happy new year!

be safe, and as my dad likes to say, "kids, no having fun."

and here's a song i just finished writing. kinda new years/80's rock inspired
Sonic Boom by WHITEKNITE

and two more new songs i've been working on..
Alive by WHITEKNITE
Helicopter by WHITEKNITE

GO PERISCOPE

a newer group i found from Seattle. if you like electro/80's synths/pop. they released their first self-titled album early this year. pretty cool, give them a listen

Crush Me by goperiscope

click album to buy

2heckwidit

MONEY. it's been a slight stressor lately.
i just dropped $900 on car maintenance. christmas.. was needlessly expensive (i like to give nice presents). new years: i think i'm driving to vegas with some friends tomorrow; it won't be free. weekends, and even weeknights now in the city - i enjoy them.  spending on clothes, i've gotten better at this. spending on FOOD, this is becoming a large problem.
but hang on, what's the purpose of money again? to be used, correct? spent?
well if so, then i'm right on track. fulfilling my cash's dharma.
REVELATION. i suppose i can relax now

ha if you're feeling extra abundant

ha if I were to rob a bank..

Man in Hillary mask robs bank..."In her role as secretary of state, Hillary Clinton can be quite the persuasive diplomat, which is perhaps why one man thought that might help him convince a bank to hand over all of its money.

A gun-wielding man sported a Hillary Clinton mask while robbing a Wachovia bank in Sterling, Va., according to the Loudoun Times. 

The man left with an undisclosed amount of cash, and no injuries were reported. It was the second time in two months that the branch had been robbed.

A picture of the Hillary-masked man can be seen here." -Politico.com

thank you drudgereport.

from: kanye

to: my beautiful wonderful amazing crazy intelligent funny level-headed graceful kind talented + lovely sister

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!! <3 you

MANIAC

i can't stop listening to this song/album. though the overriding tone is rather dark and bleak, the music engulfs you with it's minute intricacies and avant-garde assembly. his creativity is genius
click album art to download mp3

go and see -NOW

you've already heard all the hype. i went opening night and will see it at least 2 more times in theaters. possibly my favorite film of the year. natalie portman is ridiculous

WINGS_&joy

"He who binds to himself a joy
Does the wingèd life destroy;
But he who kisses the joy as it flies
Lives in eternity's sunrise."

"Love to faults is always blind,
Always is to joys inclined,
Lawless, winged, and unconfined,
And breaks all chains from every mind."

-William Blake

french films

French Films - Golden Sea from hoodywarrelsonboots on Vimeo.

this is a new band i just found .. i love their sound
click the itunes box to download their EP

only @ Denny's

in downtown SLC.

2:00am - after finishing a movie, friends and i pull into Denny's parking lot to find 4 cop cars and an ambulance parked with lights flashing. restaurant is packed. what on earth could be going on?

2:10am - after debating whether to go in or not, we decide to. curiosity beat us. while waiting to to be seated a crazed-looking bum enters and begins "inconspicuously" sketching a picture of me with a marker.
2:30am - after waiting to be seated for 20mins we finally get a table. while being seated, an entire medical team of about seven persons and a fireman and two policeman file out. what??? our server informed us, "oh don't worry, it was just a 28 year old girl -she had too much to drink and passed out. she's fine."
2:31am - server leaves to get drinks, homeless artiste appears at our table and seats himself. "i just wanna draw you guys really bad." ooooookay. one of my friends gets up to go to the bathroom -to inform our server of the uninvited guest. server comes over, "uh bart, you can't do this." homeless bumpkin scowls at us and yells, "ya damn whiners!! no respect for the art community whatsoever.." and leaves. ha
2:35am - table next to us asks me to call them a cab because they were too drunk to. really?
***we just want cheese fries**
3:00am - FOOD at last.
3:10:am - a small argument arose between a 24yr old and the 50yr old sassy server, Bert. Bert was accusing him of stealing a $3.00 tip. Bert walks off in a huff muttering, "i'm calling the cops. i'm calling the cops" (in his high nervous voice). "yeah you go do dat! i din't steal ya f**king money." young guy decides to leave with girlfriend. Most of the restaurant is watching now. as they leave to get in their car, Bert and other servers rush to the window to jot down the license plate number. really.
young guy sees this and gets annoyed and marches back into the restaurant. cursing and profanities ensue. young man put his phone on the counter to be able to use hand gestures. nimble Bert snatches his phone and squeals. "you won't get your phone until i get my tip!"
"i don't give a ___ about your f*%kin tip! man i will send the entire f#*kin hood on you!" young guy decides to wait outside for the cops.
FIVE cops cars peel into the parking lot and literally jump on the young guy. young guy apparently couldn't hold his tongue and is handcuffed and thrown into the back of a cop car. Bert who went outside to watch now comes inside with a smirk on his face, a little hip-swing and wrist flick in his stride, and tosses his greasy parted hair back in triunmph.
A THREE. DOLLAR. TIP.
WOW
3:30am - we finally get our check (our poor server slipped on ice outside whist observing the melee).
we leave.
whaaat a night. thank god for the SLPD. heaven knows where we'd all be without them

onehundredtwentyseven:HRS

so i saw this film last week. i'd give it six thumbs up if i had them. very moving and inspiring. about a cavalier utah granola who got his arm trapped under a boulder for, well 127 hours. for what could have been quite a bad plot for a film, Danny Boyle did an excellent job. James Franco was also great. quite strenuous and grusome at parts but i had to recommend it! click here for a trailer

dear Santa

these mosley's

these h by hudson high-top oxfords

and this jw anderson jacket 
...would all be appropriate i feel. if you're feeling generous
thanks

it's beginning to look a lot like..

something. so yesterday..

 

my eight yr old sister came running up to me with this clutched in her glove yelling, "look look!! a frozen lizard!!!" -looked more like a baby dinosaur to me

and i made these lil beauuts for a christmas party. and also ate the remaining bowl of cream cheese frosting 

and music like this could be heard around me at most hours of the day. good times Christmas, good times. stay merry.

i hope

that your thanksgiving was all you dreamed it would be and more

a day with the BRITS, wot wot

okay so it was really two days..
DAY ONE:

we went to the London Market and bought some of our favorite english goodies. then we snacked at the cafe: a warm sausage roll and some earl grey tea (we'll be back for the beans on toast). i also dropped a few quid on some new burberry glasses.

DAY 2:
Harry Potter 7.1 premiere!!! it was brilliant

and while we waited for our 1:30am showtime, i went to see "Never Let Me Go"

Only because I love Carey Mulligan. i hadn't read the book, but found it to be very thought-provoking. not the best film, but still worth seeing I'd say. i enjoyed it.

some new soul

so long samuel..

My little brother just left for a two-year religious mission to rome italy. my mom had a bunch of old pictures of us out and i had fun reminiscing. two years is a long time and i'll miss him, but can't wait to start getting pictures and hear about his experience back in europe. i can't wait to go and pick him up when he's finished.

arrivederchi!

"Now don’t squat with your spurs on.."

 I almost forgot to post about this..
About a month ago, one of our neighbors who owns a ranch in southern Utah invited my dad, my brother and I to herd some cattle out of the mountains. Ha.. yeah. When my dad first proposed the idea, I have to admit, I almost instantly declined. I'm extremely allergic to horses, the event required waking up at 6am (on a saturday), it was 32 degrees, and well... I just ain't no cowboy. But I've been trying on the whole, "say yes to life" philosophy, and it was reluctant one, but the yes somehow appeared.
And I'm glad it did.

By the end of the day I had a rash of hives, clogged sinuses, my eyes were nearly swollen shut, I could barely walk (9 hrs on horseback is lot).. but it was a pretty awesome day. We herded about seventy "doggies" and guided them probably twenty or so miles back to the ranch. The scenery was incredible, and I had a great time with my dad and brother. I got to wear chaps, crack a whip and yell HEYAWH; really connected with my inner-cowboy.
After spending the summer in west yellowstone, I'm still confused as to why the universe is throwing all these cowboy/western experiences at me. But I think I'm learning to like them..

goodcoversong: MUNICH

Great song by one of my favorite bands (Editors), and how can you complain about C.B.Rae's voice?

An Arduous Elation

Sometimes I overwhelm myself with too many burning questions about life. I want to understand it all. Now. The material, the psychological, the emotional, the sociological. All of it.
Da Vinci the Great did say, "The noblest pleasure is the joy of understanding." And, I would normally whole-heartedly agree. But it struck me today, as I ran on the treadmill, that if there were no questions to ask in the world, where could one find any sense of wonder? Or experience that tantalizing, vast inner-intrigue when faced with the mysterious? In a hypothetical world (or mind) containing all the answers, there could be no curiosity, no adventure, no suspense; no fascination, no astonishment, no awe. So I asked myself, Why must I elude these effects of questioning -are they painful? mmm.. I pondered.. Not at all. In fact they can be pretty awesome! Pun intended. 
What is beauty compared to formulas, definitions, and logical explanations of it?
Pretend this "Everything-Answered" mind were possible. Would there be an every thing to comprehend? What would be the exact number of things to know? 69 trillion, 24 thousand, and two? Seems improbable.
Consider the reality of a universe solely consisting of mental facts. I say, très ennuyeux.
It was then, with sweat dripping down my cranium, that I began to fall in love with the brilliant multi-facetted-ness of our existence. There are some questions that have simple answers, some that have (as long as there's people to argue) endless explanations, and some that dumbfound even the wisest -whose answers may never grace a mortal mind.
I'm fairly relieved to be convinced there is no ceiling to understanding. For if there were, the top would certainly be disappointing.
I feel now a bit more associative with Mr. Rilke, "Live your questions now, and perhaps even without knowing it, you will live along some distant day into your answers."
Answers can be ecstatic, but questions I wager, can be just as fulfilling. I feel there is much peace in this realization.

11-09-1989

TODAY IN HISTORY:

21 years ago today -the inverse date of 9/11- (9 November 1989) East berlin opened its borders and the Berlin Wall came down. And with arguably less international significance, I was born this day.
The Berlin Wall was a symbol of communism and oppression.  It's destruction was a brilliant liberating event for all Germans, and most of the world who watched. 4Full history click here.

Freedom has always been a concept to which I've personally had a strong interest and passion for. I've always been proud to have been born on a day which signifies this notion. Soooo.. inspired by the events of this day, because songwriting is a form of self-expression I like, I concocted this:

The song's titled, Freiheit, the German word for freedom. It also begins with a sound byte of Ronald Reagan's famous "Tear Down This Wall!" speech given in 1987. The attempted genre: contemporary electro/industrial/pop/rock. For more of my music CLICK HeR!e!!

Anyways, cheers to freedom, the germans, and the chocolate cheesecake I'll be consuming later today.

in steam room, SPIRITUAL experience?

For the past couple years, after my routine workout at the gym, I've escaped to the steam room to relax and meditate. I wouldn't consider myself an exceptionally spiritual person, but I have found that present, thought-clearing mediation helps bring my cares and stresses back into balance. Sometimes you've just got to brush up your yin, and smooth out your yang to function properly. I do at least.
Anyways, as I've been gone all summer, I've delinquently strayed from my habit of meditation due to a busy work schedule (and lack of steam room). So the other day, I went to the gym with my brother, and naturally decided to "steam-room-it-up" after our workout.
There was nothing unordinary about how I changed into my towel, or what I was thinking. I was probably thinking about what I was going to eat/drink when I got home. But upon entering the steam room, it was like I was hit by a cannonball of joy (along with piping hot steam). It was as if the cloud of steam was a trillion molecules of happiness engulfing and zapping my body. I sat down on the wet tile, and it was the strangest experience. The walls, the steam, the floor, the glass door were laughing at me. Or with me I should say, because a moment later, laughter came exploding out of me. I couldn't keep it in. It was as if I was surrounded by a bunch of friends that had been highly-anticipating my arrival. My brother walked in a few minutes later and asked why I was laughing. I had to tell him I had no idea why.
Could it simply have been a trigger of my subconscious--just a positive association with the steam room? Maybe.
Could have been a glimpse into the much sought-after state of enlightenment? Possibly.
Could I be crazy? Likely.
Or perhaps my steam room just missed me.
Whatever it was, I liked it.
(Those of you that have a hard time focusing with meditation, I highly recommend trying it in a steam room. A little intense heat can help with the concentration.)

movie: catfish

so i saw this movie the other night and had to recommend it. it's one of the best movies i've seen in a while. the style is cool, because it's all real footage. it wasn't exactly the movie i expected, which is the reason i liked it. the movie poster says, "don't let anyone tell you what it is," so i won't. but it's worth the view

OCTOBER:

Family-time in autumn is mostly the best. Hayrides, pumpkin picking, mom and sisters' freshly baked goods, halloween candy, and thanksgiving dinner, on the horizon! MMM

(and biting ruth's cold rosy cheeks)

fresh blueberry muffins mom made today

It's really good to be back in Utah. Good to see family and friends again. Good to sleep in my own bed again. Good to live in civilization again. Good to be alive at this moment of time in the universe.

GREAT NEWS: cure for the common cold??

God bless the Brits. The one thing about this time of year that I always detest, is colds. After two weeks of sneezing, sniffing, snorting, and snotting, my immune system finally K.O.'d my cold.  I was just thinking to myself the other day, how in the world have scientists not discovered a cure for the cold yet?! When, I came across this article.
Apparently some english scientists figured out a way to salvage already virus-infected cells. "The study, which is reported in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that antibodies can enter cells at the same time as the virus invades, triggering of reactions which allows a protein called TRIM21 to eject the bug."
I found another article on this story which said this treatment becomes effective (in eliminating a virus) within only a few hours! Which would be incredible.. 
But, because of the simplicities of pharmaceutical industries, a sellable drug or nasal spray may not be available for another decade. huzzah..
However, another recent American study found that those who are involved in rigorous physical exercise on a routine basis are twice as less likely to catch a cold (something about exercise boosting the level of immune system cells..). So anyways, there's a tip for avoiding them while we await the miracle pill.

life/dreams

(click album to download)
At first I wasn't sure how I felt about this artist, thinking he was a Thom Yorke wanna be, but he's grown on me. And I love this song.

So long MT.

My working term in Montana is finally finished! I thought my last week would go by really slowly and painfully, but sometimes life has a way of taking your prejudices and sweetly strangling them. West Yellowstone, as small and stuck-in-the-eighties as it is, really grew on me.

The sunsets are pretty incredible

I'll miss the coffee and grease smell of the Geyser Grill -and the people I worked with there.

and this.

On one of my last days, I went into the natl park for my first time this summer. Ha embarrassing I know, but hey, we got a free pass. I went with my coworker and close friend Traci and her two little boys. We saw buffalo, deer, elk, and a pack of wolves. 

That night we went and saw the famous geyser, Old Faithful. The moon and (millions of) stars were really bright and lit the fountain with a majestic luminescent glow. Plus there weren't throngs of jabbering and cheering tourists, so we could really hear the eerie rumble of it.

If you ever get the chance, I highly recommend seeing it at night. A top notch experience.

 

 I had to use up my groceries so here's the last supper I cooked for myself. delicious.

So no more cleaning cabins of filthy people, answering idiotic questions at the front desk, and satisfying grumpy old farts!!!

AND to top it all off, I didn't have to take the bus home. Yeeeeah. 

Long car rides are also one of my favorite things on this planet. They really help to clear my mind and always make me feel.. well, GOOOD. With the killer playlists I had, combined with the scenery, I could have kept driving forever. 

Maybe I'll be a truck driver one day.

..AND back to UT.

See of Bees: SKINNYBONE

Dirty Laundry Presents: Sea Of Bees perform Skinnybone from Dirty Laundry on Vimeo.
here's a good one.

GOOD NEWS!!!!

ONLY five days, seventeen hours, twenty three minutes, and four seconds left (if i did the math correctly) till I'm DONE serving the crustomers at the front desk of the HibernationSensation. 

but hey, who's counting?

a little food porn

of my favorite snack

 in the united states.

 refried beans + cheddar and monterey jack cheese + fresh tortilla chips

little can be spared