girlfiend

See, it’s my belly. With the shirt on it doesn’t look so big.

But then you look at this one and all of a sudden it’s like, “Holy shit, there’s a baby in there!”

This is just fascinating. 3 more months. I wonder how big it will get.

I’m doing much better now. After infuriating people on both of the message boards I’ve been frequenting, I’ve finally found a board that suits my needs- Baby’s Named a Bad, Bad Thing. I’m so pleased that a board making fun of other people’s baby names exists. It makes me feel so much better about being such a bitch.

Boyfiend just brought me tea and cookies. I’ve been on a chai latte kick and bought some of the concentrate at the market. I baked Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies last week. Those cookies are like crack, they’re so good. I think tonight, either before or after my knitting class I’m going to bake some chocolate chip. Mmmm… cookies.

Perhaps it’s cabin fever, but my cats have been fighting like crazy. I keep finding huge tufts of cat hair on the floor. After a particulary fierce swatting-hissing match we found a piece of Phyllis’ claw stuck in Howard’s nose. It’s a wonder he didn’t lose an eye.

The other night we were on our way home from Boyfiend’s aunt and uncle’s house way, way out in the Bucks County suburbs. The ride takes about an hour. We were listening to WXPN, which at times is a decent station. It seems that the more I listen to XPN the more annoyed I become. As we listened, Boyfiend started asking me how I’d rate the songs on a scale of 1 to 10. A 7 is generally a song we’ll listen to without changing. A 6 is something that will make us seek out something better on another station. Here are the songs we heard on our very long drive.

Oasis - Champagne Supernova - (What’s The Story) Morning Glory?
I like Oasis well enough. Boyfiend does too. When he spent a semester in London in the mid 90s he couldn’t stand them because that was all they played, but back in the states he didn’t mind them at all. Although we heard this song just before we began the rating game, afterwards he rated it an 8 and I agreed, but in retrospect, when compared to the other songs he gives it a 9. I may have to raise my score as well, after re-listening to some of this crap.

Kathleen Edwards - Back To Me - Back To Me
I gave this song a 7. It’s not outstanding, but it’s not something I’d turn off. It reminds me of Lucinda Williams, only Lucinda Williams is better. Boyfiend gave it a 6.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Over And Over Again (Lost And Found)-Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
At first I thought this was David Byrne. It sounded sort of like him and was kind of interesting. I gave it a 7 because I wouldn’t turn it off. But then it kept going and got worse as it went along. I lowered my rating to a 6. Boyfiend gave it a 5 and says the guy should enter a David Byrne soundalike contest.

The Kinks - Where Have All The Good Times Gone - Greatest Hits
Boyfiend gave it a 9. I gave it an 8. You can’t really go wrong with The Kinks.

Sheryl Crow - There Goes The Neighborhood - The Globe Sessions
At first listen I figured, hey, Sheryl Crow’s likable and her music, while uninspiring ain’t that bad, so I gave it a 7. Boyfiend gave it a 3 or a 4, I can’t remember. We debated the merits of the song for a while. I said it was fine because of the freaks and drag queen reference, followed by the phrase, “I dropped acid on a Saturday night.” Boyfiend argued that the song sucked because the references were negated by the lyric, “There goes the neighborhood.” Boyfiend also says it sounds like the music you’d hear in a bar scene in a movie where the characters are having a good time. It’s background music. I stood by my score, but then the sax solo began. There is nothing cheesier than a blow your load guitar solo in the middle of an easy listening rock song. The sax solo lasted far too long and was unfortunately followed by more annoying horns. Pissed off, I immediately lowered my rating to a 2.

My Morning Jacket - Off The Record - Z
I’d heard bits and pieces of the song before and it reminds me of going to punk and ska shows in high school, only it sounds like it was designed for a middle-aged audience wanting to hang on to their lost youth. Initially I gave the song a 7, because it’s benign enough that I probably wouldn’t change it. I think Boyfiend gave it a 5. But then the song lasted about 2 minutes longer than it should have and disintegrated into disinteresting ambient crap. I was forced to lower my score to a 5. Boyfiend lowered his to a 4.

The Magic Numbers - Love Me Like You - The Magic Numbers
I couldn’t remember what we rated this one and Boyfiend couldn’t remember either so I watched the video. I think I give it a 7 because trying to find something to listen to is a hassle and the song is fine. Nice, boring, safe and easy to listen to. After some hesitation Boyfiend said he’d give it a 6 because there’s nothing really to grasp on to. Again, it’s fine, but it’s not rock and roll. But then I remembered that this song ended on such a cheesy note that it caused me lower my score to a 5 or 6, because there’s no way I’d listen to this song all of the way through without changing the station to find something better. I was so pissed off by the last notes of the song that I lowered all of my previous scores by at least one point, in some cases- Sheryl Crow, that’s you- two.

Wreckless Eric - Whole Wide World - The Teenage Kicks: Uk Pop 1 (1976-79)
I couldn’t remember what this song was so I tried to listen online. I could only find the briefest of clips, so I’m undecided, but I’m erring on the side of 6 or 7. Boyfiend gives it an 8 because it sounds like rock and roll.

Neil Diamond - Delirious Love - 12 Songs
Neil Diamond, like pizza, is pretty good even when it’s bad. We both gave it an 8.

Led Zeppelin - Misty Mountain Hop - Led Zeppelin IV
Of course this started playing just as we pulled up in front of the house. It’s not our favorite Zeppelin song, but it gets a 9 from both of us, especially when compared to the rest of the crap XPN shoves down our throats.

The next morning on my way to work I heard Divine Hammer by the Breeders. I’d give that song a 10 without hesitation. It’s infuriating that to get to the Breeders you have to listen to hours and hours of crap. I spend the majority of the time in my car trying to find a song that’s better than the ‘6′ that’s currently playing on XPN. Usually there’s nothing and I have to stick with the ‘6′. At least the Friday Funk is a good time.

(After much deliberation I’ve decided not to link to any of the songs or bands I’ve named above. It was bad enough listening to clips a second time to remember our ratings. I’d hate to inflict some of those songs upon you.)