Lungs are my favorite.

I want to play with my henna again.
Temporary body art is the name of the game.


But please, PLEASE, let's not wait till
I have to have another emergency surgery.

Yet another NPR discovery..

While driving to performance gig my lil' dance company had this last week, I became extremely sick of listening to music. Does this happen to you ever? You just need something else. So I turned to my 2nd love, National Public Radio. I just happened upon an interview with Jay Duplass, one half of the writer-director-actor-brother pairing (insert Mark Duplass into this equation), that brought you gems such as "The Puffy Chair" and "Baghead". The below movie is one of their first shorts that made a standing at the Sundance Film Festival.

We've ALL been in this situation before...
letting the most simple day to day things completely and utterly massacre your self esteem.

It's relate-able. It's genius. It's the Duplass legacy.

Check it.

This is John

Atom.com: Funny Videos | Love Sucks | Psycho Chicks & Total DicksT

The Zest and Zeal of Public Radio

Last year I was a little over-excited (no wetting of the pants or chewing the lead-based paint off the walls, I promise... but close) to find yet another music list, consisting of what somebody somewhere (more specifically, the fine listeners of All Songs Considered) claimed to the best of the best, the top of heap, la creme de la creme (B, correct me if my French is off). I'm pleased to say that my intense excitement has never quite diminished, as I actively sought more lists throughout the year, dreaming of December when all the end-of-the-year-top-insert-a-specific-number-here lists are born, to sustain my secret life as a hoarder... a music hoarder that is. I really do enjoy finding out what anybody and everybody loves, which explains my passion for mixtapes. It's like looking behind the curtain. Maybe my motives are less adorable and maybe just for my personal benefit in padding my ipod shuffle. Who's to say for sure.

But... here is it is, in all it holiday glory...

All Songs Considered Listeners Pick The Year's Best Music

01. Grizzly Bear: Veckatimest
02. Animal Collective: Merriweather Post Pavilion
03. Phoenix: Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
04. Neko Case: Middle Cyclone
05. Andrew Bird: Noble Beast
06. The Decemberists: Hazards Of Love
07. Wilco: Wilco (The Album)
08. Bon Iver: Blood Bank
09. The Avett Brothers: I And Love And You
10. St. Vincent: Actor
11. Yeah Yeah Yeahs: It's Blitz!
12. Regina Spektor: Far
13. M. Ward: Hold Time
14. The Swell Season: Strict Joy
15. Monsters Of Folk: Monsters of Folk
16. The Dirty Projectors: Bitte Orca
17. Passion Pit: Manners
18. Various: Dark Was The Night
19. Camera Obscura: My Maudlin Career
20. Metric: Fantasies
21. Beirut: March of the Zapotec
22. The xx: XX
23. Bat For Lashes: Two Suns
24. Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros: Up From Below
25. Modest Mouse: No One's First, And You're Next
26. The Dead Weather: Horehound
27. U2: No Line On The Horizon
28. Norah Jones: The Fall
29. Pearl Jam: Back Spacer
30. Lily Allen: It's Not Me, It's You
31. The Low Anthem: Oh My God, Charlie Darwin
32. Conor Oberst And The Mystic Valley Band: Outer South
33. Fever Ray: Fever Ray
34. The Antlers: Hospice
35. Bob Dylan: Together Through Life
36. Heartless Bastards: Mountain
37. Patrick Watson: Wooden Arms
38. Sonic Youth: The Eternal
39. Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse: Dark Night Of The Soul
40. Girls: Album
41. Jay-Z: The Blueprint III
42. K'Naan: Troubadour
43. Silversun PIckups: Swoon
44. Antony and the Johnsons: Crying Light
45. Moby: Wait For Me
46. Mos Def: The Ecstatic
47. Franz Ferdinand: Tonight
48. Noah And The Whale: First Days Of Spring
49. Dan Auerbach: Keep It Hid
50. Fanfarlo: Reservoir

This one's for you.

I miss taking photo classes.

I really really do.

This was all about you, Tiger.

Shady Chapel "will break your legs."

"...snap off your head."
Wait. That's Hot Chip.

Anyways...


If you weren't at the Velour on Wednesday night... then you missed out. Big time

If you were there... then I'm probably in love with you.
Or I owe you a big kiss on the face.


Just look how attractive Shady Chapel is.
Admit that you aren't at least A LITTLE BIT bummed that you couldn't bask in this glory.

Photos by the lovely Wendy G.
CHECK HER OUT.

Come one, come all...

TONIGHT:

Come see me sing and badly use a tamorine with the alt-country band Shady Chapel.

The Line-up:

Hello Kavita (touring from Denver),

Cody Rigby,

Shady Chapel (EP Release),

The Madison Arm

The Info:

November 11, 2009. 8pm. $7

Velour Live Music Gallery

135 University Ave. Provo, UT

Laugh till you cry.

Better Than Anime

... but now the question is... Where do I get my very own Japanese gentleman (yellow maracas included)?

"They wear their scarves just like a noose. . ."

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Today seemed like a holiday, for tonight I get to have a most glorious girl's night to see Madame Regina Spektor at In The Venue!

This is Thrillsville, USA for me!

Look! I'm even using exclamation points!

Validated

Special thanks to Nate Bagley. He found this little slice, and this is me re-posting it because I want to.

At least she still has all her skin and bones...

I'm organizing everything. My shambles will not extend to my room, so help me God.
I'm just ankle deep in loose leaf and memories. I'm not sure if I can scrub out anymore of you tonight.

Interesting finds:

Two blank dvds. I'm still solving this mystery.

"Dear Claire (with a scratched out e),
Hope your slightly sickly stomach can handle this. If no, feed it to baby quail coven under bed.
Heart George"


Doodled scraps of papers with near-illegible writing. What I can make out of the mess is this: "Meta conceptual thinking. Flexible mapping between concepts." Huh?
"Conceptional Integration can better explain how children remain resilient. . . then previous accounts of spirituality or religiosity (is that even a word?)" Double huh?


One envelope addressed to 'Clairion'. On the back opening flap it reads "I always have, and always will, love love love you."
I love love love you too Jackie Surpriseme.


"Things That I Love May 5, 2008"

• When my rings slide off my fingers and thumbs. Makes me feel tiny.
• When my cat sleeps really close to my face and purrrrrrs in my ear.
• My summer dance plans.
• Finishing a good book at 4 AM.
• China!
• The fact the Chris Hayes stays up later than I do (Well... at least he's paid of that... but it still makes me happy to know that someone is awake when I am).
• Helaman 5:12
• Much like the Velveteen Rabbit, my grey sweatshirt has become 'real'.
• The fact that the cute boy in Bonnie's ward is wearing black nail polish, and Halloween isn't even within whispering at corners distance.
• June. I still love June.
• The Sunday School teacher in Bonnie's ward looks like a handsome neanderthal-lumberjack.
• Pins (but really only my deceased pink Amity pin).
• Singing 'Maps' on Rock Band; pretending that I'm Karen O in the video.
  

On the bottom of the Christmas 2008 Mix Tape play list, B wrote, "This is boy handwriting. Not yours."


Do you remember when I called to read to you the following note? I'm pretty sure you won't. But I made you sit down to crunch your tacos in my ear, so you might really hear each word:
"I've had a terribly difficult month... with a lot of things really... but mostly due to the fact that
you and I aren't even friends anymore, or even anything else for that matter. We are nothing. I used to be able to go through life and just be OK forgetting people and going on as normal. But I can't do that with you. I only knew you for about two seconds, realistically. But there was
something in those two seconds that I miss. I miss you and. . . whatever it was, it wasn't surreal or superficial or meaningless or shallow. Not at all. I wanted to let you know this because I'm trying to be honest and life's too short to not tell people that you care for them. Even if it was just for two seconds."
It's dizzying. Atta' girl.
"Sure is smokey in here." Surrounded by scribbles representing smoke.


From Senior Capstone One - Assembling the ingredients to my artistic statement:
'Why do I do what I do?' - To progress, for recognition, for creativity, fear, guilt, love.
'How did you get into your work?' - The feeling of being pretty or active or worth. Teachers push. I push.
'Favorite things about work?' - The ability to say a billion things I never can open my mouth for.
'Words that communicate values or work' - details, raw, real, a canvas of skin and body and soul, screaming, violence, soft sensual, things that I am, things that I am not.


"My family has noticed an alarming interest in dinner theater and modern tween couches."
- Jon Jon 2/25/09


"Things That I Love April 13, 2009"

• Being done with NCUR. Whew.
• My new shoes. Steve M. Mmmmmmmm. . .
  
• Spring, finally.
• Tulips at Temple Square.
• Holding hands circa 2006.
• Amelie-esq kisses on your brow and neck and side of your mouth circa 2006.
• The year 2006. Apparently.
  
• Fog all along the East Coast. Fog rolling me home.
  
• Singing the 'Crazy For You' soundtrack on the top of my lungs to myself in the tub.
• Having a crush on every boy that lives in Ryan's house. Including you, Ryan. (Don't worry, darling I wouldn't forget you in that lump.)
• Pretend tap dancing at the grocery store.
  
• Dancing on top of 8 crawling people. Wait. (Sitting really, but sitting in style.)

I am a smith of letters and words.
I build small windows into the authentic self, selfish as that may be.

From me to you. A year late.

The play list for 2008's Christmas mix tape, which I sprinkled liberally amongst my near and dear.
All are songs I listened to obsessively that year. I could tell you whys and hows and wheres and whoitremindedmeofs for each.. but I'd rather you just go and LISTEN:

1. Skinny Love - Bon Iver
2. Ne Me Quitte Pas- Regina Spektor
3. Symphony 5 was a surprise - Emily Wells
4. Journey of the Featherless - Cloud Cult
5. First Love - The Maccabees
6. Micro Melodies - The Album Leaf
7. Comme des Enfants - Coure de Pirate
8. For Reverend Green - Animal Collective
9. No One's Gonna Love You - Band of Horses
10. Middle Class Girl - Tom Waits
11. True Affection - The Blow
12. Living Life - Daniel Johnston
13. Politics -Sean Hayes
14. Electric Feel - MGMT
15. What They Found - Octopus Project
16. Love - Matt White
17. Grounds for Divorce - Wolf Parade
18. Yours To Keep - Paola
19. Survival - Andrew Jackson Jihad & Ghost Mice
20. Bridges & Balloons - Joanna Newsom
21. Rue St. Vincent - Yves Montand

Victoria & Matt are the most adorable. Hands down.

V and M stting in a tree... K... I... S... S...

well, you know the rest.

I'm pretty lucky to have been able to shoot these engagements.

I wish every couple was just as attractive and sweet.

Let's all be jealous of this gorgeous couple.

I know I am.

P.S. Of COURSE Elissa's little sister would be gorgeous.

I may need an intervention.

My good friend Jessica P. had a billion lbs of candy at her house... her house being the place where I met my demise.

Because THERE is where I met my doom.


She introduced me to Caramel Apple Hershey Kisses.

I'm living my own fake tragedies.

Glib
1 a : marked by ease and informality : nonchalant b : showing little forethought or preparation : offhand c : lacking depth and substance : superficial
2 archaic : smooth, slippery
3 : marked by ease and fluency in speaking or writing often to the point of being insincere or deceitful