Hermeto Pascoal

I want to quit my job and play music in the river.

Melon Potholders

There are instructions for these melon potholders on The Purl Bee. Wheee - summer is here!

Steve Reich Channels My Dreams

Steve Reich's Nagoya Marimbas

I like the guy at the beginning who signals his appreciation by raising his skinny fists to the sky. ROCK ON, DUDES.

Deck Towel

These handsome linen towels are from Deck Towel. You can also find them at Gravel & Gold. They remind me of a light cotton towel my old boss brought back for me from India - I can almost feel it fluttering in the breeze. Summer's here!

Guatemala City, May 31st

photo via Flickr

This photo seems so fake, like a Photoshop job...but sadly, it's not. There are deep, dark places under our concrete foundations.

Tauba Auerbach and Cameron Mesirow

I saw these videos on Root Blog, another noteworthy place to visit. These lovely ladies remind me of artists from the 1920s, like Lyubov Popova and Varvara Stepanova, whose collaborations moved through different media to create a unique perspective of the world and its possibilities. I also love that Ida Falck Øien's costumes relate to their collaboration, forcing each to rely on the other to dress. Those shoes are dreamy.

Blog of Note: But Does it Float

But Does it Float is a blog filled with amazing imagery and links to even more. Just look what I found there!

David Bazan Covers Vic Chestnutt

This song is so beautifully written.

Classy? Well, not really...but they'd go well with these:

or these things, which seem to be sold everywhere:


But it all begs the question: is this design? I know it's supposed to be cheeky and referential, a meme of sorts...but those original plastic objects were DESIGNED with elements that made them stackable, sturdy, easy to hold and lightweight. I am still in awe of the original designs because they met their purposes to the highest degree. For once, I'm in favor of the plastic versions.

Derick Melander

Derick Melander makes sculptural pieces from folded used clothing. I'd love to see him work with Jean Shin:

Square

Square is a plug in device that allows you to complete credit card transactions on iPhones, iPads and other smartphones. WOAH. After dealing with two clunky web-based merchants, I am totally dazzled with this new option. Not that I currently have an iPad or a business that sells things, but I'm keeping this one in the files anyways.

The interface looks really clean and simple, and it helps you keep all of your transactions in one place. Check out the video... don't be too alarmed by the guy's creepy tone. SQUARE WILL BE EVERYWHERE but it's an okay thing.

Letting Others Do the Cleaning

Areca palm

English ivy

Dwarf date palm

Boston fern

Janet Craig dracaena

Australian sword fern

Peace lily

Rubber plant

Weeping fig

I've been busy, to say the least. I am hoping these plants will do some of the dirty work and clean up the air in my apartment. I'm much too busy bumbling around and sticking my finger in the wind for a sense of direction. Interesting article here. Thanks, NASA!

Chemical Heritage Foundation Kaleidoscopes

These kaleidoscopic images are blowing my mind! I wish I could show the close-ups - you can zoom in on the images on the CHF website to see each individual Bakelite button, light bulb and miscroscope. I wish every museum would sift through its collections to do something along these lines. It's fun and instills curiosity about some of the more mundane objects in the CHF's immense collection of scientific ephemera. Way to go, guys!

Red Hot

Crazy for Music

I like music, you know? But there's something about music-related tschotchkes that just baffles me. I mean, come on:




On the other hand, I love this image:


I feel like my grandparents would send a card with this image on it. I have one with cats, fully dressed, eating cookies. Divine!