Sunday, September 27, 2009

apart from being a big geek at school and feeling like a fish out of water at my internship, this is what i've been obsessin' over as of late:

-fanfarlo and wildbirds & peacedrums. my roommate, tj, interviewed fanfarlo last monday, so he asked if i'd like to go along to their show that night. it was one of those decisions where i had a ton of other things to do but i just felt like i should go. it was FANTASTIC. the opening band, wildbirds & peacedrums, have to been seen to be believed. they're a gorgeous husband and wife duo from sweden. he plays the drums like no one i've ever seen, she sings her heart out and plays a number of instruments. i don't know all of the fancy music-reviewer words to use to describe them, but if you ever have a chance to see them play - DO IT. trust me. fanfarlo is a band of 6 (7? i forget exactly) multi-instrumentalists who are all so talented and adorable that, as i told tj, i just want to go on a big date with the entire band. i'm in love with them. we ended up buying tickets for their show in brooklyn the next night. and we're going to see them during cmj next month. cant get enough fanfarlo.

-our roof. we have the most killer view of manhattan, ever. i just like to go up there and stare at the skyline and thank the universe for letting me live here.

-my macbook. i've had my shiny beautiful macbook pro for a few weeks now and i am very much in love with her. i haven't named her yet, though. (i like to name things.) this is my first mac, and i'm slowly slipping into the steve-jobs-worshipping-apple-cult. i might even put my little cult-stickers on a notebook or something. whoa-oh.

-washington square park. i. love. this. park. i can sit on a bench and people-watch for hours. i have loved this park for a long time. i have said in the past that if i could live anywhere in the world, it'd be in one of those townhouses along the northern border of the park. it so happens that the NYU school of social work is housed in a few of those very townhouses. so good.

-coffee-shop-hunting. i've been jaunting all over the village checking out coffeeshops. i tried jack's coffee last week and loved it. it was a comfortable place to sit and read, and they put the little milk-swirly on my latte. i also had an incredible zucchini-chocolate-and-cranberry muffin. mmmm. mud's coffee was delicious, but i haven't had a chance to spend time there. i want to try joe - the art of coffee, but there are never any tables free. this is probably a good sign.

-brooklyn lager. new favorite beer for sure. every bar in brooklyn should be required to have it on tap. local pride, c'mon people.

-john mayer's "who says"
. i am a huge fan of mr. mayer, and i'm so happy to hear his album will be coming out soon! (november 17) the single took a few listens to grow on me, but i found it's especially good late at night, accompanied with the aforementioned brooklyn lager.

-moleskine's new york city notebook. it's a guidebook that doesn't look like a guidebook! so i don't end up looking like a tourist while i try to figure out in which direction i'm headed. i can also write in all of my own favorite places. (i have sections just for coffeeshops and bookstores.)

-learning. seriously. i have been learning a lot about myself in addition to geeking out over social work. it's sometimes difficult to swallow, but really wonderful.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

just a quick post, but i am big time obsessed with michael franti & the spearhead's song "say hey (i love you)". it's just so much FUN. i dare you to hear this song and not smile. it's impossible. a little dancing is also completely irresistible. i have never heard of michael franti before, but this song has me wanting to buy a cd, go to a show, profess my undying love, the whole bit. youtube won't let me embed the video, but search it and watch it and dance and smile and smile and dance.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

i am loving life in brooklyn, here's what i'm obsessing over at the moment:

-world pulse magazine. tagline: "global issues through the eyes of women". hello, perfect! it's published quarterly, and features stories on what women all over the world are doing to address issues that matter to them. this issue they had a story about fair trade companies and they featured bead for life, which sells handmade paper bead jewelry made by women in uganda. a friend bought me a bracelet from them a while ago and it is beautiful. world pulse's website features an online community that connects women globally and allows women to have a voice which may have been historically quieted in their communities.

-move about myrtle. in my new neighborhood, on every sunday in september, they're closing several blocks of myrtle ave to traffic and turning it into a street fair with vendors selling awesome art, free dance and yoga classes, food, live music, and even a roller rink in the street. i checked it out last sunday and loved it, i'm already looking forward to this sunday.

-chipotle burritos. there is a chipotle way too close to NYU, i've been there twice within a week. today i found myself daydreaming about burritos while in the middle of orientation for a job. ain't no good.......... but mmmmmmm.

-the union square barnes and noble store. i could (and do) spend hours there. two of my favorite sections, women's issues and religion and spirituality, are right next to each other and i can easily spend hours browsing just in that area, let alone throughout the 4 floors of this wonderland.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

laura is awesome!

meet laura.
laura is from mexico. in april, laura was living in new york city. she heard about an event called the rescue, held by an organization called invisible children. the event was intended to bring an end to a rebel army from uganda which abducts children to use as soldiers. laura went to the event, and was so touched by this cause that when she heard about a bus that was leaving from new york to continue to other cities' rescue events, she jumped on, no questions asked. that is where i met laura, and we spent an incredible week traveling from new york to harrisburg, pa; richmond, va; and chicago, il, where we ended up getting oprah's attention and she even put us, along with a few hundred other "rescue riders", on her little television show.
now, that little adventure wasn't enough for laura. she'd been bitten by the invisible children bug, which is pretty hard to shake. she applied to become a roadie for them. roadies travel all over the country in an IC van, showing films about the crisis in uganda and surrounding countries. she got the position, and is now in san diego preparing for the fall tour.
here's where you, reader, and whoever else you share this story with, come in:
tour costs MONEY. roadies are not paid. (invisible children is a non-profit, they run on enthusiasm and donations.)
please consider donating so that laura can spread the word about this crisis!
also, consider booking a screening with invisible children at your school, church, community center, etc.
laura is an incredible person who is truly living the invisible children motto: "jump first, fear later." please help if you can! even a dollar or two helps so much.