While sorting through and reorganizing my music, I discovered the play count column in itunes. Of course, after I realized that I had never looked at my music organized in this way I was extremely curious about which songs I listen to most often.

I was surprised at when I saw the songs at the top of my list. They make sense, but I expected other results. I have decided to “count down” my top 3 most frequently played songs for this TDT post because I obviously love them and listen to them far too often.

3: Born For This by Paramore

2: Tree Hugger by Antsy Pants from the Juno OST



1: Beyond My Wildest Dreams from The Little Mermaid: OBC Recording

Obviously this is all new music and it has creeped up to the top of my list because I had to reformat my computer back in February. Even so, I think these three songs pretty much sum up my taste in music: alternative rock + movie soundtracks + Disney.

The play count has also made me realize that I have a huge amount of music on my computer/ipod that I have never listened to. I have a bad habit of finding random mixes and then never listening to them. Then when Aaron and I listen to my ipod on random during long car trips and he asks me who sings the song that is playing, I never know. Maybe a good summer project would be to listen through every song on my ipod. eek.

Try this fun experiment with your itunes library and in the comments let me know what came up as your top 3, how accurately your findings represent your taste in music, and if the results are what you expected.

It’s film festival week here in Athens so there will be many more movie posts in the near future. Today we saw Persepolis at the Athena Grand with the guys. It was so well done. While sitting there watching the biographical animated film about a young woman’s experience growing up in Iran I went through every emotion that I have. Even though most of the scenes were relatively short, they were like those feed-this-starving-child-for-one-dollar-a-day commercials that latch on to your emotions and just won’t let go, but in a good way.

Before seeing the movie I did not watch the preview or read anything about it, so I had no idea what to expect. I also was totally unaware that it was all in French. I LOVED this. I love listening to French, learning French words, and trying like a fool to speak French, love French.

My favorite character was the grandmother who stuffed her bra with flowers. She knew what was up and wasn’t afraid to let anyone know it. In the ever present “turning point” scene she says:

Marjane’s grandmother: “In this life you’ll meet a lot of jerks. If they hurt you, tell yourself that it’s their own stupidity that makes them act that way. That will keep you from responding to their meanness. There’s nothing worse in this world than bitterness and revenge. Hold your head up and stay true to yourself.”

Amazing. I highly suggest seeing it. I told this to my Mother and was very impressed when she knew what it was just from hearing the title. 10 points!

This afternoon was going to be spent peer editing my English paper with my English partner, but I got stood up. I hope that it won’t damage my grade too much. I think for now I will finish said paper, do all of the readings for my diversity class and then take a nap.

Links

• One of the biggest (and stickiest!) science experiments ever seen.

• I love my sister, but I would never want to keep her around for this long.

• Want. This. So. Bad. ugh

• Shopping Tips for the Forever 21 Virgin

• Rutherford B. Hayes, the first presidential geek.

I woke up this morning and felt just terrible. My allergies have made my head feel awful along with other things that begin with the letter a. When Jenna woke up, she told me that she felt the same way. So what are two hungover, procrastinating college girls to do on a Saturday afternoon? Yeah, we went to the movies.

We decided to see Forgetting Sarah Marshall because it is imperative that we see anything and everything that Judd Apatow touches. I tried really hard not to go to the movie website or read about it on IMDB because many comedies have been ruined for me because I read or heard all of the punch lines prior to seeing the actual movie. It’s best to stay away. I only knew about a few funny parts due to commercials, so I enjoyed the humor very much.

Overall it was consistently funny, but not as funny as knocked up or Superbad. There were some predictable parts, like when the two couples had a bang off, but the interactions and dialogue felt less like actors reciting lines to one another and more like real people discussing their lives. I thought Jonah Hill’s character was more annoying than funny, but it was probably supposed to be that way.

Next to Jason Segel, Russell Brand was my favorite main character. Especially right in the beginning when he goes on about his missing shoe. Also, I would like to point out that in the cast list on Imdb, one of the girls that Segel sleeps with is cast as “Gag me girl.” Love it.

An afternoon well spent. Currently, I’m sipping my freshly made muddled lemonade and listening to the season one soundtrack of Dexter on repeat. Speaking (blogging?) about Dexter, I really liked this article from New York Magazine. I hope that Aaron gets off of work soon, I’m ready for some fun in the form of movies on VHS circa 1991, strawberry smooties and board games.

Rapunzel! Rapunzel!
written by Kenn Nesbitt

“Rapunzel! Rapunzel! You’ve cut off your hair!
Your billowing tresses are no longer there.
That mohawk you’re sporting is spiky and pink.
I’m really not certain just what I should think.

“I came here expecting to clamber a braid,
ascending your tower to come to your aid.
Instead I have suffered the greatest of shocks
to find that you’ve cut off your lovely blonde locks.”

“Prince Charming, Prince Charming,” Rapunzel replied,
“I have no intention of being your bride.
We will not get married. We will not elope.
I’ve cut off my hair and I’ve braided a rope.

“You came here to visit me once every day,
and promised that soon you would take me away,
but you were too clueless to even conceive
of cutting my hair off so we could just leave.

“I cannot believe you were such a big dope.
I come and I go as I please with my rope.
And so, I’m afraid I can’t give you my hand.
In spite of the fabulous wedding you planned.”

From then on Rapunzel was known through the land.
She toured the world in a rock and roll band.
And silly Prince Charming, with rocks in his head,
rode off and got married to Snow White instead.

Our most favorite local theater, The Athena had a poster sale last week. $2 posters were up for grabs all week long. Aaron found some amazing ones like Brick, 28 Weeks Later and Perfume.

This week the poster sale is over so the theater is giving away the remaining posters. For free. Aaron and I rummaged around in the poster boxes for some time on Sunday evening and walked out with 20 - 25+ movie posters. For free. The girl at the popcorn counter must have thought we were crazy. We were really dedicated to getting every cool poster that was there. I picked up a few that I can use in a future classroom and Aaron grabbed a bunch to go along with the other horror movie posters in his room here at school.

How can you partake in the awesome free poster fun? Ask the owner of your local theater if they have a poster sale and then go when they do. If you don’t want to wait for a yearly poster sale then get a job at a movie theater. My friend Sarah who worked at the giant Muvico in MD used to get free movie swag all of the time. yay awesome free stuff.

In other news, yesterday morning when I was on my way to class I walked up the steps at the side entrance of the COE building and came face to face with THE CREEPIEST planter that I have ever seen in my life. When I first saw it I had to stop and look to see if anyone else was around, then I inspected it to find that it was not a cute child hiding behind a plant but that it really, truly was an armless-half-child-mannequin-torso-statue with a full blooming plant in place of a head! After class I made sure to take a picture of it just to prove to the world outside of the COE just how creepy it is.

Links

• We all know now that PA is a Hillary state, but does that stop Barack? No way!

• Get your balls off of the road or pay the price!

• Want to hear some sit-in-the-driveway-with-the-car-running music? Ask Metafilter.

• Out of all of the Earth Day blog posts my favorite was Start Cooking’s 7 Steps to a Greener Kitchen.

• Seriously? What could be more boss?

Videos at Chow.com I spent a good part of yesterday watching these videos. I especially like the obsessives about sake, absinthe and coffee. I am probably 70% a visual learner with a very short attention span so short, educational videos like these really catch my attention. There are tons of other great videos at chow that you should go watch.

Family phone calls. Ever since I’ve been away at school I don’t get to be with my family for most holidays (Rosh Hashana, Mothers Day, Halloween, etc.) so I always call them to wish them well. On Saturday night my family was celebrating Passover at my aunt’s house so I called to wish them a happy holiday. They passed around the phone and I was able to talk to most everyone.

The Monday and Tuesday crossword puzzles in The Post. Aaron got me into doing these last quarter and since then I have become obsessed. The puzzles on Monday and Tuesday are usually super easy so I fill in every square with ease. It makes me feel smart, until Wednesday and then it all goes downhill.

Staying on task is a skill that is extremely challenging for me. Sometimes after class I will walk home with a list in my head of phone calls that I need to make, articles that I need to read, homework that I need to do, chores that need to be done or emails that need to be sent. I can be so pumped to be productive until I walk in the door, sit down at my computer and start reading blogs, watching youtube videos and looking at those damn lolcats.

I know that this is a weakness of mine, so in my ongoing attempts to better myself, I have decided to work on my ability to stay on task. I remember in 1st grade my teacher; Miss. Heartly would hand out sheets of paper with blank bubbles that we would fill in when she told us we were on task. At the end of the week the person with the most filled in bubbles would get a prize. Every week I tried my hardest, and even cheated a few bubbles, but I never won that prize.

• STAY AWAY FROM THE INTERNET. Turn off your computer and give the power cord to your BFF. It is so hard for me to do, but when I need to do school work that involves a lot of textbook reading, shutting down my system is the best way to go. Suck it up and power down.

• Make a list. This is my go to motivator. My amazing friend Jen bought me a memo block (it’s my favorite color!) for my birthday a few years ago and ever since then I use it just about every day. I make lists about EVERYTHING. Pending homework, when bills are due, what I’m hunting for at the thrift store, what food I need to buy this week, which foods I need to stop buying, (Nutella) what I’m buying/making everyone for the holidays, what I want for my birthday, what buildings my classes are in, what textbooks I need to buy, which library books I want to check out, ideas for JWO events, etc. I LOVE LISTS and you should too!

• Take breaks. When you are dedicated to getting things done, you may get tired out. Put down the novel you put off reading until the day before it’s due and take a 5-minute breather outside. Have a starring contest with the creepers that live across the street. When you feel adequately refreshed and creeped out, return to your reading. You will have renewed enthusiasm and motivation for the last 400 pages.

• Keep friends around. This one sounds kinda crazy, I know, but trust me. If I have a test to study for I invite Aaron over for a study date. If he is here sitting in my room with me, I will pay more attention to my studies than anything else. Or if Allison is on the couch studying, I will sit with her and study. When I try to study alone my subconscious thinks that it’s all right for my mind to stray. If someone is there, I think that I will be caught gazing at the lolcats, so I stay on task. I think it goes back to my mom making sure that I finish my homework by hovering. It’s odd, I’m odd, it works, whatev.

• Reward yourself. After you have completed everything you needed to do reward yourself however you see fit. After I have written 3 amazing term papers I take the boy out to a movie. If I finish my weekly reading early, I spend my time before class watching Food Network. If I have finished all of my laundry and taken out the trash I let Aaron take me out for some delishas DQ. Little things that make my life better.

The Fall

Director: Tarsem Singh

Why: The colors and visuals in this movie look so boss. The plot line seems to be similar to another one of my favorite movies, Big Fish. The lead character is sick and tells fantastic adventure stories that relate to his life and his reality. Also, Lee Pace is in it and we all know how I feel about him.

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day

Director: Bharat Nalluri

Why: I know that this one is out already, but I have been too lazy to go see it. The character that Amy Adams plays seems to be parallel to her role in Enchanted, but she does it well. Also the soundtrack for this movie is fun and catchy, go check it out on itunes. Last reason — Lee Pace again <3.

Mister Lonely

Director: Harmony Korine

Why: The story and concept of this movie seems extremely imaginative and surreal. I would love to be immersed in a world of character impersonators. If I ever had the chance to take on the persona of a character full time I would be Alice or Tank Girl. Who would you be?

Mamma Mia

Director: Phyllida Lloyd

Why: I’ve never seen this musical and I’m not a huge fan of Abba, but this movie version of the broadway musical looks like a wonderful story and great fun. I’m sure it will be #1 at camp this summer taking over for Hairspray, which was everyones favorite last summer.

Wall•E

Director: Andrew Stanton

Why: oooohhhh hes so cute! I love all of the Pixar movies and this story about the little robot dude might top them all. And he has a pet cricket and a robot lady love! Aw.

Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Director: Steven Spielberg

Why: The first three Indiana Jones movies were my favorite trilogy when I was a kid. I really could not get enough Indy. I have a few doubts about the new movie, but I will still buy a ticket for the midnight showing on the day it comes out. Love Indy.

I’m Not There

Director: Todd Haynes

Why: I pretty much love anything from, with or about Bob Dylan. Also, Cate Blanchett is awesome and I think it is amazing that she would take on the character of Bob Dylan.