Girly-Blog

Ty: I just got back from Park City, Utah, where some friends and I managed to screen a few movies at the Sundance Film Festival and a couple more at the lesser known but equally cool Slamdance Festival. I saw a few really interesting documentaries that I hope will make it to wide release, including one called "Off the Grid." It was about one of those communities in northern New Mexico that lives out on the mesa with no running water or electricity, completely apart from larger society. I had stumbled upon one such off-grid neighborhood while traveling out there last year and had put a line about it in a new song (the song is "Sunday Morning Bird" ) so it was very cool to get a closer look via this wonderful film. Check it out at:
http://www.stillpointpictures.com

We also hit the slopes, as they say. I never do this - I haven't been on skis since I was 14. But apparently, it really is like riding a bike, just faster and icier. It was beautiful riding the ski-lift up to nearly 10,000 feet, so quiet and cold. And cruising on down those steep black diamond slopes (ok, they were bunny slopes) made it totally worth the hassle of having to rent and then schlep all that heavy, awkward equipment and shove my feet into those crazy moon boots.

Nate: I finally got to visit my aunt, uncle and cousin in Hawai'i! I visited once when I was 1 year old, but this was my first cognizant visit. I ate all kinds of new fruits (soursops, longons, rambutans, etc.), had drinks with little umbrellas in them, and even learned how to surf! They were small waves, and it was a large board, but wow, it was fun. A stellar trip, all-in-all. I came home to Brooklyn, and within 2 hours, I got hit by a car that ran a red light. I appear to be okay, but it was a new experience for me to find myself lying on the pavement staring up at a small crowd of bystanders. I feel alright now, but please don't ask me to write a song about it.

Doris: I got to see a real, live bald eagle sitting on top of a real, live telephone pole out on Whidbey Island and thought it was a fake. So American! So bald! How could it be real? It looked like it was wearing brown feather pants as it swooped down and around and flew off into the american sunset. I also baked a lot this winter, the theme being Cream Pies. Coconut cream, banana cream, and chocolate cream, coconut being the winning flavor in my taste test book. I also made a swedish cardamom bread (kardemmumenkranz) which is a braided holiday bread with a light lemon glaze which, according to Shana's mom, had "a perfect crumb." I also made biscotti for the first time (lemon anise) and, while flavorful, were harder than rocks. I guess that's where dipping them into hot beverages helps.

So, for those of you who are interested, every year at this time, i go on a silent zen retreat called sesshin. This particular one is six days long, and the schedule involves waking up very early and meditating for 5 to 6 hours a day. The rest of the day is spent silently doing work practice (like cleaning floors), body practice (like yoga or jogging), chanting, mindfully eating meals, that kind of thing. Very rock and roll. Anyway, the idea with all these practices is nothing fancy, it's simply to try to be aware of what you're doing as you're doing it. It helps clear my mind and heart for the next six months or so of touring constantly and just being a person in the world.

So, every new year's eve our teacher asks us to set an intention, which is different from a resolution. Rather than resolving to lose ten pounds or whatever, you're simply pointing yourself in a direction that you'd like to go in the next year. To, say, trust yourself. Or to be peaceful in your interactions. Or to try new things. Or not shit talking other people. Whatever, just some road you'd like to begin walking down in the next year.

I wanted to mention this because it's been so helpful to me at this time of year. Of course, every year I constantly stray from whatever course I've set, but oh well! At least it's a little less haphazard than it might be. At least I have some dim awareness of what I wanted in the first place...and honestly it seems like even intending to do something good these days counts for a lot.

Happy new year, everyone. I hope everything falls into place for you this year! And don't forget to visualize big--the world needs it.

xo ty