Oh, Country Kissin'

When it gets warm there is something that makes me want to listen to Country music. I’m from the South so I was taught to like this type of music at a young age (Although this is absolutely NOT all that I listen to. I can’t even picture my iPod without Britney, Blink-182, O.A.R., or an assortment of songs featuring T-Pain.)

The 4th is almost here and what is more American than a boy with a little Southern drawl wearin’ blue jeans and strummin’ on his guitar?

Oh right. If he’s not from America.

My dad always had problems with the fact that Keith Urban is from Australia and singing a basically American genre of music. I can’t say Keith being an “imposter” ever really bothered me. He’s attractive. However, I don’t think I’ve loved any of his songs to date either.

My problem with him is more recent. His latest single is called Kiss a Girl. If you haven’t heard it, here’s a sampling of the lyrics (in italics). I’m going to break this song down for you though… because I have a few thoughts on it...

To kiss and tell
It's just not my style
(Okay, I’ll give him that.)
But the night is young
And it's been awhile
(Hmm.. he’s in a drought. And horny. Who hasn’t been there?)

And she broke my heart
Broke it right in two
And it's fixing time
But I'm feeling like I'm finally ready to
Find, find somebody new
(Mmm.. okay. For guys isn’t this typically like a day? Or a drunken night? And they are magically ready to move on physically? I don’t want to stereotype or make generalizations. So I’m also going to go with the thought that he was EXTREMELY hurt and went through a period where he wasn’t ready yet to move on physically. It’s possible.)

I wanna kiss a girl
I wanna hold her tight
And maybe make a little magic in the moonlight
Don't wanna go too far
Just to take it slow (Makes since. IF he’s getting over heartache.)
But I shouldn't be lonely in this big ol' world
I wanna kiss a girl (What guy doesn't?)

It's that moment when
You start closing in
First you're holding back
Then surrendering

It can start a fire
Light up the sky
Such a simple thing
Do you wanna try?
Are you ready to
Say goodbye
To all these blues? (Wait I’m sorry. I thought HE was the one with the blues? Not the girl. She’s just helping him.)

I wanna kiss a girl
I wanna hold her tight
And maybe make a little magic in the moonlight
Don't wanna go too far
Just to take it slow
But I shouldn't be lonely in this big ol' world
I wanna kiss a girl'

Cause, baby, tonight
It could turn into the rest of our lives (WHAT GUY THINKS THIS?!!! ESPECIALLY IF HE IS ON THE REBOUND?! Which the entire song at this point has been building on the fact that the guy is in fact just getting over heartbreak.)

Oh yeah
Are you ready?(Are you ready?)
Are you ready(Are you ready)
To cross that line?
Put your lips on mine
Ooh, put your lips on mine, baby….

From here all of the lyrics repeat with the last line of the song being….Ooh I wanna kiss you now.

So yeah. The song says “I want to kiss A girl.” Not even I want to kiss YOU girl. Until the very end. The guy is supposedly on the rebound, yet thinking that kissing a girl could turn into the REST of their LIVES.

No guy thinks like this. I don’t even think many girls think like this. If you have liked a member of the opposite sex FOREVER the first kiss is…crucial. But the first kiss when rebounding isn’t about the rest of your lives. It’s about moving on with YOUR LIFE.

Aaaaand if this song didn’t touch on rebounding… no guy… ever WANTS TO TAKE IT SLOW. Or I guess I should say would be opposed to moving faster than a short smooch to end the evening. They might realize this is necessary if they really like the girl. But they are still thinking lusty thoughts about their little “angel.”

This song has made it to #3 on the country billboards. Right now its at #4. In my opinion, it was totally written to sell records. And yes, there are many other songs about love that are probably also just intended to strike a cord with hopelessly romantic females…

(Back at One? Anyone? For example.)

However...………. the mushier songs that are about BEING IN LOVE can hold their own much more than this one about getting some. It's like a bad “chick flick” of a song; gives you warm fuzzies but just is not realistic.

And that is why we have hip-hop ;-)

Like, hi! I'm Jo!

Allow myself to introduce...myself. I’m Joanna (but you can call me Jo) and I was consumed with unmitigated enthusiasm when OhMyHeart invited me to join LOMB. I’m short, quirky, wear glasses because I’m scared to touch my eyeball and, oh yeah…am incredibly and unfortunately boy crazy.

Three days before graduation my boyfriend (whom I was hopelessly head over heels and hand over heart in love with) and I decided to “take a break.” Now I am on a seemingly fruitless quest for a job in journalism so I can plunge into the highly anticipated and highly unstable work force. Last week my dream job was dangled under my nose and then swiftly taken away from me. With no boyfriend, no job (as of yet) and a small window of optimism that I will fight my way into the journalism world, can’t you just smell all the juicy blog posts??

I’ll save my first real post for a later date, but to round out my introduction, I’m going to piggy-back off OhMyLaughter’s celeb crush post and list some of my fantasy boyfriends. Like she said, it’s probably the best way to show my personality!

1. Adam Brody

YUM, Seth, Seth-e-la Cohen. Exactly what my mother always wanted me for me--a nice Jewish boy. He's the perfect combination of beauty and nerdiness. In The OC (I really don't like that show) it took Summer over a year to realize how delicious he is...it would have taken me exactly .0839 seconds.

2. Hayden Christensen (as Anakin Skywalker)

No, I'm not a 17-year-old boy, but I love Star Wars. It's really the first three that were made in the late '70s/early '80s that I love, but O.M.G. Hayden Christensen with a light saber?!?!! SAUCY. And he always seems to be brooding, and there's nothing sexier than a brooding jedi.

3. James Marsden

I love James Marsden so much, that I borderline think Ally should have chosen Lon over Noah in The Notebook. Come on, look at that bone structure! Plus, he can sing and dance (Corny Collins-Hairspray) and that earns him an A+ in my book.

4. John Krasinski
I stole this one from OhMyLaughter but I can't resist. Every time I watch The Office (my favorite TV show), I confess my love for Jim Halpert aloud. He's clever, witty, adorable, and he picked flowers for Pam out of the Dunder Mifflin lawn before they almost got married in Ohio. I swooned uncontrollably.

I think I have an idea for my first post...a fantasy post about me and these four men in a hot tub...

Oh, Celeb Crushes. Love. Them.

Hmm this actually could be interesting if we all did this. Just because I think it would show a lot about each of our personalities-slash-taste in men.

Anyway, I’m about to share with you my life progression of celeb crushes. This is NOT a list of guys I think are hott. (I mean most guy celebs are hott…right? And that list would get far too long.) These are the guys who happen to be celebrities but I think(or thought) it would be cool to chill with in real life.

1. Zach Morris (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) / AC Slater (Mario Lopez)

Yes, Saved By The Bell is where it all began for me. And I really remember fluctuating between which character I liked more. Zach was hilarious and super cute. Slater was a WRESTLER and a total stud. Not sure if you have heard, but Jimmy Kimmel is trying to have a Saved By The Bell Reunion on his late night show! “I’m so excited…”

2. Jonathan Taylor Thomas I watched Home Improvement solely because he was on this show. Yeah the entire cast was funny. Yeah Zachary Ty Bryan is not so bad looking himself. But, my 10 year old little heart had a thing for this kid. Not sure what happened to him…. Wikipedia says he went to Harvard, St. Andrews, and Columbia. I actually think on top of being a smarty he was a pretty talented actor. Maybe he’ll come back to TV of the big screen one day.

3. Shia Labeouf
Louis on Even Stevens!!! So awkward, so funny! This was more of a secret crush. WAS it actually cool to watch The Disney Channel in middle school? I feel like everyone did, but it wasn’t discussed much. What’s funny is I really haven’t seen many of his action movies (although I should)...since he has officially arrived in Hollywood. Fyi--The Vanity Fair article on him a few years back was really interesting.

4. Michael Phelps

Freshman orientation in college was the only thing that kept me from watching all of his races in 2004 live. Ohhh but my roommate and I taped them. I actually went to the swimming Olympic trials last year. One of the most amazing experiences of my life—next best thing to the Olympics right? Which I WILL attend before I die. Anyway I have to say.. for any doubters who think Michael is just “kind of” cute or has a “decent body.” His abs in real life are UNREAL.

5. Kenny Chesney

I used to be pretty obsessed with country music. I still enjoy it, especially in the Summer Time “It’s a smile, it’s a kiss, it’s a sip of wine…” I’ve seen him in concert and besides having a ridiculously toned body, the guy really enjoys performing. Which I think is what brought him into “crush territory” for me.

6. John Krasynski

Could GAP get anymore clever with the word placement on this ad? I was a business major so of course I was drawn to The Office. The first episode I ever saw of The Office was actually in a business course. I’m a huge fan of the Jim and Pam office romance… and I want to see any work he does. For example, Away We Go. “Jim” with a beard. Drooooool.

7. Andy Samberg

Soo ridiculous. Love, love, love The Lonely Island. I know EVERY word to I’m On a Boat…and probably too many of the words to their more inappropriate songs. In my opinion he pulls off the shag haircut really well. If given the opportunity I could totally “rap” with him.

8. Spencer Pratt

Just kidding ;-)

Okay… so whether you are laughing it up or agreeing with me… this post is light-hearted, which is the exact kind of read we all want in the summer right?! What about you, who are your favorite celebs?

Like, I WOULD Post This...

IF you are from NOVA (Northern Virginia) or the DC area...it's extremely likely you have already seen this YouTube Video. If, however, you live someplace else in this great country/on this planet...there is a good chance you haven't.

Arlington,VA: Just a Metro ride away from DC and more-or-less portrayed to a T in this rap. The video was first posted on YouTube a week ago and everyone can't stop talking about it. Since our blog highlights the lives of 20somethings in the DC area... This video needs to go on it. ENJOY!!

Love, LikeOhMyBlog

A funny thing happened on the way to the weekend

Sunday

Logged onto Facebook. This series of advertisements appeared on the right-hand column.

First of all, neither of these guys "look" "Christian." Yeah, I'm stereotyping here, but the "Christian" boys I know wear girls jeans, do not have strong jaw lines, definitely do not look at you with smoldering eyes and definitely do not "want to be your boyfriend." Mostly, they're afraid of their sexuality. Just sayin.

Secondly, these advertisements appeared after I removed the cliche "Jesus saves me" as my "religion." Interesting, Facebook advertisers, interesting.

Saturday

Pranced my way around the awesomeness that is Artomatic. If you're in the D.C. area, I highly recommend it! I'm going to go back at least one more time to pick out something good for my new living room.

Friday

1. Hung out with a friend, her bro, and her bro's friend. The bro's friend just so happened to be my 11th grade best friend's biggest crush. No joke. I can definitely see why she crushed so hard on him. Tall, cute, artistic and a good conversationalist who at least acts really interested in what you have to say. Adorable.

2. Went to Clarendon Grille. I always say I don't really like the Grille, but I always end up dancing and having a good time there anyway. A dude tries to dance with me with two drinks in his hand.

Him: "Wanna dance?"
Me: "How are you going to dance with two drinks?"
Him: "Well, ones for my girlfriend."
Me: "I think you should go dance with your girlfriend then!"
Him: mumbles as he slinks away through the audience.

What?

3. Danced with another dude with the best. name. ever. Why? Because it was the perfect mixture of the two names of the two previous guys I dated.

For example, let's say the last two guys I dated were Shane* and John*. This dude's name would have been Sean. Amazing. I hope he calls, merely because I want the chance to say his name out loud and giggle quietly to myself.

And how were your all's weekends?

Like, Definitely, Maybe...yeah. Totally.

It's no secret that I'm a crier. I am just as likely to cry at the end of a comedy than I am at a good drama. I cry at happy endings because I'm sad the story's over. I cry at sad endings because...well, they're sad. I cry because I feel too much and I have to let it out somehow!

Well here I am at 12:25 am on a Sunday night, attempting to blog myself to sleep rather than cry myself to sleep - just so my eyes will hopefully look less red tomorrow.

A boy recommended Definitely, Maybe to me. I know! A boy. Recommending a RomCom. Weird. Awesome. Glorious.

I don't really remember it being publicized too much. Elizabeth Banks, Isla Fisher and Abigail Breslin have definitely been the popular ladies recently, though. And so I decided to check it out as my first round of a free trial at Netflix in my brand spankin new apartment closer in to the big, bad city!

And...I cried. I started crying about half way in and didn't really stop until...well, now.

Maya (Abigail Breslin), tells her dad, with all the wisdom of an 8-year-old girl,

"You're right, it is complicated, isn't it? I mean, you're in love with April, who used to be in love with Lucas, and then she fell in love with you, but you were in love with Summer, who was always really in love with Hampton, and now that you're in love with April she's in love with Kevin... and no one's in love with you. That's complicated."

And with that...I recommend the movie especially for LOMB lovers.

And maybe at a later date I'll actually have a witty and non-blubbering-and-actually-coherant post on how true Maya's statement really is.

Like, "Butterflies" })i({

My car hydroplaned as I was driving from my parents house in Richmond, VA to Washington DC last night. It didn't last too long and luckily I managed to guide my car in the right direction since I wasn't fully in control. It was surreal while it was happening; afterwards I got a nervous feeling in the pit of my stomach when I thought about how bad the results of that moment could have been.

Naturally, after getting over that thought...my mind wandered to new topics.

Here's the play-by play:

"Hydroplaning --> Nerves in stomach --> Hmm.. When's the last time I had "butterflies" while driving --> Oh, when I was following a cute boy around town in Minneapolis."

"Aaaand, she got her mind back to BOYS babyyyyyyy."

[If the above sentence or picture on the left means anything to you. You're cool.]

So... yeah. I had the good kind of butterflies in Minnesota partially because I was being adventurous and traveling...and mainly because I had 4 to 5 hours to kill hanging out with a really cute boy.

Aren't those the greatest? The VERY GOOD kind of butterflies you get pre-hangout/date. Similar to the feeling I get waiting for a rollercoaster or when leaving for a trip...but BETTER because it's excitement + emotions.

Personally, I don't always get them. I have to be really excited about the guy. And last night it hit me...IT. HAS. BEEN. A. WHILE. Not saying I haven't enjoyed hanging out with guys here. Or I haven't had butterflies that lasted for a second. But a guy that when I think about him I can't help but feel all aflutter inside. Not lately or in DC. A couple of my friends have recently found one though, and that makes me smile. It IS worth waiting for.

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