a little of this, a little of that

Life is good. :) Things are going well for me. I have a great job, a cute little place of my own, I got to see my babies this past weekend, I get to see Kaskade on October 30 and then fly to Kansas on Halloween to spend a few days with K___. As far as that goes, things are progressing and he makes me so happy!

While I love my job, it has been CRAZY the past couple of weeks and this week seems to be shaping up in quite the same fashion. I have been accustomed to one or MAYBE two voicemails (if any) when I come in in the morning but lately I've had five or six and today when I got back from the admissions ceremony, I had 10!! Last week our office was closed Monday for Columbus Day and by the end of the day on Tuesday, I had received 35 voicemails and 75 emails. Busy busy busy.

My sister and her family were up from Phoenix last week(end) so I went to my mom's for dinner on Sunday and it was great to see my niece and nephew. They really are adorable and it's fun having little kids around again (as long as they're related to me). It doesn't ever really make me want any of my own, but it's fun to play with them, etc. and then not have any real responsibility for them. (Thanks P___!)

K___ and I were on the phone Saturday night for 2+ hours and decided that I should spend Halloween in Lawrence. I can't wait for this trip (much like all the others) and I'm sure I will not want it to end when the time comes.

Currently listening...

Here is September's list (sorry it's late):

1. Tegan & Sara - In My Bones (Tiesto remix)
2. Tegan & Sara - Back In Your Head (Tiesto remix)
3. Armin Van Buuren feat. Jennifer Rene - Fine Without You
4. Armin Van Buuren feat. Cathy Burton - Rain
5. Attic feat. Julie Thompson - Last Goodbye
6. Fragma - Toca's Miracle (In Petto remix)
7. David Guetta - Baby When the Light (Fred Riester & David Guetta remix)
8. Tiesto - Carpe Noctum
9. DJ Antoine - This Time (Klaas remix)
10. Rhianna - Umbrella (Jody Den Bruder Lush Club remix)

A friend sent me the link to In My Bones which reminded me of Back In Your Head so I wanted to share both of those. Tiesto is a master DJ and mixer. These two are catchy and fun and upbeat.

Armin's album Imagine produced both of the tracks listed above and I really can't get enough of Fine Without You. From Jennifer Rene's voice to the musicality of the song as well as the lyrics, it is a beautiful piece of music. Rain, for whatever reason, touches my heart and almost makes me want to cry.

Last Goodbye has great lyrics but I'm not crazy about the music. I'm still looking for remixes so I might find a better one than the original.

The last four tracks are on a compilation album: Ultra Dance 09 (Disc 1) and so much fun to listen to. The David Guetta remix gets me grooving and singing, even at work. And then when it leads into This Time...ooh, it's so dirty I just love it!! Anyway, I recommend checking them out, and maybe even the whole cd if you can.

All By Myself, Don't Wanna Be...

Wait a minute...I DO want to be all by myself. I moved into an apartment by myself a month ago and I have LOVED every minute of living alone. I miss G___ and the girls, but really do enjoy having my own place. I have realized that I can be a much neater/cleaner person than I have been in the past. I have made my bed EVERY single day that I have slept in it and I've been keeping the rest of my house neat and tidy. Of course, it helps that I don't have much furniture (or space), but even still, I vacuum and dust and have scrubbed the walls and floors and doors.

I have never really needed a lot of alone time but I've always enjoyed being home alone. Now that I'm home alone pretty much all the time, I've come to appreciate and value my alone time. I like being able to be selfish. The idea that I can do whatever I want, whenever I want is something that I've never REALLY considered before because I love spending time with my friends. But I've found in the last month that there have been times when I would rather stay home by myself than go out.

This girl is growing up (finally) and (maybe) becoming an adult!

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!