Category Archives: Music

Nov23

Lil Red Recommends – Part 5!!!!

Posted on November 23, 2014 by lifewithlilred

Not gonna lie, this week has been less than ideal. Work has been filled with not so nice coworkers and rude customers and school has been stressful. Luckily there’s been a few things that have made me feel better, which I’m going to share with you in this edition of Lil Red Recommends!

Getting drunk with your mother: Last night I came home from a particularly shitty day at work to find my family getting ready to have dinner. It was Italian night in my household so naturally that called for some wine! I’m a big wine drinker and with my moms help of barely drinking one glass, I finished the entire bottle. My mom is such a light weight that she claimed that her glass of wine got her drunk, it’s the most precious thing ever. So the evening was spent with gut busting laughter, stumbling around the kitchen, and singing a duet to the song “You Had a Bad Day” while using the empty wine bottle as a microphone. It was an absolute blast. I’ve never gotten drunk with my mom before and I sincerely hope that this happens again every now and then. The straight up ridiculousness of the mother daughter bonding time that happened last night was indescribable! All of the silliness that occurred was the perfect cure to a shitty day!

Drunken retail therapy: So after my mom and I sobered up, we headed to the mall for some retail therapy. I was in desperate need of some new jeans. But here’s the trick, I refuse to wear any denim that isn’t black and super skinny. My purchase will be discussed in the next recommendation! Let me tell you guys, while my mom may have been completely sober after her one wine glass 😉 I was still slightly tipsy from almost a full bottle of wine. And from this experience I learned that there is nothing more fun than wandering around the mall while you have a wine buzz! It took my love for shopping to a new extreme because I combined it with my second favorite thing….getting drunk. I highly recommend public intoxication at least once in your life time, its a real treat! (Only once though…then no more public intoxication, kay?)

Snake skin patterned denim: I found my beloved new jeans at Express, one of my favorite stores. These jeans are drop dead GORGEOUS. They’re jet black with a gunmetal snake skin pattern coating it and are extremely skinny. About two weeks ago while I was shopping there with my sister, I noticed these beauties and was drooling over them the entire time. Unfortunately at eighty eight dollars, they were out of my price range. But I could NOT stop thinking about them. Lucky for me, last night they were having a forty percent off sale at Express and they had one pair of the jeans left in my size. All of the other sizes they had were ginormous. I knew that the denim had to be mine. I slipped into the fitting room, and changed into my new favorite piece of clothing. When I looked into the fitting room mirror they were just as perfect as I hoped they would be. They fit like a glove and were a perfect punk piece to add to my wardrobe. I’ve been looking for a pair of snake skin print jeans for quite some time now. But all of the pairs that I have found have been a snake skin pattern on top of grey or white jeans, and that doesn’t follow my all black everything rule. I thank the fashion gods for this gift of the perfect pair of black snake skin print jeans! Hurray! (Please excuse my mismatched socks in the photo below!) 😉

Read the book Perfect: I started the book Perfect by Rachel Joyce a few days ago. (She also authored one of my favorite books, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry). I’m about one hundred pages in and I can’t recommend this book highly enough. The book revolves around a boy who has witnessed a terrible accident and is doing everything in his power to prevent his mother from finding out…as she’s the one who caused the crime. We are introduced to a unique cast of characters – young Byron who is very protective of his mother Diana who is a forward thinking woman in the 1970’s. She refuses to live the cookie cutter lifestyle of the female house wife which leads to animosity from her peers. There is also sweet OCD ridden Jim, who has been in and out of mental institutions his entire life. I have yet to find out how the paths of Byron and his mother will cross with Jim’s, but I’m excited to find out. Rachel Joyce does an amazing job of creating a feeling of empathy for each of her characters… I love them all so much already! Reading Perfect has been the perfect distraction from a below average week.

Listen to Tapes ‘n Tapes: I’ve been listening to A LOT of Tapes ‘n Tapes lately. I think that their music is just fantastic. I’ve enjoyed playing all of their albums on shuffle as I’ve been driving around to where ever I needed to be this past week. They really are the perfect Indie rock band. Each of their three albums The Loon, Outside, and Walk It Off give a solid combination of upbeat tunes, amazing instrumentals, and sentimental ballads. My favorite album between the three is definitely their debut album The Loon. Each song off of that one is a slam dunk. But there are also many crowd pleasers on their second and third efforts as well! Tapes ‘n Tapes is great driving music and just hanging around the house doing nothing music. The music video below is for their song “Freak Out” from their second album Outside. It’s super catchy!

Don’t be an asshole: Pardon my French, but I’ve come across a lot of not so nice people this week. From awful customers to the most incompatible coworkers ever I’m almost at my breaking point. I genuinely don’t understand the people who are mean to others just for the sake of being mean. And let me tell you, I’ve encountered a lot of people like that this week. Being around stand offish people really is enough to ruin my day. For some people it’s easy to just shake things like that off, but not me. I wish I didn’t take so much offense to it, but I do. It’s just the way I am I suppose, but I don’t think it’s out of reason to be upset by people who act like assholes to you for no good reason. So here I am freaking pleading all of you guys (myself included) to be courteous and respectful to others. You never know what the person you give a dirty look to might be going through that day. #enoughsaid

Watch Step Brothers: If there’s one thing that always makes me feel better, it’s watching my favorite Will Ferrell movie: Step Brothers. I watched this with my sister and mom a few days ago and it’s still funny to me no matter how many times I watch it! I’ve seen Step Brothers enough that I can quote the entire movie along with the actors (much to my family’s annoyance!). Sometimes you really just need to pop in your favorite stupid movie and veg out for a few hours. I don’t know about you, but I always feel better after two hours straight of laughing! “SO MANY ACTIVITIES!!!”

Be thankful: With Thanksgiving coming up, this is a no brainer. But it felt right to mention it anyways. Tell your family members and friends that you love them, compliment a stranger, apologize to those you have done wrong to. You know the drill. It only takes one small act of kindness to transform yours and somebody else’s day completely!

So there you have it, my Lil Red recommends for the week! What are some things that you do to make yourself feel better after a rough week? What’s your favorite quote from Step Brothers? Leave me a comment and let’s chat! Happy Sunday! -Sarah

Nov12

Music Obsessions – TECHNO TIME!

Posted on November 12, 2014 by lifewithlilred

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So I’m not the biggest fan of the techno/electronica genre, however there’s some really fantastic artists and remixes out there that deserve some Lil Red lovin. Here’s some of my TECHNO TIME music obsessions:

Purity Ring Feat. Danny Brown – Belispeak II: Hell to the YES. Belispeak was a sick song already but Danny Brown laying down his insane rap game on the track made it even better. I love the morbid lyrics Purity Ring has to offer that are usually performed in a sing songy voice so hearing Danny Brown spit his verses with sharpness made for a very unique remix. Well done.

The Knife – A Tooth For An Eye: I really REALLY enjoy The Knife. This song happens to be one of my favorite tracks to listen to while I’m showering 😉 (you’re welcome!). But seriously. If you listen to this song or have heard it before, you’ll know why. This track makes me feel like I’m being transported into a rainforest safari. Best believe that my body is covered in tribal paint and wild animals are frolicking all around me in this weird minds eye vision. Take whatever device you listen to music on into your bathroom and take a hot bath or shower while listening to this track…you’ll thank me later.

Basshunter – Dota: PLEASE judge me for it, I’m begging you!!!! Ha, I remember when my brother introduced me to this song years ago and I thought it was the funniest thing ever. That doesn’t mean that I didn’t love it though!! This track is so damn catchy I CAN’T EVEN! It makes me feel like I should be on a stage surrounded by a huge crowd with green lights flashing everywhere. I would be Basshunter’s hype girl and I want jump around on stage the ENTIRE time. Best. Fantasy. Ever.

The Knife – We Share Our Mother’s Health (Ratatat Remix): This is hands down my favorite remix of all time, simply because Ratatat made their remix better than the original. It’s a pretty dark take on the The Knife’s original track and I really like that. The non remix song sounds quite haphazard and Ratatat made their remix sound extremely cohesive. The way he blended the high pitched female chanting along with the male baritone singing is GORGEOUS. This remix happens to be a PacSun song (go figure!) and it’s definitely in my top five favorites that we played there for sure.

Glass Animals – Pools: I’ve mentioned this song previously and quite frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn – BECAUSE IT’S SO GOOD! I love this song so very much because it’s the perfect combination of a fairly indie sound with electronica mixed in, and I’m very much an indie girl at heart. The lyrics in this song are just beautiful. My favorite time to listen to this song is when I’m driving and it’s raining, it kind of gives me the same rainforest-y feel that A Tooth For An Eye does. My other favorite time to blast this track is when I’m feeling a little bummed out. There’s something about the mellow lyrics with a really uplifting beat in the background that just makes me feel good. Take a listen and I think you’ll understand.

t.A.T.u. – All The Things She Said: This song is a fucking classic and don’t you dare tell me other wise. This may not be one of t.A.T.u.’s most electronica based songs but it’s so good that I just don’t care. I find this song relevant to my life literally EVERY time I hear it. I’ve loved this song since I was fifteen and here I am still rocking out to it five years later. A lot of people classify this track as a break up song, but it’s more of an every day life song to me. We all have that one person or situation that we forever have stuck in our heads. Some people have more than others. All The Things She Said captures this feeling perfectly. Love it.

I’m very aware that quite a few of these songs wouldn’t be classified to others as purely techno or electronica. BUT to me they are, considering that these artists and songs are about as far as I dabble into those genres. Does anyone have any suggestions for some artists that I might like? If so, please leave me a comment and let’s chat! ALSO, make sure you check back in with me tonight for my review of the new episode of American Horror Story! Happy Hump Day! -Sarah

Nov10

Latest & Greatest Music Obsessions

Posted on November 10, 2014 by lifewithlilred

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There’s been quite a few songs and artists who I’ve been obsessed with as of late, so I figured why not share the joy and tell you guys all about it!

Sir Sly – Gold: Ohhhh yes indeed. I LOVE this song. We started playing it the last week or so that I was at PacSun and it was always one of my favorite funky time jams. I really just love screaming the refrain of “pocket full of YELLOW, YELLOW, YELLOW” even though I’m not quite sure what he’s talking about. Either way, this song is rad.

Magic Man – Texas: I’m fairly certain that I’ve mentioned this song before, and if so – I don’t care. This song is so beautiful and fantastic that it’s worth repeating. Once again, this is another PacSun funky time jam (judge me for it) and it’s without a doubt in my mind on my list of top five favorite songs that we would play there. This song is just gorgeous. When I’m hung up on a guy or feeling shitty in general, this is my go to tune to play. I remember when I would be at the store early in the morning, and this song would come on and I would feel so good. I felt calm. This song makes me feel like everything is going to be okay.

Grizzly Bear – Will Calls (Diplo Remix): I absolutely love Grizzly Bear, and usually I’m not fond of a lot of remixes – BUT Diplo kills this beat like no other. This remix makes me want to cover my body in glow in the dark paint and take Ecstasy at a rave…too much? Don’t care. When the beat drops in this track and Diplo’s fingers start moving a mile a minute on whatever the hell he’s playing on, best believe I start dancing very poorly. 😉

Steriogram – Walkie Talkie Man: Way back when I was around ten years old there was a band called Steriogram….they kind of sucked. BUT this song is the best throwback in the world. It was featured on this one soccer game that my brother would play on the N64 and it became one of our favorites. This song gets me hyped in the way that it takes me back to silly memories of watching my brother play video games in the basement and I would watch even though I had no clue what was going on. WELL YOU’RE WALKIN AND TALKINNNNN!

Maroon 5 – Animals: I rarely listen to the radio, but I quite like this song. Adam Levine is a sex god. Having said that, I think this song is a great compromise between the poppy bullshit that’s often played on the radio with something dark and alternative. Animals took me back to Maroon 5’s strictly alternative days a la Songs About Jane and I really appreciated the effort. Don’t get me wrong, I rock out to Maroon 5 like any girl does, but this song really showcases their musical talent that I know they have. Way cool.

Franz Ferdinand – Take Me Out: The other day I decided I needed some Franz Ferdinand in my life again and was blasting Take Me Out in my car – just like any person would do when they decide that they need some Franz Ferdinand in their life. I remember when this song first came out and I always would think how weird the music video was when it would play on MTV or vh1. This song kicked so much ass when it was released and flash forward five years later and it’s still fantastic. That’s how you know a song is good!

Daft Punk – Doin’ it Right: This very well might be one of my favorite Daft Punk jams. This song takes my minds eye to a club where the lighting is all blues and purples and everyone is slightly drunk and vibing off of each other….Judge me for it. This is an intoxicating track, when Panda Bear comes swooping in with those vocals magic is created. Instant head nodder for sure.

Best Coast – Boyfriend: I’ve been listening to Best Coast a lot as of late and I really just adore them. I’m kind of late in the game to them too. I’ve had them on my iPod for quite some time now but just never really cared to listen to them extensively until now. This song has kind of been the soundtrack to my love life (or lack there of) lately. I’m pretty sure every girl has written variations of these lyrics in their diary when they’re about to go to sleep and thinking of that special someone.

Tom Vek – A Chore: Shit, this song takes me back to my early days at PacSun. I love the pure angst that Tom Vek is showcasing in this song. When he goes into “you’re not really listening to me” I identified with it so much. If I listen to this song when I’m in just the right mood, I get transported into this weird place in my mind where I can see memories of myself saying variations of that phrase to different people in my life. It’s like my own personal music video to this song in my head. Music is amazing.

Viva Brother – Darling Buds of May: I absolutely LOVE this song. Viva Brother has a lot of really fun feel good anthems, but this one is my all time favorite. When I’m screaming along with them to “it is what it is” I get this really cool feeling of girl power bad ass-ness and it’s AWESOME! I feel like I should be wearing leather pants and a crop top and lip synching the lyrics into the mirror while dancing provocatively when I hear this song. What of it?

So there you have it, my top ten funky time jams of the moment. Who are you guys listening to right now? I’m always up for music suggestions to please leave me a comment and let’s chat! -Sarah

Nov7

Lil Red Recommends – Part 4!

Posted on November 7, 2014 by lifewithlilred

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Hello all and happy Friday!!!! It’s time for the annual Lil Red Recommends post for the week, so here we go!

Read Before I Go To Sleep: Seriously. Do it. This book is honestly so much better than Gone Girl. In this novel we follow Christine, a forty-seven year old woman with severe amnesia. Her case is unique though, because her memory disappears as soon as she wakes up from a nights sleep. We join her in her quest to regain her memory and learn about her dark and troubled past. This book is such a page turner. I’m more than halfway through and I still can’t draw any conclusions on how the ending will turn out. I’m particularly excited to finish the book so I can see the movie which is out in theaters with my mom. The fabulous Nicole Kidman plays Christine and the DREAM BOAT Colin Firth plays her husband, Ben. If you liked reading Gone Girl, you’re going to LOVE Before I Go To Sleep.

Listen to Courtney Barnett: I absolutely ADORE this chick. We played a few of her songs at PacSun and I had always semi enjoyed them but it was once I started playing her outside of work that I fell in love. Her lyrics are so quirky and cool, IE: “The yard is full of hard rubbish it’s a mess and
I guess the neighbors must think we run a meth lab” from Avant Gardener. There’s so many times when I’m listening through her charming EP “A Sea Of Split Peas” where I laugh to myself and think “what did she just say?!” Her sound is extremely unique as well, it’s fairly folksy but it’s her voice that really does it for me. She has this ability to make her voice sound like it’s droning on for eternity which sounds unpleasant but it’s actually quite amazing. Her monotonous vocals allow you to hear every aspect of the story she’s trying to tell in each of her songs.

Make a to do list: I’ve grown SO fond of making to do lists since I started college. Usually I prepare my lists for each day the night before, so it’s nice to have everything you need to accomplish that day planned out for you. And let me tell you, there’s nothing better than checking off each thing you’ve completed from your list. It’s so damn fulfilling! My to do lists have taught me how to prioritize and learn better time management skills which is going to be so important once I start delving deeper into my college career. A daily to do list is simple but effective and I can’t recommend making them enough!

Get cozy: So if you read my OOTD: College Kid Edition post, you’ll know that I ended up wearing sweat pants to class and it was life changing. So I encourage all of you to get comfy cozy for the day and do work! Wear your favorite comfort piece and flaunt it like the hot tamale that you are. This could be anything – from your hoodie that you sleep in almost every night to your worn in Hawthorne Heights t-shirt that you still have from high school. Anything is fair game. My college sweat pants experience taught me that there’s nothing wrong with “bummin it” every so often. So I guess I’ll be breaking out my Hawthorne Heights tee pretty soon 😉

^^^ JUDGE ME FOR IT!!!

Stock up on cold weather accessories: I LOVE fall and winter time accessories so very much. I’m talking cute boots, knit scarves, stylish hats, and my personal favorite: fingerless gloves. All of these accessories are the epitome of treating yourself. Nothing adds a little extra oomph to your outfit than a fun new fashion statement. I’m really hoping that I can go to TJMaxx soon to pick out some new cold weather gear. As a matter of fact, my favorite all time pair of fingerless gloves came from TJ’s! There’s a really adorable store in a mall that I like going to called Charming Charlie and they’re full of gorgeous winter accessories. If you don’t have one in your area, here’s their website so you can check them out online! http://www.charmingcharlie.com/

Have a dinner date with a girlfriend: This week I had the most delightful time going out to dinner with my best friend Kate. We went to the Cheesecake Factory which is our favorite place to eat at together. It was so nice to be able to enjoy the atmosphere and the yummy food amongst great company. Enjoying a meal where you don’t have to think about anything but shoving more cheesecake down your throat is my definition of a good time. My recommendation is to incorporate a shopping trip into the dinner date as well! Kate and I usually hit up one of the higher end malls in the Akron/Cleveland, Ohio area which makes for a lovely afternoon trip. And nothing says girl time like a shopping day followed by a dinner date – so fun!

^^ Some of the many delicious desserts offered at the Cheesecake Factory. I’m gaining weight just looking at it!

Listen to Hamilton Leithauser: I’ve been really enjoying listening to this young man’s album “Black Hours” as of late. His voice is just intoxicating to me. It’s the perfect combination of folk and rock and roll. His music was played fairly frequently at PacSun and the song that always stuck out to me every time we played it was “Alexandra”. The opening lyrics of “I don’t have to, I don’t need to – but I’m always thinking of you” are so sweet! It makes me wish that I was this Alexandra that Hamilton is singing about!!! HUBBA HUBBA. 😉

So there you have it! My Lil Red Recommendations for the week! What are you guys up to this weekend? Whatever you’re plans are, I hope you have a great time doing them! And if you have any questions or concerns, leave me a comment and let’s chat! -Sarah

Oct27

My Positivity Playlist

Posted on October 27, 2014 by lifewithlilred

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So whenever I’m feeling a little down in the dumps, I always tend to gravitate towards my depressing music – which I’m sure is true for a lot of you guys as well. Today I made it a point to only play songs on my iPod that hype me up and make me happy while I was getting ready for the day. Like my cover image says: Every minute spent frowning is sixty seconds of smiling wasted. Besides, it takes more muscles to frown than to smile if I’m not mistaken! So here’s a few songs that I played today that really helped send a surge of positivity through my veins!

Adam Lambert: If I had You. I looooove this song. It makes me want to get up and dance and be as sassy as possible. (I can’t promise you that I looked good while dancing though – but I had fun and that’s all that matters!)

Bleached: Dead in Your Head. This song is full of girl power fun. I was introduced to Bleached at PacSun and am so glad for that. You can also hear this song played on MTV on commercials and in an episode of Awkward.

Cobra Starship: Nice Guys Finish Last. PLEEEASE judge me for getting down to some Cobra Starship, I dare you 😉 They definitely are a guilty pleasure of mine. But that’s the beauty of a positivity playlist – if the song makes you happy then who cares if it sucks?!

Taylor Swift: Shake it Off. I know, I know – shocking. I actually hate Taylor Swift, BUT my mom loves her so I’m forced to hear this song on the radio a lot in the car. “Don’t turn it off Sarah!” This tune grew on me like a fungus and I’m surprised to say I’m not even mad about it!

Mika: Love Today. If you read my past article Lil Red Recommends – part 3, you’ll already know how much I love Mika. This song is probably one of my favorites of his. I love trying to match his falsetto and doing many a hair whips to the beat, a la Willow Smith 😉

Pharrell: Gust Of Wind. This song is FANTASTIC. I loved whenever we would play it at Pac so very much. The lyrics are pretty out there “when I open the window, I wanna hug you, cause you remind me of the air”. So it’s fun to mumble along with what you think are the correct lyrics while Pharrell sings away.

Jonas Brothers: Burnin’ Up. Once again, a MAJOR guilty pleasure! I love those damn Jo-Bros so much it hurts. This song is one of myself and sisters’ funky time jams. Every time we take a longer drive together to where ever we need to be, rest assured that this song plays at least once. High heels (high heels), Red dress (RED DRESS!!!!!)

The Kills: Sour Cherry. Ha cha cha, this song is sassy sexy fun. Alison Mosshart’s sultry voice instantly makes me feel like a bad ass whenever I hear it. Dancing to this little ditty involves a lot of head banging and hip shaking! 😉

Christina Aguilera: Fighter. Oh yes. This song is actually one of my favorites of all time. It has a positive impact on me whether I’m playing it when I’m happy or sad. You know that a song is great when it has the ability to do that. The music video is gorgeous, and XTina’s vocals are never better on this track.

Dexy’s Midnight Runners: Come On Eileen. Nothing says “cheer up” more than a classic 80’s one hit wonder. Fun fact, this song was named the top one hit wonder of the 80’s by vh1! Whenever I hear this song, I wanna put on a pair of overalls and a straw hat and line dance the day away. I dare you to not sing the falsetto hollering of “come on Eileen!” whenever it happens in the song. It’s a must.

So there you have it, ten of the many songs that hype me up. These tunes are sure fire ways to put a smile on my face. What are your favorite positive anthems? What should I add to my playlist? Leave me a comment and let’s chat! -Sarah

Oct26

Lil Red Recommends! Part 3

Posted on October 26, 2014 by lifewithlilred

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Recommendations one through ten from yours truly ❤ :

1) Read The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. If you read my article about this book, you’ll already know how much I love it. I just finished rereading this novel by Rachel Joyce today and it still made me cry just as much as when I read it the first time. I’m really looking forward to reading Rachel Joyce’s other book, Perfect. So be on the look out for my thoughts on that once I start reading it!

2) Go on a hike by yourself. Seriously this may be one of the best things you ever do for yourself. If you read my article An Ohio Hike, you’ll know that I had an absolutely lovely solo hiking experience this past week. I felt so at peace when I was walking through the forest with just me, myself, and I. Hearing the sounds of nature and being alone with my own thoughts was so calming. Walking through the beautiful Ohio Metroparks is definitely something I’d like to continue doing.

3) Write a letter to yourself. I know, I know, so corny right? Contrary to popular belief – it’s not. One of my first college assignments this past week was to write a letter to my future self. My professor promised all of her students that she wouldn’t be reading our letters, just simply mailing them back to us when she felt the time was right. Our only guideline for the assignment was to be kind to ourselves. With that in mind, I wrote a letter straight from the heart to my future self. I wrote all of the positive affirmations I tell myself and then some and it felt so good. Seeing the words I speak to myself in my head on paper made phrases like “you’re beautiful inside and out” very real to me. If that makes sense? If you’d like to read exactly what I wrote to myself, you can check out my article Letter to Myself. Once you complete your letter, tuck it away somewhere special and whenever you need reassurance or positivity, it will be there for you.

4) Listen to Mika!!!! This lovely gentleman is one of my biggest guilty pleasures. I was playing him on my way home from work yesterday night and had a blast. I completely forgot how much I enjoy his gorgeous vocals and insane falsetto. This is a true story, I discovered Mika years ago when they used his track We Are Golden in a Degrassi commercial on TeenNick. I loved the song so much that I had to hear more. Screaming “we are not what you think we are, we are golden, we are golden” in my car with the windows down last night was exactly what I needed after a day at work! Mika’s talent is so pure and impressive and I can’t get enough of it.

5) Check out the bands Fallen Captive and Below The Tide: Two of the fantastic gentlemen who work at Odd Fellows Tattoos in Akron (where I got my latest tattoo done) are also members of some pretty cool heavy metal bands. Travis Lamont who did my gorgeous Isis piece this weekend plays a mean guitar for Below The Tide while Mitch Pivarski of Fallen Captive lays down some insane vocals. Help support Akron Ohio’s local music scene by showing these guys some love! These gents are two of the best guys you’ll ever meet, and I’m so glad to have the pleasure of knowing them!

6) While you’re at it, give Odd Fellows Tattoos a like: I had the pleasure of getting my latest ink addition done here, and the experience was nothing but positive. You can read all about it in my latest article Body Mods! Part 2. This shop is inhabited by fantastic tattoo artists, piercers, and the all around coolest guys ever. Please show the Akron body art scene some love by giving their Facebook page a like. Make sure you browse through all of the photos of the amazing work that gets done there on the daily. And in case you haven’t seen my newest tattoo yet, here’s a pic of the goddess Isis, done by Travis Lamont, as well as their Facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Odd-Fellows-Tattoo/667458826660986

7) Pamper yourself: A few nights ago I took the most amazing bubble bath ever. I lit some fall scented candles in the bathroom, played the gorgeous Amy Winehouse on my iPod, and filled up the tub with some floral scented suds. This sounds like such an obvious thing to do, but sometimes we forget to give ourselves a little treat. I didn’t realize how tense I was from the days work until I sunk into the steaming water. Amy Winehouse is one of the best artists to play while taking a bubble bath – she makes everything so much more luxurious! Enya is also a highly recommended bath time artist as well! After I got out of the tub, I wrapped myself in a fluffy new towel to dry off. As an extra treat I lathered on some Satsuma body butter from The Body Shop. My skin was soft as a baby’s bottom after that! BTW, I believe all of The Body Shop’s bath and body care is half off right now on their website, so take a look if you’re interested! http://www.thebodyshop-usa.com/

8) Listen to Say Hi (formerly known as Say Hi To Your Mom): I absolute adore Mr. Eric Elbogen of Say Hi. I’ve been a fan of this one man band for quite some time now, but have been listening to him very frequently as of late. I can’t get enough of the quirky lyrics of this Seattle native. From the haunting lullaby like tune of “I Think I’ll be a Good Ghost” to making a morbid lyric like “I’m gonna drink your blood” in “Blah Blah Blah” sound romantic – this guy can do no wrong. I stumbled upon this artist when he was still Say Hi To Your Mom. I was strolling through the CD section of Best Buy with my brother, when I pointed out the funny name of Eric Elbogen’s act and we shared a laugh. Once I got home, I was curious about what the music of Say Hi To Your Mom sounded like, so I looked it up, and the rest is history.

9) Do a Halloween activity: This Friday night my sister, her boyfriend, and myself went to The Haunted Schoolhouse and Laboratory in Akron. We had a blast! We only went through the Laboratory because we didn’t feel like paying for both houses. Both haunted houses boast four floors of fright. There were a lot of really cool rooms in the Laboratory, like an operating room, a room inspired by the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and a dentists office. The timing of the actors in the haunted house was so perfect. They would pop out right when we were more than half way through a room with the thought that we wouldn’t get a scare. It was like they were reading our minds, because as soon as we thought we were smooth sailing, out would come a masked man yielding a chainsaw! It was so fun holding on to each other and laughing every time one of the actors got us! I would love to go to the Haunted Schoolhouse before the Halloween season is over! I would also like to hear about popular haunted houses in your neck of the woods, so please leave me a comment about them!

http://www.hauntedlab.net/

10) Take a shopping trip: Today my mom and I went to TJMaxx to browse their fall and winter clothing. If you guys follow all of my OOTD’s, then you already know how much I love TJ’s! Unfortunately, there was nothing too impressive on our trip today, but it was still so fun to go with my mom and point out our likes and dislikes. It’s always a hit or miss when we make a TJ’s trip, so hopefully next time we go there will be tons of cute and new stuff! I can’t recommend going to one of your favorite stores for a little pick me up enough. In the words of Donna and Tom from Parks and Recreation: TREAT YOSELF!

So there you have it, my Lil Red Recommends for the week! What’s your favorite Halloween activity to do? I’d really like to get in some more Halloween fun before the week is up! Please leave me a comment if you have any suggestions! Have a great night! -Sarah

Oct21

My Drives to Cleveland

Posted on October 21, 2014 by lifewithlilred

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Two to three days during the week, I have to make my way up to Cleveland for my classes at Tri-C. The drive usually isn’t that bad…except for rush hour morning traffic. What usually is a half hour drive from Cuyahoga Falls to Tri-C doubles into an hour in the blink of an eye. These past few days have been particularly rough, because not only is everyone and their brother driving to work at eight o’clock in the morning, but it’s been extremely rainy, AND there’s construction happening to top it all off. So after reading all of these things working against me on good ol’ Route 8, you’re going to think I’m crazy when I let you guys know that I actually really enjoy my drives to school and back. The number one reason why my trek to C-Town is tolerable is because I can finish entire albums of music in my travel time. It’s awesome. On a usual drive for me to work or running errands around Akron I can only get through about four or so songs on any given album. The fact that on my way to school I can hype myself up with an hours worth of music instantly makes for a good day. When I have my favorite bands playing in my car (AKA: The Little Red Love Machine), all of the stressful obstacles on my route to class disappear. Being stuck in traffic that’s moving one MPH turns into a one woman dance party/karaoke club in an instant. Stupid highway drivers who need to get off the road immediately are forgotten once I turn on a good jam. You guys must think that this is a silly post and that everyone knows that music can change the mood of an annoying drive. But I never really experienced this first hand until my drives to school, because I never really needed to go an hour or so out of my way before. Everything and everyone that I drive to is a half hour away or less. During these drives I’ve been enjoying albums such as:

The Ting Tings: We Started Nothing (This is the ultimate girl power, woman on the go driving music! Love it.)

Cold War Kids: Robbers & Cowards (Nothing hypes me up more than some CWK. Trying to match the lead singers gorgeous vocals is always an enjoyable driving game 😉 )

The Used: The Used (This self titled album satisfies all of my road rage needs.)

Twenty One Pilots: Vessel (If you read my blog post about these guys, you’ll already know my deep love for them. This album is the perfect throw back your thermos of coffee and wake up music.)

Bear Hands: Distraction (I was playing this today and it was fantastic. I love these guys so much! Shout out to PacSun for introducing me to them 😉 )

The albums listed above are just to name a few of what I’ve been jamming to lately! What’s on everyone’s driving play lists? What song gets you pumped for your day while you’re in the car? Do you have any suggestions for me to listen to? Leave me a comment and let’s chat! -Sarah

Oct14

A music dream come true! Part 2!!!

Posted on October 14, 2014 by lifewithlilred

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So as many of you know, I love AFI. And if you’ve read my post A music dream come true, you’ll know that I’m seeing them in concert in Pittsburgh. AND THAT HAPPENS TO BE TODAY!!!!! Words can’t even begin to express how excited I am. I’ve been longing to see them in concert since I discovered AFI almost ten years ago. I’ve never been to a real punk concert before – like in an actual stadium with mosh pits and swarms of emo kids so I’m very much looking forward to this experience! One of the first albums I bought was Sing the Sorrow, so I’m really hoping they’ll play a lot from that album. One of my all time favorite AFI songs and songs in general happens to be Silver and Cold off of that album. I remember hearing it at eleven years old and thinking it was the most beautiful thing in the world. Here I am at twenty, and I still feel the exact same way.

There’s something so special about getting to experience one of your favorite bands live. I’ll never forget seeing U2 live in Pittsburgh two years ago with my family. That was a show for the ages and one of my most treasured memories. I cried so much during that concert, but they were happy tears. I can guarantee you guys that I’ll be crying a lot during the show tonight. I’m sure they’ll be tears of pure joy though! I’m just so excited to hear all of the songs that I’ve felt like were written specifically for me live. AFI’s music has made me feel like they flipped through the pages of my journals and wrote albums upon albums about my struggles. I think that’s why I love them so much. They understand the darkness of life and they understand pain. You would think that hearing that type of music would make me feel upset – but it does quite the opposite. It makes me feel like I’m not alone. It makes me feel like I’m understood. And that is so, so beautiful to me.

I can’t wait to tell all of you guys about the concert! Also, please send good vibes my way, as there’s a pretty bad storm passing through the area that my sister and I will be driving through. Have a fantastic day – I know I will!!!! -Sarah

Oct11

Arcade Fire – Neon Bible

Posted on October 11, 2014 by lifewithlilred

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If there’s one album by Arcade Fire that I don’t think gets enough credit, it would have to be Neon Bible. This album is severely under rated. Funeral was such a beloved album by Arcade Fire so of course it would be difficult to follow up on that – but I think the band succeeded in making a successor that was completely fresh and unique. The most intriguing part of this album to me is that each song tells a different story through their use of reoccurring themes, such as imagery of the ocean (Black Mirror, Ocean of Noise), television, (Antichrist Television Blues, Windowsill,) and the feeling of a post-apocalyptic world after 9/11 (Intervention, Antichrist Television Blues, Black Wave/Bad Vibrations). The songs on Neon Bible were so uniquely composed with less common instruments like the pipe organ, hurdy gurdy, accordion, and mandolin which helped put a sound to the feeling of dread and dissonance that most of the lyrics held. I find that a lot of people forget that there’s a lot of fan favorites on Neon Bible like My Body Is A Cage, Keep The Car Running, and Intervention. My Body Is A Cage has always been one of my all time favorites, so make sure you take a listen.

Funeral was an album that made me feel hopeful and uplifted, as I’m sure it did to many other listeners. It was definitely a nice change of pace for their second album to take a darker turn. I think that’s why I really enjoy Neon Bible as much as I do, because I’m always drawn to the dark and slightly depressing. (ha!) There’s no denying Arcade Fire’s obvious talent either. Even people who don’t care for their music will admit that their sound is impressive. Win Butler’s vocals, as usual are amazing on Neon Bible. His wife, Regine Chassagne also improved leaps and bounds vocally on this album. Her sweet voice on Black Wave/Bad Vibrations is a nice change from the slightly squeaky vocals we’ve heard on Funeral’s “In The Backseat” as well as “I’m Sleeping In A Submarine” from their self titled EP. And of course, the rest of the band deserves a lot of recognition as well – their playing as a seven person band is honestly just as pleasing as hearing an orchestra play.

One final song on Neon Bible, that was also featured on their EP that holds a special place in my heart is No Cars Go.

When I was younger, I figure skated competitively. Even then I was an Arcade Fire fan and chose to skate one of my routines to the instrumental parts of No Cars Go. That was always one of my favorite programs to perform, because it was to one of my favorite bands. And oh look, here’s my cute little 12 year old self at a competition I was in!

So there you have it! What album by Arcade Fire is your favorite? What’s your favorite all time song by them? Leave me a comment and let’s chat! -Sarah

Oct11

Wowee Wow Wow!

Posted on October 11, 2014 by lifewithlilred

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Over 50 followers?!!!! Thanks guys! This basically sums up how I feel:

Thanks Pharrell. I’m going on my one month bloggiversary on the 12th, and I feel like 53 followers is a very healthy place to be at for only having lifewithlilred up for a month! I’ll tell ya guys, this past month has been an absolute doozy. I was at a pretty hardcore rock bottom when I started my page (which I’ll go into more detail about when the time is right). But now I feel on top of the world with all of the exciting changes that are happening, like my new job and going off to college! I feel like I had a sky rocket moment after things were going so shitty and it was really awesome to feel like things were finally going my way and falling into place. I’ll be honest with you though, my pessimistic side has been poking its ugly head out lately and it’s making me a bit anxious. I have this awful mentality that all of the great stuff that’s been happening is too good to be true. I know that I shouldn’t be thinking that way, but it’s so hard not to. I feel like any day now things are just going to plummet back to rock bottom again. Does anyone have any pointers on how to block out this negativity? If so, pleease leave me a comment! God knows I need it! However, this rising anxiety doesn’t take away from the fact that I’m proud of myself. These new adventures like my job at Next and attending school weren’t just handed to me. I worked hard for both of them, and I did it all by myself. There’s a really great sense of accomplishment to know that I made a game plan and I followed through and made it happen. I wanted a fresh new change of pace and I got it. I should be focusing on that and I should only be feeling positivity right now – but that’s easier said than done, I suppose!

Btw, I’ve been OBSESSED with the song “Pools” by Glass Animals, so make sure you check it out and let me know what ya think!

Does anyone have any tips on how they control their anxiety? What are some positive mantras that you like to tell yourself? Leave me a comment and let’s chat! Goodnight! -Sarah

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