Inspiration Behind the Song: "Cause of You", Learning to Cook (Sort of), and Graceland

I am so excited! My EP, "Stepping Stone" comes out tomorrow! My final "Inspiration Behind the Song" will be coming out tomorrow too and I'm very excited to share it with you as I've never written a song that means more to me than that one, so please read it!!

I'll briefly talk about "Cause of You". In all honesty, "Cause of You" was me daydreaming. I was listening to a lot of Savage Garden and was inspired by their song "I Want You" and also inspired by Taylor Swift's "Love Story". This song was about being in love and how amazing that feels: The idea that when you meet the right person, everything in your life seems to fall into place and you're in the clouds.

The song will be available for purchase tomorrow on iTunes as well as through my website for a physical CD. My website store (launching tomorrow) will also have some promotional merchandise that I've been working on.

Now, onto other topics. I'm attempting the crockpot again today! I probably never mentioned this but I have a gigantic fear of using the stove. However, I finally learned a few months ago to use the crockpot instead. I know. I'm 22 and it probably sounds like it took me a really long time to learn to cook anything for myself but, come on. I married a chef. You can't blame me for wanting to eat delicious meals instead of my amateur attempts at something supposedly called food. I'm not kidding. A few years back, I tried making spaghetti. It took three tries and to be honest, I still didn't get it. I even called my now husband (who was in New Zealand at the time cooking at work), and he was practically rolling on the floor laughing... I am pretty proud though now! I did finally learn how to make spaghetti a few weeks ago. And, my crockpot recipes are actually pretty good. Gwith even comes home wanting to eat my dishes. It's incredibly shocking! Tonight, I'm making a maple-cinnamon apple chicken. Fingers crossed that it tastes as good as it sounds!

What did everyone think of Graceland last week? My husband was a little annoyed at me because I fell asleep during it. Whoops. I did end up re-watching it with him though. I'm still feeling uncertain about the show. It seems like it might be starting to get more interesting, but then again, it seems like I might be saying that every week. I think the problem I'm having with the show is that the writers have given me no reason to care about any of these characters. I want to care. I wanted to watch the end of last week's episode and cry: "Poor Charlie! Her CI died and now I can't believe she's going to take drugs to get further on this case! How will she get out of this?" But instead, my reaction was more like: "Yup. Charlie found her CI dead. Oh. Now she's taking this drug? Maybe the show will get more interesting now? I hope...". I'm going to keep trying to watch the show. My hubby is enjoying it after all and who knows? Maybe if I watch it while I actually have some energy, I'll enjoy it too.

Two days until Covert Affairs returns on USA! I am psyched for some Annie/Auggie action. I feel like I've been waiting years for this...even though I only watched the entire show for the first time last winter. But still. It's been a long time coming!

What was your first attempt at cooking? Or were you just born with talent like my husband? Did you enjoy Graceland? Am I just missing something? Are you tuning in for Covert Affairs?

Chicken Quesadillas was the first meal I ever successfully made with the crock pot! Gwith loves Mexican food and because of my allergy to bell peppers, he can rarely have it. So this dish (pepper free of course) was a big surprise when he came home from work!

Mystical Vibe, Big Bear, more Graceland, and Sims 3!

I was hoping to post a little earlier today but my hubby had the day off and I have my priorities! Speaking of today, my sweet husband surprised me by taking me to Big Bear! The ducks were out in force today and really wanted food; so much so that they started chasing each other away in the water! After that, we enjoyed a peaceful boat ride where we nearly fell asleep we were so relaxed! The day came to an end with some delicious Chinese food from Mandarin Lotus in Agoura Hills and episodes of Castle!

Now, onto my music. I said I'd talk about each of my songs and I intend to keep that promise. I'm going to start with "Mystical Vibe". Back when I was 14 and only dreaming of what true love could be like (and pulling from my fictional experience through TV), I wrote this song. The song is about falling hopelessly in love with someone and losing yourself in them. It really does describe the way you do fall in love for the first time as a teen. You completely forget about yourself and your world just revolves around this one person. The song reminds me of Disney World (where I had my first date & kiss) just months after writing this. This song was my teenage fairytale and will always hold a special place in my heart. That's why this song begins my CD. I really felt like it was the beginning of my journey of falling in love. In a cheesy way, it was my first stepping stone to eventually finding my amazing husband. Mystical Vibe releases on my CD "Stepping Stone" July 15th, on iTunes!

Switching topics to my daily TV talk! I watched the most recent Graceland last night and I'm liking where the show is going. Even that actress I was hating is getting better. Thank goodness because she really was painful to watch originally! Now that I know Briggs is being investigated because of "money" stuff, I'm more on his side. Is it weird that when I thought it was for him being a loose cannon, I found it much more likely that he was bad? And now that it's supposedly money related I just don't believe it's true. And how sad that the other guy couldn't put his drugs and CI life behind him and buy that house for himself.

The Sims 3 Island Paradise comes out tomorrow! Is it bad that being on the boat today reminded me that my sims will get to be on a boat tomorrow? I am so excited! My hubby and I are going to run to Best Buy tomorrow morning for the game! I would pre-order but they didn't have that option when I was 9 and I started the tradition way back then of getting it from the store the day it comes out. Well, or at that age, having my mom get it from the store the day it came out.

So that's it for today! I'm assuming I'll be blogging tomorrow but who am I kidding, there is a significant possibility that I'll be too busy sailing my sims away! But hey, it's got to crash sometime right? The game, not the fake boat.

What's your favorite weekend excursion to take? Do you remember the first time you fell in love? Again, is Briggs bad? And how long do you think it will take for Island Paradise to crash? I'm taking bets!

Graceland Picks Up, The Sims 4, and a Haunting Bachelorette Dream

Gwith and I watched the second episode of Graceland last night. I have to say, it improved a lot! After the pilot episode, which scored a 4 on my TV-o-meter, this second episode scored a 7. I'm a bit intrigued. While I still can't stand Vanessa Ferlito's one expression, I loved the addition of Serinda Swan as Paige! She brings some much needed personality to the show.

My TV-O-Meter

So, do you think Paul Briggs is bad? I don't want to spoil to much for those who still haven't caught up but that last minute was definitely a little worrisome. Maybe the FBI is right and Briggs is bad or maybe...there's an conspiracy within the FBI and their worried that Briggs is going to uncover something? They definitely seem to be trying to find dirt on him and I'm looking forward to finding out why. On the other hand, SPOILER ALERT (highlight to read): *Briggs holding a gun to Mike's head didn't exactly fill me with faith that Briggs is just misunderstood.* By the scenes for this season, it looks like the show should be picking up soon and I'm expecting it to be a 9 in about two weeks.

I should add however, that Willow would give it a 10. She watched the entire episode and kept one ear up the whole time (except for commercials when she strangely put her ear down). I guess even rabbits know they're not worth listening to!

In other news, I watched the Sims 3 Live Broadcast today. There wasn't much information given out but they did announce that on August 20th, they'll be announcing some big information about The Sims 4! YAY! I feel confident that The Sims 4 will be amazing since Maxis is back on board. The Sims 3 was alright originally, but once Maxis came back, the latest expansion packs have been packed with fun stuff again, so I'm hoping that's a positive sign for The Sims 4. Apparently, the latest patch for TS3 is available now. I'm a little hesitant to download it since there always seems to be some big glitch but I guess I'm going to have to brave it. Especially since this patch allows the ability to build homes slightly on the water, purchase multiple properties, move towns, and gives ladders! I can start preparing for next week's release of Island Paradise! Yipee!

Before I go, I'd like to add that I had a very weird dream about The Bachelorette last night. Because my family is out of town, I have to wait till Wednesday or Thursday to watch last night's episode. So I dreamt last night that Desiree decided she didn't like any of the guys and sent them all home in the biggest twist ever! And then the season was over. What a nightmare!!! (I exaggerate). I guess my subconscious was worried that I missed a REALLY important episode. I clearly need to tell my subconscious that The Bachelorette is not all that important, even if it is fun to watch. NO SPOILERS about who she sent home though please! My family has a guessing chart we fill out before each rose ceremony...because we're awesome like that.

So, what did you think of Graceland? What is up with Briggs? What do you want to see in The Sims 4? And finally, have you ever had a dream about The Bachelor/The Bachelorette - don't be ashamed!

Father's Day, USA (Network), and My First and Final Trip to Hawaii

I hope everyone had a great Father's Day! We had a luau for my dad! It was lots of fun and we created a new "water ride" in the pool. Float + Waterfall = Amazing Fun. We finished the day with finishing the first season of Veronica Mars and the first episode of season 2. I never would've thought a few weeks ago that my dad would CHOOSE to watch Veronica Mars ever, let alone on Father's Day!

So, I'm drawing a blank on what to talk about... I guess I had a little too much fun in the sun yesterday! My brain is fried!

What did everyone think of the new USA show Graceland? Gwith and I still need to watch last week's episode, but I was a little uncertain about the pilot. It felt a bit slow and none of the actors captivated me. I guess Jeff Eastin couldn't get lucky enough to land another Matthew Bomer. Does anyone else just get lost in Matt Bomer's amazing charisma?!? He just bounces off the screen in White Collar. I didn't really feel that with the first episode of Graceland, especially not with Vanessa Ferlitaz. I think she had one expression the entire pilot. However, I learned a long time ago to never judge a show by it's pilot. If I did that, I would rarely find a show to continue watching! The writers are finding the voice and feel of the show, the actors have yet to find the soul to their parts, and the film crew is normally experimenting. So I'm willing to give it another shot and I'm hoping it really improves.

Since I'm on the topic of USA shows, who else cannot wait for the new season of Covert Affairs?! I just finished catching up on last season and I'm so excited for Annie and Auggie. I've been routing for them since season 1. Although, I must admit, Eyal and Annie are also not a bad pairing... But my heart is still with her and Auggie. On another note though, what do you think is in the file? What kind of dirt has been dug up on the agency? The new season of Covert Affairs begins July 16th on USA.

Back to Father's Day. Because my parents have yet to decorate their backyard (or house in general), it was quite easy to go to Party City and do up the backyard in a luau theme! Of course, because it looked so great, my parents now want to decorate their backyard with year round Polynesian decor. I personally love this idea because a decorated backyard is as close to Hawaii as I'll ever get. Why, you ask? Because I'm allergic to Hawaii. That's right.

Cut to Flashback:

I am 14 years old and traveling with my sister and mom for a girls vacation to Hawaii. We get off the plane and are in the taxi to the hotel.

Me: "Wow. I love Hawaii! I could live here!"

A few hours later, my unidentified allergies begin to erupt. I take Benadryl for my impaired breathing and we get ready to go on a submarine ride.

My mom: "Going further in the water should help your allergies Justine."

Now we're on the boat taking us to the submarine and we're half way there.

Me: "Mom!! I feel like I can't breath. I'm getting worse!" I begin gasping for air.

The boat with us and every other person paying for the submarine ride has to turn around and return me to land. We arrive back at the hotel.

Lady at the front desk: "My allergies always act up around the volcanic ash."

Shit. Volcanic ash? That would get worse as we head towards the water, wouldn't it? After this discovery, I didn't leave the hotel the rest of the trip.

Jump forward to the plane ride home:

Me: "Mom, I'm still having breathing issues." I continue gasping for air.

Flight attendant: "Is there a doctor on the plane!?!?!"

Cut back to present blog:

And that folks is why I will never ever return to Hawaii again and never visit other highly volcanic areas of the world. Unless of course, I want to become a Benadryl addict, in which guess, I suppose it'd be the perfect spot. But alas, I do not.

It's a shame I can't visit there because Hawaii really was beautiful! But hopefully my parents can bring a little Hawaii to their backyard!