The International Language

I went to another wedding reception this weekend. This time it was for two people in my ward who went with more of a party feel than a reception which meant a live band and dancing. They played a lot of 50's/60's rock'n'roll, especially the Beatles. My roommate from Brazil who knows only a little bit of English would look at me, shrug and mouth "I don't know" for most of these songs. Then the band started playing "Mmmbop" by the Hansons and her face lit up with recognition. Really? She didn't know the Beatles, but knew the Hansons. Blew my mind for a bit until I thought about the lyrics. You really don't have to know English to appreciate "Mmmbop".

As Promised...

Here are a few pics of me as a bridesmaid.




Jumping in those shoes was a bad idea, but I told you I lucked out on the bridesmaid dress.

This Town Grows on You

For lunch today, me and Elis decided to try a local favorite that we've never been to, Sammy's. Trendy little diner, chicken strips, and an ice cold Pepsi. Blissful. And as we left Sammy's, it started to thunder and huge drops of rain fell on us--a quick summer storm--but we could see blue skies reflected off a glass building. It got us talking about how wonderful this town is during the summer and how different it feels since we moved here as freshmen. Not saying I want to live here forever, but for now, I don't mind calling it home.

Oh and my chicken strips were so hot they burned through the Styrofoam.

Photo fun Saturday

I thought I'd take a break from my pondering and just show some photos from the day.

Becky's holding a mug full of hot cocoa fudge. Why is it in a mug? I have no idea, but it was good over ice cream. We also made delicious momo's which are like Chinese dumplings, but I forgot to take a picture before we ate them.

This is my typical Saturday morning.

Basically, I have the hair of a wild woman. Why didn't I live in the 80's when big hair was rad?

Song Association

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. After watching a few music videos, I wouldn't be surprised if that band made you think mary jane or just plain creepy. Seriously, most of the videos I watched consisted of either a portrait shot of Tom Petty while the background changed or Tom Petty doing something creepy like filming people or dancing with a corpse. It's almost ruined my admiration for his music. Almost.

But I hear the first chords of American Girl or Free Fallin' (John Mayer should not have touched that song) and I feel grounded and safe. I remember my dad teaching me to sing "yer so bad", his black pick-up truck, and being asked if my grandpa's truck was better than my dad's. I think about summer and roadtrips and nights around a campfire. I wouldn't say that my life views are anywhere similar to Tom Petty's, but for some reason, I connect to his music.

I'm betting most of that connection has less to do with lyrics (I have no idea what a dance with mary jane would be like) and more with association. I associate Tom Petty and a lot of older rock music with my dad and since I generally like my dad, listening to that music makes me happy. It's not a new idea. But it made me wonder how much of my musical taste has been shaped by associating memories with music. Could my ipod be a history of my life? An autobiographical act? I think so, but then what story does my ipod tell? I'm still figuring that one out.