heylucy

bokeh & art

Just a little something fun (the video, and the music, which happens to be my little brother, Cary):

music for the month

I don't keep up with music like I used to, but I thought I'd give Spotify a try. As much as I love my iPhone, I hate hate hate iTunes (why do they have to come out with a new version every other day? I don't have time to download and install software all the time). Plus, I don't have much room in my budget for buying music, so I like the idea of being able to really listen to a whole song or album before spending money on it.

So far, making playlists is nice and easy with Spotify. I don't know that I'll pay for it every month, but I thought it would be fun to post a monthly playlist, so maybe we can all discover some new, good music together! If you'd like a Spotify invite, let me know in the comments (be sure to include your email address), and I'll send one. I've got a half dozen to share, so the first six comments can have one! 

The first link goes to the whole playlist, and below are links to each song. It's a mix of old and new. I like it :) 

August

Matt Costa – Mr. Pitiful
The Virgins – Private Affair - Explicit Album Version
Aqualung – Fingertip
Pete Yorn – Precious Stone
The xx – Stars
Skepta – Rolex Sweep
The Avett Brothers – I And Love And You
Ben Lee – Gamble Everything For Love
Blakroc – Ain't Nothing Like You [Hoochie Coo] Feat. Jim Jones, Mos Def
Bright Eyes – Bowl of Oranges
Leagues – Haunted
Paul Simon – The Obvious Child
Mat Kearney – Hey Mama
Kathleen Edwards – Back to Me
The Naked And Famous – Young Blood
Eels – Fresh Feeling

music

 I have some knitting to share, if the sun ever comes out again, so I can take decent pictures. I'm starting to have my doubts, but apparently it should be back later this week. In the meantime, I just want to suggest that you buy this little ep, it's the latest from my brother, and it's very, very good. He is also being featured here at the moment. That is all.

thinking time and birthday week

I wasn't kidding about more daffodils. I love the ethereal quality of this pale apricot variety. They are nearly always two to a stem, and have a lovely, light fragrance. After a cursory internet search, I still don't know the name of this particular variety. I should keep better gardening records.

I am very lucky to have a lot of thinking time. I spend a lot of time in my car every day, and when I'm driving I come up with a lot of really brilliant ideas. If only I could write them down to remember later. I also think a lot while I am swimming, but swimming-thinking is usually about the things I need to do. I plan elaborate to-do lists for the evening when I get home. Seldom is more than one to-do completed when I actually do get home, but still, it doesn't hurt to be ambitious. Anyway, the point of all this is that this morning while driving to work, I thought that since this is Birthday Week at Hey Lucy, there should be some presents, don't you think? Only these presents will be from me to you. So I also thought up a list of some of my favorite things, which also happen to be quite small (I don't want to break the bank here, after all), and I'll do my best to have a post each day with a little giveaway. I might make you work a little for these giveaways, and I'm sorry I can't send a present to everyone, but I think we can have some fun! Are you in? Spread the word, if you have a blog.

Now, on to the first giveaway. I love music, and I love my family, one member of which happens to be a very talented musician. I know I make you watch his videos and download his music, but it's all so good, I wouldn't want anyone to miss out. Today I have an autographed copy of his brand new, very excellent CD, Goodnight Human. Big things are in the works, and you will probably start hearing his music on the radio soon and he will likely be appearing in a city near you this Summer. Despite the fact that Cary likes to tell everyone the story of how I laughed at him when he first told me he was going to be the lead singer in a band, I've always genuinely liked his music, but this album is really something special. I know he's poured his whole heart and soul into it, and it shows. Don't ask me what my favorite song is, because I love every single one.

So, here's what you have to do if you'd like this CD: just share your top five most favorite albums ever. I know it's probably hard to narrow it down, but if you could only listen to five for the rest of your life, which five would you choose?

My brothers tagged me on facebook to do a list of 25 albums, and that was hard, I already want to add a few more. If it helps, here are my 25:

In no particular order:

1. The Cars - The Cars
2. U2 - War
3. Lucinda Williams - Car Wheels on a Gravel Road
4. Dar Williams - Mortal City
5. G. Love & Special Sauce - Philadelphonic
6. Cowboy Junkies - Pale Sun Crescent Moon
7. 10,000 Maniacs - In My Tribe
8. They Might Be Giants - Flood
9. Andrew Bird - The Mysterious Production of Eggs
10. Gillian Welch - Time (The Revelator)
11. Annie Lennox - Diva
12. REM - Out of Time
13. The White Stripes - White Blood Cells
14. Barenaked Ladies - Maybe You Should Drive
15. Tom Petty - Full Moon Fever
16. Billy Joel - Glass Houses
17. Yann Tiersen - Les Retrouvailles
18. Toni Childs - Union
19. The Sundays - Reading Writing & Arithmetic
20. Sufjan Stevens - Illinoise
21. Styx - Paradise Theater
22. Rogue Wave - Asleep at Heaven's Gate
23. Richard Thompson - Rumor and Sigh
24. Matthew Sweet - Girlfriend
25. Indigo Girls - Indigo Girls

I think I'll leave comments open for a couple days for each giveaway, so you'll have until Thursday night to enter this one. And don't forget to come back tomorrow for another birthday present!

beauty

Just a quick list of links to some beautiful things I love today:

• This song, I can't stop listening to it.
• This shawl, it's all I can do not to drop everything and go make it.
• This photo, and all the others in her shop. That is a real fawn, by the way.

That's all for now. Have a nice weekend!

happy friday

I know this has been linked in a lot of blogs already, but I thought I'd continue to spread the joy. I dare you to watch this and not smile. I don't think it's possible.

Scoop du Jour

I joined up with the Scoop du Jour Knitalong weeks and weeks ago and then proceeded to do nothing. Finally I've gotten it together enough to cast on and start knitting the ribbing for the back:

I'm using Cascade 220 Quattro, in a salmon-y color that I love. It's actually four (hence the name "Quattro", heh) strands, one red, one orange, one bright pink and one a darker pink, all plyed together. I have no idea how to photograph it so you can see it properly, but trust me, it's juicy and lovely. I seldom feel like knitting in the summer, so I expect progress on this to be slow. Maybe next month I'll post a picture of the back and it will be 6 inches longer. Don't hold your breath.

I also was lucky enough to get more cd's this week:

These are from Luke and Nat. Excellent work! I've listened to them just once, and lots of songs just grabbed me right away. I feel like I'm just swimming in new, good music and it's going to take me a few weeks to absorb it all. Everyone involved in this swap has done such a great job!

music and mail

Good things still happen. I got several happy packages in the mail last week:

My back-tack package arrived on Wednesday! It looks like a fiesta! Check out all those beads and buttons.  I think I will be making something heavily beaded.

I also got the first of my cd's from Crafty Little Cow's music swap:

The lovely blue one on the right is from Karen, and the fabulous polka dotted one on the left is from the other Karin. They are both so, so good. Both included songs from artists that I love, like Paris Combo, Lucinda Williams and Indigo Girls, and both included lots of new-to-me stuff that I am digging. Not only that, look at that packaging! They're both so beautiful! I have to apologize to the recipients of my cd's. I had only a tiny window of time to make them, and while I'm happy with the music I included, the actual package design is pretty lame. I just used a vintage photo of surfer girls that I liked and photocopied them, trimmed them badly, and stuck them in the case. I had big plans for a cool, funky design, but it was not to be. I also wanted to spend a little more time making sure the music flowed well, but I just ended up putting some favorite songs on there, in alphabetical order. Lame! I hope you will enjoy them despite my lameness. And I hope you will forgive me for the indulgence of including my little brother on there too. I really like the song I included, although I only had a live version, so you have to listen to him babble a bit at the beginning.

A couple weeks ago I made another mixed cd for my brothers and sister. All five of us loved music growing up, and we had quite a range of musical tastes. I put together a mix of songs that make me think of them and growing up together. I didn't include the song titles on the cd, because I wanted everyone to just listen and enjoy, but promised I'd post them here. So for them, here is a taste of what you might have heard at any given time in our house in the 80's and 90's:

1. Let it Ride-Bachman Turner Overdrive (one of the first songs Cary-aka CJ3-learned to play on the guitar)
2. Jane Says-Jane's Addiction
3. New World Man-Rush (CJ1 was obsessed with Rush in high school, to the annoyance of the rest of us. To his credit, he is now embarressed by this)
4. Life in One Day-Howard Jones (who couldn't love this song? I included it on my swap cd too)
5. Step by Step-New Kids on the Block (My little sister actually went to the NKOTB concert, and I made fun of her. She was only 13, so it's okay)
6. Belong-REM (Cary taught me to strum a G-Chord on one guitar while he played lead on another and I pretended to be Mike Mills singing back up. We sounded just like REM. Really, I'm not kidding)
7. Be Near Me-ABC (CJ1's other obsession in high school. He had diverse taste in music)
8. Forever Young-Alphaville
9. Shake it Up-The Cars (My obsession in 7th and 8th grade, I had every Cars tape, included Heartbeat City, which is when they started to suck)
10. We Got the Beat-The Go-Go's (this says 9th grade to me like nothing else)
11. Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)-Pet Shop Boys
12. Where the Streets Have No Name-U2 (One band all 5 of us can agree on)
13. White Room-Cream (CJ2 went through an extended classic rock period. I think all of us did, but I remember him getting the Eric Clapton Boxed set, and it was a Big Deal)
14. The Lovecats-The Cure (CJ3 still claims The Cure as one of his biggest influences)
15. Run to the Hills-Iron Maiden (When CJ2 was in high school he got tickets to the Iron Maiden concert at Irvine Meadows with a bunch of friends. His friends got in trouble and were grounded, so my mom made me drive him. We ended up in the orchestra pit. My ears rang for a full 24 hours after that show)
16. Roadhouse Blues-The Doors (In college CJ2 and I went to see The Doors movie-the one starring Val Kilmer-on Opening Night. We were hardcore fans)
17. Invisible Touch-Genesis
18. Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World-Israel Kamakawiwo'ole (my little sister used to sit in her room in front of her record player listening and singing along to Somewhere Over the Rainbow. What a Wonderful World was my Grandparents song, and was played at my Grandmother's funeral)

I deleted my last post because it was just too sad. We'll make it through, but things will never be just the same. Who will I call when I need to fix a leaky faucet? The phone was eerily quiet last night. Sunday night tradition was a phone call from dad. Thank you so much to those who left such kind comments-they were truly comforting.