Human Racing

A wonderful fact to reflect upon, that every human creature is constituted to be that profound secret and mystery to every other. A solemn consideration, when I enter a great city by night, that every one of those darkly clustered houses encloses its own secret; that every beating heart in the hundreds of thousands of breasts there, is, in some of its imaginings, a secret to the heart nearest it! - Charles Dickens, in A Tale of Two Cities

I absolutely love this quote, not to mention this novel. I often think about how strange it is that there are SO many people in the world, so many that my mind can't even fathom the sheer numbers of them, and I will only know a tiny, tiny fraction of them.

I love people. I love our strange idiosyncrasies, our weird habits, our individual reactions to joy or disaster, and how everyone is vastly different from everyone else. Two people can look alike, even be identical, but their insides are still as different as night and day. Of course, everyone has similarities; there are just too many people for that not be. But I just think it is fascinating that there are millions and millions and MILLIONS of individual human beings living their lives on this earth. Everyone has their own beating heart, inflating lungs, blinking eyes, favorite breakfast food, private fears, sentimental memories, and preferred way of eating a taco, to name a few. Every person on this earth is worthwhile, and I agree with what Andy Warhol said: "I think everybody should like everybody".

One of the reasons I love being in cities so much is I love seeing the pure variety of people. Sometimes the place I live seems more like a loaf of Wonderbread than the "Great melting pot" America has been labeled as, so I love traveling and seeing cities for the new perspective it offers. Some people are short-tempered, some are spectacularly attractive, some are good with babies, some are shopaholics, some are great cooks, some lack any modicum of patience, and some are all of these things. But we are all people. We all came from the union of sperm and ovary. We all were born, and we will all die. We're all different, but we're also all the same. Like Depeche Mode said, "People are people." And I think that's beautiful.

Me + Andrew Vanwyngarden= Twins

So just now, I was surfing blogs, minding my own business, when I stumbled upon this picture of MGMT on Stereogum's "Most Overrated Bands of 2008" list:

I was about to leave the site when I took a closer look at what Andrew Vanwyngarden was wearing. It made me double take. Because the colorful vest he is sporting in that picture... I also own. I wear it all the time. Finding out you have a similar fashion sense to one half of the vastly overrated psychedelic duo that is MGMT is a bit like discovering an unlikely musical duet (Cyndi Lauper/The Hives, Jack White/Alicia Keyes, etc)- You are pleased, but also somewhat disturbed.

Things I Love

As of today, December 9th 2008, these are some things that I love:
Sushi
Road trips
Sprinkles
Lost
Lemon tea
Little cottages
Squash soup
Victorian architecture
Chap stick
Freckles
Cities/downtown
Tights
Rompers
Other cultures
Hats
The ocean
Majestic trees
Artistic fashion spreads
Foreign films
Raspberries
Weeping willows
Download: Stars-The Woods

I 8 Too Much

I love dumb surveys. And I think all this snow is Beautiful!!!
8 TV shows that I watch:
1. LOST
2. Grey's Anatomy
3. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
4. America's Next Top Model
5. Family Guy
6. Private Practice
7. Gossip Girl
8. The Colbert Report

8 Things that I did yesterday:
1. Went to Arabic class
2. Read my journal from 9-10th grade and was thoroughly entertained
3. Ate granola and had a supernerd Buffy discussion
4. Watched a girl make a big scene when one of the 5 guys she was flirting with spilled juice all over her
5. Watched the movie Closer, which was funny and sad and had Clive Owen (!)
6. Got depressed by the ending of the book Memory Keeper's Daughter
7. Listened to the album Sun, Sun, Sun by The Elected
8. Added approximately 1,000,000 old friends on Facebook

8 Things that I am looking forward to
1. Winter Break!
2. Andrew Bird/Loney Dear show in February
3. The LOST premiere
4. Going to the library downtown (I LOVE that place.)
5. Selling my books for money
6. Being done with my Arabic project and final
7. The Mirah show in March
8. Watching Prince Caspian tomorrow with my bf!
Download: Eisley-The Winter Song

My Blog Name

It took me a long, long time to decide on a blog name, but I finally decided on Selling Secrets to the Russians because Xmas Cake is one of my favorite Rilo Kiley songs. The first time I heard it, I was awestruck. It just floored me. I teared up. My heart was pounding. I still listen to it all the time, and it's been a good two years since I discovered it! It has beautiful harp, little touches like the "fa la la la"'s, beautiful beautiful lyrics, and Jenny's voice sounds wonderful.

Download Here: Rilo Kiley-Xmas Cake

Here are the lyrics:
"It's almost Christmas"
When I take off my make-up, I look old and defeated
I'm not so dangerous
Cry into my Christmas cake
Staring holes into me all night
You should just give up
Because our love's become
Selling secrets to the Russians
They don't need
The cold war is on between you and me

25 years old and a bachelor's degree
Your parents helped out with graduation fees
The loans were never enough
The credit cards are calling your bluff
Hold your hand, cut them up, move away
Or you'll be paying them off until your kids grow up
And do the same

There's no more running water
Wrapping presents in the dark
Move into your car
Change where you park
Too bad that job caroling department stores fell through
But the new year is right in front of you

Cry into your Christmas cake
Don't know what else to do
Don't know what else to do
(Fa la la fa la la la la)

I fear I'm going deaf
I've got some sense left
Give up some more to be with you
(Oh)
Because what good is seeing if love's not looking back at you?
(Ah)
And what good is feeling if my hands aren't touching you?

And another angel came down
He was wearing only a cloud
He said, "Sew up the bad that you've done
Tomorrow, Christmas day comes"
(Christmas day)

Cry into your Christmas cake
Don't know what else to do
Cry into your Christmas cake
Don't know what else to do
The new year's right in front of you
(Fa la la fa la la la la)

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Trailer

This movie looks way cool! It's based on an F. Scott Fitzgerald book about a man who ages backwards. And... Arcade Fire. Enough said.

Omg! LOST Sneak Peek!

The chub at the beginning is dumb but the rest is way interesting! Time IS the essence.

And here's two minutes of the new season!

Envy

I wish I looked like Jenny Lewis. That's all.

My Favorite Albums of 2008!

1- Jenny Lewis- Acid Tongue.
As Jenny is my dearest hero, this probably seems obvious. But I truly, truly loved this album. Jenny has always had an incredibly versatile voice, whether it's screaming (A Town Called Luckey), yodeling (Gravity), singing barely above a whisper (A Better Son/Daughter), soaring (I Never) or aching (About the Moon). On this record she shows even more sides of her, from singing in a high, high key (Black Sand) to yelling out in a sultry manner (The Next Messiah). I REALLY want Rilo Kiley back, but this will certainly do for now!

2- Lykke Li- Youth Novels.
I first heard Ms. Li over the summer, and was instantly in love. I am a sucker for Swedish music as it is, but she is just amazing. Her songs are insanely catchy, and her voice coos and soars, sometimes a yelp and sometimes a whisper. This album never fails to put me in a better mood, and that's valuable.

3- She & Him- Volume One.
Ah, She & Him. Zooey and Matt are quite the dynamic duo on this album! Zooey Deschenal's beautiful voice (which everyone first heard on Elf), is the perfect compliment to M. Ward's lovely guitar. My favorite thing about this album is how old it sounds. I'm a sucker for retro music, whether it's 20s, 30s, 70s or 80s and She & Him have such a timeless sound.

4- Death Cab for Cutie- Narrow Stairs.
My favorite Death Cab album will always be Transatlanticism, but this album is really quite great. It isn't nearly as accessible as Plans, which I think is a good thing. It is more reminiscent of Something About Airplanes, which I also love. So that's good. More clever lyrics and metaphors abound this time around, from the symbolism of the remainder in "Long Division" to the sad metaphor in "Your New Twin-Sized Bed". Ben's voice sounds as good as ever, and the melodies are perfect. Seeing the album performed live was truly a treat.

5- Duffy- Rockferry.
Another thing I'm a sucker for is soul music (see Amy Winehouse, Nikka Costa, Adele, Ella Fitzgerald, etc) so I knew I would like this before I even heard it. Duffy apparently was a runner-up on Welsh American Idol, and I bet the judges are kicking themselves now. She has a great ear for hooks, and a great smoky voice!

6- Islands- Arm's Way.
The Unicorns (RIP) and now The Islands have always enchanted me, with their quirky songs and bizarre, dark lyrics, and this album didn't disappoint. I still like Return to Sea better, but Arm's Way was by no means a disappointment. My favorite song is probably "Creeper", with it's funky guitar and eerie vocals, but they're all good, really!

7- Kate Nash- Made of Bricks.
Another one of my vices is female British singers (Lily Allen anyone?) and I LOVE Kate Nash. She has really funny, honest lyrics. For example: "I use mouthwash, sometimes I floss, I've got a family and I drink cups of tea"- Mouthwash. She can be a little bitter at times, with songs like "A is for Asthma and Annoying" and "I Hate Seagulls", but I like a little bitter. I also love music I can identify with, therefore I love this.

8- Right Away, Great Captain!- The Eventually Home.
The RAGC! albums are a 3 part series that are basically the musings of a sailor at sea. I think when concept albums work, they REALLY work, and this is an example of that. The music is really beautiful: sometimes angry, sometimes lonely, sometimes light-hearted, and I think it probably captures the sea life well, not that I would know. It distantly reminds me of Bright Eyes, which is always good. (Note: This is the cover of their first album, because there are NO photos of the new one to be had!)

9- Vampire Weekend- Vampire Weekend.
Vampire Weekend is by far the most over-hyped band in the history of the world, or at least the blogosphere, but all that hype is there for a reason. Their tunes are insanely catchy, and even when I tried to avoid them... I couldn't. They write blissful afro-pop, with strings and yearning voices and references to the East Coast. I've lived in Boston, New Jersey and Virginia so it was fun to hear songs about Cape Cod, for example, and have childhood memories come to the surface of my thoughts.

10- Bon Iver- For Emma, Forever Ago.
This album was written and recorded in a little cabin in the woods, and it shows. It is simple but it pierced my soul. The vocals are very nice, and I like to picture a little hut with smoke coming out of the chimney and a gorgeous male voice echoing out of it and through the surrounding forest, and little forest animals gathering around to listen. But that's just me.

Anyway, those are my 10 favorite albums of this year. 2007 was a better year for music, I'd say, but this one was still great.

I also loved these CDs: Honorable Mentions (In no particular order):
MGMT- Oracular Spectacular
Mates of State- Re-Arrange Us
Fleet Foxes- Fleet Foxes
Tilly & The Wall- O
Coldplay- Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends
Department of Eagles- In Ear Park
Broken Social Scene Presents: Brendan Canning- Something for All of Us
Conor Oberst & The Mystic Valley Band- Conor Oberst
Hot Chip- Made in the Dark
Cat Power- Jukebox
Destroyer- Trouble in Dreams
Born Ruffians- Red, Yellow & Blue
Of Montreal- Skeletal Lamping