Being Polite

While I was cursing Yahoo for being totally unable to log into anything over there, YIM, mail, etc., I came across this article about the most polite major city in the whole wide world. Wouldn't you know that NYC won hands down!!

Some people will be surprised at this, but I'm not. I didn't realize just how polite NYers are until I moved away from there some years ago. People talk to their neighbors, they look out for each other, all that sort of thing. The study in the article looked at opening doors, helping to pick up something dropped and salespeople saying thank you to customers. I suppose what does NYC in in terms of image is the fast pace. If you're not accustomed to that, it can come across as being blown off or brusqueness. But in my experience, once the local person becomes aware that they are dealing with a visitor, they will try to help out. There's also the tendency to being direct and straightforward in conversation, which can come across as rudeness. Think about it though, would you rather be told the bald truth, as they see it, or have someone lead you down the garden path? If you have no time for me, tell me so I can move on. anything else is passive agressive and no one wants that.

But that's not to say that people elsewhere are jerks, and my time living upstate has been hellish or whatever. Because that's not the case at all, I'm just saying that NYC has a tendency to be labled as rude and that is just not so. What does surprise me is that Toronto came in a distant third (behind Zurich.) I would have expected TO to be a lot higher than that because I have yet to meet a rude Canadian. I'm also surprised that no other major US city made even the top 20.. Yes, it's a world-wide poll, but you'd think that at least ONE other would get mentioned... Particularly those cities in regions frequently thought of as politeness personified. I suppose this is an area where one would have to dig into the research criteria and all that sort of thing. I also wonder if it really is a level playing field to have this be a world wide study and not take into considerations cultural differences and social norms.

Anyway, this was nice to see. And blogging about it certainly distracted me from my frustration at not being able to login to my Yahoo email.....

Upstate

I've lived in upstate NY for a little over 15 years now and for the most part I really like it. Beautiful country, nice people, and not that far away from home. My original purpose for moving here was school. Obviously I haven't been "in school" for 15 years, there were two when I lived in Northern Kentucky after undergrad, and when I moved back in 1998 I worked until I figured out my next move. Now that I've finished with school, I'm looking at my options.

My first choice, obviously, to me anyway, is to stay here. I've been here for most of my adult life and it's become home. And I really like where I live and the people I've surrounded myself with. But it's a bit frustrating because of the local job market. My first thought was that this is a Buffalo issue.. It's no news flash that the population here has been dwindling for years. But then I came across this article in the NYTimes. Seems that upstate in general is dwindling and it's due to a disappointing job market.

It's not that there are no jobs at all, but rather the kinds of jobs. I'm nearly 40 and have no desire to work in a call center or cashier. I've got student loans and all that sort of thing and I'm really tired of being poor. Which is what those jobs mean: you have a paycheck that barely covers living expenses and get treated like crap to boot. Jobs like that are perfect for kids just starting out, but not when you are trying to build a life for yourself.

It's not that I have a problem with moving to another part of the country, my job hunt is nationwide. What bothers me is that my hand seems to be forced. I don't particulary want to bounce around between four part time jobs. I want health insurance and a saving plan.

I suppose I'm jut frustrated. 15 years is a long time in a region. I hope I can stay here, but it's not looking good.

Painting like Pollock

I came across this website recently, that lets you paint like Pollock. Kind of. It lets you make digital, fairly random splatters and clicking the mouse will change colors. It's pretty cool and a fun way to pass time.

Thanks to way2busymom for the link!

Go visit this website!

There are a couple of reasons why I'm reccomending visiting dohiyimir. Firstly, there's some really great photograhy and promoting artists is something I need to do more of as this is sort of an art blog. When I feel like writing about art anyway, which I don't always but that's not the point. There's also great articles and a smattering of politics.

But mostly I'm linking because this blog's creator is a friend of my brother's. I'm not going to get into the recent nastiness that my family has been subjected to, suffice it to say that I'm spitting nails here. Anyway, the flip side to all this is that it is in circumstaces like this when you find out who your friends are. And NTodd, among others, has been a good friend. So it's my way of saying thank you.

(note: Blogger seems to be squirrly at the moment, so an addition to the blogroll has to wait.)

Movies about art

I have to admit it. I really enjoyed the book: "The DaVinci Code" and am looking forward to the movie. But not so much for the plot, which I found fun, but that's about it.

It's because of the art. This is a book about PAINTING. Yeah, there's the whole theology part and that sort of thing, and while I enjoy a good conspiracy theory as much as the next person, it's not, for me, what makes the book and movie so COOl. It's about ART!!!!!

According to the movie's press, they were able to shoot in the LOUVRE! No one does that! I remember reading the book and the thing that struck me about the whole thing was that I can't remember ever seeing art in this sort of context before. When are art historians cast as big heroes? I had the urge the entire time to review my Renaissance notes from undergrad and thinking that as an art teacher how cool is this to have a pop-culture link back to my subject? Imagine the cool projects on symbolism and representation that can come from this?

So that's why I'm going to see the movie. It's about ART and it's set in the LOUVRE. All controversy aside, I think this is the coolest thing EVER!!

Munch

I recently had the time to go back and read the NY Times articles that I've been saving and came across this one regarding the fate of the thieves who made off with Munch's "The Scream" and "Madonna" a few years ago.

Art theft is something I've never really understood. Particularly pieces as famous as these. I mean, what can they possibly DO with them? Hold them for ransom? Keep them in a private vault and never look at them? It's not as if the coast will ever be clear enough to sell them. Maybe it's one of those power trip kinds of things: "I have something special and I'm not telling where it is. So there. And YOU can't look at it, even though it's really cool."

I'm certainly upset that the paintings are missing. Munch is one of the big influential artists for me, and visiting the Munch Museum in Oslo is one of my dream trips. Not that I'm not grateful that the thieves were caught and prosecuted, because I am. But thefts of this sort are cruel. Art needs to be seen, not hidden away, and certainly not damaged.

Here's hoping the paintings are returned unharmed.

Shakes head with a sigh

I heard about this on the radio this afternoon while I was on my way home, and I checked it out because it seemed WAY too silly to be true. I should have known better.

Yes, it looks like the movie "Legally Blonde" is on it's way to becoming a Broadway musical. Just click here to see for yourself. Go ahead. I dare you. No, I'm not putting up any pictures. The whole idea sickens me.

Why must every silly idea be implemented?

Expert to Expert, 2006

Save the Dates! Expert-to-Expert Monday, May 8th to Wednesday, May 10th. Click here for more information, including registration forms and workshop info!

Looking forward to seeing you in May!

Actually it looks like it's going to be a really good conference this year. And I'm not just saying that because I'm one of the presenters. Dr. Basadur's work is very interesting and I'm looking forward to hearing him speak. There's also a lot of variety in the workshops offered, which is always a really good thing: Creativity in the arts, which believe it or not is not as well researched as you might think, Creativity in business, new research... There's something for everyone. Seems as though informal networking is being built in to the conference structure which I really like. These things are great reunion opportunities as well as a way to make new friends and it's nice to see the organizing committee responding to that.

This will be my third E2E experience, first time presenting, and I'm really looking forward to it. Creative Connections is also going to be doing a bit of fundraising, so if you're in the Buff State neighborhood, drop by to say hi and maybe buy a cupcake. :D

Musical!!

There's a new musical opening in Toronto: "The Lord of the Rings". Yeah. Someone made a musical stage production of this. AND it's my understanding that they compressed all three books into one. (Because it's based on the books, and not the movies.) I haven't seen this, and read only the one review in the NYTimes, which I deleted before I remembered that I wanted to link to it. But anyway according to the review it's really long and kind of confusing. Because it's a complex plot and compressing it into a three hour musical dosen't seem like nearly enough time, unless theater-goers are given Cliff-notes or something. Even the movies ended up leaving a lot out, and there were three of those. But they did keep the cool things like the Ents in it, so if you want to see dancing trees, then here's your chance. (The image, by the way, is the result of a Google Image Search, and I don't remember what website I pulled it from.)

Interesting Official Website though.. the intro is only kind of annoying but it plays well even if you have dial-up, which I do.

What's really cool is that the parodies have begun. Last night's Conan O'Brien had a parody sketch complete with a Gollum strip-tease which was hilarious. (I couldn't find images of the sketch, so the link is to the show's page.)

Color me skeptical, but is this really a good idea? Is this what the world was crying out for? Part of me really wants to see this.. another is horrifed at the thought.

At least it's not boring...

Wasn't Aware of a Problem!

I saw this on the 6:00 news tonight, then went to the NYTimes for confirmation. Seems that Barbie and Ken broke up a couple of years ago. She dumped him for an Austrailian srufer named Blaine. The picture on the right near is of the interloper. And they wonder why the sales of the dolls are going down: Barbie and BLAINE? Please. It's Barbie andKEN. Always has been, always will be.

Unless it was all an excuse to give Ken a makeover. As dolls go, he hasn't really moved with the times. But still. BLAINE?

Anyway, there is to be a new Ken and I wasn't even aware that there was a problem with the old one. And I don't care what the new Ken looks like, either. Although I am glad they've updated him a bit. By the way, I'm not posting a pic of the new Ken. If you want to see it, click on the article link. They've got a picture and a description of Ken's lifestyle changes. Seems he's no longer a surfer, but a cutting-edge guy who looks cool, cooks, and is in touch with his feelings. Personally, I think that's a lot to expect from a doll.

When I was a kid I had a Malibu Ken. He came with a bathing suit and towel, so he was ready for fun on the beach. And my extra outfit for Ken, because sometimes he and Barbie would go out, was a pale blue leisure suit. It was the '70's and Ken was very stylish. Or as stylish as you can get with plastic hair. That's him up there on the right. I couldn't find any pictures of the leisure suit.

Anyway, I'm glad Barbie and Ken have decided to work things out.

UPDATE: The layout I originally set didn't quite publish properly. Anyway, the 1970's Malibu Ken is the one with the bitchin tan. The one with the bad rug is that Blaine.

The Science of Art, or the Art of Science

Seems as though Einstein saw parallels, at least according to this article in last Tuesday's NY Times. The article discusses Einstein's love of the music of Mozart, and how it impacted his research.

This really isn't new. I'm not going to dig out my grad school reading as to creative process, or creative personality, but suffice it to say that there is a lot on the common personality traits of innovative creative geniuses, such as Einstein and Mozart. Ironically,while there is a lot of research about personality and process, art tends to get taken for granted in a lot of the creativity literature.. and film really isn't there at all. Interesting, that. (And I'm going to say now that I'm aware that this is a bit of a rambling brain dump.. I woke up at an ungodly hour of the "morning" and felt the need to blog anyway.)

Anyway, the article got me thinking about my experiences in undergrad as a painting major. What that meant was I spent an enormous amount of time in the studio and not really participating in campus events unless they were specific to art. It tends to be isolating because students in the other majors simply don't get the time commitment and you get percieved as being anti-social or whatever. Except for the science majors. They weren't seen a lot on campus either, but the science building was the only one besides the art building where there were ALWAYS students working and the science students were the only ones besides the art students who would get upset when you couldn't get into the building at 3am to work.

One of the coolest thing in my grad work was seeing that I was percieving something that turns out to be pretty true in the research: artists (all kinds) and scientists have a lot in common. Actually any "creative" person is going to be like that with the dedication and occaisional tunnel-vision when you're "on to something". (Read "Flow" by Csikszentmihalyi, he discusses this really well and he actually "get's" the artists in a way a lot of other creativity researchers don't.) But I've always gotten along with scientists.. the researchers anyway.

This is the end of my rambling essay on I'm not really sure what... Except that the article is really interesting and it's getting me thinking about getting a doctorate again...

An Interesting Observation

This afternoon I was Googleing images of the NYC skyline for a collage I'm making. Basically what I was looking for was the typical view from Jersey that everyone thinks of when they think of the NYC skyline. You know the one, it has most of Manhattan included.

So I was looking at the thumbnails and there were some really great images there.. Including the one taken from under the Brooklyn Bridge that is in the intro to "Friends". (I didn't want to use that one because the angle of the bridge would get in the way of what I'm trying to accomplish in the collage.) But I noticed something that I thought was irritating at the time, but I now find kind of interesting. Nearly all inclusive skyline images include the World Trade Center. There were more than a few of those horrible images from 9/11 (I still refuse to look at those by the way.. I'd prefer to either look at the crater or remember them as they were.)

I suppose it's kind of normal, I mean, those skyline shots with the Towers are awesome. But there's not a lot of the new skyline. Maybe it's still too recent. Or maybe people are waiting for the new building to come. I have to admit that I still expect to see the Towers when I'm in the area.. Not seeing anything there is kind of disturbing.

But as I work on the collage tomorrow I'm going to have to really think about weather or not I'm going to use any of the NYC images that I did download. It's not that they are bad images.. the one I've got up here is a darned good one and it's making me wish I remembered the source besides Google. If I don't include images of NYC it's because it dosen't look the way it's supposed to yet.

ACA National Conference, 2006

A note from Barry Silverberg of the ACA

American Creativity Association International Conference 2006

Wednesday, March 22 - Saturday, March 25

Pre-Conference Institutes on Monday, March 20 & Tuesday, March 21

At Hilton Austin Airport in Austin, Texas

Our Annual International Conference is all fleshed out. Aside from the inevitable last minute changes, what you see on our Conference site at www.amcreativityassoc.org/2006Conf.htm is what you will get – and the pickings are plentiful, as are the opportunities to share information, meet new people, and find collaborators for your ideas and ventures.

For the full force of what the 50+ person strong Conference planning team has put together, you need to visit the web site. And if you have not yet registered, or registered and not yet made your hotel arrangements, we urge you to do that AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. Making your travel arrangements now will allow you to get far better rates than if you wait until the last minute.

CREATIVE PEOPLE OF ACA REGISTER NOW .. ALL YOU HAVE TO LOSE IS PAYING HIGHER FEES LATER!

So what do we have in store for you?

• More than 70 top-notch keynote and Conference sessions over 3.5 days;
• Pre-Conference Institutes on TRIZ, Creative Utilization of Technology, and a significantly discounted two-day DeBono Creativity Course;
• A focus throughout on creative use of technology starting with the “thumb drives” we hope to provide every participant – containing presenter biographical and presentation information and other “stuff”; that will also allow you to upload and download information at the Conference at one of the public PCs that will be available for participants’ use – not quite, but close to, a paperless conference;
• Podcasts of keynotes and selected sessions;
• Opportunities for Conference participants to have hands-on time to discover the creative joy and value of setting up your own websites and other communication channels;
• Specially designated Conference time set-aside to allow for and foster individual and group collaborations/ networking/ sharing of ideas and enthusiasm;
• And of course there is all the usual stuff of a Conference … and much more that you’ll read about on the Conference website ….

We are offering a Special Discounted Team Registration for three employees from the same entity for $1500 (A $2685 value - $1185 savings). The details and additional discounted options are at www.amcreativityassoc.org/2006Conf-team.htm . CHECK IT OUT!

Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas!

Call for CPSI Leaders/Presenters

To the Worldwide Creativity Community ... You are invited to submit a proposal to serve as a leader/presenter for the Creative Education Foundation's 52nd International Creative Problem Solving Institute (CPSI) 2006, June 25-30, 2006, in Chicago, Illinois.
http://www.cpsiconference.com

Please review the following guidelines and then go to the link below to submit your proposal(s) online via our Web site.

The DEADLINE IS DECEMBER 30, 2005, for Immersion program and pre-conference workshop proposals; JANUARY 6, 2006, for all other proposals.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR CPSI LEADERSHIP AND PRESENTING:
o As CPSI leaders/presenters, we recognize that leadership is more than planning, organizing and facilitating. It's the ability to inspire others and to create experiences that enable them to grow and learn on their wayto achieving objectives.

o As CPSI leaders/presenters, we understand the power of Creative Problem Solving, Applied Imagination, and creative thinking. We know that CPSI is more than the Osborn-Parnes Creative Problem Solving process. Yet this process continues to evolve and provides a sound, ongoing foundation for - and a link between - all our programs and other creativity concepts.

o As CPSI leaders/presenters, we are primarily customer-oriented, keeping in mind the needs, desires and concerns of our participants. This includes having a global perspective and appreciating and addressing the requirements of a multi-cultural community.

o As CPSI leaders/presenters, we stay current on the trends and developments in creativity, innovation and imagination, demonstrating a continuing ability to improve, enhance, innovate and re-invent.

o As leaders/presenters, we "walk the talk," modeling creativity values in words and actions.o As CPSI leaders/presenters, we work effectively in teams.

o As CPSI leaders/presenters, we believe in CPSI and spread the word, inviting new participants to benefit from the CPSI experience.

o As CPSI leaders/presenters, we're willing and able to go the extra mile to contribute to the health and growth of the Creative Education Foundation.

If you are invited and willing to lead/present in the spirit of these guidelines, please complete our online form for proposals and program leadership at:
http://www.cpsiconference.com/proposal.cfm

If you have further questions about presenting, leadership and CPSI, please visit the "CPSI Leader/Presenter Frequently Asked Questions" online:
http://www.cpsiconference.com/faq_speaker.cfm

Thank you for your interest! CPSI Program TeamCreative Education Foundation289 Bay RoadHadley, MA 01035
http://www.cpsiconference.com/
http://www.CreativeEducationFoundation.org

P.S. Please help spread the word about CPSI 2006 by printing out and distributing the online PDF flyer to your colleagues, friends and associations:
http://www.creativeeducationfoundation.org/cpsi/CSPI2006_card.pdf

Then, keep the conversation about global creativity and innovation alive by commenting on stories from around the world in CEF's Applied Imagination blog:
http://appliedimagination.blogspot.com/

Hmmmmm...

Is it me or does this blog look funny? I mean, it's all cock-eyed..

Maybe it's because I'm using a different computer?

Graffiti

Now this is the sort of project I'd love to do. It gets the kids involved, and it gives them a voice. Not to mention an outlet.

Not that I think all graffiti artists deep down really just want a hug. Maybe some do, and hey, hugs are nice, but a lot of the time there is something that needs to be said and the best fourm and means of communication are the side of a subway car and a can of spray paint. Or it's a question of a lack of means to other artistic media and places to use them.

But it's nice to see teachers doing things like this with their students. And I also have to say it's good to see graffiti getting positive attention. Some of it is just beautiful and a LOT more interesting to look at than plain grey subway cars and the ads plastered all over them and the platforms.

This is the sort of art I like to teach too.. kinda makes me want to get some supplies and interested students and go nuts...

Just an FYI... The picture I posted is not from the show in the article. This image is one of the ones that came up when I Googled "graffiti, New York City". And I like it because it's a good example of what's out there, even though it's on a building and not a subway car.

The Nutcracker

I came across this review in the NY Times of the 2005 season of "The Nutcracker". When I was a kid, my Mom or Grandma, or both, would take me to see this every year after Thanksgiving. In fact, I think that's why I enjoyed Thanksgiving so much because it ALWAYS meant an afternoon in Lincoln Center to see the New York City Ballet perform at the New York State Theater. And that ALSO meant we got to go on the subway and have giant pretzels and see Santa on the street corners and look in the store windows. Then we would go to meet my Dad at work and all ride home on the Railroad together. (The fact that my brothers were never included in this was nice too. Sometimes it's nice to do things with just the girls, especially things like this as small boys tend to not be interested in ballerinas and make retching noises at the romantic parts.)

It's nice to think back sometime about the things that made me tick as a kid. I loved this ballet, and still do. I took ballet lessons and dreamed about being a ballerina and dancing with the Nutcracker Prince and fighting the Mouse King. And every year I looked forward to going to a performance and every year had a wonderful time.

Since then, I've seen other companies dance The Nutcracker, but it's never the same. Some of the European companies don't use the Ballanchine choreography. (Gasp!) Sometimes the girl's name is Clara, and the sets and costumes are different. Not that the dancers are bad and the choreography second-rate, it's just not the same. Of course, watching on TV isn't the same either and not to pooh-pooh Buffalo, but Shea's is NOT the State Theater, and downtown is NOT Lincoln Center.

Maybe it's because it's Thanksgiving weekend and I'm not going to the ballet that's got me all nostalgic. But this is the time of year to be in NYC. I'm here now, but I'll be making my way back upstate tomorrow and it's just not the same. And I have to be careful; I'm in the process of a job hunt that will most likely bring me away from Buffalo and I don't want fond memories of Manhattan at Christmastime and The Nutcracker to color my choices too much.

Sorry if this was rambling... Just that time of year I suppose.

Harry Potter

The above link is to a NY Times review of "Goblet of Fire". If you haven't read the book and don't want the movie spoiled, don't read it. Stuff is given away in the first paragraph.

The newest Harry Potter movie comes out this weekend.. Think it opened today actually. I have to say that I really do enjoy this entire frachise. And I was skeptical about the movies because the books are just so rich. But I think what has happened is that the creative process here has been helped by directors who recognize that there is a big difference between a movie and a book, and that has made all the difference. The movie version of "Azkaban" worked because they adapted the essence of the narrative to a different medium. There were times when I nearly forgot that there was an element that wasn't in the book or presented in a new way.

As the film version of the series continues, that is going to have to be a crucial factor. These kids are getting older and the situations and dangers they are facing are getting more intense. In fact, this poor kid is facing things no kid should have to deal with. No grownup either for that matter.

Does anyone else feel really sorry for Harry? I mean, the kid's an orphan and gets dumped on abusive relatives, at school he's got the bully thing, which isn't so much about the Malfoy thing as it is about Snape. Then he's off dealing with the evilest wizard EVER and his main back up are Ron and Hermione. I don't know.... They're good books though and I hope this new movie is as good in it's own way.

Personally, I'm looking forward to Mad-eye Moody and how the film deals with Harry's expanded experiences with girls and the wider Wizarding world. The Quiddich World Cup look really cool too.

ELVIS

ELVIS
Originally uploaded by refinnej.

Nothing much to say, really.... There's just something about Elvis, so I made the icon..

Actually what I'm REALLY trying to do is use this as my Avatar, but Blogger won't let me post it from my picture files.. They now will allow me to do that within the body of a post, but for some reason I need a URL to put a picture in my profile, which is what I'm trying to do here. The problem with that is that my pictures are online at Flickr, which is awesome.. But when you click on the picture, rather than seeing a page with just the image on it, you are directed to my Flickr page. I think this is a Mac thing. I'm using Flickr because it seems to work the best with OSX. Plus I like it and I can blog from there, so all is well in the universe EXCEPT in the matter of putting up an avatar. Which would be the Elvis! icon I made, and is now posted here.

See, it's the little things that will get you every time...