Not much has been happening to my body lately so here's the story of my heart instead

Work is stupid. I want a small home, and I want to put golden antlers with ribbons and bones and photos hanging from them above the mantle, and I want to fill the house with streamers and Christmas lights, and I want to make paper pyramid floor lamps covered in hieroglyphics and secret messages. And I want to eat dinner on the floor and listen to music as loud as I want and run around the house in feathers and war paint, dancing and singing along. And then I want to smash the lamps and take down the streamers and rebuild the décor from scratch, maybe make molds of internal organs and turn them into mobiles and hang them everywhere amidst the Christmas lights.

Then I remember that if no one worked then photo equipment certainly wouldn’t exist, and trees wouldn’t get cut down to make paper for the streamers, or the newsprint that I would use for papier mache for the antlers, or to make timber to build my house with. If no one worked I wouldn’t have a kitchen and I couldn’t bake all the love and sadness I cant speak into layer cakes and cream puffs. I have built my dreams on the work of those before me and it seems wrong not to participate, to contribute.

So if no one worked then I guess we would still be cavemen. I guess I would have to find berries and stuff to eat when I was hungry, and they would probably not be very tasty, and I might be cold and wet sometimes, and I might eventually starve to death. I might have to hide from dinosaurs, and run from sabre tooth tigers, and wild boars (who are particularly vicious). But then i could wear fur and eat meat and always have bonfires and run yelling into the woods when i needed to. And really, I think all i want is someone to make cave paintings with anyway.

I've really been trying to make more things lately and I realized that a good way to do that is to make gifts for people. This is an embroidery of the island featured in the television show "Lost," which I have recently become a fan of. This pillow case is for a friend of mine who is pretty much obsessed with this TV show. Anyhow, I really like the aesthetic of this piece and it's also nice to try something new and have it come out the way that you envision. Success.

Cougar Flashy

"Tell yr friends its ok to make and enjoy hip hop if yr white, tell yr friends that hip hop is like punk cause you can do whatever you want with it, also tell yr friends you love them"

This guy makes a lot of stuff under a lot of monikers, and im in love with all of it. Grant Gronewald is from Illinois (which immediately brings him close to my heart) but resides in Melbourne, Australia. My friend Tim Kelly introduced me to Cougar Flashy through this film he made as a series of films on artists in his hometown of Melbourne (Tim now lives in Montreal and will be premiering the first 2 films in the montreal version of this series as part of Pop Montreal's Film Pop FYI y'all)

When you connect with an artist's work it is tempting to feel like you know the artist, or like they would understand everything if only you knew each other. This isnt exactly a fair impulse, but its important to be able to recognize your hunger and need in an artifact created by another person. It helps you understand yourself, to feel less alone, and to want to try and know other people. 

I don't know Grant, but this is what his work represents to me: It represents the belief that all of your experiences and feelings are valid. That embracing the sad parts of life can be done with a sense of humor, and without paralysis. It says that life is temporal, and that thats hard, but there's freedom in it. That there's no reason not to enjoy yourself. That the best of life is hanging out with rad people making rad things.  That you should be allowed to make whatever you feel like making. That exclusion and superiority of any kind is a waste of time. Live and let live. 

probably this is just a reflection of what i believe, what i want to believe, to feel more secure in my own impulse to make things. But I still like to think that Grant would approve of the sentiment. 

You can see drawings here (Hyper Color Castle Collective). If you send him a clothing article and work out a fair price, he will draw on it and send it back, I want something SO BAD, as soon as i have an income (which will be GOD ONLY KNOWS when) this is what I'm spending it on.

Cougar Flashy (Clearings?) music here

more music (prmnt blng) here

OH, Hi again!

OMG its been like two months I feel like such an asshole! Here's the deal:

a) I got a life (Carissa already had one) so neither of us has SO much time for blogging

b) I was living in other people's homes without the internet

c) my new home doesnt have the internet yet and i feel GUILTY using work time for this

d) Carissa's internet sux

I know my homegirl has been taking some photos/thinking some thoughts/making some things she should post, and i have been listening to some rad new tunes and making silly drawings that i will share with you soon. I just wanted to say hi, we're still here and show you this:

thx to janjan for this song!

Roman Candle Sound Like Love

I like bands that are kinda bad the way I like men who are kinda ugly (ugly hot, it’s a real thing). Gap teeth, scars, birthmarks, a big or crooked nose, adorably misguided fashion choices, or a few early gray hairs are just a few items on the LONG list of physical imperfections that unaccountably turn me on. But sometimes a guy is just so objectively handsome, and such a swell fellow on top of it, that I am attracted to him in spite of his perfection.

There is nothing bad, ugly, challenging, noisy, or unpolished about Roman Candle. They can play their instruments and their singer can sing (not to mention write songs). Much of their material could play on Vh1. Your parents would probably like them. The thing is, they are just really really really good. They are delightful. They are that handsome, swell, fellow I can’t help but fall for.

Top 10 loveable things about Roman Candle
1) The core trio of the band consists of Skip Matheny, his brother Logan, and his wife Timshel (they have babies-baby candle!)
2) Their songs are just really good. Their use of language is considered and specific while remaining unpretentious. The only word for their songwriting/storytelling style is ‘charming.’
2)a) In fact, everything about them is charming
3) Their songs are full to overflowing. The sound is so big it just overwhelms you, the melodies are so lovely you don’t even mind drowning in them.
4) Even after playing for ten years they rock a half full dive bar where most patrons showed up for the cavs game like it’s the best night of their lives.
5) They are gracious.
6) They love what they do and each other.
7) They radiate positivity and love.
8) They are inspiring!
9) I want to be Timshel and Skip.
10) I want Timshel and Skip to be my parents.

Roman Candle-Why Modern Radio is A-OK

Roman Candle Myspace for songs from new album, 'Oh Tall Tree in the Ear' (listen to 'Eden Was a Garden')

aftermath

I'm J.J. Abrams and I'm from the future.

I finally went to see Star Trek last night. The top two things i came away from the experience with are:

1) J.J. Abrams loves time travel so much he wants to take it behind the middle school and get it pregnant

2) The Enterprise is so full of Hotties as to render this film basically a chick flick.                   

                                                              

 Maybe you prefer the chiselled jaw and rugged American recklessness, ambition, and heroism of James T. Kirk. Or there's the Darcy of the enterprise, Spock. His unparalleled intellect, exotic browline, troubled past and coy remoteness keep you hoping you are the one who will be able to get past that cold Vulcan exterior and make him love you.

Maybe the boyish face, pseudo new-wave haircut, wide naive eyes, and thick sexy accent of Chekhov are more to your liking. If you have an overpowering fetish for scottish accents and the loveable shenanigans of zany geniuses, there's Scotty for you. For the lady who likes a mature man, theres the no nonsense nobility and pessimistic realism of Doctor McCoy. Maybe you were the first one to believe in the clueless but good hearted, loyal, and good looking Sulu. If you are bi-curious, gay, or a dude there's that tough and foxy Uhura for you.

If you are troubled, 16, and into nu metal, you can fantasize about destroying the world at Nero's side.

Thanks for the future eye candy J.J.!

Oh, It's Carissa

OBLIVIATE!! (oh HP, oh JK, oh WB, you got me again!)

New HP. Well fuck.
When I read the first Harry Potter book, I did so in one sitting, then promptly forgot the entire thing. Whenever a new one came out I would read ALL of them over again with undiminished zeal in preparation, and finally hunker down with my brand new hardcover, complete with awesome cover designs of various magical happenings.
I had basically forgotten there were any more Harry Potter movies to be made, and then all of a sudden, #6 is coming out in a few months! #6! that means there are two more to look forward to, it also means there are 6 movies and 8 books with which i will gleefully fill my time until July 15th. All I know is that Voldemort is coming and Harry MUST stop him with the help of his friends, his unparalleled wizarding skills, and courage. I cannot wait to re-experience all the juicy plot details that have been wiped from my memory.

Reasons Harry Potter is excellent:
1) wands (spells, patronuses, vine wood with dragon heartstring or holly with phoenix feather? duels, etc)
2) Wizards. period.
3) Hogwarts. I want to ride a mystical train to a moat, get in a little boat, disembark at a castle, have some dumb hat predict my future, and then eat a delicious magical banquet and hang with ghosts.
4) hormonal magic. I would like my angst to find expression in whimiscal mishaps resulting from my magical personage.
5) Brad Neely and Wizard people (probably old old old news for most of you, but it just doesn't stop cracking me up. ever.

]
5)a) the hot foot spell, monstermash, zumacrum,

*if you don't have patience or time  for the whole thing, skip the first 3 minutes, or, if you have srs ADD skip the first 6.

Ways Harry Potter sucks:

Some people will die before all the movies come out. Some people may have died without finishing the books. I may be dead before I see all the movies. This is a shame, and the thought of it chills me to the bone. Although, to be fair, it may be more an issue with mortality than with Harry Potter specifically.

Oh Jens!

The Sweptaways are a HUGE a capella choir of good looking well-heeled Swedish ladies (myspace, or, if you read Swedish, blog), and that's about as much as I know about them. On their second album, The Sweptaways Show, the ladies are joined on each track by a different pop singer, including one or two familiar names, like JENS and Pelle Almqvist from The Hives (who kissed my hand at a show when I was 14), Robyn (!), and a whole lot of people I don't know. 

You can listen to all the tracks for free and download them for $$ HERE.

The kitsh factor of this project may be off-putting for some. As for me, the sound of more than two voices together gives me chills and often makes my eyes sting like I'm on the brink of tears (not to mention I'm a little bit of a scandinav-o-phile (?)), so 30+ Swedish voices, (<3) Jens Lekman's (<3) included, definitely does it for me! >

Credit to Jonas Edvinsson for tweeting this video and making my week!

Ok, it's too gorgeous outside to sit around indoors writing. But i do want to share something quickly. In Berlin I was fortunate enough to make the acquaintance of two incredibly talented people from Riga, Latvia. VJ Linards Kulless (who has a sparse internet presence, mostly in Latvian, so no links) and DJ Galka Kulio.

Galka is a costume designer, DJ, and artist. When I met her in Berlin I developed an immediate friend crush on her. I was overwhelmed by her wit, drama, look, and candid honesty. She and Linards are two of the friendliest most fascinating people I have ever met, which, theoretically, speaks well of Latvia (or maybe of Berlin). Anyway, it took me two months after meeting her to properly peruse her blog, and I'm pretty much in love with everything she makes. Looking at the photos of her costumes and other work feels like being punched in the stomach by a hand wearing a glittering pink glove. Her work is urgent, distressing, sexy, colorful, and fun. Seriously, just go LOOK at it. Here is a song from her pop group, 'Simferopol No More.' It, like everything else she does apparently, is awesome.

Simferopol No More: Krima

I've finally had some free time on my hands so here are some buttons I made from images from old children's books. These are all the pictures I could find of birds that were small enough to go on a button.

Also, on a side note, check the new header at the top of the blog. I made that too!

posted by: Carissa

Two Weathers'

Milledge/Margarete

Slowcore Days

Carissa is team Carmissa's resident expert on slow jamz, so I may be getting in a little over my head here- but rainy days call for slow songs and man is it ever raining out today.

Growing up, my tastes gradually shifted from alt rock radio, to punk rock, finally to indie rock when I started ninth grade at the dawn of the current millenium. At that time my sonic landscape was populated with the heart on your sleeve, guitar driven indie pop of Belle and Sebastian and Rilo Kiley and the unabashedly self indulgent middle class boy blues of Bright Eyes and Cursive. As I entered college my eyes were opened (mostly by Ryan Newmyer) to a world of 'smarter' indie rock including bands like Pavement and The Silver Jews. These days, as evidenced by the success of Dan Deacon, MGMT, and passion pit, people seem to embrace the catharsis of sweaty electro spaz dance marathons, rendering the nights I remember sitting on my step dad's porch discovering Belle and Sebastian with my first love, and those whiskey fueled Silver Jews sing a longs, somewhat quaint and dated.

Surprisingly, the Pitchfork review of the Dark Was the Night compilation expresses my feelings on current indie rock pretty well. The gist of it is basically that while the guitar driven, melodic, folkie indie that had its heyday in the 90s and early 2000s was good, it hasn't grown much and has become a bit stale, being displaced by what Carissa and I have dubbed 'indie prog' (Swan Lake, No Age, Women, etc) and music with a heavy synth and computer component (Passion Pit, Hercules and Love Affair, the list goes on forEVER).

Lately, maybe because of ATROCIOUS weather I've been experiencing, I'm finding myself drawn to current purveyors of folkie slow jams featuring stringed instruments and drums and am being reminded that some people are in fact still finding ways to make the sounds I came of age to relevant, beautiful, meaningful, and innovative. Here are a few of them:

Elephant Micah (he recently made most of his music available digitally on his website with the request for donations. Joe O'Connel works hard and I recommend you throw a few bucks his way)
Malaysia
Passage
Feedback, So Long

Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson
Buriedfed
The Debtor

Deer Tick
Baltimore Blues #1
Ashamed

Bon Iver (duh)
Blood Bank

Julie Doiron
myspace

photo credit to Carissa Hamman, photo of Microwave Background circa 2005

Dent May

The internet and I are new friends, we've been on a couple dates, he tried to feel me up once, but I don't want to get too physical because I'm not sure I trust him yet. So, you know, we are still getting to know each other and I discover some unexpected facet of his personality every day. With this in mind, I confess that even though I've listened to a bunch of Daytrotter tracks I haven't actually spent much (read: any) time on their blog until today.
1. Their manifesto is pretty good, but I felt like they were shaming me for blogging (am I being over sensitive and paranoid or could the 'daytrotters' stand to lighten up a bit?)
2. The reason I even went there was to hear Dent May's session from April 6. The article accompanying it was a little weird. it was all about the dilemma of the smart, sensitive, funny, but, alas, vaguely nerdy guy who can't get any hot girls because they are wasting their time with hot jocks who are going to leave them. OK, first of all, fuck that. and second of all, fuck that again. I don't think the 'cool nerd' has any trouble. They are a vaguely non-threatening but hip and good looking type that always get the girl on tv and in movies (Seth Cohen much?) and as far as I can tell in real life.
3. This may come as a surprise, but the point of all this rambling is that Dent May and his Magnificent Ukelele is awesome. His songs are cheesy in the vein of Jens Lekman or Adam Green-which i really like. You know, the throwback crooner style, I'm kind of a sucker for it. My favorite song of his is When You Were Mine, which, it turns out, is a PRINCE cover!

thx 2 kv 4 the tip

HUNGER

Vigilante Justice

he's getting knifed in case you couldn't tell.

Too Much Love

In Berlin I didn't have a whole lot of internet access and phone calls were difficult so I was basically cut off from family and friends in North America. This resulted in obsessive journaling, which evolved into obsessive drawing as a sort of short hand. A picture is worth a thousand words and all that. In keeping with our mission statement, and in recognition of the value of making things purely for the joy and relief of making them, I am going to post some of them, starting here:

"There was no past-tense in the verb 'to love' for Cordelia"-Evelyn Waugh, 'Brideshead Revisited'

everyone knows I am a huge sucker

While listening to the new Mirah album “(A)Spera” for the first time through I was very surprised to hear the familiar lyrics “let’s take the time to walk to together while we have the sun…” Though, I do happen to prefer the original recording much better, it was still strange to hear a song that was so personal to me. The song that was originally recorded for Mirah’s album with Ginger titled “Songs From The Black Mountain Music Project,” is found in a more disjointed reincarnation on "(A)Spera."

Though I have been listening to Mirah for a very long time, somehow I was able to miss the fact that she had a new album out. I guess my excuse is the same that I have for the fact that I haven’t even written anything for this blog yet. I am pretty out of the loop. I feel displaced and I have not been living in my own space for a while. I feel like a squatter bound for a life of feeling guilty about eating other people’s food and using a computer that is not mine when no one else is here.

For me, at least, one of the reasons behind the creation of this blog is an effort to regain my inspiration. A few things are happening currently that are (hopefully) making this a reality including the advent of spring as well as finally moving into my own space where I hope to have time and resources for creating again. I have scarcely taken a photograph in the past 3 months.

Right now sitting in this apartment in which every wall is made of windows, feeling the breeze that is warmed by the sun blowing over my legs and listening to this album on repeat feels like a beginning for me. Almost every song is bringing tears to my eyes and though this could be a reminder of sadder and more important experiences, like constant heartbreak or overwhelming beauty that is experienced from extreme lack of sleep, or even premenstrual syndrome, it doesn’t really matter. I am accepting it whole-heartedly with open arms.

Mirah - The Forest

Mirah - Generosity

Mirah - Education

posted by: carissa

Its Blitz!

Heads Will Roll

I know I posted a song from the new Yeah Yeah Yeahs album in another post, but it got deleted and I'm still working on getting our posts back so I'm writing about it in detail now, even though I've sort of been sitting on it for awhile. I was listening to 'Its Blitz!' again today and I am constantly surprised by how much I love this band. I was introduced to the band with 2003's Fever to Tell. I loved it, like most people, but I didn't give the band hardly any thought after that. I associated them with a whole team of NYC based 'art punk' bands who gained some mainstream success around that time, particularly The Strokes. I loved 'Is This It' too, but I thought one album of it was enough and I didn't think The Strokes would ever make anything different. I felt the same way about the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, so when Show Your Bones came out, I wasn't too interested.

But then, I worked at the Earlham College radio station (WECI), and it was laying around with its awesome cover art and compelling title, and everyone was talking about how excited they were to listen to it, and then Carissa played 'Phenomena' on our radio show and it was just so...hot. It stuck with me and I gave the rest of the album a listen. I was absolutely blown away. 'Turn Into' and 'Warrior' are two of my favorite songs, I listened to them all the rest of that year constantly.

I was afraid 'Its Blitz' would disappoint after I'd been so blindsided by 'Show Your Bones.' Not a chance. I was blindsided again! I guess the Yeah Yeah Yeahs are just a really good band who make consistently good albums.

most bands that come out I like when they are new, a few tracks from their album are good indie dance party fodder and then they fade out of my mind, quickly becoming dated. In the moment, the bands and songs sincerely mean a lot to me, but the new newest best release of the week is always on deck. I'm not sure i feel great that that's the way I listen to music these days, but as wise man Arthur Weiss says: It is what it is. The sheer volume of music, and music that I like, make it difficult for bands to stick. I think we are going back to a culture where the concept of the single is more important than the album. I'll post more of my thoughts on that later, but for now lets focus on how rad these songs are!





note* I guess i can't send you directly to the mp3s anymore so I have to get more creative with how to give you all tracks.
OH YEAH, HAPPY APRIL FOOL'S DAY!

99 Problems

ummmmm, we're in trouble with the internet police. I'm on vacay in FLorida right now and will deal when i get home. until then:

DIY poptarts

Carissa and I, back when we were students and not college graduates with degrees like we are today, used to bake for our friends every Sunday night. Some of us would follow up this activity by enjoying a soothing hot toddy but that is neither here nor there. The point is, we came up with some killer desserts, the best of which we will gradually share with you. Today's recipe is for:

POPTARTS
I love the boxed kind so much that i can't guarantee ours are better, but they are more fun, better for you, and at least as good (most would probably say better)

When I'm baking I like some soul in the kitchen, so here's some Sam Cooke to get you started

Now, pie crust.
The following recipe is the most reliable one I have used. Its from 'Perfect Light Desserts' by Nick Malgieri and David Joachim (this book is full of recipes that are naturally low in fat, they don't cut corners so everything still tastes the way it should)

1 1/4 cups flour
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

3 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp vegetable oil
3 tbsp cold water

1. stir together dry ingredients
2. add butter and oil (if you have a pastry blender, use that, if not a fork or knife will do). BE GENTLE. do not overwork the dough or it will be dense instead of flaky and light. Mix until the ingredients form little pea sized balls
3. add the water and mix until dough forms a ball, again, do not overwork
4. place the dough on a lightly floured work surface, dust the top with flour and roll it out. If you don't have a rolling pin, which we didn't, feel free to use a glass or a wine bottle or whatever works. for the last time, do not over work it! try to only roll it out once if you can.

NOW, cut the dough into rectangles (we made them twice as long as we wanted the poptarts so we could fold the dough over the filling and only have to seal three sides).

spread your favorite filling over the rectangle

cover the filling and seal the edges with the tines of a fork....think tiny pies!

bake until golden brown (it wont take long), let cool and frost with either store bought frosting or home made. add sprinkles or whatever else to cute them up and...



photos by Carissa Hamman, model: Chrissy Sollenberger

My first introduction to the Black Lips was 2007's 'Good, Bad, Not Evil.' I went to see them live last year, with my step dad, the venerable Tom Stacho, (he wanted to see The Raconteurs and i wanted to see the Black Lips and they were playing together. He described the Black Lips as 'wild' but he got pretty into it) and he bought me 'Let it Bloom' on vinyl. I really love both records. The Black Lips are cheeky, irreverent, and clever. However, they can also be goofy, sometimes tender and always urgent which gives a warmth to their brand of punk that i think is hard to come by. This is part of what makes them so irresistable for me. On 'Let it Bloom' you can hear a group of boys that NEED to make noise and like to have fun. On 'Good, Bad, Not Evil,' the raw energy of 'Let it Bloom' is, in my opinion, enhanced by tighter song structure and more obvious pop sensibilities. Tell me 'Bad Kids' isn't an anthem and I'll tell you you have brain damage.

'200 Million Thousand' is out of this world. It is perhaps a tiny bit less accessible, though also perhaps more sophisticated (not that i would know anything about being sophisticated) than 'Good, Bad, Not Evil' while still as kinetic and raw as any of their previous output. Some of these songs feel a little like church or something. It feels like being in a trance where the music is filling you up with joy and agression and it gives you a fever that only motion and noise can quell. The Black Lips want to bleed, sweat, spit, snarl, yell, dance, and laugh it out. Even better, they want you to come with them and you cant help but join.

Black Lips-I Saw God

Black Lips Blog-Required Reading

Marina and the Diamonds

OK, look, so at this point im sure we all know Passion Pit are MGMT v.2.0x1 million (Carissa is credited for that comparison). We also know that as a social networking site, myspace is pretty well finished. BUT, personally, I still tend to get lost in myspace, particularly when I'm missing my iPod or when I'm away from my stereo, but with a computer (both of which occur with exhausting frequency). I look through band page after band page, perusing their top friends, and the top friends of their top friends, etc., you know how it goes.

The point is, I was engaged in this enlightening activity the other day and came across Marina and the Diamonds as a 'top friend' of passion pit. Now, I dont know pretty much anything about this girl. I assume that since she is on Passion Pit's label, Neon Gold (named after the two trendiest themes of its birth year, 2008) we will be hearing quite a bit about her very soon, or maybe you already have and i will catch up with you soon. In a way i don't want to know anything more about her than i already do. I practically worship her. She's like a one woman Ace of Base for 2009. She is more than that, of course. Although she is 'of the moment,' her sincerity (or what i perceive as sincerity) make her more than an 80s/90s throwback gimmick. She's got drama, she's got heart, and i love every piece of it.

Passion Pit- I've Got Your Number

Marina and the Diamonds- I am not a Robot

and for good measure...

What are We Doing Here?

"If We're All Here Then We're Probably All Special Art Rebels Anyway, So Lets All Be Special Art Rebels Together-BARR", Half of Two Times Two (mp3)

In Launching this blog, Carissa and I (Carmen) aim to create a platform from which to share our current obsessions, observations, accomplishments, and works in progress (some of which will include: MUSIC, crafts, and recipes). Here's why we care, and why you might too:

I have always been encouraged to make art. I was also raised to think of THE GREAT ARTISTS as untouchable demi-gods. As a result I have felt compelled to try to make things, but always with the knowledge that anything I do has already been done better. I could never take my writing seriously because it wasn't James Joyce and I was always ashamed of my paintings because I'm certainly no Botticelli. As for music, of course I could never make a song because how on earth could I ever presume to express myself more accurately than Spencer Krug expresses me?

I know I was afraid of failure, I was afraid of being mediocre and trite. I still am, I still tell myself in the same breath that every word I write, every line I draw, is a perfect miracle and a disgusting display of self-importance. I'm trying to find a middle ground. As my mother, my aunt, my uncle and I have grown up we have all learned to be kinder to each other and ourselves, to cut the world some fucking slack, to believe that what we are is good enough.

I believe that what YOU are is good enough, I believe in stories, yours and mine in particular. I believe that when we create something we are insisting that our story is important, that we were here and want to leave a trace, that we have too much in our heads and hearts and guts for speech and touch alone to communicate. I believe it is brave to love yourself enough to put a piece of it on paper, or in a cake, or a garment, or through a trumpet; to value your self enough to think whats inside is worth putting out. Humans have always tried to keep a record, to communicate, to understand each other and ourselves through the act of creating. I am excited to join this proud tradition, seeing as I am just another person, lost and alone, and found and surrounded, and deeply in love.