In a Sea of Turbulent Sound

Yesterday I was sitting at Bread Co listening in to the elderly couple sitting at the table next to mine.  According to them, “We should all probably pay more attention to things like Hunger Games and Game of Thrones, because that’s what this country is going to turn into.”  Seems like they do need to start paying attention because the two aren’t even in the same genre.  Hunger Games, maybe, but Game of Thrones?  That would be a bit of a step backwards, as it is set in medieval times, with some fantasy elements.

And today the table next to me is discussing different species of snakes in great detail.  I think today will be a headphones day!

Also, this cold weather needs to go away.

(photos by e.hunt)

The Grand Budapest Hotel Should Have Won

Thoughts on the Oscars:

-It was the first time ever that I've watched the entire show, beginning to end.

-Neil Patrick Harris' attempt at hosting was rather disappointing.

-The music performances were definitely the highlights, especially John Legend and Common's beautiful Glory, and Lady Gaga's Sound of Music tribute.

-I was very impressed with the production design.  Twinkly lights are always a good idea, the vaguely art deco sets were refreshingly simple, and the title card graphics were very well-done.

-In the same vein, did anyone else think that the floor looked like the Death Star?

(photo collected from nydailynews)

Good Heavens!

(as said by an excited elderly British woman on Antiques Roadshow)

I've had quite a busy week!  Taylor came home last Friday for a weekend visit.  He and I braved the impending snowstorm and headed down to a local bar for a few beers.  When we left, the ice was thick enough on my car to break my scraper!  The next morning we had our usual family trip down to Kaldi's for coffee and breakfast, which was delicious as always.  After that, I got on the road and headed southwest towards my old stomping ground, Springfield.  A bunch of the girls were going to be in town for a birthday party so I thought I'd tag along.

We met up at the Mud Lounge for an afternoon cocktail (alcoholic coffee, mmm) then retreated to our arranged hosts houses to get ready for a night out on the town.  Sydney was gracious enough to supply some wine for the hair-and-makeup festivities as well.  Now, anyone who ever had a birthday party in Springfield chose one of two restaurants to start the night off at: Brew Co or Big Whisky's.  Megan picked Brew Co, which was the one I always preferred.    We made our way to a few other spots before closing time, and all ended up in sufficiently giggly moods.

The next morning we met up at Ihop for our traditional Hungover Breakfast, where a few more of the old crew joined us.  It was absolutely lovely getting all caught up with my old friends.  It was like we hadn't skipped a day, and now I can't wait for our next reunion.  On the way out of town I stopped by my favorite Springtown locale, The Mud House!  It hasn't really changed, and my frozen mudturtle tasted as awesome as I remember it being.

(photos by s.harris, and e.hunt)

Where the Sun Sails and the Moon Walks

The other day it was sunny enough to go running outside, so I went.  It wasn't really warm enough, but the cold just made me keep running to stay warm.  Survivalist motivation, if you will.  By the time I got to the park, it was just about sunset, but not quite.  Made for some great pictures.

And a really awesome daily step count.  Can you guess which day it was?  (Please ignore today's low count, I didn't have my phone in my pocket when Dad and I were shoveling the driveway).

(photos by e.hunt)

To Infinity, and Beyond!

Have no fear, the Snow Ninja is here!  Fighting for justice against anyone in the way of this beautiful snowstorm eve.

Flying,

running,

punching,

and kicking,

all in the name of snow.

Don't mess with the snow.  It is coming, whether you like it or not.

I'm so excited!  Snow Day!!

(photos by e.hunt)

In Ages Uncounted and Forgotten

At Kaldis the other day I saw this awesome man wearing a light grey, three-piece suit with black riding boots over the trousers.  Now this is the right way to wear riding boots.  Here are some examples.

(photos collected from hoodsworld, lord-of-hahn, thexstylez, imageamplified, and thefullerview)

I Imagine Paris to be Lovely in the Snow

Still round the corner there may wait
A new road or a secret gate,
And though we pass them by today,
Tomorrow we may come this way
And take the hidden paths that run
Towards the moon or to the sun.
-The Lord of the Rings

(photos collected from veanad, flickr, auberginedreams, indulgy, and seasonforyou)

For Still There Are So Many Things That I Have Never Seen

This post has had a bit of a delay, partly for some behind the scenes creative decisions going on.  I just recently came to a conclusion on these decisions, so, I will now post away.

A few weeks ago, Taylor and I spent the evening over at our Aunt's apartment.  We opened a few beers and proceeded to the basement where she has one of the most impressive book collections outside of an actual library.

I didn't spend too much time with any one book, just a quick flip-through to get the general gist of the content, and if it merited a more thorough review.  I found a few great photographs, collections of photographs, and some beautiful layout designs.  And then I found this one.

It is a massive book; I could barely pull it off the shelf!  I spent quite a bit of time looking through the pages of old maps and illustrations.  There was a lot of Latin, directional lines, some beautiful compass roses, and an abundance of exploration imagery.  Just look at Poseidon holding up that giant shell!

(photos by e.hunt)

Movie Review: American Sniper

This is a tough movie to review, partly because it is so one-sided.  The general consensus seems to be that you're not a true American if you don't like it.  And people who do like it have taken great offense to the comments of those who don't.  Michael Moore's opinion that snipers throughout history have been looked upon as somewhat cowardly, as archer's were back in the day, is a true fact, but the backlash from people who didn't like his pointing out of this fact is astounding.  Your enemy has no chance to survive, and has no chance to fight back as an equal.  No matter what your beliefs are, you should be able to fight back on an equal playing field.  Guns have made fights unfair ever since they were introduced though.  I was disgusted by this movie.  I think the comparison between shooting deer for sport and shooting people in the same way was what really drove it home.

No one seems to be bothered by the fact that an innocent family dies because of Kyle, not even Kyle himself.  He breaks into the civilian's home, points guns at him and his wife and young child, and forces them to house the troops.  The bad guys know the soldiers are there, but wait until they leave to capture them and kill them in a horrific way, right in the middle of the street so Kyle and the troops can see.  The bad guys are terrible and all but the only reason they caught this family and killed them on display is because of Kyle's naive strategy.  Later in the story when Kyle has his post-traumatic stress episodes, the death of this family isn't even acknowledged.

Let's talk technicalities.  Bradley Cooper makes an excellent Chris Kyle, in all his Texan glory.  He is able to rise above the predictable script, the abysmal jokes, the drill sargent one-liners and Navy Seals training scenes that are exactly the same as they are in every other Navy Seals training movie, and the Lifetime TV-style love story.  The scenes where he has to decide whether to shoot down women and children are edge-of-your-seat gripping.  The video game-esque style of filming the war scenes definitely says something about our culture, but the movie doesn't make a point of it.  There is an incredibly poignant scene where Kyle runs into his little brother on the tarmac and while Chris is acting all big-brothery, little bro says "It's Hell," when asked about Iraq, and you really believe it.  It's not a video game; it's real, and it's terrible.

I should point out that all of the post-traumatic war memory scenes when Kyle returns stateside are made up.  It makes for a better, more relatable story, but Kyle was very clear, in real life, that he enjoyed his time over there and would do it again.  I have also read that Kyle bragged about killing two carjackers in Texas, and about getting into a bar fight with fellow SEAL, Jesse Ventura: the former has never been proved and the latter was disproved in court.  I appreciate military service, and understand that we would not live in the society we do today if it weren't for them, but it seems to me that in real life, Kyle was not the true American hero the movie would have you think.

(photos collected from theblacksphere, collider, and googleimages)

Some For Business, Many For Leisure

I had the day off of work today, and guess what that means?  Homework time at Kaldis!  And while I was here, it occurred to me that I haven't done an interior inspiration post in a while.  Since I'm studying, it seems appropriate for it to be about workspaces.  My preferred workspace is a booth at Kaldis or other such coffee shop.  The coffee smell, constant background chatter, and the occasional people-watching break is very motivating for me.  Some people I know tend to disagree, favoring the solitude of their home-based personal work area instead.  I would not be able to get anything done other than artwork in this type of setting, but I do like the idea of a bright and sunny work table.  Like these.

(photos collected from flickr, bloodandchampagne, bloglovin, and craftandchord)