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Linda Ronstadt could do it all: country, soul, rock, and even 1940’s standards. Check her out here getting down to some serious funk and soul. And let’s stop for a minute to talk about these outfits and the amazing back up singers. Seriously, these chicks are dressed in some top notch 70’s outfits!

Join Mitchell is one of the most amazing singer songwriters ever in the history of music. She can play nearly every instrument, her song writing and arrangements are melodic but deceptively complicated, and her voice is simply stunning. Here is more great footage of some of my favorite musicians from youtube. Enjoy Joni’s California, recorded live on the BBC from 1970…

When it comes to the technology in my life, I tend to go both ways. On one hand, I have my trusty Mac laptop, my ipod, and my cell phone with the web and all the bells and whistles. But on the other hand, I have a TV that was picked up on the curb [it's a small white one that has a VCR in it and is meant for a kitchen] and the stereo in my living room is an old Brother record player/8 track/FM and AM radio combo. Granted, they are plugged into new fancy speakers, but still, you get the point.

When I listen to music, I have two choices: my laptop with an external hard drive and speakers, or my record player. I’d say that 99 percent of the time, I choose my records over the digital. But I don’t have many new records. I have a handful that I’ve been lugging around with me since high school, and over the last year or so, I’ve gathered another handful more. It’s funny looking at them and seeing the trends. Mostly, I have gathered quite a collection of ladies of the 1970’s: Linda Ronstadt, Joni Mitchell, Ricky Lee Jones, Roberta Flack, and more. I listen to them over and over and over again. They have such strength and honesty, and listening to them on vinyl is just great.

Sometimes when I want to take a break from work, I search for random things on youtube. Tonight, I found myself looking for videos of these ladies I overplay on vinyl, and I found some choice footage. Tonight, let’s start with one of my favorite Linda Ronstadt songs, recorded live in an 1976 concert in Germany…

A while back, I went to the Genlux launch party of their last issue, featuring the lovely Dita VonTeese on the cover. Truth be told, I went mostly to see if she’d be at the party. Alas, she was not. But I still had an amazing time, drinking delicious martinis poolside at the W hotel in Westwood. Here’s a shot from the event, that I’ve been told will be featured in the upcoming issue.

From left to right:
Lyn Tobman, the Department Chair of Visual Communications and Beauty Industry at FIDM
Lisa Rothschiller, actress
Cindy Patino, the Assistant Department Chair of Visual Communications at FIDM
And yours truly
Not pictured: 4 martinis on the floor at our feet

In this election year, it seems as though everyone is discussing politics. And while I have outspoken views on the presidential election amongst friends, it seems inappropriate to pick sides here on my blog.
However, there is one proposition here in California that I must urge you to consider. I am asking you to vote Yes on Prop 2, if you are voting in the state of California.
I am a vegetarian, but I never force my opinions on anyone else. I respect that we all have the right to choose how and what we want to eat. But there are a list of reasons that this proposition is not only kinder to the animals, but better for everyone.
Read below to learn more about Prop 2. Then please, vote Yes on November 4th!

Prop 2 is the Standards for Confining Farm Animals
Prop 2 requires that certain farm animals be allowed, for the majority of every day, to fully extend their limbs or wings, lie down, stand up, and turn around. It’s that simple.

Positive results of Prop 2 (aside from the obvious: happy animals!)
* Prevents cruelty to animals.
It’s simply wrong to confine veal calves, breeding pigs, and egg-laying hens in tiny cages barely larger than their bodies. Calves are tethered by the neck and can barely move, pigs in severe confinement bite the metal bars of their crates, and hens get trapped and even impaled in their wire cages. We wouldn’t force our pets to live in filthy, cramped cages for their whole lives, and we shouldn’t force farm animals to endure such misery. All animals, including those raised for food, deserve humane treatment.

* Improves our health and food safety.
We all witnessed the cruel treatment of sick and crippled cows exposed by a Southern California slaughter plant investigation this year, prompting authorities to pull meat off school menus and initiate a nationwide recall. Factory farms put our health at risk—cramming tens of thousands of animals into tiny cages, fostering the spread of diseases that may affect people. YES! on Prop 2 is better for animals—and for us.

* Supports family farmers.
California family farmers support YES! on Prop 2 because they know that better farming practices enhance food quality and safety. Increasingly, they’re supplying major retailers like Safeway and Burger King. Factory farms cut corners and drive family farmers out of business when they put profits ahead of animal welfare and our health.

* Protects air and water and safeguards the environment.
The American Public Health Association has called for a moratorium on new factory farms because of the devastating effects these operations can have on surrounding communities, spreading untreated waste on the ground and contaminating our waterways, lakes, groundwater, soil, and air. Prop 2 helps stop some of the worst abuses and protects our precious natural resources. That’s why California Clean Water Action and Sierra Club-California support YES! on Prop 2.

* Is a reasonable and common-sense reform.
Prop 2 provides ample time—until 2015—for factory farms using these severe confinement methods to shift to more humane practices. Arizona, Colorado, Florida, and Oregon have passed similar laws. The Humane Society of the United States, the ASPCA, hundreds of California veterinarians, including the California Veterinary Medical Association; California family farmers; the Center for Food Safety, the Consumer Federation of America, the Center for Science in the Public Interest, the United Farm Workers, and the Cesar Chavez Foundation; Republican and Democratic elected officials; California religious leaders; and many others.