The start of the year

Out with a bang

For those of you who have been reading along, you know I had a plan:

1. Leave the continent – Didn’t happen
2. Quit my job (10 years of state employment is more than a person should endure) - CHECK!
3. Take on a massive design project -  I call it life phase 2.0
4. Read more – I read a lot on the internet
5. Spend less money/time on home repair - CHECK! I sold that money pit over the summer.
6. Master Indian Cuisine -  Can one really master Indian Cuisine?

After writing this list I revised it to say that I was going to be the opposite of my breeder friends.  I was going to quit my job and focus on my art.  CHECK!  Some things fell into place a little later vs. sooner but, I managed to make it happen. I am thankful for the people that helped along the way.  Friends old and new.

Here’s my year in lists.

This year in live music: SXSW 2011 ( Theophilus London, Foster the People, Noah and the Whale, Portugal. the Man,  Charles Bradley and the Menahan Street Band,  TV on the Radio , Ellie Goulding, Smith Westerns,  Matt and Kim,  J. Roddy Walston and The Business,and Wanda Jackson.) Reggie Watts, Arcade Fire, Thermals and Matt and Kim, and Junior Boys,  Fun^3 Fest 2011 (Heartless Bastards, Thermals, Franki Chan, Big Freedia, Reggie Watts, Four Tet,  Public Enemy, Passion Pit,  T-Bird and the Breaks, Joy Formidable, M83, Lykke Li,  We Were Promised Jetpacks, Mates of State, MNDR, Austra, Ted Leo,  Architecture in Helsinki, Del the Funky Homosapien, Flying Lotus,  and Diplo)

This year in Sewing: Restoration work for Amelia’s RetroVogue,  participating in Vintage Vivant, Costuming for Riley Do Right and A Ride with Bob,  In-store seamstress gig at Frock on Vintage, and altering a few wedding dresses.

This year on the interwebs: A few site redesigns, getting to know social media.  Giving up on Gowalla.

This year in Movies: I joined AFS so I could see more new releases for cheap or free! . (theater) The Muppets,  Thunder Soul, Beats, Rhymes and Life: the Travels of a Tribe Called Quest , Cowboys and Aliens, White Material, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2,White Material Submarine, Everything Must Go,  WAR!: Women Art Revolution. SXSW (the Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye, Little Deaths, Documentary Shorts,  Being Elmo: A Puppeteers Journey, Super,  Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop, Greatest Movie Ever Sold, Narrative 2, Medium Cool, Something Ventured,  El Bulli: Cooking in Progress, Fambul Tok, Blacktino, Hesher, the Other F Word, Our Day will Come, A Matter of Taste: Serving up Paul Liebrandt, Outside Industry: The Story of SXSW, and PressPausePlay.).

This year in Books: Sadly not much time for reading this year… Goodreads

This year in kicking ass: I am officially DBA Spinsta.   I was a SXSW Crew Chief.  I got promoted to Bookkeeper/Money wrangler for BluesShout!, Refashionista, Fun^3 Fest Blogger, Apparel Surgeon, and baby whisperer.

Unfinished Business: Just before Christmas I got an email from my friend who is a stylist for Amazon.  He asked me to ship him some stuff to shoot.  We had been talking about it for awhile so I made it happen.  Stay tuned.

Plans for 2012 (in no particular order):

1. Seeing my favorite kiddos in SC
2. Collaborating with Savannahred and many more designers
3. Teaching sewing classes
4. Saving the lives of many more garments
5. Brushing up on ASL
6. I am thinking about guitar again or maybe accordion

It’s that time of year when M prepares to route for her Cubbies and I re-evaluate my intentions for the year.

I recently updated WordPress so I spent some time reading my posts while I backed everything up.  I realized there were a few things that didn’t end up on my to-do list.

For starters, on my birthday, I decided that I was going to focus on my art and do something dangerous.  Like take up welding or heroin.  Maybe do some experimental art… take up a strange instrument like the auto harp. Why?  I was going to make up for the fact that my friends were all getting married and having babies.

I also have to add “sell the house” to the list.  My friend is moving out and that means that I need to move back or try and get rid of it.

There is also the matter of my Clark Kent theory.  It has been eight months since I have been on a date (and M is still with 2.0).  I am seriously batting zero in the world of online dating (but the internet informed me ages ago that online dating was a lost cause in my case).

More later.

-j

“You can’t carry it with you if you want to survive. ” Florence and the Machine

This year, was definitely a year. Yenta said it would be my best year,  definitely a transitional one.  Moments were good, moments were bad, and some moments were down right craptastical.  Other than my family and friends, my only other survival tactic was too keep moving and not look back.  I probably lost some stuff along the way.  There were probably a few people that I didn’t keep in touch with.  I was probably less thoughtful than usual.

Last night I sat in bed thinking about what I was going to write as a recap of my year.  I had to mentally recap the stuff that I have chosen not to discuss on the interwebs.  That’s when the tears started.  I am not sure I am ready to write about the dog days of summer (some good, some really bad, all of it extremely emotional).

For those of you who have been reading along, you know I had a plan:

1) Sell my house before the end of summer. 2) Live irresponsibly in someone else’s property (aka apartment) somewhere in the numbered streets. 3) Leave the country.

Well, that didn’t quite happen as I planned. This is what happened as I flew by the seat of my pants.  1)There are people living in my house but I didn’t sell it.  2)I moved (twice).  I live near some numbered streets in the ’04. 3) My friends’ took me to Mexico for their wedding.

Ok, that’s as far as I am going to go now.  Here’s my year in lists.

This year in live music: SXSW 2010 ( City Riots, Best Coast, the DJs from the Hood Internet, Le Loup,  Typefighter, Sondre Lerche, Vivian Girls, Death Set,  :papercutz,  Oh Snap!, Rogue Wave, Miike Snow, Fucked Up, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings,  Hole,  Frightened Rabbit, Minor Mishap Marching Band , Mayer Hawthorn & the Country, Passion Pit (DJ set) , The Pains of Being Pure at Heart,  Broken Bells, Ezra Furman and the Harpoons ,Everybody was in the French Resistance…Now!, and  Diplo.) Miike Snow, Middle East, Mumford and Sons, Passion Pit, Tokyo Police Club, Hood Internet, Flosstradamus, Pixies, Ratatat, Amanda Blank, Sleigh Bells, Interpol, Fun^3 Fest 2010 (Royal Forest (Formerly Loxsly), League of Extraordinary Gz, Butcher Bear and Charlie, Invincible, Devin the Dude, Slick Rick, Dominique Young Unique, Big Freedia, Man Man, Dirty Projectors, RJD2, Magic Kids, Margot and the Nuclear So and Sos, Black Nasty, Toro Y Moi, Nortec Collective Presents: Bostich and Fussible,Jean Grae, Pharoahe Monch, P.O.S., Washed Out, Deerhunter, The Hold Steady, and The Descendants)

This year in non-live music: Here’s to this year’s new albums: Forgiveness Rock Record-Broken Social Scene Miike Snow-Miike Snow, Broken Bells, Wake Up!-John Legend and the Roots, The Suburbs-Arcade Fire, Sidewalks-Matt and Kim, All Day-Girl Talk, Halcyon Digest-Deerhunter, Rubber Factory-Black Keys, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Entanglements-Parenthetical Girls, Mixtape vol 4 and Anatomy Magazine x The Hood Internet- Hood Internet, LP4-Ratatat, Treats-Sleigh Bells, xx-The xx, The Satanic Satanist [Deluxe Edition]-Portugal the Man, The Mountain-Heartless Bastards, Together-New Pornographers.

This year in Sewing: Treasure City Thrift Fashion Show

This year on the interwebs: I got a smart phone.  Here’s to more Twitter updates and Gowalla check-ins.

This year in Movies: This year I watched a lot on Hulu and other peoples Netflix.  I meant to go out but that requires $$. (theater) SXSW (The Runaways, Tiny Furniture, Canal Street Madam, Barry Munday, the Freebie, Kick Ass) the Social Network, Exit Through the Gift Shop.

This year in Books: Sadly not much time for reading this year… Goodreads Tropic of Capricorn, The Tipping Point, Middlesex, Kafka on the Shore.

This year in kicking ass- (New category because I realized I rocked it out this year): SXSW Crew Chief, Volunteer Coordinator for BluesShout!, Natural Disaster Planner, Refashionista, Fun^3 Fest Blogger, and Wedding Stylist.

Plans for 2011 (in no particular order):

1. Leave the continent
2. Quit my job (10 years of state employment is more than a person should endure)
3. Take on a massive design project
4. Read more
5. Spend less money/time on home repair
6. Master Indian Cuisine

Here’s to 2011 and the hopes that the Dog Days really in fact are over.

For now I will give you the wrap up for 2009.  I may have some words on the last decade later.

This year in live music: Broken Social Scene, Lymbyc Systym, The Submarines,  SXSW (Flosstradamus, Asobi Seksu, Titus Andronicus, Chairlift, the DJs from the Hood Internet, Kanye West, Big Sean, GLC Consequence, Really Do, Tony Williams, Mr. Hudson, Kid Cudi, Common, Erykah Badu, Buck65, B.Dolan, Sleep, Sage Francis, the Obits, Handsome Furs, American Analog Set, the Rosebuds, Bishop Allen, Au Revoir Simone, These Arms are Snakes, Cursive,  Passion Pit,  the Soft Pack, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Matt and Kim, Amplive, Franki Chan and Curt from Flosstradamus, and Echo and the Bunnymen),  Crystal Castles, Loxsly, the Dears, Great Northern, Passion Pit, Harlem Shakes, Clues, Explosions in the Sky , De La Soul, El Ten Eleven , Free Press Summerfest (Broken Social Scene, Explosions in the Sky, Prince Paul, Voxtrot), Los Campesinos!, Broken Social Scene,   FFF Fest (Royal Bangs, Crystal Antlers, Foot Patrol, Sugar and Gold, Vega, MC Chris, Neon Indian, Yeasayer, Les Savy Fav, Pharcyde, Atlas Sound, Why?, Broadcast, Dj Numark,  Lucero, MIssion of Burma, Buraka Som Sistema, GZA, Kid Sister ) Regina Spektor, Hockey, and Pheonix.

This year in non-live music: I am still having Last.fm iPod scrobbling issues.  Here’s to this year’s new albums that kept me awake at my desk. NASA, Mos Def, Amanda Blank, Del tha Funky Homosapien, Discovery, Walkmen, Headlights, Passion Pit, Yo La Tengo, Heartless Bastards, Animal Collective,…

This year in Sewing: I entered the Little Black Dress Contest and helped a friend who is writing a book on green clothing design.

This year on the interwebs: I am still bad about updating Twitter.  I have fallen in love with hulu and the hood internet.

This year in Movies: (theater) SXSW (RIP: A Remix Manifesto,  500 days of Summer,  Died Young, Stayed Pretty, The Time of Their Lives, Yes Men Fix the World,  Alexander the Last, and  I Love You, Man), Inglorious Basterds, Up in the Air, (dvd)Persepolis,  Thank You for Smoking, Fast Food Nation, The Yes Men.

This year in Books: Goodreads This is what I read: Story of the Eye-Georges, Bataille, Candy Girl: A Year in the Life of an Unlikely Stripper- Diablo Cody, He’s Just not that into You- Greg Behrendt, Fast Food Nation- Eric Schlosser, The Other Side of Thirty- M.A. Thakor, The Manual- Steve Santagati, Another Roadside Attraction- Tom Robbins, Love is a Mix Tape- Rob Sheffield, Even Cowgirls get the Blues- Tom Robbins, Choke- Chuck Palahniuk, High Fidelity- Nick Hornby,

Here is the list of things I neglected to do in 2009 along with excuses for not doing them:

1. More bike rides (and maybe a bike with gears). No new bikes.  I did go on a few long rides though. I would bike more if I weren’t allergic to outside.
   
2. A jumble of personal goals: tolerance, being a better person, being more trusting, baggage reduction, etc… I haven’t made things worse (At least I don’t think I did).
3. Design for another fashion show.  Hopefully Stitch, when it returns. Stitch did not return this year.
4. Demolish the back porch and fix the fence. Those are still there.  The plan is to ditch the whole house.
5. Road trip. Didn’t happen.  I flew to Seattle instead.

2010 will be my 33rd year.   My Yenta says it should be one of the best.

So I finally went on vacation.  I took a week away from the heat and allergens to hang out with my old roommate and look for a new pair of boots.  Seattle has always been on my “to visit” list but even after Kitten moved there 2 years ago I hadn’t managed to fit in a trip.

Thanks to the magic of Travelocity I scored uber cheap air fare and a direct flight. (more…)

It’s list making time again. In no particular order, here are my plans for 2009…

1. More live music (I already have tix to Broken Social Scene)
2. SXSW – interactive, film and music.
3. More bike rides (and maybe a bike with gears)
4. A jumble of personal goals: tolerance, being a better person, being more trusting, baggage reduction, etc…
5. Design for another fashion show.  Hopefully Stitch, when it returns.
6. Demolish the back porch and fix the fence.
7. Road trip.  Maybe all the way to Seattle to visit Kitten.
8. Hang out with more real people and let them see the real me.
9. Stop freaking out about money so much.  You can’t take it with you when you die.
10. Invite people over to the house.  What’s the point of living somewhere so big?

Just like the Walkmen declared.  We said that 2008 was going to be a good year.  Not just a good year but the Best Year Ever!  I can’t say that it was mind-blowing but, it was definitely better than 2007. We picked up our tired, broken souls and we moved forward. “Out of the darkness and into the fire…”

For now I will give you the wrap up for 2008.  The best of 2008 will come later.

This year in live music: Brothers and Sisters; Quiet Lovely; Les Savy Fav; Ghostland Observatory; SXSW (What Made Milwaukee Famous, the Constantines, Shout Out Louds, NERD, Explorers Club, El-P, Dizzie Rascal, Dan Oh, Staccato, Flosstradamus, Fuokids, Cut Copy, Moby,  Ra Ra Riot, Bound Stems, MSTRKRFT, and Kimya Dawson);  Ra Ra Riot;  The Little Ones: Prince Paul; Tapes n’ Tapes; Flosstradamus; Thao and the Get Down Stay Down; Ratatat; Voxtrot; Cool Kids; David Byrne; Weezer; Tokyo Police Club; Girl Talk; Brothers and Sisters; FFF Fest (The National, Atmosphere, Deerhoof,… and You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead, Bishop Allen, Centromatic,  Parts and Labor, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Spinto Band, Frightened Rabbit, Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears, The Dead Milkmen, Clipse, Franki Chan, and Toxic Avenger); Rosebuds; and Matt and Kim.

This year in non-live music: I now own an iPod.  According to Last.fm, my top 10 bands are: Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltzin, the Eels, Girl Talk, the Sea and Cake,Tapes n’ Tapes, British Sea Power, Frightened Rabbit, Wilco, Atmosphere, and the Pixies.  I do like these bands a lot but there is a problem with last.fm and the iPod scrobbling.  It doesn’t catch a lot of things that I listen to because I don’t sync my iPod frequently enough.

This year in Sewing: I taught a few more classes at FirstSamples.  I did some more alterations.  I taught M to sew and gave her a sewing machine to play with.  Designed a line for a fashion show and I entered a design contest. I volunteered at the Swap-o-rama-rama at Maker Faire.

This year in Bikes: I managed to ride my bike the 10 miles to Megan’s house and back.  I bought a “new” bike.  A Japanese Mixte that I stripped, repainted, and rebuilt.  It should be ready to ride in 2009. I learned how to be a better urban cyclist from M and the pedi-cab drivers downtown during SXSW.

This year on the interwebs: I redesigned climbinginskirts.com (I also migrated the content from Blogger to WordPress).  I finally signed up for Twitter (I am bad about updating it).  I learned to love and hate facebook.  I abandoned myspace. I signed up for Goodreads and Last.fm.  I downloaded iTunes.  I’ve viewed countless things on YouTube.

This year in Movies: (theater) SXSW (Nerdcore Rising, Choke, Bananaz, and Bulletproof Salesman);   Iron Man; Juno (which is going to get my best sountrack award); Wanted; 21; Wall-e; and Milk. (dvd)  Four-eyed Monsters, Darjeeling Limited, Batman Begins, Cars, Rattatouille, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, the Prestige, and Harry Potter (Goblet of Fire and Order of the Pheonix).

This year in Books: I signed up for Goodreads so I can actually keep track of what I am reading.  I also made use of my library card.  This is what I read: Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim – Sedaris, The Between Boyfriends Book – Chupack, Barrel Fever – Sedaris, Holidays on Ice – Sedaris, The Game – Strauss, The Sweet Potato Queen’s Field Guide to Men – Conner, Bringing Down the House – Mezrich, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay – Chabon, Heat – Buford, Strip City – Burana, Tropic of Cancer – Miller, The Sexual Politics of Meat – Adams, Little Birds – Nin, and Sex and Bacon – Lewis.

Here is the list of things I neglected to do in 2008 (in order of regret of not doing them) along with excuses for not doing them:

1. Travel: It doesn’t have to be out of the country. New Zealand will probably be postponed until 2010 because my traveling buddy has a house to pay for. Now that I have a new car, I am thinking road trip. I would like to go back to some of the places I stopped during the geology road trip from hell (GEO 660).  No road trips. But I did manage a semi-high speed chase after the hit-and-run incident.
2. Interact with real people (not on the internet). As more of my friends move away I realize that I want to spend more time with the people that are here. I will also need to branch out before I end up alone. I should also cut back on my internet stalking habit.  Still stalking on the internet. But I did manage to meet a bunch of new people this year.  I went on 17 dates.  That is more dates than I have been on in my entire 31 years of existence.  I made some new friends and I got to know a few friends a little better.

Not sure what 2009 will bring. I haven’t written up any plans just yet.  Here’s to another good year.

First we go to the dictionary

rev·o·lu·tion play_w(“R0210000″) (rv-lshn)

I prefer to do lists over resolutions.

To Do (in no particular order):

1. Use my passport. I have had my passport for many years and I have yet to use it. I will leave the country this year. Even if I have to sell plasma weekly to afford it. I am leaning towards New Zealand. It’s pretty expensive but the weather rocks year round.
2. Continue to work on my goal of tollerance.
3. Paint my pantry and put up new shelves.
4. Teach more sewing classes.
5. Interact with real people (not on the internet) atleast twice a week (this is for my “parole officers” Em and Megan).
6. Read more books (or atleast finish up that pile I purchased in 2006).
7. Sell that $300 pair of jeans.
8. Officially start a small business. DBA Spinsta needs to happen this year.
9. Expose myself to the best things humans have done and try to bring those things into what you are doing.
10. “Do cool shit, every damned day, or die trying” Tom Peters