A GIFT OF MUSIC {2009 STYLE}

KARMA BUTTON'S FAVORITE 2009 MUSIC 

{as in the albums that came out this year because I can't possibly keep up with all of the music I listen to!}

• Goodway by Monsters of Folk
• French Navy by Camera Obscura
• And the Hazy Sea by Cymbals Eat Guitars
• Troll Nacht by The Dodos
• DLZ by TV On The Radio
• La Llorona by Beirut

 

Add a playlist to your page using iLike

• My Night With The Prostitute From Marseille by Beirut
• Someday by Tegan and Sara
• Black Rainbow by St. Vincent
• Hysteric by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
• Southern Point by Grizzly Bear
• "Thank You" by Jay-Z

 

Add a playlist to your page using iLike

• Dominos by The Big Pink

 

More The Big Pink music on iLike

DISCLAIMERS:

**The Big Pink was a last minute add because I haven't listened to the album, I just became cheesily obsessed with the song while watching the BBC series "Being Human"

**Sorry for the multiple embeds, had issues with the embedding!!

I hope you enjoyed this playlist and hopefully discovered something new to love! If you are on ilike, find me so we can share more music!

xoxo

"If music be the food of love, play on." -William Shakespeare

27 Things I am Glad I did Before 28...

photo by Mad_T

I have been wanting to write a post looking back on my "27 Things Before 28" list (thank you to Andrea for motivating me to consciously do this for the past few years)--as in what I did or did not accomplish, and sharing my new list...yet it seems it takes me awhile before I can fully reflect and put things into words. Today I was first inspired by Elsie and the photo above...so I will share the supplemental list I made a few months ago (when I actually turned 28) to make me feel better about the things I didn't do on my initial list.

27 Things I am Glad I did Before 28...
(some huge, some seemingly trivial)

1. Van Duzer Days!-- Upcycling Booth--on two different weeks I broke out of my shell and upcycled loads of junk through the outlet of art and sharing! I felt like so much was purged--literally and figuratively by the simple acts of sitting on sidewalks painting cardboard with people. So many things I love all wrapped up in single days full of creation and friends!!

2. Matt Accardo portrait-- I had secretly hoped I would one day be photographed by Matt, who has since  become a great new presence and inspiration. I love how he captures people, and mostly that he is recording stories of our island!

3. Tattoo #4-- gam zeh yavoor: This Too Shall Pass. To lift me up when I am down, to humble me when I am too full of ego...to remind me of impermanence and irony.

4. Sewed a tool roll-- I never follow through on projects...this once I did! The tutorial came from Lotta's Simple Sewing book!

5. Vedic Astrology classes-- every Thursday I either host, or at least commit to learning and discussing so many amazing things along with my friend and astrologer Jay!

6. Movies at the Tibetan museum!-- a J.P., Jay, and I ritual when there are events!

7. Saw a Meteor!--even though there wasn't much of a shower, J.P, Cristyn and I hung out on the beach and enjoyed the sky. Each of us saw one, separately--thus we know there were at least three that sprayed across the sky!

8. Got a new bed!-- a real big girl bed!! This has perhaps been one of my largest adult purchases...and my body thoroughly thanks me for this...especially after spending months sleeping on a couch and then futon!! ouch.

9. Got a Bicycle!!-- a super rad electric blue vintage one!! (yes, RAD!)

10. Made a chocolate chickpea cake! (indulgent and good for you!!)

11. Made Zucchini cupcakes! (I feel similarly about these as I do about the chickpea cake!)

12. My Peanut-butter granola balls--(need to find a shorter name!) were loved at a local Wellness fair!! Yummy little doses of energy! Easy (and healthy) recipe came from Everyday Food magazine!

13. 92 Y blog mention!!!

14. Featured on scribble project-- this entire concept is so much fun and inspiring!!

15. Started 365 project-- though it has been quite hard to be consistent here! Overall this project has been quite a profound little journey for me!! hmm...

16. Crocheted a gillion tawashis and dishcloths!! Gave some to friends, use some...love 'em!! I have learned that one ball of Sugar 'n Cream yarn makes exactly two tawashis!

17. Made my own shampoo-- can't remember the exact source of the recipe, but essentially I just used some lavender Dr. Bronner's castille soap (thank you Cyndy for introducing me officially!), a splash of apple cider vinegar, a drop of olive oil, and water--put it all in a spray bottle, shake and use! This will last forever and makes my hair so much healthier...and mind you saves a lot of money on product that robs you of your natural oils.

18. Participated in a Red Velvet Art on-line craft class!

19. Made my own room mist-- no more buying toxic air sprays...a few drops of REAL essential oil and water in a spray bottle!

20. New upcycling projects!-- making journals for and with friends, inspiring others, discovering so many more ways to be self-sustainable!!

21. One allergy free room!!-- much to my cat's chagrin, my bedroom is my ultimate sanctuary...though dust magically accumulates no matter what!

22. Survived a difficult break up relatively unscathed--and helped some friends with my determination to enjoy life at all costs! Keep on truckin' through thick and thin! (yay Grateful Dead reference!)

23. Had a student thank me in a speech and another tell me her tattoo was inspired by life lessons I taught in class. Not much is better than those moments...

24. Iphone!-- do I need to even explain the beauty that is iphone?? I am an open Mac lover!!

25. Finished books 1-5 of Sookie Stackhouse series and caught up on the show--total indulgent mind numbing brain candy...guilty as charged!

26. Cristyn and I became addicted to Being Human and all things BBC America (see 25!)

27. Renegade craft fair! Such a fun day with so many opportunities to take photos!!

I do all of this so I can remember, and share the little things that make life so so worth it. This alone is a huge challenge to myself and to all of you...take time to consider what makes you feel good about being you, about the life you lead and the people in it. There are so many things each year that make life difficult, but I try to balance that with beauty and gratitude...and for my own sake, for my loved ones, and perhaps for my hypothetical future children I try to document all of the good so I can one day look back and say "beautiful".

iTHANK

(Sorry, this is a total self-indulgent post!)

Every day I am hyper-aware of how much there is to be thankful for, yet rarely do I break it all down to take a look at REALLY HOW MUCH there is to be thankful for (yes, I am redundant!) I consider myself a rather lucky person, in part because I can see all of those little things that make life so beautiful!

I AM THANKFUL FOR:

1. my family who gets through it all....even if it seems like a circus sideshow at times
2. my sister Linda for being an angel-saint (a hybrid breed of specialness1)
3. my brother Paul's transformation into devoted Dad (dysfunction and all!)
4. my brother Chris for being one of my best friends and making great mix-cd's for me!
5. my brother Ed for his shoulder whenever I need
6. my brother Ben for impressing me year by year 
7. my Mom, for making in through multiple illnesses and relearning to be herself (which was mean and insane, but I'll take that!)
8. my Dad and Iva, for also being best friends and support systems!
9. my niece and nephew, for being their amazing little selves!
10. all of our animals!! (Princess, Angel, Vincent, Theo, Flash, Mercedes, Dukie, Jasper Johns, Fana)
11. Angelo for being solid, patient, and all around good
12. amazing friends in a place of tension! (thank you Cyndy, Adam, John, Bob, Eric....)
13. those students who make teaching worthwhile
14. my Key Club who do so many great things for others!
15. our amazingly beautiful and inspiring (though still a WIP) apartment!!
16. walking up our steps and seeing into the sunset behind the hills
17. my cat for having so much personality and love in him
18. Ange's cat for being so cute I want to hurt things
19. the amount of great food I have consumed in my life
20. those friends who are my constants (Cristyn, Natalie!)
21. the internet! (fodder for my obsessiveness!!)
22. my camera
23. FLICKR!
24. all of the bloggers I follow who share and inspire me!
25. growing up in museums
26. sleepovers in the twin towers
27. road trips 
28. plane trips
29. visiting other countries
30. sailing on the sea of Galilee
31. friends from other states! (Jessica, Loren!)
32. Portland, Oregon!
33. color!
34. the laughter of children
35. Dr. Seuss
36. cinema
37. tin wind-up toys (actually, all wind-up toys!)
38. our beautiful (though fairly imperfect) country
39. THE BIG G IN THE SKY
40. the use of all of my faculties
41. Robots!
42. gocco!!
43. Creating Keepsakes for changing my perspective of scrapbooking
44. live music!!
45. LOST!
46. beautiful patterns
47. the cajun chicken wrap at Bayou
48. tiramisu from Carmine's
49. my PINK pajamas
50. argyle socks
51. my Marc Jacobs blazer
52. 7gypsies, Jenni Bowlin, Sassafrass Lass, Cosmo Cricket, Heidi Swapp...
53. Audrey Hepburn
54. my college education
55. three weeks in California when I was 19
56. snorkeling in an underground river in Xcaret, Mexico
57. visiting Rendez Vous Key in Belize
58.  a few doctors I trust
59. my current car (6 1/2 years without blowing up! knock on wood!)
60. my Charlie's Angels tin lunchbox
61. carnivals
62. comfy pillows
63. MUSIC!1
64. MY MAC!!
65. ITUNES GENIUS!
66. my generally clear skin
67. post-it notes
68. holiday lights
69. fairs of all sorts!
70. the view of Manhattan from our shore
71. the Cookie Jar cookies
72. living near two parks
73. SICOLAB
74. the sounds of accordians and ukeleles (or mandolins)
75. zywiec and spaten
76. living in a culturally diverse city
77. live theater
78. having fun for free
79. HEIMA
80. HOUSE being on t.v. all of the time now!
81. the smell of the air when seasons change
82. the crunch of leaves under my feet in the Fall
83. the moon
84. cows, porcupines
85. Israel
86. the right to be educated
87. the International Festival at my school
88. the Columbia fellowship this past summer!
89. having had Professors who deeply affected me (Hack, Falk, Shulman, Kaufma!)
90. Chock Full 'O Nuts!
91. cheese of all varieties
92. pants that fit me well! (a rarity!)
93. LAUGHTER
94. food network and HGTV
95. MAGAZINES GALORE! (New York, Real Simple, Mental Floss, Domino, Readymade...)
96. a local Barnes and Noble
97. ETSY (and all things handmade, crafted, and independently run!)
98. patterns and textures I want to touch
99. lazy days
100. anyone who reads my blog and supports my dreams!

Overall, I am thankful for a chance at this thing we call life!! Thank you for your patience. I hope you take time to count your blessings (whenever, wherever, however you can!) Much love!

LIST LOVE: 10 Things I am Happy About RIGHT NOW

1. How beautiful our apartment and neighborhood look in the Fall!!

2. Leaves EVERYWHERE!

3. The glow from Autumn sunsets

4. Wearing my "Pink" pajamas (as seen from this entry !)-- This was my second day posting here almost two years ago!! Haha, and the thes Pj's still ROCK!

5. Napping with Jasper Johns--He is super cuddle kitty!! (photo taken by Ange)

6. TWO PEAS

7. Holiday planning!! (So much inspiration EVERYWHERE!--I found so much in the Dollar Tree!)

(Get these and other awesome printables from Tricia Rennea! )

8. my MAC !! (and the lists it is inspiring me to make!)

9. ITUNES Genius mixes!! So good I feel guilty.

10. finally accomplishing some personal goals...or at least making baby steps towards an even better tomorrow....

The LIST...

This is my present state...somewhere in a cloud of thought...wondering what year 27 has in store for me...accomplishing one thing off the LIST...wondering why I can't go apple picking and pumpkin picking every day.... 

...but the real purpose of this post is to a.) discuss how I love lists, and b.) display the LIST. I love lists (redundant ad nausea). I have books devoted to them, and plenty that end up crumpled and lost in my purse. I try to keep lists close or posted, but generally my ADD (seriously going to get evaluated soon) makes me all scattered. One list that is extremely valuable to me (and I have lost and refound countless times) is my "Things to do before I die" list, which I occasionally add to and check off of. There are times I feel like I am addicted to listing, as in I can't get things done or focus without them-- so sometimes I try to quit lists so I feel like I can trust myself more....usually I just wish I had made a list of the reasons lists even needed to be quit. Back on track....every year I make goals, small, medium, large...bite size, impossible...things to look forward to, work towards, suffer through...however, one of the issues I have is that I don't often manifest these goals in as focused a way as I would like...so, to add to my focus and because I oddly love reading other people's lists, I decided to share mine in hopes that I will document the journey and force myself to get things done. If you read this, share your lists, maybe participate in some of my list, and remember to be mindful of the journey along the way! (Oh yea, and take pictures, because they are fun!)

27 Things To Do Before I'm 28

❑1. get my Master's Degree! (so dang close...gotta do it already!) 

x2. go pumpkin picking 

❑3. record a song (just for the sake of it!)

❑4. finish photo scavenger hunt (to be blogged...)

x5. see at least 5 concerts: 1. Sigur Ros, 2. Tegan and Sara, 3. Okkervil River, 4. Phosphorescent, 5. Mates of State, 6. Built to Spill, 7. Explosions in the Sky/The Flaming Lips

❑6. develop a running HeARTSI (on the road though I occasionally lose steam)

❑7. Holocaust Remembrance Event

❑8. Participate in at least one walk (being the advisor of KEY Club should solve this one!)

❑9. sew 5 pen caddies 

❑10. complete at least one project from Lotta book 

❑11.. complete one project from "Big A$$ Book of Crafts" 

❑12. album of Israel trip

❑13. album of Poland trip

❑14. make cards for blog (got a logo in the works...next is just time and product!)

❑15. make a workable studio space! (I do have a chair! Photos to come!)

X16. make an apple crisp (picked apples and got a recipe!)

x17. make my own deodorant 

x18. buy padding compound 

❑19. make art work for next HAG

❑20. throw a party

x21. have a craft day 

x22. go away somewhere with Angelo (we did camp this weekend, but other people were there)

❑23. make a day for thrifting

❑24. bring Jessica to see the tree and the TREE (didn't work out as we planned., never enough time together!)

❑25. eat at Maison de Couscous (in Bay Ridge.....awesomeness!)

❑26. participate in a Tattfoo project or Improv Everywhere project

x27. make a pretty blog header!!!