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finally… friday at last! (five new songs too!)

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This has been a LONG week… two midterms that are thankfully complete!!! I hope that I did well, but honestly, I don’t even want to think about it right now. I am in full on relaxation mood right now.

And in order to get the relaxation going strong, I bring you your five song Friday selections!!!

This week is a bit all over the place, but you will enjoy the ride; trust me.

The Pipettes: Pull Shapes
First of all, as a HUGE thank you to the Pipettes for FINALLY releasing their AMAZING album here in the states (it came out on Tuesday), I present the Pipettes: Pull Shapes. I can’t believe that it has been so long since I first heard this group, and I am glad I did; it is still in my favorites, and most listened to albums!! I am also totally excited, because a US release totally makes them eligible for my 2007 favorite CD selections (since they were sadly not discovered in time to make my 2006 list). That being said, make sure you check out the rest of what the Pipettes have to offer; they are fantastic. I am going to see them in November, and I can’t wait! Pull Shapes!

The Bird and The Bee: Again and Again
Next, this is pretty much the only video from the amazing group, The Bird and The Bee; who made another one of my favorite CDs so far this year. While this isn’t my FAVORITE song from the record, it really gives you a good feel for their sound, and hopefully, is enough for you to want to hear more. They also released an EP recently that I picked up this week titled, “Please Clap Your Hands”, which shows that they are only going to get better with more releases. I can’t wait to hear more. In the meantime, I am loving the Bird and the Bee, and can’t wait to see what’s next!

Emmy Rossum: Slow Me Down
First of all, Emmy is seriously one of the most beautiful women I think I have ever seen. She is stunning. I knew that she could sing from her performance in the Phantom of the Opera, but I had no idea that as an artist, that this was her style. It has been described to me as Enya meets Imogen Heap, and while I am not the biggest Enya buff, I LOVE Imogen, and I couldn’t agree more with that comparison. I picked up Emmy’s EP on iTunes, and have been enjoying it all week. I LOVE this song, and am seriously listening to it on repeat.

Annie Lennox: Dark Road
As a LONG TIME lover of Annie Lennox, I was super excited to hear that she would be releasing a new CD this fall. When I first heard Dark Road, I was so happy to hear the beauty and unique quality that I have come to expect from this amazing artist. Truly one of the most distinguishable voices, I have loved Annie for a long time, and upon getting her CD this week, I have been reminded why; she is amazing. The CD, entitled Songs of Mass Destruction is fantastic. I love me some Annie Lennox.

Melissa Etheridge: Message To Myself
Last, but certainly not least, I give you the fabulous Melissa Etheridge and her new song, Message to Myself. I have to say, the first time I heard this song, I remembered just how much I love Ms. Etheridge, and I was giddy to hear more. Call it “embracing my inner lesbian”, but I love Melissa, and have been enjoying her new album, Awakening, which dropped last week. If you are a fan of hers, you should definitely pick it up, because it is great. I am glad that she made it through her cancer, and is as strong and amazing as she is on this record.

Well, there you have it! This week’s installment of Five Song Friday! Hope you enjoyed it!! Also, thanks to the internets and the awesome skills of my buddy Garrett, I am going to start offering the mp3s of the songs that I post to my loyal readers!!! Let me know if you are interested, and I will hook you up with DL information! I am not going to post it just yet, mainly because of the horrible, yet realistic, shit going on about sharing music in this country. I am reminded by, and I feel so incredibly sorry for this woman, and fear that many more will be subjected to this nonsense. I can understand asking her to pay for the “stolen” music, but 220,000 is RIDICULOUS. This is obvious injustice, and it makes me weary, so let me know if you are interested via comment. Have a great weekend everyone!

all about me

right past overwhelmed into “study freak out”

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That’s where I am…

I don’t remember this in school, because, honestly, I don’t really remember studying in undergrad that much. It didn’t really matter to me as much as it does now. Take for instance, my statistics class… I got back my project one results yesterday: a 92. Instead of “woo hoo!”, I was like, “wait, only a 92?”.

I have officially become obsessed with “making the grade”.

The bad part, is that it has made me exhausted, and I have hit the “study freak out” mode, where, instead of studying, I procrastinate like crazy. I must focus.

I will be memorizing as much statistical information and anatomical terminology as humanly possible until further notice. I need all the luck I can get.

britney n' k-fed, tragic

britney lost the kids to KEVIN?

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I’m actually surprised by this, because anyone can clearly see that Kevin is no more fit to parent than Britney. In fact, I would look at the judge square in the eye, and say, “do you realize, that he walked out on his pregnant girlfriend to be with Britney? Please explain how that makes him MORE fit to parent.” Point blank, I think this is a lot of the problem with things today; kids raising kids. I think the kids should go to Britney’s mom, but that’s just my two cents. I remember my early twenties, and I can tell you right now, I would have been an awful parent. I was practically a child still, learning the ways of the world… and that isn’t even considering the mad media that is watching their every move. Parenting is hard enough with out the added pressure of growing up yourself in the process, and that ever present eye of the media. All four people in this situation are in a bad place right now, and I hope things work out best for all of them.

Shit, maybe this will be just the “wake up call” that she will actually be able to hear this time, and she can use this time to get things back on track for herself. Maybe she will grow from this experience, and will grow stronger and better as a result. It really is sad that child stars get chewed up and spit out by the “industry”, and the results are often devastating. Apparently, you have to hit the bottom before being able to make things right, when you are famous. Hopefully, this is the lowest it will go for Britney, and she can make some good in the near future. I’m rooting for you, babe.

I feel bad for Britney, and hope that she gets her kids back in the end… after she makes things right. Hopefully, she will be able to do so soon. I honestly feel the worst for the kids who are obviously being used as pawns in this whole thing, when they should just be taken care of; but by who is not for me to say… I just don’t think Kevin is the best choice; that’s all.

Oh well, what are you going to do, right?

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busy week ahead…

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This week, I have two midterms, one each in Statistics and Anatomy Lab. Needless to say, I have hit the “frustration, procrastinator-to-the-max” level of stress; I need to study, but I am too worried about the tests that I just end up wasting time being frustrated about them. Gah. I am sure that I will get to studying later on this evening though, because the sheer amount of information that I have to have memorized for the Anatomy lab is amazingly terrifying. There really is no winging a 50 question fill in the blank test. The statistics test isn’t much better… she isn’t giving us any formulas. Also, she must really hate us, because there is not only new content today and tomorrow that WILL be on the midterm, but there is also a quiz tomorrow. Seriously. I mean, I know that things need to be structured and whatnot, but this class is insane. I just hope that I can get it all done in time, and be prepared for both tests; which are nicely on the same day: Thursday.

Just some thoughts that I have been pre-occupied with today (when I should have been studying):

  • The Bird and The Bee are awesome. I picked up a new EP called “Please Clap Your Hands” over lunch, and I am really enjoying it. I love their CD, and am not surprised that I like this too. Definitely a fun group.
  • Now, I know there are tons of opponents to socialized medicine out there, but I don’t see how providing health care for children that don’t have it is a bad thing (healthy children is a GOOD THING!). I just don’t. You are not going to convince me that spending $60 billion dollars over five years on something that is necessary, like health coverage for children that don’t have it, is a bad thing; especially when you consider that we have already spent $450+ billion on a war in Iraq. Is it really that bad to want to take care of Americans? What’s the point of being “free” if you are sick and dying? I am over this whole, “Love the fetus, hate the child” mentality that much of the Republican party clings to, and I for one, hope that Bush doesn’t veto this bill. Now, bitch and moan about why providing health care to those that don’t have it is bad; just be sure to refer to world health statistics and figures regarding life expectancy, and make sure you see where we fall on that list.
  • This just pisses me the fuck off. Seriously, we do NOT support our troops; that is, our government doesn’t support them. If there is one priority that is PARAMOUNT in this country, it is taking care of those that served FOR us. SHAME. SHAME. SHAME. I am sick of this. Many of you have accused me of “not supporting the troops”, and obviously, I am expecting more support than is currently being provided.
  • If you have commented on this blog, and you don’t see your comment show up in a reasonable amount of time, chances are, one of two things has happened: 1) your comment was eaten by my spam filter, and you should try and post it again (this is usually ONLY for new commenters, or comments that have lots of links in them); OR 2) your comment is not adding anything to the conversation, other than hateful, meaningless remarks that I don’t have the time to validate, reply to, or approve for appearance on my blog. I am saying this, because there is at least one person that continues trying to “get my goat” by leaving ridiculous and baiting/hateful comments, and I just wanted that person to know that unless there is something that you wish to add, that isn’t just hateful and absurd, then keep it to yourself; as I no longer have time to validate your asinine behavior.

Well, I guess that’s about it, really. Hope everyone is making the best of a Monday! Now… back to the books for me!

the catch-all-egory

new neighbors

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They finally sold the house that was being built next to ours. The buyers are two gay men, who the builder described as “a little bitchy”. We have as yet to have met them, but it’s cool to have some gay neighbors.

Interesting to me, is that they haven’t stopped by to say high (we haven’t yet… waiting until James gets back from the wooded adventure), and already, they have put in a privacy fence that definitely separates our property.

And they put it on our side of the creek. Oh well… I guess you can’t control neighbors. Did I mention that they have 5 yappy chihuahuas? Yeah… I better not hear them barking uncontrollably like they were the first day they moved in. Oh, and another bonus, is we got the pretty side of the fence. They way I look at it, is that, we got a nice privacy fence too… and we lucked out and get the pretty side to boot!

I am sure that I will blog about my first impressions…. so stay tuned! Hope everyone is having a great Saturday, I am a little hung over after hitting Marys with the boys last night… one too many beers I tell you!

Finally, a random bit of good advice: Don’t eat potato chips when you are drunk… the roof of my mouth is shredded!!!

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five song friday: maybe the last?

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Does anyone even care about 5 song Friday? Well, I do, so I am going to do it at least once more… enjoy. Or not, it’s up to you. This may be the last one, or not, depending on how I feel… and given whether people enjoy these or not.

Silversun Pickups – Well Thought Out Twinkles
I could probably be in the worst mood ever, and hear this song, and instantly feel somewhat, if not a lot, better. This song rocks my face off, and I love it for doing that, too. If you haven’t heard of Silversun Pickups, consider yourself on notice, because they are awesome. Their CD is just awesome.

Iron and Wine – Naked as We Came
Iron and Wine’s new CD came out this week, and I decided to give it a listen, after (for whatever reason) ignoring his previous stuff, and I must admit, that I really like it. I also got one of this other CDs, that happens to have this song on it, and I must admit, that it is beautiful in it’s simplicity. I love this song, and it makes me feel like there truly are delicate and wonderful things left in the world.

Feist – I Feel It All
Normally, I am not a fan of live performances, but this is one of my favorite songs from Feist’s new album. Also, the performance is pretty spot on. Finally, everyone has heard/seen 1234, because of the nano commercials, so I thought it would be more fun to bring another great song by Feist to the surface. While these songs are definitely great, her CD is pretty great all the way through.

Muse – Knights of Cydonia
I fucking love Muse. They are amazingly awesome, and Black Holes and Revelations is one of those CDs that I just kick myself for not discovering sooner (it would have definitely made my top list of 2006, easy). That being said, I LOVE this song, and I am super excited to know that it will be in Guitar Hero III. In the mean time, I can just enjoy the greatness that is Muse in this crazy Western video.

Kelly Clarkson – Sober (not the real video… just for the song)
Now, I will admit it, I wrote her album off as awful; but I don’t remember this song being on there. If I did, I am ashamed, because this song is beautiful. I heard it last night on Smallville, and loved it. Kelly, I’m sorry I ignored this gem. It’s great. This isn’t the video for the song, just a video someone made with the song, but the song is SO GOOD, which is why I posted it. Give the song a chance… I know it is going to get me to reexamine her latest CD now.

That’s it for this week’s five song Friday. Let me know what you thought. Things are stressful, as I have two midterms next week, so wish me luck… I hope all of you are well.

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just a few thoughts and observations: wednesday edition

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I watched Knocked Up last night (well, most of it), and I must say that Seth Rogen is totally cute. Totally. I don’t really have an opinion on the movie yet, as I didn’t finish it, and was focused on Seth’s cuteness.

I watched the season premiere of The Unit, and they totally brought it in a way I wasn’t expecting. This show definitely wins over House, hands down. Also, I watched the series premiere of Reaper, and it was fantastic!!! Well written, witty, and cute! I am definitely adding a season pass for this one. So far, one new show has definitely impressed me! I was also glad to see Tyler Labine in the show, because I liked him in Invasion, and well, I think that he is really cute. Also, the lead guy, Bret Harrison, is totally cute too! I love good shows with cute boys. That is a double hell YES!

Side note: OMG, I just looked at the IMDB entry for Reaper, and I had NO IDEA that it was Kevin Smith’s project! No wonder I liked it so much! YAY!

Is anyone else just completely embarrassed by our president? I mean, that speech yesterday was just a complete hypocritical slap in the face of the rest of the world; not to mention a complete “out of left field moment” at times (BURMA? REALLY? WTF?!). It is becoming more and more obvious that America has turned into that total bitch from high school who everyone hates and talks shit about behind her back, but she still walks around shoving her finger in people’s faces, and acting like her shit doesn’t stink; all the while, creating more people that hate her. Hello Regina George!!! But in all seriousness, it is no wonder (to anyone with a progressive bone in their body) that more and more people are expressing hatred over America. At this point, I think the best thing we can do is distance ourselves from this man, and show the rest of the planet that he does not represent what all of us think. Gah. Also, it would be REALLY NICE if we could actually practice all of the “human rights standards” that we are constantly calling the rest of the world out on.

If probability is such a simple concept as “it happens x number of times out of the possible number of times”, then why in the FUCK do they have to try as hard as possible to turn it into this amazingly difficult concept to grasp? I will never get statistics and why people try so hard to make it more difficult than it has to be. Taking a simple concept and turning it into something that is almost impossible to understand is beyond me.

Finally, as some of you know, James made a purchase. A big purchase. And I honestly don’t know how I feel about it. It stresses me out that he constantly puts his needs before mine, and sometimes, doesn’t even consider mine at all. Money has always been an issue between us, and no matter how I try to make it a non-issue, he really forces it. The worst part of it, is that I know where it comes from, have talked with him about it, have taken him to therapy and talked about it, and yet, it still permeates every part of our relationship. It isn’t something that I would leave him over, but it is definitely something that I have to vent about from time to time, in order to prevent lashing out at him about not having $10 to buy food, when it is clear that these are self imposed limits that serve to meet his needs and not ours. Ugh. Relationships are definitely a lot of work, and thank god I am willing to work at this one. I am still a little angry about the purchase, but I am sure that I will eventually let it go… I just wish that he could learn WHY it upset me. We’ll see.

Hope everyone is having a great hump day…. this was my 2 cents.

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fall TV: what are you going to watch?

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Well, it’s that time of year again… time to get excited about (well, hopefully) fall television. It’s also the time to sort through the new stuff, and add that to the old Tivo schedule. Of course, that is tricky, because you also have to work it around the stuff that is returning from last year that you have already fell in love with. Now, let’s examine my TV viewing plans, shall we?

Returning shows that I am excited about/am already getting back into:

  • Heroes: First and foremost, last night’s premiere was great. I am glad that they went forward 4 months from the season finale, and they showed us how the characters had progressed since then. I was also excited to see that they still have some great secrets up their sleeve, so that this season will have us hanging on like last season. For me, this is THE show to watch this year. I love my Heroes! Also, I almost spit out my drink when none other than Mr. Julian Sark, one of my favorite Alias villians, showed up! Hell yes! I hope that they have him on there more in the future (although, it doesn’t look like they will, based on his character, but I digress).
  • Prison Break: After getting into this last season, I was glad to see this show come back. I also thought, “how are they going to keep calling it “Prison Break”, when they aren’t in prison anymore”; and well, if you watch the show, you know they wrapped that up nicely. Also, I have to say, that these two brothers seem to find themselves in a world of mess. The good thing is that they know how to deal with it, and provide us with some great drama and tension in the process. Oh yeah, and they are both smoking hot. I am definitely glad to see Prison Break back this year. (I also recently bought season one, because we never saw it, and I can’t wait to watch it and catch up… but I am saving that for later.).
  • Family Guy: Definitely one of my favorites, and always a good watch. I still need to pick up the newest DVD set, because I missed some of last season’s episodes. I watched the (I guess it was) season premiere last night, and I have to say, I have never really cared for Star Wars, but that was brilliant. Any Star Wars fan should have enjoyed the hell out of that episode; I know I did. I am glad to see this great show back for more.

Other shows I am glad to see coming back, that I have added to my recording schedule:

  • America’s Next Top Model — even MORE campy and BITCHY this year! What’s not to love about that?
  • Smallville — OMG, Supergirl! I seriously can’t wait to see what they are going to do this season. This show just gets better!
  • Ugly Betty — I love this show!
  • Brothers and Sisters — This show is seriously one of the best shows on TV, IMHO.
  • Desperate Housewives — I heard a gay family is moving in! I didn’t think this show could get any gayer, then it does!
  • House — to be honest, I am not sure about this one yet… I got annoyed with him last year, and may opt to watch the Unit instead.
  • The Unit — a good Alias-like show that we watched all of the previous season; I have to pick between this and House, and I haven’t decided yet which one I will choose.
  • CSI — for James… I like it, but am not as into it as he is.

Whew! That’s a lot of returning shows! I didn’t realize there were that many! Either way… Here are the NEW shows that I am looking forward to checking out:

  • Chuck — Monday at 8. Nerds and espionage? I’m in! I haven’t viewed the premiere, which came on last night, but I am looking forward to checking it out later this week.
  • Pushing Daisies — Wednesday at 8. I have been looking forward to this one ever since I heard about the concept. Sadly, it looks like one of those shows that may be great, but might not pick up the audience it needs…. I hope that if it is as good as I hope, that people tune in; as stated in the past, I hate to see good shows canceled too soon.
  • Bionic Woman — Wednesday at 9. They really payed attention at the success of Heroes, obviously, because here is another “comic-type” show; one which I am definitely interested in checking out. The previews look like it may kick ass.
  • Reaper — Tuesday at 9. I really loved (and miss) Dead Like Me, and this could potentially be a good take on it. Also, I love Missy Peregrym, which only adds to me wanting to check this out. I hope it lives up to the hype.
  • Big Shots — Thursday at 10. I will be checking this out just because it has Michael Vartan in it. Seriously. That’s my draw.
  • The Big Bang Theory — It would be nice to check out this show, but it conflicts with others (Monday at 8:30), so unless Chuck sucks, it’s going to have to wait. (seriously, why don’t the spread them out over the week?)

Whew! That’s a list of shows! Damn! I can’t believe that there are so many… and this isn’t even counting the mid-season shows! Well, I am going to get to setting my tivo for some maximum TV viewing, and get to checking out my old favorites, and the new offerings.

What will you be watching? Are there any of these that seem interesting to you??? Tell me what you are looking forward to in your Fall TV schedule!

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weekend in Helen

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candied apples, originally uploaded by duanemoodydotcom.

This weekend, James and I joined some friends for a weekend getaway to Helen, GA. We stayed at a great cabin in the woods, and had a fantastic time.

It was nice to get away for the weekend, as well as having the time to spend with friends.

Here’s hoping that we can do something like that again soon!

I do wish it were still weekend though, because getting back to work is never fun! Hope everyone is dealing well with their Monday.

Also, James is going out of town this weekend, so if anyone is up for doing something, make sure you let me know!

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five song friday – september 21

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Wow, it has been a hectic week. I had a stats quiz that had a question on there that wasn’t covered in the material that we were given to prepare. Freak out! Turns out, it was a mistake, and the professor totally gave us credit anyway. That doesn’t mean that I didn’t have stress BEFORE that revelation. Then, I have been preparing all week for my anatomy test, and I took it yesterday, and got a B. I am some how disappointed by that though; it was frustrating, because her questions were random, and some of them were on things that were literally only mentioned on like one illustration in the book. Crazy. Either way, this week has been crazy, and I for one am glad that Friday’s here!!

Now, on with the music!!! This week’s five song Friday is going to be a little different from last week, in that there is going to be a noticeable “dance” vibe to many of this week’s tracks. There were two great albums that I discovered this week (one of which came out this week), and as such, I have to represent. To prevent any more anticipation, let’s get to it, shall we?

J.Lo – Do It Well
Now, I am going to start off by saying something nice. J.Lo has had some banging hits in her day, and I have always generally liked a lot of her music. There are a couple of songs (one in particular being a fabulous remix of her song “I’m Real”) that I could literally listen to on repeat. However, with the good, there to comes some bad. Lately, J.Lo has really strayed, and has completely dropped off of my radar screen altogether. And then… she put out Do It Well. That’s why this song sits here today… it marks the “comeback” of the J.Lo that I missed! I love a great dance track, and this one is fierce! J.Lo, I am glad to see you getting back to dancing, and “doing it well”. This is a great song you can definitely move your feet to!

Booty Luv – Don’t Mess With My Man
Now ask yourself, how many gay men out there couldn’t get into a group called Booty Luv??? EXACTLY!!! And with songs like this, the answer is: none that love a great dance track! In all seriousness, these girls are fresh from the UK, and their album Boogie 2 Nite came out this week. I have been enjoying this song for a while now, and I was so happy to get my hands on their full length album, which is a great dance album. I must say, that the covers are fantastic, and it kept me dancing in my chair from the beginning until the end. If you are craving some great dance music, you have found it. Booty Luv is here (well, in the UK, but you get the picture)!!!

Ricki-Lee – Can’t Touch It
For this song, we have to travel to the land down under; Ricki-Lee was a contestant on Australian Idol, where she proved her chops as a power singer. I became familiar with her when I fell in love with a little collaboration she did with some of her fellow Australian Idol ladies, called the Young Divas. Naturally, when my buddy Stu showed me this video of Ricki-Lee BUSTING out on her own (again), I was jumping up and down and loving everything I heard. This song is a great dance track, and definitely highlights the reason why we should pay more attention to the artists coming out to Australia! There is some real talent down there, and Ricki-Lee proves that there are definitely some people that can SING down under! I wanted to put this song in this week’s five, because I recently got her new CD “Brand New Day”, and have been enjoying it all week. I am glad to be exposed to songs like this that I really enjoy, and I hope that bringing them to you will get more attention to artists like Ricki-Lee!

Sugababes – About You Now
The Sugababes are a great girl group from the UK (one of my favorites), and with this new single, they show that they are still a force to be reckoned with. Seriously, this song is fantastic, and I can’t wait to see what their new album has in store for us! If it is anything like this, I know that I am going to be pleased as pie! If you love the Sugababes like I do, hearing this song will have you wondering why in the hell these girls aren’t popular on this side of the pond. Either way… I can import the CD dammit! I love my Sugababes, and this is another great single from this great girl band.

Kate Nash – Mouthwash
I have probably saved this best for last this week; Kate Nash is seriously one of my favorite artists right now. Her CD, Made of Bricks, I have talked about before, but I can’t stress this enough; it is one of the best albums of the year. Hands down. Seriously, I love everything about Kate, and I can’t speak enough lovely things about her!!! If there is any justice in the world, Kate is going to be huge, and I am glad that I was with her from the beginning!!! Do yourself a favor and check out Kate Nash. The entire CD is a solid listen, and every song is so good. I personally love her, and you should too. I do want to mention that I chose this song over “Foundations”, because I wanted to show that she is definitely more than a one it wonder… Foundations is a great track, and so is the rest of the album; now check it out already!

Well, there you have it. The second installment of Five song Friday. I really hope that you enjoyed these songs, and let me know what you guys are listening to!!! There is way too much music out there for us to find it on our own, so we have to work together! Have a great weekend everyone!