no wave new york new year no resolutions

i stopped making new year's resolutions long ago, mostly because they seem so trite & contrived & who ever really does them anyway. but the biggest reason is that i am ALWAYS setting goals and plans for myself and making lists of things i want to start doing & need to accomplish. not HUGE things, mind you. just anything.

however, my #1 favorite new year's resolution i ever made was:
"stop putting stuff on my bed."
yeah, i don't think i even succeeded at that. hey, where else should i put stuff?

anyway, so yeah, there are always things i want to do, throughout the year, but i must admit, as i stand on the brink of 2008, there are bigger things i want. because 2008 is a huge year. one i've always anticipated but i never knew it'd be like this. or i never knew i would be the way i am at this point. as in, still a child. not a grown up. completely un-together and unsure about everything. those are not negative things really, just very surprising. years ago i would have seen myself in 2008, as a senior in college, as some sophistocated, ultra-educated, mature, wisened person, getting ready to start a new phase in my life, ready for all the newness and responsiblity. in reality, however, all i really want to do is listen to Elvis Costello and watch TV and go out and drink raspberry wheat homebrews and wear cute clothes. and i feel the most immature and childish i ever have in my life, and i have absolutely no clue what i'm doing when college is over, no idea where to go or what to do. which is okay. really.

i want to do lots of things in 2008, some of which are rather private, but some that aren't are:

1. figure out what i want to do with my life
2. go to MoMA, even if it costs $12 to get in
3. get dumbo rats and/or a kitten
4. get a WELSH CORGI (who i shall name Larry) for graduation
5. host a sweet sweet show with the amazing bill of Crystal Stilts and Pains of Being Pure at Heart
6. make out with lots of cute boys
7. fix my bike and then ride it
8. play in a Ramones cover band with only guitar and snare drum at Punk Rock Prom
9. have another Super Bowl party in which no one watches or cares about the Super Bowl, but we just drink beer and eat snacks
10. be crazier and more social

Christmas Presents.

i love things. and i love Christmas. best things from Christmas this year include



&



&



elvis is king.

DESIGN.

I LOVE MODERN DESIGN. it is so exciting. De Stijl and Bauhaus and Constructivism are amazing, but my fave is Scandinavian Modernism. Alvar Aalto is the greatest.

his savoy glass vase


and colored glass pitcher and glasses


Brilliant!

Cardboard, Paint, Paper, Glue.

by a famous artist for her "Social Change, Revolution, and Art in Latin America" final.

A Nice Holiday Story.

about 4 years ago, when i was in high school, my two friends & i were doing some last minute Christmas shopping, and we had some sort of baked goods with us- not sure if we'd made them or received them as a gift or perhaps bought them, i can't recall. anyway, we're driving along & we see a homeless guy on the corner so we stop & my friend offers him one of the baked goods. since we're all into the holiday spirit, you know. and he just shook his head No. he didn't want it!!! it was so sad! sounds like something that would happen to Larry David. oh wait, it did.

fin de siecle/kind of an end-of-the-year list

2007 was weird. it was real bad at times, but also mindblowingly amazing sometimes too.
all i really need to remember about 2007 was that

i had a superbowl party called "Colts vs. Bears: Who Cares?"


i got way into Buddy Holly.


i played tambourine with the Ladybug Transistor.


i met my idol, Daniel Pinkwater, and he liked me.

i sat on the floor of the Bowery Ballroom, chatting with Amy Linton, Stuart Murdoch, and various Ladybugs and Greats Lakes one insane summer night.

i drove from New York State to Alabama State (and listened to Tom Petty along the way).


i went to the Athens Popfest and met cute boys and saw fanstastic bands and got my leg caught on a fence which lead to stitches in that leg. (pictures just won't suffice. you had to be there)

i saw Dean Wareham play "Ceremony" and he told me he remembered my face.


for Halloween, i went as a little kid from the 50's playing dress up.


i took my skirt off during St. Christopher's set at the New England Popfest.
pre-skirt removal:


i think they liked me!


and i saw The Clean !!

Sniffing Glue vs. No Future

My entire college career is being distilled down to these lovely lads.




&

bane of my existence.

i don't get people who LIKE SNOW. i mean, i get liking it visually and symbolically. i can understand how people think it's pretty & wintery & picturesque & whatever. but i DO NOT understand completely ignoring that it is SO annoying & frustrating & dirty & inconvenient & misery inducing! i hate it! but i guess that's a little mean to snow. it's not really its fault that it's all of those things. it is cold weather's fault, and that is really the thing i hate. so many bad things happen to me in the snow. i also hate when anything dictates my clothing choices and cold weather is one of those things! i refuse to give in to you. i am a minimalist when it comes to clothes and i feel suffocated by all those layers and mittens and scarves and socks AGH! some of those things can be cute, but i don't like to be forced to wear anything for practicality's sake. i don't wear clothes for their functionality.
but that's sort of not the point.

now, i know better than anyone that HOT weather can also be terribly unpleasant, but hot weather doesn't make me want to cry.
cold weather and snow have made me cry.

albums that make me excited.

1. Washarama (1981) and The Moo Album (1985) by The Judy's
The Judy's should be loved. they really should be as adored at the B-52's, or Beat Happening, or the Television Personalities, or other bands that I could sort-of somewhat compare them to. these two albums are so incredible & they make me so happy! all minimal and stripped down melody and short pop songs and hilarious lyrics about milk and hippies but also with a lot of really beautiful moments. & they are from Texas which makes them that much cooler. seriously, these are the two great lost lo-fi pop albums of the 1980's. insanity!

2. Egyptian Shumba: The Rare Recordings 1962-1964 by Lou Christie (featuring The Tammys)
hearing this album's "Guitar and Bongos," or "Summer Snow," incites so much excitement in my little heart! the sound is just so EXCITING. why isn't Lou Christie thought of as one of the most innovative, influential, ahead-of-his time singers of the 1960's? everyone knows him for "Lightnin' Strikes," which IS a pretty terrific song, and his super high singing, and some people even notice how weird he was. but oh my god, SO WEIRD. in the most amazing way. plus, his girl band backup singers The Tammys are from another dimension completely. their song "Egyptian Shumba" is a total PROTO-PUNK CLASSIC! i am going to have a heart attack if i keep thinking about their amazingness!

Fiestaware.

This is the Covered Onion Soup Bowl, I think my favorite piece of Fiestaware. Which is ACTUALLY officially called simply Fiesta, but everyone knows it as Fiestaware. This poor bowl was discontinued in 1937 though, after only a year in production. But it's so cute!

2 things that make me feel out of place/not like myself & 1 thing that makes me feel very much like myself

1. wearing jeans. or any pants, really. i don't know why exactly, but i just do not like to wear them. i only wear skirts & dresses, with tights this time of year of course, as i live in the snowy winterland that is Upstate New York. i do like shorts too, but only during warm times, because i think that tights under shorts is a little tool-ish. so tonight i put on a pair of jeans, and they looked cute & all, but i had to take them off and put on a skirt because i just thought YOU LOOK WEIRD.

2. being at a hip hop show. yet another thing i did tonight. i felt terribly out of place. i don't think an explanation is really required.

3. the Beat Happening song "Fourteen." it just warms my soul to know there are people out there who get it. everything. see:

"we were playing with your rabbits
we were feeding them some cabbage
you were telling me that you have a black and white cat
we took a walk, you start to hop
we jumped rope and played hop scotch

you see, to me, the best part of sex is walking home, holding hands, after swimming in the lake
to me, the best part of love is when you say, you'll be my friend

we were wearing our pajamas
we were eating some bananas
i wanted to tell you how i want to be your pal"

glasses.

i am very attracted to Henry (played by a guy who was also on FELICITY, omg!) from Ugly Betty.



another hot glasses wearing man is my gay history professor.

the first of many (many) end-of-the-year lists.

My Top Albums of 2007:

1. Intermission by Robert Forster & Grant McLennan (it's a "best of" of sorts, so i suppose it shouldn't really count, but WHO CARES because it is INSANELY AMAZING)
2. The Stage Names by Okkervil River
3. Can't Wait Another Day by Ladybug Transistor
4. The Miracle Inn by Euros Childs
5. God Save The Clientele by The Clientele
6. Back Numbers by Dean & Britta
7. The Kiss by Bikeride
8. Places Like This by Architecture in Helsinki
9. Boxer (or is it The Boxer?) by The National
10. Night Falls Over Kortedala by Jens Lekman

i also liked releases by voxtrot, David Kilgour!, the papercuts, jarvis cocker, and the terrific ep that the Pains of Being Pure At Heart put out.

Hamish.

I am getting a Dumbo Rat and I am going to name him Hamish. Aren't Dumbo Rats adorable?

Stone Roses Season.

When I was 12 years old, I borrowed my dad's copy of the Stone Roses' self-titled debut album. It just so happened to be during Christmastime that I first heard it. I consider it to be my favorite album of all time, but I really only listen to it during a very special time of year. Ever since that first listen, 1o years ago, The Stones Roses has made its appearance every Christmas. Around the beginning of December, it slowly creeps out. And within a few weeks, it is all I listen to. And by December 26th, it's back on the shelf. It's one tradition that hasn't faded away over time. I get excited every December, because I know what that means- It's Stone Roses Season. I am a sucker for the holidays, cheer and fireplaces and chestnuts and spicey smells and all. But nothing says Christmas like the Stone Roses.

The Clean.

Lots of great things are from New Zealand. Like: The #1 top person in the world Dean Wareham, those cute little Kiwi birds, The Chills, The Flight of the Conchords, and... The Clean. If I was a band, I would be The Clean. They are just my ideal band. They are everything music should be. Lo-fi, minimal, poppy, melodic, fun, and they write songs about cats. They recently played a 3 night stint at the Cake Shop in NYC's lower east side. After the first show, I got a cupcake. After the 2nd show, I had some beers. I didn't make it to their 3rd show. Tempting, but instead I took the train back to school and sat under my covers watching Queer As Folk.

Anyway, The Clean are amazing. They played "Whatever I Do It's Right," Hamish sang it, he is my favorite Clean and that song is the greatest song ever.



See Hamish playing drums? He is the best. This photo was taken by my friend Andrew Gardner who is an excellent photographer!

I went to see The Clean with my dad. A friend of his was there- they know each other because they both belong to a Guided By Voices zealot mailing list and they have met a few times before at GBV-related events. Reporting back to the mailing list about the weekend's Clean festivities, the friend wrote that it was great hanging out with my dad at the shows, and with his "cool daughter." He then told all the people on the list with babies to take notes from him, apparently because he raised such a great person. Yes, I am pretty great...