what?! .....mmmmmmmm

k, maybe it's a west coast thing or somethin, but i have never heard of avacodo fries, and now i want to hear of nothing else. these are from 3 Square in Venice, California. *yummmm*

you can't say 'Bombshell' on an airplane #4 - cleo moore

brocken spectre

i just learned of this amazing phenomena know to mountaineers as Brocken Spectre (named after a peek in the harz mountains of Germany), which occurs when the shadow of a person at high altitudes is cast upon clouds at a lower altitude. i'd never heard of this before and now i desperately want to experience it. awesome, no?

video vendredi - the slits

sadly, Ari Up, lead singer of reggae-punk band the Slits passed away on wednesday at the age of 48. so for today's edition of video vendredi, i thought it fitting to pay a little tribute to this peculiar pioneer. enjoy. and feel free to jump around if you are so moved.

R.I.P. Ari Up (17 January 1962 – 20 October 2010)

"le muse"

i want one o' these

anne he

k, so, these photos were taken by aspiring fashion photographer Anne He. she's fifteen. i know, right? see more of this talented teen's work here.

R.I.P. Tom Bosley (October 1, 1927 – October 19, 2010)

get me to the tate

if only there weren't nearly 6000 kilometers between me and the Tate Modern, I'd be there in an instant to see this exibition. Chinese conceptual artist Ai Weiwei has filled the museum's Turbine Hall with millions of individually sculpted and painted porcelain sunflower seeds, in order to explore concepts of global cultural and economic exchange. the best part is, visitors are encouraged to walk on and touch the installation (!). i dig the concept, and i think it's an extraordinary work, but i also really wanna lay down in it and make a sunflower angel. is that bad?

R.I.P. Barbara Billingsley (December 22, 1915 — October 16, 2010)

if polygamy were legal # 33

if polygamy were legal, i would marry this genuine Loden Frey coat in a chalet up in the alps, after which i would prance around the hillside in it, yodelling...BUT: the bloomin' thing isn't my size! ugh. these German coats are of serious quality, people. somebody smaller than me please give this beautiful specimen a loving home.

all the king's women #25 - Barbara Stanwyck

the legendary Barbara Stanwyck was born Ruby Catherine Stevens in Brooklyn, NewYork on July 16, 1907. when Ruby was only 4 years old, her mother was killed by a drunk stranger who pushed her from a moving streetcar. two weeks after her mother's funeral, Ruby's father joined a work crew digging the Panama Canal and was never heard from again. she and her brother Byron were raised by their sister Mildred, who was just five years older than Ruby. Mildred found a job as a showgirl to support her siblings.




Ruby had always dreamed of being in show business and when she was 16, she auditioned for a place in the chorus at the Strand Roof, a night club over the Strand Theatre in Times Square. a few months later she was working as a Ziegfeld girl in the famous Ziegfeld Follies. for several years Ruby performed as a chorus girl from midnight to 7am, occasionally working as a dance instructor at a speakeasy.




in 1926, playwright Willard Mack was looking to cast a real chorus girl to play the part of a fictional chorus girl in one of his plays. he chose Ruby, who adopted the stage name Barbara Stanwyck for the production. the play was a great success and rave reviews for Barbara led to a Hollywood screen test and subsequent contract. Stanwyck went on to make 93 films before moving to the small screen in 1964, the most notable of which being Stella Dallas (1937) and Double Indemnity (1944).



it seems a bit silly to be writing of Barbara's connection with Elvis, given that it was but a drop in the pail of her illustrious career, but that is the point of this series, so i may as well...
in 1964, in her second to last film role, Barbara brought a touch of class to an otherwise mediocre movie [and remember, i adore Elvis movies, but this is not one of my favourites] when she played Maggie Morgan, a carnie matriarch, in Elvis' Roustabout. Elvis was a life long movie fan and was reportedly overjoyed to be sharing the screen with Stanwyck.



in fact, in researching for this post, what struck me is that everyone who worked with Barbara seemed to be overjoyed. Stanwyck was known for her accessibility and kindness to the backstage crew on film sets. she knew the names of their wives and children, and asked after them by name. legendary director Frank Capra, who worked with Barbara on numerous films, said she was "destined to be beloved by all directors, actors, crews and extras. In a Hollywood popularity contest she would win first prize hands down."



often called "The Best Actress Who Never Won an Oscar", Barbara retired in 1986 after a twenty year successful television career. she died on January 20, 1990 at the age of 82. her ashes are scattered in Lone Pine, California.

the suitcase chair

how awesome are these custom made suitcase chairs? they're made by Katie Thompson, who makes all kinds of other neat stuff too. check it out.

how embarrassing

after all the fuss i made about Nuit Blanche (see below), my evening ended up being more about fun than photographs. but if you'd like to see some great photos of the event taken by other people, check out this flickr group.

so excited i could barf

weeeeeeeeee! Nuit Blanche is tomorrow!! Nuit Blanche is an all night art festival which began in St. Petersburg [though some say Berlin was the first, and others Paris - read more here ] and has since spread to over 120 cities across the globe. for one glorious night, all museums, art galleries and other cultural institutions are open 24 hours and free of charge, while the city streets are transformed into an all night, living art gallery complete with over 130 public installations, performances and gatherings. tomorrow night the festival will take place in Toronto (weeee!), New York and Paris. i'm heading to Henry's to pick up a new tripod on my way home from work tonight so that i might document the nocturnal festivities with my trusty camera [affectionately named Gladys]. i am so excited i could barf! i'll be sure to post photos and tell you all about it on Monday. have a magnificent weekend darling readers! and if you're in Toronto, perhaps i'll see you there! :D xo

[photos from Nuit Blanche 2009 found here]

alchemia misteria

i'm not sure who would actually wear these clothes, but they sure do make for interesting photographs. see more of Non's Alchemie Misteria collection here.

juliane eirich

German born photographer Juliane Eirich does most of her work under cover of night. in her own words [taken from her artist statement]:

Night photography is slow and calm, but at the same time the very precise process that suits me and my way of working. I like the way I can focus at night, since there is less distraction -- both visually and acoustically -- than during the day. The artificial, rendering-like aesthetic, the light and color atmosphere that can be found during night, appeals to me and matches my understanding of beauty.

interesting to me that i should stumble upon Juliane's work on this particular day, when i'd been pondering the mechanics of night photography in preparation for tomorrow's events [i'll explain later]. i love the silence in these photos. i want to be there when she takes them.

R.I.P. Arthur Penn (September 27, 1922 – September 28, 2010)[