It’s Top Two Tuesday! Today’s topic is Things You Can’t Live Without.

  I’m going to skip over the real, sentimental stuff like Tim, my pets, friends, family, etc., and get to the fun things that I consider ESSENTIAL.  

1. BOOKS
I wouldn’t be me if it wasn’t for the wonderful written word.  From the minute I learned how to read, I’ve been in love. I love the smell, the look and the feel of books (which is why I’m not a good candidate for e-readers).  I take one with me everywhere I go (just in case), and if the book is really good, you can bet your ass I’ll read it again (and again…).   I have read many, many, many books, and one of my big goals in life is to have read 1000 books by the time I am 35 (halfway there!). One of my favorite places to be is in a bookstore or library, perusing the stacks. If I’m in a bad mood, a favorite novel can save the day. The ability to read is one of the most important traits you can possess, and I feel very sorry for those that are unable to enjoy this gift. I think I am most looking forward to teaching Marco to read, over any other milestone I can think of! I hope he loves it as much as I do.

This is from the Imperial Palace in Vienna – wish my library could fit stacks this high!

2. The Beatles & Jimmy Eat World
Okay, so I cheated and this is technically my top 3. Get over it!

I grew up listening to The Beatles (as in, from the womb – seriously). I was named after one of their songs (though I seriously would have prefered Julia or Sadie – less common- but, then again, I could have been Prudence) and cannot remember a time when I didn’t know all the words to ‘Hey Jude’.  Lots of words have been written about how amazing they were as a group, and about the individual talents that formed the group, and I’m certaintly no music expert. All I can really say is that they continue to inspire and amaze listeners, decades later. I cannot think of a single band that has formed since The Beatles were in their ‘hey-day’ that has not in some way been influenced by their music.  I love them and really hope that Marco takes a liking to them. The first song I played to my tummy was ‘Tomorrow Never Knows’, so I’ve given him a good foundation.

Oh, Jimmy Eat World. Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate. I love love love this band. I listen to them almost every day. I love that with each album they record, they push their musical boundaries -just a tad- never so much that they are unrecognizable, but enough that you think ‘Well, that’s new!’ and with each new direction they try, they are consistently good. My favorite album is probably Clarity (most fans agree), though I do think Futures is an extremely close second. As we speak, they are mixing the tracks for the new album, and I AM SO FREAKIN’ EXCITED! Their last album (of new tracks) was released in 2007! I’ve seen them live 8 times (never enough!) and am always impressed by how great they sound. It is very difficult to love a band nowadays; too much technology can make even the worst performers sound good on an album. Jimmy Eat World is one of those groups that sounds almost exactly the same as they do on their albums.  I’ve been fortunate enough to meet them, in the summer of 2002, and they were as friendly, nice and unassuming as I’d hoped.  Here’s the best picture ever (Zach is not present in this photo, darn it!):