To Tag Or Not To Tag

Ever since the graffitti group presented on Wednesday I have been thinking about my take on graffiti. I have never really stopped to think whether I love it or find it annoying or beautiful or disgraceful..so I decided to stop and ponder my opinion on it.

For me, as a resident of the Capitol Hill neighborhood, I am constantly seeing art..in the way people dress, in the houses, in the posters, etc. It is a colorful and wonderful place to live. I got to thinking about if I mind graffiti being in my neighborhood or even on the side of my house. I came to the conclusion that no matter where it is, graffiti is welcome, as far as I'm concerned. It adds color and design to our streets, buildings, and bus stops. We live in a city..what do you expect? Even if it is just a simple tag, it is still the trace of a person..it signifies risk through a signature. To some people graffiti is distasteful, gross, and annoying. I feel that cookie-cutter houses in cookie-cutter neighborhoods are annoying..so we all have our preferences. The more that people decorate our world, the better.

I took some photos of beautiful graffiti by the train track in South Seattle to document some graffiti I really liked. The murals are gorgeous to me, and the others are just as significant because they made me stop and think.."I miss you child"? That made me really sad and curious when I read it. Hope and despair are mounted on the wall side by side for everyone to see.
Thank you graffiti group..your presentation has changed how I see the art form and the culture of graffiti that is alive in our city and in our world. I know I will appreciate it more in the future.

Happy Holidays?

Wow..I have never been more claustrophobic in my life as I was on Friday. Yikes! I was just minding my own business, walking to rehearsal downtown when I found myself in a dense jungle of people and shopping bags. I never dare to venture downtown on Black Friday, but this year I just happened to be there and get stuck in the middle of it. People are crazy with their holiday shopping..I was really blown away. I was standing on the sidewalk waiting to cross the street when I overheard a mom talking to her 20-something year old daughter saying, "I am so fucking pissed right now! We need to go home. You have already spent $3,000 dollars today! And you want more?! We need to leave RIGHT NOW!" Now THAT is a fun and festive day out..yuck. The concept of money and the extreme need to buy things and maximize everything is just disgusting when it's presented like that in everyday life. I couldn't stop thinking about those two ladies for the rest of the day. It kinds made me sick to my stomach thinking about the way their day had turned out and the crazy world that girl must live in thinking that $3,000 is just NOT enough. It got me thinking about people and their loss of perspective on things like money versus healthy relationships. Why anyone could feel so entitled to $3,000 dollars worth of clothes, makeup, and jewelry in a day makes me wonder about if they see anything as having real genuine worth. Later on in the day I was running into Westlake Mall to grab a bite to eat. I walked out 45 minutes later to see the entire outside of Westlake Mall had turned into a sea of people just excited as could be for the tree to be lit. I shuffled my way around the building to get to a street that was not blocked off. It was like making my way through a crazy concert that I did not want to be at. Well, I suppose it was exactly that..since there were people singing Christmas songs from the top of Westlake with a microphone, blaring the songs all across downtown Seattle. I wasn't feeling it. Everyone else sure was though. I suppose for some people it is a nice holiday tradition..maybe I am just not as into that sort of thing. The size of the crowd, for someone who doesn't like crowds, was very disturbing.
To finish the day off, I was walking down Pike and passed the most ironic store sign I have ever seen. The store name is SIMPLE LIFE. Now, may I just repeat, this store is located on Pike Street right in the heart of downtown Seattle. It was just perfect seeing it on Black Friday. I had to take a picture. What a day! Won't put myself through that next year if I can help it.

Things Things and More Things

The Goodwill Outlet is an amazing place for people when money is tight and also a great thrift store..er..warehouse..for those who love unique clothes and things. I have been going there for about 2 years now for little treasures and odds and ends, but the other day I decided to go there and look at it in a different way. I wanted to capture the unique and often very ridiculous atmosphere of "THE BINS". First of all, it is referred to as "THE BINS" because that's what it is..a warehouse full of bins which are full of things. Some bins are full entirely of shoes..other bins are full of clothes..others are full of child's toys or housewares. That is as organized as it is. Other than having things in their general piles it is just a mess of things, things, and more things. There are about 20 bins in the place and each bin is about 12ft by 4ft..about 1 1/2 feet deep. Then come the vultures..wait..I mean the people who go to the bins. Granted, some are peaceful and calmly look through each bin and mind their own business. I appreciate those people, but they obviously don't have the drive it takes to be a part of the chaotic bins competitive world. Yes..people are cut-throat. It is ridiculous. Hipsters from Capitol Hill who are buyers for stores like Red Light show up everyday of the week at 8:45 to make sure they are the first ones in the door at 9am. All the bins are fresh at 9am and it is prime feeding time for them. Then there are the older Asian ladies who are always there just for the shoes. They are not at all picky either..they fill shopping cart after shopping cart with all the shoes that are put out. There is grabbing, there is pushing and shoving. Everyone wants what everyone else has got. Everyone wants that same leather jacket or shiny purse. It's a fight to the death. One time I was at THE BINS and almost got tricked by a hipster guy into giving up a great find. They lie they cheat. It's wrong and funny and ridiculous and very entertaining and exciting in a weird way. I love it and can't believe I engage in it at the same time. Always a good time at THE BINS! I have seen people almost get in fist fights about articles of clothing. There are also electronics off to the side..when these are brought out so are people's claws. It gets ugly at the bins. I had to blog about it. It is one of the most interesting people watching experiences as well as aerobic thifting experiences one can have. People have shopping carts and pile things into them to sort through later. Once the hipsters have sufficiently picked through the bins they wait off to the sides and talk amongst themselves until an old bin is switched out for a new one. Oh yes, bins are constantly switched out throughout the day. This is the most vicious time, when a picked-through bin is traded for a brand new bin of things from the back room. Everyone must wait with their hands behind their back until the switch is done..to be fair. Then we are unleashed and clothes fly in the air as people throw their backs into the treasure hunting.

THE BINS bring out the worst in people. But if you can't beat 'em join 'em, right?!

Cartwheel Piece.

Cartwheel for an entire day.
Do not walk.
At the end of the day record all the things your hand felt that day.
Then record everything your feet felt.

Internet Archive: Details: Everyday Overdrive

For my audio project I combined sounds of an engine, flipping of playing cards, a soda being opened, and a human voice. I used Cool Edit Pro 2.1 to layer the sounds and make interesting effects. I used a lot of repetition as well as new sounds being introduced along the way. It is entitled EVERYDAY OVERDRIVE because they are everyday sounds combined to make an artistic piece. This was my first time ever using an audio editing program so it was pretty fun just playing around with the different tools. I think I could definitely get into editing audio for stage productions. It is challenging but not entirely impossible, which is nice! I was surprised at how once I experimented for a bit I was able to use the program comfortably. Since then I've been playing around with layering music of different kinds, which is going to be a nice skill to have in my experience with stage production. It was nice to have this introduction to audio to get my feet wet and become somewhat familiar with importing audio clips and layering them. My 18 yr old brother is incredibly savvy with these programs and does a lot of music production in his free time, so I am sure I will be learning all the fancy tools in no time. Until then, I am happy with my first little audio project.

Novel #1

Edith ended up leaving Murray behind and ran off with pneumonia. Their affair had been a secret for five years and finally surfaced. Good bye New York.

Novel #2

Breathing rate wasn't the only thing that sank regarding a Moscow submarine. The suffocating gas had 20 people regretting their decision to be in the sub during the safety test. It failed!