Haha, I have no idea what the **** they are, it's a plant that will stick to anything. They were great fun when I was little.

We call them stickybacks here.

Happy New Year to everyone on Music Banter. I hope 2013 is a year of peace, comfort and a great deal of happiness for you all.

Thank you. You too, mate

About to get SMASHED

Haha, I'm not. I decided to be kind to my body after all the binging I did over the holidays.

Had an argument with a guitarist cousin of mine tonight at a New Years Eve party about whether or not hip hop was music. Obviously, I was arguing that it was. His argument was not only that hip hop wasn't music, anything made on a computer is not music.

We argued back and forth for a very long time, all of his arguments being stupid and hypocritical (obviously). I decided to show him a few hip hop songs that I thought would prove that it took talent to rap. I played him Aesop Rock's "Zero Dark Thirty." I asked him what he thought.

He said, "I think that me and Drew (his drummer friend) could write this same song in under five minutes."

I gave up.

I ended my year with birdemic and started it with my boyfriend sleep talking about how 2012 went. what a day!

Okay, so today I found out something really interesting to do with family history.

I knew my great-grandfather was Welsh, and my grandmother had mentioned that he was a boxer on several occasions, but never really made much of it. I just assumed she meant like, a brawler. Not a, you know, big-time boxer.

My mother has a resident at her nursing home who's a huge boxing fan. He also knew my grandfather. He was talking with her, and said something about my great-grandfather, Tommy Farr, being a great boxer.

My mom, again, mentioned it to me, and I was like, "Eh, let's google it and see if he has like, a little blip on a boxing website or something."

I was to be absolutely gobsmacked to find out how VERY legitimate he was. I watched his title bout (15 rounds to close points decision!) with Joe Louis, listened to one of his recordings (he apparently had a fairly successful music career in England or something) and was completely awed.

Not only was he a well-known boxer in his day, but he faced numerous other greats, and is something of a legend in Wales from what I've read.

They even made a musical about him!

That's crazy! So, do you feel more badass now? I would, with a great-grandfather like that, his blood running through my veins.

You should try punching somebody and seeing if they explode or not.