new chair

Many of the looming changes are happening quite soon!  Roommates are moving in and out next weekend and the movie I am working on will be done at the same time.  Stay tuned.

In the meantime, in prepping my home for said transition, I did invest in one new piece of furniture - a new chair!  I always wanted a leather chair and this one fits the Berkeley Penthouse perfectly.  I love it.

Move, Learn, Eat

Love these 3 travel videos entitled MOVE, LEARN & EAT, shot over 11 countries in 44 days.  Short, simple and beautiful.  MOVE is just plain cool, LEARN inspires me to have one local teach me something in every new country I visit and EAT reinforces my love of food and travel.


MOVE from Rick Mereki on Vimeo.



LEARN from Rick Mereki on Vimeo.



EAT from Rick Mereki on Vimeo.

work bags

I've got my eye on a new work bag, one that can sling over my shoulder with a long strap, but is still cute to tote along to after work events.  Right now, I have a classic Coach bag, not too far off from this (only red canvas with tan leather handles that's so old this was the closest thing I could currently find on the site):

(only imagine one of the handles a little chewed thanks to my brother's dog, Champ)

Love this leather and wool number from Ralph Lauren Rugby, but a little out of my price range for something so seasonal.

 But what I'd really love is this Prada bag I saw on Swirl today.

Definitely out of my price range, so I've put my step-mother on assignment to find me a fabulous fake while she's in Hong Kong.  Hopefully she can find me something great!

Newport Folk Festival Music Recommendations

Another summer, another glorious weekend at the Newport Folk Festival. To me, it's the country's best music festival (it is, in fact, the longest running music festival in America).  What makes it so special is not only the incredible line-up of back-to-back artists over two days, but the incredible spirit of the festival.  People from all backgrounds, old and young, come to listen to wonderful musicians as they lie down on blankets or dance in the aisles.  As Taylor Goldsmith from Middle Brother said during their set, "It's not about what's modern or new. It's about what's GOOD;" and, the fans here appreciate good music.  It's all about the music and pure joy.  I found it hard to keep up with everyone I wanted to see at the three stages.  Here are some recommendations of my favorite artists from this year you may or may not know.

The Wailin' Jennys

Typhoon


Delta Spirit



Tegan & Sara



The Devil Makes Three



Brown Bird



Trampled by Turtles



The Cave Singers



Chris Thile & Michael Daves



Middle Brother


The Head and the Heart



The Civil Wars

Aggressive list, I know.  Imagine running around to see everyone!  To listen to the sets live from the festival, head over to NPR.