fun – Page 2 – that lemon life

Look what quarantine made me do

Hola everyone.

And welcome back to my blog. How are you all doing, my lovelies? All doing good? I hope you all had a lovely week and that you’re looking forward to the weekend. Today, I thought it would be nice to share another few short stories of and insights on life during quarantine. Thankfully, that horrific time has come to an end here at home in Austria a long time ago (should be over a month now), but whenever I slow down and reflect on those strange one and a half months of lockdowns, anonymity, unfamiliarity and distance, I notice that I was a different person before compared to who I am now. But let me explain.

To put it short, I did some things during quarantine and during the past three months that I probably would have never ever done if life was still normal. If I was still in London, if gigs were still happening and if our local cinema wasn’t singularly playing dumb, boring movies. Humans are a very adaptive and creative species, which I noticed by my own actions. Even my mum was surprised by most of the stuff I did. That’s how strange I was acting. And I know this must sound super dubious and weird, but actually it’s anything but, as most of the things I did happened in the kitchen. Not strange, but very very delicious.

I mean, as probably everyone stuck at home, I’ve been cooking a lot. And that’s saying a lot too, as I usually already cook about twice or even three times per week. But because of quarantine and because I needed to find a way to let my creative spirit run free and do something I’ve never done before and something that would keep me engaged and interested, I’ve been cooking even more. I just needed a bit of a challenge. Also, somehow I finally got to make and cook all the stuff I had been planning on for years, so that’s quite cool too.

My very first project was stinging nettle spinach. You’re probably thinking ‘what the hell is that’. Well, it’s that interesting green plant you can usually find on roadsides and in the woods in late spring. Oh, and the ‘fun’ part, once you touch it it stings like hell. You probably know what I mean by now. Here in Austria it’s pretty common to go into the woods and harvest some of it to cook with it – make spinach, tea, soup, whatever. And when I was still very young, I remember my mum once made me pureed spinach from nettles and I’ve been wanting to recreate that ever since. And thanks to quarantine, I finally got the chance. The stuff you do when you’ve reached another level of boredom. But actually, it was pretty cool to make and tasted amazing as well. I highly recommend it – here’s a recipe for you to try.

And speaking of staying local and being one with nature – the next thing I made was elderflower syrup, another long-planned project of mine. The amazing thing is, when we bought the property for our house, this big patch of land, it already included a few trees and a huge elderflower bush. So the syrup I made wasn’t just homemade but also homegrown. And yes, I’m pretty proud of that. Anyway, the process of making the syrup was super fun as well and oh my god the taste. It tastes so freaking good. I mean, I usually like building myself up and being my own biggest fan, but this time literally everyone I had try the syrup agreed that it is absolutely stunning. And with some frozen berries and a few mint leafs it makes for the perfect summer drink. You should definitely try it – here’s a recipe.

To stay with the summery theme, the last thing I recently made is perfect for anyone who loves frozen yoghurt and fruit, but doesn’t have a frozen yoghurt place in town (like me) – a yoghurt bark. Inspired by the amazing Jenna Joseph (thanks Jenna), I made the probably easiest icecream on earth. It really is just spreading out greek yoghurt and mixing and topping it with literally anything you like – chocolate, fruit, nuts, anything. There are no limits whatsoever. And once it’s frozen and you can break it all apart and enjoy it in the sun, it’s just the best thing ever – here’s a recipe for you.

And last but not least, the quarantine has also given my green thumb an intense push. I mean, I’ve always had a green thumb – my room is literally filled with plants, I currently own 17 – but before the quarantine, it was limited to indoor plants. But all of a sudden I’ve been helping my mum with the garden, repotting plants, checking on them on a daily basis. I think that’s actually what surprised my mum the most. And the cherry on top of all of this is definitely that I recently planted my very own lemon trees. I know, lemons and me, what a coincidence (ha). But, seriously, they are just the cutest and I call them my lemon babies and have been looking after them all day and all night. I know that the journey together with them will be a long one and that it’ll take years for them to grow tall and strong, but that’s what I’m here for. Also, I think they’re just so beautiful and elegant once they’re bigger, so it’s definitely worth the wait. They’ll hopefully be with me my whole life. For any of you who would like to plant their own lemon tree, here’s how.

And with that, we’ve already reached the end of today’s post and the stories of all the stuff I did during quarantine and the past three months. Overall, I think that quarantine was one of the hardest periods of time I and most people had to go through, but looking at what good came out of it, I’d say that it didn’t just have bad sides, but some positive ones as well. Speaking of that, I’d absolutely love to hear about all the cool you stuff did during quarantine to keep yourself busy – even if it’s creating the most beautiful island on Animal Crossing (I envy you) – so please don’t hesitate to leave your thoughts and opinions down below. And apart from that I hope reading about my stories brought you a bit of inspiration and happiness. And yeah, as always, I wish you all a lovely weekend and thanks for reading. x

thatlemonlife presents: LEMON – the magazine

Hola everyone.

How are all my lovely readers doing? Oh my god, it feels like I haven’t been on here and talked to you for ages. I’m so incredibly sorry for the long long silence. You can probably guess why I couldn’t find the time to really post anything… yes, you’re right, good old uni work, innit? But as of Tuesday last week, I am finally free again and also done with my second year at BIMM. Which still sounds so insane to me. I can’t believe I’m already done with my second year and only have one year left to go. Time just flew by, my god.

But actually, now that I’m finally back, uni stopping me from posting anything on here is more fun than anything, as it is also the reason for me coming back and for today’s post. Because as most of you have probably seen from the title of this post, I want to present you with something today that is probably one of the most special and most meaningful projects of mine that I ever got to share with you guys. And it’s all thanks to uni. Never thought I’d ever say that, but here we are. Thanks, BIMM. But let’s not spend more time talking around it, but let’s get right to it. I proudly present to you – my very first own music, arts and lifestyle magazine LEMON. Can you hear me screaming in excitement?

Okay, I know, this is super exciting, and, please believe me, I’m more than on the edge of my seat now that I finally get to share it with you. But first, let me tell you how we got here. As I already mentioned, this is all thanks to my university, which made me fall in love with design and specifically magazine design and now for my end project of our ‘Making Magazines’ course had me design and write a complete 16-pages magazine. I know you’re probably thinking what a crazy and difficult task, but out of all my courses, this was one was definitely the one that I enjoyed the most.

And actually, the whole idea for LEMON began right here, on this very blog. Because in a nutshell, the magazine is a paper version of this very blog – without the sometimes way too personal oversharing and babbling around. From the start, my goal was to translate the feel of this blog, its ambiance, its style, and its fun and passionated character to the magazine and create a paper that is just as sweet, creative, and interesting. Obviously, the look was also just as important and, for me as a perfectionist, also the part I worked on the most and hardest. I think in total I worked on it for about three months, which made it possible for me to create a magazine that I couldn’t be any more proud of. And I even got to include my obsession and love for Twenty One Pilots (I just had to, sorry not sorry). And yes, I’m probably prouder of that than I should be, but I got to put Brad Heaton, the ultimate photographic genius, into the spotlight and my favourite band at the same time and even put Ty on the cover, so I can only see this as the biggest achievement ever.

Overall, creating this mag has probably been one of the most fun things I’ve ever done and I couldn’t be happier to share it with you, so without further ado, here it is. My magazine LEMON. I hope you enjoy it. Or even love it.

Omg, this is just so exciting. I honestly hope you enjoy/enjoyed my magazine. As already mentioned, all the design was done by me and all the articles and pieces you can find on the pages were also written by myself. Unfortunately, Brad wasn’t available for an interview, so I had to use some quotes from past interviews and his reddit q&a for my feature on him, but I don’t think that lessened the quality of the piece in any way. His pictures with their magic and striking beauty are the highlights anyway.

Again, I truly hope you enjoy the mag just as much as I do. This is my first attempt at creating my own magazine and now that I can literally hold it in my hands, it feels like another path for me has opened itself up. It has definitely become a project for me that I want to come back to in the future. Maybe, one day, LEMON will be a real magazine one day and waiting for you to pick it up from the store. How crazy does that sound? Even just the thought makes my tummy fill with butterflies. But until then, here’s the very first version of this super special paper. I’d love to hear your opinions and thoughts, so please don’t hesitate to leave them down below. And, of course, I hope you’re all doing great and feeling well and I wish you all the loveliest week. And as always, thanks for reading. x

There’s Nothing Like Film

Hola everyone.

Welcome back to my blog. I’m so sorry for being gone for so long, but I’ve buried myself in uni work the past two weeks and only just now had a chance to finally peek my head out a bit again. How are you guys doing? I hope you’ve had a great two weeks and are feeling well, despite this way too real horror scenario we’re still stuck in. I’m going to be honest, I’m still locked into my shitty emotional rollercoaster. One day I’m feeling super happy and calm and truly believe that everything’s going to be perfectly fine again, and the next day I feel like a piece of my soul got ripped apart and all I want to do is throw myself off a cliff. I know, this might sound a bit dramatic, but I’ve always lived in extremes and this quarantine has only enforced that even more.

Anyways, thanks to various new hobbies, I’ve been able to stick to the better, more fun side of the rollercoaster for most of the time. And one of those hobbies is something I’ve been wanting to get into for a pretty long time – film photography. I mean, you all know how deeply in love I am with photography in general, whether with my phone or my camera. So getting obsessed with film photography was just a natural consequence. And finally, for my birthday this year, I gave myself the greatest gift ever to give in to the obsession – a film camera, to be exact, an Olympus XA2, that I got from Depop.

So far, I’ve used up one roll of film, which I recently got developed and am super happy to share with you today. Obviously, not all the pictures are worthy enough to be hung up on a wall for everyone to see, but some of them are and to be honest, I’m really proud of that. Especially for my first try. Thankfully, actually photographing with the camera is just as much fun as seeing the results. I know that some people don’t like film, because opposed to digital cameras, you aren’t able to see the photo straight after taking it. You can’t check whether the lighting is nice or everything is in focus. Every single picture is a surprise. And yes, it might make it all a bit more stressful, because the chance of some of the pics being throwaways is pretty high, but it is also way more exciting that way. I love how you capture moments and then they’re locked into the camera until you finally get to see them weeks afterward. I think that’s actually what gives the pictures their certain nostalgic and romantic touch. I really really really love it. And so, without further ado, here are some of my favourite pictures that I took during the past weeks while being stuck in quarantine. If any of you are curious, I took all of them on a Kodak Gold film with an ISO of 200. I hope you like them just as much as I do. So, please enjoy.

And there you go guys, this is it for today’s post. I hope you enjoyed the pictures and are excited for more to come. I’ve already ordered six more rolls of film – 3x Kodak Color Plus 200 and 3x Fujicolor C200 – and I can’t wait to shoot them all and fill them with fantastic memories and beautiful moments. And then to share them with all of you. And until then, I hope you like these here. As always, please don’t hesitate to leave your thoughts and comments down below. And also recommendations and tips for the camera. I’m just at the start of the film photography learning curve and would be grateful for every tip. Besides that, I wish you all a lovely week and hope you’re doing well. And, of course, thanks for reading. x

“Rock with Horns”

Hola everyone.

Looks like we’ve reached another Friday yet again. To be honest, I’m surprised I still know what day it is. They seem to blend into each other the past weeks. But here I am once again, sitting in front of my laptop, thinking about what to write about today. And I know it might not sound like that, but this simple act of typing something up to share with you guys is one of the things that have been keeping me afloat. It gives me a sense of structure and responsibility. I might not be able to the cinema or meet my friends, but I’m still able to talk to all of you and I can’t even put into words how much I appreciate that. So here I am, once again.

Okay, and now let’s talk business. I know I’ve hinted at it already a few weeks ago, but today the time has finally come for me to share the fantastic interview I did with the uber-amazing band HUNNY. If you’ve been following me and my blog for a while, you will probably already know who these very special boys are. In a nutshell – they make crazy good music, I was super excited to finally meet them and you should definitely read the interview and then give them a listen. You won’t regret it, I promise. And so, without further ado, here’s our little chat. I hope you enjoy it.

“Rock with Horns”

Going to a concert of the Californian band HUNNY is a very special experience. They meet all the criteria for the perfect indie band: charismatic with a touch of rogue, a frontman who turns the stage into his dance floor, a flawless shredder on the guitar, a synth magician, and a funky bass player. That’s why it’s fairly easy to be obsessed with HUNNY, consisting of Jason Yarger (vocals), Jake Goldstein (guitar), Joey Anderson (drums) and Kevin Grimmett (bass, keyboards) – these LA rockers are absolute favorites: young, passionate and full of sugar. I met the humorous guys for an interview before their sold-out show at Shepherd’s Bush in London and talked to them about their current tour, the production of their newest album, and the fight for authenticity in the music business.

How did your band start off?

Jake: Same old story. Some old story. We’ve just all known each other forever. Jason and I lived together in a house and then everybody started to come to us and hang out and then this band happened.

Joey: Pretty boring origin story. Nobody got bitten by a radioactive spider or anything.

How would you describe your band to someone who doesn’t know you?

Kevin: If you mean an older person, like a boomer, then we’re a rock band, they wouldn’t understand anything else. But when we’re talking to someone who knows what we’re about, we do alternative rock.

Jason: I don’t like that one though. It’s so broad to say that. I never know how to describe us.

Jake: We make rock with horns.

What do you dislike most about your job and what do you love most?

Jake: The industry behind music sucks. But that’s also the thing that allows us to play shows like tonight. Venues are only open because people buy tickets and drinks and come to concerts. That is also the catch 22. I wish every show could be five pounds, but unfortunately, that wouldn’t work.

Jason: Speaking of catch 22, tour is the worst and best part. It’s tough, but it’s also the greatest time. When we played a small gig recently, there were two girls from Japan at the show who go to school here in London. So they came from Japan and are here in England and we are also here and we are all very far from home and connected by this one thing, by the music. That’s really cool.

How does your production process work?

Jason: Basically, we sit around the laptop and play around with melodies and rhythms until it sounds cool. We don’t really jam with all our instruments in one room, because then everyone just worries about what they do personally. Because you feel like you have to add something even if the song doesn’t need it. That’s why we prefer to sit together and talk about what we have to add to a track instead of everyone doing something just to do something.

From your album cover to your merch, everything you do looks really nice. I assume aesthetics mean a lot to you?

Jake: Yeah, we have a hand in pretty much everything. Jason designs our merch and album art and in general, we talk about our visuals a lot. It’s definitely something we actively talk about and think about.

Me: Do you think that will ever change?

Jason: I’m too much of an asshole to let anybody else make any of our art for us. So probably not. I have a very tight grip on things sometimes.

Joey: He rules with an iron fist.

What does the contact to your fans mean to you?

Jake: That’s the most important thing. It’s our favourite ethos – we come from loving DIY bands and punk bands, where the whole idea is the connection of the fans being a part of the greater thing that is the band. The fact that they have such a strong bond with our music and want to share their art and ideas with us means that they are as invested in the band as we are, if not even more. That means a lot to us.

How do you try to stand out from the endless mass of bands?

Jason: I think we try by not trying. As lame as that may sound.

Joey: Being genuinely ourselves is going to make us stand out. Trying to be anything else will only make us look like doofuses.

Jake: Absolutely true. Those are the things in music that cut through right now. Things that feel genuine, that are authentic, that’s all people want. To know that something is real.

What does music mean to you?

Kevin: I think it’s everything. It’s style, the way you act, everything.

Jason: Music took over my life when I was ten years old. It’s quite literally absolutely everything in my entire life right now. I was up on a night drive with our tour manager in the states a while ago and we were talking about how insane it is that some people are not like that. Obviously, everybody is different but it’s so crazy that it’s literally the only thing I can think about. It’s made me homeless and happy and depressed and everything in my entire life revolves around it.

Jake: It has to mean a lot to you to give it a go like we are.

Jason: Tell Rolling Stone my last words were I dig music.

HUNNY’s new album “Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes” is available everywhere now. In short – you should definitely give these guys a listen right now – here are their Spotify and Instagram accounts -, they’re too good to miss out on them. And until then, I hope you all enjoyed this interview and wish you all a fantastic weekend. I hope you’re all doing good and getting through the quarantine okay. We’ll get through this together, I promise. If any of you need to talk, I’m here. And, as always, I’m sending you all the tightest hugs and thanks for reading. x

‘Sadboy Guitar Bangerz with too many soloz’

Hola everyone.

And welcome back to my blog and another Friday – not really a New Music Friday, but something more exciting than that. Here in Austria, I can slowly start to see the finish line of our quarantine and maybe it’s because of that or maybe because I’m sitting outside, enjoying the glistening sunshine and some fantastic music playing the background, but I’m feeling a lot better than I was a few days ago. I’m already imagining how we’ll talk about this crap of a spring in a few years. The time we couldn’t go outside anymore and hugs were illegal. Crazy times.

But speaking of fantastic music – today’s a very good day for music. Specifically for the phenomenal indie band Peach Pit, who just released their new album today – it’s a banger – and who I got to interview a few days ago. And I couldn’t be any more excited to share the finished article with you guys. Please enjoy. And please go and give the guys a listen. They’re honestly so good. And the album is literally the perfect addition to any playlist. And we’re all in need of some great music right now, aren’t we?

‘Sadboy Guitar Bangerz with too many soloz’

It’s safe to say that 2020 has already been one hell of a year, and while that’s not necessarily a positive sentiment for a lot of people, for the members of Vancouver-based band Peach Pit, it’s been an unforgettable year for all the right reasons, with their newest album “You and Your Friends” just having been released. Intense, fun and with the warm breeze of a day at the beach, the album makes a perfect addition to any quarantine playlist. And it’s true – Peach Pit is the type of band whose music is always, and without fail, good, with their second full-length effort being no exception. To celebrate their special release, I got to chat with lead vocalist Neil Smith about the early beginnings of his band, the importance of teeth and their plans for when we all finally get to leave our rooms again.

Let’s start right at the beginning – how did this band start off?

Well, our guitarist Chris and I met in high school, but him and our bassist Peter actually go all the way back to kindergarten. The four of us didn’t really become friends though until we were in our early twenties. That’s when we all connected and actually became good pals.

Did you think you’d end up where you are now back then?

We were always hopeful, which is how you have to be when you start out trying to make music. But no, it’s hard to believe how far we’ve come since playing in Chris’ dad’s basement 5 years ago.

What do you enjoy most about being a band? What do you dislike most?

Getting to tour all over the world and have fans in every city wanting to see you play is very surreal. That’s probably my favourite. And my least favourite is being stuck in the van with Mikey when he starts to feel cooped up. He goes crazy sometimes and just starts playing his drum machine super loudly to annoy us. It sucks!

Looking back on your career so far – what is your favourite memory?

Probably playing our last big hometown show in Vancouver. It was on Halloween and at a big theatre that has always been on our bucket list to play. All of our family and friends were there and we dressed up in full KISS costumes. It was sick pretending to be Gene Simmons for a night.

How would you describe your band to someone who didn’t know you?

Sadboy Guitar Bangerz with too many soloz!

I read you like to describe your sound as “chewed bubblegum pop” – could you explain the meaning behind that?

We only said that because people always ask what kind of music we play, and because Indie music steals from rock and pop and more down tempo stuff it can be hard to pick which “genre” you belong to.

What was the process of producing and creating your new album like?

The writing portion was pretty challenging, we all spent a lot of time in our rehearsal space and I spent a ton of time at home alone trying to write songs last year. The recording of the record was the best though. We got to work with John Congelton and we hit it off immediately with him. He’s one of the funniest and most fun guys to have to hang around for weeks on end. I hope we can record another album with him in the future.

Do you follow a certain formula when you write your songs or is the process different every time?

Yes. Usually I come up with either the song title or the first line of the song and write it down in my notebook. Then I try and come up with a chord progression that I like and add a melody and lyrics to it. Once the song is done being written, then I bring it to band practice and the guys and I mess around with it until we’re happy with all the parts and the arrangement. The song generally changes a lot from when it’s just me at home to the full band playing it.

Why are teeth so central in your new album?

Because their highly underrated, how hard would eating be without them!

What is your favourite track of the album and why?

My favourite has changed a lot since we finished recording the album. But right now, it’s probably a two-way tie between Brian’s Movie and Your Teeth. With Brian’s Movie, I really like that Chris is playing a 12-string guitar with a slide (he’s never done that before) and Your Teeth I just really love the melody, it’s kind of creepy but also sad and pretty.

What has been your most enjoyable song to write so far and why? What’s your favourite song to play?

Shampoo bottles was written really fast, like in two days which is way shorter than normal. I love when a song just falls out of you super easy. And my favourite to play would be Brian’s Movie, I just can’t get enough of that 12 string.

How do you try to stand out of the crowd?

We just try to be ourselves as much as possible. I think people can sense when you’re being fake so you might as well avoid trying to be something that you are not. This would be my strongest piece of advice to any young bands starting out.

What are your plans for the future, after all of this is finally over?

Well once all this shit dies down we’ll be able to get our touring schedule back on track. We were so excited for this spring but unfortunately staying at home is the most important thing we can do right now. So, in the meantime we’ll just be on Instagram live as much as possible. Please tune in.

What does music mean to you?

It means everything to me. Besides my family and friends, it’s the most important thing. Not only is it our livelihood but it’s just our favourite way to spend our time. Being able to pick up a guitar and entertain myself while being stuck inside has been a huge blessing.

Peach Pit’s latest album “You and Your Friends” is now available in stores and on all download and streaming platforms.

And there you go, guys. I hope you enjoyed the interview. Please do go and give Peach Pit and their new album a listen – it’s uber fantastic, it truly is. And just so much fun to listen to. And besides that, I hope you’re all doing good and not going too insane at home and wish you all a lovely weekend. And, as always, thanks for reading. x

A walk through London

Hola everyone.

What a scary, uncertain place the world has become, huh? I can only imagine how some of you must be feeling right now, but I hope that you’re doing good, given the circumstances. I’m currently back home in Austria and waiting for this weird apocalyptic sci-fi movie that we’re currently stuck in to finally start rolling down its credits so I can leave the cinema.

I’m going to be honest, before I got here, there was this point where I was debating whether I should stay in London or go home, but I decided that if shit was really going to go down, I’d rather be at home with my family. But I’m not going to lie, I really miss London and its normality of life. I mean, who knows what the situation is going to be like in a few days’ time, but for now I have to say I really enjoyed the stability this probably very mental and kinda dangerous dealing with this virus gave me. I’m just hoping everything will be back to normal again in a few weeks (hopefully even days), so I can go see my friends and celebrate my birthday. Maybe even go on that holiday to the south of France we booked before everything went downhill. And, naturally, so we can all continue with our usual lives and people can start feeling better again. I feel like we had to reach a point where we all had to fight for something together (besides the survival of our planet) and I think that time has come now.

All I can say out of my current situation is that if you are planning on staying at home for a while, nothing is more important than your mental and physical health. I mean, that’s always the case, but especially now. I’m trying my best to keep away from any dramatic news to not make myself feel anxious and to just keep focusing on the bright side. I’ve been spending a lot of time with my parents and my pets, texting my friends, going for walks, but also taking some time for myself, because me-time is just as important as the time you spend with other people. So, look after yourself and your loved ones, do some exercise, cook something delicious and watch that movie you’ve been wanting to watch for weeks. Now’s the time. And please please please don’t give in to the panic. And – I feel a bit weird saying this, but I think it’s important – don’t go and buy more than you need. Toilet paper won’t keep you healthy, so just buy what you need. We’re in this together, so let’s make it the easiest it can be, yeah?

In the light of current events, I’ve made it my mission to spread happiness and love and a bit of sun and that’s exactly what I want to do today. Before I flew home, I spent one of my last days in London with my friend Lauren. Surprisingly, it had been a beautiful, warm, spring-ish kind of day, so we decided to make the most of it and go for a walk. In the end, it turned out to be more than just a short walk and more like a stroll through a quarter of the city – over twelve kilometers in total – and I can’t even describe how glad I am that we did this. Walking along the canal, through Camden and Little Venice, and seeing all these new places while the sun kept lighting up our faces felt like a holiday trip. I absolutely loved it. And as it was such a nice day, I had decided to take my camera with me and the pictures I took are what I wanted to share with you today.

Most of them depict the beautiful nature we came across during our walk, some buildings are in there as well and of course the overall theme is just the immense beauty of London. What a dream. Please enjoy.

And yeah, that’s it. Please don’t forget to share your thoughts down below and if you feel like talking, I’m here. Before all of this started to go downhill, I was actually planning on taking a break from blogging during the time I’m home, but now that I will have a lot more free time, I’ll try my best to keep the blog updated. I know we’re all collectively struggling right now, so I’m sure you’ll understand. Also, I know this is a difficult time, but I’m convinced that we can fight this together. Again, please look after yourself and everybody around you and let’s just try to get through this as one. We can do it. Please stay safe everyone and I wish you all a lovely week. Thanks for reading. x