One, start the coffeepot- check.
Two,
Two,
1.31.2009
1.27.2009
Finding old negatives I had presumed to have vanished into the ether is a blessing, a gift, a euphoric state
120 color film, 2006.
Currently listening to: "L'Enfant Assassin des Mouches" by Jean-Claude Vannier
1.25.2009
What a wonderful weekend
As promised...
Mike explained to me how he picked it out: it folds up into a luggage-looking thing so it's easy to move, since i'm going to be moving a lot in the next couple of years. It has speakers built into it so I don't need a receiver or anything, and most importantly, it has lots of potential for decorative elements! It's so perfect for me.
My first vinyl: a limited edition CocoRosie LP!Also, last night I had a couple of white russians, sat outside a nice fire with good people for Freddy's birthday. It was a darn good time.
Freddy's feeling pretty accomplished.Currently listening to: the birthday playlist I burned for Freddy last night:
1.24.2009
Hungover and in love
Last night Mike and I started drinking wine and messing around with my lovely lovely record player (i'm posting pictures once my apartment is clean tomorrow, I PROMISE), but we did this all before I started cooking dinner, so I was giggling in the kitchen and it took a whole hour to make a simple dinner. Thankfully I can make chicken piccata over pasta with garlic bread blindfolded standing on a floating inner tube in a tank of angry eels, so when it was done, we just inhaled. Man, I love chicken piccata.
Though, we did drink too much, and this morning at 9:30 when Mike had to leave for work, I saw him to the door, made some tea for my stomach's sad cat noises, and went back to bed.
Life is good.
Currently listening to: "Animal Midnight" by Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks
[the ending to this song is so beautiful]
Though, we did drink too much, and this morning at 9:30 when Mike had to leave for work, I saw him to the door, made some tea for my stomach's sad cat noises, and went back to bed.
Life is good.
Currently listening to: "Animal Midnight" by Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks
[the ending to this song is so beautiful]
1.21.2009
Shhh, don't tell my competitors
OK- cool news.
When I saw my dear friend Leeanna today for our first day of alternative printmaking, I commented on her canvas Toms (way cool shoes, Google them), and she told me she was going to cyanotype them. Not like it's impossible, though. You can put a photograph on anything and for cyanotypes all you need, really, is a water-absorbent surface. Which is an awesome idea, considering our professor has a concentrated fixer that produces a rich prussian blue print. All photography talk aside, her shoes are going to be a walking (literally) bright blue photogram. How cool is that?
When I saw my dear friend Leeanna today for our first day of alternative printmaking, I commented on her canvas Toms (way cool shoes, Google them), and she told me she was going to cyanotype them. Not like it's impossible, though. You can put a photograph on anything and for cyanotypes all you need, really, is a water-absorbent surface. Which is an awesome idea, considering our professor has a concentrated fixer that produces a rich prussian blue print. All photography talk aside, her shoes are going to be a walking (literally) bright blue photogram. How cool is that?
I'm telling this story because it gave me the idea- to cyanotype an outfit. I've never been able to wear my work to a critique, so i'm thinking about finding a flowy, white, vintage dress this weekend when I drag Mike to Salvation Army for proper thrifting time. I'm going to make it into a photogram, and i'm going to wear it.
The ever-busy,
Amanda
Currently listening to: "The Color of Tempo" by Prefuse 73
1.20.2009
Nan Goldin
I've been fascinated by Nan Goldin lately.
I'm intrigued that most of her work dealing with her loved ones' personal lives are centered around the bed. People sleep, wake, make love, play, get sick, and die in beds.
Currently listening to: "Life-Support" by Meanwhile, Back in Communist Russia
...
I think it's kind of comical that my salad is peeking out from the right in two of these photos- I just finished it, and it was scrumptious. Romaine lettuce, goat cheese, provolone, vegan salami, red onions, carrots, and Brianna's homestyle french dressing. I could probably drink Brianna's homestyle french dressing, but I wouldn't go that far. It does taste amazing on anything green, though.
My favorite.1.13.2009
Christmas is January 12th
Last year and this year, Mike & I decided to exchange presents after Christmas because we couldn't be together. Last year, we did it on New Years, but last night was the first time we'd seen each other in three weeks, so January 12th was full of holiday cheer as we drove back from Houston to Dallas on I-45.
We curled up in front of the TV & exchanged presents: I hand-made a christmas card for Mike, and gave him a live Don Ellis record, some cassette tapes and another recorder for his solo performance pieces, a book full of letters written by Groucho Marx that I wanted to keep for myself, and a big tupperware container full of homemade chocolate candies and butter cookies I whipped up a couple days ago. Mike got me a book of Nan Goldin's photography, since the work I/we want to do this semester is inspired a lot by her, and... a limited edition CocoRosie record. So, after a little pause, holding the lovely screen-printed vinyl, I dumbly ask Mike,
"What am I going to play this on?"
And he tells me to keep looking through the book, and I find an Ebay receipt for a vintage 1970s turntable- all white, with the receiver and the speakers already in there. It hasn't arrived in the mail yet, but I can't wait. I squealed a lot, and we exchanged lots of sappy hugs. Finally- I have a turntable. Which means I have a lot of catching up to do on my vinyl collection, kids!
Merry Christmas again!
Love,
Amanda
Currently listening to: "Beg Waves" by Ponytail
We curled up in front of the TV & exchanged presents: I hand-made a christmas card for Mike, and gave him a live Don Ellis record, some cassette tapes and another recorder for his solo performance pieces, a book full of letters written by Groucho Marx that I wanted to keep for myself, and a big tupperware container full of homemade chocolate candies and butter cookies I whipped up a couple days ago. Mike got me a book of Nan Goldin's photography, since the work I/we want to do this semester is inspired a lot by her, and... a limited edition CocoRosie record. So, after a little pause, holding the lovely screen-printed vinyl, I dumbly ask Mike,
"What am I going to play this on?"
And he tells me to keep looking through the book, and I find an Ebay receipt for a vintage 1970s turntable- all white, with the receiver and the speakers already in there. It hasn't arrived in the mail yet, but I can't wait. I squealed a lot, and we exchanged lots of sappy hugs. Finally- I have a turntable. Which means I have a lot of catching up to do on my vinyl collection, kids!
Merry Christmas again!
Love,
Amanda
Currently listening to: "Beg Waves" by Ponytail
Mike's fancy christmas card to me.1.02.2009
Amanda's top ten of 2008! Twice! Makes twenty!
In my eyes, they're all winners.
1. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!
2. The Mae Shi- HLLYH
3. Okay, Huggable Dust
4. Sun Kil Moon, April
5. Marnie Stern, This Is It and I Am It and You Are It and So Is That and He Is It and She Is It and It Is It and That Is That
6. M83, Saturdays = Youth
7. Deerhunter, Microcastle
8. Vampire Weekend, Vampire Weekend
9. Bon Iver, For Emma, Forever Ago
10. Ponytail, Ice Cream Spiritual
11. Chad VanGaalen, Soft Airplane
12. Santogold, Santogold
13. Beach House, Devotion
14. Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, Real Emotional Trash
15. Ex-Reverie, The Door Into Summer
16. Man Man, Rabbit Habits
17. Jeremy Jay, A Place Where We Can Go
18. Mount Eerie, Lost Wisdom
19. Amadou & Mariam, Welcome to Mali
20. Girl Talk, Feed the Animals
Other very, very, honorable mentions of 2008:
1. “Debutantes/The Town is Ablaze!” by Paper Airplanes (off Scandal, Scandal, Scandal, Down in the Wheat Field)
+ The only reason why this album isn’t on the top 15 is really, because, it kind of hasn’t been fully released yet, even though the CD was done and recorded this past summer. However, due to some pretty obvious connections (that trumpet playing on a couple of the tracks? That’s my boyfriend), I was able to be gifted with an album. And I couldn’t get enough of it- the subtle orchestral back ups, the boys’ raw vocals, and most of all, the catchy guitar melodies that permeate the album and keep hits like “Luckbite” and “White Angry Saxon Protestant” on your mind for the rest of the day. I’ll try to notify you guys when the album is available beyond the reach of close friends and concert-goers in Kansas, but for now, you can find their equally-lovely, widely-available Boyhood album on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Boyhood-Paper-Airplanes/dp/B000NJL15Q.
2. “When the Child Awakes” by Mount Righteous (off When the Music Starts)
+ One of the quotes on the band’s flyers is, “…we sing for you. We have fun”, and that couldn’t be a more accurate description of the 11-person ensemble that is Mt. Righteous, hailing from the indie Grapevine scene. After taking photos for their show at the Grenada theatre in Dallas, TX, I was fully convinced that this is definitely a band you have to see in concert. With the members playing instruments from tubas, bass drums, xylophones, cymbals, and the ever-present slide whistle in my favorite song off the album, their talent is bound to entertain you, if their joyous attitude and clapping won’t. Their 2008 album can be presently found at:
http://cdbaby.com/cd/mountrighteous
Furthermore...
I know you are all wondering, "Amanda. Where is the latest of Montreal CD in all this snobbery? Where are your priorities?". And I will have to answer you all, respectfully, I am scared to listen to it, simply because I am afraid it will be far too sexy for its own good.
1. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!
2. The Mae Shi- HLLYH
3. Okay, Huggable Dust
4. Sun Kil Moon, April
5. Marnie Stern, This Is It and I Am It and You Are It and So Is That and He Is It and She Is It and It Is It and That Is That
6. M83, Saturdays = Youth
7. Deerhunter, Microcastle
8. Vampire Weekend, Vampire Weekend
9. Bon Iver, For Emma, Forever Ago
10. Ponytail, Ice Cream Spiritual
11. Chad VanGaalen, Soft Airplane
12. Santogold, Santogold
13. Beach House, Devotion
14. Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, Real Emotional Trash
15. Ex-Reverie, The Door Into Summer
16. Man Man, Rabbit Habits
17. Jeremy Jay, A Place Where We Can Go
18. Mount Eerie, Lost Wisdom
19. Amadou & Mariam, Welcome to Mali
20. Girl Talk, Feed the Animals
Other very, very, honorable mentions of 2008:
1. “Debutantes/The Town is Ablaze!” by Paper Airplanes (off Scandal, Scandal, Scandal, Down in the Wheat Field)
+ The only reason why this album isn’t on the top 15 is really, because, it kind of hasn’t been fully released yet, even though the CD was done and recorded this past summer. However, due to some pretty obvious connections (that trumpet playing on a couple of the tracks? That’s my boyfriend), I was able to be gifted with an album. And I couldn’t get enough of it- the subtle orchestral back ups, the boys’ raw vocals, and most of all, the catchy guitar melodies that permeate the album and keep hits like “Luckbite” and “White Angry Saxon Protestant” on your mind for the rest of the day. I’ll try to notify you guys when the album is available beyond the reach of close friends and concert-goers in Kansas, but for now, you can find their equally-lovely, widely-available Boyhood album on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Boyhood-Paper-Airplanes/dp/B000NJL15Q.
2. “When the Child Awakes” by Mount Righteous (off When the Music Starts)
+ One of the quotes on the band’s flyers is, “…we sing for you. We have fun”, and that couldn’t be a more accurate description of the 11-person ensemble that is Mt. Righteous, hailing from the indie Grapevine scene. After taking photos for their show at the Grenada theatre in Dallas, TX, I was fully convinced that this is definitely a band you have to see in concert. With the members playing instruments from tubas, bass drums, xylophones, cymbals, and the ever-present slide whistle in my favorite song off the album, their talent is bound to entertain you, if their joyous attitude and clapping won’t. Their 2008 album can be presently found at:
http://cdbaby.com/cd/mountrighteous
Furthermore...
I know you are all wondering, "Amanda. Where is the latest of Montreal CD in all this snobbery? Where are your priorities?". And I will have to answer you all, respectfully, I am scared to listen to it, simply because I am afraid it will be far too sexy for its own good.
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