Project!

I found this ottoman at Value Village and thought the base looked really nice. I don’t exactly need an ottoman, but I always drool at the before and afters on Design Sponge and thought it would be fun to try doing a small project myself! I starting by washing and vacuuming it (sooooo dusty), then I sanded out some of the big scratches and applied a varnish restorer. I know I should have re-stained it, but I really didn’t feel like sanding the whole thing. Lastly, I reupholstered it with this fun corduroy material. It turned out okay!

Before

After

Runny noses and Poses

I know, I know. This blog is withering and dying. And I really don’t mean for every post to be about the Wainwrights, but last night Katie P. and I went to see Rufus & Martha at the Paramount, and I think the show deserves a little write-up on here.

Let me just begin by saying that, as a fan of the whole family, last night was extremely satisfying. It was the last show of their tour together, so it got pretty emotional!

Martha opened the show, and boy, she’s just the most unassuming person ever. She introduced herself as “Rufus’ sister,” and proceeded to play some great songs and make a bunch of self depreciating jokes. To close the set, Martha said that she and her mom had sung a version of La Vie En Rose without amplification for her Edith Piaf album and that Rufus had dared her to sing it herself without a microphone before the end of the tour. Then she walked out to the edge of the stage, tested the acoustics, and belted out the song with that beautiful voice of hers! It was pretty spectacular. That lady is awesome.

We were told about 20 times before the show NOT to clap during Rufus’ first set, which was a song cycle from his newest album. He came out in a very theatrical feather-y black cape and tore through the ten or so songs. It showcased his talent really well…his piano work and voice were more than enough to fill the theater with some pretty intense music.

The second set, for which he wore a pink and orange suit, was much less formal, and was filled with charming jokes and commentary about how much he enjoys Seattle (don’t we all?). Even though the first set was intense, the second set was where Rufus got really emotional. Martha came back out and they played three or four songs together, and after the last one (Hallelujah), Martha went over to the piano and gave Rufus a really nice, long hug. Rufus quickly wiped his face and began to play Little Sister, but then he lost it completely. He tried blowing his nose and starting over, but the rest of the song was littered with crying, laughing, and a running commentary about how awful he sounded (“people say my voice is nasal-y, but this is ridiculous!”). It was pretty precious. The rest of the set was filled with more family songs, which seemed equally hard to get through. He swore that he didn’t get this emotional every night and kept apologizing for the quality of his voice, but the audience was loving it.

For the encore, Rufus, Martha, and Martha’s baby, Arcangelo came out and sang Poses (well, the baby didn’t sing, but he did sit there nice and quietly). It was very sweet. Before the last song, Rufus sobbed a little bit and talked about his mom and told us the reason he got so emotional when he and Martha were singing is because their mom’s favorite thing in the world was to hear the two of them singing together . His last song was a cover of his mom’s song, Walking Song, which was lovely, even though he could hardly get through it.

It was a very, very emotional, and great show. I sure do love that crazy talented family. Here’s a video of one of the songs from the first half of the show, performed in a slightly less spectacular outfit.

A new addition

I bought this beauty (well not this EXACT beauty, but one just like it) on Craigslist a few weeks ago, and I love, love, love it!!!! Learning how to play the banjo has always been on my lifetime to-do list, and I’m so glad that I decided to just go for it when I found the good deal online! First things first, I already tackled The Swimming Song. Now I’m working my way through that Pete Seeger book and slowly but surely getting the basics down. It’s a really nice change from guitar, and it’s great to have a new hobby!

Beautiful films: Winged Migration

In order to get myself blogging again, I’ve come up with a new series called Beautiful Films. I’ll be taking five lovely scenes from some of my favorite movies to share with you all. Hopefully this will inspire me to get back on this blog!!

Today’s post is from Winged Migration by Jacques Perrin, Jacques Cluzaud, and Michel Debats, 2001

Our Nation’s Capital

Is a pretty nice place. Would be nicer without tea partiers, though.

People I Love: The Wainwrights!

Or a post clarifying why exactly I’m so obsessed with the Wainwright family. First of all, as musicians, they are all so good in different ways. Their voices and styles of music are actually pretty different from each other, but at the same time they’re all such great songwriters. So, when when you love all of their music separately, you can’t help but obsess over all the songs they write about each other! Loudon (known as Gordondon in some circles) and Kate were together just long enough to produce two insanely talented children and a bunch of bitter, sad songs about each other. Then their kids grew up and joined in, writing some great songs about their parents. I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone be so candid about any relationships, let alone those with their family.

Lots of songs were written about Rufus and Martha throughout their childhood and teen years. Loudon’s songs in particular are so undisguised and personal:

So of course, when the kids grew up, they had to write some hard hitting (and not so kind) songs about their dad in return. My favorite is Martha’s masterpiece, Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole (below).

But they do still love each other, which means that sometimes they sing together (and it’s the best thing ever)!

And in addition to all that songwriting, they still have time to do things like knit each other sweaters and bake ski shaped gingerbread cookies together.

Further listening: Loudon Wainwright III- Pretty Little Martha, Rufus is a Tit Man, Hitting You, Lullaby, Dilated to Meet You, Mr. Guilty, Your Mother and I, When You Leave, The Days That We Die, Our Own War. Martha Wainwright- Hearts Club Band, In the Middle of the Night. Rufus Wainwright- Little Sister, Beauty Mark. McGarrigles- Go Leave, Blues in D, First Born Son, I Eat Dinner. McGarrigle/Wainwright Christmas Show- In The Bleak Midwinter.

It’s about time…

Congratulations, Kathryn Bigelow! A well-deserved Oscar for doing a great job on a good solid movie.

82 years of Academy Awards.
404 Best Director nominees.
4 of whom have been women.
1 female winner (finally)!

Also congratulations to Meryl Streep for being such a classy lady (especially when Sandra Bullock won and was coming in for a hug and she waved her away and said, “Oh, just get up there”) and to Jeff Bridges for being so tall (and for another well-deserved win).

These is for the Angies!

Ok, so Angie tagged me in this post a few weeks ago, and I’ve been temporarily blog-paralyzed trying to come up with answers that are as good as hers (I failed). But here it is anyway. I tagged some of you at the end so the pressure’s on you now! Enjoy!

What are the last three things you purchased?
I just bought myself two CDs, for the first time in a long while. Martha Wainwright- I Know You’re Married, But I’ve Got Feelings Too and The Dutchess and the Duke- Sunset/Sunrise. Third, I recently bought some climbing shoes that I have to take back.

What are the last three albums you bought?
I can’t even remember the last album I bought before the two mentioned in the previous question (thank you, public library!). I think it might have been Nick Cave & Warren Ellis-White Lunar.

What are the last three places you visited?
Southern California, Minneapolis, and Australia. Strange mix.

What are your three favorite movies?
Lost in Translation: Angie’s description says it all. So full of sadness, but also a totally beautiful portrayal of human connection.
Annie Hall: My favorite Woody Allen film and one that I can watch over and over and over. And the cameos! Oh, the cameos. “Hello? I forgot my mantra.” Oh, Woody.
You Can Count on Me: I read a review of this somewhere that said it’s a movie that doesn’t even feel like a movie, and that is so true. The acting is so natural and unforced that it really feels like you’re just an observer of these peoples’ lives.

What three things can you not live without?
1) The prospect of traveling sometime in the not-too­-distant future (or at least dreaming about it). I get itchy feet pretty quickly. 2) Coffee and tea. I’m not totally addicted, but I do love me a cup of coffee in the morning. 3) This American Life. I’m not going to lie…downloading the latest Podcast every week is one of the highlights of my life.

What are your three favorite possessions?
Dogs don’t count as possessions, do they? I’m going to say they don’t. In which case: 1) My iPod. I cannot even remember what we did before these guys. 2) My laptop for the same reason. 3) Maybe my guitar, since I really do enjoy playing that thing lately.

What would be your three wishes?
1) For the entire world to be powered by wind, solar, geothermal, and tidal power (though I’m pretty sure that this not possible). 2) To get a completely functional, useful, and cheap train system in Seattle. 3) To have an unlimited number of free flights to anywhere in the world (I can have one selfish one, right?).

What three things haven’t you done yet?
1) I used to think I had no desire to bungee jump, but now I think it might be a fun (SCARY) challenge. 2) I’ve never been to the Rocky Mountains. One of these days I would love to take a road trip through Alberta, Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado. 3) Learn to play banjo! I’ve wanted to do this forever, and one of these days I’m going to find a banjo on Craigslist and get this book.

What are your three favorite dishes?
This is difficult. I really like this West African Stew. Secondly, maybe BBQed portabella mushroom burgers (probably the best food to eat outdoors on a warm summer evening). Third, maybe my go-to Thai dish these days, which is pad see ew w/tofu.

Which three celebrities would you most like to hang out with?
Tom Waits. I like to think we’d hit it off, but I think our meeting would really consist of him telling me interesting facts and me laughing with nervous reverence.
Michelle Obama. I want to be friends with this lady real bad.
Since I don’t have anything to say that’s worthy of being spoken to the wise Mr. Leonard Cohen, I’ll go with Tina Fey for my third choice (not that she’s not wise. I don’t want to cross a Sugarbaker woman…). Tina is just one of those people who seems like she would make an awesome friend.

Name three unusual things you are good at.
1) This is not really unusual, but I am good at knowing where countries are on a map. Maybe geography is an unusual talent in this day and age, though. 2) My Cat Stevens impression. It’s not that good, but I do it a lot. Peace. Train. Take. This. Country! 3) Remembering the name of every actor/director/movie ever.

Which three things are you coveting?
1) Climbing gear! 2) This backpack (my daypack is in pretty sorry shape). 3) This DVD (love him).

Name three bloggers you are tagging.
Katie
Tanya
Cheryl (you’re going to start blogging, right?)

sleeveface!

Best Valentine’s day ever.

Another one.

“It is (to describe it figuratively) as if an author were to make a slip of the pen, as if this clerical error became conscious of being such. Perhaps this was no error, but in a far higher sense was an essential part of the whole exposition. It is, then, as if this clerical error were to revolt against the author, out of hatred for him, were to forbid him to correct it, and were to say, ‘no, I will not be erased, I will stand as a witness against thee, that thou art a very poor writer.’” -J.D. Salinger. Seymour, An Introduction

Thanks for all the great stories, J.D.