Back to the present.

I am still alive! Survived two activity packed bachelorette parties in two cities for two great friends!

Sara and I being goofy at the bar..

Yesterday afternoon I wanted to crawl into bed and sleep it all off, but instead my roommate and I went grocery shopping and cooked up a storm for the week! Homemade vegetable soup (w/ Adzuki beans which are PACKED with good stuff), orzo pasta with shelled edamame and sauteed onions, and yellow (gluten free) cake batter cookies. We are set for the week!

This week will be full of errands and relaxing as I get ready for another fabulous bachelorette party...actually more of a "cousin trip" to Wimberly, Texas for my lovely cousin Erica. I can't wait to catch up with my cousins and drink endless amounts of coffee and wine all weekend! I hope the week speeds by.

Also...just picked up (and by picked up I mean downloaded off my iPhone) the new Ra Ra Riot album, the Orchard. Pretty tasty so far! They pre-released "Boy" a few months back, so you'll probably recognize that one.

The Waiting Game

I'm waiting impatiently for a couple of things right now, all of which can be mine at some point this month.

-Ra Ra Riot's 2nd album, The Orchard (August 24th)

-Mockingjay, the third book in the "Hunger Games" series (also August 24th)

-The release of Eat Pray Love (August 13th)

What are you waiting for?

Best of 2009: Top 5 Albums (for me)

So, you know when you first play an album, and it HITS you...WOW I really love this. It is completely speaking to ME. Now, granted, these albums may not hit me right when they hit everyone else, but I can still appreciate their impact on my soul.

5. MGMT//Electric Feel---yes, yes I know it came out in 2007/2008, and I saw them at ACL in 2008...but 2009 was their year for me. I was pretty unhappy at work, and as my friend Luis and I discussed, this album is the one you put on when you kind of want to run away from your life. When I quit my job a few months ago, Luis first said "Uhoh! Too much MGMT!" Regardless, I could listen to "Kids" on repeat still. Looking forward to their new album, Congratulations, due this Spring.

4. Ra Ra Riot//The Rhumb Line---saw them twice in 2009. Their unique sound comes from their electric cello and violins played by two rockin' females. "Dying is Fine" is probably one of the best songs on the album, a tribute to their late original drummer, John Ryan Pike, who died on tour.

3. Miike Snow//Miike Snow---It was summer, I needed something peppy. About 2.2 seconds into "Animal" and I was bouncing my elbows. My cousin's husband, Chris, and I can turn a frown upside down with that song. Looking forward to seeing him in March!

2. Temper Trap//Conditions---I think my love for this album was magnified during my trip to South Africa. With "Sweet Disposition" rocking the 500 Days of Summer soundtrack, the album was off to a great start. "Down River" gets me bouncing in my seat STILL!

1. Phoenix//Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix---come on. Have you heard it? From "Liztomania" to "Lasso" to "Girlfriend"...I still have this on in my car. Have you checked out the "Liztomania" Bratpack mash up video? OK, I'll just include it here for all you Breakfast Club fans. Loved seeing them at ACL this year and two years ago for their other fantastic albums, Alphabetical and It's Never Been Like That.

Runners up were: A Fine Frenzy//Bomb in a Birdcage, Grizzly Bear//Veckatimest, Ingrid Michaelson//Everybody, and Regina Spektor//Far.

Recent album you should check out: Bibio//Ambivalence Avenue,

Older albums I still can't get enough of: Foals//Antidote, Jose Gonzalez//In Our Nature, Feist//The Reminder, Andrew Bird//Armchair Apocrypha.