Bookworm.

Two Sundays ago, it was pouring buckets. With so many fires breaking out on Long Island in the last few weeks, the rain was welcomed with open arms. I had two shoots lined up for that day, so we had to alter our plans a bit. The first shoot, which will be featured on another blog at some point in the Spring/Summer, was shot outside. It was so cold out! We had to run around in the rain to get to a covered area. We decided to head to a local library to shoot the second portion. It was a lot of fun, and some of the library staff asked what we were doing. They didn't mind; we were respectful and I'm pretty sure they found it amusing.

Perusing the history books.

I'm only 4'11", so I needed a boost to see the top shelf.

Brett found a Star Wars book for me. He knows what I like!

It was really nice, just relaxing in the library. We sat on the floor and talked about school, work and how much we wanted summer to be here already (although once the August heat is unbearable, we will be crying for autumn to arrive). I found a copy of Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist and started leafing through the book. I had seen the movie and liked it, so I'm sure the book would be pleasurable. There are lots of music references, which I'm a fan of, so maybe I'll check it out. I need to get a library card, though. I have one for the college, but not for the town libraries. Its foolish, because the libraries out here are AWESOME. 

One of the corners we occupied while frequenting the library.

Leafing through a copy of Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist.

Another amazing ring, handcrafted by Mary-Jo Peritore. She's a genius!

Getting really into an excerpt of the book.

Outfit
Top: Trash + Luxury, $33.80
Jeans: 7 For All Mankind, $159
Boots: Dr. Martens, $125
Ring: MerCurios, custom order
Necklace: Chandler the Robot, $25
Glasses: Fendi

I'm super stoked for you to see the other photos from the earlier shoot that day, but it'll have to wait until it surfaces on the other blog. Until then, we will all just have to wait and see. :)

NONA has Arrived!

Back in 2003, a friend of mine was talking about this band called The Format. Over the years, I downloaded tracks and added them to mixes. With all of my music ventures, I'm surprised I never saw them live. In 2008, The Format parted ways, and I haven't really thought of them much, unless I listen to a mix of mine, which has Time Bomb, from their album Dog Problems. Earlier this year, I heard the song "We Are Young," by the band, fun. Realizing the voice was familiar, I Googled the band. Lo and behold, fun. frontman is Nate Reuss from The Format! I also found out that Sam Means, who co-founded The Format with childhood friend, Nate, was also working on his solo career. I went over to Sam's site, to check out his tunes. I was excited about what Sam had created, and I could not wait til his EP, NONA, was released.

NONA is named for Sam's daughter, Lola, who had trouble pronouncing her name - hence the title of the album. The EP contains five tracks, most of which fall under the three minute mark. Have no fear though, Means created some quality tunes. All of the tracks showcase a variety of instrumentation, which are tastefully arranged. Means is a talented musician, and it shows in his work. My favorite track is "Will You Hang Around," but I truly love the entire EP. Its not often that I find new releases that I listen to from start to finish, but NONA is definitely noteworthy. 


As of yesterday, NONA is now available on iTunes. If you'd rather go the independent route (which I highly suggest), you can download it from Sam's site by clicking here. If you go to the aforementioned link, you can listen to the EP in its entirety before purchasing. If you're a collector like I am, you can also purchase the exclusive Record Store Day release 7" NONA vinyl, which includes the digital downloads. Either way, you can't go wrong.


Here is Sam performing an acoustic version of "Will You Hang Around." Happy listening!

Will You Hang Around? (Acoustic) from Means on Vimeo.



You can find Sam Means on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Image and video via Sam Means.

Baby Brother is Blogging!

The other day, as I was just getting out of the shower, my phone rang. It was my younger brother, Vincent-Michael. I call him Finster, or Fin, for short - that is our father's nickname for him. Why Finster? One night, when he was a toddler, my parents were watching the Looney Tunes short, Baby Buggy Bunny. It featured a tiny gangster, Baby Face Finster. BFF was climbing something, which apparently, was a favorite activity of my brother's, so the nickname stuck. Now that you know a random tidbit of information about him, this is how our conversation went.

M: Hello?

V: Oh hi*, my child.

M: Oh hi.

V: Guess what I did?

M: Oh lord, what did you do? In my mind, I'm thinking either he bought a motorcycle or tattooed his throat. 

V: I started a blog.

M: Oh. Relief, with a bit of surprise. Really, where?

V: On Wordpress.

M: Oh. Make a new one on Blogger.

V: Why?

M: Because I said so. Its what I use, and it connects to your gmail. Plus, I know how to work this one, and I'm sure you're gonna call me and ask how to work it.

V: Oh, okay.

M: What is it about?

V: I don't know, stuff.

M: Well, you should have an idea of what its going to be about. Don't think I'm being a bitch, I just want you to set the right tone for it. Give readers an idea what they're looking at.

V: Okay. I gotta go make a new blog. 

M: Sounds good, let me know when its up.

V: Okay. Love you, oh bye.

M: Love you too, oh bye.

*Oh hi, oh bye and my child are phrases we started saying about fifteen years ago, due to our good friend, Sean. I call it Seanspeak. There are a handful of phrases/words that we only use with or parental units, Sean, and a select group of people who utilized Seanspeak when we were in high school, but I will spare you for the moment.

Since that phone call, I've gotten a few more from him - asking how to fix the layout, making sure its working, and to see if I like it. So far he's doing well, and I've given him a few pointers, because thats what big sisters do. His blog is called stolencandy_tastebetter, and its a culture/lifestyle blog. Its still a work in progress, but check it out. 

Halloween, 1986. Weren't we the cutest?

Currently.

Reading: High Fidelity, by Nick Hornby. I've reread this book on more than one occasion, and I love it. I'm only three pages in, because I have things to do such as school work (which I should be doing right now, but of course, I am procrastinating). In a week, I will give this book my undivided attention. I speed read, so it should only take a day or so to finish it. 

Watching: The Big Bang Theory. I know, I'm a few years behind on the Big Band bandwagon, but when I caught it last year in syndication, I fell in love. Now, I don't watch it religiously, but whenever I catch it on the tube, I am glued to the screen. The relationship between Penny, Leonard and Sheldon is hilarious. I can't choose which of those characters is my favorite, because they all bring such great aspects to the show. I could write more, but I'll spare you. If you haven't seen the show, watch a few episodes. I hope you love it as much as I do!

Working on: a better workout routine. Liz and I were so concerned with running, we didn't really work out anything else. However, two weeks before the run, we both purchased Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred. At the end of the workout, I was dripping sweat and wanted to die. I was so sore for three days after, too! Liz had the same results, and we decided if we wanted to make it through the 5K, we were going to put Jillian on the shelf until after we ran. Tonight, we will both be working out with our "BFF Jillian" - or "that bitch," as we reffered to her as we worked out on the elliptical last night.

Thinking about: the future. Work, school, relationships (family, personal, etc.) - this has all been on my mind. In order to not stress about it too much, I decided that I will only think about what is currently in front of me. Why put my stomach in knots for no reason? Its pointless!

Anticipating: the arrival of my Neon Yellow Jeffery Campbell Lita's from Nasty Gal. Erich had promised these to me months ago (he owed me a pair from Christmas, but the ones I had wanted sold out before he could get them), and he finally ordered them for me. They were the last pair in my size - nothing like the last minute, right?

Listening to: Maroon 5 - Payphone (feat. Wiz Khalifa). I have been a Maroon 5 fan for years, back when they had just signed to Octone Records. I remember when they could wander the street outside of The Downtown (a popular venue on Long Island that closed a few years ago), and they weren't recognized by fans. Those were the days! Even though they are huge now, I don't think I'll ever stop loving them.




Eating: clean! After a weekend of indulgence (I ran my first 5k, so I allowed myself a pig out weekend), I am eating clean for three weeks. The only packaged goods I will be eating are nuts/grains. I'm also going to try and cut caffeine out, or at least to a minimum. I've cut caffeine out before, but its super hard. I have some Teeccino that I got for a blog review, so I will use that to help curb the cravings.

Wishing: the end of this semester would get here sooner than later! The spring semester always seems to drag on for me. I think its because of spring break - having so much time off from classes makes the remainder of the semester seem like an eternity. Although I'll be stuck taking summer classes, I am ready for this semester to be done with.