Frida Kahlo in SF

Hey there -

I was in San Francisco this weekend for the Outside Lands concert at the Golden Gate Park. I got to see Beck, Manu Chau, Radiohead and a few others. It was great seeing these bands but it was too frigid for a summer night in August for my taste! It was packed and hard to see the stages and a few bands overlapped which annoyed me. Radiohead had an amazing light show and sent chills down my spine. They played for 2 hours (nice!!) and included some old school stuff such as Talk Show Host along with some of the latest tracks from their new album. Manu Chau had an amazing energy on stage! They were in super frisky mode and got all experimental with each one of their tracks. All in all - it was a great time! I have to admit though - the Frida Kahlo exhibit at the SFMOMA was what really got me to hike my ass up to SF.

Yes - the exhibit was packed and I had to purchase timed tickets but man O man, it was all soo worth it! Not only was Kahlo an amazing painter she was also quite the fashionista. The show displayed all sides of her which I thought was great. A wide collection of her paintings along with photos and a home movie with her and hubby Diego Rivera. If you are in the SF area go check it out asap!

Two of my favorites at the show. Top one is titled Borderline between Mexico and the United States. This painting was created while she was in Detroit. You can see her holding the Mexican flag which shows us where her heart lies. To the left is Mexico represented by a crumbling pre-Columbian temple along with fertility idols, a skull and flowers. To the right is the USA - represented smoke stacks and other industrial forms. She seems to be so distant and isolated from the two. I guess maybe since she was not physically in Mexico (where she longed to be) and how she always felt out of place in the US.

The second one is titled A Few Small Nips. Kahlo created this piece after she discovered the year long affair between her hubby Diego and her younger sister, Christina. She was inspired by the coverage of a murder trail during which the perpetrator excused his drunken stabbing of an unfaithful girlfriend by saying, "But I only gave her a few small nips." Kahlo later confided to a friend that she decided to paint the scene because she sympathized with the dead woman, since she herself had come close to being "murdered by life." You can also see that the canvas could not contain the pain, the bloodstains went on and became part of the frame.

I found something on youtube.com that contains clips of the home movie at the exhibit. This addition was one of my favorites as well. It shows Kahlo and her hubby Diego Rivera just hanging out and laughing. It brings her to life and displays how much she loved and was loved.

George Bush quotes

Hahahahah I can't breathe! hahahhaaha

Number 2 is my favorite! OMG - I almost fell off my chair! hahahah

Cargo Container Home

Peter says it well, "It's not revolutionary, it's common sense".

Ernest Borgnine reveals the Secret of Life

Forget those pricey moisturizers - his formula is free! ;) Hahahahah

Animals on the Underground

I was browsing the www this morning and I stumbled right into a really cool ad campaign from the London Underground metro. It's all about spotting animals right in the map! This operation's aim is to bring attention to the world's dying species, educating the public 

& getting people involved to support the IFAW {International Fund for Animal Welfare}.

After seeing this campaign I 

have a fresh perspective on what reading a map entails. Hmmm I wonder what other things aside from animals I can find ;)

 

Check out all the animals that have been located already right here.

Type themed pillow covers! Oh la la!

Check em out here. They have a few other styles in their Type line & many other themes to choose from. Bonjour Mon Coussin is located in France and I am totally willing to shell out some extra moolah to get me one {hmm probably more than one :D} of these puppies!

Hamster Stuck in a Video Game

Hhahahaha this is soooo cute! Wouldn't it be cool if I actually had an apartment 

decorated like this? Hmmm pondering....

Where the Wildwoods Are

I am in total shock that it has taken me so long to write about my red hot love - Wildwood, New Jersey. I mean whenever anyone hears I'm from NJ I never get a "What a wonderful place to have been born and raised!" I get a more of a pity look for about 3 seconds followed by a sleezy Jersey girl joke then the dreaded question - "You must have that Joisey accent?" Then I proceed with an eye roll and politely scratch my nose with my middle finger sarcastically laughing at their question. 

New Jersey, which is most often overshadowed by New York has some pretty fun and frisky places to explore. I mean yeah - it can be smelly, among many other things. Some people might have houses on what were toxic waste dumps 30 years ago and now have children with extra appendages but all in all - it's a swell place to roll. Which takes me to my favorite spot on the planet (drum roll please!) WILDWOOD NJ!

It's a place where I spent summer vacations every year growing up and so did many North Jerseyans, Philadelphians and a shit load of Canadians (I was always baffled by that). Wildwood displays a signature of an era. A collection of motels of  the 50s & 60s that flaunted flamboyant motel signs with names such as the Ala Kai, The Royal Hawaiian, the Satellite and one of my top favorites - the Casa Bahama. These motels, whose style which is now referred to as Doo Wop Architecture, were copies of buildings seen by developers in Florida. Who would have known that these motels would become jewels of kitsch design? Not many that's why over 100 Doo Wop motels have been knocked down and replaced by generic town houses and condos (hmm - I wonder if we will ever see these cookie cutter condos and homes today as the signature of our era? - ponder upon that one ;). Wildwood really did not intend on being a place full of architectural history. This spot was made for the blue collar working class. Just another place to spend those lazy summer days right on the Jersey shore. 

Wildwood was also known for a ton of other deranged things and events. It is home of the Baby Parades, Marble Tournaments and the country's biggest boardwalk (filled with water parks, fantastic roller coasters, yummy funnel cakes and the wonderful TRAM CAR! 

So if you ever find yourself slugging around on the Jersey shore swing on by to Wildwood. You might experience mild heart palpitations from the finger-licking boardwalk food but for the most part you will be drooling with delight the whole time ;)

So Below are a few links and photos - ENJOY!

Excerpt of a documentary on Wildwood

Video featuring Wildwood's theme song

 "Wildwood Days" by Bobby Rydell

Photo from 

The Pentagram Papers

Shop in Wildwood 

restoring old motel signs

Doo Wop styled 

Wawa//gas station

{part of the restoration effort} 

Vintage photo at the 

Wildwood Museum.

(OMG yes, they have 

a museum!!) 

Wildwood Doo Wop home page {great old photos and documentaries for sale}

Wildwood official website

Urban Typography

Seeing letterforms everywhere! Sighhhhhh type lovin ;)

source

Renewable Clothing by Fernando Brízio

By placing colored felt-tip pens in the pockets of the dress its appearance changes over time. Within an hour - to one and a half hours the colored ink bleeds into the fabric and creates a one-off design for each occasion. The owner can then clean the dress and color it in a different way for each time they wear it.

via DesignBoom

What a fun Idea! Wish I had something like this when I was in high school. It would have definitely been a nice venture from my puff paint lovin! Sighhhhhh and glitter puff 

paint - hehehe. :D

Random Photos

Hey ya'll!

Ok well I have been collecting and taking photos from trips and cool things that
I've seen for some time now. So when ya have a few check em out! Enjoy! :D

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