Music for your Midweek: Connie Converse - "Talkin' Like You (Two Tall Mountains)"

12/29/2016

I was introduced to Connie Converse by Robin Banks, and what a great find! She is a real gem. Connie is of the same ilk of those special artists that have always hold a place in my heart. I can't wait to learn more about her. Sometimes I think disappearing at 50 doesn't sound like such a bad idea either. Here is my fave track by Connie, and the first one I heard:

Resolutions: Young and Sweet, Only (20)17

12/31/2016
Last photo of the old year

I'm celebrating 2017 by having my first cold in years. It is a good omen. You know, purging all the mucus and muck of the last year out of my system by forcing myself to take a breather (despite the inversion plagued atmosphere). I struggled coming up with some solid new years resolutions and my friends were hesitant to just pick a resolution for me.  But I finally settled on some pretty good ones to start out the year:

1. Eat what I want, whenever I want

A little over a year ago, I began eating this way, and I was the most healthy and happy with my body I had ever been. Eating this way turned food back into food, and not a punishment or a reward or a solace or anything other than food. Ice cream was just ice cream. Only eating when I wanted to also meant I made choices NOT to eat things just because they were placed before me, or  because I was feeling bad, sad, happy...whatever. It was wonderful. I felt free. For the first time, I was happy with my body and in tune with my needs. 

BUT, surprise stressors popped up in my life,  and I slipped back into my own old ways of thinking (and eating). I'm anxious to get back into that way of living. Holla to Geneen Roth and her book "Women, Food and God" for teaching me how to do it. 

2. No phone in my bed

For real, Sarah Andersen

For too long, I have begun and ended my day with social media check-ins. I'm not into making phones into the scape goat, and villainizing social media, but I do need to be more conscious about how I spend my time. This video about the unique challenges millennials face helped put my phone addiction into perspective. I'm guilty of leaving my phone on the table, scrolling through while I'm talking through friends, you name it. Having at least one space as a "no phone zone" will hopefully put me in a better headspace. Worst comes to worst, I can use Miranda July's technique to avoid distraction: 

3. Let a smile be my default

Always good one, that Thich Nhat Hanh

I think being mentally, emotionally and spiritually open has to start something. If the only thing you can muster in the face of awkward social situations is a smile, that's better than nothing. I've always hated that cheesy way of thinking, but it it works, I'll take it. This past Sunday, I put that my facial expressions to the test, and it made a HUGE difference. I have to admit, it also felt unnatural and weird (I'm an RBF kind of girl), but I'm certain it will get better with practice. Yoga was helpful in helping me realize that the way we hold our face can affect our whole mood. It's a real thing, you guys. 

Here's to a happier, healthier, and more present year for all of us. Cheers.

1/1/2017
First photo of the new year

Saturday Verse: "New Year" - Langston Hughes

LEAVES 

The years
Fall like dry leaves
From the top-less tree
Of eternity.
Does it matter
That another leaf has fallen?

                                              - Langston Hughes

Music for Your Midweek: Glen Campbell -"Good Riddance (Green Day Cover)"

12/26/2016

Couldn't find a more fitting tribute to this crapshoot of a year. Sing it, Glen:

December Mix: Cry If You Want To

12-12-2016

After the sucker punch that was the first couple weeks of November, I just could not get it together enough to make a mix. THAT'S HOW BAD IT WAS YOU GUYS. Everything is so strange in this new world we're moving into. I already didn't know my place in the world we were in before, so I'll just keep on this aimless floating till I hit some ship. Here's all the confusion of the past month (past year, past 3 years?) all wrapped up in song form. A retro-heavy soundtrack to not being so excited for the future. Next one will be more hopeful guys, I'm really trying.

1. Plastic - Moses Sumney

2. It's My Party (Prod. by Mark Ronson) - Amy Winehouse + Quincy Jones

3. We Can Work It Out - Stevie Wonder

4. Harvey - Alex G

5. Ojos Del Sol - Y La Bamba

6. Ivan (Revisited) - Von Sell Electronic

7. Constant Craving - Annie Gardiner

8. Never Going Back - Caveman

9. Special Night - Lee Fields & The Expressions

10. DsharpG - Sharon Van Etten

11. Everybody Loves the Sunshine - Roy Ayers

12. My Big Nurse - Brian Eno & David Byrne

13. All This Time - Sting

14. Heroes - Peter Gabriel

15. Eleven - Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein (Stranger Things Soundtrack)

16. Corpus Christi Carol (For Roy) - Jeff Buckley

NOTES:

1. Bless my soul his voice is heaven

2. Me post-election

3. Me trying as imaginary referee in all my friends facebook fights post-election. Anyone else notice that we are speaking different languages? Like we are totally talking past each other? Who can be translator? ALSO. This song is better than the Beatles original for real.
4. I'm a sucker for this kind of music. Jeremy sent to me and it immediately brought tears to my eye. WHY?
9. After I saw Lee Fields and the Expressions I took this picture home walking to the car:

10: "Everyone thinks I'm a liar/Walking on the edge of fire with you"
13: I watched The Last Ship with my mom back in November. It wasn't too memorable, but it did make me remember how great some of Stings old songs were.
14. One more time. Truly heavenly:

Saturday Verse: "Winter Field" - Ellen Bryant Voigt

WINTER FIELD 

The winter field is not
the field of summer lost in snow: it is
another thing, a different thing. 

"We shouted, we shook you," you tell me,
but there was no sound, no face, no fear, only
oblivion— why shouldn't it be so? 

After they'd pierced a vein and fished me up,
after they'd reeled me back they packed me under
blanket on top of blanket, I trembled so. 

The summer field, sun-fed, mutable,
has its many tasks; the winter field
becomes its adjective.
                                   For those hours
I was some other thing, and my body,
which you have long loved well,
did not love you.

                                                         - Ellen Bryant Voigt 

Music for Your Midweek: Belle and Sebastian - "Fox in the Snow"

Are you enjoying it? This time?

Belle and Sebastian's If You're Feeling Sinister turned 20 this month, and not a single bit of it has faded. Here's one of my all-time favorite tracks from that album: