Check out Bluehouse Skis

A guy I grew up with makes pretty awesome skis...check them out:

www.bluehouseskis.com

Currently listening...

1. Origine - Sanctuary (Harry Lemon remix)
2. Delerium - Innocente (Tiesto remix)
3. Fleetwood Mac - Dreams (Deep Dish remix)
4. Tiesto - Driving to Heaven (Matt Zo remix)
5. DB Boulevard - Point of View
6. Tiesto pres. Allure feat. Julie Thompson - Somewhere Inside
7. Gabriel & Dresden - New Path (Faarsheed remix)
8. Daft Punk - Harder Better Faster Stronger
9. Daft Punk - Face to Face
10. Daft Punk - One More Time

Sanctuary is DEEP HOUSE and I love love LOVE the Harry Lemon remix. I found it on a set by DJ River called The Resolver and it's one of those that I love to listen and groove to.

All of the Tiesto on this list = incredible. Especially the live video of Somewhere Inside. Julie Thompson is so cute and spunky and I want to hang out with her! Tiesto will always be one of my favorites; he is such an amazing DJ.

Point of View is a song that my friends and I love singing to each other. That's all.

New Path is on a set by Faarsheed called Zeitgeist and I cannot find the mix, or one like it. I don't like the original as much, so I would recommend searching to find the Faarsheed Zeitgeist 2-disc set. There are two builds in this song that go higher and higher and you think you're going to explode and then it drops so deep and gives me the chills.

I had a bit of a Daft Punk kick this past month and the reason is that I have a friend who has a live Daft Punk album that we listen to fairly frequently. Daft Punk is incredibly talented and pioneers in electronic music. The reason I like the live album so much is because they mix their songs together so you'll get a teaser of Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger, and then they'll go on with what they were playing already. And then do it again. Anyway, the three songs listed are my favorites.

Currently listening...

This month's posting is an entire album (as I do from time to time). It is the first CD in a two-disc set compiled by Armin Van Buuren titled: A State of Trance 2009. The first disc is On the Beach. Here is the tracklist:

1. John O’Callaghan feat. Lo-Fi Sugar - Never Fade Away (Andy Duguid Mix - On the Beach Intro Edit)
2. Sunlounger feat. Kyler England - Change Your Mind (Myon and Shane 54 Remix)
3. M6 - Paradise Lost
4. Ron Hagen & Pascal M - Riddles In The Sand
5. Mat Zo - The Fractal Universe
6. The Blizzard with Gåte - Iselilja (Sunn Jellie & The Blizzard Dub Remix)
7. Monogato - Miami Vibe (Omnia Remix)
8. Josh Gabriel presents Winter Kills - Deep Down
9. Myon and Shane 54 feat. Aruna - Helpless (Monster Mix)
10. tyDi feat. Audrey Gallagher - You Walk Away
11. Andy Moor & Ashley Wallbridge feat. Meighan Nealon - Faces
12. Rex Mundi feat. Susana - Nothing At All
13. Jerome Isma-Ae - Shaguar
14. Dash Berlin with Cerf, Mitiska & Jaren - Man On The Run (Nic Chagall Remix)

My favorites are 1-2, 7-10, 12-14...so basically the whole album. My favorite lyrically is You Walk Away but the best drop is in Helpless. It gets down and dirty and it's so unexpected that you'll probably have to listen to it a couple of times right off the bat. Man On the Run is all-over incredible; a MUST listen for everyone. Deep Down is a fun one and the first one that caught my attention. I love the guitar on Miami Vibe (which I'm listening to right now). It's a bit more trancey than I usually like but the guitar tempers it to the point of love for me.

If you like Armin or trance or electronic music in general, you won't be disappointed in this album. In fact, I would even go as far to say that you will be blown away by it like I have been. This album is worth listening three, four, better make it 20 times. Thanks G___!!

Sun Valley, Cristina's and Paper Writing...Oh my!

Sun Valley was a very different experience this time around. I have an endless supply of fond memories of Sun Valley summers that involved bike riding, swimming, paddle-boating, and Scrabble - not to mention friends. Since Sun Valley is so contained, we were essentially turned loose with no supervision for 4-5 days every summer. I went back for the first time in almost 10 years this week and, needless to say, it was quite a different experience.

The reason for that was twofold: I am no longer a child and childhood memories are often idealistic AND I was working. I still had a good time because it was Sun Valley, but I didn't get much of a vacation. EARLY early mornings on Thursday and Friday followed by a (singular) early morning on Saturday made me more tired than I usually am. The food, however, was amazing and definitely the highlight of my trip. N___'s birthday was yesterday and since she was with me, we went out to a birthday breakfast this morning before we left. We went to Cristina's (which was a place I had never been before) and everything was AMAZING! I had a crab salad on an english muffin topped with melted gruyere and tomato wedges. It was one of the best breakfasts I have ever had. N___ had huckleberry buttermilk pancakes and she said that while they weren't the best pancakes she's ever had, they were delicious. Oh, and the patio was fantastic as well. I could have spent all day on that patio.

We left Ketchum about 10:30 a.m. and headed back to Salt Lake. I actually like driving so it was fine with me. I had my new CD (thanks G___!) and it played about 3 times each way. It was good driving music! We got back to Salt Lake just after 3:00 p.m. and when I got home, the house was 87 degrees. It's still pretty hot in here but it's getting more manageable. I had (have) a paper to write that I meant to take to Sun Valley with me but it completely slipped my mind on Wednesday morning so I started trying to write it when I got home. It's the first paper I've written in 5-6 years and it's much more difficult than I anticipated. I ACTUALLY started writing it about six and worked for a good two hours before getting distracted. All in all, I've written about half and keep finding ways to procrastinate. This is the last distraction and then I'm going to finish it so I can go to bed!

I'm so glad that it's a short work week; the 24th is one of the only times I can (in good conscience) say: Thank god I live in Utah!! However, I have a conference on Saturday which means I don't get to go to the lake with the Crew. :( I am severely disappointed about that and trying to work out a plan so that M___ and I can still go on Saturday night.

It has been a whirlwind of a week and I can't believe tomorrow is Monday but bring it on, baby cause I am ready for the next four days!

Currently listening...

1. Adam K & Soha - Long Distance
2. Armin Van Buuren feat. Raccoon - Love You More (Daniel Kandi remix)
3. Judge Roy Bean - 95 Pieces
4. Judge Roy Bean - Hard Way
5. Judge Roy Bean - Crawling
6. ATB - Justify
7. ATB - 9 PM (Till I Come)
8. Moby - Disco Lies (Freemasons remix)
9. Andain - Beautiful Things (Gabriel and Dresden remix)
10. Madonna and Paul Oakenfold - Give It To Me

Long Distance reminds me of driving last summer with K___. We spent tons of time together and got to be close friends and this was one of the songs that he introduced me to.

I posted Love You More on my November 2008 "Currently listening..." but the Daniel Kandi remix is definitely worth checking out. The piano is particularly beautiful and striking.

Judge Roy Bean was included in last month's post but didn't have many songs. These three are my favorite. I especially love the style of 95 Pieces, the interlude at 4:00 on Hard Way, and the lyrics of Crawling. I'm definitely digging JRB.

ATB is always a favorite but I've recently discovered Justify and have been listening to it on repeat. Jennifer Karr is the vocalist.

Give It To Me is AMAZING! It gets dirty and good right away and takes you on a journey worth going on. This one is awesome to listen to with headphones. I got totally lost in it this way and love love LOVED it! Ooh...it gives me chills!

Currently listening...

1. Claude Debussy - Clair de Lune
2. Hello Goodbye - Here In Your Arms
3. Arcade Fire - Intervention
4. Moby - Lies (Freemason remix)
5. Peter Bjorn and John - Blue Period Picasso
6. The Postal Service - This Place is a Prison
7. Foo Fighters - Walking After You
8. Judge Roy Bean - Penguins
9. Judge Roy Bean - I Don't Mind
10. A Perfect Circle - 3 Libras

I don't really have anything to say today. This is May's list (since I totally spaced it last week). Judge Roy Bean is a new discovery and I'm enjoying them quite a lot. You can listen here: http://www.jrbshovelhead.com/

My friend J___ in Germany

A few years ago I was at a bar and ran into a friend who had a girl, J___, with him that I absolutely KNEW I knew from somewhere. So I asked if she went to the U and thought perhaps we had a class together. Her response was a disdainful, "I am at least ten years older than you." Well, having the same group of friends, she and I saw each other pretty regularly and then one night, another friend of mine used her last name. I remembered that name! The next time I saw her, I asked if she played soccer and if she had ever coached a Nike Soccer Camp up in Park City? It turned out that J___ was my soccer coach when I was 13 years old up in Park City. So, we figured out that she's eight years older than me, not ten.

Now J___ lives in Germany. We talk for an hour or so almost every day. Yesterday, Jenn called a few times and we probably spent 2-3 hours on the phone. She kept putting me on speakerphone so that her roommate could hear all of my stories. Apparently, I have a lot of funny stories because her roommate made the comment that she understands now why J___ and I spend so much time talking and laughing on the phone. Of course, her roommate is from Minnesota so during one of the calls, J___ put her on the phone so that I could hear the Minnesota accent. It was pretty funny. At least as funny as the fact that I could hear J___ laughing HYSTERICALLY in the background while her roommate was doing the "voice" for me.