this will be our year

2011 was very bad for me.  Bad enough that I'll remember all the wonderful things that happened (and there were so many great things and, better still, great people) as what helped me scrape by, barely, through the loss and stress of it all.  So I guess I can't help but be thrilled to attach a foolish level of sentiment to this new year...it really is going to be a better one, y'all!!!!!

With that in mind, I guess what I've learned so far is that the secret to a good New Year's Eve is adaptation.  My plans to spend a relaxing evening at home with my closest friends here in Austin, as unambitious as they were, fell through, and we ended up only hanging out at the house for a bit of the evening. Long enough, though, to construct a (wimpy and not entirely functional)  champagne pyramid.  

We were informed that the party was moving elsewhere after one of our only non-sick or out of town friends, Matt, had been roped into a DJ shift ending at midnight, so we packed up the Sofia and headed out.  

 

I still have twinges of nostalgia for my time spent working at my college's radio station, so it was nice to relive that part of my life for a bit.  But nothing lasts forever, and we really wanted pizza, so we headed to Will's apartment for the final phase of the evening before.

Overall, I can't complain about 2012 so far, so that's something!

Inge Morath

Somehow, I've never posted about Inge Morath here, so now I am!  Her career kinda has it all - her subjects ranged from the biggest stars Hollywood has ever known to regular folks and even llamas in cabs,  plus she made both documentary style and surreal photographs. Her images aren't where the story ends, either - Morath began her career as a translator & journalist and continued to study and write to give her photographs context.  I know she kept a diary and most of her writing (that is published at all) has been published posthumously, so I can't wait to get my hands on as much of it as I can.

Self portrait, Jerusalem 1958.

 Collaboration between Inge Morath & Saul Steinberg

Photo by Yul Brynner (1958)

Arthur Miller & Marilyn Monroe by Inge Morath (1960)

After these two crazy kids didn't work out (somehow!), Arthur Miller and Inge Morath got together and were married until her death in 2002.  I've always been curious about what Morath felt when capturing her future husband's intimate moments with Marilyn and kind of always assumed that she knew the relationship was doomed long before they did.  But that's only a story I've concocted in my head from looking at her photographs, the subject remains poorly researched on my part.  

spice up your life

My two very favorite, non human/feline things about going home for holidays:  the prettiest spice rack I've ever seen and my mom's ever expanding garden.  Cooking in this house is a dream!

Still, I'm anxious to get back to Austin and eat Sara's magical curry...we may, collectively, be a cheap bunch, but one thing we will not skimp on is spicy food.  True love can't be substituted. 

helen frankenthaler

Helen Frankenthaler passed away today.

festive

Banter Banner 

Mini tree with mini cats. 

Bear corner update!  Bears by Lizzy Stewart, Caroline, Leah Duncan, Leah Goren, and me.  

Second hand footwear in heavy rotation this December...mom's old Bass loafers + thrifted metallic and velvet slippies.  

Jason Wu Pre-Fall 2012

Jason Wu gets me.    I feel like he somehow eavesdropped on a conversation between Vivian and I and came out with this collection as if to say, "Ladies, I am here for you! You want leather collars, embroidered florals, and some gray-on-tan-on-black action? No problem. I have it covered."  Except I know that didn't happen because Vivian recognizes everybody worth recognizing, so we would definitely know if Jason Wu was in the same room as us. Plus, it would be super weird for him to just make a collection with us in mind considering our lack of funds or influence just because he likes making dreams come true.  Unless Jason Wu is the new Oprah?  Ohmygod, that would be awesome! I would watch that show.  

Conclusion of this entry: Jason Wu should totally be the new Oprah.

ATX Zine Fest, etc!

Hi, first off, thanks to everyone who has bought a copy of 40 Cats Drinking 40s!  I sent off the first few copies this afternoon, and I can't wait for them to reach your paws.  

More exciting news:  next weekend (December 10-11) we'll have a table at the ATX Zine Fest and (hopefully!) we'll have ANOTHER brand new zine available in addition to our previous releases and maybe some fun stickers and prints.

 The event will be held Saturday and Sunday December 10th and 11th from 12-6PM at Bernadette's Bar (2039 Airport Blvd). 

ALSO we'll be at Cheer Up Charlie's the two nights preceding the zine fest - on the 8th for The Vagina Zine Winter Issue Release Party & on the 9th for a zine event thrown by print Revival which we'll be tabling at.  

If you're in Austin, please come and say hi! We're nice people.