[The Audiofiles / Music Monday ] Keepin’ It Moving

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In standard, normal, everyday time it’s really only been a week since I’ve been home from Lightning in a Bottle but truth be told it feels like another century ago; another me ago, even.  If you want to get down to brass tax – yes, in all honesty the weekend was absolutely transformational, mercurial and magical all at the same time.  I’ve spent the past week in a solid state of reflection about life, the universe…and literally anything and everything under the sun.

My love; my life.

Part of the reason Lightning in a Bottle was such a big deal for me emotionally was that it represented multiple turning points in my life.  First and foremost, back in 2010 I actually had a ticket for LiB – but because I was just diagnosed with Vasovagal Syncope  I sold my ticket to get my health back on track.  The year after, in 2011, was my best friend’s bachelorette party in Vegas and there was no way in hell I was missing that – so this year, my adventures to and at LiB seemed more than necessary and slightly overdue.  Then mix in equal parts falling in love with my boyfriend while two of my best girl friends leave LA for Montreal and Boston respectively, and I had a whole mess of a machine to figure out for myself. Phaedra and Jessica represent two different worlds of friendships to me, but are equally loyal and loving friends; it was a blessing to have them get to know each other last summer and as people have always said – how lovely it is that I’ve met two souls who make saying goodbye so difficult.

It’s not that I define myself by the friendships I keep, but I place a lot of value on their opinions and moral codes; then again, shouldn’t we all?  In the absence of both of them I’ve been doing some soul searching and emotional wandering with this mantra in mind: we’re all cups, full to the brim of emotion and with each interaction with others we’re constantly tipping out our emotions and being refilled by the thoughts and feelings of others; I’ve come out of my shell within the last two years and maybe the shape of my cup has shifted, or I’ve switched from still to bubbling water.  Either way, I’ve watched myself grow – mature – evolve – and I simply don’t have the same needs, nor the same amounts of patience, that I used to have.  Meaning a lot of introspection into what it means for me to both have a friend and be one.

Besides taking time to detox and emotionally decompress, this past week has been about intertwining friend groups and developing the framework for future plans and ideas.  Simply put, every since LiB there’s been a sense of passion, dedication, creativity and urgency from my group of friends – business plans, life goals, trajectory altering decisions – they’re being made en masse and I couldn’t be more impressed.  As my boyfriend put it – they didn’t call it the ‘Maybe Lab’ and they don’t call it the ‘Do Lab’ for nothing; we can’t wait to see what’s possible when we put our minds together for something positive!

Besides the introspection, we did manage to have a bit of fun over the past week:  last Thursday I discovered that one our of favorite DJs and Producers – Pretty Lights – was playing a free show at the Amoeba records in Hollywood so I went with a few of my guy friends and had an absolute blast! He even freestyled for us – so legit.

Pretty Lights gettin’ funky

And now, for the next two weeks, I’ll be doing absolutely as little as possible as I get ready for the ruckus and shenanigans of Hard Summer!  Just because I’m not out and about prancing to the beat doesn’t mean I feel like sitting still – so here are some jams to help you get through your Monday – your week – your whatthehellever – just dance!

Tracklist:

  1. TJR – Whats Up Suckaz
  2. Disclosure – F For You (Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs Remix)
  3. Skrillex & Damian Marley – Make It Bun Dem (Dead Battery Remix)
  4. Major Lazer – Get Free (Ft. Amber Coffman) (Andy C Remix)
  5. Fatboy Slim & Riva Starr – Eat, Sleep, Rave, Repeat
  6. Sound Remedy – Chiaroscuro (Original Mix)
  7. Boys Noize – Starwin
  8. Diplo ft. Mike Posner, Boax van de Beatz, RiFF RAFF – CROWN
  9. Mounties – Headphones (Sleepy Tom Remix)
  10. Neon Jungle – Trouble (Monsieur Adi Remix)
  11. Foreigner – Cold as Ice (A.Skillz & Nick Thayer Bootleg Remix)
  12. Major Lazer – Bubble Butt (It’s The Kue Remix!)
  13. Gareth Emery & Krewella – Lights and Thunder
  14. Thrift Shop – Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (Kinetik Groove Remix)
  15. HeRobust x gLAdiator – We Are
  16. Rusko – Lift Me up
  17. Deadmau5 – Suckfest 9001
  18. Knife Party – LRAD (Erotic Cafe Remix)
  19. Calvin Harris feat. Ayah Marar – Thinking About You (Laidback Luke Remix)
  20. Krewella – Live for the Night
  21. Sleepy Tom – Let It Go
  22. Tommy Trash vs A Trak – Tuna Truffle (Tommy Trash Coachella Snack)
  23. Matthew Koma – One Night (Vicetone Remix)
  24. Smallpools – Dreaming (The Chainsmokers Remix)
  25. Capital Cities – Safe & Sound (Panic City Remix)

[ Quotable ] The Endurance of Trees

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The tree is more than first a seed, then a stem, then a living trunk, and then dead timber.  The tree is a slow, enduring force straining to win the sky.  ~Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Wisdom of the Sands

[Doing It Right] LIB 2013 (or, How I Survived The Hippie Olympics)

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When’s the last time someone not just asked – but insisted – you keep your childlike imagination and magic alive?  For most people trying to make a name for themselves, it’s been a hot minute; and from a young age it felt like most of my friends from high school had their formula for success figured out.  They left our hub in the Silicon Valley for a four year degree that would inevitably translate to infinite amounts of success in the “real world.*”  Me, on the other hand, well….I had loftier dreams and less tangible goals.  I found that love and happiness are better when shared, however you can’t hold them in your hands or stuff them in a box in a corner; a college degree doesn’t make either of them more valid and all the money in the world can’t replace them.

You can travel the world and have all the experiences you want, but there’s something so incredibly special and connective about music festivals.  But take into account my generations propensity to say ‘fuck the man’ and ‘fuck the system’ and the fact most of our spiritual belief systems have little in common with organized religion and you’ll see that the festival is our ‘church’ and our friends are the ‘community’.  Thousands of people jumping to the same beat, hearts syncing in time and singing along with the music; we are in worship and music is our savior.  A recent study has even shown choral singing to be on par with the health benefits of yoga.  My eyes were opened in 2006 with my first Electric Daisy Carnival and again in 2011 with my first Coachella; but if I said that either of these events held a candle to Lightning in a Bottle I would absolutely be kidding myself.  Don’t get me wrong, the music and crowd at the other events are phenomenal in their own right – but Lightning in a Bottle is something completely and utterly different.

The other festivals are centered around music – and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that; but Lightning in a Bottle is about the culture that surrounds music.  There were speakers on multitudes of topics, including authors Daniel Pinchbeck (“Breaking Open The Head“) and John Perkins (“Confessions of an Economic Hit Man“), yoga sessions taught by yogis from all over, areas where you could experience sound baths and even a ‘Pineal Playground’ set-up to warp that pretty little mind of yours.  Live artists were out at stations around Lake Skinner during the day and had ample resources for inspiration; from light installations in trees to full on fixtures out in the parks – the people of LIB brought their A-game and you could tell how excited they were to share their unique visions and creations with the world.  What’s more is that almost everything was interactive – you were encouraged to touch, play and experience.  I felt like an overgrown five year old on vacation!

Now, I have to admit I was a little nervous going into everything – I haven’t been camping since I was five and my parents can tell you, I wasn’t exactly “good” at it!  I was so nervous that I would be unprepared, so I made a lovely little cheat sheet with a list of all the ammenities I’d need for the 5 day, 4 night excursion and there’s a few things I can tell you off the bat, first and foremost: I TOTALLY overpacked! I could have brought half as much clothing and would have still had options on what to wear; and there was so much creativity that went into some of the outfits!  Definitely something to take note of for next year.

And as far as camping is concerned….it isn’t exactly camping when you’re with thousands of your new best friends, kickass sound systems, awe inspiring sculptures and have Lake Skinner as your playground.  Everywhere we turned, there was literally something new to experience and someone to meet that chances are – you have some ridiculous connection to. Before the festival even started, I realized in line for wristbands that I was in college dorms with the girl in front of me and for my phone being dead, I ran into at least 50 friends I’d made in college or at festivals.  I even met a girl who used to live in my apartment complex in LA!

My friends and I decided to cruise in to Lake Skinner on Thursday night so we could get the whole festival experience; we wanted a chance to set-up our tent in a leisurely manner and explore the festival grounds.  We waded through a sea of people to get our wristbands (one thing about hippies – they’re a punctual bunch!), we were lucky enough to have friends there starting at 2pm because the line took approximately 7 hours from start to finish for them, compared to our measly 3 hour wait.  Once that was over, you could see eyes light up and smiles pop up on everyone: shit just got so real! Once we got our massive tent it was off to explore…

The second day started with exploring the Temple of Consciousness and the Pineal Playground; we got to be part of a sound bath and then headed down to the lake to catch the view.  Between the swings, shade and speakers we had so much to do during the day before the music started; there was definitely a ‘sleep, eat, mingle,  rave, repeat’ vibe going on all weekend and I wouldn’t have had it any other way.  Now, before I get into my favorite pictures from the weekend I have a little PSA about the event.  As with every event, not everyone can have a life changing-best weekend of my life experience; it’s simply not feasible – but from the sounds of it people went to an entirely different festival than my friends and I.  The Do Lab gave us more than I could have hoped for with festival grounds like Lake Skinner, top notch productions, amazing art and a culture of people that I can only describe as the middle section of a ‘Hippie-Carnie-Raver’ Venn-Diagram.  I had the time of my life and I hope everyone gives the festival a chance to change them for the better instead of living vicariously through someone else’s bad dream. Though LIB has been around for a hot minute, being able to experience Lake Skinner together for the first time was such a great experience.  Eyes, brains and hearts were wide open and ready to explore.  I know a lot of people are whining and lamenting the fact their reality didn’t match their expectations but expectation hangovers happen when people aren’t willing to take responsibility for their actions.  I got to explore the festival grounds on Thursday when no one was around and take full advantage of the art, fog machines and light fixtures before people got there; on Saturday when the music in the camp turned off, my friends and I hunted down some music and created our own little community within the LIB community and have created bonds to last a lifetime.   Essentially the festival, like life, is an adventure and it’s up to us as individuals to make it magical; and for me – it was so, so much more than that! So on wards – to pictures!

Thursday night at the Bamboo Stage being silly with the boyfriend

Swings, for all ages!

Under the shade of the Tepees

Sunset on Lake Skinner

The people with signs made my day! Also, thank you Mud People for showing us how to get down!

Woogie Withdrawls: It’s a real thing.

Getting to connect with artists and watch them do their thing was awesome; the festival oozed creativity from every angle.

 

Before I get to the videos I just want to say a big thank you to the crews at the Do Lab and Lightning in a Bottle; this was a truly eye opening and awe inspiring weekend and I can’t wait to move the world the way the festival moved me.  I’m a better person for being there and have made friends to last a lifetime.  Thank you, thank you from the bottom of all of our hearts for the weekend of the year and can’t wait for the next one!

Quotable: Travel Lust

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“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

– Steve Jobs –

[Doing It Right] 4th of July Weekend

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No distance of place or lapse of time can lessen the friendship of those who are thoroughly persuaded of each other’s worth.
– Robert Southey

rAWr!
Rocking my first Spirit Hood;
Welcome to the Tribe =D

Nails, check!

 

What a freakin’ whirlwind this last week has been; if it wasn’t evident by the lack of posts, I’ve been beyond busy and nowhere near a computer or strong internet for that matter.  I know, I know – that sounds incredibly unlike me but at the same token I think that it was necessary.  I had a few days with some of my closest friends from around the state to play, eat, drink, sleep and bounce to some amazing music all over the Southern and Central California coast.

I’ve been blessed with amazing people in my life and friends that span over space and time; the friendships I’m currently in the middle of are proof that you can know someone forever but you can get to know them in an instant.  Each and every person that was part of last weekend plays an integral role in my life and I couldn’t be more thrilled that they’re part of my journey.  And it was such a hodgepodge of personality! My close friend and former housemate just got back from two years in Shanghai and is ready to pursue new and exciting things on the East Coast, then my boyfriend and his best friend were there – and the beauty of it all is that she’s the one that introduced us!  Then there was Anne and Jeff from the Bay Area, late additions sure but the best additions by far – Anne and I have known each other since Freshman year of high school and though I can’t say for sure why we’ve never been close before I know that I’m lucky to forge such a great bond with such a fabulous person!  And Jeff, oh, Jeffery.  What a perfect addition to our ridiculous group of people =)

The festivities started early on Wednesday night with an outing to Create – SBE‘s newest Los Angeles nightlife venture;  being here for five years now I’ve seen just how quickly clubs change hands, but on the plus side this means that between WeHo, Hollywood and Downtown LA there are tons of awesome places to go and get your bounce on, including but not limited to: Avalon, Create, Lure, Greystone Manor, Dim Mak Studios, The Hollywood Palladium, King King, Los Globos and Exchange (phew!).  And to boot, about half – the places in bold – are run by the Insomniac Events / SBE crew.  Eric Prydz was the headliner on Wednesday and man did he put on a motherf&*king show, and he’s so different in a club setting like Create than a nighttime pool party like XS or a festival set from Coachella or EDC.  The first hour he played as Prydz, the second as CirezD and the last he played as Pryda – the visuals echoed the alterego, and provided for both seamless transitions and an epic night of fun!

Reach out and touch faith.

As lame as it sounds, Thursday was spent being incredibly lazy with loads of sleep and I absolutely loved it!  At nighttime, a few friends and I ventured over to Pasadena to see if we could take a gander at what was going on at the Rose Bowl.  I’ve heard so many amazing things about their fireworks that I was beyond stoked to finally view them – this shot sums it up pretty well:

On Friday, we headed up to Avila Beach with a ridiculously fun group of friends for a weekend at the Hot Springs and a chance to see Above & Beyond play a sunset set on the beach; sound epic? Because it was!  I wish I had more pictures but nothing could ever accurately capture what we both witnessed and took place in.  Literally the best weekend of the year so far and I’m gonna go out on a limb and say best 4th of July weekend ever!

The cabins at the Hot Springs

There’s nothing more patriotic than BEER.

Reuniteeed!

On an adventure through Morro Bay

Above & Beyond
Avila Beach

The Crew!

Wowwww

[Oh, Snap] Adventure at The Boiling Crab

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Being an only child, I have a different take on what it means to be selfish and what it means to share.  And by all means, refusing to share yourself with another person – especially when that person loves you, is the worst version of selfish there is. We’ve been friends for almost four years now,  and because of that our communication is pretty much always on point.  We talk all the time.  Granted, it’s rarely a phone convo for hours on end, but whether it’s to share a silly joke, an educational news article or the latest and greatest festival set from our favorite DJs – we want the other one to bear witness to our ridiculousness; we want the other to be part of the daily, mundane details that don’t interest anyone but ourselves.

It’s amusing  how love tends to open up more than just the mind and the heart.  Beyond the beauty of the big picture, what  makes my mind spin lies in my day to day minutiae of memories and emotions; for being such a logical person, it surely drives my head in circles – but the best of all kinds.

How could I think I was in love yesterday when I’ve definitely fallen deeper into it today?

The way I see it, a good relationship is synonymous with being ‘stuck’ in an ever evolving positive feedback cycle; things can only get better – as long as you remember the foundation the relationship was started on.

Over the past few months I’ve been getting adventurous with my favorite hat trick of a person; he’s my best friend, my partner-in-crime and as of the last six months – my boysoul-friend. I’m not one for titles, especially when words fail to accurately convey how I feel inside – and it’s simply bigger than anything I’ve ever felt before.  So, on Saturday we went on what I consider to be one of the most nerve wracking adventures of all – meeting his mother.

As a self professed Daddy’s girl, I know a thing or two about an only child’s bond to their parents ; after intermittently whispering “Don’t worry, she’ll adore you!” between kissing me on the nose and forehead, I was back to breathing normally…for the time being.  After doing some crowdsourcing, they decided it was off to chow down on some sea food at The Boiling Crab in Koreatown.

Now, let me drop a little knowledge on you about places like this – you’ll be getting down and dirty with some crustaceans, so be prepared for a delicious mess all over your table.   If it sounds like a ridiculous experience – trust me, it is!  And to boot, a great way to get to know someone unabashed; I found that it’s incredibly easy to be an honest version of yourself when you’re wrist deep in a garlic lobster, trying to crunch the goodness out.

We took some advice from the savvy Yelp-sters who frequent the spot and showed up a few minutes early – it’s a damn good thing we did because the line was already about 30 people deep and we were some hungry kitties!  A few things to be aware of before you stop by – The Boiling Crab doesn’t take reservations and your whole party needs to be present to be seated.  The two parties before us didn’t follow these rules and looked pretty disappointed when we were seated ahead of them; oops!

The last time anyone put a bib on me I think I was five; game on.

Proof that our table was actually white when we started out.  For appetizers, we got some oysters on the half shell and omnom they might be my new favorite snack ever!  Yet another thing I would have never tried without some coaxing from my man.

After that, the main course began in a big way:  all the shellfish comes in these plastic bags that are toted to your table in buckets (pretty adorable branding if you ask me). If the restaurants do it right, there aren’t plates or silverware – your food is brought to your table in a plastic bag with all the fixn’s (garlic butter, cajun sauce, etc) and you get to dump it all out to grub it all up by the handful in scrumptious bites.

It took me until just a few weeks ago to get the hang of the tempura amebi heads they serve in sushi restaurants; they’re delicious but they surely don’t look it!  Meaning when it came time to try shrimp – again – I was ready to dive head first.

Though it’s of little importance picture wise at this point, they had hands down the best garlic butter drenched corn I ever had; I even ordered more after the whole meal was over because it tasted like dessert to me! The two highlights of the meal were the Maine Lobster and the Dungeness Crab – so perfectly delicious!

Last, but definitely not least – the aftermath of our once clean table.  And per usual, Danny was right – meeting his mother was an absolute breeze and to boot she’s a total gem (and of course I knew she would be, her son turned out pretty fabulous himself!).  One of the next adventures will definitely be a trip up north to introduce him to my family and friends back home – it’s about damn time! =)