Homemade Video: The Weepies

Two posts ago I wrote about my love for duets from bands like The Weepies and today I came across this painstakingly cute homemade video. It's too lovely, I had to share. As I watched it a second time, I couldn't help but appreciate all the artistry that the maker put into it. O the things we do for the love of art, music, clay do, and passion.

An Unexpected Visitor: Zoë Johnston

I'm posting this Bent video in honor of Zoe Johnston my unexpected internet visitor. (She sings the vocals in this song.)

This weekend I received a very special email from one of my favorite singers. I'm still in a state of disbelief. How she found me, I don't know but it seemed that she very much appreciated my PREVIOUS POST on her. After she read about my difficulty over finding her CD Happenstances, she contacted me to offer a copy. Once I overcame the shock, I politely declined. (My boyfriend had already gotten me a copy for my birthday.) Still, I was crazy honored that she wrote to express her appreciation and, that to me, was priceless.

So here's to chance encounters on the world-wide, wonderful web and Zoë Johnston for making my week. ;)

ps Would you believe that I initially mistook her for a classmate by the same first name? I told her that I thought it was cool that she had the same name as a singer and that she should check her out when she had the chance. Life can be funny-haha and funny-unexpected.

The Solar Decathlon

Today I went to the Solar Decathalon and I found myself in the company of some of the most innovative and creative architects, engineers, and designer students around. What made this event even more enjoyable was that, along with hundreds of other people, I was able to admire and walk through the fruits of their labor. The SOLAR DECATHLON is an international competition sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy where 20 teams of college and university students compete to design, build, and operate the most attractive, effective, and energy-efficient solar-powered house. The other awesome twist to today was that I had at my disposal the expertise of two highly skilled carpenters to explain away all the things I didn't understand. Carpenter friends are the coolest.

I'd love to post some pictures but since I was trampsing around in close quarters with a minimum of 20 other people most of my pictures were awkward.

Solar Decathlon

One house that I particularly enjoyed was House 112 not just because it was one of the most beautifully designed energy-effiecient home ever, but because they used some ideas that I have long fiddled with in my designs. Just to be clear on this matter, I am in no way implying that they used my design. Instead they had a design that was very similar to a design that I had conceptualize in my mind. I have been dying to create a free standing studio built on a platform that allowed for storage as well as the installation of a "murphy bed" in the floor. I use the term murphy bed loosely because instead of the bed tucking away into the wall, in my design the bed would be built into the floor with a cover to tuck it away. It was so inspiring to see that other designers had considered such a design feasible and had executed it with great flare.

Here is some background info on this house: This house in particular was designed by the Univeristy of Technology in Germany. While there were many houses worthy of accolade and recognition, the construction of House 112 was exceptionally executed, in addition to being one of the most innovative. Just imagine the Volkswagen of modular homes and that's what I found myself oohing and aahing over. With crazy cool ideas, like solar shutters that move with the sun, sinks and ovens that hide away as well as movable bathroom walls, they were definitely not the underdogs of the competition. Much of the technology used in building the home were prototypes that the students help to create with big wig German companies, and often the companies created one-of-a-kind custum components to suit their building needs. When I asked how much it cost to create the house, one student estimated that the costs exceeded $1.2 million dollars. (Sigh) I wish the footage that I shot had survived the import process because I can barely touch the amount of innovative details that went into the house. Remember the shutters I told you about? Well that is the first layer the the shell of the house. Much like the human skin, the house was constructed with different layers with the solar shutters being the first layer.