I think book nerds rock! But of course I do because I unabashedly proclaim myself to be one. I'm on the fence about whether I should delve into my obsessive love of books so as to better explain myself... But I believe I shall spare you today and save it for another time.
Suffice it to say in addition to books I'm a sucker for anything to do with them: Bookmarks, tote bags, jewelry that in some way represents books or reading, action figures (oh, yes, they're out there and I do own one) finger puppets, magnets, mugs... you get the idea, I hope. I love it and want it all. I just can't help myself. A stack of books is a thing of beauty. Ah, but see, I am already starting to sound like a nut. My apologies.
Moving on! I just found out about this place: Out Of Print Clothing and thought I'd share, which is exactly why I'm posting it on a blog no one reads! Eh, maybe one day some one will.
I don't know how long they've been around but they don't seem to have too many options just yet. I'm hoping for some Jane Austen, Edith Wharton or something along those lines.In the meantime, the ones they do have are great!
Lastly, I thought I'd note this from their mission statement: For each shirt we sell, one book is donated to a community in need through our partner Books For Africa.
And interestingly enough, this post will no be about love. At least not about love in that Romeo and Juliet kind of way. If it's to be about love, it can only be about my love of Paolo Nutini. Not in that shrieking fan girl way in which I talk about how hot he is (though admittedly, he's a good looking kid). It really is about the music.
I admit it. I became a fan after listening to him on the radio extolling the virtues of New Shoes. It's a bit embarrassing to admit because, well, that song was absolute pop and not terribly deep but damn it, it was catchy! I bought the album These Streets and played it incessantly until one day, I was over it. I actually didn't listen to it at all. If my iPod was on shuffle and one of the songs came on, I'd skip it. I think I'd overplayed it. And eventually I was fairly sure I was over that kind of music and in turn him.
When his sophomore albumSunny Side Upcame out, I took notice, but then proceeded to ignore it. I felt I'd moved on musically. I can't honestly remember what it was that made me change my mind and give the album a try. Maybe it's the fact that once I like an artist, they have to be pretty bad for me to give up on them entirely and not listen to their other work. I'm just always curious what they're up to. The fact was, I still loved his voice- deep, gravelly and evocative. Even if he sounds like an eighty year old man, when he sings, you feel the emotion.
First of all, I couldn't believe this new album was by the same person who sang New Shoes. The voice was the same, sure, but the music was an entirely different thing. And that wasn't a bad thing. It was bits of Otis Redding (No Other Way, Coming Up Easy), with New Orleans (10/10 and Pencil Full of Lead) with some other sounds I couldn't really name. I realized there were probably going to be a lot of fans who would not be on board with this change, but as far as I was concerned, it was a change that would keep me interested. Admittedly though, I didn't take to the entire album right away. I genuinely liked a handful of songs and worked at liking the rest.
When I saw he'd be performing at The Wiltern, I don't know what made me decide to get tickets but I did. I went hesitantly, not entirely sure what to expect but thinking I had an idea: A bunch of clean-cut, twenty-something trendy/artsy looking kids and Paolo, maybe on a stool with his guitar. Yeah, I don't know why the stool, it's just what I pictured, what can I tell you? Anyway, it turned out that idea was completely wrong.
His band is comprised of an interesting mix of musicians: A couple of scruffy, bearded guys, a good looking trumpet/sax player with slicked back hair who as far as I can tell always dresses in slacks, button down shirts and dress shoes, and who may just have jumped out of an fifties movie, and a much older gentleman playing the harmonica who for all appearances could have toured with Johnny Cash, back in the day. But appearances aside- they were great musicians with a high level of energy.
It was a concert that I'm sure made fans out of people who didn't even know the music. When they played certain of the more upbeat songs of Sunny SideUp, it felt like a party or being in the middle of a parade. People were happily dancing, clapping, bouncing around, smiling. Even the songs from These Streets had been re-worked to fit in better with the new music. I've read Paolo is not crazy about his previous album either, so he tweaks the old stuff where he can, and it works!
The concert really surprised me and made a much bigger fan out of me than I was before. I went home and actually listened to These Streets, which has grown on me again--it is a good album. But mainly I'm quite in love with Sunny Side Up. I can't seem to stop listening to it and maybe I'll overplay this one too, I don't know. It's been months though, and I'm still happily playing it and singing along at the top of my lungs.
It would seem Mr. Nutini has moved on musically and I am now prepared to move right along with him.
This is not one of the catchier songs, however, it was the first one with a lyric that jumped out at me and I'm still not tired of; the title of this post: It was in love I was created and in love is how I hope I die. It comes all the way at the end, but it's fun, and totally worth waiting for it.
Yesterday I watched Adam with Hugh Dancy and Rose Byrne. It's a bitter-sweet little movie that I'd been wanting to see for a while now and did not disappoint. I really liked it. I suppose it doesn't hurt that I love Hugh Dancy. I wish he'd get more roles! I got to meet him once at a Jane Austen Book Club promotional screening in West Hollywood a while back. He's a very thin man, not terribly tall if I remember correctly but really good looking!
I did that horrible, star struck thing where I shook his hand and smiled stupidly coming up with absolutely nothing to say and then proceeded to stare at him as he talked to people all around the room. And I do mean stare- while still smiling, no less. I am surprised (and relieved) he didn't have me kicked out! But I digress...What I also loved about this movie was the music.
I am hypersensitive when it comes to music. I am always aware of it no matter where I am. I will stand in a store longer than necessary just to finish listening to a song I like. Movies are especially bad because I'll stop paying attention to the dialogue in a scene if I hear a song I like or know. I also get super excited in movie theaters when I hear a song I love being played in a trailer. It's kind of sad, I know. Anyway, I've found quite a few new artists through movies and soundtracks so I don't see an end to this anytime soon.
Anyway, there were three songs in particular I loved in this movie: Someone Else's Life by Joshua Radin, When You Find Me, also by Radin and Can't Go Back Now by The Weepies, which I'm posting a video of. Beautiful songs, all of them!
Yesterday I went to an Ellen DeGeneres show taping, but before I get to that experience, let me take you back a little bit. A few years back, I'd gotten it in my head that it'd be really fun to go to a show taping, so a co-worker/friend of mine and I went on her website to request tickets and waited. Nothing happened. So, we requested again and once again, nothing happened.
As it happens, everyone in L.A. always knows someone who works with someone who once babysat for someone who can get you tickets to most anything. In my case, I had a good friend who played football every Saturday with Houston (pronounced House-ton) who at the time was a sort of sidekick to Ellen. So, I asked him if he could ask Houston (whose real name I can't remember now) if he could get us on the show. To be honest, I'm not entirely sure my friend really asked, or maybe he did, I don't know, but about two or three weeks after that, he apparently stopped showing up to their Saturday football games, and that was the end of that.
I didn't give up though. I also have a very good friend who works for Warner Brothers who's gotten me on the lot for other things including a couple of sitcom tapings. I now turned to him, but as was my luck, despite the fact that the Ellen show is a Warner Brothers show, at the time, it was not taped on the Warner Brothers lot and so, he informed me, there was really nothing he could do as he didn't know any of her staff. And that's about when I gave up.
Cut to last September when I get a notification from the Dave Matthews Band Fan club (oh, yes, I'm that fan) that the band would be performing for the first time ever on the Ellen show and we could put in requests for tickets through the fan club. So I did and lo and behold we got in. Sort of.
It was an outdoor concert and those of us who got tickets through the fan club were outside in front of the stage waiting for the band to come out and perform. While they played audio of the show taking place inside the studio (Jennifer Aniston was the guest that day), we were never actually in it, and there was no video so we couldn't really see what was going on in there. I didn't so much mind really, because I was excited to be able to see the band perform. And here's footage of that:
Somewhere in this crowd there's a dude with a black and white print hat. I'm behind him.
The good thing that came of that is that they offered us guaranteed tickets to come back and watch an actual studio show at a later date which brings us back to yesterday.
I'm not going to lie, I was hoping for a giveaway. I don't know if that makes me ungrateful, but if anyone went on her show and said they didn't at least hope for that, I would say they were liars. I'd been watching the week before and was keeping an eye on what those audiences were getting: Movies, CD's, money, jewelry, headphones and goodness knows what else. For some reason, I had a bad feeling about our show though. I'm just sayin'.
They don't tell you who the guest will be when you get your tickets.I had a feeling though that we wouldn't get a big star. I went on the website a few days before and looked. Apparently we were getting Ali from The Bachelor and Sade would be performing. As it turned out Kellie Pickler would be there too though she wasn't mentioned on the website when I'd looked.
Anyway, the website said it was going to be a big Mardi Gras show so I got excited. I've seen her other Mardi Gras shows. They're fun and loud and they've given away some fun stuff... but it wasn't to be for us. Except for the decorations and footage of people on Bourbon Street, there was nothing Mardi Gras about our show.We did get a Sade CD, but I'm not really a big fan of hers so... I don't dislike her, she's just not really on my radar. I have a friend who is a fan though, so I'll be giving her my CD.
Lest it sounds like I'm ungrateful let me just say that it's not the case. I am grateful I got the chance to go and experience it. I quite enjoyed being on that set, noting that there are not as many seats as it looks like on t.v and that while it is a big sound stage, it also is not as big as it seems at all. It is also hard work being an audience member for that show because there is a lot of dancing that you don't see on t.v. and you do have to clap and cheer a lot. Kellie Pickler was hilarious (though when the show aired today I noticed they cute some of her interview out, I'm guessing due to time). Also, I unwittingly broke protocol and gave Ellen a high five as she passed by me during a commercial break which was very cool. So, yes, it was a fun experience, unfortunately, I think I'd just imagined too many scenarios and my expectations were a bit off.
The Ellen show is now taped at the Warner Brothers lot so my friend who works there has said he'd try to get us in sometime in the future. If he does succeed in that, I will show up with absolutely no expectations so as not to be disappointed when we leave!
The Ellen DeGeneres sound stage, Burbank, CA. From the parking lot after the show.
Ah, once again yesterday it was gray and wet here in L.A. and all my friends were updating their Facebook status updates with hatred for the weather and exclamations of being "over" it. I, on the other hand, had gotten my heater fixed (thank god! It makes all the difference!) had finished running errands and decided it was the perfect time for some Jane Austen, and more to the point: Persuasion.
I watched the 2007 version for the first time last year and loved it. Admittedly, I feel they really messed up the end, with the letter and Sally Hawkins (who plays Anne Elliot) running around town chasing after Captain Wentworth like a mad woman. Then I thought about it and decided if Wentworth looked as Rupert Penry-Jones does, I guess I'd be running all about town chasing after him as well, so it almost doesn't bother me anymore.
I made myself a cup of hot chocolate, curled up with a blanket on the couch and while the rain continued coming down outside, I transported myself to Regency England for a short while indoors. Don't you just love Austen?
Last night I went to my local dive bar which is within walking distance of my house. Picture the Brady Bunch in Hawaii episode and you'll get an idea of the decor, which I'm fairly sure predates even the Brady Bunch. No, seriously. Just more reason to love it, I say.
In due course I made my way to the restroom and while sitting there minding my own business (quite literally), I noticed this, which amused me:
Now, I'm all for spelling (not that I always have a great command of it myself) but I'm not entirely sure a bar bathroom is the best place or way to teach the masses. I'm just sayin'. Had I not taken a picture of it at the time, you can bet your ass I wouldn't remember the lesson. And if you're walking around with a red pen on the off chance you may have to mark up spelling offenses on the fly because you just can't help yourself, I highly recommend you have another drink- or three!
In any case, it made me laugh.
Still raining in L.A.... loving it though it's sacrilege to say, I know!
It's raining (one might argue it's sprinkling) in Los Angeles today and Angelenos everywhere are complaining to anyone within earshot and getting into accidents all over the place because we don't know how to drive in the rain. I, for one, have always loved the rain and think it's a nice change. I know, I stand alone. I have nowhere I need to be, so I don't have to drive and that might also help with my non-hatred!
I'm gonna get the fireplace going- not because it'll be nice with rainy weather but because my stupid heater doesn't work and I'm freezing! But since I do have a fire going and no place I need to be, I made a rainy day playlist, which I tried to whittle down to just one song per artist and failed miserably. It turns out I just don't know how to whittle. The fact of the matter is almost any album by David Gray or Damien Rice would do for a rainy day so it's really hard to narrow them down to just a song! It's kind of a weird mix, and one might argue depressing or melancholy, but I like it, and as I'm only trying to please myself here, it'll do! Here it is, in no particular order:
1) Slow Life by Grizzly Bear
2) Wonderwall by Ryan Adams
3) Come Pick Me Up Ryan Adams
4) Slow Motion by David Gray
5) This Year's Love by David Gray
6) Cold Water by Damien Rice
7) I Remember by Damien Rice
8) Elephant by Damien Rice
9) Go On Say by It Blind Pilot
10) Stay Or Leave by Dave Matthews
11) Captain by Dave Matthews Band
12) Make No Sound by Gomez
13) An Audience with the Pope by Elbow
14) Lover, You Should've Come Over by Jeff Buckley
15) Endlessly by Muse
16) No Other Way byPaolo Nutini
17) Let It Be Me by Ray LaMontagne
18) You Really Gotta Hold On Me by She & Him
19) Lifeboats by Snow Patrol
20) Sweet Thing by Van Morrison
21) Impossible by Band of Skulls
22) Cold Flame by Band of Skulls
I could go on but I was trying to keep it to twenty- and I was close! I might do another one on another rainy day (whenever that might be) and see what I come up with... I can do melancholy with the best of 'em!
I pre-ordered my copy of this, but I was most excited to find that I can listen to the entire thing today, five days before it is released. I was at all three shows and was rather hoping for a DVD since there were cameras there but I guess this will also do! In any case, here's the link:
I know it's not new. And it's not even new to me but for whatever reason I've been listening to this a lot lately. I can't seem to get enough of it. I'm a fan of the original but this one evokes completely different feelings from that one. Such a beautiful cover.
Saturday night I loaded up my car with friends and headed to the Getty after dark. Entrance to the museum is always free but parking is $15, which they waive every Saturday evening after 5:00 P.M.. A word to the wise: do not even think about getting there at 4:57 and expect to get in for free because you won't. They'll make you come back at five on the dot.We had to circle the block for a minute or two before we could come back, at which time, seemingly out of nowhere, there was a long line of cars to get in.Obviously, those people had done it before and knew what was up.
That being said, the Getty at night is awesome. The views! Absolutely worth going just for that. Gorgeous. I thought because it was Saturday evening it wouldn't be so packed, and while it's not as bad as visiting in the day, it is still considerably busy. I was there specifically for the Rembrandt and His Pupils Drawings exhibit and that, more than any other areas in the museum I visited that evening, was packed.
So, go. Enjoy an evening at a museum for free. Take a good camera, dress warmly (if visiting any other time than in the summer) because it gets chilly up there, and for God's sake do not show up before 5:00 P.M.!
