28 May 2010

Hear this song, my love.


Been listening to a some Karen Elson lately, and let me tell you, this little lady has put out a ridiculously cool album. Laden with tales of murder and depression-era struggles, The Ghost Who Walks, (while definitely falling in with this westerny-modern craze that's abounded in the past few years), has a soulful and honest feel. My being an avid Jenny Lewis fan may have something to do with it, but I loved it. I love this woman.

(iTunes it up! I really liked The Ghost Who Walks and 100 Years From Now.)

25 May 2010

Aux Arks.


Well I am in love.

Having just returned from my sojourn at The White Buffalo Resort, I must say how very impressed and not a little affected I was by my experience there. The simple beauty of the trees and rivers, the number of animals--ranging from armadillos and box turtles to squirrels, foxes and deer--that roam freely, and the sweeping peace of the place really showcases some of the highlights of the marvelous country that stretches throughout parts of Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri and Arkansas, known as The Ozarks.

Unfortunately, I must say that my bad luck with cameras has struck once again, and I broke mine and Leah's camera on my very first day at the resort. (What is that, Leah? Number 5?) Therefore, I have no photos to display as documentation of our lovely trip.

I will say, however, that on returning home, I swiftly googled The Ozarks to find out more, and found some pretty interesting stuff. For example, that the word "Ozarks" is thought to be derived from a linguistic corruption of the French abbreviation "Aux Arks," (short for "of Arkansas"). Or that is was an abbreviation for "aux-arcs-en-ciel," French for "towards the rainbows", which are common sights in the region. (thanks, wikipedia.)

And thank you to the wonderful Olwell Family and all their Ozarkian goodness!

05 May 2010

April Appreciation.

Just some of the things that got me through the month of April.

Contra, Vampire Weekend

This album played non-stop in my car for 4 weeks. Maybe longer. Okay, maybe it's still playing. My personal favorites? White Sky and Horchata. Give it a listen, and join the Obsessed With Contra Club. We meet on Wednesday nights..



Long shorts.

Found these ones at Hurley.com. Roll em once or twice and they look so so good. And they're the most comfortable shorts on the planet.



Red hair.

After obsessing since forever, I have finally officially darkened my locks to a light...orangy-red.
Just call me Ginger.



Anis Mojgani.

First heard this guy probably three years ago, but recently started listening to and reading his stuff again. He writes some of the most beautiful poetry I've ever heard. Youtube Shake The Dust. And get ready to get goosebumps.

27 April 2010

Ja. Mu.

Not so intelligent now
your fingers are worn from typing
all those times you stayed up late
just to get a glimpse

Inside the library of your heart
she hides behind the Melville and the Tolstoy
waiting somewhere behind the poets and dreamers
and the ones who are neither
yet both and the same time

Crying deep tears of a lion caged in the zoo
the small fence that seems to impossibly hold him there
he could jump it if he really wanted to
then we'd all run screaming the way we should

Quaking and dancing in the parking lot
we'd all scramble home to our TV's
and tuna salad
to our stairmasters and rusted bicycles
to our swimming pools lined green and
brushed with yellow leaves from the neighbor's elm.

23 April 2010

Spring Fever

There it is again.
That springtime longing for fall's forgiveness
and the urge for summer's passion.
It gnaws and whittles away inside you
til those insides ache and you're
more unhappy than you though you ever could be.
So you read all the old letters under your bed,
smell all the T-shirts in your dresser drawers,
then line up all your shoes,
and throw away the bouquet you've had
since he told you he loved you.
But not before you save one dried blossom,
maybe a carnation,
and stick in evilly with a thumb tack to your wall.
As you press down, you watch the blood
quickly rush from your thumb,
applying way more pressure than is necessary for the job at hand.
You feel a curious satisfaction in piercing the undead flower,
and simultaneously turning your finger a weird purplish-white.
You turn off the bedroom light and lie motionless in the dark,
governed only by the moon
as she issues her feeble blue light across your bedspread.
You run your tongue across your teeth and realize
you haven't flossed in weeks.
You finger the lining of your pillowcase
and twist a strand of hair, damp from bathing,
around and around.
You re-script every conversation,
and play them again and again like an old movie..
of which you will never tire.



05 March 2010

POETRY CORNER

Just Born.

My first memories of morning
a wind I cannot name kissing my face
and speaking a language I do not yet understand.
I am naked and squirming.
Helpless, but not alone.
I do the only thing my body can figure out
and shove air through my lungs
and over my vocal chords
til my voice splits the awed silence
and everyone cries.


01 March 2010

February Obsessions

Here are some of the things that really flipped my switch this past month.

Happy March everyone! And I hope to see a lot more MUSTACHES around town...just saying.


Rita Hayworth
As incredible as it may seem, I had not seen this lady's most well-known film, Gilda (1946), until just this year. My verdict? I couldn't take my eyes off her. I found the film gloriously seductive, and a perfect Film Noir Classic to be placed right up there with Laura (1944) and Sunset Boulevard (1950). And please please download, or at least listen to, her version of Put the Blame on Mame. Love that.


Pas/Cal
I Was Raised on Matthew, Mark, Luke and Laura
All right, so call me a little slow on the uptake, but I just discovered the band Pas/Cal...well, I had heard a couple of the songs off their original EP from back in 2002, (don't we all remember I Wanna Take You Out in Your Holiday Sweater?), but this time around I actually bought the whole album and love love loved it. Lyrics include, "You've got a tripped up stutter and a stripped down hairdo like your mother's only sister, who was never known to be a looker."
Yeah, I like them.

The Book of Genesis
From angels to demons, to forbidden fruits, to murder, to floods, and beyond. The first book of the Bible just reads like a crazy novel! And once I start reading I can't put it down.

Jogging
Being active means staying active, so this month I decided to start jogging every day.
Jogging has so many benefits, both physical and mental, like stronger core muscles and reduction of overall anxiety. I think that this decision is one of the best I've made for myself. Ever.