Soco Amaretto Lime

No, that isn’t my new favorite cocktail. Actually, it’s a cocktail I’ve never even tried since I hate Southern Comfort. I am a fan of amaretto, though, so maybe someday… But I digress. “Soco Amaretto Lime” is the name of the last track on Brand New’s first record. It also happens to be one of my favorite tracks from that record.

I woke up this morning with an overwhelming desire to search YouTube for videos from the Brand New concert I went to in April. That seemed strange, even by my standards, but when I looked at the calendar it all made sense. The concert was exactly five months ago (April 27). And, interestingly enough, the next Brand New show I have tickets for is two months less a day from today (November 26 at the House of Blues in Atlantic City, baby!).

Admittedly, flying to Philly/AC after Thanksgiving is an even dumber idea than flying to Philly for Easter was, but I don’t care. God only knows when I’ll get to see Brand New again. And I would fly a hell of a lot further to see them (England in February comes to mind). These are the joys (travails?) of loving a band that plays things close to the vest. For all I know, they’re putting the finishing touches on LP#5 as I type and making plans for a major US tour in 1Q12. Though the major tour thing doesn’t really seem their style anymore but, again, what do I know? But I digress (wildly).

I’m kind of amazed at people who are willing to experience concerts through camera lenses. I went through a phase 10 years ago where I was all about sneaking in a camera (these were the days before cameraphones, remember). Then I realized that I was squandering the opportunity. My favorite band was 50 feet in front of me, why the hell was I looking through a viewfinder? I’m glad I decided to simply live in the moment when at a show, but I’m also grateful for the people who take videos at shows. Especially when they put them up on YouTube.

All of that was just a really long-winded way of introducing a couple of the amazing videos I found from the 4/27 show at the Electric Factory. My YouTube search took seconds and came up with dozens of results. I didn’t look at all of them (though I wanted to), but these are a couple I really love.

They opened their set with “Sowing Season (Yeah)” (technically the song that made me a Brand New fan) and I love this black and white video.

One of the highlights of the show for me was when they played “The Boy Who Blocked His Own Shot.” It’s one of my favorite songs from their second record and I never expected to see them play it live. Amy can attest that I kinda freaked out when it started. FYI, this video is kind of shaky and Blair Witch-esque, but I am just mesmerized by the song and the performance.

Speaking of mesmerizing performances, they closed the show with (what else) “Soco Amaretto Lime.” When Jesse announced that it was the last song, I was annoyed that they didn’t play “Play Crack the Sky,” but by the end of the first verse I kind of didn’t care. I feel like this video perfectly encapsulates why I am so obsessed with Brand New. Also, this video is much less shaky than “The Boy Who Blocked His Own Shot.”

I realize that I can sound a little fangirl swoon-y when I talk about Brand New, but I assure you that I could be so much worse. If you’re looking for proof, I suggest that you check the comments on any of the YouTube videos I’ve included here (or, really, any video of Brand New on YouTube). If you’re interested, here are the links for “Sowing Season (Yeah),” “The Boy Who Blocked His Own Shot,” and “Soco Amaretto Lime.”

Pittsburghese

I finally got around to listening to the latest Grammar Girl podcast (available to read or listen to here) and as soon as I saw the name of the episode (“Needs Washed”) I knew it would be about Pittsburghese (sometimes called Yinzer). Well, really it’s about regional dialects, but it focuses on Pittsburghese. I enjoyed the trip down memory lane that came from hearing GG discuss the bizarre words and constructions that amused and/or annoyed me when I was in college. Unfortunately, it was clear that she didn’t get a Pittsburghese speaker to write the pronunciations phonetically. After all, everyone knows that “needs washed” would be pronounced “needs worshed.”

I will admit to yelling at my computer when she apparently decided that all Pennsylvanians speak Pittsburghese (about halfway through the podcast). I hate to break it to you, GG, but I moved to (southeastern) PA when I was 5 and the first time I ever heard “needs washed” was when I moved to western PA at 18. This is not to say that Philly doesn’t have its own linguistic quirks (“going down the shore” being a particular favorite of mine), but the verb “to be” generally shows up where it should.

Oh Hai, Playoffs

The Phillies just clinched their 5th consecutive trip to the MLB postseason. Yawn. I’m kidding, of course. It’s a huge achievement (and a first for the franchise). But there’s still miles to go before they sleep clinch the NL East. Though the odds are quite good that this weekend will see another champagne- and beer-soaked clubhouse celebration at Citizens Bank Park.

I want to thank the Phillies and Astros for playing what was possibly the shortest complete baseball game I’ve ever seen in my life. (It clocked in at 2:06 according to tweets from several beat writers at the game.) It gave me the chance to revel in the moment while reading celebratory tweets, get a snack, and write this here blog post; leaving me with plenty of time to do things that are actually important (like homework).

On a final note, I want to share this video that is pretty much the greatest thing I’ve seen on the Internet all week. It’s a video of baby pandas wrestling (cute overload), but the thing that makes it so phenomenal is the choice of soundtrack: “Brooklyn Zoo” by Ol’ Dirty Bastard (NSFW). I loved the video so much that my first instinct was to join Tumblr so I could reblog the post that way. Then I would’ve linked to my Tumblr from this blog like some kind of social media maven. But then I realized the time I spent doing that would be better spent on my homework, so I let it go. Homework strikes again!

Mmm, Pumpkin Spice Latte

It’s September, and that can only mean one thing. The Pumpkin Spice Latte is back at Starbucks! Hooray! Some people celebrate the return of pumpkin beer, I celebrate the return of pumpkin coffee.

The Pumpkin Spice Latte actually came back on Tuesday (yes, I know when Pumpkin Spice Lattes came back), but I didn’t have one until today (since today was the first time I left my house this week – online classes have really allowed me to become a hermit). And let me tell you, it was heaven. It also reminded me that I need to email my buddy T-Bone (the person who introduced me to the fabulousness that is the Pumpkin Spice Latte).

Sadly, there’s a good chance that today’s will be my only Pumpkin Spice Latte of the year. After all, I’m seriously considering dropping cable, I can’t remotely justify renewing my Starbucks habit (more accurately, my Pumpkin Spice Latte every time I go to Target habit). But every now and again you have to treat yourself a little, and today’s Pumpkin Spice Latte was a damn good treat. Also, I recently discovered that Dunkin’ Donuts’ pumpkin coffee is nearly as good as a Pumpkin Spice Latte and So Much Cheaper 🙂

Now I’m off to watch the Phillies’ scrubs play the Brewers. A real postseason preview, this series is 😉