Full disclosure: I know absolutely nothing about these beautiful well crafted Korean ceramics which look nothing like the 86 BC pots I memorized for my fine arts degree. Luckily I happened upon Docent Extraordinaire Dinny Chase. If it wasn’t for her PhD level knowledge of ceramics and my reliance on Wikipedia, you wouldn’t be reading this.
Let’s begin with the buncheong ceramic style, known for having bluish-green tones. Buncheon style replaced the previous celedon fad. During the five century long Joseon Dynasty, Korean artists started coating their pots with a white slip, painting with iron pigment. Buncheong once again fell out of favor in Korea due to the popularity of white porcelains after the 16th century. That loops us back to modern times with the current Korean buncheong revival.
Humor is clearly evident in the many renderings of turtles, elephants, birds, dogs and half fish, half dragon designs. Did you know that double fish symbolizes a harmonious marriage? The pot with the inlaid fish/dragon represents passing a high level in the civil service. I’m getting t-shirts made up immediately! But wait, there’s more.
You probably already knew that cranes represent longevity. The lotus is the Buddhist symbol of purity. The elephant ceramic in this show was used as a ritual vessel. The incised dog flask from 1450- 1500 is an excellent example of the artisan’s whimsy. Strolling around the collection you will see magnificent examples of stamping, inlay, paint, incising and carving.
The Korean bucheong collection is available for viewing from September 16th through January 8th, 2012.
Asian Art Museum
Closed Mondays
Tuesday through Sunday:
10:00 am – 5:00 pm.
Thursdays:
10:00 am – 9:00 pm
This Just In: Olympus Camera is giving out 1000 “Pen E-PM1“ cameras in San Francisco and Miami through this Thursday, Sept 29.
By following the international movements of Santa Olympus on http://twitter.com/getolympus you can receive hints on finding the give-away.
I got this tweet today:
“Where in San Francisco did Francis Ford Coppola shoot scenes from his movie The Conversation? #penready #hint” ( ahhh, Union Square !)
After Thursday the team move on to another city. They’ve already been to Toronto, NYC & Pennsylvania.
What’s the catch? Nothing more than a promise of uploading 20 photos to a
new Tumblr blog at http://penready.com, which will also enters you into a sweepstakes to win a $1000 travel prize from Jet Blue. Go there now to feel really really jealous and plan just when you will have to take a long lunch break. Speaking of jealous, an entire Jet Blue plane full of passengers received suprise Olympus camera gifts on a recent flight. It’s all been recorded on YouTube.
You can keep track of the PEN Ready team on the ground in key cities by reading the blog at http://penready.com/blog.
What ever happened to the environmental movement? I know we’re all about reducing the carbon footprint by shopping local and all, but let’s admit it, Pottery Barn has a lot of cool products. A peek inside my home is like an informal catalog showroom for the king of semi-affordable furniture. This specific rant is about excess packaging. Fast food restaurants got the message last century. Take a look at all the stuff that came with my new Pottery Barn lamp. The box is big enough for an economy coffin. The lamp was artfully encased in styrofoam and sealed EMPTY boxes!
After doing my web research I walked into a local Pottery Barn and requested the lamp of my dreams. After thirty minutes of mysterious back room shuffling a box was produced that could house a family of three. And it was heavy. What was I supposed to do with all this stuff? Couldn’t the store just give me the lamp. Nooooo. If I want to return this puppy I would have to find some place to store the giant cardboard box. Not likely.
Since this lamp is a modern knock-off of an old timer design, the company could have taken any liberties it wanted. Granted, the assembly was non-existent, a guilty pleasure in this D.I.Y. Ikea world.
Special props to Urban Outfitters for their product design. Equally old timey in looks, this slightly bigger lamp was shipped in a box one third it’s size. This packaging Houdini act was made possible by a three part post that easily screwed in to each other and then the base. Someone at Urban Outfitters deserves a raise.
As if we all needed more things to worry about, the land fill crisis should not be ignored. This recent retail trauma of mine has been quite useful as I now think about how much space my stuff is taking up and how much stuff I really need. I still love to shop, just think I’m finally ready to shop wisely.
Did you forget to pack your sanity when road tripping with the kids? Well now there’s an App for that.
Take one iPad, add one Crayola Color Studio HD App and your new best friend, the iMarker digital stylus.
Good old Crayola has come up with an electronic coloring book complete with sounds and animations. You have several pages to color in, and best of all, you can erase and redraw endlessly. If you are really pleased with your creation and want Grandma to see it immediately you can email your picture right from the drawing board. Fridge quality drawings can be printed out. Are you catching my drift parents? One full hour of quiet play time in the back of your car, plane seat, or dentists office, oh the mind reels.
With no messy inks, clothing stays party dress perfect when you arrive at your destination.
I downloaded my free App and was ready to draw in less than five minutes. The directions were pretty intuitive and I’m embarrassed to admit I got sucked in for a good three hours. This baby could take me all the way from San Francisco to Chicago on the plane without looking up for coffee service.
According to the package, this Crayola product is meant for children over the age of three. Even though I qualify I determined the true test required an actual child product tester. The most beautiful and talented 4.11 year old Molly once again humored auntie Lynn with yet another of her crazy projects.
Molly selected her first page to color, a friendly looking monster attempting to hide under a lamp shade.
Once auntie Lynn figured out that the stylus works better if it’s turned ON, Molly was good to go. I let her in on a couple of secrets, the location of the color wheel, how to make the brush bigger and using the erase tool to make polka dots. That’s it. Because Molly is under age 12, she had zero trouble figuring out that if you press on an icon something will happen. As she made her way around the page, eyes would appear under the bed and a rug, the lampshade fell off the monster’s head, and a train chugs around the room. Molly was completely absorbed in coloring her first page. After a half hour she said her hand hurt from pressing so hard on the stylus but she didn’t want to stop. She also said that the monsters were kinda scarey, but again, she had no desire to stop playing. I noticed that Crayola devised the coloring program to make staying within the lines pretty easy. Any excess could be easily erased. Molly decided she was happy with her first creation at 45 minutes of quiet uninterrupted play. We picked out a second page for her to color and away she went for another 15 minutes.
A special note to parents. That amusing repetitive train whistle and chirping owl may engross your child for endless hours, but the average adult can last for 10 minutes without feeling like you’re trapped on an endless Disneyland ride. Remember, the settings icon is your best friend. That’s where the mute button is located. Enjoy!
No ink, no mess, and you’ve saved a tree!
More info available from Griffin.
FILM REVIEW:
The love child of Glee & Abba is living in Israel and her name is Mary Lou. This film is a wonderful romp with a serious message hiding inside. With only one sneak peak at the San Francisco Jewish Film Fest, Mary Lou is already catching the buzz in anticipation of it’s US premiere at the Castro Theater September 17th through the 21st.
Mary Lou was originally created as an award winning four part Israeli television series in 2010. If you are one of those people who get catchy songs stuck in your head, consider yourself warned. This musical tells the story of young Meir Levi who shares his mom Miriam’s love of the Israeli rock star Svika Pick. Pick even makes a cameo appearance in one scene. His music has an infectious 70′s beat with raw emotions and a touch of the exotic thanks to the melodic Hebrew lyrics. With Miriam singing Pick’s tunes my mind drifted off to a parallel universe with Doris Day singing Kurt Cobain’s depressingly raw lyrics with her signature sunny disposition.
Meir and his mother Miriam are living a hum drum life in rural Israel. The opening scene has them dusting in matching head scarfs, our first hint that this young boy might grow up to bat for the other team. My favorite quote from the film is spoken by Miriam as she explains that “it’s easier to defeat dust than sadness.”
Mom mysteriously leaves town during Meir’s tenth birthday party. As a slightly built bleached blond teen of flamboyantly non-hetero appearance, Meir suffers through the stereotypical high school taunting. If you have watched enough Glee you already know that the worst tormenters are acting out of fear of their own sexual identity issues. Meir’s beautiful gal pal Shuli makes life worth living as his trusted confidant and protector. (Shuli is played by Dana Frider, who was discovered on the Israeli version of “So You Think You Can Dance.”)
Enter Gabriel, the impossibly handsome dark skinned love interest of both Meir and Shuli. Shuli forms a relationship with Gabi and the heartbroken Meir moves to the big city of Tel Aviv. His quest is to find the famous Svika Pick, whom he has woven an elaborate fantasy involving his mother having run off to sing in Pick’s band.
Along this journey he is befriended by Ori who introduces him to the world of drag performing. Meir eventually becomes a cast member of “The Holly Wigs” and transforms himself into “Mary Lou”, a character in one of his mother’s favorite Svika Pick songs.
Meir and his friends learn universal coming of age lessons and all arrive at their own version of adulthood by the end of the film. You also get to find out what happened to Miriam.
Get to know Mary Lou, you’ll be blown away.
MARY LOU
US Premiere:
Sept 17 – 21, 2011
Castro Theatre
429 Castro St
San Francisco, CA
After watching A&E’s hit TV show Hoarders I’ve taken a fresh look around my house. Sure, it’s easy to prepare for guests by shoving all your stuff in the closet, but what about your beauty stash? Perhaps you’re one of those organized people who know where everything is, well, at least the makeup. But do you know when that collection of products becomes a museum of germs? Most people don’t.
European cosmetics are required to sport expiration dates on all labels. In the United States the FDA gives minimal resources to regulating ingredients in cosmetics. The best you can hope for is something like a M12 label on your foundation. That’s secret code for please throw out in 12 months. CheckCosmetic.net allows you to find the expiration date of popular makeup brands by entering the batch code or lot number. These numbers can be found somewhere on the label or package.
I know all the excuses, like I paid a lot of money for this stuff, or I’m waiting for next year’s 70′s party to rock that blue eye shadow.
Dermatologists will tell you that if you are holding on to that mascara wand for too long, adding water, or repeated touching it, you are adding germs. Not scared yet?
Ok, you asked for it. Remember that last mild skin rash? It could turn into hives, swelling, blistering, even hair loss!
Good lordy girl, it ain’t worth hanging on to that travel tube of makeup remover.
Your eyes are the biggest danger zone. Most makeup related infections go unrecognized. You can get lot’s of icky side effects from your makeup regardless of if it was purchased at Walgreens or Chanel of Paris. Back in the 90′s when fashionable lids were lined with sultry kohl, while traveling in Morocco I scored a lovely bottle & wood applicator for 20 cents. Sitting at a cafe with my mint tea & honey I decided to go local and dabbed a bit of kohl under my right eye. Just as I touched my right eye my brain cells snapped to attention. I think I just screwed up! Two days later I was at the British hospital with conjunctivitis in both eyes. They were swollen shut. So much for my exotic adventure.
That lovely experience caused me to take a look at what’s in those lotions and potions. That all natural kohl is traditionally made from grinding lead sulfide with other ingredients. Many lipsticks contain lead. There’s formaldehyde in your Brazilian keratin hair smoothing products.
According to the Cancer Prevention Coalition,
cosmetics are the least regulated products. There are over 800 toxic chemicals used in cosmetics as you’re reading this. Don’t count on the FDA to save you from the consequences.
See preventcancer.com for a terrifying list of ingredients & their side effects.
Before your next visit to the cosmetics counter, print out this helpful list from the lovely named zerozits.com.
One more thing. Don’t be fooled by some of those “pink” products hiding behind the veil of breast cancer awareness. Read the ingredients no matter what color the label is or how pretty the picture of birds and trees are on the bottle.
I’m guessing you’re so freaked out now that you’ve thrown everything away.
When you return home with your new, safe mascara and eyeliner, print out this list of suggested cosmetic expiration dates. Take a Sharpie and mark the buy &/or throw out dates directly on each product.
MASCARA:
3 months (yep, only 3 months) EYE LINER:
pencil, every 2 years, sharpen often
liquid, 3 months FOUNDATIONS:
water-based 1 year, oil based 18 months. CONCEALER:
1 year LIPSTICK
1 year NAIL POLISH
1 year LIP LINER
2 years EYESHADOW:
powders, every 2 years, creams 9-12 months. POWDER:
2 years BLUSH:
powder 2 years, cream 9-12 months.
Vienna may be the birthplace of psychoanalysis, but when you’re looking for true relationship closure, buy your ticket to Zagreb. Many people throughout the centuries have found creative outlets for their emotions. The painter van Gogh knew how to share his pain, but it wasn’t until 2010 that two Croatian artists opened their Museum of Broken Relationships as a permanent shrine to their own breakup. Since the founding of the museum, the collection has traveled to Argentina, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Germany, Macedonia, the Philippines, Serbia, Singapore, Slovenia, South Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
There’s a catharsis in ritual, ask Hallmark cards. We have rituals for weddings, funerals, engagements, graduations, so why did it take so long to pay homage to the broken heart?
At last a club almost all of us can join. Why keep your memories locked away in the back of a closet when you can share your love souvenirs with the world.
The gallery spaces are separated into categories so the pink fur handcuffs have their rightful place away from the Hummel figurines.
In the words of Roland Barthes in A Lover’s Discourse: “Every passion, ultimately, has its spectator… (there is) no amorous oblation without a final theater.”
Consider donating your memories to the MOBH.
At last I have found a place for that set of giant coca cola bottle cap coasters.
The traveling exhibits next stop is London at theThe Tristan Bates Theatre.
This week I took the oath to “Buy Local” and on a rare sunny Saturday in San Francisco I came across Heathered at the Lower Haight Art Walk. The artist Heather Logsdon makes the perfect items for the stylish Tango Diva traveler. Turns out I was quite lucky to catch her between adventures. A self-styled tragically seasick ocean-lover, backpacker and musician, Heather has single-handedly saved the landfills from vintage 1930s-1940s SF newspapers, maps and scraps of fabric. Heather will transform your sentimental stash of European railway tickets into wallets, passport holders, and luggage tags.
Is it gift time?
Her prices start at $15.
Each map from the Heathered collection is laminated, then hand stiched. Heather also makes items out of felt and up-cycled fabrics. She devotes
an entire section of her store to vintage finds. A retired airline pilot friend donated his collection of flight maps. Truly one of a kind. Heather’s many friends as well as the scrap stores and streets of San Francisco have been very good to her.
Mention Tango Diva & receive 10% off you first order.
Psychic carbon credits available with purchase:
You don’t have to be a Jew to enjoy the 31st annual SFJFF.
In 2010 the festival explored the role of Jews in popular culture, including a wonderfully curated collection of gangster films.
Jewish gangsters?
Who knew!
JEWS IN TOONS
This year the SFJFF gets personal with musings on Jewish identity. Just what does it mean to be a Jew in modern society? It’s not like there is a Jewish pope to represent his people and expound on how Jews should feel and think. There is no official position on anything and that’s what makes the subject so compelling.
Of course there are always be the stereotypes to deal with. The Jews in Toons program takes the stereotypes and leaves you with happy tears. I urge you to hunt down the following classic Jewish episodes from the small screen. Family Guy: “When You Wish Upon A Weinstein.”, South Park: “The Passion Of The Jew”, and The Simpsons” “Like Father, Like Clown”.
Thirty minutes of laughter a day is said to relieve feelings of depression, strengthen the immune system, lower blood pressure and give the equivalent of a cardio workout. As a Jew I can attest to the Jewish family tendency to keep you spirits high with dark humor no matter what the challenge.
MABUL
Back to the serious side. Mabul is one of the emotionally heaviest opening night films i’ve ever seen at the SFJFF. Best to know that in advance, you’re in for a night of contemplation and hopefully relief that your life doesn’t mirror that of our lead actress.
The story of Mabul (The Flood) takes place on the Israeli coast. Teacher Miri has to put up a brave front to keep her business alive. She creates an emotional island for herself by having an affair. Her husband Gidi pretends he’s going to work every day. Their son Yoni keeps the class bullies at bay by completing their homework assignments. All hell breaks loose when his autistic brother rejoins the family. An interesting aside is the assumption that it’s okay for her young son to act all macho and boss her around since I guess he’s a man in training. A great insight into the local mores.
SHOLEM ALEICHEM
Have you ever wondered if anyone will remember J.K. Rowling in the next century? Hard to believe that Harry Potter could ever fade from the popular consciousness and require a promulgating documentary.
Case in point, Sholem Aleichem, the pen name of Solomon Naumovich Rabinovich, a renowned Yiddish author and playwright. His chosen name is a Yiddish variation the expression shalom aleichem, meaning “hello”, or “peace be with you” in Hebrew.
The musical Fiddler on the Roof was based on one of his many stories about Tevye the Milkman. This was the first commercially successful English-language play about Jewish life in the shtetls of Eastern Europe. Born in 1859 in the Russia Empire, Solomon Rabinovich’s father was a rich merchant with a penchant for gambling. This led to the family’s economic downfall. Solomon grew up to mirror his father’s foibles and bring his own family to financial ruins several times. What he had going for him is his vast intelligence and passion to keep the Yiddish language alive.
He used his insight into his own psychology to create characters that served as metaphors for larger Jewish cultural issues of assimilation and identity.
Rabinovich’s granddaughter Bel Kaufman was the author of “Up the Down Staircase” , made into a popular film.
Fleeing the Russian pograms and debtors his family finally settled in New York in 1914. An estimated 100,000 mourners turned out for his New York funeral in 1916.
TEVYE
After learning so much about Sholem Aleichem it’s only natural to want to see Tevye, a 1939 film written from one of his Tevye the Dairyman stories. (aka: Fiddler on the Roof.) This 1939 Yiddish melodrama brought into focus the pre-holocaust era where anti-Jewish sentiment was running high. Clearly the author had struggled himself with the issue of how to uphold tradition in the face of social chaos. In Tevye, the Milkman’s personal values are tested when his daughter elopes with a gentile.
KIRK DOUGLAS
A Freedom of Expression Award was given to Kirk Douglas prior to a screening of Spartacus. Douglas played a gladiator who was leader of a slave revolution in pre-Christian Rome as only Stanley Kubrick could imagine. As the star and producer of Spartacus, By insisting that screen credit be given to blacklisted screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, Kirk Douglas effectively ended the Hollywood blacklist period of the late 1940s through the late 1950s. Hundred’s of careers were revived. Oh, and Spartacus went on to earn four Academy Awards. Take that House Committee on Un-American Activities.
Check out this years selections from 16 countries with something for everyone. There are 58 films, including 38 documentaries, 19 shorts, and 28 premieres. Screening venues in San Francisco, Berkeley, San Rafael, and Palo Alto. If you don’t live nearby, keep an eye out for repeat viewings on the SFJFF YouTube page and of course mark you selections for the NetFlix queue.
While on a vacation in Ixtapa I hadn’t quite unwound & easily surrendered to the lure of the smart phone. With plenty of time to text, tweet, twitpic and talk I came home after four days with a $600 phone bill. Ouch. Lesson learned. Turn off the roaming on the phone. Even better, buy a local SIM card. This proved all but impossible for iPhone users until the heavens parted in June 2011 and the UNLOCKED iPhone made it’s appearance in the US. Cue sound of angels.
At your destination airport you usually have the option of renting a local phone or SIM card with a variety of time plans. That’s “subscriber identity module” in case you want to look it up.
Check with your local cell phone carrier well before you leave on your next trip. They all offer special plans for travelers. Even if your phone is capable of international calling, you may have to get it “unlocked” before you leave town. This can take a couple of days.
Several independent companies have stepped in to make your life easier. Here’s a couple worth checking out.
One Sim Card offers an international plan. For $29.95 you get an international roaming SIM card for over 190 countries, zero airtime balance, and free incoming calls. The OneSimCard global SIM card comes pre-programmed with a main European mobile number. You can keep your cell number by forwarding calls to a dedicated Local or Toll Free Second Number provided by One Sim Card.
Telestial has an incredible deal on SIM cards. Their most basic plan is the Passport Lite Travel SIM card. It’s essentially free as it costs $5 and comes with $5 of credit. That includes 30 minutes free talk time in some popular European countries, free voicemail, free 24/7 customer service, and no connection fees.
According to Telestial President Ken Grunski, telecommunications consultant, his wireless data plans are only $1 per MB in some European countries. In contrast, Verizon charges $20.48 per MB. They have low rates for your tablets as well.
Next time you are traveling and find yourself hooked on your cell phone, at least you know you will still be able to pay for those adorable designer shoes you found in Italy.
