happy radio

it's no surprise {if you've spent any amount of time on my blog that is} that i'm a massive music-lover.  oh no, sorry, i don't think i said that right. what i meant to say was, i must have music playing at all times if i am to get anything done, remain a happy person, and not pass out on the floor in a melodramatic fashion.

now when i'm at home, i have my grooveshark playlists, wonderground radio, and eclectic 24 to keep me company at my computer, but i'm in a whole world of trouble in the car.  i'm not sure if you're aware of this, but it's really hard to find a happy radio station outside of the interweb.  this has always troubled me, especially now that i live in LA, a city full of frustrated drivers who could use a positive influence.

{having fun at kusc}

ever since high school i was surrounded by radio hosts.  several of my best friends {holler brian!} worked at our local classical music station and i would spend countless hours in the booth, even working the buttons after the boss went home {shhh! don't tell}.  so i suppose it's somewhere in my blood to have a strong desire to start my own radio station. only i want mine to be one that is ridiculously happy and fun... a radio station that takes the airwaves on a trip to the petting zoo, buys it an ice cream cone, and plays hopscotch with it.  sadly i don't have a real life radio station {and am not likely to have one at any point in the near future},
but what i do have is this blog and an extremely active imagination.

so step on up folks and push play.  delight your ears with the sounds of my pretend real life happy radio station!  a station that reads uplifting quotes instead of commercials and reports only good news stories {this just in, a little girl in oregon has been happily reunited with her lost puppy!}.

what's your favorite happy music?

things i wish would happen but probably won't...

...probably.  

but a girl can dream can't she? here we go.

* saved by the bell: the middle-aged years.

* scientists will suddenly discover great healing powers from chai lattes, thereby recommending we should each drink about 12 of them every day... unless you don't like chai lattes, in which case i hope your doctor recommends your favorite drink for the betterment of your health.

* exercise wouldn't take up any time during the day... as in, time would stop whenever you wanted to exercise so you could work out as much as you want, feel really really amazing, and not worry about all the other things you have to do during the day.  tag back into life? oh it's still only 7am!

* when people look at me they will automatically know my real age and stop treating me like a teenager {i know you all think i will love this someday, but so far this has only caused me to be treated very poorly by the world.  it's overwhelmingly patronizing.  i am, in fact, almost 30!}.

* an elderly billionaire {or millionaire, i'm not picky} will choose a social security number at random to leave all of his/her fortune to, which will just so happen to be MY social security number {or the mister's, again, i'm not picky}.

* scientists will discover all phones are detrimental to our health and banned forever {have i mentioned how much i HATE talking on the phone? *shudder*}.

* wait i changed my mind about people automatically knowing my real age.  instead, whenever a person thinks i'm younger than i am, they will have to give me money, and the younger they think i am, the more money they will be required by law to give me {there's got to be a way to pay off my school loans other than working 60 hours a week for the next 40 years, there's just got to!}.

{thanks for the tip mcsweeney's, guess i better go apply to the circus}

what are you wishing for this tuesday?

summer dreamin...

well i guess i'm not in san francisco anymore, it has been crazy hot lately!

which can only mean one thing - i am finally getting to experience my first summer since 2004.

yippeeee!

on saturday the mister and i took an impromptu date during which i stopped in for some gelato. i got to thinking about how that was surely the first of many gelato trips i'll be taking over the next couple months, which made me happier than a little girl with a brand new pony.  i can't wait to compare all the local ice cream shops, dive into my summer goals, and most of all, take about a million {and one} trips to the beach!  in anticipation of these ocean visits, i've been imaginary swim suit shopping.  

there are so many cute ones this year!

 {left: anthropologie, right: marysia}

{left: marysia, right: anthropologie}

{left: topshop, right: j.crew}

i'll take one of each please!

have any favorite swimwear styles or shops? i definitely need to get more use out of the swimsuits i bought for my honeymoon last year, but i am always up for some imaginary shopping. besides imaginary
shopping is a fantastic cost effective alternative to real life shopping, am i right?

ben sollee

a few years ago dannon and i heard an npr special late one night when we were working on an art project.  it was the perfect mix of soul, bluegrass, and indie, all played on the cello!  we were amazed and instantly in love with ben sollee's music. a few months later, ben came to san francisco to do a show at a small theatre by my house, so we went and hung out with him for a bit after.  he's the nicest guy in the world, incredibly humble, and a fantastic musician. not to mention he's a huge environmental activist, choosing to tour the entire country by bicycle... with his cello in tow.  yup, amazing.

do you guys remember that imaginary art space i built here on my blog last week? 

well i've decided to throw a concert with ben sollee, and all of you are invited. 

so put your dancing shoes on and get ready to have a blast!

and if you want to hear ben sollee in concert for real, check out his current tour dates. 

he's even coming to the bootleg theatre here in LA! i know where i'll be on july 28.

happy wednesday everyone!

poster art

i'm not a big collector.  throughout my adult life i have always lived in ridiculously small apartments which never allowed me the luxury to own much, and i don't think that will be changing anytime soon.  but if i did collect anything it would be art.  sometimes i daydream of having my own museum behind my teeny cottage in the middle of silver lake.  not only would it be a place to display art, but it would also be a space for performances - poetry readings, music concerts, plays, film shoots, photo shoots - it would be my heaven!

since i can't have my museum in real life, i figured i would go ahead and build one right here on my blog.  so step on over and check out the first installment, my poster-art-meets-pop-culture favorites - unique designs, cool typography, paying homage to music & movies. love! 

from wooden toy publishing co:

{left-right} "sea legs" by the shins - artist i love dust;  "home" by edward sharpe & the magnetic zeros - artist numskull; "everything will be fine" by belle & sebastian - artist steph says hello.

from music philosophy, by artist mico:

{left-right} "on the radio" by regina spektor, "passing afternoon" by iron & wine, "no rain" by blind melon, "anyone else but you" by the moldy peaches, "to be surprised" by sondre lerche, "hurt" by nine inch nails {covered by johnny cash}, "electioneering" by radiohead, and "not dark yet" by bob dylan.

from artist jerod gibson:

and my personal favorite - great showdowns by artist scott campbell:

{left-right} titanic, flashdance, rocky horror picture show, babe, short circuit, and beetlejuice.

thanks for visiting my museum!

if i had a million dollars

money. what do you feel when you hear or read this five letter word?  are you grateful that you have enough or do you cringe at the thought of how much more of it you need?  as much as we try to promote the fact that money is not the most important thing in the world {which is true}, we forget how necessary it is.  of course it's easy to know how necessary it is when you have none of it {hollah!}.  so today i'm pretending i have money to spare, lots of money to spare, and going on an imaginary shopping trip.

here's how i would spend my money:
- sign language classes.
- paying off all of those school loans.
- sending my nieces & nephews to college.
- a tiny cottage in silver lake, an apartment in my old san francisco neighborhood,
and a cabin in the upper rockies.
- a beautiful business venture of my happiness truck, my therapy practice, & classes for underprivileged kids.
- continuing education {classes in art, yoga, meditation, certifications in different realms of therapy, etc.}
- road trips, sailing trips, & traveling the world!
- hiring that talented husband of mine to build all of our furniture himself.
- starting a non-profit where therapists teach mental health classes in schools {so people can learn
self-awareness, how to heal, and how to have healthy communication with others}.
- and yeah, a few new dresses wouldn't hurt either.

{print by little minch art}

things i wish i got paid to do so i could afford that list:
- sitting on the beach and watching the waves roll in.
- coloring, crafting, and creating.
- hiking each and every trail in the LA area.
- attending live music shows.
- sitting at a coffee shop and chatting with random strangers.
- listening to records & reading.
- kissing my husband.
- taking road trips.
- throwing parties.
- dancing in my living room.


{if anyone knows of a real life job involving these things, please let me know.}


how would you spend your millions?

big life ideas

one of my many life ideas is to start my own fun business.  the ideas are ever changing - a bookstore, an arts & crafts collective, and most recently an ice cream parlor.  in these ideas, the store itself is always a fun creative experience, unlike your typical four-walled shops.  

that's why i love the latest trend of pop-up shops, and of course, i'm a huge fan of the food truck movement.  in fact, it was just last week that i began thinking, what else could you buy from a truck?  i went through all my previous ideas of a bookstore, arts & crafts collective, and ice cream parlor {some of which already exist}. 

but then it hit me - what about a happiness truck?

my happiness truck would be filled with all sorts of fun things:

+ cupcakes,

+ magicians,

+ cute, handmade trinkets and gifts,

+ edible and biodegradable confetti {with giant confetti guns},

+ a sweet song written and sung specifically for you,

+ an empathetic, non-judging, kind listening ear,
+ a dance party,

+ free hugs,

+ jokes,

+ genuine compliments,

+ puppies, kittens, & bunnies,

+ yoga classes,

+ flowers,

+ passion tea lemonade,

+ workshops for all sorts of fun things,

+ a crowd of smiling people applauding and high-fiving you,

+ a surprise guest appearance by your best friend.

now it couldn't be entirely free {wouldn't it be wonderful if it could?!}, but i would be happy to take
donations, or trades.  for instance, hypothetically, if someone came to me and said "i just got fired
from my job and i really need to play with a puppy. how about i build you a treehouse for
3 weeks of puppy sessions?" i would for sure say "yes!"
and that's how it would work.

now if only i could get a business loan...

what is one of your big life ideas?

{photos from enjoy cupcakes, the cutest cupcake shop in the world!}