Only Prudes Buy Ikea

Apparently, a survey performed by Ikea shows that 1 out of 3 customers find more satisfaction out of organizing than having sex. This must also explain why the Swedish are below the Global average in frequency of sex (according to the Durex Global survey in 2004). Anyhow, I found this to be very odd, considering the nature most of their commercials...

Can't sleep...

They Don't Seem that Uptight...

Kids just love toys...

Parents can be so weird...

And my favorite commercial (even though it has nothing to do with sex)...

Spike Jonz Ikea Ad

A Great Book

While skimming through my local bookstore (Skylight Books), I ran across a small note encouraging me to check out The Great Gatsby. In not so many words the endorsement read something like, "Sure it was on your ninth grade summer reading list. But when was the last time you actually read it?" I said, "Wow, I really haven't read that in awhile, maybe I should check it out." I was very glad I did. 

Much like I was too young to truly appreciate international travel at a young age, I think I was too young to truly appreciate this book in high school. Blending metaphors with eloquent lexicon, he transports you back to the 1920's, where you can hear the Jazz playing and the smell the night air of the Long Beach parties. The story is superb as well. Telling the tale of a man blindly in love with a woman who's torn from him due to social constraints. Fitzgerald knows exactly when to show his hand, and when to keep you guessing throughout the book, exposing each detail with expert timing. I hadn't read the book in awhile, so thanks to my bad memory the book was still a fresh read.

I highly recommend this book if you haven't read it in awhile, and definitely if you have never read it. I picked up his other book Tender is the Night as well as a collection of short stories. I love his style, and as I'm trying to get more into writing I find his style similar to mine, and I only hope to be as masterful a story-teller as he is someday. 

Back Home in T-Town

It was an absolute pleasure to end my Southwest trip here in Taos. It has always been a magical place for me. When I was much younger my parents bought a house out here. My Father went to College in Denver, and my Mom ran off to Aspen when she was younger, so they both had a strong affinity towards the Southwest despite being New Yorkers. Ever since they purchased the house our family spent our summers and most winters here in Taos, so I've always considered myself half Northeasterner, and half Southwesterner, with Chatham and Taos being my two homes. 

After saying good-bye to my friends in Santa Fe I started the long trek in my crappy little rental car up through Espanola up to Taos. A beautiful drive, and one I could probably draw with my eyes closed. The most spectacular part of the drive is when you rise up over that hill and see the Taos mountains for the first time. Close your eyes (well, maybe after you've read this) and imagine you are driving up a long winding road up a steep hill. The bluest sky in the world is in front of you, and when you summit you see a huge flat plain, covered with grey/green sage-brush everywhere. To the left runs a long gorge, splitting the earth open as though a giant used his gardening tools to create an enormous trench in the earth. To the right mountains shoot out of the earth, standing over the small town below it like massive sentinels. Above the mountains voluptuous white clouds full of rain hover over tops, waiting to unleash a deluge upon the spruce and aspen denizens of the forest. 

Instead of taking the back-roads short cut I drove leisurely along the main strip, checking out the subtle changes. A new Applebys, Rallys was now an Albertson's, Smith's had a renovation, the old BBQ was now a burger joint. I know change is inevitable, but it's always so sad to me seeing this town change. Finally I arrived at the edge of town, and took the winding rim road to my house. It had been a little under two years since I had been there last (Winter of '06 to be exact). My parents were in the midst of serious renovations of the house, almost completely tearing down everything but the dining room, living room, one bathroom, and the guest room. I had seen most of the final product, but none of the landscaping. I happened to be in New Mexico just when they were having an extremely wet summer. The house was beautiful. They planted two Apens groves, one on either side of the house, flowers all around the walls, and an herb garden in the back. It was stunning to see the house, it's so beautiful now. 

My Mom and Dad came out and we all hugged and said our hellos. Mike and Molly (our dogs) came out and waved 'hi' with their tales as well. Mike was really cute. He stuck by me for awhile, and wouldn't stop rubbing his nose into me. He's definitely my Father's dog, but I think Mike likes having me around cause he knows I'll take him for walks through the woods and snow-shoe hikes in the winter. 

My days were very brief, and the entire trip seemed to fly by. The next day I spent helping my Father with the storage unit, then we had dinner an saw 'Batman: The Dark Knight' in town (excellent movie). We also had a beautiful bike ride out by Wild Rivers national park, where the Rio Grande and Red Rivers converge, along with a very nice picnic. We also went fly fishing out by the Valle Caldera, just South of the New Mexico-Colorado border. I had never fly-fished before, so it was fun to try out. By the end of the day I could cast the line straight, but without having a fish on the other end of it I could never tell if I was doing it right or not. But it was great to be out in nature again. The Valle Caldera was this stunning mix of a winding river, open plains, and tall ponderosa pine sticking up as though the entire valley had goose bumps.

The next day my Dad and I drove up to Albuquerque in his NSX (or as my Mom calls it, his "mid-life-crisis-mobile"), stopping at El Parasol in Espanola for some tacos. He also let me drive his car from Tesuque up to Albuquerque which was fun. I remember my road trips with my father in the same car when I was younger. Driving across country in the little red spaceship, listening to 'Lord of the Rings' on tape. 

My flight was fairly quick, and before I knew it I was looking down at LA. Stepping off I immediately knew where I was, the stale air hanging between the tall palms.  My Dad asked me before I left if it felt like I was going home when I return to LA. I told him the last time I did it felt like it, and I wouldn't know for sure until I landed. Now that I'm here back in my place, with my plants, and my cat, and my local stores and shops. I'm still not sure. I am home. This is where I live, but I can't help but feel part of me will always be held captive by the sweeping vastness of New Mexico. It's the reason why the locals call it the "Land of Entrapment." 

Big Sky

Most of you would say I was crazy if I told you the skies in New Mexico were bigger. You'd probably say, "How can the ski be bigger? When everywhere has 180º at the most." It sounds crazy to say, but New Mexico really does have the most sky I've ever seen. (I have my own scientific reasoning for the phenomena, but for arts sake I'll leave that out of this posting). 

I suppose I mention it here because on my last night in New Mexico, tonight, I couldn't help but gaze in awe at the dark heavens above me. On our way back from dinner in town I couldn't help but be sad that this was my last night here in Taos. Whenever driving out here, whether passenger or driver,  you can usually find me sticking my head out the window like a dog sniffing at the breeze. I do it to get a clean view of the landscape, and to smell subtle changes in that the wind and earth produce depending on their mood.  Tonight was no different. On our way home from dinner I stuck my head out and into the cool night breeze, saying good-bye to the land I love so much. Off in the distance electrical storms blasted column straight lightning bolts down and into the ground, creating gigantic shadow puppets out of the goliath Taos mountains.

When we arrived home I just wandered about outside. The air was warm from the energy of the storm, and the stars were shining bright. I bet most of you don't know that there are three constellations that are always out in the Northern hemisphere: the big dipper, the Queen Cassiopeia, and Draco the dragon. And for you Scoprio's, the scorpion is also out in full force tonight. You can even see the milky way. Yes, the galaxy we live in. It's a translucent glow that streaks across the navy dark sky. Of course I never even knew the night sky held such treasures until I moved here. There are some places that also have these skies, Colorado, Montana, Utah, Arizona, parts of New York even. But my night skies have been stripped ever since I've moved to LA. Stolen, and replaced with a light pink haze, as though a great hot breath has fogged the night sky. 

So I stood there. Watching the lightning burst from behind the dark clouds. As I was showing my Mom constellations a white hot shooting star jetting down from the heavens, as sudden as a wild white stallion darting between two patches of forest. It was by far the most stunning shooting star I've seen out here. And of course I made a wish...

Bling Bling

Shopping in the Taos plaza today I got myself a new bracelet, which I thought was very handsome, so I thought I'd share. 

It's a Hopi piece and according to my mother it's called a "story teller" bracelet. That's because the piece has graphics that tell a story.

In the middle it has a carving of a bear, meaning strength and power. 

On the sides it has the image of corn, meaning life and vitality. 

That's all. More interesting posts to come...

Last Day in Santa Fe

Relaxed is the state I'm in. I just had a lovely dinner with my parents, took a nice long steam shower, and now I'm relaxing in bed on a pillow-top mattress, listening to the crickets chirp outside in the dark night. But let me jump back and finish up on my time in Santa Fe. 

After lunch yesterday I headed to the dog park to meet my friend and his new puppy Tally-Ho. A beautiful white German shepherd mix. I love the dog park in Santa Fe. It's a huge open space, with no leash policy. You just bring your dog there and let it roam around and smell gopher holes, play with other dogs, and run around. Afterwards we went towards the plaza to check out a glass exhibit that was at the Museum of Fine Art, which was amazing. Then we headed back to his place and had a BBQ with his friend and neighbor Ten-di (sp?).

The next day I met up with my parents at my storage unit and began the process of emptying it out. It was very frustrated to think that I spent roughly $2,400 over the last two years, when I could have easily purchased everything out of there for roughly the same amount of money. C'est la vie. At least my stuff is getting passed onto my friends and family, and I have my unicycle back. After some work we then headed to Chocolate Maven for brunch, then we all went our separate ways. 

I then headed to the rugby pitch to see some of my old teammates and participate in the "Santolympics". Many of them had no idea I was in town, so it was fun to swing in and surprise them. I always love surprising people by dropping in for a random weekend completely unexpected. The first event was the "fun run", an awful name for a made up excuse to slam a few beers. You had to pick a tire, then at the beginning of the race sit in your tire and drink a beer, then do five military presses with your tire, run up a hill, sit in your tire and drink another beer, five more presses, down the hill, back up, drink another beer, five more presses, down the hill again, and one last beer and last round of presses. I ended up getting fourth, but I would have been perfectly happy with last. Slamming beers while out of breath is easily one of the worst experiences I've had in the last few months. Other games included a water balloon toss, twister, croquet, horse shoes, and a jousting type game where you and your opponent used goal padding to try to knock each other off a cooler. It was great to see all of my old teammates, and any excuse to day drink is always fun. It was crazy to see how life rolls by. Two of my friends had become fathers since I had left, two others got engaged, and others got new dogs or girlfriends. It was great to hang out on the lush green rugby pitch, watching the clouds roll by and the lightning in the distance, as packs of children and dogs ran about playing chase. 

I love the people in Santa Fe. There is this amazing attitude where an enjoyable life is the most important thing. This statement may be fairly obvious, and one would expect this attitude any where in America, but it's so true in Santa Fe. Everyone is so laid back, and just enjoying life. There is no materialism to be seen anywhere, and you hardly hear people talk about work. Such great people, in such a great place. I miss it. 

So after the festivities we headed back to shower and put some combat gear on, then headed into town to check out a few bars. It's amazing how much busier Santa Fe is during the summer, and it's funny how easy it is to spot the tourists, always a favorite game of mine in New Mexico. The next day I had breakfast with a friend, finished emptying out my storage unit, then said my final good-byes to the city I love. 

I'm tired now, so I will have to give a full post on Taos a bit later. Good night. 

Lone Wolf Mix

If I had to name a totem animal for myself it would be the wolf. I've always felt an affinity towards them. I love that they are one of the most adaptable animals, able to live in a variety of climates, and survive and adapt to weather change. They are often in the distance, observing their surroundings, and use them to make swift and conclusive action. I love that they are family animals, working together as a pack to take down animals three times their size, yet they work equally well alone. I've felt I've been in lone wolf mode for awhile now, so I decided to make this mix. 

I made it with driving alone at night in mind. Whether you're missing your loved one, looking for a loved one, or just breaking away from the pack. Along with topical variety, it flows form Indie Rock>Alt. Rock>Electronica>Soul>Alt. Rock> Country. It also happens to contain songs that can all be found on iTunes. So if you really like it, or want to check out certain songs you can do that here. Enjoy!

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Lone Wolf Mix

1. "Middle Distance Runner" ~ Sea Wolf
   
2. "All the Wine" ~ The National
   
3. "On Call" ~ Kings of Leon
   
4. "Maybe Tomorrow" ~ Stereophonics
   
5. "So Here We Are" ~ Bloc Party
   
6. "Fight Test" ~ The Flaming Lips
   
7. "Brian and Robert" ~ Phish
   
8. "Beast of Burden" ~ The Rolling Stones
   
9. "Wishlist" ~Pearl Jam
   
10. "One" ~ U2
    
11. "Roads" ~ Portishead
    
12. "One of These Mornings" ~ Moby
    
13. "Mirrorball" ~ Everything But The Girl
    
14. "Maybe" ~ Janis Joplin
    
15. "9 Crimes" ~ Damien Rice
    
16. "Set Fire to the Third Bar" ~ Snow Patrol & Martha Wainwright
    
17. "Let Me Touch You for Awhile" ~ Alison Krauss & Union Station
    
18. "Wagon Wheel" ~ Old Crow Medicine Show
    
19. "Radio Song" ~ The Felice Brothers
    
20. "Wicked Twisted Road" ~ Reckless Kelly
    
21. "Amarillo by Morning" ~ George Strait

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"Middle Distance Runner" - What better way to start a wolf album than with Sea Wolf? I found out about these guys last year at the Sunset Junction Street Fair in Silverlake. They don't have too much out right now, but what they do have is great. Like this song.  It's got a great driving beat, juxtaposed with soft and melancholy voice. I think it's about a man singing to his lover, but is said because of his inability to fully commit. 

"All the Wine" ~ Another great band I highly recommend. A beautiful mix of Leonard Cohen's smoky voice and amazing alt. rock backing. This is a song about one of those nights where you feel invincible, like the whole world is at your feet. The lyrics are a bit, interesting, but the song's great. 

"On Call" ~ Easily up there on my favorite bands list. Check them out if you've never heard of them. And do yourself a treat and see them live, they're in-@#@-credible. This song is about devotion. That crazy mindless, do-anything devotion towards someone. 

"Maybe Tomorrow" ~ A beautiful driving song with amazing harmonizing vocals throughout. A song on being down, feeling low, but knowing it's all going to get better. Maybe not today, but maybe tomorrow... 

"So Here We Are Now" ~ With dream-like guitar riffs this song tells the tale of a love found, then lost. It speaks of how flighting love can be, and how difficult it is to truly grasp it. 

"Fight Test" ~ I first found this one on XM radio. I liked the catchy beat, but after looking up the song I was shocked to find how deep it actually it (especially from a band that I had always connected with that silly song from my childhood "She Don't Use Jelly"). It's a playful song about that constant struggle of regret we deal with. It's about all of those fights we gave up on, and regret standing up for. 

"Brian and Robert" ~ I love this song. First found it from the "Bittersweet Motel" movie. It puts me in an amazing relaxed place whenever I hear it.

"Beast of Burden" ~ Who doesn't love this song? And who can't relate? Mick Jagger has never sounded smoother. A great song about the toil of trying to love someone "who is just not into you."

"Wishlist" ~ Another XM find. It also led me to discover the album Yield, which was a great find. Being that I love metaphors, I love the lyrics of this song. So beautiful. "I wish I was a sailor, with someone who waited for me..." 

"One" ~ You can set your iTunes to display how many times you've played a song. I've played this song 132 times, and that's only through iTunes. I first discovered it on a mix tape a friend in middle school gave me, and I haven't stopped listening to it since. If I died today this song might be played at my funeral. I think you get the point by now. An incredible song, with incredible lyrics, and incredible soul. I rarely ever put this song on mixes because of its significance to me, but this is one of them. 

"Roads" ~ This is a page from my middle school days. I was fighting with your typical teenage depression, and somehow listening to Portishead helped me survive. I think listening to sad music when you're sad helps you realize you're not the only one with those feelings. To me listening to Gwen's voice quivering on the verge of tears is a beautiful and consoling experience. A beautifully tragic song about the worst feelings of loneliness. 

"One Of These Mornings" ~ A song about the desire to leave, most likely a relationship. I love the way Moby mixes so many different musical elements, the driving drum machine, the smoky blues voice, the symphonic vocals. A very empowering song.

"Mirrorball" ~ Yes, the 1990's "Everything But the Girl" of Missing fame. It was a completely guilty iTunes purchase about two months ago, but I was pleasantly surprised how great they are, and how they've held up against the years. I think of them as a pioneer to "Zero 7" and "Air". Sure their synthy electronic sounds are a little dated sounding, but Tracy Thorne's voice is incredible. Don't knock it til you've listened. A great song about reflection and nostalgia. 

"Maybe" ~ Janis may be a rock Goddess, but I think her better work came from this album and her work in soul. This song breaks my heart every time I hear it. An incredible song about longing. Listen to it, you'll find yourself swaying. 

"9 Crimes" ~ While I don't ever ever ever condone cheating, this song is still beautiful. A song about the awful feeling when you find yourself longing over another outside of a relationship. It transcendentally portrays the feeling through haunting vocals, aching keys, and powerful cello chords. 

"Set the Fire to the Third Bar" ~ A duo of duets. Not a fan of "Snow Patrol", but Martha Wainwright makes everything better. Two voices sing in unison to a brilliant crescendo then back down. A song about the sadness felt from distance between two lovers. 

"Let Me Touch You for Awhile" ~ It's too bad country is not more popular, for too many people are missing out from Alison Krauss's talents. An incredible fiddle player, a gorgeous voice, and a stone cold stunner to boot. I recommend this whole album for some good live cuts of her work. A song about two lonely souls seeking company in a dark bar. 

"Wagon Wheel" ~ Obsessed would be a healthy word for how I feel about this song. I discovered it on a mixed CD my friend left at my place (yes I will assimilate all CDs you leave at my place into my iTunes library). An incredible song about someone hitch-hiking to find his lover miles away. A song of desire, longing, and perseverance for love. Check it out. 

"Radio Song" ~ I've already given the accolades for this band, so I'll skip introductions. This song is about true love. Finding that one person you want to hold onto and never let go. I still don't think enough songs use the accordion. 

"Wicked Twisted Road" ~ An incredible song about the pains and loses in the war of love. The lyrics are incredible, comparing love to a "wicked twisted road," "a fearless driving rain," "a castle in the sky," and "a wild sinful night," which of course are all incredibly accurate. I just love this song. 

"Amarillo by Morning" ~ Could there be a lonelier genre than Country? I don't know too many. I first found this song in Santa Fe, which felt so apropos. A classic country ballad about the lonely trail.  

Riding into Santa Fe

Well I've officially entered travel mode, and have started my ventures with a trip to New Mexico. 

Things started off yesterday, a quick flight from Burbank>Phoenix>Albuquerque. While sitting on the tarmac in Phoenix I recognized an old rugby buddy of mine flying back from a conference (you've got to love this small world of ours). We caught up at the baggage claim, and he offered to give me a ride back up to Santa Fe. Which was perfect, cause after finding out how expensive renting a car for a week was I was going to take a shuttle. 

So on my way down to Santa Fe I got to hang out with my old friend, his Wife, and his two year old Finley. I got to sit in the back with Finley who was super cute. We invented a game where he threw his stuffed cat into the air and I would catch it above it, he'd say "uh oh" I'd repeat, then I'd toss the cat back down and he'd break into giggles. Very cute. Driving up I-25 it was great to see the New Mexico landscape again. Long stretches of brown earth dotted with sage brush, all mirrored by the spattering of clouds in biggest bluest sky you've ever seen. Off in the distance huge mountains tore up from the earth, clinging storm darkened clouds about their tops like grey scarves in the wind. 

We rolled into Santa Fe, and I was dropped off at my friend's place. Soon the sun began to sink into the horizon and the day turned golden from the majestic dusk light. We caught up with each-other, then went out to dinner at "The Shed", a local Santa Fe favorite. Food is definitely one of the things I miss the most about New Mexico, so I was ecstatic when my two blue corn chicken enchiladas with green chile arrived (with a side of posole and pinto beans). I ate everything, and had to hold myself back from licking the plate in public. Afterwards we strolled about the Plaza as the full moon rose above the Sangre De Cristo Mountains, highlighting the shadowy clouds with silver edges. We walked about the Plaza, peering into the myriad of galleries and stores lining the streets. Turquoise and silver jewelry, black and white photos of Bob Dylan, hand woven Native American rugs, and beautiful ornate clay pots were just some of the pieces decorating the lit windows. It was a perfect New Mexican night, the clean crisp air carried the steely guitar riffs from a local bar, and the shadowy plaza was bustling with spring-colored tourists. It was great to be back. But no matter how warm my soul felt as I walked through the dimly lit streets of the plaza I couldn't help but remember I was one of the tourists now.

The next day my friend picked up her kids and hung out for a bit. It had been two years since I'd seen them, and it was scary how big they had become. Time certainly doesn't stop when you leave. She dropped me off and I rented a car to venture out on my own in my old home. early on I remembered that I never truly learned the street names, but it didn't matter too much as I homing pigeon my way about town. Visiting my old boss, some friends at my old college, and checking in on my house. Right now I'm tucked into my old wi-fi spot, the "Santa Fe Baking Company"  (isn't it funny how everything has a website now?). The evening shower has rolled in, and I'm ducking away for a bit to blog, and purge on more green chile (a frito pie to be exact). Tonight I think we might check out the new Bat Man movie, and tomorrow I will be meeting up with my old rugby club for the "Santolympics" (water balloon toss, drinking, pad jousting, drinking, drinking, relay runs, drinking, then probably a pub crawl in the plaza). Sunday I will be heading to see my family in Taos, which I'm very excited about. It's been about two and a half years since I've seen the house, and that was before we started landscaping it, so I'm very excited to see what it looks like with new flowers and Aspen trees. 

And with that I'm off. Venturing back into the grey storm clouds and brown adobe city of Santa Fe