MERGER ALERT!

Hey all, I got sick of keeping up with two blogs so I did the sensible thing and merged them. In other words, I relocated. Visit my new blog here: http://midwest-argonaut.blogspot.com.

Old Mixtapes and Striking Iron

I spent this Sunday early afternoon listening to old mixtapes that I made friends and doodling. I also read some W.B. Yeats poems. Not that I understand much of them right off the bat. I have to reread lines and look up references and things like that. But Mr. Swegarden really likes him.

Spring Fever & Royal Bicycles

Here in the homeland (Minnesota) it snowed a ton the other day. And now it's nice and sunny and 59 degrees outside. I like Minnesota and all, but it's quite ridiculous how we only average 1.5 months of actual spring in a year (mid-April to end of May). Also, I have a bad case of spring fever. I want sweater weather and green grass and blossoming trees. I've been yearning for a new bicycle, especially. 

Signazon Scholarship Contest -- Vote for me and I will worship you

So there's a scholarship contest going on, and me being the broke college-bound gal I am, decided to try. The challenge is to create a graduation sign. That sounds easy enough right? No. Problem is, the only way to win this contest is by vote. And me being the socially awkward, reluctant-to-come-off-as-needy-or-obnoxious person I am, I have a hard time asking for votes. This blog post is some kind of plea for help-- so whoever you are, if you're out there, please vote for me. Cherry on top and things like that. You don't even have to like the friggin' sign. Just vote for it. And if you're feeling like a saint, spread the word. Tell yo brothas, tell yo hood where it's at. 

Vote here.

Many thanks in advance!

Spring Break Dwindles Away

There are currently 3 days left of Spring Break. I'm not sure how to handle this-- maybe I should be writing my Humanities essay, doing math homework, or reading over that Bio lab-- but for now, I'm just going to doodle.

St. Paul + Urban Castles

Today I visited a friend, currently residing in St. Paul. On the way back to his apartment, we drove past a bunch of gorgeous looking apartments, urban castles that I could only hope to reside in one day. God they're so beautiful.

Best Purchases in New York

I ended up doing a lot less shopping in New York than I thought I would, most likely because 1) insufficient funds to splurge, 2) lack of willpower to splurge, and 3) there's a Forever 21 and H&M at home. However, I did make some valuable purchases and discoveries.

1. Magma Sketchbook 

     I had no idea these even existed. I first encountered one at a bookstore at Chelsea Market. They don't have these where I'm from. Probably the world's most convenient series of sketchbooks. They have very useful informational sheets. The one I purchased, the Design & Art Direction sketchbook, has handy information including typography lingo and paper sizes. That makes me so happy. I will be sure to purchase more of these in the future.

2. Photo Journal PJ 128 

     This super cute photo journal includes radical drawings by Christine Berry. It was love at first sight. I bought it at the MoMA gift shop.

3. 'Zine: How I Spent Six Years of My Life in the Underground and Finally... Found Myself... I Think by Pagan Kennedy 

     I stumbled upon this book at the MoMA gift shop. It's an autobiographical bit about a woman that gets bored and decides to invent herself by creating her own homemade magazine (apparently they were all the rage in the '90s). It had a cool looking cover and enticing back description, and I figured this woman was probably just as whacko as I am, therefore I could probably spiritually connect with the book, so I bought it.

4. MetroCard

     I got nervous every time I had to fish around my pockets for this thing. But it was handy, nonetheless. It gets you places. And much to my delight, they work on buses too.

5. Cherry Cheesecake Strudel from the Hungarian Pastry Shop

     That's what the lady at the counter said it was. Unfortunately, my mouth was too busy watering for me to take a picture of it. Basically, it was a big slab of cherry cheesecake wrapped in a pastry blanket. It was undoubtedly one of the most beautiful food items I had ever laid eyes on. I'm so very jealous of all the Columbia campus dwellers that get to live with this thing.

6. Postcards

     I love postcards, especially pretty postcards. None of that cheesy, bad photography postcard stuff. I bought a bunch at the Chelsea Market (not a single ugly postcard was to be seen). It convinced me that New Yorkers have impeccable taste in postcards. 

7. Empire State Building ticket 

     Although I had a relatively rough time getting through security at the Empire State Building (I couldn't understand what the thick foreign-accented guy was saying; apparently tripods are not allowed-- and why aren't they? Especially 6-inch tripods. Are tripods a hip item to beat people to death with nowadays? I'm sure there's good reason for it, but I haven't Googled the answer yet), the night view was amazing. It's good stuff, it really is. 

8. Poland Spring 1.5 Liter water bottle

     It was getting to be a pain in the neck buying water bottles and not being able to refill them, due to the lack of water bottle refillers and fountains. Although these last no longer than a day, it's better than buying 2-3 regular size bottles. 

9. Columbia sweater

     There was slight anxiety that went into buying this sweater, but not enough to not make me buy it. I could only imagine the conversations:

"Cool sweater! Are you going to Columbi--" 

"No." 

"Did your parents go ther--" 

"No." 

"Do you have any association whatsoever with--" 

"No." 

 But hey, doesn't having your school publication earn Gold Medalist status by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association mean something? And so I bought it. And you know what? It's pretty damn comfy-- and I just so happen to look great in Columbia blue (yeah, apparently they get their own shade of blue).

New York - In Conclusion

At 7:05 am Eastern time on Saturday, March 22nd, 2014, I said my final goodbyes to New York. It was a groggy, semi-cranky, subconscious goodbye, but a goodbye nonetheless. 

In conclusion, it was a great trip. I learned a lot, walked a lot, and ate a lot. I was very glad to have gotten the opportunity to participate in the CSPA Convention; I am totally pumped to continue work on publications. The convention deepened my love for publication design, typography, and yes, Beyoncé. I got to learn from some New York Times folks, Leigh Rubin, and the gloriousness that is Adam Goldstein. 

The sightseeing was great too. The subway rides weren't as horrific as I had imagined they would be, except for the one time it was terribly crowded and the only way to comfortably angle my head was to have it facing in the direction of a young Latino couple fondling one another ("Liiike, why you think I wanna leeave you? I wanna hold you all night and liiike kiss you all night and cuddle wit' youu"). Surprisingly, the New York I had dreamed about as a ten-year-old and the one I visited were not totally different. As I sat in a Hungarian pastry shop and stared out the window, I thought to myself, "Gee, I wouldn't mind living here."

I came to three general conclusions regarding New Yorkers: 1) They never sleep, 2) they never walk at a leisurely pace, and 3) they never go to the bathroom (the toilet to human ratio at Chelsea Market was enough to disturb me). 

But really, I had a great time. I'll never forget looking out the windows of Columbia from the fifth floor, nodding off on a subway train for the first time, or my misadventures at the art museums. I was very sad to leave, but not too bummed because I am confident I'll be returning. Maybe I'll come back as a freshman at Parsons, maybe I'll come back as a tourist. We'll see. 

New York - Day 4 - My First Time at the Met

In addition to visiting MoMA on our New York trip, we also visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The duration of our time there was disappointingly slim, but we were determined to make the most out of it. After realizing the flaw of our analytic museum tactics, Maddy and I knew we had to carefully plan this one out. We only had 2 hours to skim through one of the world's largest art museums. We would have to be swift but careful to not neglect the big highlights. 

As much as we prepared ourselves, it was not an easy task to explore the Met. It was like walking through a giant corn maze, except harder and more aesthetically pleasing. It was especially difficult because we had walked for miles and miles beforehand. My feet were aching but I was determined to not displease the art museum gods. 

While we were going through the galleries, I recalled E.L. Konigsburg's From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, a novel that we read in our fourth grade English class. To be honest, I don't remember much about the book, but while we were going through the 18th century bedrooms, I remembered the scene in which the Kincaids slept on an elegant bed. Maddy and I were debating which of the beds the Kincaids may have rested on (I later found out that the original bed they slept on is no longer on display).

The highlight of my museum visit was on the second floor, where the 19th- and early 20th-century European paintings were. I kid you not, a teardrop rolled down my right cheek when I saw a Renoir painting for the first time. Even now I get chills just thinking about it. I was strolling through the entire section ooh-ing and ahh-ing at the paintings. "That Degas painting used to be my phone wallpaper!", "This Degas painting is taped to my closet!", "This Monet painting was in the Titanic!" I felt like I was walking on air, going through Degas, Renoir, Monet, Vermeer, Picasso, and all the other greats.

MATISSE, YOU GUYS, MATISSE!!

The saddest part of my visit was probably at the tail-end of it. We had arrived at around 7:00, 2 hours before they close. At the end, Maddy and I went looking for the modern and contemporary section. We wanted to see a Dali painting before we left. Unfortunately, they closed the section off because it was getting close to closing time. Had I known they were going to close that section early, I would have gone there earlier. 

My feet ached an awful lot by the time I was done. I limped all the way to the Empire State Building and on the way to the hotel. Visiting the Met was an enlightening experience, just imagine if there were no time constraints! Should I ever become the supreme leader of any given benevolent dictatorship, I would command all my subjects to visit the Met. Hopefully it won't be long before I come back. 

For anyone that dare question the gloriousness of the Met, or anyone that wants to know more about in general, click here. For anyone that doesn't remotely recall reading the Mixed-Up Files or its connection to the Met, click here.

New York - Day 4 - My First Time at MoMA

The first time I ever went to an art museum was the 21st of March, 2014, on our journalism trip to New York, at the Modern Museum of Art. It was a visit filled with out-of-body experiences and other exciting things.

After visiting Grand Central Station, half of our group took a bus to the museum. We got there at 3:38pm. We found out they give away free admission tickets on Fridays starting at 4:00, so we decided to hang around the gift shop for a bit. After we were done with the gift shop, we got in line, which stretched all the way around the block. We thought we were gonna be stuck for a while, but the line actually went by pretty fast and we were in within less than ten minutes. 

The first few floors included contemporary galleries, drawings, photography, and special exhibitions on Ileana Sonnabend, John Cage's 4'33", and Robert Heinecken.

Maddy and I explored the first few floors in great detail. But shit officially hit the fan on the fourth floor. We were merrily walking along until we bumped into Jackson Pollock's Stenographic Figure, the painting I posted on my Facebook wall on Pollock Appreciation Day. I started tearing up and bursting into happy spasms. We explored the rest of the floor in a semi-rushed, happy daze. There were a few other Pollock paintings, including Number 1A and One: Number 31. Also on the fourth floor, there was Andy Warhol and Robert Rauschenberg. It was absolutely amazing. 

We were given less than 2 hours to explore the museum; Maddy and I were too busy thoroughly inspecting each item to realize that time had gone by very fast. By the time we were finished with the fourth floor, we only had a few minutes left. As we approached the escalator going downwards, Maddy overheard a French man. She couldn't understand anything that was going on, but then she heard him say "van Gogh." 

And then it dawned on me that I haven't looked at my museum map once since I had gotten it. I looked at my map for the first time and glanced at the contents of the fifth floor: Paul Cézanne, Frida Kahlo, Henri Matisse, Piet Mondrian, Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso, Vincent van Gogh, "and others". 

We had one minute left. I had a panicky feeling, an adrenaline rush of sorts. Why did it take us this long to realize all the good stuff was on the fourth and fifth floor? We had wrongly assumed that we would have enough time to explore everything in peace. I almost began to mourn, but then Maddy and I impulsively hopped off the downward escalator and began going up. 

We frantically ran around the fifth floor, trying to take in as much as possible from the five minutes we allowed ourselves. I ran around with tears in my eyes, gasping loudly and squealing every time I encountered a famous work I recognized from art books and Wikipedia pages. The stash of Monet's Water Lilies nearly gave me heartburn, and Frida Kahlo's self portraits knocked the life out of me. And then we found a group of people crowded around a painting. Maddy and I poked our heads into the crowd, and alas there we were, standing in front of Starry Night. And then we had to leave.

Because it was super crowded, I couldn't take a picture for myself, but this is what it looked like. Original photo here.

My experience at MoMA was both a tragic and joyful one. I 
was naïve and foolish for thinking that 2 hours was enough time for me to explore an art museum (I didn't even know the museum had 6 floors). But it was worth it-- the last ten minutes was particularly exciting and gut wrenching. Next time I come to MoMA, I will be better prepared. 

New York - Day 2 and 3

Wednesday was a wild day, but very exciting indeed. It was the first day of the CSPA Convention. 

During the first session, a few of us went up to the fifth floor to get our publications critiqued. We brought with us two issues of this year's Advocate, as well as a laptop to show our online news website. I wasn't nervous at first, but then our critic opened up by talking about the importance of visuals, which implies that you can't have a good publication if your design editor (i.e. me) sucks. But then she looked at the covers of our Advocates, which I designed, and said they were "absolutely gorgeous." And then I felt like all the life got sucked out of me in a totally cool way. I almost cried. But let it be known: Brenda Tran makes Columbia Scholastic Press Association approved news magazine covers.

The rest of the day went pretty well. After our sessions, we went out to Ellen's Stardust Diner and then to Cinderella. It was pretty well done, props to Carly Rae Jepsen (those dress changes!) and Fran Drescher. Then we hung out around Times Square, then went back to the hotel. Oh, and it was pouring outside so it was awful walking around with no umbrella and soggy boots.

Thursday, today, was even more jam-packed. Quite a few things went awry and a lot of us were cranky by the time it was 4:00. I almost got run over by a U-Haul truck. Highlight of my day: going to a Hungarian Pastry shop nearby the campus. I had a cherry cheesecake strudel. We also visited the World Trade Center/9-11 Memorial and Soho.

After all that, we went back to our hotel. Maddy, Dalena, and I then tried peel-off facials for the first time. They're very fun, except when the goo gets stuck in your eyebrows and hairline.

New York - Day 1

Alas, the Mayo Journalism team embarks on the journey to the CSPA Convention at Columbia University. The first day was extremely exhausting-- we took a shuttle to Minneapolis at 3:30 am and took a plane at 6:50. Once we got settled in, we visited the New York Times building, went to Chelsea Market and High Line Park, and then took the Staten Island ferry. It was an incredibly exhausting day, but exciting nonetheless.

Brenda's Got a Camera

My radical parents got me a camera for me birthday. Huzzah! Brenda's very first DSLR. Now if only I can figure out how to use this thing (I've been using film cameras for the last 5 years). Here are some celebratory snapshots. And if it wasn't obvious, the title of this post refers to Tupac's Brenda's Got a Baby.

The Current's Women Who Rock Countdown

In celebration of Women's History Month, The Current created a Women Who Rock Countdown. Readers voted on their favorite female rockers. The list is quite impressive-- it includes 223 names. I would agree that the women on this list are all amazing; it must've been a tough vote. Here are the Top 50 fabulous females:

1. Joan Jett
2. Dessa
3. Aretha Franklin
4. Janis Joplin
5. Chrissy Hynde (The Pretenders)
6. Debbie Harry (Blondie)
7. Patti Smith
8. Karen O (Yeah Yeah Yeahs)
9. Ella Fitzgerald
10. Heart
11. Janelle Monae
12. Neko Case
13. Bjork
14. Billie Holiday
15. Stevie Nicks
16. Tina Turner
17. Pat Benatar
18. M.I.A.
19. Amy Winehouse
20. Etta James
21. Bonnie Raitt
22. Adele
23. Fiona Apple
24. Nina Simone
25. St. Vincent / Annie Clark
26. Sleater-Kinney
27. Ani Difranco
28. Patsy Cline
29. Tegan and Sara
30. Carole King
31. Dolly Parton
32. Lucinda Williams
33. Sharon Jones
34. Joni Mitchell
35. PJ Harvey
36. Lauryn Hill
37. Annie Lennox (Eurythmics)
38. Tori Amos
39. Florence Welch (Florence + the Machine)
40. Siouxsie and the Banshees
41. Shirley Manson (Garbage)
42. Lizzo
43. Cat Power
44. Breeders
45. Kim Gordon (Sonic Youth)
46. Emily Haines (Metric)
47. Aimee Mann
48. Brandi Carlile
49. Feist
50. Liz Phair

Check out the rest of the list on the Current's blog.

A Look at States with Discriminative "Religious Freedom" Bills

I was scrolling through my Facebook newsfeed when I found a map that the ever-amazing George Takei shared from UniteWomen.org. 

Takei said in the description: "If you thought the battle ended with AZ, think again. Let's roll up our sleeves, friends. Intolerance and bigotry must be fought through education, with vigilance, and from the higher ground." 

I strongly agree with him (duh, it's George Takei). We have a lot of work to do.

A Taste of Ghesquière

Nicolas Ghesquière recently made his Louis Vuitton debut as its creative director. These super awesome pictures were taken by Juergen Teller at Vuitton's Paris headquarters. I just had to make a collage. Take a look here (I'm just clinging onto Style.com like no other).

Happy International Women's Day!

If you haven't found out through Google or the calendar tacked onto your wall, it's International Women's Day. I just thought I would celebrate by cutting and pasting some fabulous females onto a collage. These individuals are incredibly admirable in what they do and have been taking the world by storm. Of course, there are a lot more than 12 amazing women in the world. But still, this is a pretty good list. As Beyoncé once said, "Who run the world? Girls."

1. Saudi Women Taking Over the Streets
     On October 26th, women in Saudi Arabia defied their country's de facto ban on women driving. They got behind the wheel and posted it all on Youtube. Talk about badass.
2. Beyoncé
     As always, Queen Bey keeps it real. In an essay she wrote on Maria Shriver's website, she proclaimed that "gender equality is a myth" and that we need cooperation of both males and females to accomplish true equality. Quite honestly, I like to believe that Beyoncé is one of my spirit animals.
3. Nabila ur-Rehman
     This Pakistani girl witnessed her grandmother getting blown to bits by a drone strike. Last October she, along with her father and brother, testified in a congressional briefing on US drone policy. Not only did she display an amazing amount of courage, but she also brought awareness to the civilian cost of drones, all at the age of 9.
4. Janet Yellen
     First female Fed chair, 'nuff said.
5. Lupita Nyong'o
     This woman has been creating a lot of buzz since the release of 12 Years a Slave, for which she won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She has amazing talent and inspirational words to offer. Her beautiful acceptance speech at the Oscars pulled on just about everyone's heartstrings.
6. Malala Yousafzai
     You may as well be living under a rock if you have not yet heard of this incredible young lady. She continued to go to school in Pakistan, despite threats from the Taliban. She got shot in the head. And what did she do? She became, as CNN put it, "a symbol of defiance and female empowerment." Oh, and no big deal, she also got nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
7. Aung San Suu Kyi
     Sure, we haven't heard much from her recently. But she is anything but irrelevant. Aung San Suu Kyi is one of the world's most prominent political prisoners. She is a Burmese opposition politician and chairperson of the National League for Democracy. She announced that she intends on running for the presidency in Myanmar's 2015 elections. I can't wait! 
8. Gabrielle Giffords
     This Democratic congresswoman has got a lot of spunk. She is the third woman in Arizona's history to be elected to the US Congress and focused on health care reform and illegal immigration. In 2011, she was shot in the head outside of a grocery store by Jared Lee Loughner, who killed 6 people and hit 19 others. Despite the odds, she made an amazing recovery. It gets better-- to commemorate the third year of the tragedy, she went skydiving. Pretty ballin, if I do say so myself.
9. Angela Merkel
     Another outstanding individual in politics; Merkel secured her third term as the German Chancellor last September. Upon the completion of her third term, she will become the longest-serving elected female head of government in history. She has proven to be a consistent, strong leader with high approval ratings. Under her leadership, Germany reached its lowest unemployment rate in 20 years. 
10. Nadezhda Tolokonnikova
     Tolokonnikova is one of the Pussy Riot members. The band gained much attention when they asked the Virgin Mary to "kick Putin out" at a church gig in 2012 and got imprisoned as a result. In protest of the harsh prison conditions, Tolokonnikova went on a hunger strike for ten days. She and band member Maria Alyokhina were released in December.
11. Laverne Cox
     Cox plays Sophia Burset on the hit Netflix show Orange is the New Black. She plays an incredible role in advocating for transgender rights-- I saw her interview with Katie Couric, she is awesome. Her work on the show and her activism have helped bring awareness to her cause.
12. Wendy Davis
     Come on, you guys, that filibuster was so badass. This woman is straight up fabulous.

Tommy Ton Fangirling

Usually when I go on Style.com, I dive right away into the shows-- but I did some prowling today. I took a glimpse of Tommy Ton's street style photos from the Fall 2014 shows, and boy was I excited. I was only on photo 186 (out of 352) by the time I finished this collage of my favorite photos. These photos are jaw-dropping and gorgeous. Please do take a peek at them here.

Hip Items

1. Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

     I recently embarked on my third reading of Catcher in the Rye. It's such a great piece of work. And strangely enough, after reading Salinger stories I tend to start talking like his characters. 

2. Life of Pi by Yann Martel

     We're reading Pi in my Humanities class. I saw the movie first and really enjoyed it, so I didn't expect less of the book. Martel has quite the talent for imagery. It's a great read so far.

3. The Stranger by Albert Camus

     A friend and I were on our routine coffee run last week and he pulled out a gorgeous copy of The Stranger and insisted that I borrow it. It's a 1946 edition. Very nice to touch.

4. Nine Stories by J.D. Salinger

     I just finished this book last weekend. Very great. My favorite story is the Eskimo one. 

5. Vanilla Candle from Walmart 

     There was a blizzard last week and my power went out multiple times throughout the night. The candle was very helpful. My brother and I sat in front of it and played our guitars together that night. Candles do good for human relations.

6. Morning Star Patchouli incense

     Smells good. 

7. Salinger: A Film by Shane Solerno

     I learned quite a few things about Salinger. Turns out the guy is kinda nutty, but he's a genius, let's be real.

8. Frozen Official Soundtrack

     You know how many times I sang "Let it Go" in the last few days? 

9. Icons: 200 Men and Women Who Made a Difference

     Stumbled upon this in the public library's used book store. I pretty much bought it for the beautiful gigantic pictures of my idols (including Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn).

10. A Medicine for Melancholy by Ray Bradbury

     Found this at my school's library. You can't really turn down a Bradbury book when you see one.

Drowners - A Button On Your Blouse

It wasn't too difficult finding this tune on Pitchfork (it was on the front page). I didn't actually read half of the review on the website, but I do know that I sure do like this song. Like the review says, you can definitely tell the Is This It/Whatever People Say, That's What I'm Not influences-- not a bad thing at all. I haven't actually listened to the whole album yet but I probably should if I want to find out why they got a 5.8 rating. But regardless, this song is rad.

Elie Saab Spring 2014 Couture

Am I the only one that can't contain myself when I see a new Elie Saab collection? Style.com describes these dresses as "goddess gowns." I strongly agree. The collection is filled with Saab's signature embroideries and appliqués, empire waists, and other drool-inducing things. Let's be real, Elie Saab can do no wrong. I couldn't help but make a collage of my favorite pieces from the collection. 

What's in the Bag

1. Look at the Birdie by Kurt Vonnegut
     A book of unpublished short stories by Vonnegut. I haven't gotten very far yet, but the first few stories are great at least. Especially the one about the creepy robot that whispers in your ear.
2. Lined Moleskine
     This is a pretty little Moleskine illustrated by Mattias Adolfsson. If you haven't tried Googling the name, I suggest you do it. Pretty amazing stuff that'll bring out the fangirl in you.
3. Harper's Bazaar (Nov. 2013)
     I've been into fashion collage making lately. I was lucky enough to find this issue of Harper's Bazaar in the free magazine bin outside of the library. There are some glorious things in this issue, among them some cool 50's inspired outfits and a section highlighting daring women in the industry.
4. Smash Book
     Perfect for any sentimental but lazy scrapbooker. It comes with a nice marker and good looking pages. 
5. Beyoncé Official 2014 Calendar
     Knowing my love for Beyoncé, one of my friends got me a calendar of her. Little did she know that most of the pictures are revealing ones. But it's okay.
6. Slicci 0.025 Ink Pen
     Best pen ever. Highly recommended. 
7. Herbal Essences Scrunching Gel
     Did you know that hair gel can make your eyebrows look thicker?
8. Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand
     Recommended to me by a friend sometime last year. To be honest, I have yet to crack it open. But I'm excited.