Around My Room, Around The House, Around Town

Things Of Interest In My Room


my mom made this for her art class but i loved it so much i had to have it. it's Rapunzel, made out of a cardboard tube. you can pull the string and her hair falls out of the "castle."


i love this bust of Ben Franklin- it's actually a cologne bottle, from an antique store, that i got as a gift several years ago. next to it is a sweet globe pencil sharpener i got in Mexico last summer. oh & behind Ben is Daniel Manus Pinkwater's autograph!


poem in the shape of Manhattan


homemade CORGI NECKLACE, that i envisioned & my mom made for me. i think his name is Carl.


'Round The Frontyard & Backyard & Indoors


my two favorite boys in the world! my Saab JoJo & my kitty William.




just hangin'




i made the stained glass thing in high school when my class spent a week in Pine Mountain, Kentucky.


folk art on the walls


Buddy Holly & Everly Brothers postcards & Old 97's concert poster in my bathroom


We Saw Blue Mountain At A Blues Bar On The Water, Then Took Pictures In The Parking Lot






Pensacola Beach

Summertime Fun

i have always been a great Lover Of Summer.

some of my favorite summertime things are
iced coffee
sleeping in the nude
driving with my windows down
jogging by the water
late nights out
playing with my kitty outside
dabbing my sweat with a handkerchief
MUSIC, of course, my favorites for summer being everything by The Clientele + Galaxie 500, 1980's Jonathan Richman especially the song "That Summer Feeling," Belle and Sebastian's "A Summer Wasting," and Mercury Rev's "Car Wash Hair"

this summer, thanks to May's newfound obsession, we've been blasting Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers every time we take a trip in the car. A-MAZING. especially one night, on our way over the Bay, to see some sweet bands + friends, the sun was setting on the water, and Tom was a-blarin'. it was the best ever.
my current fave song is "Listen To Her Heart," off one of the early albums.



after one such sweaty night full of BFF's + bands, attempting to look badass, wearing sunglasses at 3 am in the Waffle House parking lot





recently, i have fallen madly in love with Wylie Dufresne, the endearingly geeky lovably earnest incredibly amazing chef/pioneer of molecular gastronomy. i really want to marry him.
how hot is he????



of course, summer always puts me into an Athens-y mood, especially this summer since i'm planning on moving there semi-soon. i've been looking at houses close to downtown + these are some of the most adorable ones i've found

BYE.

what i will miss about New York (Brooklyn, mostly):

1. McGolrick & McCarren Park
2. the walk to the Bedford L
3. bagels from the Bagelsmith
4. the friendly corner store where i buy my Diet Cokes
5. my teeny tiny little room with the big window that lets in all those street sounds
6. FRIENDZ
7. $3 Trader Joe's wine
8. fun loft shows every weekend
9. seeing Yo La Tengo at the office
10. free stuff & occasional good times at Matador


what i won't miss:

1. the SUBWAY, especially the G (which i only take to get to the Bell House)
2. being broke
3. smells of Polish food
4. people walking too slowly in Brooklyn & people walking too hurriedly in Manhattan
5. not having my car, little JoJo
6. being sick of my minimized wardrobe
7. taking an hour to get almost everywhere you go
8. not having my best friends around
9. eating terribly
10. not having my GUITAR or RECORDS & RECORD PLAYER


what i am looking forward to this summer:

1. wearing brightly colored nail polish
2. thrift store shopping
3. working at the record store
4. travelling to: the Mississppi Delta, Athens, Birmingham, North Carolina, etc!
5. making & saving money
6. STARTING MY RECORD LABEL! (well, taking the preliminary steps at least-- it'll probably be later in the year when something actually happens...)
7. making movies (me & M's Elvis Costello doc, for one)
8. reading more Southern Lit
9. listening to dreamy music like the Papercuts, old Yo La Tengo, Galaxie 500, & Felt
10. playing with my pretty kitty William!

Ode to Summer 2008 (part one).

well it seems, all of the sudden, the summer is coming to an end. i've got to pack up my things & move to the big city for a little while. Matador & sleeping on floors & Robert Forster & trying to make money awaits me. The Summer of 2008 was pretty great it turns out. Maybe not as surreal as some summers, or as monumental as others, but I don't know, it was pretty fantastic. Pretty high up on the list of All Time Greatest Summers. i saw a ton of amazing shows & listened to incredible tunes & bought a lot of dresses at thrift stores & worked at the record shop & travelled &... did other things. Those are all good things.

what better way to pay tribute to and sum up the Summer of 2008 than with a multitude of lists?! okay, here goes.

top shows of the summer of 2008:
1. justin townes earle
2. king khan & the shrines with the jacuzzi boys
3. old 97's twice
4. meat puppets
5. ATHENS POPFEST in which i saw too many bands to name, but the highlights were circulatory system, fat planet, thee american revolution, elf power, my teenage stride, roky erickson, great lakes, and big fresh.

top bands of the summer of 2008:
1. vulgar boatmen
2. circulatory system
3. my teenage stride
4. the squalls
5. the cuban heels
6. 13th floor elevators
7. elf power
8. ELVIS COSTELLO & THE ATTRACTIONS, duh
9. fleet foxes
10. cats on fire

top vacations of the summer of 2008:
1. athens, georgia
2. phoenix & mexico
3. new orleans twice

top activities of the summer of 2008:
1. applying for jobs
2. making sno-cones
3. making films about sno-cones, Popfests, & Elvis Costello
4. redecorating my room
5. recording my double album on cassette
6. ATHENS POPFEST
7. watching really really good tv (Mad Men, Rescue Me, The Wire)
8. having dinner parties with friends
9. making lists
10. going to see bands

top thing of the whole summer of 2008:
1. the Athens Popfest

and here is a mixtape i made in honor of the summer of 2008. it might seem similar to other mixes made throughout the summer, but this one is different & special, believe me. these are the only songs you need to know about my summer.

1. i had to tell you- 13th floor elevators
2. one wink at a time- the replacements
3. white winter hymnal- fleet foxes
4. paralyzed- elf power
5. up the junction- squeeze
6. to live and die by the airport lounge- my teenage stride
7. when you're near me i have difficulty- xtc
8. starry stairs- okkervil river
9. ride- old 97's
10. welfare bread- king khan & the shrines
11. margaret says- vulgar boatmen
12. morning of my life- great lakes
13. the grey estates- wolf parade
14. joy- circulatory system
15. falling slowly- glen hansard & marketa irglova
16. everyday i write the book- elvis costello
17. higher grounds- cats on fire
18. i tell myself- the seeds
19. fisherman's blues- the waterboys
20. i don't care- justin townes earle
21. haunted- shane macgowan & the popes
22. don't drop out- dolly parton
23. i can't stay mad at you- jonathan richman
24. nananana- the squalls

summer & sandy.

i guess i should say something non-music related here. but nothing's coming to me, as all i ever think about or DO is music. well along with one or two other things. but i digress. i have a phone interview with Matador Records in two days & i've been thinking lots about music. it's really the best thing we've got, you know.

i'm coming out with a double album on cassette soon. one side (songs written in 2007) is called Broken Tailbone and the other side (songs written in 2008) is called Twangy & Jangly.

this is a list of random good songs i've been loving this summer. isn't LIFE GOOD?!

1. nite club... old 97's
2. i don't care... justin townes earle
3. got my mind set on you... george harrison
4. fisherman's blues... the waterboys
5. auntie alice... okkervil river
6. falling slowly... glen hansard & marketa irglova
7. shut down... the beach boys
8. sayonara... the pogues
9. some of shelley's blues... great lakes
10. welfare bread... king khan & the shrines
11. i tell myself... the seeds
12. i can't stay mad at you... jonathan richman
13. actors' colony... my teenage stride
14. rain king... counting crows (L-O-L, i know right? whatever, this song is GOOD ok! i am not ashamed.)
15. big tears... elvis costello & the attractions
16. you don't love me yet... vulgar boatmen
17. he doesn't know why... fleet foxes
18. crying in the rain... dave edmunds with nick lowe
19. up the junction... squeeze (especially fun to sing at dinner parties)
20. the grey estates... wolf parade
21. everyday i write the book... elvis costello & the attractions
22. you're so good to me... the beach boys
23. when you fall... pine hill haints
24. my heart... gene vincent
25. hands off... old 97's
26. mouth almighty... elvis costello & the attractions


i can't believe how many good shows i've seen this summer: old 97's x's 2, meat puppets, king khan & the shrines, justin townes earle, billy bob thornton & the boxmasters. that's in addition to the pogues and billy bragg, crystal stilts and pains of being pure at heart, dean & britta, marshall crenshaw, and stephen malkmus earlier this year...

music lately.

last weekend, i saw the Old 97's two nights in a row. they are my favorite live band ever. i've seen them 10 times now.

first, in new orleans. ken is my guitar god.



second, on the water with some of my best friends. rhett wore a black t-shirt. it was a perfect summer night.




i've been listening to FLEET FOXES (excellent), the dB's, freddie & the dreamers, squeeze, subway sect, and of course, Elvis Costello. he is probably the most amazing man ever, so, you know. here are a few pieces of proof for that statement:

"(the angels wanna wear my) red shoes" on Top of the Pops



the video for "no dancing"



"lipstick vogue" live



the HI-LARIOUS video for "i can't stand up for falling down"



"watch your step," probably the most gorgeous song of all time, on a television program



and a stunning rendention of "man out of time" on tv



see? what'd i tell you.

summer playlists.

i just made two excellent mixed tapes for the summer.

the first is called Summer Dreamy:

1. summertime- galaxie 500
2. don't drop out- dolly parton
3. that summer feeling- jonathan richman & the modern lovers
4. death-defying- hoodoo gurus
5. car wash hair- mercury rev
6. an hour before the light- the clientele
7. a place in the sun- marine girls
8. this summers been good from the start- gorky's zygotic mynci
9. the violet hour- the clientele
10. indian summer- beat happening
11. california (all the way)- luna
12. perfect for shattering- ladybug transistor
13. the good earth- the feelies
14. so good today- the woodentops
15. rain- the clientele
16. gulf shores- bonnie "prince" billy
17. watch your step- elvis costello
18. please rain fall- the sea urchins
19. lovedust- luna
20. i know where the summer goes- belle & sebastian
21. face like summer- gorky's zygotic mynci

the second is called Summer Fun:

1. a summer wasting- belle & sebastian
2. wait until june- the go-betweens
3. here comes the summer- the undertones
4. this old chase- ladybug transistor
5. fresher than the sweetness in water- gorky's zygotic mynci
6. mexico- the desert wolves
7. sunday under glass- beulah
8. threw it away- dean & britta
9. sunnyside of the street- the pogues
10. summer in your heart- the razorcuts
11. shame about the rain- the chesterfields
12. double summer- the chills
13. sunlight bathed the golden glow- felt
14. hazey jane II- nick drake
15. all summer long- the beach boys
16. look away- apples in stereo
17. dream boy- jackie deshannon
18. my days are numbered- the close lobsters
19. the gauntlet/summer with you- masters of the hemisphere
20. the sun goes down and the world goes dancing- magnetic fields
21. adore him- the angels
22. let the serpent sleep- elf power
23. i believe- r.e.m.
24. my heart- gene vincent
25. it's only life- the feelies
26. wan light- orange juice