I have seen the future...

...and it is good. I think I'm in love. Ironic, since it was a present from my boyfriend.

And here, the opposite of technology. I love the nostalgic feeling I get looking at this photo. And also, the picture in my head of the person who wrote all those fogey-esque notes.

POTUS speaks, we flinch

Wow, Bush never fails to amaze me. If you've got 4 minutes, and a complete lack of pride in our country's leadership, watch this. This is the first time I’ve viewed Bush as a success at something:

"The key for me is to keep expectations LOW.” Mission accomplished. Georgie, this photo's for you, since you're such a voracious existential reader.

Oh these kids...

Fascinating...read this. Facts about this year's college freshmen. They've never known the Soviet Union, only known 2 presidents...the list goes on. Makes me feel...well, a little dated. A lady never reveals her age...but shouldn't I know something by now?

Another victory for the rich

Just got back from Mexico, so the disparity between the rich and the poor of the world is very much on my mind. More disturbing? How people are profiteering from poverty. I don't have the hard facts, but you can find them here. Basically, the lobbyists who have influence in Washington get contracted for, say, $300 per square mile of rubble cleared in Iraq. Through a chain of about 3 or 4 "subcontractors," local people end up getting hired at $3 per square mile to actually DO the work, while everyone else sits back, pushes papers, and collects their money. Same thing in New Orleans.

Thinking of it, even this picture makes me angry. Shouldn't Mother Nature be on poor people's side? I guess the lesson here is: the earth doesn't give a crap about humans...and why should it?

See you in a week!

Well, I wanted to leave the blog with something meaningful at the top (sorry sexy hippos, you didn't quite cut it). This is one of my favorite new photos from Jason. It's subtle, but powerful. I've been into symbols lately.

bon voyage

I'm leaving for Mexico in a couple of days...so there will be a week-long silence. Anyway, I wanted to capture the spirit of vacation, and I think this picture does it. Isn't vacation really just humans trying to get back to their animal state? Pure hedonism. But while I'm honoring animals, let me suggest this
website for you animal lovers out there. Oh, and hold your heart for this one...it will make you burst with joy.

Two is better than one

I like my smoking double-photo blog, so here's another. These pictures go perfectly together...Here's a good artist to start with if you like graffiti-inspired art.

bff and brb

My sister got in town this morning. She was wearing a sweatshirt that said "B.R.B." Apparently despite my nerdiness, I haven't been fully indocrinated yet. For those like me, hope is here.

Oh so pretty

Well, here's my pitch for the day. Oh, and my plug. My friend Miguel just sent me an e-mail about how America is "a nation of retards" -- well, the success of tobacco here confirms that. Here it is -- the glamour and the truth.

A quiet place

Neil Gaiman has Soft Places, Trent Reznor has A Warm Place, and this picture is for me -- a quiet place. Lately that's what I've been craving. Things have been very loud...

Watts welcoming committee

Today I went down to Watts to volunteer at the annual Watts Summer Festival. On the website you can read about the 1965 Watts Revolt -- stuff I didn't know about before this week. I thought this picture kind of fit the notions people have of the people and the neighborhood. Of course, if you've seen Fahrenheit 9/11 you can appreciate the joke...

Oh, the guy in the photo is Saul Williams who was also in an amazing race-related movie, called Slam. Check out his records too.

Family ties

There's a band I'm crazy about right now, and I'm seeing them in concert tonight. They have a song you've heard too many times on the radio, that I think is about being a burden on your family and trying to pay back your debt to them. I won't bore you with why this picture makes me think of that, since this is an art blog and not a therapy blog, but I hope maybe you see it too.

Terrorized, in a sense

I feel like this photo today.



In the spirit of destruction, I've decided, for fun, to see if my job qualifies as a terrorist cell.

"Terrorism, n : the calculated use of violence (or threat of violence) against civilians in order to attain goals that are political or religious or ideological in nature; this is done through intimidation or coercion or instilling fear."

1. calculated - YES, they call it the payroll department.
2. threat of violence - YES, if you count the physical harm that would come to me if I were unemployed and living on the street.
3. against civilians - YES. Innocent civilians squandering their lives on a paycheck.
4. to attain goals - GOOD LORD, YES - that's the mantra around here.
5. ideological in nature - YES, they call it "corporate business practices."
6. intimidation, coercion, fear - YES, YES, YES.

Should I tell the FBI?

Poverty as Therapy?

There's an excerpt of a book called "Winning the Race: Beyond the Crisis in Black America" by an black professor named John McWhorter. In the excerpt, he basically argues that life was better for blacks in the 1920's and 1930's because after the Civil Rights Movement, blacks were taught "therapeutic alienation." They adopted the fashionable role of the oppressed, and McWhorter argues that they'll hold on to that role even in the absence of racism. Well, you can read it for yourself, I may not be explaining it all that well...But there's something of it in this picture.

High Art...like the movie

Today I was in the mood for some high art. To me, this picture is it. Simple, sensual but not over the top like so much art I see at shows now. In fact, strangely emotional, from a woman's point of view. Have you guys seen High Art??? Such a beautiful film, kind of like this photo made into a movie...

The Apocalypse?

Is anyone else a little weirded out by the political scene right now? I mean, as far as I'm concerned it's been pretty torturous since, oh, about November 2000. But now I have this feeling of dread, like there's a chance for Bush to screw things up so badly that everyone dies. Well, here's a picture in the name of hope.

Sunday, Hazy Sunday

First of all, I've been listening to way too much U2 lately. Second of all, I've got that Sunday morning cloud in my head. Here's how I feel in pictures: the color of this photograph, the nostalgia of a gritty Hollywood street...

They walk among us...

I watched x-files at my friend's house last night, and then saw this photo. It's fun to let your imagination run away with you...I try to imagine what I would do if I were waking on this street alone at night and saw this form coming towards me like this.

Skateboarder in the sticks

I love this guy. Everything on his face is completely sincere. But he just doesn't look like a hard-core skater to me.

Comicon

Oh, some things just make me so happy. Like this picture. I couldn't go to San Diego for the convention, but at least I can be there for a moment looking at this...

Jason told me when he took this he was imagining one guy saying to the other "I told you I was going to wear the Star Wars shirt today!"

Wow, the first post...Superheroes

This picture seemed like a perfect introduction. It captures something iconic about Los Angeles -- I think everyone comes here with an image of themselves in their minds, but ends up becoming someone completely different. The expression on the girl in the middle says it all...

A new blog-mistress

A picture is worth a thousand words, right? So I decided to take over this blog and make it a combination of ideas and the photographs that have inspired them. A fun place to stop and get brain food for the day. I'm using all photograhps by one artist: Jason Vaughn. He's agreed to supply me with unlimited photos and I love his work, so it's perfect. Feel free to leave comments, and thanks for stopping by!