sixtysix: i'll be holding all the tickets and you'll be owning all the fines

i am obsessed with bon iver's album for emma, forever ago. obsessed. i have not stopped listening to the album, since i first got it a week ago. according to wikipedia, justin vernon, the band's leader, recorded most of the songs in a remote cabin in wisconsin. he went there after the end of a relationship (i assume that would be with 'emma'?), the break up of his band, and his recovery from mono.
this definitely feels like a breakup album, with most of the songs sounding ghostly and ominious. i don't always understand the meaning behind his lyrics, but i think the overall melody and the layered harmonies are more significant than the words he uses.
i have heard a few songs from his latest release, bloodbank. i think it hits more positive notes than his first album, but still has the same wonderful sound.

skinny love, re: stacks, and blindsided are my favorites. you should check them out.

fiftynine: thao with the get down stay down

on friday night, i went to see thao with the get down stay down at black cat (a local dc music venue). her latest album, we brave bee stings and all, was critically acclaimed and she is now starting to make it 'big' in the states. thao, who is now 25, went to thomas jefferson high school (tj, to us northern virginians) and to william & mary for undergrad. it is nice to see a local gal doing well on the national scene, even if she has relocated to san fransisco.
i was a little disappointment by the concert. first of all, the second opening act, sister suvi, was awful. they took themselves far too seriously and just didn't sound very good. i think thao and tgdsd sounded great, but they did not interact with the audience as much as i would have liked. there was great energy in the crowd, so i am not sure why they did not play it up more. even if she didn't do as well as i had hoped, i still highly recommend her music.
the washingtonpost had an article on her yesterday.

nineteen: squares!

i have been slowly crocheting an afghan (i know it doesn't really look like the right time of the year to be making a blanket). anyway, i thought i was almost finished with it, but it turns out i might only have a 1/3 or 1/4 finished.
each square is different and most of them have very different color combinations (since the purpose of this project was to use up my old yarn). in order to create some sort of cohesion i am going to make a navy blue border around each of them and perhaps have a wider frame around the entire blanket.
i am not sure how i am going to put all the squares together, since there are 4 or 5 different sizes and there are so many different colors, but i was thinking that i might start from the center with larger squares and work my way outward.
it looks like i might have a bit of time before my next temp job starts, so i am contemplating refinishing some furniture that is in disrepair. i also want to try making some paper while the weather is warm. i hear that it is a bet messy, but is generally pretty easy to do. after my long week and a half of working, i now feel that i can cherish my time in-between jobs more and am more motivated to be productive while i am free. let's see if this newfound appreciation for my free time is going to actually translate in being more crafty, writing more blog posts, and (maybe) bring my etsy shop up to scratch.
music note: miriam and i saw the band harry and the potters yesterday and they were AMAZING. they even played my favorite song!

eighteen: unfinished business

i have had two songs stuck in my head for the past week. one is by kate nash called mouthwash and the other is ghosts by laura marling. coincidentally, kate nash just wrote a blog post about laura marling's album. i suppose that means i have good taste in music...
i have been feeling quite lazy recently and have not been in a crafting mood. i think the summer heat and the violent storms have been getting to me. i made a few necklaces, but haven't pushed myself to finish them off. i managed to use some beads from some necklaces that my cousin was tossing out (my attempt at being green & saving money).
the thin disks are made from coconuts, they were part of one of my cousin's old necklaces.
this is a jade and amber necklace. all the beads are salvaged from old necklaces that have broken over the years.
this was an experiment that wasn't quite as successful as i hoped it would be. i was inspired by some jewelry i saw on the broken plate blog. i have a lot of broken ceramics that i would like to do something with, but i don't think this recent foray into the world of broken plates/pots/mugs/glasses was very successful. i think i might try making a simply mosaic outside before the summer is over.
job update: started temping last week and have now discovered that the life of a temp is a very lonely one. i am hoping that i will be able to find something soonish so i won't be stuck being 'the temp' forever. unfortunately, this also eats up my crafting time, so i am not sure if i am going to be very productive now that i have joined the ranks of the working women.