I don't know how it gets better than this

I've recently become obsessed with Taylor Swift.  Or maybe I've just become more willing to admit how obsessed I am. It's a little ridiculous actually. I know I'm kind of late on this one, but I just can't get over how good she is.  Tonight before I headed home I ended up just driving around town in circles (literally) listening to her over and over and over. 

It all really started in summer 2008, when 20 out of 25 acts at the camp talent show each session were little girls singing "Our Song."  Lots of too-cool-for-school counselors pretended to be annoyed but duh, we all loved it. And then...2009 was the exact same. Except "Love Story" was thrown into the mix.  I think in 2009 I've learned to just be more open with my obsession.  I don't even care anymore.  She's amazing.  

For better or worse, being a music snob is kind of in my nature...so for a while I kind of convinced myself there was something wrong with listening to Taylor when there were plenty of people/ bands to listen to that were more talented/cooler/whatever. But you know what? There's pretty much always someone who's more talented or more interesting or innovative.  That doesn't change the fact that Taylor is absolutely fantastic.  The fact that she's not a prodigy almost makes me like her more.

I bought Isabel "Fearless" for Christmas after we'd been stuck in ridiculous Dec. 23 mall traffic blaring my copy and singing (or screaming, whatev) all the words. I went to 4 stores before finally getting a satisfactory copy at Best Buy (what do you know, they actually did have the best deal). I walked up to the teeny country music section and there were 3 burly, big, biker-type guys standing around.  I saw that there was ONE copy remaining, snagged it and kept walking, wanting to get in line because the store was insanely crowded.  It seriously felt like the whole state had evacuated their homes and decided to take refuge in Best Buy.  Anyway, as I picked up the CD and walked away, one of the men said, "Hey! What do you think you're doing? We were here first!" Obviously I was surprised and just kind of gave him a blank look... He continued with "We've been standing here for 10 minutes looking for that!! It's OURS."  I was starting to get nervous, but I wasn't about to give this up. I know the true spirit of Christmas should have compelled me toward generosity, but it was raining, and during the hours of the day where I WASN'T stuck in traffic, I was in the mall, surrounded by popped-collar Polo knockoffs worn by those mall boys who smell like they bathed in cologne.  In other words, it took a lot to get me there. I'd come far.  I wasn't about to give this up.  I turned to him and said (timidly, duh), "I'm really sorry, but this is for my little sister.  She loves Taylor Swift.  I know you can get the CD at Wal-Mart or Barnes & Noble...I'm sorry."  The guy was glaring at me and I was getting flustered. I'm definitely one of the least confrontational people ever, and no one would make the mistake of calling me "intimidating." Duh. Especially to guys like these.  Thankfully the man saw that I was getting nervous and suddenly...erupted in laughter.  I was so confused for a minute, then I realized he'd been joking all along.  "It's all yours," he said.  "Did you really think we wanted a Taylor Swift CD?" 

Truthfully? well yeah... She's just that universally appealing that it didn't seem that odd for Harley Davidson hulks to want her album. 

At first I kind of thought I only really liked Taylor's songs because they remind me of camp and great summer memories, but no. Definitely not.  She's just awesome, plain and simple.  And sweet and likable and sings about what seriously every girl thinks, whether we want to admit it or not.  "Fearless" is a fantastic album (but I think "Our Song" off her debut will probably always be my favorite.)   I had a lengthy discussion about her the other night with one of my friends, and it was so much fun to finally just be completely honest about how much T-Swift amazes me.  We were laughing about how my friend bawled the first time she listened to "Breathe" and how "Hey Stephen," in all its wonderful cheesiness, makes me absolutely giddy.  Taylor is a winner for sure.