title: journey to nijmegen

my friend peter and i went to nijmegen on tuesday. it's a really neat town, it even has a red light district (a single lamp post with red tape on it and 2 duplexes with girls in the front windows). here's what i took with my camera, using which is the same as putting a big red sticker that says "MADE IN U.S.A." on my forehead. here's a fun quiz: how many people do you see in this picture?

also, here is a picture of the coolest tree ever, which resides just outside the doors of kasteel well. one could probably sleep in it, if one were so inclined.this weekend is the trip to amsterdam!

title: fm amen!

sometimes music can do that for you.
tonight is one of those times.
(103.3, WPRB)

title: tuvan throat singing

a couple of thursdays ago i was fortunate enough to take in a free performance by the amazing ensemble alash. they are comprised of some of the greatest musicians in tuva, a small republic of russia located in southern siberia.
they are all throat singers. if you've never heard throat singing, you will be blown away. even if you have, these guys are among the best. listen to their samples on their site, and seriously think about buying a cd.
for some reason stephen colbert has been all about throat singing lately, so maybe you heard about it from him. at the suggestion of chris (nathan's mom's boyfriend, but i know him a lot better than that title makes it seem), alash is going to try and get on the colbert report. they deserve the colbert bump.the igil, a stringed tuvan instrument played with a bow, always includes the image of a horse's head because of a legend about a boy and his beloved horse. nathan is building one of these, and he got a lot of tips from the group's interpreter/friend/agent when we went to the concert.

if you live in the princeton, nj area, there is talk of the group returning for another performance. i highly reccomend going! the concert we went to was presented by the arts council of princeton, so checking their website would probably be your best bet. now go visit the alash website (linked at the top of this post) and listen!!

title: mar 9

let me start off by saying: i love kimya dawson. she makes me happy. she is who i aspire to be. in my eyes she can do no wrong. she is my hero!!! listening to her songs is like getting a huge, warm hug. only that hug...is in your soul!!! so obviously, getting to see her in a hometown near me is cause for nights of feasting and merriment. this show was wonderful and magical and so much fun! her shows never feel like shows, they feel like family reunions. good ones! i am so thankful to have had my camera with me. in the past i've been stuck with my tiny digital camera that can't do butt in low light. my lens still more or less sucks for low-light shooting, but having the slr made a world of difference. enough talk! let's check these photos out!
if you have never heard kimya's music beyond juno or the radio, i suggest you listen. if you are wondering why there is a person in a neon orange bag prancing around behind kimya, i suggest you go here, and also watch this. and by the way, his name is dave end, he is a super cool musician and a member of the underthrust dance troupe. he makes me feel like hugging everything. i am really excited about this post. i hope you learned something! and if you didn't, i hope you at least liked the pictures!

by the way, it has just come to my attention that we have surpassed 300 hits. that's a lot of hits! thanks, guys!