I thought this photo was appropriate on so many levels for this weekend. This weekend marks my favorite weekend and favorite holiday of the year, besides Christmas.

Memorial Day holds a very special place in my heart.  It’s the kick off of summer (even though I’m told there isn’t one of those in San Francisco), the day that allows us to start wearing white again, a day where drinking American Flag Budweiser and eating hot dogs is encouraged, and, most importantly it’s a day to remember those who died serving in the US Armed Forces.

This photo, grabbed off of Magnum Photos, was taken by one of my favorite journalists, Robert Capa.  Robert Capa was a famous war correspondent and photographer. He snapped this shot in France in July of 1944, about a month and a half after the infamous Battle of Normandy.

My grandfather, a hero who I never met, was there.  My father told me my grandfather talked about Normandy only once with him.  He said he was horrified by what he heard.

Sometimes I forget just how special it is to live in America.  I love Memorial Day because it reminds me how great this country is and how many courageous men and women have fought and sacrificed their lives for the sake of freedom. It’s a pretty spectacular thing.

I hope everyone has a happy, safe and enjoyable holiday!

]]> http://theleiterside.com/2013/05/24/favorite-foto-friday-51/feed/ 1 mleiter4 Robert Capa http://theleiterside.com/2013/05/23/favorite-reading-spots-in-sf/ http://theleiterside.com/2013/05/23/favorite-reading-spots-in-sf/#comments Thu, 23 May 2013 15:41:18 +0000 mleiter http://theleiterside.com/?p=1958 ]]> One thing I said I would do when I got a 9-to-5 job was read more.  I most certainly do that, however it’s generally only for a little bit before falling asleep.  So I also try to make a point to go enjoy the sunshine and read for an hour or two on the weekends.  Throughout my time here in SF I have found many enjoyable places to do so, so I thought I would share!

The most convenient, thought not necessarily my favorite, is the park by Grace Cathedral.  There’s a little fountain with several benches but also a few grassy areas where late in the afternoon the sun hits just right.

Another favorite is Alamo Square.  I generally adore this neighborhood.  It’s unique in so many ways and the people who live there  have a great community vibe going on.  Though on windy days it can be a little chilly up on the hill, it’s a great place to watch the dogs play in the park on the weekend and get some awesome views of downtown SF.

Two other awesome spots to hang out are Ocean Beach and Golden Gate Park. However, both are pretty far off from me.  Ocean Beach can also be very windy and the weather can be entirely different from the weather in downtown San Francisco therefore making it not so ideal of a “go-to” spot.  As for Golden Gate Park, there are about a million different spots you could pick to enjoy a good book.

My all time FAVORITE place to read in the Bay Area, though impossible to get to without a car, would most definitely be Stinson Beach. Stinson Beach is one of my favorite places anyway. I actually fell in love with this adorable little town when I was first deciding to move to San Francisco a little over a year ago. A huge part of me fantasizes about living in Stinson Beach for several months, never leaving and just reading, writing, surfing and hanging with the locals.  It probably wouldn’t be as perfect as I imagine it to be, but I still really admire this little beach town.

Stinson Beach, CA. February, 2013.

]]> http://theleiterside.com/2013/05/23/favorite-reading-spots-in-sf/feed/ 0 mleiter4 Places to read in SF places to read in San Francisco Alamo Square places to read in San Francisco Golden Gate Park Places to read in the Bay Area Stinson Beach stinson beach california http://theleiterside.com/2013/05/22/to-300-leiter-side-posts/ http://theleiterside.com/2013/05/22/to-300-leiter-side-posts/#comments Wed, 22 May 2013 05:04:12 +0000 mleiter http://theleiterside.com/?p=1955 ]]>

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.”

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.

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!!!

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.

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.

]]> http://theleiterside.com/2013/05/11/favorite-foto-friday-49/feed/ 1 mleiter4 IMG_8216 http://theleiterside.com/2013/05/08/new-track-big-tree/ http://theleiterside.com/2013/05/08/new-track-big-tree/#comments Wed, 08 May 2013 01:35:25 +0000 mleiter http://theleiterside.com/?p=1926 ]]> 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.

However, recently, I read an incredible book that definitely deserved some attention and acclaim. As someone who greatly admires words and the power and impact they can have as well as ancient myths, this book completely captivated me.

Ransom by Davild Malouf is an astounding novel. Malouf’s poetic prose is so fluid and powerful the novel is a true piece of art. I highly, highly recommend it for a delightful, inspiring read.

On the surface, Ransom is a story that unfolds between two men on opposite sides of the war for Troy. However when peeling back the many layers of Malouf’s poetry there is so much more to the story.  The novel is a “moving tale of suffering, sorrow, and redemption.” There is much to learn from the morals and lessons in the pages of this book. It is a truly timeless piece.

Some of my favorite lines:

“One of the chief concerns of a good king is the image he presents, and most of all, as he grows older, the image that other men will keep of him when he is gone. That is what I am concerned with now, in these last days of my kingship.”

“It seems like such a simple thing to a big strong fellow like me — a breath. You’d think you could just give it to them, free, even if it meant a little tightening in your own chest.”

“Ah, there’s many things we don’t know, sir.  The worst happens, and there, it’s done.  The fleas go on biting. The sun comes up again.”

“Even the ghostly recollection now of what he had never in fact allowed himself to see made his old heart leap and flutter.”

“We’re a long time in the earth, father. Plenty of silence there.”

I realize this wasn’t much of a review, my English teachers would probably be disappointed. I hope I made a strong enough case for you to give it a try.  If not, read this NYTimes review from when the novel was first released.