After a breakup, more than a few days of wallowing in self-pity becomes not only pathetic, but also counterproductive to personal sanity. When I allow myself to lay in bed watching Elliott Smith videos long enough, I get seriously delusional. I start to think I would be better off leaving laughter in TV sitcoms and kindergarten classrooms where it belongs and surrendering to the gravitational pull of my broken heart's black hole of doom. My thoughts venture off into..."Elliott was right, sunshine is overrated...I need to move to a place like Portland where the weather is consistently as gloomy as my mood"

And that is why my favorite, and less delusional, option for curing for a heartbreak hangover is good ole fashion girl power. No, I am not talking about the Spice Girls or Alanis Morissette...I'm talking about Bettye Swann and Barbara Lynn. These two soulful ladies have landed themselves spots on just about every iPod playlist and mix CD I have made since March. My dad can tell me, "that dumb boy lost the best girl he'll ever find" and my friends can remind me that "he's just not worth my tears", but for some reason when Barbara and Bettye sing it out, I believe them. If Bettye's not cryin', neither am I. If Barbara's movin' on, I'm goin' right on with her.