This weekend, my dad came to visit me. In the four years that I've been in Colorado, he has never come to visit me by himself. In fact, I don't think that we have ever spent prolonged one-on-one time together. When I was growing up, there were plenty of mother-daughter trips, and similarly, father-son trips. The only difference between them was that my mom and I would go to New York to shop and see shows while my brother and my dad would go on river rafting trips and things of that nature.

It was nice to get to spend time with my dad without having any sort of agenda. He came in on Friday afternoon. I picked him up from his hotel and we went to Whole Foods for a light lunch. Later that evening, we went to Jax fish house for dinner. The next day, we went to the Buff for breakfast and saw Shutter Island afterward. That night, we went to Japango for a sushi feast. My dad is the kind of person that usually orders teriyaki chicken at sushi restaurants, but this time, he let me take the reins when it came to ordering. I've been telling him for years that you can make a whole meal out of sushi and I think he finally believes me now. Today, we watched a DVD that he brought from home called Isn't She Great, an autobiographical movie about the life of Jacqueline Susann, author of the best-selling novel, Valley of the Dolls. We had both recently finished reading the book, so it seemed fitting.

I'm really glad that we got to have some "QT" time together. My dad is so uplifting to be around, and lately, I've been in need of some cheering up. Mission accomplished :) Thanks "Dadman"!

On the way back from dropping him off at the airport, I stopped off at ARC, a thrift-store chain in Colorado, and bought a pair of brown lace-up boots for $4.99. I've been a thrift-store hound for awhile now, but recently I've decided to refrain from department stores and boutiques and stick to second(and third and fourth)-hand garments. It's cheap (which agrees nicely with my monthly budget) and it's original.

In other news, I am about a twenty dollar-bill away from purchasing my Coachella ticket. Within the next couple of days, I'd also like to buy my ticket to see Devendra at the Ogden. As of now, I don't have anybody to go with, but there are a few weeks before the show. Worse comes to worse, I can just go stag. I love DB that much!

The week ahead will be a stressful one. However, I am looking forward to Friday - Alice in Wonderland finally comes out!! I can't wait :)

Made in France

France Gall, born in Paris, France in 1947, is a popular yé-yé singer. Yé-yé is a unique genre of music in that it was the only musical movement to be fore-fronted by young females. Serge Gainsbourg called France Gall the French Lolita, and in many ways she can be compared to our own generation's fallen idol, Ms. Britney Spears (before she did it, and then did it again...and again...and again). Her first single was released on her 16th birthday. Her music sounds like a hybrid between go-go music (think Austin Powers), children's songs, a big-top circus, and a peep show soundtrack. Gall was approached in 1965 by Disney and was offered to play the role of Alice in a musical version of the 1951 cartoon, Alice in Wonderland, however, the project was cancelled when Disney died just a year later. Gall continued recording and performing up until the 1990's. Today, she is a patron for a French charity that benefits homeless women (and also bears an uncanny resemblance to beauty, Sienna Miller, don't you think?).

Last night, I made a fort in my living room and spent the majority of my evening in my own little hibernation station watching the Disney channel and munching on cookies. Even though making forts might not be age-appropriate anymore at 21, something about the cozy little nook in the middle of my living room made me feel so safe and secure. I almost forgot that it was snowing outside.

I think it would be so much fun to have a fort party - Invite your friends over and tell them to bring fort supplies (blankets, sheets, pillows, etc.), then transform your living room into a fort village, complete with tunnels that interconnect to other forts! Each fort could have its own theme or could be playing a different board game (or drinking game, if you prefer).

Sometimes, when my day-to-day routine starts to feel...well...routine, I find that the easiest thing to do to keep my spirits up is to dose up on a new batch of music.

On that note, take a listen to White Antelope, the solo project of Fleet Fox, Robin Pecknold. I'm particularly partial to his cover of Dylan's It Ain't Me Babe (right-click to download).

And if new music doesn't cheer you up, balloons always seem to do the trick quite nicely:

I just posted a few new things in my online shop! All proceeds go to my Coachella music festival fund :)

Happy Valentine's Day (a day late)! This year, I had a lot of fun making Valentines for my friends and family. I'm really happy with how they turned out. Here are a few of my personal favorites:

I had a great weekend with Noel. On Saturday, I took him to Jump Street, an indoor trampoline park in Thornton, CO (about a half hour drive outside of Boulder). What great exercise! Check out this video clip:

That night, we went out to Aji on Pearl Street, where we shared scallop ceviche, an empanada sampler plate, and seared ahi. It was delicious!

For Valentine's day last night, we ordered Thai take-out, cuddled up on the couch, and watched the Time Traveler's Wife.

I hope everyone had a nice Valentine's Day weekend!

Announcements

Just a few announcements:

1. For the record, telling a sick and/or tired-looking person that they look sick (and/or tired) will not make that person feel any less sick or tired. If I'm sick or tired, there is a good chance that I know that I don't look good. Don't kick me while I'm down, I'll be back on my game in a few days.

2. This lovely man:

will be performing in Denver at the Ogden next month and I could not be more excited. The last time I saw Devendra Banhart was in Los Angeles at the Hollywood Bowl a couple of years ago. Our seats were horrible, so I'm looking forward to seeing him in a more intimate venue. Looks like I am going to have to dig into my Coachella piggy-bank for this one.

3. In honor of Valentine's Day, I recorded a new youtube video:


That is all.
Enjoy the day!

Today is my boyfriend's 28th birthday!
Happy birthday Papa Bear! I love you :)

Lazy Bones

Woke up this morning to the town covered in snow. Spent the whole day inside (except I just stepped out for the first time today to move my car...it was the first time I had ever had to use an emergency brake in my whole life). Though some people might have spent their evening watching the Super Bowl, I was watching the Puppy Bowl on Animal Planet instead.

I've been spending a lot of time lately blog-surfing and collecting inspiration. I wanted to share some of it with you:

Letter-shaped pillows:


Pie-pops:


Big dogs and little babies:


Polaroid composites:


Cactus collections:


Daisy-chains:



Curious cats:


Wildflower bouquets:


Specimen boxes and vintage trinkets:


Romantic arrangements:


I'm looking forward to this upcoming weekend. My boy is coming to visit me and I can't wait :)

I guess I will make some pasta now. Have a nice evening!

Real savage like

Today was one of those days that feel like a whole week long. I guess taking naps after 5:00 can really warp your sense of time.
I am about to go to bed but I wanted to share a song with you that I can't get enough of lately. Youtube disabled embedding for this video so you will be redirected if you click on this link:
Fleetwood Mac - Tusk
An interesting thing about this drum-driven tune is that it was recorded in LA at Dodger Stadium without an audience in collaboration with USC's marching band. The performance was filmed for the song's music video. Check out Stevie with the baton. The song is still performed by USC's marching band.