Sunday, January 28, 2007

I don't speak French!

I know this probably doesn't come as a shock to any of you. And it's really not a shock to me... but I don't speak French!

I blame my parents (because that's who you are always supposed to blame) that music is like air for me. It's incredibly challenging to live without it. I listen to music when i shower, drive, work, when i'm on a plane, sometimes when i'm sleeping, while i cook, clean, paint, workout, even when playing racquetball (which requires a small amount of communication with your partner). I LOVE music.

I somewhat recently blogged about Finale night. One of the shows we watched at Finale night was Sex and the City. A good portion of the Finale takes place in France. Toward the end, there was a song in the sound track that i fell in love with. It was French, and it was Rap/hip hop. It was an amazing sound and i quickly became obsessed. With Will's help (meaning... it was all him) I was able to find the artist and the cd that the song came from. Since the song was so great i felt like i wanted the whole cd. That's not typical for me, but it was such a unique sound (the brash rap/hip hop beats combined with the soft romantic French language.... AWESOME!) that i was pretty sure i would like it.

The easiest option seemed to be iTunes. The problem was, they didn't have the entire cd, so they refused to sell it at the "album price" of $9.99. Instead they were selling it for $0.99 per song.... I don't like paying $16 and not even having a physical cd to show for it. (I'm weird like that i guess). I called a Luna Music who said they could order it for me, but it was on backorder and could be weeks. I checked Rhapsody... no dice. Amazon had a few copies listed ranging from about $13 to $50 (did i mention it was import only and therefore generally more expensive than a typical cd?) The $13 amazon offer didn't have the greatest feedback record so i kept waiting. Finally ... I found a copy on ebay for about $15.

Let's go back to the constantly listening to music thing for a minute. Because I listen to so much music, it sometimes occurs to me that i have no idea what a song is about. I get caught up in the beat and the flow and after listening to a song several times i catch on to the melody and am suddenly singing along. I've discovered that simply knowing the words doesn't translate to understanding the song. On more than one occasion I've been singing along to song for the 400th time and out of no where the meaning of the words finally sinks in. It sounds ridiculous... but hopefully at least one of you can understand what I'm talking about.

About 80-90% of the music i listen to is in English, most of the rest is Spanish. Because i speak Spanish it's really easy for me to start singing along with these songs too. However, in Spanish, it's even easier for me to have no idea what I'm singing about, because it takes a bit more mental effort on my part.

Enter my new French cd.... the artist's name is Passi and the cd title is Les Tentations. The song that got me hooked (and according to the reviews on Amazon, i'm not the first to be hooked as a result of the Sex in the City finale) is Il Fait Chaud. Since I got the cd (3-4 days ago) I've listened to it almost exclusively. I love it. I'm quite pleased with my purchase. It has however caused me to realize something..... I don't speak French!!!!!! Again, I never really thought that i did, but it's still weird. Typically after 3-4 days of a new cd i can sing along to at least 4 or 5 songs, and i can tell you which songs are good and which ones suck. I know NOTHING about this cd!!!!!!!! Besides the song that originally turned me on to the disc, I can't name a single song. The only reason i know ANY of the lyrics, is because I remember the "after school special" that taught me how to count to 10 in French. I can't sing along, because the sounds don't compute in my head. I sometimes think i'm catching on to a phrase, and then i realize it's and English or Spanish phrase, and therefore, probably not correct at all.

While I do think that French is a beautiful language, it was towards the bottom of the list of languages I want to learn (and yes, i do have a list, and i'm waaaaaaaaaay behind schedule). The (VERY) little that i know about the French language makes me think that it would be incredibly challenging to learn. I think English would be virtually impossible to learn as a second language, but luckily i don't have that challenge. Spanish, while challenging, makes a lot of sense. Once you learn your alphabet and the phonics behind it, you can read like a pro. You may not understand what your reading, but you can at least begin to imitate sounds easily. Every letter has an assigned pronunciation. Comprehension will come with time. In French they drop off like half the word.... like it doesn't exist. There are multiple letters at the ends of words that get no recognition. It's just weird!!!!

Ok... enough of my blathering. I don't speak French. There you have it. I love my CD, but I have a feeling it will be a loooooooooooooong time before i have the ability to sing along with it, much less understand it. It's like "Joy and pain, like sunshine and rain." Me and my non French speaking self are going to bed. Buenos Noches!!!

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Super Bowl Baby!!!!

THE COLTS ARE GOING TO THE SUPER BOWL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ok honestly, that could be my entire post, but when have you known me to be a person of few words?!? So.... Sunday was the AFC Championship game! The Indianapolis Colts versus the SUCKY New England Patriots. For those who don't know the history, the Colts and Patriots have had a nasty history which consists mostly of the Patriots beating the crap out of us and keeping us out of the Super Bowl. The times, how they change!!

Monday, January 15, 2007

Cheat Day!!!

Will and I have been trying (unsuccessfully) to lose weight. So, with the help and suggestions of our nutritionist (The Narrator) we're employing new methods. One of the methods is Cheat day. Basically what that means is that we eat right the whole week, and then on cheat day we get to eat whatever we want. Now, that may not seem like a big deal, but have you given yourself permission to eat anything you want for a whole day? I mean ANYTHING.... all day long. So... Cheat day consisted of...
1. An omlette from Cafe Patachou for breakfast (trust me when i say that is cheating... those omlettes are faaaaaaaaaar from healthy, but they're sooooooooo good)
2. For lunch we were watching the Colts game (more on that later) so we of course had to order pizza (from Hot Box... mmmmm yum)
3. After playing racquet ball we decided that we really needed to go all out... I mean, it was cheat day and we exercised! That deserves bonus food! We planned to go to Dairy Queen, but they were closed. We headed to Marsh. I got Ben & Jerry's and Cupcakes!!!! yes... i ate both... it was soooo good.

I LOOOOOVE cheat day!!!!!!!

So... besides the food part, Saturday was a pretty awesome day. The boyfriend and I got a new TV. I never really thought that i needed HD. I mean I wanted a bigger TV, but i didn't really understand all the HD stuff. Now... I'm addicted. The boyfriend had the TV up and running on time to watch the Colts came.

In case you don't know yet... THE COLTS WON!!!!! They are going to the AFC Championship. And... to make it even better... the Patriots won. Now normally i would be upset about that. I hate the Patriots. But because the Patriots won, it means that the patriots are coming HERE to play the Colts. HOME GAME AFC CHAMPIONSHIP!!!! And the Pats FINALLY have to come here instead of us going there!!!!! The world is a beautiful place!!!!!

Thursday, January 11, 2007

Big Announcement

NO! I'm not engaged! and NO! I'm not pregnant! (so stop asking, MOM!) Now that we have that out of the way.....

This past week or so my sleep schedule has been kinda screwed up because of the holidays and the not having to go to work and getting to stay up late. So the other night while trying to get myself back on schedule in an attempt to have a somewhat productive work week, I decided to go to bed at a decent hour. Getting to bed wasn't a problem, I'm pretty much a bum by nature and would be fine with never getting out of bed in the first place. The problem came with the sleeping. It wasn't really happening. So as I laid there staring at the ceiling, clock, insides of my eyelids, my mind began to wonder. It wondered to many places that night but one place in particular seemed to be the most important. It was wonderfully brilliant and it is because of that mind wondering that I would like to make this announcement today.

I would like to announce my candidacy for the 2016 Presidential election. (Though Will tells me I shouldn't actually announce my candidacy, I have to announce my intent to form an exploratory committee, so I guess that's what I'm actually doing... but whatever!) Now, I know what you all are thinking, but trust me I've thought this through. Let me explain.....

1. Why 2016?
Simple I won't be old enough to run until then.

2. Since when do I care about politics?
It's not politics I'm interested in, it's the American people. They deserve to have me as their President.

3. Wouldn't it make more sense to start out running for Mayor or something before jumping straight to the Presidency?
Maybe for some people, but not for me. I have a theory. The longer a person holds public office, the more corrupt they tend to become. (I know there are probably exceptions, so don't start throwing out the names of your favorite politicians, because frankly, i don't care.) By going straight to the Presidency, I get to pass the corrupting and the American people get me... an honest person with no hidden agenda.

4. What makes you think you can win?
Well it's me - DUH! But really... I think politicians tend to be extremist. They think if they can't have it their way then it just shouldn't happen. I (and i think the majority of Americans) take a more moderate view. I understand that some times you can't get everything you want, but you can get something closer to what you want if you're willing to listen to the other side and make a compromise. It doesn't have to be all or nothing. Also, I'm cute and sassy... who wouldn't vote for that?!!?

5. How are you going to fund your campaign?
I've already got one person who said they would make a contribution (thanks K-dog) I only need about.... a bagillion more. Besides, I'm in marketing, i'm creative! This is a grassroots campaign. It starts here.... with you... my loyal readers... all 7 (ish) of you! Plus, i've got years to get my name out there... If i start now... I'll be a household name by 2016.

So there you have it. Congratulations! You're one of the first to know! I'm counting on your vote! Isn't it a good thing I couldn't sleep? This might never have come to me. (Anyone think i should consider taking sleeping pills?)

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

I know, i know, I'm a little late. Get over it. So... New Year's Eve! It started with the Colts game. They were playing the Miami Dolphins. Now, normally the company suite bleeds blue. Lots of Colts fans! Occasionally we get a stray Bengals fan or maybe even a Titans fan, but for the most part we have dedicated Colts fans. Well, the Doctor and the Quitter happen to be pretty die hard Dolphins fans. It was an amusing game to say the least. The Doctor who normally performs an emphatic touchdown dance after each Colts touchdown chose to do his dance only for Dolphins touchdowns (or should i say touchdown - singular). I felt the Colts needed the dance so I decided to take over for the Doctor. I did offer to let him do it as he sat pouting in his seat. I received a deadpan "NO" in response. hehehehehehe. The Colts of course won, though it should have been a bigger blowout. I had a great time though. I laughed at the Quitter a lot because she was decked out in Dolphins gear, but she really wanted to Colts to win for playoff purposes. She also couldn't help but get excited when her favorite (Colts) player, Joseph Addai, did well. It was also fun because Rica and her hubby were there, so i got to talk to them a bit.

After the game the boyfriend and I made a dash for Chicago. By dash, i mean we moved like cattle through the massive crowd leaving the dome and then sat in the garage traffic for an hour. We were staying at ArtBoy's apartment and it took us FOREVER to find a parking spot. The Reverend met us there and we all changed clothes and headed to Murphy's Bleachers. It was a cute a sports bar literally across the street from Wrigley Field. We had purchased tickets in advance which entitled us to free drinks and appetizers until 1:30am. The place was packed but we managed to find the Reverend's other friends and stood talking to them for most of the night.

Throughout the night the Reverend kept getting text messages from a friend who had a condo downtown. Once the free drinks stopped pouring at Murphy's, we decided to head to the friend's condo. From here on out, i feel it's best to describe the evening in things that "might" have happened.... (Also, this is where my bosses should stop reading, or if you read it, pretend your reading the blog of some crazy girl you've never met, not your favorite employee)

While at Murphy's I "might" have had a few rounds of a pretty drink called a Tequila Sunrise.
When we got into the cab to go from the bar to the condo, i "might" have been in a REALLY REALLY good mood and "might" have carried on a great conversation with the Cabbie (I actually "might" remember his full name, but you know we don't do names here) He "might" have 3 daughters, ages 15, 17, and 19 and he "might" have been living in Chicago for 15 years. Also he "might" be from Ghana. (Just in case you were wondering). I "might" have told him (several times) that he was the greatest cab driver ever and that i was impressed that no one had puked in his cab yet considering it was New Years. I "might" have been so utterly impressed by his driving abilities that i called the 800 number for "compliments and complaints" and raved about him for 5 minutes.

When we got to the condo we met the Reverend's other friends who "might" have been about as "happy" as I was. We had lots of fun swapping stories about the Reverend and for various reason, which I won't discuss here, we opted to stay at the condo instead of trecking back to the apartment. The next morning the three of us did the "walk of shame" to the train and headed back to the apartment. After showering and changing the Reverend headed out to see some more friends that lived in the area and the boyfriend and I (unable to reach Beana) headed for Ikea. After shopping we went to heaven, I mean Gino's, and had my favorite Chicago style pizza and then we stopped at Jamba Juice to pick me up a Mango-a-go-go for the trip home.

All in all it was a fun trip. I'm thinking back to New Year's past. I think my best New Year's have been in Chicago, Colorado Spring, Costa Rica. It seems to me that New Years should be a destination holiday, as long as that destination includes lots of friends.

I don't do that whole Resolution thing. I've done it in the past and it never works so I've abandoned ship on the idea. i always love to hear other people's resolutions though so feel free to share those and your new year's stories in the comments section. I guess that's about it... Happy New YEAR!!!

Tuesday, January 02, 2007

Happy Birthday to.....

Oh yeah. MEEEEEEEEEEEEE!! That's right kids, last week i celebrated my twenty-something birthday and it was GREAT. I was quite excited because it seemed that for once I was actually going to have some friends around to celebrate with. Most years people are traveling for the holidays and stuff and therefore it's usually me and one or two others. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the dedication of those who do come, but i like big groups.

Our group wasn't huge but it was quite fun. To start the night out Will and I went to Kona Grill for dinner. I love that place, thanks to the Narrator for introducing me to it. We each had an appetizer (big enough to be a meal), Will had a margarita and i had 2 and it was only $19. AWESOME!

After Kona we headed down to Average Joe's in Broadripple. The boyfriend and the Reverend met us there and we played several games of pool. The rest of the group arrived (crap, now i have to come up with names for all of them..... ok... there's Art Boy - who is currently in Art school in Chicago and basically just a really cool kid, Comic Geek - Art boy's older brother and one of my former roommates, he's a total comic book geek but we love him anyway. He's actually spending this year in England going to grad school so it was great to get to see him. Then there's Awesome Chick. That really is the best way to describe her. She's beautiful, smart, charming, freakin' hilarious, and just fun to be around. Also, her and Art Boy are totally in love but neither one of them is willing to step up to the plate. It's all very amusing for the rest of us.)

So then we were off to Mineshaft. It was a long journey (next door) and we arrived to find that our group literally doubled the population of the bar. Oh wait, i forgot to mention why we were going to Mineshaft. KARAOKE!!! I love it, i don't care what say, it's AWESOME! Will had done some research before we left and found at least 2 websites saying that this was one of the best Karaoke places in town. With so few people there to be embarrassed in front of, i felt it was necessary to require all of my followers to sing for me. They of course got up as a group and sang Happy birthday, but it made me happy. I sang a few songs, as did the Reverend. Mostly we jumped around and danced and drank and had a really good time.

Will agreed to go sing again but only if Awesome chick would sing with him (mostly because she was totally embarrassed at the thought of doing it) Art Boy jumped on board and the 3 of them sang "It's Raining Men" together. Some people think you don't have to know a song to sing it a karaoke because the words are on the screen for you. This trio is the perfect example of why those people are wrong. It quickly became apparent that none of them realized that there were any words other than "It's Raining Men Hallelujah It's Raining Men amen." But here's the thing, they were committed! They could have just given up and walked away, but they didn't, they stuck it out and butchered the ENTIRE song. It was a beautiful thing (in a really twisted kind of way).

More dancing and more drinking occurred. Crazy things that won't be discussed on this blog were witnessed. At some point this guy came in and it was his birthday too, so we danced together for a couple minutes and i got death glares from his girlfriend the rest of the night. I caught Comic Geek falling asleep at the bar a couple times. HAHA!!! Good times!!!

Kudos to Will who was my designated driver and bought me lots of drinks. Also, he was in it for the long haul. A couple people had to leave early, but Will stuck it out to the end, and then indulged me in drunken conversation at home when i was still far too awake to go to sleep. And finally, Happy Birthday to Will, he has to share his birthday with Jesus, tough gig.