Best Songs of 2013

I've been gone for a long time-- trying to adjust to a new space, a new energy and a new life. 2014 feels charged, like I'm truly going to take control of my life so that I can be in the places I want to be in and follow a path that fulfills me and challenges me to rise to the occasion and enjoy myself. Thankfully, regardless of all its other hiccups, 2013 was a great year for music, which helped carry me along the way when I was feeling hopeless or reckless or helpless or shameless...

I used to listen to a lot more indie/alternative rock, but this year found me opening my mind to more electronic and dance music, so you'll see this playlist develop slowly from album rock into tracks that are worth dancing to (or at least belting out in the car at top volume). I did a lot of thinking in 2013, which led to a lot of instrumental tracks without words. I guess this last year I spent more time focusing on the feelings of things rather than how to speak to them.

Top albums of 2013 were pretty difficult to narrow down, which is why I chose to make a playlist instead, but I would say these fit the bill: Arcade Fire - Reflektor, Rhye - Open, Shigeto - No Better Time Than Now, Jagwar Ma - Howlin and Bonobo - The North Borders.

This playlist is in no particular order, but hope you'll enjoy the flow and don't find it too schizophrenic.

Lorde - Ribs
David Lynch - Star Dream Girl
Local Natives - Heavy Feet
Rhye - Open
Washed Out - All I Know
White Denim - Pretty Green
Jagwar Ma - Uncertainty
Arcade Fire - Afterlife
Jon Hopkins - Open Eye Signal
Basecamp - Smoke Filled Lungs
Jessie Ware - Wildest Moments
Yuna - I Wanna Go
RAC feat. Kele & MNDR - Let Go
Hanni El Khatib - Penny
Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Swim and Sleep (Like a Shark)
Blood Orange - You're Not Good Enough
Kanye West - Bound 2
Classixx feat. Sarah Chernoff - Stranger Love (RAC Remix)
Movement - Us
Shigeto - Detroit Part 1
Daft Punk feat. Panda Bear - Doin' It Right
tUnE-yArDs, ?uestlove, Angelique Kidjo & Akua Naru - Lady (from Red Hot + Fela)
Thee Oh Sees - I Come From The Mountain
The National - Don't Swallow the Cap
Yo La Tengo - Before We Run
CHVRCHES - The Mother We Share
Phosphorescent - Song for Zula
Cayucas - High School Lover
Drake - Hold On, We're Going Home
Disclosure - You & Me (Flume Remix)
Gold Panda - Community
Tokimonsta feat. MNDR - Go With It
Machinedrum - Clissold VIP
Anenon - Ghost Light
Boards of Canada - Nothing Is Real
Courtney Bartlett - Avant Gardener
Kings of Leon - Supersoaker
Mayer Hawthorne - The Stars are Ours
Bonobo - Cirrus





For those of you who don't have Spotify, never fear (but seriously, you should get it), I've also compiled a much briefer playlist of my favorite collected tracks on Soundcloud this year, mostly remixes and things that I haven't been able to grab from Spotify.



One more concession for those of you without Spotify-- I've made a playlist on YouTube showcasing all the songs on my Best of 2013 list for you to enjoy musically as well as visually!



Happy 2014, everyone. Let's make it the best year yet!

Ch- Ch- Changes

Everything always seems to happen in the blink of an eye. Time passes by so quickly and it's easy to miss the special moments in all the fog and haze of daily life-- but we're here and we're all just doing the best we can to take this great big life one day at a time!

News is good, honestly. I've moved out into my own place at the border of Hollywood, Los Feliz and Silverlake and I'm striking out on my own. I've loved and loved and loved, but some things just aren't meant to be-- there's timing involved, and intent, but mostly a lot of emotions that can get really complicated. It suffices to say Nova and I are learning to live in a new part of town.

Immediately after moving, my computer's motherboard decided to take a nosedive and I also lost a prime location in which to take product shots for Dewclaw Vintage. Between that and packing (and unpacking), I've lost a little impetus to use my camera, although on my switched-up commute I see plenty of things on my new route that I'd love to shoot-- so it's just a matter of getting back into the swing of things.

I have goals-- I'm finally on my own in the Big City like I always dreamed I would be, so now I'm motivated and feel charged to pursue my career, whatever that really means.

This blog is called "These Things First" after the Nick Drake song "One of These Things First" -- I always have focused on living life to its fullest potential... I never wanted to have to ask myself if I missed an opportunity because I wasn't letting myself be "this thing first" -- so here I am, plain as day, take me as I am. I'm living my life as I want, rolling with the punches and being grateful for every opportunity that is presented to me. Hope you will stick around for the journey, because it is going to be full of life and very powerful.

Everything I Need, I've Got

I'm not the best blogger, clearly. It's been a month since my last post and meanwhile my photos are piling up into an unmanageable pile of multiple posts, so instead of trying to play catch-up, I'm just going to cherry pick the best photos from my stash and share them with you with a little background. As I combed through my photos, it was easy to find myself honing in on portraits of everything around me that makes life worth living-- the people, places and puppies!

Want to start with my perfect, pretty puppy basking in the afternoon sun. She's the light of my life!

Thalia and I recently spent a morning enjoying The Highland Cafe down the street from my home. The rejuvenation of York Blvd in Highland Park has been so nice to watch happen, now if you drive through this stretch on a Saturday or Sunday morning, you'll see so many people walking (who says nobody walks in LA?!) and enjoying the local businesses and the revitalization of the neighborhood.

A Highland Park staircase and a hillside in Griffith Park, the kind of outdoor scenery I'd like more opportunities to shoot. I have found that my passion is in portraits but sometimes you just see something so beautiful that you have to at least try to capture it!

Spent a night camping in Ojai in February and got this awesome shot of Greg under his big straw cowboy hat.

One of my best friends, Chelsie, also likes to take photos. I won't fault her for using a Nikon, even though I shoot with a Canon! She's always got a smile on and I appreciate her insight and mindfulness. She is an excellent mediator and always tries to get everyone's perspective before she chooses her path.

Another trip to Montana, a few more beautiful photos. That beautiful moon was hanging low over the Craters of the Moon National Park outside of Arco, Idaho.

A shot of myself, either before or after I went skinny dipping in a river in the Tahoe National Forest. It was hard to stop smiling-- I love being out in nature, especially in a judgement-free zone where it's ok to be truly human.

My friend Chris and I got all done up to go see Bjork at the Hollywood Palladium in June. The crowd behind us didn't really appreciate Chris' height or his horns, but after the show ended, he was showered with compliments! Bjork is one of the first independent artists I ever listened to, so it was a dream come true to see her perform live. She sang so perfectly that I almost didn't believe it wasn't dubbed!

Hopefully it'll be sooner and not later before I post again, but if not, enjoy the photos and feel free to share this blog!

Dewclaw Vintage

I haven't posted in a long time, it's true. It's not that I haven't wanted to blog, but more that I told myself I wouldn't pursue anything until I got my online vintage clothing shop up and running, and now I finally have!

Dewclaw Vintage is here! I have wanted to launch my own online vintage shop for a long time. There's so many good finds out there and I just don't have the time or energy to wear them all, so I'm curating them and hoping to pass them on to people who will love them and wear my items to music festivals, or on camping trips, or on missions of self-discovery, or even just around the house.

Vintage clothing is something that's always been near and dear to my heart and I'm hoping that this endeavor is a real success. I get to use myself as a model and hone my photography skills remotely -- that self-timer is going to take some getting used to~!

Please check out my online shop and hopefully you'll find something that you'll just love, but if you don't, there will be a lot of new stock arriving soon, so keep an eye out and an ear to the ground!

So come check out my new shop and see everything in store, and keep track of Dewclaw Vintage across the web!

http://dewclawvintage.etsy.com

http://www.instagram.com/dewclawvintage

http://www.twitter.com/dewclawvintage

http://www.facebook.com/dewclawvintage

Staying Positive

It's easy to find yourself in the trap of letting things get to you. I'm trying to work on it-- I don't need to feel sorry for myself, in fact I'm incredibly grateful to have everything that I do. I'm making a commitment to focusing on remaining positive. I've been taking this on like someone trying to beat an addiction-- one day at a time. Besides, it's Spring-- how could I be upset in the light of all the clear sun, budding flowers and newness? I'm adopting a fresh perspective.

Downtown Warehouse Party

I am acquaintances with a handsome and talented gentleman named Jared Tate who lives in a studio in the Fashion District in Downtown LA and had a chance to go to a party in his decked out loft. All the usual suspects are here: Thalia, Jonnah and Chris Boss along with April O'Neil. I used the party as an opportunity to play "Unofficial Party Photographer" but mostly I ended up just snapping some interesting photos of my friends and the crowd.

Clearly I'm an amateur, but I love that my learning curve still allows me to take photos that offer unusual results that I still enjoy and am proud to share.

At the party's peak, local comedy band The Weekend Pilots performed a set of their songs.

People laughed, people danced, people got comfortable and got cozy, at which point the evening more or less dissolved into me taking candid portraits of my friends around the loft.

If you like my photos, please share my blog with your friends! Also, keep an eye on the These Things First Tumblr account for outtakes, photos of myself and my life (mostly the food I eat and my dog) and other photos that you might not see on this blog!

30 Before 30: Los Angeles Edition

I've lived in the greater Los Angeles area my entire life, and while I've traveled to different cities all around the world, no place else feels quite like LA does. It's really quite lively but also quiet and private, it's this balance between putting your best face forward while also concealing how exactly it is you look so perfect all the time. This kind of life has disseminated itself in many ways, owing to the televised nature of the city. LA isn't a compact, close-knit city, but instead sprawls out over hillsides and into valleys and this topographical unrest airs itself out by dividing this great city into little neighborhoods, all of which offer a unique perspective to what it means to be a resident of the largest city on the West Coast.

Los Angeles is in my blood; it moves me. Seeing a Metro train rumble past Craftsman homes in Highland Park in the rain, hiking into Griffith Park and seeing the wide scope of the city all the way to the Pacific Ocean, following an urban staircase just to find out where it leads-- these experiences fulfill me, and often overwhelm me. 

I know many bloggers like to sort of take stock of their lives and make these "30 Before 30" lists, and I don't want to be the exemption. I'm not interested in settling down and raising a family, so instead I think I need to be active about nurturing my sense of curiosity in the world around me, the way one might nurture their own child. I have a more personal overarching "30 Before 30" list (with some sort-of embarrassing confessions that I have deemed nonpublishable!), but this list is related specifically to Los Angeles, and is my way of dedicating myself to being active in the city I've chosen to make my home (hopefully for a long time!).

Yes, there are many things I've already done in Los Angeles-- the LA Zoo, LACMA, Watts Towers, the Natural History Museum, the California Science Center, the Rose Bowl Flea Market, Olvera Street, Chinatown, Angel's Flight-- but there are plenty of things that I haven't done or seen, and that's where I want to direct my interest. I fully expect to add items to this list to complete, but for now this is where I'm setting my goals.

30 Before 30: Los Angeles Edition

1. Hike up to the Hollywood Sign
2. Visit the Heritage Square Museum
3. Ride public transportation from Downtown all the way to the Pacific Ocean
4. Ride the ferris wheel at Pacific Park at the Santa Monica Pier
5. Take a tour of the Smith Estate
6. Have a picnic at Grand Park, Downtown
7. Take a tour of the Los Angeles Central Library
8. Visit the Wilson Observatory
9. See a show at the Walt Disney Concert Hall
10. Take a tour of the Scientology Center
11. Visit the Museum of Jurassic Technology
12. Visit the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels
13. Explore the underground tunnels in Downtown LA
14. Have a fancy cocktail at the Tiki-Ti
15. Go to an LA Dodgers game at Dodger Stadium
16. See a movie (or a concert!) at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery
17. Ride the carousel at Griffith Park
18. Spend an evening at the Magic Castle
19. See a movie at the Silent Movie Theater
20. Buy a cupcake from the 24-Hour Cupcake ATM at Sprinkles Cupcakes
21. Visit the Bhagavad-Gita Museum in Culver City
22. Go to a First Fridays at the Natural History Museum
23. See MOCA's permanent collection
24. Take the Classic Neon Cruise with the Museum of Neon Art
25. Create and erect/post my own street art/stencil
26. Visit The Broad
27. Go to Jumbo's Clown Room
28. Take a tour of Walt Disney Studios in Burbank
29. Go to a college football game (UCLA/USC/Rose Bowl -- not picky!)
30. Spend a day taking photos at Evergreen Memorial Park (See My Post About It!)

My idea and my goal is to take my camera along and document each of my thirty goals as I do them! I know that some will be more difficult to achieve than others, but I'm hoping that with the next two years and three months I can do my best to explore this amazing city .