Random Things

© Katherine Dexter, 2008

This week has left me with an abundance of time to relax and work and work out and catch up with people. It’s been nice. I finally got around to editing my photographs from earlier this summer during my trip to Arizona and the surrounding states. Things are really looking good. It’s the first time I’ve been really happy with things for awhile.

In other news my girlfriend is in North Carolina and visiting the Wright Museum as we speak. I am definitely jealous.

I haven’t been keeping up with blogs, but maybe soon I’ll start doing that again.

Animal Portraiture

I swear I had this idea a year ago. I even painted an elephant in a tuxedo for Alicia’s birthday last year. He was pretty dapper, I’d say.

Artist Ryan Berkley creates little 5×7 animal portraits in their Sunday Best. Super cute. The shark is my favorite by far.

What Berkley has to say about his work:

I’m a comics inspired gentleman surrounded by toys and Chewbacca masks. I like drawing sharks and animals and creatures and mustaches and superheroes. Sometimes I combine all of them - sometimes they are on their own - it really depends on my mood.

If you would like to purchase stop by Berkley’s etsy site here.

Bizarre Google Maps Images

Sometimes when I am bored at home I open up Google Earth and “fly” to places abroad. And sometimes when I am bored at work I research strange things that other people have found on Google Maps/ Google Earth. Here are just a few of the weirder ones that I have seen.

1. Writing with Trees

Here is a Google map from the Central Texas countryside. “Luecke” is written in trees. This was apparently done by clearing trees while leaving some in the form of the letters. This is also visible from space, and NASA has used this in estimating the scale that pixels represent in digital pictures shot from space.

2. Swastika Shaped Building

This Google map satellite pic of a swastika-shaped building on a US Navy base in Coronado, California, has been making its rounds on the internet.

According to some sources, the building is part of the training facilities for Navy Seals, and is perhaps their barracks. It’s nicknamed “The Seals Lair”.

3. Thelma, Will U Marry Me?

Along this road near an airport, you can see a message written in huge letters: “Thelma Will U Marry Me?”. (The letters are traced in red on the rightside version of the image to make it easier to see the writing.)

4. Man Shaped Lake in Brazil

Thank you to Flickr user Si1very for finding and documenting these strange occurrences for all of us

Why You Never Need To Purchase a Magazine Again

The era of self-publishing. I love self-publishing from zines, to books, to magazines. I recently discovered Issuu. It’s an online database of self-published creations. I would definitely suggest spending some time on the Issuu website. You will probably see some very interesting stuff.

And for the people that are in Baltimore there is always Gutter Mag which is an online publication focusing on art music and culture in Baltimore.

Travel Suggestions

© Katherine Dexter, 2008

I really am looking for opportunities to do some extensive traveling next year. I have a couple options in mind, but I am definitely going to need funding.  So far I am leaning towards spending the month of June in the Paros Islands in Greece. It’s relatively cheap at $2,450 includes course credit and living facilities on the beach as well as excursions and access to labs etc. The flight would be around $1,000 dollars which isn’t really too bad. Then there is the whole situation about missing time at the real job. If I still have the same job, etc. etc. Anyway I certainly do feel the need to get away so if anyone has any suggestions of places abroad that are reasonably priced please do send them my way.

OBAMA ART

I have noticed a lot of Obama art on the internet and on the streets. And I am really enjoying it.

The design is just really beautiful and hopeful while maintain simplicity.

Santogold + Amanda Blank + Diplo — I’m A Lady

I was glad to wake up to this song this morning.

Santogold + Amanda Blank + Diplo - I’m A Lady Mix

And in other news R.I.P K-Swift. It’s a little unbelievable that I was there to see her last set ever. And it’s so upsetting. I’ve been fairly upset all week. I loved her. It’s so tragic. Here is a photograph from Saturday night.

And if you’re in town Sunday you may want to check this out. There are some rumored Spank Rock + Amanda Blank performances in store.

Photo by Frank Hamilton

SUNDAY JULY 27TH!!!
AT SONAR!!!

Tax Lo + The Jang House
POST BELLS PARTY!!!

with special guests…

DEVLIN & DARKO
(Spank Rock/Baltimore Bass Connection)

“The DJs behind the genre-crossing party rap phenomenon of Spank Rock, Devlin & Darko have deep crates and they know how to use them. They mix everything from classic hip hop to Italo disco to French electro into a dance party that’s populist without being strictly pop. They’re adept mixers, inventive selectors, and genial hosts. Expect them to keep things bouncing until the very moment the lights go on and the sound guy pulls the plug.” – Eric Grandy (THE STRANGER)

http://www.myspace.com/baltimorebassconnection

DJ Si Young
(Plastic Little)

Si Young is a rad dad dj from Philly. You’ve seen him at Tax Lo before holding down the decks for Plastic Little as well as djing without them. He’s also one of the residents at Spank Rock’s Jang House weekly party in Philly. Don’t miss him come kill it at Sonar once again.</small>

www.myspace.com/djsiyoung

PLUS SURPRISE GUESTS! IF WE TOLD YOU IT WOULDN’T BE A SURPRISE.

WHARTSCAPE 2008

Jesus Christ. I may possibly die this weekend. And aside from Whartscape: DIPLO, RYE RYE, K-SWIFT performing at the REAL artscape. As well as old home town boys DRU-HILL. I really would like to see the Dan Deacon, Spank Rock, Girl Talk collabo. Which according to some person that keeps commenting me is NOT at the Annex?  Well That person was wrong. It is at the Annex.

Headbands were popular last year (as seen in the above photo)

Here is the line up.

THURSDAY: CHARLES THEATER, 1711 N Charles Street
6:00 Missoula Oblongata (Baltimore + CT)
7:00 Rick Royer (Baltimore)
7:30 Ben Heresey (New York)
8:00 Blue Leader (Baltimore)
8:20 Teeth Mountain (Baltimore)
8:40 INTERMISSION
9:00 Leprechaun Catering (Baltimore)
9:20 Mark Hosler (of negativland) (Asheville, NC)
10:20 Ultimate Reality (Baltimore)
10:55 Nautical Almanac (Baltimore)
11:20 Matmos (Baltimore)

FRIDAY: 2640 SPACE, 2640 Saint Paul Street
6:00 A Murmered Tale (Baltimore)
6:45 Eagle Ager (Brooklyn)
7:05 Andy Abelow (Baltimore)
7:25 Matteah Baim (New York)
7:55 Santa Dads (Baltimore)
8:15 Wheatie Mattiasich (Baltimore)
8:35 Lesser Gonzalez (Baltimore)
8:55 Arbouretum (Baltimore)
9:25 Golden Age (x-more dogs)(Baltimore)
9:55 Jana Hunter (Baltimore)
10:25 Beach House (Baltimore)

SATURDAY: NORTH AVE LOT, 131 W North Ave
12:00 DOORS
12:40 King Cloud (Baltimore)
1:00 Smarts (Baltimore)
1:20 Benny Stoofy (Scrummage University)(Detroit)
1:40 Air Waves (Brooklyn)
2:00 Ed Schrader (Baltimore)
2:20 Facts (Baltimore)
2:40 Perm Hurdeler (Glasgow)
3:10 Food For Animals (Baltimore+DC)
3:30 Wzt Hearts (Baltimore)
4:00 The Creepers (Baltimore)
4:30 Lexie Mountain Boys (Baltimore)
5:00 Ecstatic Sunshine (Baltimore)
5:30 Bird Names (Baltimore)
6:00 Eyeball Skeleton (Baltimore)
6:30 DD/MM/YYYY (Toronto)
7:00 Mae Shi (Los Angeles)
7:30 The Deathset (Baltimore)
8:00 Killer Whales (Chicago)
8:30 Thank You (Baltimore)
9:00 Oxes (Baltimore)

SONAR, 407 E Saratoga St
11:00 Human Host (Baltimore)
11:25 Blood Baby (Baltimore)
11:55 Nuclear Power Pants (Baltimore)
12:15 Videohippos (Baltimore)
12:45 Celebration (Baltimore)

SUNDAY NORTH AVE LOT, 131 W North Ave
12:00 DOORS
12:30 Moss of Aura (Baltimore)
1:00 Jones (Baltimore)
1:20 Witch Hat (Baltimore)
1:40 Hearts of Darknesses (New York)
2:00 Teenage Souls (Baltimore)
2:20 Thrust Lab (Baltimore)
2:40 Ear Pwr (Asheville)
3:00 Kyle Mabson+Mincemeat or 10 Speed+Narwals (LA, Philly, Richmond)
3:40 White Williams (New York)
4:00 Adventure (Baltimore)
4:30 Club Lifestyles (Baltimore)
4:55 Future Islands (Baltimore)
5:25 Height (Baltimore)
5:55 Dan Deacon (Baltimore)
6:40 Trey Told ‘Em (Gregg Gillis + HOD) (Pittsburgh + New York)
7:00 Grand Buffet (Pittsburgh)
7:30 Double Dagger (Baltimore)
8:00 Parts & Labor (Brooklyn)
8:30 Ponytail (Baltimore)
9:00 Black Dice (Brooklyn)

ANNEX THEATER>
11:00 Shams (Richmond)
11:20 Smart Growth (Baltimore)
11:40 Ninjasonik (Brooklyn)
12:00 Mark Brown (Baltimore)
12:20 Teengirl Fantasy (Oakland)
12:40 Egyptrixx + Alias (Toronto)
1:00 Wet Hair (Iowa City)
1:20 Sewn Leather (1980’s)
1:40 DJ Dog Dick (Baltimore)
2:00 Who Is The Tunafish Man? (Dan Deacon + Girl Talk + Spank Rock)
Dawn: Cex (Baltimore)

What I Am Reading

I started a new book. It’s called Magical Thinking. In the acknowledgements it explains the condition of magical thinking. I have never heard of it but I am quite intrigued.

From the book:

Magical thinking is a schizotypal personality disorder attributing to one’s own actions something that had nothing to do with him or her and thus assuming that one has a greater influence over events than is actually the case.

Interesting enough, if you life funny essays check out the book. Magical Thinking - Augusten Burroughs

Taschen Bookstore

Last weekend me and Alicia were in NYC. While we were waiting for the F train to take us away to Brooklyn we spotted a girl with a Taschen bag. Basically Taschen makes beautiful books about artists or other really interesting subjects and the illustrations are always so delightful. We freaked out about the possibility of Taschen having a store in NY. When I got to the apartment we were staying at I hit up the internet and they did in fact own have a store in NYC. There are only 9 in the world so clearly we had to go the next day.

After the MoMA we got on a train and went to the lower east side and started walking and looking for the store. We found it. It was amazing. I bought a book. The store was beautiful. Anyone that goes to NYC should visit it and buy amazing books.

And I really want the Taschen Circus Book. It’s only $225.00 anyone want to buy it for me?