I always love freckles, on absolutely anyone.
I am in English class on a Macbook. Nothing interesting has happened today, not yet, but I think that I should go downtown today to distribute my project. After all, it is due tomorrow.
Here is a list of things I must do, in no particular order. I enjoy making lists. It calms me down.
Before Prom..
1. Buy Post Prom tickets
2. Buy The Things They Carried
3. Start my lit crit on above book
4. Go running today
5. Distribute my project
6. Order cap and gown (way, waaaay late)
7. Try hard not to shave or touch eyebrows
8. Wash face obsessively
9. Get shoes for Prom
10. Get jacket or SOMETHING for Prom
11. Try to figure out what to do with hair for Prom
Saturday…
1. Go running in the morning
2. Shave
3. Wash feet well
4. Do something with nails
5. Do hair
6. Pick up flowers
7. Charge camera batteries and such
Ahh. That list didn’t cover everything. I’m still going to be stressed.
Filed under: Uncategorized
I found a prom dress. My mama bought it for me. I luff it.
Filed under: Barrels of Fun, Music, My Experience with Existence, School | Tags: Bright Eyes, Cherry Alley Café, from my window to yours, Lewisburg, Lewisburg Arts Festival, zine
I have finally completed my senior project. And I’m so proud. So, so proud. Now this week, I have to distribute it around. Since our printer is a piece of shit, I wasted lots of paper trying to print the cover, which takes up a looot of ink. So I used up the better part of a cartridge yesterday.
If you live near me and you want a copy, I’d advise visiting some places downtown next week–Cherry Alley, maybe Zelda’s, perhaps Page After Page. That’s where I plan to put them. They’re completely free, by the by.
If you don’t live near me and you want a copy, I’ll be putting them in a PDF file online sometime soon, so you can save paper by reading it online, print a copy for yourself, print copies for your friends, et cetera. Distribute. I don’t care, as long as you don’t plagiarize. I would be very, very angry if you plagiarized.
By the by, I have named it “From My Window To Yours.” I bet you can guess where it’s from.
The best part is that I plan on continuing this. Creating more volumes. Making it better.
Anyway. Yesterday was also the Arts Festival. Sara said that she was upset about missing it this year. This got me excited about going, because it must be good if Sara says it is.
Understatement.
It was the best day of my life.
So for starters, Market Street was blocked off so that tents could be set up in the street. I got there at one, which was my volunteer time, but I regret not getting there earlier. It took me ten minutes to find the Art for Africa booth, but they didn’t need me to volunteer, anyway.
This allowed me to walk around. I found Jess at the Campus and I found Kate coming out of Cherry Alley. I found Phelan and Coleton later.
I felt bad for Phelan and Coleton because I had promised the day to Phelan first. Or at least, I had offered to see him. I guess that’s not offering the day to him, but he lives in Palmyra and I rarely see him. And after that, I had offered the day to Katie, but I only ran into her a few times, which I feel awful about. I also made sort-of plans with Ali, but they did not happen. I spent most of the time with Kate and Jess, which often excluded Phelan and Coleton. But we had a good time.
I met people I normally lurk; thus, I do not have to lurk anymore. For example, Angela, whose MySpace I constantly encounter. I noted that while she is pretty in her photographs, the images don’t do her justice. By that, I mean that she is gorgeous in person, far more so than any photograph could portray. And actually, somehow, she reminded me a lot of Erika. It might have been her fairly long, painted nails or her style, but I think it was mainly her thin hands, wrapped securely around a phone, and her small feet, covered in flats. Weird things to notice. Truth be told, Erika’s facial expressions cannot be matched. But I did find the girls similar. Thus, I found a strange comfort and familiarity in Angela that probably made me seem very forward.
My favourite part of the day was not the pierogies. It was not socializing. It was not making eyes at my favourite Cherry Alley employee (more like looking at, haha). It was the weather. Fucking gorgeous! Shorts-outside material. No jacket. Sunny, hot, and amazing. No cloud cover. It was the kind of day that just made me happy. Thus, all that additional art made me overjoyed. It was too good. And I wasn’t wasting it, either. I felt like hugging everyone. I felt like I was at the top of my game. And for the few hours that I was there, I felt like hugging absolutely everyone.
Afterwards, I went running with my iPod and my handy dandy Running Mix. And I felt glorious.
The rest of the night was wasted on printing my senior project, but at 1 am, I got a text from Brent to get online. I was half-asleep, so I got on and we had a good conversation. After that, I had a hard time going to sleep again.
And then this morning, I went running farther than I went yesterday. I also lifted weights. So I feel awesome.
But this is all in preparation for the tedious journey of searching for a prom dress.
Take It Easy (Love Nothing) | Bright Eyes
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Bright Eyes’ Website
Bright Eyes’ MySpace
Saddle Creek Website
On the plus side (still), I am able to listen to Bright Eyes avidly again. “Lua” is climbing its way back into my heart.
Filed under: Barrels of Fun, Music, My Experience with Existence, School | Tags: Across the Universe, Andrew Bird, Art, Darfur, Final Fantasy, friendship bracelets, Jenny Lewis, Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins, Jim Sturgess, Joe Anderson, Lewisburg, Lewisburg Arts Festival, Locks of Love, Miranda July, Ragnarok, Stars
So. I’m completely grounded.
This is exceptionally rare for me. Even when I am semi-grounded, I normally have some freedom to roam about the neighbourhood, but this time, I am confined to home, which basically means that I need to take up Colonial girl hobbies.
One of my semi-Colonial hobbies is writing pieces for my senior project, that zine I mentioned a while ago. It’s coming along. Actually, that’s the reason I am grounded–my senior project is not finished yet. But I’m about halfway there, if you exclude distribution and the final paper. I’m trying to go out of my way to make it nice and different from your typical zine. I’m veering away from words and photos that look clipped out of magazines, though I did find this HILARIOUS photograph of a bunch of baby hawks in a 1974 issue of National Geographic that I must use. They’re Coopers hawks.
I guess the cover is giving me the most trouble. I want to draw something, but I need a title first. I don’t want to rely too heavily on music, either, because then people will get it right away. That’s one problem with a lot of my artwork, actually–I make art inspired by the music I listen to, so when other people look at it, it lacks the sentimental value that it has for me. I want a title that will test my potential readers and draw them in. Then again, I guess if I dig deep enough in my music library, I can find some obscure line that will lure in the lovers and the uninformed. I kind of want to go French on them.
Speaking of art, if you live anywhere near Lewisburg, even remotely, you ought to come to the Lewisburg Arts Festival. I recommend coming on Friday or Saturday, I think, because that’s when the high school is selling artwork, I think, and I’ll be selling a bag or two that I am making in hyperspeed this week. In keeping with my Colonial hobbies, I’ve also been making friendship bracelets for the festival; in fact, kids all over Lewisburg have been working hard at bracelet making. The bracelets will be fifty cents each and profits will go to help people in Darfur. It may seem like very little money, but even fifty cents can buy food for a few days. Allegedly. I mean, it’ll help, it’ll help. Also, after finishing two bracelets, let me tell you, they’re no easy feat. It takes hours of concentration–even a medium-sized (widthwise) bracelet takes about 500 knots, give or take a few. Not that I counted, but there are ways to figure it out using a calculator.
Oh, but as for the bag sales, you’re probably wondering why I’m selling those. After all, they’re one-of-a-kind, handmade, they take forever to design and create, and they hold tons of sentimental value. Well, here’s the thing. I only really need one bag for myself. Selling these bags will help the situation in Darfur. Currently, I am debating donating 10% or 100% of the profits, because I want to help, but seriously, girl needs to save for college. That’s selfish, I know, but I hate asking my parents for money constantly, just like I hate asking them for rides so I walk where I can. 10% would be decent, but 100% would kick some ass. I guess it depends on how much I sell the bags for. Another part of my internal debate is that if I donate the full profits of these ones, it would be like…you know, some limited edition thing available to the public that you can pay for. And that would be AWESOME. But what if I start selling them more frequently if and when I buy a sewing machine of my own?
If you’re going to the festival (which I advise), I’m making one bag inspired by Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins and one bag inspired by some other artist–I’m considering Stars, Andrew Bird, or Final Fantasy. I don’t know yet, though. I almost feel like people won’t buy if I make bags themed around the music, but at the same time, that’s sort of my “thing.” Whatever.
In other reports, today, I was writing notes in English, hunched over my desk, and I realized that my hair was resting on my arm. This is not a huge deal for most people, but I’ve gone for the past two years with chin-length hair. And now, when I am sitting straight, it skims the clip part of my bra, on my back. It serves several purposes. One, I am more able to emulate Jenny Lewis than ever before, because I am certain that this is the longest my hair has ever been. Two, it is heavy, dark, and appreciated. Whenever I had my hair long before, I hated it. I couldn’t do anything with it. But I think having bangs helps. Three, I’m well on my way to donating it to Locks of Love.
My paternal grandmother always brags about how she has two granddaughters (out of many) and one daughter (out of four) who have donated their hair. She sneaks up behind teenage girls at church who have their hair hanging down to their waists and taunts them–“That would make a beautiful wig for some child who needs it.” She’s hardcore, but her campaigning has made me strongly consider it. I just need to wait and keep it healthy in the meantime.
In honour of spending this past weekend with people I have missed and having a comfortable time, I have some mp3s. For the record, I have never been able to bring myself to sing comfortably in front of anyone else–too much pressure, too much criticism. But I was so at ease.
This one was my favourite one to sing, and apparently the only song Phelan enjoyed from Across the Universe. And it reminds me of that TV show, The Wonder Years.
With A Little Help From My Friends | Joe Anderson and Jim Sturgess
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“Silver Lining” summons memories of moving here, wanting to play Ragnarok all day, feeling sexy without the aid of makeup or a hair straightener for the first time in my life, getting along with Rachael again, missing Richmond perpetually, and spending all day outside but retaining my pale skin because of the religious application of sunscreen. SPF 50 or so. I felt so helpless sometimes, but I was free. Gold. New.
Silver Lining | Rilo Kiley
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Rilo Kiley’s MySpace
Filed under: Barrels of Fun, Film, Music, My Experience with Existence, Nouvelle Musique, School | Tags: Charlotte Gainsbourg, Cherry Alley Café, Culture, French, Garden State, indie, Iron & Wine, Juno, New York City, Paris je t'aime, Pennsylvania, Sam Beam, The Arcade Fire, The Moldy Peaches, Washington DC, Young Frankenstein
Got sick yesterday, recovered by laying around after school and watching Paris, Je t’aime. Incroyable. Indescribable. I went into French class this morning all ready to use my nasal “r” sound, and then I remembered that it is just high school French and even my teacher does not have it in him. And we are American. Pennsylvanian at that. We are allowed to use these German accents to speak German, but we cannot risk the embarrassment of sounding really, truly French. How patriotic would that be, in conservative central Pennsylvania, where the French are pansy fags? Mais j’aime le culture de France. Even if no one else does. Just like I love Rilo Kiley in all of its indie rock, folk-tinged glory, even if no one else does because it is too “country.”
This segment reminded me a ton of Garden State.
The overall feeling of the film was nostalgia. Little stories about love. I laughed, I cried, I thought about my own love, my own life. Each part was delicate. Just five minutes long. But each had something in it for me. It was like peeking into all of these different lives and just seeing that they’re all somehow alike, despite socioeconomic status, despite gender or marital status or exact situation. Precise location. And it’s because of love. It made me sad that I mostly had to read subtitles because my savvy for listening comprehension does not extend far beyond the tapes in French class or my teacher and peers, aided with textual references and G-rated vocabulary. But it makes me that much more motivated to start listening to RFI every day and to download more good French artists. Maybe not more squeaky clean Lorie. I know that there must be French indie. I just don’t know where to find something cent pour cent French. Because a lot of it (like the Arcade Fire or Charlotte Gainsbourg) is interspersed with English.
Anyway, tomorrow, I am going to New York City for the first time to see Young Frankenstein. Although I am excited, I am also extremely nervous and intimidated and I really can’t see myself going there. It’s a cruel city, but I imagine it is also beautiful. But how do you not look like a tourist when you are enchanted? I guess it’s not such a bad thing being a tourist; loads of people are tourists in New York City. But I see it as bad. I mean, I get so acquainted with the bands I listen to so that I am not a n00b. So wouldn’t it make sense to do the same with cities I want to visit?
I am less nervous for going to DC on Friday with art. I have been to DC a million times. We talk about DC every day in AP Gov. It’s just going to be another trip there. I am comfortable with DC. I mean, it’s halfway home.
I went downtown with Brent to Cherry Alley Café today. Got a hot chocolate. And while we were sitting around talking, the oh-so-cute “Anyone Else But You” came on the stereo system. By now, you should know it by heart. By the Moldy Peaches. I mentioned that it is a shame: Everyone is now calling dibbs on all these grand indie bands like they own them, “I heard them first,” hoarding them, sticking them in their Facebook profiles. Because they have one popular song that the masses like. And it’s so fucking cute. And it’s about ugly people loving each other. How cute is that?
But before their exposure from Juno, no one had heard of the Moldy Peaches. Nothing wrong with Juno. I, for one, loved the film. I could relate to the protagonist. A sarcastic high schooler who keeps getting caught in romantic waters way over her head, kind of quirky or “off,” in love with her best male friend and unwilling to admit it for a long time. Very into music. Quite the fan of hoodies. Guys at school are not interested, for the most part. Then you could go into superficial things. Drives mom’s minivan. Lives in a small town. Then you could get more superficial. Short compared to everyone else. Brown hair. Whatever.
But the masses fell in love with Juno because she is not your typical teen protagonist. That’s just it–she is different. She fits into the indie subculture. That stereotype. And so all of these uneducated, normal teenagers go to the movies and they see Juno, and they see a part of themselves in her. Just like whenever I go to the movies and walk out thinking that maybe a small part of me looks just like Keira Knightley because she is gorgeous and spunky. But I look nothing like Keira Knightley. Many of these kids are nothing like Juno.
So they jump on the bandwagon late, try to become weird by trying to fit in with people like you and me. The really, truly, incurably weird ones. The ones who are in love with music and don’t give a shit about looking like a character. And am I looking for street cred? No. No, because I have always been like this. Introverted, introspective, and “off.” And no movie is ever going to make me look like a character. I will always, always be like this. It is a natural progression from who I was as a sophomore/junior. Music took over my life. My priority is not to look as credible as I can. I have other things to worry about. I love French, I love several bands wholeheartedly, and I love to write.
But here’s where it gets weird. Here’s where my story disappoints. The kids who will change in light of Juno and other movies promoting the indie stereotype, they do not see my peers and I as any cooler for being this way naturally. They will not try to befriend us and talk to us about how awesome our hobbies and plain clothes are. How they always secretly wished they were like this, wasting life, and how free it feels to look natural. Normal. Because I am pretty average-looking. They will just try to change their friends to be like them. So that our little underground thing goes public and then we just look like everyone else again. And the only way to tell us apart? Talk to us. Their personalities won’t change. They probably still won’t have interesting things to say. Oh, and they still won’t be able to spell.
I think that hanging out with Brent brings out the cynic in me. He is, after all, the one who pointed this out, that Juno really stereotyped the indie subculture and that kids just find it intriguing.
Well, music. I guess we can give them those popular songs. Make them feel like they can get something genuine out of life because that’s the only genuine thing they’ll ever get out of life. And for those of you who will continue to stick with the subculture when the hype’s all over? Good for you. Because Juno really is a great movie, and if you stuck it out after you fell in love with it, then more power to you.
For some time, I’ve been lovin’ on Sam Beam. You know, Iron & Wine. I downloaded this song as per my cousin’s request and shoved it aside for a while, but I recently unearthed it and fell in love. It’s like a long evening of driving towards the sunset. I love the handclaps. While Sam Beam’s eyebrows may only get one star (he has some, does he not?!), the song gets all five.
Boy With A Coin | Iron & Wine
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Iron & Wine’s Website
Iron & Wine’s MySpace
P.S. I love that my blog has the 26th most popular song on the Hype Machine today, but I also hate it because it was such a fuck-up. Give me a spot for something I actually deserve, goddamnit. Whatever, though. Again, Charlatantric deserves your hits. Go to his blog and discover truly underrated music.
Filed under: Barrels of Fun, Music, My Experience with Existence, Nouvelle Musique | Tags: Andy Greenwald, Charlatantric, Death Cab, Death Cab for Cutie, Jenny Lewis, Narrow Stairs, Rilo Kiley, Velveteen
Every time I have gotten on the damn computer this weekend, I have gained an immense, head-swirling headache. What the hell?
Most exciting news of the today: Jenny Lewis is working on a new solo album. So we get more greatness! We get something that is hopefully better than Under the Blacklight to make up for the disappointment that was Rilo Kiley’s latest album! Yay!
Next most exciting news: Death Cab’s new album, Narrow Stairs, has leaked. My verdict? I don’t like it. I sort of hope that it’s going to be a grower, but here’s my main problem: Ben Gibbard’s voice has changed. It feels weaker, less enthusiastic, shallower, deeper, and vaguely Beatles-inspired. You know, almost nasal. Maybe Death Cab is becoming canned and processed. Or maybe they are being given the opportunity to become uncanned and deprocessed. I don’t know. The only song that really interests me is “Cath…” because it reminds me of the book Miss Misery by Andy Greenwald. One of the main characters is named Cath, Cath Kennedy. She is an internet tempress, a blogger. Yeah. I could enjoy these songs if I wasn’t tripping on a headache and if Ben Gibbard’s voice was the same. I’m a cunt for not enjoying something I stole, I know, I know.*
*A handy reader just tipped me off that it was a hoax. And it is, indeed, a hoax! Actually, it was Charlatantric‘s April Fools prank. Crazy shit. I knew something was fishy. Anyway, the real band that performs these songs is a German band called Velveteen. They have a striking vocal resemblance to Death Cab. The track that was inaccurately named “Cath…” is actually called “The Getaway.” Regardless, I will leave the track up because it’s still a good song. Charlatantric is a sneaky bastard, haha. The one time I go onto his website to check how things are going, he’s got a prank posted…and I fall for it. However miffed I am at being hoodwinked, I am impressed. His motive was exposure (not to dupe music thieves), and it ended up being a widespread scandal. April Fool’s prank.
The Getaway | Velveteen
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Velveteen’s MySpace
In light of Death Cab’s change (see above*), I find myself becoming more and more attached to the Postal Service. At this point, they just seem more pure and unchangeable. Always delightful. So here’s one of my favourite Postal Service works…actually, it’s a popular Flaming Lips song remixed by the Postal Service. Still fucking amazing. They just put a happy twist on the song.
Do You Realize? (Postal Service Remix) | The Flaming Lips
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The Flaming Lips’ Website
The Flaming Lips’ MySpace
The Postal Service’s Website
The Postal Service’s MySpace
Oh. Ah, I don’t know if I have mentioned this yet, but I got tickets to see Rilo Kiley on June 8th at Toad’s Place Richmond. I probably did mention this, actually, because I almost pissed my pants when a sly reader tipped me off that they were going there. I bought the tickets that day. Now, it would be grand to see my favourite band live, you know, by myself even with a bunch of strangers. But most of my indie-listening biffs are going with me. I am stunned and stoked. Just having the knowledge that I will see Rilo Kiley motivates me. It keeps me moving. It helped me run my 10:34 mile (you’re absolutely welcome to laugh–I would prefer laughing over scolding). It helped me do other…phenomenal things…I can’t really think of anything else it helped me do, except maybe wake up on time.
Also, you may be wondering why I have not been extracting emotions from everyday life and dissecting them in my blog. It’s because of my senior project. I’m reserving all of my emotions for that.
Filed under: Music, Nouvelle Musique, School | Tags: French, Laure Pester, Lorie
I don’t know how many of you readers are francophiles, but if you are, then I have something très super to show you.
A few months ago in French, my teacher announced that we would be doing a musical project in light of Valentine’s Day. He handed out a webquest and a packet of lyrics and assigned us each a song to translate.
I did the webquest on the day it was due. It was on this French singer named Laure Pester, and I thought it was funny that he was asking us to learn her life story. Allegedly a former figure skater. Née le 2 mai, 1982. Dating some pop singer. So when we got to class, some kids translated some of her songs aloud and we watched maybe two music videos. And I thought it was extremely lame that we were learning about a pop singer and then listening to her songs. Plus, she was squeaky clean. I would rather learn about Yelle or Julia Shammas Holter.
Well, that was all before I heard “Sur Un Air Latino.” It’s such a catchy song, holy shit. The lyrics rhyme and would probably be very cliché to any French person who is not a ten-year-old girl, but I am not française, so it makes me want to sing along. And I would want to dance, but I cannot dance like Lorie.
Another highlight of our Lorie learning experience was “Ensorcelée.” That was actually the song I had to translate. “Bewitched.” I thought the lyrics were so stupid, and then I looked at the video and it was so cheesy–I mean, you had native creeps with bulging eyes who all had to be notably less attractive than the blonde, graceful Lorie. But the song was just as catchy as “Sur Un Air Latino” was, if not a bit more serious. Instrumentation’s not even bad for pop music.
And then my teacher let us watch some of Lorie’s songs in concert. So he showed us this cute Medley and then he let us watch this song called “Parti Pour Zouker,” warning us that it was designed like “Sur Un Air Latino.” I hated her hair in the clip, but this song was arguably the most catchy. It stuck in my head all day every time I heard it (which was often).
So in honour of Lorie’s catchiness, here’s a rather low-quality version of “Parti Pour Zouker.” You’ll get the idea, though. It’s a good song. I would never put it on a mixtape, never give it to a boy, but I get a kick out of it for myself.
Parti Pour Zouker | Lorie
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Lorie’s MySpace
Lorie, though, has changed her image a bit since the tracks on her Greatest Hits album. She’s a little more sexual, a little less American (in several of her early videos, you see subtle allusions to America, such as red, white, and blue outfits, flags on her tee shirts, and American English sayings on her clothes). She has tapped into her inner Frenchwoman, which should not have been hard, considering that she is French.
I enjoy “PLAY” because it sounds less pop than some of her other songs. I have not attempted to translate it, but it makes up for what “Je Vais Vite” lacks (uniform instrumentation–the lack thereof makes it feel very late-70s/early-80s). It’s sexy and modern, and you could certainly dance to it. The video demonstrates this quite well. Lorie is like a blonde Posh Spice now–she’s all grown up. She still manages to look young, though, which is something Posh Spice could never pull off–maybe because of her dark features.
PLAY | Lorie
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Anyway, why am I writing about Lorie? I am fairly anti-industry, pro-indie. But I enjoy her music regardless of the fact that it is pop because it is in French. Additionally, I think that people could do wonders remixing the better ones–such as the ones I’ve written about. But I can’t remix shit. There are some remixes on her MySpace, by the by, but I think other people could do better. You know, get more creative.
This song always makes me cry because it embodies the feeling of falling out of love, or at least feeling unloved and alone. Fear. Fuck, the song is a true story about abortion. Not all conservative “fetuses are people too/don’t abort” but it’s more about the emotional effects on kids. Like, teenager kids. Like, potential mama and papa kids. The live version is actually more successful at making me cry. What if I went to a Ben Folds concert? I would be the crazy chick crying. Rather coincidentally, Derek (who sent me the live version of this track) is at a Ben Folds concert tonight.
Brick (Ben Folds and WASO Live In Perth) | Ben Folds
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Ben Folds’ MySpace
Brick | Ben Folds Five
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Ben Folds Five’s Website
I would write more, but my body is wickedly restless and my mind is unbelievably exhausted.
Filed under: Barrels of Fun, Music, My Experience with Existence, Nouvelle Musique, School | Tags: Annie Clark, Ben Gibbard, Britt Daniel, Cooking With Rockstars, Facebook, Food, Honeyhoney, Jennifer Robbins, Jenny Lewis, Jenville, Mike Mogis, Revised, Rufus Wainwright, Sam Beam, School, The Matches, Vampire Weekend, veganism, Vegetarianism
The last time we went to the grocery store, my mother told me that I should lay off of pre-packaged and frozen special-made vegetarian and vegan foods because they are too expensive and I need to be more resourceful. After all, when I am in college, I will need to learn to cook. By the by, just typing about college makes me get butterflies in my stomach. I am so excited.
Anyway, I bitched and moaned about “OMGZ, Mom, I’m vegetarian! You can eat anything I can eat, but I can’t eat everything that you can eat! Make a Venn Diagram! UGHGHGhghghghhh!” I think that I was so irritated because of two reasons. One, my period was on its way. Two, I have wanted to cook for myself from scratch for a long time (because it would give me more of an opportunity to slip into going vegan), but I have always figured that my mother would be pissed about it. The fact that she was not even remotely pissed somehow set me off.
So I ate my boxed couscous and pondered on gathering recipes.
I am the sort of person who always needs a project. I rarely finish my projects, but what I get done is grand. So in order to aid my attempt at veganism/learning to cook, I decided that I must gather recipes. And in order to organize that, I should gather them in a cookbook of sorts. Since I love composition notebooks, I grabbed one from my drawer.
The question was then where I should gather them from. Well, a while back, I found this website featuring a Jenny Lewis interview–and at the bottom of the page, it had her recipe for vegan “chicken” and then Mike Mogis’ recipe for vegan gravy and this recipe for vegan Worcestershire sauce. Although I had bookmarked it, I lost all of my bookmarks once in a Firefox update sesh, but FORTUNATELY, I had preserved my bookmarks on my LiveJournal in anticipation for the move. And let me tell you, this modest site has changed so much.
The site is actually called Cooking With Rockstars, a…I want to say subsidiary…of Jenville. Cooking With Rockstars chronicles a bunch of interviews conducted by the lovely Jennifer Robbins with various stars in the musical mainstream. But I don’t want to say mainstream. I almost want to call it the indie mainstream. You know, the artists you know and love. Probably. I mean, considering you’re on this blog. Rufus Wainwright, Ben Gibbard, Sam Beam, Britt Daniel, Annie Clark. I mean, just to name a few. And the artists contribute recipes, and Ms. Robbins publishes them on her site. I actually think that she is Mrs. Robbins, because she has an official “Wedding Site.” And also, she is a charming interviewer.
Fortunately for vegans, there are many vegan recipes on there (mainly salads, but I should think that Jenny Lewis’ “chicken” should be grand), as well as several vegetarian recipes where you’d only need to alter one or two minor ingredients (like swap butter for vegan margarine). While there are a few non-vegetarian recipes on there, eh, I took eighteen edible ones away (and those were just some of the ones that were to my taste).
Anyway, I guess as I begin the transition and learn to cook, I shall chronicle my adventures. You know, what tastes good, where I got my recipes from. Yeah.
On a completely different note, I am the creepiest creepster with Facebook. Every time I see that someone has a new album, I’m all over it. Like, holy shit yes. I’d like to think that it is all about my obsession with aesthetically pleasing things. But maybe I am just a lurker.
Now. All weekend, I sat on my ass, collecting music to offer to you-all. My first noteworthy find is “Wake The Sun” by the Matches. It’s quite a catchy, cheerful tune, like 10/10, almost sure to start off a good day. It is necessary, kind of like coffee or OJ. In retrospect, I now realize that I heard it once in art class when someone plugged in his (probably his, maybe her) iPod to the art room speakers. Actually, that day, someone was playing spectacular music that I did not recognize. It was one of those rare days.
Wake The Sun | The Matches
[zshare] [mediafire]
[buy] [mp3 direct link]
The Matches’ MySpace
The Matches’ Website
The next song is a Vampire Weekend, equally impeccable and equally catchy. Automatic love right here. Plus, the lyrics are familiar in a good way. Maybe I’ve never been in a situation like that before personally, but it sounds like something that happens all the time.
Campus | Vampire Weekend
[zshare] [mediafire]
[buy] [mp3 direct link]
Vampire Weekend’s MySpace
Vampire Weekend’s Website
This last track is actually my mother’s finding. While she was at the Matt Nathanson concert with her friend, she texted me and told me that I would like the band that opened for him. Of course, the text was in like teeny bopper talk, with “u” for you and “r” for are. That’s not important. I looked up the opening act, since she omitted the name, and came up with the name Honeyhoney. There was also like Jason Reeves or something, but I figured she was talking about the band. I checked for them on the Hype Machine and failed. Then I iTunes’d them and came up with five tracks–apparently they have recently released an EP. I laughed at the clips I heard. They sucked. This is an example, though, of iTunes sucking at picking out 30-second clips. Gaddamn.
This morning, my mother slipped into my room and sat on my bed and started unwrapping this CD case. She gave me the CD and told me I would probably like them because they were an “off” band. I kind of cringed, but loaded it on my computer anyway. And then I gave them a second shot.
While I didn’t love the first two songs, the last three were slower and more my style, and they really allowed Suzanne Santo’s voice to shine. I basically loved the last three tracks. Thus, I am jealous of my mother.
My madre was sort of concerned about the parental advisory on the CD, and then she asked me if I ever buy CDs with that. I was thinking, “You should hear some of the music I listen to,” but instead, I just affirmed that I do, indeed. Well, I did not hear any explicit lyrics in the first three songs, so I was wondering why there was a warning (maybe because the first song is about a gun?). That is, until the third song came on. It’s raunchy and sexy, but mellow at the same time. Thus, I shall present you the reason for the parental advisory.
Thursday Night | Honeyhoney
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[buy] [mp3 direct link]
Honeyhoney’s MySpace
Honeyhoney’s Website
Also, while I’m at it, I might as well say that I love being a senior in Pennsylvania and getting to sleep in again tomorrow because underclassmen have to take the Terra Novas and PSSAs. LOVE IT.
*By the by, I have revised my host site so that mp3s show up on the Hype Machine. You now have a variety of options for downloading them. I really recommend MediaFire or the direct link because there is no waiting time, but if you’re more familiar with YouSendIt, just click on the title. Or if you’re more familiar with zShare, click on that link. Anyway, I am not sure how long I am going to keep this three-host thing up because it will get old fast. I guess I am just transitioning. Also, I am in debt to the Hype Machine help staff. They’re so nice and easy to work with. Plus, they responded to me right away. No guarantee that they will always do that, but I was impressed.
Filed under: Barrels of Fun, Music, My Experience with Existence, Nouvelle Musique | Tags: Animal Collective, Blonde Redhead, Matt Nathanson, Miranda July, Revised
I am unable to get in touch with Derek. This must be some higher being SMITING me.
Anyway, today has mostly consisted of music. Music, and eating, and driving my mother to Quizno’s. My madre is going to a concert tonight in New York. I know that’s funny. Now here’s the real kicker: I asked her who it was and she said that the guy she was going with described it as indie. Indie?! My mother doesn’t like indie! So I flipped and made further inquiries, excited that maybe she was going to see someone I liked. Matt Nathanson, though, sounds like a prissy name, and I was disappointed.
Because someone had described him as “indie,” I was interested. I hopped onto the Hype Machine and looked him up, uber eager to hear this newness. I was disappointed.
While he’s not bad, there’s nothing about his songs that I am particularly fond of. He has a voice made for the radio, the industry (which could be negative), but none of his songs are catchy enough. Lyrics are above average–though they rhyme, and he makes fun of James Blunt for bad rhyming–but eh. I’m not smitten. It’s probably because of substandard instrumentation, too much cymbal, and lack of creativity in writing the parts for the substandard instruments. The only thing I found notable in my search was a kind of teaser that hints at the Postal Service’s “Such Great Heights.” But You have to get to about 3:26-ish for the part, and it’s far from the best cover I have heard. When I listen to “Such Great Heights,” it is supposed to be modest and unassuming in…appearance, I guess…but heavy on the heart. Instruments are fine. But Matt tries to go fancy-ass on the vocals and most likely makes a constipated face while singing, and it’s too pretentious because he has no backing instruments. After the line from “Such Great Heights,” by the by, is the segment mocking James Blunt. No lie, it does guarantee at least an internal chuckle.
Bent (live with “Such Great Heights” Postal Service teaser) | Matt Nathanson
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[buy] [mp3 direct link]
Matt Nathanson’s MySpace
Matt Nathanson’s Website
Additionally, I have been listening to loads of Animal Collective aujourd’hui, and “Derek” remains my favourite. I bet some of you think that when I talk about person-Derek, I am actually talking about an imaginary friend who I have named Derek after that tasty song. You probably think that I made his MySpace, too. Stole photographs and shit. Yeah, but I didn’t. He’s real.
Lurking a while ago on YouTube, I stumbled across a Blonde Redhead video featuring my love, Miranda July. She poses in a green turtleneck, blue pants, and red-looking high heels. And she has a flower in her hair. It’s an intriguing video, and Miranda July looks stunning (might I add that you can almost always tell a beautiful person, a beautiful soul, by his or her hands?), and I love Kazu Makino’s voice. It is smooth and quirky, as well as versatile. In this particular song, she sounds like she is from a different era. In other songs, she can sound funky and modern. But it’s always the same voice.
Top Ranking | Blonde Redhead
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[buy] [mp3 direct link]
Blonde Redhead’s MySpace
Blonde Redhead’s Website
Notice, if you will, that I have a new link below the mp3s, “file named properly.” This is because while the original song link from the name is a direct link (I finally figured out how to do it), that gives you a messy title for the song with all these +es. Even though you can fix it, that’s a pain in the ass. So if you just take maybe an extra click to go to MediaFire and save that there file, it will give you the file with a proper name (if you do it like I do, Artist – Title). I just cleaned up my music library this weekend, retitling files and such, so I figured that maybe some of you other people with beautiful music libraries would appreciate it.
Filed under: Barrels of Fun, Music, My Experience with Existence, Nouvelle Musique, School
There’s this girl in a few of my classes. She is brilliant, and she has this shiny, blonde, sleek, hope-filled hair. It wants to be looked at. I do not think that she realizes it, but she never has a bad hair day. In fact, I doubt anyone ever realizes it, because quite frankly, I do not think that anyone really notices the way she looks. That is sad in itself. It’s a real shame. I doubt she puts any product in it, either. I think that she just lets it dry naturally, and voilà, there you have it! Beautiful hair. And I bet she uses a real simple shampoo. She might not even need conditioner. But nobody notices. Don’t get me wrong–it’s okay if you use conditioner. It’s okay if you need product. I sure as hell do, and my hair is never, ever parfait. But this girl’s hair is a real wonder. The first time I saw her wear it down, I thought, “Wow, I should tell her that her hair looks amazing today.” But I did not. She probably would have thought I was being sarcastic or creepy, anyway. I should have told her. I would say that is her best feature.
Well, I was talking with people in a group. The way I write about my life, you’d think that’s a rare occurrence. In fact, it is not. It happens nearly every day. This particular conversation, I could not contribute much to, so I listened. And I found out a little bit about this girl’s past. She dated someone. I did not know that she dated anyone and I did not gather that from classes, but the boy she dated immediately earned my respect, somehow.
You may think that I pity this girl. I do not. There is nothing to pity in her. She is intelligent, beautiful in a simple manner, and modest. I just find her intriguing because she is so guarded. I would like to get the opportunity to get to know her, because I just know there’s something there. Something different. You know that’s not going to happen, though. First of all, I am too shy to do anything like approach her and strike up a conversation. I would not know what to talk about. Second of all, I do not think she cares for me. I attempt to smile at her sometimes, and she stares back. I may just look away too soon. But I believe that she thinks that I am an entirely superficial, conceited being, maybe for something as simple as the looks I inherited from my parents. She may think that I attempt to cast myself as an intriguing, guarded, mysterious being, but that there may be nothing intriguing, or mysterious inside–nothing worth guarding. That, though, ties back to my shyness. She is not an intimidating girl, except by way of her brains.
Upon further listening, it was revealed that this girl had a crush on this one boy in our grade. When I say “had a crush on,” I mean that is what I would assume. The people talking, though, said that she was “in love with” this boy. I wonder if he knew, but all I could tell from the conversation was that it was unreciprocated. Unrequited. This boy is also in several of my classes. I can certainly see the attraction, but I find it unrealistic to even consider pursuing friendship, even for the most conventionally beautiful girls in our class. He is intelligent himself, rather elusive, and…I don’t want to say pretentious. He is not pretentious. But he may rub some people the wrong way and come off as pretentious. It is not actually pretentiousness, though. Whatever it is, it intimidates me.
Somehow, gaining the news that that girl was in love with that particular boy made me incredibly sad. Probably because of how unrealistic it was, or because it was the story of my life. I do not tend to do it all too often anymore, but I used to fall in love with idealistic personalities. I used to fall in love with people from a distance. These were always people that I could never, in a million years, actually get to know. And when they spoke to me, I would relish those conversations, though I would not have much to throw back. Nothing to demonstrate my wit or whatever. Nothing that they would remember. All I could do is smile and be dumb. And it was so stupid.
But I secretly knew how well we would get along, if only I was not so guarded. How we would have fucking picnics. That changed to home-made vegan picnics, eventually. How I would make him a mix CD and he would make one back, and it would make me blush, perhaps. Write letters to one another by hand, instead of communicating with technology. Be close, always. Be spontaneous. Cook things together, and pick flowers and be outside all the time in the spring and summer and fall, in the sunshine. Listen to music together in my car, me clinging to the hot steering wheel, and sing along with it at the top of our lungs, because it is our mutually favourite song. And my only alone time would be when I was running, and that was all that I demanded. Okay, that, and maybe trips to Bethlehem.
But then I moved, and all of that changed. I no longer romanticized…romance…in my head. I didn’t really care about the fucking picnics or mix CDs or any of that idealistic shit I cooked up in my head. Look at me. I am alone all the time and I communicate solely with technology. And I am sad. I would give all that fun shit up to live in Richmond again with monotony. Fuck you if you live near your boyfriend/girlfriend and take it for granted. But in my deep-down sadness, I am really happy.
Erika once wrote something about how our happiness is based off of our unhappiness, and I found that I identified with what she wrote. It really stuck in my head, au moins the basic point. But I find that when I am unhappy, that means that there is something to be fixed. I enjoy being busy, and working at improvements. So being unhappy is not so bad. It just means that my life needs fluffing up. If I am content, then I am not really content because I am not busy. My project is done. You know? It’s strange, I know.
I am scared for college next year because one thing will be fixed. I will be in Richmond again. I know that is not fixing everything. I know that I want to travel the globe, and that living in Richmond may be hindering my chances at that. But I want to go to VCU. By the way, I was accepted at VCU. I will be closer to Derek again, and I certainly won’t take that for granted. And I won’t take the city for granted, either, or my father, or my friends back in high school. But all that fixing, what happens when it is fixed? I have a theory that I am destructive, and that if nothing is broken, I will knock over that vase just to give myself something to do. I am afraid of just what precious sculpture I will knock over. Maybe I could join a gym, work out. Maybe that would prevent me from breaking anything.
Maybe I should change my major from French to English. Because what if I’m wrong? What if my accent is not good enough, what if it never comes?
Well, after going back to read Erika’s old writings (which are savory and full of meaning and amazing grammar), it makes Saddle Creek so tempting. And I miss being a sophomore. Naivety–I was not in love yet. And I just want to listen to Rilo Kiley and Bright Eyes and Azure Ray and soak there. Because that is what I thought love must be like. I love Rilo Kiley, but I feel that my appreciation wanes without anyone to share it with. It just becomes these songs by this band. No meaning, though, because there isn’t someone there where I can say, “I am going to pin this song to this life experience. What do you think?” We used to do that sort of thing. And Paige didn’t like Rilo Kiley then, but she did like Bright Eyes, indeed. And I loved them both because I could get to know the elusive “other Paige” from elementary school and all of her quirks, and I could also get to know the not-so-elusive “new girl” with Chucks. It was just fun. And now I lack that. I never laughed so hard as when I was in their company. Theirs, or Divya’s. Theirs, Divya’s, or Derek’s after we watched Happy Feet. I liked our extensive pop culture jokes. Now, I just download as much fucking music as I can, learn about the artists, and write. And think.
Here are some tracks that have aided me in writing this post.
Do You Realize? (Postal Service Remix) | The Flaming Lips
I love this song unconditionally. “Do you realize that you have the most beautiful face?” I think that should be said to everyone at some point in his or her life.
Blue Bird | The Rosebuds
It took a while for me to get in the right mood to enjoy this song, but tonight, I was mellow enough to do so. It is almost from another decade. Melancholy, like unrequited love.
I Never | Rilo Kiley
I went back to read Erika’s El Jay, and I caught a passage about listening to this song. I wish she wrote more often, but I suppose that is the beauty of her writing. She does not write often, but she writes beautifully.
INDIEchouette 