My Bunny Teeth

Last year I went to the dentist for a routine cleaning.  At the end of my visit, my dentist asked me if there was anything I'd like to change about my smile.

I replied "No, not really."

"What do you plan on doing about your two front teeth?"

This came as a shocker to me.  Growing up, I always felt lucky that I never had to get braces, so my two front teeth never ever crossed my mind (except once when I got hit in the mouth with a softball... ugh).  I forget how I ended up answering his very forward question.

He continued, "Well, when I look at you, your front teeth are like, coming at me.  I could do a flizzle flam blahbitty blah...etc"... I forget what all he said there.  Something to do with teeth caps.

I politely listened and declined.

I went home and shared this shocking proposal with my husband who immediately wanted to punch my dentist in the face (figuratively).  Of course I became obsessed with my newly realized rabbit teeth, and started to wonder... do I look like a big dork every time I smile?  How noticeable is it?  Do I need to change them??  My husband, being the awesome man that he is, said he loved my smile and my cute teeth, and I shouldn't worry about them at all.

But it made me think of all the girls and guys out there, no matter how confident they may be about the way they look....if someone points out a part of their body as "flawed" or "fixable", how easily those words can really stick in one's craw, and can make a person question their once-believed-to-be beautiful bodies.  It's bad enough that we have photoshopped images in magazines, billboards, and special camera lenses that make actors and actresses look slimmer or taller. It's inevitable that, somewhere subconsciously, we will compare ourselves to these impossible images.  And now we're getting it from our dentists?  (I've only experienced this here in L.A..... maybe it's a Hollywood thing?)

So I tried picturing myself with perfect teeth.... and realized, even if I changed something as little as that, I feel like I wouldn't look like me anymore.  Yes, my teeth would be more "perfect", but "perfect" is boring.  The awesome thing about being human is that no one is the same (physically or mentally).  We're all made up of these incredible "flaws" that set us apart from everyone else in the world.  And it's so freaking cool and beautiful!

I just finished my photo shoots for my new album, and looking through my pictures I did notice my little rabbit teeth every now and then, but they make me smile now.  I've come to love how perfectly imperfect they are.

That being said, I do know that some (actually, a lot of) people get "work" done.  In some cases it's medical, and helps relieve them of physical pain.  And for others, it's cosmetic.  They do it to boost their self-esteem.  I don't judge anyone for the choices they make for their bodies.  I know how painful body issues can be (trust me.  It took me many, many years of mental work to be able to see myself in a truer light and have the self-confidence I do these days... and I could definitely improve on that still).  I just hope that whatever changes people do to their bodies, that it's not coming from anybody else's opinions,  or words.

I recently went back to that dentist for a checkup (yes, I went back to him.  He's a great dentist, and I wasn't going to let his pushiness and opinions defeat me from coming back to get my teeth cleaned).  He asked me again if I wanted to change anything about my smile.  Without hesitating, and with a tiny, knowing smile, I said, "Nope."

By the way, I just watched Before Sunrise last night.  LOVE!  And I freaking adore everything about Julie Delpy.  Especially her smile.  :)  

Love,

p.a.

KAZOOMANIA!

Limited edition, purple and yellow "Priscilla Ahn" kazoos!  

I only have about 30 of these bad boys left.  Since my store has been closed forever, I decided to treat anyone who makes a purchase from now til Thursday night (U.S. PST) with a free kazoo.  For every item you buy, you will get 1 kazoo.  So if you buy a CD and a Zine, you will get 2 kazoos.  

No coupon code necessary!  

Happy Kazooing!

Love,

p.a.

P.S.  Thanks for your patience while my store was closed!  I've been so busy finishing up my record, mastering, photo shoots, album artwork, etc...  I finally was able to write "finish craft" on one of my to-do lists this past weekend, which made me realize I have TIME again -- yay!!!  Also, one of my dear friends, Juliette, has generously offered to help me put orders together in her spare time, which is amazing and a big help!  

My Bath Time Ritual

This past week I was busy preparing for and completing 2 separate photo shoots with two amazing photographers and friends, Chloe Aftel and Casey Curry.

One was shot in the beautiful desert, and some interesting outskirts along the way, which weren't all very warm spots.  The other was in L.A., on a sunny but very windy and not very hot day.  By the end of the second shoot, I was chilled to the bone from the temperatures*, wind, and lack of warm clothes.

So I decided to treat myself to a very long, hot bath.  One of my new favorite, restorative things to do.  Here's what's involved:

First I clean the tub with a chemical free mixture of baking soda and non-toxic dish soap.

Then I fill the tub with hot water, and bath salts from Rain Africa.  They have my all-time very favorite bath and body deli.

Two of my fave salts:  Passion and Rock Mint

Before I jump in, I set the mood.  I light a candle, dim the lights, have the latest issue of W Magazine or Vogue bath-side (with a hand towel for drying my hands when I reach for the mags), a tall glass of Alkaline water (good for hydrating the skin), and play my Bath Time Mix, which consists of:

Hui Ohana

Devendra Banhart

Debussy

Tinariwen

Iron & Wine

Juana Molina

Father John Misty

Labi Siffre

... to name a few

Once inside the bath, I drop one of Rain Africa's delicious earth eggs inside, which release essential oils, cocoa butter, and whatever herbs, petals, or seeds may be on the outside.  My all time favorite is the Marula Rooibos egg, with cocoa butter and cedarwood oil.  It is a sedative, antiseptic, astringent, hair tonic, and skin softener.  What more could you want??

Here is a set of 6 different Earth Eggs.

So cute in this little egg carton, no?

After an hour or so, I exfoliate and shower off.  I end the experience with a relaxing 10 minute face mask by Shiseido.

I always feel like I'm glowing the next day after doing this mask.  

Although I will warn you, the mask is literally horrifying when you put it on.  It looks like a creepy, white ski mask.  But totally worth it!  ;)

Afterwards, I feel completely mellowed out, detoxed, refreshed, and ready to take on the world again.

Do you have any Bath Time / Relaxation rituals?

Love,
p. a.

*  By low temps, I mean low 60's.  I know -- I'm a big baby when it comes to even a hint of cool air!

My Struggles With Technology

I don't know if you've been feeling this lately....but I've been trying to cut down on my time spent on my laptop and iphone, with very little success.  It seems everything I do revolves around my laptop (listening to music, writing and recording music, email is probably my main source of communication, and I find new inspiration from things I find on the internet).  And yet, I know there is so much I can do without a laptop to keep me creatively inspired as well.

Yesterday, I was having lunch by myself.  Something I actually enjoy doing from time to time.  But I wasn't alone.  My phone was sitting there, right next to my plate of tuna nicoise.  I was pretty much having lunch with my phone.  What was so important at that moment?  Catching up on Instagram.  I feel like if I don't check my Instagram everyday, I'm going to miss out on something really cool.  Like finding an inspiring photo, or seeing what my friends have been up to.  I'm sure some of you experience these feelings too?  I never got into the whole Facebook thing, atleast not on my personal page.  But Instagram has sort of become my Facebook.

And then I found this beautiful video about a little boy named Caine who built a whole entire arcade out of cardboard to pass his time at his Dad's autoshop.  I was so moved by his imagination and creativity!  It reminded me of when I was a kid.  Before cell phones, before laptops.  I used to get lost for hours at a time in my imaginary worlds.


Caine's Arcade from Nirvan Mullick on Vimeo.

When we lose electricity, it's annoying at first.  But then when I realize that there's nothing I can do about it, I enjoy every last bit of it!  Knowing that I have a valid "excuse" for not replying to emails or checking my phone eases the stress of thinking that I have to do it.  Just like when I get sick, sometimes I absolutely revel in it, because it's a valid excuse for me to do nothing but sit in bed and watch movies and read.  So why should I feel so "burdened" by technology when I am blessed with health and living in a place where technology is so easily available?

So now I am trying (and so far failing) to shut down my computer and iphone by 8pm.  (!!!)  Even thinking about it makes me tense a little.  It's really really hard.  My phone will stay locked in my purse next time I eat lunch solo -- or better yet, it'll stay in there with double locks on it when I'm eating with someone.  I'm even going to try to make Sundays tech-free day.  I'll call it "Old School Sunday".  And yes, come Monday morning I'll have double the amount of emails waiting for me in my inbox.  But atleast my eyes, my brain, my body, and my soul will have gotten a healing break for 1 day.

Do you feel the same about technology?  Do you have any rules or rituals about how to take tech breaks?

Love,
p.a.

P.S.  Here are some interesting articles I wanted to share with you:

Hot Tips + Neat Tricks For The Everyday Gangster:  great read for people who work from home.  I really loved her tips on "canned responses" for gmail users, and clearing out your entire inbox so you have less input constantly in front of you when you open your email.

10 Tips For Keeping Tech In Check:  This helpful blog post led me to Caine's Arcade, as well as....

...This book, which is on it's way!  I'll let you know how it is.

New Album Update

Here is a very dorky photo of myself standing in front of my parking space sign at the Mastering studio.  So dorky, I know!  But very exciting for me, as it means that my album is seriously almost finished!  Mastering is the last stage in completing an album.

But don't let that fool you... I'm nowhere near the end of being "done".  Next come photo shoots, album artwork, and video shoots.

We're shooting for a June release date...so deadlines are looming everywhere.

Unfortunately I've had to close my Girl In A Tree store temporarily because of this.  I just couldn't keep up with putting orders together and replying in a timely fashion.  But I promise you when I do re-open, I have a special (small) surprise for any potential shoppers.

Other than that, I'm just trying to keep my sanity together and enjoy all these exciting steps in finishing, packaging, and promoting my new album, which hopefully you all will hear very soon.  I'll try to instagram some of the upcoming photo shoots etc. to keep you all in the loop.

Love,
P

Birthday

photo taken of the March calendar made by The Indigo Bunting

Saturday was my 29th birthday.  At first I thought, 29... that's not a special number.  Mike had to work all day, so I knew I had to spend the whole day by myself, which also seemed pretty boring.  But I was so wrong about all of that!

I started the morning off with a walk through my neighborhood.  And because it was a Saturday, there were no cars whizzing by, or neighborhood construction banging and clanking going on.  And I, too, was not whizzing.  Usually my walks are brisk.  I only have so much time in a day to get a little exercise in.  This time it felt so nice, and noticeably more satisfying, to simply amble along.

  We had just gotten hail the day before (!!!), and Saturday was supposed to be more rain and clouds.  But it turned out to be one of the most gorgeous days ever!  Not a cloud in the sky.  And because of the rain the day before, the L.A. air was actually clean and fresh.  I could take in long, slow breaths and not feel like I was doing my body more harm than good.  The insects were going crazy!  I made friends with a hummingbird...

Spotted these two lovebirds keeping watch next to, what I'm assuming, was their nest.

   

The bees and butterflies were all over this wild flower that smelled delicious.  

And a cool breeze blew over all the wild nasturtium and yellow flowers and bright green grasses (see photos below).

I came home and planted some green onion, and yellow cala lilly bulbs I got from my mother.  It felt good to get out in the damp earth.  I was so happy to start working on my garden again (it's been a little neglected over the past year).

Then I got the most amazing Hydrafacial ever at Argyle Salon + Spa from Jaclyn.  It's so expensive (mreow), but I was lucky and got a great deal through Gilt City -- woo hoo!

Then I settled down at home with a glowing face and had a glass of white wine and watched Amelie -- a great girl birthday movie!  (And of course a great anytime movie for anyone!)

I ended the magical day with a mellow dinner with my nearest and dearest. I couldn't have thought of a better way to end my birthday....

And about that 29 being a dumb number/age thing?  The receptionist at the spa, who also just turned 29, told me that he plans on making this year "the blast of all blasts".  He pointed out how our 30's are going to be great...we know that already.  But here we are in our last year of our 20's.  Now's a great time to do all the crazy stuff we've been wanting to do, but haven't done yet.  I think I really needed to hear this because I was planning on lying for a year, and telling everyone I was still 28.  But now I'm actually really proud to be 29!  'Why' you ask?  Because I've given myself a goal... or a 'Bucket List', you might say, of things I want to do before I turn 30.

-  Put out my new album at the beginning of Summer

-  Get a webseries going (more on that later!)

-  Go skydiving

-  See the "O" Cirque du Soleil show in Vegas (I really really want to see this!!!)

-  Go snorkeling in Kaua'i again

That's it.  A pretty simple bucket list, but one I'm excited to start checking off.  Are any of you 29, or have been 29, and have/had a special way of looking at it?  Do any of you have bucket lists in general?  

Love,

Priscilla

Voice Project - Home Recordings Vol. 1

I am so proud and honored to be a part of this project, album, charity.  Sharing the artist listing with Peter Gabriel, Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros, Joseph Arthur, Cary Brothers, Brett Dennen, Tom Freund... just to name a handful.  Everyone is doing a cover of a friend's song, and all of the performances are live and pretty intimate.  But I think the most moving song on the album, is Acello Miriam, singing "Come Home" to all the children who have been abducted and forced to commit murder.  These boys are too ashamed to come home to their mothers.  But this woman, along with all the other mothers, sing this song telling them to come home.

This video sort of says it all.



I Am Mother from The Voice Project on Vimeo.

This is a beautiful album, raising awareness for a beautiful mission.  Check it out Here.

You can watch Voice Project videos of artists singing cover songs Here.

If you believe in this project like I do, here is their facebook page.  You know what to do.  ;)

love,
priscilla