Filed under: Music, life... | Tags: concert, house of blues, Music, Polaroid Pool Party, rock, san diego, Sondre Lerche
I’m completely in love with Sondre Lerche. I’ve been listening to his music pretty much nonstop since 2003 and have always dreamed of going to one of his shows. I finally saw him live a week ago in San Diego and was totally blown away by the voice and sexy guitar skill of that skinny, charming, poetic Norwegian. I was in heaven the whole time. The venue was the Blue Room at SD’s House of Blues. No seats, so I thought we’d all be standing. Not so. It was the only seatless show I’ve been to where everyone just sat on the floor and soaked it all in. We all got kind of sucked in and completely wowed. No one obnoxiously sang along. I was right there in front. It was surreal.
He played a fun set, with some of his old songs, some of his newer songs, and even a couple of covers and songs never before played live. I think my favorite songs of the night were Two-way Monologue, Heartbeat Radio (new!), and his cover of Jobim’s Waters of March (I will marry any man who can play that song for me and have it sound just as enchanting).
I think part of what made the concert-going experience so amazing was seeing his hands shred across the fretboard as he played his guitar. Now, he doesn’t have a shredding playing style at all so it was surprising and awesome to see it in action. He is good.
After the show, I squeezed my way to the merch table and got a shirt. Between my dad and I we didn’t have enough cash to also purchase one of his limited edition Polaroid Pool Party EPs, so I then squeezed my way to the cocktail table where he signed mt shirt and I got this picture of us with my sister on my silly camera phone (I forgot my good camera).
We met Sondre Lerche!
So, we were about to leave and then we found an ATM. As quick as any fanatic we tore the cash out of it, and ran back down into the venue and to the merch table. I bought San Diego’s last copy of Polaroid Pool Party EP. AAAAH! I am the luckiest girl in the whole world!!! So, it came with this awesome photo from his party. Of course I went to the table to have Mr. Lerche sign it.
Isn't he cute?
So, that’s my story. Great show, great EP, great experience. A big thanks to my parents for surprising me with this beautiful trip to San Diego for Sondre’s show. I’d say that’s a pretty awesome way to celebrate my upcoming 21st…
[RACHEL]
If RSS feeds could be administered intravenously then I would so do it. While catching up on my subscribed readings, I came across a list of foods posted on the Very Good Taste blog…
Here’s a chance for a little interactivity for all the bloggers out there. Below is a list of 100 things that I think every good omnivore should have tried at least once in their life. The list includes fine food, strange food, everyday food and even some pretty bad food – but a good omnivore should really try it all. Don’t worry if you haven’t, mind you; neither have I, though I’ll be sure to work on it. Don’t worry if you don’t recognise everything in the hundred, either; Wikipedia has the answers.
Here’s what I want you to do:
1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment here at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.
The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:
1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes [sounds enchanting... but no drinks for me -RM]
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese [um gross -RM]
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper [yeah right -RM]
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas [gag me -RM]
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut [unfortunately -RM]
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal [never have, never will -RM]
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam [very proud of never trying it -RM]
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake
As you can see here, I’ve got a lot more living to do… I’m missing out on some beautiful treats! Some of these dishes are things I’ve never heard of before. But after researching many of them, I’d say that I’ll be sorry if I never experience their goodness. Yeah, I’ll admit there are a few things I’ll never even want to think of gagging down, but on the whole, I’d say I have a lot of good eats ahead of me!
[RACHEL]
Not sure I agree with everything in the description… but I’ll admit that Helvetica is dang sexy when used properly. Definitely makes the top five in my book. It’s the best match considering its competition– comic sans and papyrus. The thought of those just gags me 
.
[RACHEL]
Filed under: School, life... | Tags: bindery, helpless, injury, ouch, raccoon, sunset, vermin, work
I usually have one or two good stories up my sleeve, but these ones really take the cake. I think the best part is that they were 4 days apart.
Last week I went out for a walk by myself because I thought it might help to clear my head… it had been a strange week and I needed to think. And besides, it was about time for the sunset and I wanted to watch it because the late-afternoon scattered clouds hinted that it would be spectacular. So off I went, just sort of wandering in search of the setting sun. I came to the RB stairs and decided that it was the best spot in all of Provo to watch the sun sink into the mountains. I paused a while and thought to myself, “it must be a crime to behold such a beautiful sight without the guy you love at your side.” I was certainly a criminal on that evening… About a minute after thinking that, I noticed movement in the bushes about 15 feet down the stairs. A little head popped out and looked straight at me. For a second I panicked because I thought it was a skunk. Then it stepped out a little more and my worry lessened when I discovered it was a raccoon. that was OK to me for about 5 seconds. And then another raccoon head popped out. And another. And another. And another. Five raccoons decided to join me in watching the sunset. At that point, I started to freak out a little bit. The first raccoon, obviously the one who calls all the shots, jumped down onto the stairs and moved towards me. I began to step back in fear, and they all scrambled back into the bushes. At this point I felt a little better. I continued to watch the sky meanwhile secretly fearing that they would explode out of the part of the bush that was right next to me. “Nonsense,” I thought. I would hear them move through the bushes, right? Not so. I started to have this really weird feeling so I turned around to leave. When I did, I saw all five raccoons standing right behind me, ready to eat my face off. So, I did my best to scare them off and went on my way. No, I did not watch the sunset alone that evening.
My next story involves my job at ye olde bindery. Here’s the beast that bit me…
This thing is a menace.
Yeah. The best piece of advice I could ever give out. I’ve always had my dreams, but sometimes I forget what they are. Sometimes I forget how to dream. Circumstances and people may cause us to forget what matters most in our hearts. I know, I’ve fallen victim to it. It’s kind of like in Runaway Bride when Julia Roberts’ character orders her eggs and shapes her life around the man of her affections. After some tough experiences, she had to figure out for herself what kind of eggs she liked. In case you’re wondering, it’s Eggs Benedict. After I finished my freshman year at college, I too had to figuratively decide what kind of eggs I liked.
To re-connect with oneself is an exhilarating experience. It feels so free. I realized that it was unfair to myself to button up my polo shirt all the way (you aren’t even supposed to wear them that way), ballroom dance, to favor the far right and shun anything else, cook without onions, give up my California roots and style, devote my studies to homemaking, and abandon my dreams of graphic design to please Mr. Square. Once I realized what I had done with myself, I worked at getting ME back. It was a little confusing at first. Even shocking… I mean, what do you think you’d feel like if you woke up one day and realized that you’d become someone so far from the person you loved to be? So, what did I do? I ran as fast as I could to switch majors, I quit ballroom and started thinking about maybe skating instead, I unbuttoned that freaking button, I got back to more comfortable politics, I celebrated onions, and let the beach bum in me come back to the front. It was great. I was happy. I was comfortable. And so I have been for 2 years, the new old Rachel.
I don’t really know why I wrote all of that. Today I skipped out on work so that I could build up my design portfolio. I want to be ready when my dream job pops up. It’s been fun to dig through old files on the computer, one of my few flash drives, and lost on old data DVDs.
So, with that, keep those dreams alive. And as a personal note to self, get more sleep. Because, “they shouldn’t be called ’snooze bars.’ They should be called the button you hit 15 times so you can be late for work again.”
[RACHEL]
