When I started a section on my blog called “I really love,” I thought I’d document one thing I love per post. (You know, maybe a book or a movie, or some pair of earrings I loved so much they hadn’t left my lobes in weeks.) Then I realized, over time, that a lot of times, I think about stuff I love in bunches. Trying to blog about everything I love individually …well, it can become more of a burden than something to enjoy. Yet another to-do on a list that keeps piling up. That’s never been my intent behind this idea. Nope, I just want to share all the random “stuff” I collect (figuratively and literally). ‘Cause if I keep it up there by its lonesome, it’ll start to drive me insane. And folks, my sanity’s hanging by a thread ’cause this stuff? It’s been bottling up for a while.
Which leads me to this, your first installment of my “What I’m Lovin’ Round-up”. Up for the first take:
1) Coconut Records
I cannot stop listening to these tunes! If you’ve seen Rushmore, I Heart Huckabees or The Royal Tennenbaums, chances are you’re familiar with Jason Schwartzman THE ACTOR. But, folks, y’all really need an introduction to Jason Schwartzman THE SINGER. He performs under the name Coconut Records and to say I’ve spent the month of January obsessed with his work would be an understatement akin to saying the iPad is, you know, “kinda” cool 
. The song below is my personal fave track, but give either of his albums a listen over on Lala.com and let me know if you like. Stand-out tracks: “Wires,” “The Summer,” “Slowly,” “Mama” and “The Thanks I Get.”
2) How I Met Your Mother
My friend Tracy introduced me to HIMYM about a year ago (she always told me she thought Ted looks like Nick and I dig, I dig … ) I was all, “Yeah, yeah, but I realllllly don’t need another TV show sucking my will to live.” THEN I got the first and second season on DVD. And didn’t move my butt from the couch for an entire weekend. From there it was on to Seasons 3, 4 and now, 5. My own HIMYM DVDs have been on a rotating “interdepartmental” loan with colleagues in my office as I think I’ve told every person I work with to watch it. And those who take the bite? Well, they too, skip a weekend’s worth of homework and housecleaning because you JUST.CAN’T.STOP.WATCHING. For those who are fellow HIMYM fans, share a favorite episode with me in the comments. My favorites always involve anything to do with a SlapBet or Robin Sparkles (Non-viewers, any chance you’re curious now? )
3) Dawn Landes
Ever zone out in front of the TV and all of a sudden, some commercial comes on and you sit up and pay attention ’cause suddenly you’re all WHO IS THAT SINGING? Well thank you Chrysler Town and Country for my introduction to this gal. “Straight Lines” (the song in the commercial) is fab, but it’s another track that’s been stuck in my head off Dawn’s debut CD, which came out last week, and that’s “Romeo.” Check out the video below. Bonus cool points for Dawn: She’s married to my FAVORITE folk singer, Mister Josh Ritter.
4) Victoria Secret’s Beauty Rush lip gloss
I usually am a Burt’s Bees or Bonne Bell kind of gal when it comes to this kind of stuff, but the other night I went out to see a movie with some gals, one of whom had on this superfab gloss that was, well, distracting. BECAUSE IT LOOKED AND SMELLED SO AWESOME. A few days later and a trip to the House of Pink and suddenly I’m sporting it too.
5) Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
I first read this book a few years ago and just fell for it. HARD. With its Depression-era circus plot and one heck of a love triangle, it was hard NOT to get swept up in the storyline. And of course, I couldn’t help but immediately start visualizing who’d play the key characters in a big screen adaptation (my vote had always gone for Ryan Gosling or Jake Gyllenhaal to play Jacob and Scarlett Johansson to play Marlena). But this week, I heard that Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson are closing in on starring in the film and well, HELLLLOOOOOOOO HOT STUFF. I’ll go see those two in this in a heartbeat. So check the book out first if you haven’t yet. It’s hard NOT to fall in love with it!
by Gail Werner
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