Currently // Tamagotchi Phone App + Perks of Being a Wallflower + Alabama Shakes

posted by Amanda // Books, Music

Feb 18, 2013

Yes people, Tamagotchi is back! I’ve been raising my little alien for 4 or 5 days now and he hasn’t died! So proud… Although I know realize why our teachers hated these guys. They need a lot of attention! Feeding, playing, cleaning up poop… It calls for me every 20 minutes or so. Not sure how long I’ll be able to keep it up, but it’s fun for now.

We rented Perks of Being a Wallflower Friday night from Red Box. Such a great movie! I had anticipated that I would like it, so I bought the book when the movie first came out. Once the film was over, I got down the book and started reading. So far, I think I like the film better… Not sure I’ve ever said that before. But I’ll wait to make final judgement until I’ve read the whole thing.

The Alabama Shakes have been gaining popularity for a while now. I first heard them on KCRW sometime last year. Wow. I love this band so much. Lead singer Brittany Howard is phenomenal. How I wish I could sing like her… actually, she’s kind of living my dream life (being a singer in a soul band). If you’re not familiar with the band, go now and listen!

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Currently // Beasts of the Southern Wild + The OC Fair + My Life List

posted by Amanda // Food, Inspiration

Jul 23, 2012

Beasts of the Southern Wild // Magical, heart wrenching, and poetic. Those are the words that kept coming back to me as I watched this beautiful film. It’s the story of Hushpuppy and her father after a storm destroys their fragile community at the end of the earth. Only playing in a few theaters, seek out this film. You will be touched and inspired.

Trailer //

The Orange County Fair // Fairs are part of summer culture—frozen lemonades, bacon wrapped turkey legs, petting zoos, and those enormous stuffed teddy bears. Summer just wouldn’t be the same without a trip to the fair. We like the Orange County one for some reason (never been to the LA one) and it’s a good time. Come hungry, and bring your wallet! (photo taken at the bacon stand with Instagram)

Life List // I’ve started my life list, and it’s really exciting. Some of my entries so far are: learn to code, own a lake house in Michigan, be a back up singer, and learn to drive stick shift. I’m on my way!  (photo of my notebook and favorite pencil at my desk, taken with instagram)

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Bottega Louie // Breakfast Photography

posted by Amanda // Food, Photography

Jul 20, 2012

A couple weekends ago, M’s best friend came for a visit and we took him on an eating tour of LA. We went to all of our favorite restaurants which obviously included Bottega Louie. I brought my favorite film camera, the Canon TLb, and snapped some shots of the beautiful interior, and our delicious breakfast.

Food is such a pleasure to photograph. I don’t want to pigeon hole myself as a food photographer just yet, but as I continue to learn more and practice my photo skills, I know it’s my favorite subject. Looking through these photos makes my mouth water all over again… need to go back soon!

(Note: none of these photos have been edited. I’m interested in playing around with them in photoshop, but I just haven’t had time. Maybe this weekend. Stay tuned!)

All photos by me

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Currently // Film Photography + San Diego + Instagram

posted by Amanda // Inspiration, Photography, Travel

Jul 02, 2012

Film Photography // I inherited 3 vintage 35mm cameras from my grandparents and my dad. I also bought one at a garage sale a couple years ago. I bought an old Specta Polaroid on Craigslist a while back, and  a new Fujifilm Instax Mini. About 5 years ago I bought a Holga, and when you add all that to my Nikon DSLR that’s quite a few cameras… But I never used any of the film ones. I barely knew how to use my digital! So yesterday I went to Sammy’s Camera and stocked up on film—all kinds for all my different cameras. Then I played around. I have 2 rolls to drop off today (expired film that was left in 2 of my 35mm cameras!) and I can’t wait to see what comes out! So stoked on this film stuff! (Image // this is a Contaflex I inherited from my grandfather. It’s amazing!)

San Diego // About a 2 hour drive directly south of LA, San Diego is my new favorite place. It’s like an unpretentious, laid back version of LA. The weather is always gorgeous, and there are so many fun things to do. M and I stayed at an amazing hotel called Humphrey’s Half Moon Inn on Shelter Island. I felt like I was in Hawaii (except that it wasn’t humid). There were palm trees and wood, and tiki’s and flowers. A lot of times on vacation I schedule every minute with activities. But San Diego is so close, I feel like I can actually relax when I visit. I can sleep in and lounge by the pool. We can’t wait to go back. (Image by TomWatson on Flickr)

Instagram // I joined Instagram the week it came out for Android (only a few months ago) and I am addicted! It’s definitely my favorite social media tool. And now that they’ve added a web component so you can easily follow and like from your browser, it’s even more amazing. What do you guys think? Follow me here, and put a link to your account in the comments so I can follow you back!

This post is on Dwellable!

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Speed Sisters Film // Palestinian Women’s Racing Team

posted by Amanda // Inspiration

Jun 14, 2012

Here’s a little bit of Girl Power to start your day. The new film Speed Sisters is about ”The Middle East’s first all-women motor racing team… [taking] on the street car racing circuit of the occupied West Bank, Palestine.” Badass right?!

I just watched the IndieGoGo trailer (below) and I love these ladies. The film’s fiscal sponsor is being produced distributed by Women Make Movies, allowing contributions to the film to be tax-deductible in the US. WMM is a non-profit organization who’s goal is to “address the under representation and misrepresentation of women in the media industry… Women Make Movies is a multicultural, multiracial, non-profit media arts organization which facilitates the production, promotion, distribution and exhibition of independent films and videotapes by and about women.” A worthy cause indeed.

Support the film, and spread the word about these awesome women making history in Palestine.

UPDATE: The film is actually being produced by Bungalow Town Films. Speed Sisters is a member of Women Make Movie’s production assistance program and they are the partner for the Indiegogo fundraising campaign.

 

These girls must have been the inspiration for MIA’s newest single, Bad Girls, don’t you think?

Image

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Currently // Moonrise Kingdom + Head Scarves + Mexican Fruit Salad

posted by Amanda // Fashion, Food, Music

Jun 11, 2012

Moonrise Kingdom // I absolutely loved this film. Everything about it—the music, the art direction, the story, the characters, the setting, the costumes, the dialogue… This kind of movie reminds me so much of my childhood, and transports me to this quirky alternate universe. Go see it.

The soundtrack was so great. Some awesome person made a playlist on Spotify, so you can go listen now. Not every song is available, but there are some good ones on there.

Also, here’s the trailer again:

Moonrise Kingdom Trailer from Jason Weinberger on Vimeo.

Head Scarves for Summer // I have really been loving the head scarf look. It’s really easy to do, and keeps your hair up and out of your face. These small square scarves are pretty easy to find at thrift stores. I bought a couple for 5o cents last month. I really like the one above by nanoutriko on Etsy. Here’s the tutorial I used to learn how to tie a headscarf.

Mexican Fruit Salad // If you’ve driven around LA much you’ve seen guys on the sidewalks with rainbow umbrellas. Next time you see one of these umbrellas, do yourself a favor and stop for a big bag of fresh fruit for $5. Choose from coconut, watermelon, pineapple, cucumber, orange, honeydew, jicama, and cantaloupe, but don’t forget the lime juice, salt and chili powder on top. Holy crap man. The lime juice and salt bring out the flavors of the fruit, and the chili powder counters the sweetness with a POW of spicy. It’s the perfect summer snack.

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Currently // Bossypants + The Dø + Game Change

posted by Amanda // Books, Music

May 07, 2012

Bossypants, by Tina Fey + The Dø + and Game Change, an HBO Movie

Bossypants by Tina Fey // I have been wanting to read this ever since it came out. But I don’t buy hardback books, so I had to wait. I just finished it last night. Tina is warm, open, and hilarious. Reading Bossypants is like talking to your older sister if your sister was witty and wildly successful. But there were plenty of serious times in the book as well. Fey talks about the life balance between motherhood and being a successful actress and comedy writer. She talks about growing up different and making it in the male dominated comedy world. I’ve always been a big Tina Fey fan, and this book let me look a little deeper into the life of the woman I so admire. She is real, and I look up to her even more now.

The Dø // I don’t know too much about Fench/Finnish band, The Dø, but I really like their sound. I’m tellin’ ya, Scandinavia is where’s it at right now in music. Check them out below.

The Dø // Gonna Be Sick!

Game Change HBO Movie // I watched this last weekend. Holy crap, dude. Julianne Moore is fantastic as Sarah Palin. The story is really interesting, especially because the 2008 elections were only 4 years ago. When Palin was first chosen I was optimistic. A woman elected to the 2nd highest position in the country?! Awesome! But then she started talking… and it was quickly apparent she was NOT qualified… at all. This movie recounts the rise and fall of Palin, and it’s kinda scary. The whole time during the movie I just felt really sorry for John McCain.

Game Change Trailer

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