck in the stairs, but yelling "PIVOT!!" like Ross from FRIENDS seemed to help lighten the mood, and bring the neighbors running to help these damsels in distress. Best way to relax post move? Chinese food and a long nap.
• The Great Flood of 2013: Okay... so I didn't technically need to build an ark or anything remotely close, but I did have a small moat around my house and spilling into my pantry one Friday night this month. One of the waterlines to my house burst and created havoc. Luckily Jack's Plumbing came to the rescue and stopped the gurgling stream that was coming from my house. Nothing was ruined, except for a bunch of junk mail I've been meaning to destroy, and a few spiders probably got flushed away.
• Zombie Fun: While the Walking Dead is on it's winter hiatus, Girls' Night has kept with the undead tradition and have taken to watching horror/comedy flicks in it's absence. Shawn of the Dead made an appearance in the DVD player, it wasn't really what I was expecting (had no clue it was British) but it was funny in that dry way that the Brits are known for. Does I Am Legend count as a zombie movie? They weren't really undead, just scary cancer survivors, but they looked like zombies...anyway it made the cut this month too. I was less than impressed {beware spoilers ahead} the dog died AND Will Smith died? WTF man? Not cool man, not cool.
• Dream Journal: Finally after years of having really weird dreams and never writing them down I decided to start logging what goes on in my head after I fall asleep. I'm publishing them here in the bloggy blog as a series "Dream State Escalate" I don't plan on sharing them with the social networks, but they are available for your viewing pleasure. I tend to write them as I'm waking up in the morning, so please understand that they are raw and not especially well written. I just want to get the words out before pieces of them start to slip away.





Pismo Beach Pier
 

• Taking Time For Me: For anyone who has seen my calendars (yes plural) you know I jam pack my days. This month I've taken time off from that. I don't need to fill every waking second of my day, and I think it's helping my health a bit. There for awhile I felt like I was constantly on the verge of being sick and I was having a really hard time sleeping. Last week and this week for the most part my evenings have been pretty quiet after work, and I go to bed when I feel like it, not when it is "bedtime" sometimes that means 8pm, sometimes it's more like 11 or later. I don't feel the need to escape my house every night and I'm enjoying curling up with a good book again. A couple weeks ago I drove up to the beach by myself and took a ton of pictures of the ocean and finally started to feel like me again. I'm teaching myself how to use Photoshop and am learning how to make the landscape photos I enjoy so much even better. For the most part the post-break up anxiety is gone and I'm comfortable in my own skin. This doesn't mean I don't still have moments where I'm fighting back tears at my desk or wanting to throw things across my bedroom, but it does mean that I can control the impulses, and that they are happening less frequently.
• Speaking of The Break Up: I've noticed this strange trend... and I don't like it, guys who I thought were my friends (and some were Internet only friends at that) suddenly seem to think that because I'm not seeing anyone, that I'm suddenly available and wanting to date/hook up/be more than friends with them... and they've been pretty vocal about it. Like they're entitled to a piece of me, a piece that has never been offered to them before I've had a boyfriend, and certainly not days after. I actually had to tell someone "dude, just because I'm single doesn't mean I'm ready to date or up for grabs" and then he had the nerve to be upset because I "took it the wrong way" and that "we've been friends for such a long time, it's a shame to throw a friendship like ours away" um I'm not the one who was posting inappropriate things on his facebook. I'm not the one who was flirting in a way that made anyone feel physically violated just by reading it. So he crossed my boundaries, and by me calling him out on it, I destroyed our friendship. Cool bro, guess we weren't friends anyway. Guess what... I miss you about as much as I miss having athlete's foot.  As for my real guy friends... you're amazing. Seriously, for you to be there for me while I cry about other guys, for you to make me laugh when I feel like playing in traffic, and for you to calm me down when I can't sleep, I can never thank you enough or fully explain how much you mean to me. Thank you for being a real friend... not just some guy waiting to pounce because I'm vulnerable. You're different than my best girlies in that you can offer some insight into the male mind and help me understand whats going on outside of me, and even though I don't always like to hear it, I do appreciate it. I'm a lucky girl, because I really do have the best friends in the world.







Spectacular Spectacular: My September

So its time to wrap up last month, and what a fabulous month it was. September was full of adventures, laughter, spending time with friends and family.  It wasn't all fun and games, it was also a time to say goodbye to a loved one.

Are you ready to get this party started? I am.

• Boyfriend Adventures: Yes, I said it, BOYFRIEND adventures, we're all facebook official now so I can use the title.
• Labor Day Weekend when he came home from school for the long weekend. It began with a Friday night Cook Your Own at the local Elks Lodge for a friend of his family's birthday party... PS I can cook fish on the BBQ like nobody's business.



Boats & Hoes!

• Saturday we took a day trip with the intentions of going to Pfeiffer State Beach in Big Sur, but missed the turn and ended up at a BEAUTIFUL beach in Carmel that we basically had to ourselves, we maybe shared it with 20 other people, tops. After spending a few hours picnicking, watching new scuba divers venture out into the water, and yelling at seagulls (more him than me, can you believe it? I found someone more irritated by those winged rats than myself.) we decided to drive into Monterrey to see Fisherman's Wharf. We walked around the harbor, had fish and chips on the wharf, window shopped in all the tourist traps, walked through a Greek Festival, grabbed Starbucks for the drive home and made our way back to Santa Barbara County.
• Sunday we went wine tasting with his mom and her BF in Tepusquet Canyon, went dancing at Harry's Nightclub and Beach Bar in Pismo Beach, hung out at Mr. Rick's in Avila Beach (word of advice, if your boy wants to give you a piggy back ride, make sure you've got hops, because if you're like me and don't you'll both end up falling down and rolling around the parking lot at the beach), and finished the night with nachos at my aunt's house.
• Monday I introduced him to my parents. Big step right? I haven't introduced anyone I've dated since college to my mom. We met up for lunch at a local BBQ restaurant everything went smoothly and it was a lot less nerve racking as I had anticipated. Maybe I haven't given my parents enough credit over the years, but seriously when a shot gun gets brought out when you're sixteen to intimidate the guy who wants to ask you out, you learn to be cautious.
• Weekend in Fresno:
• That Good Old College Experience: When I was in college I was never really part of the "scene" I lived a half an hour away from the campus and wasn't close enough to the people who partied to trust them enough to play all the games that university students partake in. I never really felt left out or like I missed anything, but I have been assured that I have (LOL). So like any good boyfriend, mine has promised to show me the full experience of reliving my college years, without midterms, finals, or essays (at least on my part, so basically all the fun and none of the work). I learned how to play "King's Cup" (its so NOT my game, I lost both times we played) and learned that I excel at Beer Pong (or maybe he was just being encouraging?). Sunday morning we got up early(ish, okay not really) and went to go watch the COWBOYS! game at BC's... I guess all the festivities of the weekend were too much for me though, because I may have accidentally fallen asleep for a minute in the bar (oopsies! and I was only drinking water).

• Winchester Mystery House and Downtown San Jose: I've wanted to go to this house since I first saw the billboard posters when I was in high school, but never really had an opportunity. When BF found out that I haven't been there he decided that San Jose was the next stop on our journey and I'm so glad he did. The whole experience was fantastic. I do have to say the only disappointment was that the tours are no longer guided by actual docents, you are assigned a headset and a remote and have to listen to the tour. I think it would have been a much more personal experience had we had someone leading us through the house, especially considering the price of admittance. My favorite part of the visit to the house was the wine tasting on the patio, it was such a pretty day and was so relaxing. I was nice just to have a glass of wine (our bartender had a heavy hand, with 4 tastings I practically had two full glasses) and just visit with each other.  Don't get me wrong the house was beautiful, interesting, and not at all scary (I was kind of hoping it would be creepy and haunted). After our tour concluded we met up with my aunt who wasin the area visiting my cousin, and cousin's boyfriend who had just moved into their first apartment together. We spend a few hours with them, had dinner at the Gordan Biersch Brewery in Downtown SJ (their appetizers, mojitos, and lobster bisque soup are amazing, you need to go try them out), then finished the San Jose experience at the Cinebar, a cute little dive bar a few doors down from the brewery.
• Fresno State University: I received a tour of the campus, its beautiful, hung out in the library for a few minutes, and visited the cadaver lab... no dead bodies for me thank you, but I did go inside the lab where the bodies are housed, that counts for something right?
• Zombie Nights: My whole September calendar wasn't filled with boyfriend adventures, I also have maintained our weekly Girls' Night In, although now we call it "Zombie Night" since we've been watching The Walking Dead for the past few weeks. It is getting us in the Halloween spirit (one of my FAVORITE holidays), and the new season starts on October 14th so we've got to get caught up. Sometimes we go to out to dinner, sometimes Karla or her roommate cook, sometimes we order in, what matters is that we're together and having a great time. We all snuggle on the couch together, turn off all the lights, and prepare to be scared by all the brain eating gore. 
• Aunt's Funeral: This September we said goodbye to my great-aunt. She really was a great person, she raised me and other family members, she was always there with a hug and a story to tell. The funeral itself wasn't as traumatizing as many can be, we celebrated her life and wished her well. She is finally with all the loved ones that had already left us, and I know she'll continue to take care of us even though her body is gone.

We'll miss you Auntie

 

There you have it, that was September in a nutshell, can't wait to see what October brings. Keep smiling friends, its the moments that matter.