Music, Lately

"Lately" is kind of generous, but we've been to some fun concerts in the past few months, and I want a record to prove to Baby Boy Shackmano that we were cool, fun people before he came along. I mean, I assume that we will continue to be cool, fun people after he's here, but just in case...

Billy Joel at the Hollywood Bowl - I'm not sure that attendance at a Billy Joel concert really supports my claim that we are fun, cool people, but whatever.

 

Wynonna at The Annenberg - again, perhaps not the hippest artist, but free, outdoor concerts are always a good time. Also - I can't lie, The Judds' Greatest Hits album is my jam.

Jay-Z and Beyonce's On The Run tour - ok, I should get some points for this one. Thanks to the fact that Jay-Z's musical director is a Korg artist, Tom was able to get us passes to the On the Run show at the Rose Bowl. This was a spectacle like I have never seen before. 

I never get that worked up about going to shows, but this was pretty awesome. We had all-access wristbands, so we hung out backstage (and on stage!) beforehand, and then watched the show from the floor and side stage. If I weren't afraid of The Beygency, I might have tried to find Queen B's wig room... Forgive the amount of pictures I'm about to drop in here - I was really excited about this one.

 

 

 

 

 

 No Doubt - thanks again to Tom's connections, we got to go to the "friends and family" dress rehearsal for No Doubt's performance at the Global Citizen Festival in New York. The dress rehearsal was at The Forum, and because Tom is the coolest, we also had Forum Club passes where we got to enjoy snacks that included a cake with pictures of the band members on it.

{You will have to take my word for it that that is Gwen Stefani. You should also know that she seems to be aging backwards. Don't Speak!}

Jamestown Revival at Way Over Yonder - if you have not already had the pleasure, go buy this album now. So good. Perfect music for a fall Saturday on the pier in Santa Monica...

 

I shall leave you with this barely discernible photo of Gwynth Paltrow, GOOP herself, on stage with Holly Williams who was opening for Jason Isbell at The Roxy.

LA is weird.

February - Around Here

As I write this, we are riding out the tail end of what giddily panicked local reporters have dubbed Rainpocalypse and the Liquid Vortex. In other words, we have had a couple of rainy days.

Despite requiring a cap to keep the sun out of her eyes, Joy Benedict assured us that this is a storm not to be trifled with.

This intrepid journalist reported, "The raindrops started falling a little over an hour ago, and they haven't let up." Not even kidding - watch Kimmel's bit on LA's weather coverage.

As ridiculously overblown as the coverage of this "weather event" has been, I am quite enjoying the storminess and the associated coziness. Prior to holing up with a Tom, a bottle of wine, and Netflix on Friday night, I took my rain boots and bright red umbrella for their yearly outing to document the destruction.

 

 

 

As for the rest of February, here's a quick recap... 

We saw Fitz and the Tantrums at the Ace Hotel. These guys are always amazing live, and they did not disappoint. The Artists Den is an organization that hosts intimate free concerts in historic venues that are recorded and then aired on Live from the Artists Den on PBS. We actually got to see Mayer Hawthorne in his Artists Den show at the Park Plaza Hotel last year - also awesome. I am, however, rather partial to Fitz and his Tantrums, particularly the amazing Noelle Scaggs who can work a tambourine like nobody's business and who is basically my best friend since she made my day by liking my Instagram picture of their show. Seriously though, she is a badass.

 

I made a light box, bought some ranuculous, and took pictures of them.

 

  
I went to Coronado where I enjoyed: an empty beach, family time, a fabulous brunch courtesy of Jaime, and finally getting to meet Gomez, Meghan's special friend. Apparently, I also saw a hummingbird.

I had just told Gomez a most hilarious anecdote.

One Saturday morning, Tom and I took advantage of pre-rainpocalypse weather to get in an outdoor workout at the Baldwin Park Stairs. Amazing views, but I think a weekday morning might be a better time to visit since I barely tolerate traffic when comfortably ensconced in my car, so dealing with it on foot while my quads are screaming is not ideal.

 I was treated to a Valentine's feast.

I went on a lot of walks.

 Apparently, Mother Nature is on board with the ombre thing...

 My parents came to visit. We ate well, went to see the National Geographic exhibition at the Annenberg, and I finally forced them to watch About Time, a very sweet movie for which I have a surprising amount of affection. Sadly, the only part of the weekend that I documented was the ten minutes we spent at LACMA's Urban Lights display.

And last but not least - I collected on my birthday gift. We giggled and cringed (in a good way) through The Book of Mormon, and I was reminded how very much I enjoy watching someone just belt out a song - even when the lyrics to said song are...probably banned in Mississippi.

And now - March.