on obsessions...

1. Nintendo Wii: 







I am not what you would call a video game person. Sometimes I am entertained, sometimes immersed, sometimes fascinated-- but I never really needed to have them around as I got older. However, not so secretly, I have coveted the Wii...and on Wednesday Angelo got us one!! Now, two days of sore Wii arm and a wide variety of handmade Miis later...wow!



2. Rayman and Raving Rabbids: 

A game that at first glance I wasn't really interested in, but I remember seeing quite a bizarre commercial with the evil bunnies (and I have a soft spot for evil bunnies) I was willing to give the game a try on Angelo's word....wow! Brilliant, silly, fun, involved, wacky, crazy bunnies and outfits and dancing! There are so many activities that really get you using the Wii controls and getting involved, then there are all of the silly scenarios like attacking cowboy bunnies with feather dusters by throwing plungers at them, or leading bunnies in a disco dance, or making sure the bathroom doors are closed while beach bunnies use the outhouses!! 



3. Adrian Tomine: 

One of, it not my favorite graphic novelist. Artist and writer, Tomine has probably captured my heart for about 8 years now. I have all of his books (my favorite is still Sleepwalk) and patiently wait for new releases. He is a true artisan of his craft. Precise clean lines that give his characters an edge, while still remaining very human. The art is simple, yet jarring. The writing is poignant, subtle, heart wrenching--real. There are aspects of reading his work that make you feel like you are a voyeur peeking into the lives of people you might or might not know already. There is this sense that you are entering private worlds with layers of complexity evoked from Tomine's nuance.



Soooo, I finally got around to a full reading of his latest book Shortcomings.....and the word of the day is wow (or wow-wiiiiiii). Very different for Tomine in the straightforward portrayal of the issues of his characters. This is also the first time I have seen him openly tackle larger social consciousness issues about topics that are clearly related to his own life-- such as being an Asian-American and all of the cliches and identity crisis' involved in not only Asian-Americans, but the lives of any 20-30 somethings, or anyone looking to find their way in life, anyone afraid of change, anyone who looks at New York or California as the places to find oneself. Whoa. Tomine's work is so simple and so profound! It's funny that I relate to so many of his stories, or Tomine himself. Sometimes I see my brother as a lot like the way Tomine is portrayed through his work. There is this implicit awkwardness, a longing for finding oneself alone yet not ending up alone. I guess I really could write about Tomine forever, but my point is that I love being touched and inspired by so many things and so many people. I haven't felt much like myself in awhile and so many influences bring me back "home" again. To obsessions, inspiration, and finding humor in dancing psycho bunnies.



Next... the wine crate wall and flock