“Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth.”- Henry David Thoreau

Painting by me!

If you’ve read my blog for any length of time, you know I often rave about the good ‘ole city I live in: Durham, North Carolina. I don’t think I’ve lived in a city with a greater sense of community or dedication to supporting the local movement. Another great thing about Durham is it’s stocked full of sheer talent from artists to musicians to designers to photographers to writers to chefs to furniture makers to…you get the idea. Since the economy crashed resulting in fewer jobs, the creatives turned entrepreneurs and started opening businesses and working freelance from home. Although working from home has it’s perks, if you’ve ever worked from home you know it can get old fast. In comes Mercury Studio…

Mercury Studio, a community-minded studio and workspace in downtown Durham, is opening at 407 N. Mangum Street this summer. With a cozy cafe space, work desks, artist studios, a conference room, bathrooms, kitchen, and unlimited coffee and tea, Mercury Studio offers something for everyone. There are three levels of membership – Cafe, Desk, and Studio – as well as day passes. Find out more about how you can get involved on their website. You can also donate to Mercury Studio at indiegogo.

We all know the one-piece bathing suit is back in style. With a few adjustments to the old school fit, the one-piece is sexier than ever. And modestly so, in most cases. Here are a few I’ve been eying lately:

Tigerlily Lilybelle One Piece Suit

Zimmermann Laughing Gull White One-Piece Halter Swimsuit

Henry is the adorable 2-year-old boy I nanny. He loves cars, especially Lightning McQueen, firetrucks, and diggers. He has the funniest laugh out of any kid I know. His father, Aaron Vandemark, is the award-winning chef and owner of Panciuto, a fine dining Italian restaurant in Hillsborough, North Carolina, so it is no surprise that Henry eats the best meals a 2-year-old has ever been served: soft shell crab from Harper’s Island, duck and sweet potato ravioli, and sauteed asparagus drizzled with olive oil. Nonetheless, like any other two-year-old, he also loves ham and cheese sandwiches, yogurt, pickles, popcorn, and chocolate.

Read more about and see more pictures of Henry after the jump…

(more…)

When I first saw these images I could not believe this triptych portrait of Martin Luther King, Jr. was made of Rubik’s Cubes…4,242 to be exact. Pete Fecteau spent nearly 40 hours to construct the mosaic that measures 19′ x 8’6″ and weighs roughly 1,000 pounds. Genius! The final installation took about 5 1/2 hours to complete with the help of 6 volunteers. Kudos, Pete!

What do you think about these spirits hoods? Swell.com carries the red fox and owl (above) as well as the tiger and snow leopard. I could have some fun with these.

Do you ever wonder about people’s secret talents, hobbies, pet peeves, or other idiosyncrasies that never come up in conversation because they’re either too random, not brag-worthy, or just forgotten? If someone unexpectedly asks you to give a trivia answer about yourself, what would you say? Is your middle name uncommon? Can you do a front flip? Do you only brush your teeth in the morning?

Here are a few of my own (Don’t judge!)…

• I am double jointed in all of my fingers. I can fold my hand in half – literally, fingers flat against palm- which I just discovered only last year isn’t normal. I can also bend my thumbs backwards until they touch the back of my hand.
• I have severe road rage. Luckily, I don’t go as far as running anyone off the road, but I have many times wanted to pull a Tawanda (Fried Green Tomatoes anyone?) and ram into the back of several people’s cars. My biggest pet peeve while driving is when people don’t use their blinkers. Grrr…

More of my secrets after the jump!

(more…)