Month: July 2009

five song friday, music musings, music suggestion

5SF: july 31

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Not too much is going on, so there isn’t much to report today. So let’s just jump right into the music, shall we?

Pixie Lott – Boys & Girls
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_731_pixielott-boysandgirls.mp3]
A little bit Pipettes, a little bit Sugababes, and a little bit Amy Winehouse, this track sure is chock full of fun, and great pop influences. Pixie is getting a lot of buzz over the UK, and I am going to do my part, and bring the buzz stateside. This song is a fun, danceable song that has a drum beat that reminds me a LOT of Imani Coppola’s amazing hit from the 90’s, Legend of a Cowgirl. Damn, there’s yet ANOTHER great influence. This girl is harnessing some great stuff, and making fun, relatable pop with it. Um, did I mention FUN enough?

Ivyrise – 1000 Feet
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_731_ivyrise-1000feet.mp3]
I heard about this track from a fellow music blogger, and I liked it right away. It really reminds me of other pop-rock “boy bands” like The Script, and a LOT of BBMak, who unfortunately are no longer making music together. Since this is only a taste of a forthcoming album, I can only hope that I’ve stumbled onto something really great here. I love sound of the background guitar picking; it really gives it an ethereal feel that adds layers to an otherwise straightforward pop-rock song.

A Fine Frenzy – Blow Away
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_731_afinefrenzy-blowaway.mp3]
I had a hard time getting into this track initially, because it really feels like stumbling onto some kids doing double dutch, and you are instantly asked to join in. The beginning of this song starts at a running pace, and you really have to already be at a good pace to catch up (and to maintain, this track will not slow down for stragglers!). However, when I did finally do catch up, and got to the airy chorus where she sings, “blo-ho blo-ho oh-oh oh-oh away”, I saw the greatness in this saccharine sweet pop track. I enjoyed A Fine Frenzy’s debut album, and if this is an indicator of her forthcoming effort, I think that I am going to enjoy it as well; perhaps even a little more.

Ryan Star – Right Now
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_731_ryanstar-rightnow.mp3]
I will admit that I was originally drawn to Ryan’s EP because I thought he was cute; but I loved his smoky, deep vocals, and that is what got me to download it (think Chris Daughtry with more edge). Then, I kinda forgot it was on my ipod, and then Right Now came up on random one day, and WOW. I love how he uses familiar lyrics like, “we are strong, we are young”, and builds a MASSIVE rock and roll track for the youth of the world with Right Now. The message in this song of “cherish all that we have, for tomorrow may not come” goes from mere sentiment to power and stamina from Ryan’s amazing vocals. I’m defiinitly looking forward to more from Ryan in the coming months.

Aqua – Live Fast, Die Young
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_731_aqua-livefastdieyoung.mp3]
Yes. I posted a song by Aqua. The same Aqua that gave the world Barbie Girl. And YES. I am demanding that you listen to it, because it is FUCKING GREAT! Aqua recently released another greatest hits album, and while I wasn’t feeling the lead single (Back to the 80’s), this song REALLY stood out, and only has me questioning why they didn’t chose this gem as a comeback single? Either way, this is a great song that satisfies my nostalgia for earlier Aqua (and their particularly sweet style of pure-sugar driven bubble gum pop), and brings them into the here and now. Now, if they made more like this, I think we would all be ready for a whole album of new stuff, from Aqua! Take note!

Now the usual: 1) let me know what you thought of today’s picks, 2) let me know what you are listening to, and 3) have a great weekend!

happenings, shiny stuff

guitar hero 5

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So here’s the list of songs that will be included on the upcoming guitar hero release (GH 5): (I have conveniently bolded the ones that I am excited about)

  • 3 Doors Down – “Kryptonite”
  • A Perfect Circle – “Judith”
  • AFI – “Medicate”
  • Arctic Monkeys – “Brianstorm”
  • Attack! Attack! UK – “You and Me”
  • Band Of Horses – “Cigarettes, Wedding Bands”
  • Beastie Boys – “Gratitude”
  • Beck – “Gamma Ray”
  • Billy Idol – “Dancing with Myself”
  • Billy Squier – “Lonely is the Night”
  • Blink-182 – “The Rock Show”
  • Blur – “Song 2”
  • Bob Dylan – “All Along the Watchtower”
  • Bon Jovi – “You Give Love A Bad Name”
  • Brand New – “Sowing Season”
  • Bush – “Comedown”
  • Children Of Bodom – “Done With Everything, Die For Nothing”
  • Coldplay – “In My Place”
  • Darker My Love – “Blue Day”
  • Darkest Hour – “Demon(s)”
  • David Bowie – “Fame”
  • Deep Purple – “Woman From Tokyo (’99 Remix)”
  • Dire Straits – “Sultans of Swing”
  • Duran Duran – “Hungry Like The Wolf”
  • Eagles Of Death Metal – “Wannabe in L.A.”
  • Elliott Smith – “L.A.”
  • Elton John – “Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting”
  • Face To Face – “Disconnected”
  • Garbage – “Only Happy When It Rains”
  • Gorillaz – “Feel Good Inc.”
  • Gov’t Mule – “Streamline Woman”
  • Grand Funk Railroad – “We’re an American Band”
  • Iggy Pop – “Lust For Life”
  • Iron Maiden – “2 Minutes to Midnight”
  • Jeff Beck – “Scatterbrain”
  • Jimmy Eat World – “Bleed American”
  • John Mellencamp – “Hurts So Good”
  • Johnny Cash – “Ring of Fire”
  • Kaiser Chiefs – “Never Miss a Beat”
  • King Crimson – “21st Century Schizoid Man”
  • Kings Of Leon – “Sex on Fire”
  • Kiss – “Shout it Out Loud”
  • Love and Rockets – “Mirror People”
  • Megadeth – “Sweating Bullets”
  • Mötley Crüe – “Looks That Kill”
  • Muse – “Plug in Baby”
  • My Morning Jacket – “One Big Holiday”
  • Nirvana – “Lithium”
  • Nirvana – “Smells Like Teen Spirit”
  • No Doubt – “Ex-Girlfriend”
  • Peter Frampton – “Do You Feel Like We Do (Live)”
  • Public Enemy Featuring Zakk Wylde – “Bring the Noise 20xx”
  • Queen & David Bowie – “Under Pressure”
  • Queens Of The Stone Age – “Make it With Chu”
  • Rammstein – “Du Hast”
  • Rose Hill Drive – “Sneak Out”
  • Rush – “The Spirit of Radio (Live, 2008)”
  • Santana – “No One To Depend On (Live)”
  • Scars On Broadway – “They Say”
  • Screaming Trees – “Nearly Lost You”
  • Smashing Pumpkins – “Bullet With Butterfly Wings”
  • Sonic Youth – “Incinerate”
  • Spacehog – “In the Meantime”
  • Stevie Wonder – “Superstition”
  • Sublime – “What I Got”
  • Sunny Day Real Estate – “Seven”
  • T. Rex – “20th Century Boy”
  • The Bronx – “Six Days a Week”
  • The Derek Trucks Band – “Younk Funk”
  • The Duke Spirit – “Send a Little Love Token”
  • The Killers – “All the Pretty Faces”
  • The Police – “So Lonely”
  • The Raconteurs – “Steady As She Goes”
  • The Rolling Stones – “Sympathy for the Devil”
  • The Sword – “Maiden, Mother & Crone”
  • The White Stripes – “Blue Orchid”
  • Thin Lizzy – “Jailbreak”
  • Thrice – “Deadbolt”
  • Tom Petty – “Runnin’ Down a Dream”
  • Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers – “American Girl”
  • TV On The Radio – “Wolf Like Me”
  • Vampire Weekend – “A-Punk”
  • Weezer – “Why Bother?”
  • Wild Cherry – “Play That Funky Music”
  • Wolfmother – “Back Round”

What a list! As always, there is a bunch of shit I have never heard, but just the bolded ones indicate that this will be a fun edition. I better get to practicing, because I need to be crisp for when this baby is released in a couple of months!

music musings, music suggestion, song of the day, you tube

sotd: Smashing Pumpkins – Spaceboy

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I have stated at least once before on this very blog, that Smashing Pumpkins’ sophomore album, Siamese Dream pretty much shaped how I felt about music; and it was one of a couple albums that signaled the beginning of when I truly started to appreciate and enjoy music at the level that I do now. Before it, I never really payed enough attention to music, and mostly, I only listened to whatever was on the radio. Barring a few “favorite songs” here and there, I actually owned very few albums (it was mostly tapes at that time!), and honestly never bought an album for anything more than a song or two. However, that all changed when I saw Smashing Pumpkins’ videos on MTV. I liked every song that I heard, and this album was one of the first ones that I received in my very first BMG shipment. After hearing Siamese Dream, it was almost like I had an awakening; I had gotten a taste of wonderful music, and it would be from then on, that I would crave more and more (it was also Smashing Pumpkins’ music that motivated me to learn to play guitar). Literally, from that point on, I became almost obsessed with music; an obsession that has followed me until today.

Spaceboy is not only one of the best songs on Siamese Dream, I have no qualms in declaring that it is one of the best songs by the Smashing Pumpkins. The song is a touching tribute Billy Corgan wrote to his brother, and the sentiment of the words are echoed in the tenderness of the music. For me, this remains one of my favorite songs of all time, and hearing it really takes me back, and reminds me of the time when I truly learned what good music was all about. With all of that greatness, how could I not share that with you?

Since it was never a single, there isn’t a video, but, I found it on youtube, uploaded with a blank video, which I think is absolutely perfect:


In doing so, the person that uploaded it, has allowed you to focus on the music, the lyrics, and the sentiment that makes this song such an experience. Spaceboy is truly, a magnificent song, and is a wonderful addition to the song of the day catalog.

five song friday, music musings, music suggestion

5SF: july 24

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I can’t believe that July is almost over; this year is FLYING by. Oh well, at least it has been bearable outside lately, which is very odd for a summer in HOTlanta… but don’t worry, I am NOT complaining. The five tracks I chose for today, will probably have a little something for everyone, and one track is even a little blast from the not-so distant past. With that in mind, let’s get started, shall we?

Florence + The Machine – Bird Song
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_724_florenceandthemachine-birdsong.mp3]
This song isn’t actually on Florence + The Machine’s impressive new release, that is, unless you managed to get the deluxe (or extended?) edition, which is a shame, because this is hands down, the best song on the album for me. I love the way that it starts so soft, and the way that she builds with the beating drums and the pounding rhythms to crescendo; only to instantly screech to a halt and bring it back down again. The ache and wailing of her voice is nicely coupled with the sharpness of the beat; all of which make this track stand out more than any other on the album to me. Definitely a great reason to get the deluxe version!

OneRepublic and Sara Bareilles – Come Home
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_724_onerepublic-comehome.mp3]
I was checking out Sara’s website earlier this week to see what she was up to recently (I am wanting a new album soon, after all, I really love Sara B as you should all know by now), and she posted that she had collaborated with Ryan Tedder on this track and that it was now available on iTunes. One listen, and I can see why she was spreading the news; it is a beautiful song, and per usual, her vocals are amazingly beautiful. I have this weird relationship with Ryan Tedder, in that I like SOME of his stuff, but overall, I’m not what I would consider a fan. However, you put Sara Bareilles on the track, and I AM THERE. Beautiful song (even if I think she out sings him by a long shot…).

Mayer Hawthorne – Just Ain’t Gonna Work Out
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_724_mayerhawthorne-justaintgonnaworkout.mp3]
The vocals of this one remind me a bit of Biz Markie, but after seeing the video, I love how this nerdy white boy is laying down smooth classic R&B like this, and doing it so well. The music style reminds me a lot of the Delfonics, and I think it really does a great job of bringing such an amazing classic sound back into the limelight. Something about this song is just really sweet, and full of a sentiment that made me instantly love it. While the song has been out since last November, it just came across my desk this week, so I am delighted to pass it on to you.

Greg Laswell- Not Out
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_724_greglaswell-notout.mp3]
It was kind of weird how I discovered Greg Laswell. I was supposed to go and see the AMAZING Elizabeth and the Catapult earlier this month at Edie’s Attic, and unfortunately, I bought tickets before I knew James and I were going out of town for a wedding. I put the tickets in a friend’s name, and went to see who else was playing with them to give her the heads up before she went. That’s where I saw a picture of Greg, and if you know anything about me, you would know that I am a sucker for a guy with a beard, so I instantly knew I had to go and check him out (even though I unfortunately wouldn’t be seeing him live). Well, I downloaded his most recent release, Three Flights from Alto Nido, and I was impressed with how beautiful an album it is! I love his musical style, which is very similar to Mat Kearney and even has touches of Hayden and Duncan Sheik to it. All in all, I discovered a new artist that I really like without even seeing him in concert, because I was supposed to go to the show, and couldn’t! Weird? Yes, but the music is fantastic, and at least I got to take that away from it (I wish I could have seen him live though).

Fiona Apple – Parting Gift
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_724_fionaapple-partinggift.mp3]
Here’s my blast from the not-so distant past track for today. I realized this week that I hadn’t listened to Fiona Apple in such a long time, and as a huge fan of hers, I was wondering why, so I decided to remedy that. Well, after listening to Extraordinary Machine again, I recall just how happy I was when it was finally released, which seems like a while ago (2005), and it is just as amazing now as it was then. I love the whole album, and I especially love Fiona’s beautiful lyrical style. I love how she can cut you to the bone with an almost effortless ability to spin very well written lyrics, like this opening BITE from Parting Gift, “I opened my eyes/While you were kissing me once more than once/And you looked as sincere as a dog/Just as sincere as a dog does,/When it’s the food on your lips with which it’s in love”. All in all, I hope that Fiona comes out with another album some time in the near future, because it has been a while since Extraordinary Machine made my day when it was finally released, mostly because she is an extremely talented artist whose music I really enjoy.

Well, there’s your Friday five… what did you think? Let me know, and also let me know what I am missing out on out there, wouldn’t ya? Also… I just found out; apparently I got into the GPC nursing program… finally. Duane’s finally gonna be a nurse someday, everybody!

get involved, is it just me?, near and dear, tragic, venting, well?, wtf?!

teacher furloughs: a new low for Perdue

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When James mentioned that they were going to be asking teachers to take 3 unpaid days to “make up for a huge deficit”, I honestly thought he was joking. Since he is teacher, I have had a first hand account of out what really goes on inside the schools, and it actually blows my mind that our governor would want to take even more from those that have very little to give.

This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone, but the salary of a teacher isn’t a large one, and the job is grueling. I can’t tell you how many times I have seen him deal with horrible students, angry parents, and have the administration turn their backs on him every time; and he is not alone, MANY of my friends are teachers and deal with similar issues every day. He works his ass off, and the thanks he gets is a meager salary (ESPECIALLY when you consider the work put in, it should be MUCH higher), zero respect from students, parents, and the administration; and now a demand from our “wonderful” governor to give some of it back. How much do teachers need to give before we let THEM have something back?!

Since everyone should be giving back, Sonny Perdue, why not give some of your salary back? If this deficit is such an issue, why not make cuts on other things, things that are not as important as the education of our state’s youth? I can’t find a direct comparison, but I’ve heard many times that Georgia’s school rank very low when compared nationally, which to me, would indicate a severe NEED to make it as good as possible. Taking from those that give so much for so little is not only wrong, but frankly, it is completely insulting. Someone that is sitting so happily in his ivory tower as Perdue could never, and apparently will never, grasp how difficult the job of teaching youth really is; hell, I only hear the stories, and I know that I could never do it. To me, this is a slap in the face of our state’s teachers, who already contend with a drastically underfunded educational program in the first place.

It sickens me the way that teachers are treated, because it is perhaps one of the most (if not THE most) important jobs one can have. Sonny Perdue, this is not only wrong, it is shameful and hurtful that you would expect even more from those that give everything they have, and take a pay cut in doing so. I hope that the rallying of teachers can strike this ridiculous request down, but knowing how “caring” Perdue has been up until this point, I can bet that teachers should expect just another big old helping of shit to add to their already difficult professional lives. Shame shame shame.

flickr, friends, happenings, shiny stuff

get yer swimmies on!

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While I wasn’t able to move heaven, I definitely moved a lot of earth to make the pool possible. The “easy set” pool has to be on level ground, and if you look at the picture, you can tell that it STILL isn’t on totally level ground:
guess what
However, it is REALLY close, so I am not going to worry about it anymore (next year, James and I agreed that someone else will be coming out to level the ground before we try to install the pool ourselves). I have a very sore back, and I just hope that this damn thing was worth all of the headache, blood, sweat, and tears that went into making it a reality. I am going to focus on enjoying it, and try not to dwell on the minor leaning thing.

I got in it yesterday after it filled, to put the salt in, and it was very cool and nice, even though I didn’t actually “go for a swim”. It is only about 3 and a 1/2 feet deep, so it isn’t really enough to “swim” in, but it is surely enough for me to float in and drink a well deserved Mai Tai (which I am still trying to find my favorite recipe) or seven. I just hope that I can enjoy the fruits of all my back-breaking labor, and hopefully have a few friends over to share in the fun. Who’s in?

is it just me?, tragic, venting, wtf?!

why do I always attract “that girl”?

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Saturday night, some friends and I decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather, and chose a restaurant with a big patio (the Midway Pub in the EAV) for dinner. Overall, it was a nice dinner, a friend of mine in from out of town made friends with a neighboring table, and we all had a good time. Until…

As we were eating, some random chick came up and put her hand on James’ and another friend of mine’s backs, and asked us if there was anything that she could do to make our evening any better. We thought that she worked at Midway, because she looked back at the restaurant when she said it, and well, why the fuck else would she be talking to us, asking us if she could make our night better, right? Wrong.

This bitch was drunk off of her ass, and started to molest my friend Brian, and then started making her way around the table, towards me. I had a basket of tater tots sitting in front of me, and she leans in, takes one, and dips in my ketchup on my plate, and eats it. Having had enough of her, I told her that I had boundaries, and that she just crossed one, and needed to back the fuck off.

The best, is that she leans back, and drunkenly says, “Jesus, I eat one fucking hush puppy, and he gets all uppity”. To which I replied, “they are tater tots, dumb ass, and you need to go away right now”.

What is it about me that always attracts these social retards? Seriously, I don’t care how drunk you are, don’t come over to my diner table, and start eating off of my plate, that is not only rude, it is just gross. Personal boundaries are one thing, and social cues are another; this girl clearly had no concept of either. Thank goodness she took my direct instruction to leave us alone, and finally did so.

After she left, my friend joked that she was probably hitting on us, to which I replied, “she clearly had no idea how far up the wrong tree she was barking”. Little does she know, but being a gay man means that I don’t have to put up with drunk straight girls and their antics, and I have no problem saying so.

five song friday, music musings, music suggestion, shiny stuff

5SF: july 17

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After losing a pair of Bose headphones to the apparent “inevitable” breaking of the damn things, I have been looking for headphones to listen to my music this morning. I have two pairs of in ear-phones currently (Bose in-ear Triport and the Shure sound isolating 210’s), and while I like them both for different reasons, I like having head band headphones because of my incredibly, weirdly sensitive ear canals. So, if you have any suggestions that would make my listening to music an amazing experience, let me know.

Alright, that’s enough about talking about listening to music… let’s actually listen to some!

La Roux – Bulletproof
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_717_laroux-bulletproof.mp3]
I resisted La Roux for quite a while before she clawed her way into my heart with that shrill-ass voice coupled with a velvety smooth beat. While, as I mentioned, the vocals are something to definitely, um, “get used to”, the music is not. This song is definitely one that begs to be blasted from every car stereo as you drive about in the summer heat, and promises to fill dance floors throughout the land. The uber-catchy quality of this song is what allowed me to give it chance after chance, and eventually get used to the vocals (which it may seem that I am harping on, but cannot stress enough, you will get used to); the music is too fucking good to let it get in the way. This is definitely a “song of the summer” for sure.

Peter Bjorn and John – It Don’t Move Me
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_717_peterbjornandjohn-itdontmoveme.mp3]
Another massive song from Peter Bjorn and John, It Don’t Move Me didn’t “move me” when I initially nabbed their follow up to the wildly successful Writer’s Block. The album is noticeably darker, and the beats are almost angrier; but underneath, the same attention to detail and high quality music is clearly present. This song definitely shares more similarity to the songs from Writer’s Block than much of the rest of Living Thing, but it shows a musical maturity that is not only welcome, but totally refreshing. It has made me pay closer attention to Living Thing, which has turned out to be a good thing; fantastic, well crafted songs like this, are what make listening to music one of my favorite past times.

Imogen Heap – First Train Home
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_717_imogenheap-firsttrainhome.mp3]
HELL FUCKING YES, Imogen Heap is BACK! WAAAAY back in 2005, Imogen released her stellar sophomore album, Speak For Yourself, and while I didn’t hear it until some time later, it completely blew me away with how amazing it is. The most amazing song on the album, Hide and Seek, made me fall deeply in love with Imogen’s unique voice, and the manner in which she creates music that is not only beautiful, but unique and interesting. The rest of the album resonated very well with me, and made me a huge fan of her sound, and had me waiting with baited breath for a follow up. Well, that follow up is just on the horizon; her new album Ellipse will be released the day before my birthday, August 25, 2009. This is the first, and quite fantastic, single from the new album, and it harnesses her trademark sound from Speak for Yourself. If this is an indicator of how fantastic Ellipse will surely be, I expect it to be amongst my top albums of this year.

Toby Madigan – I Need Somebody (I Can Talk To)
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_717_tobymadigan-ineedsomebody.mp3]
This is the little song that threw its lasso around my heart, pulled me in close, and comforted me like a warm blanket on a cold night. The tenderness of Toby’s vocals, coupled with the sweet folk-pop music makes for a beautiful ballad; one that only gets better with the super sweet sentiment of the lyrics. I should also say that there are several words that just make me happy when I hear them, especially in songs (for whatever reason, I don’t know…), and unfurled is one of them, and he uses it in the chorus; which obviously makes me happy. This is a sweet song with great sentiment, and highlights the surprising power in Toby’s vocals. It was a great random find.

Rebekah – Be Your Own
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_717_rebekah-beyourown.mp3]
I am going to go “old school” with you on this one. I discovered this song from an amazing little movie that most people have never even heard of: Kissing a Fool. I instantly loved this song when I heard it playing during a very pivotal scene in the movie, and it really stuck with me, as it really described what was happening on screen. I LOVE when filmmakers make use of music in good ways, and this was definitely one of those times. Well, this discovery was back in the days before disposable CD-Rs, and internet downloading by the masses, so I was unable to get this song for many years. However, a few years ago, my frequent visits to the used bin at Tower Records (oh how I miss the Tower that was here in Atlanta) uncovered Rebekah’s CD for a meager $1. To quote S Club 7, let’s bring it all back… so how did the song end up today’s 5SF? I randomly stumbled onto it again last night when I was uploading the previous four tracks, and I was reminded of just how much I love the lyrics, the sentiment, and pretty much everything about this song. My favorite line from Be Your Own is, “maybe just stop trying to be my man, and just be your own”. This great little song really hasn’t aged a day for me!!

Well, there’s your 5 for this Friday, what did you think? Please let me know, and as always, tell me what you are listening to! I really want to know!! Have a great weekend, and if you have advice on headphones, let me know. I am currently leaning heavily towards Sennheiser’s, if you have any specific model that you want to recommend.

music musings, music suggestion, song of the day, you tube

sotd: Daniel Bedingfield – Nothing Hurts Like Love

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I was just listening to my ipod on shuffle, and a song from Daniel Bedingfield’s sophomore album, Second First Impression came up, prompting me to give it some well deserved attention this afternoon. I can’t believe that this record came out almost 5 (!!!) years ago, and there hasn’t been anything new from Daniel in that amount of time. This is one of those records that, for whatever reason, they never even bothered to release in the US, and it boggles the mind as to why; his sister is a huge success here in the states, and Daniel even had a few hits of his own accord! As I sit here listening, I have to scratch my head and wonder why we completely abandoned him when he released a sophomore album that was even stronger, and showed a musical growth that made it better than his initial release?!

Even though most people only know his one hit (I Gotta Get Through This), I loved all of Daniel’s debut, and when I heard he was releasing a second album, I got it as an import and payed the crazy import fee for the album, because I didn’t think it would ever come out in the US (which it still hasn’t). Second First Impression is an amazing album that highlights the true talent Daniel Bedingfield has, and begs me to question, WHERE the fuck is he?!! Nothing new for almost 5 years!?

My afternoon re-discovery made me want to see what was up with Daniel, and so I did the usual “google to see what’s up with them”, and according to his wikipedia page (I know, total grain of salt there) he will have a new album out in 2009. If that is true, I can only hope that it is just as amazing as Second First Impression, and that it contains amazing songs like Nothing Hurts Like Love on it. Based on the two CDs he released so long ago, I doubt it would be anything but really amazing pop; and I can’t wait to see if a release this year really comes true.

Nothing Hurts Like Love is a song that builds to a crescendo that conveys the emotion behind the lyrics in a beautiful and powerful way. The song, written by power-house songwriter, Diane Warren, was a single (go watch the video now, because the stupidity of record companies is apparent in disabling embedding; you’re right, I DON’T want to spread the word about the music, idiots.), and did alright in the UK (#3), but made NO impact here in the US. This again, is sad, because it is an amazing song, and many of my fellow Americans have undoubtedly never even heard it before now. Good music really does escape us Americans sometimes, and this is definitely one of those times. Oh well, at least I can make it MY song of day, right?! Silver lining, folks, silver lining indeed.

flickr, home improvement, listen up!

ikea faucet installation how to: something you need to know

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Oh Ikea… how do I love thee? I could go on forever counting the ways. For me, there is something cathartic about putting together your cute furniture, and a sense of accomplishment that comes along with it that is unlike most other things in this world. HOWEVER (and that is a BIG however), occasionally, you throw a major curve ball at me, and your other customers, and we have to figure out how to make the strange situation work for us.

This is a story of one of those curve balls.

After redoing the main bathroom’s shower and all of the headache that came with it, I refused to go back to using my shitty master bath’s vanity, so I figured I could just “add that on” to the other project. Most of all, it was easy fixes; there is nothing wrong with the shower in our master, and the floor is okay, so I just painted (sassy green!), and thought a new vanity and medicine cabinet was all I needed. For the most part, I have been 100% correct; I am totally happy with all of the somewhat minor changes that I have made. I LOVE the new cabinet, and the vanity is way more compact, and looks way more high end than the one that was in there since we moved in. However (there’s that word again!), I hit a snag when I went to connect the new faucet to the water supply line.
ikea faucet installation: something you NEED to know!
As you can see in the above picture, the lines were just a little too short, but that wasn’t the real problem; the fitting was completely different than the fitting of my previous faucet, which meant that they would not connect to the supply lines.

In fact, it should be stated to anyone that considers ever getting Ikea faucets, that their supply connection STANDARD is 1/2″ (which actually measures 1″ in diameter, which is just odd), not the 3/8″ standard for the United States (NOTE: I could be getting this backwards (but I’m pretty sure I’m not): Ikea says, “Connection hoses with 3/8″ connection included.”, but I’m fairly certain it was a 1/2″ connector at the end of the supply line… regardless, it doesn’t fit.). So what does that mean, exactly? Well, it means that the Ikea supply connections are far bigger than the existing connections that come out of your wall, and well, to put it bluntly, it just won’t work. I found this interesting, because it isn’t mentioned ANYWHERE in the Ikea manual for the faucet.

Hmmm…

So here’s what I did:

First, I googled the situation. I managed to find out that this is only a slightly known issue for those that have ventured into the realm of Swedish flat pack furniture, and lucky for me, there were solutions! So here’s what I had to do…

1) I went to Lowes, and was told they didn’t have what I needed. Don’t waste your time, go DIRECTLY to Ace Hardware, because they have everything you need; which differs from Steve’s (somewhat more complicated, sorry Steve!) solution I linked to above. Here’s what you will need:
2 connection adapters (not sure that’s what they are called); these will be the connection between the Ikea hoses and your new hose. It should be 1/2″ on the Ikea end, and 3/8″ on the other end for the new hose.
2 new faucet connector hoses, standard 3/8″ fittings on each end.

And that’s it!!

Now, here are some pictures, because this is incredibly difficult to explain just using words:
This is the new hose that I was describing with the male/male adapter installed on top:
ikea faucet installation: something you NEED to know!
This will be screwed into the Ikea faucet connector:
ikea faucet installation: something you NEED to know!
Now, the the Ikea faucet is screwed into an adapter, and that adapter is now screwed into a hose that has the standard connector for the supply line coming out of the wall. We’re all set!!!

This is what it looked like when I got everything all in:
ikea faucet installation: something you NEED to know!
$25 dollars and a little elbow grease, and it works like a charm. Now, I don’t know why those hoses start at 12″, causing me to have to snake it around like that, but I don’t care as long as it fucking works, and it does.

So, if you plan on getting a cute little sink, and oh-so-easy to install faucet to go with said sink, be sure to come back and reference this post. It will save you time, because you won’t have to start out empty handed; you can get the adapters and new hoses before you start!

Oh the joys of DIY home improvement… right?! Needless to say, I am more than happy with my “new” bathroom(s), and I can let out a sigh of relief and go back to loving Ikea wholeheartedly (even though I MAY have cursed their name a few points during the project); but don’t even get me started on that weird ass p-trap and the nonsense that went into getting that cluster fuck to work.

UPDATE: It didn’t occur to me to post pictures of the sink/faucet (I was focused on the stress of getting the damn thing installed), but Shan’s request reminded me; so here you go: (I may update this with actual photos of MY cabinet/sink/faucet in the near future, so check back for that)