Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Maximalist Merriment
"Get rid of all your boring, tiresome friends. Make friends with cabaret stars, exotic dancers, and down-on-their-luck royalty instead."
-- Jonathan Adler
A few of my fashion illustrations for my final project; they're framed in black wood and ready to go up in my walk-through closet.Labels: arts+crafts, quotes
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Baby, It's Cold Outside
So a trip up to Lake Tahoe this weekend threw me completely out of whack in terms of weather. It was snowing the whole time we were there, and by the time we geared up to leave, tree branches were weighed down with blankets of fluffy white snow. Hello, April? Where are my spring flowers?
We went to Lake Tahoe for his mom's birthday, and stayed in a cute wood cabin in the woods. His nephew is almost 6 months old and so cute, I even got conned into feeding him a couple times. After I took well over 100 photos of him.
I also took quite a few photos of the unbelievable snow, available on my flickr, and now I'm ready to start settling into life! There have been so many detours on weekends that have distracted from us just staying home and enjoying LA. There's SO MUCH I want to do, it's almost overwhelming. This weekend is Ryan's birthday, and I have some exciting top secret plans for it...along with the LA Times Book Festival (my geeky heart jumps). Next weekend, I'm finally seeing Wicked and I am so excited!
Along with busy weekends and settling into a new job, I'm also taking sewing classes next month so that I can finally put my Christmas gift sewing machine to work. But on the topic of clothes, I've become focused on losing weight and toning up. Seriously, I need to work on my fitness and get this body vicious -- so I went to the gym after work and was talked to for about 45 minutes by a sales guy there. Why are gyms so notorious for being shady, pushy places to join? I really don't understand the high pressure sales environment there; people already have enough motivation to try and join gyms, so why the uncomfortable pushy contracts and deals to confuse? He threw fifteen different plans and "deals" at me, and then seem disgruntled when I just wanted the two week trial to make sure I will force myself to go in the first place.
Regardless, I'm starting tomorrow right after work. It's my goal to lose 10 lbs. and firm up by the end of July!Labels: daily, photolog
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Spring Cleaning
Great article from Blueprint's website about how to recycle things you don't want anymore. I can't help it, I just love that magazine and the website. Hopefully this will kick my rear in gear for spring cleaning because my closet desperately needs it.Labels: good links, spring
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Flea Market Finds, Speechless
At long last, I have found a coffee table perfect for both my style and my studio apartment. This mint green number from the '50s features great details and delicate curved legs, all for $25 at the Rose Bowl Flea Market. It just needs a new coat of paint and it'd be good to go. Sitting on top is also a lovely little Japanese designed mug also swept up from the flea market. Now to start preparing for my mellow swap...
I am just speechless about the Virginia Tech shootings. I'm just thinking of every single person there, and hoping that they will find some peace in their hearts.Labels: photolog, the real world, vintage finds
Friday, April 13, 2007
Goodbye, Mr. Vonnegut
What is it about being required to do something that makes it seem so much less exciting? In fact, so much so that it can fill you with dread and disdain for work you may have previously thought of as play? When I have to do photography assignments, I am filled with dread, dragging my feet til the shoot. But then on an idle Saturday, my idea of fun is grabbing the unwitting boyfriend or smartly garbed friend out for a photo shoot.
And why is there nothing more fun than not doing something you're supposed to be doing, and doing something when you're not supposed to be doing it? When Ryan and I skip a life drawing class to go see a movie, it's the best movie-going experience ever. And I don't even hate life drawing class; I love it actually! Everything Oprah and Tyra have to say is suddenly terribly interesting when I'm home sick in bed. Making lunch at home is decadent on a day off, while making lunch at home on a weekend is dreadful.
But I'm going to turn this ship around with writing. I don't really miss the prospect of writing, because quite honestly the only thing I should be concerned about right now is writing pieces for my portfolio for grad school -- but instead, I am switching jobs like wardrobes, taking art classes like a rich kid with laxatives, and wavering constantly between mid-quarter-life-crisis and obscene, gluttonous consumerism (I decided against that bag because of an unfortunate run-in with an obnoxious 14 year old girl who worked at the store).
I'm a spoiled spoiled brat in that way, and I really need to buck up and actually write if I want to be a m-fing writer.
I already miss you, Kurt Vonnegut.Labels: growing up
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Covet, Rise, Repeat
I've been very bad lately, coveting and buying so many material things. Walking past Borders, Sephora, Anthropologie, 4 shoe stores, 2 Starbucks and 3 Coffee Bean & Tea Leafs every morning and afternoon does NOT help. I told myself I would buy this issue of Nylon once I cleaned out my closet, but I compulsively bought it this afternoon when I couldn't find the bag I'm so lusting after at Urban Outfitters.
I'm still coveting this bag, salivating at the gorgeous braided handle, and contemplating it's not so hefty tag compared to the types of bags toted around this town that cost more than a Toyota Prius Hybrid with the Carpool OK sticker. Maybe after my next paycheck, if the bag is still available online, I will buy it. Okay, deal.
It's sickening, isn't it! How I just lust after material objects all the time? This weekend I went to the Rose Bowl flea market and picked up a perfectly gorgeous 1950s mint green coffee table for $25(!), a hand-painted hair comb, a bag of buttons, and two vintage mugs. I will take pictures of these soon; I keep trying to tell myself: It's not having what you want, it's wanting what you have. But all I can think is, well then I should just get rid of more of what I have so that I can make room for what I want! SICK!
What's also sick is that I spent this whole entry talking about shopping. Now I'm going to spend the rest of my night clean-up editing for Ryan's film and reading Fast Food Nation in hopes of quenching my consumerist thirst.
Labels: covet
Monday, April 09, 2007
Ready, Set, Spring!
I feel a little overwhelmed, mostly in a positive way, lately. I don't know if it's all this peek-a-boo spring weather and my growing anxiety for warm summer days, or if it is the feeling of Friggin'-Finally!-a-job-I-like! and the exciting influx of ideas that come with routine. I don't know if this makes any sense, but it all comes down to the quote about commitment I posted a few days ago. Even though I found it on a Starbucks cup (how LA am I now), this quote only makes more sense every time I read it. Now that I'm happy where I rest my feet from 9-to-5, I've started to dream about all the projects I want to embark on with my free time.
Among these is starting the 3AM Epiphany writing group up again, based on the book of the same name. Please join me if you're a writer or if you dabble in writing for fun!
I'm also starting a short story anthology project entitled Anthologie with my talented friend Gina, participating in two more swaps (including Marta's mellow+yellow swap) and developing a new photography&illustration portfolio website for my work. And speaking of such, can anyone recommend a decent-to-good scanner for artwork?
Along with thinking up too many ways to spend my time, I've also been having fun exploring more of LA. This past weekend, I explored a terrible karaoke place (Karaoke Bleu on Sawtelle, do NOT go here unless you want to live by rules that dictate how you spend your money there) and one really great bar (Cha Cha Lounge in Silverlake, progeny of the one in Seattle). Cha Cha had a photobooth (with unfortunately bad chemical fix, so your photos will come out yellowed BUT STILL WORTH IT) and two foosball tables, along with fantastically gaudy decorations and red lighting. What more could your little hipster heart want? Oh yeah and after having so many hit-or-misses in my misadventures around LA in just the past seven months, I'm going to start tracking and reviewing the places I (a) am mad about spending money at, or (b) will make a new staple in my life.
So far:
Karaoke Bleu: F
Cha Cha Lounge: A-Labels: arts+crafts, losangeles, spring, twentysomething
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Good Things
- my new job with my very own business cards
- powerwalk breaks to the beach
- TV on the Radio live
- homemade banana-strawberry bread
- ink wash life drawings
- buying tickets to the Decemberists playing with the LA Philharmonic in July
- all my new music: Lily Allen, Mika, Sondre Lerche
- successful Jetrag trips
- MILK, a fantastic new ice cream shop in LA
- friends visiting & making spring rolls in my kitchen
- Meet the Robinsons
- gorgeous mid-70s weather for weeks and weeks
- Easter candy
- This American Life (so addicting, I'll listen to 4 episodes in a day and drive Ryan nuts)
- The Art of Teese by Dita Von Teese
- red nailpolish
- tea lattes
- farmer's markets
- Essential Fashion Illustration
- Markers & mixed media illustrations
- BAZAAR's photo spread with Reese Witherspoon
- starting a writing project with my best twin
- designing my new office
- talented Marta and her darling Mellow Yellow swapLabels: good things, lists
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