Shadows & Streetlight Imaginations

"Poetry is the shadow cast by our streetlight imaginations." - Lawrence Ferlinghetti

CAKE On A Tuesday

Every Day Is A Good Day For Cake...

Billy & I have been talking about & listening to a lot of CAKE lately, because he's recently & quite randomly developed a fixation with the songs "Pretty Pink Ribbon" & "Commissioning A Symphony In C".

I first fell in love with the lyrical stylings & quirky, almost monotone vocals of John McCrae back in the mid-90s Fashion Nugget days. That record & the song "Open Book" remain, to this day, my all time CAKE faves.

But, once Billy came along, Pressure Chief and Comfort Eagle also would up putting a lot of mileage on the stereo, a cover of "Friend Is A Four Letter Word" made it into the Obedient Waves repertoire, and CAKE became a recurring moment on the soundtrack of our lives.



So, for the love of good music, I give you, "Open Book", "Pretty Pink Ribbon", and "Commissioning A Symphony In C"...







-xo


p.s. For thirteen bucks, you can get yourself one of these trippy-cool, Aesthetic Apparatus-designed, Limited Edition, New Year's Eve, Glow-in-the-Dark, CAKE Posters HERE. Besides CAKE, I also happen to be crazy about eyeballs. It's true. So this poster is a Big Must Have for kooky Ms. KOSHi...

KOSHi Luvs... The Face Hunter

Yvan Rodic is the Face Hunter, the globe-trotting, Canon G10-wielding photographer routinely stationed on the pavement outside fashion's runways & beyond, where he finds not only his inspiration but that of the legion of devotees tuning in to Face Hunter for their customary dose of street style.

Here is a rare glimpse of Rodic in front of the camera (nice shoes!), as featured in the November issue of Elle - Russia...


And here are some of my recent Eye Candy For The Style Hungry faves, followed by an excerpt of a tidy lil interview Rodic just did with Dazed Digital...







DD: How long have you been the Face Hunter?
Yvan Rodic: Three and a half years.

DD: Are you sick of taking photos yet?
Yvan Rodic: I could never get sick of it. It changes every day.

DD: What do you think of all the fashion blogs saturating the net?
Yvan Rodic: I think it’s great that anybody who has access to the internet can use it as a medium to express their thoughts and opinions. It doesn’t matter whether you are a young fashion-enthusiast, Susie Lau, Bryan Boy or even a 13 year-old girl who has a great knowledge of the fashion world.

DD: What is your opinion on the The Sartorialist? Do you draw similarities between your respective works?
Yvan Rodic: His style is very classic but too businessy for my taste. The subjects of his photos are often editors walking into a fashion show who are wearing very expensive outfits. Whereas I take photos of the people standing outside the show whose outfits weren’t necessarily created by a high-end designer. Often we are at exactly the same shows but we interpret them differently because we are interested in completely different subjects.

DD: Do you let people see the photos once you take them?
Yvan Rodic: Yes

DD: Do people ever say no?
Yvan Rodic: Of course. But people are always going to say ‘no’, no matter what you are doing.

DD: Would you get involved in projects solely to further yourself?
Yvan Rodic: Yes. Working with well known companies opens a lot of doors and allows you to do your own projects further down the line.

(Read More...)

SHOP KOSHi SHOP - 40 Days & 40 Nights Christmas Countdown CLEARANCE SALE - Day 40

* * SHOP KOSHi SHOP KOSHi SHOP KOSHi SHOP * *
* * * Super CLEARANCE Sale! Everything Must Go! * * *
* * SHOP KOSHi SHOP KOSHi SHOP KOSHi SHOP * *


This holiday season, KOSHi SHOP is clearing house! That means that the KOSHi bags, apparel, and random goodies that were for sale at the original, pre-Etsy KOSHi SHOP will be available for 40 Days & 40 Nights, from now until Christmas, at super mega huge clearance prices. I just want to get rid of it all to clear space for a fresh start in 2010. So, please feel free to take advantage of my lil purge-fest & score yourself some awesome deals on this cute KOSHi stuff just in time for The Giving Season... SHOP KOSHi SHOP


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *



"The only reason a great many American families don’t own an elephant is that they have never been offered an elephant for a dollar down and easy weekly payments." ~Mad Magazine


(Christmas Pinup : Johanni @ Flickr)

And, let's not forget that since now is, as I mentioned, The Giving Season, you might want to give me this...


Kate Moss for TopShop Blue Suede Mini Dress -xo

Witchy Woman : New Moon In Scorpio

Lisa Dale Miller & Jan Spiller used to be my Go To Girls for all moon-related, astrological biz, but, since Lisa discontinued her AstroWisdom Moon Messages earlier this fall, it's all about Astrology with Jan Spiller and Pat Paquette & Diane Lang's Real Astrologers now.

I like to go to these sites on the eve of every New & Full Moon and have come to kind of plan my calendar around that great waxing & waning satellite in the sky, setting a short list of goals to achieve from moon to moon. It's a pretty groovy way to break the month in half, taking life in smaller chunks, two weeks at a time.



I have no intentions of sharing my entire list of goals with you here (it's too cheesy and embarrassing), but I will give up a few highlights & maybe you can help hold me accountable:

1. KOSHi SHOP: Properly launch the 40 Days & 40 Nights Count Down To Christmas KOSHi Clearance Sale by 5pm, Monday, November 16.

2. Figure out how to turn the Brussel Sprouts Stalk that Billy just bought into food. GOOD food. As in, beyond edible... maybe even, dare I say, "Tasty".

3. Clean & organize the demilitarized zone that my makeup station has become into something less chaotic & more sanitary.

If you want to make your own goals for the next two weeks, using tonight's new Scorpio Moon to lead the way, here are a couple of links you may find helpful...

-New Moon In Scorpio : Real Astrologers
Scorpio’s penetrating vision and willingness to use a scalpel to lance the wounds it finds may not be easy or comfortable, but if we can accept the necessity of doing so, we have an opportunity to really start healing wounds long ignored. There is also little hope of being able to continue to bury our heads in the sand, because our vulnerable backsides are sticking up, just waiting to get kicked... (read more)

-New Moon In Scorpio : Jan Spiller
Because the New Moon of NOVEMBER is in the sign of SCORPIO it is an especially auspicious time for wishing to increase your psychic or psychological abilities, the wisdom to see how to create a deeper bond with someone important to you, the insight to see how to resolve situations involving debt... (read more)

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(That dreamy-cool Scorpio image at the top of this post was created by popular Scottland-based illustrator, Ella Tjader, and reminds me that I keep meaning to get around to illustrating a KOSHi Zodiac. I'm sure I will one of these days. One of these days I'm gonna do a lot of things.)

(Comic Strip source... Garfield -xo)

Nov 15, 2009 : It's NEKiD SUNDEE!

You've gotta love Fashion Copious for consistently managing to dig up the sexiest fashion & art photography, like these images of the devastatingly perfect Edita Vilkeviciute, shot by Solve Sundsbo for Numéro #108 (Nov 09). Greasy, but still...

How To Win Friends & Influence People

One of the best & worst things about the Internet is it's seemingly infinite depths of randomness. It's the best for way more reasons than it's the worst, like for banking & email & 24-7 Robert Pattinson surveillance.

But- it can be the worst when you're trying to get some work done & need to Google something, then whilst in the midst of said Googling, something else, a sale, a Tweet, a shocking headline, catches your eye & that something else leads to something else & so on and, before you know it, you're five topics away from your original, and another precious hour has been mysteriously sucked away from you.

Happens to me all the time. Just happened to me now, which leads us to this... Dale Carnegie's self help classic, How To Win Friends And Influence People.

Check out the section by section break down that Wikipedia did on each chapter, which makes a great crib sheet for those who want a refresher course or for those just too lazy to read it in the first place.


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3 Fundamental Techniques in Handling People

1. Don't criticize, condemn or complain.

2. Give honest and sincere appreciation.

3. Arouse in the other person an eager want.

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6 Ways to Make People Like You

1. Become genuinely interested in other people.

2. Smile.

3. Remember that a man's Name is to him the sweetest and most important sound in any language.

4. Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves.

5. Talk in the terms of the other man's interest.

6. Make the other person feel important and do it sincerely.

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12 Ways to Win People to Your Way of Thinking

1. Avoid arguments.

2. Show respect for the other person's opinions. Never tell someone they are wrong.

3. If you're wrong, admit it quickly and emphatically.

4. Begin in a friendly way.

5. Start with questions the other person will answer yes to.

6. Let the other person do the talking.

7. Let the other person feel the idea is his/hers.

8. Try honestly to see things from the other person's point of view.

9. Sympathize with the other person.

10. Appeal to noble motives.

11. Dramatize your ideas.

12. Throw down a challenge.

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9 Ways To Be A Leader: How to Change People Without Giving Offense or Arousing Resentment

1. Begin with praise and honest appreciation.

2. Call attention to other people's mistakes indirectly.

3. Talk about your own mistakes first.

4. Ask questions instead of directly giving orders.

5. Let the other person save face.

6. Praise every improvement.

7. Give them a fine reputation to live up to.

8. Encourage them by making their faults seem easy to correct.

9. Make the other person happy about doing what you suggest.

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Mark, The Cobra Snake, regularly portrays these social principles & more on his party people gone wild, too cool for school photo site...

Creamy Goodness -xo (Dazed & Confused Editorial)

Source: Dazed & Confused via Knight Cat

Veterans Day Salute

Rain...


Or Shine...


WE SALUTE YOU! -xo




(source)

Since I am a liberal, my views on war, among other things, have not won me any fans among my Limbaugh-luvin, ultra conservative family. But I think that today, on Veterans Day, no matter your political beliefs, as an American, you've got to show your support for our current & former troops in at least some small way. Wear a ribbon. Raise some funds. Post a sign. Or you could make & blog an honorary collage in the style of this groovy one I just found during my search for Marilyn Monroe photos... (Click Individual Pics To Enlarge)

Marge Simpson - Playboy Cover Model

Sooo wrong...

LMFAO.

Acacia House 2 : Toot Bag Steve

Witchy Woman : Happy Halloween

SAMHAiN = Halloween Back In The Day
[pronounced sah-win]

"Samhain marked one of the two great doorways of the Celtic year, for the Celts divided the year into two seasons: the light, with Beltane on May 1st, and the dark, with Samhain on November 1st. Whereas Beltane welcomes in the summer with joyous celebrations at dawn, the most magically potent time for Samhain is November Eve, the night of October 31st, known today of course, as Halloween." (source)


If, like me, you get a kick out of all things witchy, or if there are secret pagan urgings lurking beneath your deceptively conventional surface, you may want to do something a little unusual and special before you go to bed tonight. And won't your man be glad!

I kid. This isn't about sex. It's about a great excuse to make a little magic for yourself & some wishes by the light of the (almost) full moon, at the stroke of midnight, on this oh so fine All Hallows Eve...


"In early Ireland, people gathered at the ritual centers of the tribes, for Samhain was the principal calendar feast of the year... the point of conception for the new year...

In every household throughout the country, hearth-fires were extinguished. All waited for the Druids to light the new fire of the year... the gods drew near to Earth at Samhain, so many sacrifices and gifts were offered up in thanksgiving for the harvest.

Personal prayers in the form of objects symbolizing the wishes of supplicants or ailments to be healed were cast into the fire, and at the end of the ceremonies, brands were lit from the great fire... to re-kindle all the home fires of the tribe...

As they received the flame that marked this time of beginnings, people surely felt a sense of the kindling of new dreams, projects and hopes for the year to come." (source)


I love fire & symbolism & the power of making a wish with a focused, ritualized effort. I believe that life itself is magic, and you never know what's going to happen, so you might as well throw your two cents in before it does.

So why not make like an ancient pagan for Halloween and create a lil bonfire action of your own? You don't even need a fire pit or hearth to make it happen. A candle and a fire-proof bowl near the sink would do as well.

And then, you'll need your most heart-felt wish scrolled across a length of paper to burn and a firm, pronounced incantation aimed at whatever gods and goddesses may be hanging low in the atmosphere tonight- like this ancient power spell, meant to be shouted whilst hoisting your lady bits up high for emphasis...

Wonder Twin Powers Activate!
Form Of A Giant Pay Raise!
And The Man Of My Dreams!


Or something. And that should do'er. Then, hopefully, all you have to do is sit back & watch the magicalness begin.

Right Now I'm Really Into... (Part 2)

1. Sonia Rykiel's line for H&M - coming out this December. Love Sonia Rykiel. Love affordable Sonia Rykiel even better.


2. The dreamy-weird video for I Was Born by High Places, which they shot & edited themselves.


3. Lady Gaga's eyelashes on the cover of Flare magazine. Bonus Points: I'm having a major love affair with pink hair at the moment. Been collecting lots of pink hair pics on the ol' desktop. May even go pink myself. Dunno... Thinking about it... Should I?


4. The Daily Grail for leading me to random stories like the one about this creepy projection made by American futurologist, Paul Saffo, that claims that, due to biotechnology & robot engineering, the rich may develop into a new, longer-living species one day. Soon.


5. The Project Runway in a box-style kits at Target. The Fashion & Figure Drawing set is my favorite and reminds me of an old toy I used to have called Fashion Plates. God, I loved that thing. Wish I kept it. May have to Ebay it back into my life.


6. Devendra Banhart's new album, What Will We Be. One of his previous records, Cripple Crow, is a staple around here, and two of the songs off that, I Feel Like A Child & Long Haired Child, tied as top pick for Billy & I's wedding song. So, we wound up just using both, and when Billy coincidentally ended up running the sound booth for a live video shoot for none other than Devendra Banhart and told him that we were using his tunes for our wedding, he was so friendly & flattered & cool, which gave our song choice(s) a touch of kismet. So, yeah, I might be a taddy bit partial to Devendra.


7. Tim Walker's creepy-cool shots of fall fashion re-imagined ala Tim Burton for Harper's Bazaar. (Note To Self: A Tim Walker Appreciation Post Is Long Past Over Due.)


8. Lights' witchy-trippy video for Fire Night... -xo


"I wanted to be a machine." -Andy Warhol

KOSHi Luvs... Frida Gustavsson

Frida. The new iT GiRL of pretty. What's not to love?

Acacia House 1 : Random '08

Marvin Scott Jarrett & The Courtney Love Baby Doll

And, here's the woman behind the inspiration...




Courtney Love - Pretty On The Inside
BABY DOLL (Lyrics)

Here you come sucking my energy and you
Suck it up right off the street
Babydoll
You are sucking my energy
I drill it in my good hole so that i can see
You are so much bigger than me you are,
You are so much bigger than me
Babydoll
My raw hand my fever blister
Watch me watch me disappear
Here she comes her pants undone
All waste and void all waste and void
There you go in your nazi car
Oh baby what a whore you are
She's sits around with her old rag
How can i talk when you've, you've got the gag?
Here you come sucking my energy
Suck it up baby right from the street
Babydoll
In the dark i destroy what i began what i destroy
She hangs in the blossom tree oh
Babydoll just swings for me
Babydoll
Babydoll she's...chemical wedding chemical peel
I knife me and i slash mine and i knife me and i slash mine
Stick it inside of me well here you are just as ugly as me
Drill it in my good hole so that i can see yea
Drill it in my good hole so that i can see yea
Here you come sucking my energy
And you suck it up baby right from the street
Babydoll
She starts to stare into the sun
Now i, i want a cancer that the crooked eye spied
You are mine and my energy cos baby
You are so much bigger than
Babydoll
Little girl she's on the floor
She gets it all cos she's the whore
Little girl she's on the ground
She gets it off of falling falling down
Falling down no matter what
"i am, i am" she says, "i am not free" she says
Help me i am withering
Withering withering