{as of late}

Do you see Abe Lincoln? I do! // Ragtag private screening (just four of us)

Anniversary dinner // CC’s City Broiler

Anniversary breakfast // Wafflehouse

JT owns me at the moment // constant replay

hello Lucky

Chillin’ at the Lake

{source}

July is flying by. Time to take a breather and refocus. I’ve recently taken up hot yoga again, which honestly is crazy when it’s 100 degrees OUTSIDE. But it’s one of many goals I’ve made for myself. The other day, I had the chance to listen to and meet Erin Brockovich. Yep, the woman who changed Julia Robert’s life (hello, Oscar). It was a nice, little motivational session with a bit of environmental issue awareness thrown in, but not quite as moving as the movie. However, Erin was pleasant and sincere and for a moment, it made me think about bigger issues, beyond my own daily worries. So often, we are so busy and just getting through our own daily grind, that it's easy to forget that there are others with bigger struggles and challenges. This is what I was thinking about when I had another worry or when I went to my next yoga class and thought for sure I would keel over from the heat. Sticktoittiveness. To quote Erin, that’s what I plan to do. Have a great weekend!

LA

May 5-9, 2013 | Out and about in LA

I had to run to the ocean and wet my feet. That’s the island girl in me. Santa Monica Beach.

… the writing on the wall

sitting on KStew, hands on RPatz

Phil Hansen. Amazing and inspiring. Check PHIL out.

Rob Legato, visual effects supervisor for Hugo and Titanic.

Paula Scher. Her environmental graphics BLEW ME AWAY.

The Black Keys up close and personal. Nuf said.

Rainn Wilson | Erik Estrada | The Black Keys

Your work is to discover your world and then, with all your heart, give yourself to it. 
 — Buddha

Mary Lynn Rajskub from 24

Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys. I LOVE these guys even more … amazing concert. Dan just kills it on the guitar.

Photo taken by the cool dude behind us. Chelsea: Can you make sure Dan is in the picture with us? Dan was literally 6 feet away. Thanks Chelsea for sharing!

live your love

currently

thinking about … traveling to LA, going to the beach, photography and shooting out in nature again!

listening to RHYE, RIHANNA, BRUNO MARS. listen to one of those summer days, stay, if you knew, and tell me it doesn’t make you all fuzzy and quixotic. 

loving … the pink, gorgeous sunrise I’ve woken up to lately.

reading (re-reading) east of eden and poetry by e.e. cummings. 

yearning to play my guitar and taking lessons again.

seeing the call and maybe, OZ. you see, I grew up reading all the l. frank baum books, not just the wizard of oz. i hope they never try to remake the classic movie.

looking forward to SPRING. it’s been so white, grey, and bleh. time for a bloom of color!

LIVE YOUR LOVE
In high school, I remember my art class teacher telling me that art was not a “hobby” and that I should pursue it because I had the talent. In college, while experimenting with a variety of fine arts media, I felt a very strong pull towards graphics and photography. This is when I worked on my (and THE first – how dated am I?) Mac computer. My advisor/professor TOLD me I would be a fool if I didn’t go into commercial art, and that’s when I started to believe that I could make a life out of doing what I love. Twenty-some years later, I’m still working as a graphic designer. As a designer, I’ve learned so much about color/layout/design and I have collaborated with other creatives, including photographers. It wasn’t long before I started to find time for photography itself, evolving from film to digital. As someone who is always looking to grow creatively, photography has become my current outlet – allowing me to share what I’ve experienced and learned by capturing those special *moments* for others. And I LOVE that.
People ask me, How do you do it? When do you find the time? Well, when you love what you do, you find time. As a designer by day, I’ve taken a few evenings and weekends to pursue my other love – photography. If that interest you, drop me a line, check/LIKE us on Facebook and contact me here. I am looking forward to spring, when life starts to bloom again. You know what I mean … can you JUST FEEL IT?

If music be the food of love, play on

I think music in itself is healing. It’s an explosive expression of humanity. It’s something we are all touched by. No matter what culture we’re from, everyone loves music. — Billy Joel

I suspect I will drive everyone crazy when I break out all the vinyls from the 80s, but I’m loving this Crosley record player Santa and his elves brought me. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday full of good company, love and music!

on the road

While everyone’s been listening to holiday jingles, I’ve been listening to a lot of this... love, angsty, chill, on the road music. I’m on the road daily and my mind wanders … pure wanderlust. Open road, open mind, open heart. Take a listen here.

broken

instagram @groovininthesun {Ren Reiske © All Rights Reserved}

Who else is gonna bring you a broken arrow
Who else is gonna bring you a bottle of rain
There he goes moving across the water
There he goes turning my whole world around

Do you feel what I feel
Can we make it so that’s part of the deal
I gotta hold you in these arms of steel
Lay your heart on the line this time

I wanna breathe when you breathe
When you whisper like that hot summer breeze
Count the beads of sweat that cover me
Didn’t you show me a sign this time …

I love the original song written and sung by Robbie Robertson. I’m a new fan of the Band, and I didn’t realize Robertson was part of that legendary group. His writing is so beautiful and this song just gets me. Constant replay, all day. {turn off my Mixpod — click bottom arrow on the right sidebar, then press the arrow below to play}

Broken Arrow

you. yes. you.

Ok, I’m not embarrassed to admit that I loved Sloppy Firsts, a YA book about the HS coming-of-age of Jessica Darling. And I’m a bit obsessed by the fictional love story of Jess and Marcus to the point that I HAVE to read: Second Helpings, Charmed Thirds and Fourth Comings – all before I can move on to heavier, more thought-provoking fiction. Seriously, they just need to make movies out of these books already.

{Ren Reiske © All Rights Reserved}
BTW, I loved this playlist that author, Megan McCafferty, posted on her blog for the first book. How can I not?

Jessica Darling playlist:

1. Here You Come Again – Dolly Parton

2. If You Were Here – Thompson Twins

3. Sick of Myself – Matthew Sweet

4. What Goes Around Comes Around - Justin Timberlake

5. Pop Song ’89 – REM

6. De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da – The Police

7. Left of Center - Suzanne Vega

8. Hello, Goodbye – The Beatles

9. There is A Light That Never Goes Out – The Smiths

10. Quit Playing Games With My Heart – Backstreet Boys

11. Here is Where the Story Ends - The Sundays

12. Only You - Yaz

Lean into it

1.  If you like something because you think other people are going to like it, it’s a sure bet that no one will.
2.  Most doors in the world are closed, so if you find one that you want to get into, you damn well better have an interesting knock.
3.  Everything that you think is important isn’t. Everything that you think is unimportant is.
4.  Don’t shit where you eat.
5.  Lean into it. The outcome doesn’t matter. What matters is that you were there for it, whatever ‘it’ is - good or bad.
6.  Don’t sleep with people who have more problems than you do.

{6 rules from People Like Us}

I recently saw this movie and loved the message behind it. I liked it, which ironically would make rule #1 a contradiction. Go see, really. 

I found this hidden in the back rack of Walmart for $9. I love discovering oldies that are goodies, something I would never have listened to. But a biopic movie is being made about The Band {starring *Rob}, and as I listened, I was hooked. Total win. {Ren Reiske © All Rights Reserved}  instagram @groovininthesun