Finally, the NBA finals are set to begin Thursday night.  Boston Celtics vs LA Lakers.  These teams are no strangers to facing each other in the Finals.  They’ve met ten times in the past with Boston walking away with the championship eight times.  I grew up in the Bird-Magic era with a father who was just as fanatical about LB as Zac is about Favre.  No. 33 was the hero in our 80′s sports story, and I still believe today there would have been no Air Jordan domination if Johnson and Bird hadn’t have paved the way and rejuvenated the sport that I love so much. While this isn’t 1984, the NBA needs a reason to believe again: a reason for its fans to feel good about their loyalty.

Usually I’d find it hard to be too overwhelmingly passionate about a series not featuring the Suns, but this Celtics vs Lakers series is what I’ve been hoping for for the past month.  (I even cheered for the Lakers over the Spurs and felt dirty.  That’s how much I hate San Antonio.)  Can Kobe finally be the superhero in the finals and not just the trusty sidekick?  Is the PGA (Pierce, Garnett, and Allen) tour ready to start the newest Boston dynasty and get the rings they’ve coveted for the past decade?  Can this series remind us why we love this game?  We’ll find the answers out soon enough.

Notice something new on my desk?!?! Oh yeah, you’re correct.  That is a brand-spankin’ new 20 inch iMac for work. I’ll be boot camping it on Monday. Sweet!

I haven’t really been feeling (obsessing over) any particular album this week, so I’ve struggled with what music to present at your feet on this Music Lovin’ Thursday. Usually I plan ahead for days about what I’m going to talk about and share, and it’s just not happening this week. However, there are a handful of songs that I can’t stop listening to and, therefore, watching on YouTube. Each are completely distinct in their genre and yet paint a small picture of my musical tastes. What can I say I have no shame in the music I love, listen to, or watch. You shouldn’t either…

Rihanna’s “Take A Bow”: I can’t believe that this girl is twenty years old and already working on her 4th record. Remember when Britney was making millions and millions of people were buying her records… well, Rihanna is slated to make Britney a distant memory. With hits like “Unfaithful”, “Umbrella”, “Hate That I Love You” with Neyo, and “SOS”, she’s making a name for herself outside of Barbados. Her newest single “Take A Bow” has been stuck in my head and on my iPod for the past week. “And the award for the best liar goes to you for makin’ me believe that you could be faithful to me…”

Ben Gibbard is my hero. Death Cab For Cutie is the horse this white knight rides in on when I worry that most popular music sounds the same and has grown stagnant. The newest DCFC album Narrow Stairs was released earlier this month, and each and every listen brings a new appreciation. While it’s still not Plans or Transatlanticism in my opinion, I have to remember both of those previous albums took a few dozen listens to reach the pinnacle of my appreciation. So I present to you the first single, “I Will Possess Your Heart”. Yes, it’s over 8 minutes long, but let the suspense build and wait for the payout. Ben Gibbard, you are my hero.

My final song/video for the day comes from the adorable and talented Miss Taylor Swift. I remember back in early 2007 when Zac asked me if I’d heard the new country song “Tim McGraw”. I hadn’t and I spent the next week scanning the radio trying to hear it. Since that first listen, there’s been something infectious about her music. Sure, she’s still in high school. But, there’s just something nice about a 17 year-old singing about 17-year old things. A certain someone who shall remain nameless asked me to dvr the Academy of Country Music Awards last week to make sure they got to see Taylor perform, and as I watched the show, she was my favorite of the night. The song is great and her performance was dramatic and so different from the usual country entertainment. Ignore the fact that the audio is poor in this video and she’s so tall she’s almost awkward, and you’ll find country’s next biggest star. I’ve even forgiven her for “Teardrops On My Guitar”. You should, too.

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scrannel (SKRAN-l) adjective

1. Thin.

2. Unmelodious.

[Of unknown origin.]

“I might punch myself if I have to listen to that scrannel music bleeding through my bedroom walls for one more minute.”

I love spending time at home with my family and never want to leave when the time comes. Today, my family decided to drive with us as far as Tucson so that we could spend a lil more time together. Once in Tucson, they would do some shopping as Lauren and I headed north to Flagstaff. Not sure if a few of the places they wanted to stop would be open on the holiday, Zac (who hates talking on the phone) handed me a few numbers of local nurseries to call. After dialing the first number wrong twice only to find they were closed, I called the second nursery. The conversation went a lil like this….

Phone ringing…

Women’s Voice (mumbling): Fascinations. How may I help you?

Laurel (confused at the nursery’s name): Hi, how late are you open today?

Women’s Voice: We’re open til 2am.

2am for a plant nursery?!?! The pieces of the puzzle quickly came together as Zac who’d been watching me scurried from the room giggling. Yeah, he had me call a strip club. Awesome!

When everything in town closes by 9 pm, it’s sometimes a stretch to find things to do in a small town. Beall’s (the store where ugly shoes go to die) provided some of the best laughs on a Sunday afternoon. If only dad would have put one on with us, too.

(This is the best picture we could get with my cell phone before the manager showed up. I’m not sure what I was laughing harder at… Lauren’s modeling or my dad’s obvious disdain for our fashion show.)

There are countless reasons I’m ecstatic that I’m home at my parents’ house in Willcox and not in Flagstaff for this Memorial Day weekend. One of the most obvious… well, I’ll just show you the pix text I got of the weather in Flag yesterday. By the way, it’s still is May in Arizona.

I found this on FarkSports this week and have since been pondering if my brother and dad would recreate it for me… Maybe for $5.

What is it about us single girls that causes us to swoon the moment a boy picks up a guitar or sits down at a piano?!?! I mean, seriously, that has to be the second most cliche’ scene in chick flicks (behind bursting in stop the wedding, of course). We’ve seen it a hundred times. Boy hops on stage… walks through an airplane… sings over a loudspeaker some amazing song he’s written to finally tell girl how he feels. Girl cries. They kiss. The end. And so we all sit back and cross our fingers hoping for our musical minstrel to sing to us our love song. Silly, isn’t it? Yet, some of my all-time favorite songs are songs written for girls. Yeah, yeah. Most songs by boys are written either for or about girls, but these songs are the special ones that have the intestinal fortitude (as my dad would say) to actually title the song after the girl. They’ve broken up marriages, beckoned us to dance with them, and crippled us with tales of unrequited love.

While I was pondering what musical message I’d present you with this week, I heard three of these songs played within the same hour on our classic rock station, and inspiration hit as I started to compile my ‘girl song’ list. This week I present to you my 20 Favorite Songs Named After A Girl. Some of these are true stories. Some just happen to tell a story about a girl. To include all of these such songs that I love would take forever, and I’m sure I’ve forgotten quite a few of your favorites. Let me know what they are so I can take a listen for the first time or hundredth.

Crosby, Stills & Nash – Suite Judy Blue Eyes: I dare you to not sing Do-do-do-do-do Do Do do-do. Can’t do it, huh?

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Elvis Costello – Allison: “Allison, my aim is true.”

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Eric Clapton – Layla: Duane Allman, Clapton, and that piano outro… what else could you possibly need to leave your Beatle husband?!?! (3:10 in on the song = chills)

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Hall & Oates – Sara Smile: The first big hit from this 80s blue-eyed soul written for Hall’s girlfriend… lucky. (Go listen to “She’s Gone”.)

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Michael Jackson – Billie Jean: “Billie Jean is not my lover. She’s just a girl who claims that I am the one.”

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Fast-forwarding through Fox’s broadcast of the final performances of season 7 of American Idol had to be one of the most painful things I’ve ever had to do. Ok, so maybe I didn’t have to, but a boxing themed finale. Are you kidding me? Who in their right mind would even consider putting pip-squeak David Archuleta in a ring versus anyone… his pretty lil face might get hurt. On the other hand, fight’s on!! Anyway, tonight was the big finale, and surprisingly enough, my mind’s underdog pulled out a victory by over 12 million votes. While he wasn’t my first choice, America, good job getting this final vote right. It’s kinda sad that I’m not sad the season is over or excited that DC won. Instead, I’m just relieved. American Idol, I hate to say this… but I think you’re time walk away with what dignity you have left. You bore me. I’d rather watch “Super Nanny” on Wednesday nights and not your results show. Alas, I should stop taking the joy out of DC’s big victory. So to help celebrate his big night… here are MY favorite performances from David Cook, your American Idol.

Mariah Carey’s Always Be My Baby
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I’m headed home Thursday night for the weekend, and I’m quite excited.  However, I’m not excited about the chance of running into one of these suckers.  I have no idea how or why Zac got close enough to take this picture with his phone.  Ugggh, brothers!

I know it’s not Thursday, but I want to share a little music with you anyway. I’m not really sure why but this song has been playing for the past week on my desktop computer in my bedroom. No matter what I try, I can’t seem to escape it. It was stuck in my head last week as I fought the good fight with days where nothing seems to go right. I caught myself was humming it during our community pancake breakfast and summer bbq on Saturday, and it was the singular soundtrack to one of the hardest and strangest things I’ve ever been asked to do.

Late last night, a college friend and husband of one of my best friends called with a request I couldn’t say no to. His brother had been found earlier in the day after purposefully swallowing a bottle of pills and was being held at Flagstaff Medical Center for observation. They had just heard the news and being so far away with a little one asked if I would put together a care package for him from them and deliver it to the hospital during the day today. Unwilling or able to face such a task alone, I brought two of my student workers with me to Target to search for the necessary ingredients to fulfill their favor. I had no idea what I was doing as I tossed chips, Gatorade, puzzle books, candy, and other ‘pick-me-ups’ into the cart. I just hoped each item would do him more good than harm. All the while, this song looped over and over again in my head. “Like brothers on a hotel bed.. Like brothers on a hotel bed… Like brothers on a hotel bed…”

So tonight I’m passing this song on to you. Take a listen to both the haunting lyrics and melody that have soothed this weary traveler for the last week. Then do what I couldn’t do and walk away.

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Death Cab For Cutie – Two Brothers On A Hotel Bed

Mya: Hey, Laurel, can we listen to music out on the porch while we paint?

Laurel: Sure, what do you wanna listen to?

M: Hannah Montana

L: Sorry, I don’t have her.

M: Ok, Miley Cyrus.

L (Thinking aren’t they the same person): I don’t have Miley OR Hannah.

M: Uggh, you don’t have any good songs…

L: Silly girl! What do you know… you’re 3!

M: Do you have Jordin Sparks?!?!

L: Yep, I have her.

M: Good, I still love you.

Pleasing a three-year old should not be this difficult. I’m not sure if I’m offended or proud.