There is no life I know that compares

Grass Valley

I miss my hometown. This summer is so different from any other that I've experienced. It is barely warm (high of 73 today...and it's supposed to be cold and rainy again tomorrow), the sun rarely comes out, and I am experiencing life in a big city. I have been enjoying getting to know Seattle, (I'll post some photos of my adventures when I get them from friends), but I miss the comforts of home.

I miss free chai's at Caroline's Coffee. (I prefer the Tiny Store that the amazing Megan works at).

 I also miss hanging out there in-between class and work. I made friends with some of the regulars and loved eating my Taco Bell lunch on that couch. P.S. I also miss Taco Bell.

I miss hippie dancing at Pioneer Park. We would do formation dances to the orchestra that practiced there on Monday evenings, eat snacks and sit in the grass.

I miss dressing up solely to take photographs, driving and obsessing over certain songs, and having sleepovers.

I miss the river. Swimming, sunbathing, rock climbing, picnics and people watching. It is usually prettier than this picture though, with green-blue water.

I miss my fun family.

I miss driving...it is amazing how liberating driving is.

Lastly, I miss being crazy tan. I tan so easily. In Seattle, if you are tan, you have either been on vacation, or you go to Desert Sun tanning salons.

Hopefully I get to visit home soon.

studs part II.

I remembered some more of my unusual celebrity crushes, and decided to make a part II of my list, entitled Studs.

First, we have the adorable Russell Brand.

Those high cheekbones and ratty sorta-mullet make my heart melt. I read his autobiography, My Booky Wook, and it was very interesting. The guy has led quite the debaucherous life. Too bad he's taken by Katy Perry now. But this is also a good thing because the two of them together form the most precious couple:

Moving on, we have Alan Rickman.

 I first realized how amazing Alan Rickman was when I watched his play Severus Snape in the Harry Potter movies. His voice is fantastic. I soon remembered that he is one of the heroes in one of my favorite movies, Sense and Sensibility. 

He plays a perfect gentleman, who is caring, kind, and humble, who somehow has the most enticing voice ever.

It's been several years since I first developed a crush on Anthony Bourdain:

First off: he's completely badass. Chain smoker, earring (not usually badass but it totally is in this case), skinny/tall, world traveler, executive chef, potty mouth, author...need I say more? I've also read his autobiography/food industry expose Kitchen Confidential, which is an interesting read, and very well written.

I think most girls like a bit of a rebel.

Last on this list is the impeccable Gene Wilder:

I think he is incredibly handsome, charismatic, and charming. I first loved him in Willy Wonka.

Although, he was equally charming in Young Frankenstein and The Cicso Kid.

 
I think that my personal formula for celebrity crushes is an element of charisma, and a fair amount of wacky.

Renew

On a personal note: I am sitting in my apartment, alone, listening to the Gene Harris quartet on Pandora. This is nice. I have been working nonstop since school has let out (which is good for my wallet, but fairly exhausting). My room is chilly, and strangely enough it is June. It has been so chilly here in Seattle, people have been referring to the month as Juneuary. I am thankful for the opportunity to relax, chat with friends, and clean (my room is pristine), but if I had one summertime complaint, it would be that I really miss the sunshine...

I need vitamin D! I need some amount of warmth! I need to wear my sundress and go picnic in it! Is this so much to ask for? The Solstice is this weekend, please Mr. Sun, pull through for me, and all of Seattle really. I specifically took work off on Saturday so I could attend the Solstice parade in Fremont. I've been waiting for it for nine months. The clouds better not ruin it for me. Also I know that I have been lagging in blog posts, sorry. Simply put, school is really exhausting. But I will catch up in blogging! If anything, I MUST write about the upcoming Solstice parade. It will be unlike anything I have experienced.

Now, for art:
While mulling through the internet a couple months ago, I came across Baptiste Debombourg's stapled wall art. These installations are created entirely out of staples, applied to the wall in various patterns in order to create depth and shadow.

When I came across these, I was instantly impressed and showed a friend. For some reason, he had a hard time determining that the images were human figures. He didn't realize that they were bodies until I told him, actually, and then he appreciated the technique. Do you have the same problem? Do these images translate as human form or just an interesting texture?

I love how the subject is kind of mysterious, how there is no hint to the reason why the figures are suspended in space. The overall effect is soft when viewed as a whole, which is appropriate when handing the human form, but a close inspection reveals the hard, metallic texture used. I really enjoy these.

Happy Birthday Prince

Much love.