Thursday, December 31, 2009
Recipe For A Heart Attack
Take an addiction to prescription pain medication, mix overeating, add a dash of smoking, and a heaping mound of bitter, sarcastic hatred for the success of our country and presto! You have the perfect recipe for chest pains. Enjoy what you've sowed Rush. Happy New Year.
Seriously. Who takes a picture like this besides a smarmy wanna-be bully?
Posted by soft rock star at 2:37 PM
Design Of A Decade (2000-2009)
Today is not only the last day of the year, but the decade. I can't believe ten years of this century have already passed. Since I love lists, I decided to compile a 'best of' the decade to put a cap on things. I use the term 'best' loosely since some of the people listed below are monsters (you can decide who I mean, lol) and some of the music and artists are awful but for better or worse, they defined the decade no one knows what to call.
Top Stories Of The Decade
The methodology: The analysis factored in the number of citations over the course of the decade on the Internet, the blogosphere, including social media, as well as the top 50,000 print and electronic media sites.
(Rank News Story/Comment)
1. Rise of China – The biggest story of the decade, outdistancing the No. 2 Internet story by 400%.
2. Iraq War — The buildup, the invasion, the hunt for the WMDs, and the Surge were top in print and electronic media outlets.
3. 9/11 Terrorist Attacks – The 9/11 Terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington, DC seemed to set the tone for the new decade.
4. War on Terror – President George W. Bush’s response to 9/11.
5. Death of Michael Jackson – A remarkably high ranking considering that MJ’s death occurred in the final year of the decade.
6. Election of Obama to US presidency – The rallying cries of ‘hope’ and ‘Yes, we can!’ resulting in the historic election of an African-American to the US presidency.
7. Global Recession of 2008/9 – The on-going world economic restructuring as opposed to the initial ‘economic meltdown’ or ‘financial tsunami’.
8. Hurricane Katrina — New Orleans was devastated when the levies collapsed; scenes of death and destruction shocked millions the world over.
9. War in Afghanistan – Now in its eighth year with an expansion into neighboring Pakistan.
10. Economic Meltdown/Financial Tsunami – The initial shock of witnessing some 25% of the world’s wealth melting away seemingly overnight.
Technology Of The Decade: It's stunning how so many daily (and I'm sure, essential) things people use all came to fruition in just the last 10 years.
1. Social Networking: Facebook, MySpace, Friendster, Blogging
2. Digital Revolution: iPod, iPhone, iTunes
3. Google Search (technically launched in 1998 but an ‘aughts mainstay)
4. Texting, IM speak
5. Video Games Advancement: The Wii, Xbox 360, PS3
6. Video Revolution: YouTube, Skype
7. Craigslist
8. Twitter
9. Blu-Ray
10. Wikipedia
Important/Influential People Of The Decade (for better or worse)
Politics/World:
George Bush
Dick Cheney
Osama Bin Laden
Saddam Hussein
Barack Obam
Hillary Clinton
Nancy Pelosi
Al Gore
Entertainment:
Oprah Winfrey
J.K. Rowling
J.J. Abrams
Simon Cowell
Rupert Murdoch
Mark Burnett
Michael Jackson
Mery; Streep
Johnny Depp
Eminem
Beyonce
Technology:
Bill Gates
Steve Jobs
Finance:
Warren Buffett
Alan Greenspan
Bernie Madoff
Ben Bernanke
Suze Orman
Sports:
Tiger Woods
Michael Phelps
Roger Federer
Tom Brady
Danicka Patrick
Bestselling Albums of the Decade:
1. The Beatles: 1 - 11,499,000
2. ‘N SYNC: No Strings Attached - 11,112,000
3. Norah Jones: Come Away With Me - 10,546,000
4. Eminem: The Marshall Mathers LP - 10,204,000
5. Eminem: The Eminem Show - 9,799,000
6. Usher: Confessions - 9,712,000
7. Linkin Park: Hybrid Theory - 9,663,000
8. Creed: Human Clay - 9,491,000
9. Britney Spears: Oops!...I Did It Again - 9,185,000
10. Nelly: Country Grammar - 8,461,000
Top Songs:
1. “We Belong Together” Mariah Carey
2. “Yeah!” Usher f/ Lil’ Jon & Ludacris
3. “Low” Flo Rida f/ T-Pain
4. “How You Remind Me” Nickelback
5. “I Gotta Feeling” The Black Eyed Peas
6. “No One” Alicia Keys
7. “Boom Boom Pow” The Black Eyed Peas
8. “Let Me Love You” Mario
9. “Golddigger” Kanye West f/ Jamie Foxx
10. “Apologize” Timbaland f/ OneRepublic
Top Musical Artists:
1. Eminem (32.2 million CDs sold)
2. Usher
3. Nelly
4. Beyonce
5. Alicia Keys
6. 50 Cent
7. Nickelback
8. Britney Spears
9. Destiny’s Child
10. Jay-Z
Best Selling Digital Singles of the Decade:
1. Flo Rida feat. T-Pain: "Low" - 5,214,000 million downloads
2. Lady Gaga feat. Colby O'Donis: "Just Dance" - 4,690,000
3. Jason Mraz: "I'm Yours" - 4,619,000
4. Timbaland feat. OneRepublic: "Apologize" - 4,439,000
5. The Black Eyed Peas: "Boom Boom Pow" - 4,349,000
6. Soulja Boy Tell'em: "Crank That" - 4,315,000
7. Lady Gaga: "Poker Face" - 4,200,000
8. Coldplay: "Viva la Vida" - 4,140,000
9. Taylor Swift: "Love Story" - 4,005,000
10. Katy Perry: "Hot N Cold" - 3,945,000
Top Movies: (no wonder they make sequels)
1. The Dark Night $533 million
2. Shrek 2 $441
3. Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest $423
4. Spider Man $403
5. Transformers 2 $402
6. Star Wars III: Revenge Of The Sith $380
7. Lord Of The Rings: Return Of The King $377
8. Spider Man 2 $373
9. Passion Of The Christ $370
10. Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers $340
Top Rated TV Programs: (Shows you how fragmented TV is now… almost all the shows are from early in the decade when viewership was bigger)
1. Friends
2. Survivor
3. Joe Millionaire (gross)
4. ER
5. American Idol
6. Grey’s Anatomy
7. Who Wants To Be A Millionaire
8. Frasier
9. Everybody Loves Raymond
10. Spin City
Top Grossing Tours: (That’s a lot of pot smoking going on, haha)
1. Dave Matthews Band 529.1 million
2. Celine Dion 522.2
3. Kenny Chesney 455.6
4. Bruce Springsteen 444.3
5. The Rolling Stones 426.9
6. U2 391.0
7. Madonna 325.3
8. Eagles 313.4
9. Elton John 286.4
10. Jimmy Buffett 285.8
Top Selling DVDs:
1. Mamma Mia! (Really?! lol)
2. The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King
3. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
4. Planet Earth
5. The Dark Knight
6. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
7. The Bourne Ultimatum
8. Star Wars Trilogy
9. Band Of Brothers
10. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Top Viral Videos:
1. Soulja Boy: Crank That 360 million views (that’s a lot of wasted time, lol.)
2. Twilight Movie Trailer 274.6
3. Beyonce: Single Ladies 244.6
4. Mariah Carey: Touch My Body 237.4
5. Susan Boyle (Britain's Got Talent) 221.1
Posted by soft rock star at 2:01 PM
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Dexter Wants You To Buy A Dodge
So, nothing against Michael C. Hall (I loved Six Feet Under and have enjoyed Dexter as well) but I find it odd that he is doing voiceover work in the style of his character on Dexter in new commercials for the Dodge Journey. I fully understand hiring an actor people seem to like to promote your product but Hall is clearly in Dexter mode as he reads the copy in a disconnected, almost ominous tone, exactly like he does in every episode of Dexter when he talks in voiceover style during the show. All I think about when I watch the ad is "why would I want to buy a product endorsed by a serial killer?" lol. Just find it to be an odd choice.
Posted by soft rock star at 10:22 PM
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
I Have Great Taste
Compiling my favorite songs of the year is always my most time consuming top 10. I LOVE music and I have way more than ten songs to list. So below ARE my top 10 (with any accompanying vidoes (seven of the ten were singles somewhere in the world this year) and links to hear the other three as well. Then, below that, is a list of other songs that turned my crank over the last twelve months. I can't say it's an exhaustive list (I'm sure there are tons of awesome songs I simply never heard and maybe I'll add to it when I hear them or remember more). I'll also say, it's "guilty pleasure" free since I'm not embarrassed to list any of them. That would imply that I care about the opinions of snooty people who only decide to like music because it's cool. And as much as I dislike Miley Cyrus, have never cared for Colbie Caillet, and find Allison Iraheti to be a sad, wannabe Pink hack they recorded at least one damn fine song. And I'm not gonna deny that. So here you go: 
I'm just listing songs, not full albums, but I will tell you that, hands down, my favorite album of the year was Fantasies from Toronto-based Metric. They've been a favorite of mine for years and 2009 found them recording their most cohesive and most thrilling album yet! There isn't a stinker on the CD. Emily Haines has such an engaging voice and her smart lyrics send already insidiously catchy songs over the top. From start to finish, it's amazing.
My Top 10 Songs Of 2009:
1. Röyksopp & Robyn "Girl & The Robot"
Pairing one of the best electronic acts with the best pure pop artist around was a match made in heaven. I was already a huge fan of both acts separately and together they crafted a dance pop gem: galloping Eurodisco bass, squiggly synths, choral whooshes and an aching symphonic close ride lyrics of wounded-lover reproach. Absolute perfection.
2. Metric "Gimme Sympathy"
I could make a case for just about any song from Metric's CD landing in my Top 10 but "Gimme" is simply rock at it's very best. Every element of this song melds seamlessly. Pulsing synths, a driving beat, a deliriously catchy melody and a soaring chorus: the song is classic Emily Haines. When she asks “Who would you rather be, the Beatles or the Rolling Stones?” as the driving rhythm reaches its climax, you don't care to even answer the question... you'd rather just be Metric.
3. Grizzly Bear "Two Weeks"
I first heard this song when the band performed it live on Letterman months before it's release. I've loved it ever since. A forward piano plink marks out the chords and the insistent "Whoa-oh-oh" harmonies carry the song to new heights of pop gloriousness. It's probably Grizzly Bear's most blatantly accessible song and it succeeds on every level.
4. Alphabeat "The Spell"
No one seems to do pop quite like Scandanavians. “The Spell” trades out the Eighties worship of Alphabeat's first album for a much slicker, more ’90s, almost boy band-sounding approach. Loads of icy synths, a pounding almost-New Jack drumbeat, and a brassy vocal performance from Stine Bramsen. I have rarely listened to this song only once.
5. Alphabeat "DJ"
I had a terrible time deciding which of these two Alphabeat songs I like more. "DJ" is every bit as good as "The Spell." From the speaker bouncing opening, to the synth-drenched verses, to the spine-tingling chorus, this ode to the DJ that has you dancing all night is three and half minutes of pure pop bliss.
6. Lady Gaga "Bad Romance"
Anyone who wondered if Gaga would be a one album flash in the pan had their fears squashed with the room filling beats and melodies of "Bad Romance." The song is an intense litany of nearly pathological romantic entanglements all set to bombastic beats. Gaga's vocals soar and the dancefloor chant "Rah-rah-ah-ah-ah / Ro-mah-ro-mah-mah / GaGa-ooh-la-la" will not soon be forgotten.
7. Woodpigeon “Thoughts On The One Who Got Away By The One He Left Behind”
The fact that this song is part of a bonus CD added to the proper release of the band's first record speaks to the breadth and depth of the band's talent. The melancholy beauty of this little stripped down acoustic gem is overwhelming. I almost cried the first time I heard it. Mark Hamilton's voice is filled with longing and heartbreak as he sings about the one that got away and the extra voices that fill the chorus make it even more haunting.
8. Metric "Blindness"
I am in love with Emily Haine's voice. There is just something about it I find so engaging. And it's on full display on "Blindness," a simmering, ominous song that unfolds with a fuzzy guitar riff, buzzing synths and Emily's smart lyrics. About halfway through a drum beat blasts in and Emily snears powerfully, "Where it is and where it stops nobody knows, you gave me a life I never chose. I wanna leave but the world won't let me go." I could listen to her sing that for hours. Songs that create a distinct mood while retaining their hook always get to me. And this song has that in spades.
9. The Temper Trap "Sweet Disposition"
"Sweet Disposition" is an ethereal, soaring, explosive love song. The introduction, with its plucky, echo-ey electric strat, is straight out of the 80s, and Dougy Mandagi’s delicate, rich falsetto floating over the top creates such a warm feeling. No wonder the producers of "500 Days Of Summer" used it for the happy love scenes in the movie. And once the propulsive beat kicks up a notch, it's shear pop nirvava. When I saw these guys perform this song live I could not stop smiling, beaming in fact. It's mind-boggling how good this is.
10. Phoenix "1901"
After years of toiling away in relative obscurity, it's somewhat ironic that Phoenix's move to an indie label for their fourth release is what broke them through to the masses. "1901" is not a departure from the sound they have made their own. But it is Phoenix at it's absolute best: clean, rave-like stop-go guitars, the percussive marble-down-the-drain echo of the synths, the driving drum beat and a hook the size of the grand canyon.
And The Rest:
Metric “Help, I’m Alive” “Stadium Love” “Twilight Galaxy” “Gold Guns Girls” “Collect Call” “Front Row” “Sick Muse”
Phoenix “Lisztomania” “Armistice” “Lasso” “Girlfriend"
Lady Gaga “Alejandro” “Monster” “Poker Face” All the silly outfits and posturing wouldn't mean much if she didn't write the catchiest damn songs imaginable. Madonna for the next generation.
Röyksopp “Happy Up Here” f/Anneli Drecker “Vision One”
The Temper Trap “Fader” “Science Of Fear” I saw these guys live a couple times this year and they are epic. Epic!
Raveonettes “Last Dance” “Bang!” “Gone Forever”
Passion Pitt “Little Secrets” “The Reeling” “Eyes As Candles” Sometimes buzz bands live up to the hype.
Washed Out “Feel It All Around” “New Theory” “Belong”
Sissy Wish “Float” “Dwts” “Milk” “Book” This CD was finally released here after two long years. It was worth the wait!
Dot Dot Dot “Edge Of The World” “Let It Go” “Home” “How Long”
Late Of The Pier “Space And The Woods” “Random Firl” “Focker”
Boat “Tough Talkin’ The Tulips” “We Want It, We Want It”
Hello Seahorse! “OK!...Lobster” “Won’t Say Anything” “Universo 2”
Envy Corps “Screen Test” “Kid Gloves” Brit pop perfection from an Iowa-based band? Yes.
the boy least likely to “A Fairytale Ending” “Every Goliath Has Its David”
The Depreciation Guild “Dream About Me” “Butterfly Kisses”
Yeah Yeah Yeahs “Heads Will Roll” “Sheena Is A Punk Rocker”
Whitney Houston “Million Dollar Bill” “Nothin’ But Love"
Agnes “Release Me” “How Do You Know” I guess she gets comparisons to Leona Lewis... maybe if Leona Lewis ever sang an uptempo song... and didn't sound like a harpooned seal, I'd agree. lol.
Annie “Bad Times” “Songs Remind Me Of You”
Peaches “Lose You” “Search & Destroy” Peaches scares me. Like 'gross' scares me. But whatever, I don't have to look at her to hear these songs, haha.
Sally Shapiro “Love In July” “My Fantasy”
Cascada “Why You Had To Leave” “Everytime I Hear Your Name”
Wyclef Jean f/Eve “Suicide Love” f/Lil’ Kim “Gangsta Girl”
Grizzly Bear “While You Wait For Others”
Muse “Guiding Light” Oh Muse! Nobody does arena rock better.
Timbaland & Brandy “Meet In The Middle” Damn! Who knew Brandy could rap?
The Sound Of Arrows “Into The Clouds”
La Roux “Bulletproof”
Dragonette “Easy” (Buffetlibre Remix)
Mini Viva “I Wish” (Cahill Radio Edit)
Jay-Z & Alicia Keys “Empire State”
Miley Cyrus “Party In The USA” Miley you little bitch, you soooo don't deserve to sing a song this good. The best kiddie pop song of the year, hands down.
The Big Pink “Dominos” I first heard this one on BBC America during a 'Kids' marathon and I couldn't get it out of my head!
Katherine McPhee “Say Goodbye”
Iron & Wine “The Trapeze Swinger”
Alicia Keys "Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart"
Beck “Leopard Skin Pill Box Hat”
Reverie Sound Revue “An Anniversary Away”
The Ettes “No Home”
T.I. f/Rihanna “Live Your Life”
Owl City "Hello Seattle" (Remix) I find his lyrics a bit precious but heck, take the lyrics out and you have one hell of a song!
The Melismatics “Modern Machines”
White Lies “Death” Mmmm, chunky bass. Reminds me of Longwave and Interpol.
Colbie Caillet “Falling For You” This song sounds like she channeled Fleetwood Mac... and I LOVE me some Fleetwood Mac.
OneRepublic “All The Right Moves” The lead singer is making money hand over fist writing songs for other artists (that are all starting to sound the same) but he kept a good one for himself.
Bat For Lashes “Daniel” Is Kate Bush getting any royalties on this one? haha. Love the chorus.
The Dream “Rockin’ That Shit” Not a fan of The Dream but this song is cool.
Basement Jaxx “Raindrops”
Allison Iraheti “Beat Me Up” She will fade into obscurity at lightning speed as there are way too many ladies making music like this already, but this is a fun song. Domestic violence never sounded so good, haha.
Foo Fighters “Wheels” Does Dave Grohl like Tom Petty much? Well I do too. This totally reminds me of "Learnin' To Fly."
Katy Perry “Waking Up In Vegas” Katy Perry can't sing for shit live but this song is wickedly catchy.
The Gossip “Heavy Cross”
Keri Hilson f/Ne-Yo & Kanye West “Knock You Down” As much as it hurts to have Kanye West associated with something I like, it's here.
Matt & Kim “Lessons Learned" The video puts this one right over the top.
ohbijou "Intro To Season"
We Shot The Moon "The Brightside"
Posted by soft rock star at 10:07 PM
Friday, December 25, 2009
I was first introduced to Mumford & Sons in October at SXSW. I didn't know much about them other than the instrumentation is almost completely banjo, accordian, upright bass and guitar. Now, I'll admit, that has the potential for some seriously boring music. But that scenario would only play out in less gifted, less dynamic hands. My inaugural experience with the band was a live one and they blew me away. Never have I heard these instruments played with more passion, volume and interest. It was a honestly mind-blowing. Their whole CD is full of breeze-to-hurricane intensity. And their authenticity for the music exudes from every note. Check out their first single, "Little Lion Man." It's already taken their native England by storm lighting up radio and causing influencial BBC Radio 1 DJ Zane Lowe to call it the "Hottest Record in the World."Posted by soft rock star at 10:47 PM
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Merry Christmas!!
Per my post last night, here is one of my fave Darlene Love performances on Letterman (2005) and last night's Muppets & Jimmy Fallon performance. Enjoy! And Merry Christmas!!
Posted by soft rock star at 12:45 PM
It's Christmas Time In The City
Well, tonight the TV was full of holiday cheer ... and all the right kind! First I stumbled upon the original How The Grinch Stole Christmas and that was fun to see again. It's been a number of years since I've watched it. It's certainly a classic. Later in the evening I made a point to enjoy the annual Christmas episode on Letterman, as I do every year, because I absolutely love seeing Darlene Love perform "Christmas, Baby Please Come Home." I don't know what it is but seeing her belt that song out, with the background singers, the cascading piano and the fake falling snow never ceases to give me chills. 
I am the biggest sucker for Christmas cheer. I've always loved the holiday. That changed for a while after my mom got cancer and found out, the day of our big family Christmas party, that the chemo hadn't worked and she was going to die. I will say, I really lost my love for it. Having your mom announce to your entire family that she is going to die puts a real damper on things. I didn't come out of my room the whole night. I think watching that Darlene Love performance hits me in a special place. It's bittersweet and sort of tears me up but makes me feel warm remembering the great memories I had with her.
And then there was a totally unexpected treat catching The Muppets do "The Twelve Days Of Christmas" with Jimmy Fallon, like they did with John Denver years ago. It was really cute, and again, reminded me of Christmas's past. Man, The Muppets sure are getting around lately! The most hilarious part was seeing them rock out to the Late Late Show theme music as the show ended. That was so spirited puppet dancing, let me tell you! Priceless.
I'll never apologize for being such a softy for Christmas. Anyone so jaded they can't enjoy all the season has to offer is truly living a sadly inferior existence in my humble opinion.
Posted by soft rock star at 12:39 AM
Romi & Michelle's High School Reunion
Although I don't remember this, I apparently lied and said I had seen this movie to get out of watching it when I was asked to some time ago, haha. I mean, I'm sorry, it looks terrible. Well, it came on last night and I must say, it's really not bad. In fact, there were a lot of laughs to be had. Although Lisa Kudrow plays the same character in basically every movie and show she's in I DO like that character, haha. (The Comeback is hilarious if you've never seen it). And the scene-stealer for me was Camryn Manheim, in an uncharacteristically silly performance. If you hunting for a movie and looking for a few laughs, you could do far worse! A really cute, funny film.
Posted by soft rock star at 12:25 AM
Monday, December 21, 2009
RIP Brittany Murphy
I'll be honest, the name Brittany Murphy had not crossed my mind in some time. She seemed highly likable and full of energy. And she was fun in Clueless (I never saw 8 Mile). She even had a pretty cool #1 Dance hit with Paul Oakenfold. But honestly, I can't say she ever registered as someone I was a huge fan of or cared much about. Still, it's always sad to hear about someone dying so young. Thirty-two is just tragic... so much life left to live.
Posted by soft rock star at 12:32 AM
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Avatar
Caught Avatar today. I have to admit to being completely indifferent to seeing this movie. The previews didn't make it look intriguing to me. But Jared was dying to see it so we went, and I must say, I was very impressed. It's certainly the most stunning visual cinematic experience I've ever had. The CGI world blends seamlessly with the real one and the attention to detail is RIDICULOUS. James Cameron is truly a true visionary. There was a actually a storyline and the acting was great too (I'm a total sucker for Sigourney Weaver so I loved seeing her involved). It's rare that a movie lives up to incredible hype like this one has gotten but I was thoroughly impressed. Good times. P.S. And on a complete aside, Ronnie Spektor (who is awesome) was on Jimmy Fallon tonight performing her classic Ronettes version of "Frosty The Snowman" and it was painful to see she basically has no voice anymore. It's sad to see older singers keep going when they don't have the voice anymore. Tony Bennett would be wise to pack it in too. He was on some talk show the other night performing and again, yikes. Know when to say when, ya know?
Posted by soft rock star at 12:28 AM
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Obama: One Year In
I saw Hillary Clinton on TV the other day discussing her recent trip to Africa and honestly, the first feeling it brought up with me was how sad I was she didn't become President. It's been almost a year since Obama was sworn into office and I have to say, so far I'm disappointed. Make no mistake, the level of shit Obama stepped into when he took over was incredible. I don't envy anyone who had to try and clean up eight years of moronic decisions under the Bush administration. I certainly didn't expect a quick turnaround. But I guess I also didn't expect that a year later basically nothing would be accomplished. The war in Iraq drags on with no end in sight. And not he's sending MORE troops to Afghanistan. Health care has been mired in Congress and Obama seemed to open discussions on it with an immediate compromise, even ready to discard a public option early on. Isn't that the main part of reform he was talking about? The deficit continues to skyrocket as more and more money is pumped into banks and businesses with basically no new jobs being created. And how about simple issues of equality? Nope, Obama has basically turned his back on the gay community (although I always believed his talk of support was empty). Oddly it seems all this talk of change evaporated as soon as he took office. He now seems to want only to appeal to the masses and in turn is appealing to no one since his supporters are growing aggravated and his detractors still don't like him. I will say, I am glad our standing and reputation in the rest of the world has improved and that makes me VERY happy but that had more to do with him simply winning than anything he has actually done. That was more a win for the American people showing they could actually vote for an articulate, intelligent man after two elections of the polar opposite.
I definitely wish Obama the best and want him to succeed. There is so much he can do and so much we NEED him to do. But my fear that he was all talk and no action seems to be coming to fruition. It's what his record in the senate had shown. Everyone was so swept up in how motivation and inspirational his speeches are. I must admit, I wasn't. I liked Hillary. She may have come off as cold and unrelatable to some (which I think is largely sexist) but I liked that she is who she is and personally thought it could be just as 'inspirational' if a woman has been elected.
Anyway, just thought I'd offer my unsolicited two cents. I'd love to be proven wrong over the next three years but the problem Obama has is the 2010 election could tie his hands if a bunch of Republicans are voted in. It's just frustrating to have had spirits and hopes lifted so high a year ago and have nothing to show for it so far.
Posted by soft rock star at 10:17 PM
Friday, December 4, 2009
Minneapolis Rules
Anytime there are surveys ranking cities on best educated, quality of life, fittest city, etc. my sweet hometown of Minneapolis always seems to be prominently featured. Well, this new survey from Travel + Leisure Magazine is no exception! The survey—which was open to the online voting public this past summer—covers 30 U.S. cities and my city came out on tops!! A peak at the Top 10 really does seem exactly how you'd think it should be generally:1. Minneapolis-St. Paul
2. Austin
3. Boston
4. Portland
5. Seattle
6. Washington DC
7. Denver
8. San Francisco
9. Providence
10. Charleston
Yay Minneapolis!!!
