A few weeks ago I was telling anyone who’d listen to check out David Ford’s video for his song “Go To Hell.” If you weren’t one of the folks I bothered about it, check it out, now! It’s a wonderful song and even more stunning video, not to mention that it was done in one take. Amazing.

Ford recently posted another one-take masterpiece, this one is for “I’m Alright Now.” Both tunes are from his splendid new record “Songs For The Road.” Here’s hoping that the next one will be for “Decimate,” my favorite tune from the release.

The Good Graces are playing at Kavarna tonight at 10PM. The ever-splendid John McNicholas will follow with a solo set. So that’s lots of Johnny Mac, and all for FREE. Come on out!

Kavarna
707-A East Lake Drive
Decatur GA 30030
- 8:00 PM: All 5 of Me (Luke McGinnis)
- 9:00 PM: Wendy Jans
- 10:00 PM: The Good Graces (me + John McNicholas)
- 11:00 PM: John McNicholas

I have the worst cold ever (TM), so I stayed home from work yesterday (and also today, but today I’m going to attempt to work).

In between naps yesterday, I watched Alpha Dog and Superbad. Both were really great. I was surprised at home much I liked Alpha Dog. But it was very well done, all of the characters did a great job (particularly Justin Timberlake), and I got sucked into the story from the very beginning. By the end I felt really sorry for JT’s character, was completely mesmerized by his acting and complete cuteness, and wanted to buy all his albums. So I’d say the movie was at least successful for him, if my opinion counts at all and is indicative of other females’ opinions, which I think it just might be (at least in this case).

Superbad was not only hilarious (which was expected) but also a cute and dare I say it, touching, story. I watched almost all of the DVD extras afterwards, and I can’t believe this was Christopher Mintz-Plasse’s first movie. He completely ruled.

After movies I listened to myself on the radio, then waited for Baby to get home with my fish tacos. Nice. Oh, and last night I tried the Vick’s on your feet cold treatment. I can’t remember where I heard about it, but I had read somewhere that if you rubbed Vick’s VapoRub on your feet at night it could help with colds or something. Not sure if it was the Vick’s or the Robitussin, but I slept fantastic last night and feel a little bit better today.

Remember when Phoebe from Friends got the really bad cold and decided that she liked her cold, seductive voice better and started performing that way? Well I sort of did a Phoebe impression yesterday at WMLB 1690; we recorded a radio spot to promote my show this Sat. at Kavarna, and I’m fighting a HORRIBLE cold. So it was, uhm, interesting…

ANYWAY, it’s being aired right NOW, but will repeat Thursday during the 10AM hour. So if you’re near a radio (in Atlanta), or even near a computer (anywhere), check it out Thursday morning… AM 1690 or streaming online at www.1690wmlb.com

I’m home sick from work today and should be going to get some meds or laying down, but instead I’m screwing around on the Internets. Snagged this from Cup of Coffey, enjoy!

Were you named after anyone?
My mom’s favorite actress growing up was Kim Novak, so from that she always knew if she had a little girl she’d name her Kimberly (turns out from looking at her Wikipedia entry, Kim wasn’t her given name anyway).

When was the last time you cried?
I’m sure it wasn’t that long ago, but I can’t remember.

Do you like your handwriting?
Yes.

What’s your favorite lunch meat?
Well I don’t really eat lunch meat. So does tuna count?

Do you have kids?
Two dogs, one cat, one husband.

If you were another person, would you be friends with you?
Yes. I’m fun and interesting, and usually have some really weird story to contribute to most any conversation. Gosh now that I read that, that sure does sound annoying.

Do you use sarcasm a lot?
Me? Nah…. never.

Do you still have your tonsils?
Yes but boy do they give me a fit sometimes.

Would you bungee jump?
Nope. Not interested in lunging towards a hard surface.

Do you untie your shoes when you take them off?
Usually yes.

Do you think you’re strong?
Yep. I’ve been through a bunch over the past five years or so. So don’t #&$^ with me!!!

What’s the first thing you notice about a person?
Eyes and hair.

Red or pink?
Not a big fan of either. I guess if I had to choose I’d say pink but it also depends on the color scheme around it.

What’s your least favorite thing about your body?
The beer belly I have, and I don’t even really drink beer. Oh and also the way my overbite makes it look like I have no chin. Yeah I know I could fix that but I’m not interested in the broken jaw and mouth wired shut.

Who do you miss the most?
Grandma

What color pants and shoes are you wearing?
I’m still in my pj’s. No shoes. No pants either, polka dotted shorts.

How about your shirt?
Neon green t-shirt (it matches the pajama shorts).

What’s the last thing you ate?
Mark brought me home some chocolate last night and I tried a piece.

What are you listening to right now?
The fan on my computer.

Who’s the last person you spoke to on the phone?
Paula, last night.

If you were a crayon, which color would you be?
Light blue, or brown. Or maybe green. I’m not good when there are so many options.

What’s your favorite smell?
I have several (again, not good when it comes to choosing between many options). When our neighborhood smells like cookies, that’s super cool. The candy store in downtown Wilmington, NC. Salt air. Vanilla.

What’s your favorite sport to watch?
College basketball.

What color is your hair?
Blond. These days it’s very blond. I keep thinking about going brown but I figure I should let it do what it wants to do.

What color are your eyes?
Blue.

Do you wear contacts?
Nope.

Favorite food?
Tacos de pescado. Thai is a close second.

What’s your favorite cereal?
I don’t eat cereal, haven’t in years. When I did I really liked Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

What’s your favorite ice cream?
Any sort of coffee/chocolate combination. Also a big fan of mint chocolate chip.

Favorite dessert?
Chocolate cupcakes with butterscotch icing.

Scary movies or happy endings?
Happy endings, definitely. I also don’t mind endings that make you come to your own conclusions… so sort of indifferent endings, depending on the viewer.

What’s the last movie you watched?
Iron Man. It was actually really good!

What book are you reading now?
I’ve completely broken my “don’t start another book til you finish the last one” rule. I’m still trying to get through Sit Down and Shut Up (Buddhism book). My friend Tiffany got me “Are You There Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea” for my birthday, and it’s great so far. And I’ve also started The Last Lecture, which my aunt sent me for my bd. I saw the guy on Oprah and cried my eyes out, I can tell the book is going to be much of the same.

Summer or winter?
Well fall is my favorite. I also like spring because it means winter is over. I HATE winter.

Hugs or kisses?
eskimo kisses!

What’s on your mouse pad?
Don’t have one.

What did you watch on TV last night?
A little bit of America’s Got Talent before I went to bed.

What’s your favorite sound?
An e chord on the guitar is nice. Also my baby calling me baby.

Rolling Stones or Beatles?
Wow that’s a tough one. I’m going to say Beatles, but just by a hair.

What’s the farthest you’ve been from home?
Cabo San Lucas. Most beautiful place on earth.

Do you have a special talent?
I’m really good at thinking of names for things. Bands, events, products, whatever. I really need to be in branding. Also I like to think that clogging, patting my head and rubbing my belly at the same time is talent. And I guess singing and playing the drums at the same time is impressive to some.

Where were you born?
Shelby, NC

Who do you want to answer these questions?
Well, anyone and everyone I guess. But only if you want to.

Learning to cook from Grandma

Originally uploaded by esKIM0

Today while I was taking a break to fix some lunch and do dishes, I noticed my grandmother’s box of recipe cards and had an idea. I’m going to learn to cook from my Grandmother.

She passed away a couple of years ago, and when we sorted through all her stuff I didn’t have as much of an interest in things with monetary value, but instead I wanted things like her old rotary phone, and these recipe cards. Things that really reminded me of her.

So I decided today that I’m going to take on a little project: I’m going to cook one of her recipes each month. I haven’t even looked through her cards, but I figure there are probably a lot of things that I’m not really interested in, like fruit salads or casseroles. But no matter, I need an excuse to cook anyway, and I love the idea of having my grandma teach me. So each month I intend to post to my blog about my attempts, along with photos. Stay tuned!

Maybe I’m late to the game on this one… and say what you want about Alanis, but this is awesome!

Well, I’m bummed about the outcome of last night’s Top Chef finale, but Blais deserves a huge round of applause. He proved himself to be the classiest chef in Top Chef history, and wowed even Eric Ripert. Final three plus a newborn in the same month, that’s quite an accomplishment. And although I bitch about never seeing my husband, I know he could never be near as happy if he were in the kitchen of any other chef. So congrats Blais, can’t wait to see what you’re going to cook up in the future.

The Athens Popfest organizers have posted the full schedule on their website; I’m getting very excited about this year’s festival, which will be my first and includes an awesome selection of indiepop and indierock bands such as Roky Erickson & The Explosives, Casper and the Cookies, Elf Power, Dead Confederate, Dark Meat, The Selmanaires, and yours truly (The Good Graces)!

The festival runs Aug. 12-16 in downtown Athens. For the full schedule and other info check out their website and myspace.

Rock happens here.

Originally uploaded by esKIM0

This past weekend I essentially finished recording my very first full-length CD as The Good Graces, entitled “Sunset Over Saxapahaw.” Between the 12-hour session on Saturday and 6-hour drive to and from Saxapahaw, I feel a combination of exhausted, excited and proud.

“Sunset…” originally was intended to be a 6- or 7-song EP, but something about being at my friends Jay and Jane’s awesome home studio (in Saxapahaw, NC) inspires me, I guess. I arrived on Saturday and we spent a few hours mixing the songs I had recorded back in April, then since that went so quickly I thought I’d try to get a few more tracks down. Fast forward to 2 AM (yikes!) and three more songs are completed with just a few more mixing tweaks to make in the morning. Jay and I got up bright and early on Sunday to finish things off, and by 2 PM I was on my way back to Atlanta. Managed to make it home just before dark.

I put up a new song from the session, one of the tunes recorded on Saturday, on my MySpace page. It’s called “Disassembled” and is one of my newest songs. I can’t wait to unveil the rest of the record! I’ve really put so much of myself into this that it’s a little scary. Sharing something as personal as these songs are to me is a bit like running around naked, or like slicing my wrists and standing in the middle of Times Square for all to see. It’s very revealing and can sometimes be a bit odd. But I gain a bit (ok, a lot) of satisfaction knowing that I’m putting something out there that others can find comfort in. Anyway… I hope you enjoy it, and be on the lookout for more songs to be posted soon!