So This is The New Year...

2011 had its pile of good things and bad things (although it felt like the bad pile was a just little bit fuller than the good pile). But I'm going to start off 2012 with a clean slate and let everything else stay tucked away in the past. 

You, my readers are most certainly in the good pile. Thanks so much your readership and everyone have a safe and wonderful new year!

Also..

Sunday Videos: Love and Heartache

I didn't know that the three videos I was going to post today had a little theme going on, love and the heartache it can bring if it doesn't work out. Those are two universal truths that everyone can relate to. 

I like the Benjamin Button narrative about a couple in the video for one of Death Cab's not really depressing songs. Actually the whole album isn't entirely sad at all. I think it's due to Ben marrying Zooey and they are now the ultimate hipster couple. :P

A cute and poppy song about not so fun topic, getting over someone after a breakup. I love how Sara Bareilles put a 50's doo-wop spin to this song. Plus the video is really fun to watch and it was directed by Jonah Hill. 

Of course I leave the most depressing video for last. I seriously love how Adele brings so much emotions to her songs that you can almost feel her pain as you listen to it. Also fun fact: she co-wrote this song with Dan Wilson, who used to be the lead singer/songwriter of one of my favorite late 90's bands Semisonic.

Sunday Videos: Codes and Keys

The new Death Cab for Cutie album Codes and Keys comes out on Tuesday. In honor of that, here are some of my favorite videos.

Last Christmas I Gave You My Heart, The Very Next Day You Gave It Away

It feels like once Thanksgiving comes around, the next 6 weeks are in overdrive. Christmas is already next week. I'm almost done with my Christmas shopping, just have the parentals left, which will be pretty easy. My mom has mentioned once or twice about wanting gift cards to T.J. Maxx. As for my dad, I usually get him a Home Depot gift card. Maybe I'll switch it up and get him a Lowes gift card. Crazy! I have my mini Christmas tree up, but I just need to find the decorations and I keep forgetting to buy a power strip so I can actually light my tree. Once I get that all settled, I'll take some pictures of it.

 I also found out that there's a outdoor ice skating rink 15 minutes from my house. I'm hoping I can go there when my sister and her boyfriend are in town next week. Although it probably won't look as fancy to them since they live in NYC, which has the beautiful ice rink at the Rockefeller Center. Now I just need to find a place with pretty Christmas lights and I'll have my little Christmas list complete.

You know what else I like about Christmas?

The music of course.

Here's a little list of some of my favorite Christmas songs.

Create a MySpace Playlist at MixPod.com

I love Conan's and Chris Martin's version of "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas."
Too Funny.

Take Me Out To The Ball Game

 Saw these two videos via a Facebook post from my sisters friend and I had to post it. 

Some singers over sing these two sports staples all the time. But some times, the best renditions are simple which makes it even more beautiful.

 

Viva La Música!: We Are Now Flying at 50,000 ft.

Music is one of my many passions and I'm a music junky. I like anything from musicals, pop, rock, classical and even some county. I listen to music in the car and unabashedly love to sing at the top of my lungs. Well unless I'm at a light and a car is right next to me. I try to go to as many concerts as I can. Plus I can fall soundly asleep listening to music. 

I know that when I get a house, I want to have a music room filled with my favorite albums and records and a killer stereo system. 

So why not channel my love of music to a weekly blog post. Which brings me to my new weekly feature, "Viva La Música!"

Every Monday I'll have music related posts. From music videos, my favorite bands, album reviews, you name it. 

For this post I was inspired by the new Kate Nash video for "Do Wah Do" and the whole 60's flight attendant theme. This made me think of some other popular music videos all involving those stewards in the sky.

Enjoy!

I also had to add this one. It doesn't have any flight attendants but there is an airport involved. Plus this is one of my favorite songs.

You said this city has a beating heart...

Last Friday, my boyfriend and I had a little day trip to San Diego, which ended with us going to see Death Cab for Cutie in Solana Beach.

First we went to Balboa park. We walked around for the most part but also went to the Japanese Friendship Garden, which was small but quaint. I liked the Koi pond there.
I think we're going to have to make another trip in the near future. There's a Richard Avedon exhibit at the San Diego Museum of Art that I want to see.

You can check out the rest of the pictures here.

After spending a few hours at Balboa Park, we decided to check out this cupcake shop located in Hillcrest, that I found out about on-line a few days before. Called Babycakes it was this cute little cupcake shop inside of an old house right on 5th. Their cupcakes were muffin sided and very yummy. We chose three of them, the Blood Orange, Peanut Butter and Jelly and Pistachio.

My favorite was the Blood Orange. It was a moist white cake with hints of orange in it. It also had some blueberries on the bottom of the cake, a raspberry/citrus jelly in the middle and topped off with cream cheese frosting. It was so good.

The Peanut Butter and Jelly was my boyfriends favorite. That was a chocolate cake with grape jelly in the center and peanut butter frosting. I think we were both mixed about the Pistachio cupcake, which was had bits of pistachio in a green hued white cake with green butter cream frosting. I think it was the bits of pistachio in the cupcake that threw us off. Overall, I would go back there the next time I was in Hillcrest.

After our snack of delicious cupcakes, we made our way to the Gaslamp District to get some dinner at the Red Pearl Kitchen. We were still a little full from our cupcake excursion, that we just ordered appetizers. So we decided to get the Vegetable Spring Rolls and the Thai Chili-Glazed Calamari. Little did we know that we went during Happy Hour, so they gave us even more food, for free. So we also got two of their Spicy Tuna Tempura Eggplant and Pan-Fried Potstickers. Plus a little bowl of their Wok-Roasted Edamame. We didn't even get to finish the appetizers we ordered. Too bad we didn't get any pictures of it, cause it was all really good.

When we finished all can of our dinner, we finally made the trek up the 5 Freeway, to the Belly Up Tavern in the beach town of Solana Beach. I was really excited that Death Cab was going to play a show there. Not only is the venue really small and intimate, but I'd be able to take pictures there. However, as we pulled up near the venue, we saw signs plastered along the venue wall stating, "No Cameras or Recording Devices During the Concert." I was a little disappointed cause I wanted to take pictures. But I didn't want to risk it, so I left the camera in the car. Good thing I did cause during the show, didn't matter if they had a camera or cell phone, if security caught you taking pictures or filming, it got confiscated right away.

Overall it was a wonderful show. The crowd was good along with the set-list. You can check out the set-list for the show here. My boyfriend was fascinated by the lighting of the show, which I thought was cute. Plus he got me a shirt, which I will post soon.

It was a great day trip and I hope to do it again real soon.

Looking Forward

Going to see this wonderful band on Friday with my special someone. So excited!