Christmas Time Is Here Again

I love buying gifts for people, but for some reason this year for Christmas I've been more successful at finding things for myself. I tend to call all purchase I make for myself during the month of December "Christmas presents for myself" (much like all purchases make in August are "birthday presents for myself"). I usually leave all of my Christmas shopping until the last minute anyway because I get excited and want to give the gifts right away. I basically have no self control where gifts are concerned (or in general, really).
Oh! And I also managed to get my hands on a copy of the vinyl of the Wassailing Song, which I'm super excited about! I've been listening to it non-stop!

Dinosaur days

Work has been pretty slow lately. Probably because most people have sort of checked out for the holidays. I've made a lot of paper snowflakes (some with dinosaurs on them) to decorate our office and have been drawing a lot of dinosaurs. It makes it look like I'm busy with paperwork when I'm not.

Wear Me Down

Guess who's sick again. Or possibly still, since I may not have every really gotten over pneumonia from this summer. So basically I've been feeling worn out all the time and haven't been working full days (edit: which my work has been super jerky about. So apparently it's fine for everyone to take a million years off for the holidays, but when I work from home in the afternoon because I'm sick, it's a big deal. Sorry, I just had to include that rant here, because my work is making me crazy and bitter.). It's also been super cold lately, although it might just be that I'm cold all the time because I'm sick. The last several days have involved a lot of blankets, a lot of listening to music, a lot of reading, and attempting to do Christmas shopping online.

Celine cries over Crow Sit on Blood Tree

Could it be? Is it already time for another installment of Celine cries over music? (I haven't been up to much lately and I'm home sick with a cold, so despite my earlier intention to spread these out so that people wouldn't have to deal with my gushing over music too often, I don't have anything else to post about.)


Crow Sit on Blood Tree by Graham Coxon (2001)

As difficult as it was to choose one Beatles album, it was possibly even harder to choose my favourite album from Graham's discography. If I'm honest, I could write a post for each of his albums (and who's to say I won't...). But this, if not consistently my favourite, is always a contender. I can't even properly articulate what it is about this album that makes it a favourite. On the whole it's rather melancholy and quiet, although there are some rock-ier numbers. It just feels honest and sincere, which is what I love most about Graham's music. He always seems to mean it, if you know what I mean. And the guitar playing is, of course, awesome.

My top tracks (without commentary because I've already gushed enough):

- Empty Word (This is one of my desert island discs. I love everything about this song. I love the lyrics; I love the slow build from the quiet start to the rock out at the end.)
- Big Bird
- Bonfires

Awkward

I may or may not wear this sweatshirt and Marimekko shirt all the time.

Two things (because my mind seems to work in lists):

1. I've come to realise I am pretty much incapable of not being awkward in photos. I don't really like taking my picture taken because I don't like smiling for the camera. I don't know why. I don't like smiling if I don't feel like it or something like that. So if I'm forced to pose, I usually make a face and ruin the picture and/or end up being super super awkward. Hands clenched into fists, pulling at the legs of my jeans, or just playing with my fingers.
I carved pumpkins with some friends for Halloween and we took pictures with our creations and for some reason I had fit of giggles and couldn't get it together. It took an embarrassing number of attempts in order to get one where I wasn't ruining it for everyone.

2. At the class I took last weekend, there were a bunch of teenagers and the instructor was talking about how when you're young you have to miss out on all these cool bands that play at 18+ or 21+ venues and he was like, "You guys know what I'm talking about" and pointed to me and the young kids. Um...too bad I was probably one of the oldest people there and am well over 21. Nothing awkward going on there. Just like the time a couple months ago when someone thought I was in the 7th grade.

Good times

Today consisted of: sleeping in, watching Harry Potter while eating cheese-less pizza, taking a long nap, listening to the thunder and rain outside, and turning up my music to drown out the sound of the rain. Not bad.

In possibly more exciting news:
1. Last weekend I went to a concert in a partially finished cathedral.
2. I got a skateboarding Spongebob in my cereal box. Except I didn't remember taking it out of the box and found it on the kitchen counter and then got confused as to who might have put it there. Weird, huh?
3. I found a limited edition box set of 13 at Easy Street. I already have one, but this way I figured I could hang up the poster without worrying about messing it up since I now have two! (It made sense to me at the time...)

Celine cries over Abbey Road

Abbey Road by The Beatles (1969)

It's difficult for me to choose a favourite Beatles album, but when pressed (not that that happens very often), I usually say Abbey Road. Confusingly, while it was the last album they recorded together, it was released before Let It Be. I don't have anything interesting to add to the volumes that have been written about the Beatles or this album, but I'd just like to share some thoughts on why this is generally my go-to favourite Beatles album:

- They were all clearly at the top of their game (although, let's be honest, when were they ever not the best in the biz?). Side one plays like a typical album with distinct songs, while side two ends with a medley of awesomeness.

- Everyone's distinct style and personality comes through - not only on the various tracks (with each member contributing at least one song), but especially on "The End" with Ringo's drum solo and George, Paul, and John taking turns with the guitar solos.

- The three-part (triple-tracked to sound like 9 voices) harmonies on "Because."

- I don't think I've ever listened to "Golden Slumbers" without crying...

I could really go on and on, but in order to maintain some semblance of sanity, I'll leave it at that. Basically it blows my mind how these four guys were able to crank out awesomeness time and time again. And anyone who disagrees that the Beatles were the greatest band that ever existed is just plain wrong. (I feel I should add a disclaimer here: I'm not saying everyone has to love the Beatles or that all of their songs were pure gold, but just considering their influence and the cultural impact they had (especially in light of the short time they were actually producing records), there's no other band that can touch them.)

I'm Your Villain

Happy Halloween to those inclined to celebrate it. I had convinced a few of my co-workers that it would be hilarious if we all dressed as Luigi (from Super Mario Brothers - if that even requires clarification). But this weekend I realised I did't have a green shirt and found out that everyone else had abandoned the plan as well. Boo! So I made a bear costume instead. As much as I love dressing up, I'm not super crazy about Halloween because I don't like scary stuff. So I kept my celebrating pretty low-key. It did, however, involve a pretty awesome vaguely Halloween-themed playlist.

These days

1. I made myself a note a few weeks (or maybe months by now) back to stop buying records, since that seems to be where most of my money goes, but it hasn't worked. I also like having certain albums/singles only on vinyl. Like this album by the Specials or a bossa nova one I've appropriated from my mom's record collection.
   This past Saturday I spent the day on my own and listened to music for hours. One of my favourite ways to spend a day, really.
   
   
2. I went down to Olympia for the day last week. Or was it the week before last? Sometime recently. I get a bit weirded out when I have to leave the city. Especially if I have to spend time in the suburbs. It makes me quite nervous. (I mean, Olympia is a city of its own, but you have to go through suburbs/smaller towns to get there. Just thought I should clarify.)
   

Every morning I would see her waiting at the stop

I've spent a lot of time waiting for buses lately. Since classes have started up again at the university, my bus is never on time anymore and I haven't made it in to work at 9 in a while (we have flexible hours though, so don't think I'm too terrible of an employee!).

Today on the way to the bus stop after work, I saw a Batman costume in the window of a toy/kid's clothing store and almost went in to buy it. Because I'm an adult who makes responsible decisions. (Or maybe I had Parks and Recreation on the brain and wanted to treat myself to a Batman suit like Ben...) I knew I was already running late for the bus though and reason won out (a rather rare occurrence) and I resisted. But now I'm tempted to go back tomorrow at lunch and at least have a closer look at it.

And while we're on the subject of bus stops, I used to love this song as a kid. And I still do!

Pretty snazzy video, huh? Those lights, the stripes, the Vox Phantom, some sweet 60s dance moves - what's not to love?

Celine cries over 13

Welcome to the first installment of what I shall be calling "Celine cries over music" a.k.a. a listing of my favourite albums. These won't necessarily be in any order (partly due to the fact that I have a very difficult time deciding on a favourite Beatles album) and I don't have super varied tastes in music, so consider yourself forewarned. And as excited as I am to share my favourites, I'm horrible at articulating my feelings about music because mostly I just want to gush and sigh and cry when I listen to music I really enjoy...

First up: 13 by Blur (1999)

Surprise, surprise, I know. A big shocker (especially for anyone who has seen my tumblr) that I'm starting off with this. The penultimate album by Blur (not including compilations) and the last one before Graham Coxon's departure from the group. Cue uncontrollable sobbing.

I suppose the album isn't exactly an easy listen. Even after having listened to the album more times that I could possibly count, it still manages to stir up a whole sea of emotions for me. I don't want to get super pretentious and delve into a review of the album; that's what critics (ha!) are for, so I'll just share the following about my two favourite tracks:

1. When I listen to "Caramel", I find myself wondering how this it isn't everyone's favourite song. It has everything I look for in music: it's familiar, yet otherworldly; it scares me, yet it's oddly soothing. The layers of sound, the lyrics and Damon's voice, the slow build-up to the controlled chaos toward the end of the song, only to have it calm back down and fade out the way it began - it blows my mind every single time I listen to it. I've got chills now just thinking about it.

2. I first became aware of Blur through"Coffee and TV". I remember seeing the video and thinking it was cute and sad and loving the singer's voice. (It came as a bit of a shock when I later found out that Graham wasn't the usual singer in the band, although I love Damon's voice as well.) I like the contrast of the upbeat sound of the song and the rather melancholy lyrics. And the guitar solo? Pure awesomeness.

I Want To Tell You

1. I picked up the new book on George Harrison this weekend and have been spending a lot of time flipping through it, reading and re-reading the pages. Until I was in college I never listened to anything but the Beatles. I just didn't see the need to. They were and are a huge influence on me. George was always my favourite. I remember going to school in tears on the day he died.

2. I'm starting a course in audio production tomorrow, which I'm quite nervous about. But then again, I get nervous about everything. I haven't taken classes in a while and I'm not really looking forward to having to juggle school and work, but I'm excited to be learning about something that really interests me. And I'm a huge nerd for any kind of audio equipment. I may or may not have gotten a new pair of shoes to start the school year. I guess you're never too old for that back to school feeling.

Two things

1. New slipper socks from Natalie's shop. I'm so excited about them and can't stop admiring them! They're so warm and comfy - I never want to take them off!
2. Vegan ramen noodles. I'm rather weird about cooking: I'm either super ambitious and take on big projects or else I can't be bothered. Mostly I can't be bothered and make super easy stuff. Like noodles from a package. Or beans on toast. Or just plain toast.

Weekend activities and autumnal weather

Yet another photo of a drawing. Still can't be bothered to scan.

This was not the weekend for shorts. Fall seemed to have arrived rather suddenly and I was ready for it today. I wore long sleeves and a coat and then summer seemed to make a reappearance this afternoon. So I'm wearing shorts and a t-shirt again. (I also am sort of perpetually sad-faced. I'm often asked what's wrong.)

In addition to freezing, this weekend involved:
- finally going grocery shopping for the first time since before I got sick. And yet all I bought were cookies and some ramen noodles. Yep. Celine: excelling at being an adult and taking care of herself since 2000-never.
- Curb Your Enthusiasm mini-marathon
- meeting a friend at the farmer's market on Sunday to get the ingredients for borscht. And then cooking success!
- a successful trip to the library to pick up some DVDs I had on hold and also finding Two Lives, which I remember cataloging back when I worked at the library as a student and making a note to look up. And three (or has it been four?) years later, I finally got my hands on it.

Getting better all the time

Not much going on lately. I've been slowly getting better and am pretty much back to normal now. Back to working full days. Missing my bus in the morning because I'm too busy listening to music.

I saw the Horrors last week, which was pretty amazing. One of the best shows I've ever been to. I was right at the front, which was awesome and they sound so good live! And Rhys Webb's dancing was definitely a highlight.

Recent productivity

It's no secret on this blog or to anyone who has spoken with me for any period of time that I love Blur and that I consider Graham Coxon to be one of the most awesome people ever. So imagine my excitement last month, when the fabric Graham designed for Liberty was finally available on their website! I wasted no time ordering small quantities in two colors (this required considerable restraint on my part - I wanted yards and yards of it in all four colors!).

Pretty swoon-tastic, huh?

I was loath to cut the fabric, fearing I'd ruin it and thinking that anything I made wouldn't be worthy of its beauty (wow, swoon much?). I finally decided to make a shift/tunic-y thing out of the blue-ish one and a skirt out of the grey one. And I still have enough of the grey to make something else as well.

Nothing too fancy, since I didn't want to detract from the pattern. And apparently I couldn't be bothered to iron them before taking the pictures...But I'm quite happy with them and am super excited to wear them for everyone to see the awesome pattern!

And - as an update on my last post - I'm still sick with what has turned out to be pneumonia and not just a cold. Oh well. It means short work days and lots of reading and TV watching.

Sick day(s)

I took the day off work today since I've been sick since Friday with whatever misery has been going around our office lately. Yuck. It's made it difficult to sleep or do anything but lie in bed or on the sofa. I've spent my time doing the following:

Mostly I watched a lot of TV. And I do mean a lot. On Saturday I had a Newsradio and QI marathon. Sunday I watched several Cary Grant movies (he was the star of the day on TCM). Today I watched a bunch of Top Gear.

The past few days would have been pretty ideal, to be quite honest, if I hadn't been sick!

Lately

I tend to ask a lot of hypothetical questions to friends/acquaintances/co-workers. Probably much to everyone's chagrin. I recently asked my co-workers what they would think if they found out I was a wizard. (Don't ask how I come up with these things.) One of them said she wouldn't be surprised, since I'm pretty secretive and always disappear from work and then reappear a while later. And what if I turned out to be an evil wizard? She said, no, I wouldn't be an evil wizard. But probably not a good wizard either. Just an amoral wizard.

I also made everyone play Desert Island Discs at lunch. Except no one wanted to choose their 8 favorite tracks. But they all shared their books and luxury item. I did it properly and even posted my list by my desk.


A vintage Beatles sweatshirt I bought myself as a birthday present. Although, to be honest, I've referred to all recent purchases as birthday presents. Including the new guitar I bought online and that was stolen from my porch before I got home from work. Some people just have to ruin things for everyone else. This is why we can't have nice things!

Is there anything better than getting things in the mail? (pt. 2)

Can I just take a moment to say I have the most awesome friends ever? Last week, after what had seemed like the longest work week ever, I came home to find this postcard signed by a bunch of my friends in Berlin. I was close to tears reading it. I've been so bogged down with things lately that I feel like I've neglected my relationships with many of my friends. I immediately hung it up on my wall as a reminder that I need to be better at keeping in touch with people that are important to me.

And while I'm on the topic of reminiscing (which seems to be a pretty frequent theme of this blog), it's been sort of humid here lately, and the air has had that sweet summery smell to it, which always reminds me of Berlin. I often find myself closing my eyes and drinking the fragrance in, which has led me to miss the green light at crosswalks on more than one occasion. Oops. But it just takes me back to walks through my old neighborhood on hazy summer afternoons just before school let out for the summer. Was there ever a better feeling than the anticipation at the end of the school year? I still get excited about summer, even though it no longer means vacations and lazing around. But then again, I still refer to evenings during the work week and school nights.

Tired

I haven't been sleeping very well lately. And apparently I like to document my moods in sketches of myself. I've also gotten too lazy to use my scanner, so I just took a picture of my sketchbook. This was the last page in my old sketchbook, which I had become quite attached to, but it was given to me as a gift and I can't find another one like it. I'm not a huge fan of change, so it's taking me a while to get used to my new one.

Important Information

I have this little notebook within close reach at all times. Like I always do, I've given it a useful label: "ideas". It should be titled "important information" instead. It has little drawings (of birds, people, buttons, sewing patterns I'm looking for), random observations I've jotted down, newspaper clippings I've pasted inside, a Morse code cheat-sheet, humorous quotes, and addresses and phone numbers (some of which I don't recognize and even my old German cell phone number).

New glasses and A.P.C. sweatshirt that people love to mock.

It also includes a lot of lists. As I believe I've mentioned before (although maybe I haven't), I like to make lists. This notebook contains lists of books I'm planning on reading (I have a different notebook for books I've finished), typewriters I own and their ribbon sizes, favourite foods, and a useful list entitled "Things I Like". I also have several lists entitled "Favourite Songs". Every month or so, I create a new list of current favourite songs. My top two always remain the same, but I generally like to add another six songs (I like even numbers) that I can't stop listening to at the time.

Here's the list for June:
This Boy (Anthology I Version) - The Beatles
You're So Great - Blur
Livin' - Graham Coxon
Caramel - Blur
Here - Pavement
Cornerstone - Arctic Monkeys
Green Fields - [The Good, the Bad, and the Queen - the name of the record, not the band]
High and Dry - Radiohead

(Again, my taste in music is rather obsessive.) I also have a list of my favourite parts of songs. But I'll save that for another time!

Walk, Don't Run

Walk, Don't Run is one of my favourite movies. It takes place in Tokyo in 1964, where there's a shortage of housing because of the Olympics. Three people end up sharing a small flat and various complications ensue.
It stars Cary Grant in his final screen appearance and, in addition to being quite funny, I love the decor of the apartment they share and mid-sixties styles are a perennial favourite. When I watch movies I tend to pay a lot of attention to the sets and the costumes of people in the backgrounds of the shots. And this one has a lot of quality stuff going on costume-wise: trench coats, plaids, peter pan collars, crewneck sweaters, boxy jackets, scalloped hems, bangs and topknots. Excellent!

BFFs

gus: i’m sorry shawn. but you know, eventually when we’ll both get married there’s going to be certain things we can’t share with each other.
shawn: i’m trying not to think about that… we’re still going to live next door to each other though, right?
gus: hell yeah, with the pool going across both of our yards.
shawn: i’ve got dibs on the diving board.
gus: yeah, okay.

(via falulatonks on tumblr, originally posted by unmatterable)

I've posted about Psych before (and often do so on my tumblr) and how Shawn and Gus remind me of me and my sister, but I just wanted to share this here as well.

The other day, my sister and I were listening to a conversation between two other siblings who weren't very close. Their conversation made me sad and I asked my sister, "What if we ever become like that?" She said we wouldn't, but I was already making a sad face, so she said, "We'll be like Shawn and Gus...with the swimming pool across our yards." Little did she know I had posted this gif on my tumblr just a few weeks earlier.

And this is why my sister and I are BFFs.

Bears.

A few days ago, Theodora asked if I had ever drawn a bear. And while I mostly draw myself (what an egotist!) and cats, I dug up some old drawings of bears to share.