The life and times of Leeni! www.leenirama.comTumblr (3.0; @leenirama)http://leenirama.tumblr.com/<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m65xf9WiHI1qaru0jo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Danny, hiding from the Madrid sun.</p> <p>I sorta feel like all we are doing here is figuring out how to deal with the heat 100% of the time. </p>http://leenirama.tumblr.com/post/25841602831http://leenirama.tumblr.com/post/25841602831Mon, 25 Jun 2012 00:42:44 -0700<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m6526x97711qaru0jo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Trudging through the Madrid heat. It’s in the upper 90s. </p> <p>We’re just not at all used to it. </p> <p>But I am getting used to it. </p> <p>Tomorrow should be a bit easier. </p> <p>It’s beautiful here. </p>http://leenirama.tumblr.com/post/25801910694http://leenirama.tumblr.com/post/25801910694Sun, 24 Jun 2012 13:28:09 -0700<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m649wuFIWf1qaru0jo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Madrid. </p> <p>It’s very hot here. </p>http://leenirama.tumblr.com/post/25774686041http://leenirama.tumblr.com/post/25774686041Sun, 24 Jun 2012 03:17:18 -0700<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m63k7eRJ2B1qaru0jo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Super sad to leave Basel this morning! I really wanted one more day there.</p> <p>I absolutely loved Switzerland! I liked how small, green and quiet the town was. It made me realize how much I appreciate the serenity of my city-of-choice, Seattle. I’m not very happy in super urban, ultra-busy environments. I loved Berlin and Basel because they were less urban and more spacious. There were nice places to go running and lots of beautiful green trees and water everywhere. </p> <p>Essential. </p> <p>We had an amazing experience our last night in Basel where we ate at a restaurant called Blinde Kuh (Blind Cow). It’s a restaurant that employs a mostly visually impaired staff and the concept is that you eat your meal in the pitch dark. </p> <p>And it is. Pitch. Dark. </p> <p>Not a speck of light. Ever. </p> <p>Even when someone dropped a glass and it shattered into a thousand pieces, the lights remained off and the situation was taken care of in the pitch dark. </p> <p>The whole meal experience took about 2.5 hours and it was really interesting. When we first sat down I wondered if I could stand it much longer. It was a scary feeling but once I relaxed and embraced the not knowing, I got used to it and in some ways really liked it. It was a fun experiment that was educational on so many levels: social, culinary, physiologically, psychologically…very interesting. </p> <p><iframe frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/wUxsaM-c1fk" width="420"></iframe></p>http://leenirama.tumblr.com/post/25749493702http://leenirama.tumblr.com/post/25749493702Sat, 23 Jun 2012 18:02:02 -0700<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m63itta3uA1qaru0jo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Swiss Gummi Bears! </p>http://leenirama.tumblr.com/post/25747840234http://leenirama.tumblr.com/post/25747840234Sat, 23 Jun 2012 17:32:17 -0700<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m5xq53yuGY1qaru0jo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>To do: see some phytoplankton in person this summer</p>http://leenirama.tumblr.com/post/25528439137http://leenirama.tumblr.com/post/25528439137Wed, 20 Jun 2012 14:24:39 -0700“Die Qual der Wahl ist groß”<br/><br/> - <em>The agony of choice is great</em>http://leenirama.tumblr.com/post/25359339443http://leenirama.tumblr.com/post/25359339443Mon, 18 Jun 2012 05:27:26 -0700<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m5s71t91LI1qaru0jo1_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m5s71t91LI1qaru0jo2_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><p>From the wedding photobooth our last night at the Brickhouse! </p>http://leenirama.tumblr.com/post/25317800422http://leenirama.tumblr.com/post/25317800422Sun, 17 Jun 2012 14:44:17 -0700<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m5rwm6aY3U1qaru0jo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Snapshot backstage before our last show at the Brickhouse. </p> <p>They already told us they want us back. Even as soon as November. </p> <p>I loved working/performing there. Such a nice lifestyle for me. </p> <p>With some show tinkering/revision to our artistic direction, I really think it could be a beautiful thing. We learned so much about their crowd and how it varies from night to night, I think we’ll nail it on our next run because we’ll know what to expect. </p> <p>I’m excited to use this opportunity to grow and expand as an artist. I feel so lucky and inspired.</p>http://leenirama.tumblr.com/post/25303388444http://leenirama.tumblr.com/post/25303388444Sun, 17 Jun 2012 10:58:54 -0700<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m5pjv5289a1qaru0jo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Today is our last day in London. It’s been so wonderful being here and experiencing another life. </p> <p>It’s made me figure out how to be better at my ‘other’ life in Seattle. So nice to get a birds-eye view on things. </p> <p>I promised myself I’d be a ‘regular person’ who wasn’t making art here, but rather taking in the sights, sounds and art around me and collecting ideas. I definitely did that and it was amazing. </p> <p>When we first arrived, a man was singing songs on the tube asked me what I wanted to hear and what I liked to listen to. I had been so much in my own musical bubble of creating that I realized I didn’t have an answer to that question. </p> <p>But now, listening has been my new favorite past time and I have lots of new favorite artists that are inspiring me. </p> <p>Here’s my favorite of them all: </p> <p><br/><iframe frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/S_oMD6-6q5Y" width="560"></iframe></p>http://leenirama.tumblr.com/post/25219997755http://leenirama.tumblr.com/post/25219997755Sat, 16 Jun 2012 04:28:00 -0700<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m5k1je6nGi1qaru0jo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Came across this and thought it was a good reminder</p>http://leenirama.tumblr.com/post/25017792642http://leenirama.tumblr.com/post/25017792642Wed, 13 Jun 2012 05:04:26 -0700<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m5il9dr68R1qaru0jo1_400.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>I just came across this photo on the internet and I think it’s absolutely beautiful. </p>http://leenirama.tumblr.com/post/24961417112http://leenirama.tumblr.com/post/24961417112Tue, 12 Jun 2012 10:15:13 -0700<iframe width="400" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/7O9mwPMd7i0?wmode=transparent&autohide=1&egm=0&hd=1&iv_load_policy=3&modestbranding=1&rel=0&showinfo=0&showsearch=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br/><br/><p><strong>“Changer</strong> <span>la vie. </span><strong><em>Changer</em></strong><span> le monde. I want to go. I lost myself.” </span></p> <p><span>This song is so beautiful. It has basically been my theme song for this entire journey. I love listening to it on the tube. With the speed of the train, the experience is multi-faceted. The song sounds like how change feels to me - the build in the music accelerates just like my brain does when it go through changes. It’s electric, driving, motivating. Such a lovely song for a feeling that’s not often expressed through art. </span></p> <p><span>I’ve been thinking a lot about change and how malleable I prefer to be but how stubborn I see so many others being. I think being resistant to change is like turning your back on life. </span></p> <p><span>I don’t ever want to be afraid of changing and I want to surround myself with people who aren’t afraid of it either, on mine and their behalf. </span></p> <p><span>Changing in parallel with other people is the best. This is why I love my old friends. Ideally we have changed and have become different people but can meet on parallel tracks every once in a while. </span></p> <p><span>I want to write about these experiences in my own music, I’m trying to record my thoughts as much as possible. I feel my next work should be about my philosophies about what it is to live and be human. I have so many strong thoughts and feelings about it that I’ve never recorded. It’s so much harder to put into words than singing about love, so I am embracing the challenge. And I’m taking my time with it, too. </span></p> <p><span>As an artist, as a person and as a communicator, I’m hoping to evolve greatly before I release my next piece of work. Having released 4 albums in this past year, It’s ‘back to school’ time for me. I need to disappear and create something that truly pushes my boundaries in every way. </span></p>http://leenirama.tumblr.com/post/24841183669http://leenirama.tumblr.com/post/24841183669Sun, 10 Jun 2012 15:04:41 -0700<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/8536900" width="400" height="300" frameborder="0"></iframe><br/><br/>http://leenirama.tumblr.com/post/24839263365http://leenirama.tumblr.com/post/24839263365Sun, 10 Jun 2012 14:35:03 -0700“Pursue + Embrace Change”<br/><br/> - <em>Me. Now. </em>http://leenirama.tumblr.com/post/24839250644http://leenirama.tumblr.com/post/24839250644Sun, 10 Jun 2012 14:34:52 -0700<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m5elhssWPk1qaru0jo1_500.png"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m5elhssWPk1qaru0jo2_500.png"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m5elhssWPk1qaru0jo3_500.png"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m5elhssWPk1qaru0jo4_500.png"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m5elhssWPk1qaru0jo5_500.png"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m5elhssWPk1qaru0jo6_500.png"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m5elhssWPk1qaru0jo7_400.png"/><br/> <br/><p>A few snapshots from our show at The Brickhouse</p>http://leenirama.tumblr.com/post/24811035144http://leenirama.tumblr.com/post/24811035144Sun, 10 Jun 2012 06:29:51 -0700<iframe src="//www.tumblr.com/video/leenirama/24615093424/400" id="tumblr_video_iframe_24615093424" class="tumblr_video_iframe" width="400" height="533" style="display:block;background-color:transparent;overflow:hidden;" allowTransparency="true" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe><br/><br/><p>One of my favorite songs as sung by a tube busker. “No Surprises” by Radiohead. </p>http://leenirama.tumblr.com/post/24615093424http://leenirama.tumblr.com/post/24615093424Thu, 07 Jun 2012 09:31:38 -0700<iframe width="400" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/AEofyytUWFs?wmode=transparent&autohide=1&egm=0&hd=1&iv_load_policy=3&modestbranding=1&rel=0&showinfo=0&showsearch=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br/><br/><p>I never knew that the Eiffel Tower sparkled at night. So pretty!!!</p>http://leenirama.tumblr.com/post/24614939552http://leenirama.tumblr.com/post/24614939552Thu, 07 Jun 2012 09:28:36 -0700<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m5999f9fwI1qaru0jo1_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m5999f9fwI1qaru0jo2_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m5999f9fwI1qaru0jo3_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m5999f9fwI1qaru0jo4_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m5999f9fwI1qaru0jo5_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m5999f9fwI1qaru0jo6_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><p>Various Paris snapshots</p>http://leenirama.tumblr.com/post/24614411677http://leenirama.tumblr.com/post/24614411677Thu, 07 Jun 2012 09:17:37 -0700<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m5993oEpVs1qaru0jo1_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m5993oEpVs1qaru0jo2_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><p>Angi and her adorable daughter Hoda</p>http://leenirama.tumblr.com/post/24614231957http://leenirama.tumblr.com/post/24614231957Thu, 07 Jun 2012 09:14:11 -0700