Only Love Can Hurt Like This by Paloma Faith

     Wow! This girl's got some pipes. Had to watch her at the Brit Awards singing it live and she crushed it! But here's the VEVO link.

     Even though this video came out a year ago, it just recently came to my attention. And I love it. I've watched the music video a few times and still can't seem to get down what exactly is happening. Like any good film, every time I watch it there's something more to take away.

     We find our character on the brink of falling in love. She's a redhead at night, the time during which she struggles the most with and distances herself from her lover. In one shot she promptly removes his hand from her waist as he tries to embrace her while asleep. In another he comes in for a kiss while she backs away.

"I tell myself you don't mean a thing,
And what we got, got no hold on me"

...

"I tell myself I don't care that much"

...

"Say I wouldn't care if you walked away"

     These night bedroom scenes are intermixed with those of the two characters seen in literally the light. She's not pushing him away, but embracing him and what they have. He does mean something, it does have a hold on her, she does care. She's blonde too - her natural color. Her wig, her disguise, her cover, her protection, is gone.

     Love can make us do crazy things that make us not ourselves. However, it can also do the opposite and show us exactly who we are and how we feel. Love hurts. It hurts because she has to pretend to be something she is not. Pretend to not feel something she obviously does. To deny the existence of love.

     Her wig symbolized her protection - preventing herself from the potential hurt of being without him. But when she isn't around him, it hurts even more.

"But when you're not there I just crumble"

...

"But I feel like I die 'til I feel your touch"

...

"But every time you're there I'm begging you to stay,
When you come close I just tremble
And every time, every time you go,
It's like a knife that cuts right through my soul"

Take off the wig, look in the mirror, and see who you really are - how you really feel.

     My favorite cinematic sequence is her quite literally allowing herself to fall into love. Right after the bridge, there is a vocal pause and then BAM! She falls from her lover's arms (falling for him) and then right into the water as the chorus begins again. 
 
     This song and video resonate so deeply within me. If not now, at some point in the past or future, it will also resonate with you. What causes you to prevent yourself from experiencing it? Love. Don't be scared to take the plunge.

A+

LOADED Oatmeal Butterscotch Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is a little twist on one of my favorite cookies, oatmeal raisin. The other day I was at the farmer's market in downtown Oxford, OH - a quaint little college town characterized by the dramatic contrast of faux-prep university students and Amish farmers all within a mile of each other.

One stand was selling vegan pastries and one of the cookies looked especially enticing. I asked the girl behind the table what the ingredients were and she had me hooked on the idea of butterscotch and coconut together.

In my head that's a really strange combination. What about adding those two ingredients to an already amazing oatmeal raisin cookie? Well, I decided if I just made those two additions to the cookies, the separate tastes would become indistinguishable and more of a sweet chaos than harmony. So with my own little spin, I made these delicious devils.

These are a pretty easy bake, just make sure you put some effort into combining the softened butter and the rest of the mixture to get an even consistency!

Dry Ingredients
2 cups flour
1 tsp backing soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

Wet Ingredients
1 cup softened butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla

After combo
~ 2 cups oats
Desired amount of coconut
Desired amount of butterscotch
Desired amount of chocolate chips

STEP ONE: Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and combine dry ingredients in one large bowl.

STEP TWO: Combine wet ingredients in a second small bowl.
I find it easiest to use a fork when mixing the wet ingredients. It breaks apart the egg yolks well.

STEP THREE: Pour wet ingredients into large bowl with dry ingredients and add oats and desired amounts of add-ins.
** Start with only 1 cup of oats as the consistency of the dough quickly changes when the oats are added. You don't want to put too many oats in, drying out the dough.

Throw them in the oven for about 10 minutes and let them cool for about 2 minutes.

Grab a glass of milk - ENJOY!

Wildest Dreams by Taylor Swift

The fifth music video to come from her debut solely pop album, Taylor Swift's Wildest Dreams is an ode to ill-fated romance. Wildest Dreams plays with the on-off screen struggles of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton (Cleopatra, anyone?) as the perfect portrayal of her song.

Set in the golden age of the silver screen, Taylor (donning a less than ideal dark brown wig) resembles a young Elizabeth Taylor, while Scott Eastwood bears a striking resemblance to Elizabeth's acting peer, his father Clint. The two were never romantically involved, however Elizabeth Taylor and her often paired actor-husband Richard Burton were famous for their tumultuous relationship.

Though her acting chops on the big screen may not be on par just yet, Taylor's ability to express the conflict of her lyrics and the emotions of her protagonist are clearly visible.

It's shot beautifully with much of the backdrop being the African savanna (kudos for the final conservation proceeds notice!). However, part of me just still can't get over her wig...

The video is also arguably her most provocative to date, though still tame in comparison to some of her peers. Before the first refrain she's already lip locked with Scott - oh and cue Princess Diaries reference with the foot-popping kiss!











 
Structurally, the video is coherent - a characteristic that seems to be more and more difficult to find in today's music videos. It's evocative of a 50s/60s Hollywood and an enjoyable watch. Will it be as big as Blank Space? Probably not, but it's the perfect pair to her fifth single off 1989. 

A 

MTV's 2015 Video Music Circus

Watching the 2015 VMA's was a challenge. Our apartment does not have a cable subscription and I was not home from work until (I assume) Miley had already made her fourth costume change and third marijuana reference - making my live viewing impossible. MTV.com was replaying the entire event the next day, but not in one continuous stream. Each segment was broken down into a video clip, which proved tedious to watch sequentially seeing that the same three advertisements were placed in between every other clip (and out of 40 clips, I grew a bit tired of Katy Perry and Chrissy Teigan). Not only was figuring out a way to watch it difficult, but the program itself was a bumpy ride.

Featuring its first solo-host in two years, the 2015 VMA's could have chosen wiser. Maybe one who didn't focus so much on herself? Did Miley win some sort of raffle for this gig? I shouldn't be surprised though, it's the entertainment industry and everyone is out to keep his or her name relevant (that being said, I'm surprised Madonna didn't show - the most decorated and consistent show stealing artist in the history of the Awards).

 
For Miley, she accomplished what she came there to do - promote herself. Aside from two standout performances by burgeoning artists the Weeknd and Tori Kelly, the awards quickly became Miley's one woman circus. From the costumes to the all-to-common weed references to the drag queen back up dancers and ultimate free album reveal at the end, I felt like I was watching Miley's Circus and everyone else (presenters, audience members, nominees, winners, etc.) was just an attendee.

 
So much happened that night, but nothing of significance. Social news feeds were littered with comments and features of the night, but just transient sentiments. If one thing from the 2015 VMA's will be remembered, it will be Kanye's rant of an acceptance speech (not really the content, nor that his and Taylor's PR teams wanted to make as public of an announcement as they could that "we're all friends here!"). That was six years ago... do we need to keep digging up the past? Is your reputation that important to you? Wait, of course it is!

Oh yea, and he's going to run for President in 2020?     

Aside from all the distracting antics of the night (e.g. Nicki calling out Miley on stage after what seemed to be a sarcastic acceptance speech), the Weeknd with his "I Can't Feel My Face" and Tori Kelly with her "Should've Been Us"  were the only two that really nailed their performances vocally. They didn't need a slew of back-up dancers and special affects (sans the Weeknd's sick ring of fire!) to distract from their talent. Outside Mackelmore & co. as well as Demi with Iggy gave fun, but ultimately unmemorable performances of their newest singles.

The 2015 VMA's - a two hour commercial for Miley's new album (to which I have fallen prey) and a reminder of how jaded the music industry can be. B-