hearts have colors, don't we all know?

We stood shoulder to shoulder with strangers and waited for an encore. People pulled out iPhones and cameras to capture a rare arrangement on film. I reached for my back pocket to follow suit, but returned my arm to its folded position across my chest. In this world of everything at our fingertips, there is something beautiful about impermanence. Something almost transcendental in fleeting moments. Knowing that the few hundred of us in that spot were the only people who would witness the way she decided to edit on-the-spot, lengthening some notes here and there was, in the moment, magnificent. She added an extra verse we'd never heard before and raised certain notes up an octave. I wanted it all to sink in. I'd leave the YouTube posting to those who felt it necessary. We clapped and whistled and then it was over. The crowd scattered, shoulders leaving shoulders, breaking out into the cold night.

Arches

I'm sure you've heard:
It's all about shades of grey these days.
Loving these two interiors, especially the arches.

Dreaming of cozy spaces,
listening to Brooke Fraser (thanks, Liv)

and studying Mr. Newton's Laws.

If I had some free time, I'd be perusing all of these today.

{images}

i just adore a penthouse view

Art. Books. French doors.
A window seat. New York.
What more do you need?


Also, I love Black Eiffel's Music Mondays.
I almost always add her favorites to mine.
In addition to being a great place for new tunes, her blog
is a daily read for all things inspiration.

{image via Elle Decor}

on the radio

While we remodeled our house we lived with my Grandma and Grandpa, across the street from our friend Emily. Emily was in junior high. She had a brother Jon, who was in high school. He wore khaki shorts and rugby shirts and watched MacGyver. His room was a never ending expanse of The Unknown: trophies and yearbooks high atop a shelf, a stereo with speakers bigger than our heads and, a water bed. Jon was the epitome of high school cool, and we knew it.

Emily, being related to Jon, was pretty cool, too. She taught us about the local radio station Q99 and told us that when you're in junior high you don't call your friend and ask if you can "play." Instead, you say, "Can you do something." Or "Do you want to hang out." My sister and I would listen to Emily's tales of junior high, wide-eyed and innocent, in shock that there were kids who would skip class to go smoke in the gully behind the school.

Sometimes, Jon would let us listen to his stereo. For those few moments, we seemed endlessly fly. When Emily came to play at Grandma and Grandpa's, we would steal the radio from the family room and plug it into the socket behind the sofa in front of the big window in the living room. One person was in charge of calling Q99 to request a song, usually Emily, because she had experience with that sort of thing. Indian-style on the wood floor, we'd perch on our elbows on our knees and wait. We'd turn the volume down low low low and stick our ears close to the speakers. I remember worrying Grandpa would find our little secret radio refuge, but it went undiscovered. I felt grown-up, a little mischievous and totally cool.

dream beneath the desert sky

As Miss Lola would say,
this was my very most favorite thing in actually forever.

Dear The Edge,
You rock my world.

The stage for U2's 360 Tour is an impressive (understatement)
feat (understatement) of engineering and ingenuity.

The L.A. times has called this year's tour "One of the best stadium shows of the last decade..." There were 70,000 people in attendance Friday night that will agree.

This was so beyond worth our four a.m. arrival in St. George. Even with the mayhem that was exiting the parking lot with the masses. (There's a white Infinity SUV out there with our name on it.) Thanks, Mernie for being my bestest concert buddy. And so we shall rock on.

{more on U2ube and at U2.com}

no line

headed south with some friends to see some friends. should be pretty fabby.
happy (early) weekend.

{image}

strict joy

Been listening to this all morning.

Singing in a Sea of Blue

My Dad is pretty much famous. Not quite as famous as Andrea Bocelli, but I'm more excited when I see Dad on TV than I am when I see Mr. Bocelli. {My Dad is the handsome tenor with the silver hair. He's throughout the video clip, but he first appears at second 32, on the left of the screen by the corner of the organ. He's the one who sits up a little bit to get a better view. You can also see him before the video plays under the two stars and the "B" in Bocelli.} The Mormon Tabernacle Choir will be in an upcoming music video of Andrea Bocelli's. How cool is that?! We're excited for this weekend when we get to hear and see Dad singing during sessions of LDS General Conference.

*Mernie Mern's mom is in this video, too. {Playing the violin.} Perhaps she is the most famous of them all!

love this big wide creative world!

This is pretty much fantastic. And I always love me some Vampire Weekend.
via a cup of jo

today

1. i've had more soda than water today.
2. tonight we made homemade pizza. my side had tomatoes and fresh basil. yum, no? james' side: avacado and steamed cauliflower. weird.
3. dad just handed me an empty tin from designer's carpet showroom. "a useful box to put things in," he said. why does a carpet showroom give out a tin of mints?
4. i walked into rite aid tonight. it was empty but for five men.
5. i'm loving greg laswell, but it's not the first time i've mentioned that.
6. i miss k and the merph. boo.

Coldplay: "Substitute Teaching" for Bono

{image via Heather Armstrong}

"Whatever you do, do it enthusiastically..."

In case you missed Chris Martin's interview on 60 Minutes Sunday night, see it here. (There is a short ad before the video starts. Be patient. It's well worth it). I love him. Chris Martin, that is.

*Can I just give my roommates another shout-out? How great are they for surprising me with Coldplay tickets for my birthday?! Best. Roommates. Ever.

pearls before breakfast

For the full story, originally published in the Washington Post, see here.

A man stood in a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that thousands of people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

Three minutes went by and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried up to meet his schedule.

A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping continued to walk.

A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.

The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk turning his head all the time This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.

In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written with a violin worth 3.5 million dollars.

Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston and the seats averaged $100.

Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of an social experiment about perception, taste and priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?

One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be:
If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, on one of the finest instruments in the world - how many other things are we missing?

{this text from here}

Things more exciting than Super Bowl Sunday

1. This exhibit at Meyer Gallery in Park City.
2. Getting to spend a week this summer here, fly fishing (hope I remember how), camping, mountain biking, hiking, canoeing, talking, laughing and catching up with about 120 of my favorite people.
3. Finding this book.
4. Picking up this one again.
5. Annie B, Jeffrey and Baby E are coming to visit!
6. She's getting married.
7. They're having a baby!
8. And so are they!
9. I've been having lots of fun here lately.
10. They bought a new house (and are going to let me help with the inside).
11. She started a shop on etsy, so we can all attempt to be as darling as Naomi.
12. February Art Market
13. Orla Kiely is designing for Target! Maybe I'll finally be able to afford one of her much-adored bags.
14. I love Bon Iver. This song has been on repeat on my playlist daily for over a month now. (I can't find a good video version. If anyone does, let me know).
15. The white hex tiles on Mom's bathroom floor leftover from the Capitol renovation make me happy. That bathroom is part of history now. The credit goes to S. who found them in the first place. I've had several clients use the idea since.
16. The Month of Love.
17. Steph's birfday
18. Starting to work on the inside of this house.

The Correspondence Principle

It's late. I'm tired, but it's been a good day. Roomie Time and time in my room. Cleaning. Contemplating. Reading old journal entries (highly entertaining) and catching up on emails. Listening to these new EP tracks. (Amazing. Love those Brit Boys!) Still on a concert high. Tomorrow brings a fun afternoon outing. Only two more days of NaBloPoMo (Hip! Hip!) AND...only six more days until an OME reunion! I'm literally counting the hours!

chris martin for president

I think I love him a little bit.

excuses, excuses, excuses

Can I blame it on the fact that we waited an hour and a half to be seated last night at Trio? Or the ridiculously good-looking waiter who had all six of us squished and swooning in our corner booth for four? Or this cold that set in full-force yesterday morning? (The doc says I have a spur in my nose. Excuse me, a what?!) Sure, all those are valid excuses in my book as to why I missed a post yesterday. I had full intentions of penning something. My brother showed up to watch a movie and ten minutes in, he tucked me in bed instead. Sniff. Sniff. Must rest up, however. Because tonight, thanks to incredibly wonderful roommates, I'm spending my birthday eve with these British Boys. I'm not letting a silly cold keep me from rocking it out this evening with Coldplay. Viva la Vida!

je t'aime

I'm in bed before 11, sipping my first cup of tea of the season, reading about Paris and listening to Charles Trenet. I found the perfect gift for sister today. I cleaned my room. Ate veggies for dinner. Heard from S and got an email from Siena. It snowed the night before last. I finally connected with N this afternoon; we're going with the black and white one. Plans for the weekend are unexpectedly exciting. I'd stay up and write, but reading in bed is all too tempting. La vie. C'est si bon!

she & him

Am really loving these two ever so much. Can't wait to see Ray live in a few weeks! Glad I can go to J&L for a review. And so The Year of the Concert continues. (Mare, have I mentioned you need to come home...purdee please?)

walking on the moon

Andy's still got it.

Stuart is the Man.
And STING. (nuff said)
I was one happy girl!
(M and I just happened to get the Royal Treatment,
which wasn't so bad, either.)

de do do do, de da da da

A wee bit excited to spend Saturday

night with these guys!