20100731

Elko, Nevada - Photo.a.Day


Here Ali and I are, outside of the California National Historic Trail Interpretive Center, in Elko, Nevada. We absolutely love this quote... we are certainly West Coast-philes!

Yesterday I found out that I would be able to spend the weekend in Salt Lake City! I was so happy to not have to say goodbye to my mom and sister quite yet. We stumbled upon this museum along I-80. It was fantastic! If you ever find yourself in Elko, definitely go check it out. There was a lot of information on the Donner Party and others who took the trails, the military, and 19th century medical practices/tools in the West.

Happy weekend!

This Time Tomorrow - Song.a.Day


I absolutely love this song. It's become something of a ritual of mine to listen to it on the plane between Salt Lake and Sacramento. With my sister and mom leaving today, it seems appropriate.

Tomorrow I will be back to normal posting lyrics and such! Happy Saturday, Blogosphere!

20100730

UCSC Tennis Camp! - Photo.a.Day

Today my mom and I went to pick up my sister, Ali, at her tournament training camp at the University of California, Santa Cruz! We got to watch her play a few "mini-matches" - here she is serving! She had several aces ("an ace up her sleeve!" as I like to say) and finished the match out with a killer shot. She won the camp's "Coaches' Choice" award! Amazing, as usual!

20100729

Redwoods - Photo.a.Day

My mom and I went on a lovely day trip. We hit the redwoods, the Pacific, wine country, and, of course, farm towns! Here's a picture showing how tall these redwoods are! Keep in mind, these are young ones!

Kodachrome - Song.a.Day

When I think back on all the crap I learned in high school
It's a wonder I can think at all
And though my lack of education hasn't hurt me none
I can read the writing on the wall

Kodachrome
You give us those nice bright colors
Give us the greens of summers
Makes you think all the world's a sunny day
I got a Nikon camera
I love to take a photograph
So mama, don't take my Kodachrome away

If you took all the girls I knew when I was single
And brought 'em all together for one night
I know they'd never match my sweet imagination
And everything looks worse in black and white

Kodachrome
You give us those nice bright colors
Give us the greens of summers
Makes you think all the world's a sunny day
I got a Nikon camera
I love to take a photograph
So mama, don't take my Kodachrome away.

-Kodachrome by Paul Simon
This song takes me back to the spring of my senior year of high school. I took AP Environmental Science and part of our curriculum was a fun trip to various places in Southern Utah to study, not surprisingly, the environment. Of course, one of those places was Kodachrome. We sang along to this song while driving to various parks.

The first line is particularly awesome for anyone experiencing "senioritis." If you take it a giant step further and went to Highland High... everything does look worse In Black and White (the name of our lit mag for which I was head editor).

A fun fact about this song: Back in the day the UK wouldn't allow it to be played on the air. Why? Because the government deemed it an advertisement for Kodak and Nikon.

20100728

Mockingbird - Song.a.Day


I'm being a little lazy blogging this week as I have fabulous house guests! So this post is going to be a short one.

Rob Thomas and Matchbox Twenty always remind me of good times with my sisters. My older sister, Emily, and I have being singing along to his/their music since she was in high school. I took my younger sister, Ali, to a Rob Thomas concert a few years ago. We had a blast.

I really like this song -- a little play on the old Mockingbird tune. Enjoy!

20100727

Adventures in Mattress Shopping - Photo.a.Day

Today my mom and I hung out and chatted quite a bit. After lunch, we decided to go to the Farmer's Kitchen Cafe to pick up a loaf of gluten-free bread and, most importantly, sugar cookies. Their sugar cookies are pure deliciousness. And after a meeting with my advisor, we went to In-n-Out for dinner and mattress shopping! Success was had - as seen above! I can't wait to snooze!

Tomorrow we're going to head over to the UC Davis bookstore and the fabulous Wednesday farmer's market! And on Thursday...

Mendocino!

I love having my mom visit. It's so much fun!

When All the Stars Were Falling - Song.a.Day

When all the stars were falling
I reached up like you said
All the stars were falling, one hit me in the head
And I fell down, down, down
I fell down, down

When all the stars were falling
They fell from above
And I thought of hate, and I thought of hate
And then I thought of love
And I fell down, down, down
I fell down, down

And I've learned how to dance from a Vincent van Gogh,
And the nights were wrapped in a white sheet
And now no one even says hello
'Cause I couldn't stand on my two feet
I fell down
I fell down

Now the peace you will find, on your own you have found
The lights of the city are the stars on the ground
I may not be a quaalude living in a speed zone
But I could be restful, I could be someone's home
If I fell down
And I fell down, down

Now all the stars have fallen.

-When All the Stars Were Falling by Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories
I love the lyric: "I learned how to dance from a Vincent van Gogh." So visual.
I also love Lisa Loeb's glasses. I bought my first plastic frames after studying her Cake and Pie album booklet. For example:

20100726

Caulking and Acrylic Boxes - Photo.a.Day


I got these nifty tiny acrylic boxes at the Crate and Barrel Outlet in Berkeley yesterday. They make me and my earrings so happy! But as far as today goes...


My mom is staying with me for a week -- taking a break. She told me that she wanted to redo the caulking on my bathtub. I really, really couldn't say no. We went to various places in Davis getting the necessities for the project. While I worked on some analyses, my loving mom fixed up the tub. Doesn't it look fantastic? It completely improved my bathroom!

Gonna Get Along Without Ya Now - Song.a.Day

Mmm hmm, mmm hmm
Gonna get along without you now
Mmm hmm la la la, mmm hmm la la la
Gonna get along without you now

You told me I was the neatest thing
You even asked me to wear your ring
You ran around with every girl in town
You never cared if it got me down

Mmm hmm, mmm hmm
Gonna get along without you now
Mmm hmm la la la, mmm hmm la la la
Gonna get along without you now

Got along without you before I met you
Gonna get along without you now
Gonna find somebody who's twice as cute
'Cause I didn't like you anyhow

You told everybody that we were friends
But this is where our friendship ends
All of a sudden you changed your tune
You haven't been around since way last June

Mmm hmm, mmm hmm
Gonna get along without you now
Got along without you before I met you
Gonna get along without you now

So long, my honey
Goodbye, my dear
Gonna get along without you now.

-Gonna Get Along Without Ya Now by Patience and Prudence
I really think this is one of the best break-up songs ever. And it has a spooky feeling to it, too. Patience and Prudence's (real names) voices are kind of eery. Cracks me up.

20100725

Capitola and Pillows - Photo.a.Day

My sister, Ali, mom, and I went to Capitola today to have lunch and check out Monterrey Bay from a new beach. So beautiful! I love the Pacific!

My sister, Emily, made me these funky pillows! They are so summery and fun. Thanks, Em!!

(Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You've Been Gone - Song.a.Day

Baby baby, sweet baby
There's something that I just got to say
Baby baby, sweet baby
You left me hurtin' in a real cold way

Speak your name and I'll feel a thrill
You said I do and I said I will

I tell you that I'll stay true
And give you just a little time
Wait on me baby,
I want you to be all mine
I just get so blue

Since you've been gone
Why'd you do it? why'd you have to do it?
Since you've been gone
Why'd you do it? why'd you have to do it...?

-(Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You've Been Gone by Aretha Franklin
I think this amazing song speaks for itself. Sooooo good.

20100724

Ali in Davis - Photo.a.Day

Mom and Ali made it to Davis! We had an enjoyable afternoon -- ate dinner at Steve's Pizza, did a little grocery and clothes shopping at Target, and ate tasty treats (like the popsicle pictured above) and talked about my thesis project, body image and women, and women's rights through the ages. So much fun!

Ali stole my hat... I told her it was fine as long as she'd let me take a picture. For those of you who know, doesn't she look quite a bit like Emily here? Crazy! Especially her eyes... Ah, sisters! I love 'em!

Tomorrow we are going to Santa Cruz, Alameda Island, and Berkeley!

P.S. Wish you were here, Em!

Let it Be - Song.a.Day

When I find myself in times of trouble
Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom
Let it be

And in my hour of darkness
She is standing right in front of me
Speaking words of wisdom
Let it be

Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be,
Whisper words of wisdom
Let it be

And when the broken hearted people
Living in the world agree
There will be an answer
Let it be

And though they may be parted
There is still a chance that they will see
There will be an answer
Let it be

Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be,
There will be an answer
Let it be
Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be,
Whisper words of wisdom
Let it be

And when the night is cloudy
There is still a light that shines on me
Shine until tomorrow
Let it be

I wake up to the sound of music
Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom
Let it be

Yeah, let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be,
There will be an answer
Let it be
Yeah, let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be,
Whisper words of wisdom
Let it be.

-Let it Be by Nick Cave
I really like this cover of Let it Be. I'm a fan of Nick Cave and his deep, soulful voice and this is one of my favorite Beatles tunes. It's from the soundtrack of My Name is Sam, an album of well-known artists covering Beatles tunes. I have mixed feelings about the movie but the soundtrack is fantastic.

20100723

iPod Touch Applications - .FIVE.

I've enjoyed reading others' blogs about their favorite iPod Touch, iPhone, and iPad applications... I thought I'd join in the fun and share FIVE of my favorites. In no particular order:
  1. Betty Crocker Cookbook - Free - This is an amazing eCookbook. You can search for recipes by type or by ingredients. So, if you're like me and magically end up to your ears in zucchini, tomatoes, and a need for inspiration, Betty won't let you down. And it's free. So why not?!
  2. is that GLUTEN FREE? - $5.99 - A shopping guide for us celiacs, gluten-intolerants, and other glutenphobes. It's easy to use and the main plus is that it is updated all the time. The problem with paper-based shopping guides is that food producers and manufacturers change their ingredients frequently so shopping guides can quickly become out of date. This one keeps up with the times!
  3. Words with Friends - $0.99 - A great Scrabble game! Add friends by user name and get Scrabblin'.
  4. BGluMon - $1.99 - I've tried a couple of glucose monitoring applications and this one if my favorite. It has a nice graph showing what your blood sugars have been up to for the past day. It gives you instant stats and the hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia ranges are customizable. It makes the tedious work of glucose monitoring a little more like a game.
  5. Savage Love - $1.99 - Dan's sage advice in my pocket? Yes please. This application includes the Question of the Day, the Savage Lovecast, Dan's YouTube videos and, of course, the advice column. It's for mature, open-minded, and difficult to offend audiences only. (Reading Dan's column for a couple of years was great prep for me to TA Human Sexuality.)
There's my five! Do you have any recommendations for applications for any or all platforms?

SASsy DO loop - Photo.a.Day

The SASsy DO loop: sweet SAS command... or even sweeter dance move?

I'm having quite a bit of fun this summer learning old SAS and I am thrilled about DO looping! Instead of having to recode each variable individually, you can throw all the variables into an array and recode 'em in one swoop.

Pretty freaking awesome. Now I'm a little upset with all the time I've spent in the past recoding individual variables.

Never again!

/end nerd rant.

Hooked on Big Bands - Song.a.Day

-Hooked on Big Bands by Larry Elgart & His Manhattan Swing Orchestra
Growing up, my family had a closet full of cassette tapes and LPs. Hooked on Classics and Hooked on Swing were two of my favorites. When I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, my parents gave me Hooked on Swing on CD to listen to in my hospital room. Sweet, eh?

I chose the song off the album at random. They are all fabulously fun. :-)

20100722

Back to California - Song.a.Day

I've been feelin' down in Atlanta
Immobile in Alabama
I'd rather be in traction
Than to be here where I am
Oh, you Georgia red clay
And green Virginia pines
I've got to make it home somehow
Before I lose my mind

Hey now, Philly, you street city
Been down by the railroad track
I know you can be a sweet city
But I won't soon be back
Haystack towns and smokestack cities
Are nothin' I want to see
My own house on high ground
Is the only place I want to be

So won't you carry me back to California
I've been on the road too long
Take me to the west coast, daddy
And let me be where I belong.

-Back to California by Carole King
I love Carole King. She has got amazing chops, killer songwriting skills, a gorgeous voice, and she played my favorite character on the Gilmore Girls.

And this song contains pretty much everything you need to know about the United States. California is the best. Now, why King lives in Idaho... I do not know. Well, actually she loves her Rockies. I have absolutely no quarrel with that.

20100721

Pony Ride - Photo.a.Day

At the Farmer's Market today, I snapped a few photographs of kids taking pony rides. All of the children smiled at me except this gal. She took this pony ride quite seriously and looks a little nervous. I like the expression on her face and her bare feet. (I had some fun editing it, too.)

I Hope Tomorrow is Like Today - Song.a.Day

I'm awake, you're still sleepin'
The sun'll rise like yesterday
Everything that we are now
Is everything we can't let go

Oh, it's gone forever, far away
I hope tomorrow is like today

Don't you go away tomorrow
I don't think I could handle that
You're probably dreamin' that you're flying on
Then you start to fall but then you rise

And shine forever, don't go away
I hope tomorrow is like today.

-I Hope Tomorrow is Like Today by Guster
Ben Kweller lends his voice for this sweet song. I love the guitar part in the second half of the piece. Interesting rhythms. It really stands out when you ignore the vocals.

20100720

Ingredients - Photo.a.Day

For dinner I'm making a slightly embellished version of Nigella's Tomato and Rice "Soup". It's a really simple dish, lying somewhere between Spanish rice, spaghetti, and jambalaya. Sounds a little crazy, I know.

The ingredients are:
  • 1 jar of a favorite spaghetti sauce
  • 3 cups water
  • 1 cup basmati rice (I've tried this with brown rice and it works well)
  • 2 medium zucchinis, quartered and sliced
  • 1 medium yellow onion, sliced/chopped/whatever-is-easy
  • 1 precooked chicken sausage, sliced (I use Saag's)
  • Salt and pepper (crushed red is quite lovely!) to taste
The way I make it is:
  1. With a small amount of olive oil or cooking spray, cook the onions until almost translucent over medium-high heat. Add a little salt. (3-4 minutes)
  2. Add zucchini and cook until soft but well before a golden/brown stage begins. (4-5 minutes)
  3. Add the chicken sausage and stir.
  4. Pour in the spaghetti sauce and dilute it with the three cups of water.
  5. Stir in rice and bring to a boil.
  6. Drop heat to medium-low. Cook until rice is tender, stirring occasionally to keep anything on the bottom from burning. Rice could be done in as little as 10 minutes.
  7. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve!
It makes a lot of tastiness!

Closer to You - Song.a.Day

How soft a whisper can get
When you're walking through a crowded space
I hear every word being said
I remember that everyday
I get a little bit closer to you

How long an hour can take
When you're staring into open space
When I feel I'm slipping further away
I remember that everyday
I get a little bit closer to you

These are the days that I won't get back
I won't hear you cry or hear you laugh
When it's quiet and I don't hear a thing
Well, I can always hear you

You know there's no where else I wanted to be
Than be there when you needed me
I'm sorry too but don't give up on me
And just remember that when you were asleep
I got a little bit closer to you

-Closer to You by The Wallflowers
This song is gorgeous orchestrally. I like the soft piano and strings. And Jakob Dylan's voice is no doubt ear candy.

But there is no denying that this song belongs on a scary stalker and/or obsessed significant other playlist, with The Police's Every Breath You Take, The Beatles' Run for Your Life, and Tommy Tutone's Jenny (867-5309).

Just sayin'!

(Brandi Carlile's Closer to You seems a bit more consensual.)

20100719

Catch My Disease - Song.a.Day

My head is a box filled with nothin'
And that's the way I like it
My garden's a secret compartment
And that's the way I like it
Your body's a dream that turns violent
And that's the way I like it
The winter is long in the city
And that's the way I like it

So please, baby, please
Open your heart and catch my disease

I was backstage in Pomona
And that's the way I like it
She drank beer with Coca Cola
And that's the way I like it
She told me about the winds from Santa Ana
And that's the way I like it
She told me she'd love me like fireworks
And that's the way I like it

So please, baby, please
Open your eyes and catch my disease
So please, baby, please
Come on and catch my disease

They play Good Charlotte on the radio
And that's the way I like it
They play Sleepy Jackson on the radio
And that's the way I like it
I hear Beyoncé on the radio
And that's the way I like it
They don't play me on the radio
But that's the way I like it

So please, baby, please
Open your heart and catch my disease
So please, baby, please
Come on and catch my disease

-Catch My Disease by Ben Lee
Tonight I was in the mood for some really light and fun music. Enter Ben Lee.

Obviously the self-depreciating lyrics with a twist of contentment are humorous. But my favorite part is the charming keyboard you hear at the beginning and throughout the song.

That keyboard is a toy piano. Seriously. Awesome.

20100718

Closer to You - Song.a.Day

It's hard to let the miles pass me by
Yellow lines that blend together in my eyes
And when the seasons change again
Then I will too
But I just want to be closer to you

I'm staring out at endless rows of green
There are miles of hay like I've never seen
Just when you think you've had enough
Your dreams come true
I just want to be closer to you...

...Someday we might learn to tell the truth
We might even find the fountains of our youth
We all needed something real
We all need proof
But I just want to be closer to you

I only want to be closer to you.

-Closer to You by Brandi Carlile
This song reminds me of summer. In fact, summer '08 when I took a handful of classes at the University of Utah. I would roll down the windows in my classic 1995 Saturn to conserve gas (that was the expensive summer -- $4/gallon) when I drove to campus. When Closer to You came up on my summer playlist, I'd crank it up and sing along.

Good times.

20100717

Video - Song.a.Day

Sometimes I shave my legs and sometimes I don't
Sometimes I comb my hair and sometimes I won't
Depending how the wind blows, I might even paint my toes
It really just depends on whatever feels good in my soul

When I look in the mirror and the only one there is me
Every freckle on my face is where it's supposed to be
And I know our creator didn't make no mistakes on me
My feet, my thighs, my lips, my eyes. I'm lovin' what I see

Am I less of a lady if I don't wear pantyhose
My mama said a lady ain't what she wears but what she knows
But I've drawn a conclusion: It's all an illusion
Confusion's the name of the game
A misconception, a vast deception
Something's gotta change

I'm not the average girl from your video
And I ain't built like a supermodel
But I learned to love myself unconditionally
Because I am a queen

I'm not the average girl from your video
My worth is not determined by the price of my clothes
No matter what I'm wearing I will always be India Arie

-Video by India Arie

India Arie is one of those artists that always makes you feel good. Her music is positive and gorgeous. Heavy bass lines, an incredible voice, delightful orchestration, and a wonderful message.

I've liked this song for quite a while but it's become the theme song of my thesis (studying body image and all). Yay for India!

Rediscovered Photograph - Photo.a.Day

In an attempt to find more memory for my old RAZR phone, I copied all the pictures on it to my computer. Most of them were of my younger sister and her friends (she had the phone for about a year or so in her possession) but this one is, well, the best. A few years old but seriously smiley.

A little blast from the past!

20100716

Wicked Little Town - Song.a.Day

Forgive me for I did not know
'Cause I was just a boy. You were so much more
Than any God could ever plan
More than a woman or a man
And now I understand how much I took from you

When everything starts breaking down
You take the pieces off the ground
And show this wicked town something beautiful and new

You think that luck has left you there
But maybe there's nothing up in the sky but air
And there's no mystical design
No cosmic lover preassigned
There's nothing you can find that cannot be found

'Cause with all the changes you've been through
It seems the stranger's always you
Alone again in some new wicked little town

So when you've got no other choice
You know you can follow, follow my voice
Through the dark turns and noise of this wicked little town
'Cause it's a wicked little town
Goodbye, wicked little town.

-Wicked Little Town [Tommy Gnosis Version] by The Bens
I discovered this song when I was checking out music at my beloved Anderson Library in Salt Lake. I picked up this album called "Wig in a Box" and checked it out because there was a track by Stephen Colbert. You'd be intrigued too, right?

Well, a real gem on the album is this song. It's sung by Ben Kweller with back-up vocals by Ben Folds and Ben Lee. I enjoy the piano by Folds' as well as the intriguing vagueness of the situation (unless you've seen the musical, which I hadn't until recently). I love how he refers to the person as "more than a woman or a man." Perhaps they transcend gender roles... or are just greater to the singer than a mere mortal. It's up for you to decide.

The song is a cover from Hedwig and the Angry Inch.