Nothing in the world is more common than unsuccessful people with talent" -Banksy

There are several things in this world I really love; these include street artists and documentaries. So when street artists make documentaries naturally I'm intrigued. This is the case with Exit Through the Gift Shop, directed by Banksy. ETtGS follows an eccentric french film maker turned artist as he follows street artists in Los Angeles. Though presented as a documentary, there's wide speculation that the whole movie is an elaborate hoax, but regardless it is very entertaining, covers it's subject matter and includes footage of really interesting artwork. I like it.

“Have you ever been in love? Horrible isn't it? It makes you so vulnerable. It opens your chest and it opens up your heart and it means that someone can get inside you and mess you up. You build up all these defenses, you build up a whole suit of armor, so that nothing can hurt you, then one stupid person, no different from any other stupid person, wanders into your stupid life...You give them a piece of you. They didn't ask for it. They did something dumb one day, like kiss you or smile at you, and then your life isn't your own anymore. Love takes hostages. It gets inside you. It eats you out and leaves you crying in the darkness, so simple a phrase like 'maybe we should be just friends' turns into a glass splinter working its way into your heart. It hurts. Not just in the imagination. Not just in the mind. It's a soul-hurt, a real gets-inside-you-and-rips-you-apart pain. I hate love.”

-Neil Gaiman

"I think you're all mad. But that's part and parcel of being an artistic genius, isn't it? " -Charles de Lint

Lately I am slightly mesmerized by body painting . . .

In particular . . .

Liu Bolin:

Emma Hack:

Alexa Means: (Yes, that's an actual person she painted on. Incredible)

I just love it. I would love to do something like this one day.

The whole thing reminds me of this:

Home again, Home again . . .

The finals week from hell is finally over. After a 15 page exam, a 3 hour final, 2 scenes, an ensemble performance, 2 papers, an in class essay, a 200 page prompt book (I never want to look at that play again) APO initiation (congrats to our new members!) a meeting with the college’s president, staying up almost all night packing/cleaning, quick goodbyes to everyone and a 3 hour plane ride, I am back in Pennsylvania for the next month.

My break so far has consisted mainly of hot water bottles, painting, drinking tea, watching the snow out of my window, listening to Elliot Smith, and sleeping throughout the day. It is lovely. I have very few plans to move from my bed until January. At some point I will have to start applying for internships and writing my AERA conference paper and being a productive adult member of society, Jess and I have plans to go in to DC sometime next week to have a museum day and see the national tree, but for right now I am perfectly happy to sit here under my duvet and watch Richard III. (Ian Mckellen and Annette Bening performing Shakespeare? Yes please)

“That’s life. If nothing else, It’s life. It’s real, and sometimes it fuckin’ hurts, but it’s sort of all we have.” — Garden State

I do not know when the last time I was this tired was. I am running on no sleep in over 24 hours and too much caffeine. Also it is freezing. I know I am very whiney but it’s finals week and being dramatic is allowed.

I should be sleeping right now but my head is too full.

It’s weird how just one person can have such a huge impact on your life and then stop being part of it. It sucks. That’s all I’m going to say about that.

I am worried being a theatre major has made me love theatre less.

I can’t believe in one week the semester will be over. I feel like it’s gone by so quickly but at the same time so much has happened. It’s definitely been memorable. I need to stop being so angsty and go to sleep.

This is how I feel:

"I don't want to be an ant. You know? I mean, it's like we go through life with our antennas bouncing off one another, continously on ant autopilot, with nothing really human required of us. Stop. Go. Walk here. Drive there. All action basically for survival. All communication simply to keep this ant colony buzzing along in an efficient, polite manner. "Here's your change." "Paper or plastic?' "Credit or debit?" "You want ketchup with that?" I don't want a straw. I want real human moments. I want to see you. I want you to see me. I don't want to give that up. I don't want to be ant, you know?"

From the Richard Linklater film Waking Life

The Fair

I live in an extremely small town in southern Pennsylvania. I lived here from when I was 10 until I was 16 and then after 5 years of living in the great state of Mississippi, I moved back in May.

Every August they have a fair. It's small, and slightly shady, but every year it was something my friends and I looked forward to.

Tonight my twin sister, Jessie and I went to the fair, I haven't been to this fair since I was about 15. I remember the year before that going with Jessie, Hannah and our close friends Robert, and Daryl and one of their good friends Mel. This is who I spent every single weekend with, It was so much fun. This year Hannah is living in North Carolina with her new husband, Mel is married with two children, Robert just finished 6 years in the Navy and Daryl lives in Africa and I haven't seen him in about 5 years, So this year it was just Jessie and I. Fairs scare me slightly, there seems to be something incredibly uneasy about a ferris wheel that you can fold up and load on a truck, but we rode the rides and ate candy apples and listened to women sing country songs off key. It's the last time we're going to hang out for a while and it was overall a fun time. But it also felt kind of strange.

I leave on Tuesday to go back to Mississippi for my Junior year of college and Jess leaves a week after that to spend the semester in Rome. My brother is coming to college with me, my youngest sister starts her freshman year of high school in a week. (She is slightly a super genius and is skipping the 8th grade entirely) My best friend from the second grade just had a baby girl and the second boy I ever dated is getting married before too long. I have no idea when we all became so old. I am not entirely sure I like it.

At times I very much wish I was still 14 and at the fair.