TGIF.

Sorry for the lame bloggage this week. I have been in a funkity funk...It was just too hot and I think it made me cranky. I'll see y'all back on Monday after I refresh my chi over the weekend.

TUESDAY TUNES.

I'm sitting on my deck in a lounge chair drinking a glass of much needed red wine. The kids I taught today were borderline, erm, INSANE. I guess that is what you get when you mix kids and theatre.

Anyhoozle, I'm here to tell y'all about my man Jens Lekman:

Brotha hails from Sweden (apparently he lives in Australia now??), and I have pretty much decided that I like almost everyone and everything from Sweden. In high school I dated a guy from Sweden and he was (and still is) like, total radness.

I am partial to his most recent album, When Night Falls Over Kortedala. He has a great sound, sometimes uses samples as the foundation for his songs and always has a GREAT horn section. I am such a sucker for music with good horn sections. AND, he usually has rockin ladies playing in his band, which I think is turbo great. You can get his stuff on iTunes. Here are 2 clips of him performing live...they are a little wonky, but you get the idea:





Here is his website. Check him out and love him. Or not.

CUPPA BLUE CRACK.

I have never liked coffee. I love the smell of it because it reminds me of mornings in my grandparent's kitchen, but the taste of it has never, ever, ever appealed to me. That all changed about three months ago when I had a sip of a cappuccino made with:


Holy mother of all mothers. This stuff is amazingly delicious and I can't get enough.

Every single coffee snob I know has said that this is some of the best coffee they've ever tasted, and I agree. If a hater like me can turn into a lover, it has to be pretty good. Plus, they are nice to the environment and nice to people in general (my friends know the owners and confirm that the Blue Bottle folks are good stock). They even have an online store if you are looking for some good coffee for yourself or someone you know.

You can get the goods at their kiosk at 315 Linden in Hayes Valley, at Piccino in dogpatch (which I will be writing about soon), or at their very own cafe at Mint Plaza right at Mint & Jessie. Drink up!

THE BOO FACTOR.

I love flipping people off. There is a certain kind of satisfaction you get from giving someone the finger. You just get to shove your hand out there and everyone understands what you're saying, no matter where you are in the world. However, I recently came to the realization that when I flip someone off it kind of makes me a little angsty and angry. And the majority of flippage I usually do is when I am behind the wheel and someone else is driving like a douche. I found that when I would flip them off, I'd get even more angry than I was before. I realized that it was a bad cycle and also kind of mean. So, I have started an anti-road rage movement and I call it "Boos not Bombs." And I'm not talking about boo, like how Alycia Keys is Usher's boo. Cuz she is. Or how you call your bestie your "boo." Cuz they are.

Allow me to explain:

If you are driving and there is a douchey driver who cuts you off and really deserves the finger, don't flip them off. Instead, drive by them, give them the thumbs down and mouth, "BOOOOOO" really obviously while shaking your head from side to side in disapproval (you can go right to left or left to right...take your pick, but you DO have to shake your head). Here are some visual suggestions:

If you're feeling feisty, there is the ANGRY BOO:


Or if their bad driving made you sad, there is the SAD BOO:


And, the worst kind of boo is the I'M DISAPPOINTED IN YOU LIKE-MOM-WAS-THE-TIME-I-SNUCK-OUT-OF-MY-WINDOW-IN-
THE-MIDDLE-OF-THE-NIGHT-MY-
JUNIOR-YEAR-TO-GO-TO-THAT-PARTY BOO:


Because everyone feels their worstest when someone says they aren't angry, just disappointed in them. Absolute worstest.

Here are the benefits:
1. You will end up laughing hysterically after you do it instead of feeling angry
2. The expression on the person you are booing will be priceless, and sometimes they even end up laughing
3. The person you boo (shall we say the boo-ee?) will end up feeling kind of badly and they will think to themselves, "hey, she was right. and it was so nice of her not to flip me off." And you, the boo-er, will have helped end the vicious cycle of road rage and you will be making the streets a safer place to motor.

Put away your middle finger, use those thumbs, and start booing.


*Please note these photos have been taken immediately post-4th of July wake-up/drive home and, like, maybe I haven't showered yet. I mean, like, I did..........n't.

HAPPY 4TH O'HOOLAI!

I love this holiday. I am all about fireworks, grilling things, singing songs, and drinking beverages with my homies. It is a good day to eat these:



Enjoy these:


And drink these:



I hope you all have a very safe and happy 4th. HOORAH FOR THE U-S-YAY.

CHRISTINE DAAE CAN SPIN IT, SIR.

For our big hill push in my spin class today, the INSANE midget body builder instructor put the following song on as "inspiration"



WTF?!??!?!?!? I almost fell off of my bike out of shock, disgust, and laughter. Along the same lines, I would have much preferred this song instead:



I mean, they even use the word "spin" in the lyrics. Much more fitting, in my opinion.

On a totally different note, I wanted to tell y'all about...



It is a website where you can design your own almost anything (shirts, mugs, cards...anything), have them mailed to your house, and you can even set up your own shop to sell your stuff online. I think it is pretty amazing and I am planning on using it sometime soon. I know folks who have designed things on there and really liked the results. Great gift idea! Hope you enjoy it.

TUESDAY TUNES...A DAY LATE.

So, I'm totally loving this song for summer. The video is taking a bit of a ride on the lame-train, in my opinion, but it does make me want to go frolic on a beach without any shoes on and eat fruit while wearing a bikini. And I do super love the song. Enjoy.