Snow Day Soundtrack

www.allmusic.com

It's happened!  Snow!  Legitimate snow!  I know New England's been suffering through blizzard situations for the past few weeks, and my heart really does go out to those still digging themselves out from beneath several feet of ice, but I can't help but to be excited about having some snowfall here, too.  (I was beginning to give up entirely on the idea of snowmen, sledding, and snow days.)
Seeing as Punxsutawney Phil was accurate in his forecast and it's still very much winter out there, here's some music to make the whole indoors thing a little bit easier:

Lykke Li: "I Follow Rivers"

(See all of the snow?)

 
Bastille (Vs. The Gemma Sharples Quartet): "Fall Into Your Arms"

Tom Odell: "I Know"

Gin Wigmore: "Black Sheep"

<3 Frances

 

The (Somewhat) Valentine's Playlist

Having Friday the 13th right before Valentine's Day is an interesting occurrence, but maybe the two days don't have to seem oppositional.  Maybe they could be friends.
For me, Valentine's Day is much more of a "Galentine's" Day/Friendship Day/Saturday than anything else.  It's important to show our love for others every day of the year, but today gives us a good excuse to think about chocolate and watch sad movies.  And I get to mention my book/movie character boyfriend, too.
All that said, here's a Valentine's Day playlist that is in no way exclusively about Valentine's Day.

Paramore: "The Only Exception"

Birdy: "Skinny Love" (Cover of Bon Iver)

The Honey Trees: "To Be With You"

The Narrative: "Eyes Closed"

A Great Big World: "Say Something"

<3 Frances

Bohemian Romantic

Many of the looks on the Spring 2015 runways had a very light, breezy, hippie-meets-Victorian feel to them, and, on a cold February morning, seeing those sorts of styles is the closest thing I've gotten to warm weather in a long time.  Seeing that it's almost Valentine's Day (or, in my case, an excuse to talk about my fictional movie character boyfriend), I thought it would be appropriate to share some of this romanti-boho inspiration. 

<3 Frances

Free People 

www.aliexpress.com

www.imgkid.com

www.fashiongum.com

www.popsugar.com



www.carolyncollado.com

Music as Caffeine

Between work stress and socialization awkwardness, etc., I've found running and dancing to be really helpful ways to detox and clear my head.  I try to do something active every day (running, Pilates...) with Iris (#gymbuddies), and music is something that really helps to wake me up and get me motivated when I'm a bit tired.  Without further adieu, here are some of the songs on my "Alter Ego" playlist (the one I play when I'm not trying to get into a melancholic writer mood!):

Phantogram; "Fall in Love"

Skrillex feat. Ellie Goulding: "Summit"

Imagine Dragons: "Radioactive"

Icona Pop: "Ready for the Weekend"

Beastie Boys: "Intergalactic"

The Pretty Reckless: "Heaven Knows"

Garbage: "Only Happy When it Rains"

<3 Frances 

The First Thursday in February

We're almost through the first work week of February!  We can do it!
I know I post music a lot, but it's difficult to not share something when you hear it and it makes you get really excited.  I've been listening to The Antlers "Stolen Dance" by Milky Chance and  a lot recently, and last night I also went through some 1980s music (#tbt).

Milky Chance: "Stolen Dance"

The Antlers: "I Don't Want Love"

The Smiths: "There is a Light That Never Goes Out"

Cocteau Twins: "Blue Bell Knoll"

David Bowie: "Heroes"

<3 Frances 

Hope for the Orphans of Ebola

Over the weekend, I read an article about a little four year-old girl called "Sweetie Sweetie" (her real name remains a mystery) who lost both her parents and her sister to Ebola in Sierra Leone.  In the article, it said that she was living in an interim care center (ICC) with other Ebola orphans, all of the waiting out a 21-day quarantine to see whether or not they, too, contracted the disease.  Because Ebola spreads so easily, many of the children are stigmatized as dangerous and therefore are not taken in by relatives when their parents die.   At ICCs (of which there are many for the estimated 10,000 orphans), Ebola survivors trained by organizations like UNICEF look after orphans and monitor them for Ebola symptoms.

Credits to Daniel Berehulak, The New York Times

Anyway, I was really touched by Sweetie Sweetie's story.  She cared for her mother as she died, telling her stories and trying to feed her, and I was really happy this morning when I saw a Child Fund report saying that Sweetie Sweetie was not only free of Ebola but that she had also been adopted by a health care worker who had cared for her mother.  Sadly, though, eight other orphans do have Ebola, and there are still thousands of others in quarantine.
The reason I post about this today is that I am incredibly moved by the heartbreaking stories of the Ebola orphans.  They've suffered through things many people cannot even possibly begin to fathom, and I think that even just reading about their unimaginable struggles really helps to put things into perspective.  They've lost so much, yet they continue to have hope, and it's important to raise awareness about their situation.  If anyone wants more info on these babies/how they can help them, you can go to https://www.childfund.org/Ebola_Emergency/ or www.unicef.org/emergencies/ebola/. 
<3 Frances 

Groundhog Day Playlist

I hope everyone's weekend didn't go by too quickly! 

www.musictimes.com

We've made it to another February....and another Groundhog Day.  Apparently Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow this morning and predicted six more weeks of winter.  I'm torn between feeling sorry for New England and feeling hopeful that we may actually get some snow where I live.  We've had zero snowmen this year.  Zero.  *cry, cry*

Aside from weather, though, I also wanted to share some music that will hopefully be a bit of a cheer-up on another cold Monday morning. It's more upbeat than some of the other stuff I share and will therefore hopefully aid in easing the return-to-work feels so many of us are experiencing.

Vance Joy: "Riptide"

The Vamps feat. Demi Lovato: "Somebody to You"

The White Stripes: "The Hardest Button to Button" 

The Jesus and Mary Chain: "Just Like Honey"

<3 Frances