My Top 5 Albums/EPs Of The Triangle in 2009

First, let me say lord, there was a lot of good music in the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area of North Carolina (known as The Triangle) this year. A lot of which I was unaware of, sadly, or unaware was Triangle music (again, sad). Researching this list however, has given me a looong list of musics to download, which I'm very excited about. New musics, local musics, yay! Anyway, without any further ado, here's the list:

1. The Love Language - The Love Language

2. Bombadil - Tarpits and Canyonlands

3. Bowerbirds - Upper Air

4. Violet Vector And The Lovely Lovelies - EP II

5. The Kingsbury Manx - Ascenseur Ouvert!

Also, check out these links to more Triangle music from INDYWEEK.com:

2009 Top 10 Triangle Albums (and yes, I overlap almost completely with this list, lol)

10 in 2010

Enjoy!

Love, Kate :)

NEW POEM: On Losing The Best Of The Social Whores (12-29-09)

On Losing The Best Of The Social Whores

You!

You spread your arms so wide and embraced me so tightly when

I was so lost

and you!

You introduced me to this incredible world i had been so enamored with

but had never had been able to muster the courage to dive into its depths.

You!

Do you know what an inspiration you were to me?

How when I watched you at Bahama Breeze or Manchester's,

moving with ease between tables and various groups of "macrame-makers,"

beer in hand, how

I was drawn to you like a moth to a flame.

God,

we all were.

Your light shone so brightly,

we all wanted to bathe in it.

If I could have one more moment I would say,

"Jack, you gave me courage and comfort and confidence"

and that wouldn't begin to describe one iota of what you gave me.

How I ache for what the world has lost.

I understand your demons, having shared similar ones

(the first time we met face-to-face we confided these issues with each other)

and I know the disease must've taken over

and I know I didn't do my part,

hold up my end of the bargain,

as I forgot how to communicate,

as I forgot how to be anything to you more than a name on a list.

So, I can't claim to know

anything about what brought this about

other than stupid fucking chemicals that wreak havoc with our souls

and for that, I could not be sorrier.

I will always treasure your infectious laughter, your booming voice, and those moments we shared where I was lucky enough to have your attention all to myself and got to converse and confide.

The world doesn't make much sense when we lose the likes of you,

yet I know your ache is at last soothed, your savage beast tamed,

so I hold onto that cold comfort,

and with tears streaming down my face,

I wish you well and remember a world where we basked in your warmth.

copyright 2009 Katherine Andrews

Best of 2009 set list, The Crow's Foot, 12-27-09

"Jailbird" -- M. Ward

"All The Beautiful Things" -- Eels

"There Are Maybe Ten Or Twelve" -- A. C. Newman

"Two" -- The Antlers

"Swim Until You Can't See Land" -- Frightened Rabbit

"Shake A Shot" -- Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson

"People Got A Lotta Nerve" -- Neko Case

"Lust For Life" -- Girls

"Lalita" -- The Love Language

"Days" -- Sambassadeur

"Kick Drum Heart" -- The Avett Brothers

"Saddest Summer" -- The Drums

"Naked With You" -- Turbo Fruits

"Stayed Up Late" -- The White Wires

"Suicide" -- The Raveonettes

"Not Fair" -- Lily Allen

"Folding Chair" -- Regina Spektor

"When We Swam" -- Thao

"Oh Suzanne" -- French Kissing

"Walkabout [w/ Noah Lennox]" -- Atlas Sound

"Heaven's Stranger" -- Eat Skull

"You Can Come Over" -- Shannon and the Clams

"A Little Death Around The Eyes" -- Pete Doherty

"Cornerstone" -- Arctic Monkeys

"Convinced Of The Hex" -- The Flaming Lips

"Guilty Cocker Spaniel" -- Modest Mouse

"Zero (N.A.S.A. Bloody Lobo Remix)" -- Yeah Yeah Yeahs

"Burn It All Down" -- VHS Or Beta

"If This Is Love" -- Darlings

"Jackie Wood" -- Box Elders

"26 Miles (Santa Catalina)" -- Dent May & His Magnificent Ukelele

"Hey Boy" -- Magic Kids

"Loli" -- Nous Non Plus

"A Teenager In Love" -- The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart

"The Ills" -- Mayer Hawthorne

"Spoiled" -- Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band

"Honeymoon" -- Bombadil

"Gimme Sympathy (Acoustic)" -- Metric

My Top 10 Albums of 2009 (I think? I can never friggin make up my mind man, so at this moment in time only)

December 25, 2009

IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER

1. Neko Case -- Middle Cyclone

2. M. Ward -- Hold Time

3. A. C. Newman -- Get Guilty

4. Thao -- Know Better Learn Faster

5. Arctic Monkeys -- Humbug

6. The Love Language -- The Love Language

7. Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson -- Summer of Fear

8. Metric -- Fantasies

9. Eels -- Hombre Lobo

10. Regina Spektor -- Far

Aislinn's Plurk Challenge: Reflections on Reverence

11-3-09

Reflections on Reverence

reverence

holiness as i know it

the beauty in all the little moments of awakening

the breathlessness of a true moment of joy

feeling helpless in the presence of enormity

the crashing of breakers on the shore

love

real love, not the superficial kind, but lasting love, pure love, unconditional love

laughter, deep throaty peals of it emanating heartily from loved chests

catching laughter

the kind that is contagious and irrepressible and uncontainable and leaves you breathless, tears soaking your cheeks

family

friends

all the people who hold me up when i fall so far into the underbelly of the beast

when i can't hold myself up and need hands to pull me out of that black hole

beauty

in all its forms

whether it's as simple as a ray of sunshine illuminating my desk or as powerful as a perfectly crafted poem

or a song that leaves me breathless and shaken and stirred and completely speechless

a canvas with brushstrokes that have created an image so powerful it transcends simple "art' and becomes something bigger than that simple word, something so much more meaningful and personal and treasured

worn books and notebooks filled with smeared ink and a computer filled with song upon song upon song

i do not revere the gods

i make my own

i revere the simplicity of a touch, a word, a kindly gesture,

the feeling of your warm breath on the back of my neck

i make my own religion

and it is sacred

copyright 2009 Katherine Andrews

Emulating Stu the Kid, 11-1-09

November 1, 2009

Emulating Stu The Kid

you keep doing this to yourself

staking your future on impossible odds

again and again i try to tell you that

the house always wins

as you draw another card

as your baited breath belies

the tension

the game brings with it

no, not a game

for for you, it is so much more

like air, you feed off it

you stake your future on it

insisting one day

you'll win that big pot

have that one good night

sorry, you are no Stu Ungar

and even that legend

was destroyed by his genius

banned from playing blackjack and rummy

od'ing just days after his big comeback

and you, you are no Stu the Kid

do it, yes, for fun

but please, i beg of you

stake nothing

when you stake your chips

copyright 2009 Katherine Andrews

Gattina's Plurk Challenge: Nutella Poem

October 2, 200

Nutella Poem

Oh, Nutella! The unspeakable things you do to me,

as treasured as any lover could be!

And oh, how much better you do what you do

than any man could -- I challenge you to say it isn't true!

Oh, Nutella! My love for you is like a flower in bloom

yet my heart seems to gain more room

for having you in me.

You're my redeemer, you hazelnut-cocoa anomaly.

copyright 2009 Katherine Andrews

When My Friends Invade My Inventory: Pt. 1, Barb's Caulfield Dress

So, I've never done a fashion post. I don't want to be a fashion blogger. There are far too many already doing it far better than me. However, I've decided to do a one-time series of posts called "When My Friends Invade My Inventory." See, I know and am proud to call so many designers and creators in SL my friends that, after putting together a kickass outfit for the Caulfield Dress [rose - group gift] from This is a Fawn, I was inspired to blog the dress. Barb is a friend of mine and that got me to thinking about all the other amazingly creative and talented people on my friends list and I decided it would be fun to do a few posts that incorporated various pieces from people on my friends list. Thus, "When My Friends Invade My Inventory" was born. I'm not sure how many of these I'll do, but not many, because man, are they work. Well, time-consuming anyway. I admire those of you who do this with any regularity.

So, onto the dress. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this dress, in all of the colors. It's a great end of summer/early fall piece in my opinion because the cut says summer but the fabric looks fall. Also, the skirt is pure flowy, flexi, magic goodness. And Barb knows how to do a skirt right, no matter how she makes it. The length is perfect, showing off exactly enough leg and the cut makes one's legs look simply to-die-for. Another selling point of this dress is that while it has a modest neckline, it really emphasizes one's ta-tas, showing them off to their maximum advantage. It comes in teal, navy, grey, blood, and aubergine, and comes on all layers. This dress is very versatile, easy to adapt to a variety of looks, as seen here. Anyway, go check out Barb's store, This is a Fawn, and pick up one for yourself, or better yet the fatpack, as Barb's prices are more than reasonable.

Style Card:

Outfit 1 (clockwise from top left):

Hair - The Huntress II, chocolate, Fishy Strawberry

Earrings and choker: Sn@tch Liquid Gothic

Skin: Curio - Beach 2: Black Pearl 1, Petal

Lashes: Silhouette Babydoll

Dress: Caulfield [blood plaid], This is a Fawn

Socks: School Daze Bobby Socks, white

Eyes: unknown hunt gift

Shoes: *katat0nik* Bowie Mary Janes (black)

Pose: Glitterati - Vogue - 1

Shape: Coco, This is a Fawn (modded some by me)

Outfit 2:

Hair: >Truth<>

Skin: Curio, Beach 2 - Black Pearl 2, Petal

Dress: Caulfield Dress [Aubergine Plaid], This is a Fawn

Necklace: Glass Chunk Necklace - b & w, Shiny Things

Bracelet: Glass Chunk Double Bracelet - b & w, Shiny Things

Shoes: Maitreya ChiChi Velvet Cherry Blossom

Pose: Glitterati - Vogue - 6

eyes & shape are the same as above

Outfit 3:

Hair: Magika Hair - Hate Me - Red E (which can be found in the 10L section, I believe)

Glasses: /artilleri/ paula glasses *black*

Skin: Curio, Beach 2: Black Pearl 1, Petal

Necklace: Deco - Vintage Drop Necklace

Dress: This is a Fawn Caulfield Dress [teal plaid]

Tights: Battered Boudoir - Boudoir Legs Fair, black

Nails: Candy Nail #P000 Basic Prim Nails Red09

Shoes: Breakneck Pump - black, Shiny Things

Pose: Glitterati - Cute 6

eyes and shape same as above

Outfit 4:

Hair: .:[Tiny Bird]:. Lola - Hazelnut

Skin: Curio, Beach 2: Black Pearl 2, Petal

Lashes: Dott Eye Lashes, MMS

Earrings and Necklace: Veronique earrings/Veronique Necklace - hematite/silver, Shiny Things

Bracelets: Everday Gems single bracelet and bangle and chain - black diamond, Shiny Things

Dress: This is a Fawn Caulfield Dress [rose - group gift]

Tights: Battered Boudoir - Boudoir Legs Fair, Plum

Shoes: BELLES - black, Shiny Things

Pose: m.f.p. Cockwaffle

eyes and shape same as above

SL Poetry Challenge from Plurk -- Topic: Long-Distance Relationships

9-2-09

why i quit falling in slove

I know I'll never roll over in bed

in the inky blackness of night,

reach for your hand,

find its warmth

and entangle your fingers

with my own.

you're just

a voice coming through over wires,

bouncing off satellites,

rushing through space

i may see your face,

crinkled in a tender smile,

but only on a screen.

if i reach out to stroke your cheek

i only touch cold, hard

plastic.

you're just

pixels.

remind myself

daily.

remind myself

not to fall

so desperately,

hopelessly,

inadequately

in love with you,

but i am

only human --

incapable

of stopping a train

hurtling down the tracks.

so,

i wait each night

for the beep-boop-bop

ringing tone

of a skype phone call.

all the while

telling myself

that the most important event

of each day

means less than

a single breath

to me.

copyright 2009 Katherine Andrews

Poetry Challenge #1: Haikus

SL Haikus

1.

faces become dreams

bleed into reality

the lines mean nothing

2.

your eyes bore through me

even when i see you as

you really are and cry

3.

creativity

explored with unknown limits

horizens expand

4.

hues and shapes and shades

subtle differences

on these things i feed

5.

spare me. know the truth.

sleep through the day, live nightly.

build alternatives.

6.

I wander farther

know less, learn little deaths

protect my walls

7.

myriads of masks

this is a beautiful dream

stealing everything

8.

become obsessed

lose hours, days, months, then years

trapped in glass tubes

9.

between you and me

there isn't much i don't see

i just choose to shut my mouth

10.

such a pretty lie

when it burns, i'll light the pyres

watch the skies sparkle

copyright 2009 Katherine Andrews