Windmill Pattern

I've been inspired to do a little knitting as the nights are turning colder. The Tiny was over one evening and we went through my closet 'o yarn, and she found this super soft pretty blue color. I'm making a new wide scarf in a windmill pattern from my stitch book. Here it is so far, modeled by the Lovely Mr. Cat.

Music + Images

Having an iPhone, thus, an iPod for the first time ever, I've been getting to listen to music so much more, and I realized how seperated I've been from music in such an intimate way for some time now. In the 2 years and some months we've lived here, sometimes I have my little crappy CD player in the bedroom and sometimes it moves to the craft room, and I forget about it. Thusly, I cut my listening down a lot, unintentionally - I used to listen late into the the night every night ever since I was in Jr. High probably. There isn't much extra room in our bedroom, and I sort of forgot about it, and now, I've been listening endlessly, meditatively as before on my little phone when I'm at work and the gym; I take it in the kitchen while I'm doing dishes, and I love it. I've been shmutzing around on iTunes, and downloading some new stuff, and falling back in love with the old stuff. I opened up some of the digital booklets for albums I've bought, and thought I'd share some of what I've been listening to with the images in the books.

Lykke Li
I heard her on Morning Becomes Eclectic, and I love it. It's awfully poppy, but it's foreign, so that make it ok! I believe she's from Sweden, and her voice is so barely there, breathy and sweet. Little Bit and Time Flies are my favorite tracks.

Q-Tip
I confess, I just bought this tonight, so I don't have too much to say on it, except I'm really excited. I bought an issue of Wax Poetics magazine this summer that had a great interview with Q-Tip in it, and it made my mouth water for his fun, clever, playful hip-hop. Remember that time, when hip-hop was funny and sweet and smart? Yeah, thank him for it. I can't wait to get this into rotation with my Tribe Called Quest albums.

The Cinematic Orchestra
These are mostly instrumental songs, and they all feel like they're movie soundtrack songs somewhat. But from a movie you've never seen, from a movie that happens as you move though your own life, something that isn't attached to any other reference in your mind. It's very clean and sweeping and makes me feel open and hopeful. It's little booklet contains a series of photographs the group wanted to include as a visual supplement to the tracks, something to inspire the mood for listening. I love them, all full of interesting light.

Zoe Keating
Once upon a time, Zoe was in Rasputina (a group of rock-cello ladies) - but now she's solo and she has a process of recording and looping her self so she creates rich sound texture on her own. I discovered this album because she was featured on a small segment of Radio Lab - and as a Rasputina fan it made me take a chance on it. Another great album to go abstract too - simply lovely. I love the track Sun Will Set most of all. The whole album makes me feel like I'm in a forest full of light and leaves.

My overwhelming joy of the presidential race has not left me, but I am deeply saddened by the passing of Prop 8, banning gay marriage in California. It amazes me that Californians would give rights to chickens before gay humans.

Good News Has Been A Long Time Coming!

For the first time in eight years, the American people have made me feel proud. Last night was incredible to watch, I'd listened to coverage on NPR from 8 am until I got home, and seeing him speak to the crowd in Chicago was truly awesome. It's about time we finally got some good news!

Halloween Phantom

Last night to celebrate Halloween, we went to the Walt Disney Concert Hall for a screening of the original silent movie, Phantom of the Opera with Lon Cheney as the phantom. It was accompanied by live music preformed on the huge organ with pipes up to the ceiling. We had dinner before around the corner, and enjoyed being downtown and seeing people dressed up in costumes here and there.

iHockey

David put Air Hockey on my iPhone. It's the greatest thing ever.
I can play the computer, or someone who's hanging out with me, or I can play against him while he's on his phone. It's a tiny world of fun. Air hockey is the best!

Isla

This last weekend we drove to Las Vegas to hang out with Mark and Tiffany as she was there working in a trade show (sadly, she had to work most of the time we were there, but I'm hoping they got to have some fun on Sunday after we'd left). On Saturday, I enjoyed laying by the pool all day, and in the evening, David took us out for a fancy dinner at Isla with his gambling winnings. Yes, I was in Las Vegas all weekend, and all I took pictures of was food - that's what really excites me. Beautiful, delicious food. Levan & Heather turned us on to this place, Isla, in the Treasure Island hotel, and I was excited to go back and plunge into the mojitos! I had a blackberry and a cucumber, and both were scrumptious and minty fresh! We were next in line after a couple with 2 kids in strollers, and the hostess told them she could seat them in another hour, so they left, then she promptly seated us without hesitation, so we felt fabulous for not having children that kept us from being excluded from nice fancy restaurants.



I want to eat it all over again! I had tasty prawns in red sauce with stuffed tortilla, David got the steak pyramid and Mark enjoyed carnitas. Dinner was followed by some craps at Excalibur, and then back to bed. Back to 2 beds actually, because our room had 2 double beds instead of one big one, but we somehow made do. Oh Riviera, we won't be staying at you again!