you've gotta feel it on your own

I can go through very dry spells when it comes to music. I get stuck in a rut and listen to the same album on repeat, not really listening to the music or hearing the words. Then I get annoyed that there's 'nothing good to listen to' and frantically seek out something or someone new to give me that soul soothing, full hearted  sensation that reminds me time and time again, that I was wrong.
There is so much to listen to. And then all is right with the world once more.

C
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Exams be gone!

Hello, hello, hello! I, like Megan, am also alive and fine and well, albeit praying for my exams to be over. I'm rather busy, but my proudest achievement of the semester may be my ever improving skills of procrastination. For example, today I woke around 12.30pm (#noregrets) and had a bit of a study sesh (for all of an hour). Then I had dinner, my lovely lady pal Tuffy called round, we had tea, decorated her (fake :( ) Christmas tree, went for on a chocolate run to Dunnes, had pizza and said chocolate and watched "Elf". Great way to spend your study week! 

The evening previous, I came back from a quick two days at home (Christmas shopping with my brother and sister!) and went ice-skating with some of my classmates, which was great bonding time. Tomorrow night then, my sister is coming up from Cork and we're going to see the ever wonderful, sublime Little Green Cars in the sold-out Dolan's. It's. going. to. be. UNREAL. If you haven't heard of them, then you seriously need to listen to their debut album, Absolute Zero. Here's one of my favourite performances from them, though they are all serious winners.

I've had two exams, oral exams and essays already done. I have one more this Monday, the dreaded German exam. I however am finding it increasingly difficult to keep focused. I find German to be my weakest subject and considering that I feel like I'm finished, I feel really non-pulsed by the whole affair. I hate being stressed and after spending an Erasmus year stressed beyond belief and getting sick as a result, I am doing as much as I can to not get myself into that state again. At the end of the day, I'm doing this degree to get a piece of paper. It's certainly not the bee all and end all. 

I will need to pull the ole socks up with next semester but right now, I'm too excited for Christmas with the family. I'm also going to see the absolute gem that is Hozier in Cork next weekend with Jessica and Ruadhrí! AHHHHHHH! He's just performed for Other Voices in Dingle over the weekend and his gigs have sold out countrywide so we're VERY excited.  

Not only that, but I am also heading over to Liverpool to see my dear friends, Emma and Monica, two days after St. Stephen's Day! We're minus our lovely field mouse, Rachel, who is currently conquering the jungles in Thailand. The girls visited me in Cork last February and we'd a great time, so it's now time to return the favor.

I've never really been to England as a tourist before so I'm really looking forward to visiting. I'll be there for New Year's too, which I'm SUPER psyched about because it's usually a bit of a shite evening around my parts. I'm going to see lots of Beatles-related things, and go to somewhere called Chester Zoo which is supposed to be one of the best around. There's also been mention of a £1 tequila bar. Uh - oh. I hope to get as many lovely shots as Megan did when she visited Dee in joymanee. 

Also, have to say a huge thanks for the lovely post by Megan wishing me the best on my birthday. The picture she used was one of me acting the maggot nearly two years ago when Shannon and Megan came to visit me in Vienna. On the spur of the moment, I decided to join them on a two day jaunt in Prague which was beautiful and creepy in equal measures.

For example, our hostel had this slightly questionable bathroom situation.

Gorgeous, right?

With lots of cute Soviet Union era cars

Some lovely graffiti on the John Lennon wall. 

Here's Megan sitting forlornly on the banks of the Danube, back in Vienna.

And us hanging around on the ole Enzis, ya know

   I turned 23 a few weeks ago (ewwww) and had a big party to celebrate. It was a Late Late Toy Show/Movember birthday party and we raised some money for charity, while wearing Christmas jumpers and moustaches and bashing the shit out of pinatas and having a barbecue and pass the parcel. Lots of fun but unfortunately Megan was stuck working and couldn't come :(

Dee turned 23 three days later and she is by all accounts having a fine time in Germany. Ciara, you need to fill us in soon too! I hope to see ALL of you over Christmas for Crane Lane pints and a chance to meet similar sorts to the 5 types Dee and Megan encountered in Havana's over the past few months. 

That is all of the news. Here are some pictures of recent times.

Toodles

S

these days

surprise flowers of a Tuesday

a fine decorative choice

all of the tubes

There's been lots going on round these parts the last few weeks, including lots of the above.

 We came upon an outdoor ping pong table at a nearby park thats much less crowded on sunny weekends and holidays than Greenwich park, so our loyalty has been diverted over there recently. It's fun and free, very little additional explanation needed.

So much Qi in our lives these days. Can't beat a bit of Stephen Fry.

As the Summer holidays near (they're already on break in Ireland now...) Jam's been teasing with summer cocktails when I get home from school. That's a sex on the beach in bed doing school reports... school reports for the first time are a bit of an endless battle I think.

There have been visits from my nearest and dearest and a mandatory trip to the Harry Potter Studios was made. Needless to say we're now re- watching the series.

First school trip done and dusted. No casualties, no (major) tears and no one left behind. Success!

I can't get enough of Tyler these days.

c
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you've got the luck of a Kennedy

It's half term round these parts, and on account of no photographic evidence I've been putting off documenting the goings on in life. But you know what, sometimes theres plenty to say and you don't need pictures to do the talking so here goes.

I got to go home for a few days and celebrate existence with some friends and family. I love trips home that involve lots of favourite people in a short space of time. It did mean driving an hour one way to drive an hour and a half back and make another fifty minute trip back the way I'd gone originally to touch base before my flight, but it was all intentional and all very worth it. My mom cannot be beat when it comes to kindness and generosity. Mother Teresa and my mom are on par. Fact.

I've gone to see everything in cinema. Worth it.

There's been cooking and eating out - Prezzo caesar salad you disappoint. Home made bolognaise however...mmm... I am very lucky to have such a master chef in my life.

It's feeling like summer so I don't know how I'll feel about going back to school on Monday. This is my first summer in far too long spent without plans of epic proportions or galavanting abroad. HB and Chicago were fantastic, but I look forward to London with the man himself. 

Speaking of whom, he's snoozing at the end of the bed and we're due to visit a local comedy club so wake him up and go follow through on those plans I shall.

I've also been listening to Vampire Weekend's new album. LOVE.

WELL DONE SARAH!! so very proud of you for not only making it through CELTA but for doing so well!

C

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Background Beats 2.0

Collab between Megan and myself.

Spotify has changed my life. My poor i-Pod had an unfortunate incident with a bottle of Bailey's on the eve of my 21st birthday in Vienna over a year ago and I would have had a huge music-shaped hole in my life had it not been for Spotify. I'm absolutely in love with it, and happily pay 10euro a month for the Premium service. I'll have more interesting updates about life and such early next week but for the meantime enjoy my Background Beats 2.0. I have no idea how to categorise this kind of music but it's a new love regardless. 

S

I feel it in my bones.

I feel really very lucky to have been able to visit and live in (albeit briefly) a small handful of exciting places in my years to date. I've travelled to at least as many cities as my age, seen more sights than I can remember offhand and experienced uncontrollable laughing bouts with buddies, quiet strolls in some of the worlds most bustling cities and watched the world go by half a dozen time zones.

Love these weigh ups.

 you heard it there first.

but Wimbledon...

this one time, in Chicago.

C

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My head told my heart...

When I find myself with some spare change at the bottom of my bag after bills/ rent/ food/ bus fare have been paid for I don't usually spend it on clothes or necessities I've been in need of for weeks, it's not a deep, meaningful, philosophical motivation but I tend to spend it on books.
When I visit a place I like to pick up a book, and by dating and noting it's point of purchase it becomes my souvenir of choice.


When I see a mountain of books in a second hand shop, I basically have to buy one or my mind won't let me sleep for a few days.

 So today when I passed by the red cross store after spending all morning in the bank I popped in and added to the growing pile of yet to be read books on my windowsill.

I've heard such mixed reviews of On The Road that I've never forked out full price for it, but for less than 2 pounds I was quite happy to pick it up. And then when I opened it to write my usual date etc I spotted this little charmer, and in French! I was only weak for it...

I love a good story. I wonder what the story behind this is? And why whoever owned it was okay with parting with it when it was given to them originally with love.. and whether they gave it away forgetting where they had gotten it! or if it was time to let this old love go..

I just really want to know. Like, really.

C
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Coachella, Smoachella...

Via Hello Giggles

Ah yes, it's that time of year again; when I wistfully think of all those lucky sods living it up "hipster-style" on an artificial green mecca surrounded by the scorching, dusty Californian desert.  Pronounced co-chell-a, Indio has become quite the place to be come April. A festival ... in April? Why so early, you ask? Well, when you consider that the average day temperature hits about 38 degrees Celsius (that's a 100F for you crazy Yankees), imagine how many people's faces would melt off come June or July. Or even worse, August! Now add to that lots of walking around, lovely humid port-a-loos, crushing crowds and very little shade and it's not the easiest festival to attend. 

Via Hollywood Reporter

You'd really want to be into your music... or mashed off your faaaaaace on something. It's not the place for your timely mid-life crisis/rediscovery of youth. A festival like this will literally demand blood, sweat and tears from you as a minimum requirement for entry. Mind you, the sort that attend don't look too flustered at all...  

You generally get a mixture of people at different festivals. Oxegen usually draws the following sort; 

1. Chart Hit Lovers: People who just love their pop music, the sort commonly found on Top 40 lists around the world. We're talking The Script, Rihanna, Eminem, David Guetta etc... and that one indie/folk band that manages to capture the whole market i.e. Mumford and Sons, Florence + The Machine, Bon Iver (strictly just for Skinny Love tho... totes emotional). 
2. Die Hards: Fans who would jump off a cliff to see that one band they love. Think along the lines of Kings of Leon, Muse, Coldplay (though there is nothing wrong with Coldplay. I'll fight ya if you disagree...). 
3. Senior Cycle Teens: Once you're past 4th year, you're in the big league now and thus, basically like totes an adult. Your first move to establish independence? Leave home for a mucky weekend up the country with 40 of your closest friends and trying to survive on packets of Jaffa cakes, croissants from Lidl and a slab of beer you got someone's brother to buy for you.
4. Sorry to say it but the uh... well.... scummy sort... Maybe we should  just say the frustrated youth, with a passion for tracksuits and a penchant for Dutch Gold and doing nothing except sitting in the camping site and robbing people's tents. Or alternatively, just walking off with them altogether. 

Electric Picnic  attracts a different kind;

1. Die Hard Music Lovers: The difference between them and the Die Hards at Oxegen is that they are die hard fans of music in general. Everything. Anything. Any band you like, they own the entire back catalogue of. You'll find a few musical snobs in among them, though most of us are susceptible to a bout of "Oh yeah, I heard of them like 45 years ago". These are the people who know that the sample in Avicii's "Levels" is actually Etta James, consider Radiohead as some form of gods (present company excluded; I find Thom Yorke depressing) and know that Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie was part of The Postal Service too, like... duh. 
2. The Cool Older Set: Just because 2000 was the year you sat the Leaving Cert, doesn't mean you still can't indulge in a weekend free from kids, work and the repressive laws of society. This is when that tattoo of the Guns n' Roses logo, gotten one drunken night 15 years ago, is revealed and suddenly Dave from Accounting is sporting dreads and a toke.
3. The Alternative Parents: These lads bring their kids with them to festivals. Jury is out whether this is madness or a great way to spend family time and let the adults have a bit of fun too.
4. The Recreational Drug Users: "No, that smell in the air isn't herbal cigarettes. And there's a reason why you are suddenly giggling." 
5. "Celebs": Basically anyone who's been on "The DEN" or TV3 or heaven forbid, Fade Street and thinks they are the epitome of Irish society by attending something that isn't Oxegen.
6. Musicians: Irish musicians like checking out other bands too so you'll find the likes of Jape, Gemma Hayes, Cathy Davey, Neil Hannon, Cast of Cheers and Bell X1 walking around. If you are more of an Oxegen-goer but desire to be part of the EP set, you'd best check these people out. Here's any easy one; Neil Hannon is responsible for "My Lovely Horse" of Father Ted fame.
7. Young Hippies: The kind of people who perform in the Body & Soul area, are professional fire-breathers, run the percussion work-shops/drum circles or run the tea café. Life is just one big adventure. Many also sport dreads.

Coachella steps it up a notch further, being America and "bigger is better" and all that. Here we find; 

1. The slightly more than Recreational Drug Users: "No, that smell in the air isn't herbal cigarettes. And there's a reason why you are suddenly giggling. No, that isn't a stamp you're licking. Now why would anyone bring a bag of washing powder to a festival with them!?"
2. Bros: The lad's lads for whom wearing a shirt is depriving everyone of the opportunity to see their "sweet bod", topped off with a slight D4 attitude to life, money and girls. Much like yobbos from Oz. 
3. The "Industry insiders": Painful. They parade around, flashing their "VIP: ACCESS ALL AREAS" neck laminated thingy at every opportunity. Often spotted trailing after #8. They think they are at the hub of the festival. In my humble opinion, that's not backstage running around, looking for a bottle of Evian chilled precisely to -7 for Kanye West. I thought it was more about being in the thick of the crowd and getting to know people and having fun. How naive of me. 
4.  The Older Dirty Hippies: The kind who were at Woodstock, the first. For them sandals are an all-type of weather accessory. Always seem to be a little out of it. Tells stories about the time that they and Neil Young were on the road together and the tour bus accidentally ran over Iggy Pop.
5. Senior Year/Freshman Teens:  Once you're past your Senior Year of High School,  you're in the big league now and thus, basically like toootallly an adult. Your first move to establish independence? Leave home for a scorching weekend downstate with 20 of your closest friends and trying to survive on Pop Tarts, too much ecstasy and trying to get served at the bars; if successful you'll spill half the pint as you attempt to beer bong it in one. Neon is your favourite colour.
6. The Extremely Alternative Parents: Again the jury's out on this one. Would you bring your 3 year old into the desert for 3 days with no nappy changing facilities or daycare? Did I not mention the heat?
7. The Die Die Hard Music Lovers: Half genuine music nuts; Excited to see their favourite bands and making some new discoveries. Half pure musical snobs; will attend any act who has had but two sentences written about them on Pitchfork, We Are Hunted or Rolling Stone, just to say they have, even if said act consists of a man scratching a fork against a bass guitar while attempting to reach the supersonic tones of a dog whistle.
8. Actual Celebs: Last year's attendees included Ri-ri, Ian Somerhalder, Paul McCartney, Penn Badgley, Leonardo Di Caprio, Usher, Ashley Greene, Danny deVito, Jeff Goldblum and Katy Perry. You mightn't know some of them but they certainly beat "That guy off Tallafornia".

Are you beginning to see a pattern? Yes, festivals are now only partly about the music. As raised in a pretty spot-on article, published by the Guardian, there are so many festivals nowadays, the lineups begin to look a bit samesy. Gorillaz headlined Coachella the same year they headlined Glastonbury. People like Kanye West, Justice, Mumford and Sons and David Guetta have done the rounds a few times by now. So every festival needs their own additional attractions. What has Coachella got? 

• Location? 90 minutes from LA. Tick. 
• Weather? See above. Tick. 
• Reputation? Have you not been listening? Everyone who's anyone will be there and you'll find it hard to escape the blow-by-blow blog, twitter, status, music magazine, fashion magazine and entertainment news updates. Tick. If you really want to torture yourself, like I do when Glasto is on with the Red Button on BBC, Youtube are live streaming so you can have a second-rate experience of it. 
• Music? I'll get to that in a minute but for the moment... let's just say Coachella brings the best in indie, rock, electro dance, hip-hop and a few mad things in between... Tick.
• Crazy mad-themed tents and art installations? Can't avoid them. Tick.
• A lake? I know you didn't ask but they have one... or a few. It is the desert after all. Tick.

Kicking off back when tube tops and cargo pants were still cool and "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" was still on telly, Coachella has been the retreat of many an ironic moustache-wearing music fan since 1999. It's like the American equivalent of Glastonbury (which I attended nearly 2 years ago, lucky me) but obviously, with some stark differences. Instead of raincoats, you wear cut-off denims and swimwear. Instead of packing towels, you pack sun-cream. Instead of bacon butties, you eat sushi or ice-cream. Instead of camping in mud, you camp in "style" (they provide the "tents"). Instead of wellies, you wear flip-flops, a fact made famous by this gem of recording from 2010's "sesh".

Why am I wistful? Maybe because I still have this blasted thesis to write (don't worry, procrastination is down to a minimum). Or maybe because I'd like to try and attend a festival where I don't have to worry about getting through the mud quickly from one stage to another, athlete's foot or having extra clothes in case mine are soaked through. Don't get me wrong. I am a seasoned gig and festival goer at this stage. However, neither do I  proclaim to be an expert by any stretch of the imagination. But I love festivals. LOVE them. I am generally that person who manages to see 35 acts over the course of the weekend while also having time to check out the art installations, the interactive exhibitions, the comedy tent and the amusement rides. My brother is like me in this regard. 

Every year, we've it allll planned out. Each of us has a laminated timetable, back up timetable, individual cross-sectioned timetables highlighting who is going where and to see what. These are also generally graded on a scale of 1 - 10 so we know the bands we REALLY want to see and the bands we're not pushed about; that gives us time to go exploring. Last year we volunteered at Electric Picnic which was a great experience, to feel involved in the running of the festival. Spotted no acts walking around though but got talking to so many people. Huge perk of the job. So all this considered, I'd think of myself in the category of festival-goer who does go for the music.  Every festival is different and I'd like to try my hand at Coachella, if not for the music then for the famous sunsets.

This year has split the festival over the space of two weekends and while Coachella promotes environmental and charitable causes, I suspect that they're in it for the money this year, due to past losses. Basic tickets are a cool $285 (€217), making it cheaper than both Poxegen and EP and the crowd reaches a max of 80,000. Considering Glastonbury is approx. 180,000 people, that is a seriously manageable figure in my mind. Furthermore, with a history of line-ups to make your knees go weak, I'll be planning my adventure soon enough. If any of my friends are up for a trip there in the next few years, let me know! Maybe we can join a band, playing the xylophone or something, just to go.

While it'll be a few years yet till my feet set down in California, here a few of the acts I'd be going to see this weekend. I won't give ye any biographies or my take on them. I like all this stuff. It's what ye think that counts; 

Andrew Bird - Imitosis

Azealia Banks - 212

Beirut - Nantes

Childish Gambino - Heartbeat

Girl Talk - Play Your Part (Part 1)

Gotye - Heart's a Mess

Grouplove - Tongue Tied

M83 - Midnight City

Madness - Our House

 

Metronomy - The Look

Miike Snow - Paddling Out

Pulp - Do You Remember the First Time?

Real Estate - It's Real

Santigold - Disparate Youth

Sleeper Agent - Get Burned

Wild Beasts - Hooting and Howling

This isn't anywhere near half of the acts I'd go see if I could. I would include amongst the above;

Arctic Monkeys, At the Drive In, Band of Skulls, Bon Iver, Calvin Harris, Buzzcocks, David Guetta, DJ Shadow, Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg, Dragonette, Explosions in the Sky, Feist, First Aid Kit, Fitz and the Tantrums, Florence and the Machine, Jacque Lu Cont, James, Jimmy Cliff, Justice, Kaiser Chiefs, Kasabian, Laura Marling, Lissie, M.Ward, Manchester Orchestra, Martin Solveig, Neon Indian, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, Radiohead, SBTRKT, St. Vincent, Swedish House Mafia, The Black Keys, The Head and Heart, The Hives, The Horrors, The Rapture, The Shins, The Vaccines, tUnE-yArDs, We Were Promised Jetpacks, Wolf Gang and so on and so forth.

Well, after my rant and a half/procrastination, I'll leave ye to listening or resuming your normal life. I'll just sit here thinking about the lucky duckies who get to take a weekend off from everyday life and are currently walking around bare-footed under the Californian sky. At least we can say I'm not bitter...Glastonbury is better anyway...

 Thanks for reading folks.

S

Pictures from LA Weekly, this blog, This Deviant Art, LA Times and this fine blog

13 Lovely Things to Enjoy: #1

I am really stressed still but with the kind words of some lovely friends, I'm in a much better place today as I had another brainwave regarding my thesis. This day two weeks I should be FREE!!! Until the following Monday when I'll have to pull my socks up regarding my classes here and pass the rest of the semester.

In order to bust your stress if you too are suffering, here are 13 lovely things to enjoy at a glance when you are on a break from study/research, as I am. Thus I present "13 Lovely Things to Enjoy #1".

#1: Ryan Reynolds. One of the funniest manly man actors alive. Oh look at that, he's soaking wet. I hardly noticed.

#2: A dog wearing a monocle.  AND IT'S A PUG! What's not to love?

#3: Childhood memories mingled with Disney characters and songs are flooding back right now, aren't they?

#4: This song makes me sad and happy at the same time. Beautiful stuff.

Team Me - Show Me

#5: Taken from the AA Roadwatch Website on St. Patrick's Day 2012. The warning signs represent areas where there was traffic congestion. Or people, pissshed out of their minds, lying down on the roads.

#6: This literally makes me cry laughing every time I read it. HA.

#7: Self- explanatory, really. Fetching young men.

#8:

This song will have you dancing, whether you have two left feet or seven right ones.

The Contours - Do You Love Me?

#9: I believe this was taken at a wildlife park in China. The young panda cub wasn't doing so well so his carers took him from his mother for a while to get him better. They had to wear panda suits when placing him back so the mother wouldn't feel threatened by the humans and thus, abandon her young in the same way bitchy cats do. 

#10:  Very apt.

#11: Shanghai in 1990 (above) and 2010 (below)

#12:  Remember

#13: Finally, this song brings back such memories of sunny, lazy 90's days

Dodgy - Good Enough for You

Cheers tumblr and stumbleupon for these gems. I feel much better. Now back to the research!

S

Chillin' out, maxin', relaxin' all cool

Courtesy of tumblr and here.

It's SUNNY!!!!!!!!!!!

 Yes, I know it's only April. Yes, it is still technically Spring. Yet as every Irish person knows, you have to embrace the Vitamin D while it's there because you know it'll be raining all summer.

Thus I demand you to dust off the sunglasses, slap on the suncream, buy yourself a Cornetto, slide into a pair of flip flops and dance/jump as the lovely lads from Anchorman demonstrate above. Don't watch it too long though. Otherwise you'll be pining for a suit and a terrible 'tash.

The feckin' widget (what a silly word) won't work so here some music in the form of this linkedy link link.

Right here

Dubstep Heads

I'm still really busy because; 

1/ Back to college = Erasmus exams = Stress

2/ Work where my boss is a wench and I've been working way more than I am contracted to do.

3/City life just sucks up your days. I miss the sight of green fields. And bales. And sheep.

4/ Legend of the Seeker. Season 1. Can't.stop.watching. 

5/ A place called the Travelshack in Vienna is after becoming the local bar which often involves fancy dress hats and dancing on pool tables. But fun dancing. No Coyote Ugly here now at all. We won't be having any of that.

So I owe a thousand and one people Skype calls and messages and letters. I have LOTTTTTTS of pictures to share with you all and stories from December and January but I just don't have the energy today and Megan's post has more than enough news. I am over the moon herself and Shannon are coming to visit and I've got it all planned out which I will keep a surprise. So you guys had better be surprised! 

I'm going to go snooze before I go into work so with a round of applause, please give it up to one of my favourite dub-stepy remixes of an absoLUTE classic...

S

I just can't take it anymore..

I have something I need to share. 

I'm almost obsessed with Taylor Swift. Enchanted rings through my ears for an extended period at least once a day, i'm lucky when it's not more. 

This tends to happen to me alot, songs stick in my head, and I mean Really Stick in there until I can take it no more and almost go so far as to deafen everyone I know and love with the lyrical and musical genius and beauty that is my chosen song for which I have temporary OCD.

Some of the last few songs that have graced the list include..

Foster the People- Pumped up Kicks

The Dodos- Winter

Cat Power- Sea of Love

In Ivory

By the Amazing Carissa of Andrew and Carissa (and now Rinah too!) Love love love everything about these peeps.

and a Christmas favourite..

The Leave Behind- Fort Christmas

Be prepared to be swallowed whole and not let out until you claim mild insanity.

kthanksbye.

c

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