beautiful

For the last 14 hours or so (or at least those hours I’ve been awake — which, thanks to jet lag, are quite a few), I haven’t been able to stop playing Clem Snide‘s cover of “Beautiful,” the Christina Aguilera song. (It’s on the newly released A Beautiful EP. I also saw them play it live a few weeks ago.)
Such a great song. Musically well assembled. And that message of empowerment in the face of rejection (“I am beautiful / No matter what you say”) works so much better coming from a whiny indie kid than from a pop star. At this particular moment in time, I just can’t stop playing it. I guess it speaks to me in some way. Even the hopelessly arrogant can use a little empowerment once in a while, you know.
Anyway, I’m off to Louisiana in a few hours for Thanksgiving break. My grandma’s long national nightmare can finally come to an end. I expect Cajun food to compare favorably to Zambian. Full culinary report to come (along with many, many Zambia photos).