The Life And Times of Emika

I knew it would happen one of these days... Well, tonight my love of John Mayer and Sara Bareilles converged, if only online, in John Mayer's blog. It's just too exciting not to share!



MONDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2007

POP ROCKS

Those of you who've known me for a while are probably familiar with my firm defensive stance when it comes to the state of pop music. I don't hate things because they have a large audience, and often times I think they have a large audience because they're really good. Like any entertainment landscape, some moments in time are better than others, but I think pop music is on a hot streak right now. Sure, I downloaded the newly-released Miles Davis Quintet live album, and it's wonderful, but I love current events more than I do history.

In defense of the state of pop music being exciting these days, I present to you my 5 favorite tracks of RIGHT NOW.
They're great. Not "actually" great, as in "I expected them to suck and I'm reluctantly giving it up" great. Just stand-out pop music of today.

Paramore - Misery Business - This girl can sing her ass off, the melodies are killer, and the lyrics take about a dozen listens to really take in. (When it Rains is KILLING ME, so I'm throwing it in too. Big hit song to be.)

Lovestoned/I Think She Knows (Interlude) - Justin Timberlake - Not so much for the "Lovestoned" part, but for the 45 seconds of ultimate sonic bliss that is "I Think She Knows. It's JT's breakthrough moment as an artist; a novel mix of Coldplay guitar lines, hip hop beats and a vocal approach somewhere in between. When that track comes on I spend the first 3:30 preparing for the awesomeness to come. Then I yell at the speakers, "Make this 4 minutes long and put it on the next disc!"

Tattoo - Jordin Sparks - I don't really know who Jordin Sparks is as an artist, but the song is great. All people want is a melody and some words they believe are actually coming from the heart of the singer, and even though I'm sure it's not self-penned, I buy it. It gets me. Mission accomplished.

Love Song - Sara Barieilles - What a chorus. What a chorus!!! This one is gonna go far. The lyrics, the cadence, the melody and the chords all stack up and KILL it. The whole song is great, but it's all about the chorus. Not enough songs like this. Verses make tension, chorus brings release...

Over You - Daughtry - AMA well deserved. High five.

--------

And of course Alicia's Like You'll Never See Me Again makes me choke up like a little girl. I call it "Magenta Rain".


POSTED BY JOHN MAYER AT 02:16 PM FROM NEW YORK, NY

So, I know I haven't updated in FOREVER, but I just had to post to say that I'm typing this from my new MacBook!!! The last Apple computer we had was bought in 1992, and things have definitely improved since then. I love it! Woo hoo!

In other news, this is my vacation schedule:

August 31 - Sept 3: Ashland!
Sept 5 - Sept 10: New York!
Sept 11 - Sept 19: Italy!
Sept 19 - Sept 20: New York!

It almost makes it worth working 70 hours a week this summer...

Shows Included:

August 16, 2002 (Greek Theatre, Berkeley)
December 5, 2002 (Troubadour, Los Angeles)
July 13, 2003 (Shoreline, Mt. View)
December 9, 2003 (House of Blues, Los Angeles)
February 21, 2004 (Universal Amphitheatre, Los Angeles)
July 16, 2004 (Shoreline, Mt. View)
September 6, 2005 (Filmore, San Francisco) - John Mayer Trio
May 28, 2006 (Hotel Cafe, Los Angeles)
September 30, 2006 (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, Marysville)

3x5: 3
83: 4
Ain't Gonna Give Up On Love: 1
Back To You: 4
Belief: 1
Bigger Than My Body: 3
City Love: 2
Clarity: 3
Come Back To Bed: 3
Come When I Call: 1
Comfortable: 1
Covered in Rain: 1
Daughters: 4.5
Don't Need No Doctor: 1
E Blues: 1
Everyday I Have the Blues: 1
Good Love Is On the Way: 2
Gravity: 3
Great Indoors: 1
Heart of Life: 1
Hearts So Heavy: 1
Home Life: 1
Hummingbird: 1
The Hurt: 1
I Got A Woman: 1
I Don't Trust Myself (with loving you): 1
I'm Going to Find Another You: 2
In Repair: 1
In Your Atmosphere: 1
Love Song For No One: 2
Mr. Pitiful (JM3): 1
My Stupid Mouth: 6
Neon: 5
New Deep: 1
No Such Thing: 8
Only Heart: 1
Something's Missing: 5
Split Screen Sadness: 1
St. Patrick's Day: 3
Tracing: 1
Vultures: 2
Wait Til Tomorrow: 1
Waiting on the World to Change: 2
Wheel: 2
Who Did You Think I Was: 2
Why Georgia: 6
Your Body Is a Wonderland: 6

Covers:
Jump (Van Halen): 1
Never Tear Us Apart (INXS): 1
Axis Bold As Love (Jimi Hendrix): 1
Old Love (Eric Clapton): 1

(This is more for my own records than for you all, just FYI)

Happy Fall!

Just FYI, I took some names off of my friends list, but if you'd like me to add you back, just let me know. I figured some people out there probably weren't reading my entries, so I thought I'd try some fall downsizing.

After watching An Inconvenient Truth and the Discovery Channel's special Global Warming: What You Need To Know, I have more fully realized both the scary reality of global warming, and our ability to slow down the process significantly. Please take a few moments to check out http://www.climatecrisis.net and http://www.stopglobalwarming.org for very detailed information about global warming. I have compiled a list from those websites for realistic ways that we can reduce our CO2 emissions without completely changing our lifestyle. Please consider even making a few changes to help save our planet earth and the beautiful species that inhabit it, including ourselves and future generations. Every little bit counts.
Thank you so much!
Love,
Emika


REDUCE YOUR IMPACT AT HOME

1. Replace a regular incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb (cfl)
CFLs use 60% less energy than a regular bulb. This simple switch will save about 300 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. If every family in the U.S. made the switch, we'd reduce carbon dioxide by more than 90 billion pounds! You can purchase CFLs online from the Energy Federation.

2. Move your thermostat down 2° in winter and up 2° in summer
Almost half of the energy we use in our homes goes to heating and cooling. You could save about 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year with this simple adjustment. The American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy has more tips for saving energy on heating and cooling.

3. Clean or replace filters on your furnace and air conditioner
Cleaning a dirty air filter can save 350 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.

4. Install a programmable thermostat
Programmable thermostats will automatically lower the heat or air conditioning at night and raise them again in the morning. They can save you $100 a year on your energy bill.

5. Choose energy efficient appliances when making new purchases
Look for the Energy Star label on new appliances to choose the most efficient models. If each household in the U.S. replaced its existing appliances with the most efficient models available, we'd eliminate 175 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions every year!

6. Wrap your water heater in an insulation blanket
You'll save 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year with this simple action. You can save another 550 pounds per year by setting the thermostat no higher than 120 degrees Fahrenheit.

7. Use less hot water
It takes a lot of energy to heat water. You can use less hot water by installing a low flow showerhead (350 pounds of carbon dioxide saved per year) and washing your clothes in cold or warm water (500 pounds saved per year) instead of hot.

8. Use a clothesline instead of a dryer whenever possible
You can save 700 pounds of carbon dioxide when you air dry your clothes for 6 months out of the year.

9. Turn off electronic devices you're not using
Simply turning off your television, DVD player, stereo, and computer when you're not using them will save you thousands of pounds of carbon dioxide a year.

10. Unplug electronics from the wall when you're not using them
Even when turned off, things like hairdryers, cell phone chargers and televisions use energy. In fact, the energy used to keep display clocks lit and memory chips working accounts for 5 percent of total domestic energy consumption and spews 18 million tons of carbon into the atmosphere every year!

11. Only run your dishwasher when there's a full load and use the energy-saving setting
You can save 100 pounds of carbon dioxide per year.

12. Insulate and weatherize your home
Properly insulating your walls and ceilings can save 25% of your home heating bill and 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. Caulking and weather-stripping can save another 1,700 pounds per year. The Consumer Federation of America has more information on how to better insulate your home.

13. Be sure you're recycling at home
You can save 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide a year by recycling half of the waste your household generates. Earth 911 can help you find recycling resources in your area.

14. Buy recycled paper products
It takes less 70 to 90% less energy to make recycled paper and it prevents the loss of forests worldwide.

15. Plant a tree
A single tree will absorb one ton of carbon dioxide over its lifetime. Shade provided by trees can also reduce your air conditioning bill by 10 to 15%. The Arbor Day Foundation has information on planting and provides trees you can plant with membership.

16. Get a home energy audit
Many utilities offer free home energy audits to find where your home is poorly insulated or energy inefficient. You can save up to 30% off your energy bill and 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. Energy Star can help you find an energy specialist.

17. Switch to green power
In many areas, you can switch to energy generated by clean, renewable sources such as wind and solar. The Green Power Network is a good place to start to figure out what's available in your area.

18. Buy locally grown and produced foods
The average meal in the United States travels 1,200 miles from the farm to your plate. Buying locally will save fuel and keep money in your community.

19. Buy fresh foods instead of frozen
Frozen food uses 10 times more energy to produce.

20. Seek out and support local farmers markets
They reduce the amount of energy required to grow and transport the food to you by one fifth. You can find a farmer's market in your area at the USDA website.

21. Buy organic foods as much as possible
Organic soils capture and store carbon dioxide at much higher levels than soils from conventional farms. If we grew all of our corn and soybeans organically, we'd remove 580 billion pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere!

22. Avoid heavily packaged products
You can save 1,200 pounds of carbon dioxide if you cut down your garbage by 10%.

23. Bring cloth bags to the market
Using your own cloth bag instead of plastic or paper bags reduces waste and requires no additional energy.

24. Eat less meat
Methane is the second most significant greenhouse gas and cows are one of the greatest methane emitters. Their grassy diet and multiple stomachs cause them to produce methane, which they exhale with every breath.



REDUCE YOUR IMPACT WHILE ON THE MOVE

1. Reduce the number of miles you drive by walking, biking, carpooling or taking mass transit wherever possible
Avoiding just 10 miles of driving every week would eliminate about 500 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions a year! Click here to find transit options in your area.

2. Start a carpool with your coworkers or classmates
Sharing a ride with someone just 2 days a week will reduce your carbon dioxide emissions by 1,590 pounds a year. eRideShare.com runs a free national service connecting commuters and travelers.

3. Keep your car tuned up
Regular maintenance helps improve fuel efficiency and reduces emissions. When just 1% of car owners properly maintain their cars, nearly a billion pounds of carbon dioxide are kept out of the atmosphere.

4. Check your tires weekly to make sure they're properly inflated
Proper inflation can improve gas mileage by more than 3%. Since every gallon of gasoline saved keeps 20 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, every increase in fuel efficiency makes a difference!

5. When it is time for a new car, choose a more fuel efficient vehicle
You can save 3,000 pounds of carbon dioxide every year if your new car gets only 3 miles per gallon more than your current one. You can get up to 60 miles per gallon with a hybrid! You can find information on fuel efficiency here and here.

6. Try car sharing
Need a car but don't want to buy one? Community car sharing organizations provide access to a car and your membership fee covers gas, maintenance and insurance. Many companies – such as Flexcar -- offer low emission or hybrid cars too!

7. Try telecommuting from home
Telecommuting can help you drastically reduce the number of miles you drive every week. For more information, check out the Telework Coalition.

8. Fly less
Air travel produces large amounts of emissions so reducing how much you fly by even one or two trips a year can reduce your emissions significantly. You can also offset your air travel by investing in renewable energy projects.

I am now an official UCLA TFT alumnus. Crazy. The ceremony was actually surprisingly good, despite sitting in the HOT SUN for an hour and a half. I heart George C. Wolfe. And my classmates. Go team.

Four jobs I've had:
1. Babysitter
2. Production Assistant at the Palo Alto Children's Theatre
3. ArtsBridge Scholar
4. Intern at Reprise! Broadway's Best and the Geffen Playhouse (ok, they weren't paid, but still...)

Four movies I can (and do) watch over and over:
1. Billy Elliot
2. Little Women
3. Love Actually
4. Peter Pan with Mary Martin (when I was younger I watched it over & over - I haven't seen in it years)

Four places I've lived:
1. Stanford, CA
2. Palo Alto, CA
3. Los Angeles, CA
4. London, UK

Four TV shows I watch:
1. Top Chef
2. House Hunters
3. 30 Minute Meals
4. Lost (although I have to download them, and I'm way behind)

Four places I've vacationed:
1. Barga, Italy
2. Sapporo, Japan
3. New York, NY
4. Ashland, OR

Four foods I love:
1. Oatmeal with brown sugar & raisins
2. Chocolate
3. Japanese Food (not as much sushi as everything else)
4. Good pasta (like Italy Pasta)

Four sites I visit daily:
1. Gmail
2. Livejournal
3. Yahoo Weather
4. Facebook

Four places I'd rather be:
1. London!
2. Home
3. Italy
4. Really, anywhere that's not LA

Four random items in my bag:
1. Bath & Body Works Warm Vanilla Sugar Body Cream (yum!)
2. My UCLA Planner
3. Flyers & postcards for the events I'm working on
4. A highlighter

Four things most people don't know about me:
1. Despite having done plays for most of my life, I really am an introvert (well, maybe some knew that)
2. When people ask me about losing weight, I usually tell them that I've been eating healthy stuff, but I've really been on Weight Watchers, and I really like it (even though sometimes I cheat).
3. I don't have enough money now to pay next month's rent. Super!
4. Proper grammar makes me happy.

Four people I'd like to infect
1. whoever
2. wants
3. to do
4. it

From John Mayer's myspace blog... The lyrics may not be revolutionary, but they ring true to me...

sang a new song last night...
...spent a long time getting the words right...
...the live recording is hard to hear...
...so that nobody gets confused...
...every letter matters...

waiting On The World To Change

me and all my friends
we're all misunderstood
they say we stand for nothing and
there's no way we ever could

now we see everything that's going wrong
with the world and those who lead it
we just feel like we don't have the means
to rise above and beat it

so we keep waiting
waiting on the world to change
we keep on waiting
waiting on the world to change

it's hard to beat the system
when we're standing at a distance
so we keep waiting
waiting on the world to change

now if we had the power
to bring our neighbors home from war
they would have never missed a Christmas
no more ribbons on their door
and when you trust your television
what you get is what you got
cause when they own the information, oh
they can bend it all they want

that's why we're waiting
waiting on the world to change
we keep on waiting
waiting on the world to change

it's not that we don't care,
we just know that the fight ain't fair
so we keep on waiting
waiting on the world to change


and we're still waiting
waiting on the world to change
we keep on waiting waiting on the world to change
one day our generation
is gonna rule the population
so we keep on waiting
waiting on the world to change

we keep on waiting
waiting on the world to change

I only caught the last eight or so awards, but here's my first reaction to the Oscars...

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This afternoon, I waited behind Stephen Schwartz at the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf on Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood. He was short - like shorter than me (with my 2" clogs on). I only knew it was him from this picture at the back of my Children of Eden song selection book: