Holiday Break Woes

I find when I come home I lose all track of time - a sort of vacuum in the sales tax free state. I had no idea Christmas eve was Christmas eve the day of, but I have to pat myself on the back for spending only one hour shopping for my entire family at one store. the gifts were stellar if I do say so myself - antique jewelry for my sisters and my mom and an antique Kodak pocket camera for Dad

While in the vacuum, I feel cut off from the outside world. you never realize how dependent you are on Hofstra's free subscription of the NYT's until you are without it. All I do when boredom hits inside the vacuum is make lists.

Never
- watch Will Smith's I Am Legend at night in the dark by yourself.
- get sucked into the same chick flick on HBO all weekend (P.S. I Love You - I HATE YOU FOR MAKING ME CRY!)
- forget I do NOT watch football. I'm waiting for the right guy to come along and only then will I feel obligated to watch football for hours on Sunday afternoons.
Books to Ready Before Going to Italy :
Let's Go Italy 2009
The Ugly American
Rick Steve's Best of Europe 2009
1984 (it's been 6 months since I started)

"Top Albums of the Year" (according to Pitchfork) I need to acquire:
The Walkmen - You & Me
Portishead - Third
Gang Gang Dance - Saint Dymphna (if you have never seen them live it's an out-of-body experience)

Top Places to See People from My High School Whilst At Home:
Borders Books & Music
Church
Anywhere on Main Street in Newark

favorite christmas song ever

............too bad this was the only video available on youtube. consider it an homage to the way American suburbia celebrates the holidays

semi-babe

insomnia is lame.
apologies for the lack of entries the past few weeks - very lame on my part.
the end of the semester kind of spiraled out of control, what with finals and wrapping up last minute meetings to plan next semester. I'll only have a few weeks and the craziness will enfold again (sigh).

I've been home in my sleepy small town and comfortably content for roughly 30 hours. I left behind in NY my cell phone, an unpaid parking ticket, and the strenuous but exciting life I've gotten used to for the past few years.

I was in the room that has been mine since I was born just now and was laying there (what else) thinking. I thought "for over the past 20 years, no matter how much I think I have evolved to be the person I think want to become, I always end up coming back here - and I'm twelve again listening to music and reading late in the night. I'm still imagining the story some stranger might have that is different from my own."

Maybe it's because I never officially moved before (save going to college), but now I feel in limbo of not quite having a place to call my own. My room at home isn't mine - the closet is empty and the library incomplete. The jail cell of a dorm room on LI will never be fully mine - the walls are eggshell and the floors tiled and there is nowhere near the amount of space my turntable deserves. The place I truly want to call mine IS visible on a daily basis - the view of the NY skyline from my window.

I'm in layover. But normally I don't mind a delayed flight.

This weekend I'm going to Baltimore to act as maid and jester for my sister who broke her foot.

It doesn't feel like Christmas - despite the fact my family actually has our decorations up a week beforehand.

Everyone is doing end of the year "Top Albums List"s for 2008. I'm giving my list of sixteen random albums which came out this year and had some sort of impact. All I recommend for your listening pleasure:

In no order

Born Ruffians - Red, Yellow, and Blue
Foals - Antidotes
Girl Talk - Feed the Animals
Hot Chip - Made In the Dark
Thao - We Brave Bee Stings and All


Deerhoof - Offend Maggie
The Black Keys - Attack and Release
Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
Dr. Dog - Fate
Santagold - Santagold




Portugal, The Man - Censored Colors
Hot Lava - Lavology
Islands - Arm's Way
Bon Iver - For Emma
Land of Talk - Some Are Lakes

Drop the Phone

I wanna go to:

Thu 12/18
9:00 PM

The Rapture (DJ Set), Andrew W.K. (DJ Set), Gang Gang Dance (DJ Set), Spencer Sweeney (DJ Set), Eamon Harkin (DJ Set)

Santos Party House (Free admission with toy donation)21+freeInvite A

last Airwave playlist for the year.

Pshhh --- new WRHU Airwave Producer for 2009!

Hear is the final playlist as a mere DJ!

artist	song	album	A/C
Ladytron	Ghosts	Ghosts	A
Her Space Holiday	Sleepy Tigers	Sleepy Tigers EP	C
Hello Operator	Chasing Satellites	The Breaks	C
The Decemberists	I'm Sticking With You (Velvet Underground Cover)	Always the Bridesmaid: A Single Series	C
Black Lips	Off the Block	Good Bad Not Evil	A
Amanda Palmer	Runs In The Family	Who Killed Amanda Palmer?	A
Portugal. The Man	Lay Me Back Down	Censored Colors	A
Land of Talk	Some Are Lakes	Some Are Lakes	C
Hot Lava	Blue Dragon	Lavology	C
Yelle	JeVeux Te Voir	Pop Up	A
Thao	Beat (Health, Life and Fire)	We Brave Bee Stings and All	A
Be Your Own Pet	Wildcat!	Be Your Own Pet	A
Sally Shapiro	Anorak Christmas (Piano Mix)	I'll Stay Till After Christmas Compilation (Force Field)	C
Jay Reatard	An Ugly Death	Final Boss	C
Belle & Sebastian	Sleep Around the Clock	The BBC Recordings	C
State Shirt	Time to Go	This Is Old	C
The Pipettes	It Hurts to See You Dance So Well	We Are the Pipettes	A
Natalie Portman's Shaved Head	Slow Motion Tag Team	Glistening Pleasure	A
Miniature Tigers	The Wolf	Tell It To The Wolf	A
Deerhoof	Offend Maggie	Offend Maggie	C
Boy Eats Drum Machine	Plants + Stars	Booomboxxx	C
Gangi	Subject Position	A	C
Les Savy Fav	The Equestrian	Let's Stay Friends	A
Peachcake	Did I Just Do That, Or Was It Jim Carey?	What Year Will You Have the World?	C
Times New Viking	Call And Respond	Stay Awake EP	C
Japanese Motors	Coors Lite	Japanese Motors	C
Women	Black Rice	Women	C
Megapuss	Theme From Hollywood	Surfing	C
The Blood Brothers	USA Nails	Burn Piano Island Burn	A
Religious Knives	Basement Watch	The Doors	C
Los Campesinos!	The End of the Asterick	We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed	C
Larytta	Money For Pizza	Difficult Fun	C
Islands	Creeper	Arm's Way	A
Shy Child	Kick Drum (feat. Spank Rock)	Noise Won't Stop	A

success success

this week has been ridiculous. leaves little time for blogging. here are some bullet points.

• spent late Tuesday night watching the uncut director's version of Factory Girl on Youtube. (here is part 1) Much better than the original and was actually impressed with Sienna Miller. Originally tried to watch it on surfthechannel but twas much too slow.
• thinking about a second minor in art history. this means rethinking the associates degree for HUHC, probably having to take six classes for at least one semester, maybe taking a summer course, and basically driving myself crazy. this is also on top of WRHU, LICM, internships, PREstige and PRSSA, FORM, and trying to maintain a shred of humanity. However, if I don't do it, there is the almost definite possibility of regretting it for the rest of my life. When I imagine myself in the future, it's not the high powered executive. It's a culturally aware, interesting, intelligent person who maintains a satisfied and pleasant life. I look forward to the time when I can reclaim Sundays again - not having to work or do mass amounts of studying, but just read the paper in bed and drink coffee. An art history minor would open doors, leading me along a path I want to take for my career and life. I know it's not practical, I really don't want to be. This is the worst thing to happen right now - causing more worrying for an already constant worrier.
  

• opened this week's edition of The (Hofstra) Chronicle . In the features section is a full page article about Destination Runway by Liana Satenstein - including a quote from myself. Also, I know that the Media Alert I sent was used - all the information I provided about the charity was in it! It was a beautifully written article and seeing it actually boosted my spirits - to see that my work actually paid off was very reassuring. I go back and forth about whether I will help out again next year - but we shall see.
• had a glorious food shopping experience yesterday. spent $8 at the Uniondale Supermarket and got lots of yummy protein filled vegetables.
  
• took Jarvis Cocker album from WRHU - thoroughly enjoying it, I must say.
• this is the last weekend in the city for me this semester - two friends are having birthdays and I plan to enjoy myself and try to not think of troubles.
• Just realized in exactly one month I will be in Venice. GAHHHHHH
  

is this the real life?

First off - look at another great outfit I put together today (vanity at it's worst)

Tonight I went to "Art of Healing, Healing Through Art" held in Adams Playhouse at Hofstra University. At the last minute I volunteered to loan two of my drawings for a gallery they held in the basement. They are two drawings of hands done with charcoal and oil pastel. They didn't quite go with the theme of the event but eh, what can you do.





I have to say first off that the performances this year were amazing. I was surprised to see Jackie Hlavenka of The Chronicle sing Neil Young's "After the Gold Rush" and she was fantastic! (it also was inspiring - here was an example of some one who is ambitious with their career and area of study, yet still utilizes their creative talent)

Another girl, Jade Keena, read an original poem called "Girls" which caused her to pause twice due to the emotion she felt. The poem itself was both meaningful and humorous at times and I really want a copy of it (hint hint).

Members of the Groove, a creative club at Hofstra that serves to bring together all forms of talented performers and artists, also performed various music and dance numbers.

The final performance was "Seasons of Love" by Masquerade, a musical theatre group here at Hofstra University. It was good - though I'm somewhat scarred because of that song. When RENT came out as a movie, my high school chorus, among many others, sang our own personal rendition that was TERRIBLE. It's one of those embarrassing instances where the memory haunts your dreams but you are still proud of the fact you had the balls to do it in the first place.