lethargic girl ignores life decisions in favor of clickhole articles

This past week has been up and down - some days I feel super accomplished, and others I feel like a lifeless slug that just lies around and watches Buzzfeed videos, fawning over Eugene, for hours. As I've been preparing for the return of school, I find myself scared and attempting to scramble to get ahead on random studying (SATs) while I can, yet I can't find the motivation to actually do so.

I read something my friend Chloe wrote recently, and she mentioned a favorite quote of mine from Amy Poehler: "Great people do things before they are ready. They do things before they know they can do it.”, and it strangely gave me confidence. I wrote it on a notecard and slipped it into my backpack, because sometimes you need those reminders of how great you and the choices you made are.

I go to the beach to visit my grandparents next week and I'm excited to be in their sunshine again.

I've been listening to this and this and enjoying the peacefulness of the nature around my house.

Hope your doing well,

AL

"I was a summer baby born in 1971 in Simi Valley, California, and I’ve been using masturbation as a sedative since 1991. "

Sitting down and writing has seemed intimidating and hard recently. The impending doom of the return of high school in a month also just seems so overwhelming to me right now. What worries me sometimes is that I'm perfectly content lying in bed all day/summer and getting up only for food breaks (which have been vegan this week because 1. I was really motivated by Oprah's episode on veganism and 2. have you seen Freelee or Essena????).

This week I somehow stumbled upon this rapper Allday, and I've been enjoying his latest release "Soft Grunge Love Rap". I think I'm latching onto the sound because I keep waiting for Frank Oceans new album (WHERE IS IT FRANK?? YOU SAID JULY) and he has the same vibes in his music.

I've been spending a lot of my time on Code Academy recently because I feel like coding is an important thing to know how to do. I've obviously invested my website designing skills into creating the ultimate Matt Damon and Ben Affleck friendship site.

 As you can see it's super high tech and really detailed. I was only 95% inspired by Mindy Kaling's show and 5% inspired by Gone Girl.

I've been listening to Someone New by Hozier (also this) on repeat for the past 24 hours because it reminds me of a day trip I took with a friend to Philly back in June. We're actually meeting up this week and having a Gilmore Girls marathon before volunteering for a day so I'm excited (mostly for Gilmore Girls, but ya win some ya lose some).

I might go to the TV Girl concert tonight but literally ALL OF MY FRIENDS are out of town so my Dad wants to come with me because he think it'll be a good bonding experience.  I don't think he understands me when I try to describe how small the venue and how different it'll be from his previous concert experiences, but whatever ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ .

I watched Welcome to Me and I loved Kristen Wiig and I think more people need to appreciate it (hence the title of this post) 

Asides from summer work for school and SAT prep nothing much has been happening.

Hope you're having a good weekend,

A

"I want to talk, not just send each other videos"

I miss New York a stupid amount. The crushing weight of everyday responsibilities has returned and I'm looking for any way to escape them. 

 

this is a photo of the art gallery I made with Chloe in our dorm - the idea started as a joke, but then it actually happened!

 we visited the New York Times and the building was incredible

 me being a member of Daft Punk to avoid sunlight

the subway ride back from a yoga class in the park 

These small lil snapshots of memories crush me but at the same time make me happen that I even had the opportunity for them to happen. 

I've been listening to this and this and all of these memories make me want to watch this even though I hated it?

Hope you're having a great week,

A

End of July Vibes

I haven't posted in a month because I was in New York City for four weeks and I was trying to appreciate every moment instead of sitting down and taking up time reflecting on everything. I loved it and I miss it extremely, especially now that I'm back in the suburbs.

Here's a few of my favorites for the month:

Music

 The Only Living Boy in New York//Simon and Garfunkel 

1965//Zella Day

Honeymoon//Lana del Rey

Hero//Family of the Year

Step//Vampire Weekend 

None of this music is out there or indie like "normal" but I just love them so much right now.

TV

Freaks and Geeks

while I was in NY there was a free freaks and geeks marathon at the Lincoln center theater to celebrate the release of Judd Apatow's new movie, Trainwreck. I went with friends and we stayed for the whole eight hours and I felt so much happiness radiating from me, it was exciting.

Gossip Girl

I was among the Waldorf's and van der Woodsen's of the world and you expected me to not cave to this show??????

Movies

Gone Girl 

 I have been completely fascinated by this movie for the past two weeks - I can't get over it, and I  don't know why. I find myself going back to it again and again and watching clips from it and interviews about it. It's stuck in my head on loop.  

The Sisterhood of the Night

 I was super excited for this movie and was even contemplating driving 50 minutes to view it in one of the few theaters it was showing in when it first came out. So I was pleasantly surprised when I found it up on Netflix, but it just went downhill from there. I couldn't get into the movie and I felt as if it was too predictable and that the character personality choices were so obvious. 

Trainwreck 

 I'm really excited to see this movie! Amy Schumer and Judd Apatow are both amazing and ugh I can't wait.

Other

Kinky Boots

The best show I've ever seen (from a girl who usually can't stand musicals)

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Rachel Antonoff Sample Sale!!!

 Where I bought a designer shirt, met Tavi Gevinson, and cried because while I was smooshed with all those other people but it felt like everything was going to be OK.

I'll have a real post soon,

A

Four Dream-Pops To Go

If I made individual posts about each of these bands/albums it would be excessive because they're all dream pop, and I really don't want to be know as the girl-who-just-can't-get-over-dream-pop, so I put them all in this post. All of their albums are free downloads, so enjoy!

virgo indigo//Fog Lake

Ambient acoustic pop, like a slowed down more echoey Moldy Peaches. The transcendant vocals seem to speak directly of foggy summer days where nothing seems certain. 

Favorite Track: mad scientist

 

Bandcamp

Facebook

 Greatest Hits//Teenage Kitchen

Although low production quality, the teenage authenticity shown through irrational lyrics is alluring and addicting. This lo-fi experimental dream pop band is a fragile listen.

Favorite Track: Life Bearing Planet

Bandcamp

  akimbo//Adam Perkins

This slowcore experimental band has a foggy feel (I'm repetitive, I know), with beautiful instrumentals intermingled with spoken/sung lyrics.

Favorite Track: idylla

Bandcamp

under cover vol.II//Tashaki Miyaki

Covers of classics with a dream pop twist.

Favorite Cover: I Only Have Eyes for You

Bandcamp

Facebook

Enjoy the weekend,

A

Natalie Wood//TV Girl

TV Girl (fav band ever) has released two new tracks (Natalie Wood and Like We Planned)to promote their upcoming new album and I'm pumped. I'll actually be back in time from my summer program to go to their concert here in August, which I think is one of my most looked forward to concerts ever. I got into TV Girl when I first moved back to America, and was feeling isolated by a lot of small cultural things as well as people at school, and it was one of the first times that I really felt the community created by music.

Their first album as well as these two new songs are up for free download on their Bandcamp so definitely go check them out! 

Genre: hip hop, indie pop, electronic indie pop, lo-fi

First Week of Break Movies + Albums

Hey!

Today I just wanted to post little reviews about a handful of movies and albums that I've consumed since the start of my summer break

 White Bird in a Blizzard is a drama thriller starring Shailene Woodley - I'm pretty sure I've mentioned it on this blog before, but I recently re-watched it. The acting in general is poor and the plot/mystery is obvious except for the twist at the very end, overall leaving me really unsatisfied.

 This is the Next Part of Your Dream by Ghost Noise is a pop goth album that I couldn't stop thinking about while watching White Bird in a Blizzard; the soundtrack of the movie plays a lot with the fact that the main character goes to goth clubs and so this album mirrors it nicely. 

 Girlhood is a movie I've wanted to watch since it came out in France, so when it went up on Netflix I was overjoyed. It follows a French-African girl who ends up dropping out of school and joining a gang, her confidence exploding while her family life deteriorates. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, and was even more excited by the fact that I hadn't lost my French and could still understand everything they were saying. 

Laura Dekker, at age 14, departed to sail solo around the world. While her main goal was to see the world, she ended up also becoming the youngest person to ever sail around the globe alone. Filmed by Laura throughout her trip, Maidentrip shows you how anything can be possible.(wow that was not cheesy at all)

Rashida Jones (of Parks and Rec) produced/directed this documentary on the porn industry and the lives of amateur sex workers. Following the lives of several young woman, most who came into the porn industry right after turning 18, the startling life of porn actresses is revealed. Hot Girls Wanted showed me things about the industry I had been completely oblivious to (such as the overall success and popularity of porn) and helped to make me more aware of the extremities of the lives of porn "stars". I definitely enjoyed Hot Girls Wanted more than expected. 

The description of this documentary ("Filmmaker Matt Wolf explores the origins of the modern-day "teenager" -- a demographic that didn't even exist until the mid-20th century.") interested me, but as I began to watch it I could feel myself dozing off. With no live interviews, Teenager is really a collection of old clips and commentaries. It felt very detached and I couldn't make it through the first 15 minutes.

Contra by Vampire Weekend is currently my go-to summer album. Its overflowing with upbeat themes of summer and I just can't seem to get enough of it, especially the track Horchata. 

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt has the best theme song ever, and that is probably the #1 reason why I watched the whole season. While most of the time the storyline is predictable, it is funny and can help to relax/take your mind off of things.

Parks and Rec has also been drawing a lot of my attention lately as well - its mind numbing and blissful. I still feel stressed from finals even though they've been over for almost a week now, and I find that this helps to remove me from that worried mindset. I promised myself not to do summer work for the first week of break, which I know sounds ridiculous to some, but I honestly can't wait to get it over with. 

Hope your final exams are going well and that you're enjoying the summer vacation if you're out already like me!

A