jon krasinski

just heard jon say this about his fiancee, emily blunt, and i thought it was sweet.

using “who says” as the lead single from this album really turned me off to the whole thing. i actually wrote a pretty brutal blog about it and then took it down because, i dunno, it just felt too negative. i have loved jm from the begining but i feel like he’s at this crucial point in his career where he needs to stop focusing on himself and his relationships and get on with something that has a little more substance. i mean, how many more “heartbreak warfare” style songs does he really have left inside? and how much longer will that be interesting? (“heartbreak warfare” = “split-screen sadness” + “i don’t trust myself”) i actually feel about him the way i feel about kanye—a rare, talented pop musician, but i no longer care to hear song after song about mr. west’s shoes, girls and hurt feelings. you know?

moralone:

so after about a week of listening, i have finally gathered my thoughts on JM’s Battle Studies. and ive realized that John Mayer is in a real special place that a lot of pop artist’s can’t get to:
John Mayer can do, create and play whatever he wants- and it’ll sell and be great.

i saw this first hand while watching his (excellent) Where The Light Is DVD.
and during his Trio set JM went into a thick blues riff to jam and a stadium of women went bananas. FOR BLUES! 
fast forward to Battle Studies- i was nervous and slow to listen for a couple of reasons:
1. Who Says was a pretty weird first single choice.
2. Taylor Swift was on the track listing (yea i know shes americas sweetheart, but still, shes a lil too much cheese for me)
3. It’s not Continuum. 

but what the crap JM pulled off a really good record. and Do You Know Me  encompasses the LP for me in a nutshell. it’s subtle production, straight forward approach to song writing and composition really won me over.
and from a musicians POV i can go on and on about his attention to drum detail.
its really amazing here different drum & guitar textures on every single song.
no two songs are alike but still carry a similar thread throughout the entire record.

kudos Des, you were right.

drewbergen:

via i.timeinc.net

During our stay in Thailand in 2005, Alie and I attended this stunning event where thousands of flame propelled lanterns were released on the shores of the Indian Ocean.  The lanterns commemorated  the many who lost their lives in the tsunami of 2004.

(amdreena)

today it is rainy and cold.
yesterday found me in strawberry hill,
and the day before that at mccoys
it’s always amazing how many people you’ll see out at mccoys.
kansas city, you’re our best-kept secret
(don’t ever change unless it’s the best kind of change).
today i am in love.

courtneyc:

Capybara - The Wimp.

capy is home after months of non-stop touring. sad i missed their friday show; hopefully another is scheduled for soon?

just wanted you guys to know that the best getting ready to go to a christmas party on sunday night when it’s already dark and you kind of want to lay in your bed and crochet song is “upgrade u.” but you probably already knew that.

first-world problems, i’ve got them you guys. this isn’t that big of a deal by any stretch of the imagination, but today i’ve been kind of nervous that lebron isn’t going to stay in cleveland after this season (hello shanna, welcome to 2 months ago, right?). i just really hope he does because it makes me feel so proud when people talk about lebron and in my heart i know that he grew up in my hometown (akron) and plays for the hometown team (cavs).

i used to be a cheap pizza girl (bacci’s on chicago!) but since the whole gluten-free thing, i’ve really had a void in my life. that’s why i feel so compelled to write about what i made for dinner last night, which was one of the tastiest things i’ve ever made.

i started with two gluten free pizza crusts from schar, which are your basic personal pizza size and highly recommended (by me). great texture and flavor. then i sauteed four cloves of garlic, half of a yellow onion, two small broccoli crowns, a carton of baby bella mushrooms and a handful of spinach in olive oil over medium-high heat until everything was lightly cooked (about 10 minutes because the skillet was so full). i seasoned the veggies (important step!) with sea salt, onion salt and black pepper.

we used cascone’s sauce and a five-cheese italian blend of shredded cheese, then heaped on veggies, and in my case, more cheese (i love cheese). baked in a 425 degree oven for fifteen minutes, directly on the top rack with a cookie sheet below to catch any drips.

they were delicious and only took about 25 minutes. it was a great way to get a heap of veggies, yet felt like a complete meal. the sauteed veggies had a great full flavor that i think would appeal to even your most hardened meat-eater.

i’ve written about my burgeoning yet shameful love for taylor swift before. you know what, i’ve dealt with it. as far as public figures go, she’s a good role model for the types of girls who look up to and mimic celebrities. she’s best friends with her mom. while her live performance leaves something to be desired, i think her lyrics are accurate and more clever than most pop songs. they evoke specific types of strong emotion that appeal to young women. it’s fine. i’m not embarrassed. really.

the song fifteen came on the radio during my harrowing (snowy, icy) drive to work this morning. i really appreciate how this song discusses high school relationships without idolizing them. in a twilight world, i think we need more of this. other then mopey edward and bella, most people aren’t meeting their soul mates in high school, and it’s weird how much our culture idealizes teenage “love.”

“in your life you’ll do things greater then dating a boy on the football team/ i didn’t know it at fifteen” is a really good counterpoint to the argument out there that the best parts of high school are dating relationships. i’d love to see popular media fixate on teenage girls who are doing exciting things that don’t involve siting in front of a window for four months, crying over love lost.