"So you're wishing that you never did all the embarrassing things you've done. And you're wishing you could set it right, and you're wishing you could stay the night. But then I go again, wishing never solved a problem. If you wanna get it big time, go ahead and get it get it big time. So I think I can solve all my problems by myself. Nevermind, nevermind, nevermind, nevermind. And you think you can solve all your problems by yourself. Nevermind, nevermind, nevermind, nevermind." ~yeasayer

I love Yeasayer. I saw them open for The National a few years ago and they were just so much fun, even though at that point I wasn't familiar with their music (not many people were). I've liked seeing them gain popularity (even though a little bit of me wanted to keep them to myself). The above song is from the Dark was the Night compilation (created by the Dessner brothers of The National). Go buy that album if you don't already have it. It's raising money for a great cause, and it's a fabulous compilation of music by a bunch of great bands. Please don't download it illegally, though; the album is raising money for charity.

I don't have school this week (it's our winter break), and I decided to stay at home and relax. Last year Lauren and I went to Miami. I would have liked to go somewhere warm this year, but I didn't really have anyone to go with me (my best teacher friends aren't teachers anymore so they're working), and I'm saving money by staying at home. I'm trying to be productive, so I've done a LOT of work in my apartment. It doesn't look like a lot, but trust me, it is. I cleaned out my closet and donated a couple huge bags of clothes to goodwill, I bought a new cabinet to store clothes, I organized the cabinets under my bathroom and kitchen sinks, I organized my shoes (and threw out a bunch), I cleaned, and I child-proofed my cabinets. No, I do not have children. I do, however, have two kittens who love to wreak havoc. My kittens love small spaces. They love squeezing their tiny bodies into nooks and crannies. And Casey loves climbing into the cabinets under the sink. He can open the cabinets by himself. So I added child-proof latches, and now he's locked out. See the collage below for examples of my kitties in small spaces.

I'm also doing some fun stuff this week. Today I went to a taping of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Jeremy Irons was the main guest, and he's hilarious. Watch the whole show, and watch it for him. He's just so entertaining. The Farrelly Brothers were the second guest, and it was cool to see them. I was on the Band Bench, so I was onstage while the band (Destroyer) played. The last time I was on the Band Bench, The National were playing and I was quite visible (http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/8WS4EaVd4s8/). I didn't have as good a spot this time, but it was still fun. From the audience view I'm on the right-hand side of the stage, standing next to a girl with glasses in a red sweatshirt. I'll post the video tomorrow.

A couple of random musings before I go:

I never addressed the fact that The Arcade Fire won the Grammy for Album of the Year. I lost faith in the Grammys a long time ago (actually, I don't think I ever had faith in them), but this one award made me think a heck of a lot more highly of the Grammys. I was shocked and elated. They don't often reward the bands I listen to (in fact, they tend to simply group them in one category labeled "Alternative" and then ignore them in the rest of the categories), so this was a complete (and welcome) surprise. And the fact that they then performed "Ready to Start"? Oh my goodness. Be still, my heart.

Random musing #2: James Franco. Oh, James Franco. You're just such a mystery. I'd love to have a conversation with the guy, because he just seems so interesting. He goes to, like, four different colleges, he writes books, he sings, he acts, he's hosting the Oscars and he's also nominated...and now he posts photos on twitter. Photos that rival the twitter photos posted by The Edge. Seriously, those two guys need to get together and compare notes.