127

this weekend i was lucky enough to go see 127 hours.  you know the true story from 2003: hiker aron ralston, hiking alone in utah, slips and winds up with his arm pinned between a rock and a rock wall.  5 1/2 days later, he cuts off his arm. danny boyle directed the film and james franco stars.   it's so good. please see it.  it will make your heart beat really fast and then if you're like me, you'll get choked up and the person next to you will slip you tissues.  imacrybaby.  also, take a bit to read this interview from vanity fair with danny boyle, james franco, and aron ralston.  the very first question answered one i was wondering about. 

It is cruel, you know, that music should be so beautiful.

on sunday i visited the new home of an old aquaintance.  it had all the things i love: random walls painted in odd colors, a giant porch with a view of the harbor, big old leather club chairs with an antique chess board in between, crate after crate of vinyls, family photos from the nineties and so.many.bookshelves filled with one of the best book collections i've seen in a while.  i poured myself a cup of coffee and headed out to the porch.  it was cold, maybe 45 degrees but the sun was directly hitting my face.  it was one of those moments when you remember that simple pleasures are best. 

then i went inside and asked if i was correct, that this house had no tv.  yup, my worst nightmare realized.  he said there was no tv, that he wanted to have a home that didn't center around a tv.  uh ok sure, fine.  i then asked where he plays music.  yup you guessed it - no radio, no ipod dock, no record player for all those vinyls.  just a fuzzy clock radio for npr.  i wouldn't survive a minute in that house :)  would you?

thank you too.

tomorrow is thanksgiving.  what better than a post devoted to giving thanks for the things i am grateful for.

thank you for:
keeping me, my mama, my papa and my brother healthy this year

thank you for:
giving me the opportunity this year to see vampire weekend, jonsi, muse, silversun pickups, jimmy eat world, beach house, passion pit, the xx, lights, a million more plus all my friends bands, and music in general.

thank you for:

giving me a really positive attitude this year (most days!)

thank you for:

bringing my brother back to mass.  we missed him.

thank you for:

all my gorgeous friends' weddings and happy marriages. 

thank you for:
my brown boots.  i really love em ;)

thank you for:

allowing me to travel to miami, new york, maine, washington dc, baltimore, virginia, and los angeles over the past few month.  travel is a gift.

thank you for:
bringing some very important people into my life this year.  i am so lucky to have them.  i know this and i am thankful for them daily.

thank you for:
giving me the strength to welcome love into my life and also realize when it was time to let him go.  i will always remember and cherish canoeing under the fireworks.

thank you for:
phil dunphy on modern family.  and the walking dead.  that show kicks ass.



alone in a forest, singing a chorus. fearless.

you can only eat caterpillars for so long, before a beautiful butterfly emerges from your mouth.  an emerald, an anthem, a song.

thursday i'll see my family for thanksgiving.  my brother is buying a house in the area.  it's on a lake and there's a big ol forest/park behind it.  my running shoes are packed.  i've never felt more like i need to be outside, getting lost in the trees.  there's nothing in the world that gives me such clarity as running outside.  i got away from running for awhile but i'm back into it now... the perspective and relief it brings is exactly what was missing.  it made me wonder what other people do when they need a question answered or help seeing life more clearly.  so.  fill me in.  what your "thing"? 

we're just a bunch of losers hanging out.

tonight i'm off to middlesex in cambridge to see my friend's band.  they're called the needy visions. and they are awesome.  i saw them first on a sunny summer afternoon when they were playing outside in downtown crossing.  i've seen them a bunch since, but after that first time, i was hooked.  i ran over to downtown crossing that night, after a stressful day at work, i was a little grouchy and then almost instantly i was back to the best version of me.  they were at camputfest over the summer too.  i love when music can make you feel like all is right in the world.  that you're not alone.  and that you're buds are there feelin' the same thing. 

really looking forward to it, dudes. 

here's a great review of their album.

girl crush friday: susan sarandon

susan sarandon rules.  apart from her extremely successful acting career, she's got a whole lot of other important stuff going on.  she's an activist for some very liberal causes:  anywhere from gay rights, to anti-war rallies, to hosting one part of live 8 in edinburgh.  and coolest of all?  she had her hand in the opening of SPiN NY -  she helped create SPiN - a table tennis/bar/eatery in the flatiron district of new york.  she seems like a pretty awesome lady. don't you agree?

stunner.

let's have some fun.

tonight i'm off to the house of blues for the maine and never shout never.  my brother manages chris of nsn so this is the millionth time i've seen him.  know what's awesome?  since my friends and i will be easily the oldest non-parent people there, our path to the bar will be clear.  dancing will be done, laughs will be had. oh, and tacos will be eaten at la verdad first. 

ideas are like beards; men do not have them until they grow up.

(etsy print sold here)

way back in february i wrote this here post about  my love for bearded men.  well, we're now half way through my favorite month of the year:  novembeard.  the basic idea is to start on nov 1 clean shaven and not touch a razor until the end of november.   check out random dudes' progress on the official novemBEARD website here.

in that spirit, let's have a look at some more of my favorite beards.

bearded bruce.  a way more awesome version of his current self.

i know i write about conan ALL THE TIME.  but i love him and am rooting for him.

this man is gorgeous.  perfectly perfect to the point of butterflies in my tummy.  devendra banhart.

drake bell beard.  cutie pie.

this might be the coolest photo i've ever posted.  those seemed like awesome times.  george harrison.  (also, if you live in a hole, you may not know that the beatles albums are coming to itunes.)

 zach: to me, you are perfect. 

i rarely find a face i like better clean shaven.  but here is one:

jon hamm.  he's so handsome without it, i can't get behind this.

come sit by my fire.

If you are a dreamer, come in, If you are a dreamer, A wisher, a liar, A hope-er, a pray-er, A magic bean buyer . . . Come in...

The Woulda-Coulda-Shouldas

Layin' In The Sun,

Talkin' 'Bout The Things

They Woulda-Coulda-Shoulda Done...

But All Those Woulda-Coulda-Shouldas

All Ran Away And Hid

From One Little Did.”

when i was a little girl, i was given a copy of where the sidewalk ends by shel silverstein.  i loved that book fiercely and probably read it 1000 times.  i wish i knew where it went, i'm sure it was highlighted and had my little girl thoughts written on the pages.  i remember my mom hated when i read the giving tree because i would cry every time... but i loved it so much.  

one thing i love about silverstein is his insistence on using certain paper, ink, etc.  from wikipedia: "Silverstein believed that written works needed to be read on paper—the correct paper for the particular work. He usually would not allow his poems and stories to be published unless he could choose the type, size, shape, color and quality of the paper."  i seriously love this, because i get it.  presentation is so important.   his illustrations are perfection.

crushcrushcrush: best coast.

 girl crush friday.  herewego.

it's bethany cosentino of best coast.  here's the thing. best coast is awesome, boyfriend is perhaps my favorite song in a while (i got a lotta favorite songs, ok?! jeesh)  and best of all, bethany has a cat called snacks.  she calls him her son, which is how i used to feel about my kitty.  (missin you cammie jean!) 

i'm huge on cool pet names.  next time i have an animal, much thought will go into its name which will be a minimum of 2 names.  my favorite celebrity pet name is rachel bilson's dog, thurman murman.  my old roommate's sister has a dog cally fluffy baggins, which is also great.  ok i'ma ramblin'. 

here's some photos of bethany and snacks and bandmate.  she seems fun and cool and i think i read she likes chips.  i would allow her into my friend circle.

needing things only kills you slowly.

i found my christmas dress.

you can get one too! at the imyourpresent etsy store here.  designer will post the dress tonight.

gonna get some black sparkle tights from american apparel to go with. will look freakin awesome.



i love this part.

the decaying burst, of fireworks, like a dandelion puff
or a chandelier
comets and scissors
sparks

our night, made from mosquito bites
thick breath and knives
in love
independence day
two clenched fists in the air, chanting "U-S-A!"
and i will wait
i will shiver i will wait
i will stutter i will wait
i will wait
i will wait for you and i always will!
you say, "oh, jason, are you still waiting?"


i am, i am and i love this part...
i am, i am and i sing my heart...

 
these are the perfect lyrics to july 4, 2004 by jason anderson.  i've seen him a gazillion times but the best was this summer. bare feet, covered in grass and finger paint.  drinkin a sam summer, dancing in the sunlight, gettin' my hand kissed by mr. anderson himself.  i dare say it was one of the very best moments in my life.  (photo above - bianca ghezzi. me in front!)

something i couldn't over look

today at lunch i was making a to do list (really, i was doodling robots) and a co-worker asked if i always used pencils.  truth is,  no not always, but i much prefer a pencil to a pen.  while i realize this isn't crucial info, don't you agree?  i like the little scratch scratch noise they make.  i like erasers.  i like everything about pencils over pens.  except those creepy mechanical pencils. 

anyways.  ever hear of dalton ghetti?  tons of stuff blows my mind, but today, these take the cake.  ghetti makes tenny tiny sculptures from the tips of pencils.  check em out below.  (sidenote: know what else is mind-blowing?  dalton ghetti has no wikipedia page.  weird.)

 how is this even possible?!

 listening to the xx, islands, while i type this.  i saw them play it live - it is such a beautiful song.  it's one of those songs i would play over and over again if i was alone. 

k. bye.