What a day. What a day.

Dear 27,

Today is causing this face.

(please feel free to caption)

xo-LP

Photo adventure

Dear 27,
The world would be a better place if there were more photobooths. And more Anthony.
xo-LP

Summerfest-ive

Dear 27,

Passion Pit at Summerfest. I suffered through the chain smoking kiddos, the over-served crowd and the heat and managed to see a damn good show.

Thanks to the Youtube people and the kids who video-ed this in better seats than I had.

xo-LP

"mill-e-wah-que"

Dear 27,
Made my maiden voyage to Wisconsin, my newest (and fast becoming on of my most favorite) territory/travel destination. Thanks to my trusty friend from the good land, I was given a list of great sites, eats and views (thanks friend). Here's a few bits of what I saw and enjoyed...

xo-LP

Chuy loves Leslie

Dear 27,

(and Chuy-- I love Leslie too.)

xo-LP

These are a few of my favorite things

Dear 27,

When Brianne Sanchez asked me to do a lil feature in Juice, I was flattered and nervous and excited...I hadn't done a "photo shoot" since senior pictures (back when my mom forced me to put on "at least one coat of mascara" and I would have worn a t shirt and super cool ill-fitting jeans in the picture if it were allowed). And there I was with Brianne and Eric getting my picture snapped with THE Jeff Fleming of the Des Moines Art Center.

It took awhile to narrow down what to bring-- thanks to my friends who let me stress too darn much about it!

Here's the results.

(Thank you Mr. Eric Rowley.)

xo-LP

I wish I were a book nerd.

Dear 27,

I set out to read 20 books in 2010. The year started out well, thanks to regular meetings of Books & Bourbon. Then life got in the way.

So when I finished The Perks of Being a Wallflower in one day (Thanks to United Airlines and an unprecedented amount of awakeness on my flights-- I'm one of those rare and lucky people who find it terrifically simple to sleep on planes.)... I felt that 20 books was completely doable.

But then-- as if one book wasn't enough-- I finished The Road when I returned home.

(Yes. I'm feeling pretty good about myself right now.)

If you haven't picked up The Perks of Being a Wallflower it's a series of letters written by a young high school kiddo, called Charlie, to an unknown recipient. I have a sweet and special place in my heart for letters (if you couldn't tell) and I flew through this book, written by Stephen Chbosky. I found it an odd combo of enlightening+disturbing+just kind of weird, but the way Charlie's words were strung together in sentences felt sincere. I definitely was NOT a Charlie in high school, but I could identify with some of his moments, particularly some of his words:

--

"Sometimes, I look outside, and I think that a lot of other people have seen this snow before. Just like I think that a lot of other people have read those books before. And listened to those songs. I wonder how they feel tonight."

--

"After the song finished, I said something. 'I feel infinite.'”

--

"Do you always think this much, Charlie?"
"Is that bad?" I just wanted someone to tell me the truth.
"Not necessarily. It's just that sometimes people use thought to not participate in life."
"Is that bad?"
"Yes."

--

(Please sing the blog post title to the tune of "I wish I were a rich man.")

xo-LP

John Wayne, the aviation innovator

Dear 27,

Orange County is beautiful always, but the Californians know of the June gloom. Hazy and chilly and gloomy. Had my usual round of hellos this trip. June is flying by...faster than G-pa Don's plane pictured here, but hoping to make time to enjoy it.

Wishing my own June gloom burns off soon. Can't wait for summer.

xo-LP

Minnesota, eh?

Dear 27,

A little getaway to Minneapolis was quite a lovely adventure. I saw so much the city had to offer. So much. Lucky to share the weekend with a damn great companion. Like the best of companions.

We ate at Chino Latino and learned that while this place is super cool...it may actually be cooler than I am. Delicious food, fun atmosphere, and potentially depressing fortune cookies.

(borrowed from http://mspccelite.wordpress.com/)

The Hotel Minneapolis is absolutely delightful. (And FYI- it's now a Marriott property)

Morning at the Town Talk Diner with the most delicious english muffin I've ever tasted. Homemade with rosemary in it or something. Wow. It was good. Not as good, however, as the kind and talented bartender who made drinks that seemed like art...housemade bitters, sprinkles of citrus, basil oil...Definitely a highlight of the trip!

(A tiny picture of the Jackson Pollock.)

Finally went to The Walker

(sorry Walker, you aren't as cool as the DMAC, but I did enjoy you, despite the fact that free admission day brought out a bunch of people, making the art less easy to appreciate and causing a bit of overcrowd-ness discomfort for me),

checked out Treehouse Records

(where I felt like it was more of a museum than the Walker, filled with history and music and people who love music and making me wish, again, that I worked at Empire Records. The movie of course),

ate at the Bulldog

(not your typical bar food but the fries, spicy.)

... and topped the weekend off with a show at First Avenue-- She & Him.

(Thank you the people who filmed this. And YouTube.)

This was my favorite moment of the show...but must say it wasn't the most exciting show ever. Like I said-- good travel companion made it more fun, but I was a slight bit disappointed. There was a lot of "stop taking pictures of me" from Ms. Zooey, which made her seem a little less cool and mellow, still has great style and sings well, but didn't win points from me. M. Ward is absolutely impressive and slightly sexy. The ladies in the crowd howled each time he opened his mouth and barely uttered a harmony.

***Added side note. after reading this (found 7/13) I sort of think M.Ward is less hot. Although both She & Him appreciate a show that involved my namesake, I'm not sure we could be friends.****

Anyway-- Minneapolis rocked. I'd say June of 27 is off to a great start.

xo-LP

Houses and rooms are full of perfumes

Dear 27,
My littlest sister graduated this weekend. The fourth and final to walk the halls of the good old MHS. And we were there, in those halls.

And the smell. The smell was surely the same. As soon as that linoleum-chlorine-air-conditioned-bookbag perfume floated to my nose I was rushed back to 15. Shawn Reed and I standing at those skinny lockers. I'm carrying my Jansport bag to calculus. I'm flipping through pages of art news in the back of the library where no one will see me. The smell took me right back to 15. And made me so grateful for 27. Scent is a powerful sense.

xo-LP