Cookie Time

A childhood favorite I haven't been able to let go. Sort of a nightly ritual in this freezing weather, along with a glass of milk and syndicated TV.

Top of the Pops

On our most recent sibling email thread (these happen quite often, even though 3 out of 4 of us live within 40 miles of each other), my sister asked for a list of Top 20 songs of all time. The first to go turned it into 25, the last ended it at 49, proving the difficulty of this task. I capped mine at 25 for fear of continuing all the way up to 100, and thought I'd post it on here.

Top 25 Favorite Songs of All Time (in no particular order)

1. "Freebird" by Lynrd Skynrd
2. "Soul to Squeeze" by Red Hot Chili Peppers
3. "Beast of Burden" by the Rolling Stones
4. "Like a Rolling Stone" by Bob Dylan
5. "One Headlight" by the Wallflowers
6. "A Day in the Life" by the Beatles
7. "Walls" by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
8. "Islands" by the XX
9. "Gigantic" by the Pixies
10. "Sleepwalk" by Santo and Johnny
11. "If You Leave" by OMD
12. "Beautiful Day" by U2
13. "Somebody to Love" by Queen
14. "Tears of a Clown" by Smokey Robinson
15. "Piece of My Heart" by Janis Joplin
16. "Home" by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
17. "You Shook Me All Night" by ACDC
18. "More Than Words" by Extreme
19. "Push It" by Salt-n-Pepa
20. "Save Tonight" by Eagle Eye Cherry
21. "Juiciy" by Notorious B.I.G.
22. "Patience" by Guns 'n Roses
23. "D'yer Mak'er" by Led Zeppelin
24. "The Passenger" by Iggy Pop
25. "I Won't Back Down" by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers

So there it is. Most of these have some emotional/sentimental attachment to them, so that's what qualified them for the ever elusive list. Some are just what I think are really beautiful and well written songs.

Year in Review

I was reading the LA Times Calendar Year in Review and felt compelled to make my own. 2010 was an interesting year, so here are some highlights through my favorite photos:

A few trips here and there...

(John Wayne Airport, Santa Ana, CA)

(Pakistan)

(Monterey, CA)

(San Francisco, CA)

Lots of birthdays...

(My nephew at his 2nd birthday, March 2010)

(Albertsons marble cake is a staple at any birthday in our house)

My first trip to the races....

Experiencing Tom Petty live (albeit short...better than nothing, right?)

(Hollywood, CA)

A visit to my childhood home....

(Orchutt/Santa Maria, CA)

The opportunity to shoot some cool places....

(The Getty Villa, Malibu, CA)

(Fiesta de las Flores, Los Angeles, CA)

My first gig...

(Carlsbad, CA)

A few drives up the coast....

(101 Freeway)

And a new start...

(My engagement ring...and chipped nails in OPI "You Don't Know Jacques!")

2010 was pretty great. Wishing everyone a happy holiday season!

Collection

Here's the newest addition to my camera collection!

It's an Exacta from Germany circa 1938-40. How cool is that?! It even has a pop-up viewfinder that you look down through while holding the camera at waist level. One of my sisters bought it for me as an engagement gift. I've already shot 1 roll of film, but need to get it developed to see if the camera still works (which according to the seller, it should).

My collection of camera memorabilia:

Clockwise from top left: Nikon, Exacta, Polaroid Super Shooter, Canon 50mm, Tamron 18-200mm, Canon 18-55mm, iPhone, Polaroid (Not shown: my main camera, Canon EOS Rebel XSi 450D, and most frequently used lens, Canon 35mm)

All of these work, but I've never used the Polaroid Super Shooter because it's impossible to find the right film. I also have an old non-functioning Argus that I bought off ebay sometime last year, but seem to have misplaced it during Spring cleaning :(

I hope to have a huge shelf full of cameras someday.

*On second look, that picture of all cameras is really dull. Maybe I'll try to shoot them again in a better setting.

Digital Double Exposures

I don't shoot film very often, but I've always wanted to try double exposures. I just recently read about a photographer who used long exposures and photo slideshows to create digital double exposures. Phillip Maisel, who was inspired by the influx of photos on facebook, decided to shoot his computer screen while scrolling through different friends' photo albums. If you're curious, you can see the project titled "A More Open Place" here. I knew there were photoshop tricks like "layering" that can mimic a film double exposure, but I never thought to actually use a digital camera. Given how easy this sounded, I had to try it. Here are a few random photos I decided to turn into digital double exposures.

I loved the eerie vibe of one of the photos and had to use it more than once, but it was a little trickier than I expected. Maybe it's common sense, but I didn't think to use photos that had similar lighting until I did a few randomly paired pictures and found them severely overexposed. Either way, it was a fun exercise. I love websites like DPS and Photojojo that introduce me to these things.

I've Signed Off Facebook...

...FOREVER! I was on it for about 5 years, and that was certainly long enough. Here's a funny article that does a great job explaining why:

You Can't Friend Me, I Quit!

The Art of Entertaining

I never buy housewares. Mostly because I've been living with my parents since I graduated college, but also because I don't spend too much time in the kitchen (unless it's to pop a bag of popcorn or get some cookies...) Well, given recent developments (Ata & I got engaged), my inner 1950s housewife is itching to come out. I was at a random furniture store when I saw this Art of Entertaining line by Grasslands Road. I know it's a little soon, but I loved the vintage style of these pieces and decided to order a few key things for a future kitchen.

Cookie Jar

Nut Bowl

The inside reads "DONT PICK through the NUTS" and the spoon says "SIFT THROUGH GENTLY"

Chalkboard Memo Board

"Things which need REMEMBERING"

Serving Tray (that comes with a display stand)

It reads "don't bite off more than you can chew...IN FOOD & IN CONVERSATION"

Salt & Pepper Shakers

These remind me of Alice in Wonderland

Yes, there's still about 10 months until I'll need them, but collecting a few things here and there will make decorating a lot easier when the time comes around, right?

Yours Truly

(But not taken by yours truly)

An Oldie but Goodie

Another Favorite

Something Good Coming...

Please click, I promise it's worth it!