filmes

Today, I watched a really awful movie about pirates. It was bad. So bad that it inspired meet to talk about my favourite movies and more importantly, my favourite director of all time: WES ANDERSON. You know, the guy who directed all those super artsy movies, like The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, The Darjeeling Limited, The Royal Tenenbaums, and Rushmore. I guess since I'm such an indie asshole, I love these movies. But O.K. Let's talk about Wes Anderson! He started off real small and his first movie, Bottle Rocket, not only boosted his career but the careers of a certain brotherly duo: Luke and Owen Wilson. And then Wes got into those really crazy, really awesome movies, mostly with Bill Murray cameos and Seu Jorge in the soundtrack. Then I got to creeping the interweb about him and found this really fantastic site! THE RUSHMORE ACADEMY, christened after his movie Rushmore, is all things Anderson and Anderson-related. There's a lot of fun stuff, especially about his new movie, Fantastic Mr. Fox.

genius
I also found this quiz on their site, which I hope you like -- and which I definitely don't take credit for:

HOW TO TELL IF YOUR LIFE IS A WES ANDERSON FILM
Here’s five ways to tell if you’re in a Wes Anderson film.

#1 You are or you see a lot of Bill Murray.
He’s been in all of Anderson’s movies except one … where presumably James Caan took his place. So, Bill Murray is a good indicator your life is in the middle of a Wes Anderson plot. (Note: This also holds true if you are or you see a lot of Kumar Pallana.)

#2 Your soundtrack has 70s rock-n-Roll or other obscure music.
Soundtracks are the thumbprint of movies, and Anderson’s print is distinctive, colorful, out-of-the-ordinary, and a little pretentious … which pretty much reflects his movies. So, if you own Seu Jorge …

#3 Your surroundings are bathed in bright, distinctive colors
(unless you’re going to make a suicide attempt … then it’s cool colors). If soundtracks are one thumbprint, this is the other. Especially if you wear greens and yellows or a range of reds and oranges.

#4 At the end of the day, things go in slow motion.
This holds true unless you’re running after a train; then it’s slow motion, followed by regular motion. So, #4 should read “At the end of the day, or in the next-to-last part of the end of the day …”

#5 You have a strange relationship with a parent or parental figure.
Especially if the strange relationship involves #1.

If more than 3 1/2 of these things describe you, smile, crank up your music, and slow down … your life, though crazy, is pretty good fodder for the rest of us.

from THE RUSHMORE ACADEMY

R.I.P.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but today it was announced that ARTLIFE gallery will be closing its doors in january. WHY? Probably because of this godforsaken recession. I think we should all be sad for a while, because ARTLIFE fostered many artists and helped out the urban scene like maddd. And let's not forget their insane parties. To celebrate the end of a short-lived era, they're throwing a crazy bash: ART-BROKEN on DECEMBER 12 along with fantastic-photographer Randy Gibson. Details TBA. So, no tears.

miss youuu.

on a lighter note, part one of MARKET COLLECTIVE is happening next weekend at the old ant hill in kensington. Just in time for shelby's birthday too! I highly recommend it, it's a crazy fun time and you get a lot of bang for a little buck. Artists, clothing, jewelry, and music galore. Have fun next weekend. Part two will happen the weekend after that, the 12th and 13th.

CALGARY KIDS, GET ON THAT SHIT!

in the mood

oh baby.

CHRISTMAS IS COMING, IN CASE YOU DIDN'T KNOW. I'm pretty excited, and my family kind-of-but-not-really celebrates christmas. Which is why I'll be moving out and making my own merriment with my housemates very soon. Prepare for a billion chocolate rum-balls and peppermint hot chocolate, christmas lights abound, the smell of baking cookies, and a pathetic plastic tree. And I need music to be able to get this stuff done.

AND ME AND SHELBY NEED UGLY CHRISTMAS SWEATERS. Guess what? I found some sites dedicated to providing all people with an ugly christmas sweater for the holidays. Check out Ugly Christmas Sweater Party and Buy Ugly Sweaters.

And lastly, to get you in the mood, here is a list of amazing christmas songs both new and old:

"last christmas" - Wham!
"winter wonderland" - Tony Beckett
"all that I want" - The Weepies
"have yourself a merry little christmas" - Luther Vandross
"little saint nick" - The Beach Boys
"a great big sled" - The Killers
"don't shoot me santa" - The Killers
"white christmas" - Bing Crosby
"jingle bell rock" - Bobby Helms
"merry christmas baby" - Elvis Presley
"it's beginning to look a lot like christmas" - Johnny Mathis
"where are you christmas?" - Faith Hill
"rudolph the red-nosed reindeer" - Gene Autry
"christmas (baby please come home)" - U2
"merry christmas darling" - The Carpenters
"silent night" - Boyz II Men
"run rudolph run" - Chuck Berry
"feliz navidad" - Jose Feliciano
"baby, it's cold outside" - Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Jordan
"blue christmas" - Elvis

Fecal Face!

Photo of the Day : Tinker Street Photo Collective

Fecal Face

Fecal Face dot com. is one of my favorite art websites on the net. It is founded by John Trippe and features many bloggers one of which is amazing artist Jeff Soto. They have an amazing drawing contest every week called "Free Fridayz" and it features some amazing work. Fecal Face always have great interviews for example, Matt Furie, Mike Shine, Shepard Fairy and many more! Its always an inspiring website for me and really makes it easy to access the contemporary art world and someday I would like to be featured on the website. The website also features videos, and their photo of the day. Not only is Fecal Face an amazing website it's also a gallery in San Francisco. It makes me want to visit San Francisco and check the artwork and gallery out in real life.

GO CHECK IT OUT!

OMGX2

Well... To continue Laura's wonderful post of the wonderful Matthew Gray Gubler (who is the sole reason why I watch Criminal Minds). I thought I might add that he was in my dream last night! :-0!!! My mom and I were wandering around and we ran into Matthew! However, I did not acknowledge him as Matthew and called him Dr. Reid instead! I remember him saying sorry, my name is not Reid its actually Matthew. I however refused to call him Matthew and instead kept saying "oh my gosh its Reid mom its Reid!" (In a terrible fan girl voice).

While I can think of many other ways I would've liked this dream to turn out, I guess this will have to do!

O, M.G.G.

sex machine

a happier tidbit for today. Lately I've been obsessing and stalking his website, and if you've seen this sexy man of a boy, you would know why. Have you seen CRIMINAL MINDS? Have you ever been stumped by the good looks and unending knowledge of Dr. Spencer Reid, aka. sexiest boy alive? I was. So I googled him, found out his name was Matthew Gray Gubler, and that he's a model, artist, actor, director, musician, etc. and I also found out he has a website! So of course I stalked it and checked out every detail. His art is actually amazing -- like the stuff you'd find in Roald Dahl's books. Really out-there and wild. There's also a poem by edgar allan poe that he recorded (with his voice -- yum). Then I decided to keep being a stalker and I found a fancy fan site for him, called The Gube.

Matthew Gray Gubler is my sexy man of the year(s). He is totally tubular. and sexy. and talented.

Copycat

Well seeing as how Laura posted her list of things she wants to do before she's 19 I thought i'd post what I want to do while being 18 as well! Since I will be 18 in less than 2 weeks!

• stay up all night partying, then watch the sunset
• Have a crazy drunken dance party
• go into a love shop
• go see an 18+ show
• road trip to coachella
• celebrate New Years in an epic way that only 18 year olds can
• dress to impress
• where heels more often
• get a license
• establish self as an artist

week-end

another fantastic weekend. Reading FML, MLIA, going out at night, watching movies aka. where the wild things are. To some it's uneventful, but to me I found it very interesting. But -- it made me feel so old. And I'm only 18, and I have about 10 months to do all my 18 year-old things. So, since I am a giant fan of making lists, I made a list for myself in lieu of others' turning 19 soon.

- have a sleepover
- drink until I puke
- spend the night in a random person's home
- take a road trip
- do more art
- go camping / river rafting
- have a really deep conversation with anyone
- learn to snowboard again
- decide what to do with my life
- start a diary / journal
- learn to drive
- get a license
- get a car
- have a tea party
- oh-so much more
- go for fondue
- read an amazing book
- move out

Don't Shoot Me Santa

Even though its only November 16th

I cant wait for Christmas

and there is no better way to celebrate than with my favorite christmas song!

Team Lestat vs. Team Edward

Before Edward Cullen came along

Lestat from Anne Rice's wonderful vampire chronicles

was the ultimate hunky vampire, wait..

he still is!

ready, able

WATCH ON ACID.

grizzly bear's new video for "ready, able" is amazing! I'm tripped out, honestly. But, everything they've done has been so amazingly trippy, so what else is new. I've always loved grizzly bear and I really wanted to check them out over at sled island in '07, but I didnnn't... why? because I was too young for it. Now that I'm 18, I want to take in everything. But that also means I have to learn to be my own person, which, in case you haven't read the previous posts, I'm not ready for. I feel like I can't grow up yet even though I want to so badly. Just like when I was 8, wanting to be a grownup. Baby steps. I hate being a baby. Speaking of babies, here is amazing baby's video for "pump your brakes".

What is Art?

As my 1st semester of post-secondary education is coming to an end, I find myself freaking out a bit. I also find myself asking important questions. Why do I want to pursue art? What does the art world do for me? And most importantly what is Art?

I'm constantly torn between design and fine art. Do I major in illustration where I can doodle characters for stories? Or should I transfer these doodles onto large scale canvas with dripping paint and become a fine artist, who may not make as much money but will be more content with my life?

I was always told that it doesn't matter how much money you make as long as you do what you love. But with a degree in fine art do I really want to end up working at starbucks?

Art to me is everything, or at least I want it to be my everything. I want it to be my spouse. I want to have a passionate love hate relationship with it. I want to eat sleep and breathe it.

I want to be surrounded by the culture and beauty of it.

With the last few weeks of my 1st semester coming to an end I think i've made my decision.

reading week II

this week, sunday to today, was by far the most eye-opening week I've ever had. I've had about five really amazingly deep conversations with five different people and honestly I've never said so much about what I think about my future and what I want to do, my maturity, my stresses, and my expectations. If you've never had a heart-to-heart talk with anyone, I seriously, honestly, suggest that you do it. I feel good. I've never felt so honest, and I feel like drawing, which I haven't done since the last year of high school.

today, I lied to my mom actually. I said I was going to study, but I went on a lunch date and stroll with my friend natasha, a wee budding artist that I am honestly so proud of. and I know she'll be amazing no matter what she does. We originally planned on sushi, but we ended up having some Tubby Dog; not a bad choice at all. The A-Bomb (cheese, mayo, chips, bacon, mustard, ketchup -- basically a heart-stopper)? A-mazing -- but huge! I haven't had a hot dog in years, and I swear I'll only eat them at Tubby's. so now I've introduced natasha to Calgary's little gem on 17th avenue. and while we had our little stroll along 17th avenue, shopping for christmas gifts (natasha), piercings (natasha + me), and gawking at every store that caught our eye, we talked. About a lot of stuff: art, our futures, boys, etc. I liked it. a lot. And I learned. a lot. About myself, and about natasha.

SHERM'S ULTIMATE GRIPPER. UH-HUH.

reading week

FROM HERE.

my to-do list for the week, probably won't happen, but it's worth dreaming of:

- find some more gems from Co-op's free book shelf
- study sometimes
- party
- work sometimes
- purchase film for my camera
- take pictures with said camera
- buy skates
- go skating
- make some steeped tea instead of buying it from tim horton's
- look for apartments for rent (for future reference)
- make a budget
- go running
- knit a pair of mittens
- read a good book
- start a fire in bowness
- paint the rock

I LIVE BY DEAD POETS

We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life.
But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for. To quote from Whitman,

O me! O life! ... of the questions of these recurring; of the endless trains of the faithless... of cities filled with the foolish; what good amid these, O me, O life?

Answer. That you are here - that life exists, and identity; that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. That the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse.
What will your verse be?

- from Dead Poets Society

I watched this movie in grade 11, in english class, and it stuck with me ever since. Actually, I'd always heard of it when I was younger but apparently it was too racy for a kid like me. AS IF.

go watch it, and be inspired to be inspiring

O CAPTAIN MY FUCKING CAPTAIN.

uh-oh, KAREN O

finished midterms. Surviving midterms is a different story... because I definitely am failing statistics, doing average in computer science and economics, and somewhat good in geology and business & environment. School is getting a little wild, not to mention some wild halloween nights (I won't post pictures for good reason). so let's talk about KAREN O instead! Besides being so goddamn awesome/eccentric she is the fronter for yeah yeah yeahs and also directed a music vid for liars, which is my almost favourite band ever... Apparently she worked avec some young tweensters called TMOT (tiny masters of today), which aren't half bad, and she also worked with NASA for their track "strange enough", which is like seriously addicitve too! I don't even remember when I first heard of the yeah yeah yeahs but I DO have a copy of purple mag with a story (more like a photo spread) on Karen O in some insane but obviously fitting outfits shot by terry richardson, who, by the way, is an amazing photographer. Will post those once my scanner is set up..

on the topic of photos - go check out VICE's do's and don'ts! why? Because even though it's all hit or miss and almost always highly offensive, the ones that are a hit are usually a hit for a reason... for example, their recent 1994 do's and don'ts, which are now up. Plus, it's a canadian publication! and, even better, it's FREEEE! so instead of just looking at the site, go pick up a copy from basically any store on 17th avenue. You'll love it.

P.S. also, goo check out vice's sister site, VBS. why? Because it's also hilarious, and they have interviews with barry mcgee, my artist crush/idol

P.P.S. I'm not completely done yet! there's actually a lot of stuff we got at work, some of which I am totally dying for - brixton hats, marc by marc jacobs shades (I already own a pair, but I collect everything), and bod & christensen leather jackets! Oh yeah, not to mention some fantastic shoes., seeing as it is a shoe store

Velvet

I just spotted this brand new Velvet Double Scoop Neck from American Apparel.

Christmas cant come soon enough!

This totally takes me back to my childhood and the christmas banquet when I was only 10! Singing christmas carols in a velvet dress like this one... it wasn't as revealing back then I swear!