everything will kill you...except SIGG bottles

its just a fact. we're all going to die.

but why would you want to die from a plastic bottle that leaks hormones + chemicals into your body?? who wants to mysteriously grow a third nipple? or a beard (if you're a woman, or na'im--heh. heh)? not me. sheesh. i can think of much more interesting ways to die. like, standing in the middle of the road in high traffic. ah yes. or jumping out of an airplane with no parachute. but not by a nalgene bottle or a aquafina bottle (ew!).

so i splurged + bought my very first SIGG water bottle. they are safe + they guarenteed me that i wont die from drinking out of this bottle. so that is basically super sweet. so save your life, and get a SIGG bottle. i bought mine from AMAZON.COM. you can too.

on a side note: they will try to sell you a SIGG bottle cleaner brush. but i was talking to my brother, Na'im about this yesterday + he said that brushes are poppycock. "in fact," he said, "i haven't even washed mine once".

I was all: "DEEEEESSSSGGGUSSSTTTEEEEEEENNNGGG!!!" i cant believe my brother is so gross. but he did say you can wash yours with baking soda or vinegar. (also deeeggustteeengg!!) but whateves.

so save your life, save your ca$h you would spend on plastic bottles + hop only the coolest band wagon since nalgene bottles. heh.

oh! i also wanted to tell you guys that i subscribe to NYLON magazine + i love it. it talks about music, fashion, makeup, movies, art + artists, crafts, books, world politics. if only the models didnt look like 13 year old boys...sigh. but check it out if you havent already!

peace dudets +dudes, and thanks for stopping + commenting! xoxo.

everyone could use a little THAO

my great old buddy amanda + i were chatting on the phone the other night + she was all: "LISH! (that's my nickname from her, hence LISH jewelry (cool, layli!!!)) you would LOVE THAO and the Get Down Stay Downs!!! I was all: "what the hell kind of name is that??" she was all: "TRUST ME". so i peeked at THAO's myspace, and really liked her stuff! it is so happy + neat! nothing like all those "sad bastards" i usually recommend...heh heh. (i still love sad bastards THE BEST though. shhh. dont tell anyone...)

tell me what you think of her new song, "bag of hammers":




artist website: THAO with The Get Down Stay Downs

artist record label: kill rock stars (WHUT-WHUT!! OLY WA IN EFFECT, YO!!!)

newest album: we brave beestings + all

thao's really awesome. and we need more chicks that rock. right? HELL YES (i'm doing air guitar, chugging a redbull + banging my head on my desk right now!)!

p.s. thanks amanda for the rec! samimi-extremie thanks you! love you heaps!

my life is over. (savepolaroid.com)

so basically my life sucks. and i just wrote this really awesome draft professing my love for polaroids and it took me like 30 min. + then this DAMN blog thing erased it somehow and now i am even more angry than i was before. UGHH. i hate being a computer non-genius and not knowing how to save my entries. UGGH.

ok. i think i have sufficiently calmed down. but not really. so here is the lameness. polaroid announced that they were NOT going to make film anymore which means that basically my life is over and i cant be creative anymore. it is really REALLY lame. i dont know what to do with myself. and i'm not the only one. savepolaroid.com is a site dedicated to trying to save polaroid (good luck...but, whatever). it is such a travesty that it is all coming to an end. so basically we need to go to costco + stock up now because soon it will all be over.

i am left with a huge overwhelming sense of anger + sadness. but mostly anger...and sadness. it is really lame. and i just knocked over my trash can cos i am so angry and sad. i am now sitting in a pile of trash, banana peels + tears of anger AND sadness.

the other really crappy thing is that yesterday my polaroid shattered by smacking the pavement at a gas station on the way to burlington. i cried. i really did. tears were streaming down my face, as i couldnt bare to part with both the film forever and the camera too. my friends were really considerate and had fixed it by the next day (thank you messaye + john). so now my camera works again and life is kinda cool again. except for this film thing.

i mean, i am so so sick of people being like, "but layliiiiiii, you musssttt go digitalll now,,,polaroiddd is SUCH a wassssttteee, blah blah, whine, whine (they are sipping their w(h)ine being really lame + at this point i tune them out because they are really dense for not COMPREHENDING JUST HOW AMAZINGLY AWESOME POLAROIDS ARE AND HOW THEY FAR EXCEED ANYTHING THAT A CRAPPY DIGITAL CAM OR THEIR i-PHONE CAN DO! I MEAN, W-T-F??!?@#?#$?@#??)".

so i joined the Flickr group named "save polaroid". it is a group that posts a polaroid self-portait of themselves professing their love for polaroids + begging for them to be saved. i will not lie-- i cry when reading people's dedication to polaroid. and i cant believe its all over because "there isnt a market for them anymore, layyyyli,,,i mean YOU practically keep them in business, layyyyliii (swish, swirl goes their wine, IEEEEEEEEEEEEE!! goes my brain)".

nothing has been better at keeping track of my memories, when i was a child at my birthday parties, to saying goodbye to homes + phases of my life. nothing has been able to document it like polaroid, then or now:

help. i dont know what to do. i will miss them making me broke. i will miss always looking at landscapes + people through the eye of my polaroid. i am always thinking about the next polaroid shot i can take. if you are really my friend, you'll go to costco or sams club + buy me the last packs so i can keep my dream alive for a little bit longer. PLEASEE!! i'm k

goodbye good times, good bye polaroid. this is so so sad. R.I.P. POLAROID. (p.s. i might get that tattooed on my bicep with a tear). i love you.

blame it on the "system" + happy Naw Ruz!

people can be so cliche + idiotic sometimes. i sit and sit in class (they are four hours long in duration with one 15 min. break) and listen to the same four individuals talk. but PLEAASE shoot me if i have to hear one more hippie drinking mate tea out of a moldy mason jar talking about how "screwed up the corporations are and that the system is cramping my style", "we should go back to how we lived 300 years ago", "quit putting me in your post-modern box" blahblahblah b.s. b.s b.s. someday i will just pull on their dreads and tell them that if they so badly want to live off the land, go into the woods...maybe you're life will be like that genius from "into the wild". pssh. but they wear shoes from wal-mart (secretly, cos their trust fund is running low...) + drink starbucks coffee. uggh...this is how i feel about THOSE conversations (i'm angry in this photo in case you didn't know):


oh! in case i haven't properly introduced this dark man with makeup before, he is my boyfriend. his name is baktash aazami + he is really funny + smart. we like to go for long walks on the beach together. we just recently made presents for one another that were framed photos of footprints on the sand at the beach at sunset saying something really awesome like, "where you walk, i have walked too, we are one, i am always holding your hand"...something really awesome like that. and then he bought me a teddy bear and a plastic red rose. it was so sweet. i think we are in love. this is how that love makes me feel:

oh! in case you dont know who that cutie with me is, its my sister, shirin samimi-moore. she is really rad + sometimes it seems as though she is the older one (we are 10 years apart). she's really mature + fun. she's basically a genius child. we like to send crap to eachother like, "sisters by birth--best friends by choice". its really amazing.

on another really inspirational note, i just bought FEIST tickets. FEIST is basically the raddest, deadliest chick in the world. i dont know any girl/woman who doesnt love her. i saw her live once and i cant wait to see her again. she's gotta be the cutest singer-songwriter on the planet. and she's awesome cos she's really creative + she doesnt show her cleavage or her butt cheeks in her music videos. here, look how darling she is:

i dont care how famous she gets or how many of her CD's are sold at starbucks, she is still my favorite female musician.

OH! one more thing! happy NAW RUZ!! for those of you that dont know, that is the Baha'i new year (and the first day of spring) YAHOO! that means no more fasting for me! i can eat my bucket o' bon bons for breakfast again! here i come twinkies + ding-dongs!! this is how Naw Ruz makes me feel*:

* take note: those are bon-bons + twinkies in my basket too. my mom let me eat whatever i wanted! (COOOOOL mom!!)

i hope you have enjoyed my news + your attention has been drawn to all things cool + hip. (take note: you too can make cool footprint in the sand cards for your signifigant other...you know they want one! doi!)

goodbye, my homies.

for all the bros + shredders:

this basically sums up my high school years, except take away water + replace it with snow. this dude is amazing + so far gone... baktash says he's a "peaceful brodie who has done so many drugs that he doesnt know how to fight".
needless to say...this video clip makes me miss my bros in AK. well, only for like, three minutes.

more trees + snow. WOW! what a shock!

the snow is finally melting here in vermont. i am really happy about that because this weather is starting to tick me right off. maybe you guys are sick of me posting photos of snow + trees...but i'm sorry, you just have to deal with it. because THIS is my reality. so enjoy the beauty + be grateful that the world is such an amazingly beautiful place that blah blah blah blah.

school's hard. i read alot. too much. i dont think my brain needs to get this huge. not my head, my brain. dummies.

okay, well, i'm going to go pass out and wait for the sun to set, so i can break my fast and eat me some grub.

enjoy this photo, you nature lovers.



p.s. are you EVEN liking these images?
p.s.s. i love you.

an righteous artist: rebecca ogden

rebecca ogden is rad. she lives in bellingham + is a phenomenal artist. i knew her in 8th grade + through the lovely world of myspace, she contacted me about two years ago + we've been fast friends again. with our mutual love for photography + art, we have collaborated on some artisitic pieces.

Bec speaks about her art: "My work usually consists of many layers. I strive for the viewer to look deeper, to find in the background underlying texture, color, meaning. I attempt this through using mainly paper, acrylic paint, oil pastel and a process that transfers a photographic or digital image to the canvas".

She has been inspired by some of the photographs that i have taken and used them to create lovely, AMAZING mixed media collages.

i will put up my original photo, then below it, display what rebecca has done with it, cool? COOL!

#1: baktash + i in minneapolis, mn. (july 2006) :

#2: weinberg + i in discovery park. seattle, wa. (may 2007) :

#3: william liska rockwell + i in minneapolis, mn. (april 2007) :

#4: amanda + i. discovery park, seattle, wa. (may 2007) -- you've seen this one before... :

#5: amanda, viola + i. discovery park, seattle, wa. (may 2007) :

#6: baktash in newfane, vt. (september, 2007) :

rebecca's art is totally unique + fantastic. go check out her other works of art:

website: rebeccaogdenart.com

myspace: www.myspace.com/letlivstudios

fall to never-ending winter

i love this little house. i drive by it everyday on my way to town from school. i cant wait until its spring to take the next one. unfortunately, i wont be here for summer...oh well. but DUDE, winter NEVER ends here in VT!!! (WTF???)

Sad Bastard #2 : SMOG aka Bill Callahan

SMOG has been one of my favorite bands of all time for the last six years. He is truly one of the saddest bastards out there. He is also one of the best song-writers in my opinion. i've never got to see him live...this is probably because the sad dude doesn't tour much, and if he does, its mostly around tex-ass.

Bill Callahan has released 11 albums under the name SMOG. His most recent album, Woke on a Whaleheart is released under his name, stepping a little away from SMOG and a little out of what one critic called, "a peep-show view into an insular world of alienation".

Introducing Sad Bastard #2:



artist: SMOG aka Bill Callahan
album: A River Aint Too Much To Love
song: Rock Bottom Riser

Promise me you'll watch this -- for the 1st time or the 4th.

Whether you've seen this or not-- you must see it again. john stewart kicks these guys asses. stewart makes some amazing points about media + the state of it all. VERY DUDELY STUFF. watch!



interestingly, the chode with the bow tie was fired shortly after this show aired, and "crossfire" was cancelled. i guess john stewart told them.

my brother from a different mother: casey.

i met casey my freshman year of college in olympia, washington. my sophomore year he became my roommate. for the next four years. he is my brother and best friend -- but without the really good looking samimi-moore genes. heh. heh. (LOOOWWW BLOOWWW! CASE!! LOOWWWW BLLOOWWW!!) as you can see by the photos listed below, he needs his own personal introduction:

there are alot of others i could have added, but then you would be seeing photos of casey dressed up like an old woman with varicose vains, etc...

so this is to you, my homeboy. just because i dont call you back as fast as you would like because i dont have all the time in the world to "play my violin in the basement or polish my shotguns" doesnt mean shat. we will always be roommates and family members. in this world and all the worlds of creation (doi doi doi). i guess that means i have to come visit you in hell.

here's to seven years of grand friendship and all of that fluffy crap; and here's to all the years to come and the disgusting photos to take. all love.

for my brother, na'im.

my brother na'im and i were discussing my blog yesterday. he gave me lots of good feedback. he said he especially liked the photographs of my newest LISH designs. so this blog entry is for him + all the other dudes out there that like to look at neat jewelry. (ladies are excluded for this one...LOL*!). i am especially in love with this pair because of its transparency and random blend of colors. these stones fascinate me:

LISH's KYA:

KYA is made with Agate + sterling silver wire. I made them myself. With my own two hands + ten fingers.

love it or leave it.

*"LOL", "OMG", "TGIF" (thank God its friday), "ROFLMAO", etc. are all REALLY STUPID things to enter into your keyboard diction. that is why i use it; to clown all you suckers that really use it. LOL! OMG! layli's such a b-word!

i took these photos on campus when i should have been reading. but like i said before, i'm not a freakin' robot. i cant sit for four hours at a time. and i was looking out the window and couldn't resist. it was so so beautiful. enjoy.

melancholy + sad bastard #1:

it is overcast and raining here in vermont today, very reminiscent of the majority of my life spent in juneau + olympia-seattle-portland.

there is something very unique about the culture of the NW states (AK included) in the sense that there is this recognized place in our culture for melancholy and introversion. there is an underlying sense of sadness + loneliness that lies within this region. i dont mean depression--let me be clear.

today is a day that is making me feel lonely for that cozy feeling of the rain misting on the water, the lattes that are made to perfection + the lo-fi music most poignantly setting the mood. i miss sitting on the beach in the rain. i miss the good coffee. i miss the unspoken understanding that we honor the land, and we honor + recognize the melancholy within each of us.

i dont think that it is a strange coincidence that my favorite musicians carry this melancholic tone. this type of music helps to transport you to another head space where there is introversion + healing. WOW, listen to me!!! i think this four hours of sleep + Baha'i fasting for 19 days is getting to me...BARE WITH ME DUDES!!

i mean, some of the greatest "sad bastard" musicians come out of the NW states: modest mouse, kurt cobain (remember, he killed himself he was so sad), elliot smith (remember, he stabbed himself in the heart), death cab for cutie, etc. this too, is no coincidence. its the weather + the culture. but let me be (clear)--i am not going to kill myself and this is NOT a suicide letter. in fact, i'm not even depressed! hell! i feel good! i feel better than james brown, i feel better now (obscure "was not was" reference)!! i love myself and where i come from. it is me.

it is with this that i introduce to you my most favorite musician, mr. m. ward. he is the most deadly (there, i said that word again, look fer it!!) musician. period. i dont know how to upload MP3's, so i'm attaching this video.

INTRODUCING SAD BASTARD #1:





sad bastard #1: m. ward
album: Post-War
song title: Chinese Translation

an introduction.

this is me and one of my best friends ever. her name is amanda kitchings + she is probably the best lady ever. this was taken this last spring in seattle (ahhh, i meees you, seattle!!)...i directed this polaroid shot and it is going to PUBLISHED-- HELL YES, ladies + gents, i SAID PUBLISHED in a BOOK focusing on everything pink. yes! it rox to be a chik! chicks rule, boyz drule! YEE-HAWW ride ma' cowboy! this photo was found on my flickr site, as soon as the book is published, i'll give you the name, where you can sell yourself to be able to afford it, etc.

the next one is of my lovely friend (and ex--sorry to mention it, baktash-E!), jesse weinberg. i love this polaroid. we have discussed starting a purse company together and this being the tag. we're so creative + amazing. but so are you. i know this.

this is my man, baktash aazami and his brother, bobbyaazami. take it easy, nerds, i didn't get the "i" in aazami's hyperlink. cool yer jets. sheeesh! i took this lovely polaroid this summer at the Baha'i House of Worship in chicago:



p.s. just so we're clear, baktash is wearing the sunglasses; that's the one i'm going super steady with. (tee-hee!)

this is my wittle brudder na'im and his wife, shirin. she's a super painter. check it. i believe this is one of my all-time favorite shots, to definitely go down in history with renee zellwegger and all her AMAZING movies! wow! she's so ama-ZING! not!



p.s. just so we're clear, my brother ISN'T the one wearing the dainty yellow number. that's my sister-in-law.

last but not least, is my best buddy peef + his beautiful wife, sara. his real name is mike piff, but not really. it actually is peef. (peef means "pee-you!" in farsi. but he doesnt really stink, in fact he omits NO SMELL -weirdo). they live is some strange place named luxembourg which i had the dear, delightful privelage of going to see them about one month ago to meet their son, noah nabil piff (pics to come). i bet you americans have never heard of luxembourg before. but you canadians do. cos canadians are so much more educated than us umericuns. cool pic, right?



p.s. no babies were harmed in the shooting of the really awesome polaroid. noah was locked in the car for 55 seconds at the gas station. the only one risking their life was me, as i was standing in the middle of a EUROPEAN intersection--and we all know how crazy those people are. AUTOBON!!!

more lovely people + polaroids to come. the distinguised characters highlighted here aren't ranked any higher than any of you all, its just that they are more photogenic. SUCKAAASSS!!

are the polaroids cool enough for you? huh? cus if not, i'm gonna get super extreme on your ass and take photos of snowboarders jumping off cliffs while chugging redbull + dirtbikers jumping through trailer parks with loaded shotguns. allow me to be clear, i dont want them to shoot the citizens that live in those parks, but maybe just the cats.

crazy trained Iranian (i'm iranian so i can say that).

i watch this video every other month. it is amazing. i laugh so hard everytime...the laughter grows in intensity + joy with every screening. dont be a sissy--take the time to watch this clip. tell me what you think about his genuis-ness! oi!



i kinda wish i didnt have to vote for barack..this dude would KICK ASS.

newest LISH design.

these beauts are really bodacious. i own a jewelry business named LISH (for those of you who dont know and i hock my wares on etsy). i am constantly amazed by the semi-precious gem stones that i find, as i am actually right now drooling over these. *drip drip*. i named these BONFIRE in ode to my days in S.E. Alaska (WHUT-WHUT!!) + the infamous wildgoose lane* days in Olympia, WA (WHUT-WHUT!!) filled with laughter, obscenities, gasoline fights + chugging o'douls (yes, i'm a Baha'i, and yes, they're NON-alcoholic). but i also named them BONFIRE because they are a romantic (yes, i said that) swirl and combonation of colors one sees whilst gazing into your--er, i mean, the bonfire. heh. heh.

these are made from brecciated jasper and gold. i like this photo alot too, as sometimes it gets SUPER boring taking photos of jewelry, so i try to make it exciting and interesting. i usually try to seek out places to photograph my jewelry where there is bird poop. (ew! i'm joking!) but serioulsy, dont mind the "doo-doo" in the photo. heh. heh.

here's photo of our bonfires at wildgoose lane:

*wildgoose lane is the lane we lived on going to undergrad in olympia, washington at The Evergreen State College. i lived with my brother, na'im, my other brother-from-a-different-mother, casey james and honora, elise + ellie. not to mention all the homies that crashed in our huge mansion of a house on the bay....ah...

Tragedy + Farce

A BOOK:

Tragedy + Farce By John Nichols & Robert McChesney.

.

This is an awesome book. The whole theory is that "media today treats Americans as consumers, not citizens". The book is fascinating the whole way through. I don't know when exactly, but at some point, ABC closed down their 20/20 offices in DC because there wasn't a high demand for proper journalism. ABC declared: "From now on, we focus on personalities, pop culture and big gets". I couldn't believe it. But then again I can. I mean, how many of us know more about Britney Spears (please not just me--or am i the ONLY one who occasionally reads US weekly??) and her crazy baby raising skills vs. the genocide currently happening in Kenya?? right? read this book, thats all i have to say.