I hate apartment hunting.

I hate job hunting.

I'm very hateful toward hunting for a date.

I'm pretty sure I would hate hunting animals.

I'm not a hunter.

Totally Shameless Plug

I have a kind of obsession. I have to keep my hands busy, and what better way than to crochet? My ears and mind stay alert to what's going on around me (allowing me to watch movies, listen to General Conference, participate in conversation, etc), while my hands create something new, useful, and (hopefully) beautiful!

I decided I would try to sell some of the stuff I've crocheted. I totally and completely fear rejection, so if this doesn't work and nobody buys, I may never try again! (Guilt-trip? Maybe. I'll let you decide.)

So, go to www.etsy.com and check out my stuff. Send the link to your friends and family! Tell everyone you know! It would be very helpful to me. And any feedback is very very welcome. I'd love to hear what people think of the stuff I've done, good or bad. It'll help me know what direction I should move in, how I could improve.

Here are some pictures of what I've posted on Etsy. Any help is very much appreciated!

Labyrinth

You remind me of the babe

(What babe?)

The babe with the power

(What power?)

The power of voodoo

(Who do?)

You do

(Do what?)

Remind me of the babe

At the risk of being completely and totally corny, I can't believe how lucky I am. I got to see two musical legends on stage last night: James Taylor and Carole King, with their original Troubadour band, at the Energy Solutions Area. These two aren't spring chickens anymore, but they had SO much energy on that stage, dancing and jumping, getting the audience excited and involved. I got a lot of short clips of songs, but I got three songs in full which I'm posting for your listening pleasure (because the video isn't so great, let's be honest). If you listen close in some parts you'll hear Jana, Marie, me, and the older guy next to me singing along.

If you wanna see my shorter clips, go here.

As you can see from the videos, we were as far back as you could get due to outrageous ticket prices, but I'm not at all upset about it because it was still an awesome show! I'm pretty sure we made all of the older people around us happy. I'm positive they enjoyed seeing three young scrappers singing along and clapping to some of the best songs ever written. I thank my parents for educating us well. (Mom and Dad got to see James and Carole at the Hollywood Bowl in May--can't wait to compare notes!)

I remember listening to James Taylor Live and Carole King's Tapestry on car rides. Not only were we learning to appreciate our parents "old" music, but we learned to love it and to understand that if it wasn't for this old stuff, the new music we loved wouldn't be what it was. Think about it! Without these two and other legends, would we enjoy Ray LaMontagne, Cat Power, Hanson, Amos Lee, Alexi Murdock, Rachael Yamagata, Iron & Wine, or even Sting?? I don't think so. They may not even be around, let alone sound like they do. Gotta appreciate the classics.

One of my favorite parts of the show was what James called "gospel songs for agnostics." He said it doesn't matter what you believe, these songs speak the truth and make you feel good. They played "Beautiful" by Carole:

"You've got to get up every morning

With a smile on your face and show the world

All the love in your heart

Then people gonna treat you better

You're gonna find, yes you will

That you're beautiful

As you feel"

and "Shower the People" by James

"Shower the people you love with love

Show them the way that you feel

Things are gonna be just fine

If you only will

What I really mean to say is

Shower the people you love with love

Show them the way that you feel

Thing are gonna be much better

If you only will"

Interesting facts:

James Taylor was born on March 12 in 1948.

He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2000

His first major breakthrough was in 1970 with the #3 single "Fire and Rain"

His first #1 hit was "You've Got a Friend" (written by Carole King) in 1971

Has won 5 Grammy Awards: Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for "You've Got a Friend," Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for "Handy Man," Best Pop Album for Hourglass, Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight," and Best Country Collaboration With Vocals for "How's the World Treating You" with Alison Krauss.

Has had 11 albums in the US Billboard top 10 (including Sweet Baby James, October Road, and Live at the Troubadour) and 5 top 10 Pop Singles (including "Fire and Rain," and "How Sweet It Is")

Carole King was born on February 9 in 1942.

Tapestry topped the US album charts for 15 weeks in 1971 and stayed on the charts for more than 6 years, and it won 4 Grammy Awards: (Album of the Year, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, Record of the Year ("It's Too Late"), and Song of the Year ("You've Got a Friend)

Her first hit was "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" (co-written with her then-husband Gerry Goffin) in 1960 (she was 18!), as recorded by The Shirelles

Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame with Goffin in 1987

Carole and her daughter Louise Goffin recorded King's hit "Where You Lead" to be used as the theme song for the TV show Gilmore Girls, in which Carole appeared three times as the music store owner, Sophie

Some King and King/Goffin hits: "Some Kind of Wonderful" (The Drifters), "The Loco-Motion" (Little Eva), "One Fine Day" (The Chiffons), "Up on the Roof" (The Drifters), "Don't Bring Me Down" (The Animals), "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" (Aretha Franklin), "Hi-De-Ho (That Old Sweet Roll)" (Blood, Sweat & Tears), "So Far Away" (Rod Stewart), "You've Got a Friend" (James Taylor), "Where You Lead" (Barbra Streisand), "It's Going to Take Some Time" (The Carpenters)

Videos!

I've gone crazy with posting videos on YouTube, all for the sake of putting them on my blog and sending links to friends on Facebook.

Molotov Cocktails

Concerts (including some brief stuff from Coachella)

Celebrating Independence Day

Spending time with Hunter, Courtney, and Jacob

That's all for now. Hope you enjoy!

Books Get Under My Skin

I wish I could say that I'm kidding, but I'm not. This book... Man. I'm about a hundred pages from the end, and (though I've never seen the movie) I know what's going to happen. I mean, I know what's going to happen. Henry's already gone into the future so he knows what's going to happen. This sucks. I'm so so sad. I don't really wanna finish it now, cuz I just know it's gonna be so sad. (Heavy sigh)

I don't know why books get under my skin like they do. Well, ok, let's be honest. Not all books get under my skin. Some books I can read and they have little to no emotional impact--probably because they bore me to tears. But more often than not I'm invested in the characters: I fall in love, I get my heart broken, I talk with elves, I experience death (my own or of a loved one), I dream and awaken, I go on journeys, I fight dragons, I get fired or I quit a crappy job, I meet famous people, I can speak to water, fire, wind, animals.

Who in their right mind doesn't like getting sucked into a story like this? It's like The Neverending Story. I'm Bastian yelling out a new name for The Childlike Empress. "MOON CHILD!" I speak to these characters. Outloud. Or I laugh. Or I cry. I was in line at Cafe Rio yesterday, and I brought the book in with me. The line is always long at Cafe Rio, so I thought I'd pass the time reading. I read a line that made me smile. I looked up to see a woman looking at me. I smiled at her as if to say, "That was funny, huh?" Then I got to a part that just broke my heart, and I literally made a pouty face. I looked up and there was a little girl watching me. I had to laugh at myself. I'm pretty sure people who catch me reading think I'm crazy.

Marie. Buy the store. Keep yourself and your mind occupied. Don't think too much. I love you. When are we gonna watch Exit Through the Gift Shop?

Tyler and Nina. I saw the photos Nina posted on Facebook. My goodness... I wanted to throw up. haha But mostly cuz you just looked so stinking cute.

Ashley. You're awesome and I love you and I'm so glad we're friends.

Rachel. I found your blog post from last October, the photoshoot you and David did, and I followed the links... Oh. My. Goodness. Those photos are awesome. I mean, really. You look like models, and you look so happy and beautiful and, oh gosh. I loved 'em! It was good to see you guys for a quick minute on Saturday. I hope you'll come Taco Tuesday/Bookclub.

Andy. I'm a jerk and didn't go to your show. I was... well... excuses, excuses. Sorry. But I wanna get a copy of your tunes when you've got 'em ready, so let me know! You should join our book discussion on the 20th of July. We're reading Slaughterhouse-Five. Taco Tuesday!

Dad. Your blog is going to be awesome, I just know it. That last post made me laugh. Mom's stuffed mushrooms make her the sexiest woman in the world? Nice.

Heather. You're awesome. You take such great care of your family. I wanna be like you. Sorry you're having a rough week. We'll have fun on Friday!

Anyone who cares: I just got Daria in the mail yesterday.
I grinned all night long. No joke. As I watched the first episode, the one where Daria meets Jane in the self-esteem class, I just giggled and giggled. And as I watched the second epsiode, the one where Daria and Jane go to Brittany's party (to celebrate her parents being out of town, or so says Kevin), I laughed out loud when Kevin tells Brittney, "You're a great hostess, cupcake! Hey..." On a sad note, 99% of music had to be changed, since it would have been expensive and incredibly difficult to buy the rights to all of the songs originally used in the series. Sad sad sad. So instead of hearing random clips from '97 (such as the Foo Fighters or Beck or Hanson or the Spice Girls), we get stuff I have yet to recognize. Oh well. On a very high plus-side, the series includes the two movies (Is It Fall Yet? and Is It College Yet?) plus the Mystik Spiral music video. Am I a happy girl? Why, yes. Yes, I am. Anyone up for a marathon?

Everyone else: I didn't forget you.
I
love
you

Happiness is...

Daria, the complete series on DVD.

I just ordered via Target (free shipping today) and I can't wait for it to arrive. The next few weeks of my life will be spent watching Daria in my free time...which is most of the time.

Trent. That's all I'm saying.

Siblings

I'm the unofficial DJ at work. I make playlists for us all to enjoy. Well, OK, it's all from my iPod so I enjoy every song, whereas some of my coworkers get a little annoyed with some of the music I choose. But, hey, they appointed me so they have to just deal, right? Right. Anyway....

In my lastest playlist, I included the demo CD my little Tyler brother made. Every time one of his songs comes on, I'm re-amazed at the quality. He's really quite talented, lyrically and musically. I have this little place in my heart that kinda gets bigger, cuz he's my little brother and I'm so proud of him.

This got me to thinking about my siblings. They're all so awesome. They inspire me in different ways. They're my friends and I love being with them. They make me laugh. They make me cry. They're always there. They look out for me, and I look out for them. We get on each other's nerves, but we love each other unconditionally. I don't know who I would be without them. They're five of the most important people in my life. And through them, I've met more important people: my brother- and sister- (soon to be sisterS) in-law, and my niece and nephews, and all of the friends we share.

Anyway, all of is coming out cuz I was thinking about Tyler's music while reading Marie's blog and comments left on my blog from Britney, and the ice cream and company provided by Marie, the crazy fun at Heather's last week sharing music with her, talking with Hunter and Courtney about the music they like, getting my hair "fixed" by Jacob, Travis's wonderful FHE lesson, a scary phone conversation with Jana on Saturday and feeling of relief, reading David's Spotlight on the family website... I just love all of you so much!

What English majors do:

http://www.nataliedee.com/

Samuel Clemens was funny

Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on, or by imbeciles who really mean it.
If voting made any difference they wouldn't let us do it.

I've never killed a man, but I've read many an obituary with a great deal of satisfaction.

When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years.

Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.

It ain't the parts of the Bible that I can't understand that bother me, it is the parts that I do understand.

A classic is something that everybody praises and nobody has read.

The trouble ain't that there is too many fools, but that the lightning ain't distributed right.

Substitute "damn" every time you're inclined to write "very"; your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be.

Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest.

Stuck

Something is holding her back. Something has taken grip of her heart, twisted and wrung it out, left it to dry. Something always brings tears to her eyes--crying or laughing, doesn't really matter which. Something always makes her smile ingenuinely, passively, ironicly real.

She groans.

She watches old episodes of her favorite tv shows and waits for life to happen.


On the other hand:

• I live in that solitude which is painful in youth, but delicious in the years of maturity. (Albert Einstein)
• I never found a companion that was so companionable as solitude. (Henry David Thoreau)
• Inside myself is a place where I live all alone and that's where you renew your springs that never dry up. (Pearl S. Buck)
• Isolation is aloneness that feels forced upon you, like a punishment. Solitude is aloneness you choose and embrace. I think great things can come out of solitude, out of going to a place where all is quiet except the beating of your heart. (Jeanne Marie Laskas)
• It is not necessary that you leave the house. Remain at your table and listen. Do not even listen, only wait. Do not even wait, be wholly still and alone. The world will present itself to you for its unmasking... in ecstasy it will writhe at your feet. (Franz Kafka)
• Talents are best nurtured in solitude: character is best formed in the stormy billows of the world. (Goethe)
• There is a solitude which each and every one of us has always carried within. More inaccessible than the ice cold mountains, more profound than the midnight sea: the solitude of self. (Elizabeth Cady Stanton)

I was able to spend Family Night with my sister's family this week. My brother-in-law Travis gave a message about gossip. He compared it to a fire. He asked the kids what would happen if you added wood to a fire. My very smart four-year-old nephew Jacob said, "It would get bigger!" Travis then asked what would happen if you added more wood. Jacob answered, "It would burn our house down." He then went into detail about how the house would fall down and the neighborhood would burn up and maybe even the whole city.

I think he got distracted by the fire.

The metaphor wasn't lost on the older kids. My almost-ten-year-old niece Courtney said that we could be the water and put out the fire by saying nice things about those being gossiped about. She's a smart one, too. Hunter (a notorious twelve-year-old) grunted and groaned, but I'm pretty sure he was listening.

I was listening, too. I need to be better about saying nice things about people instead of being ornery about people. Be the water, not the wood.

Love and Babies

I'm sure you're all sick of hearing me say it, but I'm going to anyway: I want a baby.

Have you seen Baby Mama? OK, it may not be the best example, but that whole opening sequence with Tina Fey seeing babies everywhere... that's how I feel! They're everywhere! Everyone is having babies except me.

Of course, I want to get married first. And so as well as seeing babies everywhere, I'm seeing new romances blooming, new engagements happening, new married couples. And I keep thinking, "Why not me?"

I suppose it's just not time for me to be married or a mom. It's heartbreaking, really. It's hard to stay positive and faithful about my future in this area when I'm feeling older and less attractive everyday. I feel like this may never happen for me, and it's just so depressing.

I know, it's totally lame. I'm having a pity party and no one's invited but me. I just need to let it out. Why not blog it? Hmph.

I Am the Messenger

What's this book trying to tell me?

I wonder this a lot as I'm reading... what do these words mean to me? Why am I so enamored with them? Or, worse, why do they feel so yucky? They're just words.

"I didn't know words could be so heavy." (from I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak)

Man, are they ever.

I wish I had more of a grasp on words and that I knew how to better use them. Unfortunately, all I really do well with words is read them, and even then the messages are sometimes completely lost on me.

But not with this book. I Am the Messenger has found its way to my core. I love these words. I wish I could tell you why, but I can't. It's something in the book. Something in the way Zusak uses words. Something in the message.

You'll have to read it for yourself.

On Mothers...

Moms are the best, are they not? I love my momma.

But Carrie's momma is crazy.
As weird as this is for me to admit, I think reading stuff like Harry Potter and the Twilight series helped me see through the magical/mystical/paranormal stuff in Carrie by Stephen King. I know, I know: totally lame. But it's kinda true. As things started flying and we were "inside" Carrie's head, I laughed. I'm heartless, right? It's not that I didn't feel bad for Carrie--poor, poor crazy girl. What I really mean is that it didn't scare me as much as I thought it would, and I think that's because I've been desensitized to the paranormal from reading stuff on the lighter side. Does that even make a tiny bit of sense?
Having said that, I think the movie would freak me out. That scene when she's just suddenly in front of the car with a knife in her shoulder, blood all over, dress torn and dirty... whoa. Pretty sure it will give me nightmares after only seeing it in my head.

On a much much happier note: I really do love my momma. She's the best. All moms are pretty freakin' awesome. Think of all they do, all they sacrifice, all the heartache and worrying, all of the service and love..... Where would this world be without our wonderful Moms? Happy (late) Mother's Day to all the mothers in my life, and all those mothers who did their best to do right by their children, and to all of the future mothers, just waiting to give their love to future children, and all those women who nurture because it's just in our nature! Yay for Moms!!

Graduation: Done!

(I apologize for the lack of Grad Pics--I need to ask Mom, Heather, Jana, and Grandpa to share what the pictures they took)

My wonderful and amazing parents came up to hear my name announced and see me walk across the stage as I FINALLY graduated from college. Mom informed me later that there was a “c” next to my name, meaning I graduated Magna Cum Laude. Huh. Well, I knew that in my second to last semester I had a 3.67, I just wasn’t positive I would keep that up in my last semester, since I was carrying 18 credits and was completely out of gas and no longer cared about getting As. Well, yesterday I got my grades for my final semester of university life: I really did graduation Cum Laude: 3.66 cumulative GPA. Nice. Not sure how I pulled it off, and I’m pretty darn sure I didn’t deserve most if not all of the high grades I got in my last semester, but I’m not gonna complain.

Anyway, back to graduation. It’s an interesting experience, really. A bit like high school graduation minus the idiots. It was really great to sit with my English Major buddies for both ceremonies. We missed the ones who weren’t with us (not that they weren’t eligible, they just weren’t there), but we had a lot of fun together, talking and laughing when we probably should have been paying attention, getting antsy when the speeches were on the long side, wishing it was just over, and yet (somehow) still living in the moment.

It was so fun to look up in the stands and see my mom and dad, grandma and grandpa, and two of my sisters. I felt loved and supported, and that’s just a really, really great feeling. It made me smile and it kept that smile on my face. I love my family so much.

We celebrated with Pier 49 Pizza, salad, and soda. We just sat around Heather’s living room and chatted and ate and enjoyed one another. I’m glad we went with “at home” instead of “eating out.” It was fun to play with the kids and talk with my family without worrying about making messes and getting too loud or staying too long. BONUS: we got to watch the kids’ school play on DVD. Oh, how I love to watch Hunter and Courtney sing and dance in ‘the Jungle Book.’ Good good times.

(Random side note: I’m listening to a song called “Marlene” by Lightspeed Champion, and these lyrics caught my attention: “Everybody knows you want a baby / And God knows everybody wants one too...” I’ve never heard this song before, but I think it warrants another listen.)

Saturday was a.... I was gonna say “special day,” but that would be borrowing lyrics of a Primary song. Saturday was great. The family and some friends were able to attend the temple with Jana as she received her endowment. I love that I was able to be there. (Only one sibling away from having the whole immediate family in the temple together, and he should be going through in less than a year... we’re pretty stinking excited about this!) After the temple, we had a big ol’ Chinn family get-together at the grandparent’s house. Food. Lots and lots of food. And talking and laughing and stories. And presents. Yes, my family showed their love again my showering me with graduation presents. I am the proud new owner of a Janome sewing machine, with a carrying case and a basket of sewing stuff (scissors, seam ripper, ruler, pins), thanks to the grandparents, uncles, aunts, and parents! And I have a brand new, shiny, beautiful copy of ‘The Giving Tree’ by Shel Silverstein (my favorite book), and ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ by Eric Carle from Marie. And some cash from Heather and family. And ‘I Am the Messenger’ by Markus Zusak from Jana, along with some bookmarks--panda shaped, of course (Jacob thinks the pandas should be purple for some reason...he’s a funny kid). [This is not at all a complete list of the awesome gifts given from family and friends. I’m a very lucky girl.]

Sunday was awesome as well. We had a potluck with the friends at the Fort (aka the house Jana lives in with all of her awesome and crazy housemates in Provo) to celebrate me being a grownup, and Jana being a real woman. (ha!) It was so fun to spend some time hanging out with some pretty awesome people on a lovely Sunday afternoon.

Anyway, to make a long story longer, we had a fun time together. My friends a the best. I feel pretty lucky to have such great people to associate with, in school and out of school. And we had a great time with Mom and Dad here. I wish they were here more often. I feel extremely blessed to be a part of the wonderful family I was born into. They’re all amazing and I love them with all my heart.

Ready for something really sad?

Sting's canceled.

You're crying... I know...

Yes, well, apparently whoever does the booking is an idiot and doubled booked Sting for a performance in Colorado and Utah on the same night. And they canceled Utah, which is just dumb cuz Sting's got a huge fan-base here, but whatever.

On the bright side, I couldn't really afford to go, so I get to keep my $60. Yay! And Heather doesn't have to be depressed about missing him, since he's not coming after all.

Sad. Sad. Sad.

Sweet Violets

Not sure why, but it's been in my head.

there once was a farmer who took a young miss
in back of the barn where he gave her a

lecture
on horses and chickens and eggs
and told her that she had such beautiful

manners
that suited a girl of her charms
a girl that he wanted to take in his

washing
and ironing and then if she did
they could get married and raise lots of

sweet violets
sweeter than the roses
covered all over from head to toe
covered all over with sweet violets

the girl told the farmer that he'd better stop
and she called her father and he called a

taxi
and got there before very long
'cause some one was doin' his little girl

right
for a change and so that's why he said
if you marry her, son, you're better off

single
'cause it's always been my belief
marriage will bring a man nothing but

sweet violets
sweeter than the roses
covered all over from head to toe
covered all over with sweet violets

the farmer decided he wed anyway
and started in planning for his wedding

suit
which he purchased for only one buck
but then he found out he was just out of

money
and so he got left in the lurch
a standin' and waitin' in front of the

end
of the story which just goes to show
all a girl wants from a man is his

sweet violets
sweeter than the roses
covered all over from head to toe
covered all over with sweet violets

Music makes the people come together

Are you ready for this novel of a post? Get comfy…

Muse. Was. Awesome. Really, I don’t know what to say other than that. They totally rocked. The stage was all lights! Pictures! Lazers! And this intense NOISE, but you know, good noise. Musical noise. And then I put my earplugs in and, ironically, could finally hear the music and lyrics. It was wonderful. I have no words. The talent, pure talent, of these three men… holy crap, man. It was so good! If you get a chance to see Muse live, you should definitely take advantage of it. Mostly because they’re just epic (and I don’t use that word lightly—it’s become overused and meaningless).

(Side note: I have my iTunes on random, and “Sara” by Jefferson Starship just started playing. I cringed a little before I let it finish. This is NOT my song. I feel very passionate about this. “Sara, storms are brewing in your eyes… no time is a good time for goodbyes.” Now, maybe if her name was spelled right… No, not even then; I’d have no one to sing it to me!)

OK. Coachella. Wow.


I went with Marie and Jana, of course, and a handful of friends (Lindsay, Amilia, Durfey, Paul, and Teddy). Two cars, obviously, and we camped onsite. We didn’t get to camp next to each other, though; we got separated on the way there, so the other car had to come find us every morning for their breakfast. Suckas!!

There were something like 130 bands there. Of course we couldn’t (and didn’t want to) see every single one of them. We (meaning Marie, Jana, Lindsay, and I) ended up seeing 9 on Friday (Deer Tick, Sleigh Bells, Yeasayer, She & Him, Passion Pit, Echo and the Bunnymen, Vampire Weekend, Jay Z, and the Whitest Boy Alive), 9 on Saturday (Rx Bandits, Zoe, Old Crow Medicine Show, Band of Skulls, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, the XX, Hot Chip, MGMT, and Muse), and 9 on Sunday (Local Natives, Deerhunter, De La Soul, Yo La Tengo, Jonsi, Spoon, Phoenix, Thom Yorke, and Gorillaz). So, yeah, we saw 27 bands for the low low price of $315. Oh, plus gas, the campsite, and food we spent about $450 each. Which means we saw each band for $16.67 each. We paid $17 to see Jay-Z!

And Jay-Z was freakin’ awesome. We left his show early to see the Whitest Boy Alive, but what we saw was incredible. I’m really kinda sad we left, though, cuz Beyonce performed the last song with him and we missed it!

Vampire Weekend was AWESOME. I was already crushing on Ezra (the lead singer) but during their show I fell in love. They were SO good! Highly recommend catching their show if you have the opportunity. They were fun and energetic and engaging. High quality.

Also, if you don’t know Old Crow Medicine Show, you should. They’re a blue grassy, rockabilly band, REALLY REALLY good, and super fun concert. I wish I had seen them in Salt Lake when they were there. I’m for sure planning on going to see them the next time their in the area.

She & Him--Happy, peppy, fun, clean show. I know some guys out there just don’t get the Zooey Deschanel thing. To be honest, I don’t get the obsession, either. Sure, she’s cute and somewhat talented, but I don’t have a girl-crush on her. I can see how she is attractive to both sexes, though. Anyway… all that aside, I really like She & Him. Fun music.

MGMT was good, but not very enthusiastic, which was sad, cuz I really wanted to rock out, you know? I mean, I still did, but not as hard core as I feel like I would have if they were more into it. It was a little disappointing, even though I still got excited when they started playing “Electric Feel.” Oh, my, how I love that song.

The XX was awesome. I have no other words for this band. So… cool, you know? Just cool. Chill. Awesome.

Passion Pit lacked some passion. And the crowd was really stupid for this one. But the music was good. I’m totally impressed with the lead vocals. Dude sounds like a child; it’s insane.

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros were totally trippy. Like, for real, I kept thinking, “This is so Woodstock!”

How awesome is it that we saw De La Soul? I mean, come on! That was a fun one. “Me Myself and I.”

The Whitest Boy Alive was like being at a dance club. We had been going going going going for about two days straight (with a nice little three hour-or-so nap somewhere in there), so I kinda fell asleep standing/dancing. I’m not even kidding. I was SO tired that night, I was swaying, bouncing, singing with my eyes closed and I think I really did kinda blackout for a few minutes. But their show was really, really good.

Muse was freakin’ awesome, of course. They were A-MAZ-ING!

Thom York was crazy! His show was really awesome. Loved it, really. But he was kinda spastic. I kept laughing at him. And dancing. Then laughing, then dancing…

Zoe, who I had never heard before, was really really great. They’re on my list of bands to check out, now.

Jonsi was great. I spent part of that show just sitting, soaking in the music. I wish it had been a “seating ONLY” show, forcing everyone to just chill. But, no. Oh well.

Phoenix was really great. Just a big ol’ dance party! Everyone seemed to be at that show, and everyone was dancing. It was so much fun.

Spoon was a little lack-luster, but there were these dudes in front of us… man, they were funny. The dancing these guys were capable of was, in a word, interesting. In two words, intimidating and insane. I still giggle just remembering their moves. I mean, right now, as I type, I’m giggling almost uncontrollably. I tried to get some video of it, but they kinda stopped as I started recording. It’ll have to just live in my memory, I guess.

Umm… what else can I tell you? The music was awesome. I keep listening to the bands we saw and thinking about the shows and getting excited all over again remembering how great the shows were. Sad it’s over.

And sad that I missed out on some of the other bands. I wish we could have seen all of the Jay-Z show and all of the Gorillaz show. And I wish I had gone to Them Crooked Vultures and Mutemath. And in retrospect, I think we would have had a lot more fun at As Tall As Lions than we did at Sleigh Bells. That was just noise. Yuck. Also sad that I missed Grizzly Bear, Imogen Heap, LDC Soundsystem, Devo. Matt & Kim, Portugal the Man, and Camera Obscura…

There was so much smoking going on, my throat still hurt a week after we got home. And people kept walking in and through and around us during the shows and that’s just rude and annoying. There were SO many people there that some of the shows weren’t as enjoyable as they could have been. People talking during the music instead of listening or dancing or singing along. Annoying. The vendors were expensive, of course. A 16-oz water bottle cost $2. But, on the bright side, if you picked up 10 empty plastic bottles and brought them to the recycling tent, you got a free bottle of water. So, really, I think we each paid for two or three water bottles the whole time we were there, and got about 10 for free just for picking up recyclables. The campsite we were in was about a mile away from the venue, so getting to and from the music everyday was a long walk. And it was SO blasted hot during the day!

All in all, it was miserable and wonderful! It was a great experience, one that I’ve wanted to have for a long time. I’m glad I went, but I don’t ever have to go again!!

And that’s my novel on Coachella. I could go on and on for a long time about it. I have lots and lots of interesting stories to tell (missionary moments, sunburned lips, public make-outs, boobs, people passing out, being offered weed, being asked if we had weed….), but I’ll stop here. If you want more on this, just ask. I’m not tired of talking about it… yet.