read this!

ok, so I'm not proud of it. I read Twilight. I told you I'm not proud of it!!! But, some of the girls at GCF are reaaaally all about it, and one of them lent it to me so we could discuss it.

I had to read this...

to reclaim my grasp of wit and intelligent humor.

The only problem is, now I want to go back to Europe! Help, I'm broke and addicted to travel...what should I do??

mmmhmmm, this is what i'm sayin' . . .

Death and Life of American Cities: Is Detroit the Next Artists’ Haven?

12:33 pm Tuesday Jun 30, 2009

by Heather Schwedel

We just read that 18 visual artists received a boost in the form of $450,000 in grant money from the Michigan-based Kresge Foundation. As the Detroit Free Press reported, “Advocates say the fellowships could have a galvanizing effect on the local arts scene — boosting public perception of an overlooked community, inspiring artists to create more ambitious work and offering them an incentive to remain here rather than leave for New York or elsewhere.” Plus, next year the grants will recognize non-visual artists.

Does this spell a mass exodus from Brooklyn, the current unofficial borough-of-choice for struggling artists, toward a land free of gentrification and trust-funders? Let’s take a look at the evidence.

- Last summer New York magazine suggested that Buffalo might eclipse Williamsburg as an epicenter for all things hipster. We don’t have population statistics on hand or anything, but that doesn’t seem to have happened. Meaning that maybe it’s time to give Detroit a shot. As of December, the average price of a home there was $18,513.

- In a recent video conversation with the New York Times, author and Detroit native Jeffrey Eugenides (and a frequent pick for our Big Brother Book Club!) mentioned that returning to his hometown fills him with Ruinenwert, which is German for “the pleasure of ruins.” The pleasure of ruins is hard to come by in rapidly developing Brooklyn, which is why some artists might find inspiration in Detroit’s “beautiful, horrible decline.”

- Back in May Ron English told us that he was involved with a campaign to buy houses in Detroit. “They’re like super cheap — like $4,000 a piece. The idea is to create an artists neighborhood and artists housing. He’s having all of us pop surrealists donate art to help raise money for this project. A lot of people have said, what kind of person is going to want to live in a neighborhood where the drug dealers are armed and it’s very dangerous? People don’t understand that artists… All they want is space and time.”

What do you think: Is Detroit the next Bushwick?

diy petite gymnase

Harrison and Ford House Gymnastics is a cross breed of yoga, breakdancing, climbing and gymnastics in a domestic setting. House Gymnastics can be performed by anyone, at anytime, anywhere. The greater the height or danger, the better the move. Manoeuvres must be held in position for 3 seconds to be valid. Once the indoor moves have been mastered, they can be applied to outdoor situations and site-specific gallery spaces. All images of Harrison and Ford House Gym moves are 100% real and unaltered.

House Gymnastics allows you to exercise while enjoying your home and other environments in new and exciting ways. People intuitively connect with House Gym because it reminds them of their childhood, when they used to climb around and explore.

Warning: do not attempt to practice House Gymnastics whilst under the influence of drugs or alcohol as this could lead to injury. By viewing this website you hereby agree to the following terms:

i) Harrison&Ford cannot be held responsible for any injuries sustained whilst performing House Gymnastics.

ii) If House Gymnastics addiction forms, you must stop immediately and take up some other hobby like knitting or stamp collecting.

iii) Never perform any difficult House Gymnastics without a spotting partner on hand.

poetry, baby

Oh, how I love this movie! I might even love this poem more, though:

As I Walked Out One Evening
by W. H. Auden

As I walked out one evening,
Walking down Bristol Street,
The crowds upon the pavement
Were fields of harvest wheat.

And down by the brimming river
I heard a lover sing
Under an arch of the railway:
'Love has no ending.

'I'll love you, dear, I'll love you
Till China and Africa meet,
And the river jumps over the mountain
And the salmon sing in the street,

'I'll love you till the ocean
Is folded and hung up to dry
And the seven stars go squawking
Like geese about the sky.

'The years shall run like rabbits,
For in my arms I hold
The Flower of the Ages,
And the first love of the world.'

But all the clocks in the city
Began to whirr and chime:
'O let not Time deceive you,
You cannot conquer Time.

'In the burrows of the Nightmare
Where Justice naked is,
Time watches from the shadow
And coughs when you would kiss.

'In headaches and in worry
Vaguely life leaks away,
And Time will have his fancy
To-morrow or to-day.

'Into many a green valley
Drifts the appalling snow;
Time breaks the threaded dances
And the diver's brilliant bow.

'O plunge your hands in water,
Plunge them in up to the wrist;
Stare, stare in the basin
And wonder what you've missed.

'The glacier knocks in the cupboard,
The desert sighs in the bed,
And the crack in the tea-cup opens
A lane to the land of the dead.

'Where the beggars raffle the banknotes
And the Giant is enchanting to Jack,
And the Lily-white Boy is a Roarer,
And Jill goes down on her back.

'O look, look in the mirror,
O look in your distress:
Life remains a blessing
Although you cannot bless.

'O stand, stand at the window
As the tears scald and start;
You shall love your crooked neighbour
With your crooked heart.'

It was late, late in the evening,
The lovers they were gone;
The clocks had ceased their chiming,
And the deep river ran on.

at the library and hungry

I am at the library, about to start my stroll home, and I'm STARVING!
In order to torture myself, I decided to check out the Bon Appetit website for...what? Images of delicious-looking food to torture myself with? Apparently.

Ah, but don't these look tasty? They are "Crispy Black Bean Tacos with Feta and Cabbage Slaw". I want to eat four right now.

for obvious reasons, i am now in love with this.

My Piece Is Still Running from Miss Tint on Vimeo.

erik burke's website and blog

what's your thesis title?