New Track: Little Hurricane
I was recently introduced to Little Hurricane, a perfectly awesome “dirty blues” band that actually released their first and only album last May.
While I’m a huge fan of their entire album, “Homewrecker,” the first song I heard and one of my favorites by the San Diego duo is “Haunted Heart.”
They have a simple rock ‘n’ roll meets the blues sound. The bluesey rock ‘n’ roll guitar is a simplistic kind of heavy which meets some raw, impressive vocals singing mysterious lyrics.
My initial thought was that they’d be from down South somewhere like New Orleans. I was surprised to learn they were from southern CA. However, while their lyrics and blues sound give off a southern vibe, the guitar and the way the entire album sounds gives off a very California-indie style.
I’ve been jamming on this band for the past week now and am not sick of the album yet. Two of my other favorites are “Crocodile Tears” and “Tear Bucket.”
Favorite Foto Friday
This time of year always reminds me of the boys, well, men I guess, back home that work on the sea. About this time of year they have already put their gear back in the water and are starting the lobster fishing season. This photo was taken a few years back about this time of year, maybe a little earlier, at my friend’s wharf.
The more I travel and the more people I meet, I’m further and further convinced that there is no one else like the boys back home. I absolutely adore them for that. Furthermore there are fewer prettier places to be in this world than Maine in the summer.
The midcoast of Maine is so unique in it’s picturesque landscape and the core values that remain in the souls of those that continue to occupy the shores. It is such a special, special place to me and will always hold a part of my heart.
I will surely miss Maine this summer but wil smile big knowing if I were to go back the coast and my friends would welcome me as though I had never left.
Vintage Gift
Over the past week I’ve gotten many gifts and cards to celebrate my 26th birthday. They have all brought huge smiles to my face and warmth to my heart from friends and family from across the miles.
One of the coolest gifts I got was sent from my aunts and grandfather.
Two vintage decks of cards in a carved wooden box that my grandfather made with my father to give to my father’s grandmother, my grandmothers’s mother. Did you follow that? I’m not sure if I even got that right!
The decks of cards are from Delta Airlines and say San Francisco and Los Angeles on them, hence why my aunts thought they would be appropriate to send to me.
As someone who adores anything vintage and my family, this was truly an awesome gift! Thank youss!!! 
Talk That Talk
“But if thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought.” ― George Orwell, 1984
I’m starting to realize how much power words can have, and, more importantly, how much power they don’t have when you choose not to use them.
I’m a dweller. I dwell on things. It’s the one thing that as I grow older I’m continuously trying to work on. I especially dwell on people’s words. The things that people say to me. Which is obviously really silly for a number of reasons!
Especially in a world where we are constantly communicating virtually. Now a days words are so often taken out of context. For example, we all have that one friend who over analyzes every text message her crush sends her wondering what he possibly could mean when he texts her, “What are you doing?”
(compliments of Verily)
As a now 26-year old “adult,” I’m really trying to work on lessening my load, so to say. As in not carrying the burden around of other’s words and their negative thoughts about the choices I make. In the past, I have always had a pretty care-free attitude, but after getting dumped, changing careers to start from the bottom of the barrel and moving across the country I think I lost some of that edge/ self-esteem I had when I was once drowning in what many would call an overly comfortable zone.
I’m not making excuses! In fact, in order to focus less on other’s words I’ve tried to come up with some guidelines that have recently proved helpful and, not surprisingly, greatly improved my overall mood throughout the day:
1. Don’t repeat the negative things someone says to you. It does no good to relive the moment and the negativity that some person may have caused you over and over again.
2. Don’t try to understand it. This is another thing I’m constantly trying to do, to rationalize everything. “Why would someone say that?” “How could they do that?” Etc. At the end of the day we will never understand why people say or do the things they do. Humans are funny creatures.
3. Don’t purposely talk about the negative things in your life. I find it so easy to complain about my job or my apartment or my family. Though it’s often harder, it’s so much more rewarding to find the positive things in those situations. Or, if that’s too difficult, which it can seem impossible at times, find something else positive to talk about.
“The Golden Rule,” as my first grade teacher used to say, is: “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”
She was a wise, wise lady. Funny that at age 26 I’m still trying to learn what I was taught at age 6.
Favorite Foto Friday
I’m headed out for a fun, pizza-filled birthday celebration so I don’t have time to write much of a caption, but I wanted to get this up! Today is my brother and I’s birthday and obviously, Sunday is Mother’s day. This is my brother and my mother.
We’re not, by any stretch of the imagination, a perfect family, but, man, do we love each other. We fight like crazy but at the end of the day we would do absolutely anything for each other. Anything.
I love you both to pieces! xoxo Love. Loyalty. Friendship.
New Track: Big Tree
I first heard of this awesome little group years ago. My sister went to school with one of the incredibly talented members of the band. I liked them back then, but that was when I was more in a heavier rock stage of my life, not that I don’t still love heavy rock.
Anyway, last time I was home my best friend and I somehow ended up in my sister’s car having a serious dance party to this jam…
I don’t know if it’s the timing of where I’m at with my life, the memory from having so much fun with my sister and co. that night, the fact that Big Tree now resides in SF or the humble happiness the music creates, but I absolutely adore this song.
In this song you can individually hear how each musician contributes his/her talents to the song and yet when you listen to them all together it makes for an even more powerful tune.
In so many ways this song reminds me of moving to California. Yet, it doesn’t make me long for the way my life was when I first put my foot on the gas to leave the East coast. Instead this song acts as a reminder to me that this is the journey. Through the ups and downs life remains so beautiful.
As I’m about to turn 26 I try not to look back. It was a rough year to say the least. I finally feel like I’m at the end of such a dark chapter of my life.
When I came back to San Francisco from Portland last weekend I felt like I was coming home. This is where I’m supposed to be. I have no idea where I’ll be a year from now, nor do a dare venture a guess. To quote the writing on the inside of my Grandma’s memorial service program, “you learn to build all your roads on today because tomorrow’s ground is too uncertain for plans and futures have a way of falling down in mid-flight.”
Moving to California didn’t turn out how I ever imagined it would, yet I know I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be. This song has a fabulous way of reminding me of that.
