The Chemo Cocktail Soundtrack

I don’t know if you know it or not, but my book Shaken Not Stirred… a Chemo Cocktail (which is now available on Amazon and Kindle) actually has a soundtrack. It’s not exactly on iTunes or anything—yet. But stay tuned for the iMix, which will be my links of love, gratitude, acknowledgement, and thanks to all the artists who don’t even know it, but they pretty much sang me through cancer and chemo. That’s what I call taking a sad song and making it better, better, BETTER! So I hope you’ll check out the songs and artists that are on my chemo cocktail soundtrack as soon as it’s shaken up and yes, even stirred, on iTunes.

In the meantime, here is my chemo cocktail mix, with YouTube links to most of the songs. The “Cancer is a Bitch” Song and “Wind in My Hair” are by The Kicked-in Fence aka my Redheads, and are not up on YouTube—yet. But we are filming/recording this weekend at the book launch events at Book Bums and Art Design Consultants Fine Art Gallery, so they should be uploaded soon. And I will link to them here ASAP. (By the way, if you are reading this, then consider yourself invited to either of the book launch parties. RSVP’s would be groovy, so Mike can have enough Grog on tap at Book Bums and because there will be cocktails and light apps at the gallery in the sky.)

Part I Shaken Not Stirred

Chapter 1-Born http://youtu.be/yzNzFaKLbGs (Over the Rhine)

Chapter 2-When the Stars Go Bluehttp://youtu.be/Hyidx_U9k6E (Tim McGraw)

Chapter 3-Help Me Out Godhttp://youtu.be/fVAReynZPMA (Superchick)

Chapter 4-Too Sexy for My Shirthttp://youtu.be/vziUC1IT0wo (Right Said Fred)

Chapter 5-Brick House http://youtu.be/-5EmnQp3V48 (The Commodores)

Chapter 6-I Don’t Know Whyhttp://youtu.be/uH2bMTVT06I (Amy Grant)

Chapter 7-Mother and Child Reunionhttp://youtu.be/IiMdkY_5Gfw (Paul Simon)

Chapter 8-Save You http://youtu.be/ScfQDcFYUvQ (Simple Plan)

Chapter 9-For the Glory of It Allhttp://youtu.be/GvLl9rSHga0 (David Crowder Band)

Chapter 10-Man, I Feel Like a Womanhttp://youtu.be/ZJL4UGSbeFg (Shania Twain)

Chapter 11-Fix You http://youtu.be/JI-o25K6B-E (Coldplay)

Chapter 12-Be OK http://youtu.be/vpMI8Qu5fsc (Ingrid Michaelson)

Chapter 13-Drunkard’s Prayerhttp://youtu.be/nngJZiRvHwI (Over the Rhine)

Chapter 14-Honey, I’m Homehttp://youtu.be/5fnZmdd35Uk (Shania Twain)

Chapter 15-Waiting on the Sunhttp://youtu.be/M2uuwlPDuuQ (Sixpence None the Richer)

Chapter 16-Burn and Shine (The Elms)

Chapter 17-I Run For Lifehttp://youtu.be/LgiwrvEX8wY (Melissa Etheridge)

Chapter 18-Come Sail Awayhttp://youtu.be/e5MAg_yWsq8 (Styx)

Chapter 19-Better Days http://youtu.be/i-kHleNYIDc (Goo Goo Dolls)

Part II The Chemo Cocktail

Round 1-Every Day is a Winding Roadhttp://youtu.be/khrx-zrG460 (Sheryl Crow)

Round 2-O Where is My Hairbrush?http://youtu.be/LtHr7gluh08 (Larry the Cucumber;)

Round 3-You’re So Vainhttp://youtu.be/OHWrudgCc3Q (Carly Simon)

Round 4-Hit Me With Your Best Shothttp://youtu.be/0JRgHol94Xc (Pat Benatar)

Round 5-Beauty From Painhttp://youtu.be/WB4IYTILmLU (Superchick)

Round 6-Breathe http://youtu.be/ueFTz3owufQ (U2)

Round 7-Chemo Limohttp://youtu.be/mhcNQRXIY9U (Regina Spektor)

Round 8-One More Roundhttp://youtu.be/Gjt80iTmg5g (Barlow Girls)

Round 9-Sweet Dreamshttp://youtu.be/qeMFqkcPYcg (Eurythmics)

Round 10-12-Wind in My Hair (Kicked-in Fence)

Round 13-That’s Amore http://youtu.be/aS6-b7CONDI (Dean Martin)

Round 14-15 Backwards http://youtu.be/lHeL-6jMgNA (Rascal Flatts)

Round 16-17 I’m On A Rollhttp://youtu.be/ea5gv30SgwU (Over the Rhine)

Round 18-Lucky Starhttp://youtu.be/ThHz9wlBeLU (Madonna)

Round 19-Whip It http://youtu.be/j_QLzthSkfM (Devo)

Round 20-22 Hey Jude http://youtu.be/GEKgYKpEJ3o (The Beatles)

Round 23 This Is Country Musichttp://youtu.be/n_KxM4rU38Q (Brad Paisley)

Round 24 Cancer is a Bitch (The Chemo Cocktail Song) (Kicked-in Fence)

Part III Hangover

P.S. Beautiful Thingshttp://youtu.be/oyPBtExE4W0 (Gungor)

Cheers This is Not the Endhttp://youtu.be/5BRZRkfyXZM (Gungor)

I hope you’ll love the mix and support the artists. Credit is where credit’s due. So credit, kudos, thanks, x’s and o’s, and of course, cheers to all the cool peeps who made my chemo cocktail mix go round.

I’m No Rocket Scientist… but let’s try and launch this book

But first, how about an aperitif? Cheers and thanks to my fab friend Cara who blogged about a certain cartoon character on the cover of Shaken Not Stirred… a Chemo Cocktail calling me, and I quote, “Champagne Girl of the Week”! (Click here for the link.)

Cara’s currently shaking and stirring up quite a perfect storm on the interwebs via her blog, The Champagne Diet, and her upcoming book, The Champagne Diaries: Rules and Cocktail Recipes for Living an Effervescent Life. Go Cara! I feel pretty tipsy getting to be your champagne girl of the week! Now that’s a title I can put on a lampshade and dance to!

Speaking of lampshades, I probably won’t be wearing one at the book launch parties coming up next weekend. Mostly because I don’t want to mess up my hair. But anyway, here are the details:

On Friday, December 9, I’ll be at Book Bums from 7pm-9pm. I wrote quite a lot of my book sitting on my bum while sipping on Highlander Grog Coffee in this cutest little Cheers of a coffee shop in West Chester. Live music will be provided by The Kicked-in Fence (aka my Redheads). I’ll do a reading at 8pm and yes, the Redheads will perform the “Cancer is a Bitch” song. I’ll be happy to sign books and I’ll even share the Grog. Click here to view the Facebook event.

On Sunday, December 11, I’ll be doing a reading and book signing at Art Design Consultants, the “Gallery in the Sky” where we recently hosted The SCAR Project Cincy Exhibit. Live music will be provided by The Kicked-in Fence. I’ll do a reading at 8pm, my Redheads will sing the “Cancer is a Bitch” song, and we’ll have books available to sell and sign. Click here to view the Facebook event. The event is free but please click here to RSVP because there will cocktails and light apps served.

I hope you can make it to one, the other, or both if you feel like it, so we can clink coffee mugs or wine glasses together and launch this book proper. “To the moon, Alice!”

Bling and Pop

So I didn’t exactly get to that second bottle of champagne the other day, which on one hand is obviously sad because I had really exciting stuff to say, but on the other hand was probably good because I had to drive home from Toronto later that day. Besides the obvious—slurring really good news—drinking and driving is just so freaking stupid it’s ridiculous.

Instead of being stupid I like to drink this when I drive.

But I digress…onto the bling and pop.

So here was the bling I couldn’t wait to tell you about!

That bling you see amidst the yellow flowers is a rock on my baby girl’s ring finger! The first thing I should tell you is that I received this picture via a little birdie: TWITTER. Yes, my little redbird “tweeted” her engagement. To which I “replied” PHONE HOME—just as the phone rang. At which point she told me about her new ring (pictured above, which I plucked off Twitter).

Here’s the happy couple: Amanda Michele Freaking Evans and her fiancé, Gary Dwayne Freaking Benton.

We couldn’t be happier for our baby girl and the luckiest guy on earth. And here’s the happy cork to prove it!

POP!

(In case you’re wondering, no. This is not one of those I Spy Challenges. It’s the champagne cork in the middle with the smiley face, silly;)

Anyway, so to sum up: Gary popped the question. Then he put that bling on her finger. Then she tweeted. Then she phoned home. Then that happy cork you see in the middle of that picture went pop and there was much cheer!

Which by my count, brings me up to #165 on my 1000 gifts. How happy am I to be here to have seen this day in my baby girl’s life! Who would’ve thunk it three years ago? Wow, my cup is freaking overflowing…

So if you were worried things might get a little boring around here at the Evanshire, never fear! There are wedding bells in the air, and they are set to go off June 10th. The day after Amanda and Gary graduate from UC. Yep, that was no typo. I did in fact say they are getting married the day after they graduate.

Here’s how Amanda explained it to us: “College diplomas? Check. Ok, now it’s time to get on with the rest of my life! So here comes the [Amanda Michele freaking] bride!”

That’s my baby girl:)

And this is one happy mum.