Well... you would be right, most of the time. :P
BUT to squeeze whatever excitement there is out of my blog, you might consider the "friending" option. The shiniest stuff is locked away. Introduce yourself first, I like manners.
- Mood:
energetic
A Glorious Dawn:
( Because my personal rule is to only have one embedded video before a cut, the other video - We Are All Connected - is behind this cut. )
Links eventually led me to the website of The Long Now Foundation (http://www.longnow.org/) and I wandered around there for awhile, intrigued especially by the Lost Landscapes of San Francisco seminar given by Rick Prelinger. There's some amazing footage in here from as early as 1905 (A Trip Down Market Street) and just after the earthquake, to colour movies from the late 1930s, to construction of the Bridge, to VJ day riots, to sideshows...
http://fora.tv/2008/12/19/Rick_Prelinge
Inspiring.
ETA: and beauty, hope, inspiration and awe are so desperately needed. My heart goes out to all those affected by the tragedies of the past few days.
- Mood:
Inspired
Well, maybe a little: April 22-25, 2010, passes (prices not available yet) go on sale November 18. Venues are Grauman's Chinese Theater, the Egyptian Theater and the Roosevelt Hotel.
http://www.tcm.com/festival
I have no idea if we can go, but it sounds like something worth going to!
Out of curiosity, I started looking up other Classic Film Festivals/Conventions:
http://www.cinevent.com/
Columbus, Ohio - May Memorial Day Weekend. Silents, early talkies, memorabilia.
http://www.noircity.com/
San Francisco, California - January 22-32, 2010. Film Noir.
- Mood:
curious
The more days that we give thanks, the better.
And the more days I watch James Cagney, the better the better.
I've got the whole American Film Institute (AFI) Tribute to James Cagney from 1974, but on a fuzzy bootleg, so it's nice to see some extended highlights of his Thank You speech on AFI's official YouTube channel.
The industry says Thanks to Jim, Jim says Thanks in return:
- Mood:
thankful
I decided I wanted to write about this because I've been reading Robert Fontenot's art project blog and I find it exasperating:
http://recyclelacma.blogspot.com/
But I'll come back to the "RecycleLacma" project in a minute.
I've recently declared it now my official policy that I wear something everyday that is either second-hand/vintage or handmade. Not the whole outfit, but at least something key. I've been pretty much accomplishing this already, but now that I'm committed to it I've found it guiding my choices even more.
"Handmade" is a misnomer really, since lots of mass-produced clothing at the mall was made by hand, but under conditions I morally disagree with, out of questionable materials, and then transported vast distances before arriving in my closet, where, because of their quality, they will need to be replaced frequently. But I mean either made by myself or someone I know, with quality construction and fair conditions.
Made by me: Jeans from a 1940s repro pattern. My closet: Linen summer suit, early '40s(?).
Choosing vintage clothing is obviously reusing those items themselves, holding off the time they'll eventually become rags, then land-fill, but it's also reducing the amount of new clothing I acquire since second-hand clothes are taking up niches that used to be filled by new clothes.
A more subtle change is that it also reduces the amount of clothing overall (I know Dr Smith will have trouble believing this argument!). But a closet of vintage will last longer for two reasons, I think: 1) quality materials and construction, and 2) it's not really "in-style" now, so there's no reason for it to be "out of style" next year.
I can remain classically weird for ages!
( Continued behind the cut: More on the RecycleLacma project. )
- Mood:
annoyed
I have an utterly rotten cold. I wish it was something more exciting like swine flu to justify how rotten I feel, but it's just a plain ol' cold. My ears are plugged, my neck is sore from all the swollen glands, my throat is painful, my head aches, my nose runs, my voice is gone, and I'm coughing.
Blech.
Early in its course, I did my best to spread this cold to my close friends who came over to roll our very first D&D characters!
Ha! :D
Yes. I am now the proud owner of an Acolyte (Level 1) Cleric.
Clerics are sort of like Joan of Arc, I guess.
As a teenager I longed to play D&D. I would stealthily - when no one was looking - pull the players manual off the shelf of the library and flip through it.
( Continued behind the cut! )
What advice would you give to someone just starting out in D&D? What are the best ways to flesh out your character and make them fun to play? What are the commonest newbie mistakes?
--
- Mood:
sick
http://www.profilesinhistory.com/in
Puhleese?...
- Mood:
accomplished
If you guys have read the LJ news post, you might have heard that there was a security exploit through embedded flash-based videos last night.
The post:
http://news.livejournal.com/117957.h
You could have been exposed by just reading
It's not clear whether I was hit or not. That entry had some of the symptoms (a "content not available" box that looked vaguely, but not exactly like the "4 boxes" - I just had one box when I checked last night) but not others (my privacy setting and tags were unchanged).
ETA: I think most of what was going on in my entry were signs of LJ attempting to stop the spread of it, not that I was hit.
But, to be safe, if you read my entry last night, you should probably have a quick look at the news post and then doublecheck that your journal wasn't hit. The worst of the hit is that your privacy setting and tags on your latest entry would be changed, and that the email address (but not passwords or anything) for your LJ was collected.
The vintage offerings are transitioning to fall/winter. Though if you can wrap your desires around a sundress you might find particularly good deals as sellers clear out their summer wear.
"VinTaGE 50s*BLACK GINGHAM NOVELTY PRINT*NOSWT DreSS L
NEW OLD STOCK TAG*POCKETS*FLOWER CART GAL*TOMATO GUY!"
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi
Because the world needs more Tomato Guys! This is a wrap, similar to the Swirl dresses, but a different designer. 27-29" waist.
"Vintage 18th CENTURY ROMANTIC novelty 1950s dress M/L"
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi
SO cute, but alas, too big for me. Bust 40", waist 29". This late '50s/early '60s novelty cotton summer dress has pictures of 18th century lovers on it, in a really nice colourway.
( A couple more behind the cut! Click! )
- Mood:
naughty
Screenprinted with acid dyes. And, my local art and design college ROCKS.
Indulge me in a rare crosspost between here and
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
magpies_trek.And now, to sew.
- Mood:
jubilant
There were a few heady moments when I was in the top 30 entries that I couldn't help wondering what it would be like if I won... what questions would I ask, if I had the chance, what mental notes would I take, what would I wear...
Reality check! The odds are astronomically against me, and by later in the day I'd slipped to past the top 100. But - it was fun, and thank you for helping me have fun with it too!
I always feel nervous about driving up the price of an auction one of you might be watching, so I'll focus on items with Buy-It-Nows - so, first come, first won.
Ebay seller LeepsPeeps is giving away shoes and handbags! Ok, $5 a pair plus shipping (3 pairs for $15). CLOSE ENOUGH.
http://cgi.ebay.com/THREE-PAIR-vtg-N
At this price, I do not care what era they are (though they mostly look '60s-ish to me, maybe a few are more recent, and very stylish, by a respected shoe designer "LaRose") or what condition (though they are all NEW OLD STOCK *squee*) or whether they fit (though the seller patiently measured and sent me details on several lots) or who is selling (though she seems patient, thorough, pleasant and has 100% feedback).
http://cgi.ebay.com/THREE-PAIR-vtg-N
If you have small feet (4-6), all the better, but there are still some 7 - 10 sizes (narrowish). And there's always handbags.
Speaking of lots, your closet could become instantly stocked with 40s-60s skirts for $45:
http://cgi.ebay.com/1-resale-lot-8-Vint
There must be something terribly wrong with this intricately tailored, beautiful, golden 1940s suit for them to put a $25 BIN on it, but if my waist was 2" smaller I would be willing to pay the $25 to find out what that is!
http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-1940s-Origi
( Continued behind the cut: summer, fall, linen, cashmere! )
It's almost done (I've been saying that for days!)
Do you recognise it? :-)
- Mood:
busy
I am partly dismayed that despite my Cagney fandom I've failed to impress on about 50% of you what to do when I menace you with a grapefruit or grapefruit-related product, but that is trivial compared to my happiness the 50% of you also wanted to be enlightened about the reference!
Cagney's grapefruit scene is one of the most famous of his career. It's from his breakthrough movie "The Public Enemy" (1931). The actress in this scene is Mae Clarke, actually a lovely actress, and she had a love/hate relationship with this scene, since it defined and limited her, but it also gave her some fame and recognition.
The story goes that this scene was a Cagney-inspired addition, decided on the set and not in the script. Some versions say that Clarke was unaware of the twist this was going to take, but Clarke herself says she was in on it, but that they did this version to get a rise out of an unsuspecting crew.
OK, one last thing before you watch - a couple disclaimers: 1) this is 1931 and talking movies are just wee babies, still not all that polished or confident even compared to what they'll be like in a couple years. 2) Cagney's character is despicable and is meant to be seen that way - he's a terrible, terrible guy: cruel, stupid, cowardly. I just don't want you to think that anyone felt this scene was filmed to be funny or praiseworthy or normal for the times.
( Continued with a couple more fun examples behind the cut. Click ya mug. )
In honour of Jim, I'll be writing a letter to Olivia de Havilland today to express my gratitude to her for her work. She stands apart in my personal pantheon of favorite actors and storytellers as a woman of great sensitivity, hard work and class. I challenge you to write to someone whose work has moved you, or told stories that you enjoyed, and thank them too. Do it without any expectation of a reply or reward.
And I'll also do my best today to convert any non-believers to the cult of Cagney!
George C Scott's Tribute to Cagney from Turner Classic Movies - includes clips, just under 5 minutes long:
( The Cags goes to my head like champagne, and I have posted TWO pictures plus a video embed before a cut! I know, I know! But I restrain my enthusiasm briefly and encourage you to click for MOAR!! )
- Mood:
grateful
Oddly, I think magpies_trek is getting its notifications.
But anyone who reads this blog is more than welcome to follow along with me too! :-)
http://magpies-trek.livejournal.com
He's not the main reason I loved the movie, he's just a major bonus.
Star Trek may not be a perfect movie, but I haven't left a movie premiere feeling that exhilarated in a long, long time. It rejuvenates my interest in contemporary film, not just the franchise.
One minor costuming quibble: they needed to put some seam stabilizer under the shoulder/raglan seams, it wibbled and buckled way too much. And I wish they'd gone a bit further with the '60s retro-futurism. Ok, that's two. To balance: I like how the tops of the uniform are two-piece, and I like that they kept the short skirts with at least some nod to the original esthetic.
Oh, and Roger Ebert? You wrote:
"Uhura (Zoe Saldana) seems to have traveled through time to the pre-feminist 1960s, where she found her miniskirt and go-go boots. She seems wise and gentle and unsuited to her costume."
So: let's get this straight. A woman's character can be judged from the length of her skirt and choice of footwear, can it? Or, at least, you imply we should be able to judge her from those things? Nice trick, Mr Ebert, you managed to be "pre-feminist" even without time travel, and (I presume) without the miniskirt.
( Three pictures behind the cut - 2 McCoy, 1 Spock. )
- Mood: bouncy
For a complete change of pace, now I'm thinking the blue ones on the card (they are carved floral or fruitish things) since blue, red and white are some of my favorite colours together (although then I can't wear the dress with black so easily) or the round bumpy silver ones (which are plainer but versatile):
Click once and then again, this a big high res for detail!
I sort of like the red and silver ones too, but Dr Smith feels they vanish on the dress.
Click for bigger!
Ditto!
Nerts, my topstitching looks terrible up close! I don't think it's that awful in real life :/
Anyway - you have until I finish sewing my snaps this evening to weigh in on the button choice!
Profile
- laughingmagpie
- laughingmagpie
Syndicate
