All That I Can See

just be a sister, silly.

2011-11-29T02:10:00.002-05:00

⁴ Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant ⁵or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;^[b] ⁶it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. - 1 Corinthians 13 (ESV)

We've all heard this verse dozens of times each. Even more if you're a forever-bridesmaid. It's a favorite verse among Southern sorority girls and giddy brides-to-be and has been seen in every Nicholas Sparks wedding scene from the last decade. Still, if you wipe away all of your preconceived notions and come to this passage with clear eyes and an open heart, there is so much to be gained.

I was reminded of this passage this week in conversation with a circle of women and it hit harder than it has ever hit before. Partly because this reading came surrounded with one of the most honest conversations that I've had with a group of strangers in a long, long while. We were talking about broken relationships between mothers and daughters and between sisters -- two delicate relationships that I've been really struggling with for the past couple of years.

I get lost sometimes in my own world and my own thoughts when living here in Los Angeles. I spend so much time being guarded in this town that I often forget that my walls aren't needed in every relationship. Not every stranger that I meet is trying to do me harm. Plus, I can't for a second disregard the fact that I practice selfishness far too often these days -- armed with the pretense that I'm just "looking out for me." I forget that people are living the same type of story as I am. That every new conversation that I come upon has the opportunity to connect me with someone who is living the same heartbreak or disappointment or joy or fulfillment as I am. Every connection is an opportunity to find someone who can help make sense of my own story.

And that kind of connection is exactly what I found in this particular conversation.

One of the women was offering advice that wasn't directed at me, but unintentionally rocked my world. She was saying that often times an older sibling can make the mistake of trying to be too many things for their younger sibling -- a confidant, a friend, a partner-in-crime, a provider, a protector, a mother. We do it with good intentions. Everyone is broken and as a good family member we want to unburden our sister or brother from the hurt and pain. But the more that you try to stretch your role as a sister to cover all of the holes and patches that are left behind, the more you start to leave new patches and new holes by your inability to be everything at one time. She offered that it's a sister's job to be just that -- a sister.

Love does not insist on its own way. Wait, what? *mind blown*

Coupled with the thought that love is both patient and kind -- two attributes that I'm not always the best at exemplifying -- I was faced with a challenge. To approach a new kind of conversation with my sister. One where I'm not trying to be the homework police and the jokester and the relationship guru all in one fail swoop. Instead, I want to be the listener with no hidden agenda. To just hear what my sister needs at this moment and find a way to love her and help provide for those needs in the purest way.

It seems like a small change, to live (and in this case, talk) intentionally. But it's a strong step and one that I'm finding is blessed all along the way. I had a conversation with my sister tonight that left us both feeling fulfilled and at peace, rather than one that left me worried and her anxious. And that's the kind of impact that I want to have on her every time we talk.

Feeling really full tonight and really at peace. I hope that you are too.

Love.love.love.
me

between shades of gray

2011-04-01T01:56:00.005-04:00

"these three tiny nations have taught us that love is the most powerful army.
whether love of friend, love of country, love of God, or even love of enemy --
love reveals to us the truly miraculous nature of the human spirit."
- ruta sepetys

I've literally just finished this book. I read the very last page of the Lithuanian acknowledgements and I ran to my computer to try and capture some of these emotions. I read the book in a little over 48 hours and intend to revisit it again as soon as possible. It's a must read. But not in that pretentious "this book is going to be huge" way or a snarky "well the movie that will surely come out will surely have some fantastic actors in it" kind of way. It's a must read in a "this story is so important that you have to share in it" kind of way.

The book is beautifully written -- simple, sensitive and incredibly human. It's an emotional journey told through the eyes (and the drawings) of a strong-willed young Lithuanian girl. I have so many favorite parts and am still amazed that Ruta was able to weave so much into only 350 pages. Above all, this book is a love story. An awe-inspiring, nearly unbelievable love story.

Between Shades of Gray is a Young Adult novel, so it's not littered with too many harrowing or gruesome stories. I certainly recommend that you read this after you've read a flagship Holocaust story like Night -- it'll come through more vividly for you if you have a bit of background on that kind of unthinkable tragedy. And I must say after finishing the novel, I have so many unanswerable questions and a fierce desire to know more, learn more. The physical actions that took place during the Soviet genocide are horrifying enough, but the forced silence that came after is simply terrifying. Having never remotely felt that kind of fear myself, this book pushed my understanding of pain and loss to an uncomfortable, but necessary level. This kind of history is so important to explore, so that these kinds of bigoted and ignorant actions never resurface in any capacity.

---
I should have prefaced the post with this (but at least I'm telling you now...) -- Ruta Sepetys was my absolute favorite professor in college. She's a beautiful person, a wonderful teacher and an inspiring mentor. I'm overjoyed that this book was met with such excitement and am anxiously awaiting where this journey will take her next. xo

Love, love, love.
me.

#now playing springy sing-a-longs

2011-03-27T04:12:00.002-04:00

Taking a look back through this blog, I feel like I've unintentionally given a slightly skewed representation of myself in terms of what catches my fancy and dominates my airwaves. And that's just crazy. Cause if you can accept the part of me that loves sad, heartbreaking ballads and introspective singer-songwriter lyricism, you can also accept the part of me that loves Lady Gaga. No?

Tonight I put together a little mix for some of my nearest and dearest and thought that I'd at least share a track listing so that you can see what puts me in the mood for top-down, giggle-happy spring sing-a-longs. I mean, who doesn't have fond memories that swirl around summer days and spontaneous road trips?

a few of my picks for spring 2k11:
walk the moon - "anna sun" this song is going to be huge.
andy grammer - "keep your head up" choose your own adventure music video: . what more needs to be said?
katy perry "last friday night (t.g.i.f.)" i need some friday nights like this one under my belt. who's in?
graffiti6 "stare into the sun" can't wait for this band to be unleashed on america. get ready, my friends.
nikki & rich "murder u" everyone has a use for this song at some point. see also: "next best thing"
allie moss "melancholy astronautic man" astronauts AND legos?!
noisettes "wild young hearts" huge fan of these guys. total girl crush on shingai. beautiful and badass all at once.
bruno mars "marry you" i'm bored. let's get married?! this song is ridiculous and catchy as hell.
parachute "something to believe in" choirs/big group vocals always get me. every time.
two door cinema club "something good can work" once you get the rhythm down, it makes the best sing-a-long. a hooky challenge, i like to say.
nicole atkins "cry cry cry" this girl is a pistol.
street corner symphony "hey soul sister" i shamelessly love acapella arrangements, and i have an equally strong and shameless love for jeremy lister.
audra mae "here i go again" this song got a new breath of life with this cover. i put it on most of my mixes.

Would love to hear other ideas for favorite beach jams or essential summer sounds. Send 'em my way if you have 'em.

Love, love, love.
me.

hearing: un &#@&% believable.

2011-02-05T04:06:00.002-05:00

The Civil Wars.

Yep, no other reaction to this week for these two and the fantastic team behind them. Heartbreak never hurt this good. Is it time to say we told you so?

Is there anything that these two can't do? It's been such a thrill to watch this week unfold for Joy & JP and their debut Barton Hollow. I wish I had the words to explain why I love this music as much as I do. It courses through my veins and resonates with my southern heart. It slaps you with disbelief -- leaves you wondering when music ever sounded this good. It's effortless and impassioned. Subtle control and obvious talent. Old school sounds and new school style. But above all... it's undeniable.

watching: i'll never listen to 'bleeding love' the same way again.

2011-02-05T03:53:00.003-05:00

..::no strings attached::..

I don't want to give too much away because this movie is a brilliantly crafted romantic comedy. It's the perfect amount of make-yo-momma-blush comedy and surprising romance. Natalie and Ashton are a sublime pairing. Almost makes me feel sad for Justin Timberlake and the forthcoming "Friends With Benefits." The bar is set far too high for the movie to even begin to meet the mark...

And I do have to shamelessly promote the magical piece of music that you'll find in a very pivotal scene... Meet Daniel Ahearn. His breathtaking, heartbreaking ballad "I Will Let You Go" is the standout track in the film, if I do say so myself. And I will say so. Cause that's the work of my lovely boss and I'll happily toot the horn of my coworkers all day every day... and you can't tell me not to.

And just because I can't bring myself to ruin the scene... here's the beautiful music video instead:

reading: oh what a way to start the new year...

2011-02-05T03:11:00.005-05:00

Many of my friends have been subscribing to this one book a month idea for a while now and I love it. It's the perfect goal to set for those of us who want to spend more time with the written word. It's feasible and fulfilling all at once. As with most things, I tend to be a bit of an overachiever with this one, and started out the year with two books (and one right before the holidays, too!)...

PRE-JANUARY READING: JULIET NAKED by nick hornsby -- I'll keep this short. I've always enjoyed Hornsby's writing style and Juliet certainly lives up to her predecessors (think High Fidelity, Fever Pitch, How To Be Good). Not my favorite of Nicky's books thus far, but definitely an enjoyable distraction and an easy read.

JANUARY READING: ROOM by emma donoghue

Synopsis: Five-year-old Jack and his Ma live and eat and play and sleep in one room--an 11×11-foot space that is their prison--captives of the terrifying man Jack calls Old Nick. But as Jack grows older and more curious, it becomes clear that the room will not be able to hold him and Ma forever.

I loved this book. I devoured this book. And it found a home in me, which is really rare. I read ROOM on my way home from the holiday break, right after New Years Day. And by the time that I had lifted off in Knoxville, sprinted through DFW and touched back down in rainy Los Angeles, I was completely changed by Jack and Ma. In all its haunting difficulty, ROOM had seeped in and paralyzed me with its heartbreaking story. The realities of kidnap, sexual enslavement and forced imprisonment that the book presents are enough to sober up any day, but when told through the lens of 5 year-old Jack's limited understanding, the story takes on a deeper hurt. It took me a long time to come out of this one and I even found it hard to interact with people for a while after reading it. I'm typically the quiet girl with her nose desperately buried in the book so that I don't have to talk to my fellow passengers, but this time was different -- more intense. And when my friend Matt picked me up from the airport and I heart my own voice for the first time since I'd pushed through the pages, it was almost startling to realize that I was no longer inside ROOM. Still, I highly recommend this book to anyone that feels up to the emotional challenge.

JANUARY READING: THE MEMORY KEEPER'S DAUGHTER by kim edwards

Synopsis: Dr. David Henry is forced by a blizzard to deliver his own twins. His son, born first, is perfectly healthy. Yet when his daughter is born, he sees immediately that she has Down's syndrome. Rationalizing it as a need to protect Norah, his wife, he makes a split second decision that will alter of their lives forever.

I, like the rest of the female public, had been hearing about this book for months and months. I finally decided to give it a shot when I found it for uber cheap at my all-time favorite book store -- McKays over the break. While it was certainly a dramatic and interesting storyline, I could have done without the indulgent play-by-play of the children's lives. I found myself wishing that several of the years had been omitted entirely. There were too many unnecessary storylines and the character development was hard to follow at times because of the distracting nonessentials. Still, it's easy to see why it was such a big seller in bookstores around the country. It's constant drama -- just when you think that these two families couldn't be more overwhelmed by the cards that life has dealt them, another affair emerges from the shadows or another angsty teenage crisis makes you relish the easy life you lead. It's the stuff of housewives' wet dreams. Can't say that I would revisit it, but I also won't say that I'm not patiently waiting for the oversimplified Hollywood adaptation to make its big debut. It's only a matter of time...

all that i can see?

2011-02-05T02:33:00.002-05:00

Wowzers. It's been a looong time since I revisited this bad boy. While I'm not sad that I took a year off of my sporadic blogging (I do have to confess that most of this was done for a school project...), I do miss being able to document my frame of mind. There's something exciting about preserving a thought process that I found endearing.

But a big thanks to those of you that have said that you enjoy my opinionated/music obsessed/self-indulgent fodder. I hope we can start some real conversations up...

So quick recap from the most unstable year I've had yet... Graduated from college shortly after this last post. Got hired doing things that I loved in Nashville working with some amazing people who continue to inspire me as mentors today. Got an incredible opportunity to spend two weeks in NYC and LA with one of my favorite people in the universe that led to truly insightful musical conversations, a handful of drunken nights, and a job opportunity that literally fell from the sunny skies when I had no intent of looking up. Packed up everything that meant anything, and spent three days on the open road trying to come to terms with the life-changing decision I had just made for myself. And now I've been an LA resident for a little over 8 months... The lifestyle change was difficult and there was a lot of second guessing... but in all honesty, I never could have painted a more perfect career starter than where I am now.

So now you know... Can't promise that these are going to be life updates, but they will be little glimpses into what I'm experiencing.

Let's do this??

SSB Entry #12: Ten out of Tenn

2009-11-30T00:17:00.002-05:00

SSB Entry #12: Ten out of Tenn

I think that I've saved the best for last. This is the hardest inspiration for me to explain, but I'm going to try my hardest to do so. Because it's certainly had the most lasting and intense effect this semester.

This summer, I met Trent and Kristen Dabbs, the masterminds behind an artist collective called Ten out of Tenn. The premise is this... if you highlight ten singer/songwriters living in Nashville, collect them, have each one donate a song to be added to a TOT compilation, and then send them out on a 15-city tour in Willie Nelson's old tour bus, you will inevitably find a way for those ten artists to inspire each other and use the collective buzz to propel each individual career. And guess what... it works.

I've been following the Ten out of Tenn tour/compilation series closely since last summer when Vol. II was released featuring 10 of my favorite artists in Nashville: Andy Davis (whom I interned with for 2 1/2 years), Katie Herzig, Matthew Perryman Jones, Erin McCarley, Tyler James, Griffin House, Jeremy Lister, Butterfly Boucher, k.s. Rhoads, and Trent Dabbs. The Vol. II collective was the first time that the gang had hit the road on tour, since Vol. I had been just a compilation released in 2005. I fell in love with the concept and noticed the legitimate benefit that it brought to each participating artist.

I got the chance to intern for Ten out of Tenn this summer and helped organize and promote the planned Fall East Coast tour with a whole new set of TOT-ers, Vol. III. It was an amazing experience full of music that moved me to the core. Vol. III, in case you're wondering, features Andrew Belle, Kyle Andrews, Madi Diaz, Jedd Hughes, Mikky Ekko, Joy Williams, Ashley Monroe, Sarah Siskind and the return of k.s. Rhoads and Trent Dabbs. The vibe was different with this group, but the tour's success was no different. I guarantee you that if any of these artists were to visit the same East Coast cities that they frequented on this fall tour, they would see a 30-40% increase in ticket sales easily. And that's power that is priceless for an independent artist.

I could go on and on about how TOT has affected me and my view of independent music. But I'll try to keep it short and simple. The Ten out of Tenn concept empowers artists who create great music and is actively re-branding Nashville as the true Music City, showing that our legacy is rich in genres inside and outside of country music.

**Shameless promo... if you're interested at all, the Ten out of Tenn Vol. II gang will be hitting Nashville December 13th at Exit/In one more time as they end their 2009 West Coast Christmas Tour. It'll be brilliant.

SSB Entry #11: The Secret Life of Bees

2009-11-29T16:31:00.002-05:00

"Stories have to be told or they die, and when they die, we can't remember who we are or why we're here."

I very rarely revisit books. In fact, there are only a handful that I've reread twice, let alone three times. I don't typically like the feeling of revisiting a story time and time again because I feel like the mystery is left out of it. When trying to reread a book I really like the first time around, I usually find myself skipping pages or skimming chapters, which is no way to read a book. But The Secret Life of Bees makes to that last list, with only Little Women to accompany it.

"Someone who thinks death is the scariest thing doesn't know a thing about life."

I love the characters in the story, especially August. Sue Monk Kidd crafts these strong, beautiful women who carry a story from start to finish without using too many stereotypes to make her point. August, May, and June come from this quirky family that stands as a beacon during the time of the Civil Rights movement. To the community, they are the black mark in a sea of clean, white paper. But to Lily, they are the red rose in a sea of green bushes.

"...some things don't matter much. Like the color of a house. How big is that in the overall scheme of life? But lifting a person's heart--now, that matters. The whole problem with people is...they know what matters, but they don't choose it...The hardest thing on earth is choosing what matters."

The book has so many layers that you can unpack, which I suppose it why I can enjoy it reading after reading. I always learn something new from the sisters or notice something new about Lily. And it's a heartbreaking story, which always helps me release emotional tension. I guess all women find that one book or movie that makes them cry in a healthy way. Well, mine is certainly The Secret Life. But it's empowering and celebrates strong women, which is what a girl like me needs to hear from time to time...

"It is the peculiar nature of the world to go on spinning no matter what sort of heartbreak is happening."

It's a big that stirs up conversation, especially if you've ever been the victim of abuse or felt the loss of a mother or father at too young of an age. Thankfully, I've never experienced either, but I've certainly been witness to the same stuff that Lily went through. The book serves as a reminder that family is often what you build out of the people around you.

“Most people don’t have any idea about all the complicated life going on inside a hive. Bees have a secret life we don’t know anything about.”

Above all, it stands as a wonderful reminder that things aren't always what they seem, especially if you're looking through rose-colored glasses. Life is sticky sometimes, just like bees' honey. And there's always a secret life going on behind the facade you see.

SSB Entry #10: Sam & Ruby

2009-11-29T16:12:00.002-05:00

SSB Entry #10: Sam & Ruby

Aint Love Somethin (Album Version) - Sam & Ruby

I don't even know where to begin about the music that emerges when these two spend time together. Sam Brooker and Ruby Amanfu are two of the most talented songwriters this town has to offer, and four years ago when they decided to try out a career as a duo, they surprised the Nashville industry with a passion and a chemistry that is altogether breathtaking. While they couldn't be more different, the music they make together creates an immediate intimacy that is unexpectedly sensuous. They aren't married and never have been a couple, but you would swear that they had been together for a lifetime.

Sam & Ruby are so dear to my heart simply because they make music that is relateable and classic. They blend smooth R&B with homegrown Americana to produce a sound that's both original and familiar all at the same time. Their song, "Heaven's My Home," which was written by Ruby and friend Katie Herzig won a Grammy a few years back when The Duhks made it their own. Just this past year Sam & Ruby's version hit the silver screen in The Secret Life of Bees creating a perfect artistic marriage between two beautiful audio and visual moments.

Their music and their lives inspire me to celebrate the life I live, just as I live it. And to appreciate the little blessings that God bestows upon each of us. I just feel so blessed to call them friends.

SSB Entry #9: Lee Steffen's Twitter

2009-11-29T15:51:00.002-05:00

SSB Entry #9: Lee Steffen's Twitter

@leesteffen

No doubt, that Lee is one of my favorite people on Twitter to follow. Since it's still in a relatively new stage for a major website, people are still trying to figure out interesting and inventive ways to attract an audience on Twitter. But this guy has been doing it since the beginning. He took the 140-character opportunity that Twitter presented and instead of succumbing to the "What are you doing now?" boxed answer, Lee stepped outside and showed his followers what he thought was interesting. He was answering, "What's fascinating you right now?" or "What's inspiring you right now?"

His real-life job is as a graphic and visual designer. He oversees photo shoots, branding plans, video shoots, and a whole host of other design projects. His company Penguin Creative specializes in editorial design and brand development. You can check out his work using that link ^.

While this may sound like such an odd thing to be inspired by, I find those little tweets that Lee sends out inspiring time and time again. He's inspired by anything and everything having to do with the visual arts and he finds interesting exhibitions or showcases to share with everyone that indicate just what creative forces are at work in the industry. From the latest Leibowitz shoot in Vanity Fair, to new graphics that will be used in the 2012 Olympics, to fascinating architecture being planned in Asia, he covers the whole field.

In order to get the best understanding of the impact that he has, you'll have to follow him for yourself (if you're into Twitter). But here are some of my favorite tweets from the past semester:

Great photo concept of what life would look like in Los Angeles without any traffic: http://bit.ly/7Xl5ha

Hansel and Gretel Remade For Vogue by Annie Leibowitz: http://bit.ly/6kNXnZ

"Imagination is more important than knowledge." -Einstein

These proposed 2012 Olympic Transport Posters are beautifully minimalistic and explanatory: http://su.pr/1qnB34

Insane Origami Paper Folding: http://bit.ly/17fBO3

Amazing gallery of color Photography from Russia in the early 1900’s. Unreal these are 100 years old: http://bit.ly/ffnTy

SSB Entry #8: Underwater Photography

2009-11-29T14:09:00.002-05:00

SSB Entry #8: Underwater Photography

Underwater photography just fascinates me.

When I was young, there were magical worlds under the water. We had a pool in our backyard when I was in grade school. On hot summer afternoons, the deep end transformed into majestic ballrooms complete with beautiful ladies in floor length gowns and handsome princes that swirled them around the dance floor. Or quaint tea rooms where my animal friends and I would share a piping cup of Earl Grey and chat about the wonderful weather we'd been having.

So when I see photographs cloudy with that mystery that only water can bring, I'm brought right back to those magical worlds that I explored as a child. Except this time, they're being created right in front of me.

I wish I were back in the UK because the Movieum of London is showcasing underwater photographs from movies such as Casino Royale, The Da Vinci Code and Elizabeth: The Golden Age, as well as television features and music videos in a Water on Lens exhibition that runs October 1 -28! [That's where the photos come from! Check out even more here.]

SSB Entry #7: Precious

2009-11-28T23:00:00.002-05:00

SSB Entry #7: Precious

Finally, a movie hits the list. To be honest, I haven't really seen that many movies this year, and certainly hadn't seen any that moved me like this one did. Now, I'm not normally one to fawn over Oprah and her wonderful literary and artistic choices, but this film is too important to ignore.

Life is hard. Life is short. Life is painful. Life is rich. Life is....Precious.

Even the tagline to the movie is beautiful. Honestly, this movie was incredibly painful to watch. Not because my life aligned with what I was seeing on the screen (because our lives couldn't have been more different) but rather because my heart ached knowing that the violence and adversity that Claireece Precious Jones faced was real... and rampant. Her story is unfortunately not unique and even more unfortunately, surprising. We hardly ever hear painful stories of domestic child abuse, sexual assault, incestual relations, and illiteracy -- and never all rolled into one tragic package.

But like any other Oprah message, this movie leaves you with a sense of hope. Hope that tomorrow Precious is going to wake up to a new day more empowered than in her last. And hope that she's going to get past this adversity and succeed in this world. And hope that her dreams won't ever get crushed by the cruelties of this world.

I recommend the movie to anyone and every one. It's movies like this that awaken us to pain and struggle in our own country. I feel like the only way to combat that struggle is through education and awareness. And this is one giant step towards empowering women and families with that awareness and knowledge.

SSB Entry #6: The Civil Wars, “Poison and Wine”

2009-11-28T22:54:00.001-05:00

SSB Entry #6: The Civil Wars, “Poison and Wine”

I could go on and on about this song, but first…

That song is by far the best new song to come out of Nashville in 2009, in my opinion. It’s haunting melody moves the listener through this tragic story of separation and discontent. You listen as a relationship is steadily being destroyed by apathy. This man thinks he’s able to hide his lack of emotion and his feeling from his wife, who knows full well that their marriage is over. She wishes that she could be satisfied by being held inh his arms and comforted, but understands that act would only bring them both pain because it would be loveless.

“I don’t love you, but I always will” screams of confused loyalty and the longing that they both express to have the perfect marriage and uphold that sanctity of marriage. It’s the purest expression of a failed southern marriage. The relationship is dead and both parties know it, but the full act of separation is still too harsh to come to terms with.

It’s lyrical longing and wonderful tragedy set to music and it breaks my heart over and over with each subsequent listen.

SSB Entry #5: Andrew Belle, The Ladder

2009-11-28T22:46:00.003-05:00

SBB Entry #5: Andrew Belle, The Ladder

Andrew Belle is one of my favorite new finds of the year. There’s something soothing about his melancholy voice that has me enamored with this new set of songs. Tracks from this album found their way to me when resident Nashville start-up, Brite Revolution, signed Andrew on as one of their featured Emerging Artists. Andrew then released demos from The Ladder each month as part of the subscription service. Lucky for me, these songs were on my iPod and in my ears just before I stepped on the plane for London.

Static Waves (MP3) - Andrew Belle

This particular album got to me because it’s packed with little surprises and it adapts to each setting it’s placed in. For instance, I walked around Trafalgar Square with “Static Waves” and “I’ll Be Your Breeze” buzzing, and wasn’t distracted by overproduction or driving bass beats. Instead, it enjoyed the slow discovery of the British streets just as much as I did, progressing as casually as my steps did. Still, late at night in my dorm, it would be just me and those same songs, except this time the lyrics were alive and working in my head. They were smart and effortlessly romantic. It seems like each new time I revisit this collection, a new line catches my attention and my reverence.

This CD makes me proud of my city, that it could capture the heart of a fledgling songwriter like Andrew and help him find a creative community that could document his wonderful sound and fully embrace his craft. Andrew joined the Ten out of Tenn tour almost as soon as he made his way to Nashville. And I must say that pairing of Andrew Belle and Nashville has done wonders for my heart.

SSB Entry #4: Jeremy Cowart Photography

2009-11-28T21:48:00.003-05:00

SSB Entry #4: Jeremy Cowart Photography

It doesn’t take much for me to be impressed when it comes to photography, simply because I don’t really have an eye for things like that. Or I guess I should say, I just don’t know how to translate my eye for an image into the image itself. But this main certainly knows how to capture a moment. Ladies and gentlemen… Jeremy Cowart.

I think that I enjoy Jeremy’s work so much because he centers his work on the story he’s trying to tell or the image he’s trying to create. He’s captured moments for the rich and famous and the poor and oppressed. He’s worked on projects for Sting, Imogen Heap, Britney Spears, Brandi Carlisle, Miss America, the CMT Awards Ten out of Tenn, and a slew of non-profit organizations. His photos always capture a raw beauty in his subjects and his lens is always centered on the most realistic of details. Obviously from viewing his images, it’s his work in the editing stage that makes his work stand out, but he really does have a knack for capturing one-of-a-kind moments by accident as well. I really can't wait for his new photography book, Awakening, to come out in the spring!

Besides being a phenomenal photography, Jeremy has a heart of gold. His work away from the camera is perhaps just as inspiring as the photos he captures and shares. Just as I was moving to Nashville, Jeremy released a book called Hope in the Dark with Blood Water:Mission coordinator Jena Lee that captured their journeys in Africa building wells and setting up orphanages and medical centers. The book was a beautiful representation of “the humanity of Africa’ and has been one of my favorite photographic novels in recent years.

This year Jeremy also set up Help Portrait which is a non-profit movement that seeks to unite professional and amateur photographers alike in an effort to serve their community. He is calling for photographers to use their time, equipment, and expertise to give back to those who are less fortunate this holiday season. All you have to do is find someone, take their portrait, print their portrait and deliver them. It’s a wonderfully simple way to make an impact and start a movement.

SSB Entry #3: Mikky Ekko

2009-11-28T21:23:00.001-05:00

Entry #3: Mikky Ekko, The Complete Package

"keep this kid sedated with color and sound, with color and sound.
we've gotta keep this kid sedated with color and sound, with color and sound.

contradictions in words prey on a soul white, honey.
and an addiction to verbs is a soul wide junkie."
- "sedated"

So last night, something happened that I don't experience every time I step out at a concert in Nashville... I actually listened to the music I went out to see.

I really honestly and genuinely devoted my time, set aside my multi-tasking mind, and just opened my mind to the music. And I was blessed to discover that the words and sounds coming back at me were beautifully and purposefully crafted. His name was Mikky Ekko and I had to know more.

Originally from Mississippi [Yes, I went home and researched this guy AND bought his CD off of iTunes right after the show], Steve Suddath moved to Nashville to pursue a degree at MTSU. After four years being the main man on campus (In 2005 he was named Mr. MTSU, a title I'm sure he's slightly embarrassed of now.), he graduated, traded in his frat boy polo, embraced a new outlook on his creative endeavors, and moved to East Nashville to devote his time and energy to music. What is surprising about Steve is that he wasn't satisfied to arrange a few songs (he doesn't play an instrument on stage, but most definitely writes all of the music and lyrics himself), perfect his vocals, and establish a safe, commercially viable image for himself (which arguably would have been easy with his fantastic range and Greek God-like looks.). Instead, his music came from a creative center, radiating out of every pore in his body. The music became a complete lifestyle for him, transforming him from the inside out. He opted for a stage persona, complete with fantastic tribal face paint, greasy V-neck T-shirts, and an eerie intensity. He created a character with Mikky Ekko. But don't get me wrong, Ekko is not about a gimmick or a Lady Gaga-like appearance. It's a ways to completely lose yourself in the music he is presenting. Mikky Ekko gives the audience a complete experience. The music is experimentally interesting, but keeps a commercial sensibility. The performance is visually stimulating with Mikky himself surrounded by a cast of talented and eclectic band members, each also donning the tribal face paint. Really, it's a group of people who aren't controlled by the popular image of indie-rock, but rather embrace a new sound... ready to sedate the crowd with color and sound.

Feel free to pick up a free copy of Mikky Ekko’s debut EP called Strange Fruit here. http://www.noisetrade.com/mikkyekko In the meantime, here’s the song that started it all for me…

Sedated by Mikky Ekko

SSB Entry #2: Dead Language by k.s. Rhoads

2009-11-28T21:17:00.001-05:00

Entry #2: Dead Language by k.s. Rhoads

"i spoke my heart beneath the moon
true love songs sing out of tune
turned the lock to let her in
there is no room in this place for a... gentleman.

i lit her smoke in black and white.
she wore my coat the whole damn night.
loved like we were young again.
what a foolish thing it seems to be the gentleman."
- "the gentleman"

I've known about k.s. Rhoads for about three years now, but just recently dove into his full-length album, Dead Language. For me, Rhoads had always been an afterthought on the live music circuit in Nashville. I've seen him perform half a dozen times, and am always impressed with the dimension he brings to the stage. Still, he has always been an opener for a more popular friend or lending support on keys, safely hidden away.

But he's a brilliant musician in his own right. He's a multi-talented instrumentalist -- At any given time he'll be directing a string quartet through an arrangement that he has composed, killing a guitar solo, tickling a baby grand, or freestyling during a beatbox breakdown. Here's what local music columnist Angie Bianchi had to say in a preview of a Rhoads show at 12th & Porter...

"He likes to think of the works of the classic composers as transcendent, high art. And what he hopes to do with his own music is to “get better at blending high art with street art.” Street art, to Rhoads, ranges from what people are doing on the streets today (like beatboxing) to the old, original folk artists who sang and played on the streets of Europe." - Nashville Indie Music Examiner

His songs are little symphonic stories. He plays off of classic literary figures and characters and mixes styles from genres of all kind -- jazz, blues, pop, rock, soul, etc. I've never met someone so diverse in their creativity and still unsure of his talents. Such a blessing to the Nashville music scene.

You can grab Kevin’s music on iTunes, but to tide you over here’s his music video for a fantastic song called “Dark Hotel.” It’s hauntingly beautiful and it very indicative of the creative energy he put into his album. I think it really showcases his ability to create something unexpected and new at a time when creativity in music runs short.

SSB Entry #1: Mere Christianity

2009-11-28T21:16:00.000-05:00

Entry #1: Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis

The thing about truly appreciating this book is that you have to have the full story.

You see, it's trendy in my generation (and has been for quite some time) to like Mere Christianity and to use it to praise the achievements of the progressive, non-denominational American Church. To say that we are getting back to what matters -- Jesus. Reading groups gravitate toward this book because it’s a wonderful book to read if you want to feel (and justified) great about separating from traditional, religious monotony… especially if you pick and choose from the messages the book is sending.

But what this book is, is a call to action. It's a slap in the face, a wake-up call. C.S. Lewis isn't providing a pat on the back for so-called "progressive Christians," but rather is condemning apathetic Christians and pleading for action. He wants us to step outside the safety of Church life, delve into scripture, and truly understand mere Christianity and what it means to be Christ-centered.

This summer I was blessed with the opportunity to dive into Lewis’ life by taking a class called The Inklings, that centered on the lives of J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis and the contributions that both men and the intellectual group they started (called The Inklings) helped to change the course of literary history. It was a fascinating getting to see how these men lived and what they thought. I always find that taking classes like that one, where our reading was coupled with in-depth and intelligent discussion and field trips that took us to homes, museums, and restaurants that gave cultural reference to the novels, always adds more life to a piece of work. I understood the motivations behind Lewis’ need to publish Mere Christianity and The Screwtape Letters. By learning about Lewis’ own journey toward Christianity, it’s easier to understand his teachings and the emphasis he puts on action and combat against apathy.

For me, this book was about the life that Lewis had led as an atheist for the greater part of his younger years and the Truth he faced when walking along Addison's Walk with Tolkien. It's about the humble, but active life he lived at the Kilns and the passion he brought to the Oxford and Cambridge classrooms. Once you have the full story of Lewis' life as a Christian man, Mere Christianity becomes so much more than you'd expect. It's a conversation starter -- a life renewer. It brings to mind questions that you're afraid or unable to ask and offers answers that you should continually seek. For a non-believer, it's a peek into life as a mere Christian. And for the believer, like me, it's a wake-up call to look past the safety of traditional Church life and to embrace a Christ-centered life -- however messy that may be. For me, it was wonderful Truth in conversational art form.

Sapientia Sapor Boni

2009-11-28T21:07:00.003-05:00

I've been telling you guys all about my Creativity class and I really just feel like these are perfect things to share here on the ol' blog. The next series of entries are going to be centered around my Sapientia Sapor Boni list that I've made throughout the semester.

Sapientia Sapor Boni means ‘it is wisdom to savor what is good’ and comes from Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, a Cistercian monk. Reed wants us to think about the things that we take in that really have an impact, and really inspire us. Now, I completely realize that most of this list will be made up of music, but you all have to understand that that's what I spend most of my free energy on...

So here goes nothing...

HERO: Benji Frank

2009-10-26T09:03:00.005-04:00

INTEGRATED.

Since we started this Creativity class back in August, this concept of "being integrated" has been the single most interesting topic we've covered. I've really been thinking about it ever since. And I believe that I've come to the conclusion that it's what I desire most out of life. If I boil down every other desire that I have (I want to be successful, I want to travel, I want to develop and maintain meaningful relationships, I don't want to stay in the same job forever, etc.) it all comes back to this foundation of integrating knowledge and learning and creating a life based on that integration. So when I started thinking about my heroes and who I wanted to "spotlight" for this specific project, I measured all of them according to this ideal.

While I can't say that I have lots of heroes in the traditional sense of having heroes, I do admire lots and lots of people. I just don't have biographies and posters and collections of artifacts all aimed at a single person. When asked for a hero, I don't always have someone that comes directly to mind. But as I said, I admire lots of people. In fact, I think I admire hundreds of people, but only in the most superficial ways. Not that I mean to be superficial about it, but admiration breeds from familiarity and there really aren't that many famous or historically relevant people that I could recite facts about.

Still, with this idea of integration in mind, one person always comes to mind... Benjamin Franklin.

Actually, we've been talking about Benji boy in my American Literature class for a few weeks, now that we've approached the time of the Colonials and the founding of the nation. And as soon as we began exploring his life and reading excerpts from his Autobiography, it became immediately apparent that I was looking in the face of someone who nearly perfected integration as it pertains to knowledge and a lifestyle. Besides being an original American hero and arguably the first "quintessential American," Franklin was the master of living an integrated life.

Creative people are imaginative, resourceful, and self-directed and I can't think of anyone who better embodies these characteristics as Benjamin Franklin. (Well, I'm sure that there are... but we rarely find people these days who are truly Renaissance men and women. We value specialities too much for people to cast their knowledge net too far outside their field of work/interest.) A quick look at Franklin's resume (as far as we know it today), shows that he worked as a printer, author, politician, ambassador, inventor, activist, theorist, mediator, soldier, and community leader. Not to mention being a son, brother, husband, and friend (Benji boy was quuuuite popular, especially amongst the bars).

He tried to be a virtuous man, but had flaws. He was a leader in the Enlightenment with his Deist beliefs and scientific progress, but still kept a foundation in the religious ideas he was raised with. He invented the lightning rod, Franklin stove, bifocals, carriage odometer, and a whole slew of tools that would later be perfected under other progressive minds. Likewise, he started the first public library and instituted the first community fire department. He thought big picture, but more importantly, was self-directed enough to enact change with action. He was a true lover of learning and was a lifetime scholar. To quote some cheesy cliche, he had his hand in almost every pot around.
They say, too, that a creative life is a life spent overcoming impediments. For starters, Benjamin Franklin embodied the rags to riches tale that became the ideal for American dreamers. As the youngest son of Josiah Franklin, a candlemaker/soap boiler, Ben didn't really have the option of higher education. It just wasn't financially possible for the family to send him. However, Ben always got creative when it came to his apprenticeships and often charmed enough people to get what he wanted out of a less than perfect opportunity. While working with his brother, as a printing assistant, he made enough connections to free him from the Boston market and allow him to strike out on his own in Pennsylvania. Later in life, he helped the American birth and overcame the British influence. It's easy to see that he spent his life fighting for what he believed in, all while keeping favor on his side.

Franklin was a master manipulator, brilliant statesman, likeable politician, and above all -- he was human. He wrote books about American virtue and keeping on the straight and reasonable path of righteousness, but himself struggled with sin just as much as the next guy. He had a drinking problem, an illegitimate child, a common law marriage, and numerous failed projects. Still, he often crafted positives out of the negatives in his life, hardly ever stopping for long to feel sorry for himself.

For me, Franklin is the embodiment of an integrated hero. Looking back on his life, I see a man who tried and failed numerously, but ultimately painted a picture of himself as the original American Renaissance man. He didn't allow people to see him in his "down moments. " Instead he focused attention on his accomplishments and his dream-like journey from rags to riches. He valued knowledge, even that of women (although he was far from a feminist or any sort of women's rights activist). He was a visionary, unafraid of action. He cultivated his interests with a furvor that would impress anyone. He was the antithesis of apathy. And for that reason, he is my hero.

Things I Love.

2009-09-09T00:19:00.001-04:00

And just for fun. Here's another entry we did in the ol' PCN. This time, we had ten minutes to write about the things that we love. Just an open and completely honest self-assessment on what brought us sheer joy.

I love waking up to a blank schedule.
Similarly, I love waking up knowing that a full day awaits me.
I love hearing an album I've been anticipating for the very first time.
I love the "break-down" sing-a-longs when you're in a packed-house concert. Everyone singing along to the same song, in the same moment.
I love driving with my two best friends with the radio blaring.
I love exiting a tube stop, equipped with only a map and a list of bookshops, but still having no clue where I am in the city.
I love meeting new people who have a desire to make a new friend.
I love seeing a 100% or an A+ on a school project.
I love working with a team of people who truly have a common goal.
I love hearing people talk about the passions that drive them.
I love the feeling you get after an exhausting cardio workout.
I love getting lost in a conversation -- one that has no awkward silence and delves deep under the surface.
I love hearing my sister talk about the "life lessons" she is finally understanding. Her journey is so different than mine.
I love escaping from my reality into someone else's story, especially in a movie theater where I can get lost in the giant screen.
I love knowing that my friends can depend on me.

Care to share yours?

Love.love.love.
me.

Time for some honesty.

2009-09-08T23:56:00.004-04:00

Sorry that it's been so long. This summer was trip for sure. Spend the first part learning to handle my liquor and the last part learning how to learn in a brand new city. 2009 has been life changing to say the least. Can't believe that I've been so selfish as to keep you guys out in the wide world so out of the loop. I promise I'll go back and fill in some of the holes in the story.

I just have to say, God has quite the sense of humor. I found myself last week telling people that London completely threw me for a loop. I came back not sure that Nashville was where I wanted to be or that working my butt off in the music industry was where I wanted to be. I was having a quarter life crisis a few years too early. Graduation is upon me (Dec. 09, friends) and I'm stuck in this place where answers are expected. Not from anyone in particular. Actually, more specifically, just from me. I always thought that I would be the person who had the next step figured out. But here I am... freaking out.

And then God steps in and hands me a semester like this one on a silver platter. Suddenly I'm faced with classes like Ethics where I'm stripped of all of the media expectations and industry politics and talking about the down and dirty ways that people try to justify unjustifiable things. I'm coming face to face with what I truly hold to be right and wrong. And that's a powerful place to go. Or classes like Senior Capstone where I'm in a room with nine other freaked out seniors and we're all talking about life after graduation together. Or Exercise Yoga where I have to take an hour and forty minutes away from schedules and numbers and obligations and emails and I have to focus on breathing. Just. my. breathing.

And then there's my Career Creativity class. At first, I'll be the first to admit, I thought this class was a joke and a complete waste of my time. It was an unrealistic look at dreaming. But I'm starting to realize that it's slowly but surely effecting my thinking. By consciously thinking about things that I love and things that I want in life, I'm allowing myself to alter my present course of action. I'm starting to have a tiny bit more clarity about that light at the end of the tunnel.

So in honor of Reed's sixth step, showing, here's a little entry for you guys. We have to keep these journals called Personal Creativity Notebooks (yes, the entire class is this cheesy) and this entry is about what I imagine my perfect day in my perfect life as. After writing it I realized it spoke more about what I want than I originally expected. I just kind of wrote without regard for where the entry was taking me. Okay enough with the intro.. here it is.

_______________________________________________

When asked to explain my perfect life, at first I'm unwilling to let my imagination run free. At this age, at this season, I feel like I'm supposed to temper my imagination with some sense of reality. But for the sake of this exercise and for the sake of trying to discover my innermost desire, why not just let it go.

I want to be working at a job where my creativity could be channeled to promote the creativity of others. I have never thought of myself as a creative type, at least in terms of creating content. But now, with the help of my internships and even with the few class sessions that we've had, I'm starting to understand that creativity can be applied to all areas of life. So I'd like to eventually get to a point where I'm comfortable breaking down the normal definition of creativity and calling myself a creative person.

Still, I have to be honest... my mind works just fine within the confines of a structured, more "corporate" lifestyle. I'd like to be working for a larger entertainment company, like Nettwerk, Warner Music Group, or Fox Searchlight, as opposed to the smaller boutique companies that I've been interning at. I love independent music, though, so much further down the road I'd like to come back to that area of the industry and really devote my time to bringing life to the careers of unsigned musicians. But for the sake of being able to provide for myself (with rent, groceries, etc.) and still have money left over to create a social life for myself (and possibly travel if I ever get to the point of having vacation...), I want to be at a company that has the resources to provide. I like the stability of having an insurance plan or a benefits package, and I certainly wouldn't mind being able to depend on a steady paycheck. While I'm quite sure that I could be resourceful enough to live from paycheck to paycheck (because we did as a family when I was younger), I tend to be a person who stresses over that kind of instability.

Essentially, I want to be able to pour all of my time and energy (yes, I tend to be a workaholic, when I give myself the opportunity) into helping creative people find an audience.

I want to live in a big city where I can step outside of the office on any given night and have a plethora of activities/events/functions to attend. I want to be living comfortably enough to afford pleasures like movies, concerts, and theater tickets. I've always said that prerequisites for a job would include getting free CDs and free concert tickets. Now, I think that I would be happy working in film or television as well.

More than anything, I want to be surrounded by people who want the same things as me. I'd like to be working in a department with people who are self-motivated and loyal to the cause. I like working in a team atmosphere, but also appreciate the opportunity to create and express my own ideas. I thrive in a collaborative atmosphere where ideas are built by a combination of efforts.

In terms of a perfect day, I'd like to have a call-time at work around 10:00 AM, be able to work with a small department of people to assess what needs we can fulfill for an artist on our roster or a project on our list, and have the type of work day where 5:00 comes faster than I'd planned simply because I got "lost" in the tasks before me. I want to have a creative space of my own, where I can concentrate fully on my work, but don't want to be far removed from other people. If I have an office to myself, I want to have windows that allow for natural sunlight to help break up the monotony of a fluorescent day. And I want to be surrounded by bright colors, whether that be the paint on the walls, or the artwork/pictures that I'm allowed to bring with me to make my space my own. I want to leave work around 6:00 or 7:00 in the evening and know that down the street there was a concert waiting for me to attend or a movie premiere to catch. Like everyone, I want to enjoy the people I work with and be able to invest in a life outside of work.

I want to be in a profession that gives me direction and purpose, but I don't necessarily want to be defined by the work that I do. I want to know that my life is well-rounded and that I'm still allowing time to give back to my community or to invest in my neighbors. Because a life without living in community is a sad one indeed.

Love.love.love.
me

Immortalizing My Time In Los Angeles... in song.

2009-05-11T08:55:00.002-04:00

Well friends, I'm actively pursuing the east coast. Chillin' with the cuz and cranking the tunes on I-40. There's something about the open road that's refreshing, and stifling at the same time. As I drift further and further from my home in LA, my chest gets tighter and my mind heavy with memories. But a coming reunion keeps me going. Don't get me wrong, I'm so excited to see you again, but there is no doubt in my mind that these last four months have been some of the greatest of my life. I'm not an entirely new person, but there's a newness about me that I'm sure you'll pick up on.

I thought that it might be kind of fun to give you a glimpse inside me head. These are the songs that will forever remind me of Los Angeles for one reason or another. For now, I'll stick with song titles and artists. Maybe after today's driving responsibilities I'll edit the post and give you a little more to go off of.

We'll meet up soon. It'll be good to jump into conversations that have been on pause for too long.

Track Listing:
1. You Found Me - The Fray
2. I'm Not Your Boyfriend Baby - 3OH!3
3. Gives You Hell - All American Rejects
4. Love In This Club - Usher
5. Chasing Pavements - Adele
6. Love Is Here - Tenth Avenue North
7. That's Just The Way We Roll - Jonas Brothers
8. Sweet Caroline - Neil Diamond
9. Come Pick Me Up - Ryan Adams
10. Show Me What I'm Looking For - Carolina Liar
11. Hollywood's Not America - Ferras
12. Right Round - Flo Rida
13. After Tonight - Justin Nozuka
14. Natalie's Rap - The Lonely Island (feat. Natalie Portman)
15. Little Bit - Lykke Li
16. Kiss Me Thru The Phone - Soulja Boy Tell 'Em
17. Love Story - Taylor Swift

Top Five Things To Do in LA... If you're feeling lucky.

2009-04-21T03:11:00.017-04:00

First of all, I'd like to emphasize the title. For some reason, Chase seemed to think that I was going to be detailing Top Five Ways to Get Lucky in Los Angeles. But that is something that I have neither any interest nor experience in.. so you'll have to go somewhere else to get some help with the ladies/gents. This here countdown is merely the top five reasons that I'm the luckiest little girl in the whole wide world.

1. See Elton and Billy. Face 2 Face. A.k.a.: Have a rockin' friend that so desperately wants to go and see her childhood idol that she will set it up so that you pay a fraction of the cost for a ticket.
So, no surprise here: Brianna Conrad loves Billy Joel. Also no surprise: Elton John makes me giggly like a schoolgirl. So what happens when the forces of nature agree to make our wishes come true and reunite the two giants on the 45th leg (this is only an estimation... who really knows how long this tour has been going on, off and on?) of their critically acclaimed, fan-favorite Face 2 Face tour? Pure ecstasy. That's what.
Brianna and I discovered our good fortune long before arriving out in Los Angeles, but had been determined to score free tickets to the concert come hell or high water. Although the weather in Los Angeles most definitely gets to hell-like degrees, it was probably high water that came because by two weeks before the show in Anaheim, neither of us had free tickets. However, what we did have was a wonderful friend/ally named Terri. Terri (for reasons still unknown to me at this time) had no use for the two tickets that she had bought to this tour and gladly agreed to sell them to Brianna at just under face value. Brianna in turned, heckled me into buying one of the tickets off of her and joining her for the concert of epic proportions. $75 out of my pocket later, I was headed to see Elton and Billy.I can't tell you that this is the best ticket that I've ever spent money for, but it most certainly hits the top three. In fact, I'm quite positive that nothing will ever come close to the surrealism I experienced in that complex. Billy and Elton most certainly still have it. After all of these years.

I've never seen myself a better time and I guess I never will.

Lesson in luck learned?: No matter what the price, let the piano man sing you a song. For Pete's sake.

2. Sneak into the Grammys after being overlooked by your volunteer supervisor and left in the cold with no tickets in your hand. A.k.a.: I promise I'm not bitter, because we made the best of it, suckas.

Let's face it, nothing beats the Grammys. We all knew it coming into this program and the fact was only solidified after this night. I really wish that we had been able to take cameras along with us on the fantastic journey that was the Grammy Red Carpet, but alas my own 3X5 Memory Cards (yeah, a lame pun.) will have to do. I'll always remember the time that Dave Grohl and I spent together. The five words he spoke to me will live in my heart forever.

NOTE: This picture has nothing to do with anything. But I'll have you know, I was standing directly behind the photographers taking this shot, desperately trying to convince anyone that John Mayer did in fact need an escort...

Still... nothing beats sneaking into the actual awards show either. If you watched it on television you KNOW how fantastic the show was from start to end. And it was only made better by the various angles through which we got to see the show. Okay, that was my thick sarcasm for the post. It actually really sucked that we had to sneak our way in because that means that we were constantly fearing for our event attendance each time we were pass by a security guard. I can't even tell you how many times we heard the words "I'm sorry, but you can't be here without a ticket." during the show. But it was a loooht.
We finally settled in the safety of nosebleed seats and got to see Allison Krauss and Robert Plant accept their undeserved Grammy (wait, did I say that?) and were allowed to marvel at the genius that is Justin Timberlake at a baby grand. All in all it was a night to remember. Followed by several nights trying to remember how we were brave enough to just walk right in. Good times, indeed.

Lesson in luck learned?: Never underestimate the power of a volunteer badge. Even if they don't tell you every area that they will allow you in, using trial and error you can find quite a few. Including backstage media areas, press holding areas, catering rooms, and the sections where no one wants to sit. :)

3. Ride around the Newport Harbor in a stocked yacht all because you made friends with a rockstar wannabe. A.k.a. I hardly ever pull an Andy Davis card, but in this case...I don't always claim these two jokesters (okay that's a lie. I'm just trying to play it cool.), but sometimes it works out well. I've been working with (From L2R:) Nathan Angelo and Andy Davis for count 'em three years now (since I started at good ol' Belmont) and they've become the two best big brothers that I never ever asked for. Coming out to LA, I figured that I'd be Nashvilleless for four months, but to my surprise, my two favorite musicians made a trip out to participate in the 3 Hour Tour and invited me along. Typically tickets to this boat tour around Newport Harbor go for $50 a pop, which is a bargain considering you get three hours of independent musician goodness and a free meal (including the best macaroni and cheese I've ever put in my mouth!). Still, Na and AD counted me in as a stow away and I hopped on the tour for free.

On this particular tour, nine musicians were featured in varying set times (most of them had about twenty minutes to play... some took more. ahemJoeyRyanahem.) all while the lovely yacht was touring a very lovely stretch of Newport Harbor. So, here's the dealio with the 3 Hour Tour. Erin, the founder, decided to throw herself a killer birthday a couple of years back and ended up throwing herself a fabulous yacht cruise with her favorite musicians, favorite friends, and a whole slew of strangers. Her idea had gotten too expensive for her to dream up on her own and she saw the business opportunity here and started what is now the 3 Hour Tour. Five tours later and you find us on this particular yacht on this, the day after Valentine's Day (also the 25th Birthday of said Nathan Angelo). The event was so lovely. The food was great. The music was even better. I found my new favorite SoCal musician in Ryan Collins AND I got to meet a whole cast of new characters. This was definitely one of my favorite days here in LA due to the perfect balance of music and new friends, but can only imagine what this cruise would have been like in Nashville...

From L2R/T2B: Andy Davis, Ryan Collins, Kevin Hammond, Joey Ryan, Jay Nash, Nathan Angelo, 3 Hour Tour creator/CEO Erin Hetrick, Brett Young, Lelia Broussard, and Nina Simone

Lesson in luck learned?: Make friends with the local rockstar wannabe (preferably one with singer/songwriter style) and hit up Erin Hetrick with your recommendation on who she should feature on the next tour. Then your friendship can kick in and you can get the hook-up too!

4. Attend the Golden God Awards in style. A.k.a.: Embrace the cultural experience that stems from a Metal Music Awards Show.

I have a lovely friend named Cirbey who came out to visit me in the lovely week of April 3rd-11th. While she was here, she met up with her old friend, Whitney Bishop. Unbeknownest to be, Whitney would be a recurring theme in my life for the next week. (There's a whole side story to this, but I promise it has nothing to do with this blog. Suffice to say, it is a small world.) But Ms. Bishop (who works for Career Artist Management and represents Vanessa Carlton. Remember "A Thousand Miles?") graciously invited Meg, Cirbey and I out to experience the wonders of "pleather and chains" and see the CAM artist, Megadeath perform. How lucky am I?, you're asking. Very lucky.

The event was held at Club Nokia (in the Staples Center complex) on April 7th. It was well attended and well planned. In fact, walking into the Golden God Awards was like walking into Oz. It was the very collision of glitter and leather; white trash and Hollywood glamour; mohawks and mini-skirts. The men were rockers and the girls were pin-ups. And my friends and I? We were sore thumbs. But highly satisfied sore thumbs. Honestly the night was a bit of a blur. We were shuffled by Whitney and her friends into Club Nokia, upstairs into the VIP hallway, past security guards to VIP lounges, out onto smoking decks and back in again -- in and out of metal black, stark white, and lush red all night long. The VIP lounge was smoggy, much like my understanding of the actual awards, but the Club had placed red accents and red lighting throughout the lounge to fit perfectly with the tone of the awards. The awards honored the best of metal music and culminated in crowning Ozzy Ozbourne with a Lifetime Achievement Award and a thrilling performance by Megadeath. The fans were ecstatic and the only damper in the night came when the lead singer of Atreyu was booed (The cause of the booing is still unknown to me at this time. If someone would like to explain the crowd's hatred towards this man, I'd be glad to have it cleared up.) throughout his presentation of the Sexiest Girl in the Room award... or something equally demeaning.

I wish I knew more about this genre of music, as I felt lost most of the night. But I gained tremendous insight into the lifestyle of these fans and musicians and am quite surprised that I never took the time to appreciate the genre before. Now, to say that I emerged as a full-fledged metal fan by the end of the night would be preposterous and unrealistic. But it was certainly fun to play dress up for the night and catch a glimpse at a truly cultural event. Two thumbs waaayyyy up for this one. And for Whitney.

For a full list of the winners that fateful night, check out Metal Hammer.

Lesson in luck learned?: Have a friend who has a friend who works for a company that has a client that has something to do with metal music. Oh, who am I kidding... the stars may not align again for this event to be replicated. But in case it does, snatch up tickets to Round II of the Golden God Awards, surely to be held in April of 2010.

5. Win tickets to a taping of The Ellen Show. At a bus stop. Because of Twitter. A.k.a. Yes, that was me that you saw on the television show.

Watch this before we get into the details.

So, yeah, that's the jist. Now here's the back story... It's a regular Tuesday afternoon turned magical by the news that Val has cancelled class. I'm waist deep in class scheduling, but am alone in my endeavor since I'm the only roommate unfortunate enough to have to leave this eternal Spring Break in May and return to Nashville for more classes before I graduate. So with Noel in the back fluffing her dress or straightening her hair or whatever else she does when I'm now in the room, and Sarah at the pool soaking up some rays, I was left alone to wallow in my despair at my fleeting weeks in Los Angeles. When suddenly without warning, Noel comes bursting into the living room [where I am obviously concentrating on whether or not to subject myself to a semester of fishing at 8:00 in the morning just so that I can complete my PhysEd requirement to graduate.] and tells me that we have to get into the car. The complete explanation tumbled out of Red's mouth in the next seconds, but honestly only the words Twitter, Ellen, win, and bus stop stuck out. I figured that win was one of my favorites words ever, especially when paired with Twitter, so I had nothing to lose. Minutes later we found ourselves in a sticky predicament. The realization that this adventure that we were about to partake (exploring the bus stop for the hidden tickets to the Ellen Show -- for those of you too lazy to watch the video) was most definitely going to be taped. I was makeupless and frazzled, but still determined not to let vanity in the way of winning. So on we went to casually search out the tickets only seconds before @MMissy003 joined us to try to snatch them from us. No luck, Missy (yeah, that's a really lame pun using her name).
We confirmed the tickets and had ourselves a grand ole time at the taping. I would definitely recommend getting tickets to her show. There's lots of dancing involved (which is enough to get me there!) and you get free swag at the end (our prize for the day: this movie.) Here's a clip for your enjoyment!

Lesson in luck learned?: Don't be afraid to tweet like you mean it. Twitter brings joy. Lots and lots of joy. Not to mention free crap. Follow @theellenshow, @LA_Decostified, and @Tiffany_Kate if you're into free crap.

I've had SO many more lucky encounters. Working with this woman is always a blessing. And getting to see unaired episodes of this show was thrilling and highly entertaining, plus I get to hang out with the B.West crew for free all the time (I even turned 21 with these peeps!) and that always makes me feel like the luckiest girl alive. But I broke it down for you into my top five highlights. These are the experiences that I'll never replicate and the ones that I'll hold close to my heart for always. I'm glad that you're here to share them too.

Until the next time I get to spend four months of my life living in eternal Spring Break...

love.love.love.
me.

I'm sorry I've been gone. I think I had some minor life crises.

2009-04-21T03:09:00.001-04:00

But all is well and I'm here to say that this next blog entry is for class, but nevertheless I think that you might find it entertaining as it pertains directly to my trip out here in Los Angeles and the crazy antics that have taken place. Thank you and enjoy.

love. love. love.
me.

nashville sent me a care package.

2009-03-14T13:45:00.005-04:00

I think most of you know that life is always more exciting when you have visitors. There is something about taking the time to slow down and experience a city with a newcomer that allowed me to process my surroundings a little bit better. Now, don't get me wrong, I most certainly still consider myself a newcomer. But sharing my "favorite spots" in LA with my friends just solidified my place here. For a second and a half, I was a local, in a city that is as foreign to me as the streets of Paris. It made me feel like I actually have one foot on the ground here. Okay, maybe just a toe to the soil, but I'm making my way toward a firm footing.

Having friends in town, even when those friends weren't staying with me, made me miss all of you a little bit less. It made it seem as if our coasts weren't a thousand miles apart. There for the first few weeks of being here, I felt as if I were worlds away from everyone and everything that I wanted to be a part of. But I'm falling more and more towards comfort with these people and these places here.

My new goal when people arrive is to hook them on Pinkberry. It's quite successful. It's like an ongoing Pay It Forward model. Noel hooked me and someone hooked her before that and now it's my turn to spread the happiness. If you're in Nashville, give Krave in Green Hills a try. It won't be as good, but you'll get a little taste of what we enjoy out here on the west coast.

In other hot spot news, I finally made it through the entire Used section of Amoeba while Lauren was here. It was a small victory for me, so even if it means nothing to you, know that it made me quite proud.

Andy came to speak to my class. It was amusing. I think he charmed the pants off of most of my peers, we'll see. I could take a lesson or two from that man.

All of my LA friends loved Nathan's set at Room 5. But what else is new?

I think I exhausted myself way more than Lauren while trying to show her around the City of Angeles. I even made notecards, so I wouldn't forget all of the fun things to do. Just in case you're wondering what went down:

Sunday:
Take Malibu Canyon Rd
Malibu Seafood
Zuma Beach
The Getty Villa [See picture below. Great Roman/Greek artifacts.]
[Failed attempt at getting into] Tina Dico w/ Tim Myers @ The Roxy**
Amoeba Records
DuPar's

**Thank you Alex at Zync. For nothing.

Monday:
Old Pasadena
Revolutionary Road @ Academy 6 Cinema [Ghetto $2 movie theater. Holla!]
Acapulco [Tasty Mexican food. Cheap margaritas. Apparently, great karaoke. Didn't experience that one first hand.]
Amoeba Record Store
Pinkberry

Tuesday:
Lunch at Lala's w/ a great Belmont friend, her sister, and this guy. [Random, but lovely. She's going to be hugely successful in whatever she attempts.]
Hollywood Sign
Grammy Volunteer Party [Scored some free swag. The Recording Academy has some sweet digs.]
Mikal Blue & Friends @ Room 5 [Best decision we made all week long.]

Wednesday:
Chipotle [Lauren's first time.]
Hollywood & Highland
Santa Monica Pier
Third Street Promenade
Dinner by Noel. [Maybe the best meal all week. Probably due to the best brownies in the entire world.]

Thursday:
The Farmer's Market [Had crepes for the first time. They were super tasty.]
Rodeo Drive
Mat Kearney/Angel Taylor @ SONY Music's new building in BevHil.
Grey's Anatomy/Private Practice on the couch [Possibly my favorite activity. :)]

Friday:
Setting up press interviews in a parking gargage. Only in my life.
Hermosa Beach [Only true Spring Break activity we participated in.]
Cold Stone Creamery
Seafood gumbo prepared by our new friends.

Saturday:
New York Time Deli [Killer bagels.]
Back to the airport. :(

Basically, having Nashville send me a care package was the greatest way to spend the past month. And I'm glad that it happened when it did. I was allowed a month and a half to get settled in before I was blasted with familiarity. And I think I did well to withstand the wave the homesickness. I didn't cry when these friends were taken away and I don't wish that I were back in Tennessee quite yet. I'm quite complacent where I am. I'm happy to be seeing these new things and to have my eyes opened to even more loveliness.

This week I started reading Donald Miller's Through Painted Deserts. I'm not sure why it's taken me this long (4 years, in fact) to pick up another of his books, but I'm glad that I finally did. Blue Like Jazz quite literally changed my life and I feel like this next venture into Don's mind will do the same for me. I was especially moved by this first quote-worthy musing.

"I want to keep walking away from the person I was a moment ago, because a mind was made to figure things out, not to read the same page recurrently."

Here's to reading the rest of the book.

love.love.love.
me.

I never said that I'd be good at this...

2009-03-14T13:43:00.002-04:00

...but here's an update on my life. The following entries will *hopefully* catch you up on what's been going on. I think that I take my cues from Mr. Mayer in terms of wanting to just watch everything happen and then reflect on it later. However, it seems as though in situations like LA where things happen all the time, I rarely take the time to share my reflections with you. But here's a little taste of life in the fast lane.

Top Four Reasons That I Miss TN Right Now...

2009-02-10T14:52:00.002-05:00

1.) My best friend just celebrated her 21st Birthday without me yesterday. Grace, I love you and I hope that you have so much fun this weekend.

2.) My other best friend is here. That's approximately 10,000 air miles from me. Liz, I hope that you have a very wonderful time and witness some extraordinary things.

3.) My dear friend Danni is also ringing in her 21st year here on Earth. Wish her a Happy Birthday!

4.) This guy is playing here tonight. He's birthing a brand new EP which I'm sure that you would all enjoy. Break a leg JB. I wish I were there to share in the memories.

More Grammy news to follow... when I get around to it. Glad you all enjoyed the first installment.

love.love.love.
me

grammy weeeeeeeek.

2009-02-10T00:56:00.002-05:00

One of the classes that I'm taking here in Los Ann-heh-lace requires that I complete four different volunteer activities. I also have to blog about these activities and share my insights once the event has wrapped. Now that Grammy Week, aka Career Shakedown '09, has come to a close, I'm here to present to you three such blogs about the events I volunteered for and the conclusions that I've come to.

A little background:

GW09 was an insane look at both the event planning side of the industry as well as a particularly eye opening glimpse at the PR side of things. For a lot of artists, this week is their prime opportunity to create "street cred" for themselves. It's about getting the industry on your side. For me, it was the culmination of twenty years of dreams and aspirations. I've wanted to attend the Grammys since the moment I saw an acceptance speech. And I have to say, this week really didn't let me down. It was different than I had anticipated, but no less exciting and no less overwhelming.

Friday, February 4th, 2009 :: The GRAMMY Foundation Music Preservation Event :: "Music In Focus" :: @ The Wilshire Ebell Theater

Wednesday night kicked off this week for me, in terms of activating my volunteer-ity. I must first say that I walked into the night knowing that Jenny Vassilatos, a very nice Program and Event Coordinator for the GRAMMY Foundation (p.s. Who knew that GRAMMY was always capitalized? Not me... But now I do. Thus, the capitalization.), had double booked me for the night. First off she had placed me in the Parking/Security department, a very non-glamourous but necessary role, but later on down the list of Staff Assignments my name was neatly typed among the much-more-glamourous-only-due-to-the-red-carpet-aspect department of Press/Media. Obviously, I quickly emailed Jenny in hopes of being permanently placed among the lucky escorts (don't worry Mom, the legitimate kind). But alas, I walked into the event, got slapped with a walkie-talkie and a security badge, and was gently placed at the entrance of the VIP parking lot by a very flustered Department Head named Scott (who also worked for the GRAMMY Foundation, but never actually told me his role despite my inquiries.) .

Scott is from New Jersey and tried to use this as an excuse for his rash behavior. I quite understand that Mr. Dicksheid (that's Scott's last name) had a lot of pressure on him, as parking is the first impression that an event gives off (take note all of you event-planners-to-be), but he was legitimately freaking out. I don't think he ever really felt in control of the situation, even though the night went off without a hitch. Luckily, I was partnered with a lovely man named Michael who worked here in Los Angeles with a PR company for the first portion of the evening. He offered me some great restaurant advice and had some very lovely things to say about Nashville. However, once things got a little hairy, he had to leave me and tend a side street when overflow parking was needed. (Dramatic, I know. But don't worry we all survived the great parking flood of '09.)

In terms of learning about the GRAMMY Foundation, I was given little instruction about the event itself and its significance. Scott was too busy running around the parking lots to shed some insight. As far as I could tell this event was in place to honor the GRAMMY Foundation's mission of promoting the arts at every available opportunity. This year's event honored music photographer Danny Clinch with a discussion led by former MTV VJ (and I'm sure he's currently working somewhere else cool, but this is what I know him from) Kurt Loder and performances by artists such as Sara Bareilles and Lucinda Williams, both of whom have been photographed by Clinch.

Despite my predisposition towards being in the Parking/Security department, I had a lovely time volunteering. Walkie-talkies made me feel connected to people even though I spent most of the night alone. The cast of characters that comprised our little team was nothing short of entertaining and I caught a glimpse (literally... could only see them briefly through varying thicknesses of tinted glass.) of a few celebrities. Noteworthy celeb sightings for the night: Taylor Hawkins (of The Foo Fighters), Neil Portnow (Current President of NARAS), Sharon Stone (of Sharon Stone). I did not get to attend the actual event, but I heard some lovely sounds coming out of the backstage door. The theater was absolutely beautiful on the inside and the audience came out of the building with smiles all around. I imagine it was a lovely way to kick off the official GRAMMY activities.

Friday, February 6th, 2009 :: MusiCares Person of Year Gala and Concert :: Honoring Neil Diamond :: @ The LA Convention Center

Moving on to Friday night, I have to say I had high hopes about the gala and concert. And this was not due to the fact that it was honoring Neil Diamond. In all actuality, it took a tour of his iTunes catalog before I was even remotely familiar with anything other than "Sweet Caroline." I was more excited about the thought of hearing Adele live for the first time. She's been on my list of favorites for the year since the debut of her single, "Chasing Pavements" and I was slightly heartbroken (Wait, can you be slightly heartbroken? It's either broke or not, eh? Well if you can, I was standing right there in that middle ground.) when her LA date was sold out. But on to the actual event...

Again with the email mishaps! This time I hadn't actually been sent an official email from the event coordinators, but had decided that I was going to try my luck at volunteering anyway. Obviously it worked out for the best, as I am blogging about it now. The very lovely Rachel Kaufman (who owns her own therapy through scrapbooking company, Scrapbooking From The Inside Out, as I later found out.) was nice enough to place me in the Silent Auction brigade and I blended seamlessly into the volunteer group from that point on. Our volunteer coordinator that night was a hysterical woman named Joan who thankfully didn't take her role or our lack of roles too seriously in the least. We actually met up with Joan several more times throughout the weekend and each time she remembered our faces and greeted us with a warm hello. I liked Joan very much. I wish her the best of luck with her job. I can only assume that she worked for the GRAMMY Foundation as well. Our few conversations rarely centered around serious subject matters.

Honestly, there wasn't much volunteering to be done at this event. Our sole job for the night was to pick up pens once the silent auction was over. It turns out that event this one job was unnecessary as the organizers of the auction itself were perfectly capable of picking up their own pens at the conclusion of the event. This left a lot of time for group bonding, auction item scouting, networking and general people watching. Saw a lot of great outfits that made me wish that I had my camera phone (would have made this post much more interesting for you, Reader.) Highlight of the auction portion of the evening was seeing Richie's reaction to Bob Lefsetz, whom we both applaude for his unmatched critical nature and general insight of the music industry. (Check out the Lefsetz Letter if you don't already receive his emails!)

After the Silent Auction we made our way down the Convention Center where Daniel (our official savior of the weekend) tucked us away at a back table and where our fellow volunteer (I never actually caught his name, unfortuneately. EDIT: My roommate Noel has informed me that his name was Justin and he is currently a LA lawyer) finagled several bottles of wine and bread for our table. Rachel (formerly our Volunteer Coordinator who helped sort us into "departments") met up with us and was my first business card giver-outer of the semester.

Amazing performances ensued. I'll offer a little bit of commentary and some video/audio supplements to aid in the re-telling.

The entire night was hosted by this guy. (Side note: Cirbey sent me this a while back and it goes perfectly with Jimmy's mention here.) He was quite funny, but the teleprompter made his entire joke set seem way too contrived. However, I was much closer to the teleprompter than I was to Jimmy... that may have had something to do with it.

First up were the JoBros who did a precious, but on-the-whole weak cover of "Forever In Blue Jeans." I really think that they are overworking these bros. Their performance looked completely tired and the little one had trouble remembering the words (A fault that will resurface during Sunday night's performance as well.) But hell, they are cute as can be and I still jam out to "Burnin' Up" given any in-car opportunity.

Jennifer Hudson tore the house down with unanimously (at least from the accounts I've heard) the best performance of the evening. She covered Neil's "Holly Holy." She's had arguably the shittiest year ever recorded, but she's proving that nothing will beat her down. I'm quite positive that everyone and their mother was proud of Jen at that point and her own mother was surely smiling down at her from heaven. Powerful. Beautiful. A true musical moment.

Adele was my other personal favorite of the night. Her version of "Cracklin' Rosie" was very true to the original (too true for some tastes) but her vocals were nonetheless effortless (as always!). I thought that she looked great and I'm super psyched that I've now heard the voice with my own two ears.

Other noteable performers paying Tribute to good ol' Neil were Josh Groban, Raul Malo (who was deemed Neil's favorite... I mean, can you do that? Can you pick favorites when people are dedicating their night to honoring you? I didn't think so... but apparently Neil felt it appropriate.), the Foo Fighters and Nashville royalty Tim & Faith. I can't honestly remember all of the songs that they covered, as I was getting increasingly sleepier and increasingly overwhelmed by hunger as the show progressed. Plus I didn't know the songs to begin with. Neil saved the best for last (and for himself) and closed the show with "Coming To America" and "Sweet Caroline." The entire place was drunkenly on its feet and singing at the top of their lungs for both, but SC definitely got the karaoke moment award for the evening.

Good times all around, I'd say. It was all play and no work and that's exactly how all future volunteer experiences should be. Only joking... kind of.

Sunday, February 8th, 2009 :: 51st GRAMMY Awards Show :: Red Carpet and Telecast :: @ The Staples Center

Sunday brought the culmination of GW09 and a whole day of pinch-me-I'm-surely-dreaming experiences. I didn't maintain as much composure as I would have liked to... sorry to all of those who witnessed any and all minor freak outs. It was the first time in my entire life that I've felt the small-town girl in me rear her ugly head. Never fear though, I was calm and collected during actual escorting missions. It was merely the holding area that contained my "episodes."

The day begin with a quick recap of Saturday's orientation and an introduction of Red Carpet staff. Our holding area was organized and manned by two lovely British women, a fiery red head named Natalie (thank goodness she was easy to spot, it got crowded) and an equally fiesty brunette named Gabrielle. Never overly bossy and always quick to ease your nerves before thrusting you down the carpet, they were two of the best volunteer coordinators I've ever worked with. I've got to hand it to NARAS. The red carpet was completely organized, very secure, and adequately staffed. So, even when the mad rush hit at 3:30 and 4:00, there was hardly opportunity to witness the traffic that LA is so known for. After years of trial and error, I'd be willing to say that the organization is on a great track towards perfecting this age-old publicity ritual.

My first trip down the red carpet featured Grammy nominee for Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical, a man who calls himself StoneBridge. He was the perfect start to my day and wasn't discouraged by the lack of media interest at all. He and his agent seemed just happy to be there. They cheerfully informed me of all of the touristy things to hit up in London, but with all of the chaos around us I only caught two: Big Ben and the London Eye. He was my only actual nominee escortee, so I was a little disappointed when he didn't walk away with a win. Still... I look forward to the moment when he gets a win. It'll happen some day Stone, I just know it will. With two failed attempts at interviews, we settled for an official Grammy photo and a bittersweet goodbye. A tear was shed and I made my way back to the holding room.

My third run was nothing special, unless you count the crazy publicists that I had to deal with while escorting Country unknown, Jessica Erin. Nothing but love for Jessica and her future Country career, but I could have done without the Latina drama. Three trips up and down the red carpet and I was certainly glad to get her off my hip. That useless trip kept me from this sighting... but I do have friends who caught a glimpse.

The red carpet extravaganza ended with a trip down the carpet with Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl and his lovey wife Jordyn. Apparently as of October, she is expecting their second child, but showed no signs of pregnancy and was very lovely to deal with. He had a team of two publicists and a red carpet employee (couldn't tell if she was with NARAS or Rogers and Cowen), so my role was quite simple. We hit up the first three media outlets and quickly made our way to photos. Luckily, when all was said and done I got an enthusiastic "Thank you" and a firm handshake before Dave and the crew made their way to their seats just in time for the telecast to start.

This was my first red-carpet activity of any kind, so it was a great way for me to see PR work in action. The very short glimpses of this line of work that I've had have included pitches made from offices and official press releases, so it was quite interesting to see the more active work that publicists must do. Comments were also honest, but concise... just entertaining enough without giving too much away. It was almost an art form the way that some artists had been trained. I have to admit, there was a little too much bronzer on that carpet for me, though.

I loved every moment of working the red carpet, from the "high-stress" atmosphere and the organized chaos to the excited conversations inside the holding area and general people watching. It was an experience I'll never forget and I'm so very grateful to Val and the team from Rogers and Cowen for allowing me to volunteer. Viva La Grammys and Hooray for Coldplay not getting publicly served!

Currently it is 1:00 AM and I still have quite a bit to do before class tomorrow. But I promise that I will continue this blog extravaganza with the sun. My eyelids are closing and the wit is becoming forced. So... you're caught up until showtime (which I did get to see!) and we'll now take a commercial break and commence when my head isn't complaining of sleep depravity.

love.love.love.
me.

a note from people who are much wiser than i.

2009-01-26T01:02:00.002-05:00

These are from the reading that I just did for class. Thank you, Belmont for the opportunity to participate in classes that are actually relevant and stimulating in a time where my learning (and your learning) means more than ever.

"Basically, the more you bring to a label, the less the label can take from you." - George Howard, Rykodisc

"The people you are trying to reach, by and large, don't view music as a commodity but as a relationship with a band." - Chris Blackwell, Island Records

"The future of music belongs to truly mobile products and services: anything, anytime, anywhere." - David Kusek and Gerd Leonhard, The Future of Music: Manifesto For The Digital Music Revolution

i. love. these. classes.

be still.

2009-01-25T21:40:00.003-05:00

For the past two weeks, I've been going to church at this gathering called Mosaic. The crew out here tried it out the first week that we were here in town and liked it so much that I decided to tag along last week. It's non-traditional and breaks all boundaries of what I've ever experienced at church. Instead of having one teaching pastor, they allow members of the congregation to get up and share their stories of hope, poetry, dance, singing, and teachings throughout the service. Last week we attended the night service downtown. It was actually held in a nightclub. Which, I'm going to take a moment and let that sink in. I walked out of that service, which happened to be much more focused on the life of Dr. Martin Luther King rather than a specific passage or story, not thinking that I wanted to return. It's not that I didn't like the things that they were sharing, but rather was uncomfortable with the way that they approached things. I definitely wanted to give it one more chance, though, and went back today. I can't tell you how blessed I feel to have made that decision.

Church today ripped me open, left me feeling vulnerable, and then tied me back up before sending me back out into the California sunshine. Today's service focused on the life that we lead in darkness and how a transition into the light can be your only hope for a broken spirit or a wounded heart. We sat in darkness today and relied on visual examples to drive the teaching home. As I sat there with my artificial candle, clicking it on and off in response to the speaker's questions, my heart was awakened and I experienced a whole new clarity.

I'm not the type to discuss this here, but I did want to share this moment with you because it was a moment of pure truth and simple honesty that is going to lead to even more beauty and contentment. And in the stillness that I am going to allow myself from now on, I look forward to growing closer and closer to the One that heals all. Because with His grace and His love, he finds us in our darkness and chases the shadows away. And that is a wonderful Truth.

Be still and know that I am God. (Psalm 46:10)

diet coke, church in a nightclub, and the best class ever.

2009-01-21T00:30:00.002-05:00

It's been almost a week since I updated this thing. And I realize that almost every single entry that I post up here is going to start with "I'm sorry that I haven't blogged in a while." But then again, although I love you all to the max, I'm not here to create stories for you. That's part of it, but I'm here to live out those stories. So I don't feel too bad for not being on here.

And so begins the great update... now where did we leave off? Oh, yeah. On top of Mulholland Dr.

I can't even tell you how pointless my 2:00 class was on Thursday. While all of my friends went to the Tonight Show to see Mute Math make a wonderful television appearance, I (along with three others, mind you... I wasn't the only class goer) sat with a very sweet man who really has no idea how to appeal to a group of college seniors who are faced with this current mess that we call a music industry. He's an old-timer. And while I respect him for all that he's accomplished in his lifetime, I also happen to know that there are much better uses of my time (and his!) rather than sitting in a plain-Jane classroom listening to him tell me that labels sign artists because they can sing live, handle themselves in a professional manner and can write their own songs. Let me tell you Mr. Professor-Man, artists today get signed because they have quickly developing fan-bases, have already sold well using independent means, have been heard by the who's who of music supervisors or because they're sleeping with someone in the industry. I mean, let's be real. I'm a big girl. Don't sugar coat this for me or for anyone else in this program.

And... rant over.

Thursday's night class was amazing as usual. I like my professor a lot. He's a smart guy and he's got this whole teaching thing down to an art at this point.

Also decided to add on another class about Artist Management that is taught by this guy. No big deal, he's a DJ for this girl. I start class tomorrow night (that's Wednesday night... the 20th). I'll let you know how it goes.

I've hit up a few cool spots since I've been in town. Great milkshakes. HUGE slices of pizza. (NOTE: I just subscribed to this blog after finding that link...) Honestly, one slice lasted me for two meals. Chicken and feta cheese, it was delicious. Awesome warehouse of shoes, but didn't find anything. Excellent sushi. And the greatest music hub I've ever witnessed. Spent $25 on 6 CDs. Probably going to make it a weekly thing. Reminded me of you, JB. They have an excellent collection of vinyl available. And Cirb and Lauren, you would have spent days in there. I'll take you both when you get here! :) Hmm... I like the sound of that.

I continue my vegan tour of Los Angeles tomorrow with a lunch meeting with Andrea. Obviously, she's the vegan... but she makes it so cool. Maybe you have to be cool if you're a vegan. Regardless, if I didn't like hamburgers and chicken so much, I might decide to be that cool. This was the first place we went. And this was the second. I think I liked the food at the first best, but the company at the second. Still, tomorrow's outing should be just as fun.

If you'd like to see some samplings of what we do all day at the ol' internship... you'll need to catch this show on Monday nights. This show coming up in February (Friday the 13th!) and this show when it premieres again in April. I mean, who doesn't love that show?!

Good things are happening all over. I'm figuring out some stuff that I thought would take a lot longer to figure out. But in a way that makes me feel better about them because somehow I feel like then I know what I really want out of this music industry stuff. But that's for another time and place with real face-to-face action and some verbal responses. Some things just aren't meant to be hacked out on the interweb.

I miss you all a lot. Having a bit of a tough time with the homesickness thing this week, but being around awesome people here helps a lot. Still, time is absolutely flying by. It's hard to believe that I've been here for two weeks already. There's so much that I want to do and even more that I need to do. And sitting here typing about it isn't changing any of it.

I'll catch you on the flip side...

love.love.love.
me.

On Top of Muholland.

2009-01-14T03:05:00.003-05:00

Wayyyy better than on top of spaghetti...

These are some shots that my roommate Anna took on top of Muholland Dr., obviously I will be making my way up there as soon as posssible. NOTE: This is near to where Mr. Mayer performs his little pre-DVD extravaganza if you have Where The Light Is. If you don't, go buy it. Now, please.

Life of Saturdays.

2009-01-13T22:18:00.005-05:00

Sorry for the few days absence. My goal here, really, is to update you every day or at least every other day. But the past few days has been wayyy too much fun to stop and spend half an hour on the computer. Still, I love you all and I'm sorry.

So, where were we? Ohhh yeah... my life is honestly a series of Saturdays. I'll catch you up on the past few ones. This blog might bring some crowd participation at the end. So if you're tight on time, scroll to the end and give me some love.

Friday
Shopping. And tons of it. Noel, Sarah, and I hit up the Beverly Center on Friday and I dropped way too much cash. Hit up Chipotle for lunch. Yes, my dear Texans, there is Chipotle out here and it's tasty. We also have Urban Outfitters, H&M, Papyrus, XXI, Forever Love, Coach, Free People, and every other trendy shop you could think to peruse. Also remember that American Apparel is headquartered here in lovely LA. We're taking a field trip there towards the end of the semester. Should be hilariously awesome and a nice little reminder of home before I head back to Nashville. Friday night we had a little get together of sorts. It was a nice hang. I love the cast of characters out here. Everyone has such awesome things to bring to the table and I can just tell that with a little time and a few resources, we're going to be making quite the mark on the west coast.

Saturday
Slept in and then we drove out to Dockweiler Beach for a little beach action. It wasn't super warm by any means, but it was quite comfortable to sit out (mind you, before the sun went down) in shorts and a hoodie. The sunset was absolutely wonderful. I didn't have my camera with me (I know, I know... I need to get better about schlucking that thing around... but I forget!) but I've tried to compile some photos for you guys from the crew that I was with.

They all beautifully capture the night that we spent together. We set up a little bonfire, roasted hot dogs and made smores. Then a few fires down there was a nice little drum circle going. A few of my friends headed over and participated, but I chose to stay back and participated in a little conversation circle that we had going. It's nice to get to know people outside of the Belmont facade. Sometimes people feel a little more at ease when their friends aren't around to constantly bring up personal histories. Or maybe we're just all desperate to make some geniune friendships while we can. Regardless, it's happening and I couldn't be more pleased.

Sunday
Finally, finally, finally... I used Saturday to connect with some pre-LA friends. My lovely friend Tiffany had Sarah (and my new friends Isaac and Teresa!) and I over for a night of food, friends, and music. She took me to church (which I have to say was a bit more like a self-help session for the New Year, nonetheless, I appreciated the atmosphere very much.) and shared some excellent Trader Joe's food with me. And then we all got Lady A'ed. Twice. And by that I mean, we watched Lady A's performance on Conan and then switched over to the DirectTV concert series that she had Tivo'ed a few weeks back.

Seriously.. can we just look back at this entry... Trader Joe's, Tivo, Beach... very new words to my vocabulary. Life here is crazy. It's like a really long dream that I halfway want to stay in and halfway want to wake up from.

This week is going great as well. I'm back at the best internship ever and Andrea's teaching me about life and surviving in this town as well as how to be an awesome music supervisor. She's also informed me that I'm basically working as a music coordinator at this point and I'd be ready to ease right into a job should I want one after a few months of an internship. Scary. I don't even want to think about jobs and work and paid and graduation. Not yet... I like this life of Saturdays. It's working out well. At least for now.

So, now for the crowd participation... I need some music research help. Send me the best mellow music that you've ever heard in your life. And just so that I don't feel the need to shoot myself in the face, throw in a good upbeat song or two as well. Ask your friends, family, lovers, roommates as well. Keeping up with music at this point is like swimming against the current, but I'm embracing the challenge and putting aside my personal music collection for a few months. (Never fear, friends, I didn't say that I was abandoning it, just merely setting it farther out of reach...) So hit me with your best shot.

Cue the music.

love.love.love.
me

Weeds and Cheap Furniture

2009-01-08T00:22:00.003-05:00

By this point, I've talked to several of you and given you the update on my sitch here in los ann-heh-lace. It's been oh so good to hear from you. I'm starting to get to know the people that I'm with more and more as we explore the city, but it's always refreshing to talk to people who already know me. I don't have to dance around quite as much, we get just right to the good stuff. I think that's one of the hardest things about being around a bunch of people that you don't know. Especially since I'm a year (sometimes more) younger than most of the people here and a lot of my roommates and their friends have known each other for months (and sometimes years) before we all arrived here. Still, everyone is incredibly open and genuinely interested in sharing this whole experience together.

At times being out here feels like summer camp, and others it's like a conservative Real World episode. We're definitely creating more of an "us against the world" mentality now that we're starting to hang out together more often and it's kind of fun to be a part of little community so quickly.

Classes started today, but I don't have class until tomorrow, so I'll let you know how that goes then. Today continued my week of vacation, since Andrea is in Nashville speaking on a panel until Monday. Still, that woman is absolutely amazing and has invited me to start accompanying her on some really cool business lunches whenever she takes meetings. So, I might be able to connect a lot more people than I thought in the coming weeks. It's wild that she's so willing to help me out, and I thank God every day for placing such cool people in my life.

We hit up IKEA today which is quite honestly my favorite store in the world. I'm convinced. Walking through there just makes me happy. Bought some pretty rad cereal bowls and some tupperware that we needed for the apartment, but I'm definitely looking forward to April and May, when I can actually load up on the decorative items that I want and can use in an apartment that isn't quite so furnished. Side note: Cirb, you've gotta make room in your suitcase so that you can take some of this awesomeness back home. Everything in there reminded me of you! Random side note: While we were in there, my roommate saw an old friend from Belmont who just happened to be someone that I've met several times. He's friends with all of my friends, so we cross paths quite often. Never ceases to be awkward. One day, though, we'll be friends too and then it won't be quite so awkward. Until then...

Tonight Sarah and I watched an entire season of Weeds. Noel brought it along and graciously shared the entertainment with us. Obviously, I'm hooked and now addicted to it. Something about marathon style television. Suck you right in. Also, I really do love hanging out with these girls. We're off to start Season Two...

Settling in the Unfamiliarity

2009-01-06T02:14:00.003-05:00

So, I know what you're all going to say after reading this [and never fear, it's the same thing that I'm telling myself as well.] but I agreed to start up this blog so that it would be easier for you guys to see how things were going in my world. Well, here goes...

I have no idea how people come to make LA their home. I understand how they build careers around this place, but how do they build lives?

Now, I don't want anyone thinking that I don't like it here, because that's not the case at all. It's just that everything in this town is unfamiliar to me. And it's so massive and overwhelming that it seems like it can never truly be conquered. Yet, I've already met people who have lived here for 10+ years and have loved every single year. As they should, really. This town has more tricks up its sleeve than I care to know and every turn takes you to a brand new neighborhood with a brand new set of rules. The terrain changes with each highway that you take and you can't find a single nook or cranny that leaves you feeling alone. People are everywhere. I'm constantly surrounded by conversations and ideas from people who are just trying to figure it all out as well. It has to be gratifying to wake up every day and know that you made it one more day in the craziest city in the US. Gratifying, powerful, challenging...

I just can't ever see this town being comfortable.

But like I said, it's only the first few days. While I highly doubt that LA will ever seem inviting to me, I have no doubts that we'll sink into a familiar unfamiliarity by the end of my time here. I'm quite looking forward to developing a relationship with the city. Maybe one that I'll revisit from time to time. Who knows, maybe we'll get close enough to meet back up in a few months.

I went to my internship for the first time today. It's amazing. Honestly, it was everything that I wanted out of it and more. My supervisor is absolutely delightful and taught me more about television production and music supervision in one day at the office than I could have learned in an entire semester in class. She's patient with me and actually enjoys cultivating a new generation of music supervisors who could some day take her place when she moves on up.

Side note: Today Andrea took me to lunch at this great salad joint [Yes, mom. They really have restaurants entirely devoted to salads. I know that you'll think this is delightfully LA.] and the man who took our order at the front looked at me after I ordered the most fabulous Mediterranean Spinach salad I've ever had and said, "Wow, you're really chipper today. That's great." For all of you who just got embarrassed for me, don't worry I really didn't make a fool of myself or anything. I wasn't even that chipper. I was just polite and I guess that the southern charm just melted off my tongue as I ordered...

I'm kind of worried that these Californians spend too much time flying through their to-do lists to actually stop and be kind to people. People here aren't rude by any means, but they don't mess around with feel-good, touchy-feely moments like we do in the South. I never thought that I'd brand myself as a southern girl, but it comes out more and more as I'm here. And I promise that I'm not trying.

Well, that's all for today, kids. Send me your questions and I'll try to answer them in the next one.

love.love.love.

And so it begins...

2009-01-04T13:22:00.011-05:00

Well, friends. Here I am. Sitting in my little Oakw ood Apartment trying to fulfill this promise that I made to keep you all updated on where I am and what I'm doing. I can't even begin to tell you all that I've experienced this week, but I guess I have to try.

12/28 :: Sunday :: aka Friendship and Chocolate

It's hard to believe that only a week ago I was laughing fully with my two favorite people on the face of the planet. I know those words are hard to support, but these two girls are my life and I'm thankful every day to have two best friends that support me in all that I do and give me great pride through their own lives. My Christmas present to them this year was a trip downtown to fondue favorite, The Melting Pot, where we gorged ourselves on milk chocolate, reminisced about sunny summer days at Tate's, and reinstated the vow that we'd stay friends forever. Yeah, we aren't cliche by any means...

12/29 :: Monday :: aka There's Absolutely No Way That I Can Fin... OMG We're on the road.

The thing that I regret most about this whole planning for LA process is that I didn't start soon enough. Therefore, I left town with no passport application being processed and a driver's license that still expires in March. [note: California driver's test... here I come!] I also left town without seeing one of my favorite world travelers who I'm sure has much more interesting stories about her time in Thailand than this blog will ever present. Lily, I'm sorry... but know that I will surely run straight into your storytelling as soon as I set foot back in Tennessee. Save the pictures in your back pocket and we'll pick back up soon. After a completely full day of running errands, buying last minute necessities, and taking a break with my favorite Knoxville musician [note: Check them out here. The Songbirds.] I jumped in my car [note: Only on loan from my dear ole Dad.. thanks Dadio!] and hit the road. After a brief stop-off in Nashville, we settled for the night in Dickson, TN and prepared for the insanity that Memphis would bring.

12/30 :: Tuesday :: aka "I Thought That This Would Be Way Tackier" - Mom

We hit Memphis around 10:00 and didn't leave Graceland until 4:00. Yep, long day. I've got to say, I started getting anxiety about the fact that we weren't making good time on the road about 5 hours into our trip, haha. But really, I had nothing to worry about and we ended up being able to charge into LA just in the right amount of time. But how was I to know that seven states before I reached my spring home? Exactly... BUT back to Graceland. It was fabulous and I want a house just like that. Complete with a Trophy Room of all of my accomplishments. Although at this point, I don't think that my room would be quite as full as his. Note to self, start wearing rhinestones so that one day people will want to view my wardrobe...

12/31 :: Wednesday :: aka Happy New Year, Random Arizona Town.

I forgot to tell you that we spent the night in some random Oklahoma town that escapes me at the moment, but it was quite close to the Oklahoma City National Memorial. All that I can tell you about OKC was that I cried all morning. I must say though, in my own defense, that I have been on some brand new medicine that may or may not have wreaked havoc on my hormones. Still, I was certainly upset by the museum, which was upsetting to anyone really, but more so to me for some unknown reason. I don't think that I fully recovered until New Mexico. Side note: If you followed my Twitter throughout the trip, it was this day that we saw the famed "Biggest Cross in the Northern Hemisphere." Although, no one in the car actually believed it to be the biggest. We're all convinced that we've seen better in East TN. Nice try, Texas.

01/01 :: Thursday :: aka No Better Way to Spend the First Day of the Most Important Year of Your Life.

So, 2009 is quite possibly going to be the most important year of my life... at least until something else drastic takes its place. I'm beginning the year out on my own in a thrilling new adventure. I'll spend the summer bouncing from Nashville to Knoxville until I finally board a plane to London. And then the year will culminate in the all important milestone: College Graduation. That's right people, this time next year I will be fully out in the real world making huge mistakes out of people's musical careers. Just kidding... I hope.

Thursday was spent at the Grand Canyon soaking in all of the glory of God and the wonders of his creation. It was breath-taking and exciting and inspiring and all of those cliche things that you'd expect. But the view itself is anything but textbook. It's something that you have to see to experience and no picture will ever do it justice. But just for good measure...

01/02 :: Friday :: aka This Place is Crazy.

I moved in on Friday after exploring the Santa Monica area with my parentals. We stayed in the Holiday Inn right across from the pier and props to the night manager on duty on 01/01 -- you made our night, keep rockin' the desk. The apartment is unbelievable. We have a wrap-around balcony and we're settled right in the middle of the complex. The layout of the aparment is pretty accurate to the pictures in that first gallery at the top of the blog. We even have that crazy cool pot/vase [a pose if you will] that you see on the kitchen table. Our view isn't spectacular, since we basically see the rest of the building next to us from the balcony, but just walking outside gets you a pretty clear view of the mountain and once you start driving, you can see most of Hollywood. It's super safe for all of you worriers out there. This is where the child stars stay, after all. So never fear... if it's good enough for this kid, it's good enough for me.

I'm sure that there will be plenty more blogs about life here in the apartment to come, so I won't waste too many words quite yet. I'm living with a colorful cast of motivated characters and I'm kind of excited to see how things work themselves out.

01/03 :: Saturday :: aka Purple Rain and Hampster Balls

On Saturday, I dropped off my parents at the airport. My mom did quite well, I have to give her props. I know it's hard to leave me out here, but she didn't shed any visible tears and she gave a great "I'm proud and I'll miss you." [Stay strong, Mom. I love ya and I'll be home soon!] When I got back to Oakwood, we met up for a little orientation brunch and got the low-down on the complex. Never fear, I have a visitor's code and crap load of delivery options... which is all you really need out of an apartment complex, right? This colorful Italian woman, Rosie, told us about all of the celebrity sightings here on the complex and also gave us the "Just say hi and keep walking" lecture that I don't think anyone here is actually going to follow. I'm sorry, but you can't throw out the name of the biggest young actor and expect that girls aren't going to try to find him.

My roommate, Noel, introduced me to the wonders of LA all in one day. We hit up Pinkberry for a little afternoon snack before teambuilding activities in Griffith Park and then swung through In-N-Out for a tasty early dinner. She's obviously the best roommate ever, as you can tell.

The afternoon was spent doing team-building activities with this crazy company called Feet First Entertainment. Apparently, they design the challenges that you see on the best of reality television [think: Survivor, Fear Factor, etc.] For us, they broke out the water balloon toss, scrabble, and toilet paper un-roll, so don't get too excited. Team name was Purple Rain and the most amusing moment came from seeing Richie inside a life-size hamster ball. Good stuff.

12/04 :: Sunday :: aka Only a Week Later

And so now here I sit after some quality time with my roommate Sarah at the local McD's and a full hour long of blogging [Note: Don't expect this every time... I'll try to keep it short and sweet for the most part, unless something awesome happens.] More pictures to come. I kind of stopped taking them once I got into town, but I'll try to be better about keeping the camera going as much as possible without looking like a tourist. My internship starts tomorrow and I'm more than excited. One last day of exploring before I have to hit the ground running, but I'm here. And I'm ready. At least that's what I keep trying to tell myself.

Love. love. love.
me.

All That I Can See

just be a sister, silly.

between shades of gray

#now playing springy sing-a-longs

hearing: un &*#*@&% believable.

watching: i'll never listen to 'bleeding love' the same way again.

reading: oh what a way to start the new year...

all that i can see?

SSB Entry #12: Ten out of Tenn

SSB Entry #11: The Secret Life of Bees

SSB Entry #10: Sam & Ruby

SSB Entry #9: Lee Steffen's Twitter

SSB Entry #8: Underwater Photography

SSB Entry #7: Precious

SSB Entry #6: The Civil Wars, “Poison and Wine”

SSB Entry #5: Andrew Belle, The Ladder

SSB Entry #4: Jeremy Cowart Photography

SSB Entry #3: Mikky Ekko

SSB Entry #2: Dead Language by k.s. Rhoads

SSB Entry #1: Mere Christianity

Sapientia Sapor Boni

HERO: Benji Frank

Things I Love.

Time for some honesty.

Immortalizing My Time In Los Angeles... in song.

Top Five Things To Do in LA... If you're feeling lucky.

I'm sorry I've been gone. I think I had some minor life crises.

nashville sent me a care package.

I never said that I'd be good at this...

Top Four Reasons That I Miss TN Right Now...

grammy weeeeeeeek.

a note from people who are much wiser than i.

be still.

diet coke, church in a nightclub, and the best class ever.

On Top of Muholland.

Life of Saturdays.

Weeds and Cheap Furniture

Settling in the Unfamiliarity

And so it begins...

hearing: un &#@&% believable.