Category Archives: orange county

Topsy Turvy!

May 27, 2009

Man oh man. So many things to say in one post, I like to try to keep them focused on one or two topics, but not this time! This will be my circus/variety show-type post.

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First of all, remember a long time ago when I wrote about Burda Style? And how awesome I thought they were because they provided open source patterns? Well, yesterday I received an email from them, as I usually do since I am on their mailing list, and I see this lovely pattern:

burdadress

Unfortunately, you have to purchase it. Now, I’m all for paying for patterns. That’s fine. But when you advertise your company as “Open Source Sewing,” I feel that it is misleading to do so and charge for a pattern. The term “Open Source” derives from the free software movement, so the implications of this term are “FREE.” I mean, $3.50 is a bargain compared to some of the patterns out there for $18.95, but that is besides the point. I just feel a bit disappointed.

In other news, for all of you embroiderers out there, this fine lady (who’s blog is AMAZING, by the way) has uploaded a free embroidery pattern. And it’s super cute! I might actually try it myself… we’ll see what happens.

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Moving on. Last night I got home and while going through my junkmail I found an advertisement for THIS. I think god loves me this month. Either that or Elvis Crespo was reading my mind and knew that I have ALWAYS wanted to see him live. SUAVE!

This is seriously the cheesiest music video, probably of all time. You gotta love the costume changes. I like to call it “The many faces of Crespo.”

Lastly, I recently joined Indiepublic. So far I’m digging it. It’s a nice way to network with other independent crafters, artists and designers all over the world. And everyone is super friendly! I spent about an hour on their site the other day and became really inspired and excited about adding more items to my etsy shop. Good stuff.

Alright kiddies! That concludes my Topsy Turvy post. Don’t forget to check out KUCI Nights at the Yost Theater this Thursday! Only $8! It’s a bargain to experience some new music. I’ll also be HERE on Friday. Yay Lykke Li! I’ve never seen her live, nor have I been to the Hollywood Forever Cemetary. Should be fun. I’ll try to take blog-worthy pics for you beauties!

Also posted in crafts, fashion, los angeles, music, random, sewing – 5 Comments

“To see something in me is to fall in love with a B film”

May 21, 2009

One of my favorite bands lately has been Faded Paper Figures. Lil Miss Cathy told me about them a handful of months ago and I have been in audio bliss ever since. The vocals, sound mixing, and dynamics are all so amazing and heavenly. The lyrics are clever as hell, and take me back to my college days studying film theory.

Anyway, we heard that they were playing a show at Slidebar in Fullerton, so of course we went. I had never been to Slidebar before and read some horrible reviews on yelp, so I was expecting to hate the place. My impression of the venue was quite the contrary! Perhaps it had to do with the lineup last night? The crowd was not at all “bros and hos” as reviewers described it to be. The bouncers were fine, the crowd was cool. Everything was A-OK.

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Moving on, when we arrived, a young lady by the name of Stacy Clark was playing. It was just her vocals and guitar but we were instantly fans. Her lyrics were relatable and her voice was very original (slightly reminiscent of Sherri DuPree of Eisley). Cathy and I talked to her a bit after the show and purchased her album Apples and Oranges. That was $5 well spent! I think it’s available on iTunes as well. I listened to it on the way to work this morning, and so far my favorite track is Hello Again. It’s one of those songs that makes you feel like it was written about you, or, I guess, about me. I recommend this album. And check out the cover art! So beautifully done.

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Next up was our beloved Faded Paper Figures, except the announcer called them “Faded Paper Fingers.” I thought that was funny.

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John of Faded Paper Figures posing for the camera!

The band played an amazing set. It’s always a great experience finally seeing a band live that you listen to almost everyday either at work or on the road. It’s like finally meeting a friend you’ve been getting to know online. It’s a nice feeling.

North by North from Tatiana Jimenez on Vimeo.

They played a great show and I hope that they continue making great music and playing together. Also! I recommend their album Dynamo. Available on iTunes (I currently have it on my iPhone. I loooovveee it.)

fadedpaperfigures

Also posted in graphic art, music – 4 Comments

And there you have it.

May 14, 2009

So! Regarding my last post about the supposed Jakes show at eVocal – we ended up leaving after the first act. Sorry! We left early for several reasons. First of all I must say, eVocal as a space/store/venue/gallery was great. Here are some visuals:

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Aside from the well designed/organized environment, I shall explain why we left pretty early:

  1. I’m old, and need my beauty sleep. I overheard someone from the Jakes say to some guy “We’re going on at 9:30,” to which I said to myself “Oh hell no, it’s Tuesday, that’s late.“
  2. I felt like I was in an episode of Laguna Beach. I was surrounded by blonde, tanned, and Hurley-clad teens and started getting flashbacks of awkward high school moments. To add to this, these kids were obnoxious. I’m all for young people coming out to support local artists/musicians, but I was sleepy and not having it.
  3. There was a teen couple grinding next to me… like… really? Control your hormones, this is not the Boogie, or whatever club the kids are going to these days.
  4. The opening band Dolphin City was projecting video onto the wall behind them. That’s cool. I can appreciate that. Except for when the video is of a woman having intercourse, and the camera is focused on her face the whole time. That was a little disturbing and distracting. I had to situate myself so this tall guy’s head could block the sight of her face.

And there you have it.  Oh! But I did get my breakfast burrito, and BELIEVE THE HYPE. It was excellent.

In other news, a few weeks ago I googled “Project Runway” to see if Lifetime has updated it’s site with new contestant information for the Season 6 premiere on August 20th. To my dismay, they had not. A Lifetime site didn’t even show up in the search results (I looked through page 5), until today. Their SEO department needs to get on top of optimizing Project Runway… as of today, the Lifetime site shows up on the 3rd page of the google results. No bueno, Lifetime. BravoTV still comes up at the number one spot.  Blogging Project Runway wrote a nice memo a month ago regarding some issues that they had, which is a good read, and they make some excellent points. I know, as a HUGE fan of the show, I like to read some show teasers before the new season airs. So far, they don’t have much to offer. Although, their site is nice to look at…

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AND I’m excited about Models of the Runway, a show that will air at 11pm right after our beloved PR, giving the viewers a glimpse into the world of the PR models. Unfortunately, there is no link where I can read more about this on their site. Lame! I guess I will just have to be patient. Hopefully Lifetime understands how important this show is to its fans and will be either equally or more awesome than Bravo. Only time will tell…

Also posted in activism, fashion, gallery, graphic art, music – 5 Comments

The Jakes @ eVocal in Costa Mesa, or: An excuse to get an Alejandros breakfast burrito

May 12, 2009

So, across the street from the home of my favorite breakfast burrito of all time is a place I’ve never been to before called eVocal. I’ve always admired the neat signage from afar, and today I guess I will finally be checking it out. KROQ is hosting a free show at eVocal with The Jakes as the headlining act. Stay tuned for photos and my oh so important thoughts. (Ha!) Right now I’m mostly excited about that breakfast burrito…

jakes-poster

Also posted in activism, contemporary art, fashion, food, graphic art, music – 4 Comments

I feel like I’m listening to a college radio station.

April 24, 2009

I always seem to find myself in blog-worthy situations when I hang out with two of my favorite ladies.

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So, last night we decided to head to beautiful downtown Santa Ana for dinner and a show. Meli suggested that we stop into The Crosby for a drink, and this place was great.

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There’s no sign outside, so unless you have been there before, or accidentally stumble upon it, you might just never be aware of its existence. The place was not crowded at all, and was artsy (with the decor, and the patrons), but in a non-pretentious way. Everyone was really friendly, and good vibes were present.

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We then walked over to the Yost Theater where KUCI Nights was being held. On the way there Meli gave us a brief history lesson as we took in the beautiful architecture of downtown Santa Ana. Apparently, the Yost theater used to screen Spanish speaking films from the 1940s up to the day it closed in 1985. It has recently reopened, and I’m really glad it has. The space is a nice escape from the modernity of the majority of Orange County. The ceiling is intricately designed, the chairs recline… it’s really the little things that count.

We showed up during Death to Anders‘ set. Sitting there in the still quite empty auditorium/theater, I thought to myself… Hmmm, I feel like I’m listening to a college radio station. And then quietly laughed at my own thought.

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Unfortunately, I was not impressed. Fortunately, those reclining seats came in handy. Death to Anders were ok, perhaps just not my cup of tea. The singer’s voice was reminiscent of Stan Ridgway of Wall of Voodoo. And the lyrics just did not resonate with me… “I’m the dollar, you’re the whore”…. No.

In between sets, the afro clad DJ spun disco and dance music… and I quietly wished that we could just dance to that all night.

Next up was The Shys. Already their presence was more captivating than the first band… just with the first few seconds of their first song. They embody everything I imagine an “indie rock” band to be. Clean cut, smart lyrics and uptempo/friendly. Their set was fun. Do I call myself a fan? Not really. But I would want to see them again.

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The last band that we stayed to see was Castledoor… and I’m so happy that we did! They were my favorite band of the evening. They had a very colorful and happy-go-lucky presence; they were such characters. I loved their music and I loved watching them play. They look like a group of friends who are just hanging out, playing music, and having a really great time. My favorite song was “Fifth Tambourine,” which was essentially about dreaming of being a part of your favorite band.

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I thought the show was a great idea for an otherwise dull Thursday night, and I hope to attend more KUCI Nights’ shows.

Also posted in architecture, inspiration, music – 2 Comments
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