wave backwards to massachusetts: a moving mix

i start the 22-hour drive down to my new life in orlando tomorrow morning, so i decided to make a mix to start me out on my journey. and why the heck shouldn't i share it with y'all? random comments on select tracks below. enjoy!

listen: HERE

1. the maine - don't stop now

makes me giddy like a schoolgirl. that riiiiiiff.

2. cobra starship - you make me feel

3. ja rule- always on time

believe me, the pimp game is VERY religious.

4. morningwood - best of me

if music ACTUALLY played during my life, this would be perfect for a "screw you" romantic or job-quitting scene.

5. hallelujah the hills - wave backwards to massachusetts

had to include this because it's SO apropos.

6. metric - combat baby

7. black kids - look at me when i rock wichoo

fun lil' ditty about a girl who won't give it up before marriage. hilar!

8. alien ant farm - glow

that "smooth criminal" cover totally ruined this band's street cred, but my friend totally changed my mind about them when she sent me this song in high school.

9. nappy roots - roun' the globe

really, really makes me want to have a glass of purple juice for breakfast.

10. arkells - pullin' punches

11. panic at the disco - that green gentleman

a total 180 from their debut stuff, i don't even think you'd recognize these former pop-punkers aside from brandon urie's kinda distinctive voice.

12. phantom planet - dropped

sooooo catchy.

13. rooney - stay away

sooooo summer.

14. ben kweller - penny on the train track

15. cheap girls - ft. lauderdale

16. eve 6 - rescue

from one of my all-time favorite albums (shut up, i'm serious), this song also has some of the best and subtly dirty lyrics ever: "i professed my love in an animalistic manner, like an endless foreign flick....my subtitles were sick." yah, brah.

17. the ordinary boys - week in week out

18. dj khaled f/ drake, rick ross & lil' wayne - i'm on one

i found out the other day, thanks to some kind twitter friends, that "i'm on one" means "i'm high" or "i'm on drugs". WHITE GIRL PROBLEMS!

19. the parlor mob - can't keep no good boy down

20. lucky boys confusion - hey driver

hey girl...an apple a day won't keep me away.

seriously, could ryan gosling be any more adorable/sexy/flawless etc.? this latest press tour for "crazy stupid love" has just sent me right over the top. the below video was from a lil' while back, but it introduced me to this HILARIOUS blog, fuck yeah! ryan gosling, which features him in hilarious and/or hot photos with ridiculous captions that start with "hey girl". the fact that he thinks this is hilarious makes me love him even more. le sigh.

seriously...IT'S LIKE HE'S PHOTOSHOPPED.

on moving

i’m starting to get used to this.

as i prepare for my 4th move in 5 years, i’m becoming accustomed to the routine: crave a change, find a new place, sell my already inexpensive IKEA furniture for less than i paid for it, start all over, repeat. at 25, while many of my peers are planning weddings and settling down in the suburbs, i feel anything but settled. but for me, i wouldn’t have it any other way.

i saw a segment on the today show recently about two best friends who were separated when one moved to new york city in her 20s. still back in california and attempting to entice her to return after she was heartbroken by a boy, her friend sent her a postcard that read in part, “life is a romantic adventure”. to me, there are few phrases that ring truer. change is scary, yes, but also invigorating. it shakes you up, forces you to dig deep down to begin anew and learn new things about yourself. some might mistake the desire for change as stemming from unhappiness, but nothing could be further from the truth in my experience. i’ll always have an incredible fondness for boston and the time i’ve had here. the people I’ve met, the amazing culture and history, the fantastic restaurants and gorgeous summer days spent strolling through the city. yet, i know that the time has come for me to explore new streets, find new go-to sushi and pizza places, and quite simply, experience another way of life.

sure, I’m trading in crisp new england air for sometimes stifling humidity, a historic victorian home with tons of character for a sleek modern apartment, and vibrant fall foliage for insects of all shapes, sizes, and colors. but, in my estimation, i’m also getting palm trees instead of sneeze-inducing pines, sun-drenched winter days that might have otherwise been spent shoveling snow up north, and dinners al fresco in the middle of the winter. who’s to say what’s better, really? it’s just different. and until i experience that difference for myself, i’ll be left not knowing which I prefer. as far as I’m concerned, that freedom to explore is the best part of being in my 20s.

i’m all about putting down roots...somewhere, someday. but for now, i’m quite content being a tumbleweed.