Coachella Part 2

Saturday ended up to be a little bit of fail which had something to do with dehydration and missing all the concerts, so we will move swiftly past it.

Easter Sunday included brunch with Madison's family and a nap before heading out at 3. Outfit--my daisy sneakers, cut off shorts, blue crochet top, and a flower crown.

Although I didn't know The 1975 that well, we started off our day by sitting on the grass and watching their set before heading off to explore a little bit. We had already seen a lot of the art installations--it's a little hard to miss the moving giant astronaut or the tall robot in the middle of the festival--but we wanted to check out the Do Lab.

We met up with a few other friends from SC, and took their advice on trying a famous Portland ice cream stand to fuel our exploring. After grabbing a salted ice cream with carmel cone, we had fun looking around and listening to a random DJ at the Do Lab. It was made even more fun by the fact that there were misters and water guns all over the area to keep us cool too.

We eventually found ourselves wandering into the beer garden by the Coachella stage for a beer (expensive but cold and so nice) while we sat on our scarves/handkerchiefs and listened to The Naked and Famous in the background. Sitting, talking and listening to live music with a beer was the definition of pleasant, and in that moment I kept saying I couldn't be more content.

Calvin Harris was amazing and the crowd was going crazy (me included since I ended up on someone's shoulders for part of a song), but we knew going into it that we were going to leave early so we could make sure that we wouldn't miss Lana Del Rey.

Going into the weekend, Lana was the one of the artists I was most excited for and she did not disappoint. From being barefoot on stage and kissing her fans on the cheek when she walked into the crowd, she was flawless. It may have also been from the stress of the weekend, but I almost teared up during her set.

After her performance ended, we fought our way to get food (I got crab fries, but they made me feel a little sick) before seeing Disclosure. We left Disclosure a little early because we wanted to make sure we had decent spots to see Arcade Fire. I wish I had words for how amazing Arcade Fire was--it was the perfect way to end the weekend and they are one of the most incredible live bands I've ever seen. Everything from their outfits and dancers to the short appearance of Beck (who we missed due to Disclosure) was amazingly well done.

The best part was at the end after everyone is pumped up, and they walk out into the crowd and the every person at the Coachella stage starts singing. It was an unforgettable experience, and truthfully it made me so happy because I knew that even missing Saturday, I walked away from this weekend with positive memories and seeing acts that were incredible.

Coachella Part 1

Two weekends ago, I spent the weekend dancing my life away at Coachella. While it seems everyone from LA makes the trek our to Palm Springs for the festival, this was my first time going. The price may have been outrageous and Weekend 2 was over Easter, but it was definitely an experience to be remembered.

Half the fun of Coachella is picking out outfits to wear, but since the tickets are already so expensive I decided to limit my budget. After scouring my closet, I pulled out a gold lace vintage vest I bought in San Francisco in high school (and have never worn because it's a little much), a dress I already bought, and leather boots. I allowed myself to splurge on a new pair of jean cutoffs for $50 since my other pair is frayed past the point of comfort, a cheap crochet top and an $4 flower crown along with an $8 head chain. Armed with my outfits for the weekend, my friends and I started the road trip Thursday night complete with a Coachella playlist and newly downloaded Coachella app.

Even though this weekend had been planned for so long and a lot of money was saved for it, I think our whole group was a little overwhelmed by going. All of us had gone to Vegas at some point in the two weekends before, final projects were approaching, and graduation was (let's be real, still is) looming. Part of me was wishing just to have a weekend to lay around and sleep all day, but we all finally got in the spirit in the car as we used the Coachella app to start making a plan about who we wanted to see each day.

We were lucky enough to stay at Madison's place again, so we were able to escape the craziness and sleep in a real bed each night with air conditioning. We had bought shuttle pass tickets, so we had an easy way to get dropped off at the gates.

Our Friday began a little before 2:45 to see our first show MS MR. I knew a few of their songs, but I was blown away by their performance. I didn't realize how much I would like every song they played (plus their cover of Arctic Monkeys), and the lead singer looked like she was having as much fun as we were. We all decided that we would recruit her as a new best friend, and once their set ended we hunted down some watermelon slices on our way to Aloe Blacc.

Our feeling from the night before was completely gone after watching our first band and running around the grounds. We checked out some of the art pieces on our way to the tent, including an obligatory selfie at the large group of mirrored rectangles. But, my favorite was definitely the giant hollow caterpillar that was made out of flowers, grass, and succulents. It was not only pretty and hippyish, but also gave necessary shade while we waited for people to run to the restroom.

After some watermelon photo ops--note the head chain and vintage vest--Aloe Blacc began. He was really great, and once we heard the songs we were excited for we left a few minutes early to make it to Haim.

It was nice to be able just to sit on the grass, but I wasn't really impressed with them. I think their whole attitude isn't for everyone, I enjoyed being able to just hang out. The only down side is that by the time we made our way to Bastille the tent was so filled that even all the pushing in the world couldn't get us inside. We heard a few songs, but not being able to see or move had us leaving before the set ended to grab some food.

I had an amazing gyro followed by some fries from the Pink's hot dogs stand for dinner which was delicious (and expensive). After we headed to the Coachella stage to see Ellie Goulding (great) followed by  Chromeo. I didn't know them very well, so I wasn't really into it, but I was excited to stay at the Coachella stage so we could get close  for Girl Talk.

It was worth hanging out because Girl Talk was amazing, and there set was complete with fun dance songs and confetti being blasted from the stage. Finally, we waited in the area for Outkast, and while I thought it was fun, I didn't know Outkast well enough for an hour and a half set.

We left day 1 feeling happy and exhausted, but we still managed to have some fun avoiding the dust storms with our handkerchiefs. PS handkerchiefs were the best thing I could have possibly brought. They kept dust out of mouths and nose walking back and also served as seat when hay or dirt was irritating. Once we were back at our place, we all went to sleep happy and excited for the rest of Coachella.

Bang Bang (Guns and Stuff in LA)

It's Valentine's day! So let's talk about guns, sausages, and beer!

I'm currently waiting for Scott to get out of class to have some adventures around Redlands, so I thought I would celebrate now by talking about last week's "Explore LA" date. Last Friday, Scott was in town for my sorority invite (in which we were decked out as Hugh Hefner and a Playboy bunny). Usually, the following Saturday we catch up on all our shows and have a lazy day, but this time my house was holding a conference.

The conference left us with no where to stay, so we decided to spend the day out and about downtown. After a quick lunch (breakfast?) at Pizza Studio, we drove to the LA Gun Club by the arts district in Downtown LA. I knew a few people who had gone before, and it was on my "do before I graduate" list.

Scott and I had never shot a gun--I don't think I've even held one--so I was getting the nervous/excited feeling as we walked in. I'm not sure what I expected from a gun club, but I was shocked at all the options and was getting antsy as we took our numbers and waited to be called.

Luckily, we seemed to have beat the large crowd that came in after us, and soon we were talking to an employee about the best gun for beginners. The place gets mostly beginners looking for a fun activity, so I was't self conscious asking a bunch of questions. I wish I could remember the name of the guns we used, but we started off by renting a handgun that I can only describe as the Russian roulette type. I picked a target, and we were given headphones, glasses, and an aisle number.

We had bought a round of 50 to share, and I started off the first shot. Even with my first bad couple shots, the experience was exhilarating. I also was shocked at how well I got the hang of it. By the time I had finished my portion of the rounds (we switched off every barrel), I was spending most of the time admiring my handiwork.

Scott and I ended up having so much fun that we decided to rent another gun and go for one more round. This time we went for a semi automatic handgun that the army uses, and grabbed another target. This gun had more of a kick to it, and all my previous "skills" from before were completely gone. I think I only hit my target about 5 times throughout the whole practice. Scott on the other hand was killing it, and getting everything on target.

Finally, our bullets had run out, and we decided to finish up. We were there for probably about 2.5 hours (including wait time), and the club doesn't rush you to finish which was really great. The whole thing cost about $70 between two people so it was a fairly affordable date (as long as you split it) and was an adrenaline pumping activity. It was so much more fun than I expected, and it's always fun when even after 7 years there are still "firsts" for Scott and I to do together.

Our next stop was at a popular restaurant in the arts district called Wurstkuche for an early dinner.

It sells sausages and imported Belgian and German beers, and is one of those hipster-y restaurants that actually lives up to its reputations (so I heard). It was my first time eating there, and I ordered a simple kielbasa and German beer while Scott got the same (different beer) and fries. The food reminded me of Prague but even better. Ok, so Prague's kielbasa will always hold a special place in my heart but having a bun to eat it with instead of a single piece of dark bread was an improvement. 

It was so much fun just hanging out and eating good food, and by the time we got back to school we had just enough time to squeeze in two episodes of Community before Scott left. It was one of the more perfect weekends I've had all semester. A party with friends, adrenaline, good food, and Scott visiting makes for an amazing couple of days.

Now I just need him to get out of class!

Disneyland at Christmas

2014 started with a little bit of magic. From fireworks and sparklers all New Years Eve to Disneyland on January second, the new year is off to a great start.

Right before midnight we lit some Chinese lanterns and all made wishes. It made for a very Pinterestesque event and a great photo op if I do say so myself.

The next day to get excited about our Disneyland trip, Scott and I saw Saving Mr. Banks. Besides the fact that I got teary multiple times, it was the perfect way to get in the Disney mood. I was on the look out for a few things from the movie (like Disney's father's name on the window) and was newly inspired to make sure I got a ride on the carousal. It was the last holiday week at Disneyland so I enjoyed the last piece of the Christmas season. Plus, the park just improves when even more glitterly lights are added.

I've been to Disneyland so many times that there was no rush to get to all the rides. This made our experience pretty ideal since we weren't stressed despite it being peak tourist times and packed. We still made it on to our favorites through out the park including Pirates of the Caribbean, Indiana Jones, Haunted Mansion, Buzz Lightyear, and obviously It's A Small World.

Of course there was time for one obligatory photo with Pooh Bear to match the one we took seven (!) years ago on our first date. Disneyland holds a special place in my heart like most SoCal residents, and it's always a million times more fun with Scott.