Wednesday, June 30, 2010

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.

Sunday, June 27, 2010

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.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

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.