**Fine Art Friday**

I just met with this kid, yes KID, on Tuesday who is 19 years old, never finished high school, and is currently shopping around a book he himself made with images from his 2 month stint in tribal Africa.


In other words, he's a prodigy. A full fledged, real life art prodigy who looks like a teenager. (Oh wait, he IS a teenager!)

His work is beautiful--some dark and gritty, but not overly retouched and manipulated. His lighting is gorgeous and he has a terrific sense of placement and composition.



He's already worked on nationally recognizable campaigns, such as the Twilight posters (we all know I'm a fan of those!), and numerous editorial images of musicians.






















I hate him because he makes me think of all the things I have NOT accomplished, but I love him because he's an amazing photographer.

Check out Joey L's work here and here and see for yourself. Don't start crying, just appreciate that some people in this world with born with talent. And some of us just blog about it ;-)

Thursday Thoughts

So I was thinking that I should start reviewing good places to hang out, be social, meet up with friends, have b-day parties, etc., and of course, warn you of the bad places.

So here is the first installment. My bias, if you've been paying attention, is towards Brooklyn. So most if not all of the reviews here on in are going to be based in BK, so deal with it.

Below are a few places I've been to during those hours past the Happy Hour hours...

Clover Club (Thumbs Down)
210 Smith St, Cobble Hill
I find the staff humorless and unhelpful and the atmosphere stuffy. Who wants to pay $18 to get treated rudely? That sounds like some kind of masochistic crap to me.

Franklin Park (Thumbs Up)
618 St. John's Place, Crown Hts
Great music, Great bartender, Great beers. The only complaints are that they don't take credit cards and they don't have food. BUT they do have a vast array of local menus, just ask the bartender. Can't wait till it's warm and they open up the patio! (P.S. They have trivia on Monday nights).

Radegast Hall & Biergarten (Thumbs Up)
113 N 3rd St, Williamsburg
I love this place and it almost erases my horrible experience at the Astoria Beer Garden last summer (the words, military state come to mind). You get a great deal on the food if you order in the back at the grill. I personally LOVE the bratwurst and the choice of mustards, ranging from spicy to not so spicy. And of course there's lots of beer. Only downside? Can get really crowded really fast, so try to go on a weeknight on the early side.

Bell House (Thumbs Up)
149 7th St, Gowanus
This place is a good mix of older people and hot, hot hipsters. It's like the new Williamsburg. They have shows in the backroom for extra admission, but the bar area has a lot of seating and really cheap deals on Sixpoint beer. Only downside? The location is in the middle of Rapetown.

Chez Oscars!

I'm back!

This post is dedicated to my 6th Annual Oscar Soiree, and if I must say so myself, it was one of the best!

It was held at my friend Jed's house this year since my teeny tiny apartment would not accommodate all of my wonderful friends.


What made this year so special? Well, aside from the general enthusiasm for the party, there was a new twist--themed snacks and drinks.

We had, in no particular order, libations and munchies based on the Oscar nominees. Such as:

• Vicky Cristina Sangria
• Mickey Roquefort Cheese
• Marisa Tomei-toes (and mozzarella cheese)
• Happy Go Lucky Charms Treats
• Tropic Thunder Punch
• Milk chocolate chip cookies & M&M's
• Slum Dogs with Curry Dippin' Sauce
• Benjamin Button Baby Carrots and Baby Corn
• Vegan Cristina Barcelona Dip
• Kung Fu Panda Edamame Salad
• Etc. Etc.

In addition to the themed spread, I also artfully (LOL) decorated the paper cups with Oscar nominees so that people could drink out of their favorite star or who they came as.


















And finally, last but not least, the big winner of all my Oscar parties, the Oscar poll!! This year's winner, same as last year's winner, was Jed. Which I guess makes up for the fact that I spilled punch on his floor ;-)



Enjoy the pictures and see if you can guess who people came as!

On hiatus!!

Hey Y'all, sorry I haven't posted in awhile, but things have gotten busy at work and I'm diligently preparing for the Oscars!!

Stay tuned for an awesome post next week about my annual Oscar party!

Kisses.

**Fine Art Friday**

This is something a little different. I was in a Czech cafe a few weeks ago and this cartoon came on. My Polish cousin got so excited because apparently the Poles grew up on this cartoon too.


It's called Krtek, which translates to mole, and is about the adventures of a mole and his friends.

The animation is so freakin' cool that I needed to post about it on Fine Art Friday. The actual cartoon can be seen below on You Tube and I've accompanied some stills.




The character was first originated and drawn by Zdenek Miler in 1954. It was super popular among little kids in communist countries in Eastern Europe, and gained popularity in India, China and even the US since the characters' expressed themselves in short sounds that could be easily recognizable in any language.


People love this lil guy...

Happy Valentine's Day?

Um, yuck.

I'm not a fan of Valentine's Day, even when I'm in a relationship, I don't like the "forced" romance of it all.

Here are some fun things to do INSTEAD of being icky and gooey on Saturday night...

1. Throw an "Anti-Valentine's Day" Party
The best ones I've been too involved cut out hearts with dirty words on them (like "STD") that you can tape to your body while getting wasted and making out with other haters.

2. Go see a horror or action movie
You want to see something where happy people are killed for no reason. It's very therapeutic.
I recommend this one that's out now.

3. Treat yourself to some dessert
Go all out and forget about the fact that you are buying dessert for yourself. At least you don't have to fit into some stupid fancy dress. Try this place out .

4. Go see an anti-Valentine's Day show
Apparently there's a comedy show at Upright Citizens Brigade.

5. Go watch other people be sad
Such as in these short films about "love" and heartache.

6. Go graffiti
Ok, so I've never done this myself, mainly because it's illegal, but I bet it's super therapeutic to go out there and deface something with red paint. Paint the town red, y'all!

Ha. But for reals. If you're in love, awesome, be in it 364 days a year and skip this night. It's so cliche. :-)

*Snapshot Wednesdays*

This is my friend Celeste after she wet her pants...well, actually, she just spilled a drink on herself. But still...


BAHAHAHAHA.

Hey it happens, why not make it into a photographic event :-)