Africa!

AFRICA!!!!

Well with that being said, i almost don't even know where to start. I found out in early February that I had been picked to go to Africa for a 3 week study on the growth and spread of certain infectious diseases in 3 impoverished areas. ( I am giving you guys the short version of all this because I actually have to write this up for a real paper, and I am putting that off for as long as I can :) ) My job as the handy dandy undergrad assistant was to log a TON of information and try to somehow keep track of the various diseases we were seeing. I learned so much and even though this technically puts me a semester behind, the experience was definitely worth it.

Without my handy little guide book and stack of notes that somehow managed to end up in Amsterdam ( I need that stuff Johanna), I really can't go into much detail because I tend to butcher African names, cities, and customs...but I digress.

Needless to say I saw some pretty extreme conditions that really put perspective on the things I complain about day to day. I'm not saying I'm going to stop complaining, but I will definitely feel really guilty when I do. I kid, we saw several great organizations that are trying to help, and things are slowly but surely getting done. I hope to go volunteer at some point, to go and help, not just observe, but this experience was one I will never forget. (that sounds really cheesy, I know)

Oh, P.S. sorry I have no real pictures, it seems that 4 memory cards worth of Africa pictures some how walked away from me, I am thinking somewhere between South Africa and New York (that really narrows it down)
I really really really wanted to cry when I couldn't find them, but I am hoping my good pal Johanna will email me some of hers! (hint hint)

Back and fun surprises!

I just had to pop in and officially congratulate Carrie Underwood on being invited to join the Grand Ole Opry! As many of you know I just got back from Africa, so to get back to the states and turn on T.V, literally for the first time in almost a month and see Randy Travis asking Carrie to join the Opry tonight was awesome! I am going to try to get tickets to the May 10 show ( her official induction). But just wanted to mention it and say way to go Carrie!

As for regular blogging I am back, and have lots of fun adventures to share, so hopefully when my sleep schedule levels out, I will feel like telling them!

Opry

Stunning!

I hate this song

I hate this song....but this is just cool... a little anoying...but cool

Carrie Underwood and Keith Urban "Umberella"

Just a note

Wow totally broken my new years resolution about blogging, but I swear I will be better about it. I actually have several blogs written, just not on the computer. I am finally trying to get back to my original purpose of writing for the hell of it, trying to keep my thoughts organized instead of jumbled in my brain all the time. Hopefully I can start coming up with some more thought provoking or at least intelligent blog topics to share.


Thanks to those who emailed and let me know you were checking out the blog ( I'm not sure why cause I have read back over some of these things, and I may have been drunk for a few of them...lol), so to you guys that care (actually quite a few of you evidently) I will hopefully be around finally typing some stuff up!

Side note, the new Carrie Underwood video is great in all its cheesy, goofyness! She plays it well and its a great side to her, I'll accept the cheap made video for this one if they promise to go alllll out for the "Just a Dream" video!

Sorry

Wow, I definitely have been a blogging slacker as of late, but never fear, my resolution was to blog on a fairly regular basis...(not setting the bar too high...lol).


On this fine Friday night/Saturday morning I have to give mad props to my Redskins who have gotten into the playoffs!!!!


ESPN and the NFL network are both saying the Skins can beat Seattle...so that worries me a little....generally we do better as the underdogs...but whatever.

Lets go REDSKINS!!!!!

Phenomenal!

Sorry for the lack of posts as of late, but I have been running around like a crazy person for the last month or so....


Anyways I just had to post this tonight, because I just watched a Carrie Underwood performance that once again blew me away!

She sang "The Sound of Music" for the Movies Rock special, and her interpretation of this song, along with an unbelievable vocal just bowled me over. She sang it in an almost melancholy way, not joyful the way Julie Andrews seemed to in the movie, but it made me look at the song in a whole new way. Just like when she sang "Desperado" at the Grammies last year. The way she handled this one got me thinking about how the words kinda sound like a person longing for comfort and home of the hills, and I had never ever gone there before.

Anyways enjoy for yourself, and I am interested to hear what you all think! ( I know the 6 of you that were watching it with me already feel the way I do...lol)

Sound of Music

NOVA Special

Beautiful science at work. PBS did a wonderful special on the Dover Trial. It is very informative and a great view of what happened.


Check it out!

Oh Happy Day!!!

Yay for new music! Not only did I pick up a copy of my most anticipated album of like ever, Miss Carrie Underwood, but I also grabbed the new one from Gary Allan, and Alison Krauss/Robert Plant. I haven't had time to listen to the latter two yet, but Carrie's I have been listening too for like a week. I absolutly love it. I will post my thoughts on all these later when I have time!

Oh and p.s if you get the Carrie CD from Target you get the DVD bonus with acoustic songs...we all know how much I freaking love anything Carrie Underwood does acoustically, so this is a real treat! Target Exclusive

Gary Allan

Alison Krauss

Carnival Ride Clips!!!!

Arista just posted clips from all the songs on Carrie Underwood's new album!!!!!

This is going to be an AMAZING CD!!!!

Carnival Ride

Check them out!

Just from the clips I can tell I am going to love this CD.

Brad Paisley Concert

Well, I am a little ashamed of myself...I went to this concert with every intention to focus and create a great review to share with the blogosphere, but...... I pulled a Kenny Chesney concert and got wayyyy too drunk and had wayyyy too much fun to focus on the details.

The details I do have are....

1. Rodney Adkins is really good! I enjoy a few of his songs, he really works a big crowd well and got us all pumped up for Brad.

2. I missed Taylor Swifts show (beer line was indeed really really long...so were the bathrooms), but her presence brings out shifty creepy old men who worship her....Its frightening.

3. Brad plays the heck out of his guitar. I love it!

4. Lights, video, and a great band, help Brad reach us way in the back! (It was just as cool a show from general admission on the hill as it was for 8th row seats last year!)

All in all I had a blast thanks to my amazing friends and good ole Bud Light!

She's gone and done it again!

Hey all, sorry no concert review yet, I've been a bit busy. But in the midst of all the craziness a bit of beautiful music was thrown my way last night.

I was at work, streaming the Grand Ole Opry, and my girl Carrie Underwood was playing. Of course she was amazing, vocals were spot on even through a bit of water choking (hate when it goes down the wrong hole). Anyways she did her usual thing, sang So Small, and then out of no where she throws in the gospel song How Great Thou Art. Now I love this song so the thought of arguably my favorite artist in the world singing it thrilled me to no end. I love, love, loved it. Just when I think I can't be more impressed with this girl (I know I've said that before), she goes and throws something in there that knocks me on my ass.

Anyways I was trolling the fan sites this morning and found where someone had recorded the stream. (Thanks to whoever got that!)

So here is her amazing How Great Thou Art and then the full Carrie Underwood Opry Performance.

Definitely worth checking out to brighten your day!

Brad Paisley Concert

Tomorrow I will be headed to NOVA (northern Virginia for all of you who have no clue what I'm talking about) to see Brad Paisley in concert. I saw him last year with Carrie Underwood and they were both amazing. Brad puts on a GREAT show and I am excited to see what he has in store for us this weekend. I think Kelly Pickler and Taylor Swift are still opening for him, so that should be interesting, if I make it up from the beer line in time ( i kid i kid).


I'll try to write up my first formal concert review when I get back on Sunday so stay tuned and have a great weekend everyone!

No Time

Sorry for the lack of updates as of late...(I'm sure all 17 of my "regular" readers are gravely concerned...lol, not to mention the hundreds of readers who stop by just because I throw Carrie Underwood's name in a blog :) )

anyways....I have quite a few posts coming up that go into detail about some great country acts that I currently love (and no it has nothing to do with Carrie Underwood this time), and some fun science that I have been working on and researching for class (fun fun). so there should be a fairly large update on the way!


also, a big thank you to Kevin at Country Universe for his shout out! He writes an excellent blog on all things country music, so definitely check it out!

Also congrats to Josh Turner who just got asked to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry,
I have been a fan of his music for a while now ( how can you not love that voice) so this is a great honor for him!

Carrie Underwood New Video

The video for "So Small" is finally here!!!

Its a great way to expound upon the moving message of the song. Puts things into perspective thats for sure!

Buy it on Itunes now!

Watch on CMT Loaded

http://www.cmt.com/videos/carrie-underwood/175952/so-small.jhtml

Gary Allan

Yay for me! I got tickets to see Gary Allan in concert next Thursday! I have always loved his music so this should be really fun to see him live!

Ellen Degeneres

Since I have no time as of late to form coherent thought processes or intelligent thought provoking blog topics, I am just sitting back and not thinking for a while, watching a great stand up routine from Ellen Degeneres...she is hilarious. Enjoy!

Pam Tillis

Well I was sitting in the library today, listening to my ipod when "Down by the Water" from Pam Tillis's new album Rhinestoned came through the shuffle. Now I got this cd because of a great recommendation from Kevin at Country Universe, and I haven't been disappointed.

But anyways, I have over 8000 songs on my ipod, and usually listen to different play lists I have made which usually have about 1000 or so songs each, makes listening to it like a great radio with no crappy repeats every 20 minutes that I don't want. It often means a long wait between songs that fit the perfect moment, or spark the perfect memory. As it so happed while listening to this song I couldn't help but be reminded of the wonderful weekend I will be having "down by the water", and all the fun I so desperately need to be having with friends. The words of this song almost sound like the singer has had a very brief fling "down by the water", and I have to say after the week I've had I wouldn't mind one of those either ( I wouldn't even mind if he left me alone) :) . Down By the Water
Great song, from a great artist, and here's to a Great Labor Day weekend!

P.S its not as dirty as it sounds...the fling just "talked" down by the water ;)

Science is Awesome

This is just too precious to pass up!
Animal Behaviour
Volume 74, Issue 2, August 2007, Pages 183-188
Abstract

Biologist Martin Edvardsson postulates that female Callosobruchus maculatus (Bruchid Beatles) mate when they are thirsty. Basically in a nutshell (no pun intended)the male ejaculate contains enough water and nutrients for the female to replenish if they are dehydrated. He goes on to discuss whether or not the trade off of nutrients to the female compensate for the pain of mating. Now I say the "pain" of mating, because evidently the male Callosobruchus maculatus has a very large and spiny (yes I said spiny) reproductive organ, that tears the reproductive tract of the female when copulating.



Now tell me what other major would encourage you to read fun facts like this? I love science!

New Carrie Album!

Well we finally have the news, Carrie Underwood is going to make me very happy on October 23!

carrieunderwood.fm

Nashville, TN – Two-time GRAMMY winner and reigning CMA and ACM Female Vocalist Carrie Underwood is preparing to release her new 19 Recordings/Arista Records/Arista Nashville album, Carnival Ride, on October 23.

With first single, “So Small,” already a country airplay Top 10 after only four weeks, the Checotah, Oklahoma native who went from college student to American Idol winner to six-million-selling, multi-format superstar in less than three years has clearly been on an adventure ride of her own.

In choosing the album title, Underwood found Carnival Ride (taken from a lyric line in the new disc) to be a great metaphor. She explains, “You step onto this ride called life, and it’s a crazy thing you don’t know anything about, but you get on it anyway. You do what you can to lean different directions to try and get it to go where you want it to go, but you can’t stop it – it just keeps moving. That’s why Carnival Ride works as my album title, because it describes the wonderful craziness that I’ve been through over the past couple years.”

Underwood’s debut disc, Some Hearts, was released on November 15, 2005 and spent a remarkable 27 weeks at #1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart, holding that position across multiple weeks in 2005, 2006, and 2007. Currently 6x Platinum, and with SoundScan sales in excess of 1.2 million copies this year alone, Some Hearts remains the best-selling country album of 2007.


It is also available for pre order on amazon.com!