When you meet someone new in the US, usually the second question out of their mouth is, “So, what do you do?” No matter what I say, 95% of the time I get a blank stare in return, and I’m tired of it! I’ve tried switching up my responses, gauging what the other person might… Continue reading Job Description Difficulties
Dijkstra’s Bloodstained Bullfighters
When I think of Rineke Dijkstra’s work, the first thing to come to mind are her beach scenes. Glowing adolescent bodies against eerie blue greys. What I was not prepared for when I visited Dijkstra’s retrospective at SF MoMA this week was how captivating the bullfighter portraits would be. Not only for the contradictions they… Continue reading Dijkstra’s Bloodstained Bullfighters
How We [Almost] Beat IKEA
Many speak of the often ill-fated IKEA relationship test. Few live to tell the tale. On a recent episode of 30 Rock, Liz Lemon and her boyfriend Criss decide to take the aforementioned relationship litmus test. On the way in they see an old couple arguing while leaving the store. The old man exclaims, “I’m going… Continue reading How We [Almost] Beat IKEA
Windows 8 logo: good concept, bad design
The blogosphere has been abuzz about the newly released Windows 8 logo designed by Paula Scher of Pentagram. Windows is not known for their great strides in the design spectrum and perhaps is trying to dispel this fact. Maybe it is not fair to judge the logo without seeing it in context but I have to say it is… Continue reading Windows 8 logo: good concept, bad design
“Keep Calm and Carry On” Tree Transformed
The “Keep Calm and Carry On” tree that I admired so much during New Year’s has been transformed for Valentine’s Day. “Stop in the Name of Love” it now reads. And it’s covered with love-related quotes. I love it! Pretty in a kitsch and gaudy way. Plus, everything’s abloom! It’s apparently already springtime in California.
Live Glassmaking at Museum of Glass in Tacoma
If you’ve never seen live glassmaking, a visit to the Hot Shop at the Museum of Glass in Tacoma is in order. Go. Now! I went last Sunday with the fam, and they’ve got quite the sweet set-up there. Visiting artist Ann Wåhlström was conducting the insanely intricate orchestra of moving, thousand-degree parts. Over the… Continue reading Live Glassmaking at Museum of Glass in Tacoma
The Iranian coin and a French flip
I experienced a fun cultural mashup the other day. It was Groundhog’s day, which falls on a Christian holiday called Candlemas, having something to do with the purification of the Virgin Mary and presentation of Jesus. Who knew? In France on this day, you’re supposed to hold a gold coin in one hand and flip… Continue reading The Iranian coin and a French flip
Pinch your butt to ward off jealousy
For as long as I remember whenever I did something good such as do well on a test, my mother has pinched my butt. As a child she would literally pinch my butt, in more recent years she instructs me to pinch my own butt, or as she says in Assyrian, “theesa moocha” which is… Continue reading Pinch your butt to ward off jealousy
Dolls and Masks in the Meatyard
In an unassuming room with bright white walls and cool cement floors hangs a body of work that is delightfully dark. The nearly sixty black and white photographs taken by Ralph Eugene Meatyard, currently on view at the de Young in San Francisco, call attention to the human body, identity, and family relationships in the… Continue reading Dolls and Masks in the Meatyard
Which is better in Food: Local, Sustainable, Organic or all?
Now I know what you are thinking, yet another blog post about sustainability, eco-friendly, organic yada yada. But I am excited because I finally found a view on the matter that makes sense! My beautiful sister gave my fantashtish boyfriend a Southern cookbook with a twist for Christmas, A New Turn in the South by Hugh Acheson.… Continue reading Which is better in Food: Local, Sustainable, Organic or all?