Gulf of Mexico oil slick.

I had dinner with mi madre last night after church, (this is a fairly regular occurance). Over dinner, we talked about lots of things. Our conversations generally end up migrating towards being healthy, eating right, and those kinds of things. Last night we touched on our recent eating habits, environmental law, (she is teaching a class on it at MSU today), an upcoming trip to Holiday World, my sister coming home, the food I was eating, how removed the everyday person is from what they eat, (Nobody in my life, with the exception of my mom, has any clue where their food comes from and what has been added, modified, taken away, etc. This soapbox will be saved for another post), and then finally our conversation migrated to the recent devistation in the gulf of mexico.

Just in case you weren't aware, a BP oil rig off the coast of Louisiana (approximatley worth 5 billion dollars), burned up last Tuesday after some oil drilling went a bit wrong. With the oil rig gone, over 5,000 barrels of oil have been pouring into the Gulf of Mexico daily since last Tuesday. This oil is practically as thick as roofing tar and is covering an area 74,000 km wide on top of the ocean. Because of this thick blanket of tar, TONS of oceanic wildlife are dying because of their inability to breath and their lack of sunlight. The oil slick is expanding so rapdily on a daily basis that the government made an agreement with BP to burn part of the slick yesterday, (Wednesday), so the oil would not leak into the environmental wetlands of Southern Louisiana, killing even more wildlife.

This devistating occurence will have no better outcome. This is a lose-lose situation. Either they burn up the entire oil slick sending unimaginable amounts of air pollution into our ozone, or they do not burn it and hundreds of miles of wetlands and wildlife are smothered in tar. Sad. Sad. Sad. Let's remember to keep all the leaders and decision-makers in our thoughts and prayers.

Nicole Atkins.

Alright. I know you are all thinking, "Hmmm... I thought she said her musical obsessions change every few weeks. I haven't seen a new musical post in a while." WELL HERE IS A FANTASTIC ONE.

I first heard Nicole Atkins in Nashville, TN at the Ryman Auditorium opening up for the Avett Brothers on Halloween. That voice amazed me. She was a great live act. I kind of forgot about her for a while and suddenly, as if some magical musical (god, i love alliteration) force was taking hold of my life, she pops up on my iPod when I had set it to shuffle mode. Yes, yes... magical musical forces are generally the only kind of forces that ever take hold of my life but still... Is that fate or is that fate? The start of a new 2-week obsession. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.


This is my favorite song as of now.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xdkX4z3Q6M

I'm a crusader.

If you know me, you know that I am somewhat notorious for getting very convicted about lots of things. I like to have opinions about things, and as long as I have an educated opinion, I generally like to share it with others. My best friend calls me a crusader. Well here comes my next crusade.

People need to stop taking themselves so seriously. There are so many people in this tiny little town of Murray, KY that have the opetimized "holier than though" attitude. People think that because they listen to "alternative/indie" music and wear "different" clothing, that they are better than others.

The fact of the matter is, so many of these people are just searching for a certain mold or box in which they want to fit. They do everything they can to fit that mold, totally independent of whether they actually like, care about, or are convicted about what it represents.

What needs to happen is simple. People need to be themselves and not continually try to perfectly portray a certain image. Do what you feel. Do what you like. Who cares if other people don't like it or don't care about it. Be yourself dammit.



"To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting." ~e.e. cummings

bun bun dedication.

I have 2 pet rabbits. Their names are Asher and Faust. I am questioning whether I will be taking them along to Louisville with me in the Fall or leaving them with the BF here in Murray (he is madly in love with them, too). I am leaning towards just taking my cat (Lily) with me since I am questioning the amount of time I will have for the bunnies when I am in school. This decision makes me sad. Because I love them. And they are my little life garnishes. So here is a photo dedication to all the lovely pet bunnies all over the world that make their owner's lives a bit brighter on a daily basis.

Neko.

Nobody is a better singer/songwriter/all around amazing musician and cool ass chick than Ms. Neko Case. That voice will never bore my not-so-easily entertained ears. Punk/indie meets country music; nothing could make me a happier lady.

cottonfactory.com

If you haven't visited the above mentioned website, go there... now. It's worth your time. Especially if you have a ridiculously odd and sometimes screwed up sense of humor. And if you like sharing that sense of humor with others by wearing strange t-shirts with obsurd things written on them, you will be in the right place. These are my two most recent purchases. (The pictures are what is printed on the t-shirts.)

Moving.

Come the beginning of August-ish, I will be moving to a new city, into a new apartment, surrounded by new things. I am excited. I have lived in Western, KY for almost 23 years now and I am ready for a change.

I was talking to a friend last night about moving (who is also moving away to graduate school next year), and he asked, "So why are you staying in KY if you are so desperate to get away?" I wasn't really sure what to say. Since I made the decision to audition for graduate schools, I told myself that the 2 KY schools were going to be my last two choices. And even as of now, (after making my decision to go to Louisville), my number one school is UC Boulder. But as I told him last night, MONEY TALKS. Louisville wants me there and is willing to give me full tuition, stipend and health care for 2 years. That is something to which you really cannot say no. Even after they told me of the assistantship which they were offering me, I was arguing with myself about it. "All this time I have been telling myself I MUST get far far away and now the closest school gives me all this money."

Well, to make a long story short, I chose Louisville and am happy with the decision. I am close to my family, (which is more and more important to me with 2 younger siblings, ages 8 and 9). I have TONS of friends in Louisville, which is nice. I am somewhat familiar with the city. And although he would hate me admitting this, I am really glad to be going somewhere where I am within driving distance of my boyfriend (who is staying in Murray to work). So overall, it's a good thing. And i'm happy. And excited.

That all being said, one of the most exciting things for me is moving into a new place. And decorating a new place. And buying some new furniture and such things. The flea marketing madness has begun and I am looking forward to finding lots of unique, interesting things for the new place. Here are some inspirations from one of my favorite decorating websites.

Recent purchases.

I have always had good sight. I have always had good teeth. I have always secretly hoped that when I go to the eye doctor, he will tell me that my eyes have magically gone terribly bad and I desparately need glasses (this dream has not yet been realized). I was the kid that really wanted braces too (and I also didn't get those. damn straight teeth). Although I should be rejoicing that I am a healthy gal with good teeth and eyes, I am not. And in my denial, I have bought a pair of fake glasses. Judge all you want. I can't wait.

BIG decision.

I have finally decided on a grad. school and I am QUITE happy with my decision. The University of Louisville will be my new home for my Master's degree. The school of music was SO very generous in giving me a full assistantship with full tuition coverage, stipend, and health coverage. The program is great. The teacher I will be studying with is fantastic. And I will get to work with a professional opera company (Kentucky Opera) in my 3rd semester of study there singing in the chorus for 3 productions and possibly covering roles. PLUS, Louisville is a pretty fantastic town. I am pretty excited to be starting the apartment search in the near future. GO CARDS!

me want accordian.

In a perfect world, I would have the time to learn to play every instrument I love (all of them). However, I am a busy lady. My latest musical interest is the accordian and dammit, I want one. I am desarately trying to learn more about them and what kind I should get, what kind would be easiest to learn, etc. I am still fairly clueless about it all though. Ah... maybe someday.

Fire on Fire.

I have a new musical obsession, (They generally change about every other week). My wonderful, dear boyfriend, in his obsession with all music, shares LOTS of, and I mean LOTS of music with me on a regular basis. He recently gave me about 25 gigs of randomness. I have been trying to cut through it all in the last week or so and in my efforts, I have discovered something totally worth obsession. It's a band by the name of Fire on Fire. They started out as a punk-experimental-progressive band called Cerberus Shoal. But they have recently added 2 members and turned all acoustic with some of the most amazing vocal harmonies I have heard in a while. And obviously, changed their name as well. Their vast array of instruments used includes accordian, upright bass, harmonium, guitar, banjo, doumbek, oud, nay, jembe, tambourine and tambouriza, (with some amazing vocals on top of all the beautiful noise). It is more worth a listen than almost anything I have put on this blog in a while. CHECK IT OUT.

http://younggodrecords.com/Artists/index.asp?C=32 (WEBSITE)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLKKQjELDQo (VIDEO)

Etsy wants.

thrift/vintage goodness.

I don't really like new things. I mean- truly new things. Unlike many people I know, I really enjoy buying things that have already been used. There is something about new items that are so impersonal and unoriginal. When I buy something that has been used and preowned, I feel like I am buying something with a story, a past, an interesting history. Whether it be a dress from the goodwill or a vintage 70's clock from the local flea market, these things make me a happy gal. Here are some vintage-inspired pictures that made me happy today.