My Heart Did Time In Siberia

It's the night before Lent begins, and I'm still trying to figure out what I'm giving up. The obvious answer is procrastination, but let's face it, that ain't happening. This year I'd like to stay on God's good side and pick something slightly more attainable.

My first thought is unscripted TV. I'll admit it, those high-drama, reality-competition type shows are my guilty pleasure. "The Mole" was my first "hook" and my favorite... unfortunately, the network didn't agree. Then it was "Big Brother", "The Apprentice", and "The Amazing Race". Last summer, it was all about "RockStar:INXS". Most recently, I've been following "Dancing With Celebrities". (I was very happy to see Drew and Cheryl win the other night!) The truth is, I'm between reality shows. I can't give up something I'm not doing.

(Actually, I DID catch the last few minutes of the latest "Apprentice" last night. My money's on Dan. He brought up a really great point in the boardroom. Granted, I have no idea what it was about since I didn't actually watch the show... but he expressed himself quite well! At work today, I looked him up on the NBC website to see what his background was, and noticed that he listed U2 as his favorite band. That's it. He gets my vote!)

Mr. Trump said something to the Russian guy about getting sent to Siberia. Which obviously made me think of the song "Siberia" (of course!) and I thought, "Wow, I haven't heard that one in a while". Been listening to it all day. What a depressing, beautiful song. There is something about the way AJ sings the "yeah" at the end that reaches down my throat and yanks my lungs right out.

Oh hell, as long as I'm going off on a tangent anyway...

My Top Ten Heart-Wrenching Song Moments (in no particular order)

1. 'Oh Yeah', "Siberia", Backstreet Boys
2. 'Scream without raising your voice', "Running to Stand Still", U2
3. 'OoooooooohOoooooooohh running down!', "Remember When it Rained", Josh Groban
4. 'They still can't erase you', "Hand Me Down", Matchbox 20
5. 'All that's left of yesterdaaaaaaaaay', "Hello", Evanescence
6. 'Can you hear me when I sing?', "Sometimes You Can't Make it On Your Own", U2
7. 'You're caught on a one way street with the monsters in your head', "Crash and Burn, Savage Garden
8. 'Is there a time to be a beauty queen?', "Miss Sarajevo", U2
9. 'I don't want to make you face this world alone', "Incomplete", Backstreet Boys
10. 'My heart can't possibly break when it wasn't even whole to start with', "Because of You", Kelly Clarkston

Looking back over my list, I don't think my spine-tingling moments have anything to do with the lyrics.

Ahem. Getting back from the longest departure ever... I have officially decided to give up frivolous spending for Lent. No more argyle socks. No more DVD's I won't actually watch. No more pop tarts.

Whew. We'll see how this goes.