and this, is one of my other favorite gifts from this year. to my friend rachael from long ago, you may be getting a package of homemade peeps in the mail...i'll be sure not to seal the envelope so they'll be nice and stale. 

hoppy halidays

i really enjoy the act of giving at christmas, having not really done it my entire life (although my mother was always giving us gifts all through the year, spoiling us rotten), i never had occasion to 'give' other people things, random people who think it's strange if you just 'give' them things during the middle of the year (as i often do). so, christmas to me, is much more fun i think, than it is for most. 
but, in not exactly the same way, i also enjoy 'getting'. and this, dear readers, is one of my favorite gifts from this year. feel free to ooohh and ahhh, and fill up with jealousy of my extremely tasteful husband.

mr man and i teaching our five year old niece how to iceskate in central park, looking frightened that she would surely break an arm.  

roll over...

6. "walk on the fire" : edith frost
if you've not discovered miss edith frost, may i encourage you to please check her out. my favorite version of this song is on her demo album (which is just amazing for a singer songwriter indie type thingie)...but it is also on her album, "telescopic" , which was produced by mr.neil michael hagerty (royal trux fame, among others)...the entire album is incredible, i could pretty much put this album on at any time on any day in any mood and feel great about it. high mountain praise for this one.
7. "seems i never tire of lovin' you" : nina simone
many personal reasons behind loving this song, and getting that flutterbye feeling in my stomach when it plays and she sings...she sings....she...sings...
8. "just like christmas" : low
having not 'observed' christmas for most of my life, it seems that my husband and i happen to own many more christmas albums than the average couple our age (one of us being agnostic as well)...but the LOW christmas album is one that should be owned by many, many. it is warm, and happy, and sometimes terribly sad, but always beautiful. when rushing through the bitter crowds of people on my commute to downtown boston each day this month, this song hums in my head most days...and keeps me healthy and fairly sane. (along with my pills)

can isaak come over?

4. 'neverending math equation' : sun kill moon (cover of modest mouse)
my favorite cover from the acclaimed sun kill moon 'modest mouse' cover album. it's a perfect blend of what i love about mark kozelek, and what i love about isaak brock.
5. 'korkore zav ande kalyi ratyi' : romanyi rota
roma roma...again with the gypsy music. i'm not usually a fan of the putumayo compalations, but there is one called "gypsy caravan" that i would quite recommend, if not already. this song is hungarian, and makes me want to dance around in poofy pants with jangly earrings.

this is our tree, before we humiliate it and dress it up like a vegas whore. 

red rover, red rover...

oh yes, wrong game. it seems someone has 'tagged' me to spend the next weeks of my life detailing for you, blogreaders (hello?), my 49 favorite songs. since i've not the time to spend these weeks detailing for you these songs, i'm going to do it, litte bits, by little bits.
these will be a mix of favorite songs of all time, and songs i'm currently donning on my cd mixes (since, no, i don't have an ipod, or any other sort of teeny tiny music loading device to listen to on the train/bus/streetcorner...i've a cd player, it's bulky, it's obnoxious, and i love it).
here goes first:

1. 'start wearing purple': gogol bordellowhen listening to this song on my downtown commute, i often get giggly with images of everyone on the train, throwing hands in the air, kicking feet to the wind, and yelling this song at the top of their lungs until they're forget they're going to work and everyone goes out to buy garish, expensive new shoes.
2.'life on mars': david bowiei tried to convince my husband to walk down the aisle to this after our wedding ceremony, but he was put off by all of the questions his family would have certainly had if we had done such. simply put, i love this song. i love bowie. i can't get enough of it. and it's great in portuguese as well, who knew?
3. 'pretty paper': willie nelsonthere are many christmas songs that are just, so terribly sad...and this is certainly one of them. (frosty the snowman, being another) but, it's one of the most beautiful christmas ballads out there in the christmas ether, and i would happily listen to it year round.

that's it for now kiddies. more soon.

drifting along...

"See them tumbling down
Pledging their love to the ground
Lonely but free I'll be found
Drifting along with the tumbling tumbleweeds."

*the idea that a tumbleweed could 'pledge it's love to the ground' almost makes me misty.

nothing to report. new parttime job. prozac makes me tired. xanax makes me more. my girl crush on gwen stefani rages on.

cheers.

Nipponzan Myohoji Sangha Peace Pagoda, Leverett, MA

a calming sunday visit to one of only two peace pagodas in the united states in leverett massachusetts.  
a beautiful, calming sancuary on a mountain side. with goldfish pond and rock garden. but volunteers (and money) are needed for the completion of their temple.
i would highly recommend a visit. the only other peace pagoda in the united states is in grafton, new york.

balanced tiny rock stupas on the trail to the peace pagoda 

balanced rock stupas on the trail up to the peace pagoda in leverett, ma 

peace pagoda, leverett, ma 

peace pagoda, leverett, ma 

being one sixteenth native american myself, i almost busted my colon laughing at this:

forest hills cemetary, jamaica plain, ma

this is a marker for e.e. cummings in the forest hills cemetary in jamaica plain. it is made from a large tree trunk, and on the inside there is a poem of his...also hidden on the inside of the trunk is a small plastic bag with three e.e. cummings books, which are a strange find in a cemetary on a dreary sunday evening. 

the arnold arboretum, jamaica plain, ma

you absolutely cannot come to the boston area without visiting the arnold arboretum in jamaica plain...and unfortunately, i've known people to live here for years without ever taking the time to trek over to jp and visit. it is possible the most comforting place i've found here...summer, spring, winter and fall. 

i want all of these colors on my walls... 

goodbye summer... 

mark kozelek vs. isaac brock

i have to say that i was apprehensive, to say the least, when i heard that mark kozelek would be covering modest mouse songs on the new sun kil moon album. but now, that i've heard a few tracks (and always having been a fan of mr.kozelek, as well as mr.brock), i am much too impressed not to post about it.
if you're a fan of either band, or you're just looking for some good solid, melancholy music for the coming winter, check the album out:
sun kil moon "tiny cities"

here ye!! here ye!!

to all and everyone in boston, and beyond, another AMAZING show is about to take place at our beloved middle east club (down)...
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2005
THE TIGER LILLIES w/ the Grindhouse Marionettes

please make yourselves available for this show...you will not be disappointed...the tiger lillies put on one of the most lovely, wonderful and disturbing performances you'll ever have the honour to witness. big claims? yes, but come and see for yourself.

see you there.

i guess they really like their cheese

this is an ad from the cheddar flavored slushies we discovered while visiting the montreal local convienence store, 'couche tard' (which we kindly refer to as "coochie tarde")...they're slushies, they're cheese flavored...i don't know what else to say.  

j'adore montreal

a wedding in montreal this weekend...another wonderful trip to this wonderful city. here we are, looking swank.  

mr.ernie well into the fourth hour of the six hour open bar at the reception. thank you, clancy family. and thank you jamesons (or 'jemmy' as the irish affectionately call it).  

a large spider sculpture in ottawa...of all places. took a picture to assure myself that it was real, and i wasn't still drunk. 

bits and pieces

i've had nothing clever to say lately, in turn, i've had nothing clever to write. so, i would like to use this post to promote some things that i think are wonderful and that everyone should know about.
one:
NYC Gypsy compilation, 'Mehanata'
i've recently become quite obsessed with gypsy music, as i think everyone, at some point in their lives should be. this compilation is mostly made up of nyc bands and people who have played at the bulgarian bar, mehanata. buy it, support them...
two:
this leads me to my next recommendation, the new york city gypsy festival, october 29-november 6, with an ending show at the roxy, featuring, none other than, gogol bordello. i've mentioned this band before, and i'm very serious when i say this, they put on one of the best live shows i've ever seen. if you live anywhere near nyc (by 'near', i mean within a 1000 mile radius, yes, they're that good), go. see. this. show!
three:
autumn is upon us, with all of it's wet, breezy, colorfilled glory. my third recommendation is to visit your nearest pumpkin patch. i know, it seems, cliche. but i say this honestly, it will take away most of your stresses from the summer, and help you to sail easily right into winter. and more importantly, the carving of the pumpking when you have it home, is sure to take the edge off if you've had a particularly rough few months. stabbing an inanimate object with a big knife and pulling out it's insides. what more can i say.

our western adventures...

vegas was bizarre...many dollars were spent, breasts were seen (both good and bad), sins were committed.
only one thing to say about the grand canyon...SEE IT BEFORE YOU DIE.
seriously.

it's vegas baby... 

ernie pretending he can fly... 

overcoming my fear of heights at the canyon... 

ernie's artistic view of the mgm grand waterfalls. 

the art in vegas is spectacular. 

my tribute to ansel adams at the grand canyon. 

our room at the mgm grand in las vegas had a small television in the mirror of the bathroom...i'm not quite sure why one would need such a thing, but it's vegas...nothing is actually "needed". 

las vegas trip. in front of the waterfall light show at the wynn hotel and casino.