TiLT

1. Crayons - The artists first tool is how I always like to think of them.  I just got a fresh box the other day to go with my Scribbles coloring book that I wanted to keep out on the dining table when we have guests.  Sort of a feel free to color in my book coffee table experience.  Not that I have all that may guests lately.  Also the amount of colors and how they have expanded themselves at Crayola is ridiculous.  I got a box of 96 crayons!  I love to just pick out the pretty colors read the color sniff the wax and put them back ( I might be weird for doing that).  It just brings back nostalgia.

2. Tokyolife - This book is pretty amazing.  I had it saved on my Amazon and then I was able to get it through my library.  It was this huge and thick tome that I wasn't expecting but pleasantly filled with oodles of knowledge and eye candy.  Each designer or artist that is features comes with a bio and essay written by someone else.  It's almost like an entire Pecha Kucha in a book form about Current Japanese Pop Culture and Art.  I still haven't finished it yet because there is so much content to read through.

3. Treat Yo Self - yup a movement I am well familiar with and I did treat myself last week.  I got this luxurious $160 leopard fleece blanket (on sale for $70 at Macys'). Two new pairs of shoes and a cute Harajuku Lovers purse.  Sometimes you need to just enjoy the material things in life without consequences.  I wasn't totally heedless, mind you I had a budget and some items were bought as parts of my completing a wedding registry.  Still it felt good.

4. Night Watch - The book not the movie.  It is a much better book then I had expected.  The world and how they describe is all just eerie and dark enough to give you the chills.  The way the story flips between point of views is something I also enjoyed and how it isn't just one continuous story line but several stories all surrounding one character who is not a big hero, not the best in his agency but he does his job.  I don't find it as scary as I've heard but I do have a larger tolerance for gore, fright and things that go bump in the night then most people (or so I'm told).

5. Graduate School Application.  Why is this something I love?  It seems a bit strange but forcing myself to go through this process and investigate has been a real joy.  It has been like peering into the looking glass to evaluate myself as an artist and my happiness with current life. There has been some ugliness I have found and this process but with the Graduate Application and my hopes of acceptance that will change the ugliness.  Personal life couldn't be better and this has also made me look through and appreciate the goodness and my budding married life.  My Husband has been nothing to supportive of this endeavor and I know it will be difficult but it also makes me happy to move forward in my life.

Pecha Kucha

It's nothing new but it's fun and you might have it in your area too!

It started in Japan according to the all knowing Wikipedia, it means to "chit-chat"
To put it shortly you have several presenter's allowed 20secs for 20 slides to talk about almost anything.  Typical topics are inspirations, what their business is and how it helps the community and life changing moments to share with the world.  For locals you can see all the going on here.  If you don't live in Columbus, Ohio no worries, there is probably a spot close to you as well which you can look up on their main website, Pecha Kucha.

This particular one I went to several weeks ago was at the Columbus Museum of Art.  It was packed, I am short, thus I had to review half of the night through the glass ceiling reflection. you can see how crazy full it was.  Thankfully people shifted and after the intermission my friend Claire and I were able to sneak to the front and see some of the presentations we were waiting for.

Here is the Video from that night! I Enjoyed them all but my favorites were Amy Turn Sharp (Little Alouette) and the Lesbian Mother Julia Applegate.  I was very happy to hear the Idea Foundry and Open Heart Art Studio because those are things I had long been wondering about.  Hearing them talk about their concepts and goals made it so much more clear to me as what they are and what they are doing in Columbus with the arts.

ENJOY!