Gluttony in NYC - 99 Cent Fresh Pizza

It's 2am, you're in Murray Hill and you're hungry. Where to go?
99 Cent Fresh Pizza!
201 E 34th St #B, New York, NY 10016

Where else can you get a decent 18" pie for $8?

But sorry, no anchovies.

Woooooosh... Very quiet over here on The Glutton... Tumbleweeds roll across the information highway...

The gluttony has not ceased, I've just been all enthralled with SpyGirl, my fashion blog. I really do need/want to catch up on posts -- especially the New York gluttony from last January! I might want to utilize some of that info during my upcoming trip in a week and a half. Maybe I'll work on it during the red-eye flight, since I never manage to sleep on those things. We'll see. Meanwhile, the month is almost up and Chantelle, of Fat Mum Slim, has posted the August Photo-a-Day themes:

Source

Here's what I shot for July (with two days still to go)

Oops - text rather miniscule. You can see them all on Flickr HERE.

This photo-a-day Thing

Yep. I'm completely enthralled by photo-a-day challenges.
I believe Chantelle, of Fat Mum Slim, originated them and here is her July list:

source, FatMumSlim

Last month I created a music-themed Photo a Day project.
I took pictures on most of the days, all by my lonesome. (On Instagram look up #musicphotoed062012, or go here)

from June 15

I also joined a fashion-themed one, created by Katy, of Modly Chic.

from June 26

And, last but not least, I've been shooting pictures of my jewelry every day since January.

from today, an unusual session

I'm going to join Chantelle this month.
She wrote a great post called "5 ways photo-a-day will change your life for the better"
Go read it, grab the list up top, and then join in too.
You can shoot your pictures an any manner and upload them wherever.
If you're confused about how it works, Chantelle explains the process here.

Sound like a plan? Let me know where I can find YOUR photos this month below in the comments!

Date Night on Foot

We got all dolled up:

And walked over to Centanni Trattoria 1700 Lincoln at Nowita in Venice.

There is always something fun to look at in the neighborhood.
Here is one of my favorites, a totally pique assiette tiled house. This photo shows the front fence:

I always take photos when I pass by. It is constantly evolving.

Our hunger got stronger as we neared our destination...

We were craving this:

Tortino di funghi, eaten on May 20

Not available! Tragic!

So we "settled" for this:

Caponata

Beet salad

Linguine al vongole

Delizioso!

Now Showing @ TAG - Map Art

"Thomas Guide, Page 671, Santa Monica Pier" ©2010 digital collage, 14.5 x 19" framed

This piece is now hanging in the Loft area at TAG Gallery. Since many people from out of town visit Bergamot in the summer, I thought I'd exhibit a souvenir type piece. It will be up for a couple of months - unless it sells!

If you can't make it to Santa Monica this summer, you may also purchase this online at Society6.

I was going to do a whole series like this, but have only done a couple. Went on to other things...

From the Archives: Preserves Portraits, a Series for My Dad

This series of still lifes arose out of my need to honor my father, who passed away in March 1996.

Annually, my parents put up jams, storing them away all year and then distributing them at Christmas.
Dad was the force behind the whole process -- picking the berries, cooking up the sweetness, carefully sealing and labeling the jars.

I decided to paint portraits of the various flavors as I consumed them. The level of the jam goes down over the course of time, taking on more and more of a glow, and I have discovered that the jar is never completely empty.

The entire first set: Orange Marmalade
painted at Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, March 1996

Happy Father's Day, all you dads!

Dave and Carolyn Folk the West Side

"Are you ready to folk, Santa Monica?"
It might not have the same resonance as "Are you ready to rock?" but a talented and entertaining folk duo can now be seen every 2nd Tuesday, 8pm the Unurban in Santa Monica.

Be sure to get there by 8pm - they start on time and the set is short!

Unurban

3301 Pico Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90405-2115

The next gig will be 7/10.

On the Edge US

Big new project!
I've told some of you about the Big Road Trip that I'm plotting for 2014. I'm calling it "On the Edge" and just now registered the domain on-the-edge.us. After I figure out the "Name Server" stuff, I'll have linkage.

I plan to circumnavigate the US by car on State Highways as close as possible to the perimeter of the contiguous 48 US states. (I might actually have to start earlier, since I want to be in South Carolina in March when my Mom is there). I'm going to crowd fund it on IndieGoGo and need to figure out what kind of artwork I'm going to generate out on the road for donor rewards and such.

The California coast provides a good stretch of highways that are conveniently close to my abode, so I'm using them to perform experiments. Part of my concept is to tape the entire journey out the passenger side window. I obtained a cheap webcam that I can attach to my laptop to directly download the video to my hard drive. I gave it a test run when we drove to Encinitas a few weeks ago.

Reenactment of setup
(hope it's obvious webcam not on!)

On Friday, I was stuck with a long Dr visit wait and took along the laptop to try to see what art I could come up with. I scanned quickly through the footage and found this bit with a slice of the Pacific:

The screen grab from the video

First idea: sketching from screen grab.
Verdict: too drab, needs color.

Next idea: Repaint image in Corel Painter
Verdict: LIKE!
Note to self: next time, attach the Wacom tablet -- finger twiddling on laptop is DIFFICULT

I feel like I'm off to a good start.
Next, I need to spray paint the webcam black to cut down on window reflections and make some kind of rigid platform to hold the laptop. I'll try it out on Oxnard > Santa Monica on PCH/CA 1. Stay tuned!

On the Town in Instagrams

Severo and I had a rare sync in our schedules so we went out.

In the car, heading downtown

The Place: dinner at The Nickel Diner

For me, catfish smothered with pecans, etc
For Severo, Smack n cheese
Verdict: delicious

He's ready to try the entire dessert selection

One of our choices was Root Beer Creme Brulee
I found it too strange, Severo liked it

Iam8bit was hosting the ArtHouse Sketchbook Tour
Here is the instruction card

The line for registering and checking out books

No! Yes! SpyGirl book checked out
(I kept getting this message, later to find it was misshelved)

The stacks

Our first set of books. You get two at a time.

Viewing Robin's book
you can view it here

Scary voodoo heads in the window of Yosmar on Sunset

Freedy Johnston at The Mint

Freedy on the uke

A blinged Lincoln outside the club

The next day, we went down to Encinitas to see Freedy and Cindy Lee Berryhill (and Severo) at a house concert. Altogether, a very fun weekend!

Instagram Project: Music Photos Every Day in June

I've been having fun with a fashion-themed photo-a-day project and thought it'd be entertaining to do a music-themed month. Here's how it works: Shoot your photo with the designated theme and add the hashtag #musicphotoed062012. I'll be using Instagram, but you could shoot any type of photo (or even sketch!) and post it wherever - twitter, Flickr, Facebook, your blog...

click on image for bigger
feel free to click and drag to your desktop

Here's the list as text:

1 mp3
2 live
3 instrument
4 classic
5 radio
6 genre
7 speakers
8 CD
9 audience
10 mic
11 cover
12 idol
13 b-side
14 score
15 cassette
16 stage
17 amp
18 acoustic
19 sound system
20 old school
21 headphones
22 LP
23 rehearsal
24 gear
25 electric
26 hit
27 beat
28 player
29 45
30 more cowbell

hashtag #musicphotoed062012

Things Found for ArtHouse

Only for ArtHouse would I photograph the inside of our fridge.

The Things Found Series
Volume One: The Fridge
The Things Found Series is the beginning of a new photography series that encourages participants to capture an image of a common space. This week, we’re challenging artists to shed a little light on one of the most personal spaces of all… the refrigerator. Open your fridge and take a photo of the inside in all its glory. Don’t worry if it isn’t beautiful! We’ll create an exhibition from the photographs we receive that reveals the substance of our community — one everyday space at a time.

Gluttony in Austin - Day 1: Breakfast

Hi y'all! I had the BEST TIME in Austin, TX, attending TxSC, a conference for "female bloggers, shop owners, and friends in fashion." My musings on the conference itself are over on SpyGirl. Here, I'll tell you about all the eating and shopping that Severo and I managed to wedge in between my fashion blogger activities.

a bit of color to the east as we near Houston
click on images to see bigger 

We flew a red-eye from LAX to Austin, via Houston. As usual, I didn't sleep much, while Severo snored away moments after buckling his seat belt. It's a rare gift that he has!
The coolest thing I saw out the window in the semi-darkness was a full moon illuminating the cloud cover and horizontal flares of lightning glowing intermittently. Sad that it was too dark to capture with a camera and I was too spaced out to sketch it on my iPad.

fantastic clouds between Houston and Austin

Upon landing, our first act of gluttony was breakfast.
Migas at Taco Xpress, to be exact!

It was already starting to rain, so we ate inside

My migas plate and Sev's breakfast tacos with chorizo.
I had been craving migas ever since I registered
for the conference in January... maybe even before that...
They don't have decent migas in LA --
strange but true.

Then it was time for some sugar!
Severo wisked us over to Sugar Mama's, a bakery he discovered online through an article in the Austin Chronicle.

I had THE BEST lemon cupcake --
THE MOST LEMONY I have ever eaten!
I was in lemon raptures!!!!!!
(The lemon bar, on the other hand, failed to impress)

more on Sugar Mama's and their cupcakes
is over on Cupcake Safari

the deluge continued outside
as we satisfied our sweet teeth

Next up: shopping on South Congress...

St Patrick's Day Breakfast featuring Thump*

*Patucci + Mark call it thump. Don't flame me if you call it something else. I've also simplified their recipe a lot.

this is the end result:
thump scrambled with eggs

First you have to make the thump. 
This works out better if you've done it the night before.

Thump (mashed potatoes and kale)
serves at least 4 gluttons

2 tbs olive oil
1/2 med onion, chopped
2-4 cloves garlic, mashed
1 bunch kale, ribs removed and coarsely chopped

6 medium potatoes, 3/4" cubes
water
bay leaf

salt + pepper to taste
butter is a nice final touch

In a large saucepan,
Saute onions and garlic until soft
Add kale as you get it chopped --
it seems like a lot, but it cooks down
Add a little water if the kale starts sticking to bottom
Cover and cook until kale is no longer crunchy (10-15 min)

While that's cooking,
Cube potatoes and boil with bay leaf until tender --
you will be mashing them

Add to cooked kale and mash with a potato masher
Add some of potato water if too stiff
Eat!

mmmmmmm

The Breakfast Thump:
serves one glutton

1 tb olive oil
1/4 medium onion, chopped
About 1 cup thump
2 eggs

In a frying pan,
Saute onions until soft
Add thump, cover + cook until softened
Add 2 eggs, stir into mixture with a fork
Cover, cook until egg is cooked
Eat!

I like to garnish mine with ketchup. Go ahead.
You can call me a weirdo.