Happy Velotines Day!
As long as we can ride, we will…please join us!
I found this drawing of the bicycle built of hearts here: http://dahsin.blogspot.com/2009/02/happy-valentines-day.html
Tweed Ride Route: First Friday ArtRide to visit AUG, Bell Arts, Laurel Galleries & more
The rain is pouring down right now but the Tweed Ride today and Tweed 2 tomorrow are still on! I wish my bikergo had fenders (inventer Steven Ascher is working on it) but right now I suspect I will end up with a skunk stripe on the back of my very sweet brown tweed with green piping jacket and on my lovely paisley skirt!
One word for riding in the rain: fenders!
We’ll meet as usual at 5:30pm on the Ventura Beach Promenade at California Street and start our First Friday ArtRide with a visit to the Artists Union Gallery. We’ll ride off into the sunset about 6pm and the rain will determine our route: if it’s not pouring, we’ll take the beach bike path around Surfer’s Point and along the Ventura River to Main. We’ll turn left at Ventura Avenue to visit a swarm of westside galleries if the weather holds. If it doesn’t, we’ll go straight to Bell Arts for “No War Stories – A Soldier Returns to Vietnam” with Moses Mora who will share his perceptions of the country forty years after he was there as a soldier as it is today, post war – a place of peace, progress and development with photos of Vietnam on display by Raya Hayes-Mora.
Also near Bell Arts we’ll spend some time at VITA ART CENTER for “The Games People Play” featuring work by Jennifer Guernsey, Amy Schneider, & Jill Shanbrom who produced a series of collaborative works, each piece based on a childhood game. While maintaining the traditional rules of each game, Jennifer, Amy and Jill have also added a few new rules of their own which should make this a fun show for all of us.
From the Westside, we’ll ride back to Main which we will cruise with possible stops at Red Brick and CSUCI galleries, then roll up Main to Ash where those of us who cycling in Saturday night’s “Saints and Sinners” Fashion and Variety Show will rehearse for our part.
Next we’ll ride to the galleries on Laurel where we will enjoy beer from Anacap
a Brewery (bring money to donate and your own cup please!), to hear Dew Wat’s Rite, and attend the closing reception at the Laurel Gallery for A Month with the Karen: A People’s Struggle Told Through the Eyes of a Missionary Photographs by Gordon Griffith.
According to Griffith, “The Karen are a tribal people who live primitively in the jungles of Burma. They fashion everything by hand from surrounding resources, and are farmers that raise necessary crops for survival. Read more…
After a week or so of intense rain, followed by a week or so of light rain and sunshine, we got out my bikergo and the trailabike for a family ride downtown to the Farmers Market and to see our friend Borbala Arvai’s “Hermit Mermaid” which was juried into the show at the Buenaventura Art Association Gallery at the corner of Santa Clara and Fir across from Plaza Park and the post office. 
We enjoyed the diverse show which closes tomorrow and were tempted to take a few of the very moderately priced artworks home, especially Robert Wassell’s oil of a local mountainscape with pine trees priced at $275.
But we three agreed the most beautiful artwork there was Borbala’s “Hermit Mermaid” which is astonishingly detailed. Borbala uses felt and other natural materials to make her “dolls.” In addition to a variety of felted people, she’s illustrated a version of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves” aka “Blanca Nieves y los Siete Enanitos” published by csimota in 2009 
Borbala has a number of other felt projects going including a book project with me as well as felting fairy dolls for Danika Dinsmore’s novel Brigitta of the White Forest which is coming out in March 2010 from en theos press. She also accepts commissions. You can order Borbala Arvai’s work from her Etsy store.
1/29/10: Moon at Perigee, Full at 11
Last night’s almost full moon rose well before the sunset (3:50 moonrise, 5:20 sunset). My small boy and I watched it rise above the trees and shrubs as pillowy clouds picked up tangerine and mango, peach and orange. Our living room was filled with apricot light.
Tonight the moon is full at 10:18pm PST. For us, it rises at 5:05pm and the sunset’s at 5:21pm. Also in the night sky is Mars in its closest approach since 2007, and at sunset, you can watch bright Jupiter go down soon after the sun. If you’re watching all this on the coast, you might notice also that the tide is SUPER low tonight at sunset (and for the next few days as well!) It’s also unusually high.
The moon is also at perigee which means it’s the closest it will be to earth in 2010. According Spaceweather.com, tonight it will be about 14 percent wider and 30 percent brighter than lesser full Moons of the year.
Pictured is Alps in France on the night the moon was at perigee in 2009 (APOD) Titled “Largest Full Moon of 2009“ Credit & Copyright goes to Vincent Jacques Sky Shows.
APOD explains the phenomenon this way: The large angular extent of the full Moon was caused by the Moon being unusually close to Earth during its full phase. Because the Moon circles the Earth in an elliptical orbit, its angular size depends on how close the Moon is to closest approach (perigee) or farthest distance (apogee). Even so, the Moon’s was only about 15 percent larger in area and brightness than a more typical full Moon. In this image, a dramatically positioned Moon is seen rising above the Alps from Breil-sur-Roya in the southeast of France. Taken with an ordinary digital camera but extraordinary timing, the image also captured a crossing jet plane.
Regardless of the explanation, the moon will indeed seem more full than usual. So go see! Personally, I have a long standing tradition of enjoying a shot of tequila or mezcal on a full moon. So here’s to you! And please subscribe!
So why should YOU subscribe to an LA radio station and to a West Coast based blog?
Because we both offer you eclectic excitement to enhance your lifestyle! On KCRW and on Art Predator, you just don’t know what you’ll run into next! And if you subscribe today, you could win an iPad!
When I started my “Art Predator” blog in November 2007 based on a newspaper column I had for a few years with the same name, I just started writing about what interested me in the arts–literary, culinary, visual, musical, and dramatic–like in my newspaper column. I included a few adventures too.
But quickly the blog evolved to expand beyond the limits of a newspaper column borders to embrace astronomy, astrology, politics, environmental activism, fashion, the latest Burning Man news, and more. And my readership expanded too–from averaging 115 page views a day in 2008 to 350 page views a day in 2009.
I give you the gift of my time. Won’t you please give me the gift of your subscription?
Just as my blog travels through cyberspace to you no matter where you live, you can live stream KCRW and listen to “Morning Becomes Eclectic” just like I do–except it might not be morning when you listen to it! You can also listen to their “Eclectic 24” channel, a web based version of KCRW available day and night. Go here to see what’s playing now on KCRW’s Eclectic 24. I even listened to KCRW while I was in Portugal last November!
A big difference, however, is KCRW asks for a minimum donation of $25 when you subscribe. (Let me get that paypal button up so you too can make a donation!) When you subscribe to KCRW, you get to choose one or more premiums (depending on how much you donate) and you get entered into a bunch of cool sweepstakes, some of which –like a trip to Florence Italy–close today the first day of the subscription drive. There’s also an AMAZING Morning Becomes Eclectic sweepstakes to Coachella: VIP tickets, car service to and from LA, and accomodations.
And today KCRW’s offering an iPad to a lucky subscriber!
I love love love KCRW. I get most of my news from NPR, listening every morning and evening, plus a five minute shot on the hour. KVRW’s eclectic musical progamming gets me through my days and nights. I hear and fall in love with cutting edge music from around the globe. Looking at the list of bands slated to play Coachella, I know most of them from my exposure to such a wide range of music on KCRW because real live djs select the music–and the musical selections range from the completely unknown to the well-known, from Radiohead to Michael Franti to Ozomatli and Beck to Miles Davis and James Brown. From Norman Cook’s BPA to LA’s Dengue Fever and Thao and the Get Down Stay Down to obscure bands from around the world.
And what can I offer you, besides at least one post a day every day on this blog? If you send me a self-addressed, stamped 9 x 12 envelope, I will send you a copy of my poetry collection “The ArtLife Poems” plus a broadside (or two or three depending on how much you donate!) Just like how KCRW lets you choose which cd you want, you can tell me which broadside you want. To take advantage of this offer, tell me so in an email or comment!
If you’d like, I’d be happy to send you an iPad, too. It just won’t be made by Apple.
PS How long will this subscription drive last? As long as KCRW’s–until the end of Monday Feb. 7. And I promise I won’t be as annoying about it as they can be about it on KCRW.
More Tweed Ride Inspiration
I’m starting to get addicted to Tweed Ride porn! Yes, that’s right, I have an uncontrollable urge to search and find and post Tweed Ride images and video!
The videos above and below are from the Washington DC Tweed Ride November 2009.They’re very different in style but both give you a taste for tweed!
Please oh please somebody take some photos and video of our Tweed Rides Feb 5 & 6! Or just take pictures and send them to me! I’d also love to get my hands on pictures from previous rides…
Did you see the guy who put his tweed cap OVER his bike helmet??? Love it! Especially for kids who MUST wear their helmets to ride! Oh and neckties and scarves! Even the weakest Tweed ArtRider can come up with brown or grey pants or skirt, a white shirt and a tie or scarf! Or go all out like the woman below who was featured in DC Style.
PS Today, Friday January 29 kicks off the KCRW Winter Subscription drive–and my subscription drive as well! You can subscribe easily by clicking the button below to get posts by email or along the sidebar where it says subscribe. Thanks!
How to Dress for a Tweed Ride: Very Proper!
We’d love to see you wearing TWEED on the first ArtRide of 2010, Friday February 5!
There are plenty of wool tweedy looking jackets at the thrift store from 50c to $8; I even saw a 44R full coat length real wool grey tweed coat for $8 at Goodwill. Lots of wool tweedy looking pants and skirts too! A dress shirt (preferably white, and even better with a wool vest on top) and some sensible shoes completes your ensemble. Pants too short? Turn them into knickers with some argyle socks! Please no blue jeans, sneakers or lycra! At least wear brown! For n
ight rides, everyone needs a headlight and a blinking red taillight. More blinky, LED & EL wire fun the better on any ride!
These Tweed photos came from here.
More links to fun Tweed photos:
http://www.dashingtweeds.co.uk/dt/blog/page/2/
Also pictured is the winner of “The Most Snappy Lass” contest from the Chicago Tweed Ride, from the blog, “Let’s GO Ride a Bike” where you’ll find more pictures from their Tweed Ride last spring.
We love having families
on the ArtRides, but for safety sake, we have a few rules:
EVERYONE under 18 must have a helmet (that’s the law) and be with someone over 18.
NIGHT RIDES–children under 8 MUST ridealong with an adult. That means a bike seat, a trailerbike or in a trailer. Children should have a blinking tail light also.
DAY RIDES–children younger than 8 MAY ride without an adult at the adult’s discretion and with the ride leader’s approval. You can ride with us when we are on a bike path or on the promenade; please do not try to ride with us downtown. Exceptions might be made for 6 and older experienced riders on geared bikes with good breaks.
PS While you’re thrift storing it, you might keep an eye out for bridal wear–the next theme is the Brides of March! FFArtRide March 5 and day ride TBA (March 13?)
Poetry Reading January 30: Remembering William Stafford (1914-1993)
Westmont College poet Paul Willis invites you to the fourth annual reading to honor the life and work of the poet William Stafford (1914-1993) on Saturday, January 30 from 2:00-3:00 pm at the location where William Stafford served as a conscientious objector during World War II, the site of the Los Prietos Civilian Public Service Camp.
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I have been LOVING this song ever since I started hearing it on KCRW in November or December 2009. Trying to figure out who it is or what it is and how to get it HAS BEEN MAKING ME CRAZY!
Then today, while I was putting wash in the machine and the water was pouring in, I heard THE SONG! Jason Bentley was spinning it on his program Morning Become’s Eclectic on my favorite public radio station. So I dashed to my computer and tweeted @jason_bentley to ask then looked on-line to see what it was. Not so simple: KCRW offers live streaming of MBE as well as a program they call “Eclectic 24” where I landed first and tried to match PJ Harvey song playing at the time with the lyrics “Open Your Hips.” No go. I clicked over to live streaming to find what Jason was playing. I cut and pasted “Fyfe Dangerfield’s ‘When You Walk In The Room'” and found a you-tube for it but that wasn’t the song of my dreams either.
Then I tried “Thao With The Get Down Stay Down ‘When We Swam'” and BINGO! I found this charming video as well as the song I was searching for. With high hopes, I will head over to one of my local record stores, Salzer’s or Buffalo, which gives a KCRW discount and either buy it or order it. Yippee!
You don’t have to make my word for it that this band is infectious and fun and perfect for brightening a cold winter day or night. According to their press page, the band:
“Packs a subtle punch, sweet but not sappy.” – Spin
“Elliptical lyrics, bright guitar work.” – The Wall Street Journal
“Worn down by the endless pitfalls of romance? Thao Nguyen most definitely is not.” – Time Out New York
“Like tea and honey spiked with a healthy shot of whiskey.” – Elle
Check this out “Cool Yourself” [video] and Know Better Learn Faster [mp3] Learn more about Thao and band on their myspace or their website/blog. And if you’re in Europe right now, go see them! Or watch one more video before you go:
art predator 