Tango in the Park (and other fun stuff)

Trying my first and last mint julip at the Pink House, Savannah (I was not a fan...bourbon is nasty!)

Hi!  Sorry I haven’t updated in awhile.  I’ve been busy, but not doing a lot that I consider truly blog worthy.  After school ended I went on a trip with my mother to Savannah, GE and Charleston, NC.  Both cities were beautiful, but I couldn’t see myself living in either place (just in case you were wondering…haha).  When we were in Savannah I read Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt out loud to my mother in the car b/c that is what we do when we travel.  We both loved it!  We visited a lot of the places mentioned in the book (sounds touristy, but it was fun). I am not going to blog any more about the trip b/c it was a while ago and I’m trying to focus on NYC activities, but I recommend visiting both cities if you have the chance.  On a somewhat related note, I am currently reading The City of Falling Angels (also by John Berendt) and I like it, but not as much as Midnight.  It is also making me want to be in Venice right now (actually I want to be in Venice all the time, but it’s making me want to be there more than usual).

Back to NYC – One of my classmates is a hardcore tango aficionado and she invited me to Saturday night tango in Central Park.  Every Saturday from 6-9 there is a huge free milanga (tango dance party) by the Shakespeare statue in the Literary Row (I think this is in the center of the Park and somewhere in the 60’s…it was a short walk from where I entered at 59th and 5th ave).  Even if you don’t dance it can be fun to watch the milanga.  However, at 7:30 there is a FREE beginner tango lesson, so there is no excuse not to try!

I attended the free lesson with another classmate.  He is very tall and I am very short so it was a little awkward, but we were instructed to switch partners after a few songs.  I was VERY impressed with the lesson, since I took beginner’s classes at Manhattan Dance a few years ago and the instructor was just as good (if not better) than the classes I paid for there.  My only complaint is that she didn’t get around to correcting my form.  This could be because I’m just sooo good (hah), but more likely because there were a lot of people.  However, free is free so I can’t complain and you can check out her website here.

Queuing up for the guilletine?

I was going to blog about the Bastille Day celebration I attended on Smith Street in Brooklyn last week, but now I feel like outdated so I will just leave you with some photos instead.  For the past several years I have gone to the Alliance Francaise’s Bastille Day festival in Manhattan, but I am always disappointed b/c it’s the same food vendors for four blocks straight (like all street fairs in NYC).  The Smith St. party was so much better!  I went late on Sunday night and it seemed to be mostly people in their 20’s and 30’s and they were dancing in the streets.  There were also large lots of sand brought in for pétanque.  The dance party continued or flowed out of Bar Tabac, which is one of my favorite restaurants in BK for it’s atmosphere and live entertainment. 

I was having issues w/ my flash, but as you can see the streets were packed...you get the idea

Pétanque!

Bar Tabac was selling t-shirts.  They only had one size left and was too big, but I bought it anyway because I liked the design.  It’s my new favorite workout shirt.  It also makes me feel like a softball player

the back

That’s about it for all of the fun in NYC.  I am enjoying my internship and only wishing the summer was longer!  I am also looking forward to visits from some of my favorite people in the coming weeks, so maybe I’ll post if I do anything interesting with them.  Hope you’re having a great summer!

p.s. I started a tumblr! (http://roseofbohemia.tumblr.com).  It’s a little pointless because I just repost articles/songs/photos that I like, but you should check it out if you are bored or want to know more about my interests…haha.

Spring Break Fun!

Comically awkward pic (I felt like Lindsey Lohan, except I'm not dating either of the DJ's...hehe).

     This week I celebrated Purim, which is similar to my ABSOLUTE favorite holiday (Halloween) in that you get to wear costumes!  You are also supposed to get so drunk that you don’t recognize the difference between good and evil (the reasoning behind the imposed debauchery is disputed…google for a more thorough description of the holiday).  I went to a party that two of my friends were DJing a party in the East Village.  My costume was a black and white American Apparel ensemble and a jester mask from my collection of Venetian carnival masks.

If you went to college with me, you might recognize part of this photo.

It felt SO wrong seeing a version of baby Jacko grinding

Woopie cushion borrowing my mask

Happy belated Purim to all of my Jewish readers!

     I am sorry to announce that I will be taking a hiatus from blogging until the summer  I am looking forward to a Law & Order inspired summer, but hopefully I will have more time for blogging!

   Song of the Day: Girl Talk’s “Bounce That” because I’m SUPER excited about seeing GT in B’more this Friday!

   p.s. I’m on twitter (RoseofBohemia) so please feel free to “follow” me there, although I should probably take a break from that activity as well.

Size Ate

Size Ate props

     This past week I saw Size Ate at Barnard, which was sponsored by the school in honor of Women’s History Month. Size Ate is an autobiographical one-woman show written and performed by the extremely talented Margaux Laskey about “one woman’s search for the perfect fit.”  It opened off-off broadway and Margaux now performs at colleges around the country (you can also book the show).  Size Ate was funny and also poignant at times. I only wish it was longer! Thank you Margaux for putting me on the guest list

     Song of the Day: Jenny Owens Young’s “Fuck Was I” because it is one of my ALL TIME FAVORITE songs. It is so beautiful! You should listen to it NOW.

Target First Saturday

     Saturday night I attended Target’s First Saturday at the Brooklyn Museum of Art, which is probably my favorite free event.  The first Saturday of every month the museum is open until 11 and has free music, movies, lectures, and other programing (sponsored by Target).  Although everything except the bar and cafe are free, you have to go early (activities begin at 5) to get tickets for the movies and lectures.  You can still enjoy the music/dance party, and art without tickets, which is what I did with my friends.

     The current main exhibit is The Black List Project by photographer Timothy Greenfield-Sanders.  Greenfield-Sanders photographed twenty-five prominent African Americans and filmed them in an accompanying documentary.  Greenfield-Sanders uses a 20X24 Polaroid camera to create his signature large format portraits.  There are only six 20X24 cameras in the world and you can rent them for the day at three international Polaroid studios (my mother rented the camera at the NY studio when I was in middle school and did portraits of our friends and family).

     I asked my mother why the majority of Greenfield-Sander’s subjects look unhappy because he took her portrait when she participated in a workshop with him.  She said he tells subjects not to smile because it isn’t natural.  He instructs you to “smile with the eyes.”  He also asks subjects to wear a piece of jewelry to make the portraits more personal.

DJ Sabine

     Target First Saturday always has a theme and this month it was “Celebrate Women’s Power.”  The dance party featured afro-tech music spun by DJ Sabine.  There was also a live female jazz singer in the lobby, but we missed most of her performance when we were seeing the exhibits.

The Dance Party

Dippin' dots reminded me of theme park day at camp

     The BMA is known for their Egyptian wing.

The colors in the main room look Disney-esque to me.

     Some works I like from the BMA’s contemporary art collection:

Mickalene Thomas, A Little Taste Outside of Love, 2007

enamel and rhinestones on painted wood

     There is no artist statement with this.  I LOVE the textures!

Hew Locke, Koh-i-noor, 2005

Can you spot the doll's head?

     This mixed-media sculpture of Queen Elizabeth explores the relationship between contemporary Britain and its colonial past.

     Near the museum I passed Cafe Shane, which is now serving chicken and waffles.  That combo sounds nasty to moi, but I’m partial to the name (I mentioned earlier my real name isn’t Rose…hint hint).

     Song of the Day: Marcy Playground’s “Sex and Candy” because can you think of a better name for a song?  Also, I genuinely like this song (lyrics “Hangin’ round downtown by myself/ And I had too much caffeine” = apt description of my life).

Welcome to DUMBO!

 

     DUMBO is an acronym for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge and it is a former industrial turned yuppish neighborhood that’s about fifteen minutes from my apartment.  I am not particularly qualified to give a tour of DUMBO because everything I know about the neighborhood I’ve discovered from walking around myself.  Then again, I don’t think there’s a lot there, so I’ve tried to capture it all below for those of you who don’t live nearby (please let me know in the comments if I’m leaving out any quintessential DUMBO spots).

     I initially found DUMBO disappointing.  I first heard of the neighborhood when a family friend’s son who is an artist was renting a studio there, so I was expecting it to have lots of boutiques and galleries.  Instead, it is the most gentrified neighborhood I’ve ever seen, but it’s growing on me.  It’s also the closest neighborhood within walking distance from my apartment so I go there whenever I need a change of scenery.

     DUMBO begins at the end of the Brooklyn Heights promenade.  To enter from Brooklyn Heights, you walk beneath an under path that is part of the Watchtower (the Jehovah’s Witness headquarters).

The Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory

     The Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory and the River Cafe overlook the water.  I think the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory is cute, but it could be better if they had more inventive flavors.  I also wish they offered smaller portions for smaller prices (a single scoop is $3.50, but it’s more like 2+ scoops).

The River Cafe and water taxi stand

     I’ve never been to the River Cafe, but it’s supposed to be one of the most romantic restaurants in New York.  Dinner is prix fix only for $98. per person, so I don’t anticipate going there anytime soon.

View of the South Street Seaport, Manhattan

     Although I complained that DUMBO isn’t artsy, there are some good entertainment venues.  I haven’t been to the St. Ann’s Warehouse (a theater), but it looks nice.

I have another version of this photo sans people, but I'm using this one because they are probably Brooklynites

     The Galapagos Art Space is a performance space and bar.  I’ve been a few parties there and I liked it.  I also saw an entertaining burlesque show at their old location in Williamsburg.  I am going to go to another one and blog about it in the future.

     I LOVE carousels!  Once I went on the carousel at B’more’s Inner Harbor six time consecutively (possibly more…I was with a child and she wanted to keep going, so I couldn’t say no).  Jane’s Carousel (c. 1922) in DUMBO was the first carousel on the National Registrar of Historic Places, but it’s currently nonfunctional.  It is owned by a couple who are in negotiations to move it to a soon to be built pavilion in Brooklyn Bridge Park.

     Jacques Torres Chocolate store and factory reminds me of a sophisticated version of Willy Wonka’s.  I tried the famous Wicket Hot Chocolate (with chili peppers!) at the West Village location and I thought it was GROSS, but I don’t like spicy food, so I shouldn’t fault the product.

     I’ve never been to Almondine (a French bakery across the street), but it’s written up a lot in articles about DUMBO.

     The waterfront parks around Dumbo are empty and they have spectacular views of Manhattan.

     This is a condo in Dumbo.  On the ground floor there an outpost of the Tribeca restaurant Bubby’s.  I’ve never been there, but I would like to try the Manhattan location because it’s popular with celebrities (and famous for pie and brunch).

     There are a lot of former warehouses and factories.

Ugly industrial buildings

     The Eagle Warehouse and Storage Co. is another condo/loft building.

     Grimaldi’s is the most famous pizza parlor in Brooklyn.  Although I don’t like pizza much, I would like to try it because its supposedly one of the best pizza places in New York and the world and I like to try everything once.  Notice the velvet rope…it’s THAT popular.

I might do another post about the Brooklyn Flea, but it's not that exciting...just a big flea market that moved from Fort Greene to DUMBO for the winter

     I didn’t photograph Starbucks, West Elm, or Bo Concept, but they’re there too.  While I like all those stores, you certainly don’t need to go out to Brooklyn to visit them.  That pretty much sums up DUMBO.

More condos buildings...Peas and Pickles is a funny name for a grocery

 Song of the Day “Go Places” by the New Pornographers.  I feel like I’m going to regret publishing this incredibly cheesy statement later, but if I had a boyfriend, I would want this to be our song (at least this week).  On a related note, if you are single, Jewish, under 35, and not crazier than me, I’m available…HAHA.

Fashion Week – Part II – Hervé Léger and Blogging Tips!

 

the photographer's pit and crowds before the show

     Hervé Léger was a little disappointing.  The only celebs were teen stars, which didn’t interest me (Michelle Trachtenberg, Sophia Bush, Jessica Stroup).  Hervé Léger is known for bandage style dresses that the designer copied from Azzedine Alaia (anyone remember when Cher Harowitz in Clueless is held up and refuses to lay on the ground because she’s wearing an Alaïa?).  Max Azria designs the line now, in addition to his own line and BCBG. 

Audience members in typical Hervé Léger dresses

     Instead of the usual bright colors, the show featured muted tones of Brown and dark green.  There was also a lot of black, which is said to be making a come back because of the recession (though it never went out of style for some of us).  Two models fell because they couldn’t walk in the absurdly high heels.

the Promenade is the smallest venue of the three tents

sorry this is out of focus, but you can get the idea...

I was seated at a bad angle for photos

Max Azria

     Before the show I asked Julia Allison and Mary Rambin for their advice on starting a blog (I felt like Reese Witherspoon in Election).  They had a lot to say and spoke rapidly so I couldn’t write down everything (I should have had my tape recorder with me!), but below is the jest of what they said:

1) Start on Tumblr (humm…they are biased and I’m clearly not following this, but it was a good plug because they are backed by David Karp).

2) Most important, update ALL the time.  Always make sure there is something new that wasn’t there before.  Mix medias.

3) Use LOTS of colorful photos.  Make text as short as possible (I’m failing on that front).

4) Imbue with personality.  People expect writing on the Internet to have more personality than other writing.

5) Be peppy.  They used a lot of other adjectives, but the basic idea was to appear upbeat.

They also asked me to take their photo and used two of my shots on their sites, but I didn’t ask for a photo credit.  Next season!

Front Row – Check out Bill Cunningham of the NYTimes “On the Street” column, ?, ?, Julia Allison and Mary Rambing “Life Casting”

Fashion Week Part I – Inside the Tents

 

Front Row - Fall 2008

Sorry, this post is a bit outdated, but I had a busy week!

     My parents are both photographers, so I have been attending Fashion Week for as long as I can remember (my mother actually threatened a PR woman that she would give birth to me on the runway if she was not give a seat at a show because she was working right up until she had me).  This year I could only go to one show because I had SO much school work   I picked Hervé Léger because I love the clothes and I thought there would be some good celeb sightings.  Before reviewing the show, I want to do a walk through the tents for those of you who have never been to Fashion Week.

Spring 2009 Collections (last fall)

     Fashion Week is held in three tents in Bryant Park (the Promenade, the Tent, and the Salon).

Crowds waiting to spot celebs

the lobby can get zooish

     Mercedes-Benz is the official sponsor of Fashion Week, so there are always cars at both sides of the lobby entrance.  They are random and ignored by the crowds, but I have sat on the carpeted areas to regroup/people watch when the cafe is full.  You can pick up an unlimited number of free fashion and news publications in the lobby.

     Mattel was a sponsor this year, so there was a huge Barbie at Fifty display in the center or the room, which also has TV monitors where you can watch shows if you didn’t make it in (you will also have a better view of the show from the screens than inside).

    The Council of Fashion Designers of America (“CFDA”) Health Initiative booth is notorious for being empty.  I decided to stop by and see what they had to offer.  They were giving out Renfrew Center brochures and selling yoga mats for $40. along with some not so attractive scarves and other accessories.  While I think it’s well intentioned, I can’t see the booth having any effect on the industry, but maybe I’m just being harsh.

     Other sponsors have booths around the lobby where they usually give out free products.  There is always a coffee sponsor, which in the past has been Nespresso or La Columbe (my personal favorite).  This year’s caffeine fix was provided by McD’s, which I think is a sign of the times.  Although I am not a fan of the chain, I give them credit for having the most generous selection of free coffee drinks I’ve ever seen.  In addition to plain coffee, cappuccinos, and lattes, they had special drinks and a variety of syrups you could add.  I skipped the special drinks in lieu of iced espresso, but it was decent.

The barista's shirts were hilarious!

     For the past few years you could design your own Havaianas at the Havaiana booth.  There was always a RIDICULOUSLY long line so after the first year I never bothered getting them (I also prefer Reefs because cotton breaths better than plastic).  This year instead of doing something so time intensive, they had a wheel that you could spin for a Havaiana’s key chain or a bag of jelly candy.  I skipped it.

     MAC is a sponsor and in the past they have done make up touch ups at their booth.  This year there was just a sign. 

     Tresemmé is also a sponsor and was giving out free products and styling at their booth.

     The Witchcraft Cafe is the only place to find food in the tents unless you’re backstage at a show where they have catering.  Although I initially thought the sandwiches were overpriced, I had the best tuna sandwich ever there and it was huge, so it was worth the price (although I would have preferred it to be smaller and less money).

    Next to the cafe is the BEST booth, which is the open bar that starts after 5:00.  It is well taken advantage of by all.

the bar

People watching is my favorite part of Fashion Week

more interestingly dressed people

Song of the Day – Voxtrot’s “The Start of Something”

My Twenty-Five Things

 

This photo is unrelated to the below post, but I find my Obama undies funny and no one will get to see them if they aren’t posted here.  I bought them in Union Square on Election Day (I had just voted and I was in an elated mood/the seller was nice).  The design is screened on an American Apparel background.

      The aforementioned Fashion Week post is coming soon, but first here’s something a little more personal.  I started the below list for facebook, but now I’m thinking I probably won’t post it there (I realize the blog is more public than fb, but I’ve only told a select group about the blog whereas I’m friends with everyone I know on fb. p.s. if you’re reading this and I don’t know you, I’m flattered!).

1) I am named for the greatest cowboy movie of all time (if you’re a movie buff or of the older generation you might have picked up on this and if you don’t know me, hint – my real name isn’t Rose).


2) I was raised by German au pairs.  I had a different one every year for the first nine years of my life.


3) I am contemplating getting a tattoo (if you know me, you are probably thinking I have officially lost my mind).  Tattoos are outlawed in Judaism and I am a former BBYO and Hillel board member.  I have been thinking about it since before New Years, but I’m planning on waiting until I pass the bar because then the tattoo will be celebratory and I’ll have more time to think about it.

4) I love reading personal blogs…even when they are about people I don’t know.

5) I have my own blog (obviously you already know this…hehe).  Checking my blog stats makes me excessively happy, although I sometimes wonder if it’s just one person clicking repeatedly. 


6) I don’t watch a lot of TV, but every morning during breakfast I either watch Vh1’s jumpstart to find new songs or Univision for Spanish immersion.  I also watch Chelsea Lately nightly, unless I’m doing HW or I’m out. 


7) I spend too much money at the itunes store (I’ve never illegally downloaded music). 


8)  My political views are closest to socialism, but I wouldn’t join the Socialist Party USA because of their stance on Israel.  In H.S. I once attended a socialist convention.  I represented my university at two AIPAC conferences. 


9) I am a product of the NYC public school system and I believe improving public education should be a top priority in this country.  I have radical ideas about abolishing private schools, but they will probably not reach fruition. 


10) I’ve been leaning towards agnosticism since H.S., but I feel guilty about it. 


11) Fashion Week is my FAVORITE time of the year (well, 2x a year).  My parents are both photographers so I have attended the shows since childhood, with the exception of the three years I lived in Baltimore.   


12) After Fashion Week, my second favorite annual event is Book Expo America (“BEA”).

13) I had blond highlights from age 8 to 21.  The first time I did them myself with a free Clairol kit from Fashion Week, but I ended up with orange skunk stripes that had to be corrected (they wouldn’t have turned out orange, but my mother came home during the experiment and demanded that I get in the shower before the dye had time to set).  After waiting two years to grow out the highlights, I missed them.  I now have “honey” highlights, but I’m thinking about going blonder for the spring. 


14) I’m hyper informed of news/events happening in NYC, but my knowledge of world events is lacking.  I plan on improving this after I finish law school. 


15) In college I founded a street business that my mother now runs (as sketchy as this sounds, we don’t sell drugs…more like “fashion” jewelry aka costume). 


Martha and moi at Chado Ralph Rucci's Fall 2007 Collection

16) Martha Steward is my role model (minus the jailhouse stint).  I worked in the same building as her headquarters (Starrett Lehigh building = BEST people watching in NYC), but I never ran into her there.  I have been in the audience on her show twice and I once asked her for a job (she politely referred me to her art director).

17) I own two wedding dresses, but I’m thinking I might never get married (I worked for a couture bridal designer in H.S. and they are samples she gave me). 


18) When I’m “out,” I only drink vodka (preferably with lemon juice), unless I am somewhere special (e.g. the Rose Bar, Harry’s Bar) or it’s a special occasion (e.g. my birthday).  Occasionally if I’m at an event where only wine is being served, I’ll have a glass, but I don’t usually enjoy it (I’m just not that classy).

19) Least you think the above makes me sound like an alcoholic, I’ve never had a drink before 5PM and I usually only have 1-2 drinks (I have a three drink max…after that funky things start to happen).


20) I LOVE movies and can watch them ALL daylong (this has been my primary winter vacation activity since I stopped attending winter camp in middle school).  Also, although I don’t watch TV shows when they are actually on TV (see 6), I rent series years later and then have non-stop marathons.  Last year I watched the O.C., My So Called Life, 90210, and Entourage and recommend all of them (although I didn’t finish the O.C.it just got too bad). 


21) I’m fluent in French and Spanish, but my accent in both languages is horrendous. 


22) I am fortunate to have had extended stays in Italy, Israel, France, and Argentina.  I had the best time in Argentina and I HIGHLY recommend visiting if you have the opportunity (I recommend all of the countries). 

23) I plan on running either a half marathon or a full marathon one day (funny because I haven’t run in weeks, but I’m resuming this activity on Thursday). 


24) In college I was told at a frat party by a guy I was dancing with that I was a surprisingly good dirty dancer, though I didn’t look like I would be.  This was probably not a compliment, but I like to think of it that way.  


25) There are twenty-five other things you don’t know about me, but there are reasons for that…haha (although I’ll tell you just about anything if you ask…I have been known to give out TMI, especially in romantic settings). 



     On a related note, does anyone have feedback/suggestions for where I should get said tattoo?  I’m thinking the Hebrew word chai, which means life and 18 (a lucky number in Judaism).  I realize this is a little ironic and not all that original, but I like the positive significance and I am proud of my cultural Jewish heritage.  I was going to ask an artist friend to design it, but now I thinking it would be cool to do it myself.  My drawing skills leave much to be desired, but two years is a lot of time to work on it.  I’m thinking low waist/possibly bikini line area as I don’t want anything too visible and my friend Melissa has warned me against getting a “tramp stamp” (although my legal writing professor has one and she’s awesome).  Also, if you have a tattoo, was it excruciatingly painful?  Nothing a few drinks wouldn’t cover? 


Song of the Day – Julian Perretta’s “Wonder Why” (unfortunately I think you can only hear it on his my space page or Perez).

 

It’s the most wonderful time of the year (and no, I don’t mean xmass)!

Fall 2009 fashion week coverage maybe coming soon, but first I have to make progress on my appellate brief…AHHH!

Also, if you read nonsociety.com (which is a HUGE time waster, but one of my guilty pleasures) the photos of Julia and Mary at the Hervé Leger show were taken by moi, but sans photo credit…more explanation on that will be in the next post.

Song of the day – Lily Allen’s “Everyone’s At It” – the song is super poppy and I’m actually a little embarrassed I like her music b/s she’s SUCH a jerk (and on a related note desperately needs a better PR person), but I’m enjoying it this weekend…now back to reading!

p.s. the above photo is from Paris Fashion Week – Spring 2006 (taken Fall 2005 because Fashion Week is always a season ahead), but I think it’s appropriate here and it’s one of my favorite photos.

UPDATE – I am feeling a bit overwhelmed with work, so I have decided to challenge myself to an internet free week (with the exception of checking/responding to emails).  I would like to thank everyone who reads this blog and let you know that there will be no posts until I have made significant progress on my brief.  In all likelihood that will not be until next weekend (it’s due Monday…this is unfortunately how I function).

“We Drink to Die”

 

     This past week I had the pleasure of seeing my favorite Balkan-inspired indie rock band Beirut perform at the Music Hall of Williamsburg (thanks M.A. for the ticket!).  I attended with two friends from college, one of whom came all the way from B’more for the concert.  We arrived several hours early, so we had choice standing spots directly in front of the stage.

Tune Yards had tape across the front of her face (possibly for sound effects?). The rest of her band also wore tape when they joined her later. Has anyone seen this before?/know what the tape is for?

     An incredibly talented musician named Merril Garbus, who performs under the name Tune Yards, opened the show.  She sang, played the ukulele, and made interesting noises and even more interesting facial expressions.  She was also sweet and seemed honored to be opening for Beirut.  After Tune Yards, the band Inlet played, which my friend aptly described as “Sufjan Stevens on codeine.”  Their music was pleasant, but they seemed spaced out and not particularly enthused to be there. 

     Beirut went on at 11:06 (my friends made a bet) and Zach Condon and Co. did not disappoint.  They played a good mix of old and new music (although no Carousels:() and performed not one, but two encores!  I am happy to report that Zack also seemed nice.  He apologized to the audience when the band ran out of rehearsed songs from the set list and then scattered it over the crowd.  A more extensive review of the concert can be found here.

Getting into it

Taking a break

Zach has identical French horn tattoos on both wrists. They're a little large for my taste, but they looked good/appropriate on him.

     In honor of this recent event, the song of the day is Beirut’s “Elephant Gun,” which is my absolute FAVORITE song by the band and also contains the lyrics found in the title of this post (in case you were confused/feeling concerned about my drinking habits).

Other songs by Beirut that I STRONGLY recommend:

* Mount Wroclai (Idle Days)

*  Carousels

* Scenic World

* The Long Island Sound

* My Family’s Role in the Revolution

* Nantes

* Knives and Forks (La Fête)

* My Night with the Prostitute from Marseille

* A Sunday Smile

* Guyamas Son0ra