The amount I smile while watching Glee is in direct proportion to the amount of shame I feel for sharing this information with the world.
2. My facebook status will be, as soon as I finish this episode of White Collar:
The amount I drool while watching Neil Caffrey (AKA--Matt Bomer) is in direct proportion to the amount of anger I feel when I remember that he likes boys.
Both of these tidbits are not only glimpses into my soul, but also evidence that I watch a lot of bad television--and I continue to watch said bad TV while in a foreign country, on the day immediately following its US premiere. (Also, just finished this week's episode of White Collar and, man, was it a good one!)
4. I am the proud owner of tickets to see one of Mark and I's new favorite bands, Mumford and Sons. They are coming to Galway in less than a month and the timing could not be more perfect. I was hoping (praying, really) that they would play a show here while we were abroad and my prayers were answered. See my Grammys post for a video of a small performance of theirs, and check out this picture to take in the full effect of their hunk-a-liciousness:
5. In just 2-3 short days, Mark and I will be entertaining visitors. First, his sister Colby arrives and then my beloved BFF Katie and her BF (whoa abbreviations) Matt will follow. I cannot contain my excitement.
6. Mark got me flowers on Monday and I'm still not over how wonderful they are and he is.
7. I've started reading Zadie Smith's On Beauty and it truly is fantastic book. I highly recommend it to all. Expect a full write-up of it once I finish--which will probably be later to day seeing as I can't put it down.
8. I think I've had about all that I can handle of this numbered list format so I'm going to say ta ta for now!
Well, I have more than two friends (I think), but I have two specifically that I am going to talk about today. Their names are Kevin and Danielle. If you were in the UK, you'd probably say "They're called Kevin and Danielle." Interesting tidbit regarding cultural and language differences, no?
Anyhoo, Kevin and Danielle are fantastic humans and they made a film--a documentary to be exact. The documentary is on Christy Mathewson. Christy Mathewson is not a personal friend of mine, but he seems like a fine fella. We would be friends if it weren't for the fact that he died in 1925. So how do I know about him? And, more importantly, why did my real life friends Kevin and Danielle make a movie about him? WELL, because he is a big deal, even to this day! His legacy lives on in the small town of Factoryville, PA. That is where Kevin and Danielle filmed their documentary. It's a fantastic film, with a stellar trailer to boot! Don't believe me? Here...watch:
So, why should you care about me, my friends, their documentary and or Christy Mathewson? The same reason you care about anything else in life: incentives.
You see, Kevin and Danielle need a teensy bit more money to complete the soundtrack/score to their wonderful film. That's where you come in! They have started a Kickstarter website to raise the last of their funds. Go there! NOW!
As you will see on the right-hand side of the web page, there are options with various monetary amounts to donate and the fun prizes that go along with such a donation! However, Mark and I have added some additional incentives on our own! Mark first wrote about his add-ons on his blog, but I am going to copy them and add mine here (mine will be in BOLD and yellow so there is no confusion).
Are you ready? I sure as heckfire am!
The incentives are as follows:
$5 or above – A special thank you shout out on the Christy Mathewson Day Facebook webpage (And I shall write you a small ode on my Facebook wall.)
$10 or above – A special thank you Facebook shout out + a Christy Mathewson Day magnet + digital download of the hand illustrated essay “Tuberculosis and The Dead-Ball Era, or, The Only Things I have in Common with Christy Mathewson” by Matt Spainhour
$20 or above – A shout out on my blogs/Facebook page–I know, I am kind of broke… (as well as a Facebook shout out on the Christy Mathewson Day page, digital download of the hand-illustrated essay + a handwritten thank you letter from Kevin & Danielle sent directly to your home address!)
$50 or above – A Garageband ukulele recording of a song of your choosing as long as I can figure out the chords for it (as well as a shout out, digital download, personal letter from Kevin & Danielle + your name in the funder credits at the end of the film!) PLUS, a one-of-a-kind button with a design of your choosing. And perhaps a Christy Mathewson day button thrown in there for marketing's sake.
$100 or above – A poem dedicated to you (as well as a shout out, digital download, personal letter from Kevin & Danielle, your name in the funder credits at the end of the film + a signed Christy Mathewson Day poster!) I shall write a song, complete with Mark's musical accompaniment, that is dedicated to you and your greatness. I will even record it so you can listen to it on those terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days.
$500 or above – A signed copy of Mark Jay Brewin Jr’s first book manuscript and a bottle of Irish Whisky (as well as an Executive Producer title for the film offered by Kevin & Danielle + a personal Backyard/Living Room concert from Matt Spainhour–this offer is limited to specific states, please see KickStarter site for details…) 7 minutes in heaven. I'm sure this is bordering on adultery and prostitution but it's a risk I'm willing to take for my dear friends Kevin and Danielle in the efforts to see this film fully completed!
Alright, so now that you're all informed, be motivated! Go! Now! To this website! Even if you only have $5 to spare, it will help out tremendously! Have I ever told you you're a gem? Well, if I haven't, rest assured that you are!
In an effort to preserve that which cannot be preserved, I am reposting a Valentine I got from a friend, Ms. Valerie. She is a super awesome chickadee that resides in San Fran and works at a gallery that I'd probably kill to work at. (Link is to an interview she did with a graffiti artist). Yay her. And yay for her awesome valentine.
Expect a lot more posting today as I am still sick and therefore staying in and watching bad movies all day.
Being here in Ireland, I was not able to watch the Grammys live. Epic bummer. But, thanks to Perez Hilton (I know, I know...le sigh), I was able to watch all the performances this morning. As usual some were better than others, but I learned some very valuable information from these videos. Let me share:
1. Usher will never top "Yeah" in terms of success. And Usher will never be as good as he was circa 1997. Evidence. (I would have embedded the video but everyone who has this video has embedding disabled. Who knew "My Way" was such a hot commodity?!)
2. I am a sucker. I got teary-eyed when I saw Will and Jada Smith being such proud parents when Jaden was rapping during Bieber's "Never Say Never" performance and I practically bawled when Katy Perry showed her wedding video. Seriously. My heart stopped. Such a sucker.
3. Christina Aguilera may be a little train-wrecky but girl can sing. Fo' real. Also, I re-learned that Aretha Franklin has some really friggin good songs.
4. Who the heck is Skylar Grey (she sings on "I Need a Doctor" with Eminem and Dr. Dre) and why don't we hear more about/from her? LOVE her voice.
5. I like Bruno Mars. This may not seem like such a revelation to you folks, but it was to me. Prior to his Grammy performance, I would have thrown a radio at a window if "Grenade" was playing. Just goes to show that any song can be made good if you do it retro style. No, really, I've done the research. This is FACT.
6. If you know me at all, you know I love the Avett Brothers. You also know I love Mumford and Sons. It would be damn near impossible for me to dislike their Grammy performance. What I did learn from their performance is that I miss the Avett Brothers having fun on stage. They seem too serious these days and I wouldn't have noticed this had they not been juxtaposed against the rambunctious Mumfords. So Scott and Seth, if you're reading this, have fun. (Bob and Joe--you still have fun so just keep doing what you're doing.)
Because I am battling quite a nasty sore throat at the moment, I don't really feel like talking. I do realize that I'm not really talking on here, which would almost make this the perfect medium for my predicament. However, I generally say out loud everything I type. Ergo, this post will be mostly links, pictures and video. Enjoy!
#1: Ok Go. Particularly their self-titled debut album. And their use of hand bells during concernts. And Damian Kulash. Mmmm. (Sidenote: Just found out he's 35. He is smoking hot for someone 11 years my senior.)
#2: Russell Brand. This man could probably say the worst joke in the world but I'd laugh because there is something about his accent, his delivery, his palpable energy, and--of course--his tight pants.
#3: Chicken Parmesan. I am making it for dinner as soon as I finish this post. Mmmm.
#4: Mark Jay. Also known as "Baby". It is our 4 year anniversary today (yay for both of us being ill on the occasion!) so it seems appropriate that he be featured on this edition of Things I Love. And although Ok Go, Russell Brand and Chicken Parmesan are stiff competition, I am positive that he is what I love most.
Our most recent picture together. Taken February 9, 2011 at Giuseppe's Ristorante near London Bridge.
This concludes this Sunday's edition of Things I Love. Be sure to tune in next time when I feature cold medicine, cough drops, codeine and Vitamin C!
Does anybody else ever need to revamp the look of their blog simply so they can write a post after a long hiatus?
Or am I alone in this great big world?
Either way, I (or rather, my blog) is revamped and I can finally get around to actually writing something on this thing.
I haven't checked the date of my last post but I'm sure it's safe to say it's been far too long.
A lot has happened. Recap?
1. Mark and I moved to Ireland.
Yep. That sums it up.
So this first post back isn't going to be about this amazing country, what we've done since arriving or what the name of my favorite pub is (Tigh Neachtain's). This post, true to form, is going to be about art.
I came across two pieces recently. One IRL (in real life for all you internet-lingo-losers out there. Us winners call you the ILLs.) and one at a URL. Gosh I'm so clever with my abbreviations tonight!
The first:
Ai Weiwei's Sunflower Seeds has to be one of the coolest artworks I've come across in a long while. In the main turbine hall of the Tate Modern, over 100 million sunflower seeds were placed on the floor. And you're probably thinking...what a waste of food (At least that's where my ravenous mind/tummy goes)! BUT these sunflower seeds are not real sunflower seeds. Each seed in an individually made, hand painted piece of porcelain! Crazy right? CRAZY.
I loved this piece not just for the sheer magnitude or because I had the urge to steal one of these seeds and risk being banned from the Tate Modern forever, but because the emphasis on the piece was on the process, on the work that went into it. There was a video that accompanied this work that they showed in a small enclosure nearby and watching the process of the piece was fascinating. Ai Weiwei basically supported people in a small Chinese town that would normally be unemployed and penniless by creating this artwork. Art for the greater good? I'm sold.
A similar art piece that I came across online was this:
Meet Motoi Yamamoto and his labyrinths. He creates these works with salt--2,200 pounds of salt to be exact--and a helluva lot of patience. Now, different from Weiwei--who has had others involved throughout the whole process of Sunflower Seeds--Yamamoto creates the piece but then lets others change the maze or disrupt the maze if they so choose. (Sidenote: Tate Modern visitors used to be able to walk on the sunflower seeds but then they realized the dust from the porcelain could be hazardous. Also, a friend told me that they were practically sweeping it all back in place all the time--which to me would have been a major detraction. While it would have been cool to walk on them--and I would have been able to steal one easier that way--I'm glad it was the way it was by the time I got to it.)
Again, what is so amazing about these pieces is the sheer undertaking of the work itself--the process. However, they are also remarkable (in my opinion) because both men intentionally chose mediums and and processes that have significant meanings for their respective cultures and societies. Let me break it down for you:
Weiwei. Chinese. Mao. Mao as the Sun. Therefore, all Chinese people are sunflowers. Sunflower seeds as metaphor. Get it? It's explained better here.
Yamamoto. Japanese. Traditional symbol for purification and mourning in Japan: Salt. Mazes=eternity. There is a more personal reason behind the need to make mazes with salt. Curious what it is? Thought so. That's why I gave you the link earlier silly gooses!
Both Weiwei and Yamamoto's undertakings were extreme and massive, to say the least. But what they accomplish by working in such exaggerated numbers is a general sense of awe in the viewer. And what's even more impressive is that the awe is not limited to their visual effect. The awe is perpetuated by the process and the story behind the purpose of these pieces and what they represent.
