Throughout my life, I’ve had symbiotic experiences with several of my favorite musicians – records that fully expressed whatever I was going through at the time of their release. Paramore, band of my heart since 2006, has never let me down in that regard. Their 2009 album Brand New Eyes roughly coincided with, and reflected, the implosion of my marriage… to the point that I can’t listen to some of those songs now. But their new self-titled release has lived up to happier expectations! Like me, the band seems to be turning a corner.
Paramore comes from a much lighter, more hopeful place than Brand New Eyes, while maintaining its honesty and edge. It’s about putting down baggage and looking forward, not back; embracing your dreams and your current reality. With the dual influences of the 80s and Los Angeles (where Paramore wrote and recorded the album), it’s also a LOT of fun. Hayley Williams said in an interview that she was listening to a lot of Blondie at the time, and it shows in the best ways.
I’m sure I’ll adopt new favorite tracks as I keep listening to this record, but my first-impression favorite is “Ain’t It Fun” – both for its punchy, relatable lyrics and for the gospel choir that joins in about halfway through. How can you not love a pop/punk/rock band that incorporates a gospel choir?? The ukelele interludes made me laugh (especially “I’m Not Angry Anymore”), “Last Hope” almost left me in tears on the elliptical, and “Part II” blew me away artistically. It’s a wiser, minor-key reprise of their most zealous anthem, “Let The Flames Begin” from Riot! I find it extremely cool and brave when artists revisit their old work and basically say, “Here’s what has stood the test of time, and here’s where I’ve changed my mind.”
If you already love Paramore, you’ll be thrilled by this album. If you’ve been wanting to check them out, “Now” is the time (see what I did there?) because this is their best work yet! ♥
PS – I’ve always admired Hayley’s bold haircolor choices, but I am not loving the microbangs. Though if anyone can pull them off, it’s her.
In my six-plus years of residence in my house, I’ve made a LOT of improvements. But one big project has remained. After stressing about the beat-up, cat-destroyed carpet for several years, I decided to use my tax refund to get new flooring. (My philosophy is, if it’s something I would have to do before listing my house, better to do it ASAP and enjoy it myself.) I also wanted to replace the kitchen/dining linoleum with tile, but figured I’d get to that later. However, when the flooring guy came to take measurements, my dad suggested I have him measure the kitchen too. The quote he gave me was reasonable and my parents generously offered to help with the expense. So I was able to have ALL the flooring done in one swoop!
The work was done last week, and the house isn’t fully back to normal yet, but I couldn’t wait any longer to post Before and Afters. So here they are in all their imperfect glory!
FOYER:
HALLWAY:
KITCHEN:
DINING ROOM:
LIVING ROOM:
Laminate: Bella Cera Hacienda Collection in Hickory
Ceramic Tile: Mohawk Mirador Tile in Cameo Beige
Flooring Provider and Installer: Flooring Solutions (VERY pleased with their work)
Quarter Round Baseboard Installer: My dad
Photobombing Cat: Gandalf
There’s still work to do. I need to get a living room rug and some other things, plus this remodel has kickstarted a huge spring-cleaning and refreshing expedition. Also, one plank in the living room has done a weird popping-up thing. The workers came to look at it this morning, and apparently it’s a product quality issue, so caveat emptor. In order to replace it, they’ll have to re-do a big section of the room. *facepalm* Hopefully it won’t be a huge deal.
In any case, I’m SO happy and feel like I have a whole new house!
10 Comments + Posted in: domestic
In my sophomore year of college, my roommates, Kathy and Emily, and I made a decision to start having school spirit. By our definition, that meant learning about football and basketball and starting to attend games. I had no idea that that decision would lead to a passion for sports (not to mention a passion for my team) that grows with each passing year. If I’d known then that I’d someday love sports enough to want to work in sports media, my life might have been very different. Of course, instead of my dream scenario of working with the Tigers, I’d likely be broke and covering some team I don’t care about in, like, Des Moines right now. But I digress.
I spent all of my high school years in marching band. We were very athletic and disciplined, more like a drum corps that happened to be affiliated with a school. It was legit. (Any veteran band geek will understand this. Anyone who’s laughing can move on.) Because band was the right pastime for me personality-wise at a formative time of my life, many aspects of that training and experience will be with me till my dying day. Sometimes I wish life was still that straightforward. Athletic pursuits (including dance, exercise, marching, etc.) fulfill some fundamental needs that often go unmet in the “real world”… such as:
– Hard work with consistent benefits. It’s pretty simple. If you put in practice time and conditioning as an athlete, you will improve, people will notice, and rewards will follow. Few disciplines, or careers, have such an obvious return on investment and satisfaction of a job well done. I follow lots of basketball players on Twitter, and their “in the gym, grit and grind, gotta get this win” lifestyle seems a lot more satisfying than “Grindin in my cubicle with this paperwork and data entry. Again.”
– Order and consistency. Sports have clear-cut rules and regulations. There’s a natural rhythm of schedules and seasons. Despite the occasional loose cannon, athletes generally know how to behave and how they can expect to be treated. It’s not hard to understand the culture.
– Creativity. There’s room for artistry and individuality within the athletic structure.
– Assurance that miracles can happen. Despite what I just said about predictability, that’s why they call it March Madness. Cinderellas dance and Davids beat Goliaths. Sports have just enough possibility to keep things interesting.
– Unity, camaraderie, and mentoring. This is where I connect most with team sports. I know that working side by side long-term for a common goal brings people together like nothing else. The strongest bonds are formed in the trenches. It inspires me to see teams not only achieve greatness together, but also rally and support one another during the bad times (like Louisville’s rally around Kevin Ware, which is why I, a diehard Memphis fan, am rooting for them tonight). I also love to see good coach-player relationships. It makes such a difference to have someone invested in you and your development.
– The power to bring people together. When a community of wildly different individuals comes together to support a team, it’s just awesome. I embraced it when the Grizzlies made a deep playoff run a few years ago, and of course when the Tigers went to the national championship in 2008. I’ll never forget running out of my house with my mom after the Final Four win, hopping around on the sidewalk waving pompoms, and people driving by honking and waving their flags and pompoms too. It was great.
This basketball season, I thought a lot about these things and how they relate to life in general, the life of faith, and the Church. I still can’t express my conclusions without it turning into a total Jesus Juke, so maybe I’ll revisit it another time. But I thought I’d go ahead and post this list.
2 Comments + Posted in: fitness, sports, tigers
I planned to write a serious post for today, but I’m just too distracted. I’ve cut back on caffeine for health reasons, the result being that one cup of real coffee followed by a Coke Zero turns me all jacked-up and jittery. More notably, workers have been replacing most of the flooring in my house for the past three days, and I’ve been really focused on that. I also didn’t consider that after the work, it would look like a dirt bomb had gone off. EVERYTHING needs to be dusted or washed. So I have a full weekend of heavy-duty cleaning ahead of me… which I’m sort of looking forward to in my weird OCD way. (I’ve been pinning homemade all-purpose cleaner recipes like crazy!) Once everything is back to normal, you better believe I’ll be posting before and after photos. It looks like a whole new house. I’m really excited.
Meanwhile, here’s a smorgasbord of my usual Fridayish topics!
♥ Kevin Ware presents the Top Ten on Letterman – about his thoughts when he broke his leg. Seriously, how awesome is this guy?
♥ From Elora of A Deeper Story: I Am Not A Robot.
♥ Another Susan Isaacs post at Storyline: Talking It All Out – How To Get Past Hurt Feelings.
♥ Justine Larbalestier reflects on ten years of writing for a living.
♥ A happy, heartwarming video about a man with Down Syndrome who owns his own restaurant.
♥ Memphians, here’s the farmers’ market opening schedule, the Levitt Shell concert schedule, the Peabody Rooftop party schedule, and a list of upcoming crawfish festivals. April through June is the best time to be in Memphis!!
♥ I’ve been wearing these Steve Madden “Heaven” flats almost every day for weeks! They’re so comfortable and go with everything. I think it would behoove me to get another pair or two in one of the MANY colors and patterns available. 6pm.com has neon ones for $20 right now, but I used up my lifetime allotment of neon as a child of the 80’s.
♥ Old Navy is overflowing with cute casual dresses right now. I didn’t buy either of the dresses I posted about recently, but loved so many others that I now have $20 of Super Cash to spend this weekend. Well worth it.
Add a Comment + Posted in: fashion
A while back, I went through an obsessive phase with the American expat experience. I think I just needed to read about big adventures and different ways of life. I started following Design Mom and her sister Oh Happy Day (who were both living in France at the time), Ameringlish (England), Practically Perfect (New Zealand), and We Found Happiness (Nigeria, now back in the US), among others. While I’ve lost the urge to virtually move across the globe, I’m still very interested in expat stories, and At Least You’re in Tuscany: A Somewhat Disastrous Quest for the Sweet Life by Jennifer Criswell is a great one.
As a young woman, Criswell took an extended trip to Italy and knew she had found her true home. Years and several more visits later, she finally leaves New York and moves to Montepulciano, Tuscany, with her dog Cinder. Despite careful preparation, she hits roadblocks from the start – a rude landlady, social isolation, difficulty speaking Italian, and most of all, serious financial trouble because she can’t work. Her Sicilian ancestry entitles her to Italian citizenship, but of course, what was presented as an easy process takes much longer than anticipated. In the meantime, no one will hire her under the table. Much of this memoir is simply about looking for work in a small town, but Criswell makes it interesting. On the non-work front, she’s dismayed to be dumped by old friends in the area, but eventually finds new ones in unexpected places – and has a fling with a charming, classically Italian produce vendor. :) I also loved the stories of the grape and olive harvests she participates in, although I totally believe her that the work is less romantic than it sounds.
At Least You’re In Tuscany doesn’t sugarcoat the challenges of moving overseas, but affirms that for those who really want to make the move, it’s worth it. It’s a great resource for expats, a great read for anyone interested in travel and/or Italy, and a general encouragement that hard times eventually end!
Add a Comment + Posted in: book reviews, travel