.all my favorite people.

the mister and i had a wonderful evening in boston last night.  we headed up a bit early for some coffee at deisel (in somerville), then hit up the buffallo exchange (yay new skirt for $6.50!  in my current favorite color: mustard), dinner at a delicious thai food place we happened across, then . . .

a lovely concert from over the rhine.  they've been making music for what . . . 20 years now?  soul music.  full of honesty, love, brokenness and southern hospitality.  the crowd was . . . a bit . . . adult contemporary (esp compared the the bright eyes show we saw two weeks ago), but it went along great with the mellow, jazzy vibe of the night.

favorite song on the record (currently spinning on vinyl in the record player):



this goes out to you . . . you know who you are.

ALL MY FAVORITE PEOPLE
(Linford Detweiler)

All my favorite people are broken
Believe me
My heart should know

Some prayers are better left unspoken

I just wanna hold you

And let the rest go

All my friends are part saint and part sinner
We lean on each other
Try to rise above

We’re not afraid to admit we’re all still beginners
We’re all late bloomers
When it comes to love

All my favorite people are broken
Believe me
My heart should know

Orphaned believers, skeptical dreamers
Step forward
You can stay right here
You don’t have to go

Is each wound you’ve received
Just a burdensome gift?
It gets so hard to lift
Yourself up off the ground

But the poet says, We must praise the
mutilated world
We’re all workin’ the graveyard shift
You might as well sing along

All my favorite people are broken
Believe me
My heart should know

(As for) your tender heart—
This world’s gonna rip it wide open
It ain’t gonna be pretty
But you’re not alone

‘Cause all my favorite people are broken
Believe me
My heart should know

Orphaned believers, skeptical dreamers
You’re welcome
Yeah, you’re safe right here
You don’t have to go

‘Cause all my favorite people are broken
Believe me
I should know

Some prayers are better left unspoken
I just wanna hold you
And let the rest go

.february.

just listening to the latest insound digital mixtape while cutting out paper bunnies. immonna sew these bunnies together to make a banner for our living room for tomorrow's year of the rabbit chinese new year potluck.

don't act like you aren't jealous.

.happy girl.

happily working away in my office, sipping a ricemilk hot chocolate and listening to william fitzsimmons, with the snow falling steadily outside.



i guess winter's not all that bad.

.tj loves: david bazan.

{tee available here}

i know most of my posts have been mini-commercials lately, but i've just been finding so many things that i love and the people i love are doing so many awesome things . . . i simply feel that i need to catagorize or store them or something . . . so i put them on this blog :)

the man-friend and i have a favorite singer/songwriter/musician and he's on tour soon! coming to cambridge in sept! and he has a new shirt out . . . with - STOP RIGHT THERE - a MUSTACHE on it!!

i might have just died and gone to heaven.

tj loves: the suburbs

photo i took while in the beach town of Watch Hill

ok, i don't really love the suburbs. i actually dislike them.

buuuuut i do have two stories about them (sort of).

#1: i went to the beach with some girlfriends on wednesday (and got the WORST sunburn of the year!) and while wandering around the little town of watch hill, RI, we found this awesome old book store with this awesome elderly lady working there. the whole experience was pretty sweet and they had some amazing first editions and old antique post cards (i bought some with mermaids on them) and i bought a first edition by bertrand russel called "satan in the suburbs" for the man-friend (i bought a real cute organic cotton skirt with dandelions screen printed on it for me!). the man-friend used to really like bertrand russel as a philosopher . . . i think he's moved on to other writers by now, but i knew he'd really appreciate this book and title.

{image credit: arcade fire.com}

#2: i just PREORDERED THE NEW ARCADE FIRE VINYL called "the suburbs"!! and the man-friend has bought us tickets to go see them AUG 1st!!

WOOO HOOOOO!!!!!

.30 day journal challenge day 9, 10, 11, and 12.

sorry i don't post these every day . . . some days are just too busy for me to get around to posting them! but don't worry! i am doing them.

i am also spending time with my new roommates, rollerskating, working in my garden, playing with my dog, and loving the summer weather (even though it' SO HOT, i can't complain cause it's usually FREEZING cold here . . . like 9 months a year . . . i'm cold).

so, here's the latest pages and their prompts:

Journal Prompt 9: Choose another person who is vert significant in your life right now. It can definitely be the same person that we wrote about on day 3, but I chose to do someone different. Anyway, this prompt is going to be all about those wonderful adjectives, and typography. Describe your special person with as many words as you can fit. For each word, try to use a different font or writing style. This is a great way to practice fun typography!

I created a picture of my man-friend based on a photo i took of him a few weeks ago. i used different fonts to create the different textures in the image (the beard, the plaid in the shirt, over the pocket and in the quote) . . . i really like how it turned out!

Journal Prompt 10: This prompt is all about collections. I am such a collector. I have too many collections but I love them all. I am definitely the type who moves on though to new collection depending on my mood and the seasons in my life. What do you collect? If anything. Do you collect buttons, clothes, shoes, friends, parking tickets, whatever!! Illustrate your collections. This will be fun to look back on someday and see how your collections have grown or have moved on :)

I didn't really have anything i collected in earnest, so i just walked around my house looking for themes in my life . . . so, i have a lot of: buttons (From various bands, events, etc), vinyl (obvi), feathers (mostly for crafting), sunglasses (can't say no to the perfect pair!), books (tons and tons!), coffee mugs (when i travel, i usually get one in the city that i go to), things with owls on them, vintage bathing suits (love those pointy cone bras in them! ha ha!), and vintage boots.

Journal Prompt 11: Hello friends. Today is another one of my favorite pages. And speaking of favorites, this is a page all about your faves!!

We are going to list your favorites in each of these four categories:

* TV shows: Glee, LOST, arrested development, the office and SNL (though i don't have TV so i have to watch reruns online or at a friend's house)

* Music david bazan (from pedro the lion), jenny lewis (and rilo kiley), great lake swimmers, over the rhine, red house painters (aka sun kill moon)

* Food local food, strawberries, curry, ice cream, lemonade

* Splurges vinyle, vintage, craft supplies, books at garage sales . . .

Journal Prompt 12: Journal 12 is all about trends. Whether you consider yourself "trendy" or not, I bet there are a few trends that you find yourself gravitating to. If not, you can create a page of trends that you think are lame too, it's up to you :)

for this one, i picked out all the ironic "hipster" trends that i follow . . . weather or not they are "good" (like my fabric grocery bags) or just plain silly (like leggings!) . . . i've made them painfully obvious. let's celebrate the ways that we are just like everyone else!!!

----------

in other news:
been eating well even though summer usually means less of an income for the man-friend and i . . . we've gotten our first two weeks of our CSA shares and that, plus great weather making our garden produce like crazy!, has kept our tummies full.

been taking some lovely summertime photos - like the construction on the interstate they've been doing . . . here's a mural that was on the overpass for I-95 . . . and the construction vehicles that are about to tear it down! ch-ch-ch-changes . . . it's sad to see a piece of art go . . . i wish they'd just let them stay and be free-standing walls . . . or incorporate them into the new architecture that goes up in the area . . .

.30 day journal challenge day 4.

Journal Prompt Number 4: What does your heart look like? It can be literal, it can be symbolic, it can be broken and need fixing...anything!




i'm really happy with the way this one turned out. the process i've been using for this challenge is to read the prompt in the morning, think about it all day and once an answer comes to me i'll sit down with the pen and paper and work it out.

for this one, the idea came while shopping for vinyl records with my roommate, miss A, i was sorting through some emmylou harris albums when i had the vision of a heart shaped record. this isn't what i ended up with, but it's what got the ball rolling. i thought of all the allusions that could be made from the fact that my heart was a record or a phonograph or a record player . . . scratches, skipping, needing to be heard, needing to be dusted and cared for, having a message to relay, a sad song, a happy song, spinning round and round, feeling outdated, feeling pre-loved and thrown away, feeling rehabilitated and renewed, crackling with life, oozing romance and kitsch at the same time. i added the lyrics to an over the rhine song called "born." it is a beautiful picture of a heart growing and learning and loving and being willing to try again. the story for this song came from the couple that fronts Over the Rhine (Karin and Linford) and their relationship when it hit a rocky spot. allegedly, they bought a case of wine and drank a bottle every night until the case was gone - not that alcohol is a way to solve your problems - but this helped them to open up, to laugh, to remember their love . . . and there you have it . . . the urban legend behind this lovely song, this amazing band and part of the inspiration for my journal page.



---------

now it's off to bed . . . just finished a late night of watching the celtics lose to the lakers. whoops.

.mixed media v2.

i've changed the mixed-media goodies on the sidebar, so i thought i'd give a little shout out to the different types of entertainment that i have been consuming lately.

on the turntable:
mindy smith. i recently read the in the providence phoenix that i missed her in concert LAST FRIDAY NIGHT! so sad. i love her. my best friend randomly introduced her to me years ago through a sampler cd she got at a local coffee shop in portland, oregon. since then, i've been in love with her simple americana sound and her big heart. her songs are great for a sunny drive in the country and her duet with dolly parton on "jolene" at the end of her album "one moment more" is amazing. growing up i always said that i hated "country music" . . . now i say i hate mainstream, pop country music. i LOVE folk revival, roots country, bluegrass and americana sounds . . . yummy.

on the screen:
the man-friend and i have recently decided to begin screening movies at our apartment every monday night. i'll stop by our local indie video rental place on my way home from work and we'll watch one of many films that are on our list. the man-friend and i will take turns choosing. this time it was my turn and i picked margot at the wedding - a difficult film about families, unconditional love, growing up and healing from the past. nicole kidman, jack black and jennifer jason leigh do an amazing job in this heartfelt, funny, sad, heartbreaking and at times a bit scary, indie film.

on the shelf:
i just finished reading jack kerouac's wild epic road-trip homage to hipsters and the beat generation"on the road." i'll just leave you with the most well-known and well-loved quote from the book:
"The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow candles..."

ain't that the truth.

what mixed-media have you been consuming latley?

.pdx friends.

if you aren't busy march 5th and you live within driving distance of Portland, Oregon, i strongly suggest with all of my delicately beating heart that you go see my good friend jacob white in his first show with mount saint elias.

you wont be disappointed.

.parson redheads.

.tj loves.

.domestic friday.

{image credit: ME!}

yesterday was a GREAT day at the massage clinic! totally positive experiences all around. i LOVE my job.

also, i feel totally suuuuuper productive today. i got up early (ok, ok, 8:30 is early on my day off!!), swept and vacuumed, washed the dishes, brewed a new batch of tea for our homebrewed kombucha, did an hour of yoga, sent my sister some sketches for her tattoo, walked the dog, blended up a delish smoothie, did two loads of laundry, hit up target (totally had to buy whip it!), the craft store (to get some things for finishing some necklaces i am working on), the sporting goods store (i needed new wrist guards for derby), mailed a few surprise valentine's packages, made a batch of granola, and cooked up a yummy dinner of polenta and mushroom sauce for the man-friend and i.

phew.

now? off to see a friend play at a fundraiser for local non-prof west side arts and then to see sweet mary bee at her cd release party!

busy day!

tomorrow starts my work week. i don't think i'm ready.

.loves.

.jacob white {photo credit: ME}.

i have this friend. he's one of those friends who felt like family almost immediately. he's one of those people who doesn't waste time on the unimportant stuff, but gets right down to the dirty broken truth of things. we don't get to see him much since we live on separate coasts . . . but when we do, it is precious time. we get right to the important conversations. we open a bottle of whiskey and pick up a guitar or two. we ask the questions no one wants to ask and we answer them honestly. this man is a good man. a true lyricist. a heart of gold. he has a natural ability to see people, to make music, and to express truths in unique ways.

he's started a new music project called mount saint elias. give it a listen. and if you are in the Portland, Oregon area keep checking his site for tour dates. if you go, please let me know . . . i wish with all my heart that i could be there too.

----------

currently listening to my new M Ward album on vinyl. delish.

.smooth.

remember how i said i was going to make a kefir smoothie? well. i did and it was delicious. so yummy, that i had to share!!!

kefir is a delicious fermented, cultured dairy product. it is sort of like yogurt in a sense because it has live cultures and is super good for your immune system. but it is more of a beverage than yogurt (more liquid of a consistency). read this for more awesome info about kefir, what it is, what it does, and why you should love it.

here's how i made my smothie. a sort of DIY tutorial, if you will.

i started with a blender/juicer and added chopped up organic mango, organic banana and some organic frozen berries.
then i added some flax seed meal {about a TBSP}
flax seed is a great source of fiber and healthy fatty acids. adding a small amount to smoothies is a great way to add fiber to your diet. i also use ground flax seed meal as a substitute for eggs when i am baking for my vegan friends {heat 2-3 TBSP of water with 1 TBSP of flax until it takes on an egg-like consistency. this = one egg}. read this article for more about the awesomeness of flax.
anyway, after adding the flax, i added some local honey {local honey is GREAT for reducing seasonal allergies read this short article for more info on the benefits of local honey} , poured in the kefir and blended it up! it was pretty purple with bits of delicious mango floating in it! the banana and frozen berries gave it a great texture. the honey made it sweet like dessert, but really it was a great big helping of good-for-you fruit and cultured dairy!
remember to compost your fruit and vegetable scraps! {and pay no attention to the dog-hair balled up on my kitchen floor. i sweep EVERY DAY! malamutes are just fur-factories}.

there you have it! my nutritional overdose of information. that smothie was delicious. and served in an alaskan amber pint glass {procured fair and square from the summer i lived in juneau, ak}. my favorite beer, mmmmmm.

----------

spent the morning working in the massage studio and then ran errands in the FALLING SNOW after all my clients left. hit up the bank, post office, grocery store and . . . urban outfitters and details {a local socks/tights/legwarmers shop . . . they had a winter sale! legwarmers for $6!!!}. urban outfitters is weakness of mine. i got m ward's album "hold time" on vinyl for $4.99!!! yummy. i also picked up some arnica gel and homeopathic tablets . . . roller derby practice made me a little sore last night . . . remind me to tell you about "blood and thunder" sometime. so fun!

.recovered.

{photo credit: my man friend}

roller derby practice last night was the BEST EVER! it was so fun and challenging and awesome. i am spending today {my first day off in a while} recovering and prepping for my day at the massage studio {tomorrow} . . . as well as prepping for tonight's practice. i heart arnica and my joint salve(ation) from neohippiemama's etsy site. sooooo good for sore muscles!

so, while doing my research for my clients and designing a new coupon for an upcoming open house, i have been exploring cover lay down. this awesome site all about folk music covers! so cool to read about some of my all-time favorites as well as to discover new ones! favorite find of the day? j tillman covering townes van zandt. epic.

anyway, the H-bomb (my pup, hudson) is wishing i was paying attention to him. and my tummy was wishing i was feeding it (mmmmm, off to make a kefir smoothie!) . . .

.mixed media.

you may have noticed that i've posted some mixed media on the sidebar. mostly just things i am reading, listening to or watching. i'll change it up from time to time and when i do, i'll post about it. just to sort of keep track of the pop culture i am consuming. who knows, maybe someday i'll do some reviews?

so, current book:
"love in the time of cholera" by Gabriel García Márquez . . . an amazing and beautiful and funny and charming adventure of a book.

previous music:
the ting tings ("we started nothing" album to be precise). it's been playing a lot at the cafe lately . . . and thus it has been playing a lot in my head too.

current music:
band of horses (the "cease to begin" album has got me hooked. i come back to it over and over again).

previous film:
coraline. my roommate, miss L, and i rented and watched this last week. i really enjoyed the imagery and the themes between to two different "realities" . . . very cool, but i wont say more because i don't want to spoil it for anyone.

current film:
the notebook. this film was watched out of desperation for a girl's movie night. an excuse to drink good wine and eat brie, really. i'd heard that it was a tear-jerker, i'd read the book and remember being really moved by it . . . but the film? no tears. it started out a bit . . . predictably for me. it ended up getting better as the film went on and the ending was really very sweet, but . . . i didn't cry. a friend of mine told me she cries for days after watching this film. huh. thoughts?

.friday fancies.

pretty proud of my outfit today. got this new skirt on clearance for $5 yesterday. yessss.... i only buy things resale or on clearance. i just can't afford to be buying things shiny and brand new and full-price. but anyway, i knew it was a good choice when i was fixin' the hair and the man-friend walks in and says "hey cute girl!" so full of win.

hudson, however, is NOT impressed:
we got him that stuffed duck for christmas and he's already broken the squeaker. now he uses the duck as a pillow. so cute! i LOVE that he doesn't rip the stuffing out of his toys. he is actually really gentle with them. carries them around and grooms them. sort of like they are his babies. he's so special. we love him!

----------

in other news, i am being punished for making the most kick-ass dinner last night! the man-friend is SO FULL that he is making me WAIT for our friday breakfast outing until he is hungry. it's been . . . 13 hours since we ate dinner? and he's still not hungry?

it WAS a good dinner. i bought some rustic, sourdough olive bread from the local bakery. i sliced it open and topped it with grilled tempeh, swiss cheese (from non-hormone treated cows) and popped it in the oven to get all melty and toasty (both of those adjectives are REAL WORDS dispite what the man-friend might say) . . . when it was finished we topped it with fermented, raw cabbage (kimchi, or saur kraut) - at least an inch thick- and some organic thousand island dressing. put the top on that sandwich and you've got a vegetarian reuben to DIE FOR. pair that with a side salad of baby spinach, pecans and bleu cheese . . . you've got a delicious, nutritious meal . . . and apparently a meal that will cause some people to not be hungry 13 hours later.

-----------

as long as we are talking about fermented foods, here is a great article about the benefits and history of fermented foods. in short, fermented vegetables (in the meal above this includes the tempeh, the kimchi, the cheese, the sourdough bread and possibly the relish in the dressing) are beneficial because of the awesome healthy yeasts, bacterias, flora and fauna that they can add to the delicate ecosystems in our digestive tracts. this helps the food we eat to be more easily digested and it helps our immune systems to ward off any unwelcome visitors.

as i continue to educate myself on the topic i will be able to provide better information. for now, read the article i linked to above and read up on the topic for yourself. i'd love to hear what you have to say!

----------

so, i hear the man-friend coming up the stairs . . . maybe that means he is FINALLY hungry and we can go to our favorite breakfast restaurant. check it out: julian's.

----------

oh, one last thing, for those of you who LOVE the fleet foxes, check this out.

.tj loves: music.

.aquarium drunkard.
.bradley's almanac.
.cover laydown.
.daytrotter.
.hidden track.
.dolorean.