A really nerdy post about a concert I went to:

I'll keep this short, but sweet, because I promised. Last weekend, I took full advantage of the opportunity to see one of my most favorite bands EVER for the first and last time ever. The Movielife was a Long Island based band that got kinda big and were signed to Drive Thru records in the late 90's-early 00's. This was the band that helped me "find my place". I had a Texan pen pal that I met on a message board in middle school (me and the internet are like this). Once she sent me this really perfect mixtape (that I still have the case/handwritten track listing to. the actual tape is gone forever and it still hurts when I think about it). On it were songs by Alkaline Trio, Recover, Jimmy Eat World, The Mr. T Experience, Saves The Day, just so many bands that shaped me.. and The Movielife. And a Movielife sticker! Fast forward to winter of my freshman year when I fell for a boy with bleached hair and a Movielife hoodie. Get the idea that the band was basically the soundtrack to my late adolescence. FAST FORWARD THROUGH THE REST OF THAT, the band was supposed to play walking distance from my house in 2003 and then they BROKE UP and my admission fee was refunded and my heart was broken. Side projects were made, and I got my Movielife experience vicariously through seeing those bands live, but.. never really got over it. Until now, because a month or so ago the band announced an absolute FINAL show (they played Bamboozle, but unless you're 16 or an alcoholic or a roadie, those kinds of festivals are pretty lackluster), and to wrap this all up: I bought tickets and I went and I saw them and my heart and stomach did flips as I sang along to every song and had the most fun ever. AND BRAND NEW WAS THE SUPRISE OPENING ACT. And here are some pictures. Hope you enjoyed my story. Share your story of your favorite band experiences, if you want. I'd really appreciate them!

Brand New can do no wrong in my eyes. As The Movielife was the band of my teen years, Brand New has been a band of my teens AND twenties and they get better with every album, as well as every time I've had the opportunity to watch them perform.
It was so much fun to watch over an entire crowd of people who were just as psyched, and who it was probably just as meaningful for as it was for me.
Thus finally concludes a huge chapter in my life.
Or at least the footnotes.

That thing you do

I've been working on this scarf for my sister. I'm going to bring it up with me to Albany for her birthday. Hopefully she doesn't read my blog. She barely uses the internet (which is something I can't wrap my head around. A nearly 21 year old girl in 2011 who hates the internet? She's also way more productive than me in other aspects, so more power to her.)

The other day, I had some sort of revelation. I've wanted to start focusing on a craft that I can share with whoever's interested. Crocheting is awesome, and I love to do it, but it's very time consuming and I have to plan gifts about a month in advance. With autumn upon us, I started to think of what I could do with my favorite thing (leaves), and then I realized - hair accesories! Went out to the store that day to buy a hot glue gun, ribbon, and bunches of artificial foliage. Right now I'm experimenting with materials, but hopefully if I work hard enough at it I'll come up with a "product" I'm super duper proud of. I've given three of my starter clips away so far, and the recipients seemed pretty stoked. So, this is something I'm pretty excited about.

Just some yummy brownies I made the other day for Andrew and I.

Last night, something wonderful happened. But I'll have to leave you in suspense, until next time, because I'm hungry and it's time for me to prepare some pre-hurricane Irene meals. Everyone please stay safe and dry! xo

Rainy day dinner

I picked up a can of Trader Joe's organic vegan split pea soup just to have as a quick meal, but it turned out to be the best split pea soup I've ever had. Two thumbs way up.

Dreamy Fall Wardrobe Wishlist

As you can see, it's been a riveting weekend over here in Corinne world. I'm purposely staying in tonight, Stephanie is having a double birthday party for her and her dude Kyle, but I think I need the time to relax and recuperate. Nothing wrong with that, right? I hope everyone in attendance has a ton of fun though. As I wait for the bathtub to fill, I'll share with you some really pretty things I discovered during my brief internet window shopping adventure today. Drawing up some inspiration for my new fall wardrobe. I love clothes, especially cold weather clothes. ESPECIALLY cardigans, as you're about to find out. Enjoy!

1: Shirley's Heron Cardigan, Modcloth
2: Acorn Locket Necklace, Madewell
3: KG Suki Lace Up Hiking Ankle Boots, ASOS
(Free shipping all the time on anything? Can't beat that!)
4: Stay Golden Tunic, Modcloth
(Somebody recently told me that they love me in yellow, and hope upon my arrival that I'll be wearing yellow. Thought that was so sweet. Yellow is a happy color. Psychologists everywhere agree!)
5: Clear Eyes, Wool Hearts Cardigan, Modcloth
(My dream "piece". Fashion lingo is so silly. So are overpriced sweaters, but I can't help it. I'm in love)
6: Nautical Knot Ring, Madewell
(Growing up on an island, it's really hard to resist any and all things nautical)
7: Three Quarters Past Cute Cardigan, Modcloth

Linked

it's friday night, and my plans include straightening up, transferring my every day luggage into my new backpack, and catching up on blog posts. tonight i'll be starting the girl with the dragon tattoo by stieg larsson. i've been on the fence about it, but this trailer sold me. pretty sure i'm in for 644 pages of awesome. but for right now, i want to share with you some interesting little things i've been seeing around the interwebs.

if you're like me, and outside sounds like crickets and rain soothe you like nothing else, click here.

this is a hilarious exchange of emails. i feel badly for the woman initiating the conversation, my heart goes out to her and her predicament, but some people are just so witty that it kills me.

street art captivates me. interactive street art with a purpose, even more so.

my boyfriend just clued me into these sweet grips for the handlebars on my bike. cult's ode to vans.

lane nelson has apparently illustrated the story of my life.

enjoy your weekend! :)

30 day photo challenge

I'm doing a 30 day photo challenge over on my tumblr. Click here to see my photos so far, and check back (because days 1-4 haven't been incredibly challenging and it gets more interesting as the challenge goes on)! And let me know if you participate, because I would love that and I'd lurk your blogs so hard.

Ride night & Flo's

I just wanted to take the time to address something REALLY SUPER FUN that about eighteen to twenty of my friends and I do sometimes. It's is a fifteen mile bike ride along part of the south shore of Long Island, and it rules. Last summer this was a weekly occurrence, and this summer it hadn't been until Andrew organized a night for us all to ride together again. There's something really positive and powerful about riding through the streets and to the beach and in high traffic areas in a pack this big. Stephanie and I were talking about it, how not everyone hangs out all the time but when we come together and do this we're all pretty united and have light, happy conversations and leave with such a biker's high, it's wonderful. And hopefully happening again tomorrow night!
The first leg of the ride takes us to Corey Beach in Blue Point, and in order to get there you have to pass Flo's Famous Luncheonette. Which is basically a little shack that people serve delicious food out of that's been around forever. It's always packed when we roll up during the ride, and eating before riding another 12 or so miles isn't really appealing anyway. But recently, three of us went to eat lunch at Flo's (my first time!) and it was everything that I expected it to be, which is delicious.
I had been told that as a first timer I should try the Bates wrap, which is basically a cheeseburger, waffle fries, and some fancy barbeque sauce that tasted homemade. This. Was. Awesome. Not something I'd normally go for at this point in my nutrient-focused life, but it was totally fun and worth the splurge. Another thing you NEED to order, should you find yourself at Flo's, is the "summer blend". Half pink lemonade, half iced tea. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Flo's is open seasonally, so I'll definitely be making another trip before the summer ends. If you're ever in the area, definitely check it out.

Ridiculous

i would settle for "pretty much okay" this week. hello depression, i feel you trying to sneak up on me again but i'm telling on you this time and won't let you get the best of me (i've come too far for that!). the past few days have been pretty crummy. but i really think it might just be a combination of the hot, sticky, "feels like soup outside" weather combined with me not getting a job i interviewed for combined with the summer social drinking i've been doing and lack of additional exercise (aside from my very demanding, highly physical job). so today after work i took myself to the doctor and got myself a note and tomorrow i'll be taking a serious mental health day. and then i have two scheduled days off. giving me three days FREE for myself and my hobbies and my well being. i'm going to read and start crocheting christmas presents (in august. my hands aren't fast enough yet) and i'm going out to buy a new journal and fresh produce first thing tomorrow morning. if i'm not out of this funk by saturday, lock me in a padded room full of puppies where all i can listen to is talking heads singles. i'm going to make a strong effort to make every day ridiculously amazing so these little blips on my personal progress radar can become fewer and farther in between. look at that, world. i'm opening up to you.

New layout

Based on one of my favorite things,

(one day, this will be complete)

And because this post seems to be lacking substance, aside from my naked back,
here's my song of the day:

The Replacements - Bastards Of Young by WBRNewMedia

Creative types

“If you want to really hurt your parents, and you don’t have the nerve to be gay, the least you can do is go into the arts. I’m not kidding. The arts are not a way to make a living. They are a very human way of making life more bearable. Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven’s sake. Sing in the shower. Dance to the radio. Tell stories. Write a poem to a friend, even a lousy poem. Do it as well as you possibly can. You will get an enormous reward. You will have created something.” - via this post on my friend Stephanie's blog. Which reminded me of this post from my tumblr.

That quote made my heart feel a little bit lighter, and made me hopeful that life can continue to be bearable when it seems not very bearable at all sometimes. I had no choice but to copy & paste. Let's appreciate creativity, and creative friends, and creative people generally.

Cake pops!

Recently, during her last visit, Andrew's sister Michelle told me about some cake pops that she made herself. I've seen these little treats popping up everywhere (no pun intended) and decided that it would be fun for us to make a batch together. Wanna try? This is what you'll need:

• Cake mix
• 3 eggs
• Vegetable oil
• Almond bark
• Lollipop sticks
• Wax paper
• Sprinkles!

First you go about baking regular cakes (we made two 8" cakes), but add 3 tbsp. more oil than the recipe calls for. This is important for making the cake more pliable and shaping it into pops. Let the cake cool, and then TEAR IT APART! and put all of your cake crumbs into a large bowl. Then take a handfull at a time and make cake balls, just like you'd make meat balls. Pop a stick in the center and freeze your halfway finished pops for an hour.
Then, break your almond bark into squares (almond bark is basically just a huge rectangle of meltable chocolate that you can buy at most craft stores or baking aisles) and melt it down using the double boiler method, or you could just stick it in the microwave. Once your almond bark is almost liquidy, take your frozen pops one by one and roll the cake around in the coating. Pour some sprinkles over them if you're feeling fancy. Have a wax paper lined cookie sheet handy for resting the pops on. Let them harden for about a half hour. And there you go!
These were so fun and easy to make, and also delicious! But the next time I make them, I'll be using styrofoam to hold the pops upright as the almond bark dries, so one side doesn't come out flat and I can put Starbucks' cake pops to shame.

It's been a pretty relaxing Sunday. Spent the morning on a hunt for an affordable juicer. Bought a new sweater instead (desperately waiting for fall, the season where I thrive most). Also today is a celebration! The 100th anniversary of Lucille Ball's birthday.
Happy birthday, Lucy!

food docs

A+ documentary. Made me really want to drive through Colorado, but more importantly to start juicing. I've been resistant because they're sort of pricey and really messy, but after watching Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead, I want to juice every fruit and vegetable I see. Maybe I'll even attempt a fast. We'll see! Stay tuned for The Day I Buy A Juicer. And watch this documentary if you have access to Netflix!