Natala la la la ... ... ...

Thursday, October 28, 2004

ocean beach circa 99 

i love this picture of anna mae and me...reminds me of sweet times and good friendship. awwww.

Monday, October 25, 2004

angels do exist 

over the weekend my cable tv died. then yesterday, my cable dsl died. i was sad. i e-mailed corp housing to have them repair these items (and also to ask for a dvd player and a bookshelf) and they ordered the services, which would arrive *sometime* this week.

well, just now i went to get the elevator and ran into the cable guy! he was accidentally on my floor (he'd actually been trying to get out on the 6th floor but had gotten out on my floor (the 11th). he has just spent the last hour fixing my cable and dsl! woohoo!

Saturday, October 23, 2004

karaoke... 

Ain't it funny how a melody can bring back a memory
Take you to another place in time
Completely change your state of mind
It can make a right from a wrong, it can make you fall in love
It can get you singin' along
-- Clint Black


last night i went out for karaoke. even though i don't sing, this is one of my all-time favorite things to do. last night was no exception. my favorite "performer" of the evening had to be this very rugged looking guy who sang dean martin's "that's amore." it was just awesome.

on another note....


Photo Credit: Universal Records via MTV.

i'm going to have to admit that i like the incredibly teeny-boppy video and song from the 13-year old JoJo, "baby it's you." Not only does the song feature lil bow wow, it promo's the sidekick as the hip phone to have...and it is just damn catchy.

Friday, October 22, 2004

seattle is fun  

ok, so i've been here (in seattle) now for a few weeks (minus my 10 day vacation back to california) and it has honestly been an adjustment. not only is my job completely different, but i really don't know that many people out here. tonight, however, was fun! went over to a new friend's house to watch the apprentice -- always a good show and i can understand why my sister and dad are addicted... and then afterwards we went out for drinks. At drinks i met a bunch of people who actually work down the hall from me...but had never met...we discussed our love of the ipod and technology over rum and cokes and a myriad of other fun beverages (or as laura says, bevvies)... it was good times. maybe i will not survive this move, maybe instead of surviving i will do as thomas friedman says, and thrive...

Sunday, October 17, 2004

chase family celebrates...  

Photo Credit: Scott or Jared? The Chase Family.

i spent the weekend in santa barbara rejoicing with family from around the globe as my aunt married the fine gentleman, augustin. it was a wonderful weekend, esp. all the footage jaz took of the grass... more to come, but first i've got to get to bed so i can catch my flight tomorrow AM back to seattle...

Tuesday, October 12, 2004

individuality 

Source: By Bill Watterson via UComics.

golden arches = ?  

McDonald's is retiring their golden arches in the UK for a "?" ... as part of a new health-focused campaign that will distribute pedometers and salads to the masses. The new tag-line, “McDonald’s. But not as you know it.” should really appeal to all their big mac eaters...

there's a new babe (or two) in town 

Source: SF Gate Daily Photo's from the AP.

A little behind on the news, but it's exciting none the less: Hue Mei had twins! She's originally from the San Diego Zoo but is now caring for her babes at the Wolong Giant Panda Reservation Center in Sichuan, China. Last year's panda cam really showed how cool baby panda's can be. i was completely addicted as previous posting indicated.

Monday, October 11, 2004

open studio 

i'm back in california for 10 days and the sunshine is wonderful.



Credit: Sidnea Damico

One of the highlights of a weekend spent in san francisco was traipsing around the Mission area with my friend Minnie and her mom. We shopped for shoes and visited open studios participating in the SF Open Studio weekend. It's always interesting to see the work of new emerging artists.

There were two artists that i really enjoyed -- Sidnea Damico (the artist of the painting above) and Rebecca Overmann. The work from Damica was exciting. She's a mixed-media painter who does some work with acrylics, collage and resin. The work that i really loved was a series of 5x5's titled Whimsey -- and that they were. They had a slight circus feel to them (cirque de soleil...) with flying figures and such. the beauty was really in the color and vibrancy of her pieces. She's working on a new series using the tops of plastic boxes that is also really interesting...i'll be curious to see how her work develops over time. I bought a necklace from rebecca - very simple but it updates the silver necklace i've been wearing for the last year while keeping me on my simple jewelry theme....

One thing that i did note is the importance of framing. I remember learning, when i studied art in Paris, that impressionist painters actually preferred simple frames or not to frame their work -- but that the Musee d'Orsay actually chose to frame their artwork in these huge overdone gilded frames - against the artist's wishes. Up until that point I had always believed that that was just the way you framed great art... but it isn't so. In actuallity the frame is an extension of the piece itself and bad framing or overzealous framing can be a distraction. Often times reproductions of the artists work will miss the importance of the framing. Which is why it is always so wonderful to see the actual art piece -- i remember the joy when i first saw Seurat's "Le Cirque" and found that the painting actually extended onto the frame itself. It added an element of rawness to the work that i really enjoyed. This weekend, there was a piece that we saw that was just a delight - but it was framed *horribly* - a frame that to me seemed to limit the possiblity of the painting itself. Although i loved the peice, the fact that it was so poorly framed by the artist herself made me wonder about the potential for the piece and the artist...

Sunday, October 03, 2004

the power of a home 

ok, i'm going to admit it: this is the second time i've teared up watching extreme makeover home edition. dammit, this show is fabulous.

i have to say: i don't really watch the entire show... just the beginning when they describe why the family was picked and the end when they do the walkthru. it's all you really need - the middle section is pretty much the same every episode (people hammering, tearing things down and painting like crazy).

tonight's episode was about a dad who took in his 5 siblings when his mother was shot by a stray-gang-sent-bullet. Mind you he already had 4 children of his own -- bringing his total household occupancy to 11. Oh yeah, and he works for a non-profit. They actually tore down his house and built a new one from scratch. it was pretty incredible, but what put it over the top was the end when the dad said "[having this home will] make me a better man than i am" and this 35+ year old man was *crying* as he said this.

of course, i'm sure these homes aren't perfect. The kids might love living in dinosaur filled rooms when they are six, but i'm guessing the cool factor will dissapate by the time they reach 12... of course that happens in every household (as my sister well knows when she got moved into my strawberry shortcake wallpapered room once i tired of it....). but i think the idea of providing a comfortable place to live for families who have done extraordinary things is pretty cool.