Gallery Of Travel

I've been blogging since 2006. And depending on the way I look at it I can either say that not much has changed or I can say that tons of things have changed. I actually need to dedicate an entire blog post to that topic. An exploration of my blogging then & now sort of thing. After typing the previous sentence my head is swirling with things to talk about. So I'll put that post on my list of things to do. I'll work on it. ;)

Anyways..."10 Things you might not know about me." I'm sure that I've been "tagged" in one of these more than a few times over the years, but it has been a while. I'm happy to say that the current tagging was done by the sweet and mega talented Kate over at Scathingly Brilliant. I really loved reading hers. Kate is such an amazing character. I adore hearing about her life, collections, quirks, family, cats, art. She's someone that I feel privileged to know. Like, you can watch all the quirky Indie movies you like...those perfectly soundtracked, curated, decorated, color styled, and wardrobed scenes in Wes Anderson films are pretty much Kate when she wakes up in the morning. And oh yeah, she's a Jersey girl. 

so...

1. I do not drive. I don't know how. I never have driven and I have no plans on ever doing so. I've been quoted many times over the years...referring to myself as "a passenger for life." I also know that one should never say never. But at the moment...no thanks. I never said I wasn't a weirdo. ;)

2. If you ever want to see me go from Jekyll to Hyde then just have a mosquito land on me or Aaron or one of the pups. Or for that matter just let one fly past my face...just let me see it and hear the tiny whine of its dirty little wings. I will full-on flip. ha! I have hated those jerks my entire life. I yell at them and call them the scum of the earth. Them and their buddies, fleas and ticks can all meet an early extinction...mega jerks!

3. I am not really a big fan of working out, though I know it is a must for a happy, healthy and balanced life. We have an elliptical that Aaron uses daily. I myself prefer to do "my tape". And by "tape" I mean a DVD, but I grew up in the 80s and my mom did a workout tape...Kathy Smith to be exact, and I only refer to my DVD as a tape, which is Crunch: Burn & Firm Pilates...I like it a lot. So for years I've only referred to this DVD as "my tape"...and then somewhere along the line this concept got even more warped. Totally dead serious, with not even a smirk, Aaron will say "ok, I'm gonna go do my tape"...which refers to his 45 mins on the elliptical. Not sure if this even qualifies as a thing you didn't know about me...but whatevs. 

4. I've always worn a "uniform"...always. I get into an aesthetic groove, or a clothing comfort zone, and I stick with it for a while. For a good period of years, back when we went to tons of hardcore shows and Aaron's band played all over, I really only wore the color red. Red lips always. Red cat eye glasses with rhinestones, a red satin jacket, adidas shell toes with stripes that I painted red. A big red ball bead necklace...oh, and my hair was in two platinum braids for like 12 years. I had these big red pony tail holders that I called bobbers. They were red and white balls that looked exactly like fishing bobbers. And then there was my camo phase. I only wore camouflage pants. And only the real deal army navy store issue. I'd either roll them up or cut them to knee length. Every pair was painted on by me and Aaron. We adorned them with little cartoon versions of myself...gold charm ice cream cones, cupcakes. And I'd pair them with black boots to the knee. In summer my top would be a black tank top...and in winter a black turtleneck. I'd throw in a leopard print purse or jacket...maybe splashes of pink. And ALWAYS big gold bamboo earrings. I was a total mash-up of my two heroes: Betsey Johnson and Mr. T. Seriously.

 Currently I mostly wear black. I love polka dots, some pops of aqua, but not much pink since my hair is pink.  

5. I adore Horror movies. Vintage Horror is my fave. Anything from the 70s...and vintage Italian Horror is way up there on my list. I really love all kinds of movies, but normally my first pick would be an old horror movie. My all time favorite movie is The Shining. And one of my first favorite books was this book by Vincent Price called Monsters...pretty much a catalog of monsters and oddities, in movies and real life. Anything from Eng and Chang, or JoJo the dog faced boy, to movies like The Creature From the Black Lagoon, and stories about the great Bela Lugosi and Lon Chaney. I spent many summer afternoons reading it. I wish I still had it. But like I said, I really love all kinds of movies. I can also watch any old Brando anytime. He's mesmerizing. In a total weirdo type of a way. Such a strange bird. I blogged my top 10 favorite movies of all time last year here. 

6. I do not like talking on the phone. Just not a favorite thing of mine. I'm a big talker too. But not on the phone. Not even sure why the phone scares me...gives me strange anxiety. Though I do talk to my mom on the phone almost daily...she's the exception I guess.

7. My happy place is a motel in Wildwood NJ...The Caribbean Motel. It's a Doo Wop motel...this is a style that's very popular in Wildwood..sorta 1950s theme, tiki bar, leopard print, bamboo, aluminum palm trees around the pool...atomic style light fixtures or clocks maybe. And they pipe in this dreamy mood music...very islandy/cabana/beach club/canasta feeling. It's a shame that I haven't been there in years...but whenever I dream of being somewhere to relax and forget everything, it's The Caribbean Motel that materializes in my dream sequence. 

8. And to continue the weirdness... I am not good with small social situations but I'm fantastic...electric even...when it comes to big events. Going to the movies with a group of friends...I might feel like I'm going to crumble...but teaching at large art events is not nerve racking to me in the least. Or doing the NYC Gift Show at the Javits Center. Like, thousands of people attend. Me and Aaron had our own booth, we set up our backdrop, our stuff, and there I am selling and speaking to hundreds and hundreds of peeps. Never break a sweat before, during or after. But picking a seat in the mall food court will give me clammy palms and pin dot eyes. Not sure what that says about me. Not sure I want to know.

9.  I like all kinds of music...truly all kinds. From Billie Holiday & Ella Fitzgerald, to TV on the Radio, Passion Pit, Sleigh Bells, Zeppelin and Black Sabbath. But my absolute favorite band is The Deftones. People are always shocked when they hear that. I enjoy the juxtaposition...that my vintage paper mache rabbits, and stuffed bunnies, and painted cupcakes, and pretty collections come with a backing soundtrack of Chino Moreno's screeching and heavy as heck guitars. It's nuts to some...but makes total sense to me. 

I remember in our early twenties, working in our antique booth, and painting period authentic florals on dresser fronts to coordinate with vintage barkcloth, and listening to "Sophisticated Lady" by day. And come nightfall we were standing in line to get into a Deftones show, along with dudes in combat boots and black trench coats.

10. I've never tasted beer, or wine or any alcohol for that matter. Not for any big or religious reason. It just never interested me. And by now you may have gathered that I am a worrier, panicker, weirdo. The thought of not being in 100% control or being altered in any way scares the heck out of me. But, I must tell you that I have no problem...actually don't even think twice about...others drinking. I'd even play bartender and serve up fun and fancy drinks at my party. I guess it's the same as driving. It's just not for me. 

Ha! I really have to laugh at this list. I was incredibly candid and honest here. I suppose I could have sat and thought of less odd things...maybe even some things that normalize me a bit. Bigger, more character forming things about myself...like resume` stuff...my dreams, or goals, or maybe the things I've seen, the people I know, or interesting people I have met or worked with. But oh well...there you go. 

Now I'm going to tag some friends, and please...if you'd like to play along I'd LOVE to read yours! Feel free to come back and leave a link to your blogged list! 

I tag:

xo, Jenny...and Aaron says Hi!