Out of Cortex

Holi Color Festival, Ava's B-day, and After-Party

Okay, so it's been kind of a blur these last two days, so I'm just going to play catch-up here. After the proposal on Saturday (ack, did  that really happen?), I was just kind of stunned, in a good way of course! Mike and I walked back to his house to lounge around until it was time to go to the Holi Festival. On the way up to Mike's unit, Pip greeted us jubilantly from under the cracked window (obviously to congratulate us)! [sidenote: Justin and Mike found Pip sitting outside later in the evening, and he had apparently popped out of the window, realized he wasn't supposed to be outside, and waited anxiously / patiently for someone to let him back in. Mike knocked on the neighbors' door and alerted them to this fact, and they rushed out to let Pip back in! Aw, what a good pup for not running away after the common enemy of all dogs: squirrels!]

And then... we were off to Holi: Festival of Colors! Sam, Justin, Mike and I were dressed for the mess as we walekd up the hill toward the Arts Quad. There we saw everyone gathered. I didn't wear my ring, for fear that I'd get it caked in rang (the powdered colors). Good thing too, because when we got there, everything got caked in the bright festival colors. Now, the legend behind Holi is this: 

According to the Hindu mythology, Lord Krishna started the tradition of playing with colors during the festival. He was jealous of his soul mate - Radha's fair complexion, because he was dark in color. The young Krishna often complained about his dark skin tone to his mother - Yashoda. To placate the child, Yashoda asked him to smear color on Radha's face, so that her fair complexion is masked. Obeying his mother, Lord Krishna applied color on Radha's face, which changed her complexion. The playful and mischievous Krishna started the game of playing with colors and this is how, the celebration of Holi with colors was started. 

I don't know what each of the colors is supposed to mean, and whether there is any specific meaning at all. What I know is that this is a beautiful festival. I think most of the powder from Cornell's Holi festivities is just colored corn starch and none of the dye stained our skin at all so that was nice also! We slathered ourselves in vaseline just in case (we read that it keeps our skin from staining). Even if we did stain though, there are worse colors to be than beautiful, right?

See what I mean? The colors were lovely and vibrant. We weren't offered red, which I wish we knew about because I would definitely have gotten some of that. We had an abundance of pink, but Sam mixed her pink with blue to make purple. Mike, with obvious foresight, was the only one who got yellow. I loved the green though. It was really, really pretty. And I drew an accordingly beautiful mustache on Sam! Most of all, I loved how the rang settled in our hair, because it looked fantastical; it isn't something that could be done with haircolor easily so ... loved it.

Other than throwing rang at each other and getting messy, we also saw Cleo, Sarah and Randa mucking around. They still had rang whereas we used most of ours on each other. (Speaking of which, this poor photographer with a really nice camera got bombed by random people and I felt so bad for him! Because what if he got his camera all gross?!) Anyway, note Cleo's elegance even as she sprinkles the rang about. Dancers, I guess!
After that was all said and done, and we ate samosas (which were delicious, by the way!), we walked back home to wash up. There was this weird skateboarding thing going on down East Buffalo, and all these people gawked at us with our strangely colored clothes and faces and hair. We told a few of them what was going on but they still looked a little surprised at our appearance. Anyway, it was quite a rowdy day, what with Holi and this skateboarding tournament going on right outside my window!

But things weren't over yet! After I cleaned up, Sam, Mike and I went to Wegman's to get some food and to prepare for Ava's surprise birthday party later that evening. Mike took our groceries home to his place, while I stayed and helped Sam make spring rolls for the party. Caitlin hosted it, for a ladies only event at her house, complete with hors d'oeuvres and wine and decorations. Very lady-like... except for the penis hat. At first, I didn't realize what it was! Of course, Ava was very surprised! And then halfway through the little shindig, Sam announced to everyone that I just got engaged so there was a bit of a hub-bub about that too. Thanks everyone!

Then it was off to Silky Jones where non-female friends were invited to join us. Mike apparently had emailed all of our friends in the local Ithaca area about the engagement before he had done it, so everyone (except me!) was cued into it. When he told them all that he had done it and I had said yes, they poured out and bought us a ton of drinks. We definitely appreciate all the support (although the morning was a bit rough...)! Thank you everyone, so much!

Of course, Silky Jones was not enough so we made our way to the Second Floor Bar located across the way. Some more people showed up and some more drinking was in order.

Overall, it was a great time and the whole day was just... wow. I don't even know how to describe it. It was very memorable, so thank you all so much for making this day so much fun and for the well wishes! You guys are the best! Cheers!

A Play, A Llama, Two Dogs, A Lake House, and A Couple

This week is a week of newbies! First, On Saturday (4/21) Sam, Justin, Maegan, Mike and I went to see the Avenue Q play at the Risley Theater! It was really good. My favorite characters were Trekkie Monster and Kate Monster! The girl who played Kate Monster just had the sweetest voice. You can see a snippet of the actors / performers here, and while it's not from the actual production, you get to meet some of the cast and their puppets! It was all really well done, and timely, and hilarious. While we saw it at a small theater, if you get a chance to watch it on Broadway, I think it'll be worth your time! I couldn't take any photos of the actual play, but I got one of the simple stage set-up. I like how none of the props really detracted from the acting, the songs, or the performance generally. 

Then on Wednesday, during out last week of class EVER, we got up early-ish to partake in a very special pre-finals treat: Cornell Companions! It's basically a group affiliated with the Cornell Vet school where students at the law school can sign up for a 25 minute slot where they meet dogs and llamas (yes, llamas of the Emperor's New Groove variety!) to de-stress. And let me tell you, these delightful animals are just so adorable and well-behaved and well-socialized. I hope we didn't stress them out. It seemed like the dogs were perfectly fine, but I don't know how to read llama signs. We tried not to crowd him, but you never know. Still, he was so sweet and gentle and let everyone take photos with him/pet his extremely fluffy and soft wool. We also met a pup (a black lab mix) named Rory (who apparently looks like Susie Millor and John Mehta's lab mix, James). Then we saw Tank, the adorably jubilant rottweiler (gosh, I do love Rotties...they are so wonderful!) who is just gigantic and loveable. He really likes to have his tummy rubbed! 

Aren't they the best? There were a lot of people giving Tank love, so I ended up back with Rory who is just the sweetest little thing ever! He handler explained that she just had her birthday (aww!) so that's why she was wearing this lovely little hat. Rory also showed off her wealth of tricks (well, sit, stay, shake, roll over, and down!)...she just needed a high-reward, rarely given treat: potato chips! I don't usually condone that, but the vet school people know what they're doing, and the very special treat of a potato chip or two once in awhile isn't too bad.

It was just such a special experience getting to meet these guys and it was a bit surreal seeing them on campus (who would have expected a llama, next to McGraw Tower and in the law school Saperson Lounge?). I wish there were fewer people in the Lounge, though, because I know I would be stressed out if I had all these hands coming at me. Like I said, the dogs seems more pumped up because of it and thrived on the attention while giving lots of slobbery kisses (Tank, especially), but I just don't know about the llama. I ended up giving him a giant hug, though, and he gave me a snuffle kiss (where he sniffs you and makes a soft wooshing sound in through his lips). Sigh... I didn't know how awesome llamas are until meeting such a gentle one in person. 

Later in the afternoon, after Mike and I ran some errands (like getting fingerprinted for the CA Bar exam), we went to Professor Glenn Galbreath's lakehouse where Glenn has his anual get-together. We went last year as well, after Trial Advocacy was over. For Mike's trial (last Saturday), I served as one of Mike's witness in the same case (State v. Jackson, an arson case) but where I was the State, Mike and Liz were the defense. I played the hurt, jaded, but credible wife (separated, but not yet divorced) of the defendant. I let my eyes well up (without crying) at the trial, and my voice wavered. And I ad libbed a bunch to add some realism to it (saying things like "I answered the phone, I believe, because... well, Arthur never answers the phone" on direct and "well, counselor, I'm trying to answer your question as best as I can, so I can't answer with just a simple yes or no" on cross). At the end of the trial, even the jurors who voted against the defense said I was the most credible! Perhaps I should have done acting instead of law school... Either way, one of the jurors actually came up to me and gave me a giant hug ("I was with you the whole time while you were up there!"), looking daggers at Gabby (who played one of the "other women" in the case and said "You know, you might get the opportunity, but never break up a family!" Gabby and I looked at each other, thinking "wow, you know this is a mock trial right?" It was pretty interesting. Anyway, the opponents (Priscilla Fasaro and Drew Levine) were both very good so it was a tough battle indeed. Plus, to ask jurors to digest the facts in only one day, with something like 8 witnesses is a little too much to ask. Either way, out of the eigh jurors, Mike and Liz got 5 solidly on their side, with three on the other side. Woohoo, 8-3 is not bad! Plus, the ones who entered a "guilty" verdict had good reason ("There simply isn't proof beyond a reasonable doubt!" or "The State just didn't win me over on the idea that Mr. Jackson didn't have any other avenues, and why he would destroy a company he loved so much.") while the people who thought the defendant was guilty just didn't really have a solid basis (i.e. a juror whose husband cheated on her shot her hand up immediately after sitting down and said "Guilty! You just can't trust the defendant."). Anyway, we celebrated then end of this all at the cabin, with delicious food, good company, and a wonderful view. 

We discovered that one of the adjuncts, Steve Flash, who is a city attorney in Ithaca, has a secret power: he is ridiculously good at skipping rocks! He showed off his rock skipping prowess by having the most skips the furthest with some of the largest rocks, and we were all impressed accordingly! Anyway, it was great getting to talk to Glenn and to kind of close out that chapter of classes. I think Mike and I would like to invite Glenn out to dinner sometime to thank him, as one of our very favorite professors. The best part? Watching the sun set over the peaceful lake while eating smores.  

Once everyone started drifting away back home, Mike and I hitched a ride with Susie and John to Stella's where we had a few drinks. Mike owed them for driving him back from Syracuse after our Florida trip, and after Mike fell in love with a photo of James (their pup). And while we're really different individually, we're a surprisingly similar couple in terms of the things we love to do and eat and see. And we are all getting into this animal rights thing as well as healthy eating, so we had a lot to talk about. And Mike and John connected about clothes (quality!) as well. Anyway, we're probably going to have dinner with them at their house so we can meet James next time. James sent us a message, via Susie, the next morning. He is pretty much super adorable.

(His note says, in case you can't read it, "Hi Jing + Mike, I'm excited to meet you! Sincerely, kisses, James"... tell me that is not SUPER cute? Ahhhh I love pups!) Overall, at the end of 3L year, it really is interesting how a number of people have grown on me in the last few weeks. Maybe it's because everyone is calm now that no one is competing against each other, so there isn't that kind of rivalry you might feel during 1L year. While it's great meeting and connecting with all these people now that law school is pretty much over, I'm glad I met my core group of friends, and Mike, because I actually never felt that kind of dynamic between us. While law school isn't the best place to be, hanging with friends has been amazing. So, I guess what I'm saying is, whether we've missed out on other folks in law school or not, cheers to the lifelong friends I think I've made, with our bonds cemented together through mutual suffering among other things!

Reinvigorating Lethargic Structures

Check out the new (street) art installations from Nikita Nomerz, entitled "The Living Wall." These are pretty awesome, if not somewhat freaky and terrifying as well as interesting. 

Speaking of reinvigoration, have you heard of Hangover Heaven? Las Vegas, possibly the hangover capital of the world, is now home to Hangover Heaven, a bus tour that offers a 45-minute intravenous hydration and vitamin treatment for $150 (the "Salvation" package). According to their website, everything is FDA approved. The website also warns: “Our buses can work magic, but they cannot bring you back from the dead.”

Interesting...I wonder if this is just another way of promoting irresponsible drinking and to encourage more people to drink til they drop. Oh well. I guess that's what we can expect from Vegas. I think far more useful is this post-apocalyptic shelter in Kansas...

Larry Hall is staking his financial future on this Survival Condo. It's a bunker that extends 200-feet below the surface and will boast a military-grade defense system. Floors can be reserved for $1.7 million. If I had tons of dough to spare, maybe. Or I'll just build myself one that can protect my friends and family. And I won't charge them for it. In a real post-apocalyptic world, it would be horrifying to see rich people living it up (relatively) without extending any care to surviving fellow humans. I guess that's what happens when resources get scarce!

On an entirely separate note, happy anniversary, Mike! We've stopped celebrating the in-betweens (and just focused on the annual benchmarks), but it doesn't mean I feel any less lucky to be with you. We've made it a whole 28 months now from our somewhat arbitrary anniversary date! Cheers!

Springing Forward

Spring is coming! And you know what that means... Spring shopping? Or was it cleaning? Well, regardless, you can clean out your closet and fill it with some new must-haves. I have just fallen in love with neutrals, with little splotches of edgy blacks, shiny golds, and beachy blues. LOVE this. 

Pictured above: 1. Veda Max leather jacket ($825.00); 2. Club Monaco Fanny Clutch ($129.50); 3. Tom Binns Parure Last Laugh Shark Earrings (#132.00); 4. Adia Kibur Beaded Bangle Set ($54.00); 5 Brose Stacey Sequined Bubble Mini Dress ($484.00); 6. B Brian Atwood Consort High Heel Sandals ($325.00); 7. Feel the Piece Linen Blend Sweater ($162.00); 7. Ribecca Minkoff Beach Babe Strappy Sandals ($165.00).  

Strangely, what I want MOST out of all of these is the Club Monaco Fanny Clutch... Isn't it cute? It's professional but beautiful and casual at the same time. And the best part is that it's big enough for all your accessories while not being too clunky. It really goes with the purse Mike bought me for Christmas. I feel like they're almost a traveling pair... RIGHT?! I really want it... If your pockets are deeper than mine, you can get it here. I will live vicariously through you.

I also saw these shoes and instantly fell in love. These are much less practical, but aren't they fantastically springy? I would love to wear these to a wedding (ahem, Liz Jun's is coming up in April...). 

The descriptoin: a beachy palette of dimensional palms shapes a breezy sandal set on a recessed platform.

• Adjustable strap with buckle closure.
• Approx. heel height: 5 3/4" with a 1 1/2" platform (comparable to a 4 1/4" heel).
• Leather upper/leather and polyurethane lining/leather sole.
• Imported.
• Salon Shoes.

Oh my god. Perfect for spring, no? Unfortunately, this is $1,024.00 so just a bit out of my budget... Sigh, back to being a poor student, I suppose. I guess this is good though. A lot of women's clothing is cheap stuff, and the styles keep changing. But one side effect of this is that we perpetual shoppers leave a giant carbon footprint. Think about it: imagin all the factories you endorse, all the synthetic fabrics that you are demanding, imagine the terrible conditions that help you obtain the cheaper leather goods you buy. I think the right idea is to shop less but buy a few quality items that will last, are ethically made, and don't encourage animal abuse or environmental degradation. 

In other news, and for other ways to thin out your wallet, check this out! Cheers.

Young Inside

I love this photo series titled "Reflections," by Tom Hussey. You can find more here. Strange, that these works of art are for a drug advertisement (for Novartis...the drug is called the Exelon Patch). The drug in question is a prescription medicine for the treatment of mild to moderate Alzheimer’s dementia.

 

 

There is both something triumphant and something melancholy about this series that make it nothing less than poignant. What strikes me is that some of the subjects in the photo look back with pride, happiness, and joy. But others look wistful, as though missing their younger selves and the lively fullness of youth. Some are surrounded by remanants of their glorious pasts, while some are surrounded by seemingly empty boxes. Some have who look like family members, others do not. Some feel lonel and fragile, while others stand strong. There is one photo (below) that in particular makes me feel sad:

The woman's younger self looks as though she had been a nurse, whereas the older self now needs a nurse to help her with her walker. Sad to know that the nurse who helped others is now standing and looking at her reflection in a hospital bathroom. While she has the aid of this nurse, she isn't surrounded by family or loved ones. She is alone. And she is old. All the photos, regardless of the emotion they evoke, are to me wonderful.

 

 

To pull at viewers hearstrings with so easy a theme (mirrors and the past) is beautiful, no? Tom Hussey also has some baeutiful portraits and other works on his site, but these take the cake for me. Enjoy!

Many Faces, Many Smiles

My walls seem a little bare at my home, not that I have much wall space because my room/studio is just so small and my zip-up closet takes up so much room. But still! I feel like my house isn't very personalized... which is why I decided to put together some photos of the people I care about them and post them by my desk. So I introduce to you a series of panels, including one of my family first! 

 And one of our friends (although in looking at it now, we're missing a lot of people... and the photos of the people don't necessarily represent how often I hang out with them, except for maybe the number of times we see Mike and Sam in the pictures! For instance, I think only one picture of Justin is included and I see him all the time...oh well. I think he's just in proportionately fewer pictures because he's camera shy).  

 And of course I have a panel of pictures consisting almost entirely of Mike and me. I guess that's because he belongs in both my friend and boyfriend category. As I scanned quickly through all my digital photo albums looking for interesting pictures, I am happy to note that we've seen quite a few places and experienced quite a few things together! We've been swimming in the cold waters of Truman State Park, we've walked the Freedom Trail in Boston, explored the Smithsonian in DC, lived on both poles of California, enjoyed city life in NYC, and traveled to China. A good start, if you ask me!

I am looking forward to making something better for my actual home once I move in. I would like a series of photos of my friends, family, and puppy (Barley's is always featured on this blog, since the last make-over so he shouldn't feel left out). Cheers!

 

Keep Calm and Carry On

I found this very educational and interesting. But what else did I get out of this little short documentary other than the knowledge of where "Keep Calm and Carry On" came from? I got the burning desire to visit this bookstore. What is it about bookstores, good old fashioned bookstores, with the smell of paper and ink and glue, a misx of must and fresh parchment, that makes me feel so at home? And this place, situated in an old train station ... it teases the imagination about all the lost spaces and magic forgotten within.

 I definitely want to see this bookstore if I am ever back in England again. While I love my Kindle to death, there is something irreplaceable when it comes to holding a real, physical page-turning book in your hands. 

"A Little Pearl, Lost in a Sea of Blockbusters"

Rayman Origins is, for lack of a better word, the cutest game I've ever played.  The sound track itself can take the cake, but when you combine it with the amazing art and beautiful set pieces, as well as endearing, youthful plot? You have a wholesome winner in my book. Call of Duty what? It's sad that a wonderful game like this, which exhibits such care and artistic vision, would be as some critics say "a little pearl, lost in a sea of blockbusters." 

Other than Rayman himself, I think one of the best characters is Globox. The Rayman wiki (of course there's a wiki!) informs us that: 

Globox form a species called 'Glutes'. He is Rayman's best friend and sticks by him in many of his adventures. He is frightened by many things that happen to him during the game. Globox is a kind being with blue skin and a wide, frog-like mouth. He is the sidekick of Rayman and has a rather crazy attitude and personality. He is voiced By John Leguizamo.

A blue skinned being who is frightened by a lot of things, but sticks by his best friend through thick and thin while saving the world from an angry evil witch who was disturbed by the four friends (Rayman, Globox, and the two Teensies) snoring away? Well, sir, that is the plot and I am taken by it. Whatever happened to age-appropriate games, you ask? Here is one now. It's just too bad that so many gamers overlooked it and, subsequently, that the game did so poorly despite glowing reviews.

 

Regardless of the opinion of the masses, Mike and I, in our support of this sweet little gem (which isn't so little, because there are something like 60 levels!), have recently purchased the game. We plan on playing it to pieces!

*Lyrics to the song above:

You and um, I

When I'm away to love you

I let my lady move

You and um, I

When I'm away to love you

I let my lady move

When I'm not a - way on the moon

You and I are seen together

Oo, la lee la doo doo, oo, la lee la doo doo, oo la lee la doo doo doo

Oo, la lee la doo doo, oo, la lee la doo doo, oo la lee la doo doo doo!

 

A Makeover Long Over Due

Sundays are the worst days because it's the lull before the awfulness of classes begin yet again. But I have procrastination on my side! And part of that was renovating my blog design. I decided Barley seems to be one of the things most featured on this thing, and that IS my user name, so tadah! At first, I was going make the banner one simple photo of my belove pooch. But then I realized the photo just wasn't big enough, so I added "bookends" so to speak.  

 But that seemed a little empty, with Barley sitting in the middle like that and nothing around him to fill the space. Of course, I have hundreds of photos of Barley on this computer alone (my external hard drive has even more), so I added a few... 

 Then I decided, that's kind of unprofessional looking, no? Things looked a bit messy all smooshed together like that. So then I added some borders to my pictures. Cleaner? Fitting with the simple, white background? Anyway, I had a few drafts in the middle, and I know some of the photos in the banner are covered by the title and such, but oh well. I couldn't resize things without losing the balance of the whole collage so... this is what I ended up with. Thoughts? Or should I go back to the grey, draft-lines set-up? My new blog allows for searches too, so that'll help you navigate the site if you'd like. Cheers!Anyway, speaking of photo collages and makeovers, Mike looked into finding me a collage maker or sorts where I can just input a bunch of photos to create a collage in the likeness of something or someone else. We were thinking about making a Barley collage. I tried out the Artensoft Collage Maker, and it was pretty cool but I have to be sure/buy the software to keep any photos. Below are a few examples of what I could make with the collage maker (with some help from the Collage Wizard, which I think makes individual photos in the collage larger or smaller). 

This is a Steve Jobs portrait made out of Apple products mosaic. I don't know any other stats on the thing, such as how many base images there are or what the repeat-range is, but this is pretty neat. 

This is another photocollage done with items on whiteboard. I don't know how many base-call images there are in this one either, but I similarly like how this one looks. 

The numbers matter, as you can see by comparing these cat collages below, starting with the 500 piece mosaic created with random photos (top), the 800 piece cat photomosaic created with cell-image base of flowers (middle), and finally this 2000 piece cat photomosaic created with random photos (bottom). With fewer photos, the big-picture photo is less clear, but the collage is pretty interesting. And the random images seem to blend better whereas the flowers make for something stylistically different and unique. Things to consider, I think, when making my own in the future. 

I couldn't upload a 2000 piece mosaic of a bald eagle or a 3000 piece mosaic of a dollar bill, but I do have these interesting ones below. The Jaguar is a 3000 piece mosaic, the catwoman one uses 3500 pieces, and the m-class is a 1500 piece mosaic.  Pretty neat, huh? I actually think the jaguar turned out the best, but then that might be my love-for-animals bias.

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I think I want to get the Artensoft programs for photocollage and also photo mosaic wizard (which, like I said before, lets you enlarge certain photos in the mosaic, I think). First project? Make a giant poster of Barley. Next project? Maybe a family photo, or one of me and Mike. Ah, procrastination. 

 

Love Ever After

Something that I'm hoping will apply to all the good people in my life and their significant others... Lauren Fleishman is working on this project of couples who have been married for 50 years and up. I think the photos are fantastic and their quotes are so simple, yet poignant. I love this.

Love Ever After will share the love stories of couples who have been married for at least 50 years. Inspired by a letter my grandfather wrote to my grandmother during World War II (and rediscovered after he passed away in 2007), I began photographing and interviewing couples in the New York area as a way to preserve their stories and to illuminate our universal experience of love. 

"April 14th will be our 68th wedding anniversary. That's right, you heard it! Friends ask me how I managed to get someone like Jean. So I have one expression. I prayed well."  

Abe Small, March 2, 2011.

 "We met when we lived in China. I was on vacation in another town and we only saw each other for three days. We lived very far apart and so, when I returned home, we sent letters. At that time we didn't even have a telephone! We wrote letters each week but it took about 20 days for our letters to reach each other. We did this for five years." 

Jin Lin Chen, March 15, 2011.

"Everyday my wife expresses her love for me. She says, did I tell you how much I love you today? Everyday. Everyday she says that." 

Moe Rubenstein, August 24, 2008.

 "He asked me to go to a party with some of his army friends. You know, I had never thought of him romantically! He looked at me the way a man who has just come out of the army would look at a sexy woman."

Sheila Newman, Flatlands, Brooklyn.

 

Beautiful, no? To see more of the project that has been slowly compiled through the last three years, you can check out her gallery thus far on her website, or this slideshow (I like page 11 and 12 the most - the second to last and last ones). So, in the spirit of things... 

Happy Valentine's Day!

This weekend, Mike and I are celebrating at John Thomas, our third year running, and perhaps our last one that will be celebrated there for the foreseeable future, as we are not going to be in Ithaca next year. Thank you, John Thomas, for making our Valentine's Day special for the last three years. And this time, as an added plus, Sam and Kyle are coming too on a double date (double the fun!). Cheers!