zzZZZzzzzz...

That's Keen is taking a break to stop and smell the roses (as if you didn't notice). Watch this space for more fun in the future - promise!

Brad is Rad!

Simplify, simplify, simplify! This is usually good advice for any situation, and it is especially true when it comes to good design. Speaking of good design, know who gets me all hot 'n bothered? Bradbury Thompson, that's who.

Let's all get into our time machine and head back to the early 1940's when Thompson started cranking out awesomeness for Westvaco Inspirations, and pushing graphic design into the future simply by using old tools in new ways. His use of photography, typography, and color is so inspiring, Google image search his name and I promise you will not be disappointed. The above spread is my favorite, and has been since I started studying graphic design.

...Use Color for Bait.
Color, states the scientist, is a wavelength. But color is more, says the artist: color is the lighted tree at Christmas, fireworks on the Fourth of July, the Mardi Gras, the Rose Bowl game, New Years Eve on Time's Square, the flower vendor with his pushcart crowded with geraniums, the girl in a striking hat who turns heads in the Easter Parade, the first night at a smash-hit musical show, the midway at a County Fair, the crack drum and bugle corps that swings down the Avenue on parade. Color is everywhere, because, as any artist knows, the whole sweep and movement of life vibrates with color...

Some day I will find an old lady selling a bunch of mid-century Westvaco issues at a garage sale 20 for $1 and be in Bradbury Thompson design heaven; until then I will continue to be inspired by his innovation, honesty, and simplicity.

Panes!

This post will do a body good, not your waistline per se, but you will be at peace knowing you have discovered one of the best sandwich shops in the city:
Panes Bread Cafe at 3002 N. Sheffield.

I cannot take credit for finding this gem (that feat belongs to Amber), but I can take credit for eating a gazillion sandwiches and deeming them all to be delicious. Loyal readers you know I am a sandwich connoisseur and I would never lead you astray, so trust me when I say you cannot go wrong with any of Panes' goodies served on their homemade breads. Turkey Turkey, Super Panes, Portobello Mushroom, Roasted Beef, Sloppy Pollo... the list goes on. Chips are included and you will get a ton of food for not a lot of cash; speaking of which, they are cash only so come prepared and make sure you have a little extra for dessert: the amazing monster cookie. If salads or pasta are your thing they have those too, but the bread and sandwiches are where it's at.

One More Reason to Love Summer

Seriously stop what you are doing right now and get thee to a grocery store.
You need this salsa.

Tostitos Summer Salsa may be the tastiest salsa ever invented, and trust me I know my salsa. Tostitos website acts like it doesn't even exist, perhaps because it is so delicious you swear you just imagined it? I can find zero info about it online so allow me to be the first to sing its praises. It is the perfect blend of fruits and peppers, a little sweet and a little heat if you will. I snagged several jars at my local Jewel (and plan on hoarding more for the winter months) and you should too. YUM.

*Yawn*

Is it just me, or are there not enough hours in the day? I feel like there is no time to accomplish my to-do list AND get a good night's sleep, and I am always trading off one or the other. I think it is time to take drastic measures and go to bed at a reasonable hour and wake up earlier. I can hear those of you familiar with my night-owl behaviors and love of sleeping in laughing out loud as I type, and trust me, I too think it is a crazy idea, but it just might be crazy enough to work... famous last words.

Firstly, I think a snazzy alarm clock might make waking up more fun. The red clock above is made by Twemco and can be found here. I am also very intrigued by this contraption: The Soleil Sun Alarm Clock, which mimics the sunrise to gently wake you without sound.
Ahhh I am feeling more rested already...

This whole waking up with the sun concept brings me to my second energizing plan, purchasing Spent, by Frank Lipman MD. His theories on energy and exhaustion have been getting a lot of buzz lately, and it is worth a look at his website. Normally I wouldn't buy into the hype, but when I read a recent interview his reasoning really struck a chord with me.

"When I started seeing so many patients who were exhausted, with no energy and low immune systems, I obviously started thinking about why this was happening. And I realized that the only time I never saw patients who had these symptoms was when I was working 28 years ago in Kwandebele, a rural area in South Africa. I was seeing diseases symptomatic of poverty and malnutrition, but not the same types of problems I see today in New York City or when I worked in urban areas in South Africa, where patients are more likely to come in complaining of fatigue, insomnia, depression or various aches and pains. There was no electricity, indoor heating or refrigeration in Kwandebele. They went to bed when it got dark, they arose with the sun, they ate whatever foods were available in season. They lived in accordance with the cycles and rhythms of nature."

I can say based on my short time in Africa that I have never in my life felt as rested as I did when staying in Tanzania. I truly feel my energetic state had more to do with how I was sleeping (in bed by 7:30 or 8, up at 6) and what I was eating (fresh bananas, avocados, pineapple, etc ) and less to do with the fact that I was on vacation. I have been trying to recapture that circadian rhythm for a year now, but it is tougher to do in a nation where most children aren't even in bed by 7, and the snow on the ground impedes the growth of anything fresh. I will keep you posted on my journey, and hopefully my increased energy will bring about many new blog posts! Now if you will forgive me, it is past my bedtime...

Docs Rock

photo by Gour, Kids With Cameras

I am so gung-ho about watching documentaries lately!! While I can appreciate a good Hollywood story, so many movies are a poor adaptation of a book or a lame re-make, so if I'm going to watch a flick inspired by something it might as well be real life, right? When I saw Slumdog Millionaire I thought it was so wonderful, but watching the trials and tribulations of these young children in India reminded me of the amazing movie I just watched last year, Born Into Brothels. It came out a while back, won an Oscar, and is pretty much a must see in my eyes for anyone who is an artist, has a passion for photography, or wants to be inspired and humbled by a bunch of talented kids. Just writing about the movie makes me want to go watch it again, and if you are friends with me you have probably heard me gush about it once or twice. If you are a fan, it's worth your time to take a look at Kids With Cameras to see what the kids from the movie are up to and admire the other photography projects the organization has in the works.

As far as other docs are concerned, here is what's on tap in the Netflix queue:

Helvetica
Wordplay
King Kong: A Fist Full of Quarters
The Sound and the Fury
The Corporation
The Devil and Daniel Johnston.

I really want to see Madonna's I Am Because We Are when it comes out too. Suggestions?? Recommendations??

Puppies!

For those of you who aren't aware, get ready to meet your new web obsession. For those of you who are already checking the puppies webcam on a daily basis, I don't need to tell you how great it is! They are so cute it kills me! Quick - watch the drama unfold as one pup wants to play while the others want to sleep!

Comer Comer Comer

These Spainiards love to eat! Madrid has been loely so far with amazing weather and more tapas than we can handle! Cervezas y sangria last night will lead to more of the same today. Dinner starts around 10pm, perfect timing after a day of sightseeing and a siesta. Plaza del Sol & Plaza Mayor have been our stomping grounds so far, but today calls for further exploration... after I track down a coca-cola light. All is well here, despite JD´s bag still being en route from Toronto. Adios for now...

Tapas, Tagines, and Camels... Oh my!

For a large potion of my adult life I have been attracted to all things Moroccan, I just didn't know it. Some intricate tile work here, a detailed ceramic platter painted with a kaleidoscope of colors there, or miniature glasses with delicate etchings... I loved it all, but it wasn't until much later that I realized all of these mini-obsessions originated from the same part of the globe.I can't say for certain if it is the color, symmetry, or detail that pulls me in, but I could look at the aesthetically invigorating designs from this region for days at a time. There is a bug with the above picture, making the colors go awry when it uploads... but it almost makes it more exciting, no?

To say that I'm a tad bit excited for my journey to Morocco is an understatement. I have been planning for this trip for years, and to see it come to fruition is almost surreal. I have gone from excitement, to nervousness, and back as I think one does with any major trip. Culturally, this land will be different from anywhere I have ever been, and to say there will be a language barrier will be putting it mildly. I can't read a lick of Arabic, my French is not up to par, and my local vocabulary consists of a handful of words that I can hopefully get by with. Thank goodness for the universal language of the nod and smile! Should I don a head scarf? How will I be perceived by the men in a culture where women are somewhat oppressed? What if I have a bathroom emergency in the middle of the Sahara? Who cares. I am SO over all my freaking out, and have come to peace with the fact that this place is going to be so different from what I'm used to, and that is what is going to make it an AMAZING trip.

I am so excited for Morocco, that I keep forgetting I get to spend two lovely days in Madrid beforehand, not to mention airport time in Canada! Yet another place I have never visited! I am beyond sad that my year of crazy travels will be coming to an end, but my experiences have taught me so much about other people, as well as myself, and I can't wait to add memories of this trip to my collection. I never thought I would ever go to Africa twice in one year!

So loyal blog readers, this will be signing off for a bit, hopefully to update you from abroad with details of sangria, camel treks, and tasty tagines. Until then...

Paper Cuts

I'm mildly obsessed with the art of papercraft, and here is the latest installment in my collection:
Pee-Wee and Chairy!

If you Google papercraft you will come up with tons of little tiny models all made from paper. Some need glue, and others don't. I have made quite a few from my two favorite sites ReadyMech and CubeeCraft, each having their own pros and cons.


I was feeling quite confident in my fine motor skills so I thought I would make a mini-drum set for my friend. Several tedious hours later over the course of 3 days, I acquired an impressively tiny set of skins.

Sadly, after being covered in tiny snips of card stock and rolling up a seemingly endless stash of itty bitty cymbal stands with my Elmer's Glue callused fingers, I have decided to take a much needed papercraft hiatus.

Chickens Just Back From The Shore...

Feist is too cute, and this Sesame Street remix is so adorable!

Watching this video made me think of all my favorites from Sesame Street that I enjoyed while growing up. Hopefully these will bring back some memories for others as well!



This song is so catchy! It wasn't aired often, but it stuck in my head after all these years. Probably my most favorite song, next to this.....

...Me & My Llama, Goin' To The Dentist!

What's not to love? This girl is allowed to walk around NYC unsupervised AND she has a pet llama! Awesome!



I remember when I figured out that Bruce inspired Sesame Street...for years I thought it was the other way around!


Oscar was my favorite. Does this explain why I can be so grouchy?


I loved the animation in these! I was always mesmerized by the cup rising up from inside the counter top.


This one makes me laugh now, but when I was a kid I was always frustrated that the U wouldn't leave him alone!

Okay, I'll stop now! I could post these all day!

If Loving This Is Wrong...

...then I don't want to be right!
So delicious! Words can't even do it justice. Bacon really does make everything better. On a related note, has anyone else seen this sticker in the Gingerman bathroom? It cracks me up every time!

Deliciousness

If anyone needs to find me this summer just look for me at YoBerri. Yum. This stuff is like yogurt crack, except better for you! You feel even healthier watching people go eat at the KFC across the street while you chow on your fat-free yogurt. Mmmmm I want some now. Pineapple/coconut is my favorite so far, but the raspberry topping is pretty good too. On a related note, I don't think I ever knew raspberry was spelled with a 'P' until now. To get some of this deliciousness for yourself stop by 2814 N. Halsted, and don't forget to pick some up for me while you're there!

Oh, and on another related note, I totally got a Snoopy Sno-Cone Machine for my birthday. Get ready for a sidewalk sno-cone stand! Thanks Steve. XX

The Metaphorical Sno Cone

Ahh...the introspective blog entry, pardon my rant.
With age comes wisdom, or so they say, so in light of turning another year older I've been doing some thinking.

Someone asked me what I wanted for my birthday and of course I answered aloud something polite like "Oh I don't need anything!" or "Just to have a nice night with friends," but in my mind I couldn't help but think of the gift request that has eluded me all these years: The Snoopy Sno Cone Machine. I'm sure I stopped asking for it during every holiday or event around the age of 8 or so, but clearly I never stopped wanting it. This got me thinking...

I know I will never get it, yet I still hope for it. If only this realization merely applied to shaved ice machines... emails, phone calls, winning the lottery, friendships, relationships, etc etc. Am I optimistic to the point of being perpetually disappointed, or am I really just a pessimist who can't seem to shake the childish ideology that everything will turn out all warm and fuzzy in the end?

I think I try to look for the best in people and situations, but somehow everything seems so cynical in my own head, and when things take a turn for the worse it just confirms my negative thoughts. As much as I hold grudges and feel like it's me against the world sometimes I always have that teeny-tiny voice in my head telling me to keep the hope alive. Clearly I have a problem letting things go!

Does anyone else have this problem?

I guess the only thing to put my world to right is a Snoopy Sno Cone Machine... a metaphorical one of course; though, I'd take a real one too.

Bon Appétit!

I just finished this book, and it was so wonderful! How adorable is Julia Child?! If you like anything to do with cooking, France, photography, or writing this is definitely an enjoyable read, though I have a feeling if you don't like any of those things you will enjoy this book too. This book focuses more on the behind the scenes art of writing a cook book, while giving a glimpse into the life her and her husband Paul shared as she fostered her love for cooking. Julia was truly a pioneer in her industry, a funny thought considering today we have entire networks devoted to food and cooking, not to mention a slew of celebrity chefs. In the early days it was just Julia and good ol' public tv! I remember watching her as a kid and having no clue what crazy French concoction she was whipping up, but being mesmerized just the same.

This clip is entertaining and reminds me how fun she was to watch in the kitchen. Sandwiches & beer... good call Julia!

Bakin' Bread

Mmmmm I just made bread a couple days ago and it is wicked awesome! If you have never baked before, never fear! You can follow a recipe can't you? It's really that simple! People really shouldn't be scared to cook. This is my fourth time making this recipe, and it is the only bread I have ever baked from scratch, obviously I say go big or go home. Why would I make something simple when I can chow on a sun-dried tomato and onion spiral loaf? Cooking is so wonderful, especially making something from scratch with your two hands. I think taking this:
and turning it into this: is pretty amazing. And when it turns into this:
you better watch out! Sandwiches are my favorite food, and I'm not messing around

Mom: Cue up the G N' R!

On my last trip to see my parents I found some of my old cassette tapes. In addition to the first tape I remember buying with my own money Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em and the late 80's classic Forever Your Girl I discovered a treasure trove of various mix tapes, some given to me by various friends, others carefully constructed by yours truly after tedious hours sitting in front of my Sony dual-deck boom box with the radio on and my finger on the record button. As my skills improved I made a few tapes with the actual recordings of songs from the albums that didn't cut off the beginning of the track or have an annoying radio dj in the background. Here are a few of the gems:

The Beatles 1967-1970 made with "love" by my grade school crush of all crushes Josh. As I recall, I saw him buying the tape after school, called him that night (thank you school directory for making his digits public knowledge) and asked if he could make me a copy. I didn't really know who the Beatles were, nor did I care....Josh was making me a tape! A tape that he TOUCHED and was going to GIVE to me! Swoon! Nothing ever happened with Josh, but I have him to thank for introducing me to the Beatles....except that he ran out of room to include Across the Universe and The Long and Winding Road so until late adolescence I had no clue these songs even existed.

Mushy Mix/Oldies contains a lovely arrangement of radio friendly tunes including, but not limited to:
Maybe I'm Amazed - Paul McCartney
Unchained Melody - The Righteous Brothers
Time Is On My Side - The Rolling Stones
I'll Make Love to You- Boyz II Men
I Can't Make You Love Me - Bonnie Rait
American Pie - Don McLean
This Magic Moment - The Drifters
I Know This Much Is True - Tears For Fears at least the first part of this song made it onto the tape...I was actually impressed my pre-teen self had the ability to enjoy a remotely cool song and deem it worthy of the Mushy Mix/Oldies tape, but my praiseworthiness was quickly fleeting as the song was cut off and replaced with...
(I am so embarrassed to admit this)
Angel - Jon Secada

Clearly I stood by the saying "You can never have too much of a good thing," because I found numerous tapes that had the same song on them several times. Who wouldn't love a cassette with this playlist:
Brown Eyed Girl - Van Morrison
Better Man - Pearl Jam
You Don't Know How It Feels - Tom Petty
American Pie - Don Mclean
My Name is Mud - Primus
Low Self Esteem - Offspring
You Don't Know How It Feels - Tom Petty
Stuck In the Middle - Steelers Wheel
Brown Eyed Girl - Van Morrison
You Don't Know How It Feels - Tom Petty
Thunderkiss '65 - White Zombie
Low Self Esteem - Offspring
Groove Is In the Heart - Dee-Lite
and drumroll please...
You Don't Know How It Feels - Tom Petty
Who could be bothered to push the rewind button to hear a song when 2 tracks later you can hear it again! Ironically, Tom Petty's Wildflowers cd wont play in my stereo, or computer...worn out perhaps???

Another great example of my obsessive nature can be found on Best of GNR Mix.
Side A:
November Rain

Side B:
Live and Let Die
Don't Cry
Estranged
Patience
Welcome to the Jungle
Paradise City
Sympathy for the Devil

I should mention that November Rain is recorded not once, not twice, but as many times as you can fit on one side of a Maxell 90 minute tape, 5.0279 times in a row to be exact. Laugh all you want, but I think this idea is genius. At ANYTIME while listening to Side B I could switch sides and hear November Rain! Brilliant! This was especially handy when being driven around by my parents while confined to the backseat. If left up to them and their fast forwarding and rewinding skills I could potentially arrive at my destination before hearing the key track. I was just making it easier on them, and I'm sure they loved every 8 minutes and 57 seconds of it. I was so ahead of my time.

360 Degrees

After organizing a bunch of my photos this weekend I have discovered that I have a bit of an obsession with round things en masse. Who knew?! I have no clue what insight this gives to my psyche, but they are fun to look at aren't they? Circularity rules!

Four-legged Friends

I've been on a quest for some time now to find a set of salt and pepper shakers that I am in love with. Everything that I've come across is unoriginal, too expensive, or completely adorable and already owned by a friend. Well I'm happy to report that I've finally settled on a pair by the amazing ceramics designer Lola Goldstein. I came across these in New York at the MoMA design store, and I knew I had to have them when I decided NOT to buy them on Friday, only to obsess about them the whole weekend. Good thing I was back in SoHo before heading back to Chicago on Sunday. Seriously, how cute are they??? It is impossible to look at them and not smile!

Dear Cubs,

Way to go boys! Let's ride this wave as long as we can, er... I mean keep playing as well as you have been! Here's an idea: don't blow it like you did four years ago, sending me into a downward spiral of sports depression that I probably just got over! I'm not ready to deal with that again, so let's DO this already. Sheesh. A special thanks to the Padres for helping us out the other night, especially Khalil Greene, who just happens to remind me of a certain someone. Uncanny isn't it?