Perhaps this should be an apt description of why I blog. Alas, the truth is that I have a head cold and it has put me out of commission on the second half of the first week of school. I’ve made it to the first days of class, but I’ve had to cancel some second classes. There’s a night class I have to make it to tonight and I’m going to have to cut that one short. Thank God I don’t teach on Friday or Saturday.
This spring, I am forced to wake up super early a few mornings out of the week. I’m not a morning person, so I must resort to using one of those ungodly contraptions – an alarm clock. Whether it’s a wind-up, something digital with a mildly offensive noise, or some music, an alarm clock is an alarm clock is an alarm clock. Not even something like the iHome is exempt.
It’s hard for me to say what my students are like so far. Right now, all I can think about is 30 odd faces per class, and I can’t remember a single one. First days of class always feels like I’ve drank five triple espressos, a definite effect of meeting all of these people. I usually have my students say something about themselves that makes them unique, so thing I did when introducing myself was to come out as an introvert. Some students followed suit and said they were shy, while others were more than happy to say a few things about themselves.
Anyhoo, I’ve got to rest up for the evening class. I’ll keep the first session short as I don’t want to be “an incubus of the viral plague.”
Here is this week’s episode, scientifically reduced to pill form.
Little did the designers know in this week’s episode is that they would be jazzing for blue jeans. Last season, when Tim Gunn took those designers on a field trip to a warehouse, they had to create a garment made of recyclable materials. These designers get to recycle, but it’s not as green as the last challenge. They have to reinvent however many pairs of Levi’s they can grab from clotheslines suspended over a very dirty floor.
Jillian is obviously running on a creative high from last week’s trench coat. She decides to recreate the magic with a more futuristic design, only to find Victorya also attempting to make a coat. It’s hard to tell if Victorya has a similar inspired buzz as Jillian’s or if this is a case of plagiarism. The big problem with Victorya’s is that she adds on elements to an existing jacket torso, and it’s there for everyone to see. Sweet P initially sets out to create a wedding dress, but heeds Tim Gunn’s advice and makes something more wearable. It’s a sheath, but at least she saved herself to do something more ambitious in the weeks to come.
Rami doesn’t quite identify with the iconic value of denim, but he works with it as a material and creates something that wows the judges, who have gotten sick of his draping. He creates an elegant cocktail dress, and he does something very similar to what JeffreySebelia did on his Fashion Week show – zippers along the seams.
That lightning bolt has definitely protected Harry Potter many times, culminating in immunity this week. He reinvents the jacket in his usual ruffly manner, but he also creates a pair of jeans and uses jacket cuffs for the legs. It’s the most original and both are sellable as separates, but doesn’t stand out.
Chris March has definitely succeed Bjork Lady as the resident wacko. While she had a variety of things at her disposal (handsewing, spit-marking, a surprising dose of sexual puritanism, using grass stains on her fabrics), Chris March speaks to and listens to his garments. While there is a metaphoric approach about how projects speak to you and how it tells you its finished, he has taken it to a literal level. He must have also had the phone line to Kevin, as he had a few frayed seams that he didn’t want to change.
Ricky has a breakdown this week. While Jillian is the queen of the workroom meltdown, Ricky has chosen the runway as his platform. This time, he responds to positive criticism this way, as he has been through the roller coaster this whole season with the judges often hating his work. Micheal Kors can’t resist talking about Amy Winehouse in reference to the dress and the model’s hair. His attempt at a cocktail dress succeeds and he wins the challenge, vindicating himself from Harry Potter’s earlier bitchy stares.
Between someone with a not so fabulous coat and someone who slapped one together with a literal jacket, the latter goes home. Alas, Victorya goes home.
Rate the runway! Check out the looks for yourself.
It’s been quite a week. It wasn’t my intention to go dark on the blog last week, but I didn’t have the time nor the inclination to post anything beyond the one that announced the death of my relative. I picked up some hours at the language school in the morning mainly because I said yes to it the week before, but given the sudden change, it gave some normalcy in my life (as if there is any) while the rest of it was visiting my uncle, making sure he’s ok before and after the funeral.
I started reading an interesting book about Starbucks, that went by the wayside. I picked it up again this week, an interesting read so far. I finished Deer Hunting With Jesus some time ago, and I’ll do a post on it soon.
At the language school, I had a very cool group. While not the rowdy crowd of last summer’s Ju-Ju story, this group was intelligent and eager to learn. There was a retired psychologist from Germany whose husband was conducting the Wagner opera now playing in San Diego. While I’m not a regular opera goer, I must go to this one as this is too good of a story to let it end without me going.
Right now, it’s faculty development week at several of the schools I teach. I briefly saw Rob and chatted a bit, but we were at the English department meeting for the school where we both teach. We’ll most likely stay sane through making postcards and pursuing other creative avenues, and then reading each other’s blog entries about it.
Earlier this afternoon, a friend of mine called me to tell me Heath Ledgerdied. Right after I finished talking to him, I called Gary, my friend the former Baptist minister/Brokeback Mountain afficionado, and left a message on his voice mail. It only seemed right as he was the novella’s biggest proponent (among the people I know) and he got all his friends to see the movie the night of its release. Heath Ledger in his portrayal of Ennis had touched Gary’s life on some level. After he called me back, I learned a few other of his friends, including our mutual friend Jaylen, called him with the news as well.
Then there are the friends who annoy me. Well, one friend, Mr Pushy, who invited me as his guest to a party he was invited to. On Saturday, the day of the party, I got cold feet after hanging out with my uncle all day. I wanted to have some time alone, so I called him to bail out of it. I made the mistake of asking him if he would be offended if I didn’t come instead of simply telling him why I did not want to go. He then told me he would be, making me feel cornered. I didn’t have a bad time at the party, but it didn’t leave me feeling good about him as a friend. There was something else, but I can’t talk about it. However, it bothered me for the past couple of days. I tried calling him yesterday, but couldn’t get a hold of him. I finally got a hold of him and aired my gripes. From his end, my trying to back out of the party pissed him off as he RSVP’d.
I explained my position, where I told him the reasons why, and he in turn tried explained his reasons. I don’t think we’ll ever quite agree here. Somehow, I left the conversation feeling like being his friend was more of a chore than before. He seems to be of the mindset that when you say you’re going to do something, you should do it. He’s not crazy about people changing their minds. He told me it was something he was working on himself. How come attempts at personal growth have the ironic effect where they are hard on you when you reflect their faults?
I feel if someone tries to communicate their trying to back out, it’s better than some other ways they could go about it. There’s one time honored, passive aggressive means of bailing out: standing someone up. I didn’t do that.
He said I had a pattern of “doing this” (which I don’t quite understand). I always love it when people make abstract cases like this, especially since he didn’t seem to have the time nor desire to explain it. While I can’t think other attempts to flake out right off the top of my head, he might hold my refusal to go out with him to the bars when he has the itch to go out against me.
I guess I really should think about why I resist being social with this friend, especially at times when he seems to need me.
Here is a recap of the episode, scientifically reduced to pill form:
This has now become Project Burnout. As each new challenge is revealed and as Tim Gunn reveals more details and even more last minute details, no one is excited. In fact, some are pissed. I can’t quite blame them after being sleep deprived, facing break-neck studio schedules, and constant verbal abuse from the judges. Episode 8‘s challenge met with much enthusiasm? Create an avant-garde dress based on a model’s hairstyle.
Given that, all seems to be going well when they start working on their dresses. Chris March and Harry Potter team up to create a layered, ruffled dress with a Mickey Mouse ear on top of one shoulder, while Kit Pistol and Ricky seem to thrive on creative energy from the collaboration (“the girl in me and the bitch in you” in Ricky’s words). Victorya and Jillian both are initially uneasy about assuming team leadership, but the role ultimately goes to Jillian. Unlike Victorya’s previous team (with Ricky), this one is more productive with them creating a fabulous trench coat (while falling desperately behind on other pieces). While Rami and Sweet P are initially happy to be working together, this doesn’t last too long as Rami’s not willing to listen Sweet P’s ideas.
In the midst of working on this couture-like assignment, the designers receive a visit from Tim Gunn, who surprisingly drops a bomb: they must create a second dress, a ready to wear version of the first. And it must be done the next day. None of them are happy, especially Harry Potter, whose “How dare you” expression clearly replaces his usual affected indifference. However, no one bitches for too long, as they have deadlines to meet. However, Jillian has a brief meltdown at the sewing machine.
With Bjork Lady gone, Chris is now the official resident eccentric. When he builds the epaulet for the dress, he jokes about it being a cell phone tower. He also says he has instructions from Elisa. Next week’s trailer hints that he has more silliness for us.
Rami fills a shirt quite nicely, and we’ve seen in a past episode that he unfills it just as well.
Jillian is able to pull it together and barely stitch things up in time.
Despite Harry Potter’s initial reaction to the second challenge, he creates a definitely wearable version of the big, poofy dress. His counting on Chris March to help him create simply utterly wacky pays off, as Michael Kors and Nina Garcia love it. The guys also win the challenge, though Michael Kors can’t resist pointing out that the pencil skirt on the ready to wear outfit is throwaway. However, that the blouse can be worn with anything, including the run of the mill skirt, shows that it is succeeding.
Jillian and Victorya’s punk rock/equestrian look is the best one. The ready to wear version doesn’t have as much hanger appeal, but it would still spark conversations at a cocktail party.
Kit Pistol and Ricky had a great hairstyle to work with, the model with the birdnesty hair. They could have created something more sensuous than a hoop dress (which was too quilty, and not in an interesting Jay way). The ready to wear version is an undersized baby doll/chemise hybrid that looks like it could be picked up in some very cheap store in LA’s Garment District. Alas, punk rock girl Kit goes home, while Ricky is guaranteed to eventually break out singing Celine Dion’s “My Heart Goes On…” and beating his chest at the same time. Well, he is good to go on having another teary moment in the work room or the runway.
Rami’s drapey number was, well, interesting. He creates a corset (an unusual move) framed by flowing fabric. Sweet P created the pants underneath and she also created the ready to wear version, which has incredible hanger appeal and any woman would want to wear it. Rami’s avant-garde version is very reminiscent of Jean-PaulGaultier, as it looks like it wouldn’t be out of place on Madonna’s Blond Ambition tour or The Fifth Element. Perhaps the derivative nature is more the reason why Rami’s dress doesn’t succeed instead of the judges trying to say he’s a one note with the draping. Thankfully, he and Sweet P are still in the running (I didn’t want to see either of them go).
Sorry for the late post, but I hope this whets your appetite for tomorrow’s episode, where Chris March is confirmed to carry the torch of Bjork Lady’s silliness. Also, check out Episode 8′s runway and rate the outfits.
This is a sequel of sorts to a post from last year where I posted some pictures of the Metro in response to a post Brian wrote. I took this picture around the same time period as those of the Foggy Bottom station. This one’s taken in the Corcoran Gallery. There was an Andy Warhol exhibit and just as I was going to snap a picture of a Dolly Parton silkscreen, the security guard told me I couldn’t take any pictures. I put the camera into my pocket, looked at more paintings until I came into this room. I looked in both directions to see if any guards were coming, and there were none, so I quickly took this picture. It is one my favorite pictures that I have taken.
I got the news from my cousin Lynn on Sunday night that my Aunt Dorothy died. She was the wife of my Uncle John (my father’s uncle, actually, as he’s one of my paternal grandmother’s brothers). I’ve known her since I was about four or five years old, shortly after we arrived in the U.S. from Japan.
I spent the good part of this afternoon visiting my Uncle John, who lives in northern San Diego. Several of Aunt Dorothy’s daughters, one grand daughter and husband, and great grand children were at his house to keep him company and deal with all the lovely things that must be taken care of when someone leaves this world: funeral arrangements, obituaries, and the hospice coming to collect their equipment.
There’s a lot I could say right now, but I’m not in a scribbly mood right now. The funeral’s on Friday, and I’ll no doubt see some relatives I haven’t seen in a long time.
I got this piece of Bjork news from my friend Sharon. It takes courage to approach Bjork, as a photographer in Auckland, New Zealand found out. Like the incident in Bangkok over a decade ago, Bjork was apprehended by a member of the press at the airport. She, of course, didn’t take too kindly to his picture taking.
There will probably be a vid of this incident later on YouTube, but it involves torn clothing (the photographer) and Bjork falling on the ground. All I have to say about it is that he should have known better. To quote Perez, “Don’t mess with Bjork. She’ll fuck you up!”
Here is the now classic vid of Bjork attacking a reporter in Bangkok:
