christmas wigila

It's that time of year again, when Polish Christmas traditions come back to the forefront. Just like last year, my mom and I traveled back to Wilmerding, PA for the annual Christmas Wigila. This year my dear friend Anna was in town from DC and was more than excited to join us for fun and great Polish food. We laughed more this year than we have in the past at this event. I think it was all of the Christmas spirit (beers!!!). Our plans for the night were actually halted because we were too full and merry to stay awake for more fun.

I always love it when Anna comes into town. She has this awesome personality and such a love for Pittsburgh. Sometimes I forget how great this little town of ours is, but Anna always reminds when she comes to visit, even if it is only for less than 24 hours.

We spent the evening with our great family friends E&C singing Christmas carols in Polish, eating pierogis, drinking Tiskie, and admiring the small Polish band in the corner. Fun was had by all.

daily jam- tiesto

Today's daily jam comes from the DJ and Dutch musician, Tiesto. Mostly known for his infectious beats and fun, upbeat remixes, today's song is absolutely one of my favorites. I'm generally not a big fan of the electronic music movement happening currently in the music world but when I need a pick me up, this one is a go to. The added bonus is CC Sheffield singing overtop of the electronic beats that Tiesto has put together. When I listen to this song, I tend to listen to it about 5 times in a loop. It gets your mood pumping and clears your mind. Enjoy!

Remember to  turn it to the left when listening with your headphones, save your hair cells, save your hearing!

daily jam- andrew bird

Today's daily jam comes from Andrew Bird, his song Pulaski at Night. This is one of those songs that has been begging for me to notice it. I've heard it three different times at three different places and used Shazam each time to find out what song it was. The violin is so lovely on this track it makes me wish I knew how to play a stringed instrument. This is the first single off of his new album that I will absolutely be checking out after hearing just this one song. Enjoy!

Remember to  turn it to the left when listening with your headphones, save your hair cells, save your hearing!

concert series: twentyonepilots |-/

Starting off the month of December with a concert, how fitting. I have talked about twentyonepilots on here before, featuring them as a daily jam a while back. I suspected that this duo was something special having only listened to their music, but I kept reading all over the inter webs that listening to their music was only a piece of understanding who they are. Seeing and experiencing their show was the only way to fully grasp this thing that Tyler and Josh were bringing into the world. If you don't know about them, go listen to them ASAP, listen to the lyrics that Tyler writes. They are profound and way beyond his years. It's the type of music you never knew you needed to hear. I know I am gushing about them but you will understand once you listen to the songs over and over again.

I was unaware of their cult-like following, so I was super surprised when we got to the venue and the the line was wrapped around the block after the doors had been open for more than a half hour. I was shocked but started to get very excited, like a secret I was finally going to be let in on. The show itself was fast paced and energetic that you forget that there are only two people on stage. I have never been to a show that has been so indescribable yet so engaging. It felt as though there was not an imaginary glass wall in-between the artists and the audience. More than once both Tyler and Josh came INTO the audience, Tyler singing and Josh actually sits on top of the audience and plays the drums being held up by his fans. The trust and the respect that the band has for the audience is very unique and rarely seen in this day and age. I had the best time and will, without a doubt, see them again.

Favorite song: Car Radio

Beer of Choice: none
Videos or Pics: Pictures with some Instagram videos 
In the Pit or No: Pit
Who did you go with: Regina! Her first time at Stage AE

*please excuse the terrible IPhone pictures, it was tough getting a picture

decals

Throughout college I had a PC. My family includes three IT guys who only ever use and swear by PCs. So, without question when I was going away to college, I would also be getting a PC. Looking back, I would have chose differently now that I have a MacBook Pro. (Also, I should have purchased any kind of laptop considering I was on a D1 softball team and constantly traveled. Not my smartest moment.) Anyway, I freaking love my sparkly new MacBook but I needed something to make it more individualized and to suit my personality.

Obviously I would need a case to keep it from getting scratched as it gets put into my book bag or my briefcase depending upon the day. But I also wanted to get some cool decals. As I searched through the inter webs, I found some decals on Amazon and various other places Google directed me but I could not find anything that spoke to me. I decided to go to ETSY to see if by chance I would come across something unique/cool. Let me just tell you....I hit the jackpot.

I found this awesome shop named Definitely Decals. Devin, the owner, creates custom vinyl decals of almost anything you can think of. In his shop I found a killer Doctor Who Gallifreyan letters and a Deathly Hallows symbol that I NEEDED. They look killer on my MacBook and both have started conversations with interested fans. 

daily jam-kate nash

Today's daily jam comes from Kate Nash, the quirky English singer/songwriter who has such catchy songs. My roommate in college first introduced me to this lovely lady from across the pond and it has made my life much happier. Her songs are clever, funny, and the best thing to have on when you need a quick pick-me-up or an impromptu dance moment. Mouthwash might be my favorite song of hers but Merry Happy, Foundations, and Pumpkin Soup are pretty fantastic as well. She has a fantastic way with words in her storytelling through song. Check it out and I hope you enjoy it!

Remember to  turn it to the left when listening with your headphones, save your hair cells, save your hearing!

may the odds, be ever in your favor

Happy Hunger Games

On Thursday night, I went to a double feature with friends that shows the first Hunger Games movie right before the new Catching Fire movie. There was not an open seat in the theater. We were given lanyards and pins to commemorate the premiere. This book series has been a favorite of mine for a while now and I forcibly have made my friends and family read this series about this story empowering girls left and right. Yes, the love triangle is an old, overused literary tactic but I am okay with it because of how bad-ass Katniss is.

My favorite aspect of any film adaption of a book series is the fandom. There were people of all ages just as excited for this Young Adult production as I was. What cracked me up was there was a group of ten middle school aged girls sitting in front of us who dressed up like characters from the movies. The most impressive was the girl who drew on a Seneca Crane beard with eyeliner. Oh to be young and not care about what other people think of you.

Catching Fire was as fantastic as I hoped it was going to be. Jennifer Lawrence was flawless in her portrayal of Katniss, the girl on fire. In this movie, since it had a bigger budget, her wardrobe was even better than before. She wore this knitted scarf/poncho/vest thing that I NEED the pattern for. Overall it was an awesome experience to see both movies in the theater back-to-back. I'm just mad I have to wait an entire year for the first part of Mocking Jay to come out.

Image via Google

"selfie"

The word of the year for 2013 is...."selfie." I'm guilty of it doing, I mean who isn't, but this selfie above is by far the BEST selfie out there. The New Yorker explains that a selfie is an informal noun (plural: selfies) defined as “a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website.” 

*The space 'selfie' is of astronaut Aki Hoshide, who captured Earth in his visor while floating at the International Space Station.

currently reading

Lately I have been reading a lot. My kindle has been on overload with the amount of books I am flying through. The best part: borrowing books on my Kindle from my local library. Just like borrowing a real book, you get the digital version for a certain amount of days before it needs to be returned (I am sometimes get multiple books at once and can't read them all. I found a little cheat though, if you turn off the wi-fi, the book remains on the Kindle until the wi-fi is turned back on).  Currently on my Kindle:

Images via GoodReads

What other books should I be reading?

halloween

We have a tradition when it comes to Halloween night. My wonderful neighbors come over and hand out candy on our porch while we all partake in food and fall themed libations surrounded by jack-o-lanterns. This year's weather was pretty terrible and it rained for almost the entire 6-8pm trick-or-treating time slot. 

This years meal was chili and grilled cheese paired with some homemade mulled cider, with the option of a floater (what we refer to as a shot of liquor).  The chili and grilled cheese kept us warm as we slowly waited for the few costumed-clad kids to come to our house for candy. 

This year was the first time in a very long time that I actually bought a pumpkin and turned it into a jack-o-lantern. I decided to change it up this year and not make a traditional face jack-o-lantern. And sticking with the Doctor Who theme, I created a TARDIS-o-lantern. I love it and the few kids who knew what Doctor Who was, appreciated it as well. 

halloween party

Halloween is by far my favorite holiday. But it's not because of the spooky, scariness of the end of October. I think it is because I have an overactive imagination and can scare myself at the sound of the wind. Pathetic I know. Halloween is my favorite because it is the one time a year where my creativity is at an all time high. My costumes always consist of a pun. They aren't necessarily sexy which is kind of hard to believe since, well, it's Halloween. And any female who has seen Mean Girls and been to college know what I am talking about. One year, I covered myself in aluminum foil to look like a hershey kiss and wore a beret: I went as a French Kiss. Oh yeah, step off of my nerd status. 

Every Halloween, my awesome friends Alex and KTine have a killer costume party. I always end up going with my best friend Renee and we have the best time. This year, however, my creativity was depleted and I had zero time before finding out I was going to a Halloween party this year. I decided to make this Halloween Doctor Who themed and just went with it. Well..when I showed up to the party, not only did NO ONE know who/what I was, everyone was greatly and outwardly disappointed with my lack of my usual PUNNY costume. I reassured everyone that this was just an off year and next year would be back to usual. 

I think Halloween is my favorite holiday because it is the one time every year where I know I will see all of my friends and it is a guaranteed great time for all. Even if no one knew that I was the Eleventh Doctor, even though I was dressed as the female version of him including TARDIS earrings and had a Sonic Screwdriver. 

Alex and DOB acting as they did when I first met them 6 years ago

KTine and Mitch just being my favorite people in the world, nbd

Fun with the Sonic Screwdriver

Best Friends

Renee as a Jellyfish

Trust me, I'm a Doctor. Bow Ties are COOL!

daily jam-the head and the heart

Today's daily jam is Shake by The Head and the Heart. I found out about this awesome band via Twitter when my friend Ben tweeted about them. Ben and I share a similar taste in music so I knew I had to check them out. The Head and the Heart is a folk and country-influenced rock 'n roll band from Seattle that has had a remarkable grassroots-esqe movement. Word of mouth helped them sell albums and eventually become an opening band (for Vampire Weekend none the less). I really enjoy their general vibe which is surprising since I don't generally enjoy country music. Once again Ben was right and I will be adding The Head and the Heart to my list of needed vinyl. 

Remember to  turn it to the left when listening with your headphones, save your hair cells, save your hearing!

deep creek

The Orange Crush team took over Deep Creek Maryland over the weekend. My championship softball team planned a trip back in late August to celebrate our fantastic tournament victory. There were 14 of us who drove the 2 hours down to Maryland to eat and drink too much. After this weekend, I am 100% sure that I have the best team/friends in the entire world. We laughed too hard, could have drank more, and absolutely eat wayyy too much food. Most of the #notafossil's (aka young kids) stayed around the house and relaxed while the older #fossils took to the outdoors for beautiful hikes around the area. Since I have never been to Deep Creek before, I wanted to experience as much of the weekend as I could. The hike at Swallow Falls might have been my favorite part. I put on my L.L.Bean boots and trudged through the wilderness with my #fossil friends while listening to Bon Iver and I felt like completely at peace. It was a nice escape from the loud house.

We stayed up late playing card games and making fun of each other in a way that only teammates can. It was a freaking blast. Our friend Cheryl had team koozies made for everyone and our friend Nicki had headbands made for the #notafossil's. I only wish the weekend could have been longer.

Images via my IPhone

daily jam-the avett brothers

The Avett Brothers have come out with a new album recently and there is one song that I can't stop listening to. Its called "Bring Me Your Love" and it is today's daily jam. This beautiful song embodies  the kind of song I would put at the end of an amazing movie. I can't stop listening to it. I actually am using someone's recording of this song from a recent show because the song is so good that they use it as their encore. The Avett Brothers come back into Pittsburgh next year in March and I am looking forward to hearing this song in person.

*I used the video from R Carp on Youtube, awesome Avett Brothers videos. Subscribe!

Remember to  turn it to the left when listening with your headphones, save your hair 

cells, save your hearing!

life lately

Life lately according to my iPhone camera. Stories included are a recent Halloween party where I won an honorable mention for my 'behind the times' costume, yes that rubber duck again (it has now left Pittsburgh), fall foilage, and a picture of my breakfast after my softball game was cancelled even though it had not rained in the past couple of days.