Thursday, January 21, 2016

Moon Diagrams, Drake Hotel & Quotes on Shit

2016-04: Seeing Chrome Sparks and Moon Diagrams while having a transcendent experience and the whimsical upcycling of the “Quotes on Shit” project.

Music: Moon Diagrams
I was lucky enough to catch Chrome Sparks at the Drake Underground last week, and what an awesome show it was. The opener was also of some particular note, being the solo project of Moses Archuleta, best known as the drummer, occasional keyboardist and co-founder of the indie rock band Deerhunter. His set was extremely good, although I was slightly confused by the way he sort of hid behind the propped-up case for his music-making equipment. A lot of people were talking during his set, which brought me to sit down on the edge of the stage to catch a better wave of sound. I was really grooving to it...even if it seemed like I was the only one.



Accomplishment:
I got my Toronto library card last week! Surely this is one of the upsides to working so close to the wonder that is the Toronto Reference Library. I'm also planning to sign up for 3d printing classes, though there is quite the waitlist.

I also put up my mural collage (a project I had been thinking about for a while). This is the first instalment of a collection of...well...paper scraps, I suppose. But they are very special paper scraps that commemorate some of the awesome things I've done since moving into my new place. I originally wanted to arrange them in some sort of chronological fashion, but I decided on something a little more haphazard in the end which seems to work nicely.



Goal:
On my way to see Chrome Sparks last week, I walked by this curious place called the Super Wonder Gallery. I have noticed all sorts of goings-on there since I moved to the neighbourhood. On any given night, the space lends itself to drag shows, live music of all kinds, art showings, and god only knows what else. This particular Wednesday, there appeared to be some sort of exercise class with rows of people in their workout clothing facing an instructor. Now what sort of exercise were they doing, you may ask me? Well, it was tribal drumming. Yep, I didn't believe it when I saw it, so I certainly don't expect you to believe it in print, but that's what it was. Everyone had a floor tom in front of them and was banging away in beautiful unison. Sweat was pouring down. It was glorious.

And of course, if you know me at all, you know that my goal (for next week, since I am out of the country and otherwise indisposed of any floor toms) is to join one of these classes and experience the magic for myself. More to come.

Random Thought:
I suppose I'd like to use this space as more of a rave than a random thought, but it is indeed random. I recalled when purchasing my ticket for Chrome Sparks (online, because I found out about it very late and wasn't sure if it would sell out) that the email stated that the ticket MUST be printed and would not be accepted on a mobile phone screen. And of course, I forgot to print my ticket at work that day. I was racking my brain for a solution when I remembered that the Drake (the venue) is a frickin' hotel. They should be able to print the ticket for me at the very least! And so I called, and they did. They had it waiting for me when I got there, and I went right in without a hitch. That's some excellent customer service. Now, need I go into further detail about the blasphemy that is not allowing entry by showing a mobile ticket on a phone? Is a bar code not a bar code on a digital screen?

Inspiration: Quotes on Shit
My favourite design (pseudo) power couple Jessica Walsh and Timothy Goodman are at it again. This time, it's delightfully simple. Let's just take some shit and put quotes on it.



Of course, there's more to it than just some spray paint and sharpies. As per the website's About section,
We all use so much shit. We collect shit, buy shit, steal shit, trade shit and then throw shit away. So what happens with all this old shit? Is there a life after it leaves our hands? Shit winds up in our garbage, on our streets, in our landfills, and in our junk shops. We feel bad for this abandoned and rejected shit so we're rescuing these objects and breathing new life into them by giving them a voice with words. We want to turn old shit into new shit, and give them a second chance to be loved and help find this shit a new home.
I love it! Here's more.



I enjoy the idea of 'feeling bad' for an inanimate object, which is akin to my feelings for many of my possessions. While it obviously isn't healthy to grow attached to items that cannot reciprocate, we sometimes feel as though they can. When I look at my bed, I feel extreme feelings of love. Every time I use my favourite pen, I want to lick it with joy. And on and on.

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