Markus’ Neighborhood

What a fun day I had! Here's a list:

• had breakfast with MisterJT and Tiffanybbrown
• Hopped on the Metro and saw the floats from the Rose Parade - Awesome!!! I gotta take my family to it, it's pretty flipping cool even with all that humanity and next time - kettle corn!
• Headed home
• decided to stop at Pasadena's King Taco because it's KING TACO! Have you been? It's the best food ever! And right off Memorial Parkway station
• got back on the Gold Line train
• got on the Red Line
• Got off at Hollywood and Vine and headed to Amoeba to spend a 5 year old gift certificate.
• Got laughed at when I asked if I could still use a 5 year old gift certificate
• Spotted cute music nerd in the record section - you know how you just keep running into each other because you are making the same circuit in the record section? yeah...He was cute but I couldn't see what kind of music he was buying...because you always have to check out what they are possibly going to purchase...you'd think I would have grown out of that but I can't help it..I'm curious!
• headed home and was sad that I didn't hear from Derrick J. because he, RAP, Jandy and RAP's family met up to watch that new Heath Ledger movie
• was about to walk one way then changed my mind
• AND THEN
• there they all were! having ice cream at Cookies and Cream on Vine!!!
• JOY!!!!
• hung out at Cookies and Cream and met new peeps, saw old peeps and had a good time. They have really good horchata ice cream by the way.
• Headed back to Amoeba
• and now..HOME!! and enjoying these goodies I bought
  

  Ahh..settling in
• The Pete Townsend album I bought is really good! It's called Rough Mix with Ronnie Lane. I never head of it but I thought Pete Townsend and an album from the 70s...that'll be good. the 80s..now that's hit and miss..you just never know but I kind of trust the 70s. 
  

  Keep Me Turning - Pete Townshend and Ronnie Lane
• Also, Mayer Hawthorn = SO GOOD! I pretty much love anything from Stones Throw and this is no exception.
• And anything by Paul Weller...
• My original mission was to buy some Buffalo Springfield. Over the last couple of years, I've really become fascinated by Neil Young. Did you know they re-released his first solo album on vinyl? I might have to get that but I think I'll try the library first. Ever since my day of Neil Young at SXSW forever ago I just really find him absolutely intriguing. Last night I watched an American Masters episode on him on PBS and that just reignited my interest in him. I think I'll really enjoy his early stuff...not sure about his 80s move to synth rock but who knows! And I did really like his Harvest Moon album. I swear, this probably means I'm officially old. Ok, wait! There is one thing I want to check out..his movie with Devo..now THAT would be amazing! OK! the music video with DEVO is on youTUBE! Here check it out!
  NeilYoung/Devo 1978

I love that song. I always just hear the De La Soul version

and it makes me want to hit a roller skating rink but anyway...

New year, new possibilities.

My kumu (hula teacher) sent me a pretty good quote this year that i posted somewhere else - So, if you clicked on the link and read it..well, basically, it's about being positive..saying "yes" instead of "no." I really liked it. I think the last couple of years have been a whole lotta of "no"s and "can't" and normally, I tend to say "yes" and am pretty much down for any kind of adventure but lately, with debts and car trouble and all those kind of shenanigans, it's been downright rough. So, a change of attitude is in order plus, I'm just plain tired of that funk and it's kind of lame being that way. Not that I'm that way a lot but more so than what I consider normal for me.

So, time to discover things. Rediscover things. Appreciate old things. and all that good stuff.

I'm not super emotional or public about my funk so right now I'm getting pretty uncomfortable writing this....

Anyway, so today will be spent with good friends, possibly heading out to Pasadena to take a look at those crazy Rose Parade Floats and then who knows what...

Have a good one peeps!

Also, if you have a moment take a listen to this awesome album 100% dynamite from Soul Jazz. Rediscovery #1.

If you missed it, here's a view of the moon from my part of the sky (SoCal).

New Year's Eve Blue Moon

Headphones

According to Last.fm, these are my top 10 artists for 2009;

1. Lisa Shaw
2. Fleet Foxes
3. Phoenix
4. Cansei de ser Sexy
5. Dan Auerbach
6. Clifford Brown & Max Roach
7. Mark Ronson
8. Lily Allen
9. Depeche Mode
10. Billie Holiday

I would say that is a pretty good assessment of my moods in 2009 as well. I really did love Phoenix's album. I thought that would be number 1.

what were you listening to? Any suggestions for me?

Happy New Year!!!

wow..this year seriously flew by...and it's been a decade! I thought I'd be dead by now. Seriously, I used to have a bizarre recurring dream that I died in my thirties but here I am! *knocks on marble counter top* But seriously you never know...

I hope everyone had a lovely holiday. I went to San Diego as per usual and it was great! I ate my face off because when do I get my favorite foods except for Christmas - my auntie vicki's menudo, joy's pecan cookies, my sister's pot roast, and then everything else we usually have out - turkey, lumpia, rice, mango cake from Red Ribbon, more cake..more food..more more more...

This year there were 2 new babies joining the Armontino clan - Jovie & Evan.

DSC_0047

Evan

which brings the total number of kids in my family to 15. There might be 1 more in Texas but I'm not sure...I can't keep it all straight. I know this makes me a bad Auntie but I can barely keep their names straight (I kid! I kid!). 

The "As Seen On TV" secret santa swap was a success.

I really wanted that windshield cleaner thing but I left it at home. Mama Martini won a pillow. My sister got the Perfect Brownie pan and there were a lot of things that you wouldn't buy for yourself but you would totally steal from a loved one. Good times!!!  Someone even bought a Snuggie - wild style. It was hilarious. We might have to do that again next year because no one brought the Shake Weight and hello, who knows what other As Seen On TV goodies will come out in the new year! 

That's it for now. Can't wait to see the Blue Moon on New Year's. Hopefully it won't be rainy or cloudy so we can actually see the moon. Happy Christmas and all that!

This was done by an artist named Pogo from Australia: "Video for my track 'Upular', composed using chords, bass notes and vocal samples from the Disney Pixar film 'Up'. Enjoy!"

I love how this composition turned out and yes, now, I want to watch a Disney movie.
More of these songs are here.

Holiday bows

and now am in the holiday spirit!

I had breakfast with MisterJT and mentioned that my volunteering to gift wrap for the animal shelter really did fill me with holiday cheer. Mellemusic helped out and we were pretty slammed from the moment we sat down. We made $120+ dollars during out shift and everyone was just great. The shift was for 4 hours and I swear, I have never wrapped that many presents in one sitting. We joked around with everyone and people were just in fantastic moods.

Also, I met some more awesome people who volunteer at the shelter and they had the best stories ever. I love that place! One of the volunteers, Scott, is actually part of the Happy Tails program, where they give the dogs obedience training to prepare them for life with a family. He was so interesting and I swear, he and his wife have had about 20 million different jobs - one included making ice cream, another graphic design, another dog trainer..so you really can do anything you want :)

Now, I'm back at BPL and I am happy to say that I was able to make some little gifts for all the kids in my life. There are 15 of them total. 1 high schooler, 3 itty bitty ones and 11 elementary school and toddler age. I made little grab stockings of the 11 and then since 1 is in high school, I'll get her something different and the 3 little ones need something different too. I really didn't think I could afford presents with all the car trouble I experienced but you know, for little kids, I thought it was important to get them some thing even if it isn't a giant toy.

I finally picked up some holiday cards as well. But you know, I never send those out in a timely fashion anyway so as long as it arrives before new years it's ok, right?

Hope everyone is having a great holiday season and if you are traveling - safe travels! Happy holidays to you and yours!!!   

No, I can't read anything written in Cyrillic alphabet. No, I'm not telling you who the hell I'm voting for because hello! Voting season has passed idiot! No, that picture of a bunch of boxed up books isn't cute...it's a picture of boxed up books!!!! GO AWAY!