Resolutions

1. GET BETTER AT CARDS
- writing cards, keeping in touch
- playing cards

2. LEARN HARMONICA?

Question mark because I'm not sure I can really follow through with that one...but this man promises to be my guide:

Saying Goodbye to the Ghost

Last week they announced that one of my neighborhood buses would be discontinued. I was a little heartbroken, but also strangely relieved.

I called it the Ghost Bus because it appeared out of nowhere, mostly when you least expected it. It threw timetables to the wind and showed up five minutes early when it felt like it (or was it fifteen minutes late?). Once on the bus, you'd see the same characters every time. The bus driver, the lady with the little kid, the housecleaner dragging her vacuum and rolling suitcase full of supplies, and the couple who took the bus only one block. Old ladies heading to the senior center or hospital were there in the front, moving gingerly as the driver waited for them to be seated. I liked these characters and I will miss their silent company.

In a way, it was time for me to let go of the Ghost Bus. It was like a bad boyfriend - it promised to be there and then wasn't, always letting me down at critical moments. But like a bad boyfriend, I still romanticize it a little. The Ghost Bus was quieter, faster, and hobo-free. It was a natural gas bus, not one of the electrics that rely on those antennae, so it swept along with no trouble.

I take the other buses now, looking out at the buildings whose facades I memorized long ago before I tried the Ghost Bus. I listen to people try out all of the ring tones on their phones, testing each one to make sure they are choosing a ring that matches their personality. The faces here are sometimes familiar, but there are no regulars. I am not even a regular on these buses, now that they come with greater frequency. It makes me think about the way people in other areas wait for trains or buses - do they take the same comfort in seeing familiar faces on their commutes?

The Remix

This video is kind of blowing my mind. Found it on this lovely blog, and it was just what I needed. Over the past few months, it seemed like the universe narrowed in to a microscopic level - a level at which every detail and decision was a big one. But seeing this video - a hilarious but very well done pastiche - I am reminded that I am small and there are lands, planets, universes around me. While I am alive, I should run around in their wild grasses and maybe awkwardly point out to their unknown borders. Or view all of the above from my spaceship (unfortunately, still in the shop on repairs).

Best line: "If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe."

Blog of Note: Dull Tool Dim Bulb

Jim Linderman documents an impressive variety of ephemera on his blog, Dull Tool Dim Bulb - he's got posts on fashion trends, amusing imagery, pulp illustrators and things you can make...and that's just the start of it. But there's something beyond the endless photos and postcards and weird propaganda from another time that he lovingly documents - I think it's the collection as a whole, the portrait of a person fascinated with culture and communication. I have met people like this before, and in reading Dull Tool Dim Bulb I feel I have been lucky enough to meet one more. This site is a golmine in terms of links - I've found so many great blogs by clicking around here. Thanks, Jim!

Mieke Willems

I have been reading this blog for the past few years, marveling at the beautiful things these two girls have collected, made and discovered. Their images have inspired some of my sewing projects, and I decided I had to go to Antwerp to see the shop they opened a while back. With no online store, it seemed like they were beckoning me: come, shop, explore. I like specialty stores that only exist in one place - it's a destination, a sight to be seen.

So I booked a flight, and got to see the shop and buy some lovely handmade things. And when I got home - poof! - they opened a webshop so everyone can buy their wares. I think it was a bit of magic - if the shop had opened sooner, I might not have discovered all sorts of other nice things in Antwerp.

The Smell of Summer

I stopped writing for a while to smell the warm air and wander around a little. It was a dreamlike summer (and autumn) but now I am back in my cozy hovel, with no vacation in sight. Time to hunker down and mull over the things I've seen, beginning near the end and winding my way back.

Anneke Jakobs

Just read this article in Dezeen about a recent project by Anneke Jakobs, in which an old, broken chair is sliced up into a few thousand buttons and distributed to people around the world.

What lovely images!

I'm always interested in what people have to say about the concepts of HOME and GLOBALIZATION, and this one is a nice iteration of the desire to share one's private space with strangers. Jakobs' approach seems more earnest and less voyeuristic than other projects which may infiltrate our lives via the internet or TV. But it begs the question: why do we so badly want to connect with strangers, especially those who live so far away? What does it mean to give someone in China or Kenya or Canada a piece of your chair, and what does it mean to them to receive it? Do they get as much out of it as you do? Or is it strange to assume that people want to accept a piece of you into their lives?

I think back to my childhood pen pals - it was a sort of forced interaction piqued with mutual curiosity. Come to think of it, I guess is how any friendship begins. I wonder whether this chair project will bring people into Jakobs' world the way she hopes to be a part of theirs.

J. Press

J. Press is a nice example of American menswear - it's a little uptight, but all brands are if you wear them head to toe. Just stay away from those sack suits and khakis! Oh my. I like the plaids J. Press chooses - just seeing them reminds me how textiles are a record of our nation's history, and how circular the fashion industry is. It's nice to see patterned textiles take center stage without looking tacky.

Classy basics like PJs and handkerchiefs are timeless:




You might have seen these pants at a 1960s golf course:


But this neckwear - it looks so fresh! Hipsters, I know you're breaking your piggy banks for these gems:





I am continuing to explore what it means to be an American, and what in our nation's short history has influenced the rest of the world in a positive manner. Not imperialistic things, but more along the lines of boundary-pushing perspectives, enthusiasm for hard work and quality, and the unbreakable faith in dreams. For anyone who might challenge that these things still reside deep within American ideals, perhaps citing Wal-Mart and cheese puffs and Grand Theft Auto as examples, I beg to differ. I've added a new label, "classically American," and I hope to cite more brands and sites that help to prove my point. So #1 on the list (in no particular order) is J. Press, a company that values craftsmanship and expresses a style that can only be described as American. Thanks, dudes!

Sign Language

The Telegraph has this great photo journal for funny signs, all submitted by readers. I miss seeing this kind of stuff in person...I think it's time for a vacation.

Sound and Image

I haven't watched music videos in a while, so the other day while sewing I clicked around on Pitchfork and found some I like:


Tortoise - Prepare Your Coffin



You can tell, almost instantly, that this is San Francisco. The wires, the bumpy BART walls, that church in Japantown. I like the mix of action and still photography - it works well with the song and helps you to see the photographer's perspective. Nicely done!

Royksopp - The Girl and the Robot (feat. Robyn)



Robyn always wears the craziest things...things that inspire me to branch out a little. Look at those earrings! Ah! I also like the part where the scientist/salesman winks at the other guy. Oh yeah.

Grizzly Bear - Two Weeks

Two Weeks


I saw this on stereogum. It's so strange, and so beautiful. Unco!

Stop Motion Videos

I can't get enough of this stuff - stop motion is so simple and yet, with a little ingenuity and some time you can make amazing videos. My recent favorites:

Wolf and Pig / A Wolf Loves Pork (via designboner)




Shapemaker (via Tas-ka)

Flight of the Conchords

This video cracks me up - I like the puppetlike way his arm moves when he says " Voila mon passport!" And the grocery store scene! Hahahaha!

Carl Honore on Slowing Down

I just watched Carl Honore's TED talk about living life more slowly. I can't wait to read his book!

Defenders

This rabbit appears to be standing next to the cold I caught. I thought he only chewed up books and fabric, but apparently he can defend himself from evil, wherever it may lurk.

Back to bed.

Blog of Note: Cake Wrecks

A friend showed me this blog, Cake Wrecks, and as I scrolled through I understood why: this is exactly my sense of humor. Check out some gems I snagged from their site:




I just decorated a birthday cake, and somehow none of these ideas came to mind. Crazy! I think I will make every future cake in this style - something ridiculous, something to make us all laugh a little more.

Hyggelig Places: Trader Joe's

I have to admit, I haven't been faithful to Trader Joe's. I used to live a couple of blocks away from one, and I'd go there a couple of times a week during my lunchbreak to buy a few measly groceries and eye the cute checkout guy. I just saw this video and I think it pretty much sums up my relationship with TJ's. I miss it all of a sudden. Maybe I should go get some couscous or something.

Showing Up

I just watched Elizabeth Gilbert's TED talk about creative spirits and genius, and I thought it was really touching and funny. She talked about how in ancient Greece and Rome, people believed that spirits outside of humans were collaborators in the creative process. Daemons, also known as geniuses, would hang around and help you out. As she noted, it humbled the human because his work was not entirely his own. Also, if he screwed up and the work wasn't so great, it wasn't really his fault. Nice!

I won't spoil the rest of it in case you want to hear it in her own words. I like the way she talked about creative people having a potential "out," a way to circumvent the pressure our closest allies often lay on us, even if accidentally. Just show up - just do your part and screw it if it's not so great. Keep going. Next project. Don't worry if your best work is behind you, because there's no way to tell that something even more amazing won't happen.

Omnivore Books and Peter Pauper Press

Yesterday Mom and I headed down to Omnivore, the amazing cookbook store down on Cesar Chavez. We spent a while there, just basking in the treasures we found and admiring the cozy space, and finally we whittled down our stacks to the essentials. I got a small book from Peter Pauper Press - the recipes are so simple, and the illustrations are so beautiful.

Here are some examples of their 1950s graphic covers:

via radlibrary

via tinstars

J.K. Keller's Insecurity Envelopes

This guy is awesome. These laser cut envelopes by J.K. Keller are based on the patterns printed inside of those mundane office envelopes. I wish I got some mail in one - it's so lacy and delicate, less insecure and more dainty than one might expect.

Insecurity Envelopes

Cuckoo Clocks

Grandma and Grandpa gave me an old cuckoo clock they picked up at a garage sale ("one of many"), and I've been searching online for info on assembling it. Along the way I found this picture:

You guys win. Mine is smaller. Are those guns at the top? Creepy.

I read an article about the history of cuckoo clocks here, and it said that Bavarians started making them because they were snowed in every winter. The whole town would come together, making metal cogs in one shop and wooden boxes in another, all in an effort to make clocks. It seems so surreal - would that happen in our times in America? Maybe that's a feeling of community that I've been missing.

Anyways, the gigantic clock people also have these sweet little birdcages. We saw some at the Alameda Antique Fair and they're really beautiful. Feast your eyes on this:

and these:
and my favorite:

The Door To My Heart

I recently moved into a 1920s era apartment with all of the charm you could hope for - the Bay window, hardwood floors, heavy bathtub, telephone nook, and - best of all - a Murphy bed closet. The bed fixture had been removed many years ago, but Dad and I figured we could make our own contraption. In our usual stroke of good luck, he found an old Murphy bed frame on craigslist. This apartment will know the glory of its youth!

via the Murphy Bed Company's website

Murphy beds were introduced in the early 1900s and peaked in popularity around the late '20s when a lot of apartments were being constructed. I guess suburban/single family residence homes have changed our ideas about space and functionality, but I feel like this idea is a timeless gem for urban life.