Sarah’sTim Blog

Summer Lotus

Tim and I kicked it to 3rd St. Park to watch Slavic Soul Party and they were fantastic!  Tons of fun, both watching the music and watching the crowd.  I have video on my flickr, but still learning my new camera and had it on the wrong setting and so the focus goes in and out. Anyone else have any gypsy music recommendations?

Thinking

Things I think about: food, coffee, being passionate about my work, quilts, fabric, Loki, Tim, classes, going back to school, work, work, work, am I eating enough fruit, going to the farmer’s market, Web 2.0, interns, photography, SPEA, The Commission for Sustainability, recycling, living green, whether I can see the New Pornographers in concert, being a good person, travel, friends, organic food, allergies, natural leave-in conditioner, exercise, switching to gmail, having a baby someday, paint colors, books, The Clash, religion, gardening, health care, family, whether I should get new highlights, crosswords, publicity, and politics.

In no particular order, and not meant to be inclusive or exclusive.

Soup Making

It was super delicious, but I am curious about the food styling at Vegetarian Times.  My soup:

And from the magazine:

Mine seems a little murky in comparison. I think they left out the blended beans step for the photographs.  Hm.

Tim and I went and saw the Joe Strummer documentary yesterday, it was fantastic.  I’d link to the site, but hearing a raw version of White Riot without any music is a little disconcerting (and sticks in your brain…well my brain anyway).  And you know how to google, its called ‘The Future is Unwritten’.  Watching the movie makes me want to listen to The Clash and it made Tim want to get the band back together.

After the movie, I got a text from Marcus who was at Yogis before the IU game.  Glad I got a chance to see him!

White Pants

I know the Numa Numa video came out years ago, but have you ever seen the original video?

If you can watch this with out dancing, there is something wrong with you. What isn’t there to love about homoerotic white panted Moldovan boy bands dancing on airplane wings?

Yes, this is also how I spent my Friday night.

Go Easy. Step Lightly.

Stay free. No, it isn’t a tampon ad. They are lyrics to one of the best songs by one of the best bands ever: The Clash.

Which brings up the question…if you could only listen to one song by your favorite band for THE REST OF ETERNITY what would it be?

AJ came to visit over Easter weekend and we did nothing but eat/drink and talk about bands, movies, books and travel. C’est tout. Really. Oh, well we went to Houston and saw a game and the French Masters from the Met exhibit at the MFAH.

p.s. White Man in Hammersmith Palais. Hands down my favorite song by the Clash EVA-H!

OK Vday Baby Go

Know these are old, but because its valentine’s day, and because I irrationally love these videos:

Here It Goes Again

and

A Million Ways to Be Cruel

While we weren’t as synchronized, these remind me of Kitchen Dancing with Cyn. And one more…

AMWtbC on ice

The last one is for Abby, wherever she may be.

The Returns

I don’t remember whose idea it was. In 1992 on a snowy November morning , Dad and I drove to an airplane hangar at the old Stapleton airport at about 4am to see Bill Clinton speak on his last whirlwind tour the day preceding and of the elections. He was late. We waited. And waited…but it was worth it. I was excited about the election and I wasn’t even old enough to vote. But maybe because I wasn’t old enough to vote, I was pretty self righteous at 17 and thought that a vote could change the world. And even though I couldn’t vote in that election, I felt part of the process.
Fast forward a few years and though I an a regular voter am sort of jaded about the whole election process. Especially 2000. But yesterday was exciting all over again. Well, I guess not really here in Texas, but in other parts of the country. It can make a difference, and will.

So, sarahstim.com went down and is pretty much back up in its retro glory. This is the first design dating from maybe 2001? I can’t remember exactly when. I have updated my book page (I know you were all really waiting for that), and we added some photos from the botanic gardens and a wedding Tim went to in IN earlier in October.

We saw Social Distortion recently, which was really fun. We rarely get out to concerts anymore…and that was a good one. I don’t know if the movie I want to see has come and gone, or not released yet. Also? Why are movie websites so terrible? I mean really.

I need to set a regular blog schedule because the new job and new traffic is kicking my ass. But I’ll be back. But not in a second term Arnold way. Really.

Enough Already

With the cedar! I think that for next year, I am going to save up all my vacations and take them back to back in January so I can be out of range of the devilish cedar reach. Unfortunately, January is not the best time to visit most of the places I want to go, either here in the states or abroad. Maybe next year I will just buy a bubble…

On the other hand, I do enjoy living in a convention city because it means visitors! Ashley just left (well she is still in the city but staying at a hotel now), and my parents are on their way Friday. While Ashley was here, we went out to dinner (often hilariously, well hilarious for us), and um, watched movies. We saw Brokeback Mountain which was wonderful, and A Very Long Engagement, which had a few too many blowed up bits, but very good as well.

Since then I’ve been reading…finished up the Clash book which I loved and now all I want to do is listen to their music. Next I am trying to decide if I should read a book that I don’t really want to read for a book club. I would like to join the bookclub and can’t decide to suck it up and read it, or wait until next month’s selection. There are so many books I want to read, so I don’t know if I want to waste my time reading a book that I don’t think I will like. Because, yes, I am a snotty girl reader.

After company, I will be on to finishing the top for my 2005 Block of the Month quilt for AJ. I am having a little bit of a quilting delimma, but sure to work it self out. I can’t wait to finish it and send it off to my favorite brother. I hope it gets done before Christmas of next year! I am also excited and ready to go on my 2006 Block of the Month quilt, only to be disappointed at being sent the wrong fabric that I had ordered online. Hopefully the replacement will be here before the next class in Feb!

Up Cork!

Aye, Internet, I’ve missed ye. We are back from our 2 week holiday to Ireland and Scotland, and what can I say? Western Ireland is some of the most beautiful country I’ve ever seen. What with the Cliffs, Dun Angeus, rock walls, sheep everywhere, ancient ruins, green green valleys, miles of fuschia hedges, cute towns like Bantry and Dingle, one car sized streets for two way traffic, passion for amateur sports like hurling and gaelic football, delicious soups everywhere, pints o’Guinness, the Sky Road up from lovely Clifden, the Kylemore Abbey, Hore Abbey and the secret Abbey in Cong (directions to Cong? One, two hill) and being able to see and do it all with my family was really a great experience. We didn’t get to see much of Scotland, but the few days in Edinburgh were great. What a cool city! Tim and I are ready to move. Some pictures are up already thanks to Tim who worked hard on them yesterday.

Everywhere we had access to either BBC or Euro version CNN, so we were able to see all the devastation wrough by Katrina. Both the storm and the following relief effort are so horrible and overwhelming. Most places we went Irish people asked us where we were from and if it was close to the gulf states. I read on CNN today that Bush said that the recovery efforts will be as successful as the initial relief efforts. Wow, I hope not. My thoughts are with the victims.

After I posted the last time about music and reminders, I got an email from Amy who mentioned that she associates two TAPES (they were tapes then!) with me from my visit to New Jersey in junior high. I can’t believe I forgot to list them! Birdhouse in Your Soul by the wonderful They Might Be Giants was one of the theme songs of that trip. Though actually whenever I hear the song, I picture her younger brother, Aaron dancing around their kitchen. And the entire TAPE of Erasure’s Wild…we must have listened to that 50,000 times on the trip, including all the car rides (to PA, NYC and to the Jersey Coast) over and over and over. She also mentioned that Too Much Joy reminds her of me. Cereal Killers is still one of my favorite CDs, and it isn’t just becuase I have the guitar player’s bracelet.

It all Started with Fernando

Yesterday I was signing up library patrons for internet use, a man walked up to the desk to sign up as Fernando, and suddenly in my head its all…
There was something in the air that night
the stars were bright, Fernando
They were shining there for you and me for liberty, Fernando.

Suddenly I am reminded not just of a kick ass ABBA song, but of Cyn. It is funny how much songs can invoke an event, a time in your life, or a person. I mean I love music as much as the next person, but am not really musical. Everyone who has to ride in the car with me knows I can’t sing. But the memories triggered by certain songs are stronger than almost anything.

I can’t listen to almost anything off Check Your Head without suddenly being transported back to highschool and driving everywhere with Gina. I mean come on…So Watch’cha Want? Totally Gina. Red Red Wine will always remind me of being in Larissa’s house, specifically upstairs, possibly getting ready for a night at Rock Island or Paris on the Platte or even more possibly, both.

While I associate many songs and musical moments with Suzy (including but not limited to listening to the cliche college cd…Legend…while on the roof of Briscoe), none more so than her singing Me and Bobby McGee in the dorms. Lovefool by The Cardigans, popularized by Lurman’s Romeo and Juliet? Total dance party in Abby’s room. Possibly also drinking Natural Light. Possibly also in the middle of the day. Abby and I also used to blast (and drive Suzy crazy with) Just a Girl…I can still hear how it starts in my head (take this pink ribbon off my eyes) even tough I haven’t heard it in forever. Cynthia will forever be connected with Fernando (which I’m sure she is soooo proud), but also 311. We listened to All Mixed Up (…all mixed up you don’t know what to do…next thing you turn around and find the person is you…) for about 3 months straight getting ready to hit the bars every evening.

Some songs remind me of several times, Vacation by the Go-Go’s reminds me of driving to New Orleans with Suzy, but also of playing pool with Ashley. Total Eclipse of the Heart (turnaround, every now and then I get a
little bit lonely and you’re never coming around, turnaround)reminds me of Ashley, and the summer-after-my-senior-year Monday night’s all night happy hour at Kilroy’s with Cyn, Stacy, Rachel, and maybe Andres. While Regina also knows of my love for Bonnie Tyler, her song for me is the totally rockin’ Afternoon Delight (…my motto’s always been when its right, its right…). She even called me once after the song was sung on the Simpson’s (by Carl and Lenny in a tent when they were camping) because she was so reminded of me. But I also recently learned that Marcus can sing a pretty good Afternoon Delight, especially in his Ron Burgendy voice.

I can’t hear Pachelbel’s Canon in D without thinking of my mom, and any Cure song ever makes me stop, smile and think of Tim. I am sure that there are many others, and sometimes I hear bits of a song and a name, a face or a place is suddenly so real.

I might have to do a follow up to this if I think of some more. Email me if you have any songs that remind you of me.