Hail, victory.

Well, my beloved Washington Redskins kick off their season tonight against the Super Bowl upsetters from NY. It's going to be tough, despite the Giants' weakened defense. Both teams are hoping to pull some surprise moves out tonight. But I am excited about our new coach and new offensive strategy. We needed a fresh take, and I hope Jim Zorn can deliver. Jason, Santana, Antwaan, Clinton, guys, I'm pulling for you. Go kick some Giant butt!! [EDIT next morning] It's going to be a tough year.

Etsy

I assume if you're reading this, you're one of my friends, thus I feel I can safely presume that you have heard of, and adore, Etsy.com. So maybe you already know about Etsy's "Alchemy" feature, but I recently found it & love it. You can post an item that you need made or found or created in some way, and the price you'll pay for it, and people will bid on the job. I have posted my need for new outdoor cushions and the response was great. I selected the bid from the person who's response and profile I liked best, and now she has helped me select fabric, made some great suggestions about the job, and is working on it now. I will end up saving a bundle, and will get cushions that fit perfectly. Isn't that cool?

Uta Barth

I would just like to share the fact that I love Uta Barth. I first saw her work when in art school in the late '90s and I love the beauty and richness that she achieves within such minimalism. I think I could look at her photos for hours.



Uta Barth's Gallery

Hipster-ific

Read the closing line of this AdBusters article on "hipsters." While it's very well-written, I think it is being really unfairly critical:

We are a lost generation, desperately clinging to anything that feels real, but too afraid to become it ourselves. We are a defeated generation, resigned to the hypocrisy of those before us, who once sang songs of rebellion and now sell them back to us. We are the last generation, a culmination of all previous things, destroyed by the vapidity that surrounds us. The hipster represents the end of Western civilization – a culture so detached and disconnected that it has stopped giving birth to anything new.

Doesn't it seem like every generation is criticized for some form of "copying"? What generation of young people HASN'T been accused of hypocritically co-opting the past generation's revolution?

I have experienced this phenomenon in two different ways: one, being a part of GenX, we were forever criticized for our "retro" tastes: wearing vintage clothes, swing dancing, etc. And two, as a graphic designer, especially in the late '90s. We were always looking for a retro-hip look and were greatly criticized for not being "innovative" but rather just glomming onto whatever had already been designed and regurgitating it while trying to be ironic.

I would rather see it as we were taking the prescribed uses for things and twisting them. I speak for anyone who's taken a streamlined "Frigidaire" typeface and used it as a magazine headline or skate park logo.

My conclusion? Lay off the current crop of hipsters. Ironic re-appropriation is a legitimate form of art, especially when the resulting look or sound or attitude makes an impression. And, doesn't this author know that the cool kids never overtly called themselves "cool"? Being a hipster is the same thing -- those that are, would never say it.

What's the Good in Dabbling?

I'm a dabbler. There, I said it. Sometimes I become possessed with a burst of inspiration that causes me to undertake some sort of random hobby. But inevitably, an equal and opposite force will eventually come along that causes me to drop that hobby. Why? I have no idea.

Take my latest project: playing the guitar. In a recent discussion with my dear friend Deirdre who was joking that next I'll be recording myself and posting it to MySpace. I was thinking — sheesh no, I'd certainly never do something like that. It's not "me!" But then I thought: why the heck am I taking these lessons? I have no idea. I just have always wanted the ability to pick up a guitar and play. When? No clue. What type of music? I'm not really sure. Why now, exactly? Beats me.

How will this be similar to my pursuit of tennis? Well honestly if it goes that way, I'll be thrilled. After a couple of years of lessons, I emerged a darn good tennis player, with the knowledge that I'll be able to play that social sport well into old-age, plus, that's where I met Gary. Yep, I got a husband out of it!

Who knows what wonderful, unanticipated gift I'll take from my guitar lessons? And that, I am pretty sure, is why I'm doing this. It may not make sense to everyone, but in a weird way, it is similar to the way I was taught to pray. Not asking for a particular object, or even a specific outcome, but more that things would be resolved, or revealed in a good way that we could never have predicted. I often pray that circumstances will bring about things that are positive and allow for growth, healing and well, blessings of some sort for me and for those I care about.

Could it be that dabbling is like a prayer to receive an unexpected gift?

Smart Fun with the OED

It gave me great pleasure, while reading the Hoefler & Frere-Jones blog, to stumble on a project that someone has undertaken re-writing every entry in the entire Oxford English Dictionary in Limerick Form. It made my whole day.

Here are some entries I particularly enjoyed. Say au revoir to your afternoons, friends...

abecedarius

A verse called an abecedarius
Begins every line with the various
Consecutive letters.
Demanding, these fetters
Encumber—it's rarely hilarious.

An abecedarius is difficult at best and easily lends itself to tortured rhymes and twisted meter. The idea is to begin each line with the next letter of the alphabet.

Biarritz

In the southwest of France, there it sits:
The exquisite resort Biarritz.
By the Bay of Biscay
Women languidly lay
In the sand, showing off their great tans.

ceftazidime

Since ceftazidime cured my infection,
I've been putting my drugs to inspection.
Cymbalta? That's great!
Allegra? First rate!
Now to cure my dysfunctile erection...

(sef-TAZ-i-dime) is used to treat enterobacterial infections.

abrupt

That which suddenly comes to an end,
Like a greeting too brief from a friend,
Or flat ground, at steep rises —
An end by surprise is
Abrupt

Documentaries

To read my blogs, you may think I'm some kind of documentary connoisseur or something, but I'm really not. I mean, I didn't even see "An Inconvenient Truth." However, I have seen three documentaries lately that I think are really exceptional. All three of these have really stayed with me, and even (in the case of Dr. Bronner) months later, I am still thinking about it. The first was "Dr. Bronner's Magic Soapbox" which I wanted to see because I was familiar with Dr. Bronner's soap, (available at any health food store) and it's most significant characteristic: the nearly incomprehensible rant that is printed on each label. Or really, it's more like a series of rants on each label. It's all about themes like Dr. Bronner's idea of an ALL-ONE religion, and other sort of hippie, out-there stuff, which is a delight to read while you're in the shower. The film focused on the man, his family, his long history in soap-making, and his idea to use his labels to communicate his important message to all mankind. But ultimately, the film is REALLY about the classic question about where the line is between genius and madness.

The next documentary I can't stop thinking about was "Young @ Heart" about a group of elderly people who are in a chorus which tours internationally. What is notable is that they sing rock-and-roll songs, usually with more energy and gusto than people half their age. What set this film apart, for me, is the way the songs they perform become profound statements on their own experiences of aging. The way aging is viewed in this film isn't sad at all, but just a path that we all must take someday, and one that has certain shared ups and downs. I loved this one scene where the director had handed out CDs for the members to listen to when they practiced at home. The seniors weren't sure how to use the CD -- which side was up? Would it play? Get scratched? This guy Lenny was my favorite. He sang "Purple Haze" but consistently forgot the words! Haze? It's the haze of old-age dementia. The saddest moment, though, was when Bill, all hooked up to his oxygen and everything, had to sing "Fix You" by Coldplay by himself, even though it was supposed to be a duet. His friend died before he could sing. I should note that some of the people in this film have downright amazing voices, and Bill is one of those. His bass notes resonate like a much-younger Broadway performer. And those with less talent make up for it in pure exuberance!

The documentary "The King of Kong" was truly the funniest. For something that is unscripted, the amount of laugh-out-loud (yet unintentional) humor was just great. The success of this film lies in its characters, and the way the story was edited and presented. I was on the edge of my seat! I laughed, I cried (honestly!). The plot starts off like this: nice guy named Steve Wiebe from Redmond, WA is a bit of a loser and upon losing his job at Boeing (even though his life-script said he was supposed to have been a lifer) he brings a Donkey Kong game into his garage and sets out to break the high-score record. The record was set in, like, 1982 by a total jackass named Billy Mitchell who looks a lot like Paul Mitchell (hair guy), only his hair is even more helmet-y and his face even more horsey, buck-teeth and everything. This guy thinks he's hot-sh*t, with a trophy wife and everything. The story centers around Steve Wiebe's quest to break Billy Mitchell's record, which he does, and he tapes it as proof. The "governing body" of these types of records, to whom Steve submits his tape, called Twin Galaxies, is a whole other hilariously inept cast of characters. Twin Galaxies is, unbelievably, in cahoots with none other than Billy Mitchell. I won't give away the ending, but lets just say it's a nail-biter, a heartwarming story of good vs. evil. Steve is a classic good guy, and Billy a wonderful villain -- oh, the humanity! I can't recommend this enough.

All three of these films prove that documentary films can deliver a wonderful experience of story, character and suspense, every bit as much as a fiction movie can. I am not sure that I knew that before. My experience of these films has made me want to see more documentaries. Recommendations accepted...