Taste the Rainbow for New York Pride Week 2016

June 26, 2016 ~ Nicole Monahan ~ Leave a comment

Anyone who knows me knows I love food, photography, and exploring. With the NYC Pride Parade weekend with week I wanted to find the best rainbow themed foods out there, and NYC did NOT disappoint.

Having gone to school in Orlando the city holds a special place in my heart – with all the tragedy surrounding the shooting and all those innocent victims; I tried to find as many restaurants as I could that donated their proceeds to good causes and organizations within the LGBT community.

From doughnuts and cookies to ice cubes and burger buns, here’s my top picks:

Pride doughnut at Doughnut Planet

Doughnut Planet – 220 W 23rd St, New York, NY

Rainbow shortbread cookies at Rex Coffee

Rex Coffee – 864 10th Ave, New York, NY

Rainbow Latte (Not from New York, found in Las Vegas – but still it’s beautiful!)

Sambalatte – 3770 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV

Rainbow bagel from The Bagel Store

The Bagel Store – 754 Metropolitan Ave, Brooklyn, NY

Special edition Rainbow Doodle half pound cookie from City Cakes. They will be donating profits from every cookie sold to the victims and families of the Orlando tragedy.

City Cakes – Lower Level, 251 W 18th St, New York, NY

Rainbow bun at Joe’s Bar NYC. Back for pride week, and available by request.

Joe’s Bar – 480 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY

Pride Margarita with a Rainbow Ice Cube at Quality Eats. All proceeds will go to the One Orlando Fund @oneorlando to help the families of the Orlando shooting victims.

Quality Eats – 19 Greenwich Ave, New York, NY

Pride Flag Packs Cupcakes from Baked by Melissa. 100% of net proceeds will be donated to @lgbtcenternyc.

Baked by Melissa – Various locations in NYC.

Rainbow Jello shots from Mekelburg.

Mekelburg – 293 Grand Avenue, Brooklyn, NY

***

You can follow along @WomenWhoBrunch‘s Instagram for more food finds

My Journey in Trading in New Year’s Resolutions for 30 Day Challenges

March 10, 2015August 16, 2015 ~ Nicole Monahan ~ Leave a comment

We’re probably not thinking about or sticking to our New Year’s Resolutions by mid-March, but I am.

This year instead of making that infamous New Year’s resolution list, I decided to break down my goals and made 30 day challenges. Here’s what I’m on track for this year. [Will be updated each month]:

January: Work the Brain.

Practiced French lessons via Duolingo and trained my brain with Elevate app. Along this journey I was also introduced to NPR’s Invisabilia and National Geographic’s Brain Games, both are fascinating and have kinda changed my life.

February: Photography. Take a photo a day and share it on Instagram.

I love this challenge because it reminded me of when I did the 100 Happy Days Project last year and countless of Project 365 Challenges I used to do in college. It makes me excited to find something new or unique or something that makes me happy in the everyday.

March: Talk to Strangers.

This 30 day task was especially hard. Who actually wants to talk to strangers in NYC? However one encounter with a stranger I met at an event really stuck with me. I was in the process of moving, a major change and next chapter in my life. This woman gave me a great analogy for life. (I know, that escalated quickly!) She had said life is like driving from the East coast to the West coast at night. You know you’re going to get to your destination, but with the headlights at night you can only see 20 feet at a time, that’s life. You’re going to get there but can only see or do so much at a time.

April: Cook More, Try New Recipes, Eat Healthy (No Junk, Less Sugar)!

Here are some of my favorite new recipes I tried from April’s challenge:

Skinny fettuccine Alfredo — Skinny Fettuccine Alfredo

May: Catch up with friends, family, and acquaintances.

Caught up with a bunch of old friends. I was most surprise when I tried to reach out to acquaintances from NYC. Everyone seems “too busy” with lots of loaded excuses and “let’s try in a few weeks to get together”, which never happened. Nothing short of a surprise with New Yorkers though.

June: Yoga / More Mindfulness

Favorite new mindfulness/meditation apps: Calm, Stop, Breathe, and Think, and Headspace.

July: Learn a new skill. Coding, calligraphy, or storytelling are on my list.

Took up calligraphy from I Still Love Calligraphy.

August: Read everyday for an hour.

Books read: Big Little Lies

September: Write/Journal every day for an hour.

October: Practice happiness and start a gratitude journal.

November: Finances & Savings. $$$

Have already started a 401K!

December: Random acts of kindness and giving. Donate blood, volunteer, make someone smile.

Zagat’s 30 Under 30 2014 Event

August 6, 2014August 6, 2014 ~ Nicole Monahan ~ Leave a comment

Last week I helped out my friends over at Tattly for Zagat’s 30 Under 30 event in Brooklyn.

The event was held at the Royal Palms Shuffleboard Club. It was my first time at this venue but quickly fell in love with the Florida vibe, causing instant homesickness.

What I loved most about this event was the styling (done by Michelle Bablo) and amazing sense of creativity.

From the centerpiece, held in pineapples. Also done by Michelle.

To custom cocktails.

Custom Tattly’s and signage.

To the coasters, which also highlighted some every important career “firsts” before 30.

Additional photos from the event:

Oh Snap Smile Photobooth:

The Best Things I Ate in Portland, OR

June 18, 2014 ~ Nicole Monahan ~ Leave a comment

This year I went on vacation to Portland, Oregon. Being that I base my vacations around food I did a hefty amount of research ahead of time. Overall, there was just too much and think it’s safe to say PDX will soon be the go-to destination for good eats. Here’s a list of all my favorite bars, food carts, desserts, coffee, and more from my visit. Enjoy!

The Doughnut/Donut Debate:

Voodoo Doughnuts is an obvious must thing to try. It’s been on tons of Food Network shows and has received so much press and hype. They’re open 24 hours, so you can go at any time but the weekends are the worst. I’d suggest a weekday if at all possible. It has some funky creations, they are creative but overall they tasted like overly sweet regular doughnuts.

I got the Voodoo Doll, Miami Vice Berry, Maple Bacon Bar, McMinnville Cream, The Loop, and the Dirt Doughnut. Also it’s only cash only.

Blue Star Donuts, has some really delicious donuts and unique flavor combinations. Including a boozy Cointreau Creme Brûlée. Plus the interior is adorable.

Here’s the flavors I got:

Blackberry Compote with Peanut Butter Powder
Real Maple & Bacon
Blueberry, Bourbon, & Basil
Valrhona Chocolate Crunch

Brunch!

I went to two brunches on my trip, first was at Tasty & Alder. Best known for its shared plates, so pick a handle of items for the table. But you must get the chocolate potato doughnut with creme anglaise. Other noms I had were the fried egg & cheddar biscuit with house cured bacon and the Auntie Paula’s french toast with pear maple & whipped cream

Mother’s Bistro & Bar:

My second brunch stop was at Mother’s Bistro & Bar. Compared to the tiny brunch spots in NYC, this restaurant is HUGE! It has a cute interior decor and these mugs that say “Call Your Mother”. They also promote a Mother of the Month, featuring special dishes from mother’s around the world, because the best meals aren’t found in restaurants they’re found in the home.

For eats, my boyfriend and I got the specials of the day. He got the corn beef hash with sunny-side up eggs and toast, and I got the cornmeal pancakes which was the most delicious take on pancakes I’ve had in a while.

Food Carts:

Nong’s Khao Man Gai

Nong’s is one of the most popular food carts in Portland, and all they serve is chicken and rice. The chicken is poached, whole chicken, then they use the chicken broth to cook the rice with Thai herbs. Here they wrap it all up in butcher paper with her special sauce and side of soup. No frills, super simple, but the most tender chicken I’ve ever had.

Location: SW 10th & Alder St. Portland, OR 97205

Grilled Cheese Grill

I’m not usually a fan of ordering or eating food I could make at home, but while on vacation… I went for grilled cheese with avocado and fried cheese. It was definitely worth it.

Location: Alder Pod Carts – SW 10th & Alder

Cultured Caveman

Unfortunately, I don’t have any pictures of my meal because the sides and main dish is shoved into a to-go container, it’s like a meal all in one deal, but this spot was definitely unique and had really great spices and flavor. It’s a paleo-friendly food cart, I don’t even think we have one of these cuisines in NYC.

Location: SW Stark between 2nd & 3rd

Bars & Drinks

Bailey’s Taproom

Within the first few hours of touching down in PDX, the first place I stopped at was Bailey’s Taproom for a drink. What impressed me most about this place with the amount of local beers they had in stock and this fancy beer monitor contraption, which told the bartenders keg levels and when they were about to kick.

Multnomah Whiskey Library

Besides the interesting decor and wide selection of alcohol, the service was pretty awful. Also a lot of the reviews say you need to wait an hour, but I went on a weekday at around 7/8pm-ish and it was only half full.

Clyde Common

Pro-tip: Come here during happy hour from 3pm-6pm, cocktails are $5. I can’t stress the importance of this enough, coming from NYC where cocktails are $15. The bartenders are also really friendly and drinks are so delicious.

What I got:

The Pacific Standard:

Vodka, lemon, ginger, honey, soda

The Spelling Bee:

Reposado tequila, agave syrup, absinthe, bitters, grapefruit peel

Other Good Eats:

Lardo

Amazing sandwiches, it’s also right across the street from Ruby Jewel ice cream if you’re planning for dinner and dessert.

What I ate:

Korean Pork Shoulder with cilantro, house kimchi, spicy mayo

Pok Pok

If you’re looking for some great Thai food this is the place to go to. Their most popular items on the menu are their Ike’s Vietnamese Fish Sauce Wings and drinking vinegar.

What I ate:

Kaeng Hang Leh with sticky rice and Yam Samun Phari

Dessert

Salt & Straw

This place warrants an OMG. This ice cream is that good. The line is ridiculous but well worth it. They have some really unique flavor combinations including rhubarb and saffron in champagne, honey balsamic strawberry with cracked pepper, and pear with blue cheese.

Flavors had:

Freckled Woodblock Chocolate, Chocolate with Gooey brownies, Almond Brittle with Salted Ganache, and Sea Salt with Carmel Ribbons.

Petunia’s Pies and Pastries

All these lovely cakes and pastries are gluten-free and vegan, and so yummy!

Desserts eaten:

Orange Olive Oil Bundt Cake

Black & White Cake

Coffee:

Stumptown Coffee:

It’s a must, we have a location in NYC and lots of restaurants carry Stumptown, but when in Rome… I love their coffee so much I stocked up on whole bean. Weekends were crazy but during the week wasn’t so bad to stop by.

Public Domain

Public Domain was also a favorite with its coffee, pastries, wi-fi, and laid back atmosphere.

Hidden Gem:

Portland City Grill on the 30th Floor

I found out about this place from our walking tour guide. Come here as soon as they open for happy hour at 4pm to grab a good spot by the window. You’ll get some great food and drink deals and on a clear day you can see Mount Hood and the entire city of Portland.

That’s all she wrote, hope this food guide helps plan your eats if you’re ever visiting Portland. Any other recommendations for food you’ve had there, leave them in the comments!

xoxo

Covered in Color! Saturday Adventures at the 2014 Color Run

June 12, 2014 ~ Nicole Monahan ~ Leave a comment

I used to love running… I’d wake up early. Get the runner’s high. Push myself further and further each run. The best part was getting toned and in shape, having buns of steel! Yet, I gave it up about two years ago. I had been training for a 10K religiously. I’d hit Central Park on the weekends for my longer 6 mile runs, and along the west side highway to the Chelsea Piers on weekdays for my shorter runs. I actually kind of miss the routine and structure of it all. However, hitting the concrete jungle’s pavement for too long really damaged my feet, before I knew it I had plantar fasciitis and was going to physical therapy.

I stopped running after completing that 10k, but I knew in 2013 I wanted to do the Color Run 5k. Pathetically I tried training again but at the root of it I ended up mostly run/walking most of the way. There’s no denying that the Color Run truly lives up to it’s slogan, the happiest 5k on the planet. I had a blast, completed it, but didn’t have much interest in coming back next year and messing my foot up any further.

All of this was thrown out the window four days before this year’s Color Run in Queens. My friend Megan, pounced at the opportunity to win tickets from blog celeb Gala Darling‘s Color Run giveaway. A few of the original winners didn’t claim the prize and now the Color Run was ours for the taking! We both responded to her and won instantly.

The whole giveaway was in partnership with one of the Color Run’s sponsors, Shout, which was produced by Edelman. Gala had to do a number of things like take part in photos and videos, Instagram/Tweet the event, and write a blog post recap. Overall, all of us got to reap the sweet benefits and were treated like royalty. We received ahead of time Shout/Color Run swag by mail, although I still never received mine due to UPS. Womp Womp. But they took really good care of me when I arrived there, showering me with shirts, bags, and tons of free stuff. We also got to skip the entire line and went straight to the starting line.

Other fun perks:

We had a videographer follow us around for most of the run, and one girl got to wear a GoPro through the whole race.

We got to cut the line for the Shout 360 Color Cam Videos.

We got to cut the line and go directly on stage for the orange color throw. (Shout’s brand color)

And overall I didn’t have to force myself to run or hurt myself. We all walked it and it was so much fun to hang out with a brunch of friends and meet a whole group of new friends. I couldn’t have asked for a better way to spend my Saturday. These ladies were awesome!

Here’s Gala’s blog post from the Color Run adventure. And a few more photos below from the event.

xox

Tea + Purpose Recap – Developing Your Life Philosophy

March 11, 2014 ~ Nicole Monahan ~ Leave a comment

I know creative abundance is available to me in this moment…

This is how we began Tea + Purpose, a new monthly tea meetup that connects over a topic area allowing more women to create awareness and action in their lives, all created by my dear friend Carla Blumenthal. For this meetup, Sarah Kathleen Peck, writer of the blog “It Starts With“, joined and guided us to develop our own life philosophy framework.

We started the meetup with tea and scones at Press Tea, one of my favorite tea shops in the city. As more and more women trickled in we gathered around and got started with introductions. We began with answering this question – What have you been proud of so far this year? This question really opened people up a little bit more, in addition to signing this realness contract, promising to bring our real selves to the tea table.

Following intros, Sarah dove right into asking the group this question, when was the last time you felt an adrenaline rush? A lot of folks including myself mixed this feeling up with the feeling of anxiety. With all these fears, moments of anxiety, adrenaline, and vulnerability stemmed raw emotion and positivity. Here’s some of the comments I scribbled from this round of discussion:

It doesn’t always get easier the more you get into something and put it on the line. It’s a leap of faith and only gets more risky.
It’s hard to go into the unknown and know it’s going to be okay.
You have permission to screw up and change your mind.
We’re all humans having an experience.
Showing up everyday counts for something.

We were next asked to talk about happiness. What’s the definition of happiness and is it even the goal? Takeaways from this included:

Happiness is a feeling of inner peace and reflection.
Be in the present. It isn’t about if I get this job then I’ll be happy. Once you get to that goal or thing you’ll always be looking for the next thing. This turns into a vicious cycle, wondering if you’ll ever find peace and happiness.
Take away the “SHOULDS”. I should be like this. I should be doing that. Take it away. You don’t need to feel guilty about anything, just be yourself.
Set time aside to think and reflect. Schedule unplanned time.
When someone is being negative it means they need love or a boundary.
What you give attention to grows. If someone says something negative or you believe something negative it grows. If you don’t accept these things, it can’t grow… This has been the biggest eye opener for me because for the longest time I’ve said and thought about my job search in this way. I blame the economy, the competition here, thinking I’ll never get something. If I keep thinking that I won’t find anything, then I really won’t. Acknowledge. Don’t think about the negative. Don’t engage. Then the other person/thing is left with it.

Next came loneliness. What is it and why do we experience it?

This was also another awakening. When I feel lonely, it’s particular when I work from home. I’ve always wondered why I feel this way. Sarah shed some light on this for me by sharing some of her tools on how to improve this feeling of loneliness.

Use your voice. Ask yourself how much did you talk today, sing, anything? I should also note that this is why Sarah opened up this discussion, so that everyone could talk instead of her doing all the talking.
Language – Write and reflect.
Touch – Maybe we’re feeling lonely because we haven’t been touched all day like a hug or a handshake.
Eyes closed – Not sleeping but understanding and being aware of the moments and your surroundings. Meditation. Focus on your breathing.
Connect outward – Giving a warm real hug. Sharing with others.

Lately, I’ve been experiencing more revelations from friends (and in this case strangers) about who I am as a person. I’ve realized I can do a much better job at speaking up and showing who I truly am as a person. I’ve learned that I’m not the only person that has these fears or feelings and have come to peace with feeling vulnerable, it just means you’re being real.

Solving Problems Over Dinner – My Project Exponential Experience

February 25, 2014February 26, 2014 ~ Nicole Monahan ~ Leave a comment

About six months ago a friend had told me about a dinner event called Project Exponential. Each month, a woman named Michelle Welsh plans and carefully selects a group of artists, professionals and entrepreneurs to attend each dinner. It begins with an application and ends in stories and connections. Here’s my dinner story…

We started the night at Bacaro in Chinatown with a spread of food and place cards in front of us. Leading up to the event I felt totally disconnected from the whole event. My mind was racing with unanswered questions. What was I to expect? Who was I meeting? There was no flutter of mention or buzz on Twitter. No hashtag. I wondered if this was some kind of Fight Club thing. What happens at dinner stays at dinner. I’m so used to being able to find information I need, this unknown was rather exciting.

I’d come to learn that Michelle doesn’t share people’s names or titles ahead of time because she doesn’t wants these dinners to be confined to what someone does for a living but instead focus on who they are as a person. She also does heavy research on everyone ahead of time to form the perfect connections. With this in mind, when I arrived it felt like solving a puzzle with my group as to what’s the connection here.

At first, we were instructed to break into groups of the four people seated closest to you and ask each other a problem that you are facing that you would like to solve right now. The person that was supposed to sit next to me was sick and couldn’t attend. I’m still unsure if this makes a difference, but I soon realized everyone in my group used to work in finance, except for myself… Admittedly, it was a tough first round for me. I always feel uncomfortable talking about myself, I’m a much stronger listener. Plus, the problem I’m facing right now is the fact that I’m going through this adult/figuring it all out phase in my life right now. At the time it felt selfish discussing, but now as I write this and in weeks passing I’ve realized I’m not alone in this feeling. I’ve been diving into more meals and conversations with really interesting thought-provoking women and friends and now know I’m not the only one that feels this way.

For round two, we had to match the person with the same letter we had on our card. No match. Again, I think my match was sick so I joined in on the same group I started with. We were served our next course of gnocchi, salad, and steak, and Michelle passed around sets of small envelopes with questions for discussion in them. Mine said, “What relationships have been most meaningful to you? Who are your mentors?” while the guy next to me had, “Mistakes you’ve learned from. Dare to share.” Both great conversation starters.

Following this discussion we had to flip our cards over and find our match according to the symbol on the back of our cards. I finally had a match and had a really great conversation with this woman. She could relate to my problem and we shared an additional problem of connection, as we both felt that there should be better resources to connect people in NYC. I like to think I’m solving that problem in a way with Women Who Brunch, I want to connect more women in New York but feel it could grow to so much more… This short discussion with her and this dinner experience has made me really think about how we connect. I’ve always been a fan of curated and unique events and the connection between people, but how can these connections form stronger more meaningful relationships? It’s a problem I’m excited to dig deeper in.

Once dessert came we were asked to meet someone we didn’t talk to yet. I met a guy that does photography and asked him to tell me more about his personal photo projects. He told me about how he enjoys photographing hearts in odd places. He mostly shares these on his Instagram and calls it love in unexpected places. I love the thought of looking for love, almost like a scavenger hunt. He then pointed to the dessert cake where pieces of it had fallen and naturally formed a heart. It was one of the best things I heard all day.

Of course, then, another guy had chimed in with a photo project his friend told him about called 100 Happy Days. The challenge is, can you stay happy for 100 days in a row? According to the site 71% of people won’t finish the challenge because they get too busy or state they don’t have the time. I’m always up for a good challenge and have been doing it ever since the dinner. It’s honestly made me feel a million times better. I used to write everyday and do a similar project called 365 Project, where I’d take a photo once a day. It’s really made me feel more grateful about each day and I actually look forward to finding something in my life that makes me happy each day even if it’s something small.

Finally, Michelle wrapped up dinner with giving us these cards that say, what is your special, as a reminder that everyone has something special about themselves.

I’d love to hear what your special is in the comments. Let’s discuss! xo

Morning Inspiration – Curated events, articles, and more.

September 12, 2013September 12, 2013 ~ Nicole Monahan ~ Leave a comment

It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these, but I just love reading and making curated lists filled inspiration and information. Below are upcoming events, interesting reads, and more from my perspective.

Starting with this quote that has continued to stick with me a lot recently.

Upcoming Events I’m Looking Forward To:

– CM Meetup – All Things Fashion and Social Media, tonight

– Taste Talks, a Brooklyn Food & Drinks Conference – September 14th & 15th

– Women Who Brunch (Shameless plug), Makers and Crafters themed brunch with Megan Nuttall at Jane Restaurant, September 15th

– 99u Pop-Up School, Mini conferences and workshops on career development, entrepreneurship, and brand & digital strategy, September 18-20th

– Maker’s Faire, Festival of innovation, creativity, and science, September 21st & 22nd

– Creative Mornings NY with Ayah Bdeir Founder of LittleBits, September 27th

________________________________________________________________________

Articles to Inspire:

One question that’ll change everything

10 Things to Do Even if They Judge You

20 Motivational Business Quotes to Read Every Morning

Part of a Community…

________________________________________________________________________

Wildcard (My life and interesting things I find along the way) :

4 years ago I started this little graffiti Tumblr.

This Humans of New York image and quote was extremely inspirational to me:

Fin, xo

The Instagram Photo That Gave Me a Swift Kick to Start Writing Again

September 10, 2013 ~ Nicole Monahan ~ 2 Comments

Last week as I was scrolling through Instagram, this image and quote from Humans of New York caught my eye.

I’ll be honest, I don’t write as often as I should. But this quote was a true awakening. It reminded me of when I just graduated college. Almost every single day for about an hour I would just write and recollect my thoughts at nearby cafes. It was one of my most fondest memories. It was my personal getaway to recap the struggles (and still struggles) of the economy and post-grad life, finding my way, logging weight goals (I lost 80lbs in about a year during my senior year and documented it both on and offline), and reenacting fun I had with friends in college. I could relive it all or just reflect, even for a few short moments. It was pure bliss.

Immediately after reading this quote, I grabbed a new Moleskine notebook and got started. I’ve been writing every single day since then ( a whole week straight so far! ). Just like anything else you need to make time for it, and it’s definitely a habit I’m excited about forming.

I’d love to hear from you: What are your daily improvement habits? How do you strike a balance to make time for these habits?

For me, I’ve started to only bring a book with me whenever I’m running out the door, that way I can squeeze reading time into my commute time. Then, I’ll set aside an hour to write in the evening and use my Lift app to hold myself accountable. It’s also fun to check things off a to-do list.

Would love to hear from you! Let’s explore in the comments below.

10 Places from My Childhood I’ll Never Be Able to Visit Again

June 11, 2013 ~ Nicole Monahan ~ 1 Comment

Attempt at trying a Buzzfeed-y type post…For some of these places, only the South Florida 90’s kid generation will know these places best.

1.) 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea – The Ride at Walt Disney World

Best

Ride

Ever

2.) Funscape

Short lived but so magical. Funscape was located on Cypress Creek road right next to Regal Cinemas. It was like an indoor mall with 2 levels of arcade games, food, golf, bumper cars, and my personal favorite 3-D mini movie rides.

3.) Blockbuster Golf & Games

I had either my 10th or 11th birthday here. It was awesome.

4.) Discovery Zone

I miss you so much. We’ll always have that slide. RIP: 1990-1999

5.) Mars Music

Music store in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 1999-2002. I took my guitar and singing lessons here. 😦

6.) Tower Records

Music chain based out of California from 1960-2006. Had to visit there when I went on vacation to LA, long live music stores.

7.) Virgin MegaStore

At its peak, there were 23 Megastores in the US. My 2 favorites were the one in Orlando, FL which was the first I had ever been to, last time I was there it was a Lady Diana exhibit and it’s flagship store in Times Square which closed in 2009 and is now occupied by Forever 21.

8.) Peaches Records & Tapes:

I fondly remember the Boca Raton, FL location, and bought my first tape here, I’m pretty sure it was Hootie and the Blowfish. There’s still one location of this former chain still around in New Orleans, LA.

9.) Wally World

The only hotel to stay at when you were a kid headed to Disney World. Indoor pool, character dinners, arts and crafts, games, kangaroos, heaven.

10.) The Factory

I went to so many concerts here in high school. It was probably the best time in my life. It was also next to a porn store, my dad loved dropping me and all my friends off here.

Side note: I also took these photos from their Myspace page. I’m getting old.