More Lady Gaga, because I love her.

End of the Year

Yesterday night it began to snow. Only a few short hours ago, it stopped. The neighborhood is covered in a blanket of snow, a shimmering powder that coats the black asphalt and buries the automobiles. If I squint my eyes for a moment, I can imagine that cell phones, cars, and computers don't exist. My sleep schedule is hopelessly skewed, as it often is when I come home from school. I spent the early hours of the morning in an overstuffed chair, wrapped in a blanket. I watched the snowfall outside the window, past our second Christmas tree. It is a fake one that my mother decorates with our old homemade ornaments, so that people may see it in the window. The cold weather reminds me, more than coming home for winter break, more than Christmas carols and the smell of baking cookies, that 2009 is almost over. Not only will a new decade begin, but a new chapter of my life. College is ending and I will move on to . . . something. Graduate school, a job, I'm not sure. And I'm not overly fond of the uncertainty either. But it does make you reflect upon the past year. This year was particularly eventful for me, in terms of my musical expansion. I began to discover music on my own, which is pretty exciting! So here's my own little end of the year album list, for what it's worth, with no explanations, and no adjectives.


-The Hazards of Love by the decemberists
- Middle Cyclone by neko case
- Lungs by florence + the machine
- It's Bliss by yeah yeah yeahs
- Fantasies by metric
- Give Up the Ghost by brandi carlile
- Two Suns by bat for lashes
- Hold Time by m. ward
- Horehound by the dead weather

So. I never really discuss my growing affection for country music. Taylor Swift is adorable, and I'm going to see her when she comes to town. I love the Dixie Chicks post-pissing off Bush music, and I've blogged about my love of southern 70s rock music. But it all kind of started with Brandi Carlile, and her first album. The first single 'The Story,' was not my cup of tea, at first. But the more I listened to it, the more I began to appreciate the passion and honesty in her voice. As my tastes spread to a more folk sound, I discovered that that honesty is predominant in the best folk music, from Bob Dylan to the Weepies. And that's what makes it worth listening to. It's not a gimmick, or a ploy. It's the way people feel, stripped of any sort of pretense. I wish I had the courage to express myself like that.




other songs: jolene by the weepies, it takes a lot to laugh, it takes a train to cry by bob dylan

Just some early morning thoughts.

You know, it really ticks me off when people make fun of Bono for being an activist. He's using his celebrity for something good. Channeling it to attempt to make a difference, and not just be the face of whatever brand, or his own tv show, or whatever. And yeah, he preaches a bit. But he preaches what he believes in. And that deserves respect, I think. And we need more people like him in the world.

This sort of thing makes me happy.

Fractured Fairy Tales

I love, have always loved, fairy tale stories. In particular, I adore reinterpreted fairy tales. Here are a few of my favorites:


Beauty by Robin McKinley



Beauty is a spectacular reinterpretation of Beauty and the Beast. Beauty does not consider herself beautiful by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, Beauty is a nickname that stuck after one of the obnoxiously precocious moments in childhood. She is bookish, and loves horses, and these hobbies are facilitated with ease until her father's merchant ships are lost at sea. Their removal to a poor country village showcases a beautiful family that are loving and industrious. McKinley combines the real world and a fantasy world with delicious dexterity. The Beast and his realm are utterly believable in their parameters, and the Beast himself is endearing and charming. This book has been a favorite of mine since childhood, and I continue to read it to this day.











Snow by Tracy Lynn



Snow brings the tale of Snow White into the Victorian age. Jessica, Daughter of a Duke is left isolated for years in Kenigh Hall in Wales, until her father remarries the Duchess. Jealous of Jessica's burgeoning beauty, the Duchess forces Jessica into servitude and out of the light, until her hair grows in black as night, and her skin turns white as snow. Discovering the Duchess' plot to kill her, Jessica, now nicknamed Snow, runs away to London and falls into the company of the Lonely Ones, societal misfits and pickpockets. Snow's journey in the dark underbelly of Victorian London is intriguing and quite the page-turner. Plus, Raven is dreamy!


















And right now, rather than writing my paper, my attention is utterly focused on the SyFy channel's new adaptation of Alice in Wonderland, called simply Alice. It is most excellent.

The Fabric of Our Lives

I wear jeans. Specifically, Levis. Every day. Maybe one day I'll wear a pair of cords. But denim is the major fabric of my life, along with flannel and thermal in the winter. As much as I love fashion, I tend to be pretty boring. Thus, the lack of outfit posts. But I also love jean commercials. Here are two of my favs.






Plus, the second one has Jamie Dornan in it. I'm pretty sure. He's pretty.

Happy Turkey day!

I can't help myself.

Happy Halloween!!

Wicked Queens

I've always been kind of fascinated by the Wicked Queen character of fairy stories. What makes them so angry, I used to wondered? And what is it about the stepmother-figure that makes her so easy to vilify? But at the same time, these women that seem so terrifying are so interesting. Outside the newer, retold fairy tales, the villains are cooler and more descriptive than the heroines!



And a more modern interpretation:

Cold snap!

The weather has turned colder, and colors are bursting out all over campus. From the burnt orange of the leafy maples lining the streets, to the colorful knit hats, scarves, and mittens. October is nearing the end, which can mean only one thing: Halloween! I'm not doing any sort of party or costume this year, but I am going with my parents to their alma mater as our colleges face off for a football battle. They're friends from college always get together and tailgate--I'm sure riotous behavior will ensue.

This weekend, well, these next four days really, are incredibly pivotal. If I get all the work done that I mean to, I will be ahead of schedule and won't collapse under pressure by the end of the semester. If I don't get the work done . . . . academic doom may be a bit of melodramatic, but you get the general idea.

Anyways, here is a little video that I discovered on youtube from an old disney special that I loved when I was a kid. My mom video-taped it (the days before DVR, if we can hark back that far) and I watched it all the time, even when it wasn't Halloween. Then my dad taped over it with Melrose Place. Something he denies to this day.

Happy October!

This week marks the beginning of my favorite month--October. The leaves begin to crisp and turn bright colors. I love the deep oranges and burnt yellows; the smell of burning leaves immediately reminds me of being a kid. There's something about going home during the fall, as well. My family is particularly wonderful during the fall months. Everyone is a bit more cozy and calm. My mom and I play games and watch movies while dinner is cooking or the fire is going.

October is also the month of one of my favorite holidays! Columbus Day.

Obviously I mean Halloween. I don't think I'm doing a costume this year instead I'm going with my parents to their alma mater for a football game. They're playing against my school, so that will be a fun little rivalry going. Even though their team might as well not even show up! Our team is doing quite well. We're very proud.

Grad school applications have been plodding along slowly. I think I've narrowed down my list to seven schools, so now I just have to prepare my writing sample and general statement and resume. And take the GRE. Oh God.

Hark, a Vagrant!

www.harkavagrant.com

check it out. I've been laughing hysterically all afternoon.

Cyd Charisse

Just between me and you, if asked to choose between Cyd Charisse and Ginger Rogers, I'd pick Cyd Charisse every time. While I appreciate Ginger Rogers' gumption, there's this incredible grace in the way Cyd Charisse moves--she seems flawless, completely effortless. It's the way I wished I danced, back when I was a dancer (which feels like a lifetime ago).





and this video is rather fantastic as well. I must admit, I've never seen Roman Holiday all the way through, but I've always wanted to. And come on. Audrey Hepburn. Gregory Peck. You just can't go wrong.

Touch Somebody's Life Today

{image found via Not Your Average Ordinary via fffound}

Fall Movies

Glee

Let it be known, I am in LOVE with this TV show. I don't watch it on TV, but I get it off iTunes when I can. The music is fantastic and I admit that I can relate, slightly, to the trauma of high school experience. Granted, nobody threw a slushie in my face but I can definitely understand feeling animosity towards you, and not being entirely sure why it's focused in your direction. I still don't get it. Yesterday, I bought dish towels for the kitchen. Not just regular dish towels, but dish towels that I knew would absorb water rather than push it around and match the only thing that had a discernible color scheme--the salt and pepper shakers. Plus, I bought wine. And drank it for dinner. Nothing like a little Pinot Grigio with your Kraft Macaroni & cheese. That I forgot to save in the fridge. Dammit. There goes dinner tonight. I dunno, just . . . making lists, budgeting . . . going to grocery shopping for REAL food, not just peanut butter and eggo waffles, struck me as very adult today. Even though I've been doing it for awhile now. Kinda makes me want to go back to my own Glee club. And the hot older boy that was in said Glee club. Though that was all rather hopeless pining on my part.




maybe I don't want to go back to high school, on second thought.

Fake Conversations on a Nonexistant Telephone

So, it's dawned on me that I'm a senior in college, and will have to figure out the rest of my life very shortly. I don't really want to be in college for much longer, but I don't want to leave either. I've figured out my classes for the next year, but just the idea of filling out my intent to graduate application, ordering my cap and gown . . . I don't know what to feel. Hopefully, I'll feel better about it when we get closer to the actual launch date.

"One can never be sure if it's good poetry or bad acid."

You know those songs that you hear randomly and you never manage to run across them again? And yet all the same they manage to define a series of events?

When I had just graduated high school, my parents took my sister and I on a trip to Paris. We lived in an apartment in the student district for a week or so. I remember lying on the couch, the open window allowing that specific Parisian wind to blow and billow my skirt out about my knees. I had discovered French MTV, and with it, a rather captivating (i.e. creepy) music video by a band called Indochine. Upon my return to America, I searched and searched for the song, with zero success.

Until today, just now! I finally found and purchased the song on iTunes, and have included the video here.

It Might Get Loud.

Dear, Sweet Jesus, I must see this film.

Tightly Contained

Today has been filled with further unpacking, my new flatmate moving in with her six-week old, yet-to-be-named kitten, and other lovely surprises like the discovery that the sound of water dripping in the walls of my best friend's room was NOT water dripping, but the hive of yellow jackets drilling . . . whatever they drill. Watching the premiere episode of Project Runway and a nice large ice cream cone made us feel a bit better, however. As does this new Metric video.

Stardust

like I'd forget to post about the 40th anniversary of Woodstock. Seriously.

dark moon

suck on that, Jacob Black.

Movie thoughts: Into the Wild

When I came home from Oxford at the end of June, I was filled with a deep desire . . . to watch television. We didn't have a TV in Oxford and six months without any sort of random television programming left me a bit stir-crazy for the wonders of Starz and HBO. Thanks to jetlag, I would plop down on the couch at odd hours of the morning to see what would peak my interest. Each time, I ran across Into the Wild. I was already incredibly interested in watching the movie, which in turn only further encouraged me to read the book of the same title by John Krakouer.

It was the first movie that I out and out loved a character played by Vince Vaughn, discovered my love (girl crush!) of Catherine Keener, grew addicted to Kristen Stewart's heartbreaking, natural, understated performances, and felt a deepening respect for Sean Penn.

This is mainly because of the subject. There is a mountain of debate about Christopher McCandless and his journey to spurn society and rediscover simplicity through nature. Krakouer's book delves into his story, and a journey shrouded in mystery and tragedy. The book, and McCandless, seems to divide people into two very distinct opinions: those who felt that McCandless was a hero, going out to living deliberately and actually DO all of the things intellectuals and existentialists only dream about, and in contrast those who feel that McCandless overindulged himself, and foolishly ignored the superior knowledge of others for his stubborn and ungrateful fool's errand.

Krakouer's book traces a delicate line between these factions, and Penn's film is a phenomenal triumph of that line. His cinematography, the flow of the film, and precious captured moments glorify nature in a passionate way--one can imagine that this vision is what McCandless was searching for in his quest. It shows his idealism, his intelligence, and his perseverance. But in his refusal to contact his parents, his dismissal of the concerns of his new friends, Penn also shows his stubbornness and pride.

What is most devastating, I think, is the relationship so abruptly severed, so swiftly and strongly formed, and then taken away. The characters that he met along the way, who so quickly loved this charismatic kid. Tracy Tatro, played so delicately by Kristen Stewart, brings me close to tears every time. This kid, with a crush on a boy, who has to eventually find out that he died? I can't even imagine it. The same with Catherine Keener's character, a loving hippie named Jan who sees her estranged son so vividly in McCandless.

It's not my place to judge the situation, but I do believe very deeply in something that Wayne (Vince Vaughn) says to Emile Hersch's McCandless: "It's a mistake to get too deep into all that kind of stuff. . . . Can't be juggling blood and fire all of the time!"

It's the Devil I Love

The most tender place in my heart is for strangers
I know it's unkind but my own blood is much too dangerous
Hangin' round the ceiling half the time
Hangin' round the ceiling half the time

Compared to some I've been around
But I really tried so hard
That echo chorus lied to me with its
"Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on"

In the end I was the mean girl
Or somebody's in-between girl
Now it's the devil I love
And that's as funny as real love

I leave the party at three a.m.
Alone, thank God
With a valium from the bride
It's the devil I love
And that's as funny as real love
And that's as real as true love

That echo chorus lied to me with its
"Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on"

That echo chorus lied to me with its
"Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on"

editorial: emma watson

I love Emma Watson's editorial in the current issue of Teen Vogue. British traditional fashion, the red, the fox fur, the clean lines, all set on edge with chunky avant-garde heels and layered chain necklaces. Plus, Emma has incredible poise for "someone her age" and wears clothes beautifully. She's the spokesperson for Burberry's fall line and looks absolutely stunning. Emma is brilliant--stunning, but incredibly intelligent and well-spoken. And for that matter, Teen Vogue consistently creates excellent editorials that are age-appropriate, elegant, and thought-provoking.














confession: i like teen vogue editorials
better than US Vogue editorials

Swing!

The "indie" genre of music has always had roots that are easier to place, for me, then today's popular Top 40 music. Zooey Deschanel (one of my resident girl crushs) and M.Ward's fabulous band She & Him brought my attention to the burgeoning resurgence of appreciation and homage to the slight country sound allowed in the late 1950s early 1960s during the Nashville sound, as well as the increasing parallel the female indie singers and bands drew to their predecessors, torch singers and girl groups like June Christy, Patsy Cline, and Billie Holiday. Singers like Neko Case, particularly on her excellent new album Middle Cyclones, modernize the old sound and yet stay true to the standard of excellent vocals and delicious harmonies.


As this occurs, the clean lines and big eyelashes of early 1960s have also become more popular, as well as the 60s film vibe that excellent stylizes their music videos.

Jenny Lewis "See Fernando" from Team G on Vimeo.

(a cover, but still illustrates my point, I think)


And this is from Stuart Murdoch, of Belle and Sebastian fame. While working on their last album, he got the idea for a girl group that he hopes to culminate with a musical film, God Help the Girl. The self-titled soundtrack was finished in 2008, with three contest winners Catherine Ireton, Dina Bankole, Britanny Stallings, and Divine Comedy's Neil Hannon and Asya from Smoosh. (source: Pitchfork)

Dazzle Me

thank you, Kat Dennings' twitter

Macabre

I love a healthy dose of the macabre--something this amazing video by the Kills (Alison Mosshart is my hero) illustrates quite nicely, I think. I adore dark poems by Poe and Browning and suspenseful stories, but almost in a 1940s gumshoe kind of way. It's such a strange mix, vacillating between Joan Jett's edgy sex kitten to a vampy femme fatale a la Marlene Dietrich. All this being said, I don't think I'm quite cool enough to make it work, or at least, I haven't figured out how to mix the 70s rock vibe, indie fashion-esque thing I'm rocking. I either go totally metal (which I don't want to do, because I don't look good in it, and I don't like metal music, besides).

Life has been rather dull and boring, beyond the acquisition of my new and most lovely macbook!! It's white and shiny, and lovely, and works like an absolute charm--which is such a nice change from my last computer!! I've been scouring the internet for inspirational pictures of all kinds; architecture, fashion, people, places, interior design. I want my life to be more creative than it's been and to really place my finger on the pulse of what I hold most dear. We'll see how that goes.

Other than that, I'm attempting to name my new computer (she's a girl!). Any thoughts?

The Grey sea and the long black land;
and the yellow half-moon large and low;
and the startled little waves that leap
in fiery ringlets from their sleep,
As I gain the cove with pushing prow,
And quench its speed i' the slushy sand.

Then a mile of warm sea-scented beach;
Three fields to cross til a farm appears;
A tap at the pane, the quick sharp scratch
and blue spurt of a lighted match,
And a voice less loud, thro' its joys and fears,
than two hearts beating each to each!

~Meeting at Night by Robert Browning

Fashion Icon: Janis Joplin

Though unorthodox, one of my recent favorite fashion icons is Janis Joplin--that is to say, early Janis Joplin. I love the 1960s mixture of patterns and colors, as well as the free style of her hair. She clearly hardly did anything to it, which is fantastic for me because I can hardly get my hair to do anything other than what it likes.

I love the look of peasant blouses, even though I can't particularly wear them myself. She really does a fantastic job of layering necklaces and showing off how jewel tones can just make your skin look fantastic. And the pants that she wears!! I'd never wear them in real life (I'm an utter demin kid, personally) but I think they're just phenomenal.






A rather classic photo of her, I believe it's on the cover of her Greatest Hits album. I am in love with this embroidered jacket/shirt thing, I can't really tell from the photo. If I could find that anywhere I'd snap it up in a New York minute, let me tell you.

Everyone seems to remember Janis Joplin at the end--deeply troubled, overly haggard from years of hard drugs and alcohol. She had an incredible voice and seems to just have been one of the most fun people to hang around with before fame and its drawbacks seemed to eat her from the inside out. I prefer to remember her younger, somewhat happier--just kinda living life.

Grace Slick, a rather impressive icon herself, said "Janis knew more than I did about "how it was", but she lacked enough armor for the inevitable hassles. She was open and spontaneous enough to get her heart trampled with a regularity that took me thirty years to experience or understand."

Bright Side--

Rather than groan and moan about all the potential downsides of returning to the USA, I'm going to pep myself up with all of the things I'm looking forward to:

~baking cookies and my lemon pound cake

~watching television/having a television

~Watching all the movies I missed while in England:
-Inkheart
-Underworld: Rise of the Lycans
-Slumdog Millionaire
-Coraline
-Adventureland

-The Brothers Bloom
-Little Ashes (though Dali scares the shit out of me)
-Easy Virtue
-Terminator Salvation


~Movies that I can't wait to see that are coming out soon
-Public Enemies
-Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
-500 Days of Summer
-Taking Woodstock
-Inglorious Basterds
-Julie and Julia

~Food that I will eat:
-Pancakes (in Britain they're like crepes, not flapjacks)
-skittles
-fruit salad

~Playing badminton with Dad (I hope I hope I hope)
~helping my sister plan her wedding!!
~hanging out with my friends
~going into D.C to see the new National Museum of American History, et al
~going to see Spring Awakening at the Kennedy Center with my sister and her friends, a treat for my birthday
~going to Screen on the Green 2009!
~taking walks in my neighborhood
~attempting to find my chi at yoga classes
~playing cards with my mom
~my own bed
~moving back into my apartment
~reading

Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy

I've decided that I'm going to try to do a post, every so often, of blogs and blog writers that inspire me. What I love best about the blogosphere is the crazy level of inspiration and exchange of ideas across the world. It's such a unique outlet for creativity, and it has, honestly, almost totally eclipsed my eternal love for magazines. So!

My first post is for Casey's Musings (http://blog.caseybrowndesigns.com).




She hails from my native Northern Virginia, and just seems like the sweetest girl (woman) to ever cross the blog-world. She hosts an etsy shop for vintage, called Elegant Musings, and while it doesn't have an items up yet, her impeccable taste in her own wardrobe leads me to believe it will be utterly fantastic. If she didn't have enough talent, she's an incredible graphic designer that (if I'm not mistaken) does all of the photo work, graphic-y stuff (I have zero knowledge about graphic design, if you can't tell) on her blog, like the beautiful picture above. But what most impresses me are her vintage-inspired make-up and hair tutorials. I adore, adore vintage hairstyles, particularly the 1940s/50s, which seems to be her specialty. My hair has gotten quite long and textured (it used to be flat out curly, but not quite so much anymore), and I've taken to twirling and bobby pining it off of my face. But when I tried to go any deeper into vintage looks, particularly make-up, I've always fallen flat on my face--despite the many excellent tutorials that exist on youtube.

But there's something about the way Casey explains doing vintage hair and make-up that just clicks with me. It's very simple and she does a great job of explaining and showing why she does things the way she does them. In particular, I love her basic "girl-next-door" make-up tutorial, that takes the basic 1940s pin-up look and warms it up a bit. It makes a remarkable difference for those of us with pale skin--any attempts I made previously made me look like a ghost, but Casey's tutorial made me quite the doll for the RAG Union Ball!


In her honor, here's a clip from Abbott and Costello's 1941 film, "Buck Privates" with the Andrews Sisters singing "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy"

Operation Overlord

It's been awhile since I've posted anything history related, which is a shame. At any rate, I would especially like to recognize that Saturday, June 6th was the 65th anniversary of D-day, the storming of the Normandy beaches. I've been lucky enough to have been at the beaches of Normandy twice, and I can tell you that I have rarely seen anything more eerie and awe-inspiring than staring out past those gray-brown stretches of sand, those steep rocky climbs and realizing the magnanimity of what all those brave soldiers did.




I remember first looking out across the Cemetery at Normandy when I was sixteen years old, stunned at the sheer number of graves that stretched out before me. They shone, bright white in the bright June sunlight and crisp against the green grass. Music from the chapel swelled over the grounds as people walked peacefully and respectfully about the graves. Peppered throughout the crosses were a handful of Jewish Stars of David--a brief reminder of the atrocities that were occurring across boarders in numbers even more vast. But I didn't fully understand what I was seeing.



At eighteen, I found myself in Normandy yet again and more knowledgeable. I understood the seemingly insurmountable odds faced by this international group of men, all fighting to free France from the terrifying grip of Nazi Germany. As we stood by the Reflecting Pool at Omaha Beach, the graves yet again stretched before me, I realized that I would never fully understand what had happened on the beaches of Normandy when brave men gave their lives for a country not their own, and for a principle that we have managed to uphold to this day.



At sixteen I gave my grandfather, a World War II veteran stationed in France and Belgium, a small film canister. It was filled with sand from Omaha Beach. I had never and have never since seen that particular look on his face. A mixture of great sadness, great thought, and great pride.









historical picture credit to army.mil at Flickr, American Cemetery picture credit to Tricherson at Flickr,

Come Gather 'round People, wherever you roam

In less than three weeks, I'll be leaving these British shores and heading home to America. And honestly, I'm not sure how I feel about it. I've grown very used to being here. I love the city, with its random spires and odd shops. It's full of odd corners and niches and alleyways that twist and curve. I've grown used to the people--these oddball, incredibly smart kids that are willing to laugh at anything and nothing at all. But most of all, I've grown used to the freedom I feel here. To be exactly who I want and not have to worry about anyone judging me. I listen to the music I want to listen to, watch my films, dress how I like, and act how I like. I feel more like myself than I have in years . . . and I'm petrified that that's going to go away. I don't want to go back to who I was. And I'm worried I won't fit in with my friends back home anymore. Because I'm not the same person . . . and I know that that will cause problems. At least with some, anyway.



So, in hono(u)r of my increased (hopefully) confidence in myself, etc. Here's a post of the directorial debut of Kate Hudson, Cutlass. It has definite shades of Cameron Crowe, which I'm completely ok with. Kristen Stewart is stunning in the 70s and Dakota Fanning is amazing (as is Kurt Russell as the dad). Plus, it uses a song from Humble Pie. Pretty awesome. Check it out:








graffiti in . . . Florence? Rome? That I saw and made my friend take a picture of.

Stand By Me

Now, I could blather on and on about the uniting power of music and so on, but I'm a visual learner, so I'll just post this video of the documentary "Playing for Change: Peace through Music"

Playing For Change | Song Around The World "Stand By Me" from Concord Music Group on Vimeo.

Oh my Espionage

A Quite Glorious Weekend

This weekend was my 21st birthday weekend. It was indeed quite a glorious weekend. Afternoon tea, dinner, and several bars with my closest friends in oxford, then closing the night with kebab food, champagne, and Almost Famous. An almost perfect birthday!




Then today I had the distinct honor of seeing Metric in concert at the O2 academy! They were beyond brilliant. They played a fantastic set--I just couldn't stop dancing! Emily Haines is a fantastic performer, as is everyone in the band. They exceeded all my expectations and then some.

"the most courageous act is still to think for yourself. aloud."

And Lord, I was born a Seventies Child

Lately, I've been obsessed with 70s rock. No need to really say anything more about it.





"Women to be in-a the music business give up more than you'd ever know. She's got kids she gave up. Any woman gives up home life, an old man, probably, because you're so crazy on planes and runnin' and you never find 'em egain. You give up, you give up a home and friends, you give up children and friends, you give up an old man and friends, you give up any constant in the world except music. That's the only thing you've got man, after you boil it down, the only thing you got left in the world is that music, man. And, so for a woman to sing, she really needs to, or wants to. A man can do it as a gig, 'cause he knows he can get laid tonight." ~Janis Joplin







Now here I go again, I see the crystal visions
I keep my visions to myself
Its only me
Who wants to wrap around your dreams and...
Have you any dreams youd like to sell?
Dreams of loneliness...
Like a heartbeat... drives you mad...
In the stillness of remembering what you had...
And what you lost...
And what you had...
And what you lost

Thunder only happens when its raining
Players only love you when theyre playing
Say... women... they will come and they will go
When the rain washes you clean... youll know

~Dreams, Fleetwood Mac

Procrastination vs. Knowledge

So, I have the option of listening to this, and actually do some work for my tutorials (which I will, I just need to figure out what the hell T.S Eliot is trying to say, then make a thesis about it)







OR I could listen to THIS and dance about my room all day.





Which one will I choose?!?!

The Wanting Comes in Waves

It's been forever since I've posted; I blame unreliable internet. My first house in England didn't have an internet connection, but they have these pay-as-you-go internet usb thingies that provide really crappy internet until you run out. Sweet. But now I've moved into a house with internet, so I can post to all and sundry! Tomorrow marks the start of Trinity Term, and I'm very excited to begin my new tutorials. I'm studying the works of T.S Eliot, and the life of Anne Boleyn. She's always been a bit of an obsession of mine; I don't think the people who study her can help falling in love with her a bit. She really was a fantastic woman.

Anyway, I really wanted to post about the Decemberists new album, the Hazards of Love. It is amazing, quite simply. The story is fantastic, it's completely blown my mind. Like most, if not all, of the Decemberists album, it's a concept album; a macabre fairy tale of the best kind.


It's about a girl, Margaret, who finds a wounded fawn while wandering in the woods. She tends its wounds, and at sundown discovers that the fawn becomes a young man named William. They make love, for lack of a better term, in the forest and separate. Margaret returns to the forest after discovering that she is pregnant and sings about how she still won't "want for love" despite her condition. They meet and make love again, only to be discovered by William's adoptive mother, the Forest Queen. Her main song, "The Queen's Rebuke" is fantastic; the entire album has a harder rock feel, while maintaining songs like "Isn't it a Lovely Night?" in the classic Decemberists sound. The Queen, angry that the boy she saved would be so ungrateful and fall in love, she hires a Rake (a bad man, not the gardening tool) to capture Margaret. His song, cleverly called "the Rake's Song", explains how the Rake came to his interesting place in life and how he doesn't regret it.

After growing bored with his marriage and hating his children, the Rake's wife dies in childbirth with their fourth child. The Rake proceeds to poison his daughter Charlotte with foxglove, drown his daughter Dawn, and burn his son to death. William goes to rescue his love, hidden across the Annan Waters, despite being told by the Queen that he'll die if he attempts to cross. He prays to the river spirits in the song "Annan Water" to calm and allow him to cross, on the condition that they can drown him on his way back. In quite possibly one of the creepiest songs I've ever heard, the Rake's children literally come back to haunt him in "the Hazards of Love 3 (Revenge!)". William rescues Margaret, and then kisses her as the Annan Waters overtake them.

not very cheerful, but brilliant none the less.


On a totally different note, I'd like to recommend the British comedy, the Boat that Rocked. It's hilariously fantastic, and everyone should go see it. Directed by Richard Curtis (of Love Actually fame), it's got everything you could want in a movie, plus an extraordinarily kick-ass soundtrack. Love it.




picture credit: fawn, from pmsswim on flickr. poster, Here's the Story blog.

the weepies + claymation = <3