End of Summer/Beginning of Fall

Back from a pretty interesting few weeks and I have plenty of updates and good news to share!

First things first:

The Gold Coast Art Fair went very very well (in the big picture sense). I toughed it out in 90+ degree weather for three straight days with no sunscreen, no tent and a minimal amount of tears/anxiety attacks. My inventory sold consistently... not necessary what I had anticipated but more than I have ever made an art art fair and for that I'm very grateful. The best thing is I was in an area designated for SAIC students only and they were all very supportive and pleasant.

Gold Coast Art Fair photo of me at my table. Taken by my mom with her magical phone!

I only had one unfortunate run in with a mean- spirited loony but I've since made my peace with that. It never ceases to amaze me what some people believe is acceptable behavior at a public art event, especially towards a fellow artist.

2) Summer is coming to a close, much to my dismay. I have no personal problems against fall as a season. It produces vibrant colors, wonderful flavors (pumpkin spice) and it makes me feel all warm and glowy....the only problem is that it will inevitably lead to winter. One of THE WORST seasons for me in every sense of the word.

I can't wait to go back to the Chicago Botanic Gardens later this month to see a scene like this!

I'm doing things to calm myself down and say goodbye to summer like hot showers with Dr. Bronner's peppermint castile soap, late nights of True Blood marathons, and shopping for soft, layer-able fall wear.


Side Note: I finally got around to reading Dead Until Dark. The first book in the Sookie Stackhouse series and I was very impressed with the story quality....and I was totally right about the sex scenes. The second season of the television show seems to be going down a very weird path but I'm not giving up.

Though I know it may take some time, I would really love to dance en pointe. My aerial teacher is always yelling at us to point our toes!

3) I'm starting Ballet classes at Lou Conte Dance Studio (a part of Hubbard Street Dance) next month and I'm very very excited about it. I figure ballet will help me to maintain my core strength and will be beneficial to the circus arts classes I take. Though I do consider myself to generally be a graceful person, I noticed that there was a slight difference between me doing a routine on the trapeze and an ex-dancer doing that same routine. Besides, I've always wanted a reason to rock some ballet shoes!

In the midst of an aerial routine. It hurts a little bit to be suspended in that position but it also feels pretty good to give your hips a good stretch. Maybe one day if I get good enough, I can work with Fuerza Bruta!

4)One last thing: I finally got a raise. Yay!! It only took like 3 years!

BTW, I can't wait to indulge in some pumpkin pie. One of my favorite seasonal snacks.

Happy Thursday!

The 3 C's: Clowns, Clothes, and Chocolate!

Hey Lovers!

I'm back from my "blogging break" and I apologize for not posting in such a long while. I've been a pretty busy beaver in the metal's studio lately, getting things nice and tidy for the Art Fair next month. The good news is, I have plenty of tasty photos and ideas to share, which I will be uploading in the next couple days.

But first, I'd like to take a moment to appreciate the adorableness that is Zoe Kravitz.

That skirt is worth dying for.

I've been trying to find a coat like this for the past 5 years of my life. No success.

BTW, Who knew that Alexander Wang was so young and gorgeous??!!

So now that I've gotten my fashion crush out of the way, I want to talk about something I've recently read: Clown Girl by Monica Drake.

My friend lent me this book during my short vacation in Michigan. I was intialy very excited about the prospect of a "dark, witty tale" regarding the life of an aspiring clown. But I was very disappointed by the end result. The main character of this novel is named Nita, an aspiring clown who works relatively shitty gigs to save up enough money to go to Clown School and be with her boyfriend (who she also sent to Clown School). In the midst of pining after her fellow clown lover (who doesn't return her phone calls) and perfecting her mime interpretation of Kafka's The Metamorphosis, she is also resisting the advances of a "Steve McQueen look alike" cop who is trying his damndest to court her.

You can pretty much guess the ending, right? I definitely did but continued on for the remaining 300 pages in hopes that atleast the end would justify the means...but it did not. None of the characters were sympathetic or multi-dimensional at all. In fact Nita, with all of her self imposed problems was down right unlikeable. It's also unclear as to why the cop was so drawn to Nita because clowns are relatively common place in this story's setting and Nita never leaves her home without her makeup and costume, even if she doesn't have a gig.

It's very clear that the author was trying to draw a parallel between the way the two character's "costumes" affected the way they interacted with the world but each character was so underdeveloped that after a while it felt like I was choking on archetypes. Read this book if there is nothing else lying around and if you don't mind getting headaches. I only think about this novel fondly because of the person who gave it to me.

I hope everyone is enjoying their Friday thus far. I'm in an overly air conditioned office, dreaming about Ice Cream.

Take your protein pills and put your helmet on..

I just finished reading The Man Who Fell to Earth and it was so much better than I was expecting it to be (minus some mild sexism and the term "African savages" being used a couple times.) In short it was about an alien from some place called Anthea who comes to earth with the intent of saving his dry, rotting planet and its mere 300 inhabitants.

The exact version of the novel that I have. Except mine is in better condition. I 'd love to have a poster of this on my wall.

What I liked most about this book was that although it was science fiction, it was less about an extraterrestrial and more about human nature. Infact it seemed that this alien was more human than the humans he surrounded himself with. A few times he described his interactions with humans as communicating with highly intelligent and crafty apes.

In the novel, Thomas Newton (the Anthean) mostly learned about our planet from years of watching television and listening to the radio.

It's pretty needless to say that he did not succeed with his mission and the CIA/FBI caught on to him. In the end though it wasn't the CIA or FBI that broke him, it was "earth culture". The book portrayed him as a very delicate being which was refreshing and a stark contrast to the aliens portrayed in movies like Independence Day and Mars Attacks. I especially loved the scene that described him breaking his entire leg by fainting in an elevator (he wasn't used to our gravity).

The Anthean without all of his earth disguises.

Bowie circa early 60's.

I haven't watched the movie because it seems so different from the book and I don't want to be disappointed but kudos to the filmmakers for casting David Bowie as the extraterrestrial! I cannot think of a more graceful, delicate being who'd be perfect for the part. Look at all of that lovely boyish charm! I bet you can't even look at him directly without burning your retinas.

Newton and Mary Lou, who in the book was named Mary Jo and was not his lover but his housekeeper.

From what I understand they added a romance to the movie which was not at all present in the novel. I guess it was an excuse to film David Bowie naked in the thralls of love, which I'm totally fine with! I didn't get the feeling from the book that he had a human-like genitalia but either way, I think it's a bad idea to have unprotected sex with an alien.


I listened to Space Oddity as soon as I finished reading and now this song seems to be infused with another layer of meaning.

A live cover by Gnarls Barkley. I usually don't care much for covers but this one is phenomenal! I wish they would record a full length version. Cee-lo's voice is so rich and perfect for it.

On a semi related note: I can't stop listening to the Sailor Moon Soundtrack! I found it at the Brown Elephant two years ago for 50 cents. Even though the original Japanese version totally kicks the American version's ass, it still has some pretty annoyingly catchy songs.

Moon Prism Power!

Happy Wednesday everyone!

You sink without a sound...

Ok, so for the record the Conservatory was amazing!!! Please go if you get the chance! Just beware that if you go during the afternoon on a weekday, it might be overpopulated with lots of loud school children which will alter your experience a little. Next time I go I will have photos galore!!

By the way, does anyone remember this book?

My mom used to read it to me ages ago and I recently spotted it laying on a chair in my friend's house. It is a story about a little bunny-child laying in their bed at night, saying goodnight to everything in their home.

The entire book is written very eloquently in rhyming lyrics. After rereading it a few days ago, I repeated certain lines to myself throughout the course of the day. My favorite lines: "Goodnight comb and Goodnight brush. Goodnight nobody. Goodnight mush. And Goodnight to the old lady whispering "hush".

These are images from the Mermaid Theatre's production of Goodnight Moon. Well crafted handmade sets and bunny puppets? Yes, please!!


I love that they stuck with the original color scheme of the book. But they could have been a little bit more creative with their placement of the puppeteers.


I'm usually pretty open about my mild case of agoraphobia and my love of small shoebox-sized rooms. I found this on Peter Tucker's website, along with other tiny delights. This room just makes me want to shrink myself down to Tinkerbelle size and snuggle in that mini bed!!

But anyway - I was able to find the animated version of Goodnight Moon on youtube, read by Susan Sarandon. Doesn't it just make you want to go to sleep??

And of course, a little shameless self promotion never hurt anyone.

Goodnight Moooon earrings. Still for sale on my Etsy page.

I found this song a while back when I researching the death of Kurt Cobain (don't ask why) apparently Veruca Salt was inspired by his suicide and Goodnight Moon when they wrote this.

You're the pearl in the quicksand
You sink without a sound
I'm the girl with the tiny hands
Planted underground
You're the dream, I'm the dreamer
In the dream, you're still around
See the sun falling down [x4]
You're the bleach
When everything went black
The relief I found
You're the sliver of hope in my lap
You're soft, warm, round
See the sun falling down [x4]
Falling down [x2]
Goodnight moon, Goodnight mush
Goodnight ladies saying hush
Goodnight moon, Goodnight mush
Goodnight ladies saying hush
See the sun falling down [x6]

How obsessive can a person be over one little book? Finding it yesterday was like some sort of omen. Happy Thursday!!

Books, Books, Books

I taught my Bookbinding Class a day ago and now I'm filled with the sleepy sense of relief one gets after successfully completing a final project. All I really want to do right now is laugh and sleep and lie down and it's moments like this that remind me of how much of a freak-out I'm capable of being. I triumphantly deleted all my class research files. Now on to the next thing!!

Since I was recently blessed with a large tax return, I got into an old habit of cruising Amazon for juicy reads and I came across a couple neat things.

The first thing I found (and am reading now) is Hello Cruel World by Kate Bornstein. Kate Bornstein is an activist, writer and performance artist who normally makes work relating to sexuality and gender identity.



The full title of the book (Hello Cruel world, 101 Alternatives to Suicide for Teens, Freaks, and Other Outlaws) is pretty self explanatory. Ze (Kate's preferred gender pronoun) actually goes down a list of things to do instead of killing yourself. What I'm interested in most are the topics around sexuality and desire that keeping popping up throughout the chapters... even though those two subjects vaguely remind me of this horrible philosophy class I took last semester...but I won't talk about that. I do wonder though, how different I would be had this book been around when I was in high school. I think the 15 year old me would have flipped over this! Not that I'm not enjoying it now but as the title states, it is geared toward a slightly younger crowd.

Kate Bornstein

Check out Kate's Blog!!

The second book I ordered (at the risk of soiling my good girl image) is an erotica book! It's called Enchanted: Erotic Bedtime Stories for Women.

I'm super excited about it because as the title suggests, it's a collection of rewritten fairy tales and I've always been interested in the subtly erotic things hidden in those stories. I bet you all think I'm just this pervert who thinks about love-making all day. I'm not, honest. Really.

Any suggestions for good books? I'd love to hear it.

I've had a very beautiful day. After waking up and stretching and of course having my necessary bowl of Peanut Butter Panda Puffs, I headed to the library with one very obvious thing on my mind-books...lots of them! I must say I was not disappointed by the library's selection, especially in the comics realm. So dear readers something useful to remember is: whenever in doubt about buying a comic book, hit up the library first! I found a pretty decent and recent selection of books there.

One comic/manga I found is called The Aranzi/Aranzo Hour. Originally published in Japanese but translated in English so all the Americans can now enjoy it's awesomeness. The cast of characters include a fish named Fish, two nondescript guys named Bad Guy and Liar, a dog named Terry and two bunnies that to eat cake and take naps (which reminds me of me and my closest friend from school!)

The Complete Aranzi/Aranzo Hour

Melting Spritekin- Aranzi/Aranzo Hour

After my lovely time spent at the library, I headed to the cemetery.

No, I don not have a death wish...it's just like going to the park, except much more interesting architecturally. I strolled around, soaking in the greenness and all the headstones and before I knew it, I was locked in!! Lovely, huh? Luckily a young goth couple got locked in too and asked the caretaker nicely to let us out....

Surprisingly nice goth couple.

I rounded out the evening with going to the movies!!! A sort of recent habit that's been developing over the summer months and I have to say I enjoy going to the movies by myself. No having to put up with annoying conversations during the flick with your friend. No having to worry about getting mauled when the lights go out (j/k). Just quiet peacefulness with yourself in the dark in front of a big screen. You can even cry without feeling awkward about it.

I saw My Sister's Keeper, a semi-manipulative tear jerker about a family's struggle over a girl's cancer. I say it's manipulative because it was definitely tugging at your heartstrings but it was well done and Cameron Diaz surprisingly did a good job as the mom. Worth it if you enjoy emotional movies.

I must add, though that I did NOT cry. Even though I cried long and hard during each Harry Potter book. Ahhh, which reminds me- Harry Potter opens in two days! Go and see it so we could have something to chat about! <3