SOTD: Matt & Kim, "Daylight"

Why it's song of the day:

Today's gonna be a scorcher, folks. Embrace the heat with this quintessentially summery jam.


Why you should love it:

Chick drummers are awesome. This video is fabulous. And this couple is adorable and super talented. What's not to love???

SOTD Road Trip Edition: Maino feat. T-Pain, "All The Above"

Why it's song of the day:

This weekend one of my best friends Claire and I road tripped from Charlottesville, VA to Bloomington, IN to visit the third best friend in our trifecta-- Chelsea, who is having a baby boy in November. It was a long, but surprisingly scenic road trip. Having never been to the mid-west, I guess I just always envisioned that entire block of the country as a flat expanse of boring, but the drive(just shy of 1000 miles on i64) took us over the mountains of West Virginia, through the rolling fields of Kentucky and into hilly (yep, i was surprised, too) southern Indiana. In the 20 total hours we spent on the road (in just one 4 day weekend!), Claire and I probably listened to this jam at least 50 times-- I wish I was exaggerating.


Why you should love it:

Listen to this song on a road trip and you will

a. look super fly rolling down the highway regardless of how ghetto your whip may be.
b. rep the gangsta lifestyle in white-bread middle america.
c. be too busy dancing to get snappy with the person you've been in an eight square foot metal box with for the past 9 hours.
d. all the above.

Photos from the Road..

SOTD: The Push, Teach Me How to Jerk

Teach Me How To Jerk - Audio P...

Why it's song of the day:

Now that I am unemployed and living at home for a little while, I have an inordinate amount of free time on my hands. Usually, when this happens, I end up vegged out in front of the TV for hours on end. But this time, I've resolved myself to be restfully productive with my time. (I say restfully because I am still sleeping until about 10 am every day and LOVING it)

Since I have worked pretty much nonstop since graduation, there are a lot of things that I am finally getting back on top of. For starters, I have organized and stored EVERYTHING I have ever owned or created. I'm working on scrapbooking the millions of pictures and cards and memorabilia that I have lying around from high school and college. I've started working out again. I'm reading all the books I've been meaning to read but haven't. I'm taking the time to learn new recipes and cook for myself instead of eating lean cuisine paninis every day for lunch. I'm catching up with old friends from high school. I'm going to the doctor, and the dentist, and the hairdresser-- all of those things I haven't made time for in a year of "real world work experience."

But also. I've been working on my dance moves.

My sixteen year old brother tells me that "the jerk" is the latest with the kids these days.



I have now watched the instructional video over a dozen times and cannot walk past a mirror without busting a few of these moves. Since my default dance move has always been the running-man, i think "the reject" may be my new favorite. It's the running-man only BACKWARDS! Brilliant.

Why you should love it:

Three words: Major. Street. Cred.

This is a place I love

SOTD: Fleet Foxes, "Blue Ridge Mountains"

Blue Ridge Mountains - Fleet F...

Why it's song of the day:

I just got back from Black Mountain, North Carolina and let me tell you-- the place is sacred. And this song captures a feeling about that region that neither pictures nor words can quite capture.

Why you should love it:

It's a contemporary madrigal. How cool is that??

SOTD: James Taylor, "Carolina In My Mind"

Why it's song of the day:

I'm off to Black, Mountain, North Carolina today-- where I have spent 18 summer vacations and countless hours on the largest porch I know, eating ice cream and looking out over the Blue Ridge Mountains.

When I was in elementary school, we would drive 12 hours to Black Mountain, where my dad was and is on FCA camp staff, from our home in Lakeland, FL. My dad had a James Taylor tape cassette that he would always listen to once we started to doze off in the backseat. I have so many drowsy memories of winding mountain drives, my ears popping and stomach churning, and James Taylor strumming me back to sleep.

Why you should love it:

James Taylor and Carolina are two of the greatest things in this world. And this song has them both. I especially love his little "whistling introduction" on this (old school) video.

SOTD: Zac Brown Band, "Chicken Fried"

Why it's song of the day:

"I thank God for my life

And for the stars and stripes
May freedom forever fly, let it ring.
Salute the ones who died
The ones that give their lives so we don't have to sacrifice
All the things we love

Like our chicken fried
Cold beer on a Friday night
A pair of jeans that fit just right
And the radio up
Well I`ve seen the sunrise
See the love in my woman's eyes
Feel the touch of a precious child
And know a mother's love"

Yep, I think that's about perfect for today.

Why you should love it:

On a day celebrating America, this song is about as American as they get. If it doesn't put you in a patriotic mood-- you might want to reconsider your citizenship.

So Happy Fourth of July, friends! 

I'm off to the neighborhood pool for some fried chicken and sunshine with the fam. Hope y'all have a wonderful holiday.

SOTD: Mika, "Big Girl (You Are Beautiful)"

Big Girl (You Are Beautiful) Music Video

Why it's song of the day:

Ladies and Gentlemen, I have found my summer Reality TV addiction. Actually, my 16 year old brother found it, but the addiction is all mine. 

Yesterday, Dan mentioned catching the tail end of a show on the Oxygen Network (why he was watching the Oxygen Network in the first place is still unclear..) entitled "Dance Your Ass Off," which he of course shortened to "Dance Your A Off" in front of our profanity-sensitive mother. Apparently, the show was re-airing today at 11, which happens to be his curfew, so we made plans to watch the premiere in full.

The concept is so simple and yet so brilliant: weight loss meets dance-off. The Biggest Loser meets So You Think You Can Dance. OBVIOUSLY I am hooked.

Why you should love it:

Big girls can groove too, trust me-- i have seen it with my own eyes. 

And frankly, as much as I love Queen (and I do LOVE Queen), "Fat Bottomed Girls" is over. "Big Girl (You Are Beautiful)" is the fat lady anthem of the 21st century. Get with the program, y'all.