una memoria del verano porteño.

[this photo's actually from my friend tony's roof on charcas, which is a few blocks away from where i used to live. same idea.]

on a sticky, steamy night in buenos aires, my host family and i were finishing up with a late dinner when the power went out. as summertime in argentina can reach scalding temperatures (compared with boston, anyway) and the rio de la plata doesn't do much in dragging the humidity out to sea, power outages during heatwaves aren't all too uncommon. i mean, think about it: refrigerators, air conditioners, fans, you flick one switch too many in one of the most densely populated cities in the world and you're bound to exhaust some power lines.

the lot of us - mariano (host dad), ines (host mom), andrés y francisco (host brothers) and i were finishing up the wine and starting to clear the plates when all of a sudden the room went dark. mariano started grumbling, ines went to the kitchen for candles and andrés, francisco and i threw open the door to the balcony and shuffled outside. our apartment was the penthouse in a nine-story building, and though nine flights of stairs doesn't seem that high up compared with the sky scrapers i've previously known, the traffic from below was muffled and far away and an eerie calm settled over our corner of palermo viejo.

andrés and francisco, both lanky and at least a head taller than their father, leaned over the edge of the balcony and were looking out below when someone started banging a pot against a railing a few blocks away. andrés and francisco started laughing and shaking their heads, with francisco pounding his fists half-heartedly against our railing as andrés explained that this happened during el críses when people would lose their power on a regular basis. within minutes, that one resounding CLANG CLANG CLANG-CLANG-CLANG was joined by leaden thuds and aluminum refrains as the neighbors broke out various kitchen utensils and took to their doors and rooftops as we had. everything for the long length of our street, was pitch black - no street lamps, no illuminated locutería signs, just the occasional headlights from cabs creeping onto our side street in the middle of a cut through. mariano and ines joined us on the balcony, mariano chuckling at the ruckus echoing around us, and the five of us stood sweating nine stories up until the streetlights came on street by street and the dining room lights glowed behind us. just as quickly as it had started, the balcony railing clamor subsided and everyone went back to their TVs, their dinners or their bedrooms, and mariano and ines went back to clearing the table.

andrés, francisco and i stayed outside for a minute or two longer than our parents, and i stayed out for a minute or two after andrés and francisco got bored and moseyed back inside. i spent a solid fifteen minutes hanging over the edge of the balcony looking up and down my street to make sure that it wasn't a fluke, and i went to bed that night completely in love with a power outage and everything about my neighbors and my home.

maybe it's the world cup madness and the fact that argentina is kicking SERIOUS ASS right now, but i find myself missing buenos aires and my host family more than i have since i left.

(if we lose power in this crazy humidity, i think we should start bangin' our pots and pans together.)

X H

hello and goodbye from portland.

this is what my morning looks like right now (albeit far more calm and less shaky; forgive the impromptu Photobooth shot.) it's calm, cool and bright in portland.  i'm packing up the last of my stuff, heading down the street for some breakfast at the bread & ink, and then hopping on a bus and beginning the looooooooong (way longer than i thought) journey back to boston.  i'll be back in town tonight around midnight, if anyone wants to fetch a fair damsel from the airport :D

this trip was lovely and full of food and friends and beach and GREEN. this city is LUSH. natalie took some beautiful pictures i'll share with you once she gets 'em up on the ol' flickr.  we had three days of the definition of goooooooood.

oh, and we went to the sleepy beach town where they filmed The Goonies.

more later.

X H

spring fever.

(photo ganked from ringo! have a banana, aka one of the most adorable blogs in existence.  

she's got the right idea with these lilacs, here.)

GUYS.

I REALLY CAN'T CONCENTRATE. like, REALLY REALLY can't concentrate. like it's writer's block and daydreaming about spring and portland this weekend and picking out what color i'm going to paint the walls of my new room next week and...... other things. all combined. in mah skull. i'm staring at four open word docs at my desk, i'm caffeinated, i have clients calling me every five seconds and i can't seem to just simmer down and get to work.  i would so much rather be in my bed with my laptop and some tea with the windows open doing my work from there, especially if my window had some beautiful flowers in it like the lilacs above.  a girl can dream, right? that would fix this crazy creative slump, right? GYAH!

this is for a multitude of reasons, but i think it just wittles down to the fact that it's been rather pretty out, it's finally time to tune up the bike and that my absolute favorite time of year in boston is here.  i'm missing my favorite holiday (marathon monday) in favor of exploring one of the best cities on the "best coast" for the first time, but i'll be celebrating the unofficial kickoff of spring with one of my favorite people in a place i'm bound to love, so it's ok.

for those of you with any portland (OR, not ME) advice to impart, out with it.  never been, so stoked to be there, and i want to make the most of my weekend!

oh, and while we're on the topic of procrastinating/not concentrating - i have to find a dress to wear to my dear friend erin's wedding, as the one i ordered on sale from anthro is hilariously small.  the wedding's in the afternoon and the reception is in the evening at the biltmore in providence at the end of june - how do we feel about this one, or too casual?

ok. need to buckle down and write some stuff, the next installment of defend yourself! that's getting published in the weekly dig next week.  did y'all read my feature on freelance whales? if not, go put on "Generator ^ First Floor" and start scrollin'.

X H

a spring weekend to-do list! ps: I'M MOVING!

here's my ideal (note, ideal) weekend to-do list:

1 - go grocery shopping at wilson's; grab asparagus, spinach, portobellos, apples, brussels sprouts, eggs, milk, tea (namely green, as i'm almost out), berries and other provisions for the week. NO CHEESE. i've been OD-ing on cheese lately.  there's some herb chevre in my fridge that cackles at me maniacally every time i open the door. i swear.  it's mocking me with each neglected bite.

2 - start. packing. i'm officially moving!  as of may 1st, i'll be living around the corner from my absolute favorite spanish restaurant, one of my absolute favorite coffee joints, and down the street from the best farmer's market in greater boston.  it's a 17 minute walk to harvard and trina's is literally rock-throwing distance from my new pad.  i'm also moving in with the lovely alaine, who's a good friend of los' from UMass and one of the silliest, raddest people i've ever met.  we've unofficially dubbed the new place the Flamingo Mapatorium because we've amassed a ton of maps between us and we want to have lawn flamingos in the bathroom.  (this is because the bathroom's kind of blah as compared with the rest of the place - lovely light, huge kitchen, HUGE rooms, and we get to paint it! oh, and did i mention there's a weeping willow in our front yard?  WEEPING. WILLOW. in our FRONT YARD. heaven.)

3 - make my grandmother a birthday card because her birthday was yesterday and we're celebrating it this weekend.  so much family over the past couple of weeks!

4 - clean my apartment, seeing as the landlord already has people coming over to check out my current space ALREADY.  inconvenient.  whatever.  more on this later.

5 - go to the gym.  i have been slacking on fitness so hard since the end of SXSW because i threw my back out (sort of?) at the airport picking my luggage up and then i just simply haven't had time between writing/interviewing/dancing/living life over the past couple of weeks.  zumba, you and i have a date tomorrow morning at 10am.

6 - sign up for zipcar and then jet over to lexington to pick up BRINT!  brint is one of my best friends from spain.  his grams lives up here and he's visiting her for the weekend, so we're going to have dinner.  he's got no car and i've got no car so zipcar it is.  (also, i just signed a lease to live here for another year, i may as well give in and get the damn zip car membership already.  have YOU tried parking in somerville lately?  it's unavoidable.) also, he and i have some talking to do because we may be plotting a return trip to eastern europe for august.  i can't sit still. it's true.

7 - organize all Dig clips to date before moving.  there's a few of them.  i see a lot of rubber cement/construction paper action happening over the next 48 hours.

8 - start thinking about portland because i'll be there this time next week! EEEP! my first trip ever to the west coast totally snuck up on me!

9 - go see The Runaways at Coolidge Corner on sunday with marcy.  she always treks to our side of the river and we rarely visit her there (we're awful friends, we know), so this is an opportune time to relish in one of the best attractions on her side: the coolidge corner theater.  yes yes yes yes yes. love love love love love.  i can smell the popcorn and twizzlers already. nomz.

10 - sleep.  i should probably start doing that again.

here goes, weekend.  X H

[ps: have you noticed how everyone's trying to get more comments/more retweets so they end every blog post/tweet with a question ("What do you guys think?" "What're you up to this weekend?" "Who would you rather punch in the face?") etc etc.  social media fo' SHAME. i'm not gonna do that. sorry dudes.]

the happy list, "tea and blankets on a sunday morning" edition.

well, last night was silly.  there was whiskey.  i'm watching sex and the city reruns from the dependable couch fort and i'm thisclose to ordering new moon ondemand before throwing on rumpled jeans and going to dinner with dan, nick and los before hitting up the beach house show at the paradise tonight.  sunday afternoon, it could be love.

anyways, here's a brief update/latest incarnation of the happy list.

- one of my career goals as an aspiring journalist?  write a story for The Boston Globe.  what happened last tuesday? a feature i wrote ran in the Boston Globe's arts & entertainment section.  as i knew i would be in austin covering SXSW for the Dig anyway, i pitched an article to the Globe's A&E editor and he took my story.  result: a two page 1,000-odd word feature on notable sets by boston talent at SXSW.  the response to the article was so encouraging and overwhelming and to everyone who commented, called, texted, emailed, or simply pressed the thumbs-up "like" button on facebook, thank you.  i'm such a lucky person.  i'm going to post a bunch of my favorite photos snapped by the insatiable jess hodge and mikey basu, who are two of the most talented and professional photographers i've ever had the pleasure of working with, but in the mean time here are two silly ones of me in austin -

there was a cupcake truck.  the girl gave us free cupcakes because we ran across the street and grabbed a red bull for her when she was in need.  red velvet elicits this reaction from me, always.  (also: the chocolate cupcake to the left, covered in cream cheese frosting, was dubbed "the michael jackson." omg.)

this one was snapped by mikey in between shows.  i was sitting down for maybe like 30 seconds throughout our entire time at SXSW and he caught me.

- last night, one of my favorite local bands (and three of my favorite people in general), static of the gods, had a FANTASTIC cd release show at tt's.  it's really something special when you get to know a band, and you follow 'em for a bit, and you become friends, and you write about 'em a couple of times, and they put out a CD that's just absolutely amazing and that you can't wait to burn a copy of for everyone you've ever met.  knowledge machine is such a great album.  if you haven't picked it up yet, do so asap. jen, ben and mike, you guys were so amazing last night!  and thanks for the falafel palace pit stop and the ride home :)

- i made quinoa for the first time last night.  GREAT SUCCESS.  i went grocery shopping at wilson's farm yesterday, as i've been doing for the past month or so, and to say i came home with a bounty of goodness would be fact.  the quinoa, fresh spinach, fresh goat cheese, organic baby brussel sprouts, fresh blackberries, farm fresh milk, farm fresh eggs... foooooodgazm.

- los' birthday is next friday!  there will be funfetti and togas and kickball and people eating funfetti while wearing togas and schooling each other in kickball.  can't friggin' wait.

- i'm so excited about future pieces i'll be working on over the next three months.  there are such exciting things in store.  it's nice to have something to look forward to :)

soooo there you have it.  gotta brew another cup of tea and make some delicious food and watch rpatz be all sparkly and whatnot.

X H


ps:  oh hey!  i launched my website.  sort of.  it's in the "coming soon" stage right now.  major thanks to the lovely jsutt and her design savvy :) - http://www.hilaryjanehughes.com/

GIVE ME DRY SOCKS OR GIVE ME DEATH.

(FYI: this is the photo that pops up in Google Image Search when you look up "miserable rain.")

dear rain gods:


STOP.

this is UNBEARABLE.  my umbrella is missing.  my coat hasn't been dry for three days.  my feet haven't been dry for three days.  everyone's in a terrible mood, including myself.  all i want in life right now is my couch, dry socks, piles upon piles of blankets, a cuddly dude to spoon with and HBO on demand for hours on end.  that's it.  that's all i require in order to find my sanity again. 

so, rain gods, if you could like, take a nap or something, that would be stellarrrrr.

X H

(in other news, i will be landing in Austin and picking up my SXSW badge in approx. 52 hours.  TEXAS SUNSHINE HERE I COME.)

Hil in the Dig: The SXSW Preview and 5 Drink Minimum!

in the most recent issue of the Dig, I have two pieces. yayz.  

first: as you all probably know by now, I'm taking off next Wednesday morning for Austin, Texas with the engimatic Jess Hodge by my side.  we're going to be running up and down Congress Street like chickens with our heads cut off in order to ensure that we catch each and every single set we wanna see, but we're gonna do it!  I swear!  if i was able to squeeze 25+ sets into 3 days at CMJ this year, catching every single Boston band showcasing at SXSW will be cake.  (i hope. gulp.) my SXSW preview is here, but be sure to check back on the Dig's website next week for showcase play-by-plays and plenty of Lonestar-induced debauchery.

secondly: cara, managing editor extraordinaire over at the Dig, was kind enough to include me in the Dig's semi-annual nightlife guide, Five Drink Minimum.  this installment of 5DM was centered on hotel bars, so los, mikey and I slinked our way into the sultry clutches of Noir at the Charles Hotel.  Five Drink Minimum, for those who haven't read the guide before, is basically a guide to getting hammered: we, the reporters, must imbibe in five cocktails at the assigned location, and each cocktail is picked out ahead of time (#1 is bartender's choice, #2 reflects the vibe of the surroundings, #3 is stranger's choice, etc. etc...).  this isn't horrifically difficult to do at Noir, as all of the drinks are just as pleasing to the palate as they are potent, soooo basically we got a little rowdy and the phrase "cheating-on-my-wife-ish" may have gotten thrown around a bit.  read all about it here and check out mikey's sick photo above and in the Dig - his is what they chose for the front of the feature :)

i have so much to do before SXSW it's not even funny.  here's hoping i get all my work done, pack, and steer clear of the green beer in southie on sunday afternoon.  (yes, i will be heading to south boston for the st. paddy's day parade with my girlfriends on sunday.  yes, we're going to a rooftop party and marcy's probably going to wind up doing a backwards and upside-down kegstand this year.  yes, i am ashamed to admit that i'm a little excited about it.)

X H

¡headshots! with lara callahan [[elciphotography.com]]

my favorite incredible photographic impresaria, lara callahan, snapped some new headshots for me for my portfolio/business cards.  honestly, people, if you're in boston or new york and you need to get some good lookin' photographs of yourself, this is the girl to do it.  lara's super encouraging, incredibly easy to work with, and just an all around sweet girl.  that, and she made me look like a badass, and for that i'm forever grateful.  [i like posing with shades, ok?!]  

anyways, yeah.  launching a new site soon.  very excited about it.  heading to SXSW in two weeks.  very excited about THAT.  2010, you're not going to let me sleep very much, are you?

oh hey! it's hil writing about thick as thieves in the weekly dig.

thick as thieves! from left: kellen, aaron, mike and tyler.  

go see them downstairs at the middle east on 2/27.

in the latest edition of the weekly dig [which hits the streets tomorrow, look for the orange boxes and pick one up!], i had the goofy joy of interviewing a dude in a band i've loved for years who's also become a good friend.  tyler's the singer in thick as thieves, which is undeniably one of my most favorite boston bands.  i've interviewed the guys in thick as thieves once before, and that conversation took place on a particularly sunny saturday afternoon in kellen and tyler's living room over the course of nearly two hours.  this time, i had a last minute opportunity to chat the dudes up and plug their upcoming show with the lights out and cure for static, so i leapt on it and got tyler on the phone and the next thing you know he's talking about djembes and bloody guitars.  my favorite songs by them are "disasterology" and "weak end with no end", and i'm hoping i'll hear both saturday night.

aaanyways, go read all about it.  here's a link to this week's Defend Yourself! with Tyler Littwin of Thick as Thieves.

in other news, my editor totally made my life when he addressed me as "ms. gonzo" in an email.  yes, i'm a huge, huuuge nerd for revealing this.  no, i don't care in the slightest.

Please Kill Me: An Uncensored Oral History of Punk (aka current "CANNOT PUT THIS DOWN" read.)

Please Kill Me... is one of those books that people have been telling me to read for pretty much ever.  "well, you're a music writer!" "you like rock and roll, don't you?" "you like andy warhol/david bowie/the ramones/iggy pop..." yes, i am an aspiring journalist who writes about music.  yes, i can think of no better occupation than chasing around rock stars and musicians hoping to catch a break in boston.  and no, i can't think of any good reason why i haven't torn it apart from the sheer voracity of reading it yet.

but i did.   and this book reminds me of why i work hard, why i sleep less, why i drink more, why i fight louder and harder and dirtier than i ever have before and why i will do whatever it takes to ensure that local talents receive the attention they deserve in a way that'll touch readers and hopefully convince them to pick up a paper on the regular.   i could recite half the quotes in Please Kill Me... because they're all fantastic ["iggy, what're you doing wearing a woman's dress?" "...this is a man's dress", etc], but as cliche as it sounds, i found myself relating to lester bangs more than i'd care to admit by the time i reached the Cast of Characters index on the last pages of the paperback:

"Just for the record, I would like it known by anybody who cares that I don't think life is a perpetual dive.  And even though it's genuinely frightening, I don't think Richard Hell's fascination with death is anything but stupid... And all the Richard Hells are chickenshits who trash the precious gift too blithely, and they deserve to be given to credence, but shocked awake in some violent matter.  Either that or spanked and put to bed." (Lester Bangs, "You Should Never Have Opened That Door", Please Kill Me... pg. 282)

it's painful to read through most of this - to read through the overdoses and the near brushes with death and the record company screw ups and the brutalized relationships and the untimely demises of the people who dreamed up, conceived and shattered one of the most revolutionary movements in modern music.  legs mcneil and gillian mccain did an exceptional job with their edits, because they absolutely document the beginnings of punk in the words of the people who made it happen, and they chronicle the rises and falls of the people who made CBGB's what it was and who were fortunate enough to know what the insides of warhol's factory looked like and who were panicking when pattie smith fell off the stage that night.  there's nothing more disheartening than a writer who manipulates the words of an artist to satiate their own needs for attention, or to use someone else's brilliance for their own personal gain.  legs mcneil and gillian mccain did more than write an incredible book: they restored my faith in my craft which i had lost and they restored my faith in journalism and artistic collaboration and the value of intellectual integrity in one fell swoop.

i found myself sobbing when people like lester and johnny thunders met their makers and when sid and nancy were reunited in a small jewish cemetery.  sure, it's sad reading about people dying and getting murdered and shooting themselves up until their blood runs black, but i had never had characters taken away so abruptly from me in a book before, and then the shock set in that these people lived and are directly responsible for making me love what i do.  Please Kill Me... makes me want to be a better writer.  Period.

also: this is probably the most emotional book review that's ever existed.  kind of embarrassing, but there you have it.

if you make music, if you write, if you make art, if you love music, if you love reading, if there's a creative bone in your body or a creative thought in your pretty little head.... juuuust read Please Kill Me... and go listen to the New York Dolls or Iggy and the Stooges or something, and be thankful.