Beauty

found: Eloise Street, North Side, Pittsburgh


the text:
Beauty
must be defined as
what we are,
or else the concept itself
is our enemy

To see beauty is
simply to learn the
private language of
meaning which is
another's life--
to recognize and
relish
what is.

Why languish in the shadows of a standard
We cannot personify and ideal we live

Marketing Design

Since I've began my foray into the graphic design world (i.e. trying to improve my web design skills, doing some copy writing, trying to teach myself photoshop and freehand, etc.), I have started noticing design everywhere. Sometimes commercial design simply astounds me.

Take Wrigley's 5 Gum for instance. I, too, fell prey to the clever packaging. It's about the size of a carton of cigarettes, and done in black with a different brilliant color for each flavor. Here is my flavor choice, cobalt.

Since anyone can get free condoms at any Planned Parenthood and various other locations, I guess the condom industry has had to step up to the marketing design plate. Meet ONE, the condom that comes in a shiny tin (aka sleek metal case with a plastic hinged back for easy dispensing!)
Even the individually wrapped condoms have a design--a graphic illustration, along with a witty sound byte...See samples HERE

And look-- you too can design a condom! (AKA be the "Rembrandt of Rubber, the Leonardo of Latex, the Picasso of Prophylactics")

What WILL they think of next?


Why, clever instructions that are still informative of course!

Methods's airfreshner (aka pluggable aroma pill) maintains a witty sense of humour whilst instructing users in its preparation (italics are mine added to the parts i found particularly apropos):
1. Holding fragrance bottle upright, remove cap. Do not remove wick. It's pretty important.
2. Keeping fragrance bottle upright, insert into bottom of aroma pill.
3. Rotate bottle clockwise until tight. You know, righty-tighty.
Rotate plug of aroma pill to accomodate vertical or horizontal wall outlet. Insert aroma pill into wall outlet with glass bottle pointing down. Do not turn sideways or else fragrance oil will spill. Gravity is mean like that.

Watch Me Turn Into Famke Jansen

%1

Introducing MR. Peeps Duckington the Third

My brother got me the sweetest birthday present. It is this awesome round soft fuzzy squishable stuffed DUCK from http://www.squishable.com This is a pic from the site, more pics to come of Mr. Peeps Duckington III, himself.

Mysteries of Pittsburgh (not the Chabon novel)

Ah, Pittsburgh. A city of infinite mysteries. Like the spot on a sidewalk in S. Oakland where, according to MRW, you can stand to be teleported. Like the button in East Liberty outside of Kelly's Bar that you can press to disappear. This I saw first hand. I thought about pressing the "button," and was documenting the attempt (see above), but then I started thinking about the definition of "disappear." Now, if I would become invisible, cool...but, if it means I would cease to exist in past, present, and future incarnations, I became a little wary. After receiving advice from a bar patron awaiting the door opening for Happy Hour ("How will you be served if they can't see you? I'd at least wait until after you had a couple of drinks"), I decided not to tempt fate at this juncture. Maybe next time.

~S

Recent Happenings...

1: FLUX (Braddock, April 14th)

FLUX was held on April 14th in Braddock, PA. This was a big art event-- it had both visual art and performance art. Everyone got to help James Simon with a sculpture of a sheep. There were also bands and djs. There was even a guy juggling fire and a giant creature that looked like a cross between a hamster and Shamu.

2: Balkan Beat Box and Golem Concert

I had bought my brother tickets to this concert for his birthday. It was at the Rex Theatre in the Southside of Pittsburgh. It was a great energetic concert. I am hoping to find someone who took photos online so I can post some, as it was crazy. When Balkan Beat Box were on, they came from the balcony and four of them were wearing snare drums, two had saxaphones, all were wearing masks. They marched through the crowd and formed a circle, and the audience formed a circle around them, then we followed them to the edge of the stage as they came forward. They had everyone jumping and dancing all night!

3: Earth Day

My AmeriCorps did a service project at Frick Park for Earth Day. We planted trees and pulled up garlic mustard, which is an invasive plant that the native animals don't eat. After that a bunch of us went to a GPLC/AmeriCorps event at Barnes & Noble and Vijay's band, Chaibaba played Puerto Rican music. A fun day, but very exhausting. I probably shouldn't have even attempted to walk to the park from my apt when I missed the bus, but I almost made it without having to be picked up! I slept from around 4 pm when I got home until my phone rang at 10:30, then I ate something and went back to bed for the night!

The Short Answer: Response to a Coffee Cup

The Starbucks cups have a series of quotes called "The Way I See It," printed on them. I saw one on a prof's coffee cup and then found the whole lot of them online. I read the new ones from time to time. Today I was struck by one of the quotes and felt the need to answer the question in it. I will try to spend more time in reflection and composition of a well-thought-out response, but for now, here is the short answer.

But first, the question:

The Way I See It #168

The human brain is the only object in the known universe that can predict its own future and tell its own fortune. The fact that we can make disastrous decisions even as we foresee their consequences is the great, unsolved mystery of human behavior. When you hold your fate in your hands, why would you ever make a fist?
-- Daniel Gilbert, Harvard professor of psychology and author of Stumbling on Happiness.

Because sometimes, the end result is worth any of the consequences that come about on the way to it. The best way isn't always the easiest way. Sometimes sacrifices have to be made towards an ultimate goal. Suffering is often a part of living.

Starbucks: The Way I See It is a collection of thoughts, opinions and expressions provided by notable figures that appear on the Starbucks cups.