Soundtrack to our Shenanigans.

Hello! July is HERE, and that is such a terrifying thought. I was reading Tavi's blog the other day and completely agree with what she said about summer. During the winter its easy to say all of the creative things you could do if it were summer, yet once summer gets here, all we do is sit on the couch drinking tea and watching Parks and Recreation... Ahem. I need to get a tan, and work on my to-do list! Read! Sew! Run! Swim! Laugh! Love! Inspiring verbs!

I promised you a summer playlist, ideally before July, and where I live it is still June 30th, so this will have to do. These are the songs I've had on repeat, and the ones I'm planning on blasting from my car windows once I acquire my license. I hope you enjoy. I've also included some photos from the underwater shoot that Courtney and I did last weekend. We just got a waterproof disposable Fujifilm and experimented. I hope you enjoy!

Don't Look Back - She & Him

Song For You - Alexi Murdoch

Whatever You Like (Cover) - Anya Marina

Missing You - Black Eyed Peas

Alive - Black Eyed Peas

Have You Ever - Brandi Carlile

Song for Bobby - Cat Power

I Miss It All - Charlyne Yi

Foreign Country - Christina Courtin

Fix You - Coldplay

Jealously Rides With Me - Death Cab For Cutie

I'm Not Calling You A Liar - Florence & The Machine

Kiss With A Fist - Florence & The Machine

Swimming - Florence & The Machine

Worst Song Medley - Garfunkel & Oates

Little Romance - Ingrid Michaelson

Sitting Waiting Wishing - Jack Johnson

Remedy - Jason Mraz

Heartless - Kanye West

We Get On - Kate Nash

Nicest Thing - Kate Nash

Merry Happy - Kate Nash

Paris - Kate Nash

Kiss That Grrrl - Kate Nash

Soundtrack 2 My Life - Kid Cudi

Until We Bleed - Kleerup ft. Lykke Li

Eh Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say) - Lady Gaga

Starstruck - Lady Gaga

Alejandro - Lady Gaga

My Manic & I - Laura Marling

Back to the Start - Lily Allen

Meg & Dia - Going Away

Boys With Girlfriends - Meiko

I'm The Only One - Melissa Etheridge

She's Got You High - Mumm-Ra

2 Atoms in a Molecule - Noah & The Whale

Shape Of My Heart - Noah & The Whale

Vanilla Twilight - Owl City

Smile Upon Me - Passion Pit

Sleepyhead - Passion Pit

Young Folks - Peter Bjorn & John

Poor Little Rich Boy - Regina Spektor

Samson - Regina Spektor

Eet - Regina Spektor

Dance Anthem of the 80's - Regina Spektor

Salute MY Shorts! - Rilo Kiley

If It Makes You Happy - Sheryl Crow

For the Widows In Paradise, For the Fatherless in Ypsilanti - Sufjan Stevens

I Was Married - Tegan and Sara

Hop A Plane - Tegan and Sara

Nineteen - Tegan and Sara

Sweet Disposition - Temper Trap

Cry Baby Cry - The Beatles

Across the Universe - The Beatles

Lollipop - The Chordettes

Summer Rains - Ditty Bops

Edelweiss - The Honey Trees

Tape Song - The Kills

Weekend - The Sea And Cake

Swimming Pool - The Submarines

After Hours - Velvet Underground

Wish I Could Forget - The Weepies

Not Dead Yet - The Weepies

Dancing in the Moonlight - Toploader

Oxford Comma - Vampire Weekend

Mansard Roof - Vampire Weekend

I've Just Seen A Face - Jim Sturgess

Chillin - Wale ft. Lady Gaga

Bandits - Wisdom Tooth

Wild Grasses - Wisdom Tooth

Runaway - Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Just You And Me - Zee Avi

Coin Laundry - Lisa Mitchell

xoxo,

Maddie.

France 2010!

Bonjour, salut! I started assembling a folder of the photos I wanted to share on my blog when I realized that it was quickly turning into a mass quantity, so I thought it might be more space efficient to make a video. So I'll let you watch the video, (& I hope you enjoy!), and I'll tell you a little bit about my voyage. The songs are 'Have You Ever' by Brandi Carlile and 'Paris' by Kate Nash.

France was absolutely amazing, such a beautiful country. After 10 consecutive hours of flying without any layover whatsoever, I was certainly exhausted, but we landed in Paris at 7:30AM, so it would be unreasonable to do anything but embark on our journey from there! The first day in Paris, we took a bus through the crowded city streets to our hotel, where we quickly changed and refreshed before walking to the station and taking the Metro back into town. We spent several hours shopping and eating lunch around the Notre Dame, (and visited the cathedral, of course), then spent the evening near St Michel, shopping some more and eating dinner. Throughout the rest of the first week, we visited the palace at Versailles, the Eiffel Tower, le Louvre, shopping districts, the Arc de Triumphe, etc. It was unbelievable to see the sights that I have been learning about since I was little, even as a four year old watching old Madeline tapes. I cried at breathtaking paintings at le Louvre, ate colorful macaroons in Marie Antoinette's bedroom, sat underneath the Arc de Triumphe and watched people pass by, laid in the grass of the Luxembourg gardens, shopped alongside chic Parisians, and saw the Mona Lisa right before my eyes. It was such an incredible experience that I will never forget.

The second week there I lived with a host family in a smaller town outside Lyon called St Etienne. My host sister was fantastic, such a sweetheart, and I had such an amazing time living with her and her family. It was fascinating to go to school with her where everyone there spoke a language I barely understood. We spent our last night in France in Paris, where we took a lovely boat ride through the Rhone river and watched the Parisian sunset sparkle across the water. Unbelievably magical.

The two weeks I spent in France were some of the most adventurous and spectacular weeks of my life. I was definitely ready to come home by the end of the trip, but now I miss it! I can't wait to return again someday. Amazing.

xoxo, Maddie.

PS-Sorry this took so long, uploading the video took longer than I had anticipated.

Summer 2010 Manifesto!

Bonjour! I've been back in the United States for about a week, trying to catch up on sleep and social activities, etc. (Paris was absolutely AMAZING, photos in the next post..) But now that I'm caught up and back to blogging, I thought I would share with you my Summer 2010 Manifesto! Ultimately, just several lists of things to do this summer, goals, films to watch, etc! Let the fun begin.

Goals for Summer 2010:

Start eating healthier and ultimately just gain a healthier outlook on life. Tone up. Stop being so dysfunctional. Learn to be happy as a strong, independent woman (that does not need a man to complete her!). Start making more art. All the time. Read more. Spend less time droning away like a zombie on the internet. Begin to blog more often!

Things to Do:

Blog. More. Often. Regularly attend and host tea parties. Drive out to a field in the middle of nowhere, lie in the grass, and eat strawberries. Wear false eyelashes in public. Get rich. Get a tan, though I prefer pale. Create a billion photoshoots, some with deep concepts, some just for fun. Write Tina Fey a letter. Learn to sew, well. Watch the stars. Sleep outside. Eat more watermelon. Stop caring about my hair. Paint my white Keds. Find a Coexist bumper sticker. Spend an entire day outside. Start a feminist fashion zine with Courtney. Create multiple giant paintings. Prepare for advanced art curriculum in the fall. Restart internship with a local artist. Get a job that pays the bills. Learn to drive. Reconnect with lost friends. Hold on tightly to current friends. No regrets. Surround myself by people who make me truly happy.

Films to See:

Lying, Lost in Translation, Handmade Nation, Welcome to the Dollhouse, Gigantic, The Go Getter, Into the Wild, Failure to Launch, Milk, Dedication, Edward Scissorhands. Any other suggestions to add to my list?

TV Shows to Start Watching/Catch Up On:

I'd really like to start watching The United States of Tara, because I absolutely love Diablo Cody's work and the things I've read about her in various interviews. She's a feminist who is definitely not afraid to share how she feels. (However, it does make me lose a tiny bit of respect for her that Jennifer's Body was such a horrendously written film with a terrible plot..)

I've also been starting to watch Parks and Recreation after previously giving up after season one, and I'm hooked! I should have had more faith in Amy Poehler. ("What kind of woman would rather be Cleopatra over Eleanor Roosevelt?!")

Books to Read:

How to Be a Hepburn in a Hilton World; Eccentric Glamour; The Secret Memoirs of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis; The Philosophy of Andy Warhol; The Feminine Mystique; Girl, Interrupted; Harry Potter (Yes, I grew up in the 90's and never read Harry Potter..!); & a large assortment of inspirational books, law of attraction studies, women's studies, cheesy girl novels, and published artists' sketchbooks. I'm also interested in the writing of Virginia Woolf and Anais Nin, has anyone ever read either of their work?

Music to Download:

Eermph, with school and France and such, I didn't really have a chance to look anyone up.. Suggestions, anyone? What have you been digging as of lately?

Monumental Moments/Exciting Plans:

Obviously going to France was a monumental moment, as is getting my license and driving, which will happen in one month today! Woot! As far as exciting plans, I'm seeing Sarah McLachlan and Ingrid Michaelson at the Lilith Fair in July, and going to see Jack Johnson with my dad in September! So excited! AHH!

That's all for now, dears. I'm going to include a run-down of my trip to France next post, and expect a summer playlist somewhere along the way as well. How have you been? Its been too long.

xoxo,

Maddie.