For the Love of Art

Ray, originally uploaded by toddv.

I don't own much in the way of art, but I can say that I have a Todd V @ my place. It's nice and colorful. But not nearly as cool as this rendition of Ray Charles by Todd V.

I first spotted one of Todd V's painting in an Arabica Coffeehouse in Akron. It was too expensive for me to afford. But I checked out his webbie and his eBay store. It was through eBay that I became an owner of a Todd V painting. I think it's cool.

Check out his store on eBay and/or his Flickr photostream. Eye candy.

Communicating via Signs

I sometimes visit this webbie called Overlooked. It has some weekly challenges for photography and journaling.

There was a recent post about signs - (see my take on that one). Well, as I was flipping through my photos, I did notice that I have a good amount of signs. This is soooo how I live. Give me a well-placed and legible sign w/a nice sized font and I am a happy girl! For real.

Sunday Morning Sighting

I recently had a Yard Sale. I made about $40. Not bad, but interestingly enough while I was trying to sell my wares early on Sunday morning, this sight trotted by:

Now, if you must ask if I live in Amish town, the answer is no. I was quite surprised and I had my camera nearby to capture the moment - though it was moving much faster than I thought these kinds of things move.

I do not know where it came from nor where it was going ... see what happens on the streets when we are sleeping in ...

I Love This City - Cleveland!

I've been fiddling around w/my cam - a Canon A570 IS - changing the picture taking modes and trying to adjust for lighting and what not. Sometimes I do okay; other times I get frustrated and occasionally I get and ah ha moment.

Here's a few pix w/me behind the lens - first up, the Detroit-Superior Bridge: one of many connections from downtown Cleveland to the west side over the Cuyahoga River. The first image is a bit darker, but it's more focused. While the second image is brighter but more unfocused. Obviously, I need to practice a bit more...:

And up next is mostly a blur and that is what you get when you are me in a moving vehicle; while it does have a bit of a cool factor, you can not determine that I am actually in downtown Cleveland, but you'll have to take my word for it. I was on Superior just past the Main Library, heading west...:

What do you have? If you've got something, share it, if not, get out the cam and start flashing - the camera that is!

For All Doc Lovers

Check out the webbie SnagFilms.com where you can watch lots and lots of documentaries. Like "Super Size Me". Ha. The site is still in beta, but I hope to see it grow in the upcoming months. What I've learned - from an article in USA today - is that you can not submit your own doc(s). Don't know why, but that is how it is for now. Just sharing the love.

Where I'm Livin

I love street signs. Sometimes I take pix of them. But I am so dependent on street signs. And I like street signs that are large and very visible; as in they are very hard to miss.

So I saw something recently about documenting the street signs where you live. I might get around to that, but I love Flickr for this very reason - someone else has already taken pix of various street signs.

Here's a mosaic for the occasion:

What I've Learned/Realized Recently

... if you have good news, then share it w/everyone and not just a few, select people.

... if you have visitors, don't be rude and leave them w/o asking if they want to join you.

... if someone does something that you don't appreciate, you could be the bigger person and forget about it.

... the craft item that is on sale this week, will probably go on sale again in the near future.

... there is power in positive thinking (this one was reinforced).

... how cool would it be if more people were helpful to one another?

... I'd like to ride the bus or train to work regularly.

... if I had a dog, I'd choke up the leash when walking; just as a courtesy to other walkers.

... if you take a phone call in front of people, make the call short - don't be rude.

... if you don't have time time talk, then let the call go to voicemail as opposed to answering the phone then rushing the caller off the line.

Washington, DC Vacation - part 4

Just a few final pix. This one is from the Art Sculpture Garden; a take on "The Thinker."

The next two were taken from the roof of the Newseum. Awesome view. Even the elevator ride up was nice - it's a glass elevator; very cool.

The pic above is the National Gallery of Art. Good stuff.

Washington, DC Vacation - part 3

Happy 4th of July folks!

So I'm continuing to reminisce about my recent fab vacation to the Chocolate City.

This time I will focus on the Newseum. It's a museum that focuses on news and news history. I remember going to the Newseum when it was in Reston, VA. It closed several years ago in order to get the new digs up and running. Well, it took a long time, but the new facility is in prime space near the National Mall and other Smithsonian museums.

The new Newseum opened this past April and is very, very nice and swank. Oh, but I must warn you that the admission fee is $20 and it is non-negotiable (unless you go w/a group and then I think tix might be $12). People balk at the price because most of the museums in D.C. are funded w/our tax dollars and have free admission.

I was too elated that the museum was open and I was there and I wanted to experience every bit of it. So I went by myself since I thought I'd run the risk of going w/someone who would be bored w/it all in like 60 minutes.

I think that it is a wonderful place. I really enjoyed the Journalists Memorial (below). It is quite moving. There are lots of small theaters that show short films and that's cool too. I liked seeing lots of the old newspapers as well.

There was a Berlin Wall exhibit, a G-Men exhibit and an area dedicated to 9-11. Oh, and I think my fav section was the Pulitzer Prize winning Photos area. So much to see in one image.

They also have an area where you can produce a newscast. There is just a wealth of information and things to do, however, $20 is too much. They should really reconsider the price because I think people will enjoy it, but you have to get them there and $20 will certainly scare away the non-news type. Take the Virtual Tour; it's cool too and it's free!

Washington, DC Vacation - part 2

Here are more pix from my vacation in DC.

I went to several museums and as a result I check out lots of exhibits. Good stuff too. Like the image above. That is one of the pieces at the National Gallery of Art. The artist is Martin Puryear. Many of his pieces are huge. He uses mesh, wood, and lots of other materials to create. I am so excited that I had a chance to see his work.

"Recognize" is a hip hop exhibit at the Smithsonian American Art Museum - National Portrait Gallery. Hip hop is where my heart is so I had a fabulous time viewing this small exhibit. See a more detailed review on my hip hip blog.

Up next, I'll talk about my much hyped visit to the Newseum. Loved it.

The P-A Turnpike ... crazy!

So, I've been on vacation and my sis and I decided to drive to Ohio from Washington, DC. Not such a big deal. It's roughly a 5 1/2-6 hour drive. That is if the Pennsylvania Turnpike is not shut down.

That's right, just as we are approaching the Breezewood area, traffic comes to a stand still. Crazy since we were ready to gas up, get coffee and got to the restroom. Instead, we begin to call friends to see if anyone can get on the Internet and figure out what the problem is. We also scan the radio to see if there is any information there.

Low and behold, we have answers - still stuck in traffic, but we know why the traffic is stopped. Apparently it was a scheduled shut down. That's right, the Pennsylvania Turnpike was shut down for a bike race. This was about 2 p.m. on a Thursday. I am still scratching my head on this one. How and why do you shut down a major interstate for a bike race?