Wake up!

Sooo, it's been a while. I'm pretty sure winter ate my soul. It's only been two months into the year, and I've given up on it at least a half-dozen times already. Hopefully 2015 will be a better year, but it's time for me to crawl out of hibernation and try to salvage what's left of this year (I'm aware that a great big chunk of it's left, but I'm still bitter about winter, so don't push me.)

In an effort to snap myself out of this funk, I've (stupidly) decided to participate in two challenges this month. The first is at my yoga studio. We're doing 30 classes in 30 days. I know how likely I am to crap out at any time, so I'm front-loading my month... today was Day 1, and I took two classes. Go me! Providing I can move my arms and legs in the morning, I'll go to the 9:30 AM class. Did I mention I also have two concerts to sing in this weekend? I'm clearly insane. At least this time I don't have house guests. My parents usually come up for all performances (they're maddeningly supportive), but my mother has a bad cold, and we're apparently all going to be snowed in with 15 feet of snow, or some nonsense like that. So I suppose it really is working out for the best. Oooh, and I have a sinus infection, but I'm on some lovely meds for that. Yeah, I've lost my damn mind.

Challenge two: To post to my blog every day this month. Yup. It's NaBloPoMo, and the theme is Self, so you can expect full lists of every part of my body that hurt from my yoga challenge. I'm also going to get a new phone (I really am this time), and I want to be able to take professional looking photos on the go, so you'll probably get a lot of me screwing around with whatever piece of technology I decide to go to battle with (really, technology hates me. I'm pretty sure it all knows I'd rather have paper and write with a fancy quill and develop photos in a darkroom...). But this is my month. New Year's resolutions always fail miserably (when you bother to make them at all), so this is my Get Your Shit Together month. Turn inward, look outward, and wake up. Some day it will be warm enough for flip-flops.

December Things

So the Holidays came and went, the New Year did the same, and I suppose it's time I catch up on blog posts. I'm not really sure I ever got fully in the spirit this year, and I'm still not celebrating with my parents till the end of January, so I guess I'm allowed to be really off kilter about the whole thing. I did manage to fit in some fun things, and of course I took pictures!

I went to the Carnegie Museum a couple of times, and since I used to work there, it's always a little like going home. I have to stop myself from going down staff hallways and snooping where I'm not supposed to be anymore. 

Chomp!

Aww, your wittle hands!

Rock illumination.

Should have been a geologist, I love rocks...

I had been trying to get there to see the International exhibit at the Art Museum, so when I found out they were also having a ceremony for the raising of the Tlingit Totem Pole that they had commissioned from artist Tommy Joseph, I had to go. The teensy tiny part of me that's Cherokee responds very strongly to all things Native American. Some day I'll learn more about that part of myself, but till then I'll just look at this awesome carving.

Curtain down.

He's holding a seal with his teeth. 

I always enjoy the International... since it's only held roughly every four years I like to think of it as the Olympics of modern art, just held permanently in Pittsburgh. I'm not much of a modern art girl, I like my things old and pretty, but it's always good for conversation. My thoughts are pretty much exactly in line with this article I read in Vanity Fair about the London Frieze art festival. "Contemporary art isn’t easy. It’s not obvious. You need to be told. This stuff has to be—simply has to be!—better than it looks."  I don't get it most of the time, but it's fun to look. 

I would use this giant cage, but not for my hosiery. 

Characters.

It's like a sideways sci-fi city.

These guns make music. 

These blocks of pressed paper will fall apart through the course of the exhibit. 

Pancreas pain is a real thing.

Since I went during the Holidays, they had Sculpture Hall decorated with trees and lights. It's one of my favorite rooms on a regular day, and this made it magical.

Orange cat in the tree.

Hanging angels.

I really love these. Remind me of 'What Dreams May Come'. 

Childhood tree.

It's just a short walk up the hill to Phipps Conservatory, and how could I pass up their Winter Garden? Especially since they have evening hours to show off all the lights. I love it so much, I even renewed my membership, so expect a whole year of flower photos.

Magically creepy tree.

Cathedral in the background.

Garden room. My favorite.

Christmas cottage.

Dino chase. :)

Winter garden orbs.

Pretty lights.

Hanging presents. 

This tree is fabulous. 

It was raining out the night I went to Phipps, so we happened to have a giant umbrella. And you know I couldn't contain my giddy excitement at all the lights, so naturally it led to me playing Mary Poppins. My dad took this photo. I love it.

Winds in the east, mist coming in. / Like somethin' is brewin' and bout to begin.

I'm In Love With Some Really Old Chairs

Last Saturday I got to do something really cool. My friend Emily and I volunteered to help set up for an event at the Braddock Carnegie Library, part of the Carnegie International this year.  We set up tables and moved around media displays (my shoulder still hurts) to get the place ready for All You Can Art, the kickoff of the Art Lending Collection, where you can check out pieces of artwork just like a book—you just need your library card.  How cool is that?! I had never been there before, so getting to explore the library building was pretty much like Christmas for me. I really recommend reading a little about the history HERE, but basically this library was the very first of all the Carnegie libraries, and it was almost demolished, but some seriously amazing people saved it, and are still in the process of bringing it all back to life.

Soo pretty

I love things with a history, and old buildings in particular. I like something with a story, even if the rest of the world has long since cast it aside. I’ve spent hours before on Flickr and Pinterest looking at pictures of urban decay, and marveling at how something so broken can still be unspeakably beautiful.

Empty chairs...

And every now and then you get people who love the broken thing so much that they are willing to try and put it back together, to give it new purpose. In our wanderings around the building (trying to find where the stash of tables lived) we came upon the auditorium, with rows of patchy velvet cushioned chairs that haven’t seen a proper audience in years. There, working after hours by himself, was awesome library guy. I feel terrible, I forget his name, but he’s amazing—working to replace the tiered floor that had been too damaged to support new seating. He said they originally just intended to reupholster the chairs, but as they took them out they found that the chairs were pretty much the only thing holding up the floor. This looks to be a huge undertaking, and I wish I had carpentry skills so that I could help them… I just felt an overwhelming love for that building and that room. When it’s done I’m going to the first performance, I don’t care what it is.

Balcony and new floors. 

Awesome Library Guy also makes picture frames out of the old pieces of wood, and I just happened to have cash with me (which never happens) so I picked out a nice frame to bring home with me. They also sell the frames behind the checkout desk, and he takes orders, so go buy some history. 

New chair prototype using the original ironworks.

Here's a really good article about the Art Lending Collection and the people who put it together: CLICK ME

Also, sorry the pictures aren't the best. All I had was my craptacular phone... if I had known the building was going to be a photographic treasure trove I would have brought the good camera. Oh well, now I have an excuse to go back!