The Birds

I had two hot dates tonight. It turned out to be a night of building castles, chasing tiny naked bums into a dark-blue-colored-water bubble-bath bathtub, reading Dora the Explorer's "Halloween Candy Hunt" and "All About Scabs" (coincidentally by the same publisher of "Everyone Poops" and my personal favorite, "Breasts"), and making a delectable dessert for three (1 part vanilla ice cream, 2 parts blue sprinkles... literally). I also magically turned into a human jungle-gym for most of the night. Let's just say I'm a good date.

Anyways, after a rousing night with my two little boyfriends, I decided to drive down to Marina del Rey. On my way there, I passed through the intersection of Overland and National. Every time I pass this little intersection, I can't help but smile. Next time you're there, look up. There is a bird hanging from a wire, counter-weighted by a pad-lock. I've seen these little birds all over Los Angeles this past year, but tonight, my curiosity was insatiable.

Who's the artist? What's the meaning behind these little things? More questions kept filling my mind. This is what happens when I see art; especially by guerrilla artists. I love it. A minor in art history will do that to you I suppose.

After hanging out at the beach for a while, I drove home (and dodged bullets at the Blue Wave Car Wash---not kidding) and put my google goggles on. Yes, that's right. After intense google-searching, I clicked around and found my answers... well, a couple of them. I'm obviously not the first person who had these questions. Even Keith posted a really awesome photo this week of a bird! Who knew they were the new hip thing to blog about? I'm just glad I got the memo. (PS, I'm stealing the photo from Keith's site... it's just that cool).

If you're interested, here are a couple links.

The Interview, "The berd is the werd", Dove è la colomba?


PS- "The production of guerrilla art is focused on cause and effect, not the material piece itself. It aims to produce an effect within the minds of those people that live within the environment being altered. It does not necessarily aim to produce art that is meaningful in itself." This quote brought to you by my friend, wikipedia.

PSS- If you like this kind of stuff, check out Spencer Cross and Shepard Fairey and fiveTHOUSAND!.

My Cubicle

"Reviled by workers, demonized by designers, disowned by its very creator, it still claims the largest share of office furniture sales--$3 billion or so a year--and has outlived every 'office of the future' meant to replace it. It is the Fidel Castro of office furniture."
--By Julie Schlosser,
FORTUNE Magazine
March 22, 2006: 2:03 PM EST

and the Winner Is...

RENEE!!!
Congratulations! Since Renee was the only one to finish the quiz, she wins with 7/8 correct! Next time I see you, I owe you a fresh, ripe Mango!

1. Indica
2. A & C
3. False
4. Kiwi
5. India
6. Mexico
7. Chutney
8. Buddha

My One Love

If you really know me, you know about the one true love of my life. The Mango. This little fruit and I have been nearly inseperable for the past 18 months. I don't know what we did without each other before our love affair began. I love most everything Mango... dried Mango from Costco (HEAVEN), Häagen-Dazs's Mango-flavored fat free Sorbet (WOW! I just ate 1/4 of the container tonight), Mango Gelato, Mango Juices, Mango Salsa, Mango Chutney, Mango with Grilled Chicken, etc. And of course there's the heavenly Japanese mochi ice cream. These confection spheres are about as big as a ping pong ball with an outer rice shell surrounding flavored (mango) ice cream. I LOVE THE MANGO.

In tribute to my Mango obsession, I have included this link to a video on how to properly cut and peel a Mango. This website also offers incredible Mango recipes. Maybe Paternity Pants will make something Mangoee and invite me over one day (hint hint).

Back to my tribute...
Did You Know...
• Mangos are an excellent source of vitamins C and A, both important antioxidant nutrients. Vitamin C promotes healthy immune function and collagen formation. Vitamin A is important for vision and bone growth.
• Mangos are a good source of dietary fiber. Diets low in fat and high in fiber-containing grain products, fruits, and vegetables are associated with a reduced risk of some types of cancer.
• Mangos contain over 20 different vitamins and minerals.

Oh, so you think you already know about Mangos? Well did you know that the Mango is in the same family as poison ivy and contains urushiol, though much less than poison ivy? Some people get dermatitis from touching Mango peel or sap. Did you know that the leaves are toxic to cattle?

Test your Mango Genius...
To the winner of this quiz, I will give one delicious, ripe Mango to*.

1. The scientific name for mango. Mangifera ______? (Hint: It ends with the name of the country where it originated. )
Mexica
Siamus
Indica
Australis

2. Mango is abundant in which of these vitamins?
B & C
B & D
A & B
A & C

3. The greener a mango is inside, the sweeter it is.
True
False

4. Which of these is not a distant relative of the mango?
Cashew
Kiwi
Pistachio

5. The largest grower of mango is _____________?
India
Thailand
Mexico
Bermuda

6. The largest exporter of mango to the U.S. is_____________?
Mexico
South Africa
Brazil
India

7. What is the sweet sour pungent relish made of mangos and spices called? (Hint: There is a popular recipe using this relish...)
Britney
Putney
Chutney
Avakai

8. According to folklore, which famous person was given a mango orchard?
Ghandi
Nelson Mandela
Bhudda
Zeus

In closing, I'd like to give props to my Dental School Roommate for discovering the Love of the Mango herself. She came home yesterday all excited to tell me that she saw Mangos on sale at Ralphs for $1.00 each! I promptly went over there and stocked up for the week. Thanks roommate! You're always looking out for me! :)

Love,
The Mango Lover

*Quiz Prize is subject to availability, my funds for the week, how close in proximity you are to me, and above all... if I can keep from eating it before giving it to you!

Kaleidoscopes

Check this out! You can make your own nifty kaleidoscope... and while you're at it... learn a little about color. And learn more about kaleidoscopes here! [Image on the left by Gerald A. Bonsack.]

Who doesn't love playing with these things still? I fully admit to picking one up almost every time I see one. Tonight I found out that Kaleidoscope actually means the beautiful form watcher.

Here's an example of one of the purple-blue kaleidoscopes that I made tonight. Once you're at the site, click on LAB, and get creative!

ə-dĭk'shən

The condition of being habitually or compulsively occupied with or involved in something... addiction.

Click here at your own risk.

FYI

It has occurred to me that some people would rather not be mentioned or their picture shown in this blog. If you happen to fall into this category, email me and I will gladly remove the culprit-at-hand.

familia de frijol

¡Muy caliente!

My new project for the Summer of 2007... learn the basics of Spanish. I'm going to take Bethany up on Spanish lessons when she gets back from Brazil in 7 weeks. :) I honestly have no idea if what I wrote makes any sense. Comments are more than welcome to help improve my incredible lack of Spanish vocabulary and conjugation.

On a side note... Courtney and I have managed not to kill each other... yet. There are now 2 beds in my tiny loft... with just enough room to open my armoire and stand at the sink. I love having her here! With the mood I've been in the past couple of days, it's a wonder she isn't fed-up with me yet! And happy birthday to Jasen-Masen! My little brother just turned 19! Congrats! [PS- don't forget to turn in those mission papers, Jasen... you don't want mom and dad's HTer after you again!!!!!!! HAHAHA!]

I love my little family.

Cameron, Clayton, Courtney, Jessica, Jasen
Christmas Night 2006, after seeing "Night at the Museum"

Happy Birthday KY!

My best friend finally turned 26 today! We had a mini-celebration at midnight which consisted of us being very silly. Let's just say KY has some good blackmail on me. If she ever shares it with ANYONE, she's going to very sorry. In the words of my wise father, "This is not a threat, this is a promise!" Love you! ;)

Dwight Schrute

It's officially lunch time (a.k.a. blog-time). An old roommate recently posted a little tribute to "The Office" character Dwight Schrute. If you don't know anything about this show, I highly suggest you take 30 minutes out of your week to witness how funny and crazy this show can be! I love it... most of the time. Some episodes are so politically incorrect, that I have to turn it off; it's just too uncomfortable! Anyways, back to the point... Dwight Schrute.

Thanks to my dear friend Molly, here's something you Office fans just might appreciate.

"Here's the deal: Do you remember the Flasher and Women's Appreciation Day episode? Dwight took it upon himself, as the Lackawanna County Volunteer Deputy Sheriff, to seize the pervert single handedly. He ordered Phyllis to meet with Pam so they could sketch a picture of the perpetrator (a.k.a. Dwight with a mustache)--which he and Andy promptly posted all over Scranton. Anywhoo---there was a phone number on the flyer to call if you had any information. All I can say is: 1-800-984-3672."


PS- Yes, that is Dwight's calculator in a Jello mold! I wish I could find an image of Dwight's desk items (and wallet) that Jim so carefully placed inside the vending machine! I love that scene!

Wedding-May 19, 2007

I went up to Salt Lake City for EvRo and Mary's wedding last month. They were so cute, she made him look GOOD. I'm so glad I could make it up there on my $50 round-trip ticket, thanks to Southwest's DING! =)

This will be a weekend the J.Crew may never forget... it was full of marriage proposals, accidental touching of unmentionable places, Music & Lyrics, laughing over a million different and tasty finger foods at the Thompson residence, Jimbo prancing (yes, prancing) around the SLC Temple grounds, and the J.Crew & R.Plewe "accidentally" taking photos with multiple unsuspecting brides and grooms. Goodness! Oh, and CONGRATULATIONS to J.Ride for catching the garter! I can't wait to see who the lucky lady is! ;)

There just may be a special recap of this event at the Annual Film Festival on July 14th... you won't want to miss is, I promise.

Nuns pray for Spurs

I had to share this funny little article.
"Sister Rosalba Garcia, wearing a San Antonio Spurs jersey, center, Sister Angelina Gomez, holding a Spurs flag, and several other nuns of the Salesian Sister of Mary Immaculate Province gather for a photo in front of their San Antonio Spurs banner in San Antonio, Tuesday, June 5, 2007. Each Sister is praying for an individual player and had been throughout the NBA basketball play-offs."

My favorite quote from the article, "...you can be faithful to a lifestyle that is upright and true and do a lot of fun stuff." So true!

On another note, GO ANAHEIM!
I'm watching the Stanley Cup right now... it's 6 to 2, Anaheim. YAY! My home town is going to win VERY SOON!!!! [Editor's note: THEY WON!]

Report Card Day

Today was Report Card Day. Life is good. I've put in a lot of time and money for these little numbers. One semester to go and counting!

I remember as a kid being terrified of Report Card Day. Not that I was a bad student, but I "was" such a perfectionist that if I didn't get straight A's, I felt worthless. Ridiculous, I know. Don't worry, that all changed last semester with my "Research Methods and Foundations in Family and Consumer Sciences" class. I purposely failed that class. Let's just say it was a matter of life and death. Yay for me... I'm not such a crazed perfectionist as I thought I once was! Yeah, but don't get too excited for me. It was a short-lived phase; I'm back on track with my grades now (as shown above).

What Design Style are YOU?

According to HGTV, I'm Eclectic, but I think I'm more Tuscan and a little Mediterranean. What are you?!

Insomnia...

Insomnia seems to be contagious lately; I blame it on the Gero Student.
Or maybe it was all the diet Coke I drank at dinner. Nah, it was the aforementioned.

This is what happens to me when I can't sleep... I titled it: 2:50am. What am I doing?! I can't help it. I'm completely addicted to Photoshop. Once it's open, it's like cocaine. I just can't give it up. Not that I'm addicted cocaine, but it's really that good!

Let's hope that tonight when I do fall asleep, that I don't have the same dream I had a couple nights ago. I woke up INCREDIBLY UPSET with a member of the J-Crew, and I have no idea why! I just remember being so frustrated with him the ENTIRE night! I told him about it yesterday and he didn't even seem phased by it. Good thing, because if he knew just how mad I was... it might have broken-up the J-Crew. On second thought, maybe he has lots of girls "dreaming" about him and telling him. Great. I just fed a gluttonous ego. ;) haha. (Even though I don't appreciate your PDA, I really do love ya, J!)

I'm SO EXCITED!

This is Courtney. She's my least favorite and most favorite sister. Then again, she's my only sister. She's just so darn cute... and she's moving in with me!!! We haven't lived together for over 8 years.

This is really all just a consipracy. I'm slowly persuading my siblings to move back to California so that my parents have no choice but to move back here! My mom is my co-conspirator. My dad is the one we're working on. One day he'll realize where Zion really is... Southern California, baby. haha.

My mom and Courtney are driving to LA today. She'll live with me until she finds a good apartment. She graduated from Utah Valley State a couple months ago and just got a new job at UCLA.

I hope she comes to love Los Angeles as much as I do! So when you see her, welcome her and invite her to do things. I think she's a little nervous, but I assured her that I have the best friends in the world here. (So live up to your reputation!) :)

Love you guys!

Key Art UPDATE

UPDATE #2... I found the guy's poster on his blog site. Is everyone blogging now? The internet is an amazing thing. Enjoy!


So, I went by myself last night. Then I got home and checked my messages. Jet wanted to come. I wish she had come with me... I seriously love that girl! I like her school too. It was my first experience at FIDM; I loved the architecture!

And no, I didn't win. I was a semi-finalist, but I knew I wasn't going to win. There were too many other posters there that people had obviously put countless hours of Photoshop into! I'm not that dedicated to Key Art (entertainment poster design)! My favorite poster of the show won.

A guy from Cal State Fullerton made a Pirates of the Caribbean poster that was super cool. He had octopus tentacles almost devouring the famous 'Pirates' skull with dark red and black overtones. If I can find a photo of it, I'll post it here. I was totally impressed.

On another note, a lady introduced herself to me and gave me her business card. She owns a studio that makes movie trailers and posters in Burbank. We talked for a while and she wants me to come talk to her about working for them. Nice. I'm not sure this is the industry I want to work for, but the pay isn't too bad. I guess we'll see what happens!