deer in the backyard . . . . . life is good
27 February 2009
26 February 2009
from a fellow blogger
This is a posting that appeared yesterday on the scoop. It was in response to another's blog posting about losing her job and having a bad medical diagnosis all at the same time. I thought the response was extremely thoughtful and worth sharing . . . . .
One of the first blogs I checked in on this morning was designvagabond, where I was saddened to find a post from my dear kattyface who lost her job on Friday. Since then she's also found out about some health problems, only made greater by her loss of a steady income and insurance. It was the last line of her post is what really got me thinking ::
"I don't feel much like posting anything today, as design seems completely frivolous by comparison to everything else that is happening."
This isn't the first time I've heard someone express this sentiment, or something like it...
I, myself, have felt that when I'm not feeling well - either physically or mentally - that maybe posting about a pair of shoes may be "inappropriate," or, as kattyface stated, "completely frivilous". Even in my own house, Jw and I have had several conversations about the repetitiveness of what we find on design blogs; about whether or not there's a point to any of it "when things are so bad everywhere"...
It's an interesting thing to think about. Back when the election was still an upcoming event, the SCOOP received emails and comments about "sticking to the design stuff" - because that's what people want :: to have a place to escape to and take a break from whatever negative & stressful things are going on in their lives or in the world. I definitely agree that there is a time when things will feel frivolous, as kattyface is feeling right now about posting up things on her blog. She has a lot to deal with and maybe she will look to other blogs (or a TV show, or a magazine, etc.) for a bit of a pick-me-up... In one way, yes, putting things into perspective and realizing that browsing through images of interiors, drooling over cute handbags and coveting handmade goodies on Etsy is all pretty superficial - but, on the other hand, finding places to escape to so that you don't become too overwhelmed by the negatives is truly invaluable. I mean, that's exactly what I did just this morning ;)
The image at the top this post is from a poster design by PJ Chmiel .... In all of the talk of the economy and getting your finances in order, it's interesting to think more about what it means to make wise investments. Here's some of the text from Chmiel's poster that really struck a chord with me ::
"Life in years to come may not be the same life we enjoy today, at least in a material sense, but it can be a lot more rewarding than the work/shop/TV/sleep/die life that most of us now lead. The key to weathering the storm lies in joining together in closer-knit groups of family and community; the solutions will not be coming from the top-down, they will be happening from the ground-up... and that is empowering. This is a friendly nudge imploring you to take stock of what you have, imagine the worst-case scenarios, and learn how you can come out with an advantage no matter what the future holds. All of the things i suggest are things that you can probably use anyway, and most make good common sense. Keep in mind that your money could become worthless, and ponder what a tragedy that would be. If you're hungry and there's no electricity, your priorities will change; you might gladly trade your iPhone or your flatscreen for a few potatoes. I hope it never comes to that, but please don't consider it an impossibility, either. Try to stay positive, find strength in your family/ community."
I think that a lot of us (myself included) are going through some much-needed growing pains, and that we just need to be patient while we wait for better times to come.
One of the first blogs I checked in on this morning was designvagabond, where I was saddened to find a post from my dear kattyface who lost her job on Friday. Since then she's also found out about some health problems, only made greater by her loss of a steady income and insurance. It was the last line of her post is what really got me thinking ::
"I don't feel much like posting anything today, as design seems completely frivolous by comparison to everything else that is happening."
This isn't the first time I've heard someone express this sentiment, or something like it...
I, myself, have felt that when I'm not feeling well - either physically or mentally - that maybe posting about a pair of shoes may be "inappropriate," or, as kattyface stated, "completely frivilous". Even in my own house, Jw and I have had several conversations about the repetitiveness of what we find on design blogs; about whether or not there's a point to any of it "when things are so bad everywhere"...
It's an interesting thing to think about. Back when the election was still an upcoming event, the SCOOP received emails and comments about "sticking to the design stuff" - because that's what people want :: to have a place to escape to and take a break from whatever negative & stressful things are going on in their lives or in the world. I definitely agree that there is a time when things will feel frivolous, as kattyface is feeling right now about posting up things on her blog. She has a lot to deal with and maybe she will look to other blogs (or a TV show, or a magazine, etc.) for a bit of a pick-me-up... In one way, yes, putting things into perspective and realizing that browsing through images of interiors, drooling over cute handbags and coveting handmade goodies on Etsy is all pretty superficial - but, on the other hand, finding places to escape to so that you don't become too overwhelmed by the negatives is truly invaluable. I mean, that's exactly what I did just this morning ;)
The image at the top this post is from a poster design by PJ Chmiel .... In all of the talk of the economy and getting your finances in order, it's interesting to think more about what it means to make wise investments. Here's some of the text from Chmiel's poster that really struck a chord with me ::
"Life in years to come may not be the same life we enjoy today, at least in a material sense, but it can be a lot more rewarding than the work/shop/TV/sleep/die life that most of us now lead. The key to weathering the storm lies in joining together in closer-knit groups of family and community; the solutions will not be coming from the top-down, they will be happening from the ground-up... and that is empowering. This is a friendly nudge imploring you to take stock of what you have, imagine the worst-case scenarios, and learn how you can come out with an advantage no matter what the future holds. All of the things i suggest are things that you can probably use anyway, and most make good common sense. Keep in mind that your money could become worthless, and ponder what a tragedy that would be. If you're hungry and there's no electricity, your priorities will change; you might gladly trade your iPhone or your flatscreen for a few potatoes. I hope it never comes to that, but please don't consider it an impossibility, either. Try to stay positive, find strength in your family/ community."
I think that a lot of us (myself included) are going through some much-needed growing pains, and that we just need to be patient while we wait for better times to come.
25 February 2009
24 February 2009
food for thought
Here is the Washington Post's Mensa Invitational which once again asked readers to take any word from the dictionary,alter it by adding,subtracting,or changing one letter,and supply a new definition. Here are the winners:
1. Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period of time.
2. Ignoranus : A person who's both stupid and an asshole.
3. Intaxicaton : Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realize it was your money to start with.
4. Reintarnation : Coming back to life as a hillbilly.
5. Bozone ( n.): The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little signs of breaking down in the near future.
6. Foreploy: Any misrepresentation about yourself for the purpose of getting laid.
7. Giraffiti: Vandalism spray-painted very, very high
8. Sarchasm : The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.
9. Inoculatte : To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.
10. Osteopornosis : A degenerate disease. (This one got extra credit.)
11. Karmageddon : It's like, when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it's like, a serious bummer.
12. Decafalon (n.): The gruelling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you.
13. Glibido : All talk and no action.
14. Dopeler Effect: The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.
15. Arachnoleptic Fit (n.): The frantic dance performed just after you've accidentally walked through a spider web.
16. Beelzebug (n.) : Satan in the form of a mosquito, that gets into your bedroom at three in the morning and cannot be cast out.
17. Caterpallor ( n.): The color you turn after finding half a worm in the fruit you're eating.
The Washington Post has also published the winning submissions to its yearly contest, in which readers are asked to supply alternate meanings for common words. And the winners are:
1. coffee , n. the person upon whom one coughs.
2. flabbergasted , adj. appalled by discovering how much weight one has gained.
3. abdicate , v. to give up all hope of ever having a flat stomach.
4. esplanade , v. to attempt an explanation while drunk.
5. willy-nilly , adj. impotent.
6. negligent , adj. absentmindedly answering the door when wearing only a nightgown.
7. lymph , v. to walk with a lisp.
8. gargoyle , n. olive-flavored mouthwash.
9. flatulence , n. emergency vehicle that picks up someone who has been run over by a steamroller.
10. balderdash , n. a rapidly receding hairline.
11. testicle , n. a humorous question on an exam.
12. rectitude , n. the formal, dignified bearing adopted by proctologists.
13. pokemon , n.. a Rastafarian proctologist.
14. oyster , n. a person who sprinkles his conversation with Yiddishisms.
15. Frisbeetarianism, n. the belief that, after death, the soul flies up onto the roof and gets stuck there.
16. circumvent, n. an opening in the front of boxer shorts worn by Jewish men.
thank you Vicki!
23 February 2009
unica home contest
22 February 2009
design & the law collide
NY Times - Photographer Mannie Garcia, who contends that he owns the rights to his photo not the AP says "I'm so proud of the photograph and that Fairey did what he did artistically with it, and the effect it's had."
19 February 2009
18 February 2009
flotsam & jetsam
Kurt Vonnegut said . . . . if you think my desk is a mess, you should look inside my head.
16 February 2009
15 February 2009
14 February 2009
13 February 2009
12 February 2009
food for thought
A Violinist in the Metro
A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that thousands of people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.
Three minutes went by and a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried up to meet his schedule. A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping continued to walk. A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.
The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.
In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.
No one knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth 3.5 million dollars. Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston and the seats average $100.
This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context? One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?
thank you Vicki!
11 February 2009
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