Yeah oh, your sex is on fire. You should really get that checked out...

I think Kings of Leon have been significantly famous for a while, but this is kind of news to me. As of five minutes ago I hadn't bothered to listen them. I blame it on TRL being canceled. Plus, if they've never been on Oprah, they aren't famous (this goes for anything in the universe really). They have 16 million views for their song on Youtube? Wowzer. That's gotta be more than all the sleepy cat and eating contest videos COMBINED.

I LOVE this song so much. Whoever thought a tattooed facial-hairy guy in a tank-top and vest thing could be so SEXY? (actually, me.) I haven't really listened to any of the other lyrics besides "Yeeeaaahhh ooohhhh, your sex is on FIIIIIIIRE" and "tanspiiiire". I would like sexy firey fire-sex to transpire. I'd be cool with that. But honestly, they aren't really concerned with being the next American poet laureates or anything (although I'd be cool with that too), so I don't give a fuck what the other lyrics are. Sex on fire really is the ONLY important part. Ever. They should work on putting that into the pledge of allegiance somewhere.

I can't believe it took me this long to realize that Kings of Leon('s music) is sexy. I really hope the Jonas Brothers aren't next, because then I'd just die. Of love...

But I don't really understand the video. Sex on fire is a good thing, right? Unless you are literally having sex ON fire. Like a kinky camping trip gone seriously seriously awry or something (immediate note-to-self...). So why is this guy being all angsty and writhing on a table? And people are dunking their heads into basins of water and eating chicken wings and reading bibles? Oh wait nevermind, I get it now. But it's a secret. I don't feel like explaining it. Just listen to damn music ok.

M-M-M-Monday

I might be one of the few (questionably) sane people in the world who actually looks forward to Mondays. It just depends on how you look at the situation-- yes, life will suck if you decide that the weekend is the only way to live idly and without purpose. But I've learned that I can live idly and without purpose ALL week, so Monday rolling around is really no biggy. Some great things about Mondays include (ahem, clearing throat and looking at a comically large list with fancy things written on it)--

• Gossip Girl (Chuck Bass)

• It's a chance to start over a brand new week after the weekends, which lately have been emotionally exhausting, or else just full of family [Per(e)u]nions. {That's "Peru" and "reunions" mashed together, in case you were wondering/confused/care at all}
  
• All celebrity gossip websites resume updating during week days. This is way more critical to my life than you think.
  
• Two words: Chuck. Bass.

So in celebration of Mond(y)ay (hahaaaa... see what I did there???), I'm making a playlist. Wooowwwwwww that took a lot longer to introduce than maybe it should have...

1) Andrew Bird - Fake Palindromes
No one is more of a rockstar with a violin than Andrew Bird. I don't really know any other violin rockstars, but that's probably because he's discredited them all with his superhero violin playing skills and perfectly mastered awesomeness. Some performers break dozens of drum sticks in a show, or smash around their guitars like monkeys, but Andrew Bird never makes it through a show without totally fucking up his bow. How badass is that??? The violin is the most passionate instrument, and yet he manages to bring the folksy sound of a fiddle, while keeping it totally sexy. That's pretty fucking badass my friend.



His live performance of this is SO worth embedding it into my blob, but that might be too repetitive? I'll compromise and just add a link or something, I dunno, talk amongst yourselves...

I changed my mind. It's being added. I love him.



2) Seabear - Arms
I was talking to my friend William today, and I found out about how he's been seeing this guy for like, three months, and I'm just finding out about it now. Actually, he probably had tried to tell me before, but I just wasn't listening because I'm reeeallllyyy good at talking about my hugely relevant life dramas. For example, today I woke up and my electric toothbrush was out of batteries, and I was like-- WTF?? Anyway (I am accepting new free batteries in the mail though, AA please) he describes his relationship in the most adorable way possible. He said, "he makes me want to listen to You and I and text little heart symbols. It's so Seabear". I loved the Seabear comment, because I know EXACTLY what he means.

I think I've already added this song someplace before, but this is a different version of it, a live version to be exact. With a little dancing blond girl. So it's automatically better. But if you wanna you can find the actual mp3 by clicking ............. here.



3) Kyle Andrews - Sushi
It may just be my 12:08am hunger speaking right now, but I really LOVE this song. It feels so real. So real.

The lyrics are adorable!!!!!!!!!! Oh jeez. This is just too much. Like, go find someone to make out with right now, because that's really the only appropriate thing to do in this occasion. If not, it's just a massive a waste of time. Actually, maybe all time not spent making out is a waste of time. Wait. Then how would we eat? Ewwww.



4) Breaking Laces - Here To Stay
This band came to my high school when I was either a freshman or sophomore, I can't really remember (because I am soooooooooooo old and grown up and way past high school and-- actually I graduated last year) but they did an amazing job. Also, what where they even doing playing at a boarding school of 275 students? In Delaware? Seems kind of sad. I really do like this song though! Despite the fact the the lead singer could NOT get any more dweeby looking. I find that kind of endearing actually...



5) Fever Ray - If I Had A Heart
This is one of my favorites right now, but when I first listened to it a few weeks ago I was totally creeped out and probably had a few nightmares. But after listening to it more, and watching the video (and deep inner strength) I get chills every time I hear it. Its creepiness is what makes it so hypnotizing and intense. The artist responsible for Fever Ray, Karin Dreijer Andersson, is also one half of The Knife. Aka-- another cool band.



6) Walter Meego - Girls
I literally cannot get enough of this group. Seriously, if I go more than a few seconds without listening to them I could spontaneously combust or something. Or worse. Like, degeneration of coolness levels or something. I don't really know, I'm not a scientist so I'm a bit fuzzy on the details.



7) Iron & Wine - Boy With A Coin
This song has been around for at least a year and a half now, but it just occurred to me to look up the video for it. This is amazing! The flamenco dancing works SO well with the quick beat of the music and the sleekness of his voice. I could die to the songs of Iron & Wine, he has such an angelic voice for a guy I'm positive is made of 80% facial hair. How did he even find this dance studio? Can he even see behind his mustache???? He has no upper lip!



Oh god, Iron & Wine's music has really changed my life. Seriously.

8) Wild Light - California on My Mind
I like the singing part. And the part where there are instruments playing. And also when the two happen together is good. I just wanted to add this because I'm in California right now, and this is a (really good) song about California.



9) Lisa Hannigan - Lille
For all y'all out there who don't know what the hell has been going on for the past bazillion years or so, Lisa Hannigan is the girl who sings alongside Damien Rice. And Damien Rice = the musical love of my life.
Lisa now now has her own solo work out, and I couldn't be more smitten with her (and her songs). She's like a cute Irish pile of wisdom and beauty. This song perfectly captures the angelic quality she brought to Damien Rice's music, but it also has an entirely unique personality. Her entire album Sea Sow is really great, and I'm just going to cross my fingers that she and Damien will once again make music I can obsess over.



10) The Arcade Fire - Wake Up
This is mainly in celebration of the movie version of Where The Wild Things Are, because it's going to be EPICCC. This is the song used in the trailer, which is EPICCC. This song just sounds like childhood, and the movie is going to need a lot of really great music/filming/made up stuff, because the actual children's book is like five sentences long. How are they even going to pull that off? Whatever. I like little kids in monster suits.



Aaaaaaaand mandatory WTWTA movie trailer:

You are a beautiful flower

Hey there, I got you something... because you're just so pretty.

Wow! Look how beautiful it looks among the shriveled up roses and muddy vase water left over from Valentine's Day! Yikes!

I once read an entire book about how talking to plants makes them grow stronger and happier and how, in fact, plants have feelings just like humans do.

Matt and Kim

I am really upset with myself for going my entire life without learning to play an instrument. Why didn't my parents sign me up for private violin or oboe lessons or something? Actually, they did do the piano lesson thing, I just never practiced anything at all ever. I was really into being alone and reading Nancy Drew and making forts in the attic and stuff, I dunno... I was weird. I can't even successfully turn blades of grass into a makeshift whistle. Although (!), I am a pretty decent self-taught mouth whistler.

Anywayzzz, If I DID have the perfect life and turned out to be legit rock and roll, I'd be the "Kim" in the "Matt and Kim" equation of awesomeness and cuteness all wrapped up in some sticky rice and some seaweed and then dunked in huge pile of wasabi and then there'd be some tempura involved, oh and eel with a little bit of spicy orange sauce and washed down with some sake and---- hold on. This has gone too far.

My point is that Matt and Kim are great. And so are their songs. End of discussion.

Daylight
According to my iTunes I've only listened to this song 7 times, but I swear we have known each other my whole life. I mean, we have so much in common! We've already bought tickets to take an epic and romantic backpacking trip across Europe this summer, but unlike on Gossip Girl, it's going to happen and not have to be canceled because Nate is taking an internship (read: selling out) at the mayor's office instead of being with Vanessa, AND he is also probably most likely going to sleep with Blair, who should be in love with Chuck Bass, but she's a buck-toothed whore so I don't really care anymore. And then some older adults/parents are in love, blahblahblah whatever. Gross.



Yea Yeah
I love how Kim never stops smiling throughout the video! Even though she is getting spaghetti and other food items thrown at her. We should all learn a thing or two from her adorableness....



Good Ol' Fashioned Nightmare
Why doesn't Kim ever sing? Is her job to just sit there and smile/play drums? I love her. OMG--- I WONDER IF MATT AND KIM ARE DATING! That would be sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo cute.

Two songs

Today is the best day of my life!!! Ok, not the best day of my life, but at least a really great one. I woke up in a good mood, the sun is shining, flowers blooming all over the place, my roommate brought me blossoms from an orange tree, and I got a new book in the mail! I love spring. So many things happen in the spring, and even greater things in the summer. I feel like autumn and winter are kind of just along for the ride. Sure, stuff happens during those seasons but it's just kind of leftover from the awesomeness of the other six months.

So to commemorate my happy happy springtime feeling, I have some songs.

This is Matt Bishop (from the band Hey Marseilles) singing one of the songs from their new CD. Which is amazing. So freaking amazing. Harmonica? Yes. I love how you can see Seattle in the background. Please go to their website and listen to "Rio". Please please. On their myspace page, they describe themselves as sounding like--

"creaking sailboats, lucid dreams, war stories told from your grand-father, wood chips, whiffle ball, a cat chasing a squirrel, girl-scout troop meetings, sleeping in on a sunday afternoon, a rainy day at the beach."

What's the world record for falling in love? A nanosecond? One hundredth of a nanosecond?


Matt Bishop - To Travels & Trunks from loc on Vimeo.

Another springy life-altering band is Seabear. Better than box full of kittens.

You've got a diamond under your skin

Just blobbin'

My friend who writes the blog What Would Bi-Curious George Say? just got a letter he wrote in response to an article in The Atlantic Magazine published in the most recent issue!!! I don't really know how to handle this situation, because I really really really want to show a link to it, but it also has his real name and location.... so his top secret identity will be exposed to the blogging world (oh no!). But I think I'm going to just go ahead and do it anyway, because I'm a big fan, and he gives a sort of shout-out to our boarding school. And lets just say that if he writes in a "blog", then I write in a "blob", because his is intelligent and well planned out and insightful and all that jazz.

The original article can be found here--- The End of White America? And this is what my friend has to say in response:

"Hua Hsu hits on a number of important issues, but I believe that he overstates the plight of white America.

While sociologists like Matt Wray bemoan the lack of “white culture,” I look at white America and see only further strength. Minority groups have to look inward to find their “culture” because they need to define themselves in some way. White Americans have a much easier time. The white American narrative is interwoven with the American narrative as a whole. White culture is America.

As an Indian American who attended an effete private boarding school, I have learned that to achieve a level of cultural assimilation that enables a minority to move up the ladders in society, one has to embrace the “Stuff White People Like.” The peacoats, polos, Frisbee sports, and Arrested Development DVDs might seem like trivial favorites of the white elite, but they represent certain gateways that minorities have to navigate. My friends joke that I’m as white as they are, because I’ve essentially sold out to adhere to their cultural norms. But what choice does a student like myself have under these circumstances? There may be no “white culture,” but white people still dictate our societal norms. To become a cultural elite in America, one has to whiten him- or herself."

The author, Hua Hsu, gives this response--

"I agree, too, that it is too soon to pronounce America “post-white.” He offers a stirring personal example of the pressures of assimilation at this strange moment, when there are still expressions of mainstream “whiteness” but “whiteness” itself has no discernible core. I am reminded of the commentary about Barack Obama’s skill (and, more important, success) at “playing white.” I am somewhat hopeful about all of this: the logic of race and identity we’ve inherited no longer seems adequate. It is up to those who care about and are affected by this change to discover a new language and seek out new ideas befitting this moment."

Perhaps I can understand this point of view more easily because I spent four years in a completely safe and bubbled community with this person, and have had many conversations of this variety over those years. But the original article, and my friend's interpretation of the white cultural elitism are insights to how we understand our country, or perhaps how you understand your country...

Also, the article The Case Against Breast-Feeding by Hanna Rosin is so interesting.

Wait-- how did this end up being a post about vampires, Vanessa Carlton, and google?

"Say it out loud"

"Vampire."

That commercial for the Twifug movie has been playing all week (google it), yet meanwhile it has nothing to do with anything relevant in my life. Go figure mathematicians.

25 facts about me:
1- My first word was "kitty"
2- I know how to chop wood. And use a hatchet. Uh oh, watch out!
.
.
.
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3 through infinity- I met Vanessa Carlton once. Her brother went to my boarding school. She was also on TRL once, which is the best show ever and it's really too bad that it's over because I reallyreallyreally wanted to be on it one day, seriously. But the point is that I met Vanessa Carlton.

This is really only a clever ploy to post one of her songs. Because... she's like the best thing ever and my computer has totally gone to fuck and wont take this song off single repeat and allow me to listen to something different and not sung by a girl (this song is really really great though!!!!! I promise!!!! I met her!!!). And I'd also rather just stay awake for the next three and a half hours and not sleep before leaving to fly away to the great western coast (I'm so cool and bi-coastaly!). Sleeping is inevitable anyway so I'm not worried. Yet.



'Cause I found some kinda fairytale. <--- You should google that too. I just discovered there's actually a song called Google Me? I'm in love. Teyana Taylor - Google Me

"Baby you can google meeeeee (aaahhhh) 'cause I'm a celebrity". Seriously, the only way I would ever know about this girl is by googleing her. That's kind of sad when you think about it. I've never had to google Timbaland... just sayin'...

OH. MY. GOD.

So if you're in the business of changing your life through music, get your fat (sorry-- full figured) ass over to the play button of this song. Seriously. I listened to this song, died and went to heaven, then was brought back to life, but this time I was already in heaven, then I died again and went to an even heaven-y heaven where I was greeted by the entire cast of 7th heaven where we made snow angels and talked about how pretty I am and all agreed that I made the best jokes and told the best stories. And then we took a walk over to kitten heaven where I spent the rest of eternity cuddling with fuzzy little kittens with white paws.

No, really. Seriously. No lie. I am not for play play-ing you right now. This is amazing. I choked down a few tears when I heard this... Albeit, you do have to listen to it with your eyes closed, or just really focused, or be watching an emotional almost child murder/crazy lady scene in the tv show Lie To Me, because it's just really intense and emotional. Also, I might be the last person in the world to discover this song. I feel like it's a sign from God that I am the chosen one. Or, yeah? what?

Santigold = SantiGOD (see what I did there? hahahahhahhahaweutoaudgkjhsh)

Santigold is like M.I.A., only I actually listen to her.....






Other good ones:
Lights Out
Shove It

Shove this in your yeah yeah yeah...

So I'm going to be the only remaining Yeah Yeah Yeahs fan to shit all over their new album.

Back in 2003/4 listening to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs was as close to being punk rock as I'd ever get. They were everything I wanted to be-- sexy, effortless, edgy, and totally fucking cool. And now in 2009, I'm really upset that they've taken this away from me. Fuck synthesizers. Fuck. Synthesizers.

Yesterday Karen O, Brian Chase, and Nick Zinner released their third album It's Blitz! and it isn't even that bad. It's not bad at all.... It's just that I'm still not ready for them to move on and make more adult and "progressive" music, leaving behind everything good and pure in the world. Okokokok, true story-- there's no way they could have repeated what they did on Fever to Tell. And Show Your Bones was totally loveble, even if a little bit less spunky than their first songs; but they come out with a darker and thicker sound that retains raw sexiness-- there are many songs on that album that are truly great. At least the music still revolved around Nick Zinner's kickin' guitar riffs (young people don't say kickin' anymore do they? Yeah didn't think so) and Brian Chase's solid drumming. But It's Blitz! just took this "progressing" a wee bit too far. This new album totally embodies anything and everything I've ever feared and avoided-- growing up. Where's the passion? What ever happened to the straight freaky raw animalistic screams and moans that came out of Karen O's mouth? That's why anyone started listing to them in the first place/are still even bothering anymore. Because of the straight up unpolished fucking sex music they shoved in our faces. Plus Karen O has the best on-stage persona ever. Don't argue with me it's a true fact, I read it in Encyclopedia Britannica bitches. I don't think they could have been so successful on iTunes (fuck iTunes) if this, or even Show Your Bones was their debut into the freaky messed up world of music. (Although, I have to admit that in the summer of 2006 I spent an entire night lying on my living room floor listing to Gold Lion on repeat until the sun came up).

Again, I can't forget to emphasize that their new CD is undoubtedly really good. But I hardly recognize the group, having added fancy new musical contraptions into the mix, making them sound more like a fake 80's band, rather than rockn'roll. The best moments are when Karen O lets out her signature yelps and moans, but the instruments have totally gone to fuck. There is still an emotion that seeps into the music of It's Blitz!, but it seems at moments contrived and self-aware, and is that..... an organ playing in the background of "Heads Will Roll"??? Wtf. The bottom line is: if I hadn't known Yeah Yeah Yeahs before this album, I would be totally down with the music-- because I am a pathetic waste of human ears and will gobble up anything fed to me. But having been with them for so many years, I'm just noooot that impressed.

Examples of best older stuff:
Date With The Night
Pin

Black Tongue

Maps (their most famous)

Show Your Bones songs I love:
Gold Lion
Cheated Hearts (this video is cute)
Phenomena (this is the best song on the album, but the video sucks-ish)

Their newest song......................:
Zero

You be the judge America. Who will be the next American Ido--------- waiiiiitttt nevermind...

David Letterman and Karen O have a really special moment at the end of this video.



This is a really great song by the way. Her outfit is feeeeiiiirrrrce.

Speaking of Iron & Wine...

The best way I've heard anyone describe this song is-- "I'm crying in my coffee and having a hard time drinking it through my smile".

I'll give you a dollar if this song doesn't change your life.

Griffin House

Sooo according to my #1 besty (Wikipedia) Griffin House is "a singer/songwriter, born in Springfield, Ohio". He is a singular artist referring to himself as "Griffin House". This is too adorable. If I were an artist, instead of calling my entire band (complete with cellos, harps, and those guitars with two necks) after my name, I would just play every instrument myself and be called "Mind Your Own". Get it? I'm so alternative it almost hurts.... (fyi-- Iron & Wine is also just one guy playing every instrument. He also sings all the high notes I though for years were being done by a woman)

So back to Griffin House-- sometimes iTunes describes him as "country" or something dumb, but iTunes is a whole load of crazy. I'd say GH sounds more like it's leaning on the folksy, singer/songwriter-y fence. Blowing tiny bluegrass bubbles. Or something... what am I talking about here people? I picked out my three favorite songs (one of the videos even has pretty nature-y scenic pictures to go along with it). The music truly is beautiful and almost heartbreaking. It's not the type of stuff you listen to while washing your car, or getting pumped up for a sporting event or anything not 100% depressing. Ok, it's not 100% depressing, there are some happy bits. I'd say it's about......96.5% depressing.

1) Better Than Love
This is my favorite song by him, because his voice is the most interesting and has just the right amount of saddness and longing allowable for a grown man.

Even if we change and fall out of
You hold my hand and it's better than love



2) The Guy That Says Goodbye To You Is Out Of His Mind
A couple of months ago I mailed my good friend a mix CD with this as the first song, and when she calls me to tell me about how much she enjoyed the gift, she tells me that she and her boyfriend really like making out to the entire CD. Life mission: accomplished.

The piano bits in this song are really sweet, and the song as a whole is really great for woman empowerment and feeling great about yourself and blahblahblahblah I go to a womens college.



3) Tell Me A Lie
Thiiiiisss sooonggggg iiiisss sooooooooo SAAAAAAD.

I love it.

Born Ruffians

Born Ruffians is a band from Canada who sing in a nonsense version of English I don't understand. Despite this fact, I love them.

A ruffian is usually defined as a bully, or someone who has bully-like tendencies, but Luke LaLonde's voice is like a baybay's, and he looks more like someone who would get bullied, rather than do the bullying.

Foxes Mate For Life

And I know
foxes mate
for life because
they're in love



Hummingbird

This song is how I discovered Born Ruffians, and I'd for it to speak for itself because I have no idea what they're saying. The video is really great actually. Especially around 2:45 when they start puking glitter.



I Need A Life

The sun is shinin' but we stay inside (oh but we go out at night). Are cats, chickens, and ducks still cute when they're eating you alive?



This Sentence Will Ruin/Save Your Life

I don't know what sentence they're referring to. I do know that I love this song. It speaks eternal truths: I need a girlfriend I'm lonely, someone to love me and fuck me, I need to get laid immediately, but also someone to fulfill my needs. This video is so dumb by the way. I hate it when youtube video makers choose a montage of different images. Like its more interesting than one crappy image? I need to have a bunch of crappy images? Whatever. Fuck you youtube.

<3

One of my roommates is really into camping and being generally more awesome I am, so naturally she's recently introduced a huge inflatable mattress to the floor of our room. Its been my new custom to lounge on this amazing new addition to my life and do homework, read, spend every waking moment with it. Today while hanging out alone in my room with the mattress and a bag of candy hearts left over from Valentines Day (because candy hearts never go bad) I found the greatest candy heart ever birthed into confectionery existence. I got this bunch from someone who probably should have gotten me something more Valentinesy than weird chalk candy, but he's new to the country so I'll cut him some slack. Plus in my opinion it was totally the most bomb gift ever. Because I totally love candy hearts. I like to use them as a sort of hilarious yet curiously yummy magic 8 ball, asking it questions like, "My love life? Go." I'll randomly pick out something cryptic and awesome like, "e-mail me" or "heat wave", in which I interpret both answers as being highly favorable. But this time, nothing could prepare me for what is possibly the rarest of candy hearts. Seriously, how many of these can there be? I think the question I asked the mysterious bag of hearts was, "me + blankityblank" and I got the answer to all my deepest carnal desires---> "Top Chef"...? After laughing for at least 18 seconds, I decided that this is the best sentiment of love a girl can hope for. Totally.

Fmylife.com

I made a list of things I love and it kiiiiiinda sorta went exactly like this-- 1) Tuesday night snack time (bomb curly fries) 2) Planet Unicorn, heyyy! 3) numerical listing of things and, 4) Fmylife.com. This is the best comfirmation of the reality that: people suck. And also that life really sucks. I found one today that is my absolute absolute absolute favorite...

"Today, I was sitting in traffic for about an hour. I've heard stories about people doing the dirty in their cars and I never do anything risky so I thought, why not, I'll be here a while, no one can see me: I'll masturbate. Midway through I hear a tap on my driver's window. Its a police officer. FML"

I literally laughed for 3 and a half minutes when I read this. You gotta be thinking-- that poor guy! All he wanted to do was the pass the time in a productive and (ahem) enjoyable manner. I mean, I've been stuck in tight traffic before, and while I've never had the urge to masturbate in public, I could see how some people would think this is a good idea? I think these are the same people who pick their noses and fix their underwear in public, while next to me in line somewhere that involves eating, or sharing objects. I just love to imagine the look on the guy's face when he sees he's been spotted by a cop. It probably looks something like this. Except one hand would still be deep in his "slacks", the sophisticated version of "pants". I wonder what he was listening to on the radio......


I added a screen shot. In case you want to relive the glory.

Three more paintings

I finally have more photos of some more of my paintings. Yay day! The quality of the photos are alright, I think any painting loses something when photographed, and then put onto the computer, but these turned out well nonetheless.

The first is an assignment to paint a "figure in space". Sitting in the common room of my dorm was a large white wardrobe cabinet used to hold a non-functioning television. It became a ritual to gather around the oddly proportioned ratio of television to empty cabinet, and I would watch as a dorm of 32 high school junior girls attempted to fix the ancient device-- hopefully in time for Monday night Gossip Girl. Although it was mysteriously never fixed properly, both the TV and the cabinet remained, holding lost clothing, text books, and leftover markers from Happy List making. One day an anonymous lady left a large orange pumpkin sitting on top of the wardrobe cabinet, comically asserting it as basically just a thing to put things on/in. The attempt at decoration amused me, and I used it as my painting subject. The cabinet in my painting is much more characaturized than what it may actually look like, with the dramatic beam of light on the dark walls announcing its strength, while being totally alone in the room. It was a quick painting, probably an hour or two to paint, 16" x 20". The pumpkin eventually rotten into a gross lump, one of the doors of the cabinet broke, and both television and its home were replaced the next year.



The next painting I did is the largest one I've done so far, about 2' x 3'. Massive. It takes forever to do a painting this size, and its even more challenging to have enough paints. I went through tubes and tubes of expensive coriander and cadmium and violet oils before finishing this piece, and lost some good brushes along the way. The most frustrating portion to paint was the hand--I either struggled with the size, or trying to make the fingers look delicate and less like a gorilla's. My favorite part is right along the right side of the torso, where the skin bends against the dark background. I elongated the torso to give it even more of an "in your face" and graceful appeal, and the tiny peak of the small of the back and butt crack (is there even a more dainty way of saying this? all we got is "butt crack?? seriously?) balances the blatant expanse of naked skin in the rest of the painting.


The third is one I did before the second (uh oh, switching it up now)-- I actually have no clue about the dimensions for this one. No flippin' clue folks. Deal with it. This painting is my all time favorite. I think by the end of it I felt like a had given birth to an adult child, I had spent so many hours working on it and staring at it and, well just mostly staring at it trying to make sense of all that hair. From the ear, to the jaw line, to the feel of the skin and hair, I am totally pleased with this piece. 101%. This is the first real painting I've done that called me to navigate the presence of so much skin, and how on earth skin is supposed to be painted. I used pretty much only white, some yellow hues, and some pink hues. But lots and lots of white, which surprised me and challenged me. The strands of hair were the most fun to paint because it was a systematic maze of where one chunk needed light, or where it fell behind another piece of hair. I hope to work more with hair eventually, especially when contrasted to bright and glowing naked skin.

Top 10 songs of my insomnia

And by 10 I mean 9. Because surprises are what keep us young. Or something...

1) Jerk It - Thunderheist
Oh man. Yeah I kinda like this song.... In the way that I listen to it on repeat 24/7. And have accidentally memorized the words. And it was in my dream last night. I think I was dreaming of being at a funeral? Yeah nevermind my obviously unresolved psychological issues... This song is pure sex. Just straight up dance floor sex. Totally.



2) Nothing To Worry About - Peter, Bjorn, and John
Even though I love this song as a whole, I think the small children shrieking in the beginning/chorus of the song is annoying and it hurts my ears. But the combination of clapping and the lead singer(Peter? Bjorn? John?)'s lazy voice make it more interesting and diverse than a regular ol' diddy. Also the repeated, almost chant-like, "nothing to worry about" makes me think that the children are hypnotized zombies. And therefore all children are hypnotized zombies.



3) Blood Bank - Bon Iver
Ohmygosh, this is the official theme song to my life, 2009. Because I just looove blood banks. No, not really. But this song is truly amazing and I can never go more than a day without it. Bon Iver might be one of the greater, if not most delicate, singer/songwriters out right now (see-- Skinny Love, Flume, For Emma). He perfectly blends a breathy--almost whispery--voice with the steadiness of the guitar. Its ethereal and dream-like, yet strong and haunting. Beautiful. It tastes like rose water. Amazing.



4) The Engine Driver - The Decemberists
The Decemberists are cool because they create a theme, and each song in that album follows the theme, usually a story or myth because they are cool intelligent hipster music making people. When I first found this song, I listened to it non-stop for three days in a row. I'm not exaggerating (k maybe just a lil'), there was actually a three day period in my life where basically the only thing I listened to was this song. True story: while I listened to this song I was sewing a hole in my shirt. Truer story: you don't care.



5) Trouble's What You're In - Fink
Soooo, remember when I compared Thunderheist (god even the band name is sexy) to musical sex? Well, Fink does that, but on the other side of the spectrum. This song is almost lazy, coyly accusing the focus of the song as being in "trouble", while holding on to the word as if it were an invitation.



6) Airport Surroundings - Loney Dear
The first youtube commenter writes, "This song is fucking really good". Oh you have no idea.... This song is FUCKING REALLY GOOD. The fast beat, the clapping, the occasional na na-ing during the chorus, the "youuu are all I waaant" part. Brilliant. This is actually not my favorite song by this band, but I got tired of all the other songs before I made this blog post. No not really (yeah kinda, but they're an awesome band- look them up), this song is so infectious, it just seeps right into your head and doesn't want to leave. Ever.



7) Infinity - Merrick
This is another rare female voice I can stand listening to (we are sooo annooyyyiinngg as a gender. Psyche. We da bomb). I love how she sings and breathes along with herself during the build to the chorus, or the bridge, or verse or whatever the fuckity fuck it is. She has such a sweet style of pairing her voice with.. her own voice? If that makes a lick of sense. This song is so sweet I want to sprinkle it on my ice cream which is on top of a brownie, which I have added hot fudge to. Yumm.



8) Sweet Sweetheart Killer - Say Hi To Your Mom
Speaking of sweet things, this song is bomb. I really only started listening to this group in the first place because I though their name was cute, and thankfully for me they are totally adorable in every way possible! The lead singer's voice has a total melancholy to it, yet the song never leaves its pop-rock niche and general feel-good bop. They also say splendid in the cutest way possible.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBrTP2VqTl0

With lyrics!!!!!!!!!!! Omgomgomg no way.

9) Dropped - Phantom Planet
This is the newest song by Phanto Plano (my affectionate name for them), and its totally kick ass. Rock n Roll. I have nothing more to say on this matter, other than the video is silly.