The big Day of the Dead show kicked off last night at the Jem Gallery and I was amazed at what Carola, the curator, was able to do with such a small space. There were 65 total pieces in the show, hung salon style, right up to the roof.
It was great to see what the other artists came up with and though I’m probably done with painting teeny tiny dots for this year (did I mention how many teeny TINY dots there are in my painting?), I’m definitely feeling inspired to go with some darker themes.
Here’s a shot of my finished painting – Ana and her Cat:
OK so T.I.L.F. doesn’t have quite the same ring to it that T.I.L.T. does (Things I Love Thursday), but yesterday danced out of my clutches before I had the chance to compile my list of things I’m loving right now. So pffft! Time management is clearly not on my list.
I’m not sure if she’s the originator of TILT, but her site is the first place I saw it & one of my regular reads when I need a pick me up. She’s glitter & sprinkles & love. She always has interesting links to amazing photography, great fashion & just generally rad stuff. It’s funny…my inner hermit is too anti-people looking at me to ever be like Gala myself, but I wish I she could be my big sister. Then I’d sneak into her room whenever she went out to try on her clothes & play with her make up. hehe
#2) Puppy Snuggling
It’s been rainy & cold all week, so puppy snuggling? High on the list. I’m switching to flannel sheets today too so that may bump it up to number one.
#3) Joel McHale
Ah, my secret boyfriend. I loathe reality television & all of those fake reality soap operas (The Hills, Laguna Beach etc.), but they do make excellent fodder for The Soup, one of the top crowd pleasing shows in our household. The Soup basically rounds up all the weird, stupid things that are said & done on television, compiles a show of clips & then makes fun of them. Low brow? Totally. But Joel McHale’s snarky commentary wins me over every time so I was extra excited when I heard he was in the new show Community – also starring Chevy Chase, the British guy from the Daily Show & a bunch of other people that you’ll recognize from somewhere, you’re just not sure where.
Anyway, it’s awesome. Watch it.
#4) Bored to Death
Also in the TV department (did I mention it’s cold & raining outside?), I’m loving the new HBO show Bored to Death with Jason Schwartzman, Ted Danson & Zach Galifianakis (from the movie “The Hangover”). It’s quirky & cute & has all the appeal of one of Jason Schwartzman’s movies, but in a weekly format. So. Good.
#5) Cute Rubber Boots
Origami Me by Plueys
I’ve had my yellow plaid pair for 2 years now & they’ve served me well. No leaks, still comfy (though they could use a springy insole) & I’m not totally sick of them. But bright pink with origami cranes on them? *swoon*
Lucky commenter numero 4 – Char Anderson. A big thanks to all my commenters & well wishers, plus to random.org, home to those smartypants who built the random number generator.
I really appreciated the comments on things that *you* love too & now have a few new things to add to my library list. I actually haven’t been reading much lately as I’ve been on a crossword puzzle bent. That happens. There was the Sudoku Madness of 2006 (which dragged on months longer than it should have due to the fact that Nintendo DS makes playing sudoku way too fun). Then there was the Logic Puzzle Lollapalooza of 2007. It started with my friend Jen, who bought a book of logic puzzles & then proceeded to infect our entire social circle. And now? Crossword puzzles. I think I can handle it this time though. I’m not addicted. I swear. In fact, if I were addicted to anything right now it would be:
Boggle for the Wii has been played in my house every single night for the past 10 nights. I don’t remember ever playing Boggle as a kid, but it’s the one where you shake a box full of letter dice & then construct words based on which letters appear in the grid. It works really well on the Wii, tells you immediately if the word is valid or not (or already taken by your bastard competitor) & is hosted by Mr. Potato Head. How can you beat that? The game is called Hasbro Family Game Night & also has Connect Four, Sorry, Battleship and Yahtzee, which is also surprisingly fun on the Wii.
I’m generally all for old school, non-electronic everything, especially since I already spend far too much time on the computer, but I blow a big pffftt at the commenters on this review. If you live in a city like Vancouver where space is at a premium, you probably donated your old board games to Goodwill years ago. We’ve kept some, like Lord of the Rings RISK, but very few others. We just don’t have the storage space, especially for games that never get played. This is just one thin disc tucked into a binder with the rest of ‘em. I wouldn’t pull out Connect Four and set it up just to play 3 rounds, then switch to something else, but on a video game? Easy peasy.
Another bonus is I don’t look like a dork for playing Boggle all by myself. OK. Maybe still slightly dorky. Stop judging me!
Yesterday was Thanksgiving for us Canucks (I know…we like to get a jump on things) and since it was just going to be me, my mister & the boy, we opted for going out for dinner instead of cooking at home. Before moving out to BC we were accustomed to big family dinners with uncles and cousins and grandparents. By comparison, cooking turkey for 3 seems kind of lame.
Fortunately there are a lot of transplants in Vancouver, hence plentiful options for turkey dinner. Two years running we have hit up Hamburger Mary’s for a ginormous platter of ham, turkey, beets, yam, mashed potatoes, stuffing, carrots, brussel sprouts and probably a few other things my bloated brain has forgotten. For $16.99 including pumpkin pie? Sold!
Speaking of things I’m thankful for – all of the comments on my anniversary giveaway post have been awesome! I’m going to give people one more day to enter and will get the random number generator fired up at midnight. Good luck!
As much as I miss summer’s warm weather, I do love this time of year. The leaves are changing and look like they’re positively glowing when the sun hits them just right, it’s acceptable for me to break out my knee socks again, plus I can curl up with a good book or an episode of Mad Men (*swoon*) without feeling guilty about not playing beach volleyball or ultimate frisbee or whatever it is the beautiful people are doing. I love living in Vancouver, but it does make me feel like I’m living in a brochure for Active! Living!! some days. You’re still in bed at 10 a.m. on a Saturday? Jeez! I’ve already hiked Grouse Grind and cooked a week’s worth of dinners with the organic veggies I picked up at the farmer’s market. Haha! Off to an open house!
For those of us who prefer receiving candy with our cardio, Halloween is just around the corner. And just after that is the Day of the Dead, a slightly darker, but truly beautiful holiday that I’m glad to see more North American people adopting. In Mexico, families will traditionally gather on November 1st to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. But unlike funerals, they’re celebrations. Lots of food, parades, festivals – they celebrate the people they loved.
The Gem Gallery here in Vancouver has invited me to particpate in their Dia de los Muertos gallery show running from October 16th to November 2nd. I still have a lot of work to do, but the painting for the show is coming along. And since my mister is oh so helpful, he bought some Crystal Head Vodka so I could use it as a model. That’s what he tells me anyway!
While I’m pimping my new gallery show, I may as well use my new super cute magnets to do the job, no?
For the month of October, all orders in the shop get a free magnet tucked into their package. I really love the teeny tiny critters. So cute!
I'm k.g.b (or Kris G. Brownlee, if you're not into the whole brevity thing).
As a painter, crafter and all around Maker of Cute Things, aCageyBee.com is the best place to keep up with what's currently making me smile. Hopefully you will too!
