Flashback

Four years ago a girl I barely played me a song on her i-pod that she knew would be her wedding song with her long-distance love and I could understand why. The song talked about about living now and being open to love. There were several times that I tried to track down the song from snippets of verse and what tune I could remember (not enough for Midomi to help me) with no luck. I eventually forgot about the ballad until one day when I was looking up some other video on YouTube and that obnoxious Being Watched Now bar that usually just touts crap dorm-made videos and soft-porn had this video. The name of the band clicked in my 4-year-old memory and I was thrilled to find the Avett Brothers lovely song Swept Away.



Their voices aren't amazing, but there's something perfect about that. On their website bio, they explain, "There is no harmony like brotherly harmony. Something indelible in the weave of voices and play of sensibilities is stamped into the fraternal DNA and also stems from a lifetime of shared experiences." I believe it, especially hearing my brothers sing together. In this version the Avett sister's harmony is beautiful, if a little harsh for her brothers.

H - A - Double L - O - W - Double E - N

I usually have high expectations for Halloween and I'll be honest, they are rarely met. It's a holiday, like New Year's Eve, that I imagine is way more fun with just a little bit of alcohol. This year though, I figured out that my problem isn't a lack of liquor but a lack of proper holiday spirit. When you grab leftover clothes from the back of your closet you feel like you're dressed up as a Goodwill grab bag, regardless of how much that bathrobe looks like a ninja robe or how much puff paint you add to your eye mask. So, in the spirit of Halloween- and to keep me on the sobriety wagon- this year I decided to put some effort into my costume.

The inspiration for my 80's rocker outfit was the badass pouf ponytail I've been dreaming about for months (think Rihanna meets Beyonce big on a runway, but longer and 20 years ago). Throw in massive amounts of eyeliner, bright red lipstick that made it through two showers before it finally faded and some rockin wear (Thank you Forever 21 for still selling black and gold stretch pants in 2009) and voila! I'm a rockstar. Oddly enough, the music playing in my head while dressing up was was less Heart and Pat Benatar and more Scissor Sisters, Music is the Victim and a lot of rockin' Beck.

Happy Halloween.