Raise me up

Yesterday my friend introduced my to the British show Nevermind the Buzzcocks, a comedy music game show.



Highly entertaining, even though I don't necessarily get all of the humor (I'm not as well versed in British pop culture as I'd like, I suppose). The actual game makes up maybe five minutes of the show, and the rest is back and forth joking and mocking between guests and the host, Simon Amstell. The episode I saw (lots are available on YouTube) featured, among other guests, Josh Groban. He's best known for award-winning single "You Raise Me Up"...



He's cute, friendly, funny and entertaining - I made the executive decision that we should be best friends after watching him on Nevermind the Buzzcocks, and because of his personality I decided to check out his music. Evidently I don't know my own iTunes very well, because surprise - I have three of his albums! (Thank you, freshman floor music sharing). He's got a phenomenal voice and while his music isn't entirely my style (his opera roots show through), it is pretty impressive.

It's interesting how much an artist's personality can impact my thoughts on their music. Although it's not necessarily the be-all-end-all, it does have an effect. If, at a live show, the band plays well and engages the crowd with their strong personality, my thoughts on them and their music generally improves. If they're less than impressive or just unfriendly, it tends to have a negative impact. So Groban's musical skills plus his good humor and friendly demeanor lead me to my new love. Even if we won't be best friends (and let's be honest, it's pretty unlikely), at least I've got new music to explore. Thanks, Simon!

So this is the new year...

Well, welcome to 2009! I rang in the new year in style - with good friends, new friends, homemade dinner, caviar and champagne. Classy, you know. And after a little sleep last night and significantly more sleep this afternoon, I've got positive thoughts and high hopes for this year. 2008 was good to me, excuse the nostalgia. I finished my freshman year of college, got contacts, started new relationships and ended some old ones, spent my last summer at Ramah Nyack, saw a few good concerts and did more shopping than I probably should have. This year looks full of opportunities, cliche as that sounds, and I really do look forward to it.
Ever since I saw them live my freshman year of high school, around this time I think of Death Cab fir Cutie's song "The New Year." Time appropriate and fitting, I suppose. There's a stanza that goes

I wish the world was flat like the old days, and I could travel just by folding the map. No more airplanes or speedtrains or freeways, there'd be no distance that could hold us back.

I think that that's, in a sense, my feelings for this year. In the past, I thought of it because a lot of my close friends, from camp and USY, lived further away. Now it's more about not being held back, not overthinking things - doing what I want this year. And it's going to be good. I hope.