Good day sunshine...

[Geek Chic]
bubble calendar

[Creatively speaking]
durex balloon animals - fun for the whole family (unless you're trying to have kids)

[Passages]
Snow by Orhan Pamuk - an interesting read/exploration art and pursuit of happiness through politics, religion and belief systems.

The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann - so far, the three days at the sanatorium are feeling like the seven years the character ends up spending there. But I will persevere...

[Scene]
Junebug - charming/has moments, generally forgettable...
Jellyfish - award-winning film intersecting the lives of three Israeli women in Tel Aviv.

[Heard]
Joseph Arthur, if you asked me, I would be your Mary. After a FANTASTIC show at Club Soda last Thursday night, I was reminded of why I like this kooky man.

[C'a m'interesse - inbox]
Montreal Girl Geek Dinners

Mundo Montreal


[Headlines: enough said ]
Advertisers in Germany Pull Ads with Nazi Overtones

Walking the walk...

Walking home from salsa class last night, stopped to pick up tickets for Lykke Li and noticed a gallery space called Vox: Contemporary image. It's good see urban space being renewed/re-used, and while I reading Architecture of Happiness, the actual structure of these spaces will also become more of a focus.

Despite the cold snap, am heading out this week for the Wildside festival and Joseph Arthur, I have high expectations for both. Some news on Arthur's latest here [french].

Recent conversation and a post on Seth's Blog caught my attention, about boundaries. Although I think there's more space between "rigid" and "no boundaries", I tend to fall (stand?)on having some, at times, "open space" both inspires and conspires in freaking me out.

for thought:

Rigid boundaries: What do you do when you hit a wall?

Do you have a tantrum? [ask my mother or my fiscus]
Spend countless resources trying to scale the unscalable? [NO]
Or do you accept reality and put your energy into something else? [YES, sometimes to easily]

No boundaries: When there's nothing but open space:
do you run?
Or shrink?

hmmm.

Signs of my times

December proved busy but ended a good year on a high note, despite the fact I have crumbled under intense satiation, both mentally and physically. Many good times had with friends and family here are the recent rounds of 'stuff":

New York (Tribeca/Soho) was all about art this time around (with a bit of consumption thrown in for good measure of course), shows ran from live video feeds to saving Coney Island:

[Art in General]
Jan Baracz - Reality Cinema/Live Video
Carlos Motta - The Good Life
Carla Herrera-Prats - Prep Materials
Renata Poljak - Split, Croatia

[New York academy of art]
ultra-concentrated joy: ecstatic drawings by contemporary artists

[The Puffin Room]
Coney Island Maybe - Amusement stalls, not shopping malls (a show dedicated to preserving Coney Island and fighting zoning changes for future development)

[The Broome Street Gallery]
Vincent Arcilesi - Arcilesi in Mexico

Tried Landmarc (and thanks to Clayborn for the Louisiana/Montreal tip)

Almost made it to the Flea Theatre, sorry I missed Dawn [Thomas Bradshaw], but will hopefully return for something else.

In Toronto Drinks at Lucien, Neapolitan pizza at Pizzaria Libretto and shared some laughs touring The Big Carrot with S and the organic turkey on Dec 24th.

In California [Los Gatos, Sarratoga, Carmel, Monterrey], got my 'hippy' back! Enjoyed moderate weather, lemon trees, long walks - was my first trip in the southern areas. Aside from family time, highlights included winery visits, crepes from an Algerian by the ocean, the many cyclists (I had velo-envy the whole time)and US perspectives on politics in this part of the country. I spent most of the time outdoors (duh) driving with the windows down, enjoying the sun.