What better way to introduce someone to a new musical obsession than with a song dedicated entirely to the artist’s name? Seriously though, something about London’s music just makes me feel (like Fitz & The Tantrums) cooler than I am in real life. Language in the song is probably not so work safe, so get out those headphones!

I’m glad to say those days are behind me. I saw the error in my ways when I left DC and a year ago I fully switched my registration to Democrat. I’m now proud to support politicians who support me: a woman, an academic, bipolar, liberal.

Anyway, here’s the note I sent him this morning in response to his disgusting work yesterday:

Representative Issa,
Notice I listed Health Care as the topic of my note. That is because the Health Care – and the well being – of over half of the population of the United States is at stake right now, while you play games in committee hearings and refuse to even listen to the situation at hand.

Please do not deny women basic health care, which birth control and the ability to take care of our bodies is an essential part of.

Sincerely,
Tina Stanton (a former Republican)

If you wrote him, what did you say? Let’s collect our comments – angry, passionate, measured, personal – here. And while you’re at it, be sure to send in a note if you haven’t yet and let others know!

Because my current favorites have come together: The Hunger Games & The Civil Wars. Let’s just ignore TaySwift, yeah? Did any other THG fans freak out when they saw the berries in the video?!

The Guardians, a multi-book fantasy series I’ve had planned and plotted since NaNoWriMo 2008, is a tale of religious history, modern warfare, magic, and the lengths people will go to find their home in this world (or another). Our main characters (the “Guardians”), Ryan McGill and Dana Fallon, work with the Leos Synod, a mysterious group with a mission from the most ancient Catholic Church, vampires, witches, saints, nuns, and computer geniuses. Ryan is a vague fae of great passion and many hidden (even from herself) talents. Dana is a network administrator from Dublin. This excerpt finds them in Tehran, having just taken prisoner a street vender names Al-Am, who Ryan believes is the religious being The Hidden Imam.

As always, a short authors note: All religious information/mythos is based on web research; I’ve never been to Tehran and only know what I’ve read about Islam, Iran, and Tehran, so if I’m incorrect or too embellished on anything in particular, please feel free to point it out. I’m the only editor that’s touched The Guardians thus far, and so all mistakes are my own.

Ryan McGill lie back and let the heavily scented smoke waft past her nose. She exhaled. Her suite at one of the only “Western allowed” hotels in Tehran was simply decorated but warmly lit and just perfectly spacious. She’d ordered a hookah not long after dinner to help herself relax.

Normally, Ryan loved the bit of her work that allowed her to move around the world. Her partner Dana stayed at the Hill to keep the House as his grandfather had done, and Ryan sought Tara Ciar’s followers wherever they may be hiding. It was risky to have Dana accompany her, any time away from the Hill was worrisome to all of those involved with the Leos Synod – the governing body of their race – but even the absolutely impossible Ameryth had agreed: Ryan could not get into Tehran without a man. Other than Dana, there was only one man involved with the Synod, and the pale, quiet Japanese vampire blanched at the idea of leaving his well worn London flat. Ryan rolled her eyes at the thought, sitting up straighter on her bed and taking another long drag of the hookah. The Synod had been protecting the world on orders from a higher power than St. Patrick himself for generations, and yet they were some of the most selfish, lazy people she had ever known.

Putting them from her mind, and ignoring the phone ringing yet again (no doubt Dana hoping she’d translate their prisoner, who refused to speak to Dana in English, though she knew he spoke the language beautifully). She took another long pull from the pipe of the hookah and let the rose flavored tobacco flow smoothly through her senses.

Tehran had been the first place she’d begun to realize her place in the world. Coming back after three years, it felt more like home than even her native New York. The scents, the feel of the air, the sounds of the streets – they all moved through her as she sit back and let her eyelids fall in contentment. She dreamed of blue eyes, shaggy hair, crisp suits, and long drives through the desert.

The coal on the hookah burned lower as she nodded off and finally turned to black.

Wakey!Wakey!s “Brooklyn” – live, random, & doing things to a piano I dream about being able to do. Thoughts?

Ron Pope playing A Drop in the Ocean in his living room. Wearing a headband.

I’m actually proud to say I’ve made it another whole week! Follow the jump for my second week of success — baby showers, days in bed, and more!

→ Web Design! At work we’re completely updating/re-doing/content overhauling one of our major web pages. I have had the joy of coding until my eyes were crossed for the last 70 hours or so. It’s been an incredibly high! In what little free time I’ve had, I’ve also finally settled on a theme (with original design and touches by myself, of course) that I’m completely in love with right here at theluckiest. What do you think?

→ Speaking of – I’m lovin’ getting to dork out about such things with new friends/acquaintances that are just as into web design as I am. Between co-workers, people I’ve met throughout the city, and lots of coding-inclined Young Democrats, I’m awash in talk of languages, tags, and aesthetics, and I’m loving it.

→ Senator Kristen Gillibrand’s Off the Sidelines online book club: the club chooses a book roughly every two months and is launching next month! The Senator will discuss social, gendered, and modern political issues (with both men and women!) through Facebook chat and streaming video, connecting with her campaign, her constituents, and political nerds like myself. If you’re into political punditry, policy know how, and awesome women – you should absolutely sign up and join me.

→ My newest Spotify playlist (I think I might end up listing one of these every week — Because we’re all Disney princesses). Who doesn’t need more joy, laughter, true love, fairy tales, and triumph in their life?!

→ Last but certainly not least, Boyfriend Piece and I got the Kindle App for our HP Touchpad last week and I am obsessed. First of all, the Touchpad cost us half what the Kindle Fire costs and has a lot more functionality. I have access to all of my Amazon ebook purchases via WhisperSync with an incredibly quick reaction time, and I can even use the app to ‘borrow’ library e-loans. From what I’ve seen there was frustration when the Touchpad first came out because the app wasn’t yet available. But it being released in July and me not getting my Touchpad until December worked out wonderfully for us! I haven’t had a single problem with the app yet and I’ve read more in the last week than I have in ages. Definitely something to love.

I first noticed her way back in The House Bunny, when she was clearly dressing down and playing against her ability to sell sex (well, at the beginning of the movie, anyway), but then she stole the show in Zombieland and stole Penn Badgley‘s heart in Easy A (face it, that movie is today’s Clueless, in all good ways). She’s also gone on to make some really smart movies; The Help and Crazy Stupid Love coming to mind first. What’s there not to like?

Check out after the jump for more of the redheaded bombshell.

“My parents are both very funny but they’re also relatively soft-spoken, normal human beings while I’m just a lunatic. I don’t know where this loud, ballsy, hammy ridiculousness came from. I’m just glad I followed my goals and my parents did too. It’s not like we even had a plan when I dragged my mom to Los Angeles.”

It started with drinks the other night. Then last night I has a great time catching up with the Greater Boston Young Dems, made some new acquaintances, and made sure to get the ball rolling on having dinner and/or drinks with people I don’t see nearly enough of. There are also plans in the works for another karaoke night, two weekend trips north (one to Kat’s family and one to my own), a dip party (thrown by other friends), a Bond movie marathon (thrown by yours truly), and a Pirate tour. Of course, this all already planned out.

This year I want more picnics, more lazy Saturdays. I want to actually walk the Freedom Trail, without ending up at Beantown Pub and missing the whole rest of the tour. I want to go to a baseball game (how have I been here for almost a year without seeing the Red Sox yet?!) and finally make it out to the museums (I haven’t been to the Boston museums since I was a kid). I want to go out to the Cape at some point, I haven’t been in years.

I want to read more books this year and see more movies (thankfully Kat and I have resolved to that one together). I want to save money and pay off more and more of my debt. I want to be debt free, if not this year, soon. I want to tour the campuses at Harvard and MIT, just because they’re so gorgeous. I want to go watch the Head of the Charles Regatta, and stay awake through the whole Boston Marathon this year.

What do you want to do this year? How is 2012 going to be your year of doing things?