Moving on

I've moved my blog over to Wordpress (sorry blogger, i just want to learn how to use both platforms) so if you want to continue to follow my posts, check out my new blog!

Obsessing over color

Okay, this is the 2nd post today about color but I had to. Maybe I'm obsessed with color today because of being sick for the last few days. All day sleeping in a dark room seems to have made me love pink today. Weird, I know. This is a cool find and even greater that a quote comes with it. I always need a good quote for the day!

Visit The Media Collective to get their book on color with lots more quotes.

Festival of Colors

Below are some photographs of a festival that started last week. Holi, a Hindu tradition, celebrates the beginning of Spring. It looks like it would be an amazing experience. I wish we had beautiful festivals like this one in the U.S.

Here's a few of my favorites, but visit Boston.com to see the full photo montage.

(photos courtesy of Boston.com and AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)

Public Relations... some should be banned from speaking to the public!

While I'm in the journalism and the marketing field, I still find this repulsive and the reply brilliant. Visit Gawker to read the whole story.

"...to use the death of an esteemed colleague as the peg for a pitch (however notable the cause may be) seems to indicate that you possess less humanity and empathy than a staff infection."

Poetry from a journalist... who knew?

Music Fridays

I decided to begin posting some of my favorite music for the week. It's basically whatever catches my fancy and I've found myself listening to over and over this week. It may not be new music and it may not be your kind of music. But this is my blog and like my boss said yesterday, "This is not a democracy." Ha! So enjoy if you can!

Piers Faccini's "A storm is going to come"

Share you favorites with me and I'll post them! I always love listening to new stuff. No headbanging stuff though. Sorry, more the hippy or soft rock kind-of girl.

Can't wait!

Okay so I just watched the trailer for Sunshine Cleaning and I can't tell you how excited I am to see this. Amy Adams and Emily Blunt together? It could only get better if Zooey Deschanel was in the movie too. The movie seems like it will have the same quirky charm that made me love Little Miss Sunshine. Can't wait. Just hope it comes to the Midwest before July. I had to wait to watch Rachel Getting Married till it came out on DVD. I know. Very sad... I guess that's what you get in fly-over zone.

Cy Twombly exhibit at Gagosian Gallery

Twombly, one of my favorite artists, has an exhibit on view at the Gagosian Gallery in London. The 5 paintings consist on brightly colored roses painted on 4 wooden panels. The paint runs down the panels, opening the roses in bloom even more. He mixes art and poetry by writing pieces of Rainer Maria Rilke's "The Roses" cycle on the last panel of each painting. They are beautiful and wish I could be there to see them in person. I know the photos don't do justice to the colors and texture that I love Twomby for. You might remember this artist from the news a few years ago when a viewer of his work became so enraptured with his art that she kissed a painting worth $2 million with red lipstick. Click here for the article on the lover's kiss. I would pay more for the piece with the lipstick stain on it, but maybe that's just me...

(photos courtesy of the Gagosian Gallery)



The Rose IV


The Rose IV (detail)



The Roses Installation


The Roses II

Bloggers Unite

Join in on March 8th to blog about anything related to women.

Sri Lanka and human rights

Two summers ago I worked for Index on Censorship, an International Human Rights and Free Expression organization. We worked with Amnesty International, Article 19 and other organizations to document the pain and suffering of those whose rights were taken away or forgotten by their own country. I still am deeply affected by these issues and will not be one of those that ignore the terrible things that happen every day to young children, women and men. Below is a beautiful showcase on child soldier's in Sri Lanka. Please share this videos with others if you can.


INNOCENCE - Sri Lanka's Child Soldiers from Benjamin Chesterton on Vimeo.

100 Days

Inspiration and art

Last night I received a very nice email from Jason Hackenwerth, an artist from the St. Louis area. I had written a review of his exhibition at Webster University for the Riverfront Times in October. He thanked me for the review and said it was his favorite review thus far. You can't imagine the amount of happiness I felt when I read his email. I love art and while I have never gone out to a show thinking I want to write a positive review about this artists, I usually find that the artist has done either beautiful work or it is based on an interesting concept. Jason's show was one of those. It was my first piece I wrote for The Riverfront Times (a Village Voice publication that I had always loved) and when my editor asked if I wanted to review work by a balloon artist, I must confess I laughed.

But I loved his work and loved even more promoting not only the work of an artist but a Missouri artist. It is one of the pieces I am most proud of and in this moment I deeply wish some art magazine would scoop me up and let me trapse around an gallery, translating images into words, describing aestics with letters and concepts with small sentences.

While this blog has served as what I call "therapy," the simple, one line email sent to me last night made me realize how much I love writing and art. I have been so discouraged about writing, journalism, and my professional career in general lately that I had just tried to forget about writing and art. Inspiration and encouragement has come from an unexpected place — the heart of a former clown.

Got Skittles on the brain...

Okay, I thought I understood social media.
Facebook? no problem.
Blogging? got it.
MySpace? stupid and for teenagers
Twitter? maybe and now...
Definetly not... Not since this morning when Skittles changed their home page to a twitter feed with a flash navigation bar over it with links to Wikipedia, Flickr and Facebook. I'm not joking. I'm just wondering if this is a joke. Check it out...

Beautiful Photos on Flickr

I love photography and wish one day I could learn but in the meantime, I guess I'll just have have to appreciate and enjoy. Well for your viewing pleasure I've found a great album on Flickr by tompalumbo. Here are two of my favorites from his Paris 1962 album.

Bella



Eyeshadow

These photos have a great raw or grainy quality to them. The way he focuses in certain areas of the photos and not others is really great.

Seeing Warhol

Andy Warhol is one of my favorite artists. His work is so influential in everything in the art world today. Below is a great slideshow from Interview magazine, showing how people are still infatuated not only with his work but with the persona he created. I don't think this slideshow is complete though. After seeing I Remember Heaven at the St. Louis Contemporary, featuring the works of Jim Hodges and Warhol I cannot think of one without the other. Hodges work should have been included so make sure you check out both.

Makes me sick...

Is this story from the NY Daily News what journalism is coming to? Somehow I feel like more and more journalists are judging when it is not our right to judge. Tell the story. Leave the judging to someone else. No wonder newspapers are in the crapper...

Picasso exhibit at the National Gallery in London

"Challenging the Past," a show featuring the works of Picasso is now on display at the National Galley. Oh, how I wish I could be there to see it! But there is a pretty great review and video about the artist and the goal of the exhibit by The Times. I'm glad they are starting to do videos that accompany the reviews but are not just reflecting the reviews, the one in The Times builds upon the review and asks questions about our own ideas of Picasso, who he really was, and what place he will have in art history.

Couture

The word just makes me happy. It's more about art than obsessing over unaffordable clothes. I see much more beauty in the couture collections. These collections are equisite in their construction and fabric but they are also fun exciting because some designers choose to create upon outlandish themes. These designers are established but they have an actual vision and a dedication that fashion isn't just about the clothes. Here are some photos of my favorite looks from the Spring 2009 Couture collections.

(courtesy of Style.com)

Valentino

Valentino



Christian Dior



Christian Dior



Elie Saab



Elie Saab



Christian Lacroix



Armani Privé

Interview magazine

Interview is probably my favorite magazine. Fabian Baron and Glenn O'Brien as the editorial directors having been doing some amazing stuff. At least the magazine is actually interesting I don't have to see the dame photo shoots over and over again. Check out this video which not only features Mary-Kate Olsen but the music is from the Ting Tings (one of my current obsessions).

Oscar fashion

I will admit that while I love movies and especially like seeing some of the more "independent" (if that word can even be used anymore) films get attention on Oscar night; what I really love about awards season are the dresses. Sorry guys, but you all look the same. Except for maybe Mickey Rourke, but I'd rather not even talk about that disaster from last night. So here's my thoughts on a few of the overdone, the underdone and the beautiful.
(photos courtesy of Yahoo!)

Okay, let's just get the worst over with. Beyonce, you may be bootylicious but this dress makes you look like a stiff barbie doll. Haven't you made enough money where you can stop having your mother make your clothes? Seriously... Forget the glitter and the bedazzler.


My favorite of the night. While not the most exciting dress that has been worn to the Oscar's it looked lovely on Kate Winslet, a personal favorite of mine. I think the color alone on her was fierce!

I thought Anne looked stunning. With her delicate sparkeling dress, ivory skin and dark hair, she looked amazing. Another one of my favorite actresses; I can't wait to see Rachel Getting Married. Anyone notice that she looked very thin and her eyes had bags underneath them? I'm worried crazy, stealing millionaire ex-boyfriend may be putting a strain on our little princess...


Miley, Miley, Miley... Didn't you just turn 16? This dress makes you look like a 12 year old playing dress up. Wear something fun and young next time. Oh and where's Billy Ray? I thought he went everywhere with you?


Amy Adams was stunning as usual and I loved the necklace and detailing on the bodice. What else is there to say. She's adorable!


I have no words... Actually, I do. Did she have one of her "proteges" from Project Runway cut this dress? And while she has a great body, does she ever wear a dress that covers her thighs? I think you know the answer...


SJP, i love ya girl but were you trying to get your boobs to be the size of your puffy skirt? I couldn't even pay attention to her face because it was so close to her chest.

And best dressed goes to...

Wall-E!
Cause he's just cute in anything!

Help me raise money for Charity: Water

Friendships

I ran into some friends that I went to high school with the other night and it got me thinking about how some people say you grow closer to people as you grow older, I'm feeling somewhat the opposite.

These girls I saw were my best friends at one point in my life. We were in a couple of classes together. Our senior year we were hall runners and spent more time passing notes to our friends in each class than we did organizing and helping out in the school office. We cheered together. Our boyfriends were friends. We spent every moment either on the phone or together. We were inseparable in so many ways. On top of this we were both going through a lot of our "firsts" together. Our first love. Our first heartbreak. Our first move away from home. Our first real fights with people; people who actually did things to hurt us, not in the she said "What?" way.

When I saw my friend and we barely spoke, the awkward silence that we had showed up at the same movie and neither had invited the other, I was really sad. I'm not sure that as we grow up our friendships grow stronger. I feel like mine are all falling apart. I've become more coarse; less forgiving. It's harder for me to make friendships than it once was. I'm more independent and more likely to depend on myself for support because so many friends have let me down.

So while I've maintained some really true and great friendships, I still miss the time when I was so open with others. So ready to tell them everything. So consumed with connecting with another person. It seems that as we get older we become more closed off, more wary of someone's motives and words. We become so much harder to love because we are so closed off from love and friendship.

This may not be true for everyone. But I'm sure you can agree that growing up is not as promising as you thought it would be.

Archived Magazines!

Read this article on Google archiving back issues of magazines. One day soon I might be able to go through an old issue of Vogue on my laptop? So exciting!

Publish2: Any thoughts?

Publish2 is an interesting concept. By bringing together newsrooms, social network bookmarking and reviews by accredited journalists, newsrooms can collaborate with each other and even social networkers. It's been out for a while and I haven't heard much about it. Anyone know using this service or find it interesting? Check it out...

Inspiration

I've been needing a little inspiration in my life. You know... Seize the day and all that crap. I've been feeling that things didn't turn out like I thought they would. Maybe I had grand illusions or delusions but either way I've been trying to motivate myself to appreciate the things I have and what I've accomplished since graduating.

Well, my dad sent me this quote this morning, knowing how I've been feeling.

"Cowards die many times before their deaths,
The valiant never taste of death but once."
Julius Caesar (II, ii, 32-37)

Is it bad that I had to ask my dad if I was Caesar?

I think i need a new quote.... Anybody got one?

Another one...

I know I keep posting these videos and not really writing anything but it has just been one of those days. This is a hilarious clip of Juanquin Phoenix on Jay Leno. Seriously... I love him but there is something wrong with him. And hip hop? Can't wait.

Social Networking in the '90s

Very funny article on social media in the 1990s. Look how much we've grown! Ahh!

Obama...

This is not a post about whether I support Obama or not but more about how the media's love affair with him is now starting to make me sick. At least someone is making fun of him now.... Still Bush was a lot easier target.

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Clusterf#@k to the Poor House - The Stimulus Package

Daily Show Full Episodes
Important Things With Demetri Martin

Funny Political News
Joke of the Day

Charity:Water

charity: water promo featuring "Time Bomb" by Beck from charity: water on Vimeo.

New Design...

To tell you frankly, my life has been a mess the last few months. With moving back into my parents house, 3 new jobs, 4 bosses, more family and high school friend time than I know how to handle, I’ve become a mess of a person. Which is completely unacceptable in my world. I was raised by a CPA who organizes my family’s life into neatly labeled manila envelops. I seemed to have inherited some of these tendencies. Although my obsession leans more in having an enormous planner. So with the redesign of my website and my blog, I'm hoping to renovate and energize my life... hopefully.

I’m taking control and hopefully things will be better. Until then, I’ll just try to stay afloat…

You need this information if you're a freelancer

This is a great resource i stumbled upon today that outlines resources for us freelancers. It's sometimes difficult when you feel your on your own and especially hard to keep your work life and your personal life separate. Check out The 100 Tools Freelancers Can't Live Without.

Hilarious... Facebook=World Domination

If your in the mood for some new threads...

Check out Desired Hearts...

Twestival in Columbia!

Click to learn more about Causecast.org

The lost art of journals

I've been thinking lately about this blogging business and how I should use it. It seems that everyone has a blog and I felt like I should also as a writer and a person who is working at her current job as a social networking/ new media "expert". I also was yearning for a chance to write since I wasn't able to find a job at a magazine or newspaper and if you're a writer you know you have the feeling to express yourself in written words, whether they are beautiful, ugly, or like mine... merely simple. The problem I've found with this forum is my inability to approach the computer and type out what I thought. I do have a point even though this may not seem like it is making sense.

I've always kept some sort of a journal. Whether is be just random bits of poetry, angry lashings, writing down the day-to-day occurences, I've always loved going to a piece of paper to write things down. I've tried numerous times to start a journal on my computer but soon fell away from it.

What is the point of writing down your passionate feelings at that moment in time if you can spell check the damn thing?

I loved the feeling of going through an old box and finding a small notebook filled with the naive, but heartfelt thoughts of a young girl and re-reading over all the things in life that were so important to me then. Or, when I would have a sleepless night and go to my journal with hateful and sad thoughts on a breakup. I would inevitably find the entries where this boy was the most wonderful person in my life, and feeling angry I would tear apart the words I had written and throw them away. On this blog forum I could no less write those hateful words, seeing them form with each touch of the keyboard, nor would the feeling of pressing the delete key provide as much satisfaction.

I'm not saying I don't love the blogging idea. Of sharing with others your ideas and connecting with others you would have never otherwise. I just wonder if by people using the blog form as their 'journal', we are just creating another generation of writers who censor their thoughts and emotions for the sake of the web.

I love reading the journals of great writers, where you can see them forming their ideas, their style, and their real lives are shown. 50 years from now are we going to be reading the past blogs of writers? Maybe its a romantic idea in an age where everything and everyone is digital. But I love finding a favorite book and as I flip thorugh the pages, a love note from a high school boyfriend or a movie stub falls out and I remeber the time period I first fell in love with the boyfriend and the book. I can't even imagine reading Wuthering Heights on a kindle (I think that is what it is called). There are some things that I feel are being lost in this digital world and I'm not sure I'm ready to let go.

Newsy.com: Great new site from MU Journalism School

Social Vibe: Join Me!

Check it out...

Since I have no life (check the below post for more information on my patheticness) I spend most of my day on my computer. Here's some great sites I've come across and check almost every day.

Social Vibe: great site where you sign up and raise money for a cause your interested in. While I might be a poor recent college graduate I can still help to donate to a charity or organization.

New York Magazine: one of my favorites

Abduzeedo: If you love design or like me, are obsessed with Photoshop, you need to check this site out. On the same note check out deviantART. Also very cool.

Newsmap: great interface and gives your the headlines. Helps me to sound like I know something about the world.

ArtInfo

Fashiontography

Enjoy!

The Latest and Greatest (not really, but read on!)

Differences I've notice since graduating college...

I now longer can start a night out with a fish bowl-sized margarita, then go to a bar to meet with friends and take shots followed by beer, and then finally on to a dance club where I end the night with vodka and dancing. Oh and i forgot after bars where you stay up till 3 eating pizza rolls, drinking some left over alcohol in your fridge, and dancing in your living room barefoot.
Now... I go to eat at some ridiculous chain restaurant, like Applebees, (I HATE Applebees. Everything tastes like an over-used microwave and it is always way too busy for the quality of food.) with a couple of girlfriends, have 2 glasses of wine and I'm already seeing double, and then go to a movie, but one that starts before 9:30 because anything later is out of the question. Oh and I wake up on Saturdays and work all day instead of watching a bad movie on Lifetime and ordering in an ungodly amount of Chinese food.

I used to spend my weeknights doing as little homework as possible and then sitting up with my roommates till all hours of the night talking shit about the latest guy or the new worst girl.
Now... I take online computer courses, unless of course Gossip Girl or Grey's Anatomy is on, or I watch Bill O'Reiley with my dad (sidenote: Bill O'Reiley is my Dad's god so my he acts as commentator during the show, agreeing with Bill and throwing profanities at the "left-wing radicals"). Then I make sure I'm in bed by 10:30.

In college, I met men, went on dates, never called them back, remembered they might be my soul mate so I called them back finally, went out again, figured out they couldn't be my soul mate (one tried to actually hold my hand while we were walking down the street!) and then found a new soul mate, at least for a week.
Now... I live in my parent's basement, know all the guys in my town, went to kindergarten with half of them and will never forget when they thought I had cooties, and my Dad is trying to set me up with a guy that only likes hanging out at a dumpy bowling alley.

It's becoming sad...

Oh and the Journalism degree I got... pretty much useless since people are not even buying newspapers to potty train their dogs.

What else could i say...