Yep.

Well, things have been rather good over the past week. I've been spending a lot of time with the guy I talked about previously (the 17-year-old. Haha.) It's been interesting, and by interesting I mean...well, interesting, I suppose. I don't know. It's definitely a positive thing. In fact, I might even say it's a great thing, but that's where I get unsure. Come on, this is me we're talking about here. I get rather paranoid and go into overanalyze mode when I'm in something new such as this. But that aside, I'm enjoying it. I think I can safely say that I definitely have feelings for him. He's an awesome guy, and I just feel so relaxed when I'm with him. I've seen him five times in the past week, and each time I grow to like him even more. Today I only got to see him for about 20 minutes, since I had class, but even then it was the highlight of my day. I love when he comes and lays on my lap, when he gives me little kisses, how he squirms when I try to put my finger in his ear (don't ask...I guess it's kind of a joke we have). I'm trying not to rush things, because it has ONLY been a week that I've known him. But it just feels right, and yesterday when we hung out and laid in my bed, just napping all afternoon, he said the same thing- it feels right. I'm not expecting him to be my boyfriend in the next couple of days...if it even gets to that point, I'd at least like to wait until he turns 18 (which happens in March anyway). I can't stop thinking about him, and I really hope that this just continues and keeps growing into something more. Like I said, it just feels so right.

So...another story.

Ha. Another situation has developed. I probably sound really wishy-washy with my emotions, but...yeah. I don't know what to make of it.

So in the past week I've been on three different dates, thanks to Craig's List. Ha. On Friday night whilst hanging out with Brittany I decided on a whim to just post a harmless ad on that site, seeing if anyone wanted to hang out on a strictly friendly level, and to my surprise I got quite a few responses. I ended up meeting with one guy on Sunday afternoon for coffee, which was nice (albeit a purely friendly encounter, no attraction whatsoever. Just a nice guy and we had some intelligent conversation, which is always appreciated). Then Monday afternoon had lunch with the second guy. He's extremely cute, very laid back guy...and yes he is 28. By far he's the most attractive of the three, and I had a good time with him, but I don't see anything really going there. We are going to have dinner on Friday night, but again I doubt anything will progress from there aside from being friends.

Then last night I met up with the third guy. And this is where the interesting situation comes about. First of all, he's 17. He'll be 18 next month, so it's not all creepy pedophile-like. But still, he is in high school (senior at Valencia) and high school kids can be a giant headache if you've been away from that environment for three years now.

However, I was pleasantly surprised at how unexpected the date turned out. We met up at Starbucks, and I was anticipating hanging out for an hour or so, he'd probably be the annoying 17-year-old that I was expecting, and I would just go home. We ended up staying at Starbucks for about an hour and a half, then drove over to Central park for another two hours and just walked around and talked.

For one, he is much different from the type of guy I was expecting. He's a bit quiet, but he's got a certain wit about him, and definitely seems much more mature than his age would suggest. Number two, on the outside he's absolutely NOTHING like the kind of guys I'd typically go for, but he is cute in his own way. I mean the kid had plugs in his ears- could you get any farther from Mark's usual all-American clean cut boy? But by the end of the night I was intrigued by him, and admittedly haven't quite been able to get him out of my head all day today. It's bizarre, it's not what I expected, but at the same time it feels nice.

Anyway, that's all for now. We'll see what happens.

Grammy Schwammy

So the Grammy Awards were held last night.

Yawn.

I suppose for recreational purposes and for the sake of killing five minutes of my time I'll cover some highlights. I didn't actually watch the show (and you couldn't screw me enough to) but I do of course keep tabs on who won what, though it's almost always complete whorehash.

Album of the Year: Dixie Chicks. I'm fine with that, I enjoy them. They're rather bad ass for being rather square and kind of hick-ish.

Record of the Year: Dixie Chicks. See above.

Song of the Year: Dixie Chicks. Really no other song nominated in this category particularly struck me, so I'm satisfied.

Ummm I forgot what else. Oh Carrie Underwood won Best New Artist. Yawn. James Blunt must have won something here or there, apparently Mary J. Blige lucked out a few times. More yawns. "My Humps" won one of the awards.

wait..what?

Oh that's right. The same category "Stickwitu" from the Pussycat Dolls earned a nod from. THIS is why I don't give a flying shit about the Grams.

Anyway that's all for now. Sophie Ellis Bextor's new single only got to #18 on the UK chart this week, which is rather boorish. I'm seeing a decline in our favorite pop stars...except Girls Aloud, of course. I'm willing to bet a box of paperclips that "Walk This Way" will get to #1.

The whole Girls Aloud, Sugababes thing

I started it off in my last post with NOT VERY GOOD. I have since decided to retract that statement and declare it GOOD, BUT NOT AS BRILLIANT AS IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN. I mean, honestly- how many more times are two fucking amazing bands like Girls Aloud or the Sugababes going to record together? Girls Aloud will more than likely split up after the next album which supposedly and HOPEFULLY is coming out later this year (I'm not one to be cynical, but all wonderful amazing godly etc etc things can't last forever), and the public's reception to the Sugababes is borderlining relative indifference, following the rather bummish performances of their last two singles "Follow Me Home" and "Easy" (I'm still smarting over the latter...how can the public be so stupid to ignore such a fucking great song...). Alls I'm saying for the twelfth time is they could've taken complete opportunity of this and raped it raw by creating some original ungodly single.

Anyway, all that aside, my main reason for changing my opinion of "Walk This Way" is frankly because of the video. It is definitely better when watched with the video. Without the video, not as great, though it's a joy to hear Kimberely with her own verses in the beginning. That in itself is a rare and wonderful thing considering she is by far my favorite Girl Aloud. Squee for me. But the video is definitely one thing done right in this whole fiasco. Although I would've definitely squelched in my pants if a few different changes were put in---

1) The part when Sarah busts through the wall with the mic stand, and then all of the girls are giving each other rude faces, I would've loved to seen Cheryl just reach over and slapped Keisha silly. Because, you know, Keisha and Cheryl are considered the "bitchy" members of their respective groups. Not that I dislike Keisha by any means, but seriously- who wouldn't want to see them bitch it out?

2) The runway/concert part at the end would've been better if they had busted out in some giant synchronized dance routine. Aloud does one, but the 'babes sit this one out (though looking at their past videos, choreography is clearly not something they lower themselves to. Which is fine, on certain levels. That's a story we can continue another day). OR! They could've ignited some giant mosh pit and just crowd surfed, all eight of them.

Anyway, the video is great. The song is still iffy, but the video is great as I just said before. Now I'm repeating myself and rambling.

Some Great New Songs That You Ought To Know About Because They Are Just That Good.

Shiny Toy Guns – Don’t Cry Out
I don’t think this is considered “new”, being that their album was released thirty times over the past two years. But nonetheless, it is great, because they are a great band. “Le Disko”- fantastic. “Don’t Cry Out”- even more fantastic. If “Le Disko” was the electro-rock song, then "Don't Cry Out" is the electro-pop-80s song. You know, like everything else out there these days. I'm sure you'll love it.

Hellogoodbye - Here (In Your Arms)
Again, not necessarily "new"...it's been out since last year. But it's SO DAMN GOOD. I'm thoroughly impressed that an American band made up of American teenagers/were-teenagers-three-years-ago can produce such a shamelessly cheery pop song. I want to dance like a fool every time I hear it, it's wonderful. Especially that chorus with the vocoders, not seen since Cher and Eiffel 65 molested that thing to death. Squee!

Fall Out Boy - This Ain't a Scene, It's An Arms Race
Yes, another American band doing great un-American things. Maybe not in this case. It's still great. Great with a capital "g"...notice how it's already capitalized due to its use in the beginning of the sentence. Was that planned? Perhaps...

Girls Aloud vs Sugababes - Walk This Way
NOT VERY GOOD. But I mentioned it because it is Girls Aloud and the Sugababes. Which is just duh. Girls Aloud. Sugababes. On a song. Together. In the same studio (maybe). But on the same recorded piece of work nonetheless. On paper it's the most AMAZING THING ever. I'm still unbelievably disappointed that they chose a shitty remake instead of an outstanding original piece of fuck-me pop genius. The heavens spite me...

Arctic Monkeys have a new album coming in a couple of months and I know it's going to be great. They named the first single "Brianstorm", though no one's quite sure if it's a pathetic typo of "BrAINstorm" or if they literally meant "BrIAnstorm". They're sneaky lads, aren't they?

BAD SONGS --

I don't like Lily Allen. Sorry, Popjustice. But she says rude things about Girls Aloud, and I fail to notice anything remotely unidentical about "Smile" and "LDN". It's the same song with maybe one or two different words, and frankly it's kind of crap.

Gwen Stefani - The Sweet Escape
Please. "Wind It Up" at least had a funky bass. BY NO MEANS DOES THIS INDICATE I AM GIVING THE SONG A POSITIVE NOTE. Because it is still the ugliest pop song of the past ten years. Still, "The Sweet Escape" is perhaps a smidge worse. Perhaps. I don't know, they both remind me of a giant mountain of feces in the middle of Cambodia.

Some magazine article, in reviewing Hilary Duff's song "Play With Fire" (I know, you've never heard it, it's not exactly worth your time like everything else the chick's ever done). Because of Hilary's recent foray into "electronic" music (cough...yeah right), and being that a certain Kylie Minogue dabbles in electronic-esque pop songs, this guy had THE AUDACITY to call Hilary "America's next Kylie Minogue".
WHAT?!?!?!
WHAT?!?!?!

NO. Hilary Duff is NOT mentionable in the same breath as Ms. Kylie. Never in this lifetime will that be possible. Sure, Kylie went from soap star to teen star based on cutesy dance "electronic" songs. But Kylie had "I Should Be So Lucky". Hilary has "Beat of My Heart". WHICH IS BETTER, I WONDER? No one should ever compare Hilary to Kylie. No one should compare Hilary to anyone, for that matter, for that would be terribly embarrassing (for the other person, I mean). Can Hilary ever do anything that touches close to "Can't Get You Out of My Head" or "I Believe in You"? I HIGHLY DOUBT IT. Call me crazy.

I ought to find this journalist who made that disgusting comparison and shoot him in the foot. Bastard. Filthy filthy bastard.

That is all for now.