Re-Launch June 17, 2010
Posted by Katie Oh in : Such As , 2commentsThis is all because of a bag.
Well, maybe not all because of a bag. But it was the start.
I needed to find myself a good birthday gift. I’m turning 21 in September, and I figured I would get myself something really nice. I didn’t even consider a bag until another member of an online community I’m in posted a link to a set of handbags Coach had some bloggers design.
And there she was.
It sounds so stupid, but it made me realize that I really need to work on identifying who I am as a person. I’m about to spend the next year of my life writing a book and completing my undergraduate degree. You have to know who you are to be able to accomplish something so stressful.
I am, in a nutshell, this handbag. I’m fun, but not too loud and crazy. I make a statement in my own way, but it’s soft. I’m professional, but I can blend into different settings.
I realized that I missed blogging. I miss sharing my thoughts in a public space. I’ve been feeling so much in a rut the past few months, and I think this has something to do with it.
I’ve been thinking about what I want to do with this blog. And it’s a good question. I love food, but I don’t cook or bake enough to run a cooking blog. I’m trying to find my personal style, but there are a million and a half fashion blogs. I’m a writer (or I’m trying to be) but I don’t want to put all my writing out there. So maybe I’ll put all that in a blender and see what I come up with.
Maybe it will be me.
Interview With Nick Flynn June 16, 2010
Posted by Katie Oh in : Such As , add a commentI attend Pratt Institute, where we have a glorious little literary and art magazine called Ubiquitous. Every fall semester, they conduct an interview and write a profile of the Writing Program’s Writer-in-Residence. I, being an eager junior, offered to write said profile.
I met Nick in Pratt’s Pie Shop one rainy afternoon, expecting a fairly quick question-and-answer with simple answers. Instead, what I got was 35 minutes (that ended up being 7 pages single-spaced!) of thoughts on bewilderment, carpentry, and aging. Because of space restrictions, the whole of this interview couldn’t be published in Ubiquitous. So, here’s my original cut of the interview (with most of our “sort ofs” and “likes” omitted!)
Katie Oh: You lectured [at Pratt] about bewilderment, and I was looking at your website, and that’s sort of, like, the working title of your new project. Can you talk a little bit about that?
Nick Flynn: It was the working title—”A Memoir of Bewilderment,” hopefully that’s just in the book now, so we don’t have to call it that. I’ve just sort of been studying this concept of bewilderment, looking at it for a few years now, to see how various arts relate to it, how bewilderment fits into their practice. It seems to be this sort of key moment in almost any work of art, where the artist sort of pushes beyond what they know to this sort of unknown, to this sort of place that would probably, by definition, be bewildering. And it interests me. It interests me that that’s where art can occur, sort of beyond what we know.
Hello Again! June 16, 2010
Posted by Katie Oh in : Such As , add a commentSo I’m hoping to expand and update this blog more this summer/this upcoming year! I’ve got some ~ideas up my sleeve. You’ll see. I hope.
Life and Times September 29, 2009
Posted by Katie Oh in : Such As , 1 comment so farI am back. That is to say: I have changed locations again, I am back to one of my homes, to one of my comfort zones.
The end of my summer was just that: an end. Unspectacular. No fireworks. I played “Born to Run” and drove 70 on roads with 45 speed limits going home from work and felt at peace when I left Westmoreland County. I will be back.
School this year is perhaps the most intense it has ever been. 18 credits and working part-time for America Reads has made me have two crying spells already.
My subjects:
- Fiction Studio
- Literature of Pop Culture: Harry Potter
- Bookmaking
- Reading & Writing Brooklyn
- The Professional Workplace
- Writer’s Forum
- Independent Study (about the lexicon of feminist journalism)
Harry Potter is one of the best classes, but at the same time, also the hardest. I forgot that the books are, at their shortest, 350 pages. The next one is over 600, and I have a week to read it. Ouch.
I turned twenty a few weeks ago: it was unceremonious. I worked all day and went out for a lovely birthday dinner with my friends. The night before, however, my friends baked me a cake:
That is perhaps the most unflattering picture ever taken of me, but I look joyous. And that is what matters.
I am already surprised at my resilience. I have written several stories and have yet to hit a block. I even have more material started for the future. I know it is not perfect, but I am trying. A writer-in-polishing.
This is all what matters.
Egad August 12, 2009
Posted by Katie Oh in : Such As , add a commentSee, I could never do this for a living. Primarily because, obviously, I can’t seem to update on a consistent schedule. Meh. I have been well. And by “well,” I mean “still alive,” so I’ll take it.
I drove out to Cleveland a few weeks ago. Amanda went to visit Adam, who lives in Cleveland like I live in Pittsburgh (close, but not downtown) so I got up much earlier than I normally do and drove. It was relaxing and made me realize that I am truly my mother’s child–I made it from east of Pittsburgh to west of Cleveland in two hours and some change. I drive fast, but cautiously. The best way to describe the place Adam lives in is by the fact that the closest grocery store to him is Trader Joe’s. We went to a Mexican fusion-esque restaurant in a cute little neighborhood and then went to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for the Bruce [!!!] exhibit.
It was wonderful. The only thing I’m not a fan of is that the building is a large glass pyramid, so all the escalators are sort of suspended in air as you go from one level to the next–and I am afraid of medium-distance heights. I kept my eyes closed a lot. But there were two levels of Bruce, which was amazing. Everything from the clothes he wore on album covers to the dining room table he wrote lyrics at. Amanda and Adam, not being Bruce fans, weren’t as interested, but I was enchanted. Ah! What a man. It inspired me to buy a print of this for my dorm room:
I am excited to recieve it. And hang it, of course.
We went to dinner afterwards, and I must say, Cleveland has amazing sushi. It was just wonderful, in the way that seeing your friends at “home” is.
Although “home” is something I’ve been struggling with for the past few months [years?]–I find myself annoyed, disenchanted with places after a while. Toledo never felt properly like home, Brooklyn is lovely but I get tired of the rat race, Pittsburgh is sometimes a bit too sleepy for my tastes. I feel like a nomad, but attempt to bring home with me everywhere–I carve a niche wherever I go and put my name on it, but it doesn’t mean I’m happy with it. I’ve always kept at least one box packed at every new place.
I haven’t done much back to school shopping–though it is something I love doing–because, for some reason, this year I’m a champion of simply revitalizing the old. Don’t throw it away, heck, don’t even give it away, keep it as long as you can. I bought two bags this summer, which is like some sort of record for me. And they were only 50 cents each at a rummage sale. They’re perfectly good bags.
My family is holding a little cookout before I go away, at my aunt and uncle’s house. They have a pool. I forgot how much I liked swimming until we stopped by one day and they invited me in. It’s awesome. Even if I tend to under-sunscreen and wind up with red skin for a few days.
I am excited for school to start. The classes I am taking this semester are absolutely wonderful. And I have an awesome roommate. In fact, I think I’ll end this entry with a picture of us that Amanda took in Cleveland.
I am excited for this year. Hopefully it will be the best yet.
Goodness! June 21, 2009
Posted by Katie Oh in : Such As , add a commentI am so very bad at blogging. I guess I just dont have anything to talk about?
I returned to my employment at the liquor stores. I’ve been to 17 of the 25 stores in my county. I play favorites. I memorize wine reccommendations. It’s boring sometimes, but it’s good money, and I genuinely enjoy working with some of the people I work with. Given, no one’s under the age of about 40, but it’s interesting to meet so many fully defined personalities. You learn a lot about a person by the way they approach their job.
I finally got my JesusPhone. Pre-ordered it, got into the AT&T store at roughly 7 am to pick it up. It’s stupid to say, but I don’t know how I lived without it. This is only the second time I’ve been on the computer for three days: it can just do everything. I have a new phone number, too: a new home location. Interesting.
I saw Bruce Springsteen. I don’t even think I got to that, it’s been so long. I went with my uncle Patrick, aunt Cheryl, and cousins. Patrick’s a Bruce Fan. Or, as I like to call them “Phish fans without all the drugs.” You know the type: every band has them, but Bruce has a lot of devotees. Look at me, calling him Bruce. Like I know the guy.
The show was excellent. They play what they call “Stump the Band”: fans bring signs with songs written on them that they don’t think the E Street Band can play. Bruce picked “Like a Rolling Stone,” which was, as it sounds, absolutely fantastic. Bruce was the downhome working-class boy to Dylan’s rebellious artist: both were desperately needed in their musical climates and have had a glorious career. The entire show was amazing in general: Bruce doesn’t look a day over 40 [he's almost 60!] and I have no idea where he gets the energy to run around the stage like that. I have the on my iPod and I listen to it and smile.
Today’s bill of events: outlet shopping and a cookout at my brother’s house. My niece, who is about to be 5, just got her first cellphone and I want to see what she thinks of it. Oh, lazy days.
Why Prop 8 Is Scarier Than You Think May 26, 2009
Posted by Katie Oh in : Such As , add a commenthttp://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/27/us/27marriage.html?_r=1&hp
So, the California Supreme Court upheld Proposition 8 today. For those of you who aren’t familiar, Prop 8 bans gay marriage.
My friends, this is a slippery slope. Why?
Because we are now allowed to VOTE on whether or not people have RIGHTS.
People like to use the “but the majority! but the majority voted!” excuse, but let’s reflect.
Who started this country? A minority. They were being persecuted for who they were and left to start a new, better place.
I somehow doubt that minority would be pleased with the new majority.
I, for one, don’t want anyone to be able to vote on whether or not I have a basic right in this country. Tell you what, I won’t tell you you don’t have the right to do something, you don’t tell me.
… and isn’t that the Republican ideal to begin with? Lack of government interference in everyday life?
This is just all so twisted and so backwards. I can’t even think about it. But it’s scary. And you should be scared, if you are any type of minority: gender, race, religion. Because who knows what can happen now that a precedent is set.
TV Finale Wrap-Up May 22, 2009
Posted by Katie Oh in : Such As , add a commentSo, because I suck at actually updating about my life, I figure I could at least post SOMETHING, so here’s my review of a few of the Spring ’09 television season finales.
This’ll be behind an HTML cut so nothing is spoiled for anyone!
So, come right this way for reviews of… CSI! CSI: NY! Grey’s Anatomy! Private Practice! Criminal Minds! NCIS! and… actually, I think that’s it.
Awards and Artistic Inspiration May 3, 2009
Posted by Katie Oh in : Such As , add a commentI’ve been so busy as of recent! It’s finals time, coupled with moving-in-a-week time, and I’ve just been going, going, going.
Working long hours for America Reads: Tuesday was Tutor Awards, Thursday I went with my kindergarten class on a field trip to the dentist’s, and Friday was the Spelling Bee, all large events that had me on site at 9 am and working til at least 2.
Tuesday, after following Peggy (the organizer for America Reads) around and keeping her organized, as well as setting up and taking down the table in the lobby no less than four times, I was awarded “Tutor of the Year,” which surprised me since a) it’s my first year and b) I don’t think I’ve done anything above and beyond what my job entails. Apparently I was wrong.
Monday will be my last day with the kindergarteners. I am rather bummed about this. They can be tiring, obnoxious, and far too honest (no, those bumps on my face don’t hurt and no, I am not pregnant, damnit, just fat!) but they are awesome. It’s bizarre to get a feeling of accomplishment from a kid being able to spell “bike” on their own or knowing what a “bouquet” is, but it’s a great feeling.
I have a long to-do list for the summer. I am hoping to connect up with Open Thread, a sort-of writing community in Pittsburgh. I need to re-decorate my room. I need to go through my things and discard as needed. I need to get a new cellphone. Well, maybe not need. Want. Gotta feed the American economy, you know. Save businesses and all that.
Martha Stewart, “lifestyle designer,” came to speak at Pratt, giving a lecture called “Artistic Inspiration as a Basis for Business.” I managed to get a ticket in the standing-room-only Memorial Hall, just a few rows back from the woman herself. She was exceedingly lovely: all glowy and gracious like she appears to be everywhere. She essentially does what I would love to do: turning awesome things into products for people.
Her process is meticulous: when she was creating her paint line for Sherwin Williams, she explained, she and her assistants brushed her cats, pulled the perfect shades from the strands of fur, and then re-created the colors by mixing various tempra paints. They created over 200 colors for the line, and when they turned them over to the Sherwin Williams people, they said “they had a computer that would re-create the colors.” A few weeks later, and they came back. “The computer could only make 5 of the shades properly,” Martha said. “They had to hand-mix the rest.”
Martha has, frankly, taken over the world. I wasn’t even aware of how far her influence spreads: a paint line for Sherwin Williams (best-selling shade: Newman’s Blue, which was picked from a picture of Paul Newman’s eyes), a collection of bedding and bath products for K-Mart, a fine china collection for Wedgewood, a line of craft supplies for Wal-Mart, higher-end bed and bath products for Macy’s, a furniture line, several television shows, numerous books, and several blogs, one of which is “written” by her two dogs and averages 15,000 hits a day.
And perhaps it just makes sense, how she’s done this. She explained this, which, in today’s market, seems like it’s forgotten:
We just want to make the best stuff we can possibly make with the best designs… I tell my team, “we are all the customer…” I am the customer.
The best part, though, may have been the Q & A at the end. A girl got up and, after explaining how interesting she thought Martha’s business was and how much she appreciated hearing how Martha thinks, she asked:
“What’s the biggest distaster that’s happened so far?”
And Martha, in the moment that made me admire her more than anything else, chuckled and said, simply:
“I think we all know what that is.”
Two Weeks April 24, 2009
Posted by Katie Oh in : Such As , add a commentThere was a dilemma with Chris Brown: he, apparently, liked both Taerica and Leiashia and couldn’t make up his mind.
I miss playing dress-up and make believe; so I sat in the “house area” of the classroom and listened to the drama arising. Chris Brown kept calling the house to talk to both of them. At one point, he was arrested, then sent to jail, then got out. I told them Chris Brown wasn’t worth sticking around for if he couldn’t make up his mind: not what I wanted to say (“Chris Brown can be a very mean man and has hurt women before, be careful”) but still a tidbit of wisdom. They were wearing high heels too big for their feet and kept sliding across the floor instead of walking. Make-believe-world.
And today was just too, too beautiful. Friday Forum was a good one: Doug Anderson and Michael Kimball were both intensely interesting people and quite good writers with excellent answers. Then a picnic on the lawn with what Adrian and I decided was a band that had spontaneously formed just for the day: a glockenspiel, violin, tambourine, and two guitars. We ate hot dogs in a sunny patch of grass and afterward, Jenny and I got chocolate milkshakes. It was 70 out and I put on a pair of sunglasses.
It doesn’t feel like the end of the semester. I feel like I have another month left or something: something feels weird. Or maybe this is supposed to be the way it feels. Like there’s not an end: a short break, and back again. Not so segmented. Hmm. Perhaps.
Monday, I am going to see Martha Stewart give a lecture at Pratt about turning one’s artistic ideas into a business. She’s one of my idols in that way that she’s doing what she loves and yet is savvy enough to be immensely successful. I am excited.