friday love

a few doors down from my new place is a little wine shop. they host various tastings and events a few times a week, and during summer they take the supplies over to the hollyhock house for a tasting in the art park at sunset. i decided this was a mandatory event before summer's end and bought tickets last week. it was dreamy.

up on the hill, with the sun reaching its last reaches towards the green, green grass... we put our blanket in a spot with a view. small, dented glass after another i fell in love all over again. a busy day for us both, but an hour spent just the two of us. plus, we finally used some of the cheese store gift certificate i gave him for his birthday. that was delicious. a perfect 10 moment. smiles. kisses.

the good stuff.

dinner and a concert.

home cooked meal after a long day of work.

visits with family.

perfectly acceptable silence.

teamwork.

dance parties.

splitting wine bottles.

kickball with friends.

laughing at awful tv.

this week the action's in austin

it has arrived! sxsw is this week, a big showcase type event in austin for all of the bands and industry people to mingle and schmooze one another. my man's band is on their way there now... off to tire themselves out with lots of music, lots of people who like music, sun and undoubtedly a lot of alcohol. they're playing a bunch of shows and showcases and it should be a really great week for them. i'm really excited to hear all about it.

on the flip side, i so wish i could be in that van right now, road tripping across the states. but i've started a long list of things i will do while they are gone: drinks with friends. yoga. wine night with the girls. spa massage. i've been needing to catch up on some things.

i spent the weekend in a beachside hotel in santa barbara. my favorite moment: wine tasting on the pier while the pigeons danced to live jazz music.

the gatekeeper wears feathers

"no pictures allowed, ladies. that's our only rule."

oh, hollywood.

we went to bardot last night because bret from flight of the conchords was dj-ing :: spinning. yes. i was spinning in circles, attempting to feel a buzz from my 2 (too) expensive drinks. actually in comparison to some places i've been before, this bar wasn't the most outrageous. i'd never been to this spot before, and i suppose i would go back just to see how i liked it the second time around. i didn't hate it. i didn't love it. something weird about the wanna-be-glam hollywood club mixed with the hipster scene. i mean, it was definitely a step above the 18+ moscow bunch, but i don't know.. maybe i'm just not impressed by the pink lighting anymore.

i do like the dancing, however, and the best moment of the night, by far was when "Shout" came on and everyone was jumping around, up, up, and then down, down, down, so low to the ground... "a little softer now"... everyone literally sitting on the dance floor, scrambling for each other's support to get back up. i love moments that bring strangers together.

to recap my valentine's day weekend... we cooked. there was wine. we walked in the cold. chocolates with funny phrases on them. i wore a heart on my shirt. home sewn. there were kisses. and that makes me smile.

hey syrah syrah

i somehow hurt my back playing wii fit & stretching last night, so i've been limping around like someone 60 years my senior. ironically it was the senior citizens that A and I almost spent a good two hours with tonight as we ventured outside the norm to a historical lecture. it was a good idea, it seemed, but definitely not our thing. so we ditched the talk for edendale grill. we grubbed on mac & cheese and calamari.. beers and red wine. my back is feeling just fine! :)

coconut records has released a new album and in my current state, and most likely without it, i'm loving it. jason schwartzman is such a cuddly and endearing rock star. yes......i'm 23 and this is what i do with my tuesday nights.

and....sleep.