with today being “tunesday” and all, i thought it was a good time to ask everyone out there…what were your favorite songs and albums of the year? it’s been an awesome year in music, in my opinion, so there’s lots of great stuff to choose from. animal collective, black joe lewis & the honeybears, edward sharpe & the magnetic zeros and grizzly bear released four of my favorite albums this year.
send me your choices for the best songs and albums…i’ll compile a list and reveal the top ten at the end of the year!
you can leave them in the comments section or email me, jkeim@freepeople.com.
“what is that feeling when you’re driving away from people and they recede on the plain till you see their specks dispersing? – it’s the too-huge world vaulting us, and it’s good-by. but we lean forward to the next crazy venture beneath the skies.”
what did you all think of part two of on the road? this section of the book finds sal (kerouac) back on the east coast settling in to a quiet contentedness with his girl and school and family, when a surprise visit from dean takes him on another wild cross-country journey. this trip’s scenery, traveling in dean’s car along with his girl Marylou and their friend ed dunkel, reminds me of my own road trip as they take the southern route across the country. they stop in new orleans to visit old bull lee (in reality, william s. burroughs), a heroin addict who brings out the madness of the intimate group. after new orleans, they continue moving on through texas, new mexico, arizona, and then into san francisco via the oakland bay bridge. this portion of the book is more about their journey on the road than what happens when they get there…which ends up not being much, as sal finds himself broke and homeless, wandering the streets in search of something he never finds. part two ends with him returning back east, unsure of whether or not he’ll ever see dean again. why do you think he went on this trip? and why do you think it ends on such a melancholy note?
have any of you ever taken a road trip? where did you start and where did you end up?
some friends of mine are involved in a nonprofit organization called the firefly literacy fund that I think is really cool…it’s all about bridging the opportunity gap in the city of philadelphia by working with families, teachers, schools and shelters. they have donated hundreds of books to elementary school students and this past october they worked really hard on turning the library at the southwark elementary school into a relaxing and inviting space where kids would want to spend time…and they did a great job, as you can see in the above images. they’re having an event this wednesday to raise money and awareness for this important cause…click here for details, and check out their website fireflyfund.org!
are any of you involved in good causes? what charities are you most passionate about?
patch nyc is a collaboration of two talented artists and designers – don carney and jon ross. we here at fp instantly fell in love with their one-of-a-kind pieces and are excited to feature them as one of our favorite designers! the patch nyc collection is vintage inspired, but also maintains a strong contemporary look. to create their latest collection they experimented with a variety of metal finishing techniques to obtain a weathered quality that adds to their jewelry’s character by giving it a rough edge. the collection features a collage of vintage pieces mixed with newer findings, using charms, stones and beads to create something special that is both modern and old, and undeniably unique.
you might recognize this gal from our latest catalog…her name is michele ouellet and not only is she beautiful but she’s also a pretty rad person. if you weren’t jealous of her already, this napa valley native also makes her own wine…read on for brief interview with michele!
if you weren’t a model, what would you want to do?
i would make wine! bam! already do! maybe i would be some type of spy also…
when and why did you start making wine?
last year my family helped me start my brand as a 21st bday present. if you grow up in the napa valley, chances are you get into the wine biz.
what is your theme song?
“today was a good day” by ice cube
what is your favorite place that you’ve traveled to?
tokyo is crazy cool in every possible way and the bahamas are heaven on earth!!!!
if you were stranded on an island, what three things would you want with you?
magical unlimited tiki bar, all my friends, and a camera to document our adventures.
what is the one article of clothing you can’t live without?
my leather biker bitch jacket
what is your biggest fear?
i really try not to live in fear
winter, spring, summer or fall?
summer 4 eva
what color are you?
violet
if you could spend a day with anyone – dead or alive – who would it be?
peter pan and the lost boys
what inspires you on a daily basis?
life and death and all the rest
what is your motto?
never lose! always winning! #1
that’s her on the wine label, which was photographed by david mushegain, who also shot our december catalog. check out lorenza wine’s website, lorenzawine.com, and stop by michele’s blog, kissser.com!
space 15 twenty is turning one! and they’re having not one, but two parties to celebrate – plus, the we the free store located at space 15 twenty (in l.a.) is doing raffles, discounts and prize giveaways to mark the special occasion!
the first party is this saturday, and is a day-long celebration open to the public, where there will be a donation bake sale, face and nail painting, dj sets (including one by eastside girl dez, a wtf employee) AND a live performance by the band girls (who our girls on film on music wrote about yesterday)!! not to mention, 20% off all full-priced merchandise at we the free, which you can take away in special one year anniversary totes!
the second party starts at 7pm and will feature a dj set by ana calderon, a live performance by dawes, and food and drinks…rsvp required for the nighttime party at rsvp@space15twenty.com.
holiday season is in full swing here at the navy yard…i went over to building 543, where our cafeteria is located, and found some people decorating gingerbread cookies…
543 is getting all decked out for the holidays…the decorations look lovely…
if you’re looking for something to do in philly tonight, head on over to fishtown, where they’re having a holiday walk this evening from 6-9pm! over 25 local businesses are participating and they’ve all got specials going on…there will be live music, art exhibits, food and drink, holiday shopping specials and more. a couple of things that sound particularly cool are a craft fair at the rocket cat cafe (2001 frankford) and a new vintage boutique called two percent to glory (1817 frankford) that is opening up this evening, prior to their grand opening.
