Category: misc
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Business Idea: West Philly Landscaping
Please, someone, jump on the opportunity that is small-scale landscaping in West Philly! Everyone loves a pretty yard. I see people stop in front of flowers, smell and take pictures of blooms, kick around fallen cherry blossoms in the spring, and point out the unexpected–a sea of tulips, an old twisted spruce, banana palm trees, […]
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Mobile Device dependency
My smartphone is a curse and I know I’m not the only one who feels this way. Take the test to see if you have a problem relationship with your mobile device: What’s your score? Swap out “Mobile Device” with “Alcohol” and that’s the same test medical professionals use to screen for alcoholism. And look […]
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“Don’t Break the Chain”
Do something every day. Mark it on the calendar. Grow the chain of X’s. Don’t break the chain. Print out the DON’T BREAK THE CHAIN calendar and get started.
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Quick Ugly Housing = Future Affordable Housing?
Is Raleigh getting ugly, or is it just me? Raleigh is quickly looking like a second-tier replica city dictated by developer’s profit margins. All of our new housing developments are plywood wrapped in terrible materials; they’re poorly designed, unfriendly to the street, and, frankly, an eyesore. Elan City Center could be one of those at Clark+Oberlin, on N Boylan, S […]
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My NYE Wishes for Raleigh: A List
I think about Raleigh all the time. I want to make it better, I want to contribute, I want to provide services to encourage a thriving urban center. Here are some of my wishes for the New Year. I wish for increased ridership on public transportation; dedicated bike lanes; attainable rents for startup businesses or […]
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Notes of Civility
A letter on civility from Anton Chekhov to his older brother, a drunk painter and writer, from Letters of Note. To my mind, civilized people ought to satisfy the following conditions: 1. They respect the individual and are therefore always indulgent, gentle, polite and compliant. They do not throw a tantrum over a hammer or a lost […]
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Breaking in Raw Selvage denim!
Fall 2011Spring 2013 If only I had a better camera… These are the Nash, my 12oz denim that I’ve beat up over the past 3 years–they are 2nd skin now! I have more posts (and images) about my love for denim (the Edmunds) and where I’ve taken them (the cabin trip, the canoe trip, and Puerto Rico) The Nash Fall 2012 […]
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Thoughts on Passion and Creating
James Rhodes, a concert pianist, speaks on how creativity is “beaten into submission”, that we have allowed our daily tasks and the internet to dominate our lives. James asserts that we devote the extra time in our lives to doing something creative, whatever that may be. He goes on to describe his lifestyle as a concert pianist–it’s […]
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be an enthusiast
“I began to realize how important it was to be an enthusiast in life. He taught me that if you are interested in something, no matter what it is, go at it at full speed ahead. Embrace it with both arms, hug it, love it and above all become passionate about it. Lukewarm is no […]
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I have (had) a Tumblr
I started this a long time ago to save images, music, and text that was hard to track on my laptop and invariably slowed it down. I refer to it as my inspiration board, or, The Board. As a warning, it is ~2% NSFW. Here is the link: http://cathxrine.tumblr.com/
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“When children have nothing to do now, they immediately switch on the TV, the computer, the phone or some kind of screen. The time they spend on these things has increased. But children need to have stand-and-stare time, time imagining and pursuing their own thinking processes or assimilating their experiences through play or just observing […]
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Puerto Rico Trip + Lists
for the next week: 1 backpack, 0 laptops What I packed: Clothes: straw hat, vans hat, rain jacket, underwear, socks, bikini, board shorts, cut off shorts, edmund jeans, belt, blue polo, button down, blue sweater, 4 v-necks, 3 cutoff t-shirts, running shorts and shirt, nikes (these or these would have been better), and vans Other: toothbrush […]
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Knife in the Water (1962) movie stills
I recently watched my first Roman Polanski film, his debut, Knife in the Water. Polanski co-wrote and directed the 1962 film which takes places mainly on a boat featuring only 3 actors. A married couple pick up a young hitchhiker and invite him to spend the night aboard their boat. The film is tense and beautifully framed. The […]
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The 12 Terrors of Christmas by Edward Gorey x John Updike
Edward Gorey has long been my favorite illustrator, ever since I saw his opening sequence for “Mystery!”. “The 12 Terrors of Christmas” pairs Gorey’s illustrations with text from John Updike to address the trappings of the holiday season. Merry Christmas!
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Jose González’s Album Art
Jose González is an Argentinian classical guitarist from Sweden. I first heard of him when a friend covered “Heartbeats” in college. Because I download a lot of my music, I never see the album art. So, here it is; I love the consistency. The illustrations are as soft and complex as his music.
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A solution for small closets: an Open-Air Closet
I have a tiny closet and ran out of space long ago. The cheapest solution is hooks but it is ugly and in randomly placed holes from the previous tenants. I have thought about clothing racks but they are bulky and cold. Then I realized all my wooden hangers have swivel hooks and can hang […]
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Cabin Trip and Gear
This weekend I’m going to a 100+ year old cabin deep in the Piedmont wilderness with 8 close friends. It is heated by a big-bellied wood stove, lit by candles and gas lights and the outhouse is a 2-seater out back. I’ll be back Monday! Here is the majority of the gear I’m bringing à la […]
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Robert Capa, War Photographer
If your pictures aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough – Robert Capa Robert Capa documented 5 wars before stepping on a landmine in the French Indochina War, a precursor to the U.S. involvement in Vietnam. He first gained recognition in 1936 for a photograph taken during the Spanish Civil War, The Falling Man. […]
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Compare the 2012 Democratic and Republican Platforms
Amit Asaravala compiled the Democratic and Republican Party Platform documents into a fantastic comparative chart. I know it’s long, but if you have the time, read this! There is always more than one issue at stake when voting. Make sure you’re registered to vote in your state; there are a lot of laws that might prevent […]
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Food Truck Site Plans Before and After
For the food truck application I had to make a site plan, or hire someone else to do it. It was the best part of the application process, by far. Check out Spaceship Quesadilla if you get the chance. Here is the layout of the truck, first, the original with all the measurements, then, the […]
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Heart of Darkness/Apocalypse Now mashup
…featuring audio of Orson Welles reading the Heart of Darkness with video and audio from Apocalypse Now and Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse.
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Django Unchained Trailer – Tarantino
ahh Tarantino’s “Southern” movie trailer has finally been released…another inventive soundtrack and cast including Jamie Foxx (much better than the rumored WIll Smith), Christoph Waltz (the Jew Hunter from Inglorious Bastards, who I predict to become a Tarantino regular) and Leonardo DiCaprio. . His thoughts: “I wanted to explore something that really hasn’t been done, I […]
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Joan of Arc’s Feast Day
FORWARD BOLDLY Jehanne d’Arc, The Maid of Orléans Born 1412 | Burned 1431 | Canonized 1920 Patron Saint of Soldiers, France and Me One life is all we have and we live it as we believe in living it. But to sacrifice what you are and to live without belief, that is a fate more terrible […]
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Escher
Would M.C. Escher have become the artist he was if technology was what it is today? Doubt it – this would have been shared on Instagram and Facebook instead of drawn and published.
Catherine R. Hofmann 