guestblog: India #4

Sitting in Heathrow airport on the way home from India, my travel companions and I tried to come up with our list of the Top 5 Adjectives to Describe India. Its near impossible to do. Come up with any word to describe the country, (say, impoverished, sacred, pristine...) and its antonym is equally true (opulent, propane, filthy...). The only word that we could all agree on is paradoxical.

That said, I do feel like I can easily say that Indians love to adorn things; their camels, their elephants, themselves (my students said that they couldn't tell if I was a boy or a girl when I didn't wear bangles AND earrings), and their vehicles. Trucks, taxis, motorcycles, bikes, auto rickshaw, cycles rickshaw, or the plain old fashioned running rickshaws, modes of transportation are decked out in India with om symbols, deities, black lights, flower garlands, dashboard shrines, painted hand-tool leather mud flaps or the obligatory hand-painted "Stop! Please OK" slogan on the bumper. While you're stuck in Mumbai traffic with cars so close that you couldn't possibly open your door to make a quick escape, you might as well have something to look at. -Sarah

{top images by Sarah Templin, bottom "signs" by Bruce Willen...with lots more India sets to explore!}

guestblog: India #3

{chai pots and spices}

The month of May always has two or three surprisingly cold days. I'll share with you this recipe I learned in the class for masala chai which you can try out on those off-guard afternoons. As you probably know, "chai" just means tea, although it is implied that it will be served with milk and tons of sugar. Masala chai, however, is the spicy variety that we think of and is served is small, almost espresso-sized tea cups or- my favorite- unglazed clay cups that when ditched on the ground dissolve back into earth with rain. -Sarah

Masala Tea Serves
5 people

5 c water
5 c milk
7 green cardamom pods
1 cinnamon stick
5 cloves
7 black peppercorns
1 T grated fresh ginger Sugar
2 T loose black tea

Grind the cardamom pods through ginger together using a mortar and pestle and set aside. Over medium heat, bring the milk and water to a boil. Add the tea and some sugar and bring to a boil again. Now add the spice mix and boil for a few minutes until it’s the strength that suits you. Only add the masala mix after the milk has come to a boil. Adding it beforehand will cause the milk to separate.

guestblog: India #2

The food in India is of course amazing, especially for a vegetarian. As cliché as it sounds, India really is an explosion of sensory stimulus. The food alone is overwhelmingly sensory; Delicious, fragrant, colorful and textural. After a long day of tromping around a city in the hot sun, nothing gets your blood sugar levels back up like any one of the fresh juice stands that are ubiquitous; sugar cane, pineapple, orange, mango, papaya...Take your pick, you can't go wrong with the fresh juice even if the guide books tell you to stay away! Sweets are everywhere as Indians can't seem to get enough of them and because prasad- the ritual food offered to a deity, usually sugary- is needed on a daily basis. For meals, home-cooked food was usually the best option. When you book a room in a family's haveli (an Indian mansion or large home that now has become synonymous with B&B), the proprietor of the place will often provide you with a meal, which means that for the equivalent of $5, you can get a lovely room and an amazing, freshly prepared meal.

After weeks of being blown away by all the home cooked meals, questioning why my Indian recipes at home never turn out so good, and trying to sneak into kitchens to "help out", I finally signed my boyfriend Bruce, our friend Evan and myself up for an afternoon-long cooking class held by a woman named Neena and her husband on their roof-top, open air kitchen with a view of Lake Udaipur. Neena patiently endured our slug-slow note-taking and roll upon roll of photography, as we tried to document every trick to making perfectly soft chapatis and mind-blowing malai kofta. -Sarah

Stay tuned tomorrow for a recipe from cooking class!

guestblog: India #1

Hello Readers! Thanks to my recent five-week stint in India, I told Anne that I'd fill in for her while she's off gallivanting around the world. I was there teaching a course on color theory to traditional Indian embroiderers at the school Kala Raksha Vindyalaya (or KRV). I know it sounds suspicious that an American from the East Coast, where everyone wears black and brown and navy, could possibly know anything about color that an Indian doesn't already know. I was skeptical of the same thing. India is the land of a million colors, right? In fact, my students fairly regularly pointed out that my clothes looked sad or like "food with no salt"- and that was while I was wearing pink jeans!

KRV is a phenomenal school in an extremely remote area of the state of Gujarat called Kutch, near Pakistan, where Westernization has barely made its influence known. Many of my students were actually semi-nomadic camel herders and lived a life similar to that of the generations before them for hundreds of years. KRV offers education to men and women of all ages- most of whom have had very little to no schooling at all- and encourages them to sustain their traditions by helping them create profit from it. If any of you readers have a chance to visit that region of India, I'd recommend stopping by the school or its museum; the friendliness of the students and employees have made that place one that will forever be close to my heart. -Sarah

{campus shrine and students by Sarah Templin}

guestblog: Meet Sarah!

When my friend Sarah Templin was able to swing a 5 week trip to India without losing her job (remember this is America), she pretty much reached idol status in my book. She'll be filling in for me all next week (while I'm off in Thailand and Cambodia) with tales of her time in India. This multi-faceted gal is part museum registrar, textile designer (I have this fabulous dress in green she designed/screenprinted) and Marie Antoinette look-alike who knows how to pedal 15 miles around Baltimore in 3-in heels (remember that pink poodle I posted a couple weeks ago, well she was inside!). Come back tomorrow for Sarah's first post! Welcome, Sarah!

The World

Greetings from somewhere over the greater US of A! Thanks to the magical powers of Blogger's new pre-post feature, I can write posts ahead of time to load while I'm away. The world probably doesn't look a whole lot different to me at the moment than it does on this (awesome) map right now. But before you get too jealous, I have 27 hours of travel ahead of me (which doesn't include my 4 am wakeup). Ugh! Last time I was in Asia I arrived by boat, so I really have no idea how these long flights (the longest being 14 hours) are going to go over with me. . . Guest blogger on Monday...

{Poster by Ellen Shapiro created for Icograda's World Graphics Day - via GDUSA's newsletter}

Cleared for Take Off

Over the past two weeks my life has been somewhat of a "perfect storm" - a whole new level of stress, overload and health problems throwing me off course, even making this trip look like it was up in the air. But on Monday the doctor cleared me for take off! Granted, I still have a few more curve balls I'll be fending off- from last minute medications that leave me more susceptible to food poisoning and a malaria medicine that is known to make you crazy (not to mention that it's monsoon season, Myanmar (cyclone) borders Thailand and Monday's earthquake in China was felt as far away as Bangkok). But seeing as my dad and I didn't make the cut for The Amazing Race (who knows why not, but yes, we made a cheesy video and applied), I figured I may as well spice things up and give myself an adventure. Wish me luck!

I have a few posts planned while I'm away, and a great guest blogger filling in all next week! You'll just have to wait until Monday to see who it is. . .

P.S. Thanks to Travel Hacker for including me in their 100 Best roundup!

{airplane views by Troy M. Litten}

Packing 101

Last month when I posted about my great new 3-in-1 dress (which I'll be taking 2 of with me), TravelMuse left a comment inquiring about my skill when it comes to packing. I thought what better time than now, when I'm doing exactly that. Whether packing for a long weekend or a week and a half, seriously, it's the same thing. It's like a puzzle using as few pieces as possible to get the maximum result.

• You pack it, you carry it (thanks mom and dad)
• Pack versatile outfits and (minimal) shoes that you can dress up and down. Comfort can still be stylish.
  
• Pack your bag (or in my case pile everything together on the bed) with everything you plan on taking a day or two in advance (including what you're wearing on the plane...even shoes). That way it ensures you have a little extra room to bring home souvenirs and lets you think about if you're missing anything.
• Aim for carry on there (lose the fear of lost baggage) and if you have to check bags on the way home, so be it.
• Be brutal. What do you really need? Are you really going to wear it? or is it "just in case"? (When I had a car I used to throw everything and anything in it, but now that I live without wheels I'm forced to think about what I really need).
  
• If there's something you forgot/need, buy it there! Anything from a foreign country is fun to come home with.
• Don't be afraid of doing laundry. Washing clothes in the hotel sink takes all of 5 minutes. (check out the "mini" aisle of your local pharmacy- I just picked up some Tide for travel packets).
  

{"if only packing your suitcase were as simple as checking in from home" ba.com ad by BBH London via got ads?}

Destination

{flags of Cambodia and Thailand}

As much as I travel and much as I don't keep my love of travel a secret, it still boggles my mind when people as me questions such as the one I got last week, "Why are you going to Thailand?" The shock is never on the place I'm going, but why I'm going at all. As far as I'm concerned, you never need an excuse to travel. But here are just some of the posts that helped inspire this trip:

• Primitive Culture on Thailand
• Primitive Culture on Cambodia
• Annamatic goes to Bangkok
• Eleanor of Push Me Pull You goes on practically the same trip
  
• Cool Travel Guide writes a Thailand guide
• Big Bang NYT Bangkok style guide (sadly Playground! has closed)
• NYT Thailand travel guide
• NYT Cambodia travel guide
  
• Nancy Chandler maps
• all my awesome friends for their great tips and recommendations!

Weather Map

As I woke up to pouring rain in the middle of the night (that continues now), I couldn't help but think of the potential monsoon rains awaiting me in Thailand (that's the beauty of traveling with an atmospheric scientist, I actually pay attention to the weather). But according to weather woman Michelle, monsoon rains usually happen in spurts and likely won't ruin our entire day. Also, it may be a blessing in disguise as it will help to lower the 100 degree weather in our forecast! yeesh! {spatial forecast model map via NOAA....thanks, Michelle!}

T Minus One Week

With my crazy schedule lately, it's hard to believe that one week from today I'll be in the air on my way to Cambodia and Thailand. I've hardly had time to get excited because there's been so much else to deal with in life, but now it's so close I can feel it. Over the next few posts, I'll be sharing my preparations and look forward to hearing any tips and tricks you have to share. . . And don't worry, I have a fabulous guest blogger lined up while I'm gone to keep you company and itching to travel.

But first up, a quick mention of the Nancy Chandler Thailand maps [above]. These are handmade [reproduction] maps she's been making since the 70s (but regularly updated) with local flair and insider tips (so clearly I'm in love with them). I can't wait to take mine to the streets of Bangkok and add my own favorite finds.

Graphic Design Basics

With so much going on, I was so bummed to realize I missed the book signing for the new Ellen Lupton (and Jennifer Cole Phillips) book: Graphic Design the New Basics. Still can't wait to check it out, but in the meantime, here's a sneak peek inside.

Mud, Mayhem and Madness

The Kinetic Sculpture Race is one of those things that you have to see to believe. Click here to see my shots from Saturday. And if you're shocked or confused by the antics, you may want to take a look at the official rules. (And check back at Kinetic Baltimore for more official images to come).

Bloesem World Tour

The month of May just got a little bit better. The lovely Irene of Bloesem announced her new "World Tour" where throughout the month her favorite female design bloggers from around the world will be posting about their hometowns. "It's all about sharing experiences, discovering new design cultures and local crafts. . . connecting to people all around the world who share common interests." Click here for the direct link to all the world tour posts.

P.S. Speaking of travel, stay tuned for my third and final "regional roundup: Iceland" today on design*sponge.

YPF

One of my favorite Baltimore events happens tonight- the Young Playwright's Festival at CENTERSTAGE. These plays, written by 1st-12th graders have been workshoped with professional playwrights before being produced by the theater using equity actors, are some of the most endearing productions you'll ever seen. I'm hearing good things about a pink boy in tonight's line-up...

Passport DC

The best way to travel on a budget? Passport DC's embassy open houses. Find out more about Going Global in this Washington Post feature and click here for a full sized version of their helpful map [above]. (thanks for the tip, mom!)

P.S. Thanks to "Best of Blogs" for the travel blog nomination :)

Kinetic Sculpture Race

If keeping a blog has taught me anything about myself it's that my life isn't always "normal." On Monday I got an email in my inbox from my friend Santa saying, "I came across this write up on your event at some blog. Is that you in the white rabbit costume?" Strangely enough my response was yes. And if last weekend's bunny escapade wasn't enough, tomorrow I get to take on a new persona as a "kinetic kop" with my best bud, Sheriff Felice.The Kinetic Sculpture race is a 15 mile race around Baltimore - on land, in water, through mud and sand - powered by 100% human strength. Did I mention that the winner of the race is the "Most Mediocre"? Of all the events that happen in this city, this is one I've somehow managed to escape. But tomorrow I'll be in it deep as a "cop" - checking for security, writing tickets (for important things like the presence of a sock creature on board), and accepting bribes while riding around in our pimped out surrey with our blinged out aviator sunglasses and holsters. Definitely should be a hoot! It's kinda like how I'd imagine San Francisco's Bay to Breakers, but with vehicles and without the alcohol - basically it's all crazy.
For more about AVAM's Kinetic Sculpture Race click here, and the 2008 spectator guide is here. Come by and say hi. (P.S. Spectator costumes encouraged). Clearly it's one of the best weekends in Baltimore. Here's what else is happening as if that's not enough:

• Maryland Film Festival
• Flower Mart
• Maria Broom [aka Mrs. Daniels on the Wire] at the Creative Alliance

{Fifi and map via KineticBaltimore}

Sweet Ride

Every morning my morning commute involves mean glares (god forbid that anyone would want to sit next to me), odd smells (showers clearly are optional), a wide cast of characters and one strong grip (apparently my bus driver likes to think he's a Nascar driver). Needless to say, the entertainment level is high. But if only my beloved public transportation could look a bit more like this IKEA installation on the Kobe monorail in Japan. . . {via Oh Joy! with [more] images via Pink Tentacle}

French Women Don't Get Fat

While living in Paris as a study abroad student I quickly learned the lesson that it's compliments to the chef to finish everything on your plate. I got lucky when it came to my home stay. Sure, I lived in a great apartment in the 8th, not far from the Champs-Elysee with a view of le Tour Eiffel from the living room, but the real perk was Suzanne, the cook. My roommate Bridget and I (we lived in the servants quarters) would dine with Madame Balsan twice a week as part of our program. Every week we looked forward to those meals with incredible homemade soups, stuffed tomatoes, fresh fruit compote and more. Over time, all I needed was a glance from Madame Balsan to say, 'you finished your plate, now finish the rest' (which I did, only because it was too good to pass up...besides, it was compliments to the chef). But by some miracle, with the incredible food, wonderful wines and boulangeries on every corner I didn't get fat. I walked like it was my job (and it was fun); I got legs of steel from the metro (even when I had the option of the escalator I took the stairs). And then of course, there was my beloved hip-hop class. The beauty of my time in France was the lifestyle where I could enjoy and "indulge" without a worry, unlike when Mireille Guiliano spent time in the U.S., discovered brownies and quickly ballooned. As the author of French Women Don't Get Fat she shares the tricks and trades of living like the French (not a bad way to live if you ask me). From eating fresh/seasonal, portion control, variety in your diet, it's really doesn't have to be a chore, and Mireille shares her tales with humor and poise in a great read. You can start with a dose of her recipes here. C'est si bon! Ah, to be in Paris again...

(thanks for the book, Michelle! I loved it!)

Part 2: Iceland

Part 2 of my regional roundup: Iceland column is up on design*sponge! Click here to see the full post. . . It was super exciting see the IcelandDesign Forum pick up the original post (so fun to see it in Icelandic!). There's tons of great information on designers too in the MAGMA book linked through their site.

Places I Have Been

In honor of my favorite TODAY show series, Where In the World is Matt Lauer? (that started a new edition this morning with the first stop: Buenos Aires), I thought it only fitting to finally show what I cooked up at the Walters/MICA mapmaking workshop I took a few weekends ago.
There were two major sources for inspiration. First, Paula Scher's large scale typographic maps, and secondly, the wonderful patterns Jennifer Hill creates based on "Places I Have Never Been." A play on that idea, I opted to create a map of the "Places I Have Been" (ok, so there are 28 countries on my map, and technically there are two I have not been to, but I leave two weeks from Thursday so I couldn't help myself!).
This was my first attempt at painting since elementary school, and I must say it was highly therapeutic. A nice excuse to not sit in front of a computer screen! I'm not sure if it's finished yet, but the image above is where it stands.

Also, a quick note about the Maps on Purpose Symposium [building connectivity in Baltimore] coming up at the Walter's Art Museum on May 10th. It is free and open to the public, but advanced reservations are required. I attended last year's symposium and highly recommend it. This year's theme is part of the larger Baltimore Festival of Maps taking place around the city.

1,000 Journals

In 2000, 1,000 journals started as a collaborative experiment where 1,000 journals were released, passing from hand-to-hand, traveling the world.

Peruse the gallery {journal 987 above}, check out the book with 250 best entries, see the latest incarnation of the project - 1001 journals, and watch the buzz about the new documentary of the same name (debuting at film festivals this spring).

Art Against War

Art Against War. An intriguing event happening at MICA this Sunday. More info about the organization here.

Make Your Impression

Changing trains the other night on the DC metro at Gallery Place I saw our old friends Abe Lincoln and George Washington (among others) gracing banners and posters for the Library of Congress all over the station. Very clean, simple and well designed, they caught my eye as I'm typically under-whelmed by the design I see on a daily basis (especially considering the gobs of money that goes into it). But it wasn't until my trip down the escalator, seeing honorable Abe stare down at me, that I noticed that these weren't just drawings of icons of the past, they were made completely out of fingerprints! I of course had to ride the elevator back up to check out the entire series (and take pictures), immensely impressed by their design (after all, it was the smart advertising gracing the Paris metro walls that helped inspire me to become a designer).

{up close view of Marilyn}

Turns out they are for the LOC's Inspiration Across the Nation campaign - a growing collection where the public is invited to upload artwork, stories, poems, videos, essays (anything that can be uploaded) to the library, along with a description of what inspired the work. Click here to see the entire gallery, or here to submit your own. I've never been so excited about the Library of Congress before!
Also a fan of this "make your impression" fingerprint map.

UPDATE: The designer behind it is Scott Crooker of Huey + Partners out of Atlanta. [Thanks, Mendeigh]

How to Throw an Art Trading Party

On Sunday my friends Zachary and Felice threw a lovely art trading party. Seeing as I'd never been to one before, I thought I'd share more about it "how to" style, as it's a perfect excuse for a party!

1. Create your own invitations, DIY style (snail mail preferred)
2. Tell everyone to create 5 original pieces (theme optional...ours was reduce, reuse, recycle)
3. Throw the party (fresh smoothies, french toast casserole, egg frittata and cupcakes make it even better)
4. Make fun name tags so everyone knows everyone
5. Play art party games (we went exquisite corpse style)
game 1: fold paper into thirds, write an idiom/cliche, pass to neighbor who draws a picture of the phrase, hide the original phrase and the third person must guess the idiom;
game 2: fold paper into thirds, draw a "head" and make hatch marks where the next person should start drawing, pass the paper and without peeking, draw a "middle" (and hatch marks), repeat and the third person draws the "legs."
6. Number art and vote for "the most . . . [fill in the blank]"
7. Go around in a circle pulling numbers out of a hat to see which masterpieces you get . . . Congratulations, you're the proud owner of 5 new pieces of art! [Note: trading of art is optional, yet encouraged]

Land of Ice

The first of my new regional roundup column is up on design*sponge! Every month I'll be exploring a different place, discovering designers and see how where they live influences their work. Today's is the first of three posts on Iceland. Click here to check it out and stay tuned for the next two Tuesdays for more INCREDIBLE Icelandic designers.

{above: The Naked Ape store in Reykjavik from my trip. Totally fun and hip and I love how Iceland makes neon colors look super hip. On top of it there was a DJ rocking out the store that night for Iceland Airwaves. Read more about Sara, the designer behind it in the round-up...and all of my Iceland posts can be found here.}

Green Day

When I first met Thryn and Gabe they were already engaged and planning a green wedding. I'd check in to their wedlog to see how it was coming along as they documented every detail from the origami flowers to Thryn's homemade dress. But they had two secrets that they couldn't share with their friends until the big day.

First, the wedding was going to be filmed by the Sundance Channel for their "Big Ideas for a Small Planet" series (that airs TONIGHT at 9pm). Second - and my absolute favorite part - was that they choreographed a 'secret dance' which all their friends in the wedding party learned through a how-to DVD they created and mailed out. Then in the middle of the reception the whole crew broke out into dance. Fabulous or what!?! Learning a dance is green too ;)

Happy Earth Day! For more great information on being green, check out Thryn's main blog about sustainable issues (or their latest blog about their new Peace Corps stint in Cameroon).

{images by CVI Photography via Thryn's wedlog}

Body & Soul: Patch Adams

When I first saw the movie Patch Adams, I didn't think anything of Robin Williams playing the character with the same name known for his clowning-meets-care approach to medicine, that is until I encountered* the real Patch Adams, who donned large funky clowning pants and long ponytail (with blue streak), brimming mustache and a dangling earring in one ear. The further I get into the depths of the issue of health care - and I am a lucky one who has health insurance - and the impersonalness of doctors, I can't help but appreciate how he, along with the Gesundheit! Institute, are striving to revolutionize the health system with generosity and compassion. Sadly it sounds like such a novel concept in this day and age!

As part of Body & Soul: a scientific and artistic exploration for evidence of spirit, Patch Adams will be at the American Visionary Art Museum on May 12th at 7pm ($10 adults, $5 students/seniors). The series begins TONIGHT with visionary artist, Alex Grey (artwork on flyer). Click here or the image above for the complete line-up. * He joined us for one leg on Semester at Sea (pictured above), sharing his mission and causing controversy for others with his bold political statements. Strangely enough I encountered him a second time in National airport, clearly back from a volunteer mission with several other "clowns" in tow.