Day Eleven--"Runaround Sue"

Before discussing this morning's song, I feel the need to share this because I have a love for flash mobs that I cannot even verbally express...





Now I don't even like this song by the Black Eyed Peas or Oprah, in general, but I love flash mobs so much that I am willing to overlook it. I think I am going to have to write an academic paper on flash mobs. I think I could make it happen.

But back to the task at hand... "Runaround Sue"? Yep, that one came from left field considering in was released in 1961 by Dion DiMucci, backed by the Del-Satins, not the Belmonts--which you would expect (ya know, Dion and the Belmonts). Look at that stud...


So far, the only explanation I can come up with for how this song even entered my consciousness is by way of Mad Men, which I just recently watched the entire 2nd season of in under 72 hours. For the sake of images, and something to talk about (since I surely have nothing to say about "Runaround Sue"--except that I enjoy the song), I am going to give you a run-down of my least favorite characters and my favorite characters on Mad Men (granted-- this list is generated purely off of Seasons 1 & 2 so if my least favorites become likable and my favorites become evil in Season 3, I will happily change these favorites.)

Least Favorite Characters




Peter Campbell (Vincent Kartheiser), "Duck" Phillips (Mark Moses), and Betty Draper (January Jones)
Now, I'm sure the first two are completely understandable with Betty Draper being a little confusing.
She has a cheating husband, no life of her own--an overall sad existence--so I guess I should feel bad for her.
All three of these characters are overgrown children who mess with other people's lives because they hate their own.
And yes, I do care too much about fictional characters on Mad Men.

Favorite Characters



Peggy Olson (Elisabeth Moss), Ken Cosgrove (Aaron Staton), and Joan Holloway (Christina Hendricks)
Peggy had a secret baby and then left it with her mother and sister to take care of. Joan slept with the silver fox, Mr. Sterling. And well, Ken doesn't really do anything really wrong except hit on every female he sees. So why are these characters, who also do not-so-great things like all the others, my favorites? Because they are not babies. They are adults and conduct themselves as such. If any of you out there watch the show, you'll understand just how much that show is comprised of whining babies. These three--they are a breath of fresh air.

Well, that concludes today's installation of "Jessica Opinions on the Mundane that You Could Care Less About." So, "Runaround Sue" probably was in one of the episodes of Season 2, and if it wasn't than I am even more confused by it being on my morning soundtrack...but it's not like I haven't been surprised before.

I'm off to make some lunch and do real work (that I constantly avoid by updating this blog).
But remember...keep away from a Runaround Sue.

Day Ten--"Help I'm Alive"

Metric--Help I'm Alive

I tremble
They're gonna eat me alive
If I stumble
They're gonna eat me alive

Can you hear my heart beating like a hammer?
Beating like a hammer?
Help, I'm alive, my heart keeps beating like a hammer
Hard to be soft
Tough to be tender

Come take my pulse, the pace is on a runaway train
Help, I'm alive, my heart keeps beating like a hammer
Beating like a hammer

If you're still alive
My regrets are few
If my life is mine
What shouldn't I do?
I get wherever I'm going
I get whatever I need
While my blood's still flowing
And my heart still beats...
Beating like a hammer
Beating like a hammer

Help, I'm alive, my heart keeps beating like a hammer
Hard to be soft
Tough to be tender

Come take my pulse, the pace is on a runaway train
Help, I'm alive, my heart keeps
Beating like a hammer
Beating like a hammer

If you're still alive
My regrets are few
If my life is mine
What shouldn't I do?
I get wherever I'm going
I get whatever I need
While my blood's still flowing
And my heart still beats...
Beating like a hammer
Beating like a hammer
Beating like a hammer
Beating like a hammer

Help, I'm alive, my heart keeps beating like a hammer

I downloaded this song last night. No surprise that I woke up with it in my head. And I'm glad I did. Today was a doozy and I needed a song like this to empower me. And if I go with my theory that each morning's song will somehow define/foreshadow my day, then this song would make sense for that reason too. Between Honda dealerships and residency (and thus, in-state tuition) denial, and crazy credit card charges I'm just about done--which is exactly why this post will be short and sweet.

But my heart keeps beating like a hammer...

Day Nine--"Just Dance"

So I think I should not listen to the radio for a day...a whole day...just so I can get a song in my head that is not on America's Top 40. A la Lady Gaga's "Just Dance"--this morning's jam. (Also, I think Lady Gaga would approve of the color change for her name and her song. She just can't fit in like normal black type, now could she?)



On an unrelated, but very related note, today is 9.9.09. Threadless.com is having t-shirts on sale for $9. Beatles' Rock Band has just been released, as well as the film Nine. Yet, none of these phenomena compare to the fact that this is Day Nine of my little experiment. Fate, destiny, coincidence, accident, and/or none/all of the above? Whatever the case, I think it is pretty neat.

So besides Lady Gaga being EVERYWHERE, this particular song of hers ending up in my head makes complete sense. Why?

On Sunday, whilst hanging out with Andrew & Manbat (AKA-Mandy) at the wonderful establishment that is Chili's, the topic of Lady Gaga's gender came up. Mandy had heard she was both male and female and I quickly came to the defense of Miss Gaga and said it was just a rumor. Mandy protested, but then quickly moved on to say "Well, whatever she's working with doesn't change the fact that she references the scatological in 'Just Dance' so I don't like her." My response: "WHAT?!?" (Verbatim.) She said "You know...(She begins singing) 'Just dance, gonna be okay..gotta doo-doo." I laughed out loud and said "Wrong again Mandy." I will admit that it sounds like that, BUT it isn't. And she is in fact, just scatting, jazz-style. (But now, looking back on the situation, scatological vs. scatting--eerily similar--discuss.)

So, long story short, I am Lady Gaga's Protector and Mandy is always wrong. Also, I'm convinced this is why I wound up with this song in my head today.

As far as prophecy goes, I feel like "Just Dance" sums up everyday of my life. Because, after all, it is gonna be okay, if i just dance. So, today, I shall make a point of dancing when something doesn't go my way. Let's just hope for everybody's sake that I'm in the privacy of my own bedroom. Don't want to shock the public with what I'm twerkin' with.

Day Seven & Eight

First: my sincerest apologies for not updating yesterday. I know all of you out there (all 2 of you--those two being my mother and Mark) were probably lost without a post from the peanut gallery.

UNRELATED, RANDOM SIDE-NOTE: I just wikipedia-ed the term "peanut gallery" because it didn't sound right as I typed it and I just kind of assumed peanut gallery was just another way of saying crazy person/people because of the way I've always heard it used. It's not. The "peanut gallery" is a crowd or audience that heckles the performer. Don't believe me? Check it out. And yes, I don't feel the need to fact-check this at all. Wikipedia makes it so!

Alright, so back to apologizing to my avid readership. I did not post yesterday because I actually was kind of disappointed with the song. It was so predictable--so obvious. And here's why...

DAY SEVEN--"YOU OUGHTA KNOW"
by Alanis Morissette

Quite possibly THE best angry chick rock anthem of all time. And it was so obvious because for about a year now, Miles, K-Rae and I have talked about going to this bar on the Lower East Side called Arlene's Grocery for LIVE Rock 'n' Roll Karaoke, which they have on Monday nights. We have been talking about it for a year and trying to coordinate our schedules so we can actually go and FINALLY, yesterday was the day.

So what is LIVE Rock 'n' Roll Karaoke you ask? Well, it's not really karaoke at all--no television screens with bad graphics, no cheesy MC/DJ, no singers who shouldn't be singing (seriously.) It is basically like you are the lead singer of a cover band for one song. AND IT IS AWESOME!

So what does this have to do with Alanis Morissette?

WELL, as soon as we set our date for Arlene's for Labor Day I have been contemplating what song I would sing. Because, for those of you out there that actually know me, Karaoke is up there on the list of my favorite hobbies/pastimes. And, after looking at the set list, it was decided: "You Oughta Know" by Alanis Morissette. Not necessarily because I'm a huge fan of the song as a karaoke song, but because it was one of the few songs I felt I could perform confidently. So, on Sunday night, when I laid my head down to rest, I was singing to myself...an older version of me, is she perverted like me... So, Monday morning, when I awoke I was not so surprised to hear it still playing in my head.

Now to the important stuff...

LAST NIGHT!
(Since there are few pictures in this post, I thought I'd spice things up with a font color change.
I'm a wild woman.)

We arrived at Arlene's around 10pm, which is when this whole LIVE karaoke business is set to begin, and the room is packed and the fun has already begun. I was torn between my two loves (alcohol and karaoke)--do I sign up to sing first or get a $3 Miller Lite Draft (insanely cheap for NY) first? I got the beer first and then beelined for the corner of the room where the book and sign-up clipboard were. This little corner is where K-Rae, Miles, Miles' roomie Zach, and I would stay and become the MCs favorite and most enthusiastic patrons.

The only thing I can say about the experience that followed is that you have to see it to believe it. It was AWESOME. I loved every second of it (especially the seconds when I was barefoot instead of wearing my very painful heels). It was like going to a live show, but better in some way because every singer was so different--but all EXCELLENT.

So, did I sing "You Oughta Know"? Well, no. They don't allow repeats and someone else had already signed up for it. After I convinced myself to not hate this person that stole my song, I decided on singing "Purple Rain" instead. And I'm glad. Not necessarily because I think I performed "Purple Rain" better than I would have performed "You Oughta Know", but because the woman who actually sang "You Oughta Know" was pregnant and rocked out in such a way that I was happy the unborn baby got to have that experience. I talked to her in the bathroom later in the evening (the pregnant lady, not the unborn baby) and she informed me that the baby was in fact a girl and that she LOVES rocking out in Club Womb. That little girl is going to grow up loving Alanis and I am happy for that.

Gotta love Prince and the Revolution

Around 1am, Arlene's shuts down the karaoke and that section of the bar. Epic sadness to leave, especially since I was second to last to perform and K-Rae closed down the joint with "Hit Me with Your Best Shot" so both of our adrenaline levels were up and we were ready to party right as they were kicking us out! SO, we followed the Arlene's pack to a nearby bar, Pianos, where the karaoke (but more like the regular kind) continued. We danced, and drank, and I sang "What's Up" by the 4 Non-Blondes (my go-to karaoke song), danced more, drank more...

Which brings me to today...

Day Eight:___________________

I have found the Kryptonite to the every-morning-song-in-the-head-phenomenon.
It's name is LARGE, LARGE AMOUNTS OF ALCOHOL.
It's name could also be not sleeping well on K-Rae's couch because of phone calls and crazy screaming black women outside her window and sunlight and cable/internet installers moving the couch I'm sleeping on to install said cable/internet. Yeah, there are many factors.

You ever just have a really loud headache?

Well, for those reasons, I did not hear a song when I woke up this morning...which I guess is a good thing because it means this very long post will be shorter. It means this post is done-zo.

See you tomorrow kiddies!

Day Six--"Money"

Money by Pink Floyd
Lyrics Obtained from this Website

Money, get away.
Get a good job with good pay and you're okay.
Money, it's a gas.
Grab that cash with both hands and make a stash.
New car, caviar, four star daydream,
Think I'll buy me a football team.

Money, get back.
I'm all right Jack keep your hands off of my stack.
Money, it's a hit.
Don't give me that do goody good bullshit.
I'm in the high-fidelity first class traveling set
And I think I need a Lear jet.

Money, it's a crime.
Share it fairly but don't take a slice of my pie.
Money, so they say
Is the root of all evil today.
But if you ask for a raise it's no surprise that they're
giving none away.

(Didn't know that this was muttered at the end, but it is. Trust me.)
"HuHuh! I was in the right!"
"Yes, absolutely in the right!"
"I certainly was in the right!"
"You was definitely in the right. That geezer was cruising for a
bruising!"
"Yeah!"
"Why does anyone do anything?"
"I don't know, I was really drunk at the time!"
"I was just telling him, he couldn't get into number 2. He was asking
why he wasn't coming up on freely, after I was yelling and
screaming and telling him why he wasn't coming up on freely.
It came as a heavy blow, but we sorted the matter out."

I am happy to report that I feel somewhat redeemed for having something non-pop/hip-hop wake me up this morning. AND not only is Pink Floyd a slightly more respectable musical artist, BUT this song also makes sense for more reasons than something like "Pass the Courvoisier."

Here goes:

1. Money just so happens to be on my mind because the lovely establishment, that is Stony Brook University, has yet to give me my loan reimbursement. SO! Although it may be the root of all evil, I would like to get paid!

2. Also, as a slight foreshadowing, the wonderful Mandy Bates, a dear friend that obtained her Master's in art history last May from SB, required $2 today when visiting P.S.1. Contemporary Art Center with Andrew and I and neither Andrew or I were quick to give it up. Now, this does not put Andrew OR I in a positive light, but it is the truth nontheless. AND I think it is exactly the point of this popular Pink Floyd song. Everyone has money (especially a measly $2), but no one wants to share...Sad, but mostly true. (NOTE: I did end up sharing the $2, which she promptly repaid me for at dinner. Share it fairly, but don't take a slice of my pie.)

3. As usual, this particular example of foreshadowing is quite a stretch. BUT, this stretch allows my theory to continue AND it allows me to post the following video, which I think is amazing. As anyone who has listened to "Money" can attest--the song is full of interesting and appropriate sounds. You know what else produces interesting, yet appropriate, sounds?!? BEAT-BOXING. Cue Video:

Note: Found this video because I follow Danny Masterson (from "That 70's Show) on Twitter and he said this girl would be his next ex-wife. My curiosity was tapped.

So, much more exciting than Today's Tune is what I did today! Andrew, Mandy and I went to Socrates Sculpture Park in Long Island City, Queens, NY, as well as P.S.1. which I mentioned above. Here are some of my favorite pictures from the day:

The three pictures above are from Socrates Sculpture Park. Most of the items (excluding the sculpture in image numero uno) are just being installed so names of artists/works was not yet provided. The second sculpture was great.
Rat + pigeon + poop= brilliant. And the 3rd sculpture was interesting to say the least. The most interesting part was the license plates. Both from NH (so they said Live Free or Die), the back saying "FREEFALL" and the front saying "FREE4ALL." A dollar for anyone who can explain what that means.



Like I said, most works were "in progress"--which includes the silver fire pit. I just thought this one was silly...and silly can be good. The image that follows--of the caution tape--was more to represent how "in progress" everything really was. Oh how artistic I can be...



My favorite sculpture by far. I could go on for far too long about why this was the smartest piece there, and, thus, the best, but I'll spare you. Just know that I love it and there is good reason!

I have many more photos of this adventure, and to spare those of you that don't care, and to spare myself the trouble of adding them all here, I have decided to start a Picasa account.That's right...one more social networking account...YIPPEE!!! (And yes I know, Flickr is better...but Picasa allows more space initially. So deal with it!) If you want to see more of the sculpture park and P.S.1, feel free to check out the Picasa.


Well, I've been writing most of this post during a Scrabble game with the roomies, so I'm going to concentrate on that now so I can whoop Daniel who is in the lead. That geezer was cruising for a bruising.

Day Five--"Makes Me Wonder"

Maroon 5 - Makes Me Wonder
Uploaded by trashkiller. - Music videos, artist interviews, concerts and more.

"Wake up with bloodshot eyes..." is perhaps the only line from Maroon 5's song "Makes Me Wonder" that actually makes any sense. Well, that and the title.

Why the bloodshot eyes you ask? Well, for some inexplicable reason I awoke at 5am having what I feel was an allergic reaction. To what? God only knows. I went to sleep at 2am and at 5am I woke up wheezing, unable to catch my breath, and itchy all over. Strange right? I thought so...I guess you could say it "makes me wonder."

I finally fell back asleep around 8am, just 2 hours before I had to be up to see Extract, the new Jason Bateman film with my new roomie, Daniel, and Eboni. We were going to the 10:35am show (we agreed the earliest we each had ever gone to the theater) so we could get tickets for a mere $6. Here are some posters to give you a little insight into the film that I would rate a 7 on a scale of 1-10.

The comment above Kristen Wiig's head is by far the best, in my opinion. So, as I was saying, I am a sleep-deprived mess, which is why the bloodshot eyes comment is the only thing that makes sense--especially since the rest of the song is about moving on from a chick and needing something new to believe in. I don't really relate.

However, the strange sleep schedule did give me more insight into this little ditty-phenomenon. When I awoke at 5am, "Makes Me Wonder" was already in my head. I went back to sleep, awoke for a second time, and still the same catchy pop tune. So, my conclusion is that these songs (however random and varied they might be) are more from my subconscious than from my conscious-self recalling them each morning. Again, a theory--and I'm not theorist--but as Adam Levine says "it makes me wonder."

Well, I think this is a pretty incoherent post, but I hope you caught the drift. I'm off to nap. I'll keep you posted if nap time sleep changes the song. Goodnight!

Day Four--"Pass the Courvoisier"

Now, that's what I call a killer combo.

I know what you're thinking...

You just read the subject of this post and saw the pictures and have reached the conclusion that there is no way in hell that this song could predict the day that follows. And you'd be right.

More and more I'm realizing that this little theory of mine--the theory being that the song I wake up with in my head on a given morning somehow foreshadows the rest of the day--is not so likely. However, I shall continue to document these morning tunes until I no longer hear them.

So, back to the song of this particular morning...

"Pass the Courvoisier"--by Busta Rhymes, with assistance from P.Diddy and Pharrell. The video also has many cameos, which include Mr. T and Mo'Nique to name a couple. I have decided to provide it here for your viewing pleasure. Also, if someone could provide the name for a song, to which the video makes less sense than this one, I will give you a cookie.





So, reasoning for this particular song? None. Except that I had a few beers last night so perhaps my body wanted to keep the party going tonight, but this time with Courvoisier. Speaking of last night, I had a great beer by one of my favorite breweries: Smuttynose Brewery, from Portsmouth, NH. I recommend everyone to try this beer this Fall if they can get their hands on it... (Also, coat the rim of the glass with cinnamon and brown sugar. It is delicious.)


So, besides my body confirming that I am, in fact, a lush, I have no clue why Busta Bust's 2002 hit would have entered my brain. And it certainly did not predict my day--which unfortunately did not include and hip-hop video groupies, ridiculous amounts of bling, or jean/fur apparel--but merely consisted of getting my seat belt buckle replaced and a trip to an undisclosed location to obtain a birthday present for my dear Pidge (aka-the fiance.)

With nothing else to hypothesize, I fear this will be the end of a very uneventful post, but I do hope the ridiculous Flipmode Squad music video featured above will provide the entertainment that I could not provide. It may just "make you wanna JUMP! JUMP!"