ahora vamos a contar

i am having a sneezing attack. my nose piercing keeps flying out. this is annoying.

i am also extraordinarily sleepy. we decided to end our first week of summer school with an early happy hour. shrimp tacos, mexican martinis, and sopapillas make me happy.

*UPDATE*this is list week. please note, i am not trying to regurgitate Rolling Stone's Best Albums EVER list. there are many other fantastic musicians and albums in this world, these are just the ones that mean the most to me and that i could enjoy thoroughly from beginning to end at the drop of a hat. here you go (and yes, i DID go back and alphabetize everything, you got a problem with that?):

ALBUMS EVERYONE SHOULD OWN:
Afghan Whigs, 1969 - Their earlier albums were grungy but this album proved what true fans already knew: the Whigs have the funk, and they will bring it to you whether you are ready or not. Bonus: Lead singer Greg Dulli oozes sex in his vocals. Mmm =)
Aterciopelados, Evolución - My favorite band's best singles all on one CD, plus a couple fantastic new songs and the excellent remix of "Florecita Rockera"
Belly, King - Post-grunge murky guitars plus Tanya Donnelly's voice of an angel fronting gorgeous harmonies.
Jeff Buckley, Grace - Buckley's only completed album is absolutely fantastic from beginning to end. Buy it. Now.
Manu Chao, Próxima estación: Esperanza - My other favorite Manu sings in Spanish, Portuguese, English, French, and sometimes even Arabic. If you like multilingualism, Bob Marley, "world music" or quirkiness, this is for you.
Coldplay, A Rush of Blood to the Head - Sometimes the bandwagon makes some pretty good music.
Concrete Blonde, Mexican Moon - I'm a dork. But the cover art has calaveras and Johnette's voice kicks ass, which almost make up for the way they butcher the Spanish translation of the title track.
Erasure, Greatest Hits - I had a hard time picking a band from this genre, but since this album has their great dance stuff PLUS an Abba cover, it trumped Depeche Mode.
Michael Jackson, Thriller - C'mon now. I liked him before any of this molestation business, back before he completely lost his fuckin mind.
Pearl Jam, Vs. - Yes, Ten is a good album. Yes, I like Vs. better. It's rawer (more raw?), angrier, more energetic, more frenetic, yet still has some great mellow tracks.
The Roots, The Roots Come Alive - Best live hip-hop band of this decade. Listen and you shall believe.
Selena, Number Ones - What can I say, I was born and raised in South Texas and I work with bilingual children. Even if I didn't want to like her, I would still have to. However, there exists no such clause with the Kumbia Kings. Slight tangent: I've met Abraham Quintanilla and irritated him slightly. HA!
Singles: The Motion Picture Soundtrack - You may not have noticed that I *heart* grunge. This soundtrack has Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Mother Love Bone, Alice in Chains, and the Wilson sisters from Heart covering Led Zeppelin.
The Supremes, Greatest Hits - My parents loved Motown, thus I love Motown. "I Hear A Symphony" is my favorite.
Julieta Venegas, Bueninvento - Who knew accordions could rock? This 2000 album is infinitely less formulaic than her much more popular 2003 release... the music varies much more and the lyrics aren't nearly as stupid. She even covers a Juan Gabriel song, and somehow "Sueño de sombras" sounds Mazzy Star-esque to me.
The Who, Live at Leeds - Rocks. Your. Ass. What rock 'n roll was, could be, and should be. Modern rock doesn't hold a candle to this.


20 SINGLES THAT WOULD BE ON THE SOUNDTRACK TO MY LIFE:
Aterciopelados, "Mi vida brilla"
Aterciopelados, "La chica difícil"
Fiona Apple, "Never Is A Promise"
Blue Oyster Cult, "Burnin' For You"
Jeff Buckley, "Hallelujah"
Café Tacuba, "Cómo te extraño mi amor"
Café Tacuba, "Déjate caer"
Tracy Chapman, "Fast Car"
Coldplay, "Shiver"
David Garza, "Drone"
Juanes, "La paga"
Annie Lennox, "Why"
Mazzy Star, "Fade Into You"
Outkast, "Rosa Parks"
The Pixies, "Here Comes Your Man"
The Pixies, "Hey"
Prince, "Kiss"
Martin Sexton, "Where Did I Go Wrong"
Simon & Garfunkle, "The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)"
The Who, "Baba O'Riley"

Okay, I was showing the above lists to a friend and decided it was imperative to make yet another list of my favorite cover songs:

Afghan Whigs, "Superstition/Going to Town" (originally by Stevie Wonder)
The Bangles, "Hazy Shade of Winter" (Simon & Garfunkle)
Jeff Buckley, "Hallelujah" (Leonard Cohen)
Erasure, "Take A Chance On Me" (Abba)
Alejandro Fernández, "A mi manera" (Spanish version of "My Way" by Sinatra)
Kula Shaker, "Hush" (Deep Purple)
Letters to Cleo, "I Want You to Want Me" (Cheap Trick)
The Lovemongers, "Battle of Evermore" (Led Zeppelin)
Pearl Jam, "Leaving Here" (The Who)
Pearl Jam, "Dock of the Bay" (Otis Redding)
Solar Twins, "Rock the Casbah" (The Clash)
Julieta Venegas, "Siempre en mi mente" (Juan Gabriel)
Rufus Wainwright, "Instant Pleasure"