giggles and shits

The Natural Flavors

2012-02-27T23:55:00.000-06:00

For some reason when I think New England, first and foremost I think clam chowder, second comes Pocahontas, then arguably one of America's noblest moments in history-the Salem Witch Trials, but a thriving electronic scene? Nah.

It was really kind of a coincidence that I crossed paths, or better said, wings with Vermont-based experimental electronic artist J. Rumney, through Twitter. I'm not much of a "tweeter." Yes, still lacking a smartphone... as if I don't waste enough time on the world wide of webs, murdering my eyesight and contributing to a growing obsession with virtual reality... so Twitter is something I frequent circa 4 a.m., delirious and squinty-eyed after a night of binge-drinking and puff-puff-passery. I search for different comedians and musicians that I think I want to "follow," thinking I'll give a shit about their tweets.

Well, on this fateful night, I was particularly fascinated by the 100+ people I have never met that follow me. Who are these people? Am I really worthy of being followed? And surprise... I stumbled upon J. Rumney. First, I'm like hey cool, it's a musician...investigating a little more, electronic music...me likey. Then BINGO-a free album download! So I listen to the first few songs, and it's super effectlicious, eerie, subterranean, with some strange and deranged vocals. I dig.

J. Rumney, aka Julian R. DeFelice, is truly an indie-dependent artist, playing a multitude of instruments, using tasteful sampling, and self-producing, while blending electronica, instrumental, post-punk and folk, all in the realm of psychedelia. He founded ITJM Records, released two full length albums-Anything and Hallow's Eve (with a B-Sides EP), is coming out with an EP in June, and plans to release a collabo-album tomorrow for free limited download.

This most recent project under the moniker The Natural Flavors, is a collaboration with another multi-faceted musician, Chazz Canney, who plays sax, trumpet, harmonica, percussion, kalimba, and a variety of flutes. Since DeFelice and Canney have combined forces for the J. Rumney project, their chemistry transcended into a brand new baby. The Natural Flavors have released a couple teaser tracks from their debut album, TABERNACLE/CHALLENGES/INCORPORATED.

From what I've heard, it seems like it's going to be a Bitches Brew-inspired, head-nodding, frantic foot-tapping, go for a walk with a limp, kind of pyschedelic jazz-dipped electronic. Stylish.

Check out a little sneak peek:

Moogfest one week away

2011-10-22T13:35:00.000-05:00

Yes the countdown is almost over...Moogfest is less than ONE WEEK away.
Get educated on the artists performing:

Zomby "Tears in the Rain"
Where Were You in '92 (2008)

Matthew Dear "Don and Sherri"
Asa Breed (2007)

Atlas Sound "Quarantined"
Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See but Cannot Feel (2008)

Ghostland Observatory "Midnight Voyage"
Paparazzi Lightning (2006)

Brandt Brauer Frick "Mi Corazon"
You Make Me Real (2010)

Flying Lotus "Do the Astral Plane"
Cosmogramma (2010)

Gold Panda "Police"
Companion (2011)

Emancipator "When I Go"
Soon It Will Be Cold Enough (2006)

Kode9 "Black Sun"
Black Sun (2011)

STS9 "Tokyo"
Artifact (2005)

Beats Antique at 12th and Porter tonight!

2011-10-14T12:10:00.002-05:00

San Francisco-born Beats Antique plays in Nashville tonight at 12th and Porter. As it's such a small venue, it should be a really intimate show--the perfect atmosphere for their worldy-electronica sound and sultry belly dancing show. They meld together live brass, percussion, strings, with glitch-dubstep, forming a rich multi-cultural and multi-effectual sonic experience. Despite their minimal set-up, they don't reverberate anything small or light. Heavy is the word.

Beats Antique is the combination of classically-trained producers David Satori and Tommy Cappel, and world-renowned belly dancer and producer Zoe Jakes. Satori and Cappel were both trained in places far more exotic than San Francisco--Bali, West Africa, and Serbia among other places, which explains their use of alternative instrumentation and worldly rhythm. With the element of live dance performance from Jakes, who is also part of the musical process, the trio has landed itself on festival bills like Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, Austin City Limits, and even this year's Moogfest, in Asheville, N.C., Oct. 28-30. Their influences come from all corners of the planet, and they still hone a truly San Francisco electronica sound, which can be argued they were monumental in forming despite their relatively new emergence onto the scene. They've only been together for three years, and have been incredibly prolific with two album releases, a number of LPs, and a third baby is on the way, Blind Threshold.

The first time I actually saw Beats Antique was back in 2008, in New Orleans touring with Bassnectar. It was the weekend of Voodoo Music Festival, and the tour duo was playing at this tiny place in the French Quarter....I wish I could remember the name. But I do remember that Beats Antique absolutely set the stage for a night that ended in full liquor bottles falling off the bar shelves due to the magnitude of bass that massacred that tiny venue, maybe about the size of 12th and Porter's smaller room.

Playlist of the week: Moogfest

2011-10-05T23:59:00.000-05:00

Anticipating Moogfest, and in sequence with my article about the Halloween weekend music festival in Asheville, here is the beginning of a series of Moogfest artist playlists:

Playlist #1

1. Amon Tobin (ISAM 2011) - "Journeyman"

-check out his live performance: surreal visual pleasures (that will be at Moogfest)

paired with his highly mechanical sound

2. Crystal Castles (self-titled, 2008) - "Air War"

3. Little Dragon (Ritual Union 2011) - "Please Turn"

-possibly collaborating with SBTRKT at Moogfest...fingers are crossed for "Wildfire"

4. SBTRKT (self-titled 2011) - "The Right Thing To Do" feat. Jessie Ware

5. Mayer Hawthorne and the County - "Just Ain't Gonna Work Out"

6. James Murphy and Pat Mahoney Special Disco Version set (formerly LCD Soundsystem)

7. Yacht (Shangri-La 2011) - "Dystopia"

8. Anika (self-titled 2010) - "Yang Yang"

9. Toro y Moi (Underneath the Pine 2011) - "Still Sound"

10. Tangerine Dream- "Ricochet 1/2"

JEFF the Brotherhood reps it for their hometown

2011-09-27T01:13:00.003-05:00

The perfect climax to Next Big Nashville's four-day musical extravaganza, Soundland, was JEFF the Brotherhood at the Neuhoff stage.

In the midst of stage divers and mosh circles, Jake and Jamin Orrall, otherwise known as the Brotherhood, took that crowd by the horns and ripped it to pieces. Jake did some crowd surfing and finished out a song right in the middle of the pit.

The psychedelic grunge rock duo is from Nashville, and has been putting out material since 2002 through their very-own vinyl-pressing record company, Infinity Cat Recordings. The two major releases, We Are The Champions (2011), and Heavy Days (2009), have put them on the map in Nashville and all around the U.S. Their D.I.Y. tactics and "play anywhere" attitude puts spontaneous glamour back into rock and roll.

With all the technological advancements within music, it's often rare to see a band that strips music down to its core-guitar and drums- and achieves something organic and original. It was hard to believe that two guys could sound so huge, dominating the crowd with fuzz-heavy licks, oozing Nashville psychedelia-grunge.

It's funny how I always meet people who come to visit Nashville and think it's a country music town, which it is to some extent. But...there is so much more.

It's like the good is almost buried and outdone by the bad in Nashville, where the nation's Taylor Swift and Toby Keith wannabe's come to make it big. But a truly unique alternative underground scene has emerged out of this highly commercial country music capital, and it still goes fairly unheard of among outsiders and locals. JEFF represents exactly what that scene is: real, down-home, nitty-gritty, take it or leave it rock and roll.

Check out this home-video from the brotherhood from their first album, Heavy Days, "The Tropics."

Black Moth swoons Nashville

2011-09-15T12:47:00.006-05:00

Seeing Black Moth Super Rainbow for the first time was eye-opening. Not literally, as my vision was completely obscured by hair from constant head-banging. Nevertheless, it brought to my attention that with a few tricks, a band can achieve a sound unearthed and alien, and can perfect it live as it sounds on record.

They were heavy--the mere power and force of the grimey timbre was like an additional (invisible) member of the band. Eerie and epic, organic yet mechanical, all of these different impulses contradicting one another, yet coming together in fluid harmony.

Earthy visuals of grassy knolls and blinding tinted sunshine, their influence by nature was evident, and they translated this predominance into space case distant dream pop. They proved themselves to be honest rock, distinctly psychedelic, and complex in a way that can't be measured by simply listening to the album. It was a certain chemistry that transcended to the audience. Everyone was under a rainbow hypnosis, swaying to live drums and vocoder hums, visceral, subterranean synth, and vibing gutteral bass and guitar.

The only upset was that they didn't play much longer than an hour. After talking with BMSR bassist/guitarist Ryan Graveface, I understood why the Pittsburgh-based band only played what seemed like a quickie-treat show. He referred to it as strategy.

"That's how we keep them coming back," Graveface said laughing. One hour is a lot of Black Moth, but it's not overdoing it.

Things have a way of being short-lived when they are so surreal. Black Moth had a similar effect to that of a dream--once it was over, the crowd was pining for more as if it just began.

Curious to hear about upcoming shows, like say--Halloween, I asked why BMSR wasn't playing Halloween weekend's primarily electronic-inspired Moogfest in Asheville, N.C.

According to Graveface, they were asked to play, but declined because of the band's strong devotion to Halloween.

"It's starts Oct. 1...and we take it seriously," he added.

It's good to know someone is keeping the spirit alive on the only holiday we can pridefully dress up as our most desired alter-egos. But I still can't help but think Black Moth would be an appropriate match for a fully-costumed audience.

Melt away with Black Moth Super Rainbow at Exit/In

2011-09-13T14:09:00.002-05:00

The fall season has always been promising when it comes to the eclectic palette of shows that make a stop in Music City. This week marks the beginning of yet another season of concerts night after night.

Here in Nashville, we’re accustomed to the epic, often borderline religious performances at the Ryman, and nightly dirty blues bands at just about any club in town, but it’s not every day that here in Nashville, we can see an experimental psychedelic analog-pop band called Black Moth Super Rainbow.

Hailing from the fuzzy forests and hidden crannies of Pittsburgh, Penn., Black Moth Super Rainbow (BMSR) embodies a distinctive sound stemming from its exclusive use of analog electronic instruments. Their sound, which has been manicured through four full-album releases—not including a number of side projects—is something of an out-of-body experience, sparking a curiosity within to what planet this rainbow of sounds was born.

BMSR has been a joint effort between several members who would rather keep a low profile with symbolic names like Tobacco, Power Pill Fist, The Seven Fields of Aphelion, Graveface, Father Hummingbird and Iffernaut.

Tobacco is the main arranger and originator of BMSR, but is also well known for his self-titled solo project, in which he collaborated with Beck on his sophomore album, Maniac Meat (2010).

Although BMSR is a combined force on stage, Tobacco has admitted he’s not the type of musician that writes well with others. He said his best inspiration comes in solitude when he’s not self-conscious. For Tobacco’s rare creations, it makes sense that he would want to be alone for the writing process. It’s hardly imaginable that anybody could fully understand his musical direction until hearing the final product. It’s all his own, and when we do hear the finished result, it all comes together in a strangely thoughtful arrangement.

Airy vocoder hums that morph the vocals into grainy robot speak, whistling synths, hairy bass lines, and eerie lo-fi beats have given BMSR a sort of cult-like following. Their unique identity and dedicated fanbase has developed into a big enough presence in Nashville to bring them back for round two within a three-month span on Tuesday, Sept. 13. This will be BMSR’s second time performing at Exit/In, and we can expect the oddly surreal live experience to accompany this bizarre bubblegum aural whirlwind.

BMSR’s two most recent releases, Dandelion Gum (2007) and Eating Us (2009) have induced a magnitude of attention with underground music enthusiasts and musicians alike. After releasing Dandelion Gum, they opened for The Flaming Lips on their 2007 tour, which proved to be a well-suited match where the weird is encouraged and taken to another level, thanks to Flaming Lips’ frontman, Wayne Coyne. They’ve also played several festivals, some of the more widely known being South By Southwest in Austin, Texas, and Camp Bisco in Mariaville, N.Y.

BMSR has announced a fifth studio album release for 2012, Psychic Love Damage, which will feature only four returning members: Tobacco, The Seven Fields of Aphelion, Ryan Graveface and Iffernaut. With 14 stops on their fall 2011 tour, we can hope for a sneak peak of the newest rainbow creation.

saturday sounds : Little Dragon

2011-08-20T15:34:00.000-05:00

Give me soul. Give me electronic. Give me R&B. Give me retro. Give me synth. Give me something new.

Since Swedish electronic pop group Little Dragon emerged with their debut album in 2007, they've been breaking boundaries and merging genres to create a magnetic sound unlike anything out right now. Their influences come from a number of places, but their musical identity is all their own.

With such a unique voice in music right now, other artists have caught on to the creative genius of Little Dragon and the unforgettable voice of its leading lady, Swedish-Japanese Yukimi Nagano. It seems as if everyone wants a piece of her visceral and airy whines and catchy rhythmic constructions. She's featured on two tracks from the latest Gorillaz album, Plastic Beach, and she's the electrifying voice on SBTRKT's "Wildfire".

Since releasing their self-titled album, they've come out with their 80's retro-sounding Machine Dreams in 2009, and beautifully evolved into 2011's Ritual Union. Having been together since 1996 and three albums later, they have perfected their edgy R&B bump and smooth electronic pop sound. I'm addicted.

Favorite tracks:
Little Dragon (2007) "Forever", "Constant Surprises"
Machine Dreams (2009) "Feather", "Looking Glass"
Ritual Union (2011) "Nightlight", "Seconds"

saturday sounds : wall of sound

2011-08-13T10:18:00.000-05:00

I just had a massive music exchange with one of my Spanish friends in Valencia. Like huge. We have very similar taste in music, so I was not surprised to see that he gave me an album with some really good oldies. I'm a sucker for anything Motown, croony, Phil Spector produced, or just good ole rock 'n' roll like Chuck Berry.

Something about the old sound, the nostalgia that it brings (even though I can't actually say it's from personal experience), and the ease of settling into a state of catharsis. I feel what the singers feel, I feel what the guitar feels, I feel the power of the beats, I feel it all.

Music from the past is totally relatable, and at times I feel like a lot of modern music has been abandoning that idea. I love pop. But today, pop isn't and will never be what it was. Of course there are exceptions, but pop of the past was a carefully constructed expression of utter genius. And I never fully understood how incredible and thoughtful it really was until I did a big research project on Motown. To make something sound almost effortless took a team of writers, musicians, performers, producers, and so much care and OCD.

So to give you an idea of what's been stuck in my head for the past few days...

It sounds like pure perfection. It literally could not get any better. Thank you Phil Spector.

One of those modern exceptions that I mentioned earlier who recently came out with her sophomore album is Lykke Li.

I loved her first album, but when I heard "Wounded Rhymes," it melted my heart. She is moving in that old pop direction, especially with the "wall of sound" production, but she still captures this element of new, unique, and innovative. Swedes. With their perfect pop creations.

saturday sounds : Washed Out

2011-08-06T05:08:00.002-05:00

I've been obsessing over chillwave lately. It just propels me into total relaxation...I can escape to a place in my mind that consists of warm sunshine, blues skies and powderpuff clouds, and pure nostalgia. As if in a dream.

After hearing the Portlandia theme song, I had to know who created such magical, airy music.

Washed Out

Put your headphones on, turn them up as loud as they go, and blast off to someplace beautiful. Let your imagination take over. See where you end up.

It seems that when I travel, because I'm in a state of exploration, I become obsessed with the idea of new. Finding new is exciting, and I've found it in Washed Out. They just came out with a new album "Within and Without," and it has been my ultimate travel soundtrack.

It's the kind of music that lets me take it all in and appreciate what I've seen and experienced.

Sometimes I think of home and how much I miss it, other times about the experiences I've had in Valencia, and often of the future: who I will meet, what opportunities lie ahead, and how I will change. The way I see it in my head, it's romantic, with blurred edges, floating through time.

This album is more than just a collection of thoughtful sounds coming together, it's an experience. When a band can do that for one person, or 1 million people, it has achieved something great.

Monday Munchies : Farewell, my darling Chup Chup

2011-08-02T03:08:00.000-05:00

I am very sad to say that I had my last meal at Chup Chup this Saturday. Hugo and Ana work day in and day out in their charming little place 8 doors down from my apartment, so the next two weeks they will be taking off for vacation. They deserve it. But what a shame!

The day they return is the day I leave, and one of my best friends is coming this Thursday! She's such a foodie, like me, so this was somewhere I was really excited about taking her....but it seems that the tables have turned. :(

For my last meal, like every time, the food was fantastic, and as a farewell, Hugo and Ana popped a bottle of champagne for all of us to enjoy! We talked for a while about what they had planned for vacation, and I reassured them that I would be back within a year. It's places like these that have shaped Valencia into this city that is so much more to me than just a place. Through these places and people, I feel like I can call it my home away from home.

I specifically remember one day walking home from the grocery, feeling really homesick. I had been doing most things alone, which is fine, but after a while, it gets old. I just wanted someone I could enjoy all of these great things with, someone to revel with. On my walk back, I passed Chup Chup, and Hugo and Ana were sitting outside. I sat down for a minute, and we ended up hanging out for a while. It turns out that they wanted to practice their English on me, while I practiced my Spanish!

Before I knew it, I was feeling better. It was a combination of good conversation, refreshing cerveza, and the obvious confidence boost from using my Spanish that made me feel so welcome, atleast with Hugo and Ana.

They are truly genuine, warm people, and this is reflected in how they run their restaurant: the food-- handmade with love, and the service--top notch, which is not so typical to encounter in Spain. It's obvious that both of them really love what they do and take much pride in it. They take the time to get to know those that come to their restaurant, and this experience is what has kept me coming back.

So as a final ode to my dearest Chup Chup...here goes my favorite dishes:

1. Gazpacho de Sandía (Watermelon)...the most refreshing summer starter

2. Cannelloni de tuna, tomato, onion, bell peppers, and of course-- cheese. Like a tuna empanada, but cannelloni style. This was absolutely incredible...I made myself uncomfortably full eating all of it, but there was no debate. I was NOT going to leave any of THAT on the plate.

3. Golden kiwi for dessert

take me to a vineyard

2011-07-29T11:25:00.001-05:00

Italy is just across the bay from Valencia...which explains the strong Italian presence here.

A plethora of gelato shops and restaurants are scattered throughout the streets and barrios, and I often hear Italian being spoken. I can't help but reminisce on my trip to Italy last year.

It's my birthday this Tuesday, and I've planned to go to a nearby vineyard in Valencia. I have pretty high expectations because of my last trip to the Fonterutoli vineyard in the Chianti region of Tuscany. It was ancient, remote and green. It was everything that Will and I were looking for. We had been traveling for over two weeks, and we just wanted to escape from the city and get out to the countryside. Of course, the perfect excuse for that was to spend a day walking around a vineyard. But this wasn't just any vineyard.

Fonterutoli was something special. Located in the chianti region atop the rolling Tuscan hills, the vineyard is still standing from the time it was originated by the Mazzei family in 1435. It's a little village in the countryside.

Getting there was actually a lot harder than Will and I expected. We thought, just like "everywhere" in Europe, you can take public transportation. Well, for the most part this is true, but when you get out to the country, transport becomes less frequent and less available. So when we got off the train in Castellina di Chianti, we were thinking a bus would pass through the town and to the vineyard. Well, we were lazy in making our plans and realized that we had no sense of where we were. It was a ghost town.

As we walked through the two or three main streets that constituted the town, I stopped an older man walking along the road. He looked nice enough, like maybe he would help us find the bus. I asked him how we could get to Fonterutoli, using the little Italian I knew and my Spanish, which came out sounding something like Ital-ish. But somehow it worked. He was very sweet, and told us to give him a minute and he would return. He came back with his car, his friend in the passenger's seat, and told us to get in. Will and I had no idea where we were headed...but we just went with it.

The friendly old man took us all the way to the vineyard, a good 15-minute ride. At the end, he wouldn't accept any money. Nothing. It was just out of the kindness of his heart. As we exited his little silver hybrid European car, we thanked him so much and left with giant grins across our faces, and eyes wide open--because we were looking at this...

Despite the wishy-washy weather-- mostly gloomy with spurts of sunshine-- we walked around the beautiful grounds, taking our time, as we new our trip was to come to an end very soon.

We bought some wine and some olive oil to take back home with us, and the people at the vineyard were nice enough to take us to the nearest town to catch a train back to Florence. What an incredible day. I'm not sure if I can ever top that, but visiting a vineyard in Spain is definitely at the top of my to-do list.

discovering my inner Big Lebowski

2011-07-25T05:00:00.003-05:00

There's such a small window of opportunity for me to see so much in Valencia. I've got less than a month to cram it all in. With a little help from my long lost friend organization, I've managed to make an itinerary for the weeks that come. And trust me, no day will be wasted.

Something I always try to do, whether I'm traveling, or just exploring my own city, is keep my eye out for hidden gems. I'm looking for a distinct ambience and attention to detail (restaurants, bars, clubs, shops, neighborhoods, surrounding towns, etc.). These places don't necessarily have to be sophisticated, but unique and special in whatever way they're going for.

In Valencia, there are a number of different areas to go out and be a creature of the night, but I was particularly interested in the area around the university, Blasco Ibañez. As I was stopping from bar to bar, I stumbled upon Café de las Letras, en la Plaza de Honduras, 37.

It's the perfect place to relax with a book or magazine (which they have in house), have good conversation, and enjoy a delicious cocktail, fresh juice, tea infusion, or café while listening to smooth ambient grooves. This is where I found my inner Big Lebowski with my very first White Russian.

It's not that I never wanted to try one, it's just that the time never really presented itself...until now.

Finding an underground club in Valencia

2011-07-21T06:58:00.000-05:00

Ever since I visited Valencia last year in April, I've wanted to come back. I totally fell in love with the city, not only for its size and scenery, but because of the random series of events that took place when I was here for that short weekend. My friend Taylor and I decided last minute to hop on board with this pub crawl that our youth hostel, Purple Nest, was offering. I literally mean last minute, like we were running to catch up with this crawl.

So the first bar we went to was a cool pub in the Barrio del Carmen, called Murrayfield's. Immediately, this place caught my eye, not only for the cool atmosphere(alternatively dressed bartenders, as opposed to guys wearing bedazzled shirts and manpris), but for the music they played. It was the first place I think I had been in Spain that played really good music. I heard The Strokes, The Kills, Hot Chip, Kings of Leon--basically a really eclectic mix of good taste. So when Taylor and I went out the next night, we decided to start our adventure there.

Well, after some time we got to talking with one of the bartenders about music. And we had very similar tastes and ended up talking for practically the entire night. So when the bar closed down at 2, he invited us to go with him to this club that he thought we'd enjoy, considering we had a finer ear for music. We didn't want touristy. We didn't want commercial. We wanted underground. He took us to this place close to the beach off of Avenida del Puerto, called La3.

It was exactly what Taylor and I were looking for. Two floors of music. The first floor was electro, the top floor was drum and bass, but most importantly, it was local and original.

This past weekend, when my friend from Tennessee came to visit from Barcelona, I was ecstatic, because I knew exactly where we would go. Screw all the other places that play shitty American commercial music and make you pay 15 euro entry. La3 was the first place I thought of.

There was an event put on by The Hipsters-Agency which featured several DJs and was headlined by DJ SOAK (Sergio Hernandez), who is a Valencian-born three time champion of Spain's DMC competition, and at the early age of 12, showed serious DJ and turntablism prodigy status.

He spins vinyls creating a unique mix of hip hop, electronic, new wave, and funk. It's hard to justify staying in a club until 7:30 a.m., and normally I would be entirely too danced out, but he really knows what he's doing.

And yes, these time frames are normal. Spain is known for its vibrant and very late nightlife. Things don't usually get poppin' til 3 a.m. Thank jesus for siesta.

SOAK wasn't the only performer I saw, considering he went on circa 4:30 a.m. The other DJs included: Kaspar&Hauser, LMDO, Gia & G, Hell Boys, Polaco, and SB Method. Everyone killed it. I was honestly impressed. I felt like I had made my very own discovery. I love when that happens.

Here's some of DJ SOAK's sickness...

After leaving the club in the morning, we decided to walk to the beach to watch what we considered the sunrise.

Well, the sun had been up for at least an hour. And people were already setting up for their Saturday at the beach. So when the families with toddlers started showing up, we knew it was our cue.

When I see footprints, I always wonder where each one goes.

We ended up taking the bus all the way back to my place. Not many folks ride the bus early on a Saturday morning. Mostly old people. But I think for most of the ride we had the bus to ourselves. Maybe we scared everyone off by how haggard we looked, and most likely smelled.

We finally arrived to my apartment at 10 a.m.

Still no sleep.

We did it all over again the next night.

Where are all the gatos?

2011-07-17T15:13:00.010-05:00

I've only been here a month, and I'm not too terribly homesick. But there is one thing that I truly do miss everyday.

My cats.

My yearn for them would be less if I saw some cats here, but everyone has dogs. I guess it would be kind of strange to see someone walking their cat on a leash. I have never attempted this, but I imagine it would be a total fail.

Maybe I should just buy one of those weird stuffed sleeping cats that delusional grandparents buy for your 18th birthday present. Yeah that'll do the trick!

The other day I saw someone selling these on the street in Valencia...I thought about how funny it would be if I brought home these stuffed

cats as gifts for my family.

Well anyway...

I have three cats at home in Tennessee.

Tina, Oliver, and Cleveland.

They basically have it made.

A beautiful home, fully equipped with a giant California King size bed in which they all sleep at the feet of my parents, a kitty condo located next to the glass back door where they can bask in the sun, watch squirrels scale up tree trunks and hear birds sing throughout the day.

In addition to all of this, they're blessed with a giant backyard filled with towering trees that are not only scattered throughout the yard, but also line the back of our fence, providing perfect shade from the boiling summer heat and a small rodent hub. It makes for the ultimate hideout spot
for my two hunters, Oliver and Cleveland.

And of course, as if they're not spoiled enough, they must have both their wet and dry food, along with multiple cat nip pillows lying around the house giving them some extra pep in their pounce.

It looks like someone's on her way to the kitchen.

Tina is what I would call a binge eater. She loves food, and she'll eat just about anything. Even butter when we forget to cover the butter dish. She has a routine. Around 5 o'clock she makes her way into the kitchen, gets up on the counter and makes these funny noises, insinuating that it's time to get her grub on.

There she is taking her place at the head of
the table for Christmas morning breakfast.

Although many would say this is bad behavior for a cat, she is the queen of the household. No one can tell her what to do. She's just too pretty to say no to, with those blue-crossed eyes, dainty little face,

and super soft snow white fur.

In the mornings if she hasn't eaten she'll bite my legs...and I think "for god sakes cat are you THAT hungry? It wasn't enough when we fed you last night, you overate and made a puke trail in the living room, but

now you've upgraded to human flesh."

When she does this I take her cute little face and say,

"one day I'm gonna make a really soft pillow out of you."

Then there's Oliver.

He has so much personality. Even though he's the smallest of our cats, he has assumed the alpha cat role. Anytime we bring another cat into the house...he makes his presence known by hissing, spitting, growling, attacking--whatever it takes. But there is something so special about him. I swear in his last life he was human. I've never seen a cat so affectionate with people.

Whenever he's in the mood, which is often-- just about everytime you look into his eyes and smile, he grabs your face with his paw and makes out with your mouth. If it weren't for the sandpaper tongue, I'd be all about it. But after about 5 scraping licks, it starts feeling painfully raw like winter-chapped lips.

He's going in for the kiss...

And of course I could never forget to include this guy.

Can we say kitty catalog?

He's my baby. I got him when I first moved out of my parents house and went to school in Martin, Tenn. With a school of 8,000 students and a town that was literally defined by one main street...I needed someone to keep me company.

Of course my parents were pissed when they found out I got a cat, but when they saw this little angel-- it was game over. And he's turned out to be our best-mannered cat. I guess he was taken away from his mother a little too soon, so every once in a while I'll wake up to Cleve sucking on my shirt in the middle of the night. It's kind of weird and endearing all at the same time.

The curious story of the perro outside my window

2011-07-13T07:08:00.002-05:00

One thing I've noticed while living in Valencia is that people love their dogs. All I see are dogs.

Big dogs,

little dogs,

barking dogs,

stylish dogs,

and even street-performing dogs.

I took this photo last April in Barcelona...so much class.

Unfortunately, they shit where they please (placed perfectly on sidewalks and parks for you to step in),

and in my case, SIT where they please.

Last Saturday morning, as my eyes were fighting their way open one crusty eyelid at a time, around 1 p.m., I kept hearing the faint sounds of buzzing doorbells from underneath my pillow. I was completely uninterested in why someone would be ringing my neighbor's doorbell time after time, still in my dreamy, comatose state, mumbling random spouts of jibberish. As I switched pillow positions, thinking maybe if I flip it- it will make it all better, the sounds got louder. My jibberish began to take a more structured form, coming out in a series of abrasive language stemming from my loathe for whoever was ringing what I NOW realized was MY doorbell.

"WHO IN THE...WHAT THE...PLEASE JUST GO THE...AWAY."

Funny thing is, the rest of my household was obviously thinking the same thing, because none of us got up to answer the door. Finally, after about 15 repetitions of "DING DONG" I threw my legs to the floor and pried myself out of bed to see what the commotion was all about.

It was my neighbor, frantic, and explaining to me that her dog was outside one of my windows...mind you I'm on the second floor. Confused, questioning if this was some kind of strange dream, and blinded by the midday sun, I opened the window and found a little Border Terrier sitting on my window ledge, trembling, obviously scared of heights. Poor lil' guy.

kind of like this

I grabbed this little pup, and my neighbor, an older woman, was crying as if I had somersault-dove into a burning building to save her newborn baby. She gave me a weepy, fragile hug as she thanked me.

I guess her dog jumped out of the window while she had it open, and it must have tippy-toed over to my side of the ledge and sat right next to my precious fresh basil plant. Good thing he didn't take a nibble at it, because fresh basil leaves aren't typical to find in the grocery, and that could've been the end of things for little Sparky the daredevil dog.

Who knows, maybe this was some kind of sick joke played on his owner to teach her to give him all the table food he begs for. His way of saying..."this is what happens when you don't give me enough jamón (ham) bitch. I'll do it. I'll jump."

But in any case, it felt good to wake up a hero.

a chase for calamari and a sunrise in the city

2011-07-05T04:43:00.002-05:00

My good friend from Tennessee decided to surprise me this past Thursday by making her way from Barcelona. She's been traveling for three weeks around Europe, and although I knew she was coming to visit, her plans were still up in the air. So when I got to work and began checking my email, I realized I needed to leave work a little early to pick her up from the train station. I love surprises!

Of course, the first place we went for a quick bite was Chup Chup, especially because this was my farewell to Katie, who was off to Croatia to begin her month-long trek across eastern Europe. I'm crossing my fingers that she makes it back to Valencia in time for my birthday. She's just too much fun.

Oh Chup Chup...you never seize to amaze me.

I started with a cream of carrot soup that I scarfed down

before I could even think about taking a photo. Oops.

My main course was a chicken curry with steamed rice.

Then of course for dessert, which I think has grown to be my favorite spanish postre--flan.

Nothing better than a cappuccino to top it off. And once again, all for 8 euro.

Then Friday came around...it was time to let our (Caroline and I) nocturnal selves out of the cage. I think Rebecca Black would have approved.

We started the night simply walking through the neighborhood. As we strolled through the Canovas barrio, people filled the restaurant patios. Intoxicating savory aromas crept up our nostrils. The sounds of people clinking their wine glasses saluting the night gave us envy. We walked by a platter of giant calamari. It was over. This was our stop.

Well, not only were we hungry for fresh calamari, but also for tempura-fried honey-coated eggplant and melted brie crepe rolls.

And of course for all those rich flavors we needed something refreshing to wash it down. Because it was Caroline's first night out in Valencia, I thought it appropriate to order something native to my new city. Agua de Valencia.

A mixture of cava (spanish champagne), orange juice, vodka and gin...

It was simply delicious.

We could barely even taste the liquor.

In Spain, when a drink goes down easy, they say "entra bien."

We spent a little bit more than we were anticipating, but it was well worth it. Sometimes it just feels good to order whatever you want and forget about what it'll cost you.

We took our time walking home, letting the pound of brie, humungous calamari and rich eggplant settle into our happy protruding bellies.

After we walked it off a bit, we decided to go out for the night-- Circa 3 am. Yes, we were on Spanish time. The real party doesn't seem to get started until about that time anyway, and people stay out to see the sunrise.

Well....when in Rome.

We met up with my bosses from work, and got in free to this club that was inside of La Ciudad de las Artes y Ciencias, called L'Umbracle. It was pretty VIP, not really our style, but we still enjoyed the atmosphere.

Despite the ritzy, exclusive club scene, we still managed to act like maniacs.

Tongue out--ready for action. Buckteeth...attractive.

And we got to see the sunrise on our walk back to my apartment. It was beautiful, especially coming in behind the incredible architecture on the rio.

We found these awesome little tile caves, so we climbed in them.

How to enjoy Spain less like a tourist: Find a vintage clothing shop

2011-07-01T07:15:00.003-05:00

Ever since I arrived, I've been stressing myself out over the exchange rate, trying to spend the least amount of money I can.

However, that doesn't stop me from spending or splurging a little bit. I do keep in mind that I'm only here for 7 more weeks, so what's the problem with going broke, or maybe even dipping into my credit if I have to?

Although I haven't done much shopping, it seems as if my money is disappearing into thin air. I guess it could be the countless trips to the market buying heaps of fresh fruta and verduras (vegetables), or maybe it could be my sneaky escapes to the bakery for some fresh baked goods or quick stops in my favorite artesan gelato shop, Glasol (which is so strategically located on my walk home from class). With all of these things combined, I would just rather ignore how much money I'm spending.

Despite the fact that the exchange rate from euros to dollars is about 1€ : $1.50, which is practically criminal, there are still ways to do things inexpensively, and at the same time, less like a tourist.

Once again, walking through my neighborhood, I found another gem. A vintage clothing shop -- only just a few blocks away from my apartment. It's called La Panderola (Pintor Salvador Abril, 44, Valencia 46005).
Everything was 5 euro or less.

I found three tops that would work perfectly with my high-waisted skirts, and they're all able to be dressed up or down. I spent 9 euro in total!

When I told the owners that I would be blog-posting about their store,
they were so excited...

Before I left,
I made sure to tell them I would spread the word
about their charming little store.

And it turns out that a new shirt can make your day...or night!

With my new international friends Valerie and Ghazaleh...having too much fun

Chup Chup

2011-06-29T05:19:00.002-05:00

I live in the very charming Canovas barrio, where stylish restaurants, cute shops and hypnotizing bakeries rule the streets. With so much to choose from, and for someone as indecisive as me, they sure don't make it easy to pick one. They're all calling my name, and literally and figuratively they're right up my alley. How lucky am I?

Every time I went to the fruteria or the supermercado, or even class, I would pass this adorable artesan restaurant that was only one block away from my front door (which could be dangerous to my pant size and bank account). I guess I was just waiting for the right moment to enjoy it. So when I took my new Aussie friend, Katie, for a walk through my hood, this was the perfect opportunity to share this special experience, as I knew it would be, at Chup Chup (Matias Perelló, 52, Valencia 46005).

At first, we considered sitting on the patio to enjoy the beautiful blue skies and warm Valencia sun, but then we looked inside and saw its French-inspired decor, as if you just walked into a restaurant in Provence. It just invited us right in.

We were in complete awe of how cute it was.
So like complete tourists, we immediately got out the cameras.

We absolutely adored the decoration. So unique and so tasteful...

But enough with the scenery,
as much as the environment is important, the food is what really matters.

Unfortunately, I never got a shot of the menu board that gave the formal name for this starter dish, but it consisted of a baby pancake topped with tuna, aioli, tomato, lettuce, sesame seeds, and a light sweet balsamic dressing, which was served with fresh pan (bread) and creamy brie cheese. Mmmmm...and that was only the first plate.

The second plate was simple, yet cooked perfectly. Chicken that had been lightly seasoned and marinated, with a compliment of what I think was hummus and tomato on the side. I think with most things in life, especially when cooking, simplicity is key. It's really easy to mess something up if you add more ingredients to the mix. This proved to be the perfect light lunch: nothing too overpowering in flavor or portion.

Now it was time for my favorite part of any meal...dessert.

On the left, we have typical Spanish sponge cake with chocolate, called bizcocho, very tasty and just the right amount of sweet. On the right, we have another traditional Spanish postre (dessert) called natillas, which is a cold vanilla cream custard with a hint of cinnamon and garnished with sweet biscuits to soak up the creamy texture. Paired with a complementary cappuccino, this was the perfect way to finish the meal.

I was extremely impressed with everything. The atmosphere, the food, the service, and the price. It was only 8 euros for everything, with a drink and a café included.

Before leaving, I made sure to take a business card, and I noticed that this little restaurant is only run by two people, Hugo y Ana (as it says on the business card). Ana cooks and Hugo takes care of the guests.

Katie and I both felt that we'd be lucky if we caught another gem like this place. We've already been back once this week, and I'm predicting that before she leaves for Croatia on Friday, we'll have to go again as a last farewell.

first week in Valencia

2011-06-27T12:13:00.038-05:00

It's been a little over a week since I arrived to my new home for the next two months. Time sure does escape when a city full of life surrounds you. Valencia is so beautiful, relaxed, lively-truly unique. Although I still feel like a tourist lost in the city (oftentimes with my half-torn map covering my entire torso as I walk in circles), because of its fairly small size and relaxed environment, the feeling of home has settled in quite nicely.

Slowly I'm finding these little places tucked away in the corners and side streets of the city that feel as if they are my own little discoveries. I live in the Canovas barrio, which is about a 15-minute walk from the center of the city and the Barrio del Carmen, which thrives at night with all the discos, tapas bars and lounges. The Canovas barrio is a little bit more relaxed, residential, and it has turned out to be the perfect neighborhood to walk through and stop for a tapa and a cocktail before I head to the center of town.

El Barrio del Carmen

On the other side of me is the Rio, which is actually a park running through the city, but it used to be a river, hence the name. Back in the 1950s, the river flooded and had to be dispersed, but the hot weather in Valencia eventually dried it up. So now it's a park with lots of green, beautiful trees, plenty of space to relax and have a picnic in the shade, play fútbol, ride bikes, skate, take the dog for a walk, ride a ferris wheel, or run for miles, which is what I've used it for lately. Not only can you do all those things and more, but also, on either side of the rio there are some of the city's most prestigious attractions and incredible structures like the Palau de la Música, La Ciudad de las Artes y Ciencias, or the Bioparc.

You can also spot beautiful old trees that look like they've been here before people even existed.

Basically, I have it made, and with only a short bus ride to the beach. I couldn't ask for anything more.

Hasta luego...

Visions of Paris...First day

2010-12-13T11:53:00.008-06:00

Our first day exploring Paris

This was our view after walking up the Eiffel Tower.

After exploring the tower, we ran into a old school pop lock dance competition, with cardboard and all. That was awesome...I love seeing local talent.

Then we headed to the Arc de Triomph.

Just stopping for a little cafe while hanging out near the Hotel du Louvre.

This was the neighborhood...

We went for a walk around town...

Europe is filled with extravagant doors. During this time, I was watching a lot of 30 Rock...so this picture is kind of an ode to Wayne Brady when he appeared on the show. He played an obnoxious artsy snob that claimed one of his hobbies was "taking pictures of cool doors."

Just strollin'.

We didn't actually tour through the Louvre. The first time I traveled to Europe, I went with my dad, and it's literally the biggest museum I've ever been to. It would take probably a week to see everything inside...So we decided to walk through the area.

One of my favorite scenes of the Metro. This was on our way to a different part of town...alongside the river, right around Notre Dame.

Paris is filled with quaint yet lively little neighborhoods.

Alongside the river...

People-watching is one of my favorite things to do while traveling. I was in awe over the Parisian lifestyle.

Oh, the sunset in Paris... :)

Notre Dame

I think this is when we decided to call it a day, and for our first day...we saw some pretty amazing things. It was time to hop on the Metro back to Le Republique.

One thing I absolutely recommend if you're going to Paris: Buy a three-day or week public transportation pass. Not only is it a good deal, but it will be much easier to hold on to one pass without paying each time you use the metro. Traveling can be stressful, especially in a place like Paris, so having less things to keep track of is always a good idea.

Will and I had a home to relax in for four more days. We wanted to cook our own meal.

And I picked up my favorite dessert from the local bakery. Fruit Tarts...mmmmmm.

Zzzzz...Until tomorrow...

Visions of Paris

2010-12-01T03:06:00.001-06:00

This is the apartment that Will and I were lucky enough to stay in for free...in Paris.

How?

When my dad lived in Paris for a few months (few years back) while playing guitar for and touring France with French rock star Eddie Mitchell, he made some friends.

When my dad told his friends in Paris that I was visiting the city, his friend Conor offered his apartment, as he would be out of town for the week seeing his girlfriend in England.

What an opportunity for Will and I. To have a sense of home and security for 5 days. And 5 out of 18 days traveling...I'll take it.

It's actually too bad that we didn't have the chance to meet the guy that would

trust us with his home,

let us sleep in his bed,
allow us to shower in his bathroom,

and let us cook in his kitchen.

And one more-- let us use his washer to do laundry. :)

He must have thought a lot of my dad. And when I thanked him in a written letter, he sent me an e-mail back explaining that a big part of why he did this was out of respect and friendship for my dad. I've always been proud of Dad,

but Conor's explanation said it best.

"I knew I could trust you, and I wanted to help you, because I know the kind, generous, man of honour that is your Dad. (And there doesn't seem to be enough people like him in this crazy world we live in these days...)."

This was just the beginning of our wonderful and exhausting 5 days in Paris.

We really loved Conor's place...and someday I hope I can be of help to someone in the same situation. Pay it forward.

This was Conor's neighborhood, Le Republique. Like I said, we couldn't have lucked out any more. Life can be so sweet.

Our first destination, was something Will just had to see first. Of course. The Eiffel Tower.

And with it, our 5-day exploration of the giant city began.

To be continued...

Prague on the mind.

2010-09-07T01:36:00.003-05:00

Despite our unfortunate welcoming into Prague, Will and I were ecstatic to explore something new. So far we had been through Spain and had just spent a lovely and exhausting five days in Paris. If we had gotten slightly accustomed to feeling foreign, we were about to feel an unfamiliar jolt once again. Eastern Europe was quite the change from France and Spain...

The unnatural flow of the language was alarming, but the food and selection of beer was incredibly reasonable and incredibly tasty. Also, Will and I stayed in what came to be our favorite hostel of the trip: Sir Toby's. There was a fully equipped kitchen (although most of our meals were eaten out), downstairs pub, courtyard, inexpensive and scrumptious breakfast buffet and dinner menu, easy transportation downtown, free internet, spacious dorm rooms, clean environment, rentable public transportation passes (which I personally HIGHLY RECOMMEND) and MOST IMPORTANTLY....the most comfortable beds (equipped with down pillows and comforters) that we slept on the entire trip. It was everything we wanted/payed for...and SO much more. And all that for only about 18 euro a night (per person). Three words: WHAT A STEAL.

After calming down from our strange welcome into the beautiful city of Prague, we decided to take the tram down to the famous Old Town Square to see what I had been obsessively daydreaming about for the past 4 months.

Going to this place convinced me that I was a time traveler, and that I could teleport to a different time period with each building and monument. What a uniquely beautiful city.

During World War II, the Axis powers bombed Prague several times, ruining families and hundreds of historical landmarks. Despite the damage, most of Prague was left untouched, and some sites date back ten centuries. Most Americans cannot even fathom that amount of time. We ourselves are short-lived, so it is quite the task to imagine existence at such a date. How different it would be from what we know life to be.

Old Town Square.

So much style.

Talk about rich history AND rich culture...It's an astronomical clock.

This was on our way to Charles Bridge from Old Town. It was a nice 10-minute walk through cute cobblestone alleyways.

We arrived at this beautiful building right before we crossed the bridge.

Unfortunately, Charles Bridge was under heavy restoration work and

taking a picture that did it justice was hopeless.

And this was our view of the other side...

Escape from a vengeful tram inspector in Prague

2010-08-20T14:46:00.004-05:00

I was just looking through my pictures this morning, and I stumbled upon pictures from my trip to Prague. I couldn't help but look through all of them and imagine I was there again.

Prague is one of the most beautiful places I have been lucky enough to see. It is exactly what you are hoping for when you think of a European city: cobblestone streets, a mixture of architecture, color and art, preservation of natural beauty, all forming a style that is unique to the city.

A nice hike up a trail to an abandoned monastery

Oh and the beer is delicious too...

My friend Will and I took the overnight train from Paris, which was satisfactory, but nothing special nor especially clean. So sleep was less enjoyable than desired, but that's all part of the experience to some extent.

We got off the overall eleven-hour train ride, and struggled to figure out how to get to the tram because everything was written in Czech. We finally figured out how to buy tickets and we got on the tram. Little did we know, we needed to validate our tickets before riding any public transportation. We thought because we had tickets we should be safe...right? Well no, that was not the case at all.

Two very Czech and very vicious tram inspectors followed Will and I off the tram and were demanding that we pay tickets for abusing the system. I seriously thought it was some kind of scam...and after we had given them our passports, I felt really strongly about getting our stuff back, in case it really was a scam.

My next step was to grab those passports out of the one inspector's hand, and then I took off at a considerable walking pace to the hostel. I clearly went into survival mode. I call it pulling an Angela (my mom). There was no way I was going to pay ANYone ANY money.

With persistence, the two yelling/spitting tram inspectors were in my face saying that the police were on their way to arrest us. As soon as the hostel door was in sight, I ran and buzzed the front desk to let me in while I left Will out to dry with the inspectors. And now that I think of it, they were probably giving him hell...sorry Will :/.

In a panic, I probably caused a little bit of a scene in the hostel lobby. One of the employees was nice enough to deal with our unfortunate situation outside and somehow the tough-guy tram inspectors gave up on us.

Apparently, we had luck on our side, because they usually send people to jail and make them pay 7000 crown. In American dollars that calculates to... too much money for a common misunderstanding. They were definitely targeting us as tourists, and more so as Americans. I do remember that one inspector said that when he went to America, he was put in jail and no one would listen to his side of the story. Therefore, that was their reasoning for not listening to ours. Rational, don't you think?

That also raises this question: What did that guy do to put himself in jail for 24 hours? Here in America, people either go to jail for doing something incredibly illegal, or just stupid. By the way he was acting, I could guess that he was put in jail for doing something that was influenced by alcohol and aggression, and was probably not the brightest of ideas.

My ADVICE to you: If and when you go to Prague, validate your tickets before using any public transportation. That means when you get on the metro or tram for the first time (you buy a time frame, ex: 75 min.), validate your ticket in the yellow box with the flashing arrow. It will time stamp your ticket. Don't forget to KEEP YOUR TICKET.

Granada

2010-08-11T13:09:00.004-05:00

One of my favorite cities I visited while living in Spain was Granada. A mid-size city sitting along the feet of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, Granada is part of the southern region of Andalucía.

Spain is such an interesting country because it inhabits 17 provinces and they are all very unique and distinct from each other. Granada is one of those places that exhibits that sense of diversity and alternative cultural influence, thus it is often a must-see sight for tourists.

It is home to La Alhambra, the ancient Moorish palace and gardens, which is a prime example of the cultural and religious origins of the town. Granada was the last Islamic city conquered by Los Reyes Catolicos, Fernando II and Isabella I. Therefore, much of the architecture throughout the city has sustained a strong Islamic influence.

An intricate ceiling in La Alhambra

Not only does Granada inhabit plenty of beautiful places to explore, but it also offers an eclectic mixture of delicious eats. We stayed in an area where Hookah and mediterranean inspired food dominated the scene. We arrived late to Granada, and after dropping off our things at the Oasis Backpackers' Hostel, we grabbed a bite while we enjoyed some tasty hookah and pakistani tea.

This lucky find was right around the corner from our hostel.

The service was great, which is abnormal because most servers are payed on salary and don't rely on tips. Our server insisted that we put on these traditional Muslim head dresses to fully experience the distinct culture of Granada.

Our all-time favorite...Pakistani tea. If I had to describe it, Cinnamon cream tea.

And this, was our quick and easy yet delicious bite at 12:30 AM!

Shrimp stuffed Avocado

Hummus

We were so impressed, we went back the next night. Our server even took us to the most gorgeous view in Granada after he got off work. What a guy.

The next day, the hostel was offering a free graffiti tour around Granada. The city is known for its large collection of incredibly creative and unique graffiti.

My favorite pieces we saw were done by a guy that calls himself "El Niño de las Pinturas", meaning child of the painters. His style is very much his own and by the end of the tour we could pick out his work from other artists. His work seems to follow a philosophical path, one that is designed to make you feel as a part of the piece and the experience, not just as a spectator. You become a part of the art.

Here are some of my favorites by El Niño de las Pinturas

"Time does not exist"

"Tired of not finding the answers, so I decided to change my questions."

" We are more than the words that define us."

The guide told us that this piece is interpreted as an angel looking down on a homeless man.

"The trees are alive, you will not kill them."

You can't really see the words because this is an older piece, but the rough translation is "breaking things so I can put them back together, that's how I pass my time."

This was one of the best tours I did throughout my entire trip to Europe. If there was one thing I would say to do in Granada besides seeing La Alhambra, it would be to do this graffiti tour. It was truly incredible to see what graffiti can be if the right mind is behind it.

first impressions of Spain

2010-07-31T15:25:00.001-05:00

First adventure to the Plaza Mayor in Segovia

I landed in Madrid on January 23rd. It was a lot colder than I expected it to be. The kind of cold where leaving the house without gloves is an uncomfortable mistake. Immediately after we landed, we hopped on the bus to Segovia, which is an hour north of Madrid and is where I would be living for the next 3+ months.

Segovia, looking off into the distance next to El Alcazar, where
King Fernando and Queen Isabella resided during the late 1400s. The same king and queen that sent Columbus to sail the ocean blue.

Segovia lies in the midst of a beautiful mountain range in central Spain, in the province Castilla-León. Eager to explore, I went on a hiking trip up to what seemed like a winter wonderland. As if suddenly stepping into a different world, made of icicle knives and blankets of snow. The air was so fresh and crisp...I recognized its vitality to me. As I gazed at the beautiful view of white, I savored my untouched air supply.

It was a new phase of my life. Of change and discovery. Of recognizing opportunities when they fall into perfect place.

As we ascended into the deep fog surrounding the summit.

I'm back.

2010-07-26T02:25:00.002-05:00

Now that I've had time to look back on my long trip abroad...I can truly reflect on my memories. Everyday I am reminded of my incredible memories from those four precious months of total freedom.

When I arrived in Segovia I was so eager to live the spontaneous European backpacker's life. It was suddenly apparent that I had absolutely no idea what I was getting myself into. As soon as I met my host family I was seriously worried, seeing as they spoke not a LICK of English. If walking up five flights of stairs with a fifty pound bag wasn't a warm enough welcome, having an awkward and incommunicable lunch with my new Spanish mom was something I was going to have to get used to. Her name was Olga. Olga would try to talk to me, and I would nod and say sí sí sí, but I understood nothing. She would repeat a sentence several times...and I would just stare at her...blank and uncomfortably vulnerable. I was so frustrated that after all those years of Spanish courses, nothing stuck in my brain. Finally, Olga resorted to using hand signals and body language. All the confusion began to make my head spin, so I decided that my greatest effort at relief was to hide in my bedroom and drift in and out of a jetlag induced coma.

I remember becoming conscious in the midst of a dream. I was waking up in my bed in Tennessee. All bundled up in my down comforter, I was so relieved that the whole Spain trip was just a dream. It was good to feel home. Then I opened my eyes. Nothing was familiar... The comforting idea that home was where I was flew out the window and dissolved into the very thin and painfully cold January air. Alone I was...so far from my family and friends, and too intimidated to speak a word. I recognized the reality of my solidarity. I began to cry as I questioned whether or not this was a good idea.

After waking up from my jetlag coma, I went for my first walk through Segovia. Walking alone through the cobblestone streets, I realized why I wanted to get away. I wanted to be free. Free from those I love and worry about, free from mundane American life, and free from myself and my many anxieties. I could let go of everything. I could breathe. For the first time in a while, I felt like I was doing something right.

When I returned from my walk, I was pleasantly surprised to meet my new brother, Dany. I went to sit next to him at the kitchen table while he was doing his English homework, and I remember that the first thing he said to me was hello in English. I thought it was sweet. He could tell I felt as if I was in over my head. We talked for a bit in Spanish and played Jenga and Uno. The kindness in his eyes was so welcoming and relieving to me. I was thanking God that he was there, because I could speak with him without feeling vulnerable. I already knew that he would play a huge role in my learning.

I am way overdue.

2010-02-16T14:58:00.002-06:00

Ok...So I don't have internet at my place so keeping up with my blog has been quite difficult. However, I do keep my journal with me at all times. Well, I can't really express how amazing this country is in words right now...atleast not in this crowded restaurant. But I can in pictures...

This is Segovia

Yes...I live here.

This is my room

That was on a hike to the north pole...or formally known as La Granja.

I love you Madrid.

mmmm...everyday I indulge...

in a super cute cafe.

and here is my new partner in crime..

meet Taylor.

we climb mountains together too.

Welcome to the biggest party in Spain. Carnavales. Cadiz is known for its Carnavales celebration. We went. and we lived.

In doing so..we took our new Aussie hostal-roomie, James.

We saw some incredibly strange costumes...

And had the time of our lives.

Welcome to Sevilla...you will never want to leave.

literally

but seriously...this is real.

hasta luego...until next time.

I should be studying...but I need an escape

2009-12-15T00:05:00.001-06:00

I know I should be studying right now. But I'm tired of pushing my creative impulses aside as I let school, work, and sleep deprivation rule my life.

I have exams this week. But I am so tired. Tired of thinking, stressing, going. I'm always going, going, going. Until today. I have the flu and it is definite. A good friend says don't give in, but I know my body, and it needs this. I must be forced to slow down or I'll bounce off this planet into a black hole and forever be lost.

That would be interesting...hmmm..

I've always wondered what happens upon entering a black hole. Do we disinegrate? Do we explode while becoming another star in a far away constellation? Do we time travel? I hope that black holes are doors into other universes, perhaps parallel universes.

I know they exist. Although I don't have any real proof, I just know.

My dreams. My crazy, ironic, terrifying, and honest dreams are so relevant to the decisions that I make on a daily basis. I have dreams that I am in my current state, but I or someone else has made a decision that completely changed the outcome of my life and my relationships. You can call them dreams, but I believe sometimes dreams act as a passage to a parallel universe or some kind of untouched and unknown place where the laws of physics don't apply. Where I can fly, pass through time, and where virtually anything is possible. That's what I love so much about dreams. Unlike reality, I can do whatever and go wherever I choose. And the best part about it is I don't choose. Maybe I do subconsciously, but when I rest my head and my eyes start to pace from side to side, I lose control. I let go. My experiences are always spontaneous and never predictable, and more often than not, my dreams leave me incredibly puzzled, which can only mean more dreams to figure out the big picture. And I promise you- there is a bigger picture than the one you are aware of.

With all this talk I seem to perceive myself as someone who is all-knowing. That would be nice, but like Socrates said it- the only thing I know for sure is that I know nothing. Is it possible that anything is certain? Or is there only such a thing as hope for certainty? I would like for this concept of certainty to be true, but then would life be a parade of mediocrity? If that's the case then I choose to live in a state of question.

violent voices.

2009-12-07T11:11:00.002-06:00

I just woke up from the most frightening experience I've ever had. Does it seem odd that all of my most exhilarating yet inexplainable experiences are when I am unconscious and totally out of control?

This time I deliberately decided to go to sleep. I Stopped what I was doing, turned off the light, arranged myself into the oh so comfortable and pleasantly nostalgic fetal position...and minute by minute drifted into a sea of mere confusion.

That is something I have taken note of, every single night before I rest my eyes, I think. I think and think and then all of the sudden my thoughts become perfectly scattered and disconnected...and poof, sleep takes over.

So tonight, as i drift into this unknown territory once again, I begin to dream that I am having lunch with a friend of mine, Jake. The strange thing is, we are eating at this mom and pop place that we know all too well, but the staff is different. It is run by gypsies with dirty fingernails and torn up clothes. They come over to clean some things off our table and I notice how dirty they are, and i notice how strange it is that a three gypsies are making this commotion at our table.

I remember my purse was on the table and I left it open. And for some reason I assumed that the gypsy woman went through my purse and stole my iPod.

And no I'm not like every other sheep that has the newest gadget and app. My iPod is my life, because music is my religion. I eat, sleep, breathe, love, hate, and live with music. I can achieve all of the emotions that I feel are of spiritual necessity to me.

So I run after the gypsy...nothing. She disappears.

Scene change: Jake and I lay next to each other asleep on a naked floor.

And this is when it starts.

Voices.

Loud, soft, fast, and all at the same time.

I heard at least four different voices, none of which I could comprehend. They were all men, and one was screaming louder than the rest. He was angry.

Their voices were unrecognizable and did not match any human tone or pitch every heard by these virgin ears.

Inhuman.

Demonic.

They would get louder and louder until I would gain consciousness for a split second and turn them off, but as soon as I would relax, my ears were pounding with evil again. Scared or frightened is an understatement. Sufficiently freaked out is more like it.

So terrified that tears came to my eyes, yet I wasn't crying.

Were they demons?

Perhaps...

More importantly, were they my demons?

I want the courage to stay in this dream and fight the urge to get out. I want to find out what happened and why, and who was trying to get through to me.

Baked Penne w/ Roasted Vegetables!

2009-11-08T00:49:00.000-06:00

Tuesday night my friend Jenni came over and we decided we wanted to make a vegetable feast and drink red wine. First we thought stir-fry, then we thought...PASTA.....mmmmmmmm. More often than not, I refer back to my grassroots. Italia. So...I used Giada's recipe which is listed on Food Network, but we also added a few things.

Vegetables we used:

-red bell pepper

-zucchini

-yellow squash

-broccoli

-asparagus

-yellow onion

-eggplant

-baby bella mushroom

-green peas

We tossed all the cut up veggies with olive oil, salt, pepper, italian herbs, and a touch of balsamic vinegar. Then we stuck those in the oven to roast at 450. Meanwhile, we are boiling our penne pasta and simmering our sauce with the frozen peas. We decided to go wtih Classico's Tomato and Basil pasta sauce. It's one of the better store-bought marinara sauces. And it was on sale at Kroger.

delicious.

Halloween-->the best holiday ever

2009-11-05T22:27:00.002-06:00

After a long and hard discussion of what we wanted to do for Halloween we (Whitney, Alex, and I) finally decided to head to Nashville at the late hour of 11:30! After driving around in traffic and back and forth around Nashville we agreed on 12th and Porter, which was hosting a wild party..they had live DJs set up outside and in...live music, crazy light shows, people dressed up everywhere--couldn't have been any better.

LOVE HALLOWEEN

I think we looked pretty awesome...

Alex aka Mercedes..the drag queen

Me-M.I.A.

Whitney... crazy glowbot.

Lookin good Mercedes! I did Alex's makeup...and it looked totally hot. After doing makeup for a man's face...I realized it would be so much fun to do makeup for drag queens! It would be so awesome to work at Play and do makeup for the lovely drag queens.

If I can make Alex look convincing..then I think I have what it takes.

PHOTOSHOOT Halloween 2009

Mercedes and M.I.A.

our little adventure at play!

2009-10-23T13:09:00.001-05:00

Last Thursday my roommate(Whitney) and I went to see ATB at Play.

TOO MUCH FUN... ATB was amazing! Play was decorated really awesome for Halloween too, so that set the mood really well.

The entire show exceeded my expectations. Trancy trance makes me want to shake my pantsy pants.

It was also nice to go to Play and not hear one of their house DJs playing Beyonce remixes all night long. I know the gays love Beyonce but damn....change it up a bit. It's so nice to finally hear something with a little substance at Play- it's my favorite club in Nashville!

Apparently ATB was packin some major heat...as you can see I am getting down....

Uh oh....I got ahold of some glowsticks. Purchased those little numbers in the bathroom!

Upcoming shows

2009-10-16T12:56:00.002-05:00

I feel like many people are uninformed about what is coming to town soon....so here is a list of shows I think are worth checking out.

Oct 20- The Mars Volta at the War Memorial...I think tickets are around $35 and you can purchase them through TPAC

Oct 24- Jim Gaffigan at the Ryman

Oct 27- Tiesto w/ Bird Peterson at Limelight-tickets at www.tiesto.com

Oct 28- Pretty Lights w/ Eliot Lipp of Dark Party at Exit/In-$15

Halloween-Monster Boo 4 at Limelight- groovetickets or wantickets

Nov 19- Deadmau5 at Limelight $10-$15 groovetickets

Nov 20- Imogen Heap at Exit/In $25

Nov 21- Dan Auerbach w/Justin Townes Earle and Jessica Lee Mayfield $20adv/$25door ticketweb

Dec 4- Eoto at Exit/In $16

Dec 10- Ghostland Observatory at the Cannery Ballroom-$20 at ticketweb -I think this one is 21+

I'll keep updating...

perhaps one of the strangest dreams ever to occur in the history of me.

2009-10-15T15:33:00.008-05:00

All I can say is wow...it's going to take me a while to figure out the meaning behind this one.

I am in a fight with Alex (very close friend of mine). I beg him to stay and talk to me. Despite my desperation, he leaves, leaving behind his beautiful Siamese cat, Link (that is him in the picture) and he also leaves behind an annoying little snowball of a dog, named Lilo (this is quite comical because Lilo is my friend Victoria's dog, and it is the only dog I have ever truly hated).

As I'm wallowing in my anger and self-pity, my mom and sister unexpectedly drop in at my apartment, bringing a three year-old child with them as a wonderful surprise. This is weird because I'm not especially fond of children.

The strangest part about this dream is that the child is me. How twilight zone-esque of me. I am so excited to meet myself. I play with her like she is my own child. The way 'little me' looks at 'big me' is so strange yet extremely comforting-like she has some kind of deep understanding of who I am, despite the fact that she (I) is a toddler.

When we look into each other's eyes its like a mirror, I see the same eyes, but the only thing different is there is a glowing happiness in her's. So we sit there in awe of this strange yet fantastic meeting of selves.

I start to pick her up and carry her like my own, but I drop her. I try again, but my arms can't hold her. Everytime I pick her up, my arms give out and she falls to the floor over and over again.

How distressing.

Dear Brain,

what a load you have put on me, all in my precious sleep. Precious no more...when will I ever rest.

a weird experience.

2009-10-14T16:38:00.002-05:00

I know this was not a hallucination or game,
nor a figment of my imagination or dream.
You can call me crazy
but in this moment

I was especially coherent and sane.

Aware of my surroundings
and aware of my unusual state of mind.
My body was comatose,
my mind all the more alive.

I felt myself separating
from what was tangible and true.
Arising from my body, like the gods
I had for the first time,
an omniscent point of view.

Call it astral projection,
restriction by definition,

its meaning will sink,
but my instincts, which always hold true,
tell me I've been living longer than I think.

Wandering aimlessly through space,
floating as if I were a forgotten balloon.
Am I nothing more than a ghost?
Am I still human?
Is this what death feels like?
I could in fact be,
just another soul-searching buffoon.

Recognizing that this is an unknown realm,
one that I can't quite grasp or comprehend,
but a force within speaks to me,
and tells me in time I'll understand.

this time...I didn't nectar

2009-10-13T01:36:00.000-05:00

Bassnectar played at Exit/In this past Wednesday...and despite the fact that I am a devout bass-freak, I was genuinely unimpressed and disappointed.

His new album Cozza Frenzy is still growing on me but in comparison to his last release and his iTunes podcasts, I can't say that it compares...

I have seen Bassnectar a number of times, and each time he has brought the heat, except for in Nashville this past week. Not only did he not shock me, which he usually does, but it was entirely too repetitive and uneventful.

His popularity has grown exponentially since his last release, Underground Communication, and now that he's not as underground as he was, it seems like his effort in creating a complex fusion of drum and bass with dubstep has vanished. Since his popularity skyrocketed, he seems to have gone the more mainstream route. In my opinion, Cozza Frenzy lacks the traditional Bassnectar style and progression, which has an obvious plot and substance-which is what I love about him. Instead of begging for more and wanting to dance into the wee hours of the morning...I was ready to hit the sack after an hour and a half of what seemed to be a lot of sampling and repititon. Not to mention...the rolling retards were throwing water on the stage thus all over his equipment...so an array of techniqual difficulties arose. And on top of all that, the subs overheated and were out for atleast half an hour. Those precious subs are what put the bass in Bassnectar . So if you can imagine, 30 minutes of hip hop house mix lost my attention furthermore.

In defense of Lorin, I will say that the songs he did play from Cozza Frenzy sounded great.

My frustration is this-When I pay to see a DJ, I am paying to be surprised and wowed- I am paying to see and hear mostly improv. I felt like he did none of that, and I'm sad to say that I won't be paying to see him anytime soon, atleast not on his Cozza Frenzy tour. You never know...I'm hoping for a whole new set of podcasts. I don't like to give up that easy on ole Lorin.

Despite my criticism, I do think Cozza Frenzy has some winners...

Songs iLove: "Churn of the Century", "West Coast Lo-Fi Rides Again", "Window Seat", "Boombox (Remix)"

an interesting dream. 10/13

2009-10-13T01:15:00.000-05:00

Why is it that my most vivid dreams must be nightmares? What seemed to last hours upon hours, only lasted about forty-five minutes in reality. I woke up this morning at 9 and decided it was too early to start my day, so I slowly drifted in and out of consciousness until I was sound asleep again. However, on the inside, sound asleep I wasn’t. Insert dream here:

I walk up the spiral staircase of my new Hogwarts-like university in God knows where, but a place very beautiful in its own way. Nothing typical, not a Caribbean beach or California valley, nor was it a beautiful scenery of snow- covered mountains. It was fall, and the school was located right on a bay of some sort. This bay was its own and unlike any I have seen or heard of, I give my thanks to the suttle yet prominent details that dreams entail. The edge of the bay was engulfed in a bussell of steadily elevating trees colored in deep reds, oranges, and yellows.

So I look out my window, which was not just a window but acted as a wall too, of my penthouse flat dorm (thank you brain for making dreams so totally unrealistic yet so vivid). As I am looking out my window/wall at the captivating bed of colors across the bay, my roommate, who I vaguely remember as being someone slightly insignificant in real life, stood next to me as we both admired the breathtaking view that was perfectly placed in front of us. To give a better visual I must include that it was a particularly gloomy day and the bay was a very mysterious blue. However, regardless of how dark the water was, I could see seals as they were approaching the surface of the water, playful and vocal they were. Then in the distance I saw a gigantic “free willy” whale actually soaring out and above the water atleast by ten feet.

I begin to think that I have stumbled upon a unique paradise of some sort. A beautiful view of an autumn tree- covered hill surrounding a bay filled with wildlife that I am in no way used to seeing on a daily basis, not to mention wildlife that presents itself so bluntly.

Next, I notice that a shark arises from beneath and is coming to have some lunch, particularly the seal special. So my roommate and I watch as the shark gets its fix. Apparently the shark, a Great White (educated guess), was not satisfied at all. All of the sudden, I felt a force inside of me that told me to run… fast and as far away as possible. So I did. I remember as I looked back, it was the vision of my roommate getting devoured by this Great White Shark that had somehow jumped out of the water and onto our balcony without doing any significant damage to the structure.

Next thing I remember I was running around the school in a hysterical state calling out for help, and no one would listen to me. Disappointed and discouraged, and in a state of hysteria, finally a woman took my words to heart and let me cry on her for what seemed like a long and exhausting shedding of tears and pain. The kind of cry that is so draining that you immediately fall into comatose or deep sleep.

I cannot quite grasp the meaning of this dream, but it does raise this question and address my withstanding theory. Are my visceral and instinctual senses so strong that I can feel that an event, particularly a gruesome one, will occur before I truly know it will happen? Sometimes…I think they are.