March 15

One.
Yep, Monday's here. So here's a cheerful thought to start the week on! Don't let the Mondays win.
"This day is all that is good and fair. It is too dear, with its hopes and invitations, to waste a moment on the yesterdays." - Ralph Waldo Emerson.

(photo credit J. Caron)


Two.
Paper Heart. This mockumentary follows Charlyne Yi as she tries to figure out what exactly love is. The story line (also involving Michael Cera... swoon...) is sliced with real life interviews from people all over the country. Favorite city documented - Atlanta. Prepare to be delighted.

Three.
Okay, as a disclaimer, you will either find this next music video either incredibly creepy or incredibly hilarious. Or maybe just plain awesome. Regardless of if you take a liking to the background bikers or not, though, the song is worth listening to. Click here to watch the video for "What's a Girl to Do" by Bats For Lashes.

Four.
Road trip! Tomorrow I'll be hitting the road with my girls Dani and June for SXSW music/film festival in Austin. (So be forgiving if Six Before Breakfast is a little late until Saturday!) Packing, check. Show schedule, check. Best friend I haven't seen in way too long to stay with, check! Now the important things... road trip food. yummm...

Five.
Seriously Texas? You know I love you... but this is frankly embarrassing. The Texas Board of Education just voted to cut Thomas Jefferson out of the textbooks. If this is the road the board is going down, I recommend home schooling. Read more about it by clicking here.

Six. 
Carla Bruni is a French singer, songwriter, and former model. She is now married to French President Nicolas Sarkozy, but once dated Eric Clapton, and then Mick Jagger. Her fourth album is currently in the works, but the first three are even to tide us over until then. Click here to listen to Carla.... I suggest Quelqu'un M'a Dit.

March 14

One.
So You Think You Can Dance is holding auditions for season 7 this week. Desmond Richardson and Dwight Rhoden choreographed this number for So You Think You Can Dance season 6. Kathryn McCormick and Jakob Karr are absolutely incredible... and this may be the most passionate performance I've ever seen. Click here to watch.(photo from www.buddytv.com)

Two. 
Raven + Lily is a non-profit studio dedicated to empowering impoverished women through design partnerships and micro-enterprise opportunities.
Follow them on Twitter, become a fan on facebook or check out their website (www.ravenandlily.com) to learn more about this awesome organization.


Three.
Jhordan Dahl is an artist/curator from Portland. Her most recent curatorial project, White Noise, recently premiered at Worksound - an old warehouse in Portland which is now being used as an art gallery. Both Jhordan and her art are definite attention getters. Learn more here.

Four.
Producer Jon Landau and director James Cameron are in talk of a sequel to Avatar. Also in the brainstorming are several other projects the two are thinking of creating. The one thing they said is certain is that it will be in 3D.

"I don't think we will ever make another 2D film. Why would we make a movie in black and white if we have color? I think ultimately all movies are going to be in 3D" Landau said in an interview with Reuters.

I can only hope his predictions are wrong. Honestly, I think 3D movies are kind of cheesy... but I guess we'll just wait and see what this pair comes up with next.

(photo credit Mario Anzuoni)

Five.

Quote of the day:

"Courage is the most important of all the virtues, because without courage you can't practice any other virtue consistently. You can practice any virtue erratically, but nothing consistently without courage." - Maya Angelou

(Photo from deviant art)

Six.

Now it's time to take the song that's been stuck in my head all day and put it into yours. Luckily, once again, it's one that I not only don't mind but really enjoy. "Miss You" by the Rolling Stones"... oooh oooh oooh oooh oooh oooh oooh.

Listen and watch the video here!

March 13

One.
Eagle vs. Shark. Jemaine Clement (from Flight of the Conchords) stars in this awkward, yet endearing, love story from New Zealand. Boy meets girl at a "Dress Like Your Favorite Animal" party (hence the title) and begin the most uncomfortable-to-watch relationship to date. Dead pan humor fans, you will be pleased.

Two.
One of my favorite things about moving to Nashville has been all of the shows going on constantly. I'm up to my ears in new music, which is not a complaint by any means. One of my favorite performances lately was Nashville's Natalie Prass. Check out her EP and other music here: http://www.myspace.com/natalieprass (photo courtesy of her myspace)

Three.
Yesterday I got a surprise that made my day. If you're unaware, I am a huge Conan O'brien fan. The Belcourt Theater recently hosted a lot of hand drawn prints for sale, and a special somebody picked this one up for me. It's titled "Conan is Angry At You". And Conan now lives on my dresser.

Four.
Happy birthday Jack Kerouac! (1922).


"I hope it is true that a man can die and yet not only live in others but give them life, and not only life, but that great consciousness of life."


"My fault, my failure, is not in the passions I have, but in my lack of control of them."


"The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn, like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes 'Awww'."

Five.
Dick Waterman has been has been photographing music legends for over 45 years. He recently turned the Bluebird Cafe into a gallery for the day promoting his book, "Between Midnight Day." Listening to him tell his stories behind the photographs, he felt like an old friend or grandfather that made you want to spend all day listening to. You can see his photographs and learn more about him on his website here: http://www.dickwaterman.com/ (photos from website)


Bonnie Raitt, 1969

Chuck Berry, 1965

Bob Dylan, 1965

Six.

I know it's not quite summer yet, but it's close enough to start pretending. This watermelon cake is delicious and looks so cute! My friend, Emily, and I used to make them alot, and never got tired of them at all. Careful with the jelly beans though, if you use a creamier icing they'll slide down and make a mess. Green sprinkles are a good alternative. Here is the recipe from Razzle Dazzle Recipes.

March 12

One.

Brian Berg holds the world record for the tallest freestanding house of playing cards. He first set it in 1992 when he was seventeen, and has broken his own record 10 times now. His latest structure is over 25 feet tall! Learn more at his website.

Two.
Monday night I was eating at Nuvo Burrito and saw a music video of The Smiths come on the television. Realizing I love The Smiths but have never seen ANY of their videos, I went home to check out some more. Here's one to try on: (Click here to watch the "Panic" video).

Three.
Quote for the day:
"Some people walk in the rain... others just get wet." - Roger Miller

Photo courtesy of Ffffound.


Four.
Carole King is playing the Ryman in Nashville in May, and it's taking just about all my willpower not to buy tickets. I'll probably end up giving in and being happy that I did. Listen for free here! (My personal favorite, Natural Woman).

Five.
Newest addition to my room is this adorable picture frame I found at a local vintage shop, Local Honey. I love the combinations of the constellations and the animals, and the colors help brighten the corner, too.

Six.
If you love photo editing but don't know much about it yet, you will love this free online editor. Picnik allow you to adjust basic settings, apply pre-programmed effects, add text, stamps, and borders to your photos. It's wonderful when you're in a rush or just looking for an easy way to spice up your pictures. Go give it a whirl at www.Picnik.com

March 11

One.
Fellow Conan Addicts... it's time to celebrate! We no longer have to suffer withdrawals from our dear ginger hero. Today Conan O'Brien announced a list of cities in a 30 date live tour. Showing up on the list were both Austin and Dallas, and Bonnaroo musical festival! Cheers.

Click here to see a list of tour dates. Then buy tickets.

Two. 
Norwegian pop artist Maria Mena. Her song "You're the Only One" has been stuck in my head all morning, and I'm not disappointed about it. "Fragile (free)" and "What's Another Day" are two other sunny day windows-down pop songs I like, but my favorite is probably her heartbreak ballad, "Sorry". 

Listen to "Sorry" and more of Maria's songs here.

Three.

Jessica C. White is an artist currently living in Asheville, NC. I saw some of her work at an art crawl in Nashville with Twist Art Gallery last week and loved it!

 

"Similar to the way animals were used in folktales and ancient mythologies to explain the mysterious world of the past, I create images with animals that attempt to make sense of uncertainties in our world today. Children’s book images, medieval bestiaries, and folk tales inspire my investigations both visually and textually. Much of my exploration revolves around good versus evil, right and wrong, justice, and wonder." - Jessica C. White (twistartgallery.com)

Four.

Happy birthday Lawrence Welk, American bandleader, musician and TV persona. Host of The Lawrence Welk Show from 1955 to 1982, his "champagne music" provided a music show meant for the entire family.

Click here to see the original closing credits from the Lawrence Welk Show (1978).

Five.

It's a beautiful day in Nashville... the kind of day you deserve to treat yourself. Which is how I ended up with this Pink Radio Cake from Bongo Java. Both the cake and the icing are actually made with beets, which sounds disgusting, but is actually really delicious. Besides, it's pretty.

Six.
Yukon Aurora with Star Trails. This breathtaking image was taken in the northwestern territory of Canada using a tripod and combined short exposures. It shows arcs made by stars while the earth rotates on its axis, along with this beautiful aurora also known as the northern lights. Credit: Yuichi Takasaka

March 10

One.
Nancy Sinatra. You're probably familiar with her hits "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'", "How Does That Grab You, Darlin", and "Sugar Town" (which Zooey Deschanel covered in 500 Days of Summer). My favorite performance by Nancy is of this tune, "Bang, Bang", which was originally written by Sonny Bono for Cher. Check it out.

Watch Video Here

Two.

I found this adorable wedding invitation on 
Pressing Letters: A Collection of Inspirational
Letterpress.It's by Dolce Press and designed by
Sophie Nicolay.

Three.

Quote of the Day:

"What really knocks me out is a book that, when
you're all done reading it, you wish the author 
that wrote it was a terrific friend of yours and 
you could call him up on the phone whenever you 
felt like it."-J.D. Salinger

Four.

Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, co-founders of the 
band KISS, are developing a children's television 
show based on the band for a Canadian production 
company. What?! Who would have thought. I guess 
there really isn't anything KISS won't do! Read 
the article for yourself below.

Read the Article

Five.

I found this lovely photograph on ffffound this 
morning. Thought I'd share!

Six.

Attention all my friends who are getting married... 
look at these gorgeous bride and groom chocolate 
covered strawberries on Bride.net! It even gives 
a tutorial on how to make them yourself.They're 
almost too pretty to eat. Notice I said almost...

March 9

One.

Fresh flowers are the easiest way to brighten up a room (especially if it tends to stay a bit messy, guilty.) Along with my usual daisies, I got to bring some beautiful ones home from an event I attended the other night. Look how much better they make the room feel!

Two.

So anyone who has heard The White Stripes, The Raconteurs, or The Dead Weather is aware of how talented musician Jack White is. Well, his beautiful wife Karen Elson is now giving us just one more reason to love this couple. Check out her new single and music video, "The Ghost That Walks", on her website here.

http://www.karenelson.com/

Three.

Thanks to my friend Molly in Texas for this cute poem by Shel Silverstein!

"If you are a dreamer, come in.

If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar,

A hope-er, a pray-er, a magic bean buyer...

If you're a pretender, come sit by my fire,

For we have some flax golden tales to spin.

Come in!

Come in!"

-Shel Silverstein

Four.

Freaks and Geeks... if you have never watched this sitcom, please do. Judd Apatow, Linda Cardellini, Seth Rogen, Jason Segal, James Franco, Busy Philipps... take my word for it, this is worth watching.

Five.

This is my absolute favorite music video. Oren Lavie's "Her Morning Elegance" in stop motion.

Watch Video Here

Six.

Here's a gorgeous picture by a photographer named Markus Nurmi.

Makes you want to go out and enjoy the beautiful outdoors, doesn't it?