What are words for?
Posted on February 21, 2015 Leave a Comment
There are moments in life when everything is crystal clear. The planets and stars align and I’m in the right place at the right time. Suddenly, a portal opens and I can see myself clearly. There’s also a view of what lies ahead and where I’ve been. I call these rare portal moments being at one with the one. They feel divine.
Then, there are the other 99% moments of life when I am trudging the road ahead without any gps navigation, as if driving down a winding country road in fog so thick I can only see a few feet ahead. These are the moments I need to to slow down and remember I’m not driving the bus.
I’ve been having a lot of the 99% moments lately and the portal moments seem as distant as Missing Person’s 80’s hit song Words. It has felt like I’ve been talking, but no one is listening. What’s the point of having those portal moments when no one wants to hear what you think about anything anyway? What good is a crystal ball, if any glimpse of the future isn’t heard by people too busy taking selfies?
Maybe the words are wasted in the here and now but, if I capture and curate them, someone sometime in the future will find them useful.
What are words for when no one listens anymore?
What an awesome year at culvermccall.com!
Posted on December 30, 2014 Leave a Comment
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2014 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 2,000 times in 2014. If it were a cable car, it would take about 33 trips to carry that many people.
Big Money Meets Big Data in a Fitness Fashion Fusion – Fitness Trends in 2015
Posted on December 30, 2014 Leave a Comment
Thinking about your New Year’s resolutions? Well, there are a few new forces influencing fitness that will change the way we workout in 2015. Here are the fitness trends that will sweep the planet this year.
Bigger is Better
Big Money will meet Big Data in 2015 – and the Big Daddy of Big Money is Apple. The Apple Watch lands on everyone’s wrist in early 2015. With the launch of wearable technology, Apple will disrupt several new markets – fashion, fitness and healthcare to name just three. Armed with more data than the CIA, we’re about to become completely obsessed with speed, strength and, of course, calories. Watch for data disruption in your workouts soon.
Creativity is all there is – new moon reminder
Posted on November 21, 2014 Leave a Comment
We are surrounded by creativity. In fact creative energy is all there is. We’re made up of water and oxygen, proteins, carbohydrates, etc. But, when you break all those “ingredients” down, you’re back to creative energy.
So, whenever I’m feeling blocked, I meditate on what I’m composed of. I like to think that creative energy is really fairy dust – just my attempt at making the universe a little gayer. Anyway, once I remember that I’m made up of the same substance as the stars, sun, moon and planets, the creative energy begins to flow, or rather, I become aware of it flowing once again.
Take some time this weekend at the new moon to reflect on the fact that you are made of the same materials as the stars. In fact, you are a star – and this new moon brings another opportunity to shine. You are creative energy in action. Shine bright!
Image – Creation of Adam by Michelangelo, Sistine Chapel 1512
Vegan Leather – Rebranding Fashion’s Pariah
Posted on November 17, 2014 Leave a Comment
Chanel once said, “Fashion fades, style remains.” I think what she was getting at is the idea that what’s considered fashionable today will be out of fashion tomorrow, or the day after. Diana Vreeland said, “The eye needs to travel.” Both visionaries knew that a look or style can never be considered a “classic”. The most desireable item in your wardrobe today may just be considered guache tomorrow. Then too, the style that’s been tossed in the trash bin may still have another day in the sun – take the baffling resurrection of fur for instance.
That brings us to the streets of NYC and the seemingly evergreen vegan leather legging. They’re everywhere. You can find a pair at every price point – from Stella McCartney to American Eagle. Vegan leather is chic. But, isn’t vegan leather really just vinyl, and wasn’t it considered really tacky to sport fake animal skin when you could afford the most sumptuous naked lamb skin? The rebranding of vinyl is a modern day marketing miracle!
It all started with the green movement. Suddenly everyone was concious of their carbon footprint. We all started recycling, reusing and reconsidering our choices. It became in to be earthy crunchy. Then came the whole vegetarian/vegan movement. Where once it was difficult to find a good vegan meal in NYC, now there are gluten free vegan muffins on every corner. Fashion is no exception. Savvy designers know that a smart vegan fashion freak needs an ethical alternative to the most covetous luxury – what’s a vegan girl, or boy, to do when it comes to leather? In comes humble vinyl for its 15 minutes of fame.
Where that vegan leather comes from is another question…
I’m gonna swing from the chandelier
Posted on November 14, 2014 Leave a Comment
Sia’s mega hit Chandelier is omnipresent. Her exuberance surrounds us in the gym, on the street, the supermarket and, of course, the dance floor. The other day I was listening to this amazing remix and I had a chandelier epiphany. I got to thinking that Sia has probably never really danced on top of a dining table, let alone swung from a chandelier. That thought triggered a childhood memory….
As is the case in every home, the holidays are the busiest time of the year. This was especially true at 345 Allen Street. Grandma had everyone busy preparing for the upcoming festivities. Housekeepers cleaned the house from top to bottom. The silver had to be polished. Christmas cards by the hundreds had to written – envelopes addressed and stamps affixed with obsessive perfection. Grandma’s attention to detail still inspires and haunts me 50 years later. Read More
Matte is the new black
Posted on November 7, 2014 Leave a Comment
It goes without saying that black is back in a big way. All the runway shows were filled with lithe models gliding along draped in head to toe black. So, I wasn’t surprised to learn that Anna Wintour was mounting the first show in her newly named costume institute gallery appropriately titled Death Becomes Her – a century of morning attire.
But, what struck me as the take away from this exhibit was the matte finish of all the fabrics. At first I thought this was due to the age of the clothes, some almost two hundred years old. But, I was pleased to discover that the manufacturers and designers developed special “mourning” finishes to convey an appropriate somber feeling to the clothes. The other oddity was that the strict social codes applied mostly to women. I guess men don’t mourn or they didn’t feel color in clothing was important in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Their mourning attire didn’t look much different than every day clothing.
Go see the exhibit. After a half an hour submereged in this matte black world, you’ll be craving a little less shine!
Here’s a slide show from the exhibit.
A Higher Goal Awaits
Posted on November 5, 2014 Leave a Comment
Sometimes life hands you more than you think you can handle. Sometimes we overestimate our own abilities and strengths. But, sometimes, a goal that seems unobtainable really just needs to be smashed. That was the case with me and the NYC Marathon. In 2013 I set a goal for myself of running New York in under 4 hours. I’d run a sub 4 hour marathon once before in Paris in 2012. But, the NY course was tougher than I anticipated and my training was overconfident. I finished the race in 4 hours and 4 minutes – not bad, but I didn’t reach my goal, so, I couldn’t really check that one off in the success column, could I? Read More
It takes more than a trust fund to build a great art collection.
Posted on October 19, 2014 Leave a Comment
I’ve been a member of The Met for years – and every so often, maybe once a year, I receive a letter from Thomas Campbell reminding me of the financial benefits of donating works of art to The Met as promised gifts. I always chuckle at the idea that Mr. Campbell has identified me as an art collector or even an individual that would have an estate large enough to donate to the financial power house that is The Metropolitan Museum of Art. That’s the point – art doesn’t discriminate. But, it does need vast financial resources to survive over centuries. Read More
Support Me in the Fight Against AIDS
Posted on October 8, 2014 Leave a Comment
Dear Friends,
On November 2, I’m running the TCS New York City Marathon with Lifebeat, Music Fights HIV/AIDS. I joined the team to make a difference in the fight against HIV/AIDS and raise funds to continue to grow Lifebeat’s programs.
Since 1992, Lifebeat has been distributing educational literature and condoms at concert venues, music festivals, clubs and other events through its Tour Outreach Program. Lifebeat’s Hearts & Voices Program provides quality of life services and support, such as musical performances, for people living with HIV/AIDS and their families.
HIV/AIDS is preventable through condom use and education, yet only 3% of federal AIDS funds are allocated to prevention, so your help is vital. I hope you’ll make a gift to support my race. Click the Donate Now link below to go to my fundraising page, where you can make a 100% tax-deductible online donation.
Thank you for joining me in the fight against AIDS.
Culver McCall 