Love

This one might be the best one....So you should watch it. 

Because it's been too long

And you can never, ever have too much John Lennon in your life. You should definitely take a few minutes to watch this video. His style! Amazing!!! I can't even begin to express how happy I would be if I got to play with elephants in Central Park with John Lennon. I mean...look at all of the wonderful things happening in that sentence. John Lennon. Elephants. Central Park. All AMAZING things. 

Happy Friday!

PS. You should watch this one too because John and Yoko are the best.

A Walk Down Memory Lane

After work I often walk over to the coffee shop down the road and spend some time working on the blog, doing research on graduate programs, reading a good book, etc. Today they are playing The Postal Service "Give Up" album in it's entirety and it's making me rather nostalgic. I listened to this album on repeat when I was in high school and have every song memorized. I would write all of my papers, work on art projects, and spend endless hours chatting with my friends online with this album on in the background. I kind of forgot just how much I loved it until now. Knowing me I will probably start listening to it on repeat again. 

And now let's journey back in time and meet the Postal Service loving high school Amanda:

So I can't figure out how my hair always looked nice back then...Either I spent an obscene amount of time on it (as many high school girls do) or it had some magical teenage powers because it never looks like that anymore. And I have very little patience for styling it. I've got to get that hair back! I do remember that I used big purple hot rollers, which I have repurchased now. But I still have to blow dry my hair first, and all you thick haired ladies out there will agree when I say that is just no fun at all. 

And let's take a moment to appreciate the absurdity of our cap and gown color choice. Yes, that is shiny silver. The boys wore dark green and we wore silver. In the field on a sunny California day we looked like baked potatoes roasting in the sun. But at least we were fabulous. 

Sometimes it is rather fun traveling back in time. It makes me even more excited for the future!

At Work

Despite the gorgeous weather outside I decided that today I would stay in and work on my paintings in the studio. I am glad I did because I ended up finishing a piece I have been working on for a while now. I have a habit of completely losing track of time while I am working and like to make sure I give myself a big chunk of the day dedicated to doing nothing but creating. I listen to music while I paint and enjoy all of the different memories and feelings that come with listening to a particular song. Here's a sampling of my playlist for today:

1. Electric Light Orchestra "Living Thing": ELO always reminds me of my father and all the great music he introduced us to at such a young age. 
2. Elton John "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road": Old school Elton is the best Elton.
3. Neil Young "After The Gold Rush": "Harvest Moon" is my favorite, but this is pretty good too. 
4. Jovanotti "Penelope": I discovered Jovanotti while I was living in Italy in college. Italian rap is kind of amazing. 
5. Coldplay "Fix You": Sometimes I forget just how long I have been listening to Coldplay. This album reminds me of the summer I spent traveling Europe in 2005, especially the sunny days in London. 
6. The Black Keys "Tighten Up": The Black Keys are a newer addition to my music family but I can't seem to get enough!
7. Electric Light Orchestra "Hold On Tight": I am kind of obsessed. 
8. Miike Snow "Song For No One": Ok, I take it back. I am actually obsessed with Miike Snow right now.
9. Harry Nilsson "Without You": Are you familiar with "The Puppy Song"? If not, you should be. My dad used to play it for me and it was only the best song ever. Once I finally get a dog, it will be our theme song. 
10. Cut Copy "Lights and Music (Moulinex Remix)": 'Cause you gotta mix it up a little.

And here's the painting I finished today:

Amanda Donahue, "The Cubans", Acrylic on Canvas, 2012.