mary blair exhibit at disneyland

scotland concept art for 'it's a small world' 

i've had an affinity for mary blair ever since i stumbled upon her work years ago (as documented here...sheesh, can't believe i've had this blog for 4+ years!)  i've acquired a few books (glad i picked up "the art and flair of mary blair" before it went out of print...), but i've come to realize that her stuff is kind of hard to come by. i know she has some fans out there, but i don't know if she gets all the acknowledgment and credit she deserves.  anyway, about a week before my trip to california, i randomly googled "mary blair exhibit" and was ecstatic to learn they were showing tons of original works at the disneyland gallery (in the past, art galleries in tokyo and san francisco have hosted some of her art).  i was kinda already hoping to spend my birthday at disneyland, and learning this sealed the deal for me. side note: an old grade-school friend of mine hooked us up with FREE disneyland passes. we were blown away, and her gesture helped save us the almost-$200 admission fee. 

the last time i had been to disneyland was 1987. i had no idea if i would feel the magic and excitement that i felt as a 10-year-old, but when the shuttle pulled up to the gate i got a little misty-eyed. when you walk through the front gate, you're thrust into main street, which is lined with shops, restaurants, more shops and more restaurants. the disney gallery was our first stop (and the highlight of the day).  i never imagined i'd get to see those paintings and drawings in person, and i felt the same way i felt when i first saw works by picasso and miro and klee in "real" art galleries...such a different experience than seeing something in a book (or online). it was amazing. there were works from 'alice in wonderland' and 'cinderella', but most of the gallery focused on the concept paintings and drawings from 'it's a small world'. 

'cinderella' sketch. i love the deep turquoise color....

on our way out of the park, we stopped by the gallery's gift shop where i picked up some plates and mugs and ordered some prints from a little kiosk (which was super convenient, since they shipped them to our house and we didn't have to schlep them back to tennessee). basically i spent all the money i would've spent on admission at that shop.  a perfect birthday, for sure. 

a note about how i eat

from the looks of all my posts recently, it seems as if i've gone totally vegan. just to clarify: i am defintely not 100% vegan, although i've been dabbling in that way-of-cooking more and more lately.  i still eat some cheese. i still use half and half in my coffee (whenever i'm out of the coconut milk alternative). i don't scour the label on my loaf of bread to make sure there's no honey or milk ingredients.  i've been intrigued by vegan baking (especially scones and muffins) and i've gotten a few awesome vegan cookbooks that i've been using. at home, where i have 100% control of what i am cooking and eating, i have definitely become more aware of cooking with no animal stuff (as opposed to when i'm out in public and am force-fed cheese - ha ha). i've read books and articles on the matter, and although i am close as i've ever been to being a full-fledged vegan, i am not ready to make a commitment of it just yet.  especially since after almost 2 years of vegetarianism, i still have to explain to my dad that i don't eat chicken. i would blow his wisconsin-bred mind if i told him i am giving up cheese, too. 

anyway, i just wanted to make this clarification, especially since people might be visiting my blog after linking here from finding vegan, only to discover archived recipes for buttery cookies and cheesecakes and whatnot.

highly recommended (vegan) cookbooks:
veganomicon
appetite for reduction
vegan brunch
highly recommended (vegetarian) cookbooks:
how to cook everything vegetarian 
moosewood restaurant low fat favorites
vegetarian classics
passionate vegetarian

spandau

i paid the mister $20 to wear my sister's old homemade spandau ballet short-sleeved sweatshirt to thanksgiving dinner.  (yup, those are fuzzy iron-on letters)

 
he made friends with a lady cat that's been hanging around my dad's house. courtney first called it dion-something-or-other after some football player, but i changed it to dionne warwick after we found out it was a girl. i also called her minnie ripperton, then we went through a bunch of thanksgiving-related names: turkey, stuffing, gobble (aka "goblin"), pumpkin, etc.

side note: if you cover up the "s" and the "u" of "spandau" you're left with PANDA.  

here's a good spandau ballet song, since you're probably only familiar with "true" (ps: i heard this on 91.1 on the way to work yesterday morning (!!!) and was reminded that i never published this post, even though i've had it ready to go for a week or two):

i like: world market

i like world market. for those of you who have never been in one, it's kind of a cross between pier 1 (worldly home goods), ikea (cheap kitchen stuff like plates and glasses) and specialty/international grocery store (huge candy/random food & beer selection). it's one of those stores (along with kohl's and victoria's secret) (*see below*) that actually pays the customer to shop there. granted, you must sign up for their "rewards" program (it's free), but they constantly send out $10 off/$30 purchase coupons.  and tonight, i qualified for a 15% off a southwest airfare (!).  i must purchase the ticket in the next few weeks and travel by the end of january, so let me know if you want to take a trip with me! ha ha!

got all this for $28  

(white cheddar cheese snacks, big bag o'coffee, butterscotch chips, mineral water, sparkling fruit juices, mini muffin tin, 

and 4 boxes of assorted old school sodas)

also, their coffee is good, cheap, and you get a free bag after purchasing 6 (they keep track electronically, so you don't have to carry around a silly punch card). one 24-oz bag ($8.79) fills up the trader joe's coffee containers roughly 2 1/2 times.  coffee is my vice of choice, so i might as well be rewarded for drinking it.

i got 4 of these (each box has 10 "old school" sodas) - 75% halloween clearance for $2.50 (!) each.

these are the curtains i got for the computer room a few months ago 

*kohl's and victoria's secret*

does everyone else get FREE panty coupons? a lot? because i do. i have a whole drawerful of free VS panties. i think they hate me because i go in, get my freebie, and never buy anything (it explicitly says "no purchase necessary). but they keeping sending me the coupons, so they must still love me. or think they can brainwash me to eventually spend too much money on one of their bras.  but i'm a department-store-bra kinda gal. like macy's, or kohl's.  

(segue way) 

i constantly get $10 kohl's gift cards in the mail, which i use toward the purchase of (aforementioned) underthings, kitchen gadgets, dorky work pants (gloria vanderbilt and lee, say what!).  i usually end up spending a little money there, so i'm not bamboozling them the way i am victoria's secret.   

PS: the latest VS coupon i got is for a FREE LACIE THONG. i have no use for this. if i did have a use for it, i have no idea what that use would be.  so if you'd like it (all 3 of my {possible thong-wearing} readers, i'm talking to you)... leave a comment by wednesday the 10th and i'll randomly pick a winner (using this website). and then you can explain to me why women wear thongs. i promise i won't judge you. just like you shouldn't judge me for wearing cotton briefs.

ISFJ

the mister & i have both been obsessing a bit over our myers-briggs personality types after taking the assessment found here.  both of ours seem to describe us to a T. his is particularly revealing, and he's found comfort knowing that there are others (uh...1% of the population) like him.  see for yourself: 

ISFJ - me

follows the rules, polite, fears drawing attention to self, dislikes competition, somewhat easily frightened, easily offended, timid, dutiful, private, lower energy, finisher, organized, socially uncomfortable, modest, not confrontational, easily hurt, observer, prone to crying, not spontaneous, does not appreciate strangeness - intolerant to differences, apprehensive, clean, planner, prone to confusion, afraid of many things, responsible, guarded, avoidant, anxious, cautious, suspicious, more interested in relationships and family than intellectual pursuits, not adventurous, fears doing the wrong thing, dislikes change

INTP - him

loner, more interested in intellectual pursuits than relationships or family, wrestles with the meaninglessness of existence, likes esoteric things, disorganized, messy, likes science fiction, can be lonely, observer, private, can't describe feelings easily, detached, likes solitude, not revealing, unemotional, rule breaker, avoidant, familiar with the darkside, skeptical, acts without consulting others, does not think they are weird but others do, socially uncomfortable, abrupt, fantasy prone, does not like happy people, appreciates strangeness, frequently loses things, acts without planning, guarded, not punctual, not prone to compromise, hard to persuade, relies on mind more than on others, calm

here's a few other things that stood out to me about fellow ISFJ's:

• they do not usually express their own feelings, keeping things inside. If they are negative feelings, they may build up inside the ISFJ until they turn into firm judgments against individuals which are difficult to unseed, once set.
• good at taking care of practical matters and daily needs
• Usually good (albeit conservative) at handling money
• Unlikely to express their needs, which may cause pent-up frustrations to build inside 
• Not likely to be very wordy about expressing their love and affection, they're likely to do so through their deeds, and will deeply value their partner's responding affirmations. 
• It's a common problem for ISFJ's to not express their feelings until pushed to some limit, after which they explode in anger and say things which they later feel they shouldn't have said.  
• they hate confrontation; if you get into a fight, don't expect them to jump in after you. You can count on them, however, run and get the nearest authority figure 
• ISFJ personality types have difficulty delegating things to others.

If you're inclined to take the test, I'm curious to see where you fall - feel free to share in the comments or email me.  i know some people don't put too much clout in these sorts of things, but it's just kinda interesting. it's definitely made me more aware of some of the negative things about myself (the whole "keeping things inside" thing) and i hope i am able to work on changing this. maybe this explains why i am such a poor blogger (ha ha)...

Helen

A visit to the vet for X-Rays confirmed what I already knew in my heart – Helen has bone cancer.

When she started limping a few weeks ago, I was a little concerned so I googled “limping greyhound” and read all about osteosarcoma. I tried not to think the worse and took her to see the vet. At that point, Dr M said the limp was “worrisome” but did not make the official diagnosis, and we decided to treat Helen with pain and arthritis meds (in case it was just a fracture or tear or something “minor”), and I’d continue to keep close a watch on her. Things were pretty bad after the appointment (and I cried whenever I’d take her on a bathroom walk), but after a few days she seemed to have more energy and was limping a lot less. Good, I thought, maybe she’s ok. But the limp came back last week, so I talked to the vet and we agreed it was time to X-Ray.

Her left front leg definitely shows an area of deterioration and we got the official diagnosis just about an hour ago.

So, what’s next? I will continue to give her the medication & up the dosage. I want to make the last days/weeks/months of her life as comfortable as possible. That being said, I’d leaning on the side of not wanting her to suffer just so we can have her around for a few more days/weeks/months. (And it really is that up in the air. Usually when osteosarcoma is diagnosed, they live for a few more months (untreated by amputation and/or chemotherapy). But there’s no rulebook, and the vet said Helen could have been silently suffering for several months already. As I’m typing this, I haven’t even talked to the Mr. yet. We obviously have a lot to talk about. I’ve never dealt with the decision of when to put a pet “to sleep”, and it is something I need to think long and hard about. It’s especially hard knowing that the Mr. will only be home for a week before he goes to Europe for 2 weeks, but I don’t know if it’s too premature to plan for “it” to coincide with all that. 

I am not quite ready to eulogize my sweet Helen yet. That will come after the shock of all this has worn off and we have decided what to do.

15/365: backyard

i started doing a 365-photo-a-day thing on flickr after reading this & this.  my buddy alexis is doing it too. i won't post my all my photos here, but i thought this one was a lil' pretty.

i forget that my backyard is a nice place.

15/365: backyard
Originally uploaded by pandaparables

Mister Wister the Time Twister

i was looking at a japanese website where i saw these cute things -> which prompted me to look up "petit ours brun" -> at which point i learned it was a french cartoon. so then i ->searched for other french cartoons on youtube and found the following video (i just wanted to explain how i ended up here. i love how easy it is to end up random places on the internet.)  anyway, this cartoon just exemplifies everything i love about the art of mid-century cartoons.






if you're a fan, be sure to check out Cartoon Modern Blog. I got the book for christmas - yippee!

the Stubborn Cowboy

please spend the next 6 minutes of your life watching this short cartoon from 1967 - "the stubborn cowboy".  it will make you smile, and if it doesn't, i don't know if we can be friends anymore. it's funny to imagine a time when it was perfectly acceptable to show a cartoon figure rolling his own cigarettes.




here's another one called "my daddy the astronaut".

He says I got to obey him

The wind blew this note onto my driveway today, which was obviously passed back and forth between two friends. I didn't know teenagers (or pre-teens?) still wrote notes. With pencils and paper. I thought it was all text messages nowadays. The scan didn't really turn out, so I'll transcribe it below. If I can get a decent scan, I may try to submit it to FOUND Magazine. I wish I knew what Chases' letter said.


Chase gave me a letter, but there are some parts that are sort of rude
Can I read it?
Sure.
Wow, thats deep
Yeah. It encourages me a little bit but Chase needs not be so rude on certain parts.
Yeah.
He says I got to obey him and I don't necessarily have to! I love him, but he doesn't need to be rude!! And if he's not rude, I want to kiss him!! But he won't be rude to me!!

awwh. How Long have you been going out?
Since May 22nd

Wow thats a long time.
Yeah. I had known for almost 2 years and now its been over 2 years since I met him
That's awsome. Ive know one of my friends scence we were 7 years old.
Wow. Um, I met somebody and known her since I was 5.
Oh wow. Ive known Mariah scince I was 4.
Really

pictures

how many of you get prints made from your digital photos? i just started thinking about how future generations aren't really going to have the experience of looking at actual tangible photographs. i always loved looking through my parents' photos. granted - we only had 2 photo albums (our early-80s trip to the grand canyon). everything else was in a box in the garage - hundreds and hundreds of rolls of developed film - and we'd pull the box out on occasion and flip through photos. it was fun until we got to the rolls of NASCAR races (my dad, courtney and carrie were into NASCAR for a bit??!!) courtney was always awesome about archiving her pictures. just last week she pulled out tons of photo albums (circa 2001) and we had so much fun going through those. no one ever really gathers around a computer to look at old pictures (right?). i tried to get into the habit of archiving things on flickr, but it's just not the same (plus, i'm already tired of spending $25/yr on that pro account). that being said, i feel like i should start getting prints made of some of my favorite digital photos. also... i know that CD-R's don't last forever. and finally, i haven't even gotten prints of my wedding photos, and that was 3.5 years ago.

swap em if you got em

i'm getting ready to sound like i'm getting paid to promote this (i'm obviously not) - but i cannot recommend swaptree enough. if you have any books, dvds, cds or games that you're no longer into, you put them on your "have" list. and then you make a "want" wish list. and they find trades for you. you pay the postage to mail away your trade - it's so easy. i've gotten several awesome cookbooks (moosewood, cooking light) out of it. i like to keep most of my books after i've read them, so i've been keeping my eyes open at the goodwill and buying trade-able books for a buck or two (mostly best seller-ish stuff) and that's mainly where my "have" list comes from. my best trade yet - a cd for this! SCORE! (but...i haven't really been playing my ds lately, so who knows when i'll start playing this. seems like i've taken to exercising in my 'free' time, which yields better results than my hand cramping up from too much tetris.)

New Purse!

I'm never going to be able to afford an Orla Kiely bag, so I settled for this Fossil knock-off version. $24 on sale at Dillards!
I'm not the sort of girl who changes purses and handbags daily (even monthly...or yearly). I use the same darn purse regardless of if it's "in style" or "in season" or whatever. So expect to see this draped over my shoulder for the next 12 months (at least!) A fond farewell to the corduroy flowery bag that Carolyn got me last year...I'll miss you, bottomless, buttoned purse!

my husband, the style maven

as featured on style.com, in their "capturing the scene at bonnaroo" photo album. he's so hip! and cute! this is likely to be the only fashion-related post i ever make:

hooray for carolyn!

My pal Carolyn's awesome bookshelf is featured on design sponge today... I am so proud of my super-crafty friend (and jealous of all of her tchotchkes)!

http://www.designspongeonline.com/2009/06/before-after-hollys-built-ins-carolyns-bookshelf.html

i hear a symphony

separated at birth: nashville symphony conductor giancarlo guerrero and mad men actor bryan batt (salvatore).

i went to see the nashville symphony with my dad saturday night. they did a schumann piano concerto and rimsky-korsakov's scheherazade. it was SO RAD. aside from the separated-at-birth thing, i noticed a few things:

1. as far as 'fans' are concerned, there's no real diffrence between classical and rock enthusiasts. a girl at our table talked about one of the cellists and the conductor the same way i gush about paul from the walkmen. she noted their enthusiasm and passion and was so excited when the symphony started.
2. cellos are rad. i like pizzacato strings.
3. i kind of miss playing percussion. the music-reading, the practices, the concerts. that was a serious part of my life for 10 (!) years, and even though i always just did it "for fun", i still miss the camradarie of playing in a band/drumline/ensemble.
4. christopher cross is doing a 3-night stint with the symphony in may 2010.
5. i really don't know much about classical music. i'm familair with a few pieces, but i'd like to learn more. rollum's been obsessed with holst's "neptune" lately. also, neptune in general. that's the picture on our desktop right now.
6. classical music must've done something right, since it's managed to stay around for so long.
7. if you ever get the chance to go see the nashville symphony, DO IT. in fact, you should MAKE the chance to go see them. not sure how much normal tickets are though. our seats were free, so i guess that's easy for me to say.
8. you could get food from a buffet and bring it to your table. i felt kinda funny eating a caprese salad and tortellini as the music was playing.
   
9. i'm so ignorant about wine, that i was surprised that my white zinfandel was pink. now i know. (brandon: teach me).
   
10. after scheherezade finished, it was absolutely silent for about 5 seconds before they put down their bows and everyone started to clap. no one even coughed. it was a nice moment.
    

to veg or not to veg

i am debating going vegetarian. i've been a proud meat eater all my life. i love hot dogs and my dad's meatloaf, meatballs, and beef stew. but a few weeks ago, i ate a greasy cheeseburger at rotiers and haven't touched red meat since. i know those burgers are supposed to be greasy - that's what makes them good - but i just felt pretty horrible after i ate it. the past few weeks, i've had a bit of chicken and some turkey sandwiches from subway, but i (think i) could happily leave those behind with no problem. (i'd miss bacon more than i would chicken). so now i'm grappling with the decision: go full-on with vegetarianism, or don't label myself as anything, and if i want an occasional turkey-bacon-avocado sandwich, i'll have one?

kind of related: i'm involved in a "biggest loser" competition at work. it began the first of the year, with official weigh-ins once a month, and i've lost about 10 lbs. For the first time ever, i feel like i'm approaching weight loss in a healthy manner. i've never had an eating disorder or anything, but i've tried the south beach diet several times and it ends up doing more harm than good. i realize i'm not willing to choose to have the will power necessary for maintaining such a strict diet:
do phase one --> lose 6 lbs in a week --> follow diet for a few weeks --> stop diet --> gain it back + some.
now it's different. i've been consistently (well, 90% of the time...) using www.thedailyplate.com, entering the foods i eat and the exercise i do/calories i burn. it makes me think twice before eating an oreo every time i pass by the package on the coffee table. BUT, i've also allowed myself to indulge in pizza & sweets, as long as i stay within my calories for the day. it makes me look at the big picture - if i know i'm going out for mexican food for dinner, i'll eat salads and other healthy food that day. or i'll walk on the treadmill for an extra 30 minutes. i've become more aware about just how bad most (restaurant and package) food is, with all the high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oils.

last thing i want to do is become preachy though. but i can tell the habits i'm picking up now are the right ones. and the weight loss (as slow as it has been) that has resulted is only an added bonus. i didn't enter the contest at work to win a lot of money (there's monthly $ to be had, as well as the overall grand prize in june). if so, i'd have been on the south beach bus weeks ago, depriving myself of bread and pasta and sorbet. no fun. i'm actually enjoying exercising. now that the weather is nice, i've been taking daily 2 mile walks around my neighborhood. went back to yoga tonight for the first time in weeks (schedule conflicts and that regrettable ingrown toenail kept me from going for awhile).

i'll try to update the blog with my progress over the next couple months. until then, i may post some recipes and stuff...

almond joy

almonds and almond-related products rule. lately, i've been enjoying:

• almond milk with my cereal (corn flakes + muesli)

• trader joe's spicy & tangy almonds (flavored with tabasco sauce and lemon juice. it's weird that i like these so much, because i don't really like the flavor of tabasco. go figure. but these nuts are good.)

• 

i haven't tried almond butter, but i'm sure i'd like it. i'd also like to get some almond flour and try baking with it.

hooray for almonds!

Find the Common Link

what do these five movies have in common?  find the common link!

if you said "movies you've watched in the past two weeks", you are correct!  our normal dvd viewing consists of a constant rotation of 'freaks and geeks' and 'arrested development'. together, rollum and i never romantic comedies. rarely action movies. 'darjeeling' is the only "regular" one out of the bunch. here's what i discovered though: i can watch all the romantic comedies i want as long as i rub rollum's feet while doing so.  and i'll watch action movies as long as we eat oatmeal cookies while doing so (but seriously, mel gibson does a fine job in that movie!  that scene in his trailer when he's about to...you know...totally oscar-worthy!)  other thoughts: 'dan in real life' is really lame.  'flashdance' is an inappropriate film for a 6-year-old (my dad co-wrote a song in the movie, so i saw it in the theater when it first came out. i recall there were no open seats so i had to sit in the aisle). 

ps: we combined christmas money gifts and got a new 32" flat screen. hence the increased movie viewing. that, and my 2-week vacation from work. 

2008 in review

it's been a heck of a year, and i can't say that i'm sad to say it's over. a lot of people i care about experienced various forms of weirdness, illness and death in their lives. it created an air of negativity for most of the year. i don't want to get into it anymore than that.

but some good things happened too. rollum & i took a much-needed vacation to barbados. the features released their album. obama won! and so did my dad, as secretary treasurer for the nashville musician's union. we checked some things off our house to-do list (painted the bathroom, hired mark to paint the living room). got to spend another week in california. so...not all negative.

it was also the year of weddings. i attended SEVEN in 08. they were all lovely!

favorite albums of the year:
-the walkmen 'you and me'
-the features 'some kind of salvation'

i only remember seeing one movie this year - the batman one. maybe i saw more, i just can't remember...i also can't remember if i read any books? i know i read the new david sedaris one. and 'life of pi'.

i suppose i could share my resolutions for 09, but i haven't quite thought about them yet. yes, the typical eat better/exercise more. get out of that mountain of debt. spend more time doing creative-ish things. i'm also in the process of becoming a 'big sister' for big brothers big sisters, so i am excited about that.

i wish everyone health and happiness. here's to 2009!