Every so often, I find myself getting homesick for Seattle and the easiest cure to bring me back is listening to music from home. In case it wasn’t obvious, we haven’t been home in over a year due to COVID and it’s unlikely that we won’t be back anytime soon. All Star Opera is a group that formed after I left the city, but I’ve become a fan of theirs from afar. “Be Right Back” is a track that’s easy listening. It’s one that I would’ve listened to on a summer evening in Seattle driving on I-5. Instead, now I’m listening to it driving up the 101. It’s the same, but different. This track was released back in November on YouTube, but much more deserving of just 70 views so can we give it some PNW love?
This was a completely last minute decision, but then I remembered that we’re still in a pandemic and what else are we doing Saturday evening? BLACKPINK was the K-pop girl group of my summer! We were more enthused about “How You Like That” than “Ice Cream,” but wasn’t everyone? Having only seen BTS’ online concert, I’m looking forward to another comparison point and a show at a reasonable hour.
What We’re Listening To: The Head and the Heart’s Live Concert at Pike Place Market on Amazon Prime
Okay so I’m cheating because this is sort of what I was watching, but also listening! Somehow, this got me feeling so emotional. Is it obvious that we’re homesick? I remember feeling such FOMO watching my friends down at the market for this set and knowing if I had been in Seattle that I would’ve been there since the morning finding the best spot in the crowd. If you’re looking for an easy watch, I highly recommend.
What We’re Wearing: The Flavr Blue sweatshirt
It has been so cold this week and with on and off rainy/stormy days, I’ve basically been living in cozy wear. This is one of my favorite sweatshirts of all time from a band I previously loved in Seattle. I love wearing this bright blue hue and in an oversize so that it can be paired easily with my leggings. Unfortunately, it’s sold out in their merch store, but luckily for me, this is one sweatshirt I’m never letting go.
Lunar New Year came a little bit early to us in the form of these darling macarons! After having such a positive experience with [Macadons‘] BTS version, I really wanted to treat myself to another gift set. The flavors come in red bean, egg tart, and white rabbit (my favorite!) We’ll be snacking on these all weekend! Also we’re keeping up with the Seattle theme because Macadons is a Seattle-based bakery!
After spending most of last year traveling and staying in the Bay Area, I saved the last quarter of the year for Seattle. It’s a breath of fresh air to be able to get out of the city and into some colder weather. Holidays also mean less commitments. There are plenty of days to lounge around without an agenda. During this time, I used it for writing and catching up with friends and family. I also wanted to return back to my old neighborhood of Capitol Hill with Veronica to visit my favorite spots and see some new establishments.
Somehow we’ve really nailed the timing of these posts and every time we’re due for one it’s right around New Year’s! But if I’m being honest, the New Year is when I’m feeling my most creative and inspired. These photographs represent that and my current state of feelings. I can’t believe this is the 56th post for “A Collection!” It’s not a significant number by any means; I’m just amazed we’ve had this many.
I love going back and visiting A Collection 1-10 or 10-20 because even those represent a much different time than how I feel presently. In a way, these happen to be my own personal journals, but written in the form of other people’s photos.
May your new year and new decade be full of life, simplicity, and joy.
If you’ve been following my Instagram closely for the last few months, you may have noticed quite a bit of football content. It isn’t necessarily new, but it’s frequent enough that it has been brought up to me.
“When did you become such a fan? I didn’t know you were into football.”
“I’m not. I’m into the Seahawks.”
Growing up, my family has always been a fan of the team. Younger me couldn’t have been bothered, but what else could you expect from a kid who wanted to just read and play dress-up? High school football games were just a social outing for me. I loved getting indulged in the games. Yes, at times, I might have got injured and perhaps thought about visiting an athlete recovery center near me, but those wounds and injuries never really bothered me much. Instead, I became more fond of football. I ended up at a university that wasn’t even D1 for the longest time and even then, we still didn’t have a football team. I had this question myself recently – “when and how did I actually start liking football?”
It was when I moved to the Bay Area. I rejected Bay Area sports and didn’t want to become a fan of the 49’ers just because I lived here. It was the thing that I did with both Mandi and Eric and their love of football trickled down to me, but mostly, it was the thing that bonded me back to my hometown. Despite moving away, it was the thing that made me feel connected to my family and something that we could relate on. Originally, 2013 when I decided on this, the transition was rough. Coworkers ridiculed me on being a band wagon fan and that I didn’t know the rules and sure they weren’t wrong. There are a lot of rules! Luckily, I’ve picked up a lot over the last few years. While i’m not on the level of those in the office who love their Online sports betting and fantasy football and the like, I am still proud of what I do know.
But here’s the funny thing about sports. People love to tease and bully you for it if you don’t come out of the womb loving it. Sometimes it doesn’t happen that way and that’s okay! We can all learn to embrace it when it makes the most sense for us. Today, is our last home game of the regular season and while I’m excited to see where it might lead for us, I’m also ready to get back to my Sundays!
We used to be so good at posting these lineups right after they came out! It just occurred to me that we hadn’t shared this one. When I was living in Seattle, there was never any question about whether or not I was going to Bumbershoot. It was a given. Whether or not I could last all three days of the festival was another question. That’s definitely something I couldn’t do now, but mostly because I’m old and I get tired. I see some outstanding headliners on this lineup though – more importantly: H.E.R., Alina Baraz and Taking Back Sunday!
Though I never attended Sasquatch, there was a part of me that was still very sad to learn when it was ending. For many of my friends, Sasquatch was an event to look forward to. I have long admired Adam Zacks for years and at one point, aspired to follow a similar path. There’s regret on my end for never getting to see one of his productions. Sasquatch is gone, but Zack’s presence will return in the form of THING. It will be later into the summer and on the tails of Bumbershoot, but it’s interesting nonetheless. The location is unique and not in the city and there are musical performances, sure, but a little bit more than that. I’m almost positive that I’ll have a few friends of mine still in the industry that will be attending, but I’m curious to know more!
Listening to this song was like a blast from the past! When I was on my way out of Seattle, Pickwick was one of my favorite local bands. I would loudly cheer every time I heard one of their songs on KEXP while driving I-5 into the city. This happened a handful of times that I feel like I can actually say this! I haven’t kept tabs on how the band is still doing, but they were great guys to work with. The fact that I heard their song on Spotify’s Release Radar this morning seems like a positive sign, don’t you think?