Looville

End of Summer movies

2011-07-27T22:44:00.001-05:00

I was bored so I went on Apple.com to scope out some trailers. Here's what I found:

Haywire 

Verdict: I like the cast, except the protagonist- she doesn't convince me of her supposed bad-assness.

Detective Dee

Verdict: Um. I don't really care if this film's has the bejesus CG'ed out of it, I'm going to see it and probably enjoy it.

Dirty Girl

Verdict: I like the styling of the film (gritty 1980's look). I could do without the accents but I guess that's there for authenticity and the song in the trailer is awful= I'd go see it, I need to fill my quirky indie flick quota. 

Vigilante Vigilante

Verdict: A little "dessert" to Banksy's "Exit thru the Gift Shop" in a way, but talks about the graffiti underground in a real sense rather than a farce.

And finally, this isn't a movie but rather a television show that looks so bad ass. I thoroughly enjoyed Avatar: The last airbender, the Nickledeon TV show (not M. Shyamalan's abomination...) and I can't wait to see this one.

I love movies....

Zucchini flower genders

2011-06-27T08:30:00.001-05:00

Apparently zucchini blossoms have genders (news to me). Recently I've been keeping a window sill garden and although growing zucchini may not have been the wisest choice, I have been growing 5 plants from seed. They are now just starting to flower and I get excited when I see a new blossom every few days. However, I was wondering when I can harvest them and now I just learned that you eat the male flowers and then leave the female blossoms to turn into fruit. Here's how you can tell between the two (top photo is male, bottom photo is female):

The problem is that so far I only see male blossoms on my plants... What to do...?

Eat a Duck I must

2011-06-07T22:10:00.002-05:00

Found this cute and visually pleasing website: Eat a Duck I must from a GOOD Magazine competition where submissions had to redesign a recipe in a graphic way- 

"Cooking and eating are rich sensory experiences, but the recipes we  use in the kitchen are often pretty bland: Black-and-white lists of  ingredients and processes.

Back in February, we asked GOOD readers to help us redesign the standard recipe with a graphic twist to make it more fun, and the submissions are in."

I love eggs... both the blog and the GOOD Magazine competition/article are worth checking out. Oh and this too: They Draw and Cook. :)

current favorites....

2011-06-07T22:01:00.000-05:00

There are some things that really resonate with my person these days. I like to call them my current favorites. I just cannot get enough of them. They are, in no particular order, as follows: 

1. "The Day is Coming" - song from My Morning Jacket's latest album, Circuital. The whole album is fantastic but that one song is haunting.

2. Tumblr - I love it! I love tumblin' but also I like seeing who else is out there. Lately, I'm following: DesignBlossom, Vineet Kaur, Wit + Delight, and The Rumbling.

3. Slow-roasted pork shoulder and however Alec decides to prepare it. He is on fire! Everything he makes with the pork shoulder turns out delicious. Nom...

Your Nice New Outfit

2011-06-01T22:09:00.001-05:00

Found illustrator Phil Noto while perusing Tumblrs. His work is amaze-balls. See here:

The drawing of Barbara Gordon is definitely one of my favs. "Oh my god, do I have a thing for red-heads?!"

These are the cutest cards...

2011-06-01T21:37:00.000-05:00

Love these cards... they are too funny. Find them here.

Thinking about a blog overhaul...

2011-05-23T21:01:00.000-05:00

For a class I'm currently taking we have to sign up on a slew of "personal infrastructures", which in layman's terms means social media websites, i.e. Twitter, Tumblr, Flickr, etc. etc. And on these infrastructures we need to update with posts/tweets about a design topic we are interested in exploring.

I'm not exactly a Twitter type of person because I think it's a lot of work. (ha) However, the Tumblr account did interest me. I thought about switching to Tumblr before because it's largely visual and the page layouts can be simplistic. So, for this class I am signed up as Pulling Hairs but I may consider hauling Looville over to Tumblr after this class is over. We shall see...

Mattias Inks

2011-05-22T15:00:00.000-05:00

Stumbled across this awesome doodler/artist, Mattias Adolfsson from Sweden, on Notcot. He just published a book of doodles, The First in Line, that looks fantastic! I heart. Here are some favorites on his blog which I will now be following.

Inspiring!

Mike Mills

2011-05-20T17:15:00.000-05:00

After watching "Beginners", I needed to know who this acclaimed Mike Mills is and what he has done. Along with sharing the same name as the R.E.M. bassist, this Mike Mills is a director, graphic designer, artist and musician as well. 

I read his accomplishments and I think I'm in love with him on an intellectual level. He's directed music videos for the likes of Moby and Air; has designed textile lines for Marc Jacobs and also put out his own line called Humans by Mike Mills; he has played in a band with the members of Cibo Matto (one of my all-time favorite bands); and finally he has done short films for Kate Spade. Amazing~

I love that on Mike Mills's blog, he posted this Looney Tunes cartoon too:

Now I'm even more psyched to check out Beginners. Whoo!

Beginners

2011-05-20T16:54:00.002-05:00

Just watched the trailer for "Beginners" a new movie starring Ewan McGregor, Christopher Plummer and that bad-ass girl from "Glorious Bastards" Melanie Lauret. It's a great setup involving a lot of things that I like: I for one LOVE Ewan McGregor and he talks to the cutest little dog named Arthur; I enjoy fireworks; I like scratchy old-fashioned music that's played on a record player... all good things.
I can't wait until it comes out in theaters. It looks like a movie you'd go see with close friends, loved ones, and/or family.

27th.

2011-05-11T11:12:00.000-05:00

I'm not much of a Neil Patrick Harris fan, but I thought this pin from Pinterest was appropriate for today: 

Great advice for heading into my 27th year, Neil, great advice...

Between the Folds

2011-05-08T17:19:00.002-05:00

My husband has good taste in documentaries. I don't know how he really does it, but it seems that when he decides what movie we should watch, it always turns out interesting- Between the Folds is no exception. It's about origami as an art and also about origami as a science. Here's the synopsis from their website:

Between the Folds chronicles the stories of ten fine artists and intrepid theoretical scientists who have abandoned careers and scoffed at hard–earned graduate degrees—all to forge unconventional lives as modern–day paperfolders. 

As they converge on the unlikely medium of origami, these artists and scientists reinterpret the world in paper, and bring forth a bold mix of sensibilities towards art, expressiveness, creativity and meaning. And, together these offbeat and provocative minds demonstrate the innumerable ways that art and science come to bear as we struggle to understand and honor the world around us—as artists, scientists, creators, collaborators, preservers, and simply curious beings.

It really is worth watching. It makes me think about all those paper cranes I've folded in the past and also how some of my previous work at RISD was inspired by origami. That was only the tip of a gigantic iceberg, kid-stuff. Nevertheless, I enjoyed seeing origami being pushed further by people more intelligent than myself. With origami, I can see how one gets wrapped up in it. It's engaging and memorizing. I'm sure that those in the documentary who have seen the deeper side of origami that most normal people haven't seen and made it their own, can never turn back. It's like that scene in The Matrix where Neo figures out that he is the one and sees everything in that green code. Kind of. Origami is one of the greatest secrets of the world- and Between the Folds gives you a little insight into it. 

Btw, Happy Mother's Day ;D

Where the %#$%^ does one find a list of model names for luxury handbags?

2011-05-04T20:47:00.001-05:00

Alright, I'm not really going to get into the logistics of why I need these lists of handbag model names, but just know that I'm floating between questioning whether my new venture idea is going to work or whether I'm getting into something that I am not exactly knowledgeable about. 

whew. That's a mouthful. I'm throwing out a semi-rhetorical question, and I am basically seeking advice on this matter: where does one find lists of previous and current luxury handbag model names for prestigious brands like: Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Prada and the like? (sorry, I don't really care for Gucci)

Since I'm really just blossoming into my tastes for luxury handbags, I can't say that I know much about the subject. I know the basics: Chanel and Louis Vuitton have been making beautiful bags longer than anyone else or longer than anyone notable; Authentic bags have signs of authenticity that establish the level of quality that a consumer pays for; and, most important (ha)- women LOVE their luxury handbags.

But when shopping for the next handbag in your collection, how do you know the name of the bag you are looking for? I guess magazines can tell you or going to a brand name store will have catalogs... Say you were a collector of Chanels and wanted to know all the types of bags you were missing from Chanel collection? What then?

And I guess I should mention that if these catalogs exist and happen to be more expensive than I care to pay for, are there more price-friendly options out there?

sigh.

50 things every graphic designer should know...

2011-04-27T21:51:00.001-05:00

This here link has been a buzz 'round these parts via SwissMiss. It's a list of 50 things every graphic design student should know. It's a good list and even though I'm not a graphic designer per say, I use graphic design within my (learning) discipline- Interior Design. And I feel that graphic design is very important in a lot of aspects of everyday life in this day and age.

Love the simple and clean drawings for each point. I haven't really dissect every point yet but so far, I think it's a pretty comprehensive list. Czech it.

Silly Brog...

2011-04-22T12:31:00.000-05:00

So. I'm watching Apples trailers today and just finished with the "Crazy Stupid Love" trailer which I would go see but only because the most interesting part is Ryan Gosling. I've always respected Ryan Gosling because I feel like he's an actor's actor. I haven't seen "Blue Valentine" yet but it's on my Netflix and I didn't bother watching "The Notebook" because I think it's corny. However, I do appreciate his roles in "Lars and the real girl" and "Factotum".

Moving on, while trying to find pictures of him to put on my Pinterest board, I came across this silly tumbler: F*ck Yeah! Ryan Gosling.

I like these two. Too funny...

Yeah, he's a pretty man. I love that line from the trailer "Seriously? It's like you're photoshopped." Ha.

p.s. Marisa Tomei has still got it...

Six Architects prints

2011-04-04T23:09:00.000-05:00

Saw these six prints via Notcot.org and I. LOVE. THEM. As soon as I saw these, I thought of my art history teacher, Janet. She would totally dig these. I also credit her with my fondness of the prints because without her I would not understand what each print was about. Bellisimo~

I would say which one of these was my favorite but I love them all and cannot choose. :D

If you watch Top Chef All-stars...

2011-03-31T10:14:00.000-05:00

...I'm sure you already know who the winner of the finale was. For those of you who don't know- TOUGH, because it's Thursday. The finale aired yesterday and if you weren't invested enough to watch it then, then TOO frickin' BAD. 

It was a good finale, albeit a little anti-climatic. I guess because I had a feeling it would be Richard Blais or at least that was who I wanted to win. (The video is being a little weird... but here's the URL)

One of the best parts of the finale was when Richard's Uncle Scott runs to Richard with arms and mouth open to embrace him after he was named Top Chef. Awesome. I got a little teary during the finale, I'm not going to lie... It was a good ending and I'm glad he won. Not that I don't like Stephanie Izard, but I really thought that Blais was going to win his season. He was so strong throughout the whole season and it was kind of sad that he didn't win. I read Tom Colicchio's blog on Bravo and it gives a good summary of the decision the judges made.

Way to go, Blais. You rock my face off.

I blame my iPhone for my absence....

2011-03-29T22:20:00.000-05:00

...Too bad I can't use that excuse for class. Seriously though, I feel like ever since I got my iPhone, I am kinda like a teenager who has just gotten their license and would drive anywhere. I'm losing sleep over playing games, I constantly have it in my hand while on my commute, it's devouring every spare thought in my head. But I'm sure I'll get over it... eventually.

ANYWAYS, in the grand tradition of my quest for knowledge in neat packages i.e. Stuff you should know podcast, How to do everything podcast, Marc and Angel's practical tips for productive living and the like- I come across this gem: I always wondered...

How cute are these little graphics relating to the subject at hand? Found this on Notcot, and I am glad I did. Just another thing to look at on my iPhone other than The Daily Superpower, which is also a great site to check out.

P.S. I also blame Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood for taking up the time where I'm on my iPhone...

Girl Talk is EVERYWHERE

2011-03-06T21:34:00.000-06:00

Girl Walk // All Day from jacob krupnick on Vimeo.

So, Girl Talk aka Greg Gillis of Pittsburgh, Pa (represent) is seemingly everywhere these days, much like Natalie Portman was last month. (She. was. EVERYWHERE.) Girl Talk played in Chicago last night and much to my chagrin I was elsewhere and didn't feel like dishing out $$ for tickets on Craiglist. That doesn't not mean that I can't listen to his music as much as I want, which I have been lately. Ever since Gillis's album "All Day" released for free on his website, I've been hearing that people have turned his tunes on too. Not to mention that I've had a theory class based on the documentary about remix culture, "Rip: A remix manifesto", and now I've run into this video on NYtimes.com about a rogue ballerina dancing to the "All Day" album. The reason I posted the video is because I imagine in my head a world very much like what Anne Marsen is doing to a Girl Talk soundtrack- except I'd be the one dancing and I would look 10x cooler doing it. Haha, enjoi. 

Aqua Creations

2011-02-25T21:51:00.001-06:00

I was hanging out at the Merchandise Mart earlier this week with my classmates and checked out the Odegard showroom. I always associate Odegard and Maharam with my RISD days because some of my peers ended up at those companies. Odegard has wonderful rugs/carpets and is a company with good values, i.e. Good Weave, a non-profit that tries to end child labor. Anyways, at the Odegard showroom they had these amazing pieces that I had to ask about. 

Breath-taking, aren't they? A company in Israel called Aqua Creations makes these unique and gorgeous interior pieces. They are self-described as a lighting and furniture atelier in Tel Aviv. What is so appealing about Aqua Creations is the hand-crafted techniques they use paired with lighting technology. It's a beautiful balance. The shapes are organic and the soft light emitted makes each piece outer-worldly yet familiar. 

Oh, and they have a small line of furniture that makes me want to make bank to buy these pieces... I sat in the chair pictured above and it's actually quite comfortable. Aqua Creations, I love thee~

tumblr surfing

2011-02-17T20:01:00.000-06:00

Came across some awesome images while tumblr surfing...

From top to bottom: The Flash getting pulled over (it's funny seeing superheroes in realistic situations); one of my favorite duos- Shaun and Ed; finally a cool idea using a monitor camera and miniatures.

Style Philosophy

2011-02-14T22:37:00.000-06:00

I've always been a tomboy. I think it's because I have an older brother and loved his hand-me downs- I thought they were the coolest. As I grow older, I try to work my tomboyish-ness into my style, which I'd like to call "Laid back and lady-like". Luckily for me, menswear-inspired clothes for women is all around and many designers do it right. Also lucky for me, the tomboy trend is in. Yeah! The latest in my tomboy style development is the discovery of this wonderful blog called Tomboy Style. The blog is full of great writing and photos of icons, gear, scenes from magazines or movies. Wonderbar, truly wonderbar.

p.s. Happy Valentine's Day <3

The Great Gatsby

2011-02-06T13:28:00.000-06:00

On this Sunday, I had a whim to watch Baz Luhrmann's "Romeo and Juliet", my favorite film from him, and found out that Baz is going to direct a remake of "The Great Gatsby". He is casting, my love, Carey Mulligan as Daisy Buchanan, Leo DiCaprio as Gatsby and Tobey Maguire as Nick Carraway, the narrator.

I've always associated "The Great Gatsby" with high school when I read it. And with most books I was forced to read in school, I didn't pay much attention to it. We also watched the film version with Robert Redford. At the time I thought it was a mess plus I thought the actress who played Daisy was annoying. I wonder if Baz's version will be entertaining. I liked "Romeo and Juliet" (the soundtracks rock) but I didn't care for "Australia", so we'll see...

snOMG.

2011-02-04T13:23:00.001-06:00

I survived the blizzard of "biblical proportions" this past week. I wasn't in the thick of it but rather just observing. I didn't have to sit in traffic for 8+ hrs but I did see Lake Shore Drive a mess. And then the day after, I saw Lake Shore Drive completely barren of cars. It was eerie to say the least, definitely post-apocalyptic. In retrospect, I wish that the day after the storm I owned a snowmobile because it would have been so flippin' awesome to have ridden the mobile up and down a car-free Lake Shore Drive, kind of like a snowy Mad-Max except without the mutant gangs and the extreme violence... Maybe it's more like Dumb and Dumber... Anyways, here is some footage of the day after:

Pardon in Brittany by Gaston La Touche

2011-01-27T13:31:00.000-06:00

One of my favorite paintings in the Art Institute of Chicago- "Pardon in Brittany" by Gaston La Touche. Oil on canvas, 1896.

Sexy Librarian? What? No, you are.

2011-01-26T18:20:00.001-06:00

I've always had a crush on club master style glasses but never thought that I could pull them off or any lady for that matter. BUT, Olivia Williams totally proves that it can be done and done well in "An Education". Love that scene near the end where Carrie Mulligan's character, Jenny, goes to Olivia's apt. and you see her interiors.

Sexy Librarian chic? Yes, please. Now I just need to find a pair that suit me.

When the cat's away, the mouse... will watch movies that the cat doesn't want to.

2011-01-21T22:20:00.000-06:00

I know that's not exactly how the idiom goes but it's true for me this weekend. I am the mouse, so what will I do? I will watch movies that the cat probably wouldn't watch with me. Here's what is on the docket:

(in no particular order)
-La Femme Nikita
-The Madness of King George
-My Architect
-An Education
-Gattaca (which I watched tonight already but I want to re-watch it and pay closer attention to the production details.)

Hopefully I'll get through my list and manage to get all my homework done for this week too... We shall see.

I'm in love once again...

2011-01-20T00:16:00.001-06:00

...with She & Him a.k.a. M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel. I am kind of over my admiration for Zooey (and have moved on to Natalie Portman instead...) but my heart still beats for the amorous M. Ward. He's just so cool! (hehe)

She & Him - In The Sun from Merge Records on Vimeo.

I thought the video for She & Him's single "In the Sun" was silly and fun. Zooey actually looks supremely cute in it. 

I think maybe it's Zooey's stylist that I'm in love with... 

Shade by Simon Heijdens

2011-01-19T22:30:00.000-06:00

I went to the Art Institute Museum of Chicago today with some friends to do some in-field research for school. While we were there we spent most of our time in the modern wing and currently there is an amazing installation in the architecture & design section. The piece is called "Shade" by artist Simon Heijdens.

From Dezeen: "London designer Simon Heijdens has applied a special film to windows at the Art Institute Chicago that creates constantly-changing shadows in response to weather conditions outside. Each triangle in the grid is linked to sensors that monitor wind currents past the outside of the glass, causing the panels to change their level of opacity. The projections are therefore constantly changing, depending on the wind conditions and path of the sun over the course of a day."

Brilliant. It really is a site to see and to see it, I've handily attached a short video I shot at the museum of how to looks when it's reacting to wind currents. 

Practical Tips for Productive Living

2011-01-17T19:39:00.000-06:00

Ooh, how excellent that I happen to stumble upon this site: Mark and Angel Hack Life, and that the site offers lists and lists of good advice. One particular list that is of pertinent value: 29 Semi-productive things I do online when I'm trying to avoid real work. Here are some points that stood out to me:

2. Watch one of the thousands of educational videos streaming at TED.com, Academic Earth and Teacher Tube.

5. Research a new Do It Yourself project at DIY Network, Instructables, eHow, or WikiHow.

13. Start learning a new language online for free at BBC Languages or Livemocha.

15. Use Memorize Now to memorize a cool joke, or poem, or whatever. (will be useful for other things such as notes later on in the semester...) 

24. Play an educational online game at Lumosity, Sporcle, Games for the Brain, or Math Run.

I love lists and distractions from work I should do. Win-win situation. 

heart Quilts.

2011-01-14T16:12:00.000-06:00

I think this year I'm going to try to learn how to quilt. I don't think it's that hard and I love quilting as an art medium. It's both functional and can be beautiful and expressive. Case in point, here are some examples:

Kimen's skyscrape quilts on Etsy via Anthology

Ian Hundley's Oberg White quilt via Anthology

The ever-popular Leah Evans and her map quilts. This one is called 'Estuary'.

More map quilting but this time by Haptic Labs.

Beautiful designs. Love it.

disPATCHWORK

2010-12-29T10:51:00.000-06:00

Found this amazing site via SwissMiss- Dispatchwork. Who doesn't love legos? It's so cute. I want to do one~ Apparently these "patches" can be found in cities worldwide. The website has a list of cities and it's growing.

I liken this guerrilla maintenance to knitting tags that people would leave on public property, i.e. lamp posts, fences, trees. I love the lego brick image...

It's been a long time...

2010-12-29T10:42:00.000-06:00

Yes. It's been a while since I posted. (Still recovering from finals being over. Heh.) Christmas 2010 went off without a hitch, which was also my first Christmas as a Schmid. I painted a pair of corn hole boxes for my brother in-law, Karl, for Christmas and also sewed up some corn hole bags too. Corn hole is a game where teams throw bean bags at boxes with a hole in it. More details on the game are here. I've never heard of the game until I came to the midwest. Anyways, since the bags had a camouflage theme going on, I painted each box accordingly. 

One set of the bags were blue camo, so I came up with a nautical theme.

It's all in the details- I painted tentacles on the sides as well.

The other set of the bags were more traditionally colored camo, so the other box was an inside joke/story between the Schmids. The long-short of it was basically a stand-off between Walter and a feisty raccoon...

It didn't snow as much as I hoped. (Thanks global warming...) but there was still enough snow on the ground to feel like Christmas. It was a good Christmas and I think I'm getting a hang of the traditions that my in-laws follow. And I think I also understand the need for traditions around the holidays- it's a big part of what makes a holiday feel like a holiday. This year we started a couple new holiday traditions, among them the tradition of making and eating dumplings. Looks like I'll have to get better at making them... Looking forward to Christmas 2011!

Black Swan

2010-12-09T22:38:00.000-06:00

I was browsing Clothes on Film blog and saw a recent post about "Black Swan", the newest film by Darren Aronofsky. I've been wanting to go see the film since I saw its trailer awhile back. The trailer on Clothes on Film is so great. I think it's the international trailer. Every time I watch it, it sends chills down my spine. I wasn't a fan of Requiem for a Dream and I have yet to see The Wrestler but I am a fan of Natalie Portman. Plus, after watching the featurette on Apple Trailers of the film, it's true that there aren't a lot of films out there that center around a ballet studio, especially in a horror sense. I can't wait. It's been awhile since I've watched a horror film that has scared me and judging by the trailer, I think this will be a good chiller...

NINJA SLUG

2010-12-09T21:57:00.001-06:00

NINJA SLUG!

...And 9 other strange looking animals. I saw this on Notcot.org; via National Geographic. Nature works in mysterious ways...

Slavin' over a hot stove all day...

2010-11-21T21:53:00.000-06:00

...was what my dear husband did today. His time was well spent though because the ramen soup and noodles he made were mind-blowingly delicious. Oh. I just want to bathe in the dashi broth.. but our bath tub is way bigger than our largest stock pot so... I don't think it'll work out. ANYWAYS-

The recipe my husband followed (with diligence) was from David Chang's Momofuku cookbook. (yeah~) There was a lot of prep work and lot of meat roasting involved. Fair warning, be prepared to take up a large chunk of your day to make this recipe- but it's worth it...

I heart Dexter.

2010-11-19T01:04:00.000-06:00

I'm doing my usual deeds and following up on Dexter, season 5, through recaps and... (shh) spoilers. I can't wait until season 5 is over b/c then I can watch it all in one swoop. I thought about blogging Showtimes promo posters for Dexter but I can't seem to find them all in one place. I did however find these awesome Dexter-inspired posters instead. -swoon-

They certainly are wonderful, aren't they?

Look at that buck-nasty roof!!

2010-11-10T11:03:00.000-06:00

Holy moly. I don't really care for BMX biking but look at that amazing roof! Located in Kiev, I think it's time for me to do some traveling...

I miss silkscreening...

2010-11-10T10:59:00.000-06:00

Artisan Screenprinting from Cardinal on Vimeo.

Saw this via notcot.org. Ah. I miss my silkscreening days. Once my hectic 1st year at Harrington mellows out a bit, I think I'll try to take the silkscreen course there. Booyah.

Web Comic-Genius...

2010-11-07T19:03:00.001-06:00

Found this comic via Notcot: "His face all red", a web comic by Emily Carroll. The format is a pretty smart, set up like a comic book in the page divisions. The style is clean and whimsical and the story is intriguing.

I'd highly recommend checking out Emily's blog where she has other works up. This makes me want to find more web comics and maybe in my spare time, make one. :D

Last minute Halloween

2010-10-31T15:47:00.000-05:00

I always somehow put Halloween off every year. I like the costume concept more than I actually like putting a whole amount of effort into making/building up the costume. This year was alright, I got the idea for a couple's costume for Alec and I from Modern Family. I was a mad scientist while Alec was my creation. It wasn't too bad of an effort put forth by yours truly. I creatively made "bolts" for Alec's neck out of corks, silver leaf paint and pantyhose. If I had more time I would have elaborated on my costume and made myself look even more mad/insane but you can only really so far when you're 5'4" Asian girl who isn't really menacing to begin with.

-shrug- It was some fun. Maybe I'll try harder next Halloween or maybe I'll find some other holiday to put effort towards... haha.

Black Cab Sessions

2010-10-28T14:10:00.000-05:00

First, a shout to Mary B for this amazing website: Black Cab Sessions. After I declared my love for the Fleet Foxes online, Mary linked me to their Black Cab sess. From what I understand, it's literally a black taxi cab that picks up musical artists and rides around London with them in the backseat singing a song. The song is artist's choice-could be their own or a cover. The artists are also free to choose who their entourage is while this goes on, either contributing or spectating. "One song, one take, one cab." Lovely~

I haven't watched them all, I have barely tipped the iceberg but I love them already. Also a great site to get into new artists (well, new to you, maybe not everyone else) or relive old favorites (Brian Wilson!!!) Brilliant concept, truly brilliant.

Design Crush

2010-10-24T21:20:00.002-05:00

Holy smokes. I have a huge design boner for Studio Gang from Chicago. They just finished a beautiful pavilion on Lincoln Park Zoo's boardwalk. It provides an open air space for classes and was inspired by a tortoise shell.

I haven't seen it yet but I'm sure I will soon. More press and pictures on ArchDaily. Studio Gang is also responsible for the Aqua Tower in Chicago. Bellissimo work. It would be a dream to be involved with them someday... someday.

Beautiful worlds...

2010-10-23T10:58:00.000-05:00

Just saw this via Shiny Squirrel. It's so wonderful... More pictures can be found on Recyclart. New favorite link~

Huh. I guess it's Autumn all right...

2010-10-18T22:37:00.000-05:00

I guess I noticed the weather getting colder and the leaves changing color. I even noticed the pumpkins and leaf wreathes popping up all over the neighborhood. But I didn't realize it was Autumn until I uploaded some M. Ward onto my pod. It came so quickly, I didn't even see it sneaking up behind Summer. M. Ward's warm rasper puts things right. Now, it is Autumn:

Since I haven't posted in a while, here is a treat:

2010-10-08T16:11:00.000-05:00

Yes. October is a hectic time. I know I haven't been keeping up with posts but honestly between school, blogging on another blog, more school and everything else, Looville has been put on hold. It's not to say that I've forgotten Looville- I am just B-u-s-y. But here is a little video treat that I took awhile ago when I was at the Art Institute's Modern Wing.

P.S. I'm going home this weekend! Whoop whoop! Going to say hi to the folks and the folks' doggie. Yay.

P.S.S. Here is the other blog I'm keeping up with: PALEO~!

Wai! So cute!

2010-09-21T14:53:00.000-05:00

I just saw this on Design for Mankind- miniature knitted... things!

Tiny Chicken

Tiny Elephant

Tiny Hot Dog

I love it. The link is here, Mochi Mochi Land. 

Happy 3 Month Anniversary~

2010-09-20T21:51:00.000-05:00

It's been three glorious months of marriage already. Geez- time flies when you're with the love of your life~

Chicago Sky Deck

2010-09-14T12:55:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, on a whim, my friend Keri and I went up to check out the Chicago Sky deck. Since we're going to be redesigning a high-rise in Chicago this semester for school, we were walking around downtown and scoping out the buildings. 

I'm not crazy about touristy things in cities, but I have to admit, the Sky deck was pretty cool. The feature that draws all the tourists are the glass cases that jut out of the building's 103th floor. It's an intense experience. I am okay with heights- I love roller coasters and probably wouldn't mind giving a stab at skydiving but even I was a little put off by standing in one of the glass cases. I'm glad I went up there and checked it out because I know for sure my husband wouldn't be dragged up there for anything. :) My friend Keri did well with the heights even though she was terrified. And it was cute seeing all these little kids running around in the cases, without a care that they were 103 stories above the ground... Fearless~

Simon and I's first bris

2010-09-07T10:40:00.001-05:00

Baby Shapiro has a name! And his name is Simon Ezekiel Shapiro, informally known as Taco Shapiro.

I got up early today to attend my first bris, the bris of Joey and Naomi's baby. What a celebration. It was quick and efficient and baby Shapiro fussed only a little bit during the process.

Babies are so fascinating. Simon looks a lot like Joey but also Naomi, he's a perfect combination. My mom says that having kids has that fascination factor of seeing what attributes your kids get from you and your partner. Amazing.

Here is Bubby Jane holding Simon, so wonderful.

Pacific N.W. Food Best Hits

2010-09-06T11:04:00.002-05:00

a store at the fancy schmancy San Francisco farmer's market.

Oh, Alec and I just can't help ourselves- Voodoo Doughnuts. Clockwise from top left: Maple Bacon Bar; McMinnville Cream; Triple Chocolate Penetration; and of course, the Old Dirty Bastard.

Steamed clammies at Pike Place Market.

a nice spread at Batali's Salumi.

Japadog in Vancouver, kind of a disappointment.

Clockwise from top left: Carnitas; Beef Cheeks; Pescado; and La Lengua. I dream about these tacos...

Good Eatin'

Pacific N.W. Scenic Best Hits

2010-09-04T17:56:00.001-05:00

Here we are walking around downtown San Francisco, near the piers.

Scenic Stop in Portland.

Awesome view.

Getting on our train from Portland to Seattle.

Mt. Rainier, also telling us that we're approaching Seattle.

The famous Pike Place Market.

Our kickass view outside of our hotel room in Vancouver.

On the scenic drive towards Squamish in Vancouver.

As I was taking these pictures, especially on the scenic drives, I kept thinking that the photos would never be able to do the view justice. It's beautiful out there, you need to see it with your own two eyes.

Alec was driving and kept looking at the view along the coast and saying, "This view is egregious!" haha.

Just got back from my Honeymoon~

2010-09-04T17:34:00.000-05:00

Alec and I just got back from Vancouver, our last stop on our 2 week honeymoon in the Pacific Northwest. We started in San Francisco, went up to Portland, Seattle and finally to Vancouver, spending about 4 days in each city.

It was fun and ultimately relaxing for the both of us. We didn't do a whole lot of site seeing but we did a little. What we do though, was EAT. We ate a lot and we ate well.

Alec and I love sushi and I have to say that I envy the general population in Portland, Seattle and Vancouver because they get the best, freshest and well-priced sushi in the country. (I'm sure sushi in San Fran is just as good but probably pricier.)

Some highlights from the trip-
Best non-sushi meal on the trip: Rue Saint Jacques in San Francisco on Capitol Hill. It was very romantic even though Alec and I were sweating when we got to the restaurant from hiking up a giant hill.

Best sushi meal on the trip: Murata Sushi in Portland. It is a small intimate place that seats probably 30 people where the sushi chefs are very traditional and conservative and the waitresses wear kimonos and getas.

Best tacos: La Taqueria Pinche taco shop in Vancouver. I picked up the recommendation from Design Sponge's Vancouver city guide. The tacos here were a bit pricey but totally worth it. If you ever venture out to the shop, definitely get a taco of the special that day and a tall glass of horchata. A little bit of Mexico in Canada.

Even though 4 days in each city is just enough to get a good glimpse of a city, Alec and I know that we'll definitely be back for Vancouver and Portland. Now on to the photos!

Three good things.

2010-08-12T22:20:00.000-05:00

Three things: 

Un. I've been listening to Howstuffworks.com's podcast and it's brilliant, truly brilliant. I, as someone who can't get enough knowledge, love it when it comes in an attainable and easily understandable package such as two dudes in Atlanta who not only cover a wide range of topics from the ways of Samurai; taxidermy; Kleptomania; to why drinking orange juice after brushing your teeth is horrible but do it in a way that includes pop culture references and flow through these podcasts as if they were friends of yours that wanted to share something new with you that they just learned. WHOO, how do you like that run-on. I am biding my time with listening to the two hundred and some podcasts because I don't want to run into the day where I've listened to all the podcasts just yet. I feel my brain swell with this new and hopefully not entirely useless knowledge. Bravo Josh and Chuck, I like you guys.

Deux. If I shopped at a dream grocery store, all the items would have packaging like this: 

Beautiful. Those Euros with their classy produce and mignonne sundries. From Globus Organics. Maybe I could replicate the notion by doodling on sticker labels on my own groceries...(oh, to dream.)

Trois. The LCD Soundsystem album, This is Happening, came out earlier this summer and while I did listen to it a fair bit during my time with Someoddpilot, I've brought it back up again with refreshed appreciation. (DRUNK GIRLS are boringly wild.)

...one week countdown to Honeymoon blast off- I can't wait~

I was going to bed early tonight but got distracted by THIS~

2010-08-04T00:02:00.000-05:00

My hus-band informed me that the Scott Pilgrim movie by Edgar Wright is actually getting stellar reviews. I was very skeptical at first, mostly because I'm sick of Michael Cera and think casting him as Scott wasn't ideal and also that I was underwhelmed by Mr. O'Malley's Scott Pilgrim vol. 6. BUTT... I am a huge fan of Edgar Wright and that may very well be the saving grace for this movie. 

There are another couple of factors that contribute to me going to see Scott Pilgrim the movie: 

1. These movie posters are flippin' awesome- 

2. This print by Hellen Jo is something I must own-

3. And, I would love to have a Gideon Gordon Graves t-shirt and may end up producing a silkscreen for my own purposes. (I can't seem to find an image though....)

Honestly, I was going to go see this movie regardless of whether it was good or not. I'm just glad that it will be worth the $10 instead of being a waste.

Alright, I think I need to sit on my hands for a while...

2010-08-01T11:55:00.000-05:00

Completely unintentionally, I bought 3 pairs of shoes this weekend. Ha. That's me flying off the handle. No, there wasn't a massive sale on zappos.com or DSW... There was a sale at a local shoe store in Roscoe Village (a neighborhood nearby) that had a "buy two pairs of shoes and get one free" sale. So, my friend and I combined forces to buy shoes. She bought a pair that she really liked but found nothing else that suited her fancy. That left me to look for two pairs I liked. I picked up a pair of All Black ballet flats in purple (shown in yellow) and a pair of black Jeffery Campbell kitten heels:

And of course, since I threw away my beloved tan Dolce Vita sandals due to leather stretchage and lack of arch support, I needed to replace them. I bought a pair of sandals off of Gilt Groupe from Faryl Robin and received them this weekend.

I've been wearing the sandals around my apt. They are pretty comfortable and I love them... I'm toeing the line between giddiness from instant gratification and buyer's remorse... Clearly, I need to simmer down and sit on my hands for a while...

Gustav Klimt

2010-07-22T12:18:00.000-05:00

I've always known of "The Kiss" and thought it was a righteous painting but looking more in depth at Gustav Klimt's other works, I am speechless. 

His work is exquisite, to say the least. The combination of human body with rich patterns and texture in his work is a site to behold. It isn't to say that no one else has ever combined those elements together but no one ever did it like he did. 

What draws me into his paintings first are the elaborate tactile patterns he creates with precision (Like, I WANT these patterns in actual fabric so I can wear them). These patterns are speaking an international language, Klimt is inspired by history and culture that comes through in the paintings. It leads your eye through the painting without tiring it, and the patterns are usually broken up and surround a soft image of a human face or body part. It's as if the subjects of his paintings are literally swimming in the lavish background they are placed upon. There is also a sense of playfulness or insubordination to authority in his work, kind of like "Hey, I'm here, painting nudes. It's art not pornography." I dig, I dig. 

For the life of me, I cannot remember a painting done by Klimt I think I saw in the Art Institute of Chicago of a woman or feminine male in armor. I think it was him, but I could also be mistaken. Regardless, here are some of my favorite paintings by Klimt, aside from "The Kiss":

1. Study for Juliet

2. Adele Bloch-Bauer

3. Emilie Floge

4. Hygeia

Enjoy. This is by far the most intellectual blog post I've written... sad?

Let us all pause and bask in AMAZINGNESS~

2010-07-21T23:20:00.001-05:00

"Tree wrapped in lace on Wards Island Toronto"

Those Canadians never cease to amaze me.

They're here! The wedding photos are here!

2010-07-13T09:38:00.000-05:00

YAY. I had a dream early this morning about getting the wedding pictures today and when I woke up they were there. How's that for timing? I love the pictures. Here are some gems taken from Michael Williams website:

I am silly.

Some handsome fellows.

My husband is so awesome.

I guess you could say I'm pretty awesome too.. (heh)

Alright, alright. I got to go get my day started. Viewing photos is definitely a time suck...

Michael Williams=good photographer. He is worth checking out, here.

Stinky Mega man

2010-07-11T15:14:00.001-05:00

"Pew pew" is a rather appropriate spelling for the sound that Mega Man's arm cannon makes, but I also thought about it another way- the sound that people say when they smell something bad. "P-ew"

This sketch is from Bryan Lee O'Malley's flickr. Mr. O'Malley is releasing Scott Pilgrim vol. 6 in 9 days. I MUST HAVE IT. I can't wait!

P.S. Where are my #^%&$*$% wedding photos!? -frown-

ZOMG, I FEEL LIKE TALKING IN CAPS ALL DAY!

2010-07-08T10:41:00.001-05:00

I just feasted my eyes on the Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World Game Trailer by Ubisoft. It. is. amazing. Truly amazing. It's a kick back to old-school pixelated Nintendo games (think Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; Double Dragon; Mighty Final Fight)- grainy and saturated; MIDI type music; lots of split screen action sequences... So AWESOME!!

My favorite part, besides the uber dose of nostalgia that I get, are the character designs. I love how the characters look truer to the comic book, rather than trying to imagine what they would look as actual human beings (hence, how I'm torn between being excited and disappointed with the movie coming out in August). But they also look like they belong in the Capcom/Street Fighter Universe. P.S. I love how Kim Pine looks here:

oh, and here too. Czech out her demonic facial expression- I love it.

A couple more screen shots...

What's not to like? I will make Alec buy this game when it comes out, although it doesn't seem like it will be released for 360 any time soon. -sigh- When it does come out- it will be EPIC. The trailer (in all its glory) can be viewed here.

side note: I think a pigeon just tried to fly inside my apt...

top knots!

2010-07-06T11:05:00.001-05:00

Awesome. Just when I thought my default hairstyle looked a little kooky- lo & behold, many ladies around the block were doing the same thing:

 A pretty lady from Sartorialist.

I am flippin' in love with this bike gal...

I can totally relate to this picture...

From a new favorite source: Juliette Hogan's Winter 10 collection

And of course, moi.

Dear blank, please blank

2010-07-06T10:24:00.001-05:00

GENIUS! This website I found on Wit + Delight is genius. Dear blank, Please blank are hypothetical letters people write made into a website. 

I use hypothetical letters as a comedic device, i.e. "Dear Sun, Please stop cooking my flesh while it's still on my body. Much Appreciated, Lain" or "Dear Chocolate Milk, Please stop being delicious so I can say goodbye to my love handles for once. Love, Lain" etc. etc. 

While I recognize that this website has it's pros and cons, such as being a clone of Twitter feeds, I still think it's pretty cool. And the overall aesthetic of the site is nice and simple. 

"Dear School and Lake Michigan,

School- please cancel yourself for the rest of the week; Lake Michigan- try to rid yourself of disgusting bacteria transferred from your younger beach goers (babies, toddlers) so that I may be able to have a fantastic beach day. 

Love and smooches, Lain"

Cookie Monster may be the best Sesame Street character ever.

2010-07-05T20:51:00.002-05:00

I just noticed recently that it seems people of my generation are all in agreement about something: Cookie monster is the best Sesame Street character ever. Who cares about Elmo or Bert & Ernie- Cookie Monster rules the roost. He was always my favorite:

How cute are these confections!?

A friend of mine has this image on a tshirt- greatness.

And last but not least, here is the Family Guy episode where Cookie Monster is in rehab. Hilarity. (note: turn up the volume on the 'Tube video. This was the best quality video I could find.)

More favorites from the wedding until the photographer sends us his lot~

2010-07-01T01:30:00.001-05:00

A couple more photos from my camera of the rehearsal dinner and the wedding... sigh. I can't wait until my photographer finishes with the wedding photos, there are some real gems in there~

After a hair appointment on a Saturday afternoon. I could get use to curly hair...

 My lovely mother and myself at rehearsal dinner. 

Toasts in the Founders Room at the museum right after the ceremony.

Motherly support right after my piano solo.

I love this picture...

best. wedding. ever. <3

Swingers...

2010-06-29T23:54:00.002-05:00

Crazy Monkeys- enough said.

Museums To-day

2010-06-29T23:39:00.003-05:00

I was productive today. I had to do research for class on museums and part of the research is some field study. So, I went to the Chicago History Museum; the Lincoln Park Zoo and then the Art Institute of Chicago.

The only place I've been to on that list was the Art Institute but I hadn't seen much of the Modern Wing so it that was some incentive to check it out. The weather was perfect today too which made it easier to be "doing homework". 

Here are some highlights of my day: 

  A stunning stained glass window at the Chicago History Museum.

A small spotted leopard at the Kovler Lion House.

Puffins!

Some Le Corbustier at the Architecture & Design exhibit in the Modern Wing.

And a little Georgia O' Keefe to wrap things up.

I'm going to try to upload a video of monkeys I took at the LP Zoo. Crazy monkeys...

"That's all I ask" & "Worth the Wait"

2010-06-27T22:46:00.004-05:00

Here is the video one of my bridesmaids took of me singing and playing on the piano for Alec at my wedding. It's so great- not because I am vain or anything, I just love to relive the moment. The video quality isn't great and it was kind of dark for the camera but the sound is fine. Please excuse my enthusiastic fist pumping at the end- if I could turn back time, I would have changed the way I celebrated at the end of the songs, maybe I should have just bowed or something... Tiger Woods makes the fist pump look good... but I guess it isn't for everyone. Haha. Enjoy~

Best Wedding Ever, part trois

2010-06-24T23:17:00.000-05:00

The wedding programs...

...the reception venue, so grand...

...a dance with my dad...

...a romantic dip and kiss from my love...

...a beautiful shot of me playing the piano for Alec...

~Sweet Memories~

Honeymooners~

2010-06-23T23:53:00.000-05:00

Yes us newly weds- Alec and I decided that after the wedding, we were going to have a little mini honeymoon and then wait until my semester is over to take a longer honeymoon. Our mini honeymoon took place at The Peninsula in downtown Chicago. It is a beautiful and high class hotel with many amenities.

These chocolate-covered strawberries were in the room when I got there along with a nice bottle of...

...Clos La Chance white wine- delicious~

Here is my Love ordering room service...

...and here I am enjoying the room service! We had a kobe beef burger with foie gras; truffle french fries; warm asparagus salad with a poached egg; and parmesan popcorn.

I gotta hit the gym after today, vacation time is over for now and I gotta work on my upcoming honeymooning bod. Hehe.

From Christine's camera

2010-06-23T13:35:00.000-05:00

What can I say, I cannot help myself- I must post more pictures!...

...where the ceremony was held, at the Hall of Sculpture...

...where the reception was held, in the Grand Ballroom...

...our cake, since we decided on bread pudding instead of a wedding cake...

...we were civil to each other when we had to cut the cake...

...this was right after I finished playing two songs on the piano for Alec...

success is niiiiice.

You can call me "Schimiddy"...

2010-06-23T13:17:00.000-05:00

Woo~ I made it. WE made it. Alec and I are officially Mr. & Mrs. Alec & Lain Schmid. It was a wonderful weekend. I wouldn't trade any of those moments from that crazy week before to the morning after for anything. I loved every second of it. 

I will probably be posting wedding pictures from now until the end of summer (hehehe) but, here are some from my camera that was manned by Nina, one of my bridesmaids. I'm glad she took as many pictures as she did because otherwise I wouldn't have taken any. 

Yay~....

...Much much more to come...

~I only have eyes for you...

2010-06-13T09:02:00.001-05:00

This morning was the first time in awhile I remembered what I was dreaming about when I woke up... I can only remember fragments- my dream was about my mom and I on a road trip thru a town a little reminiscent of Monroeville. It was night time and we pulled into a shotty motel with a lot of out-of-date orange art deco decor... but I won't bore you with details. 

I think I slept pretty soundly, and I think that this Sunday is going to be a good day. 

By the way, this is how my love sits when he plays video games- he's a modern day samurai... hehehee. 

7 Days now...

I think I just about died...

2010-06-04T19:07:00.002-05:00

...because my mom sent me this ADORABLE picture of her dog after she got a fur cut.

There are no adequate words to describe how cute this dog is. I'm sure that Happi posed for this picture too. My heart is melting...

Home is whenever I'm with you...

2010-05-31T22:44:00.000-05:00

I am OBSESSED with this song. I think I've listened to this song at least 50 times today, non-stop. It's "Home" by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. So good... Perfect twangy sound, I love the horns and the cute little dialogue towards the end of the song. The music video is pretty flippin' sweet as well. Czech it out:

~Alabama, Arkansas, I do love my ma and pa, not the way I do love

you~ 

Oh, romantic life.

i heart brooklyn

2010-05-20T00:24:00.003-05:00

Last weekend, I visited New York City to attend ICFF this year but instead of my usual Manhattan man-dodging rituals, I stayed in Brooklyn for the majority of my time there. My good friend Ryan lives in Prospect Heights, near Prospect Park; the Brooklyn Public Library; Botanical Gardens and the Brooklyn Museum. My past experiences with Brooklyn have been in Williamsburg and Bedford-Stuyvesant... which are two different areas from Prospect Heights. 

Aided by unbelievably nice weather that weekend, walking around Ryan's neighborhood and experiencing its sites & eats made my Prospect Heights experience very pleasant. I could see myself and Alec possibly living there someday (in an alternate universe, I suppose, since Alec despises New York). But I thoroughly enjoyed Prospect Heights and it made me fall back in love with New York a little bit and brought back fond memories of my time living there.

Here are some the sites & eats of Brooklyn:

...a cute succulent that Ryan is caring for...

...a fancy-schmancy ice cream truck where I got a scoop of earl grey ice cream...

...the breath-taking doors of the Brooklyn Public Library...

...a birthday omakase dinner I bought for myself at Geido Sushi...

Stay classy, Brooklyn, stay classy.

ICFF 2010 Favorites, Part 1

2010-05-19T23:58:00.000-05:00

Just a couple of my favorite pieces I saw at ICFF this year...

1. lighting by Woka Lamps Vienna

2. sponge umbrella stand by Eva Schildt for Design House Stockholm

3. cactus chair by Valentina Gonzales Wohlers

4. Amish community quilt from Shimna

5. Ceramic tableware by Seletti at the neo-utility booth

bee-you-tiful stuff~

I'm more of a dog person but I couldn't resist...

2010-05-11T17:27:00.000-05:00

Caption for photo: "Gosh, I'm getting old..."

I think this cat feels the same way I do today on my birthday...

what I've been up to lately...

2010-05-09T13:56:00.000-05:00

OK-ay, I know I haven't been blogging so much lately. I've been quietly brooding in my apt. and sweating the little and not-so-little things. As I told Alec last night, "Being a proper adult is hard!" and it is. 

What I have been up to lately is I'm going to start school again this upcoming week. It's freakin' me out a little, I'm not going to lie. I'm getting more nervous than I should be letting myself. It's just been awhile since I've done something academic, and a master's program isn't going to be easy that's for sure. I've got to prepare myself mentally, the physical part I can handle. -takes a deep breath-

Compared to the stress I've been feeling over school (and I haven't even started yet!), wedding plans seem to be a cakewalk. I think it's because I'm not going to be critiqued on my wedding decisions and it should be something that I (ultimately should) enjoy.

Once this first school week is over, it'll be fine, I think. I always psyche myself out over things like this, you know, school; shots at the doctors office; getting my wisdom teeth pulled- it's all not so bad once you do it... Or at least that's what I keep telling myself... (hang in there, brain!)

Reliving a mixed cd that Alec made for me...

2010-05-04T10:41:00.000-05:00

I love making mixes, especially for specific people or for a certain time in my life. I give my mixes titles like "25th year of Lain" or "80's magic". What I really miss are mixed tapes. Growing up, I didn't really realize what good music was until... 9th grade (maybe) And what I mean by good music is music that I would probably listen to now and still appreciate it. 

The mixed tapes I really remember are the ones that my older brother made. He had a whole mess of them laying around his room when he went off to college. I think that was when CDs were starting to take over the tape deck realm. (dating myself...tsk) I loved listening to them and seeing what kind of person my brother was. Then I tried to make my own from my limited music knowledge, and I'll admit that I might listen to a couple of those tapes before I got embarrassed at the kind of music I was into back then.

Now I have a few mixed CDs that I've kept from over the years from friends and I'm reliving a couple of them. I have one from Alec from when we were in college. I'm surprised that I actually got him to make a mixed CD for me, let alone send it in the mail. Here it is:

Alec's Lain only Mix-
1. Superstition/Stevie Wonder
2. Shake your Rump/Beastie Boys
3. Roses/Outkast
4. Say it ain't so/Weezer
5. Ooh la la/The Faces
6. Sparks/Coldplay
7. Another Morning Stoner/And You will know us by the trail of dead
8. Pin/Yeah Yeah Yeahs
9. Talk Show Host/Radiohead
10. Cut self not/Faraquet
11. Mistakes & Regrets/And you will know us by the trail of dead
12. The Final Frontier/RJD2
13. Night Light/Aesop Rock
14. Like I love You/Justin Timberlake

I'd say that this was a pretty good mix for that time in our lives: A little angsty with a kind of 'tongue-in-cheek' sense of humor and yet sensitive in a way. Yup, has Alec written all over it. I don't think I give Alec enough musical taste credit but maybe I should.

The one thing about loading on mixed CDs onto itunes is that some of the tracks lose their information so I had to do some research and figure out song titles/artists, which is kind of fun. We'll see if I can decipher all of them...

looking for a weekender bag...

2010-04-28T12:37:00.001-05:00

The upcoming month of May is going to be busy. With days winding down to the wedding day and several weekend trips I've planned, I think I have May booked up. That in mind, I am in the market for a good-sized and reliable weekender bag. My criteria are: must be able to be carried on a plane; be big enough to fit an extra pair of shoes, my laptop and at least 3 changes of clothing; must be easy to carry; and must look nice. So far, I've look at these few:

 L.L. Bean signature duffel bag - $64

Dimensions - 12 1/2"H x 23 1/8"W x 12 1/2"D 

Perks: has a lot of pockets, I'm a fan of canvas and the price is right

Wm. J. Mills classic duffel bag - $160

Dimensions - 32” Long x 12” Dia. 

Perks: I have WMJ's flight bag and it's been a part of my everyday assemble. I rarely leave the house without it so I know that Wm. J. Mills quality is worth its price. 

Knomo Berlin Weekender Bag - $140 (on sale from $200)
Dimensions - 22" wide x 10" deep x 13" high.
Perks: It's sleek looking. It's made from waterproof canvas and claims to be lightweight. Not a bad choice.  

Jack Spade's Nylon Canvas Gym Bag - $250

Dimensions - 20" X 10" X 11"

Perks: Um, like with most of Jack Spade's products, this bag is overpriced. It certainly looks nice, but in the end, I won't be buying this bag unless it's on sale...

Why is brown a manly color for travel bags? Do people associate brown with brief cases colors, therefore, connecting it to men? I'd like to see a palette of generic "Men's colors" and "Women's colors". Who makes these calls? Are they the same people or organization that said boys like baby blue and girls like pink? I think it's strange that colors can be associated with gender... Well, before I open up that can of worms, I'll end this post with saying that I'll probably end up buying either the L.L. Bean bag or the Wm. J. Mills bag. Weekends! Here I come!

Who'd win in a fight?

2010-04-21T16:46:00.002-05:00

Out of preference or just your logical opinion: who do you think would win in an musical fight? Here are the contenders:

Mademoiselle Accordion?

Mr. Trumpet?

Lady Acoustic Guitar?

Or Schroeder, the tiny piano?

I cannot say, they are all very good contenders. Basically this is a birthday list of instruments that I would like to ask for. I know I cannot have them all, but I cannot choose which one I want...

-throws her hands up in the air- I guess I'll just have to go with...

...Senor bag pipes...

teehee. :P

how convenient~

2010-04-20T17:37:00.002-05:00

Just as I was blogging about great voices, I stumble upon another one. NPR is the boat I called Discovery and I, the sailor, sail it to far off and uncharted oceans of information and wonderful things this world has to offer!

With that overblown introduction, I am now in love with Pomplamoose. (I know what you are thinking- where the hell have you been? Obviously not on YouTube) I am a little late, it's hard to keep up with those keeping up. I don't even have a Twitter account, and I don't really plan on having one.

ANYWAYS. Back to Pomplamoose: they are Nataly Dawn and Jack Conte, a musical duo that records original songs and song covers in the cozy studio of... Nataly's bedroom. They are amazing. Their videos are all on Youtube. I am currently listening to "If you think you need some lovin'".

Pomplamoose is like a wonderful update to Dick Van Dyke's one man band in Mary Poppins. Who needs an eight piece band when you have technology!? (I don't quite agree with that because I love large bands with many players) But wow, the things that they can do with recordings, loops and talented voices. Pomplamoose is really a sight to be seen and heard.

What I love about them, aside from their sound and playfulness, is that they are unpretentious. They seem like two normal people who love making music. And props to them for capitalizing on our current state of technological affairs- making money from selling their songs and merchandise on the internet and gaining fame from Youtube. I normally overlook Youtube sensations but Pomplamoose is a pleasant exception.

~Cuz if you think you need a shrink, well I'm out of time. And if you think you need a fix, I'm not the fixing kind. But if you think you need some lovin, that's fine~ -Pomplamoose

NPR's 50 great voices

2010-04-19T20:40:00.002-05:00

Since I think it's a wise and adult thing to do, I've been listening to NPR at work and while I'm in the car. I can't get enough of it. I'm glad that it's so accessible these days- streaming on the internet; downloadable podcasts for your ipod/ipad and of course, on the tried and true radio waves. 

I've tuned into this relatively new show they started this year that will last throughout the year called "50 great voices". It's BRILLIANT. I mean, really really brilliant. NPR compiled a list of talented and "need-to-know" musicians/vocalists over the years, all over the world, that might not be immediately recognized as a great voice and will showcase them every week. The NPR show started off with explaining how the list was complied and noted that obvious greats such as Frank Sinatra aren't on the list because he is already so well-known, it's practically ingrained in our minds that Sinatra is a musical icon. Instead what 50 great voices does is highlight those such as Bjork; Roy Orbison; Harry Belafonte and even such anomalies as the Notorious B.I.G and Iggy Pop. It's all about discovery here and I love finding out about good music.

This Monday's show was all about Nat King Cole. I heart Nat King Cole. He is truly an icon to be recognized. I loved NKC every since his music was paired with one of my favorite Wong Kar Wai movies: In the mood for love.

I swear Mr. Cole could be singing phone numbers from the yellow pages and I'd still buy that album. His voice is soothing and, as NPR describes him, incandescent.

I highly recommend tuning into 50 great voices, at least check out their list of nominees. Of that list, some favorites of mine have emerged such as Nina Simone (SO glad she's on here); Jeff Buckley; Robert Plant; Alton Ellis; Billie Holiday and Freddie Mercury. I'm sure that my list of favorites will expand 10-fold after this series is done. I have to say that I'm pretty happy with their list and I'm glad that Freddie Mercury managed to make it on even after some debate.

And lastly, thank goodness Josh Groban didn't make the list. I could care less about that guy and that's a whole other post entirely.:P

funny doggies...

2010-04-16T10:11:00.000-05:00

You know, I gotta say- I love looking at look books of designers such as Steven Alan; Mociun and Opening Ceremony but it also makes me sad because I cannot justify paying the ridiculous prices that these products cost. (i.e. $38 for one pair of panties, are you kidding me?) I love shopping but I don't shell out the big bucks unless I believe that the item I am buying will last... through generations, or at least through several seasonal trends. My last serious purchase were my Sperry top-siders, and I don't think they've left my feet for the past month. Anyways, getting past my point of practicality, I was looking at Opening Ceremony's website and in the sale section of their online store I found these adorable doggies modeling neck warmers. How cute~

I probably wouldn't buy these neck warmers because I could just knit them up myself but putting them on doggies is a smart way to make me consider the neck warmers at least. Maybe I'll buy the neck warmer if you throw in the doggie too...

Concert Posters

2010-04-11T17:36:00.001-05:00

I've been working on some concert posters for my boss's band, Beak. Just thought I'd share some of my favorites:

JANELLE MONAE~

2010-04-01T20:39:00.002-05:00

OHmigosh~ I found my new obsession: Janelle Monae!! She is amazing. She can dance, she can sing, she's full of personality and on top of that- she's adorable! Move over Bobby Brown, Janelle Monae is coming with full force. Her album's out in May and this music video for Tightrope is a great track... I am always a Big Boi fan. 

Big Boi aside, Janelle is such a treat to watch. I love her style and her dance moves AND she knows how to rock a pompadour . Makes me yearn for dance moves like that and a better sense of rhythm. Sigh, work with what you got I guess. 

I am bummed out that I JUST missed her show in Chicago when she played on Tuesday at Schuba's. I bet it was a fun show... 

She's just so intoxicating. It's hard not to watch her and like her. She channels Sammy Davis Jr. sans glass eye and I feel that she does what Andre 3000 tried to do with his "Love Below" album and videos, except she succeeds. Enough of my zealous appraisal, enjoy the video- it's pure gold.  

"Now, Shut up! Put some voodoo on it. We call that classy brass." ~Janelle Monae

Oh boy, Barack Obama~

2010-04-01T00:22:00.001-05:00

 Saw this via SwissMiss and Bearsharktopus-Man from a blog called "Barack Obama looking at awesome things" ...pretty awesome, pretty hilarious...

strawberry pie and radio shows

2010-03-28T16:07:00.003-05:00

Sundays are usually low-key... and I mean LOW key. On my "teux-deux" list today was: 1. bake a pie and 2. listen to npr shows on my laptop. Yup.

Alec suggested that I go for a jog since the weather wasn't as cold and my response? I said, no and then proceeded to eat a piece of really good mozzarella cheese... 

Also along with finishing my pie and finding out about She & Him's latest cd being released already, I've been the perusing fashion blogs from What I wore; Leproust Vintage and Lulu Letty. Great sites, beautiful clothes and very inspiring styles. I highly recommend checking them out.

So, about my pie! Originally I was torn between either making a chocolate pie or a strawberry rhubarb pie because strawberries started popping up in grocery stores. I really wanted to try the chocolate pie but felt that I'd been eating a lot of chocolate lately so, that left the obvious choice. I went to the whole foods today and sure enough, strawberries were everywhere. When I went to seek out the rhubarb, all I found were 5 pieces of some sad, droopy rhubarb at 5.99/lb. That did not deter me though. I love strawberries alone so I decided to make a strawberry pie. I mean, why not? Rhubarb kind of freaks me out anyways because the leaves are poisonous. 

The pie turned out beautifully. I think I could really get used to trying out different pies. It's a good skill to have and it makes me very happy. 

I think next pie I want to make is either the chocolate pie or pecan or maybe another savory pie....mmmm.

Current Obsession

2010-03-24T22:56:00.002-05:00

Oooho Man. This was Monsieur Bobby Brown at his finest! I can't stop watching this video lately, it makes me smile every time I watch it. I think it's because the styling and the simple interaction between Bobby and his "dream" girl is reminiscent of Tex Avery cartoons- you know the kind. Set the scene at a night club. There's a man who turns into a howling wolf when he sees some curvy, bombshell chanteuse, i.e. Jessica Rabbit. Plus Bobby Brown is such a character in this video. Plus plus, he dances like a maniac on fire! I wish I could dance like he did back then... Plus, plus, PLUS- the dream girl(s) is curvaceous and healthy looking instead of what today's standard of beauty is: malnourished, spindly, glorified, "coat hangers". What a world. 

One set back of the video- I could do without Bobby's heinous "rap" towards the end of the song. Haha. "Oh yes. It's me again, I'm crazy." ~Bobby Brown

Not feeling like myself...

2010-03-22T18:02:00.000-05:00

Over the weekend I think I got either a food allergy or food poisoning because my stomach and my body felt horrible on Saturday. And despite that factor, I decided to go out and go shopping anyways (bad decision). Even though it was snowing outside and I was going to be shopping by the lake, I was on a mission. First I needed to check out if one my bridesmaid's dresses came in the mail at J. Crew and second, I needed some boat shoes. 

I did manage to get both tasks done but I nearly made it home in tact. As soon as I came home, a mild fever came over me and my body ached all over. Not to (really) mention that my stomach felt like it was wreaking havoc on my insides. I stayed in bed for the rest of the day on Saturday, missed an awesome party for my friend Missy (sad); stayed in bed all day Sunday and have been resting all day today for now. My stomach still isn't 100% and it's gurgling like it's trying to say something but I'm not sure what. If this continues for the rest of the week without getting better, I'm seeking medical attention. I just need to remember to stay hydrated and try to stick to mostly a liquid diet. 

On the up side though- I got my top-siders! I've been dreaming about boat shoes ever since I've been dreaming of spring and biking. Dang, my ankles are pale... I love them. Hand me a mast and I'll say "Ships away"- I'm ready for the sea~ Well.. I'll be ready once my stomach settles. -sigh...

Whoo doggie... er rather, Holy (baby) Cow

2010-03-11T22:06:00.001-06:00

Alright, I knew that I said I was going to learn how to cook offal, and don't get me wrong, I'm not going back on my word- I just didn't expect to be as squeamish as I was... And still am... a little. 

Then again, I think I aimed a little high on the choice of offal for a second run. I went for veal kidneys. (eek) I don't recall eating kidneys as a kid but you never know. My parents' policy was "Just eat, don't ask." If whatever you put in your mouth tasted good to you, then why would you need to know what it was?

Anyways, I knew that this week I was going to have some extra time on my hands. So I set out and bought some offal at the local meat market. What also worried me aside from using a foreign "meat" for the first time, was the fact that I've never made a savory pie before. Actually, I've never made a pie, period. Regardless of that, I knew that I had two great chefs/foodies guiding me through this endeavor: Thomas Keller and Chichi Wang of SeriousEats. 

I used Keller's pie crust recipe & technique and Chichi's veal kidney pie recipe that can be found here: YUM. Rolling out the dough was no problem; prepping the veggies-EASY; chopping up the kidneys after it thawed? SO...off putting. I had to step away from the cutting board a couple times. There's something about cutting at and away tendons or connective tissue that really gets my gag-reflex. The kidneys still had a thin film of blood on them which doesn't really help my case.

After chopping them up into 1/2" pieces, I threw them into a pan of butter which eased me more into the process because sauteing food items in butter is familiar territory. And butter makes things better. I had a little trouble with the timing of boiling the veggies for 10 min to tenderize; making enough roux and rolling out the dough on top of the pie pan. In the end, the pie turned out nicely, even palatable. The crust is easily the best part but the rest of the pie is good too. I even fished out a piece of kidney to try. My verdict: kidney taste like liver, which I am okay with.

I am confident enough in my 1st offal pie that I think I'm going to bring some to work tomorrow and let my coworkers try. We'll see what they think...

What we eat when we're alone

2010-03-10T00:18:00.000-06:00

Last year I read a book called, "What we eat when we're alone" by Deborah Madison. It's a very charming book, and a quick read. The stories are basically vignettes with recipes following each story.  The majority of recipes and stories consist of simple recipes that people throw together, whatever is convenient. Some stories are about self pleasures that one indulges in when eating solo, such as spaghetti with tuna and capers. When cooking dinner tonight, I thought about the book. I think I spoil myself with my solo dining. 

On the menu tonight was one of my favorites things to eat and cook because it is fast, easy and most importantly, tastes good: Porkchop seasoned with salt and pepper and sauteed mushrooms with caramelized onions. The veggie side dish can be interchangeable. I like mushrooms because it's hard to really mess them up. But I wouldn't mind swapping in some asparagus or boiled carrots with a little
butter.

That doesn't mean that I won't cook up some ramen and enjoy that for a quick meal, but I try to spruce up the ramen by using home made broth and adding some fresh veggies. My point being that if you're cooking for yourself, you should spoil yourself. Dining alone is always better that way.

Wedding Weekend!

2010-03-08T08:40:00.000-06:00

Whew! Boy, did Alec and I get a lot done this weekend. I'd been looking forward to this past weekend since the new year past. A quick recap:

Friday- I went to get my hair done a second time because the first time, although the style was nice, it wasn't what I wanted. This second time around hit the nail on the head. My stylist and I went through the pictures I provided and came up with the perfect look. 

After the hair appointment, Alec and I went downtown to the City Council building and applied for our marriage license. That was new to me and a little strange (since I've never applied for a marriage license before...). Then my mom and I met up with my dad and our wedding planner to meet with the florist. I love our florist. His name is Bill and he is awesome! Before this past weekend, I'd sent him a bunch of reference photos of flowers and arrangements that I liked. Here's what he came up with:

These pictures don't even come close to doing the bouquet justice. Bill put together thistle; kale; begonias; spring leaves; preserved moss and this green hybrid ranunculus from Japan. There are more flowers in there but I don't remember all of them. Bill did a beautiful job of incorporating the colors of wedding to achieving the overall look and feel I was going for. Hopefully, on the wedding day, there will be more and better pictures of all the flowers.

Saturday- In the morning, Mom and I went to my first dress fitting while Alec and Dad went to Men's Warehouse to take care of tuxedos. At the dress fitting, the tailors were finishing up Mom's dress too so I got a chance to see if they were good tailors. And they were! Mom's dress looked great on her. The tailors are this Russian couple that have owned their little shop for 31 yrs in Pittsburgh. My aunt found them through peers. I trust them. I put on my dress and I think I need to drop a few pounds and get some thinner dress lining but other than that, the dress looked beeeauuutiiful. (no pictures :P)

Afterward, we went to the museum to meet with Alec, Dad, the wedding planner and the chefs to taste the menu. Overall the menu was decent. We had some suggestions for the fish dish but the menu is solid. The dessert will probably floor you because it was soooo delicious, better than wedding cake.

And that was probably all the big things we got done. It's starting to near crunch time and I need to start checking off things that we've taken care of and looking to the things that need to get done.

Woo boy...

Trip the light fantastic...

2010-02-28T21:04:00.003-06:00

From World Wide Words, define the phrase "Trip the light fantastic".

"Q) From Lois Culver: To trip the light fantastic. I know what it means, but why the light fantastic part?

A) You’re probably that much ahead of some readers, so let me nod in the direction of all those who do know, while telling everyone else that to trip the light fantastic is an extravagant way of referring to dancing, a phrase rather more common years ago than it is now.

Just for once, it is possible to point the finger at the author of a saying. The phrase is from the mind and pen of John Milton and appeared in his lyric poem L’Allegro, published in 1645. The Italian title can be translated as “the cheerful man”, and the poem is directed to the goddess Mirth:

Haste thee, Nymph, and bring with thee
Jest, and youthful Jollity,
Quips and cranks and wanton wiles,
Nods and becks and wreathed smiles
Such as hang on Hebe’s cheek,
And love to live in dimple sleek;
Sport that wrinkled Care derides,
And Laughter holding both his sides.
Come, and trip it, as you go,
On the light fantastic toe;
And in thy right hand lead with thee
The mountain-nymph, sweet Liberty;
And, if I give thee honour due,
Mirth, admit me of thy crew,
To live with her, and live with thee,
In unreproved pleasures free ...

We’ve lost the sense now, because to trip here doesn’t mean to catch one’s foot and stumble or fall, but rather to move lightly and nimbly, to dance. This was what the word meant when it appeared in the language in the fourteenth century. And fantastic (or fantastick, as Milton originally spelled it) has here a sense of something marked by extravagant fancy, perhaps capricious or impulsive.

Milton’s lines were borrowed as an elevated or humorous way to refer to dancing, first as the phrase trip the light fantastic toe. 

That it has survived so long, at least in the United States, is probably due to a song of 1894, words by Charles B Lawler, which appeared in a musical comedy called The Sidewalks of New York.

The relevant bit goes:

Boys and Girls together,
Me and Mamie O'Rourke,
Tripped the light fantastic,
On the sidewalks of New York. 

Just to reinforce how mysterious the phrase now is to some people, one online site renders the relevant line as “We dance life’s fantastics"."

...I should read more... 

Offal Good....

2010-02-28T17:59:00.002-06:00

I declare: I will learn how to properly good and eat offal meats/parts. Yes, I am putting my foot down on this. It's something I think most people should do, eating offals meats that is, not put their foot down. Animals are there for us to eat, shouldn't we at least do the honor of making use of all their delicious parts? 

I came to this conclusion just now, when I was putting a chicken in brine to roast for tomorrow night. Last time, I forgot to remove the gizzards bag and the chicken ended up not cooking properly on the inside. This time, when I removed the gizzards bag, my curiosity was intrigued. I thought, "Why don't I learn how to cook the insides?" I think that when embarking on cooking offal meats- chicken gizzards are a good place to start. 

First of all, chicken is pretty widely accepted. It's a meat that we're all probably familiar with, even if you don't really eat it (vegetarians). I've gotten use to looking and handling a raw chicken so, there really isn't much gross out factor (unless it is black chicken, see past post about that). And since I know most parts of a chicken, I should get know all the parts. Plus, I'm sure my mom knows how to handle offal and it would be good to ask her for tips. :)

SeriousEats has a good column called "The Nasty Bits" by Chichi Wang, who prepares and eats offal. Here is her post about gizzards. I'm excited to try it out. I also like the fact that offal is usually pretty cheap to buy. 

There is also a website about offal meats led by Chris Cosentino, called Offal Good. The website has all kinds of useful information about prep and eating offal.

So, I think I have some research to do; some meat markets to attend; and some offal to cook. We'll see how this goes...

...a distant relative...

2010-02-24T00:38:00.003-06:00

Today one of my co-workers said I looked like Bjork. She then proceeded to tweet "Our new intern looks like Bjork" over the web which led to some people to (jokingly) believe that Bjork was at Someoddpilot. Haha.

This is at least the third time in my life someone likened me to Bjork, to which I unfortunately have to disagree. Alright, we both may have fair skin; black hair (sometimes for her); and small heart-shaped faces but I'd say if I were to be connected to Bjork, I'd be like a distant relative rather than a dopple... Maybe like a 3rd cousin, once removed or something. 

I sure do wish I had perfect pitch like Bjork though...

I forgot how great flickr is

2010-02-19T18:39:00.001-06:00

I am rekindling my relationship with flickr, a yahoo photo sharing website, which means that I am uploading photos from my iphoto library onto flickr. It's better this way because I can keep my photos within my reach without taking up a lot of space on my computer. Whoopee. I also am inspired by my friend Gail's photo sets. She has so many on flickr and they are all very charming. 

Here's a (re)start to my photo stream:

...that's Gail and I on the right. :)

I learned two things today: one was important, the second-not so much...

2010-02-16T21:20:00.000-06:00

2010 is just flying by. I can't believe it's mid-February already, geeeeeez. Anyways, in February I started an internship with this graphic design firm called Someoddpilot. Chicago made and based, they can be found here: Someoddpilot! So far, so good. I learned two things from them this week: 

1) Being 25, it's okay that you don't have everything figured out in your life yet. Technically, 25 is the age where you just start coming into your adulthood. And being at a starting point, you're not going to have everything in its place just yet. There's time to think long and hard about what it is you want to do and where you need to be and there's also time to get there. 

2) Duck-face poses- apparently this is a pose that girls 14-22 do when taking pictures. Like so:

I don't really get it... girls are stupid, but that is also a good vehicle for me to interject another funny and equally stupid website: Asian Poses!

There you have it. I learned two things today. One was important and the second one... not so much.

Big Snow in the East Coast

2010-02-06T11:07:00.000-06:00

My mum just called me asking if we're getting a ton of snow in Chicago and I replied, "A little bit, not that much." She answered, "We got 24 inches last night!"

That's my mum's doggy, Happi. Even though she's a small dog (around 10 lbs) she seems to love snow. Although this recent abundance of snow, Happi may find the storm a little daunting...

East Coasters- be careful out there in the blizzard!