artful graffiti, peter the rabbit and my fanny pack

Gratitude Journal

Keeping perspective: When I despair with the state of my day I remember that I have food, shelter, and employment. Then given that everything else is a bonus, I approach it with more enthusiasm then dread.

- Life in the slow lane >>> Taking long walks, going running, eating gelato in the sun

- Anthropologie gift >>> if you just sign up for their free membership you get 15 percent off any purchase, even those already discounted. Pretty sweet deal.

- Bruschetta, gelato, ice cubes, green tea to help me stay awake at night – a hazard of working in news:)

- Reading my book on my red couch by the open window while the rain falls. That I have time to continue to learn things on my own is a true blessing, a consequence of fortuitous circumstances. Many folks seem to be hustling non-stop all day.

- Talking to my mother at 3 am in the morning. This woman’s awesome!

- Honey scented soaps, Farmer’s Market

- Honoring my faith. “Whatever you believe you are, you are”

The Notebook
- This week I am determined to get more exercise. I’ve walked 40 minutes every day (I prefer it to the bus/train) and ran 3 miles. I may even re-start my biking lessons. At my age it really is funny to be learning this skill but it would be so fun to bike hands-off through the city.

Suddenly livability isn’t an abstract concept, it’s an experience. Human scale, connectivity, land use efficiency, urban fabric, complete streets… all the codewords, catchphrases, and academic jargon can be tossed out the window because now they are one synthesized moment of appreciation. Bicycles matter because they are a catalyst of understanding – become hooked on the thrill of cycling, and everything else follows. Now a new freeway isn’t a convenience but an impediment. Mixed-use development isn’t a threat to privacy but an opportunity for community. And maybe, just maybe, car-free living will eventually be seen not as restrictive, but as a door to newfound freedom. – Kasey Klimes, Americancity.org

- Calling all Animal Lovers: The Rabbit is #3 pet in the UK but it is systematically mishandled at home because pet owners do not know some key facts. Like the fact that they cannot live in cages because they need to hop since they only sweat through the soles of their feet. The Guardian gives you all the straight facts about rabbit care. Do read if you have a rabbit and plan on ever getting one.

- A great article that explains how the practice of mindfulness changes the blueprint of the brain. “My experience is what I agree to attend to. Only those items which I notice shape my mind.” – William James, American Psychologist

- The old fashioned resume is dead. Embrace the social resume. Mashable has collected a whole slew of them for your viewing pleasure and inspiration. My favorite is Katie Briggs’ Infographic Resume. It immediately catches the eye, presents information in a clear and easy to digest way and best of all showcases her skill: graphic design.

- Shoe Vocabulary so you can find out if you want to go D’Orsay or just want to be Foxing it.

- The Fanny Pack is Back. I saw them in an Anthropologie store and burst out laughing because it’s the thing that was sure to get you made fun of on high school trips. I personally still use the old cloth ones to put all my running gear (lip gloss, cash, ID, ipod) but Anthropologie has done a new swanky Fanny that may have me rocking it at parties.

- This beautiful looks like a painting but it was shot with a Nikon, just being at the perfect place at the perfect time. The photographer, Frans Lanting, explains all the magic behind it this photo of a rising dune in Namib-Naukluft Park.

Art Inspiring Art
This week I’ve fallen in awe of these graffiti from a town in Italy called Orgosolo. The photographer who snapped these is Giulia Arantxa Novelli and she’s kindly agreed to let me feature her pictures here in this section.

Each graffitti is inspired by a particular artist. Some artists, like brands, are more recognizable than others. You always know Louis Vuitton when you see it because ça crève les yeux as its compatriots might say. That it literally claws at your eyes with its conspicuous logo. But you may not know a Bodega Veneta until you look inside and see the familiar lining.

The grafitti (above) inspired by Joan Miró, the Barcelona painter, contemporary of the mad Dalí. I wrote about him before. Miró is inimitable and so it was easy to spot the inspiration here.

Another mural was inspired by Picasso (above). Check out  the similarities to Picasso’s iconic 1937 mural Guernica below. The hands give the connection away and the pink flower (above) is the white flower near the horse’s knee (below).

See Giulia’s Webpage for more murals.

P.S: Thanks to Giulia for letting me feature your work here. Grazie mille.