reese and ryan

i heard on the news today that reese witherspoon and ryan phillippe are breaking up. i feel bad for them. i had always wondered if they would last. she got pregnant when she was really young and they got married. i like her alot. they both seem really nice. i remember at one of the awards shows that he made a comment about her making so much money and him not doing anything. i guess guys always have a hard time when the woman in the relationship makes more money. it must be even harder when the woman is more famous. but they have been together for so long i figured they had worked out some type of balance. i guess things fell apart for them. i feel bad. divorce sucks. i wish them both the best.

how many of me

my friend sent me a link to a census website called How Many of Me. It is completely addicting. There are 25 people in the US named with the same name as me. I keep typing in my friends names, their wives names, other family members names . . . it's a total time waster. but really neat.

lost hiatus

oh no, my favorite show, lost, is taking a 12-week hiatus!!! i know that shows usually air a few episodes of the new season and then run a few re-runs before picking back up again. but 12 weeks! this is so annoying. accoring to BuddyTv's article LOST is a Cruel Mistress, we are currently watching a mini-season complete with a "finalie" scheduled for 11/8/06. So only two more shows. This definately puts a crimp in my tv schedule and will just be torture to find out what the hell is going on since i'm completely lost with the four shows we have seen so far this season.

i like my horoscope today

Even if you are not as optimistic as you have been over the past week, it's time to pull yourself up and out of the murky emotional waters. Prepare to go into action again, but don't move too soon this time. Stretch into your thoughts, free from self-restraint. Then and only then, act on what makes the most sense based on your current circumstances and your fresh perspective.

U2 by U2 - The Official Promo Video

Green Chili and Zucchini Quiche

i went ahead and made my first quiche today. i didn't get up early and make it for breakfast as planned. I was lazy and ended up making it for an early dinner. I used Sara Moulton's recipe for Green Chile and Zucchini Quiche. All I have to say is that there is 2 cups of cheese in this bad boy. How can anything with that much cheese not taste good? It was REALLY good. It has a bit of a southwestern taste, especially with lots of salsa on top.

an american haunting

in honor or halloween i decided to rent a scary movie to watch this weekend from netflix. i choose an american haunting staring sissy spacek and donald sutherland which is based on a true story about the bell witch. i chose it because donald sutherland is in it and i usually think his movies have integrity and that this one might actually be scary. i wasn't really disappointed. i ususally don't watch scary movies alone . . . not because i'm scared, but because i tend to keep questioning how fake things are. when i'm with someone else i let myself get caught up in it. anways, i enjoyed it. it was kind of like the exorcist. i liked that it had an explaination of events at the end even though i don't think it fully explained everything. but i liked the twist.

trick or treat street

I am so glad Marcia invited me to help out at Trick or Treat Street this year. Riverview High School puts on the event and local businesses have booths to provide a safe trick or treating environment for kids. There we SO MANY KIDS! I had a blast. it totally uplifted my mood. the kids were so happy to get candy. Our Mosaic booth was the only one to give out chocolate so the kids always had big smiles when they looked in their bags after i put the candy in there. One girl was handing out candy out of the window of the "haunted house" and then they walked past an open door where Danielle was dressed up as a monster. All the kids thought she was fake and then she'd move and scare them. The older ones anyways, she just let the little ones pass by. There were some HYSTERICAL reactions from the 10-12 year olds. And even some teen girls.

Also sharing our space were some gals from the Ruskin Seafood Festival which takes place next weekend. I stood over by them and handed out candy down there which was at the other side of the booth. So each kid got double handouts from Mosaic. A lady was dressed up as a giant lobster and most of the kids absolutely loved it. Some of them were scared, but most of their eyes just light up and they had big smiles on their face and wanted to give it hugs. Some of the kids called it Sebastian from the Little Mermaid.

I had so much fun and got so much positive energy from all the kids. I was kind of bumming about halloween this year but it totally lifted my spirits. I kept saying hi to all the kids and asking them about their costumes and telling them how pretty or cool they looked. I guess i totally needed that interaction. One positive thing I noted was that there were alot of kids dressed in army or marine fatigues. I thanked them all for saving our country and there were all so proud. It was great.

girly day

i met up with julie at dillards today. we wandered around the mall a bit and did some shopping. we both got some fun smelly stuff from bath and body work. she had buy one get one free coupons so we got extra stuff. i got two bubble baths and some pomegranate hand soap and lotion to start getting in the christmas spirit. then the fun part - we got pedicures. it was at one of those places with the awesome massage chairs. we spent about an hour there because the same gal did mine first and then julie's. afterwards, we went to smokey bones for lunch. that place is AWESOME!  i had the beef brisket and the pulled port with corn bread, coleslaw and loaded mashed potatoes. there was enough leftover to my dinner too.

bjork - Bachelorette, By Gondry

the ladies take on iron chef!

according to culinary herb, rachael ray and giada delourentis will be battling it out on iron chef on 11/12/06. now this i can't wait to see. both of those two always look so pretty and compsed and cheerful on their show. i'll love to watch them in high speed as they compete and see how they stand up while being judged.

That's right ladies and gentlemen. It's the biggest showdown since Sugar Ray Leonard fought Marvelous Marvin Hagler in 1987. On November 12th, Iron Chef America will feature Giada DeLaurentiis vs. Rachael Ray in the kitchen battle of the century. The Chairman has added a twist by pairing Chef Bobby Flay with Giada and Chef Mario Batali with Rachael Ray in what will prove to be bigger than any WWF Smackdown event ever imagined. The only thing missing will be a cage around Kitchen Stadium.

my friend julie thinks rachael will win because she can cook so fast. i am leaning towards giada because she seems to have a wider variety of recipes.

the olive garden is evil

alan picked olive garden for his birthday lunch today. oh man, i'm so stuffed! breadsticks and salad are enough. but since when did they start charging $3.75 for the salad? i ordered the portobella raviolli which was yummy and we were so busy talking and laughing i wasn't paying attention to the fact that i wasn't hungry and i just ate and ate. THEN they brought out cake and cappuccino. roll me back to work . . . and to top that off, it's october birthday day cake day here at work and SO MANY of my friends had birthdays this month. i will not be able to eat any cake but i have to go sit there and chat with them. i shouldn't even work on days like these - i get nothing accomplished.

new office?

oh man, i was dreading this . . . i just got this email from our CIO:

We will be moving the majority of our Florida Riverview IT staff to NetPark later this year.

Ah, that's me! I'm Florida Riverview IT staff. This will change my 20-30 minute commute to 40-60 minutes. ICK! plus i have to drive by all the nasty strip clubs.

busy morning

i got up early this morning to start making dinner! i'm making Root Beer Barbeque Sandwiches. I had to brown the meat before i put it in the slowcooker. then i made t he sauce with root beer and BBQ sauce and just poured it over. just sits there and cooks for 10-12 hours until i need to take the meat out and shred it. my house was already smelling good when i left for work today. can't wait to walk into the yummy smells when i get home.

the only problem is this recipe makes about 16 sandwiches! even if i give some to the dog AND eat leftovers all weekend I can't imagine I'll eat more than six. I asked my girlfriend if she wanted me to bring it to her to work tomorrow and she can feed itto her kids for dinner on friday night. 10 sandwiches!

this week, it's jerry

this week, it was jerry springer who got voted off dancing with the stars. it was definately his time. the four remaining dancers are emmitt smith, mario lopez, joey lawrence and monique coleman.

useless knowledge

Ever Wondered Why Juice Tastes like Crap after Brushing Your Teeth?

As it turns out, toothpaste has an ingredient which blocks the sweet taste buds in your mouth, so you're just left with the acidic taste of the juice.

yodeling with gwen

Gwen Stefani is a hoot! She has taken up yodeling on the first single from her new album, The Sweet Escape, that is due out in Decmeber of this year. And not only that, she samples part of the lonley goathearded song from The Sound of Music. She must like musicals since she took "Rich Girl" from Fiddler on the Roof.  It seems kind of all mixed up to me - there's marching drum beats, computer-type sounds, monotone lyrics, and pharrell says something every now and then. but I love the yodeling part :) Check it out!

Wind It Up - Gwen Stefani

A-Z Quiches

i just got inspired from the gal over at the turkey feathers blog. she is doing an A-Z Quiche bake-off. Each week she is cooking a new quiche recipe with one of the letters in the alphabet. she started with asparagus quiche and is using the list from allrecipes.com which contains over 100 recipes - all alphabetized. i'm not all that much of a quiche eater. i do like it, i just usually find something better on the menu when i eat out. they seem pretty easy to make though. and when i used to entertain and have people for brunch, i'd always make some type of egg casserole because i do like those type of breakfasts. after reviewing the recipes, quiche kind of seems like pizza because there are so many different ways to change it up with random ingredients. so, i think i will attempt to learn the art of the quiche. now, which recipe to start with . . .

i feel love

blue man group with venus hum

moo shu stoup

I'm still in cooking mode . . . tonight i made moo shu stoup! stoup i guess is a cross between soup and stew. i found the recipe in the october issue of the Every Day with Rachael Ray magazine. I usually hate rachael ray, but i picked up the magazine the other day and i like it alot. the recipe says it serves four but i swear you can get at least 8 bowls out of this.

it wasn't all that bad to make IF you're in the mood for actually cooking. had to chop up some veggies and make the "dumplings" from scratch. they were like little meatballs. on my first bite i kind of thought it was a bit bland, but i wasn't picking up enough of a variety of ingredients on my spoon. the "dumplings" are AWESOME. it is so tasty and actually very healthy too.

the weather is "cold" here tonight -- it's in the 50s. i have my windows open so this awesome "stoup" was perfect to eat while cuddled up on the couch under a blankie.

desperate mousewives

from boingboing:

Desperate Mousewives lays the racy dialog from a Desperate Housewives scene over a Mickey Mouse cartoon (both produced by the same company, Disney) -- the video mashup is hilarious and deeply weird, and it was produced by Flying Squid Studios. Link

cool veggie pizza

i made one of my favorite party foods for dinner tonight. pampered chef's recipe for cool veggie pizza. i have not had this for years. i used to make it alot in my mid-20s when i lived in lakeview. i got into fancier cooking the past few years so it's fun to make an old recipe that is really simple. it's a really good thing to make for parties and cut up in tiny pieces . . . people love it. i feel completely indulgent that i made it for myself for dinner! how fun. as for the picture, it tastes much better than it looks! i changed up the veggies and used red pepper, green pepper, cucumber, mushroom and pears. YUM!

Cool Veggie Pizza
1 can (8 ounces) refrigerated crescent rolls
2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
2 Tbsp. mayonaise
1 (0.7 ounce) package dry italian dressing mix

Preheat over to 350 degrees. Spread crescent roll dough on pizza stonee and pinch seams together. Bake 10-12 minutes until lightly brown. Remove from oven and let cool completely. Blend cream cheese, mayo and italian dressing mix in a bowl. spread the cheese mixture on top of coled crust.

Toppings: all finely chopped
zucchini, mushrooms, green peppers, green onions, tomatoes - seeded, cucumbers - seeded.

sprinkle layer of each vegetable over cheese mixture. refrigerate before serving.

last week's top chef

i finallly watched the season premiere of top chef. i love this show. there are really unique challenges and the chefs come up with the neatest things. the first "quick challenge" was to make a flambe. One guy made something with bananas and avocado. what a combo. the guy that one that challenge made some type of espresso shrimp with an sambuca flambe. looked really cool. because he won that quick challenge, he can't be eliminated at that show.

the big challenge the next day was kind of interesting. the group was divided into teams. each team member was presented with "mystery boxes". of all sorts of random ingredients. the first team had snails, processed cheese, artichoke, peanuts and some other stuff. the other team then judged them. the second team's mystery box contained frog legs, chicken liver, eggplant, cornflakes and peanut butter. one gal made a cake out of the chicken liver and frog legs!

four-eyes, again?

i think i need glasses. i had glasses all my life until i got lasik eye surgery a few years ago. at that time i ended up with 20/20 vision! i couldn't believe how cool it was to see the alarm clock when waking up or to be able to lay on the couch and watch tv without glasses pressing into the side of my face or my contacts drying up. at the time, the doctor told me i have a slight astigmatism in my right eye. he also told me that i should be able to go several years without glasses until the regular near-sightness sets in that most people get in their forties.

i'm not sure what it is, but these last two weeks have been killing me. all the computer work i do is just greusome. i found a doctor down here that my friend recommended but their office won't answer the phone. i will try to call tomorrow and make an appointment.

one fun thing will be that if i do need to get glasses again, i can get fashionable glasses! before, my lenses were always so think i couldn't get the coolest frames. but now i can be like the smart chic that puts on her neat glasses at work :)

little slugger

Jimmy and Cariane just had their first baby. actually, they had a little boy on 10/11/2006. They named him Joseph Carl. Jimmy's middle name is Joseph and Carl was grandpa Kotra's name. i had a hard time finding a unique gift to get them . . . i settled upon "the rookie" new baby gift package from Gift Prose. They were sold out of the large package featuring all the items above so I got the small one that has a cute "rookie" onesie and the baseball rattle. it also comes with the customized card on the left. since jimmy loves baseball this gift reminded me most of him. and i'm sure the little one already has tons of baby Cubbie stuff coming in from their other friends.

happy sweetet day to me

today is sweetest day . . . ends up no one down here in florida ever heard it which was strange because it's a total hallmark holiday in chicago. i looked it up online and found out it's be more of a midwest thing. guess i be celebrating by myself. good thing i have a bunch of lindt truffles!

Drum Machine

smellin' good

nothing makes me feel more female than new perfume. today i bought two new frangrances . . . princess by vera wang and with love by hilary duff. this past month i tore out all the sample fragrances from my lucky magazine. i couldn't believe i liked the hilary duff one, but it's my favorite. it's kind of spicy with a bit of coconut. i came home from shopping, put on my pjs and spritzed on some vera wang . . . i feel very feminine right now.

how much should a hat cost?

i need a winter hat. i'm going to lake tahoe next month and need a hat so i can play in the snow. i have ear muffs if i can't find something i like, but when i have time i browse for one.

now, how much should a hat cost? maybe $20? maybe $35 max right? i have no idea but it's not like i need a cashmere hat. i want just one to play in the snow but that's kind of cute and will work with my olive green jacket.

i found the cutest hat at anthropologie. it's wool so it should be fine. and will also look cute when i'm bumming around in chicago over the holidays. $178. can you believe this hat costs $178? it's not even like it's designer!

dancing with the stars results

Lionel Ritchie has a number 1 hit? That's what they said when introducing him. So i went to billboard.com to find out. It's not on the main chart, but sure enough he's got the number 1 adult R&B single. wow. what year is it?

as for the show, duh. they didn't kick anyone off since sara quit. big surprise.

top chef season premiere

the season two of top chef starts tonight on bravo. it's not on until 11pm. what the hell is that about? must be geared for the west coasters . . .  i'm sure i'll be up still, but just in case i'll set my tivo :) i didn't watch any of the 1st season but the concept looks good so i want to check it out. it's a culinary competition with 15 rising young chefs competing. two challenges each episode and i guess someone gets voted off each episode like all the other reality shows. i guess the host from the first season sucked so everyone is excited about the new gal. she is salmon rushdie's wife.

tonight's dancing with the stars

tonight was fun to watch. emmit was really good, especially during the disco flashback. that is definately his time. IT IS TIME FOR JERRY TO GO. if he doesn't get voted off tonight, then i don't know what people are thinking. and unfortunately, i think joey lawrence will be next. he just hasn't been doing well lately. so my top three pics are Emmit Smith, Mario Lopez and the girl from high school musical.

hawaiian earthquake

holy shit! hawaii was hit by an earthquake today. looks like the big island was hit the hardest. that's where i visited. and 90% of oahu is without power and there are tons of people who live and visit there. hope there isn't too much damage.

midsomer murders

my new sunday night ritual is watching misdomer murders. i love this show. it's a british detective series staring john nettles. it's on the biography channel from 9-11pm. It's been on tv since1997 so there are alot of episodes that i have not seen. they had all the fans of the show vote on their favorite episodes and they are playing the highest rated ones in the month of october. the series premier for the new season starts in november. sometimes they also play episodes at 2pm and 4pm so i get to watch 3 on sunday if i want! i usually records them. 6 hours of tv sometimes is too much, but it's good to have a nice murder mystery waiting for me when i feel like it during the week.

yummy

oh my god, my dinner was so good tonight. i almost didn't make it. i got up, took a shower and went to the grocery store. i spent entirely too much time there mostly because i was bored. i bought a ton of stuff. by the time i got home and put everything away i was exhausted. then i fell asleep on the couch and i didn't wake up until 4:30. i was going back and forth because of how long i thought it would take to cook. about 4 hours. . . i did decide to start it and i'm so glad i did. i forgot how relaxing cooking can be. sometimes it feels creative too. my house smelled SO GOOD while it was cooking.

now i have a huge pot of food left over. it's all rice and chicken. i called my work friend and told her not to bring lunch tomorrow. i'll bring a huge container of it to work . . . maybe the person who steals all the food from the fridge will like it :)

caribbean peanut chicken

i feel like cooking. tonight is some big event in my community called light the night or something like that. i think people walk our ride their bikes around with candles or something. it's for a charity. but they are blocking off the access to my neighborhood and then the big party will be not too far from my house so i'm not going to venture out. however, i did pick out a recipe to make tomorrow. gonna make caribbean peanut chicken from my favorite slow cooker cookbook from catherine atkinson. when you get a good recipe, things cooked in the slow cooker are so awesome. and stews and stuff like that always turn out great. i'm sure i'll have a ton of leftovers, but this one has you marinading the chicken in a curry paste for a few hours and uses a peanut butter and spicy pepper sauce and rice and looks so yummy in the picture in the book. can't wait to make it tomorrow. lots of steps so it will be cooking off and on all day and perfect for a sunday.

tonight, i'll have to settle for amy's chicken enchilada's. they are super yummy if you wait the hour to cook them in the oven instead of trying to microwave them.

sara evans leaves

sara evans justed filed for divorce from her husband and has decided to leave dancing with the stars. i guess her last appearance will be on 10/17. guess we won't have to vote someone off! i feel bad for her especially after reading the reason why she filed. 

new shoes

i went with some of my friends for a long lunch today at the mall. got a bunch of my favorite chocolates from the lindt store and a new pair of shoes!

mark ryden

i really like some of the drawings by mark ryden. one of my favs is the magic circus - there are so many neat things going on. jessica's hope and the last rabbit  are awesome too. maybe i like them because they are redheads :) the photo posted above is one of his newest prints called regina gloriae naturae and the limited edition sells for $3000.00.

so long willa

willa ford got voted off dancing with the stars this week. i thought she performed very well the past few weeks but i don't reallly like her so i'm glad she's gone. i thought sara evans should have been the one voted off though.

dancin'

i didn't really like joey lawrence's performance tonight. he seemed kind of gay. maybe it was the v-neck muscle shirt and the necklaces. he was first up tonight. usually others come out and suck and then he goes and he always seems better than them.

i think the head judge guy dyed his hair. maybe it was his dark suit jacket, but i thought he had gray hair.

maybe i'm grumpy tonight, but i didn't like willa ford either. i don't think i can get past the bright blue dress and red satin sandals. she did a good job, but it was boring to me. maybe it was the fact that they were dancing the rhumba to "every breath she takes" by the police.

damn, i just don't like anyone tonight. sara evans looks like she is cheerleading. i swear i did half of those moves in my pom pom routines in high school. i'm also wondering why she is wearing a day-glo dress.

um, mario was kissing his partner when they showed the training videos. that's just wrong. and mean. and i think they were playing in hef's pool! BUT, they can DANCE A HELL OF A RHUMBA! finally, nice ot see someone dance really well. not to mention they danced to my favorite "standard" - "the way you look tonight". aahhh, i love that song.

i can't decide if it's time for jerry to go or not. he's just so friggin funny! i love their dances. he is such a ham. i actually thought he was really good tonight! much better than other dances he's performed. his "coach" really had a good strategy to make each performance funny. they are truly entertaining.

monique is a good dancer but i don't like her on the principal that she's so young. it seems easy for young people to dance like that. i know it was for me. she gave a really sexy performace of the rhumba. technically, she might have been the best dancer tonight.

emmit was on tonight! i liked their performance. he looks like a fun guy.

birdie update

last night i had a little "oops" with charlie bird. it's my fault. i'm a neglectful parent. i had him on my shoulder when i was cooking dinner and he fell into the pan. really! i was making scrambled eggs with cheese. he loves cheese and when he saw the bag he started going for it. at the same time i moved my arm and off he fell. i had to flick him out with the wooden spoon. i am SO LUCKY! i have a gas stove so i am so lucky he didn't get near the flame. he was covered in egg and shaken up a bit, but okay.

tonight he is cracking me up. he likes to investigate everything i'm eating and doing. so alot of times he likes to taste what i'm drinking. tonight i had a small glass of milk. he's never tried milk before so i offered him the glass. i noticed he is doing something new! it took me a while to figure out what the noises were, but i figured it out tonight. i guess i kind of make slurping noises or something when i drink and now when he sticks his head in the glass he makes slurping noises. he's so damn cute.

dinner

tonight i'm having potato salad and halloween cookies for dinner. that is one really awesome thing about being single. i can just pick if i want. i don't have to worry about feeding anyone else but my pets. of course they don't like when i have dinners like this because they don't get any leftovers.

ben kweller

photo from both sides of the mouth

i'm really digging ben kweller right now. his new video is sundress, but i've downloaded some of his songs and he has a really good writing style. i love his lyrics.

honesty

this seems suitable today . . .

claudine's technique

claudine hellmuth is a collage artist that i admire. i think her stuff is so neat. i like how she uses people's faces and then makes paper dolls and scenes out of patterned paper. i'm excited that she took a video the demonstrates the steps she takes in making her pieces!

i love brit pop

pulp - common people
live at brixton academy1995



She came from Greece she had a thirst for knowledge
She studied sculpture at St Martin's college
That's where I....
Caught her eye

She told me that her Dad was loaded
I said "In that case I'll have rum and coca-cola."
She said "Fine,".....
And then in thirty seconds time she said

"I want to live like common people
I want to do whatever common people do
I want to sleep with common people
I want to sleep with common people like you."

Oh what else could I do?
I said "I'll see what I can do."

I took her to a supermarket
I don't know why, but I had to start it somewhere
So it started .... there
I said "Pretend you've got no money."
But she just laughed an said "Oh you're so funny."
I said "Yeah?
Well I can't see anyone else smiling in here

Are you sure you want to live like common people
You want to see whatever common people see
You want to sleep with common people
You want to sleep with common people like me?"

But she didn't ... understand
She just smiled and held my hand

Rent a flat above a shop
Cut your hair and get a job
Smoke some fags and play some pool
Pretend you never went to school
But still you'll never get it right
`cos when you're laid in bed at night
Watching roaches climb the wall
If you called your dad he could stop it all yeah

You'll never live like common people
You'll never do what ever common people do
You'll never fail like common people
You'll never watch your life slide out of view

And then dance, and drink, and screw
Because there's nothing else to do

Sing along with the common people
Sing along and it might just get you through
Laugh along with the common people
Laugh along even though they're laughing at you
And the stupid things that you do
Because you think that poor is cool.

Like a dog lying in a corner
They will bite you and never warn you
Look out.

They'll tear your insides out

`cos everybody hates a tourist
Especially one who thinks it's all such a laugh
Yeah and the chip stain and grease will come out in the bath

You will never understand
How it feels to live your life
With no meaning or control
And with nowhere left to go
You are amazed that they exist
And they burn so bright whilst you can only wonder why.

Rent a flat above a shop
Cut your hair and get a job
Smoke some fags and play some pool
Pretend you never went to school
But still you'll never get it right
`cos when you're laid in bed at night
Watching .... roaches climb the wall
If you called your Dad he could stop it all, Yeah.

Never live like common people
Never do what common people do
Never fail like common people
Never watch your life .... slide out of view

And then dance, and drink, .... and screw
Because there's nothing else to do

I want to live with common people like you.
etc...

talk talk

okay, the hot guy with the toolbelt scene on men in trees tonight was awesome! this show cracks me up. and for one second i thought there was finally going to be a kissing scene - but nope, denied. just more sexual tension. and even as i write this i get my kissing scene - yeah! and a hell of a kissing scene it was!!! what is better than a man coming to your door and just laying in with an awesome, all-consuming kiss?

but here's a question. what iS up with guys saying thanks after sex. what does that mean really? what exactly are they saying thanks for? having fun? using your body? are they trying to be polite? that is always the most confusing thing to me. since it was a topic of the show, i must not be the only one.

the say anything spoof with a condom dispenser instead of holding the radio over the head was hysterical. i love the writing on this show.

quote of the night: mirin asks why can't you guys talk like civilized women? and the men's response was "talking lead to drama, and drama leads to more talking. it's a vicious cycle." that's perfect! it's totally how it is.

rap goes rock

i found an amazing post on the just pretend blog called rap goes rock. below is a list they put together of rap songs and coordinating cover songs. it is quite genius. i love listening the original and hearing how other artists interpreted them. the comments below are theirs, not mine. i LoVe  the Gin and Juice, BK Baby and Straight Outta Compton comparisons!

We've all heard this one by now, but it doesn't hurt to let y'all hear it once more.
Original: Gorillaz - "Feel Good Inc. (Live feat. De La Soul)" (Thought I'd change it up)
Cover: Editors - "Feel Good Inc."

Often considered to be by Phish... it's not.
Original: Snoop Dogg feat. Dr. Dre - "Gin & Juice"
Cover: The Gourds - "Gin & Juice"

This one is good... this guy can rap, for serious.
Original: Ludacris - "What's Your Fantasy"
Cover: Travis Morrison - "What's Your Fantasy"

I think this one was posted last week, good one tho...
Original: Vanilla Ice - "Ice Ice Baby"
Cover: Ben Kweller - "BK Baby"

My vote for BEST RAP COVER. This is great. (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!)
Original: Sir Mix-a-Lot - "Baby Got Back"
Cover: Jonathan Coulton - "Baby Got Back"

If you didn't think she could... she just did.
Original: Missy Elliot - "Get Your Freak On"
Cover: KT Tunstall - "Get Your Freak On"

I think Bonnie 'Prince' Billy pissed on me once...
Original: R. Kelly - "Ignition"
Cover: Bonnie 'Prince' Billy & Matt Sweeney - "Ignition"

Willy Mason just got cooler, if that's even possible.
Original: Grandmaster Flash - "The Message"
Cover: Willy Mason - "The Message"

If she was really a cop killa, she'd be way too adorable... even when dropping a hard N-bomb. (Also, she's really hot)
Original: NWA - "Staight Outta Compton"
Cover: Nina Gordon - "Straight Outta Compton" (LISTEN! NOW!)

Ben Folds is too cool for Compton.
Original: Dr. Dre - "Bitches Ain't Shit"
Cover: Ben Folds - "Bitches Ain't Shit"

This one's a stretch. From the album In The Zone, which isn't a stretch at all...
Original: Britney Spears - "Toxic"
Cover: Nickel Creek - "Toxic"

Beyonce is hot, Snow is not... bitches.
Original: Beyonce feat. Jay-Z - "Crazy In Love"
Cover: Snow Patrol - "Crazy In Love"
Cover: The Magic Numbers - "Crazy In Love" (Recommended)

Have you ever heard someone cover "Crazy?"
Original: Gnarls Barkley - "Crazy"
Cover: Nelly Furtado - "Crazy"
Cover: Ray LaMontagne - "Crazy"
Cover: The Kooks - "Crazy"
Cover: The Twilight Singers - "Crazy"
Cover: The Raconteurs - "Crazy"
Bonus Cover: Legions of Doom - "Crazy as She Goes"

Here's stupid Dynamite Hack with stupid "Boyz In The Hood." I really like this song...
Original: NWA - "Boyz In The Hood"
Cover: Dynamite Hack - "Boyz In The Hood"