Wednesday, December 29, 2010

2010: i loved you madly.

new year's eve is one of my absolute favorite holidays. it is a free pass to wear as much glitter as you want, celebrate as decadently as possible, and dance as much as you can. last year's celebration found me toasting new and old friends on my rooftop and dancing and singing along to the entirety of girl talk's "feed the animals" how, exactly, does one sing along to an album of remixed mashups? i don't remember, but my friends tell me it was pretty impressive.
new year's eve, as i see it, is a celebration of life for no other reason than this: it exists. we got to live an amazing year, and here comes another! pass the champagne, i'll toast to that.

2010 was something else. this is my version of an end-of-the-year recap, a top-whatever list, etc. because i can't be bothered with ranking things and i don't like numbers, i present to you a non-predetermined number of things in no particular order that i found rad, interesting, exciting in 2010.

- the LRA disarmament and northern uganda recovery act: after lots of meetings with congresspeople and their staff, and a little thing we like to call sleeping-on-congressman's-front-lawns-until-they-get-a-clue, my friends and i got a bill passed to get the US government to take the lead in getting rid of joseph kony and rehabilitating northern uganda. on november 24 the obama administration released their plan. big deal.

- trader joe's: um, HOW did i go 22 years of my life without shopping here??? cheap healthy food and super friendly employees. seriously, how are they so good at conversation? i have discussed everything from TED talks to couchsurfing to RL stine with trader joe's employees. all while they're bagging my goat cheese and avocados.

- ray lamontagne and the pariah dogs' "god willin' and the creek don't rise": this album breaks my heart and makes me feel warm and cozy all at the same time. so beautiful.

- GOOD magazine: a beautifully designed magazine highlighting people doing innovative, positive, amazing, GOOD things. the only magazine i buy every single issue of a read cover to cover. have you seen their infographics? genius. they gave me my favorite fact of the year: if everyone in the usa lived as densely as we do in brooklyn, we'd all fit into new hampshire. i know right?! your mind is so blown right now.

- REVEAL conference: i volunteered at their inaugural conference on feminine spirituality in may, and it was brilliant. a gathering of passionate, genuine, incredible women to talk about how we experience the divine. i was able to meet one of my favorite authors and spiritual teachers, sera beak, and she was just as wonderful as i'd hoped. i can't wait for next year's event.

-nicki minaj: she-woman-lady-power i can dance to? i am so about that. also her pink wigs. also the way she doesn't give a f-u-c-k. also her butt injections? i don't know but it took me one listen of her section on kanye's "monster" to be all "oh my god nicki, i love you." then i heard "i'm the best" and was basically ready to propose.

speaking of mr. west...

-my beautiful dark twisted fantasy: please see what everybody else is saying about this album because i think there's a general consensus that the whole world (sans diehard t-sweezy fans and george bush) digs it hard.

-the kids are all right: one of the best movies i saw this year. endearing and human and just plain good. also: mark ruffalo.

-youtube: is it just me or was it a really good year for youtube? maybe it's mostly the fact that i spent a lot of time writing papers this year and thus, a lot of time watching youtube videos while i procrastinated. i've adopted the self-affirming spiritual practices of jessica and my roommates were a little alarmed to hear just how well i know the bed intruder song.

-black swan: BLEW MY MIND. i can't even tell you. go see it.

-janelle monae's "tightrope": i challenge you to hear this song and not dance. YOU CAN'T.

-john mayer at madison square garden, two nights in a row, from the 4th and 5th rows. during a blizzard. i know.

-that time i made chowder and invited a bunch of people over and my friends played music in my living room. that time was seriously awesome, and comfort food sundays with music will totally be happening on the regular (ish) in 2011.

-pantoja, republica dominicana. i love that place, and those people. nunca te olvidaré, mis amores.

to everyone who made 2010 kick ass: thank you, and i love you. i am truly overwhelmed with gratitude for the amazing people in my life. big big hugs, and here's to 2011...

xo, linds

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

love list

what i'm loving right now:

1. danielle leporte's blog white hot truth. i used to subscribe to it on google reader, but i found myself getting angry at danielle, so i took it off. why? i just can't handle that much truth sometimes, especially when it's so white hot. it's that intense. i find myself reading once or twice a week though, whenever i am ready to be inspired and have a bit of a kick in the butt. she's fiercely motivating, and writes awesomely inspiring stuff.

2. trader joe's. i don't know why i resisted TJ's for so long, but for the past few months i've been falling more and more in love. cheap veggies and wine, delicious frozen meals, pumpkin pancake mix, adorable and chatty employees... what more could a girl want?

3. dressing like ke$ha for halloween. i take halloween very seriously, so i shopped carefully for things that ke$ha would wear, but that i would also wear. i ended up learning how to push my self-imposed wardrobe boundaries. who says i can't wear motorcycle boots? a faux-leather jacket with green leopard print lining? sequin hotpants? i can! i can and i will, and i'll look good doing it. thanks, ke$ha, for the crash course in confidence.

4. soup. yesterday i got this amazing vegetable lentil soup on my way home from work. tonight my roommate lisha and i made three sisters soup (three sisters = butternut squash, green beans, and corn) including potatoes that we were surprised to find were blue on the inside! they were gorgeous! (again, trader joe's!!!) it's such soup weather. i think next up is a batch of my mom's chicken corn chowder, made famous when she made it for a cast party during a high school production and all of my dramatic theatre friends freaked out about how good it was. it is seriously so good and completely warrants dramatic glee-style freaking out.

5. lelia broussard's album masquerade. it only came out today but i am already gonna say it's fantastic! i've been following lelia's career since around 2004, and watching her grow as an artist has been amazing to see. this album is far and away her best work yet and a pure joy to listen to. itunes it!

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

i can remember when the earth moved slowly.

near the end of summer 2008, i was sitting on the beach in cape may, nj with my mother, listening to music. jack's mannequin's "spinning" came on:
i can't remember when the earth turned slowly
so i just wait here with the lights turned out again
i've lost my place but i can't stop this story
i'll find my way but until then i'm only spinning
i was about to start my senior year of college, and i knew that i would be "spinning". i looked around the beach and thought "this is when the earth turns slowly." we were on a pretty quiet section of the beach with the waves crashing, i had no plans for the rest of the day, i was absolutely content right there in that moment. i made a mental note to remember everything about that moment so that later on, when life was moving quickly and i felt like i couldn't keep up, i could conjure up that memory, and i could remember when the earth turned slowly.
i still use that memory. right now, in the midst of midterms, an internship that is amazing as it is draining, and a social life on top of everything - i'm spinning. but i can remember when the earth turned slowly, and i know it will eventually slow down again. until then i'm rolling with the punches and enjoying the ride.

Friday, September 10, 2010

"overjoyed... over-loved... feeling lucky"

in the past two days i've had two different friends tell me i'm the happiest person they know. what a compliment! i don't think there is anything i'd rather be known for, to be honest. people ask why i'm always so happy, or how i stay so optimistic, every so often, so here it is. lindsay's secret to being happy... no gimmick, no infomercial 2-for-1 deal, no saving your soul, no books to buy or chants to chant...
gratitude is my secret to being happy. honest! (notice i say "my" secret, not "the" secret. this may not be a one-size-fits-all straight route to happiness.) i had never heard of practicing gratitude until a few years ago, when jason mraz started talking and blogging about it and i was all "well DUH, i gotta try me some gratitude!" this is not to say that i wasn't happy before then, but the happiness i've experienced since starting to be conscious of and grateful for my blessings every day is a bigger, fuller, deeper happiness than ever before. disclaimer: i am not happy all the time! but i am grateful for the sad times, the angry times, the emotionally "off" times. the human experience would be pretty boring if i, or anyone, was happy all the time.
the practice of gratitude can look different for everyone. it doesn't have to be opening your window every morning and yelling "I AM GRATEFUL FOR THIS DAY!" but it can be (remember to be grateful for your neighbors, though.) i don't have a set routine for my gratitude. sometimes i write things i am grateful for in a list. sometimes i think of as many things i was grateful for in a given day before i fall asleep. sometimes something happens and i just take a minute to consciously feel gratitude. i say "thank you" as often as i can. (it's especially enjoyable to say it in spanish. grrrrrracias! rolled "r"s are a thrill.) it's the recognition of whatever you are grateful for that counts, anything else is just a tangible, visible, audible expression of your gratitude.
right now, on a bolt bus somewhere between new york city and boston, at 3:30pm on friday september 10th, i am grateful for:
- my apartment and roommates. i am able to live in an incredible city that makes me feel exuberantly alive, in a completely adorable apartment with the best roommates a girl could dream up.
- the mild weather. it's that temperature where you could wear just about anything and be comfortable. lovely.
- my invisible children family. i was able to see my friend koji play music a couple of nights ago, and to spend time with two more members of the fam. i am spending this weekend with yet another. i met them all because they had the passion for a cause to jump on a bus with a bunch of strangers in april 2009, and they completely amaze me.
- bolt bus! this blog post is brought to you by the good people at bolt bus, who kindly provide free wi-fi. my bus driver's name is flash, and he introduced himself as a "people relocation specialist". you're a good man, flash, thanks for driving me.
- school. really! i started my last year of being a full time student yesterday, and i am so grateful for the opportunity to learn and to earn this degree that is going to help me to help other people reach their own happiness. i am going to be (i already am!) a joyologist-social worker. i am grateful for tricia huffman's inspiration!
- dried mango. i picked some up at duane reade before getting on the bus and they're delicious! way more sugar than i expected, but it's like eating candy!
- this weekend. i am going to the life is good festival to hear good music with happy people (jason mraz! brett dennen! guster! color me stoked.) it's my last hurrah of the summer and it's going to be great. LIFE IS GOOD!

what are you grateful for?

Monday, August 30, 2010

yesterday was my one year anniversary of living in new york, or as i referred to it, "mine and new york's one year anniversary." yeah, i'm one of those new yorkers. (it's been a year, i'm an official resident, can i call myself a new yorker now? should i write to the new yorker to ask? should i put my question in cartoon form??) i love this damn city so much i could kiss it. i can't for the life of me figure out how to be in love with a person, but give me a smelly loud city full of people who think (know) that they are superior to every other life form: TRUE LOVE. it's appropriate that our anniversary came immediately after i spent a whole five days away from the love of my life, hanging out with family in pennsylvania, of all places. i went to the MOUNTAINS. after one day of hiking through woods and rivers, i'd had enough nature and was ready to come back to new york where "i love nature" means "i buy organic produce from the greenmarket and sometimes go to the park to check out joggers!" new york, i love you.

Friday, August 20, 2010

things i love friday.

one of my favorite bloggers, gala darling, writes weekly "things i love thursday" posts, and "carousel" posts on fridays, which are round-ups of her favorite tidbits around the web. this will be a combination of the two... things i'm loving in real life and across the internet.

-"yes means yes: visions of female sexual power & a world without rape" essays compiled by jaclyn friedman and jessica valenti: this book is rocking my world. the way i think about sex and relationships and everything thereof is being shifted in the best way.

-this post on the invisible children blog discussing an article from the guardian about what's wrong with NGOs and well-intentioned westerners, and what we can do better.
The article highlights a troubling myth that do-gooders too often take for truth: Being a foreigner motivated by good intentions equates to being qualified. Shockingly, foreigners with no development experience—none—come to places like Gulu year after year and attempt to work with vulnerable communities in need, doing anything from offering up counseling, to helping trauma victims make products, to handing out shoes and other items. With no development philosophy guiding these behaviors, money gets wasted, the wheel gets reinvented, stereotypes get fueled, and little real change sticks.
i struggled a lot with my decision to go to the dominican republic this year and the struggle was in part because i so completely agree with the points made this post this could turn into a lengthy ramble, so suffice to say i had a good experience this year but will not be doing a trip like that again.

-ray lamontagne & the pariah dogs' new album "god willin' and the creek don't rise": so. so. good. ray was one of those artists who took a while to grow on me, but now i'm completely obsessed and this album is just gorgeous. the title track is my immediate favorite, but the entire thing is just beautiful.



-camping! i'm going to a cabin in the mountains in pennsylvania with my family next week and i can't wait for swimming in a river, exploring caves, picking blueberries, roasting marshmallows... ahh, everything. as much as i love the city, i occasionally enjoy its antithesis as well.

-homemaking. i mean literally making a home. our friend lisha moved into the apartment a week ago, and since she, tj and i were originally planning on living together a year ago, it's finally like it should be! we are planning a chalkboard wall, choosing more wall art, and generally fixing our home to be just as we like it.

Thursday, August 5, 2010



i wasn't at this show, but i heard about this talk and looked it up earlier today. it hit me at the right time.
"you’re going to freak out. you’re going to have at least one moment per week where you don’t feel right. maybe it doesn’t feel so wrong if you know that it’s kind of supposed to happen to you. it is the other side of being conscious and loving, that there are going to be times you’re going to have to hit control-alt-delete. you’re just going to have to take a moment. you might be walking through the airport, you might be having the time of your life. in fact, it’s more likely to happen during the time of your life." - john mayer

i'm freaking out a little lately. i'm taking lots of these moments. bear with me, i'm trying to keep saying yes.

Monday, August 2, 2010

"what've you been up to?" i love asking this question to people i haven't seen for awhile, but lately, i don't know how to answer it when it comes to the "what about you?" portion of the conversation. i spent ten days in the dominican republic last month, doing construction work (cement blocks can suck it) and loving the most adorable kids in my world. since then, and before then, my summer's been oddly empty and full. i don't have a job. i'm not taking summer classes. i've been spending my time going to free or cheap shows and trying to embrace lazy summer. it's difficult, i don't like not having a schedule. i'm waiting to hear about a babysitting job, so i'm in this limbo where i don't really want to look for any volunteer opportunities lest they conflict with the babysitting schedule, but i can't stand not doing anything. i've read a decent amount, and self-reflected perhaps too much. i've wandered the city and shared meals with good friends. looking back on the mental list of summer goals i set for myself.... i'm a little behind. so here's what i will do this month:
-go to the beach. i've only been to the beach twice this summer, both times in the DR. for someone who has been in love with the ocean for years and spends most of her summers living within 15 minutes of the most gorgeous part of the jersey shore, this is not okay.
-get lost. i live in this incredible city and there are parts of it i've never wandered. more solo wandering excursions are necessary.
-go kayaking in the hudson. a friend and i have tried to do this once, then realized it's only open on weekends. attempt #2 will be soon.
-take a dance class. either ballet or african. probably ballet. it's been years, and my body's craving it. i dance on my own but i need to go to class. the obstacle is the cost. i need to make it a priority and just do it, because i've been saying i am going to for a while now.
-spend more time on rooftop bars. berry park in williamsburg, i'm looking at you.

one more month of summer, i vow to live it up and not spend it counting down to the start of the semester.

Friday, July 2, 2010

ciao bella dark chocolate sorbet: a love letter.


dear ciao bella dark chocolate sorbet,
we met today in the freezer at whole foods. you were on sale and i was in an emotional funk deserving of a "decadently rich" dark chocolatey cure. you were also sporting lovely minimalist packaging. did i mention you were on sale? this is whole foods we're talking about, on sale is important. so i bought you and brought you home and after a salad dinner i treated myself to a bowl of you.
my tastebuds were not prepared. i think i actually moaned. like, out loud. luckily my bowl is too deep to fit my face in, or else i'd be licking it right now. honestly, ciao bella dark chocolate sorbet, i don't think there is anyone else for me. you may have heard about my fling with mango gelato last summer, but i assure you that is dead and gone. i am head over heels. ben and jerry who?
this is the start of something beautiful.

all my love,
lindsay

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

yes to unity.

yesterday i stumbled across the music of trevor hall, and it was love at first listen. the song that's resonating with me the most right now is "unity", which trevor co-wrote with matisyahu. i was trying to choose a favorite line or stanza to quote here, and i seriously couldn't choose one. every word is ringing so true for me. here's a video of the song interspersed with trevor talking a bit about the creation of the song:



YES to that!

Friday, June 4, 2010

this is not a concert review.

last night i was incredibly blessed to be able to see michael franti & spearhead play at the beach on governor's island. there could not have been a more perfect place to see them play than on this island between brooklyn and manhattan, with the skyline to the left, the stage right in front of me, and a gorgeous sunset behind me. it was absolutely perfect.


if you're unfamiliar with michael and his band, the first thing i think you should know is that they absolutely radiate love. it's incredible. michael is active in many social justice causes and is a living example of being love. this shows through the band's lyrics, smiles, and just general presence. i saw them open for john mayer at madison square garden in february, and after their set, michael and one of his guitarists, jay bowman, came down into the crowd to meet the fans. band members coming out into the crowd at an arena show is rare and definitely appreciated.


this love, this pure joy for living, is clearly contagious, and franti's fans are an example. the crowd yesterday was friendly, happy, and just one of the most pleasant crowds i've ever been a part of. i went to the show on my own and i certainly didn't feel alone. people talked to their neighbors, shifted around to let kids up front, and even i saw a complete stranger buy a coke for a little boy so that he didn't have to miss the start of the show. amazing!

michael and the band spent time playing out in the crowd as well as on the stage, and their energy was incredible. jay bowman, or j-boogie, as michael called him, is the happiest guy in the world. the entire time he plays, he's smiling this huge, sincere, amazing smile. when leaving the show, the crowd had to wait in sections for ferries to take us back to manhattan. people were tired, and sweaty, and some weren't too keen on waiting. jay/j-boogie/happiest-man-in-the-world came out to where we were waiting to say hi, shake hands, and thank us for coming. his gratitude definitely made the wait much better!

this is not a concert review, mostly because i am not one for using words to describe music. however, i can't leave out the fact that the music was, of course, amazing. it was one of those shows during which i couldn't have stood still even if i wanted too. the entire crowd was a dancing, smiling, singing, clapping, sweating, loving mass of happiness.

heaps of gratitude to michael franti & spearhead and all of your incredible fans. i love you, i love you, i love yoooouuuu!

Thursday, June 3, 2010

while moving my mom into her new condo, i encountered many Completely Useless Items. i started mentally making a list of things i will never ever have in my home, because they are just so useless:

-special occasion dishes. my mom has an entire set of dishes just for christmas, with poinsettias and holly on them. for 364 days out of the year, they sit in the hutch. on christmas we pull them out, wash them, eat off them, wash them again, and put them away. because clearly using special dishes on his birthday makes jesus love you more.

-doilies. you know, those little white lacy things you put on coffee tables and the like so that you have something to move when you want to clean, and something to stain when you spill your coffee. doilies are dumb. and ugly.

-fake flowers. oh pretty flowers... they look so fresh... HAHA, no they don't. they look fake. because they are. there's not even water in that vase. what is this i don't even...

Friday, May 28, 2010

home. it's a weird concept to me, having moved away from the home i grew up in, permanently, in august. i may not stay where i'm living now but i'm sure never going back to the small town of my childhood in rural southern new jersey. and yet, whenever i go to visit my family, i say i'm going "home", even though i haven't felt truly at home in that house, where i lived from the time i was a few months old, since i went to college at 18. i left and my room became my sister's room, and when i visited i got to stay in the office/guest room. add that to the fact that brooklyn feels increasingly more like home every day, and home is just not really very homey.
today it grew even less so. my mom and stepdad are getting a divorce, and my mom's embarking on a new phase of her life with a new job in a new state (hello, pennsylvania!) and as of today, a new condo. now, without my mom living in the house i grew up in, it's really not home at all. moving my mom out of that house was pretty surreal. i'll definitely still visit, as my sister and stepdad are staying there, but it seems quite empty now.
even though i've moved away and settled into a new place quite happily, my life still hinged on that axis of "home". i still knew i could always go back to the house i grew up in and see my family and have that familiarity. now that all that's rearranged, i feel a little off-kilter. i guess this is growing up, living through the shifts and establishing a new axis away from that old notion of home.

Monday, May 17, 2010

at the reveal conference the other weekend, in sera beak's redvolution workshop, she gave us the idea of asking our divine spark to send us a sign, whether it be in the form of a symbol, a color, or whatever, just to sort of let us know that she's present. i closed my eyes and listened deep and wasn't surprised when the image of a hummingbird came to mind. hummingbirds have become something of a totem for me, and i honored my hummingbird spirit with a tattoo a couple of years ago. as of this morning, i hadn't seen any hummingbirds or heard any mentions of hummingbirds since reveal, but i've definitely felt my divine spark at work, and have been recognizing little winks and nudges from the universe left and right. this morning i was on my way to meet with the supervisor of a possible internship for next year. in MSW school, your second year field placement could lead to a job, and i was less than satisfied by my first-year experience. needless to say, i was hoping this possibility would be a good fit. my bus came late, and i ended up getting to the office about 15 minutes past my appointment, even though i'd left my apartment plenty early. as i waited to cross the street to the office, a cab drove past. not an unusual occurrence, this is new york city after all. but, across the door (in red letters, no less) was the company name - "hummingbird taxi". the internship, of course, is exactly up my alley and i couldn't be more pleased with my new supervisor.

Sunday, May 16, 2010


photo (c) roberto dutesco, found here

today, my roommate tj and i wandered from our brooklyn neighborhood to the brooklyn bridge, across to manhattan, and up to crosby street. we had no real plan, but we were led to some amazing places including a gallery on crosby, one of my absolute favorite streets in new york. through the windows of the gallery i spotted these absolutely stunning photographs of horses. now, i am not a horse lover. i think they're beautiful, and i went on a trail ride once that was pretty cool, but i'm not typically overly excited by horse related stuff. i also know little to nothing about photography. however, i know that these images are amazing. i was completely transfixed and had to go inside. the photographs, by roberto dutesco, are all taken on sable island. it's an island off of nova scotia that is uninhabited by humans, but home to these wild horses. dutesco is using his beautiful images as a vehicle for "awareness through beauty", with the following mission:
Beauty has the power to inspire, to teach and to drive action.

Awareness through beauty is more than a philosophy, it is about taking concrete action to support conservation projects around the world and help protect the handful of sites that remain in a state of true wilderness.

The Wild Horses of Sable Island Mobile Project, aims to inspire tomorrow’s leaders in emerging and developing countries about the importance of natural habitats and conservation. Our goal is to establish a network of Sable Island Kindergartens where children will be introduced the incredible story of the Wild Horses of Sable Island, through film, photography and storytelling.

amazing, am i right? check out their website for more information about the project. the gallery is apparently part of a mobile museum, and i'm not sure how long it will be in new york or where it's headed next. if you're in the new york area, i strongly recommend visiting 13 crosby street while they're there, i'll definitely be heading there soon for a second look.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

good food and a good show.

a couple of days ago, my friend blair and i tried a restaurant called iCi here in my neighborhood, and goodnessssss it was amazing. they use locally sourced ingredients and their menu changes seasonally according to what is most available locally, so i was intrigued by that from the start. the food is creative and completely delicious, and the portions are perfect! the prices were too high for me to be a regular patron, but as an occasional splurge, they're perfect. i want to try the brunch soon.

last night was quite the incredible night. the LRA disarmament and northern uganda recovery act passed through the house of representatives and is en route to obama's desk! YES!!! as soon as i got the news via a tweet from resolve uganda, i started my own personal dance party in times square. i am SO HAPPY and so proud of all my friends who've worked so hard to get this thing through. WE DID IT!!!

also last night, blair and i went to see american idiot on broadway, and it was pretty awesome. when i first heard about the show, i was a little confused as to how green day's music would translate on the broadway stage, but they did an awesome job of keeping it gritty and 100% rock music. it was a broadway show that acted like a rock concert, and i dig that. i also totally love john gallagher, jr and he did a tremendous job. and there was aerial dance! ahh, love.

Sunday, May 9, 2010

i spent yesterday at REVEAL, a conference about spirituality for young women, and it was AH-MAZING. seriously. i am a total junkie for religion and spirituality, and the emphasis on the feminine is soooo up my alley. i also tend to unnecessarily stress myself out about my own spirituality. yesterday i finally realized that i don't have to label my spirituality. really. it may sound like a pretty obvious thing, but this realization is HUGE for me. i have spent a lot of time and energy trying to "decide" my spirituality. uh, hey linds, it's not a decision! it's a journey, a relationship, a lifetime of exploration. this is so exciting!
a highlight of the conference, for me, was hearing from and meeting sera beak, who wrote the red book, a book that totally changed my perception of spirituality when i read it last year. i strongly recommend reading the book (i'm reading it for a second time now) and poking around her website, she's just incredible. the first page of her website introduces her well - "i follow my own red heart. i listen to those who speak from their own. i question, doubt, and dare to know there's always more." yesssssss! love it.
in addition to sera there were so many amazing women in attendance as presenters, volunteers, and participants. i wanted to have a big slumber party afterward with all my sisters. big giant heaping overflowing gratitude from my red heart to those of everyone who made the day possible, it was definitely one i will never forget.

Sunday, April 25, 2010

what i'm loving lately:

invisible children: as always. from a meeting at a congressman's office to get some support for a really important bill, to meeting up with some of the amazing revolutionaries i've grown to call friends since our first meeting exactly one year ago, to documentary screenings, to new friends... life changing, this stuff is.

new york city: last weekend i went out for one of my best friends' birthdays. the night included some of the best guacamole i've ever had, a spontaneous limo ride, a rooftop bar in the shadow of the empire state building, and waking up to the sunrise over the midtown skyline from 40 stories up. last night i watched fireworks over manhattan from my bedroom window. only in new york.

looking forward to the REVEAL conference: a conference combining feminism and spirituality? i am SO there. i'm most excited for sera beak's workshop. i'll be volunteering, it's on may 8th here in new york. registration is $79 until may 1st, then it goes up to $99, so get on that!

GLEE!: i literally can't even talk about this show without squealing at least once. and when i watch? giggling, squealing, clapping excitement. just when i thought it couldn't get any better, they bring on jonathan groff and idina menzel. i'm in love.

Friday, March 5, 2010

it's march! it's finally march! february tends to be a tough month for me. the dead of winter just gets me down. but in march i can start to glimpse the light at the end of winter's tunnel. it's supposed to get up to 50 degrees this weekend! that's downright tropical compared to the blizzards/snowpocalypsicanes we've been dealt these past couple months. march also means that i only have two more months left in the semester, and then SUMMER BREAK. words cannot express how excited i am to spend my first summer in new york city. walks to the park, ice cream trucks, exploring nyc-area beaches... i am stoked. i also am in a pretty unique situation this summer in that i included my living expenses for the summer in my student loans, so i am not under pressure to work too much this summer. i am going to look for a job, because i want some money to play with, but i'm not going to do anything that i don't enjoy. i'm also going to spend time interning or volunteering for a non-profit i believe in. i have a lot of choices, people are doing amazing work in this city, and i've got some ideas that i'll share once i reach out to them and work something out. pretty much, this summer is my last as a student, and i plan to live it up by doing what i want. my own personal summer "staycation". i'm down for lots of visitors too, so to all my far away friends: come explore new york with me this summer! i'm down for all kinds of adventure as long as it's cheap or free! i think i'm going to make a wishlist for this summer and post it up here soon... first on the list is a sailboat ride. if you know anyone who knows anyone who has a sailboat somewhere in the 2-3 state vicinity of new york city... get at me. i have been wanting a sailboat ride for years now.
also, if you want to teach me how to surf... hint hint.

Friday, February 26, 2010

hey john mayer?
you make my life.
like when my class gets canceled hours before your show and through friends that i've made at your shows (your fans? we really are an amazing little network) i end up in the 4th row of madison square garden while you blow my mind. "assassin"? OH HEY. steve jordan rocking my face off? i'll take that too. and you top it of with a tease of "3x5"? i am so so grateful.

tomorrow night, same time, same place? sounds good to me. toss a little "edge of desire" in there and i'll be over the moon.

xoxoxoxo, linds

ps please deliver an IV of caffeine to me at my internship tomorrow. thanks, buddy.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

i went to see david ryan harris play last night, and this man's voice... there just aren't words. so smooth and gorgeous. i saw him in november at rockwood music hall, one of my favorite spots in this city. last night's show was at highline ballroom, which, due to a $15 ticket plus a $10 minimum per person per set (say whaaa?!) is not a favorite. but anyway. he performed beautifully and had some pretty hilarious stories between songs, too. before this song, he was talking about how women are so critical of ourselves, when men don't see any of the flaws we're so focused on. "i think the women on the cover of 'shape' magazine could use a sandwich! 'shape' should come bundled with 'bon appetit'!" oh yes.

i strongly recommend listening to this song before going out. guaranteed to make any girl feel like the pretty girl she is.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

i had planned to go home this weekend. i miss my family a lot, and have just been homesick in general. my plans were foiled when i woke up yesterday morning feeling all-around terrible. i was a sore throated, congested, body achey, headachey mess. i tried to push my body and go anyway. my trip would have included a bus, two trains, and about an hour-long car ride. around a 3 hour trip altogether, and the thought of spending three hours traveling did me in. by the time i got home, i would have wanted to do nothing more than crawl into bed. so i called my parents and apologized a bunch of times because they'd changed plans for the weekend to accommodate me coming. they were immensely understanding, and my dad reminded me that it's important to listen to my body. so i've been doing just that, and what my body wanted was a weekend of sleep, tea, soup, bubble baths, and a marathon of 30 rock. i'm still not feeling great, but i'm improving. at first i was angry. i kept thinking "i should be home this weekend! i'm supposed to be hugging my dad right now!" but then i reminded myself: there is no "should", there is only what is, and right now is a bit of sickness. that's okay. i chose not to fight my body, but to pamper it and give it what it wants. hopefully it will thank me with feeling better tomorrow, but if not? i could handle one more day of taking it easy.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

love love lovin'

my favorite things at the moment:

- mat kearney's music. i want to curl up inside the last 1:30 of "city of black and white". "fire and rain" makes me want to jump up and down singing along. i've been listening for a while but recently i have had this resurgence of love for him.

- j. crew's february catalog. well, to be honest, i love every j. crew catalog i've ever seen, this is just the current one. their styling is honest to goodness amazing. i usually study the catalog at length and then try to copycat with cheaper clothes because j. crew's a little pricey for me... but i am considering splurging on a blazer for spring. because really, i can wear a good blazer for years! and it will be a good light jacket for spring... and it will help me toward my new goal of dressing like a grownup... i'm a pro at rationalizing purchases, it's kind of a problem.

- my favorite blog at the moment is i am being. tricia had the seriously awesome job of being jason mraz's joyologist on his last tour. now that senor mraz is not touring, she's blogging and living and loving and i just love following along on her journey via her blog. it's so honest and uninhibited. recently she's written about how she enjoys spending time with herself, and i SO get that. i need a pretty good amount of alone time... more than most people, it seems. my close friends have grown to understand that just because i say i'd rather stay at home instead of go to that show or bar or dinner doesn't mean anything's wrong... i just need to spend some time with myself.

- "hey, soul sister" by train. yes, "drops of jupiter" and "meet virginia" train! i couldn't believe it was them when i first heard it in a bar with my friend blair a few weeks ago, but i became quickly obsessed. whenever i listen to it while i'm out walking, i start walking all bouncily and smiling a lot and people probably think there's something wrong with me but that is okaaaayyyyy haaayyyyy haaaaayyyayyyyy....

Monday, February 15, 2010

on friday i took a greyhound bus (for $5!!) from new york to philadelphia to meet up with two good friends. the greyhound trip itself was quite the adventure. and here are my tips for surviving a greyhound trip from port authority:
1. load up your ipod with new music. my picks? ben harper and the relentless7's white lies for dark times (i know, i'm a little late on this one, but oh my goodness good!) and brandi carlile's valentines EP XOBC.
2. budget time for a stop at a newsstand for magazines. i picked up marie claire and glamour. hey, it was friday and i didn't feel like thinking too hard. and the photos of victoria beckham in glamour are precious.
3. SNACKS. i munched on dried mango and a dark chocolate godiva bar. delicious.
4. don't be afraid to be the freak who is taking deep breaths and stretching in line during the hour and a half wait for the bus, which will inevitably be late.

from philly we drove out to the poconos and spent the weekend lounging and watching gems like clueless and maid in manhattan, dancing to hits of the 80s and 90s at a community clubhouse that can best described as a south jersey wedding minus my family, and eating everything from blueberry chocolate chip pancakes to crabcakes. good weekend, yes?
happy valentines day.

Friday, February 12, 2010

dear john mayer:

just so you know, when you say douchey things, it complicates my life. i feel like i am doing part-time PR for you because i'm the only one willing to say i don't think you're necessarily a douchebag. maybe you are, maybe you're not. i don't know you! therefore, i think the only way to settle this is for us to get to know each other. no prejudgements, i'll forget everything i've heard about you and start fresh. maybe we could meet for coffee? just an honest conversation, off the record. trust me, this will be good for your image. help me help you.

let me know,
linds

Thursday, February 11, 2010

on the new title:




this blog is now titled "lindsay says yes". new url, bookmark it or google-reader it (it's a verb) or "buzz" it (i don't understand) or whatever it is you do with blogs these days.

why the change? i wanted to be able to write more about my day to day life and just about myself in general. i felt boxed in by the "lindsay is obsessed" title and idea. so this is more open ended, more broad, and more personal.

why "lindsay says yes"? i said "no" for a lot of my life. i was a timid, shy kid. i was hesitant to try new things for a long time. since moving away from home for college, and especially since moving to new york, i've been making a point of saying "yes", and it's liberating and refreshing and quite amazing. i've said yes to starting graduate school, yes to being set up on dates, yes to making last minute decisions to go to concerts and broadway shows, yes to trying new foods, yes to jumping on a bus for a trip to no-one-knows-where for no-one-knows-how-long... yes yes yes!

and i must admit, there are a few other blogs that have inspired my saying yes recently, so i'll show some love for them:
superforest
yes and yes
blisschick
not that kind of girl

i'm off to say yes to doing laundry and maybe after, yes to some pasta!

Thursday, January 28, 2010

let's do this.

let's do this blog thing. maybe people read it? tj reads it. (hi, tj.)
here's what i've been diggin' during my absence from blogging:
-lush. um, have you smelled this store? it's a feast for the nostrils. and their angels on bare skin cleanser is a gift from the skincare gods.
-pita pizza. put delicious toppings on a pita and bake it. INSTANT PIZZA. i will be eating this pretty much every day from now on. my first one was sauce, mozzarella, tempeh, peppers, and tomatoes. yeeeees.
-memphis on broadway. go see this thing. my takeaway lesson was that music and dancing fight racism. i like that.
-anya marina. giant musical girl crush on this lady. dear anya, come play in new york, pretty please!
-foam magazine. ocean-influenced fashion/arts magazine. i love it. most fashion-y magazines are too hip or too pretentious or too superficial for me to really love, but this one is perfect. it can be hard to find, but hollister usually has it, so if you can handle the darkness, the too loud music, the half-dressed model/employees saying "hey what's up?" to you at every turn, and the overpowering scent of cologne... go there. it's worth it.

otherwise i have been mostly hearing live music whenever possible and being really impatient for warmer weather.