let the summer concerts commence

if you don't stalk my real life & blog life bff, rachel, over at sunshine & sinatra, well you're fucking doing it wrong. & by it I mean life. yes, you're doing life wrong. anyway, that bitch has always got my back. we've been friends since the ancient times of middle school and through the rough & always inevitably awkwardness that comes with that.

we recently became close again & share a similar interest in day drinking & of course, summer concerts. she is my go-to concert gal, & if you don't stalk my insta, again doing it wrong, then you wouldn't know what concerts we've been up to lately.

towards the end of april we attended a free (my favorite word) concert of one of my favorite OG myspace-days artists, MIA. the concert was basically a huge dance party & was super fun. drinking in the car beforehand & basically stumbling my ass into the venue is & was always a plus.

last weekend we attended a classic, Ray LaMontagne. I've been a ray fan since I first bought my jeep wrangler back in '11 and fell in love with driving around with the top off while blasting, skinny dipping, & hey me, hey mama. good ass memories to those songs off-roading in the pine barons with good people, exploring, & photographing.

anyway, the two of us went & it was pretty dope, except the fact that that asshole didn't play either song. in other words, I left pretty butt hurt.

for good measure, heres a flashback to dave matthews tailgate circa '11.
"trashed & alone: a memoir" by me.
also, when I get drunk, that is my face. in. every. picture.

this weekend we have plans to attend another classic in my book, dave matthews band. I've loved them for a long time & have gone to basically every recent concert they've performed here in Philly since '08. they always put on a great show & I always get wasted. whats there not to enjoy? unfortunately, I was attempting to make a typed list of my favorite dmb songs for you guys to enjoy, but I just can't pick a few. theres a dave song for any occasion & you just can't go wrong. I will say that I am not a fan of his new album that came out in 2012. stick to the classics. I don't ever listen to that one.

let the motherfucking summer concert season commence.
I've already got my sunscreen lathered, natty ice chilled, & red cup ready.

indecisiveness & car shopping

the past year, I have been moving all around the place. from New Jersey, to Manhattan, to Philadelphia, I have just about lived everywhere on the east coast… obviously not really but it certainly feels like it. 

needless to say, keeping my car while I've been all over the map was basically not an option. getting my dog back in october certainly didn't help either… mostly because I drove a porsche boxster.

the car is & was in absolutely perfect condition when I purchased it. I planned on keeping it that way, which is impossible when you keep your car in the city. or have a dog with talons. so off she went to a new owner last weekend & it was definitely a very bittersweet moment. I have made many memories with that car, & more importantly I raced many people. 

selling the car comes with the lovely experience of buying a new car. a city and dog worthy car. I hate the process of buying/selling vehicles. dealers want to rip you off & you never know what the hell you're getting into on craigslist. 

after some extensive research online, I narrowed it down to a Jeep Grand Cherokee, a Nissan Xterra, or my one true love, a Subaru Impreza. my dad picked me up & off we went to test drive the cherokee and an xterra. I'm very specific about the car, basically as in, it has to be completely blacked out: black paint, black wheels, all black everything. after test driving the cherokee and an xterra, I realized how much I hated the cherokee & the xterra was looking better, especially after they offered to black out the wheels for me. unfortunately, the entire time all I could think about was the subaru. 

we were ready to purchase the xterra, but again, my heart was set on the subaru. my dad & I left, along with my indecisiveness, & decided to keep an open eye for any imprezas. fortunately for me, a friend of mine pointed me in the right direction & I completely fell in love with a white wrx. it's a beautiful car & the modifications done to the car make it super fast. super fast is even an understatement, the car is fucking fast as fuck. 

I'm crossing my fingers in hope that the impreza & I work out. if not theres always xterras I suppose. unfortunately, I doubt the xterra would qualm the speed bug I have. until then, car shopping for me remains stressful as fuck. 

warning: sushi photo overload

I spent my beautiful 80 degree wednesday at the park across the street from my house. I packed up a book, my water bottle, my puppy, & off we went! I was working on my tan, catching up on my reading, all the while, sushi was munching and rolling around on the grass. often I feel bad about cooping her up in the apartment all day while I'm off at classes or what not; I can tell how much she appreciates being outside when I do take her out.

we spent most of the afternoon just laying outside on the grass, a rare amenity in Philadelphia. a few dogs stopped by to play and smell Sushi, including her best fellow-shiba friend, akita. of course I had to have an mini-impromptu photoshoot - particularly for sushi's instagram: sushi_the_shiba.

how cute is it that akita's tail isn't curly anymore. also, the last picture of her eating a treat & sushi just staring at her is priceless.

other than the photoshoot of sushi, the best part of the day was honestly being able to finally just relax without my phone in my hand and constantly obsessing over checking it. putting it in the bottom of my purse & just people watching was lovely. being able to disconnect, even if its only for a few hours, is a beautiful thing.

also here are some songs I've been digging, I always do this, but these songs are so dance-y.
much love for cherub lately.

here's what I'm listening to:

monogamy - cherub

&

doses and mimosas - cherub

happy friday

Happy Friday bloggers!
I watched this last night & it absolutely brought tear to my eye. Wes Anderson's films (full length or short) are so visually beautiful. Check it out & appreciate the beauty in each frame. If you haven't seen some of Anderson's other works you should absolutely check them out.
Some of my favorites: The Grand Budapest Hotel, Moonrise Kingdom, The Royal Tenenbaums, Darjeeling Limited, & Fantastic Mr. Fox.
You basically can't go wrong.

Have a lovely weekend! See you next week!

Favorite Foods at Trader Joes

If you're not shopping at Trader Joe's, I'm concerned. The prices are cheap, the food is all GMO free, all of the organic options.. I mean what is there not to love?! Except maybe the long lines and stocks of your favorite foods running out. If you haven't realized, this post is an ode to my love for TJ and the foods that it sells.

Quick. Go. Buy. EAT.

• Cookie Butter
• Two Buck Chuck 
• Dried Fruits
• White Cheddar Corn Puffs
• Veggie & Flaxseed Tortilla Chips
• Pineapple Salsa 

I also realized that I apparently only like the junk food at TJs. While for the most part its true, their fruit & veggies are always delicious & so reasonably priced. 

What are your favorite foods at Trader Joes?

humpday confessions

I'm totally not one to do a weekly post like this but I thought - why not?
Humpday confessions Cat style.

source

1// I'm totally ready for summer, which is why I picked a beachy picture for my humpday this week!

2// I haven't vacuumed my apartment in like a week and the hairball tumbleweeds are starting to get on the gross side. Especially since my dog is shedding like crazy. My red rug is actually a shade of white at this point. oops.

3// I really should truly "spring clean" my apartment but I'll probably hire a maid. again… oops.

4// Legitimately I failed a math test yesterday. If I get more than a 2% on it I will actually be surprised.

5// Jhene Aiko has been on repeat since last week.

6// The last two weeks I used a tanning bed to get a base tan before memorial day.
TAN LINES ARE IMPORTANT.

7// I've mentally checked out of classes… good thing I'm taking a full course load this summer too.


What are your confessions this week?

Here's What I'm Listening To:

Marvins Room - Jhene Aiko

&

Smoke, Drink, Break Up - Mila J