Just Because

It's been a while since I last posted anything so... Happy belated Turkey Day! I hope everyone had a wonderfully "stuffed" Thanksgiving day. I know I did.

This year was a bit different due to my family being more spread out. However, my parents, Claudio, and I celebrated at my apartment with lots of great food. The meal was followed by a relaxing afternoon, a walk to Kroger to get the paper, and an evening of Monsters Inc. and Wall-E. I love the company of family and loved ones.

As usual, I said no to Black Friday and just enjoyed sleeping in a bit and going to work later that night. I know most of you are now excited about Christmas and decorating. If you know me well, you know I don't like to decorate until the last minute, at least until December 1st-ish. So, no pictures of decor will be posted :P

In other exciting news, Claudio's family is coming for a two-week visit soon!! I am so excited to see them and that they will be official residents of the US! My birthday is on its way as well...the big 2-4. Wow. I still feel 21 most of the time. I am still looking for an apartment and roommate as well, if you know anything please send it my way.

Until next time!

The Fashion of Artists

A Brisk Walk in the Rain

Today I walked to campus to drop some books off to Claudio. I knew it would probably start raining as soon as I walked back but that didn't persuade me to grab my rain jacket. I just figured, oh well, I'll get wet. No big deal. Mainly because I still needed to take a shower so it didn't really matter if I got wet. 

So, of course, I was right and the wind began blowing cold sprinkles throughout the sky. Usually this would irritate me or cause me to run faster to get inside. But, today I just took a brisk walk back to my apartment instead. I can't say I took a leisurely walk home in the rain, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. 

Just take a look at this snail. (Photo courtesy of my dad, WL McCoy.) He is aware of the cold rain and that it will dampen his skin and shell, but he still moves slowly. I guess a snail really doesn't have any other choice but to take it slow, or just put his head back in his shell. But this is just part of life for him. The rain does not affect his "mood" or pace whatsoever. 

As I walked today, I thought to myself, "why not just walk and enjoy the rain?" It is just rain after all. It's  cold water blowing through the gray sky, cooling my face, drops falling from my eyelashes. I moved quickly up the small paved hills, looking down as the wind hit my face just slightly. I felt alive and thankful for a God that creates such things as rain. 

Next time it rains, I encourage you to just take a walk. Okay, maybe not if it's pouring out and you have somewhere to be. But, maybe on your walk home or to class, just enjoy it. Turn a negative into something positive and feel alive. 

It's Your Turn

I do enjoy blogging for my own pleasure, it's kind of a way to explore what's on my mind. However, I like to offer something interesting for you to read as well. So, I'm asking for your opinion, your input, your feedback. Let me know what you like to read about most, least, and in between. Tell me how you like my blog layout (or if you know a little about how to change things on blogger).

I recently changed my layout with the new "dynamic views" feature and I like it a lot. If you were not aware, you yourself can change the view up at the top of the blog. I would like to add on my "gadgets" but not quite sure how you can do this with the new layout.

In the end, I'm me and I'll do what I like. But I would still love to hear your feedback about the blog. So, let the comments begin! Don't be shy, leave one below :)

Havana Rumba

This weekend I traveled down "south" to Louisville to meet my mom for her birthday. We all went to Havana Rumba for dinner, a local Cuban restaurant. I had been to Havana Rumba a couple years ago with my friend Sarah and loved it. I love trying new foods from other countries, especially South America.

We ended up eating at the newer location which is a bit bigger. The decor is fitting for a Cuban restaurant, using bongo drums as seats at the bar. We started our meal with some bread served with a garlic/cilantro butter. Everyone ordered something different and it was all very delicious.

I opted for the vegetarian option just because I love all the vegetables served there. I had a plate with a crisp cheese and spinach empanada, sweet plantains (similar to a banana but much different taste), yucca (a boiled root with the consistency of a potato), and rice with black beans. I could have eaten just the black beans and rice and been very happy. Everything is so flavorful and delicious.

This is my plate above. 

Claudio's "ropa vieja," which has shredded beef. 

My mom's chicken breast with onions along with rice and beans.

My dad's fish, so good!

I will definitely be going back to Havana Rumba, and so should you! Here are a few more pictures from our nite:

I enjoyed a rich Cuban espresso with milk to end my meal.

Kacie and me.

Outside Havana Rumba.

"Red"

Several days ago I received an email telling me I won two tickets to see Red  at the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. How did I snag tickets to a play I was already interested in seeing? Well, as posted earlier, I went to Manifest gallery for an exhibition. While there I signed the guest book and apparently when doing so, I entered myself in to win some tickets! Nice surprise I will say.

I called the box office to reserve my tickets for the Thursday night showing. Claudio and I put on our Sunday's best and braved the cold rain to make our way to see the play. Once we got our tickets we walked up a few steps to an open room. The Playhouse has a few choices of drinks and food while you wait such as a cocktail bar, café, and sandwich/cookie/candy stand. We decided on some cheesecake and coffee to satisfy our sweet tooth.

After chatting over our coffee at a cocktail table, we took our tickets to the theater. For free tickets, we had pretty good seats. The theater was a decent size, not too big or small. We sat several rows up on the left, which made for a good view of the stage. Before the play started, I took a look at the set-up. Several large, Rothko-style paintings were propped up against a wall behind a large easel. Cabinets, sinks, buckets, glass jars of pigment, and paint stains on the wooden floor comprised the painting studio. (I would die for a studio like this to work on my own paintings.)

I was very excited for the play to start due to my previous interest in the artist. Abstract expressionism is one of my favorite genres and some may say Rothko is the artist in this field. Shortly, the play began and there my attention stayed for the next hour and a half. The basis of the plot was Rothko in his studio along with his assistant, working on a commission for the new Four Seasons restaurant/hotel.

This play was not what I thought it was going to be, but then again I did not have any specific expectations. Rothko was a jerk, that is for sure. But the artist was brilliant nonetheless. This man fought with his artwork as well as his assistant throughout the play. He pondered his work more than actually painting on the canvases. Many of the things Rothko said about art and philosophy resonated with me and creating my own work.

One thing he talked about in the beginning that I fully agree with is that an artist must know something about the world (philosophy in particular) before he can successfully create art. His assistant argued with him many times during the play, even calling him a hypocrite for making paintings for a restaurant. This made for comedic entertainment as well as serious thought.

I would definitely see this play again and recommend for anyone, not just artists. It helps one see into the life of a famous artist and how they might actually work behind closed doors. I will have to take a closer look at his work soon and relate it to what I heard in the play. Things like this are what inspire me to create my own paintings. Anyone want to give me a large studio like Rothko's in Red?