doot doot doot dooooooooo!

hullo! ohmygoshrenegadeisNEXTWEEKEND!!! but i’m not flipping out. no way, man. not me. cool as cucumber salad. yesterday ian and i had a lovely greenpoint outing in which we delivered posters and flyers to a few fine establishments and i was in complete awe over the not just kind or polite, but enthusiastic (!!!) responses of shop owners and workers. nobody refused flyers and everyone sounded psyched about the fair. woo! it’s going to be fun timez for sure. i just hope it isn’t *quite* as hot as it was/is/has been.

yes, it’s scary hot here in nyc. i kind of love it, but it does make me worry for geoffrey. on our evening walk last night we went over to the art supply store and he was so desperate for water he was just licking everything in sight. happily for geoffers the staff at a&c is always super nice and they brought him out a bowl of water. he won’t drink from a bottle (i think it freaks him out) so long summer walks are a little stressful. last summer i would sometimes carry around blueberries, which seemed to work pretty well…

ok well i had lots to type about but the heat has denatured some of my brainal proteins and i’ve forgotten and must get ready for work (one more day and the rest of the week is mine all mine! or rather, dear birthday’s) but! here are a few new nice things worth noting:

+fleet foxes (b’lieve the hype + i am in love. truly.)

+kill devil hill (really well-curated single-aesthetic shop in greenpoint)

+did i mention the renegade craft fair? no? silly me. well, it’s next weekend!

feed the birds

walking back from a much-needed sandwich run after the second (and last) performance by joanna newsom with the brooklyn philharmonic at BAM, i described to ian the fleeting, yet intense and very real, sensation i experienced during brief moments of the last two nights, of springtime. you know that feeling? it’s warm and cool and sort of takes your breath away. it’s subtly sweet and soft and just, you know…feels like spring. like falling in love, but more gentle. i realized in describing it that that is exactly what “breath of fresh air” is meant to conjure. joanna newsom is, quite literally a breath of fresh air.
i know, i know! i’m so hokey! but in all ridiculous seriousness! she is the most amazing songwriter and a great performer. ys, yes, was played in its entirety and was beautiful and full. but her re-working of some of her older songs really blew me away. i loved them dearly before, but wow. i wish i could share inflammatory writ with you, as it was played these past two nights.
it would seem that the no cameras rule was heeded, as i can’t find anything on youtube, at least not yet–i was searching for documentation of the two new songs she played. the first is yet-untitled (though there was joking from the drummer, neal morgan, that it was called “barbara”) and really exhibited her enthusiasm for its newness; she seemed to relish every line and note so that it was impossible not to be caught up in excitement. the other new one, which i’m guessing is “sweet eseme” though the first night she said it was “for dorian” which i took to be a title…but…anyway. she played that one alone and the sweetness and purity of the words and melody brought me to tears both nights.
it’s silly, but something about it, in trying to recall, turns into “feed the birds, tuppence a bag” in my head! i was singing that this morning and ian said he had it stuck in his head too! so unfortunate. doubly so because i don’t think we will be able to hear the new song again until it’s out on some album. will have to do some sleuthing.
oookaay, this post was utterly goofy. i hope i don’t sound like some wannabe music reviewer…as i am no such thing. just a big, dorky fan.

in other news, happy groundhog day! what did phil say this morning? more winter? does he ever say anything else?

edit: i found the song! :http://youtube.com/watch?v=sL0T1yUYkbs

fandom

ira glass, host of this american life, host of the show that keeps me going while working alone at home, will be at the borders books in columbus circle this thursday evening. thursday. evening. night of the first of two consecutive joanna newsom shows i will be attending. joanna newsom, the best songwriter of all time, writer and singer and player of songs that keep me going when all else fails. obviously, i’m not foregoing night one just to stand in line to have ira glass sign something as i grin at him creepily. but! still!
sure, i’m an enthusiast, i like a lot of things. but these are two big people to me! huge, even! on the same night! why??

it could only be made worse if like, the cast of northern exposure were getting together for a one-time-only performance/talk/question-and-answer night on thursday. oh man. that would be really rough.

pre-spring cleaning

i don’t know how ebay sellers do it! i spent most of today photographing, editing, measuring, describing and posting…and it’s so tiresome! granted, i have to do all of those things when i update dear birthday with things i’ve made, but somehow then it just feels different. anyway! if you’re interested, please take a look at my auctions. there’s lots of oilily and a couple of pairs of etro shoes. oooh. things i like, but just don’t wear anymore. mostly i guess because my wardrobe was way too oilily-heavy after having worked there for several years. now those otherwise pretty sweaters just feel like a uniform to me. alas…

now i will spend the evening working on a new dress pattern. i know that straight-cut mini dresses are quite popular right now, and as much as i like to wear and make them, they still don’t really feel like me. so i’m working on a sundress with a full circle skirt! i’ve got the skirt patterns down (this pattern making book is the best thing ever) and now i just have to add the top. i’m excited!

industrial strength birthday

our friend stacy has a plant-care business that involves tending to outsize terrariums with giant tweezers and scissors and sticks, which were in need of a proper tool tote. i was honored that she would ask me to create such a thing, having previously only glimpsed small bits of my work, so i really hope she likes it…i’m nervous! i tend to overestimate how many layers of thick fabrics/pelts my little home-sewer singer can tackle and this bag, i have to admit, was a struggle to complete. i tend to lean more toward perfectionism, even when channeling a rough-hewn aesthetic, so needless to say, i’m trying very hard not to beat myself up over some of the stitchery here. AND i’m seriously considering investing in a heartier machine. granted, i sew leather and thick canvas very rarely, but it’s increasingly appealing.
for one, wouldn’t it be so rad to make moccasins?
speaking of which, i’m probably going to order these for spring:

i think about them daily…

i’m totally all over the place these days!
ok, sorry for the jumble!

micah wynn

one of my favorite people in the world, mrs. juliane kozel had her baby yesterday morning. little miss micah wynn was born in bolivia and welcomed by her parents, little bigger sister tatiana and aunt crystal.

bolivia is so far! too far to send flowers, i think.