9/25/2015: minneapolis adventures

  life goals in no particular order of importance:

1.) move to scotland 

2.) own a pair of charlotte olympia kitty flats

3.) meet jon fratelli 

4.) win the great british bake off even though i'm not british

i can now check one of those items off my list. i met jon fratelli. 

anyone who knows me knows i quite like the fratellis. it's like your parents and the beatles or your eleven year old sister and one direction before zane left. although, i wouldn't cry in the fetal position on the floor at a fratellis concert, i'd just come close to it. this is the story of one of the best days of my life, september 25, 2015. 

two years ago. i impulsively bought tickets to the fratellis in los angles at three in the morning. i settled on the day i saw the fratellis for the first time as being one of the best days of my life because i had moved out of a big city where bands come to play and thought i would never see them again. 

  five months ago. the fratellis announced a new album release and tour. as any good music fan would do, i bought tickets to the fratellis north american tour without thoroughly thinking out how i would get to the show. somethings just happen and you can't explain how they happen. me impulsively buying tickets to the fratellis in minneapolis was one of those things. all of the sudden, your money is gone and you feel very good about spending money in all of about .25 seconds. i was extremely, extremely excited (ask anyone i know) and set up a countdown to THE FRATELLIS on my phone. i hate capital letters, but some things are just so great they need capital letters for emphasis on their greatness. i patiently and excitedly waited for september 25, and soon it was here. 

  september 25. i didn't think the day could get any better than it already was. i was on my way to see the fratellis, how could it get any better than that? well meeting a certain scotsman would make it better, but i was fairly certain that an event like that would never happen to me. i was standing outside of the varsity theatre in minneapolis waiting for the greatest night of my pretty boring life to begin, when a guy comes walking down the street. i heard someone say, "hi jon!" and i thought "no. no it can't really be you.". i looked up, and it was that you. a guy behind me said, "now's your chance kid. i can tell you'd really like to meet him." in my head, i was thinking "you have no idea."  i walked to the corner of the street and there he was. jon fratelli. long story short, i fulfilled my morning life goal of meeting jon of the fratellis (he's also incredibly gentle, quiet and kind) and i lost the ability to process things and speak temporarily. it was a septmeber 25th to remember. i'll probably have to set the date for my future wedding for the twenty-fifth of september.

               

jeannie nitro 

me + jon 

desperate guy


-gracie 

book report: summer reading

ideal bookshelf, jane mount 

  
  throughout the school year, i have to read things that i'd rather not read ever. on the road for example. i don't quite have the time to read what i want or pick out the books that i'd like to sit down and read. this summer, when i wasn't shedding a few tears over math 110, i  took advantage of my extra time and sat down to read a few books.

i have this habit where i start seven books at one time and finish none, maybe one of them. usually because i end up not liking them at all. i've been trying to break my habit this summer. i've found a new favorite author, read some books i quite liked and some i didn't like quite as much. i thought i'd tell you a little bit about the books i've read and started reading this summer and the books on my to read list. maybe you'll like them too! 

READ

ham on rye by charles bukowski- charles bukowski was a bitter, cynical, dirty old man and i love it?  ham on rye is the first in a series of books he wrote about a character named henry chinaski: a deadbeat, womanizing, alcoholic poet. the book is most likely about bukowski himself, that's something i really like. i've always been drawn to books about people and their flaws or biographies. it follows henry chinaski through elementary, jr. high, high school and his brief time in college. i've heard that it's sort of a coming of age book for teenage boys and a jab at j.d. salinger's the catcher and the rye, a book that i really enjoy as well. makes sense to me. ham on rye, the catcher and the rye. none the less, i really enjoyed it. it was one of the best books i've read in a while, but my least favorite bukowski book. 

women by charles bukowski- woman is part three to the miserable life of henry chinaski. after ham on rye, i decided to give bukowski another shot. i wasn't disappointed. disclaimer here, this book was kinda, sorta detailed when it came to sex. when i first started this book, i almost had to stop reading it because i wasn't sure if i could make it past the sexually explicit sections. if you can get yourself past those parts and remember that there's at least one every chapter, it's an excellent book. 

  this book is about all the women chinaski encountered. the women he dated, the women he married, the women he slept with and the women who wouldn't sleep with him. the whole book is about what men can't get right when it comes to life and love. henry is a lazy, bitter drunk who never could find love. he blamed it on the women he was with, but deep down, at times very deep down, inside him he knew it was all his fault. i think the book is very amusing to read as a woman. girls understand what chinaski got so wrong. henry chinaski makes you so mad because you'd never want a boyfriend or husband like him. on the flip side, you feel so sorry for him because he's old, pathetic and will probably be alone for the rest of his miserable life. i kind of have a soft spot for good ole henry chinaski and the dirty old man that created him. 

pulp by charles bukowski- pulp was the best of the books i read this summer. it might be my new favorite book. i've always loved things that have to do with mystery, and pulp is a mystery novel of sorts. the whole book makes fun of the pulp fiction genre and my favorite book, the maltese falcon. bukowski starts the book off with the line "dedicated to bad writing", which i quite like. it's about a down on his luck los angeles private investigator named nicky belane. it's about the cases he's trying to solve, which may or may not all be connected. 

i loved the characters bukowski created and lifted from literary history. my favorites were the mysterious women lady death and jeanie nitro. jeanie nitro would make an excellent halloween costume. if you want to read any bukowski, i think you should start with pulp.  

the strange case of dr. jekyll and mr. hyde by robert lewis stevenson- i've loved every book i've read this summer...except for this one. i'm going to equate it with on the road. i have to read dr. jekyll and mr. hyde for a class. i thought i would start with this one out of all the books on the class reading list because i honestly thought i would like it. i didn't like it at all and i'm still very confused by it. i'm actually so confused by it, i don't think i can even give you a plot summary. as for the strange case of dr. jekyll and mr. hyde, i'll just leave it here. 

READING 

hot water music by charles bukowski- currently, i'm reading this book. it's a collection of short stories. again by bukowski. you're probably thinking 'not again grace. enough with this angry and disgusting man'. i kind of find him to be endearing. so easy to hate, even easier to love, and an incredibly good novelist and poet. all of the stories are about bukowski's own vices: women, alcohol and gambling. i think i'll like hot water music. 

life and holiness by thomas merton- in my freshman english class, we read a book called new seeds of contemplation by a monk named thomas merton. it was really difficult to read, but looking back on it, the book was one of the few books i've read for a class that actually resonated with me. i decided to try to read merton again. i usually don't like to read religious books besides the bible. i find that they come across pointlessly self-helpy and i question if they're really interpreting the scriptures correctly or just trying to make the bible fit their agenda. i stay away from them for those reasons. 

  i've been working through this book for awhile now. i use it as a devotional, because i'm not much for devotional books. the book talks about incorporating spirituality into your everyday life. life and holiness is a book that you have to work through slowly, not something to just read through quickly in couple of days. if you're like me and have a little bit of a general distrust of christian literature written by tele-evangelists and famous preachers, you might like this book. it gets right to the point and convicts you with the first line of chapter one. it tells you what you already know needs to be done in your relationship with christ that you often times forget to do. 

 TO READ 

love is a dog from hell by charles bukowski- angry poems about love by my favorite dirty old man- why wouldn't i want to read this? i'm looking forward to buying this book, feverishly reading the poems in it, and digging it back up on valentines day. 

me and the devil by nick tosches- when you buy a book at barnes and noble, your receipt has a little "you also might enjoy..." list. at one point this summer, i had bought pulp and william s. burroughs' naked lunch (one of those books i mentioned before that i start but never manage to finish) on my "you also might enjoy" list was me and the devil (it's also the name of the opening track to the album eyes wide, tongue tied by the fratellis. you should probably listen to that album it's very good). i'm not entirely sure what this book entails, it slightly scares me and i might need to find another merton book to read after it...but i think at some point i'll give me and the devil a go. 

4 ways to style short hair (as told by mediocre drawings):

(please forgive me mediocre drawings)
this is me and my hair in small sharpie drawing form.

at the beginning of the summer, i got fringe and was determined to grow my hair out and become jane birkin. or at least pretend to be jane birkin. two months later, i now have a chin-length bob due to my inability to tolerate my hair once it gets past my collarbones. to be honest, my hair looks like boiled spaghetti once it gets to that length. i did what i thought was the logical thing to do when you get angry with your hair (or if you've gone through some traumatic breakup, which i have not)- cut it all off.

you might have done the same thing due to boys or annoyance. at first, it's new and exciting, but then you find yourself staring in the mirror thinking, "what have i done? i can't do anything with this".
i wouldn't say i'm some hair expert, but i've cut my hair off out of annoyance enough times to know you can still do things with your lack of hair.

tools of the trade:

1.) sea salt spray (i like bumble & bumble surf spray)

2.) redken quick tease hairspray

3.) 1 1/2 inch curling iron

4.) bobby pins, ribbon, elastic hairbands and a plastic clip

needed:
1 1/2 inch curling iron (or tongs if you're british and george
northwood, who through youtube taught me how to properly curl short hair), redken quick tease hairspray, and a hair
 clip if you want to pull the waves back.

steps: 
1.) curl one inch sections of your hair leaving the roots and the ends out,
curling the middle part of the hair section. hold the hair in the iron
for 7 or 8 seconds.

2.) after curling a piece of hair, pull while its still hot. the curl sets where it cools.

3.) repeat these steps for all of your hairs.

4.) brush out the curls and lightly spray with the redken quick tease.

5.) if you have bangs like me, part them in the centre and lightly spray with hairspray to
hold them in place.

needed:
clear plastic hair ties, bobby pins and sea salt spray if
you want to add some texture to your hair.

steps: *i do this when my hair is damp because it's really thin*
1.) spray hair with sea salt spray.

2.) brush one side of your hair half up (make sure to leave out your bangs
if you have them) and twist it. hold in place
with a hair tie, bobby pin or both.

3.) repeat step two on the other side of your head.

(my worst drawing)
needed:
hair ties, bobby pins and redone quick tease.
with short hair, this works better if your hair is damp.
steps:1.) part your hair in the middle straight down the back of your head.
tie off one side with a hairband.

2.) french braid both sides of your hair and ties the braids off
with a clear, plastic hair tie. i try to start the braids as high on my head
as i can get them and braid them into tight, small braids.

3.) pin the ends of the braids at the nape of your neck and spray your hair
with the quick tease hair spray.

little bun needed:
hair tie 

little bun steps:1.) brush hair back into a half-up ponytail.

2.) twist hair into small bun and hold in place with a hair tie.

half-up ponytail needed:hair tie and a comb, quick tease, ribbon or clip if you want to dress it up.

half-up ponytail steps:simple half-pony: brush hair into half-up ponytail and hold in place with
hair tie.

if you want to feel like brigitte bardot...
1.) brush hair back into half-up pony tail.

2.) back comb the underneath of the hair you pulled back and spay quick tease on the
underside of the hair.

3.) comb the hair smooth on the top and hold the ponytail in place with a hairband.

4.) add a bow or a flat clip in the back.





-gracie 

gurl gang: a wish list

"...a collection for a badass gaggle of female reprobates, 

drawing from menswear."

-alexa chung  

    

 if i could be in anyone's gang of female reprobates it would be alexa chung's. chung made some dream clothes for her girl gang in her autumn/winter '15 collection for ag jeans: A COLLECTION OF DENIM FOR THE COOLEST GIRL GANG IN THE WORLD. 

alexa's girl gang is inspired by sixties it-girls, joan jett, francoise hardy, linda mccartney and boys. its' members include suade skirts and coats, corduroy ankle pants, a denim playsuit and of course- denim on denim. 

i would love to own almost every piece in the collection and join alexa's girl gang, but the entrance fee is a little pricey. it's like a museum. i can look, but i can't touch the expensive pieces of clothing. i made a "wish list" of sorts of my favorite looks from the ac for ag jeans autumn/winter '15. 

alexa's sketches and mood boards

my favorite pieces / wish list 
(left to right)

1. the mabel suede short 
my taller, alter ego would like a pair of suede high-waisted
shorts that lace up in the front to wear with sheer, black tights
and leopard-print chelsea boots.

2. the sacred monster long sleeve ribbed tee 
a phrase used to describe lead singers in a richard hell book.
i think it just sounds cool.

3. the loretta romper in the hardy wash
(my favorite favorite)
the loretta romper is my favorite, favorite, favorite piece in the whole
collection. i'd love to sell my kidney for it, but i think that's illegal.
it's denim, has pockets and is only one piece of clothing to put on
on the morning, which is really appealing to my semi-lazy aesthetic.

4. the revolution corduroy pant in sulfur fig who wouldn't want deep, maroon colored, corduroy ankle pants?

5. scotland wool sweater in pearl 
i'd love to have a cream colored sweater for the fall and winter
this color would look great with the sulfur fig revolution pant.

6. the walker suede coat a black, embroidered suede coat wouldn't keep me warm for
long in iowa, but at least i would look cool freezing. 

vive la francoise! // bastille day

     it's bastille day, or la fete nationale. on july 14, 1789, the french people stormed the bastille and started the french revolution. 

on this french national day, i kept trying to decide who my favorite frenchwoman was. there are so many beautiful and fashionable french women, playing favorites is a tough decision. caroline de maigret, brigitte bardot, catherine deneuve, francoise hardy and clemence poesy to name a few beautiful and perfectly french women. 

after much deliberation, i have decided that francoise hardy is my favorite frenchwoman. vive la francoise!

  francoise is a french actress and 60s singer, and well gorgeous. perfect bangs, winged liner, sunglasses, trench coats, simple button up shirts and of course a breton stripe. francoise is quintessentially french. 1960s francoise is kind of all i wish i could be. i think i google her daily. every time i wear a button up shirt, part of me pretends i'm dressing up like francoise. 

googling her daily, has led to a "francoise" file on my computer filled with my favorite francoise hardy outfits. in honor of bastille day, here are some of my favorite 60s francoise looks. vive la france! vive la francoise!

cape cod to carlsbad // a mixtape

  scheels commercials instruct you to find your passion, well scheels i have found my passion: themed mixed cd's and themed parties for all. hire me as your dj for your themed party. but not really because i don't know how to be a dj- yet. i'm sorry scheels golf man, my passion is not finding the perfect club to perfect my approach shot- it's themed mixtapes (cds). 

@scheeles i have found my passion, now i will share it with you.

a themed cd how to: 

1.) pick your theme- good theme ideas: holidays, seasons, books, emotions, people.

2.) construct your playlist- songs that fit you theme: ex. the cramps and the black angels are an excellent choice for a halloween mixtape (cd). always remember to include a psychedelic song from the 60s no matter what the theme. 

3.) name your mixed tape (cd)- past creations: morose mixtape, emotions of school, the electric kool-aid english class. 

4.) select or draw artwork pertaining to your theme- it's like an outfit, the right amount of embellishment and accessories makes it all the better. 

5.) give it to the ones you love, or your worst enemies- after all, a carefully constructed and decorated cd speaks louder than words. 

a field guide to this mixtape:

1.) theme: the theme to this mixtape is summer. summer is a very broad category, so i have narrowed the theme to a more retro sound of summer. you know like the beach boys, but not the beach boys. there's no beach boys on this mixtape. sorry to disappoint if pet sounds is your most favorite record. 

2.) playlist: this playlist provided a sampling of some of the finer summery things in life. songs by: bear hands, mac demarco, cayucas, the kooks, vampire weekend, the black angels (they're like spooky surfer vibe that's flexible for both beach parties and halloween parties), blondie and of course, the obligatory psychedelic hippie touch brought to you by donovan. 

3.) the name: cape cod to carlsbad- a dual coast summery selection. 

4.) theme enhancing artwork: a selection of 70s beach-y keen photographs by hugh holland and joel meyerowitz. 

5.) to you, love me: you might be my loved one. you might be my enemy. you'll never know. enjoy this mixtape. the spotify link is between the tracklist and theme enhancing artwork. 

contents:

giants // bear hands 

freaking out the neighborhood // mac demarco 

cayucos // cayucas 

high school lover // cayucas

denis // blondie 

east coast girl // cayucas 

she moves in her own way // the kooks

holiday // vampire weekend 

diplomat's son // vampire weekend

sunshine superman // donovan 

one (blake's got a new face) // vampire weekend

campus // vampire weekend 

telephone // the black angels 

https://open.spotify.com/user/gk.piper95/playlist/4YTqRzSZeTNAtyznwGjQMh

green coping #52
1976
hugh holland 

green coping #80
1976
hugh holland 

provincetown
1976
joel meyerowitz 

los angeles airport, california
1974
joel meyerowitz 

-gracie 

a garden state: of mind that is, not new jersey

"as i wandered the forest,

the green leaves among,

i heard a wild flower singing a song..."

 -william blake 

   

 it takes being away from home to really appreciate it, but it takes being back at home to get bored with it. as much as i love des moines, it is my home, i find that it can be boring at times. many times. 

for eight months, i lived away from my home in sunny and strange los angeles county, californnia. des moines is a very nice place, but it's no california.

   i miss a lot about california. beaches, high quality churros, san francisco and mountains to name a few. the thing i might miss the most about california is plants. yes, out of all the things i can miss in the giant state of california, the thing i miss the most is plants. palm trees, hibiscus, cacti and succulent gardens in people's front yards. on my school's campus was a beautiful rose garden and beds of cacti and succulents. iowa has plants, but not warm weather plants.

  slightly bored of des moines and the cheesecake factory, my friends (and fellow plant lovers), ana, baby bec, cactus and i ventured to the greater des moines botanical garden in search of aesthetically pleasing instagram pictures that to be honest here made us look like we weren't in iowa. you, of course, need photographic evidence of you doing things other than sitting in your house or going to work. especially if those pictures make others believe that you don't live in cookie-cutter homes in midwestern america. 

in the cookie-cutter midwestern world, the botanical garden provide an outlet for these kinds of pictures as well as photographic evidence of you actually having friends and leaving your home.

   the botanical gardens. it's a little like a giant, humid golfball filled plants. there's the giant golfball filled with palm trees and cacti, the only place they could survive in iowa, but there are other gardens. an outdoor garden with a water feature and some wild flowers (iowa does have the most beautiful wild and prairie flowers) and a greenhouse room with more succulents, lattices covered in leaves and vines, potted plants and ferns (ferns are my favorite plant variety). a slice of exoticism and eden-like paradise in a dome surrounded by grey, concrete 1980s buildings. 

the most peaceful place in all of des moines.

wandering the "green leaves among" 

(photographic evidence of leaving the house and having friends)

  

megh, a.k.a cactus, queen of cacti and succulents.

a golfball full of plants. 

my favorite plants, cacti and succulents. 

cactus with a cactus 

haunted. 

-gracie 

(note: des moines isn't actually the most miserable and boring place

on earth. you should come for a visit. we have nice food and people.)