music monday :: hey, remember them?

image via google

So... I kind of forgot Fountains of Wayne existed. You know, the "Stacy's Mom" dudes? I'm shocked to say that lately I've Shazamed more than one song I liked on the radio, only to find out it's them. I thought Shazam might be lying, but no. It's true. I might be a Fountains of Wayne fan. "Stacy's Mom" threw me off and I didn't listen to anything else from them, and this tune is from 2003. Apologies, FoW. I might actually give you a chance... 12 years later.

an update.

Sorry for the writing hiatus as of late. I've been debating whether or not I should do a whole explanation on why, or just be vague and leave it. I've always been one for honesty, but I don't want to say too much about my personal life on the very public internet. 

The short version is that I've been dealing with a family issue for about a month now. My mom has been in and out of the hospital and I've been trying to help as much as I can, without being able to do much at all. There's a big lack of money and insurance and solutions. I've been feeling very stressed, worried, helpless, and scared. I hope all this can come to an end so I can write out the whole story and report that it has a happy ending. But for now, even if you're reading this and don't know me, please pray for us if you believe in that sort of thing (I do).

Blogging isn't my main focus for the time being, but I'm hoping to get some posts in so this space isn't wasted :) Thanks for reading, and I'll be back soon.

no regrets.

 

source

Sometimes I find myself researching cozy bed linens for hours on the internet. No regrets.

 

Sometimes I order sushi all by myself and eat most of it. No regrets.

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Sometimes I dream about puppies with big ears. No regrets. 

 Sometimes Laura and I look panicked and grossed out because we did THIS. (But it really does work!) No regrets.

I need a nap, Chick-fil-A, and an episode of Downton Abbey. Please & thank you.

weekending & tunes.

Happy Monday, friends! It's rainy and cold and I despise coming to work on mornings like this, but eh. What can you do? I just found out that my office is closed for MLK day next week, which I had completely forgotten about. So I'm slightly happier than I was a few minutes ago.

This week is brought to you by Friday night's festivities in which my friend got a huge bottle of Crispin without knowing it was going to be a huge bottle of Crispin. Naturally, we handled the situation:

Let me pose a very important question: is there anything better than watching a pup go through the stages of falling asleep while draped on your legs and you're shouting at the Ravens game in hysterics? If you answered "no", you are correct!

^ He kills me. <3

So, music. Two categories today: Jam & Sentiment.This is currently my jam:

And this one, which is basically the opposite of the other and is an old favorite. I recorded a version of this with my dear friend Lauren years ago, and I still dig it up every now and again to reminisce.

This is the stuff rainy days are made of!

2015 so far.

I have some thoughts for you, 2015. First of all, you got crazy riiiiiight at the end of December just in time for me to have a stressful start of the year. Not cool. But also, you made me organize my bedroom, so I feel more relaxed. You win some, you lose some.

You also allowed me to spend New Year's Eve with my best friend. That was amazing and I loved it. We don't get to hang out as often as I want to, so that was lovely. Drinks, dancing and telling a hundred men "go away, she's married" was a fun night out. ;)

 

You blessed me with a roommate brunch date... a miracle, seeing as Laura never wants to go! She finally agreed. I will never say no to brunch. Laura will never say no to staying in sweatpants and watching Boy Meets World reruns. (But really, who can blame her?) We went to Papermoon and it was so good.

I got this baby Crockpot from my best friend for Christmas. It's so cute! I eat nothing but soup for months when it's cold, so this is very handy. I used it at my desk today for lunch and I loved not having to get up (#lazy) and talk to randoms awkwardly in the office kitchen. Plus, I wrapped my frigid hands around it and it helped me defrost.

Oh, and if you could be less insanely freezing, 2015, I would love that. I'm dreaming of taking a vacation anywhere above 18 degrees.

music monday :: Mae throwback

Few things excite me more than when bands do 10-year reunion shows or anniversaries of their best album. I went to the Swiss Army Romance 10-year show a few years back and it was amazing. Something about hearing an album start to finish in person makes my heart jump.

Mae is one of those bands that gives me a lot of nostalgia. Walking across campus with my headphones in. Belting out The Everglow in the car. Wearing their t-shirt and finding out that a random stranger loves them too. And they always make me think of my good friend Dan... that makes me smile.

So when the band announced they were doing a 10-year reunion tour for The Everglow, I had to go. I can't believe I hadn't seen them before this. They came to my college once, but I was away that weekend and so mad about it. Luckily, my partner in crime Elizabeth loves them too, so we went out on a rainy Sunday night for sushi and some memories.

I loved singing the album that I've sung hundreds of times on my own in person with them. We were at  Baltimore Soundstage, so it was a small venue and not crowded, which made it even better. It was really personal. And you can tell that even 10 years later, these guys love what they do and so appreciate that people listen. When you make an album like that, you have no clue if people are going to love it, hate it, or feel indifferent. But the response was amazing, and the fact that they realize that and don't take it for granted adds something to the whole experience. I love when bands are outwardly appreciative and tell you how much it means that you enjoy their music.

Here's my favorite if you've never heard them before:

A side note: Mike Mains & The Branches opened, and they were excellent as well. We chatted with the lead singer for a bit and he was super nice. I hope to see them again-- check out their stuff! 

a list for 2015

 image via weheartit

I'm not one to make New Year's resolutions, since I believe that we should be striving to be our best selves throughout the year and not just at the end of it. But I do like making lists (as you guys well know), and I like fun things. Here's to 2015!

1. try chicken + waffles, finally. 
2. give in to a friend's constant request to eat at Honey Pig late at night.
3. be more intentional about photo taking.
4. don't hesitate to see good musicians if i get the chance.
5. get really good at ukelele, and write some new songs on it.
6. diligently save money and build up some real savings.
7. start using my Instax camera again.
8. wear my jewelry more often.
9. read [or start reading] at least one book a week.
10. invest in some stationery, and write letters and notes to family + friends.