30 day song challenge - Day 12

Day 12 – A song from a band you hate

Ugh. So many to choose from!! Can I choose a person and not a band? Well, it's my blog, and it's my challenge, and it's still my birthday, so yes. I can.

Sorry, Julia. I hate Justin Bieber. No, I don't hate all music or artists gears at the "tween" age group. I actually like that there are young people who can be positive influences to 5th and 6th graders. I think Selena Gomez (Justin's gf. Yes, I actually subscribe to People Magazine and, yes, I await my Friday mail delivery like Garfield waits for lasagna) is really cute. I never minded Ashley Tisdale, Demi Lovato or even Miley Cyrus. I just really hate Justin. I think his rise to fame and his UBER popularity has been completely blown out of proportion. I think he's going to be in therapy by the time he's 20 (a whole 3 year away!) or in rehab before that! I think he's a little jerk who can kind-of-sort-of dance and maybe-in-the-shower sing.

And since I really only know the name of *one* Justin Bieber song, that's what I'm being forced to post. So, here ya go. Gather your 6+ year old children around - they'll love me. (and I just threw up in my mouth a little when I saw that this video has been viewed 557+ MILLION times) Sigh....

30 day song challenge - Day 11

Day 11 – A song from your favorite band

Picking my favorite band is like picking my favorite song. It depends on my mood, my age, the time of day, how many cocktails I've had.... Today, it's my birthday. And I'm picking Phish. I started listening to Phish in high school as most of my friends did. The band is from just across the lake from my hometown of Plattsburgh, NY and I like to think that *we* knew about them before anyone else. Well, us and the entire student body of UVM... My dad told he met them once, before they were 'famous' at a philosophy convention since some (all?) of them were philosophy majors at UVM. That made my dad cool. For that day. Phish got me through high school. my early college years, the summers between college years....

I've fallen off the Phish wagon in the recent years. They announced their retirement, but like all the greats (and no-so-greats) they're back on tour this summer. I wish, in a way, I could go to a show. But, I don't know if I even would go if I could. I really like my memories of my 10+ shows, the friends I had at those shows, the drugs that were ingested, the memories created. I think I'll let those past experiences be just that - *past* experiences. I would hate for my 34 year old self try to live up to or change my 19 year old self's memories.

So, one of the first songs I was exposed to that was performed in my lovely hometown at one of Phish's first multi-day festivals, The Clifford Ball. I was in the crowd. Can you see me? Just kidding. I was there though.... Enjoy.

Phish - Slave to the Traffic Light

30 day song challenge - Day 10

Day 10 – A song that makes you fall asleep

I have listened to music to fall asleep since I was about 12. I learned the beauty of the 'sleep' button on my alarm clock and, with the help of technology, have been able to fall asleep using headphones, tv's, iPods, etc to fall asleep. I love it. This song, the whole cd actually, is one of my favorite relaxing songs. I still have it on my iPod and listen to it while drinking wine in the bathtub. The cd was played out, literally, in my Sony Discman while at Camp Mason. (Skip to about the 1:30 mark in the video, unless you want to hear him, and his hair, speak in his crazy accent.)

30 day song challenge - Day 9

Day 9 – A song that you can dance to

I do like to dance to this song. But I actually 'danced' to this song. In a choreographed routine with two friends at my 7th grade talent show. It was awful. But we thought it was phenomenal. I was mouthing the words and the dance moves were emphasized by our awesome Au Coton skirts and opposite colored suspenders. But the song is still good. I guess.

30 day song challenge - Day 8

Day 8 – A song that you know all the words to

I worked at YMCA Camp Mason in Blairstown, New Jersey for 6 years through high school and into college as a camp counselor. It's like a fraternity or sorority - you're in it for life. And the people you meet there are in it too. And you talk about it all the time. The funny stuff, the not-so-funny stuff, you share pictures, you share names and addresses. Camp Mason taught me a LOT about life, about love, about friendship, about food poisoning, about everything. This song reminds me of the summer of 1992, I think. The summer of my first big, HUGE crush, Mark, that I got into trouble for since he was a counselor and I was not, (only a CIT at that point), the summer I figured out that I could be whoever I wanted to be when people didn't know me (since my high school experience sucked, and this was 8 hours away from high school....) and the summer I decided that I wanted to be a camp counselor. For a long, LONG time.

And 2-3 times every summer, I learned the words to a song to teach my cabin (sometimes with other cabins) to perform at the session's talent show. Sometimes I performed with them, other times I was perfectly happy to sit and watch. This was one I helped to perform. Complete with awesome dance moves. Fit for the 9 year olds that agreed to use this song. Poor girls. And it became kind of my 'theme song' for that summer. You know the words too. Sing with me.....

30 day song challenge - Day 7

Day 7 – A song that reminds you of a certain event

This song reminds me of moving to Florida. I was finally living in a real 'city' with real radio stations and I heard this and thought I'd gone to heaven. I got a job the first few weeks living there as a bank teller and had to drive from New Tampa to Largo (about 60 minutes one way) for training. 5 days of sitting in rush hour traffic going to and coming from work. This song would play at least once on the radio. And if it didn't, I'd be disappointed. Thank goodness it seemed to be on a good rotation!

I've always loved dance/techno/house/trance music but when I heard this, I needed more. I started hearing about Ybor City and the dance clubs there. I eventually *went* to a few of the dance clubs and would have lived there if it hadn't been for jobs or college. Humph. Stupid responsibilities. But I thank Cheryl and Pete and eventually Dave for going to The Amphitheater with me all those weekends. I miss it sometimes.

The video has MUCH to be desired. Unless you're on ecstasy. Then it might be really cool. Enjoy!

30 day song challenge - Day 6

Day 6 - A song that reminds you of somewhere.

Easy. Honeymoon. Scotland. Driving on the wrong side of the road. Loved it. Not a huge fan of the song. But it reminds me/us of Scotland every time. :)