From songsforyourday

1. “Brother”- Annuals

2. “Zebra” – Beach House

3.  ”Running, Returning” -Akron/Family

4. “Blackbird”- Andrew Bird

5. “The Orchids”- Califone

6. “Lost Ring Finger”- Anathallo

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I wish that I could remember the specifics for you, the names and dates we learned about the bridge in physics class. It was somewhere in the midwest, that much I can recall, way back when our parents were young. It was built over the course of a decade, and crumbled in the course of a day. The architect built a beautiful red limb spanning the river. It was inanimate- so they assumed.

Until the day it came to life. The commuters hit their brakes, then sprang from their cars, running to the solid ground as the concrete began to wave beneath them. They watched their vehicles fall through the cracks of asphault to be devoured by the river.

What the architect forgot was resonance. The effect that the hymn of the wind would have on the bridge that caused it to dance, twirl, tumble, and collapse.

That’s the most specific thing I can recall for you, that feeling. When I hear these songs, that bridge comes to mind. That feeling when the earth takes on a life of its own, and we all stand to the side, asphyxiated.

-Laura Celeste

For my first DIY/Art project post, I’m really excited to share with you a collaborative wedding experiment Michael and I did for our Save the Dates. Our wedding is going to be predominately DIY (especially things like invitations, place cards, displays, center pieces and decorations). We’re really excited to make this whole experience one to remember. Plus, we like getting our hands dirty!

We decided to approach the project with our favorite stencil/acrylic combination, mediums we are both familiar enough with to have confidence that we will do a good job. We developed the initial designs together in Adobe Illustrator, separating the image layers one per stencil. The whole project was 5 stencils in all, one for the lettering (which Michael took on, because of his amazing precision with an x-acto knife) and two for the grass blades and dandelions. We had three different types of blank invitations, with varying textures/sheens to them, just to see what the paint adhered best to.

For a first round we were pretty happy with the results! Now we just have to go back and adjust the kerning and size of the “Announcing the wedding of” line so that it’s legible, and add some white to the lighter blue for a better contrast.

Now we have to whittle down the venues so we can actually pick a date!

Yes, just one dollar could get you a custom tailored and trimmed poem. You could print it out and carry it with you in your wallet. You could recite it under your breath as you fall asleep. You could hang it on your walls.

All of the visual benefits of being in a hot-air balloon, without any damage to your bank account, or fear of heights.

So many things have happened since the last post, a list is necessary.

1. Michael proposed! (I said yes!)

What I have learned since this has happened is that most women, if they know you’re engaged, are much more interested in the engagement ring than they are you. A woman grabbing my hand = “hello, how are you?”

The wedding will be almost 100% DIY, which both Michael and I are excited about. So prepare yourself for some very crafty posts. Center pieces, place cards, invitations, announcements, the whole deal.

2. We joined a kickball team!

The season starts this Sunday!

3. My car died. (sadface)

Cause of death: failed fuel pump.

We all knew this would happen, from the first side-swipe two weeks after purchase. And to be honest,  the night Debbie broke down was one of the more fun/adventurous nights I’ve had in a while. Separate post concerning the story will follow.

The cool part is, Michael and I have been carpooling because of this, and despite the stressors of money and undependable transportation, we’re both having a ton of fun with this.

4. I bought a[n electric] piano!

It’s a Nord Electro 3, 61 keys, and I am in love!

5. Life is awesome!

Exclamation point!

6. It’s almost spring!

See number five!

That should pretty much cover it.

It receives the warmest welcome from the earth because, unlike its northern cousin, the snow here doesn’t loiter. It exits as it entered, unexpected and silent, before the grime can defile it. It flies off, like a bird.

My goal in the next two years is to get into a good, local, MFA program so that I can eventually write for a living. It’s felt so good lately to write on a regular basis. I can feel my literary muscles building again, gaining back the muscle that was lost over the past year. I want to be the next published heavy-weight champion. Of course there’s actual skill involved, and it’s subsidiary issues: grammar, tone, voice, etc. Then there’s dedication. Followed by who you know, how much you mingle. And lastly, and what I’ve grown to consider the second most pivotal, is how you present yourself.

This opinion is the product of being constantly surrounded by design, having aesthetically-based personality, and being blissfully surrounded by talented creatives almost 100% of the time. Some people may not feel as if presentation should weigh so heavily into the way their work is interpreted (as the old saying goes, “Don’t judge a  book by its cover”), and I respect that. But if authors such as Dave Eggers, Jonathan Safran Foer, and Cormac McCarthy find it necessary to develop fonts, styles, and color palettes for their work, than there must be some merit in the fact that books are judged by covers.

Although, sometimes, misjudged.

For instance, I frequently wonder if Ernest Hemingway would be enraged with the way his work is currently being presented to the world. For a man who spent his whole life with complete control over his own image,  surely he would strongly dictate his cover art. He would choose more classic design serif fonts in strong leather binding, durable books that could take a beating. Books you could take all over the world with you, with succinct packaging that made a bold statement. (Maybe he would appreciate the simplicity of sans-serif…) What he would think of his more current book covers: high-glossed and busy geometric patterns with narrow sans serif fonts and classical illustrations harshly imbedded in the center? He might cringe.

Honestly, the cover of “The Old Man in the Sea” in high school made me never want to read Hemingway. It wasn’t until I found vintage copies of “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” “A Farewell To Arms,” and “Death in the Afternoon” that I really enjoyed his writing, and a lot of that has to do with their tweed hardback covers and minimalist presentation.

Shame on you Scribners.

What I’m really trying to say is, sometimes we’re supposed to judge a book by its cover.

-Laura