Hello Mammoth Friends,

We were lucky enough to get a chance to take a break from recording this past week to do a photo session with some of our favorite people.  Kimberlee Miller is an absurdly talented photographer who happened to shoot our wedding.  She had the brilliant idea that it would be fun to do some band photos as well, and the result was one of those magical days we’ll remember forever.

We started at the Maravilla Gardens, in Camarillo, a meticulously maintained wedding venue complete with an old wood barn.  After shooting there, Kimberlee took us to a remote field just off the highway to catch the last bit of light before sun down.  The sun did go, but not until we grabbed every last bit of light and a breath-taking red/purple/gold sunset.

The entire day, we were also blessed to have the amazing Kathleen Hagan along side for hair and make-up, (and plenty of moral support.)  Check out Kathleen Hagan’s site here: www.kathleenhagan.com

You can see more of Kimberlee Miller’s work here: www.kimberleemiller.com

Being a band is just part of our lives.  We’ll use this blog to talk about the other stuff as well. Today, a little word on everyone’s favorite/least favorite February holiday…  sorry, National Plum Pudding Day, you were a close second.

There are many great ways to observe February 14th, and many many more ways to ruin it. We’ve compiled some of the wisdom we’ve learned in our six plus years together that promise to make this the best Valentine’s Day of your life!  (We promise nothing.)

1. Dinner – We’re big fans of eating out, and the temptation on Valentine’s Day is to book a fancy restaurant to celebrate with your loved one.  Don’t do it.  Valentine’s Day is a huge revenue stream for restaurants and they do their best to capitalize on it at your expense.  Says Steve Dublanica in his book, Waiter Rant:

(On Valentine’s Day), restaurants replace their regular menu items with “special” menus that give price gouging a good name… They hyperinflate their profit margins by shrinking portions, using cheaper ingredients and masking inferior cuts of meat and fish with creamy or oversalted sauces.

Plus, every place is packed, so you’ll likely be shoved into a table for two among a bunch of other couples.  Not the ideal romantic situation.  Our advice is this: go out to that killer restaurant, but do it a couple days before the 14th.  That way you have a romantic meal with your loved one that’s worth the money, and when Valentine’s Day rolls around you won’t feel any pressure to make such a huge gesture.

Sushi fan?  Most sushi places buy their fish at the beginning of the week.  So book on a Monday or Tuesday.  Also, those green and red soy bottles for low or regular sodium…  yeah, they’re replenished from the same bottle.  Sorry.

2.  ACTIVITES – So what then to do on Valentine’s Day?  Since you smartly got your dinner out of the way, use the actual day to do something fun that you both enjoy.  We don’t know what the heck you’re in to — maybe laser tag, or paragliding?  We’ll probably have a couple drinks with some friends and hit up a movie in the Cinerama Dome.

3.  FLOWERS – Never ever buy over-priced Valentine’s Day flowers for your significant other, unless they fit ALL these pre-conditions:  a) He/She LOVES flowers  b) He/She works at a huge company where everyone will be receiving flowers at their desk all day, and to not receive flowers would be both total humiliation and an irrefutable sign that your love has grown cold.  These are the only reasons.

4.  CHOCOLATES – We say go for it.  Just know that those heart shaped boxes contain crappy old chocolate with ingredients more varied and sketchy than the hot dogs wrapped with bacon you buy outside of Hollywood Forever from some guy in a shopping cart.  Check out your local continental store for the real deal.  We suggest Cadbury Roses imported from the UK.

5.  SINGLE?  Even better!  For you Valentine’s Day is the perfect opportunity to observe ridiculous things people do to re-enforce the stability of their relationship.  Grab some single friends and make a drinking game out of it!  Every time you see a couple forcing themselves to hold hands, that’s a drink.  Hastily bought wilted roses on the table, two drinks!  Just don’t be a hater of the day itself; no one needs bad love karma.

So you’re off to the races!  And while you’re at it, send out some old fashioned grade-school Valentines.  We just got this one from our friend Hope and it made our day!

Happy National Plum Pudding Valentine’s Day!

-Laura and Leonard