I wanna have a tea party!

It's true.

I used to pretend to be sick in middle school so my Grandma would come and pick me up. Whenever this happened she took me to have a High Tea at Willows, the local tea shoppe. Can you think of a better way of encouraging class skipping?

I've been addicted to vintage make-up adds lately...

GAH! I would use all of these! Cosmetic packaging has really taken a nose dive since the 70's.

I've been wanting to post this pink peacock for weeks but I haven't been able to think of a good reason. I'm just gonna go for it...

annnnnnd......Ann-Margret.

Introducing: Unicorn Wizard's Mixtape Club!!!

I've been wanting to do something like this for a long time. When I started my other blog (Atomic Caravan) a little over a year ago I had originally intended for it to be an all-purpose blog. I was still mourning the downfall of Myspace where I had been blogging since high school. I also had a separate Myspace (Endless Fall) for movie reviews. Slowly after starting Atomic Caravan it turned more and more into a replacement for Endless Fall. Before I made the conscious decision to let the movies take over, I posted several music downloads. One being Mulatu Asatke's "Mulatu of Ethiopia" , hip African jazz with a Latin flair. Another being the rare Frank Zappa album "Trick or Treat" as a Halloween special. My favorite though, was an incredible mix I made called Frankenstein Radio Controls Volume 1. I was so very proud of this mix I made for house cleaning that I combined drawings and clippings to make an awesome cover and posted it on the blog for download. I even made a bonus disc to double the fun! I enjoyed posting my mix so much more than posting regular albums. I understand people want whole albums of artists they like, but that kind of sharing isn't for me. Where's the fun in that? Besides, I think it's less illegal to share compiled music.

As time passed I wanted an everything else blog, so I started this one. There you have it! Now I can start making mixes again.

My mixes are world famous... Ok, that's not true at all. But my friends and family have always enjoyed receiving them to the point where's expected. It makes sense to start posting mixes regularly since I'm moving very soon and probably won't be handing out tangible copies to my loved ones as frequently. This way EVERYONE can get them and I can conserve my blank stash.

What to know:

Technically they aren't mixtapes at all. they're actually tailored to be mixed cds (duh) since they're around 80 minutes and I'm assuming most of you don't have a cassette adapter for your computer (we do, but it's a pain in the ass). Since I'm not handing it out in any particular format, Mixtape works, Mixtape Club it shall be. Although I guess it's also not really a "club" since it's available to everyone, but whatevs. Don't get all semantic-y on me.

I have no idea how frequently or infrequently I'm going to do this. Basically, I know nothing, so there's really not much for you to know either.

Like any person who posts something they made, I'd like to know if it was (or will be) enjoyed. Friendly comments are encouraging but I don't expect them. I've done my fair share of blogspot downloading and I know that it's not always convenient to say anything. Just throwin' it out there ;-D



To start with I'm going to post the wedding mix we made for our guests. Don't wince just yet. We're not a conventional couple and we didn't play conventional music at the wedding. Have I mentioned that my husband is a bonified music historian? I thought I had a lot of records when we met having but a measly 400 or so. Pah! He trumped my collection with a towering 20,000 records, most of those being 78's. There's music constantly playing in our house from the dawn of recorded sound to present day. You can see why we make so many mixes! Although I will admit that  the wedding comp was more challenging since there was such a large variety of personal taste to take into consideration. Everyone from my Grandparents to my weirdo friends. We did try and play it somewhat safe. We started out with some lesser known b-sides by famous classic artists we like and slowly made it a little more quirky to appease our taste. All the while sticking to "essentials" for us over the years. Shared favorites such as Chuck Miller's "Lookout Mountain", La Lupe's "Fever" (which is, in both our our opinions, the best and wildest version of that song. she sounds like a demented chipmunk) and of course Spike Jones' "Cocktails for Two" which was one of the first mutual musical loves we discovered upon meeting, and appropriately ends the disc.

Also personal favorites, Arthur has a particular obsession with Italian bad ass Adriano Celantano and his Elvis-style way of singing. Mose Allison's "Seventh Son" and LOVE's "!Que Vida!" are also among his favorites. A few of mine include Nina Simone's rendition of "Work Song", Kayoko Moriyama's "Melon No Kimochi" but more than any other George Baker Selection's "Little Green Bag" which has long been one of my all time favorite songs (way before I saw Reservoir Dogs). We weren't sure if it was appropriate to put songs about chain gangs, lost bags of marijuana, religious prophets, and being haunted by the ghost of your dead husband on your wedding mix, but sticking exclusively to a "love" theme was just lame and boring.

So without further adieu...

The Marriage of Like Minded Unicorns

1. Chuck Berry - You Never Can Tell
2. Bobby Darin - Lovin' You
3. Elvis Presley -Surrender
4. Adriano Celantano - Svalulation
5. John Barry - Beat Girl
6. George Baker Selection - Little Green Bag
7. Nina Simone - Work Song
8. Serge Gainsbourg - Chatterton
9. R. Crumb and His Keep On Truckin' Orchestra - Wisconsin Wiggles
10. Chuck Miller - Lookout Mountain
11. Sam Cooke - Good News
12. the Kinks - Everybody's Gonna Be Happy
13. Mose Allison - Seventh Son
14. LOVE - !Que Vida!
15. Gary McFarland - Fried Bananas
16. Nat King Cole - El Bodeguero
17. Kayoko Moriyama - Melon No Kimochi
18. the Troggs - With a Girl Like You
19. Os Mutantes - Hey Boy
20. France Gall - Jazz A GoGo
21. the Shirelles - Love is a Swingin' Thing
22. La Lupe - Fever
23. Rita Pavone - Viva La Pappa Col Pomodoro
24. the Newbeats - Bread and Butter
25. Huey "Piano" Smith and the Clowns - Don't You Just Know It
26. the Coasters - Down Home Girl
27. Dengue Fever - Clipped Wings
28. Chicha Libre - Indian Summer
29. Spike Jones - Cocktail for Two


As I was panicking less than two hours before the reception to organize our playlist, my cousin wisely told me not to worry. He said that you won't even remember what you played afterwards since everything will be so hectic. He was right! Everyone was talking and having fun, no one really noticed the music. Or if they did, I haven't heard anything about it. This is after weeks of meticulously going through 600 gigabytes of music to put together three separate playlists. An upbeat but mellow pre-dinner playlist, one specifically for dinner which would be mostly pleasant samba and jazz, then the last playlist which would be fun dance-y music for those of us who'd be drinking the night away. As it were, the playlists got scrambled leaving me a semi-nervous wreck. But it was all good music and no had any idea, so OH WELL! There were so many great songs we wanted to put on the wedding mix, but couldn't fit. 80 minutes is not enough! We easily had enough for another mix. So after the wedding when everything calmed down I went through the playlist and picked some of our other favorites to compile a ....

BONUS DISC!

1. Lawrence Welk - Bubbles in Wine
2. Frank Zappa - Why Don'tcha Do Me Right
3. Baby Huey - Messin' with the Kid
4. Mickey & Sylvia - No Good Lover
5. the John Buzon Trio - Caravan
6. Perry Como - Magic Moments
7. the Cowsills - the Rain, the Park and Other Things
8. Pizzicato Five - Nata Di Marzo
9. Wanda De Sah - So Danco Samba (Jazz 'N' Samba)
10. Van Dyke Parks - Riverboat
11. Thurston Harris - Little Bitty Pretty One
12. the Four Seasons - C'mon Marriane
13. Boney M. - Ma Baker
14. Ray Sharpe - Hey, Little Girl
15. the SG Sound - Jump the Shark
16. the Four Seasons - C'mon Marianne
17. Roger and the Gypsies - Pass the Hatches
18. Ronnie Foster - Mystic Brew
19. Ann-Margret - Someday Soon
20. Jacques Dutronc - Le Responsable
21. Oh! Penelope - Lait Au Miel
22. the Vogues - Five O'Clock World
23. Mel Torme - the Games People Play
24. Link Wray - the Swag
25. Tom Waits - Jockey Full of Burbon
26. Dick Dale - Misirlou
27. Julius La Rosa - Eh Cumpari
28. the Coasters - Brazil
29. Um...*bonus track*

There you have it folks, the first (and second I guess) entry to the Unicorn Wizard Mixtape Club. Although I love classic old stand by's, there will probably be less "safe" songs on my regular mixes.

Until next time!...

Trousseau

Today was one of the final shopping hoorahs for me and my Mom before the move. She had bought me pair of leather boots from J Crew to go with this gold and black Anthropologie cocktail dress I was going to wear to the wedding party. The dress ended up being WAY too big, twice we ordered it and both times I felt like I was wearing a burlap bag. The boots ended up being too small. It was just a big last minute disaster and the aftermath is having all of this nice stuff to return. Not that I mind having a $200 shopping spree at J Crew! I ended up with two outfits my favorite being a bright plum corduroy pencil skirt with a chartreuse cardigan. All I need is an ascot and my Cesar Romero Joker look will be complete.

ps... I also got a purple velvet jacket that would be way too matchy to wear with this outfit, but I could if I wanted. I feel a Halloween costume idea coming on.

Other than what mi Madre graciously bestowed upon me I wasn't having much luck finding anything I wanted to buy myself. We wined and dined (lunched, rather), and when I thought all hope was lost she reminded me that Belk has a MAC counter. Oh shiz. I forgot. And so the make-up buying frenzy continues...

I'm such a huge fan of MAC.  I always have been. It's built to last and just LOOK at those colors! I always wanted to buy more MAC but I couldn't afford it in high school (when bright colors are the most exciting), not to mention it's a pain in the ass getting anything out of the ordinary around here in the way of make-up. I always wanted to try their pigments. I ended up picking "neo-orange" on the top right which doesn't look nearly as vibrant in the picture. When I put it on it shocked my Mom. First she advised against buying such a garish color, but after I toned it down with some basic pink and white she agreed it was very "fun and youthful". I haven't had much of a chance to play around with it but I can tell that it could be really versatile and will last FOREVER. Can't wait to try those other colors later on! I also ended up with their pro longwear lip creme in "good to go" which is an orange-y coral. So NOT a color I would normally get. I'm trying to mix up my make-up routine. For years it was either smokey black/grey or thick liquid eyeliner with red or burgundy lipstick. I thought of those as "classic" and I can't knock the basics, but I'm soooo over that. Get it off ma' face! I also got MAC's superslick liquid eyeliner in "pure show" which is a bronzey- gold. And finally since I normally would wear intensely bright nail polish I went in the other direction with that too getting their nail lacquer "earthly harmony" which is an irridescent taupe. When I saw it next to the bright green and orange I would normally gravitate to it made me picture a sepia toned photograph of a mermaid. Naturally such imagery would lead one to the conclusion that it must be purchased at once!

I think I may have been partially inclined to invest in such out of the ordinary colors for me because I've been listening to Nina Hagen a lot lately.

I've always liked her but only in the past year have I grown a true appreciation for her music and style. Hearing her speak in interviews is great! She's hilarious! Adorable, quirky and almost alien in her demeanor. She's like a cartoon character. In Ekstasy is my favorite album of hers and the cover makes me miss having pink hair. Oh to be a teenager again! Although Nina Hagen is living proof that some people can pull off outrageous hair colors well into their 30's.

Things I Like About Today...

I'm making Indian food for dinner. It's going to be a feast of sorts with saag paneer, mataar paneer and jal frezzie with chicken, potato, carrots and whatever other vegetable I can come up with. I'm not supposed to be eating dairy, but I still have some lactaid leftover from the wedding and paneer is basically my favorite food in the world. I've been fiending for some curry since we stopped our DJing gig at the Indian restaraunt.

Along with getting the necessary ingredients from World Market and the Indo-Pak Market I did some light shopping which was fun and I didn't go too overboard. I finally found a rice paper sketch book. I've been looking for one since 2006 when I filled my last one. Rice paper is great for markers. With some cheap crayola washable markers you can make a drawing look like a water color painting. Especially if you add a few drops of water when you're finished. This one is extra awesome, it's quilted with Indian fabric on the cover. I also got some Chowards Violet mints. I always loved these. They taste so strange and lovely. I like the taste of sweet flowers.

I plan on watching The Taste of Tea tonight. I've been really excited about this one!

When I was driving today I put in and old mix and two songs by the Vanishing were on it. I haven't thought about them in a few years. They were really great. Not sure if they're still together but I know Jessie Evans does solo stuff now. I saw them with Glass Candy the summer I graduated high school. There were less than 10 people there. It was sad in a way that so many lamies didn't show but also awesome because it's like the performance was for us. I think I might have to bust out my Vanishing record on translucent purple vinyl! I always loved that record.

I found this mascara at the Vietnamese dollar store today that is in the exact same bottle as Anna Sui's "Full Mascara". Pretty black curvy tube with a rose on top. I've had it before too, there's no doubt in my mind that it's the same bottle. The brand is "Role Rose", they must be a knock off. It's even in the same purple lettering. For a buck I decided to to give it a go. Either way, the tube is totally pretty and reminds be of the 30's.

I wonder if this stuff works...

I'm really fair and lately I'm all about preserving my skin. They still make this stuff. I'm gonna have to track it down in Little India.

For the record I REEEEALLY like Dumpling/Darling Dynasty.

Who is your favorite Gremlin?

I rewatched Gremlins 2 for like the umptillionth time last night. It's a timeless classic. It's far superior to the first which is nowhere near as colorful and fun. Not only do we have a cascade of cameos but also so many strange varieties of Gremlins. There's the Gargoyle, the Electric Gremlin, the smart Tony Randall Gremlin,  "Daffy" the goofy cross eyed Gremlin, There's the one with lips like Edward G. Robinson, there's Mohawk of course which I think is the one who turns into a spider, "Lenny" who has buck teeth and long rabbit ears,  and the Phantom of the Opera one. SO many! I always thought they were so cute, even even as their slimy scaly selves. I'm a sucker for small creatures with big eyes and ears. Who isn't?? But I think it's safe to say that the coolest Gremlin is the fairest of them all...

Greta ♥

For a species that is asexual "Greta" (whose name I had to google since they never say it in the movie) sure knows how to work that hot reptilian babeness. I always thought she was so gorgeous! I wish I had green hair like that! She's glamorous, sexy and completely weird. Does she count as a magical girl? She's not exactly a "girl" but she's female and most definitely magical! I always wished there were more scenes with her. Naturally, she is my favorite Gremlin.

Another I was always fond of is Vegetable.

One brief cameo of him bursting out of the salad bar isn't enough! His lumpy enliven plant face always creeped me out easily making him the winner of Weirdest Gremlin award (which only exists in my mind). Strange carrot beard and cabbage pecs still make me shiver a bit when I see him.

I'll always have a soft spot for the classic Mohawk too. Mostly because he reminds me so much of my cat Egbert...

I used to compare Egbert to Gizmo but it was clear right away that something was amiss. He's a very mischievous boy. He eats garbage, makes messes, poops on the floor when his box is perfectly clean, has a gruff scratchy voice (dead ringer for Mohawk's raspy way of saying "gizzzzzmoooooo") and in all of his ridiculously adorable fluffiness he has the gaze of a trouble maker. Shifty eyes, much like the grimacing bastion known as Mohawk. He acts so radically different than our prince Charming tabby cat Giuseppe that there is no doubt in my mind Egbert is part Mogwai. Look at that! He's chewing on my Unicorn!

Obviously Gizmo is the fan favorite, and Christ, he's most definitely cute, but sort of boring in a way. I always wondered what he'd be like if he made the transformation from Mogwai to Gremlin. I think Joe Dante should make another sequel with Greta being the first to actually give BIRTH to a part Gremlin part human (since she marries Forster). Maybe it grows up like normal (although I can't imagine a human baby coming out of Greta) and starting to go through changes when he hits a certain age. Or whatever, I'm not a screenwriter but I think Gremlins 2 totally left room for another sequel. Then they could explore the idea of Gizmo turning into a real Gremlin! It would be SO cool!!

If only...

So the question remains, who is YOUR favorite Gremlin?

So it's my wedding day...

I can't believe it. So effing surreal. I'm the most absent minded bride ever. I decided to make a necklace to wear tomorrow. Maybe shoulda started that earlier but things have been so crazy. Arthur's Dad arrived today from LA. We still have a ton of stuff to do tomorrow, and then of course there's the party on Saturday. I better finish this necklace so I can get some sleep. Next time I update I'll be a wife!

Let's try this again...

I've been in lame mode all day. For the past couple of weeks really. My priorities are all out of whack right now. I think it's because I'm usually relatively carefree and as irresponsible as one can be within the confines of adulthood and with everything that's going on it's just not possible right now. I feel out of sorts when movies or crafting aren't my sole existence. It's like I feel an even stronger urge to goof off.

I want to get lost in a hobby but it's not an option right now, though I'm inadvertently fighting it. I gotta admit though, being a bride has given me an excuse to get some nice things that I normally deny myself because I spend every penny on media and art supplies. I bought some Benefit and Urban Decay make-up today when we went to get Arthur's shoes. I'm especially happy about this purchase...

I've really been needing something foundation-esque and this is exactly my skin color and it blends perfectly. Not greasy but it doesn't dry me out either. It's pretty much perfect. I've always have a hard time with foundation because I'm really fair and I need very light coverage. Nothing too thick, nothing too cakey or wet, pastey is bad. Basically when I put something all over my face I usually don't like it. It shouldn't be a problem but it always is for me. I have pretty good skin and really just need something sheer to smooth my face out. I usually default to just using powder because it's easier to find light translucent powder. It can be kind of drying though. There's so much room for error with liquid foundation. I've never been able to do drugstore foundation. It's always either too this or too that. And unlike high end brands crap like Maybeline and even Loreal will make my ass break out (my face, not my ass).  Last time I bought foundation my town didn't have an Ulta, which is pretty much life changing when I can afford to shop there. I LOVE Benefit. I haven't tried everything, but every product that I've used, I've loved. Somehow I've made the Benetint I bought when I was 17 years old last all this time! I STILL use it!! The bottle is down to the last quarter, SHIT, that's seven years! I don't use it every day but I use it more often than any other lip color (which I rarely wear anyway). THIS is perfect and I love it. I read mixed reviews for it but I think it's light and basic, which is exactly what I need from a foundation.

I also got Urban Decay's Eden Primer Potion which I was told by a trusted friend that it will make even cheap eyeshadow stay on vibrantly like the good stuff. I'm pretty much in love with it already.

Ghod I'm so boring these days. Don't worry, I'm about 10 pounds away from being obsessed with clothes again. Then another 10 from being a complete vapid egomaniac. Quitting dairy was the best thing that ever happened to me (and worst).

Seriously though, if I don't watch a fucked up movie soon I may lose it. Spermula anyone?? I can't wait until I get Haseena Atom Bomb! I'm semi-freaking-out about that. I still can't quite believe it. I've been searching for it for YEARS. So yeah, at some point in the hopefully near future you'll be seeing a review for this on my other blog...

Until then I guess I'll just keep being lame.

Do you prefer Fashion Victim or Ensembley challenged?

I always felt a kinship towards Phyllis Diller, like we're somehow the same on some basic obnoxious female level. I have every intention of being like her when I'm a little old lady.

Last night I dreamt that I got a job working with Klasky Csupo. Pretty much the great dream in the history of ever. All morning I've been wondering how impossible this dream may actually be to make a reality. I know exactly where the Klasky Csupo studios are, it's not far from where I'll be living. Surely they have some grunt work for a girl who's spent her whole life drawing monsters inspired by them.

I've been looking at a lot of fashion blogs lately. Some are so great like White Lightning, who mixes amazing thrift store finds, cool records and videos with a big helping of humor. There are some other I'm coming across though that get on my nerves. Most of the posts aren't even about fashion just repetive pictures of the blogger. You can see a lot of ego in these types of blogs. I just want to look at fun clothes and fun-other-stuff.  Faces aren't fun unless they belong to Phyllis Diller.

I watched Clueless last week for a long time in WAY-TOO-FUCKING-LONG. In fact that's part of what inspired my last post. I haven't been able to stop thinking about a few things...

*the line when Elton (Jeremy Sisto) raises his hand in class and says "I can't find my Cranberries cd!"

*How cute Brittany Murphy was when she had boobs.

* And just in general, Ambular.

What an underrated charcter. I'm so glad Elisa Donovan got to explore her a little more in the tv series. She did NOT get enough screen time in the movie. She had the funnest clothes and she was a great counterpart for Cher. I always felt like they really kind if liked eachother deep down but in that "Mean Girls" kind of way.


Just because I can't think about anything else here's an obligatory wedding update:

Spent ALLLL yesterday at my Mom's painting. I painted the rafters of the loft while watching "The Pregnancy Pact" a wonderfully awful Lifetime movie about teenage girls making an agreement to all get pregnant at the same time. How HORRIBLE! Umm...I still need shoes and some make-up from Ulta. We also need to finish our wedding playlist/mix. Things are coming along though. I'm only mildly freaked out.

That's all I got.

Music: the Formative Years

I'm sitting here drinking Turkish coffee dreading a certain visitor who'll be arriving today. I don't have to worry about him seeing this because he's way too self involved to read anyone's blogs. He's one of Arthur's "friends" from back home. I try not to be mean to him but he's a conversation hog, an attention whore and a general social retard. He seeks approval but when he gets it, he abuses it by acting out like a fool. His idea of "charm" is to be loud and flamboyant. He staggers around with no real direction flopping into total strangers. It can be pretty embarrassing to be in public with him, especially if he decides to start dancing for no reason. He claims to be interested in film and "music" but that's pretty much limited to his Tom Cruise blu-ray collection, U2 and Lady Gaga (sorry, I've got no love for her, but that's another blog), and of course the Beatles and Bob Dylan because that's like hipster 101. You can't be christened into an edgy persona before you've passed that milestone. See, I can't help but feel a little ruthless when it comes to this guy. I also feel like he's gay for Arthur and see's me as some kind of eminent threat to his "friendship". There has been more than one time he'll stick his neck in between me and Arthur if one of us is saying something to the other quietly. I can't believe he actually is coming to my territory. We're going to be back in California in a month and then I'll never be able to get rid of him. This Florida visit seems somewhat unnecessary.

ANYWAYS. That little vent should probably be under lock and key in my private journal but I just couldn't resist. These are stressful days leading up to the wedding. No, he's not staying for the wedding, he just came to distract us from everything. I told Arthur that if things get hairy I won't hesitate to leave and go shopping. He laughed and said "fair enough".

Ok, back to what's happening in Nowsville. On facebook someone tagged me in a note where they list the 15 albums that have stuck with them the most. In turn, I make a similar list with my choices. So naturally I start this epic list of all of these albums I love and have loved for years. It was hard to eliminate to a measly 15. Summing up 24 years of music listening into something like 20 hours of music. That's not even an hour for every year of my life!! It was really difficult and I felt guilty leaving some important albums off, so I decided to apply this same thing to a much more elaborate blog (or blogs, rather). Also, I think it will help get my mind off of all the stress. I'm not going to limit myself to a certain number. But I am going to break this up into eras. For this entry, I'm going to focus on everything pre-highschool. Omg, this might be a little embarrassing but here it goes in semi-chronological-order-to-when-I-discovered-it.....

This was officially the first piece of music that was "mine". I'll never forget Christmas morning when I was SIX YEARS OLD opening a big present. It turned out to be a GIANT purple Caboodle!! Remember those??? I'm pretty sure they still make them but as far as I'm concerned they belong to the 1990's. My Mom was so sneaky! She put the Roxette CASSETTE TAPE inside the Caboodle so it would be a surprise when I explored all of the compartments. And it was a wonderful surprise! One I still remember 18 years later! I really don't remember what this album sounds like at all though, I should download it!

Oooooh! How do you say Deee-lovely? Deee-vine? How do you say Deee-lite! Naturally being like 6/7 I was taken in by the amazing catchy-ness of Groove is in the Heart. I wanted the whole album but my Mom got me this Cassette single. Which was still fine! I played it until it warbled and warped. Now I've several of their albums on cd and pop them in any time I need to put on my platform shoes and go-go dance with Miss Lady Kier...which is all the time, by the way.

I believe this was my very first cd! I think I was ashamed of that for years but now looking back I'm kind of proud! En Vogue was pretty fucking hip. They got a little modernized with their late 90's albums but this one was a lot fun. Kind of Pointer Sisters-esque. I always thought they were GORGEOUS too, all of them! OMG...I need to download this or something.


...are you noticing a trend of female vocaled groups?? Make note of it.

I'm not sure where but somewhere along the line I heard "Sugar, Sugar". Maybe on the radio, maybe in a movie. I can't remember, but I thought it was the cutest song ever. I asked my Dad who it was and he said "the Archies"...I said "WHAT?? Like...my favorite comic???" I had NO idea that the Archie Digest books I'd been hoarding for years had anything to do with music. This was when I was given a brief lesson in the whole Archies sensation in the 60's. Not long after this my Dad came home with two records in hand, making this my very first LP. Isn't that cute?? I still have it :-)

Don't ask me why Dad chose this as my OTHER first record. I'd never seen this movie but I think he thought I'd enjoy the disco tunes. He was pretty much RIGHT! I LURVED this! Oh God. I'll never forget my Beegees phase. It's sort of like the Big Chill soundtrack though. The movie isn't good, you see it EVERYWHERE, you want to deny that you like it but somehow it's just a staple of it's time.

Oh, Clueless. How you changed my life. Being an impressionable FOURTH GRADER I pretty much made a conscious decision to become a character in this movie. My back to school clothes for the following year consisted of brightly colored mini skirts and knee socks. Yes, I was like 11 and dressing like Cher Horowitz. My Mom thought it was adorable, I got made fun of by the rednecks at my lame Christian school, but I didn't care. They were a bunch of "Barneys". This soundtrack made a HUGE impact on me. Discovering bands like Luscious Jackson and the Muffs lead me to riot grrl and that would of course become one of the most character defining aspects of my teenage self.

Say what you will about the Spice Girls. They're loud, obnoxious, garishly dressed and put together by a studio. It's apart of Pop Music history that most people try to forget. I remember the first time I heard "Wannabe"! I was in my room, my Mom was having a dinner party downstairs and it came on the radio! I turned it up so loud that she came and yelled at my to turn it down :-).  I was already inspired by the bold fashion statements of Miss Lady Kier and Cher Horowitz, the Spice Girls were the proverbial nail in the coffin of my day-glo freak-fest attire. And yes, "Girl Power" totally attributed to what would later become my riot grrl obsession, although I've read it was supposed to be a sell-out cash-in on the growing trend of grrrl bands. Ha! What 5th grader cares about those kind of politics though?

Did anyone out there ever read Twist magazine? It's a teen magazine from England that I bought because the Spice Girls were on it and it became my staple teen-mag for years. I was sad to see a copy the other day at Books-a-million with Justin Bieber and a bunch of other retards plastered all over it. It now looks like Tiger Beat or something. Kinda sad, I thought it was so cool! The fashion and articles were a little different from other teen-mags like Seventeen and YM since it was published in Europe.

holy shit....this is ALL really bringing me back.

omg. this album is SO good. I actually rebought it this past Christmas. She samples Donovan and a bunch of other great stuff. She has this kitschy sound that I love. The ENTIRE album is good. I farking love it!

Wow, so the Cardigans were pretty much just amazing. I'm sure I wasn't alone in totally falling into the "Lovefool" obsession. I think they may be considered one hit wonders but this WHOLE album is good! Although I don't remember the cover being this "blah".

Another one that was considered one hit wonders, again I say, this whole album is worth a look. And I had the biggest crush on the lead singer!

My first Beck cd! That's kind of a milestone! I remember being disappointed because I wanted Odelay, but naturally ended up loving this one. I don't think I could pick which one I like better!

Discovering the Monkees is an important part of a young girls life. They make the Arches look like popcorn. The Monkees defined everything I wanted from the 60's. Their music is fucking amazing, ALL OF IT, and they're ADORABLE. They would remain of my all time favorite bands FOREVER.

If Clueless gave me the itch for girl bands, Jawbreaker pushed me over the edge. It's basically Clueless
with murder so it opened up a whole new world for me. Discovering bands like Letters to Cleo, Shampoo and the-fucking-Donnas was like tapping into a goldmine!! I listened to this cd every day on my way to school on my discman :-)

Indeed, Letter to Cleo is necessary part of 1990's sanity. This has always been my favorite of their
albums.

SHIT! Where is my head?? This should have gone like 5 albums ago. Ok, so the Weezer Blue Album isn't really anything to be proud of. It's really just a staple and I'd be lying to myself if I didn't include it because there was a time I was OBSESSED with Weezer Blue, Pinkerton and Green (nothing after green though, and that wouldn't be until 9th grade)...there are worse things a pre-teen could be obsessed with? Look at what teens have to deal with now!

Oh Goodness. This looks so tacky but the music was so fun! I kind of need this again.

I remember getting this album! I was in 7th grade I think and my Grandma took me to the Commissary. I was looking for something else and then I saw THIS. I didn't know what it sounded like but it was brand new and I remembered several years earlier thinking "stupid girl" was amazing. Soooo, I begged my Grandma for it! She bought it for me and it became one of my most listened to albums of my middle school days. I need this one again too!!

This album mystified me. No one I knew had ever heard of the Eels (I live in a really shitty town), I had it special ordered at Camelot after hearing "Novocaine for the Soul" in a movie. I should really get more of Mr. E's music, it doesn't ever go out of style!

Best for last!! My last musical obsession of my middle school days was the discovery of Cibo Matto.
After hearing "Sci-Fi Wasabi" on my cousin Kat's mix I fellll innnnn looooovvvvvveeeee!!!! It's like all of my music listening had been leading up to that moment and my life would never be the same! Once Cibo Matto came in the picture I wanted to find more like it, and so my high school career became nothing less than a HUNT for the loudest, cutest, scariest, sweetest, weirdest, pop-iest, punk-iest, funn-iest, girl-iest music EVERRRR!!!!

...but that's for another blog.

Maybe not the hippest taste ever, but not bad for a kid stuck in Panama City Florida. I left out some things that I'd rather forget like Bush, Sheryl Crow, No Doubt, TLC...actually, I don't necessarily dislike those now (except Bush maybe), I just didn't want to emblazon them all over my unicorn blog!

I was only supposed to work on this until my coffee cup was empty but that was like an hour ago and I pressed on! Now I'm officially running late, but who cares? This was fun! Now I think I have to grab some middle school era music on my way out the door.

I love you, my baby-corns!!!