Lists for Fun

[listsforfun]

list::SONGS I'M CURRENTLY ADDICTED TO

SONG, ARTIST 1. Break the Cycle, you+me 2. O Mighty Ones, Incense and Arrows 3. Closer, Bethel Music 4. State of Grace, Taylor Swift 5. This is my Father's World, Gungor

[listsforfun]

list::THINGS ABOUT TODAY THAT JUST FELT RIGHT

1. Talked with my grandparents about general life updates, namely regarding a certain brother of mine who's made some great life changes in the past couple weeks. It was great, and very encouraging. Reminder: Family is priceless.

2. Ate 4 mini apple cider donuts that were handmade in a food truck. Self explanatory. 

3. Wore a white shirt and didn't freak out about trying to keep it clean. Outcome so far....clean shirt! Whew. Anxiety isn't worth it. 

4. Submitted a bio for a new program at work and described myself in three words: Learner, Lighthearted, and Dedicated. I still think those are about right.

5. Sent back an RSVP to a precious wedding that I can't wait to go to! I love it when amazing people decide to stick it out for life and make each other better people. 

[listsforfun]

list::MORE SONGS ON REPEAT

1. Promise I Always Will, Steffany Gretzinger, from her new solo project called "The Undoing"

2. Love is Moving, Audrey Assad, from her latest EP called "Death, Be Not Proud"

3. Mercury, Sleeping at Last, from the album called "Atlas: Year One"

4. Closer, Johnnyswim, from the album called "Diamonds"

[listsforfun]

list::BOOKS CURRENTLY IN PROGRESS (Revisited)

Let's revisit this idea from a few posts ago - basically I'm really good at starting books. Like REALLY good. And not finishing them, or not consistently reading them. But I'd like to revisit the ones that I mentioned previously, plus add more. 

Note: All of these are in progress and I should probably stop buying books. 

1. Lean In, Sheryl Sandberg Update: Finished this, and have mixed feelings about it. Do women need a seat at the table? Yes. Can women have both an amazing family and an amazing job? Sure. Do women (and men, for the record) need to choose which takes priority? Yes. I am not convinced we can, or should, have both. 

2. Rich Dad, Poor Dad, Robert Kiyosaki Update: Haven't made it any further on this. 

3. The Compound Effect, Darren Hardy Update: Also no progress.....though I didn't have it in DC, so....out of sight, out of mind? 

4. Counterfeit Gods, Tim Keller Update: Mmmmmmm no update. 

5. How an Economy Grows and Why it Crashes, Peter Schiff  Update: Yep, haven't touched it. 

6. Smart People Should Build Things, Andrew Yang This is an amazing idea, and I really really am looking forward to reading it! One day....

7. Think Like A Freak, Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner So far, I love it! I can't wait to continue it. 

8. How to Worship A King, Zach Neese A recommendation from a couple friends, haven't actually started it yet! But I am definitely looking forward to it.

So. Clearly I have a problem. This doesn't even include books I've received for free and also want to read. Why is there not a designated study hour in the midst of my work day so I can read? 

[listsforfun]

list::BANDS YOU SHOULD KNOW

1. NONONO, from Sweden

2. The Royal Concept, also Sweden

3. Broods, from New Zealand

4. WE ARE TWIN, from Sri Lanka via Germany

[listsforfun]

list::PETS WE WANT IN OUR HOUSE

1. A female platypus. Male platypi are poisonous. 

2. A pet skunk. "You can get them de-skunked and they're super fun!"

3. Zebra. Downside: They bite. 

4. Meerkat. No downside. They hug each other. 

5. A loris. Don't know what that is? Slow Loris is super cute. 

6. Mumtjac Deer. The size of a house cat, super affectionate. What's not to love? Oh wait, it has an excessive chewing habit. 

7. A spotted genet. Fierce looking, and likely to scare away creepers that are trying to steal bikes in our neighborhood. Only problem...they're not cuddlers. They're "not mentally built for it?" 

8. A hedgehog. 

[listsforfun]

list::SONGS I CAN'T STOP LISTENING TO

1. Death, Be Not Proud, Audrey Assad

2. Problem, Iggy Azalea

3. The Way We Touch, WE ARE TWIN

4. Multipled, Needtobreathe

5. Take the World, Johnnyswim

6. Love Like You've Never Been Hurt, Orion, Hedvig

[listsforfun]

list::THINGS THAT HAPPEN AT WORK ALL THE TIME

1. A good 10% of our conversations are about Starbucks, the Starbucks app, and the Starbucks rewards program. 

2. We quote Brian Regan. Literally 5 out of 10 people (yes, that's 50%) know his stuff, which is surprising! We live it up.

3. We share Spotify suggestions. They are awesome and frequent. The best recommendation-to-date: the Veggie Tales Christmas album. 

4. Food truck fiesta. We love food, and are conveniently located near food trucks; therefore, we have intense conversations about food quality, quantity, unit price, safety of food trucks, sanitation, music selections played by said food trucks, food truck lotteries, etc. It's a big deal. 

5. Snack debates. Yes, we have a limited monthly budget for snacks and often have to huddle up to make sure we've considered all options and appease everyone's appetite. It became significantly more difficult when we had to accommodate a Paleo-dieter, but...we manage.

6. We talk about the deadliness of animals, namely....bears, black widows, sharks, snakes, velociraptors, etc.

[listsforfun]

list::SONGS I LOVE LATELY

1. Dark Horse, Katy Perry

2. New Song, Audrey Assad

3. That's Alright, Laura Mvula

4. I Want Crazy, Hunter Hayes

5. Say Something, A Great Big World

6. Feeling Good, Michael Buble

7. My All in Thee, Young Oceans

8. Byegone, Volcano Choir

9. Reason to Sing, All Sons & Daughters

10. The Entire Pitch Perfect Soundtrack

[listsforfun]

list::BOOKS CURRENTLY IN PROGRESS

1. Lean In, Sheryl Sandberg

2. Rich Dad, Poor Dad, Robert Kiyosaki

3. The Compound Effect, Darren Hardy

4. Counterfeit Gods, Tim Keller

5. How an Economy Grows and Why it Crashes, Peter Schiff 

[listsforfun]

list::TOLLS PAID IN ONE DAY

1. Freeway toll on 95 = $4.00

2. Freeway toll on 95 = $8.00

3. Freeway toll on 95 = $4.00

4. Pennsylvania Turn Pike = $2.00

5. New Jersey Turn Pike = $11.80

6. George Washington Bridge = $13.00

7. Random upstate NY auto-charge = $5.00

[listsforfun]

list::ARTISTS I RECOGNIZE IN GREY'S ANATOMY

Yes, I've watched a lot of Grey's Anatomy recently. I love the music they pick for their episodes! I even recognize some of the artists, including: 

1. Joy Williams

2. The Civil Wars

3. Mat Kearney

4. Jars of Clay

5. Switchfoot

I like that.

[listsforfun]

list::THINGS I WISH I HAD KNOWN FOR MY FIRST DAY IN THE OFFICE

Please be aware that these are not meant to be complaints, only observations reminiscent of a long day.

I wish I had known...

1. ...there are two sets of elevators. 

2. ...the logistical location of my desk. I may or may not have walked around the floor...twice.

3. ...the shortcut to the bathroom. The long way may or may not have allowed half the floor track my trek to the restroom with their eyes peering over their cubicles (or so it seemed).

4. ...the logistics of the cafeteria. Nothing like walking to the cafeteria...the long way (noticing a trend here?) and entering through the exit. Even though the nice guy working there said it didn't matter, it mattered to me.

5. ...the incredible view from the office. Had I known the most amazing view would be my constant companion this week, I probably would have gotten more sleep last night. 

6. ...that my boss would be so nice. She literally made everything feel right. 

[listsforfun]

list::THINGS ABOUT THIS WEEK THAT WILL ROCK

This week will potentially mark one of the most exciting weeks of my life. Why? Well, here's the thing. My life continues to change in unexpected but awesome ways, and I'll be embarking on several new things this week. The list that follows is compiled of new things that I'm looking forward to but am somewhat anxious about, and things that I'm comfortable with that are comforting to know will make me happy if all else fails. See if you can guess which category each thing falls into. 

1. I start a new job tomorrow. 

1a. This is the job of my dreams, complete with math, opportunity, challenge, inspiration, and achievement. 

2. I will, within the next two days, be receiving information about signing a lease for a new apartment that my mom and I found during her visit. Everything is filled out, lacking only my signature. 

2a. This week, I will probably be cashing in on good deals so that I can furnish my apartment and work on giving it a character similar to mine. 

3. One of my best friends, Faith, will arrive home on Tuesday. Even though I won't see her until Thursday night/Friday, I love that she's coming home to see that I've adjusted quite well to the East Coast lifestyle. 

4. I get to spend time with my wonderful boyfriend and his family for Thanksgiving, including meeting some of his kin for the first time, and reuniting with some I already know. 

4a. I furthermore get to spend time with Lexi and Nicholas, since they're allowing me to stay with them while I attend training. 

4b. Due to 4a, I furtherestmore get to spend time with Michael. 

5. The Weckers have a grand opening on Wednesday for their restaurant, and I can't wait to hear how it goes! They have put in so much time and work for this week, and I know it will be a week of great moments for them. 

There are more than 5, but...it seems as though I need to stop as I should sleep. 

[listsforfun]

list::DUETS WITH RIHANNA

My last post made me want to revisit all the duets Rihanna's been a part of. Here we go. Upon my findings, I've divided them into two categories: ones you know, and one you've never heard. 

Ones you know:

1. Rihanna with Jay-Z: "Umbrella" 

2. Rihanna with Calvin Harris: "We Found Love"

3. Rihanna with Drake: "What's My Name"

4. Rihanna with Jay-Z and Kanye West: "Run This Town"

5. Rihanna with Coldplay: "Princess of China"

6. Rihanna with Eminem: "Love the Way You Lie"

7. Rihanna with T.I.: "Live Your Life"

8. Rihanna with Ne-Yo: "Hate That I Love You"

9. Rihanna with Jeezy: "Hard"

10. Rihanna with Nikki Minaj: "Fly"

11. Rihanna with Sean Paul: "Break It Off"

12. Rihanna with Kanye West: "All of the Lights"

13. Rihanna with Slash: "Rockstar 101"

Ones you've never heard: (Maybe more appropriately labeled "Ones I've never heard" or "Ones that aren't singles")

1. Rihanna with Vybz Kartel: "You Don't Love Me (No, No, No)"

2. Rihanna with David Guetta: "Who's That Chick?"

3. Rihanna with Stephanie "Stevie" Williams: "Where Do We Go From Here"

4. Rihanna with Elephant Man: "Throw Your Hands Up"

5. Rihanna with J-Status: "There's A Thug in My Life"

6. Rihanna with Drake: "Take Care"

7. Rihanna with Jay-Z, The Edge, and Bono: "Stranded (Haiti Mon Amour)"

8. Rihanna with J-Status: "Should I?"

9. Rihanna with The Lonely Island: "Shy Ronnie 2: Ronnie and Clyde"

10. Rihanna with Kardinal Offishall: "Rush"

11. Rihanna with J-Status and Shontelle: "Roll It"

12. Rihanna with Justin Timberlake: "Rehab"

13. Rihanna with Nikki Minaj: "Raining Men"

14. Rihanna with will.i.am: "Photographs"

15. Rihanna with Memphis Break: "The One"

16. Rihanna with Kardinal Offishall: "Numba 1 (Tide is High)"

17. Rihanna with The-Dream: "Livin' A Lie"

18. Rihanna with "Stand Up To Cancer Artists": "Just Stand Up!"

19. Rihanna with Cory Gunz: "If It's Lovin' That You Want (Part 2)"

20. Rihanna with Shontelle: "The Hotness"

21. Rihanna with Justin Timberlake: "Hole In My Head"

22. Rihanna with J-Statis: "Here I Go Again"

23. Rihanna with David Bisbal: "Hate That I Love You"

24. Rihanna with Hins Cheung: "Hate That I Love You"

25. Rihanna with Fabolous: "First Time"

26. Rihanna with Dwayne Husbands: "Dem Haters"

27. Rihanna with J-Status: "Crazy Little Thing Called Love"

28. Rihanna with Cham: "Boom Boom"

Conclusion: Rihanna does a lot of duets. 

[listsforfun]

list::MYRIADITY

Yes, I know "MYRIADITY" may not be a word, but it seems interesting. Here are some things I'm thinking about: 1. I'm officially making one of my life goals to have a stamp of my signature. 2. Retail/bank hours are horribly inconsiderate and inconvenient for people who have 8-5 jobs. 3. This year, I'll have Thanksgiving dinner closer geographically to the original Thanksgiving meal than ever before. 3a. I hope I see a turkey on Thanksgiving day. 4. I'm feeling guilty about betraying Switchfoot. Before the new Coldplay album came out, I was listening to "Vice Verses" continuously. Now my playlist consists of Coldplay. 5. Rihanna's on a roll with participating in duets lately. The only thing is...she's doubled up with both Nikki Minaj and Chris Martin. She apparently isn't committed to quality, only quantity.

[listsforfun]

list::BLOGS you should read

1. This one.  <Lists for Fun>        Purpose: Funny and informative lists for everyone to enjoy! 

2. Food Blog <Puree & Saute>       Purpose: If you want fun, original ideas for all sorts of foods, check it out!        Latest post: Pumpkin (Pie) Spice Latte

3. Food Blog <Pockett Bites>       Purpose: Creative desserts and meals in a pockett-sized package.       Latest post: Double Chocolate Cranberry Cookies 

4.  Photography Blog <Rachel Marie Photography>        Purpose: Cute, original photography blog with ideas for future photographers. Located in Orange County, CA in case you want to book a shoot.       Latest post: Sneak Peek: Styled Wedding Shoot 

5. Fashion Blog <Thee It Blog>        Purpose: Exposure to new, cutting edge clothing designs, music options, techy gadgets, and more.         Latest post: Thee It iPad Stylus