Monday, March 31, 2008

photo of the day

royal oak, michigan.
june 2007.

Sunday, March 30, 2008

photo of the day

the gabriel family:
gloria bernadette, gabriel, marie, lawrence, louis, johnny, jack
zina, baby michelle, mary, joseph, rania, joey and jason.
jacksonville, florida 1984.

Saturday, March 29, 2008

photo of the day

sunset.
farmington hills, michigan.
june 2005.

Friday, March 28, 2008

oh how i loved thee.

photo of the day

mom in london part II.
it's so appropriate that she's surrounded by flowers
which she so loves.

thursday's photo of the day

my teenage mother in london in the late 70's.
always so cool.

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

eggs-actly! another pathetic joke! (chris and michelle know what that means.)

you guys must think i'm obsessed with eggs. i love them, but i honestly don't know why i've had at least three posts with eggs as the subject. anyway, i just learned something new on thekichn.com. i have always heard different methods, but this is supposedly the actual way to test an egg for freshness. place the egg in a bowl of water. if it lays on its side at the bottom, it's very fresh. if it stands itself upright at the bottom, it's edible, but make sure to eat it soon and preferably hard-boiled. if it floats to the top, throw it away! the reason for this is the porous eggshell. the more time air is able to penetrate the pores of the shell, the more buoyant it becomes in water. makes perfect sense!

ew!

this is disgusting and mean. anything you order from this website is gross and EDIBLE. check it out: http://edible.com/shop/
p.s. michelle, i'm going to order you the scorpion vodka. 

a memory to share

one of my most vivid memories from childhood is of my six or seven year-old self being at northland mall (before it became completely and utterly ghetto) with my mom. we were at some women's clothing and accessory shop where my mom was casually browsing. i remember her looking through a little basket on a counter that was filled with random pieces of jewelry. then some unprofessional employee snatched the basket away from my mom and said, "these are not for sale." my mother innocently said sorry and i remember feeling something burning inside me that i was not familiar with. all i know is that i wanted so badly to kick the mean lady and use my fingernails to scratch at her face and eyeballs. that memory used to bring me to tears as a kid. i didn't understand why anyone would want to be rude to my pure mother. 

notes on a scandal

at one point during this film, i had to remind myself that i was watching fictional characters in a story and so my stomach that was in knots slowly loosened itself up..but not for long. cate blanchett and judi dench played their parts so well that i had difficulty remaining relaxed throughout the scenes. this movie, based on the novel by zoe heller, focused on the lives of two women. you think the movie is about one thing and then it becomes about something else..but ultimately it's about two very flawed individuals and the consequences that play as a result of their deplorable actions. also, philip glass creates yet another gorgeous score that mirrors the intensity of this film. 
i recommend this one. 

photo of the day

a delicious meal of wine, olives, cheese and beets.
@ small plates in detroit, michigan.
september 2005.

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

photo of the day

being an obedient bridesmaid..helping reta tinkle!
october 2006.

Monday, March 24, 2008

photo of the day

little pieces of history @ oddfellows antiques.
berkley, michigan.
february 2007.

Sunday, March 23, 2008

photo of the day

heritage park.
farmington, michigan.
april 2005.
happy easter!

dusting cobwebs in the depths of my memory machine.

wow. children of the 80's, do you remember this?

Saturday, March 22, 2008

friday and saturday's photos of the day

penelope in action.
january 2008.

penelope and lucy chillin.
my bed.
september 2007.

Thursday, March 20, 2008

not egg-regious. bad joke.


i hadn't dyed easter eggs in years...until this evening! i bought a tie-dye glitter easter egg kit from target yesterday and decided to get to work. michelle boiled 15 eggs and i dyed them all. it was fun! i can't wait to crack 'em open and peel them one by one. i love peeling eggshells. we'll eat them with boiled potatoes and parsley in pita bread..mmm..the best cheap meal!!!

photo of the day

goose!
@ adam & renee's house.
february 2007.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

photo of the day

nightmare city @ the hayloft.
mt. clemens, michigan.
june 2006.

simply lovely


i came across this website called simply breakfast. this blogger from brooklyn posts a picture of what she has for breakfast every morning. she has a way of styling ordinary things like a bagel or a mug of coffee and turning them into expressive artwork. i have said it before and i will say it again and again: i love breakfast. i love it in the morning, in the afternoon and in the evening. and it takes on an edgy persona really late at night!
i'm hungry. 
here's the site: http://simplybreakfast.blogspot.com. 

update: i just looked at her photography website. i love her aesthetic! check it out: http://www.jennifercausey.com.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

photo of the day

one of my paintings i had the most fun creating.
and i actually like it.
seattle buskers.
2005.

i smell trouble


i watched a very strange movie this evening called "perfume. the story of a murderer." it was directed by tom tykwer who did "run, lola, run" and one of my favorite short films for "paris je'taime." 
so i'm not sure if i even liked the movie, but i couldn't stop watching it. it sucked me in. i wanted to know what was going to happen and where the story was going. the main actor did such a good job that i really disliked him despite his good looks. he gave me the creeps. there were more than a few parts of the film where i said out loud (to nobody) "ew, gross" regardless of the fact that it was not gory. it was just plain strange. i am confused. did i like it or not?

Monday, March 17, 2008

better than the real thing

this looks like a miniature vegetable patch doesn't it? but it's not. can you guess what it is? it's a cake! how cute is that?? you just bake a regular cake in a square pan and the vegetables are made w/ a separate cake pan that you can buy at williams-sonoma for $34. sweet. literally.

ee aa


yesterday i went to see the exhibit featuring finnish-american architect eero saarinen at the cranbrook art museum in bloomfield hills. first off, i love cranbrook's campus. the modern architecture of the buildings, the sculptures and even the lights that line the roadways make an alluring juxtaposition against the organic landscape. eero's architect father, eliel, had a big hand in designing some of cranbrook's buildings since he was the resident architect from 1925 until his death in 1950. (the saarinen house on campus was built by eliel for him and his family. it has subsequently been restored and open for tours on weekends.)
the exhibit showed the entire span of eero's work from the st. louis arch to the futuristic twa terminal in new york to his innovative contemporary furniture. (he is pictured above in one of my favorite designs, the womb chair.)
the last day of the exhibit is on sunday, march 30th. i urge you to go see it. oh, and if you go, say you're a student or just tell the truth and help support the arts by paying a small fee of $10. visit the cranbrook site for more info: http://www.cranbrookart.edu/museum/exhibitions.html.

photo of the day

lines & color.
october 2006.

Sunday, March 16, 2008

photo of the day

a cupcake "cake" i made for renee's engagement party.
i was quite proud of it!
june 30, 2006.

pretend this is saturday's photo of the day

holy water in the fridge.
september 2005.

Friday, March 14, 2008

photo of the day

myself among thousands of books.
john k. king bookstore.
detroit, mi.
february 2006.
photo by alex awn.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

sometimes i have days like this:

photo of the day

a couch that saw so much life in the past
and is very lonely now.
my grandparents house.
jacksonville, florida.

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

sunless

last night i watched a film called "sans soleil" by chris marker that affected me so greatly that i don't really know how to begin telling you how so.
the words spoken throughout the film were brilliant and the music was perfect.
it made me think of my memories as a child and dreams of the past and of the future. 

photo of the day


anxiously waiting @ the orlando hotel.
west hollywood, california.
may 2005.

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

photo of the day

arab american national museum.
dearborn, michigan.
2006.

let's get lost

chet baker was a jazz musician who was born to play the trumpet and gently croon. alex turned me on to him back in 2003 when we first met at wayne state. he put a few of his songs on compilation cd for me and i was instantly hooked. 
the documentary "lets get lost" from 1987 has resurfaced and played last weekend at the dft. i am so glad i didn't give in to the temptation of staying in on a cold night since it was one of the best documentaries i've seen. i had known bits and pieces about mr. baker's life prior to seeing the film. i knew he'd been extremely good looking and equally as talented. i also knew that he had fallen into the dark abyss of hardcore drug usage and had seen an untimely death. 
i wasn't prepared to see the gaunt, weathered face staring back at me from the screen. chet baker at 57 years old looked about twenty years older than he should have. it was shocking to see what a lifetime of heroin and cocaine and cigarettes and alcohol and god knows what else can do to someone (not to mention that someone's family and friends.) 
another thing that made me sad was watching footage of actors and musicians who belonged to the era of glamour that we can only dream of now. 
check out chet baker's music. (my favorite song of his is "embraceable you.")

Monday, March 10, 2008

photo of the day

karmanos fashion show.
rock financial showplace. novi, mi.
may 2007.

Sunday, March 9, 2008

photo of the day

sunflower in our front yard.
august 2005.

pretend this is saturday's photo of the day

my adorable mother pretending to say something
important for the camera. how i miss that weather.
july 2006.

Friday, March 7, 2008

penelope

no, not that one. 

this one.

i went to see the movie "penelope" with reta last weekend. it stars christina ricci as penelope, a girl born with pig ears and a pig snout because of a curse a witch put on her wealthy family generations before her. i was pleasantly surprised at how good this movie was! it boasted a great cast (james mcavoy, catherine o'hara, reese witherspoon, peter dinklage) and the cinematography was fantastic. it looked as if it could have taken place in london or new york city either in present day or in the seventies. the costume and set design was beautiful..everything looked very anthropologie--my favorite shop! 
i really enjoyed this one and i recommend it to anyone who wants to see a modern day fairy tale with an edge. oh and reta says she liked it even though she snored through half of it.

photo of the day

wisam and chris @ minna's wedding.
september 9, 2006.
one of my favorite pictures i've taken.
it makes me laugh everytime i look at it.

Thursday, March 6, 2008

photo of the day

lucy. march 2008.

120 years ago

i just read on cnn.com that researchers have found this photograph of helen keller with her teacher, ann sullivan, 120 years after it was taken on cape cod. (taken in 1888!!!) photographs are amazing. a moment frozen in time. still amazes me everytime i think about it. 
renee, i still remember that the helen keller book used to be your favorite! 

project runway

sighhh...project runway, the only show i keep up with on t.v., is over. well, this season anyway. i was a little disappointed my favorite contestant, jillian, didn't win. but, all three finalists showed fantastic work. i would wear everything from jillian's collection and most of rami's. christian's was very high fashion, so i enjoyed looking at the silhouettes and the details, but i can't see myself wearing 95% of his designs. 
i'm a little sad it's over, but not too sad because guess what's taking it's time slot? TOP CHEF!!! woo hoo!!!

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

photo of the day

birds eating breakfast @ the good egg.
scottsdale, arizona. 
may 2007.

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

nature is amazing

i've been doing a little research on zebras for a painting i'm working on and i wanted to share a couple facts. did you know that zebras are black with white stripes (despite their white bellies and legs)..i always wondered if they were black or white. also, their stripes (which has a different pattern on each zebra) act as a camouflage. their main predator is the lion, who is color blind. this makes it difficult for the lion to single out a zebra hiding in tall grass. pretty amazing, huh? also, humans have tried to domesticate them but they are not as predictable as horses and they are easily panicked. 
look at this stunning picture of someone riding a zebra. (the photo was taken anywhere between 1890 and 1923.) 

meet charlie!

janan surprised cliff with a new puppy yesterday. how cute is she??? aaaah! i just love that face and her cute little butt and tail. she's a cavalier king charles spaniel and she's just 8 precious weeks old. 

photo of the day

doves @ the majestic theater. detroit. 2005.

Monday, March 3, 2008

photo of the day

@ the dia. november 2007.

commercial



my friend gavin from san francisco is in a commercial for cnet. it's funny because i met him when i was in los angeles back in 2005 auditioning for an ipod commercial (funny story.) here it is. he's the third person you see.

pretend this is sunday's photo of the day

antique dolls. florida. april 2006.

Saturday, March 1, 2008

photo of the day

in corktown. oldest neighborhood in detroit.
may 2007.

pretend this is friday's photo of the day

alex @ barnes & noble.
november 2006.