For me, music is a must when working out. Without it, I can’t get motivated–my feet don’t leave the ground, the weights don’t leave the floor…and I probably don’t leave the couch.
Working at a fitness-centric mag, there are always music swaps going around and I’m always finding new pump-up songs I love. I recently moved to an apartment close to the river (with a killer view), so I’ve been beefing up my playlist with new tunes to motivate me during morning or post-work runs. Here’s what I’m loving (warning: Beyonce coming your way).
If you’ve spent oh…five minutes here on this blog, then you’re probably in on the worst kept secret in the world: I love to cook. I love food, I love cooking, I love spending time in the kitchen. I love how it de-stresses me and makes me feel happy, I love how it helps me make other people happy. I’m pretty sure I have a 70-year-old Italian grandmother living inside of me and I’m totally OK with that (note: I realize that was a lot of love).
There’s one sort of strange thing I do when I cook, and that’s listen to old foreign music. It could be Italian (or Italian-American) or French (it doesn’t totally matter), I just love how it makes me feel like a little Julia Child…or something? Jeez. Are you still with me? In that case, you deserve a reward. Here’s a pretty nice cooking playlist:
I alluded to it last month, and truth be told, this is the Valentine’s Day post I’ve been looking forward to the most! There’s not a broken heart or a budding romance that music doesn’t help, so why not make a playlist for both sets this Valentine’s Day? Honestly, I’m not above belting out a great version of Since You’ve Been Gone in the shower (very out of tune, I might add) and one of the love songs is my absolute favorite karaoke tune–see if you can guess which one! Single, taken, or hanging with the girls this February 14th, I hope you enjoy both of these playlists!
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again–winter is for slow, soft, warm tunes. The more inclined I am to curl up on the couch with a cozy blanket while listening to a song, the better. These playlist posts are always so fun to pull together (I hope you guys like them!), and I found myself listening to this one over and over again at work over the past week–especially “Blood” by The Middle East…I can’t get enough!
In case you’re curious, next month’s feature will be a double-whammy. Let’s just say there will be a little playlist for all you Valentine’s Day lovers out there–and another for those of you who’d rather scream ”Since You’ve Been Gone” (or, OK–any T. Swift breakup song) at the top of your lungs on a little day we like to call February 14.
If you couldn’t tell from all of my playlists (and my incessant concert talk), I’m a huge music geek. I like my music like I like my buffets–a little bit of everything (though none of it can touch on my plate…some weird OCD thing of mine). I could go on and on ranting about my favorites (Bruce, Beatles, Damien Rice, Mumford, Beirut, Dave just to name a few), but I’ll get to the point. I’ve been dying to see Bon Iver–for. like. ever. We’re talking going on two years here, but for some reason it just never fell together.
I was super bummed when I couldn’t make his Radio City concerts last week–until I hit a stroke of good luck and received an invite to a private performance (eek!) for work (<insert insanely obnoxious happy dance here). Let me tell you, they’re phenominal live. Justin Vernon (the band’s front man) plays with this incredible, infections passion and talent just oozes out of every member in the zillion-piece band. Considering nothing I say can really do them justice, I figured it’d be best to throw together a playlist of my favorite songs for those of you who may not be familiar. You + a cozy blanket + a cup of coffee (or hot chocolate, if that’s your thing) + this playlist = bliss. I promise.
Also, we need to talk. The new Mumford and Sons album, Babel, is perfection. Is anyone else listening to it on repeat like me?
As summer comes to a close (sigh…) I’m turning to lazy, slow melodies, unique artists and OK, the occasional indulgent pop song (I’m looking at you Cher Lloyd) to help me celebrate these last sunny days. Check out who I’m listening to, below–I’d love to know what tunes are coming through your iPod speakers–do share!
Whether you’re spending this weekend hitting the beach, BBQ-ing with friends or laying low, enjoy yourself! In honor of the official kick-off to the season, here’s my summer soundtrack.
Sometimes things just pile up and it gets hard to smile your way through certain situations. We’ve all been in that place–you wake up in a bad mood for no apparent reason, the wrong comment sets you off, you get tired of faking it. Today was one of those days (and come to think of it, a couple days last week were too). Lucky for me, I’m surround by an amazing group of friends and family, and a world wide web full of things to make me chuckle. Here are a few things making me happy:
These gorgeous flowers in an amazing,
quirky vase from a sweet friend
I’ve found that I’m slightly schizophrenic when it comes to my music preferences. There are artists that I always turn to (Damien Rice, Bruce, Beatles, etc.) but this playlist is only a small insight into how varying my tastes can be at any given moment (warning: around Jay-Z is where it starts to get weird). Enjoy!
This is where it gets weird, but really Jay and B could do no wrong in my book. I’m even willing to overlook the fact that they named their daughter Blue (big of me, I know.)
Between commuting every day and wandering through the city, I’ve been in need of a new life-soundtrack. When it comes to music, I’m usually an old soul. Nothing makes me feel as great as a little Bruce (Springsteen), Bob (Dylan), and Beatles (John, Paul, Ringo & George). In the middle of the light-hearted summer days and the snowy December nights (which call for Christmas music, naturally), I’ve landed on this November playlist that is receiving constant rotation on my iPod (and iPad and in my car). To me, it’s a perfect way to ease out of fall and into everything that typifies winter; cozy, slow and warm. Enjoy!
