Sun Sun Go Away, Come Again Another Day.

Here in LA there is this thing called June gloom. It seems to be causing all sorts of confusion with moods, appetites and wardrobe selection... well maybe I'm the only one.

I start my day with a nice serving of clouds and the grey drizzle that makes me feel like I am back in the depress pot that is Seattle. What do I wear? A scarf with thick tights and boots feels appropriate, or maybe a big sweater to cuddle in throughout the day? I will definitely need a heaping cup of coffee to get my blood pumping and keep me from drifting off into dream land while at work. Of course my music selection will be something a little dark and moody, maybe some Beach House or Bon Iver... maybe some Death Cab For Cutie or The Middle East...mm yes. This will put me in the right kind of wonderful melancholy mood of a grey drizzly day that is enjoyable every once in a while. Also my ambition meter for accomplishing things with my day will be set directly at "Under-achieve." Oh take me away grey gloom day and give me wonderful things like naps and socks!

But alas, the dupe that is Los Angeles June Gloom besets. I am going about my day sighing from the grey, perfectly comfortable, relaxed, looking forward to my plan of doing nothing but reading and watching movies all day, when the 1:00pm strike hits. A little patch of blue appears over the Hollywood Hills that I see out the window. Next thing I know, there are sun beams shooting in through every orifice of window, door or crevis without invitation. It is an all out sunshine freaking bonanza here.

What about my movie watching? Why did I wear this huge ass sweater and tights!? I'm suddenly hot and sweating from the combination of coffee and thickly woven cotton clothing. Now I actually have to accomplish something with my day... and I will feel guilty for not exercising... suddenly this dark Beach House song is a little creepy while there are birds chirping and dancing in sunbeams outside of the window. WWHHYY JUNE??!!

Why must you torture me and jerk me around? I just want some consistency. I just need to know that when you say you are going to do something you do it. Don't go tricking me and messing with my vibe I have going on. Is that too much to ask you atmospheric pressure/wind patterns/precipitation? Hhmm? I can't hear you.

Out and About

I went for a stroll yesterday around the Beachwood Canyon area and got some sweet snaps. More to come later... after I charge my camera battery. They always seem to run out at the most inconvenient times or right before you're about to take an epic picture. (my fist is shaking in furry and frustration at you nikon camera battery!!) Enjoy.

Hollywood Commute Sighting

While driving to work in Hollywood this morning, my eyes befell upon the delightful little sight of this unfortunatly put together license plate. I hope they didn't see the flash from my camera while I was trying to drive/capture this lil nugget of tack.

MEOW!

I have been twittling my thumbs over a very important life decision this week. A decision that will either be a huge mistake, or will be a one of the coolest things I do this week. No, I'm not getting a tattoo, I'm not getting engaged, I'm not changing my career or even my hair color..... I'm (maybe) getting a kitten.....!!!!!

Do I want it destroying my furniture? Or have it crapping in a box somewhere in my smallish apartment? Or have to commit to feeding, shots, etc.

I am trying to be level-headed about this one, but I just can't help letting my cuddly-girly-fluffy side get the best of me when looking at these faces.... any advice?

    

Or this...

Hair Do's

My room mate was telling me about these feather extensions for your hair the other day and since then I have been seeing them everywhere I go! These are super rad. This is a great way to change it up for those of us who have long hair and get bored with it... but aren't too thrilled at the idea of chin lengthed bobs. They are pretty subtle and look sort of natural and very pretty. I also saw a lady the other day with tiny little metallic strands that looked awesome. I'm thinking I'm gonna go get my feather on!

http://www.finefeatherheads.com/

This is the hair do that I am attempting today. Very Hansel and Gretel eh?

Scrunchies, Acid Wash & Synthesizers

I was listening to Morning Goes Eclectic on NPR last Sunday while driving to church and got turned onto a great new band called WILD NOTHING. If you are a fan of 80's Dream Pop, The Smiths, The Cure, Sophia Coppola movies, or any of these other things I found wonderful pictures of...check them out. They will make you want crimp your hair and wear leg warmers (in a good way.)

Also their album cover for "Gemini is the bees knees!
http://www.myspace.com/wildnothing

Sounds like what these picture look like :)

 

 

  

 

I'm totally making these tomorrow.

So excited for this craft project! Our living room will be all sorts of bedazzled yo.

To see how to make your own, check out Ruffled Blog for the instructions! 

You can make them in different colors and sizes and hang em all over town... so buckle up, cause it will be a magical day tomorrow.

MAKES ME THINK OF.....

Psychedelica ....maaaaan!

Today the flavor that I'm feeling is psychedelic.
Listening to: Jefferson Airplane, Dead Man's Bones, Moody Blues, The Velvet Underground, and of course The Doors

Sand In Your Ears?... Well listen up

I just saw that it is suppose to be 80 degrees here tomorrow. I absolutely love this weather! Bikinis in February! In the immortal words of Tobias Funke, "HAZAA!"

    [ Susanne Shropshire, Marcy Nelson, Lauren Lundquist, and Aubrey Mayne jump for joy and sunshine.]

So since I will be in the sand and surf all day tomorrow... here is my compilation for best beach music ever! Grab a blanket, beer, some sunglasses, and friends and groove to these tunes while on the shores of your beaches... unless your not in LA which means it's probably like 25 degrees...sorry.

The Thrills- "Don't Steal Our Sun"
Best Coast- "I Want To"
Mercury Rev- "On A Summer Day"
Real Estate - "Fake Blues"
Beach Boys- "Feel Flows"
Dead Man's Bones- "Pa Pa Power"
Sheryl Crow- "All I Wanna Do"
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros- "Janglin"
Fiest- "Lonely Lonely (Frisbee'd Mix)"
The Black Keys- "Never Gonna Give You Up"
Fleet Foxes- "White Winter Hymnal"
Ghost Ship- "Oh Great Is Our God"
Iron & Wine- "Passing Afternoon"
Joni Mitchell- "Troubled Child"
Vampire Weekend- "California English"
The Black Keys- "She's Long Gone"
The Shout Out Louds- "A Track and a Train"
Beach Boys- "Good Vibrations"
DJ Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince- "Summertime"
Simon & Garfunkle- "America"
Ottis Redding- "Sittin On The Dock of the Bay"




Check these all out on Grooveshark and have a listen for free :)

Enjoy & leave me some of your favorite beach tunes!

Best LA Scrub Down.

This is what Aubrey looks like after 15 hrs of shooting a tv show in the Malibu sun. 

Like every human being after a hard day I enjoy being scrubbed/sandpapered down head to toe by old Asian ladies in Korea town at 2am in the morning....

You might be thinking to yourself.... wha?

Well let me tell you about the Wilshire Spa and you will understand. Tucked under a high-rise in Korea town this 24 hour spa is the place to go if you are in need of some pampering anytime. Me and my room mates go around 11pm for a late night spa adventure. You strip down to your nothings and enjoy a:  Massage, Facials, Body Scrub, Hot & Cold Baths, Dry & Steam Saunas, Mineral Salt Room, Charcoal Room, Pure Onyx Room, Lounge Area, Beauty Salon, Restaurant and more...
But, I most definitely recommend the Full Body Scrub ($50). It is da bomb. Yes... I said "da bomb." That's how good it is ... that I would resurrect the 90's slang relic for the mecca of coolness. So basically you are in the buff on a table getting your skin polished and scrubbed by an old lady in granny panties (not quite sure why, but whatever works) and washed with warm milk oil until your bod is baby soft and sparkly clean.


All you sheepish sissies and prudes... I don't care if you don't want anyone seeing your hoo-ha... Just do this. You will thank me later... hopefully fully clothed when you do. 

http://www.wilshirespa.com/

I WANT THIS TOY!!!!!

(This post was written a little while ago...but I didn't post it yet.)

"Seeing as it is the Christmas season I decided to make my once a year pilgrimage to the Gehenna of the modern western world. The local mall.

This trip was made especially wretched by the fact that I was up the entire night before having my dinner evacuated by my guts thanks to the little puke bug that is going around. This was however, my last day to do some gift shopping before leaving Los Angeles for the arctic tundra that is known as Seattle.

I closed out the Hulu page on my computer that I had been parked at for an embarrassingly long amount of time, peeled my lifeless skeleton out of my warm bed, strapped on some shoes and set off for my journey.

The roof seemed to be the wisest area to park in, due to my delirium and my frequent habit of forgetting where I parked my car. Shuffling into the atrium like a Grandma with a bad hip replacement, I was assaulted with smells of chinese food (that had no doubt been warming under lights since I woke up this morning) strollers and leashes piloted by frazzled parents who should have seriously considered shopping online, and...the grand conspiracy perpetuated by lies told by society, grandparents, and tv.....Santa.

I was like Normandy.

I ducked out of range of swinging bags, dodged uncovered child sneezes, and battled with snooty unintelligible store employees who would get upset when being interrupted from their conversation with their gay guy pal at the women's clothing store with whom they were analyzing her last nights sexting rendezvous with [insert high school boy's name.]

It soon became clear that an escape route was needed. My bags filled mostly with items I bought for myself (sheepish laugh...) I navigated towards where I thought I had parked. Once again old lady shuffling through the sea of chaos when upon my ears the cochlea damaging level screams register.

To my left, was a magnificent scene unfolding of child completely recumbent on the storefront floor, complete with feet kicking, fists pounding in a fit. "I WAAAANNNTTT IIIIIITTTTT!!!" His passion and volume was quite impressive as he fervently contorted his face and body on his mission to open the will and wallet of his mother for that toy he "had to have or was going to SCREEEAAAMMM!" All the while attracting a huge crowd.

Then, in that moment of pandemonium and weird mall smells I stopped ...and a Grinch style smile curled up my grumpy face. I was most thoroughly enjoying the fact that that was not my child. That I could leave the mall and not have to take that hellion with me. And most of all, that this child was able to convey every emotion I was feeling at that moment but by the constraints of society and what is deemed appropriate behavior for an adult, could not express.

Or it was just the flu medicine kicking in and making me crackers. Who knows. All I know is I escaped with a smile on my face and a story to tell."

FAUXCHELLA SHORT

me, probably singing the theme song from Full House...

The last 2 years I have participated in a little festival called Fauxchella with some friends from Long Beach. We go off somewhere, make some kick ass music, perform it for each other, and eat and drink lots of good things. This past summer's was pretty awesome. The food was AMAZING. Our chef Jessica blew my mind with all the stuff she made that weekend. The woman makes her own sausage, marshmallows, icecream, brandy-bacon-banana-bread and roasted a whole pig. I salute her: http://www.eatyourbestfriends.com/

One of the cool things about the weekend is that there is always a few photogs and film people around. One of the guys (check out his blog as well: http://looseluggage.com/luggage/ ) is making a short film about it... here is a preview... I got chills when I saw it! I'm in it somewhere...


Official Unofficial "The Sound and the Wind - 2010 Cut" Trailer from Loose Luggage on Vimeo.