New Music: Circle//Circle

Last week I got the chance to see Circle//Circle down at Cafe Nine in New Haven, CT thanks to one of my friends who was playing with them. They're a local group that I'm pretty excited about. Two gals, Emily and Kayla, handle lead vocals while strumming away on their ukulele and banjo. Chris is also on guitar and with the three of them they form some awesome harmonies.

You will not regret checking out their latest album, Guts. Go ahead, have a listen!

Adventure Time: Books & Company and Le Petit Gourmet

{via}

This book store is a community gem. I was on my way to an appointment and had some time to spare so I decided to stop in; so glad I did! It's located right on the corner of Whitney Ave and Putnam in Hamden. It features half priced (or lower) gently used books of all kinds. My favorite part however would have to be the beautiful little gifts, from jewelry to ornate journals to tibetan prayer flags. IT'S JUST SO DARN CUTE.

It was also very welcoming and exuded a lovely "come relax, chill" type of vibe. In the back of the store there's coffee and a parent/kids reading area. The staff was super friendly too!

Right next door was Le Petit Gourmet, which is this quaint little cafe that served me the most bomb panini I've had I think ever (the southwestern one, you should try it!). This establishment is also approachable and friendly; don't be intimidated by all the old biddies having their lunch dates.

Back to Books & Company, I want to show off the bracelets I picked up today:

Cute right?! They were on sale at the book shop. I will definitely be frequenting this place.

Durham Fair!

Long ago before school smacked me in the face, I went to the Durham fair with my friend Danisha! Neither of us have ever been but it's one of the biggest fairs in Connecticut so we had to check it out. Best decision! Tons of animals, vendors, and yummy things to try. OH YEAH and LOTS of pumpkins.

1st place for painted pumpkins!

1st place pumpkin!

1st place for watermelon! My brothers would have loved this.

 Danisha and I bonded with this particular llama in the petting zoo. He was pretty rad! We also made friends with a camel named Polly. At one point I had taken her picture to post on instagram (of course) and as I was adding the caption looking at my phone, Polly comes within inches of my face and my phone like "hey, whatcha doin' there?" It shocked me but it was pretty funny!

The pumpkins weren't the only compositions going on. They had needle work, paintings, knitting, and all sorts of arts and crafts to be judged. However, my favorite would have to be the tractor pull. These tractors were pimped out painted like monster trucks :O) The task was to pull a truck as far as they can. This one here is doing a pop-a-wheelie.

Of all the food we devoured, the one I absolutely must mention is the deep fried cheesecake. I cannot express how heavenly this was! probably terrible for me but with each bite, the calorie count mattered less and less. I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was a bit like fried ice cream. The cheesecake was still cold and pretty solid, while the crust on the outside was light, warm, and delectable. The chocolate drizzle sent my taste buds over the top.

Lastly, I should probably mention how much I love llamas. I don't really have a reason other than I think they're awesome. At the fair, there was several buildings and one was dedicated to just llamas. Each farm had their own little section to show off their llamas. SO MANY LLAMAS

So glad I got the chance to go this year! There was so much there that I could do (and eat) it all, so I definitely can't wait till next year.

TTFN <3
-Avé

Alt Groove Recap: 9.26.12

T O P I C S :

• EASTER ISLAND HEADS HAVE BODIES. Seriously, how did we not know this? or am I the only one?
• Rosa Parks did more than just sit! I think we all knew this, but I don't think we all knew just how much she did for the civil rights movement. Daniel McGuire wrote a fascinating book that I can't wait to read titled At the Dark End of the Street. She was actually a detective figure for rape cases :O
• The first male to attend a famous nanny college.
• Buy a ring for $2,499, get a free rifle.
• There's a cat named Skinny whose 41 lbs and up for adoption in Texas

E V E N T S :

• Stay in the Dark: Art show at SCSU in Earl Hall, October 8th through the 12th
• Post-it Show: Art show at SCSU in Earl Hall, October 15th through the 19th
• Durham Fair! September 27th through the 30th; my first time, can't wait!
• Lorraine Warren talkin' 'bout GHOSTS October 24th, 8pm at Lyman
• Vintage Steel: Show up at Fair Haven Furniture till January 11th

M U S I C :

SPOTIFY PLAYLIST

TTFN!<3

-Avé

Greek Odyssey Festival

FUN FACT: My fiancé is Greek! Every Labor Day weekend his church hosts a huge Greek Festival filled with food, vendors, dancing, and LOUKOUMADES! I look forward to it every year and I usually go two or three nights out of the four, since it's free parking and it's the only time of the year to get Greek food this good.

Here's a basic breakdown of what they have at the festival--this is just what's inside the church! Outside there's three food tents, two live bands, two dance areas, and seating scattered about. They have a couple of events too. Every day of the festival, the priest does a presentation on the iconography shown in the art in the sanctuary. This picture really doesn't do the beauty of the paintings justice. Also, every night they have a group of talented kids and teens dress up in traditional clothes and do traditional dances. Not gonna lie, their moves make me a bit jealous.

Although there's lots to enjoy at the festival, my main reason for going is loukoumades. What are they? Sweet delicious balls of fried honey dough with cinnamon sugar on top *drools* They make them fresh, so they're always hot. When you bite into them, sometimes they burst with honey. I seriously have to learn how to make these!

 If you're in the southern CT area around Labor Day weekend be sure to stop by the Greek Odyssey Festival. If for nothing else, the food! You'll definitely find me there next year (probably in line to get more loukoumades. or a gyro. or spanikopita. )

TTFN! <3
-Avé

Potato and Corn Festival!

I've been so busy with work, I'm glad I'm finally getting to this post as I watch the closing ceremony for the Olympics (btw, OMG SPICE GIRLS INNER CHILD SO HAPPY). Anyways, the Potato and Corn Festival was great! I go for the food, of course, but there's plenty more to see and do there. They have corn eating contests, sack races, carnival rides, and vendors to shop.

As it was the Potato and Corn Festival, one would expect to eat potatoes and uhh...corn Although they are delicious, I had that last year. So I went for the Thai food from Thai Awesome. My veggie pad thai with garlic chicken was the best. ESPECIALLY with the sriracha sauce. Noms.

The Thai food was awesome, but the star of the evening was Big Couzin's Doughnuts, made fresh to order. Not gonna lie, these doughnuts are reason enough to go to the festival. I could eat them forever. These doughnuts were love at first bite. They cook them right in front of you, flipping them with dowels to golden perfection as you salvate buckets. Then you get the choice of sugar or cinnamon sugar, they shake it in a big bag of your choice, wrap a napkin around it and send you on your way to pure doughnut bliss.

I look forward to going again next year, and I shall buy many doughnuts. Nom nom nom.

TTFN!<3