Oh...just a few favorite things!

Today over at Time Out For Mom, the Coffee Chat theme is "Favourite things. What are you loving these days?"

Well, for starters I am pretty excited about my recent seven pound weight loss. I have plateaued at the end of my second week, which I am NOT loving, but I'm trying to find creative ways to get the pounds falling off once again, because I really loved stepping on the scale and seeing the number move in a favorable direction. And I do NOT want to be caught at the same (or greater) number at the end of week three.

But that's not all!

Monday puts most of us in the mood for battle

As for me? It's usually just another day, but this time I am feeling it. This month is going by so fast, and I just can't seem to find time to get it all done.

Oh. Howdy!

This month also just keeps bringing a plethora of new things, especially on the blog hop front. There's always Music Monday, then earlier this month I participated in the Mix Tape Shuffle. Now? There's a new hop I'm excited to try to join up with called Battle of the Bands.

The rules are pretty simple - pick two recordings of a particular song to "do battle." Twice per month, on the 1st and 15th. Link up, and visitors to your blog can cast their vote for their favorite. Six days later, cast your own vote and declare a winner. I consider myself somewhat of a cover/tribute afficianado, so you know this is right up my alley! (Edited for future reference (though not part of the rules) I will probably never throw an original into the ring, so to speak).

First off, we have the legendary Neil Young's "Cinnamon Girl". This is the original, and therefore not part of the "battle."

Now, I will ask you to listen to the two songs below (or at least enough of them to get a feel for what they sound like) and vote for which one you like better. Or least worse, whichever the case may be!

In 1996, Brooklyn Gothic/Doom Metal band Type O Negative covered "Cinnamon Girl" for their fourth studio album, October Rust.

Iconic 90's alt-rockers The Smashing Pumpkins also covered "Cinnamon Girl" and included it on the 2012 bonus CD reiussue of Pisces Iscariot.

Now.....for the rest of Music Monday. It's back to a Christmas song and I've been really in the mood for more from Etta James, so here she is singing "The Little Drummer Boy".

Isn't it just divine? For more Music Monday, be sure to visit X-Mas Dolly and Battle of the Bands. As always, if you have a music meme, be sure to mention it in the comments so I can participate here and pass it along!

Another taste of spring

has come, and will be going again soon. We went from iced over roads two or three weeks ago to thunderstorms with the threat of tornadoes last week to beautiful temps in the seventies this week. And later this week? Highs in the upper 30s. NO! Well, I sure hate to see my warm weather come to such an abrupt halt, but such is the way of things down here this time of year.

Still, spring IS coming. It will be here eventually, and I am so inspired to get more home stuff done in the house, to finish (and what I mean by "finish" is to start, then finish) upcycling and repurposing projects. You know, same as every season, every year. Perhaps this will be the year I get some stuff done? Who knows. But I'm certainly in the mood to!

For Music Monday, let's have some inspiring music, shall we? Some of us are going to need it to forge through the last few weeks of winter with our sanity intact!

New Politics: "Overcome"

The Smashing Pumpkins: "Today"
(somewhat risque video for those sensitive to such!)

Breaking Benjamin: "Until the End"

John Lennon: "Imagine"

MUSIC MONDAY

Be There 2Day
My So-Called Chaos
Run DMT
X-Mas Dolly