Let’s briefly recap why I’m glad it’s Friday, shall we?

Well okay, you don’t really have an opinion, because this is my blog. So like, either keep reading or don’t?

I hope you’re still there…

ANYWAYS. This journey toward why this Friday couldn’t come at a better time started bright and early on Monday morning. That’s right, this has been a whole week of Friday buildup. I awoke to a text from BF at 6:15 am (he gets to work at 5:30, it’s intense, you can feel sad for him) and all it said was, “Um…I have your keys.”

In some lazy Sunday night stupor, I had decided to leave my keys inside his car, therefore leaving myself stranded at home. I work from home, so it wasn’t totally catastrophic, but since I normally work from a coffee shop every day in order to avoid sitting on the couch in pajamas all day eating while working, my normal day was somewhat derailed. So my week started in a stranded-all-day-on-the-couch state of blah. Yes I know, why should I complain about this? Well, let me just tell you that you never want to leave the house more than when you HAVE NO WAY OF ESCAPE. It was claustrophobic, and I got nervous.

Yes, I could have walked somewhere, whatever. But I did need to work. And my bike doesn’t have air in its tires, at least I don’t think it does. I’ve ridden it probably 3 times since I bought it last July. Good investment, Robyn.

Moving on. Since then, every single day of this week has felt like a Thursday night. You know, when you’re pumped because the next day’s Friday and you can begin looking at the weekend forecast and plan your weekend Target and Trader Joe’s adventures? I love Thursday nights. But NOT when they are actually a Tuesday afternoon pretending to be Thursday and laughing in your face when you realize you are actually three days away from the weekend.

Fast forward to today, because this whole “why I’m all anxious and thrown off” endeavor is taking too long.

I realized this morning that I had left my computer cord in the outlet at the Starbucks I worked at yesterday. I have forgotten my computer cord all of two times in my life, and this time just happened to occur when I worked from a Starbucks that was far from my home. And my computer was dead. Awesome.

Time wasted, and I felt like I was walking around with “FAIL” tattooed on my forehead.

So with all that random banter over with, I welcome you to the REALITY of it being Friday and my forgetful/distracted week coming to a close.

I’m getting back into Friday Favorites this week, after a brief hiatus last week. Woooo lists of happy things!

This week, I’ve decided to theme the Favorites list according to my own personal music preferences, because recently there’s rarely an hour in my day where I’m not listening to some Pandora, iTunes, Spotify playlist. I like the feeling of sound-tracking my life, even when that soundtrack includes the same songs over and over again.

Now, part of this post about my music comes with a serious disclaimer, and it’s one that I’ve had to internalize for myself.

You know how everyone has a guilty pleasure song or artist that they try and hide within the rest of their “normal” music? It’s the one you never want people to see on your iPod, and heaven forbid it comes on when someone else is listening to your music. Yea, ok. We’ve all got one. Me though? All my music choices are like that.

Okay, maybe not ALL, but A LOT of the music I listen to is definitely on most people’s “no one can know I like this” list, and especially my running music. Am I ashamed? Not really, I know what I like and I’m going to listen to it. But am I slightly embarassed? A little. Several of my music choices are those that 14 year old girls croon to while sharing headphones with their best friend outside of Forever 21 at the mall.

However, I know that a lot of people out there are actually in agreement when it comes to some of these selections. Fact: Every single person, no matter who they are, can find a Glee song they like. There are so many! How could you not? And so, without much further ado (because there has already been a shit ton of “ado”…what does “ado” even mean?), I give you my current musical selections. Some are “normal,” some should be reserved for pre-teen karaoke sleepovers, and some are completely random.

Maroon 5

I need to come out of the “they’re so overplayed and not that talented” closet and admit that I have and will always love Maroon 5. I know a lot of their songs sound the same, and sure they might have a Nickleback-esque to them, but I don’t really care. Ever since “She Will Be Loved” spoke to my 16-year-old hopeless romantic heart, I always find myself enjoying Maroon 5 songs. I’m not huge on “Moves Like Jagger” fan, because the whole context just seems weird, but otherwise it’s pretty safe to say that I always have a Maroon 5 song stuffed somewhere in my musical repertoire.

Taylor Swift

If you’ve read this blog before, this comes as no surprise. I freaking love Taylor Swift. Unlike Maroon 5, I actually don’t think there is one T Swift song I don’t like. The scale of my fondness for her songs goes something like, “Fun and Catchy” to “OMG THIS WAS WRITTEN ABOUT MY LIFE.” I love her, I have Pandora station of her, and I’m a glitter covered t-shirt away from posting a YouTube “I Heart Taylor” video. 

Kidding.

BUT I do love her. My sister and I saw her concert and it was everything your high school self wanted it to be.

Glee Music

Now, I am actually a bit pickier about my Glee selections than you might guess. I really only like about 30% of them (not to be way-too precise or anything), and I typically preference the songs from musicals, the mash ups, and the big belting one-woman-show numbers. BUT, when I do find a gem of a Glee song, I hang onto it with all my might. I still regularly play songs from old seasons while on my runs, and I admittedly find myself favoring them over the original versions. “Faithfully” from the Season 2 finale anyone?

Glee is great to run to though, and I think it’s hard to stay in a bad mood when a group of beautiful and famous 20-somethings pretending to be loser teenagers are singing to you.

Lana Del Rey

This one isn’t a guilty pleasure choice, and she’s actually been overwhelming my playlists recently. I like running to Lana, she makes me feel all “don’t-give-a-crap-bad-girl” about things, because obviously that’s exactly the kind of person I am. I love her voice, her lyrics, and her general style.

Britney, Kelly Clarkson, and Rihanna

I figured these three could be lumped together, because I think everyone has at least a small spatter of these three somewhere in their music collection. They never seem to get looked over, no matter how many new playlists I make or musical phases I go through. In an exercise sense, you can’t really get better than these three for some pump-you-up girl jams that are loud and fast. And the “S&M” remix with RiRi AND Brit? Don’t even get me started.

Croony, Sappy Country Music

There isn’t a particular artist for this one, but it’s a music guilty pleasure I’ve been victim to ever since I discovered Tim McGraw and Keith Urban as a boyfriend-less high school freshman. I’m not huge into country music, but there’s a variety of super cheesy, over-the-top love songs (normally by men) that ignite my desire to belt loudly in the shower. Examples include, “Love Your Love the Most,” “Then,” “Making Memories of Us,” and “It’s Your Love.”

BF, please don’t read this post. And if you do, please stay with me. I promise I’ll never make you listen to Brad Paisley.

The soundtracks to Wicked, Spring Awakening, Les Mis, and Hairspray

I really really sometimes wish that I could go back in time and be a choir/theater/glee club person instead of a softball/basketball/track person. Well, that’s not really true, but I do have a very strong feeling that there is another universe in which I am a Broadway star who can sing like Barbara and dance like Beyonce (yes, interesting combo…just go with it). Something about musicals speaks to me, and I find it highly entertaining to listen to shows all the way through, imagining I’m the lead.

Drama queen? NEVER.

I also believe very confidently that there is an alternate universe in which I’m a 6’8″ NBA star, just to give you some perspective on the variety of my hallucinations  imagination.

Anyways, I love songs from musicals, and I have a dream of running an entire race to the Les Miserable soundtrack. It would be epic, except for the times I’m weeping when Fantine dies and sings to Cosette. Damn you Victor Hugo and Schönberg for tugging at my heart strings EVERY TIME.

So, in addition to some Jason Mraz (new album is SO GOOD), O.A.R., and Sarah Barielles, this is essentially the core of my musical choices, both while running and not.

If you’re still reading and not shaking your head while thinking, “Wow Robyn, maybe you should try growing up or something,” I hope you enjoyed my musical admissions.

The fact of the matter is I love essentially every kind of music. I can find a favorite tune in any and all genres, it just so happens that the songs I keep on repeat are stereo-typically a little “cheesy.”

I hold my head high though, and when you see me mouthing the lyrics to “Circle of Life” while pounding down the sidewalk during sunrise, you’ll know I’m in my happy place.

NOW YOU! Let’s hear it, what’s your musical guilty pleasure?