Nilla One-Hundred And Forty

Happy Birthday, Sisters!

Just wanted to give a little BIRTHDAY SHOUT-OUT to my sisters, CYNTHIA and BELINDA...Cynthia's birthday is TODAY, July 29th (though, I ALWAYS think it's on July 28th...dunno why), and Belinda's birthday was on July 10th. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SISTERS! Love, your big bro, Raoul...

Big H'air

Yesterday, the students of CANOPY STUDIO put on an AERIAL DANCE show called "BIG H'AIR". There were 9 different groups of students that each performed a choreographed piece, including Missy's Advanced-Intermediate Trapeze class. Before the show, they all got together to put on make-up for their performance. Missy ended up looking like a cross between 60's mod supermodel TWIGGY and a DROOG from the movie A CLOCKWORK ORANGE. We clicked off a couple of photos in the kitchen before heading out to Canopy...



When we got there, the studio was already pretty packed. Our friend Josie made this AWESOME SIGN to cheer Allison and Missy on...



























Missy's class took the stage to the sound of MARILYN MANSON covering SOFT CELL's big hit, "Tainted Love"...can you tell which one is Missy? (she's the one with short red hair and leggings with one striped leg):













































Bonus Pic - this weird painting was hanging in the hallway at Canopy:



Missy and Allison posing with their sign after the first show of the day was over...between the two showings, Missy and I ran out to The Grit for a quick bite to eat:

MAKE - How To: Zine-Making For Kids

Whoa! Huge shout out and big THANK YOU! to MAKE MAGAZINE'S CRAFT BLOG and DIANE GILLELAND for featuring some of Missy's zines in their ZINE-MAKE TUTORIAL FOR KIDS! (and thanks to our friend Eric for giving us the heads up!)

You can click over to MAKE's article HERE.

Weekend Wind-Down #164

(Havi and Missy strike a pose at ATHICA EMERGES 6)

WHOA. It's been a while since I've posted to the blog and even longer since I've posted a Weekend Wind-Down post. Per usual, we've been very busy, with lots of cool new stuff happening behind the scenes...but I digress. Tonight, we wanted to share some images from the ATHICA EMERGES 6 exhibit that is currently on display at the ATHENS INSTITUTE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART (a.k.a. ATHICA). We went to opening night and then the artists' talk the following week...

Missy scopes out some abstract paintings by ANDY GIANNAKAKIS:





Innuendo-laden paintings by MANDA MCKAY:







The awesome interactive installation by SPIRITCAT (CIARA + J T BRINGARDNER)













Missy and our friend (and huge TOFU BABY fan), Brittany:





These collages by ERIC SIMMONS were some of my personal favorites from the exhibition. I love the juxtaposition of bodybuilders and paintings by Wassily Kandinsky:















Last Thursday's Artists' Talk was catered by WORLD ENTOMOPHAGY. The served up appetizers and hors d'oeuvres that featured EDIBLE INSECTS...they had chocolate chip cookies with CRICKETS baked into them; cups of rice cooked with veggies and various insects; and Ritz crackers topped with MEAL WORMS AND CRICKETS, drizzled with a little bit of honey. I got up the courage to eat a chocolate chip cookie. There wasn't much to the taste (the cookie was kinda bland tasting), but there was definitely a bit of "crunchy texture" from the cricket. It was the first piece of "meat" I had eaten since the late 90s...



The actual cookie that I ate, with a CRICKET ASS hanging out of it:







FAVORITE MOMENT FROM THE PAST WEEK AND A HALF?
MISSY - Finally getting The Beast back from the body shop weeks after a tree limb fell on it!
RAOUL - Finally getting the pegboard up!

WORST MOMENT FROM THE PAST WEEK AND A HALF?
MISSY - Having to separate the rabbits
RAOUL - Inadvertently inhaling a lung-full of sawdust from the Dremel.

FUNNIEST MOMENT FROM THE PAST WEEK AND A HALF?
MISSY - Watching people eat bugs at ATHICA!
RAOUL - Yup. Bug eatin' at ATHICA.

WORD OR PHRASE OF THE PAST WEEK AND A HALF?
MISSY - "THE BEAST"
RAOUL - "Dremel"

FAVORITE MEAL FROM THE PAST WEEK AND A HALF?
MISSY - Pizza at Ted's Most Best.
RAOUL - Dinner at Siri Thai.

WORST MEAL FROM THE PAST WEEK AND A HALF?
MISSY - I didn't like my quesadilla at Señor Sol.
RAOUL - You'd think I'd say bugs at ATHICA but it was the chili dog platter at The Grit (the chili was undercooked).

NUMBER ONE THING YOU NEED TO ACCOMPLISH THIS WEEK?
MISSY - Make some new buttons.
RAOUL - Add new items to my Etsy shop.

PERSONAL SOUNDTRACK FROM THE PAST WEEK AND A HALF?
MISSY - Alessi's Ark, Mountain Man, The Receptionists, B52s, Joanna Newsom.
RAOUL - Madness, Simon Joyner, Imaginary Pants, Rose Melberg, Katie and The Lichen, Will Simmons, Little Wings, Call And Response, Art Museums, English Singles, April March, Love & Rockets, Big Audio Dynamite, Interpol.