christmas countdown: #5 - straight no chaser's "12 days of christmas (live)"

This is one of the best a cappella performances ever! And not only that, but it's the most creative Christmas medley...ever!

It's also my #5 favorite Christmas song. The mp3 is pretty great, but you really have to watch the video to get the full effect of the humor.



Straight No Chaser is an all-male a cappella group from Indiana University.

Only 4-1/2 weeks until Christmas! It's really coming!

word wednesday: espresso vs. expresso

It's espresso, not expresso.

christmas countdown: #6 - kt tunstall's "sleigh ride" (+ dave barnes)

Here's another favorite from Hotel Cafe's amazing holiday album. There isn't much you can do with this song, but KT Tunstall really adds a lot to make it even more fun and playful than it already is.



I love the out-of-tune toy piano, the background vocals, the key changes/modulations and most of all KT Tunstall's signature raspy voice.

I also have to mention that Dave Barnes came out with a new Christmas album last week: Very Merry Christmas by Dave Barnes on Amazon.com. I had to buy it because I already love Dave Barnes. I do like the album, but I'm reluctant to recommend that other people buy it too because it's not phenomenal. It has the characteristic Dave Barnes folksy, semi-country, semi-jazzy style which is great, but the songwriting is just okay. But it's worth sampling, so give it a listen if you're interested!

Only 5 1/2 weeks 'til Christmas!

christmas countdown: #7

This entire album is a revelation. The Hotel Café presents... Winter Songs is one of the best holiday compilations with songs by the most awesome indie artists. "Winter Song" by Ingrid Michaelson and Sara Bareilles is my third favorite song from this album.



It's sad, and it's not really about Christmas, but still. I love the harmonies, the cello, the piano and the "bum-bum-bums."

When you listen to the song and get to the 3:50 mark, listen to all that layering -- so beautiful!

Only 6 1/2 weeks until Christmas! :)

word wednesday: deer in head lice

Last week's episode of Modern Family was hilarious! They made fun of Gloria, a character who was born in Colombia and speaks with a Spanish accent and sometimes gets English phrases wrong.

I don't think there's a way to embed videos from Hulu, so click on the link to see the clip!

Gloria Has Enough

Modern Family is a pretty smart and funny show with some really great characters (Manny is my favorite!). Definitely worth picking up if you don't watch it already!

cooking adventures

I've been having a lot of fun cooking this past week. Here are some pictures!

Gomtang (Korean chicken soup)

Strawberry shortcake (I made the whipped cream from scratch, too!)

Roasted brussels sprouts. It was my first time cooking or eating them -- not bad!

Fun!

christmas countdown: #8

Some Christmas songs are meditative, some are funny, some are melancholy, but some are pure, 100% fun! Like Kay Starr's "(Everybody's Waitin' For) The Man With the Bag (Thunderball Mix)" from the very fun Merry Mixmas album.



Listen to that melody! How much fun is that??

Honestly, I've never heard the original version of this song, and maybe it's good too, but I love every beat and every instrument in this song! The horns (or horn sounds - maybe synthesized?) really make this song -- I'll say it again -- FUN!

I admit, it's a little blasphemous -- she's talking about Santa and how "He'll be here / With the answer to the prayer that you've held through the years" ... ehh...

Anyway, everyone loves a fun Christmas song, right? Enjoy!