Play On, Carrie Underwood

2009 has been quite a year! It quite possibly might have been the toughest
year yet, but I feel like I have grown a lot.

To get me through the following have been some of my favorite most listened
to songs of the year!

Don't Stop Believing, Glee

My Life Would Suck Without You, Kelly Clarkson

Goodbye, Kristina Debarge

Empire State of Mind, Jay-Z feat. Alicia Keys

Battlefield, Jordin Sparks

Ego, The Saturdays

Fallin' For You, Colbie Caillat

She Wolf, Shakira

Fireflies, Owl City

Obsessed, Mariah Carey

Good Girls Go Bad, Cobra Starship

Knock You Down, Keri Hilson

Halo, Beyonce

I Gotta Feeling, Black Eyed Peas

It's Alright, It's Ok, Ashley Tisdale

Bulletproof, La Roux

I Look to You, Whitney Houston

The Fear, Lily Allen

You Belong With Me, Taylor Swift

Hoedown Throwdown, Miley Cyrus or Hannah Montana (not sure which).

Give It Time, Molly Jenson

Circus, Britney Spears




Here's to more hit songs that make us remember who we are, where we are at, and where we are going. May you celebrate the New Year full of joy and enthusiasm spiked with a splash of safety!



PS The winner of our blog giveaway is Lisa P! Congrats on your new magazine subscription to Entertainment Weekly!

One Way or Another, Blondie

I saw this movie trailer, and there was one particular moment I laughed and re-watched! Can you guess it?

PS ONLY A COUPLE more hours to enter the giveaway!

Best For Last, Adele

Because of the holiday, I am extending the giveaway until Saturday at 3 PM...

Wanted, Jessie James

Okay so it's been more than 24 hours of when the giveaway was supposed to happen... Let's face it, life happens.

Last years giveaway was two Christmas CDs..... So this years giveaway is... Drum Roll..... A magazine subscription! Yes magazines are one of my favorite things ever... I love the glossy pages, the advertisements, the small print, and it's one thing I know I can rely on! The bad thing I hate is the number of inserts (bad for the environment, and don't they know I already subscribe).


Rules or guidelines of the contest*:

• The contest starts now and will go until Wednesday, December 23, 2009 at 11:59 PM (aka just before Thursday arrives).

• To win, I must somehow know you... IE I met you at a friend's wedding reception, You are ____'s sibling and you have said hello, We saw the Michael Jackson movie together etc...

• Upon winning, I will contact you for the mailing address you would like the magazine to arrive at. Delivery of the first issue will depend on the magazine service.

• You may enter twice, but not on the same day or answer the same question. In a small paragraph answer one of the following: "My theme song for this year was," or "This year I overcame _______, all because of ______!"

• Winner will be selected using http://www.randomizer.org/
  

• Good Luck!
  

Your choice of one of the following subscriptions (upon continued availability):


Allure
Atlantic
Better Homes & Gardens
Country Living
Details
Elle
Entertainment Weekly (27 issues)
Esquire
Fitness
Good Housekeeping
Glamour
Golf Digest
GQ
Harper's Bazaar
Inc
Ladies Home Journal
Lucky
Marie Claire
Road & Track
Redbook
Ready Made
Parents
Popular Mechanics
Seventeen
Self
Smart Money
Traditional Home
Wired
Woman's Day



*(options to edit possible by organizer)

Annie Use Your Telescope, Jack's Mannequin

As most of you know I work for a national market publisher helping customers order books they want and untangle their orders (aka messes) placed on the web.

With this busy time of year I have encountered some odd situations and thought they might help you in case it ever happens to you:

• Local Public Television station calls to order DVD's we publish for their local telethon. I inform their representative that the title is out of print and that we are sold out. She immediately gets disgruntled and asks how she is supposed to show the presentation in a week and tell her subscribers that the show is not available as a gift with a donation. I let her know she can try calling our corporate office to make arrangements. Under her breath she mentions how lame of a company we are. Since when was it our problem that you decided not to prepare in advance and make sure that the DVD was available. Good thing I donate to the "other" station!
  

• "Okay let me just pull up your account... Is this Tonya Lastname?" "No sir, it's TAN-YAH, the o is pronounced like an 'A' but spelled with an 'O." I think she decided in first grade that she needed to be annoyingly different aka "My name is Sa5M, the five is silent."

• Within the past 3 weeks I have been asked several times what country I am from because it sounds like an British accent with a splash of southern hospitality. When I inform them I from the Jello state, they say that is so odd. One particular customer said it was probably because I have good diction and differing tone. "Thanks for the compliment???"
  

Enjoy these moments and check back tomorrow because it will be my annual giveaway, and this prize will help one of you all year long... guaranteed or you money back!

Symmetry, Little Boots

One of my favorite things to do before going to bed is looking at my horoscope and seeing how "in tune" it is with my day. Sometimes it's right on, sometimes I think they confused me with another sign (Much of this is because of the interpretation and application of the advice they provide).

Another source of advice and hilarity are fortune cookies. I love how the simple inscriptions can make you ponder your life, or laugh with the company you are with. I used to save my some of the memorable ones and slip them under my cell phone cover to read in the future.


Since I can't hand you a fortune cookie, let's take a look at your horoscope today:

ARIES (March 21-April 19). A collaboration will turn out better than any person involved could have imagined doing alone. You'll be pleased with what you can produce when you work with a team.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). When the mighty fall, it gives everyone else a certain secret thrill. It's only human nature to take pleasure in feeling superior to a powerful person. Override human nature and offer your sincere compassion.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). You carry yourself with attitude. You really believe that if people like you, that's great. If not, that's fine, too. You are who you are, and it feels brilliant to live as you do — honestly.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). Needy, clingy people will be attracted to you because you have so much to give. Consciously develop your manner of being around these people. Know your boundaries. Make some rules for yourself.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). You usually get a strong feeling about people within the first few moments of knowing them, and right now this instinct is even more powerful. It will help you be more selective about who you let in your life.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Though you have a knack for picking those whose star is on the rise, you are capable of doing amazing things on your own. Remember this today. Believe it at the very core of your being and you will attract the best and brightest.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). You've always had a unique charisma and style, though some people have not been astute enough to notice. Today you'll get the attention of the people who overlooked your attractiveness before. The spotlight warms your soul.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). You wouldn't mind making a few new friends — especially those who are fun, interesting and connected. This is just the day to do it. You'll look approachable, and therefore, people will approach you.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). You'll realize for the first time why something you did in the past was a mistake. A pang of remorse is a natural reaction, but don't dwell there. Take the lesson and march on.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). You'll be asked to do things that are a little out of your usual realm — for instance, to get up on the dance floor or have a drink with someone. Say yes. It's just a few minutes, not a lifetime commitment.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). The getting-to-know-you stage of a relationship is fun, but there's no time to waste. Move things along. Find out what a person admires in others and you'll have a clue as to what this person is looking for in a partner.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). You will be like a caricature artist in your mind. You will be able to take a person's characteristics and exaggerate them. This helps you understand who you are dealing with. And use the technique on yourself, too!

Winter Song, Ingrid Michaelson and Sara Bareilles

With such a snowy day, this song has been on repeat all day!

Winter Songs from Crush Design on Vimeo.

Have You Met Miss Jones, Robbie Williams

You and I are both guilty and should be spending a night in blog jail. We are convicted of blog-stalking!

I think this might be everyone is guilty of whether it's looking up an old classmate on Facebook, glancing at a friend's blog, or following someone's twitter just so we can be "in the know." It's similar to looking out your window to check on the neighbor but not wanting to be seen!

What I find most awkward, which happened recently, is that I ran into someone who I have seen on a friend's blog. I didn't greet them because who wants be told by a random stranger, "I saw your trip to _____ and it looked way fun!"

I think the experience just made me realize how small the human community really is and how much information we post about ourselves.




*image courtesy from here

Down, Jay Sean

Tonight I love:

• Jay Sean's new album (song "DOWN" below)

• watching people dance whether they got it or not (32 sec to 45 sec is my favorite, featured DOWN below)

• that when I dance it's not to impress others, but it's a chance to boogie DOWN

• "Baby are you down down down down down?"

Have You Got it in You, Imogen Heap

Today's frustration has been brought to us by the word "Hello!WhatAreYouDoing?"

I was almost hit today by cars doing the following:

• A car doing a U-turn next to a crosswalk when signs say it is not safe to.

• A driver listening to his earbuds while driving and not seeing or hearing the ambulance heading towards us. I think he heard his tires screech to a stop though. FYI Utah has an all encompassing 'distracted driving' law that prohibits headphones.

• If there are two left turn lanes, you have to go into the same lanes as you are turning. You CANNOT turn into any lane you choose.... This happened twice. TWICE today!
  

• And most of all! Don't text and drive. period. If you absolutely have to chat on your phone keep it brief. Because most often you are not paying attention to the conversation or the road. This is not only frustrating for the other drivers but also the other person the receiving end!
  

If you do any of these behaviors please decide which one you are going to change starting today.



Funding for this program is provided in part, by The Corporation of Drive Intelligently, and by public television stations and their contributors.