60+ minutes of sound: november 2012

November 2012 Playlist

Little T&A (Live)  -  Rolling Stones

Red Lips  -  Sky Ferreira

Girl on Fire (feat Nicki Minaj)  - Alicia Keys

Tenere Taqqim Tossam  -  Tinariwen

Black Limousine  -  Rolling Stones

'Round Midnight  -  Amy Winehouse

Battez-vous  -  Brigitte

L.E.S. Artistes  -  Lilly Wood & The Prick

Trick Pony  -  Charlotte Gainsbourg

Questions & Answers  -  Lou Doillon

Heart of Steel (feat Irma Thomas)  -  Galactic

Hey Now Baby  -  Professor Longhair

Ring The Alarm  -  Tenor Saw

Rescue Me  -  Fontella Bass

Coco (feat Fatoumata Diawara)  -  FM LAETI

Quelqu'un M'a Dit  -  Carla Bruni

Too Young to Burn  -  Sonny & The Sunsets

Torrey Canyon  -  Serge Gainsbourg

Moi je joue  -  Brigitte Bardot

Video Killed The Radio Star  -  The Buggles 

Hydroptere - world sailing record, 51 knots

sixty+ minutes of sound: september 2012

Esalen, Big Sur, California

September 2012 Playlist

Sugar Man  -  Rodriguez

Wrecking Ball  -  Gillian Welch

Ruin  -  Cat Power

Ex Factor  -  Lauryn Hill

Didn't It Rain (Live)  -  Mahalia Jackson

Happy  -  The Rolling Stones

Addicted To Love  -  Florence + The Machine

I Follow Rivers  -  Lykke Li

Elephant  -  Tame Impala 

Fall's Best: Provocation from Chanel

Summer has arrived in San Francisco, a bit late for my taste. After waiting grumpily through a very winter-like summer, the fall fashion magazines started arriving in my mailbox. Now I'm ready for crisp days and cool nights. And it was 80 degrees today! So I'm back in summer clothes, but I have moved toward fall with my nail polish. 

Chanel created limited edition colors for Fashion's Night Out in September. I fell in love with Provocation and bought it sight-unseen on chanel.com. Chanel describes it as a beautiful rich plum, and it has dark red and dark purple undertones. 

With short nails, I think it's the perfect mix of uptown chic and downtown cool.
Happy fall!

Ahoy! America's Cup World Series Regatta

America's Cup World Series Regatta, August 26, 2012

Larry Ellison, founder of Oracle and Bay Area resident, loves sailing so much that rumor has it he personally purchased several hours of television time to show off the August America's Cup World Series Regatta in San Francisco on August 26. Very cool digital tv graphics added to the exciting action on the catamarans as they raced through the San Francisco Bay just inside the Golden Gate Bridge. 

I was lucky enough to see the boats from my roof.
 

sixty+ minutes of sound: august 2012

Outside Lands Music Festival, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco

August 2012 Playlist

 I Want Candy  -  Bow Wow Wow

Don't Forget Me  -  Red Hot Chili Peppers

Hair  -  Larry Graham & Graham Central Station

Dark Star  -  POLICA

Forget Me Nots  -  Patrice Rushen

Hella Good  -  No Doubt

Paper Planes  -  M.I.A.

Ray of Light  -  Madonna

Groove is in the Heart  -  Deee-Lite

Me and My Uncle  -  Grateful Dead

Goodnight Irene  -  Leadbelly

Renegade  -  Styx

We Will Rock You  -  Queen

Living for the City  -  Stevie Wonder

All The Rowboats  -  Regina Spektor

Apply  -  Glasser

 Belispeak  -  Purity Ring

New Lands (Falcon Remix)  -  Justice

Who  -  St Vincent & David Byrne

Ince Ince  -  Selda

Railroad Track  -  Willy Moon

I Wanna Be Your Man  -  The Rolling Stones

sixty+ minutes of sound: july 2012

 

July 2012 Playlist

Keep You  -  Wild Belle

Hold On  -  Alabama Shakes

Baby  -  Donnie & Joe Emerson

It All Began With a Burst  -  Kishi Bashi

Cocaine Blues  -  Escort

Berryville, Virginia

Somebody That I Used to Know (featuring Kimbra)  -  Gotye

Good Intent  -  Kimbra

Happy Pills  -  Norah Jones

Homeless (featuring Ladysmith Black Mambazo)  -  Paul Simon

Hot Knife  -  Fiona Apple

Senegal Fast-Food  -  Amadou & Mariam

Strange Overtones  -  David Byrne & Brian Eno

Green Rocky Road  -  Spirit Family Reunion

Sour Cherry  -  The Kills

I'll Be Loving You  -  The King Khan & BBQ Show

Evangeline  -  Levon Helm

Rich Girl  -  Hall & Oates

I Put A Spell on You (featuring Joss Stone)  -  Jeff Beck 

 

Dougou Badia (featuring Santogold)  -  Amadou & Mariam

Mala Vida  -  Mano Negra

Shake It Up  -  The Cars

30 Century Man  -  Scott Walker

Ain't Got You  -  Bruce Springsteen

Am I A Good Man  -  Them Two

Confederate Cottage, Rosemont Manor, Berryville, Virginia

I am always searching for new beauty products, and I am developing a comprehensive list of my favorites. These are my top five non-makeup basics.  
Thank you for reading, and I am always happy to hear any comments or questions.


1. Clarisonic: How did I live without a Clarisonic? Using the electronic brush to clean my face is so much fun. I have also noticed a real difference in my skin - it looks brighter and feels cleaner, and I think that is a mixture of the deeper cleaning with the brush and that my products are more able to penetrate my skin. That is not a scientific fact, but I think it’s true! I have tried to be better about replacing the brush every two months, because both my boyfriend and I use it sometimes twice a day. It feels softer when I replace the brush. This is truly a staple. 

I have experimented with different cleansers, because some specialized cleansers are too harsh with the added strength of the Clarisonic. I like gentle cleansers like Jurlique Balancing Foaming Cleanser and Perricone MD Hypoallergenic Gentle Cleanser.

2. Fresh milk soap: I have used this soap for years, and I think it is the best on the market. The bars used to be $8 and now they are almost $15, but I still think it’s worth it. The bar smells great, has a good texture, and leaves my skin soft. I’ve tried other soaps and they always make my skin feel a little bit stripped. This soap makes me happy every time I use it.

3. Deva Curl shampoo and conditioner: I started using this product on the recommendation of a hairstylist friend, and it has really changed my hair. I can wash with the conditioning shampoo as often as I want without having the stripped feeling that creates unruly curls. The conditioner leaves my hair feeling very soft and manageable. I recommend this to anyone with curly or wavy hair. 

I have been reading about hair trends and the formula, which is free of harsh chemicals like sulfate, paraben, and silicone, is catching on for all hair products as a healthier way to treat hair.

4. Embryollisse cream: I discovered this cream after reading rave reviews from beauty industry veterans featured on Into The Gloss. I have always liked French drugstore creams like Nutritic made by La Roche Posay (LRP) because they tend to be heavier and less scented than American products. I like the Embryollise packaging better than LRP, which uses very heavy plastic that I find hard to maneuver. The LRP bottles also don’t hold very much - I end up running through their creams very quickly. Embryollise is very moisturizing but not quite as heavy as some of the LRP creams. It has a very slight scent that I like and the texture is creamy without being sticky or tacky. I wear it under sunscreen every day and under Josie Maran Argan Oil most nights.

5. Smith’s Rosebud Salve: I have carried a tin of Rosebud Salve with me since high school. The tin is not ideal - the product can melt in the sun and cause the tin to be difficult to open, but I love the feel of this lip balm so much that I use it anyway. Recently, Smith’s released Rosebud Salve in a tube, a huge upgrade that makes that product that much better. The balm leaves a slight tint to my lips and has just the right amount of stickiness so that I always want it on and feel naked without it. It layers well under all lipsticks, lip pencils or glosses, and I rub any leftover onto my cuticles for a little extra moisture. The company says it can be used to heal minor scrapes and burns, and I have used it a bit for that as well. 

Another almost staple is Aquaphor, which still is a great product for lips, but it is heavier and can be too goopy under lipstick. 

sixty+ minutes of sound: june 2012

June 2012 Playlist

Many Rivers to Cross  (Live) -  Jimmy Cliff

I Swear  -  Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside

Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)  -  The Rolling Stones

Late in the Evening  -  Paul Simon

Night Moves (Live)  -  Bob Seger

Into the Groove  -  Madonna

Rock with You  -  Michael Jackson

Stay Up Late  -  Talking Heads

Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes  -  Paul Simon

It's Too Late  -  Derek & The Dominos

The Wait  -  The Pretenders

Who Can It Be Now?  -  Men at Work

Caribbean Queen (No More Love On The Run)  -  Billy Ocean

Nantucket

 Sankaty Head Lighthouse

The wedding of a lovely couple in 'Sconset brought us to Nantucket, Massachusetts over the weekend.

 The adorable cottage we rented in 'Sconset

 Beginning the Cliff Walk