Li'l Lenox.

This is Yung Lenox. He's seven. He likes rap and he likes to draw. What happens when those two passions collide? See below (and here, and here, too). 

See also:
1) If I slip, then I'm slippin'.
2) Circuses in the forests.
3) Children with swag.

Meet the Parents.

For whiling away a Thursday morning, photos from a 1971 issue of LIFE, featuring rock musicians with their moms and dads. Below, from top to bottom: Frank Zappa, Joe Cocker, Eric Clapton, Grace Slick, and Elton John (whose mother was quoted as saying, "We used to put him to bed in the day and get him up at night for parties").

See more at LIFE, here. Photos by John Olson (Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images).

Further reading: hardest-core music fans and a pair of Argentinian bandmates who perform for plastic animals. Read on, rock on.

Happy Holidays.

A few happy snaps from 2013, which is rapidly - very rapidly - coming to a close. I'll always remember it for being the year I sat on rooftops, hiked through tangled forests, jumped in rivers, felt simultaneously young and old. I also moved to a new apartment, took about a dozen road trips, and met my nephew, who's now nine months old. It's been a strange and surprising, eye-opening and mind-altering year. I've loved it.

I'll be taking the next two weeks off from blogging while I'm here in LA with family, and while I celebrate the new year in New York. I'll be back with a new post January 6th - I'm looking forward to share new ideas for the coming year then! In the meantime, ten links for the interim:

-Kaleidoscope glasses.
-Scenes from Santa school.
-"The Joy (and Dread) of Keeping Diaries" - I loved this.
-Mimosas with pear nectar and thyme. (See also: sage champagne.)
-This picture, for cold days.
-This dress, always, for warm days.
-Bekka Palmer's Rules for Wandering.
-"50 of the Best Closing Lines in Music."
-My favorite POV post of the year, about finding magic in the everyday. (Here are the rest.)
-And a line from Rumi for the new year: Tear off the mask, your face is glorious.

I can't thank you enough for your support, your kind words, and for reading this year. I feel so lucky to have found such an engaging and inspiring community here, and I consider you all - whether we've met in person or not - cherished friends. Wishing you a joyful, peaceful, restful December. See you in the new year.

Nightmare and the Cat.

A song for the weekend, courtesy of LA's Nightmare and the Cat. It's called "Blackbird Smile" and it's been keeping me awake on this sleepy Friday. Listen and love.

I'll be back Monday (writing from my parent's house in LA!) with a new POV post. In the meantime, have a happy weekend - read, rest, make origami corgis.

And, in case you missed them, find gift ideas (including hot honey, hand-stitched baseballs, and hairspray made for mermaids),  here.

Photos by Sterling Taylor and Eli Russell Linnetz via Cool Hunting.

Tweets, Tunes, Telegrams.

Distractions before the weekend: famous photographs reimagined using Play-Doh,

tweets turned into telegrams,

and the ever-crushworthy HAIM, covering Sheryl Crow's "Strong Enough." Love this. (Photo by Bella Lieberberg.)

And three more, just for kicks:
-Culinary curiosities: turmeric tea, and a frozen Kit-Kat cake inspired by Roald Dahl, who consumed the candy daily. (According to Paper and Salt: "He would save their silver wrappers, adding them to a giant foil ball on his desk, where visitors to the Dahl house can still see it today.")
-Speaking of beauty products, this is one of my favorites.
-"What I Won't Tell You About My Ballet Dancing Son."

See you Monday! (Oh, and New Yorkers, come check out Photoville this weekend - it's a pop-up photo exhibition set up inside repurposed freight containers in Brooklyn Bridge Park. You'll love it, I promise.)

Hand-Made.

To ease the transition to Monday, a song perfect for daydreaming. I first heard Alt-J's "Hand-Made" when I stumbled on a website using it as background music, and loved it immediately. Shortly after, I came across this video by Neels Castillon, which pairs the song with footage of starlings at sunset. It's gorgeous. Have a look - and a listen - below.

Visit Alt-J's Facebook page, here. More videos by Neels Castillon, here. Happy Monday.

If I Slip, Then I'm Slippin'.

Thank you, Kathy, for introducing me to Rap Poems, a blog that pays homage to the "poetic beauty of rap lyrics." As someone obsessed with words and poetry - and who wholeheartedly appreciates a good rap song, the filthier the better - it was love at first sight.

See more at Rap Poems, here. (Warning: many are not safe for work!)

Also, thank you again for all of your sweet birthday messages last week. I had a lovely day: Lily and Luke woke me up with a cake, I had coffee at my favorite shop in the rain, and then friends came over for drinks on our roof. Couldn't have asked for a more beautiful birthday - thank you so much for being a part of it.

#1 Fans.

Disciples, a series by James Mollison - the photographer behind Where Children Sleep - features portraits of music fans outside various concerts (below, from top to bottom: Madonna, Rod Stewart, Missy Elliott, The Casualties, and Kiss). Writes Mollison, "As I photographed the project I began to see how the concerts became events for people to come together with surrogate 'families,' a chance to relive their youth or try and be part of a scene that happened before they were born." I love it.

See more at James Mollison's website, here. Thanks, All That Is Interesting.

And for the weekend, three links, just because:

-Heartbreaking or hilarious? A Chinese man claims to have stolen over 800 books in an attempt to solve an existential crisis, admitting, ultimately, "I couldn't comprehend the meaning of life...I was hoping to find the answer by reading those books."

-Jay-Z's 99 Problems, illustrated.

-And lastly, speaking of writerly wisdom, this tidbit from Hunter S. Thompson: "Walk tall. Kick ass. Learn to speak Arabic. Love music and never forget you come from a long line of truth-seekers, lovers, and warriors." 

Have a wonderful weekend!

Father John.

Saturday night, as I mentioned earlier this week, I trekked to Philadelphia to see Father John Misty (formerly Joshua Tillman of Fleet Foxes) play at Union Transfer. I'd never heard his music before and was so happily surprised: folk rock mixed with shades of country and psychedelia, it was entrancingly beautiful and weird in all the best ways. I left dazed and a little delirious, dreamy, and with a T-shirt in tow. I'm a new fan. Take a listen below (the first two songs are my favorites).

Read more about Father John Misty, here. Photo by Josh Withers.

Any bands you've been listening to lately? Please share! My iPod is in need of updates. In the meantime, enjoy the weekend - and stay dry, East Coasters!

Tunes & Tomes.

As part of a series he calls "The Record Books", designer and art director Christophe Gowans re-imagines popular albums as books. So clever. (For obvious reasons, Pet Sounds is my favorite.)

See more at Christophe's website, here. Prints are available for purchase here, at the Rockpot.

Guthrie's Goals.

I love artist Mat Pringle's illustrated representations of Woody Guthrie's 1942 "New Year's Rulin's." I didn't make any New Year's resolutions this year, but I'm inspired to do so belatedly after finding this. I think I'll borrow #15 (see below) and #19, too. I'd also add one about spending more time outdoors, and another about finally visiting the Met. (Oh, and on a much more frivolous note, I think this would make an excellent addition, too.)

See more on Mat Pringle's blog, here (he's been posting new "rulin's" daily),  and on his official website, here. Now get out there, have a wonderful day, and learn people better! 

Via The Fox Is Black.

Holiday Gift Ideas: LISTEN.

For music lovers: musical wine glasses; drumstick pencils; a DIY ukulele; and a box of white chocolate, Champagne, and gold leaf truffles, inspired by hip-hop's love of bling.

Clockwise, from top left: Typography poster, $20; Johnny Cash portrait, $40; Music Branch headphone splitter, $10; Beatles iPhone and iPod skin, $15; Ukulele kit, $50; Musical wine glasses, approx. $62; Hip Hop Truffle Collection, $29; Drumstick pencils, $7.95; Karaoke machine, $99.

Three artists I've loved this year:

-Lianne La Havas.

-LP. (Most talented whistler ever.)

-The Lumineers.

Have a wonderful weekend - and stay warm!

Listen & Love: LP.

As of yesterday morning, I hadn't heard of singer-songwriter LP. Eighteen hours later, I've probably listened to "Into the Wild" (see the video featured below) about a hundred times. For lack of a better description, this lovely lady is just the coolest. Her band is, too. And? The girl can whistle. Watch and see.

Visit LP's website, here. Buy her album, "Live at EastWest Studios", here.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend. Also, if you have a spare moment in the next couple days, my very talented friend Chance (an animator on The Simpsons) has launched a Kickstarter campaign in support of "Little Billy," a brilliant new cartoon for kids with Tourette Syndrome, ADD, ADHD, OCD, and other special needs. If you can, please check out the campaign and show your support for a truly great cause.

Top photo by Tamzin Brown, bottom unknown.