It blows me away when people ask me what it is. In my opinion, it has completely changed the way that we discover and listen to music. I really loved Pandora, 8 Tracks, & Songza, but the accessibility is really what sets Spotify apart.
Night Run // SZA // TransAtlantic Lullaby // Peaceful Indie Ambient
Also, can we just touch on the amazing Word section where you can listen to literature and learn different languages?! Yes, please.
Russion Lit // Learn Swedish // Learn French // The Poetry of Sylvia Plath
An amazing married musical duo that radiate so much love and genuine creativity.
I saw these two perform in Washington DC recently and I haven't been able to stop listening to them since. You know how you have that group that you listen to everyday while you tinker along with your daily routine; these two are that group for me.
Another amazing married musical folk duo I've been very interested in lately is Barnaby Bright. Their sound is so pure and just plain lovely. Have a listen!
Well that's me this week. There is no pressing issue in my life, I'm healthy and happy but I'm just off. My usual spunk for the every day is not here and it makes it hard to focus at work or on anything at all. But with situation comes opportunity, and that gave me the opportunity to figure out how to make me feel most like myself.
I'm not sure if this will be my future go to, but for this week, it's working.
Something Habitual : I always feel a sense of accomplishment after a run, no matter how long. I've always been an athlete, but not on land. Throw me in the pool, no problem; land sports are tricky. I recently found a passion for running this year. It's a great twenty-something fad and I'm digging it. Nike+ is also awesome and it always makes me want to keep running.
Something Nostalgic: One of my absolute favorite movies is the Sound of Music. I found the movie soundtrack on Spotify yesterday and I've been grinning in my cubicle all day. I feel like performing the "Sixteen Going on Seventeen" combo in my office..however that would not be appropriate. You know, the thunderstorm gazebo number with Ralf!? Tell me you didn't practice that in your family room? Oh, just me? Alright.
Something Inspirational: Nothing like some happy words about the human experience to bring you back to what really matters.
“You’ll need coffee shops and sunsets and road trips. Airplanes and passports and new songs and old songs, but people more than anything else. You will need other people and you will need to be that other person to someone else, a living breathing screaming invitation to believe better things.”
Something New: I saw my girl Emeli Sande a month ago at the Pride festival in DC and she just dropped a new song. It's GOOD.
Something Real:TED Talks rock...but really. I love watching them and feeling inspired or just learning and thinking. Today I watched one of my favorite authors, Elizabeth Gilbert (author of Eat, Pray, Love) talk about the creative process. If you enjoy anything creative, you'll love it. If not, just listen, her language is incredible and inspiring.
& finally, flowers. By the end of the week, I plan on buying myself flowers..because, why not?
There's my cure all for this weird week.
Do you have a ritual or a go-to when things are off?
My roomie Alison & I went to Target this weekend in search of fruits & veggies to juice but I came home with a new toy. I had noticed my old ipod earbuds [you know, the free ones you get with any Apple applicance] were sounding a little trippy at work. I saw the perfect opportunity for a new pair and I took it. I came home with yurbuds.
First of all, all my ladies out there, do you ever find that your ear buds hurt or constantly fall out while you work out?! Never fear, yurbuds are here [giggling as I write this]. yurbuds has designed ear buds specifically for women's ears, making them smaller and comfortable because not all ears are create equal. They are also sweat and water resistant & totally comfy. [but most importantly, super cute.]
I came home with the apple green pair, which of course isn't shown on Target's website, but trust me, they are cute. I'm excited to try them out today on my run after work.
There are many songs that I have pronounced that if there were to ever be a movie about my life, 'this song' would be in it! I've picked the opening scene, the credits, the blooper reel, etc.
Is that weird? Has anyone else done this?
Well, I've compiled them into a playlist for your listening pleasure.
I hope everyone had a happy weekend! I know I did!
This weekend I went to my first DC Capitol Pride festival. I think I read that there were 150,000 people visiting this weekend to celebrate love, no matter what kind. 5 blocks long ran the streets filled with vendors, a beer garden, and a huge stage. I was there to support one of my best friends and enjoy the show! It was an amazing experience and it really struck a cord with me while I was there. So many of the artists that performed sang of love, life, and spreading hope all over the world.
It was really special.
I saw Icona Pop perform live and they were absolutely incredible.
I only knew 'I Love It' from the radio and I knew they were from Sweden (yay Scandinavia!)
I was not expecting to love every. single. song.
Watching them on stage you could just tell how 'real' they were, it was not a performance, they were simply jamming, singing to the crown, and loving every second of it. Mostly, I was impressed with their stage set up, they controlled every effect and mix of every beat on stage. They were not only singing, they were crafting and making music on stage.
Icona Pop Washington DC June 9, 2013
Their outfits rocked, so Swedish. They were radiantly beautiful and full of so much positive energy! I'm not ashamed to say that I have been listening to them nonstop since I got home from the concert and this has been on repeat all day at work.
This one is my favorite ^^ We Got The World: Icona Pop
What I was most excited about yesterday was seeing Emeli Sande perform live for the first time.
I was close to seeing her perform live at the Royal Albert Hall back in the Fall while I was in London, but we missed each other by a few weeks and seeing as how the tickets were hundreds of dollars, it was unlikely. But I was as close as I could get.
In front of the Royal Albert Hall, London Fall 2012
However today, she was right in front of me. Besides being an absolutely amazing live performer, her lyrics are just gorgeous. She recently just broke the Beatles top hit week streak in the UK. I've been a fan of her's for a few years now, but she's just recently popular in the US with her hit, "Next To Me."
Emeli Sande Washington DC June 9, 2013
Her British accent was so cute! I squealed more than I should have and shed lots of tears. Anytime I've watched her perform live online, she was has always seemed so serious, so into her music. Yesterday she was all smiles, non stop energy and pouring her heart out to every single person there. It was truly incredible to watch. She tweeted about how excited she was to be in Washington and supporting yesterday's cause.
I don't even know how to explain her music because it is too good to put into adjective form.
Heaven: Emeli Sande
Where I Sleep: Emeli Sande
How did you spend your weekend? Have you seen either of these artists??
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