wintry mix

Seriously?  When don't we have a "Winter Storm Warning" these days?

I guess fingers crossed for more snow days.

WCGA

So, this weekend was Art Fight, and in case you were wondering:  this girl won First Place.

 

Really wide variety of entries - mine was a painting/collage.  There was a movie, a hit song remix, a live song, THREE dioramas, a website, foods, a plush, ironic show posters, a woodcut print, a giant charcoal drawing, a sweet theme-appropriate soundtrack.....and so much to eat and and drink.  

The creator, Greg has got scoop on it over here - more pictures and awards and everything.  In six months or something, when we're all ready to do it again, we'll have Art Fight 2, where I'll have to relinquish my belt*.

Also, someone left two boxes of girl scout cookies at our house that night.  Don't think we didn't get into those.

*which I plan to make improvements to.  While very big, and heavy and impressive, this belt had a tendency to lose links at random, potentially severing toes.  It's pretty rad anyway.

holla lessons: snow

First, I want you to know that I know, if you're reading this you're probably automatically the wrong audience for this tip.

Guys:  the time to holler at a girl on the street, or while waiting for the train, is NOT when she's wearing snowboots, a puffy coat, a scarf covering her face, her hood up, and sunglasses.  She will not believe you.  Even/especially if you use the term "snowbunny".

Somewhere

We went to see Somewhere, the new Sophia Coppola jawn.   Here's a "review", where I mostly compare it to other movies.

Remember how you felt after Lost in Translation the first time?  At least for me, it was a totally different thing than Virgin Suicides, and then you're all feeling "who is this new Coppola, and her movie is so slow, but I think it's fine, because it was pretty visually astounding.  Enticing at least".
So, this movie is that pace again, but more Hollywood, and without the bright colors and flashy scenes of L in T or Marie Antoinette.   There were a bunch of times I thought of Vincent Gallo's Brown Bunny too - which, for all it's scandalous reputation, is super duper boring.
I did really like the pool scenes (I think there's two), and the poster, which looks like a David Hockney painting or something.

Tagged to see and let me know what you think about this:  Kelly, Amanda, Fran.

Art Fight

So:  this idea has been getting tossed around for a while, and now Kamper is actually making it happen.  It's Art Fight.

Basically, tomorrow, a topic is announced via email (or something?  I'll post it here in the comments when I know it).  Then, you have one week to make whatever you want that relates to the topic.  (The rules/format are loosely based on 2004's "Power Point Showdown:  The Coffin".)

So you'll have a topic tomorrow, then you make a drawing, painting, sculpture, movie, song, food, dance (Roxy), monologue, print, chair, movie, mixed drink, diorama*, stand up routine, whatever.  You get a week!

The next Saturday (the 29th) we'll meet up at Lehigh, hang all the work, listen to your song, etc.  Three unannounced judges will be awarding three surprise prizes for three undetermined categories.

I'm not an officiator, but I can tell you some things I know about it:

- your work must be new
- music/videos (or music videos?) are going to have a time limit.  Get at Kamper about that.
- there will also be some obvious size limitations.  
- you can go it alone, or make a team
- people who want to come but don't want to make something, can make a 5 song playlist based on the theme.  We'll play  it. 
- if you're long distance and want in, you can email a scan of the work, or your playlist, or whatever to Greg, and he'll try and work it out.  Maybe we'll just get some iPads and hang them on the wall with your pictures on them.  Sounds good, right?  Also I think they're planning some sort of Skype-ing situation.  I don't know about it.

I can handle general questions about how it'll work, but Kamper is in charge of the specifics. 

EVERYONE SHOULD DO THIS.  Make something.



*someone please make a diorama.

witchy

Oh yeah.
I forgot to write about seeing Season of the Witch, in which* Nick Cage is a crusade-abandoning knight who gets hired to transport a witch (who started the plague) to some Monks.

I'm not actually going to write about it.  I can't even remember if it was funny-bad, or just regular bad, because it was so bad.

*get it?

infection

Not to sound like the biggest complainer, but it seems like my body is always finding some new way to fail me. Especially for the first day of school.

Finally got an appointment with my doctor today, after having this face since Sunday.  New antibiotics and waiting it out.  We (my doctor and his assistant) are not worried.  Staph.  Started when my lips got too dried out and cracked.  Careful out there, guys, use that chapstick.

(Is this too gross to blog?  Holly wanted pictures.  "Pix or it didn't happen" and everything.)

Swan Lake

Last night, I (finally finally) went and saw Black Swan.   Why did it take me a hundred years and Nat Po winning a Golden Globe to see it?   Because of you.  Because everyone either saw it already or didn't want to.  Anyway, yesterday the stars aligned and I got there.

My favorite part was when M said "I think I hate this movie!" all wide eyed and glued to the screen, and then whisper/yelled "I AM SO PSYCHOLOGICALLY THRILLED!"
I liked it pretty good.  I did not have turning-into-swan nightmares after seeing it.*  Everyone is pretty good ballerinas, the creepy parts are creepy, the sexy parts are weird, etc.


*Although I did have one before seeing it, I guess in anticipation.

lunar

I went on a trip and got this Official Map of the Moon for 50c from the Bargain Box in Hilton Head.  Thrift stores in the south are pretty consistently good, probably because everyone has bad taste there?

WP

Last week I got (my eyes!) dilated, tested, everything, and I'm back in the reading glasses game.  I bought one cheap pair from Zenni Optical (thanks Reeves for the heads up) on my own dime because they were like $17.  But my more expensive pair (covered by my insurance), I'm planning on getting something from Warby Parker.  I know everyone in the whole world already likes them, so this is old news, but just in case you don't know...

Things I already like about Warby Parker:
You buy glasses from them?  They donate a pair to someone who needs them.
They send you five pair to try on for a week!  They come in a fancy glasses box, and then you can do at work photo shoots to see which ones you like.
Their customer service is awesome so far. 
So:  A+'s all around.

I think maybe one of the black ones?   Or I think I might end up with Too Many Glasses. 

I have learned:  everything about my face is pretty crooked.  

va-cay

The worst part about going on a trip is not knowing how many bathing suits to bring.

It's also one of the best parts.  Peace out internets, tomorrow I'm going South.

(FWP)

pot

When (if, I guess) I win my share of Mega Millions tonight (in a pool with co-workers), I'll probably quit blogging.  Consider this a pre-emptive goodbye.

(I know it won't happen BUT, when everyone else at work is doing it, then you're like "Oh, what if they win?  Then I will be in Regret City!  I don't want to be THERE!", and then you're all "Oh, these are the awesome things I can do if I win...".  And then: it's five dollars later.)

not cabaret

A little while ago, Marilyn and I went and saw this movie Burlesque, with Cher and Xtina.  It was a singing/dancing/etc movie, about a small town girl making it big in the (you guess it) burlesque industry.

In this movie, Aguilera does an moving remix of Marilyn Manson's "Beautiful People", and if I knew how to post songs, I'd be all over that.  Instead, here's a couple Polaroids I took at the "Grotesk Burlesk" Marilyn Manson show in 2003.   It's almost like they (Cher, Marilyn Manson, etc) had it all planned in advance.

d.e.

two kay levs

If you know me, you might have known I was a little grumpy going into this New Year.  No plans, low expectations, no resolutions.  Well, it turned out fine, and I feel good about 2011 I think.

New Year's Eve:
++ great dinner
+ cold, but fun-ish party where I just camped out by the space heater and met a lot of funny people
- now (today, two days later) my legs are killing me from those shoes I wore, which are great but probably much too tall

New Year's Day:
+++ 2 Street Mummer's afterparty* (this was seriously so fun)
- forgetting camera batteries
+/- 4 Loko (probably more like 3 Lokos, which is better)
- peeing outside for the first time (partially on my tights)

*if you don't know about Mummers, it's way way to hard for me to try and explain.  Just know it's a weird, Philadelphia "thing", and our friends won 2nd place which is huge.  Party time.