Raspberries, Rye Rye and Iced COFFEEEEE

Team Robeson Floor 2 Circa 2010 reunited this weekend to raspberry pick at Smolak Farms. Luckily for us, other people either didn’t find or didn’t know what to do with the white raspberries. Holy crap, they’re delicious. It was totally worth the traffic, sunburn and $14 I endured to get three quarts of them. The super ripe ones taste like peaches and a lot of them were huge. We also went to Salisbury Beach and enjoyed some spectacular people and seagull - watching.

There is a tie for music of the week: Beyonce’s new album 4 has some winners on it and Rye Rye has released a mix tape, for free, which includes her bitchin’ cover of “Party in the USA.” There is some awesome dancing in the video below.

Even though I think driving is the devil, I must say that I love babysitting my little brother’s Cadillac. Even if it earns me $40 parking tickets, something my bike would never do, I love it because it affords me ample time to explore Boston’s radio offerings and sing at the top of my lungs. While rocking to some 90s classics on Saturday morning, it occurred to me that one great thing about 90s rock songs is the abundant use of the long, drawn out, or oft repeated “yeah.” When songwriters ran out lyrics, they’d throw in some dramatic “yeahs.” In some instances, this bridge of sorts is the best part of the song. It’s like negative space in art. When used well, it can make a masterpiece. Please correct me if I’m wrong, but I find the “yeah” is notoriously absent in the repertoire of today’s indie hipster post-post-80s revival songwriters. Today’s music is like the opposite of negative space. Sometimes, maybe more so in pop music, it sounds like folks are trying to use all the crayons in the box and cover every inch of white space. I really hope the next wave of music involves a “yeah”-revival: a tribute to Counting Crows, Red Hot Chili Peppers and other masters of “yeah.”

While we’re on the topic of 90s rock, I should mention that I was sad to learn this weekend that Alanis Morissette was not saying “It’s not fair to deny me of the cross-eyed bear that you gave to me.” Oh man. Lyrics. What tricky little things they are sometimes.

Iced coffee. I'm addicted. I’ve been averaging 1.5 cups a day and Lordy, I’ve been paying for it. I normally try not to pay for coffee and I've decided I can’t let myself do it any longer. I’m in such denial that I’ve been rotating between three coffee shops to make it seem like I’m not a regular at any of them. Who does that? This girl. So, to remedy the situation, I’m trying the Pioneer Woman’s recipe for make it yourself iced coffee. She uses Café Bustelo, recently selling at 2 cans for $5.00 at Stop N Shop, so I am hopeful that I can fulfill my need to suck cold caffeine through a straw without needlessly sucking my bank account dry. I’ll let you know how it tastes/goes.

Here is Rye Rye's "Party in the USA" for your listening and viewing pleasure.