Pretty things

March 27th, 2008

I’m not a huge wearer of jewelry, but what I do wear is usually small and understated. I don’t do big and chunky (even though I, myself, am kind of big and chunky)… I prefer petite pieces. I love this adorable necklace from Garnet Hill.

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5 Favorites : Music Edition

March 26th, 2008

More sharing today. I don’t know that it’ll give you any insights into my soul, but I’m doing it anyway.

I thought today would be a good day to share 5 of my favorite artists and/or bands. I love music of all kinds — I dislike most rap and jazz, but other than that my CD and iTunes collections have always been sort of a free-for-all. There are certain artists, though, that I’ll stop everything to listen to; certain favorite musicians that show up on my XM radio’s TuneSelect list, and that give me a little thrill. Here, in no particular order, are 5 of those:

Dave Matthews Band: All-time favorite. I share a love of Dave with my brother, and we’ve spent many a summer night listening to DMB under the stars at the local outdoor concert venue — some of the best memories of my life have been set to DMB. I haven’t seen them in concert for about 4 years, but this year, I AM GOING NO MATTER WHAT. Tickets go on sale this Saturday.
Harry Connick, Jr.: I’ve been in love with Harry since I was a teenager. My grandmother saw him on Leno or something about 17 years ago, and thought he sounded just like Sinatra. I was going through my big band phase at the time, and he fit right in. It helps that he’s smokin’ hot… and incredibly talented. Two of my very best college friends also loved Harry, and we bonded over our sadness at his marriage. Ah, those were the days.
Dixie Chicks: It took me a long time to come ’round to the Chicks. I love listening to them when I travel — I travel alone most of the time, 12 hour drives to Georgia, and their music is so easy to sing along with and harmonize to (I prefer to sing harmony whenever possible). I think Fly was my favorite album, though Home would be a close, close second.
Jars of Clay: I think I first heard Jars of Clay when I was about 14. My brother and I went with our friend from across the street to a Michael W. Smith concert, and they were the opening act. They played “Love Song for a Savior”, and it just embodied everything I was feeling. To this day I cannot hear that song without getting completely choked up and verklempt, despite the fact that I no longer attend church or attempt to be spiritual in any way. Just makes me think it’s still there, deep down, even if I try to keep it from the surface.
Mindy Smith: I found Mindy via XM, and I love her. Like the Dixie Chicks, she sings songs that are easy for me to harmonize with, so I listen to her a lot when I travel. I don’t listen to a lot of country music, but bluegrass and country-alt are making their way into my playlist more and more often.

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5 Favorites : Movie Edition

March 25th, 2008

I realize that I haven’t shared a lot of my favorites during this March edition of NaBloPoMo, and I feel I’ve been remiss. I guess I find it hard to publish a favorites list of anything, because I think those kind of list are always changing, and it’s hard to keep up. But here, tonight, I give you my 5 of my favorite movies as of right now:

	13 Going on 30 - I love the little girl Jennifer Garner plays in this movie, even as an adult. She has such an exuberance for life in this film! This was also the first film where I’ve really liked Mark Ruffalo, also.
	About A Boy - I LOVE Hugh Grant. I especially love when Hugh Grant plays this kind of character. I think I’d like to live in a British film, really. I like to imagine that all the characters from all my favorite British films and books live in some alternate universe… I think it’d be fantastic place to live.
	Amelie - This was the first foreign film I’d ever seen where I didn’t care about the subtitles. My mom bought this for me on a whim, thinking I’d like it because it “looked whimsical”. She knows me too well.
	Love Actually - Another favorite Brit film. I love that Hugh Grant is in it, but it also features most of my other favorites… Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman (squee!!), Colin Firth, and of course, Rowan Atkinson. It just makes me feel good to watch it.
	Moulin Rouge! - I love musicals. My Gammy and I used to watch them on Saturday afternoons… Singin’ In the Rain, Funny Face, Sound of Music… so I get a little twinge of nostalgia watching movies like this. I don’t know if she’d have liked this one, but I love it. The colors, the story, the music.