flashback friday: soundtrack to my life: 2002

in 2002, i moved into the dorms at the university of wisconsin - milwaukee. i had a freakishly weird roommate situation at first. (as in, i lived with this girl for 4 months, never learned her last name, saw her maybe, 5 times the entire time, and to this day, i can't even remember her first name. weird.) anyway, as a result of the lack of bonding with my actual roommate, i made friends with some of the girls across the common area, on my same floor. "some girls" became my best friends. i lived with hillary and lisa after that year and they became like sisters to me. we experienced all the crazy wonderfulness that is going away to college and having roommates. one such instance of crazy wonderfulness included dancing like total lunatics, hair flying free, jumping on beds, and screaming this song at the top of our lungs in hillary's dorm room on the third floor of south tower. it's a memory that is so clearly engrained in my  brain. and it means so much to me.

this song is the epitome of the be-an-independent-soul-and-live-your-life attitude that i strive for. and it's one that i hope one day ruby picks up on. this song reminds me that life is too short to stress and get in a negative rut about anything. and when i feel that creeping up, i get my car, crank the speakers, and dance in such a way that it makes other drivers stare. i don't care, though, because it is moments like those that i feel the most free and inspired. lost in song. and usually tearing up because well, that's just me.

one day, when ruby comes home and tells me that her day sucked, i will pop this one in and dance it out. and to be completely honest, we've already danced it out more than once when my day has been less than amazing.

best lyrics? the verses are where it's at:

"hey, you know they're all the same.
you know you're doing better on your own, so don't buy in.
live right now.
yeah, just be yourself.
it doesn't matter if it's good enough for someone else."

and later,

"hey, don't write yourself off yet.
it's only in your head you feel left out or looked down on.
just do your best, do everything you can.
and don't you worry what the bitter hearts are gonna say."

oh, and? this video is awesome. enjoy! and make sure you get in a solid "woooo!" at 1:37. it feels so good. :)

lyrics i love v. 2

this song has been my theme song the last week or so. i cannot get it out of my head! (not that i mind.) i saw mr. dennen once in concert and he was great! a bundle of energy. but that's another post. anyway, almost every day for the last week, when i wake up, this song is in my head. and when i'm up in the middle of the night with rubinski (my most recent nickname for ruby), this song is in my head. his lyrics can often be difficult to understand (so i'm including some of my favorites below), but the chorus is pretty easy to make out. i, of course, love singing it to ruby when we're dancing around at home. :) so, check it out and i'm sure you'll be dancing, too!

sydeny whenever you feel unhappy
all you have to do is call me
i can make you laugh
sydney i know that you were wrongly accused
i hope you don't lose your sense of humor
allegations made in the school yard
soccer mom's gossip in the dog park
their bark is worse than their bite
they're only a couple of crazy cougars
they're bored, spreading those desperate rumors

you know that i was never that cool
but i won't be taken for a fool
if they wanna talk trash
they can talk, talk, talk
but they better come correct
if you ever need me, call me
i'll come running straight to you
straight from the airport
i'll come running
cut through the customs line
i'll come running
bust down the court house doors
i'll come running
sydney
i will testify
sydney I'll testify

a good refrain (lyrics i love v. 1)

so once a week, i plan on discussing my love of lyrics on here by highlighting a song that i think has especially awesome lyrics and why. with this in mind, i was going to write my first post on a monday so that i could name it 'music mondays' or something slick like that so that i could start off with a tribute to the title of my blog "a good refrain." however, i couldn't wait for next monday to get started. and all i can think of that sounds good with thursday is 'thirsty thursday' and that just won't work. i'll let you know when i come up with a good topic title. so, anyway, for this week -


i got 'a good refrain' from the regina spektor song "on the radio". even though i had heard the song many times before, i never really "heard" it until the week i found out T & i were expecting Ruby, if that makes sense. here are the lines that i think kick some serious lyrical booty -

"this is how it works
you're young until you're not
you love until you don't
you try until you can't

you laugh until you cry
you cry until you laugh
and everyone must breathe
until their dying breath

now, this is how it works
you peer inside yourself
you take the things you like
and try to love the things you took

and then you take that love you made
and stick it into some,
someone else's heart
pumping someone else's blood

and walking arm in arm
you hope it don't get hard
but even if it does
you'll just do it all again

on the radio
you hear 'November Rain'
that solo's awful long
but it's a good refrain"

i don't think i really need to explain why this is just full of awesome-ness. i'll just say that i found myself in tears listening to it when i first learned ruby was on her way and looking back on it now - seeing how hard the journey did get & how i always had T to walk "arm in arm" with -- of course, i would (and will) do it all again. because through all the crap and not-so-good days in life, i realize now more than ever, my new family is a good (and that's a serious understatement) refrain from it all.