Playlists

Two weekends ago, I went to a Twilight viewing party and had an absolute blast. Heckling and unintended laughter were encouraged, and we made wildly inappropriate remarks about Robert Pattinson's ridiculously good looks, despite the odd makeup. Our hostess served, among other things, Hot Tamales, Twizzlers, Swedish fish, strawberries, raspberries, red wine...get the theme? And we all sported Team Edward/Jacob shirts...any guesses which one I wore? It was a case of "30 going on 13"...

In the midst of the event, we admitted to listening to the songs on Stephenie Meyer's playlist*, and I praised Meyer for introducing me to Blue October. And then I further admitted that I made a "Bella & Edward" playlist, comprised entirely of Meyer's music, and listened to it continuously while reading Breaking Dawn. Believe me, people, this isn't an easy thing to admit. See how I'm willing to make a fool of myself in front of all of you? Now, that is love.

But that got me thinking of playlists. They're so personal: how many times have you looked at a friend's playlists and thought, "Huh? I don't get the organization or the vibe or what they were going for." Which is why I am fascinated by how others do it.

Music plays an integral, inextricable role in my cooking and eating every night. Seriously, not a single night goes by that I am not playing music. One of my favorites to cook to on weeknights is the "Martini - cheers!" mix. I usually play this while I'm cooking, waiting for Adam and Bug to get home. Sipping wine and munching on a couple slices of Idiazábal is usually involved. Here is a sampling of my "Martini - cheers!" mix**:

• "Pick Up the Pieces" - Average White Band
• "Got to Be Real" - Cheryl Lynn
• "Hiphip Chinchin" - Club des Belugas
• "Ain't That a Kick in the Head" - Dean Martin
• "The Best is Yet to Come" - Frank Sinatra
• "We Are in Love" - Harry Connick Jr. (Don't laugh!)
• "30 Something" - Jay-Z (thanks, Amy!)
• "Golden" - Jill Scott
• "Mucci's Jag MK. II" - Joey Altruda
• "Une journée fade" - Kohndo
• "It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over" - Lenny Kravitz
• "Chilly Winds Don't Blow" - Nina Simone
• "Sea Lion Woman" - Nina Simone (Feist ain't got nuthin' on Nina!)
• "Anna (El Negro Zumbon)" - Pink Martini
• "Let's Never Stop Falling in Love" - Pink Martini
• "Austin Powers (Soul Bossa Nova)" - Starlight Orchestra
• "Caramel" - Suzanne Vega
• "The World Keeps on Spinning" - The Brand New Heavies
• "Beyond the Sea" - Robbie Williams (is it wrong to prefer this version over Bobby Darin?)
• "Jump in the Line" - Harry Belafonte

Eat, drink, and don't forget the music!

* I linked to the "soundtrack" for Twilight but, if you click on each of the books on the left side of screen, you'll see that Meyer made a soundtrack for each book.

** All of these songs should be available through iTunes - I checked before posting them.