Cool Cat

Have any of you heard of Alex Boyé? Or seen this Coldplay cover circulating Facebook? Well, Seve and I went to his concert this weekend thanks to a family/theatre connection that got us some free tickets. To be honest, I didn't research him before going - I was under the impression we were in for a jazz night or something. It wasn't jazz, but man oh man did we have an amazing time! Like, a black-hipster-MoTab-member-Ray-Charles-impersonating-jokester good time.

For one of his numbers he asked members of the audience for a hat, noting he was looking for something a little more interesting than a baseball cap. We just so happened to don Simon out in his new hat that night . . .

This hat, in fact:

And Mr. Boyé savored in its ridiculousness, saying, "Are you kidding? I look like Urkel!" And, you know, used it anyway:

Later that night, Simon got to meet Alex (and get his hat back):

Look at dem cool cats.

Picky

During singlehood, one of the first questions I'd ask a new roommate was "So what kind of music do you like?" to which I almost always received the reply, "Oh, I like everything." Which was usually true, and that's fine, and the mark of a open mind, but little did they know about the picky bi#ch they'd just moved in with. I'm so picky I don't even prescribe to a specific genre of music, but rather ten or so artists who I listen to all the time. Actually, not "ten or so," but specifically The Ten. Because, you know, the picky pound-sign-female-dog thing. And on that rare occasion when I find a new artist, The Ten does not become The Eleven. The new artist replaces an old one and I don't even bother to sugarcoat the blow as I remove them from my rotation.

It's not that I only allow ten artists to exist in my life, it's just that old tastes naturally fall away as I get older and wiser and realize the Smashing Pumpkins were only great when I was in high school. I look back on them fondly and might play a tune here or there the same way I'll glance at the photo of an ex-boyfriend. But just as with an old flame, I'm not about to call them up again and rekindle the relationship.

I'm not going to list The Ten, but rather inform you that a ten-or-less mindset dominates all my tastes. Fashion, film, literature, etc. This particular post will center on footwear, which I can never get my pickiness to raise any higher than The Six. So, meet pair #6, the beauties that managed to snag my interest, penetrate my pocketbook, and, of course, replace a previous contender this week. So long, black wedges! Hello, navy & white striped espadrilles!

And Happy Friday the 13th! Let's watch The Shining and play some Smashing Pumpkins.

Creepy crawlies

There's been a lot of creepy-crawling going on at our house lately. Forwards, backwards, sideways . . . let's just say I find myself more out of breath than I'm typically accustomed to just trying to keep up with this little guy. 

Seve and I saw a movie last night; gosh, what was it called? Thirsty Tournament? Parched Parade? Starving Activities? Anyway, it's about these two Amish kids who are handpicked by Lady Gaga & Pals to participate in a Camping to the Death arena thing. Sounds hokey, but it was actually very moving. I even teared up when the youngest Amish girl was killed by a javelin. Kids these days.

Huntin down dem eggs

Happy Easter! Hope yours was great!

Black jeans, Green leather

I'm not quite sure what to say right now, except that I had a bad day, but here are pictures of me from a good day. I've realized a lot of my portraits involve me wearing my favorite black jeans and green leather jacket. Perhaps I need to shake things up a bit.

Aloha

Simon is exactly 6 months old today. For his half-birthday, he got to meet his great grandparents for the first time, on the day they returned home from their mission to Hawaii. We're so glad to have them back! Though I'm sure Oregon "sunshine" doesn't compare to Hawaii sunshine.

Rough Terrain

Here are some shots of my cousin Monika I took this weekend that I'm considering entering into Show & Tell's April photo challenge.

Hey Mormons! Wasn't Conference great? I actually got horribly sick on Saturday and lucidly fell in and out of sleep while Seve kindly streamed the first sessions on his laptop for me. Sunday I kicked myself out of bed and joined some family for the last session, a decision I both do and don't regret. Let's just say I've tucked myself back into bed now.

Elder Evans talk really touched me. The bit about keeping the sharing of the gospel to normal and natural circumstances, and not, you know, being . . . obnoxious about it? I have a hard time talking about my faith with others, even fellow members. I'm not sure why; I know I have a testimony and I'm proud of the decisions I've made in life, and therefore shouldn't feel awkward or ashamed about sharing them, but whenever confronted with a fellow member who is doubting or a stranger who is curious, I close up. Words escape me. I don't even know where to begin; I become consumed with this fear that I'm going to offend or weird out the person I'm talking to.

It's not just my faith, though. Goodness, I can't even talk about photography with people for fear of sounding like a know-it-all. What makes you feel this way?

Anyway, I admire those of you who can speak of the gospel so articulately and eloquently, and recognize how to normally and naturally bring it up, because religion is rarely ever easy territory.