the list diaries. chapter 010 -- who's in my earbuds.

images courtesy of 1, 2

the list diaries.
chapter 010.

I love a good playlist, and for me, music is as seasonal as my clothes. I prefer my old rock and classics, like America and the Carpenters, Gordon Lightfoot, Fleetwood Mac, in the summer when windows are open and daytrips to state and national parks are the usual. spring is upon us in the bay area and soon it will be time to put my winter playlist to rest -- although some will likely overlap. for now, here's who's in my earbuds.

• Say Lou Lou
• Bat for Lashes
• Rationale
• Leisure Cruise
• Laura Mvula
• Wet
• Katy Perry
• Sia
• Cat Power & Coldplay
• Color of Clouds
• Kina Grannis
• Karen O & Ezra Koenig
• Feist
• Natasha Khan & Jon Hopkins
• The Bird and the Bee
• Susanne Sundfor
• The Radio Dept
• Amason
• The Secret Sisters
• Beck
• Florence + The Machine
• A Man Called Adam
• Poe
• Rachael Yamagata
• Ray LaMontagne
• The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger
• Glass Animals
• Lorde
• Angus & Julia Stone
• Cat Power
• St. Vincent
• Koop
• Zee Avi
• Flight Facilities
• Charlotte Gainsbourg
• Keren Ann

I need music for nearly everything. I listen on my commute to and from work -- sometimes I rest my music and turn on NPR. I'm plugged in when I'm writing -- this usually requires something classical, like Mozart's Requiem. I'm plugged in when I'm walking about the neighbourhood and when I'm running errands. I'm not often listening to music when I'm at the office, however. is that surprising?

weekend: it's my birthday!

work hours are slipping by; homework is turned in; and the car is packed. 

horray!
hurrah!
yippee!

although the weekend hasn't officially arrived, nor my birthday (it's tomorrow, 8/2), it feels like it already has. i've been drowned in love and happiness (and forty tulips--twenty white and twenty magenta--from my manager; they're my favourite flower) for my birthday all week and i can't wait to hit the road with my hubs for our car-camping trip in june lake. (doesn't june lake sound idyllic and dreamy?) i treasure our birthday adventures and love celebrating my birthday. 

we've spent a lot of time in yosemite already this summer and i'm eager to return and explore the spots and trails we saw during our last drive-through, especially swimming in tenaya lake. with temperatures hovering around 102 degrees, swimming in a cool mountain pool will help the summer feel like summer. 

and when we return to the city, i'll bake my birthday cake, likely the same one it was last year: a 4-layer chocolate chip tollhouse cookie cake with chocolate buttercream frosting. it's heavenly and dangerously delicious. 

where will this summer weekend take you? better cash in on the weekends while you can. school starts soon and then weekends will be used for recovery from the week, carting kids to soccer games, and studying, rather than adventures. 

talk soon, lovies!
kcb

p.s. the "wish i was here" soundtrack, taylor swift's "red" album, lots of she & him, a little florence + the machine, and the national are part of my driving playlist. ellie goulding, dum dum girl, beck, m. ward, karen o, and feist add to the mix. 

on a tuesday in july --

tuesday

no-time-for-a-hairwashing bun.

windows with a skyline view.

my someone to tangle toes.

this song on repeat.

inspiration abounds.

images courtesy of witanddelight.tumblr: 1, 2, 3

and this song.
inspiration abounds.

notes from my night with ryan lott of son lux.

images courtesy of 1, 2

first off: i liked his overall look. he wore a casual black buttondown with contrast stitching, untucked from his faded black jeans; his old and worn boots unzipped. his voice was pleasant, his hair was messy and his glasses were tortoise shell. he looked like the kind of artist that holds great pride in his work; an artist that both presents his work outside of himself and allows it to embody and own him. during his piano performance, he transformed into son lux, moving with a sense of improvised choreography, ducking from the microphone into the piano keys; he seemed to hover on the edge of the piano bench, his fingers touching the keys with utmost care and precision. you could tell he was a true artist, and not one that hid behind or tried to maximize his artistic presence by looking or dressing a certain way. he made it look effortless and natural. 

ryan spoke honestly in the q&a portion of the rainy evening program, taking time to consider each question before jumping into an answer. his answers were raw and unrehearsed, leading into the next thought and the next. he spoke like a creative mind with phrases like "good friction," "emotional hard work," and "idiomatic." from the phrase "scoring her movement" (love that) when telling of working with his wife, a dancer, an immediate scene played out in my mind: him at the piano and computer, toying with melodies and layering sounds and musical textures, running his hands through his hair and shifting his glasses. swinging around on the piano looking for inspiration in the design of her limber dancing. she'd leap through the air and land, light as a feather, on the floor, and twist into a seating position facing him. by way of expressing how blessed he is to spend his days working on what he loves he commented, there's "no shortage of talent" but an "incredible shortage of opportunity." how true that is! how many of us have the chance in life to dive wholeheartedly into what we love and spend everyday doing it? i don't. i wish i could. maybe someday i will. one last thing he said that i took note of: "amazing things happen when you focus on people around you." this was in his answer to the importance of the relationships he has with those in his life; their effect on his work. truth, again. profound in its simplicity. 

sitting in such an intimate space, only a few rows from him, listening to him play and speak stirred my creative spirit. i grabbed the pen and paper from our printed tickets and started scribbling notes from the artistic conversation forming in my head.

• what is my creative process? 
• what fuels my creativity? 
• inspiration?
• creative habits/ritual
• what are my creative gifts/talents? 
• what fulfills me? creatively? 
• would i work with my husband? in what way? 
• get lots in words more than content/story line; development of words, sentences, phrases
• art -- re-humanizing the world
• is my art art? 
• does it matter? 

his grasp on reality and his candor was impressive. it's rare finding those elements in an artist. often they're so caught up in playing the role of artist they forget to be human. he was very human, even moved by emotion at one point.  

he closed his san francisco performing debut with some incredible and vigourous excerpts from his lanterns album (alternate worlds is awesome). we later found him in the verdi club bar and shook hands, thanking him for a wonderful evening. he signed my page of notes: "you don't have to be afraid. xoxo." a small piece of me melted. ("don't be afraid" is from plan the escape on lanterns.)

these photos my own

here's what's up:

you know when too much time in life has passed and when you finally have time to make an account of all those past events in your journal or diary or blog or email it seems an impossible job? yeah, that's me right about now, friends. it's been weeks, nearly a month, even. but i'm going to try. and so, in a-larger-than-the-norm nutshell, here's what's been going on:

i wheeled and dealed a new set of wheels (with the help of my man) and posted an ad on craigslist for my 13 year old jeep. emotion overload here. i'm thrilled with my new forester and sobbing over the prospect of handing my jeep over to some stranger.  

treated my guy to the american la mans race at laguna seca in monterey. the tickets were a christmas gift and we were stoked to finally cash in on the event. we had a thrill-of-a-time watching the cars race around the crazy track. yes, even me. fast rad cars--i'll go. fast rad cars that make my boyfriend happier than a little boy on christmas opening his first lego set--i'll be first in line for tickets. seriously, though, i loved every minute of it, except for the two bites from a mean fire ant--surprisingly painful for its size. 

a month ago, my guy and i quietly celebrated our year-and-a-half mark. time flies and the happiness continues to grow. 

earlier this month, i celebrated three years at my day job, leapfrog. people keep asking if it feels like 3 years, or if it feels like less. well, it feels like a combo. some weeks are sloooooow while others fly by. lately, the weeks have been dissolving quickly in front of me, thus the explanation for my absence on the blog.   

in a few weeks, i'll have the honour of adopting suzy, a gor-geous fluffy mix meow-er, from my folks. i absolutely cannot wait. i wonder if my tiny apartment is big enough for the two of us. and what about when my guy is over?

i needed some kind of noise-minimizer for the office and decided on these large headphones. i'm head-over-heels for them. don't they look rad?  

i pre-ordered she & him's volume 3 album and have listened to it nonstop since. in fact, last night, my guy and i dueted "i could've been your girl" all evening and he claimed it as his official birthday song. he also said i have zooey's style and voice tone down pat. isn't he sweet for saying so? i like to imagine i sound like her but i dare not assume i do.  

just last weekend, i was in virginia and north carolina for my guy's grandmother's funeral. it was an unfortunate circumstance for the family to get together, of course, and yes, tears fell but the stories and memories and time with each other quickly masked the sadness. it was a true joy being trusted with that experience.  

i hope all is well in your worlds, lovies. drop me a note and tell me what's going on with you.

agnes obel.

a few days ago, a bit of "riverside" by agnes obel played quietly in the background of an old "grey's anatomy" episode. the tune caught my attention and i immediately downloaded it. the next few days i listed to her album on itunes--i love the itunes preview all option--and fell fast and hard for it. her sound is unique, the piano is remarkable and a tad haunting. i had previously secured "just so" and now with "riverside" in the mix i didn't hesitate to finish the album.

and i haven't stopped listening to her piano melodies since...

images 1, 2, 3, 4

"philharmonics" is a close 2nd to my favourite song on the album. it has an eerie story and tune. amazing.

sometimes i think she looks like diane kruger.

headphones for the ladies who wanna rock [and look good].

i've been thinking about headphones lately, particularly a solid pair for the office so i can crack down on my workload with little outside noise. then i noticed how ugly headphones generally are. what [semi-]fashionable woman wants to wear the standard black clunky [man-] headphones? not me. i'm too vain for that. can't i get a pair that look as good as they sound? yes!

my answer: frends, the makers of jewelry-inspired headphones and earbuds. gorgeous! the headphones and earbuds come in gold, rose gold, and silver. glamourous, right? but does that glamourous look translate into quality sound from my favourite music artists? i won't know until i get a pair [and i'm considering it].

images courtesy of wearefrends.com

eventful weekend.

hooray!
hurrah!
yippee!

the weekend is here! and there is no shortage to activities this weekend in the bay area and i'm attending 3 of the big ones--the blue angels, florence + the machine, and hardly strictly bluegrass.

friday: my team at work is shutting down early and heading to san francisco to board the california hornblower. the blue angels are in town and practice their precision maneuvers over the bay. the hornblower boasts the best view (and a large buffet lunch) of the u.s. navy and marine corps flight team. we should also be able to catch a glimpse of the america's cup races, which is far more appealing to me than loud jets.

friday night: florence + the machine plays at shoreline and i'm going. i can't wait! 2 years ago i saw her in oakland and the excitement was almost more than i could handle. no doubt tonight will be a similar rush as i listen to her newest album, ceremonials, performed live. i think my guy will have to hold me down so i don't end up shooting off like a rocket.

saturday: hardly strictly bluegrass where we'll enjoy the music of sara watkins, formerly of nickel creek. general conference for my church also begins saturday morning but luckily i'll be able to catch those sessions over the amazing world wide web later. i love general conference--great gospel messages from my leaders for two days, 4 2-hour sessions total. it's wonderful.

saturday night: dinner with some of my guy's friends. i don't know them too well yet but i do know they have a wonderful dog named faith and i'm hoping to see the pup at dinner.

sunday: i'll be on my own for most, if not all, of the day, and i have plans. in addition to the 2 sessions of general conference that will stream on my laptop, i have a chicken to roast, potatoes to smash with garlic and butter, granola to bake, banana bread to mix, and a new vegetable soup recipe (thanks kac!) to enjoy.

i'll certainly be grateful for an easy and restful sunday after my busy event schedule. my social anxiety is knocking on my door (crowds, loud noises, crowds, new people) and i'm fighting it.

what are your weekend plans, dearies? i always love hearing about what you're up to and the adventures your weekend leads you on.

love truly,
katie kate

what i'm listening to--

charlotte gainsbourg: i can't stop hitting play on her albums irm, 5:55, and terrible angels. "memoir,'"in the end," "everything i cannot see," "dandelion," "terrible angels" (sweet video below), "the songs that we sing," "tel que tu es," and "the operation" are my top pick songs.

images courtesy of google images and amazon.com (5:55 cover)

her music, other than "terrible angels," "memoir," and "trick pony" took a while to grow on me after downloading but currently i can't get enough. her sound is a moody mix of energy and mellow drama and attitude and there seems to be a perfect space carved out for it in my life right now.

charlotte also happens to be the daughter of jane birkin. i can absolutely see the resemblance.

what i'm listening to--the national.

do you ever hear a song--or two or three or a handful--that totally drives it home? i mean, the kind of song filled with lyrics that seem to be speaking directly to you as if you're the only one listening? several songs by the national feel like just like that, like they were written for me. it's kinda crazy and pretty silly, i know. it's been that way since i first started downloading their music, months and months ago. and since i can't stop listening to them, i thought i'd tell you about their brilliance and share some of my favourite songs and lyrics. each title is linked to a free download of the song so take advantage! the lyrics are great on their own but with the music accompaniment they light up the sky and set your soul soaring.

fake empire
stay out super late tonight picking apples, making pies
turn the light out, say goodnight, no thinking for a little while
let's not try to figure everything out at once
it's hard to keep track of you falling through the sky

mistaken for strangers
you get mistaken for strangers by your own friends
make up something to believe in your heart of hearts
so you have something to wear on your sleeve of sleeves

slow show
my leg is sparkles, my leg is pins
you know i dreamed about you
for 29 years before i saw you
you know i dreamed about you
i missed you for, for 29 years

bloodbuzz ohio
i was carried to ohio in a swarm of bees
i never thought about love when i thought about home

lemonworld
so happy i was invited
gives me reason to get out of the city
i'm too tired to drive anywhere, anyway right now
do you care if i stay?
you and your sister live in a lemonworld

conversation 16
we belong in a movie
we should swim in a fountain
do not want to disappoint anyone
i'm a confident liar
have my head in the oven so you know where i'll be
i'll try to be more romantic
i want to believe in everything you believe
i was less than amazing
fall asleep in your branches
you're the only thing i want anymore

england
someone send a runner
for the feeling that i lost today
you must be somewhere in london
you must be loving your life in the rain

exile vilify
does it feel like a trial?
does it trouble your mind the way you trouble mine?
now you're thinking too fast
you're like marbles on glass
did you fall for the same empty answers again?

so far around the bend
i know you're a serious lady
living off a teacup full of cherries
nobody knows where you are living
nobody knows where you are
wanted to cry but you can't when you're laughing
you're so far around the bend
i'll run through a thousand parties
i'll run through a million bars

think you can wait
i was drifting, crying
i was looking for an island
i was slipping under
i'm out of mind; think you can wait?
i'm way off the line; think you can wait?
what i'm thinking is simple
i won't make trouble
i'll pull the devil down with me one way or another

i cannot get enough of this band. love love love. and it all started with "bloodbuzz ohio."

images courtesy of posthocmanagement.com and lsdimension.com

music for summertime.

new music for summer. new blog to enjoy. great saturday afternoon.

i've spent almost all afternoon browsing and downloading the summer playlists found on k.i.d. collective. (how they knew i was in need of new summer music i have no idea.)

image courtesy of mustardandsage.wordpress.com

meghan at mustard & sage--a favourite blog of mine--submitted a summer playlist and mentioned it on her blog. my curiousity piqued, i followed the link to check out the playlist and see what k.i.d. collective was all about and why she absolutely raved of it.

i know now. it's a clever lifestyle blog. be sure to check it out. i'm loving the read.

p.s. wherever this picture was taken, i want to visit.

tuned in.

i can't stop hitting repeat on my ipod to:

images courtesy of google images