ready, set, go.

It's happening again. Once again, it's our last night in New York and I'm trying to stuff my life into a suitcase no bigger than a back pack. Each time we do a massive trip I downsize in luggage from the trip before... you just start to realize how little you REALLY need to get by.  So this new little gem is a "boarding bag" and allows just enough room for the basics + an extra or two... and I'll be using it for three months abroad. Eeeek! After the tour we'll be working on the new record and getting things in line for the release next year. I'm excited beyond words, but of course have a little anxiety as well. I've never left for 3 months and the thought of not seeing my family and friends for that long makes my heart sad. 

The adventure is just beginning! I'll try to keep this updated as much as possible - so check in often. If you don't already, go ahead and follow me on twitter (@dancepanda) as that will surely be updated more than this. 

And as always - come see us if you're in one of these cities!

xoxo,

b

making christmas in brooklyn

Ron and I are now doing "the holiday switch off" - meaning we switch off between families for Thanksgiving & Christmas each year. Last year we were in Atlanta with my fam - this year we're up in New York where most of his family has landed. So this means we got to host our very first real holiday (sort of)! We hosted Christmas Eve with our family and close friends at our... um... I mean, some dude's apartment that we've never met. We got an apartment via AirBnB for the few weeks we're in town. Luckily, it was perfect for our holiday! Thanks, random dude!

Ron, his brother, and his dad made an Italian dinner for us... and I made dessert (lemon + basil cookies and funfetti cupcakes!). Dinner was out of this world as always - you can't beat antipasto, homemade lasagna, rice balls, and veal cutlets. God bless an Italian kitchen. PLUS, we had a delicious holiday cocktail/amazing champagne/perfect wine. The mint, cranberries, and pomegranates below are our drink garnishes... nice touch, if I do say so myself. Can't beat it with a stick.

Merry Christmas everyone... more to come from this crew... but go hug your fam and celebrate with them. See ya lata.

-b

wrapping up Australia (with a bow)

as we're winding down on 2012 (and what a crazy year it's been), I wanted to FINALLY wrap up posts from Australia.

Our final adventure down under was ill-planned and very last minute, but we made it work and had the best time. We realized we had not yet done the very thing that Ron talked about doing non-stop before our trip... he wanted to actually HOLD a koala. Yes, we had seen one, stood next to one, and even tousled it's little furry head, but hold one, we had not! One small situation: due to our lack of planning and busy schedule, we had no more time. We had to drive back to Brisbane from Byron Bay in order to catch an afternoon flight to Sydney that would eventually connect us to our flight to LA. We realized we had ONE shot - we could squeeze in one short hour at The Lone Pine Koala Reserve before we had to turn in the rental car and make it to the plane before it took off. Challenge accepted!

Knowing we only had one hour to hold a koala, feed kangaroos, and see the dingos meant we literally had to run from one spot to the other, pushing little kids down left and right. I'd say looking and acting like idiots was 100% worth it for THIS:

That's it! I simply adored being in Australia and can't wait to go back... so much we missed and so much more slang to learn! Until next time...

-b

even more deliciousness (food part 2)

I won't go on a tirade like I did on the last food post. You know my thoughts & we can move on from there. We had SO many good food experiences in Australia, but I'll just wrap up with a couple more

Chat Thai (Sydney) - holy-shit-this-is-amazing thai food

We were recommended by multiple people to go to Chat, but ignored it for a few reasons. First, the location closest to our hotel was basically in a mall. It was a fancy mall, but still not my thing. Also, it's thai food - we love thai food, but sometimes it gets redundant. We finally gave in on our last full day in Sydney. MIND BLOWN. First of all - while it is busy, they are still super nice, which is somewhat of an anomaly in Australia (typically servers are not rude, just lackadaisical). Second, the menu is a book. While that can be a bit overwhelming, this one has food photos galore, so even if you don't understand the description, there is likely a photo floating around of it somewhere.  It's a step fancier than your run of the mill thai restaurant, so expect gorgeous plates and super fresh ingredients. We got a variety of things, but both agreed that their duck red curry was out of this world. Just the right mix of sweet and spicy - chances are I'll be searching for an equally satisfying dish for life.

Panama House (Bondi Beach) - brunch!

After The Morning Show, we had to run out to Bondi to do one more bit of press. Luckily, we stumbled on this spot and had time to stop in and grab a bloody mary (don't judge us) and some amazing eggs + fun salsas. It reminded me of a Brooklyn-esque spot - simplistic decor, minimal menu. We were more than happy with the results.

oh, hello

sorry about my non-existence these days! We're back in New York and as always we are so busy I can't think straight. We're trying to slip in some New York Christmas festivities, but I've been VERY bad at keeping this old thing on the up and up. I promise I'll return! I still have a post or two left about Australia, so I better get this puppy back on track before the new year hits!

Just wanted to let you know I haven't forgotten about you!

xo,
b

behind the scenes

While I don't typically like to post too much work stuff on here, I thought you might enjoy some behind the scenes snaps from doing press and shows in Australia. Enjoy!

Yes, I know they swap from legit camera to crappy iPhone. Soowweeee.

 

Catch ya soon!
-b

dudes

our Thanksgiving consisted of zero turkey consumption, but more than a little salt water was taken in.  To celebrate a holiday that is not celebrated in Australia, we went with a very Aussie activity - surfing. Neither one of us had tried it before, but we were there and WHAT THE HELL... ya know?

Admittedly, I was a tad bit of a bitch on the way out there. We took a massively long bus ride to a non-touristy surf spot, so I spent my time wishing I was laying on the beach being a bum. Once we got in the water, my mood shifted and I became friends with my board. Turns out, I love surfing and I don't suck at it. Who knew? God bless the adventure.

Unfortunately, the photographer (yes, there was one with this particular instructor) didn't get too many Rp shots, but I figured Ron's legit ALL OVER this blog, so here's my face for a minute.

(please disregard my intense face and disappearing eyes... next step is learning to surf with sunnies)

later, dudes!

xxoo,
b

imagination station

Most people in Byron Bay seem to be on perma-vacation... and that's an incredible thing if you can manage it. We, however, manage to always squeeze in work when we find the time (noooo/blahhhh/rawrrrr/etc). It's super lame and counterintuitive. However, when your job lands you in a place like this super fantastic music imagination station, it doesn't suck quite as much.

We were hooked up with a friend of a friend who runs a studio/artist haven ON the water in Byron. Pretty sweet gig, ehh? OH, and they have a major beer sponsor that just delivers cases upon cases of beer to their doorstep every month. To say it does not suck would be a slight understatement.  So when we were offered the chance to go chill for the day, we jumped on it. We wandered the 30 minutes down back roads to get to the place and were much better for it. 

They fed us their free beer, we talked shop, we played some tunes (i.e. I was sort of drunk after 3 beers so I twirled around a bunch and looked like a spastic 5 year old), and we met a baby and a dog. Perfect day? I say YES. 

then things got a little hazy on the way home. I think we met a spirit guide in the form of a dog and I forced Ron to take a photo of me muscling up a drunk handstand (hey! at least I remembered to point my toes). It's a miracle what three beers will do to me after all these years of being a fully grown/mostly functional adult. 

listen, I don't judge you and your hobbies.

And with that: goodbye & goodnight!

xxoo,

b