I wrote a book called "Audrey, Wait!" After a series of small potholder fires, I'm starting to cook again. You've been warned. Music is my boyfriend. I'm having an affair with coffee, though. My new book "The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May & June" is in stores now. Hi! I'm so glad you're here!
EVEN MORE ABOUT ME
Doing a book report? Desperate for more information? Just feeling nosy?
Woo! Two posts in a week! Clearly something's gone wrong.
Actually, this is very exciting. Are you excited? Yay, I'm so glad! It's the paperback cover of "The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May & June!"
How cute are they?! Thank you, total stranger girls, for representing my characters! I like how June is doing jazz hands. She would TOTALLY do that in the family photo...and then she'd be pissed because no one could see her face so she'd want to take the picture again, but May would be fed up with the whole process and so that's how the picture stayed. At least, that's how it happened in my head.
But you know what I like almost as much? The back cover with so many nice reviews from bloggers! You guys are just crazy kind.
I also think that this will look superb next to the "Audrey, Wait!" paperback cover, like the books are related. My little bibliofamily! I'm a lucky writer indeed. Be on the lookout for "AMJ" around the beginning of June. (Side note: it's nice when your book comes out during one of the months in the title. So serendipitous!)
Off to pack up for a weekend vacation with the puppy. He works hard, he needs a break. So much napping can really wear a little guy out. Have a lovely weekend!
Oh, you’re right, I know, it’s not spring yet, and some of you are probably thinking, “Hey, you haven’t blogged in six months! Don’t come tapdancing back in like everything’s fine!” You would be the observant ones. And I promise that if you make it through the end of this post, there will be puppy pictures, so it’s probably best if you keep reading.
I know my blogging is sporadic, but sometimes I just think, “Oh, people don’t need to know that. They aren’t interested. I should talk about fun things like book covers instead.” But the more I thought about, the more I realized that it’s sort of doing you—the reader—a disservice. Oh hey, look, I’m rambling.
Here’s the deal. Last September, life sort of sent me reeling, as it has a tendency to do. I was in Decatur, Georgia for the Decatur Book Festival when I got word that my stepfather had been diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer, the same disease that stole the life of the wonderful writer LK Madigan. The only way I can describe that disease is that it’s like March: in like a lion, out like a light.
My stepfather passed away 30 days after his diagnosis, pain-free and ready to leave this earth. Not that we were ready to let him go, but that’s the way it is and that’s the way it happens every day. He was incredibly proud of my success as a writer: during the last few days, one of his doctors greeted me with, “Oh, are you the author?”
Just as I was recovering from that loss, my grandmother passed away in early November, three days shy of her 91st birthday. I loved her more than I could ever eloquently explain in a blog post and not having her around has been difficult. She was the most amazing craftswoman I have ever met: when I was little, she made most of my clothes and stuffed animals, including a pelican with stuffed fish in its beak; she handsewed all of our Christmas ornaments that still hang on our tree today, and in the most spectacular feat of grandmotherhood ever, she sewed a stuffed camel that was wearing a bra.
Let me explain.
When I was growing up, my favorite poem EVER EVER EVER was “They Put a Brassiere on the Camel” by Shel Silverstein. I especially liked to recite when there were a lot of people around, no doubt to my parents’ thrill. My grandma thought it was the funniest thing she had ever seen and decided to whip up a little something with her sewing machine. The googly eyes really brought the whole thing together. I know I still have that camel somewhere.
After one of our visits, the last thing my grandmother would always say to me was, “Well, we had a few little laughs, Robbie.” I think that’s probably the best attitude to take about life in general. Just have a few little laughs.
(Actually, that’s not true. The last thing she would say was, “When am I going to be a great-grandmother?!”, which WHAHAHAHAHAHAHA oh man *wipes tears of laughter from eyes*)
I have to be honest with you. After all that sadness and loss, I didn’t want to write anything. Writing used to be my safe place and it just up and went camping out in the wilderness for six months. Even my Song of the Day blog wasn’t fun anymore. I needed to recharge, restart, regroup, and whatever other re- words are appropriate here.
So I did what any rational person would do. I moved across town and got a dog. I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY.
I moved to Silver Lake, which is on the east side of Los Angeles, and depending on traffic and the time of day, it’s easier to get to Arizona than the beach from here. I’ve always heard a lot of rumors about hipsters overrunning this part of town, but from what I can tell, most hipsters are from the Mid-Wilshire area. Just a personal observation.
Moving was sort of a big deal, mostly because I had been living and working in a 500 square foot studio apartment for 13 years. If you want to know what that’s like, gather up all your belongings and move into your closet. It’s a little tight. But now I have 1000 glorious square feet…and not a lot of furniture. A table would really be handy right about now.
But the best part about moving? My lovely office!
Isn’t it cute? It’s actually a closet, but it’s been reappropriated. Oh, the irony.
And then Puppyface came into my life.
I had been looking for a dog for a while and was insistent on getting a girl dog so I could name her Eleanor Rigby. When I went to the shelter to see a little maltese, though, I could tell that she and I were not a match. She was the size of an aspirin and had enough energy to power a rocketship. The woman at the shelter suggested I see the maltese’s cratemate, a little boy shih-tzu named Gage. I said yes, mostly because I didn’t want to be judged by all the shelter employees.
It was love at first sight.
Gage was eighteen months old when they found him on the 110 freeway in south LA. That’s right. ON THE 110 FREEWAY. That’s how he got his name; they found him near the Gage offramp. He barely weighed twelve pounds, so how he survived on the freeway is anyone’s guess. I have a nice big car and I can barely handle the 110 freeway.
Now Gage is named Hudson and he is the sweetest lovebug ever. He often gives me looks that seem to suggest that he’s barely tolerating my shenanigans. In other words, he’s Ron Swanson.
Another fun thing about having a dog is that you find yourself screaming things at the top of your lungs, like “OMG DON'T EAT THAT DOG'S POOP!” and “OMG ARE YOU CHEWING GUM?!” (Hand to God, both incidents happened. We’re fine now.)
Diva puppy.
Another wonderful thing about Hudson is that he made me want to start writing again. Not that he knows this, of course, but having him around puts a new energy into the air. So I decided to start slow and write a FAQ about myself. Hud thinks this is over the top, but then again, he’s not the one getting questions for people’s book reports. Although he might after people read this blog.
Now someone is insisting that I cuddle him, so I hope you are all lovely and stomping towards spring. Thank you for reading my ramblings, both on this website and elsewhere. You make me very, very happy.
Happy New Year! New decade! And not a minute too soon, if you ask me.
This was only the third decade I've ever lived through, but it was hands-down the craziest one I ever had. I basically went through my 20s in the past ten years. If you've already survived your 20s, then you know what I'm talking about. If you're currently going through them, good luck & Godspeed. And if you haven't hit that magical 2-0 yet, well, buckle up and bring a toothbrush, because it's a pretty interesting trip.
The funny thing about the last decade is that so many things happened to me that it's hard to quantify, but I'll give it a shot anyway. Here we go.
I had an awesome job, got laid off, learned how to edit radio programs, got humiliated at a temp agency, became a PR director at Book Soup in West Hollywood, and once gave George Plimpton a ride in my 1997 Saturn after his car got towed during a book signing. (Ask me about that some time, it's a pretty great story.)
I became so anemic that my doctors wanted to give me a blood transfusion (my reaction: "You're funny."), got diagnosed with celiac disease and Type 1 diabetes, and quickly got over my fear of needles. I then got super healthy, once ran 7 miles in just over an hour, and still never mastered a headstand in yoga. (I don't like when all the blood rushes to my head.)
I lost three grandparents and my father.
I quit a great job on a whim and wrote a book called "Audrey, Wait!", then watched as it sold in the United States and 13 other countries. I got emails from some of the funniest readers and authors I could ever hope to meet. I learned that writing a second book is way more difficult than writing a first book. (Waaaaay more difficult. Good Lord.)
I went to Italy for two weeks with my mom, became a vegetarian, went to my grandmother's 90th birthday party, and spent two days haggling at a car dealership for a new car. I got a great deal. They hated me. ("You treated us a like a bakery!" one salesman told me after I signed on the dotted line. I took it as a compliment.)
And I still never got a dog.
If there's one thing I've learned over the past ten years, it's that it's a crazy ride and it's fun and horrific and scary and wonderful. There were times that I thought I'd never feel better, and then there were times when I though I could never feel happier. I can't wait to see what happens in the next decade. I hope it's as amazing as its predecessor.
But enough about the last ten years. Let's get nitpicky and focus on 2009. It was pretty awesome.
I'll admit it, I cried when I saw this. Like, actual tears born of extreme cuteness. Its little face! Its tiny paws! I am thisclose to becoming a crazy cat lady now and I don't even own a cat.
FAVORITE IM CONVERSATION
My mom and I discussing cats and hats, which turned into a conversation about Britney and fedoras. You'll see.
This is genius if you're a do-gooder/word junkie/procrastinator like me. You just play along and for every word you get right, 10 grains of rice are donated through the World Food Programme. Easy, right? Right!
Once again, it's nearly impossible to choose. I saw so many great bands this year! Neko! Phoenix! M83! They were all phenomenal, but I think Regina the winner. I first saw her in 2002, way back when she was opening for Kings of Leon & The Strokes, and it was awesome to see her seven years later. She was so brilliant and charming, it was the first fall night of the year so the air was all crisp, and I went with my friend Leslie, who warned me beforehand that she was probably going to sing along. Pretty cool.
You may have heard that I have a Song of the Day blog, where I basically post songs that I like. I've heard so many songs this year that I loved, but I'm going to change the rules a bit and pick the song that had such an influence on me while I was writing my new book, "The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May, & June". I listened to it whenever I was stuck on a scene or frustrated and wanted to delete the entire manuscript. (Helpful Tip Alert: Don't delete your entire manuscript.)
So this year, I got a little overenthusiastic and featured not one but TEN of my favorite albums on my music blog. If you saw that feature, then you'll know this album was my all-time favorite this year. I just think she can sing like a hurricane and she's awesome, that's all. No biggie.
I didn't want to read this book at all, much less on the 10-year anniversary of the horrific Columbine massacre, but once I started, I couldn't put it down. I read the first 100 pages in one sitting, it's that good. It's about so much more than two deranged kids. It's about parenting and friendship and the state of current journalism in America. It shows all the different ways that a community can be torn apart and put back together, and it examines all the different angles of Columbine with clear eyes and the dignity they deserve. You can't ask for much more than that.
I got goosebumps in the theater. Plus, watch for Jack White's hilarious one-sentence commentary on a Hollywood executive.
FAVORITE PERSON OF THE YEAR
Whoa, how'd you win two years in a row?! Well, whatever you did, it worked because you even managed to beat out Lady Gaga. Once again, if you're reading this blog or sending me wonderful emails, following me on Twitter, or even if you're too shy to say hello, thank you a million times over. The past year would have been much more difficult if it wasn't for all the amazing fans and fellow writers that I've been able to meet. I am so lucky and blessed and happy to know all of you. Let's talk soon in 2010!
So I've been busy and not busy lately. The "not
busy" part stems from the fact that I have officially finished the new
book "The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May & June", so that's
been lovely. (I've decided that from now on, I'm gonna call it "AMJ"
for short. Consider this the official announcement of that decision.) This
means that instead of waking up and either running to or away from my computer,
I can stay in bed and not stress out.
People. STAYING IN BED IS AMAZING! And none of you
told me?! I think I'm part sloth now, and the only thing that keeps from
staying in bed all day is the fact that I drink too much coffee and the
caffeine jitters finally force me to move. Anyway, I love my bed. And wireless
internet. Now if someone can just invent a remote-controlled coffeemaker.
When I'm not being a lazybones in bed, though, I've
been socializing. In fact, I drove to San Luis Obispo this weekend for a
signing with Jay Asher(13 Reasons Why) & Jordanna Fraiberg Levine (In Your Room). Maybe
you've met them so you already know this, but those are two awesome authors and
I was privileged to get to hang out with them.
In fact, Jay is so awesome that he went home
afterwards and immediately posted a blog about our signing. He even gave it a funny title! I, on the other
hand, went back to my hotel, watched the last fifteen minutes of "Marley
& Me" and proceded to sob hysterically. (That movie is brutal.)
But I've had a little something else up my sleeve,
too. I decided to start a music blog.
It's not a big fancy music blog, and it's also not the kind of music blog that
will intimidate you and make you feel uncool for blasting "Islands in the
Stream" or "I Want It That Way" in the car. (I know I'm not the
only one who's done that. Uh, right?)
Instead, I'm just posting one song a day, usually a
song that I'm currently in love with. I'll send updates via Twitter & Facebook, so hopefully it won't get too
annoying. Tell me if it does. For now, you can ignore it completely or bookmark
it and refresh it obsessively, whatever floats your boat, but at least check it
out a couple of times.
Hey kids! Guess who just finished the first draft of her next book? Go ahead and guess...I'll wait.
YOU'RE RIGHT! IT'S ME!
Last night marks the first night in six months that I slept for more than five hours, which means that if you know me in real life, it's safe to talk to me again. (I can be a bit difficult when finishing a book. Don't judge.) But anyway, the book is done, at least until tomorrow, when the first round of edits start. Whee! This might be the first time that I'm actually excited to edit! Then again, it might just be the full night of sleep that's talking.
But I've noticed that a lot of you have discovered the paperback version of "Audrey, Wait!" Exciting times, right? Doesn't it look lovely on a shelf? Even my mom thinks so. She sent me the following email on Saturday:
"Borders in El Segundo. I might have mentioned I'm related to author..." And then she attached this picture.
Not gonna lie, it's pretty cool to have a mom who geeks out over my books.
So yes, the paperback is out, and so many of you are sending me cool questions! Keep 'em coming! I do my best to answer all of them, but don't worry if it takes me a bit to respond. Again, my edits are only 24 hours away, so I might be busy. If you have questions but feel a bit shy about writing, I've done some interviews that may answer your questions. I did one just a few weeks ago with the blog Exercise Your Mind, and you can always click the "Interview" tag to see older ones. Yay book bloggers!
That being said, a lot of you have asked if there's going to be a sequel to "Audrey" and I'm sorry to say that the answer is no. Don't get me wrong, though! I LOOOOOVE writing about Audrey & Victoria and the crew, but I feel like her story is done. Besides, she's too busy going to concerts to tell another story right now. :)
And in even more exciting news, I'm going to be at the LA Times Festival of Books this weekend. I'll be appearing on a panel with Lisa Yee, Lauren Myracle, Deb Caletti, and the super-amazing Cecil Castellucci will be moderating. Good times! It's free, but you'll need tickets, so click the link for more information. I'll also be doing a booth signing later that afternoon. Check it out.
LA TIMES FESTIVAL OF BOOKS
Saturday, April 25, 2009, 10:30am
UCLA Campus, Fowler Museum Lenart Auditorium
Panel: "Growing Up: Young Adult Fiction" (signing afterwards)
Robin Benway, Deb Caletti, Lauren Myracle, Lisa Yee
Moderator: Cecil Castellucci
Saturday, April 25, 2009, 1:30pm
Booth Signing at Penguin/Whale of a Tale
Booth #816
w/ Lauren Myracle
Okay, I think that's all of the info I can handle today. Tomorrow I'm going to try & post some foreign edition covers of "Audrey", which look incredible. For a sneak peek, though, check out the website for the French edition of "Audrey, entitled "Comment je suis devenue célèbre (malgré moi)"
I myself have been manic and busy. It's spring, and you know what that means. Yep, I'm racing to finish another book! My deadline is less than a month away and the date is circled in bright red ink on the calendar in my brain. It's funny how myopic I get when I'm working on something. Here's a hint of what it looks like in my head:
You can see why I'm a little manic right now. I wish I was one of those writers who could come up with an awesome outline and then sit down for three hours every day and calmly work their way through their amazing new book. I am so not that writer that it's ridiculous. Oh well, it's what makes the world turn.
Also, maybe you've already seen this, but the paperback version of "Audrey, Wait!" is about to be released next week! Can you believe it's been a year since my little book was published? Crazycakes. Anyway, here's the paperback cover, which should be gracing your bookshelves pretty soon.
I have to tell you, I really really love it. Audrey (who is actually a very nice model girl from New York) looks amazing and--pop-up trivia time--she's wearing my editor's skirt. Yeah, I don't know how that happened, but apparently it did. Oh, publishing, never change.
Forgive me if my posting is sporadic for the next few weeks, I'm doing my best to corral a bunch of imaginary people and tell their stories. In the meantime, if you'd like to be Twitter friends with me, I would love it! I tend to Twitter mostly about espresso and music and all my embarrassing life events, so, you know, you've been warned.
Okay, I'm going back to my big Word document o' doom, but before I do, here are some songs for you. One for morning and one for evening. (Did you really think I wasn't going to give you some music? Please. You know me better than that.)
It's the last day of 2008, peeps! Normally, I'm not a big "Yay, New Year's Eve!" person. I like some champagne, a noisemaker, and then my comfy bed, but since this year has been so ridiculously stellar, I figured I would make a top 10 list of my favorite things. Brace yourselves for some opinions.
It's probably sort of cheesy, but I freaking LOVE this video. I watch it whenever I'm stressed or depressed or angry at the fact that my kitchen has no hot running water (a problem since resolved, but that was not a fun 3 months). Anyway, yes. This video. Good times.
Easily, hands down, the best. A close second was the one where Johanna went off on Gwyneth Paltrow for reasons that I still don't understand, but I'm saving that one for 2009. It's a doozy.
Basically, it's a website run by a photographer, who takes pictures of people who look cool. I don't mean like manufactured cool. I mean the people who wear turquoise sweaters with orange scarves just to ride the F train into Manhattan, and they manage to look so awesome that it makes me want to go shopping. The best thing about this website, though, is that it makes me braver in how I dress. At least on the inside.
FAVORITE CONCERT
Sigur Rós at the Greek Theater, Hollywood
I saw a LOT of concerts and some of them were freaking amazing (Trent Reznor, I'm looking in your direction), but the Icelanders win the award this year. I've always been a fan, but as soon as they fired off the confetti cannons during "Gobbledigook" and made the whole audience clap along, I was officially a fanatic.
I saw the Raconteurs at the Greek the week before Sigur Rós, and while they didn't play this song, it was still amazing. But this song. This song makes me want to track down Jack White and ask him, "How do you DO it?" Jack also gets bonus points because, during a show in Kansas City, he interrupted "Carolina Drama" to pull a fainting girl out of the audience. You see what this song can do to people?
You can imagine what I went through trying to pick just one. I gnashed my teeth, pulled my hair, drank a lot of espresso, and finally came up with "Only By the Night". I've been a fan of the band ever since an ill-fated business trip to Phoenix (please, don't ask), and this album confirmed everything that I loved about their music. Best songs: "Sex on Fire", "Notion", and my second place choice for song of the year, "Use Somebody". Plus, check out some of band member Jared Followill's albums of the year in the NY Times. (This kid should write more music reviews.)
Okay, so this wasn't released in 2008, but I read it in 2008, so that's why it counts. I was in a bookstore in Palm Desert, desperate for something addictive to read, so I texted my bookwormy friend Maret for suggestions. 3 seconds later, she texted me this title, thusly winning the prize for best recommendation of the year. The way the plots intertwine are amazing and I wish I could do what Adam Langer does, and Michelle Wasserstrom is one of those characters that you want to be your friend, if you weren't so afraid that she would kick your ass and make you look stupid. I heart both her and this book.
As for "NMTB", UKers, you know what I'm talking about, but for those of you who haven't seen it, pop over to YouTube immediately. I lost a whole day to watching this show online, and I don't know how to explain it other than it made me laugh so hard that I cried. I realize, of course, that humor doesn't always translate, but if you're up for it, check out two of the best episodes here and here.
FAVORITE MOVIE MOMENT
Tunde Adebimpe, "Unknown Legend" (Neil Young cover)
I didn't expect to cry as much as I did in "Rachel Getting Married", but my two friends and I were all messes by the time it was over. I wouldn't say it's my favorite movie, but it has one of my favorite scenes of the year: the groom (played by Tunde Adebimpe, who's also in the band TV on the Radio) forgoes traditional vows and instead sings Neil Young's "Unknown Legend" to his bride. Please hand me a tissue.
FAVORITE PERSON OF THE YEAR
You. Hands down, you. If you read this website at all, if you read "Audrey, Wait!", if you loaned "Audrey" or borrowed it from a friend, then you are my favorite person. Thank you a million times over to everyone that supported me this year, especially those of you who sent me emails, who showed up to events just to say hello, who asked me how I became a writer or for writing advice. Your notes, comments, Facebook & Twitter hellos, and online and in-person friendships have meant the world to me, and there's no list that can ever show you my gratitude. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
I hope you all have a wonderful New Year's Eve and Happy New Year!
Can I just tell you how much I love that the title is "Audrey, Vent!" Like, "Audrey, let it out! Don't keep it in!" Hahah, language is funny. Either way, I think the cover is awesome and if Audrey were to ever star in "The Matrix", she would look like this. Two thumbs up, Norway!
Other than that, I don't have much to say, other than the fact that my friend Johanna and I were discussing the song "Girl in the War" by Josh Ritter the other day, and Johanna was so excited about it that it made me want to listen to it again, and well...now I'm hooked once more. Here, let me pass along the addiction.
Josh Ritter, "Girl in the War"(from "The Animal Years")
"Turn up the music and pray that she makes it through..."
Today is, so far, a WAY better day than yesterday. Huzzah! Thanks to everyone who sent notes and basically made sure I wasn't lying on my apartment floor and listening to Elliott Smith on repeat or something like that.
So to make up for yesterday's doom & gloom, I bring you some fun things today. Namely, "Audrey" Around the World.
So far, "Audrey, Wait!" has sold in 11 other countries, including Israel, Sweden, France, and Germany. I recently got to see some artwork from some foreign book jackets and I thought you might enjoy. Let's hop to it.
The UK
Italy
The Netherlands
Korea (this one is now the wallpaper on my phone)
I'll keep you posted on any others that make their way to me.
And finally, apropos of nothing else, I bring you my favorite IM conversation of the past 24 hours.
Me: (during a particularly melodramatic moment) Can we go to NYC so I can be trampled by some horses in Central Park?
Aaron: I'm sure we can get you trampled by horses without having to sit in coach for 5 hours.
So. Event Saturday went off without a hitch! If you were there, you already knew that, but if you weren't, my friend Paula Yoo, author of the YA book "Good Enough", recapped it, complete with my sartorial decisions. Behold.
For those of you who couldn't make it, Robin wore a lovely sleeveless patterned summer dress with an embroidered hem and matching sandals and had a nice red manicure. She wore her hair down loose and she looked very pretty. She read two excerpts from her book Audrey, Wait! The first was in the middle of the book during a concert where the main character meets an interesting British guy (Robin refused to do the British accent tho, haha!). Then she read the opening chapter which is a fantastic opening that sets up the fun tone and voice of the main character's dilemma.
Then the band My Name Is Guy performed - they were a great band with male/female harmonies and bongos and they sounded like your early '90s shoegazer college alt mellow rock band. Very cool vibe. People also got to ask Robin questions about her book and about the song "Audrey Wait!". She mentioned there was a youtube songwriting contest for the book. Andhere's one youtube example.
How cute is that? Very neat promo! Anyway, it was very well attended and a lot of fun and Robin did a great job and her book is awesome.
Awww, she's sweet! (And while we're talking about books and clothes, I have to say that Paula ended up wearing a dress that perfectly matched the "Audrey" cover, so that was lovely.) Anyway, the event was wonderful, people were cool, and I got to eat tamales with some friends afterwards, so win-win-win.
But as fabulous as Saturday was, I've been in a blah mood ever since. I thought I had a case of the Sundays, but here's Monday morning and the blah is still around.
Blah.
The crazy thing about being in a Mood is that I can't write because either a) all my characters end up in bad moods, too, and then they start doing things they're not supposed to do, which really screws me up, or b) the Mood gives me Writer's Block, which only creates more problems.
So if I'm not writing, I need a back-up cheer-up plan, and for reasons even I don't understand, that plan is "Go to Anthropologie and Buy a Teacup". Somethinglikethis.
Again, I don't why this works, but most of the times, it does. (And if you ever come over for coffee, this will be the reason why none of my coffee cups match.)
But sometimes, I just want to wallow, and this morning, I am in Wallow Central.
And you know that Wallow Central has a soundtrack. (Don't worry, it's only the following five songs. I'm not trying to depress everyone for days.)
AA Bondy, "Black Rain, Black Rain"
"Like a ghost upon a breeze in a land of elegies..."
Coldplay, "The Scientist"
"Come up to meet you / Tell you I'm sorry / You don't know how lovely you are..."
Evan Dando, "Frying Pan" (Victoria Williams cover)
"One laugh in the middle of a struggle / Eight diamonds at the bottom of a puddle / Did you ever stare at the moon 'til you saw double?"
Ray LaMontagne, "Empty"
"And of these cut-throat busted sunsets and cold and damp white mornings, I have grown weary..."
Teddy Thompson, "Tonight Will Be Fine" (Leonard Cohen cover)
"There is only one bed and there is only one prayer..."
Whew. That was...fun? Would that be an inappropriate way to describe sad music? Hmm.
Anyway, me and the iPod are going to the beach to eat tacos and guacamole and do something about this Mood. But let's end things on a good note, okay?
Ella Fitzgerald, "Get Happy"
"The sun is shining / C'mon get happy!"
EDIT: My aunt just emailed me to give me some of her own "cheer up" tips. I heart my fam.
