cobalt & blue

(miner’s oak california, march 2011) last weekend was full of electric guitar, little mini cooper (who makes ben happier than almost anything I know), the search for the perfect thrift store shirt (which ended as the discovery of the perfect hat), “meditation mount” which overlooked the entire valley. we also found an abandoned orchard, just off the river walk path in miner’s oak. we were an adventure team, we muddied our sneakers and came back the next morning to catch the sun rise and film the first of ben’s guerrilla music videos. i will never forget as we walked down the hill, narrowly missing giant piles of horseshit - a perfect, story-book meadow framed by hanging honeysuckle trees.

(miner’s oak california, march 2011)

last weekend was full of electric guitar, little mini cooper (who makes ben happier than almost anything I know), the search for the perfect thrift store shirt (which ended as the discovery of the perfect hat), “meditation mount” which overlooked the entire valley.

we also found an abandoned orchard, just off the river walk path in miner’s oak. we were an adventure team, we muddied our sneakers and came back the next morning to catch the sun rise and film the first of ben’s guerrilla music videos. i will never forget as we walked down the hill, narrowly missing giant piles of horseshit - a perfect, story-book meadow framed by hanging honeysuckle trees.

(bondi beach australia, spring 2006) burning.

(bondi beach australia, spring 2006)

burning.

via emersonmade i believe in in the power of spiritual healers. not across the board, no, but i have had deeply profound experiences with two amazing healers. both people have changed my life - i credit one with helping me find strength and bravery to put the pieces of myself back together, and to be honest with myself in a way that simply wasn’t possible before i met her. she empowered me. she also blew my mind with some serious past lives business and present life insight, but i won’t wander down that path right now. the other helped me shape a healthy perspective re: a few serious blows to el confidence, and reignited my love for dance.  about 8 months ago i also saw a reiki healer. at the time i was totally fascinated by the practice, and my curiosity was fueled by a fleeting interest in becoming a healer myself (i still hope to live a life that includes help, health and healing, but not of the spiritual kind, I think). since there was very little talking, i felt less connected in this session than i had before. i was also a little mentally distracted and had a hard time telling the difference between what i was actually experiencing and what i was TELLING myself i was experiencing (aka what i wish i was experiencing). but the most meaningful part of the reiki session was at the end, when the healer told me that my power animal came through loud and clear - to such an extent that she felt she needed to tell me (she has psychic abilities, but since that’s not what I came to her for she did not feel comfortable telling me about what came through during our hour). and it was a lion. a strong, fierce, protective, loyal, loving lion.

via emersonmade

i believe in in the power of spiritual healers. not across the board, no, but i have had deeply profound experiences with two amazing healers. both people have changed my life - i credit one with helping me find strength and bravery to put the pieces of myself back together, and to be honest with myself in a way that simply wasn’t possible before i met her. she empowered me. she also blew my mind with some serious past lives business and present life insight, but i won’t wander down that path right now.

the other helped me shape a healthy perspective re: a few serious blows to el confidence, and reignited my love for dance. 

about 8 months ago i also saw a reiki healer. at the time i was totally fascinated by the practice, and my curiosity was fueled by a fleeting interest in becoming a healer myself (i still hope to live a life that includes help, health and healing, but not of the spiritual kind, I think). since there was very little talking, i felt less connected in this session than i had before. i was also a little mentally distracted and had a hard time telling the difference between what i was actually experiencing and what i was TELLING myself i was experiencing (aka what i wish i was experiencing).

but the most meaningful part of the reiki session was at the end, when the healer told me that my power animal came through loud and clear - to such an extent that she felt she needed to tell me (she has psychic abilities, but since that’s not what I came to her for she did not feel comfortable telling me about what came through during our hour). and it was a lion. a strong, fierce, protective, loyal, loving lion.

(palm springs, january 2010). sole 2011 resolution: more fruits & veggies.

(palm springs, january 2010).

sole 2011 resolution: more fruits & veggies.

an old bunch of words

I’m so tired of this storm
The wind keeps knocking me around
And I could stay inside and watch the telephone wires

But I prefer to make my way on down
To your bar

I’m so tired of this storm
My socks are soaked, the dryer’s out
And I keep hearing there’s no talk of it letting up

So I’ll walk
Move along
Find a seat at your bar
And drown myself in whiskey so that you’ll talk to me
Pouring down

I’m so tired of this storm
The window’s cracked the thunder claps
As I throw back another round you fill me up
You fill me up

I’m so tired of this storm
The stranger sighs and bows his head
I’m stuck inside and I’m collecting bottle caps

Oh son, why don’t you make your way on home

I’m so tired of this storm
The wind keeps knocking me around
And I could stay or make my way on home

I’m so tired of this storm
The wind keeps knocking me around
But I could stay

At your bar

last week, i won tickets to Hitched from the ultra-talented jamie @ adesertfete. so exciting - i’m a huge fan of the vendors (urbanic, ban.do, 100layercake, tend, and jamie just to name a few), and a real any-excuse-to-head-to-the-desert kind of girl.

oh, and even though i’m lightyears away from a wedding myself, my best friend ally is getting married. so our friend allyson (confusing i know) and i kidnapped her sunday morning and made a day of it. there’s the real reason to head to this hip wedding trade show.

below are a few photos, but the unexpected surprise of the night? the aqualillies totally saucy and lovingly retro performance.

more photos:

urbanic

we loved this invite suite from urbanic.

chill

tend

britt from tend created this mini world, with architecture & signage by jamie at cactus&quail.



there will always be someone better than you, even when you’re the best.

—

stayed up way past my bed time last night watching one of LA’s brightest new bands kill it at Spaceland. the belle brigade, a brother sister duo making great music (infectiously happy yet still sweet and sad), have one Monday Night Residency show left at Spaceland, and you’d do yourself a favor to catch it.

download “sweet louise” here, or check out my favorites - “rusted wheel” & “losers” - streaming at www.thebellebrigade.com.

after the show, i got three hours of sleep and woke up at 4am to hustle on down to the oscars nomination announcement. very, very cool opportunity, but damn this is going to be a long day.

(los angeles, january 2011) my new office offers the most outrageous views of los angeles, from all sides.  yesterday, we watched a military satellite rocket launch up over the hills. the sunsets blow my mind, literally look like paintings and are so completely different every day. sky-wide snowflakes.

(los angeles, january 2011)

my new office offers the most outrageous views of los angeles, from all sides. 

yesterday, we watched a military satellite rocket launch up over the hills. the sunsets blow my mind, literally look like paintings and are so completely different every day. sky-wide snowflakes.

(esalen institute, august 2010) Last August I spent a weekend at Esalen Institute in Big Sur, on a yoga retreat led by Saul David Raye. I spent fifteen hours that weekend stretching, twisting, dancing, chanting, improvising, thinking. It was badass, and I realized how important movement and focus are to me - and how much my body needs them to feel like I’m living. I left Esalen and promised myself I’d make yoga a more integral part of my life. Didn’t happen. I think I managed 6-7 classes at the back end of 2010, with three of them being the week before I went home to NY for the holidays. Burn. One night in Kauai, I took a drive down the mountain to exchange Blockbuster movies. I picked up BLUE HAWAII (totally recommend.. hilariously & awkwardly misogynistic and my mama’s generation was right - Elvis was a total babe), and ran into Saul David Raye. He was there with his three kids (one literally a week old), his wife and his yoga assistant (there must be some sort of fancy and calm-inducing name for that position, but I don’t know it. So I took that as a sign to get my shit together, and with a new year to pin new promises to, I promise to practice more yoga, and take more time for me.

(esalen institute, august 2010)

Last August I spent a weekend at Esalen Institute in Big Sur, on a yoga retreat led by Saul David Raye. I spent fifteen hours that weekend stretching, twisting, dancing, chanting, improvising, thinking. It was badass, and I realized how important movement and focus are to me - and how much my body needs them to feel like I’m living.

I left Esalen and promised myself I’d make yoga a more integral part of my life. Didn’t happen. I think I managed 6-7 classes at the back end of 2010, with three of them being the week before I went home to NY for the holidays. Burn.

One night in Kauai, I took a drive down the mountain to exchange Blockbuster movies. I picked up BLUE HAWAII (totally recommend.. hilariously & awkwardly misogynistic and my mama’s generation was right - Elvis was a total babe), and ran into Saul David Raye. He was there with his three kids (one literally a week old), his wife and his yoga assistant (there must be some sort of fancy and calm-inducing name for that position, but I don’t know it.

So I took that as a sign to get my shit together, and with a new year to pin new promises to, I promise to practice more yoga, and take more time for me.

(kauai, december 2010) i just got back from kauai, hawaii. aside from being fun to say, the trip pretty much set me back on solid ground. 2010 was a tough year chock full of learning, though it took awhile for said learning to root itself in me. in 2010 i lost focus and left a job, had a no good very bad experience with another, and at the tail-end, landed a third that made me feel all proud and gooey inside. in 2010 i mended a broken heart, and worked hard rebuilding (well, building, truthfully) a relationship with my bespectacled man. in 2010 i blew through a bunch of fleeting interests, each time getting very mad at myself for not actually putting in any work and then losing aforementioned interest. i spent a lot of time in 2010 getting mad at myself. a lot of time crying, losing control, losing perspective and missing The Point. silly. 2011 is going to be a better year. cobalt & blue is my new internets home, a place for photos and writing and journaling and drooling (over pretty things i wish i had or made). hello there.

(kauai, december 2010)

i just got back from kauai, hawaii. aside from being fun to say, the trip pretty much set me back on solid ground.

2010 was a tough year chock full of learning, though it took awhile for said learning to root itself in me. in 2010 i lost focus and left a job, had a no good very bad experience with another, and at the tail-end, landed a third that made me feel all proud and gooey inside. in 2010 i mended a broken heart, and worked hard rebuilding (well, building, truthfully) a relationship with my bespectacled man. in 2010 i blew through a bunch of fleeting interests, each time getting very mad at myself for not actually putting in any work and then losing aforementioned interest. i spent a lot of time in 2010 getting mad at myself. a lot of time crying, losing control, losing perspective and missing The Point. silly.

2011 is going to be a better year.

cobalt & blue is my new internets home, a place for photos and writing and journaling and drooling (over pretty things i wish i had or made). hello there.