Mid-Summer Night's Dream...

Bahji, Israel

Courtesy Paul Aziz Netherwood

via Nineteen Months

Once a home, always home... now it's just closer than my life's vein.

Wise Guy...

Just Einstein - No Biggie

Pretty sure that Albert Einstein is one of my all-time favorite people. Sense of humor, deeply spiritual, didn't take himself too seriously...? So awesome.

May I Present....

So remember all of that exciting news I mentioned? This is a small part of it: the tip of the excitement iceberg? Okay. Weird analogies aside - I was in a play last weekend.

Set in 1912, the play chronicles the events surrounding Abdu'l-Baha's epic visit to the West and the profound impact that visit had on the early American Baha'i community. I had the opportunity to play Juliet Thompson - and had so much fun working with my new friends! [ps. we are none of us professional actors - but we had a GREAT time!]

 Backstage: finishing touches complete!

 This is one of my favorite photos!

Lua! (she seemed to say)

 Meeting the press...

 Candid shots (amidst the melee) are the best!

 With our director!

 Catching some pre-show vitamin D

 Last minute running of lines

"...I have a confession to make"

 The ladies

 Nancy, chilling in the green room

Painter's bag: check!

In case there was any confusion... my favorite part might be the dressing up part. Just saying.

A Flare For The Dramatic...

Courtesy Honestly...WTF

You may not know this... but orange is my favorite color. I think it's just about the happiest color alive, so naturally I'm digging this lady's trousers - but what I really love is how free the layers are in this shot. The movement is so vivid!

Orange You Glad, indeed!

On Love As Inspiration...

Photo courtesy my friend Nilou via my other other site

Mediterranean LiveIt

The freedom to be yourself and to be happy in that self.

Via Steve McCurry's Blog

Me. In the red cap at the top of the photo.

So on this day where people focus so intently on what and whom they love, I thought that I'd share some things that make me smile. Like did you know that I had 2 water polo games this weekend?! And that we won both of our games?

Well. Now you do.

Thanks for sharing in the things I love magic. Now get out of here! Unless you love the interwebs, in which case: carry on.

Adventuresome...

I don't really think that words are necessary here... this will be glorious and you will watch or you will not. But I am six thousand kinds of excited.

La Prima...!

My dear friend Yasmin alerted me to this truly awesome video collaboration between OK Go & Sesame Street.

Interestingly enough (or not...), I never really watched Sesame Street when I was a kid. When I was the right age to be falling in love with Big Bird and Snuffleupagus, my family lived in Kachina Village on the outskirts of beautiful Flagstaff, AZ. Yes, friends. I spent my formative years in a cabin in the Rocky Mountains... with limited tv reception - certainly not enough for PBS.

The good news is that I'm still alive, and this video is still the boss. So everyone gets a win! Enjoy!

*Side note to Yasmin* :: I got the skype. Let's have an intercontinental reunion, yes?

Arts and Crafts...

Courtesy Luckybeans

So now that I'm back in the States, one of my favorite things to do is to work with the children and youth in my area - learning cool things and making new friendships. Accordingly, I'm always on the lookout for cool arts and craft ideas or science experiments to try.

And one of the best sources I've found is Luckybeans.

You know... just paying it forward: one creative person to another!

P.S. Children's Class is totally making these stars this week: for my shining stars!

The Joy of Books...!

What do your books do when you're asleep? The owners at Type [a bookstore in Toronto: 883 Queen Street West, +1.416.366.8973] hid cameras in their shop over night to figure just his thing out!

Okay. I jest. This is a really excellent exercise in stop motion film, though.

Enjoy! ...courtesy, as per of course, Tralalere!

Time Lapse Magic...

This video, A Day in California, by Ryan and Sheri Killackey is truly excellent - but I'm always blown away by time lapse videos (magic?). I wonder how many still photos went in to the making of this little masterpiece?

Head's up courtesy Honestly...WTF - and in this case, I think it meets the holy goodness (!!!) category perfectly.

Also? Happy 2012!

I Can't Get No...

Courtesy Samimi-Extremie

Wow. This is likely the best thing I could have seen today. I've been thinking a lot about resolutions: who I want to be and how to get there.... And I realize that I need to do what ever it takes to stay hungry for more. Knowledge. Love. Understanding. Movement. Growth.

So this year I resolve to give thanks for the people in my life who help my wounded spirit try again in those instances I pause too long, get too comfortable and backslide.

The Wednes Monster...

Okay. I know... sometimes my ability to be corny and to abuse any and all "pun making" privileges astounds even myself. But I have my very last class and final today... and I'm a little giddy. It may or may not have something to do with the fact that in order to work my full day of work and still get to class on time, I have to come in to work at 5. In the am. As in "oh -dark-thirty" for those of you on military time. But my early morning, first cup of coffee thoughts led me in the direction of how similar Wednes and Loch Ness are - and why do we say "wins-day"?

So I guess we can say that my ability to run with a tangent is equally astounding.

Which brings me to the impetus for this little post. This song is the business. It is equal parts meditation and inspiration - really excellent for all kinds of things. Like writing papers, cramming for finals and/or working.

Big shout out to El Ten Eleven for being awesome and just what I needed. Cheers.

Nobel Peace Ladies...

Via Bitte Ein Kuss

(L-R)

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of Liberia

Leymah Gbowee, Champion of Women's Rights (Liberia)

Tawakkul Karman, Icon of the Arab Spring Protest (Yemen)

[2011 Nobel Peace Prize recipients]

"The woman is indeed of the greater importance to the race. She has the greater burden and the greater work. Look at the vegetable and the animal worlds. The palm which carries the fruit is the tree most prized by the date grower. The Arab knows that for a long journey the mare has the longest wind. For her greater strength and fierceness, the lioness is more feared by the hunter than the lion.

The woman has greater moral courage than the man; she has also special gifts which enable her to govern in moments of danger and crisis…." - 'Abdu'l-Baha, from an address given in London.

I don't mean this to sound like man-bashing... because it is not. But it is nice to see the contributions and achievements of women recognized, particularly in the field of peace building and community development.

On Homesickness....

This was shot literally down the street from my flat in Haifa. These guys - Broken Fingaz - have art up all over the city, but especially in my old neighborhood: Hillel & Masada Streets.

Live in an artist's enclave at least once. It's good for your soul. Or mine.

Major shout-out to Shadi Toloui-Wallace for the head's up. ...she's lucky enough to be in Haifa right now! She also has a new album out that you should totally get. You will love it. Maybe even more than living in an artist's village.

Hit The Ground Running...

The Street Aesthetic of New York City from Christian Andersen on Vimeo.

I know that there are great things about Orange County - but sometimes I have a hard time seeing the forest for the trees. Or, you know... the track homes. This video, courtesy Double Takes, is the business though! It kind of makes me wish I could play it on the inside of my sun glasses when I go for walks.

Christian Andersen - you're my homeboy. Cheers.

If I Had A Sugar-Daddy...

Lanvin clutch (see more clutch bags)

Truer words have never been spoken... also - it appears that my favorite fashion blogger and editrix, Johanna of A Serious Job is No Excuse (ASJiNE) has come out of retirement and can be found, regaling us all with her not inconsiderable wit, charm and style via Twitter. Huzzah!

On Precedent...

Via Bitte Ein Kuss

Thanks to Cost Plus World Market's commitment to importing delicious "foreign" food stuffs, I never have to drink terrible coffee again.

I don't know if it's because the coffee I'm currently enjoying is Italian, or what... but y'all? This coffee is so smooth it has game.

When The Levee Breaks...

So it turns out that my football (soccer for my Americans) tutor is a fantastic photographer. I met him in Haifa, though these days he's calling Oxford home. Yes... that Oxford. Check out his work at oxonography. Unless you hate beautiful things. And then stay far far away.

Clearly I'm loving the series he shot in Haifa last month. Not least because I'm feeling a little homesick. But if you knew how delicious and mouth-watering the falafel was... you'd be homesick (and starving), too.

Also... sorry for my recent MIA behavior. It took me a while to get into the rhythm of life here in OC. But now that I have my feet beneath me, my creativity is starting to come back. Which is excellent, because between you and me...? I was worried for a minute!

Artist: Matthew Cusick...

[Kara's Wave, 2009]

[Many Rivers, 2009]

So I'm kind of nest-y. And I'm a day-dreamer. If we're going to be friends, I feel you should know that.

Naturally I don't have my own walls to decorate (yet), but that hasn't stopped me. I'm like the virtual, or otherwise, window-shopping champion of the world.

And these pictures from Matthew Cusick (support the artist!) are amazing. Called "Map Works", they are inlaid maps with acrylic on panels. Annnnd I totally want one. Or five. But you know I'm on a budget....

Props to Double Takes for the head's up - well spotted!

Media, Darlings...

Miss Representation 8 min. Trailer 8/23/11 from Miss Representation on Vimeo.

This topic is so incredibly important. I can't wait for the actual movie to come out!