you're the other half of what i am

My cousin is getting married this week in Maryland. Rather than a wedding, they are having a simple court house ceremony followed by dinner at my parents house. I have been requested to make a banner which I'm currently making out of craft paper, rope and clothes pins with American Typewriter lettering. It sounds weirder than I think it's going to be.

In addition, I am making the reception playlist. While my cousin is a Southern Rock loving Mr. All American, his fiance is Brazilian. The result is this strange romantic indie rock, southern influenced, stupid top-40 alternative songs and wedding staples cacophony (read: my dream soundtrack). This has been hard. As of right now, this is the playlist I have:

Ain't No Sunshine- Aaron Neville
Jessica- Allman Brothers Band
Wedding Bell- Beach House
Blackbird- the Beatles
The Luckiest- Ben Folds
The Very Thought of You- Billie Holiday
Wedding Song- Bob Dylan
Skinny Love- Bon Iver
First Day of My Life- Bright Eyes
Lovers Spit- Broken Social Scene
I Love How You Love Me- Camera Obscura
Sideways- Citizen Cope
The Scientist- Coldplay
Colorblind- Counting Crows
Bad Moon Rising- Creedance Clearwater Revival
Our House- Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
Love Song- the Cure
The Blowers Daughter- Damien Rice
Red Right Ankle- the Decemberists
I Will Always Love You- Dolly Parton
La Vie En Rose- Edith Piaf
Tiny Dancer- Elton John
Can't Help Falling in Love- Elvis Presley
Where Will I Be?- Emmylou Harris
At Last- Etta James
1234- Feist
Do you Realize?- the Flaming Lips
I'll Be Seeing You- Frank Sinatra
Nocturne in E-Flat- Chopin
And Then You- Greg Laswell
I Don't Love You Much, Do I?- Guy Clark
Cat's in the Cradle- Harry Chapin
Such Great Heights- Iron & Wine
Piece of my Heart- Janis Joplin
First Time I Ever Saw Your Face- Johnny Cash
Heartbeats- Jose Gonzalez
Fools Gold- Katie Herzig
Danny's Song- Kenny Loggins (HOLLLLLLLLLLAAAA)
My List- the Killers
On Call- Kings of Leon
Simple Man- Lynyrd Skynyrd
Let's Dance- M.Ward
Dream a Little Dream of Me- Mama Cass
Can't You See- Marshall Tucker Band
Fade Into You- Mazzy Star
I Hear the Bells- Mike Doughty
I Loves You Porgy- Miles Davis
Always Love- Nada Surf
Here For You- Neil Young
Pink Moon- Nick Drake
Turn Me On- Nora Jones
Question- Old 97's
Today, Tomorrow & Forever- Patsy Cline
I Fall to Pieces- Patsy Cline
When A Man Loves A Woman- Percy Sledge
Two Hearts- Phil Collins
When Doves Cry- Prince
All I Need- Radiohead
You Are my Sunshine- Ray Charles
Wonderwall- Ryan Adams
Embraceable You- Sarah Vaughn
There is a Light That Never Goes Out- The Smiths
Chasing Cars- Snow Patrol
Ageless Beauty- Stars
So Romantic- Stripmall Ballads
The Good Life- Tim Myers
Sing For You- Tracy Chapman
Brown Eyed Girl- Van Morrison
Crazy Love- Van Morrison
Into the Mystic- Van Morrison
Maps- Yeah Yeah Yeahs

I'm proud because I've managed to work all of my aunts and uncles past first dance songs, my grandmothers favorite song, some god-awful country music, Phil Collins and Beach House into one playlist. Also, if you've never heard it, I highly suggest you listen to Bob Dylan's Wedding Song. I was obsessed with Planet Waves when I was about 16 and used to listen to that song about 23 times a day.

cupcakes to california

Inspired by Rachael and her poignant look back at her 2008, I decided to jump on the bandwagon. While everyone else has made top 10 lists of movies, music, books, I declare myself completely incapable and un-knowledgeable on any of these things. Therefore, I making a top 10-ish list of my favorite moments, ideas, people and places from my 2008.

cupcakes to california.

1. Cupcakes.

I ate a LOT of cupcakes this year. Especially Billy's cupcakes. I don't even like cupcakes that much. This was a box that my co-workers bought for my birthday. I think I ate the chocolate one on the upper left. Ironically, almost six months later to the day they bought me another box of cupcakes on my last day of work. Smartly, in addition to the many physical and emotionally healthy decisions I made in 2008, I also quit my job one month before the market turned and 1/2 the people I know got laid off.

2. Patrick, Amelia and Marc.

Months ago I captioned this photo as "one my favorite nights in a history of favorite nights." That has not changed. The four of us ransacked Williamsburg with cereal boxes on our head to protect us from the rain. At one point Patrick turned to me and said "Take the box off your head and take a look around, it's just BROOKLYN!"

3. Caroline, Bloody Mary's and Cafe Dumont.
This was from last winter when Caroline came to visit. Four months later she was living in Harlem and going to Columbia Law. Besides Caroline, I love this photo because it was taken at Cafe Dumont, one of my favorite brunch spots in New York and it features a massive Bloody Mary, something I love so much I devoted a party to it.

4. Going places with Rachael & then taking a picture of our heads.
Bimini, Bahamas:

Brooklyn, NY:

Staten Island, set of Gossip Girl:


5. Music
In addition to seeing some of my friends play (as it said in last weeks NY Mag "Eventually every band, every friend, every person I want to see eventually comes to New York.") I also got the chance to see some of my absolute favorite bands and musicians play this year including:

I took this picture of Kevin Devine at Music Hall of Williamsburg sometime last Spring. The otherwise amazing show was marred only by the fact that a man burped in my face.

6. Chelsea
I worked in Chelsea for a while and it has become the backdrop of a pivotal time in my life. I do believe there is nothing as beautiful as Chelsea in the Spring:



7.Family Portrait.
I'm not sure who came up with family portrait but it basically involves taking every picture like you're in a cheesy 1970's Sears portrait. These were my favs:

My actual family doing family portrait:


8. Friends that make me laugh so hard we get a noise violation.
This summer at her beach house, Lindsay and I got reprimanded by the police for laughing. It was just the two of us sitting on her front porch laughing and singing "Jolene" at the top of our lungs. This happened after the police left:

This was Lyle trying to go to the bathroom at el rey del sol. Rather than go around the table, he jumped on top, pretended to be a tiger, jumped off and continued to walk to the restroom. He and I also like to get together and talk about how funny we are.

And that pitcher of margaritas was split between just the two of us.

My third favorite picture of 2008:

Some of my favorite people, my apartment, Queens, NY.

9. Barack Obama
I took this during his acceptance speech following the election. Unfortunately, Minou, Lyle and I had to ring in the election after the sound at Pianos broke.

Sometimes I wish I could relive that moment over and over again. Magic.

10. California
I went to a psychic a few months ago with Chrissy and Rachael. She said "California is all around you." Strangely, that seems to be coming true. In September I went out to visit some friends in LA and San Diego.
I took this picture on a train that went down the Pacific Coast from LA to Encinitas. It was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen.
I love this picture because it looks like it was taken with a poloroid camera and aged about 25 years. It was in fact taken with an iPhone through a train window.

A few weeks ago it came full circle when the Californians came to visit me. Instead of balmy 75 degree weather and picturesque views of the Pacific, they got snow and a picturesque view of the Williamsburg Bridge:
After walking around all day in the snow (and falling on the ice on Broadway and 42nd), we went back to my friend's brother's apartment where we stood on the roof, brown bags in hand, faces freezing staring at this beautiful view.
My second favorite picture of 2008:

Danny, Chris and Michelle on the top of an apartment building, Brooklyn, NY

My absolute favorite picture of 2008:

Kermit the Frog Ad, Corner of 20th St and 10th Ave, NY, NY

Here's to 2009.