unofficially official

day before school starts plus the unofficial last day of summer= so bittersweet.

list twenty-six: records I'm playing

ward came upstairs yesterday with the nina simone record album that I thought was lost forever and I wanted to lay down on the floor and cry like a baby. am wearing out the record player and this can only mean great things. currently listening to/planning on listening to:

1. nina simone/here comes the sun

2. stevie wonder/talking book

3. john coltrane/a love supreme

4. sara vaughan/tenderly

5. michael jackson/off the wall

6. xanadu/the soundtrack

7. prince/more prince records than I can even name here

list twenty-five: the best snacks in the world

I am never tired of:

1. smushed avocado on toasted sourdough

2. baby spoonfuls of lemon curd

3. frozen dark cherries

4. the white cheddar cheetos they try to call 'natural'

5. I repeat: baby spoonfuls of lemon curd

list twenty-four: things inspiring me right now

1. rainbow favelas

2. plus other projects involving color and paint

3. like lipstick traces

4. and swings in unlikely places

5. plus dance sequences that represent

6. and b-boys who are not stopped by rain

7. the engaging of public space

8. the mercurial mixing of media

8. the sleeves of vintage 45s

9. the work of anna halprin

10. the seeing and the feeling

11. plus candy-colored bicycles

12. and birthday flashmobs

13. also, three cups sunshine

14. mati's keen eye

15. and the very definition of summer

this week

way behind with the whole 52 lists project and the only way to catch up is to post lists all this week. really, it's the only way. so that's what I'm going to do.

I suspect list burnout by the end of the week but dear people, it must be done.

manzanita magic

the accompanying images for list twenty-two and the very reason polaroid cameras were invented.

less ebb, more flow

I should probably not write at four in the morning after watching infomercial after infomercial. I should not write while I am wondering whether or not I can live without a steam cleaner, an airbrush cosmetics system or the magic bullet. or the kymaro body shaper. or the hawaii chair. in the deepest pockets of the night, these things look magnificent to me. the truth is that we've been on the road for awhile. I'm floating in that magic vacation bubble and I don't want to go home. but it's time to go home. my head is spinning with stories and ideas and there's a fat stack of polaroids begging to be scanned and so many undeveloped rolls of film. and my list project is all. off. schedule. this is usually the part where I say I don't know where to start.

so I'll skip that part and start with my new dansko sandals. because I love them more than all the infomercial products in the world. even more than the kymaro body shaper. and I love that they're covered with a fine layer of the kind of dust that comes from getting in and out of the car to buy gas station slushies and take photographs of roadside everything. because really, that's just about the best kind of dust there is.

super epic party edition

super epic rainbow party, folks. it's a lot to take in, I know. but I could not help myself.

p.s. click on individual images for party deets. also, the full set is here.

photobooth friday

photobooth friday on a saturday because I'm on the road and have lost all track of time. checkit, my covet column in the latest issue of uppercase is all about photobooths. also on the pages: vintage trailers, espo's love letters to philly, nina invorm's crazy colorful studio, delancey and vintage luggage labels. oh the love I have for this issue. THE LOVE.

in other photobooth-related news:

my pal brandon's awesome new photomaton and photomaton lite apps. people, I think I'm finally going to have to break down and get an iphone.

a really rad photobooth contest by the folks over at the art of waiting that I am totally going to miss if I don't get my act together.

number 34

number 34 off the list and you should know that the super epic rainbow cake was totally the inspiration for ava's super epic rainbow birthday sleepover.



something else you should know: I did not bake this cake from scratch. I mean, that was my original plan but sometimes things just do not go according to plan. and so two white cake mixes and one box of assorted gel food coloring later and voila: super epic rainbow cake. my version, anyway.



it's a very tall cake. therefore, precarious.



also, once the frosting is on, it's completely unassuming. we decided early on to keep the whole rainbow thing a secret and did not tell the guests about the cake beforehand. you know, for maximum effect.



so when I finally cut into the cake, it was sort of like when oprah gave out brand new cars on her show and the women in the audience lost their minds.



for a second, I was oprah. except with a gaggle of nine year-old girls and a six layer rainbow cake. let me tell you, that moment alone was totally worth all the hard work.

totally.

(photos from the super epic rainbow party coming soon)

list twenty-three: ten things I love about ava

ava turned ten a couple of days ago. yup, ten. both feet into the next decade and there are a few things I'd like to say:

1. she loves cherry-flavored anything. almost as much as I do.

2. she is able to transform all tiny hidden nooks and corners into magic places.

3. she does not mess around when it comes to fountains and wishes. it's the same every time: she cups the penny with both hands, closes her eyes tight and whispers her wish with an impressive amount of intensity before flinging it into the water. so much hope in her eyes it makes me want to cry.

4. she totally gets why old banana seat bikes are cool.

5. she loses herself in books.

6. she draws pictures that are full of quirky characters and spectacular detail, pictures that tell the kind of stories I wish I could write.

7. she has a super silly side but only lets those closest to her see it.

8. she watches the world with wide open eyes and often sees things I do not.

9. she still lets me read to her at bedtime.

10. she is the girl I always wanted to be. and still do.

(twenty-three down, twenty-nine to go)

list twenty-two: things learned over the weekend

I spent time at the coast with some of my people this past weekend. I came away feeling totally and completely loved but also, I learned a few things. for example:

1. aqua net works serious wonders.

2. beet salads are the most beautiful salads in the world.

3. I can totally rock sandals with straps across the ankles. and this is really big news. because according to the fashion world, sandals with straps across the ankles break the natural line of the leg, therefore causing those of us who are shorter to look as if our legs have been reduced to unsightly stumps. therefore, not recommended. for years, I really believed this. apparently, the fashion world is wrong about a lot of stuff.

4. a big bowl full of tootsie pops is still a total crowd pleaser.

5. two pregnant bellies are infinitely better than one.

6. bright teal nail polish is so right now.

7. I might need to break down and read twilight.

8. attaching googly eyes to random household items like toilet paper rolls, hair spray cans and chocolate donuts makes for happy people.

9. painting with your hands is the best part.

10. the occasional splurge can always be justified in that it totally invites abundance. totally.

11. myriam's almond cake is magic.

12. blowing through two packs of polaroid film in three days is never a mistake.

13. think big. and when you're done thinking big, THINK BIGGER.

14. sometimes you find religion at the hot dog stand.

15. when in doubt, lionel richie.


(twenty-two down, thirty to go)

list twenty-one: films I could watch over and over

welcome to my teeny tiny film festival. below you'll find original trailers and favorite clips from films I could watch over and over forever and ever. if you're looking to get lost, today is your lucky day. in no particular order:

1. amelie

2. bottle rocket

3. crooklyn

4. in america

5. man on wire

6. junebug

7. slaves of new york

8. rushmore

9. flirting with disaster

10. muriel's wedding

11. roman holiday

12. bullets over broadway

13. basquiat

14. school of rock

15. fame

(twenty-one down, thirty-one to go)

number 2: ride the ferris wheel

and we did. about a month ago, when the carnival was in town, we rode the big ferris wheel. all eight of us in one car: me, ward, ava, ezra, my brother, my sister-in-law and my two nieces. did you know that there are no seat belts in those things? that they are totally open air? that if you move your body just the right way the whole car will sway back and forth? PEOPLE, I DID NOT KNOW THIS. I rode the ferris wheel when I was a kid but I do not remember any of this. I remember the whole experience very differently. this time, I could barely stand to open my eyes. at least not until we'd made it around a couple of times. and it's possible I died. two, three, maybe four times. it's possible I had a tiny panic attack. and I'm pretty sure it wasn't good for the kids to see me in such a terrified state but I'm going to be honest here and say that I wasn't really thinking about the kids. though eventually, I did manage to pull myself together. eventually, I opened my eyes my like a normal person and looked out over the city of portland. and I took a few breaths and I took a few photographs but I'm telling you, I did not look down.

despite the terror, it's possible I enjoyed myself. just a tiny bit.

(number 2 from 39 things)

you will not even need your passport

MWM via ekosystem

color from around the world, friends. a riot of color for your thursday afternoon.

summer so far

it may seem like we are doing a lot but really, we're not. what we're doing here is a lot of laying around. which is good because when it comes to laying around, we are practically professionals.