August 26th, 2010

This early Kodak film test is the oldest color film I have seen.

I love how self aware the actresses are—they don’t seem to be used to being in front of the camera. I am guessing they are stage actresses, maybe vaudeville or burlesque? What also intrigues me is the false femininity they display, a slight coyness mixed with come-hither type of looks.

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I came across these late depression era color photos a while back. It’s amazing the impact a color photo has. I knew this intrinsically, but not ever having seen a color photo from this time period, I was shocked at how powerful these were to me:
http://extras.denverpost.com/archive/captured.html


16 Tons and Go-Go dancing

August 26th, 2010

I am still perplexed by this video:

There is something so dichotomous about the singing and the dancers…


Three beautiful things today

August 8th, 2010

-Going for a mountain bike ride with Tim this morning
-Talking on skype with mom and dad this afternoon. (and being able to see them on video!)
-Reading while sitting on the bench I built in the backyard.


inspiration for all of us…

April 26th, 2010

Amy Palmiero-Winters is the first amputee to qualify to compete in a World Championship race. In May, she’ll represent the US in the 24-hour World Championships. Check out her interview. She is amazing!

And click here for the link to the article from USA Today.


knitting obsession

February 21st, 2010

Just found this short animated film. Great sound effects, and the story is very cute!


obsessions

February 11th, 2010

I have been knitting obsessively lately. Ever since I started working with my hands again a few months ago, I’ve been obsessed with keeping my hands busy. Maybe I’m trying to make up for lost time since I haven’t made much of anything over the last few years…


naida’s notions is up and running!

February 1st, 2010

My new Etsy shop is up, and I now have 19 items I’ve made in stock! I’ve already received an order for a few pieces of custom jewelry (yay!), and have just posted a project I’m really excited about: the Celebrate Your Scar Custom Pendant. You send me a picture of your scar, and I’ll make a sterling silver pendant immortalizing it.
Here’s the pendant I made from my infamous scar:

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You can read more about this piece in particular here

I am so happy to be making things again! It has been way too long!


New Etsy Store is here!

January 20th, 2010

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My new Etsy shop, naida’s notions, is up and running! I’ve already posted a few pieces of my hand-crafted jewelry as well as a few drawings. More to come soon!
Check it out at www.naidasnotions.etsy.com!


new Etsy store coming soon!

January 7th, 2010

Wow! It has been a long time since I wrote here…

So I am very close to opening my very own Etsy store where I’ll be selling my handmade jewelry as well as paintings, and maybe some other things I make…

Stay tuned!


back to the guide life…

September 29th, 2009

Yesterday morning I headed to Girona. Since I had a little time before picking up my rental car, I wandered around town a bit.
Lo and behold, more awesome architecture:

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I love the mix of old and modern with these two structures!

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and check out this pattern:
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love the color and design of this door:
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Some construction work brought some really cool color and lines to these buildings:
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some children’s clothing laid out to dry on this roof:
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some views from the cathedral:
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and from belowl:
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After I picked up my car, I drove east to a very small village called Madremanya, where we’ll be taking our guests next week, for the first 2 nights of their trip. From there, I drove our Day-3 route, which heads south-west to the next hotel in S’Agaro, a beach town on the Mediterranean. Sorry I don’t have pictures of any of this, as I was driving for the first time in the region, holding both a route guide and a map in my hands…

Today, I drove up to San Marti d’Empuries, a tiny village on the sea where our trip will begin next week. I love that this parking lot is totally integrated with some ruins:
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After about 20 km, I arrived at Ullastret, where there are Iberian ruins. (The Iberians settled in the region by 800 BC.) At the Archeology museum, I found this:
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All the description said was that there seemingly was some sort of cult of the skull in the Iberian culture. It had to do with their spirituality, but no more details…

What I found especially interesting was their alphabet:
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Apparently these symbols represent both letters and syllables, and the Iberians wrote both left to right, and right to left. How freeing is that? Perfect for art and craft-making.

In the bathroom, I found the most ingenious hook for holding purses:
Open:
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Closed!
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my lunch spot among the ruins and Cypress trees:
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After finishing this route, I met with one of our hotels, and then hopped on my bike to learn another route. At the same time, I threw in some training to the mix, working on VO2 Max intervals in between riding through tiny cobbled streets…