Latest Music Obsession: Friendly Fires

Though it's not the primary focus of this blog, I'm actually a huge music lover. My favorite songs have gotten me through many a rough patch and of course also made the high points even sweeter. In fact, one of the biggest perks of working in D.C. for me is being able to hop over to the 930 Club at night, often at a day's or even a few hours' notice. Many genres have captivated my ear and I'm always open to more, but indie rock/pop have a special place in my heart.

Lately I've been REALLY into this British band, Friendly Fires, introduced to me by my musically enlightened friends, Steve and Nancy ;). My favorite songs so far are their cover of Lykke Li's "I'm Good, I'm Gone" and their own songs "Lovesick," "Paris," and "White Diamonds." I'd love to hear if anyone else likes them or can recommend similar bands.

And while we're on the topic of music, check out Pitchfork's sweet list of Top 500 Songs of the 2000s. It's surprisingly diverse, and you can listen to most of the songs directly on the website. Enjoy!

Though your face be silly, I truly miss thee...

One more month...one more month...repeat.

Baked banana bread today. I *used* a recipe for "Very Moist Banana Nut Bread" from Recipezaar's website, but altered the frak out of it (pardon my BsG =p) as usual. So the top of the quickbread browned a bit more than I'd have liked, but I guess some may find it gives the crust a nice bite. I know my food usually ends up tasting pretty good but is it wrong to want it to look slightly less rustic? I guess I can't take such liberties with ingredients and instructions while still expecting the same results.

That reminds me. I got a pleasant surprise a few days ago when a partner in the law firm where I work practically hunted me down to compliment my baking ^_^. Between weekend overtime, not getting Veteran's Day off, the dreary weather, and getting off on the wrong foot with a new attorney...let's just say the kind words came at an opportune time.

In terms of social life, a recent highlight was going out to Eyebar on Friday night. I met up with Maureen to celebrate her finally taking the actuary exam. It turned out to be a joint birthday bash, and I knew several of the people. Going out hasn't changed much. Still gotta deal with a lot of drunk and/or sketchy people, but overall it was fun =). There's a void in my life from absence of dancing though...this coming weekend with JJ and Nilam will hopefully remedy that!

Unfortunately one of the Decemberists is seriously ill, so they canceled the entire tour. I was disappointed to hear that, but it's much more important that he/she takes it easy in order to make a speedy recovery. There was still Bright Eyes on Sunday. Conor was surprisingly upbeat. I'm sure his recent work is just as pleasurable without hearing his earlier songs, but it really moved me to realize how much he and his music have matured. Great show indeed.

A fresh start...A good start?

I can't believe it's already been a few months since I've graduated from college, gotten my own apartment, and started a real job in DC. The 9-5(ish) grind has its ups and downs, but there's only been sporadic overtime so far. Besides the general unpleasantries of office jobs, I must say the firm treats us quite well...for indentured servants anyway. totally kidding!

On top of those changes, it's been almost 2 months since my boyfriend ran off to Japan to sow his kinky, wild bathroom sex oats (inside joke =X). Heh he's actually teaching English for a year with the JET Program. The distance (holy 13 hour time difference batman...) is certainly a major adjustment and challenge, but I'm grateful to have him in my life at all. <3

So I realized earlier this week that I hadn't used LJ for 20+ weeks. Since things have shifted so much in the rest of my life, I figured I'd try something new in record-keeping as well! I've been going to a LOT of amazing concerts lately (Damien Rice, Editors, The National, Metric, RK, Iron & Wine, Patrick Wolf) and have about as many lined up for the winter. During the past year, food/health has also captured my attention. With some help from the net and an exponentially growing cookbook collection, I've become marginally skilled and more adventurous in the kitchen. In fact, for those of you who haven't heard, my career goals have mostly wandered away from law and toward nutrition. The point of all this being that, among other things, I feel my musical and culinary experiences would be fun to document.

Since we're all picture whores whether we admit it or not, the birth of this page also doubles as incentive for me to get off my ass to buy a real (translation: over 10 MB) memory card for my kaamrra. This site will really be for my own recall as much as for any friends or strangers who stumble upon it. I'll try to keep it interesting (or at least active).

Food porn is always the happiest ending, I find. And what better excuse for cake than a blog birthday? The Real Crepe Cake from Cream Puffs In Venice is my Mount Everest of desserts. NY Times has an interesting article about the masterpiece that inspired it too. I hope to attempt it one day but a photo must suffice for tonight.