5 summer denim looks to try now
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Author: Jen A. Miller
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Summer (Denim) Blues
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The Songstress| An Interview with Singer/ Songwriter Missy Modell
Finding Your Beat with Singer/Songwriter Missy Modell
In this episode of Toast Meets Jam I caught up with singer/songwriter Missy Modell at one of our favorite LA hot spots- Axe. As we dug into our very Venice Basic Bowls, she caught me up on her pursuit of a career in the music industry.
At the age of 24 Missy had already established herself as a singer on the rise. Self described as the “Rihanna to an Eminem soundtrack” she had found her beat touring college campuses with other up and coming artists. Fast forward a few years and this leading lading has declared it time to pave a new path–this time one that provides a true reflection of her unabashed, fun, beautiful self.
She talks with me about her musical journey, the process of self discovery, and why it’s time for her to take center-stage.
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The Single Diaries Guide to Outside Lands Food
10 San Francisco food favorites to try at Outside Lands
It seems that every year a new music festival is born somewhere in the world. Outside Lands premiered in Golden Gate Park in 2009 and, true to its culinary capital roots, one of the festival’s signature features is its outstanding selection of food. It is the one festival our crew attends at which we look forward to experiencing the eats rather than chowing down on a substantial meal to keep us going the whole day. At Outside Lands, you plan your agenda around musical acts and what you’re eating in between. There’s ChocoLands, BeerLands, Food Truck Lands, and more. Trust us, you want to be aware of all your options before you settle for something that doesn’t feed your heart as much as the next stand might. I encourage you to check out the 2014 restaurant list ahead of time. In true SF fashion, composting bins will be available; make like a local, and put your waste where it belongs. Read on for 10 San Francisco food favorites that stand out at the Park and on the streets of the city.
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Leaving Home for Home
After 9 years in Los Angeles, Catherine reflects on her decision to move to San Francisco
PHOTO: Tara Freese. I moved to Los Angeles in 2005, fresh out of high school and ready to tackle my first taste of freedom. The rivalry between the Bay and L.A. was palpable among my friends at LMU, and shortly after starting my freshmen year, I was already homesick for San Francisco. Every opportunity I had to fly home for an extended weekend, I took. Then after opening my eyes to the world and studying abroad in Florence, my perspective changed. My senior year I embraced the limited amount of time I had left in college, took an off-campus internship, and really started to explore the city I had lived in for three years beyond the neighborhood around LMU.
Though I started to find my groove—particularly once I was working full-time at a magazine and working events in glamorous Beverly Hills and exciting West Hollywood—it wasn’t until a couple years after college that I finally admitted to all my Bay Area friends that I loved L.A. I even started to feel a sense of pride in the city (though I will never ever support the Dodgers), especially when people told me how much they hated it.
Many people decide to start fresh after college by moving to a new city; I was not one of those people, though I did face the obstacle of making new friends after my college friends slowly but surely left the area. The last time I really felt like I started a new chapter in my life was when I originally left home. Serendipitously, while cleaning out my place, I found the video from my cotillion and watched it with my parents. My 18-year-old self gave a speech about leaving for college, moving to L.A., and what I’d learned up to that point in life. It was so fascinating to look back at the girl I was before I started this L.A. adventure… and to feel the difference in what I went through then versus what I’m going through now.
Back then I had so much direction and focus: I knew my purpose in moving, I knew what I would study in college, I knew what I wanted to do after (though at that point I thought I would be a high school English teacher first). Now I’m leaving L.A. with more life experience and a better sense of who I have become, though what the future holds may still be hazy (or should I say foggy).
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Cleaning Out Your Closet (and Shopping Your Wardrobe)
5 Guidelines to Discard Items + 6 Classic Pieces to Keep When Cleaning Out Your Closet
PHOTO: Sex and the City. Admit it. It’s the middle of the summer, and you still haven’t gotten around to spring cleaning. If you read All’s Fair in Love & Wardrobe (or even just my book report on it), you might have the urge to edit your wardrobe (before editing your love life). The good news for you slackers is that I just did a major overhaul of two closets thanks to my move, and I learned some things in the process.
Cleaning out your closet is beneficial for a) making room for new things, b) taking inventory of what you might have forgotten you have, c) making a little extra cash, and d) feeling emotionally lighter. A well-edited closet gives you the opportunity to know exactly what you have and streamlines the getting ready process and your options of what to wear. Now where to start? There are the tried and true rules for what you should discard, but where can you draw the line? Read on for your guide to what must go as well as what should stay in your wardrobe.