The year started out okay: I saw my mom again after spending two weeks in Nashville with my dad and sister and was excited about my new classes: art history, fashion studies, writing and rhetoric II, reporting and writing II and editing essentials. This is when the polar vortex really started to hit Chicago and I had to wear two pants and three socks to walk 15 minutes to class. And in that time my eyelashes would freeze together and then melt once I got into class.
Watched: the Before movies, Shameless - and obsessing over Lip Gallagher, Girls - and watching the latest episodes at B's apartment with C after art history class and Spanglish, On The Road - Sam Riley and Garrett Hedlund are too much in one film, Charlie Countryman - there's something really magical about this movie...
Listened to: Samba Love - Kaskade, Without You My Life Would Be Boring - The Knife
February
Flew down to Nashville to surprise my sister for her birthday. Majority of the month was spent watching movies in my bed, enjoying living in the dorms, as well as exploring Chicago with my best friend. I was really really loving my classes and my friends and the city and the apartment in February.
Watched: Broken, Adore, Breathe In - all of these I spent watching them in my dorm room, my roommate gone and listening to my three other roommates live outside in our living room.
Listened to: Congolal - Tensnake, Fashion - Bowie, Crave You - Flight Facilities, Lady Hear Me Tonight - Modjo
Vibes: M's and my Friday adventure day where we go around Chicago and find a new place to eat; taking a trip to Whole Foods on Roosevelt or Dearborn for dinner and dessert for that night, buying a city fish, Valentine's Day spend at Crumbs in Water Tower, Porter Magazine, digging my fashion studies class, blush tones, obsessing over Julie Delpy
March
I was blogging more around here, looking forward to concerts next month, hanging out with B a lot more and M. We bought Joseph the city fish and named him after Andy Cohen of course. I had spring on my mind with blush tones and Rio de Janeiro landscapes.
Watched: Prisoners, Funny Face, Love Birds, The X-Files
Listened to: An Ocean Apart - Julie Delpy, Agua de Beber - Astrud Gilberto, Tensnake's Glow, Kylie Minogue's Kiss Me Once
Vibes: listening to a lot of Bossa Nova while trying to survive Chiberia 2K14, spring break chillin' at mom's watching movies as usual, Tensnake's Glow album blew my mind and Kylie's Sexercize video made me weak, really trucking through The X-Files (one or two episodes a night) and listening to a lot of Hôtel Costes mixes, dreaming about tulips and obsessing over my peach sweater from the Gap.
April
I saw Trentemøller and The Knife at Conchord Music Hall and Aragon Ballroom, respectively. The freedom and the adrenaline and hype and fun I had is something I won't forget and something that I miss. I went to a weird Columbia party with B and S and C and ended up having a better time crashing on B's couch with C watching Private Practice on Netflix and making fun of the weirdos and the party.
Watched: Kill Your Darlings, All Is Lost, The Word's End, The Way Way Back
Listened to: Lady Gaga's ARTPOP, Trentemøller's Lost, The Knife's Shaking The Habitual
Vibes: series finales of Mad Men and Californication, Trentemøller in concert with B - this kicked off the stream of concerts I saw whilst living in Chicago (all of them bands that have really impacted me over the past 5 years or so), went to my first concert alone - The Knife - and let me tell you, it was a god damn experience, admiring my new strawberry blonde hair, working out to Lady Gaga in my dorm and lemon pastries.
May
Reveling in the fact that I won't be living in the city anymore. B and I went out to dinner at Vapiano and we watched the first season of Sherlock in her room as well as The World's End (our love for Simon Pegg became vocal here). Since I dragged B to the Trentemøller concert, she dragged me to the Foals and Cage the Elephant concert. I ended up loving Foals. We took her mom's Mercedes up to the Aragon Ballroom and jammed to Friendly Fires' White Diamonds as we drove along Lake Shore Drive. The car ended up being towed and we had to drive around the city trying to get it back. I started my first job and got really into the Cornetto trilogy.
Watched: Paul, Little Children, Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead
Listenend to: Hustler - Simian Mobile Disco, Michael Jackson's XSCAPE, White Diamonds - Friendly Fires, Come a Little Closer - Cage the Elephant
Vibes: Lauren Hutton and Robert Redford: the all american style, thinking about a bob, summer vacation, new job and Cage the Elephant and Foals in concert.
June
I was working a lot here. I moved back up to the suburbs and started writing for an indie music review website. They paid me $5 per review. I ended up being dropped without notice around Labor Day. S came up and we drove around in my car, windows down, going to the movies and eating Chipotle. You know, typical girl stuff.
Watched: Devil's Pass, Contracted, Funny Games, 22 Jump Street
Listened to: Navajo - The Glass Jars, Pharaohs - SBTRKT
Vibes: milk maid braids, lip balm/gloss combo, Susan Cain's "Quiet..."
July
M came up from the city for my birthday. In the middle of the month I took a trip up to B's hometown in Wisconsin to visit her. We drove around in her Jaguar listening to Glass Animals, making plans to see Kasabian in October, swooning over Jack White and enjoying each other's company. We ate at some incredible local joints and I met her friends. Her house was stunning and her parents so gracious. If I had a time machine I would go back and relive that weekend in northern Wisconsin.
Watched: Night Train to Lisbon, Nymphomaniac: Part I
Listened to: Jack White's Lazaretto, Best Friend - Foster the People, Gooey - Glass Animals, Sunrise - Slaptop, La Roux's Trouble in Paradise
Vibes: summer of Jack's: swooned over Jack White and Jack Huston, read J.D. Salinger's Nine Stories, that weekend in Sheb with B, listening to La Roux's summery new album and some indie alternative mix.
August
Went downtown for M's birthday get together since she came up for mine. We jammed out to X and had Whole Foods pizza with one of her work friends. B and I obsessively watched Masters of Sex, I developed an extreme girl crush on Lizzy Caplan and we moved on from Jack White's solo work to The Dead Weather.
Watched: Masters of Sex, Better Living Through Chemistry, Nymphomaniac: Part II, Star Trek Into Darkness
Listened to: Mopedbart - hubbabubbaklubb, Treat Me Like Your Mother - The Dead Weather, X's Los Angeles, This Is Not a Love Song - Katie Cruel
Vibes: anxiously waiting a week for the new Masters of Sex episodes and then discussing them with B, M's birthday get together and prepping for the semester ahead.
September
I got really sick and had to miss work but one of my co-workers made some excellent Mexican chicken soup for me and I watched Candidly Nicole in bed for two days. A handful of songs kept me going on the train ride to downtown. I started to develop problems with my emotional and mental health due to stress from school, the commute and work.
Watched: Fargo, Jeuene et Jolie, 12 Years a Slave
Listened to: Over - GusGus, Her Favorite Song - Mayer Hawthorne, Holding On For Life - Broken Bells, Sunset (Jamie XX edit) - The XX, Deep Into the Night - Ali Love, Odd Look - Kavinsky
Vibes: adjusting to new semester and commute, falling madly in love with Lizzy Caplan, watching Party Down on the train to class, taking advantage of the free week from Hulu Plus and watching Candidly Nicole whilst sick in bed.
October
October started off with seeing Kasabian at the Metro in Wrigleyville. I was supposed to meet B there but she ended up being late and in the back of the venue when I was towards the front. I met a boy there and we talked music and culture and I basically saw it with him. I got his number, he was in a band. The middle of the month was all about seeing Chromeo with L. They're probably one of the best bands I've seen live, if not the best. I had a blast that night. School was a complete disaster at this point but the concerts were providing some much needed escapism. Towards Halloween M and I went on the Chicago Hauntings Ghost Tour and oohed and ahead over downtown Chicago's haunted spots.
Watched: Begin Again, Changeling, Rosemary's Baby
Listened to: Kasabian's 48:13, Chromeo's White Women, Foals' Holy Fire
Vibes: Kasabian and Chromeo in concert, that boy, being cozy and comfortable, fall movies, reading Lena Dunham's Not That Kind of Girl, filling out the Women in Clothes survey and reading the New Yorker.
November
After the fun that was October (such a switch up from last year), November was a little sad and confusing and tough. I decided to move to Nashville, change my major and all that jazz. I realized I didn't know what I was doing and didn't need to be spending $40,000 at an art school to mess around. In the mean time, Massive Attack, the Zep and Concrete Blonde were helping me through a job transition from mid October and my crazy emotions and indecisiveness. Syd came up for Thanksgiving, though, and we went to see the David Bowie Is exhibition. Yes, it was mind blowing.
Watched: Kings of Summer, The Maze Runner, Interstellar, Nightcrawler, Yves Saint Laurent
Listened to: United Snakes - Massive Attack, Caroline - Concrete Blonde, When the Levee Breaks - Led Zeppelin
Vibes: wearing black jeans, Chelsea boots, rain coat, sweater and scarf as a uniform, red nails, new job, lazy dressing, new loafers, working on Stylish Films and new and tough decisions.
December
November and December was full of lots of crying. The shitty semester ended and I said goodbye (for now) to my best friends B and M. The main thought here was how lucky I am to have had such a kick ass year and how much my best friends mean to me. Christmas didn't feel like Christmas. Everything moved fast and furious and shit changed quickly. I'm praying that it's for the better. Meanwhile, B, C, S and I went to the David Bowie Is exhibition (my second time!) and C and I had a fabulous time laughing our asses off (as we usually do when we're together). Also we all ran into Adrian Grenier and unintentionally stalked him for a picture. My last few nights in the city were spectacular. M and I had our last Friday adventure going to Whole Foods for desserts and Roti for dinner. We got a little tipsy and had a blast together doing absolutely nothing. The sign of a good friend.
Watched: Contact, Stuck in Love, Very Good Girls, American Horror Story
Listened to: Drop Me a Line - Midnight Magic, Haunted - Beyoncé, Magnificent Seven - The Clash, Never Gonna Give You Up - The Black Keys
Vibes: moving, indie rock, American Horror Story, makeover, startover