the AC

check out animal collective's album art for their new (leaked) album, "Merriweather Post Pavilion." set it as your desktop background and look at the screen from left to right over and over again. it's boggling.

treasure trove

my room is cluttered, untidy and busy, but at the same time welcoming and exciting. have you ever realized how much shit you have in your room? besides necessities, which for me are books, hair things, makeup, ihome and perfume, there are all of the little things you've collected throughout your life. 

i have quite an accumulation of concert tickets, as well as the "souvenirs" i've received at the shows. i have the signed cd from peter bjorn and john, the skull maraca from whispertown2000, the plastic flowers from tilly and the wall, the drum stick from death cab for cutie, a couple photo/press passes from music festivals and random shows like rilo kiley at soma and sondre lerche at the troubador, the handwritten set list from jenny lewis and the watson twins...etc. 

i have a collection of books including used, new, coffee table, and collections of poems, essays and art, plus old text books, sat/act study books and 5 or 6 old diaries. none of them are filled completely. i tend to buy new ones when i think i'm gonna make a change in my life and i need a new journal in order to make my personal goals official. plus stacks of  magazines and The Vista.

i have about 5 different perfume bottles, most empty. some i had to stop using because they reminded me of certain events or people. the one i've stuck with is ralph lauren rocks. 

i have all kinds of posters from different concerts, drawings done by my sister, old pictures, old letters and records up on my walls. every single piece of art means something significant to me. my room is a visual haven.

tiny collectibles from grandparents, such as brooches, ceramic animals, a tiny carved giraffe...plus candles and their holders and little crystal bowls, new zealand money, a box of old awards and birthday cards, cds.

don't get me started on clothes, shoes or jewelry. one could get lost in the descriptions of such treasures.

being home and in my room has reminded me of better times, worse times and current times. but most of all it has reminded me of how lucky i am to be alive and happier and has made me grateful for all of the opportunities i've had. how many people get to say that they've met their favorite musician at their favorite concert venue? (jenny lewis at the troubadour.) 

if room raiders were a real show and i was on it, the entire world would know every little detail about my life, just from what i'm surrounded by when i sleep.

fashion pit

my heart used to belong to fashion. i would make my own jewelry, copying the styles i saw in Teen Vogue (remember those wooden bead necklaces? the big ones? i made 3 of those). i dog-eared countless pages in countless issues of Seventeen, Teen Vogue and Elle Girl (rest in peace). i would circle certain tops or dresses. months before homecoming or prom i knew the exact style of dress i wanted, but could never find it in any stores. i suppose you could say i was ahead of the trend. i always "settled" for betsey johnson because those dresses were the craziest and most unique that i could find. and then the next year, every macy*s would have the dress i wanted the year before in all kinds of colors. and then a bunch of girls would be wearing them at the dance, and i'd be wearing another crazy betsey johnson dress. 

now, thanks to stores like urban outfitters and forever 21 (and magazines like NYLON), the latest fashions ARE available to everyday people as soon as they appear on the runways (in less extravagant materials of course). while urban is expensive and forever 21 affordable, i get the feeling that anything i buy there will be looked down upon in a way. urban outfitters' peacock jewelry is cute, but i know that by wearing it i'm basically screaming URBAN at everyone that sees it gracing my collarbone or earlobes.

nevertheless i find myself overwhelmed by greed and lust every time i enter an urban outfitters. the jeans fit me perfectly, the tops are creative. but i'm not about to drop 40 on a top with a cute flower print. but on my first shopping trip in a real store (not a thrift store) with an intent to purchase rather than just look at all of the things i can't afford, i bought a somewhat overpriced top that i love love LOVE:

it's the white rabbit from Alice in Wonderland and it's adorable. since i pretty much only wear black leggings and jeans, the $28 shirt was a perfect way to bring some excitement to my little torso. 

and then i went to the american apparel outlet in camarillo. now, as someone that greatly admires the wild looks of runways and magazine spreads, the innovative placement of zippers and buttons, as well as zany prints and crazy textures, it would seem that american apparel would not appeal to my taste. but there's something about its simplicity that makes it unique. it allows space to experiment. some of the shiny stuff is actually pretty wearable and obviously eye catching. they are well-known for their leggings (though i personally prefer some that can be found in a little ventura fashion store) and their v-neck tees. however, they are expanding their collection to include materials that can't be found used in attractive ways in other places. for example, velour! never have i ever been drawn to this material. velour track suits were a disgrace to women's bodies everywhere. they made asses look bigger and fashion senses look cheaper. but american apparel has changed that for me with this particular velour sweater:

the sweater i bought is not this particular color. it's way cooler. it's tri-colored: white, light mint green and dusty denim blue. the mint green is on the stretchy cotton wrist part and the stretchy cotton bottom band, the sleeves and the bottom half of the sweater are a dusty blue velour, and the top half is white velour. hard to describe but also very easy on the eyes. because it was at the outlet it only cost $28 (rather than $38). it was my favorite purchase of the day. it made me feel confident in fashion again, as well as excited to start putting together innovative outfits and experiment with different combos as the chilly weather permits. it may just be american apparel, typical "hipster" wear as some might say, but it's fun and cute. and for someone that HAD to shop at thrift stores all summer (i didn't have a job, couldn't get a job and therefore didn't have money), being able to purchase a brand new sweater was priceless.

le break(ing point)

i'm always excited to go home for break. i talk to my mom 20 times a day on the phone already so it's not like i'm going home to strangers as a stranger. i love animals more than anything and a chance to live with them for a month is priceless. the honeymoon phase (which lasts about three days) is always enjoyable. but after those three days, what happens? chaos. worse than chaos because you know exactly what's going to happen and how it's going to happen. predictable chaos is terrifying. 

so why do i still get excited to go home? why is it something i look forward to, something i consider a much needed month of relaxation, when nothing relaxing ever takes place? catching up with old friends is amazing. sleeping with my cat by my side is precious. sunning in the yard with my dogs is calming. singing to pretty songs with my sister in the car is cool. but are all of these happenings worth the fighting that precedes them? i've made my mom cry two days in a row (not by being mean, just by getting into an argument with my sister and also by not going to church). i know for a fact that she is happier when i am not home. she talks to me when i'm in-between classes or walking home from work and is happy to know that i still need her in my life, at least as someone to converse with between responsibilities. but when i'm home i think she feels a disconnection and knows as well as i that the chaos will soon be taking over. we like it better when things are organized by time, not by emotion. 

so a holiday break for me isn't necessarily a break. it's a change of pace and a change of dramatic incidents. no longer am i annoyed by dirty roommates. i am now annoyed by lack of alone time and cigarettes and a mom thats ready to get angry at any little thing. but it's okay. i love everyone in my family regardless of their anxiety levels, and i love hanging out with friends that stuck with me through the hellish year that was 2008. 

it was christmas day

christmas day was a day of wackness. i'll leave out the less enjoyable details involving tears (not mine) and comment on the sillz.

• my mom's "my bitches" photo album
• my dad saying that the sweater my mom got him was very "star trek"
• my dad having my mom's gifts gift-wrapped in hanukkah paper (accidentally). but they were the gifts from the cat and dogs, so it was okay...
• getting in a fight over whether or not we were seeing "marley and me" or "benjamin button." or should i say "benjamin mutton," as my dad refers to it. 
• downloading justice's "a cross the universe" for two hours only to watch it and realize it was the version without subtitles
• all of the penguin gifts. seriously. i pretty much only got penguin gifts
• not watching "a christmas story" for the first time ever. we usually watch it every christmas alllll day on tbs, but not this year, and i don't know why, and i'm sad about it
• watching "dogs 101" on animal planet until 9:30, when i went to bed. if you've somehow angered your mom (like i did very early on in the day), shows with puppies are a sure cure. 

while my christmas may have sucked, i still enjoyed it somewhat because i know the gifts i got people were much appreciated. finally that's the best part. i remember being 10 and hating that i had to go shopping for my parents. but this year i got them better things than they got me. and it felt kind of cool. kind of.

it's christmas eve right now

as i progressively gain weight this week, i decided to do something productive and write while i continue to sit and wait for hors d'oeuvres. so far i've had an amazing week back. i went last minute shopping with my sister without ever feeling angry despite the crazies that surrounded me at the mall. i finished 280-something paged book in a day. i (along with my sister) made my mom a photo album with pictures of us and our (evil) cat. we decided we needed to put his paw print next to one of his pictures. and that was the worst idea. ever. my sister's carpet is covered in little green paw prints. she stated it best: "it looks like a leprechaun was running around in here!"

what's made my holiday most enjoyable is Fleet Foxes. their song "white winter hymnal" got me in the winteriest of moods without being overly santa-y or jesus-y. check it:

wo woah whoa

this has to be one of the coolest late night performances i've ever seen. it reminds me of chuck e. cheese (for obvious reasons)

on dreams

(Henri Rousseau's "To Dream")

i wrote my last column for The Vista about dreams and how weird mine have been ever since i went home. as an avid dream analyzer (i reference either glamour.com's dream dictionary or my own physical one that my creepy neighbor gave me), i have made an interesting and disturbing discovery. i will first begin with a description of the two dreams i've had that apply to this theory:

i had a dream that a guy i liked was taking candid pictures of me on a digital camera and that i was looking at the pictures and deleting the ones i didn't like and praising others. we were then laying in a barren field as thunder rolled all around us. we decided to wait till the thunder ended and then go to a party we apparently had planned to make an appearance at. an overall enjoyable dream.

the other dream consisted of me watching tv with my sister. we put on the news and heard screaming. it was a live shot of a mudslide happening at la conchita again. the mud knocked over a cement truck which then spilled a never-ending supply of cement. the news crew's helicopter cam zoomed in on the people being overtaken by the cement and then getting stuck and suffocating. it was absolutely terrible and resulted in me waking up terrified.

now here's the discovery. the first dream's meaning was extremely negative. dreaming of a camera is a warning dream signifying insincere friends around you and deception. to dream of thunder signifies that your suspicions of false friends are well-founded and portends great loss and disappointment. to dream of a field indicates dreary prospects for the future. as you could imagine, i was a little freaked out and mad that my cute dream had lost all levels of cuteness.

the second dream's meaning was extremely positive. to dream of mud predicts "glorious good luck" and to dream of cement signifies a rise in status/income. WTF

underestimation

i feel completely underestimated as a person. not in what people think i can accomplish. i think people have a pretty good idea of how motivated i am. i am definitely a dreamer and definitely set super high goals for myself personally and professionally. but there is much more to me than high hopes and cuteness. sure, i talk about cute animals ALL THE TIME. but it's because they make me happy. why not surround yourself with something like that? i know that i come across as a silly, giggley girl that will try everything once and do what she feels like. but seriously? why would you ever think that's all i do and think about? 

• music is my soul. the weirder it is and the more sounds it incorporates, the more i can connect to it. that's why bands like why? and dntel are always on my many playlists (i make a new one every day).
  
• i like more than electro music. my favorite genres are experimental hip hop and folk and some swedish pop. i also like dark rock music (not hard/metal/pop/punk rock). in every single band i listen to, the lead singer has an extremely unique and different voice. no one voice in my itunes library sounds alike.
• i'm attracted to bright colors and sparkles because they are exciting.
• i try very hard to never wear the same outfit twice. not because i'm obsessed with appearance but because i like experimentation.
• i, like many people my age, have been conditioned to hate being alone. if i'm by myself i'll get online and chat away until i know it's absolutely necessary for me to go to sleep. but because i am an insomniac that usually takes hours anyway.
• i love buying gifts for people. no matter how much i hate someone, if i see something i know they will like i will always contemplate getting it for them (but if i hate them i won't). it's more like ex-boyfriends. that's why i share music. i have a good sense for what people will like (even though some will never admit that they do, but their play count says otherwise).
• when i'm stressed or just feel out of sorts i will immerse myself in a john steinbeck book. his is the only writing i can completely connect to. he writes eloquently and honestly.
• my comfort channel is bravo. intelligent reality tv was made for me. i've never really been a cartoon person (minus rugrats and the like). that's probably why i love pixar movies. they're the smart versions of cartoons.
• after all of the terrible things i've been through in my life (trust me, you have no idea), it is absolutley impossible for me to trust anyone. if you think i trust you, i don't. it's like a character trait that disappeared.
• on that note, i'm the most trustworthy person you will ever meet. i'm the best at keeping secrets and even better at helping create them. 
• i always have to have my nails polished.
• i have had countless hairstyles because i get bored with them after a few months. my hair will be long again soon.
• my favorite thing to do is drive (yes, more than any other thing i could do). long drives are the best. i get to listen to my favorite music for hours. i made a playlist of my favorite songs ever and it contains over 1500 songs from all different kinds of artists and genres. i think that's pretty cool. i also like falling asleep in the passenger seat after shows in l.a.
• why do i like penguins? it honestly stemmed from simply liking the word. how do you come up with a word like that?
• my favorite movies are wes anderson movies because i love the "futura" font and the smoothness of the colors. i greatly admire symmetry. but i also like amelie because it has no symmetry whatsoever.
• while i like writing articles and fun columns, serious writing is my favorite. i have a novel in the works (for real) but it's all in my head as of late. 
• try thinking about things without using words.
• i smoke cigarettes because it's an excuse to move around.
• i have a blog because it makes me feel productive. i think it's important to be exposed to different points of view because it further reaffirms your own. 
• i shop in thrift stores because it's all i can afford, not because it's the indie thing to do. and it's all i can afford because i spend too much money on shoes (when i have money and don't have to buy groceries).
• i trip all the time, in all possible meanings of the word. 
• i write down every single quote that means something to me and when i go back and read over them it's an indescribable feeling.

a john steinbeck quote that perfectly describes me and most likely many other people:

"i have always lived violently, drunk hugely, eaten too much or not at all, slept around the clock or missed two nights of sleeping, worked too hard and too long in glory, or slobbed for a time in utter laziness. i've lifted, pulled, chopped, climbed, made love with joy and taken my hangovers as a consequence, not as a punishment. i did not want to surreneder fierceness for a small gain in yardage."

what i like about his writing is that it takes some cliche ideas and strips them down to pure honesty with no embellishments. how many times have we read about people not sleeping and they make it sound so utterly terrible and depressing and artsy? when john steinbeck writes about it, you're not afraid to say "yeah, me too."

christmaschristmaschristmas

i'm so so so excited for christmas this year. for once i don't hate my mom and i get to hang out with my puppies and my kitten. and of course, i'm super close to the SB zoo, at which otters and penguins swim (and that sweet lion puts his face against the glass and looks at me). here are the top 5 things on my christmas list this year, besides the usual Urban/AA gift cards (american apparel, not alcoholics anonymous) my hip mom gives me. and i hear some planned parenthoods have gift cards now. that might be cool to have.

WALL E DVD (or WALL E himself)

Hymie's Basement CD (with Yoni from WHY?)

CuteOverload Page a Day calendar

subscription to Under the Radar magazine

Justice "A Cross the Universe" live DVD/Album

And here's a Christmas gift from me to you ♥

my interview with Yo La Tengo

i did this interview last year but Yo La Tengo has been brought up to me a few times this week soooo i'm re-releasing it to the public. 

     Yo La Tengo, one of the most well-known and respected names in the underground alternative rock world, graced San Diego with their presence this past Sunday, and were kind enough to give an interview to The Vista. 

     The Freewheeling Yo La Tengo Tour brought the band to San Diego’s Museum of Contemporary Art in La Jolla, at which they held an exclusive engagement that brought together fans of all ages. Children, teenagers, middle-agers and elders sat in anticipation as they waited to see such an influential group take the stage. And once they took the stage, the music took hold of every single person in the room. All sat in silence as Georgia Hubley’s soothing voice covered the room like a blanket, and the guitar skills of Ira Kaplan kept all eyes centered on the strings.

     Standouts of the show, besides the very funny comments of the band members, were crowd-pleasers “Autumn Sweater” and “You Can Have It All,” of course, as well as “Stockholm Syndrome,” “Alyda” and the purely instrumental songs that induced chills.

     What makes this tour unique, according to Yo La Tengo’s bassist James McNew, is that “not a single thing is planned, it’s very spontaneous.”

     The way the Freewheeling tour works is unlike anything most young adults have experienced in the concert scene of today. The band welcomes questions from their audience and tells stories about how they came up with song titles or about projects they have worked on (think VH1’s Storytellers) and then choose the next song they play according to what fits with the discussion that was just held. There is no set list, no agenda; just a show that, as McNew puts it, consists of the band “flying by the seats of [their] collective pants.”

     Yo La Tengo has been around since 1984, the year their first album came out, though the three current members, husband and wife Kaplan (guitar/vocals) and Hubley (drums/vocals), and McNew (bass/vocals), have been together since 1991.  The chemistry between the threesome is intriguing. It’s a perfect combination of talent, emotion, and comedy; it’s no surprise their music is so affecting and has become a staple of varying generations.

     Yo La Tengo doesn’t just put out records either. They do movie scores too. Their compositions can be heard in “Shortbus,” “Old Joy,” and “Junebug” among many many others, as well as the surrealist undersea documentary shorts of French filmmaker Jean Painleve. 

     The band will soon be kicking off their eight-day set of Hanukkah shows in their hometown of Hoboken, New Jersey.  They started doing the Hanukkah shows back in 2001, very soon after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York.

     “It was a weird time to be an entertainer in New York,” said McNew. “People were kinda going out and getting together again.”

     This year’s Hanukkah commemoration will be the fifth in the last seven years. The shows consist of an opening act, which the band books on their own, a little bit of comedy and then a set by Yo La Tengo.  The shows are very intimate and fun and proceeds benefit charities yet to be named.

     Here are some fun facts about Yo La Tengo, many of which were shared with the audience at Sunday’s show. The band portrayed the Velvet Underground in ‘96’s “I Shot Andy Warhol.”  They got a lot of their song titles from messed up sentences that Kaplan and Hubley would come across when proofreading soft porn books (see “Mushroom Cloud of Hiss” off the album “May I Sing With Me” and ponder what it was supposed to be). Kaplan’s favorite color is green while McNew’s is orange. Their song arrangements are not set in stone, which makes them all favorites to perform. McNew is “bummed out by the second season of ‘Heroes’” and considers Nashville to be the “unsung hero of American cities.” Their favorite venue is Maxwell’s in Hoboken. Kaplan has been referred to as the Jewish Jimi Hendrix.

     Yo La Tengo’s most recent album, “I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass” came out in September of 2006 and is the springboard for the ongoing Freewheeling Yo La Tengo Tour. If you already have that, check out “Yo La Tengo Is Murdering the Classics,” which is accompanied by an “order at your own risk” warning from the band, or “The Sounds of the Sounds of Science,” which is made up of the scores of those aforementioned undersea shorts.

     Yo La Tengo is a band that has already made great waves in the music world, and will go down in history for their bravery in experimentation and their true talent. All 500 people that were able to attend the show at the Museum of Contemporary Art were very lucky, and if you are ever presented with the opportunity to see Yo La Tengo, do not let it pass you by.

            

nationally enjoyably good

i love The National.

i listened to "Boxer" about 5 times in a row as i put together my Vista pages (which are stunning, by the way) because it makes me feel warm and cozy. the hazelnut latte that boss lady (liz biz) bought me certainly aided. but seriously, this band is classic. not in the way that means they are super good, but in the way that means their sound is timeless. with the help of Sufjan, the album is beautiful and has an amazing flow and vibe. songs to check out: "ada" (my top choice), "racing like a pro," and "start a war." i know that the album came out in oh seven, but i just gave it a good listen on a hazy day and it fit my comfy mood perfectly. 

#40.4 - THE NATIONAL -Ada
by lablogotheque

speaking of which, isn't it annoying when you get a bunch of new music but you just don't have the patience or time or energy to give it a genuinely interested listen? it makes me so sad because i love to add to my wealth of music knowledge, but i know i have a ways to go. sure, my iPod has over 8000 songs on it, but how much of it have i really listened to? i'm almost embarrassed to say. but at least i know all of the names and at least one song per artist. 

;asdjf fuck

i am drunk. or at least buzzed. and had the most difficult time writing my articles for The Vista this week. as i slowly type this to avoid misspellings, i begin to think about the lyrics that WHY? is singing to me at this exact moment. something about "fucking grooving?" god damn i want to dance. i miss justice live. they're my friends (they told me). i miss listening to girl talk and playing beer pong with black mugs and glass cups. i miss ecstasy. i miss my big bed at home. i miss stability. i obviously miss being drunk without being depressing. i miss lewis, most of all. i miss being able to write sober, because until i had those glasses of champagne i was experiencing major writer's block, and it was shitty. but for real, i'm gonna start a magazine for USD solely about arts & culture. help a girl out. 

time travel

yes, i am extremely excited for christmas.

when i arrived home on tuesday, my family had completely decorated the house for christmas (minus the tree and the outside lights) and had a fire in the fireplace. it was a perfect way to be welcomed home, especially after a ridiculously stressful and draining week. the only odd thing was, thanksgiving still had not happened. i'm not one that gets overly angry when i see christmasy things before the month of december, let alone thanksgiving day, but i for sure thought it was silly. but, seriously, how could i complain when i was surrounded by an abundance of penguins? they bought a light up one especially for me:

nonetheless, this week has proven to be a family overload week. thanksgiving dinner involved my cousin and her new husband, an aunt that i haven't seen in probably 4 years and a surprising lack of other relatives that had never been absent before. i also discussed the upcoming "girl cousins' night" at my aunt's (another one that i haven't seen in years) house, which almost burned down in the recent santa barbara fires. i'm a tad overwhelmed by this upcoming night but it's a month away so whatevs for now. tomorrow i'm going to the zoo with my grandpa and step-grandma, renee, and my mom, dad and sister too. i get to see penguins in person, which easily makes this the best day of my week at home. 

another benefit is the time i have to read.

not only do i get to fit in a few pages of "Travels With Charley" here and there, but my sister has the new NYLON (mine is waiting for me in my SD mailbox). though i was disappointed by the issue's lack of excitement about the new year, i was highly impressed by the holiday playlist created by SNL's newest addition, Casey Wilson. the song descriptions were genius and the humor refreshing. i greatly appreciated the Gremlins reference (and the accompanying picture of a gremlin holding a candy cane with dancing music notes floating above his furry head), as well as the Bruce Springsteen "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" recommendation. Check it out in the Dec/Jan 09 issue with Lily Allen on the cover. it's on page 142. (seriously, it made me LOL.)

a band that i'm getting into: The Welcome Wagon, whose album is produced and arranged by Sufjan Stevens and released on Asthmatic Kitty. very Sufjan-esque, featuring covers of The Smiths and old hymns, as well as original creations. check out the mp3 at stereogum.com. the album is released on Dec. 9.

Woah!

some excitement:

the track thing to the right (you can sample the songs by clicking on the little play buttons)

5 rolls of film developed for $3.21

here are some of my favez:

BOSTON

with the realization that i do NOT miss usd at all while being away for tg break, i delved into the emerson website to reignite an old flame and an old hope. 

i got into emerson with a $16,000 scholarship my senior year of high school. it was my top choice. and my parents wouldn't let me go solely because of the distance. usd seemed like a pretty good option so, because i had a zero percent chance of my parents giving in to my bostonian dreams, i decided to go.

but now i regret giving in (the one time i've ever done so in my life) and truly do not feel that usd is MY school. i know that i am doing some pretty cool things with the paper and my job as a marketing assistant. i know that the school is ranked pretty well (for business), but i just don't feel any strong connection. 

i don't connect well with the people and i don't connect well with the beach party lifestyle. emerson, on the other hand, is my style in every way possible: 

1. big city

2. real weather

3. a million more journalistic opportunities

4. a program designed specifically for magazine production and writing 

5. more serious and genuine media studies students

this school was made specifically for media studies, and the writing/publishing program was made specifically for magazine production. ahem, my life goal is to create my own magazine, and emerson offers a course in which you CREATE YOUR OWN MAGAZINE. ENOUGH SAID.

the people at usd generally suck and i don't think i've had very many real connections. i think my self and my talents would be better appreciated and put to use and allowed to grow in boston. i'm in talks with my parents again. i'm gonna apply and see what kind of scholarship and financial aid i might receive. as unreligious as i am, i will definitely be praying that i am able to transfer to emerson next year. if you know me, that's a pretty big deal. 

shponder

when i woke up today at 12:30 to a wonderful phone call about what drank i would like to have purchased for me tonight, i looked out my window and saw gray skies. not sure what's wrong with me but seeing gray skies made me the happiest i've been all week. i was feeling a bit more healthy after being plagued with a cold for the duration of the week and i decided to treat myself to a day off doing what i do best, watching movies. 

the darjeeling limited has to be one of the best movies to wake up to. vivid colors, an exciting culture, adrien brody and jason schwartzman and natalie portman, a highly enjoyable soundtrack and lots of prescription drug abuse. but what got  me most were the colors. bright colors and sparkly things are like magnets. i'm automatically drawn to them and, if they are buyable, i will buy them. with this film though, wes anderson's style is extremely attractive to me. especially with the indian colors. i could go on and on about colors but they are beyond describable. i wouldn't do them justice.

 

tonight consists of $3 chamapagne and daft punk slow jams. i'm pretty excited. 

the history i'm witnessing

have you ever thought about all of the things we grew up with in the media, and the fact that they're all disappearing before our very eyes? trl has been cancelled, a show that i used to watch every day in middle school. jay leno is retiring, i've been watching that with my dad for years. oprah will soon be retiring too, enough said. and ER, a tv classic that has been on for countless years is in its last season! i'm not huge on tv (i am only dedicated to bravo and the office) but all of these things are a huge part of my generation's development. where would our shitty music taste be without trl's repetitive daily music video countdown? where would my relationship with my parents be without jay leno and oprah? and had there been no ER, would i still be a hypochondriac? this all saddens me a great deal. there are definitely amazing talents in the running to take over jay leno and oprah's respective positons (conan and ellen anybody?), but thanks to all of these wonderful media outlets and personalities, i am who i am today. i will miss all of the above a great deal. maybe not trl so much, but definitely  jay and ER (the cast is very attractive).

vista view

waiting for my ride in The Vista office here on campus, i began to ponder weekend plans which then digressed into life plans. i plan on having a studio apartment next year since half of my friends are graduating and almost the entire other half are studying abroad or having children. living by myself (along with a cat and/or dog) is going to be like living in a heaven, a "kaitlin" heaven. the idea of having my own place with my own kitchen-ware, couch, tv programming, netflix subscription, throw pillows, candles, curtains, rugs, coffee table, decorative disco balls, lucky penguins...the list goes on. i won't have to worry about who did the dishes last, who wants the blinds closed or the heater on. all i will have to worry about is if i'm gonna be done with The Vista in time to catch Chelsea Lately on E! or if i'm running low on method dish soap. please don't get me wrong, i completely love my roommate. but there is something wonderful to be said about quiet time and having your own belongings. while reading "Travels With Charley" by John Steinbeck, i've become envious of the time Steinbeck (and even Charley) have with their own thoughts. when i think about the things i could write if i took a trip with just myself and my dog...i get somewhat overwhelmed, but it's an empowering feeling at the same time? not sure how that works, but it might be that i accept that i CAN be a good writer if i just allow myself the time and mindset. i tend to fight my writing urges because i'm afraid i can't live up to expectations, especially when it's creative writing. i have that brilliant idea for a novel just sitting up on a shelf in my mind, waiting to be put within the front and back covers that make up a book (hard copy of course). we'll seeeee what happens this summer. hopefully i'll have my own place in san diego, accompanied by a job, money, a car and a dog (or cat). those will be the daze. penguin of the week? conductor penguin:

problems

friends dealing with p. safe, friends dealing with bi guys, friends dealing with missing the person they were in the summer and family dealing with fire evacuations. this week has been full of worry for so many people i know. and when the people i care about stress out, i stress out. this week has been very long. and the weather is really hot now. i miss the hope and excitement i felt when the temperature dropped. i'm back to getting iced drinks and wearing flip flops. back to taking the tram everywhere because i can't breathe. (but maybe that's because of smoking rather than the semi-humid weather). and now with these fires threatening the homes of my relatives...things just suck for so many people right now. i'm worried about my aunt and uncle who are trapped in the middle of the fire while housesitting their neighbor's house. i'm worried about...every other person in my family. all of them are dealing with some kind of issue, whether it be health or money or relationships. and then i think about my life and how lucky i am but how stupid i am at the same time. i have my health but i destroy it with cigarettes and being too exhausted to go to the gym. i have my smarts but am destroying them with persistent drug abuse. i have my humor but i'm destroying that by being bitchy. i could go on but i'm destroying my easy-going nature by complaining about things i do to myself. so i have decided to slowly but surely quit smoking and cut back on my bitchiness. i know i'm not the meanest girl ever, especially at usd or in ventura county, but i hate feeling like a bitch. i've been told that i'm a confrontational little one...not exactly how i want to be known, but it's definitely not a bad character trait. i'm proud of my confidence and "strong will." but i'm even more proud of my idea to have a "daft penguin" created for me. ^

ME

with a school year full of election craziness (yaaayyyy obama!), art projects, speeches, latin tests (open-book thank GOD) and weekly issues of The Vista, i rarely ever have time for me. hence why there are never any posts on this supercute blog. i'm pretty sure the main reason i write on it, besides my love of writing, is because of the pink and purple. but last night, on a rare saturday night in, i allowed myself to eat chocolate and read an entire issue of Nylon front to back (the most recent one at that). though i have two past issues sitting on my table under a stack of newspapers and receipts, i was so SO happy to be able to take a (healthy) break from thinking and read about fashion and music. it reminded me why i do everything i do. why i wear the same 4 pieces of crazy jewelry every day, why i write about m.i.a.'s fashion line, why i want to start my own magazine. in the midst of reading i was asked to join a friend in the courtyard to have a cig. that very enjoyable cig break lasted 2 and a half hours and was intermittently freckled with drunken stories from friends arriving home from frat parties and ended with rain sprinkles and gusts of wind, and maybe a raccoon or two, or three. it made me kind of re-fall in in love with usd. i've been contemplating my decision to attend this university, like many of my friends, and i realized that i'm here for a reason, and it's not to appease the many crazy guys i come in contact with, or to talk shit with the cool girls. i'm here because i've already learned so much about myself through so many challenges AND i get to edit The Vista! where else would i have been able to get an editing position that early in my college career? superlucky. 

anyways. the weather in sd is FINALLY cold and there are leaves blowing everywhere and i get to drink hot chocolate with cinnamon and have Campbell's soup at hands on a regular basis (meaning the last 3 days). while i wish there was snow everywhere and i could bundle up with a cutie (whether it be a cat or a guy), i'm happy just typing up a blog post and listening to Beach House (how ironic?).

check out this coolness that my paint created by itself:

so much too much

i have no time to breathe. i can't even find time to pick up my paycheck :(. this is terrible. on the bright side, at least i HAVE a paycheck. the economy is really shitty, as i experienced first hand over the summer, but working on campus helps to shield me from that sad sad fact. 

soooo i went to street scene. for free with press passes. such a good weekend. i went with amazing people that like to have fun and drink and dance as much as i do. first night is a leettle hazy, but i definitely remember Justice. ohhhh my. they were amazing. absolutely amazing. the pulsating bass put to the flashing cross in the center of the stage was serotonin upping. the next night i enjoyed the beats of ghostland observatory. as i said that night, experiencing their music made me feel like i was having sex. period. and god bless devo! how many people in my generation can say that they saw devo live? not very many. and they kicked ASS. 

my second day of street scene got a little dimmer when i heard the sad news that DJ AM and Travis Barker were in a fatal plane crash. they were the only survivors. someone said to me that if that had happened to them they would believe in god 100%. what must that mean to be one of two survivors? that's some heavy shit. but i am deeply glad that they are okay.

i am very much enjoying working on the vista. i've had some amazing opportunities given to me because of this little newspaper, including an interview with Michael Cera and Kat Dennings and all access passes to the upcoming San Diego Film Festival. check out my shit at The Vista.

another sad thing that i heard is that TRL has been cancelled! that show was my favorite thing to watch when i was...younger...and i think it helped to define my generation. remember eminem? britney v. christina v. jessica simpson (who didn't really count)? i loved all that drama! it was so exciting! but thankfully MTV has introduced FNMTV. that show kicks ass. Pete Wentz is the host and he's surprisingly not annoying. i've only seen it a few times since i don't really have time to enjoy anything on tv anymore, but one episode that really stood out was one that featured She & Him and their music video for "Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?", and they had some rapper give his opinion on it. and he said that he liked the fake blood. it was so cool! i love the mixing of genres and the acknowledgment of music outside of pop. check it.

some final thoughts since i feel as though i am rambling:

i hate keira knightley. can she do anything besides a period piece?

getting a new Nylon in the mail is the most exciting way to pre-start a month. 

JENNY LEWIS' NEW ALBUM MAKES ME WANT TO DROP ACID

bitchez

while i am certainly planning on writing a ridiculous amount of exciting things, i'm only going to write a teazer right now since i'm studying for logic (though i don't think i really need that much help with logistical thinking):

someone thought that i didn't know who JUSTICE was. seriously. me. arts & culture editor Kaitlin Perry. i was blindsided!

i'm busy beyond belief and i love it.

katy goddamn perry

her song may be catchy, but she has ruined my name! whenever people think of me, they think of her. and then they tell me that because of her they thought of me. at leasssttt she was cool enough to be on the cobrasnake right? haaa

photo courtesy of theee cobrasnake

U S D

USD could stand for many things considering how many sluts go here. overall though i'm having a pretty good time being back. the weather is absolutely gorgeous. i walk everywhere so my legs are quite toned and i'm no longer out of breath when i climb stairs, i've met some really cool people simply by sitting in the center of my little apartment area (The Vistasssss) and having a cig or two. my roommate is the coolest person ever and our apartment is super cute. the only downside is how quickly people change for the worse. it's disappointing how easily people lose their coolness and respect value just by changing who they are depending on who they are around. i thought that was high school shit but i guess nott.

on a nicer note, i saw Why? the other night at The Echoplex. they are one of the most talented bands i've ever seen. the drummer plays the drums and a xylophone at the same time, while singing, and the lead singer plays the drums and maracas and keyboard at the same time while singing some very complex lyrics. i was stunned and blown away. AND me and my friend were able to weave our way through the crowd from the back row to the 3rd row by going up to all the tall people and telling them we couldn't see. easy peasy. tonight i'm seeing the legendary Bob Dylan in SD and i'm very excited. it feels like i'm becoming a part of history, just because he has had such a big impact on the music industry and, dare i say, the world. ANDDDD i got press tix for STREET SCENE. I AM SO EXCITED AND HAPPY. check out the line-up at http://street-scene.com. it's like a mini coachella that's like 10 minutes from my apartment. The Vista will be starting up again soon and you can check out my writing and other people's writing on http://sandiego.edu/vista.

rainbow brite

tonight i completed my life by seeing Radiohead live at the Santa Barbara Bowl. i obviously was aware that such a great band would put on an exceptional life show, but i was not fully aware of how amazing the lights would be. not only were they bright and colorful and fast and completely synchronized with the music, but they enhanced the music. it almost felt like the lights were reflecting what was going on in my body as i felt every beat of the bass or heard every electronic sound manipulation. the band opened with Reckoner, proceeded to play all of my other favorite songs, and then closed with Idioteque (mind-blowing). way better than any rave i will ever go to. the reason i compare the two is because of the light shows and the electronic-ness. there's something about the combination of electronic music with legitimate rock and soulful/mindful lyrics that brings about a different kind of pasison within a person, something more than ecstasy or any other drug could do. when you're sober (as i was because i had to visit with my grandparents after the show), you are more in tune with your day to day person, therefore an amazing experience such as a light show put to brilliant music, has a more "intelligent" effect on you. but i am fully aware that had i been rolling i would have been even happier. i just feel that i am more conscious of what i experienced, and that it was ME that experienced it, not me on a narcotic.

woahhh

i have astonished myself by writing a 6 page paper in one night. i haven't written a paper since last week, but before that it had been about 4 or 5 months. it's such a relief to know that i can still write scholarly things. this semester won't be as hard as i thought. woo!

gacebook

things i hate that happen on facebook:

• when people put entire albums up that contain only tagged pictures of themselves. god damn photobooth 
  
• when people put up depressing statuses
• when people have a kazillion tagged pics of themselves but added the majority on their own
• when people insult b.obama
• when people leave bitchy comments
• when people change their relationship status every day

Barack the Vote

this article about the death of McCain's campaign is one that every American should read. after reading it, i felt anger towards the people that will actually still vote for McCain, even though he is hypocritical and almost childish in the way he does politics. click it: McIdiot

OBAMA/BIDEN '08 bitchesss

pic courtesy of soleredemption.com

puppy games 08

i remember on the day of the superbowl, my mom called me to tell me that the puppy bowl was on. and to my enjoyment, animal planet was presenting a puppy version of the superbowl, in which puppies of all shapes sizes and breeds were put into a mini arena to play with all kinds of toys. 

lo and behold, there also exists a puppy games, a puppy version of the olympics that includes soccer and puppy gymnastics (a balance beam). they do profiles of the competitors (like Zim, a gymnast puppy) and show replays. but it's not real sports. it's just a dog chewing on a soccer ball toy and a dog walking on a straight beam thing. 

it's the weirdest thing i've ever seen. but super cute nonetheless.

THE music scene

after watching the last Mai's Cafe show of my summer, i realized how fucking amazing local ventura county bands are. Hindu Kush kind of blew my mind. it was the first time i had ever heard them live and i was VERY impressed. and my all-time fave local band, besides the ones with record deals, would have to be Dreamcolour. they are creative, innovative, and even a little provocative depending on how many saxophones Rob is playing at once. props to alexa, alex, ted and danny too. had i been drunker and more energized i would have danced with all of those crazies in front of the stage.

takeover

because i am completely addicted to Bravo, i watched Tabatha's Salon Takeover. it's absolutely ridculous, but i love watching interior design things so i sat through it. she's so unnecessarily mean, but she does know what she's talking about. my sister puts it perfectly: she's not a bitch, she just acts like one. there is a huge difference between being a bitch and acting like one, obviously. Tabatha never sounds genuinely mean. she's putting on a show, for her show. 

i wish USD had Bravo.

ac/trip

acid tongue, acid wash - even acid betty on Project Runway. i'm surrounded by acid and it's making me want to take a trip around the color spectrum.

as a side note, i am completely in love with Bela Karolyi, the gymnastics guy who comments on the fucked up judging throughout the olympic games. he's so passionate about the "sport" and is so worried about the hearts (meaning emotions) of the girls competing. he also has an amazing accent and hair do. 

courtesy of Mark Stehle, AP

scout and about

scout watches more tv than i do. put on a tiger documentary and he starts jumping around. cutest thing EVER.

wiggidy wack

a movie that i highly recommend is The Wackness. it's extremely relatable, wonderful cinematography, kick ass soundtrack and impressive acting. it's sad to me, though, that i can predict the future and hear kids saying "eh, it was okay. it was cliche blah blah blah." truth be told, every movie at this point is cliche. every love story, every drug story, every depression story. they're all the same deep down. but this film puts little spins on old topics, and they're funny. so don't hate on it just to be different, let yourself actually watch it without automatically judging it. i did it, and i had a wonderful night at the movies. 

on another note, my mind has recently clarified certain goings on for me, and i can't decide if it makes my life easier or more confusing, or both. i've realized that everybody thinks they are right all the time. if they are wrong, their mind convinces them that they are right, no matter what. people will twist stories around to make themselves appear to be in the right. people will talk shit to make themselves look intelligent and will try to insult you by projecting themselves onto you. but the part that helped to clarify it is this: that little part of your mind that always knows the truth, it grows and grows and grows the more you lie lie lie. the more you exaggerate, the more exhausted and dirty you will feel, because that little part of your brain that knows the truth has too many truths to hold inside, because you won't be expressing the truths on the outside. i realized this a long time ago. yeah, i used to exaggerate stories to make myself look better, but i was 14. not 19. i realized that i was happier when i told the truth, even if it got me in trouble. i had less headaches and felt less depressed. the more honesty you bring into your life the more happiness and respect you will bring into your life. everyone can see through the lying manipulative person. those types of people aren't very good with common sense. and who wants to be called "crazyface" behind their back by the people they think are their friends? embrace honesty and reap the benefits. 

that's my life lesson for the day haha. after movies i feel philosophical, even though most of what i say isn't that impressive.