i can't wait to be a grandma

CSS Show @ Webster Hall

2008-12-22T13:41:00.000-08:00

CSS had a great show at Webster Hall this past Thursday, but the after-party was even better! The band threw down some sick beats during their DJ set. Check out the photos below of Anna and I working on some tectonick moves and Rob and I breaking out a new form of dance soon to be known as "The Owen."

2008-08-10T05:48:00.000-07:00

The virtual exhibit that I have been working on this summer was launched this past Thursday. I haven't written much about my internship except for the post about the PSA, but interning at the WPA was a wonderful experience.

I'm heading home to Chicago tonight. I'll be there for just the right amount of time to chill with my former marching-band-member, turned gynecologist and of course, my family.

On deck: road trip to Maine with Dad; Niagara Falls pit stop!

http://turningthepage.wpadc.org

Enjoy.

2008-07-23T10:21:00.000-07:00

At my internship we have been working on a PSA-style video to promote the WPA's Art File Online. The video is finally finished. Have a look...you might see a certain someone.

2008-07-15T05:12:00.000-07:00

I was walking home in the rain the other day, and I saw this sad looking tree lying in a patch of grass. For some reason, I wanted it. I just wanted to take it home with me. I picked it up, balanced it on my shoulder and trekked home in the rain with the wet tree.

I put it out in the sun for a couple of days to dry it out. Now it's in my room. I have a fucking tree in my room. Her name is Sylvia.

4

2008-07-08T15:25:00.001-07:00

I am so thrilled with the way my firework photos turned out! Enjoy.

Question of the Day

2008-06-30T16:46:00.000-07:00

I was sittin' in the park today and got lost in my thoughts. My favorite that I came up with is:

IF YOU BLEED IN SPACE, WILL YOUR BLOOD STAY BLUE BECAUSE THERE IS NO OXYGEN?

I asked some peeps my question. Here are some of the answers that I received:

Chad: Yes, and I think your oxygenated blood stays red

Tim: Ask an astronaut who cuts himself to feel

Ali: Good question--I believe it will stay blue

Laura: Don't people explode in space? Maybe they explode blue

Theo: Hold on let me check...uh eh um, it's red. I'm in the space ship and if I go outside I'm keeping my suit on.

Grif: If you aren't married by the time you're 22 1/2 will you marry me?

Molly: I'd say yes

Olga: It's red before it leaves your body so it will still be red but it won't run or drip, it'll just float in space like a little red ball

Hank: I don't think you would bleed. More importantly, though, the color of your blood depends on the light so you really need to find out what the wavelength if of light in space at a given time of day, and correspond that to the electromagnetic spectrum.

Emily: I'll ask my camper with asperger's...he's wicked smart

Grif (second time around): If your skin is exposed in space, you've got bigger problems than bleeding

Katie: Email NASA

2008-06-28T10:38:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty sure that I saved DC at least 50 dollars on fire truck petrol today. Here's the story: I went to Starbucks, got a drink, and sat down at the counter. I started to read the Metro section of the Washington Post, but I couldn't focus on it. I'd like to say it was because of the terrible choice of the front-page story, "Giving Creativity a Lot of Wiggle Room," but my distraction was caused by something else. Through the window, I watched different people continually go up to a garbage can, lean over it and look in. I couldn't figure out what might have been attracting everybody who walked by...in fact, it was really strange to watch. Soon enough I saw, what appeared to be, that mirage-like vision of rising heat. I thought, "holy shit, fire!" I jumped out of my seat, went outside, and like everybody else, peered over the side of the garbage can. Sure enough, little flames were crackling at the bottom. Unlike everybody else, though, I decided to fucking do something about it. I ran back into Starbucks, told the people what was up, and asked for a bucket of water. By the time I got back to the garbage can (about 40 seconds later), the garbage bag had completely melted and the flames were rising over the lid. Luckily, that one bucket of water did the job.

I don't even want to think about what would have happened if that fire had kept on blazing. I am certainly not trying to flatter myself, but I was really disheartened by the fact that everyone who saw the fire, went up to it and then walked away. Nobody did anything...

2008-06-19T06:15:00.000-07:00

I learned a valuable lesson yesterday.

Before I go into it, I should give a quick update of my life post-Florence. I came back to the states in great head-space. I spent about a month at home getting sun burnt, painting, and spending time with my family. Re-entry proved to be an interesting factor during that time, but I'll save that for another post. Now I am in DC for the summer. I have an internship at the Washington Project for the Arts (see link @ left). I love my job, the people I work with, the location, and of course, the art.

Today after work, everyone at the office (by everyone, I mean the 3 people that work there) including myself, went back to art-o-matic, a huge art event that took place from May 9-June 15. The show was coming to a close, and we had to pack up some of our things that were over there and bring them back to the office. Mid-way through packing up the car, we realized that one of us had accidentally locked the keys in the car. For some, panic ensued because there were places to be and people to see. For others, this was a period of amusement and ultimately hilarity.

As we stood outside holding up our cell phones to the car doors in an attempt to send remote control car key waves to unlock the vehicle, the weather did a 180. The weather that was once picture perfect, lemonade-stand-worthy, rapidly turned into a cliched Dorothy-in-Kansas storm. And then, all of a sudden the immediate area that I was in, turned into this surreal, Michel Gondry "science of sleep" like montage...

The sky changed to an erie greenish-grey, releasing raindrops that fell ever so lightly, they looked like snow flakes falling during a quiet winter night / artists mopily trudged slowly in and out of the rain packing up their cars with their artwork that didn't sell / a vibrantly colored, double-arched rainbow appeared over a gigantic construction site / thick black clouds of smoke from a fire rose up over the elevated train tracks / while 4 people surrounding a silver mini van, each at a different window, peered in to catch a glimpse of the keys that would take them home.

It was after this sudden shift in weather and chain of surreal events that made me realize my mistake: i left my camera in the car. the locked car.

Lesson learned: bring camera everywhere. always.

2008-06-15T00:29:00.000-07:00

I was standing in line waiting to check out at a department store a couple of days ago, when low-and-behold, the woman standing in front of me was sporting a purse with a 3-dimensional squirrel on it. Of course, I managed to snap the shot, but even more impressive was the fact that I gave it a nice little petting.

Thoughts on bag: borders between being totally awesome and totally lame...I'll have to get back to you on that one.

2008-06-13T11:52:00.000-07:00

Gotcha, ya little shit

2008-06-05T10:40:00.000-07:00

The subject matter of the two photos that I posted on May 28th might not be all that easy to identify because I did not include much context within the frame. The photos capture the steal beams of a section of a bridge against the backdrop of the sky. I like these photos for many reasons and when I was thinking about them, I realized that in a way, these photos suggest a social change and maybe even a dilemma: looking up. I hate to make generalizations but, nobody does it anymore; nobody looks up! Sure, you can go the route of "we're busy Americans, we live a fast-paced lifestyle, and we don't have enough time to appreciate our surroundings because we are too busy thinking about what to order at Starbucks," but I would also like to take another approach to this dilemma: height. I live in large city with a beautiful skyline of architectural wonder. Yet, I just came back from a 5-month stay in Florence, where the tallest occupied building is probably only about 4 stories. In Italy, before, during, and after the Renaissance, architecture has always been a highly respected form of art that represents the genius of the architect and the reflection of society. I think this idea flows into the present as well, but the significant increase in height of present day structures completely inhibits the warm, intimate feeling one gets with the buildings that were constructed at eye-level or a little higher like in Florence. I am not trying to say that the current appreciation of architecture has diminished, but the increased height of buildings and skyscrapers makes it much more challenging to get an idea of the structure as a whole.

I took the Chicago River Architecture tour the other day and with all of this jibber-jabber in mind, I got some cool shots of some of the buildings that are near or that line the river. Enjoy.

(wherever you live in the world, take 30 seconds out of your day to look UP at the building you are walking by. It might be worth it.)

2008-06-03T09:07:00.000-07:00

It's a given that food quality is the most essential aspect of dining out, but I have always been in the school of thought that the atmosphere and overall interior decor of an eating establishment can make or break the dining experience.

At Bentwood Tavern in New Buffalo, Michigan, I experienced ribs that had more fat than meat, fries that were too salty, coleslaw with cilantro (!?), and lemonade that was diluted with ice. Yet, this disappointing meal was countered by the pleasingly elegant, yet simple modern interior of the restaurant (pictured above), which in turn made my meal significantly more enjoyable.

2008-05-28T20:38:00.000-07:00

2008-05-27T14:07:00.000-07:00

2008-05-20T17:48:00.000-07:00

One of the coolest celebrity snapshots that I've seen in a long time.

(Eric Gaillard for Reuters) click to enlarge.

Shifting Art-Gears: From the Street to The Theater

2008-05-15T21:08:00.000-07:00

Every year my improv group at Bates, The Strange Bedfellows, performs a Holiday Show. What differentiates the Holiday Show from our normal shows is that the Holiday Show consists mainly of sketch comedy, where our other shows are built around improvisation.

I recently stumbled upon the video from this past December's Holiday Show, in which we included monologues that acted as transitional pieces from sketch to sketch. Below are two of the monologues from the show, mine and Lily's. I'm not sure about Lil, but when I performed my monologue, it was the first time that I truly felt IN character for the entire time I was on stage.

blu

2008-05-12T12:19:00.000-07:00

I saw this video on Wooster Collective. It's by far one of the coolest things I have ever seen. There is so much that I want to say about it, but I want people to form their own opinions and watch it with an open mind.

Some brief info: the video was created by an artist called Blu and it was shot in Buenos Aires and Baden.

This is street art at its best, folks. Enjoy!

on blogging

2008-05-11T09:49:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking a lot about blogging lately.

If you've been reading since my first post (or if you are new to the blog, simply read the first post), then you will know that I was hesitant to start this thing from the beginning.

I think the blog world is bizarre...anybody can have one and anybody can read one. There are a lot of different types of blogs; there are the big-time blogs that are associated with professions, like the Sartorialist, and then there are the small-time blogs, like this one. This post mainly concerns the small-time blogs.

Whenever I find myself reading someone's blog, I feel like I am reading a diary. A lot of personal blogs are just that, personal. People blog about the weirdest shit like the name they chose for their one-thousandth cat or the cute new Christmas socks that they got for little Tommy. But I just don't understand who would want to read about that...why share that information with the rest of the world? If I wanted to talk about the new kind of cereal that I tried this morning or which level the treadmill was at during my workout-for god-knows-what-reason...therapy maybe-then I could just purchase a nice little journal; one with flowers and butterflies on the cover that's lined with lace and other frilly shit (sounds like a piece of lingerie). I'm getting off track. My point is that, blogging is not meant to be private; people who BLOG do it to be seen and heard.

My Mom keeps telling me that she has been giving my blog address to "everybody." Well, what does that mean...that my first grade teacher is reading this thing? Well what does my first grade teacher think of me when I use the word FUCK or PENIS? Huh, Mrs. Bailey? Blogs don't have privacy settings or locked profiles like Facebook. Should I be concerned with censoring myself?

I also think that a significant factor about blogging is that one such "blogger" is able to see how many viewers have been on their site (or the technological savvy term, "hits"). My friend Jordan wrote an interesting post about this. He said that,

"For a very long time my family were the only viewers. I started sending shameless plugs to friends. Reader numbers increased. This is when everything changed. Then I started posting links whenever I made an appearance at an online function or gathering. Reader numbers increased. Now I watch my stat counts like a girl watches the phone hoping johnny football star will call."

Sure it's nice to know that people are actually reading your blog, but the strange thing is that ANYBODY can be reading. When you think it's just your friends and family, it's not. It's strangers too. So what do strangers think about what I have to say? They could be harsh critics like me, or they could really relate to what they read. I mean shit, the chick that wrote the screenplay for "Juno" was discovered from her BLOG and she is now famous and making millions. People work lifetimes for opportunities like that! The internet can do wonders for people yet it is also shared by the creeps, pedophiles, and stalkers that lurk in the deep-dark-underground-depths of chat rooms and internet porn.

It wasn't until nytimes.com wrote an article called "So You Want to Be a Blogging Star?" that justified some of my thoughts about blogging. Read the article, it's good. If you are too lazy, here are some quotes that I think sum up the main points of the article:

"whether a person blogs to make a little money, to influence opinion or just for sheer ego gratification, amassing a large audience is the goal"

"write about what you want to write about, in your own voice...blog about your passions. Don't blog about what you think your audience wants. Post because you have something you are dying to write about"

"the hurdle that stops many would-be bloggers is fear of clicking the 'Publish' button. 'Don't bottle up your ideas forever believing you have hit the same kind of mature, complete, perfect point as you would with a magazine or newspaper article...blogs are always in progress'"

I haven't come to any concrete conclusions about any of this. In fact, I don't really think there needs to be any answers, but it's fun to think about and it's even more entertaining to really dive into the blog world and browse all of the different types that are out there.

2008-05-07T16:06:00.000-07:00

I have been undecided about whether or not to continue this blog. I started it essentially so that my friends and family could stay connected with me while I studied abroad for the semester. Yet, I never really used this blog to write about my travels or other cultural experiences that I was having. Instead, this blog became more of a general chronicle of things that interest me like art, music, and other random things. Obviously, I decided to keep at it...why?

Struggling to overcome jet-lag, I woke up at 6:30 AM this morning. The good thing about getting out of the house at an early hour is that you can beat the rush of people that are trying to do the same thing. The bad thing about getting out early is that some stores don't open until 10:00, like Borders Books and Music, which is where I was headed.

It was raining this morning. I stood outside under a viaduct and waited for Borders to open. Waiting as well was a middle-aged woman with a terrible haircut who was wearing a corduroy-lined jacket and a completely A.D.D. man who made the lamest jokes in the world. Seriously. They were so awful that I felt bad if I didn't laugh.

Then I thought to myself, "these characters would make such a great blog entry." This is what made me realize that the reason I was unsure of whether or not to continue blogging was because I didn't have any inspiration! Italy was coming to an end, but a new adventure is beginning...hence, a new chapter to this blog.

P.S. I was the first one in the store. Woop.

wak

2008-04-19T09:18:00.000-07:00

Everyone has his or her internet routine. For me the Wooster Collective never goes unchecked (http://www.woostercollective.com). It's one of my favorite sites (props to karp). Wooster is a site dedicated to the celebration of street art around the world. It's updated often with photos/videos of graffiti, stencils, installations, protests, etc.

During internet time today, Wooster presented me with a really kewl artist that I wanted to plug on my blog. Zak Smith is his name. Everyday, Zak uploads a new image from his sketchbook to his site. The thing that I really resonate with in his images is his narrative of contemporary life...whether politically driven, sexually themed, or purely imaginative, he captures the status quo in a colorful and psychedelic way.

http://www.zaxart.com/sketchbook

2008-04-14T09:26:00.000-07:00

The fam came to Flo for a visit last week. It was a phenomenal time. Here is part of a fantastically funny email from my bro about the plane ride back to the states:

"I sat next to a total bitch, she was the meanest person I've encountered in a while and she wouldn't stop COUGHING! At first I thought she was faking it so that I would move to another seat so I was like "fuck it, cough all you want, I'm not leaving witch." But then she was screaming at the flight attendant for cough drops: "COUGH DROPS! TO HELP ME FROM NOT COUGHING!!!" I wanted to take my headphones and put them in her bitchy ears when she slept and blast Wagner or something. I hope it was the flu along with the mono that I tried to give her...

kontest

2008-04-08T23:39:00.001-07:00

I have decided to enter a photo contest. The contest is being offered by Glimpse, a National Geographic publication. It is limited to students who are currently studying abroad or to anyone who has ever lived or traveled overseas. Contestants are allowed to submit 2 photos of this year's subject matter, which is "street performers." The cool thing about the contest is not that the first-place winner will receive a $500 travel credit voucher and see his/her photo on the cover of the 2009 Glimpse Calendar, or that the eleven runners-up will see their photos included in the 2009 Glimpse Calendar, BUT... that the photography is going to be evaluated by National Geographic photographers!

I have been taking my camera with me around Florence for the last couple of weeks and got some fun shots. I am having a bit of trouble deciding on the final two shots that I want to submit, though. Here is what I have narrowed it down to so far...Email me or leave a comment if you prefer one shot to another (you can click on the photo for an enlarged view).

back on the strEEt

2008-03-27T10:46:00.000-07:00

deliciously fresh shit from Banksy: http://www.banksy.co.uk

quote of the day

2008-03-26T10:37:00.000-07:00

"The plumbers are here and I'm naked, I'll call you back."

Sorry, Mom, I had to.

2008-03-25T08:05:00.000-07:00

A shot of me this time, because I am mostly behind the camera these days...I was also having a really good hair-day.

2008-03-23T05:22:00.000-07:00

My favorite in Florence so far

2008-03-17T23:57:00.000-07:00

The largest gumball machine...EVER?!

another day/another dollar

2008-03-16T15:23:00.000-07:00

Today was a "me-day." I often try to spend a whole day, or at least, a good portion of a day by myself at least once a week. It's not an anti-social thing or a form of protest, it's just my own time to do whatever I want, whenever I want. I think that we as people spend too much time constricted to...time itself. Everything is allotted a stretch, a span, a season, an interval, a period, a length, a duration of time; punching in at work, meeting up with a friend, a TV show, dinner-time. It's like the block schedule from school follows us into the real world. And it's not a negative thing by any means. It keeps us going and organized. BUT...it's fun to see what happens if you completely discard all units of time, which is what I try to do on my "me-days." I will admit that I do actually schedule the "me-days" themselves (for example, I tell myself, Lexi-that's what I call myself-take a "me-day" tomorrow). The night before I turn off my cell phone and deactivate my alarm in order to wake up naturally. The day follows with a completely open format. I just go...wherever I go, basically. As a result of not having an agenda, the day is full of surprises; either a lot happens or nothing at all. Today was once where a lot happened...

I started off by taking Camilla (la mia bicicleta) for a ride around Florence and somehow ended up on the other side of the Arno. I parked Camilla at a pole and walked about 20 paces until I found myself walking into a huge, open room that was chock-full of stuff...it was a rummage sale! Most of the items were geared more towards old-lady-style, but it was so much fun to go through everything and people-watch while I was at it. In the very back of the room, away from all of the items, there was a grand piano. You can probably guess where this is going...a woman walked over to the piano, sat down to play, and started jammin'. She was incredible. She filled the entire room with a warm, rich musical sound. I asked if I could take a photo of her and she said yes:

Next, I stumbled upon a market in piazza Santo Spirito. I was immediately drawn to a tent that displayed colorful paintings. As I was going through a box of them, I noticed out of the corner of my eye, a man approaching. He was completely disheveled; his clothes were dirty and falling off of his body, his facial hair was long and patchy, his hair was greasy and matted, and he had a rolled cigarette dangling from his mouth and a beer bottle between his two fingers on his left hand: he was the artist. We ended up talking for 15 minutes about his paintings. Finally, I bought one. I bought a piece of artwork from a drunk man with a bloody nostril who kept apologizing for speaking poor English because he was drunk. The art:

Dog poop is common in Florence. It's everywhere. Either dogs poop a lot or their owners just don't pick up after them. It's probably both of those things. Today I found a piece of poop on the sidewalk, but this was no ordinary poop...it had a sign in it. The sign (as you can read for yourself) said "stronzo come il padrone," which I believe translates to "shit like the master." Funny? Yes. Disgusting that someone took the effort to write about a piece of shit and then place it in it? Also, yes.

2008-03-14T02:56:00.000-07:00

It's 7 o'clock in the morning. I am lying on the couch, tired and hung-over. My body is somehow able to produce the slightest, grumbling chuckle from reading the front-page article from nytimes.com, "Economy Hammered by Toxic Blend of Ailments." The first paragraph reads,

"Almost everything seems to be going wrong for the American economy at once. People are buying less, but most things are costing more. Mortgage rates are rising, the dollar is falling and prices of key commodities like oil are leaping from one record high to the next."

That's not the funny part. Next to this serious and bold, but ever so true statement--comprised of well-written sentences and accurate punctuation--is an advertisement from nytimes.com/realestate: "What you get for...$1 million" (in reference to the picture above).

I like juxtapositions. I think this one is great.

song of the day

2008-03-13T04:27:00.000-07:00

"Tell Me Why (Original Mix)" by Supermode. The chic's voice sounds a bit like Cher, but the song is bumpin'

2008-03-07T09:31:00.000-08:00

Not only are fashion and the fashion industry unique and significant to the Italian culture, but the presentation of clothing and other accessories are also a large part of the purchasing decision. As a result of my recent interest in storefront displays, I have been attempting to document their elegant presentation through photography. After some successful and other unsuccessful tries, I believe I have finally found a decent shot the does some justice.

2008-02-28T08:43:00.000-08:00

Before I left for Italy, I was starting to become extremely fed up with American culture. I was tired of hearing about the war, I was annoyed and sick of all of the superficiality both in real life and on TV, and I was ready to give up the fast-paced lifestyle that apparently makes America so unique. I kept thinking about how nice it was going to be to escape all of that for a good couple of months and live a relaxed European lifestyle.

Since the moment I arrived in Florence, I have constantly been comparing European ideals with disappointing American standards and mores. It wasn't until a couple of days ago when I was doing research for my internship on Oliviero Toscani (see below), that I realized how hard I have been on my country. Toscani is Italian but he has spent a significant amount of time living in the U.S...sometimes even hanging out with Andy Warhol! He has a really interesting perspective on both countries, and on life in general. I was reading an article in which he was quoted saying,

"you can say anything you want in America. There is the worst, but there is also the best, in America. When Europeans talk about America it makes me laugh. They don't know. America is anything you can say, do, be...Americans are great because they get so mad, they get so passionate."

I paused when I read this because I forgot about all of that. When you are living outside of the states, the only thing you hear about America are the stories that make the headlines. But just because our government has seen better days, because we are at war, and because people like Paris Hilton are the face of our country, does not mean that that is America. It's the entire lifestyle, the "we the people," the "American dream" ideas that I forgot about. Or, maybe I didn't forget, maybe I just never realized it. It's hard to recognize what it is like to live in America until you have lived somewhere else, at least for me.

Italy is probably not even a very good example to use in comparison. Countries that are still run by communism or lagging behind economically make this difference significantly more drastic. But given the mere fact that one can still recognize the difference between America and anywhere else, says a lot.

I have never been a patriotic person, but it wasn't until I was living away from my home that I realized how lucky I am that I do live at home.

2008-02-24T15:14:00.000-08:00

I really miss this guy

2008-02-24T04:58:00.000-08:00

I went to the Uffizi the other day to spend some time with Leonardo's Annunciation before I gave a presentation on it in class. The museum was crowded but I stayed in front of the painting for at least 15 minutes. I was very focused and very serious. As I was walking out of the museum, casually passing by Botticelli's, Michelangelo's and some of the other most important artwork from the Italian Renaissance, a little girl about 7 years old said, "wow, thank god that's over!" It definitely shot my emotions to hell, but it was the funniest goddamn thing I have heard in a long time!

2008-02-21T00:38:00.000-08:00

"Picasso is Spanish-me too. Picasso is a painter-me too. Picasso is a Communist-me neither."

2008-02-20T10:34:00.000-08:00

Part of an email that I wrote to my parents:

"Sometimes, at night, when I lay in bed, I have trouble falling asleep because I begin to fret that my arteries are clogged. I haven’t worked out in ages and all I do is eat…SO, if you want to spare me from my fast-approaching heart attack, I would be forever indebted to you if you could send me a pair of shorts and my running shoes."

nosh vamosh

2008-02-18T10:13:00.000-08:00

It's been a while...

I have been traveling a lot so I haven't had the chance to update this thang as much as I'd like. Lots of fun stuff to report, though.

Went to Spain last weekend to visit Katie, had a great time. Madrid: excellent graffiti. Went to a fantastic Picasso exhibit (I got some ideas for possible thesis topics), did a lot of jumping, learned about "no-no bags," and drank Kalimocho (red wine and coke). Oh, and flying to Madrid, the captain called the airplane an "airbus!" I loved that, of course.

I got an internship here in Florence! I will be interning at the SUF art gallery for the semester. I have been assigned to work on an exhibit that will consist of a collection of photographs taken by the former fashion photographer for United Colors of Benetton, Oliviero Toscani. Toscani has recently been noted as a controversial artist because of his shift in subject matter from fashion to the documentation of negative social aspects in contemporary culture, such as people suffering from anorexia and AIDS. Our gallery will be displaying a body of Toscani's photos of men on death row. As of right now, I am doing research in order to write Toscani's biography for the exhibit, but hopefully I will be doing more hands-on work as we get nearer to the exhibition opening in early April. I am so stoked about it!

What else...ah yes. Congratulations to the Strange Bedfellows for kicking ass at Skidmore's "Comfest!" When I was little I had an imaginary friend named Gupperman.

2008-02-11T13:13:00.000-08:00

The largest art left to ever occur in Europe happened on Sunday in Zurich, Switzerland. Four paintings by van Gogh, Cezanne, Degas, and Monet were stolen from a museum just outside of the city. As an art history major, this was a horrific event to read about but I think it is pretty awesome that I was in Switzerland when it happened.

(fig. 1 photo of me skiing the Swiss Alps)

jump

2008-02-07T06:49:00.000-08:00

song of the day: "jump" by Magik Johnson.

2008-02-06T10:27:00.000-08:00

I saw a really cool thing today...

I was standing at the counter at a cafe having a cappuccino when a woman's cell phone rang. Instead of putting the phone to her ear, the woman held it in front of her face. The phone was an average sized cell phone but it had a very large screen in which you could see the entire upper half of the other caller. The woman in the cafe proceeded to communicate through sign language to the person who called, who was also signing! It was phenomenal.

2008-01-31T15:49:00.000-08:00

I never considered myself good at art. In fact, I was the kid who could never color inside the lines and always drew abstractions because I couldn't draw a face to save my life.

During sophomore year in college, one of my friends started to paint, which inspired me. Ever since then, I have let me creative juices flow. I was going through my photo library yesterday and I started to compile all of the shots that I took of my finished paintings. It's interesting to see how my work has evolved over time...

Song of the Day

2008-01-30T09:34:00.000-08:00

"The Sound of San Francisco (progressive extended mix)," Global Deejays

I hated this song the first time I heard it.

I fell in love with this song the second time I heard it.

bykez

2008-01-29T04:56:00.000-08:00

In memory of Marcus (RIP), I decided to purchase a bike to make getting around Florence a bit easier. Meet Marcus' Italian cousin (the white one--also check out that sick stencil right outside my house!) Name suggestions are welcome...it's a girl.

2008-01-28T09:14:00.000-08:00

In Italy, and probably the rest of Europe, the cost of water and electricity is very expensive. As American students staying in Italian homes, we were told to take shorter showers and lesson other activities that might incur high electric bills. As an effort to shorten my shower period, which, as most of you know was not the easiest or the most anticipated event, I decided to shave my legs in the bidet.

2008-01-22T07:48:00.000-08:00

Song of the day: "TTHHEE PPAARRTTYY" My girl, Uffie, teams up with Justice to produce a rockin' narrative that'll get you pumped for the weekend.

getting there

2008-01-21T00:26:00.000-08:00

Mom drops me off at the airport (terminal 2--jetblue). I'm pumped and ready to go. Walk about 30 paces to the front desk. Man asks: "where are you going?" I reply: "New York, JFK." Man says: "Flight has been cancelled." I laugh. Meet a girl there who is on the same flight. We team up. Take airport shuttle to terminal 1--united. Have a hardcore struggle with my luggage. Get really stressed and sweaty. I keep trekking. Go down a broken escalator. One of my duffels slips from my grip. It shoots down the escalator. Before I could yell anything, it smacks a guy in the back of the legs, hard. He's pissed. I talk to the United people. Can't get a flight to New York. United women has a stick up her ass. Get back on the airport shuttle to terminal 3--American. Get a flight to New York but to the wrong airport. 10 minutes until boarding. Fly through security, SPRINT to gate. Dripping sweat. Flight has been delayed. Finally get to New York--LaGuardia. Take a cab to JFK airport. Meet Syracuse group. Awkward as hell. Fly to Frankfurt. Layover for 7 hours. Start to smell like a rotting pig. Get to Florence. Half the trip loses luggage, myself included. Most people only lose 1 bag, I lose both.

song of the day

2008-01-14T04:02:00.000-08:00

"Not Exactly" by Deadmau5. Give this song some time...bass doesn't drop until about two minutes in. (props to karp)

Rebel

2008-01-13T17:44:00.000-08:00

My new camera has arrived! For my first dslr, I decided to get the Canon Rebel XT. This is the very first shot I took.

white lies

2008-01-12T19:20:00.001-08:00

I started using Crest White Strips today.

i can't wait to be a grandma

2008-01-11T12:14:00.001-08:00

I must admit I never thought I would succumb to the desolate and impersonal world we know as the "intra-web," but it seems this is the direction in which we're headed these days, so I guess if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. So here it is, my blog.

Part of my decision to start this blawg was because I thought it might be a cool way for people to catch up with me while I am studying abroad in Florence. However, "i can't wait to be a grandma" is most certainly not going to be an itinerary of my day-to-day routine. Instead it is going to be more of a free-for-all...I'll post photoz I've taken, cool things that I see, thoughts I think but never say aloud, websites I'm into, or songs I'm digging. I love that word, digging.

The more spontaneous and random this thing is, the better. Plus, updating a blog makes me feel a lot cooler than updating my facebook profile.

The idea of putting my writing in a public space is kind of strange. Anyone can be reading this thing; friends, strangers, pedophiles. It reminds me a bit of graffiti; the idea of publicly displaying oneself through tags and street art as a form of communication and advertisement of oneself (this is not the accurate or literal definition).

Seeing my own thoughts written out is also a bit strange. It makes them look so concrete and final. It's like that tiny little voice inside my head becomes so much more relevant when I actually write it out. I guess I just need to get used to writing in first person. I am so used to objectively writing about things like "the repercussions that World War One had on the Dadaists in Zurich" or "why Miles Davis' electronic period was indirectly influenced by afro-futurism." This makes me feel like Carrie Bradshaw from Sex and The City. It also makes me feel like I am writing an opinion column. Whenever I read those editorials, I always catch myself sub-consciously thinking about the author of the piece. I usually imagine the same scenario for every author: he/she is sitting on their countertop in their kitchen. Sunlight floods the room. Books, papers, and mugs with coffee and tea stains are scattered everywhere. A cat. Always a cat. What is it about cats? Everyone has a cat. Cats are like babies without personalities; they just stare at you until the get bored and curl up in a corner somewhere.