megolomaniac

Just like last year…

1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before?

Got an Oregon Drivers License, lived by myself, bought a car (photos coming soon!), successfully navigated a long-distance relationship.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I did pretty well, honestly. And I’m going to try to revive the ones I’ve been slacking on.  I’m also adding one WHOPPER for 2010 – I am going to run a 5 mile race.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Yes! I got two new baby cousins this year.

4. Did anyone close to you die?

No. Thank goodness.

5. What countries did you visit?

Just Canada. Wait, does Vegas count as a foreign country?

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?

Patience.

7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

January 20th – Barack Obama’s Inauguration Day (and the day the Kilmorey burned down).

May 9th – Galen took me on our first date.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Living on my own has been very empowering, as silly as that sounds. I always thought I’d hate it, but it’s been pretty nice.

9. What was your biggest failure?

I don’t like this question. I failed to pay a couple of bills on time?

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Nothing more serious that the Swine Flu, thankfully.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

I’m hoping my new(ish) car will fill this role.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

The Blazers.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

I’m going to change those words to “disappointed and confused” and say President Obama. Not overall, mind you, but I’m still sort of confused about a few things, like the deployment of so many troops to Afghanistan.

14. Where did most of your money go?

Rent, car.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Pretty much every time Galen came to visit. And my cousins having babies.

16. What song will always remind you of 2009?

“Boom Boom Pow” – Black Eyed Peas
“Don’t Trust Me” – 3Oh!3
“Battlefield” – Jordin Sparks
“Poker Face” – Lady Gaga
“I’m Yours” – Jason Mraz
“Love Story” – Taylor Swift
“Single Ladies” – Beyonce

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:

happier or sadder? Happier
thinner or fatter? Thinner, I think. Maybe the same.
richer or poorer? About the same

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

I wish I’d spent more time in Montana.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

I wish I’d spent less time worrying about the future.

20. Did you fall in love in 2009?

Yes. :)

21. What was your favorite TV program?

The Daily Show, 30 Rock, So You Think You Can Dance, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Boston Legal (reruns).

22. What was the best book you read?

It Sucked and Then I Cried: How I Had a Baby, a Breakdown, and a Much Needed Margarita by Heather Armstrong

23. What was your greatest musical discovery?

Zac Brown Band

24. What did you want and get?

A new job, a new car, A fabulous boyfriend.

25. What did you want and not get?

More sunshine. It’s never enough.

26. What was your favorite film of this year?

Wow, I saw so few (as always). I’m going to have to go with either The Hangover or Bolt. I saw both of them without knowing anything about them, really, so I was pleasantly surprised.

27. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I turned 26 and went to one of my favorite bars with almost all of my favorite people in Portland. It was a wonderful reminder that I have friends of all ages from many different areas of my life, and they’re all amazing.  It was also a reminder that tequila shots are never a good idea.

28. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

I’m going to state the obvious here and say that living in the same city as my boyfriend would have made a huge difference.

29. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?

Jewel tones. And jeans whenever possible. (Damn you, new dress code at work! *Shakes fist*)

30. What kept you sane?

My mom.

31. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

I’m going to change “fancy” to “admire” and go with Heather Armstrong.

32. What political issue stirred you the most?

Healthcare stirred me so much it left me exhausted and more than a little depressed.

33. Who did you miss?

Galen, my family, my friends who live elsewhere.

34. Who was the best new person you met?

It’s hard to believe I only met Galen in April…

35. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.

I have very high standards when it comes to my close friends. In return, they have my undying loyalty and love.

36. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

Now my feet turn the corner back home
Sun turns the evening to rose
Stars turning high up above
You turn me into somebody loved

-Somebody Loved, by The Weepies

I don’t even know what else to say…

We all know how I feel about Billy Joel and some of you may remember how excited I was to see him in concert next week. I didn’t much care about seeing Elton John – I mean, awesome bonus, but definitely not the reason I wanted to go. I’m pretty sure my dad felt the same way when he bought tickets.

And then? This.

Elton John and Billy Joel are rescheduling their concert because of E. coli and the flu? What are the odds? And why aren’t people paying better attention to what Elton John is eating?!?! I mean, I get pretty much everything that goes around, including the swine flu, and even I’ve never had E. coli. I hope he gets well soon. And I REALLY hope that “postponed” doesn’t turn into “canceled.”

My friend Jen just got engaged (!) to her boyfriend of four years.  They having a small wedding in Mexico and I’m hoping I’ll be able to make it.  Jen and I got together yesterday, and when I offered to help with any wedding planning pieces I could, she said the one thing she’d really like help with is making the dance mix.  “You know, so that there are things that everyone knows and wants to dance to,” she said.

I have been known to be very critical of DJs at weddings, mainly because I have very high expectations when it comes to DJs in general.  Wedding DJs need to play a good mix of old and new, but almost all upbeat (keep in mind I’m always the single girl at weddings).  Slow songs have their places: first dances, father/daughter dances… maybe one or two more.  That’s it.

But the thing about wedding DJs is that everyone has an opinion about what they should play.  So here’s your chance: what would you want to hear at a wedding?

1. Fire and Rain, by Mat Kearney.
Thanks to Kevin and Jen for introducing me.

2. Free Falling, by John Mayer
Overheard while shopping. Downloaded almost immediately. It’s like the original, only for a different mood.

3. Battlefield, by Jordin Sparks
Yeah, it’s terrible pop music and she was on American Idol. But did you see Jeanine and Brandon’s dance on SYTYCD?

4. Love Story meets Viva La Vida, by Jon Schmidt
Peaceful. That’s the only word I can come up with that seems appropriate.

5. Daylight, by Matt & Kim
Yeah, I download songs from Bacardi commercials. So what?

Remember that time I walked by the filming of a music video? Well, the finished product was posted to Storm’s website this week.

TWO THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW BEFORE WATCHING THIS VIDEO:
1. It is not safe for work.
2. If you are easily offended or don’t like blatant sex talk, you should not watch this.

The part I saw is the outdoor dancing that starts at 3:00.

Storm posted the video on her website and blog, along with a list of people she wanted to thank for their help and support. Then she signed off with this great line:

Last, but not least, thank you, Portland, Oregon. Your endless support of all things weird will always make you the coolest city on the planet. Bless your rainy and rosy wild heart.

xoStorm

How do you commemorate the passing of an icon like Michael Jackson? A man with no equals, who has done so much for music in the past 40 years, and has spent most of his life in the spotlight?

Sure, he’s whacko. Hell, most of his family members are whacko. (Does anyone else remember when David Spade asked about LaToya Jackson, “Latoya, out of all the Jacksons, how screwed up do you have to be to be known as the crazy one?”) But the man may have been the most talented singer, songwriter and dancer that the 20th century knew.

It’s also sort of an odd situation when a famous person passes away that you not only never knew, but that wasn’t actually in the news for anything when he passed. It’s not like he was still coming out with great albums… I didn’t even know he was going on tour until I heard about his death. So will I miss him? No. But his music has been a huge part of my life, and this seems like a good time to honor that.

So what did I do tonight? I listened to every Michael Jackson song I had on my ipod (34, in case you’re wondering) as I ran errands, then I came home and drank a beer while I watched So You Think You Can Dance. It all seemed incredibly appropriate.

Tribute – Top Five Michael Jackson Songs According to Mego:
1. Billie Jean*
2. P.Y.T.
3. Don’t Stop ’til You Get Enough
4. Thriller
5. The Way You Make Me Feel

*It’s worth noting that Billie Jean was the #1 song on the charts the day I was born.

This video reminds me so much of Out to Lunch in Caras Park in Missoula, it’s not even funny.

He’s been a big part of my life. He may not have ever sent me a card on my birthday or made it to my high school graduation, but he’s always been there for me when I needed him. His insight and personal stories have helped me get through tough times and celebrate wonderful ones. So naturally, when I got an email saying he would be in Portland this fall, I made arrangements to see him. I’m not sure what to expect, to be honest. We’ve never met, or even spoken, and this November will be the first time Billy Joel and I have ever been in the same building at the same time. Considering he’ll be performing on stage and I’ll be watching with my dad and tens of thousands of other ticket holders, it might not be a very personal moment.

My mom claims she went to grade school with Billy Joel in upstate New York. She says he would play the piano at lunch for anyone who was listening. Although she has no reason to lie, I can’t imagine this is true. To me, Billy Joel is bigger than life. He was never a child. He has always known love and heartache and been eloquent and talented. He was never a little kid who played in the mud and learned how to ride a bike by falling the right number of times.

Like most people my age, I was introduced to Billy Joel through “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” which topped the charts when I was in first grade. My cousin Emily and I were inseparable when we were younger, and she used to dance around her living room and sing the chorus over and over, with feeling. She explained to me that it made you sound like a real singer if you said, “fie-yah” instead of “fie-urr.” I took notes. We didn’t know any of the lyrics except the chorus.

Side note: When I was in middle school, my friend Ben showed my the lyrics sheet for “We Didn’t Start the Fire” and explained that it was a list of significant world events. He had memorized the lyrics, so of course I did, too. This came in handy approximately ten years later at a Waterton barbecue when the song started playing and my uncle John said, “Now, if you know all the words to this song, THAT is impressive.” Not one to be shown up, I then demonstrated my ridiculous knowledge.

I still remember sitting in the living room with my dad and listening to Innocent Man on his record player. I asked my mom and dad to teach me how to use a record player when I was about ten so I could listen to that album and Revolution by The Beatles. My dad and I would sit on the floor and play cards while we listened to a story about a woman and a man (“Christie Lee”) and heard what a quartet of Billys would sound like, serenading us (“For the Longest Time”). I learned who Christie Brinkley was when my dad explained that she was Billy Joel’s then-wife and the subject of “Uptown Girl”. In a rare moment of musical reflection, my dad told me he always liked the song “Innocent Man” because of the drastic changes in it. The chorus is much louder and more passionate than the softer, more delicate verses.

Years later, my mom bought River of Dreams (on CD this time). We would listen to it at our cabin on Lindbergh Lake – I have a generic memory of sitting on the couch with the fire blazing in the evening (although the sun sets around 4 p.m. in the winter, so it could have been any time after that) with “Lullabye” and “River of Dreams” playing while my mom cooked dinner. After that CD was over, my mom would put on Bonnie Raitt’s Nick of Time. Then we’d all put on our flannel pajamas and get cozy in our warm beds while the snowflakes fell outside.

When I went to college, I became friends with a guy named Sean and we discovered we shared a love of Billy Joel. Sean, however, had seen the man in concert and owned the full 3-disc set of Billy’s Greatest Hits. I borrowed them for a road trip to Bellingham one weekend and didn’t listen to anything else. Shortly after that I purchased the collection myself.

I became intimately familiar with most of the songs on the Greatest Hits album in the months and years that followed. Although I didn’t like all of them (I still think Garth Brooks did “To Make You Feel My Love” better than Billy… In fact, I feel the same way about “Shameless.”), I found some that resonated. The most astute readers may remember that “And So it Goes” made it onto my list of Top Five Songs About Heartbreak. I also like both “She’s Got a Way” and “She’s Always a Woman” because they capture the feeling of loving someone unconditionally while acknowledging their imperfections, however great they may be. And this may be one of the most embarrassing and cliche things I’ve said on this here blog, but “Tell Her About It” so perfectly describes the way I’ve felt (numerous times) when boys fail completely to tell me how they feel, and screw everything up in the process. The beauty of it for me is that the song is from the man’s point of view.

In twenty-six years, Billy Joel has seen me through moments of insecurity and confidence, love and heartache, confusion and clarity. He has helped me make new friends and has put my feelings into words perfectly when I didn’t even understand them myself. In approximately five months, my dad and I will get to see him perform next to Elton John at the Rose Garden.

Do you think he’ll recognize me?

I walked home for lunch the other day and stood at the big picture windows in our apartment, looking out into the park blocks as I ate my peanut butter & jelly sandwich. Sitting on the park benches, I saw a couple of flamboyantly dressed women, outfitted with sequins and feathers and ruffles (oh my!). Now, as the bumper stickers suggest, sights like this are not uncommon in Portland. So I didn’t think much of it.

That is, until I left the building to walk back to work and saw the aforementioned ladies (who turned out to be drag queens, unsurprisingly) in a group of other people filming what I later found out was a music video for this song. The group included a heavily-tattooed woman wearing a string bikini, another woman wearing a bear costume, someone in a superhero costume, and a juggler. (For a few photos, check out Byron Beck’s blog post here).

The group was dancing behind the lead singer, who I didn’t recognize at the time, but later found out was none other than the locally and nationally famous Storm Large. As soon as I heard her belt the chorus line, “Myyyy vagina is eight miles wide… Absolutely everyone can come inside.” I began giggling. I was not the only person watching, but I seemed to be the only one who couldn’t contain herself. I continued to laugh as I walked the seven blocks back to my office, where I immediately told my coworkers about what I saw. As you can imagine, hilarity ensued.

I can’t wait to see the finished product. According to Storm’s website, the video will probably debut sometime this month. I promise to keep you updated.