rambling #21 @ 6:11pm

@ the fishbowl

Currently listening to The Fray.

I’ve been awake since 9:00am yesterday morning.  I had a latte with an extra shot around noon yesterday and am still caffeinated, but just barely.  I was in the fishbowl for 13 hours–from early yesterday evening to early this morning!–studying for my Cognitive Psych exam, which I think went okay. Oh, I learned that the fishbowl is open 24 hours a day, except on weekends.

And I’m back at the fishbowl again, this time to work on a paper.

I’m going to crash soon.  I can feel it.

I got a new umbrella last week, after mine got stolen.  I couldn’t find another rainbow one, so I ended up getting a nice red one.  It makes the rainy days seem brighter.

And I don’t have a charge on my student account for the library book I returned late!

The list:

1) Typoretum. A very nice flickr account.

2) The Amazing (Re)Touch.  Supersupercool photos.  The posters for the French anti-AIDS organization AIDES are…I have no words.

rambling #20 @ 9:42am

@ the UGLi

Currently listening to Fleetwood Mac.

I woke up late.  Again.  That’s the second time this week and it’s only Wednesday.  I was supposed to get up around 6:00am to read Wallowing in Sex for my discussion later today.  The book was due at 9:00am.  I woke up at 9:00am on the dot.  Now I have a charge on my student account for a late book.  I turned the book in at 9:30am, and am now waiting 30 minutes so I can check it out again.

Oh, and I didn’t get to go to the University of Michigan Museum of Art student opening yesterday night.  Didn’t have time.  Err.

I have a Cognitive Psych exam tomorrow that I am so not prepared for.

The list:

1)  Wooster Collective. A pretty interesting website that my American Culture professor had us look at for a class assignment.

Created by artist Sam Spenser.  Photo by Jessica Rolland.

2) Typography mega inspiration. I love typography.

rambling #19 @ 12:07am

in my room

Currently listening to nothing.

Monday flew by.  I can’t believe it’s already Tuesday, and I can’t believe how much studying and reading I have to do.   Err.  Classes just get in the way of everything.

The paper dress that I was working on for my American Culture class isn’t coming along so well, so I’m gonna pitch it and figure something else out.  I’m still planning on using magazines, newspapers and the Student Directory in my project.

THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN MUSEUM OF ART WILL HAVE ITS STUDENT OPENING TOMORROW TODAY AT 8PM! I can’t wait.

The list:

1) No walls, only partitions. Love it.  How do people come up with these things?

“Without compromising on privacy, the 4sides4home is an amazing interior option for those who have small apartments and even smaller families. The concept utilizes the given floor space optimally by doing away with the walls and incorporating partitions instead. Imagine a huge + (plus sign) on the floorplan…”  Continue reading.

2)  CopyPasteCharacter. Ever forget the keyboard shortcut for an accented “a”?  Or need a symbol that just isn’t available in your word processor (like a snowman)?  Have no fear!  CopyPasteCharacter is here!  Just click on the symbol/character you want, and it saves to your clipboard.  Pretty sweet.

rambling #14 @ 12:02am

in my room

Currently listening to nothing because I had my headphones glued to my ears all night and now they hurt.

Just returned from the fishbowl after spending six hours there getting work done.  Yeah for being productive!

The list:

1) Briar Press. Stumbled upon this cool site.  Have you noticed that when you’re not looking for something, you always find something cool, but if you’re looking for something, nothing turns up?  Eh.

Briar Press is a letterpress community, and you definitely need to check out the Cuts & Caps section of their website when you visit.

2) My boss and I made a trip to the Produce Station on S. State today.  I’d never been there before, but am planning on returning.  They carry some pretty unique groceries (they make their own peanut butter!–which my boss says is the absolute best), though it is kind of pricey there.

3) I need this bike.

rambling #12 @ 9:58am

@ home

Happy Pi Day!  I got home early this morning and it feels nice to be here.  I’m currently doing laundry, working on my ASL assignment, and watching re-runs of CSI.

If you have some $ to spare, maybe you can celebrate Pi Day by buying this supercool Assouline bag?

rambling #8 @ 3:18am

in my room

Currently listening to The Beatles.

Rule: No caffeine after 3:00pm. I have class at 8:30am on Thursdays.

The list:

1) poster in Amsterdam: Another cool flickr account.

2) typornography.blogspot.com: Love the web address.

rambling #7 @ 10:49pm

@ the union

Currently listening to Hot Hot Heat.

Today was an uneventful day. We watched a short film on Outsider artist Howard Finster in my American Culture class, and I must say, he’s quite a character. If you don’t recognize his name, maybe you’ll recognize one of his works? He designed the album cover below.

My American Culture professor is taking us on a field trip to Detroit next week to see art installations! I’m so excited. I haven’t been on a field trip since middle school. We’re going to Redford to see Silvio’s Rita Pizzeria & Italian American and to Hamtramck to see Ukrainian Disneyland. My parents live in a city right on the border of Detroit, so maybe we’ll drive through it.

I enjoyed another latte today. I’ve spent $20 on caffeine and yogurt parfaits at Espresso Royale over the past three days. Not good.

The list:

1) The Periodic Table of Typefaces: Pretty amazing.

2) This is what I want to do with my life. Product packaging design. Visit thedieline.com to see more product packaging designs, for articles on packaging design, and to view redesigns.

3) Let’s talk more about redesigns, shall we? Pepsi recently redesigned their logo. Old vs. New: Pepsi with a smile. Click here or here to learn more about the redesign.

I found this on twitter. Hilarious.

rambling #4 @ 7:40pm

@ the fishbowl

Happy Monday!

No classes today, but I did work all morning and all afternoon. I was planning on skipping my yoga class earlier this evening, but decided to go last minute, and I’m glad I did. I feel light and am in a pretty good mood. Thanks endorphins!

The fishbowl’s pretty crowded right now. I’m waiting for a friend so we can work on a Linguistics assignment. Everyone in the class will be doing a presentation on an illness, and I picked multiple sclerosis. It’s an American Sign Language class, so we’ll be signing our presentation. Eek. I’m so nervous. I hate signing in front of the class.

The list:

1) Isn’t this a great watch? I’m usually not a big fan of watches, but I’d wear this watch, especially if it came in yellow. It’s a great conversation piece.

2) I love typography and spend too time reading up on it. I should be using that time to get through my coursepack readings for my Comm class. Oh well. I guess I’ll just play catch-up this weekend.

Visit touchey.com to see more inspirations like the one below. I like how the designer alternated the weights of the type to separate the words instead of using spaces. A nice example of thinking outside the box. I wonder if I’d be able to do something like this at The Michigan Daily…

3) I had to include another inspiring piece from touchey.com in this rambling. I think the artist cut hundreds (maybe thousands?) of letters and stacked them to get this effect. It’s lovely.

rambling #2 @ 9:23pm

@ the fishbowl

It’s wet out, and it’s really cold, but it’s refreshing. I managed to get a good amount of work done today for classes, and my to-do list is becoming shorter and shorter. I love crossing out things on my to-do list–it makes me feel very productive.

I had some red bean mochi ice cream today! I haven’t had mochi ice cream for a few months and forgot how delicious it was. I’ll have to have some again soon. If you haven’t tried mochi ice cream before, you’re missing out!

Here’s the round-up for today. Enjoy!

1) Chris Spooner is a graphic and web designer based in the UK and has compiled this amazing list of tutorials: 50 Illustrator Tutorials Every Designer Should See. I’ve found the “How to Make a Map in Illustrator” and “Design with Swirls and Flourishes” tutorials to be very useful. And best of all, the steps are simple and easy to follow.

2) Isn’t this photo gorgeous? I saw it at ilovetypography.com (a website “devoted to fonts, typefaces, and all things typographical” that you should need to check out). Now I want a wax sealer. Click on the photo to visit Andy Clymer’s flickr account.

3) Speaking of type, you should also visit vimeo.com to see “sturdy typography, motion and kinetic type explorations, and other typographical niceness.” Basically, there are a ton of videos of type! It’s a great distraction, and a great way to put off that American Culture assignment (I’m speaking from experience here). Make sure to check out the Technologic and School of Rock videos.

4) Alexander McQueen has a line at Target! I haven’t bought anything from his line (yet), but from what I can see at Target.com, the pieces seem to be of high-quality construction. I’m not very fond of some of the pieces, but the Alexander McQueen® for Target Studded Denim Jacket in Smoke looks really nice. I love the dramatic collar.

rambling #1 @ 10:14pm

@ the union

My first rambling! So excited!

Spring is finally arriving here in Ann Arbor! I can’t wait until the grass starts turning green and gets cut. Fresh cut grass = one of my favorite smells.

Though it poured cats and dogs today, I’ve missed the rain and it smells like Spring. I won’t miss that snow though. While Ann Arbor’s a wonderful city, it’s not so wonderful when there’s a foot of snow on the ground and you need to get to class, which you’re running late for because the snow’s slowing you down. Oh Spring, I’ve missed you so.

Enough talk about the weather, here’s my list of the moment!

1) I want this bag from Goorin. It’s so much fun! It is a little small [H: 10" X W: 16" X D: 4"], but the color makes me smile–it’s like toting around a little slice of sunshine. And it’d be perfect for the Spring weather that’s arriving (couldn’t help myself, I’m just so excited for this weather)!

2) And I also want a Helvetica Moleskine. I watched Gary Hustwit’s documentary Helvetica last month and found it to be quite entertaining and educational (who knew that it was possible for a documentary to be both?!). I already have a ton of notebooks that I carry around and doodle in, but none are as cool as this. A number of designers have been talking about this Moleskine.

3) Also, I stumbled upon Chris Piascik’s amazing flickr account on twitter a few days ago, and fell in love with his Typography album. Designers, if you’ve run into a block, this is a great place to turn to for some inspiration. Enjoy one of Mr. Piascik’s works below.