Wednesday, September 29, 2010

First World Problems

I'm sitting back and contemplating a number of pressing issues at the moment:
- Should i let myself become addicted to Survivor Nicaragua?
- Should i have a bottle of cider while watching Glee?
- Should i go for a run tomorrow or do strength training?
- Is it my shifty eyes, tangled hair or smirk that caused my photo registration to be rejected by Glastonbury 2011?

So many first world problems indeed.

What i do know is certain:

- i will develop an obsession with the new Born Ruffians album


- i will dance the way i feel

Ou-est-le Swimming Pool are releasing "The Golden Year" on Friday...i could have sworn that they were going to name their debut album "Jesus Died for our Synths" [Best. Album. Title. Ever]...perhaps they thought it was insensitive following the death of their lead singer Charles Haddon?



Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Put a ring on it!


I'm hitched. Hook, line and sinker.

Well maybe not the hook or the line - but i have the sinker - a wedding ring.

Miss Lonely-Hearts is still as single as a slice of cheese, but as a solo traveller i've decided to don a fake wedding ring to "ward off any unwanted attention."


Sure it doesn't have the kick of pepper spray, but apparently it works. Plus it's pretty.


Now i just need to remember to slip it off when the attentions are welcomed mmmm or i could learn the intricate language of hand fan flapping before i hit up South-East Asia...

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Pick of the pictures

As i scroll through my gallery of out of focus, shadowy and overexposed photos, i'm grateful for digital cameras. But without some professional input, i'm going to have a glut of glossy mediocre memories.

The Australian Centre for Photography is hosting a free event soon:

Walkleys Floortalk

1—3pm Saturday 16 October 2010
Free Admission

"Experience the stories behind the images, as a selection of Australia’s most talented press photographers discuss the biggest moments in the year’s news."


Shame all their workshops are only for fancy pants SLR cameras, i guess i'm going to have to raid my local library for photography "how to" books.

Travel. One meal at a time.

Lately I've been bemoaning about the woes of saving, however this niffy episode of "Jamie Does" has me all revved up to shoulder my backpack, lace up my boots and head hell for leather out the front door.

I want to soak up the aromas of charcoal lamb, lusty blood red paprika, zesty lemon, cheeky cumin, sweetly delicate rose water and pulsating pomegranate in Marrakesh's central souk, before diving head first into the labyrinth of suburbia, lead by nothing else but my curiosity.



Lamps

An equally addicted, but far savvier bookworm, has managed to combine her penance for books with business. Her website [ilovereading.com.au] has a lovely explanation of how the system works, but basically for $90 subscription you can borrow as many books as you like for a year mmmm my purse will be positively brimming with the pennies saved.

Now if there was some why to curb my coffee addiction...

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Apple Snapple

Besides gorging myself on stewed apple smothered in cinnamon, gawping at the marvelous inventions on the "New Inventors" season finale and slaughtering Andy Bull's new song "Dog" featuring the impish Lisa Mitchell - i've been troweling book blogs [and constructing highly convoluted sentences it seems]

And i came across this ditty about Dan Brown.

I've also opened a can of worms when i found this list of The 20 best books of the decade. So many books to read and too much time spent watching the ABC....

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Is a Bestseller the best?

What makes a book a bestseller?

Is there prescribed formula for each genre? A decomposing body by page 5 in a murder mystery thriller?The eventual realisation of unrequited love by page 200 in a romance novel?

Or perhaps it’s not the contents at all and it’s the cover itself that sells the book.

Nestled in the archives of the ABC website is a “Jennifer Byrne presents” discussion

with Lee Child, Di Morrissey, Bryce Courtenay and Matthew Reilly, about bestsellers. The program attempts to answer all these questions and dovetails into a random assortment of stories about the hidden world of writing. Including the "birth" of Lee Child's name.

To paraphrase Matthew Riley - the font in which a bestselling author's name is written in never changes, like any brand it requires continuity. Funnily enough our country's most renowned popular author Bryce Courtney, hates his gold embossed font and tries in vein to get it changed whenever he has a new book for publication - however his marketing team say it'll be a disaster if they attempt to change it.

Lee Child remarks that his bookcovers all go through vigorous test groups and marketing panels before a decision is ever made - which is surprising as they all appear so bland and slapdashed.

It's worth watching the program, even just to hear Bryce Courtney compare masturbating with literary hobnobs writing unreadable highbrow "art".

The group successfully cut down the notion of bestselling author "selling out" with a typically succinct phrasing- First it's written, then it's read and then it exists.

I must admit, as a book snob this resonated with me – I’ve been trying to more broad minded and stop belittling bestsellers. Sure I won’t pretend that I wasn’t an outspoken naysayer of the Stephanie Myers phenomenon, but I am getting better at knowing when to keep my opinions to myself and not encroach on what other people view as pleasurable reading. In fact I have only recently learnt to give up on books – in the past I’ve strained my eyes and sanity with reading laborious literary tomes, because it’s what “bookish” people do.

Plus I’ve also learnt [thanks to the program], that I shouldn’t be shy if I ever see Bryce Courtney in the cereal aisle of the supermarket. As apparently he mails a copy of one of his books to anyone that stops him for a chat mmmm that would be a handy way around my self imposed ban on buying books...gosh saving money is hassle!

Friday, September 17, 2010

Laneway loving

Get the Calendar out and circle this date: Sunday, February 6.

A feast of indie music will be on offer at The Sydney College of the Arts, courtesy of the the lovely Laneway lads and ladettes.

The line-up isn't officially announced until October 12, but the new fancy pants Laneway blog is up and running, and is seeming to be dropping clues left, right and centre. If i were i betting woman, my money would be on an appearance form Best Coast.

The Bird's monkey wrench

This weekend i'm getting my geek on again. Perhaps i should just admit that i'm always a nerd?

I'm overloading my neuronal synapses by dissecting the Biomechanics of running.

I'm sure a monkey wrench would come in handy for such a task, but I'll just have to make do by listening to the Foo Fighters.

Jacob A. Pfeiffer, Monkey Wrench, oil, 12 X 9 inches

I'm also planning to flesh out a portly, scotch soaked, penniless character with a sinister appetite for bird watching of the homosapien variety.

Jhenna Quinn Lewis, Bird, oil, 8 X 6 inches

If I don't get caught up in reading the Wicked triology [you could say it is wickedly addictive] I'll transcribe some of my creative writing journal

TR Colletta's, Writer's Block 11, oil on linen, 50" x 50"

and play tomfoolery with my new Camera.


To ensure that i don't get lost in a cassum of brainfarts, i'll stay steadfast with a soundtrack of

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

All you folk

I always enjoy getting music recommendations, especially from people whose judgement i can trust.

Now i've never met Ben of Mumford and Sons

Mumford and Sons

The closest i've come is frenzied yelping and hooting one hundred feet away at a couple of gigs i've seen them play this year, but i can confidently say that I trust his musical recommendations after checking out Matthew and The Atlas.


I can envision myself whittling forest creatures, chewing on a shard of straw and watching the river float by to the rhythm of Matthew Hegarty's warbled voice this summer...now i just need to find a river

Home is where the heart is

As I was skylarking through the aisles of my local library today, selecting books with gluttonous whim and fancy, I paused to consider that the wealth of words were at my fingertips. Libraries are perhaps my all time favourite invention.

My Primary school library was a cavernous space with domed ceilings, Victorian era mouldings and classically craved architraves. The Librarian had created comfy corners with beanbags. These nooks and crannies accommodated tiny bums and grubby hands, eager to snort at the impish creations of Roald Dahl, chortle at the fabulously frank fart jokes of Morris Gleitzman and get lost in the adventures of Cairo Jim.

So inspired by the Librarian I dreamed that when I grew up that I would be one too.

Unfortunately I discovered that not all libraries were created equal. My high school library was a prefabricated wasteland of sappy Sweet Valley High, fluorescent light bulbs and an unhealthy bent towards the incestuous V.C. Andrews. I lost the dream I becoming a librarian and studied something else entirely.

I truly believe that my primary school library fostered my insatiable want of words.

In my search for books to read I stumbled across this gem: The L!brary Book: Design Collaborations in the Public Schools.

The New York based Robin Hood Foundation strives to improve student literacy rates and believes good library design can inspire learning. "For reading to become an everyday habit, it needs to be nurtured in a home of its own" - The L!brary Initiative brings together input from corporate underwriters, children's book publishers, architects, graphic designers, product manufacturers, library associations, teachers, and students to create stimulating spaces within public elementary schools.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Music for medicine

Mark E of the Eels has a voice that could strip paint, turn a cat on heat, boil a kettle of water, rattle the infected mucus from my chest and lull a baby to sleep.




Music for medicine. Tastier than cod liver oil. Twice the recommended daily dose of Vitamin C [C for cool].

Mia Nolting

If these pictures could speak, i suspect they would be singing Fleetwood Mac.
And if you don't love me now
You will never love me again
I can still hear you saying
You would never break the chain
The Chain
Time cast it's spell on you
But you won't forget me
I know I could have loved you
But you would not let me
Silver Springs
Been down one time
Been down two times
I'm never going back again
                  Never Going Back

Tell me why
Everything turned around
Packing up
Shacking up's all you wanna do
Go Your Own Way

Why not think about times to come?
And not about the things that you've done
If your life was bad to you
Just think what tomorrow will do
Don't Stop thinking about Tomorrow

Monday, September 13, 2010

Parcels of Lemon Drops and Pumpkin Pudding

Imagine getting a parcel of quivering Lobster, a juicy Cantaloupe, a splash of a Drizzly Afternoon, a droplet of Tragedy and a sliver of Norwegian Sky delivered to your doorstep?

It'll take the head designer from Ikea to flatpack that package.

Or a niffy subscription from 500 pencils


They sound delicious enough to eat and almost too pretty to use.

Sch-weet!

I'm bogged down in blogs.

I'm sure there's a more elegant and "hip" word to describe the insatiable compulsion of clicking on blog links.

Luckily i have a weak will, take pleasure in procrastination and continued to bludge in front of the computer, as i found another set of beautiful graphic i found courstey of a link from John DC's blog.

Introducing Emma Jane - according to her bio "Much of my work is collage based, I relish getting away from the computer and doing things by hand."

These are just some of the gorgeous images featured on her blog, like John DC her work can be found at Sweets Workshop in Summer Hill. Sch-weet!

Polar bear & baby beats

Wall Flower

Vertical Farming

Now i really must resist hopping onto another blog.

Flamingo a go-go

Continuing on this ramble shackle journey down the rabbit hole of screen printing and illustration, here are some of the delightful works of local lad John Debono-Cullen [aka John DC].

Frankies Hair Tonic
2009

And The Flamingos Celebrated For Meredith Had Arrived
2008 Soap T-Shirts Print

Damn Those Conies And Their Pocket Watch
2007 Soap T-Shirts Print
© John Debono-Cullen

Built-In Obsolescence
2008 Soap T-Shirts Print

John DC uncovers some of the creative approaches and inspiration behind his quirky images on his blog, the process of trial and error from pencil & paper to ink is fascinating and worth checking out.

Going postal

I'm terrible at sending mail - be that postcards, birthday cards, important documents [such as passport application forms].

I think the closer you live to a postbox the more excuses you can devise to delay the one minute walk.

These adorable lino-cut cards by Canadian illustrator Katie Muth would be a perfect way to drop a line to a friend.







They'll also be perfect framed on my wall. Guess i won't walk to the post box today after all.

Friday, September 10, 2010

Do the Urkel

I'm getting my Steve Urkel on this weekend.


Not by bringing sexy back with his novelty dance:

"If you want to do the Steve Urkel dance,All you have to do is hitch up your pants,
Bend your knees, and stick out your pelvis;
(I'm telling you, baby, it's better than Elvis!)"

But by shunning the springtime sun and studying the weekend away.

Coffee drunk from plyostyrene cups, muffled yawns and bobbing heads will be the soundtrack to the lecture sessions - unlike the hula hooping, high knee sock wearing, unison dancing school utopia the She and Him video for "In The Sun" presents.


But i must admitted that i voluntarily signed up for this weekend workshop - i am a nerd at heart and i heart these behind the scenes images of Writer's Rooms courtesy of The Guardian.