So I saw Grizzly Bear and Beach House at the Norva last night. Here are some highlights, and a couple of fuzzy photos taken on my Blackberry (crackberry?). I was hoping to have some great video/sound footage to share but BK's camera died 2 pictures into the show...
First, Beach House was amazing. Seriously. Victoria Legrand's voice is just as poweful and pretty live as it is on the albums. The new Beach House record will be out early 2010 on Sub Pop. Want to know how I knows this? I bought their album Devotion on vinyl for Brad last night, and was lucky enough to get Victoria to autograph it later in the evening. She was super cool and "saucy" and informed us of their upcoming album. They played a few songs from it last night and they were really really good. Really. Here's a blurry photo of their set - if you want more click here or check out the video below.
Grizzly Bear started soon after the Beach House set, and I totally called it that they would open with "Southern Point" from their 2009 album Veckatimest. It was a great song to start off with in my opinion - the build up to the chorus got everyone in the audience amped. I have to say that I have somewhat of a crush on Ed Droste. His voice on "Two Weeks" is amazing, live AND on the album. They brought Victoria Legrand (from Beach House, see above) back out to sing background vocals on "Two Weeks" as she does on the album, and they also played the upcoming single "Slow Life" from the Twilight: New Moon soundtrack. Here is a low-quality photo from last night's show!
Need more Grizzly Bear?(as you most certainly should) Click here and check out the video below for "Two Weeks", which could also be a public service announcement warning children about the improper use of sparklers on the 4th of July...
I'm currently torn on which Grizzly Bear track will make my top 100 of 2009 list, as there are three that I love equally but for different reasons. Hope you check out both Beach House and Grizzly Bear, as they are amazingly talented bands.
Camera Obscura is coming next month to Norfolk and I won't be missing them, as their 2009 album My Maudlin Career has rarely left my ghetto, 6-disc-in-the-trunk-CD-player.
Sorry for the absent summer- a lot of work and a little traveling have hindered my blogging abilities. I am working on some upcoming blog topics, but wanted to post an amazing video of one of my new favorite bands: Dirty Projectors. The ladies of the group make this special for me, as they harmonize like nothing I've ever heard before (consider them 2009's Fleet Foxes or SVIIB). Thanks to BK for sharing this vid - I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Don't believe all of those sounds are coming from them and not keyboards? Go to the article and check out the second video of them performing the same song in the dressing room.
I'm working on my top songs of 2009 right now, and thus far I've got 60 songs on the way to 100. I'll be sharing some of the new (and not so new) music I'm discovering along the way. Check out some of the websites I've listed to the left if you want to explore some new music and other neat things.
Looking forward to a mini-camping trip this weekend, and I hope to blog again soon, as long the Wii doesn't take over my life (which is very possible considering Super Mario Galaxy is the coolest game... in the galaxy).
Hello! I have finished ALL my work today, so I'm going to spend the last few minutes of my workday writing a short update on all things Amber-related.
First, I PASSED the PHR exam last Monday! I really doubted I'd pass it, especially with a 60% pass rate. All the studying I did in the last couple of months must have helped, although I admit I could've been more prepared. I just have to wait for the official results in the mail. Hopefully a computer hacker didn't play a cruel joke on me by putting up a "PASSED!" screen at Prometric.
Second, I was finally assigned a little sister through Big Brothers Big Sisters. Amijah and I have had two outings, and have had a great time getting to know each other. She is 6 years old, very smart, and has endless amounts of energy. I love her already, and am excited to spend more time with her.
Third, I went on a small business trip to Beaufort, SC last week. It's about an hour south of Charleston and an hour north of Savannah. My dad went with me to keep me company on the 7+ hour drive down, and we had a great time. It's hard not to with all expenses paid. We went to a decent seafood restaurant with an incredible view: On our second day there we went to the small downtown waterfront with probably a hundred unique stores with everything from monkey soaps to sweet modern art: (the photo does not do this piece justice)
On the way back from SC we stopped (I mean, took a 3 hour detour) by my great-aunt Hazel's house in coastal NC. There is no place for me like Aunt Hazel's house. I have great memories of spending time there as a child, so I love to be there. I let my dad read an old favorite book of mine, "The Story of Little Black Mingo", which I look at every time I go there. It's so wrong to cherish this book, but it amazes me to think of a time when these types of books were standards in many homes. In defense of the story, Little Black Mingo, messed up stereotypes aside, kicks some major ass at the end of the book, and I think I mostly enjoyed the blown up crocodile at the end. :)
Kickball: After 3 games, Rainbows and Lollipops is undefeated thus far in the season. We'll see how far we can get!
That's all for now, thought I'd leave you with some of my most recent camera phone pics.
Here's one of my doggie. I try not to gush over her but I think she's pretty much the best dog ever:
Here's Brad sniffing melons at the grocery store:
And the grand finale! I saw this total douchebag riding his motorcycle a while back... His license plate says "GTN LD" Seriously??? I think anyone who needs to put that on his license plate is probably NOT getting laid. That's really all I can say about it. I was pretty grossed out, thus risked a minor traffic accident to get a photo of him.
Some updates on what's up with me: still haven't heard back from Big Brothers Big Sisters... maybe my speeding ticket last year is affecting this???
Kickball! Played (AND WON) our first kickball game of the season last night. Highlights: Mariah's fantastic rainbow wristbands for all of us, Brad busting his ass rounding 2nd base, me trucking Dale at home plate, a shoe kicked off while kicking (tie your laces homies!), lightening, thunder, and a Walk of Shame player managing to step on the ball, double-kick, and fall down a slight hill in one fluid play.
The turnout at Bay Haven was incredible - 2 cornhole sets and much drinking and debauchery. I'm surprised their taps didn't run dry. Hopefully this will continue throughout the season, however I predict my productivity at work on Friday's will be pretty low until the season's over!
PHR Exam: Duh-duh-duh! Only 11 days until I take the Professional of Human Resources certification exam. I will be cramming until then - wish me luck!
Video of the Day: This is from the same Justin Timberlake SNL from a month or so ago. This is actually my favorite video from the show:
I haven’t written anything lately because I’ve been a little pre-occupied with stuff. I only say “stuff” because I don’t want to bore you with the mundane parts of my life that take up the majority of my time. That being said, I wanted to put up a little blog with some things that I have done / come across in the last few weeks.
First, I went to Baltimore and realized how little of the world I’ve seen. I was totally uncomfortable being ‘outside my bubble’ of VA. Brad called me a fraggle, which made me really depressed, but also determined to get out and see more places. SO, that’s what I’m going to do! Even in places I go every day, I’m going to try and do new things more often.
Second, I went to Ikea for the first time as well. What an experience! For someone like me, who loves perusing home and garden mags daydreaming about how my “grown-up house” will look, it was the coolest place ever! The maze of rooms that are set up mesmerized me. The only suggestion I have is for parents to limit the amount of time they keep their kids in that store. It took us about two hours to get through the store and pay, and I cannot imagine trying to take a child on that journey – it’s just too boring for kids. So the kids that are so bored make other shoppers miserable by running them over with shopping carts (which happened to me on two occasions) or simply squealing and shrieking, until their parents move on into the children’s area. Seriously parents, use a little common sense here.
Old Possibly New Music: I listened to my old iPod today at work, and realized that I’ve been so caught up in new 2009 music that I’ve deprived my ears of some excellent older music. Maybe some of this will be new to you, or maybe you’re a music-omniscient-Wikipedia-head and know everything already…
The Morning Benders (Talking Through Tin Cans) I picked this up randomly last year and it is one of my absolute faves. This album got me through some tough times in 2008 and it’s still great. Here is a video of theirs:
Anthony Hamilton (Southern Comfort) Working at the public library can help one venture into new books and music. I saw the cover of this and thought it may be interesting, not to mention Mr. Hamilton is apparently very popular in R&B world. I’m a huge John Legend fan, and I love this album. Very romantic and sexy on many songs.
At the Drive-In (Relationship of Command) I hadn’t listened to this in many years, but loved it then and still love it now. I am also a fan of The Mars Volta, but am more loyal to ATDI.
Keyshia Cole (The Way It Is) This is one of her earlier albums, not as polished as Just Like You, but I think that is a good thing. This is Keyshia Cole before anyone and everyone wanted to guest star on her songs (Missy Elliot, P. Diddy, etc).
Paramore (Riot!) A guilty pleasure – this album gets me pumped up and even though the lyrics can be cheesy at times (their lead singer is only like 16 years old people), the up-beat guitar riffs make me want to go mosh amongst middle schoolers. (Do they even call it moshing anymore?)
RZA (Bobby Digital) I probably should not have been listening to this at 16, and even at 27 I feel like I’m too young to listen to this. The fact that I’m a girl most likely has something to do with it, as some of Bobby D.’s lyrics make anyone with (or with respect for) a va-j-j cringe. In spite of x-rated lyrics, I still love Bobby-bobby-bobby… diji-diji-diji!
Ziggy Marley (Love is my Religion) Ziggy Marley puts me in a good mood pretty much anytime. Although he will surely never be a legend like his father, his positive mindset on life helps me think positively as well.
Junior Kelly (Greatest Hits) Another favorite reggae artist. His voice is distinct and I pretty much love every song I've heard from him.
Big Sister Coming Right up! No folks, my moms isn’t preggo (thank goodness because there is surely something in the water around here!), however, I will be joining Big Brothers Big Sisters soon. I had my interview last week, so as long as my background check comes back ok I should be assigned a little sister in the coming weeks. I originally wanted to sign up while I was in college, but just couldn’t make the time. Now I’ve got a lot more free time on my hands and want to do something good with it. Hopefully it won’t play out like Role Models, because I would not be cool with a little kid stealing my car or making me attend Dungeons and Dragons reenactments. Maybe I’ll borrow a chester molester van to pick up my little sister for the first time just to freak her parents out. j/k j/k
ART!!! Brad and I have started a shop on ETSY to sell art! Click here to check it out. We will be opening up our store to friends and family with handmade items and art to sell, for a nominal fee for our time. If you have original art, jewelry, handmade clothing or pretty much anything, let us know!
New additions to the family: After the death of Ike and Tina more than a year ago, I didn’t think it possible to open my home to more hermit crabs. So instead I opened Brad’s home. (Although I’m still planning on “taking them in to my office” at some point. Wink wink.) The two new hermies are Lily aka Dangerous Person, and Jarrod aka Eagle Lord. If you haven’t seen Eagle vs. Shark you will not understand these names, but you should check it out because it’s pretty much hilarious.
I’m sad to report that Eagle Lord has passed away as of this morning. It is possible that by choosing the two smallest hermit crabs in the tank at Wings, I actually chose the two weakest of the pack. Hopefully Dangerous Person won’t meet the same fate (especially considering the fact that I pimped out their cage with all sorts of cool hermit crab gear).
Since I’ve been so slack on videos lately, I thought I’d leave you with one I just discovered today from a Pandora mix. Enjoy!
I can't believe it's been over 1 month since I've blogged - sorry peeps! Darn productivity at work! While I'm preparing a new blog post, I wanted to give you a little something to possibly make you chuckle. It made me laugh hysterically, but I can find humor in almost anything. Until we meet again...
I'll keep this short: Why do people leave hang up messages? Chances are they already know they're not going to leave a message before someone's voicemail starts, so why not just hang up BEFORE the beep?
