November 15 2016

Hatchimal: The Hottest Christmas Toy of 2016

Have you heard about the Hatchimal? Right after Halloween, my sister, Carol, texted me telling me that we MUST get Hatchimals for all of the kids this year. I said, Hatchi-what? Then, I started seeing article after about this latest Christmas toy craze.

As Telegraph states, “In 1960 it was the Etch-a-Sketch, in 1991 the Gameboy, in 2010 the Jet Pack Buzz Lightyear, and in 2015 the Star Wars Kylo Ren Command Shuttle. And now, in 2016, the year’s top selling Christmas toy looks set to be – drum roll please – the Hatchimal.”

Of course, we can all remember these hot Christmas toys, too, like Tickle-Me-Elmo, Teddy Ruxpin, Cabbage Patch Kids and Furby.

hatchimal

So what is a Hatchimal? Coming in five different “species,” it’s a little animal that lives inside an egg. The more you play with the egg and take care of it, the sooner the egg cracks and the animal appears. (It’s ready to hatch usually after 30 minutes of continuous play.) What’s unprecedented about this is that there’s never been a toy that could hatch on its own. It also features touch technology so that when you tap on it, the Hatchimal taps back or when you stroke the top or bottom, it lights up and makes sounds. That’s not the end of it though. Once it’s out of the egg, the Hatchimal is raised through three different stages of life: baby, toddler and child. It even sings its own rendition of Happy Birthday as it passes through each stage. While playing with it, a child teaches the Hatchimal how to walk, dance, play games and repeat words. Think of it as a souped up Tamagotchi. Can you believe it’s been 20 years since that toy’s debut? (Wow, do I feel old.)

It’s pretty much sold out everywhere but you can find it on Amazon from third party sellers or on Ebay. (The suggested retail price is $59.99, but most are going for $200-$500 on internet resale sites.) The most coveted one is the “Owlicorn” Hatchimal, which is selling for over $200 on eBay. At the beginning of this month, Carol snatched up eight of them at once at Barnes and Noble. She’s always on the cusp of what’s cool!

November 14 2016

Offbeat Papercut Art by Eiko Ojala

Estonia-based illustrator Eiko Ojala perfectly sums up the odd way we’re all feeling right about now with these offbeat illustrations. Created using scissors and paper, he created this series as a commission for the German contemporary dance magazine called Tanz. Eiko was challenged with showing illustrations that interpret how he sees modern dance but in the end, his work reflected the inside-out way we feel after this upsetting election.

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Tanz on Behance

November 14 2016

New Heartwarming Print of a Good Old Cuddle

After everything we went through with last week’s election, I think it’s time for a good old cuddle. This new screenprint by Paul Thurlby carries a simple message but one we all need right about now. Called “Get It On,” the print is silkscreened in three colors with shimmering metallic gold ink used on the hair. For more info about Paul, and to buy the print online, click here.

P.S. Did you notice that my image uploader is working again. Yay!

November 10 2016

Fun Links of the Week

With tomorrow being Veteran’s Day, Parker and Logan’s school/daycare will be closed. Did I tell you that baby Logan started daycare? He’s only gone once (he’s been sick) but, on that one day he did go, he only cried for five minutes and then was great the rest of the day. (What a champ!) I was, of course, a nervous wreck, all day, but was gleaming with pride when I heard that he not only survived, he thrived! I’ll be taking the day off, tomorrow, to hang out with my little buddies.

Saturday night is the opening reception of Audrey Kawasaki’s and Stella Im Hultberg’s solo shows at Thinkspace. I would love to go to that but I have an early morning event on Sunday. It’s the 5K run, I mentioned way back when. My sisters, a few friends and I are all taking part of the Mission Inn Run in Riverside. Wish me luck! (I just hope my legs don’t give out!)

Now, brought to you a day early, here are the fun links of the week.

Have you heard of this year’s Christmas toy craze? It’s the new Tickle Me Elmo. (Here it is on Amazon.)

I love Andrea Minini’s new animal illustrations (especially the cranes).

If I bought this sweatshirt, I wouldn’t take it off for awhile.

Would you join this all-womans club?

Looking to get reinspired with your photography? Here are some practical tips.

Seth Meyers spoke on behalf of a lot of us when he talked about Trump’s win.

I love how you can wear this necklace many different ways. (Lariat, choker or pendant.)

This is one pretty lunar calendar.

Some uplifting movies to help you get through these uncertain times. (Can’t wait for La La Land.)

Tips on ways to stop overthinking.

Emma Watson knows that we could all use some wise words right about now.

I’d love to have this sculpture on my desk, it’s just perfectly surreal.

Subway Therapy is such a simple but sweet way to show people what we’re all feeling.

Lindy West’s opinion essay, Her Loss, on the The New York Times was moving.

Should we all start wearing safety pins?

November 10 2016

Stunning New Artwork for Audrey Kawasaki and Stella Im Hultberg

For a few days now, I’ve had a problem uploading images to this blog. I’d love to show you all of the gorgeous new artwork that Audrey Kawasaki and Stella Im Hultberg have just released, but instead you’ll have to head over to the Thinkspace website. It’s been a few years since both of the talented painters have had their own solo shows so that makes the occasion extra special.

As Audrey stated, “It’s been over two years since my last solo, and honestly it’s been a tough road. Have been trying to rethink my creative process, looking back at my earlier works, and challenge my technical execution by eliminating my hatching brush strokes and solid blacks which has been a part of my style for some time. Am excited to finish what I have but am still nervous and anxious. Doing the most I can though, and taking it one day at a time.”

Meanwhile, Stella welcomed a new addition to her family. Now she’s back, better than ever with dreamy paintings of women covered in flowers.

See Interlude by Audrey Kawasaki, here.
See Hollow Resonance by Stella Im Hultberg, here.

(I’m hoping to have my image uploader fixed soon!)

November 9 2016

Dan Rather’s Hope-Filled Post

Rather than wallow in yesterday night’s news, I’ve been trying to read posts or articles that are filled with hope. I came across Dan Rather’s Facebook post today and it left me feeling inspired. Here’s a portion of it:

“For some, there is happiness and a sense of redemption in the headlines of the day. But for others there are ominous and even terrifying headlines, written by men and women far wiser than myself. This is a moment when there is evidence to support your darkest fears. As the aftershocks of incredulity shift into bewilderment and panic, it is easy to feel a certain paralysis begin to grip your mind and soul.

“One thing I have learned, however, is never to bet against the resilience of men and women in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges. I have seen it on battlefields, in natural disasters, and in the toil of disease, poverty, and persecution. We can summon resilience here. If you seek the beginnings of an antidote to the venom that has seemingly been unleashed, I suggest we think of actions. Doing something always made me feel better. Please hug your loved ones and offer support. And then we can start by simple acts – like reaching out to help someone who needs help, in your family, your community, or the larger world. This is how it begins.

“And then there is our political system. No matter your policy beliefs, the system itself needs fixing. It needs different modes of engagement. And that takes work – on city councils, school boards, local, regional, and state governments. These are places we can look to act as well. Regardless of the results last night, I still believe that there is far more that binds us a nation than separates us, once we get beyond the slogans and politicking. My team and I are thinking hard about how to use the tools of technology to create a greater social cohesion in our nation and our world. I hope to have some early efforts to share with you soon.

“In the meantime, gently and respectfully, I suggest that you allow yourself to feel whatever you need to feel today and in the days ahead. But as I wrote last night, if you ‘opt out’ then the forces you see arrayed against you will have won. I too feel all the dread and uncertainty, but I swallow hard, breathe deeply and pledge to my family and friends that I will go forward with all of the optimism and courage I can muster. I hope they, and you, will join me because I could use the help.”

If you still can’t shake that feeling of depression, sink a little deeper by checking out these pictures of sad Hillary supporters.

November 9 2016

Donald Trump Wins Presidency

Last night, as the results of the 45th presidency came in, my sisters and I frantically texted back in forth. We were all incredulous, it was almost unbelievable to us to see how Donald Trump was capturing so many of the electoral votes, especially in those swing states. It’s hard to summarize how I feel right now so I’d like to quote Dave Pell, Managing Editor of NextDraft. He sums it up well.

“As the red tide swept across the nation on Tuesday, I was thinking of the night before when, in the last hours of the race, we saw two wildy different campaigns. Hillary had the force of her party, celebrity performances, a former president, a current (and popular) president, a well-oiled ground game, the support of every newspaper, and what almost every pollster thought was enough momentum to win. Donald, who famously said ‘I alone can fix it’ was in many ways alone. He had virtually no party or establishment support. In the final weeks, he was essentially running as a third party candidate. The Party of Trump. Add these factors to an untraditional campaign, poor debate performances, a lack of experience, and everything we thought we knew about politics, and there was no way he could win. And yet he did. (Now the pundits who got it all exactly wrong will tell you what it means.) In coming days, we’ll get a better understanding of the frustration and anti-establishment factors that drove these results, and try to comprehend why those who felt left out of the American dream and jilted by the system expressed that anger by voting for a billionaire from Fifth Avenue. For now, we just know we witnessed the most remarkable American political story of our lifetimes. Many of you probably opened this issue hoping to find some salve for your fresh wounds. I wish I had something more, but this is about all I’ve got: Trump has surprised us at every turn. I hope he surprises us and is a great president. But I’m the progressive son of Holocaust-surviving, immigrant parents, and the father of a couple of brown kids, and this is without any doubt the hardest sentence I’ve ever had to type: Donald John Trump will be the 45th president of the United States.”

If you’d like to see how the night looked like in pictures, go to The Atlantic website.

November 8 2016

10 Last Minute Links About the Election

Today, I can’t seem to get my mind off of this election. I’ve been reading article after article and looking at video after video, so I thought I’d share a batch of them with you. A part of me is sad to see the journey end but I’m comforted by the fact that brighter days are ahead. Hillary is going to win this!

Slate has a voter turnout tracker where you can see what’s happening in seven key battleground states.

I think it’s cool that Hillary and her team took on the Mannequin Challenge.

I love reading about the smart people working behind the scenes.

Buzzfeed has a good photo compilation of all of the drama in this election.

What is the electoral college?

The changing U.S. demographics could determine the next president.

Trump getting caught peeking at Melania’s ballot is one of the funniest things today.

Australian comedian Jeff Jefferies talking about Donald Trump made me LOL.

This crying grandma pretty much sums up how most woman feel today.

I love this. “I have pretty thick skin. I’ve been in the arena a long time.”

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