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 ]

1 minute photoshop: creativity

I'm trying, I'm trying.

Viva Lost Vegas

A few weeks ago my boyfriend and I went to Las Vegas. He was assigned to a work conference and I got to tag along. This was my first time to go. Vegas had never been one of my top destination places, but I always considered it somewhere I should visit before I die. The allure was not so much in the potential to dive into debauchery and then leave it all behind, but to hopefully get a peek at the glitz and sparkle that I came to know in films of the 60's and 70's. Apparently there's not much of that left. Yes, there's glitz and sparkle but its shine is more Dion than Dino. 

We stayed on the strip but fortunately found some time to head downtown. While it did not quite hold up to my retro notions and hopes, we were able to see that many relics were still there hearkening back to more Rat Packy times. Many of the old neon signs were there simply as landmarks, but there were also tons welcoming visitors to casinos and restaurants that were still very much open. Seeing these signs made me hungry for more history, and I quickly realized that most of what I wanted existed only on paper and photographs. 

Vegas seems to shed its skin like its constantly preparing for another layer of self-tanner. It's kinda gross and never content with how it looks. I'm sad for this, and like with many of my other hopeless wishes for times passed I'll have to settle for "progress" and find solace in Google searches, memories and movies. As my kind of love letter to the old days I made a series called "Viva Lost Vegas" which are simplified signs from a few of the Casinos and Hotels that once were or still are and reach back to those times. You can see them all after the jump...

these shapes will (kill) you

Here we go again. In a part 2 to this, I am bringing you the dastardly shapes that will kill you. The options were sort of limitless... yet I settled upon these. I almost wish I had kept going and made it extra long, but I wanted to stick with 20 as with the other poster. But come on.... French FRY would have been a great follow to the "french foe". I'm not going to strain my brain about it though; I just knock these weird things out try not to look back. I sometimes feel like I have an inner voice after making this stuff that says, "ok do you feel better now" and then I answer "meh, sure I guess". And that's that. P.S. My brain is sort of like a generic brand of tapioca today... lots of work, no sleep, many power outages, and dull flat-lining thoughts. Apologies if it turns out I accidentally posted a grocery list or cute photos of dachshunds doing cute things that only I would care about. Oh and while I'm dolling out apologies... sorry Australia. You're great, and I'm not scared. 

it's 2011 - let's celebrate February!

Well it's a new month and as promised here is a new desktop wallpaper to commemorate the month. February is National Boost Your Self Esteem Month! So look in the mirror and say "damn you look good" at least once a day. Also don't forget that this month is also Dental Month, Pudding Snack Month, and Typewriter Appreciation month. Sounds like a party.

P.S. I have to be honest, I'm not totally jazzed with this wallpaper, BUT I'm trying to stick with the plan and keep making one of the suckers every month. Time sort of slipped away and I made this on the fly. However, it's all yours for the low, low, low price of free. Size options are below. Just follow the link...

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deep bullshit

It's weird how that works. It is nightmare inducing to find yourself alone in the shower with a hair that is not your own. Oddly enough, I probably wouldn't freak out if the same thing happened in my food. Yes I know, doesn't make sense. Priorities Erin, priorities.

need to want less: spare

One of my biggest faults as a human being is my inability to take care of my car. Ok, that's a bit dramatic but if there were ever a need for a 13th step (or 1/2 step?) in my 12 step program, it would be for this. In my history of owning cars I consistently fail to properly maintain them. Case in point my most recent ticket for expired registration. It's all about laziness and it's a hurdle I can't seem to get past.

My current vehicle is a Honda, which I understand is a highly sought after car in the thieving world. To look at mine one would think it is pleading not to be stolen by looking as hideous as possible. This my friends is the new smart car... self-preservation by appearing weak. Alright, maybe not... it truly needs help, starting with the tires. The treads are worn thin and knowing me I will wait until the wires are poking out as a final sign that there is no avoiding making the boring purchase. I'd rather spend that money on donuts. Just think how many sprinkles that is. Mmmmm. All roads lead back to sugar.

recovering stuffaholic

Since I am so marvelous at keeping up with this site I figured, hey why not start ANOTHER blog, especially considering how well that's worked out in the past (Little Pink Spoon, Reverse Engineer... and those are the ones that I sort of committed to briefly). I can't seem to stop myself; something seems like a good idea and the damn internet makes it so easy to act on these impulses.

Ok, so I have created a little sister site called Recovering Stuffaholic. Original I know. I don't know really what I want to do with it, where it will go, or if it will quickly wear out its purpose to unburden some part of my mind and then die. What I AM aiming to do is create an outlet for my other problem (aside from laziness in case anyone wasn't clear), which is collecting and keeping loads of crap. With my last move, and the ever watchful and worried eye of my boyfriend, the realization of just how much stuff I have became overwhelmingly clear. When you live on your own you can learn to ignore it; it feels like it belongs or becomes invisible.

I realized (rather could not avoid) that it was/is time to declutter or at least try to purge a great deal of the junk, if not for the sake of space, for the sake of the relationship. I also found myself wondering, as I'm sure most pack rats do, why... WHY? Why so much? Seriously, why do I still have a Lil Homie that I paid $.25 for? Why do I have a Liz Claiborne purse from 1987? Why do I have 100 misc stickers? I firmly believe that a lot of it is rooted in genetics; I come from a family of collectors. Then there's the fact that I'm a sentimental person. Also, I like being able to have something when I need it -- ready for any occasion (although using that rationale, I should consider getting groceries more often). Beyond that a psychiatrist would have to explain the deeper meaning.

Regardless of the reasons for my mess the fact remains that there is too much. Recovering Stuffaholic is/will be:

1) A place to chronicle all of the crap that I'm sifting through and what becomes of it
2) A reason to create another Flickr account (3 don't seem enough). I mainly use the Recovering Lazyholic one so at this point it's bursting at the seams with all kinds of random stuff... photos, illustrations, family photos, ephemera, nonsense. Having an account to compartmentalize these things will help my main account stay more focused. On this new account I will have mostly scans of books, magazines, photos... all the odds and ends that I have, shouldn't have, or just got rid of. Some of it I will probably post on here from time to time. You can find it here.
3) Updated when I have the time, so no promises on how often I will post (I will however be adding stuff to the Flickr account pretty often I'm guessing).

And this was my really long introduction to a project that may never take off but exists for now. Wish me luck as I try to curb my ratty ways.

it's 2011- let's celebrate january!

One day last year I was marveling at all of the various "National Month of _______" pseudo holidays. Just as there seem to be reality shows covering every inane trade/celebrity/business venture there too are days/months deemed to commemorate everything under the sun. I find it fascinating and hilarious. Example, January is also "Mailorder Gardening Month". Where they come from and just who observes them, I have no idea.

I have been wanting to make a calendar of some sort for a while now and somehow I paired my absurd new findings with a desktop wallpaper project. You can expect/fear more at the beginning of each month. I'm sure it will be very educational. Links for January options are below.

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1 minute photoshop: mediocrity

Yeah, I have added yet another half-glass illustration into the world, further driving the cliche into overdone territory. I can't seem to help how I feel though, or stop myself from letting the world (or 10 people) know that life right now is feeling like a big glass of meh. Could be worse, could be better. At this point I'm kinda rooting for picking a side and running with it though. I want my cup to runneth over or be thrown in my face.

deep bullshit

I pride myself on being an independent person (comes in handy on bad hair days and severe weather alerts). But on many occasions this independence has come across more like self-imposed solitary confinement, a behavior that has been misunderstood and sometimes hurtful. So to all of those folks, this is for you. And as Edith Ann would say, that's the truth.

now here is a pet friend

Last night I took some photos for my friend's super secret new collaborative music project. This is Beatrice, the studio's mascot... or I have proclaimed her as that if she doesn't already hold that title. Don't let this cute face fool you; she's fierce, in a completely adorable way... no-one ever tore my arm apart so sweetly.

Can't wait by the way to share the photos and details of the project. You're in for some outstanding music.

deep bullshit

I think this self-service requires more finesse than I can muster. I look like a 1st grader with a homemade haircut again and again and again.

deep bullshit

As I have mentioned, I have been updating my website. Well I'm almost done... finally. I wanted to take a quick break and share one of my newer projects. It's called Deep Bullshit... you know, Jack Handy meets 1st grader meets mopey teenager, or something like that.



I suppose it's another variation on a running theme... minimal illustrations matched with some sort of thought. This time however I wanted to go more abstract if possible. I can't seem to disconnect shapes from ideas and these posters are examples of the immediate imagery that pops in my head with each passing confession/declaration. Some are probably more straightforward than others. They're all intended to be dumbed-down design for thoughts that aren't as deep as they wish they were.



Here's a quick view of more. The rest can be seen on my site (click each thumbnail to view larger).

film friday: B-E-A-C-H

This week marked the beginning of summer, even though for many this means nothing... you're either already out of school or working like it's any other time of the year. Anyway I thought this would be the perfect time to remember a genre that was all about the season -- Beach Party movies. I can't say that I've seen most, if any, of these films, but I love the fun and sugary vibe they suggest. Makes me want to be there, living it up in a technicolor, problem-free sandy world with the Beach Boys playing non-stop. These movies may have been short on substance but when it's summer sometimes all that's called for is dancing with your friends and swimming your cares away.

I don't have any videos again, because yikes that's A LOT of movies so here's a song and a video instead. I was going to make a whole playlist, but, well time slipped away. P.S. You can watch Beach Party on Hulu.

Beach Boys - Good Vibrations download at emp3

1 minute photoshop: comprehension

The other day I was having a moment. Some days I feel better with age, closer to finding that inner peace or at least more patience and understanding than say a decade ago. Then just like that, with a bad night's sleep or a disagreement, the universe is turned upside down. Not because of the event in itself (that would be more dramatic than even I am capable of) but because I feel silly for my naivety in believing it's possible to have a consistent and proud handle on life. Don't get me wrong, everything's a-ok. I enjoy the occasional I'm-WAY-smaller-than-the-world revelations and am coming to terms with what I can't/won't wrap my head around, no matter how old I get.

need to want less: youth

I don't obsess much over my looks but one area I can't ignore is my hair, at least the grey part. I got my first grey hair when I was in high school and I would venture to say at this point I'm probably about 45% grey. I have no idea, because my hair is always loaded up with some crappy box color. Every time my roots grow out I run for the dye before I can be shocked by the reality of my aging hair. Some people have said they like the salt and pepper look. And I do, just not on me. I don't know where this premature adieu to being a brunette comes from... not from my parents. Non-existent vitamin intake. Stress. Whatever the case I'm not ready to embrace the change. And no matter my financial situation denial is something I'm unfortunately willing to splurge on.

1 minute photoshop: infestation

I'm miserable. When I think I can't get any itchier, I do. I haven't actually seen the critter(s) that have decided to gnaw all over my skin, but I the signs of their handiwork are clear. It's uncomfortably annoying. Welcome summer.

film friday: play with your food

I meant to post this last Friday, but I ran out of time. Then I got sick. And now, well here we are. These movies don't have much do to with summer films -- a theme I've been sort of trying to stick to -- but it's the first thing that came to my mind in keeping with the theme of the (last) week. Food is not the main character, but makes a memorable cameo. Dig in.

FOOD TRAILERS:

need to want less: convenience

Meh, I'm not exactly wild about this but it mainly exists to illustrate a point. Yet again I'm touching on food stuff, an accidental on-going theme. I don't think of myself as someone with eating issues, BUT I must be. Maybe not the conventional ones though (say, eating too much, not enough, not keeping it down... you know, all the After School Special stuff). I like to eat. I like really good food. But I will settle for the mediocre out of laziness. Beyond that, yeah I'm still not too keen on veggies. Add to that, I don't have a whole lot of money (that's probably my lamest excuse but my favorite go-to).

I eat crap. I have a long history of barely digesting crap, and one of these days I'm sure it will catch up to me. I don't think about my eating habits often, but clearly it's something that's on my mind. As someone that is about the furthest thing from a "foodie" I focus on the have-not, the shortcomings of my diet versus the what I do right or could do better. And as somebody that is not a cook, not a culinary risk taker, I sometimes find it funny that the majority of my work history has been at restaurants, that I love cooking shows, and the idea of baking makes me giddy. I feel this so-close-yet-so far relationship with food, like I was meant to embrace it but don't know how or haven't come to terms with it.

Could it be my infant allergies, or my restricted menu when I had no teeth as a pre-teen, or lack of exposure to "the finer things", or fear of the unknown. It's not normal, but I have over the years accepted the oddity as just being me instead of really making a go of changing. Point is, laziness is my biggest enemy right now and changing that is the real place to start. I've got such food-on-the-brain I've decided to dedicate this weeks' posts to edible-ish goodies. Not my typical theme so we'll see how it goes. Thankfully it's a short week.