Liner Notes: April - Florence + the Machine/Hurricane Drunk/Deliah/One of the Greats

Let's start with a song from 2009.

I turned 30 in 2009. I'd been back in the DC area about three years after Hurricane Katrina. I was traveling a lot for my job. I had started dating someone long distance and thought it had promise. I was listening to the Lungs album on repeat. 

I love this album. It's my favorite of all the Florence + the Machine albums. Like Little Earthquakes, it was my first album with the band and it felt like it was speaking to me on a very specific level. I was 30! I had a boyfriend! I was traveling for work! I was a grown-up doing grown-up things! (Side note: anyone who uses the term "grown-up" is probably not, in fact a grown-up.)

But actually I was a mess. Traveling for work sucks, especially when the travel means you're on the road more than you're at home. There was a point in this period of my life when I had to get my hair cut at a salon in the Mall of America because I was in Minnesota more than I was home. When I was home, I was tired but didn't want to stay home so I'd go out with friends on weeknights and then wonder why I was exhausted all the time. I was coming out terms with the fact that the boy, and let's be honest, they're all boys even if they're in their 30s, wasn't worth the time I spent trying to make it work. I was still trying to decide if I had made the right decision in leaving New Orleans when I did. High functioning anxiety is a real thing, and I can say that mine flared up in 2009 and has really never gone away. 

Something about Lungs made me feel like a whole person. My favorite song is "My Boy Builds Coffins," but I love "Howl," "Drumming Song," and "Hurricane Drunk." After my breakup, the line:

I hope that you see me, because I'm staring at you

But when you look over, you look right through

Then you lean and kiss her on the head

And I never felt so alive, and so dead

Yes, Florence Welch. That's it exactly. 

The relationship I was in wasn't with the great love of my life; it absolutely was not. However, when you give time to someone else, when you feel feelings, when you think they feel the same way, it still fucking hurts when it ends. Was I better off that it ended? Absolutely. Like leaving New Orleans, now I know these were all good things. I had a different life to live and I was and am still living it. I have no time for men who are intimidated by smart, capable women, in love and in life. I also learned a valuable lesson in boundaries at work and that being able to sleep on a plane is not the flex people think it is. My 30s were a revelation about who I needed to be, and I think Lungs helped me get there.

Here's this week's work. In addition to "Hurricane Drunk," I also stitched lyrics from "Delilah" and "One of the Greats."  

"One of the Greats" is probably my favorite song off the new album, and I like the entire album a lot. Everybody Scream will be the focus on next week's post.

April 12

April 13

April 14

April 15

April 16

April 17

Attaching pages as I go.

April 18

All the spells to date. 

Programming Note: Next week's post may come to you direct from Atlantic City, NJ. This entire adventure involves a canceled Florence + the Machine show, the ability to pivot plans, and a desire to see my best friend. And have bagels on the beach at the Jersey Shore. Stay tuned!

WIPs, Record Store Day, and Other Small Joys

I made such good progress on the mushroom needlepoint piece last week. I had to take my car in for service, and decided to wait at the place. It took 4 hours...and I have to go back on Tuesday because the car needs a new taillight and one of the parts had to be ordered. However, the time meant I was able to finish all the light blue and start the dark blue. I'll finish this piece...one day.

Today is Record Store Day! It's a great day to support independent record stores and get some good music. Maybe you'll find one of the albums I've been talking about. Maybe you'll find that one record to complete your collection. Or if those ideas don't interest you, find the weirdest record you can find and buy it. You'll thank me later. I'm not able to go out for RSD today, but am supporting one of my favorite stores, Crooked Beat, by wearing this fun shirt. Crooked Beat has had a year...back in January, the store flooded. It caused a tremendous amount of damage. They've managed to stay open on and off since, but will be leaving the Del Rey location in early May. The landlord is terrible and they haven't been able to find a spot to stay in Alexandria. If you are in my area and can, go see them today and support a fantastic local business.

The shirt was one of the fundraisers they did back in January. That's Duke, the best record store employee ever. 

It's been a pretty horrific week to be a woman in the world. I'm not going to link to it here, but a CNN investigative piece revealed more reasons why women pick the bear. It was hard to go to work and talk about stuff like employee appreciation activities and mentor matching surveys when I legitimately wanted to smash something or burn something down. However, I decided to channel this rage into something I hope brings others some joy and pays respect to Virginia Giuffre and other survivors. Next Saturday is the first anniversary of Virginia's death. Her family and friends are hosting a Butterfly Vigil in DC on Saturday afternoon. Attendees are encouraged to wear butterfly pins in her honor. I won't be in town next Saturday, so I decided to make butterfly pins to give out at the concert. I still have a bunch more to make, but I think they're really pretty. 

I was thinking I might have to do a second round of glue but I think they're going to be good without it.

Bea supervised.

It's hard to feel like anything matters these days, but I believe all of our little moments and little joys and small remembrances do matter. A butterfly pin won't send one of the many garbage people to prison but maybe it gives a survivor hope or the knowledge that they're not alone in this fight. 

Bea hopes you have a good Saturday, whatever that means to you. She has big plans of checking on her ghost, being on shelves and counters she's not supposed to be on, and being absolutely adorable.