naomiland

my british teeth

as some of you know after reading YESTERDAY'S BLOG, i went to the dentist.

it had been over a year and a half since i saw my dentist, basically the entire time i was in london. call me crazy, but english dentists just didn't seem like the best idea, and i decided to wait til i got back to my dentally superior homeland.

my dentist's office is located in beverly hills.
and it's not called a "dentist's office" but a dental SPA.
the funny thing is, i never would have picked a posh dental spa in beverly hills, but he's covered by my SAG insurance, so i figured why the hell not.

plus, he has this:

a constantly changing screen of soothing images meant to distract me from the torture of a dental technician scraping away at all kinds of left over english shit on my teeth.

after the scraping, it was time to talk to my posh dentist about "the plan."
aka "fork over the cash and i'll keep your teeth from falling out. and try to sell you a teeth whitening package because i'm one step away from used car salesman."

i knew i was in for some pain when he opened the conversation with:
"so, did you really let your dental hygiene go in the last year?"

bring it.

and now for the best part of my trip to the dentist:

i needed to share that with you.
because i have no shame.

now i'm off to sign more CDs and guitar picks.
and sort out the details of recording my album.
and because i'm so excited about all this stuff and can't keep myself from telling you before i'm supposed to, here's something really cool:
i'm selling all kinds of stuff in order to help fund this album, and one of the things which will be up for sale on the website when it launches in the next couple of weeks is A DAY IN THE STUDIO WHILE WE RECORD THE NEW ALBUM!!!
and i'll give you lunch, too.
(i think the studio will be up in malibu, which will be super cool, but don't hold me to that, because details could change.)

there will be lots of other cool stuff up for grabs, but that one is particularly cool in my opinion.

ok - time to get to work.
i hope you are enjoying your day!
love
terra

my culturally rich life

it seems that everyone and their mother went to BED, BATH & BEYOND this weekend.
(that expression is truly fitting in this instance, as there is a great chance that all of our moms actually DID go to bed, bath & beyond this weekend!)

i went in search of a food processor, and found a whole lot more.
art like i've never seen it.
i would post the photos i took, but james gunn already posted these fine works of art, complete with titles and commentary, so check out HIS BLOG if you want to read all about it.
(warning: james has a DARK sense of HUMOR. don't read his blogs if you're an uptight bitch/prick.)

yesterday was spent signing things for you people.
i asked for some special free gift ideas, and you guys basically wanted everything i already had planned for you - signed guitar picks, tshirts, buttons, etc.
some of you wanted predictably weird shit like "go on a date with you!" and i'm sorry to inform you that i will not be sending "go on a date with you" along with your CDs.
first of all, i have no concept of how to package and ship that, and secondly....just NO.

as many of you know, most "autographed" band stuff is not actually autographed by the band.
(and for those of you whose dreams i just shattered, i apologize.)
HOWEVER - now, when you order TERRA NAOMI AUTOGRAPHED SHIT, it will actually be SIGNED BY ME.
not a printed signature (like the guitar picks that came with my 'virtually' cd - those were printed in a factory. i never even touched 'em.)

here is the proof:

i signed 1000 picks and 1000 CDS.
half way there.

and here's why:
i'm re-releasing THIS CD from 2002:

2000 copies.
that's all.
and every CD will be signed.
there will be other stuff to order with it, and i'll post more info on that very soon!
the CD will be sold through my NEW WEBSITE (coming soon!!!) and every penny made will go towards the recording of MY NEXT ALBUM!!!
i will explain it all very soon.
watch this space!!!

so i just finished my second bowl of raisin bran.
i remembered this TV commercial from when i was a kid, and it showed the sun with 2 SCOOPS of RAISIN BRAN!!!
so i poured myself another bowl because the TV told me to.
but then i remembered that the sun was actually pointing out the TWO SCOOPS of RAISINS in kellogg's raisin bran.
and now i'm just fat.
if it weren't for that darn vomit phobia i could just puke it up and fix my mistake, like everyone else in this city.
oh well.
at least i still have enamel on my teeth.

and speaking of which - i'm going to the dentist in a few hours.
totally scared that he'll notice my lack of flossing over the past year and a half.
flossed like 20 times last night and this morning, trying to make up for it, and now my gums are swollen and sore and he'll probably try to sell me something.
like teeth whitening.
("that's just blood, doctor.")

more tomorrow.
unless i find something better to do with my time.
xox
terra

PORN!!!

i just posted a new blog, but you'll have to go to myspace to read/watch it.
because it's MY blog and that's how i feel this morning.

now go:

MY BLOG ABOUT PORN!

xox
terra

somewhere, someone is blogging

my friend james is writing a blog so i felt like i needed to write a blog, too.
i feel guilty and lazy when i think about the fact that somewhere, someone is blogging, and it isn't me.
thing is, there are people blogging all over the world, all the time.
people are twittering and zanneling and blogging and fucking and...i'm off topic.
and then i start to feel bad because i know my blog won't be as good as james' blog.
see, he's blogging because he actually has something to blog about.
also, he's really mean, so his blogs are more fun to read.
i'm guilt-blogging.
just wanna keep up.
nothing to say.
not really.
just don't want to be lazy.

here are some things i've experienced in my recent past:

i went to nyc and had a fantastic time.

this drawing represents my first night in NYC, but i'm not going to tell you why.
my friend james will, because he's way more mean than i am.
so you can go find his blog if you want to be entertained.
read mine if you just want to be confused.

i played a show at joe's pub and met some awesome people, some of whom i have corresponded with online for the last couple of years. it was neat.

i also played the yahoo! billboard ad week showcase at the nokia theater in times square and it was super cool.  i played with three guys - friends of my friend jeremiah - and they totally kicked ass.

here's a photo from sound check. (it's very exciting, as sound check photos tend to be.)

a funny girl group played after me that night.
they were 12 years old and looked like three little jonbenet ramseys.
for that reason, they kinda creeped me out.

my brother and i spent a few hours in ABC carpets on broadway and 19th.
that's one of my favorite shops in the whole entire world and someday i might be able to afford to buy a pillowcase or a soap dish.
i mention this store in the updated liner notes of the re-issue of my 2002 CD, which will be available mid-october. (are you paying attention??)

here's a photo of me and my brother sam, surrounded by high end home furnishings:

i went with my friend james to howard stern's studios and got a super cool tour from richard christy.

richard showed us one of the funniest videos i've seen in a long long time:

A VERY FUNNY VIDEO

then he offered to let me ride the sybian machine,  and i politely declined.
(no photo, sorry)

we went to the san gennaro fest in little italy, which was the bane of my existence back when i lived on mulberry street.

i like gelato.

finally, here is a photo from the airport in NYC, waiting for my flight, smiling and looking happy, pretending to be thinking about something other than my plane free-falling from the sky and what those final few moments of life would feel like:

i have some other things to tell you.
i'll do it another time, in another blog.
did you catch the CD release thing?
ya - mid-october - the demo CD which started it all.
i've been embarrassed of it for the past 6 years but finally let my friend arlan talk me into re-releasing it.
why?
because i am going to fund my next album with the money i make from selling off pieces of my humiliating past! including old recordings of the first songs i wrote!
yay!

and now....it's almost rosh hashanah!
new year's eve for my people.
on rosh hashanah it's customary to eat apples dipped in honey - a symbol of the sweet new year to come.
i will celebrate by eating raw shellfish with some pornographers.

happy new year!
i hope it's a sweet one.
xox
terra

something fun courtesy of ezra... and thanks to our next potential US president's stupid way of naming her dumb children.

sorry!
i just can't help myself.
i.
fucking.
hate.
her.

but this is fun:
YOUR NAME IF SARAH PALIN WERE YOUR MOTHER (GOD FORBID)

i would be "speck backfire palin."

thank goodness my parents were smart hippies rather than stupid creationists.

the title of this blog is anyone's guess.

so i'm on myspace, trying to write a one-line update to describe my feelings this morning.
i settle on "can't believe 2001 was 7 years ago" without much thought, and then it's time to choose a descriptive word to capture my mood.

the list is long - everything from "sad" to "contemplative" to "insignificant" to "jedi" (whatever that truly means is anyone's guess) and every word has a corresponding animated smiley face emoticon.

i choose "thoughtful" and get a little yellow winking smiley. totally inappropriate for my "remembering september 11th" state of mind. why do they force these smileys on us? i want to be thoughtful or contemplative or grateful or pensive without looking like i'm mocking the sentiment.
"i'm feeling 'thoughtful' wink wink!! ;)"
even "neutral" has a smiley face. can't my little yellow guy just exist without emotion? why must he emote?
it is simply his nature. and nothing i say will ever change him.

i think i've written some pretty sad blogs on september 11ths of the past.
but i'm pretty much feeling the opposite of sad today, so i'll just acknowledge the date and move along to something else.
if you feel like reading something sad or thought-provoking or contemplative, check out one of my september 11th blogs from another year.
like this one: 

A SAD SEPTEMBER 11TH BLOG FROM 2006.
back when i was miserable and the date served as a perfect vehicle for my mood.

i started a blog yesterday and it looked like this:

just in case you think you are my friend on facebook because you have been corresponding with me through the page below....

this is NOT ME!

if you would like to be my friend on facebook, go to this address:

OFFICIAL TERRA NAOMI FACEBOOK PAGE

it's really strange to think that someone has created a facebook page in my name and is pretending to be me and actually accepting friend requests and corresponding with people i know.
it really freaks me out.
whoever you are - you freak - stop it right now.

OK
now that we've settled that....

IF YOU ARE IN NYC ON SEPT 21, COME SEE ME AT JOE'S PUB!!!
it's my first nyc performance in over 2 years.
and my first time playing at joe's pub.

***
that's what i wrote yesterday.
it kind of looks like i'm inviting the freaky facebook impostor to my joe's pub gig.
that was not my intention.

today i'm thinking about this song i wrote and recorded recently.
it sounds fucking amazing.
i'm sorry for the unbridled passion, but i'm really excited.

and i'm excited about going to nyc in just over a week!

and i'm excited about this:
DECLARE YOURSELF!

and so many other things which i cannot talk about at the moment.

i'm working silently and trying to keep my big mouth shut, and i don't know if i can accurately express the level of difficulty involved in that exercise.
it's hard.
especially when i'm caffeinated.
but i will not talk about things i'm not allowed to talk about.
nope.
ok.

with non-hippy-bullshit-free-love to you all,
xox
terra

why youtube is super cool + my new iPhone

check this out:

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youtube now lists stats per country. how cool is that?!

the stats are for my latest video, filmed by james gunn, and you can watch it here:
TERRA'S LATEST YOUTUBE VIDEO

james and i will be filming many more videos in the coming days and weeks.
the cool thing is that we are still using my original sony handycam, with the same built in mic, and we have set certain rules for the videos, to keep things very simple and pure and along the lines of my original virtual tour videos.

1. no cuts - video is filmed in 1 take
2. no external mic
3. live performance
4. every 5th video must feature a cameo by a dog with a human face. and not a dog with a face that kind of resembles a human's - we're talking about a dog with an actual, grafted-on, human face. if you know of any, please send them to james' house.

i got a new iPhone and i love it.
the best thing about my new iPhone is its camera.
and the twitter application which allows me to upload photos.

here are some photos from my new iPhone:

the best thing about los angeles, aside from the perfect weather, the ocean, the mountains, the fresh local produce and the rampant narcissism, are the mobile petting zoos.

on any given weekend afternoon, you can cruise over to your local strip mall parking lot and interact with baby animals. these guys were super cute and i'm sure they didn't find the 97º heat to be too oppressive. 
thanks to my new iPhone, i will have the memories forever.

that's all for now.
enjoy your afternoons.
xox
terra

some updates!

ok people. 

i'm sorry it's been a while since my last post. 

i'm in a meeting as i type this. 

i wonder if they think i'm taking notes. 

i wonder if they think i'm smiling because i like their ideas.

i wonder if they read my blog. 

things are going splendidly here in LA. 

i moved into my new apartment  yesterday, and no, i will not show you any photos. 

(except for you, dad! i'll send some as soon as i get around to taking them!)

i've been writing with my amazing friends rachel thibodeau and jonas myrin. 

here we are at rachel's hotel:

here's jonas being a total badass and talking on his cell phone in front of the "no cell phones" sign. 

wow. what a rebel. 

here we are in the mirror, looking at our lovely selves:

and here i am when it was time to leave:

i wish rachel and jonas could live in LA because they are two of my most favorite people. you can find rachel's myspace on my myspace page, and i will make jonas one of my top myspace friends as soon as he has a myspace page (!!! i know!) because you need to hear his music. 

another cool thing:

i'm mildly obsessed with this. 

at first i didn't get it. 

not at all. 

i mean, why do i need to update people every time something mundane happens in my life?

thanks to twitter, i can alert you via text message whenever i write a song or go to dinner with a friend or hit a parked car in my garage. 

it's really cool. in the most self-obsessed, narcissistic way. and i mean that in the best way possible. 

so sign up to receive my twitter texts (called "tweets" but i haven't gotten around to accepting that lingo yet) and stay informed. 

my mishaps = your entertainment. 

speaking of entertainment.....

i was given a very special sneak preview of my dear friend james gunn's newest project!

for those of you who don't know james, well, i don't really know where to start. 

he does stuff like write and direct movies (slither, scooby doo, dawn of the dead) and destroy the dreams of wannabe horror film actresses (VH1's 'scream queens' starts in october!!) and is also a pioneer in the field of new media with several web tv shows in production and development. 

one of which produced this stunning image:

it's called HUMANZEE and it's funny as hell and completely sick and twisted. 

that guy in the photo is james' brother sean gunn, who you would recognize from gilmore girls and other actor-related shit if he weren't covered in fur and made to look like a total freak. 

what else.....

i'm obsessed with ben folds. 

his song 'one down' is the most brilliant.

this is a recent development, and i'm embarrassed to admit that it's taken this long!!

i'm planning something amazing for mid-november. i think. i can't tell you anything more about it at the moment. (what a lame update!!)

that's all for now. 

more soon. 

have fun. 

enjoy life.

be well. 

etc

etc

etc

crazytown

i seriously don't get it but i think i know where it started.

see, i'm being stalked by some girl on myspace who claims that i'm sleeping with her friend's boyfriend. he's apparently a handsome, dark haired, older english guy who makes frequent visits to LA, stays at the beverly hills hotel or the sunset marquis, takes me on trips, buys me things, treats me like a princess, spoils the hell out of me.....

to be honest, it doesn't sound all that bad!!
but it totally sucks to have the stalker girl without any of the benefits of dating this guy!

so, in case you're out there, mr. handsome english man, here's a list of some things i want.
if i'm gonna be stalked i might as well get some shit out of it, right?

1. TOYOTA PRIUS (i bought a matrix because it was a lot less expensive and almost the same gas mileage, but the kept woman of an international jet-setter can't really be seen driving around in a matrix, right?? a prius will effectively take me out of the race by letting people know that i could afford more, but made a socially conscious decision.)

2. GRAND PIANO (or a baby grand. i'm fine with that. steinway, please. and dark wood - i don't really like light colored pianos.)

3. LASIX (i could buy this myself, but why should i?)

4. MY 2nd ALBUM (small investment, $100K should do it.)

5. GED QUINN (he's my favorite artist at the moment. i've been wanting to start an art collection, and ged quinn would be a great opening acquisition.)

6. iPhone (i have a blackberry, but i really want an iPhone. maybe you can also get me out of my t mobile contract?)

7. NEUMANN U87 ANNIVERSARY MIC (for home recordings.)

thank you, my sweet english sugar daddy, for your continued support.

oh - the girl on myspace seems to think you need viagra, so i might as well be helpful and pass along the info. maybe something good will come from this. no pun intended.

xox
terra

ps - don't ever lend your blackberry to some fucked up person you meet at a party whose phone has died. that fucked up person might send text messages to other random fucked up people and those fucked up people might end up with your number on their phones. they might have all kinds of drama going on. drama you DO NOT need to deal with in your hectic but morally and ethically sound life.

one for the road....

i'm on my way back to los angeles today, via boston.
my mom and i made a strawberry pie last night.
i snuggled with elliott.
my pops is cursing and swearing as he tries to locate the cable needed to upload photos from the digital camera.
i've successfully rummaged through boxes of memories, some which caused me to shudder and others which got a good laugh, and picked out a few things to bring with me for my new home in venice.

i've never committed to california before. never brought too much stuff with me. at least not the kind of stuff that i mind abandoning at a moment's notice.

i realized that i have stuff stored in 2 storage spaces in two different countries, and 4 different friend's houses around the US. well, 3 now, because some stuff was picked up yesterday by one of the people storing some of the other stuff.

the stored items range from small, portable things like photos and jewelry to larger items like antique steelcase furniture. it's gotten to the point where i don't even know how to collect these things. i would need to rent a uhaul and travel across the country (and the atlantic ocean). maybe i can work it into my next tour. the "pack your shit and go" tour. or the "collecting memories and old junk you thought you'd want so you stored it at your ex-boyfriend's mom's house" tour.

more later....got to go rent a car to drive to boston now.
and buy a bigger suitcase.
xox
terra

into the wild

woke up this morning and went for a lovely walk through the mountains with my dad and 2 of the 3 dogs.
the sun was shining, the sky was blue, the biting flies were out in full force...
i love nature.

but not as much as i love my dog.
i was speaking with a friend this afternoon and realized that there are very few things/people in the world that i love as much as i love my dog.
don't hate me.
i am obviously aware of how that sounds.
and i have to stand by it.
truth is, i would most likely sacrifice a person before i would sacrifice my dog elliott.

(these are the things you start to think about way up here in the mountains, so far from civilization, so far from things like tv, billboards and the church to keep me in check. and if you read this last sentence and found yourself nodding your head emphatically while thinking "yes, exactly," please do me a favor and never read my blog again.)

tomorrow is my final day in the wilderness.
we then return to the major urban center of schenectady, new york.
not to be confused with new york, new york, although my father informs me of the recent construction of modern architectural lofts on what used to be my hometown's "best street to buy crack."  (Zagats 2007)

i will leave you with this:

xox
terra

a long, long time ago, when the dinosaurs roamed the earth...

i'm up in the mountains.
waaaaay up in the mountains.

i don't actually know the elevation or the proximity to any town or area which contains more than ten families. or even a town of twenty families with more than 2 varieties of genetic origin.

my measure of distance in this sort of situation is gauged by lack of modern conveniences.
one by one they fall away, until only wireless internet remains, a lonely beacon in the archaic darkness.
no mobile phone.
no texting.
wireless internet shines like the star it once was, back in the day, before iPhones and Blackberrys and Twitter, no longer taken for granted ("oh my god - the bathroom in this fucking crackhouse doesn't even have WIRELESS??") and i find myself saying, "THANK GOD for wireless internet.
thank god.

so i'm up here with my mom and dad and our three dogs, maggie, elliott and daphne.
elliott is the newest arrival, abandoned by his deadbeat mother last year, when she ran off to england to pursue some rock and roll hippie pipe dream...damn hippies.
people like that should not adopt dogs in the first place.

and we are about to experience one of my most favorite east coast experiences - the massive thunderstorm.

i truly do love a good thunderstorm.
as opposed to england's nasty, grey, perpetual raininess, the east coast thunderstorm tops my list of "sexiest acts of god."

1. thunderstorm
2. flood
3. wildfire
4. tornado
5. hurricane
6. earthquake
7. monsoon/tsunami - tied
8. pandemic
9. locusts
10. frogs
11. lice
12. boils (nothing sexy about the boil.)
13. slaying of the first born (just completely sucks and is not at all sexy.)

here comes the thunder...i'm going up to my room.
xox

sunglasses are to eyes as ____ is to nose

i rode the bus today, from boston to springfield.
the man sitting next to me had a sling on his right arm and a bag of mcdonald's in his left.
he offered me his fries and i helped him open his box of chicken mcnuggets.
difficult thing to do with one hand. was glad i could be of service.

yesterday i flew on a plane from los angeles to boston.
i had a lovely aisle seat, intentionally selected, as usual.
had just settled in when a woman approached me, said she had the middle seat next to me and her husband had the middle seat across the aisle and would i be kind enough to switch with him.
of course i was happy to help.
i guess i'm just a happy person these days and i want other people to be happy.

lame.

so ya - i took my newly appointed middle seat and realized that the man next to me was significantly more smelly than the man in my previous row.
the man in the previous row wasn't actually smelly at all, and this new man was super smelly.
not much to do but smile at that point, and pretend not to notice.
which is bullshit.
i mean, i take the time to bathe. i do it almost every day. i then apply deodorant and lotion and maybe some perfume. i even dab on some makeup, lest my face should offend.
it's funny how concerned i always am about hurting the feelings of a smelly person. god forbid he notices me holding something in front of my nose. as if i am the one who should feel bad. god forbid i offend the person whose personal odor is causing my nostrils to retreat into my skull.

so now i'm back in my childhood room.
i've already gone through the usual rituals of looking through old photos, trying on all the jewelry left to me by dead (and some living) relatives, picking a few pieces to bring back with me...this time it's my mom's (very much alive!!!) charm bracelet. it's got lots of jew stuff on it, which is kind of ok with me in this case, because the bracelet is old and cool and fun to wear, and it was my teenage mom's.
that is, it was my mom's when she was a teenager as opposed to her being a teenage mom.
which might have been cool, actually, because at some point, probably around the time i turned 14, she would have started smoking pot with my friends and hitting on the boys i brought home, stopped counting the years, forgotten her actual age, and started to believe the men who pretended not to know that she was my mom in order to get with her, and by this point in my life, my mom would probably just say she was my sister. the sister i always wanted.

anyway - i found some bangle bracelets which were given to me for my bat mitzvah.
that's the one great thing about having been a fat kid - the kid stuff still fits! thanks to my fat 13 year old wrists, i can still wear this stuff. as anklets.

i'm happy to be here.
have to go back to LA early because there is lots of good stuff going on, and i have meetings to take and decisions to make and websites to rebuild and shows to plan and songs to record, and it's all cool as hell.

but for now i'll sleep here with my sweet best friend.

and my dog, too.

not sure if mom and dad like the new tattoo.
oh ya - there's a new tattoo.
here it is:

they are such good sports......

will fill you in on the events of tomorrow.
i think a trip to the mall is in order.
and then i'm taking a 57 mile bike ride with my dad.
and i'm competitive as hell, so stopping midway through the 4.5 mile, 2000 ft vertical rise hill is definitely out of the question!

xox
terra

celebrate good times

Ah yes....July 4th....

Independence Day, as defined by Wikipedia, is "a federal holiday commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain."

See, basically, the Thirteen Colonies had been at odds with Great Britain for a while. Great Britain had this idea of what it wanted The Colonies to be, and the Colonies did not agree with this plan. Additionally, the Empire was trying to survive and maintain its control, and was deeply in debt. Looking for ways to stay afloat, Great Britain decided to try and take more money from the Colonies, despite the fact that the Colonies were doing everything on their own, had their own legislatures and were not even directly represented in Parliament.

Initially, the Colonies were split - some hoped to reconcile, maintaining a strong loyalty to the King and hoping that he would step in and help sort things out, while others saw the benefits of independence. They followed the rules of Parliament for a while and wrote a petition, but support from the King never came. He rejected the petition and Colonial attachment to the Empire was weakened. Movement towards declaring independence became a reality.

Finally, on the 4th of July the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, a statement liberating the Colonies from the unjust rule and tyranny of the Empire.

Fuck yeah!

I'm not usually one for big holiday celebrations, but this year I'll celebrate.

xox

met a redneck on a grecian isle

well, not really.
but i'm thinking about california, which, of course, makes me think about california songs, and that is definitely one of the very best.

yes, it is true. just over a year after arriving in london, i am about to return to LA.

i'm mostly thrilled, and a little bit sad.

this year has been so many different things -
amazing
thrilling
disappointing
full of love
infuriating
anxiety-ridden
satisfying
frustrating
fun
enlightening
character-building
painful
exciting
excruciating
unbelievable
wonderful
embarrassing
unstable

just a few words that come to mind.

i have learned so many things.
i have become such a better artist and musician.
i have discovered who i do and do not want to be.
i have experienced some big ups and downs.
i have learned a lot about peoples' intentions and the way they treat you when they think it is beneficial/not beneficial to them.
i have learned about control and pride and selfishness and ego. (not necessarily my own)
i have learned not to be so quick to trust.
i have learned to do what is best for me, even when it is not what another person wants me to do.
i have learned that some people are actually able to separate what is best for me from what is best for them, and sincerely wish for me to pursue what is best for me, even if it is not ideal for them.

i am so excited to move forward. this past 6 months has been very difficult for me. stagnant.
not entirely, as i have written some of my best songs yet...but i am happy to be moving on to the next part of this journey.

i will miss london.
but i know i will be back very soon.
if only because there is no way in hell that i will be able to take everything back with me this time!
if i had a garage i would have a garage sale.
(isn't there a song like that?)

anyway - more later...
xox

sitting on my hands

not in some pervy way, ok?
just feeling the stress today.
so many decisions to make and i'm trying to sit still and let the answers come to me.

last weekend i was running through paris with my amazing aunt mimi...museums, cafes, cabarets, restaurants, street art, gypsies...yes, i almost got conned.

it's amazing - you think you're so worldly (well i do, at least) and next thing you know you're falling for the oldest trick in the book.
i was given a gold ring by an evangelist.
she was lovely until i walked away with it. then she came after me.
yup. that's how it happens. well, to be fair, i kind of knew what was going on - told her that since someone apparently lost it (she pretended to have found it on the ground) i would take it to the police and report it. she didn't like that very much. but i wanted to see how far she was willing to go with the scam. and then i decided that it was time to send her on her way with the ring. i guess i didn't really want to witness her full potential.

is life that boring that i need to provoke con artists in the streets of paris?

i don't think so. it certainly wasn't boring that day.

i have decided that in my next incarnation i will be a french cabaret singer. actually, i think it will be this lifetime. and maybe some german, too, cause that stuff is oh so dark.
i had the opportunity to study cabaret in college, but i didn't really get it then. didn't understand the politics involved. it's all really interesting stuff.

looks like i might be back in the US for the elections. i really miss home and i can't wait to get back.

and tonight i'm going to wear a cowboy hat and play my most "americana" songs at a pub in islington.
of course, all the country-ish songs are about death and fun stuff like that (at least mine are) so it should be an uplifting night.

xo
terra

eek

i'm so excited.
playing new songs and old songs with the guys who play music with me and i haven't been this excited in a long time.
i am happy.
truly happy about the way these songs are sounding.

everything is a bit crazy and stressful and uncertain, and i am feeling more fulfilled and more satisfied than ever because i am making the music i want to make and loving it. i am singing the way i want to sing, playing what i want to play. i am being creative in the way i want to be creative. it's a fantastic feeling and i wouldn't trade it for all the record sales in the world.

it also helps that i believe that these songs, done in the way they are going to be done, will bring all the other sorts of success i would like to have. including the record sales. we will see. but i believe in what i am doing. 100%
there is no one to blame but myself if i do not make the music i want to make this time...if there is anything i have any regrets about, it will be entirely on me. and i am so ready for that responsibility.
hindsight is such a crazy thing. especially when you can forsee something and choose to push it aside. hindsight is painful at that point.
a lesson learned.
honesty with oneself.
painful shit.
we move past it, though.
and take from it what we can take.
and so it goes.

ok - back to the music.
the music is what matters.
not the other shit which sometimes accompanies it.
the truth, not the facade.
just the sound and the authenticity of that sound.
everything else is just noise.

an exciting moment for human rights

because most news having anything to do with human rights is really awful, violation after violation, here is something wonderful:

just go read about it on arlan's blog. easier than trying to write something which she has already written so well.

for all of you who can now legally marry the person you love - congratulations.
for everyone who is now one step closer to being acknowledged as a legitimate member of society with the same rights as any other member of this society, it's about time. sad that it's taken this long, and yes, this is only one small step, but it's one step closer, and i'm grateful for that.

lots of love
terra

last night at the troubadour!

was fun fun fun.
haven't had that much fun on stage in a while, so thank you to those of you who made the night what it was!
tequila shots with my new girlfriends was a blast...
got home way too late...or early, i guess is more accurate...
and so much happens in the time i've been away from LA.
reconnected with an old friend and found out that he is now the lead singer for a band we both love. they're coming here in september, and i can't wait to see him and see the show.
feeling the joy of sunshine here in london.
it's perfect weather.
the pigeons are feeling the love, as well.
it seems like every time i look outside i see pigeons procreating.
it's gross.
saw some on top of a monument in central london on my way to the show last night.
looked out the window and was like 'why is that one pigeon on the other pigeon's back?' and then...ewwww...i understood the reason. gross.
salvador realized today that we don't really have birds over here on the east side. only pigeons.
as soon as we go west the birds begin to sing. but here it's just those lovely winged rats.
fucking.
uggh.
anyway -
life continues to get stranger every day.
i'm just trying to coast along with the ups and downs and enjoy myself a little bit.
i love my new loop station.
was so much more exciting last night - trying to coordinate my feet and hands and voice. felt like i was doing a spastic little dance at certain points in the evening, triggering the loops with my feet while playing the song. i hope to become more graceful sometime in the very near future.
someone i work with at island thought i made a racist comment when i pointed mentioned the japanese people from the last troubadour show. she didn't realize that i was actually talking about people from japan who came specifically for the show. thought i was pointing out the fact that last time there were a bunch of asian people in attendance! hahaha
was a funny moment.
had to explain that they were actually from japan. no, i was not calling out the various ethnicities of my audience.
it is interesting - seems like every show there is at least one group who has flown in from another country.
last night it was canada.
i'm getting very spoiled by my international fans, though....starting to expect it.
don't let me down, guys!
buy your plane tickets now!
just kidding.
a good 8 hour drive from the north of england will suffice.
hehe
anyway -
going to get ready for rehearsal tomorrow.
i can't wait to play with the guys again.
this time it will be bryan on drums, salvador on bass and my friend giorgio on guitar.
giorgio and i have been playing a lot of music together and i want to see how it works with him in the band.
that's all for now.
xox
terra

and another thing.

i don't have much to say.

i'm working on something which i think will be very cool.
the people in my life tend to get a bit confused when i tell them about it, so i won't tell you about it at this moment. i will instead wait until it's done or well on its way to being done, and then i shall let you in on the plan.

i'm also working on something very cool for my next london show on may 13th. next week. at the troubadour.
learned a little more about my loop pedal after the last show and i can't wait to try it out again.

the last show, by the way, was amazing if only for this reason:

20 people flew in from japan for the show.
yes - you read it right.
i was kind of in shock, to be honest.
i definitely owe them a show in japan now. i think if any group of 20 people fly in for one of my shows, especially from half-way around the world, i should return the gesture with a show in their country. it's only fair, right?

what else....just learned of a potentially amazing thing which i might have to do this summer. would involve driving a car from rhode island to mexico. don't know if it's happening yet, but if it is then you can be certain that i will take that opportunity to play as many shows along the way as i can manage to book.
oooo i hope it happens.
if not then i will find another way to tour the US again, and soon, because i miss my country and my friends and fans from the east coast to the west coast, north and south, and i cannot wait to see you all again.

it's been way too long.

anyway - going to watch 'the birds' now. i need a break.
when all else is up in the air and completely nuts, there is always alfred hitchcock.
and obsessive cleaning.
and cleaning obsessively while watching hitchcock.
my house sparkles, let me tell you.
sparkles and shines.

xox
terra