Fa-La-La-Lolla-pa-loo-za

So my 3-day Lolla adventure came to a close on a movie-like muddy and rainy Sunday night. This was my first year going all three days and though it was balmy, hot, wet, and left me completely exhausted, I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Friday night I shook my money-maker with friends at Girl Talk in Perry's Tent. It was nothing but a shoulder to shoulder crowded mess of people dancing and singing in sweat and heat. Amazing.

 This night ended on a walk to get out of the crowd with nearly 60,000 people filling in the streets.

Saturday began with one of my favorites - Phantogram. I saw them previously at Lincoln Hall earlier this year with a live drummer and it's since been one of my favorite live shows. Also on Saturday was Mayer Hawthorne, Fitz and the Tantrums, Local Natives (yay!), Death From Above, Ellie Goulding, and My Morning Jacket.

Sunday - though the line-up wasn't quite as exciting, was by far my favorite day of the festival. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. stole the day early on with a great set. We Almost Lost Detroit & their cover of Higher Love stole the crowd's heart. This was immediately followed by a quick peek at The Cars and then we moved it back to Perry's for some Dubstep dancing.

 

Then...the pouring rain came.
Not a dry shirt in the festival.
Fields filled with mud.
People running around barefoot.
My boots filled with water.

 Then the rain stopped. We started to dry out.
Arctic Monkies.
Explosions in the Sky.
Foo Fighters.

The sky turned an angry and gorgeous brown, and before we had time to think "looks like rain..." it started pouring again.

An so it was like I said: my 3-day Lolla adventure came to a close on a movie-like muddy and rainy Sunday night as I ran through a field of mud and water in the pouring rain holding hands with two lovely new lady friends. And in the middle of all of this running/rain/mud, everything turned to slow motion as Foo Fighters had began playing "Hero."

And scene.

Everything has a place. Is this it?

I keep telling myself I need to write more. People keep asking me to write more.
I've been in about a 4 month funk of writers block and nothing seems  to be inspiring me.
That is the worst.

I'm moving again in four weeks. This will be eighth apartment in eight years - I don't even know how that's possible. My third already in Chicago; and then I come to the realization that I've already been in Chicago just over two years and I have no idea where the time has gone. I still feel new here. I still don't know the city like I thought I would. And in some ways, I'm more alone than when I first arrived here; I'm not sure how that's even possible. Summertime in Chicago is the worst time to feel like you're in the middle of a friend drought. There is so much going on, and so much to see. I guess I could start attending festivals and pass out flyers that say something like "Free Friend. Inquire right now - look up."

Another apartment. Another year lease. And I'm starting to wonder...when the hell am I going to ever go back home to California? Or will I? Timing seems like everything the older you get; responsibilities holding you in place. I'm not 20 anymore. Picking up and just leaving isn't just a trivial argument with your folks and a chance to prove someone wrong about whether or not you're going to make it somewhere new. It's an adventure at 20. A commitment at 25. A foundation at 30(ish).

I'll be honest. Whether it's here or there, or anywhere else -
I might be just about ready for solid ground.

We Come Out On Top

Over the years in my ripe old age of 28...I realize I have many more "WTF" moments than I would like to admit. When I'm not fully happy or satisfied in life, it seems like every Monday I ask myself, "Uh...Afton, where is your life going?" In turn, I panic, feel unfulfilled, and probably sprout a few gray hairs that I hope my hair color is covering. Sure, we do things to try and change our current situation; help ourselves, but it's not going to come to fruition until it is good and ready. In the mean time, we buckle up and keep pressing. There have been many times where no matter how much I've cried, was scared, worried, felt like I was at rock bottom or desperate over something, I always come out alive, with a roof over my head, a heartbeat, a family and friends, and Jesus politely saying, "I told you so."

And no matter how many times I've heard this, I still seem to forget how blessed I am.
So here's to tomorrow. Good or bad, we come out on top.

Prioritize and Accessorize

Realizing last night that I'm an (accessory) hoarder, I decided to take an hour and go through all of my necklaces in hopes of downsizing. It didn't go as well as I had hoped...

I could tell you where I got/who gave me each and every one of these necklaces. I'm one of those "hard to let go of certain things" kind of people...even when I don't have much use for it anymore. But once I sprawled all of these out across my floor it became more like a time-line of beads, silver, gold, and cheap plastic. Turns out, some of the cheap stuff is my favorite.

And this is where I ended up...

My clutter not much smaller than when I started.

Fail?

2010 - The soundtrack of 365 days.

Songs that made my 2010 soundtrack 
(Not necessarily debuting in 2010...)

Home – Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

Airplanes – Local Natives
Rococo – Arcade Fire
Plastic Jungle – Miike Snow
Dance Yourself Clean – LCD Soundsystem
When I’m Small - Phantogram
Connjur – School of Seven Bells
Sprawl II – Arcade Fire
Clap Your Hands - Sia (xx!)
Blue Blood – Foals
Cosmic Love – Florence and the Machine
All to All – Broken Social Scene
Baby - Warpaint
Dream – Goldfrapp
Edge of Desire – John Mayer
Shak’ida – Donora
Howlin’ For You – Black Keys
Never Grow Up – Taylor Swift (completely allowed)

Songs I'm ashamed to admit I enjoyed in 2010
(some that often resulted in random dance parties...)

Runaway – Kanye West

DJ Got Us Falling in Love – Usher
Bad Romance – Gaga (obvious choice)
Love Sick Teenagers – Bear in Heaven
Whip My Hair - Willow (awesome choice)
Firework – Katy Perry
Love the Way You Lie – Eminem & Rihanna
Last Kiss – Taylor Swift
Your Love Is My Drug – Ke$ha (that sneaky bitch)
Country Strong – Gwenyth Paltrow
Need You Now - Lady Antebellum

Wow. I'm really embarrassed.