daily jam, local natives

The Local Natives are today's daily jam and the video is a little longer than usual. They are an indie rock band from LA and have quickly become one of my favorite bands. I chose to use the NPR Tiny Desk Concert version to exemplify their talent in an acoustic fashion plus you get to check out more songs at once. Also, they just put out another album entitled Hummingbird yesterday and I would highly recommend checking it out if you enjoy what you hear below. 

Remember to turn it to the left when listening with your headphones, save your hair cells, save your hearing!

snowball tournament

Like I've said before, I have played softball all of my life. At this point in my life, I mostly play on co-ed slow pitch teams around the area. This past weekend, I participated in a snowball tournament for the first time in my life. Our little team of 9 guys and girls, appropriately named the Carrots (we had orange shirts), played softball outside in 4 inches of snow. Now in all of my years playing softball, I have never played in the snow. When I was little, my parents had us go outside and have a catch on New Years Day. This was often in the snow but only lasted about 15 minutes. This snowball tournament, however, lasted all day Saturday and part of Sunday depending on how well your team did. 

Playing in four inches of snow is kind of difficult. Gloves are needed, boots don't have traction, and the snow that looks fluffy and pillow-y isn't so when you dive for a ball. BUT, it was so much fun. One of my teammates brought a giant thermos of hot chocolate to keep us warm while the snow fell. We only had 9 players so we played without a second baseman which contributed to us not winning one game. The games lasted only one hour and we had an hour in between each of the games. We spent our off hour at a local bar warming up our bodies with both food and libations. Whats a better coat than a beer coat? I snapped some pictures to make sure I remembered how crazy of an idea this was and to remind myself to sign up for it again next January.

Snowball Tournament

The Carrots, team picture

The only way to really stay warm, shot of whiskey and a cup of tea
taken with Instagram

let it snow

horoscopes

Horoscopes are those kinds of things when you flip through a magazine, its hard to pass by without reading. Usually these words never come to fruition but I have found one platform that I find pretty interesting, if you believe in astrological readings. But they are fun to read anyway. Free People is a clothing company that has an awesome blog named BLDG 25, with everything from fashion to DIY. They post their horoscope blog on Mondays and is second on my list to read after theSkimm to start off my Monday mornings. My birthday constitutes me as a lovely Libra and here is my horoscope for this week.

[image via Free People]

LIBRA
September 23–October 22
The sun and Venus in your fun sector make leisure-time activities, romance and creativity extra appealing now. Though you’re geared up for fun, the sun’s run-in with withholding Saturn in your resources house this week hints that shaky self-esteem could undermine love or artistic pursuits, while a lack of funds might curtail your playtime. Active Mars in your duties zone piles on the work and other responsibilities; it’s best to take care of business in order to feel on top of things. But remain open to love, play and your artistic muse, because they will find you. Hopeful Jupiter’s direct motion in your adventure house should help you to believe that there are plenty of good times on the horizon.

Source: Astrology – Weekly Horoscopes by Tracy Allen | Free People Blog http://blog.freepeople.com/2013/01/free-people-horoscopes-january-28-february-3/#ixzz2JISNDGvJ

daily jam, erin mckeown

Today's daily jam was found Monday night while watching the TV show Bunheads on ABC Family. The show is written and produced by the same woman who wrote and produced Gilmore Girls. Why is this important? Only the wit, humor, fast paced talking and the importance of music. Both shows have great music selections and Bunheads has definitely made a point to reach into the undiscovered cookie jar of current music. And because of that, thank god for the Shazam app. It really works overtime on Monday nights at 9pm. Check out Erin McKeown's song "You, Sailor" below when its used in the show Bunheads. 

Remember to turn it to the left when listening with your headphones, save your hair cells, save your hearing!

the skimm

[image via theSkimm]

Have you guys heard about theSkimm? TheSkimm is a 'daily newsletter that simplifies the headlines for the educated professional who knows enough to know she needs more. We do the reading for you and explain it with fresh editorial content, breaking down what you need to know to start the conversation.'

How it works, is you subscribe to their email list and right around 6 am every morning they send you an email with all of the most important news headlines of the past day/night. As soon as I wake up in the morning, even before I get out from under the warm covers, I open my email from the lovely ladies at theSkimm and catch up on the headlines. What's great about this, is that I have talking points at breakfast, at work, or where ever the day takes me. It's super useful and the writers at theSkimm have a great sense of humor so not only am I starting off the day with some knowledge but with a laugh. It is definitely worth subscribing to and waking up more informed, plus it's free. 

One other thing I love about this company is that they respond to mentions on twitter. Anytime I have personally tweeted to them, they respond back, and even re-tweeted what I have said for all of their followers to see. I know this doesn't seem like much, but it makes a difference. They cherish they people who subscribe and are making people feel important. In doing so, they have all of these people spreading the word about how awesome they are and gaining more membership. Hell, they even have a daily birthday shout out at the bottom of the daily email of all its members. Its awesome!

Subscribe today and become a conversation starter.

daily jam, macklemore with allen stone

I found today's daily jam because of my recent obsession with Allen Stone. I still can't believe that voice comes out of that body, completely unexpected and beautiful. Macklemore was first introduced to me by one of my friends, who sent me a link on twitter to Macklemore's video of his song Thrift Shop (which is FANTASTIC!). The addition of Allen Stone really brings a lot of emotion to the song, a lot more soul. My favorite line depicting the title of the song is "The liquor store is open later than the churches". Enjoy!

Remember to turn it to the left when listening with your headphones, save your hair cells, save your hearing!

thinking warm thoughts

When I woke up this morning, it was 7 degrees. 7 degrees!! That's cold. I am insanely envious of NJ brother because he did not have to get out of his car this morning to pump gas unlike I had to. Now don't get me wrong, I love winter. Its my second favorite season (fall is obviously the best, everyone knows that). I like when it snows; everything seems cleaner, calmer, quiet. And I understand the science behind snow. It has to be a certain temperature but 7 degrees is a bit outrageous. The only thing helping me to climb out of my bed in the morning is the thought of myself and friends on the beaches of Turks and Caicos in 17 days. 

JCrew has the perfect packing list just for my little trip to the Caribbean next month. 

daily jam, edward sharpe & the magnetic zeros

Happy Monday people. To start off this wonderful day of celebrating Martin Luther King Jr's life and the inauguration of Barack Obama as our 44th President, I have this little video reminding us of paying attention to what is important in life. Here is this Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros song, I can't get over the hipster party part, its too funny.

Remember to turn it to the left when listening with your headphones, save your hair cells, save your hearing!

which band?

One of my new years resolutions was to work on the consistency of workouts. Thanks to the Nike + app and my friend KB, I have been running/spinning/pilate-ing for the past ten days straight. Now I would love to be able to track every beat of my life. Thankfully, technology has stepped up and presented us with these fancy pedometers: The Nike Fuel Band and the UP bracelet by Jawbone. Now I have a dilemma; which one to get. Here comes the good old fashioned pro/con list.

First up: the Nike Fuel Band:

[image via Nike]

PROS:

• wireless bluetooth sync
• sports tested accelerometer to measure movement, (tracks each step & calorie burned)
• set a daily goal 
• acts also as a watch
• digital screen

CONS:

• lots of software update problems
• awful user reviews online
• no sleep tracking/food tracking

[image via Jawbone]

Pros: 

• 10 day battery life
• completely waterproof 
• 24/7 activity tracking
• sleep tracking
• food tracking
•  idle alert
• tracks every move, including distance, calories burned, active time, and activity intensity
• 2nd generation, Jawbone restructured the interface 

Cons:

• not Bluetooth enabled
• no digital screen 

And the Winner is.........: The UP by Jawbone band. The functionality really pushes it over the edge.

Just as I finally made up my mind that the UP band was what I was going with, I come home from work to find a package from Amazon with my name on it. Keep in mind, I did not order anything from Amazon, so I am confused and surprised and excited to find out what was in that package. I tear into it and what is it? An UP by Jawbone band. My wonderful big brother must have been sick of my emails with links of reviews of both bands and just made the decision for me. This then prompted a phone call exclaiming my decision of BEST BROTHER in all of the land. I can't wait to try this band out and see what feedback I get from it.

Make your own decisions about what band is for you, Nike FuelBand or UP by Jawbone

daily jam, pop etc

meet POP ETC. (They used to be The Morning Benders, see story here) They have become one of my favorite groups even after changing their name, losing a band member, and becoming a little more electronic. They even had a song in the Twilight movie, excuse me while I forgive them for that, but the band is starting to become popular and I am so excited for them. My selection for today's daily jam is their cover of Whitney Houston's How Will I Know. The video is awesome because it captures the essence of New York City and what you can see just walking around, singing a song in the city. Check it out:

Remember to turn it to the left when listening with your headphones, save your hair cells, save your hearing!

hearing

How does hearing work? Why do I keep telling you to turn down your music when listening to your headphones?

Hair cells are the sensory receptors of both the auditory system and the vestibular system in all vertebrates. In mammals, the auditory hair cells are located within the organ of Corti on a thin basilar membrane in the cochlea of the inner ear.

Cochlear hair cells come in two anatomically and functionally distinct types: the outer and inner hair cells. Damage to these hair cells results in decreased hearing sensitivity. Typically, listening to loud music for a prolonged amount of time can damage these hair cells, impacting your hearing. 

Why am I tell you about this? There has been some breakthrough research to come out of Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts Eye and Ear, "demonstrated for the first time that hair cells can be regenerated in an adult mammalian ear by using a drug to stimulate resident cells to become new hair cells, resulting in partial recovery of hearing in mouse ears damaged by noise trauma." This is looked at as being promising therapy for deafness. This is huge news! For someone who is interested in noise induced hearing loss, research,  and aural rehabilitation, this news has me ecstatic.

image via Harvard Medical

Read all about the research published from Harvard Medical 

Read the article about the research from Massachusetts Eye and Ear

today is a great day

You guys, Hockey is back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes that warrants the excessive use of exclamation points. Even though the lockout was basically millionaires fighting with billionaires about money, which is ridiculous, I am glad it is over. Not only to be able to watch hockey again, but for the thousands of people who were out of work (people working at arenas, suppliers, etc.) because of this lockout. I am giddy with joy. Best friend CA texted me this morning exclaiming “This is better than Christmas Day”. I feel the same way CA.

I would like to thank the NHL writer Jesse Spector for SportingNews for keeping me informed throughout this whole lockout.  Following him on twitter has been the best way to know the inter-workings of the NHL because of his first hand experiences of being a media person with inside knowledge. He’s the best. Thanks online friend who has no idea who I am! You’re the BEST!

I personally can’t wait to see Sid and Geno back on the ice even if there is only a shortened season. The city of Pittsburgh finally has a team to cheer for again since the Steelers blew it this year. Can’t wait to hear Mike Lang make the first call of the year “It’s a HOCKEY NIGHT IN PITTSBURGH”, I already have chills just thinking about it.

#LETSGOPENS

daily jam, allen stone

I am really excited to have found out about Allen Stone. I am almost borderline obsessed with his music. Everyday when I get home from work, the first thing I do is watch Ellen. I was out of the room when Allen Stone started singing so I was first blown away by his voice that I came running back into the room. To be honest, he looks kind of goofy. Just by looking at this kid I would never expect this kid to be able to sing at all, let alone this soulful R&B music. One comment I read on one of his Youtube videos reads "Talent. Pure unadulterated talent." And I think that's the BEST way to describe him.

Give it a try, I am obsessed and am definitely buying his album this weekend, probably even on vinyl too. Remember to turn it to the left when listening with your headphones, save your hair cells, save your hearing!

gone girl

If you haven't heard of this book, go read it. If you have been wanting to read this book, get it immediately, buy it, you will want all of your friends to read it, it is so worth the investment. 

The story is about a wife who goes missing on her fifth wedding anniversary. It looks as though it all of the evidence is leaning towards the husband. But the entire time, us readers, know that he is innocent. So where is Amy and who took her and why? You won't believe how it all plays out. 

I read this book so quickly because of the non-linear, two perspective way of telling the story. You don't know where the story is going so you just have to keep reading. The plot twists are so insane, they left me with my mouth agape upwards of ten times, if not more. This book is so well written and I can't wait to read more books by Gillian Flynn. I have been trying to get my friend Kaitlyn from Kaitlyn in Bookland to read this book, then hopefully you guys can get a real book review rather than have my geeking out over it. 

new years resolutions

In my 25 years of life, I have never made a new years resolution. I always viewed them as setting yourself up for failure. But this year, I am I think I am going to give it a go and try to do some things that will make my life a little easier. They say it takes 21 days to create a new habit, lets see how long I last with these resolutions:

*become a hustler

*consistency

*marathon training

*organize

*more books, less TV

*become a hustler
-"an enterprising person determined to succeed; a go-getter. Yes, I am aware this sounds ridiculous, but I believe this is something everyone should want to aspire to be. 

*consistency
-give me something, anything new to try and I will most likely try it. But my problem is consistency. I need to keep up with promises to myself. Back to homework basics, everyday. 

*marathon training
-also falling into the consistency category. I signed up for my very first half-marathon as a challenge to myself. I only ever played sports in which I sprinted, so long distance running has become my own personal monster in which I am ready to defeat. I can't wait to find out with this 'runner's high' is that everyone keeps telling me about.

*organize more
-I am a messy person. Clean but messy. I see my floor as being the biggest shelf I own. In college, my roommate asked to clean my room more than once because it stressed her out when she came in to talk to me. I need to make more of a conscious effort to put things back and in their place.

*more books, less TV
-this one is self-explanatory. I plan to tackle the Rory Gilmore book challenge this year and spend generally less time watching TV unless it is a series or documentary on Netflix.



I will keep you updated on how my resolutions are coming along, let's hope I can keep these up past the 21 day mark!

christmas traditions

What I like about my family’s Christmas plans is that they tend to be the same year after year.  It’s the only time where I look forward to the predictability of the holiday. Every since I can remember, we always spend Christmas Eve with my mom’s family celebrating our Polish heritage. This is a vigil held in the late afternoon with a menu of any non-red meat, vegetarian heavy meal. We always have two kinds of fish, pierogis, and my favorite part, my grandmother’s recipe of mushroom soup. We start the meal with a group prayer and then the oldest in the family (my uncle) shares the opłatek (the Christmas wafer) from oldest to youngest, including my 1 year old cousin Ben. From there is a pretty much a free for all since we have little kids making a less formal affair, which is okay by me. It is tradition to set an empty place at the table for an unexpected guest symbolizing inclusion and hospitality. I love the food on Christmas Eve and we usually eat it throughout the year. 

After dinner we go to one of my aunt’s houses, or stay home, depending on the year (we rotate houses every year). We then play a game of ‘wrap up whatever you want to get rid of in your house’ and play a game of white elephant. The gift can be stolen or swapped. It must have been two years ago, I just so happened to get a pair of ET walkie talkies (I am terrified of ET and was actually pissed I got this gift. I gave them to my aunt to give them my little cousins). Well, little did I know that my aunt, this year, re-gifted these walkie talkies and they showed up this Christmas! It was actually very funny and everyone got a kick out of it. They were actually stolen a bunch of times during the game. Not by me, obviously. Anyway, another tradition happens when we all come back home, change into PJs, and watch Christmas Vacation from beginning to end. Its my favorite of all of the traditions because it is the one that everyone participates in at the same time no matter where they are. Brother from Jersey Face-Times in and watches with us for a little, same with Other Brother.

Christmas Day has always been spent at home with friends and family coming and going throughout the day. This year, we actually went to church on Christmas day (we usually go Christmas eve) which was less crowded and so much nicer/calmer. Stockings are always the first to be opened and it is always filled with gift cards, cosmetics, and scratch-off lottery cards. The scratch offs are immediately and competitively scratched off to see who won the most money. Followed by opening presents under the Christmas tree in sweatpants that will be worn the rest of the day. Friends and family come and go and the end of the night is spent with our neighbors exchanging gifts, drinking hot toddies, playing a board game (usually scrabble or clue), and watching a movie (typically Harry Potter).

Hopefully, you have a Merry Christmas and get to participate in your family traditions in one way or another.