7.21.2007

i am sentimental, baby.

It's a lovely SATURDAY MORNING in Huntington Beach!

I leave tomorrow for Rosarito Mexico to shoot a wedding, so I will not be blogging until Wednesday (for all 3 of you that may read this). I will be putting up pictures from my weekend there, I am sure it will be a lot of fun...I am going with incredible friends. This is just something short to show you a video of me singing for Kristi Jo at Portfolio Coffeehouse in Long Beach. If you are in LB tonight around 9pm, go to the Blue Cafe...she's playing there. Enjoy:








AND now the angelic tones of Kristi Jo...
"i don't see the negative I only see the black and white so if I don't want to go on the green light don't walk behind me, beside me...I need you on my side, again i'm thinkin it'll all be fine...i need a sign, i need a heart beat"


www.KristiJo.com
or
www.myspace.com/kristijo

Photo by: me.

7.19.2007

Planter's dry roasted peanuts.



It dawned on me today while I was at work that I currently have a mild obsession with Planter's peanuts...lightly salted. I was talking to a group of friends the other day about relationships in general and the LOOOOVE word, and losing love. Me being the Steph that I am, associate all things love with food. These peanuts were beyond magnificent. Isn't it funny that you forget how much you really love something until you don't have it for awhile...and then suddenly when you have the opportunity to partake in it once again you are reminded of all of the good feelings that run through your body, the sensations of it on your tastebuds...and you fall in love with it all over again. One of the greatest feelings, i'm sure. I speak from experience with a jar of peanuts in my hand.

BUT in talking to friends about their current situations. The underlying question is HOW do you keep from getting tired of these delicious Planter's dry roasted peanuts? You're afraid that in loving these salty treats so much that you will crave them repeatedly, fall in love with them, but then it will die off when it becomes routine, or perhaps when you needs something sweet. Eventually it could just get old or possibly one day you find a more palatable snack. How do you avoid the vicious circle of loving something so much that you crave it on a regular basis, to one day...having the excitement dwindle off? thoughts?

hm. interesting.

GOOD DAY TO ALL OF YOU!!
my sister and i will be having a night of relaxion which rarely happens for me. We are going to order Papa Johns pizza, put on PJs and watch My Best Friend's Wedding. Um,yes please.

and nowww....delicious words from Kelley James,:
"just because i walk around your house dressed like a robber, doesn't mean that i'm a stalker."


watch this video of Kelley James freestyling with Ernie Halter @ the Hub's Living Room 5 show. If you watch closely you can see my camera, my wrist and my large butt in the way: enjoy.


LADIES AND GENTS, MR. KELLEY JAMES:
http://www.myspace.com/kelleyjamesmusic

photography at the top by: www.isaiahgarnica.com

7.17.2007

the gymnasium.




Raise your hand if you go to the gym. I am currently a member of 24 hours fitness...it's where i go to get physically fit. Actually, it's just where I go to burn off some Ben...and a little bit of Jerry. I just got back from a midnight workout and I have a question. Is it just me or does EVERYONE stare at you?!? I feel like everwhere I go, the small asian women on the treadmill behind me are watching my every step, just waiting for me to mess up. Possibly someone secretly hoping the tricep toner upper's seat will be down too far so they can watch me try to find out where the dang knob adjustment is....and laugh under their breath when I move to the next piece of machinery. Maybe it's just me, but I kinda look forward to it. I have changed the way I work out. I just bought an silver ipod shuffle, and I really don't pay attention to people anymore...and if i catch them looking, i break out into a small dance move and then back to the thighmaster. It's fun that way. I also like watching the larger men walk with their man boobs out and smug facial expressions...it's amazing, see i watch people too...i suppose it's a good way to pass the time away and to get rid of the burning sensation in your calf.

well i am off to bed, BUT FIRST some lyrics from one of my all time favourite bands. you MUST see them play live...PORCELAIN.

"but i still lose myself in every embrace i never let you catch me staring at my face. we step outside for awhile you confide say you're searching for someone to make them your loved one. I feel my heart break cuz i'm too scared to say that that someone's me."

http://www.myspace.com/ozporcelain



photography at the top by: Dana Morris Photography (also shoots for Porcelain).

7.16.2007

"the Living Room Show 5"




I visited an event put on by the Hub...."the Living Room Show 5". Very intimate concert with musicians such as Ernie Halter, Andy Davis, Amber Rubart, Kelly James, Joey Ryan, Kristi Jo and Skyler Stonestreet. Amazing musicians, check them out on myspace at the Hub. www.myspace.com/themusichub

the radical shoe of Kelly James...


http://www.myspace.com/andydavis


http://www.myspace.com/erniehalter

http://www.myspace.com/skylerstonestreet












www.myspace.com/kristijo


www.mypsace.com/amberrubarth

flying high...with occasional turbulence.



Hello beautiful people, happy Monday to you.

We are all human beings here (aside from my robot friend, you know who you are), we all get wrapped up in our fast pace careers, we focus on being successful, making a name for ourselves, staying out of debt, and in the midst of bills and running around we forget to focus on our passion, our dreams...things we would like to one day accomplish before we're dead people. When I die I do not want people to say..."oh yeah, steph...she was uptight and stressed, and never liked to get out much. She kind of kept to herself and was consumed with work." Instead, I would love for someone to say, "oh yes, Steph...she made a spectacle of herself on a regular basis. She was constantly taking risks. She lived her life with a continual spontanaity...she thrived off of it really. She loved to hear people laugh and always tried new things...she followed her dreams."

have you ever thought about this:


- "When you're laying in the grass on a summer day, and you see the clouds, do you ever wish you could jump on them?"

- "When you're a little kid and you're holding a helium balloon, did you ever wish it would take you soaring in the sky?"

Well, a man in Oregon decided he wanted to make it happen last weekend, Kent Couch settled down in his lawn chair with some snacks -- and a parachute. Attached to his lawn chair were 105 large helium balloons.

"It was beautiful -- beautiful"...He described the flight as mostly peaceful and serene, with occasional turbulence, like a hot-air balloon ride sitting down. He ended his journey in the sky 193 miles from home.

POINT:
105 large helium balloons: $20
Lawnchair: $10
Doritos: $2.50
Violating air traffic rules: $1,500.
Hearing cattle and passing through clouds: priceless.

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AND NOW...these lyrics go out to Ken Couch of Bend, Oregon! Listen to Jem.

I know, oh yes
I know that we can't
be together
but, I just like to dream
It's so strange
the way our paths have crossed
how we were brought together
hmmm, it's written in the stars it seems
And I'm flying so high
high off the ground
when you're around
And I can feel your high
touching me inside
and it's too much to hide

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Photography at the top by: The Memory Tree Photography
http://www.myspace.com/thememorytree

7.15.2007

lessons learned....




TO THE POINT:


10 things that have made me a smarter human being within the last 24 hour period:

1. don't wear tight white jeans with granny pannies. people WILL make fun.

2. don't carry around a banana like a shot gun in downtown Long Beach, people take it the wrong way.

3. don't have important converstions over IM, they get confusing, you can't hear tones, and you lose things very quickly...including your brain.

4. don't feed your 6 year old child hot dogs and slurpees at 10:30 in the pm when they are already overweight, it makes me sad.

5. always be, Frank. Not sure who Frank is but I am going to be him.

6. always keep a blue flag hanging out of your backside, BUT....never on the right side.

7. when at a wedding, do not...i repeat, DO NOT...get drunk and decide that you think it would be a good idea to give a drunken speech while trying to be funny, no one laughs. and people think you are weird.

8. don't be manipulating. it's not healthy for you or anyone else.

9. if you're a DJ, always make sure that you have a back up Mariachi band in outfits to play...just in case your PA system blows up. if you don't have these 3 hispanic men toca la guitaring you will feel sheepish when 200 people stare at you like you are a piece of crap while the bride and groom are in the middle of their first dance.

10. dance it out, always.


AND NOW...for something to chew on by the Hush Sound:
"in a field outside of town we could always be alone...carry a blanket maybe a basket. Innocence was a key i was locked up never free...until you turned me. Like vines we intertwined."

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Photography at the top: www.ronysphotobooth.com

7.14.2007

an elderly kermit...




photo by: Samuel™
http://www.myspace.com/chiefsamuel

so i have this friend. . . the Tool. her blog is primarily made up of lists. She gives herself a clever topic and comes up with a list of 5 things about that topic. Quite interesting and yes, inspiring. I have decided to post an old kermit from myspace and dedicate it to the Tool said so blog. introducing 50 things that keep me SANE (if these don't work, FIND ME IMMEDIATELY and i will meet you for coffee and chat about life in general.)

1. give lots of hugs

2. smile at random people.

3. lay in the grass.

4. dance in the moonlight.

5. help people who are less fortunate than you.

6. meet new people.

7. don't overreact

8. sing in the shower.

9. make a spectacle of yourself.

10. make music with friends.

11. sketch often.

12. get paint on your body. it's a canvas.

13. smell the rain...i mean SMELL it.

14. sit in trees

15. take roadtrips...ANYWHERE. it's just good to get away.

16. appreciate the fog when it rolls in.

17. cook dinner for people.

18. throw rad parties.

19. go to harbor house often (and invite people from Temecula)

20. treat people like they're your best friend.

21. read books....if you don't like to read, go with me and we'll look at photography books together.

22. drink lots of black coffee. while wearing a scarf.

23. cuddle like it's going out of style.

24. drive down PCH in the winter with the heater on your feet and window down.

25. go to the mountains and stay in snowy cabin.

26. light candles.

27. dare to be different.

28. eat In-N-Out fortnightly. maybe even more often then that.

29. quote movies.

30. laugh till you pee.

31. play video games.

32. buy your friends gifts just because it's another day that they are in your life.

33. send unexpected cards in the mail.

34. go to concerts. ALOT.

35. have BBQ's and pool partys. the kind where you stay in the bathing suit all day and night

36. take camping trips to the beach in the summer.sit under stars while playing guitar and eating smores.

37. clean sheets

38. go out of your way to step on crunchy leaves.

39. tell your parents you love them.

40. take your sister out for a pazookie and a 1 dollar hotdog.

41. surround yourself with positive people.

42. don't let hate live inside your heart.

43. light farts....? if amonst friends. and don't post blogs about it.

44. make up words: i.e.: "astrologicalframinghorns"

45. make noises while making the craziest face possible.

46. take LOTS of pictures.

47. take mental pictures.

49. wear chapstick. no one likes stale lips.

50. twirl in circles while listening to Natasha Bedingfield

AND NOW....lyrical greatness from my good friend's Northern, "waiting for a reason, got one in my pocket... logic says to love you."

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7.13.2007

analyze this....




http://www.myspace.com/kellenkjera

First off, I need to start out by talking about this photography above. I am honestly thrilled to the bone marrow when I see photos like the one above. He lives in TN...but we have talked a few times through myspace, his stuff is not photoshopped...it's just that amazing. It's people like this who inspire me. When you look at their photography and just smile from ear to ear.

I am gonna keep this short...with something for you to analyze. Here is a painting that I painted around a year ago....I always look at paintings and think, "what was the artist thinking while painting this?"...i know that i must have been thinking/feeling something subconsciously while putting my brush to the canvas, but what it is I am not sure. Any feedback on what you think this painting could mean is welcome, because I am interested in hearing what you have to say about my work. Yes, I know probably only one person with comment on this...but i'm fine with that. I plan on putting this blog on myspace so if you are a stranger feel free to join in on this as well.

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On occasion my friends and I make our way across the street to the local bookstore. We drink coffee and mostly laugh and get "shushed" but the book monitors. I bought a book at Barnes & Noble a few nights ago from the bargain section..."Home from the Vinyl Cafe" I suppose I bought it mostly because it had the words Vinyl and Cafe in it... which happen to be 2 of my favourite words (besides the Missy Higgins version of the word SHCROOOOPULOUS) call me strange but, yeah that's it...just call me strange. I will let you know how it is...$4.98 screams "WASTE OF TIME", but alas i shall read it cover to cover and give you a full report. i hope your Friday night is all you've dreamt of. be safe and dance it out.

AND NOW.....a tasty lyric from Rilo Kiley, "There's blood in my mouth cuz I've been biting my tongue all week..."

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Steph

7.12.2007

"Keep it Simple"...

So, here's the thing. . . journaling. When I travel, journaling is my main focus (besides the obvious... photography). Documenting a trip with words is a spectacular way of reliving a moment...I came to this realization 2 days ago, when flipping through my brown leather journal....I flip to the section that says, "Steph See's New England day #1" I flip the page and see that I wrote while i was in Boston..specific details, smells and sounds. I found myself laughing...not at anything anyone else would find funny but because while sitting at my desk it was exactly like I was laying on my bed in the Boston Hostel, sipping on theraflu and looking out past the drizzle at a very wet Newbury St. I could hear the sounds around me of the girls i bunked with...their Scottish accent, and the way it faded to the back of my mind when out my open window I could hear live music from the students @ Berklee playing "Under Pressure". It was phenomenal to have that feeling again like I did almost a year ago. I got excited reliving the moments I had there...turned the page to see about what little things had happened when I was in Burlington, Vermont, or perhaps Rhode Island...but it was blank. I have these great intensions of capturing my heart on paper, moments and atmosphere that make my pulse race. It is then I realized that I MUST write more...MUST. People forget the small things so easily...and it's those little things that make up part of who I am, what makes me Steph. a good friend of mine just asked me, "whats the happiest you've ever been in your whole life? like EVER?" Honestly, I have so many happy things in my life...I am very blessed. But when my heart gets fluttery, and I get this huge smile on my face that can't be stopped...it's really when I am seeing new place and meeting new people. My answer was simple..."standing by a lighthouse in Cape Cottage, Maine with no one else around, in the fog in a scarf...sucking in as much cold air as i could, while holding black coffee from a local coffee shop with fingerless gloves. stuff like that....makes me VERY happy."

here is the journal entry from Boston, MA after catching a Red Eye from LAX to Boston...no sleep...walking around for an entire day in the rain, and yes...sick on top of that, but still my trip to these states were some of the best times of my life. Enjoy my delirious verbiage...

"Right now I am sitting on the top bunk of the bed my mom and I are sharing at a hostel in downtown Boston. We are right across the street from the world famous Berklee school of music. I am being serenaded by a live band rocking out in a dorm room, ah parites on thursday nights in Boston. They are very good, very souldful. Out of my window there is a dorm building and in that open window is a dance studio at Berklee where people are practicing routines. I am sick right now with a sinus cold, i picked it up on the redeye flight. My mom and I are so tired, we were delirious this morning. We dropped out stuff off at the hostel and headed for some breakfast foods at 7am Boston time which meant 4am CA time with no sleep. We found a small place called Trident coffee house & booksellers. It was pricey so we sat ourselves by a window and ordered a bagel and shmear and lots of black coffee. My mom fell asleep. After that she woke up and we started to eat I had an itch on my forehead but didn't realize I had cream cheese on my finger, well it ended up on my head and hair. She spit out a piece of her chewed bagel and it was all downhill from there. We were so out of it we laughed repeatedly til tears were streaming down out cheeks. My scarf was even damp. The waitress felt so bad for us she gave us the coffee for free. Finally we were on our way to the Musem of Fine Arts. Tonight was so much fun! The weather was perfect, a little crisp but not windy...we walked to Newbury St and my eyes lit up. The sun started to set and the white hanging lights were breathtaking. We ate at a pizza place in some basement where 2 fat Italian men prepared our pizza. We spent the rest of the night strolling into shops, drinking warm beverages, and watching candelight dinners. Goodnight"

"Keep It Simple" Vermont's state motto...and one of my favorite 3 words. On a daily basis we overlook the simple joys that are everywhere around us. CA is so fast, everything is not simple, it's over-rated and stressful...but there are so many things other than those that surround us...we choose not to open our eyes to them. That is a crying shame.

I challenge you...go out of your way to step on a crunchy leaf just to hear what it sounds like. For the love of pete..when it starts to rain don't put something over your head, enjoy how it feels when it lands on your eyelashes, take the time to feel how your lover's hands feel wrapped in yours. Random acts of kindness. If you have not seen the movie "Pay it Forward" please watch it...it's one of my favourites.


and with that I leave you with a few pics from my trip to New England last Fall. If you have a chance to go there when the leaves look like fire, rent a car and drive all 6 states...it's so beautiful. at least if i don't write i always have these:

Cape Cottage, Maine 2006:

My beautiful mom in Maine, Lorrie:


My happy mom on our roadtrip throughout all of the New England states Fall 2006.


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Keene, New Hampshire:

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Portland, Maine:



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AND NOW...some lyrics that touch my heart...."and your touch is potent medicine, oh knocks me out with just one shot, yeah
i've never seen such strong elixir, baby"

ladies and gents, Mr. Matt Wertz from TN.
his music is incredible, take a listen:
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Photograph at the top: SR-Photography.
http://www.myspace.com/sr_photography

7.11.2007

a bunch of things, really.




Greetings friends and random people i have yet to meet... welcome to this blog. Blog is a silly word ...and this is the last time i will be saying/typing it, ever. So yeah i rarely, okay i just lied...actually NEVER do this but i figured why not. I have been writing more personal stuff on a regular basis in my awesome brown leather journal...yeah fortnightly is regular for me, but I probably won't share that stuff on here....because that would mean you seeing into the inner depths of my soul, and well...i like to remain a mystery. I will start out this B*%g ...okay i will just call that word Kermit...each of my Kermit's will feature an awesome photographer and a rad song/band for you to check out. Hopefully one of them will leave you smiling, if not then go ride a merri-go-round while listening to maria bamford.

I was just telling my friend "Ashton" (yes, names have been changed to protect the not so innocent) that I felt so strange writing a serious kermit...steph's kermits should be light, weird and a bit off but i figured i start it out with some morsels of goodness. so on to the meat and potatoes of this thing....

So I was re-reading one of my favourite books the other day, "Blue Like Jazz" by Don Miller. If you haven't read this, pick it up. When reading it a year ago I bookmarked a few pages and was flipping through it yesterday and came across some chicken soup for the soul, if you will. More like thoughts and opinions from Don about why people dislike the church in general. It makes complete sense. I was actually talking to one my good friends, we'll call her CJ, about church...and why I go and why she doesn't. She is agnostic. She made very valid points...

Here is a section of what Donald Miller had to say about why people avoid the church, the Christians and eventually...their God. It's long but delcious, so eat up.

"Here are the things I didn't like about the churches I went to. First: I felt like people were trying to sell me Jesus. I was a sales-man for a while, and we were taught that you are suspposed to point out all the benefits of a product when you are selling it. That is how I felt about some of the preachers I heard speak. They were always pointing out the benefits of Christian faith. That rubbed me wrong. It's not that there aren't benefits, there are, but did they have to talk about spirituality like it's a vacuum cleaner? And yet another thing about the churches I went to: They seemed to be parrots for the Republican Party. Do we have to tow the party line on every single issue? Are the Republicans that perfect? I just felt like, in order to be a part of the family, I had to think George W. Bush was Jesus. And I didn't. I didn't think that Jesus really agreed with a lot of the policies of the Republican Party or for that matter the Democratic Party. Last: War Metaphor. The churches I attended would embrace war metaphor. They would talk about how we are in a battle, and I agreed with them, only they wouldn't clarify that we were battling poverty and hate and injustice and pride and the powers of darkness. They left us thinking that our war was against liberals and homosexuals. Their teaching would have me believe I was the good person in the world and the liberals were the bad people in the world. Jesus taught that we are all bad and He is good, and He wants to rescue us because there is a war going on and we are hostages in that war. the truth is we are supposed to love the hippies, the liberals, and even the Democrats and that God wants us to think of them as more important than ourselves. Anything short of this is not true to the teachings of Jesus."

This is only one small part, I wish I could type the entire book. If you read this and you are a Christian or you aren't I suggest getting your hands this book....Blue Like Jazz, "NONRELIGIOUS THOUGHTS ON CHRISTIAN SPIRITUALITY.

So with all of that said....Jesus is cool, check out my church Rock Harbor...it's THE BEST. no i'm kidding. i joke i kid. have a splendid evening.

And now...i leave you with lryics from a song:

"Roll your windows down the summers nearly gone...and only hours stand between you and the cold that's coming on." -the Alternate Routes

http://www.myspace.com/alternateroutes

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Photo at the top: the Darling Life Photography.
http://www.myspace.com/death_cab_darling

PS: the lesbian's that live in the house behind me just shouted, "i am sooooo pissed" while pointing at their garden and shrubbery. Oh the simple things in life make my day.


Steph