I have been thinking of the concept of home lately. Sure, home is where the heart is. Home is wherever I’m with you. Love begins at home. These are all such powerful sayings. It’s true, there IS no place like home. If you use the word home as an adverb, it means deep and to the heart. As I have just recently returned home during a time of transition, I can not stop thinking about all of the places and times that I have felt most at home.

I realized two things while making this post. The feeling of home is not really about the places themselves, yet about the experiences I shared with the people there. The second is that in all of the images above, I felt deeply and to the heart, like myself.

Picturesque

By Farrell

May 7, 2012

Pictures

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Hi everyone! I hope your weekend was awesome. Every week we ask some of our friends and family to send us a picture they took and tell us a little bit about that picture. Here are this weeks pictures:

Laura – Key West, Florida
I took [this pic] in Key West on my mom’s birthday, and it makes me smile every time I look at it. Simply put: Family vacation. Birthday dinner. Key lime pie. Clean-plate club…almost.

Ddeani – Hawking Hills, Ohio
Supermoon

Lauren – New York, New York
Walking home down Rivington Street.

Albert – Cleveland, Ohio
Chillin’ and grillin’ with Paulie P, Cleveland Style.

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If you have any pictures that you want to send us for next week’s Picturesque, send them on over to farrell.feighan (at) gmail.com or lfeighan (at) gmail.com!

One Word, Two Ways: Time

By Lauren

May 5, 2012

One Word, Two Ways

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Each week we choose a word and each do a post based on that word. This week, the word is Time.

“To the tick tock ya don’t stop, to the tick tock ya don’t stop.“

I can’t say I have a great forte for punctuality but I do love the look of a creative clock. What time is it, you ask? Now. The time is now. Get after it!

Cantena Wall Clock / Art Deco Origami Clock / Homemade Ball Clock / Recycled Bike Wheel Clock / Rotary Phone Clock

I thought this would be an appropriate TIME to introduce you to one of our mentors. “So long, Carrie Bradshaw—there’s a new role model for go-getting thirty-somethings. Gabrielle Bernstein is doling out inner peace and self-love for the post-modern spiritual set.”—Elle magazine

Gabby puts out a weekly vlog, this week’s was on stretching time!

Music To Your Ears: Andrew

By Farrell

May 4, 2012

Music

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When one of my oldest friends, Andrew, said he would do a playlist for us, I was psyched. He is an amazing person with a wonderful perspective on life and I can’t wait to share his mix with you. Andrew has his own radio show that is broadcast not only in Fairfield, Iowa but also from the power of the sun. Yep, it is one of the first solar powered radio stations in the mid-west. Andrew has recorded his shows in over 7 different countries in the past year and I know there will be more to come.

Check out Andrew’s radio show, Eclectic Audiophile, live every Saturday at noon Central time.

Tracklist:

1. The Very Best – Mfumu
2. A B & The Sea – Take it Easy
3. Crystal Fighters – At Home
4. Faunts – Feel.Love.Thinking.Of.
5. Veronica Maggio – Jag Kommer
6. Breakbot – Happy Rabbit
7. A Skillz – California Soul (A Skillz Remix)
8. Craxxxsoft – Can’t Be Friends
9. Caribou – Leave House
10. Toro Y Moi – Blessa
11. Daedelus – Fair Weather Friends
12. The Seedy Seeds – Verb Noun
13. Adrian Lux – Teenage Crime
14. Tom Vek – Aroused
15. Holy Fuck – Stay Lit
16. Mint Royale – From Rusholme With Love
17. Cloud Cult – It’s Gay

*Having trouble listening to the playlist? Try it here.

My Beef with Bukowski

By Lauren

May 3, 2012

Inspired & Inspiring

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I got really mad at Charles Bukowski last night. Earlier in the day, I’d run across the quote below from his novel, Women.

“I was drawn to all the wrong things: I liked to drink, I was lazy, I didn’t have a god, politics, ideas, ideals. I was settled into nothingness; a kind of non-being, and I accepted it. I didn’t make for an interesting person. I didn’t want to be interesting, it was too hard. What I really wanted was only a soft, hazy space to live in, and to be left alone.”

I’d only been introduced to Bukowski once before and though I got a glimpse of him them, I don’t know him well at all.

Over drinks, I told a friend who knew him better how much Bukowski had irritated me and what a poor impression he’d made. Was he just going to flaunt his simultaneous knowledge of all that lacks and offer nothing to suggest change, evolution or attempts toward improvement?! My friend listened with understanding and then set a broader context, as we do for the ones we know and care for. I learned more about the man behind the words. We acknowledged the truth that he evokes. I lightened my stance and amended my position. In truth, I know Bukowski almost only as I know Che Guevara through his face on a t-shirt. Or, so as to say, I know more about the people who wear him than I do about the man himself. The quote above from Bukowski’s Women is powerful and taps into things I can relate to for sure. What remained troubling to me though is the temptation to romanticize the listlessness and resign Bukowski conveys.

I see that Bukowski taps into very real feelings through authentic conveyance of emotion. He speaks to dark, human feelings many of us feel, so we resonate with his words. We read and we feel. But after the feelings have been felt, I will agree:

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” – Albert Einstein

Homie of the Day: Catherine from Grapes of Cath

By Lauren

May 2, 2012

Homies

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We’re delighted to have our friend, and wine aficionado, Catherine from Grapes of Cath back again (remember her holiday post on the bubbly?!). This time ’round she’s presenting us with a killer guide to rose wines for your springtime sipping pleasure. Thanks, Catherine! Cheers, all!

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My dad sent along a few gifts for my 28th birthday this past November. In his card he wrote, “something whimsical, and something not.”

The whimsical was this playful painting.

Recognize the rhyme? Hey Diddle Diddle...

Pretty silly, but I adore it just the same. I hung it up right away, and glance at it often just to remind myself…on days when I start to take life a little too seriously… to never say never, that there are a million things unseen, to believe in the ridiculous. All because in some place, at some time, there was a cat that played the fiddle and a cow that jumped over the moon.

When it comes to wine, nothing seems to command whimsy like a glass of rosé. In my world, rosé is a year-round thing- its dusty romance is never lost, no matter the season. But, here we are in May with new vintages hitting the market, and bottles of it everywhere – just begging to be brought home, chilled, and sipped on a blanket in the park. Rosé, rosato, rosado, vin gris, blush- dew on the grass- all so new!

The making of rosé is a craft. Depending on the producer and their practices, it is often more time-consuming then making red or white wine. Rosé, you see, has to be just so. Though there are a few different techniques (blending, skin contact, saignée, etc.), each producer has his own variation on the theme. In the end it depends on the grape, the winemaker, the typical style of the region. Some are made to last for quite a few years, many are meant to be quaffed just months after they are released.

Generally, rosé can’t really be generalized. As a category, it is capable of all sorts of substantial and flighty, weak and strong. As far as flavor, body, and shade go, the span of rosé is vast. If Elle Woods has taught us anything, let it be to give pink every bit of respect as the rest of the color wheel.

Here are just a bunch that I’ve been diggin’ on from across the spectrum – a few somethings whimsical, a few somethings not.

Bandol from Mas de la Rouviere. About $23

This wine is made almost entirely from old-vine Mouvedré, which shows itself particularly well in the dry, hot, limestone soil ofProvence, along the Mediterranean and nearby the port of Marseilles, in southern France. Mas de la Rouviere is a small estate owned by the Bunan brothers. The deep old roots deliver a poignant spice and deep herbaciousness- and has been said to resemble our dear friend Mary-Jane.

Canavese Rosato Rubiconda by Orsolani. About $15

How to describe this delightful wine coming fromItaly’s northwest region of Piemonte? Its specific growing area is Canavese, a valley carved out by a large glacier that slid down from the nearby Alps long, long ago. There are many notable things to say about this location, and this producer as well. But let’s begin with the grape – it is called neretto and is one of very few grapes out there that has both red skin and red pulp (most pulp is white). Orsolani, a very talented white wine producer, removes the skins of the neretto grapes just after harvest and vinifies the juices as a white wine. Because of the tinted pulp, the result looks like a rosé. Tricky, huh? Maybe as tricky as the blushing tart on the label!

Cotes de Provence Cuvée Tradition Rosé by Clos Cibonne. About $24

Made from an ancient grape variety called Tibouren, this rosé is interesting to say the least. Produced by Clos Cibonne, an estate in sunny southeast France, it is aged in barrels with flor, a layer of yeast that rests atop the aging wine (traditional in sherry production). The flor contributes great intricacy, character, and complexity. Pleasantly-oxidized. Not exactly pretty – but handsome. Dashingly-handsome.

Vin Gris de Cigare by Bonny Doon. About $16

Bonny Doon is a most wacky and natural estate in California’s CentralCoast. Headed by the equally wacky and natural Randall Grahm, one of the original “Rhone Rangers” (check out his book, Been Doon So Long, for understanding and entertainment). Grahm’s wines, are excellent – you sip them and the joie de vivre of Bonny Doon translates through the bottle. Possible? Stranger things have happened. This vin gris is composed of typical Rhone varieties – grenache, mouvedre, grenache blanc, roussanne, and cinsault.

Cerasuolo Montepulciano d’Abruzzo by Valentini. About $80

From near Loreto Apruntino in the central Italian region of Abruzzo, this wine is from the montepulciano grape, and from the mysterious (and maybe genius) Edoardo Valentini. What is used, and what is done, no one knows. There is a basket press, there are cement tanks, there is Slavonian oak botti, there are about 8 hectares planted to vines. The details are fuzzy, but you taste this wine and know something – that this is an interesting wine, a rosé that can withstand the years. It wins many awards, but that is not what matters. What matters is that there is a bacon on the nose, tomato leaf too. Actually, there is a whole meal that you have not even thought to make yet – and the table is beautifully set, and all of your friends are there, and the conversation is full, and in between courses you dance your favorite dance, sing your favorite song, and know that you have found some sort of infinity in a glass. Priceless.

Muralhas de Monção Rosé by Adega Coop Regional de Monção. About $8

There are incredible deals to be found in Portuguese wines. I believe that this is one of them. This wine comes from the sub-region of Vinho Verde and is made by a cooperative. Cooperatives have long been common for European wine production – keeps prices down, vintners paid, and bellies full of wine. Most Portuguese wines come from native grapes specific to the country. They are usually borderline unpronounceable. Alvarelhão, pedral, and vinhão are the players here. Fresh, fresh, fresh.

Viña Tondonia Rosé Gran Reserva by López de Heredia. About $26

A serious rosé if there ever was one, coming from one of Rioja’s oldest bodegas, Viña Tondonia, and run by family with a long history of love and respect for their land and work. Made from temprañillo, garnacho, and viura. Aged in barrels for over 4 years, bottled unfiltered by a winemaker who believes in magic. Sturdy yet bright.

Rose by Wölffer. About $14

Made on the Wölffer estate on Long Island’s South Fork by German-born oenologist, Roman Roth. A little merlot, a little cabernet sauvignon, a little chardonnay, a little cabernet franc. A lot of peach, a decent amount of acidity, a touch of confection. German influence, Provence-inspired, New York made.

Sancerre Rosé by Pascal Jolivet. About $21

Pinot Noir grown in “the garden of France,” that being the Sancerre appellation of the Loire. This wine is simply really good. Unctuous, cherry, fresh earth. Pair with a good G. Dead album. Jerry!

Sisters Who Disco

By Farrell

May 1, 2012

Pictures

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Well friends, it’s the end of a personal era for us over here at Sister Disco. Farrell’s bags are packed and she’s ready to hit the road.

Neither of us can believe that it has been five years since she moved to NYC. I’d already been here almost five years myself when she arrived, and I don’t think you’ll be shocked to know, we’ve had a blast. For the sake of our own sentimentality, we thought we’d share a little photo retrospective on some of the times that have brought us to where we are today.

Picturesque

By Farrell

April 30, 2012

Pictures

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Happy Monday, everyone! Every week were ask some of our friends and family to send us a picture and tell us a little bit about it. Here are this weeks pics:

Elliot – Coachella at 105 degrees.

Jo – New York, New York

We went to see Manon for my dad’s 60th birthday. It was so beautiful it made me cry. My dad is so in love with opera and wanted to look at the wall of opera singers for the entire intermission. I wanted to look at Lincoln Center from the inside out.

Jessica – New York, New York

I took Farrell to a filming of “The Revolution” as a last hurrah and it was so cool. Our episode airs on May 16th. Check it out!

One Word, Two Ways: Image

By Lauren

April 28, 2012

One Word, Two Ways

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Each week we pick a word and both do a post based off that word. This week, the word is…Image.

I have a special affection for Google Images, in that I love it. I also have a book called “The Yoga of the Nine Emotions: The Tantric Practice of Rasa Sadhana.” The book centers on the practice toward achieving mastery of one’s “most important and basic” emotions: Love, Joy, Wonder, Courage, Calmness, Anger, Sadness, Fear, and Disgust. I thought it would be interesting to do a basic Google Image search on each of these nine emotions, and select one of each to present a full spectrum image of all of them together. So that’s what I did.

Click for image source, from top to bottom:

Love / Joy / Wonder / Courage / Calmness / Anger / Sadness / Fear / Disgust

Lately I have been wanting to write about body image but I wasn’t sure how to broach the subject. When the word image came up for our word of the day, I thought it would be a great way to start. I know I am not alone in saying that I am really tough on my body. I have had phases of extreme weight loss and extreme weight gain and I did not feel complete in either one of those places. As the years have progressed, I am proud to say that I love and accept my body much more than I ever thought I would. But, it is an ongoing process.

A couple of months ago, I read a post by this brilliantly strong woman. She had just had a baby and woke up early and went out for a walk. When she reached for the top of the hill she was hiking and she heard a voice that said:

You’ve got to trust me.

When I am hungry I will tell you.
You’ll hear it in chambered echos, grumbles and moans.
DON’T FEED ME, until you hear my call.

When I am lonely I will tell you.
A lump will well up in your throat, like you’ve swallowed cotton and tears will form in your eyes.
DON’T FEED ME, try making a connection with the fine collection of friends you love.

When I am anxious I will tell you.
Your heart will beat fast, your breath will struggle to leave the lungs, and you might feel full of fire.
DON’T FEED ME, instead sit down and fight for those breaths, let the oxygen pour into you—clearing the veins and vessels, close your eyes, identify the fear that is squeezing you.

When I feel depressed I will tell you.
There will be a significant lack of energy, a slumpy reaction to bed-leaving, my mind will slow down and thoughts will become like black puffy clouds.
DON’T FEED ME, instead fill your head back up with new thoughts, ideas from books and discussions. Replace the dirty fuel in your mind with clean energy.

When I feel stressed I will tell you.
Like rubberbands squeezing around your cranium, your head throbbing, your stomach turning, your muscles tightening.
DON’T FEED ME, instead write it all out, everything you are feeling, look over the list and examine.

When I feel sick I will tell you.
Fevers, aches, pains and physical discomfort.
DON’T FEED ME, take care of me, bathe me, give me lots of water and put me to bed.

When I feel happy I will tell you.
Goosebumps infiltrate your skin, you will feel light and airy, propped up on energy, buzzing in your blood.
DON’T FEED ME, use the excess vivacity to spread your sentiments to someone else.

When I feel sensual I will tell you.
Your skin will turn pink and glow. Your mouth will involuntarily smile, your body will hum with awareness.
DON’T FEED ME, you know what to do.

When I need exercise I will tell you.
Your legs will ache to be walked, your back will beg to be stretched, your heart will ask to be throbbed.
DON’T FEED ME, walk me. And don’t exercise me until I say so, please, or we will battle.

When I feel lazy, content, competitive, peaceful, overwhelmed, snippy, snappy, hot, cold, tired, frustrated, thirsty, full, beaming and bright I will tell you.
DON’T FEED ME, none of these sentiments require food. Excess surplus will have to be stored. I will have to make more of us—human shelves in rolls and lumps—to organize the overflow intake. Don’t make me do that, please. There are babies to feed, children to squeeze, a husband to kiss. Right now, we don’t have a lot of steam to become a storage facility as well.

But when I feel hungry I will send you a message of emptiness of stomach, dizziness of head, a sensation in your mouth extending into your throat that reads, I NEED FOOD, PLEASE DON’T STARVE ME.
Then, feed me.

Though in all those instances, I would probably do the opposite of feed myself, her post is a great reminder for me to listen to my body and remember to love it unconditionally.

Movers and Shakers

By Farrell

April 27, 2012

Inspired & Inspiring, Travel

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“We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”
Walt Disney

For the past year or two, I have felt really antsy in my life. I have had a hard time setting roots and committing myself here in New York. About two years ago, I was laid off from my job, and as I was telling a friend the other day, after that I think I just stopped trying to “make it” in NYC. It was not until I returned from India that my need to leave became more than uncomfortable. The meditation that I do focuses on removing samskaras from your heart and when I came home, I could not ignore what my heart was telling me anymore. It was time to go.

So, my boyfriend and I decided to move all our stuff and spend some time in Cleveland, Ohio and then we are off to travel. We both have one way tickets to New Zealand in June and we plan on taking it from there.

The map in our apartment charting our dream trip around the world.

I was just thinking back to this post I wrote about traveling around the world. It kind of gives me chills because I am actually going to do that. Though we’re leaving NYC on Tuesday, we aren’t starting our trip for another month. We are in the process of getting rid of most of our things and scaling down the amount we take with us.

Moving tip: Get boxes at the liquor store. They are strong and sturdy. Great for packing books.

This box was gone before I made it back up the stairs. For real.

I never anticipated feeling so many emotions leaving New York City, but in my heart I know it is the right thing to do. I am excited, scared, anxious, proud, happy – the list goes on and on. This is definitely not goodbye New York, but more like, check ya later.