cha ching!

I scored big time! My family took me out to an auction, where they sell off the unwanted posessions of deceased family members. (Only slightly depressing.) I found a box hidden away on the side with an AMAZING record collection from the 60s and 70s, with exactly 73 vinyls within. I paid $32.50. When I calculated (yes, I'm a dork), it came out to about 45 cents a piece. Quite a bargain I would say. The list of artists includes The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Pink FLoyd, Black Sabbath, Elvis, The Moody Blues, Elton John, The Who, Queen, Billy Joel and many more. This then inspired me to go through my mom's old record collection where I found even more goodies like Cat Stevens, The Carpenters, Simon and Garfunkel, and The Beach Boys. This onslaught of oldies has caused me to fervently update my itunes. Or, I suppose, backdate? Bad pun maybe. This also made me think about some soundtracks that really fit this current musical mood of mine, including the ones for Almost Famous and Dazed and Confused. Both must-sees in my book. Anyway I've discovered a new personal passion and just need to score myself a record player so I don't keep bumming off my friends. Teehee.

so here it goes..

About the author:
I'm new to blogging and thought it would be a good way to share and discuss my interests. I'm most interested in discussing books, movies, music, fashion and travel. I also will most likely throw in other tidbits and randoms. My tastes are fairly eclectic, which doesn't exactly mean what some people seem to think it does..

Anywho, here are some fun facts for you to get to know me better.
Things I can't get enough of: coca-cola, sunshine, white v-necks, Mexican food and my iphone.
I live in the California, which largely influences my lifestyle.
I quite literally listen to basically all genres of music.

My current favorite songs would be:
Roots, Rock, Reggae- Bob Marley
Nothing to Worry About- Peter Bjorn and John
What It's Worth- Buffalo Springfield
Going Back to Cali- Notorious B.I.G.
Raindrops From the Sun- Imani Coppola
Always Like This- Bombay Bicycle Club

Of course I tend to get new favorites every week. And I'll most likely share that within this blog.

Now that you know some about me, I'll start with a real topic of conversation. I recently finished a book called The Hakawati, by Rabih Alameddine. It's an amazingly beautiful novel that interweaves the stories of one man's family, as well as traditional Arabic tales. The modern plotline is that of a middle-aged man, Osama, joining his family in Beirut to be with his father as he withers away in the hospital. He then reflects back on the fascinating stories of his ancestry, going back to his great-great grandfather. Meanwhile the tale of Fatima and her magical sons Shams and Layl unfolds, which also leads into a seperate story, the epic of Baybars. The author's diction and syntax create a magical atmosphere that makes it irresistable. The novel is an exquisitely flavorful exploration of the Middle Eastern culture that I thouroughly enjoyed. I would highly recommend it for everyone.