Change

Things have been set in motion...and I know this will be a year of change.  It always happens in one way or another, but this time I can see it coming.  I'm not sure exactly what will happen, but I'm sure of this...things won't be the same at the end of the year as they were at the beginning (they seldom are).  I guess, in a way I've been coasting along for some time now...and sailing has been smooth.  But, I'm about to rock the boat...and I might just go overboard.

7. year. itch. 

One Wing

We once belonged to a bird

Who cast his shadow on this world
You were a blessing and I was a curse
I did my best not to make things worse, for you
It isn't true; I always knew this would be our fate
This is what happens when we separate
This is what happens to all dead weight, eventually

We may as well be made of stone
We can't be formed

One Wing will never fly
Neither yours nor mine
I fear we can only wave goodbye.


(Photo via We Heart It)

One of Those Nights

I need one of those nights...when stuff just happens.

The Necklace

So, I bought this lovely vintage locket necklace from Room Service about a year ago, and I wear it all the time (and always get lots of compliments when I do).  Today, as I was on the elevator heading out of work, a lady stepped into the elevator and commented, "I have that same necklace!"  At first, I was thinking,"yeah right...this is a vintage 70s Avon locket...and there's no freaking way you have the same one."  Then, she started talking about it being one of her favorite necklaces from when she was in high school.  How, her best friend drew up a caricature of her "boyfriend" that they called "Fred" for her to wear in the locket...and how the drawing is still there to this day...and how she still wears the locket from time to time.  I could see her getting a bit misty-eyed, and knew immediately that it was true.  What a story!  And, how random that this lady that happens to step on the elevator at the same time as me just so happens to have the exact same vintage necklace.  It's so cool!

It made me wonder about all the small coincidences in life.  About all the things that have to line up just perfectly for a moment of serendipity.  I wondered...does she still talk to this friend?  This one that created a boyfriend for her from pen and paper back in high school...to carry by her heart forever.  I know that even though I don't know them, I'll think about them...every time I wear the necklace from now on.

SX Day 3

Day three started early so we could make it to MWTX party early enough to see Deertick take the stage at 1:55.  We arrived on our bikes, and didn't even have to worry about finding a place to lock them up...free bike valet via Mellow Johnny's!  We walked in, and the next surprise...Sailor Jerry was a sponsor, so they were serving up special cocktails.  Cream 'O Sailor was probably my favorite, but I spent the majority of the day sipping on Sailor and root beer.  YUMMY!  Somehow, Jason and I ended up with 11 empty SJ commemorative cups.  What an afternoon! 

Anyway, we got a great spot for Deertick.  They put on an awesome show, as usual...well, they did as soon as the sound guy got things straightened out around song 3. 

Next up was Surfer Blood, but they didn't play for several more hours, which gave us time for more Sailors (of course) and time to grab a bite at the food trailers.  We had fish and chips from Bits and Druthers...super yum!

Surfer Blood went on at 5:45, and by that time we were ready for some music.  They were great! 

(Photo via Microgod's Flickr photo stream).

We finished up the day with a couple of beers from Violet Crown Social Club, and some yummy Hawaiian grub from the food trailer in front of the bar.  Mac salad has to be one of the best foods to sober you up a bit.  Well, that or jumping in the swimming pool fully clothed when you get back to your condo.  I wouldn't know from experience...

SXSW: Day 2

Friday was a much more successful music experience than Thursday.  We rode our bikes down again, and found great parking just across the street. 



We arrived at the Filter Party at Cedar Street Courtyard early in the day, to get a good spot for Phantogram.  I was determined not to miss their show, so we arrived a few hours early.  I spotted a girl with a killer haircut watching the earlier bands from the VIP section, and had major hair envy.  Little did I know, she was actually the female vocalists/keyboard player from Phantogram.  I was super jealous!

I was enjoying the show too much to mess with my camera, so the picture above was all I got.  I did find these great shots via Flickr:

(Photo via Home Slice Pizza Flickr photo stream)

(Photo via jeremyjohnpeters Flickr photo stream)

 
The vocals were amazing, and the sound perfect.  It was my favorite show of SXSW 2011.  Surfer Blood was up next, but we decided to wait to see them the following day, so we could make our way to Matt & Kim at the Fader Fort party early enough to get in.

We headed out to the Fader Fort on the East Side, where we waited in a long line for our wristbands, followed by a long line to get in the door...but it was all worth it.  We walked around for the first hour, had some free popcorn, fought our way through a tight crowd for free drinks.  Then, we headed to the stage to see Odd Future perform, and we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into.  The crowd was rowdy, somewhat angry.  There was a guy that wanted to get up to the front and started pushing people out of the way (quite forcefully) to do so.  Another guy decided to crowd surf and fell to the cement right next to us, losing his glasses (and couldn't see!).  Someone from the crowd took the opportunity to pour out a full beer on top of him, while he was still on the ground.  Then, people started throwing full water bottles across the audience, hitting people from behind, while the crowd grew even more restless and loud...chanting "Wolf Gang Wolf Gang Wolf Gang."  One of the musicians was encouraging the rowdiness, and let the crowd know that if he saw any more cameras while they were performing, he would kick them to the ground.  It was quite an experience.  Apparently, P. Diddy was there, but we were so busy keeping a watch out for flying water bottles and watching our backs for drunk guys trying to start fights, that we didn't even notice!  (P. Diddy photo via spratt504 Flickr photostream).

The final act of the night was Matt & Kim, and it was amazing to feel the shift in energy as they took the stage.  Everyone went from angry and amped to happy in about 2 minutes.  Even though the performance was very similar to what we saw during ACL 2010, we couldn't help but enjoy it.  They are just so fun to watch!  You can really tell they love what they do.  Kim is drumming her heart out with the biggest smile on her face, while Matt sings out to the audience with all he has to give.

(Photo via cshimala Flickr photo stream)

They are always full of so much energy and just make you want to get up and dance.  Somehow, Kim managed to do some booty dancing while standing on the crowd:

(Photo via nathan_malone Flickr photo stream)

It was such a fun show!  Afterwards, we grabbed our bikes and headed through the 230,000 people on the streets of Austin to get home.  The night came to a perfect end as we rode our bikes past Auditorium Shores, just as fireworks went off above Lady Bird Lake.  It was such a great day!

SX Moments: Day 1

We started our SXSW adventures on Thursday afternoon by riding our bikes down to Club Deville for an afternoon filled with free music and drinks.

(I didn't have to pay for parking at this meter!) 

I didn't really know anyone from the lineup that day, but we enjoyed the music nonetheless.  A $3 wristband got us as many free Miller High Lifes and Mike's Hard Punch as we could drink, and by the time we rode home, I was feeling quite good.  I think one of the most popular freebies this year was sunglasses...I came home with 3 different pair (and that was because I got tired of taking them).

(Alison and Alex sporting the free shades at Club Deville).

We spent most of the day hanging around in the shade, drinking free booze and talking.  Overall, the music was more of a backdrop than anything on day 1, and that was okay.

Agreed.



Things I've Learned on the Thursday Night Social Ride

1. Sequined pants aren’t the most comfortable thing to wear on a bike seat.
2. I learned (thankfully not first hand) what a “baby bird” shot is.
3. When you don’t have a bike, it’s totally acceptable to have your dog pull you along on a skateboard.
4. Apparently, people like to have drunk women commanding them via bullhorn.
5. Hand signals (for bikes) were invented for a reason.
6. Motorized vehicles are either pleasantly surprised or super annoyed by our presence.
7. One's level of coolness can be determined by how high you can lock up your bike.  Raise it up!
8. When in doubt, pack 2 bottles of vodka and vitamin water.
9. It's perfectly acceptable to "mount" someone wheelie style from behind.  No permission required.
10. Taint nothing to it.

Buffalo Exchange

About 10 weeks into the secondhand challenge, and I finally made my way over to Buffalo Exchange.  I've been a regular customer for years, and I'm not really sure why it's taken me so long to get there in 2011 - it's the perfect place to shop without breaking any of my rules.  I usually find a thing or two, but today was an exceptional shopping experience.  I spent $64 and walked out of there with a J.Crew pencil skirt, a dress, a cross body bag, a pair of shoes, and a sequined top (gotta stock up on TNSR clothing).

The J.Crew pencil skirt was marked 50% off, and for only $12.25 final price, it's the best deal I've found in a long time.  This skirt was easily $100 - $150 original price.  The skirt looks like this, except it's a wonderful pink. 

And...the leopard print shoes I found are simply awesome.  The heel is the perfect height to wear all day without making my feet uncomfortable.  I'm pretty sure these had never been worn...what a find! 

The thing I really love about thrifting (aside from the great prices), is that you never know what you're going to find.  I walked into Buffalo Exchange today, looking for some shorts...and walked out with something else entirely.

The Equation

Spring = More Drinking = More Blogging = Less Sense.  You'll see.

Photo from We Heart It.

The "Prezzy"

During an email exchange this morning, my coworker and friend, the amazing thrift shop dress-finding Ginny wrote, "p.s. bringing you a prezzy."  Hmm...

Moments later, she walked through the door with a big grin on her face and her favorite thrift store dress in hand.  "Here, I simply cannot wear this dress another time...it's been worn every way possible...it's been to Italy...I don't even know if it's in a wearable condition right now...just take it!"  Well, yeah, I'm going to take it!  I've been in love with this dress ever since we first laid eyes on it hanging from the racks of Cream Vintage about 3 years ago (give or take).  We had been at a UT football game for about 30 minutes when Ginny asked if I was ready to go.  "Just after the next offensive possession," was my reply.  To which she responded, "what's that?"  "Okay...let's go now."  :)

A few minutes later we found ourselves walking down the drag, on a mission to find some vintage goods.  We escaped the rain, and stepped into Cream.  I don't remember what I bought that day, but I do remember this dress...the one that the wonderful Ginny has so thoughtfully brought to me today, a wonderful prezzy, out of the blue!

Fleeting

I bought the Fleet Foxes record recently, and it brought back all these memories.  Of seeing them at ACL 2008...of all the feelings during that fall and winter. 

(Photos from Eric Uhlir's Flickr Photostream)

It was time of change...professional, personal, familial, Presidential, and spiritual.  They were the first band to take the stage that day...and we had to walk down early...and it was so worth it.  Magical...and haunting even years later.  Until that day, I had never heard of them...it was Wes's suggestion to go, and I'm so glad I took the advice.  There will be a new album this May...just in time for the hot summer months in Austin.  I'm hopeful, and excited...but I know that nothing will ever take the place of the music that touched me that cool September morning.

Listening to the album made me a little sad...and it brought back this recurring feeling that I sometimes have...that I'm all alone...that no matter how close I come to people that I love, I always hold back.  Things like music stand out because I'll hear an album like Fleet Foxes and I'm so emotionally connected to it...that I can't understand when it doesn't have the same affect on another person...and that can make for some lonely thoughts.

Then, I read this on an insert from the Fleet Foxes vinyl:
"This leads me to something weird about the power that music has, its transportive ability, any time I hear a song or record that meant a lot to me at certain moment or I was listening to at a distinct time, I'm instantly taken back to that place in full detail...I can ascribe exact memories to songs by the microphones...and it's a form of recall that I can actually trust.  There's no visual element to complicate things, no chance of a planted memory that wasn't actually supposed to be there and that is reassuring to me.  Maybe I should be concerned that I'm alone in almost all these memories, but I guess I was just a private kid and music was a private experience for me.  I can listen to music and instantly be anywhere that song is trying to take me.  Music activates a certain mental freedom in a way that nothing else can, and that is so empowering.  You can call it escapism if you like, but I see it as a connecting to a deeper human feeling than found in the day to day world."

This took me back...way back to 1994...and to me, sitting alone on the floor of my bedroom, sketching away on notebook paper, while Live's Throwing Copper played on repeat from the boom box my parents bought me for Christmas that year.  I don't know why I felt so alone at that time of my life.  Sure, I was 14, and a lot of it was probably due to the adolescent struggles that most teens face...but there was something else.  In some way, maybe, the music made me feel connected to something bigger than myself...to something I didn't know and didn't have to explain or measure up to...but that I could just enjoy and count on to be there when I needed it to.

And...now that I'm all grown up...maybe I'm older but not wiser.  Maybe, now I'm expecting more from the music than I used to.  Instead of a solitary escape, I now want to share the experience...but maybe that's folly.  Maybe the beauty and the intimacy that I've always found solace in...maybe I need to accept and cherish for what it is...and not try to force onto others.  Because...who would really understand?  No one better than myself...and the thoughts and feelings that I conjure up all on my own...with a little help from my musical friends.

GAYNGS

The band, Gayngs, opened up for the Local Natives last night at Stubb's.  When I bought tickets for the show, I downloaded the Gayngs album, to familiarize myself with the music a bit before the show.  I liked some of the songs okay, and was totally not expecting the show I witnessed last night. 

There were like 11 people on the stage, all playing some sort of instrument or singing...all wearing a hoodie sporting the Gayngs logo (except for the Ron Jeremy looking singer and this other guy that spent most of his time on the stage just getting into the music).

This was one of the best shows I've seen in a long time.  The energy was great, all the sounds were pure and original, and the crowd absolutely loved it.  Pair all this up with perfect March weather in Austin, and the result was sublime.  It's a show I won't soon forget.

To give you an idea, here are a few photos I found on nathan_malone's Flickr photostream:

Throughout the set, they had the audience throwing up their Gayngs sign:

(From ryan muir Flickr photostream)

It was an amazing experience...the kind of music that seeps into every pore until you're saturated with it.  Sure, the Local Natives put on a great show, as expected.  But the Gayngs were such a wonderful surprise.  I couldn't have asked for a better way to kick off a month filled with music.  It's a great time to be in Austin!

Rose' Wine (In My Pimp Cup?)

We were only a few sips into wine class last night, sampling a lovely Rose' garnacha from Spain when Alison says to the instructor, "okay, this is a weird question, but I have to ask.  Why is it that we hear hip hop artists rapping about rose' all the time nowadays?  Is it really expensive or something?"  She asked in her sweet Alison sort of way, and the instructor was pretty amused.  So...the running joke for the remainder of the evening, obviously, was centered around hip hop and rose'.  Needless to say, it was a great class.

It got me thinking...I wonder what the connection is?  I mean, we all know that Cristal is a common drink among rap artists, but rose'?  So, I started doing a little research, and here's what I found:
From Wikipedia: 
"In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the brand became increasingly associated with rap and hip-hop culture, with several artists referencing the drink in song lyrics and as part of their public image.  In an interview with The Economist in 2006, Louis Roederer managing director Frederic Rouzaud said he viewed the attention from rappers with “curiosity and serenity”. Asked if he thought the association would harm the brand, he replied, "that's a good question, but what can we do? We can't forbid people from buying it. I'm sure Dom Pérignon or Krug would be delighted to have their business."  Subsequent interpretations and reactions to these statements resulted in the brand's loss of position in hip-hop culture." 
There's a rose' Cristal, with 1974 vintage...maybe that could have something to do with all the mentions.  I'm sure it would pair quite nicely with a '76 Impala. 

This really peaked my curiosity, so I kept looking. 
There's the song You Know You Know by Drake, that rattles off: "am I the only 23 year old wine connoisseur? The Rothchild's, the Cru's, the 'Caias and the Opuses?"  Okay...not specifically rose', but he's on the right track.
Then, the Lil Wayne song Wasted: "Panetela Dutchy wine in my tall glass, Young Money baby, big sh-t like a horse ass."  Mmm hmmm.

During my searches, I found a lot more about Cristal and Alize (of course), but not too much more about rose' wine, specifically.

And, then...

I found...

wait for it...

This:
RAPWINE !!!!!

And, it distracted me so much I could no longer continue the previous search. 

RAP stands for Rose' Avengers and Producers (duh!).  Here's a short description from their website:
"Welcome to RAP—The Rosé Avengers and Producers. We’re an international group of winemakers and wine drinkers dedicated to righting the wrongs done to dry rosé. The good news is that dry rosé is currently experiencing a New World renaissance. Maybe that’s because most dry rosés pair well with everything from seafood to steaks, spicy flavors, salads and even barbecues. So please join RAP and raise the bar—as well as a glass—for dry pink wine!"

Sure, maybe rose' is experiencing a "New World renaissance" because it's so easy to drink and pairs with just about everything...or maybe...just maybe...it's the Cristal of  the '10s.  (Why would you call your group RAPwine if you didn't see at least some connection...)

Raise your pimp cup!

In Between

I'm stuck here in Austin (tragic, I know).  But...for someone who's here...with family in Oahu and Corpus Christi and Albuquerque...it's tough sometimes.  Growing up, I was so close to my little brother, Jeff.  Now, he lives in Corpus, with a young son...who may never know me (not really).  And...that breaks my heart.  I think of all the moments growing up that shaped my life...all the memories shared with Jeff...and to think that his son may never really know me...tears my heart in two.  Then, there are our nieces in Hawaii.  Sure, we email, text, call...but we're not there for the day-to-day things.  I want them to know me...to turn to me.  And...not to forget my family in Albuquerque.  When things are tough, I can't even reach out for a hug.  It makes me wonder...why am I here?  I wish there were some way to wrap everyone up that's important to me, and carry them with me always.  How did things end up this way?  Where I'm here and not there, there, there.  If I know my priorities...how did they end up so out of line?

The tough thing (I think)...is the people I love, and the places I love, don't necessarily line up. So, where do I go from here?

Hairy Situations

Warning!  A trip down memory lane, with a pinch of narcissism to follow...

While searching through old photos, I was amused at all the random hairstyles I've entertained over the past 10 years.



There was the short and sleek phase, with super chopped bangs (we might revisit this phase):

 There was the trashy, dark-underneath with too many highlights plus lots of volume phase (hopefully, this one will never make a comeback):

There was the phase when I liked my hair like my beer...super dark and a bit out of control:

 The Howard Stern phase:

The short with side swept bangs phase (which coincided with the camera settings experimental phase):

 The long, blond and curly phase (also referred to as the "I wish I lived on a beach" phase):

 The nothing-special average length, natural color phase (someone please put a bag over my head...oh, wait):

 The short and curly:

 The sleek, mid length, long bangs phase:

 The what-the-hell was I thinking reddish phase:

 And, then this happened:

(Yes, I'm riding in the back of a truck in a lawn chair...so?)

 The no-bangs, too-blond, I'm in college and I don't care phase:

 What I like to refer to as the skunk phase...super dark underneath and blond on top (this one stinks!):

It's amazing what we do to express ourselves as we learn and grow.  I think sometimes, when I felt like my life needed a change, when something just had to be done...my hair got it!  Chopped off, dyed, curled, straightened, pulled back, scrunched, teased, spritzed, pulled, pinned, and more.

I feel worn out just thinking about it!