Randy Pausch

Take a few minutes to watch this video. If you’re not moved by it, or at least a little inspired by it, then maybe you should take a few minutes to re-evaluate who you are. Just sayin’….  Thanks CC for passing this along, and thanks to Miller Jones for passing it along to him.   

One Hip Little Dude

Hey All. Been a quick minute– seems to be a trend with me. Anyhow, everything on this end is absolutely splendid. Loving the new digs, new job, new scenery, etc. Been working a lot, but it’s definitely stuff I want to be spending my time doing!  More on that later– maybe. On a completely unrelated note, this little dude is super on point. Check him out below singing Hey Jude. His little accent is priceless…

Goodbye Seattle!

Thank you to everyone who made it out for my going-away get together at 611 last Saturday! It was great to see all of you under the same roof– very reminiscent of summertime. And wonderful to see your faces one last time before I migrated South for the winter. Here are a few flicks from the night, courtesy of Salts’ flickr page. I’ll miss all of you, but anxiously await your visits to the beautiful Bay area!

San Francisco

It’s been well over two months since my last blog (I know, I know) and in that two months a lot has happened in the life of Jenna. Namely a long-term and rather intense interview process, culminating with a great offer and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

So with that being said, I should let you all know (if you don’t know already) that I’ll be leaving Seattle on the 3oth of January and moving to wonderful San Francisco. I’ve accepted an offer with Apple to be a Program Coordinator for their Campus Rep program, and I couldn’t be happier! It’s exactly what I want to be doing with myself right now, and everything so far has fallen together flawlessly! I received my official offer letter/packet a few days back and below are some photos. You have no idea how exciting it is to get a stark white folder in the mail, where the first page just says “Welcome to Apple.” It’s been a long-time coming, and I can’t wait to get down there and start throwing myself into my work! And I look forward to all of your visits, as well!

If I ever need a hearing aid…

… I want mine to come in this packaging.

The design is by Copenhagan design studio Goodmorning Technology, for Widex “high definition hearing.”

I’m a huge fan of well-designed, and creative packaging– I say fan, but some might say “sucker.” Anyhow, this box for a hearing aid is some of the coolest in package design I’ve seen in awhile. As you pull the innerbox out of the sheath, it simulates a sound wave in action. Ingenius if you think about the fact that whomever is opening/needing the device relies much more on visual cues than aural. Love it. Watch the video below for a demo

Falling Water, The Movie

A friend sent me this video awhile back, because I’m a huge fan of Frank Lloyd Wright, and it’s quite amazing. It was produced by Cristóbal Vila, whose work makes up the graphic and animation studio Eterea Studios. You can view his full work here, but this Falling Water movie is definitely my favorite. Also, if you’re interested in more general info about Falling Water, Eterea has put together quite an extensive About page.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Polka Tattoo Furniture

Stumbled on this Tattoo Furniture, by Polka, and thought it was a cool (or maybe just novel) idea. For those of us who aren’t big into getting ink, but appreciate the artistry and skill that goes into it– here’s a solution. Contact Polka with your custom tattoo design, and they’ll have international artist Gert Kowarzik make you some tatt’ed furniture for your house. They don’t run cheap, but it’s still a cool concept.

Theme Songs by Alex

This is so hilarious, I couldn’t NOT post about it. Please enjoy watching Baby Alex sing some TV show theme songs…. so good. You can view the whole collection at his Youtube page here.

Ingrid Michaelson

Chances are, you’ve all heard the music of Ingrid Michaelson without even knowing it. She’s the woman behind the “sweater” song being featured on the new Old Navy commercials, and her songs have also been featured on Grey’s Anatomy. I really enjoy her music and the texture of her voice. Plus, her album Boys and Girls has been on constant repeat on my ipod for the past week– that’s a solid sign for me that an artist is legit. Check her out, buy her album on itunes, and take a listen to her song “The Way I Am” below;

NOTCOUTURE.COM

So the good people over at NOTCOT have done it again– they’ve launched yet another amazing site for your viewing pleasures. NOTCOUTURE is the fourth installment to the NOTCOT web page family, and it features designers, stores, and everything from bags to dresses to earrings, for your refined and luxury tastes. It’s worth checking out, and they’ll be running cool deals and discounts throughout the week to kickoff the launch. Check it out.

My Architect

I don’t know why I haven’t blogged about this film until now. I think I’ve had the intention of blogging it about 5 different times, but never have. I’ve been telling people to go watch this movie since the first time I watched it about two years ago with my dad. It’s an amazing film by the son of famous architect Louis I. Kahn, Nathanial Kahn. It’s a documentary about the son’s path to discover his father through visiting his architecture, but you really couldn’t write a story more compelling if you tried. It’s a beautiful film, so please go rent it, or download it, or whatever you have to do. The story is beyond compelling, and the cinematography and the way he captures the architecture will take your breath away, and might even bring a little tear to your eye. Learn more about the film here, and more about Louis Kahn right here.

Target Australia X Stella McCartney

Now, I’ve posted before about how I love this whole “High Fashion for the Masses” trend that’s going on right now– and I still do love it. BUT, I hate it when foreign countries get better access to cooler shit than we get in the states. Case and point– Australia’s Targets having Stella McCartney as part of their GO international line. Rubbish, I tell you! This was back in March that Target Australia launched a line with Stella, but all I’m asking is that you bring her to the US! Please?! Even if she did another line with H&M I’d be semi-satisfied. Here’s a look at some of the beautiful designs that I can only get on ebay….<sigh>

As a sidenote, I just switched perfumes to McCartney’s “Stella in Two Peony,” and it’s amazing. I love it.

Things I like…

Another thing I like is the new Vitamin Water Energy drinks called just “VitaminEnergy.” They are seriously legit. I’m not big on energy drinks, cause usually they build you up to break you down. But I really like these vitamin water heart-racers. Especially fruit punch. Try them out.

Stephen Holl

In my opinion, Stephen Holl is one of the most prolific contemporary architects around. The way in which he uses and plays with light is truly captivating and the organic nature of his designs get me every time. Some of you Seattleites might be familiar with his work without even knowing it, as he is the architect behind the Chapel of St. Ignatius on the campus of Seattle University.

If you haven’t experienced this building, take a field trip stat. Go tomorrow. Go tomorrow morning and go again at night. The way he uses light in that space will take your breath away. And the fact that there isn’t a 90 degree angle in the whole place is pretty captivating too. Anyways, this guy is dope and the addition he designed to the Nelson Atkins Museum in Kansas City, MO is no exception. The new five building addition- known as the Bloch Building- opened yesterday to the public and is absolutely beautiful.

Holl’s larger architectural concepts of integrating natural landscapes with his structures, as well as emphasizing and accentuating natural light and reflections of water seemed to all come together perfectly with the Bloch building. I think it’s pretty interesting the way his five buildings- which he refers to as lenses- are juxtaposed with a classic temple-style building donning huge ionic columns which is very representative of an old and often sterile way of experiencing “art”. While Holl’s buildings seem to represent a new way to experience art- through the marriage and integration of art on the outside (the architecture) and the art that lies within. Truly breathtaking, and I hope to visit someday. Find out more info on the Bloch building here or here.

The Glass House

For those of you who are interested, or for those who might be in the Connecticut area sometime in the next year, Philip Johnson’s famous Glass House– inspired by a Mies Van de Rohe design– is now open to the public for the first time in 50+ years. The 47-acre site features buildings from every decade of Johnson’s life and surveys architecture, art and landscape design from the second-half of the twentieth century. The re-opening of the site hopes to serve as a catalyst for the preservation of modern architecture as well as a canvas for cultivating new ideas honoring the spirit of Philip Johnson and David Whitney. It’s really worth checking out, even if tickets are sold out until 2008. To get more info, purchase tickets or set up patron tours visit www.philipjohnsonglasshouse.org or call 203.966.8167.