Hair done, nails done, errything did

Jillian of Joules Jewels Vintage and I had a girls night last, which was very much appreciated on my part. Our evening included a fine red wine, some delicious cupcakes from Cako (they're a San Francisco bakery that was featured on Food Network's Cupcake Wars, and their treats are amazing), hip-hops, and nail polish! Check out my sweet nails, inspired by leopard rosettes.



Jillian's boyfriend, Elvis, asked me why I looked different, if I had done something to my hair. I told him that I brushed it that morning. A little brushing really goes a long way.

Collecting: Three pairs of shoes, three stories, three futures

Image via Wikipedia

Three pairs of shoes sit patiently under a dust-coated coffee table. The shoes are all similar because they are no longer worn, being so worn out, sharing familiar holes in soles, scuffs, and run-down heels and toes. Yet they're all different.

I’ve tried wearing my favorite of the three, the pair sitting in the middle, deep forest green flats that I copped from some discount store in Brighton. They got me through last spring, summer, fall, and most of winter, before it became too cold to wear shoes with no socks. I hate just seeing them sit there. They await their sentence.

For a month I spoke of getting them fixed, but that was a while back. My new plan for them is to make something with them, some type of art or whatever. I want them nailed to my wall, but first something should be done to the inside of the shoe: photographs, decorations. I have a few ideas.

I will probably paint inside one of the shoes and paint on the sole of the other, probably the one with the hole that goes straight through. I want to paint in dark blue ink. And make it look messy, but clever. I think I can achieve that.

To the left of the green shoes are my old red vinyl shoes, my favorite dancing shoes, man-made in China. I want to draw two pictures of pinup girls and put them inside the shoe to hang up. It's appropriate. The shoes are not heels, but they are heel enough for me, with slip-slide bottoms that have become so worn on my outer edges of my heels (due to my supinating) that they make me walk crooked. I haven't worn them in six months because of that and the nagging of my mother, who fears I'll ruin my posture in wearing ill-conditioned shoes.

The third pair is quite unique: leather made, embroidered, and very colorful. I‘d receive so many compliments whenever I wore them: "Where did you get those shoes?!" "Oh my god they're so cute!" blah blah blah. I don't wear shoes, or clothing, or anything for that matter, to receive compliments. It's nice or whatever, but also kind of annoying. I must just have really good taste.

My plan for the last pair will include hot candle wax, white paint, and clear lacquer. I want them to look like I stepped in a puddle of indeterminate white goo on my way to school, and I just let it dry, not bothering to clean or even wipe it off. Apathy is so attractive.



I don’t know why I keep these shoes that I can no longer wear, other than my pipe dream of "making art" with them.

I don’t know why I keep most things, except it makes me happy for the moment that they are collected. It’s also fun to look back over the piles of kept garbage that have accumulated over the years and try to remember what I was thinking at that time. I guess I’m a pack rat, but not in the traditional sense. I don’t horde everything; in fact I’m quite fond of throwing out a lot of bullshit.

And I do, regularly. I have friends who are true pack rats, who keep their clothes from high-school that do not fit and aren’t worth saving, who keep stacks of old, water-stained magazines left to the devices of dust mites, with collections under their beds looking like a combination of what you'd find at a rummage sale, North Broad street, and the basement of the Mütter Museum. I like clutter, but not a lot of it. Not like that.

When I collect things (pieces of paper I find on the street, small toys, bits of cloth, lost things) I keep them laying around for a little while before I catalogue them in some way. Some found things get taped to my walls, others get documented into a notebook, others lay in folders, shoe boxes, coffee cans (like the old love notes I used to save, later burned).

I welcome the disorder, so long as I can contain it and personalize it. It’s just something to do, something like a hobby, making art.

Note: I wrote this in college. The shoes mentioned in the above story have all been thrown away, or are perhaps somewhere in the depths of the closet in my old bedroom in Philadelphia. I still want to do this shoe project, perhaps with some old shoes currently in my collection.

Tumblr, Pinterest, what's the difference? & micro-blogging burnout

Image via CrunchBase

Tumblr is a cool microblogging platform that allows its users to instantly share their own original content (video, photography, quotations, text, links, audio), or reblog or "like" the content that other people share.

When I first joined Tumblr I thought that the user base seemed pretty young overall-- I noticed a lot of teenagers posting and immediately felt like a creepy old geezer. But after learning how to use the site and searching through scores of Tumblogs, I found a community of wonderful friends, artists, writers, and photographers to follow.

Tumblr has been great for me, personally, because it has brought new artists to my attention, kept me in tune with causes that are important to me (like the 99 Percent) it has enabled me to share my photography and favorite street art with others, and it has helped to keep me inspired whenever I feel like I need a visual (or audible) pick-me-up. There is also a chat function on Tumblr, but I have never had the chance to use it. Maybe I should? Do you use chat on Tumblr?



Pinterest is another fun microblogging platform, but it has its own unique twist. Users create virtual pinboards with various themes like "Things that inspire me" or "Recipes to try out" and add images to their boards by uploading or typing in the url of the site where the image was found so that the original content creator gets credit. Users can also repin and "like" the content that other Pinners share.

The point of the boards on Pinterest is so that you can organize your content so that you can easily find it. Some people even use their pinboards to plan their wedding or get ideas when the time comes to redecorate their apartment. It's like scrapbooking, except everything is online and accessible to anyone. I don't know why I didn't think of it before, but I should start a board to help me plan my first hip-hop music video. Sweet!

The result is a colorful collection of items curated by people all over the web. It seems to me that women are the targeted and actual demographic currently, but I'm sure more dudes will check it out as its popularity increases.

The reason I'm writing this post is because I've been contemplating my use (overuse?) of the multiple blogging platforms I've joined and wondering if there was any redundancy. I belong to a lot of social media (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, et cetera) and blogging platforms (Blogger, Tumblr, Pinterest), and I sometimes have the feeling that there is too much on my cyber plate.

Pinterest isn't too different from Tumblr-- both are highly visual, and both allow the user to post and reblog content instantly. The draw of Pinterest is the ability to organize your content on neat and pretty boards, while the draw of Tumblr is the community of artists, photographers, musicians and others who use the site to share their work.

I like both sites, but I don't want to get burnt out. Maybe I'm not using the sites correctly? I have no idea. Do you use Tumblr and/or Pinterest? Do you ever worry about micro-blogging burnout? 

Art and activism, and "Look, ma! My face is on a poster!"

Yup, that's my face on a poster. How did it get there? I turned up on the first page of an image search for "shaking fist" and received an email from Nathan, who was looking to create a poster to spread awareness of an upcoming event at Lesley University.

Alexandra,

Any chance we could have permission to use your image of you 'shaking your fist' on a poster promoting an Artist & Activist conference at Lesley University? It would probably be altered to be high contrast or posterized with a Photoshop filter. Your image turned up on a google image search of "shaking fist."

The copy would read something like...
"Would you lift a finger to make the world a better place?"
"No, not that finger."
and then go on to ask people to click on "send" to forward information about the conference.

We want more people to attend this small event in two weeks and so I am proposing to raise the provocation level. It appears that activism itself needs to be activated, even at the epicenter of Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Thank you for your consideration of this.

Nathan


Of course you can use the image, I replied, so long as my blog was cited as the source of the photo.



It's a pretty nice feeling to get random requests like this. To me, it says that I'm doing something right with my methods of blogging. Just last week I made some quick money by inserting a link to an online college into an article I wrote four months ago on the topic of students, entrepreneurs, and freelancers benefiting from using social media.

I guess this is how some bloggers make their living, which is pretty sweet. I hope to continue getting offers for linking and requests to use my photos. Who knows, maybe I can start making bank from blogging? That is every blogger's wet dream, right? To get paid for what we love to do?

I'm not a fan of writing endorsements, unless I'm endorsing something that I truly believe in. Sales isn't exactly my passion, but if I have faith in something, or I absolutely can't get enough of something, then I will stand behind it and write an endorsement. Link dropping is a little different because while I am somewhat endorsing the service or product that is being linked-to, it isn't the focus of the post. And as in the case above, the link is dropped ex post facto.

That being said, I haven't been paid to say anything about this event, but I think that it sounds pretty interesting. If you're a fan of the arts, are socially active, and want to learn how we can use the arts to make our communities better for everyone, and if you live anywhere near Cambridge, Massachusetts you should check out the conference. Read the blurb below (sent to me by Nathan), and go to the Lesley University to find out more.

This is the second annual conference focused on how the arts are used as social action and as acts of courage and vision. This year’s conference will look at the concept of public, private and community space and how the arts can be used to transform public, private and community space into thought provoking catalysts to address a wide range of social, political, and psychological issues.

This conference will feature local, national and international artists, activists, educators, and mental health care professionals presenting the important work they are doing to bring about change and awareness. Speakers will address issues such as violence, healthcare disparities, and other social inequities, to promote civic engagement, advance the health of whole persons and whole communities, address the healing of trauma, and utilize the arts to educate, to examine our world, and to envision future possibilities.

Photo-a-day challenge, week two [blue skies and douchey guys]

Yay! Week two!!

Check out Week 1 of my January Photo-a-Day challenge here. If you're playing along, be sure to let me know so I can ogle your photos, too :)


Day 8: Your Sky


You don't see this color of blue just anywhere. San Francisco has the most gorgeous sunshine and the most brilliant skies, even in the wintertime (except right now because it's raining and gloomy, though we still get more sunshine than I ever did back in Philly).


Day 9: Daily Routine


I love my spiffy new office, and the spiffy view of Post street in downtown San Francisco that I have. When I need a moment of solace, I take a quick gaze outside then carry on with my work.


Day 10: Childhood


I used to sleep with Baby Donald every night. I remember once leaving him at my Aunt Brenda's house and being so upset that I couldn't sleep. My Uncle Bob ended up driving over to drop the stuffed animal off. I don't sleep with Donald any more, but I did take him back to San Fran with me the last time I visited my folks in Philly. For 26 years old, he still looks pretty good.


Day 11: Where You Sleep


Snuggle under the covers with my little Sook who likes to spoon.


Day 12: Close-up


This was going to be my "daily routine" photo, but it's also a close-up. I hate taking the bus, especially when I'm cram-jammed with a bunch of clueless people who don't understand the concept of personal space. This photo was taken just before getting pushed by a dude, who pushed me so hard that he knocked my coffee cup over, which incidentally spilled all over my jacket and pants. Nice one, bro.


Day 13: In Your Bag


Lots of lip gloss. There was more in my bag, but I didn't want to seem excessive. What?


Day 14: Something You're Reading


Yes, I do read my own zines! Actually, I have been meaning to start reading The Paris Wife, a novel by Paula McLain about Hadley Hemingway, wife of Ernest Hemingway, and her relationship with the author while living in Paris. I've already read this tale through Ernest's eyes, but it will be interesting to hear the other side. I've just been lazy since starting this job-- all I want to do after walking home from work is to crash and watch The Big Bang Theory.

Get ready for Azealia Banks...

Image by pamhule via Flickr

I'm not sure how I stumbled upon this video. I think Bossip posted something on Twitter about Kreayshawn dissing this new up-and-coming rapper named Azealia Banks by retweeting the link to her video "212," but with a link to a porn site instead. Pretty nasty.

Anyway, the drama flare-up inspired me to check out Azealia's video, and boy am I glad that I did! This song is so dope-- the beat is danceable, with that reggaeton vibe, and Azealia can really rap. And sing. And she's only 19 years old.

Damn.

Makes me really want to make this hip-hop EP that I've been working on as perfect as I can get it, and get it out there. Not that I'm anywhere on this lady's level, but it makes me want to do better. I'm so motivated-- maybe it's because I can't get this song out of my head.

Don't just take my word for it, listen to the song yourself (unless you're offended by curse words, because then you shouldn't watch this video at all. Unless you can block out the curse words and concentrate on the hot beat).

Hello 2012, I'm doing it "My Way"

Image via Wikipedia

This month our theme for Karaoke Ring of Death (by the way, that's the link to our new blog to serve as KROD's central hub be sure to check it out for the master list and important updates) is the new year, or as I think of it: "Hello 2012, Goodbye 2011."

I decided to perform a song that I wrote called "Fall Back / Stand Up" which brushes off negativity and calls for unity among the disenfranchised. You can check it out on Katie's blog, Struggling Single Twenty Something.

But before you do that, please check out Edwin's performance of "My Way" by Frank Sinatra. I love this song, the meaning behind it and what it means to Edwin, and I love that Edwin went with an official karaoke track to sing over.

I usually rely on singing over the singer (to hide my creeky voice), but Edwin doesn't need that because he is awesome.

Edwin is a relative newcomer to KROD, and a total newcomer to this blog, so let's show him some love! Sing it, Edwin!