Mr. Elephant you make me smile

Courtesy of Discovery News:





This could not have made me happier. I love everything about this and more.
Thats it.
I am moving to Africa.

Brown Shoe

Shot Brown Shoe last night at the Grape Room. It was such a small show but it was definetly nice to have room to breath and not feel the pressure. Anyways, Danielle and I met the guys over some cigs and beers early before the show. They were super awesome, down to earth, and ready to party. Four Brothers, One odd man out, I wanted to know how they don't kill each other on the road.

I feel terrible that I may be to blame for the lead singer, Ryan knocking some dude out outside the bar. Whatever dude deserved it. Long story short, the guy was terrible. He came up outta the blue, started calling us fake, made some ridiculous comment about Ryan's leather jacket, continued on by repeating the N word, yea what the shit, over and over. Which, if you know me, is just not alright. Of course, I had to say something calling him all sorts of racist and trash. He got super mad and started spitting out what he thought was insults, calling me Cleopatra, like dude...Cleopatra is fucking hot. But whatever, Ryan got pissed as shit and basically kicked the guys ass down the street. I'm like not so much into violence these days but Ryan warned the guy like 10 to 20 times before hitting him. So whatever. Mad props to Ryan for sticking up for me, even though I was appreciating the assholes insult.

After that little set back, we were able to spend some time with the guys over whiskey, high lifes, and a whole mess of cigs.

Not to forget...their music sounded real good. Check out MK's review and interview, along with my photos on independentphilly.com (should be posted sometime this week).

Cheers to you, Brown Shoe.

Currently listening to
PAPA-I am the Lion King

Art for the Heart Pt. II -- Paint

Even though this is actually third Art for the Heart get together, it is only my second. I was unfortunately not able to make it to Nathania and Caitlin's. But they deserve credit for their ideas and hosting as well.

Shanna hosted this time, with a plethora of Green Olives goodness. And wine of course. She set us up with a quick little painting tutorial. I have not painted in a long time so it was nice to be refreshed on the basics. Shanna is an amazing artist as well, her apartment is filled with her work, and we all were super impressed by her talent.

I absolutely loved everything about this night. It was perfect in my heart.

Without art, what is life?










~My masterpiece ^^^

Currently listening to:
Birdy--Shelter

Jose Gonzalez - Down the Line

Shoulda listened before. Don't make the same mistake twice.

Grimes/Tonight

Ahhhhhh finally tonight is my first gig shooting Grimes at the First Unitarian Church (for independentphilly.com). I just wanna say I am scared shitless. Not really sure why. Maybe cause there is a possiblity I will blow the whole thing and never photograph again due to embarrassment.

Welp. Heres to hoping that shit doesn't happen.

Silent Signals

Ever since I was like, I dunno? 15 years old, I have looked up to Michael Greto as a musician. I remember listening to the Swoon album my mom brought home from work and being like "Wow, this is awesome, I like know a famous person." Well I really didn't know him at the time, but just cause he was from Ridley and our moms worked together I thought I was entitled to this thought. Well whatever, I'm a cheeseball.

I have recently came to know Michael better through my friendship with Jackie. And I am still fascinated by his talent. After taking some time off from working with a band, doing mostly solo stuff, Michael is back on stage with his band Silent Signals. Last night was his appearance at the World Cafe Live at the Queen in Wilmington. It was amazing. He is amazing.

Here's some video to prove it.



Lucky No. 11

Take notice....(sorry Michael) but he breaks not one but two strings during this song. It takes a real musician to keep cool, fix the situation, all withouth no one even noticing.

Thanks for this experience Michael cause....

“Without music, life would be a mistake.”
~Friedrich Nietzsche

For the record

Just a couple things....

I am a super honest person. I wear my heart on my sleeve. I probably let my emotions get the best of me sometimes but I love who I am and try not to have many regrets.

On that note, I absolutely positively cannot stand people who lie.

If you lie to me be prepared for me to never trust you again, and yes, that's never. No matter how many I'm sorry's, blah blah blah. I will not. Promise.

I just don't get the point of lying. Never have, never will.

So liars....you suck.

Good day now.

Hot for Mondays

I got a serious Irish tan going on thanks to my wonderful day yesterday. Ahhh I love my Mondays off when the weathers nice. I woke up super early after drinking myself into oblivion all weekend. I set out to scam Planet Fitness yet once again. The people that work at this gym are so entirely stupid I cannot even begin to explain. It is super awesome that I am able to use the gym AND tan for absolutely not a dollar. I am so thankful for their inability to notice the difference between Danielle and I. Anyways, after making a quick stop to the market I was off to my first spring Monday in the park. It was a momentous event for sure.

I spent from about 12 pm to 8:30 pm in the park. A solid work day. Enjoyed some time with Jesse, Caitlin, and Stefan. Grabbed some bloodies at Parc for a mid park day treat. Then enjoyed some time alone with my crayons.



As the work day winded down I was then joined by my working friends. We spent the rest of the night in the park, laying around, rounding up the weekend chatter. Finally we grabbed $5 wraps from the wrap shack.

What a perfect day.



Is is next Monday yet?

Feeling good

I just have to say that life seems so much brighter when someone else makes you feel good about yourself. I'm all for the you gotta love yourself bit, and I have been working real hard at that shit, but there's nothing like positive reinforcement. It's like the little things, the moments that remind you of what you are worth. Yea they are pretty awesome.

I'm gonna set out today to maybe make someone feel like I have felt in the past couple of weeks.



Ohhhhh....and Daniel Son ^^^^^ this would be my karaoke song right now. I promise to sing it for the cabby this weekend.

That feeling

Setting: Jay Farrar, Will Johnson, Anders Parkers, & Yim Yames--New Multitudes, tribute to Woody Guthrie 3/13/2012

Wow. The emotion. It's fucking nuts feeling so much emotion in one night. I just gotta blab about it.

Obviously I get to a good amount of shows, spend way too much money on tickets, and lose way too much sleep, however, nights like this make it all worth it. It's all an experience. All an investment. A reminder of passion. Of love. And simple beauty. Music just gets me.

As I am listening to the show last night I remembered to stop, close my eyes, and listen to the sounds. I tend to sometimes get wrapped up in the performance, the crowd, the artists more often than I would like. I was instantly reminded how beautiful the sounds, the lyrics, the art of it all can be. As ridiculous (as always) as I sound, it was one of those moments where I just felt alive.

I think others were feeling the same. I noticed a father and son standing next to me. They were so fucking happy. It got me all sorts of choked up. I love it when you can feel feelings without having the slightest idea of whats going on in someones head. Ahhh those vibes.

Anyways, I remember looking around and feeling like I wanted to remember this all. Like forever. And ever.

And then I started thinking more and more and even more....and for the first time in a long time, I felt like all my dreams were coming true.

I am so thankful I got to feel all this in just one night.

Flat Tire

So yesterday I experienced my very first flat tire. Working on like 2 hrs of sleep, I heard some weird noise coming from my car. Like usual, I ignored it and turned up my music, proceeding onto 95. Idiot. I was now driving on my rim without a care in the world. Luckily the noise was too overpowering for my blasting music so I thought I probably should exit and check out the situation. Ooopps flat tire. Thank god Bimbo (emmmkay) came to the rescue.

Bimbo tells me to pop my trunk and his reaction to the items found was just priceless. I am not sure how my trunk gets this way but it always has been a place to find just about anything. I am pretty sure I could live outta my trunk.

Items found....
1 Wok
2 Folding Chairs, 1 Beach Chair
1 Winter Coat
2 Suit Jackets
1 Pair of Men's Timberlands
3 Button down Shirts
1 Half eaten Rum Cake from the Bahamas
1 Charcoal Grill
6 Books
1 Safety Kit including batteries and flares
9 Tubberware Containers
20 Hangers
1 Laptop
2 Yoga Mats
3 Sports Bras
4 Pairs of Sneakers
2 Pairs of Heels
1 Set of Car Side Mirrors
1 Roll of Masking Tape
1 Light Screen Panel
2 Blankets

Needless to say....there is something wrong with me. Bimbo agrees. Hey at least I was laughing.

Art for the Hearth Pt.1

So Monday was our very first Art for the Heart get together. We have decided that as a group we need to 1. continue to see each other on a regular basis 2. fulfill our artistic desires and, 3. eat amazing food and drink good wine. That's where Art for the Heart comes in...

Jac was kind enough to take the challenge of having the first one.
On the menu: Vegan pasta salad including my favorite pepperoncini peppers, chicken lettuce wraps, chips and guacamole, and an endless amount of wine.

It was our pleasure to get to know Shanna who was introduced to Jac through her brother Nick. Shanna moved to Philadelphia four or five months ago from Houston TX. As we all know, it is difficult to meet girlfriends, so we love taking on new friends. And Shanna is awesome, and interesting, and we look forward to giving her a good outlook on life here in Philly, as she has experienced some straight up disturbing shit so far. We plan on filling up her schedule in the near future with an overwhelming amount of get togethers and we hope to introduce her to less popped collars and overbearing lesbian secret admirers.

For the art....DIY doily earrings

Instructions:
1. Steal some doilies from your aunt Pat or whoever else you can snag em from.
2. Cut some patterns of the dolies out for your earrings
3. Dip the patterns in glue, or paint it on the doily
4. Drink wine
5. Wait for patterns to dry
6. Drink more wine, listen to music, laugh
7. Attach earrings backs to doily
8. Take pictures and instagram the shit out of your DIY Awesome Doily Earrings

Voila! Here's the final product.

My beautiful bestie.

My beautiful bestie Megs has just turned the big 3-0. Holy Shit we are getting old. This post is pretty much impossible to write without getting all ridiculously sappy and shit. All I have to say is this girl is amazing. I am not sure if I would actually be the person I am today without her. She has showed me strength that I have never seen and has taught me to be loving, compassionate, and faithful (if I can be at all). I am so thankful to call her my friend, sister, and most often wife.

I could go on and on about how much I love her but I really want to point out something that she has given me in the past couple years. Four years ago Meg had her first daughter Kali. I can not explain to you the happiness I felt to see my best friend experience something so beautiful. Kali, and now Nolan, have been such a blessing in my life. Seeing Meghan with her children has taught me real beauty, what it is like to really love, what life is really all about. I do not tell her this much, but I am so grateful to have them in my life.

Thanks Meg for all the love you have given me and everything you have taught me over the years.

Happiest of birthdays to you. Love you soo sooo much.

Oh, the Places You'll Go

This book sits on my coffee table and has helped me get through many situations since I have been a little girl. Most people who know me well have received a copy of this book from me at some point in their life.



And today is Dr. Seuss's birthday and he is awesome.

Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You're off to Great Places!
You're off and away!

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You're on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go.

You'll look up and down streets. Look 'em over with care.
About some you will say, "I don't choose to go there."
With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet,
you're too smart to go down any not-so-good street.

And you may not find any
you'll want to go down.
In that case, of course,
you'll head straight out of town.

It's opener there
in the wide open air.

Out there things can happen
and frequently do
to people as brainy
and footsy as you.

And then things start to happen,
don't worry. Don't stew.
Just go right along.
You'll start happening too.

OH!
THE PLACES YOU'LL GO!

You'll be on y our way up!
You'll be seeing great sights!
You'll join the high fliers
who soar to high heights.

You won't lag behind, because you'll have the speed.
You'll pass the whole gang and you'll soon take the lead.
Wherever you fly, you'll be best of the best.
Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.

Except when you don't.
Because, sometimes, you won't.

I'm sorry to say so
but, sadly, it's true
that Bang-ups
and Hang-ups
can happen to you.

You can get all hung up
in a prickle-ly perch.
And your gang will fly on.
You'll be left in a Lurch.

You'll come down from the Lurch
with an unpleasant bump.
And the chances are, then,
that you'll be in a Slump.

And when you're in a Slump,
you're not in for much fun.
Un-slumping yourself
is not easily done.

You will come to a place where the streets are not marked.
Some windows are lighted. But mostly they're darked.
A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin!
Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in?
How much can you lose? How much can you win?

And IF you go in, should you turn left or right...
or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite?
Or go around back and sneak in from behind?
Simple it's not, I'm afraid you will find,
for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.

You can get so confused
that you'll start in to race
down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace
and grind on for miles cross weirdish wild space,
headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.
The Waiting Place...

...for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go
or a bus to come, or a plane to go
or the mail to come, or the rain to go
or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow
or the waiting around for a Yes or No
or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bite
or waiting for the wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night
or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake
or a pot to boil, or a Better Break
or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants
or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting.

NO!
That's not for you!

Somehow you'll escape
all that waiting and staying
You'll find the bright places
where Boom Bands are playing.

With banner flip-flapping,
once more you'll ride high!
Ready for anything under the sky.
Ready because you're that kind of a guy!

Oh, the places you'll go! There is fun to be done!
There are points to be scored. There are games to be won.
And the magical things you can do with that ball
will make you the winning-est winner of all.
Fame! You'll be as famous as famous can be,
with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.

Except when they don't
Because, sometimes they won't.

I'm afraid that some times
you'll play lonely games too.
Games you can't win
'cause you'll play against you.

All Alone!
Whether you like it or not,
Alone will be something
you'll be quite a lot.

And when you're alone, there's a very good chance
you'll meet things that scare you right out of your pants.
There are some, down the road between hither and yon,
that can scare you so much you won't want to go on.

But on you will go
though the weather be foul.
On you will go
though your enemies prowl.
On you will go
though the Hakken-Kraks howl.
Onward up many
a frightening creek,
though your arms may get sore
and your sneakers may leak.

On and on you will hike,
And I know you'll hike far
and face up to your problems
whatever they are.

You'll get mixed up, of course,
as you already know.
You'll get mixed up
with many strange birds as you go.
So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great tact
and remember that Life's
a Great Balancing Act.
Just never foget to be dexterous and deft.
And never mix up your right foot with your left.

And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)

KID, YOU'LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!

So...
be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray
or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O'Shea,
You're off the Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So...get on your way!