These are a Few of My Favorite Things... At The Moment

Music that has been on repeat in my cd player:

Wolfmother, "Wolfmother" - I only just discovered these guys a few months ago when their first single Woman off of the album began playing constantly on the radio. My boss Linda and I listen to the radio during work and counted one day that it played 9 times throughout the day. And in my opinion, this isn't even the best song the band has. Definitely enjoy Dimension and Joker & The Thief. If you think you're listening to Zeppelin, you're not crazy for associating these two bands. Wolfmother is definitely psychedelic rock at its finest, introducing it once again to a whole new generation.

Cartel, "Chrome" - With their video for their single Honestly all over MTV, Cartel could be pushed into the category of just another peppy pop/rock band filled with attractive MTV approved males. And they certainly are these things but something Cartel has is actual talent. Their songs are fun and make me bop along to the lyrics. They have been promoted by Yahoo! Music, AOL Music and Clear Channel Online, and also were added to the 2006 Warped Tour, so something about them must be right. If you want to buy the album but worried that Honestly is their only good song, fear not. Buy it for Say Anything (else), If I Fail, and Luckie St. I can't see into the future but I hope that Cartel makes another cd and not just disappear like a lot of other bands because I am definitely now a fan.

Say Anything, "...Is A Real Boy" - Thanks to my friend, Brian, I was introduced to this extremely kick-ass band from Southern Cali. He sent me only a couple of songs from their cd but I must say, wow! Just an awesome band with fun lyrics that make me smile when I sing along with them. They write about failed love but instead of wailing and moaning about it like a lot of singers, they're going to have a damn good time remembering their pasts. My favorite song of theirs and which is also a song Baxter cocks his head to every time it's played over the cd player is Alive With The Glory of Love. I may be a bit slow because it took me memorizing the lyrics to finally realize that this song is about the Holocaust. Yes, I know. That isn't exactly the happiest topic to write an unbeat song about but Say Anything uses this event in history as the backdrop for a love that will never die. Not every band can pull off such a feat.

Books on my nighstand:

The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde - Humpty Dumpty has fallen off his wall but was it murder or suicide? Detectives Jack Spratt and Mary Mary from the Nursery Crime Division scour the city of Reading to solve this newest case, running into many familiar faces along the way. Though this book's main characters are all popular nursery rhymes, this is not a kids' book. Hilarious, 50s detective noir story that had me laughing in the day and a half it took me to read it.

Choke by Chuck Palahniuk - This book was recommended to me by my friend Chris and I always take book recommendations seriously. I have already read Haunted and Lullaby, two other great books by Palahniuk if you're interested, and decided what the hell? Palahniuk is a great author and who can ever read enough of those? I'm only half-way through but hopefully, I can finish this one this weekend.

Goodbye Lemon by Adam Davies - I must admit. Books about dysfunctional families brought back together by an event are my favorites. The plot may seem simple but it's anything but. Families are complex and hard to understand. I still don't understand mine half of the time. Davies' newest book, his followup to equally enjoyable The Frog King, follows Jack Tennant returning home after 15 years to help take care of his sick father. And he is going to find out the truth about his brother Dexter who drowned when they were both kids. At times funny, at other times heartwrenching, this book is a must-read.

Some movies I just bought:

Really Quick.

Airplane! - "Does anyone here speak jive?" - still one of the funniest movies ever made.

Mars Attacks! - A wonderful yet often overlooked Tim Burton film which features almost everyone and their mom in the cast. No Johnny Depp in this one though.

Carlito's Way - One of Al Pacino's finest roles as a former drug kingpin trying to straighten his life out. Too bad Sean Penn, his attorney, has other ideas for him.

The Last Waltz - If you're interested in rockumentaries and dozens of musically genius performers, this is a necessary film to see. Directed by Martin Scorsese, a personal hero of mine, it follows one of my favorite bands, The Band, through their last performance in which they invite their friends including Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Joni Mitchell, Muddy Waters, Ronnie Hawkins (and so many others I couldn't possibly write them all) to make sure The Band goes out with a bang.