Music Monday - Your Choices Will Change the World

I needed this little reminder and encouragement today.

I'm feeling ill

and drinking tea

listening to music

thinking of my friends

Groceries

THERE IS NO FOOD IN THIS HOUSE!!!!!!!

Oh.... um, wait -

Did I buy groceries?!?!?!

Even the panty is stocked!

This is amazing! I am so excited, all the food I love is here... Now just wait should I make?

Ahhhh it's like an unforgiving cycle! Have to buy the food, have to put the food away, have to make something with the food, food gets eaten, have to buy more food! ...so troublesome.

Thankfully, there is this pretty cool person I live with who has been dealing with these types of grown-up problems longer than I have been. You are incredible sister, thank-you for making me yummy food to eat!

Tons of love. K.

Handcrank

We're related to some pretty creative and ambitious people.
Not the least of which is our cousin Laura.

Two Septembers ago, Laura and I took a road trip out to Vancouver,
and on the 10 hour drive home, Laura romanticized about the idea of making and selling
aprons.

While we had to wait a little over a year to see the product of that conversation
I've been blown away by her talent, creativity, and persistence in this project.

You can see all of her designs here





Oh.... and I'll give you three guesses who her model is.....
but you'll only need one ;)

SOPA/PIPA Monday

Hey friends!

So many of you may have heard about SOPA and PIPA last week. The bills that were going through the US congress which would limit ability to share internet content due to copyright infringement. I watched a bunch of video explanations on the matter, and read several articles, but what I am about to share with you is my favorite...

Press play for the music...

and BEHOLD

This amazing bit of creativity is brought to you by the user generated website 9gag.

Just... just go ahead and stop the music whenever you'd like..

Ski Bums Never Die

Ever give much thought to what you'll be doing when you're 74?

I was thinking that I'd be cooped up somewhere, or sitting on my porch yelling at the kids who go by... maybe my senile side will start to show
(oh wait, I think that's happening already)....

But after seeing the screening of Ski Bums Never Die at the
Banff Mountain Film Festival, I'm tempted to rethink my goals for my old age....

Be inspired, people!

Will

Admittedly I know nothing of the feel fresh snow beneath wooden boards strapped on the bottom of one's foot. But it is a sensation that others in my family crave.

Will Colford is a family friend who would hit the slopes with our brother Jordan. The two of them, with their snowboards and cameras, captured some pretty epic shots. Will is now a professional photographer, and has entered into The North Face photo contest Guts For Glory.

This is his submission Afternoon Delines:


Go here to vote now, it's a 'one click' process! (two in your case because you have to click on my link, and then you have to click the 'vote' button...just go vote!)

Music Monday - Killing Me

Today

a

little splash of

summer

for these winter days........

....... brought to you by

Alyssa Bonagura

..... hopefully winter isn't killing you, and this gives you a warm reprieve.

Voices

Hey everybody! It's Storytime With Kelsey

While on lunch break at school today I reflected to my classmate Laura that the days of the week have become jumbled together in my brain, and I keep believing that it is Wednesday. Her response was "I have given up trying to keep track of the days of the week, all I know is that I have to keep working." (or something to that effect).

I could see what Laura was saying and why, after all, I am bound to follow in her footsteps, and I can feel the impending doom of a full homework load about to come crashing down on me (i.e. this weekend). But for some reason this does not frighten me. I am excited about the work I'm doing, the skills being learned, and the potential for the future.

My good friend Sydney is quoted as saying "Sometimes I wish I could just fast forward to the point when school is over." I completely agree with her! I don't particularily enjoy the idea of the absence of a social life, not to mention any free time, but coupled with that is the fact that sometimes daydreaming of "the potential for the future" can be a very intoxicating pastime.

Thankfully I was able to have a morning coffee date with Katie at Phil & Sebastian's today. When expressing this to her she replied with "Looking back, I do miss when I was in school. It wasn't a particularily GOOD time, but I still miss it." (right, it was close to that).

Now I do realize that a good portion of our audience no longer in school, so please allow me to continue...

"I remember leaving school, thinking I could take my time, and for ten short years sitting in that frame of mind." Today while my sister and I were listening to this song of Denise & Pete's, I told her that I often think of that line, and how far away it seems. Simply Ailen said "And I'm on the other side of that..."

Take from this story what you will. I am simply glad to have all these different voices speaking into my life. Too often only one perspective is recognized, and it's usually our own. But taking a step back from that point of view, and allowing others to spred a little light, is what being friends, a community, humans is all about. It's why we need each other.

If I Ever Have Kids.....

.....I totally want to be the parent who lets their kids do this:



and then laughs along with my kid.

*no, this does not mean that I WANT to be a parent... I'm just saying, if I ever do

**Thanks to Okanagan-based producer Nico Boesten for the inspiration!

Music Monday: Angus & Julia

A little while ago it came to my attention that I've been a bad sister. I've told you before that sometimes I forget to tell Ailen about certain artists or songs... this is one of those times.

I first heard the Australian brother and sister, Angus and Julia Stone, while I was working for Carmon at Sprouts Greenhouse. Carmon is amazing and has been responsible for introducing me to much of the great music I love, Xavier Rudd, Bon Iver, the song "Set Fire to The Third Bar", and the always beautiful KT Tunstall.

This song captured me.
Actually, the following video is two songs... the second one is the bonus song from the album, but I always end up listening to them both, so for me they flow together really nicely and it is sometimes hard to listen to one without the other. I hope you enjoy, but be warned... they are both really sad.


Evidently the first song is called The Devil's Tears and the second one is Old Friend.
I would not mind if 'Old Friend' was played at my funeral. Just sayin'

Alright, alright, alright!
I know, I've gone and made you all soppy and sad, don't worry I'm gonna fix it.

This next song is a brilliant remix of A&J's song Big Jet Plane. It took me FOREVER to find online, but I did it just for you.

While listening to this song I always picture guys with canes and bowler hats dancing to it... lit from behind so all you can see is there silhouette as they try to win the heart of the woman they love... :D

Happy Monday everybody! Check out Carmon's Youtube channel while you're here. She's been making videos on how to beat the winter blues with the food you make in this season. It is well worth a visit, and perfect for eating healthy in the new year!

Generation Gap

In todays episode of Generation Gap,

the role of the Young will be played by

Ashton

The role of the "Old" will be played by......

me

Ashton: I just watched Forrest Gump for the first time

Ailen: Life is like a box of chocolates!" Please tell me you know where "you had me at hello" is from...

Ashton: Haha! Well from all the movie quotes, parodies, and guest appearances I knew where the first one was from, but all I heard was that one and "Run, Forrest, run!" (which coincidentally I got that yelled at me by two random girls near 17th one night). I've always heard them in a joking manner but they're pretty deep once you watch the movie.

And the second one is easy: "Hello" by Beyonce

Ailen: Really??? Is that your final answer?

Ashton: Ummm I want to say its between Casablanca and Gone With The Wind... Can I phone a friend?

Ailen: ‎.... As long as the friend you call is my sister. But I fear with your last 2 guesses that we've just stepped on a whole LAND MINE of movies you haven't seen...... Ashton!

Ashton: BAHAHAHAAHA! land mine.

*Dials Kelsey's number...*

*Kelsey's phone rings*

(insert phone conversation here)

Ashton: Jerry Miguire. Final Answer.

Back At It

Well today was the first day back at school. It feels good to have the order and schedule return after so many weeks away. My first impression? It's gonna be a lot of work.

Ailen bought a new day timer last night, and told me that she only wanted to see one week at a time. "Would you be more overwhelmed if you had a month view?" I asked, and without hesitation my sister responded with "Yes."

Like any first day of term, we began class with a look at the order of projects for the next five weeks. As my sister might guess, it was overwhelming, but we finished the reading and proceeded with the work for the day and much was accomplished. Even when the power went out in the afternoon!

My only hope in this new year is to focus my energies towards being better motivated and less of a procrastinator. If I am able to effectively plan my tasks for one week, then there is no need to be concerned with the overwhelming reality of the next few months.

Learning how to function responsibly right? That's the trick ;)

Music Monday - To Sum it Up

Disclaimer:

I don't mean to offend any of our musically educated readers, but this post contains a high concentration of pop music.

I get a kick out of the way DJ Earworm puts together top-40 hits from 2011....

..... it's like a musical stroll down this past year's memory lane

Enjoy!