Life

Everything else not covered by the other post categories. Austin bits, travel bits, various goings-ons in my life.




5 Things Friday

5 Things Friday

1. In October, after my name change and all, I re-launched my design business with a new focus and new name. It’s Studio Guerassio, and I focus on design & branding for the lifestyle sector (food & drink, writers, artists & makers, culture, events, balance & wellness). I’d like to ask a favor of all of my lovely readers: if you know a business owner or blogger or solopreneur who fits that focus and is in need of design work, please send them my way! I’d be über grateful. 🙂

2. Random thoughts on film and TV: I was browsing through the TV guide the other day and saw Meet Joe Black was on. It’s one of those movies that I really liked and can easily re-watch again. It struck me though, just how unusual it was for a movie like that to be made. It’s not hugely dramatic, there’s very little action- in fact, the pace of the movie is quite slow. It features a kind of abstract mythology/fantasy element that is never overtly explained. It’s mostly a romance, when you get down to it. Yet is has this AMAZING cast, and continues to have the staying power to be a TV regular. I can’t off the top of my head think of another similar movie. My other TV-related musing is about the show Elementary (Sherlock Holmes set in NYC, with Watson as a woman). I watch a LOT of crime dramas, and nearly all of them that are based on a main duo eventually have that main duo end up romantically involved. Elementary is refreshing because it doesn’t even have a hint of that. Sherlock and Joan have a solidly built friendship, but that is it, hard stop. I originally liked the show because of Jonny Lee Miller’s portrayal of Sherlock, and the show’s gender-bending (Watson and Moriarty are both women). But now I love it even more because they’ve stuck to their guns even 4 seasons in, and haven’t forced a romance between Sherlock and Joan. That is the best way to take something old and make it truly new.

3. I know I’ve mentioned that I neglected the shop this year, due to wedding planning and events. But that might actually have been a good thing. It’s given me some time to think about the shop and see a) whether I want to keep going with it and b) if so, how/with what products? The paper prints are going to ramp down, as lokta paper is a bit hard to come by post-Nepal-earthquake. So I’m thinking up other product ideas. I’m also going to put all of the one-of-a-kind shirts in the Sale section, and focus only on growing the made-to-order section. I know I want to retake some photos. Bottom line: there will be some big changes coming to the shop in 2016.

4. There’s a house on the corner of one of my neighborhood’s intersections that for the longest time had a car parked outside with a World of Warcraft sticker on it. It has recently been joined by a car with the license plate Moria (that’s a LOTR reference, if you didn’t catch it). I have now dubbed this house Dork Headquarters. I also kind of want to be friends with whoever lives there.

5. Speaking of dorky things, this weekend I am attending my first ever reading party. It’s exactly what it sounds like: a bunch of people get together all in the same place, but instead of watching a movie or playing board games or having a dinner party, they all read. It’s good timing, as I’m still chipping away at my 2015 reading goal. I haven’t picked which book I’m taking yet, but I’m still really looking forward to it. It’s a introvert’s kind of party. 😀

 

 

What’s been on your mind lately?
 

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Finally Hitched: Wedding Pictures!!

Not quite 2 months ago, Ian and I finally tied the knot! 😄 We were married at Villa Antonia here in northwest Austin hill country. After having nervously watched the weather for two weeks, September 20th dawned bright and beautiful. We had gorgeous weather that somehow managed to also not be too hot for the non-Texans attending. Our ceremony was outdoors under an arch, overlooking the rolling hills. Our reception was indoors in a lovely space that included a stage and built-in bar. Both were the perfect size for our relatively small wedding of 65 people. Ian and I were […]

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Honeymoon Recap: Art

Warning! Possibly NSFW, lots of artwork with classical nudes coming up. I am a designer, with a pretty good studio arts and art history background, so it’s no wonder I like to visit art museums. The surprise is that Ian, a very math-and-logic engineer type, LOVES art museums. So of course, on his first ever trip to Europe for our honeymoon, we had to fit in some of the art heavy hitters: the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, and the Louvre Museum in Paris. There of course is art everywhere over there, but here are some highlights. Again, lots of pictures, […]

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Honeymoon Recap: Scenery

Ok, the scenery is by far the biggest category in my honeymoon photo recap series (if you missed Food, it’s here.). So I’m going to let the pictures do most of the talking. There are captions on each one if you mouse over, and clicking will open up a lightbox viewer. Have you ever been to Europe? What’s your favorite place?  

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Honeymoon Recap: Food

I wanted to share some honeymoon photos with you guys, but wasn’t sure how to go about it. We visited 5 different cities (Rome, Florence, Venice, Nice and Paris), and did day trips to half a dozen more, so breaking it up by place would mean a LOT of blog posts. We also took about 1500 pictures, so trying to do it in one post clearly wasn’t going to work. I finally settled on just sharing some highlights of our three favorite things: the food, the art, and the scenery. Today is the food. Apologies in advance if it makes […]

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32 Before 32

As promised yesterday, here is my new list of goals that I hope to accomplish before my next birthday. On a sidenote, I might be getting old enough that I need to do like a half-age before age kind of list (i.e. 16 before 32). Or else fill it up with really easy things. To be mulled on for next year. Now, in no particular order: Go to a design conference. I’ve been to a blogging conference, and a freelance conference, but not a conference specifically for design. Staycation or vacation with Ian. After the wedding and honeymoon this year, […]

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31 Before 31 Goals Recap

It’s that time of year again. No, not pumpkin spice season. Today is my birthday! I turned 31 in the wee hours of this morning. We are kind of Event’d out, though, so not doing anything big. Ian has something small planned for tonight, and then tomorrow we’re doing dinner out with a group of friends. Low-key, just how I like it! So, my annual check-in. Last year, I made a pretty ambitious list of goals to complete before this birthday. Then, of course, life happened. In some very good ways (got engaged and married!) and bad ways (finding out […]

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