in the lonely music hour

10. All Of The Stars - Ed Sheeran
9. West Coast - Lana Del Rey
8. Midnight (Giorgio Moroder Remix) - Coldplay
7. How Will I Know (Live on SiriusXM) - Sam Smith
6. Let Me Down Gently - La Roux
5. Monument - Royksopp & Robyn
4. Feels Like We Only Go Backwards - Arctic Monkeys
3. Love Runs Out - OneRepublic
2. Do It Again - Royksopp & Robyn
1. Stay With Me - Sam Smith

It looks like Sam Smith's In The Lonely Hour will debut in the U.S. at number one this week.  So happy for Sam Smith success story.  He's the female Adele.  And then how delightful to have return of Robyn and La Roux.  (I can imagine Monument to be a Madonna song, in my perfect world.  But it's a Robyn song, so that's sweet too.)  Toss in Coldplay back in form and OneRepublic/Ryan Tedder continuing to crank out catchy pop songs, and we have a nice top ten for the last week of June.

three is a magic number

California Chrome fails to win the Triple Crown today.  Favorite things in three:

-  LOTR trilogy (best trilogy ever, through and through)
-  Three's Company
-  Bananarama
-  Infernal Affairs trilogy
-  Charlie's Angels
-  Bourne trilogy (yeah that one with Jeremy Renner doesn't count)
-  Before Sunrise trilogy (honest opinion - Before Midnight did deflat my love for Celine and Jesse a tad)
-  threesomes
-  Dark Knight trilogy
-  Toy Story trilogy
-  Heathers
-  God, Jesus, Holy Sprit
-  Bee Gees
-  Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger
-  tricycles (cuz I am hopeless on a bicycle)
-  Beastie Boys (sadly three no longer - sigh...)

hard work

SYTYCD is probably the only reality show that can move me.  I look at some of those kids and their back stories, the adversity that they had to overcome, the hard work that they put in to hone their craft, to become somebody, and it's honestly inspiring.  It makes me want to get up off the couch (or more accurately out from under the blanket on my bed) and do something, do anything.

All the troubles I've been having with my house falling apart this past month have also made me realize that I've been neglecting things for way too long.  The house should have been painted at least two years earlier.  I should have paid more attention to things.  Maintenance is key to home ownership.  If you let things go, they catch up with you, and things snowball.  And before you know it, you are knee deep in a money pit.

I think it's just like life.  You cannot just sit around and not pay attention.  You have to get yourself up and do things.  If you want something, work towards it.  If you have an hour free, clean the house, work out, practice your craft, do some honest good labor.  Don't just lounge around because time will just steamroll over you and your dreams.

So this is my resolution.  That I will from this point on, do things.  Little things, big things.  Just be productive.  It's going to make a difference.  

robyn does it again

Robyn pretty much kicks ass.  Her new ep with Royksopp is ace.  Here is the single:

time in a bottle

Weather:  Cloudy today out in the Avenues
Mood:  Worried
Music:  Sam Smith and new Robyn EP
Last Movie: The Spectacular Now (A-)
Reading: About to start Wind Up Bird Chronicle
Last Pleasure:  Vegetarian Vietnamese sandwich from Cafe Bunn Mi  on Clement
Last Worry: How much dry rot/leaks in the house would set me back
Last accomplishment:  Took down blinds from my bedroom - long overdue
Looking Forward To:  When repair and paint job on house are done (which would be a longs way away since I haven't even found contractors to do either)
Not Really Looking Forward To:  Empty bank account
Gas Price: $4.299/gallon regular
Clothes:  Old Navy's blue fleece sweatshirt, black sweatpants (seems to be my uniform lately - so sad)
Today's Headline:  Republicans question U.S. prisoner swap with Taliban
Last Website Visited:  tonykarenkitchen.blogspot.com
Last Meal: Turkey burger with avocado
Last Purchase:  Dove's Men+Care shampoo
Item On My Wishlist:  Twin Peaks The Entire Mystery (finally coming to blu ray)
Latest Evidence It's A Beautiful World:  That Quicksilver sequence in X-Men Days Of Future Past (probably best scene I've seen in a movie in a long, long time)