Pinterest Inspired Father's Day Gifts

Okay, Husband, obviously by the title this post is about gifts for you so since I'm posting it before Father's Day, you need to curb any nosiness and stop reading right now!

I'll be the first to admit that I came ridiculously late to the Pinterest bandwagon. For years I did not understand what all the fuss was about. Then last October I started planning Toddler O's 2nd birthday party. I knew we wanted a Thomas & Friends theme so I started poking around on Google for party ideas. All of a sudden Pinterest made sense: instead of bookmarking a thousand different sites with one idea each or trying to remember which recipes I wanted to recreate, I could have it all in one place. I could even compare a few different ideas right next to each other and decide which one I liked better! I was a convert overnight and I created my first Pinterest board full of Thomas & Friends party ideas.

Since then I've created a few other boards too (although I still don't understand some boards that people create! I'm sure I'll eventually get it - I'm just a slow learner, I guess!). I have a bunch for recipes and a fashion board that I created for my Stitch Fix stylist. It occurred to me a few weeks ago though that I could create a board for Father's Day because there was no chance that Husband would be poking around on Pinterest and have all his gifts spoiled!

I knew what big gift I wanted to get Husband for a while now. Back when I was pregnant he got a bike for his birthday and he has literally been talking for the last 3.5 years about getting a trailer to take Toddler O out for a spin. We finally invested in a tricycle (and helmet) for Toddler O and Husband, of course, has his bike and helmet so all we needed was a trailer and he'd be good to go. I will admit that I had extreme reservation in purchasing the trailer for two reasons: (1) I'm not the greatest bicyclist and the idea of riding with such precious cargo makes me very nervous! and (2) Husband has accidentally lost 30 pounds the past year by inadvertently being on Weight Watchers (since I was doing the program and the cooking). There is definitely more than a little bit of me that will be enraged if he starts actually exercising again and loses more weight! Ugh men!

Several of my girlfriends have (and use) bike trailers though so I've been assured of their safety. I checked different brands and styles for a while but couldn't find one that fit my requirements of being not crazy expensive (i.e. a Baby Jogger pod which looks awesome but - holy guacamole - $450???) and fitting a child as big as Toddler O is (more than 3 feet tall and 33 pounds). I didn't want something that he'd grow out of by the end of this summer. Finally, I randomly got an email from Amazon that they had marked down some trailers. The first one on the list was a brand one of my girlfriend's had and liked (Schwinn) and carried up to 50 pounds! For $100! The reviews were all very good so I bit the bullet and snagged it. We're actually out of town for the next week without Husband so I told him he could open the package when it arrives a full week before Father's Day. I mean it's not like he can use it without us (unless he goes out and rents another toddler!) Now he'll have an extra reason to be excited about us coming home!

So the big gift was out of the way but Husband is meeting us out of town (we're at my mom's house) next week. I wanted to do something small to celebrate Father's Day here so enter Pinterest!

First, I made this beer caddy. Adorable, right? I sewed it all by myself (this is actually prototype 2.0 as the first one was too small to actually fit a beer bottle. Ooops - live and learn, right?) I followed this tutorial from Pinterest, which looks a lot more complicated than it actually is. The hardest part was finding all the specialty fabric at Joann's! And I had to make my own stencil since I never did find an iron-on stencil that wasn't glittery! After I made it, I made my brother-in-law model it for us, complete with a beer bottle. It looks so cute! I figure Husband can wear it for cookouts, golfing, even mowing the lawn! I have tons of fabric leftover so I made just start a side business making these silly things now that I'm such a pro!


Here's the back. I actually sewed a little belt loop that you can put around your belt! So cute! If you do decide to try it yourself, I went rogue and sewed the ripstop nylon liner first by pinning it around an actual beer bottle. Then when it came time to create the outer layer (of canvas and fusible fleece), I knew exactly how big it needed to be to still fit the bottle. Just a little tip so your first version doesn't end up in the garbage like mine did!


My second project was actually more complicated and time consuming than the beer caddy was! I had seen a cute print-out on etsy (via Pinterest) of a tree with hand prints in place of leaves. Very cute. Toddler O has never really been big into crafting but after 8 weeks of "school" where he "painted" every week, I thought maybe he'd be ready for it. The PDF from etsy was $10 and since I am ridiculously cheap, I refused to pay that and figured I could recreate the look on my own. Initially I had construction paper, a mat and a frame but then I realized that a canvas could actually be nicer (and cheaper!) so I bought that instead. I also invested in some tempera paint in six primary colors, figuring I could mix a wide variety of shades for the project. First, I got to work on my own while Toddler O was sleeping. I painted the tree trunk and ground line. Then I stenciled "Happy Father's Day 2014" in a purple ombre color scheme. The stenciling alone took forever because I had to wait for each individual letter to dry before I could do another one!

I was so nervous to turn the project over to Toddler O! Obviously he was going to be supervised, but it was up to him to not completely destroy my beautiful branches and stenciling! He was very excited to have paint on his hands and right away knew that he had to press his hand onto the canvas. It certainly didn't hurt that the previous day we had been to a craft program at the history museum which just so happened to involve making hand print cows! He did great for the first four hand prints. The fifth one got a little crazy: he changed the position of his hand at the last minute and then wiggled his fingers a bit. I consulted with my artist adviser (i.e. my sister) who recommended doing a sixth hand print to try to cover up some of the damage. That helped significantly and I had to remind myself a few times that he's only a boy of two and his art projects shouldn't be too perfect! I did manage to sneak in two extra hand prints for a second present for Pops (my dad)!

Finally, I spotted a super cute mason jar filled with Reese's Pieces. Husband is a big fan of peanut butter and always puts Reese's Pieces on his Sweet Frog creations so this seemed like an appropriate candy treat to give him. The mason jar is decorated with a tie, which he doesn't actually wear to work anymore but it was cute so I did it anyway. Because I had my new collection of tempera paints, I painted the tie rather than coloring it or creating it with construction paper. On the top I stenciled "love you to pieces" (ha!). 

So there you have it: even a big Pinterest newbie like me can find and actually replicate some pretty adorable ideas! Ultimately I changed the name of my board from "Husband" to "Gift Ideas" and now I'm going to use it year round to keep track of all sorts of cute possibilities for friends, teacher gifts and family. Husband has already received his trailer and seemed excited by it so I hope he's super surprised when he gets into town and has more gifts to open! It was fun making them, particularly the tree which got Toddler O involved. I think we might have to do some more crafty things now that he understands not to eat paint or smear it all over the place! Guess I'll have to use Pinterest to get some ideas for that too!

Queen Song of the Week: Fat Bottomed Girls

So this week I'm in a bit of a quandary: every song featured from here on out in Queen's set list of their 1982 Milton Keynes show is a well-known single. And many have already been featured as Queen Songs of the Week.

What's a girl to do?

I had anticipated this when I first decided to feature the set list of this concert, but that was like three months ago and I wasn't prepared to actually acknowledge that at some point the future would get here.

But it's here. Drat.

The songs I haven't featured are actually scattered rather nicely throughout the rest of the set list so I think what I'm going to do is just skip through to the next new song and provide links to the songs already featured. Make sense?

So after the guitar solo, the band played Under Pressure: one of my favorite live songs by the band for reasons I've already discussed in detail here.

Now, I've referred to Fat Bottomed Girls a few times on this blog (specifically here and here), but I've never featured the song so let's get to it.

Fat Bottomed Girls was written by Dr. May and appeared on the band's 1978 album Jazz. The song was released as the Double-A side of a single (along with Bicycle Race) in 1978, peaking at #11 and #24 on the U.K. and U.S., respectively.


Though RT sings background vocals onstage, he doesn't sing on the studio version: Dr. May and Freddie Mercury perform all the background vocals. The rest of the song itself is pretty simple although there is a bit of a tricky drum beat that took me weeks to figure out on Rock Band! Oooh that RT!

Performed live, this song was always a crowd favorite and was one of only two songs off the Jazz album that the band played into the 80s.

This song always makes me smile because without fail while on a run and facing a particular massive hill, my iPhone would shuffle to this song. It always made me giggle and made the hill seem less daunting.

Happy Listening!

tarte Amazonian Clay Waterproof Cream Shadow Pot with Brush Review

My obsession with cream eye shadows continues. I originally started experimenting with cream eye shadow when I purchased Smashbox Cream Shadow Liner in Starstruck for $5 at Sephora! The product is mislabled on the website as Jet Set Eyeliner, but it is definitely the cream shadow liner. I immediately loved it and began wearing it at least once a week to work in combination with a variety of different eye liners.

Back in November, I spotted tarte Amazonian Clay Waterproof Cream Shadow Pot with Brush on QVC. I was intrigued and added it to my Christmas list. My sister-in-law purchased it for me in Slate and I finally received it when we celebrated our late Christmas a few weeks back.

Since then, I've worn this shadow several times, including to my first session with my new psychologist. Let me just say this: they aren't kidding when they say "waterproof". Once this stuff is on, it's on until I remove it at the end of the day with my philosophy Purity Made Simple cleanser.

Here I am wearing only the tarte eye shadow.

As you can see, the Slate color is actually more of a bronze-gold, which I love. My favorite powder eye shadow is Clinique's Colour Surge Eye Shadow Super Shimmer in Rum Spice and this tarte shadow is the perfect cream counterpart to that lovely shade.

According to the tarte website, their "high-performance natural™ Amazonian clay is nature's most perfect ingredient, lending deep color pigments while nourishing skin, reducing surface oil and improving overall texture for smooth application."

I have to admit, that they're description of what the Amazonian clay accomplishes is pretty accurate. This product reminds me of a talc in that it goes on creamy and then dries enough that it doesn't smear. However, it also manages to not dry out so much that my eyelids get cracked or dry.

The brush is great and part of the reason why I wanted this specific product. Up until receiving this brush, I'd been having difficulty applying the cream shadow to only my eyelid. No matter what I did with the prior brush, I'd end up with cream shadow in my crease and creeping up towards my eyebrow. Not flattering. I do wash my brush after every use so the cream shadow doesn't get the brush all crusty and clumpy.

Because I'm never one to be happy with wearing just eye shadow, here I am with my finished eye look.

Products and tools used:

Bare Escentuals Dark Brown shadow from Meet the Browns

bareMinerals Eye Defining Brush

Smashbox Jet Set Liner in Dark Brown

Smashbox Arced Eyeliner Brush #21

The lady at the Bare Escentuals store that I visited a few weeks ago showed me how to use a dark color in my crease and I'm so glad she did! I'm such a fan of this semi-smokey look! The already ridiculously cheap Meet the Browns kit was an additional 25% off during a Sephora promotion right around New Years and I just couldn't stop myself from picking up these three full sized brown shades!

And the Jet Set Liner is fast becoming one of my favorite eye liners ever: I clean my brush every day and make sure the cap is tightly closed and mine has lasted for months! I wish I could wear it on my inner rim like the models do, but unfortunately my gas permeable contacts make that rather uncomfortable.

Is it weird that I'm seriously considering Lasik surgery so that I can use a specific eye liner technique? 

My biggest complaint about the tarte cream shadow is that I can't find it available anywhere without the brush. I didn't mind the $22 price tag when a brush was included, but I don't want to have to rebuy the brush just to get the other shades! I couldn't even find the cream shadow available on the tarte website!

I'm hoping that means that the product was a QVC exclusive and it will start appearing elsewhere soon because I really would like to pick up a few additional colors of this cream shadow. I'm definitely a fan!

Happy Tuesday!

Bare Escentuals Makeup Review

After my review of Bare Escentuals High Shine Eyecolor last week (click here), I received some questions about Bare Escentuals foundation.

I've been using Bare Escentuals foundation since June 2010. A co-worker (and QVC-obsessed partner-in-crime) brought a small sample of Warmth and full sized versions of Original SPF 15 Foundation in Medium Beige and Mineral Veil for me to try. I was immediately impressed and ordered the bareMinerals Makeup Revolution 6-Piece Starter Kit in Medium Beige.

This starter kit is great. It comes with a foundation, concealer bisque, and mineral veil along with two brushes and a lip gloss. It lasted a rather long time (through the fall of 2010) and my only complaint is that the lids were too small for the swirl, tap, and buff method that you're supposed to use to apply the makeup. Luckily once I got full sized versions, that problem was resolved.

As to the color, I never in a million years thought that I'd wear a shade as dark as Medium Beige. The description is "for medium skin with neutral undertones" so even though the shade appears to be in the middle of the foundation spectrum, it really is the color that is designed for most people. The lighter shades in the Bare Escentuals line are really light and in my opinion foundation that is a shade too light looks more ridiculous than foundation that's a shade too dark. With Bare Escentuals, you can also control how much of the foundation you use so I've managed to continue using Medium Beige into the winter by just using a light touch during application.

So here I am without any makeup on. I washed my face using philosophy Microdelivery Exfoliating Wash and applied philosophy Hope in a Jar and Hope in a Tube. Then I waited at least fifteen minutes before applying any makeup (this is a tip I've heard from a few different sources. Your moisturizer needs time to absorb and if you apply your foundation too quickly, it ends up absorbing into your skin along with your moisturizer. Yuck!)

First, I use the Maximum Coverage Face Brush to apply Bisque concealer. This part is the most important step as far as I'm concerned. I have Poly-Cystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) and one of the side effects is acne so I tend to get small blemishes and scarring that I need to cover. My problem areas are on my chin and along my cheek bones. The brush does an amazing job of covering up every discoloration. Because of the high concentration of makeup that goes on this brush, I wash it every few days. The good news is that Bare Escentuals brushes dry overnight!

Here I am after using the Bisque concealer.

Second, I use the Full Flawless Application Face Brush to apply Original SPF 15 Foundation in Medium Beige. The proper method to apply the foundation is to put a bit of it in the lid of the container, swirl the brush in the lid, and then tap the excess off the brush. The new invention is a locking sifter lid which I highly recommend. It's never nice to be able to tap out what I need and then close the sifter so it doesn't spill out all over the place. When it comes to Bare Escentuals foundation, it's really trial and error to figure out the right amount to use. If I tap out too much, I just tip it back into the container and use it the next time.

After I'm happy with the coverage of the foundation, I finish off the look with Mineral Veil. In a perfect world, I'd have a second face brush, but I don't so I use the same Full Flawless Application Face Brush which seems to work just fine for now. Mineral Veil doesn't have any color to it: the idea is that it minimizes lines, absorbs oil, and softens your complexion. I'm not posting that picture because since Mineral Veil is translucent, it looks basically the same as the previous picture.

Finally, I applied Warmth with the same Full Flawless Application Face Brush. I still use the same small container of Warmth that my coworker gave me last June. I use it very sparingly and not every day. It ends up looking like a mild bronzer, not too dark but a bit of color across my face.

Here's the finished look.

Once I'm done applying my Bare Escentuals foundation, I apply the rest of my makeup. The whole process takes some getting used to and in the beginning, it took me nearly twenty minutes to apply everything to my liking. Now I'm down to about five minutes total, which isn't that bad as far as I'm concerned.

Here's the first photo and the last photo side-by-side for comparison purposes.

It's hard to really tell the difference from one picture to the next and honestly the entire look ends up being really subtle, but frankly that's why I like it. I've never been someone who liked heavy foundation so this works perfectly for me. And it's so lightweight! I don't feel like I'm wearing any foundation at all which is great, especially in the summer when the idea of a lot of makeup just feels miserable.

I definitely recommend going to a Bare Escentuals store if you are near one. They'll do a consultation with you, show you how to apply everything, and help you pick out the perfect shade. If you don't have that as an option, get a small starter kit, like I did, so if you end up with the wrong shade or it just doesn't work for you, you aren't breaking the bank.

Good luck and happy shopping!

These Boots Were Made for Walking: Wooly White Superfeet inserts

Yesterday while out shopping, I spotted a small crowd gathered around an UGG boot display at Nordstrom. This is not unusual as the shoe section of Nordstrom is basically taken over by UGGs during winter months, but this crowd seemed to centered at a certain table. I made my way over and discovered what was causing all the commotion:

Wooly White Superfeet had arrived!

These babies are so new that they aren't even listed on the Nordstrom or the Superfeet website yet!

I'd heard about them initially back in November when my local Fleet Feet sent out an email saying that they had a limited edition order of about 25 pairs. Of course, those were gone by the time I finished reading the email. So when I realized that the inserts had finally been released, I pounced.

Why the excitement?

Well, for a few reasons. First, my UGG boots are about four years old. They are still in great condition and I don't need a new pair anytime soon, but the original insoles were a complete mess. There seems to be a split of opinion on wearing UGGs with or without socks: I wear mine without socks so I need the insole to be soft and comfortable against my feet. Many a time I'd consider purchasing these new insole inserts but for one reason or another, I'd change my mind.

Second, UGGs are constantly being criticized for having zero arch support. Now I don't wear mine day in and day out, but when I do wear them, I have noticed that my feet can get a little cramped after too much walking. I've used Green Superfeet before for running and adore the support that they offer so I had high hopes for using the Wooly White Superfeet with my UGGs.

The scariest thing about using Superfeet is that you are responsible for cutting them to size. The sales associate at Nordstrom offered to cut them for me, but I didn't have my UGGs with me yesterday so I wasn't sure about how much she should cut. Ultimately I figured since I had successfully cut my Green Superfeet, I could cut the Wooly White ones.

The instructions for cutting Superfeet are pretty straightforward: remove your old insoles, place them on top of the Superfeet with the heel and the interior arch lined up, and then trace the outline of the old insole onto the Superfeet. Once you have a line, use some scissors to cut along the outside of the line. It might take some trial and error to get the Superfeet to fit perfectly, but make sure not to cut them too short!

*Note* Above, the left picture is of the line traced on the left insert. The right picture is me cutting the right insert.

I got the sizing right on the first try and the new inserts feel great. In fact, I've been trotting around the house in my boots all morning, enjoying the simultaneous warmth and support! True, these inserts are expensive, but Superfeet offers a 60 day fit guarantee and a one year warranty. Personally I've found that my previous Superfeet lasted longer than the one year and as far as I'm concerned, I'm saving at least $100 because now I don't need to buy a new pair of UGG boots!

Happy Sunday!

Queen Song of the Week: Action This Day

We're continuing to work our way through the set list of Queen's 1982 show at Milton Keynes. The tour was in support of the band's album Hot Space and marked the last time that the band's original lineup toured in the United States.

Action This Day is both the first song in the show that appeared on the album Hot Space and the first song in the show written by RT.

Video courtesy of queenofficial.

RT and Freddie Mercury shared the lead vocals on this song and, in this concert, managed to replicate a fair amount of the album vocals. Here's the album version for comparison. I do wonder, however, if any of the vocals are overdubbed because sometimes the non-Freddie vocals (i.e. Freddie is obviously not singing) sound like RT and sometimes they don't. Interesting.

The song has RT written all over it. I feel fairly confident that if I'd seen the written lyrics without knowing the songwriter, I could pinpoint it as an RT song. Also, the drum beat, which drives the song, is very reminiscent of solo songs RT was writing in the early-1980s (specifically Man on Fire, reviewed here). RT was also the first of the band to really start to experiment with synthesizers, which led to some criticism of the band.

Hot Space in general is frequently cited by fans as too far a departure from the band's work in the 1970s. I'll be honest: I'm definitely more of a 70s Queen fan than a 80s Queen fan, but I like this song which is probably based more on my appreciation of RT as a musician and solo artist than my love of Queen. I can see how listening to this song immediately after some of their earlier stuff might be a bit jarring.

Happy Listening!

Running Shoe Review: Asics Gel Foundation 9 & Your Running Questions Answered

During my last giveaway several people asked me running related questions. Since I've not done a running post in a while, I decided to answer all the running-related questions as part of a running shoe review.

Erin from Designer Me asked: What are the top three running gear items that I need to get into a running frame of mind?

Two things popped into my mind right away: my Garmin Forerunner 305 (reviewed here) and running shoes purchased at a specialty running shop (personally I'm a fan of Fleet Feet).

The Garmin literally changed my running life: suddenly I could track exactly how far I went on each run, monitor my pace and heart rate during the run, and then upload all that data into my computer to view my progress. I don't know how I lived without my Garmin!

The running shoes don't have to be purchased at the specialty store (although doing so does support the store so it'll be there the next time you need shoes!), but I definitely recommend going in for a fitting. At my local store, they videotape you running on a treadmill and then analyze your gait. They measure your feet, both sitting and standing to determine if your arch collapses at all. And then they recommend shoes based on your individual needs. Not everyone should wear the same running shoe and sometimes a person's running shoe needs can change over time! I started off in a neutral shoe, ended up in a cushioned shoe when I started having some foot pain, and then following a nasty bout of plantar fastisis went into a motion control shoe. You should never have to break in running shoes and most specialty stores will take returns, even if the shoe has been worn, so if something doesn't feel right when you get it home, take it back!

My current running shoe purchase is the Asics Gel Foundation 9. I've been running in a pair of old Nike Air Zoom Vomeros with the inserts removed and replaced with Green Superfeet for an embarrassingly long time. My motto with running shoes is typically if it's not broke, don't fix it so I ignored all advice that I should replace shoes after 500 or so miles.

In my defense, Superfeet are designed to last for a year and I wasn't terribly past that length of time.

Then I started getting blisters and I knew it was time to get some new shoes.

Runners World does a shoe review a few times a year and the Asics Gel Foundation 9 got some great feedback: For a shoe that does such a great job correcting overpronation, the Foundation is decidedly unmotioncontrol- like. Its interior is lined with plenty of soft materials that, when combined with the sole's balanced profile and flexible forefoot, results in a smooth, steady ride, free of the stiffness that plagues many motioncontrol shoes. Except for noting the shoe's heavy heel, testers had nothing but positive things to say. Recommended for large runners or heavy overpronators who need superior support.

Now, I'm not a runner that overpronates (which in layman's terms means landing with your foot rolling inwards towards the arch), but I do have arches that collapse slightly every time I take a step. That means that I need tons of arch support (for anyone who is familiar with Green Superfeet, you know that it's basically the equivalent of having custom orthotics made for your shoes...out of concrete.)

The problem with Green Superfeet is that when you go a day or two without running, your feet have to readjust to them for the first few miles. Typically that's not an issue when I'm running 20-30 miles a week, but since cutting back to 15 miles a week, I'm really not interested in spending 75% of my runs getting accustomed to my shoes! (This should answer Maggie from The Fashion Maverick's question.)

My plan was to buy the Asic Gel Foundation 9 from Running Warehouse (my favorite online shoe retailer) and try them on my treadmill. If I hated them, I'd go to Fleet Feet and get reevaluated, but I had a feeling that the Gel Foundations would work just fine for me...and I was right.

This shoe is heavy; like really heavy. If I were buying this shoe a year ago, I'd probably return it because I felt a bit like I was running with weights on my shoes. However, since I'm under doctor's orders to slow down, these actually worked perfectly for me! There's a fair amount of arch support in this shoe, but it also managed to be cushioned at the same time.

At first I was worried about my poor arches stretching too much, but once I got into my running groove, I could feel the arch support keeping my foot snugly in place. I always order two sizes up in a running shoe (because my foot tends to expand as I step down), but most experts recommend sizing up at least 1 size anyway. One thing that always worried me about this shoe initially was the heel which is really snug. When I first lace the shoe up, it feels very constricted, but once I got moving all was forgotten.

This shoe will definitely get me through the winter months without issue. Next year, when hopefully I'm authorized to get back to my normal training routine, I'll consider heading back to Fleet Feet for an evaluation, but in the meantime, I'm very happy with these shoes.

Now onto everyone else's questions:

Newlyweds on a Budget asked: How do you motivate yourself to run when you just don't feel like it?

I have a few strategies. One is to convince myself to go out for just two miles (one mile away from the house and one mile home). Typically once I'm in my workout clothes and outside, I end up going farther than that.

I'm also not above bribes: if I do this run, I get to buy x.

But sometimes I'm just not feeling a run and if that's the case, I don't do it. I run because I enjoy it and I never want to resent it because that's when I'll stop. A few years ago, we went on vacation to Maine. I got up four mornings that week at 6am and ran between 4-9 miles (23 miles total). Then I got home and was so mad that I really didn't get a "vacation" since I got up so early all those mornings (and consequently had to go to bed early the night before). I promised myself that I'd never force myself to run on a vacation again. If I wanted to do it, great, but if I didn't, I'd just get back in the saddle when I got home. You aren't going to lose any fitness if you take one, or even two, weeks off and I've found that sometimes a little bit of time away from running rejuvenates me and makes me remember how much I enjoy running in the first place!

Peggy from She Hath Done What She Could asked: I would love any tips you can give to a beginning runner. I have tried it so many times and just don't like it - maybe I'm doing something wrong??

Haven from Hogwash, Poppycock and Other Preposterousness asked a similar question: How do you keep from getting bored on a run?

And KatKoot asked a related question too: How does someone work up from walking to running?

My biggest tip would probably be to slow down! It's so tempting to get outside and run at a break neck pace until you want to die, but that's not doing yourself any favors! Even if it feels like you are positively crawling, you've got to build up your endurance and heart strength and you do that when you are exercising aerobically, not an-aerobically (greater than 75% of max heart rate). The longer and slower you run, the faster you'll ultimately become.

When I first started running, I'd run 3 miles in about 30 minutes and then wonder why I never got any faster. Then I started training with my mom, who was about 1-1:30 minutes slower than me. All of a sudden, my 5Ks got faster because I was training slower and strengthening my heart! Of course, you should occasionally work in some speed work to get your body accustomed to traveling at a quicker pace, but for beginners, you should just focus on the endurance factor.

I do a lot of my best thinking while running: I can't tell you how many legal arguments have occurred to me while I'm out in the middle of nowhere, five miles from my house! I take my iPhone with me to run (for safety reasons), but then I will usually put on my music. I'll listen to the first song or two and then my mind just takes off, thinking about everything and anything. By the end of the run, I have no idea what songs I just listened to and, half the time, no idea what I spent all that time thinking about, but I always feel refreshed!

Treadmills are a whole different ballgame. I hate them for anything other than speed work. I do own one and use it in the winter. To get through those runs, I'll turn on loud music, put on the television, make Husband sit next to me and chat. In NYC, the gym I went to faced the treadmills towards the street so you could people-watch which is fun (especially in NY!) I've heard of people training for marathons on treadmills and just the thought of that makes me want to die!

Jen from The Life Accounts asked: What type of fitness are you doing now that you're not doing so much intense running? Have you found any new fun fitness ideas?

Does Rock Band drumming count? Seriously, click here to watch RT on a science show from the early 1980s. In just 30 seconds of drumming, he gets his heart rate up way higher than where mine is five miles into a run!

Sadly, I've not done anything to replace running. I've slowed down and cut back, but that's about it. One of my favorite things about running is the sense of accomplishment that I get when I'm finished and I just don't get that feeling from any other types of exercise that I've tried.

I'm open to suggestions though!

Maggie G. asked: What is your favorite line of running/workout apparel? I'm intrigued b/c I just started running regularly in the spring and this winter is going to be my first winter trying to run.

For winter apparel, I couldn't live without my CW-X tights (reviewed here). They are pricey, but totally worth it. I also love L.L. Bean fleece vests (reviewed here). I prefer to be a bit cold at the start of a run so unless it's absolutely positively freezing, I'll wear one of those vests over a long sleeved wicking top and a wicking tank. Headbands and gloves are also a must: my hands tend to get really cold and take the longest to warm up. I'd rather wear the headband/gloves and have to take them off then to not have them at all. My running top collection is a bit of a hodgepodge: I typically buy off season at Marshall's or Dick's Sporting Goods so I've got lots of different brands/styles.

For indoor/summer running, I can't live without my running skirt from RunningSkirts.com. There are lots of other companies making running skirts now, but Cindy/Christy are my favorite. The skirts are comfortable, don't ride up, and look adorable! They have great tanks too, but they're a bit on the pricey side.

Finally, spiffy from Where the Lights Are Bright asked: I know you've run a half marathon, any desire to run a full?

Sure, I have aspirations of running a full marathon, but I'm also aware of my own weaknesses and limitations. I've decided that if I ever do run a marathon, I'd want to finish in under 5 hours (which I know sounds crazy slow, but remember this is 26.2 miles, people!) Right now, a more realistic goal for me is to break 2:30 in a half marathon (which is about 11 minute miles) and then from there, I can decide about whether to push myself to keep going. It's definitely in the back of my mind (as it is for most runners, I'm sure), but it's not in the foreseeable future.

spiffy on the other hand is a total rock star and is running in the ING NYC Marathon today! Go spiffy!

So that wraps up all the running questions from my latest giveaway. I'll be back to answer the rest of the questions at some point (I'm trying to work them into daily posts to avoid having a big long post like this one, but I might just give up and forget that idea!)

Happy Sunday!

Queen Song of the Week: Son and Daughter

Remember way back when before Nelson Mandela Day (click here), Dr. May's birthday (click here), and RT's birthday (click here) when we were working our way through the set list of the 1975 Hammersmith Odeon Christmas Eve concert? Well, despite our three week detour, we have two songs left on the set list.

Son and Daughter was written by Dr. May and appeared on the band's 1973 debut album Queen. It was the B-side to Queen's first single Keep Yourself Alive, which did not chart.

Son and Daughter is one of the first songs that Dr. May ever wrote for Freddie Mercury to sing. The vocal range is much more in line with Dr. May's abilities rather than Freddie's. As Dr. May grew more comfortable with and knowledgeable of Freddie's voice, he was willing to take more vocal risks in his songwriting. The backing track is strictly RT and Dr. May, however, singing male alto and baritone, respectively.

Some fun facts about Son and Daughter: The lyrics of this song are also rather unusual for Dr. May and are available here. And according to As it Began, the official Queen biography, this is the first Queen song that bassist John Deacon ever learned to play.

Happy Listening!

Queen Song of the Week: Say It's Not True

In 2005, Dr. May and RT teamed up with Paul Rodgers (of Bad Company and Free) for a world tour. In 2008, they released a brand spankin' new studio album The Cosmos Rocks. While the Queen + Paul Rodgers tours in 2005 and 2008 were well received by fans, the album is considered by many to be a disaster of gargantuan proportions. Personally, I don't own it and I've only heard a few songs off it so I'll reserve judgment. The studio version of Say It's Not True appears on The Cosmos Rocks.

The version of Say It's Not True that's on The Cosmos Rocks is nice enough; however, my favorite version of the song is this one which is available on Queen: Return of the Champions, a live album from 2005.



What's the difference?

The studio version of the song from 2008 features RT, Dr. May, and Paul Rodgers sharing lead vocals: they each sing a verse. The live version from Return of the Champions features RT on lead vocals for the entire song. The latter version is also acoustic and more poignant than the former version which gets really heavy at the end. Lyrically, this is one of RT's strongest songs. Like in Man on Fire (reviewed here), he uses a metaphor and I really wish he'd attempt this more often because he truly excels at it. The tune of the song can be a bit monotonous, but I think RT does a good job of alternating the end notes to mix it up a bit. RT appears to enjoy singing this one live too because he sang it solo at the Band du Lac concert (see here for his performance and see here to purchase the Blu Ray).

RT originally wrote the song for Nelson Mandela's 46664 campaign against HIV/AIDS so obviously the subject matter is something near and dear to his heart. I think the tone of the song is better suited to his voice and he hits some rather lovely high notes in the live version of the song. You can also see he's getting a bit emotional at the last line ("Could be happening to you. Could be happening to me.")

In one of Husband's frequent rants about how he thinks RT takes himself so seriously, I tried to tell Husband that RT actually does some serious charitable work and isn't just all talk (or all lyrics, as the case may be). In response, Husband spat out, "Who does he think he is? Nelson Mandela?" To which I squealed, "Yes! He works with Nelson Mandela's 46664 campaign!"

I decided to feature Say It's Not True today because Sunday July 18 is Mandela Day 2010, a global initiative proposed by 46664 and the Nelson Mandela Foundation as a day to honour and celebrate Nelson Mandela and his legacy. Nelson Mandela Day includes a series of events involving interactive art, entertainment, music, film, educational outreach and community service with the hope of inspiring people around the globe to embrace their individual power to make an imprint and help change the world around them for the better. (This is taken straight from the 46664 website which I've linked at the bottom of the post).

RT wrote this song for Mandela Day in 2005. He and Dr. May then rerecorded it with Paul Rodgers for The Cosmos Rocks, but made the song available for free download on the 46664 website. Eventually they decided to release the song as a single and donate all the profits to 46664.

RT and Dr. May's work with 46664 isn't their first foray into charitable work. Following Freddie Mercury's death in 1991, they (along with John Deacon, long time Queen manager Jim Beach, and Freddie Mercury's long time friend Mary Austin) established the Mercury Phoenix Trust as a vehicle to distribute the money raised during the 1992 Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert (see here to purchase and here to view the most famous bit, George Michael singing Somebody to Love). The Trust has continued to raise money over the past two decades and has a number of projects currently in the works. In 1995, RT, Dr. May, and John Deacon donated profits from the studio album Made in Heaven to the Trust.

For more information about the Mercury Phoenix Trust, visit their official web page here.

For more information about Nelson Mandela's 46664 Campaign, visit the official web page here.

Happy Listening!

And Happy Mandela Day 2010!

Product Review: Dr. Scholl's Bliss Sandal (from CSN Stores)

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I was offered a $40 gift certificate by Caitlin at CSN Stores in order to write a product review.

Hm, so you want me to shop and then write about it? I already do that. And I don't even have to spend any of my own money? Where do I sign up?

I looked around the CSN Stores website to find something to buy with my $40 gift certificate. Immediately, it occurred to me that I should take this opportunity to make one last attempt to find some comfortable and supportive summer sandals for our vacation to Mexico. I've purchased and liked the Dr. Scholl's brand of shoes before so I zeroed in on their Bliss Sandals. They were cute, with a cork base and cushioned insole, and, best of all, pink suede! Priced at $29.95 and free ground shipping - bingo!

I placed my order on a Wednesday morning and around dinner time, received an email that my order had shipped. Wow - that was fast! I always get so annoyed when it takes a company days to put my order together so this was a pleasant treat! The shoes arrived exactly one week later - I had been tracking them online and there appeared to have been some sort of hold-up in Missouri. My hope was that they'd arrive with time to spare before vacation and they certainly did.

I was excited to see the shoes in person - they look just like the picture on the website. The suede is a pretty baby pink color. The shoe looked a little narrow which worried me, but luckily I had sized up and a 9.5 fit perfectly. The cork sole is rather comfortable. I remember my mom having wood soled Dr. Scholl's sandals when I was little and I always thought they must be so uncomfortable. She wore them for years though so I guess they weren't. There feels like there is just enough support in the arch and foot bed that I'll be able to walk around in these while on vacation. I'll probably wear them for a day of light walking first or perhaps even test drive them before I leave, but in any event I think they'll work out nicely. My one regret is that I didn't order a second pair since I had another $10 on my gift certificate! Oh well!

The experience of ordering from CSN Stores was fine. I'd definitely consider ordering from them again. And the sandals are definitely keepers - I'm glad i got them in time for vacation!

Product Review: Clarisonic Mia

So as I mentioned previously, Husband got me a Clarisonic Mia for my birthday. I've wanted one for a while: between QVC and other bloggers, it seemed like every time I turned around, there it was, assuring me that it would make my skin cleaner and clearer than it's ever been.

The original sized Clarisonic is close to $200 (available here). Now, I may seem like a bit of a compulsive shopper, but $200 is one heck of an experiment. I don't even know if I like this contraption! So when I saw the Clarisonic Mia, priced at around $150, but eligible for a 20% off coupon at Skinstore (click here), it seemed much more reasonable.

I've never really had what you would call "problem skin". I occasionally get a pimple here and there, but nothing ever really that serious...until last year. All of a sudden, my cheeks were covered with little red marks. It wasn't acne per se, but it was annoying. I changed cleansers to the philosophy line (available here) and saw tremendous improvement, but the faint marks were still there.

Finally, I reasoned that the issue was my makeup. I'm a makeup fiend and wear it every day. If I wasn't taking it off completely, I decided, my skin was never really "clean" and it made sense that I'd have some irritation and redness. In my mind, the Clarisonic Mia would solve that problem.

Okay, so immediately after opening the box, I tore into my new skincare acquisition. Luckily, I read the instructions first: charge for 24 hours before first use. ARG! The charger plugs into the wall and then magnetizes to the unit. It buzzes to indicate that the connection is good and then a light blinks until the unit is fully charged. According to the manual, a charge is good for 20 uses.

Exactly 24 hours later, I grabbed my Clarisonic Mia and trotted into the bathroom. There are two options for use: either rub cleanser directly onto your face or apply cleanser to the brush and apply to your face that way. I prefer rubbing the cleanser on my face myself. When I apply cleanser to the brush, it gets rather runny and concentrates in certain areas of my face (i.e. there's tons of cleanser on my forehead since you use the unit there first, but then not much cleanser on my chin since that's last). The cleanser also ran down my face into my eyes, which was rather unpleasant, when I applied it to the brush first.

Using the Clarisonic Mia is ridiculously easy. You press the large button on the handle of the unit and it turns on for 60 seconds. During that time, you start with your forehead and drag the unit across your face. I've been using it around my chin/jawline as well just because I had experienced some redness/bumps there. I've found that there is plenty of time to clean my entire face and then go back over my face a second time before the unit automatically turns off. There's a plastic cover to keep the brush clean and the unit is waterproof so you can use it in the shower or bath.

As I write this, I've been using my Clarisonic Mia every night for the past two weeks. I've noticed a bit of improvement in my skin. The redness is almost entirely gone and my face is much smoother. I love the way my face feels too, especially right after I use the Clarisonic Mia.

The company recommends changing brushes every three months. A set of two brushes is about $40. The unit comes with "sensitive" brushes, but there are also "regular" and "delicate" brushes available.

I'm glad I decided to try the Clarisonic Mia and I'm definitely a convert!

Queen Song of the Week: In the Lap of the Gods...Revisited

We're still making our way through the set list of Queen's 1975 Christmas Eve show at the Hammersmith Odeon. In the Lap of the Gods...Revisited was written by Freddie Mercury and appeared on the band's 1974 album Sheer Heart Attack.



Readers, can I just ask that you bear with me regarding these videos as we explore these deeper cuts? Unfortunately, lesser known songs also mean less likely to get special video treatment. This video is nice, but it jumps around from era to era in a rather jarring way. The alternative was a black screen with the title of the song printed on it for 4 minutes so I went with this, but rest assured, I really am trying to find the best videos possible to introduce you to these songs!

Okay to the song...

In the Lap of the Gods...Revisited should not be confused with In the Lap of the Gods, which also appears on Sheer Heart Attack. The songs sound nothing alike - click here to listen to the latter which begins with RT hitting an absolutely insane falsetto note. Freddie wrote both songs and I have no idea why he thought it would be a good idea to give them near identical titles!

Every so often I'll listen to a Queen song, not think much of it, and then sometime later hear it again and be blown away. This is another song where this happened (others include '39, The March of the Black Queen, and Tenement Funster). Actually, it was a live version of the song, played at the band's 1986 Wembley concert (available here) that got me hooked. This song is repetitive - the main chorus is sung six times after two relatively short verses. The band really took everyone by surprise by playing this song at the Wembley show and it's one of the few non-single tracks from the 1970s that they chose to play.

For years, In the Lap of the Gods...Revisited was the final song of Queen's live set list. Later, Tie Your Mother Down replaced it as the set closer. The repetitive nature of the song really translates well to a live setting. I can only imagine how awesome it must have be to attend a Queen show in the mid-1970s and end the evening, singing this song with the band. Of course, Queen was known for many other audience participation experiences including Freddie's notorious call and response with the audience prior to singing Under Pressure (click here) and the infamous Radio Ga Ga double hand clap (click here).

This is another song written in 6/8 time (see here for a discussion of others) so I rather like listening to it during my easy runs. As I discussed in a prior post, Queen recorded many songs in 6/8 time which is terribly unusual for a rock band. This time standard showcased RT's drumming rather well and Taylor Hawkins (of the Foo Fighters) has specifically mentioned RT's drumming in this song as standout so be sure to listen for that!

Happy Listening!

Queen Song of the Week: Brighton Rock

When I told Husband a few weeks ago that I was delving into the Queen catalog and starting to feature their more obscure tracks, he remarked that perhaps I'd better change the feature to the Queen Song of the Month so I wouldn't run out of songs. Oh, silly Husband! Here is a link of all the songs that I consider eligible for the Queen Song of the Week feature. I think we'll be just fine for a long time!

And incidentally, Queenpedia is an amazing website that I use all the time for information on songs, singles, lyrics, concerts - seriously anything Queen related you might want to know is on that website. I can't recommend it highly enough!

Brighton Rock was written by Dr. May and appeared on the band's 1974 album Sheer Heart Attack.


Every so often, hardcore Queen fans will start talking about a song that I've not heard yet. Yes, I'm sure this comes as a shock to many of you: there are bigger Queen fans out there than me. Much bigger. As in have catalog numbers of albums memorized and have tracked down folks like Freddie's personal driver and RT's longtime roadie in order to hear stories about the band firsthand from folks who were there. So occasionally these fans will reference a song as being particularly great. This usually prompts me to at least check out the song and see what all the fuss is about. Usually I am not disappointed.

Brighton Rock was one of those songs. On the QueenOnline website, folks were listing their top Queen songs. This song kept showing up on everyone's list and I was a little embarrassed that I'd not heard it. So I downloaded it (along with a few other more obscure tracks that we'll get to eventually), burned a disc, and played it in my car for about a week. That's all it took to convince me that this song is incredible. In fact, shortly after I downloaded it, I created a ring tone out of my favorite portion (click here to see how to create a ring tone) and months later, I still use this ring tone.

If you have ever seen a DVD of a Queen concert, you might find the guitar solo from the middle of this song rather reminiscent of Dr. May's guitar solo (click here to watch his solo at the band's 1986 show at Wembley Stadium). I remember seeing the concert for the first time and thinking, "How does RT know what beat to play when he accompanies Dr. May on the solo?" It never occurred to me that the solo was from an actual song! Dr. May explained in an 1983 interview that the solo has since evolved to the point that there really isn't anything left of the original song, but he still utilizes the same techniques which have the same effect. Since Dr. May wrote the song, the guitar part is pretty awesome, but I'm rather fond of the drums as well (considered by some to be one of RT's best performances). Check out the multitrack containing RT's drum part only here.

The song starts off with carnival sounds and someone whistling the same tune that ends the song Seven Seas of Rhye. Seven Seas of Rhye is the last song off the previous album Queen II and Brighton Rock is the first track off the Sheer Heart Attack album. In the early days of Queen, they found it interesting to segue one song, or even one album, into the next. The vocals of this song are particularly interesting with Freddie alternating between his falsetto voice and his regular voice in order to portray both the male and female characters in the story. When played live, RT occasionally sang the "female" part of the song. After the bridge, the lengthy guitar solo starts and continues for several minutes before the final verse ends the song.

Happy Listening!

Queen Song of the Week: Ogre Battle

Last week I mentioned Queen's 1975 concert at the Hammersmith Odeon in London. Since we're into the real deep cuts of the band, it makes sense to just continue through the set list of that show. I've discussed a few songs played already (see Liar here, see Now I'm Here here, The March of the Black Queen here, Bohemian Rhapsody here, Seven Seas of Rhye here, and Keep Yourself Alive here) and one song on the set list is known and loved by non-Queen fans already (Killer Queen), but there are seven other songs which will carry this feature through most of the summer!

This week's Queen Song of the Week is Ogre Battle. This song was written by Freddie Mercury and appears on the band's 1974 album Queen II. One really interesting aspect of Queen II is the track listing: all of Dr. May's songs (and RT's one song) were on one side of the album dubbed "Side White" and all of Freddie's songs were on the other side of the album dubbed "Side Black".



All of the songs on Side White are rather introspective while the songs on Side Black emote a fantasy-type world. Freddie took this thematic approach to the album one step further and all his songs flow into each other. Ogre Battle is the first track on Side Black and is about, no surprise here, an ogre battle...

No, seriously, it's about an ogre battle.

If I didn't know any better, I'd think RT wrote the lyrics to this song seeing as how he's the king of straight up literal lyrics (see The Whisperers which was written about the book The Horse Whisperer and begins with the line, "Between men, between horses..." Oh RT, you lost me right there, dear.) Freddie wrote the song on acoustic guitar, which is hard to believe given the "heaviness" of the song. This song has some amazing vocal harmonies, including RT's falsetto screams during the interlude.

For a more detailed analysis of the song, check out Bechstein Debauchery here.

Happy Listening!

Queen Song of the Week: Liar

As I said last week, I've highlighted every song off Queen: Greatest Hits that I intend to feature so from here on out, we're into the real deep cuts. Most of these songs weren't released as singles, aren't on any album other than the original studio album on which they appeared, and, most tragically, haven't been heard by most non-Queen fans.

I hope to remedy that by encouraging some of you to check out these much lesser known songs.

It makes sense to start at the beginning. Liar appeared on Queen's 1973 self-titled debut album. It was written by Freddie Mercury.



This song opens with a great drum solo which includes both clapping and a cowbell. How can you go wrong with that combination? That flows into a guitar solo. As Freddie Mercury starts singing, the tempo slows and the volume lowers slightly, but that's not the case for long. This song was a live favorite for years and was played at the band's 1975 Hammersmith Odeon Christmas Eve show in London. The boys have been taunting fans for nearly a year with the release of this concert on DVD, but we've yet to get an official release date. Incidentally, the BBC has aired the polished up concert (albeit edited to fit in the hour allotted) a few times since November 2009. But of course, not living in England, I've not had the chance to see it.

The story goes, that after years of rehearsing and playing smaller gigs, the boys were ready to sign a record contract. However, no one would sign them without a demo and no one would let them record a demo without a contract. A Catch-22, if there ever was one. Luckily, the boys were able to strike a deal with Trident Studios: they could use the studio basically as guinea pigs testing out new equipment. The resulting demo included songs which would ultimately appear on the band's first two albums. Liar was one of those songs. This is actually considered one of the first Queen songs dating back to 1970.

Even though the band was young at this point (they were all in their early to mid twenties), their distinctive sound is already evident. Can you hear RT's voice singing backing vocals? And the unique sound of Dr. May's Red Special is instantly recognizable. Reviews of the album suggested that great things were in store for Queen and that certain was the case. Thanks in part to their tremendous debut effort and amazing songs like Liar.

Happy Listening!

Special thanks to Bechstein Decauchery, an absolutely amazing website that discusses in great detail the recording process of Queen's fifteen studio albums. As less has been written about these lesser known songs, I'll be relying a great deal on this website for information in the coming weeks. Click here to check it out.

Running Essentials: SmartWool Socks

When I was in high school I played basketball. (I played other sports too but this story relates to my brief and unimpressive basketball career.) We'd practice right after school so we'd have to bring our practice clothes with us to school each day. Occasionally, we'd forget an item which wasn't terribly a big deal: typically a teammate would have an extra shirt to loan us.

Rarely, however, did teammates have an extra pair of socks in their gym bag. Were we phased? Of course not! We'd pull our crew socks down giving the appearance of a short athletic style sock, wrap the excess sock material over our toes and along the bottom of our foot, and go to practice...

Yeah wrap your head around that. We'd go to two hours of basketball practice, which usually began with at least one mile of running, with an entire extra layer of sock bunched up in our shoes. Don't even get me started on the day my friend and I accidentally switched shoes and I did an entire practice in size 8s (as opposed to size 9.5).

Ah, youth - how resilient I was then...

Nowadays, I go to a specialty running store for shoes, wear special inserts, have a podiatrist - how old am I again? Geesh. And this isn't just me spending money because I like spending money (I do) - this is honest to goodness necessity. If my feet are going to cooperate and let me run as often as I do, they have certain demands and far be it for me to question these demands.

At the top of the list of demands? These socks.

And before anyone gets feisty, I do not like these socks just because they are purple. In fact, I don't even own these socks in purple - I have green, but it's my blog and I want it to be pretty so I'm putting up a picture of purple socks.

These are SmartWool PhD Light Micro Socks and they are amazing. Click here to buy them. Yes, they are wool, but no, they are not hot. Their material wicks away sweat and keeps feet dry better than any other sock I've tried (and believe me, I get a horrible case of the hot feets when I run outdoors in the summer - these babies take care of that regardless of the temperature.) I have a certain spot on my foot that rubs and I am constantly dealing with blister. Now, I'm not going to claim that I don't still get blisters, because I do, but they are significantly smaller and less painful since I switched to these socks more than a year ago.

I bought 6 pairs of these socks last summer and wear/wash them approximately once per week. They've held up great and you'd never know they were more than a year old. They've also stood up to weekly battles with my terrier/chihuahua mix Izzy who wages war on laundry baskets in search of socks. Now, manufacturers of dry wicking clothing recommend machine washing and air drying. Meh - I don't have time for air drying. I throw these babies in the dryer (along with all my other dry wick running gear) and dry them on low temperature. All my gear has held up fine. Just be sure not to use a dryer sheet - that will mess with the dry wicking feature.

I slept in a bit too late today to get a long run in before the ridiculous heat starts (it's already 75 degrees outside at 9:30 a.m. - no thanks!) so I'll do my long run tomorrow. But you can guarantee that whenever I do get in that long run, I'll be wearing these socks with a smile on my face!

Happy Running!

Queen Songs of the Week: SingStar: Queen/The Show Must Go On

Last week, I discussed the songs in the Rock Band Track Pack. This week I'm highlighting the 25 songs contained on SingStar: Queen.

SingStar: Queen contains the 10 Rock Band Track Pack songs. I discussed playing that game last week, click here to read it. The songs available on both SingStar and Rock Band will be highlighted in yellow.

Part of the fun of SingStar: Queen is that while you play the game, you can watch the song's music video. Of course, Queen can boast creating one of the first music videos in 1975 for Bohemian Rhapsody (see here for more information). Their videos only got more awesome from there so watching them is ton of fun!

The four catagories are as follows: Save For Your Mix Tapes (these songs are best listened to and not sung - skip 'em!), Play with a Crowd (self-explanatory - these are the favorites of non-Queen fans everywhere), Play Alone (or go ahead and play with a crowd, but you'll likely be embarassed at how into it you get!), and Give These a Chance (lesser known songs that are nonetheless fun to try with a group).

Save For Your Mix Tapes:
Tie Your Mother Down (I'm just not a fan of this song and in particular dislike the spoken vocals. Play it on RockBand and enjoy the guitar riff.)
You're My Best Friend (Husband and I hired a string trio to play this song at our wedding, but it's a slow tempo without being a powerful ballad so it falls a little flat in this game.)
These Are the Days of Our Lives (This song is really lovely, but the music video is the last one that Freddie shot so it's really tough to watch (especially given the sentiment of the song).)
Play the Game (I'm not really sure why this song was even included, other than Dr. May/RT trying to be funny (aka "punny"). It's a decent song, but like You're My Best Friend, not the greatest tempo for this game.)

Play with a Crowd:
One Vision (This could also be in Give These a Chance - I may be overestimating its popularity. In any event, it's fun (albeit difficult) to sing and the music video is fun to watch. Queen allowed cameras in the studio during the recording process and this video is the end result.)
I Want It All (Great song - even more so since you don't have to worry about the drum or guitar solos in this game! Just sit back, enjoy the theatrical video, and sing along! Pay particular attention to RT's kit at the end of the song - he's got water on the snare so it splashes up everytime he hits it! Awesome!)
Another One Bites the Dust (It really is fun to sing and dance to. Word on the street is that it was originally about cowboys and Freddie toughened it up a bit. This is one of the first Queen songs that I loved so even though I now realize there are better songs out there, I still have a soft spot for this one!)
We Will Rock You (Who didn't sing this song when they were little and who doesn't sing it now at sporting events? This song is lots of fun and the video is great too - the band filmed it in RT's backyard. Unfortunately he had just bought the house and the old owners hadn't left yet so they couldn't go inside. Freddie stole some ratty gloves from a roadie and poor RT is shivering throughout the entire video!)
I Want to Break Free - (In the video, the boys dressed up in drag and Freddie brought in the Royal Ballet Company - really over-the-top stuff. The song is fun to sing and relatively easy as far as Queen songs go.)
Killer Queen (This song is actually pretty tricky to sing, but everyone knows and loves it!)
Crazy Little Thing Called Love (Queen goes rockabilly on this one with both the song and the music video. This is another party favorite because everyone really does love this song.)
Under Pressure (This song has the duet option so two people can sing at once - one as Freddie and one as David. That makes it lots of fun, but be warned, SingStar rates the singing much harder than RockBand does (particularly in this song!))

Bohemian Rhapsody (I'm of the generation that head banged in my car singing this song a la Wayne's World - in fact, I sang BoRhap at karaoke after my senior prom in high school! It's fun to actually see how many of the notes I'm hitting. The backing track is a bitch and filled with harmonies that I will never be able to figure out - I guess that's why I'm not actually in Queen...yet! One annoyance is that some of the notes attributed to Freddie are actually RT in the backing track (I mean you can actually see RT singing the notes in the video! Geesh!) You can't go wrong playing this song with a group though!
Fat Bottomed Girls (The day that the Rock Band Queen Track Pack was finally released, I came home from work, downloaded the songs, and then sang this one three times in a row! The melody is great and the lyrics are pretty funny too! This is also a fun one to sing when playing with a group of people because everyone knows this song (even if they don't realize it's Queen). Don't move around too much while you sing though - the notes are high and the lyrics are quick so you'll soon find yourself out of breath!)

Play Alone:
A Kind of Magic (Husband hates the video (Freddie, a magical man, turns the rest of the group from bums into musicians), but I think it's sweet. This was written by RT so I imagine doing duets with him while he's drumming (a la Queen + Paul Rodgers, see here)).
Somebody to Love (This song is known for its absolutely beautiful layered vocals that have a gospel choir feel to them, but sadly there is no duet mode for this song! The reason why I got the game was so that I could sing: "At the end of the day...goes home...goes home on his own" and the rest of RT and Dr. May's amazing background vocals. I still really love singing it by myself though!)
We Are the Champions (Here's an example of a Queen song that I don't particularly like listening to, but I love singing on this game (*gasps* I know guys, but it really is over-played and a bit sappy). Freddie really does have an amazing voice and this one really showcases that. If you think you can control yourself, play it with a crowd. Personally I get too into the song and prefer to sing it by myself!)
Who Wants To Live Forever (Not my favorite song to listen to, but man is this a powerful song to sing, especially in the final chorus. The video is really beautiful too with the band dressed to the nines, John Deacon playing a stand up bass, and the boys singing amidst a gospel choir! Be sure to keep your eyes on RT during the video - he showed up for the shoot so hung over, he couldn't even stand up let alone play the drums properly.)

Give These a Chance:
Hammer to Fall (This is an 80s song with a great guitar riff. The vocals are fun, but a bit tricky to keep up with.)
Breakthru (After the beginning (which is actually another song that was unfinished) which has some difficult harmonies, this song is lots of fun to sing and even more fun to watch the video. Don't get too complacent though - Freddie mixes up the vocals a bit towards the end!)
Don't Stop Me Now (Husband's favorite song to sing. It's a catchy song, but the lyrics are quick so make sure you know all the words before you move up in difficulty level! This song can be frustrating because it combines background vocals with Freddie's vocals so you'll probably finish the song gasping for air!)
Innuendo (Queen's last single before Freddie died - it's got some really powerful vocals and a cool Spanish guitar solo in the middle. The song switches styles a few times making it difficult to keep up with if you don't know it really well.)
Save Me (I love this song, but I love the live version better.  It showcases Freddie's powerful voice (this song is not included in the U.K. version, but rather Bicycle Race is - I think we lucked out, U.S.))
Radio Ga Ga (I love the video. I love the song. I love the story behind the song (see here). I sing this song, I imagine I'm really on stage with Queen and inevitably I have a blast! Now that I think about it, this one might be a Play Alone too!)

So that's 24 out of the 25 Queen: SingStar songs. The 25th song is my absolute favorite song in the game and this week's Queen Song of the Week: The Show Must Go On.



The Show Must Go On appeared on Queen's 1991 album Innuendo. It is credited to the entire band, but Dr. May is believed to have written the majority of the song. The Show Must Go On was released as a single in the U.K. in 1991 and peaked at #16 spending 10 weeks on the chart.

This is one of the last songs Freddie recorded before he died. It took playing this game for me to realize how awesome it is. Now it's one of my favorite songs (not just Queen songs) ever. The vocals are strong and powerful and the song is amazing! Many fans feel that the Innuendo album was closer in feel to the band’s music from the 1970s which is considered a really good thing.

The Show Must Go On is definitely a Play Alone song for me. I get really into it and enjoy trying to emulate Freddie's freestyle vocals, particularly at the end of the song. The music video is also really interesting to watch - it's a compilation of many of the band's past music videos (including I Want to Break Free, Princes of the Universe, and A Kind of Magic).

So even if you don't want to invest in SingStar: Queen, take a listen to The Show Must Go On and you won't be disappointed!

Happy Listening!