I'd like to be...under the sea

Spoonflower is a genius site where you can design fabric and sell it (they'll print and ship it). These cool seamonster threads are by a Virginian mosaic designer named Cean.

Of course I want to design my own fabric one day. Don't you?!

Shorty

I'm making shorts for P. I wanted them to be seersucker but he said no freaking way. I snuck some into the pockets anyway.



I used a pattern I found at Scavenger's. I've sewn from a lot of vintage patterns, but this time I felt like I was in a time warp. Something about creating the same kind of trousers I used to rifle through racks of at thrift stores....

I had to take them in about four sizes, shorten the crazy long waist by about half, and nearly had a nervous breakdown trying to figure out the pocket installation but otherwise, it's been a lovely experience.

A sad sight

Did you know a dead whale washed up on the shore of Jones Beach a couple weeks ago? This isn't a freak occurrence, apparently: sometimes whales get killed by ships. And then we bury their bodies in the dunes. So there are enormous whale skeletons in the dunes at Jones Beach. Isn't that sad, and spooky? And bizarre?

Photo and story courtesy of Gothamist. (I'm not a fan of Gothamist, and I'm not sure why. Occasionally those cats report on stories like this, or on horrific bike accidents in the middle of Union Square, more immediately and reliably than other news sources. I know, I know. But I still don't like them.)

You talkin' to me?

The Lost Tribes of New York City from Carolyn London on Vimeo.

"Urban Anthropologists Andy and Carolyn London interview some of New York City's more overlooked citizens."

Enjoy.

Responses to 6/15/10 post

I DON'T DRINK. I WAS PLAYING IN THE SUN. DAMN FOOLS.


WHATEVERRR.

Montréal est doux

The best ice cream in the world is in Canada's fair city of Montréal, at a place on Rue St. Denis called Meu Meu ("Moo Moo" in English, ha ha).

P and I went up for an extended Memorial Day weekend, hosted by P's intrepid bridge partner, friend, and philosopher Sari, who was back in her hometown attending a philosophers' convention. (It was fun to come home to a living room full of pontificating thinkers every night.)

Photo by "Aïch of the clan" on Flickr

I wasn't able to photograph this breathtaking and inspiring place because when I was there I experienced heart palpitations and blurry vision, trying to narrow down my choices of the many sweet and/or savory flavors (fromage ice cream, anyone?) that change (and are made fresh) daily. The grapefruit sorbet was particularly vexing. This wasn't some reach-into-your-deli-freezer and get some Haagen Ciao Sharon's Bella Dazs Sorbet sorbet. I don't even really like sorbet. But this grapefruit stuff! I was laughing and weeping and shoving heaping spoonfuls of it into my face, no kidding.

OK, collecting myself. Deep breath. I love you, Meu Meu. Let's move on.



A pee detour! And look, someone knocked over the sign to take it! (Not me, I swear.)

Little pee-wee eggs! Aw!

One not-amusing thing was my inability to track down Julie Doucet, as planned, and convince her to get back down into the coal mines and start producing her brilliant comics again. I didn't really put much energy into the search, it's true. We stopped by the Drawn & Quarterly bookshop so I could stare bitterly at the finite number of books she's put out. Dammit, Julie, you're driving your fans nuts! Also, my brother wants to marry you. (Seriously.)

By the way, cats in Julie Doucet comics say "Miaw, Miaw."

I almost had a heart attack one night when I walked into a unisex bathroom in a restaurant and saw an enormous buffalo head on the wall.



What the...?!

It was the kind of thing you walk over to very carefully, in case your assumption it's fake is wrong. But the fur was acrylic. A tell-tale sign of fakeness.

We passed this feline many times on the way back and forth to Meu Meu. He is impressive, no?

I also loved Le Pick Up, a great cornerstore/lunch counter that serves an amazing Halloumi sandwich: grilled cheese, except the cheese itself is grilled and then layered with freaking tasty coleslaw. And Laika, a cafe named after the first dog in space with an after hours club vibe. It has an industrial interior and comfortable modern chairs falling apart from overuse, there's always cool music playing, the grub is delicious and the service is charming but lousy. You can sit around for hours wondering why your evening turned out the way it did and whether you should go home to sleep, out to breakfast, or just get up and dance again.

We were too lazy to ride any of the new public bikes you can rent cheaply for the day or hour. I nodded at them appreciatively, instead.

Photo credit: Mark Evans

Montréal est la bombe.

Cats in the house

Trey told me I don't post enough about my cats. Dawn, though, told me I post too much about them. (Dawn made this observation awhile ago, though, so she might not think so anymore.) Hell if I can tell. If I had my druthers I'd travel the world in search of weird and wonderful little eels and this blog would be exclusively about my findings.

Anyway, Beatrix is doing fine.



Olive, on the other hand...

Moss-covered art and super dope style

Neil Van always posts fun and fascinating stuff on his blog, but recently, two images from a couple of his posts have been especially beguiling to me.

How cool is this sculpture in artist Tim Fowler's garden? I would love to have or make something that could stand up to the weather and welcome the encroaching moss as gracefully as this guy does.



And how awesome is Beatrix's style? No, not this Beatrix. This one:



Sites like the Sartorialist would be more compelling to me if they featured more images like this. We've seen enough women snapped while walking down the streets of New York and Milan. Capture some shots of fashionable individuals going camping in the rain, will you?

Anyway, clearly, I love everything about this woman's style (Especially that skirt!). Rock on, Beatrix. And thanks, Neil!

Zzzz

So apparently if you don't leap into bed after having your nose one inch from a bright computer screen, and if, in the morning, you make your shades ricochet up immediately so the sun radiates directly onto your face, you will get onto a "normal" sleep schedule and stop moaning to anyone who will listen about how you've always slept like a log and don't understand what's happening to you, etc., etc., blah blah blah.

You can read all about this interesting and plausible-sounding theory here. This article also contains a link to a free, downloadable program called Flux that alters your computer screen light, so it's more natural and less harsh. So you can still read fascinating articles, Google(TM) important things like "Mrs. Meyer's hand soap refills" and answer urgent emails just before nodding off, because you know you were never going to be able to cut that out.

Self-portraits

When kids ask you what they should draw, a good shotgun answer is "Yourself!"



Henry did a rendition of his class picture, he said.

My drawing group hasn't been meeting as often lately so I haven't been drawing as much. A self-portrait would be a good way to keep the pencils sharpened, so to speak. If only I could get motivated!

Yikes

Frank asked me why I didn't post the picture P took of me laughing at Patrick's opening.



Because I think I look scary, like the woman in Gary Winogrand's photo El Morocco!

Great art

Look at handsome Frank and his studly husband Patrick. Look quick because I'm almost positive Frank is going to email me and be all, "Take that pic down! I look too happy!" or something.



These guys were in town recently because Patrick's career is kaboom! Taking off! And is anyone as talented and deserving as this guy? Not that I know of.



His work is insane. You just have to go see it. Viewing the images online are one thing, but when you see them in person and realize they're drawn with a pencil, no tricks, just patience and skill, every little pore, you better have something to catch your jaw, which will go clattering to the floor, I promise.



You have about a week or so left to catch the show. It's on 22nd street between 10th and 11th avenues.

You'll have to bear the sight of the closed-for-good Empire Diner on 22nd and 10th, which shut its doors this past Sunday, another reliable, old relic fated to become a real estate office or hair salon or turn into a tall, skinny tower of luxury housing. But you just march past that sad sight and go see some great art. It'll make you feel better, I promise.

You made the City happy

I made cards for my niece and nephew to show them how happy the City was about their recent spring break visit. (Hinted about in this previous post.) This one's Henry's:



The idea was to use Bristol paper, which is stiffer than your average sheet of paper, so I could carve a window in the front (above, for Henry's card) that would show the grey city outside, and then you'd open it up to see the colorful city inside (below).



Here's the front of Hazy's card:



And the inside:

(It was supposed to be more obvious the building is smiling, but that was before I plastered it with Hello Kitty stickers.)



They got them yesterday and really dug them. Hooray!

Drop stuff and make music

Gravité from Renaud Hallée on Vimeo.

Not so smiley face

New shoes

I really shouldn't be buying things I don't need right now, primarily because I'm more grossed out by capitalism and consumerism than ever before. Sadly, though, I did grow up in America, so when I see something I like all sorts of U.S.A.-approved rationalizations enter my head, like "Oh, why not!"



I guess that's not really a rationalization. I did actually need a new comb, though. (And look, the shoes came with alternate laces!) They also came with a soft bag touting some lofty principles. (I think "groovyness" should be spelled "grooviness." But otherwise, yes, Mr Fluevog! I agree with you wholeheartedly.)



I have a feeling that bag is just going to end up full of fabric scraps.

Damn, this is what I get for walking home across Spring Street and taking an unintentional detour across Prince.

And now I'm not so sure about the shoes. What do you think? Yea or neigh?

Keeping busy

Here are two new "secret" drawings I'm working on. I shall reveal all when I'm finished...if they don't end up in the trash with the banana peels, that is.

What your phone can tell you

I felt compelled to change the screen saver on my cell phone from this



to this



yesterday. That must mean something, right?

Laundry robot

I'm not a big fan of doing laundry, but I have to admit I don't mind the part when everything is clean and all you have to do is fold. So initially I wasn't interested in this robot. But then I saw it in action. It's so cute! And it just wants to fold up washcloths, dishtowels, towels, and any other rectangular items you have! OK, I'd like to hang out with this robot, after all!

Hoot hoot

I read the book Florence Nightingale: The Making of an Icon a couple years ago, and what I remember most about it is this drawing, and how one of the highlights, if not THE highlight, of Florence Nightingale's personal life was when she got a little owl.

She named it Athena and kept it with her at all times, carrying it around places in the pockets of her skirts, and washing it occasionally with sand. Is there anything more freaking cute than that drawing of the little owl? And also the fact that Florence's older sister Parthenope was so inspired by Florence and the owl's relationship that she drew this lovely drawing?

I picked up the biography because I'd read a review about what a crazy, madcap page turner it was (seriously). That and the obvious "But who was Florence Nightingale, really?" question led me down into the basement of the Strand to find a copy. Well, it turned out not to be a madcap page turner (shocking, I know). But it wasn't exactly boring, either. Old Flo was a huge celebrity nurse in her time (a what?), a trailblazing feminist, and a shrewd businesswoman in her way. She was also simply tireless.

I guess I've been thinking about her recently because my sister said something to me about how maybe I shouldn't be so nice to everyone all the time. I don't know: certainly there are times when being nice to people does not produce the results you would hope for, but that's not the only reason to be nice. I'm sure there were soldiers in the Crimean war who Florence would rather not have tended to. I'm also sure, though, that she probably felt a lot better when she went and hung out with her little owl for a while. Yes, what I'm saying is, it's not such a bad idea to occasionally ask oneself, "What Would Florence Do?"