"Tatooine" and "Miracles" by Jeremy Messersmith

Let's Do This Thing! aka Feeling Inspired

I have a sudden wave of inspiration to finish our front 2 rooms. It takes me a long time to figure out what I think a room should look like, and then I obsess over it. And I am OBSESSING over these rooms.

These rooms have been a series of projects over the last year. Have I mentioned how much Jay does not like my projects? First we painted the rooms white, and Jay switched out the light switches and face plates. Then there was a little DIY project when I fell in love with this wallpaper:


Once I saw it, no other wallpaper was good enough. Problem was, it cost $200 a roll! So I fell into wallpaper depression, trying to rationalize why I should spend $600-800 on wallpapering a single wall in our house, especially since we were eventually going to have to buy a table and chairs to go into the room. And then...THEN...I saw these panels on Ikea's website:
It was 9:30, and I made Jay drop everything to go to Ikea right that second before they closed so we could buy them. The entire project was about $100:


(Notice in that picture there is no table, just the amazing green chairs I found at Marshalls. We bought a table a few months later.) And then there was this project. And then this one. Then we followed rule #2 and hired pros to install wood floors. Love it. I have been obsessing over wood floors since we moved in. Current state:

So here's my game plan, people: we've got 2 small DIYs that I can do on my own...no Jay necessary. A few weeks tops, pending the shipment of my lampshade I ordered last night. And then there is a more ambitious (awesome!) project I will need him for (ie it involves power tools). And then a recovered couch and rug later, we're done!

How many hipsters does it take to change a light bulb?

According to Wikipedia:

Hipster is a slang term that first appeared in the 1940s, and was revived in the 1990s and 2000s often to describe types of young, recently settled urban middle class adults and older teenagers with interests in non-mainstream fashion and culture, particularly alternative music, indie rock, independent film, magazines, and websites.

These days, Hipsterism has gone mainstream. Urban Outfitters is like a training ground for "all things hipster"...the vinyl, the Obama t-shirts during the last election (hipsters are into "progressive politics"), the flannel and thrift-looking stuff... You can even now be a Hipster Christian.

Another typical characteristic of a hipster is that they are employed in music, art, or fashion. In other words, all of our friends. And we all went to a hipster-lovin' concert last week:



(I posted to another video with the same song here, but I liked this live version to capture the animal animation on stage.)

Jonsi is the lead singer of an Icelandic band called Sigur Ros. I think that if Bill and Ted were to form Wyld Stallyns today (ie the music at the core of the future's Utopian society), it would be Jonsi / Sigur Ros. It's such a strange concert to go to because (besides the fact that EVERYONE is wearing skinny jeans and v-neck tees while taking pictures with their iPhones using the hipstomatic app) everyone stands silently, just holding their breath and experiencing the music. It's that amazing. I'd been to Sigur Ros several years ago and have been waiting for them to come back to Houston so that Jay could experience the awesome-ness for himself. Jay actually has Jonsi on vinyl, so consider him hipster.

[Sidenote: Unlike Sigur Ros, Jonsi does some upbeat stuff. Take for instance this song, in which he actually sings in English and to which he jumped around in an Indian headdress at the concert.]

And in regards to how many hipsters it takes to change a light bulb--it's a really obscure number. You've probably never heard of it. (that cracks me up every time!)

Sing-A-Long

Jay and I and I have quite different tastes in music, and we love music for different reasons. I think he appreciates the craftsmanship where I just get drawn in by the overall aesthetic/feel.

Take, for example, what we would each pick for a sing-a-long:

• Jay = Michael Jackson
• Me = THIS (the pictures put to this are hilarious)

He argues that MJ has songs that everyone can easily sing along with. I think my idea of a sing-a-long is more exclusive. You have to know the song...know the words...know what's coming...know when the build is coming. And then the song becomes a shared experience. And I know that sounds ridiculous, but I think that's the sole reason success bands like Dashboard Confessional have success (just imagine all those emo kids singing along...).

In college I use to go to concerts all the time with this small group of crazy music lovers. The other girl even DJed for a local indie station. One time we went to a Rilo Kiley concert in Austin and listened to Rilo the entire way there AND back. THIS was a particularly good one for our sing-a-long group due to the group vocals and clapping (yes we did clap in the car).

And for songs like those, the sing-a-long becomes the greatness of the song.

Movie Screening Night!

Tonight I went to a free movie screening for "Life As We Know It," a very predictable romantic comedy starring Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel. It was actually a pretty cute movie, but that's not the point...the point is IT WAS FREE. And things like this go down all the time!

Without over explaining, we went to a screening that doesn't take any sort of special invitation, you just sign up. But they reserve the best rows for press/bloggers and have "special" screenings all the time that you can't just sign up for. We got there an hour early and got OK seats, until my cute friend asked the guy in charge if we could sit in the empty blogger seats (ie best seats in the theater). So I'm sitting next to this slightly awkward woman who smells like little girls' toys (somewhere between plastic and powder...like the fake fruity scent you would expect to find on Strawberry Shortcake), and she tells me about her blog. I just looked it up, and it's nothing special...she does post every day...and she does have some ads...but seriously...it's ugly and not interesting.

So this gets me thinking, what else are people getting for free out there and how much effort does it really take to get it? If we just blogged more would they let us come to all the free movie screenings? And then I thought...if I just stayed at work for the hour we waited in the theater, I could have paid for all three of us (plus our bottled water, string cheese, bananas, and cookies we bought at the grocery store on our way)...

...but it's still, on principle, it always feels good to get something for free!

Equal Opportunity Music Listeners: Part II

Fine. You don't have it in your heart to love Katy Perry. I can take a hint. So today I give you 100% non-pop, inidie-lovin' awesome music.

First is something for you hipsters, xylophone and all:

• Freelance Whales - "Hannah"
• Freelance Whales - "Generator 1st Floor" live (I love these harmonies...no words...)
  
• Freelance Whales - "Ghosting" also live

And something a bit more "mainstream" (ie had a song on Eclipse and Scott Pilgrim):

• Metric - "Give Me Sympathy"
• Metric - "Black Sheep" (from "Scott Pilgrim Versus The World"...loved the movie by the way)

And one last attempt to warm your cold, Katy-Perry-hating heart:

• Temper Trap - "Sweet Disposition" (500 Days of Summer)
  
• Temper Trap - "Fader"

All videos because I know how to link that :)

Equal Opportunity Music Listeners

In our house, we like music. We like variety. I tell Jay (and he agrees) that he has the musical taste of a man in his mid-50s, but he's actually broadened his horizons substantially since we've been together...though he's still angry about going to see Mates of State with me FOUR YEARS AGO.

We have a recent musical obsession. I like to think of her as our new best friend...a new member of the family. We love her. The funny thing is, Jay is the one who downloaded one of her albums (we have since downloaded her latest). I'm afraid to tell you who it is because she sings dumb pop music. But then she went and did this amazing, jazzy Unplugged. And she's a really amazing singer. Who knew?!

Now don't judge...we love her...

You'll Never Guess Who Sat Behind Us...

...at the Paramore concert:

And if you don't know who he is, maybe this one will help:

And if that doesn't help, than you don't really need to know [I actually recognized him from SYTYCD not DWTS]. He sat down with an Asian woman and a large black man who looked important, but they were whisked away back stage pretty quickly before we could eavesdrop enough to figure out who they were. But the real mystery is: What in the world is Louie doing at a Parmore concert in Houston?

Update: I found Louie on Twitter, and he was in Houston to practice his first dance with his dance partner for this coming season's Dancing With The Stars - Margaret Cho, the Asian woman he was sitting with. Her comedy (?) tour was in Houston. Their first dance is a waltz, FYI.

Rule #2 For Owning An Old House

Know when to hire a professional.

[Pictures to follow]

Paint Everything: Example 1

Step 1: Take old, awkwardly located brass chandelier down from above the front door (where anyone over 6 ft tall scrapes head walking under).

Step 2: Clean and prep; spray with white spray paint; let dry; repeat.



Step 3: Rehang in dining room, replacing light fixture that would be better suited for a Bennigan's.

Rule #1 For Owning An Old House

Don't be afraid to caulk and paint everything.

How Did I Never Hear About This?

I've been in a painfully boring two-day training, and so to ease my pain in the last hour today, I started clicking through Twitter profiles to see who my friends follow. And I found this guy (his Twitter feeds to a website).

It's hilarious. Hilarious enough to make into a NY Times bestseller (which is why I'm so surprised I've never heard of it...that and it's hilarious). Basically, this guy moved back in with his parents at the age of 27 and started tweeting funny things his dad says. It's totally inappropriate (ie don't read to small children or to anyone who is easily offended by cursing...poo...more cursing...).

Some of the dirty ones are really funny, but here is a sampling of the clean:

------------

"Engagement rings are pointless. Indians gave cows...Oh sorry, congrats on proposing. We good now? Can I finish my indian story?"

"No. Humans will die out. We're weak. Dinosaurs survived on rotten flesh. You got diarrhea last week from a Wendy's."

"I didn't say you were ugly. I said your girlfriend is better looking than you, and standing next to her, you look ugly."

"A parent's only as good as their dumbest kid. If one wins a Nobel Prize but the other gets robbed by a hooker, you failed."

"Pressure? Get married when you want. Your wedding's just one more day in my life I can't wear sweat pants."

"We're out of Grape Nuts... No, what's left is for me. Sorry, I should have said "You're out of Grape Nuts."

"I hate paying bills... Son, don't say "me too." I didn't say that looking to relate to you. I said it instead of "go away."

"The baby will talk when he talks, relax. It ain't like he knows the cure for cancer and he just ain't spitting it out."

"I need to change clothes? Wow. That's big talk coming from someone who looks like they robbed a Mervyn's."

"You sure do like to tailgate people... Right, because it's real important you show up to the nothing you have to do on time."

"Just pay the parking ticket. Don't be so outraged. You're not a freedom fighter in the civil rights movement. You double parked."

"I turn the kitchen faucet on and the shower burns you, yes, I get it...No, I'm not gonna stop, I'm just saying yes, I get that concept."

"The worst thing you can be is a liar....Okay fine, yes, the worst thing you can be is a Nazi, but THEN, number two is liar. Nazi 1, Liar 2"

"You need to flush the toilet more than once...No, YOU, YOU specifically need to. You know what, use a different toilet. This is my toilet."

Why would i want to check a voicemail on my cell phone? People want to talk to me, call again. If i want to talk to you, I'll answer.

"The dog is an outside dog. You want an inside dog, you go get your own inside."

Sky Sailing/Falling

Adam Young released a new record today. Here are my thoughts:

Now doubt Adam is an incredible songwriter and programmer. As a fan/listener I didn't expect something completely different, but I was really disappointed to find too much of the same. I feel like after my first listen I was able to find most of the melodies in the previous record. The melodies were what drew me to the music initially. I think that depending upon the type of music anyone may write or compose it (the music) may still do well regardless of relevance or creative ground breaking abilities simply by the majority audience. So I guess what I'm saying is that maybe simply because the masses want to hear the same thing regurgitated - Adam may very well be relevant. But maybe then as creatives we should redefine what relevant is and or become something different all together. I personally wanted to see another side of his creativity. I guess I just wanted more. Too bad.

Another Story About The Office Dude

...and this one might be worse than the airline story: He cuts his fingernails in his office! A lot!

And I can hear it!

I mean, isn't there an understood rule that any activity intended to take place in the bathroom should be restricted to the bathroom? Or perhaps the backyard? (I'm thinking of all the times Hudson has peed in the bushes at Giga's house, and somehow it's acceptable.)

Bottom line: Fingernails are dirty. They should be clipped in private.

[And hey, if he somehow finds and reads the blog, maybe he'll quit!]

I Don't Think It Counts As Eavesdropping When They Know You Can Hear

I can hear every word that is said in the three offices behind me. The three occupants know this and filter their conversations or shut their doors accordingly. The one in the far right office speaks more quietly on the phone, so I tend to know less of his personal business but do know he was quite frustrated with a particular VP today... The one in the middle office was very supportive of his wife today as her grandmother passed away last night and was expecting to be in the office until 10 tonight working on a presentation for the board... And the one in the office on the left...well he's just an idiot.

We (and I say we because he was using speaker phone so I was really right there with him) were on hold today with an airline for a long time. Horrible waiting music and all. For a long time. Apparently, he went on a business trip last week and accidentally paid for his airline ticket with his personal credit card instead of his company card. He wanted it refunded, was told no, and was trying to talk to someone higher up the food chain. When we got to the third person, he finally picked the phone up, which is unfortunate because I would really like to know what the woman's responses were. Choice excerpts from his (angry) side of the conversation:

"So if one of your flight attendants was pushing the beverage cart down the aisle and ran into me and took my leg off, you would be unable to give me a refund? [pause] And you don't think the airline...and I know it wasn't your airline but the other airline...was able to give those people that landed in the Hudson river a refund? [pause] I just don't think that's true...Could I please speak to someone in accounting?..."

Even if it is policy to refund passengers when they lose limbs to the beverage cart or survive a crash into a body of water, somehow I just don't think the same compassion is granted to an idiot guy who used the wrong credit card. Have the company reimburse you - it's a business expense, idiot.

Baking

I made snickerdoodles last night from scratch because I just felt like making something and we happened to have all the ingredients. Do you know how much butter is in those things?! Seriously, next time I'm just going to roll a stick of butter in some cinnamon and sugar and call it done.

Eyjafjallajökull

I know the volcanic ash from Iceland has caused a lot of problems, but
this video makes it so amazing and wonderful.

As a side note, Jonsi (the music) is Jay's favorite running music. I want him to go to a Jonsi/Sigur Ros concert to experience the unexplainable, amazingness that is a Sigur Ros concert, but they never seem to come here anymore. What does everyone have against Houston? Eh?

The Best Songs From My Running Playlist

Florence + The Machine - "Cosmic Love" Go Listen
Passion Pit - "Sleepyhead" Go Listen
The Age of Information - "Tell Her Something" Go Listen
Cinematic Orchestra - "To Build A Home" Go Listen
Moonbabies - "Take Me to the Ballroom" Go Listen
Relient K - "I Celebrate the Day" Go Listen

We Do Love Our Projects

I feel like we would have pictures to post of all the house projects we've been working on...but nothing is finished! I just don't know how it happens, but our projects never seem to wrap.

Current projects:

• Backyard: Jay was out of town one weekend, so I decided to clean off the patio, which led me to search for a use for all these random bricks, which led me to line and clean out a bed (or the remnants of an old bed). This apparently inspired Jay because he spent the next week ripping out EVERYTHING in the backyard. Days and days of ripping. And believe me, it needed ripping. So now it's at least cleaned out...I would put a picture of his handy-work up but can't figure out how to get pictures off my phone...Jay?
  
• Guest Bathroom: One of the most dated and icky parts left in our house is the guest bathroom. And people, do you know how expensive those things are to get redone? So my mom and I decided we would just start painting. Painting takes time. And coats. So currently, the walls are (mostly) bright white (because we literally paint everything in our house white or grey), the cabinets are peely yucky off-white, and the floor is ugly. Got a ways to go...but looking better...
  
• Furniture (or lack thereof): I finally got around to ordering a dining room table and patio table...back ordered. Thanks for nothing Crate & Barrel.
• Front Living Room: Here we're making some progress. Jay's parents gave us a piano (!) and record player (as in giant piece of furniture record player - which we painted white because that's what we do)...both dads gave Jay their records so that in a matter of a month Jay went from owning no vinyl to being the envy of his hipster, H&M-loving friends. And so for my birthday, I had Jay help me make display shelves for the records. And tomorrow (hopefully) we're going to get an amazing midcentury modern-ish couch I found on Craigslist (my first Craigslist experience-and I convinced the lady to throw in the matching chair she was selling for $150 for $50)! And hopefully redoing the floors soon...and see what I mean...things just can't reach a finishing point... Just so we all feel better, here is a picture of our finished display shelves (Jay has since swapped out the records so that the coolest are up there):

So pity us (especially Jay since he doesn't really like projects), and hopefully we'll have more finished projects and pictures soon.

"Home Work"

I produced my first worship record this last fall for a leader named Neal Mabry. Neal is the youth worship leader at Fellowship Bible Church in The Woodlands. I think the church actually calls itself something else, but that's how I know it. Anyways - it turned out great and I am really proud of it. Neal myself and a couple of other guys worked really hard on it. We also had the help of some great musicians from Nashville and Houston.

Producing for me was a lot of work. Producers look at every aspect of the song: From the melody, lyrics, arrangement, tempo and key to the instrumentation. Working out of my house was great, but also hard to be disciplined enough to work in the morning and be done when Linz got home. Here's a pic of my studio below.

Working on so many aspects of the songs I ended up co-writing with Neal and a friend of ours who also recorded the bulk of the guitars on the record (Andy Watson) quite a bit. It was a ton of fun and very fulfilling. So on top of working on all the songs independently, demoing them, re-working and re-writing certain parts - I then had to record them. We started at Red Tree Studios in Magnolia with my friend Harold Rubens (Audio Engineer for Robbie Seay and Caedmon's Call) who engineered drums for me as I tracked drums first. Below is a video of the session.

We recorded the EP in stages. There are different ways to record a song/record: you can either put a lot of guys in the same studio and record at the same time or you can do things one at a time which is called "overdubbing". Overdubbing means that an artist or musician can lay down scratch material (some kind of instrumentation that will later be deleted in order to form a road map or guide for the song) with a click track (a metronome that is digitally played alongside the musician who is recording to ensure that the tempo stays the same). Drums and Bass usually go first in order to lay the foundation of the song and the dynamics.

I met a bass player and keys player in Nashville when I was recording drums for Jackie Key's record which will be released this year. It will be great. I asked those two guys to record on Neal's project. It was a lot of fun. Tony Lucdio played bass and Cason Cooley played keys. Tony has played on just about every Christian record you have ever heard and so has Cason. Cason also started the band "The Normals" with Andy Osegna.

Anyways. If you would like to check out some mp3's of Neals EP go to www.myspace.com/nealmabry

It should be on itunes in a month or so.

J