Eclectic Mixes

I think one of the most common questions asked in conversation is, "what kind of music do you like?" Usually, I get asked this when I am in a car with someone (friend, co-worker, client, date, whatever) and they are fiddling with their pre-sets or CDs. Every body asks this question and I never know how to adequately answer it. This is probably true for many people. With ALL of the music out there, how can anyone really sum up their music tastes?

I like a lot of music, but have decided that my taste is best described in terms of "songs" rather than "artists." I usually use the word "eclectic" to describe my music selection, which is probably true. I like a little bit of everything...little pop, little country, little rap, little classic rock. I'm notorious for having mix CDs which encompass every genre of music. Ride in my car for an hour and you'll never have so many mood changes in your life! If I were to categorize the music currently in my ipod in terms of what kind of mood each song puts me in, it would go something like this...

Songs I like to work out to:
Let's Get it Started---Black Eyed Peas
Gold Digger---Kanye West
Changes--Tupoc
Anything Michael Jackson
Anything Prince

Songs that make me want to play an instrument:
Landed--- Ben Folds Five (piano)
Don't Stop Believin'---Journey (piano in beginning and then guitar)
Midnight Blue---Lou Gramm (air guitar)
Fool in the Rain--Led Zeppelin (drums)
Don't Fear the Reaper---Blue Oyster Cult (cowbell)

Songs that make me want to dance around my living room:
Thriller---Michael Jackson (really, all Michael songs make me bust a move)
Knock on Wood---Amii Stewart
Jump---Pointer Sisters
Footloose--- Kenny Loggins (go ahead, laugh)

Songs that make me want to slow dance:
Your Song---Elton John
By Your Side---Sade
Waiting in Vain---Annie Lennox

Songs that make me want to belt out singing in the car:
Wide Open Spaces---Dixie Chicks
To Zion---Lauryn Hill
I Will---Alison Krauss

Songs that make me want to sing a duet:
Come What May---Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman
The Prayer---Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli
Cruisin'---Huey Lewis and Gwenyth Paltrow

Songs I like to chill to:
Walk on the Ocean---Toad the Wet Sprocket
In a Little While---U2
All at Sea---Jamie Cullum

Songs that can bring a tear to my eye:
The Things We've Handed Down---Marc Cohn
I'm Already There---Lonestar
The Broken Road---Rascal Flats

Songs that bring a smile to my face:
Where You Are---Marc Broussard
Chariot---Gavin DeGraw
Raspberry Beret--- Prince (okay, all Prince songs make me feel good)
Sunday Morning--- Maroon 5

There you have it. Obviously hard to capture them all, but good to lay it out there. Next time someone asks what kind of music I like, this is the answer they are going to get.

Text Messaging Abuse in Dating

Back by popular demand...(and with a few edits).
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I have a love/hate relationship with text messaging. At times I think it is the best thing ever. Like when I want to send a quick informative message to someone who isn't able to answer their phone at the time, or reversely, get a message from someone who can't call me at the time. It can also be fun for some flirtatious back and forth banter. But with this texting craze, I think it's necessary to set some boundaries for the guys out there who are abusing text messaging when trying to communicate with women. Here are three tips:

1. Grow some balls and CALL if you want to ask her out. Do NOT...I repeat, do NOT ask her out via text message for a first date. No girl is impressed by reading "what r u doing sat night?" on her cell phone. Be a gentleman and do it the old fashioned way.

2. If it is 8pm on a weekday and you are both capable of carrying on a verbal conversation at the time, do not send her a passive "I'm too scared to call you" text message and expect to have a decent conversation that way. If you text something like, "how was ur day?", don't expect much of a response. If you don't want to call, send her an email so that she can respond on a fullsize keyboard, without having to use 17 keystrokes just to type "good."

3. Do NOT use text messaging as a medium for communicating serious emotions for the first time to a woman. Not matter what you need to say, be a man and tell her verbally so she isn't stuck trying to interpret the tone used in your text. Enough said.

Just had to get that out there. And since I don't really know who comes across my blog, enjoy this post while you can because it may get deleted once I start getting "hate texts" from the subjects who provided material for this post.

The Jerk 101

I went to a BBQ at my friend's boyfriend, Gabe's, new house. As I was getting a tour of the home, I noticed a DVD of The Jerk lying on the floor by itself. Those who know me, know this has been my favorite movie since I was about 8. To this day, if someone asks me my favorite movie, I still say The Jerk. It's my staple.

There are few people I've come across who actually own this movie on DVD, so of course I flipped-out and told them how this is my all-time favorite! Gabe responded by telling me he wrote a paper about The Jerk in college. Apparently, he took some Culture and Society class in college where they studied the movie The Jerk and the TV show The Simpsons for an entire semester!

Here's the kicker: Later in the evening, I inquired as to where Gabe went to college that he could take such an awesome class. "University of Iowa," he said. What?! Needless to say, I was extremely disappoined to learn that I went through 4 years as a Journalism major (with a minor in Sociology) at Iowa and somehow missed the class where my final would have been to write about Navin Johnson's run through the societal classes...from rags to riches. It would've been the easiest 'A' I've ever had! (Of course, I would have been the really annoying girl in class reciting lines from the movie the whole sememster).

And to think...I just like the movie because I think it is funny! Who knew it was intellectual?

Who is Your Celebrity Look-Alike?

If you are looking for some entertainment, check out www.myheritage.com. You can upload pictures to this site and it scans the faces and finds which celebrity you best match. Now, I should warn you that it isn't always consistent. Depending on which picture you upload, you may get a couple of different celebrities. For instance, I scanned two different pictures of a friend of mine. I won't mention any names, but I do think she reads this blog. Her result for one picture was Naomi Watts and the result for the other was Billy Bob Thorton. And she's gorgeous, so I don't know what was up with Billy Bob!

I have gotten about 10 different people for different pictures, so I would recommend trying several photos just for kicks. It's really just a matter of which picture you scan and the angle of your face I think. Still fun nonetheless!

Who is your celebrity look-alike?

The Unlisted Realtor

I'm going on my fourth year of being a Realtor and have managed to pretty much do absolutely NO marketing. Unlike your typical Realtor, I don't have my picture on my card, I don't send out mailings, I don't have a bus bench or a billboard, and I don't have my own website. While, I've been doing just fine so far, I've recently taken a couple of steps to kick up my marketing plan a notch.

Step#1: I ordered name riders to hang up on my listings with my name and number on them instead of the generic ones. I have been keeping the extras on the floor in the backseat of my car so they are accessible when I need to put one up. Here is how the first step of my marketing plan has already gone awry:

Last weekend I met some friends out in uptown. At the end of the night, after nursing one beer, I found myself among some drunken friends and friends of friends who needed rides homes. So, I ended up with my friend's friend and my friend's new boyfriend's friend (follow me?) who needed rides home (and wanted to get dropped off at the same place). I didn't ask questions, I just wanted to get them somewhere safe and she happened to live only a couple blocks from me. Girl gets in the front seat of my car and Guy gets in the backseat. I'm not going to mention any names, but I will tell you that Guy is a new Vikings player. So, I've got a hoochy girl in my passenger seat and a big, black drunk man in my back seat.

"What's this sign fo'? You a Realtor?" Guy asks holding up my name rider with my name and cell phone plastered all over it.

"How'd you guess?" I say.

"Well, I figured it was either that...or you used this to pick up guys."

"Yeah!" I laugh out loud. "I stick it in my window when I am driving around!" I say sarcastically.
He laughs.

I safely drop them off at Girl's place in uptown. "Bye, kids! Have fun!"

On my way home, now 2am and driving through uptown alone, I am at a stoplight and hear a honk from the car next to me. I look over to see some guy waving. I roll my eyes...guys are relentless at 2am! Seriously, what does he think I am going to do right now? What girl would wave and smile at some freak trying to pick her up at a stoplight at 2am? Hmmmmm....well, maybe a girl who had her name and phone number propped up in the backseat of her car--that's just an invitation for a honk and a wave! Yeah, it wasn't until I got home and out of my car that I noticed that Guy, who I so nicely had given a ride home, thought it would be funny to put my name rider UP IN THE WINDOW OF MY BACKSEAT! Fortunately, I didn't get any freaky calls that night.

Step #2: I got my "Realtor picture" taken.

I have always been very anti-realtor picture. They've always seemed so cheesy to me and I never understood the importance. But I was finally convinced it's good to put a face with a name in this business. I'm not ready yet for the picture on the business card or the bus bench, so this is my first attempt at using my picture, since I don't know what else I am going to use if for right now. So, here it is...Ashley, Realtor.


And trust me, I had a hard time deciding on a picture. I immediately ruled out the ones with my head tilted about 45 degrees to the side.

There is something about coupling my picture along with my cell phone number and plastering it around town that is making me think twice. Hey, marketing gurus out there, I'm looking for some advice on how I can use my new tools to solicit business. Not dates, but business. How can I tastefully and professionally send out my name, picture, and phone number around uptown and say "call me...if you want to buy a house"?

Tag line ideas? Catch phrases? Memorable marketing products? Roll 'em in...

The Fourth of The July!

The 4th is my favorite holiday! Here are some of my best memories:

Swimming in Tutu and Kapuna's pool as a kid. Sparklers!

Dressing up as outhouses for the neighborhood parade with my friend, Megan. Costume: a refrigerator box

Dressing up as synchronized swimmers for parade with Megan. Cosume: plastic pool with a hole cut in the middle.

TPing the assembly grounds the night of the 3rd. Going back with my sister when we were waaaaay too old to still be TPing and getting scared that we would get caught. We hid in the bushes from the little kids.

Getting stranded in the middle of Lake Minnewashta on a Seadoo for several hours by myself. I had the best seat for fireworks!

Boating on Minnetonka: Big Island and tubing behind boats with crazy drivers!

Happy 4th of The July, Everyone! Have fun grillin' and chillin'!