Tunes on 2s - You Shook Me All Night Long - AC/DC (1980)

Listen/watch here.

If you don't know this song, where have you been the past 28 years? The opening riff is unmistakable; it automatically gets people out of their chairs and out on the dance floor (or at the very least gets the toes tappin'). In 2008, it's still one of the most popular songs requested at wedding receptions (Wikipedia).

I have many memories of this song, but a particular one comes to mind as I think of my own wedding reception. I was cutting a rug for most of the night and having a ball with my friends and family. My dear husband does not enjoy the dancing as much as I do, and he was spending most of his time sitting outside talking with our guests, including his childhood friend and groomsman Steve, who he shared several hair band concert experiences with as a teenager. However, when this song started to play, he and Steve came out of the woodwork and onto the floor. It was so much fun! They were singing along and stayed out on the floor for a few hairband songs in a row. I'll never forget this song, if for nothing but the simple fact it got my husband out on the dance floor.

I had to choose this song for Tunes on 2s, because tomorrow night Husband and Brandon are going to see AC/DC at the Excel Energy Center in St. Paul. The lead singer, Brian Johnson, is 61 years old! However, judging by their recent album, these guys are still fully capable of rocking the house. They are going to have a great time!

They're so excited that Husband just turned to me and said "I want to be Angus Young for Halloween next year, by the way." Complete with velvet jacket and shorts. Can you see it?! :)

Mraz-Matazz

Lastnight I went with some friends to see Jason Mraz at The Myth nightclub. It was a packed and highly anticipated show.

First, let me say I love Jason Mraz. I saw him a couple of years ago with my friend Jacquie, and he is an amazing performer. He has a very unique style, is a brilliant lyricist, and can actually sing. He has a melodic voice that sounds the same in person as it does in the studio (and his range is incredible). He can rap, scat, and belt out a ballad at the drop of a hat; all with a great sense of humor. Good stuff.

That being said, the show was actually not the highlight of my evening. It was good, but it wasn't great. There were parts that were a little too mellow for the venue, and I felt like he lost the crowd a little bit. It definitely had its groovin', butt-shakin' moments, but overall I'd give it a 6.5 out of 10.

What made the entire evening a 10 of 10 was spending that time with my friends. We stood in the back of the venue (so as to have a little wall for back support - I know, we're old) and were able to talk a little bit throughout the night. Alex and I even attempted a conversation at venture capitalism, prompted by the outrageously priced beers. We laughed, we sang, we danced. I have not smiled that much in a long time. What capped the night for me was Jacquie and Alex dancing like nobody was watching (and like they didn't care anyway) to the very last song of the night. I laughed so hard and smiled so big that my face hurt. I am so lucky to have such great friends with whom to enjoy times like this.

So I just wanted to share the goodness, which has permeated into my day today, even though I'm tired from staying out until midnight (again, I'm old).

What Happened to Thanksgiving?

I was in the grocery store today and discovered they had Christmas cookies already made and packaged up. Considering the shelf-life of a store bakery cookie is probably a week or so, what are people thinking? Will folks actually buy blatantly decorated red and green, Christmas tree-shaped cookies at this time of year?

Friday night we were at Lowe's, and they already have a forest of artificial trees, lights and a myriad of decorations. Not to mention all of the Christmas candy that filled the aisles at Target as soon as Halloween was over. There is a local radio station that is already playing Christmas tunes 24/7.

While Christmas is a wonderful, joyous holiday that I look forward to each year, I think Thanksgiving gets a bad rap. It's a great day, filled with family and food and taking the time to think about what we're thankful for. Can't we pause long enough to enjoy it, without jumping ahead to Christmas? Maybe if we slowed down, we'd enjoy both Thanksgiving and Christmas even more.

November 28th, all bets are off and the decorations can come out. But for now, I'm not looking past the 27th. I'm very much looking forward to sharing a table with family and giving thanks for all I have been blessed with this year.

Yearbook Yourself

A friend on Facebook did this and I found it hilarious, so decided to give it a shot. Yearbook Yourself if you dare.

Me in 1962

1978

1984

Taking Time to Breathe

It's been a busy few days. Here's a recap:

On Thursday, Husband and I took the afternoon off and went to see Wicked at the Orpheum Theater in downtown Minneapolis. I bought the tickets months ago (they are very difficult to get) and he agreed to go. While having lunch before the show, he asks me, "Is this a musical?" Apparently he was unaware there was singing involved. I was a little nervous he wouldn't like it, but he did! You can read his side of the story here.

Friday afternoon, my friend Kristy and her 4-month-old daughter S came from Des Moines for a visit. It was so much fun to see them both, and to have a baby in the house! S has grown so much since the last time I saw her, and is a good little baby. Kristy and I got to catch up and just hang out until she left around noon on Saturday.


Saturday afternoon I tried to keep tabs on the Hawkeye game, but unfortunately missed the exciting finish because I was getting ready for a little party at our house that night. How exciting that we beat the unbeaten Penn State!! When I caught wind of it shortly after the game ended, I ran downstairs to check and did a little victory dance.

Saturday night I hosted a Lia Sophia jewelry party at our house. It's quality jewelry, but it was more an excuse for me to get some ladies together and have some people in different "groups" meet each other. It was a lot of fun, and I'll be getting some great free stuff for hosting!

Sunday I was beat, and pretty much did NOTHING the entire day. It was a cold, rainy afternoon and a good day to stay curled up on the couch and watch Lifetime movies and laugh at Buddy staring down the birds in the front yard. Brandon made chili, and the Vikings beat the Packers, so the men in my house were in good moods.

That's the past few days in a nutshell. I'm still tired but we had a lot of fun!

Feelin' Good

We just elected an African American President. Pretty amazing stuff. I stayed up lastnight (OK, I had a nap in there) to see the speech, and it did not disappoint. I also thought McCain was gracious and more like the McCain I personally grew to admire back in the 2000 campaign. I think in this campaign he got a little bit away from his true self and tried to hard to pander to specific groups. I'm looking forward to everybody working together across the aisles...my fingers are crossed, and today, my heart is full of optimism and HOPE. Whatever you think about Barack Obama, you cannot deny that the man unites, he inspires, and he motivates.

As a leader he is, I believe, one of the best we can have right now. Yet I acknowledge that the success in overcoming all of America's troubles does not rest on one man. YES WE CAN. Believe it. Live it...all of us. It's the only way it works.

And thank goodness all of the campaign ads are OVER. :)

Tunes on 2s - Rico Suave - Gerardo (1991)

Listen and please, PLEASE watch here. I promise it is hilarious!

Usted, Senor, why’s your chin on the floor? cierra la boca por favor…

I stuck with the 1990s this time because I am anticipating a visit from my friend Kristy and her daughter this weekend, and I wanted to do a special post for her (plus it was her birthday yesterday). Kristy moved to my hometown as a high school freshman, and we’ve been close friends ever since. In high school we spent a lot of time cruising the loop in her car, and when Kristy liked a song, she would play it over and over until she knew every single word. It was hard not to attach oneself to such a song by association.

What can I say…the girl loved “Rico Suave.” There was something about this Spanglish rap that spoke to her, and it helped that Gerardo, complete with bandana, long hair, and tight jeans, was super hot. It wasn’t long before I caught on (the tight jeans didn’t hurt). We thought we were especially cool because we were taking Spanish at the time, so we were able to comprehend the lyrics and rap with semi-correct accents; like somehow that gave us the appropriate Latino street cred.

When I say the title of the song out loud, I can’t help but growl in a heavily accented Barry White-type voice Riccooo…SuAveee… (try it, I bet you can’t just say it!)

I for one can say, in the privacy of my own home (or maybe even with friends), I replayed this tape many times and mimicked the dance moves in the video, like I was so apt to do at that time in my life. In any case, this song will always remind me of my good friend, and how we were so easily adoptive of the pop standards of the day.

And Gerardo? Well, he may have been a one-hit wonder, but he had a "serious" acting career too. I especially enjoyed him as Ricky in "Can't Buy Me Love."

[I just watched the linked music video and burst out laughing...it is SO BAD! I also find it interesting that the song is entirely about women, and nearly all the women in the video are caucasian. This seems weirder in context of the closing shot of the back of Gerardo's leather jacket..."Latin Til I Die."]

Does Gerardo "speak" to you? Where were you in 1991?

4th Picture in the 4th Folder

I’ve been tagged by my friend Michelle. The rule is to post the 4th picture in your 4th folder on the computer. Here it is:

This is from February 2007, looking out the back door of the duplex across the backyard. I thought the snow looked pretty, so I snapped a few photos. With the beautiful weather we're having this weekend, it's hard to believe we might look out our windows and see a scene like this in the very near future!

Let's see...I'm going to tag Kristi, Emily, Cam, and Husband.