Anything Could Happen

Given Lena Dunham's sweep of the Golden Globes, I appear to be in the decided minority when I say that I didn't love Girls.  I wanted to think it was fantastic, but I just didn't -- I didn't hate the show, but I couldn't figure out what everyone else saw that I didn't.  It bothered me to the point where I watched the first season over again to see what I was missing.  And then, it hit me: I cannot stand creepy boyfriend (?) Adam.  He just repulses me and I found the way Hannah followed him even worse.  Once I put that aside, I liked it a lot more, and the second season trailer looked a lot more interesting.

It got stuck in my head, too -- thankfully, not because of creepy Adam, but because of the catchy song in the second half, Anything Could Happen by Ellie Goulding.  Do yourself a favor and listen to the rest of her album, Halcyon (available on Spotify) -- it's great.

A Christmas laugh-break

Hi readers!  I am taking a break from the gift-guiding for today, so you'll have to carry on your online shopping adventures without my counsel.  If you're like me, you could use a deep breath and a little break from the holiday mayhem.  In that spirit: enjoy the following.

I'm just dying.  The xylophone.  The kids.  Mariah.  Hilarious.  Merry Christmas!

(via I Suwannee.)

Calming music.

My commute last night had all the makings of a hellish, road-raging, two-hour disaster: rain, terrible traffic, the stupid new iPhone maps app that won't tell me how long it will take me to get from A to B, and with every passing minute, the impending closure of our neighborhood dog bakery where I had to pick up one lucky pup's birthday "cake."  And then the one thing keeping me from losing it, my audiobook (the Fug Girls' Messy, which is completely mindless fun, by the way), ended.  

On the brink of a total meltdown, through the magic of Spotify, I stumbled upon what can only be described as a soothing balm for road rage: Ed Sheeran's The A Team.  Only four songs, but they're soothing and wonderful.  Crisis averted.

(Images via Cape Cod Collegiate, original credit unknown; Elephantine.)

Wedding songs

The wedding I went to in Austin in April was wonderful for lots of reasons: the venue overlooked a lake and the outdoor dance floor was covered in twinkle lights, the bride was absolutely stunning, and the toasts were completely heartfelt and touching (I'm talking not a dry eye in the house.  Seriously.  No man, woman, or child escaped). 

But the music for the outdoor ceremony really stood out because it was so perfect.  The bridesmaids walked down the aisle to Ingrid Michaelson's You and I.

And the bride and her parents walked down the aisle to The Wedding Song by Angus and Julia Stone, which I'd never heard before.

The music was so different and just spot on for the people, time, and place.

We got married in a church, with more traditional music, and I'll never forget standing in the back of the church with my dad (who had just finished serving as my "floor" while I did a couple of standing push ups because my friends said it would make my arms look more toned!) when the doors opened and the trumpets played.  It was incredible. 

Funny story: I also know someone who wanted to walk down the aisle to the music from the movie Rudy, thinking that it would be the slow, calm music that plays while he contemplates his future.  Instead, she was in the back of the church and heard the super uptempo music that plays when SPOILER Rudy finally gets into a game.  (Hilarious: she said that a ton of guys came up to her later and said that they cried!)

What about you?  Are you more traditional, or would you prefer a more modern and meaningful-to-you song? 

    
PS: a gorgeous real wedding where the couple danced their first dance to Beyond the Sea.

(All images via Style Me Pretty's Pinterest; photographer credits are (1) coryryan.com, (2) mabyn.com, (3) woodnotephotography.com, (4) mthreestudio.com, (5) uncredited, and (6) ktmerry.com.)