3 posts tagged “chicago”
I'm staying at the house for a few days because Shawn said he'd be busy working on some projects for work over the weekend. I thought it might be nice to spend some time with Mom. Whenever I wake up in the morning, there's this awesome nostalgic feeling of summer. It brings back good memories and makes everything seem simple and happy.
Even when I'm at my apartment, alone during the day, I've been experiencing sudden bursts of happiness. It's so weird! I've been trying to limit my time on the computer and watching TV, because I really want to start doing something more for myself lately. I've been feeling the need to enhance everything that I love doing, meaning that I'm focusing more on painting, photography, and spending time with my furries (kitties + hammy). Doing so has led me to some relaxing, more peaceful, days. I'm not really feeling that stress of needing to find work, which is such a relief now. I figured that I need to work on getting in the right mindset before I jump into the next phase of my life; after all, for the past 20+ years I've been in school working hard. It's time to let loose.
In photography aspects, I've been trying to work more on getting to know my camera better. I found that, after a while, I fell into such a routine with my camera that I didn't really explore all of the fun settings. I think my little experimentations have led to better, clearer photos, like the one above. (Yays!)
Also, on the photography home front, I've been trying to expand my photo subjects. I fell into a rut with that when I only took photos of Plum and a few other toys/dolls. I'm trying to appreciate everything else that I'm surrounded by, including other Blythes (like Utopia and Nami above!) and other little finds that I've been taking in.
This Alice necklace is one of my favorite recent finds to photograph. ^__^ Last weekend, I went on a little trip to Chicago with Shawn, Jeremy, and Kathleen. We went to one of my favorite urban toy stores, Rotofugi, and I picked up a lot of cute vinyls and a special art book signed by a favorite artist of mine. Then the three of us met up with another favorite artist of mine, Jeremiah Ketner, after Rotofugi-- we visited his studio (where I saw all of the amazing pieces he's currently working on) and went out to lunch with him.
Afterwards, Jeremiah suggested a bunch of cute stores that he knew I'd love to explore. In one of the little boutiques, I discovered the Alice pendant. I'm obsessed with everything and anything Alice in Wonderland, so I snatched it up. Later on, I went across the street where I had a chain made and fitted for me. I think the heart clasp (bottom right picture) is one of my favorite parts. Putting the necklace together was so much fun!
On an earlier trip to Chicago (April 10th), I was able to attend my very first Blythe meet. After six or so years of collecting them, I thought it was about time that I finally met more people who share the same hobby. ^^
We met up at a cute sushi bar (with really good fruit smoothies) and talked about Blythes the whole time. Because of other plans Shawn and I had in Chicago that day, I was only able to bring Plum (bottom row, fourth from the left). She was able to meet another Kozy Blythe, finally! Overall, the turnout was great and I was even able to meet Gina Garan, a very well known Blythe collector. In fact, it's because of Gina that Blythes exist today! It was such an honor to talk about Blythes, and tons of other stuff, with her.
So really, my "work" right now consists of working on myself and my life. I'm expanding every type of personal horizon possible, including my physical self. ^___^ I've been working hard at exercising daily so that I stay in shape. I'm feeling fit in every aspect possible!
After I wrap up this post, I'll continue to sit back in my parents' kitchen where the back door leading to the deck is open. The summer breeze is blowing in while I sip on my cinnamon white chocolate latte. Life is good.
I never thought I'd get into Twitter, but alas... I couldn't resist. The main reason I decided to try Twitter out is because I wanted to experiment with my Vox sidebar widget. The entire application turned into a small phenomenon with me overnight. I had remembered Twitter being mentioned all over Vox, so I thought I'd give the cute site a shot. Who knew how fun updating my status could be? I knew everything was meant to be when I saw that the user name "milks" was up for grabs.
My milks Twitter is now up and running, and my sidebar looks all nice and pretty with the widget. I am one happy Voxer.
For anyone that isn't familiar with what Twitter is, check out the main Twitter page to browse the current happenings or to sign up. Either way, I think you'll find yourself having a good time with all the kawaii icons displayed all over the place. I didn't know that Twitter was so popular in Asia, but from the looks of it, more people are signed up for the application there than in the states. o_O
Before I put up my Twitter widget in my sidebar, I wanted to make sure every single detail on my Twitter profile page looked just right. I had been home the day I set up my account, and none of my parents' computers have Photoshop on them. (I didn't feel like downloading a trial version.) Instead, Shawn was nice enough to follow the layout I drew up. The sketch involved Twitter's basic layout, Roonies and Meep, and lots of pretty bubbles. Whenever I have a profile or a descriptive area on website, I have to make sure it's absolutely perfect as far as design goes.
Unfortunately, how my background image appears on Twitter depends on the screen resolution on the computer it's being viewed from. So, depending on your computer screen, my profile could either look kickass or only "eh."
Edit: I forgot to mention that adding a Twitter widget in my sidebar required me to edit the dimensions in order to make sure the entire application fit without getting cut off on the edges. If you're interested in adding a Twitter widget (or any other widget that's slightly oversized), all you have to do is change the length or width to smaller numbers. There were two places in my widget's embed code that needed to be changed, and I believe I used the width of 160px to make mine fit nicely into my sidebar. Message me for more information on how to change the dimensions if you're having difficulties. ^_^
In other news, the Lovedrug video that Beth went to Chicago for a few months ago was finally released! (You can hear more about her experience in this post.) I was shocked when I first saw the video, because there's a clip in the very beginning of the song that is focused directly on Beth's face. She winks at the camera and smiles-- it couldn't be more perfect. My little sister is a true Lovedrug star. At least, she is in my eyes. So, without further delay, here's Lovedrug's newest music video, "Pushing the Shine," featuring my totally awesome sister, Beth.
A lot of people aren't familiar with the band Lovedrug, but believe it or not, you Voxers may have heard of them before. Quite a big ad for Lovedrug's newest album was posted here at Vox for a few months. I caught it out of the corner of my eye several times. I didn't find out until recently how big of a fan Beth was of them.
Beth came up to me last week and told me that she had been accepted as an extra in Lovedrug's new music video. The video would be shooting in Chicago, which is only about a two hour drive from our apartment. She was pretty excited but still a little hesitant. So many scams take place online; who knew if this offer was any different? Well, it wasn't a scam, and Beth had the time of her life. Shawn and I had the privilege of driving down to Chicago with her, and we were able to watch part of the video shooting.
Beth rocked her heart out and I thought it would be fun (and interesting) to share some of her experience with Voxers. For a change of pace, I decided to do a mock interview with Beth about her experience on the Lovedrug set. So, for your viewing (er, reading) pleasure, here are Beth's answers to my questions about her job as an music video extra!
So give me a little info on what you went to Chicago for. What kind of music does Lovedrug play, and which song did you "perform" for?
I would closely describe Lovedrug as "radiohead-light." Their music tends to be a little more upbeat, but it retains the same sense of poetry and haunting melodies. I have issues listening to Radiohead, because I find their music profound, yet way too depressing. Lovedrug is a little more rock 'n roll, in my opinion. The song I was there for was "Pushing the Shine." It was off of their album Everything Starts Where It Ends.
I bet it was fun being surrounded by such hardcore talent. Were you able to actually talk with the band while you were there, or were they more closed off and busy with other things?
Actually, I ended up harassing the band a great deal of time I was there. I found them to be extremely approachable, and they didn't separate themselves from the fans. They meandered throughout the room where all the fans were hanging out. They talked to everyone. At first, everyone seemed a little reserved, but as the day went on, all the people started realizing how every person was human. It was only natural to act normal around them. I did notice that some of the girls were a bit shy, but I had no problem teasing them about things like beer kegs and free "merch" (merchandise).
Haha, good for you! I'd totally want to do that, too. What did you end up getting out of the free merch deal, and how did you go about asking for the stuff?
So I went there quite keen on the fact that I'd walk away with at least something tangible that I could take home with me. At first I thought I would settle for merely autographs, but I soon realized that I wanted something I could actually hold in my hands. After I got the autographs, I asked Dave, the guitarist, for a pick. I ended up confiscating the bassist's (Korey) tie from the shoot, as well as Michael's guitar neck. Essentially, it was a smash and grab job. *chuckle*
You really went in there with a mission, didn't you? You seem to have formed pretty good relationships with the band members. I heard that there may have been an interesting story behind your first meeting. What's that about?
The boys were doing a set change, and I had seen them going into the back room where all the refreshments were located. Dave, the guitarist, had led me back there when I first came to the shoot and told me I could have anything I wanted. So, I grabbed my CD and my Sharpie and went off in search of some autographs. Little did I know that the guys were actually in the middle of a wardrobe change. I basically walked in on half-zipped zippers and half-buttoned buttons. I said, "Oh, sorry," but I didn't leave. They were really chill about it and told me it was oh kay. I ended up leaving with four autographs. I happen to have unusual timing.
It's nice to see you all took that in stride. I'm sure that helped break the ice for everyone, too. So later on in the video, what did you have to do? Basically, what was your job?
I was an extra.
Don't get snarky.
We did a lot of things, but my favorite thing would have to be the end sequence. It involved spray paint, tearing clothes, throwing food, and smashing guitars. It was after this last sequence that all the girls basically had to fight over all the broken guitar pieces. This is the part where I snagged my guitar piece.
Very cool. So all in all, do you think you'll be in the final cut of the video? Does it even matter at this point?
It honestly doesn't even matter to me. I'd rather just do things like this for the experience and getting to know the band. Getting involved in a creative endeavor like this was just... awesome. It's nice because I didn't go there as a model. I went there as a fan. It was a completely different experience.
When should we be expecting the video to be released?
I would say early June, but you really never know.
Awesome!
---
And that was Beth's experience with her first music video. To be honest, I don't think it will be her last one. She's extremely familiar with rock music, and she's not afraid to make herself known to bands. I like the fact that Beth is so willing to put herself out there in the world. I have a sister I can live up to (even though she's younger than me, haha), thanks to her and her willingness to, well, have fun.
Beth wasn't the only one to have fun in Chicago that day. Shawn and I explored the streets of Chinatown, and he was nice enough to drive me all the way to Rotofugi, the vinyl/plush store I've been waiting to visit for years. I have photos of my experience, but I'd like to keep this entry dedicated to Beth. I'll write about my adventure another time.
