Hey everyone!! As usual, it's Wednesday and I've got a lot of memes to do! I think I might even go one step further and make an actual post about the music I've been listening to lately. Also, I think I want to start doing one non-meme post every day or as much as I can. I'm a little concerned that this is becoming a meme blog and I'm sure there are readers who don't really appreciate reading memes all the time. I like them, but some find them too cute or annoying or cheesy. I can see where those people are coming from, so I want to provide actual thoughts from my brain on here too. Music is my life right now, so it'll probably be a lot of music posts.

Speaking of music, here's the Midweek Music Meme:

What hit song of the last 5 years do you think will become a “golden oldie” 2 or 3 decades from now?

The only song I can think of right now is "The Reason" by Hoobastank. Say what you want about it, or the band, but "The Reason" was a great little piece of sentimental pop magic. It crossed over majorly and eventually got overplayed. "Crazy In Love" by Beyonce might become a golden oldie too. It was overplayed as well, but you cannot deny how good it is and how well it works as a pop/r&b song. Other than those two, I cannot think of a single popular song from the past five years that stands out in my mind as something lasting.

Well, hopefully today I'll be able to post without any problems. Yesterday, right after I finished the post I wrote, blogger got all weird and gave me errors! Not only that, but my entire blog would NOT show up at all! If you went to the address, you got a blog error page. This frustrated me to no end, and lasted until about 10 PM. Finally it started working again and let me publish. It's a very frustrating and annoying thing to have happen, but I do understand that stuff happens and sometimes things go wrong or servers need working on. As aggravating as blogger can be sometimes, I don't see myself switching to another service anytime soon.

Now that I've got that out of my system, let's start with the meme postings.

Midweek Music Meme

What music do you like best for a roadtrip? Do you like relaxing music to get you into that kicked-back vacation mode, or songs that really get you revved up & excited?

Like I go on many road trips! If I do, though, I prefer high-energy, happy music that is good for singing along with. Afro Celt Sound System is always a good choice. You can't go wrong with some Jimi Hendrix. Anything with guitars is good, actually. Celtic music would also be great to listen to in the car. And, of course, catchy pop tunes are always welcome.

Back again with a second meme. Midweek Music Meme:

What two musical genres would you like to see blended?

I'd love to see what happens if Cajun musicians and Celtic musicians got together. Both genres use violins and also (mostly) use accordions too. It'd be neat to see where the two genres connect and how musicians from two fairly different traditions would interact.

Ok I'm taking a break from all the cool computer talk to do the Midweek Music Meme:

How much influence do you think music has had on your life, and why? Give examples!

Music has had a TREMENDOUS influence on my life! For one thing, it's my main hobby and the main thing that keeps me entertained and happy. It gives me something to talk about with other people, something to share, something to bond over. It helps keep me sane and keeps me from getting too bored. It gives me something to be passionate about and something to look forward to. It gives me something to explore as I discover new bands, artists and genres.

A few examples? Well, in 1999 I took a chance and bought a CD with lots of new Scandinavian modern folk music. That album opened a whole new world of sound for me, and I soon began exploring other types of folk music: Cajun, Celtic, and other music from around the world.

From my Celtic explorations, I learned about the Afro Celt Sound System. When I discovered how wonderful their music is, I found something to believe in. I found something to carry me away from the worries and troubles of everyday life. As long as I have an Afro Celts CD on, I'm having a good time.

Beth, who you should all know by now from my postings, introduced me to the amazing music of Jeff Buckley and I found a new source of beauty, peace and power. My friend Mike got me interested in guitars and how they work, and that opened the door to the Smashing Pumpkins, Dave Matthews, Jimi Hendrix and more. All the hours riding in vehicles with my dad when we'd go camping, or anywhere really, introduced me to the world of classic rock. For a while I didn't think anything of it, but today those hours listening to classic rock radio have affected my listening habits. No matter what I do, I can't escape the sounds of car and truck rides in my youth.

I think that's enough of my babbling for now. The point is that music is a huge part of my life and I can't imagine what life would be like without it.

Well, we've made it this far in the week, so it's time to let loose and relax a bit. Today's Midweek Music Meme is perfect for that, take a look:

What song would you, if you could get away with it, infli—… er, share with the town at large, at full volume?

I'd definitely play any version of Voodoo Child (Slight Return). Jimi probably did it best, but Stevie Ray Vaughan was right up there with him too. This is a song that's meant to be played loud and you can't help but want to pick up a guitar (air or otherwise) and shred along when you hear it.

Hi again. Here's the Midweek Music Meme:

What is your favorite (or least favorite!) commercial that features a song?

Well, I'm over my obsession with the Diet Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper "Mahna Mahna" commercial, so I'd say my current obsession is the Coca-Cola Lime commercial. You know the one. "You put da lime in da coke, you nut, and drink em both together." Isn't that catchy, annoying and hilarious all at the same time?

I'm not going to buy the actual product, though. I want my Coke to taste like Coke, not lime.

*sick of finding unique introductions to these meme posts*. Meme. Midweek Music Meme. Read:

If you could make any musical into a cabaret act, sort of like the Rocky Horror Picture Show, with people acting out the parts en masse, which musical would you choose and which part would you play?

I'd definitely make "Chicago" a cabaret act! Isn't that kind of the whole point of the show anyway? There aren't too many male parts to choose, so I'd be a short, redhaired Billy Flynn. I'd have to learn to tapdance but that part would be fun anyway.

The Battle Has Begun

It finally happened. The ants have found their way to the pantry. Operation crush-the-little-black-bastards-and-put-everything-in-ziploc-bags is underway. This could all be avoided if my parents actually cleaned the pantry and hired an ant removal specialist.

Here's this week's Midweek Music Meme:

What song with attitude do you particularly like, and who might you dedicate it to?

My absolute favorite attitude song is Jeff Buckley's "Eternal Life." I think I'll dedicate it to the current U.S. administration for it is a song about "ugly gentleman" playing their "foolish games."

Hi everyone!! I'm turning 25 in exactly a month!! Yay!

Here's the Midweek Music Meme:

What piece of music have you listened to just because someone you respect or admire - but don’t actually know in person - recommended it?

I guess this all depends on the definition of the phrase "know in person." I'm not going to count people I know online because I do know them, I just haven't met them face-to-face yet.

So to answer the question, one artist that I learned about from someone I respect or admire is Gavin DeGraw. I first heard about Gavin because he was on the Ellen Degeneres show. I suppose it's a recommendation if Ellen liked him enough to have him on her show.

No trip to the museum today due to not-so-great weather. Maybe tomorrow I'll go, if the sun shows up.

Here's the Midweek Music Meme:

What’s your favorite drinking song, Irish or otherwise?

I don't really know too many drinking songs, but one I do know is "In Heaven There Is No Beer." That's a good polka drinking song, so I'm going to choose that one as my favorite.

Here's the meme of the day, the Midweek Music Meme:

What song was your graduating class song, and why did you like it or hate it?

My high school didn't actually have a class song, and if it did I wasn't aware of it. My middle school, however, used Boyz II Men's "It's So Hard To Say Goodbye" as the graduating class song. I was almost going to say "End Of The Road" but I checked and it was indeed "It's So Hard . . " I knew it was one of those slow Boyz II Men hits lol. I didn't really hate it or love it, but I didn't mind it as the class song. When I hear it I'm reminded of those last days of middle school, so I suppose it was an effective class song after all.
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In other news today, we're in the third day of the bus drivers' strike in Lane County. They struck on Monday, and now there is virtually no bus service. This doesn't affect me as much as other people, but there are some who are suffering very badly. Students in local colleges find themselves scrambling to find a way to campus during the last two weeks of the term. Next week is finals week, and the caca will hit the fan if these people can't get to their classes to take their exams! Lane Community College in particular is very out of the way for most people, so those students are probably some of the most inconvenienced. I really hope the transit district management and the union can work something out soon, so that this essential service can be provided to those who need it.

Today I'm in a mood to listen to bluegrass and cajun music. I'm currently listening to one of The Chieftains' bluegrass albums on my computer, and quite enjoying it. Oddly enough, this mood came about from me seeing someone playing a banjo on TV. It's funny how the smallest things can inspire me to listen to a particular style of music all day long.

That's all for now. Hopefully I'll have more things to talk about in the near future! Until then, have a good week y'all.

Wednesday means Midweek Music Meme:

What song with mostly or completely nonsensical lyrics do you like anyway (or because the lyrics don’t make sense!)?

I'm currently in love with the Muppets "Mana Mana" song that appears on the Diet Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper commercial. How can you not love that? That commercial cracks me up every time I see it.

Good question this week from the Midweek Music Meme:

What song (or the music of a specific artist) would you be horribly amused by hearing done into muzak?

I think just about any rap music would be hilarious if done as muzak, but especially the work of Lil' Jon and the Eastside Boyz. Can I get a "WHAT!?"

As far as rock, KISS and just about any nu-metal band would make really odd muzak. And just for pure irony, "Redneck Woman" by Gretchen Wilson piped into Wal-mart store speakers.

It's time for the first meme written from my new computer: Midweek Music Meme.

What song reminds you of winter, and why?

Aside from all the obvious Christmas songs, the song that reminds me of winter is "Villvinter" by Norwegian fiddler Annbjorg Lien. The song title means "wild winter" in Norwegian, so that's one winter influence. The music itself puts the listener in a winter mood with the haunting nordic Hardanger fiddle and atmospheric organ.

Still here on mom's computer, still doing memes. Here's this week's Midweek Music Meme:

Name three (or more!) people and the custom ringtones you’ve either set for them on your phone, or would if you could.

I'm going to be creative today and pick a few celebrities and embarassing ringtones I'd put on their phones.

Eddie Murphy would get "Party All The Time" as a reminder he should stick to acting and not singing.

Rob Van Winkle (Vanilla Ice) would, of course, get "Ice Ice Baby."

Britney Spears would get the Mickey Mouse Club theme to remind her of where her fame started.

Garth Brooks would get a Chris Gaines song to remind him of the time he tried to be a rocker under another name and failed.

Celine Dion would get "My Heart Will Go On" and perhaps she'd get tired of it too.

Lance Bass would get "Rocket Man" by Elton John to remind him of the time he tried to go up in Space and the Russians wouldn't let him go cause he didn't have enough money.

Here's this week's Midweek Music Meme:

If you could have any musical artist or band record in another genre entirely, what artist/band and what genre? For over-achievers, what song?

I'd love to hear Alison Krauss sing Celtic songs, both in English and Gaelic. Her voice is so gorgeous that she could definitely handle those kinds of songs. She did a spectacular job with "Molly Bon" on the Chieftains' bluegrass album "Down The Old Plank Road," so that's why I thought of her.

Wednesday is Midweek Music Meme time:

What song drives you absolutely batty, to the point that you nearly feel compelled to physically stop someone from singing it?

I can't really think of too many, but the first one that comes to mind is "Oops, I Did It Again" by Britney Spears. That's such an annoying song!

Thanks to Andrea, I've found a new music site to obsess over!! It's called Guzzlefish and it's a site where you can make a list of what CDs and DVDs you own, exchange or sell albums and movies you don't want, participate in forums, and more. The link to view my albums is here. I'll be adding the site to my links.

It's Wednesday so that means it's time for another Midweek Music Meme:

If you could make, or remake, a music video of any song, what song would it be and what would the video be like? Bonus points for casting roles and describing plot/theme/etc.

Just off the top of my head (and what CDs are laying about), I'd make a video for the Finn Brothers' "Disembodied Voices." The song is about spending endless nights in your bedroom talking with your brother late at night.

The video would be in black and white. It would start out with a split screen shot of both Neil and Tim laying down on a bed in the dark and singing the song. The cameras would move around a bit over their faces. This would be intercut with footage of two little boys playing together and just doing kid stuff. Perhaps there's even footage of the Finns themselves to use. During the chorus, we'd go back to the shot of the brothers both singing in their beds. At the end, the camera would pan out and show both of the brothers in the same room, and maybe they'd get up and shake hands or hug or slap palms. Or perhaps they'd just smile at each other. It would be a very atmospheric, evocative video for an atmospheric, evocative song.

Midweek Music Meme:

What's your favorite unlikely duet?

I can't really think of too many duets at the moment. One that pops to mind is Mario Winans' song "I Don't Wanna Know." It's not technically a duet, but the song features a sample of an Enya song! Enya!

Another choice would be Bing Crosby and David Bowie on "Little Drummer Boy." The legendary crooner Bing Crosby joining forces with the man who created Ziggy Stardust? Wow.

Time for the Midweek Music Meme:

Besides Auld Lang Syne, what song brings to mind the end of the year, or the beginning of the new?

At first I couldn't think of any song that reminded me of the end or beginning of a year, but the group I'm listening to right now inspired me to think of one. The Smashing Pumpkins' "Tonight Tonight" reminds me of the beginning of a new year, because the song is about starting fresh and taking advantage of endless possibilities. That's what it means to me, anyway, among other things. It's just a positive, uplifting song and that's the kind of song you need to start a new year.