Okay folks. For reasons I will not get into, I have stopped writing here as of late and have started to capture my adventures on another blog. BUT! After a short hiatus from this blog address, I've decided to continue blogging here, as well - just for a different purpose entirely.
As a byproduct of the spot I'm currently at in life, I am online daily, finding new and exciting awesome things to infuse inspiration into my brain. I think it's easy to forget how fun and sometime necessary a little inspiration is, so I'll be sharing the creme de la creme with you here at this blog. Hopefully, it will stretch your mind some, to remind you to always think outside the box and make you say, "Wow, that is cool!"
Hope you enjoy. Here's some stuff to get you started. (Second pic is Kim of the band "Matt & Kim" - she rocks my world.
Pool was NOT over! Little did I know at the time of my last posting that we were drawn for the wild card slot for the playoffs! (Benefit of playing summer session when fewer teams sign up - better odds.) It meant that Mike had to miss a Bob Dylan concert, so that was unfortunate, but we ended up playing pretty well over all. Playoffs is a cut-throat situation; if your team wins the first game, you advance to a second. We held our own by winning the first game of the night (I played Mary again - I love her. She is evil, and leaves me horrible bank shots all the time - but I love her), and then lost the second by just a few points. I won my personal second game, though, on a lucky slop shot (accidentally getting a ball in a pocket (which is not legal in 8 ball, by the way - which is why I LOVE 9 ball!)). In fact, most of that game was luck. My opponent gave me about 5 ball-in-hands, even though she is just as good as me. I think she was just having an off night. Anyhow, that's what I was up to from 6-12 p.m. last night. A late one, but worth it - we will be playing at City Cup next June!
Fall session starts next week, and we haven't found a replacement for me, so I'll be playing a few weeks to help the team out until another player is recruited. I'm a little exhausted of it, but I certainly do come away with good stories.
Last weekend was a visit to Lincoln City, Oregon. We were fortunate to have sunny weather for the most part. This coming (long! yay!) weekend is a family vacation of sorts. Hopefully hiking and good food will be on the books.
I've been trying my hand at different kinds of bread lately. I've found a rye bread recipe that is phenomenal.
No music today, sorry. I've been a little too busy lately to dabble in new music, although I have a few recommendations in mind to try out. Hopefully I'll post new music soon. :)
Hi there! So summer pool session is officially over. And to be quite blunt, last night's matches aren't worth talking about. We lost horribly, myself included. But we all had a good time doing it, and that's the point. :) I played a wonderful lady named Mary who is half my size and incredibly cute. I also got approached by a very drunk woman and her less drunk mother-in-law (strange...) who wanted to know why I was on the pool team. Apparently there was some bet going on about if I was dating one of the guys, because they just couldn't believe that I, of my own volition, so sweet and pretty-looking (her words), had up and joined a pool team. Apparently there are better things to do at 9:30 p.m. on a Wednesday night. I happen to think being a pool shark in incredibly acceptable. Huh...
On the upside, I got recognition by the league for winning 5 out of 9 games this session. My name got put on a special list, and I was very proud.
So I took a quick trip to Boise (more specifically, Homedale) this weekend. It was a grand ol' time. The first stop was a bar, of course, where my cowboys were getting loaded and talking about girls. We didn't stay long because the bar closed at 1 a.m. (this was very outrageous to the boys, of course), but I managed to fit a dance in with Brian before the doors closed. The band that night was fantastic. I had a kick seeing April's digs and her adorable son. I also enjoyed seeing her hubbie and step-son, who are about the best people around. The rodeo rocked my socks off, and the dance that followed shot any other country dance I've been to out of the water. A HUGE dance floor, a ROCKIN' band, and not an inch of open space to be seen! Everyone was on their feet. I danced quite a few songs with Brian, watched quite a few, too, and danced one with Tim. Good stuff.
I've been listening to a lot of Tracy Chapman in the mornings lately, and not a whole lot else. I'm looking for new stuff, by the way, so feel free to send some suggestions my direction. Kara sent this video to me today, though, and it made me smile in a 'I think Jaima will like this song' sort of way. So... here it goes:
Today I am a happy, colorful lizard sitting in the sun.
I read the book last year and really enjoyed it. I'm not sure how great of a movie it will be, though, because it is entirely lacking in action (every movie is made a little bit better with an exploding helicopter). In any case, I'm looking forward to watching the movie because I haven't seen Julia Roberts in anything for a while. I'll probably wait to rent it from Redbox, though.
Despite how the movie may turn out, I do LOVE the new song that came from it. It is reminiscent of Vedder's Into The Wild soundtrack, but has its own originality. Although I originally LOVED the Into The Wild soundtrack, I don't listen to it much anymore because I can only think of the movie when I hear it. The songs no longer stand on their own to me. This song, though, has that same comforting sound, but (until I see the movie) is entirely its own. :)
And by the way, let me know what you think of it, damnit! You people don't post comments anymore!
I lost my pool game last night, but had a good time. Chan's Red Dragon... hahaha... I think we're ranked fifth right now, which isn't great, but o-well. Next week is a 'bye' week, and then just one final season game before playoffs.
I've been meaning to post this for a LOOOOOooong time. I believe the artist is a friend of a friend of Amanda's. She sent me the link and I just had to share it with the world. Click on the 'visual' button and then search through some of the painting options. I hope you enjoy the paintings as much as I do! The sculpture I could do without...
I won the last TWO games in pool, but unfortunately my team isn't doing that great overall. We have a home game this coming week and then a 'bye' week, which will be a nice break. I've been so busy lately! I'm looking forward to a relaxing weekday evening!
I'm slowly but surely working on getting some color onto my white bones. Although I did manage to get a bit of a heat rash this weekend... Ek!
FPPC is making Italian tonight! Looking forward to learning something new!
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Hi all! I am happy to report that the bachelor party for my cousin went off without a hitch, thanks to some wonderful friends willing to have a great time and celebrate the love of two fantastic people. It was especially great to meet Andrew, the groomsman from New Zealand, and learn about Kiwi ways.
I am also proud and relieved to report my dress for the wedding should be completed in less than a few hours! MUCH thanks to my sis, Jillian, for supervising this project. I couldn't have done it without you! I will take a picture of the dress and post it after the wedding - I am so thrilled that this project worked out!
The weather in Spokane has been happy lately. I am very thrilled about this.
On a more somber note, I need to post this amazing song by Eminem. Come on now, give it a shot. I know it's rap, and you don't like rap, but this song is really incredible. Eminem has put out some crazy stuff in the past, but his new album, Recovery, is about dealing with his addictions and turning his life around. It's rather inspiring, to be honest. He is the best lyricist I've ever come across in the rap world - that includes Tupac (although of course Tupac is RIGHT behind!!). So, give this song a nice long listen to, and make sure you can catch all the lyrics. It made me cry while I was sitting in traffic. Who knows, maybe it was just an emotional day for me. I've been in the type of relationship he's talking about, though, and I have yet to ever hear anything that comes so close to encompassing all the conflict and turmoil that occurs. Mad kudos.
Following the incredible wedding weekend I just had, I thought it fitting to post this video of an amazing guitar duet that I think you'll love. How could you not? I've known about these two guitar masters for a couple years, but had never seen pictures of them. In fact, I never looked much past the beautiful sound they create to realize the 'band' is comprised of just a man and woman. Somehow, that makes the music they play more romantic. Rodrigo holds the strong backbone of the tune together while Gabriela seems to use that foundation to let her fingers dance all over the strings. The speed and precision of their fingers is incredible. I hope you enjoy it. If you like this song, it is WORTH IT to check out some of their other stuff.
As noted above, Sara's wedding was a complete success, an organizational masterpiece and the best time I've had in a years. Although I haven't seen many pictures of the evening yet, I did my part by dancing the night away and celebrating with many old friends.
I lost my pool game last night, but only by two and it was an even game all along. I managed to make a couple of pretty impressive shots, despite the outcome of the score. After having last week off, though, I feel like I could use some practice.
I'm going to Eatonville for the 4th of July and looking forward to it! Lots of explosives to watch and good people to hang out with.
I am taking Friday off work so I can dive into the wedding festivities of the weekend. I am INCREDIBLY excited.
We had a 'bye' week in pool, so nothing new to report there. Well, nothing besides the fact that I need to practice.
The weather seems to be turning around a bit, although we had a kickass thunder storm last night.
I've been listening to a lot of great music lately. I finally got my hands on Gaslight Anthem's new album, "American Slang." It is fantastic! Every bit as good as their first. I'm looking forward to spending some quality time with it on my long drive this evening.
I wanted to post two songs this week that have been making me smile a lot lately. The first is from a band that is almost a bit too hipster for me to handle, but this song feels like 'magic melting down my spine.' (P.S. I have no idea what's going on in this video... just go with it... As unbelievable as it might sound, this video is actually less strange than the official version. Which is traumatic, to say the least. In fact, I'd recommend not watching either video at all. Just listen to the music.)
The second is from a French band that does not speak English (from what I hear). But they sing their songs in English. Which I find interesting. But their sound is unique and always gets my toes tapping. :) And as it happens, the video rocks, too.
P.S. April Smith will be IN SPOKANE TONIGHT performing FOR FREE! Compliments of 96.9 The River. I'm not sure of the location, but check out The River's website for more info. I'm sad I can't go! Please go in my stead!
A friend of mine forwarded a link to music video for me to check out. She knows me well. :) I LOVED it. So much that I want to pass it on to you. I've checked out a few of her other songs. I'm impressed that she has a fair amount of acoustic stuff out there. Unfortunately, a lot of it seems to be teenage angst-ish. It might be worth looking at her other video "Cesar," but again, this bordered on the 'I'm young but trying really hard to show the world that I am raw and fierce." The song I'm posting, though, is incredible. The video is pretty darn amazing, too. Whoever directed it deserves quite a bit of credit for the fluid style and fashion conscience it has. I donno. Maybe you won't agree.
It's worth noting that the singer is Sting's daughter. You can tell she leans on his style in this song, although I couldn't tell it at all in the other stuff I listened to. In any case, I think that's why I like it so much; I have a tendency to enjoy music that has a touch of old-school mixed with new, fresh material.
She looks young still. I think she could have an amazing career ahead of her post this teenage angst phase.
PLEASE take the time to listen to The Gaslight Anthem's new album. It is all kinds of old school rock n' roll meets amazing lyrics. The album can be heard at:
I hear the album will be for sale later this month. I'm getting it!
In other news, I lost my pool game horribly last night, but I played against a one who was obviously a two. If not a three. So that's helps a little. We lost over all, though, so that sucks.
I transplanted my sunflowers a few days ago. They haven't died yet! I'll keep you posted.
I apologize for not posting about the M&S concert sooner. It was a blow-your-socks-off experience that took a while for me to process. :) The venue was a bit crowded, but to be honest, but I think that's because M&S's popularity has been soaring recently, and it they probably weren't as well known when they booked the place; they were probably expecting a smaller audience. Anyhow, the opening band was an Australian band called The Middle East. I had heard a song or two from them before on Pandora when M&S's station was playing. I liked one or two songs... but overall, I would liken their sound to interpretive dancing... Full of meaning and emotion, but kind of all over the place, in a lamenting way. M&S were AMAZING live - their passion for each song they sing is intoxicating. They also sang TWO NEW SONGS! Both of which I loved just as much, if not more, than my favorites on their original album. Needless to say, I CANNOT WAIT for the new album to come out. (Speaking of new albums, Gaslight Anthem is coming out with another one the end of this month.) I've found one of those new songs and posted it before for your pleasure.
In other news, I won my pool game last week! I haven't been practicing, though, so I don't have high hopes for tonight.
I discovered many gems during my stay in Portland over Memorial Day weekend. I must say, however, one gem stood out amongst them all as I began packing for the trek back north. I watched "Crazy Heart" with a friend and fell in love with the movie's theme song, written by Ryan Bingham. The movie is touching and very well-done. The acting, in particular, is top-notch. It isn't the most uplifting movie I've ever seen, but a true portrait of human struggle. Anyhow. The song. Is beautiful. Give it a listen. Bingham has the perfect voice to deliver the song. While the lyrics may be simple, they certainly carry a great deal.
The warm weather is finally here! And I couldn't be happier about that. I'm attempting to grow four sunflowers this year. They have sprouted and look rather happy so far. I will try transplanting for the first time in a week or so. Wish me luck!
I spent the weekend in Lynnwood for a bridal shower - the first of 9 wedding events to attend this summer! It will be a busy one! But also, one full of celebration.
In honor of the 19th Street gals I spent the weekend with (and my trip to the west side, during which I revisited my long-dormant appreciation for hip-hop), I'm posting 'Break Your Heart' for your enjoyment. I'm posting it without watching the actual video, though, so I apologize in advance for any offensive content it may contain. Aside from the lyrics (which did not line up in ANY WAY with the bridal theme of the weekend), the song seemed to encapsulate the energy of the weekend. Cheers!
I ran Bloomsday last weekend! We had the biggest turnout since some time back in the mid 1990s. Over 50,000 I believe. I ORIGINALLY thought I had shaved 15 minutes off my time from last year. Hahaha... But I didn't. I did improve by three minutes, and any improvement is great, but it certainly isn't the glory of 15 minutes!
I lost my pool game again this week, and I was pretty bummed about it because I've been practicing outside of pool nights to keep my skills up. I did have a few killer shots, though. Mike and Charlie lost, too, but Sieg and Cheree kept us in the game by winning the last two. We lost overall, but not by a landslide, so we still should be in 2nd or 3rd place in the league. One more regular season game left!
And as for music, I thought I'd revisit a musician/band I mentioned earlier. A friend of my recently went to a Florance + The Machine concert and was blown away by the stage present, quality and general fantasticness of the whole thing. Check out his review of the concert.
You'd think it was Seattle. I'm getting awfully sick of this drizzle. Glum, glum, glum. That's what it looks like outside.
I lost my pool game last Wednesday. :( But! My team is in second place! So there is still some reason to celebrate. In all honesty, my opponent and I were pretty well matched, and he won fair and square. AND he was a good sport about it with a good sense of humor, which I respect greatly. I only lost by four points, and he got three in a row at the very end. Had he missed one of those shots, the game easily could have been mine. There is two more weeks of regular season games, then - if we're still seated high - we'll get to go to playoffs. I'll keep you posted.
Until then, here is one of my new favorite songs. Compliments of Kara.
I WON my pool game last night! My recent practice has paid off. I think this makes it a four or five game winning streak now. Oh course, now that I've let the world know, I'm sure to lose the next six.
I took my derby skates out for a spin on the Fish Lake Trail the other day. I did end up eating it pretty bad on a piece of gravel, but I managed to skate four miles and get my ankles a little run for their money. I hope to do it often this summer.
Check out this fantastic song. You might think it's depressing... but I actually find it wonderfully cheerful - in a 'Bruce Springsteen - I'm going to sing about sad things in an upbeat way to choke out the sadness until only laughter is left' sort of way. Ya... I know. I'm weird.
So... since I only have about three people who check this blog, and ONE of them mentioned how nice it would be if I returned to posting personal updates, I feel like that's grounds for revising my blog's mission - "by popular demand." I can say that, right? :)
Well, first of all, I need to inform EVERYONE that I've crossed off one of my 'things to do before I die' items. I rode a motorcycle yesterday. Technically, I also rode it the day before, but it was only for six back-road blocks each way. Yesterday was a nice, long, healthy ride past Mini Ha-Ha along the Spokane River. Will took me to see the mountain biking area up there. Quite a hike, actually, but AMAZING! I hope to try it out some time this summer... the easy bits, that is. Some of the jumps/drops there are SCARY! But yes, back to the motorcycle... also scary and yet amazing. :)
As for pool, I've won about 3 or 4 games in a row, which is fantastic, but the most recent one was by the skin of my teeth (can we come up a phrase less gross? I mean really - there's got to be something better). I practiced a couple days ago and we'll see if it pays off tomorrow.
And, in keeping with my music-blog theme, please check out April Smith and the Great Picture Show. They're a fantastic band from Brooklyn. They "sound like The Beatles fronted by The Andrews Sisters." You'll love 'em!
Kudos to my friend, Kara, for suggesting I looking into Mumford & Sons. They are a British band who formed in 2007. By 'formed' I mean a couple of friends got together and started playing in front of anyone who would listen. Since then, they've become a well-polished, FANTASTIC, FANTASTIC, FANTASTIC group of musicians. The video below illustrates their unique choice of instruments, in addition a sincere passion for their words. I've checked out a few of their other songs, and found most of them are not as upbeat as the one posted below. Still, an all-around great band. If you like this song, check out their website. I think you'll enjoy the commentary on 'Ben's Food on the Road,' Marcus' Book Club,' and the like.
This FANTASTIC band just released a new album. And the most amazing part of the deal is (well... besides the fact that the music absolutely rocks) that it is available on their website for free download. They accept donations, if you want to give them something for their talent/generosity, but at the very least - please spread the word! This music may not be for everyone, but it is definitely worth the few minutes it takes to download just to see if it's up your alley. I haven't been able to catch a ton of the lyrics yet, but their sound is incredible.
So... I have been thinking about getting another tattoo. I don't plan on getting it any time soon, but I want to figure out what I want so I have some time to sit on it, consider it and change it as I see fit. The only problem is... well, the biggest one there could be: I can't decide on the content. I know I want it on my foot (I am TOTALLY stealing this idea, and I give full credit to my friend - I'm REALLY sorry for being a copy cat!). I also know I want it to be full of color. I like the concept of a phoenix, because I like things that signify strength. I also like the dragon concept, just because they are badass. But I'm not finding exactly what I want so far. I want it to be very feminine in style. Sara brought up a good idea that this new tattoo should be in honor of Havillah. I certainly like the concept, but I don't know how to work that into a tattoo. Can you guys look these pictures over and give me some feedback? Thanks!
Hmmm... but part of me likes the concept of using water. Check out the tattoo below. I'm not sure how exactly this would work on the top of my foot, but it allows me to use a lot of color and the waves are also a bit symbolic to me. I really like to colors in the second one...
After all the positive feedback I got from my last post, I thought it pertinent to let you know Florence & The Machine are coming to Vancouver, CA on April 14th (Wednesday) and The Showbox in Seattle on April 15th (Thursday). Although I won't be able to make it, I hope you all royally consider it. Tickets don't sound that bad, either.
By the way, check out their tour. I AM VERY JEALOUS! I might want to plan a trip around the world just based off this list of destinations! :)
I must give credit and thanks to my friend Matt for introducing me to the gloriousness of Florence & The Machine. I've been listening to it every day for two weeks straight now. And I still can't get enough! I've posted my two favorite songs below, but if you like it at all, PLEASE check them out on your own time. EVERY song is incredible. EVERY song is not to be missed.
I love the use of drums (of course), but her voice, the lyrics, the fantastic build up and delivery of tempo... sigh. It is everything I want and more.
This one is a live performance (in a park), with a prelude about her influences and inspirations. Good stuff!
I love travel, art and writing. Although I do not pursue any of it as much as I should. I love warm weather and bare feet. I'm working on becoming a better cook and I'm constantly trying to talk myself out of getting another tattoo.
