Music Learning

I recently did a mix swap on swap-bot that was called a "Covers Challenge." The idea was to link songs by original artists. Yeah, let me just show you an example.

1. "Barracuda" - Rasputina
2. "The Battle of Evermore" - Heart
3. "Gallows Pole" - Led Zeppelin

This is an official Covers Challenge Dead End. Lead Belly covered no one, because he was far too awesome. But I was confused about the links a little; could I link it through the original artist only? What if an artist popularized it, but didn't write it? Could I, then, link it through the song writer? For example, check out this flimsy linkage (but my longest link on the CD, thus, a triumph).

1. "Such Great Heights" - Iron & Wine
2. "All is Full of Love" - Death Cab for Cutie
3. "Like Someone in Love" - Bjork
4. "My Way" - Frank Sinatra
5. "Smells like Teen Spirit" - Paul Anka
6. "The Man who Sold the World" - Nirvana
7. "Cactus" - David Bowie
8. "Cecilia Ann" - The Pixies

The last being a Surftones cover. I could have taken the David Bowie one in several directions. In the end, I used the song "Cactus" because it's just such a cool cover. My last set of real links went like this:

1. "Dancing Barefoot" - The Feelies
2. "Hey Joe" - Patti Smith
3. "All Along the Watchtower" - Jimi Hendrix
4. "Ring of Fire" - Bob Dylan
5. "Bird on a Wire" - Johnny Cash

I know Johnny Cash did a number of fabulous covers, and I could have taken that link in a number of more productive directions, but I had my requisite 15 songs and wanted to include the Leonard Cohen cover because it's the saddest song I've ever heard in my life. I then threw in four bonus covers.

1. "Hallelujah" - Jeff Buckley (another Leonard Cohen cover)
2. "These Boots were Made for Walking" - Crispin Glover (Nancy Sinatra cover)
3. "Barbara Ann" - The Who (Beach Boys cover)
4. "Tammy" - Jens Lekman (Debbie Reynolds cover)

I wish I'd included the Johnny Cash cover by Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner, "I Walk the Line." It was hilarious. Oh well. It was fun to make though; I wrote out this crazy web of covers and was carrying it around for days obsessing about it. After I exhausted my own mental encyclopedia of music, I got help from Wikipedia, Covers Project, and Cover Lay Down. So what would you guys have linked up? Make some links of your own in the comments section - maybe there will be a Covers Challenge V!

Yours Very Truly,
Sarah

Foggy Morning

This morning I drove to work and the whole city was bathed in a glorious fog. I was so thankful; I got to pretend that Houston doesn't have more billboards than any other place in the whole world. Hooray!

I just realized that I am listening to the Cramps super low and I can hear another co-worker listening to Kenny G super low. Is this kosher? Maybe I should put something else on. I don't want to taint the memory of the recently-dead Lux Interior.

I looking more and more at alternative solutions to linguistics at UT Austin. Not that there's anything wrong with that school, but I'm getting antsy. Other schools I'm looking at include St. Thomas (to which I've already applied), UNT, the American University at Bulgaria and Vanderbilt. And because not all of these offer Linguistics as a major, I may be switching to French, Russian Lit, or History! Fun, fun.

I will now take a picnic for lunch. Have a great day guys!

Very truly yours,
Sarah

Hair Curls!

I just don't understand it. Why is Johanna Ost so gorgeous?

Anyway, I'm wondering what I can do with my hair after I'm done hating it for the season. I recently cut some bangs in a fit of mistake-making, but fully intend to grow the rest of it out longer. But then I see pin curls like these and think, "Man I just HAD bangs that could have done that less than a week ago!"

Oh well.

I've made the decision to do Script Frenzy! This will be my first year. I don't think nearly as many people are involved with it as National Novel Writing Month, but that's OK... I wasn't very productive at write-ins anyhow!

This week, I applied to the University of St. Thomas, and am now considering other options besides Texas schools. One of the schools I am going to apply to for Spring '10 is Vanderbilt, in Nashville, TN. The tuition is about $40,000/yr, but they appear to have a very sweet financial aid program--they claim to pay 100% of the demonstrated financial aid in GRANTS and SCHOLARSHIPS, not loans. I'm fairly impressed. Of course, I'd have to get in. Eh.

Very truly yours,
Sarah

The grass has so little to do...

My mom has been reading Emily Dickinson and says sometimes the poems are so beautiful that she cries. I'm glad that she's so moved by it!

The semester is nearly half way over. It's already March! Spring Break is just a week and a half away... but mid-terms (four!) are just a week away! Nervous-making. Wish me the best!

Yours very truly,
Sarah

School Day!

I woke up today and didn't know what day it is. This always happens when I have a weird schedule. I'm not doing my lit class work, and I skipped environmental science. I'm practically a delinquent. After getting up, I ate a muffin and played four mahjongg games. Now I'm just fooling around with Poladroid and avoiding glances at the clock.

I one hundred percent plan to get over my nervousness asking people for their photograph today. I will! will! will! get some fashion photos for my other blog. I simply must! The picture of me in that awesome coat should be good enough to start with.

In other news, I got a 22" monitor last night, which Tim installed for me. Soon I'll get a whole new computer for now reason! Yay! Also, I'm trying to keep up with my swap-bot swaps, and finding that I probably signed up for too much at once (what else is new).

Speaking of over-extending myself, I am considering giving lectures this fall on correct diction at the Heights Library. Would that be too awkward? I feel qualified in reality, but I'm certainly not on paper. But it would be free, for the general community, and really obscure to begin with. Thoughts on this?

The other day I had a really wonderful picnic, and I thought I'd share a shot of it with you. I always picnic at the cemetery down the freeway from my workplace, since it's the only green place in Greenspoint. The weather was absolutely brilliant, and I laid out my blanket in the half-sunlit, half-shade under a tree and near a little girl's grave. The sun was warm, but the breeze was nice and icy. Yay! Will do again as soon as possible.

Yours very truly,
Sarah

Happy Valentine's Day!

I hope all of you have a wonderful Valentine's Day tomorrow with your loved one or with yourself. Just to let you all know, this is probably my least favorite holiday. I've almost never had a boyfriend during it, and we're doing our taxes together tomorrow night and he's cooking me dinner. ENDLESSLY romantic. I know you all envy me.

Yours very truly,
Sarah

PS - Cute free Valentines available here!

Television Night!

Tonight is television night, where I go to Timothy's and we watch the Office and Lost. I usually have to see about 10 minutes worth of commercials a week on this schedule, and I would like to make an official statement: Commercials are horrid. I can't believe anyone can stand watching more than 10 minutes of them a week. As it is, I barely survive. Ahem.

I recently discovered swap-bot! IT'S THE COOLEST THING EVER. I have to drag myself away from the site to do anything else with my life. Please take notice of it, but try not to become too addicted. And note that international swaps can be expensive - it was $16 to mail a package to Finland the other day, and it couldn't have been more than about 4 lb.

On a completely different note, can anyone give me a simplified explanation as to when one would use the word "like" and when one would use the word "as"? I know what these words are, I know where to use them, I know I know I know. But when I was helping Imane (of Morocco) study for the TOEFL, she was asking about that and I couldn't think of a way to explain - I could only think of example sentences.

While I was brushing my teeth last night (at 1:30 AM, ugh), it finally dawned on me - the difference between people who don't care about spoilers and those who want to kill you if you let anything slip. I hate someone spoiling the end of something for me because all I care about is the storyline. But people like my dad and Timothy don't care, because they're watching/reading for quality. Does this make sense to you guys? Which type are you?

The swarmer termites are back at work again! Needless to say, I'm disgusted. Come on, guys. At least I'm leaving in a few minutes for lunch with darling Mom.

Very truly yours,
Sarah