hey girl hey

if you get that title reference, you watch just as much tv as i do. not something to be proud of.

i am watching tv as we speak (or type), actually...a little ANTM action. I DVR'd it (i don't own a tivo, so I can't be all cool and "tivo" things) and was fast forwarding through the commercials....and then i found myself fast forwarding through the actual show....because....oh yeah....i just realized that it kind of sucks.

why am i wasting so much time watching suckiness?

i usually use the "i can't turn my brain off" excuse. meaning, when my brain is just churning and churning with all of the things i need/want to do, i turn on the tv so that i can sit there, mindlessly, hypnotized, lazy. it turns my brain off.

well, after reading a bit more of "a new earth" by eckhart tolle, i've decided to limit my television watching to one hr/day. i think that means i'm going to have to give up a few shows i've been watching (haha, won't be too hard to give up anything involving quotes like "hey girl hey"). I would ALSO like to limit my internet use to a few hours a day. I am on the computer all the time. It's where the majority of an indie artist's "business" takes place. From now on, I think I will designate a certain period of time every day that I can check my email and operate myspace. But that's it. None of this "i'm playing my guitar but then i hear my email ping, i mmmuuuuussssttt cheeeeckkkkk emmmaaaaiiiiilllll!"

seriously, that's what the voice in my head sounds like.

or as eckhart would say, my ego.

oh, egos.

I have a show in Boston on Friday! let's all get excited!

love on a lobster,

Lauren

holy mother

not since Brandi Carlile have i really found someone that moved me in that weirdo pit-of-your-stomach-makes-me-want-to-die-because-i'll-never-be-as-good way.

ha.

introducing (to me) Laura Marling.

drumrolllllll

It's done! Haha, here it is. What a fun project:

updaterrrrrr

Hey. I don't have a whole lot to say. But I think I can come up with something!

Right now I am listening to Kathleen Edwards. I heart her.

So basically, last week's show was a lot of fun. There were a lot of people there and it was really cool playing in a full band for Johanna's set. I'll have some video from my performance up soon :) And hopefully some photos too! Baruch's got quite a nice little concert hall set up, which was kind of a weird environment to play in, but I really loved it. The room was so live, and it just seemed to soak up my voice. It was cool. OH, acoustics.

I recently wrote a song for a Rockport Shoe internet commercial, and it should be live next week! I will post a link to it when it's ready :) I went to Boston and recorded two possibilities with my friend Lauren, and it was just a blast. But I have to admit that I was kind of terrified the client wouldn't like either of the songs we came up with. I was given a basic idea, and I ran with it. And what do you know, it paid off.

Woohooo for licensing opportunities. I can't speak too soon about a lot of things that are up in the air (I don't want to jinx myself!) but this lil' career of mine is chugging along quite well. And on mornings when it's raining and cloudy and cold and my body refuses to get out of bed, I REALLY have to try hard to remind myself of that.

I read this really great article in Paste magazine by Ben Gibbard. He mentioned something about how he recognizes that his life is pretty amazing and he has everything in the world to be happy about...but there's a certain darkness within himself that he can't really escape from. And that is something I really relate to. I guess the bottom line is that if I were always super happy, I wouldn't feel the kind of inspiration I do from feeling just a little down. It kind of creates a drive for me that I don't know how to create otherwise. It's an annoying cycle, especially to family and friends, I am sure. But it's just how it goes sometimes. Anyway.

Let's see....I booked a show at the Sidewalk Cafe next month, and I'm really excited about that. There are some shoes to try and fill at that venue, and I'm really looking forward to it. I've got some work to do...I also think I'm going to start busking in Union Square when the weather turns for the better. That idea terrifies me. All the more reason to do it! Anyone know what the rules are for that? Permits, etc? I feel like this silly city makes it really difficult to be a starving artist.

Wow, I guess I had a whole lot more to say than I thought :)

Kathleen Edwards to Kristoffer Ragnstam ... I am liking my iTunes shuffle today, yes I am.

xo

Lauren