I got my tickets, did you?

Granted, they're in the nosebleeds, but I'm still going! I absolutely can not wait. You know, they had some tickets on sale for $250 each. Now, U2 has been my favorite band since I was in 6th grade, but come on. For that money, I'd expect a chair right up on the stage. Or a private serenade with songs chosen by me and a lengthy conversation. Plus, I've been to U2 concerts before and really, you get a pretty good view anywhere.

5 months
2 weeks and
6 days to go!

feeling: I can't wait!
listening to: U2 (Heartland) <-- aww, it's too bad I can't pick out their playlist. I'd like to hear this live.

am I a bad parent? . . . . 7,249th edition

Alec loves this movie! When I friend told me that a bunch of artists had redone the soundtrack, I bought it immediately. Now he loves this soundtrack and I end up feeling like a toad for having my kindergartner listening to the likes of Marilyn Manson and Korn while I have a ten-year-old that listens to all the popular Disney artists. Is that super horrible of me?
I have to admit it's pretty good, though. Find it here or itunes, of course.



feeling: excited!
listening to: Jack's Lament from above album

Genius!!! Brilliant!

I love, love, love play lists. Yes, I was one of those kids who used to make mix tapes. So I am completely LO-VING the new "genius" feature on iTunes. If you haven't used it, do so. Basically, it makes playlists off your music library with songs that go well together. You click on a song, select the genius option and it customizes a playlist. Awesome.
Here's mine. I clicked on Touch Me, I'm Going to Scream Part 2 by My Morning Jacket (because I can't get enough of that song) and here's the list I got . . . .

1. Touch Me, I'm Going to Scream/ My Morning Jacket
2. Time to Pretend/ MGMT
3. No Brakes/ The Bravery
4. Tulips/ Bloc Party
5. Ladykillers/ Lush
6. Goodnight Moon/ Shivaree
7. Fascination Street/ The Cure
8. Gouge Away/ Pixies
9. World Wide Suicide/ Pearl Jam
10. New Slang/ The Shins
11. Trip Through Your Wires/ U2
12. Munich/ Editors
13. Tyrant/ The Bravery
14. A Certain Romance/ Arctic Monkeys
15. Burning/ The Whitest Boy Alive
16. Expectations/ Belle & Sebastian
17. Level/ The Raconteurs
18. Velouria/ Pixies
19. Vapour Trail/ Ride
20. Lazy Eye/ Silversun Pick-ups
21. Age of Consent/ New Order
22. Phantom Limb/ The Shins
23. Never Let me Down Again/ Smashing Pumpkins
24. The National Anthem/ Radiohead
25. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road/ Faultline & Keane

I love this feature! Did I already say that? No? Well, I love this feature. I love the new mixes it's making for me.

feeling: I love technology. I love Apple
listening to: Expectations (Belle & Sebastian)

TV Corruption

A while back, my Bestie and I were having a conversation about how she thinks that 90210 corrupted our youth. Even though we hadn't met at the time the show was on, she had all these hilarious examples that made me absolutely agree. I saw a marathon this weekend and was getting really upset. Even as a kid, I could appreciate that the Brenda character was a brat. Still, I thought Dylan was super dreamy and that Mr. Walsh was way harsh.
Pfft. That is hardly the case now. I felt sorry for the parents this time around. The whole Dylan & Brenda relationship was too intense and they were way too dramatic. Man, they were supposed to be in high school. Lighten up. I hate the way they spoke to the poor dad. I was telling Rodrigo to imagine them as Brianna with a boyfriend. We agreed he'd have been kicked out of our home a looooong time ago.

I brought up the whole TV corrupting our youth conversation with him. We didn't really get into an explanation then, but later . . . . . . So, we were watching music videos because we think we're still kids. We saw a video with some disturbing images. Things we agree should have shocked us, yet we were really matter-of-fact about it.

me: this is horrible
him: yeah
me: it looks like a type of video NIN would've have made
him: yeah!
me: or Marilyn Manson
him: oh, yeah, it does look like that
me: this should shock us
him: we're desensitised because we saw those kinds of videos already
me: no kidding
him: nothing's shocking
me: hey! that's the name of a Jane's Addiction album
him: I'm not surprised

We went on to talk about which videos shocked us back then. Our list is pretty much the same. I started feeling like I'm completely jaded then I saw a piece of a video that really disturbed me. It was in The Kill from 30 Seconds To Mars. There's a part where there's a guy in a bear costume. I gasped at the scene and immediately felt better. I'm not a totally horrible person afterall. -sigh- Now I'm going to start working on not being shocked by political news. That riles me up to no extent.

feeling: mad at an article
listening to: Faultline & Keane (Goodbye Yellow Brick Road)

Casa de Montana

This weekend Rodrigo and Alec were out running errands when Rodrigo called me. .

- Rodrigo: I have something I have to tell you
- me: OK
- Rodrigo: I have to admit I kind of like this song.
- me: What are you listening to?
- Rodrigo: Radio Disney. It's that H@nnah Mont@na song. (<--I don't want 75 million tweens led here)
- me: (laughing) You see? I TOLD you. I like that dumb song too. Now you can't make fun of all those little girls that scream for her because we're just as bad.
- Rodrigo: Darn that Billy Ray. He plotted to get back at all those who made fun of him. "Yeah, laugh at me now, but your kids will want to buy my daughter's albums."
- me: Bwah, ha, ha! !


This morning during breakfast Rodrigo starts singing . .

- Rodrigo: "I've got my eye set on you and I'm ready to aim"
- me: I'm pretty sure that's not how it goes.
- Rodrigo: I've had that song in my head all week. It comes and goes.
- me: Brianna has the c.d. if you want to borrow it
- Rodrigo: yeah, very funny (but he was looking up the lyrics on his pocket computer anyway). You're right, those are the wrong lyrics. Hey, these lyrics are kind of dumb. "My best friend Leslie?" What's wrong with her?
- me: uh, she's 15


For those of you who are lucky enough to have not heard this song, you can hear it here. Yes, lucky you. Brianna listens to that c.d. ALL the time. She even goes to sleep with it playing. If you clicked on that link, get ready for an ear worm.

feeling: planning out my day
listening to: what else? I clicked on the link and it's still playing

so excited . . . . then not

I was very excited about a concert that is happening in September. A local radio station has an annual fall festival and this year they're featuring Smashing Pumpkins. I was thrilled! I never got to see them in the 90's and they're one of those bands that I always wanted to see. They also said that there would be a special guest.
Now, last year they'd announced Avenged Sevenfold with a special guest. The special guest turned out to be Muse. In my mind, the special guest was even better than the first announced band. So I thought this year would be the same. I know Incubus will be in Phoenix one day before, so I thought they could come here again. I started making all sorts of combinations in my head. Smashing Pumpkins with Incubus, Smashing Pumpkins with The White Stripes, Smashing Pumpkins with any band I've ever wanted to see. Then I found out who the special guest will be. It's Cypress Hill. Eh. I felt so let down. Knowing that they'll be there cancelled out my excitement for seeing the Pumpkins. I seriously don't even want to go anymore. Forgive me if you're a Cypress Hill fan, but I have an image of their fans as sort of like thugs or something. I have no desire to attend a concert where fights are going to break out or I could potentially be shot.
So we're not going. Now I'm torn between Incubus in Phoenix (Sept 15) or The Cure in Los Angeles (Oct 14). Both? :p

feeling: it's so *%&#! hot here
listening to: Blaqk Audio (Stiff Kittens)

"classic" yvett

Here is yet another reason as to why I'm old . . . I LOVE watching VH1 Classic. I first started watching when I caught The Alternative. If you love alternative music from the late 80's - early 90's, you have to watch this. I also love that they show the old pop-up video shows. I was watching last night and caught a Classic Albums show. I watched U2 explain the making of The Joshua Tree. For being such a U2 fan, I have to admit that I'd never seen this before. I learned some things that I didn't know. It sort of made me wish I still played "U2 trivia".

Anyway, I can't believe a lot of what they show here is considered "classic". You know they just mean "old". I would understand some of the things from the 70's that they play, but Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails, and Sonic Youth? Really? Am I that old?

feeling: old, I guess
listening to: Gomez (See The World)

book & music memes

I have nothing to write about. Well, I do but I'm not in the mood. :) Anyway, I've had a few of these memes for a while. I'd either seen these somewhere else or had them emailed to me. I'll do these instead. Play along either on your page or shoot me an email. It's always fun to see other people's answers. . .

Book Meme

1. A book that changed your life:
Running With Scissors by Augusten Burroughs - It made me really appreciate my childhood.

2. If I could only recommend one book it could be:
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini - If you've read it, you know why. If not, read it.

3. Favorite Chick Lit Book:
I don't really read "chick lit" but I guess it would be either of the Bridget Jones books by Helen Fielding

4. A book you've read more than once:
I read most of my books more than once.

5. A book that made me giddy:
Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris

6. A book you wish you had written:
Any Hemingway book. I think his style is something that most anyone could've done. That I could've done and I'd have been that famous. And drunk. I think he was very lucky to have been the first or best known.

7. A book that wracked you with sobs:
The only books that have made me cry are House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus and The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini.

8. A book you are currently reading:
Snow by Orhan Pamuk

9. A book you've been meaning to read:
Mother of Pearl by Melinda Haynes - I've owned it for years but have never read it.

10. A book you started but could never finish:
Mother of Pearl (same as above) and the Purgatory book of The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri

11. A book sitting on your bookshelf that you haven't read...yet:
same answers as #10

12. Books I've read and liked but actually don't own:
To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee - my brother lost it back when he was in high school and I never bought it again. Also the Complete Edgar Allan Poe collection. I lent (would this be "lent" or "lend"?) it out and never got it back.

13. Books I've read and once it was finished thought, "What's the big deal?":
The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd and The Memory Keepers Daughter by Kim Edwards

iPod Meme
I'm going to play along using my Mini iPod

SOUNDTRACK OF YOUR LIFE
IF YOUR LIFE WAS A MOVIE, WHAT WOULD THE SOUNDTRACK BE?
So, here’s how it works:
Open your library (iTunes, Windows Media Player, iPod, etc), Put it on shuffle, press play. For every question, type the song that’s playing. When you go to a new question, press the next button

1. Opening Credits: A Crow Left of the Murder - Incubus
2. Waking Up: Mis Impulsos Sobre Ti - Aleks Syntek
3. First Day At School: New Slang - The Shins
4. Falling In Love: In My Place - Coldplay
5. Fight Song: Break Your Heart - Natalie Merchant
6. Breaking Up: Never is a Promise - Fiona Apple
7. Prom: Six Underground - Sneaker Pimps
8. Life’s Okay: Van Dieman's Land - U2
9. Mental Breakdown: Time is Running Out - Muse
10. Driving: Smile Lines - Incubus
11. Flashback: Wave of Mutilation - Pixies (the slow version)
12. Getting Back Together: Fiebre - Fobia
13. Wedding: Suedehead - Morrissey
14. Birth of Child: Southern Girl - Incubus
15. Final Battle: Sunday Morning - No Doubt
16. Funeral Song: Beast of Burden - Rolling Stones
17. Breaking Up: Lemon Meringue - Poe
18. Sex Scene: I Bet You Look Good on the Dance Floor - Arctic Monkeys
19. Chillin: Stinkfist - Tool
20. Studying: Best of You - Foo Fighters
21. Sleeping: Speed of Sound - Coldplay
22. End Credits: Eres - Cafe Tacuba

I really liked the way a lot of these turned out. I'm sure it works for everyone, since after all, our iPods/music players have music we chose for ourselves. Play along.

feeling: I have a lot to do today
listening to: Eres (Cafe Tacuba) <-- it's still on

disloyal yvett

Let me start off by saying that I love my iPod. I love, love, love my iPod. It has been one of my favorite gifts from Rodrigo. He chose it pink for me and had my name engraved. Or not engraved, but had my name put on it. The only problem lately has been that my iPod is a mini. Minis were replaced by Nanos a while ago and I never find any accesories anymore for the mini. I can never find any sort of straps or bands so I can wear it out while walking. Still, I didn't want to replace my iPod. Then I saw the commercials for the new shuffles. The ones that are a little clip and I really liked that idea. The only reason I wasn't wanting one was that they were only white. The new colors were released recently and I secretly wanted one. The thing is that I still want my old iPod and only want the shuffle because it clips on. I have to say that they really had me with the "Wear your music" slogan. Anyway, Rodrigo went to some stores on Saturday and came back with this . . .


A pink shuffle for me! I have to admit that I love it too. I feel so disloyal to my existing iPod. I mean, I've had no trouble with it and am only hoping that it doesn't now break down because I'm liking another one.
I fully intend on still using my old one as much as I have before, which is mostly in the car. I don't use my mini to walk, so now they each have a purpose. Plus, the mini has a lot more storage, so I want that one just as much.
Can you believe that little shuffle thing is a music player? It's tiny! In the picture above, it is on top of one of the mini's "socks". I'm once again trying to carefully select all my songs that go in there. I went through all my iTunes and chose a few that I consider shuffle worthy. Share any song that you consider to be favorites. Suggestions are always welcome.

feeling: happy!
listening to: Incubus (Under My Umbrella)

exciting news!

Let me tell you about the things that have made me giddy the past few days.

-On January 15th I MET INCUBUS! That's right. I met Incubus. My Christmas gift from Rodrigo was tickets to the meet and greet at the Phoenix concert. Now, I could've thought of about a million witty and clever things to say, but as I was about to enter the building, I blanked out. When I was with the band (especially hot, hot Brandon) all I was saying was something like "Duh . . . er . . . ah . . (giggle, giggle) daaaaa . . .uh . . . " Something like that. I sounded like a total moron. Anyway, they were all really cool. Really cool. I guess since I think Brandon is super attractive, I sort of expected him to just be there posing so for him to be joking around kind of threw me off. We got an autograph from all of them on a picture designed by Jose (drummer). I also hugged the band members and was able to touch the subject of quantum theory with Brandon (long story).
After the meet and greet, we had to wait a little while before the concert started. It was funny to hear a lot of the people talking about it. A couple of girls were adding and adding things to their story. I kept thinking "I was in there and that did not happen". So, if I were like those girls, the meet and greet would have been more like . . . . . I walked in and then I tripped and all the band members ran over to pick me up. Then I was so excited that I fainted and Brandon carried me. Then we made out and now we're married. How's that?
Once inside, since we had V.I.P. tickets, we were right at the front of the stage. Uh, this was alright when I was like 19 but I was in no mood to get trampled or squished. I told Rodrigo that we should stay there for a few songs so that I could some good pictures then after that, we'd go to the back. Sure enough as soon as Incubus started playing, we were crushed. I got several pictures then jumped the barricade and went to the back. Even now over a week after the show, I still have my legs bruised up from the pushing crowd. I'm way too old for this.



- Huge news this past Sunday/Monday was the snow. IT SNOWED IN ARIZONA. That was all you could hear about on the news. We were hanging out on Sunday afternoon. It had been raining all day. I looked out because I couldn't hear the rain anymore and noticed that it had started snowing! It took me a while to process what was happening. Of course the kids were really excited.
Here is one of the pictures that was on Yahoo's Most emailed pictures . . .

There are a lot of cool pictures here.

- Also, in not so exciting news, I'm coaching cheer again. Yup, I'll be the coach again for the winter season. What can I say? Brianna loves it and since I'm going to be there anyway . . . . Besides, I at least know what I'm doing this time around. I have 11 new girls but they all seem to be picking up quickly. I should be getting paid for this, though. It takes a lot of time making all the team rosters, snack schedules, newsletters, formations, printing out cheers with moves, picking up and sorting uniforms, calling all the parents, etc. Oh well.

- Oh, I almost forgot . . . . our house! I had told you before that we were supposed to have moved in December but the house was not ready at all. So, the construction finally well under way. We had a meeting with the builder and everything is going well. They asked if we would consider renting it to them to use as a model. We're sort of hesitant about that. On one hand, it would be extra money. On the other, it's kind of weird to have people going through your house. I think I'd say yes on the condition that after they decorate it as a model, they leave everything in there for us. Yeah right. I wish! I'll post more about the house as things develop.

I guess that's it for now. I have about a million emails that I need to reply to and 75 million pictures I've promised to email and still haven't done. Take care, all!

feeling: busy
listening to: Augustana (Boston)

light grenades

What are you doing right now? Me? I'm listening to the new Incubus cd, Light Grenades. I've been listening to it all day. You should too. Oh wait. You can't because it isn't out on sale yet. Aww... Well, maybe when you read this, it will be. Yes, I get excited about things like this. Yvett hearts Incubus. Oh, why do I have one? Because I won a win it before you can buy it copy. Because I rock. See the radio station's sticker on the cover?




Well, I was also going to write about how the kids' advent calendar is coming along and about the turkey dinner we had tonight, but I'm so tired I can hardly keep my eyes open. Must. Go. To. Bed. Now.

feeling: super tired
listening to: Incubus (Dig)

edgefest

This past Saturday, Rodrigo, about 20,000 of our closest friends and I attended Edgefest 2006. It was amazing! My parents and nephew came into town this weekend, so my parents took the kids that day. We drove over to Phoenix and were looking forward to an In 'n Out burger as soon as we got there. Unfortunately, a football game was just letting out of Arizona State and the traffic was horrid. We decided to just go elsewhere. Anyway, back to Edgefest. . . . here is the lineup: A Change of Pace, Sparta, Jack's Mannequin, She Wants Revenge, Authority Zero, 30 Seconds to Mars, Rise Against and (drum roll please) **Incubus**. Incubus was really the only reason why we went in the first place.

So, I wore a light cotton sleeveless top and I was still super hot (as in temperature). There were girls in bikini tops and shorts. I can't believe it's already autumn. Arizona. Is. Hot.

I learned a few things:
1. I'm old. When Rise Against started playing I was thinking, "Man, this is really loud". I also wondered if the singer often gets sore throats with the way he sings.
2. Even back when I could've gotten away with it, I never went out to someplace other than a beach or pool in a bikini top. I doubt that I would ever go to a concert in one.
3. I've seen Incubus three times. 2002, 2004, 2006.
4. Every time I see them, I love them more. They're just sooooo impressive. They're one of those bands that sound even better live.
5. I can't wait for their new album which will be released next month. They played a couple of new songs and I really liked one. I thought it was call anomaly or animal-y but I found it online as Anna Molly. Hmm...
6. Crocs are the most amazingly comfortable shoes ever. Ever. When I first saw them, I thought they were the most hideous looking things and wondered why anyone would wear them. After wearing mine for an entire day of walking and standing (some slight jumping and dancing), I know.
7. Friday, I admitted to Tommy that I was almost looking forward to spending a kid-free day more than I was looking forward to the concert. Having no kids with us was a rare and nice treat. Still, we weren't even in Phoenix yet when I was already missing them and feeling guilty. I felt better since my parents took them to the park, the zoo, McDonald's and a play area in the mall.
8. If I were to get a tattoo each time I consider getting one, I'd be covered in tattoos. I have one small one, but am always thinking like a 19 year old and want to get "Incubus" or "U2" or other designs. Especially at concerts.
9. I liked Jared Leto a whole lot more back when he was on My So-Called Life.

feeling: mad at Alec
listening to: Incubus (Anna Molly) <-- I wonder if this is really the name