Retrosexual Has Left the Building

There's a reason I haven't written in a while. I was neck deep in my MA Degree Show: Retrosexual. I'm happy to say that it was a success. People seemed to understand what my project was about, and everyone seemed to have a good time. Results come out on Monday, so I'll find out whether or not I will have my MA by the time I head home for the holidays.

I'll try to upload a little video of my space eventually. In the meantime, here are a few pictures.

OBAMA!

YAYAYAYAY!

That's all I have time for right now.

T-minus 3 weeks until the degree show...

Good News: Bad Apple Genius

Check it out. The first Apple Genius I went to turned out to be a bit of an Apple Idoit. There's nothing wrong with my hard drive. I just need a new battery.

YAY!

In other news...UK and Nene are coming to visit tomorrow.

YAY Again!

My Computer's Last Will and Testament

Well, it's official. My computer's hard drive is about to go down the shitter. The Apple Genius confirmed my suspicions today, and I am less than thrilled with the news. My computer is terminally ill, and so now I am making the necessary arrangements. This sucks.

But, I do have to admit, I am lucky for a number of reasons:

1) I had a suspicion that this was about to happen. The computer started doing strange things a few months ago, so I ordered a back up external hard drive from Circuit City (I had a gift card that I hadn't used since last Christmas. Thanks, Nene!) and had it shipped to Kirstyn's house in Ohio. She brought it to me when she came to visit a few weeks ago. Now I am now able to back up most of my files before doomsday, and I only paid about $12 when all was said and done.

2) My computer could have just crapped out before I got to back anything up. This would have been a nightmare as far as my MA is concerned. Yes, I have plenty of evidence to document my journey in places other than my hard drive, but still...it's nice to have a little forewarning so that I can make sure I have the essentials before THE END.

3) Carrie and Darin convinced me to purchase Apple Care when I first bought the computer nearly 3 years ago, and thank goodness they did. My Apple Care is valid until November 8th. Yup, it's almost expired, but not quite yet. This means that Apple will replace my hard drive for free (and fix my crappy internal speakers while they are at it), and I won't have to buy a whole new hard drive. If this had happened 4 weeks in the future, I would have had to have shelled out a bunch of money that I don't have. In other words, my computer has picked a relatively convenient time to shit the bed. Okay, maybe not convenient, but you get my point. Silver linings and all that jazz.

Pro-bama

I know. I haven't written anything in forever. The MA has kicked into warp speed, and it's taking up most of my time. However, this hasn't prevented me from watching some of the coverage of the US Presidential election. It seems like the rest of the world wants Obama. It's too bad they don't get to vote.

I've been watching some of the Daily Show and the Colbert Report. Stewart and Colbert are brilliant. If you watched the debates as I did (yay youtube), you may have been annoyed with the exact same things John Stewart's writers were annoyed with:

1) Obama opened the majority of his responses with. "John is absolutely right..." He's got to quit that shit. Seriously. He's giving credit where no credit is due.

2) John McCain was ridiculously patronizing. I'm not sure how many times he said, "I don't think Obama understands (fill in blank)", but it was a lot.

The thing is, I'm tired of a that gun-toting, oil-loving, ear-marking, anti-woman beauty queen (whose international experience includes seeing Russia from her house) getting all of the attention. I won't deny that I love the humour it's producing, but we won't be laughing for long if Mc Crazy and the Lipsticked Pig get into the White House.

I want Barack to rise to the occasion and run a campaign that compels people to vote FOR HIM, not AGAINST someone else. Maybe I shouldn't care about how he gets in office, but my point is that I don't trust some of the American public to make the right choice based on the right decisions. They haven't for the past 8 years, but I'm crossing my fingers that some of them will wake up. With that said, let's be

PRO-bama!!!

When I get punchy in the studio...

this is what happens:

Things I Ate in France

1) Chicken Paupillette (Chicken stuffed with sausage meat and cooked in a buttery sauce)
2) Rabbit in Mustard Sauce
3) Sausages
4) Steak Au Poivre
5) Steak Tartar (yes, raw meat)
6) Pig Snout (taste=fine, texture=rubbery and icky)
7) Andouilette (see also: tripe. NEVER again)
8) Salmon
9) Tart Tatin (ridiculously great)
10) Chocolate Cake

Copious amounts of red wine (homemade), hard cider (homemade), and Pimms and lemonade (a British thing that we brought over for the party).

France

I'm pretty wiped out from my trip, but here are a couple of photos to tide you over until I can write a proper update:

The first thing we did once Marilou and Big Chicken (Laurent) picked me up from the airport was get a baguette.


We rented Velib bicycles and rode all over Paris both during the day and at night. Marilou knows the city pretty well, so I had my own personal bike tour guide. At 11pm on Wednesday, we took a trip to the Louvre.


These are tiles in the Metro Station (stop: Convention)


And this is a bag that one of Marilou's friends gave her as a gift. It had a candle in it, but apparently, Princesse Tam-Tam is a well-known Parisian lingerie boutique.


More photos and captions to follow...

Parlais Vous Francais?

I'm going to France tomorrow.

You're not.

Brighton

I went to Brighton on Sunday with some MADS (MA Design Studies) friends. It was sublime except for the fact that I neglected to bring flip-flops (the beach is made of rocks, which I knew). I am the tenderest of "tenderfoot"s, so I had to mentally prepare for battle when it came time to toddle down to the water.

Here's a picture of the old pier:


And here's a picture of some of us at the new pier:


Needless to say, I will be doing my best to visit coastal towns and cities while the sun is out.

Can't Read, Can't Write

Last night, I watched the first part of an excellent mini-series documentary about adult illiteracy in Britain, and a maverick teacher (Phil Beadle) who's doing something about it. Check it out. I wish I had the ability to record it so everyone I know could watch it, but I don't, so just go to the website and read about him and his projects.

Retirement Show 2008

I went to the London Retirement Show 2008 on Friday.
Not kidding.

In other news, I made a silly poster because I was in one of those moods. Here it is.

Rise Festival

Some friends and I went to the Rise Festival in Finsbury Park on Sunday to see Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings and CSS. Sharon Jones played the shortest set I've ever seen, even at a festival. While the songs and band were great, the shortened set was highly disappointing. CSS (Cansei de Ser Sexy, which came from a Beyonce quote and translates to: "I got tired of being sexy"), on the other hand was a ton of fun. The closest I can get to describing them is brazilian-electro-punk-pop. The lead singer (Lovefoxxx) is a trip. She had a yellow and black striped bodysuit, a yellow construction worker's hat with black stripes painted on it that continued down her face, and gold lame sadle bags that went around her neck and hung down like two saggy boobs. From the saddle bags, pulled out bananas and threw them into the crowd. They also had helium balloons tied to every large piece of stage equipment. They were obviously having fun with each other on stage, and as you know, I'm a sucker for that (sometimes, regardles of the music).

Sexual Health Survey for 50s and Beyond

If you are in the UK and know anyone who is over the age of 50, please send them my Sexual Health Survey. I'd be eternally grateful. And I'll be your best friend.

Click Here to take survey

Thanks so much, and please spread the word!

The Tipping Point

Yesterday, I went to a pub with my friends after we finished the Immersion Program. As we were leaving the pub, this guy with curly gray/brown hair walked past me carrying a messenger bag. He looked like a professor. I recognized his face. I turned around and said, "Richard?" It was Richard Kaye, a guy who used to teach English at Davidson. I had never taken one of his classes (he started in 1997, and I graduated in 1998), nor had I spoken more then 5 words to him in the three years we were both there. But I remembered his face and his name, and decided to say something. It's weird how my brain works. We spent a minute or two saying what we were doing and who he keeps in touch with in NYC (where he's now based) and how I lived with Vic and visit Alexis (friends of mine who did have him as a prof who now live in NYC) every time I'm in the city.

It made me think of The Tipping Point, by Malcolm Gladwell. He talks about how there are three types of people who are able to create social epidemics: Connectors, Mavens, and Salespeople. I'm not sure that I would be able to create a social epidemic, but I definitely have some of those Connector elements in me.

Back Update

I didn't have to use the hard drugs. I've pretty much recovered from the freak occurrence save a little stiffness.

In other news, tomorrow, I have an interview exercise for my Immersion Program. I have to sell myself. Oh, joy. I'm pretty comfortable speaking in front of people, so I should be okay. I suspect that there's a chance that one of my interviewers might help me get my foot in the door of the social innovation world. Keep your fingers crossed for me on that one. Toes work, too.

More soon.

Livin' on the Edge

Yesterday, I tweaked my lower back. How? I have no freakin' idea. Actually, I do have an idea. I was picking up a piece of paper from my bedroom floor. I know. I was really over-exerting myself there. I heard picking up paper is going to be the next big extreme sport.

Generally, if my lower back is bugging me, I can do a quick little twist, and everything goes right back into place. This is different. This is not just stiffness or soreness. This is stabbing pain. Luckily, it stays in one specific area and doesn't shoot down into my legs. No sciatica for me, thanks.

Things were a little better today, but just in case it gets worse for some reason, I bought some paracetemol (aka tylenol) with codeine. Yup. Over the counter c-o-d-e-i-n-e!

I'd really rather wake up feeling like a million bucks without the assistance of drugs, but if I must, I'm going to take a slightly-hunched walk on the wild side.
Just try to stop me, people.
Just try to stop me!

The Plumber's Here

This week was a bit of a crazy one as the plumbers/handymen came to redo our main bathroom without any real forewarning. This meant that I was motivated to get out of the house more quickly than I normally would, but that was a good thing. It also meant that we were not able to use the main bath/shower.

So, I called up the ever-resourceful Nickel-bag-o-funk. She gave me a few Virgin Active passes that she had lying around her flat so that I could use the gym, and shower in a proper shower. It reminded me of how out of shape I am, but I plan on remedying that soon. The last installment of my financial aid checks came in, so I will be able to join the gym near school for a discounted price. Hooray for "concessions"!

In other news, I had a meeting with a sexual health/couples therapist who has a number of clients in the 50+ age range. She was quite helpful and has agreed to photocopy and send me some articles from a journal that would be difficult to get my hands on otherwise. She also gave me a couple of organizations I could contact. It sure is difficult getting access to older people when you don't know any older people to introduce you to their peers.

I've also contact the local UU Minister. I have a meeting with him in mid July. I'm hoping that some of his congregation is over 50. I'm keeping my fingers crossed because I suspect Unitarians will be much more open to talking about sexual health than most people.

I have the CSM Immersion Program all of next week, so it's going to be balls to the wall. It's a week long course that helps recent MA grads (or soon-to-be-grads like me) get out into the work force in the best way possible. I'll write more about that once I'm finished with it.

Kew Gardens

Somehow, I forgot to mention that a bunch of my classmates and I went to Kew Gardens with our tutor Richard. We then went back to his flat, had tea, and an electrifying Scalextrics tournament. I won.

Oh, and I saw a peacock.

Pi Birthday

Yesterday, I turned 31.4159265358979323846…
I celebrated by going to see Bruce Springsteen at Emirates Stadium.
I feel like it's mandatory to see The Boss in person if you're from NJ.
It was a good time.

Ice Bar

After my last presentation on Wednesday, my group went to the Absolut Ice Bar.
The entire place is made of ice: the bar, the seating, the tables, even the glasses. There is a 45 minute time limit for you to be in there. It gets freakin' cold, even with the special parkas and gloves they give you before you enter. I'm glad I did it, but I won't be doing it again. Freezing temperatures and I don't get along very well.

Viagra: Ten Years on the Rise

This was the title of the documentary I watched last night on TV 5. I got some names of experts that I could possibly contact for my own project, so that's good. There wasn't a whole lot of information about STDs among the senior citizen set, but there was a little. This is a good thing because it shows that more information needs to get out there.

The funniest part of the show was when an expert pulled out the following items to describe the different types of erections:

Type 1: Tofu


Type 2: Peeled Banana

Type 3: Unpeeled Banana


Type 4: Cucumber


I'm sorry.
Hold on a minute.
Tofu?
Yup. Tofu.
Chew on that one for a while...

My MA Project!

I finally found a focus for my MA project. I was going around in circles trying to identify what I wanted to do. First, I considered the poetry of genetics as opposed to the biology of genetics. I thought about studying the life of my paternal grandfather and drawing comparisons between him and me and the rest of my family. Then, I thought about creating an "Adult Kindergarten" and using child-like behavior to unlock creative potential in adults. Then I read something about the truancy rate of primary school kids in London increasing, and I wanted to know why, and whether or not there was anything I could do about it. Then, it hit me.

But first, a little back story. In the spring of 2007, I was living in Brookline, MA, and occasionally, I would go to a monthly brunch at a co-op in Cambridge. One of the guys who lived at the co-op was doing his PhD on why Sex and the City became such a global phenomenon. While researching, he came across a factoid that stuck in my head: the STD rates in the elderly were increasing rapidly.

A few months later, I was having a conversation with my parents. They said that an acquaintance of theirs told them the same thing, and that men in the Sun City Center area were
hiring prostitutes in the neighboring town, catching a "phage" (as my dad says), and spreading it to their next partners. This intrigued me.

Throughout my course, the idea kept popping into my head, and I kept pushing it back. I mean, seriously. Did I really want to spend 6 months of my life researching "old people" sex?

But it wouldn't leave me alone. There was too much of an opportunity in it:

1) It could create positive change in people's lives, both young and not-so-young (it could stimulate conversation between generations, and make them aware that everyone is at risk. It could change the way seniors view themselves, and the way our society views seniors.)

2) It has HUGE potential for humor and would allow me to use my comedy background (side note to all Carharts: you will be participating in brainstorming sessions with me via email and phone, so consider yourselves forewarned) and create advertising that is more effective that this:



3) I could parlay this into a career at an innovation consultancy or innovative company because it would prove that I can:
a) identify a problem that the majority of the population can't see
b) take risks by choosing topics that are uncomfortable, and that most people wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole (huh, huh...I said "pole").
c) find a creative solution to a problem and
d) follow it through

Here's the first version of my question/thesis (trumpets blaring): How can I potentially reverse the significant increase of STDs among the elderly?

So, there you have it.
Spread it around (and let the horrible double entendres fly)!

Same on Both Sides

Today, I went to my housemate Gavin's gallery to check out the current show (click the link. There's some cool stuff.) Then I walked up Stoke Newington Church Street and popped into Fresh and Wild. Fresh and Wild is owned by Whole Foods (a.k.a. "Whole Paycheck"). Apparently, over here, Fresh and Wild is also known as "Fresh and Mortgage". It's oddly comforting to know that the nicknames are so similar. Anyway, I got some Japanese rice crackers and a can of "organic" ginger beer. I don't remember how much I paid, but I'm sure it was too much.

Synesthesia Reading List

While researching for my last project at school, I read a lot about synesthesia. The easiest way to describe synesthesia is a fusion of the sense. Often, when someone hears a certain sound, he or she will simultaneously see red swirls. Sometimes, as in the case of my Aunt Scarlett, certain numbers will be in certain colors (2 3 7).

I'm recommending a couple of books on synesthesia:


Born On A Blue Day is the first one. This was written by Daniel Tammet, a man who has Aspergers (a mild, highly functioning form of Autism) and strong synesthesia. The unusual thing about this book is that people with Autism are rarely able to express what's going on in their own heads and bodies because they can't communicate well in the "normal" world.


The second is The Man Who Tasted Shapes. This was written by Richard E. Cytowic, a neuroscientist who is leading authority on synesthesia. He covers the biological aspects of synesthesia in a way that's accessible, and he frames it all in a case study of a friend of his who, when he was cooking dinner, said "I need to add more points to this chicken".

Now go read. :)

Questions? Comments? Points of View?

If anyone out there reads this thing (aside from the 'rents, of course...I know they read it), you are allowed to comment on my posts. Just sayin'.

Mini Exhibition

It went pretty well once all was said and done. By my estimation, about 200 people showed up...way more than I expected. The big exhibition in December (shortly after my birthday) is going to be much, much bigger, so it should be exciting.

Anyway, back to our artefact. We focused on sound and color systems. My contribution was a children's game called Mondrian Music:

This artefact focuses on colour and sound systems. Because man-made systems contain arbitrary elements (why is an A chord called an A chord and not a “maditrope”, and why is purple called purple and not “schwoopelkang”?), we decided to manipulate theses elements.

We translated a painting by Piet Mondrian into music by measuring the areas of colour and determining what percentage each colour block inhabited on the canvas. We then assigned a chord for each colour arbitrarily, but loosely using the Circle of Fifths as a guide. Later, we thought that we could create a game to allow people to create an aural version of a Mondrian painting. First, all players place the pieces face down on the template. Then, the conductor turns the pieces over in any order he or she desires and instructs the players to hit their bottles the number of times indicated on each playing piece.

This is the game:

Mondrian Music (for 4 players or more)

Contents:
3 blue bottles
3 red bottles
3 yellow bottles
3 white bottles
3 black bottles
3 grey bottles
3 mallets or sticks (spoons in this case)
3 red rectangles
3 blue rectangles
8 white rectangles
4 black rectangles
4 yellow rectangles
5 grey rectangles

Not included:
Water (although, I included it last night)

Instructions:

1) Fill each of the bottles with water up to the top of the small windows.

2) The conductor divides the playing pieces face down among the other players, and all of the players place their pieces in the appropriate spaces.

3) The conductor gives one of each of the filled coloured bottles and a mallet to each of the other 3 players.

4) The conductor flips one of the coloured rectangles over. Each of the rectangles has a number of times the bottle should be hit. The conductor instructs the other players when to hit the coloured bottles (for example, if a black rectangle is being played, everyone should hit his or her black bottle when instructed). In other words, the conductor is in control of the rhythm. Players should hit their assigned bottles at the same time to play the chord. (If there are more than 4 players, other players wait until a current player either hits the incorrect bottle or hits a bottle before instructed to do so.)

5) When all of the pieces have been flipped over, the Mondrian painting has been played. You may now switch conductors and/or players.

Systemania

Now that everyone in my nuclear family has been wished a Happy Birthday, I can get back to writing some more about what's going on here in Merry Ole England...
On Monday, my classmates and I are having a mid-term exhibition that is a dry run for our big exhibition in December. It's called Systemania.

Here's our brief:
"Find an existing man-made system, investigate the reason behind its existence and explore the possibilities of redesigning it to serve a new purpose utilizing (however vaguely) the principle of the ‘rhizome theory’ [this was explained earlier in the brief, but it's based on Deleuze & Guattari's theory of Recombinant Poetics]. Once you are clear about the purpose that you want your system to serve make it (or allow it to) evolve. Take it to the next step, interfere with it, or completely destroy, or reconstruct it, if necessary but let it grow and evolve of its own volition where possible."

Our group decided to focus on interfering with Color and Music systems since they both are based on circles (the Color Wheel and the Circle of Fifths). I'll explain more later as I am up to my eyeballs in artifact (sorry, that's "artefact" over here) iterations and exhibition logistics.

Happy Taxiversary

My parents went on their first date on February 14th, Valentine's Day, and got married on April 15th, Tax Day, the same year (I don't think there could be any two dates that represent such extremes, but that's mom and dad). Yup. It was a two month courtship. 37 years later, they still manage to laugh and have a good time, and they will continue to do so until they take a dirt nap. Amen, Hallelujah!

Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad!

April 13th 2008. Devin Turns a Quarter Century!

Happy Birthday, Duncely!

For future reference, you're not supposed to ride flamingos. They are for Aunt Di's golf cart.


Much better!

Happy Birthday, Dev! Love you!

More Pics and a Camera Hunt

I'm still hunting for a camera that has video capabilities like my old one. I've been bidding on ebay, but to no avail. I'm always pretty close, so I'm hoping something come through one of these days.

Here are a few more pics from Budapest. Enjoy!

Thorlak, Esayas, and Tamra in a diptych.


A couple of group shots.

These made me laugh out loud. Anybody up for a fried lamb of leg?

Or a grilled chicken of breast?

Broken Camera in Budapest

Somehow, I broke the LCD screen on my camera, but I was able to upload the photos I took before I broke the screen. I've taken the camera apart to see if I can get a replacement part. If I can't manage to fix it, I'll just have to get a new one, which I would have had to do anyway. Just one of those things. Apart from that, my trip was great. The food was amazing.
Crispy Goose Leg is my friend. I will write more once I get some more pics from friends so I can have more visuals to go with my words. Until then, check out Pest (on one side of the Danube) from Buda (on the other side of the Danube):

Hungary/Wildcats

I'm leaving for Hungary in the wee hours of the morning. Yippee!! I will post pics upon my return.

On another note, Davidson College, my little Alma Mater, has advanced to the Elite 8 in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. I love the fact that my old school is getting so much press and doing so well against schools whose enrollments are exponentially higher (and let's be honest...whose players' academic achievement is most likely much lower). Yes, indeed, I am proud to be a Wildcat!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM!

Have a fantastic celebration today, Mom! Love you!

I Got a Geetar

Before I came to London, I sold off all of my music gear. Guitar, bass, mini amp, cases, you name it. Knowing that I'd probably want to pick up playing again while I was in the UK, I set aside money to get a guitar while I was here. I didn't anticipate that I would miss having my own guitar around as much as I did. So I got one on ebay. It's an Alvarez, one of my favorite manufacturers. I've lost all of my callouses in the months since I sold my stuff, so I have to make it a point to play a little bit every day. I also need to get a stand for it so that I never have to lean it in the corner like it is in this picture. I'll probably do that this weekend. Yay!

In other news, my friend Dan is coming to visit for a few days before he heads off to Paris for a 3 month cooking course. I haven't seen him in years, but I hear his beard is growing nicely (he's reveling in the fact that he no longer has to shave everyday now that he is officially out of the army).

UK in the UK

Uncle Ken came into the big city to see me yesterday. We met at the entrance to Central St Martin's, walked to the British Museum, took the bus down to the National Gallery, stopped into an art supply store, and went for lunch at the Stockpot. We even managed to take a quick picture where he has his eyes open (nevermind the fact that you can see up my nostrils):

Super French Picnic

Last night, I went to my classmate Marilou's flat for a "Super French Picnic". She went home to France last weekend, and returned with 6 bottles of red wine, all kinds of cheese, and a few recipes (which in Marilouspeak sounds like "receeps") which Subi and I helped to cook. Onion pie, tomato, basil, & mozzarella pie, salmon and broccoli pie, and a few desserts. About 15 of my classmates were there, and a good time was had by all. Here are a few pics:
All photos ©2008 Subathra Vaidhiyanathan

PR Shmee R

Our latest brief for school is a strange one. We are supposed to think of ways to re-invigorate a dance company that has recently lost its funding from the Arts Council of England. This particular dance company was founded (and is directed) by one of our tutors (who, frankly, is too busy dealing with the situation of her company to give a crap about tutoring for this course...don't get me wrong...I feel for her, but for her own good, and for the good of the course, the course director should replace her). Sticky situation, eh? I've been assigned to the PR group. While this is a serious situation and is supposed to be treated as such, it's difficult to do that when you only have 2 weeks to research and present your proposals. If we are supposed to treat this like it's real, then we feel like we should be given time to research properly. We all know the company is going to fold in its current form, so why pretend that our assignment is urgent? A room full of Harvard MBAs couldn't propose a proper business plan in 2 weeks. And as part of the PR group, it's difficult to decide whether or not we should promote the company as it is or promote the company-to-be (which is conceptual, and somewhat different for each group). Every group is entirely frustrated with the assignment, but despite this, we've all been working our asses off. Hopefully, the presentations won't be a train wreck because the external examiners are coming on Monday, and I wouldn't want these presentations to reflect poorly on the course as a whole because I think the course as a whole is great. This assignment, however, is asinine. Oh, well. You win some, you lose some. The good part is that I'm looking forward to a different group presentation I have on Wednesday. I'll write more about that one later.

On another note, a classmate of mine has taken to photographing me (and others, but mostly me) while I'm eating. Most of the shots are far from flattering, but this one's okay:
That's all for now. More soon...