Trails!

I live on the edge of some of the most beautiful land.  The lush wooded hillsides of the Santa Cruz Mountains are not the tallest mountains by any stretch, but I see them every single day, with their sawtooth top, and I smile every time I do.

Today, I ventured into the mountains with my running shoes on.  This came about because I was talking with one of my coworker about trail running. I've never really done it, in the way that I imagine most people do, and so I asked him about his experiences.  He's done a lot of road running, but prefers the trails because they are just more interesting and he's planning on doing a race nearby soon.  I got really excited about the idea and started my Internet research.  After talking with him more, I decided that I should do a reconnaissance run on the trails of the race first and see if I could handle it.  So, that's what I did today after school.  It didn't go quite as planned for many reasons.  The first being that it took me longer to get there than I thought.  The second being that the park closes at 5pm, and daylight is already an issue in the heavily wooded place.  The third is that I ran around for 5 minutes before I found the trail I was looking for.  So, I didn't get to explore as much as I wanted to, but I am definitely excited about pursuing this more.  I only ran four miles, but it was a darn tough four miles.  The grade was steeper than I've run in a long time, which I think this is going to be good for my running.

I don't quite know how it's going to pan out due my work schedule, my running schedule, the park closing time, and daylight. It might have to wait until after the marathon in May, but that's fine.  I also can see myself heading up there for four or five miles on Sunday morning.  I'm not wild about driving to run, but I did promise myself that I would "get out in Cali" at least once a month and this the only thing I've done in January to explore my surroundings (next month is Yosemite if the weather's right and hopefully the spectacle of Horsetail Falls).  And, the more I use my bike, the more I'll feel okay about driving for weekend adventures.  As for the race, the shorter distances (what I can handle physically) are sold out and the longer race (what my training schedule wants me to do) seem like too much, too soon.  But, there are races at least once a month around here, so it will work out eventually.  I'm trying to embrace living in California and this afternoon definitely made me appreciate where I am and what I get to do here.

Jon Stewart Slays...

I haven't watched The Daily Show in quite some time.  I just don't have the extra hours in the day.  Although, I wish I had been watching TDS last night instead of the Bingo documentary on Netflix.  It was depressing.  Anyway, there was a great show back on December 9, when Jon Stewart hosted Mike Huckabee for a good portion of the second half.  I highly recommend watching this interview.  Jon Stewart debates MH on gay rights and does it so well, so intelligently, you actually believe that there could have been a Stewart/Colbert '08 team.  Click here, then type Mike Huckabee in the "search for a video" line.  I was reminded by this from a very old Fresh Air episode that I have meant to listen to.  Hearing the clip again, made me want to share it with you.

Have a great last week of January.  How did that happen?

Seen And Heard

Seen:

WF didn't have any whole butternut squash, but they did have some that was already cut up sold in packages.  The label on the package read:

Butternut Squash

May contain: squash

Heard:

A boy and his mom walked toward a bathroom in a store.  As they are walked to the door, the boy said (very loudly), "I hope their bathroom is clean."  After they opened the bathroom door (he was so loud, I could still hear him), "Oh, and it is!"

We All Love To Be Fit

Someone emailed this picture to This American Life after happening upon it in the woods.

What's the cold version of Venice Beach?

The Day

How long have we waited for this day?  For some people, it's been for a few years and for some it's been a lifetime.  Today, I was so excited to finally remove the 01.20.09 magnet from my car and toss it!  (I do have a few clean ones for posterity).  This will be brief, as I am up past my bedtime, but I'll share a few cool things from the last few days.

1. This American Life did a great show on the Inauguration and what it means to different people.  Some great things were the kids from the 826 Valencia writing center and the man who has "been working on the Obama campaign for 76 years."  I was weepy.  There are more little kid to Obama letters from 826 Valencia here.  They've put them in a book called "Thanks and Have Fun Being President."

2. On Point did a great show on MLK's "Dream" speech.  The guests talked about the rhetoric used (Summit juniors love rhetoric) and also talked about Obama's speeches.  I was totally inspired by this show.  Did you know that the whole "dream" part of the speech was not prepared ahead of time?  It was off the cuff.  Listening to it with that knowledge made it all the more powerful to listen to this morning.

3. Yesterday, I went to a little ceremony at the Palo Alto City Hall.  Volunteers from my Obama office were summoned to be recognized by the PA City Council.  There were lots of community members there, including some students of mine.  They showed the slideshow, the third time I was Obama-weepy that day, and called us all up to get our certificates.  I was on my lunch break, so I had to leave as soon as I got my award, but the optimism of people on the celebration of King's birthday was overflowing.  There were also some students reading their "letters to Obama."  Even though they weren't my students, they redeemed my career path right then and there!

4. Our fearless leader at the phone bank will soon have his new license plate: THXIOWA.  He was in Iowa for 8 days helping with the caucusing and he always says that we wouldn't be here today without Iowa.  I love it!

5. Yesterday, as I walked to work, I had Will.I.Am's "It's A New Day" in my ears.  The song is a bit cheesy, but it's about time that people started loving this country again.  And why not sing about it?

6. In contrast to his choking up as he called the projection of Obama to win on election night, Keith Olbermann was downright giddy today.  It's finally here!  Today, in the 10 minutes of MSNBC I saw live, he said, "Everyone at home, say it after me, 'The 44th President of the United States, Barack Hussein Obama.' "  And then he paused.  

7. And in Washington D.C. and city halls across America, people gathered and listened to what Obama had to say.  Of course, for a man who has given some goosebump inviting speeches, this one is getting some criticism, but here are some pictures of the folks at SF City Hall taking in the moment.  Whatever you think of the speech, the moment was grand.  

8. At the time of the inauguration, I was on a run.  I slept in today after feeling a sore throat coming on yesterday, so my run happened a bit later than usual.  I was listening to the radio program about MLK's speech, and I heard my watch beep at 9am while I was on Stanford Ave.  A few blocks later, a woman came out of her house to greet the airport shuttle in her driveway.  She said, "Barack's president!"  My first thought was that this woman was totally in her Peninsula bubble and this guy picking her up probably doesn't care.  And then in the next moment, the wave of tears came (it's funny, maybe weird, how often I am tearing up on my runs because of what I am listening to) and in that moment, I felt a little bit of relief.  The end is not in sight, by any means, but I hope that we are crafting a way forward that makes us proud to live in this country and proud of our leaders.

Okay, so not so brief.  Have a great four, and hopefully eight, years.

Bad Part of the Internet

Apparently my blog now lives in the bad part of the Internet.  This morning, I woke up to about a dozen spam comments on my blog about Gucci and Chloe and written with such poor English skills.  That creeps me out.  I was tempted to get very dramatic, which I might have to do eventually.  First, I'm going to start with having commenters have to type the funny words in the box, hopefully preventing some spam.  Although, I may end up making my blog 'invitation only," so I can keep the riffraff away.  Honestly, this makes me want to wait until it's light to go running.

What A Bike Will Do To You

I am happy to report that I've kept about 200 miles off little ol' Lightning (my car) since December 10th.  The scariest part is that I've put close to one third of the money I need for a new bike into a savings account.  I guess that purchase might be happening sooner, rather than later.  There are probably too many variables to know for sure, but I think it's definitely improving my happiness (at least for the moments right before riding, moments while riding, and the moments directly after riding).  And, I'm starting to hate the thought of using my car for anything within five miles.  Thankfully, the grocery store is really my only car trip each week, which I think I can live with.  

I saw this list of side effects of cycling and can definitely attest to all of these.  Copied from a Treehugger post:

If you are thinking about replacing a car trip with a bicycle trip instead, it is important to know the repercussions of that choice. Read further for 8 side effects that your doctor or bicycle salesman may not have told you about.

1) Weight loss

If you are trying to get fat, then cycling might not be right for you. Cycling has been known to deplete calories stored in the body’s fat reserves, thus decreasing the gravitational pull on the affected body.

2) Slowed breathing

Those who cycle regularly have reported more time needed for each breath during both exertion and periods of rest.

3) Dangerously low amounts of stress

Those who commute to work by bicycle have been observed to be void of hostility, which some claim is an important survival tool in today's world.

4) Punctuality

Being able to navigate around traffic, take shortcuts through places where cars can't fit, and choose between both car AND bicycle infrastructure can often leave cyclists bored and twiddling their thumbs, waiting for the rest of their associates to show up at work or when meeting friends for lunch.

5) Caffeine free mental stimulation

Those who cycle often attain natural alertness and thus are unable to justify a delicious morning cup of coffee.

6) Feelings of Invincibility

Those who power their own commute often feel that they can accomplish anything.

7) It can be a gateway activity

Cycling can lead to the curiosity, exploration, and even a dependence on other natural, non-motorized activities.

8) Extreme joy

Regular cyclists often have trouble understanding road rage, and thus often get left out of the popular passtime. Too much smiling can also add laugh lines to the face.

A Nature Run

At the camp where I used to work, the kids would often go on "Nature Walks," which was basically just walking around and spotting animals and identifying them.  Today, I had a bit of a Nature Run, although all I could really do is spot animals.

I left the house while it was still dark.  I don't know if anyone noticed, but last weekend's full moon was actually the brightest we'll see in 2009.  Even the now less-than-full moon is amazingly bright.  After about 30 minutes, civil twilight was upon me and I was starting my trek into the foothills of the Santa Cruz mountains.  Once I get west of the highway, there are very few cars and today, I was out earlier than the cyclists.  It was quiet, just getting light, and peaceful.  And then, they trotted out from behind some bushes.  Just two beautiful coyotes (I think...wolves aren't that prevalent in California and they were not "foxy").  They were about 20 feet away, and as I trotted up the hill in the bike lane and they trotted down the hill on a path in the shoulder, we just looked at each other.  I'm not sure they were looking at me for my beauty, but that's why I couldn't stop looking at them.  They were just stunning, young-looking, and not mangy at all.  I have no idea where they were going...to their left was road and a fenced off horse farm, to their right was SLAC, the heavily guarded 2 mile long linear accelerator, and straight ahead was highway 280.  Regardless, they looked like they were on a fun mission.

A short while ago, AS posted on her blog that she came upon a coyote or two while hiking in Arizona and that she's still somewhat scarred by the experience of running away from them hoping they weren't right behind her.  Before today, the closest I've been to coyotes is when they were in the lane next to me cruising through Yosemite one morning and outside the window in Tahoe, howling like they were making trouble.  This is the closest I've seen coyotes face to face and I actually wasn't scared.  They were so calm and never looked like they really cared about me.  But, as I kept running up the hill, I kept looking over my shoulder to see if they ran out of real estate and started to follow me.

In other news, the running is going well.  Remarkably, running 16 miles has been no sweat, a lot of fun, and I continue to feel like I could keep running if the finish line was further up the road.  My calves are tight after these long, hilly runs, so I need to be disciplined about hydration, ice baths, and the foam roller to keep them happy.  If I can stay healthy, I think I might really enjoy this marathon.  One thing I've struggled with in the past six months is that I have loved training and it has gone very well, but then my goal races have been below my expectations.  One thing I'm going to try is to taper for a lot longer than most running programs prescribe.  I have run two of my best races with only easy running in the last two weeks.  The other thing that I'd like to do is to go into the marathon with only an expectation of finishing with a smile on my face.  I won't be able to get rid of the watch completely, but I think that has to be my "A" goal, instead of my "C" goal.  I'm also thinking about doing Team In Training for an event in the fall.  I've been searching for some cause, like the Obama campaign, that I feel passionate about.  I haven't really found that, but running is certainly something that I can do to help other people.  And, I have struggled to meet new people out here, so maybe something like this would help.  I'm still in investigation phase with TNT and would love any input from past participants.  Maybe from there, I will learn more about fundraising and events and I could try to fundraise for environmental causes, or something that is near and dear to me.  Maybe even to make sure those coyotes can continue to traipse along Sand Hill.

Light It Up!

AS sent me a link to this picture and I instantly ran around school showing all the bike commuters how awesome it is. They all agree. This is awesome!


Basically, it's a light on your bike that creates a bike lane for you. How ingenious is that? It's just a prototype right now, but this could catch on quickly. Fortunate for me, I live in a very bike friendly part of the country and have bike lanes for the majority of my riding around town. However, I often think about riding in Boston and how bike lanes hardly exist there. This would come in handy there.

More Reviews

I've recovered from my reprimand. The commissioner of my region's athletics gave me a talking-to over email. Her tone was way out of hand, given the fact that the issue was a misunderstanding and was in no way serious. The biggest issue I had was that she cc-ed my boss, the parent volunteer who helps me, and my league's commissioner. If my friend Andy had let me email her right away, I would have given her my mom's email address, so she could make sure everyone knew that I was in trouble. Anyway, I think I'm over it. But, it's actually good to be reminded about how to treat other people. Often we are too busy or too stressed to respond in appropriate ways. I need to remember not to be this lady.

What a great California weekend. I had a fabulously long and hilly run on Saturday morning. I haven't enjoyed myself on a run more since...well...actually I've just been running happy (and mostly pain-free) since Thanksgiving, but this run was especially great because it was the furthest I've ever run and helped me build confidence for hills.  Since I was put in my place by the hills in SF this October, I need to play with them more. Then I went to my new job. I've started working at a local store, just a few days a month on the weekends. I feel a bit bad about being able to get more work so easily in this frightening economy, to be honest, but I did so for two reasons: to meet more people who are doing cool things outside and to have a bit more money in the bank to do said things outside. Since I am in complete limbo about where I want to live and be, I have decided that I need to explore California as much as possible around my running, and maybe that will help me figure something out. Or at least, if I come to leave California, I will be able to say that I really lived here (thinking HDT here).  And, as I hoped, I was already given suggestions for great trail running by my new boss.

This weekend was beyond gorgeous here.  In the high sixties and sunny, sunny, sunny.  My clothes could again soak up the sun outside.  I did a lot of walking around town, just taking it all in.  There's an enjoyment of my surroundings that I get when I'm walking or biking that just doesn't exist when driving.  And I see the most amazing details about the little world in which I live.  This morning, the farmer's market was awesome.  A few of my students were playing live music there with their band, another student was shopping with his family, another was working a stand, and I ran into one of my math colleagues.  I love that community feeling!  Okay, I'll stop bragging about the wonders of sunshine and review some movies.

This weekend I watched Surfwise and Man On Wire, both documentaries.  Surfwise was just a fascinating story of a doctor who decides to put his wife and nine kids (8 boys!) into a small camper and drive around the country just surfing.  It was just a bizarre story, something you'd never believe if someone just told you about it on the street.  The lifestyle is something I'm not sure I could ever give in to, but it was a fun story.

Then I watched Man On Wire, the story of a man who walked across a wire between the World Trade Center towers.  This documentary was so exquisite.  The filming was beautiful, the story was engrossing, and the man who walked was one of the most fascinating characters I've seen in a documentary.  This story was told far better than Surfwise, but in many ways, it was just a better story.  And, listening to people speak French or speak with a French accent is so beautiful.  I highly suggest this film.

Bedtime approaches and this weekend has left me refreshed for the week to come.

Birthday wishes today to AH and EH!  Hope you both had a great day.

Not Okay

It's never okay to reprimand another adult...unless you're on the police force, I guess. Just a reminder.

9 For '09

I should read more books than blogs, but while I'm reading, I think I'll share this post from Patagonia.  I need to work on my compost pile (I use it but it's not creating anything worth using) and finding my newest cause, but this list makes me feel like I'm moving in the right direction.

9 for 9 - Nine Green Resolutions for 2009

Patagonia employees are encouraged to reduce their environmental impact with tips from a group of co-workers who call themselves the Green Team. For 2009, the Team shared a list of nine green resolutions anyone can keep. They're good reminders and very easy to share with friends and relatives who might need some encouragement.

Nine Green Resolutions for 2009

1. Resolve to stop using those plastic bags at the grocery store – leave your canvas bags in the car
2. Stop drinking water in plastic bottles – drink filtered tap water, it tastes great!
3. Review your home, one room a month, and detox – remove chemicals, pesticides, fertilizers and dispose of them safely
4. Pledge to have your recycle bin always be fuller than your regular waste bin
5. Just one more: One more day a week of commuting by bike or by carpool – you get the idea. Draw up written contracts with family members to each pledge to use alternative transportation a minimum of once a week
6. Start a compost pile
7. Grow your own – if you don't have room for a veggie garden, frequent the farmer's market once a week
8. Volunteer your services to a non-profit group you are passionate about
9. Follow your passions this year – find your cause

I'm Not Obsessed

Have I said that before?

Anyway, the brother of Dirtbag Diaries host has some products, including these, which I love. Get them here.

Poster:


Tee:

Random Shots, Part 3

Home, Sweet, Home

The organ player at Stanford Theatre...worth the price of admission:

Yes on Everest!  One day...

Lest I forget that, most days, I love where I work:

Just a normal day in the math office...

Random Shots, Part 2

Landing in Boston.  Snow!!

A sight for sore eyes:

Random Shots, Part 1

Coming...some photos I've taken but haven't posted yet.

Miami Airport Shots:

12 Hours In Photos

Do you ever get lost in the Interweb?  I do.  A lot.  I'll start on one website and then it will suggest something else and I'll go there or Google something that comes to mind and so on.  One day, I clicked my way to a website called 12 Hours In Photos.  The whole idea is that on the same day, everyone involved takes a picture every hour on the hour from 8am to 8pm and then they post.  I love this idea and I put it on my calendar to try out for myself.  Today was the day.  Why today?  Because I was going to a soccer game after school.  That's the most I've got going on this week (I have jury duty Wednesday and an AD meeting on Thursday...not sure any of those people want me taking pictures every hour).  I figured I should have something exciting going on.

So, here is it.  I did it from 7am to 7pm due to my bedtime, but I think it has the same effect.  I hope you enjoy a day in my little ol' life.  I'm pretty sure I didn't take the 2pm photo.  I was running around trying to get my girl's soccer roster sent in before the game...I think I got distracted.  And, just to warn you...lots of exclamation points today.

7am...how I try to start every day (well, after the run and shower)

8am: Just getting to school.  I pedaled wicked fast as I was late leaving the house and I got way too sweaty.  On the way, I wish I had the camera ready to take the following pictures: 7:45-a gaggle of elementary school kids all crossing the street on their bikes! 7:53-a train crossing tracks that have been quiet for the 18 months I've crossed them...two train workers riding the front car.  Totally awesome!  My new saddle and my rear end got along just swimmingly today.  Although, installing it last night was a project.

9am: Buried in finals.  Does that say -10?  Yikes!!!

10am: Still buried.  My lame attempt at a joke.  But also, another way to remind my kids to SHOW ALL THEIR GD WORK!!!  Sorry...it was a painful grading session.

11am: J and B stop by my office to "give me a hug."  How cute are they?

12 noon: Filling out the eligibility forms so that my athletes are cleared to play in the league.  Look at the size of that soccer team!

1pm: Mid-way through Scrabble with Andy at lunch.  We each had only one letter left at the end.  Awesome!  The joys of intersession.  But, tomorrow, we have to work for real. It's going to kick me in the rear end, which is no longer sore due to a junk bike saddle.  TMI?

2pm:  Imagine me at the copy machine scanning and printing and writing letters of rec.  Thought I was done with those, didn't you?

3pm: I love the shadows my bike makes!!! I'm racing home on Broadway so I can get to the game on time.

4pm: Up 2-0.  KB taking charge.

5pm: At Patagonia, Palo Alto.  What a gorgeous building this is.  I think it's an old car dealership.  More on that visit later this week.

6pm: Jury Summons...checking out how to go online to find out if I'm needed.  Survey says: I'm not.  Shoot!  I'm a totally civic duty junkie.  I'm bummed that they don't want me.

7pm: Checking the morning run temperature while pretending to read my book.  Maybe tomorrow...

New Year and New Tunes

Welcome to 2009.  We hope you enjoy your stay.

Today was a great start to the year.  I was on the road early, heading to Salem to run the Wicked Frosty Four with my former teammate Kate.  It was Wicked Frosty.  How did they know that in advance?  Oh, because they live in Salem, right on the water.  It was no higher than 16 degrees and the wind was whipping.  But the four miles flew by, even though we did nearly blow over from the head and side winds between miles 3 and 4.  I very rarely run races just to have fun and it's so pleasant to just enjoy it and care less about the time.  I was chatting along and thanking the volunteers (at least we got to stay warm by running...and who was taking water at mile 2?).  It was just great.  There were some awkward moments after the the race, but we stayed long enough to get chili and water before heading back into the cold.  Salem is such a cute town.  I've only done the witch stuff there, but I'd like to go back in the summer and walk the cobblestones (and what seems to be their own Freedom Trail) with an ice cream.

From there I headed to Somerville!  Yippee!  Sharon and Brandon were nice to spend the afternoon with me, just catching up and all that good stuff.  Brandon established that his philosophy would probably be inconsistency, which he found odd since we are very similar.  I think I'm just scared of inconsistency.  He's not.  He and I commiserated about the junk that is the NikePlus system while Sharon and I wished that we were on the same coast in order to cross country ski together.  Sigh...

Then it was off to see CKB, Amy, JDukes, Elsa, and Justin!  Yippee again!  There's nothing like seeing old friends and having the laughter and conversation just pour out of you.  It's amazing that there was one golden summer when I was at the Wonk with S,B,C,JD,E, and J.  All of us.  Were those my golden years?  I think they might have been.  

I got two recommendations from JDukes: prx.org, which is a public radio clearinghouse in a way, and Back Story Radio.  I haven't checked these out, but if I find anything interesting, I'll let you know.

I'll close with a playlist.  I've had little success with giving people music mixes.  I pretty much love all the mixes that I've ever received (mostly from Ali, my sister, and K...and sometimes JPa).  I wonder if that means my taste is undescriminating or if I have geniuses making me these mixes.  Anyway, my mixes never get much fanfare outside of my own.  I knew it was bad when I put on a playlist in the car and my passenger asked me to change the music to something they had heard before.  I totally sent you this playlist on CD a few months ago.  Ouch!

So, rather than forcing music on people, I'll let you decide if you have any interest.  What follows are songs that are new to my ears in the next 6 months and to which I am singing at the top of my lungs right now or at least get my feet tapping.  Some are bands that I dig and these are their new tunes, but most are by virtue of watching Conan (who has the best musical guests on television in my opinion, but I only watch about an hour of television a week, so what do I know), being around my sister, blogs, and podcasts.  Who knows how old some of these songs are but they are new to me, so I'm happy.  There are many tunes that could have made it, most coming from the KEXP Podcast, and I should have included them since the following is already more than one CD, but I'll have another installment at some point once I get some more listens in.  But as soon as I finished this playlist, I remembered a song that I really wanted on there...VideoTapez by AmpLive (remixing Radiohead).  Through the Dirtbag Diaries website I was able to download this for free and it's become a great running song.

This playlist has been published as an iMix on iTunes so you can preview the tunes and buy them there.  Of course if you want me to send you a mix of any combination of the songs that fit on one CD, I will, for free.  That is, if I know you. This isn't an open offer to the world.

And now with commentary...

1. Kids by MGMT from Oracular Spectacular  (they rock out)

2. Jacknives by Red Heart the Ticker from For The Wicked (folksy, bluegrassy, and sweet)

3. You Got Growin Up To Do by Joshua Radin w/ Patti Griffin from Simple Times (most listened to and sung at the highest volume)

4. Be Here Now by Ray LaMontagne from Till the Sun Turns Black (heard it in a movie and this man continues to make beautiful music)

5. The Kids Don't Stand a Chance by Vampire Weekend from Vampire Weekend (if you haven't heard of them, you should get your hearing checked...this is my favorite of theirs right now)

6. As Tall As Cliffs by Margot and The Nuclear So & So's from Not Animal (just a great sound)

7. I'm Amazed by My Morning Jacket from Evil Urges (I could listen to Jim James for a long time and this song has a surfer kind of sound to it...who knows what that means)

8. San Francisco by Brett Dennen from Hope For The Hopeless (somehow my sister and I discovered this song independently of each other...and I love the unusual sound of this guy's voice)

9. Martha Ann by David Karsten Daniels from Fear of Flying (the sound, the harmonies...this is a perfect song)

10. Hiding My Heart (bonus track) by Brandi Carlile from The Story (this song could make someone cry...her voice sings these words impeccably)

11. Rise by Eddie Vedder from Into the Wild (one of the songs that reminds me of what a happy, carefree person Chris McCandless was...Vedder has not lost his touch for affecting people through music)

12. Microphone (single) by Coconut Records (Jason Schwartzman is making good music)

13. Trashcan by Delta Spirit from Ode to Sunshine (another one that rocks out)

14. Half Asleep by School of Seven Bells from Alpinisms (another much talked about album and I can imagine enjoying grading with this song in the background)

15. One Red Thread by Blind Pilot from 3 Rounds and a Sound (pure voice and guitars and just wonderful)

16. Flowering Spade by Sean Hayes from Flowering Spade (I heard about 5 seconds of this song on TDD and bought it as soon as I could get to my computer)

17. Southern Girl by Amos Lee from Supply and Demand (heard in my sister's car and I couldn't get it out of my head...)

18. Shame by The Avett Brothers from Emotionalism (...until I head this song in her car...I want to own more of this band's music since I love banjos)

19. Oh, Alberta by Elliott Brood from Tin Type (more banjos!  Mounds of joy!)

20. Friends Like These by Mobius Band from Heaven (some songs just hook you...and I like the Magnetic Fields sound of these guys)