Don't Go Breaking My Heart...

Not much makes me happier than a good list. In the interest of making me happy and to provide you with something to read, I have compiled a list of some of my FAVORITE break up songs of all time. I had intended on dedicating each song to a past boyfriend or ex-friend, but fortunately there are more songs than failed relationships in my life so I went ahead a made a few playlists. So click on over to the videos and dedicate one to someone from your past today.

Top 5 Angry Break Up Songs
This one goes out to Matthew Johnson who broke up with me in an email Sophomore year and got engaged three months later.

5.These Boots were Made for Walking//Nancy Sinatra
"You keep lying when you ought to be truthin'/ you keep losing when you ought to not bet/ You keep samein' when you ought to be changin'/ Now what's right is right/ but you ain't been right yet"
Listen Here

4.You Oughta Know//Alanis Morissette
"It was a slap in the face how quickly I was replaced/ Are you thinking of me when your (with) her?"
Listen Here

3.No Children //The Mountain Goats
"I hope that our few remaining friends/ Give up on trying to save us/ I hope we come out with a fail-safe plot/ To piss off the dumb few that forgave us"
Listen Here

2.Song for the Dumped//Ben Folds Five
"Give me my money back, you b---ch/ I want my money back/ And don't forget to give me back my black T-shirt."
Listen Here

1.Call Tyrone//Erykah Badu
"I think you'd better call Tyrone/ And tell him come on help you get your sh--/ You need to call Tyrone Hold on/ But you can't use my phone."
Listen Here


5 Songs for When You Just Know It's Over
This one goes out to Andrew Duffle who I dumped between classes in the cafeteria b/c I heard he made out with this girl on a band trip. He later told me that was the worst day of his life.

5.It’s Not Right,But It’s Okay//Whitney Houston
"Pack your bags up and leave/ Don't you dare come running back to me/ It's not right but it's okay/ I'm gonna make it anyway/ Close the door behind you/ Leave your key/ I'd rather be alone than unhappy"
Listen Here

4.It's Too Late//Carol King
"And it's too late, baby, now it's too late/ Though we really did try to make it/ Something inside has died/ And I can't hide and I just can't fake it"
Listen Here

3.Don't Speak//No Doubt
"It's all ending/ I gotta stop pretending who we are.../You and me I can see us dying...are we?"
Listen Here

2.I will Always Love You//Dolly Parton
"Good-bye, oh, please don't cry/ Cause we both know that Im not/ What you need"
Listen Here

1.Don't Think Twice//Bob Dylan
"I ain't sayin' you treated me unkind/ You could have done better but I don't mind/ You just kinda wasted my precious time."
Listen Here



5 Songs to Help You Navigate the Post Break-Up Emotional Roller Coaster
This one goes out to R.J. Atchley who I dated twice, loved never, but who had me convinced my life was over after we broke up for the last time over the high school pay phone before firt period.

5.Ex Factor//Lauryn Hill
"It could all be so simple/ but you'd rather make it hard/ loving you is like a battle/ and we both end up with scars/ tell me, who i have to be/ to get some reciprocity/ no one loves you more than me/ and no one ever will"
Listen Here

4.Everybody Knows//John Legend
"I still can’t believe you found somebody new/ But I wish you the best, I guess./ ‘Cause everybody knows, that nobody really knows/ How to make it work, or how to ease the hurt"
Listen Here

3.The Winner Takes It All//ABBA
"I don't wanna talk/ About the things we've gone through/ Though it's hurting me/ Now it's history/ I've played all my cards/ And that's what you've done too/ Nothing more to say/ No more ace to play"
Listen Here

2.Not 'gon Cry//Mary J. Blige
"Eleven years out of my life/ Besides the kids I have nothing to show/ Wasted my years - a fool of a wife/ I should have left your ass long time ago."
Listen Here

1.She’s Got You//Patsy Cline
"I've got your picture that you gave to me/ And it's signed "with love," just like it used to be/ The only thing different, the only thing new/ I've got your picture, she's got you"
Listen Here

INTERACT: I could go all day, but I would LOVE to hear YOUR favorite break-up songs. Leave 'em in the comments!

a bed for the night

I ran across this on another blog today and I thought it for me: "This here is a relaxed, slow-moving weblog. It ain't one o' them hyperactive updated-all-the-time weblogs. Slow down a little."



Speaking of slowing down. I am leading a local Service: Spring Break "trip" to Fort Worth focusing on the issue of Homelessness. The idea is that these days off from classes are PRIME TIME to really dig deep into an issue in our city. We plan on doing a full imersion experience with some service and meetings with the city and LOTS of hang out time in the Homeless District. I've a got a faculty member on board and a GREAT student leader, so I think it will be pretty great and one of those life changing kinda things.

In compiling some readings for the participant curricullum- I re-ran across the following poem and I thought you might be interested to ponder on its words as well:


A BED FOR THE NIGHT

I hear that in New York
At the corner of 26th Street and Broadway
A man stands every evening during the winter months
And gets beds for the homeless there
By appealing to passers-by.

It won't change the world
It won't improve relations among men
It will not shorten the age of explotation
But a few men have a bed for the night
For a night the wind is kept from them
The snow meant for them falls on the roadway.

Don`t put down the book on reading this, man.

A few people have a bed for the night
For a night the wind is kept from them
The snow meant for them falls on the roadway
But it won't change the world
It won't improve relations among men
It will not shorten the age of exploitation.

- Bertold Brecht

INTERACT: Are giving and serving related to social change?
How can we become better givers?
Should we try to identify with the people we want to serve?
What does mercy have to do with justice? How should they be related?
What prevents us from being compassionate?

sometimes they all run together

In case you missed the State of the Union or zoned out during the speech, I have created a Word Cloud JUST for you using the transcript of the speech:




Or you can read it yourself HERE.

I always like hearing about individual stories of real people -like Kathy Proctor seeking to inspire her children by going back to college. (If you follow me on twitter, you've already seen what I think are the hoghlights). But in the interest of full disclosure, I also zone out from time to time in long speeches.

But then again, moments like these THESE in this clip make curling up with a cup of hot tea and a blanket and listening to our President really exciting. Perhaps next year I will write/record my OWN "State of the Melon" and post it on the blog for all to tweet about, discuss, tear apart, etc. Who's gonna volunteer to post a response?

a handmade holiday...

Happy New Year, friends! I hope December treated you well. Since one of my new year's resolutions is ALWAYS to spend the time to MAKE more things, I thought I would remind myself (and you at home) of some of the handmade gifts I gave this past holiday. You know, to like...remind me that I have fun when I'm making.

This year it snowed on Christmas so I thought it was fitting that most of my handmade gifts were accessories that help with the cold:

a knitted infinity scarf for M.K. It's a long circle scarf that you can wear tons of different ways (just google it)...


this scarf for my boss. You know how I LOVE color...


another infinity scarf for my cousin, Sandra. (Daniel offered to model for me...)



and for the boyfriend- I made what we are affectionately calling: the "infinity" hat.
It turns out that a HUGE hat can be worn A LOT of ways!

look number 1: (there were SO MANY, but I will only bore you with a few...


look number 2: we're calling this pope meets cat in the hat...


look number 3: JT trying to look like Sway...


look number 4: He likes this one..


You know I had to try it out myself...

paper coffee cups are red again & my mom is buying presents

It is tradition in our extended family that we "turn our Christmas lists in" by the evening of Thanksgiving or we don't get any presents. For me, (since I haven't been home for Thanksgiving since 2005 -until this year!!) that usually means I rack my brain ALL day and send my mom and/or aunts sporadic texts and emails requesting whatever combination of items I need and/or want that will fit into my luggage for the return trip. I like surprises so I try to make my list longer than it has to be. Since I'm too big and too creeped out to sit on the mall Santa's lap, I thought I would post my list here of my reasonable//usual//impossible Christmas wants for the 2010 Season (for my mom's reference and your enjoyment of course).

DISCLAIMER: Now before you go about judging us on our consumerism and touting on in your head about the "reason for the season," etc, :) there are some things you should know about our family: 1.My grandfather LOVED presents and watching us open them, and I think in our own ways we still perform for him each Christmas- getting and giving gifts and posing for photos with all our spoils. 2.We have an elaborate system of gift giving that includes high levels of communication between cousins, aunts & uncles, and the matriarch, grandma- all with aunt jeni keeping the records in her pocket book! I really like when I get to see my family in action, thinking about each other regularly and sharing shopping days and wish lists, learning how individual interests have grown and changed over the year. It's a hyped up version of how close we all are already. 3.There is so much about our Christmas that truly points to the love that exudes from the "reason for the season" and while we are cutting back a little on gifts this year (to adopt an angel family) and I am trying give handmade (mostly) this season- I still really like presents. :)

NOW- on to a few highlights from the list:

The old Stand by calendar
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This book (get on amazon, Mom, & save some money)


Some boots to keep me warm AND professional

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Pretty accessories for my head
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This ENTIRE outfit-

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Gift Cards (Lane Bryant//Old Navy//Joann Fabrics//Subway//Starbucks//Hobby Lobby//Books-a-million) you can't go wrong.
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THIS-
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Movies & Shows!! Oh my!




Tights and leggings in bright colors!!






Flip UltraHD
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Snow...


And something a little simpler...


Just a few things that I'm interested in this Holiday Season.

INTERACT: What's on YOUR Christmas list this year?