Let's make happy
Awesome Things
Amigurumi Stop-Motion
Feb 8th
Grizzly Bear in Claymation
Feb 3rd
I recently started taking a stop-motion animation class, just because I’ve always been interested in it. We haven’t gotten to the point of actually animating anything yet, but I’ve been especially on the lookout for good examples of it, and I just came across this video for Grizzly Bear’s “Ready, Able” (from one of my favorite albums from last year). It’s a great song and a beautiful (though somewhat creepy) animation.
20/10 VISION this Thursday at gallery hanahou
Jan 19th
Update: You can now see photos from the opening on the gallery hanahou Flickr page.
20/10 VISION is a group show opening at gallery hanahou this Thursday (1/21) featuring local NYC and not-so-local artists’ takes on the new decade. I’ve been watching the pieces come into the gallery, and it’s really an amazing mix!
The gallery and the participating artists will donate 20% of the proceeds from this show to relief efforts in Haiti.
There will also be a collaborative live drawing at the opening created by the artists, which will be sold at silent auction with 100% of the proceeds going to Haiti.
20/10 VISION: perceptive artists focus on the new decade
January 21 – February 19
Opening reception (with collaborative live drawing!): January 21, 7-9 pm
gallery hanahou
611 Broadway, Suite 730, NYC
Random Acts of Holiday Hearts
Dec 23rd
For lack of a better introduction (holiday travel has sapped my writing powers today), here is a very heart-warming holiday project I heard about through Ravelry!
miffygirl knitted up a bunch of Hearts with two friends, tied them up with candy canes and holiday notes…
…then left them in random public places in their city for others to find!
You can read more about their holiday “random act” (which included other knits left around town) and see more photos on miffygirl’s blog.
I love this idea of spreading Christmas cheer to strangers. My husband’s family has a similar tradition, and I have good memories of the two of us leaving small toys with holiday messages attached around our city in Japan one December. We weren’t sure what the people who found them would think, but it certainly got us into the spirit of Christmas!
2009 “Best of”s
Dec 22nd
How about some “best-of” lists for 2009? I don’t keep up with all the latest in any media, but here’s what I enjoyed this year anyway.
Best new movies
In the Loop
Up in the Air
Best new-to-me movies
Paris, Texas (1984)
Notes on a Scandal (2006)
Best new album
Animal Collective’s Merriweather Post Pavilion
Best new-to-me albums
The Fiery Furnaces’ Blueberry Boat (2004)
Parenthetical Girls’ Entanglements (2008)
John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme (1964)
Best new TV
Mad Men
Friday Night Lights
Parks and Recreation
Community
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Best new-to-me TV
Friday Night Lights (The first 3 seasons)
Best new book
Turns out I didn’t read any 2009 books this year! But I read a lot of new short fiction, particularly from Tin House.
Oh, I forgot The Believers by Zoe Heller!
Best new-to-me book
Beloved by Toni Morrison (1998)
Best new game
Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure
Best new-to-me games
LEGO Batman (2008)
Rock Band 2 (2008)
Best new cats
Soupy and Nipsey!
