Why is it that one extra day of weekend makes it so much harder to get back into the swing of things? I sure don't know, but I definitely know how it feels. Anyways, I hope everyone can get back to normal better than I can. For now I think I'll just relax and listen to The Mamas & The Papas and you should too, so here ya go:
Nothing like those sweet 60s harmonies to make you feel a little better about it being whatever day it is (:
Well have a good night everyone, hopefully I'll be back again soon with more exciting news!
Happy weekend everyone! I hope you all had great weeks and have fun plans for the three day weekend ahead. Since I've had a busy and stressful week I don't have much exciting news to report. I did however end up getting a little writing gig for an online magazine so I'll be writing reviews of new music in the next few weeks. Other than that, I've only made it out to see Queen of Versailles (very... interesting film set in my home town) but my weekend to come is sure to be full of adventures and Flaming Lips. With that in mind, I'll leave you with a song :)
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So I think I owe you guys a pretty hefty apology. I have completely neglected this blog so I could sit and watch reruns of How I Met Your Mother so I could get back in the swing of things at school, but I hope to get back to consistent and interesting updates. I'll be honest, my life at home is nothing exciting, so I'll be searching for the glimmers of excitement that occasionally result from my otherwise quotidian life.
So enough of me rambling, here's a decorating idea to cheer up some old books. (I sound really random at times, my bad) I found myself with some empty wall space in my room and this great two-volume vi copy of Tolstoy's Anna Karenina I found at a local vintage market, so I decided that I would try to make that work. I got the idea from Real Simple, which always had great ideas for little weekend projects, and you can find the instructions here. I used more decorative brackets than were used in the demonstration then decorated them with little trinkets and photo frames and I think it turned out very well! Here's my finished product:
(Sorry these aren't the best pictures, I was crunched for time editing them.)
The brackets are more gaudy than the sample, but that's just my style I guess (:
I bought them at Home Depot, the frame and elephant are from Pier 1 Imports,
and the bottle and key are vintage.
Well what do you think? I hope you like it and maybe even try it yourself! Have a delightful week, and thanks again for reading. I promise I won't leave you all for that long again!
Hey everyone! It's been a while since I've last posted, I just got back home and its taken some time getting back in the swing of things. I haven't been up to much other than laundry and running errands, (you wish you had my life, right?) just the usual for such a glamorous girl. The only other thing I've felt like doing with this rainy Florida weather is listen to music and watch movies, so I figured I could just talk about some of the music I've been loving recently. Note to all of you: my tastes in music are constantly and dramatically changing, so don't get used to just seeing one genre. I will try to focus on more indie and rock bands since thats what y'all voted for most in my last poll. (See, I care about what you all think)
1. The Kills (no, not The Killers)
I've been in love with The Kills for a really long time. I've realized they're not the most popular group around too so I'm trying to spread the word. The Kills is just a two-member band consisting of lead singer Alison Mosshart and guitarist Jamie Hince. You may know Alison from her other project The Dead Weather (also awesome) with Jack White, but The Kills' music has a much cooler tone. A gritty, honest sound that keeps me coming back to them and has for years. I recommend their album Blood Pressures for new listeners, here's a taste:
2. Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
Edward Sharpe and company released their second album in May of this year and it absolutely lives up to their debut. This is one of those bands that, no matter what mood I'm in when I turn them on, will have me singing along and dancing in the car during the first song. They're a huge band that seems more like a family with a very unique sound. Their hippie attitude and happy melodies have me hooked and I'll be sure to keep an eye on them for a long time. Here's a tune from their new album Here, Man on Fire:
3. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
Besides having a totally awesome name, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart have a unique shoegaze sound that could only come from this chill quartet from New York City. Their almost dream-pop songs stick in my head for days and I can't help but keep coming back for more! They have released many albums, the most popular being their self-titled debut from 2009. Here is their #1 hit from the album, Young Adult Friction:
4. Santigold
Sometimes its hard for me to find a band with a sound I really haven't heard before, but Santigold definitely has it. This solo act for Philadelphia born Santi White really draws me in with interesting sounds and pleasing rhythms. She toured with Red Hot Chili Pepers earlier this year but has yet to gain a huge following, but you should give her a shot anyways. Besides, I named the blog after one of her songs :)
5. Talking Heads
Just as a curveball, lets throw Talking Heads out there. This new wave band took us through the 70s and 80s with so many hits like Psycho Killer, Burning Down the House, and Road to Nowhere, you just have to love them. Though they've unfortunately disbanded, the bands music still resinates with many, so let this be one of the bands you and your parents can agree on listening to together on those long summer road trips.
Any thoughts? Some new bands out there I need to know about? Let me know in the comments!
As any of my friends could tell you, I'm not the most competitive person. I was never into sports or any kind of competition, but when it comes to bake-offs, I have a different attitude. Yesterday there was a casual bake-off in my dorm where teams competed simply for bragging rights. My team took a non-traditional route. We made mini blueberry peach pies and they were oh so good. They didn't win, but my goodness they were tasty. Hot out of the oven with a scoop of ice cream, its one of my new favorite treats. I didn't have my camera so I only have other peoples' pictures and, to be quite honest, they're not too hot. But we have to work with what we have, right? Also, I just realized I'm not in any of these, I promise I was there :)
Other than baking, I've been spending my time working for class (writing the Facebook Anxiety article, among other things), visiting the Hershey's store (photo up there), and spending time at the beach. I think I'm having a love affair with Lake Michigan. The weather has been perfect walking around and exploring the beach and just spending time watching the water, its so peaceful.
I watched Rushmore (for the millionth time) a few days ago and it made me want to go fly a kite, so thats what I tried to do today. You'd be surprised how few people sell kites anymore. This being said, me and Jack (he has an awesome music blog here) decided to make our own (mistake #1). We got materials like a garbage bag (mistake #2), some plastic silverware (mistake #3), and a whole bunch of tape and yarn. We thought it might work (mistake #4), so we took it to the beach. Unfortunately, no one got a picture (mistake #5), but needless to say it didn't turn out great. The Windy City didn't deliver on the wind aspect, but when gusts came, it just danced around a little just above the ground. Maybe it was the wind or the kite, but maybe I'm just no Max Fischer when it comes to kite flying.
Speaking of Rushmore, here's one of my favorite songs from the soundtrack, Oh La La by The Faces, a great relaxing weekend tune.
Social
networking is driving us crazy, oftentimes literally. I asked ten people about
whether or not they experience stress or anxiety from Facebook. Opinions
varied, but many admitted to feeling stressed about missing out, messing up,
and misbehaving.
A
study conducted in 2009 determined that Facebook is the most widely used
networking site and as of May 2012 the site has over 900 million active users.
Critics of the site feel that having all of your content so public can lead to
problems with friendships, self esteem, and even damage relationships.
According
to anAnxiety UK study, 51% of the users
polled said that Facebook and Twitter has had a negative effect on
their lives. They said they were experiencing trouble sleeping and feeling
insecure and overwhelmed about the amount of information they get from constantly
checking their news feeds.
Among
those I surveyed, most said that the main cause of stress comes from missing
out on events with friends.
"Its
uncomfortable when I see my friends did something and they didn't invite
me," says Ethan Miller, a 16-year-old student from Los Angeles. "It
doesn't happen much but when it does I feel weird about it, like my friends
don't want to hang out with me."
Another
main cause for stress was reconnecting with old friends.
"Its
just awkward sometimes," says Jack Curtin. The 17-year-old student from
South Carolina says he has received friend requests from people he used to know
but doesn't necessarily want to keep in touch with. "I'll get a message
from a kid I went to middle school with and it's just weird because we don't
have anything in common anymore." Curtin goes on to say that he has over
600 friends on Facebook, so you can be sure more than a few were awkward
reacquainting.
The
last issue people seemed to have with social networking is portraying themselves
in a more positive and responsible way than they would in real life.
"I am calculated when I
post since it is visible by family, friends, and business associates,"
Wayne Allred, a 47-year-old engineer from Orlando Florida says. "Each
group may take what is said in a different way."
This
is also an issue for Sierra Roberts, 17, of Rantoul Illinois. When asked if she
has to monitor what she posts, she said, "Yeah, because bosses will see
it." This issue has grown to be a problem, especially for teens and young
adults looking for jobs and trying to get into college.
Emiliano
Rojas, a 17-year-old Mexican student, has a more laid back attitude about the
topic. When asked if he ever worries about how he portrays himself on the Internet,
he simply responded, "Nah man, I am who I am."
For
better or worse, it seems that Facebook has affected the lives of many. We've
made our lives public and it seems there's no going back. If Facebook is
causing stress, which it seems to be, we need to start backing off and trying
to reclaim our lives from the Internet.
For
more statistics, check out thiscool infographicfrom Online Dating University.
Lazy afternoons are the best. The past few days have been nice and calm compared to my past few weeks, some time I definitely needed to recharge. I've had a lot of schoolwork to do (and its still not quite done) and that means I've neglected my blog :( But I'm back now and hope to be able to share some fun new experiences with you. I only have a few days left up in Chicago, but the adventures will keep coming to you from my friends and me in Orlando once I've gone home. I've missed those crazy guys anyway.
These guys are the best :)
Though my afternoons have been a bit slow recently, I did have the amazing opportunity to see a show at The Second City! It was such a great show; it made me laugh more than I have in a long time (which is saying something, I'm always laughing). I've always wanted to go there so it was so unreal to finally see it. Other than that, its been relaxing at the dorm, running errands, eating too much junk, and watching movies. Don't get me wrong, I've loved it, but I think that’s due to some good company :)
I have been shopping at
vintage shops and markets around town recently. I stay up near Edgewater in
northern Chicago and its full of great thrift stores and vintage boutiques. I
went out on a limb and bought a crazy awesome yellow vintage dress (I never
wear yellow, so we'll see how that one goes) and some nice lace for a sewing
project back home. There were so many beautiful rings and broaches but they
were a little bit out of my budget. I think it was more fun to just go hang out
at a new vintage store with friends than actually shop for anything although
trying to get a group of guys to go to antique stores with you isn't the
easiest. (I guess I just found some good ones:) )
I've also been reading a lot over the past few days and its been wonderful. I'm currently reading Black Swan Green by David Mitchell and I just finished A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin. Both are wonderful, I wish I was reading A Storm of Swords (sequel to A Clash of Kings) but I decided to take a break from fantasy with some modern British literature and I'm enjoying it for a change. I'm a bit of a bookworm, so I suppose you can look forward to some recommendations and new book alerts from yours truly.
Anyways, I hope you had a good weekend and have a great week!
Today held another great Chicago adventure. Some friends and I woke up early (well, early for a Saturday) and took the L down to Millenium Park to enjoy Taste of Chicago. It was such a fun morning with so many kinds of food!
The park and surrounding streets were full of vendors selling foods and everything smelled delicious. We all delighted in different foods, from deep dish to pot stickers and of course funnel cake, and spent the rest of the time people watching and exploring the gardens nearby. It was a great time to fool around with the camera and take some (sometimes goofy) pictures. I'm not too great at it, but I think a few turned out alright.
I hope you all enjoyed your days as much as mine and maybe even did some celebrating for Bastille Day. Thanks again for reading!
The past few days, I've had the pleasure to delight in some childish activities and its been a delight. I went to Chicago's greatest frozen custard shop Lickity Split up in Edgewater and got one of the best desserts of my life (for any of you wondering if Oreos and Nutella taste good together, they do). This little shop had so many cupcakes, candies, and flavors of frozen custard, needless to say I was in heaven. I've really loved this city and this was just the icing on the cake (pretty much literally). Tomorrow holds many more great experiences in Chicago with great friends, and there will most definitely be a post on these adventures soon.
Thanks for reading everyone, see you next time!
Anna
Need some new cupcake recipes for summer? With outdoor get togethers, barbeques, and beach days all popping up, here's some new options for summer treats. Enjoy!
In a recent Reuters article, a study was released by Nielsen SoundScan revealing that in the past 6 months, album sales are down and download sales are up.
For the first half of the year, album sales have gone down 3% and digital song sales have risen 6%. These statistics reinforce the idea that listening to full albums may be, in fact, a thing of the past.
The article focuses on the most popular downloads of the year so far, including (not surprisingly) Gotye's single "Somebody That I Used To Know," and Fun.'s single "We Are Young" saying that these songs are breaking records in download sales. Both songs have broken the 5 million download threshold yet their albums as wholes have failed to take off.
So what does this mean for all us album loves out there? It shows that today's bands are focusing on producing number one singles as opposed to great full albums, and this shift may not stop anytime soon. With statistics like these, there is little hope any of today's pop bands will release the next Dark Side of the Moon or The Wall, and I doubt there's anyone out there making another Kid A or OK Computer either. We're all going to have to weather the storm of Call Me Maybe and One Direction and just hope that there's someone out there ready to revive the art of the album.
Here are some of my favorite albums, what are yours? Leave answers in the comments to let me know!
Today me and some friends decided to go to a Chicago museum. In a city with so many great art viewing options, there were many choices of where to go, but we were downtown and decided to check out Loyola University's museum LUMA. With free admission on Tuesdays and a location close to the water tower, it was the perfect place to spend some casual time with the art of the city.
When we first got there, it became obvious that it was a museum of religious art and artifacts consisting of sculptures, paintings, and iconography. After looking around a little bit, I stumbled upon an old automaton clock. It was an old golden elephant with a clock on its back and men on top of the clock. It was made in 1600, the beginning of the Baroque era, in Ausburg, Germany. A small keyhole was carved out at the very top and it appears to be a portal to another time. With a turn of the key, this ornately detailed automaton takes you back to the era of beautiful art, music, and a society fresh out of the renaissance.
After the museum, some friends and I went down to the navy pier. After a boat ride, some churros, frozen bananas, and a funnel cake, we decided to call it a night and say goodbye to the beautiful coast of a fantastic city.
Welcome to my blog! Recently I've been feeling like my life consists of nothing but tv watching and wearing striped shirts, so I'm trying to make some changes. I wanted to document this in some way, so basically this will be where I blab to you about random things going on in my world. You'll see lots of pictures of me, my friends, and cool things I see. I'll talk about everything from food to clothes to books and everything in between. So come on with me on this journey of self discovery where we figure out our personal styles, try new things, and eat each others cooking and say it was good.
