X-MAS IN NH

WORKPLACE WITH A VIEW

12/19 - A week before, it was already beginning to look a lot like....

FIELD TRIP

Got to wake up late and not be in the office for the first half of the day in the name of "inspiration shopping". As my coworkers and I were leaving a store to grab a bite to eat, we walked out into a snow flurry (really the first this winter). I love snow in the city...until it gets black and slushy that is. This will be my third winter but the novelty still hasn't worn off.

Going back to the office sucked.

∆ lord dog bird - the gift of song in the lion's den
(thought this was appropriate because of the jingle bell backup)

SWEDISH VAMPIRE MOVIE

For weeks now i've been calling it the "swedish vampire movie". I read one review which said it was excellent but did not finish the review nor did I seek out any other reviews. Any time i have mentioned this film to someone, they themselves have not seen it but know of someone who did claiming it the best vampire film they've seen yet. So suffice it to say, i did not know much about this film other than:
1) it's swedish
2) it's about young kids and vampires
3) it's suppose to be really good.
I finally saw it this weekend and it by all means exceeded expectations.
Without giving too much away it's about a boy and a girl, one of which is a vampire, and their feelings of alienation and love. The film has the effectiveness of being equally beautiful yet frightening, violent yet tender, tragic yet hopeful and strangely funny at times.

Official film website here
NYTimes review here

p.s. - as the above NYTimes article explains, the actual title is "Let the Right One In", which is supposedly a line taken from the Morrissey song "Let the Right One Slip In".

∆ Let the Right One Slip In

WHITNEY - PART I

Went to the Whitney Museum of American Art this weekend and caught two excellent exhibitions.

William Eggleston - Democratic Camera Photographs and Video: 1964-2008

As a pioneer of color photography, he is said to be one of the most influential photographers of our time. He is credited for raising the discipline to the rank of a major art and responsible for popularizing an aesthetic that was inspired by the everyday, the ordinary, and the mundane mostly of the South. Eggleston typically developed the pictures himself using a dye transfer printing process (pre photoshop and digital technology) that allowed him to manipulate and enhance certain colors to give them a distinctive saturated quality.

It's amazing how much of his aesthetic has been adopted by popular culture. His influence can really be seen everywhere especially in the art, print, and film worlds.



(via whitney website) This candid interview with photographer William Eggleston was conducted by film director Michael Almereyda on the occasion of the opening of Eggleston's retrospective William Eggleston: Democratic Camera, Photographs and Video, 1961-2008 at the Whitney Museum of American Art. A key figure in American photography, Eggleston is credited almost single-handedly with ushering in the era of color photography. Eggleston discusses his shift from black and white to color photography in this video as, "it never was a conscious thing. I had wanted to see a lot of things in color because the world is in color". Also included in this video are Eggleston's remarks about his personal relationships with the subjects of many of his photographs.



Winston Eggleston speaks about his father:
(via whitney website) During the interview, Winston provided a window into his father's life and background: he loves guns, but does not hunt; likes stamps, likes old rugs, and loves Bach. Most importantly Winston was able to impart the feeling of being along side his father while he photographed. He provides us with a context for each image and expresses an adoration of the photographs as only a son can.


The other exhibition was Alexander Calder - The Paris Years: 1926-1933, possibly more inspiring than Eggleston retrospective. Will post more at later time. click on link above if you can't wait.

TALL MEN A PLENTY

Caught an excellent show last night of 2 bands that have put forth, in my opinion, some of the top albums of 2008. Opener was The Tallest Man On Earth (Kristian Matsson, swede who is actually not that tall) and headliner was Justin Vernon, (extremely tall) hailing from Wisconsin whose band name is Bon Iver.
Excellent pics from the show here via brooklynvegan

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∆ skinny love

Last summer, Bon Iver played a CMJ show to a scant crowd of maybe 15 at Piano's. I was there, maybe 5 feet away, watching a visibly nervous justin vernon play a beautiful heart felt set (like the wounds from the breakup of his old band and girlfriend were possibly still tender). It was an incredibly intimate show and sincere performance.
Last night, I watched him play before a sold out show at Town Hall and to my surprise the emotion was still there. No signs of nerves but still humble as ever. He has come very far in very little time. It’s the kind of success story that makes you nervous because you wonder if this upward trajectory to almost every music blogger's ”top albums of 2008” list, is almost setting him up for failure because there is so much expectation. Having seen him 3 times now, I don’t think he will fail or disappoint. His falsetto is capable of melting the iciest of hearts. If he’s in your neck of the woods, go and see for yourself...sooner than later. He’s only getting more critical acclaim and his shows will sell out.

Bon Iver myspace page

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∆ i won't be found

Since I’ve seen bon iver twice for free, what sealed the deal for me was the opener, the tallest man on earth. Yes, there are the comparisons to Dylan and the whole 60’s folk thing but you know what? He’s Swedish, plays the guitar effortlessly and has a better command of the english language than a lot of American musicians trying to do the whole folk singer-songwriter thing. And though his personal style is a contradiction to his music, appropriating from several different genres and decades with his uber hipster french new wave duds, greaser james dean hair and 70's sellack 'stache, the music is good ole' american folk through and through.

The tallest man on earth myspace page

SERIOUSLY?

In May, NYTimes wrote an article regarding how the federal government was considering proposal to allow loaded, concealed weapons in nearly all of the country’s national parks. Read it here

Well, it passed and here is op-ed article in NYTimes today confirming this.

Seriously?!
Weapons in national parks where maintaining and allowing wildlife to propagate is of the utmost importance and where families bring children is a good idea?
That sounds about as safe and sound as a 'no income, no asset' loan.

midnight regulations make me very nervous...

FLOODED OFFICE DAY

Today was just a normal day when right around lunchtime, something (perhaps a water main) broke and flooded half the office within 15 minutes. It was kind of awesome. I made a joke to my boss that we would have to go home and though he wished in his heart of hearts the same as I, he would never engage in such wishful thinking when lo and behold an announcement was made that everybody was to go home!

I've wished for a snow day for 3 winters now and nothing!! Thanks to global warming I don't think i'll ever know that joy but, i guess that's why we have flooded office days instead.

So what to do when given what you've asked for? hot, spicy RAMEN!

SHAMELESS PLUG

Equestrian Bucket Tote
100% cotton canvas with cognac leather details. antique brass hardware
adjustable straps and inside accessory pocket
10" base x 14.5" height
made in brooklyn
limited edition

this was a little side project i worked on earlier this year.
I'm offering a discounted price for holiday season. e-mail honeyandtar@gmail.com for details.

EYEBALLING

A year ago i put up some shelves without using a leveler and instead of precisely measuring out where to drill I just eyeballed it. As a result, they're just ever so slightly off. No one has noticed but it drives me crazy and because they were a kind of pain to put up, i don't plan on fixing them.
Serves me right for not taking the time to use the appropriate tools but there's just something incredibly satisfying about eyeballing with drill in hand and thinking your dead on. Being dead on serves the ego well, definitely a nod to the testosterone in all of us.

Found this eyeballing game on a woodworker's blog months ago and meant to post it. Test your skills and play game here.

PLEASANTLY SURPRISED

Since i was stuck in the city this past weekend, caught a movie and music show that i relatively did not know much about either.
Both excellent!

Happy-Go-Lucky...
she's hard not to like unless you're a curmudgeon.


King Kahn & BBQ show...
pure rockin' goodness with a few risqué costume changes.


Couldn't find a free mp3 of "Waddlin' Around" but listen to it here on his myspace page.
∆ love you so
∆ i'll never belong

CHOICE

I have been known to be plagued with indecision ...and why is it when confronted with too many choices my brain feels like it's about to explode?
If you've some time to kill or doing mindless busy work I found this Radio Lab episode on Choice pretty interesting.
(bear with the annoying sound effects, content is good).