I'll admit, I've watched home redecorating shows from time to time. That's not why I'm redecorating my room. It has absolutely nothing to do with it. Really. I haven't been influenced in the least by all the room makeover programs I just happened to catch in bits and pieces while I my mom was watching. Not even when I sat down to finish watching the episode and find out what the homeowners think about their new bedroom redesigned as a crypt.
So, maybe they've influenced me just a little. But my bedroom was still in need of an overhaul in order to rid it of its extreme boringness. The space is (I suppose I should say was) stuffed full of junk I've collected over the years, and while some of the stuff looks really cool on its own, it gets lost in the eclectic mishmash of crap hanging on the walls, covering the shelves and stuffed in the corners. There is such a thing as an “eclectic style,” but, in my opinion, the eclectic style is the design world's attempt to make disorganized packrats feel a little better about their habits. I'm in need of a clean sweep. The walls—which haven't been painted since the previous homeowners remodeled the basement—are in desperate need of a fresh coat of paint, there are dust bunnies hiding under my bed, and I have no more room on my bookshelves.
I'm trading in my white walls and powder blue ceiling (boy was that ever a mistake) for a pale yellow ceiling, two vivid, red-orange walls and two tan walls. My new bedspread is red and I have a throw and some pillows made out of Indian saris. Many of my design elements are Indian, but I suppose it would be more accurate to say theme is Asian theme. I'm going for a rich, earthy feel contrasted against the bright colors and intricate patterns of the Indian fabric.
While you know I'm really excited to see how it turns out, I'm even more excited to get all the objects that were in my room out of the family room and back where they belong. I know that process will take a lot of thought and effort because not everything can come back in, and everything needs organization. In other words, I'm enjoying the painting stage because it's fun to see the walls change color, but I know I'm going to have my work cut out for me when it comes to putting everything back together, so I'm eager to get that part started. The sooner I get started, the sooner I'll be done.
More than anything though, I can't wait to sleep in my own bed again. I feel like I'm a guest in my own home. I can't wait until it's done!
Monday, May 16, 2005
Tuesday, May 10, 2005
The Slide Show Has Arrived!
For those of you who weren't lucky enough to receive my email announcing my extra special, always awesome, four for the price of one, super cool slide show, it's now your turn to be in luck. Yes, the long-awaited, probably overrated slide show is up for viewing on the world wide web. You too can take a photo tour of Japan for the low, low price of free!
Just follow this link: Japan Photo Tour and enjoy!
Couple notes here on the slide show. It is rather large, so it may take a minute to load—just be patient. Also, I did a lot of my research on exactly what I took pictures of after I got back, so I apologize if I have any mistakes. I tried to make sure all my facts were verified, double checked and given a stamp of approval. All done by me, of course, which is why I apologize if I missed anything.
You may post a comment here on this blog if you feel so inclined. Also, here's the link for the slide show on the official tour website: Pop Japan Travel
Let me know when you're ready to go on a real trip to Japan with me. I've got my bags packed and ready to go back. ;)
Just follow this link: Japan Photo Tour and enjoy!
Couple notes here on the slide show. It is rather large, so it may take a minute to load—just be patient. Also, I did a lot of my research on exactly what I took pictures of after I got back, so I apologize if I have any mistakes. I tried to make sure all my facts were verified, double checked and given a stamp of approval. All done by me, of course, which is why I apologize if I missed anything.
You may post a comment here on this blog if you feel so inclined. Also, here's the link for the slide show on the official tour website: Pop Japan Travel
Let me know when you're ready to go on a real trip to Japan with me. I've got my bags packed and ready to go back. ;)
Monday, May 02, 2005
Did You Remember Your Towel, Butt-bleep?
The title of this post actually has nothing to do with the subject of the post at all. But, if you stare at it cross-eyed while standing on your head, you just might see the tiniest, itsy-bitsiest connection. It also helps to be either extremely exhausted or inebriated at the time. Since I am neither at the moment, I suppose I really have no excuse.
Anyway, I went to the Kansas Cosmosphere this weekend with my parents. It's been a long time since we've gone on any sort of family vacation or outing of the kind, but it actually went quite well, and the Cosmosphere was much more interesting than I remembered it being. I didn't realize just how much official NASA stuff we have stored here in Kansas. We have a bunch of the original parts from the Apollo 13 mission, which is why the creators of the movie actually came to people at the cosmosphere for help designing the movie props. And we have a whole bunch of various relics from the Russian space program as well, including Sputnik. It's crazy-weird to me.
What is also crazy-weird to me is the fact that I found half a dozen typos and mistakes in the signs posted around objects in the museum. You know, the ones that go into detail describing the objects historical significance or usage. I couldn't believe it. Our guide, who took us on a behind the scenes tour, told us how quickly they get an exhibit up and running; clearly they do it so quickly that they don't have time to even edit their copy. Beyond that though, I couldn't believe that I actually caught the mistakes. There was a time when I wouldn't have even seen them. Now, it's like I've developed an extra sense/superpower that allows me to see mistakes in signs/posters/newsletters/brochures/etc. It's a blessing and a curse. It's good because it allows me to catch most of my own mistakes in my work (this blog does not count, because it's not work and simply because I'm talking about how I catch mistakes there are probably at least a half dozen mistakes in this post alone), but it's a curse because you can't turn it off very easily (unless I'm working on a blog entry). It's like I have a mistake magnet in my brain and once you see mistakes, I can't not see them. And it drives me crazy.
My editing superpowers are still developing, so I'm not able to always catch mistakes—especially my own—but they've still developed more than I realized. It's weird to suddenly find one day that a task you found difficult for a long time is suddenly far easier than it used to be, and that the change seemed to happen over night. It actually didn't happen overnight—it actually took a long freakin' time—but it feels like that for some reason because you don't notice it happening. It feels like wearing glasses all your life and waking up to find you don't need them, or that you see things with them you could never see before.
Well, enough of my graphic design silliness. The last thing I wanted to mention here is the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. We listened to the book on audio cd—read by the original author, Douglas Adams—on our trip down to Huchinson, and I got totally hooked. I'd heard a lot about it through the years, but never got around to reading the books until now. I love the style of Adams' writing. It's very conversational and stream of consciousness, rambling off on various tangents from time to time. It's also very funny.
Ironically, I just finished the first book on Sunday and then I got a call from one of my friends asking if I wanted to see the movie. It was perfect timing. I enjoyed the movie. Though I normally get frustrated when a movie based on a book fails to be true to the book (cough, LOtR, cough), I didn't mind that the Hitchhiker's Guide movie changed a number of things from the book because the book was not the original version of the story, from what my friend, the Math Buddha, told me. Also, the movie captured the spirit of the book in its random humor. I especially liked the part when they turned into string. So, it's a good movie. Just don't get scared off by the singing dolphins in the beginning.
"Goodbye, and thanks for all the fish!"
PS Dolphins used to be my favorite animal.
PPS Butt-bleep is a quote from the Apprentice. In the term "butthole" you would think the half that would get bleeped for television, if anything got bleeped at all, would be the "butt" half. But no, they bleeped "hole." I don't get it. But it's fun to say.
Anyway, I went to the Kansas Cosmosphere this weekend with my parents. It's been a long time since we've gone on any sort of family vacation or outing of the kind, but it actually went quite well, and the Cosmosphere was much more interesting than I remembered it being. I didn't realize just how much official NASA stuff we have stored here in Kansas. We have a bunch of the original parts from the Apollo 13 mission, which is why the creators of the movie actually came to people at the cosmosphere for help designing the movie props. And we have a whole bunch of various relics from the Russian space program as well, including Sputnik. It's crazy-weird to me.
What is also crazy-weird to me is the fact that I found half a dozen typos and mistakes in the signs posted around objects in the museum. You know, the ones that go into detail describing the objects historical significance or usage. I couldn't believe it. Our guide, who took us on a behind the scenes tour, told us how quickly they get an exhibit up and running; clearly they do it so quickly that they don't have time to even edit their copy. Beyond that though, I couldn't believe that I actually caught the mistakes. There was a time when I wouldn't have even seen them. Now, it's like I've developed an extra sense/superpower that allows me to see mistakes in signs/posters/newsletters/brochures/etc. It's a blessing and a curse. It's good because it allows me to catch most of my own mistakes in my work (this blog does not count, because it's not work and simply because I'm talking about how I catch mistakes there are probably at least a half dozen mistakes in this post alone), but it's a curse because you can't turn it off very easily (unless I'm working on a blog entry). It's like I have a mistake magnet in my brain and once you see mistakes, I can't not see them. And it drives me crazy.
My editing superpowers are still developing, so I'm not able to always catch mistakes—especially my own—but they've still developed more than I realized. It's weird to suddenly find one day that a task you found difficult for a long time is suddenly far easier than it used to be, and that the change seemed to happen over night. It actually didn't happen overnight—it actually took a long freakin' time—but it feels like that for some reason because you don't notice it happening. It feels like wearing glasses all your life and waking up to find you don't need them, or that you see things with them you could never see before.
Well, enough of my graphic design silliness. The last thing I wanted to mention here is the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. We listened to the book on audio cd—read by the original author, Douglas Adams—on our trip down to Huchinson, and I got totally hooked. I'd heard a lot about it through the years, but never got around to reading the books until now. I love the style of Adams' writing. It's very conversational and stream of consciousness, rambling off on various tangents from time to time. It's also very funny.
Ironically, I just finished the first book on Sunday and then I got a call from one of my friends asking if I wanted to see the movie. It was perfect timing. I enjoyed the movie. Though I normally get frustrated when a movie based on a book fails to be true to the book (cough, LOtR, cough), I didn't mind that the Hitchhiker's Guide movie changed a number of things from the book because the book was not the original version of the story, from what my friend, the Math Buddha, told me. Also, the movie captured the spirit of the book in its random humor. I especially liked the part when they turned into string. So, it's a good movie. Just don't get scared off by the singing dolphins in the beginning.
"Goodbye, and thanks for all the fish!"
PS Dolphins used to be my favorite animal.
PPS Butt-bleep is a quote from the Apprentice. In the term "butthole" you would think the half that would get bleeped for television, if anything got bleeped at all, would be the "butt" half. But no, they bleeped "hole." I don't get it. But it's fun to say.
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