This is a favorite song from one of my favorite duos, Amadou and Mariam:
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Monday, March 21, 2011
Saturday, April 17, 2010
My new fave artist: Janelle Monae!
Janelle Monae knows how to get down and funky. I can relate to her quirky tightrope dance, its carefree and cool and not being danced to impress anyone. Although heck its quite impressive, no? I cannot wait for her new CD, Archandroid!
This song is bringing her mainstream, but I like her other songs--check them out on myspace.
For more info on JM, here's a link to her website here.
This song is bringing her mainstream, but I like her other songs--check them out on myspace.
For more info on JM, here's a link to her website here.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
A Healthy Christmas List...
After spending some time with my boyfriend's family and hearing about their amazon wishlists (to get gift ideas for them for this Christmas),I decided to start one of my own for fun. I have to say that I enjoyed what felt like a pseudo-shopping experience. I think I have about 15 items on my public wishlist and maybe about 10 more on my private wishlist. I wanted to share some of my favorite finds for this holiday season.
I'd like to preface this short list by saying that initially I felt kind of bad making a wishlist and all, considering I feel as though I have all I need in life to lead a good life and should not ask for more...however I must say, of course I had an enjoyable time realizing there are so many cool things out there that could add even more quality to my life (dare I say) ;) And as I have been compiling my list I found that many of my gifts could be generalized to be health-centered, which makes sense. One of the greatest gifts in life is good health, so here is what I found that I think could benefit people open to the idea of taking better care of themselves.
A Zenergy Chime
This cool little chime is yes, a chime, but its name suggests its cooler than just any ol' chime, right? This little guy can be used in a session (so if I continue to ever pursue something along the lines of a holistic health practitioner or a health coach I could begin my sessions with this ring. It could also be used for opening and closing meditation ceremonies (which I will be doing come next February for class!) Or as I found suggested on Amazon (through customer reviews), it could be a good resource for a sort of quieting/dismissal/announcement in a classroom setting. As this month marks my first month of teaching Spanish language in an after-school program, I can't help but think such a gem might make class time more special.
Music to Inspire Positive Thinking by John Herbmann
So I am not going to go into a novel on each of these items, I think this one is pretty self-explanatory, and I believe there are other ones out there that are relaxation, stress-relief and creativity inspiring, but I just thought that this CD would be a good one to wake up to in the morning and one worth a try.
Coloring Mandalas book by Susan F. Fincher
Everybody needs to color, or as my Foundations of Holistic Health and Wellness class would call it, "make marks on paper." Art is something that is so important to maintaining good health and balance in your life. As cheesy as that may sound or as unartistic as you may feel, we all must take some time to express ourselves through this medium (and it can be in many forms). I happen to want to re-explore coloring and inspire myself to take some time to breathe and relax in my day. This is also something I am looking at as an activity to do with my little (and future children). We can color a mandala together and keep it somewhere safe and accessible, so when we are having a bad day we can look at the mandala and remember what is really important in life.
The Artists Way book
As taken from amazon.com's review:
With the basic principle that creative expression is the natural direction of life, Julia Cameron and Mark Bryan lead you through a comprehensive twelve-week program to recover your creativity from a variety of blocks, including limiting beliefs, fear, self-sabotage, jealousy, guilt, addictions, and other inhibiting forces, replacing them with artistic confidence and productivity.
This book links creativity to spirituality by showing how to connect with the creative energies of the universe, and has, in the four years since its publication, spawned a remarkable number of support groups for artists dedicated to practicing the exercises it contains.
So...I could go on with more details showing you this cool teapot I found or talking about hand blenders and their amazing clean-up/convenience, or the 100% silk pillowcases I have been asking for ever since I was young, but I am not going to continue, I think you get the idea and can start making your own lists this Christmas. By thinking about what you really want can shed light onto what kind of gift you might find valuable in giving to another person. I just wanted to share a few items on my list with the theme of health and healing since it has been my life lately. If you have other requests or questions about books, essential oils, natural beauty products, etc. I may have some knowledge to share from my program, so please feel free to ask. Otherwise just enjoy this list for what it is worth to you and have fun making your own.
Have a healthy day today!
I'd like to preface this short list by saying that initially I felt kind of bad making a wishlist and all, considering I feel as though I have all I need in life to lead a good life and should not ask for more...however I must say, of course I had an enjoyable time realizing there are so many cool things out there that could add even more quality to my life (dare I say) ;) And as I have been compiling my list I found that many of my gifts could be generalized to be health-centered, which makes sense. One of the greatest gifts in life is good health, so here is what I found that I think could benefit people open to the idea of taking better care of themselves.
A Zenergy Chime
This cool little chime is yes, a chime, but its name suggests its cooler than just any ol' chime, right? This little guy can be used in a session (so if I continue to ever pursue something along the lines of a holistic health practitioner or a health coach I could begin my sessions with this ring. It could also be used for opening and closing meditation ceremonies (which I will be doing come next February for class!) Or as I found suggested on Amazon (through customer reviews), it could be a good resource for a sort of quieting/dismissal/announcement in a classroom setting. As this month marks my first month of teaching Spanish language in an after-school program, I can't help but think such a gem might make class time more special.
Music to Inspire Positive Thinking by John Herbmann
So I am not going to go into a novel on each of these items, I think this one is pretty self-explanatory, and I believe there are other ones out there that are relaxation, stress-relief and creativity inspiring, but I just thought that this CD would be a good one to wake up to in the morning and one worth a try.
Coloring Mandalas book by Susan F. Fincher
Everybody needs to color, or as my Foundations of Holistic Health and Wellness class would call it, "make marks on paper." Art is something that is so important to maintaining good health and balance in your life. As cheesy as that may sound or as unartistic as you may feel, we all must take some time to express ourselves through this medium (and it can be in many forms). I happen to want to re-explore coloring and inspire myself to take some time to breathe and relax in my day. This is also something I am looking at as an activity to do with my little (and future children). We can color a mandala together and keep it somewhere safe and accessible, so when we are having a bad day we can look at the mandala and remember what is really important in life.
The Artists Way book
As taken from amazon.com's review:
With the basic principle that creative expression is the natural direction of life, Julia Cameron and Mark Bryan lead you through a comprehensive twelve-week program to recover your creativity from a variety of blocks, including limiting beliefs, fear, self-sabotage, jealousy, guilt, addictions, and other inhibiting forces, replacing them with artistic confidence and productivity.
This book links creativity to spirituality by showing how to connect with the creative energies of the universe, and has, in the four years since its publication, spawned a remarkable number of support groups for artists dedicated to practicing the exercises it contains.
So...I could go on with more details showing you this cool teapot I found or talking about hand blenders and their amazing clean-up/convenience, or the 100% silk pillowcases I have been asking for ever since I was young, but I am not going to continue, I think you get the idea and can start making your own lists this Christmas. By thinking about what you really want can shed light onto what kind of gift you might find valuable in giving to another person. I just wanted to share a few items on my list with the theme of health and healing since it has been my life lately. If you have other requests or questions about books, essential oils, natural beauty products, etc. I may have some knowledge to share from my program, so please feel free to ask. Otherwise just enjoy this list for what it is worth to you and have fun making your own.
Have a healthy day today!
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Where the Wild Things Are...apparently in Iowa!
So Jay and I went down to visit our friends Jacci and Karen this past weekend in IOWA! It was a surprisingly fun trip...I think the company always makes a great deal of difference :)
The first night we went to a Haunted House in Cedar Rapids and then hit up the movie, Where the Wild Things Are, which I loved!!!! Here is a link to the soundtrack if you can't get enough of the music in the movie which was mostly compiled by Karen O from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Where the Wild Things Are Soundtrack Listen Online!
Beyond the loving of the movie, we made a visit to Palisades-Kepler State Park, a pumpkin patch and a lovely brewery/restaurant called Court Avenue Brewing. It was overall a great weekend!
Here are some photos from our hike:
Palisades-Kepler Park
I will never get over the beauty of trees.
Red leaves, didn't you notice?
There is some pretty in Iowa, too.
The first night we went to a Haunted House in Cedar Rapids and then hit up the movie, Where the Wild Things Are, which I loved!!!! Here is a link to the soundtrack if you can't get enough of the music in the movie which was mostly compiled by Karen O from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Where the Wild Things Are Soundtrack Listen Online!
Beyond the loving of the movie, we made a visit to Palisades-Kepler State Park, a pumpkin patch and a lovely brewery/restaurant called Court Avenue Brewing. It was overall a great weekend!
Here are some photos from our hike:
Palisades-Kepler Park
I will never get over the beauty of trees.
Red leaves, didn't you notice?
There is some pretty in Iowa, too.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Friday, August 7, 2009
"Vexed sailors cursed the RAIN, for which poor shepherds prayed in vain."
Okay, I know rhyming is a little outdated, but on a dreary day like today I cannot refrain (haha) from recording the line! The above quote is from Edmund Waller, a British poet, whom I have no connection to, beyond the borrowing of his words, but like a true English major I must cite it before moving on here--screw the foot notes and being smooth! I have been done with smooth transitions for about 2 years now, yo, and even my profs might argue that they never were smooth in the first place...
So I plainly write this quote down because tonight I am off to a cabin with some friends, and of course all I was hoping for was good weather. But as the quote references--there are always two sides, and while I don't want it to rain, I recognize we do need the rain, so I can't really complain about it!
But I can tell you how it affected my day so far. I woke early this morning to be very productive--take care of the dishes from last night's dinner, organize my closet and clear the dirty clothes off the bedroom floor, as well as enter all my purchases from the month of july into my budget spreadsheet, and not to mention take a 6 mile run outside! But the rain washed out my ambitious spirits and now limits me to the dark corner of my apt., under a bright light, where I sit and type these thoughts. And at first it kind of ticked me off...because most of my tasks can be done indoors, so it shouldn't matter that it is raining...but its like because I see its rainy out and its dark in my apartment, I can't get myself to move onto my chores. On the bright side, I feel like it drew me to my blog, and it is always good to take some time to write down some thoughts even if you have no idea what direction they may be headed. Also, it got me to set up my printer (the first time its been plugged in since college), and I printed off some coupons, so when I run some errands today I can use them! Plus, at least once I am done with this post, I can feel like I accomplished something and perhaps move on to the next item on my list!
While I'm here, I might as well apologize for not having any mentionable ideas/projects to share with you lately. I have been more contemplative than normal these days, and it seems the nature of my blog is turning more diary-esque than sharing ideas of interest to the greater good, so again I apologize, but let me do something about that right now.
Below is a tune that I really like. Its by the Eels. It is playing right now at my apt. and it has been playing a lot around here lately. I just like how you can really feel the emotions. Not to mention it also reminds me of an old friend who used to be a big part of my life. So cheers to you, old chingoo.
Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wREjT7DlI7M
Sorry insert link function isn't working right now, so you'll just have to go old school and cut and paste.
Beyond that sorta melancholy but beautiful melody, I'd also like to share my latest cooking endeavor that occurred last night:
Jay bought me an awesome potato book, which you can see here- http://www.amazon.com/Potatoes-pancakes-pommes-frites-Nichols/dp/0847820777/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1249655562&sr=8-1 and so I decided to surprise him with a recipe from the book last night. The above pics do not capture how lovely it tasted! Below is the recipe and instructions. Enjoy!
Kaeng Kai - Thai Chicken Curry w/ potatoes and coconut milk
* 2 TBsp Veggie Oil
* 1.25 boneless chicken (breasts or thighs), cut into large chunks
* 2 to 3 tablespoons red or green thai curry paste (I did 3 of the red, because Jay
and I enjoy spicy, but if you are not that into it I would suggest getting the
green kind or going less on the red)
* 2.75 cups of canned coconut milk
* 2.5 TBsp Thai fish sauce
* 1 lb of new potatoes, unpeeled, scrubbed and cut in half (I did more like 1.25
yukon potatoes, and I cut them into quarters or less so that they would cook
faster)
* 2 TBsp brown sugar
* 2 TBsp lime juice
To serve:
* 1/3 cup unsalted roasted peanuts
* 3 scallions, finely shredded
* Thai basil or cilantro (I did cilantro), coarsely chopped
* 2 Kaffir lime leaves, finely sliced (didn't have this laying around so I ommited)
1) Heat veggie oil in large wok or skillet, add chicken pieces, in batches if necessary. Saute them briefly on all sides to seal. Remove the chicken pieces to a bowl.
2) Add the curry paste to pan and stir-fry for about 30 seconds to release the aromas of the chiles and spices.
3) Add the coconut milk, fish sauce and sugar to the pan and stir well to combine. Return the sauteed chicken pieces to the pan, together with any juices accumlated in bowl.
4) Bring the mixture to a boil, then add the potato halves, reduce the heat. Cover the pan and simmer for about 15-20 minutes until the chicken is cooked and the potatoes are tender.
5) Stir in the lime juice. Serve with sprinkled peanuts, scallion strips, basil or cilantro, and the kaffir lime strips, if using. Steamed jasmine rice is a suitable accompaniment, although I used long grain, organic brown rice in the pic.
Tips: Make sure you chop the potatoes small enough that they can cook fast and evenly. A good dessert for this is lime fruit bars! After all the spice, a limey popsicle is just enough!
If you have any other questions about this recipe, let me know. Thank you for your patience. I am off now for a run upstairs, the day is rollin'...
Enjoy the rain everybody!
Love, me
So I plainly write this quote down because tonight I am off to a cabin with some friends, and of course all I was hoping for was good weather. But as the quote references--there are always two sides, and while I don't want it to rain, I recognize we do need the rain, so I can't really complain about it!
But I can tell you how it affected my day so far. I woke early this morning to be very productive--take care of the dishes from last night's dinner, organize my closet and clear the dirty clothes off the bedroom floor, as well as enter all my purchases from the month of july into my budget spreadsheet, and not to mention take a 6 mile run outside! But the rain washed out my ambitious spirits and now limits me to the dark corner of my apt., under a bright light, where I sit and type these thoughts. And at first it kind of ticked me off...because most of my tasks can be done indoors, so it shouldn't matter that it is raining...but its like because I see its rainy out and its dark in my apartment, I can't get myself to move onto my chores. On the bright side, I feel like it drew me to my blog, and it is always good to take some time to write down some thoughts even if you have no idea what direction they may be headed. Also, it got me to set up my printer (the first time its been plugged in since college), and I printed off some coupons, so when I run some errands today I can use them! Plus, at least once I am done with this post, I can feel like I accomplished something and perhaps move on to the next item on my list!
While I'm here, I might as well apologize for not having any mentionable ideas/projects to share with you lately. I have been more contemplative than normal these days, and it seems the nature of my blog is turning more diary-esque than sharing ideas of interest to the greater good, so again I apologize, but let me do something about that right now.
Below is a tune that I really like. Its by the Eels. It is playing right now at my apt. and it has been playing a lot around here lately. I just like how you can really feel the emotions. Not to mention it also reminds me of an old friend who used to be a big part of my life. So cheers to you, old chingoo.
Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wREjT7DlI7M
Sorry insert link function isn't working right now, so you'll just have to go old school and cut and paste.
Beyond that sorta melancholy but beautiful melody, I'd also like to share my latest cooking endeavor that occurred last night:
Jay bought me an awesome potato book, which you can see here- http://www.amazon.com/Potatoes-pancakes-pommes-frites-Nichols/dp/0847820777/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1249655562&sr=8-1 and so I decided to surprise him with a recipe from the book last night. The above pics do not capture how lovely it tasted! Below is the recipe and instructions. Enjoy!
Kaeng Kai - Thai Chicken Curry w/ potatoes and coconut milk
* 2 TBsp Veggie Oil
* 1.25 boneless chicken (breasts or thighs), cut into large chunks
* 2 to 3 tablespoons red or green thai curry paste (I did 3 of the red, because Jay
and I enjoy spicy, but if you are not that into it I would suggest getting the
green kind or going less on the red)
* 2.75 cups of canned coconut milk
* 2.5 TBsp Thai fish sauce
* 1 lb of new potatoes, unpeeled, scrubbed and cut in half (I did more like 1.25
yukon potatoes, and I cut them into quarters or less so that they would cook
faster)
* 2 TBsp brown sugar
* 2 TBsp lime juice
To serve:
* 1/3 cup unsalted roasted peanuts
* 3 scallions, finely shredded
* Thai basil or cilantro (I did cilantro), coarsely chopped
* 2 Kaffir lime leaves, finely sliced (didn't have this laying around so I ommited)
1) Heat veggie oil in large wok or skillet, add chicken pieces, in batches if necessary. Saute them briefly on all sides to seal. Remove the chicken pieces to a bowl.
2) Add the curry paste to pan and stir-fry for about 30 seconds to release the aromas of the chiles and spices.
3) Add the coconut milk, fish sauce and sugar to the pan and stir well to combine. Return the sauteed chicken pieces to the pan, together with any juices accumlated in bowl.
4) Bring the mixture to a boil, then add the potato halves, reduce the heat. Cover the pan and simmer for about 15-20 minutes until the chicken is cooked and the potatoes are tender.
5) Stir in the lime juice. Serve with sprinkled peanuts, scallion strips, basil or cilantro, and the kaffir lime strips, if using. Steamed jasmine rice is a suitable accompaniment, although I used long grain, organic brown rice in the pic.
Tips: Make sure you chop the potatoes small enough that they can cook fast and evenly. A good dessert for this is lime fruit bars! After all the spice, a limey popsicle is just enough!
If you have any other questions about this recipe, let me know. Thank you for your patience. I am off now for a run upstairs, the day is rollin'...
Enjoy the rain everybody!
Love, me
Friday, August 29, 2008
The foolish chump that you think I am
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRgQns-TJGM
Artist : Ben Folds f/ Regina Spektor
Title : You Don't Know Me
Album : N/A
Genre : Modern Rock
I wanna ask you -
Do you ever sit and wonder,
It's so strange
That we could be together for
So long, and never know, never care
What goes on in the other one's head?
Things I've felt but I've never said
You said things that I never said
So I'll say something that I should have said long ago:
(You don't know me)
You don't know me at all
(You don't know me)
You don't know me at all (at all)
You could have just propped me up on the table like a mannequin
Or a cardboard stand-up and paint me (paint me)
Any face that you wanted me
To be seen.
We're
Damned by the existential moment where
We saw the couple in the coma and
It was we were the cliche
But we carried on anyway.
So, sure, I could just close my eyes.
Yeah, sure, trace and memorize,
But can you go back once you know
(You don't know me)
You don't know me at all
(You don't know me)
You don't know me at all (at all)
(You don't know me)
You don't know me at all
(You don't know me)
You don't know me
If I'm the person that you think I am (Ah ah ahh)
Clueless chump you seem to think I am (Ah ah ahhh)
So easily led astray,
An errant dog who occasionally escapes and needs a shorter leash, then
Why the fuck would you want me back?!
Maybe it's because
(You don't know me at all)
Ahhh ah
Ahhh ah
(You don't know me,
you don't know me.)
Ahhh ah
Ahhh ah
So, what I'm trying to say is
What (What?)
I'm trying to tell you
It's not gonna come out like I wanna say it cause I know you'll only change it.
(Say it.)
(You don't know me)
You don't know me at all
(You don't know me)
You don't know me at all (at all)
(You don't know me)
You don't know me at all
(You don't know me)
You don't know me at all (at all)
What?
(Mmmm, ohh oh
Ah ah ah ah ah
Aha ah ah ah
Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Aha ah
Ah ah
Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah
Oh-oh-oh-oh oh ohh)
Yeah another youtuber...what's new? I know...longer one for reals coming your way soon. Of course this one was inspired by my frustrations with the latest post I worked on-- it was going in way too many directions so I just gave up...let's just say I was getting too deep, too fast, and without much cohesion, so you get this little youtube link instead...you think you know me...but you don't know me at all!!! (insert emo face) muahaha.
Artist : Ben Folds f/ Regina Spektor
Title : You Don't Know Me
Album : N/A
Genre : Modern Rock
I wanna ask you -
Do you ever sit and wonder,
It's so strange
That we could be together for
So long, and never know, never care
What goes on in the other one's head?
Things I've felt but I've never said
You said things that I never said
So I'll say something that I should have said long ago:
(You don't know me)
You don't know me at all
(You don't know me)
You don't know me at all (at all)
You could have just propped me up on the table like a mannequin
Or a cardboard stand-up and paint me (paint me)
Any face that you wanted me
To be seen.
We're
Damned by the existential moment where
We saw the couple in the coma and
It was we were the cliche
But we carried on anyway.
So, sure, I could just close my eyes.
Yeah, sure, trace and memorize,
But can you go back once you know
(You don't know me)
You don't know me at all
(You don't know me)
You don't know me at all (at all)
(You don't know me)
You don't know me at all
(You don't know me)
You don't know me
If I'm the person that you think I am (Ah ah ahh)
Clueless chump you seem to think I am (Ah ah ahhh)
So easily led astray,
An errant dog who occasionally escapes and needs a shorter leash, then
Why the fuck would you want me back?!
Maybe it's because
(You don't know me at all)
Ahhh ah
Ahhh ah
(You don't know me,
you don't know me.)
Ahhh ah
Ahhh ah
So, what I'm trying to say is
What (What?)
I'm trying to tell you
It's not gonna come out like I wanna say it cause I know you'll only change it.
(Say it.)
(You don't know me)
You don't know me at all
(You don't know me)
You don't know me at all (at all)
(You don't know me)
You don't know me at all
(You don't know me)
You don't know me at all (at all)
What?
(Mmmm, ohh oh
Ah ah ah ah ah
Aha ah ah ah
Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Aha ah
Ah ah
Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah
Oh-oh-oh-oh oh ohh)
Yeah another youtuber...what's new? I know...longer one for reals coming your way soon. Of course this one was inspired by my frustrations with the latest post I worked on-- it was going in way too many directions so I just gave up...let's just say I was getting too deep, too fast, and without much cohesion, so you get this little youtube link instead...you think you know me...but you don't know me at all!!! (insert emo face) muahaha.
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