If I were writing page 15 I would almost be done.

Study break!

1. Fidelity—Regina Spektor

2. Vertigo—Anya Marina

3. Campus—Rostam Batmanglij (b/c Vampire Weekend passion lives on!)

4. Lolita—Throw Me The Statue (b/c Vladimir Nabokov lives on!)

5. I Like You So Much Better When You’re Naked—Ida Maria (I get this a lot.)

6. My Only Offer—Mates of State

7. Can You Tell—Ra Ra Riot

8. Just Impolite—Plushgun

9. So Human—Lady Sovereign

10. Walking On a Dream—Empire of the Sun

Brazilian Music--101

Today's mix is brought to you by the letter "T" (for Tatiana). Tati and I like to have what we call "ordinary" fun. It's hard to describe, but sometimes it involves spinning on roller carts at Ikea:

Enter Tati:

This is a peculiar introduction to Brazilian music. Peculiar because there are some very, very basic artists missing from playlist.com's catalog, and because I tried to include as many English versions as possible.

1. - Aguas de Março (Waters of March) - Tom Jobim and Elis Regina: While there's an English version of this song, the Portuguese version is so awesome that I had to include it. It features Elis Regina, considered by many the best Brazilian singer of all time, and Antonio Carlos Jobim, consider by many the best Brazilian composer of all time. The lyrics, along with an English translation, can be found here.

I was looking for an English version of this song on Youtube but

instead fell in love with this rendition of the song by Lisa Hannigan and Damien Rice (the second half of the video). I know...You're welcome.

2. - I Feel A Little Spaced Out - Os Mutantes: Brazilian Psychedelic Rock at its best. Os Mutantes were part of the Tropicalia movement of the late 60s. I listened to them a lot during my college years...

3. - Samba A Dois - Los Hermanos: I love the beat of this song. Every time I listen to it I get up on my feet and start dancing. C'mon, I know you wanna do it too...

4. - Jack Soul Brasileiro - Lenine: Great guitar and percussion beats. Much influence from northeast Brazil, where Lenine is from. Trivia: Lenine's full name is Osvaldo Lenine Macedo Pimentel - the "Lenine" part is a homage of his communist father to Lenin. "Jack Soul" is a word play with Portuguese expression "Já que sou brasileiro", which means "Since I am Brazilian"...

5. - Mas Que Nada - Sergio Mendes & Black Eyed Peas - Version of this classic song by Jorge Benjor. Here's a video of the original if you wanna see it.

6. - Carolina - Seu Jorge. This is the guy who wrote the soundtrack for Wes Anderson's "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou". This is a love song to Carolina (of which there are thousands in Brazil). I find this track really addictive!

7. - The Girl From Ipanema - Pizzicato Five: Their version of Antonio Carlos Jobim's famous song. Here's the classic video of Frank Sinatra and Tom Jobim singing it. And here's a very Brazilian rendition of this song, by Brazilian musicicons Joao Gilberto and Caetano Veloso. Smooth, huh?

8. - Preta Pretinha - Novos Baianos: Classic song by band Novos Baianos, big in the 70s. I included this song also because the lyrics make little sense, so it doesn't really matter that it's in Portuguese. Just think of Carnival, whatever your idealized image of it is...

9 - Baby - Os Mutantes: Them again! This song was written by Caetano Veloso (originally in Portuguese), and I had to include him in this mini mix. Here's Caetano Veloso singing the original version in Portuguese.

10 - So Tinha de Ser Com Voce - Fernanda Porto & DJ Patife - Electronic version of another bossa nova classic. The title translates as "It could only be with you", and it's about....love. The classic version is by Elis Regina (the lady from track # 1). Here's the video. Pure bossa nova!

The, It's Almost the Weekend, Almost Summer, Dance Mix

(Brought to you by my dear friend, Courtney.)

Thanks, Angela for letting me Guest DJ this week--

Ooh La La: Goldfrapp

Can anyone get enough of this song? It's sexy, generous with the beat and it always hits the spot--I discovered Goldfrapp through my BFF Krista, and they (she?) never lets me down--

Walcott (Insane Mix): Vampire Weekend

Everyone is over Vampire Weekend, I can already feel it, and I probably am too-but,
I love how this takes the song to another level, while keeping its initial construction: light and playful.

Bad Reputation: Joan Jett

After a few weird relationships, I was feeling a little bent of shape and Ms. Jett set me straight."You're living in the past, it's a new generation Hey, a girl can do what she wants to do And that's what I'm gonna do"

Mediocrity Rules: Le Tigre

I love how this song tells my OverAchiever, High Strung self to go sit in the corner--Mediocrity Rules, man--

To Hell With Poverty: Gang of Four

I listened to this song over and over again in 2005, when I was in actual poverty,
working as an Americorps VISTA member. I just had jukebox money and generous
friends who would give me dollar beers at Busters (now a pile of rubble in KY, *sigh*). The first lick is my favorite and sounds best LOUD.

Lip Gloss: Lil Mama

Alright, grrl. Get it. You know you love this song, and Lip Gloss and Lil Mama.

U.N.I.T.Y.: Queen Latifah

Ok, I'm a little behind on my Latifah, clearly, I missed something. This song is one of the most empowering when still using the word 'Bitch', (which I have a funny
relationship with), but, I love to sing,'who you calling a Bitch?'

Five Years: David Bowie

I was sitting at Station 40 here in San Francisco and saying goodbye to my friend Clemence, who went back to France, AND, this song comes through the stereo--perfect for our moment of goodbye/see you later. I love it, Bowie is a genius.

I'll Never Sleep Again: Birds and Batteries

This is a San Francisco band, I fell in love with due to my good friend Andres. He's got great taste and this song always reminds me of him. Very post-Neil Young. Plus, it has a few of my favorite elements in any song: slide guitar and great lyrics. It's best played on repeat.

Enjoy!

In a Coffee Shop—Not Studying, Again

I love a good story—that’s why I’m in mental health field. (Really, helping is overrated and idealistic thinking is for the birds. There I said it! ;)) I can’t be on the clock all hours of the day, so I get my fill of gossip in other ways. Including eavesdropping. My neighborhood coffee shop is an excellent place to listen in on other people’s conversations. Oh the things people say in front of you because they think your headset is actually plugged into an electronic device.

Even on a slow night there is plenty of good people watching, but sometimes I am forced to be creative. If I’m not in earshot or my subjects aren’t in a gibber jabber mood then I have to improvise—I have to write their stories for them. In these cases my favorite medium is poetic verse. Here’s what I think Subject #1 is thinking:

establishing.

i haphazardly live in anticipation,
the buzz of that neon sign singing—
authentic coffee house, established 1992.
i pretend we are like the other young couple,
across the room the budding of romance is evident.
they will remember this moment forever
and i won’t.

spoon meets cup and clinks in a surprising way,
not exactly how i imagined the sound of awakening.
the then, the here, the now, all meld into the feeling of nothingness
this moment of clarity is what some would call nirvana.

i regret there will never be a time to confess
when i am alone, doing nothing in particular
in those nothing moments—the tying of shoelaces
i say your name as if you’re never more than a breath away—
as if expelling the air from my lungs could push the memory of you
away from my heart, through my rib cage, and out of my chest forever.
i love you is a thought I often have.

now to meet the eyes of her
her whose eyes rebound like so many potential lovers
those i have never chosen, including you
i half smile as I remind myself of our reality
as soft as you are, we were not made to melt or begin
this is not my year of establishment.

Subject #2 thinks in haikus:

damnit I forgot
to order this with soy milk
i’ll blame the cashier

I decided to dedicate this mix to Subject #1.

1. Honey, Don’t Think—Grant Lee Buffalo
2. Across The Universe—Rufus Wainwright (Beatles cover)
3. Orange Sky—Alexi Murdoch
4. Caring is Creepy—The Shins
5. Wonderwall—Ryan Adams
6. Honey And The Moon—Joseph Arthur
7. Good To Be In Love—Frou Frou
8. Song Beneath the Song—Maria Taylor
9. Strange & Beautiful—Aqualung
10. Can’t Go Back Now—The Weepies

Push-up Bra & Heels

Guess who's so pretty in her new dress(es)! I am!

:D < she's so funky)

1. A.M. Radio—Everclear
2. 70s 80s—Nightmare On Wax
3. Running On Sunshine—Jesus Jackson
4. Everybody Got Their Something—Nikka Costa
5. Fancy Footwork—Chromeo
6. Happy Up Here—Royksopp
7. You Give Me Something—Jamiroquai
8. Hercules Theme—Hercules and Love Affair
9. Shake Your Booty—K.C. & The Sunshine Band
10. I Wanna Funk with You Tonight—Glorgio Moroder (Thanks Renato)

Rual

This is my fish Rual. I would have named him Raul, but the fish naming process happened over the course of a few emails, and I’m dyslexic.

Scientific research shows that watching swimming fish lowers blood pressure and reduces anxiety. High blood pressure is one of the few medical conditions I haven’t developed, yet, and since I’m into preventive care I thought it best to invest $5.99 towards my future. Enter Rual.

Rual might be the death of me. He sends my blood pressure through the roof on a regular basis. He doesn’t swim around in circles like most fish. He hardly swims at all. He’s a stationary fish, and he makes sure to pose in very unique ways—playing dead 85% of the day. Take a look:

See there. His nose is faced down in the bamboo roots. He stays motionless in that very same position for hours on end.

He likes this pose too. Again, motionless—with head pointed towards the sky, pleading for god to take him.

I also find him on his side, and upside down, and sometimes he’s contorted in some sick twisted position. It’s sad. It’s scary. It’s what I at first called unique and rebellious and now recognize as a major depressive disorder, with catatonic features.

Rual used to live in my bathroom, where I’d greeted him every morning with a big bright “Good mornin’ sunshh—shit he’s dead!” but months ago I moved him into my bedroom. I was worried that he’d try a toilet bowl leap. (He has attempted suicide before. Once I found him motionless in my sink with the tip of his head wedged under the sink stopper.) I can’t just let him go, ya know. I also don’t want to have a near heart attack every morning. So, I came up with a solution. Rual and I held a funeral. I dressed in black, took him over to the toilet bowl, said a few kind words and recycled a rose that was given to me. Our ceremony ended with the sound of a flush. Having completed the ritual I think I’m more prepared for his passing, and now he has an inkling of what awaits him if he offs himself.

1. He’s a Rebel—The Crystals

2. Mr. Blue—Catherine Feeny

3. Mr. Pitiful—Matt Coasta

4. Hamoa Beach—Gomez

5. I Summon You—Spoon

6. Time is a Lion—Joe Henry

7. Merry Happy—Kate Nash

8. La La La—The Bird and The Bee

9. Giving Up—Ingrid Michaelson

10. Lost Cause--Beck