Aesthetic Bent

p.s.

2011-03-24T16:46:00.000-07:00

Listening to Austra

Photo dump

2011-03-24T16:30:00.000-07:00

a few from the past month.

Daido Moriyama

2011-02-09T11:25:00.000-08:00

Perfect imperfection. It's on my mind lately.

All photos by Daido Moriyama

Listening to PWRFL Power.

Well...it's been a while.

2011-01-03T16:27:00.000-08:00

Thought I'd dust this old place off and say happy new year with a few photos from the past month. The Christmas spirit was definitely upon me this year, and I managed (woefully camera-negligent though I have been) to capture a tiny bit of it.

Here's to a grand 2011. I'm feeling like it's going to be a good one.

A Day in LA

2010-09-02T16:09:00.000-07:00

To continue the mini recap of August, I guess I'll start from the beginning. As I've mentioned before, K took the second week of August to walk from LA to SD, and we started the trip by staying with friends in Silver Lake and celebrating a birthday. They took us to a brilliant Frank Lloyd Wright house and to Griffith Observatory one day, which was lovely. I snapped only a few pictures.

More on August to come.

Listening to Darwin Deez.

Life without context:

Hello Again

2010-09-01T20:00:00.000-07:00

Wow, Southern California has really taken this "we only have one season" thing seriously and just skipped summer all together. I kept waiting for August to change it all around, but, alas, it wasn't meant to be, and here is September to usher in fall.

Despite all the indoor weather, I haven't been in the blogging spirit. But there is much to discuss. I'll start with the new place, which I'm loving. It is just right in so many ways, and although I'm getting used to living with another person again, it's not roommate-y in the sense that we know all each other's signs and cues and we do things like buy furniture together. I've snapped a few photos with my phone of recent purchases:

This is a poor angle, but I had just finished getting it out of the box and putting the legs on, and it's the only picture I've taken of it so far.
This is the factory photo:

The other day K and I went to Old Town Temecula to see his dad play Lazar Wolf in Fiddler on the Roof. Anyway, I was very pleased to discover the amazing antique shops and did a little shopping before the show. We put this in the kitchen, and I'm loving the color set against the black and white floor. (pardon the graininess of the phone photo)

And finally, my favorite piece, this dresser, which K saved from the blasphemous fate of being painted (!?) by the thrift store owner who found it. He bought it just in time and took it home to sand and refinish. I think he did a beautiful job!

Anyway, more updates as the place develops, and I'll post some pictures from my (amazing!) Oregon trip as well. For now though, life beckons...

Listening to The GOASTT.

Moving Day(s).

2010-08-11T15:50:00.000-07:00

Whew, busy! In the process of moving, which was supposed to be all done by now, but the new place wasn't quite ready, so I've been mostly overseeing operations from my office via morning instructions and follow-up texts as K does most of the (literally) heavy-lifting. Bless him.

It's driving me mad that I can't be there, so I appease my anxiety by perusing Apartment Therapy in the little snippets of free time I can find. These are looks I like many elements of, but nothing is exactly spot-on, I guess that's what makes it personal style. I can't wait to see what we end up doing with the new space. I'll try to document some of the process here.

I think mainly I want clean but friendly with vintage details and spots of warm color.

Listening to Wye Oak.

Life without context:

Yay, Gay!

2010-08-04T16:07:00.000-07:00

"Proposition 8 fails to advance any rational basis in singling out gay men and lesbians for denial of a marriage license. Indeed the evidence shows Proposition 8 does nothing more than enshrine in the California constitution the notion that opposite sex couples are superior to same sex couples."
you can read the whole decision here.

This is SO double rainbow.

I know this isn't the final battle so to speak, but I feel hopeful that justice can prevail. ♥

Listening to The Books.

Life without context:

Pedestrian Access

2010-08-03T15:25:00.000-07:00

Already the 3rd of August. My, this summer is flying by. This week, however, has been off to a slow start due to the fact that I spend days (well, since yesterday) being quite anxious for the wellbeing of K, who started his walking trek from LA to San Diego yesterday. I'm checking my phone constantly to get updates on how he's doing, and I sigh big in relief when I hear he's made it to his destination for the day.

You can read more about his pursuits on the website he started, although he wont be posting again until he's home on Friday.

I thought I would post some pictures from an earlier walk he did, when he walked the length of El Cajon Blvd.. There are more photos, but here's a lot of my favorites.

I just can't wait until he gets home and we move into our new place.

Listening to The Morning Benders.

Life without context:

2010-07-29T16:42:00.000-07:00

Not a lot of time today, but I found these through an NPR story, and had to post some. I'm happy to hear they're bringing these back for display.

..."18 feet high and 60 feet wide, it was indeed a sight to behold. Kodak introduced these phantasmagoric ads in the 1950s, and over the course of 40 years displayed 565 of them at Grand Central. Backlit with more than a mile of tubing, the colorful panoramas often showed impossibly happy people photographing beautiful scenes — reinforcing the idea that travelers should document the fleeting moments of life"...

Listening to Jenny and Johnny.

Life without context:

random weekday weekend recap.

2010-07-28T16:05:00.000-07:00

Forgive me; it's been awhile, so this might be a longer post.

Life has been an odd mix lately. Some of it really sad, some blah, some wonderful, some brilliant, some stupid fun. So much of it has gone undocumented, which is sometimes really nice. It makes you feel as though you're really in the moment. You're just living, and it feels good.

That said, I had a fantastic weekend, and so I'm going to blab about it now. There's too much to write it all out, so I'll just give the highlights, list style.

vintage dress shopping, 2 lovely new additions to my closet (that is, admittedly, overstuffed, but will soon be a problem of the past due to the fact that k and I signed the lease for our new place. 2 rooms! a garage! so many places for me to put awesome stuff!)
okay, back to list
music show at a converted house turned art gallery
double rainbows and drinking in the alley behind a church (sounds odd, and I suppose it was, but, well, you had to be there)
really cheap dive bar drinks/watching a friend own at pinball
being with people I like
waffles and strawberries with handmade whipped cream courtesy of k
walking downtown in search of grilled sandwich/Comic Con madness. finding both + beer
yacht rocking at neighborhood bar with friends
afterparty at friends/newly super close neighbors amazing new place
waking up early for coffee and Comic Con
COMIC CON, which is overwhelming and intense, but so fun and awesome
k indulging me by helping me stalk felicia day, getting to see her in person, then running as fast as we could back to the independent area (the only place to be)
pool party
another party at which there was delicious food, talented musician friends, an epic pie fight and piano sing along. too good.

My favorite thing about this weekend though, was finding these people:
First, Los Angeles artist Ken Garduno, from whom I bought the print used for this poster (sans text):

I looove his stuff, and was so happy I stumbled upon him (he had a booth near my friend's, so that made it easy).

He was really friendly, and if I were less shy of strangers, I would have chatted with him longer.

Next, I found (and bought) the thought-provoking, gorgeous, biting, brilliant book The Selves by artist Sonja Ahlers. I drank the whole thing in the second I opened it, and was so amazed how much she could say with limited text and images.

And on that note, it's time to go.

Life without context:

2010-07-06T17:15:00.000-07:00

A moment of silence for a friend who has passed too soon.

Yay! Holidays!

2010-07-02T11:29:00.000-07:00

Have a happy 4th of July!!

Because this is usually when it starts to really feel like summer for me, I thought I'd share this adorable, summery video.

A Summer Adventure (side-a track 1) from Steven A. Soria on Vimeo.

Listening to Tennis.

From my life:

I ♥ Collage

2010-06-30T17:38:00.000-07:00

If you've read this blog in the past, you may know how much I love collage and collage style art. That's why I was excited to find Eduardo Recife, an artist after my own heart. He loves typography, vintage, and has an affinity for the distant past. Yes, please.

Listening to Sleepy Sun.

From my life:

Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air.

2010-06-29T13:52:00.000-07:00

I am not huge into summer fashion. I don't love light colors, I feel naked without tights on and there is nothing better to me than a big, comfy sweater. Today I'm actually wearing a black dress, black tights and a black sweater.

This disinterest in summer fashion most definitely includes swimwear. For the past few years I have avoided the loathsome task of finding the "right" swim suit and have just foregone swimming activities. I really don't want to do that this year. My main problem with modern bathing suits is the lack of variety, detail and creative cut. I feel as though getting dressed to lounge poolside or lay on the beach used to be as important as dressing for dinner. Suits used to look like outfits, now they tend to look like not-particularly-interesting underwear.

Style aside, there's also a comfort factor. Now this may be fine for a girl with no butt, and not to be vulgar, but if you've got the slightest bit of booty, this is riding up all day.

Anyway, that's why I was so excited to find this suit from Geronimo. It looks vintage, feels modern and fits for the way a girl with a butt likes to actually move. And it helps that it's named for a girl with some amazing style.

Listening to Cults.

So, as Picture-A-Day has been on hiatus, I think I'll just post random pictures from my life. Without context. Hope you enjoy.

Indoor Kid

2010-06-18T14:08:00.000-07:00

I don't know what my deal is, but I am just not feeling summery. I think the weather is going to be amazing this weekend, but all I want to do is the following:

Even after all the fun we had at the park for K's birthday last weekend, I'm still feeling the pull of the indoors and some quality writing/editing time (yes, I'm STILL editing my book). We're having a huge yard sale, however, so I think I shall be forced out anyway. And we'll see if I snap out of it.

Have a marvelous weekend.

Listening to The London Apartments.

Poof

2010-06-16T16:50:00.000-07:00

Do you ever get the urge to just make everything around you go *poof* and just start afresh? I'm having that now for no particular reason. Oh, random urges.

Listening to Peggy Sue.

Pants Day

2010-06-15T16:47:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday, K! I ♥ you.

Collecting

2010-06-14T16:33:00.000-07:00

I like to collect things. I think I've said this here before. Lately I've had to resist the urges of this habit because I'm running out of space. So it's no wonder that I get a buzzy happy high from Lisa Congdon's blog A Collection a Day, 2010.

Some favorites.

And she miraculously manages to keep her apartment relatively clutter-free. Amazing.

Listening to High Places.

Have a Weekend that is Good.

2010-06-11T12:00:00.000-07:00

Found these today, and fell in love. Breathtaking. by cenci goepel + jens warnecke

These have made me want to visit somewhere strange and unusual, and speaking of, this is what the Salton Sea looks like from the air. I need to take another trip out there soon.

(I recently took these on a trip out of town)

Listening to Candy Claws.

Prey

2010-06-10T12:36:00.000-07:00

I was recently informed at work that I should watch out for possible future sexual harassment from a particular person (long story). But my initial response was WTF? I'm definitely not one to play the victim, but sometimes, ladies, don't you just feel as though it's high time for this target we've got on us to be removed? Ugh.

Listening to Zola Jesus.

Things I Love on Wednesday

2010-06-09T14:55:00.000-07:00

Today I love the work of Stella Im Hultberg.

When I first saw it, her work reminded me a bit of Audrey Kawasaki, so it made perfect sense when I discovered they collaborated:

This isn't something that I normally do, but I'm going to try out a short product review and see how it suits me.

On a recent excursion to Walgreen's to buy cold medicine, I was drawn to and picked up this oddly shaped lip balm.

My too-much-nose-blowing-induced chapped lips (does this happen to anyone else?) convinced me to satisfy my curiosity, and I'm so glad. This is some of the best lip moisturizer I've ever used. Unlike ChapStick--although there is nothing I love more than the smell of Classic ChapStick--this product doesn't appease only to later exacerbate dryness, it really keeps your lips moist without a million reapplications.

So far it comes in four scents.

I got the this one, but I'm very curious about mint.

Other plusses: it lasts a long time, it's fun to apply, and as a friend pointed out, when you're digging in your purse, you don't confuse it with anything else. Perfect.

Listening to Sleigh Bells.

2010-06-08T17:33:00.000-07:00

My head feels a million miles away today.

Listening to Kap Bambino.

Mood Monday.

2010-06-07T14:29:00.000-07:00

I know it's practically summer, but I suppose I just have darkness in my soul. June Gloom has caught me in its foggy web, but this year I'm not minding it at all.

Listening to Karen Elson.

2010-05-05T13:44:00.001-07:00

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I

2010-04-30T13:53:00.001-07:00

Take the I Out
by Sharon Olds

But I love the I, steel I-beam
that my father sold. They poured the pig iron
into the mold, and it fed out slowly,
a bending jelly in the bath, and it hardened,
Bessemer, blister, crucible, alloy, and he
marketed it, and bought bourbon, and Cream
of Wheat, its curl of butter right
in the middle of its forehead, he paid for our dresses
with his metal sweat, sweet in the morning
and sour in the evening. I love the I,
frail between its flitches, its hard ground
and hard sky, it soars between them
like the soul that rushes, back and forth,
between the mother and father. What if they had loved each other,
how would it have felt to be the strut
joining the floor and roof of the truss?
I have seen, on his shirt-cardboard, years
in her desk, the night they made me, the penciled
slope of her temperature rising, and on
the peak of the hill, first soldier to reach
the crest, the Roman numeral I--
I, I, I, I,
girders of identity, head on,
embedded in the poem. I love the I
for its premise of existence--our I--when I was
born, part gelid, I lay with you
on the cooling table, we were all there, a
forest of felled iron. The I is a pine,
resinous, flammable root to crown,
which throws its cones as far as it can in a fire.

And like that, poetry month is over. Hopefully next month will yield more blogging time.

Picture-A-Day:
The drive home is sometimes as tedious as a crappy photo.

Need some quiet.

2010-04-28T16:18:00.001-07:00

The Afternoon Sun
by C. P. Cavafy
Translated by Aliki Barnstone

This room, how well I know it.
Now they rent it and the one next door
as commercial offices. The whole house became
offices for agents and merchants and companies.

Ah. this room, how familiar.

The couch was near the door, here;
in front, a Turkish rug;
near the couch, two yellow vases on a shelf.
On the right, no, across from it, was an armoire with a mirror.
In the middle, the table where he wrote
and three wicker chairs.
Next to the window was the bed
where we made love so many times.

These sad things must still be somewhere.

Next to the window was the bed;
the afternoon sun spread across halfway.

...One afternoon at four o'clock, we separated,
just for a week....Alas,
that week became forever.

All photos by Jen Gotch.

Picture-A-Day:

Listening to Phantogram.

Friday Already!

2010-04-23T14:10:00.000-07:00

Litany
by Billy Collins

You are the bread and the knife,
The crystal goblet and the wine...
—Jacques Crickillon

You are the bread and the knife,
the crystal goblet and the wine.
You are the dew on the morning grass
and the burning wheel of the sun.
You are the white apron of the baker,
and the marsh birds suddenly in flight.

However, you are not the wind in the orchard,
the plums on the counter,
or the house of cards.
And you are certainly not the pine-scented air.
There is just no way that you are the pine-scented air.

It is possible that you are the fish under the bridge,
maybe even the pigeon on the general's head,
but you are not even close
to being the field of cornflowers at dusk.

And a quick look in the mirror will show
that you are neither the boots in the corner
nor the boat asleep in its boathouse.

It might interest you to know,
speaking of the plentiful imagery of the world,
that I am the sound of rain on the roof.

I also happen to be the shooting star,
the evening paper blowing down an alley
and the basket of chestnuts on the kitchen table.

I am also the moon in the trees
and the blind woman's tea cup.
But don't worry, I'm not the bread and the knife.

You are still the bread and the knife.
You will always be the bread and the knife,
not to mention the crystal goblet and—somehow—the wine.

Gloomy drive home yesterday was brightened considerably by the roses K cut and left for me (in a cleaned-up kitchen). Wonderful coming-home-from-long-day surprise.

Listening to Harlem.

Random Life Updates

2010-04-22T16:50:00.001-07:00

The World is Too Much With Us
by William Wordsworth

The world is too much with us; late and soon,
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers;
Little we see in Nature that is ours;
We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!
This Sea that bares her bosom to the moon;
The winds that will be howling at all hours,
And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers,
For this, for everything, we are out of tune;
It moves us not.--Great God! I'd rather be
A pagan suckled in a creed outworn;
So might I, standing on this pleasant lea,
Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn;
Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea;
Or hear old Triton blow his wreathèd horn.

And random snippets from my life over the past week or so...

got some new old shoes (etsy)

broke onto a hotel rooftop and drank wine with friends

delicious $3 margarita and...

terribly tasty but unhealthy enchilada

bought some pan dulce to take home

went to my favorite local nursey

bought my first record player and some awesome records.

Listening to The Seeds.

Steamy

2010-04-21T15:35:00.000-07:00

Alice at Seventeen: Like a Blind Child
by Darcy Cummings

One summer afternoon, I learned my body
like a blind child leaving a walled
school for the first time, stumbling
from cool hallways to a world
dense with scent and sound,
pines roaring in the sudden wind
like a huge chorus of insects.
I felt the damp socket of flowers,
touched weeds riding the crest
of a stony ridge, and the scrubby
ground cover on low hills.
Haystacks began to burn,
smoke rose like sheets of
translucent mica. The thick air
hummed over the stretched wires
of wheat as I lay in the overgrown field
listening to the shrieks of small rabbits
bounding beneath my skin.

David Hamilton photography is so evocative and sensual and private. Oh, and it's also gorgeous.

And, to bring us back down to Earth, Picture-A-Day:

French radish, my house, evening.

Listening to Jana Hunter.

Weekend Records

2010-04-16T11:17:00.000-07:00

Happy Record Store Day tomorrow. And have a fabulous weekend!

To Music
by Rainer Maria Rilke

Music: breathing of statues. Perhaps:
silence of paintings. You language where all language
ends. You time
standing vertically on the motion of mortal hearts.

Feelings for whom? O you the transformation
of feelings into what?--: into audible landscape.
You stranger: music. You heart-space
grown out of us. The deepest space in us,
which, rising above us, forces its way out,--
holy departure:
when the innermost point in us stands
outside, as the most practiced distance, as the other
side of the air:
pure,
boundless,
no longer habitable.

↑

Picture-A-Day:

Listening my new favorite song of the moment on repeat, and what might well become my Summer Album.

This Poem, I Love

2010-04-08T15:07:00.000-07:00

unkown

Kissing Stieglitz Good-Bye
by Gerald Stern

Every city in America is approached
through a work of art, usually a bridge
but sometimes a road that curves underneath
or drops down from the sky. Pittsburgh has a tunnel—

you don't know it—that takes you through the rivers
and under the burning hills. I went there to cry
in the woods or carry my heavy bicycle
through fire and flood. Some have little parks—

San Francisco has a park. Albuquerque
is beautiful from a distance; it is purple
at five in the evening. New York is Egyptian,
especially from the little rise on the hill

at 14-C; it has twelve entrances
like the body of Jesus, and Easton, where I lived,
has two small floating bridges in front of it
that brought me in and out. I said good-bye

to them both when I was 57. I'm reading
Joseph Wood Krutch again—the second time.
I love how he lived in the desert. I'm looking at the skull
of Georgia O'Keeffe. I'm kissing Stieglitz good-bye.

He was a city, Stieglitz was truly a city
in every sense of the word; he wore a library
across his chest; he had a church on his knees.
I'm kissing him good-bye; he was, for me,

the last true city; after him there were
only overpasses and shopping centers,
little enclaves here and there, a skyscraper
with nothing near it, maybe a meaningless turf

where whores couldn't even walk, where nobody sits,
where nobody either lies or runs; either that
or some pure desert: a lizard under a boojum,
a flower sucking the water out of a rock.

What is the life of sadness worth, the bookstores
lost, the drugstores buried, a man with a stick
turning the bricks up, numbering the shards,
dream twenty-one, dream twenty-two. I left

with a glass of tears, a little artistic vial.
I put it in my leather pockets next
to my flask of Scotch, my golden knife and my keys,
my joyful poems and my T-shirts. Stieglitz is there

beside his famous number; there is smoke
and fire above his head; some bowlegged painter
is whispering in his ear; some lady-in-waiting
is taking down his words. I'm kissing Stieglitz

goodbye, my arms are wrapped around him, his photos
are making me cry; we're walking down Fifth Avenue;
we're looking for a pencil; there is a girl
standing against the wall—I'm shaking now

when I think of her; there are two buildings, one
is in blackness, there is a dying poplar;
there is a light on the meadow; there is a man
on a sagging porch. I would have believed in everything.

all photos by Alfred Stieglitz

Picture-A-Day:

Creeping out the neighbors by taking photos of their yard. Woot. Morning.

(also, clashes with the post, but that's sometimes the nature of the project)

Listening to Asobi Seksu.

Wishing

2010-04-08T13:47:00.000-07:00

The Wishing Tree
by Kathleen Jamie

I stand neither in the wilderness
nor fairyland

but in the fold
of a green hill

the tilt from one parish
into another.

To look at me
through a smirr of rain

is to taste the iron
in your own blood

because I hoard
the common currency

of longing: each wish
each secret assignation.

My limbs lift, scabbed
with greenish coins

I draw into my slow wood
fleur-de-lys, the enthroned Brittania.

Behind me, the land
reaches toward the Atlantic.

And though I’m poisoned
choking on the small change

of human hope,
daily beaten into me

look: I am still alive—
in fact, in bud.

↑

Picture-A-Day:
The sky was crazy this morning.

Listening to Hanoi Janes.

Alone

2010-04-06T17:02:00.001-07:00

Alone
by Edgar Allan Poe

From childhood's hour I have not been
As others were--I have not seen
As others saw--I could not bring
My passions from a common spring--
From the same source I have not taken
My sorrow--I could not awaken
My heart to joy at the same tone--
And all I lov'd--I lov'd alone--
Then--in my childhood--in the dawn
Of a most stormy life--was drawn
From ev'ry depth of good and ill
The mystery which binds me still--
From the torrent, or the fountain--
From the red cliff of the mountain--
From the sun that 'round me roll'd
In its autumn tint of gold--
From the lightning in the sky
As it pass'd me flying by--
From the thunder, and the storm--
And the cloud that took the form
(When the rest of Heaven was blue)
Of a demon in my view--

Picture-A-Day:
Second picnic. Ahhh. Noonish.

Listening to SISU.

Changing Light

2010-04-05T16:31:00.001-07:00

The Changing Light
by Lawrence Ferlinghetti

The changing light
at San Francisco
is none of your East Coast light
none of your
pearly light of Paris
The light of San Francisco
is a sea light
an island light
And the light of fog
blanketing the hills
drifting in at night
through the Golden Gate
to lie on the city at dawn
And then the halcyon late mornings
after the fog burns off
and the sun paints white houses
with the sea light of Greece
with sharp clean shadows
making the town look like
it had just been painted

But the wind comes up at four o'clock
sweeping the hills

And then the veil of light of early evening

And then another scrim
when the new night fog
floats in
And in that vale of light
the city drifts
anchorless upon the ocean

↑

It's been a crazy past couple of weeks and this blog has been a little on the back burner. I always hate it when that happens. Anyway, it's National Poetry Month again, and that means it's the time of year when I get daily reminders that my favorite source of inspiration is always around if I choose to seek it out.

Picture I Took:

Best breakfast.

Listening to Warpaint.

I'm in Love with These

2010-03-30T17:15:00.000-07:00

Billy und Hells

Picture I Took:

Listening to The Ocean Floor.

Mood Monday

2010-03-29T17:11:00.000-07:00

↑

Picture-A-Day (cheating this week, so more like picture-I've taken):

I will conquer this thing.

Listening to The Cindy Sisters.

When other projects take over...

2010-03-24T16:21:00.000-07:00

Ack! So busy this week. Work has been busy and tonight we're having an event for my lit&arts project that is looking to be pretty big. Hopefully the storm has calmed tomorrow.

In the meanwhile, enjoy these by artist Inga Birgis, whom I found through the lovely Tender Turning Quiet.

Listening to Freelance Whales.

Happy Weekend!

2010-03-19T17:51:00.000-07:00

Have a lovely spring-weather-filled weekend!

Picture-A-Day:

Spring poppy. Outside my office, afternoon.

Listening to Mos Def.

I need to feel like someone has mine

2010-03-18T16:56:00.000-07:00

↑

Picture-A-Day:
Self portrait. Office, evening.

Listening to Local Natives.

What Exactly is the Crutch?

2010-03-17T15:29:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been feeling this odd struggle between wanting to retreat into my own little world, and wanting to get out and engage. Maybe I'm just needing to mix it up a little, put a new face forward, explore other aspects of my personality.

Don't get me wrong, I would never stop being myself (I'm not sure I'm capable of it), but it might be time to get a little playful. I'm just weary of certain perceptions, and of being so careful all of the time. I'm not really sure what this means--I might explore darker aspects of myself, or perhaps the light side of my personality will come through--I just need some self-expression.

↑

Picture-A-Day:

Texture. Whole Foods, afternoon.

Listening to The Ettes.

Sunlight and Lace

2010-03-16T11:13:00.000-07:00

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Picture-A-Day:

K took me on a picnic. It was lovely. Noon.

Listening to Mickey.

Pinhole.

2010-03-15T17:10:00.000-07:00

I looked up how to make a pinhole "lens" for my digital camera, bought the supplies this weekend, and am going to try it out soon. I just love the look of pinhole photography; it's so dreamy. If I see any results I like, I'll post them. Hopefully they can turn out anything like these pinhole shots:

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Picture-A-Day:

Actually taken yesterday while on a walk.

Listening to Explode Into Colors.

Green and Gold

2010-03-04T16:18:00.000-08:00

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Listening to Les Calamites.

The Boyfriend

2010-03-03T16:46:00.000-08:00

I know that it comes and goes as a trend, but honestly, does wearing boy's clothing ever get old? It's often called "boyfriend" clothing, but I buy boy's clothes for myself sometimes. And I don't like the oh-so-clever marketing of the phrase in womens lines. I'm not going to buy "boyfriend jeans," I'd prefer to just wear my boyfriend's jeans (yes, they fit me) or shop on the men's side.

Although, there is something strangely sexy about wearing clothes that smell like boy. I used to subscribe to that idea so much that I wore men's cologne, although that's not the smell I like now. I don't like cologne; I like that hard-to-define soap-on-skin, faintly sweaty, cottony man smell. Having said that, however, the smell of CK One still makes me a little melty. What can you do?

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Listening to Owen Pallett.

Taking a break from picture a day until I figure out some stuff with my camera :(

Hairz

2010-03-02T17:27:00.000-08:00

If I had a superficial magical ability, I would like to be able to change my hair at will. My hair doesn't react well to change; it likes to be long and dark, and that's sort of that. I keep struggling with it, telling it that it also wants bangs, but it's putting up a good fight there and keeps growing them out at a ridiculous rate. So, I'll just keep chopping them off until it gets the point.

(side note: is it considered crazy to personify your own hair? hm...)

Hairstyles I'd like to try.
Dark and sleek.

Long and loose.

All kinds of fun.

Listening to Scout Niblett.

Hello, March!

2010-03-01T21:40:00.000-08:00

Is it too early to be dressing for spring? Eh, whatever, it's March, and I can wear floral patterns if I want to.

Listening to Teengirl Fantasy.

Happy Weekend!

2010-02-26T12:19:00.000-08:00

It's supposed to rain this weekend, but I intend to have a lovely and productive one anyway. Hope yours is great too!

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Pictures-A-Day:

Shooting at random. Drive to work, morning.

Listening to The Strange Boys.

Linnea Strid

2010-02-25T16:11:00.000-08:00

I'm not normally one for photo realistic painting, but for some reason, these really struck me. They're by Swedish artist Linnea Strid, and I think they're gorgeous.

I also like these pencil drawings of hers:

Picture-A-Day:

Tree, outside the office, noon.

Listening to Janelle Monáe.

The Getty (part 2)

2010-02-23T17:36:00.000-08:00

More pictures from the Getty trip.

Listening to Future Bible Heroes.

Weekend Recap

2010-02-22T12:04:00.000-08:00

A pretty eventful weekend. On Saturday I helped some friends with their music video shoot, which I really wish I had brought my camera for because there were many awesome photo opportunities involving fake blood and creepy lighting in an empty bar.

Sunday a group of friends and I went to the Getty in LA, and it was so amazing. I absolutely love that place. It's a great day trip from where I live, and if you take several people in each car like we did, it's also cheap. The museum itself is free, parking is $15, and the cafe has really good, cheap food.

The main exhibit was Rembrandt and his students, and I could have looked for days. His sketches are so skillful and fascinating, and it is astonishing that they are so well preserved for how old they are. I mean, these were done between 1640 and 1660:

Really, one could spend a whole day just walking around the outdoor area. They have a beautiful garden, cafes, lawns to sleep on, incredible views of downtown LA and Century City. I want to go back!

Listening to Quasi. New album! Yay! One of my favorite bands.

Have a good weekend!

2010-02-19T11:02:00.000-08:00

I love Fridays. They're so full of hope and possibility. I'm looking forward to a nice weekend. Here's some excellent work by Jelle Martens.

Picture-A-Day:

Winter flora. Outside my building, late morning.

Listening to The Exciters.

Random Weekday Weekend Recap

2010-02-18T17:21:00.000-08:00

I went to Idyllwild over the weekend, and it was marvelous! I have been NEEDING to get out of town into the fresh air, been craving trees and mountains as well, and rather than hop on a plane to Oregon, I found the closest equivalent and set off. It is an ideal weekend getaway--not too far away, yet feels worlds apart. There was even snow on the ground! I took a few photos, but not as many as I should have (when will I learn?).

On the way there, we stopped for a car break and found this. What is Broasted Chicken, you ask? I still have no idea.

Getting closer to the mountains.

Snow!

This was our amazing, beautiful cabin. I could not have asked for a better place. It had two fireplaces, a wood stove in the kitchen, a big loft, a wonderful porch and a porch swing! I want to live in this cabin.

K looking thrilled in the village. Don't let this fool you, he was happy as a little boy.

I knew Idyllwild was the place for me. This is called Lily Rock. I didn't make that up.

Sun and snow and mountains. I want to be there still.

The village is so awesome. Little stores and restaurants. Local goods and antiques. A tiny (very tiny) farmer's market. Old fashioned toys and candy. Odd mountain souvenirs. Free pinball. Cheap beer and crazy liquor bottles shaped like guns. A newspaper called "The Town Crier". Strawberry Creek. Eccentric local shop owners. $1 paperbacks. Stellar local cover band. Traffic dogs. Rustic Theater. And, I swear, a local staging of the Vagina Monologues.

Slightly creepy liquor store.

The greatest thing about this store was that its shelves were mostly empty, but they managed to stock red fairy wings and a battle ax.

Or maybe...

it was the fact that the entire contents of the freezer was one melting tub of ice cream...

no, no, the best thing about this store has to be that you can get pizza or fried chicken from the same warmer. Mmm?

Window in the cabin.

Making cupcakes! Best combo in the world: good friends, good laughs, baking in the woods.

K's "excitement" hands.

The crew and the cabin.

Views of the rock. This stance was common, but way better at night when for the first time in a long time, I saw a sky FULL of stars. We even saw a few shooting starts. Breathtaking.

This post is making me miss it. Next time I want to go for at least a week. ♥

Listening to Wilco.

Tweed Rides

2010-02-17T15:49:00.000-08:00

I love the idea of tweed rides. I had never heard of them until I drove past one in my neighborhood. Actually, K spotted the group outside my neighborhood bike shop, and when he told me about it, I made him circle the block so I could have a look.

Lots of cities hold them, apparently, and many of the posters are awesome too.

Pic-A-Day:

Last Etsy purchase. Office, afternoon.

Listening to Zoe Boekbinder, whom I went to see last Monday and have liked for a while now. Such a captivating voice.

Amy Casey

2010-02-16T17:30:00.000-08:00

I just stumbled on the work of Amy Casey, and I could be wrong, but I swear I saw her work up at Powell's Bookstore when I was in Portland a few summers ago. I was struck by the work at the time (unless that was another artist who paints houses on stilts and in webs), and am still very taken in by the colors, movement and themes of her work.

Pic-A-Day:

Pretty sunset. Another business on my floor, evening.

Listening to Via Audio.

Delayed

2010-02-11T14:34:00.000-08:00

Ack! This week has been just crazy busy. I have all these posts done but not finalized, so this week might be coming to you next week. Ready for a posting frenzy? I know I am.

images

McQueen

2010-02-11T12:33:00.000-08:00

Forgive me, I tried to pick only a few...but Alexander McQueen, you were a beautiful genius. RIP.

Some favorites, (mostly from the past few collections):

And, while for some unknown reason, these shoes always remind me of Miss Piggy, from a design standpoint, they're pretty incredible.

Catalogues

2010-02-10T14:52:00.000-08:00

I have an aversion to mail. It stresses me out to see all that paper and all those sales pitches coming at me every day. I like to receive letters and postcards, but other than that, I immediately throw everything else in the recycle bin.

The one other exception is that I love catalogues. The cheesier the better. Something about flipping through pages and pages of baffling and hideous products, wondering who actually buys this stuff, and coming up with ways of utilizing said odd products if you owned them, I don't know...it's fun somehow. I can't really explain it, but, SkyMall, anyone? Yeah.

The best part is when you spot something you would actually buy (this happens occasionally with clothing catalogues, and despite different stying choices, etc., sometimes it really is possible to find a diamond in the rough). Some recent examples:

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(Actually, I may already have a few pair of these.)

(This gets relevant at 1:11.)

Picture-A-Day:

The way up to work. Elevator, morning.

Listening to Goldie and the Gingerbreads.

Think Pink

2010-02-04T16:38:00.000-08:00

I'm not normally a fan of the color pink, but for some reason, I've found myself wearing a lot of it today. Perhaps I'm feeling ready for spring?

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Picture-A-Day:
Lace on my shirt. Office, noon.

Listening to and seeing tonight Best Coast.

Lydia, oh Lydia

2010-02-03T16:54:00.000-08:00

I'm not really one to hop on trends and fads. By the time I make up my mind whether or not I want to invest in the latest thing, something else has come along. That said, the amazing Garance Doré kinda hit the nail on the head with this post, and the marketing genius of these.
Fake tattoos are very cheesy, but when they're made by Chanel? I think I like.

I love love love tattoos, which is funny because I consider myself too much of a commitment-phobe and way too picky to get any. These are some that might (almost) change my mind.

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I was right. Audrey Kawasaki art does make beautiful tattoos.

Picture-A-Day:

Hands get stranger the longer you look at them. My office, afternoon.

Listening to The Hotrats.

The Selby

2010-02-02T12:03:00.000-08:00

How amazing is The Selby? This site inspires me every time I visit it. It also has a tendency to make me feel a little bad about my life because the people featured are so amazing and their spaces are so creative and unique and fabulous. But, that's why we have aspirations and goals, right? I've got my work cut out for me ;)
Recently seen:

Picture-A-Day:
Wood pile. My house, morning.

Listening to The Magnetic Fields.