Vom; Queso Dip; Fem-Brits OH MY!

Firstly, my birthday was Saturday. I'll just say that wearing your favorite outfit on your birthday makes sense. That outfit probably makes you feel good, makes you look good, and gets you in the right state of mind to have a good time. But sometimes you have too much of a good time, and end up vomming all over that perfect birthday outfit. Such is the case for one Cory Williams, who puked for the first time since he was nine (drinking related or otherwise) to celebrate his 19th birthday. Oopsies.

Now then, there are two things I'd really like to discuss today. The first is Mexican food, or rather the varying degrees of its authenticity. Now, I am Mexican. One-fourth to be exact. This is particularly obvious my looking at pictures of my father. Now I'm not saying I'm the most Mexican person coming from the most Mexican family, but I do care a lot about my heritage. We don't eat traditionally Mexican foods in my house all the time (though my mother, who is completely white, does make some good enchiladas), but when some family members who are a tad more Mexican than I come to Christmas Eve dinner, they do bring handmade tamales. So I do know a few things about what I'm talking about here.

Now then, my favorite places to get Mexican food are Fiesta Ranchera, a locally owned chain of restaurants ran by, you guessed it, real Mexicans, and Taco Bell. Hear me out. I have found there are three levels of authenticity to Mexican food. Authentic (served by people who have trouble getting your drink order), Shitty (Taco Bell and cafeteria), and Imposter (Qdoba and Chipotle).

Basically, when I want Mexican food I either want actual Mexican food, generally served by people who would understand what you wanted if you asked for mole on the side. This is good food, meant to satisfy a craving and deliver some great cultural flavor. If I'm drunk, I probably want Mexican food from the "Shitty" category. I want a taco, but I don't care if some fourteen year old blonde kid made it. Because I'm just hungry and want a lot of food, fast, and for as little money as possible. What the hell is a crunchwrap supreme? A traditional taco wrapped in a tortilla with cheese sauce. There's nothing authentic about it, but it's heaven wrapped in a thin grease soaked piece of paper.

What I never want is the authenticy level of Taco Bell for more money. Enter: Qdoba and Chipotle. Granted, these places should cost more money because the food is of a higher quality, but not of a more Mexican quality. I never want an okay quesadilla, I either want a great one, or one that cost about a dollar. I don't hate places like Qdoba, I just have no need of them.

The other thing that I wanted to run past you guys is the recent slew of British women invading my iTunes. In the past few months, three albums starring British women have come into my life, and really have started to become some of my most played tracks.

Duffy
This Welsh singer has both my mother and I dancing through our shifts at work. She has a great voice, and some fun sounding songs whose lyrics tell a story of love, and more often love-lost. Her voice is a little thin, but her style reminds of some motown stuff. My dad, who knows nothing of the singer, was listening to her one day and said that the song sounded like something Aretha Franklin would sing if she was still making music. I have no idea if she is still making music, but I'm sure glad Duffy is. The album? "Rockferry" The songs to download? "Mercy", "Delayed Devotion", and "Stepping Stone".

Adele

This English singer may not be the prettiest new face in town, but her sound is a horribly wonderful blend of smooth and thrill. She's more jazzy than Duffy, and her songs aren't as catchy, but I have to say that her syrupy thick voice makes her stand apart from the other women included in this blog. I first heard about Adele (and Duffy) through Vh1's YouOughtaKnow program, and was hooked after hearing her first single. Her first single is still gaining fame, which seems a bit odd because her debut album was released almost a whole seven months ago. The album? "19" The songs to download? "Chasing Pavements", "Best for Last", and "Right as Rain".

The Ting Tings
Okay, this is a group, not a woman. But it's only a two person group, one is a woman, and she is the lead singer. I have to admit, when I first heard this band I was NOT into it. At all. Duffy and Adele won me over immediately, but it took repeated listening to find what was so great about this duo. And what is so great? I'm not sure if its their inherent goofiness, their 80's flair, their killer videos, or what, but the music is slowly but surely infectious. I find myself constantly singing their songs throughout the day, not even knowing that I liked the songs that much. I also like them because they remind of The White Stipes, but with none of the weird questions about their relationship. I mean, I don't know if they're dating or what, but I know they're not related. Nor are they creepy in general. This group has also won the coveted spot of Cory's newest ringtone (after M.I.A. was knocked out becuase everybody and their mother has Paper Planes as their ringtones nowadays). The album? "We Started Nothing" The songs to download? "Shut Up and Let Me Go", "Great DJ" (My ringtone), and "That's Not My Name".

Which British female singer to stay away from? Leona Lewis. Seriously, I don't mind her stuff all that much (and Bleeding Love has a special place in my heart because of the dance choreographed to it for So You Think You Can Dance?), but I played her at a party last week and almost everyone in the vicinity of the boombox started complaining.

I'll leave you with the videos of these lovely ladies so you can have a sample yourself. These aren't my favorite songs from any of the artists, but I don't get to decide which singles they release.