Raise Your Hand
raise your hand if you are tired of this design and want a new one? oh ME! ME! ME!
Ghost Town
GHOST TOWN is a narrative site taking you through a motorcycle ride through Chernobyl. fascinating reading.
Slowing Down The Pace
it’s so difficult to keep yourself from being caught up in the pace of everyday. especially if you work in the bloated over-rated cow the tech industry can sometimes seem to be. yes, yes, i know technology is wonderful, blah, blah, blah. just hear me out for a moment. although i love the online world and the people i have met in it, it can also be a headache as well.
the reason i first looked to my laptop is because my thoughts run much faster than i can write. i type about 90 WPM and it affords the me the luxury to spill out my stream of consciousness at any time. nevermind that most of what i write doesn’t see the light of day, that’s not the point. and since then, i find myself perusing the internet for periods of time much longer than intended but essentially looking at nothing at all. does that make sense?
what was i talking about again? oh yesh, slowing down.
i find that there are sites that allow me to have it both ways when i don’t feel like unplugging completely. they are calm little oases in the midst of flash pages, casino ads, ranting and obnoxious color schemes. and the best part? they don’t expect anything of you other than to enjoy. so if you feel like a little relaxation, i encourage you to spend some time meandering:
The Hip Traveller: where travellers can share stories that go beyond the rate they got on their hotel. a tasteful design and simple layout provide a nice spot to peruse travel stories. if you are so inclined, they also accept submissions.
Girl: a site by creative force Alex Beauchamp: i know i already have this listed in my Regular Reads, but i really do love to read her musings.
Small Spiral Notebook: previously unpublished writers.
Dogster: can you think of anything better than looking at pictures of dogs?
Mass Distraction: again, i know this is already listed in the Regular Reads. there is something soothing about the combination of Sharon’s observations on life and her photographs.
that is my 50 cents for the day (not to be confused with Fitty Cent).
Happiness Is …
a tape measure ring from Fancy. i love small boutiques and supporting creative people who are doing what they love for a living!
Sally designs and runs this small boutique in downtown Seattle that is filled with wonderful little treasures. check out the Swiss bracelet and the Measles ring. i love all of her designs and i promise you her store is pure delight. i just ordered a text ring recently featured in Lucky Magazine. if you are in the area, it’s definitely worth a stop by. if not, you can always shop on the Fancy website and if you like it, spread the word!
Doodles
i’ve been thinking quite a bit lately about putting together some merch to sell both online and at the sunday market in Fremont. i haven’t really spent as much time with the tablet as i would have liked. between the house hunting, crazy work state and other unmentionable items i’ve been distracted. here are the first few doodles i did. as you can see, i have an obsession with drawing girls (including myself). i hope to add more this week. and i’m also hoping to improve my use of the pen/tablet combo.
Those Darn Zombies
it’s a shame there is really only one specific time of year that seems appropriate (to most) for a horror movie to be released. this is one of the reasons i am very excited that Dawn of the Dead will be released next month. i know horror is a genre not everyone is interested in. and for me, it’s not just horror. it’s late 70s early 80s horror and cult 60s horror. i spent lots of time as a kid on weekends watching the Thriller Double Feature, Shock Theatre, Sir Graves and Count Scary (who was creepy, not scary) with my mom. we would make big mugs of tea (what can i say? i was a precocious kid) and plant ourselves in front of our planned viewing. sometimes i would be scared, but i couldn’t help myself. i can still remember hiding under my covers after watching My Bloody Valentine. what can i say? i was a twisted kid. even now, when i’m someplace remote (a la Sleepaway Camp) i have to evaluate my possibility of survival … say should zombies return from the dead? or a twisted hatchet wielding murder should escape from his mother’s attic? one has to be prepared for all situations. and i have to tell you, my chances of survival were a-ok until that damned 28 Days Later. how the hell am i supposed to live through zombies that can run i ask you? how?
Sunday Inspiration
remember how i talk relentlessly about the way my blog looks? well, i’m not the only one obsessed. see, Nigel is too:
It’s about a week or two after you’ve redesigned your site. It was a long haul, and you’re glad that you can sit back and get that warm feeling from your little spot on the net. You sip back some orange juice, feet up on the desk. Everything is going great. Until…” read more
i like the cycle though, it is what inspires you to improve each time and be better. er, although i’m not sure i consider the latest style of this site better. i am working to find a domain name home and have been trying to bone up on css and the like. we’ll see. it’s not that i’m a total idiot, i really am not. i have just spent most of my time managing large tech projects and not actually coding them. and i have this problem with distraction coupled with a nasty case of procrastination.
at any rate, netdiver.net has supplied me with scads of inspiration. check out this site or this site or maybe even this one. {sigh} back to the drawing board.
Cuter Than You
yes, i am trying out yet another style for the blog. i can’t seem to figure out what i really want, so please bear with me as i continue to change. have you seen these fonts from Divide By Zero? it doesn’t get much cuter than this.
it makes me want to get my own fonts together, or at least some fun little clipart for people to use. but then again, i need to stay focused on the home purchase. it’s frightening the pants off me to say the least. i’ll just try to think happy thoughts. i’ll think about the CDs that i’m going to buy tomorrow when we take the plunge and sell a stack of duplicates we have. i told Mark we couldn’t sell them until we were married just in case. it may sound faithless, but it’s not. i am just that attached to some of these CDs. i feel a bit like a traitor or as if it’s a crime to be getting rid of some of these. My Bloody Valentine Loveless might have to be pried out of my fingers. i will just keep repeating … we already have these … we already have these. why do my posts always end up being about music?
well, as long as we are on the subject. my friend Brian over at Creem Magazine has just informed me that the site has been updated. he’s also asked me if i want to review a new book about black metal that he received and i agreed. it sounded like fun! he also e-mailed me the latest lineup for the Coachella Festival. we are sadly most likely going to miss this because of other committments (see also: aforementioned housebuying). the lineup goes something like this:
Air
And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of The Dead waaa!!!
Atmosphere
Basement Jaxx
Belle & Sebastian
Black Keys sniff
Bright Eyes
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club sigh
The Cure too sad for me to even comment on
Cursive
Death Cab For Cutie ok, at least i have TONS of opportunities to see this band
Desert Sessions
Dizzee Rascal
Future Sound of London
Hieroglyphics
International Noise Conspiracy
Junior Senior drat
LCD Soundsystem
Le Tigre criminy!
Mogwai
Moving Units
The Pixies sharp chest pains
Prefuse 73 who?
Radiohead been there, done that … j/k
Sahara Hotnights
Sidestepper
Sleepy Jackson
Sparta
The Sounds
Stereolab je suis triste sans Mary
The Stills ooh
Turbonegro
The Thrills ooh
Thursday
Wilco Yankee Hotel Foxtrot man
hmpf.
at least i’m going to see David Cross this month. i know, it’s not the same. but it was free and i’m trying to make myself feel better.
Feeling Blue
thank you to Ari for bringing the site of singer Juana Molina to my attention. i have no idea yet what her music sounds like, but i am totally drawn in by the simplicity and good feeling the design gave me. i must have pulled it up at least 5 times today just to stare at the little floating bug. sigh.
LOL at LOTR ROTK BS
how about that for a silly post title? as if there isn’t already enough on the Return Of The King praising its grandeur, cinematic vision and dedication to the text. i thought this was amusing. apparently David Sterritt, film critic for the Christian Science Monitor, thought this move was a snore. “… an uneven movie with yawns aplenty.” is what he calls it in his review of the film. he claims to have read all of the books more than once but feels that the movie has many problems including lots of “dull acting”.
But hey, folks, I’ve read the J.R.R. Tolkien novels more than once, and my quarrel isn’t with his grand mythic vision. It’s with Peter Jackson’s often uninspired translation of his story into cinematic terms.
those Christian Science kids.
The Indian Runner
i cannot fathom how many online mentions there are about Return Of The King. i managed to wait two whole days before we broke down and shifted our schedules to see it. as expected, it was truly amazing in so many ways. it made me remember how surprised i was to find Viggo Mortenson was cast as Aragorn. not because i didn’t think he was the right actor, but because i hadn’t really seen him in a lead film role since seeing The Indian Runner, a movie i adored. if you haven’t seen it, it is as a beautifully tragic film about two brothers who have chosen vastly different paths in life. the acting is really understated and truthful. it was an impressive directorial debut for Sean Penn (long before I Am Sam) in 1991. there was a stretch on IFC where it was in heavy rotation and i think we watched it every single time. the performance Mortenson gives as Frank is heartbreaking. i might just have to add it to my wish list!
Tom Cruise Is A Tool
tom cruise is a tool. there i said it. who cares about the Last Samurai? not me.
i am too busy waiting for Return of the King to be released next week. i watched a little bit of the crappy Dateline, 28 Hours, 60 Minutes (i can’t remember) special. they summarized it in a very cheesy way and then throughout kept saying things like ‘who knows what will happen to Middle Earth?’, ‘will Aragorn become King?’, ‘will Frodo succeed?’. i know! i know! maybe the millions of people who have read the books?
phew! i feel much better now.
It’s a Question From The Gay GMAT Test
this has absolutely nothing to do with the GMAT test. but it was the first line in the message i received immediately followed by a review of the new Gus Van Sant movie Elephant by my friend Ikke.
i loved the movie up until a certain point. it was dream-like and experimental and creepy because it’s very banal but you know something bad is going to happen and when it does, it was VERY bad and so the whole thing is very disturbing. regarding that ‘certain point,’ robert and i seem to have heard 2 different things. if what i heard is correct, then i like the movie a lot less. if what robert heard is correct, then i can let some things slide. however…that point is the most voyeuristic, homo-erotic, and kind of dirty-old-man part of the movie. since the film was made by gus van sant, a middle age man who makes no secret that he likes young boys, i have to read a lot into the film, and it becomes very much a product of this dirty old man, and that negates from the impact of the film’s very disturbing subject matter. i can see why it won at cannes. it’s kind of french-new wave-like in many ways.
so what the heck did robert hear? what did he hear?
Good Shtuff
i like good design. my site aspires to achieve it one day far, far in to the future (when my technical ability catches up with my brain pace). but for those that live in the present (and outside starbody-land) you would be wise to check out Jennville. become a citizen of Jennville or just browse and check out The Jennville Show for cooking & indie music (two of my favorite things!). there are interviews and recipes from rock stars you want to read about (i promise).
Lost in Translation
Go see this movie. Right now. Go, on now. Shoo. Or at least check out the very well designed site at Lost-in-Translation.com. Seriously though, scram!
Papergirl
Papergirl is the new journal piggybacking on this pad dedicated to a love of all things related to paper. It is a selfish endeavor meant to give a home to favorite things related to writing.
Art+Bowling=Ikke
SEATTLE - An event to support the paintings of Mike Kuhn. The show consists of acrylic on wood interpretations of early 1900s swiss and austrian trademarks.
Blood: Miniature Paintings of Sorrow & Fear
NYC - Artist Mark Ryden will be opening a month long show at the Earl McGrath Gallery at 20 West 57th on Thursday, September 18th at a reception from 6-8pm. The title of the show is Blood: Miniature Paintings of Sorrow & Fear presented with a musical score by Stan Ridgeway and Pietra Wexstun. If you are not familiar with Mr. Ryden’s work:
