Things that make me happy: part 1: art

Sometimes I get the impression that people think I'm gloomy. So maybe I am kinda quiet. And maybe I don't smile a whole heck of a lot. I smile when I have a reason to. And I laugh (sincerely laugh) even more rarely than I smile. But my humor is dry, and laughing ruins it!But when I'm around people I like, I laugh a lot. For instance, today I was out shopping with a friend and I was laughing so much, and so obnoxiously I think I got on a lot of people's nerves. But I was slightly hopped up on pain meds/lack of sleep. Plus, we were having such a good time. (except when we stopped to get drinks and that a-hole asked Jen if I was her mother. Admittedly, Jen does look kinda young, and I am older than her, but still! her MOTHER?!) So screw them. (I feel kinda guilty about using such a bad picture of Jen, so here's a sneak peek of a photo I'm hoping to use in a future entry.)

Anyway, I think I drifted on a little tangent there...

My point is, I'm a lot more optimistic than people realize. Uh, but I like to consider myself an optimist with pessimistic tendencies. Pessimism and sarcasm kinda go hand in hand, don't they? And personally, I can't live without sarcasm. But that's beside the point! I'm happy! So I thought, through a series of blogs I'd share a few of the things that make me happy. And here we go... with art.

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I don't know who took this photo, but this sad little beat - up 4x6 is one of my most prized possessions. I worked in a camera store after college where this photo was taped up on the wall in the lab... most likely it was taken by one of our customers (or a customer from 10 years prior to that) and one of the techs liked it enough to save it. Every time I walked into the lab this photo caught my eye. When I finally left, I took the photo with me. And I'm still deliriously happy I did.

Growing up we had a book of the painting collection at the Louvre. These days the spine is broken and the pages are falling out. Whether this was caused by me looking at it a billion times, or simply because the book is too freaking huge and heavy to be supported by that wimpy little spine, we may never know. I decided early on that this was my favorite piece (screw the Mona Lisa!) and remains my favorite to this day. It's based on a novella, Atala, by François-René de Chateaubriand, which, yes, I eventually read ... I even wrote a poem about it, the dork that I am. At least, I wrote a poem based on what I THINK it's about. I read a translation from French. It was rough reading. My poem was way prettier.

The Burial of Atala by Anne-Louis Girodet de Roussy-Trioson 1808

This poster of Grand Central Station has hung on the wall of my bedroom in three different locations, and I suspect it will in many future locations as well. I'm a sucker for photos (paintings, anything really) where you can SEE the light. I.. uh... even started to write a story about it. (In case you don't know me and can't figure it out, I was in a creative writing class... okay, several. I might talk about this later. It's kinda important.)

Emil Nolde was another subject of a poem I wrote back in the day. And the topic of a paper for an art history class. The guy’s pretty interesting and controversial. He was a Nazi supporter in the beginning, but his work was then condemned by Hitler as “degenerate art.” But Mr. Nolde didn’t give up; he kept painting in secret and was later awarded some pretty high honors by Germany. Anyhoo… This is my favorite piece by him. In fact, one of the main reasons I did my paper on his was so I’d have a reason to take the slide out of the art building and scan it for myself. I’m particularly fond of the little touches of light he put on the edges of the clouds. Told you I was a sucker for things with light.

I love Louis Comfort Tiffany. And the weird thing is, you can buy Tshirts on amazon.com that say those very words. (I love the guy, but don't shirts and hats seem a just little random?) I realized he did more than lamps on my first trip to the Met. (I love the Met, too. I sometimes wish I lived closer to NY just so I could go there on a regular basis.) His lamps don’t really tickle my fancy, but I love the panels. How can you not when they look like this?

Late Bloomer

When I get a new CD I tend to listen to it once or twice, then put it away. I like to let it ferment for a while. That way when I put it back in my player the songs sound familiar ... and it's sort of like finding an old friend. This is especially helpful when you're not sure whether you're going to like something... or not.

My most recent "old friend" was Brandi Carlile's "The Story". I bought it almost a year ago after hearing the title track on the radio. It took a few tries to get into it a second time. It's a little overly dramatic. A little chichéd. Some of the lines make me cringe like you wouldn't believe. ("Even when I was flat broke you made me feel like a million bucks"? .. excuse me, I just threw up in my mouth a little bit.) But over all it's mostly very enjoyable. I'm not a big fan of female singers. I can only listen to Rachel Yamagata or Regina Spektor for extended periods of time... everyone else just kinda drives me nutty after a while, but I'm really enjoying this at the moment.

Just kinda wanted to share. Other than that, this is rather pointless.

Anyway, of course my favorite song is the "hidden" track, and naturally it's unavailable online. So enjoy this video. I love the old guy with the piano. or try this video .

And then, if you so choose, here are the songs from the CD. well.. the ones I could find.

Sucky Things Suck.

Is it me or are there more completely sucky things these days? They’re everywhere! I feel like I’m being bombarded with more crappy movies than ever. Okay... so its not like I actually see them when they come out, most of these I saw as reruns on weekend TV. These can’t even be placed in that category where the movie is so utterly craptastic it becomes completely awesome again. (i.e. Lying in Wait. Well, it does star the spectacular Rutger Hauer, so… you know.) Here's just a few things that have been getting on my nerves lately...

Movies:

War of the Worlds – Oh Stephen Spielberg… This makes me sad. Probably the hands down worst alien invaders movie I’ve ever seen (uh.. not that I've seen a lot. I think the only other one I've seen was Independence Day). My favorite part of the whole movie watching experience was when my mom and I gave up trying to enjoy it and just started pointing out the oxymorons and plot-holes.

The Number 23 – Just… wha? I really am speechless about the whole thing.

Bulletproof Monk – Oh come on! What the hell is she wearing at the end?! She’s walking around a busy park/common area wearing some hideous red leather matrix style thingy-- and not one person does a double take!

The Sweetest Thing – I dunno. I'd heard some several people that this was pretty good. They were right, assuming "pretty good" is code for "the crappiest romantic comedy you will see in a looooong time." But eh, I've come to accept almost anything with Cameron Diaz is guaranteed crap.

Songs:

Through Glass by Stone Sour – this song has been getting on my nerves for about 2 years now. The lyrics are just heinous…. It's like some pathetic angsty teenager tried to write some super deep poem that was so filled with clichés and similes, it didn’t make sense anymore. And then there’s the video… it’s been described as “clever.” Uh… sure... if you have a half a pea brain in your little pea head and need the “message” smooshed in your face every 2 seconds.

Thnks fr th Mmrs by Fall Out Boy – First of all, all the vowels from the title were so embarrassed to be associated with such crap, they ran off. And… parts of the song remind me of when N’Sync guest starred on the Simpsons and the kids formed The Party Posse…

Books:

The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger -- okay so I know this book was a huge hit, and they’re even making a movie of it… but I must be missing something. I thought it was terribly predictable and while I’m usually okay with things that involve time travel and am willing to occasionally overlook some inconsistencies and problems with logic/physics (I am in no way an expert) I was just completely bothered by some pretty major issues that she glossed over with some incredibly lame excuses.

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen – another one that’s gotten a buttload of attention… and I’m just not sure why. Possibly the most predictable book I’ve ever read. Not one single word surprised me.


Oh the other hand:

things that give me hope that there is still goodness in the world:
Waitress -- starring Keri Russell
Atonement (the book) – by Ian McEwan
some things on deviantART
My new shoes

And finally, enjoy this little picture for the upcoming "holiday."

the old apartment

Been feeling a little nostalgic for my old apartment. It was on the second floor of an old farmhouse, with most of the out-buildings still standing, so naturally there were lots of photo opportunities. The house itself was located in a "quaint" little town called Berryville (see the church on the left at the very top of the page? My place was directly across the street. The town had 2 stop lights and a population of about 3000, but there were at least 10 churches. From my apartment I could see ... or hear... no less than 4 of them.)

I've also been needing to get working on photos again... so I indulged my nostalgia and took care of the artsy needs at the same time. These here photos are the result. All are were taken in, around, or near my apartment in Virginia... enjoy!

Press play:

The knocker on the front door of the downstairs apartment. Yup, it says Warner! Thought this would look good as an album cover...

Sunlight coming in through the kitchen window...

Lots of old junk in the barn out back, including this cabinet.

And this chair...

Various photogenic cats who resided with us at one time or another... Mr. Paddington "Cat" Paws, Linus, and Warner.

The hallway. With the hideous carpet.

One of my best friends and my former roomie. I think she hates this photo and I'm sure she'll kill me if she ever sees it...

Player piano, also in the barn.

The bulb and the pot were hanging out on the shed from the day I moved in until the day I moved out. And call me a dork, but I hope they're still there.

I had big plans, but I never did get around to painting the shutters...

Holy crap, I loved when the weather finally got warm enough to open the windows. I'd open both in my room and still between them and read... That's one of the things I miss the most.

Along Route 7 on the way to Leesburg.

One snowy night... if you take 30 paces straight through the middle of the photo, you get to Subway. Was I a lucky girl or what?