The Non-Definitive Guide To Life

If you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with rain" - Dolly Parton

Posts for coachella

The Coachella Beekeeper

ADVENTURES, SNAIL MAIL - April 29, 2017

Yesterday, as I scrolled through the train wreck… not even, the nuclear meltdown that was #FyreFestival, I was overcome with shame for every time I complained the vegetarian options outside of VIP sucked at Coachella. Dan and I survived working the Coachella record store another year and have officially decided not to do it again; we even bought hoodies as a commemorative souvenir. Coachella is an emotionally and physically exhausting event to work, and I’m still getting over my Coachella induced cold. But Coachella overall is an amazing festival that really takes care of its attendees. There is so much that goes on behind the scenes to create a great experience for those that attend the festival, that to complain about any of it just shows the amount of delusion us first world people live in (and I’m super guilty). Anyways, one of the little details you’ve probably never thought about when it comes to festival production is ‘pest’ control. I’ve been to Coachella five times and not once did it occur to me they have an onsite beekeeper to remove hives until I sat down to dinner with him. The Coachella Beekeeper.

Dan and I like to retreat to catering where there is an oasis of iced tea, fruit infused water, and a dessert bar. It also has buffet food for those working in production and have an artist pass, but we don’t get access to that. Anyways, as Dan and I went to catering to rest our weary legs and drink some free cold beverages, I sat down at a table with a friendly looking guy. Since I don’t have permission to use his name, he will be referred to as Mr. B.

Mr. B looked like an old rock dude with shoulder length hair. Out of curiosity and polite dinner conversation I asked what he did for the festival. Mr. B then proceeded to tell me he relocated beehives. I was shocked and excited. My face lit up! We then went on to talk about the dwindling bee population and how he got into bee removal. He grew up in Colorado and started beekeeping at the age of 12. Later, when he moved out to Palm Springs in his early twenties, he was working as a waiter when the opportunity to remove a beehive came up. With the experience he had from his days of beekeeping in Colorado, he attempted to remove the hive and was successful. He immediately saw a business opportunity and never went back to waiting tables again. For the last 30 years, he’s been relocating hives from businesses and buildings to his farm where the hives can thrive in safety.

I loved talking about bees with Mr. B, who had removed at least five different hives from the festival grounds. Coachella bee removal, a logistical element I would have never thought of, but this pro-festival has it on lock.  Mr. B also worked Desert Trip, and his eyes lit up when talking about meeting Mick Jagger.

It was an awesome and unexpected interaction. I wasn’t even going to share this story until I read about the Titanic failure of Fyre Festival. Production is not an easy job, and Coachella really runs a tight ship. So this is 1) me sharing about the most interesting man I met at Coachella, 2) a giant apology for ever complaining about anything, 3) a massive thank you to the amazing people that coordinate an experience for 125,000 people.

yum humble pie - coachella

** p.s. Before anyone makes a comment about Coachella funding hate groups because you saw a viral video. Please see the below comment I made on another friend’s Facebook post.

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COACHELLA MINI SURVIVAL KIT // WHAT’S IN MY BAG

ADVENTURES, BEAUTY & STYLE - April 11, 2017

I’ve attended Coachella once as a festival goer, and have been working at the festival in the merch department for the last 3 years. That totals up to 4 years of Coachella experience. So let me share my insight with you!  The desert elements can be brutal and I keep a few essential items in my purse while going between my shifts at the record store and favorite band sets. My camping guide is even more comprehensive and hopefully, I can put that together between now and Thursday, but none-the-less here is what I keep in my purse.

Coachella Festival Whats In My Bag

  1. My cell phone/camera. Instead of carrying around an extra camera, I will just be filming and taking photos on my cell. I also keep my phone on airplane mode most of the time to save its battery. The first time I went to Coachella as a festival goer, I challenged myself to unplug and not be on my phone to distract myself from my awkward social anxiety. There are so many friendly people in the world, open yourself up to meeting a few by just saying hello!
  2. External battery charger. Fortunately, there are dozens of charging stations inside the festival. But do you really want to be attached to an electrical box instead of discovering a new band? No, no you do not. Bring an extrenal battery charger and you’ll be safe from experiencing FOMO.
  3. Tissues. There is a lot of dirt and dust. Tissues keep me from driving myself crazy with the sniffles.
  4. Cottonelle Flushable Wipes. A few years ago flushable toilettes were installed at the Empire Polo fields that helped provide alternative options to the porta potties. But regardless you are using the same bathroom as hundreds of other people, and in case you happen to go in one when there is no toilet paper – now you have a backup. (the tissues are good for this too obviously)
  5. Wet Ones. A lot of the food inside the festival is finger food and after touching money, grass, dirt, just everything… my hands feel gross. Before eating I like to wipe my hands with wet wipes to keep things clean. Instead of just using regular gel antibacterial, the wet wipes actually remove the dirt instead of turning into sanitized mud.
  6. Face Mask / Bandana. It gets really windy in the desert causing dirt to fly into the air and get lodged in your lungs. Even if it’s not a windy day/ night, upon exiting the festival dirt is kicked up into the air by everyone walking around you. Stay healthy by protecting your lungs, keep a face mask on you. Don’t get the Coachella cough – it’s not cute.
  7. Sunscreen. Pretty self-explanatory. Skin cancer, also not cute.
  8. Band-aids. Blisters happen. If you’re not used to being on your feet for 12+ hours while dancing and walking about 5 miles over the course of the day, then just have some band-aids on hand. Better safe than sorry.
  9. Allergy Medicine (Zyrtec).  You technically can’t bring allergy meds into the festival, so take some before going in. I get pretty bad allergies since there is so much grass and dirt in the air. I take a little Zyrtec and I’m good to go for the day.
  10. Cash Diet. I like to bring cash to the festival because it helps me manage my spending. The food is amazing, the beer garden is on point. So instead of using my card, I like to use cash. Plus then I’m able to tip the vendors. It’s physically exhausting working the festival, especially for the food vendors working in hot tents cooking yummy eats for everyone. Tips can be super encouraging.
  11. Sunglasses. I bought my first pair of prescription sunglasses in 2012 for my first Coachella experience. I knew I’d be in the sun all day and I wanted to protect my eyes. It’s been one of the best investments I’ve ever made. I recommend for those who do not need prescription sunnies, to bring cheap sunglasses so they don’t get lost. But for those that wear glasses like me, treat yo’ self.

I seriously have so many tip, tricks, and hacks for navigating Coachella.

If you have a question, feel free to leave it below! 

Happy festival season my fellow music lovers.

LOVE & LIGHT

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Going Back to the Record Store

LISTEN - February 16, 2017

In a moment of brilliance, I figured out how to work at the record store in the desert again this year. Back in January I had said I was going to have to be an adult, but today I figured out how to have it all. Well, attempt to have it all while being incredibly disciplined with my diet and supplement intake. The record store in the desert is not an easy job, the elements and long days drain every ounce of energy from my aching bones, but it is also is addictive and invigorating. The waxtastic team is like a family after working 4 weekends on the polo fields together, and I didn’t want to miss out on all the fun. Plus with a wedding and apartment hunting in my future, I could really use the extra income. So, I’m going to once again live out my Empire Record dreams (#ilovelucas) and possibly see Beyonce live.

Just another wacky Wednesday in the life of Bekka

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Coachella Vlogs 7 Months Later

ADVENTURES, SNAIL MAIL - October 5, 2016

As I mentioned in a previous post, I’m on a mission to tie up all the loose ends of my stories and footage. I want to go into 2017 completely fresh and with a blank canvas. So here are my Coachella Vlogs – 7 months later.

For the last 2 years, Dan and I have worked at the Coachella Record Store together. At this point, I’ve been to 4 different Coachellas, one as a festival attendee and three as a working member of the lower level staff. Both experiences are great, but being staff is definitely a different experience with its perks and disadvantages. Obviously, you don’t get to see every act from beginning to end, as your shift might land in the middle of their set. I’m still upset about missing Ghost of Sabertooth Tiger last year because of a freak inventory glitch that was fixed by the time I returned to the record store.

Since I’m really into vlogging now, I thought it would be great to vlog Coachella but weekend 1 I had no strategy for filming. The wind was terrible, destroying any possible audio and I couldn’t just talk to the camera. I stumbled through capturing clips of the day when I could and creating some sort of story structure. The result is a fumbling mess of footage, that even while editing I had a difficult time seeing the creative vision.

However, weekend 2 was a different story. I had created an outline of how I wanted to tell my Coachella story. I no longer wanted to break it up by day, but  break it up by activity. I had more of an idea of the shots I wanted to get and how long to linger on an artist or food item. Then while I edited the footage together I realized it would feel completely unnatural if I didn’t have some sort of voice over describing the scenes. After creating video one, I knew what I wanted to do different in video two. I did my voiceover in one take, I know I flub some words and maybe didn’t fully enunciate – but in all honestly I wanted to finish the story. That’s the thing about working on something 7 months later, it loses its steam. My brain thought it was interesting and wanted to share it, but my heart is thinking about Desert Trip this weekend and strategizing how to film the vlog.

So, what did you learn Dorothy? 

I learned that when you don’t have a plan, you plan to fail. Creativity is very spontaneous, but it also flourishes within some sort of structure. Occasionally, there are moments of total creative bliss where things are unplanned and result in a cohesive beautiful piece – but more likely than not, one has to have an idea of what they are doing and can see the final picture. Weekend 2 is a clear result of having an idea of what I wanted to create. Weekend 1 is a total rough draft. Both videos are this clear distinction of progress and growth that can be used for a metaphor for life. I know I see everything as a metaphor for life.

So why don’t you go back and fix Weekend 1? 

One, I just don’t want to spend the time on it.  I don’t want to get lost in the correction and perfection of one video at the expense of new stories. And second, in life, you don’t get to go back into your awkward phase and change it. You have to live through the awkward. I can’t go back to my High School self and tell her that you can get blow dries at the hair salon for $20 bucks on picture day, or that you could pull style inspiration from the sixties and feel way more confident in clothes. Nope, I have to look back and see my poofy hair plus sweatshirt and dixies phase for what it is – uncomfortable and awkward.

Final Summation

I’m so happy these videos are complete. I’m so happy to cross off Coachella vlogs on my list of videos to upload. I’m so happy to see myself moving forward and learning more about storytelling with each video. I’m excited that I’m finding my voice in the void. I’m happy that people are finding me and sticking with me despite my awkward phase. My final summation is that weekend 2 learned from weekend 1 and I strive to always have that awareness throughout my life.

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SPOTIFY PLAYLIST – THAT NYQUIL DAYQUIL LIFE

LISTEN - May 3, 2016

April was intense! Most of the month was spent working till 1am in the morning whether that was in front of my computer or on a polo field. We, Bowerbird and I, worked the Coachella Record Store again this year; but the twist was I had to put in all the new inventory into the record system before the festival. So in addition to my normal freelance work and getting ahead of my absence, I had the record store project on my plate. With stress at an all time high, my immune system flipped me the bird and I got pretty sick. By April 18th I was popping Dayquil and Nyquil like Judy Garland on the set of the Wizard of Oz – hence the title of this month’s playlist. My mixtape is a mixture of new music I discovered, remixes of old loves, and a sprinkling of Coachella. Everyone needs to listen to Mint Fields and Tei Shi – get on it!

 

“Let Me Sing You Love Songs” – Rachel Fannan, Brandon Intelligator / “How the Might Have Fallen” – Margo Price / “Fools Rush In” – Peggy Sue / “A Dot Running for the Dust” – Helvetia / “Two Hands” – Twin Fires / “Genevieve” – Lucius / “Brief Pause” – On Planets / “Sparks” – Beach House / “This Is How We Walk On The Moon” – Arthur Russell / “Go Slow” – Tei Shi / “Anesthetic” – Into It Over It / “Petty Box” – MINT FIELD / “Two For The Road” – Henry Mancini

Get all my mixtapes in one place and follow me on Spotify!

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Fashion & Fear : Festival Edition

BEAUTY & STYLE - May 1, 2016

I cringe at the words Festival Fashion. It’s cheesy and tired. Not that I don’t love bohemian inspired looks, give me some fringe and a Fleetwood Mac* album and I’m a happy lady. But the fast fashion regurgitation of desert and free spirit styles is boring to me. After weekend 1 of Coachella where I spotted some seriously awesome #ootd from a few select people, I decided I would challenge myself to document my favorite festival styles on Weekend 2. Festival fashion that is unique and fresh, that expresses individuality without the blatant “hey look at me” written across their chest – I’m looking at you red Power Ranger.

Sadly, on Day 1 of Coachella Weekend 2 I didn’t rise to my festival fashion challenge. I let fear and stress stand in my way. So on Day 2, I really tried to motivate myself. I let a few outfits pass me by before I had a serious talk with the fear stricken part of my brain and said, “what if every time you let someone amazing pass you by you were setting $100 on fire?” Or better yet, “what if every time you took a photo you made $100?” With my new mind trick, I set the goal of making a metaphorical grand over the next few days.

I grabbed my zombie* point and shoot camera from the record store office and kept it in my pocket. Waiting for well-dressed festival goers to walk into the record store until I could really go on a hunt during my break.  And know what I discovered!? When you start searching for unique style that stands out in a crowd of people, it’s REALLY HARD to find those people. Especially with my standards – I’m not a fashion blogger but I do have an aversion to conformity.

Aside from one tall man with amazing black and white layered style who I let my fear stop me from snapping; I only found two people on my break! By my next break, the sun was down and so was my window of opportunity. I had no luck on Day 3 and realized I will leave the fashion reporting to the fashion bloggers. My eye is a little too demanding and unsatisfied by repetition. I think that’s why I’ve never been a huge fan of Warhol art, I don’t LOVE repetition although I can respect the art of quantity, I am just one for quality.

Here are the people who inspired me with their festival fashion!

Alien Backpack to hold all your Festival must haves

I thought this see-through alien backpack was awesome! Perfect for all the festival must-haves like sunscreen and portable phone charger, plus it exudes a sense of fun that a musical festival should have.

angelyne ootd festival fashion

This fab #ootd is from Tawny (@ladamademente), one of my record store co-workers. I was obsessed with her Angelyne t-shirt and how she styled her look. Angelyne is a cult icon in Los Angeles. If you’re not familiar with Angelyne, imagine a John Waters character in real life – I wouldn’t be surprised if the two of them were best friends or at least have been at the same after-hours party. Anyways, I loved how Tawny paired the shirt with floral leggings and a lacey fringe cover up. The outfit had just the right amount of edge, camp, and totally feminine – plus it was comfortable from her head down to her toes.

Gold Metallic skirt and rainbow hair

I spotted this stylish festival goer (@jomillie) while watching Run The Jewels and I literally ran after her. Her gold skirt shimmering in the sun and the way she styled her outfit was on point. As I snapped her picture I noticed she had rainbow glittering thread throughout her braids – beautiful! She looked cool and unique amongst a sea of earth tones.  

Red Dress Cool Girl

Apparently I have a thing for pleats and outfits that flow.

The last fashionable festival goer was this stylish lady in red while headed to Bat fo Lashes. She was exiting the tent and I loved her effortless cool-girl style. A comfortable bold pleated dress with a high neckline and black sneakers. I also noticed the army jacket in her arms that I knew when the sun went down would only amplify her look. Her minimalist but far from boring style was finished with a simple necklace, delicate cross-body, and stylish sunnies. She rocked an outfit I wish I owned. 

I hope you enjoyed my first street style post. If you liked it and think I should push through my fear more often and document the styles that excite me, leave me an encouraging comment below. I do love my gold stars.

*Fleetwood Mac – The record store had misplaced a box of Fleetwood Mac Rumor albums that had been set aside for Weekend 2 of Coachella. I was the bounty hunter that found the treasured vinyl and by Saturday afternoon, the people had their Rumors.

*Zombie Camera – A week before we went to Coachella my broken point and shoot camera I usually use for vlogging came back to life. Yay for zombie camera but I need to invest in a new point and shoot.

*Oh yeah I worked at the Coachella Record Store and that is why I have been M.I.A for the last month.

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Flashback Friday : Interview with Jacob Duzsik of HEALTH

INTERVIEWS, LISTEN - April 15, 2016

I just saw HEALTH at Coachella and thought it would be appropriate to pull this interview out of the archives.

Originally published on myfavoritemaoi.com on October 15, 2010

Name: Jacob Duzsik
Nickname: Handsome Jake
Sign: Cancer

Favorite
Food: Burritos
Book: The Plague: Albert Camus.
Season: Summer

Q1. What is the best show (music) you have ever been too?
A1. Pearl Jam in 1991. I don’t even like them but it was one of the first shows I ever went to. My dad took me.

Q2. If you could live in any time period or be anyone dead or alive?
A2. who would you be or where would you go? The Idea of being someone else is pretty terrifying philosophically speaking.

Q3. What is something you hate doing, but must do anyways?
A3. Getting gas. Fucking hate it.

Q4. If you had to give up one of your 5 senses, which one would you abandon?
A4. Taste.

Q5. Most rewarding moment of your life thus far?
A5. The birth of my first daughter…hypothetically

Q6. If you owned a parrot, what would you teach it to say?
A6. I would not own a parrot.

Q7. How old were you the first time you got drunk? How was the experience?
A7. !2 years old, new years eve. I puked all over the ground outside my house and tried to clean it with the hose, but it just froze into pools, like giant puke ice cubes. My mom found them in the morning and was furious. It was awesome

Q8. Biggest Pet Peeve?
A8. I have too many to pick a favorite but for right now I’ll go with people who walk around whistling. Can’t fucking stand it.

Q9. What was your childhood ambition?
A9.To be a movie cop. Not to be a real peace officer or an actor, but just a fictional badass.

Q10. Is there any toy you really wanted as a kid but was never given? Did you ever buy it for yourself when you got older?
A10. Remember those footballs or soccer balls that had monster faces on them? Well I really wanted one, and for some reason my mom flatly refused. Never did figure out why.

Those nights out that feel like a dream, where the people are beautiful and life seems surreal. Everything was intangibly exciting. In the moment you wonder if your awake or asleep, closing your eyes to open them up and see that this place, this wonderland, is real. When I listen to HEALTH this is the feeling I am filled with. Their music would be the soundtrack to that night’s movie. It’s haunting, and yet so present. I’ve yet to have the delight of seeing HEALTH live but I could only imagine how hypnotizing the performance would become.

please listen to more HEALTH. They are currently touring with Crystal Castles in the UK and other various parts of Europe! Jealous.

HEALTH “DIE SLOW” from Lovepump United on Vimeo.

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Going to Coachella- ella-ella- ay!

ADVENTURES - April 19, 2012

Tomorrow I will be headed out on my first adventure to Coachella. I am very excited about this, bags are packed, few odds and ends left to deal with. And already my “plans” are changing and going out the window. But that’s Coachella and you just roll with the punches. Just get everything checked off your list, and you will be on your way between 11 and 1, arriving latest by 3 or 4, sun still high- tent/car ready to be set up. My restriction from all social media will commence once in Indio, and I hope to stick with that dedicated goal. Full diary like updates when I get back, pictures included. I even think I will do a “haul” video of shiz I packed. As I don’t shop that much to ever do a haul video of stuff I have bought. Maybe I should start doing haul videos of just stuff I come across, that would be interesting (lets work that out). Anyways so my adventure to Coachella begins tomorrow, and I am ready to just LET GO, open myself up to possibilities and absorb positivity.

*This camping experience, well my whole independent sleeping conditions and making friend attitude is a dry run for my road trip. Truly let the adventure begin!

 

 

 

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Can’t Say No – Coachella 2012

ADVENTURES, LISTEN - January 10, 2012

The Coachella line up was bestowed upon the people yesterday and oh how the internet has been ablaze with buzz. There are reuniting groups, coming back from the dead ie: Refused and At The Drive- In, music legends or icons since they are not that old yet ie: Radiohead and Dr. Dre, and my favorite Mazzy Star. Every time Fade Into You came on the radio, my 6 year old self would fade into the song. Dreaming of love song dedications and great romances, no wonder I’m such a hopeless romantic.

I’ve never been one to actually want to go to Coachella. It’s a music festival with 50,000 people in the blaring hot sun in the middle of the desert, most of those people smelly, and cost a hell-of-a-lot of money. Really, for as much of a music fan I am, I have never really had the desire to go to Coachella because the lineup was never compelling enough to inspire me to buy a ticket. And the bands I did want to see I could usually catch over the course of the year at much smaller venues. The last line up that I actually wanted/ considered to go to was in 2008 when Rodger Waters was playing. And in all honesty, I remember the lineup was desirable, but I think I wanted to go more because my best friend was going.

This year I saw the lineup and immediately had to go. The bands I want to see will be listed after the jump, but the three days all call to a different side of my sense; from the 90’s kid, to indie love, hippie-free spirit, and don’t mess with me gangster, I’m covered. First, I have to see if I even get tickets, fingers crossed. But I’ll be camping on the grounds in my car, with friends here and there but no one to go with. I actually feel this is a “practice” run-through of my road trip. Sleeping in my car, surrounded by strangers, forced to make friends and be left to my own devices (sort of). It will give me a taste of 2013.

*note to self- make friends with cute boys to give back massage for kinks in muscles from sleeping in hatch-back car.

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