mourningdove

Saturday Ceramics: Betsy Williams (Enbi Studio)

I met Betsy Williams on the High Road to Taos during the annual fall festival where artists put on two open-gallery weekends. She trained in Japan and is current researching wild clays. I love her work and have owned several pieces over the years (none currently; I tend to get pieces I can use inContinue reading “Saturday Ceramics: Betsy Williams (Enbi Studio)”

Friday Favorites: Feedly Clean-up

Here are some things I was saving about corvids that turned out to be pretty fun: Josh Klein’s crow vending machine and citizen-science Crowbox project (I really want to build one). And, The Ravenmaster, a rollicking and heartwarming memoir by the guy who’s currently in charge of the Tower of London ravens. If you’re notContinue reading “Friday Favorites: Feedly Clean-up”

Winter Soups: Sundubu Jjigae

I’m using the excuse of cold weather to broaden my repertoire of soups: in addition to being warming, they’re filling, comforting, economical and healthy, which is probably why everyone starts making them in the New Year. My favorite discovery this winter has been sundubu jjigae, the Korean soft-tofu stew that features a delicious contrast betweenContinue reading “Winter Soups: Sundubu Jjigae”

Pattern Matching

A good bit of what goes on in my brain is connecting something I’m currently seeing or otherwise sensing to a memory of a past experience, according to similarities or resonances between the two. So, tonight when I saw the sunset, the luminescent pink color reminded me of the pink shell in the Korean lacquerContinue reading “Pattern Matching”

Aikido and Rhetoric: Centering

I’m starting a series on aikido and rhetoric because I’m a rhetorician by training, and for the last two years, I’ve been training in the Japanese martial art of aikido as well. I started noticing a lot of similarities between the two disciplines: similar ethics, similar practices, even similar concepts and terms. And after diggingContinue reading “Aikido and Rhetoric: Centering”

Ceramics Saturdays: Modern Korean Ceramics

There is so much really interesting work going on in Korean ceramics today–young potters taking the clean, organic forms of tradition into experimental lines and colors. The incense burner pictured above is by my friend Jeewon (Mellanie) Jeong, an incredibly talented young ceramicist with a Master’s degree from Seoul National University and now her ownContinue reading “Ceramics Saturdays: Modern Korean Ceramics”

Friday Favorites: Kung Fu Movies, Part Two

This time it’s personal…. Compared to the first list, this one is less orthodox, with newer films as well as more wuxia (sort of the MCU for martial arts, featuring fictional heroes mixed in with actual historical ones): Hero. The fight between Donnie Yen and Jet Li in the rain at the teahouse. Nuff said.Continue reading “Friday Favorites: Kung Fu Movies, Part Two”

ATEEZ 멋(The Real)

So, if you’re new to my enthusiasm for the K-pop boy band ATEEZ, you can catch yourself up to speed here. This post is just a quick update that (1) they have a new video out for “The Real,” a song they performed last year as part of the Kingdom competition; and (2) they’re kickingContinue reading “ATEEZ 멋(The Real)”

Storing Christmas Decorations

Since Epiphany is tomorrow (the 12th day of Christmas) and my city’s tree-cycling program ends this weekend, it’s time to de-decorate. Honestly, it’s fine: as much as I love Christmas, I recognize that its ability to thrill me every year stems in part from the fact that it’s a limited engagement. Also, while I neverContinue reading “Storing Christmas Decorations”

Los Angeles

I had to go to LA to apply for a visa at the German consulate for my upcoming research residency in Berlin, and even though I was only going to be there for a little over 24 hours, I planned to eat some good food and learn a bit about the area where I wasContinue reading “Los Angeles”