peek-a-boo.

Peepshop not only has the cutest little room on their main page, but a bag that I am coveting and that makes me feel like listening to Band of Horses even though I've never really taken the time to get into them, they're just sitting on my iPod looking cool.

Haha I'm so uncool it almost makes me cool.

Almost.


Autumn de Wilde, on the other hand, just happens to be an incredibly cool, amazingly talented photographer who I am supremely jealous of. Her subjects read like my iPod, speak of the devil. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs to the White Stripes, Spoon and Tegan and Sara. Also let me take this opportunity to say I thought Miranda July was gorgeous in Me and You and Everyone We Know.


Oh, I picked up new frankie yesterday (mmm lovely frankie goodness) and also the cutest little fat notebook. I'm going to cover it... (not sure what with yet - perhaps some op-shop fabric I picked up the other day?) Then the plan is to carry it with me everywhere and write/draw in it at least once a day. Not unlike this, but probably a lot less masterpiece-y. Given that I'm a complusive list maker and pick up pretty things everywhere, I think it shall work quite well.

au revoir.

Au Revoir Simone, out of New York, make nice music, but more to the point, they look amazing. I would love to know who their photographer and/or stylist is. (The best photos are on their website, yet flash doesn't allow me to copy them here...) Sad Song is radical, kinda... mmm probably in the same vein as Bridezilla, with some Arcade Fire-y organ/trumpet-type breakdowns, and a quirky Architecture in Helsinki-ish beat going on. It's sweet. I like it. Plus they list their influences and 'sounds like' as: casio, roland, korg, alessis, rhythm ace, univox, yamaha, nord, and suzuki. Pretty, talented and witty. Grr.

directed.

I've always loved drawing maps for directions. This site obviously appeals to me then. I remember in year 11 I drew a lovely map of Melbourne, complete with street names and landmarks (I don't live there but I know them off by heart) for a couple of friends who were headed over for a concert. One of them asked what would happen if an earthquake ripped through the city, so I drew it in, a great jagged line from the corner of La Trobe and Spencer Streets to the couldn't use it. I think I spent more time in maths class that year doing that sort of thing than what I was actually supposed to be doing.

instead of looking straight ahead...

I looked sideways and up when I went to town the other day. It's amazing what you can see when you actually look. Although now I have a very sore neck. More on flickr.

it's all too much.

The internet is depressing me. Seriously, 50 years ago I wouldn't have had this problem. I could have lived in my own little bubble, oblivious to what is out there.

Now I'm going to sound very shallow when I write exactly what it is that is bothering me, especially because it should be war, poverty, sickness etcetera. But it's not... I mean, yes, it is terrible, and new media is obviously furthering our understandings and reaches of what is happening in our own countries and beyond. But what is depressing me is talent.

Design, writing, illustration, photography, music... how the hell am I ever supposed to compete with what's out there. Even 10 years ago I could have lived happy in the knowledge that there were a few design studios in Adelaide, a couple of street presses, and even a few larger mags in wider australia. Now I am in posession of the websites and portfolios of South African interior designers, Swedish illustrators, American stylists, British writers, and sweet, well dressed bands coming out of god knows where. Not to mention the largely untapped talent on places like Flickr and Etsy. I know I should be inspired by it, but to be honest it is just snowing me under. I have always had an eye and an ear for pretty things, a way with words, for talent; but there is too much and I can't take it all in. On top of that is the fact that I have no idea how I will ever be capable of matching it, let alone surpassing it.

I need to keep my finger on the pulse if I'm ever going to make it, but I just don't know how I can.

Information superhighway, global village, all the terms and cliches. I wish it would just go away, or at least slow down. But I doubt if that will ever happen.

today.

Sebastien Maziere is an amazing photographer. Soft light and whimsical subjects = bliss.

In other news I had my first driving lesson today. Only a good 3 years too late.

Caring is Creepy by The Shins is wonderful, I had never quite realised its intensity before. I feel like watching Garden State now.

I joined flickr yesterday. Here's hoping I can actually take some shots worthy of putting up.

I think I need to stop dreaming and just do, stop thinking and just act, and grow up a little. We'll see how that goes.

...are sweet.

Bridezilla are sweet.

Can't wait for laneway.

I put you away into a brown paper bag,

That way I won't find you all over the place.

Even the Old's say "You need a distraction, go find a distraction.

Shuffle through old love letters I wrote to you but didn't send,

Dote over every picture I've got of you... That I can find.

Even that Kenny G record cover can't make me laugh no more,

Even my mother's mother can't cook a feast that might fill me up.

Even the Old's say "You need a distraction, go find a distraction"

since before.

Since the last time, I have been a busy, busy beaver.

• radical times at french bars (sans indie clubs)
  La Boheme was super-sweet and even played Gloria so was there any need for Supermild anyway? Well yes, but given only one person apart from Tan and I would have enjoyed it (god bless Dave) we decided to give it a miss. Still, tasty cocktails (the boys all seemed to gravitate towards the Absolut Hunk, go figure) and tastier tunes made a fun night.
  


• birthday + hottest 100

Presents, presents, including my Andy Warhol book (Tan), Audrey Hepburn book (Ash and Jen), silver S (Amelia) all fit perfectly into my newly painted bookshelf, not to mention my wonderful mannequin, christened Audrey, gorgeous earrings from Loz and bangles from Jess. Sweet, sweet gifts from amazing people. Hottest 100 was radical, yet surprising. Here were my votes:

Architecture In Helsinki - Hold Music

Bloc Party - Hunting For Witches

Cold War Kids - Hang Me Up To Dry

Faker - This Heart Attack

Interpol - The Heinrich Maneuver

Kings Of Leon - On Call

Klaxons - It's Not Over Yet

Mess Hall, The - Keep Walking

Modest Mouse - Dashboard

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Down Boy

Only disappointment was that Mess Hall didn't make it. And I was surprised more Klaxons didn't make it in, including my choice. Day was topped off seeing a friend of a friend's band at the Grace Emily. Radical cover of Crystal by New Order to end the night.

• big day out
  

Aiiiii! Arcade Fire! A-MAZ-ING! Plus Midnight Juggernauts, Battles, Cut Off Your Hands, King Daddy, British India, Skeletons, Bjork and of course, Rage Against the Machine. Let the photos do all the talking. (More on my Facebook.)

...Not to mention new op shop shoes (cream and tan), working, crafty stuff, watching Sex and the City, and finishing the painting and organising of my bookcase! Now for the decoration and cleaning of my room...

yesterday, today, tomorrow.

In this period of 72 hours I have/will:

• work two closes
• paint a bookcase
• rearrange and clean my room
• bake honey biscuits and walnut/brown sugar cake from afternoon tea
• have brunch with amelia
• get my hair cut and coloured
• miss tannon
• get excited about my birthday aka 'radical times at french bars and indie clubs'
• get angry about the price of almond meal
• write a blog post

Seriously, about this almond meal thing, I was dying to make the lemon polenta cake from afternoon tea until I realised how much almond meal costs. $3.79 for 100g, and I needed 500 for the cake! That's almost 20 bucks straight up, and for this novice cook, a little to much for one cake.

Honestly, I love frankie like a twin sister, but you would think they would include recipies their target market could afford to make. You know the ones... 18-30, hip young students and/or impoverished arty types who, after taking out their monthly expenses of frankie, op-shop-gold finds, friday night cocktails with the girls, 2x gig tickets, polariod film, sunday brunch with some mates you met at the going away party for your friend that just finished her graphic design course and is now living in europe, canvas for your latest bright idea... I mean, the kids at frankie should know that there isn't a lot left for $20+ cakes, and especially not when its weighed up against getting a fab new coffee table book or an amazing pair of vintage heels, albeit overpriced.

Just some thoughts.

Can't WAIT until my bookcase is dry.

xx

uh oh...

Ok, so I'm 14 days late. I guess over the silly season it's easy to lose track of time, not that I've been particularly silly, or have a 14 day hangover from NYE... just family coming down and busy times at work, outings, holidays and other whatnot...

My beautiful boy gave me a polariod camera for Christmas, just what I wanted. Two shots, Ash and I at a playground when we went out for tea with the boys - our perfectly planned night ended up being pretty spontaneous, with an East End park walk and playground stop to boot; La Boheme was closed, so we went straight out for tea at Star of Siam on Gouger St, then we decided to head down to Rundle St to Cocolat, and then Palace Nova to see I'm Not There. I'll admit, I didn't know a lot about Bob Dylan going into it, so it took me a while to piece things together and work out what was actually going on. But does anyone really know much about Bob Dylan anyway? He's a bit of an enigma really, which I think was what the movie was trying to show. Cate Blanchett was amazing.

The second shot is just the boys at the Moonlight Cinema, for Dave's 19th. We went to Pulp Fiction, which I hadn't seen before, but quite enjoyed, despite the cold. As soon as the sun went down there was a chill that most of us definitely weren't expecting. But it was still nice to see everyone.

I love my polaroid, but I'm scared to use it... I don't want to waste shots, but at the same time it's the amatuer nature of the photos and the little faults that make them so beautiful. All in good time, methinks.

Speaking of all in good time, I bought the most amazing shoes from an op shop in Norwood a few weeks ago... but I just can't find the right time and place to wear them. They are so beautiful, I love them. So frenchy, so chic, wouldn't you agree?