happy weekend

Have a jumpin' weekend!

weekly prescription

HELPFUL WAYS TO GET THERE:

Read -- [ randomhouse.com ] ... do it, read it, love it

Watch -- [ Magpictures.com ] ... probably one of the best movies I've seen all year

Listen -- [ YouTube ] ... scary obsessed

Do -- [ Wallstreetjournal ] ... maybe THIS is the key

Austin Event -- [ texascraftbrewersfest.com ] ... the weather couldn't be better

project lemonade: dead tree

I make no promises that this will become a regular feature, because let's face it, there is nothing regular about any of my postings as of late. BUT, the intention here is to occasionally focus on those not so great situations or blights in life that pop up every now and then, and find the positive spin. Some people call this making lemonade.

Today we unfortunately have to say goodbye to a gargantuan tree that's in our front yard. We've known that it's diseased, however it still looks glorious and provides a ton of shade. The moment that a giant limb basically plopped onto our house in a very mild rain storm we knew the time had come to take some drastic measures. The downside.. well, it's a lot of money. Also, it's a living time capsule. It's kind of hard to make the conscious decision to remove a thing of beauty. (Quick note: there is an implied "we" in this story, but the tough choices have landed in my better half's court.)

So what can you do with a tree that's been given a death sentence? Find out after the jump...

my shirt does the talking

Never has t-shirt been more appropriate for me. And now I own it. My life is complete. Would it be weird if I wore it everyday? It feels like a necessary preamble... I am Erin, read my shirt. Done.

Available via the wonderful folks at Print Liberation.

I wish this was

It's been a very "streamy" kind of week, as I also recently watched Urbanized, a documentary by filmmaker Gary Hustwit. All together I really enjoyed it, and the emphasis put on public transportation, collective design, and community voice. The latter was represented on US grounds with artist Candy Chang's New Orleans project "I Wish This Was".

After Hurricane Katrina she placed vinyl stickers across store fronts in neighborhoods ravaged by the storm. Each tag prompted action by leaving an empty spot for folks to jot down what they would rather have in that building's place. Of course it's visually interesting, but better yet allowed the city to give feedback that otherwise was falling on deaf ears. It's a pretty great marriage of street art and real life.


[ image via Candychang.com ]

map of texas

I recently watched the film Bernie, which is based on a true story that took place in East Texas back in 1996. For some reason my expectations were fairly low, or maybe non-existent is more apt. Lo and behold it was a pretty great movie, in large part due to the performances of the chatterbox townsfolk. If memory serves (and I'm apparently too lazy to look this up AS I TYPE ON A COMPUTER WITH INTERNET) many players were not actors, but actual citizens of the town. This scene is one of my favorites. And if you live, or have ever lived in Texas, you'll know why.

wiener wednesday

Apparently the great Gaines-burger shortage of yore didn't make it to the history books. This crisis is news to me. Thankfully the legions of dachshunds were able to carry on.

[ via The Long and Short of It ]

summer weather

I'm 100% in love with this series by Michael Jang. Summer Weather documented folks in the 80's as they tried out to become weather reporters, and was recently rediscovered by the photographer. It's one hell of a time capsule, and it's just been released in book form. I wonder how they all fared, especially Miss Intensity in photo #1 (who strangely reminds me of a teacher I once had, and / or the lost member of Stryper that not only sang rock'n hymns, but surely also developed synchronized hair dancing).

Read more about it here, and check out all of Jang's work over on his site.

confliction

I need to tape this to my hands. Always free, doesn't mean always eat. So stop it Erin.

Cinemagraphs

I don't know what hocus pocus brings these images to life, and it's probably better that way. Kevin Burg and Jamie Beck are the mad scientists behind Cinemagraphs. Their work ranges in theme, from food / fashion / lifestyle. My favorite is the NYC city series. There is a calm eeriness throughout, as if the world is on the brink of abandonment and we're on the fringes witnessing it. View more here.

secret club tags

This only manages to feed my illogical love for old motel fobs. Add to that, I love the idea of joining clubs. AND, when you order one of these suckers from Three Potato Four you get your very own membership number printed on it. If only I needed 6 different key chains. You can buy your own here. 

speechless

Whoaaaa. Weird. YES! And so concludes my bizarrely excited outburst over this series of ventriloquist photos over on Buzzfeed.

factory 20

Welcome to one of my favorite places to window shop -- Factory 20. It almost hurts to find so many things that I "can't live without", and it's a bonus that they shoot their products so stylishly. My only gripe (other than not being a millionaire) is that I wish it was a bit easier to quickly peruse the site. I somehow doubt that the trivial rumblings of a penny pincher matter much though.

Crispin Finn

I of course love Crispin Finn's minimal and slightly retro approach, but also admire and dig their dedication to a color scheme. The UK based duo really has a clean, yet fun, style. I especially love this bag, this poster (of course), this tea towel, and this planner.


Check out more here: website | twitter | tumblr

just beachy

One of these days I will tire of puns, and it will be a joyful day for everyone that knows me. In the mean time I gift you all with one more to suffer through. And as another extension of bidding adieu to summer, I present images from my sunny last hurrah. Have a great extended weekend!

film friday: summer c(h)amps

The end up summer is upon us with Labor Day just around the corner. Technically the season carries on a bit longer, and here in Texas, the weather thumbs its nose at the calendar and keeps on keepin' on until October or November. For many though, this holiday weekend marks the end of vacations and outdoor adventures.

With this change to the seasons I thought it was the perfect time to squeeze in my silly homage to one of my favorite movie genres -- summer camp. Is that really a genre? Let's just say it is.

When I was growing up, summer camp represented to me either hijinks or getting hacked up. This is at least the expectation that film represented; there was no middle ground, just extreme experiences and outcomes -- anything goes (virginity, body parts). Reality, on the other hand, delivered a dose of arts and crafts, swimming, and letter writing. Not quite as exciting, but probably for the better since I left with my head still attached. Bill Murray would have been a welcome addition to the camp roster however.

So good-bye summer, but long live one of the stickiest, ickiest and raunchiest pleasures of cinema.

Trailers of each movie after the jump:

instagram

I mentioned that I finally got caught up in Instagram. Well, maybe not caught up but I'm definitely enjoying the app, and was really excited when it finally came to Android. I think what limits my usage is the lack of diversity in my life. I apparently only work, sleep, go out to eat, sit at a computer, watch movies, and swim. Ok, now that I see that in writing, I recognize that my daily calendar isn't necessarily a wasteland. I DO do things. And I should take more pictures. Noted, self. If you want to follow my attempt at sometimes taking pictures of random things, you can find me as @recoveringlazyholic.

semi-desperately seeking unlaziness

Once upon a time there was a girl, and she had a blog. Then she got a job. And here come the excuses. It's been so long, at this point I'm probably talking to myself. That's ok. That's how it all started, and perhaps how it will end. BUT I'm not saying good-bye just yet. We'll see if I can snap out of this lazy streak.

Part of my problem is that I work on-line, and when that's your job I feel like you end up in one of two camps -- the "Super User" gobbling up everything you can, all day, every day; or the "Ugh, enough. See you tomorrow overwhelming portal of never ending information and visual vomit".  A daily commitment has been hard. I've come to think of myself as having an internet consumption disorder. In my free time I sometimes nibble, and then every now and then I binge... and then purge. I'm seeking a happy, healthy medium. 


While I've been away, I've tried to dip my toe into the webverse. Like so many others I've created a Pinterest account. I'm not sure I'll stick with it; there are only so many dachshund photos in the world, and so few people that share my obsession. I've also jumped on the Instagram bandwagon and have been enjoying that, although I haven't really leveraged the social aspects of it. Follow... comment... respond... what? If you want to take a chance on my indifference, feel free to follow/friend me. How's that for an appeal. But really, maybe I'll be more prone to use these things if there are more folks to interact with. 


So that's that.... fatigued and lazy, but looking for a comeback. Sounds like an apathetic half-hearted personals ad. Who wants to sort of hang? 



[ Image credit ??? ]

Wiener wednesday

Happy leap day!

Regular posting to resume soon.

pacific northwest

NPR recently posted a beautiful set of images taken in the Pacific Northwest. They're slides taken by Asahel Curtis for the Washington state Department of Conservation and Development in the 1920's. Check out more over here, and a few more of my favorites after the jump. This only makes my urge to travel there greater.