Revisting "Old" Music

Ever since I got married I have not been an active participant in the music scene.  I'm not very good at seeking out new music for myself but mostly rely on my brother to tell me about new great stuff I would like.  My brother did move over 2000 miles away from me about the time I got married, so maybe that has something to do with it, or maybe it's because I've been really busy with school, pregnancy, and being a mom.  Regardless, I still feel music just isn't that spectacular right now.  I'm happy to be wrong, though, so if you have amazing suggestions I would love to hear them.

With that said, I just wanted to share a favorite album of mine that I recently listened to and was reminded of how much I like it.  This band no longer exists and were not extremely well known or popular.  But I think they are great and I had a blast when I saw them in concert.

Introducing, Dog Problems, by The Format.

This is The Format's second album.  I recommend both of their albums highly, but I think I would have to pick this one as my favorite.  Some of my favorite songs are "Time Bomb," "Dog Problems," "She Doesn't Get it," and "Oceans."  Really, I like every song on here quite a bit.  If you have never heard of them, check them out.  You'll be glad you did.

*Neither Nate nor Sam paid me to blog about their old band. 

#37. Eat at Boise Fry Company

Okay, so some of the items on my list aren't really a big challenge and are more for enjoyment.  I'm fine with that though.  Who wants to complete a huge laundry list of hard things? 

I'm a proud Boise-an.  I think it is a great place: not too big, not too small, more fun cultural activities than you might expect, great food, growing college football team, etc.  Did I mention the food?  I know you can find great food pretty much anywhere, but some of my very favorite places to eat are local restaurants in Boise.

A new place in town is Boise Fry Company.  Their slogan is, "Burgers on the side."  That is my idea of a burger joint!  We went over Christmas break for the first time and thought it was fun.  They have several types of fries (russet, golden, sweet, yams, purple), cuts, sauces, and seasonings.  It is a little overwhelming for an indecisive person like me to choose what to get, so we basically tried everything we could.  The picture shows all of the sauces.  My favorite was the blueberry ketchup.  I was a little disappointed in a few of the sauces because they tasted a little too much like plain mayonnaise.  I think my overall favorite thing I tried were the yams with vanilla salt and blueberry ketchup.  I also had a buffalo burger for the first time and thought it was pretty good.

Overall, we had a fun time, the food was great, and I would like to go back again.  If you happen to be in Boise, try it out! 

The Scientist

One of my favorite things about music is when I hear a song and I have a memory connected with it.  Sometimes these memories are happy and uplifting, while other times I remember a time when I felt pain and sorrow.  Regardless, I love these connections.  Remembering pain may not seem like a fun thing to do, but it often leaves me feeling appreciative and positive.

I am not a huge Coldplay fan, but I have always really liked the song, The Scientist.  The melody is very pretty and it is a very "real" love song to me.  When I was preparing for my first childbirth experience, I put together a playlist of songs that were meant to help me relax and remember how to breathe and I included this song.  I'm not going to go into my whole labor story at this time, but just share a snippet.

When I was told I could stay at the hospital, my labor was progressing slowly and I felt very calm, not much pain, just trying to stay relaxed and wrap my head around the fact that I was actually in labor.  At one point when I was checked I was told I was dilated to a 4.  I was feeling good and thinking about how I had several hours before anything exciting would happen.  Shortly after, it hit.  I was basically having constant contractions and could not breathe and relax the way I was wanting to.  I thought to myself, "If this is what a 4 feels like, there is no way I am going to make it."

It hurt.

A lot.

It is hard to remember all the details of what was going on because everything was happening so quickly.  But the one thing I distinctly remember was hearing these words from The Scientist playing from my iPod.  

Nobody said it was easy
Nobody said it would be this hard

I can't say it gave me the strength I needed, but I felt comforted.

Fast forward to my first day at home with my beautiful baby.  I was sitting on the couch with my baby girl laying on my chest.  This time, I was again trying to relax, wrap my head around that fact that I was actually a mom, and feeling a bit overwhelmed.  The Scientist came on once again. It was the first time I had remembered that I heard the song while in labor and I broke down crying.

I realize that having a song remind you of childbirth is not something you would think you would want.  Childbirth was not easy.  Being a new mom was not easy (it still isn't). But I have a perfectly sweet little baby girl and I'm glad I have a way to remember these tender moments.

 

When Broken Glass Floats by Chanrithy Him

Have you read this book?  I have intended on reading it for the past couple of years, and I have finally had the chance to do it.  I really did enjoy it.
It is a memoir of a Cambodian girl who grows up under the Khmer Rouge, a communist organization in Cambodia in the 1970s that resulted in genocide.  It is of course, a sad book, but very humbling.  The whole time I had to remind myself that this was going on only 30ish years ago.  The lack of technology made me think it happened so long ago.  A common subject in the book is food, or rather, the lack of food.  I found myself feeling hungry whenever I read about the poor rice rations they would receive.  Yearning for food was a guiding emotion throughout the whole book, however, longing to be with family and loved ones was even stronger.
I would definitely recommend it.  I learned a lot and like many books with similar themes, it made me appreciate what I have and where I live.

Farmer's Market

This past week I had the opportunity to go to a new farmer's market.  The purpose of it is to give students easy access to organic, locally grown produce.  I loved it because I was able to put my baby in the stroller and walk a few minutes to get delicious produce.  If you live in Provo, please take advantage of this great event!  It will continue the next three Thursdays from 2-7 p.m. in the LaVell Edwards football stadium parking lot.  Stock up on tomatoes, pumpkins, peaches, raspberries, honey, and even BYU Creamery ice cream.  I think if it is successful there is a better chance of it continuing.