Camera obsession

For the longest time I had an obsession with this "toy" camera called a Holga.  Sophomore year of  college I took my first color photography class, and my Professor was one of those rare teachers who was a kindred spirit.  She got me on what has been a quest to buy, fix and use rare, interesting cameras.  It's easy to take a good photo with an expensive camera and photoshop (also not surprisingly, easy to take AWFUL photos with an expensive camera).  However, can you take interesting, reflective images with a plastic box and a plastic lens?  Ahh haa.

There is something about film cameras and in particular cameras such as brownies, land cameras, pinholes, etc that fascinate me.  So recently I caved, bought a Holga and have been shooting people and street art with it.  Side note, I bought it at Urban Outfitters so I could use cheaper 35mm film and have been feeling remorseful ever since.  I intend to purchase a real medium-format Holga soon.  There are two final cameras I am craving for my collection: a Leica (which I will never be able to afford) and a Rolleiflex.  In particular, I REALLY REALLY want a Rolleiflex.  I don't know if I will ever be able to take a single good photo with it, but I really want to try.  It's this ultimate stripped down camera, where there are so few bells and whistles, you have to know what you are doing to take anything, let alone something someone would want to see.   I hope one day I can get one and see what kind of photographer I really am.

xoxo
Lauren

MuteMath + Civil Twilight

So for those of you who know me, I am a HUGE music fan.  I have an abnormally large obsession with all things music.  When I was in high school and my peers would talk about falling in love with boys, I would take about how I was in love with music.  When I got to college, I would spend every free penny I had to go to shows.  I am an audiophile beyond belief.  The joke now is that I am walking around with my earphones on at work so I don't have to talk to anyone.  Truthfully, I'm jamming out to tunes.  Life is better with a soundtrack.  Lucky for me though, there is a cute coffee shop here in town that draws decent (and sometimes even great bands) to perform.  Also I have great friends (such as my bestie Steph) who will attend these shows whether they love the band (Civil Wars) or just kinda like them (MuteMath).

This week MuteMath came to town.  Opening for them was a DJ I've heard heard of before (The Quiet Entertainer) and another band Civil Twilight.  I would have paid to see Civil Twilight or MuteMath perform so the fact they were on one bill $20 seemed WAY to good to pass up.  I convinced Steph and Hallie to come with a girls night of fun ensued.  I had heard through the grapevine that MuteMath perform a show that is not to be missed.  That was an understatement.

First up was the Quiet Entertainer.  He was good.  Definitely an ambient/hip hop kind of DJ.  He remixing "Tequila" by the Champs (also known by me as the song from Pee Wee), and he has some good Lauren Hill remix.  They he did some of his own, ambient sort of stuff.

Quiet Entertainer spinning his tunes

Next was Civil Twilight.  They sounded just as good as they do on their records.  They played about a hour long set that included most of the stuff on their new album, and the songs that have been on the radio. Pretty standard but really well done!

Civil Twilight

Civil Twilight

Civil Twilight performing!

Mutemath opened their set by playing drums and marching through the crowd.  It was an EPIC entrance, probably the coolest for any concert I've ever seen.  They then proceed to launch into a 2 hour long show, where every song sounded as good as their records.  With the exception of their drummer, Darren, all the other members play multiple instruments, so there is a lot of running around the stage.  At one point, Paul Meany, the leader singer, was doing handstands on his keyboard!! 

MuteMath start their set by marching through the crowd

I loved their lightbulb backdrop, even if it sometimes was a bit seizure inducing

MuteMath

For those of you who do not know them, here is a sample of Mutemath performing Blood Pressure.

MuteMath

MuteMath

MuteMath

MuteMath

So many keyboards/keytars

MuteMath

Suddenly, about an hour into the show, Paul jumps off the stage with a synth thing in his hand, ran through the crowd and jumps up on the sound table and just jams out!  He plays synth for a song, then someone handed him a mike and he sang a whole song on the table. 

Yeah Paul Meany is playing synth on a table in the middle of the crowd. 

Synth playing continues

Paul switching to a microphone

Serenading from the back of the venue (so cool)

Paul singing his heart out

So after singing from the back of the venue (we were so close!) Paul gets back on stage and sings another song.  Then suddenly out of no where a black inflatable mattress flys through the crowd, and Paul climbs a speaker on the left of the following photo, stage dives ONTO the mattress, which lights up and he crowd surfs around the venue.  It was awesome!

Crowd surfing!

Paul crowd surfing

We were on a porch but he got so close

Towards the end of the show, all the individual members came to the middle of the stage and just jammed out.  My favorite is when the drummer, Darren King, who side note, is a beast, grabbed a synth drum set, took it to the middle of the stage and went to town.  It was pretty awesome.

Darren and his synth drum.

Also Steph and I hadn't seen each other that day at all, and ended up dressing alike.  We found this so comical, that we took a photo.  How very Baylor of us!

All in all an AMAZING concert.  If Mutemath come through your town, GO.  It doesn't even matter if you don't know their music, I don't think you can't enjoy the show/get your money's worth.  

Laur

This week

So after months of not sleeping well and sleeping at awkward times, I've finally gotten back on my rhythm and am dealing fairly well with all the stress.  Overall this week has been busy and stressful but surprisingly good.  Monday night Erin, Gary, Forrest, Hallie and I ended up at Shorty's for pizza, beer and Orioles baseball.  Gary is originally from Baltimore and we are all so excited to see him so happy for his team to finally be in the post season.  Also, since the Orioles beat the Rangers we are all rooting for them by proxy.  It was a really good game and the O's ending up winning it.  I ended up laughing so hard, I started coughing of my beer.  :-D  Good times.   

Then yesterday I got a little time in the garden after work.  My back yard badly needs to be mowed but I can't bring myself to because of all the beautiful wildflowers that are blooming right now.

After working in the garden the girls and I went to Common Grounds for movie night.  Every Tuesday they are showing a different movie and making a specialty drink to go along with it.  All you have to do is buy any drink any size and the movie is free.  Last week Erin and I saw The Goonies and drank Truffle Shuffles.  The Truffle Shuffle was hot chocolate with cinnamon, vanilla, mexican spices, cocoa, coconut, chocolate syrup, whipped cream and fudge chunks.  So good.  This the movie was Jurassic Park and the specialty drink was the Raptor.  The drink was a red bull, mint syrup and who knows what else.  It was delicious and the girls and I had a good time.

A raptor with the Common Grounds Calendar

Jurassic Park!

Today I woke up early, edited the student working with me's senior thesis, picked up my tickets to the football game, and taught lab.  After work I and picked up my first produce of the CSA season!  I am really excited about this.  This week's CSA included a dozen eggs, one lb of okra, one lb of green beans, 2 sweet potatoes, a bunch of yellow squash, zucchini, cucumbers, and a suyo long cucumber! I am really excited to start cooking! I am not even sure what I am going to make with it all.  After grabbing the produce I grabbed Charlie and we went for a walk at twilight in the Arboretum.  It was all in all a great day!

Produce!

 Charlie exploring

The Arborteum 

 Twilight in the Arborteum

Sunset