Sad songs they say

I want this. Found it on Rumplo, available at The Quiet Life.

She's my cherry pie

Who says when they are a child, "I want to design silly porn outfits when I grow up??"

35mm

Since I've gotten my digital camera, 35mm has taken a backseat. It takes me forever to finish a roll, so I often develop film without remembering what is on them. So when I finally get them processed, they're like missing memories. Here are a few shots from my LC-A and Lomolito cameras. I just went to Adorama this morning to buy some new film - I hope that fixes the darkness of my photos because lately, they have not been looking their best. Ultimately I prefer the quality and process of 35mm. It's slower. And more precious.

Three of the dogs I looked after my first year on the farm. Bailey is Shelby & Bull's puppy. She and the other pup Meg ended up tearing Shelby apart in the living room. Lu had her cremated and her remains are in a wooden box in the kitchen. Shelby is out of Lego and was born on the road as they were driving through Shelby, Montana.


This is a building on our street in Brooklyn. In the winter it's bleak and scary looking but in the summer, covered in ivy, it looks warm and huggable.


This is a great photo of Angel. She hates it, I don't know why. This was taken end of June when we went to Robert Moses beach out on Long Island. I made sangria on the beach and we stayed until it got late the tide was creeping up the bank, closer and closer to us.



This was on the 4th of July. We went to Battery Park to watch Sonic Youth and then headed to Adrienne's Pizzabar for dinner.


This is the LIRR station at Nostrand. We were on our way to Long Beach to meet Angel and Mitya. It was such a gorgeous day for the beach: sunny but breezy. We lay on the sand and fell asleep and woke up a little browner. Later that night when we got back we met David and Laurea for dinner at Taisho.

My boys

Photo by Ryan McGinley

Get the new Interview magazine when you get a chance. There's an interview by Gus Van Sant in it of one of my favorite actors James Franco, who I have had the most ridiculous crush on since his stint as Daniel Desario on Freaks and Geeks.

There's also some great photos and journal entries by Ryan McGinley, who I absolutely adore. Focusing on this year's photo shoots in caves across the country, his style of writing is simple and almost childlike in wonder.

Gushing, but I don't care.

There's also an interview of the Mulleavy sisters behind the Rodarte label by Natalie Portman.

I need to start looking out for this magazine more in the mail carts at work.

Fangirl

Featured on the Brooklyn Flea blog. The last day of the Flea is tentatively set for Dec. 21st and will reopen again in March or April. No idea what I'll do til then but I'm sure I'll survive.

Beautiful-trippy

Metamorphosis from Glenn Marshall on Vimeo.

More info here, en Francais.

I love Boards of Canada.

Growl

Tonight I will have cat pot pie for dinner.

Is there anybody out there?

I just learned that I have readers from the Ukraine, Russia, Romania, Brazil, the UK, China, the Philippines, Italy, France, Japan, Spain... Hello hello hello!

Thank you for reading - I would love to hear from you!

Food for thought

Politics ruins friendships but here's something my friend sent me that basically confirms my views on them. Essentially we are fucked. I'm not posting this to spark a heated debate but it's nice to see that someone shares our views amidst all the leg-humping.

I recently started looking at the world of politics and our present economic situation. Shit's freaky. I mean this thing that happened last week was a hell of a thing, but it's just an indicator that something's amiss. I found out that all of our money is printed by a private corporation and that our federal tax dollars do not pay for services of any kind - those tax dollars go to the Federal Reserve. So effectively we work 20% of the year to give money to a private corporation so that we can use their money. That's been on my mind a lot these days. That and the whole Obama / McCain farce. Turns out Obama's wife is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations of which Dick Cheney was on the board of directors. Really our political structure is currently little more than puppet theater. That's on my mind a lot as well. So I make stickers about this stuff and put them on banks, Starbuck's, grocery stores, gas stations and whatever else will hold adhesives. It's not a lot, but it's something to do.

[...]

For the sake of relating the story (I think it's kinda funny):

Today I was helping a friend by running sound for him. We went and filmed this volunteer Christian legal aid clinic. It was mostly a bunch of middle aged Christian women with children (the'll probably vote for McCain). They prayed after their legal help. Kinda cool. Kinda creepy. The organizer said she would have sandwiches brought in for everyone to eat and that her assistant would get it ready. Her assistant's name was Michelle. She was very hot (probably warrants two "T"s). Michelle was African. Her family was killed by two fighting factions in a civil war. Her mother's friend tried to get her citizenship in Germany, but it didn't work. So she bought a ticket to Los Angeles. She got here when she was 15 years old (she just turned 18). She knew no one, had no job and no home. Somehow she got into some kind of foster program and got into a school. She now has a high school diploma and is attending college. My understanding is that she's been hired as a paid assistant to the legal aid people. I over heard her speaking to one of the lawyers who asked if she lost weight. She said yes. After 6 hours of filming with one ten minute break my buddy and I were dying of hunger and a little delirious. Since I ride my bicycle a lot I decided that it would be good to tell Michelle about how if you starve your body you get short term weight loss, but it's always muscle loss and that will actually hurt you in the long run in that you'll just get fatter because your body won't be processing as many calories as when it had the muscle to burn the calories. So at the end of the whole thing it occurred to me that I was in the middle of a bunch of over paid housewives who in all seriousness pray to Christ and they were watching me hit on a civil war refugee.

"So, I hear you work out . . ."


I left that last part in because I thought it was funny and totally something my friend would do.

A cush life

I'm not sure when the exact time was that I started dreading going to work. I was so excited when I started this job, that I was never sad for Sunday night to come, that I never dragged my feet in the morning.

But now I am up at night thinking about shit I have to take care of, shit I forgot about, and people I have to deal with. I got a mouth guard because I've started clenching my teeth again. The job has great perks - good benefits, lots of time off. But peace of mind is more important.

Resumes are slowly being sent out. Keep you posted.

Photos from The Mars Volta @ Hammerstein Ballroom

The music: I don't normally listen to them but Alex absolutely loves this band. I bought some earplugs beforehand and they made all the difference. They are awesome live - really tight, crazy and just on it. I can see myself rocking out to them. Mind you, Alex listens to them to fall asleep.

The crowd: A lot of younger people. Mostly guys. One self-proclaimed fan of "stoner rock." A bunch of people who went to or wanted to go to Prog Nation. A few heshers. And one old couple - the woman was headbanging with her eyes closed and at one point was banging her forehead into my arm with her hands waving in adoration. Neat.

Here's some MV for your listening/viewing pleasure:

One man's trash...

From Kitsune Noir: Dirty Laundry. Creating art from mistakes. In this case, dirty t-shirts.

Rosemarie Fiorre: Smoke bombs


Andrew Degraff: Fish blood

The exhibit is in Hawaii and probably over by now but definitely a fun concept. What kinds of stains can you make into art?

Dammit!

Go to A+R to look at some nicely designed housewares. They don't allow image-linking and I am to lazy to edit my entry with all those images.

I wanted to learn more about wide angle lenses so I Googled for more information and got this crazy math equation:

Consider a 35 mm camera with a normal lens having a focal length of F=50 mm. The dimensions of the 35 mm image format are 24 mm (vertically) × 36 mm (horizontal), giving a diagonal of about 43.3 mm.

Now the angles of view are:

* horizontally, \alpha_h = 2\arctan\; h/2f \approx 39.6°
* vertically, \alpha_v = 2\arctan\; v/2f \approx 27.0°
* diagonally, \alpha_d = 2\arctan\; d/2f \approx 46.7°

Consider a rectilinear lens in a camera used to photograph an object at a distance S1, and forming an image that just barely fits in the dimension d of the frame (the film or image sensor). Treat the lens as if it were a pinhole at distance S2 from the image plane (technically, the center of perspective of a rectilinear lens is at the center of its entrance pupil.

Now α / 2 is the angle between the optical axis of the lens and the ray joining its optical center to the edge of the film. Here α is defined to be the angle-of-view, since it is the angle enclosing the largest object whose image can fit on the film. We want to find the relationship between:

the angle α
the "opposite" side of the right triangle, d / 2 (half the film-format dimension)
the "adjacent" side, S2 (distance from the lens to the image plane)

Using basic trigonometry, we find:

\tan ( \alpha / 2 ) = \frac {d/2} {S_2} .

which we can solve for α, giving:

\alpha = 2 \arctan \frac {d} {2 S_2}

To project a sharp image of distant objects, S2 needs to be equal to the focal length F, which is attained by setting the lens for infinity focus. Then the angle of view is given by:

\alpha = 2 \arctan \frac {d} {2 f} where f = F



WHAT????? I failed math you assholes! That's right. Mom was just looking through my old transcripts and confirmed my big, fat juicy F my senior year in Math Honors 2. Ugh.

Photos from the weekend

With Mario & Luigi at the Nintendo Power 20th Anniversary party on Friday

With Mark-Paul Gosselaar at Nintendo Party

Liz Pulver, Landscape Architect at Brooklyn Flea

A&A at a mirror made from an old window of the Flatiron Building

Old DVDs at Brooklyn Flea

Vintage Chairs at Brooklyn Flea

Weekend

My cousin Drea is in town for Nintendo Power's 20th anniversary party at the Nintendo store. DJs, hors d'oeuvres, photobooth, Wii and Mark-Paul Gosselaar oh my! That's going down tonight. No RSVP, no entry.

My friend Les aka DJ Lil Tiger has a new radio show! It will be launched on Saturday with a party at PNC Radio Studio in DUMBO. The party is free, rain or shine, and you can RSVP here. Les is from Houston and has been DJing and doing radio shows for a long time. Hip hop flavor and lots of world influence - come with dance shoes on.

This Sunday at the Flea, they are hosting the Superstar DJ Record Fair! I'm excited for this one as DFA and Def Jux will be there, as well as DJs DB and Dara. Oldies and goodies, both of them. Other record labels, stores and DJs will be in attendance, some selling from their private collections. Which would be cool and all if I collected records but it's too late for me to get into that game. I'm excited for Blue Mountain Jamaican restaurants from Flatbush/Canarsie/Flatlands - serving up jerk chicken alongside pupusas and local ice cream!

Also on Sunday, the Brooklyn Book Festival featuring writers I read and admire, such as Joan Didion, Arther Nersesian, Jessica Hagedorn, Andrew Sean Greer, Adrian Tomine, as well as Thurston Moore and Ian MacKaye (of Sonic Youth and Minor Threat/Fugazi, respectively) talking about their new book. All events are free but some require tickets, which are available one hour before the event. Check the site for more details and schedule.

Busy weekend!

Stupid Laurea!

This morning we are on the Marimekko site looking at coats and bedding and other beautiful textile things:




Marimekko is a collective of Finnish textile designers that has been designing since the 50s. If you remember, my giraffe-print dress is by Marimekko.

I love the playfulness and simplicity of their design. I want to be surrounded by Marimekko! Currently drooling over their pillow covers, not too ridiculous at $28 for a 20x20 cover.

I love font

Love this set of typeface coasters by acd, available at SupermarketHQ. Lasercut wood, in Baskerville Semibold. Currently they are sold out but these babies are $25 for a set of 4. Got my eye on these!

Also, here are some videos from YouTube of kinetic typeface. This is one I stumbled across a few years ago, of a dialog from Pulp Fiction.


Here's one of about 10 seconds of "Such Great Heights"


And even more hilarious, this is one of my favorite Dane Cook sketches:

TV Roundup

Gossip Girl: The premier was only an hour long, first of all. And I'm a little disappointed that everything we wanted to happen at the end of last season...did. What is there to hope for now? The Blair vs. Chuck drama will get old quickly.

90210: Yes, I actually watched it and this one was a painful 2 hours long. Why do all the high schoolers look like they're 40? Did you catch the scene where "Annie" joins the chorus of her school play? I wanted to barf on the screen. And, how can the Zuckerman/Silver children be old enough to be in high school already? Won't be keeping up with this one.

Project Runway: Doesn't Tim Gunn remind you of C3P0? Think about it. Also, one of my favorite designers Leann is doing very well, winning two challenges in a row. They finally booted that crazy NY leather chick with the horrible accent. And with Keith gone, there are now only 4 gays in the village.

Fringe: The premier tonight was 1.5 hours long. And I am hooked. But then again, I got hooked on Alias as well. The premise, a female FBI investigator working on cases of "fringe" science. Teleportation, ESP, etc. I hear it will have a mythological arch like Alias, which I can probably do without but for now I will enjoy watching pudge-faced Joshua Jackson on my big small screen. Lance Reddick is good as well - I didn't recognize him at first but then realized I remembered him from Oz, where he played an undercover cop who was in jail investigating a case. Good stuff. They did the isolation tank + LSD combo which I so love, ganked directly from Altered States. "Excellent! Let's make some LSD." Walter Bishop is definitely my favorite character, especially while giggling like a child as he watches Spongebob. It's profound, because it's about a sponge.

Only one premier left that I'm waiting for, and that is Grey's Anatomy, which starts up again on September 25.

Another one for you

Some of these songs were playing on shuffle when Katie & Andrew were here last week. We drank some excellent wine that Andrew brought down from his collection in Toronto and played Scrabble. They kind of capture the mood of the end of a fun summer.

Hey thanks for that summer
1. Like O, Like H - Tegan & Sara
2. Swagger - Calla
3. Two Clasping What They Dream is One Another - Telephone Jim Jesus
4. Echo Train - Chad Vangaalen
5. Feeling No Pain - Josh Rouse
6. Some Slender Rest - Two Gallants
7. Everything Beautiful is Far Away - Grandaddy
8. Hotel Lobby - Utada
9. Use Me - The Gentle Rain
10. Jesus, etc. - Wilco
11. Melt Away - Galaxie 500
12. Lord Leopard - Caribou
13. Hovering - Beulah

Just call me Manolo

Ok not really but now on the Keds website, you can design and even sell your own sneakers! Here are the first two I designed, selling on Zazzle. Please spread the word! I'm still deciding which one I want first.

Sunny Mini Champion
by

lazysundae

Design your own shoes online at zazzle.com
See more Shoes Keds Shoes

Manhattan Skyline Mini Champion
by

lazysundae

Create your own shoes online on zazzle
View other Shoes Keds Shoes

Things I miss from my childhood

I used to love this cartoon! Even today - check the simple lines in the drawings. Pretty genius.

Etsy finds

Hand-carved geode rings from Zula Surfing Designs on Etsy. I adore these. When we were younger my brother and I were avid semi-precious stone collectors. This is a throwback to that time, and they also make fabulous, unique cocktail rings.

Etsy is a big pain in the ass to search through but when you find the real gems, it's a good good thing.

I'll let you in on a little secret

I'm flat footed. And thanks to my dad, I have weird bunions that cause slight calluses on the balls of my feet. This is why I rarely ever wear heels - it hurts too much and with all the walking you do in NYC it's impossible for me to wear them. Until I put some of these in a pair of heels:

Tip Toes by Foot Petals. I'd bought them many years ago but never used them. They cushion the ball of my foot and also prevent what I like to call "ogre feet." This is that strange phenomenon that occurs when women wear open toed heels - their feet slide forward and their toes shoot past the front of the shoe. To compensate for this, the toes either scrunch up on themselves like talons or start to curl under, gripping the front of the shoe for dear life. This is especially prevalent in platform sandals and espadrilles.

You think I am making a big deal out of this. I am - this has opened up so many more options for me, like the delicious candy apple red patent leather pumps from J. Crew pictured above. I want one in ever color.

Art Parade!

Is it that time already? The Deitch Art Parade is upon us. This Saturday at 4pm head to Soho for crazy awesomeness, including projects from Barry McGee and Claire Rojas. Last year we tried to go and just missed it. Never again!

Broke/Matt Rodriguez

Limited edition t-shirts for sale. Information here. Big fan - Alex knows this guy from Austin and I see his work all over NYC. I would love this t-shirt but can't see myself spending $30 on one any time in the near future. If you get it, let me know with a pic so I can live vicariously through you.

I'm back at work and In Touch

Quoted in In Touch: I realized that while two people from two entirely different countries and backgrounds may see to have nothing in common, the only thing they might have in common is me.

David Hasselhoff. Now there are two less lonely people in the world.

The doctor is in

Opening September 5, Apotheke on Doyers near Bowery. It's not hard to find but it's a little hidden. Hint: it's close to Joe's Shanghai. Here's a little Q & A with Alan Trummer, co-owner of the new spot.

From NY Mag:
In the spirit of Chinatown, the list of over 250 specialty cocktails will be divided into categories such as Health and Beauty (containing cucumber, rose water, floral notes), Stress Relief (lavender and sage), Pain Killers (cayenne, habanero), Stimulants (espresso, Red Bull), Aphrodisiacs (Champagne, cognac), and Pharmaceuticals (herbal elixers). We’re thinking the Euphoric Enhancers category will get the most attention: The Opium Uplifter is made from South American herbs and botanicals soaked in a Guatemalan rum essence, and is finished with house bitters. The House Absinthe is supposedly made using a secret 200-year-old recipe that involves fermented sugarcane juice.

Falling into you

It's Labor Day. If I was still in school, summer would officially be OVER. However, I run with the moon and the moon tells me that there are 3 weeks left of the season.

Above is a head start I've gotten on fall things. A fabulously dark metallic chocolate red nail polish, skinny gray corduroy pants and a treasured necklace from Bonbon Oiseau.

I've just seen the first of my houseguests this year come and go. Andrew and Katie were great to have - Andrew has been here many times and it was Katie's first time. We had some great sushi at Ushiwakamaru and dessert tasting at Kyotofu. We did lunch at Soba Totto and spent one whole morning at the Union Square Greenmarket gathering supplies for a weekend Williamsburg BBQ.

We also managed to sneak in some shopping and museums along the way. There is a great exhibit at the International Center of Photography featuring all Japanese photographers as well as some works by Avedon and Arbus, and Bill Wood's Business - a collection of photos from 1937-1973. Great great stuff. I love photography because you are seeing how other people see the world. You are looking at what someone else thought was important to photograph. It is a medium that uses found objects and it's interesting to see what others do with them.

At the Whitney Museum we saw Robert Mapplethorpe's polaroids, which are early and raw. One stood out in particular, taken from an NYC rooftop. In the foreground the buildings are dark and indistinguishable. There appears to be light coming up from the street, which illuminates some buildings in the middle: a mystery. We also saw a small Alexander Calder exhibit and I am excited to note that Calder's Circus will be making an appearance in October! The main draw right now is Buckminster Fuller, whose low-cost housing and repeated geometric shapes are interesting and genius. Please go see it if you get a chance.

I am actually looking forward to the fall. Our friends are getting married and with that comes a short vacation to San Francisco. The lease on our apartment is up soon, which signifies one whole year of Clinton Hill. Hard to believe it was only one year ago that we were moving in with no furniture!