"Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it's better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring."
-Marilyn Monroe

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Dreamcatcher

This image really inspired me because of its beauty, its style, and the fact that she formed an idea around a dreamcatcher. Dreamcatchers are one of the most fascinating objects in Native American craftwork.

Flying High



I discovered this stunning photo at Around The Way Girl, a blog i stumbled upon today while surfing the web. Ahh don't you love web surfing? I certainly do when it leads me to magnificent photos like this.

The original photograph is on Pretty Pony's photostream on Flickr. Feel free to check it out!

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Quote


"Nothing is original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination. Devour old films, new films, music, books, paintings, photographs, poems, dreams, random conversations, architecture, bridges, street signs, trees, clouds, bodies of water, light and shadows. Select only things to steal from that speak directly to your soul. If you do this, your work (and theft) will be authentic. Authenticity is invaluable; originality is non-existent. And don’t bother concealing your thievery - celebrate it if you feel like it. In any case, always remember what Jean-Luc Godard said: “It’s not where you take things from - it’s where you take them to."
— Jim Jarmusch

Romance



This image is from Romance by the photographer Chris Craymer.
I found this image especially beautiful. I saw some images from this book on the blog Here Comes the Sun. I find this blog quite lovely. If you get the chance, you should have a peek at it.

Monday, July 13, 2009

Levi's | Go Forth

Levi's | Go Forth a video I really liked: Yo, My Name is Sammy

Levi's | Go Forth photo: racial diversity

Levi's | Go Forth photo: where's my bailout?


Shared via AddThis

I found this very interesting. Levi's new campaign is actually intriguing...hmm. :)

Smart Glass Jewelry



http://www.smartglassjewelry.com/

This is one of my favorite jewelry brands. Kathleen Plate is the creator of these beautiful pieces. Many of her pieces are made out of recycled glass. For those pieces that are not, some of the proceeds go to Kathleen's favorite not-for-profit organizations.

Fleet Foxes - White Winter Hymnal

A Lifetime of Gaming

I guess you could say I'm a "fair-weather gamer" because I only play video games when my mood is just right for the occasion. Actually, I have always preferred watching people play games and observing their faces as they struggle through the never-ending challenges. I remember when I was little and we still had the N64 (my favorite gaming console of all time) and I would watch my mom play Zelda or Banjo and Kazooie. I would lie still on the floor next to her or on the futon directly behind and stay as silent as I could. She always played in the evenings and if she forgot I was there I could stay up later. But those times were, in a way, some of our most powerful mother-daughter bonding hours. Though she doesn't play as often now, she still does time to time, but I no longer sit beside her to watch her progress. Now, if I sat there, I know I would only be a hindrance. Our relationship is no longer the completely trusting one of a small child and her mother. It has evolved, like everything does, into a more complex, and, in some ways frustrating connection. But sometimes, silently, when I know she's not watching for me, I stand far back on the stairs and lean against the wall and watch her play. But only when she's not watching. And only when I'm not otherwise occupied as I so often am. I am always watching over her from a distance. She has her pride and I know it, but I will never give up my right as a daughter to watch over my parents and worry about their well-being. As they have always worried about and cared for me, so shall I do in the future.

I realize that this blog has taken a turn for a more shadowy and solemn state of mind, so I will take this chance to remedy the situation and take the subject back to the one originally intended; video games.

I'll list a few of my favorites here in no particular order:
1. Mirror's Edge
2. Prince of Persia
3. Kingdom Hearts I & II
4. The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time
5. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
6. Banjo and Kazooie
7. Diddy Kong Racing
8. SSX (all)
9. Bioshock (I've never actually played this, but the demo is amazing)
10. Gran Turismo 5: Prologue

My father has a typical male obsession with all high-end electronics. His biggest obsession is with high definition television and with graphics in general. There is nothing he loves more than his HD tv and his blueray player (also the PS3). Oh, and surround sound. For games, he loves Gran Turismo 5: Prologue. I have to tell you, the graphics in this game are to die for!



Sunday, July 12, 2009

Charlie Rubin






http://www.usualpolitics.net/home.html

I just came across these images when browsing vmagazine.com

Michal Chelbin







The photographs taken by Michal Chelbin are thought out carefully and decisively. She does not use digital like so many other photographers in this day and age. She believes it makes you careless. With film, she believes, you are obligated to think more about the image. There are no do-overs. It is not a rush job. Her photographs are beautiful, otherworldly, and disturbing. Her website is somewhat annoying due to the flash content that bogs it down, but if you're up to it I would definitely recommend it.

The address is: http://www.michalchelbin.com/

Shooting Beauty Trailer

SHOOTING BEAUTY trailer from George Kachadorian on Vimeo.

Sunglasses...With Storage?!


Calvin Klein has come out with designer sunglasses complete with built in 4GB usb storage device.
Nothing like practical fashion to liven up one's morning!

Source: http://www.gizmag.com/calvin-klein-usb-sunglasses/12190/

Bowler Camera Bag





http://photojojo.com/store/awesomeness/bowler-camera-bag

I'm pretty sure this is the coolest camera bag I have EVER seen. I hope that someday it will come home with me. Anyway, I'm going to quote CARS to show you how awesome this bag is.

It says, "look at me, here I am, love me." ^^

Anja - Anja Rubik



Greg Kadel

This picture caught my eye right off.
I originally saw this on the blog Coco's Tea Party.
http://www.cocosteaparty.com/search?updated-max=2009-07-06T08%3A30%3A00Z

Coco Before Chanel

Unsurpassable Places


There's always that one place that you can't resist going in when you walk past it. For me, this addicting place is the Antiques Store. Nothing pleases me more than going inside and seeing the organized clutter and walking around on the old hardwood floor that creaks with every step. In the corner on the right, there's an entire briefcase of glass eyeballs. In the side room, there's a collection of Civil War military caps. And the postcards!

Another odd place I love to go in is the luggage store. There's something about different varieties of luggage set in one place.

And the last place I can never pass up an opportunity to go in is the bookstore. Barnes & Noble is my ultimate favorite. :) Just last week I used up the last of the money on my giftcard to buy one book. Somehow, that one book translated into three purchases. In all, I bought three books. I just couldn't restrain myself.

Do any of you have places you can't pass by on the street?

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Update

I've already seen Star Trek and Transformers 2, so the only logical conclusion is to end the movie-going summer with Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. I'm certain it will fulfill my expectations. They're not very high, since the 5th movie was an epic failure. However, this movie looks halfway decent. Midnight showing, here I come.

My friends may ostracize me when they realize I'm not coming in full costume, but I run a "tight ship." lol. Well, seeing movies isn't the only thing I've been doing this summer. I've gone on scavenger hunts, partied till I dropped, and gone on a steep hike up the side of the mesa at the Petroglyphs. Life couldn't be sweeter.

Movie Update: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Book Update: The Reader by Bernhard Schlink
Music Update: First Train Home by Imogen Heap

On the other hand, recently I've experienced a loss...the whole family has. I hope that we will all be able to support one another and pray for strength.

New Layout

I know that for a very long time now my blog has been black, grey, and red all over. Well, that's (as I'm sure you've noticed) all gone now. I've given it a fresh look, and hopefully a new direction. Blog posts that focus on my photography (whether they're good or not I don't know but I'm going to put them up anyway) will have the title of "Open Eyes." Everything else will vary. We'll see how this whole blogging thing goes. However, I have put in some effort recently. Hooray! Anyway, this post was just a notice to any person who happens to read this blog (I doubt anyone does, but just in case) and hasn't checked in for a long while. I don't want to freak you out lol.

Ellipse - New Album by Imogen Heap




Imogen Heap: Brilliant, funny, informative...this woman makes me smile. :)
For many years now, I have been (I hope) a supportive fan of this talented musician.
I, first off, love her for her close and open relationship with her fans. I've never known any artist to be as connected with their fans. Her v-blogs are always worth watching. For the past 2 years, she has kept the outside world informed on all of her work.
Now we are all waiting anxiously for the release date of her new album...August 25th.

Her music is amazing. Her album "Details" made in her collaborative project FROU FROU was the first album I listened to without doing anything else at the same time. It was the first time in my life that I actually laid down on my bedroom floor and listened to an album all the way through.

Her new single "First Train Home" is available for listening at http://stereogum.com/archives/album-art/new-imogen-heap---first-train-home_078841.html

One of my favorite poems

Once on a yellow piece of paper with green lines
he wrote a poem
And he called it "Chops"
because that was the name of his dog
And that's what it was all about
And his teacher gave him an A
and a gold star
And his mother hung it on the kitchen door
and read it to his aunts
That was the year Father Tracy
took all the kids to the zoo
And he let them sing on the bus
And his little sister was born
with tiny toenails and no hair
And his mother and father kissed a lot
And the girl around the corner sent him a
Valentine signed with a row of X's
and he had to ask his father what the X's meant
And his father always tucked him in bed at night
And was always there to do it.

Once on a piece of white paper with blue lines
he wrote a poem
And he called it "Autumn"
because that was the name of the season
And that's what it was all about
And his teacher gave him an A
and asked him to write more clearly
And his mother never hung it on the kitchen door
because of its new paint
And the kids told him
that Father Tracy smoked cigars
And left butts on the pews
And sometimes they would burn holes
That was the year his sister got glasses
with thick lenses and black frames
And the girl around the corner laughed
when he asked her to go see Santa Claus
And the kids told him why
his mother and father kissed a lot
And his father never tucked him in bed at night
And his father got mad
when he cried for him to do it.

Once on a paper torn from his notebook
he wrote a poem
And he called it "Innocence: A Question"
because that was the question about his girl
And that's what it was all about
And his professor gave him an A
and a strange steady look
And his mother never hung it on the kitchen door
because he never showed her
That was the year that Father Tracy died
And he forgot how the end
of the Apostle's Creed went
And he caught his sister
making out on the back porch
And his mother and father never kissed
or even talked
And the girl around the corner
wore too much makeup
That made him cough when he kissed her
but he kissed her anyway
because that was the thing to do
And at three A.M. he tucked himself into bed
his father snoring soundly

That's why on the back of a brown paper bag
he tried another poem
And he called it "Absolutely Nothing"
Because that's what it was really all about
And he gave himself an A
and a slash on each damned wrist
And he hung it on the bathroom door
because this time he didn't think
he could reach the kitchen.

-- Taken from The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Open Eyes









The Tunnels in the Jemez