the good and the bad, but mostly good

I like to write about things that make me happy and recent new- found things that make me happy.

Should I start with the good- happy things or the bad ones…

Bad ones…

1. God damnit, I have to start paying off my student loans!!! Gahhhh……!

2. I hate how girls can become so infatuated with boys. I know it happens to everyone ( it’s happened to me) at least some point in their life ( and vice- versa), but it really, really, irritates me.

3. I am tired of Seattle- coldness. In all honesty I don’t normally feel this way but today I noticed how almost no one makes eye- contact with each other in the streets- and the kicker was when this old woman (she wasn’t even old she was maybe 45ish) demanded that I hold the door for her. I had already walked out of the doorway and she was walking in the opposite way and basically snapped at me, and muttered to herself how no one “follows traditional polite customs” anymore. Maybe this lady was just crazy and has nothing to do with Seattle… I will say “bashfullness” rather than coldness. That sounds nicer. I guess it’s kinda cute that everyone in Seattle is so shy and independent?? Maybe so.

4. My favorite kid Sam was sick today (for gymnastics) so I wasn’t able to say goodbye to him. Or tell his mom that I would babysit for them whenever they wanted. Daarrrn it.

5. I was sitting across from a person on the Metro who was listening to his iPod and texting on his cell phone at the same time. I was so disgusted. I think technology can ruin people to a certain extent.

Good things!

1. My preschoolers and my co- workers at Seattle Gymnastics love the new mix cd I made them! It has made the last few days of work so much greater, even if they were 8 hour days with the same group of 3-4 year olds.

2. I had a really great Christmas with my family. I drank beer with my Dad for the first time, ha- while watching Rush Hour 2. I also got to see all of my cousins (I have a lot), whom I haven’t seen for a really long time. I am the oldest in the family, so it’s been crazy seeing them all grow so fast. Basically all of my cousins are taller than me now.

3. I am going to finally start teaching creative dance and ballet next week. My lesson plans are about finished, I just need to get some music (which should be fun). Two girls that are going to be in my dance classes came to gymnastics today, which I thought was funny. They are adorable.

4. Our freezer is full of Essential Bakery bread. Yesssssss.

5. I made the most awesome hip- hop playlist.

6. I’ve been listening to M. Ward for the past two weeks. Delicious.

7. My Netflix arrived.

8. I had tomato soup and rosemary bread with cheese on it for dinner today, and uh, yesterday too. Yuuhhh uhhmmm!!

9. To get back to more serious points… I feel like lately I have been realizing what my real, true values are. Things that are more important to me in life and what isn’t important to me anymore. These “things” I am talking about are the foundations all of my relationships are built on. I’ve realized that I have fantastically genuine, real, and helplessly honest friends. What a blessing they have been to me! Through this realization that yet I feel like I have always known, I only want more relationships in my life with people who I think are just as good- hearted. People who are happy and enjoy simple things, not because they are simple, but because they don’t need excitement and glamour to be happy. People who don’t put too much weight and effort in superficial things like stuff and clothing. People who willingly share. People who are open- minded not because they are not- opinionated or “free thinkers”, because they are honestly curious and believe another persons beliefs are just as worthy of hearing. People who don’t define themselves as a part of a sub-culture. People who appreciate the earth and natural beauty. People who can’t help but say what they really think. People who aren’t afraid to be themselves and be aimlessly happy.

10. I had a great New Years Eve. I baked a nutty- apple- crisp dessert sorta thing for a dinner party I went to. I am a lazy baker. I met a wonderful dog named Bella. It was a great night, especially compared to my last New Years Eve… I spent it with a few close friends and then a ton of people I didn’t know. I met three people named Will in one night. I didn’t get drunk, I should mention proudly (again, remembering New Years of 2008),  it was more of a steady buzzed-ness. The night ended with a great conversation with my housemates and a work free day in the morning.

11. Holy macarole it’s 2.0.0.9!!!

12. I am going to sleep now. It’s gonna be so great. Sweet dreams!

last week five weeks ago

FYI: This should have been posted Dec 5thish. I’ve been busy.

1. I bought a package of dance classes at Westlake that expire in a month and I kind of didn’t go for a while, so last week I had to take dance class almost every evening. One of them was hip hop and only three people showed up. It was so awkward. Westlake dance isn’t so great I’ve decided, I’m moving to Velocity Dance Center.

2. Last week was the last week of Fall Session at my gymnastics coaching job. I gave all my kids medals and said “Smell ya later!”

3. FIRST THURSDAY. Which is always fun. We went to the 619 Building where all the hip/ really cool people in Seattle go on first Thursday. But it was lots-o-fun and I drank some wine, met some people and got that excited/ anxious feeling I get when I’m around tons of people.

4. 2Pac: The Resurrection. I had nothing to do on Friday and it was my night off, so I watched my Netflix with Harry and a couple bottles of wine. After all that fun we went on an adventure through the U-District to pick up Paul and hang out with a few other peeps.

5. I forgot to mention that I discovered an awesome sweater at Goodwill within minutes of walking in, one that I have been searching for for many days! It is my official winter sweater, how exciting is that.

6. My favorite past time has become scouring Value Village, Goodwill and various vintage/ consignment shops for random things, clothing/ whatever makes me smile. The other would be listening to music all day. On that note….

7. I am so musically overwhelmed. I have downloaded and been given soo much music in the past few months that I don’t even know what to listen to anymore. My favorites new tunes have been: Coconot, The Ruby Suns, Blockhead, Ghostface Killah, The Dirty Projectors, Wilco, M. Ward, and Dj Nu Mark. I’ve been making playlists to lessen the blow.

8. I am making a Preschool “Robot Music” mixtape for my preschoolers! Here are some of the tracks:

1. The Crystal Cat- Dan Deacon

2. Kim& Jessie- M83

3. Call on Me- Eric Prydz

4. IMpossible- Figurine

5. Good Time- Crystal Castles

6. Jazzhole- Free the Robots

7. Antillas- El Guincho

8. Surfin on a Rocket- Air

9. One More Time- Daft Punk

10. Neon Beanbag- Stereolab

11. Ping Island- Mark Mothersbaugh

12. Air War- Crystal Castles

13. Cut and Run- Electrelane

14. And I was a Boy from School- Hot Chip

15. Palmitos Park- El Guincho

16. Technologic- Daft Punk

It’s going to be great! (fyi, they really like it)

P.S. This blog is lame, if you did not pick up on that. Also, I think I am turning into an old lady.

These last few pictures are some of my awesome-est finds at Value Village. I smile every time I see those golden palm trees on my desk

Pablo Diaz- reixa… El Guincho

Last Saturday on the 22nd of November my pal Cat and I made the trek up to Vancouver to see El Guincho. Cat could have stayed in Seattle and watched El Guincho at the Nectar Lounge because she is 21, but thank goodness she drove my poor little 20 year old self to Vancouver, BC to see the concert. We were exhausted that day because the night before we had a dance party at our house and most people didn’t leave until 3am or go to bed until 4 or 5am..

After touring around Granville Island, visiting the brewery and the market, we stood in line at the Red Room to see El Guincho and No Gold. After getting in, we actually met a group of kids from Seattle who were also under 21 who came to see El Guincho, it was awesome. No Gold played first and man they were really awesome. They are from Vancouver and are your usual indie- rock type band- except they had this tropical sound to them which made their music really unique and dance-y.

No Gold played a really short show, so soon El Guincho was setting up for his show. And then this guy (who was soo gorgeous) who was standing behind Cat and I during the entire No Gold show hopped up on stage to help El Guincho, who I then realized was playing with El Guincho, and then whom I later realized was also in this band called Albaialeix which I have listened to a bunch of times on myspace. I totally didn’t even recognize him!!! Bummmmmmer, I totally thought he was just another Vancouverian. After El Guincho finished setting up, he was kinda just walking around the Red Room ( I am not sure if anyone else really knew what he looked like) so I waved at him and he totally smiled and waved back at me! (Don’t call me star-struck.)

El Guincho’s show was amazing, his music made the crowd really uplifted and everyone was dancing crazily. El Guincho played a lot of songs from his other band too- Coconut, who I really, really enjoy as well. He also normally performs alone, but for this tour his friend Aleix (the guy who was standing behind us) helped him out with back up vocals and with percussion on the drum pad.  Aleix is also in a band called Extraperlo and Albayaliex which are also very cool. Pablo/ El Guincho would also talk a little about his songs before each one, and he had the most adorable Spanish accent! At the end of the show I was able to take a photo with Pablo and talk to him a bit- it was nothing to deep of course, I was too star- struck/ in love with him to allow anything somewhat interesting to come out of my mouth.

Overall the show was great and well worth the trip to Vancouver. It made me soo bummed that I could not see him again at the Nectar Lounge on Monday. He did have an in- studio show at KEXP, which was soo good, and which you should also listen to if you get the chance. “Buenos Matrimonios Ahi Fuera” was the best.

Beautiful Vancouver.

This place was very cute.

http://www.myspace.com/goldentombs

I love his sweater! Listen to El Guincho and Coconot

My camera doesn’t take photos in focus when I don’t use flash . Go to myspace.com/extraperlo and myspace.com/albaaleix to hear Aleix’s bands.

Mi amor!

building nothing out of something

I still haven’t explained the title of my page- “Building Nothing out of Something.” It is the title of one of Modest Mouse’s best albums, who are probably my favorite band ever- by the way. I have been listening to them ever since high school, and more so after my old friend Tim burned about seven or eight of their albums on cd for me even though “he didn’t really like them”. I sure hope that’s changed.

My favorite memory of listening to them was when I was driving my shitty little blue Mazda 323 ‘88 recorded on cassette of course with my shitty car speakers- of course. This was back in good old Pasco- during high school years. Sad Sappy Suckers, This is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About, Lonesome Crowded West and The Moon and Antartica were my driving albums. Sad Sappy Suckers the most. Those were some good times- and Modest Mouse was probably the only band I listened to in high school that I still listen to now frequently.

Just a little info on Modest Mouse…

They are a Pacific Northwest based band- heck yes! Formed in Issaquah, WA. And this is stolen from Wikipedia- ‘Their name is derived from a passage from the Virginia Woolf story “The Mark on the Wall” which reads “I wish I could hit upon a pleasant track of thought, a track indirectly reflecting credit upon myself, for those are the pleasantest thoughts, and very frequent even in the minds of modest mouse-coloured people, who believe genuinely that they dislike to hear their own praises.”‘

The lead singer/ songwriter/ guitarist- Isaac Brock is also absolutely genius. You just have to listen to their music to understand. I love his lyrics as well. If you were totally critical and well- lame, you could call them kind of “emo” which I hate to even type in the same paragraph with Modest Mouse. But yes his lyrics are kinda sad and depressing, but I think they are very thought provoking and just witty, yet still very emotional and meaningful.

OH WAIT! I do need to make one thing very clear about my love for Modest Mouse- it extends only to year 2004 when the album Good News For People Who Love Bad News (which I didn’t even like that much) was released. Anything they created afterward means nothing to me. Maybe they’ll start making good music (well as good as in the late ’90’s) again soon. I have never seen Modest Mouse in concert either, I’m too scared they will disappoint me with their new stuff. Kind of a sad ending to this story…

Should I insert a Modest Mouse Youtube video? Holy moly this is going to be a tough one…

I had to put two….

To conclude this post, I feel like my page is kind of “building nothing out of something.”

So… it fits.

crystal castles

Joanne and I saw Crystal Castles at Neumos last Wednesday. It was probably the greatest dance show I’ve ever been to and the music was fantastic! David Wolf was one of the openers and he was awesome. We didn’t really go to the show to see Crystal Castles- it more so to dance and have fun, which we did. As it turns out though, Crystal Castles was great, I have their album now and listen to it a lot. I had so much fun dancing, jumping up and down, going deaf, bumping into people, getting sweaty and getting my feet stepped on!! Wowzas, this will be happening again soon.

This is one of my favorites. I also like the Russian men dancing. Did I mention that Joanne and I are amazing dancers?? If you happen to be a dance party person AKA “DPP” perhaps we’ll see you at the next dance party!!

happy vegan day

I am not vegan, but I am vegetarian (again as of August 08). I had a little stint inbetween being veggie or not- I caved for turkey. Going to Central America also made it very difficult to be veggie, seeing as how meat is always the main course, it was awwful. Right now I am very set on not eating any meat anymore though, no turkey on Thanksgiving for me, (I guess I can’t call it turkey day now…).

I nannied for a woman who is a dietician and she is vegetarian- but also does not drink cow’s milk.  I thought that was really interesting, and she told me she didn’t like how there were hormones in cow’s milk, and that research is showing a link between early puberty in girls and the hormones in milk. Also, she told me that research shows that the proteins in cows milk are believed to cause childhood diabetes. (Google “hormones in cows milk” or go to www.milksucks.com to read more). I personally don’t even like the taste of milk and was lactose intolerant while I was a kid- so I cutting milk out of my diet was not a difficult decision at all. The dairy farming industry is also just plain awful, and the way they treat animals is very unethical- specifically in the milk industry. I know I am about two steps away (probably more) from becoming vegan, but I don’t think I can give up cheese, breads and many other things. I guess you just have mold your lifestyle and choices the best way you can go through with them.

.Drink Rice or Soy! It’s deelicious.

obama earrings

Only $6.50 at Etsy.com.

John McCain votes for Obama

life is beautiful

I just finished sobbing over this movie. I love Roberto Benigni, he is absolutely precious. The little boy is just adorable. What a great movie, but wow it made me cry like a baby. Actually I haven’t cried like I just did in a long time, but I did laugh hysterically a lot in the movie- Guido (Benigni’s character) is just hilarious. The moral of the movie is so heartwarming too, I can’t get over it. Can I please marry someone like Guido? Who will ride me to work on his bicycle? And speak Italian..? Haha. La vita è bella!

on replay

I love this song.