music is my drug

Last Sunday night Heidi and I saw The Presets and Cut Copy at Webster Hall. This is the third time we have seen Cut Copy in the last six months and it just gets better and better every time. We also saw The Presets a few months ago and they were just as brilliant this time as the last-we danced our legs down to the knees for both of them.

It's not a secret that we are really into music (a certain someone in particular) and I was just struck again last weekend over how much I love, love, love music and how much it is involved in my life. So many experiences and friends have been the result of my passion for music.

When I was fourteen you could say I discovered the "alternative" scene. That was when it really was alternative (now you'd call it indie) and growing up in Idaho there wasn't anything to aide in our quest for music other than some British music mags, zines and MTV's 120 minutes. Heidi and I lived for this show and recorded it religiously every weekend (what were we going to do with all those videos? I can't even remember). There was also a local band that did mostly covers of the alternative "classics" that we would go see play whenever we could (they played bars mostly-bummer) and that had a great impact on our love of going out to see bands play. We were also lucky that our mum would humor us and took us to see some concerts in the big city once or twice. Such adventure!

When you hear a song that you love there is nothing better-pure brilliance. Great music is all consuming to me and I can shut out everything and as I feel the rhythm flow through and warm me. It makes me feel so alive and happy that I am always looking for more to give me a fix (not to say that I don't still love the rest of my beloved collection).


--Katie

** Heidi had a nice laugh at me last night while I washed the dishes. She thought I was ignoring her while she talked to me from across the room but I had my ipod on and I was in a zone. Apparently it was humorous...

doll on a bike

One thing about living in New York I love is when I have random sightings of actors, musicians and designers-I'm just a girl from Idaho where those types of things just don't happen everyday. My latest sighting was of Syl Sylvain from the New York Dolls.

image via

I met Syl when the Dolls last album came out and I was told that I was "good people" by Syl when he found out I had moved to New York from Utah. The fantastic documentary New York Doll had just come out about Artur "Killer" Kane and the Dolls were having a minor comeback due in part to the film and their reunion performance at the Meltdown festival in 2004. This time I was standing on the corner of Prince and West Broadway in Soho talking to my friend on the phone. A man on a bike came to a sudden stop right in front of me as the light turned red. I looked right at him and automatically said "Syl Sylvain?, yes?". He smiled and nodded. I think he was surprised to be recognized let alone by someone who wasn't even born while the Dolls were together. We had a brief conversation and then he was on his way. I just stood their watching him ride away in shock that I had run into him in such a weird random way.

This is one of my favorite songs by the Dolls, it's a legendary performance that inspired many great musicians. They're nasty and dirty, everything rock n' roll should be.



--heidi

happy birthday darleen!

Today is my good friend Darleen's birthday. We have known each other for nine years, I can't believe it's been that long already. We met in Salt Lake working together at the scandalous Urban Chic, the store did not last but our friendship did. Since then Darleen moved to Connecticut with her husband for his grad school at Yale and now they have two children with another on the way. Their family has been my adopted home ever since I moved east for school over three years ago. I adore her children, they are fun and wonderful in so many ways. Darleen is a wonderful mom and a loving wife as well as a very talented jewelry designer. When ever we get together (which is not often enough) we always have a great time laughing.

Every year I've lived on the east coast I go to her house for Thanksgiving and every year something goes wrong. It almost feels like we are in a sitcom the way things happen. One year it was the pie I brought-it was ruined on the way to her house on the train. So rather than serve a mushy pie we ate it to put it out of it's misery. Last year we had trouble with the rolls-they wouldn't rise. This year the new baby will have barely arrived so something is bound to happen. One thing is for sure we will get the rolls right this time around, because last year we vowed to have a practice bake off.

Happy birthday to my darlin' Darleen!

--heidi

celebration!

We are so excited for our big brother Dan and his girlfriend of over ten years Katy who got married in Vegas yesterday! The whole family had been hoping that they would get hitched while they were there since our family loves Katy and we already treat her like one of the family. We wish we could be with the rest of our family to celebrate when they get back home but we'll just have some fireworks in NY instead. They are perfect together and we wish them all the happiness in the world!

here comes trouble

The anticipation is growing over the November opening of the glorious TopShop. Until then we now have their US website that was launched yesterday to tide us over. Hmm...so many wonderful things what's a girl to do? It's all so fabitty fab our heads are spinning.



The sweet and tender hooligan plaid corsage seems very appropriate for us, no?

i'm looking to you to save me?

Heidi found a great poster site and they have this for sale.



I'm not totally thrilled with the image since it's a tomkat reference but maybe I'll consider it. There are definitely other prints that we are loving so I'm sure if anyone were to come and visit they might see one of these in our abode sometime.

--Katie

stairway to heaven

While perusing the Free People blog I have now discovered a new website that I love, love love!

It's stair porn and I can't get enough of it. An entire site devoted to pictures of stairs!!! Are you freaking out like I am?? This pic is especially dreamy.



I have always had a thing for stairs-especially photos like the one above but sometimes when I'm actually on one I can get a little frightened. The first time I went to London, Heidi and I visited St. Paul's Cathedral and attempted to go to the very top. I was Okay until we reached a spiral staircase that is pretty much just out in the middle of the dome and it's just free space all around it. I got maybe halfway up it and just panicked and had to turn back. This was particularly embarrassing since there were people behind us and I had to squeeze past them doing the walk of shame. I'm sure they thought I was a total nutter but I just couldn't continue-it was way to freaky. Maybe if I tried it again now I'd be better? I think I've gotten braver (in certain aspects anyway). Just look at all the flying I do now! This from the girl who once locked herself in the bathroom sobbing in terror over the thought of flying to Europe and now I don't even have to bury my face into Heidi's shoulder at takeoff and can even fly by myself. Maybe next time I'm in London I'll try to conquer those stairs at St. Pauls hmmm...

Okay back to stairs... I really love the lines and shapes they create and just looking at this website makes me swoon.

--Katie

P.S. As I type this "Manamana" from The Muppet Show came up on my itunes and it has given me a serious case of giggles.