MCA and Wintry Cheer

A beauty tip for looking skinny in pictures: stand next to a really fat tree.

Yesterday after work, the boy and I paid a visit to the Museum of Contemporary Art in downtown Chicago. The MCA (and a lot of other museums in the city) offers free admission to residents of Illinois every Tuesday so we figured why not go for a stroll up the super decked-out Magnificent Mile and see some cool art?

I'd been to the MCA a few times when I was studying as an undergraduate in the city but not in recent memory. I was relieved to find that many of the elements that make the MCA one of my favorite museums remained unchanged. The tasteful exhibits, the knowledgeable staff, the refreshingly minimal amount of pretense (for being a contemporary art museum, after all) and the near-zero existence of crowds, babies, and strollers for me to trip over all made for a relaxing and inspiring evening.

The Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec: Bivouac collection featured designs and patterns that toed the line 
between the familiar and the whimsical. Sort of felt like I was walking through Ikea on LSD.

The boy in front of a wall composed of hundreds of colorful plastic clothespin-like doodads.

Sometimes I still see something in a museum that makes me think
"why is this in a museum?". This was one of those times.

Posing in front of another colorful gradient wall, this time made of simple interlocking pieces of felt.

39 metronomes all set at different speeds. This made for quite the symphony.

Taking a break on one of Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec: Bivouac's interactive pieces to study the exhibit program.

Another thing I always appreciate about the MCA is how manageable in size it is compared to other museums. In my opinion it's definitely a museum that places value on quality over quantity. I dislike the feeling of visiting a museum and walking out hours later feeling exhausted, overwhelmed and still like I barely scratched the surface of all it had to offer (I'm looking at you, Art Institute of Chicago!). At the MCA there was no such feeling. We saw everything that we wanted to in roughly an hour and left feeling very satisfied, chatting about our favorite pieces.

One last thing - I was pleasantly surprised by how much technology I saw infused with the exhibits. Notably, QR codes to scan for more footage or images with an exhibit and as a slick, sexy iPad app for showcasing the hundreds of Ronan and Erwan designs. I appreciated how the technological supplements were suggested thoughtfully and did not hinder or detract from the experience of walking through the physical installations. 'Twas a merry marriage.

And to wrap up this post with some festivity, here's a video I took of the CTA red line train decked out in Christmasy glory. It's so damn gaudy and over-the-top that I can't help but grin whenever I see it cruisin' around this lovely town.

ByePhoto

I recently got a new laptop from work that's running OS X 10.8.2. Prior to this I'm fairly positive I was on OS X negative five million so I encountered my fair share of surprises on my new machine.

One such surprise turned out to be that iPhoto was no longer a default application on Mountain Lion. In fact it was now $14.99 at the App store - bad Apple, bad! I don't even like iPhoto that much, having grappled with it many a time in the past lost some precious footage to its confusing interface. (Sets? Albums? Collections? Empty trash? What the what.) Also I always disliked how all photos become part of the "iPhoto Library" and one had to "Open Package Contents" by right clicking the library icon in Finder to access the pictures in their original folder forms - an admittedly very small annoyance, but one that bothered me in principle anyway. (Why can't you just leave the damn folders alone, Apple?) Despite these complaints I was still disappointed to see iPhoto in the App Store instead of in my Applications list. It's sort of like that feeling where you know you wouldn't have gone to the party but would have liked to have been invited anyway.

Anyway, now that iPhoto and I have broken up, I've gone ahead and downloaded myself a copy of Picasa. So far I'm impressed. I love the way photos are organized and remain in normal folders, huzzah! The user interface, though sort of gray and dull, is much more intuitive than iPhoto's, in my opinion. And the performance is noticeably better - I can zoom in and out of my high-res pictures in Picasa very quickly and smoothly, which is much more than I can say for my old editor. I don't miss iPhoto one bit, and neither does Thundercat.

iPhoto?

Ew.

One of my resolutions for 2013 is to explore some of the big kids' photo editors, like Lightroom or Photoshop. For now though I'm happy with what I have now. If you're using iPhoto and are curious as to what's out there, I recommend checking out Picasa.

Gifts for Gals

As of late I have been doing a ton of Christmas shopping. This year I will be spending the holidays with two families which means there'll be double the eggnog, double the gifts, and half the money left in my bank account when I'm through with all this holiday shopping - whee!

Lucky for me, the online retail industry is a-boomin' and I've been able to do most of my Christmas shopping in my pajamas. No stressful crowds, long lines, crabby buyers, store hours, or Chicago sales tax to contend with, hallelujah! 

I believe the best presents are the ones that the receiver wouldn't normally buy for themselves (out of price, lack of perceived necessity, forgetfulness, etc) but that they would thoroughly enjoy or that would enhance their day-to-day in a small way if they had them. And though I have no qualms admitting that I really enjoy having nice things, at the end of the day it's still the thought that counts. Any girl will probably enjoy that Marc Jacobs for Target clutch. But giving (or making!) her something that is tailored to her hobby or that she casually mentioned a while back shows that you've really thought about her. In my book, that's a pretty special feeling - and it's the one that she'll remember and cherish well beyond the life of the item.

Anyhoo, gift philosophies aside, I've encountered some pretty budget-friendly-yet-still nifty items over the past few days and started bookmarking the ones that I thought most gals my age would probably enjoy receiving. I think of myself an on-the-go urban-girly-girl with a splash of quirkiness and a teaspoon of nerdiness (ok maybe more like a tablespoon...) so most of these will probably be reflective of that mix. In any case, if you have a twenty one to six year old-ish female on your holiday shopping list this year, I hope this guide finds you well. And without further ado:

adidav9's First And Probably Last Annual Holiday Gift Guide "for Her"

1.) BaByLiss Pro Porcelain Ceramic 2000-Watt Hair Dryer, $57.95 at Amazon.

...because when she is long of hair and short of time, drying her hair can be horrible, but not as horrible as going outside with wet hair in the wintertime (which feels like perpetual brain freeze). A nice hair dryer helps this immensely. Trust me, there is a noticeable difference between standard $20 hair dryers and the next notch above. I know this because in college I had a said standard $20 one and I ended up using my roommate's BaByLiss all the time because it did the job about 2x faster and gave me 10 minutes back into my life every day.

2.) Kikkerland Bear Coasters, $10 at Amazon.

...because they are absolutely adorable, completely functional and will be enjoyed by her guests too, which in turn will make her beam and think of you and silently thank you for your awesome taste in coasters. I bought these for the boy and we can't get enough of them.

3.) Planet Earth DVDs, $58.49 at Amazon.

...because she'll watch it mesmerized by the astounding HD footage, inspired by the luscious orchestral soundtrack, and lulled by David Attenborough's charming narration. I'm usually not a big proponent of buying DVDs but Planet Earth is up on that sacred tier of television shows (along with Arrested Development and erm, Vampire Diaries) that is worth watching again and again.

4.) Himalayan Trading Post Powder Puff Candle, $32 at Urban Outfitters.

...because it will light up her room on a cold winter night while she's reading in bed. I actually picked this up at Urban Outfitters a few days ago but ended up returning it because I have too many candles to justify another that could buy a week's worth of Chipotle burritos. Having said that, if you can look past the high price tag, it is still a good candle and an excellent gift. Not only is it remarkably gorgeous and has a lovely scent, the delicate glass container can be reused for jewelry or trinkets after the candle has burned up, which sort of makes up for the ridiculous price. Sort of. Oh, and it's weighty and well-made in person. And I was very sad to have returned it.

5.) Around the World Leather Watch, $39 at Urban Outfitters.

...because it's classy, unique and will go oh so well with her go-to winter cardigan, dress, tights, scarf, and boots outfit. My best friend has this and I immediately noticed and complimented her on it.

6.) Classic Tangoes, $9.99 at Amazon.

...because she will be stumped and delighted by this deceptively simple game. This game is perfect if she likes puzzles games and if she's got a competitive edge. Plus it's two-player so you can always play together.

7.) Huuuuuuuuge Furry Pillow, $49.95 at Pier One Imports.

...because I have one (its name is Fluffers) and I LOVE HIM SO MUCH and I believe everyone should have one. See detailed post here.

8.) Row Boat Salad Bowl, $65 at Uncommon Goods.

...because it makes for a beautiful and unique centerpiece, even when it's not filled with her delicious favorite salads. This is one of those "nice" things that really signify she's fully transitioned from her college days into fabulous womanly adulthood. It helps build some serious domestic goddess cred, yo.

9.) Ayaka Mug, $14.00 at Anthropologie.

...because everything Anthropologie makes is just so gosh darned heart crushingly gorgeous and chances are she's already picked this up before and sighed over it longingly and then seen the price tag and put it away very abruptly after that. Get this for her if she's an avid coffee or tea guzzler or if she's got a weakness for pretty patterns.

10.) Urban Decay Naked Palette, $50 at Sephora.

...because this is the mother of all eyeshadow palettes. Seems expensive but when you factor in that each individual eyeshadow runs $18 a pop, 12 for $50 suddenly seems like a pretty darned good deal. UD is famous for high-quality, ultra-pigmented shadows. And these colors work well for both day and night. These were the only eyeshadows that I brought with me to India for three months and they honestly left nothing to be desired. In fact, when I came back I basically shoved all my other eyeshadows in a box under my bed.

11.) The Big-Ass Book of Crafts, $13.57 at Amazon.

...because you'll inspire and enable her to rediscover her artsy, crafty roots. Also something you can do together!

12.) Flat Cat Sham and/or matching Flat Cat Duvet Cover, $24 and $59 respectively at Urban Outfitters.

...because she will smile so much when she wakes up next to KITTENS every morning!

13.) Antique Monogrammed Journal, $6.49 at Amazon.

...because there's just something about pen and paper that can't be replaced with styluses or keyboards. This one is beautiful, inexpensive and versatile enough to be used at the office. Bonus if you make her a personalized bookmark to go with this!

14.) Settlers of Catan, $33.60 at Amazon.

...because it's Settlers of Catan.

If all else fails, make her a nice handmade card and put thoughtful words inside of it. Key words are nice and thoughtful. And if you really must get her something material - get her a DSW gift card. Because "I hate DSW!" - said no girl ever.