Misogynistic Magicians

This is the story of how I was sexually harassed during a magic show.

For context, about two weeks ago on a Monday night, I had the opportunity to go to the Magic Castle in LA, as my friend Tyler’s +1. He, along with other students from Harvey Mudd College, got to attend. The Magic Castle is self-defined as “the private clubhouse for the Academy of Magical Arts, Inc, a very special organization devoted to the advancement of the ancient art of magic.” If invited by a member, you can come dine and watch five different magic shows in three different venues throughout the castle. Formal attire is mandatory, e.g. their website tells gentlemen that, “While removing one’s jacket to watch a performance, dine or to wrap a female guest is acceptable, walking through the Castle sans jacket is not.”

(In retrospect, I really should’ve taken that comment as more of a red flag.)

I attended numerous shows, wandered through the castle, and dined with my friends. At 10 pm, we moved to the “Palace of Mystery” for the headliner of the night — Michael Finney (with a sort of “intermission act” whose name I cannot currently remember).

The following is my account of the events from that night, written the day after it happened. I have not edited it since (much), so the names are all names of my friends.

~~~

Little Comets, Strange Talk, and Free Downloads, too!

I haven’t posted on this blog in quite a bit of time. And it’s much easier to post about music than write about my life, sooooo…

Little Comets is an indie rock trio from England. They’re really fun. Kind of a combination of Vampire Weekend and Reptar and The Wombats. You can download a free sampler here. And here’s a song to enjoy:

(Weird. The ad before that video was actually for the next band I wanted to talk about…)

Strange Talk is an Australian foursome that plays pretty wonderful synth pop. They remind me of Empire of the Sun and Two Door Cinema Club. Download their EP for free at this link, and you can listen to a song below.

Happy 4th of July!

This is one of the most American songs I can think of (that I really like). Plus, I’ve known all the words to it for probably the majority of my lifetime. And when I was smaller, I would interpretive dance to this song whenever my sister played it in her room. Oh, and when I saw them live, John Ondrasik (the main guy) called me “sweetheart.”

Additionally, this song has been stuck in my head for over a day now. And, nothing’s more American than a couple of cars “cruising” through a small town (that happens to include some policeman), right? And there’s even an explosion of colors! Like fireworks!

Happy 4th. 🙂

Side note: BE SAFE. Do NOT drink and drive.

Bastille

This is the song that finished beautifully as I parked my car in its spot last night. You know like, when the song finishes just as you’re about to turn the car off. When I woke up, it was still playing loudly in my head. Maybe listening to it now will help stop it playing there on repeat?

Additionally, this is my favorite song by them:

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin (SSLYBY)

I normally hate using acronyms for things. This includes band names. But for this one, I might make an exception, because it’s ridiculously long. However, every time I use the acronym, I have to think of the actual name to make sure I get it right. This might defeat the purpose. But it’s ok, because

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin is worth the extra thought.

I love them. So much.

This song has one of my favorite lyrics of all time in it:

“Pretty girls just don’t park where they want to. They gotta go ’round in circles like we all do.” ❤

It’s fitting that I share this now, because a few days ago my friend posted the above song on my facebook wall, saying, “I usually just have a habit of assuming that you know every single band ever. But just in case. You know about Someone Still Loves you Boris Yeltsin, right?” And then my other friend commented on it, “(answer will be yes)” I love them. 🙂

And they just released the song below, which is their first new song in TWO years. AHHHHHH.

Happy Father’s Day!

So, I have returned safely from San Diego, but am a tad too exhausted to know when I’m going to get back to my scheduled programming/posts.

However, today is FATHER’S DAY! So Happy Father’s Day to all you fathers out there!

I, for one, love my father, and am incredibly thankful for his presence in my life.

This is what I sent him today:

The Lonely Forest

So, no promises on whether or not I get a daily post up today, because I’m going to SAN DIEGO.

However, here’s another song from a Washington state band for you: “Turn Off This Song And Go Outside” by The Lonely Forest.

(I know, this video was filmed on the 4th of July, so I could’ve waited, but the message is just too perfect for this weekend. 🙂 )

SEACATS

Ok, so this is SUPER random.

I saw these guys perform in 2010 at this music competition called “SoundOff!” at the Experience Music Project (EMP) in Seattle. To compete, all band members had to be under 18. 21? Shoot, I don’t remember. These kids had so much energy, and I liked their set a lot.

They played this song:

Then, I saw them a couple months later at Bumbershoot, which is a music festival in Seattle.

“Heart Beats” by Hey Marseilles

Here is my first music post. This is extraordinarily fitting, because the first song I ever played on my radio show was “Rio” by Hey Marseilles, off their first album To Travels & Trunks. This song is from their (much awaited and much appreciated) second album Lines We Trace. Hey Marseilles is from Seattle, and I’ve seen them live numerous times, and I’m pretty sure all members of my family (except maybe my father) have had awkward encounters with lead singer Matt Bishop. And I’ll get the chance to have that happen again! They’re on tour, check out the dates here: http://heymarseilles.com/shows/

I love this band. And this song. And this video. It’s so beautiful. It makes me miss Seattle.

(That might make more sense if I tell you I’m originally from the Seattle area, though not actually Seattle. So, here’s a taste of my home turf, and the music I love from that area.)

OHMYGAWD I JUST WATCHED THIS VIDEO. IT’S INCREDIBLE.

This is one of the most adorable things in the world. My love for them is overwhelming. *sighhh…

Hello world!

(The title of this post is cute because I’m a computer science major. And the first program you ever learn to write is one that prints out “Hello world!” to the user. It might not necessarily have an exclamation point, but mine certainly did.)

This is my first blog post. WHOA.

Ok, you might be thinking several things, like,