Obsession Song of the Week: Week Ten

I have been trying to remember this song for MONTHS. Seriously, it would be played somewhere, I would love it, and then it would be gone and I would find myself unable to remember the melody or lyrics or anything at all about it. I vaguely recalled it being about sisters? My sisters? My sistahs? No clue. On Halloween this year I heard it being spun by a DJ (Was it DJ Tanner? I so hope so. Best DJ name ever, hands down.), grabbed my nearest friend's hand (Not just the nearest... LOVE you Elias :) ), and headed to the dance floor. One of the best dance parties in a long time.

Yet the not so ingenious idea didn't occur to me to "write" it down in my Blackberry. I thought that my memory for songs was better than it was, and I awoke the next morning with that feeling again.



Then this past weekend after spending some amazing girl time with my mom and grandma, I had an intense craving to watch "Because I Said So." Yep. That's right. A Mandy Moore/Diane Keaton movie. Guess what, I love it and it's great, and I will never pee on your leg and tell you it's raining, aka that I don't love chick flicks, because I do. Though I am going to the Knicks game tomorrow night and so freakishly psyched.

...And there was the song. Shocking context, but yes, it's true. And if you don't love chick flicks, give the song a chance regardless. Specifically once it hella picks up the beat around 1 min.

Post Turkey Pump Up Workout Suggestions

Ate a little bit too much cranberry sauce or apple pie? I had the best post-Turkey Day run thanks (harhar) to these songs. I either start out with some of these or leave them until the end when I am seriously in need of some inspiration, and they completely revive me:

When I Grow Up (The Pussycat Dolls)

The Anthem (Pitbull feat. Lil Jon)

Krazy (Pitbull feat. Lil Jon)

Move, Shake, Drop (Also Pitbull. Okay, okay! Apparently I love Pitbull. This should surprise no one.)

Vertigo - U2

Love Today and Grace Kelly- Mika

Let It Rock- Kevin Rudolf

Happy Belated Thanksgiving... Jax's Newest Accomplishments

... or maybe just "My favorite moments of Thanksgiving."

This post is more for my family than anything else. :)

Jax's new things: Hiding. He would continually crawl and try to stand under the bar/counter where we have stools in the kitchen, after which we would whisk him away, for fear of him slipping and hitting his head on one of the stools. My parents eventually found that he was going under there and giggling... he then peaks his little face out and plays peak a boo!!! CUTEst ever. He did it completely on his own and loves it and it is the cutest. Also, when he sees his yogurt coming at him or gets the first bite of something great, he closes his eyes to savor it, as if in yogurt ecstasy. CUTEst. Also! He will dance if on his knees and music comes on (for instance to the sounds of Andrea Bocelli- ha! Amazing) or I start to clap. He'll bob up and down on his knees. Also! He'll do this shimmy backwards on his knees and push/slide himself backwards like he's reverse parking a car. The car being him. I taught him to high five this week and he is walking so much more!!! It makes him seem so much older. I only kind of like that... :)

Cute moments with my grandparents: When my grandpa was reading to him, Jax kept looking back and up at his face and then proceeded to grab his face, or when he kept saying ahhh and my grandpa responded with ahhh and they were conversing, and when we all took him to see Santa- sat him on his lap, noticed he was chewing on his lip, and proceeded to burst into tears!!! Hilarious to us/sad for him. (Last year he peed through his outfit right before going on Santa's lap). Apparently this morning he said "bye" to my grandma as she was leaving. I missed it :(

Proudest moment: There was one day when both of my parents got really sick and I ended up taking care of him for the greater part of the day. When he became afraid of something or a few times just because, he crawled up onto my lap for a hug and to cuddle. Warmed my heart more than anything else ever has in my life. I've only ever seen him do that to my mom! We do look and sound alike... ;)

Can you tell that I'm on my way home? :) Best week ever.

Obsession Song of the Week: Week Ten

Maybe you'll be as obsessed with the new Alicia Keys song as my baby brother and I are....

We had Clifford on and I was holding Jax in my arms, he started watching this video and his attention was completely and entirely diverted. Three times around. I then tested him with Elmo and Elmo won over Alicia, but Alicia over Clifford to a 13 month year old? Impressive.

At one point, Jax laid his head against me like "ahhh, she gets me right here." (Points to heart)

LOVE this title

"Chasing Pirates" by Norah Jones.

I might be a little late in discovering this, but as someone with a grandpa who regularly drinks rum and coke and has an entire room in his house (my old bedroom...yep.) devoted to pirates, I love this song!!! Discovered it on the Starbucks TV screen (love that this exists and can't wait to see a track of my own on there!!!), and am hooked. Haven't listened to it to know if I'm obsessed with it just yet, but you know I'll let you know if so ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTxythHY09k



Two more that I've decided go well with this...

LOVING the new Michael Buble album. Favorite so far... (I'm done obeying French accents. Studied and love the language, but don't know how to type an accent aigu on my Mac.)



Michael Buble, Harry Connick Jr, Frank (obviously), and Norbert Leo Butz... I would make love to any of their voices in a second.

And a classic in a different sense, from my childhood and lovingly featured on Glee this week:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Des5dWqikMk



Love, love, LOVE.

Woah face

A very different "Lady Gaga" from the one we know. In fact, not "Lady Gaga" at all... I think it's more interesting to see where people came from than where they are currently in the public eye. And then I found myself thinking, "Wow. She has (had?) great hair." Ha :)

I first thought that she sounded shockingly different from her current sound and very Nora Jones-esque!, which was reinforced by the end judge's (? I don't know who they are) comment. It's amazing what a great producer and some timely dance beats will do...

And then I think, wait, if she once looked and sounded more like me than I realized, could that mean that that might be where I'm headed...!??! It's weird and interesting to me that her path and mine seem to cross in a few ways from varying people in the industry that we have worked with...



A year later....



So incredible to witness the transformation. Yay to technology and our information day and age. Plus, I lovvve this venue.

I've been trying to figure out what dance beats I need or what beats or.... ??? It's so tough to know where I'm at, where I fit in with beats and genres and stuff. All I really know is my voice. And my lyrics. I had a huge (and so ridiculously helpful, thank you thank you Elias!!!!) talk with a dear friend of mine on a long subway ride home one night, and he assured me that this can only help me out. I certainly hope so... :) Leaving it up to my producer, but making sure I'm personally obsessed with every element. Dance beats? R&B? Strings? (YES). Time will tell... Alex thank God I'm seeing you tomorrrrooowwww!!!



.....And then a little while later, I found this. I'm done, I'm done, I swear!! I just found it amusing. I'm done.

You know those times...

You suddenly realize while doing dishes that that guy who took you on that rock star date was probably a prince and just not telling you...?

...The one your always reliable, always delightfully frank straight guy friend informed you that you probably came off as not being interested in, because you replied that to his post-date text?

...Yeah. Me too.

*You may think this is a cliché image, but this is actually the -Caley was looking for a cliché image and found this and couldnt stop giggling with giddy girlish delight -image. So take another look and delight in it with me, please. Just look at how happy this guy is in his frog costume.

Oh, life. Ohhhh, NY. At least every heel of hand to head experience makes a killer song hook, right? Just keep telling me that :)

This is why I can't listen to my ipod in public

There is a guy across the aisle from me rocking it out. Hard. Air guitar, lead vocals, et al. As much as I constantly have music playing in my head, currently Ella's version of "I've Got a Crush On You," and would love to fully focus on it, until this becomes publicly acceptable, I cannot. I would be shimmying and shaking and singing along with too many songs. Although I am currently thinking he's a wee bit insane, I actually admire him for it. (Is that weird...?) Dude has no shame. He feels like unabashedly reveling in his inspirations' creations, and he is. He seems so happy, you can't help but appreciate that joy for life and music. He's like a five year old. No shame, no qualms, just singing aloud in public. Sometimes music is just meant to be enjoyed. Who can blame him? I guess... I am socially inhibited, but apparently prefer being this way. I cannot focus on "radio Caley," or else I will start to sing. I will not. I will not.

Speaking of awesome little kids... I love my little brother. Maybe too much. It has become so painful to leave DC for NY that it took me an extra two days this time. I shouldn't feel badly for this, though, because in the end, family is the most important thing right? He is the sweetest, cutest, most loving little thing in the entire world and I have never loved anything in life as much as I love him. His new accomplishments (no quotations): pointing his index fingers, sometimes putting the tips of them together and staring at them, clapping (!!!), prolonged ahs and ehs and experimenting with d's and t's and what seem to be extended th's, and the other day he kept putting his giraffe wash cloth/tiny blanket over his face and excitedly kicking his legs while it remained there in anticipation of my noticing him in order to play peek a boo. His excited smile and guttural laugh and squeaks when he's excited or when we tickle him are the best sounds I have ever heard on this earth. How will I feel when I have my own children, because I cannot imagine loving anything more? I miss him already too much to write this and need to stop before I cry... again.



XOXO,
me

Obsession Song of the Week: Week Nine

I'm such a girl. My mom and I caught "Definitely, Maybe" on HBO this weekend, and of course, were completely unable to change the channel, despite many a protest from my dad. God, I love this movie. And this song. I had forgotten how much.



Ella, ella, ella. The Stacey Kent version is great too. Great voice.



So many great versions of this song. We often play the game "If you could remake one song on your album, okay maybe two... oh but this one's so good...!" And this is obviously a contender. If I could someday remake this and do a semi-classic homage with a modern twist in some amazing way... mmm.

Sometimes I wish I was Norah Jones. She could get away with any of this. Or Michael Bublé, but not as much. There is a market for this sound, but I have no idea how to get into it. I feel like it would be more difficult than the music I write... Maybe once already established. Reach ears that normally wouldn't go for that type of sound. Jay Z and Alicia Keys just made "Empire" state of mind... but then the originals are always better...

Sorry I've been so MIA!!

It's been a purposefully crazy week in order to get my mind off of how much I miss Jax and want to go home to see him!!! Unbearable, but yay for lots of planned and spontaneous work (tutoring mostly, with voiceover dashed in here and there) to take my mind off of it. I warn you, I get boring in the winter, because once I get home, it's so cold that I stay home, and I'm pretty sure you don't want to hear my can't miss weekly TV schedule. You don't...? Whaaaa? Weird.

I will say this- Watch Glee. Do it. It will make you so happy and make you like songs that you never thought you liked at all before. Like Rihanna's "Take a Bow." As if I didn't already want to trade lives with Lea Michele...

Cool thing: My vocal coach wasn't able to schedule a lesson with me a few weeks ago, because he had to work with Mick Jagger.

Also: I can't tell you what voice over jobs I get anymore, because I forgot about the whole confidentiality clause in my contract... Doodoodooo.... :) Let's just say it's been a fun and happy few weeks! The best was when my mom was visiting and she got to come to the studio that I've been telling her about and so jazzed about for months! She was my good luck charm :)

Bahhh I'm so excited to go home!!! It sounds like Jax has chanegd so much in three weeks!! Apparently now he's clapping his hands, almost walking, seems to have said nonono the other day, and last night fell asleep with the monkey I gave him for his birthday in his arms!! My mom and I are dying for him to get attached to something so keep putting things in his crib with him, and apparently it finally worked!! And he also apparently somehow removed his diaper by himself the other day. My mom walked in to find completely naked in the crib. Hahaha

Hours away from being with my fam!!!

The things we do for our craft...

I'm being facetious. I promise. I loathe those shirts, although that was a phrase uttered one too many times by me in the past. What I am referring to is the fact that I am trying to give myself awful skin for a casting tomorrow. Sick? Yes. At least this is difficult for me...? Sleeping with suffocated skin and inwardly cringing all night... I'm weird.

I Am Smitten

How in the world had I never been to the Cloisters before? No really, someone please explain this to me. I do not know how I have lived in this city for five years without experiencing this absolutely stunning museum. And I was an Art History major!! I think a paper topic along the way might have given a work within the Cloisters as a possible topic, but I chose a piece in the Met... The Frick might have just gotten replaced as my favorite museum locale...

Stunning.
As soon as I stepped off of the A train and found myself in an entrancing Eden-like garden overlooking the Hudson, I was mesmerized by the entire experience. I guess give me a cliff and a body of water and I'm smitten and reminiscing over Marin views, but seriously how do people not rave about this more?! You find yourself forgetting that you are even in Manhattan, which can be a much needed excursion and return to natural beauty. Especially on this beautiful fall day and after the museum closed, for the sunset on the water is as always my weakness. And the way the fall foliage set it off!! Amazing!!!

I was also wowed by the way the Cloisters incorporates architectural fragments into the framework of the museum space itself (built in 1938 in neo-medieval architecture), making me question what was modern neo-medieval and what was actually authentic Gothic and Romanesque art and architectural fragments. Even architectural elements as massive as church apses (12 century!) were combined within the building's design, blending in impressively and hauntingly with the modern structure. Such an impressive way to display this collection.

Such an incredible day!!, which was topped off by the company of two of my favorites and some feisty rounds of Scattergories to follow. That's all for now :)

Scrumptious City Sushi

...Okay so maybe I will still write about great restaurants.

Sushi Mambo- This is the place on Bleeker between 6th and 7th Avenues with a facade that looks like it belongs not in NY, but in Japan. If that wasn't reason enough to wander in, it's one of the few incredible places where I am able to find my obsession sushi- anything that has the option of brown rice and some kind of fruit. "Big Apple" roll has apples, another includes pineapples, and if you are like me, this is delicious. I know, I know, it's not authentic, but man is it good.

Citrus- Amsterdam btwn 75th/76th - Also incredible Sushi, although not typically known for it. Also includes fruit if you want/like. Spectacular. (This was also one of my favorite restaurants in the city for years and has incredible, fruit infused -try raspberry and pomegranate!- mojitos, and an amazing grilled chicken "margarita" salad. ...And actually great spaghetti with turkey meatballs. ...I should go there tomorrow night...)

Tomo-Thompson Near Houston. There is pretty much always a line, but it's worth it. Says my roommate, for I haven't yet braved the line or ordered in (ha, still here because everyone raves about it and I'm dying to finally try)

Obsession Song of the Week: Week Eight

I'm embarrassed to admit what displaced the Muse winner. I used to idolize this artist in second grade, then she changed her image to something a little more... well you know. But I have to admit, once I heard this song it stuck with me for too long and I found myself wanting to hear it more than I wanted to be anti-her. And no matter what you think of her ego, clothes, and image, she remains a legend and an inspiring vocalist.

Mariah.
"Why You So Obsessed With Me" (Which is one of the greatest hooks ever)



Real, not able to be embedded video here, with the better Mean Girls referencing intro.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hpiwPXkbVc

Due to the reluctance in admitting that, I'll post what already trumped her this week for me: Beyonce's Sweet Dreams. Alex introduced me to this (Thanks! Can't wait to work next week, it's been too long!!) in order to show me an example of the faster vibrato I should aim for, and I'm a wee bit obsessed :)

Real Youtube video (Embedding disabled): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbGV2_8Yqg4

Love the choreography as well. It's no single ladies, but this girl rules all the same. Catchy and the beat almost has a thriller feel to it... intentional?

Live puppies, baseball players, and flaming potholders

What ever happened to the live puppy feed? The internet needs another one. As do I. It used to be right here!!! http://cdn1.ustream.tv/swf/4/viewer.45.swf?cid=317016

I googled and found this

http://www.ustream.tv/SFShiba

Which taunted me by nearly working, but apparently no other live puppy feeds exist? Someone get on this. I miss my dogs and can't go home this weekend anymore because of this silly sickness! Really, I just want my parents to get a web cam.

I'm also sorry to have missed the ticker tape parade (apparently ticker tape parades originated with the dedication of the Statue of Liberty in 1886!! Just learned that... cool), but news casts showed that it looked fun and what a beautiful day for it (aside from the chilly temp, it's a beautiful Fall day)!! I'm bummed that baseball season is over, but now I can focus on the Knicks!! I also just booked my trip to LA and tickets to the Lakers v. Magic game!!! So stoked to be back in Cali, especially in January to escape what everyone warns will be a brutal NY winter.

Cool site for health nuts: www.FitDay.com. I'm on a health kick for the next few months, so won't be reporting of dining out as much as I used to, might report on my cooking mishaps, of which there are many. The other day I tried to recreate Mario Batali's "Caccio E Pepe" - amazing recipe from Lupa (clearly not part of the health kick, just for fun)- and failed. Hard. The olive oil started sputtering at me and I lit a potholder on fire. It doesn't help that our apartment's stove is crooked and when I put a pot of olive oil on the stove, it all flows to one side. This makes cooking exceedingly difficult, but I am learning to overcome it! Oh NY apartments...

Um...

Did anyone else realize that Gerald Butler was the Phantom?!?!!?!?

Watching old SNL's on Tivo tonight with friends... SHOCKED.

The Yankees win!! The Yankees win!!! The YANKEES win!!!!

Last night was incredible!!!!! SO many of the games this season have been incredible and I could not be more proud to be a Yankees fan and a NYer every step of the way!!!!!!

Absolutely magical night! And season!!! I've been a fan since my first game when I was 7 years old. I am NOT one of those fair weather fans that every Yankees-hater likes to proclaim any Yankees fan is. Especially when that fan is a female. With that first hot dog bite and sound of the cheering crowd, I was hooked. I love them all. Woot to Matsui for potentially extending his contract (hopefully!-they'd be crazy right!? Even though he's getting old and his legs and all... did you see him the past few games? MVP!!!)

I went out with a few friends to Firefly to watch the game on mega screens, and the energy in the place was positively incredible. Everyone in the bar truly made the place feel like we were all together cheering and chanting in the stadium. And! I found a new best girlfriend who shares my crush on Posada (Hip hip Jorge!!!!! Love him.) The fly balls from the last Phillies batter of the 9th inning were killing us, but then it happened!!!!! Jumping and cheering and screaming and amazing!!!!!!! And then, just when you thought it couldn't get any better, they played "NY NY." And everyone sang :)

A magical NY night.

**Frank, not JZ.

I'm not one to go to sleep angry...

On the upside... If self quarantined in my apartment, I get to focus on music all day tomorrow. I just bought a kids' keyboard with just enough octaves (5!- chill!) for my range and my NY apartment. Woot!

At least it's not the swine...

Also, I knew that the Yankees wouldn't win until Wednesday, the day on which I intend to be fully recovered and able to celebrate their huge win!! And! The day before which I intend to journey home to see the fam. I'm willing these bumps off of me and onto no one else by the time I want all of these good things to be able to happen :)

As If We Didn't Already Know That I'm a Five Year Old in Big Girl's Clothing...

I'm sick with something that only children get. That adults VERY rarely get. That adults so rarely get that my doctor asked my permission to allow his partner to come in and take a look at me as well, as he had never seen it before in adults. A 50 some year old man, not Doogie Howser, proceeded to enter the examination room. Look mom, I can spell examnination.

...WHAT?!

It's called Hand, Mouth, and Foot disease. It's not a big deal, but an annoyance and slightly painful in the aforementioned locations. I feel like a leper. I was so excited to go home and see Jax this weekend and now I won't, because I don't want to risk his health. I might have cried over this. I clearly got it from one of the kids I tutored last week. Wonk.

Conversely, very un-little-girl-like behavior: I found myself checking a man for a wedding ring today for the first time in my life. Yes, I said man. I usually say guy, but here I am typing about a real live man who did, in fact don a saddening gold band and then proceed to narrate his two year old's Halloween costume. Bam. It was my doctor. And there's another little secret for ya. :)

Voyeurism

I was reminded of this story when my mom came to visit the other day (best day ever!!)

My bedroom window looks out onto a major NY street, which apparently serves as a much traversed route for tour buses. I often get ready for nights to go out with loud music, solo dance parties (what?... yeah), and preparation in this very window. Sometimes I will have that window open. On one of those such nights a group of tourists on the upper deck of a double decker (apparently) caught sight of me applying makeup and began to yell "You look great!" "You missed a spot!" and other such exclamations. Ohhh NY.

At least they didn't catch me rocking it out to the Pussycat Dolls... :)