A hug a day ...

I am a HUGE fan of hugging. I thought this article in the NY Times was interesting. Looks like the youths are changing the way we socially interact with each other one greeting at a time. I will have to say if people are giving "fake" hugs then just don't do it. I hate it when people give you a weak two pat on the back hug, just go for it, ya know? In the article is stated that Hi-Fives were.... boring... WRONG! Hi-Fives are awesome and will always be my second form of greeting if I don't feel the person wants a hug. I do however firmly so NO to the fist bump. I think a 3 second hug is good for people you don't really know but a good heartfelt embrace for a few seconds longer is what your friends should get. In the age of email, text, facebook... I agree we need something to really connect with and a hug is a perfect solution.
Now to start the kissing on the cheek wave... I love that greeting too!

Lost in the Trees

This is a local band from the Triangle area. They played a free show last night at local band local beer night in Raleigh. There were 12 musicians on stage, many of which played multiple instruments. I will say that this is my favorite local band right now. ENJOY!


This one's sound is muted but it is more like what I saw tonight. A bunch of people having fun on stage.
Lost in the Trees is on Trekky Records. Be sure to check them out.

For those non-facebook users.... I'm back to pink! It's not as bright as I wanted it to be but I am sure others are grateful it is not. (ie. Mom and Boss)
I have been wearing my glasses a lot for the last year... I hardly recognize myself without them. That is really off the subject here, focusing. Hair color, so last summer I had a pale pink that I REALLY liked. I am hoping this turns into it soon, if not, the search will continue. Any recommendations? I am running out of color ideas....

XOXO, Panda and the New Kid Revival

Monday night I ventured out with a few of my guy "mostly married" friends (a fun bunch I might add) to check out a show that I have been eagerly waiting for. If you followed my mac blog you might remember me raving about Her Space Holiday. I found them one day while listening to LastFM. Tech Romance was the song being played that grabbed my ear from the start of the strings. I bought 2 albums right after that. Past Presents the Future and The Young Machines both very good cds,  I would recommend them to any music lover. 

Her Space Holiday was amazing!! Marc is super nice and played a great mix of old and new. He indulged my chattiness which was kind of him. To be honest.. XOXO, Panda and the New Kid Revival did not hit me the same as the other albums but live they make WAY more sense. Very jam band, clap your hands and sing out loud feel that you just can't, no matter how hard you try, get the same feeling recorded... it has to be live! I would say rather you have heard their stuff before or not, if you see that HSH is coming to a town near you GO! I promise you will enjoy yourself. I know I did. 

I leave you with a few songs for your listening pleasure ;) Ok so the first two have HORRIBLE audio BUT this was the show I was at... you can hear my friends and I commenting about the songs... I should really be quite at show... how embarrassing. 

A tour of NC with Hop-A-Long Garcia

My friend Leah came to see me this last week. This is my first IA friend that has visited. It sure was nice having her here. I could not be as active as I would've liked but I gave it my all. I was able to show her some of my favorite places and introduce her to new friends. Here are a few things we did during her stay.

Tuesday: lunch at Raleigh Times. I heart their grilled cheese, tomato and avocado sandwich! The building is really cool, built in 1900's, it used to be occupied by a newspaper. 

We decided to stay in for dinner and watch a few movies. We cooked eggplant stacks. YUM! and enjoyed the movie Taken. 

Wednesday: Wilmington Beach day!!! We had a wonderful dinning experience at Elijah's. Learning how to shuck oysters and enjoying a beautiful day on their patio. We ended the day with a walk on the beach. It was not warm enough to swim or lay out. That was cut a bit short due to my bum leg. The ocean was remarkable. I picked up a few shells to add to my collection. 

Returning to Raleigh we decided to try a few new to me places. Busy Bee and Foundation both are pretty neat. Foundation is underground and you wouldn't know it was there except for a small neon sign at the top of the stairs leading down. Check out the photo on their website. They make their own cola and ginger ale. The drinks are a bit pricey $9 average but worth it. Just enjoy one and move on to another local spot is how I like to roll. 

Thursday: I had to work all day :( in Jacksonville. This gave Leah some R&R time. The evening was a bit busy. I made tomato and mozzarella tarts for an snack before going to Tir Na Nog. This is a really cool Irish pub that I found when I first moved here. I really like the scene, there is a good mix of people. Plus they host Local Band Local Beer night every Thursday. How cool is that! A great way to check out local artist for free.  This week Sorry About Dresden was playing. We had a great time with friends and was about to chat with the band after the show. The drummer gave us all the cds they put out. Super cool. Those guys live in Chapel Hill so maybe I will see them around. 

Friday: After a much needed yummy breakfast at Flying Biscuit We laid around recovering from the night before. Staying up until 3 or 4am is harder as you get older. Then ventured out for some Mexican and a movie. 

Saturday: This is Leah's last day. There is a lot of great stuff going on in Raleigh today. What to do What to do!!!??? The Artsplosure was something that I wanted to check out. I didn't get the full effect due to my walking limitations but we were able to see some of it. There were a few pieces that I would've loved to taken home.. but my pocket book wouldn't allow it. dang... 

This week is restaurant week in Raleigh. A number of restaurants provide a 3 course meal for $15 lunch and $25 dinner. I couldn't think of a better way to end a trip to Raleigh then the 42nd St Oyster Bar. We didn't take advantage of the 3 course meal, although it sounded fantastic. We split baked oysters, crab cakes and scallops. We ate at the oyster bar and were able to watch the kitchen rushing around with everyones orders. A gentlemen sitting next to us overheard Leah telling the waiter that she was from Iowa, he spoke up and said I must buy these girls another round of drinks if they are from Iowa. HA! Thanks man. 

We then went to my favorite little mans house for some socializing then off to Big Boss. Big Boss is a local brewery. Its out in the middle of nowhere but as soon as you drive up you know you are in for a fun time. Tasty local brews, ping pong and pool always make for a fun time. 

Leah enjoyed herself and that is all that matters. This is my first time showing off my new city to a friend from Iowa. She wants to come back in Aug. I can't wait! There is still so much we didn't do. The funny thing is she didn't have a camera and I lost mine ... this whole trip was not documented at all. She has to come back just so we can take pictures. 

THE END

Aqui Estamos Records

Aqui Estamos Records just signed Cashes Rivers!!! 

I'm my own worst enemy...

 This happened to me because I tripped. Ouch! I have gone to the doctor, it's not broken, just a bad sprain. Doesn't feel too good.. and the three flights of stairs I have to climb to get in and out of my place are not an easy task. I almost fell coming in ... so until I can walk on it... no going out for me. 

Not enough to do in a day??

Great time wasters! 

http://www.ronwinter.tv/drums.html

http://www.najle.com/idaft/

I really like the Daft Punk website. I just need big headphones (the buds just don't do it for me) to really feel like a DJ. 

Hi! I'm Shannon...

I got the opportunity to say that a lot last night... to the following people:

Brendon - Bartender at the Mill Town. He runs the bar and provided me with great conversation about local artist and beer selection. I had a few really great Belgian beers. 

*also had an amazing grilled cheese on sourdough with avocado and tomato. mmmm!

Ari- Singer/Songwriter in Lost in Trees. Funny story: I was talking to Brendon about local bands that I have seen recently. I mentioned I caught a show that surprised me... The band was Lost in Trees.. He smiled and pointed to a tall skinny server and said.. That is Lost in Trees, that guy. On my way out, I made sure to say Hi and that I liked his music. 

Backstory:  I am a big fan of The Never I have talked about these guys before, they put out a story book album, Antartica. (listen to Cavity and The Witch) I saw them live and was disappointed, after some research on the web, I found out Ari (Lost in Trees) pretty much wrote the Antartica album. Lost in Trees is one of my favorite local bands and a bonus is he is super nice as well.

Sara- Tim's (Cursive) fiance. She is a super nice gal we had a few wonderful chats. She recommends I move back to the midwest. She on the other hand wants to be in NYC. They are getting married in Omaha in October. Beautiful ring. 

Tim Kasher- The lead singer in Cursive. I am a big fan of their stuff. He is very approachable, in fact I told him I was from Des Moines, IA. He gave he a Hi-5. That is wicked cool in my book. He thinks DSM is a great town and said he always enjoys himself when he goes there.   

Kevin Devine- Singer/songwriter He was playing the Local 506. I would have gone if Cursive was not also playing. He walked in after they played. I said "Hey Kevin Devine" as he past by me... Then said " I am real sorry I couldn't make your show tonight, but I have been feeling home sick and what else makes you feel like home but Cursive"  He is really laid back and extremely friendly, funny as well.  Listen to the first song "I could be with anyone" It's one of my personal favorites.

Honus (not his real name I am sure) This is the lead singer of MAN MAN. 

First off his handlebar was kick butt! He actually approached me and asked for a hug. SURE!! This guys have a very interesting sound. I think they are better appreciated live. They had toy cats on stage that moved in a almost too realistic manner. They are playing 80/35 .. so I will be able to see them again (since Matt is playing that too) 

Whew... I think that is it. I had a great day. Found some awesome vintage dresses at Father and Sons (downtown Raleigh) got my hair dyed, nails done... walked around Chapel Hill hung out on campus while eating ice cream plus the weather was beautiful. All in all this day put a much needed SMILE on my face.

Did this really happen?

I was talking to a friend the other day about cooking. Go figure! With my change in eating habits, I've had to come up with new dishes to put on rotation. We were talking about different ways to make things "interesting". I am not sure how or why this idea popped into my head....

I remember when I was younger, my mom taking a can of sweetened condensed milk and boiling it. It would turn into caramel. She would use it on pop corn. It was yummy!

This memory was very fuzzy and was not sure if it actually happened or if I made it up. (my dreams are pretty vivid) Last night I tried it. IT WORKS!!
Tonight in an effort to continue "social distancing" (a work email encouraged it to avoid the flu)
I will enjoy this golden sweet goodness on some pop corn and watch a movie at home. Now what to rent? Any suggestions?

I really want to see Wolverine.. I think I will catch an afternoon showing Sunday, way too many people on Friday night.