Reach for the sky

Magnet #965 - Bartholomew County Veterans Memorial

Another from my Columbus, Indiana set of magnets...this time, it's the Batholomew County Veterans Memorial, designed by Thompson and Rose. We missed seeing this memorial, but it's pretty cool, huh?

I picked it, because it's the most designy thing I had in my magnet photobucket cache...plus, it kinda reminds me of my visit to the Cooper-Hewitt Design Museum yesterday.

It's free to visit all week for National Design Week, and the main exhibition (the most sustainable in the museum's history) is the National Triennial Design, "Why Design Now?" It centers around design that addresses social and environmental challenges - some really fantastic stuff in there - from sustainable buildings and cities* in Norway and Abu Dhabi to $19 glasses that the wearer can select the prescription. Definitely check it out if you get a chance.

I think my only complaint (other than trying to figure out how we can get this stuff into a museum, but not mass-produced yet), is that they had a really cute shop. But one without magnets.

Dudes, cool magnets exist!

*Check out the video for Masdar City in Abu Dhabi, which looks superfantastical right now, but it's pretty cool that it's already started phase 1. Maybe I'll wait till it's done before visiting. I bet money they'll have fabulous magnets.

What?

I walk alone

Magnet #964 - American Idiot

I keep all my Playbills and tickets for all the shows I've been to. Last week, when I transferred them into a shiny new box, I found that I've been to about 70 performances during the course of the last several years here in town.

Most of those performances were with discounted tickets from Playbill.com, my secret weapon when it comes to enjoying Broadway. They send out great email offers all the time, which is how I ended up at American Idiot last night, with mixed feelings about it today.

First and foremost, I should admit that I'm not a big Green Day fan, but I hate being left out of things, and it always seems that American Idiot is one of those shows that everyone wants to see. I'm wondering if you should be a Green Day fan in order to enjoy the show. I mean, sure, I knew several of the songs, but not all of the songs.

And, to give the show a benefit of a doubt, I missed the first 20 minutes of the show. I apologize to all the performers last night, but yes. Classic rookie mistake - for some reason, all day long, I had an 8pm start time in my head. It's not like I was busy, I stopped myself from getting ready early, so that I wouldn't be down in Times Square too early. So at about 6:53 last night, I was like, hmmm, la-la-la, I guess I'll get ready to go. La-la-la. And I decided to pull up my confirmation.

My confirmation that said, St. James Theatre, 7pm.

7pm!!!

I flew out of my apartment, and I swear the train conductor knew I was on board, because we careened down the 2/3 train track. Braving the withering looks of about four ushers, I entered the strobe-lit theatre mid-song, and was seated in the nearest empty end seat, about 20 rows better than what I bought.

From there, I couldn't settle down. Maybe it's because I missed those 20 minutes that I couldn't quite catch up with the story that I wasn't bowled over by it?

The set design and production overall was fantastic, although they scared me a few times with all the moving scaffolding and cirque du soleil stuff (and sometimes the strobes). The performances were terrific, the guitar playing was awesome.

But, from what I could tell, the AI story is really just Hair, but for our generation. And we all know how I didn't love Hair. It had the same young slacker generation frantically raging against political and military machine issues that frustrated the heck out of me in Hair.

Huh. Looks like the square I would have been in the 60s and 70s, translates to the square I am in the 2000s. Eh, I'll own it.

Oh! I will say that the one benefit of being late to the show? Walking almost alone through Times Square and the side streets, because everyone else got to their shows on time. It was nice.

eta:
Double oh! Or, maybe it was because I got distracted by the silly teenager in front of me who kept messing with her stupid hair, sticking her elbows out both sides four times to redo her hair back into her headband/side ponytail combo. Dude. It's dark. They won't see you!

Any time we spend with you is a pleasure...

Magnet #963 - Stieglitz's City of Ambition

Alfred Stieglitz's New York City images are always a favorite of mine. This one, called City of Ambition, taken downtown in 1910 is striking for me - the tufts of smoke, the grittiness of the big city against the seeming calmness of the water. Plus, for me Stieglitz seemed to be the ultimate example of hip, old-school New York.

Someone else who reminds me of old-school New York is my old chairman, the founding father of the company I used to work for. Sit with him for a bit, and he can tell you tales anywhere from World War II to the original Stork Club to Vietnam to September 11th.

Today, about 300 people attended a tribute to his late wife of almost 63 years - a woman who was a true force of nature and most beloved by all of us. I'm glad I brought tissues, because while it was a celebration of her life, hearing her friends and family speak about her definitely brought forth a few tears.

Today was also my first event with the company that let me go after more than a dozen years, so I was a little apprehensive. Turns out with 300 people milling around, it's pretty easy to talk to only the people who have a smile, a hug and a handshake for you. There were several of those folks, and it reminded me of how lucky I was to be part of the old guard before the new regime took over. That's the company I want to remember, those are the people I want to remember.

So I learned a lot today. While I knew her as "the boss's wife," we saw a glimpse of the wife, mother, grandmother, friend, and woman. A woman who truly lived her life - for her husband, her family, her community, and most of all, for herself.

Coincidentally, a newsreport last night told me to write my own obituary - as a way to learn about what I'd like my life to be about. After this morning celebrating Bette, I definitely have more of a sense of what it should be.

eta:
Also wanted to share a violin piece by Kriesler entitled Liebesfreund (Love's Joy) that violinst Christina Khimm played for us today.

Despite the fact that it has a fabulous name, it's just a lovely, happy piece.

Who says, who says

Magnet #962 - Joy President of the United States

I never wanted to be president of the U.S. I never had any interest in politics - ironic, given my poli sci and international studies degree. Clearly, the degree my mother picked out for me.

But, ya'll know I love my name, and that's how I ended up with this magnet, which I think I bought at the now-closed Presidents Park in Williamsburg, VA. Or, maybe one of the many presidential libraries I've gone to over the years?

This magnet reminds me of my mother, because after many, many hours on the road back and forth to Boston, she picked out the Hannah Montana CD, and says, "Let's play this. I like that she says, 'who says, who says, I won't be president.'"

Yep, Mom's a Hannah fan. Apple doesn't fall far from the tree, I guess.

All things kawaii*

Magnet #961 - Phoenix Wright: Ace Detective

Remember how a couple of days ago I thought I was totally unworthy to be at Comic-Con because I never read X-Men?

As it turns out, what I knew about the comics world? Was miles and miles and far and away much more than I ever knew about anime. Turns out, what I know about anime?

Could fill a thimble.

A tiny, supersmall faerie thimble.

I know! I'm Asian! I should know such things! But I don't.

I do, however, have young Asian cousins and their friends to teach me the ways of anime, which is why we spent today concentrating on the Anime Festival side of Comic-Con with two Jersey cousins and a cousin BFF.

The three of them were dressed up as Pikachu, Misty and Dawn. Fantastic outfits (handmade by the big sister), and given the "Pikachu!"s we heard from passersby, people totally knew who they were, and loved them for it. (And yes, I had to look up the three characters. Or, really just the two, since I've actually slept through seen the Pokemon movie - in the theatre.)

We went to a Hiyao Miyazaki panel. This is a UO, but I couldn't stand Spirited Away. Hated the parents becoming pigs, the main chick being so damned whiny, and honestly, I get crazy when random stuff starts happening in movies. I mean, I left that movie with a big WTF on my face.

But, this panel, which the three girls were so thrilled to go to, had a really great speaker...so great, that he's convinced me to add My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service and Castle in the Sky on to the top of my Netflix list. (Ponyo's on Instant Watch, so maybe later tonight.)

We also went to another panel called "Anime, Manga, and Harajuku Fashion: The Secret of International Competitiveness of Japanese Pop Culture." Yep. And that's the same confusion I had on my face, when we walked in. But, that too, was a fairly interesting panel (with possibly the best translator I've ever seen).

The lead panelist, Takamasa Sakurai, is basically the Japanese pop culture ambassador, who took us through a bunch of cosplay images from around the world. And, if that wasn't enough, he brought on this superstar Kanon dude from An Cafe, this J-Pop band to be his co-panelist. I haven't a clue who the guy was, but my cousin and her BFF were absolutely floored by him. So ecstatic! (I feel fairly sure they'd have the same confusion if they saw me meet Duran Duran.)

Anyway, through this panel, I learned that Cosplay is global, that they'll be happy to show me around if I show up in Japan, and that if "everyone was otaku and lolitas, the world would be at peace."

Shoot. Today, I learned what cosplay really was (I was very confused, I totally blame the LARPing episode of Being Erica). And otaku. And kawaii.* And lolita.

Let it be said that I took Japanese 101, 102 and 103 at Carolina. I should have already known what this stuff was. In the end, that's just a fraction of what I learned today.

Here's another fraction: See this standee magnet I bought from the folks at Squire Sword? It's basically a supercute animation printout, mounted to foamcore, and it stands. It's freakin' adorable. But I squeed over it, and was like, "OMG! It's David Tennant! It's the Tenth Doctor! I must have it!" And proceeded to pull out my double-digit dollars for it. (They also had Matt Smith, the Eleventh Doctor, and K-9, too. But, I couldn't pass up the TARDIS. Adorable!)

And, like a silly fangurl, I took a picture of both my purchases and posted it to Facebook the first chance I got. And, seriously, just before I started writing this magnetpost (in honor of watching David's Single Father tv series tonight), my cousin - this time from California - corrected my ignorant ass and told me that he's NOT from Doctor Who!

He's Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney! The best defense attorney in the land!

While it's still supercute, I was heartbroken it wasn't David Tennant.

But, you can see why I was totally confused. Right? Right? RIGHT?

*crickets*

Mind you, I'm still going to pretend it's David. It's damned close.

Just call me Excited!

Magnet #960 - Emotes!

Ok. Who is surprised that within the first 10 minutes of being at New York Comic-Con, I'd already bought my first magnet? Yep. I even went in the back way to the show floor, and still I managed to find this magnet at the Emotes booth.

Of course, I'm going to take that purchase receipt and head back there today to see if I can qualify for the "spend $20 and get the supercute Emotes bag free" deal. What? Hello. I know they're spelling my name wrong, but how can I resist!

Apparently, the mission of Emotes is to teach kids about emotions, and being able to put their feelings into words. It's a little too touchy-feely for my taste, but I am all over the JOI stuff. Plus, how cute are these characters!? I'm already planning on getting one of the books. And maybe the little figurine. And maybe the keychain. Yes. All to get the cute bag.

Although - can I just say? I've been on this declutter kick in my apartment, and I kept roaming around today rejecting practically everything I saw because I didn't want any more free comics, any more pens, any more totebags in this apartment.

For the most part, I succeeded. Hard to believe, I came home with only ONE new totebag for me. One! Ironically, it's from the publishing company that gave me my first job, but it cracked me up to lug it around. (Full disclosure, I also gave away this other superdupercute totebag, when I realized that while it had superdupercute figurines on one side, it had this trashy half-nekkid chick on the other side.)

The other trouble I'm having is finding superdupercool stuff for STWsis. The problem is that we scored her the superdupercool stuff from San Diego 2 months ago!

Though, the second we get to the floor today, I'm running right over to the Penguin Putnam booth to buy another copy of the really awesome Mad Men Illustrated World book (and another set of matching pins that are totally going to become magnets).

Let's just say that I'm overJOIed about that book!

eta:
OMG. It's JOI and me! It's JOI and me!

Comic-Con Confessions

Magnet #959 - Wolverine

I have a confession to make: I've never read a single X-Men comic. I've never watched the cartoon, either (just added to the top of my Netflix queue, though).

Because I always have to see any and all event/superhero movies, I've seen all the X-Men movies. So, in my head, Wolverine will always be hot Hugh Jackman, not this guy right here.

I'll go one further. Sometimes, comics make me crazy. It's kind of how I hate nonlinear storytelling - sometimes, the jumpiness of the panel layouts makes me nuts.

So now you know.

I know. It's shameful. Especially since in about 10 hours, I'll be at New York Comic-Con. For the whole weekend.

I think part of me knows that I just can't get into the seriality of it all - if I get hooked (which is totally possible and possibly scary), I'll be stalking Midtown Comics and Forbidden Planet all the time!

But hey. I'm happy to entertain any suggestions for stories to try. After all, I can just run out on the floor this weekend and buy them. So, suggest away.