Over at my Stars Hollow blog I talked about the 'train wreck' that was Joaquin Phoenix's interview with David Letterman a couple of weeks ago. (If you haven't seen it or don't know what I am talking about then head over and check it out)
There is much debate over whether he is staging the whole 'flipped out' routine but the majority of people seem to think he is genuinely struggling with some major demons. He has a history of instability and drug dependence.
This brings me to the point of my post. I was wondering in the light of this what people thought of Ben Stiller impersonating Joaquin at the Oscar's?
I found it treading that very fine line between humour and plain bad taste that I guess is what comedians are so good at. I just felt that although it was wickedly on the money, should we be ridiculing a man who clearly may have mental health issues?
What do you think?
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Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
Puppy class :: Indy's graduation!
Indy just graduated from puppy classes this evening! Matt and I are so proud of her and want to thank her trainer, Jesse, for being fantastic throughout these past 8 weeks. We went through Petsmart in Salem and couldn't be happier with the results. Thank you Jesse!!!
After class, Matt, Indy, and I went over to see a coworker to help move some furniture. It was dark out and I couldn't see the whole backyard, but it was supposedly fenced in completely. We let Indy run in the yard and I kept checking her every couple minutes because I wasn't 100% comfortable. She actually would run around when I was outside with her and then when I came inside, she would just give me that dog face through the glass saying "let me in with you!" with her eyes. Then, the worst case scenario! I couldn't see her and went out back and couldn't find her! I called for her and she is normally perfect at coming when called, but she didn't come. I scoured the yard in the dark and found that one post in the fence was missing!! She got out and was in an unfamiliar neighborhood! I was so scared and frantic. I even slipped on the wet deck and fell completely in my scramble to find her. Apparently, she was so desperate to find us that she found her own way out and ran to the front of the house and into the garage where Matt and his coworker were moving furniture. Whew! She actually had to run into the street and around the block to get to the front of the house. I kept her on a leash for the rest of the evening. I think the puppy classes helped keep her from running away completely. In class, we trained her to "come" even when we are out of sight and before Indy could hear me, she found Matt. Huskies are actually one of those breeds that can't be trusted off leash in the open, but Indy is always so desperate to be close to us and by our side so VERY fortunately, we didn't lose her tonight.
Here are some puppy graduation photos. Jesse... if you are reading this post, please email me your email. I lost your business card in the dark when I was running around looking for our pup!
I love the picture with her eyes closed. "I'm SO happy!!!"
"bleh!!"
Indy loves to "shake".
"congrats to me!"
"I'm shy." Such a faker.
After class, Matt, Indy, and I went over to see a coworker to help move some furniture. It was dark out and I couldn't see the whole backyard, but it was supposedly fenced in completely. We let Indy run in the yard and I kept checking her every couple minutes because I wasn't 100% comfortable. She actually would run around when I was outside with her and then when I came inside, she would just give me that dog face through the glass saying "let me in with you!" with her eyes. Then, the worst case scenario! I couldn't see her and went out back and couldn't find her! I called for her and she is normally perfect at coming when called, but she didn't come. I scoured the yard in the dark and found that one post in the fence was missing!! She got out and was in an unfamiliar neighborhood! I was so scared and frantic. I even slipped on the wet deck and fell completely in my scramble to find her. Apparently, she was so desperate to find us that she found her own way out and ran to the front of the house and into the garage where Matt and his coworker were moving furniture. Whew! She actually had to run into the street and around the block to get to the front of the house. I kept her on a leash for the rest of the evening. I think the puppy classes helped keep her from running away completely. In class, we trained her to "come" even when we are out of sight and before Indy could hear me, she found Matt. Huskies are actually one of those breeds that can't be trusted off leash in the open, but Indy is always so desperate to be close to us and by our side so VERY fortunately, we didn't lose her tonight.
Here are some puppy graduation photos. Jesse... if you are reading this post, please email me your email. I lost your business card in the dark when I was running around looking for our pup!
I love the picture with her eyes closed. "I'm SO happy!!!"
"bleh!!"
Indy loves to "shake".
"congrats to me!"
"I'm shy." Such a faker.
Simplicity
Sorry this week's post is a day late. We spent all of yesterday trying to fit a tutorial about simplicity and layout composition into one blog post, and it simply won't work! So, this morning we'll set the stage for a discussion about assembling meaningful and attractive scrapbook pages, and then we'll keep the conversation going with two or three more posts over the next couple of days.
Let's talk about simplicity. The famous English poet, William Wordsworth, said, "How many (people) undervalue the power of simplicity! It is the real key to the heart."
We live in a crazy, busy world, and it's easy for all the noise and distractions to crowd out what really matters in life. Usually, the things that do matter - like family and friends, favorite places, and beloved memories - end up on the pages of our scrapbooks! So, when scrapbooking any of life's simple pleasures, the last thing we want is for the busy-ness of the scrapbook page to crowd out the simple beauty of the subject.
These days, gorgeous paper is an important part of just about every scrapbook layout. Also, embellishments provide a fun and sometimes funky way to attach images to a page, spell out our thoughts, and add a creative touch to memory keepsakes. The trick to using these resources in scrapbooking is finding the right balance between enhancing your layouts, and overwhelming them. Albert Einstein said it best, "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler."
The pictures below present two example layouts showcasing the same photo. Layout 1 has a lot of potential, but it's what we're going to use as our example of a cluttered, overwhelmed layout. Most of the techniques used on Layout 1 look great on their own, or in combination with one or two other techniques. Together, though, the techniques are so busy it's easy to miss the picture right in the center of it all.
Layout 2 is our example of a simpler, more memorable layout.
Layout 2
Here, then, is the first of three guidelines we'll be sharing over the next few days, for using simple composition to complement the content of your scrapbook projects.
1. The grid is your friend.
The "grid" simply refers to an underlying structure of any piece of artwork or graphic material.
The grid, in scrapbooking terms, is the set of implied horizontal, vertical, and circular lines that guide where page elements are laid out. You cannot see it directly. But you can tell where the lines are by how photos, labels, and pieces of paper line up across the page. In layouts where you want to convey faithfulness, honesty, warmth, comfort, strength, and happiness, a page divided into four sections (vertically, horizontally, or both) is the way to go. We used a four by four grid for Layout 2. For layouts that feature adventure, spontaneity, fun times, play time, love, variety, and family, dividing the page into thirds works really well.
Below, you'll see both Layouts 1 and 2 with an overlay of the grid lines on each. Is the grid for Layout 2 more pleasing to your eye? Why? Because the human eye loves pattern and repetition. It's perfectly fine to alter that pattern, and breaking out of the grid with one or two page elements usually creates visual interest. But the mish-mashed grid in Layout 1 leaves your eye confused on where to focus, on what's important (click the image below to enlarge for detail).
Basically, think of an attractive grid like it's the Yellow Brick Road of your layout. Your layout can have a straight forward grid that leads you right where you want to go, or the grid can wind it's way through the layout, with visual adventures along the way, inviting you to turn the next page. The main goal in setting up a simple grid is to lead your eyes to a brilliant memory at the end of the road.
More to come! Check back tomorrow for the second guideline to simple, beautiful composition!
Let's talk about simplicity. The famous English poet, William Wordsworth, said, "How many (people) undervalue the power of simplicity! It is the real key to the heart."
We live in a crazy, busy world, and it's easy for all the noise and distractions to crowd out what really matters in life. Usually, the things that do matter - like family and friends, favorite places, and beloved memories - end up on the pages of our scrapbooks! So, when scrapbooking any of life's simple pleasures, the last thing we want is for the busy-ness of the scrapbook page to crowd out the simple beauty of the subject.
These days, gorgeous paper is an important part of just about every scrapbook layout. Also, embellishments provide a fun and sometimes funky way to attach images to a page, spell out our thoughts, and add a creative touch to memory keepsakes. The trick to using these resources in scrapbooking is finding the right balance between enhancing your layouts, and overwhelming them. Albert Einstein said it best, "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler."
The pictures below present two example layouts showcasing the same photo. Layout 1 has a lot of potential, but it's what we're going to use as our example of a cluttered, overwhelmed layout. Most of the techniques used on Layout 1 look great on their own, or in combination with one or two other techniques. Together, though, the techniques are so busy it's easy to miss the picture right in the center of it all.
Layout 1
Layout 2
1. The grid is your friend.
The "grid" simply refers to an underlying structure of any piece of artwork or graphic material.
The grid, in scrapbooking terms, is the set of implied horizontal, vertical, and circular lines that guide where page elements are laid out. You cannot see it directly. But you can tell where the lines are by how photos, labels, and pieces of paper line up across the page. In layouts where you want to convey faithfulness, honesty, warmth, comfort, strength, and happiness, a page divided into four sections (vertically, horizontally, or both) is the way to go. We used a four by four grid for Layout 2. For layouts that feature adventure, spontaneity, fun times, play time, love, variety, and family, dividing the page into thirds works really well.
Below, you'll see both Layouts 1 and 2 with an overlay of the grid lines on each. Is the grid for Layout 2 more pleasing to your eye? Why? Because the human eye loves pattern and repetition. It's perfectly fine to alter that pattern, and breaking out of the grid with one or two page elements usually creates visual interest. But the mish-mashed grid in Layout 1 leaves your eye confused on where to focus, on what's important (click the image below to enlarge for detail).
Basically, think of an attractive grid like it's the Yellow Brick Road of your layout. Your layout can have a straight forward grid that leads you right where you want to go, or the grid can wind it's way through the layout, with visual adventures along the way, inviting you to turn the next page. The main goal in setting up a simple grid is to lead your eyes to a brilliant memory at the end of the road.
More to come! Check back tomorrow for the second guideline to simple, beautiful composition!
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