What Kind of Music Do You Like?

I am in love with XM/Sirius. Between satellite radio and DVR I have blissfully deleted commercials from my life. I am in the process of converting all friends and family to this way of life. Be warned! I am a die hard Classic Vinyl fan but have recently been cheating with a new genre of music that I am unhealthily obsessed with. I can now recite almost all the words to any recent country song. Yes, I love the Highway on Sirius/XM. I do not live anyway near Nashville or the South for that matter, but I'm loving the country offerings in music right now. Sugarland and Little Big Town have such great sounds and they make car rides that much better. My boyfriend and best friend have helped me to jump on the country bandwagon and I'm lovin' it.

When I was younger, music was always a sensitive topic for me. My insecurities always got the best of me and I wrongfully assumed that people would think my taste in music was weird. Well guess what, that's the whole point! How fun is it to start talking to a person and find out that they listen to musicians you've never heard of. I then rush home and click through iTunes determining if this new music suits me. If it doesn't, I usually just assume I'm uncool and will eventually come around to this person's favorites.

Music always brings me back to certain dates, locations and feelings; how incredible. When I re-listen to mixed CDs and albums, I can distinctly remember the time in my life when I played that music on repeat. Many a high school night was made better by music. I would say our H.S. theme song was probably "Ignition" by R. Kelly. Every time I hear it, I picture my friends and I driving through our town.

What kind of music do you like? Do you get uncomfortable telling people?

Material Mondays

Ugh, aren't Mondays hard? I know, they really can be. Since I have had the summer off my Mondays have been just fine. As my boyfriend has mentioned to me, "Every day is Saturday for you." Yeah, yeah, I know. Hate the game, not the player. Seriously. Either way, I know Mondays conjure up all sorts of ugly stuff for all of us, so I would like to make them a bit easier. Say hello to Material Mondays. Here I will post fun stuff that will hopefully bring us all out of the Monday funk. Enjoy!

Bowtied Beauty Boots

anthropologie.com

I basically want these so bad, that I am imagining them with every outfit I possibly can to justify the purchase.

Stuart Weitzman "Alex"

zappos.com

Planning on splitting these with my best friend to yet again justify the price. Yikes! Jennifer Aniston has worn these in practically every picture I've seen of her and they are killer shoes. Love them!

Other items on my want/need wishlist:

- J. Crew cross-body bag with luscious zippers

- New pair of sunglasses, preferably large cat-eye

- A kitten or puppy to make my house feel more like a home (I guess that isn't really material...)

- Dinner out at my favorite french restaurant

- More boots

What do you wish for on Material Mondays? At my old job I used to do a LOT of online shopping. Now, not so much. Online shopping makes Mondays a whole lot better, yes it does.

Bouquets of Freshly Sharpened Pencils

Fall always makes me think of starting school. It just so happens that I'm a teacher and a student so I will be doubly starting school, but even in my past life as an office slave, I still looked at September as "Back to School Month." It's crazy to think that our lives were so defined by school for so long and I've taken a dive right back into that. Obviously I love all things education or I wouldn't be a teacher/student, but I think for some people the month of September might stir up some uneasy feelings.

I know that August was a tough one for me for quite some time because it meant summer was over and I was about to go back to college. Most of my friends found this beyond exciting because they had had enough of our boring small town (or so they told me), but my anxiety levels started rising to boiling points as soon as August 1st hit. Instead of my first words being "rabbit, rabbit" to start my month off right, I would be simultaneously stifling a sob and being a bitch to anyone in my vicinity. Now that college is over and my being a student feels incredibly different, I find August quite enjoyable and delight in the oncoming approach of September.

I also have a great love for any romantic comedy I can get my hands on. A big favorite of mine is "You've Got Mail." Any movie that pits Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks together as enemies and then brings them together in a sappy, yet believable way completely has my vote. I love Tom Hanks! Anyway, in one of their many anonymous online chats, Tom and Meg talk about school supplies and describe a bouquet of freshly sharpened pencils. Love! I discuss this quote from time to time and get weird stares when I say it out loud. Maybe it sounded better in the movie.

pleasedonteatthebooks.blogspot.com

Heading out West

I am taking a trip to Colorado with my mom. Beyond excited, I feel invigorated by the Colorado air. I also have had enough of the NY and all of the people I have had to fight for parking spots. I'm definitely ready to take a break. I may or may not have cell phone service out there and I'm not sure how I feel about it. Kind of awesome to take a break from the world for a hot second, but I might feel a little naked without my Blackberry glued to my hand. Right now my mind is going to my packing plan. I have a friend who I watched write out a packing list during a class.

I loved every second of it! I always get that guilty feeling when I know I'm not paying attention in class, but I look on longingly at my fellow classmates as they draw their names in bubble letters, compile to do lists and leave their cell phones on their desks. That's a big one for me, leave the cell on the desk or hide it in my bag? In the second scenario, I obsessively check my phone every minute or so looking for a blinking red light indicating a message. Do I have ANY friends? The fact that I judge this on a little red blinking light is a bit off. I guess it's clear that I will feel a bit of withdrawal from not having my phone on hand.

Either way, I still do need that packing list! After obsessively checking the weather and touching base with my mom about outfit ideas, I think I have an idea of what to bring. Colorado is blissful in the fact that there is no humidity (or if there is, it lasts for a few hours at most), so I don't have to worry about a halo of frizz resting above my hairline. The low level of humidity will also create the need for more clothes since it's supposed to be in the 60s. Awesome! I am so ready for my chunky, comfy brown Frye boots. I haven't worn jeans in months and I'm afraid of sliding them over my still sunburned legs. Ouch! No matter how much sunscreen I apply, a long sliver of skin always ends up red, itchy and hot.

I've been pale for 24 years, when will I learn?! So I'm thinking jeans, scarves, hiking boots and some sweaters. As usual, I will channel my style icon for looking good in basics: Jennifer Aniston. I think I somehow convince myself that I look like her when I put on jeans, a scarf and a t-shirt, but I think we all know the truth. I'll still try anyway.